A/N: Sorry this took so long. Borderlands 2 kind of ATE my life for a while there...and we got a new kitten so...yeah. LIFE. Here's the new chapter! XD Not as much got done as I'd hoped but meh.
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I honestly couldn't understand how Harry had gotten so far in his life without having his neck snapped by some charming assassin. He'd let me get so close to him with only a few sweet words, a kind smile and a pat on his head. I suppose for a child raised in neglect any sort of kind word was instantly thought of as a friend. He and his little friend Ron were chattering together while we dined together in the kitchens for breakfast, about some trivial Quidditch match that would be happening in the near future. Of course Ron was glaring at me every so often, but I simply would smile and tilt my head at him in a way that I had been told was very...insane looking. Of course their idea of insane and my version of insane were very different...since when I usually smiled at Ron it was with my forced 'politely blank' that people usually use when they don't want their boss to know they hate their guts.
"I still think Snape's a greasy git, no matter what our resident Slytherin thinks!" Ron said arrogantly. I of course couldn't say anything at that moment because the little pustule had timed it so I had a huge chunk of chicken parmesan in my mouth along with the fork. I frowned around the tasty, cheesy, chicken-y goodness I was consuming and tried to dredge up some amount of offense to that statement but found I was in too good of a mood to really be angry. The House Elves had promised me cheesecake if I behaved while they muttered about 'Collins' and their 'violence'. I never turned down delicious cheesecake...mmmm.
"Oh, Ron...Kat hasn't been anything other then helpful and kind to us! She even stuck up for Neville!" Harry defended my honor in my place. Oh yes, I defended Neville. The fact that he was going to be smokin' hot when he grew up had NOTHING to do with my decision either. Denial is not a river, Katelyn!
"But she's a Slytherin, Harry! Nothing good ever comes out of Slytherin!" Now THAT I did take offense to! I was a good person(mostly)! I helped people, and I didn't kick puppies or anything! I pulled my fork out of my mouth as I finished my mouthful and frowned.
"Just like no one evil has come out of Gryffindor, right?" I asked venomously. They may not know about Peter Pettegrew but damn if I was going to let them slander me and any one who WAS good in Slytherin while thinking their house was so spotless. The red head glared at me and glared right back, feeling another fire dragon lighting itself in my heart.
"You do know that Merlin was a Slytherin, right? I'm rather proud to be in the same house as the most powerful wizard in all history." I moodily pointed out; reminding myself I can't actually rip the little blaggards toenails off as that would only reaffirm his belief that I was a baby eating monster born from the depths of hell. Ron, of course, continued to glare at me since he apparently had nothing to say to that. What I wasn't quite expecting was for that idiot Malfoy to make a total fool of himself and taunt Ron into accepting a Wizardign Duel for Harry while in my presence right before lunch. I paused in my quest to free my wizarding robes of white cat hair (which was a futile attempt) and stared at him.
"I choose Katelyn Collins as my second!" The brick haired blonde declared pompously.
"I knew it!"
"EXSCUSE ME. BLONDIE!?" Came the respective shouts of Ronald Weasly and myself. The little twit had the gall to smirk at me as if he'd WON something! UGH and here I was hoping to avoid this whole 'finding Fluffy and starting to learn about the Philosphers stone' thing. Nope, mr. Hairgel-induced-retard over there had to fuck that up too! As Ron pulled Harry off after accepting the duel in his place I turned to Draco and slammed him into an unseen corner by his robes.
"Listen here, MALFOY. I don't like you, you don't like me. But if you RUIN what I'm working on I will END you." I hissed in his face. The malfoy heir had paled past the color of milk as I poisonously glared into his face.
"Remember that when you start trying to goad the Boy-Who-Lived, FERRET." I shoved him harder into the wall as his face started to clear in comprehension and I snarled before backing off to go to class.
"Are you working for...HIM?" The boy behind me whispered and for a moment I thought about denying it. I thought about telling him the truth; I was a world walker who planned on separating the Magical World even more from normal humans. A 22 year old woman who was now 11, who planned on preserving the magic in the world. But you know what they say about secrets; the more people who know them the less they stay secrets. I turned my head and gave a secretive smile before going to me next class; Transfiguration. Behind me, Draco Malfoy began to ponder. He began to think about what plans the Dark Lord may have for Harry Potter; plans that involved one Katelyn Collins.
000-000
I feel my heart beating, in my throat. Every moment I lived flashed before my eyes as I started up into the eyes of Death himself. Only apparently Death was a giant three headed dog. Nothing I had ever thought of could have prepared me for this moment; the feeling of hot stinking breath on my entire body, the chest rumbling growls. I was 22 years old damnit, yet here I was; shaking in my boots as I pressed Hermione, Ron and Harry behind me as they too stared up at Fluffy. One heart beat, two heart beats, is that screaming?
"KAT!" Three heartbeats, suddenly the world came rushing back to me like a tidal wave with roar of my blood in my ears and the grip of a hand on the back of my shirt. Someone pulled me from the room as the dog's fangs snapped shut where my body would have been only a hair of a second before. The Golden Trio was gasping for air around me and I shook off the hopeless sense of fear that had gripped me within it's treacherous claws. I got up to slam the door shut on the barking heads fighting to get through a too small door way, breathing hard before I used magic to lock it.
"What in the bloody hell was that!?" Came the half scream from the red headed Weasly. I turned my head to glance at him, feeling a tingling in my cheeks as blood started to come back. Hermione was of course searching her enormous brain for an answer, but I beat her to it.
