Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.

Chapter 9 Missing Family

Will's wife Jean was at some medical conference, but James didn't care either way. He was the one who treated Kat when she had her first "asthma" attack, so he knew that she didn't have asthma. James fully planned to torture the answer out of him and kill him.

"James?" Will raised his eyebrows in surprise at the sight of him without Lily. It was no secret that James didn't like them.

As he went to raise his wand, William nodded at someone behind James. Jean was in Belgium… They didn't have house elves…

The arms that grabbed him were definitely that of a man, but the hand that covered his mouth and nose until he passed out were that of a woman. James had no idea what happened, but, more importantly, when he woke up, he couldn't talk about what little he did know.

Blaise took a deep breath when he sat next to them for the first time since the Firebolt incident. Draco tensed, preparing for some kind of fight, but Blaise, being Blaise, acted like nothing happened.

"You have egg in your hair," he drawled to Pansy, speaking as if she were dirt beneath his shoe.

Draco opened and closed his mouth several times. Pansy was just as dumbfounded. Their friend's eyes were a little red, but other than that, he was doing his best not to seem bothered.

"We're—" Pansy started. She paused as Potter stormed their way, but luckily, she kept walking. Draco was about to join into yet another apology when Potter punched Granger square in the jaw.

There was a collective gasp as Granger took out her wand. "Internum aranearum!"

But Potter was faster and dodged the spell. McGonagall was running their way, so Potter did what any idiot Gryffindor would do with so little time. She copied a spell without knowing what it did. "Internum aranearum!"

Granger's mouth opened in a silent scream as thousands of spiders started crawling out of her mouth and ears. Weasley started screaming like a little girl and jumped on the table. Potter's wand fell to the floor but the ensuing uproar caused the clattering to go unheard.

As Potter was being hauled away to be disciplined, Granger fell to the floor as endless amount of spiders continued to crawl out of her. Pomfrey didn't bother conjuring a stretcher and picked the girl up by her shoulders to take her to the Hospital Wing.

Blaise turned away as professors started banishing the remaining spiders and the Hogwarts student body started howling with a mixture of horror and excitement. He glared at Pansy. "So you're just going to leave the egg in your hair?"

And like that they were friends again.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked. After nearly two days, she was finally released from the Hospital Wing. She supposed she should know better than to snoop through her parents spell books. She knew what the curse did, but she didn't think there was going to be that many spiders.

Ginny grimaced as she poured the vial into Kat's shampoo bottle. "Just giving her a little something to remember."

At least Ginny was on her side. Hermione was afraid that Ginny worshiped Kat like Ron, who was currently not talking to her. Kat threw the first punch, and that was why she was suspended and put on probation. Well she wasn't going to throw the last.

Draco felt his eyebrows shoot up to his hair line when he saw Potter a week later. She had been suspended a week, only to return to have chunks of hair missing and what appeared to be chemical burns on her scalp. Her nails drummed against the table nervously as the lesson began.

"So you'll mince the dragonfly wings?" he asked quietly. Clearly Granger was not someone to hex. Potter said nothing, and for once, started to work. She wouldn't look at him though.

Obviously Potter wasn't talking to him. He heard that her father was in the hospital with some illness. It was all over the papers. He supposed he should count his blessings that she wasn't taking out on him and call it a day.

Draco didn't look at Potter either. He usually avoided doing so when he could, and because of it, he didn't see that she wasn't defeated, beaten, or even tired. Towards the end of class, he caught a glimpse of her when she passed him a note. She wasn't just furious. She was determined.

The note said, I'm going to find a way to tell you.

She continued to work as if nothing happened. Almost mindlessly, she followed his instructions as Draco did his best to act like he didn't know what she was talking about. For the first time, she truly confirmed that there was something to tell. She knew something about his mum.

Professor Snape asked him to meet him in his classroom at eight, three weeks before his match against Hufflepuff. Draco found himself nervous, eager to impress his favorite professor and sure he was going to humiliate himself. Was there going to be a dementor in the classroom?

