Chapter 24 -Honesty

Marcus Flint left after breakfast, and he was headed towards his first classes today when he stopped. Katia was standing with her back against the wall, and Montague towered over her and held her arm. Marcus won't let anyone intimidate Katia.

Marcus grabbed Montague by robes and Graham let go of Katia.

"It's not,-" Montague tried to protest, but Flint took aim to punch him in the face.

"Marcus no!" shouted Katia and she came between them. Marcus didn't put much energy into the blow, but when it hit her, she collided hard with Montague's chest. If Graham wasn't standing so close, she would have fallen onto the stone floor.

She bent down, holding her nose and blood trickled through her fingers. Graham held her arms, and felt utterly stupid. He should have known that Flint would see this as threatening Katia and, knowing Flint's temper, that he would react without thinking. He was ready to take the blow and didn't suspect that Katia would come between them.

"I'm so sorry Katia," said Marcus as he stroked her hair gently. "I'll take you to Madam Pomfrey."

Katia took a handkerchief from her pocket and pressed it to her bloodied nose. It hurt like hell, but she was sure that it wasn't broken. She didn't protest when Graham left and when Marcus put an arm around her waist and started to lead her to hospital wing. She was silent until he gathered his courage to speak to her.

"I thought he was going to harm you and, and I was mad at him and at you, and then you came between us." He knew that he was babbling nonsense now.

"I dow, led id go," she said, sounding strange, because she had the handkerchief pressed up against her nose.

Marcus pulled her closer to himself. She seemed to lean into him, but he wasn't sure if she wasn't just weak after his punch. He decided to cling on the spark of hope.

"Can we get back to usual?" he asked, trying to sound indifferent.

Little did he know how hard it was for Katia to act cold and emotionless while she'd seen concern and regret on his face. In this moment, she truly hated him. Marcus wasn't making things any easier for her.

"Dow, we caddot," she answered, irritated.

They entered Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey quickly attended to Katia. The nurse sent Marcus to his class and quickly fixed Katia's nose. She took a notebook and sat by the desk.

"What happened child?" she asked, ready to take notes.

"Nothing dramatic. People will come to report that Marcus Flint hit me are mistaken. I was talking to Montague and Flint thought that I was in danger; he wanted hit him and I got in the way in wrong moment."

"I'll report Marcus Flint for detention. Using violence in school is against the rules."

Katia sighed. "Please don't. He didn't want to hurt me."

"Child, he wanted to hit his housemate and it doesn't make his actions any less violent in this matter." The nurse wasn't about to be persuaded. It was enough that one Slytherin was making a fool of her because he was still pretending to be heavily injured.

"Madam Pomfrey, it is very personal, but I feel I need to tell you that. I have my own reasons why I ended my relationship with Flint. It wasn't absolutely his fault and I cannot explain myself to him. He's upset and if anyone should serve detention, it would be me. Please, don't do it."

"Miss Ivanov, I can't make exceptions. Please, leave for your lessons now."

Katia left without another word. Not only she was the reason of his actions, but he would have to serve detention as well. She hated him more.

Marcus Flint was having an unusual detention. Argus Filch led him to his office, where on a large desk, sat the painting of Fat Lady– the painting that guarded the entrance to the Gryffindor tower. But there was a minor difference – there was no Fat Lady in the painting, just the torn background.

Filch had prepared everything to restore it and he had artistic talent, but he hated preparing canvas. He knew why Flint boy was having detention, and he decided that doing something creative would help both of them.

"Have you ever done things manually, boy?" asked Filch as he gestured over hammer, nails, the new canvas, and a bowl of gray goo.

"Actually, I have . I often help my father with caring for plants and creatures used in potions."

"Good. You'll be helping me with restoring the Fat lady's painting."

The detention was anything but a punishment for Marcus as he only had to do manual tasks, and under the watchful eye of Argus Filch, he prepared the canvas rather quickly. He was even mixed colors and put the first strokes of the lowest layer.

It helped him to not think about recent events, but as soon he left Filch's office, everything came back. He was frustrated because he had no explanations, and because all the time, he had thought that Katia had returned his feelings.

He wasn't in the mood to go to Quidditch practice. Instead, he went outside and stood there for a long time, thinking. Sometime later, Katia Ivanov passed him, completely oblivious to his presence, and continued her running routine.

