More.

That single word had been driving Katrina's every thought and action since Lukas dared to kiss her. The fact that he had stolen her first kiss, through an underhanded trick, was the last thing on her mind but she could not deny that it given her a sensation that was dangerously addictive. It lingered throughout her fight in the woods, Katrina fighting that growing urge to siphon each of the death eaters. When she siphoned Stark, as had been planned by Kane, she would have failed to restrain herself if her guardian had not arrived, having dealt with the death eaters and Cayden's minions in the apothecary.

Ordered home by Kane, while he dealt with a weakened Stark, she spent what felt like hours pacing in front of the basement door, stalling the inevitable and steeling herself from Lukas's potential manipulations. Doing her best to muddy her thoughts, she opened the steel door, a tray of food in her hand.

Tearing his eyes away from the ceiling, he smirked at her. "Hey Kitty Cat. That's a nasty cut on your elbow. Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?"

Katrina levitated the tray towards him with too much force, the glass of water falling onto the floor. With a flick of her wand, she set it upright and refilled the glass, refusing to speak or step away from the door. He continued to watch her instead of eating his dinner.

"You can admit you liked it," he teased. "I know you didn't tell Kane. If you had, he would've beaten me senseless. I have two theories why you're keeping it quiet."

"I don't care," she growled.

"One, you didn't tell him because you care about me and don't want to see me hurt." He raised two fingers. "Two, you finally realize that he's been lying to you. He told you that full-on contact like a kiss or holding hands would be painful…but the truth is that you've never felt something so good. Why would he tell you the opposite?"

Katrina turned away from Lukas, to hide that he was getting under her skin. For all the hatred she felt towards him, he was not wrong about Kane's past claims. He had always discouraged her from learning to control herself around physical contact, deeming it too unsafe until she was older but without an exact time frame. When she asked to test herself without her gloves, he had been hesitant but agreed on the condition that it was a trial run, not yet a permanent change.

"There's nothing wrong with that feeling, Katrina. My uncle wants to discourage it so you'll be an emotionless void like him but why does he get to decide that?" She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. "Why are you thinking of Chester Davies? I knew you were into older guys but that old? Scandalous. You can't help liking the bad boys."

"What the hell does that mean?" she asked, finding it an odd description for Roger's rule-abiding brother. "What do you know about him?"

"Maybe a lot, maybe nothing," he said, dodging her question. "I'm conflicted. What do I get out of it? You won't let me leave because even you would get a lashing from Kane for releasing a useful informant. What oh what could you offer me?"

It was obvious what he wanted but she would not be that gullible. "I'm not negotiating with you when your so-called information could be a load of dung."

"Smart. When you're at that Ministry party with Jace tomorrow night, go to his office and check his files. He's a very thorough investigator and you might find an interesting detail." She heard movement upstairs, signaling Kane's return. "If it pans out, you'll let me show you what else daddy dearest has been hiding from you."

Not giving him an answer, she left the basement. Kane was reading a message that had flown through the fireplace, one of his hands covered in blood. At the sound of her footsteps, he tossed the note into the flames, the parchment burning to ash.

"Do you need me to get a potion for—" she started.

"It's not mine. Stark's dead," he said, plainly. "He made the mistake of coming at me and I reacted in self defense. I retrieved his memories so we can sift through them later."

Katrina did not understand why Stark would attack him in such a defenseless state. When they were discussing their plans to stop the robbery, Kane suspected that Stark would be involved and planned to take him for interrogation, believing that Cayden scattered information amongst his followers so only he had the entire scope of his operations.

"I'm sorry." Kane seemed perplexed by her response. "I—I know that you two had your issues but you grew up together. It must've been hard for you."

He pulled her into a surprising, one-armed hug. "You've got a good heart. We may have been close in the past but he was too far gone." His clean hand cupped the back of her head. "The man I knew would not have laid his hands on a child, as he did with you in that compound. You did well out there. Dumbledore may have his reservations but I think we can do away with the gloves more often."

"Really?" she asked, hopeful.

"I want you to get your rest. We're going to begin your lessons tomorrow and your mind has to be sharp." She stopped at the bottom step, after Kane called out to her. "I replayed what happened in the woods after taking care of Stark. You could've ended those fights quickly. Why were you toying with them?"

"They stood there and watched while Voldemort was torturing my brother in the graveyard," she said, unable to bring herself to reveal the kiss and how it had affected her. "I thought they deserved to feel some pain too. I could've done worse."

For most of the night, she laid awake in her bed, her constantly racing thoughts and shifting mood making sleep impossible. It was like she was on an incessant sugar high, her inability to concentrate illustrated by her magic acting up and randomly affecting objects in her room. Shutting off her lamp for the fifth time, her thoughts strayed towards Lukas's offer. She would never take him at his word but her logic was outweighed by her distrust of Chester. If it was just her paranoia, why would Lukas tell her to read his work files?

