A/N I suppose apologies for the long wait are in order it has been somewhat of a hectic couple of weeks but it is no more and here it is my final offering for the events of Philosopher/Sorcerer's stone. Hope you guys are still enjoying the story please review and let me know. I have been made aware that i have been skipping between spelling Kat with a K and a C. I did intend it to be spelt with a K so i promise to do my utmost to be consistent in spelling it with a K. Good spot their reyafa umbla. Oh and as per usual i still don't own Harry Potter or any associated trademarks and copyrights on with the show.
Chapter 14
The thunk of something heavy echoed through the halls as a hunched figure came striding jerkily across the polish marble of the ministry atrium. The duty officer at the security desk didn't even glance at the man making his way into the heart of government in the dead of night. It wasn't worth his job to question a man with no business being there. Alastor Moody may have had no business being there after hours but the security guard decided he had even less business asking him. The grizzled ex-auror scowled as his electric blue eye zipped back to the front after examining the lazy nincompoop Amelia called guards these days. Back in his day if a non ministry-employee barged in via the visitors entrance at three in the morning there would be caterwauling charms, anti travel wards and automatic detection jinxes tripped. But now fudge was in charge and the ministry was a "smooth, efficient and cost effective machine of governance." Paranoid auror captains who run up expensive curse breaker and warder bills on behalf of the ministry were most definitely persona non grata in Fudge's peacetime ministry.
"Peace. My scarred right buttock." He muttered as he stomped his wooden legged gait into the fancy new elevators with their fancy grills and buttons. "All too lazy to use stairs now obviously." He dipped a hand into the pocket of his dragon hide coat and grasped his hip flask to take a quick gulp and shivered, his magical eye whizzing in its socket before focusing on the stern manacled face of his protégé.
"Surely Alastor you find it easier to use a lift than the stairs? Especially after Lestrange blew up your magic leg." Amelia Bones looked much older than last he saw her nearly ten years previously. Her dark red hair which had been streaked with grey was gone replaced with silver severely tied back her old penchant for muggle military costume gone with her promotion to department head no doubt.
Moody's ruined face split into a lopsided grin and he stepped forward and hugged his old friend. "It's good to see ya to be sure Bonesy." He stepped back and made a show of looking at her even though his magical eye had already taken in everything there was to see. "You look like shit. Hah." He cackle as he released her and stomped past her towards his old office. His magical eye caught the twitch of a half smile from his former colleague. "Come on then. I'm sure old Albus Droopydraws can't be getting any younger waiting for mad eye to come and save the day." He stepped into the DMLE's department head office and looked to the two men standing by the fireplace that they'd probably just come out of.
"Really Mad-Eye I fail to see the need for us to come here when we could have visited you at home." "Aye Severus, however I in my ignorance, thought it'd be harder for death eaters to make a trap for me in the department head of the DMLE's office." He growled, his magical eye span taking in Amelia who had locked the door magically and non-magically. "So Professor's what can I do for you that was so important it had to interrupt my holiday?"
"Alastor I'm sorry for the inconvenience but I need your help identifying someone." Albus stepped forward and pulled a pensieve from thin air and held it out towards the grizzled old auror. Moody stepped forward unsteadily and prodded the silvery surface with his wand until a face swum into focus amongst the silvery swirls.
"Chrysus Green." He breathed reaching out and stroking the surface. "That's a face I didn't think I'd ever see again." He looked up at Dumbledore sharply. "Where'd you get this memory."
"One of my students was kidnapped and was going to be trafficked by him for some, no doubt nefarious purpose." Dumbledore moved to one of the armchairs by Amelia's desk and sat down heavily with a sigh. "The pair who kidnapped her have been detained by French law enforcement but this man escaped. I thought perhaps-"
"Old Mad-Eye might know his ugly moustachioed mug?" Alastor stomped round to stare at the old man, "I'm surprised your pet death eater over there couldn't identify him." Moody made a noise halfway between a chuckle and a cough before sitting down and rubbing his leg above the wood. "Chrysus used to work for old Voldy like your greasy potions master. He wasn't a frontline death eater though, no more of a facilitator the kind of man who could get hold of a ward keystone for someone else's house or kidnap someone's children to get them to agree to the dark lord's demands." He leaned forward and stared into Albus' eyes letting his occlumency shields drop and purposefully reviewed his memories. "Not a very nice man." He sat back and regarded the three other occupants of Amelia Bones's office. "Before you ask no I've got no idea where to find him, no leads on who might be able to get a message to him. I'm not in the game anymore you should ask Mundungus or those two the Frenchies have got." Amelia shut her mouth with an audible click as he answered her question before she asked it. He smirked as his magical eye watched Snape and Amelia both sag a little in obvious disappointment.