There was a large trunk in the middle of the dark room, which shook slightly upon Draco's entrance. Professor Snape swept into the room with his usual dour expression, making Draco check his watch to make sure he was on time.

"I've managed to procure another boggart," he said smoothly. "Hopefully your greatest fear hasn't changed, and we will be able to practice the Patronus Charm on it."

"Y-yes, sir," Draco said nervously.

Professor Snape almost smiled. "This is a highly advance charm, Draco. There are professors here that are not capable of it. I do not expect you to instantly be able to cast it. Honestly, I will be surprised if you are even able to cast a resemblance to it tonight."

"Thanks," Draco said sarcastically before he could stop himself. He immediately flinched, waiting for Professor Snape to kick him out. Instead, the man was smiling, actually smiling. "I mean, how does it work, sir?"

The out of character smile didn't fade. "When a proper Patronus is conjured, it acts as a guardian or a shield against dementors. Every Patronus is unique to the castor. It acts as a positive force against dementors; one they cannot corrupt with despair."

"You must concentrate on a very happy memory as you are casting the incantation," he went on. "Not simply having your favorite dessert at dinner. It may be difficult for those who are used to suppressing their emotions."

"Right." Draco thought of Blaise, who seldom allowed himself to smile. He also thought of Professor Snape, who seemed so out of place when he did smile. Draco didn't think much of himself. Sure, he wasn't a barbaric Gryffindor, but he allowed himself to be happy. That aspect of the charm shouldn't be too difficult. He'd think of his first time riding a broom or the summer afternoons when Professor Riddle stopped by to spend the day with him.

Professor Snape didn't seem as convinced. "The incantation is expect patronum!"

"Expecto patronum!" Draco repeated.

"Don't forget your memory."

"Oh. Right." Draco thought about catching the snitch for the first time. The wind rushing past him, the feeling of the tiny golden ball in his hands, the proud look on his teammates faces. "Expecto patronum. Expecto patronum!"

A wisp of silver shot out of his wand, only to almost immediately fade. Still, it made Professor Snape's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, so that must be a feat all in its own.

"Excellent," the professor said calmly. "Are you ready to try it on the boggart?"

"Yes." Draco did his best not to sound as nervous and frightened as he felt. If he fainted, would Professor Snape still want to teach him?

Slowly, almost hesitantly, Professor Snape opened the trunk. Several candles flickered out, and Draco distantly heard a lightbulb break. The temperature dropped, and Draco tried not to shiver.

The dementor glided out of the trunk with ease as sharp, cold air filled Draco's lungs. It went right for Draco, but slowly, as if savoring the moment. Draco didn't think about the Patronus until he heard the screaming again.

"Please!" There was the desperate sound of someone running. "Please! You've already killed everyone! Please not Draco!"

"Expecto patronum!" Draco tried. What was his memory again? Flint teaching him about Quidditch…? "Expecto—"

The laughter sounded almost jolly. Draco recognized the laughter from his first year. Dumbledore. What threw him off was that it was followed by the laughter of several others. He heard a man scream as black spots danced his vision. Was that his father?

"Draco!"

He never thought he would see Professor Snape look concerned, he thought sluggishly as his professor helped him sit up. Draco hadn't even realized that he had fainted, but there he was, on the floor, drenched in cold sweat.

"I'm sorry," Draco said breathlessly as he tried to focus.

"Are you alright?" Professor Snape asked seriously as he handed him some chocolate.

Draco wouldn't look at him. "I heard my mum. Begging. And my dad screaming."

"Perhaps…" Professor Snape seemed hesitant. "We should cease—"

"No!" Draco felt some color return to his cheeks with embarrassment. "I have to do this to stay on the team! And… And if I run into them again, I want to be ready!"

Professor Snape was certainly not one to give into begging, especially that of a child. Draco knew he might as well head back to his Common Room. "We will try once more tonight. Then, we will continue another day."