The effects of the kiss had finally worn off in the morning. Woken up by Kane at sunrise, he put her through her training drills, Katrina needing to get used to practicing with an actual person instead of a wooden figure. Kane's aggressiveness was dialed up to a fifty, perhaps due to this being their first session together since his encounter with Cayden. Three hours into the session, he showed no signs of slowing down, Katrina given a short break when Jace arrived with his father. As the two men went into Kane's study, Katrina and Jace waited in the kitchen, where Katrina drank her weight in water bottles.

"You good?" asked Jace, as she sank into a chair. He was cooking eggs on the stove. "What's got him in intense mode today? I thought smacking around death eaters would cheer him up."

"Stark's dead." Turning away from the stove, his expression mirrored hers when she learned the news herself. "He's not one to share his feelings so I think he's using the drills as an outlet. I had siphoned Stark before I left so I can't fathom how he thought he stood a chance."

"Maybe he didn't have a choice," he said, handing her a plate of scrambled eggs. "Maybe he'd rather fight to the end than let himself be captured and betray Cayden. What did Kane do with the body?"

"I didn't ask him. I suppose he buried it or he left it for Cayden to find as a warning like 'give up or you're next', even if he promised the Davies he wouldn't kill him." Jace sat beside her. "Any luck with Natalie's leads?"

"No. Either they really don't know where he is or he scared them into silence." He took a sip of his coffee. "Hell, he could be living down the block. I'm checking out an old family friend of his mother's in Madrid after my father finishes briefing Kane. According to the last lead I spoke with, she owns an antique shop that traffics in dark artifacts and one of her assistants a few years ago matched Cayden's description. Maybe he learned about the dagger from her. How's your nutty Romeo?"

"Annoying unhelpful" she said, masking her nerves with mild sarcasm. "Kane's got into his head but Cayden put up blocks. It's like piecing together a puzzle but it should be easier with Stark's memories to fill in the blanks. Those memories should be able to tell us more about his new partnership with Voldemort. Any deal between them won't be good. The sooner we break them apart, the better."

Katrina was scarfing down her third batch of eggs when Kane and Mr. Moore finished their meeting. Promising to be back at the manor for the party, Jace apparated out of the kitchen with his father, both heading to their next assignments. Kane told her to finish her breakfast then to meet him in the training room for her lessons. Washing her plate and tea cup, she wondered what he would be teaching her. How could they appease the Davies's wishes while preventing Cayden from wreaking havoc, an increasing threat with him being in league with Voldemort?

Entering the room, still aching from the morning session, she saw Kane fiddling with a cage. He was holding a chestnut colored rabbit. Inside the cage were more rabbits of various sizes and colors.

"It's so cute." She glanced up at Kane. "I thought you were teaching me the spell."

"I am," he said, the rabbit fidgeting in his grasp. "They're part of the lesson. What I'm going to teach you is an ancient magic, one that you won't learn in a classroom. These lessons stay in this room, Katrina. Understood?"

"Yes," she said, equal parts confused and intrigued.

He handed her the chestnut rabbit and grabbed another from the cage, smaller and with pure white fur. "You've likely read every book in the library dozens of times. Do you recall the one by Bathilda Bagshot about the middle ages? In it, she describes the warring covens that existed at the time and how those who opposed nomajs were stoking fears by pinning deaths of their brethren on those communities. They avoided detection by casting their magic from a distance."

"Through a conduit," she continued, remembering that chapter. "They were inspired by voodoo practices but it required a lot of power so the covens had to use linking spells or it would kill the caster."

Kane agreed that it would severely injure an average witch or wizard but a siphon had an advantage, able to generate that immense power themselves. It explained why he thought she could handle such magic and Dumbledore's opposition, some ancient magic considered to be rooted in the dark arts. Though not every siphon was on the same level in terms of ability, Kane deeming Cayden's mother Amara much weaker at the height of her power compared to Katrina at present, he viewed Katrina as capable of performing the task.

He straightened out his hand inches above the white rabbit. A tiny purplish dot glowed from within its chest and then, its heart zoomed into his hand. She unintentionally hopped back and looked from the white rabbit, somehow not lifeless, to the heart, retaining the purple glow. As Kane squeezed the heart, the chestnut rabbit began twitching in her arms, uttering a high-pitched, distressing scream.

"S—stop," she pleaded.

He loosened his grip and once her rabbit stopped flailing, he slipped the heart back into the white rabbit. "I won't lie to you. It is dark magic but there are times where we must put aside notions of light and dark and do what is necessary."

"You promised the Davies you wouldn't kill Cayden." Katrina held the chestnut rabbit against her, afraid that he would hurt it. "Is this some way around that? Have me do it—"

"I am not asking you to kill anyone. If it comes to a point where we cannot restrain him and the threat he poses is too great, this is our sole option. I would prefer to put him in the ground, to spare you the trouble, but I swore a vow to Andrew Davies." She proposed giving the deed to Mr. Moore or another member of the task force. "An unbreakable vow."

"Why would you do that?!" she shouted, fearing the worst. "What if he goads you into a fight and it happens by accident? That counts, Kane!"

