Chapter 7: The Order of the Phoenix
Kat set another stack of finished papers in the tray on her desk. They sat for barely a moment before disappearing. Working back at a desk reminded her of Hogwarts. She'd been thinking of her school days more and more recently, thanks to her recent trip. Helping with the Tri-Wizard Tournament had been an experience unlike any she had anticipated.
She sighed as a large stack of new papers appeared on the side of her desk. The return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had come during the end of the tournament, much to the shock of everyone; everyone who believed it at any rate. His return was also the reason she found herself here instead of abroad breaking curses. The return of Voldemort had brought from the ashes, the Order of the Phoenix. Her intent had been to use her travels abroad to keep the Order advised from wherever she was stationed. The Order had other plans for her. Plans that had pulled her from the forests of Brazil back to foggy London, and all it held.
Renting a flat had been easier than she anticipated even with the short notice, given the aid of Tonks, who had apparently done a favor for someone who knew an uncle or relation of some sort who rented flats in Pimlico. Having lived more or less mobile for several years, the moving itself was easy, though Tonks had brought some of her mates to help haul in some furniture and make the place less sparse and more habitable. After a long afternoon of transferring Kat's belongings from her various rucksacks and storage boxes to appropriate places in the flat, they had headed out to grab a celebratory pint at the pub around the corner.
"To roots!" Cried Tonks, raising her glass.
Toasts of agreement were raised and the group had just started to tuck into a platter of chips and sausages when the pub door opened and a couple walked in.
"Eez zis really where wé're 'aveng lunch?"
"Don't judge, just think of it as part of your continuing education in all things British."
Kat stilled at the familiar voice and turned over her shoulder to see Bill Weasley in the doorway. He caught sight of her at nearly the same moment and his face lit up with excitement. He abandoned Fleur, who stood indignantly just inside the door as he crossed the pub to greet his friends. He gave a nod to Tonks and leaned down to hug Kat.
"Kat! I heard you'd gotten a transfer back, but I hadn't seen you about yet, welcome home."
Being hugged by someone whilst seated is a very strange sensation, in which one party towers over the other and there is no real escape for the hug-ee from the hugger. Kat hugged him back, somewhat awkwardly, though didn't have a chance to grow too uncomfortable, as Fleur joined them then, and cleared her throat from behind Bill. Releasing Kat with a tinge of red in his cheeks now, Bill stood and gestured to Fleur.
"Fleur, you remember Kat, from Hogwarts, she helped with the tournament. Kat, this is Fleur-"
"Bill's girlfriénd." Fleur interrupted, looping an arm through Bill's as she spoke. "Oui, we 'ave met. Bienvenue en Angleterre, Mz. McCullough."
Behind Kat, Tonks snorted and turned her attention away from the couple and back to her pint. The others at the table seemed keen to follow her example, leaving Kat to fend for herself. Forcing a smile to her face that didn't reach her eyes, she raised her own pint in the direction of Bill and Fleur.
"Congratulations, have you been in England long, Ms. Delacour?"
"A month or so. Ai wished to improve mon English, et Bill 'as been 'elpeng me." Fleur looked up at him lovingly and Kat nodded, ignoring the knot in her stomach.
"I bet he has," Muttered Tonks behind her.
Kat's smile grew a touch more tense and she stepped on her friend's foot firmly before responding to Fleur, "Well, I wish you every success in that endeavor."
"Merci." Fleur looked up at Bill once more and gestured at the door. "You know Bill, I just realized zat zé café I was telling you about earlier eez just around la corner. Besides, I'm sure you'll 'ave plenty of timé to catch up vith Kat at work."
Bill shrugged and gestured at his friends, "I mean yeah, but we could easily just pull up a table and-"
"Pleasé, mon ange? Prettay please?"
Top of Form
Gagging sounds ensued from the table, which were ignored by Fleur, who was busy batting her eyes up at a crimson Bill, who shrugged and made an appeasing gesture. "A'right, have it your way. I'll uh—see you 'round, aye?"