Draco forced himself to his feet, thinking about catching the snitch before Professor Snape even opened the trunk. He started casting before the dementor could fully emerge. "Expecto patronum!"

The dementor tilted his head to the side, the closest thing to laughter Draco thought it could manage. With ease, it glided towards him.

"Expecto patronum!" Some silver shot out of his wand, but it was gone as soon as it came. "Expecto patronum!"

"Druella!" It was a man. But who was Druella? "Take Draco! Narcissa and I will hold them off!"

"But…" The woman sounded terrified. "I can't…"

"GO!"

Draco woke with a start. Professor Snape was shaking him, but his mind was still somewhere else. "Who's Druella?"

Professor Snape backed away as if burned. "Druella?"

Draco tried to shrug it off as if it was nothing. "Sorry. I…"

"She is, or she was, your grandmother." Now Professor Snape wasn't looking at him. "Your mother's mother."

What had Aunt Bella told him? That her mother had died in front of his crib. Draco found himself shaking. "A man… I guess it was my dad. …was telling her to take me while he and mum fought them off…"

"Tosser forgot she couldn't use the emergency portkey," Professor Snape muttered. Then, he straightened up. "Did you say them?"

Draco scrubbed at his eyes before answering, even though he was sure Professor Snape saw a few tears escape. "Yes… Wait, did you know my parents?"

Professor Snape stared at him for a long time before handing him a chocolate bar. "Yes. We were friends. I'm going to take you to bed, Draco."

"But—" Yet another person knew his parents and was keeping it from him.

"We'll continue your lessons another day," he snapped. Draco was afraid to protest further. Professor Snape wasn't going to tell him now, no matter how much he asked.

He'd have to try again another time. Draco hung his head. "Yes, sir."

Kat yawned and rubbed her tired eyes. She was tired but not ready to go to bed yet. The bleach in her shampoo was a warning, and she was not looking forward to anymore. She also wasn't a coward. Her dad didn't just spontaneously contract spattergroit.

A big black dog zooming past her broke her from her thoughts. Kat almost smiled as she ran after it. "Padfoot!"

The dog paused but as she neared, started sprinting away. Stupid dog. She couldn't see well from a distance, especially at night, but Sirius didn't know that. Still, he shouldn't try to lead her out of the castle after curfew. Kat laughed as she kept running. Even as a teacher, Sirius loved breaking the rules.

"POTTER!"

Kat turned around to see Professor Snape. With Malfoy. Great. Sirius even ditched her and ran outside! Did he forget she was on probation? Some prank this was…

Professor Snape almost barked at him to head back to his dorm, but something made him hesitant. Draco wasn't sure what it was, although it obviously had something to do with that black dog. It had short hair, so it wasn't Professor Black.

"I didn't do anything," Potter whined as Professor Snape dragged her to the Headmaster's office without saying a word. "Get your hands off me!" she yelled, but his grip on his arm only tightened. "I'll go! Just let go!"

It was after curfew, but that clearly wasn't what was bothering Snape. Sure, Potter was on thin ice but… "Come with me, boy!" he hissed.

No further information, but Draco wasn't about to protest. It was just a dog. Potter probably got a new pet and was trying to sneak him in. She was spoiled rotten, and her parents probably got it for her to make her feel better for getting in trouble, even though she deserved it.

The long walk was tense and silent besides Potter's occasional protest and muttered swear. Draco noticed that Professor Snape's breathing became a bit ragged as the amount of steps increased, but he barreled on nonetheless.

"Gone with the Wind," Professor Snape snapped. Professor Riddle always had Muggle books as his password, especially ones with warped love stories.

As soon as they were in Professor Riddle's office, Professor Snape loosened his grip enough her Potter to snatch her arm away. With a glare, she mumbled, "I'm telling Mum."

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Professor Riddle was at his desk, quietly watching the scene before him.

"I was out after curfew! So what?" Potter yelled.

