Hey everyone! I know it's been a long while, and while I hope to write more chapters, I can't promise anything. School is eating my life. I will TRY to keep updating at least once a month. Sound good? I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own this awesomeness. Save for Kat. mmk.

**

Chapter 15:

I woke up the next morning to a moment of pure, blissful ignorance. Then I remembered everything, and I almost started to cry again.

Usually, I prided myself on not being an emotional wreck, but lately the world had been unforgiving enough that my will had crumbled. A few tears fell before I forced the feeling away, and I got up, got dressed, and sat back down in bed.

"Aren't you coming?" Angelina said, throwing her bag over her shoulder as the other girls finished their make up.

"I'll be down a little later," I said, pulling out a book.

But as breakfast ended, I decided that I needed a mental health day. I crawled back into bed and pulled up the covers, reading and napping until free period, when I heard footsteps and voices.

"You can't come up here!"

"I just did, Hermione."

"It's against the—"

"I get it, but I think it's time you realize that the rules don't really matter to me."

A huff, and then my curtains were drawn back. Fred and Hermione stood there, one irritated and the other worried.

Fred sighed. "It didn't work." It wasn't a question.

I shook my head.

He held me, silently, and I was grateful that there were no fake words of comfort. I burst into tears for the second time that day, and Fred sat down and held me.

"Um, I'll go let Professor McGonagall know you're not well," Hermione said, retreating quickly.

"Shh, love," Fred whispered.

I didn't get why he was so understanding, but as I fought to breathe amid the sobs that raked through my body, I had no time to question it. Eventually, my sobs became small hiccups and I could breathe again, but he still held me.

When the sun finally fell towards the horizon, and people began to come back to the dorm, Fred took my hand and led me to an abandoned classroom.

"Are you feeling better?"

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. "No."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No."

Fred raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Can I ask you a question?"

"About us?"

He nodded.

I swallowed, my stress amplifying. "Ok. Here's the deal. I like you. A lot. But I've got enough on my plate without a relationship, and you deserve someone who isn't completely deranged."

"I like deranged," he muttered.

I rolled my eyes. "Fred, stay with me for a moment. I am a seer. Statistically, that makes me a hell of a lot more likely to go off my rocker. I have visions that may or may not come true. I've got two crazy relatives left, and apparently Voldemort wants me dead because of my new last name. You have a family, and a future. Don't waste it on me."

I tried to walk away, but he grabbed my wrist and spun me around, kissing me before I could push him off. The moment I felt his lips on mine I gave in, closing my eyes and feeling the world float away.

Fred broke off the kiss first, searching my eyes the same way he had in the locker room, and then his face broke into a grin.

"There it is," he whispered, lips a few inches from mine.

I had to blink a few times before I could form a coherent sentence. "What?" I asked.

"You feel it too. I can take crazy, and I'm already friends with one of Voldemort's enemies. Hell, I can even accept Snape being part of the small family you have left. As long as I can kiss you whenever I want and see that look in your face every time."

"That was mushy," I said, swallowing the sudden emotion as I smiled despite myself.

"Only for you," he whispered.

Rolling my eyes, I grinned outright, letting him kiss me again.

For that one, blissful moment, I forgot all the horrible things that had happened. His hand came up to my shoulder as I entangled mine in his hair, and things heated up considerably.

That's when I heard the door open.

My wand whipped out and I closed the door with a quick charm, realizing in seconds that there were no teachers around, no one on the outside trying to get in. Which left only one other option.

Fred had his wand out too, and as we exchanged a glance I knew we'd both realized the same thing.

"Accio invisibility cloak!" I cried then, and a cloak came zooming towards me as Ron, Harry, and Hermione appeared, looking sheepish.

"We can explain…" Ron started weakly, ears completely red.

My eyes nearly bulged out of my sockets. "What the fuck?" I shrieked.

Fred strode towards Ron, smacking him smartly on the head.

"Oy, that hurt!" he shouted.

"Stop!" I screamed, grabbing Fred's hand to keep him from hitting Ron again. "What are you guys doing here?"

They stayed silent, and I crossed my arms.

"Ron," Fred warned, and he snapped.

"It was Harry's idea!" he yelped, clenching his eyes shut, surprised when Fred hadn't hit him.

Harry glared at Ron for a moment before looking at me. His face wasn't full of shame though. Rather, his eyes seemed to dare me to ask him why they were there.

When I said nothing, though, he frowned. "I'm not thick you know," he said.

I raised my eyebrows. "Could have fooled me."

"I figured it out, and you just said it. You're a seer!"

Fred rolled his eyes as I fought to not do the same.

"Harry, you're a smart guy, but sometimes you're a complete dumbass," I said.

"But, he's right isn't he?" Hermione said, looking at me in a different light. "You can… see the future, supposedly. Even if you get it wrong sometimes…"

Her words trailed off and I peered closely at her.

"And if I were a seer, hypothetically speaking, but my visions were off, wouldn't it be important for that to be kept secret?"

Hermione frowned and then eventually nodded, Harry looking more and more uneasy. "I suppose that falsities would be more detrimental than true visions would be helpful."

I nodded. "Hypothetically speaking, everyone but me agrees with you. Now, if such a thing needed to be secret, I'm sure you would realize how much trouble we would all be in if anyone else found out about it."

Again, she nodded.

"Hang on a tic," Harry said. "I don't think—"

"And now would not be the time to talk about this hypothetical gift," I interrupted.

"Does Dumbledore know?" Harry asked.

I raised my eyebrows. "If I were a seer, I'd assume my grandfather would know about it. And you wouldn't ask him about it."

"But—"

"Harry, I'm tired, and I'm leaving now. Bye." I waved and dragged Fred out then, handing Harry his cloak as he stared at me.

"Wait, what?" I heard him say.

I could almost see Hermione roll her eyes. "She means for us to not let anyone else know that we know about her." Her voice dripped with frustration.

"Not even Dumbledore?" Ron asked.

"Especially not Dumbledore."

I snorted, and clasped Fred's hand tighter in my own.

"D'you think they'll keep quiet?"

"Harry knows how to keep a secret," I said. "It's your brother I'm worried about."

Before Fred could make the physical threat against his baby brother, I grabbed him and kissed him again. "How about we find another classroom?"

He smiled. "As long as it's properly empty."

**

I didn't dream that night, but I stayed up a long time torn between happiness about Fred, guilt over being happy when my mother was in such danger, and fear as to what would happen to her.

There was a good chance that I had made up the entire thing, that my mind or Voldemort's was playing tricks on me. After all, the same thing would happen to Harry in the coming months. But even as I hoped I was wrong, I knew I wasn't.

The next day was a painful reminder of my mistakes, starting at breakfast. As I downed my pumpkin juice, Snape walked up, looking as pissed as ever.

"We won't be having lessons tonight," he said without looking at me.

"What about next week?" I asked, my voice small.

"They will reconvene when I believe you are ready."

Snape stalked off then, robes billowing behind him, and Fred looked murderous.

"What the bullocks does that mean? He's just a slimy git," he muttered into his cup as I stared into my lap, ashamed. "Don't even listen to him."

"He's right," I said, suddenly not hungry.

"We've been over this, Kat. You did what you thought was best, and—"

"And I was wrong."

"Exactly. But still, you can't change it now."

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm going to class now."

We kissed and I made my way to the library, only to be stopped by Professor McGonagall. She looked livid, and I wanted to shrink into the wall.

"I heard about your little excursion the other day, Miss Dumbledore," she said, tapping a rolled up piece of parchment onto the open palm of her hand. "Although that information is privy and should not be shared with everyone." There was a meaningful look in her eyes and I knew she meant Umbridge.

I nodded.

"And you weren't present in class yesterday."

I cleared my throat. "Well, I needed a day to get myself together, and—"

"Be that as it may, here at Hogwarts we do not tolerate unexcused absences. While I understand that there were extenuating circumstances, you still broke the rules. You have one detention per missed class, as well as an extra week from Professor Snape for your unruly actions."

My mouth fell open. "What?"

Her eyes were stern. "Be thankful, Miss Dumbledore. He went to the Headmaster for a harsher punishment than that."

She handed me the parchment and walked off. I opened it and read:

You will be serving your week of detention with Professor Umbridge. I haven't the time or the patience to accommodate your numerous detentions.

I knew without a signature that it was Snape, and with a deep steadying breath, I headed to the library, getting a head start on my homework. No matter how hard I tried to concentrate, though, I continued to worry about detention, and how angry Snape and Dumbledore must have been at me, and how much I'd completely messed up.

The entire day revolved around my wandering thoughts, and as a result I learned next to nothing. I headed to Umbridge's office with trepidation that night after dinner, Harry sending a pitying glance my way as I left the Great Hall.

"I thought you always served detention with Snape," he'd said, frowning.

I stifled my shame and shrugged. "Up till now, I guess."

"Please, please sit down," Umbridge said when I knocked on her door. There was a grotesque smile on her face, and to my horror, a new set of kitten plates on the wall.

She had me write lines, just as I suspected:

I must not miss class.

Three pages, four hours, and a very nasty series of cuts later, she dismissed me.

"I'll expect you here at the same time tomorrow."

"I'm sure you will," I grumbled.

Her smile faltered slightly. "Beg pardon?"

"Nothing," I said through a clenched jaw.

**

The next day in potions, we had to make a powerful restoration drought. Snape walked around the room, chastising those who had ruined their own potion. When he came to me, he paused, examining it probably to find something to yell at me about.

After a minute or so I glanced up from my book.

"You know, it's difficult for me to concentrate when you're looking over my—"

But then I realized he was staring down at my hand, which had "I must not miss class" carved into it.

I pulled my sleeve down quickly but it was too late.

"Stay after class," he said, so softly that no one else heard. I nodded slightly.

"Did Umbridge do that to you?" he asked, frowning once everyone else had left.

I nodded.

"Why didn't you tell someone what happened?"

"Because I assumed that the headmaster would know about her disciplinary techniques," I said coldly.

"Decidedly not," he said, voice crisp.

I readjusted my bag and he fidgeted slightly, reorganizing a stack of very organized papers.

"Why didn't you come to me?" he asked then, his voice quiet.

"Oh, so you suddenly care?"

"Do not take that tone with me," he warned.

I snorted.

"Another week of detention," he said.

"You're kidding!"

"Not at all."

I threw my arms into the air. "How about another two weeks?"

Snape stayed silent as his eyes flashed. "One month. Do not test me."

I crossed my arms. "You know what, I can save you the trouble. Why don't I just find a spell that can cut all the way through my hand and save everyone some time?"

I walked out then, too furious to talk to anyone. But at dinner that night, an owl landed in front of my plate.

You will be serving the remainder of your detentions with me.

I looked up to the staff table to see Snape was missing. But he was in his office after dinner, and merely pointed to a stack of dirty cauldrons after grabbing my hand and healing the cuts on it. Next to them sat an old rag, a bucket of water, and a bottle of weak cleansing potion.

Even as I scrubbed what seemed like years of grime from the cauldrons, I was strangely happy.

**

At the end of my first week back in detention, the first Quidditch game of the year loomed a mere three weeks in the distance. I was stoked. Angelina, however, was not. She sat at dinner every night, pouring over sheets and sheets of what I could only guess were plays.

"Are you ok?" I asked, George shaking his head at me as Angelina glanced up at me.

Her eyes resembled a hawk's, and she looked furious. "Do I look ok? I have less than a month before the game, and our team is nowhere near ready."

"Do you have that little faith in us?" George asked, smirking.

"It's not you two and you know it!" She glanced down to the other end of the table where the new players sat, looking pale and shaky. "They're not ready, and neither is—"

"Ron!" Fred said a little too loudly as his little brother approached.

Ron looked worse than the other players, pale and shaking, and wet. I glanced up to the ceiling and sure enough, rainclouds and lightning filled the little sky.

"What were you doing outside?" I asked curiously.

"Trying to use the time I have left to suck less," he said, dropping into the seat next to me in misery.

"Nonsense," I said, spooning him a huge amount of chili. "You're a great keeper. You just don't realize it yet."

He paused. "Do you know? For sure?"

I knew what he was referencing, but Angelina had glanced up at his last sentence and was watching me.

"It's not like I can see the future, Ron, but I know you'll be fine."

Fred raised an eyebrow, along with George, but Angelina stood, gathering up the parchment in front of her.

"Where are you going?" George asked, a little put out.

"Library. Then maybe to the Quidditch pitch. See you at five tomorrow."

Fred, George, and Ron dropped their jaws.

"In the morning?" Ron asked.

Angelina's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. "Is there a problem?"

"No," they said sullenly.

I watched her go, feeling a little pity, and finished up my chili.

Harry walked in then. When he spotted me, he sat in the seat next to me. "Can I ask you a question?"

I stifled a groan. "Here, Harry?"

"It's not like anyone's paying attention."

Ron perked up and I shook my head. "Detention."

Fred's face fell. "Already?"

"Seven sharp," I said, shrugging.

"I'll wait for you later." He wiggled his eyebrows a bit and Ron turned a shade of green.

"I'm sure you will," I said, grinning despite myself.

"Could you save that for when I don't have to watch?" he asked, swigging down some pumpkin juice.

I rolled my eyes and kissed Fred goodbye.

The dungeons were extra cold, even colder than the October frost that I'd grown used to. I pulled my sweater closer around me and frowned, hearing a voice I hadn't heard in a long time.

Before I had the sense to listen in, I was in the doorway of Snape's office, face to face with Lucius Malfoy.

I froze, though I didn't know why, and he smiled.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise." He extended his hand and I glanced at Snape, who had just stood from his desk.

He nodded slightly and I took Lucius' hand, grossed out when he kissed it instead of shaking it.

"What are you doing down in the dungeons on a Friday night?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I have a detention."

He tutted. "Terrible way to start out the year."

"Yeah, well, I'm a student. I have an excuse to be here. How about you?"

His eyes were calculating. "Your uncle and I were just catching up. Went to school together."

"So I've heard."

My tone made his eyes flash, though his smile remained.

Snape narrowed his eyes as Lucius nodded at him and turned to me again.

"Well, I must be on my way, but it was a pleasure to see you."

"Bye," was all I could muster.

As soon as Lucius turned the corner, Snape slammed the door of the dungeon shut and cornered me.

"You cannot fall that easily to his instigations!" he hissed.

"Hey, I don't have to play the bad guy."

"No, but you do have to play dumb!"

I set my bag down. "I resent that, first of all, and—"

"Resent it all you want, but learn to keep control of your emotions. And your mouth."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

I shrugged. "Fine."

After watching me for a moment, he nodded and waved his wand, the cauldrons disappearing.

"What chapter are you on in the book I gave you?"

"The Occlumency one?"

He rolled his eyes. "Did I misspeak? I want you to have read through chapter ten by Monday, and have an essay summarizing the book so far. I expect it to be at least two scrolls of parchment."

**

Working on Chapter 16!

If you didn't like it, let me know. If you liked it, let me know! Reviews take a second! You don't need an account to review!

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! (thanks!)