Kat nodded and waved as Fleur entwined Bill's hand in hers, murmuring endearments in French as she dragged him toward the door. The door closed behind them and a series of complaints and commiserations erupted from the table, including a very convincing pig-snort from Tonks which sent the entire table into careens of laughter and even drew a genuine chuckle from Kat, who promptly downed her drink in one draft and gathered up glasses to get everyone another round.
Top of Form
Shaking her head at the memory from the previous week, Katyanna paused over a document and made a quick note on it before crossing the room to the far wall. On it hung a large and elaborate world map. As in the manner of most magical items, the oceans appeared to swirl with pale blue and every once in a while, a person would need to push puffy clouds away in order to reach sections of the map.
Glancing back down at the paper, she touched her wand to the coordinates she had written down and then pointed it at the map. A glowing dot formed over the point with a tiny name below it, marking the newly reported position of another agent who had moved into the Balkans. The map had dozens of these dots in varying colors, and each with at least a number if not a name below it. Her eyes flicked over to London and found her own number and name, along with several others, all vying for space around the central office.
946
William A. Weasley
847
Katyanna D. McCullough
Kat smiled at seeing a familiar name hovering near hers. Bill was on the floor above her, almost directly above where she sat. Turning away from the map, she moved back across the room and dropped into her chair before moving the now finished reports to the completed box where they obediently vanished.
That was good enough for now, she decided. A break would do her good, and if she left soon, she could beat the worst of the lunch rush. Shouldering her bag, she rose from her desk and walked out of the bustling office and down the hall to use the lavatory before leaving.
Kat was reaching for the handle after washing her hands, but the door opened before she could touch it. Stepping back politely to let the incoming person enter, she was surprised to find herself face to face with Fleur Delacour. Caught off guard, Kat forced a polite smile on her face.
"Good afternoon Fleur."
"Good dai, Ms. McCullough." Fleur returned the greeting with saccharine sweetness that belied her true feelings.
Pleasantries exchanged, Kat moved to step out of the bathroom, expecting Fleur to move past. Instead, the petite blonde stepped forward, effectively caging Kat between herself and the wall. The bathroom was abandoned; most workers still at their desks, cramming in last bits of work before lunch.
"I think eet eez impairtent zat you undairstand ze natuair of mon rélashonship with Bill." Her accent was thick and her tone threatening.
"I'm fairly certain that territory was covered already, Ms. Delacour. Now if you'll excuse me."
Gone was the complacent smile she had hastily shown. Kat might attempt to be nice to Fleur even though she disliked her, but she was not about to let anyone, least of all a puffed up little girl attempt to intimidate her.
Fleur held her wand at her side and tightened her grip. Noting motion, Kat raised an eyebrow, her gaze cold.
"Listen to me very carefully, Fleur Delacour. You're not a student any longer, and there's no professor or mistress to protect you. I couldn't care less what goes on between you and William. But I will not tolerate threats. I've been handling curses since before you chose your first wand, so I highly suggest you put yours away and go back to –what was it you said you were here for? Oh yes, improving your English."
Kat shouldered past Fleur, leaving the bathroom and crossing through the halls and out of the building. She had an hour to kill, but her appetite was long since gone. Instead she walked, moving through the crowds and walking the side streets between cramped buildings in an attempt to banish the dark mood that had descended over her. The north end of Diagon Alley was filled with shops and businesses, though wasn't as busy as it would be within the next hour, when countless witches and wizards took their daily lunch break. After a brief deliberation, she gave up on the idea of being sensible given her current mood and headed over to Fortescue's. She was an adult and if she wanted ice cream for lunch she'd bloody well have ice cream for lunch. Florian Fortescue, being more adept at reading what people needed that almost anyone Kat had ever known, had presented her with a frosted bowl of ice cream positively bursting with saccharine sin.
Though she would surely regret the less than nutritious choice later on, once she finished her "lunch", Kat found she felt calm enough to focus once more, and made her way back to Gringotts.