"Do you think so little of me, that I could be manipulated that easily?" His lips twitched, as if he was about to smile, until he spotted the tears in her eyes. "I had no choice. He knew about you, Katrina. He and Robards are good friends and Robards knew you weren't taken from Hogsmeade. He witnessed you speaking with Ginny Weasley and when he questioned Jace about bringing you along, he said you threatened to inform me that he disobeyed my orders if you weren't allowed to accompany him. When Andrew saw me in the hospital wing with you, he knew that your story was a lie."

If Mr. Davies was aware of her lies to the Ministry, did he mention it to Chester too? "I—it doesn't prove anything," she stammered. "You could've told him I'm a stubborn brat who wanted to save her brother."

"He threatened to go to Fudge if I didn't take the vow. You know the law regarding siphons," he said, his reason for accepting Mr. Davies's offer obvious. Kane placed his hands on her shoulders. "If Fudge learned what you are, Katrina, he'd kill you. Your age doesn't matter to the Ministry. They only see what they fear, not who you are on the inside. I will never let that happen and I will not be tricked into killing Cayden. Everything I've ever done, since I brought you into this home, is to protect you."

He wiped her tears with the back of his hand. Not completely convinced that he would not find himself in a situation where taking Cayden's life was the sole outcome, she managed to speak, asking how the spell she could use the spell without killing him. Her siphoning abilities the key, his plan was for her to cast a desiccation spell. In most cases, it was accomplished by gaining directly access to a person's bloodstream, like through a deep cut, but it would be risky to get that close to Cayden. If she used another heart as a conduit, siphoning the enchantment as she would when making physical contact, she could transfer its effects to Cayden, rendering him immobile.

"What happens to him after that is up to the Davies," he said, regrettably. "If it was up to me, we'd seal him in a box and drop it into the ocean but they are his relatives and that decision lies with them."

"What if they don't approve of the spell?" she asked, envisioning their outrage.

"That isn't our problem," he replied, showing no sympathy. "As I said, this is a last resort and if they want to keep up the illusion that he's worth keeping alive, they will have to accept that their paths are limited. A spell like this requires practice and precision. You won't learn it in a day and if you think you've mastered it, there are several ways it could go wrong in the heat of battle. We'll practice every day until you're back at Hogwarts. I won't force you to do this so if you don't wish to learn, tell me now."

No longer thinking about Lukas, her mind was plagued with thoughts of the unbreakable vow. "No. I—I want to try. Anything to stop Cayden…"

The spell was the most difficult she had ever attempted, needing, as Kane said, complete precision. Taking out the enchanted heart, without killing the host, was hard enough, Katrina losing her resolve when face to face with a rabbit. Her driving force was protecting Kane. If she desiccated Cayden, it would save him from breaking his vow to Mr. Davies. Jace's voice carrying through the door, they ended the lessons for the day, Katrina making a fair amount of progress.

"You weren't training again, were you?" asked Jace, as they entered the living room. "Kane, she's gonna drop dead."

"That lazy attitude is precisely why she'll be the best of you, if she isn't already," he retorted, Jace grinning despite the criticism. "How did it go in Madrid?"

"She was tough to crack but a little flirting and boom, she was an open book. Side note, she got handsy so if we need to go back there, don't send me. I'm fragile." Katrina stifled a laugh. "She confirmed that he worked there around the time of his supposed death. She offered to hide him from the mean bully who wanted to hurt him."

"And the dagger?" inquired Kane.

Jace took off his coat. "They spoke about it but he didn't learn about it from her. She thinks it's just a myth and him obsessing over it was what led him to leave a few months into his stay. She didn't like talking about that night but I did find out that she helped him create that potion. We could get the ingredients from her to break it down and make an antidote."

"Unnecessary. I swiped a sample from the goblet Lukas used on Katrina and she's been working on an antidote when she's not in classes." Kane checked his watch. "You two should get dressed. I want to speak with you both before you leave for the Ministry. Katrina, there are dresses to choose from in your closet."

In the midst of curling her hair with her wand, she decided to check on Harry, knowing he was reeling from their shared dream about Mr. Weasley's attack. Ever since she left Grimmauld Place, her moments of privacy were few and fleeting, between dealing with Lukas, the apothecary robbery, and her rollercoaster of emotions. She twirled her wand in a circular pattern in front of her vanity mirror, focusing on the mirror in his room. Her reflection was replaced with his room, showing Ron and Ginny on his bed.

"Katrina?" asked Ginny, getting to her feet. "How—are you um coming back soon?"

"Probably by the weekend." Both of them were anxious. "How's your dad feeling?"

"The healers patched him up. He was itching to go home but the poison from the snake's fangs keep his wounds open so if they take off the bandages, he starts bleeding," said Ron, scratching his ear. "Mum kicked us out to let the adults talk about what happened and how you and Harry dreamt it. Moody sort of implied that Voldemort was possessing Harry and that's why he was viewing it through the snake. He's kept to himself since we left the hospital. Hermione's trying to get him out of Buckbeak's room."

