Hey guys! Another chapter... reviews would be nice! I won't tell you how many of you have it wrong about Catrin's parentage...cos that would be annoying. But Raven I loved your review! :)
"So, you're a bad egg, Jones." James commented as they sat together in the Great Hall. "I'm sure the International Confederation of Wizards will be wanting a word any day now."
"They can't do that." Scoffed Alice through a mouthful of sausage. "Anyway, all we have to go on is your dad's word for it for someone that Cat might have reminded him of. You don't even know who it was. It could have been You-Know-Who for all you- only joking, Catrin!"
Catrin pulled a face at her, breaking the sudden tension in the group, and turned her attention to the plate of chicken that had been given less than satisfactory attention during dinner. The amount of shocks administered to her that day had given her appetite a bit of a roughing up, but the thrill of mastering a spell first-time suddenly brought it back with a vengeance.
"Where are the other two, anyway?" James feigned indifference to Mary and Valerie's names- though Catrin wasn't completely sure he knew who Val was.
She answered anyway. "Val's gone up to the dorm- she didn't feel too good- and Mary...I dunno what's happened to her. Library?"
"She could become our next disappearance. Woooo!" Fred fluttered his fingers in a ghostly manner at Alice, causing Nearly Headless Nick, who was chatting to a couple of Ravenclaws nearby, to stop and give them a frosty glare.
"There haven't been any for aaages, and who would dare to do anything in Hogwarts?" Alice, with a familiarity born of a childhood friendship, slapped away Fred's fingers with her fork.
"Macnair seems pretty busy if you ask me." Catrin mumbled through her food. She fully expected the others to scoff, and was not disappointed: Alice sighed and Fred gave the table a meaningful glance. James, though, looked interested.
"I saw him poking around the Potions classroom earlier today- and it wasn't in lessons, and there wasn't a teacher. Maybe he's planning revenge or something."
"Why were you in the Potions classroom, James, if it wasn't lessons, and there wasn't a teacher?"
They all jumped, and Catrin recognised the unctuous tones of Slimy Creep, as he swung himself onto the bench next to the boys.
"Aah, I was just getting some ingredients for...a little surprise I've got planned." James grinned meaningfully at Fred. "The girls promised one too...which..." He stopped, face suddenly turning magenta.
"Which?" Catrin glanced at Alice and started shovelling food down double-quick- it looked like James' and Fred's limited brainpower had finally processed the fact that it had indeed been them who had pulled the trick. A grin spread uncontrollably across her face as she watched the boys' facial expressions manage several interesting variations of the shade puce.
Slimy Creep was nonplussed. "Which what? Can someone fill me in here?"
"Which..." James said slowly, turning to face the other two. "...which happened very recently, although I have no idea how in Merlin's hair curlers you managed to pull it off!"
"What?" Fred goggled. "What...how!"
That was too much. Catrin just managed to swallow the last mouthful of chicken before she exploded into fits of giggles which turned heads all along the Gryffindor table. Every time she raised her head the gobsmacked look on the boys' faces set them off again.
"But you don't have-" started Fred, before James elbowed him sharply in the ribs, and he changed tack at lightning speed "-the brain power!"
"We do! Enough to notice that you're not telling us something!" Alice managed, after her howls of hilarity had finally subsided. Catrin wiped the tears from her eyes, and nodded.
"Well we can't tell you- it is crucial to our success as pranksters!"
"You haven't pulled a prank yet!"
"Well it will be. And we will have by tomorrow!" James was looking furiously at them. "I'm not giving you extra defence lessons, Jones!"
"Quite right too!" Slimy Creep had obviously decided to join in. "I agree entirely with what you're saying- she won't be able to manage them! Girls..." He said knowingly to Fred. "They're such idiots."
"Ah." Fred looked uncomfortable, but James grinned.
"Idiots!" Catrin gaped at Slimy Creep. "I think you're the idiot here!" This rollercoaster ride of a day had left just enough energy for her temper to rise to the surface with a vengeance.