It was after an hour or so, when she circled the castle. She passed him for the second time and took a bag from the bushes. It contained the training sack which she hanged on the branch with a lot of effort.

Marcus had no idea what could possibly hold her for such a long time. They used to run together, but the circle took them exactly twenty minutes. He retreated back to the castle, not wanting to be seen.

Saturday was coming quickly, and Marcus Flint felt more alone and insecure with each passing day. It also hurt him that Katia seemed unperturbed with their break up, as she would study, run, and play cards like nothing had happened. She also visited the library on a daily basis, and he learned that she would meet with a Gryffindor, Hermione Granger whom she studied with.

Marcus broke down on Thursday. He couldn't focus on playing Quidditch and he was frustrated and angry all of the time. No one had ever managed to turn him into emotional mess like Katia did. He wasn't a whiny pussy, of course, and often pretended to be angry instead of wallowing in his sadness and loneliness. He wasn't like a Gryffindor to be so open with his feelings, and honestly, he had no reason to do so.

He often found himself in the silent and comforting company of Graham Montague and Anastacia Morrigan these days. Morrigan volunteered to do his homework, as he often wasn't in the mood to focus on studying. She seemed to understand him and wrote his essays, charming them to look like his spiky handwriting.

Deep inside, his respect grew for this hard working girl who often flashed him a white-toothed smile which contrasted so nicely with her dark, almost black skin. Or maybe it was chocolate brown?

Anastacia Morrigan still had her party after all. She made it on Friday, after Marcus cancelled the match with Gryffindor. It was Montague who suggested that they should set another date for the match, knowing that in his current state of mind, Marcus would be a complete disaster on the field.

It wasn't a lie that Draco was injured, as Marcus paid him no mind during the one training session that Draco had attended. He didn't mind that Draco had crossed his path, collided with him hard, and had nearly broken his arm.

Anastacia wanted to be in spotlight this time. At least in Marcus Flint's spotlight, at any rate. She joined Poke-Explode, but being an inexperienced player, she made a lottery for pairs. Every player would draw crumpled paper with the name of somebody of the opposite sex.

She knew that Katia would play, as it was her almost daily activity, and Marcus would be there to stare at her, so Anastacia charmed the papers. Pansy Parkinson got Draco, Daphne Greengrass got Blaise Zabini, Anastacia got Marcus, and Katia was left with Montague.

It didn't matter to Anastacia who won or lost, as long as she was paired with Marcus.

This time, luck was on Malfoy's side.

"Four of a kind," said Draco with a smirk, and Pansy clapped her hands when she saw the two pairs, and made a move to push their goods towards the middle of the table. Ivanov and Montague had a brand new pack of mint Ashy Ciggaretes, a bottle of Bulgarian Rakija, and some money. Anastacia and Marcus had some bottled potions and jewellery, and the piles were rather impressive.

Montague and Ivanov won with Greengrass and Zabini quite a lot, and now Graham would have to give it all.

Draco smirked again and fixed his gaze on Katia's small finger where a ring had been seconds before. "You can keep the moonshine and stuff if you give the ring from your thumb."

"I didn't bet the ring, Malfoy," she said with a smirk.

"The rule says that the ultimate winner can ask for extra," recited Pansy. "Draco and I won all of the games with a lot of advantage, and we were checked for cheating. Give us the ring and we will let you keep everything else. It's a very generous offer."

Katia stroked the ring absentmindedly, even now.

"It's just a silver ring Ivanov. Put it here." Draco gestured over the middle of the table.

Ivanov just put her hand under the table. "You're right, Malfoy. It's just a ring, so why would you give a shit about it while you have our galleons, fags and booze?"

Anastacia wouldn't have bothered if not for the fact, that Marcus seemed upset with situation. He was silent during the game, and he was silent now, which was unusual. Marcus rarely let it pass when Malfoy was getting on his nerves. The ring on Katia's thumb seemed important to him, so Anastacia stood against Malfoy.

"I'm really curious Malfoy, did you play for the pleasure of competition or is it just because you like to condemn the one who lost so much?"

Draco slammed fist against the table. "What is wrong with you people? What's so condemning in wanting to have a nifty size-changing ring?"

"It's the fact that you can go and drown yourself! " Katia was getting really angry and Graham sided with her this time, having been her partner in the game for the last two hours.

"Grow up Malfoy," he said in patronizing manner. He pushed Rakija and cigarettes towards Malfoy, stood up, and urged Katia to do the same.