Almost like he was summoned by Ron saying his name, the door opened and Harry walked into the room with Hermione, who was telling him about having to wait for the official end of term before departing on the Knight Bus. Based on the heavy bags under his eyes and his extremely disheveled hair, he had gotten less sleep than Katrina.

Hermione brushed the snow out of her hair. "Umbridge is already livid that you lot disappeared under her nose—Katrina!"

His eyes snapped to the mirror. "Why aren't you back yet?" he asked, storming over to her. "What's on your face?"

"It's called makeup, you buffoon," she snapped. "Don't think I can't smack you through the glass. What's got your wand in a knot? Why are you avoiding everyone?"

"I'm not," he said, sounding as believable as a giant masquerading as a pixie.

"Oh, don't lie, Harry," said Hermione impatiently, sitting next to Ginny. "Ron and Ginny say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St. Mungo's."

A heated exchange erupted between Harry and Ginny at his voluntary isolation from Sirius and the Weasleys, Hermione acting as a mediator and Ron a silent observer. Harry responded poorly to Hermione bringing up what he had overheard through Fred and George's extendable ears.

One of his sneakers flew across the room, hitting his head. "Ow! Katrina!"

"Quit being an asshole and listen to someone who knows what they're talking about, you dingbat. You weren't possessed." He kept quiet, his face flushed in anger. "He couldn't possess you from hundreds of miles away. When Cayden possessed Roger—Ron, it's a long story—he could only do it because they share a bloodline. So if you want to keep going with this theory, enlighten us on how he got into your bedroom to take over your body and then got you out of the castle, into the Ministry, and back in your bed in thirty seconds."

"It was a bit stupid of you not to want to talk to us," said Ginny, his dwindling anger transferring to her. "Seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by you know who and I can tell you how it feels…"

Ginny dismantled his theory with her own experience of possession in her first year, when writing in Voldemort's old diary. Unlike her, he did not have blank periods where he could not remember his whereabouts. Despite that, Harry was unable to let go of viewing Mr. Weasley's attack through the snake, not from the side like Katrina.

"You can't apparate or disapparate inside Hogwarts!" chorused Katrina and Hermione.

"You didn't leave your bed, mate" said Ron, encouragingly. "I saw you thrashing around in your sleep about a minute before we could wake you up."

"Can I talk to Harry alone?" asked Katrina.

As Hermione, Ron, and Ginny left the room, urging him to join them for dinner, he turned towards the mirror. "Please tell me you're coming back. You promised we'd spend Christmas together. Why can't Carlisle visit here instead of keeping you to himself?"

"I'll be there for Christmas," she assured him. Though he was not under the delusion that he was Voldemort's puppet, he still seemed to be shouldering an immense weight. "We finally got Lukas to crack. I'm the only person he'll talk to and he's not fooled by polyjuice potion or illusion charms. It helped Kane capture Stark."

"I just—I miss you. Maybe I wouldn't have shut myself away if you were here. Why are you getting dressed up?" he asked, referring to her makeup.

"A MACUSA party," she lied. "Kane wants to talk to the president about pressuring Fudge to accept Cayden's involvement. According to Kingsley, the aurors aren't doing much to find him because Fudge thinks it was Sirius using his face as a cover. I'm like 90% sure Kane will strangle Kowalski when he cites his duty to not overstep into the business of other countries so I offered to go with him."

Hearing Jace, she swore she would contact Harry either after the party or the next day, depending on Kane's temperament. She reversed the charm on her vanity mirror and allowed Jace into her room, finishing with her makeup. Dressed in a black tux, he fiddled with his sleeves, reminiscent of a fussy toddler. Jace rarely enjoyed these gatherings, often whining to Katrina about conversing with stuffy, phony adults ("Picture a room of Malfoys") and the older women attempting to pair him with their daughters and granddaughters or, now that he was older, those women were interested in having him for themselves.

"At least you have a date," she said, sorting through the dresses in her walk-in closet.

Jace let out a quiet scoff. "Like that'll stop those vul—"

His voice trailed off as she stepped out of the closet, wearing a long-sleeved, floor-length ivory silk dress. "It's black and white theme, right?" she asked, putting on a pair of taupe heels. "I've never been to a fancy party or any party, really. Do I look okay?"

"Yeah, you uh—awesome, yep, good. Kane's downstairs. We should…" He nearly bumped into the doorframe. "Downstairs…"

Grabbing her clutch, she followed him to the living room where Kane was perusing a map of the Ministry. While he went over the details of their mission, Jace appeared to be distracted, gazing at everything, from an armchair to a painting on the wall, except for her.

"Katrina will chat up Fudge and you search his office." Kane snapped his fingers, bringing Jace's attention away from his polished shoes. "Jace, I need you focused. Lucius has been visiting him twice a week and I doubt it is to discuss donations. He must have planted an object in his office to allow Voldemort to listen in on the Ministry. If we can find it, you can create a duplicate and we can use the original to spy on Malfoy Manor."