"How am I an idiot? I am a year older than you all. I think you should respect your betters." The pale blond head dipped up and down in a self-congratulatory salute. Alice rolled her eyes; Catrin didn't.
"Yes? I think I can beat you the Muggle way, before I get started on magic!"
"Catrin..." James held up his hands, placating.
Catrin glared at him. She had to go. Now. Before she did something really satisfying.
"Right. I'm going to go and find Mary. Coming, Alice?"
Alice gestured towards her half-full plate and made an apologetic shrug.
"Fine, then." She turned on her heel and stalked out of the Great Hall, fuming about the idiocy of Slimy Creep- and the creeps-in-training sitting around him. Through the haze of anger, she was vaguely aware of someone following her, but ignored them as she made her way out of the Great Hall and stormed up the marble staircase.
She made it as far as the third floor before whoever was following caught up.
"Wait. Jones!"
James Potter grabbed her shirt sleeve as she made to turn the corner, and she didn't even think: she just wrenched his arm backwards and twisted it up into his back before realising what she was doing and awkwardly dropped it, cheeks flaming up.
"What- what do you want, Potter?"
James winced theatrically, rubbing his arm. "Well I was going to apologise for Benedict's behaviour just now; I don't really agree with what he said. I don't think he does either, though- he just wants to show off. He's really nice once you get to know him."
"Yeah, and telling a group of girls that they're stupid is a good way of starting." Catrin snapped- the accidental-on-purpose arm wrestle had made her feel even worse than before. Sadly for herself, and James, she was not in a forgiving mood.
"Ahh..." James shuffled awkwardly. "Look, I don't know why he did it; I'm just apologising for Ben. Can you just...accept my apology and I can stop feeling embarrassed for him?"
Catrin snorted, and backed off around the corner, but-
"Stop!" This time her arm was grabbed and yanked backwards by a suddenly alert James. Furious, Catrin struggled against his grip. "Let go!"
"Shh! Look around the corner!"
She hesitated- and then did as he said. James might act stupid most of the time, but when he was serious, he sharpened up fast.
Just around the corner, she could spot McLaggen's hulking body towering over something behind him; something she couldn't see. Catrin could just about make out his voice, though:
"How much did you see? Tell me!"
"Nothing! I didn't see anything!" The bottom dropped out of Catrin's stomach as she recognised the panicked tones of Mary Jordan, always chatty, now positively babbling at her captor. She glanced around at James- he nodded encouragingly, wand already out.
"Well, we're going to make you disappear now." McLaggen drew something out of his pocket and waved it menacingly at Mary, who squeaked. "You won't be able to talk for a while...maybe ever. Scared yet, Gryffindor?"
"Leave her alone!" Catrin yelled and jumped out from behind the wall, wand clutched firmly in her hand. McLaggen turned slowly, and she could see the mirthless grin plastered across his face.
That, more than anything else, scared her.
"Ah, some more stupid Gryffindors. Maybe I should start a collection."
"Nobody's going anywhere today." James said steadily, pointing his wand at the hulking figure in front of them. "But I'd be interested to know why you want to make students disappear."
"Trade secret, Potter...like I'd tell you. But still, nice try. You'll find out soon, anyway..." a sudden furtive look crossed McLaggen's face, as though he'd realised that he'd said too much. To make up for it, he drew his wand, fast as a snake.
"Too late for help, little idiots. I don't think first-year magic is too good against fifth-year magic. Oh well...you won't be missed. Reducto!"
A jet of light shot from his wand- James and Catrin dived aside as it gouged a chunk out of the stonework behind them. Spinning around, Catrin retaliated with a stunning spell of her own, which missed McLaggen, but hit Mary instead- she crumpled to the floor like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
James fired several meaningless hexes at McLaggen- he was clearly much more advanced than his years would suggest- and then dodged them all as they came flying back off his enemy's Shield Charm.
"Petrificus Totalus!" McLaggen shouted, realising that he'd have to up his game to keep up with James. "Locomotor Mortis!" James neatly ducked both and shot back another body bind curse. Catrin, pushed back against the wall, realised that McLaggen's attention was completely focussed on James. If she could just...
