Once again thanks so much for reading this. Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, but its rather lengthy for me and it took a bit of time to work it the way I wanted to. I hope you all forgive me. Please if you have the time leave a review for me. It really brings up my spirits to know what people think. Thanks so much! Love to you all!
Chapter 8
The main ballroom off the west corridor of the Warrington house was decorated with no worries of expense. Cassius had informed Alicia that their anniversary was something that no price should be placed upon, and told her specifically to make it as extravagant as possible. Alicia had of course agreed to make the Gala something people would talk about for ages. That of course was before she went to the museum that afternoon and ran into George Weasley. The Gala had become second in her life of priorities. So what else was one to do during such a stressful moment? Daphne had taken care of everything. She wasn't sure whether it was Alicia just being herself, or the sudden influx of problems, but she hadn't been too excited on planning. It was hard enough for Daphne to even get Alicia to get her dress robe altered let alone pick out the food that would be served during the cocktail hour. Daphne didn't mind much. On the contrary she enjoyed doing the extra work for her friend, and often looked forward to gathering prices, setting up appointments, or pampering herself the day of the actual party. Hell, she deserved it.
So when she entered the main ballroom the night of the party she was dressed to kill. A strappy form fitting red dress fit nicely over her rather toned body. She was certain Marcus was going to flip his lid when he saw her. Last time she had worn something this sexy he had taken her to the broom closet and the two had been missing for nearly three hours. She was pulling for that to happen again.
"You went all out, Daphne." Cassius appeared suddenly at her side, and immediately she noticed the dashing dress robes he had pulled out for the occasion. They were jet black, but the trim was hinted with a dark shade of green that accentuated the deep eyes that Alicia often swooned over. He had even gone as far as brushing his mess of black hair that usually sat in his eyes. There was something odd about how well he had cleaned up, and Daphne gave him the once over again before shrugging. He was probably just trying to keep Alicia interested in him for the evening and not on the thought of that redheaded pauper.
"For your five year anniversary..." She beamed, "of course I'd go all out for you. " Leaning forward she kissed Cassius lightly on the cheek. " plus I did do most of the work." There was a glimmer of disappointment in his eyes, and Daphne sighed. " She's just been a bit off lately Cassius. No worries."
Cassius merely grunted. " Its our anniversary, Daphne. She should have been excited about setting the Gala. I can't even imagine my mothers reaction if the woman finds out Alicia didn't plan any of it." He hated his mother's traditional ways, but it was pureblood tradition that was supposed to be followed during these events.. The wife was supposed to be involved with every aspect of the present Gala. Alicia, according to Daphne, had barely lifted a finger. A year ago she would have been the perfect model of a wife, but as soon as she had laid eyes on her former lover everything had been swept away. Never again would he have the Alicia he had been with for the last five years. She was something so distant now that Cassius almost felt guilty keeping her mind under lock and key.
" Oh your batty mother won't learn a single thing." She rolled her eyes. " You need to calm down and have a drink or something." She motioned towards the bar where two servers were quietly setting up for the Gala. Daphne had managed to get a good price on caterers so she had upped the service for the evening and hired two bartenders to see to the guests. The drunker she got the easier it would be to pal around with the high society nitwits she was going to have to play pretend with. "Go on grumpy…" She waved at the bar, and the handsome looking wizard behind it winked back at her.
Again Cassius grunted, but instead of arguing he moved towards the bar and had the bartender pour him a glass of straight Firewhiskey. It wasn't as though he was nervous about the Gala, but more that he was nervous for his mother to see Alicia and James. It had been a few years since he had last invited his family over, and at that time Alicia's hair had been shorter and James' features didn't resemble another mans. He knew his mother cared for Alicia, and he was certain of her love for James, but the last time she had come by she had inquired about the way James' ears stuck out, and why his eyes were a deep icy blue rather than Alicia's deep hazel green or Cassius' dark brown. He had made up some little note about how children's eyes within the first few years could be blue and then suddenly change. For his own mental sanity his brother had actually agreed that he had heard something to that extent and his mother let the argument go.
Today was going to be different. Today he would have to explain why James had suddenly sprouted freckles when neither of them had a freckle on their body. He'd have to explain why the boy's dark brown hair was turning slightly auburn at the edges. He could have easily charmed James for the night, but it took to much effort to get him in a room, charm him, and then modify his memory for a few hours. He would just have to hope that his mother would be too preoccupied with guests to actually look at her 'grandson'.
"Where is the blushing wifey?" Daphne approached his side and tapped her finger on the bar. A reddish drink seemed to appear right in front of her.
Cassius glanced once at the smirking bartender, and once at Daphne and shook his head with a deep chuckle. "And you worry about Marcus straying away…" He choked back another laugh. " She said she wasn't feeling well earlier so she took a nap. She's getting ready now I suppose…or at least I hope." He wondered briefly what would happen if she didn't show up for their own anniversary gala. He could only imagine the uproar it would bring across the Warrington family.
" She's going mental that girl." Spinning on her heel Daphne began across the ballroom and called back over her shoulder. "Greet your guests, or better yet put Marcus at the door. I'll be down with your wife and son in a bit." She chuckled, and then turned the corner and moved down the far corridor towards the main staircase. There was a muffled yell that sounded a lot like 'hurry your arse up', and Daphne threw back her head in manic laughter. What in the world had gotten into her this morning? Even when she left the house to apparate to the Warrington's she felt fantastic…and she hated apparating! "Must be the free drinks I'll be throwing back all night." She was notorious for being a party girl back at Hogwarts, and things hadn't changed since then. When it came down to it she was ready to kick back and out drink even the burliest man.