"Come on, I need to go outside," said Montague as he took two cigarettes out of his pocket. "I can give you one if you don't mind going with me."

Katia nodded and followed Graham. When she was walking away from the table, she heard Pansy say, "Easy to infuriate, isn't she? Poke into right place, and she will jump and squeak."

Katia took a deep breath and clenched her fists.

"Better don't," warned Graham, but she ignored him. She turned back, walked to the table, and hit Pansy on the back of her head. It wasn't hard, but highly humiliating. With that, Katia left the Slytherin common room.

They went outside and hid in the shadows. Graham lit the cigarettes with a faint fire from his wand and handed one cigarette to Katia. She took a shallow inhale and looked at the moon.

He was surprised that she had smoked before as she didn't cough.

"You smoke?" he asked in a poor attempt to make conversation.

"It happens sometimes," she replied, not paying him mind. They were almost finished, when Montague gathered the courage to speak again.

"I wanted to apologize you, Katia," he said quietly. She didn't laugh, so he continued. "I've made you upset, and yet you took the blow for me. I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore. I wanted you to feel bad, because you left Marcus."

Katia threw the cigarette on the wet grass and watched its fading, red embers. "I know that my decision is hurting and confusing him, but I have my reasons, which I cannot tell you. I accept your apologies, and I'm happy that Marcus has such a loyal friend. Loyalty is very rare in our house, and I don't blame you for standing up for your friend against me."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "That is why I didn't want him to hit you. I'm aware what I did wrong, and it is just fair that I got my share."

"It's never fair when a girl gets punched in the face, but if it makes you feel better, I'm not the one to tell you no," he joked, but they both knew it wasn't funny to him.

It was wrong for Graham that they had found a common ground. She should be angry that he was mean to her, not this understanding. It would be easier to be loyal to his friend that way. Did she know him this well and was playing a Slytherin now?

"Graham, I don't want to make him worse than he is, and honestly, there is little I can do without giving him a false hope. The fault is fully mine, and it's so hard for me to distance myself from him."

So she wasn't playing and that made it harder to be unfair towards her.

Shit.

"You don't seem so bothered when you see him every day. Unlike him, you still socialize with others and you don't abandon your school work."

Katia laughed. "That's a good one. I must be better at acting than I thought that I was, Graham."

"If it's making both of you upset, then why?" He took her by shoulders, and it reminded her of Marcus so much that she shivered.

"I can't tell you. Please, don't push me. Hate me if you wish, but don't make me fell more guilty than I already feel."

Montague let her go and crossed his arms. "You know I'm not like that. Okay, I won't push you for answers. But if there is any chance that you can tell, go to him."

"Thank you," she said, and he could swear that her voice was thick from tears.

She went back into the castle, and Graham lit another cigarette in the cold, ugly night.

Hermione was rushing to Harry's side and never noticed that somebody pushed a note into her pocket. She found it in the late afternoon and was very surprised.

The spiky handwriting said: meet me at library after supper. come alone.

Hermione was always cautious, but with Harry in the hospital wing and Ron being careless or paranoid about certain things, she decided that she would follow the instructions this one time.

The library was almost empty; there were just a few first years scattered here and there. She thought that someone who had bad intentions wouldn't pick a public place for a meeting. She sat by her usual table and didn't have to wait long.

The tall and bulky Slytherin Quidditch captain entered the library and headed straight to her table.

"Hello Granger," he said and sat across the table from her. She didn't know what could he possibly want from her. He was somewhat intimidating, especially to the first years, who started murmuring, but Hermione wasn't easy to scare off.

"I guess it was you who left the note?" she asked rhetorically.

"Yes, I'm Marcus Flint. I told you to come alone because I want to ask you something."

"If it is anything concerning Gryffindor, I can't tell you."

Marcus ran hand through his black, thick hair. "What has Katia told you about me?"

Hermione sighed. "Why don't you ask her?"

Flint rolled his eyes. This was the smartest third year Gryffindor? "She left me without explanation, you stupid twit." He stood up, and almost tripped over the table. "I was a bloody fool meeting with you," he said as he took his leave.

"Quiet!" screeched Madam Pince.

Hermione should have expected this violent reaction. Harry often told her, that Flint was playing matches by force, not by skill. It was strange how different he seemed when while she saw him with Katia. He wasn't grim, his eyebrows weren't drawn together, and he laughed a lot.