There was a folded note on her desk shaped like a bird when she returned. Curious, she tucked her bag away and then tapped the note with her wand and it unfolded flat so that she could read it.
I tried to catch you before you went to lunch. Do you always go that early?
~Bill
Blinking, Kat looked up at the ceiling. There—barely detectible was a shift in the ceiling pattern, right about where Bill's desk would sit. Impressed, she pulled out a fresh quill and scrawled a response.
Not always, I wanted to miss the rush.
She tapped the paper with her wand and it promptly refolded itself and fluttered up to the ceiling, disappearing into the abnormal section. Kat looked at her papers and started reorganizing the new pages for the afternoon work. There was a flutter over her head moments before the note landed on her desk again. She glanced around to see if anyone noticed, but if they had, it didn't show.
Where's the fun in that? It's so much more exciting when you're in the thick of it.
…
I'm not sure we have the same definition of fun, Mr. Weasley.
If it kept up like this, others would be sure to notice. Not to mention the utter lack of work she would be able to get done with this level of distraction. And yet when the note appeared on her desk again she couldn't suppress a smile and opened it curious to see his reply.
I think we do. You seemed to have a great time in Egypt. That was one of the most enjoyable assignments I've ever had.
Kat managed to get through a whole three pages before his next message arrived and she deliberately ignored it for several minutes before replying.
We're not in Egypt anymore, William. I don't know about you, but my work pile is growing faster than I can keep up with.
At his own desk, Bill could sympathize with her observation. His own stacks of work were getting disturbingly tall. A glance at the clock at the back of the hall told him that the afternoon would be over soon enough and he'd have a respite from the blasted paperwork at least until tomorrow. The day after if the lower level vaults needed checking on. Grinning, he hunched over his desk and scrawled another line on the note before dropping it to the floor, where it disappeared on its way to Kat.
What kind of flowers do you like?
Kat rolled her eyes and jotted a swift response back, too amused to be truly irritated at his distraction. He didn't need to know that she was enjoying their discourse as much as she was.
I'm not sure that is pertinent information, Mr. Weasley, I'm sure Fleur will like whatever you choose. Besides, we're at work, focus!
Bill smirked at her evasion of his question and replied, making no attempt to hide behind a report before sending the note off.
I am focused. And I wasn't asking about Fleur. What's your favorite color?
Kat paused over the most recent note. It was nothing, she told herself. It was surely just Bill being silly. From what she had seen of Fred and George, eccentric behavior seemed to run in the family. There, it was easier to handle if she thought of him as eccentric rather than entertaining the thought that he might mean anything more by his flirtatious behavior.
Bill, stop being ridiculous; I'm sure you have something important you should to be working on.
Bill looked at the reports again and shook his head. The curses were basic, and the requests for advice were lazy. But he'd opted to come back to London to help the Order, and that meant that tedious paperwork was something he had to deal with.
I am working, but talking to you is much more interesting than paperwork. You can't honestly tell me you wouldn't rather be out of the office right now.
That was quite enough. She had to put a stop to this or she'd not be able to focus for the rest of the day, though a glance at the clock told her that not too much of the day was left.
Don't make me hex your office supplies. I'll make your quill tap dance and your clips confuse the drawer with your nose and see how interesting you find things then.
The response was almost instantaneous.
I'd like to see you try. Meet me after your shift outside Flourish and Blotts.
She sat for a long time looking at the last note. So long in fact that she ended up tossing three pieces of parchment in the bin because her quill had leaked a large blob of ink that soaked through. It was absurd…and very forward. No. She wouldn't go. She shouldn't. He was, as she vividly remembered, dating Fleur.
Kat reviewed Fleur's behavior at the pub the previous week and her run in this morning and determined that despite her dislike of the girl, she didn't want to make the situation any worse than it already was. She did not reply to the last note. Whether it was from not knowing what on earth to say, or something else, she didn't know.