Her feet landed on the second floor, and she turned to her left and headed down the short corridor towards Alicia's master bedroom. She could already picture her dark haired friend sitting on the edge of her bed in some sort of fancy slip while fixing the buttons on James' dress robe. Sure enough when she reached the door and let herself in Alicia was sitting at the vanity fixing the collar of James' robe. Of course Daphne hadn't accounted for the whining coming from James, nor the fact that Alicia wasn't even close to being ready for the Gala. Her hair was still in rollers, and her makeup had yet to be applied. When her eyes rose to meet Daphne's there was a labored sigh, and a scream as James pulled away from his mother's grasp and moved towards Daphne. "James…you look rather dashing tonight." She bent down to plant a kiss on his cheek but instead he stuck out his tongue and rushed out the door. "What the hell is his problem? No hot date for the evening?" Rising back up she looked over at a very stressed Alicia.
"He hates dressing up in that thing. It took me almost an hour to get him into it." She sighed, and began removing the rollers from her hair. In the reflection of the mirror she could see Daphne coming up behind her, and let her hands drop down as her friend began removing the rollers for her. "Thanks."
"You do know that the Gala starts in less than a half hour?" She quirked a brow.
Alicia rolled her eyes. "You think I'm up here running late for my health. Esme is going to have my head that I'm not down stairs greeting guests. For some reason that woman has been up my arse lately, and every time I tell Cassius he just gives me the same old mother speech." She shrugged. " I havent seen the woman in three years. Why does she feel it necessary to give me such a hard time."
Daphne choked back on her own words causing Alicia to glance up through the reflection again. "She's old, Alicia. She's old and has been married to William for almost a half century. I'd be cranky too." This caused Alicia to chuckle, and Daphne felt the dread lift for a moment. "There." She pulled out the last roller and grinned at the bouncy dark brown curls. "These are fun." She pulled at one of the curls and watched as it sprung right back into place.
"Leave it…" Alicia stood from the vanity and sauntered across the room towards the bed. She had chosen a deep green dress robe to match the accents on Cassius' attire, but now felt as though the dress was far to flashy. The neckline plunged to a deep v-shape which stopped right at the top of her breasts. The bodice was form fitting in an old fashioned corset style, and was dusted with a few black gems. Once it reached the waist line it fanned out elegantly into layers of flowing silk. Cassius had specially picked it out from some wizard he did business with in Japan, but she felt far too exposed to wear it out in front of people she barely knew. Cassius seeing her in something clingy was one thing because the result was often a nice two hour shag. To have someone else lay their eyes on her in something so risky would make her feel like…well like Daphne.
"I can't wear this." She grimaced as the dress came down over her head and Daphne adjusted it.
"Like hell you can't. This dress is beautiful. If you don't wear it you will insult Cassius, and deprive yourself of having a stellar shag tonight." Daphne smirked. "Why do you think I dress like this so often…it drives Marcus insane." A soft chuckle escaped her, and Daphne tugged lightly on the back of the dress so it sat in the right place.
Immediately Alicia felt her fingers go to her locket, and absentmindedly she began running it between her thumb and index finger. Daphne's eyes were drawn to the movement's, and after a moment of watching Alicia comfort herself with that security locket she touched her friends shoulder and ushered her towards the mirror. She didn't have to say a single thing because once Alicia saw her reflection Daphne knew there would be no possible way she'd be removing the dress. Alicia was a sight to behold, and a pang of sorrow hit Daphne like a bolt of lightening. It wasn't fair that Alicia had to live her life in the dark .She was such a beautiful caring person, and despite what she had thought of Alicia in Hogwarts Daphne loved her now like she loved her own family. The past was the past, but she couldn't help but wonder what Alicia would be like if there weren't restraints placed around her neck.
"I suppose I can get away with this." Her hand moved towards her pale face, and she looked back at Daphne with one of her patented pleading looks. "Do my makeup, Daph." Alicia was always a klutz with makeup charms, and with such an important occasion going on in the ballroom she didn't want to walk in there with giant red circles mashed against her cheeks.
"Course."
There wasn't much exchanged between the girls while they continued to ready Alicia. Daphne was too busy thinking of ways Cassius could keep the Zabini's away from Alicia, and Alicia was too busy wondering if Cassius would think she looked funny wearing something so out of character for her. Regardless of what both girls were thinking, Daphne finished Alicia's makeup rather quickly and stepped away to give her friend the space she required.
"Came out rather good." She folded her arms across her chest as Alicia admired herself.
Bringing her hand up to her face, Alicia gently touched her rosy cheek and beamed. When Daphne did her makeup she came out looking like a million galleons. When she did her own makeup she came out looking like an absolute train wreck. "Thank you so much." She placed a few finishing barrettes in her curly hair and rose from the vanity. "I think we may have only gone a few minutes over schedule."
They both looked back towards the small grandfather clock that stood in the corner of the room. "Just about." Daphne, who had taken the liberty of sprawling out on the bed, sat up and got to her feet. "Wanna go grab the demonic son and head down to greet some people?" She quirked her brow which Alicia immediately picked up as the signal that Daphne needed a drink.
"Yeah let me just slip into these shoes….and he's not demonic." Placing her feet into the heels she had bought, Alicia gave herself one more look over in the mirror and sighed. She hated these blasted Gala's more than she hated having dinner with Cassius' family. "Ok…lets go."
"Stop fussing for one second Katie!" Angelina pulled at a strand of hair and placed it beneath the clasp of a shiny gold clip. It had been a war for the last hour as they tried to get Katie dressed for the Gala. It didn't help much that the boys were standing over them pointing out every little detail like it was some part of their N.E.W.T exams. She had already punched Lee twice in the arm to get him to back off so she could finish with Katie's hair. Now she had to contend with a fidgety Katie. "If you move one more time I'm just gonna cut it all off." Threatening Katie with her hair was like stealing a lollipop from a child. Too easy.
"You wouldn't dare." Katie looked up with wide eyes. There was no way Angelina would do something so incredibly cruel. "I'd scream and cry and then this whole little plan you all concocted will be thrown out the window! You want that?" Her left hand flew up towards her hair to check for any imperfections.
