"Ha! That went better than I thought," Kat said smugly as she headed to the day's first class: Potions. Draco gave her a lazy smile. "Yeah," he said casually. "Except that we're late for Potions now." he finished calmly. "Oh, Merlin!" Kat gasped. She and Draco hurried into the classroom, and all eyes were on her as Snape hissed with obvious enjoyment, "After repeated warnings, Miss Langdon, you are once again tardy. This is the fourth time this term.
"Now, let's see," Snape continued maliciously. "You are ten minutes late, hmm…from now on, Miss Langdon, for every minute you are late to my class, Gryffindor loses ten points. That makes one hundred points from Gryffindor." There were cries of outrage from the other Gryffindors, but they were quickly silenced by Snape who said, "If you do not wish to lose even more points, then I would suggest silence!"
Silence fell, and the students began preparing for the lesson. Kat gathered her ingredients and placed her cauldron on a stand next to Draco's. She pointed her wand at the base of her cauldron and muttered, "Incendio!" Instantly, a small fire was kindled beneath it.
"He's a total ass!" Kat muttered to Draco as she sliced a shrivelfig into quarters. He snorted quietly with laughter, stopping as Snape halted by Kat's cauldron. "Well, Miss Langdon, what is this mess?" She looked at him levelly. "It's the potion you told us to make." she said calmly.
"Are you sure?" he hissed, black eyes glittering. "Yes," she said. "Yes sir!" said Snape coldly. Kat acted startled, twisted around in her chair and stared with feigned interest around the room. Then she looked back at Snape and said innocently, "Where's this 'sir' you were talking about? I don't see him." The class laughed, and Snape hissed, "Be careful, Miss Langdon. It would be wise to keep your mouth closed."
Kat looked him in the face and said in a honey-sweet voice, "Look, Professor, I said I was sorry for spilling that shrinking potion in your lap," The class howled with laughter as she continued, "Besides, that was four years ago. It's not healthy to hold a grudge!" Snape looked livid. He trembled with rage and whipped out his wand. Kat smiled inwardly and fingered her own wand as he ground out between clenched teeth, "If you will not be silent of your own accord, then I will make you! Silencio!"
However, in the split second before he shouted the spell, Kat thought, "Protego!" Snape's eyes bulged as his spell bounced off. Evidently he hadn't known that she was excellent at nonverbal spells. Kat raised her wand, flicked it lazily and said, "Expelliarmus!"
Snape's wand flew out of his hand, and she waved her wand again, this time saying, "Petrificus Totalis!" Snape went rigid and toppled backwards, unable to move a muscle.
"Right," Kat said firmly. "Someone get Dumbledore. He needs to know that Snape attacked me."
***************
That evening, after Professor Snape had been freed from Kat's spell and Dumbledore, instead of lecturing her, had congratulated her on her excellent spellwork, she and Draco went to the Gryffindor Common Room. The Gryffindors had been upset by the intrusion of a Slytherin into their territory at first, but had gotten used to it by now.
"So," Draco said as they sat in front of the fire. "Are you coming to the Quidditch match next week?" he asked. "Yeah," Kat said. "Harry says that it's my turn to play, and he's letting me use his Firebolt until my new broom gets here." Draco looked at her. "You're buying a new broom?" he asked. "Yep, a Firebolt, just like Harry's. Should come in in a few days." He smiled, and they both were silent for a long while.
In the midst of the silence, Kat idly conjured up a Patronus, and Draco's eyes grew wide. "Wow! Kat, can you teach me how to do that?" he asked excitedly. "Sure," she said, "Meet me tomorrow at noon in the Room of Requirements." "Great!" said Draco. "I'll see you then!"
"Expecto Patronum!" shouted Draco, and a puff of silver mist straggled out of the tip of his wand. "Damn! Forget it Kat," he said disgustedly. "I can't do it." Kat pushed her hair out of her eyes and sighed. This was the third day in a row that she and Draco had met in the Room of Requirements to practice this particular spell. "Come on, Draco," she encouraged him. "It's easy. Watch."
Kat gathered up her happiest memories as she uttered the incantation. "Expecto Patronum!" Immediately her Patronus, a large silver tiger, streamed out of the tip of her wand. Draco looked at her enviously as she said, "Remember, think happy thoughts!"
He sighed and closed his eyes. Slowly, a smile appeared on his face, and he said, "Expecto Patronum!" With a whoosh, a large silver dragon erupted from his wand's tip. He looked at it in amazement and said, "I did it!" Laughing happily, Kat gave him a big hug to celebrate his achievement. Suddenly, and very impulsively, he lowered his mouth to hers, and kissed her. She stiffened in shock, but then closed her eyes and let him. She never wanted that moment to end, but nothing lasts forever, and they soon broke apart. "I love you," Draco whispered. "I love you too," she said breathlessly, and in that instant, she knew that nothing would ever be the same again.