It wasn't until she rose from her desk at the end of the day that she decided she would go on and meet him. She had spent the afternoon getting lost in reports as an attempt to keep her attention off of the quandary of William Weasley which still turned itself over in her mind; to go, or not to go? What was he playing at? She would go, if only to put a stop to this nonsense. She would make him see that they had to stop their correspondence and focus on more serious matters. No wasn't the time for unnecessary drama, and that was the only direction their continued light chatter could lead. There were more important things at stake right now than their personal relationships.
She made her way through the shuffle of people heading home from their various jobs and crossed the street toward Flourish and Blotts. Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of him leaning against the brick wall waving at her. His shirt was a deep emerald, unbuttoned just below his collar bone. He wore a dragon hide jacket that fit him to perfection. She pulled her train of thought away from his appearance just in time to keep from walking into someone headed in the opposite direction.
"Sorry it took me so long—"
He waved off the apology with a grin, "No worries. Listen, do you have anything going on tonight?"
Taken aback, Kat was caught off guard and responded automatically. "No, I don't. But Bill I think we need to talk about-"
"Great! You're officially booked."
"I—wait what?"
He withdrew a hand from his pocket; grin spread wide across his face and held out two tickets before her. Kat reached out and took the narrow cards and read over them, eyes wide.
"These are for the Harpies Havoc concert! They sold out weeks ago! How did you-"
"Fred and George got them. They didn't tell me how. To be fair, I didn't ask. But I did have them checked and they're legit. So—are you in?"
Kat felt her nerves buzzing at the prospect but then she remembered the notes they'd passed earlier, the confrontation she had with Fleur and that was enough to dampen her nerves enough to bring her to her senses.
"Bill, I can't go with you."
His face fell and he frowned, looking at the tickets she was holding out toward him but his hands didn't move to take them back from her.
"Why not?"
She pulled her eyes away from the hurt she saw creeping into his eyes along with the more prevalent disappointment. Her chest tightened and she held the tickets out toward him again.
"It wouldn't be right. You should take Fleur."
Bill's face turned incredulous, "You're kidding, right? No, really Kat, I want you to close your eyes and try to picture Mademoiselle Fleur Delacour at this concert. Just—try. If what you're coming up with is anything like what I am, then you know why I don't want to take her."
Despite herself, Kat snorted at the idea of Fleur attending the concert. She tried to picture prim, pressed, pretty, perfect Fleur at the loud rock concert. It was laughable at best. Letting the amusing image stay as an entertaining thought in her minds' eye, she opened her eyes and looked at him. He had moved away from the wall while she had been imagining and was now looking down at her with a hopeful expression in his eyes.
Those eyes were irresistible. And she'd be very surprised if he didn't know just how potent that gaze could be. She sighed and shook her head, looking around them to the slowing foot traffic before speaking.
"Did you at least talk to her about it?"
"Yes, that I did do, I'm not a complete ass. Her reaction was something along the lines of—"
He screwed his face into a distinctly unpleasant pinched scowl, as though he smelled something foul. His voice pitched up several octaves and he threw in a terrible rendition of her accent, "I suppose I will see you tomorrow then."
Kat watched the look on his face with amusement and worry. It was hilarious, true, but Fleur was still his girlfriend and a possessive one at that. Doubtless she would be far less than amused at his mocking of her. Given Fleur's feelings about Kat, she could imagine how bad the aftermath of finding out that she went to the concert with the man she had distinctly warned Kat away from just earlier the same day. And yet the more she thought about it, the more she studied the face of the man leaning expectantly toward her, the harder she found it was to care about Fleur and her clear lack of taste in music, besides, they were just friends, going to a concert. It wasn't a date, or anything of the sort. At last, she grinned back and shoved him.
"Her loss then; come on, let's get gone."
Bill's eyes lit up as he pocketed his own ticket again and the two of them set off down the street, speculating as they walked as to what songs would be played and the displays that might be in store. Kat's anxiety melted away with each step they took. It was so easy to relax with Bill that she couldn't believe she had been stressed before she came to meet him.