"It looks fine Katie." George, who had been the quiet one out of the three boys, covered his hand across his face. All he wanted was to finish getting Katie ready for the party so she could head to the Warrington's and get the scoop on Alicia. It was proving to be exceedingly difficult with Katie whining and Angelina groaning. Fred and Lee were only adding to the frustration by telling Katie her hair looked awful. If any of them knew what it was doing to him they'd have second thoughts about the way they were acting. George controlled himself. Somehow he managed to keep from taking his own wand and charming Katie in one foul swoop. At least then she'd be ready to go, and they'd be one step closer to Alicia. "Are you almost done." It was the most he had let on about his growing impatience.
"Just about." Angelina tapped her wand only two more times against Katie's hair before pulling away. "There. You don't even look like your usual self let alone the girl you used to be back at Hogwarts. If anyone recognizes you I'll eat my own shoe." Angelina tucked her wand back into her pocket and surveyed Katie like a finished piece of art.
Katie on the other hand looked like she was about to be sick. "I don't know if I can go through with this." Her hand flew to her stomach, and Fred quickly moved behind her to keep her from passing out. Her free hand flew to the side of the chair, and she steadied herself. "I'm going to completely screw this up." She knew she was going to. It had been in her blood since the day she was born. Katie was a natural klutz, and even if she prepared herself for something months in advance she always did something to blow it.
"Nonsense!" Fred threw his hands up on the air. "Angel here did a fantastic job with your appearance, and now all you need to do is blend in for awhile and then grab Alicia when you see her by herself. If that doesn't work….I dunno….throw a Dungbomb in the middle of the ballroom and make a clear dash for her. I'm sure that will give you a good five minutes before anyone notices you pulling her aside." Fred smiled broadly at this idea, but it faltered when Angelina had just rolled her eyes. "What? It's a good idea. Dungbombs never hurt anyone. They only aide in perfectly dire situations. This just so happens to be one of them." He shrugged.
George stepped away from the chair he was leaning against, and pushed past Lee who was preoccupied with Katie's pale peach dress. "Look." He held his hand up silencing his brother from suggesting anything else that may have hindered their plan. "Dungbombs, fireworks….I don't care what you use as long as you can get by everyone in that room and speak to her. Just lead her outside on the front porch or something, and then we will be waiting right outside the main gate. Give one small shot of red sparks with your wand, and we will do our best to make it up to you. Got it?" For a man who had lived with the idea of jokes and pranks to get what he wanted, George was suddenly feeling less daring. This needed to be executed perfectly.
"Ok Ok…I got it." Katie waved her hand dismissing him and instead looked over at Lee who was making rude gestures with his hands. Katie giggled and the lot of them groaned in disgust.
"You two can shag the night away later. Right now we need to get Katie at that party if we are ever going to come close to completing this plan." There was a pause, and Angelina who has been the one to speak up began ushering them to collect their cloaks. "I figure it shouldn't be too hard for you to get into the Gala. Someone like Warrington's mother, or even Alicia, will be standing at the door. They invite plenty of unidentifiable guests to these things, so just walk in like your supposed to be there and then wait until the right moment."
As a single unit they began gathering their things together before their short broom flight to the Warrington estate. Lee had charmed the brooms earlier so they'd be able to ride double without a problem. Katie would be forced to ride alone to make it appear as though she was alone. Having one of them drop her off at the front gate seemed awfully sketchy, and they agreed that they'd wait a few minutes down the road before staking claim to the bushes right outside the main entrance.
The ride to the estate was a quiet one, and by the time they reached the street that led up to the estate no one had even let out a breath of air. This was what they had been waiting for, and all it would take was a few minutes before they'd be face to face with Alicia. Would she remember them once she saw them all together? Would she dismiss them wondering why they hadn't found her sooner? These thoughts and many more plagued each of them, but George was perhaps the most nervous of all. Would she remember everything he had said to her the last moment he watched her leave the platform at Kings Cross? He couldn't deal with the thought of her waiting there for him at her house only to be attacked in the middle of the night. His eyes darted towards Katie and he let out a nervous sigh. Katie had messed up a lot of things for them in the past, but he doubted there was any way for her to ruin this. It was something that they all desperately wanted, and he knew she wouldn't be so careless about her actions. Especially not when she was heading into a house of potential ex-Death Eaters.
"Ready?" Fred's voice cut through the silence.
Katie merely nodded and looked briefly over at George. He knew she was nervous as hell, but he offered a reassuring smile in hopes that it would spark her confidence a little bit more. "Good luck, Katie." He practically whispered under his breath. "Bring her back to me." It was a silent wish, but he knew Katie had heard it.
Swinging her legs over her broom again, Katie took a deep breath and began the very short flight to the front of the Warrington estate. A few other guests on brooms were approaching the front entrance just as she was, and she allowed them passage first seeing as she wanted practically no one to even see her face. Pulling her broom to the right she followed at a safe distance until she pushed down on the tip of her broom for her landing. It was a delicate one seeing as she was wearing a formal gown, and she quickly swiped the broom to her side and waited for the man at the front door to greet her.
"It's good to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Whittington. Sorry Alicia or Cassius were not available to greet you. They've been busy inside. Just head to the right there and you'll see the main ballroom."
Katie knew that voice. It was an immediate blast from the past. Her heartbeat quickened, and she briefly wondered if she'd be able to jump back on her broom and take off before he caught sight of her.
"Hello?"
Too late.
His voice came out questioningly as he stared down at her. She felt his beady little eyes taking her in, and she bit hard on her lower lip hoping that Angelina's handiwork had kept her identity under cover for the moment. "Oh yes…sorry. I'm here for the Anniversary Gala." She cursed mentally to herself. Why was she always a bumbling idiot at the worst possible time.
"I'm sorry. I just don't recognize you is all. I don't mean to be rude." He held out his hand. "Marcus Flint."