"To see if Cayden's meeting with them. Didn't Snape say that he's seen him there?" he questioned.
"I don't want confirmation that he attends a public meeting. I'm interested in the ones in secret. When you get confronted by Lucius, which you inevitably will, you'll move onto the next phase, whether or not you've gotten into Fudge's office." Conjuring a silver sphere, he handed it to Katrina. "Use this to persuade him."

"What is it?" she asked, trying to not siphon its magic.

"It contains Stark's death," he replied, folding up the map. "Though they may have a clear picture of the other night, through the memories of their injured, I know Cayden will have ensured some aspects remain hidden to fit his agenda. If Lucius is being stubborn, you give it to him and Jace, you say exactly what I told you, word for word. Katrina, if you feel yourself losing control, you put on your gloves and return home, with or without him."

An old-fashioned Ministry car was parked on the street. She greeted the driver as she edged into the backseat, uncomfortable with his lecherous stare through the rearview mirror.

Jace raised the glass partition, concealing the middle-aged man. "Hey, be careful tonight."

"I won't lose control," she whispered. "Ironically, fighting without the gloves was—"

"This isn't about the gloves or a death eater plotting to curse you for hurting their friends. I know you've been around people at Hogwarts but the guests at these parties aren't always the most upstanding of society," he said, apprehensively. "We won't be side by side the entire night and you're not hideous."

"Thanks?" she joked.

"My point is that if someone bothers you, you get away from them then tell me and I'll get them a private bed in St. Mungo's," he said, speaking like a protective brother. "Playing nice doesn't give a drunk skeeze consent to put his hands on you."

The car lined up with others in front of an ornately garnished, marble building. Past the doors was the main entrance to the Ministry, the inside of the building converted into a ballroom for the annual Ministry holiday party. Anti-muggle enchantments were cast by the aurors to deter a muggle from approaching the building, to avoid any uninvited guests. A few well-dressed people, Katrina recognizing Hogwarts students with their parents, were outside the building, in line to get into the party or engaged in conversations, and at the double doors, a woman was checking invitations.

Jace climbed out of the car and held open the door, throwing a nasty look presumably at the driver. Taking in the bright lights and flashy decorations, Katrina held onto his arm and they walked up the steps, to stand behind an elderly couple. Dozens of pairs of eyes flickered in their direction, Katrina tuning out their curious whispers. The party itself was more daunting, the ballroom packed from wall to wall with the reputed 'who's who' of wizarding society, including the 'stuffy purebloods' Jace despised and high-ranking Ministry officials.

"Ugh, Robards and Scrimgeour are coming this way," Jace groaned. "They've been hounding Kane for days about their mountain of evidence to prove Sirius kidnapped the Hogwarts students. Why don't you save yourself and get us drinks? I'll meet up with you once I've dealt with them."

"Use your words, not your fists," she advised, patting his arm. "It's not in the holiday spirit to punch an auror."

Katrina headed over to the drinks table. As she reached for two glasses of champagne, another person beat her to it, a boy in his early twenties.

"I don't think I've seen you here before and I've been to plenty of these dull parties." He licked his lips. "What's a pretty thing like you doing all alone?"

The arms that wrapped around her waist were not Jace's, apparent from the less defined muscle alone. "Sorry about that. My mother was introducing me to an old classmate of hers and they were going on and on about their school days," said Draco, Katrina forcing a smile to go along with his ruse. "Keeping my date company, Higgs? Thanks for getting our drinks."

He swiped the glasses from the older boy. A staring contest ensued between them, Higgs muttering to himself before moving on to harass a different girl.

"Get off me," hissed Katrina, knocking down his arms with her elbows.

"Oh, thank you for saving me from that git, Draco," he said, mimicking her. "You're welcome. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Unless you've been adopted by Fudge as part of some shady deal, which I wouldn't put past your father, I don't have to answer you. It's not your party but if you want to be nosy, Jace's parents were busy with a prior engagement so he's here in their place and he asked me to be his plus one." Fudge and his wife were visible in the crowd. "Bye."

Draco kept blocking her from leaving the table. "That's today's story? Dance with me."

"I'd rather chew off my arm," she replied, not wanting to lose a chance to corner Fudge.

"Fine. While Moore's busy with Scrimgeour, have fun with Higgs coming back for a second round or maybe you'd prefer Mr. Rickton," he said, indicating a guest behind her. "He's already had a few and he's eyeing you like a slice of chocolate cake. He's not the type to care about a girl being of age. You can ask Selene about last year's holiday party."

Fudge disappeared from her line of sight. "One dance," she conceded. "Or until Jace is finished and he threatens to stuff your head down a toilet for being an annoying prick."

Satisfied with her terms, he brought her onto the dance floor. Bracing herself for physical contact, the first since Lukas, she caught a slight hesitation in his expression before he clasped her hand, his other hand resting on her waist. She would rather not imagine what the older women around them were gossiping about, likely believing them to be an actual couple. With the dance floor away from the crowd, she was unable to find Fudge among the guests.

"I know, Katrina."

Draco snapped her out of her daze. "That I want this to be over? What gave it away?"

