On the sixth day, the copy of Jinxes, Hexes, and an introduction to the Dark Arts became unreadable. That didn't mean the two could take it easy, though - not by far. During the day, Draco was picking on Harry, or the other way around. Katherina found them both annoying, calling them immature brats in public, but there was something that bothered her more than their constant tennis match of insults. That Weasley witch was always tailing her.
At breakfast, Katherina sat with Anna and Selena, as Elisa still didn't trust her enough. They noticed Pansy keeping a safe distance and waved for her to come over and join them just because it didn't seem right for her to be on her own. She was very direct, once the group warmed up a little.
"Caesarius, you may want to know something, but you don't know it from me."
Her green eyes immediately switched from Pansy to Selena, then Anna. Her former roommates looked clueless.
Pansy kept her eyes on her plate. "There's a rumor that you're sleeping with Malfoy. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are full of it, Hufflepuff not so much yet."
The information clicked in her mind as fast as snapping one's fingers. Somebody had seen them going back and forth between their rooms. There was no other explanation for it. She pursed her lips.
"...I see."
"I hope it's not true, is it?" Pansy looked up with mad dark eyes.
Although surprised, Katherina stood her ground. "Why would it be true? Do I look like a slut to you?"
"I don't know... You two have the most-expensive-everything from the entire Slytherin house, which says something."
"I know. I buy myself everything I want from one of my father's accounts, not affected by the heritage discussion."
Pansy looked relieved as she took a few sips of her tea. "The whole school is whispering... Just so you know."
"False accusations are against the rules," Anna concluded their brief talk. "They violate the 824th article, letters c through i. Whoever started this risks suspension for up to a year. If the scandal gets public, they might even get expelled, but that depends on what the Discipline Commission decides."
Selena hummed softly to herself. "That Weasley girl has been paying a lot of attention to both of you. Do you think she started it?"
"How would a Gryffindor know who stays in who's room within the Slytherin dorms?" Katherina asked rhetorically, as all three of them turned to look at Pansy.
She felt her palms getting sweaty. "I'm just saying what I've heard!"
"You have a crush on Malfoy, don't you?" Selena asked in a sweet voice. "Did he reject you? I heard he rejects every girl - quite brutally, too. He literally shoved Vesuvia Abbot out of his way, called her ugly, dumb, and desperate, an embarrassment to her family, and then went on laughing about her as she had to get up and walk away. If that's not humiliating, I don't know what is."
Pansy frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?" She stood up quickly. "Bloody hell, I'm an idiot trying to warn you. I should've minded my own business and let them all point and laugh at you. After all, you're an Avery."
As she walked away, Katherina rewarded Selena with a proud smile. "Nice..."
The girl looked down and smiled a little. "She does seem to have a crush, though... It's quite evident."
"Do you think she started these rumors?" Anna asked once Pansy was far enough.
"Probably. Anna, make some Ravenclaw friends and see if this rumor exists. Selena, try to get close to Potter and his group of Gryffindors."
Annelyse nodded, while Selena looked worried.
"The Weasley girl is so... nasty. She's like their personal guard dog!"
This made Anna laugh. "Put her on a leash," she joked.
"I mean it," Selena insisted. "I can't even go close enough to exchange a few words without her glaring at me or getting defensive."
Taking her seriously, Katherina took a moment to think. "Do you get along with anyone else from their house?"
The girl shook her head. "Can't I take... Hufflepuff, maybe?"
"No," Katherina said in a calm and confident voice, "it will give us away. I first had you approaching their group. If I have Anna do this, or if I attempt it, they will see right through us. Even if they might suspect something right now, they don't know for sure, which is our advantage. Our problem is Ginny Weasley, correct? Why don't you approach some other Weasley, a weak link that will let you into their circle?"
The girl lowered her eyes again. "Well, there'd be Ron, but he's always with Hermione, or Ginny, or Harry."
Anna and Katherina looked at each other. Selena acted shier than usual.
"What about the twins? They're half-brained, anyway," Anna tried to make a joke to lift their spirits.
Selena's amber eyes rolled back and she sighed. "I'll find a way," she said as she stood up. She held her platinum blonde hair in a long braid, twisted into a rose-shaped bun, decorated with a royal green velvet bow.
Suspicion was dense in the air as Anna and Katherina watched her leave. That's when the great horned owl of the Malfoys flew towards them with a sealed file. Katherina took it and checked for any kind of address or signature of the sender. There was none.
"What's that?" Anna asked right away, leaning over the table to get a better view.
If she hadn't expected the question, she would have panicked, but this time, Katherina was calm. "It must be my notes from the summer classes. I forgot these at the Manor and I asked Mrs. Malfoy to send them to me."
The girl hummed in agreement and lost interest. "They got you classes over the summer, didn't they?"
"Draco too, so at least I wasn't alone in hell." Katherina kept one hand over the file at all times.
"Is he still a brat in private?" Anna asked half-jokingly.
"Depends," she giggled. "If I beat him in tests, he definitely is!"
"You compete with each other over that? Really?" Anna shook her head with a chuckle. "When do you take a break?"
"What's that?" Katherina laughed and soon, her friend followed.
