Chapter 11: The Dreadfully Dire Business of Hogsmeade
My Darling Remus,
I hope you and your friends are enjoying the first few weeks of the school term. It's supposed to be an early, long winter, however. All the boys around town are wearing this type of jacket these days, I tried to go a size or two up from what you were in the holidays. You really are shooting up like a beanstalk, my darling.
All my love,
Mum.
The quilted nylon bomber jacket was shiny blue and rustling in Remus' grip, and so cool and smooth that it was almost like touching plastic. It was almost slippery, unfolding easily as he held it up to observe the yellow and orange stripes over the shoulders, contrasting the deep blue. He had seen similar ones around Haworth over the summer holidays, he realised, mostly on the more fashionable, older of the boys.
The rest of the dormitory had already fled to Hogsmeade, bar Peter, who was taking his time in the bathroom. With the approaching full moon, Remus was unsure if he felt energetic enough for a visit to the town – or to keep up with his friends once there.
Gratefully, he began to pen his reply to his mother. He was eager to wear it but would have to wait for when the House Elves had returned his laundered jeans that wouldn't clash with the blue of the jacket. He had just scratched out the opening two lines of his reply with his quill, when Peter began flitting around nervously – right by Remus' bed.
"Remus?"
Remus blinked – as he hadn't heard his real name in the longest time – before answering, a little startled, "Yeah, Pete?"
"I asked Mary to Hogsmeade this weekend… today."
"Well, that's marvellous, Pete!" said Remus, earnestly, giving his friend a nod, "Good luck and all."
Remus returned to his letter but was acutely aware that Peter hadn't moved.
"I may have told her that it would be with a few of us..."
Remus glanced up suspiciously at his friend's tone, "Yeah…?"
Peter's hand went to back of his neck, "Well, I didn't want to tell the others they'd –"
"– ruin it. Probably go out of their way to do it," agreed Remus, sitting up and placing down his quill, "Pete, are you asking me to come with you and Mary?"
Peter's eyes blew wide as saucers, and he clenched his hands together in front of himself, "Could you? Please?"
"Pete…" sighed Remus, looking longingly at the book he intended to read on his nightstand, before looking back, knowing he was going to the do the right thing, reluctantly, "Yeah, alright –"
Peter all but collapsed before him in visible relief –
"Just let me finish this quick reply to mum and get some shoes on, okay?" said Remus, hurriedly picking up his quill again.
Mum,
Thank you for the jacket, I really love it. My Prefect duties are keeping me quite busy, so I don't get to spend as much time with the other boys as usual. Actually, we've even got a new student this year – she's in with Lily's friends (you heard all about her from James when he visited in the summer, remember?). She's helped Peter ask out a girl named Mary, and he's decided he wants me to tag along – right now.
Ta now, I'm off to third wheel on Peter's date,
Remus.
"We're going to be late…" said Peter, pacing and glancing worriedly at his watch.
Remus quickly folded the parchment, struggling to neatly slot it into an envelope, "Alright, alright – keep your hair on…"
Feeling a niggling rush in his tailbone, Remus tied the letter to the ankle of the owl that had originally brought his mother's letter, which had long since finished the treat he had given it upon arrival. With a soft HOOT, the bird was gone.
Peter was resting his forehead against the doorframe as he lingered, half in and half out, trying for some patience but visibly struggling…
Remus paused, a hand on his chest, and looked down at the thick red wool jumper he was wearing – with a cheesy Christmas pattern on it. Then he shook his head and got back into motion. He wasn't trying to impress anyone, the worst he looked, in fact, the better it would probably be for Peter. So, he grabbed a jacket that looked like it might match his trousers and slipped his trainers on over his woolly bed socks.
And then they were flying down the dormitory stairs and through the castle – jogging down the flights of castle stairs. They were strolling down the crunchy frost-bitten path through the forest, closing in on Hogsmeade, when Remus thought he might try to help the jittery boy's nerves beside him.
"So…" said Remus, curling his hands in his jacket pockets as they jolted down the path, "Are you excited?"
Peter nodded, paused, and said, with a dopey smile, "When I see her, my heart does little flips."
Remus nodded, knocking his elbow with his friend's.
"That's nice, Pete."
Peter nodded absently, smiling at his shoes, "Yeah, it is, isn't it…"
Then he elbowed Remus back, suddenly having his gusto return.
"You ought to think about getting a girlfriend too, Moony." said Peter, raising his eyebrows expectantly.
Remus licked his lips, squinting ahead and sighing out his words, "I don't know, Pete."
Peter shot his arm out across Remus' face, making his best attempt at an airplane – "Zoom!"
Remus leant back just in time, slowing his pace after dodging the flying arm.
"What was that?" asked Remus, flabbergasted.
"That was your life, mate," said Peter, tucking his hand back into his pocket, and turning his eyes forward once more, "It goes by that fast, Moony. It really does – everyone says. And it's true."
Remus bit back a laugh, and shook his head, "Today's about you, mate."
Peter stopped – they had reached the edge of town – and were right where Peter had specified to meet; by the first large lamppost.
"I wouldn't be so sure –" said Peter, with the slightest of twitches at his lips, nodding at something behind Remus' shoulder, "Here they come…"
While Peter made a last-minute fuss about his hair and jacket, Remus turned around. His dread lifted off his shoulders in his shock at seeing Mary hooking arms with, not her red-headed best friend for four years, Lily Evans – but a fair-haired Spencer.
Mary must have had a similar idea to Peter, fittingly enough.
Katherine had just waved goodbye to Lily, Alice, and Marlene, and started spooning up more of her porridge, when she noticed Mary hadn't left with them to enjoy the first Hogsmeade trip of the year.
"Aren't you going too, Mary?"
Mary was wearing her velvety magenta corduroy jacket – her favourite. She fussed with the collar, and then took a strawberry off her spoon into her mouth, chewing demurely.
"Pettigrew's asked me to Hogsmeade – I'm to meet him down there at nine."
Katherine felt her whole being brighten at the news, but she contained herself, and said, "You can keep me company until you need to go then."
Mary put her spoon down against her bowl of cereal with fruit in it.
"Actually, I was rather hoping you might keep me company – on the date,"
Katherine paused, a spoonful of porridge halfway to her mouth.
Mary hurriedly tacked on to her previous words, shaking her head and murmuring, "He mentioned some of his friends might be there, so really, it's like a group thing…"
Katherine placed her spoon back down into the bowl, allowing the action to give her a moment to let Mary's words sink in.
"Well, maybe Alice might be better to take – she knows them, hanging around with Longbottom so much. You could probably catch up to her…" said Katherine, turning to see if the girls had gotten far down the hall.
"She's seeing Frank at Madame Puddifoots this morning," said Mary, wrinkling her nose and shrugging as she went on, "And the other girls get so annoyed by all his friends. You get on with Potter though, I've seen you."
Katherine's cheeks warmed, but she redirected tack, lifting a new spoonful of porridge back up to her mouth, only pausing to say, blinking, "Well, it could always be Black now, couldn't it?"
Mary's eyes blew wide.
"Oh, gosh… I didn't think of that… blimey…" said Mary, hushed. She regathered herself before saying, "Well, it'll be even better then, that it's you. He, er, accidentally called Lily a Mudblood in first year… all of us girls have gotten over it since, I think, but still…"
"Mary, I… I'd love to, really –" Katherine broke off, hoping to impart her sincerity, before going on to say, logically, "But I'm not allowed to go down, I don't have a permission slip."
Mary tipped her head, seemingly weighing up the roadblock that was Katherine not being able to get past the teachers to even get out of the castle. Then she leant forward on the table, eyes bright.
"Have you ever heard of the disillusionment charm?"
Until that morning, Katherine had never thought she would see Hogsmeade up close.
The cream cottages, lined up neatly like gingerbread houses, could have been iced with sugar – not the snow Katherine knew it to be. Fires and laughter were locked away beyond frosted windowpanes, each bricked sanctuary shining with a different slice of life. The trees sheltering the town were wild and wet from the pale day and still smelling of a crisp autumn night, and, twirling around, the blurred visions dazzled and dizzied Katherine…
"There they are." came Mary's whisper, nodding out ahead and looping her arm through Katherine's.