Flint had offended her, but at the same time, he had made something clear. She was so wrapped in studying and supporting Harry that she didn't see anything else around it.

Katia studied with her every day, but it was their silent agreement that they didn't talk about personal matters. This was like a rock that had been dropped right in front of her, and she was oblivious to it until Flint came and pointed at it saying "look there".

She was curious what Katia had seen in this large brute. He was also not very bright, as he was repeating his seventh year, and he played dirty in Quidditch.

Hermione made her decision. She would ask Katia what this was about, and tell Flint, no matter if he deserved it or not.

"Legilimency is a thing that comes naturally to cursed ones, like you, Miss Ivanov."

Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles and continued. "It is not common knowledge, which gives us the advantage of taking the suspicions off from you while you do your job. The cursed ones have a talent in what I can describe as mind-related magic. It includes: Legillimency, Occlumency, Imperiuses, Obliviation and Apparition. It comes from the fact, that you have some similarities to Dementors. The most recent research in this field was done in the eighteenth century unfortunately, so we will try and practice everything to see where your limits lie."

Katia processed everything that the Headmaster had said, and compared it to her own experiences. She wasn't ready to tell Dumbledore about her evening escapades with the Dementors, but the fact that she could have talent in shielding her mind or Apparition could be very useful in the future.

"Today, I will show you how to get into someone's mind. You will feel it, so you will have a gist of how is it done. Prepare yourself."

Suddenly Katia panicked. Dumbledore could see everything that he wanted now, and she had no excuse to tell him 'no'. She gathered all her strength to put invisible walls around her mind, but the only idea of how to do it had been learned from books.

Dumbledore pointed his wand directly at her and clearly pronounced: Legilimens.

She felt a feather-light pressure which was stopped by her mental walls. Of course the Headmaster was toying with her, as after he slipped away, he came back with full force.

The memory of Marcus' shocked face after she said "it's over" resurfaced vividly. As soon as the Headmaster entered her mind, he retreated, leaving her brain with an awful feeling of being molested.

She shuddered inwardly and must have some expression to it, as Dumbledore chuckled softly.

"I can see that you tried to repel me, Miss Ivanov. That's a good thing in most cases, and I must admit that your protection isn't the weakest one I've seen."

Katia smiled at the compliment. "What do you mean 'in most cases', sir?"

"It means that not everyone that will assault your mind needs to know that you can defend yourself. Your task for later is to choose memories you can show while I invade your mind. You need push me off the track in such a subtle manner that I won't know. It takes a large amount of self control, which is another thing you must practice. "

Katia nodded. "Of course, sir. I think I will turn old before the initiation; using a time-turner this often can't be healthy."

Dumbledore laughed at this. It wasn't often he genuinely laughed like that, but the thing she had said resembled Wulfrick very much.

Sure, passing exams with a poor amount of magic, training for the initiation, and for the extra tasks she would be doing for Dumbledore didn't come naturally to her. It took time and effort, but it did Katia good.

She was well toned, and her movements were graceful out of habit, and not just when she remembered about it.

Besides, her school crush did her good for toughening up her character and self control. She was heartbroken and upset, and yet, she listened with full attention now, and watched his body language and unconsciously fished for anything he could hide.

It was futile, of course, as Dumbledore had had years to master control over himself, but her efforts were a good sign. He snapped out of his musings only to see Katia watching him with an expressionless face and her wand in her lap.

"You can begin."

"Legillimens!" said Katia firmly, and felt like she was slipping into Dumbledore's head through his eyes. She immediately encountered a barrier that was like a stone wall. It lessened a bit, letting her in further, but she wasn't able to cross it. She withdrew, feeling physically tired, as if she had run for ten minutes.

"Excellent," said Dumbledore, and he clapped his hands.

"Why is it so exhausting? Is it because of my poor magic?" asked Katia; she furrowed her eyebrows in disbelief.

"No my child, it is not. As I said, your curse gives you certain abilities, but don't expect it to come so easily. It's like a muscle that you've never used before. You will get stronger every time you try."

Dumbledore gave her a small nod and gestured towards the door. "It is all for today, Miss Ivanov."

"Thank you Headmaster, and have a good night," she said, and took her leave.