"Too real... My family wants me to get on the Quidditch team now that Malfoy got in. I never liked sports! I even hate ballet, but they still put my ass through classes - four days a week."
"Mine did too," Katherina laughed, "Except I like ballet."
"I'm stiff and my shoes keep slipping," Anna confessed. "If we're talking Wizarding Chess, though - that's a whole different story. My grandfather was world champion three years in a row! I learned from the best." Suddenly, she stopped. Anna pointed with her finger on the table in a certain direction and Katherina followed it with her eyes as subtle as possible. "Now that Elisa is out of the question... if you want a spy in Hufflepuff, that's your guy. Cedric Diggory, pure-blood, fourth year, possibly the most popular in their house."
The girl tried to get a good look at him without making it obvious, but then he noticed they were both staring and waved. For some odd reason, his smile was kind of... contagious. Katherina returned it and stood up. "No turning back now, right? I'll go before he thinks we're gossiping about him."
"Don't lose your head, Caesarius. He's just a Hufflepuff," Anna giggled. "A hot one, but still..."
"Don't be ridiculous," Katherina rolled her eyes. "My plans are way too ambitious - I've got no time to waste on sympathies."
Anna watched her approaching the Hufflepuff table. She sighed as she tried to prepare for a meeting with Michael Corner and his friends. Anna had to remind herself constantly to be a nice girl around them, to not mention anything about muggles or mud-bloods, nothing about the superiority of pure-bloods. Katherina was her only reason for doing this. She seemed one step ahead of everyone and Anna secretly believed there may be some truth to the rumors about her and Malfoy. Why else would she be spending the summer with the bloody Malfoys? She would have killed to be in her place, but that wouldn't be wise. Instead, she wanted to stick close to Katherina as she was more approachable than Malfoy Jr. and hopefully, she could enjoy some of the spoils in the future. Loyalty always pays, right?
Cedric was with a few other boys. He couldn't help but notice two Slytherin girls looking at him, so he gave them a polite smile and waved. This usually helped him get out of most situations like this, as some girls simply wanted him to acknowledge their presence. He was surprised to see one of them coming over. Solomon Abbot elbowed his arm to get his attention.
"Careful with this one. I heard she's the protege of the Malfoys."
Cedric looked surprised. "What's this got to do with anything?"
"She's dangerous. That girl and the little devil got Stephanie Avery expelled over what her brother did."
Before Cedric got a chance to reply, the girl was already too close. Several Hufflepuffs stood up and left - they didn't want anything to do with her. Solomon and Cedric sat apart and smiled - one relaxed and confident, the other just trying to look as if he was.
"Hi, sorry if I'm bothering you," Katherina said, putting on her nice girl act.
"Not at all," Cedric said as he nodded towards the empty seat. "Do you want to sit with us?"
"Um, actually, I was hoping if I could ask you something... You're Cedric Diggory, right? It's kind of... um... personal."
Solomon looked up and noticed a mean gleam in her green eyes.
"Ah, right! I forgot - I have to help my sister with an assignment. See you in the Common Room?" He stood up and rushed away.
Cedric was confused. Solomon shared everything with him and he never mentioned that before, so why lie now? Well... they were pretty much alone in that half of the Great Hall now.
"You seem to know my name, so can I ask yours?"
"Katherina Caesarius," she answered him as she took the seat of his friend. "You're quite popular, I guess I'm not at that level yet."
He chuckled. "It's nothing extraordinary... What did you want to ask?"
The girl told him about the rumors. She played her role well, posing as a victim of Pansy's jealousy, even if she had no proof about it yet. Cedric listened, not once interrupting her, and she found it easier by the moment to explore this kind of interaction. She found his eyes were a similar shade of gray and his face was so symmetrical and soft... no wonder every girl at Hogwarts knew his name.
"I think you must feel terrible," he said in a soft tone. "Rumors like this run around all the time, it's not just about you. I'm not sure if it makes you feel any better, or at least less bad..." he said with a sympathetic smile.
She nodded and chuckled. "Less bad it is. I would really appreciate it if you could ask around, see how much people know, this kind of thing... I don't want it to blow up like a balloon, my first year here has had more than enough excitement."
"Of course I'll help, but can you answer me something? Only if you want to answer me - it's for my curiosity."
"It's the least I can do after asking you for such a favor." Katherina was expecting him to ask about her and Malfoy, but he didn't.
"What happened to the Avery brothers... were you taking revenge on their family?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. "...No!" Katherina searched his face for any clue about where this had come from but found it to be surprisingly easy to admire instead. He reminded her of the ancient statues she's grown up contemplating in Italy. "Of course not!" Eventually, she sighed. "I guess that's what everyone thinks..."
Cedric thought he saw her hurt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it as an accusation."
"No, it's fine, don't worry. I just feel like a hare among wolves sometimes, you know? Everyone wants something from me."
"Pardon my assumptions, but you are a Slytherin. You kind of hold this reputation..."
Katherina looked up to see an apologetic smile on his face and she felt the strangest gut-turning feeling ever. What the hell was this?
Author's notes
Complicated, it is!
On a side note, I'd say Draco was never truly evil. I think that's what I personally like about him most. I'm trying to keep him true to his canon self, not influenced too much by my interpretations. He's a very complex character.
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