"Well then thank you Alastor if you remember anything helpful please don't hesitate to contact either myself or Ms Bones. Albus stood up and began to walk towards the fire place.
"Hey hold up before you go, first gonna tell me whether you caught anything in the trap you set to catch the guy who broke into Flamel's vault at Gringott's?" Moody raised his remaining eyebrow smirking at Dumbledore who seemed to grow even wearier as he turned while reaching for the pot of floo powder on the carved marble mantle.
"Voldemort amongst other things." With that and a swirl of lilac robes and silver hair he was gone in a flash of green.
"What other things Severus." Moody growled and made to block the fireplace before he could follow Dumbledore through it. "Snape tell me goddamnit."
"Do not trouble yourself Mad-eye. The dark lord was thwarted by a bunch of meddlesome school children." Snape sneered and attempted to step round the broader man.
"School children?" Amelia asked with a audible quiver in her voice. Snape turned to regard her.
"Harry Potter and his friends have unfortunately inherited his father's love of going places he shouldn't."
"Potter's a first year if my maths is right…You're trying to tell me that a first year made it past those phony obstacles you set up to make it look like you were actually guarding it?" Moody's voice rose in pitch as he stared wide eyed at Snape before bursting out laughing.
"Ha well James was one of the best and Lily was twice as smart. Stands to reason li'l Harry would be good. Trolls, Cerberus's, curse fire and murderous chess sets. Good work Potter, perhaps you should try and recruit him Bonesy." Moody continued to chuckle while Amelia's lips thinned and Snape snorted with derision. Snape bowed to Amelia before exiting via the floo while Moody continued to chuckle.
"You going to tell me where exactly you've been on your 'holiday'?" Amelia sat down behind her desk once more.
"Romania mostly. Although I did stop off in Germany and China. I'm off to Russia and the Ukraine tomorrow."
"Sounds relaxing." She said sceptically. Moody ignored her sarcasm and replied bluntly.
"You think hunting dark wizards and their undead minions is relaxing? Amelia you need a holiday more than me! Ha!"
"Oh I'm sorry professor."
"For goodness sake girl, I'd take points off you for running in the halls but that'll make little difference now." McGonagall straightened her hat while retrieving the book she had dropped with her wand. Hermione looked mortified at having run into her stern head of house yet was visibly bouncing on her feet. McGonagall was interrupted from continuing her reprimand when a pair of ginger streaks came barreling past nearly knocking over the little first year.
"Sorry Granger didn't see you there. You off to the hospital wing too? Hi there Minnie." Before anyone could say anything back the twins took off again at top speed scattering students as they ran. McGonagall stared in disbelief after their retreating figures and Hermione seized her chance.
"I'm really sorry professor but I have to go." She quickly took off after their retreating figures and missed the slight quirk of a smile that momentarily crossed the older woman's' habitually stern features.
Hermione reached the hospital wing to find four people arguing hotly , one person sitting quietly and the prone figure of another asleep. Three weasley's and Oliver Wood were demanding permission to stay from an irate Madame Pomfrey, while Harry was sitting up in bed hands folded in his lap and alternating watching the twins, Ron and Oliver and glancing over at the figure in the bed to his left. His head turned so often he actually resembled someone watching the ball in play in a game of tennis. Hermione mentally reminded herself to comment on this at a later point when she wasn't trying to sneak past the rooms other occupants to get to Kat's bed. She nearly shrieked when a hand rested lightly on her shoulder and she turned to be taken in by the twinkling blue eyes of the headmaster who was smiling down at her.
"Madame Pomfrey, I think perhaps it would be best if miss Edwards were to receive her visitors now especially as she is making a rather poor attempt at pretending to be asleep." Dumbledore bowed slightly to the matron and stepped towards her bed when he was surprised by her reply.
"But professor the rules of my hospital wing state that there can be no more than three visitors per patient." Poppy crossed her arms across her chest and made a very real attempt to maintain eye contact with the headmaster.
"Ah but Poppy by my count there are only three visitors per patient, I am sure Mr Wood and at least some of the Weasley's are here to see Mr Potter. Weren't you boys?" He gave a slight wink to a puzzled looking Wood while the twins immediately ran to Harry's bed side and made a great show of plumping his pillows and generally fussing over him. Madame Pomfrey huffed before striding over to her office and closing the door with an audible slam.
"Oh dear, I fear I have got myself in no end of hot water. Have a care for the future never upset a woman with access to anti jinx remedies. I'm sure I don't have to tell you the danger of a hair removal tonic if taken by accident with your morning pumpkin juice." He twinkled at them before moving to Katherine who now had her eyes open but looked grim. "We shall need to have a chat I think. But now is not the time." He smiled warmly at her and she looked somewhat relieved. "I shall keep you from your friends no longer and hope you and Mr Potter will be able to join us for the end of year feast tomorrow." With that he swept from the room, all magenta and silver robes shimmering and long silver hair flowing.
"He's got dramatic-"
"Entrances and exits down to a tee." The twins laughed before turning to Oliver Wood.
"Alright now Wood let's just try to-"
"Stay calm ok no one needs to blow things-"
"Out of proportion eh? There's always-"
"Next year." They smiled at him cheekily while everyone else including Wood frowned at them in confusion. Comprehension slowly dawned on the teenage boys face followed by a crimson blush as he understood.
"Harry…Kat. I'm glad you're both alright." The Quidditch captain choked out hesitantly before nodding to them both and heading for the door. Once he'd gone Harry finally spoke up to voice the collective bemusement of the entire room.
"Um what was that guys?" The twins jumped up onto the bed sandwiching the small boy between their larger beaters frames. Placing an arm around his shoulders the two in unison explained in a very disconcerting way exactly what was wrong with the Gryffindor keeper.
"Harry, Kat what you have to understand is that for our esteemed leader/captain, there is nothing so important as winning at Quidditch except perhaps winning at Quidditch against the Slytherins." They both said in unnervingly perfect synchronicity. "You may scoff Miss Granger but when you think about it Wood wants Quidditch to be his entire future so he treats it with the same seriousness that you would studying and we would pranking. That is why he is torn between relief that his seeker and his mascot/benchwarmer are both ok and the fact that we got our asses handed to us by the Ravenclaw's and suffered the largest defeat in I think it's entire history." Both Harry and Kat groaned and lay back into their pillows as despite all they had been through over the past few days they were both overcome by the guilt of having let the team down.
"Will it stop him going professional?" Harry timidly asked glancing left and right at the smirking faces either side of him.
"Doubt it, as my esteemed brother and I said there's-"
"Always next year. Don't worry about it young Potter wee lad. Ok sure-"
"he'll hate you for most of the next year but as long as we win next year he-"
"probably will overcome the desire to murder you both and hang your corpses-"
"in the Gryffindor common room as a warning to the rest of us not to be late for practise." The twins burst out laughing at the horrified expressions on the first years faces before each grabbing a chocolate frog from the pile in front of Harry's bed on their way to the door. "Seriously though, we're glad you guys are ok." They both said in their uniquely creepy way before waving jauntily and leaving the hospital wing leaving the quartet of intrepid first years behind.
Hermione had made her way over to Kat's bed and was looking at her intently while Harry was looking after the twins departure. Ron was at the foot of Harry's bed sucking a drooble with a thoughtful expression which made him look in Harry's opinion slightly constipated. His head whipped round at the sound of a sob from the direction of the two girls. He saw Hermione had her arms around Kat and was stroking her back tenderly while the blonde girl shook.
"I didn't think I'd…ever see you guys again." She whispered into Hermione's shoulder as the twelve year old comforted the eleven year old. Her words were just audible and Harry pulled back the duvet determined to go help comfort her when, in a somewhat surprising show of sensitivity Ron walked round and patted her on the shoulder.
"Come on now Kat, don't be silly no one could stop Dumbledore finding you and you're safe now and it's not gonna happen again is it." He mumbled out before adding somewhat awkwardly, "there, there don't cry." Maybe there is hope for him. The surprises kept rolling in when Kat turned and gave Ron a quick one armed hug.
"I'm sorry for crying, it's silly it's just I was scared and now I'm back."
"Well you're safe now and in two days you'll get to see your parents again." Hermione gasped as she remembered and dove into her school bag searching frantically. "I almost forgot, Rodney came with this yesterday." Her hands resurfaced clutching a manila envelope and handed it to Kat who recognized her Dad's scratchy hand.
"Oh no I didn't write to them this week. They'll think something awful has happened." Kat gasped grabbing the letter and attempted to tear it open as quickly as possible as if by reading and writing a reply immediately it would somehow arrive two days ago. Her exclamation brought a small chuckle to Harry which set Ron off before finally Hermione and even Kat were giggling slightly.
"Alright I guess you guys know what happened to me. So how come Harry's my roommate?"
Kat and Harry made their way down to the great hall in silence each acutely aware of the murmurings of the paintings, the clock tower bells tolling six and the slap of their shoes on the stone flags. Harry was pensive after his visit to Hagrid and Kat guessed his mind was probably up in his dormitory with the photo album Hagrid had made for him. Walking next to him Kat was nagging at an itch at the bag of her mind. There was something off about the story Harry had told her. He thought that Dumbledore had known and let him go after the stone, even going so far as to teach him how the mirror worked. She couldn't see any other explanation other than that Dumbledore had known and determined that Harry would face Voldemort which was insane. Why would Dumbledore want Harry anywhere near the powerful dark lord who murdered his parents. Either Dumbledore wanted Harry to die by his hand or he thought Harry would be able to defeat him. Come to think of it Kat couldn't work out how Dumbledore could have allowed Voldemort into the castle other than for the purpose of facing Harry. She had read Hogwarts a History and remembered that the wards stopped those with ill-intent. If that wasn't true then what was the point of them at all. Her first year at Hogwarts was almost over as the pair stepped as if in a dream into the great hall. It was quite easy to ignore the stairs and sound of their names echoed around the hall from one person to another at their late entrance. After finding their seats next to Ron and Hermione they turned to look to the staff table where Dumbledore had risen. He gave the foursome a clear look which had many heads turned to look at them and Ron's ears burning from the attention. Dumbledore clapped his hands together and silence descended in a wave leaving behind the driftwood of the Weasley twins continued conversation.
"I'm just saying Forge a Heffalump would mostly definitely win in a fight with a…" Their voices finally petered out as they realised that the entire Hogwarts population was looking at them. Dumbledore cleared his throat before starting his speech while McGonagall fixed the twins with a steely gaze which for once seemed devoid of the normal humour hidden at the corner of her mouth.
"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts… Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."
A cacophony of cheering rent the air as the members of the green table stamped their feet and banged their forks in celebration. Draco Malfoy pompously stood and raised a glass to Professor Snape who nodded. The entire Gryffindor table turned in disgust to look elsewhere, anywhere else but at their victors.
"Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."
"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes… First — to Mr. Ronald Weasley…" Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn. "…for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points." There was a smattering of polite applause from the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables while most of the Gryffindors continued to balefully stare at their hands or plates anywhere in fact other than the Slytherins or their greasy bat king potions professor. Percy Weasley could be heard to say to another prefect "my brother you know." Ron's pink ears burned scarlet but he looked proud and sat a little straighter on the bench. Dumbledore raised a hand and once more silence reigned.
"Second — to Miss Hermione Granger… for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points." There were fewer cheers from the other houses but the Gryffindors cheered louder than the Slytherins had at winning the house cup. They were a hundred points up and they could feel the tide turning it wasn't over yet. Hermione buried her face in her hands and at first look you might mistake her for crying but Kat suspected she was just embarrassed as her entire house yelled congratulations at her for something she was legitimately proud of accomplishing.
"Third — to Mr. Harry Potter…" said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "… for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points." Kat and Hermione both looked at each other both having done the calculation simultaneously.
"He wouldn't! Would he?" Kat whispered.
"What?" Ron asked as everyone on three of the tables yelled at Harry and clapped and stamped and banged cutlery on the trestles.
"We're tied with Slytherin." Hermione answered with glee. If only he'd given Harry one more point Kat thought ruefully, still an honourable draw was better than losing again right?
""There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom. Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration."
The explosion of noise that erupted in the great hall sounded like a riot had broken out as Neville who had never won a point for Gryffindor handed them the house cup and stole it from Slytherin who had won it for seven years straight. Neville disappeared under a pile of Gryffindors attempting to hug him and shake his hand, which was probably just as well as he didn't see the death glares coming from the green and silver table directed his way. It took nearly ten minutes to get the hall back under control and the Weasley twins to stop their Irish riverdance on the table top.
Kat beamed at everyone at the table and everyone returned it as the champions tucked into their splendid feast and forgot all about exams and points and dark lords and focused on the glory of being part of their houses victory. It was the best evening of Harry's life. Maybe not as good as the afternoon when he caught the snitch against Slytherin but certainly the best evening.
"It really is unfair that we aren't allowed to use Magic during the holidays." Kat scowled at the piece of parchment in her hand signed my McGonagall and identically scowled at by all the other first years.
"But Katherine you know that it's essential to the international statute of secrecy that muggles do not realise magic exists, and young students who aren't very good at it yet are an exposure risk." Hermione replied haughtily as they deposited their trunks on the pile by the station. Her attitude caused Kat to chuckle to herself, she was still surprised that Hermione had somehow managed to retain the little character quirks of bossiness and superiority after everything they'd been through this year. Still better bossy Hermione than Captains Sarcastinc Ronald. Kat smiled to herself determined to call him that sometime but then she wondered whether he'd take it as a compliment. Maybe she could get Hermione to say something intelligent like how sarcasm is the lowest form of wit at the same time to double team him.
"Yeah Hermione but I heard Malfoy saying that the ministry can't tell who casts a spell in a household of wizards so it's only us muggleborns who are going to get criminally charged for doing magic. Everyone else is just going to get a ticking off from their parents if that."
"Oh my god that's so unjust, that's blatant favouritism for purebloods which will negatively impact our education to their advantage. We should do something."
"Like what?" Kat asked intrigued by Hermione's righteous indignation which was making her vibrate slightly on close inspection it was quite comical actually how angry she was getting over this perceived injustice.
"I don't know something. Maybe we should make a petition to allow pupils to practise spells which teachers set them to work on over the holidays?"
"I have a dream that one day we will live in a nation judged not by their parents but by the quality of their owl's!-
I have a dream that in England with its pureblood bigots and nincompoop ministers one day right there in England little purebloods will be able to join hands with little muggleborns and play gobstones together" Hermione and Kat turned and stared at the ginger apparitions leaning on the lamppost next to them. The twins high fived each other and continued in a Southern American imitation:
"We have a dream." Hermione stood with hands on hips and glared at the two.
"How do you even know that, and you shouldn't make fun of it."
"Don't worry Granger we're just messing if you want to go get votes for muggleborns we support you every step of the way." Hermione paled and took a step back wide eyed and physically trembling.
"We don't… We don't…"
Fred, or possibly George took pity on her and laid his left hand on her shoulder his right still holding a trick buzzer. "Don't worry Hermione no one has a vote, Magical Britain isn't a democracy and our dad leaves muggle newspapers around and we sometimes get bored. And now we've blown your mind don't you think you should be getting on the train before it starts to leak out through your ears?" He grinned and pushed her gently towards Kat who guided her into the train as Hermione seemed to get even more worked up. Great now Hermione will try and start a civil rights movement and she'll want me to help. Still she wouldn't be Hermione if she didn't want to change the world. Gotta love her. Kat sighed as she found the compartment Ron and Harry had taken.
"Whatever you do, do not ask Hermione what's up." she whispered to Harry and Ron while Hermione struggled with her trunk. Harry smirked while Ron looked perplexed but chose not to say anything and instead all four turned to take a last look at the castle as the scarlet steam engine began to pull out of the station and leave the castle behind. One year gone four more to go. It was better than I thought it was going to be and sure magic is cool, but I'm so glad I'm going to see my parents again tonight. Kat couldn't help but grin at the thought and then felt immediately guilty as she watched Harry stare sadly at the retreating silhouette of the only place he'd ever known family or home. She reached across seat and patted his hand causing him to turn and look into her eyes. "You'll be home soon Harry a few weeks and we'll all be together again just you wait."
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