Okay. I have to admit, I'm not quite sure about telling Hermione about the whole I-am-not-meant-to-be-here thing-a-ma-jig. I know I had to tell someone my age, but why Hermione? I could have told Ron or Harry! Then they might have some understanding of me, but I told Hermione. Why'd I do that again? Must have been a moment of weakness; or was it that Harry wouldn't have come and saved her? I flinch at the thought. The truth is harsh.
Oh, then there was that hug I gave Harry and Ron. What in the name of everything sane was that?! I bet Harry's jealous of Ron or Ron's jealous at Harry. There better not be any injuries when we wake or I am going to literally kill them. Voldemort would love that thought.
Before any of you ask, I didn't go straight to bed; I talked with Hermione quietly in the empty bedroom. If you ask why it was empty, think. Every person was downstairs eating the feast that a certain professor gladly ruined. I tried explaining to her why I said I was to blame; I failed. It went along like, 'I felt it was right' and 'that's still no reason why you should'. Then I said that if I weren't there, the boys would never have saved us. She was silent then crawled slowly to bed.
Back to the present…
I wait downstairs in the common room with a very talkative stomach. I'm alone which I am not able to classify as good or bad. Harry comes down first at around 7, which was about 2 hours after I did.
"Oh, Katie you're down here already." He says shocked.
"Yes I am." I say chipper. "You shocked to see me alive?"
"Yes-I mean-er…" He starts. He has now finished descending the stairs and is standing less than 3 feet away from me.
"Okay, I get it. You were freaking out that I was in the bathroom with the troll and you worry for my safety. No biggie." I say, shrugging my shoulders as if to shrug off his worry.
"That is no big deal Katie!" He pulls me into a tight embrace with my arms stiff at my sides. My head sits on his shoulder. "You could have died!"
"But I didn't." He starts to interrupt but I continue. "Anyway, I wouldn't let myself die to a creature like that and one that was…" I've said to much. Ah, Katie, when will you learn to keep your mouth shut?
"One that was what, Katie?" Harry asks, releasing me from the choking hug.
"Uh, nothing." I say.
"No!" He says that with more force than I think he intended. I am thrown onto the floor, left at the mercy of this unstable boy. "No more secrets Katie! I won't stand for it. You better tell me who you are and what you're doing here. If you can't do that then… then… I don't want to be near you!" as soon as he said that, I think he regretted it because he soon clamped his hand over his mouth and then released it.
"You don't mean that." I say quietly, looking deep into his eyes.
"You don't know me." He says.
"You'd be surprised." I turn around and head to the Great Hall wishing for a few minutes of peace.
RON'S PERSPECTIVEI woke to yelling. It sounded like Harry.
"Crap!" I whisper to myself as I quickly get changed and rush down to the common room..
I am down the large staircase right as Katie leaves. My mouth moves but nothing comes out. Instinctively I try to follow her but a force pushes me back.
"What're you doing!" I shout.
"She's traitorous!" He yells back.
"No, she's not." I try to calm him.
"That girl holds too many secrets." He seethes.
"So do I, and so do you."
"Did it ever occur to you she might not want you to know for your own safety?" a voice says behind us.
"This isn't your fight!" Harry says through gritted teeth.
"No?" Hermione says to him. "I'm the one concerned about my future, but maybe yours doesn't matter to you. Maybe you're just scared because you feel left out. She's protecting you for reasons! She cares about you and you just threw that out the window! She's not as tough as she was when fighting Malfoy. Do you know why she fought him?"
"Why does it matter?" Harry turns his head away from here like he is ashamed of the answer.
"Because she cares for you, she cares for what you believe in. She also knew that you would have stood up to Malfoy and he would hurt you. She knew that would happen and prevented it from happening." Hermione is yelling now.
"How do you know this?" Harry asks, getting in her face.
"Because she confided in me." Hermione seethes. "She wanted to tell me because she couldn't keep it hidden for much longer."
"Why'd she go to you first?!" Harry spat.
"Maybe because I wasn't the ones who were insulting others for trying to do what the professors told me to!" She yelled and Harry stumbled back in surprise.
"That was me." I say looking at the ground.
"Yes. I know, but Mr. Celebrity over here did nothing to stop you." She says.