Up ahead, Peter bobbed out from behind the broad shoulders of a figure – still turned around.
Mary let go of Katherine's arm, squeezing her hand, before rushing out in front, "Hi, Peter!"
Lupin turned; his boxy blazer flicked back at the hips so he could stuff his hands into his trouser pockets. He blinked against the cool breeze and bent his neck to meet Katherine's eye as she trailed up to the boys, behind Mary.
"Hello," he said softly, with a small smile, before raising his eyebrows and whispering, "Are you allowed to be here?"
Katherine nearly fell where she stood – "Christ, you're a Prefect, aren't you?"
"It seems we're both chaperones today," said Lupin, lightly, tipping his head to the side, "In the name of friendship – I think I can let this one slide."
He did a lot of that, mused Katherine.
Mary turned back from where she and Peter had been talking quietly just ahead, "Come on – we can't stand here all day."
Parting ways, Katherine and Lupin walked on the outside of their friends.
Katherine nudged Mary encouragingly, and got an excited smile in return from her friend. As they walked, Katherine tried put away the oddness of the four as a group, but her eyes kept straying to Pettigrew and Lupin on the other side of Mary – adjusting to the sight of them.
"Where do you think we should go first?" asked Peter.
Oddly, the boy seemed to be taking point of the group.
Indecision was thick in the air, and they all glanced around at one another as they rambled along the cobblestones. It was as if they were all looking for the adult in the situation, coming up short between the four teenagers.
Mary finally shrugged, flushing as she bumped arms with Pettigrew, "Nowhere too busy – it takes the fun out going into a shop when it's packed to the brim…"
"Right," said Peter nodding, "Perhaps we just walk along until something looks good?"
In unanimous agreement, the four pushed on – until the laces on Katherine's trainers came loose.
"You guys go ahead, I've got to fix my laces." said Katherine, stopping by a bench seat and lifting her shoe up onto it.
Funny, she thought as she looped her laces into bunny ears, she always thought that if she went to Hogsmeade that Lily would be there. Katherine found herself missing her friend, as she would have known all the right things to say – to help Mary along.
"Double knotted?"
Katherine startled, and turned to find Lupin waiting, leaning his shoulder on the light pole. He nodded to her shoes before speaking again.
"It'll be easy enough to trip over in this weather without them coming undone." he said, with his kind eyes.
"Yeah, I should be alright now," said Katherine, dusting her hands on the outside of her jeans, "Thank you for waiting,"
Lupin nodded to her as they fell into step again, at least three shopfronts behind Peter and Mary – who were now talking animatedly, heads together as their synced steps blazed out in front.
Katherine cleared her throat, and nodded ahead, "They seem to be getting along."
"Yeah… yeah…" said Lupin, nodding ever so slightly, watching ahead before turning to her and making a face, "It's probably best we stay back, I'd wager it's hard enough to talk to a girl without one of your mates watching on. They've only pepped up now that we've fallen back."
"I suppose the training wheels are off now, so to speak…" Katherine trailed off.
Lupin laughed.
Katherine too laughed lightly, holding her arms to battle against the cold. Gosh, what were they to talk about now? The seconds dragged out of wordless walking, only broken by the other students milling around them. Katherine was yet to see any of the other girls yet… –
"So,"
Katherine glanced up to find Lupin's eyes shining under the cool blue sky – down at her.
"You didn't mention Snape hexing you as well as the Devil Snare thing and tunnel stuff..."
Katherine had almost forgotten that she'd brought it up when trying to convince Pettigrew to let her use the teeth-healing spell on him.
Lupin, however, seemed to not have the same slip in memory.
"I thought James might have mentioned it to you guys." said Katherine, shrugging.
Lupin shook his head, and said lightly, "No, he didn't,"
Katherine was acutely aware of his appraising eyes as they walked on.
"I'm, uh, not sure about you girls –" said Lupin, amusedly, as his eyes flashed down to her once more "– but we don't tend to announce every detail of our days to each other,"
Lupin kicked a little stone, taking in a breath through his nose and turning his eyes skywards – content.
"Though I do wish he had taken it upon himself to share that one, considering…" he tacked on.
Katherine frowned, and asked, "Considering you all don't get along with Snape?"
Lupin turned away, frowning lightly himself.
"Not just that," he said, before glancing ahead and saying, suddenly "– oh – it looks like we're going in."
Peter and Mary ducked under an eave into a shop with a faded sign.
Quickening their pace, Lupin and Katherine closed in behind them. The bell sounded loudly as Lupin pushed through first, his fingers pushing the door as the passed, endeavouring to keep it open as Katherine followed behind.
Like a warm blanket, a record player in the corner crackled out a familiar tune – a muggle tune.
"Well, you don't know what we can find
Why don't you come with me, little girl
On a magic carpet ride…"
Her eyes slid to Lupin, curiously. She had only ever seen him at Hogwarts, and assumed him as magical as any other, but she wondered then what he knew of the muggle world…
The shop seemed to be a muggle interest shop, the only inkling of magic being the shop keeper, using his wand to tidy up here and there. Katherine felt her inner being almost curl up and rest at the familiarity of it all. Like a magnet, the stash of records pulled Katherine's feet across the shop.
Not taking much stock of what the others were browsing, Katherine began combing through the columns of vinyl, noticing that, above them, was a piece of purple felt pinned up on the wall.
Listen to:
FLEETWOOD MAC
It will save your soul
In a relaxingly familiar fashion, Lupin rummaged beside her through the vinyl sleeves, flipping over Let It Bleed by the Stones.
Katherine, personally, felt terrible about only liking the opening track, Gimme Shelter, and the closing track, You Can't Always Get What You Want. The rest was a wash to her. It was a tricky record to listen to for the girl, and sometimes she wished there was a way she could listen to all her favourite songs individually…
She settled for saying, "I love Gimme Shelter on that one."
Lupin glanced up, eyebrows lifted and a faint smile. He nodded, then frowned down at the sleeve, turning it back over.
"I er," he hesitated, closing one eye, bracingly, "Feel like a poser for only liking the first and last songs…"
Katherine blinked, turning to him anew, abandoning her search. She could not believe her ears!
"You're kidding –" she said excitedly, "It's the same for me, they just don't –"
"– Grab you!" they said together.
Their excitement bubbled down slowly, and they went back to their rummaging, a new warmth between them. Katherine found she didn't even mind the way his elbow bumped lightly bumped into her hip as he reached over to flick through the ones at the front of her chosen box.
A rack of sunglasses caught Katherine's eye, she wandered over by the window, spinning it slowly to see the collection of multi-coloured frames. A large pair of round ones caught her eye, that were fairly in fashion, and she tried them on in the mirror.
It was in the reflection that she saw the shoulder of Lupin's jacket bobbing closer.
"Too big, you reckon?" she asked him, fluffing her hair slightly in the mirror.
Lupin grinned, leaning back against an empty table leisurely, shaking his head gently.
Katherine tried on a few more, her favourites being a pair of oversized rimless square frames that were amber tinted, before she placed a pair of pink thick round frames on Lupin's face.
Lupin casually glanced sideways at the mirror and said, lightly, "Not sure it's my colour."
Promptly, he joined her where she stood in front of the rack, the two spinning it this way and that, trying to find the most ridiculous pairs.
Katherine had taken off a pair of diamanté encrusted purple butterfly shaped frames, when she glanced back at the shop – empty behind them, apart from the shopkeeper.
"Lupin," said Katherine, tapping the back of her hand against his shoulder, "They've gone and left us."
Lupin turned, pulling off a pair of green star-shaped frames, "You're kidding..."
When he found that she was, in fact, not kidding, the two left the shop, giving their best polite – albeit awkward – smiles to the shopkeeper on the way out.
A breeze lifted Katherine's scarf and chilled her nose as she glanced around the township, crawling with hordes of their peers.
"Where do you think they've gone?" asked Katherine, crossing her arms over her chest, and fighting a shiver.
"Could have gone anywhere…" said Lupin, tucking his hands into his jacket pockets, and squinting down the street, "Probably not Puddifoots, I'd say… I've heard you need to make a reservation or get in as soon as she opens…"
"Right," said Katherine, nodding, "So we… just look in the shop fronts until we find them?"