Katie nearly gagged, but took his hand with a sincere smile. "No need to apologize. Mrs. Warrington has done a bit of charity work for my business." Now that was something she'd look back on as a nice save. It was a wonder she was still on her feet as the swelling kept growing inside her head. "I wasn't informed that I had to bring my invitation upon entry." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Have we met through Alicia then?" He pulled back his hand and ran it once over his chin in thought. "I feel like I've met you before. Did you attend the last Warrington Gala?" He suggested, though the look on his face told Katie that he was slowly growing suspicious of her identity.
"Well yes. I was here a long time ago for a Gala, but that was probably ages since I last was here." She placed her hand across her chest and giggled nervously. What would Angelina cook up in a situation like this? Katie furrowed her brow slightly in through as Marcus continued to stare at her. A few more minutes standing like they were and he'd know exactly where he recognized her from. "I'm sorry to be rude to you, Mr. Flint." She practically sugar coated the way she spilled out his name. When he smiled she felt the weight off her chest drop. "I'm a bit chilled out here." She gestured towards the front entrance and he slowly stepped aside.
"So sorry…Ms…" There was a suspicious twinge of excitement in the way he had paused.
Katie stopped dead in her tracks, but didn't bother to turn around and face him. If she did it was likely he'd catch the beads of sweat dripping madly down the side of her face. "Ms. Evergreen. Verity Evergreen." She'd have to thank Verity later for the namesake. It had rolled so clean and crisp off her tongue that Marcus didn't have anything to question. Quickly she bolted from the front entrance and headed for the main ballroom. She knew that had been close, and she was certain that Marcus had some sort of hunch that her name was not Verity. Still she had enough time now to find Alicia and get her to talk for a few moments. The only trouble was that Marcus was planted right outside the front entrance. If she was supposed to get Alicia outside to meet with the others it was going to take a lot of planning on her part to get Marcus inside so she could get out.
Upon entering the Ballroom Katie stopped dead in her tracks again. She had forgotten that Alicia was now living in the lap of sodding luxury. The place was something straight out of the fairy tales they used to swoon over back at Hogwarts. Angelina had always crooned about extravagant living, but neither one of them had ever actually seen a place like this. They didn't need a place like this, but it was awfully nice to dream about it sometimes. Everything right down to the tiniest details on the floor screamed Galleons, and Katie felt pressured to tip toe across the floor to keep from scratching anything. Though she knew if she started acting wonky now there would be no chance for her to get to Alicia. Alicia. Where was she?
Katie's eyes scanned the growing crowd in the middle of the Ballroom. There were couples dancing to a live string quartet in the middle of the floor, and many stragglers standing along the rim of the dance floor and sitting at tables. There was a short line for the bar area, and Katie decided to blend in a bit more by ordering herself something to drink. If she carried it in her hand she'd look even more the part of the dignified guest. Anything to make her blend in was a good thing. Her body swiftly found its way through the crowd, and she approached the bar with her best phony smile. There were already two other people ordering and she waited patiently for her turn to come.
"The sherry again, dear." A voice twinkled with a bit of a slur.
Katie furrowed her eyebrow and glanced casually out of the corner of her eye.
"Here you are, Ms. Greengrass."
Katie felt her head snap so fast back to the side she thought she heard a definite crack. If Daphne caught a sight of her it would be over. It was one thing to pull something over stupid Marcus Flint, but Daphne had been unusually intelligent for a Slytherin. There was a twinge of worry in Katie's gut that Daphne wouldn't be the type to forget faces no matter how much they had been covered in makeup. She waited in silence for a few minutes to be sure that Daphne was out of earshot. If she was around though it meant Alicia wasn't far off. If she could nonchalantly follow Daphne it was a sure fire bet that she'd lead her right to Alicia.
"Excuse me, Miss?"
Katie looked over across the bar at the man in the tailored serving attire. "Oh sorry." She had forgotten she had been standing there, and wondered how many times the bartender had called her name before she even realized it. "Could I just get a wine spritz." Something heavier and she'd be the drunk girl at the party with the lampshade on her head. George had told her to be inconspicuous. Something about dancing with a lampshade on her head didn't exactly scream inconspicuous. Grabbing the glass that was slid across the bar top towards her, Katie began searching the crowd for Daphne. Which way had the Slytherin slag gone? There was a shimmer of blonde hair from across the room, and Katie practically knocked over a couple standing around a table just to get over towards the bobbing blonde head. It had to be Greengrass.
Sure enough when Katie reached a clearing she was able to make out Daphne who seemed to be in heavy conversation with a girl that looked a lot like Pansy Parkinson. Katie gagged. Didn't any of these people have any other friends? She paused in thought. Technically she had the same friends since Hogwarts. "Yeah but mine aren't all gits." She mumbled under her breath.
"Excuse me." Katie froze as a hand came clamping down on her shoulder. She wanted to scream and make a dash for the door. She had been caught. She had been found out. The kneazle was out of the bag. Call the Ministry. Call the Aurors. She was about to die by the hands of Death Eaters. "Excuse me, but do you work for the Irish Magic Counsel? Are you Mary McLaughlin?"
Katie opened her eyes and turned to face the voice. The man had to be pushing at least a hundred, and the spectacles falling off the edge of his nose were so thick that Katie couldn't help but wonder what size his eyes really were. "Sorry?" She shook her head in puzzlement.
"Mary McLaughlin? From the Irish Magic Counsel? I read about you in the post." The man smacked his lips together. "I'm Durgess O'Connell. I've been meaning to contact you all about the International Alliance for Elderly Flying. We elderly have rights too. We shouldn't be forced to take flying lessons again after a certain age." His voice had grown a bit heated.
"I'm sorry sir, but I think you are mistaken. My name is Kat- Verity Evergreen. I'm from London." She glanced back over towards Daphne who was now holding hands with Marcus Flint. The door was clear! Where was Alicia? "I'm sorry sir, but I really must head back over there. I'm waiting to see Mrs. Warrington."