She edged closer to the spells, the air cracking with static magic around her, until she was standing just behind a large suit of armour. Catrin waited until her enemy was trying to evade a spell from Potter, and then-
She lunged at the armour, knocking it off its pedestal. For a moment, it teetered precariously- and then, almost painfully slowly, began to fall. McLaggen saw it coming- he twisted in shock- but was too late, and the metal showered down around him.
"Stupefy!" Shouted Catrin, and the body of her assailant blew backwards through the air, covered in silver chunks of armour, before landing with a hard smack on the floor.
Shocked, she stumbled backwards, and sat down hard on the floor. James, meanwhile, had run over to Mary's prone body and was calling her name. "Mary...Mary!"
Catrin stumbled to her feet, and managed to reach Mary's side just in time to hear her groan. A wave of relief swept her, and for a second she thought that she might collapse again. Adrenaline was thundering through her body like a tsunami. Ordinary, run-of-the-mill fights were one thing, but this...was infinitely scarier, more dangerous...more exhilarating.
She could definitely get used to it.
"She'll be alright." James told Catrin quietly. And then-
"Look out!"
Catrin spun around to see McLaggen lurching off, back down the corridor. As she watched, he shook a plate of armour off his shoulder and broke into a heavy run.
"After him!" She shouted: she forgot how wobbly her legs were or how hard her heart was beating, and took off after the person who she thought that she'd just stunned, not caring whether or not James was coming after her.
McLaggen was running towards the fifth floor, taking several shortcuts through hidden tapestries that almost caused her to lose him, and jumping trick stairs that almost made her sink into them. At one point, she ran underneath Peeves, and heard his cackle of delight at the sight of mayhem.
Fortunately the castle was almost empty, everyone being downstairs eating dinner, so she could just about see McLaggen turn a corner into the corridor with a tapestry of a wizard being clubbed to death by trolls.
When she skidded around into the passageway, though, she felt something- someone hit her solidly in the legs, and, seconds later, she tumbled to the floor, feeling vines securing them in place. Just before she hit the ground, she saw McLaggen reach the end of the corridor- and disappear. Just like that, he twinkled out of existence, and behind him, she saw another figure- taller and broader, with dark hair and robes, do exactly the same thing.
Impossible!
What was happening?
Then James hurtled like a race car after her, and skidded over her prone body, executing a spectacular flying leap across the rug and almost colliding with an irate portrait, who shouted "Watch it, boyo!" after him, before going back to his card game.
"You alright?" Catrin asked from the floor.
"Yeah...where did McLaggen go?" James asked, baffled. He ran his hand through his hair in a characteristic gesture, and stared at the wall as though hoping it would divulge its secrets.
"I dunno." Catrin said honestly, as confused as him. "I hoped that you'd know- being brought up in the wizarding world and everything."
"Yeah, but there's only so much you can learn about stuff that no-one wants to talk about." He said reasonably, getting to his feet. "That's annoying- I was sure we were onto something."
"We are." Catrin said, frustrated. "He, and some other Slytherins, are doing something! I heard, on the train- there's something they've brought to Hogwarts, and hidden, and they're all doing weird things! If I could just find out what they're doing!"
"Well, you've got all of Christmas." James frowned, and crossed to the window. Outside, Catrin could just about make out the soft white flakes of snow falling onto the Hogwarts grounds. Snow...Christmas...well, at least it wasn't on the streets.
Then James turned to face her, still frowning. "You can get up now, you know."
"I can't!" She cried. "McLaggen's used some spell and now my legs are trussed up! I accept your apology from before, just- get me free!"
He frowned at her bruised knees, twined around with some kind of black vines, and then started to chuckle. "Oh , Jones, you're kidding me."
"What?" she demanded angrily, cheeks flushed and boiling.
"Nothing. But still...the great Catrin Jones, fighter extraordinaire, beaten by a bit of rope!"
Catrin told him to go do something that she would never have said in English.