"Seems our best bet," said Lupin, shrugging, "I can give you a bit of tour of the town while we're at it, since you've never been before –"
Lupin broke off, looking to her with playfully raised eyebrows.
"Right?"
Katherine closed her eyes at his playful jab, opening them and offering a small smile back, "Yes."
"Okay," said Lupin, eyes gleaming, nodding to the other side of the street, "Well, this way first…"
Lupin kept a brisk pace, but occasionally stopped or slowed to point something out. They had gone past almost all of the shops when Lupin guided her to the other edge of town. They stood on the edge of a large pond, fenced off and with a perimeter off glossy black pavers.
"The first snow hasn't fallen yet, but the pond should freeze over sometime in mid-November, and then it's crowded with everyone ice skating…"
Katherine was wary of the grip of her shoes on the pavers as they walked back down the path toward town, "It's already rather slippery."
"Yeah, watch out for the –"
Katherine felt her foot sliding beneath her quicker than she could correct. Quicker too than she could comprehend, she was falling–
"– black ice!"
By some miracle, she didn't end up on her back on the cold, wet pavers. Lupin's hand had seized her around the elbow, reaching for her opposite hand with the other to bring her back up.
"Thanks." she breathed out, the cool air crackling in her ears and the ghost of what would have been a mighty bruise tingling on her backside.
Lupin's breath clouded in front of his face, and he gave a light smile before securing her hand – looping it through his own arm, "Might be best to hold on until we get back to the cobble stones."
Carefully, they stepped side-by-side away from the paved edge of the pond, and back towards the township.
"Most of the town needed to be rebuilt after the Goblin uprising ten-twenty," Lupin continued his guided tour, as they closed in on the town square, "This used to be a statue of the wizard who founded the town. They decided to just have a water feature instead, as all that had been left by the goblins was a finger."
Katherine didn't need any further explanation beyond his amused expression to know just which finger the Goblins had left behind.
Beyond the statue, however, was a familiar corduroy jacket.
Katherine squeezed Lupin's arm, and she pointed, "There they are!"
"Come on," said Lupin, securing her hand in the crook of his elbow as they jogged carefully, inclining their heads against the cool breeze, "Oi – Pete!"
Peter waved as the two closed in on he and Mary, "We wondered where you two got off to,"
Lupin and Katherine shared an exasperated glance –
"Fancy a butterbeer? It's freezing out here." said Peter, going on unbeknownst, and shivering.
Inside the Three Broomsticks, they were to find, was packed wall to window. Blessingly, it was almost hot from the combined heat of the fireplace and bodies.
Mary frowned, bobbing on her toes as she looked around, "All the booths are taken…"
Lupin, the tallest, peered around, before pointing.
"You two take that small table then, we can sit up at the bar," said Lupin, his hand closing over Katherine's as he guided her through the tables and booths up to the bar, making polite apologies to people as they passed.
Katherine had been holding onto Lupin's arm for so long at that point that her hand felt oddly cold when she let go. They shucked off their jackets, and Katherine her scarf, draping them over the back of their chosen bar stools.
As a pretty blonde bartender breezed behind the wooden bench, Lupin leant forward to grab her attention over the noise of the pub, "Morning, Madame Rosmerta. Could we please get two butterbeers –"
"Remus Lupin! You two look positively sickly from the cold –" said Rosmerta, positively scandalised and gasping as she lightly smacked the back of Lupin's hand, "You're going to have some spiced hot cider instead, to battle any nasties!"
Rosmerta turned away to prepare the aforementioned beverages at haste, before turning back around to slap two steaming tankards down on the bar.
"Two sickles for the pair, dears."
Katherine reached for her jacket, for the pocket the little bag of coins Giles had given her in Diagon Alley weeks ago resided in. Silver for Sickles, she remembered, plucking one out of the velvet pouch and sliding it across the bar.
Lupin placed down one silver coin too, but Katherine saw that he had held a second in his hand –
"Cheers." said Lupin, lifting his tankard to her before taking a sip from the frothing top of the drink.
Katherine slid her tankard closer, slipping her hand through the handle to feel the warmth of the thick glass. It had a smoke coming off the top and was a deep bubbling burgundy.
"There's no alcohol in it," said Lupin, after swallowing a sip, as if reading her mind, "Madame Rosmerta is adamant about being of age before you can even whiff anything of the likes of firewhisky."
Katherine nodded, and took a sip, unprepared for what she was about to drink. Spiced cider should have been her warning, but the back of her nose burned and fizzed a little at the combination of clove and ginger – among other things. All the while, the bubbles tickled her throat and stomach.
"Oh."
Lupin eyed Katherine over the brim of his tankard as he took a long drink, before saying carefully, "You're not familiar with the wizarding world, I take it? I thought you…"
He made a vague hand gesture, in what seemed to be reference of her surname and technical status as a pureblood.
"I lived with my uncle in London – he was a squib," said Katherine, taking care to place her tankard perfectly on the coaster – to distract herself, "You seem familiar with muggle music, though, what's the story there?"
"Mum's muggle," said Lupin, voice addled by the glass as he had lifted it to his lips, taking another short sip before saying, "We live in Yorkshire, but we go visit her family just outside London once or twice a year, I have cousins and the like."
Katherine took a sip herself, gulping down a burp that was battling up throat at the fizzing hot drink, "Is she proud you're Prefect? That's something that's the same in both worlds."
"Yeah, yeah… she was really chuffed about it, actually… dad too…" said Lupin, smiling absently down at the bar, "Neither were really surprised, though, as I'd been quite a well-behaved child…"
"So, which is the real you?" asked Katherine, gently nudging his arm, "Prefect Lupin or running-through-the-hallways-with-me-after-blowing-up-a-door Lupin?"
Lupin swallowed his mouthful of cider, startling to the point where she worried he might choke on it, but then he smiled, before briskly frowning at his knees.
"I don't really know…" he confessed, hesitating, "I…"
Lupin's eyes lifted from his knees, and he seemed to appraise Katherine for a moment.
"My parents live in a very cut off village in the north of Yorkshire, so growing up I mainly had my mother and my father's bookshelf for company – he worked a lot, you see. So, I've always been studious, I guess, but…"
Lupin's eyes left Katherine's in favour of the gleaming brass taps on the bar.
"But I started getting sick around the age of five and my parents didn't think I would have a chance to go to Hogwarts…"
Katherine had never heard the boy speak so candidly about himself. She listened silently, rapt.
"Dumbledore came to our cottage a few days after my eleventh birthday – he assured my parents that Madam Pomfrey was an excellent healer and would be able to keep me healthy while I got the education I was entitled to," continued Lupin, "I got that – and more – I got three brilliant friends who helped me have more fun than I dreamed possible when I used to read by the window at home,"
Watching him watch the taps, Katherine was sure she had never seen such a wistful expression on a younger face, and she felt a pit of grief open up in her stomach when his eyes creased, and his mouth hardened.
"But I feel obligated to Dumbledore – to repay him – for my education…but I also feel a duty to enjoy myself with the friends that put up with my constant illness…"
It was a concern most fifteen-year-old boys didn't have to shoulder, and Katherine felt a rush of kindred empathy for him. She too shouldered a burden most fifteen-year-old girls didn't have to.
"I think I would feel similarly, if it was me," said Katherine quietly, trying for a kind smile, "It's tricky."
Lupin nodded down at his tankard, the barest of smiles on his tired face this time. He lifted his eyes to her, before they shot over her shoulder. A light huff of laughter followed.
"You wouldn't believe it…" he said softly, disbelief coating his every word, "They've gone and bloody left us again."
"Where have you been, Moony?"
Remus' whistling lips lost their tune as he walked into the dormitory. His feet halted too. All the boys sat on Peter's bed, looking up from their boisterous conversation as he had walked in.
"…Hogsmeade?" said Remus, slowly crossing to his own bed.
Sirius blinked coolly, "Yes, but you went with Pete, didn't you? He got back over an hour ago."
Remus glanced to Peter, who made a motion with his eyes – he had left out a few details to their other friends, it seemed.
"I stopped by Honeydukes after the Three Broomsticks." said Remus, not lying, as placed the little bag down on his bed, full of sugar quills.
He opened the bag, turning his back on the others, hoping they would lose interest.
