And here is the next part
Part 4
After all the turmoil at Hogwarts and the news, the truth she had learned, Katie was glad to escape Hogwarts for a while. And her father.
Together with her grandmother, she had traveled that morning to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, where she would spend the Christmas holidays. Along with Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys.
Katie had just retired to her room. And Percy had followed her.
Actually, Katie had hoped that she would not see him again so soon. In fact, she wanted to get her thoughts in order before she saw her boyfriend again. She did not know how things would continue - with Percy and her. He would break up with her for sure when he learned the truth. It might even be for the best. He, the ambitious young man working in the ministry, and she, the daughter of two Death Eaters. Never could that work. Such a relationship could not have a future.
"I love you," Percy whispered, pulling Katie in for a kiss.
"Don't," Katie pleaded and pushed him away.
Irritated, Percy looked at his girlfriend.
He didn't understand what was going on. But apparently there was something on Katie's mind.
"What's bothering you? Did something happen?" he asked, concerned.
"You shouldn't love me, not anymore. And about us, Percy, it would be better if there was no us."
Never before had Katie had trouble talking to Percy.
Surprised, Percy looked at his girlfriend. He did not understand what she was saying. In fact, he didn't want to comprehend the words.
"Why?"
"It's better this way," Katie added. She was not able to explain it to him.
"Katie, I love you. You need to tell me why I shouldn't love you anymore. Because there's nothing that would change my feelings for you."
"My parents."
Percy looked at her. And slowly, Katie's words began to make sense. They had once speculated about Katie's possible parents quite a while ago. They had come up with the strangest ideas. But eventually they had become serious. Back then, Katie had been worried that the truth about her parents' identities would cause problems. After all, she knew nothing about her parents, her true identity.
What if the truth was so terrible that it should not come to light?
All those years Minerva McGonagall had kept silent about the identity of Katie's parents, being the only one who knew the true identity of Katie's parents. Officially, Katie was an orphan and the daughter of Minerva's son, whom she herself had given away after birth.
It was a made-up story to hide the truth.
It seems, however, that Katie had now learned the truth, the names of her parents, Percy concluded. And what Katie had learned was obviously very frightening to her.
Percy did the only thing he could think of. He pulled Katie close to him, held her tightly in his arms. And this time she did not resist his closeness. His touch. In this moment he made her feel like she was the only one who mattered.
"I'm not going to stop loving you. Even if you tell me your father is Argus Filch or You-Know-Who", he didn't care who or what her parents were. And this was the truth.
"And if it's much worse?"
"Then I will still love you," Percy replied without hesitation.
"You can't know that."
Percy raised his hand and stroked her cheek.
"I love you, Katie Bell. And no secret in the world will change that. No matter what we find out about your parents, that won't change my love for you."
"I-"
"No, whatever the future holds, whatever we both learn about your parents, nothing will cause me to break up with you. Do you remember our promise?"
Katie nodded. It had been in the summer, just before Katie had to go back to Hogwarts, when they had made a promise to each other. A promise that nothing would tear them apart.
"Yes."
"We promised each other that nothing would separate us. Not my mother. Nor your parents' true identities. And that's the way it will stay. Always."
Katie smiled at him. That was good to hear. But nobody could have known at that time that this promise was going to cost them both a lot of strength.
Dark days lay ahead of them, now even more than ever.