"I know the truth about you and Carlisle." She met his gaze. "I know that he's the person who faked your death and you've been living with him. Graham told us."

"Us?" she asked, wondering if Graham was around for her to break his nose.

"Snape sent a few of us to my manor last night, the children whose relatives you and Carlisle fought with in the woods." They continued dancing to the music. "You made me feel like a nutter for thinking he wanted to use you when the truth is that you knew I was right but you don't care."

"You're not right," she shot back. "For all the griping you do about my brother, you two are a lot alike. You both jump to conclusions to suit the narrative you've drummed up in your heads. So is Cayden staying with you? Do you have separate rooms or bunkbeds? That must be awkward, to have your kidnapper in your home."

"Don't change the subject," he said, struggling to lower his voice around the other couples. "How can you defend Carlisle? Look at how Cayden turned out. How can you not worry that he's doing the same with you? You could've been killed by Rowle."

"I'm guessing Graham told you something else about me since you've been glancing at my hand," she said, his eyes darting back to her. "It's like I said at the pitch the day you and your friends were heckling the Gryffindor team. I'm not a damsel in distress. I'm fully capable of defending myself and if Kane hadn't told me to hold back, those people wouldn't be at this party."

Seeing Jace wind through the crowd, she lowered her hand from Draco's and met up with him. His hardened face suggested that Draco was acting as her shadow, following her from the dance floor. Jace threatened to do things worse than jamming his head in a toilet, things he would never utter in front of his mother. Giving him a subtle shove, to not cause a scene in public, he put his arm around her and led her towards a sparse corner of the room. She mumbled to him about Graham spilling her secret to Draco and other Slytherins.

"It would be a waste to wipe his memory. His father's a more immediate problem," he muttered, taking a glass of champagne from a passing waitress. "He's been clocking my every move and so have his murder buddies. He's sticking close to Fudge, which complicates Kane's idea for you to occupy him, and my gut tells me that they're not opposed to a fight, even if it's inches away from Fudge. I say we go for it. I'll do a sweep of the office and then we'll bolt."

"What if they see us leaving the room?" she asked, watching Draco reunite with his friends and Theodore direct a surly scowl at her. "Or they send their kids after us to give themselves plausible deniability?"

His snort was muffled by the glass. "If we're thwarted by an idiot like Graham Montague, I'll hand in my auror badge. We need an excuse to—heh, how much champagne did you have?"

Katrina had pecked his cheek and began a trail of kisses down his neck. "People find public displays of affection awkward," she whispered, undoing his tie. "If Malfoy sees, he'll just think we're going somewhere to hook up."

His hand rested on her lower back. "That makes sense but what if you siphon from me? You're not wearing your gloves and—you shouldn't be that good at this." Casually pushing him towards the nearest hallway to the atrium, that urge resurfaced, the feeling she had gotten from Lukas. "Okay, they can't see us."

"I'm good," she said, as he carefully tilted her chin. "We shouldn't waste any time. You check Fudge's office and I'll check Scrimgeour's. Nott's older brother is an auror, isn't he? He could've planted something in there."

"Quick sweep, nothing out of place," he instructed. "Meet back in the corner in five."

Going into a lift, they separated at the second floor. Katrina passed the auror office and turned left to an area divided into cubicles, a sign on the door reading Improper Use of Magic Office. Chester's cubicle was in the middle, next to his mother's, his desk extremely tidy and organized. A stack of folders caught her eye, the one on the top bearing a label with two X's. She deduced that the X's corresponded to a threat level for a case, the more X's designating it as a greater danger.

Although a folder towards the bottom had a single X for a case in London, her heightened senses were reacting to magic within the parchment. Opening the folder, she waved her hand over the pages, the hastily scribbled sentences changing from a case of biting doorknobs to a dispute in Hogsmeade. Dated for the night of the Blazing Phoenix concert, with an attached memo that the case transferred to Chester after a member of the office left for a sudden emergency, there was no mention of biting doorknobs.

The case detailed an alleged rumor of the apothecary owner selling deadly potions, later connected to muggle poisonings. One of the listed ingredients was lobalug venom, which Chester happened to find in their storeroom, and the owner was given a citation. At the end of the last page, it was written that the case was given back to the original investigator, Melinda Dowling.

At Dowling's desk, Katrina found the apothecary case, several questions listed from followup visits with the shop. There were inconsistencies with the two visits, conducted between a week after the kidnapping and a Saturday night in mid-December. The apothecary owner had gone from a confession to selling the potions to make up for slow business to having no recollection of storing the potions in her shop, many of her answers not matching the interview in Chester's folder.

Making duplicates of both folders and tucking the miniature copies into her clutch, she placed Chester's folder in its original spot on his desk. "Lack of stealth must be a family trait." Theodore straightened himself on the other side of the cubicle. "Or is this a game of hide and seek?"

"Theo!" shouted a distant voice.

"You're not getting away with it, Potter," he snarled. "You won't be able to charm your way out of trouble with the aurors for breaking into an office or what you did to my brother."