"Neither did Katie!" Harry says to her.
"No, she came and confided in me. I'm sure she would do the same for you to if you would allow her to talk to you." The last few words were louder than the others.
"I'm going to go talk to Katie." I say and walk out of the room before anyone could stop me.
…
I turn into the Great Hall and walk to the Slytherin table. A figure is hunched over and their body shakes with sobs. Pity stabs my heart.
"Katie?" I say cautiously.
"Go away. I'm trying to rid myself of all happiness." She sobs. Her body heaves.
"Katie," I sit down next to her and place my arms gently around her. "What are you doing to yourself?"
She looks up at me. Tears stain her face and her eyes are red and puffy. "Convincing myself of how horrible I am." Her body heaves again and a loud sob escapes her.
"You're not horrible, Katie." I say soothingly.
"Of course she's not horrible! What are you talking about?" I turn around and see one of my older twin brothers. Its Fred, or is it George?
"Go away." Katie says.
"Now why would I do that?" says who I think is Fred.
"Because if you don't you're a jerk!" Katie tries to scream but her current situation denies her the ability.
"Now," He says, pretending to be offended. "I would not be a jerk if a little miss someone was not acting so upset. Your ol' uncle Fred just wants to make you feel better."
"I don't want to feel better!" More sobs. "I just want everything to be back to normal!"
"But this is normal, Katie." I say to her.
"Not my normal." She says. She sniffles.
"What do you mean, 'not my normal?'" Fred asks.
"Crap!" She says to herself.
"Is this one of those many secrets you keep from us?" I ask.
"What secrets?" Fred says. He's ignored.
"I keep those things from you for a reason Ron." I say. "They could hurt you if you knew."
"Okay." I reply. "Then why did you tell Hermione and not us?"
"Because…" She couldn't finish her sentence before she started another wave of sobbing. I motion for Fred to leave and he does.
"Could you tell me something though?" I ask gently.
"Depends." She says.
"Why are you sitting at the Slytherin table?"
"Because I feel like crap and I feel as if even Slytherin doesn't deserve me!" She wails.
"That sucks." I say. I am starting to think that you can't pity her or she feels worse… so I'm just going to agree with her… even though I might end up butchered for it.
"What?!" She lifts her head to look at me. Her face is a mask of complete shock. "You're supposed to be making me feel better Ron, not agree with me!"
"Well, pitying you is obviously not working, so I'm trying a new approach." I shrug.
She makes a noise that sounds like a humph and leans on me. "As much as I want to know what you know, if it will eventually hurt me I won't ask you to share, especially since you get so emotional about it."
"I do not get emotional!" She yells.
"Then what do you call this?" I motion to her face and the wet spot on the Slytherin table.
"I don't know. I got really upset when Harry yelled at me because he couldn't understand. He never will be able to understand." She starts calming down.
"Why?" I ask. I'm not very curious but talking about it seems to make her feel better.
"Because he has never faced this situation before."
"What hasn't he faced?" I ask soothingly as I rub her forearm with my hand.
"That, I cannot tell you." She stands to leave before I pull her back down.
KATIE'S PERSPECTIVEThe next thing I know I am being pulled down onto Ron. I don't remember much after that. I remember sitting down at the Gryffindor table and Harry glaring at me. I think I saw Hermione sitting down next to him or something, wouldn't know why though.
"Katie," Ron was telling me once, "I trust you and I am curious about your secrets, but if there is ever a time when I am utterly confused and I'm dying, please do share."
"I will share if you're dying or if the time calls for it, but not now." I replied.
HARRY'S PERSPECTIVERon and Katie sat together. Katie looks as if she has been crying, I turn my head away from the sight.
I sat there thinking most of the time even though Hermione next to me kept saying how innocent Katie was. Eventually I came to some form of conclusion.
I left the Great Hall to find Professor McGonagall who was not yet eating breakfast.
Readers! I finally updated, whoo hoo! I made the beginning sort of a flashback review thing because I forgot most of what I wrote over vacation… So… What do you think Harry is going to tell McGonagall? Hmm? The whole Katie-Ron bondage? Anyway, tell me what you think! Thank you for reading… -wolfhound22