"Like you always do! Run away from the real stories! This is important news here, Ms. McLaughlin, and you run away pretending to be someone else!" He had taken a step towards her, and Katie took a step back. Why was this old man suddenly looking so intimidating.
"Sir I really need -" She glanced back over her shoulder again and paused. There standing next to Daphne, Marcus and Pansy Parkinson was a ghost. A face she had seen erased from her world almost five years ago. George had been right. It was like stepping into an alternate universe and making contact with the dead. It didn't feel right, and yet there she was. Alicia was standing right across the room from her. "… to go." She finished her sentence.
"Like hell you do. This needs to be addressed now or I'm going to have to bring it to the official Ministry!" The mans voice began drifting into the back of her head. Alicia was busy laughing about something, and Katie scowled. She should have been standing there with Alicia laughing! She should have been the one present in her life all these years! She wanted to run over there and slap Daphne a nice one right across the face. She had to remain calm.
"Sir I'll have the counsel contact you when I return. Right now I need to head over there and -" Katie took another step but the man had grasped on to her arm. "Hey." She looked back at him and frowned. "I'll ask you once to let go of me, sir." Her eyes flickered back over to the small group and her heart rate quickened. Alicia was walking away! She needed to follow her so she could talk to her. Why was this man being an insufferable git? "Sir I'm asking you politely to let me go!" She yanked once again, and this time a couple from her left looked over with confused expressions.
"I will not." The man grunted, and gave another tug which caused Katie to lose a bit of her footing.
There was a brief tug of war, and Katie pulled with all her might as she watched Alicia slip through the crowd and slowly out of sight. If she didn't break free right then she'd be on the search again to find her. "Let …go!" She pulled once more and squealed as the man let her go and she went sailing into a chair. The old man stalked off with a grunt, and Katie readjusted herself as a few onlookers cast her wary glances. "Damn." She murmured again and pushed the chair out of her way.
There were people everywhere on the dance floor, and Katie could barely make out the brunette head bobbing across the room anymore. "Excuse me…excuse me." She pushed through couples at an alarming rate disregarding how suspicious it was making her look. She was just towards the outer skirt of the dancers when she collided again with what she thought was another chair. "Damn!" This time she cursed louder, and the chair giggled. Alarmed by this she spun around and looked down into the face of a tiny boy no more than five years old. This had to be Alicia's son. What had George called him again?
"You're funny." The boy pointed up at Katie with a toothy grin. "My Mum says the D word a lot and then yells at me when I say it. You sound like Mum. Damn damn damn." He spat out in a sing song kind of voice.
Katie couldn't help but let a few rogue tears fall uncontrollably down her cheeks. Five years. This little bundle of adorableness had been out of her life for five years. He could have been her godson. He could have been Angelina's. It didn't matter who would have been named his godparents because he would have at least been involved in their lives. "You must be James." She said with a little choke.
He grinned again. "Yes I am." He nodded his head in a very matter of fact way. "Who are you?" He let his head cock to the side and his eyebrow arch in an all too familiar way.
That's when Katie felt a lump form in the back of her throat. He looked exactly like Alicia in so many ways. The tiny nose. The scrawny frame. He even had her stubby little fingers. But the hair. The eyes. They weren't Cassius'. There was no Warrington traits present in the boy except for the dashing little set of dress robes he was pulling at. No. James Warrington didn't possess anything that reminded her of Cassius. "Oh my Merlin." She reached out and touched his ear.
"What you doing that for?" He stepped away with a frown on his face. "If you mess up my hair I'll get in loads of trouble." James looked up at her like she was crazy.
Katie fought back the urge to throw her arms around his tiny little frame. How had he not noticed? How had he not seen the biggest sign of them all? Now finding Alicia and getting her home was even more important then when she had initially walked into the Ballroom. It wasn't just about her anymore. James had become part of the puzzle, and Katie felt the need to just grab him right then and there and take off out the front door so he could go home. But how do you introduce that sort of thing to a child? How do you tell them that everything they came to love and trust wasn't real? She wiped again at the tears running down her face.
"Are you ok, lady?" He questioned her. "We could go see my Mum. She always knows how to make me stop crying."
"No I'm fine…I'm fine…" She grinned, and then let her eyes go wide. " I mean…I mean….I mean…lets go see your Mum. I'd like to see how good she is at fixing my tears." She playfully added hoping James would think her situation was urgent. This was even better than searching for Alicia on her own. If people saw her with James they'd just assume she was someone Alicia or Cassius knew already. There would be no questioning on who she was which would allow her to get Alicia outside.
The auburn haired boy took Katie's hand and began guiding her through the crowd again. "She likes to sit in the corner during parties. If there wasn't a party going on right now I'd probably be sitting in the corner."
The way he said it came out in a very proud tone, and Katie couldn't help but grin. "You're exactly like your father." She hadn't meant for it to come out, but it did. Suddenly she felt her free hand clasp nervously over her mouth as though someone would understand what she was talking about.
"Thanks." James tugged her to the side and began bringing her to a corner of the room where she could see two figures standing.
Katie cursed. She hadn't thought about Alicia being with anyone. Worst of all it could be Daphne standing there beside her which would blow her cover right out of the cauldron. "Hey James. Who is that with your Mum?" She nodded in the direction they were heading though the corner remained very dark for either of them to make out who was standing there.
"Hm." He paused. " Looks like …..Grandmother!" Letting go of Katie's hand, James made a dash across the rest of the way and wrapped his tiny arms around the frame of Esme Warrington.
Katie on the other hand came to a sudden halt. She didn't know Esme Warrington personally, but she had read the allegations on the Spinnet murders. To even be standing this close to someone who was responsible for the death of her friend's family caused her stomach to heave slightly. Was she supposed to go over there now? Would James point her out and force her over there? If she slipped to the left she'd mask in with a few other people until Esme left. That was assuming the woman would leave. By the way she was handling James it didn't look like she was going anywhere. Katie sighed, and took two steps forward. This was the moment they had tried to prepare her for back at the cottage. Now it was like stepping into a dream world. Did they really expect her not to get emotional upon seeing her best friend alive and well? All Katie wanted to do was hug Alicia until she was convinced that this was all really happening.