"We went there last too. We didn't see you." said James.
No such luck.
"You must have missed me then –" said Remus, turning back and frowning as he shook his head, "What does it matter what I was doing anyway? Peter was the one going out with Mary – quiz him."
"Someone's awfully defensive…"
Remus blinked, eyebrows shooting up, "Well, I didn't walk in expecting some kind of Spanish Inquisition, did I?"
"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition." said Sirius, blankly, turning back to Peter – having, evidently, lost interest.
The others in the throes of conversation once more, with Peter happily chatting about his date, James slipped over.
"Get any chocolate cauldrons?" asked James, loudly, as he crossed the floor.
Remus shook his head, "Just quills."
James glanced over at where Peter was chatting off Sirius' ear, while Frank listened encouragingly, before looking back to Remus.
"Remus… mate."
Immediately, Remus' hands went up, placatingly, innocently.
"You don't have to tell me –" he said quickly, lowering his hands and reaching for his blazer's button. He nodded to James meaningfully and added on, "Okay?"
After a short moment of seeming appraisal, James finally nodded back.
"Okay." said James, clapping him on the shoulder as he moved past.
Remus paused as he went to shrug his arms out of his blazer. There, in the crook of his right elbow, the material was more crinkled than the other. More carefully, he continued, laying the jacket over his trunk.
He slipped off his shoes, and fell upon his bed, bouncing before his mattress settled and embraced him. Sighing, he folded his arms behind his head, and turned to listen passively to Peter chatting about Mary's family to other boys – it had seemed to be what they had spent the afternoon speaking about, their families.
"Her Dad works in the Department of Mysteries – how cool is that? He has this one story about the prophecy room…"
Remus smiled at his friend's excitement, before his eyes fell upon one of his other friends. Almost in direct rebellion of Remus' guilt, a smiling face rose unbidden in his mind...
"…and I couldn't possibly decide between the lilac and navy, so I'll have to go back to Gladrags next weekend – Katherine –"
Katherine looked up from her lunch, already tired from the first two lessons of Monday morning.
Lily nodded to her, "You'll need to get robes for the Christmas party too."
Katherine took another bite of her jam sandwich, shrugging.
"The invitations haven't gone out yet, how do I know Slughorn will even invite me?"
All the girls – bar Katherine – shared a look.
"Katherine," said Alice, a mixture of amused and solemn, "Of course he's going to invite you."
Katherine's eyes flickered to Mary before she said her next words, "Well, I didn't think I was allowed down without a permission slip."
Lily seemed to deflate where she sat, brow furrowed in contemplation.
"Maybe you could go to Professor Giles for special permission?" said Lily, perking up, "You can't mail order robes…"
Marlene pointed from across the table, "You could look at brooms while you're there too!"
Lily pushed herself up, tapping Katherine on the arm, "I'll come with you, we can't let him say no."
"What? Now?" asked Katherine, quickly grabbing the other half of her sandwich off the plate as she was hauled to her feet.
"If we want to go this weekend, we'll have to ask as soon as possible so it can be sorted out."
Katherine kept pace with Lily, trying to finish her sandwich as she walked out of the Great Hall.
Lupin and Black strode furiously down the Gryffindor table in the opposite direction –
"Don't be stupid –" said Lupin, sounded more exhausted than angry, head ducked as they seemingly argued – "It's not like you're going to do anything –"
As they passed each other, Lupin offered Katherine a quick smile, before skirting around with a sour faced Black.
Perplexed, Katherine glanced back after they passed.
Black had seemed to have ended their argument with some cutting remark to match his darkening expression, and, surprisingly, had taken a glance back in Katherine's direction before seating himself beside James at the table…
Katherine did not have time dwell, because before she knew it, she was standing in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom with Lily.
Giles had already been there, writing up his next lesson instructions on the blackboard, and glanced up when they knocked.
"Miss Spencer," said Giles, blinking, before his eyes flitted to her company, "Miss Evans – to what do I owe the pleasure?"
He turned back to keep writing on the board in his sharp cursive.
Lily nudged Katherine with her hip.
"Well, sir," said Katherine, sparing a glance to her friend before turning back to their teacher, "Professor Slughorn's Christmas Party is coming up soon… and I'm afraid I'm without dress robes."
Giles' hand paused in the air, his back still to them.
"Oh, no. Dress robes…" he shook his head, seemingly to himself, before placing down the chalk and turning to the girls, eyebrows raised, "It was only a matter of time, I suppose…"
"Yes, sir," said Lily, knitting her fingers together, "I know that Katherine isn't technically allowed down to Hogsmeade, but I wondered if an exception might be made just this once?"
The unspoken 'pretty please – with a cherry on top' hung in the air after her words.
Giles frowned, stepping closer to his desk and resting his backside against it, "I don't see why you can't just get them for Miss Spencer."
"I also want to look at a broom – for my lessons." said Katherine, honestly.
Giles eyes fell on her, and he nodded, eyes falling to the floor.
"Yes… I see," he said thoughtfully, before sighing and saying, "A broom isn't exactly high priority for you, however, as you aren't on your House's Quidditch team. Otherwise, it would be a different story. The robes, perhaps… but I still don't understand why you cannot simply browse a catalogue and give Miss Evans your money to go collect them?"
"Well –" Lily spoke carefully, slowly "– with dress robes, a young lady also needs to purchase special knickers that don't catch on the fabric, and that's a rather intimate thing that someone ought to buy for themselves…"
Giles' eyes slammed shut.
"Yes, yes –" he said hurriedly, lifting a hand and pushing off his desk to cross back to his blackboard, "Er, consider it done. I will sort the details, and you can expect an owl from Gringotts with any money you may need,"
Katherine felt only the grips of shock on her face, staring wide-eyed at Lily.
Giles picked up his chalk, and then glanced back, "If that is all…"
"Thank you, sir." said Katherine, doing her best to compose herself.
Lily beamed as she took Katherine's hand and they turned to leave, "Yes – thank you, Professor!"
Katherine couldn't leave the classroom fast enough, and pulled the door closed behind them as soon as she could. She turned to Lily, the horror slowly easing from the skin of her face at what had just transpired in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.
Lily brushed down her skirt with the slightest of smiles and a glint of pride in her eye, "Works on my dad every time."
Disbelieving silence gave way, and together the two girls dissolved into laughter. Lily hooked her arm through Katherine's, and they fled away from the door, laughing all the way down the staircases of castle.
The cobwebs came part and parcel with the castle, but jack-o-lanterns were dotted along every hallway of the large school in the run up to Halloween on the following weekend. Twisted orange and black streamers were twisted overhead, and it wasn't becoming uncommon to see the finest dustings of snow sifting down from the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall.
Leisurely lounging was gone in the dwindling last days of October. Everyone was tightly done up like Christmas presents in their cloaks, gloves, and scarves as they shivered from foot to foot as winter pressed closer and closer.
"Hi, hello, how are we all?" beamed Flitwick, not waiting for a response before he went on, "Mending Charms today!"
Chairs creaked as people behind Katherine sat up in interest.
"It will be a spell in your regularly used arsenal – a witches' and wizards' bread and butter, really," said Flitwick, flicking his wand at the board and dancing onto a new, shorter stack of books, "The wand movement and incantation is on the board, but before we get practicing – are there any questions?"
There were no questions, but an avalanche of students yelling 'Reparo', voices filling the classroom all the way up to its dusty rafters.
Lily had gotten it on her second try, the first resulting in a half-hearted flopping together of her ripped pieces of fabric, and had scowled as Flitwick commended Sirius Black behind them on getting it on his first try.
Marlene's best attempt was what looked like a badly stitched together wound that had scarred skin, not fabric.
It was after Flitwick hopped down and went to help Stebbins that Katherine pushed her chair back, in the middle seat, and sought the conversation of her two friends either side of her.
"Giles sent my galleons to the dorm – I noticed it this morning – forgot to tell you."
Considering she and Lily had ambushed him on the Monday, she shouldn't have been surprised to wake up on that Wednesday morning to an owl with a Gringotts pouch of coins and an envelope with it – a permission slip. It had conditions attached to it; that she was only allowed down on the Saturday, and only with Lily – the prefect needing to escort her right back up as soon as they were finished.