Whipping out his wand, he pointed it at her. Draco, Selene, and Graham dashed down the hall.

"Theo, don't," said Draco, as Theodore raised his wand to Katrina's face. "We're in the Ministry. Don't be daft."

"No, go ahead," she goaded. "Are you mad that I beat up your big brother? Maybe he shouldn't be robbing innocent people. That's not part of the auror code, is it?"

"Stop it, both of you," admonished Graham. "Katrina, why are you in this office?"

"Do you plan on broadcasting it to the entire Ministry?" she taunted. "Want to write a memo for Fudge?"

Graham let out a laugh of disbelief. "Really? I didn't bring it up like some fun fact." He pointed, in turn, at Selene, Draco, and Theodore. "They saw what you did through Rhys's memory and I wasn't thinking properly after Cayden threatened to murder my mother if I didn't bring you to him."

"Which he isn't doing," added Selene, hinting that such an act of bravery should matter to Katrina. "We don't want to fight. Our emotions are running high, aren't they, Theo?"

"Where's your wife? Aw, are you lovebirds fighting?" Jace's words echoed from her clutch. "Damn, in the betting pool, I had you staying together until your twerp's graduation. You want to sit, Damon? You look like you've been through the wringer."

Katrina punched Theodore, the stringy boy falling backwards with his hands over his nose. Opening her clutch, she took out her two-way mirror, the glass showing Jace outside the building and cornered by Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Montague.

"Katrina?" She glared at Draco. "What is it?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" she asked him. "That I don't see through this act? You're stalling me so your parents can hurt Jace."

"What? They wouldn't do that. Moore isn't my favorite person but I know you care about him. I wouldn't lie to you, you know that," he implored. "Whatever is going on with our parents and Carlisle, it doesn't involve us. We're not enemies."

"Well, you're not my friend either," she spat. "You're in my way."

With a swift twirl of her wand, they switched positions and she raised the floor, trapping them in Chester's cubicle. Intent on rescuing Jace, she returned to the ballroom and weaved through the crowd, ignoring any Hogwarts students or strangers who addressed her. To the unobservant, it seemed like Jace was having a casual conversation with Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Montague (leaning on a black cane), Mr. Nott, and Snape. As she drew closer, their backs turned to her, Jace purposely tugged on his sleeve and she chucked the silver sphere at Mr. Malfoy's head.

Spinning on his heel, he was about to draw his wand, until his gaze fell on Katrina. She stood next to Jace, ready for a fight. Snape gestured to her, the emotion behind his dark eyes speaking volumes.

"I recommend you pick that up," replied Jace, nodding towards the sphere. "You're not raring for a fight with her around. If you want to try, go ahead. You're in for a nasty shock when you're having performance issues."

The sphere levitated into Mr. Malfoy's hand from the wet grass. "And what is this?"

"Your path to temporary freedom." Jace waved his hands in mock celebration. "You may think your new alliance with that lunatic is a secret but it's not to us. Kane knows he went crying to your master after his failed kidnapping to go all in on a resurrected wizards partnership. In there is what Cayden hid from you, a memory of Stark's death. Did he tell you that he escaped?"

"Is this your ploy?" asked Mr. Nott, cutting off Snape from questioning Stark's fate. "Using that bit of luck to sow discord?"

"Let me assure you, gramps, it wasn't luck that led us to Dover," said Katrina, the older man curling his lip. "It was the runes scratched into the shelf of the last hit in the apothecary in Bristol, the clue left behind by your new buddy. It detailed the time, date, and place of your next robbery. He set you up but you knew that, right?"

"Katrina," warned Snape.

Her question had been directed at Mr. Malfoy. "I mean, you're the righthand man, the top dog. You were in the meeting with him and Cayden when Cayden claimed that his people were better and he would prove it in Dover by letting Kane in on the plan. Letting your friends get hurt to prove a point? That's ruthless…unless you didn't know anything about it. What is it exactly that you do now that he's around, provide the snacks?"

Snape kept Mr. Malfoy from reaching for his wand. "Someone's sensitive," said Jace, pouting. "I know you're old so I'll explain this to you slowly. You're screwing yourselves over by letting him into your club. Cayden has no allegiance to anyone but himself and when the time's right, he'll throw you into the fire. If you didn't know that the robbery was a set up, what else is he doing behind your back? We came here to make an offer on behalf of Kane."

When Kane had given this deal for Jace to present, they were not anticipating Snape being part of the audience. Kane did not consult with Dumbledore, which would undoubtedly cause tension between him and the Order, but his loyalty to the Hogwarts headmaster was always tenuous, based in a common goal and not shared principles. The offer was for the death eaters to betray Cayden with the reward of a temporary reprieve from being pursued by Kane. He would abstain from any missions by the Order to capture them. If they refused or did not give an answer by noon on Christmas Day, it meant that they would suffer the consequences of those who sided with Cayden.

"Why would we entertain such an offer? It proves that he's afraid of his former pupil," said Mr. Montague, leaning on his cane. "Has Carlisle lost his bite?"

