Part 14

That very same night, Minerva had hurried down to Severus' rooms at Hogwarts. There was no way she could wait until morning. The matter was simply too important. The life of one person was at stake, the lives of many. And so it was time for them to come up with a backup plan for Katie. They had to find a way to get Katie to safety. If Dumbledore ever got much too close to the truth about Katie, they needed to be prepared.

And that included even in the event that Voldemort ever learned of Katie's existence, the child of two of his followers, a very special child. Katie would be in the utmost danger if it ever came to light that she was in fact not Katie Bell, but Catelyn Snape Black.

And that night, a plan was formed to protect Katie, a plan of what they would do if someone got too close to the truth about Katie.

The next day, Katie was surprised to see both Minerva and Severus in the kitchen of the house. Something had obviously happened since she had last seen them, but what? Katie could clearly see the concern in their eyes.

Had Dumbledore made any progress in his search for her? Did he know more about the child, about her? Katie wasn't sure. With a motion of her head, Minerva indicated to her that she wanted to speak to Katie outside, alone. Well, almost alone.

A little later, Katie and Minerva were sitting in the sitting room. Severus stayed in the background. It was better if Minerva explained the plan to her. Certainly she would find the right words, or at least she would not lose her temper so quickly. Katie, after all, had inherited both temper and stubbornness from her parents - that was not a good mixture for a sensible conversation.

With a quick flick of her wrist, Katie performed one of the spells her father had shown her some time ago - Muffiliato - one of the Half-Blood Prince's spells. This one was a spell used to shield conversations from the ears of third parties. Well, it was better if there would be NO eavesdroppers in their conversation.

"What happened?" asked Katie, her gaze sliding back and forth between Minerva and Severus.

"You're so much like your father," Minerva said with a slight smile, "He's not one for nice chit-chat either, he wants to get right to the heart of the conversation."

Katie just nodded.

"Dumbledore wants to expand the search for you even further. It's getting harder and harder to convince him that this prophecy is a hoax. That Harry, is the child he so desperately seeks. I spoke to your father last night about this. In case someone gets too close to the truth, we need to be prepared."

Katie had grown on her. Even though they weren't related, to Minerva she was her granddaughter. And she would protect her, from all evil, from Voldemort, and from Dumbledore.

"What's the plan?"

"Katie, you have to be careful. One wrong word could put Dumbledore on your track, or someone else," full of worry, Minerva looked at her.

"I'm always careful," Katie replied.

"Maybe it would be a good idea for you to stay in the background for the time being. Your school year will be over soon, and then you'll be leaving Hogwarts. Maybe you should live in Scotland for a while after that, in the Highlands. A place no one can find," Minerva was implying that they were going to use a spell to hide Katie.

"So I'm supposed to become invisible and hide from Dumbledore and anyone who believes in the prophecy starting this summer?" questioning Katie looked at her. She couldn't believe what she heard.

Minerva nodded.

They had thought about it for a long time, and it was probably for the best. They would ask Remus Lupin to become the secret keeper when they performed the Fidelius Charm. No one would think that Lupin, who had always been so loyal to Dumbledore, would turn against him. Only Minerva and Severus knew the truth about Remus' relationship with Dumbledore. The others had never wanted to acknowledge Dumbledore take advantage of the fact that Remus was a werewolf.

"Is there no other way? There is already the spell, after all, and we performed it not too long ago. Maybe it needs a while to take full effect," but Katie knew, no sooner had she spoken the words, that this was not the case. Her father's spells never failed to work.

"No, . .there is no other way to protect you."

But Katie had noticed the brief moment Minerva had hesitated. So there was another way. But she wasn't going to find out about that one, at least not from Minerva. And she didn't need to ask her father, either. Severus wouldn't tell her, she could tell by the look on his face. He had already decided what was going to happen to Katie.

"I will not hide," Katie then declared.

"You will," Severus now said something for the first time since the conversation had been started.

"No. I won't hide, not from anybody."

"Child, please, it's for your own good. We want you to be safe, and it won't be forever, after all," Minerva appealed to Katie's sanity.

"Are you sure about that?"

Minerva lowered her eyes and didn't answer. She couldn't look Katie in the eye. Of course, Minerva had no way of knowing how long Katie would have to stay hidden. In any case, as long as she would be in danger. Maybe many years.

"I don't understand. Why am I, of all people, the child of prophecy? I thought it was always said that Harry was the one who had to kill him. And now I'm in danger. And all because I was born at the wrong time. And because I have parents who were not made to be parents. Sometimes I wish I had never been born."

Severus drew in his breath sharply as he heard Katie's reproach.

Of course he blamed himself for everything. Bellatrix and him had been unreasonable when they had decided to have the child then. They had both known the danger in which they were putting their daughter. However, neither of them had had the heart to decide not to have the child. For a moment they had been selfish, for a small moment they had clung to this straw of hope. And Katie was now paying the price. Unfortunately.

"You don't have the wrong parents," