Fragments of Us

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Rating is intended for later chapters.

Chapter 8 – Early Arrivals & Emotional Encounters

Kate entered Grimmauld Place close to midnight - far later than she'd intended when she'd spoken with Sirius earlier that morning. She crept quietly by the portrait of Walburga Black in an effort to avoid unnecessary noise – and Sirius' appearance to restore silence.

Kate made her way upstairs to her room, pausing only briefly as she passed Sirius' room. Predictably, light was filtering from beneath the door, but no sound could be heard. As she prepared for bed, Kate thought about her evening. She'd had a great time with Bill, although she was a bit tired of his dissertation on the wonders of Fleur Delacourt by the time they'd finished the main course. But, just because her love life was on life support didn't mean she couldn't feel happiness for someone else. Bill was a nice guy and he was clearly (and verbosely) smitten with the half-Veela; Kate wished them both well.

After showering and applying a drying charm to her hair, Kate slipped into a tank top and runner's shorts and settled into her bed. She was exhausted, but sleep was slow to come to her. Just at the moment that she felt herself drop off, Kate was awakened by a piercing cry. She flew out of bed, throwing on her robe and grabbing her wand from the bedside table. Slowly, she opened the door to the hallway, wand at the ready, and looked from one end of the hall to the other. Kate sighed. Nothing. She was about to go back into her room when a shuddering cry split the air. "Sirius", Kate whispered.

Kate tried the door and found it unlocked. Carefully, quietly, she entered the room which was now completely dark, the candle having burned out. "Lumos," she whispered and her wand immediately shot light into the dark corners of Sirius' room. She drew a sharp breath at the sight of his empty bed. Kate glanced toward the bathroom door, but it was open and the room beyond it dark. Suddenly, Kate heard a whimper from the direction of the bed and she proceeded across the room cautiously. "Oh, Sirius," she whispered when she found him. Sirius was lying on the floor, sheets trailing across the bed and onto the floor, portions clutched in his fists, as he'd taken them with him as he fell. The front of his pajama pants were soaked through and a strong smell of urine permeated the room. Kate knelt beside Sirius, watching his face carefully. His mouth was open in a silent scream and his eyes, open and bright with tears, were focused on something only he could see. His hair was damp with perspiration and stuck to his cheeks and forehead. Kate reached over to brush it back and, as she did so, he blinked once, then again and came back to himself. Sirius recoiled as he registered that it was Kate beside him and he realized what she had witnessed. "No," he cried, struggling to sit up.

"Sirius, please, it's ok. It was just a bad dream. Let me help you," Kate tried to soothe him, alarmed by his reaction to her presence.

"No!" he said, scrambling to his feet. "Just leave. Go," Sirius was still shaking and he refused to look at Kate as he spoke.

"Sirius, please," Kate whispered, reaching out to him again.

"Get out," Sirius said, turning his back to her. "Just get out." When he turned again, Kate was gone. He walked to his bathroom, still trying to breathe deeply and calm himself. He stripped the soiled nightclothes from his body and vanished them with a disgusted wave of his hand. He had lost control of his bladder for the first time since the early days of his escape and this time, Kate had seen. Kate had seen. He turned on the water in the shower until it was just short of scalding. As he stood under the powerful spray, he closed his eyes and let the water wash away the evidence of his dream. It was one of his oldest nightmares, with a new twist. He was in his cell in Azkaban and he was so cold, so alone. The damp seeped in from the sea, permeating the stone walls and facilitating the growth of slimy, green moss on walls, ceiling and floor. Lying on the slippery floor, Sirius slept fitfully and his unconscious mind ran the images of his discovery of James and Lily in the rubble of Godrics Hollow. Although dead, their faces took on a curious animation as Sirius looked down on them. It was as if some force of the afterlife caused them to recognize him and to react to his presence. "Traitor!" James' white lips formed the accusation, but the words were heard only in dream-Sirius' mind. "You were my brother – Godfather to my only son and you betrayed us!" "NO!" Sirius tried to cry out, but he could force no sound from his throat. He turned to Lily, whom he had come to love as a friend and not just the wife of his best mate. He found that where James' gaze was harsh and accusing, Lily's eyes conveyed the agony of his betrayal. It was as if all of the pain he felt in his heart was reflected in her beautiful face. "You said you loved us, that you would protect us. We believed you and you betrayed us. You turned us over to them, Sirius. You've left Harry with nothing." Sirius struggled to his feet stumbling over the rubble that used to be their home. As he tried to speak to Lily, to tell her the truth, her face changed and suddenly, it wasn't Lily he was looking at – it was Kate. But there was no animation to her face. She was dead. It was at this point that Sirius had awakened to find the real Kate next to him, trying to comfort him. Sirius reached blindly for the soap and the flannel and began to scrub himself. Hot tears ran down his cheeks as his humiliation at being discovered in a completely weak state coursed through him. He rinsed the soap from his body and started again. When he was satisfied that he had thoroughly cleansed himself, he rinsed one more time, then turned off the water and stepped into the steamy bathroom. Sirius didn't bother with a towel, just strode naked into his bedroom, located his wand and performed a quick drying spell. As he was pulling on a pair of Muggle jeans and a t-shirt, he heard a series of sharp raps on his door. Before Sirius could cross the room to answer, he heard Remus' voice from the hallway, calling his name. When Sirius pulled open the door, Remus stood before him, his robes askew and his normally calm face flushed and showing considerable strain. "Padfoot," he said urgently. "Hurry. Arthur Weasley's been attacked at the Ministry. Dumbledore just sent word that the Weasleys and Harry will be arriving by Floo within the hour. We need to be prepared."

Sirius nodded then stopped Remus with a frantic hand on his arm. "Harry? Remus, what has he to do with this?"

Remus regarded his old friend for a moment. "He saw the attack in a dream, Sirius. He's the one who alerted Dumbledore that it had happened."

Sirius followed his friend down the staircase then said, breathlessly, "Kate, she should know…"

Remus cut him off. "She knows, Padfoot. She's at the Ministry now. She will be the one who "discovers" Arthur so we can hopefully cover up Order Operations."

Sirius continued to the kitchen with no further questions.

&

Once downstairs, Sirius had rousted Kreacher and sent him to making up the numerous bedrooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the house to ensure that everyone would be comfortable. Dumbledore had sent word by owl that Molly was en route to St.Mungo's to be with Arthur; she would provide an update on his condition when one was known.

Kate had arrived shortly afterward and had set to work making sandwiches for the kids when they arrived. She knew that it had already been a long night for everyone; surely there would be several more hours of waiting before more information came in. Remus joined her in the kitchen while Sirius went down to the dusty basement to retrieve one of a number of cases of butter beer that had been stored there. He took a great deal of time as he unpacked the bottles and set them out at one end of the large table and cast a chilling charm to make them ready for the guests' arrival. Sirius' efforts to avoid Kate and his preoccupation with the smaller details of the table were evidence of the state of his nerves as they waited for Harry to arrive.

As it happened, they didn't have long to wait. Shortly after the last plate had been set out, the kitchen hearth blazed a curious shade of green and Ron Weasley stepped into the kitchen, swaying slightly. "Professor Lupin," Ron said as he swayed a bit, catching sight of Remus standing nearby.

"Ron," Remus greeted his former student, then barely pulled him out of the way in time to avoid a collision with Ginny, who was followed by the twins and, finally, Harry. He looked around the room until he found the person he had been searching for. "Sirius," he murmured, walking over to his Godfather. Sirius embraced the boy, holding him for a long moment before releasing him and speaking to him softly. Harry nodded, his slumped shoulders lifting slightly as Sirius led him over to the table where the others were sitting. As Kate looked away from the scene, her emotions clearly showing on her face, she jumped when she intercepted Remus' gaze. Quickly arranging her features into a neutral expression, she went up to the Weasleys and introduced herself, offering them food and butter beer as they settled in to wait for word from Molly. When she had finished, she turned to find that Harry and Sirius had left the room. Kate's vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears. This was the last straw; she could take no more tonight. She waited until everyone seemed occupied and quietly made her way up to her room. As she passed the open library door, she heard Harry and Sirius talking quietly and paused, out of sight, to watch them. Sirius' voice was calm, soothing and Harry seemed to be responding to whatever he was saying. The boy's face had relaxed and his body language indicated that some type of burden had been at least partially lifted. As Kate looked at her Godson, she was struck by what a perfect combination he was of both James and Lily. Clearly, he adored Sirius and Kate could see that the love was most definitely returned. A step on the landing startled her and Kate turned to see Remus making his way to the library. He inclined his head toward the library and she nodded. Rather than go into the room, Remus gazed at Kate a moment longer then whispered, "Alright?" his concern showing clearly in his face. Kate's eyes filled again and, before she could say anything, Sirius and Harry came out of the library.

"Hello, Professor Lupin," Harry spoke to Remus, extending his hand.

Remus grasped it warmly. "Harry," he responded. "I'm glad to see you again."

Harry turned and looked curiously at Kate. He glanced at Sirius, who was looking at Remus and, when he didn't move, Harry turned. "Hello," he said, walking toward Kate. "I'm Harry."

'Hello, I'm Harry'. Kate took a deep breath and swallowed hard. She never dreamed it would be this hard when she actually saw Harry again. She walked toward the boy she hadn't seen in 13 years; the boy who was the child of two of her best friends; her Godson. 'Hello, I'm Harry'. Calmly, Kate smiled, extended her hand and said, "I'm very happy to meet you, Harry. I'm Kate. Kate Morgan. I work at the Ministry." Kate searched his face for any sign of recognition but saw nothing more than the polite, respectful face of a 15 year old boy.

Remus stepped in, sensing her emotions. "Kate is a member of the Order, as well, Harry. She coordinated Arthur's discovery at the Ministry earlier tonight."

Harry nodded and smiled, then turned back to join Sirius. As Kate's eyes followed his progress down the hall, she caught Sirius' gaze for just a moment. She was certain that the pain she saw there reflected her own. Then, he looked away and the connection was broken.

Remus began to speak. "I came up here to tell you that Molly has just arrived. It appears that while the snake caused some significant injuries, the Healers feel that Arthur will make a full recovery. Harry, you can all go and see him later today."

Harry exhaled and gave Remus a faint smile. "Thanks, Professor," he said.

"I think it's time you and the Weasleys got some sleep," Sirius said, steering Harry gently toward the stairs leading to the third floor. "Why don't you go on up? I'm sure Molly will be sending the others momentarily."

Harry smiled and turned to go up the stairs. He paused before he had gotten too far and went back to the landing. He put his arms around Sirius, hugging him hard for a few moments, then turned and walked up to the third floor.

Kate couldn't hold back the sob that tore at the back of her throat and, before anyone could speak, she half ran down the opposite end of the hallway to her room and closed the door behind her.

My thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. Your comments are very much appreciated and I hope that you keep them coming! I've heard from several of you who hope that I will put an end to the torture and allow Kate and Sirius to resolve their differences soon. Well, as you can see, it seems that there are still some bumps in their road. Stick with me for the ride, though. I promise you won't be disappointed! Enjoy!