Marlene grinned, reaching down into her bag, "Excellent, I have a broom magazine in my bag, hang on…"
"A broomstick?" said Lily, her round arches high and her lips twisted.
"Yeah, the school brooms vibrate too much when I go above fifty feet." said Katherine, shrugging modestly under her friend's critical eye.
Lily's lashes fluttered in rapid blinks, "But you need to get robes for Slughorn's Christmas party."
"She has clothes, Lily," said Marlene lightly, pointing emphatically at her magazine, "She doesn't have a broom."
"How much gold did you get out?" asked Lily, "Dress robes are around ten galleons at Gladrags..."
"I haven't counted it yet," said Katherine, finding the note that she had stuffed into her robe pocket, "Giles sent the owl on my behalf…"
"You can use the school brooms, you don't have any dress robes." maintained Lily, a delicate flush rising on her chest.
Images of her arriving in the nude to Slughorn's do but with a brand new Nimbus in hand circled Katherine's brain. After his dinner, Katherine wasn't sure that she'd be missing all that much if she opted out of attending the Christmas Party. But she knew she'd been letting herself down by not seeing just how well she could fly, given how enjoyable it already was.
Marlene hummed, "How much did Giles get out from your vault? Have a look."
Katherine found Giles' tidy scrawl on the parchment.
"'Undetectable extension charm'… and there's a receipt," said Katherine, her eyes speeding down the parchment, "Vault seven-oh-six…one hundred and seventy galleons withdrawn…"
Marlene snorted, "Was there any left?"
"One hundred and seventy galleons…" mumbled Lily, frowning at the table as she counted on her fingers before she paused; eyes wide and voice hushed as she leant into her friend, "Katherine – that's over eight hundred pounds!"
"And only enough for a Nimbus," said Katherine, sighing and tilting her head with a shrug, "And maybe a broom servicing kit…"
Marlene grinned, slapping Katherine on the back, "I'll get you one for Christmas –"
"What about dress robes?"
Katherine felt her insides split two ways as she looked between her two friends, both facing with blank expectation to agree with them.
"It would make sense to just get a Comet and have enough left over for a nice pair of dress robes that will last you until you're out of school," said Lily, pausing and rubbing her forehead, "Oh, gosh – I sound like my mother…"
"Cheer up, Lily," said Marlene – the epitome of cheerfulness – playfully punching Lily's arm, "If worst comes to worst – Katherine can skip the party. Do you even want to go, Katherine?"
Lily rubbed her arm, "How was punching me in the arm meant to cheer me up?"
Marlene shrugged.
"It works with the Quidditch team."
"Well, Quidditch players are thick, aren't they?" said Lily, neatening her robes.
Marlene blinked once, traces of amusement threading through her cheeks, "I'm a Quidditch player."
Lily didn't deign Marlene with a response, smiling at Katherine instead.
"And of course Katherine wants to go to the party," said Lily, nodding encouragingly, "Don't you?"
Katherine tucked her hair behind her ears before mashing her hands together on her lap, "I…er…"
A voice, from behind – and not above – as she had first thought in her gratitude for the intervention, stole Lily's attention.
"Evans." said James, a question in his voice and a glint in his eye.
Beside him, Lupin had hunkered down in his chair, as if bracing for a shelling. Black was glancing around with his chin on his palm. And Pettigrew was looking between James and Lily in avid anticipation.
"Potter." returned Lily, throwing a glance behind her.
"If I were an animal, what would I be?" asked James, grinning.
Lily didn't look up, suddenly pretending to be enthralled with her Transfiguration essay she was using the free lesson to work on.
"A pig."
"I better get on a broomstick, make that proverb come true."
"So, what do you think you'll do for the summer?" asked Lily, from the shelves that housed dozens upon dozens of formal shoes, glittering and winking under the chandelier in the middle of Gladrags.
The weekend had come quickly, Katherine having to remind herself to act surprised at all the things about Hogsmeade that Lily had pointed out. The two girls were complying with the conditions of Katherine being allowed in the town, and had gone straight to the robe shop.
Lily's question however, had touched on something rather important that had slipped Katherine's mind – up until that moment.
Katherine hesitated, a pang of anxiety in her throat, "I… actually have no idea."
Lily plucked a box off the shelves and walked over to a chair, glancing over her shoulder.
"Petunia's moving out – to go the city, I'm sure mum and dad wouldn't mind… you know… if you came to live with us…"
"They sound lovely, Lily," said Katherine, honestly, "But they've never even really met me – just your mum in Diagon Alley before term, and –"
"She waxed on about you being 'a lovely young lady' the whole drive home,"
Lily sat on the chair, eyeing Katherine pointedly as she pulled off her boots.
"And, well, where else would you go?" she went on, reaching for the glittering strappy shoes from the box, "It'll just be for summers anyway, we're at school all year..."
Katherine hummed, turning to busy herself by inspecting a set of sheer maroon lace robes, "I wonder how it all works in this world…"
"I'm sure there's someone sorting it out on your behalf – at the school," said Lily, frowning as she wiggled her toes into the shoe, then she grinned at Katherine, "It'll be grand – living together…"
Katherine kept the fact that they'd already been living every single day together for the past two months to herself.
"Yeah," she said, with a smile, before nodding to Lily's feet, "I like those shoes."
"Me too," said Lily, admiring them and twisting them side to side experimentally, "So… have you got anyone in mind to ask?"
Katherine shook her head, turning back to the racks of robes.
"You could always take Lupin."
Katherine blinked, "Lupin?"
"Yeah," said Lily, shrugging as she slipped her feet out of the shoes, "You two seem to get on pretty well."
Katherine shook her head, "I don't think I know him well enough for that…"
Lily nodded thoughtfully, re-boxing up the shoes and placing it beside her handbag on the chair. She then launched back to her feet, re-joining Katherine at the racks of dress robes. Lily's eyes flashed sideways at her, and she spoke her next words casually.
"Well… then there's always Potter…"
Katherine paused as she reached for the next hanger.
"Are you ill, Lily?" said Katherine, playfully holding her hand against her friend's forehead.
Lily swatted her hand away, smiling benevolently.
Katherine jokingly narrowed her eyes at her, "Are you Lily? What's my favourite ABBA song?"
Lily rolled her eyes mirthfully and started flicking through the racks again.
"…It's just, you and Potter…" she paused her flicking, seemingly in thought, before continuing to flick through as she spoke again, "He's always around – and you guys are always chattering away about something, and not just your flying lessons either…"
Katherine plucked out an icy blue set of robes.
"You should try them," said Lily, nodding to them and then to a pair of emerald ones she held in her own hands, "I want to try these as well."
Descending into the changing rooms, Katherine thought their conversation over – and that Lily had surely been joking. Katherine and James… well, there was nothing there. When she emerged, however, twirling in the mirror with Lily in the fancy garments, Lily met her eye in the mirror.
"It's okay if you like him, you know,"
Lily went to the chair her bag was on, moving it to sit and take her chosen shoes from their box again. She looked up again at Katherine as she slipped her feet into them once again.
"You make a nice pair actually – a classic pair; him all dark-haired and you being blonde. There's also the fact that you're both purebloods, Slughorn would probably dance for joy."
Katherine collapsed in a heap of organza in the chair beside Lily, "I don't know anything about being a pureblood, I was raised completely muggle."
Lily hummed, flexing her ankles in the shoes.
"You're still a posh totty,"
Katherine's neck nearly spasmed with how quickly she turned to Lily.
"You tried your best to hide it, I'll give you that, but there's some things you can't fake." said Lily, amused earnestness plain on her face.
Katherine gasped lightly through her laughter, hitting the back of her hand against Lily's arm, "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"
"It seemed important for you." said Lily, shrugging.
Katherine sat back in her chair, sighing, "My ruse… ruined…"
Lily snorted, taking Katherine's hand, and giving it a friendly squeeze.
"Yes, with words like ruse, your polished manners, and such mellifluous speech… we really would have been none-the-wiser for the next two years…"
A clearing of a throat, and Gwendolyn Gladrags swept over.
"Unless you intend go on theme as walking Christmas decoration," said Gwedolyn, eyeing Lily's emerald robes before flourishing a set of silk blue robes over her arm, "May I suggest these lovely sapphire robes for you, Miss Evans?"
Lily stood up, happily accepting them with coveting eyes, "They're lovely."
She bustled off into a changing room, the curtain magically sliding across behind her.
"And, for you, Miss Spencer…"
Gwendolyn tapped her chin, and turned back, perusing the racks purposefully.
"Did I hear you girls right at the mention of a young Mister Potter? You're familiar?" she asked over her shoulder, still rifling through her own collection.
Katherine mulled over her response before finally saying, "I suppose you could say so, Madam Gladrags."
"Lovely boy, lovely boy… I've been making ruby-embroidered pieces for him since his naming ceremony…" she said wistfully, pulling out a set of pearly robes and then putting them back, "The trouble was always with doing a set for the whole Potter family as they all seem to have the same favourite colour – it's ever so hard to match anything with red that isn't red,"
Gwendolyn cross back to Katherine, flourishing her hand beneath Katherine's chin in a lifting motion.
"Let me see your eyes, dear," said Gwendolyn, peering down with her own piercing blue, humming, "Yes, yes… before I make my suggestion, I have to ask what kind of feelings you harbour about Slytherin house?"
No sooner than Katherine had begun to think of a diplomatic reply, had Gwendolyn smiled congenially and waved a hand.
"Say no more," she said, turning and deftly plucking a set off the rack that had escaped Katherine in her earlier browsing, "A nice berry should be bright enough for your skin – and deep enough for a formal occasion…"
As soon as both girls emerged from their changing robes in Gwendolyn's choices, it was obvious that they were to be the ones they would be buying.
"Now, I'll take your measurements, get the fresh fabric from out the back, and you two will be ready to go in a jiffy." said Gwendolyn, and, at her wand's behest, a long tailor's tape magically unfurled and began encircling the two girls in turn.
Lily leant over to Katherine to whisper, "The robes on the racks are just displays for the types of styles she offers, every order is custom – with your name on the tag and all. It's all very quick, the magic."
The two watched Lily's sapphire robes magically stitch themselves behind the counter as Gwendolyn prepared a bag for them. When Lily handed over her galleons, Gwendolyn addressed Katherine as she tended the money into her register.
"Yours, Miss Spencer, will take a little longer with the bespoke embroidery."
Katherine was more than a little confused, "Oh, I didn't…"
"The Spencer pattern is rather enchanting, but of course… if you would prefer the Montague… like your mother…" Gwendolyn trailed off in question.
Katherine thought it best to just go along with the witch, and whatever odd pureblood notion it seemed to be, "Oh, no, that should be fine, thank you."
The magical doorbell followed the two girls out into the light dustings of snow.
"We could get a butterbeer while we wait?" suggested Lily, as they strode away from the shop.
Quick footsteps crunched behind them – but didn't go past them. A tall boy slowed beside Lily.
"Lily Evans."
Bertram Aubrey was the type of boy girls wanted to take home to their parents and into a broom closet both at the same time. He was a sensible dresser, a half-blood, his grasp on both wizard and muggle garb impeccable. He had a sensible haircut and a pleasing grin – just impish enough to make a girl blush and polite enough to use to push a girl's chair in at a family dinner.
Lily brightened, "Oh, hi, Aubrey."
"Are you two girls buying robes?" asked Aubrey, casting his eyes down to Lily's shopping bag.
Lily nodded, "Yeah, we're just waiting on Katherine's actually."
"I'm meeting some friends at the Three Broomsticks, why don't you two join us?" asked Aubrey, eyes solely on Lily.
"Yeah, sure, that'd be great." said Lily, adjusting her woolly hat.
"Oh, I think I'll wait here, actually. I want to have a word with Madame Gladrags about that embroidery." lied Katherine.
Lily's expression caught, and she looked back and forth between Aubrey and Katherine, "Well, I still have to walk with you back up to the castle…"
"After I collect my robes, I'll walk myself straight back up –" Katherine held a hand to her chest, "Cross my heart."
Lily frowned, "If you're sure…"
Katherine nodded reassuringly.
"Go on, they'll run out of good tables soon enough."
Aubrey raised a hand in farewell as he turned with Lily, "See you, Spencer."
She had given her friend some alone time with the boy she liked, but now she had no idea what to do. Katherine hesitated, then started back slowly in the direction of Gladrags. Perhaps she could sit in and wait…
It was at that very moment that a head of jet-black hair, with a piece sticking up at the back, bobbed past in a crowd – and then doubled back.
"Oh – this is too good! I heard you got special permission to come down!" beamed James, battling some snowflakes from his eyelashes, "You can come with us to Quality Quidditch Supplies to look at brooms!"
Katherine frowned, perplexed. Us?
Like magic, Black stepped up beside Potter, eyes drifting over her as his hair collected snowflakes.
Black and Potter; a formidable duo. With one look, they seemed to know exactly what the other was thinking.
"You've never been, yeah?" asked James, gesturing around, "Welcome to Hogsmeade, Spencer."
Black started to lope ahead, "Come on – we should get in before it gets busy."
Ahead of the trio, squinting over the snow glare, was Giles; not taking any notice of them. He strode through the powdery snow, head down against the falling flakes, making a quick pace towards the dingy 'Hogshead Inn'.
The three Gryffindors dashed off as well, stumbling all the way to the stoop of 'Quality Quidditch Supplies'. Pausing at the door to first look in through the window, Katherine saw rows of what looked like bookshelves of stock, lit by warm orange lamps.
James barged unceremoniously through the belled door.
Black caught the door, stepped beside it, and held it open with his usual carelessly elegant demeanour.
Katherine had forgotten such chivalry existed in her time at Hogwarts. She bowed her head in silent gratitude before rushing through as composedly as possible, looking around for James with a grin.
"James –"
The chest she met with halted her words. Katherine's eyes caught the equally familiar gold hair above it, sectioned away by a strong neck and a handsome face.
"Gideon, actually," asked Gideon, gazing down upon Katherine with combined amusement and dutifulness, "I thought you only had permission for a short visit with Miss Evans today?"
"Let her off, Gid," said Fabian, hooking a hand around his twin's elbow with a grin, "It's rite of passage to buy your own broom after suffering on the school ones."
Gideon sighed, "I…"
"Please, Prewett," said James stepping forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Katherine, "McGonagall wants to watch one of my lessons with her and when she's on a good broom – she's bloody marvellous – I tell you. If I do well, she said I would get more closely considered for, er… next year."
James eyes flashed to where Black had wandered off to upon entering the store, a display near the window.
Gideon seemed to catch on – after a nudge and significant look from his brother.
"Okay, lets, er, I'll forget I saw you here, alright?" said Gideon, rubbing his forehead and sighing again, "You can get your broom, Spencer, and I'll escort you back up to castle."
"I needed to pick up my robes for Slughorn's Christmas party too." said Katherine.
"You're on your own there, Spencer," said James, his eyes drifting across the street to a mannequin fronted store, "The last time I went into Gladrags, Gwendolyn snitched to my mum about me not using sleekezy's anymore."
"Or basic dress sense." said Black, stopping on Katherine's other side after having perused the shelves.
James grinned, looking around Katherine at his friend, "Oi."
"Hello, boys, back again to try and steal England's old training programs?"
Jimmy Twills had a boyish grin on his lined face that bled into wind-influenced streaks of chrome through his raven hair. He was decked out in muggle track pants and a zip-top with a whistle around his neck, goggles on top of his head, and a zip-bag tied around his hips.
"We're not in to listen to a retired man's yarns today, Jimmy," said James, resting a hand on Katherine's shoulder, "Spencer's in need of a broom."
"Rest my soul… Spencer?" breathed Jimmy, inclining his head, "You're William Spencer's daughter?"
"Er, yes," said Katherine, uneasily, holding out a hand despite her trepidation, "Katherine."
"Pleasure to meet you…pleasure to meet you," said Jimmy, shaking Katherine's hand with both of his own and boring into her eyes with his peculiarly purple ones, "I knew your old Dad – well, he was quite young actually, when I knew 'im…"
Jimmy sighed, shaking his head and fixing his eyes on a stain of polish in the carpet.
"It's such a shame he…er…" Jimmy trailed off and cleared his throat – clapping his hands together with a renewed grin, "Well – a broom, hey?"
Jimmy paced to a wall back-lit to catch the polish on the brooms for the ultimate appeal, waving an arm.
"Take your pick – I'll even give you mate's rates, for old time's sake."
"I saw the new Nimbus in the catalogue, do you have one in?" asked Katherine, stepping across the floor and trailing over the varying lengths, tail twigs, and shapes.
"A woman with taste – this way… this way…"
Katherine followed Jimmy to a glass cabinet in the middle of the store, shelves arranged in a pentagon around it.
"The 1700 has an added goblin-wrought-iron T-bar for stability…lovingly crafted bottleneck tail twigs…unbreakable braking charm…cushioning charm…" Jimmy clapped his hands, blinking appreciatively at the gleaming handle, "The works."
Her satchel of galleons seemed to begin burning in her pocket.
"I'll take it."
Jimmy flicked his wand at the case, a series of locks and latches non-verbally falling apart, and the broom followed them to the register.
"Let's see…with your dad's old discount…that'll be one hundred and twenty-five galleons." said Jimmy, wrapping the broom affectionately.
"That's thirty-five galleons off!" said Fabian, appearing beside Katherine and watching reverently as Jimmy wrapped layer after layer of wrapping tissue around the broom.
"That's William there…" said Jimmy, not hearing Fabian, and pointing at a framed photograph by a rack of binoculars.
Katherine had seen the photograph of her parents that graced the Daily Prophet after their murders, but was startled as Jimmy's photograph included colour. The colour revealed that Katherine shared her father's hair, and that his eyes were blue like faded denim and glittered up at her atop his dimpled grin. In the moving photograph he had laughed at something a younger Jimmy had said, and Katherine wished she could hear the sound – hear him.
"What's so important about nineteen fifty-four?" asked James, jarring Katherine from her reverie.
"Well it was the year we won the House Cup for Gryffindor – of course!" bellowed Jimmy excitedly, before sobering and glancing to Katherine, "Your dad played for Gryffindor, I'm guess you wouldn't have known that…"
Katherine wondered how many people had come through the shop and seen her father, and – fighting the urge to take the photograph and study it ruthlessly until she could map out her father's every feature and movement – pulled out her sack of galleons to rest beside the photograph.
"One hundred and twenty-five galleons."
It was oddly fitting to be spending it in front of him.
Katherine accepted her change and put her significantly lighter satchel in her pocket, and then took the wrapped broom from Jimmy's extended arms too.
Fabian stepped up with an impish smile, lowering his head to Katherine's, "Now, have you ever had Butterbeer, Katherine?"
"Fabian, she's not even supposed to be here without a permission slip." chastised Gideon, wide eyed.
Fabian shrugged easily, "One tankard of frothy stuff and she'll be back on her way, I swear."
"Yeah, she's never had it." said James, as it that should settle it.
"Spencer…" Gideon groaned her name, raking a hand down his face, "Oh, well – alright –"
Before James and Fabian could relish their win, Gideon held up one stern finger, eyeing them all very solemnly.
"Just one."
"You guys go ahead and get a table," said Black, putting a hand inside his velvet jacket and leaning on the counter leisurely, "I've got to look at new goggles."
"Only to moan about how they mess up your hair…" said James as he tugged on Katherine's elbow.
Katherine glanced back, feeling as if she were leaving her father behind. Just as the edge of the window bled into brick, Katherine could only catch the sight of Jimmy and Black conversing over the glass cabinet, the photograph well and truly out of sight – but not out of mind.
"You should do more overarm throws."
Fabian's advice to James reminded Katherine to hasten, lest be left in the soggy wake of the long-legged boys whilst longing over the photograph she had left in Quality Quidditch Supplies.
James shook his head, reaching down as he strode to scoop up some snow, "You lose control and height with overarm throws, whereas underarm throws –"
Katherine's broom slipped from beneath her arm as her hands instinctively shot to the side of her head, finding numbing ice melting into her hair.
"What was that about control?" asked Fabian, his lips fighting their lifting corners.
James' face dropped like a stone as he bent over to pick up Katherine's broom, "Sorry about that!"
Katherine also bent over but bypassed the brown wrappings that protected her broom and, instead, opted for a fistful of snow. Hesitation reared its head, but, with a bashful smile, she deposited it down the back of James' collar.
James' hands stilled over Katherine's broom, his shoulders going rigid.
Katherine watched the snow slide out of vision, and a smile slide onto James' face.
"You're playing with the big boys now, Spencer!" proclaimed James, retaliating in kind with a handful of snow to the top of Katherine's head.
Relief and snow trickled down Katherine's spine, the four teenagers breaking into an unlearned dance of snow-warfare; laughing as they attacked and retreated.
Katherine had never engaged in a snowball fight before. From a distance they had always seemed painful and cold. In the midst of burning breaths and tickles of ice, Katherine found that the only painful thing was her too-large grin.
Fabian dunked impulsively mashed together piles on top of James' hair when James wasn't sending bruising, well-packed missives back; hitting Fabian in the shoulder, stomach, and side with a crisp CRUNCH each time.
Gideon's golden head loomed closer and closer as Katherine hurriedly dropped down to scoop up what was left of the snow around the city's square. An arsenal of snowy orbs circled his right shoulder at the bequest of his wand.
Black's inky waves were stark against the powdered township as he leant against the tree, arms crossed and watching the group. With a lick of his lips, he uncrossed his arms and quietly and smoothly pulled on a springy branch of pine. It shivered beneath Black's hand, and promptly released it's takings of snow onto Gideon – encasing him as a real-life snowman.
Fabian and James howled with laughter; Fabian leaping across the square to admire and aid his brother all the same, and James crossed to Black to clap him on the back.
"Brilliant, mate," said James, the boys both watching on as Fabian spelled his twin free, "Head Boy and everything…"
Black's smile was almost imperceptive as he jiggled something into his jacket pocket with haste.
Their group reorganised themselves to start off in the direction of The Three Broomsticks; Gideon and Fabian taking the lead.
James whistled, looking around before grinning and waving at Alice and Frank as they passed. The disparity in Katherine and boys' stride lengths made Katherine intermittently need to break into a jog to catch up.
Briefly, Katherine wondered where Lupin and Pettigrew were…
"Rosmerta!" cried James upon throwing open the door of the establishment, opening his arms and crossing from the door to the bar of the Three Broomsticks with a jolly grin.
"Potter!" greeted Rosmerta, screwing a tea towel out of a glass as her eyes found Katherine's shoulder, "Black!"
Katherine startled, realising that Black was right behind her. He always did that, she grumbled privately, he had such quiet feet that you never heard him coming.
Fabian and Gideon began weaving through the throngs of tables and other students to the lone booth left available, and Katherine shuffled around the bar to find a break in the tables large enough to pass through – keeping up with them.
"It's almost too quiet here when you two leave for the summer," Katherine heard Rosmerta laugh, "Your usual seats at the bar?"
"Entertaining the Head Boy, actually," James' voice carried, "So we'll be on our best behaviour in a nice out-of-the-way booth in the back."
"Behave yourselves?" laughed Rosmerta, slapping the bar top, "Like you would know how."
Katherine took one of the hardback wooden chairs by the back windows, hidden from view by a rickety staircase. She thought she spied Lily laughing at a table in the corner –
"Here's to the Head Boy!" declared James, slapping down two fistfuls of tankards, taking the seat beside Gideon against the window side of the table.
Black too placed down fistfuls of tankards, sliding one in front of Katherine wordlessly before giving a hearty "Here, here!" with the others.
Katherine was mindful of their boys' club comradery, and quietly smiled and clinked her tankard with the others when they offered them.
Fabian had ducked off to the loo and returned, needing to slide along the table and contort his long body into the small space available in the chair on Katherine's left. He suckled on his Butterbeer as if in reward for the feat.
"How's Aunt Lucretia these days?" asked Black, turning to regard Fabian and Gideon lightly.
Squashed chair to chair and unable to scoot back without hitting another table, Black's arm slipped along the back of Katherine's chair as he manoeuvred himself – long spread-out legs and all – to manage the feat of being able to merely pay attention to their response.
Still, Katherine felt out of place as she listened, sipping on her butterbeer. It really was very good. She tried to catch Lily's eye from across the pub as she listened.