"Draco needs to be taken to a safe house," Professor Snape said loudly at the same time. "I caught Potter in the castle. With Regulus Black."

The tense silence lasted for a split second. "That was Sirius!" Potter yelled, sounding panicked. "He caught me out after curfew!"

Professor Snape took a step towards Potter, and although her eyes flickered with fear, she didn't take a step back. "His animagus looks nothing like Black's. It's thinner, and its hair is shorter."

Potter paled slightly but shook her head in denial. "No… It's Sirius. He-he was playing with me…"

"How long has this been going on, Katherine?" Professor Riddle said quietly. His sharp eyes seemed to be staring into her soul.

Another head shake. Then another. "He-Padfoot always plays with me. Since I was a baby… I-I used to ride on his back…"

"He's talking about Regulus, you idiot!" Professor Snape boomed.

The head shaking became quicker and more panicked. "S-Sirius knows that I've been fighting with my friends. And-and that I don't want to talk about it. We-we've been playing tag… but it's hard to catch 'im 'cause he's got f-four legs…"

Before Professor Snape could intervene, Professor Riddle rose from his seat. "We'll just ask Professor Black. That will settle the matter."

"Sir, the boy—"

"Is safe in my office," Professor Riddle softly assured him as he walked towards his fireplace. He bent forward, nearly putting his head into the small entrance. When he backed away, Professor Black was squeezing his way through.

He grabbed my arm, Sirius! Draco was waiting for Potter to start the fight, but instead, she was still shaking her head to herself. Her eyes were wide as she tried to deny the truth. That dog wasn't Professor Black.

"What's wrong?" Black asked slowly as he straightened himself and dusted his robes off.

"You were playing tag with me. As a dog. Weren't you, Padfoot?" Potter asked shrilly. "Have been all week."

At first, Black started to go with the lie to keep Potter out of trouble. But then, he saw that she was panicking about more than getting in trouble and that Professor Riddle wasn't annoyed. He was genuinely asking. "No. No, Kat. I haven't."

"I saw you!" Potter screeched. "And you ran out the door like a coward! Do you know how much trouble you're getting me in, Sirius?"

"Kat-that wasn't me," Black said guiltily.

"Professor Black's animagus form as long hair," Professor Snape said quietly. "It's stockier, and its ears aren't as pointed."

"You're saying it was Regulus." Black glanced at Potter nervously. "Because Kat would never—"

"But she has," Professor Snape hissed as he rounded on Potter. "You're telling me you can't tell the difference better a pharaoh hound and a grim?"

"I'm not a grim!" Black protested pathetically. "I'm a German Shephard mix type…"

Either way, Draco had seen Black's animagus form and that dog only looked similar in color and size. He was at more of a distance than Potter, and he could tell. Then again, Potter couldn't see the board in class. She copied off his notes, which were right beside her.

"Potter's nearsighted," Draco said over the arguing. Black jumped not even realizing he was there. "That's why she copies my notes in class."

Professor Riddle frowned. "Is that true, Katherine?"

"Kat would tell us," Black said in disbelief. "Regulus probably bewitched her. In fact, why isn't she being examined by Poppy?"

"Katherine?" Professor Riddle prompted.

Although her face was red with embarrassment, Potter wasn't about to risk getting expelled or worse over vanity. "Mum already doesn't like my hair…"

The silence that followed wasn't as tense. It was more awkward and uncomfortable. Lily Potter didn't like her daughter's resemblance to her own husband. What was worse was that her daughter picked up on it.

Even Professor Riddle didn't know what to say. "The school will be on lockdown. Everyone will be spending the night in the Great Hall while the authorities search for Black."

"Why did you tell them?" Potter asked as they walked with Black to the Great Hall for yet another lockdown. "I'm so used to it that I didn't think of it… And I didn't know that Regulus Black could…"

Draco thinned his lips. Professor Black was pretending not to listen, but he very well knew that he was. As quietly as he could, he whispered. "Because of the note you passed me in class."