The concert was packed with people by the time they got there. Bill and Kat were forced together in single file to squeeze through the crowds and Kat tried to focus on the smell of unwashed bodies and excessive perfume to distract her from the feeling of Bill pressed close behind her. After more than a little weaseling, they managed to find their seats. The seats they had gotten were ridiculously close to the stage; Kat made a gesture of amazement at being so close. Beside her, Bill still grinning shrugged. The band appeared in a haze of purple fire to the roaring approval of the audience. Kat made a mental note to do something special for Bill's mischievous brothers and that was the last thought she gave to anything. She let herself relax for the first time in weeks, losing herself in the pulsing music.
Bill was on cloud nine. He could have gone to the concert alone, but this was better than he could have imagined. The woman beside him was shamelessly enjoying the heavy rock emitting from the stage, swaying and bouncing on the balls of her feet. He hadn't spared a thought for Fleur since he and Kat had left Diagon Alley and it didn't look like she would have a place in his mind until at least the next morning.
They were half-way through the concert when there was a burning sensation in Kat's pocket. She froze and reached in, pulling out a small bauble. It was a marble which she kept on a plain keychain. She looked at Bill, who had stopped smiling as well, holding his own trinket, a muggle coin it looked like. They locked eyes and nodded as they turned to leave, weaving through the crowd and out of the concert. It was well past midnight and the streets outside were empty and quiet outside of the blocked off area of the concert. A silencing spell surrounded the concert, keeping the raucous noise from disturbing the neighborhood.
A few blocks past, Bill paused. "Listen, Kat—I'm sorry."
Kat waved a hand at his apology, "Don't worry about it. If they're calling us at this hour, we both know it's important. Let's just go and see what it is."
Bill nodded, but still had a gleam of disappointment in his eye, "Yeah. Come on, you can hitch a ride with me. It'll be easier. "
"I hate disapparating…" She grumbled, but did up the buttons of her coat and held her wand tightly in one hand.
"I know. Here, trust me."
Bill held out his hand to her. Kat nodded hesitantly and took his hand. She knew they didn't have time to get brooms and the nearest floo they could have used was blocks away. Bill curled her hand into his with an encouraging smile. Kat, caught off guard at his gentle pull, lost her balance and fell forward. Before she could right herself, they vanished with a loud pop.
They appeared right outside the dining room of Grimmauld place. Bill was holding Kat close, his arms tight around her waist without so much as an inch between their bodies. When she had tripped he was scared she would be splinched and so he had pulled her as close as he could. As a result, Kat had her face pressed against his chest and her eyes closed and didn't see the astonished faces of the other members of the Order staring at them.
"What eez zé meaneng of zis?!"
Kat opened her eyes at the screech and found a red faced Fleur storming around the table toward them. She looked up at Bill, who didn't look horrified as much as exasperated. Blinking, Kat realized she hadn't moved out of Bill's arms, and he hadn't pushed her away. Mortified, she extricated herself from his arms with swift deftness.
"This is not what it looks like-I tripped and—"
Kat didn't have the chance to finish her sentence before Fleur had her wand out, "Stupefy!"
"Protego!" Bill raised his wand, shielding Kat with his body as he deflected the spell. Fleur blocked the rebound but was still pushed back several feet and rose up, glaring at him.
"Dammit Fleur, she tripped and I caught her! What the bloody hell is the problem?"
The doorbell rang before Fleur could retort and Mrs. Black set to screaming at the noise. Remus emerged from the dining room and stood between Bill and Fleur while Sirius passed by them to get the door and silence his mother.
"Wands away, both of you; this is bigger than whatever problems you're having. We have much to discuss and some of us would like to sleep tonight."
Kat stepped out from behind Bill and walked past Remus and Fleur, eyes straight ahead as she went into the dining room. Everyone seemed to feel awkward at that point, Kat included. Molly beckoned her over and Kat walked around the table and sat between her and Tonks with relief. With a sympathetic smile, Tonks gave Kat a half-hug before turning back to the meeting. Bill and Fleur came in moments later and took the two remaining seats, leaving as much space between themselves as possible.