"There Mum." Just as she had suspected, James pointed out across the way and waved for her to join them in the corner of the room.
Katie felt the beads of sweat build up on her forehead again. She had to go. She couldn't be pointed out now and just walk away. She took two steps towards the corner, and paused. Taking a deep breath to regain herself she proceeded to cross the short distance and face Alicia. For a moment Katie felt like there was a hint of recognition in her friends eyes, but it was erased as soon as Alicia opened her mouth.
"Alicia Warrington. Thank you for coming to our Gala. This is my mother in law, Esme Warrington, and I see you already met James." She leaned down and kissed the top of her sons head. "Sorry I don't know your name, but we get a lot of representatives from other countries coming in."
Suddenly she wanted to thank the old bloke from earlier. "Verity Evergreen. I work on the Irish Magic Counsel." She beamed at the confidence in her voice.
"Funny." There was a pause. "I have been to the Irish Counsel over the last month, and I don't recognize the name…" Esme Warrington's biting voice broke the exchange. "Do you work under Gideon Lynch?" The dark haired woman raised a delicate eyebrow almost as if challenging Katie.
Katie opened her mouth and closed it. What was she supposed to say? Was it a trick? Did Gideon Lynch even exist in the Irish Counsel?
"Mum…mum…."
James grabbed at Alicia's dress which caused Esme to break her eye contact with Katie. Katie let out a soft sigh of relief. If she didn't know better James had felt the sudden tension and actually helped her out. She'd have to thank the boy later. Later when he was back with his rightful family.
"James Warrington!" Esme Warrington leaned down and took the boy by the ear. "How many times have I told you that interrupting adult conversations is nothing but rude." The boy yelped, but refused to show the pain he was in. "Now you apologize and get out of here before your bottom grows sore."
Alicia looked over at Esme and down at James. Katie noticed the pained expression in her face, but figured the traditional pureblood ways must still run wild in a house like this. The eldest was always right in discipline, and Alicia couldn't say one word to counteract it unless she wanted to get an earful from both Esme and Cassius. "Say your sorry James." It looked dreadful to even say, and Katie bit hard on her lower lip.
James' lower lip quivered as his grandmother looked down on him. Katie knew he didn't want to say it. Hell, she didn't want him to say it. "I'm sorry." Then without another word he was running back through the crowd leaving the three women there in the dark corner of the ballroom.
"That boy." Esme turned to Alicia disregarding the fact that Katie, a complete stranger, was still standing right there. "He needs to be reprimanded more, Alicia. He's getting too flimsy with his manners." She looked over in the direction where James had been running. "And what has gotten into his mannerisms lately. His dress robes are a mess, his language is vial…." There were a number of other things going on through the mind of Esme Warrington. Like the reason why he suddenly had freckles when Alicia and Cassius bore none. Or the sudden change from deep dark hair to a light auburn. She kept those to herself. It was just another one of her suspicions that she'd look further into. "You need to get that boy in order." With that Esme Warrington emerged from the corner and dramatically threw herself into a conversation with two snobby looking women.
"I'm terribly sorry about that." Alicia tucked a fly away strand of hair from behind her ear. "But it's awfully kind of you to attend this evening, Ms. Evergreen. Now if you'll excuse me…" She began stepping away from the corner when Katie yelled.
"Wait!" It came out sort of dramatic, but Katie had no choice. She needed to keep Alicia's attention.
The brunette women turned around and glanced at Katie. There was an odd tension in the air, and once again Alicia found her hand moving towards the locket. It was that same peculiar feeling that she had received the day she met George Weasley in the museum. It was like a door from her past had suddenly been thrust open, and yet she still couldn't recall the things she was supposed to. "Is there something else I can help you with?" She glanced between Katie, and then over at Marcus and Cassius who seemed to be pointing in her direction. Had something happened? Both men looked absolutely distressed, and Alicia felt an icy chill course through her.
"I was just wondering." She had to lie. She hated doing it, but it was the only way she'd get Alicia outside. "We are doing a bit of charity work for the Irish Counsel this year, and we hear wonderful things about the way you operate. I was hoping we could discuss a few formal ideas. I'd really love input such as yours." It was a bit cheesy, and she wasn't sure if Alicia would even buy it. If she had heard a story like that she'd think it was sketchy and leave before anything was to happen.
Alicia thought otherwise. People asked her to participate in charity events all the time so when this situation arose it was no different from any other moment. "Charity work is some of my best. Shall we step outside for a bit to discuss this?" She gestured towards the front door where the patio sat. It was still uncomfortably strange in the Ballroom, and Alicia felt like the fresh air would do her a bit of good.
A button of joy was going off inside Katie. She didn't even have to suggest it! "That would be fantastic." Her head arched slightly to the side, and she caught a brief glimpse of Daphne, Marcus and Cassius speaking in a fevered manner. Did they know? Had Marcus figured it out? Whatever the case was she needed to get Alicia outside so she could see the others. "Shall we then?" She began walking towards the Ballroom exit where the front entrance was located.
There was a pang inside of her that ushered her to call for James, but she didn't see why that was of any importance. She was just going to step outside with the woman and go over a few ideas for her Charity work. "What did you say the Charity work was for?" She questioned as she caught up to the woman. For a second she thought she heard Cassius call out to her, but something about the girl fascinated Alicia. There was a way in her mannerisms that seemed so familiar.
Katie flinched. "Um….It's to keep…" They were so close to the Ballroom exit. " Quidditch in schools for the children." Would the mention of Quidditch jog her memory? " A lot of the schools in Ireland are getting rid of the flying programs because they feel they are unnecessary. We feel that a child has the right to learn how to fly and have the freedom to play a sport." She nodded. Merlin was she getting good with the whole lying thing.