"Fussing over her two impossibly ginger grandsons," said Fabian, letting out a laugh-lilted breath and lifting his tankard as if to sip before clunking it back down with a look of light exasperation, "Molly wants to name the one on the way Percy."
"You three are related?" asked Katherine, having thought them polar opposites in appearance and demeanours.
Fabian gave a tired nod, "Cousins. Sirius' dad is our mum's brother."
Katherine used Fabian as a basis for her comparison and found similarities in their oval faces, their bow-shaped lips, and their lithe builds despite Black still undergoing the transition into manhood.
"I'm still surprised she hasn't gotten Aunt Lucretia blasted off the tapestry for breaking her betrothal with Malfoy to elope with Weasley…" muttered Black.
"Malfoy moved on, obviously," said James, his eyes on something past all of their heads, "What's a nice way to tell Bertram Aubrey that I want to smack him over the head with a chair?"
Black dipped his index finger into the foam of Butterbeer and lifted it to his lips with an amused blink at his friend, "When Rosmerta laid down the ground rules 'no bar brawls' pretty much topped the list."
"He'll be seventeen in February – he's a predator – right?" asked James, glancing around, "Right?"
Katherine realised the weight of the butterbeer in her belly and the fact that she hadn't visited a bathroom since breakfast all at once. Feeling trapped by long-legged young men, she stood, hips squashing into the edge of the table.
"Where are you going, Katherine?" asked James, paused mid-gesticulation.
"Bathroom."
The boys all fidgeted.
Murmuring apologies to all inconvenienced by her exit, Katherine shuffled around the remaining sea of tables to the bathroom sign and flew into a stall.
With her knickers around her ankles, Katherine couldn't help but smile at her day. She felt warm despite the snow in her clothes from the impromptu snowball fight. Katherine eventually had to finish up, and righted her clothes to leave the stall to wash her hands and eye herself in the mirror.
Two stalls, either side of Katherine's vacated one, opened, and Flint and Greengrass strolled out.
"Well, well, well," said Greengrass, lips buttoning, "I always knew that there would eventually be a time we would run into each other without Evans around to play guard dog..."
Katherine knew that she gave herself away when she glanced at the door to the pub and then back to the Slytherin girls; gauging the distance to discern who would reach it first. Them – if they were evenly matched. Katherine launched for the door and untangled her wand from her jacket pocket.
That afternoon in the bathroom of the Three Broomsticks, Katherine discovered that Greengrass' elbow was as pointed as her features, she and Katherine wedging between the door frame.
Flint shoved hard against Katherine's ribs from behind to dislodge them.
The three girls burst free with a flash of pink and blue light from their wands; the stunner and engorgement charm ricocheting off the glass chandelier in the centre of the pub's ceiling.
Yells erupted, patrons jumped to their feet – a few even going as far to apparate on the spot. Those who had stayed, upon recognising that it was a bunch of school girls firing off spells, ducked in their seats and continued to sip their beverages while keeping an eye out for any more stray flashes of light.
Greengrass panted, levelling her wand at Katherine, but Flint had slipped on spilt Butterbeer from an abandoned tankard and nudged Greengrass' arm. Her own stinging hex rebounded off the mirror beside Katherine and gripped her own face in angry red welts.
James' hand went to his hair, "Should we do something?"
Katherine glanced back at her table to find Black blinking slowly at where Greengrass was flapping her hands around her bubbling face.
"You mean besides laugh?" asked Black.
"Greengrass!" Gideon's voice was unmistakable, even at the sternum rattling volume Katherine had never heard before, "I will need to report you to your Head of House immediately – use of magic in Hogsmeade, as you well know, is forbidden."
Fabian skulled what was left of his drink, Gideon tugging him away from the table and over to the scene.
James and Black weaved between the tables to stand by Katherine; sparing glances to the mirror – Katherine's saving grace.
"Is that why girls never go to the bathroom alone?" breathed James, revering the mirror.
Katherine righted her suede jacket lapels, them having stuck up in the commotion.
James reached for Katherine's broom where it had been tucked behind their table, holding out it out Katherine, "I'd say this is as good a time as any to make our way back up to the castle. Spencer?"
"I've still got to pick up my robes." said Katherine, accepting her broom.
James' eyes flashed to the window – in the direction of Madame Gladrags, and his earlier words came back to Katherine. It was the last place he wanted to go.
"It's probably best we go with her."
Katherine and James looked to Black in surprise.
"Yeah," said James, eyeing his friend as he slowly nodded, "Let's get going then."
When they reached the shopfront of the robe store, James and Black stood off to the side of the stoop.
"We'll just wait out here." said James with a quick smile, adjusting his gloves.
"Alright, I'll be quick. Er…" Katherine's eyes fell on her broom, and she held it out, "Could you…?"
James nodded, accepting the broom, "Oh, yeah, no worries."
Katherine had truly intended to be quick in the store – her robes were indeed ready – but Gwendolyn had spent a good five minutes wrapping the robes into tissue paper, tying it all up in ribbon, and placing into the bag dried rose petals. It was a beautiful calling card of sorts, but Katherine eagerly handed her galleons over, and excused herself as soon as possible.
She paused at the door, waiting in the warmth of the shop as she tried to jiggle her coin bag back into her jacket pocket. That was when James and Black's conversation met her ears.
"I could have taught her." came Black's voice.
Katherine felt for James, and the turmoil next year's captaincy was seemingly causing for the two friends. She paused, giving them a moment before intruding on them.
"I know, mate," said James, clapping a hand on Black's shoulder, "McGonagall swore me to silence… I would have told you… especially considering…"
Black shook his hair from his face, staring stoically off in the distance, "Yeah… yeah I know…"
James looked down, adjusting his grip on Katherine's packaged broom.
Black nudged him, with a smile.
"At least now I know why it seemed like you two were just best mates out of the blue… meeting up in secret… and giving each other those bleeding looks all the time…"
Unable to stall any longer, Katherine stepped over the doorway, a short burst of the light magical jingling bells of the security sensor alerting them to her presence.
Casually, both boys glanced up.
James opened his arms wide in a gesture of 'finally', before saying, inclining his head, "We're not going to do something positively dastardly like shopping for shoes now, are we?"
"No," she said, lifting the handle of her new purchase as shaking it, "They're in the bag."
James leant over, pulling the side of the bag open, "What colour's your dress?"
"Mister Potter –"
James jumped, and they all turned around to find Gwendolyn Gladrag leaning out of the stoop of her shop with a severe expression.
"Sticky fingers off Miss Spencer's robes!" she warned the boy, before her expression lapsed into something considerably more pleasant as her eyes fell onto the boy on the other side of Katherine, "Oh, good afternoon, Mister Black."
Black inclined his head in a very gentlemanly manner, "And to you, Madame Gladrag."
"A young man with proper decorum," sighed Gwendolyn, holding a delicate hand to her chest, before glancing to James and back again, "Protect her from Potter, will you?"
"Naturally, Madame." said Sirius, his lips curving around the words as he bowed his head again.
Whether it was for the sake of show – for Madame Gladrag, if she happened to watch them leave – Black did stand in the middle of Katherine and James for the walk back up to the castle. As Katherine rearranged the bag carefully on her arm, at his sudden close proximity, Black's gaze was noticeable as it slipped down to the opening of the bag, curiously, as he chatted with James.
His affable, and overall pleasant demeanour had knocked her off kilter all day. Perhaps the run into Halloween had lifted his spirits as it had done, seemingly, with the rest of the castle...
Katherine turned her eyes skywards as the trio climbed the path back up to the school. In the cool blue sky above, the waxing moon could be seen during the daylight, almost full –
"– yeah, right, mate." said James, laughing, knocking his shoulder into Black's – none too gently.
Katherine hadn't been listening to what they were joking around about, but was nearly knocked off her feet when James' nudge pushed Black's shoulder into her.
Black caught himself and shoved James back roughly, though his tone was light when he said, "Contain yourself, Potter."
"Sorry, Spencer." said James, around the front of Black, though with a grin – that he couldn't wipe away as he turned to speak with Black again.
Now that Katherine noticed it, James had been rather cheery all afternoon, actually…
Author's Note: Thank you for reading! :)