They were doing an essay about Werewolves, and Katia was having trouble focusing on the task. She twisted a tiny, silver ring in hands. Normally, Hermione wouldn't have noticed that, but today, she was watching the other girl closely. Even the handwriting on the parchment lacked its usual elegance.

"Do you have any idea why Snape covered Werewolves all of sudden?" asked Hermione in an attempt to pull Katia out of whatever thoughts that were consuming her. She was also curious if Katia had the same assumptions that she did.

"I believe we both know why. That is why you've asked me a question, isn't it?" Katia smirked. "Snape gave a rather obvious clue as to who was the werewolf."

"Maybe," said Hermione. "I wonder, what did you see in Flint?" she asked all of sudden. "I've heard that he hit you. Was he abusive? I mean, it's not a secret that he's violent during games."

Katia was silent for a long moment, which was why Hermione felt encouraged to ask everything at once. Her face slowly changed, her brows creased, and she pressed her lips together.

"Marcus hit me because I've jumped between him and Montague. He wanted to beat up Montague because he thought I was in trouble. He is a good man, and he would never hurt me. I don't deserve him. You have no idea." Katia's voice became thicker as Hermione saw that her self control was slipping away.

"You had no fucking right to pry into why I left him. I see what it does to him, and believe me, I if I could change it, I would." With that, she stood up, and tried to regain her composure. "If you want us to study together in the future, please restrain yourself from asking me this kind of question. And if I hear any more rubbish about Flint being abusive, I'll show what abusive means to whatever little shit who spread that crap."

Katia left, and Hermione felt bad. She made the wrong assumptions and listened to gossip. If she had a chance to redo the conversation, it would be different, or there would be no conversation at all.

Hermione took the Time-Turner and spun it twice. She met Katia in the corridor, and greeted her.

"I'm a little upset, and honestly I would prefer to study alone," she said to Katia, and she didn't have to fake her expression.

"It's fine. I could honestly say the same," said Katia with a polite smile.

Hermione knew now that Katia was far more disturbed than anyone could tell. A forced smile wasn't a sign that she couldn't find peace after breaking with Flint.

Hermione wrote a small note, and handed it to Flint after supper.

Marcus was waiting for Hermione on the third floor, and looked very nervous.

"What did she say?" he asked without greeting her. Hermione wondered how much she should tell.

"Nothing much really. She didn't give me any reason. As a matter of fact, she was upset that I asked about you."

Flint slammed fist against the wall. It echoed through corridor. "Damn it all to hell. It was a bloody stupid idea."

"I must agree," said Hermione as she took a step back. She couldn't tell if Flint wouldn't hex a messenger.

"I've made a fool out of myself, haven't I? You will go to Potter and tell him that Marcus Flint was begging for you for information as to why a girl has dumped him."

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows. "I will do no such thing. I'm not making fun of someone's misery."

Flint ran a hand through his hair. "Did she tell you anything that could suggest– I don't know – why?"

Hermione shook her head. "She just said that you are a good man and I have no idea, then she told me that if anybody would gossip about you being abusive towards her, she will show them what it means to be abusive."

Flint smirked at that. Then he went back to the grim look he'd had before.

"Thank you, Granger. I just think that, if not for fucking Transfiguration, I would be far away from here, playing on some professional team. I would write to her, and probably, our letters would become less and less frequent. Finally, it would just fade. I wouldn't be the fucking mess you see now."

Hermione barely restrained herself to not remind him of language. For the first time, she saw the other side of the Slytherin captain. Usually, he was just an aggressive figure on the Quidditch pitch.

"I will help you with Transfiguration, Flint."

"What?" he spluttered. "You're only a third year!"

"Give me two weeks to cover some material. It's near the Christmas break now. I will help you pass, but only if you want my help."

"I do. I wouldn't endure the humiliation of repeating a year another time."

"There are conditions," she warned, and she looked him straight in the eye.

Marcus was surprised by her bossiness. Did she push Katia just like that?

"What conditions?" Of course his mind was running in Slytherin paths. What could she want in exchange for her help?

"There will be no bad language, no threatening me, and you will do all the homework that I will assign to you."

"I agree," he admitted, resigned. Probably, he wasn't aware of the full extent of what he had gotten himself into, but everything was better than failing the exam again. And McGonagall disliked him fully for the Quidditch games.

A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews. To the nice anoymous reviewer: is Katia sparkling enough? ;P

Thank you for the corrections, Artemis J. Halk!