The passed through the Ballroom exit and began the short distance towards the main entrance. "Ah Quidditch. My son adores the sport, but I haven't played since I was a kid. Or at least that's what I'm told." She smiled sheepishly and hurried her steps to keep with the woman's quickening stride. "I do hope that I'll be some help with this, Ms. Evergreen." Alicia reached for the handle of the front entrance and yanked the door open.
"You see, Alicia…" She had cut the Ms. Warrington routine. They were just about to reach the patio where Katie would reveal the lot of them behind the brush. " I'm sorry I had to lie, but my name isn't exactly Verity Evergreen. It's really Katie -"
"Colloportus!"
There was a yell from behind them, and the door which Alicia had opened slammed shut in their faces. Katie spun in one fluid motion on her heel and let out a small cry as she came face to face with what she had hoped wouldn't recognize her. Marcus Flint and Cassius Warrington stood just in front of the Ballroom entrance arch. Both men had their wands drawn, and were pointing them directly at Katie. When Katie moved her eyes to the side Alicia looked both confused and yet intrigued by what was going on. Had she begun to remember? Did Katie's real name spark something that had been waiting to escape from her?
"I don't understand." It was the first thing out of her mouth, and she looked between Katie and the two men she trusted with her life. "What's going on?"
"This woman is an imposter running from Ministry officials. Marcus recognized her when she entered. She is trying to steal from us, Alicia." It was the quickest thing he could come up with on the spot, and he continued to point his wavering wand at Katie Bell. How the hell had she managed to get this far without anyone noticing? It didn't matter. They'd send Alicia out of the room and they'd take care of her down the hall. Katie Bell would no longer be a problem. "We need to take her down to one of the guest rooms and hold her there until officials come to retrieve her."
Alicia's eyes still continued to flicker between the two groups, but she paused a moment longer on Katie. "Who are you?" It was more of a plea then a demand. Something still struck Alicia funny about the girl, and she wanted to know exactly what it was.
"What's going on out there?" There were voices approaching from the Ballroom, and Marcus glanced worriedly over at Cassius. If the guests began to come out into the corridor they wouldn't be able to get rid of Bell.
"Alicia! It's me! It's me, Katie Bell. Don't you remember me from school? Alicia we were best friends!" There were louder murmurs now as a few guests had spilled into the corridor, and a couple of gasps from people who had known about Alicia's supposed memory loss. Whispers of a long lost friend began circulating the crowd and came to an abrupt halt when Esme Warrington began making her way to the front of the group.
"You will shut your mouth now, Bell!" Marcus stepped forward and waved his wand level with her face. If Esme heard any of this there would be more to answer to then just Alicia.
"No!" Katie screamed, the tears now beginning to rush like faucets down her face. "Alicia we love you! Come back to us!" She was now tugging wildly at Alicia's dress. Alicia could do nothing but stare down at the girl with a gapping expression. "Alicia! Why don't you remember? Remember me! Damn Alicia remember!"
"What's this?" Esme's voice had now joined the group of them, and she cast a wary glance at her son. "Cassius who is this girl, and what nonsense is she blubbering about?" Though the suspicious eye of Esme had already began absorbing the face. She knew that girl from a long time ago. Hogwarts. If there was one thing Esme Warrington was good with it was recalling faces from the past. This girl had gone to school with her son. She couldn't forget a angelic face like that. They often made her sick. "Get rid of her now, Cassius. Now!" Her voice caused a stir in the crowd again, though it was muffled over by Katie's desperate sobs.
"Let go of her Bell!" Cassius stalked forward and grabbed a hold of Katie's arm. Leaning in against her ear he lowered his voice enough so only she'd be able to absorb the words said. "You shut your mouth now and the way I kill you wont be so brutal."
Katie did her best to pull away. "She needs to know! Your son deserves to know!" The way she spit out the word son was oozing with hateful sarcasm. If she had to go down like this then at least she knew she was doing something to save the life of her best friend and her son. "Do it Warrington. Do it!" Her screams were like sharp knifes clawing against glass.
"No!" It was the first thing Alicia had screamed.
There was a silence that suddenly echoed through the crowd, and Alicia looked over the expressions of the people in front of her. Guests were whispering, Marcus was still pointing his wand, Daphne had appeared to her right looking terrified, and Esme. Esme looked as though a world of questions had suddenly been placed in front of her. Why had she screamed no? She didn't know this Katie. At least in person she had never known her. Somewhere in her head she knew her. In dreams. In passing thoughts. Somewhere in the far off places in her mind she knew her.
"Alicia…go upstairs." Cassius' voice was suddenly cold and distant, and Alicia felt the chill sweep in and down her spine.
"Alicia come with me. Come with me and see who you are…see who you really are!" Katie was still desperately pulling away from Cassius' grasp, and froze once again once she saw Esme Warrington remove her own crooked wand from her robe. She had forgotten about the people at this event. Sure some of them were probably diplomats, but most of them would keep it hushed. The Warringtons held power amongst these people. Her death would go 'unnoticed' by those who were present. After all half of them were Death Eaters.
"Out of my way, girl." Esme shoved Daphne aside sending her into Pansy Parkinson who had decided to take a front seat for the display.
The wand sat level with Katie's eyes, and she wondered for a moment if Lee would be all right without her. Would the twins miss her? Would Angelina find someone to share her secrets with? Would they save Alicia? Would she have sacrificed herself for nothing?
A scream.
There was a shrill scream from the back of the crowd, and all eyes, Esme included, turned back to look at the rising black smoke swell from somewhere behind the mass of people. There was another bang, but this time it rose from behind them, and Katie felt the chill breeze from the outside suddenly rush in. Someone had opened the door for her. Someone had saved her life. Kicking quickly at Cassius' shins, Katie turned in Alicia's direction and gave her one more fleeting look before heading out the front door. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder, and for a split second she could have sworn she saw a tiny auburn head bounce out from behind the crowd with a wand almost the same size as his tiny little arm. Had James rescued her? She didn't stop to investigate as the yells from inside the estate grew to a thunderous roar.