"A Cerberus. From greek myth; said to guard the gates of Hades and eat any souls that try and escape." I intoned with all the feeling of a textbook; shock doing wonders for my cognitive skills. Hermione was glaring at me for getting the answer before her and I waved the look aside; she would get used to it since I was going to be with them for a while.
"Wow, Kat. How do you know that?" Harry breathed in awe. Ron glared at me as well, distrustful again.
"Yeah! How did you know, why did you not want us to come down this hallway!? Did you know that THING was here?" He accused, making the other two turn doe eyes back to me. I snorted and pushed my short hair out of my eyes, my clips having gone missing when escaping the dog.
"This is the third floor, idiot. The floor that the Headmaster told us not to go down? Plus; I've seen Hagrid coming up here with bags of raw meat. It's not hard to start piecing a picture." I sneer at the boy, lying through my freaking teeth is easier then I imagined. I left them outside their tower with those words; calling back over my shoulder.
"He was also standing on a trap door; think on that little Lions!"
000-000
"It's levi-O-sa. Not levio-SA." Came Ron's mocking voice from my right as I left Charms class. It had been chaos with a bunch of children trying to make feathers fly. Luckily I had gotten mine to fly on the fifth try or I'd be having to write a foot of essay on the impact word pronunciation has on magic. Ugh, I wrote enough essays in college and I didn't want to have to write more. I clench my teeth and grabbed Hermione by the wrist as she pushed past me, tears starting to gather in her eyes.
"She's a nightmare! It's no wonder she hasn't got any friends!" He prattles on to Harry, who was looking like he was trying to be happy at his friends mean spirit while not really agreeing with him. Hermione gave a quiet sob as I pulled her close to my side.
"Ronald Weasly!" I shout, putting all the maternal instincts I had into that one name. The dolt jumped a foot in the air; looking around wildly for his mother. I winked at the startled Hermione; I loved creating chaos and taking bullies down a peg. This way I get to do both at the same time! He turned and saw me stalking towards him, my face like a thunder cloud and he cowered. I could feel my heart swell with pride: He was learning!
"How DARE you speak such ill of someone who did nothing but HELP you. I have half a mind to put you over my knee and slap your bum until it falls off your body and grows legs! First me, now Hermione!? Who else are you going to accuse of being nasty? A Hufflepuff?" Harry was staring at me with wide eyes while Ron had ducked his head under the weight of my words. The rest of the houses were watching with unabashed glee as a Slytherin gave a Griffindor a tong-lashing.
"You keep your poisonous tong in your head if you have nothing nice to say, WEASLY. If I hear you say another nasty thing about someone you havn't tried to understand I will hang you by your toenails in the Forest!" He tried to open his mouth and say something but I cut him off with my hand, then turned and linked arms with Hermione and walked off in a huff to Dinner. I loved being a drama queen! It was always so much FUN!
"Why did you help me?" Came Hermione's quiet voice. I turned back to her with a sly expression on my face. She flinched back from my gaze.
"Maybe it's because you're of use to me. Or perhaps it could be because anyone that horrible little boy is disdainful of I have to be friends with. Or maybe I'm just lonely...being kind in Slytherin doesn't make you many friends." I quipped, proud of the confused look I had put on her face. For a moment I saw someone else mirrored in her know it all face...a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes who always had facts about science. A hand clenched around my heart as I think about my friends from my other life.
"But mostly it's because you remind me of someone. Someone I miss dearly...someone I doubt I will ever see again." I mumbled half to myself and half to her. As if she can see the pain the memory causes me, Hermione put a hand on my shoulder and smiles at me nervously. Something wet slid down my cheek and I lifted my fingers and found them wet with tears when they came away. My lips trembled with the force of holding back the sobs that tried to force their way out of my heart. I pushed past Harry and Ron, missed their startled looks when they saw my face. I ran through the halls with little thought of where I was going until I found myself in the bathroom. My grief and pain poured out through my tears as I beat my hands raw on the rough stone of the castle.
"I WANT TO GO HOME!" I startled myself with the tear roughened scream that tore itself from my throat with the force of barbed wire and glass shards. It felt like I cried and screamed until my throat was raw, like hours passed. When I finally came back to myself, blinking and sputtering around my pain...I remembered what day it was. Then, the smell hit me.
The Troll. How had I forgotten about the troll? I could hear it grunting outside the bathroom door, before it opened. Oh Goddess...no one knew where I was. None of the teachers would get here in time. I fumbled for my wand, holding it in a white knuckled grip. One bloodshot eye peeped over the top of the bathroom stall and I shoved all my fear away before it could overwhelm me like it did with Fluffy.
The eyes; Trolls were weak against fire and their eyes being hurt. I gathered up all of my courage and pointed my wand at the creature's eyes as it's bulldozer shovel sized hand ripped the stall off the wall.
"INCENDIO!" Fire shot into the thing's face charring it and I heard the sound of it's eyes sizzling and popping in it's skull. It flailed; catching me in the torso and flinging me feet over face into a wall. I wheezed as best I could with no air in my lungs and fought to get myself up; to get myself fighting.
"Kat!?" Harry had come for me...what a foolish, sweet, naive child he was. Through the burning tears in my eyes from lack of air I could see the Professors behind him as well as Ron and Hermione. I was saved...but I was also sure I'd cracked a few ribs. I fell into velvet blackness to the sound of battle by the hands of the adults and the feeling of tiny hands shaking me.