"Your judgement has always been shit, Damon," said Jace, turning to Mr. Malfoy. "Let me bring you to reality. When Cayden screws you to prop himself up in the eyes of your Dark Lord, you won't have a scapegoat like last time, Lucius. Aubrey's not as trusting as her father and he's serving a life sentence for you, thanks to your wife. Is Cayden worth losing your years of hard work, your treasured legacy?"

Draco and his friends exited the building, behind the Patil twins and their parents. Scanning the small crowd, they rushed towards the simmering skirmish.

"It wasn't luck that saved you at the apothecary either. If Kane actually cared, he would've taken you to the Ministry." If not for the crowd, one of them would be throwing a hex at Jace. "Your pitiful life choices aren't high on our list of priorities. Be thankful that we were lenient because we won't be next time."

"There's no need for us to mull it over," said Mr. Malfoy, as they walked past him. Snape's jaw tightened, the potions professor awaiting his decision. "Your offer is rejected."

"A moron to the end, then," said Jace, unperturbed. "Your kids shouldn't expect special treatment in Azkaban because rest assured, Cayden will eliminate any trace of your lines. You may think they're the greatest gifts to wizardkind but believe me, they're nowhere near his caliber."

"That arrogance won't bode well for you in a duel." His grey eyes settled on Katrina. "Such a tragedy your life is, dear. To lose one father figure so young and to have him replaced with another who's more disturbed than a patient at St. Mungo's. Your own sanity must be hanging by a thread. Perhaps it runs in the family."

"Father," interjected Draco.

"Rather foolish of you to bring her to the Ministry, Jace. A single comment to Fudge and we know how that would end, don't we?" A burning sensation flowed through her. "I wonder how resilient you'll be when our plan comes to fruition and you have no one at your side to save you. Not Carlisle, not your brother…"

A reddish ball of energy formed in her right hand. Mr. Malfoy's fingers brushed against his throat as he uttered a strained cough, subsequently becoming a violent choking fit. She repelled Jace ("Katrina, no") with her free hand, her eyes never leaving her intended target.

"Katrina, lower your hand," said a cagey Snape, motioning for the men to not take out their wands.

The ball danced across her fingertips. "You're not taking anything from me," she hissed at an unnerved Mr. Malfoy.

Jace tackled her, both of them rolling onto the floor of the living room in Kane's manor. "Ka—"
Katrina tapped his forehead, his fear overcome by a glassy-eyed expression. She helped him up from the floor, the energy ball vanishing from her hand.

"If you're back, I assume mission accomplished?" asked Kane, looking like he had been in a solo training session. "Jace?"

"You were right. He was using a picture frame on Fudge's desk," said Jace, rubbing his shoulder. "Sorry. Malfoy didn't take the offer well and it was kind of a rushed apparition."

Jace gave him the picture frame. "I didn't have high hopes that they would come to their senses. If they want to lump themselves in with him, it's their downfall. Katrina?" She had been absentmindedly wringing her hands. "Something on your mind?"

The words were on the tip of her tongue. "I've had this weird feeling about Chester Davies and I broke into his office during the party." She retrieved the folders from her clutch. "I think he helped Lukas and Aubrey sneak into Hogsmeade. We should question the apothecary owner but do you want me to see if I can get Lukas to talk?"

"You give him one chance," he said, flipping through Chester's folder. "If he makes jokes, we'll visit the apothecary. Don't waste your breath on appealing to him. We have work to do."

Her heart racing, she walked down to the basement. Lukas was in the same spot as hours ago, pulling on the shackles around one of his wrists. Maybe it was the fear of her spell on Jace breaking or of being confronted by Kane for her actions, learning the truth from Snape.

Her thoughts raced at a mile a minute. "Is he part of Chimaera? Chester. Why was he in Hogsmeade that night?"

"That was so long ago. Who can remember?" he asked, as she approached him. "Is that what you wore tonight? You must've been driving every man in that room crazy. I bet you loved it."

"I asked you about Chester. Why was he in Hogsmeade that night?" she repeated.

"Chester, Chester, Chester. Who cares?" he said, getting to his feet. "You don't. You didn't come here late at night to talk about an apothecary. You're here to fulfill your part of the deal. Your mind's jumbled. Oh no, were you a bad girl tonight? I've never seen Lucius Malfoy that terrified. What if Snape rats you out to—"

Katrina closed the gap between them with a kiss. Unlike Draco, who had been soft and gentle during their dance, Lukas dug his fingers into her waist and deepening the kiss, he pinned her to the wall, the shackles falling to the floor. His lips moved to her neck, his hand traveling down her body.

"Lukas," she gasped.

"Don't worry. I know somewhere they'll never find us," he whispered in her ear. "We can do whatever we want and this feeling never has to stop. Say yes."

She was startled by a slamming door. "KATRINA!"

"Yes," she said, wrapping her arms around Lukas's neck.

As the door shattered to pieces, Kane and Jace on the other side, Lukas apparated from the room.