"Katie!" There was a frantic scream from behind the brush down by the gate, and Angelina was already aboard her broom holding Katie's at her side. "Here." She tossed the girl the broom and kicked off the g round without bothering to wait for an answer. "The boys went around back to try and get a look inside the windows. They are going to meet us down the road." Angelina's voice was shaky, but she didn't dare let her worry slow her down. They needed to get the hell away from the Estate. "What the hell happened?"
Katie was short of breath. There were a million things racing through her head. Alicia. James. Death. Everything seemed to blur together as they whizzed between trees and cottages. Every few seconds she cast a glance over her shoulder to be sure they were alone. Finally when out of range she took a deep breath and shook her head. "They knew it was me, Angelina. I was so close, but they knew. Esme…." She gulped for air. "Esme Warrington was going to kill me. I know she was."
"Merlin's beard." Angelina yanked the broom right and they came to a halt behind an old shed. "And Alicia? Did you speak with her? Did you find anything out?"
She had been so close to getting her outside. All she needed to do was step out that door and they could have been having this conversation with Alicia beside them. "Oh Angelina…" She choked back a sob. She had failed. Katie Bell the resident klutz had failed. Her eyes went wide. "Oh my god…Angelina…." Her voice dropped off as the image of James seeped into her head. "I may not have gotten Alicia out to us, but I may have at least earned some better information." She took another breath. "Alicia's son…James…my gods Angelina he-"
"What in bloody hell happened?" The voice of George suddenly cut the air causing Katie to jump in her place. "It sounded like a war in there. We thought someone set off a set of fireworks or something."
"Are you ok?" Lee jumped from his broom and enveloped Katie in a very large hug. "I was so damn worried, Katie. You actually made me frown twice while you were in there. Getting me worried like that…shame on you."
"Yes well it wasn't exactly the classy champagne and caviar dreams we all thought it would be. Unless all those fancy Gala's end with the threat of death. She heaved out a sigh as they boarded their brooms again. "I just want to get back to the cottage and sleep. We can discuss the next ridiculous plan in the morning."
"Well aren't you going to tell us anything?" Fred whined from the back of the pack. "Geez Katie you almost die and the most you can say is 'lets go to sleep'. I'd be on an adrenaline rush right about now."
Katie sighed. "Well I'm not about to go out crashing the local pub scene for a good time if that's what you mean Fred. I just witnessed three of the most gut wrenching things in my life. Alicia's alive….I was almost dead…and her son son son-" She stammered. Why did she always put herself in situations like this? Couldn't she just keep her mouth shut for once?
"Right, what were you going to say about him before they showed, Katie?" Angelina sped up and sat side by side with Katie.
Katie bit hard on her lower lip. She wanted to tell them. She felt like she needed to tell them. George had a right to know, but at this moment they couldn't afford him storming back to the Estate in some irate manner. Alicia was still in the dark, and explaining things to her like that would only make things worse. For now she'd have to keep it to herself. "I think he saved me. I mean I saw him with a wand, and someone had to have opened the door for me. "
"Your telling me that Cassius Warrington's son helped someone out willingly? Without the prospect of getting something in return?" Fred let out a snort. "That's rich."
"He's a good kid, Fred. He is a mirror image of Alicia. The old Alicia." George yelled out cutting the quiet night air with a bit of malice in his voice. "You'd like him. You all would like him."
Katie closed her eyes and fought back the urge to let the tears fall. They were the very same tears she had shed the moment she laid eyes on James. They would all love the little spitting image of Alicia. Perhaps George most of all.
"I want that girl searched for immediately." Esme Warrington let her dark red nails tap against the oak desk. "I want files, names, places….I want everything you can dig up on this Katie Bell, and I want it in my hands by morning."
There were four people beside herself present in the room that Esme had booked for that evening. She would have stayed at the Estate, but after the evenings altercations she needed to meet with a few people in private. People that Cassius would not have allowed in his home. On her right sat Paulo Zabini and his wife Zella Zabini. Her husband William sat to her left, and across from the both of them a young servant to the Zabini's focused on a long list of things on a piece of parchment. He was checking them off furiously as though at any moment one of the four would pull their wand and end his life.
"Anything else, Ms? " He looked up at Esme with fear present in his eyes. The quill shook like mad within his hand.
"Once you find this information on Ms. Bell I would like you to bring it to me immediately. Once that is taken care of I will inform you of the rest." Esme pursed her lips together.
"Yes of course, as you wish." He picked up the parchment and began backing out of the small dark room.
"Goodnight Ping." Paulo Zabini shooed the nervous young wizard out of the room. "This had better be worth our time, Esme. If this silly hunch of yours comes back without proof we will not be waiting around for your side work again. We have much to do in order to get the Death Eaters back in order."
William Warrington scoffed. "Paulo…if this hunch my wife feels is true then not only do we get to make an early example of a few blood traitors, but we get ourselves an entire redheaded blood traitor of a family to take care of. Not to mention Harry Potter. He still owes his own blood for what he took from us all."
Esme Warrington grinned. "Oh believe me Paulo this will indeed be worth it's while. I have been questioning things for many years, and now if my suspicions are correct we will feast ourselves on the blood of innocents once again." She let out a shrill cackle, and clasped her hands together.
"And what of the boy? He is part of your flesh and blood…is he not?" Zella's low voice billowed through the room.
Esme choked out what seemed to be a sound of disgust. "He is no more my flesh and blood…he is hers. The boy carries no Warrington genes that I can make out. If it comes to play as I believe it will….we have no further use for the boy. He will be dealt with much like she will be." A twisted smirk pulled at the corner of Esme's lips, and she slowly turned her attention towards the clock upon the wall.
Soon. They would know soon enough.