Black's shoulder's tensed at not being able to understand what Draco was saying, but otherwise, he made no indication that he was listening. Potter smiled slightly but remained silent as they listened to everyone grumbling about getting out of bed and having to march to the Great Hall to sleep on the floor instead of their warm beds.

Regulus Black was, of course, nowhere to be found.

"So she's okay," Lily said after she explained everything that happened. James's spattergroit was so severe that she wouldn't let Kat visit. For a while, she thought her husband was going to die. Right now, he needed tubes shoved down his throat just so he could breathe.

But he was going to live. Next weekend, she was thinking of letting Kat visit him. Hestia was treating him. Well, now she was. Lily noted that after she switched his care from William's his condition started to improve greatly. Interesting.

Lily ran her thumb over her soon to be ex-husband's knuckles and noticed that his breathing became more relaxed. His eyes even closed at the small comfort. "You're going to miss me, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

Of course James couldn't answer, but he opened his eyes and looked at her, really looked at her for the first time in a while. She never thought he would miss her. She was a prize that he stubbornly insisted on having, only to get bored once he got what he wanted.

"Then why were you running around with that heifer?" Lily stopped herself when James's heartrate start to become more erratic. "I'm sorry."

Is it really too late, James? Lily wanted to ask but didn't. She didn't love him until she thought he loved another. Was that really love? Even now, Lily wasn't sure. She didn't truly have an inkling of what love was until Kat was born. She didn't understand it until she saw that little face looking at her with wonder and complete trust. Hell, she still didn't truly understand it. She just felt it.

So what did she do? She pushed Kat away. Pushed her away and held her up to the same impossible standards that her own mother held her up to, to the point that Kat was even afraid to tell her that she needed glasses.

Somehow, she had mixed up tradition and love. They were entangled, and because of how she was raised, love was something that was earned by upholding tradition. Love wasn't unconditional.

Kat saw it too. So she tried her best to be the perfect, beautiful pureblood daughter. In front of Lily, at least. Her own daughter must hate her.

"I'm staying," Lily whispered. James raised what was left of his eyebrows. "Until morning. Then, I'll bring Kat."

His breathing relaxed again.

With James Potter disposed of, Tom tried to get rid of the dementors. Obviously they were of little to no help, but Fudge, being the little weasel that he was, was too afraid to go against Potter, even if the man was breathing through a tube. Perhaps he could find a way to contain them without Fudge knowing. The dementors aren't exactly loyal. They could easily be swayed.

Until then, he needed someone to investigate. It was no coincidence that when he let James know of his suspicions that the man suddenly contracts spattergroit. The Grangers used to perform medical experiments on Muggles and Muggleborns. They could have easily given him the illness. Get rid of him without actually getting rid of him. Tom wouldn't be surprised if James either succumbed to the illness or recovered with amnesia. The latter was more likely, given James's status in the Ministry and among the Order.

There was only one person Tom knew would get to the bottom of things. Unfortunately, he hadn't spoken to that person over ten years, if he recalled correctly. He should have called her when the Chamber of Secrets had been opened, but pride got in the way. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice. When she arrived, he was still in a state of shock that she answered immediately.

"Captain," he said in greeting. It was that bad that he didn't know what else to say.

She smiled in a way that was a mixture of amusement and disgust. She wasn't prideful, but she wasn't a doormat either. Delphini did her best to make him squirm. "Father."

I'm back! I apologize for the absence. Some things were weighing me down, and once it was better, I felt weird about getting into writing again, so I apologize if this chapter isn't my usual quality. "Quality" ;)

Thank you for reviewing last chapter Anontbhfam, NoxNightKing, ScarlettMeadow123102, Son of Whitebeard, myafroatemydog, Bitterglass, and SentinalSlice!

And I forgot to tell you guys that I started a new Snarriet a while back. It's called The Thrill of the Hunt, in case you're interested.

And I missed writing the good old fashion romance clichés. So I've started yet another new story called Anonymous. So check that out too! It's Harry x OC!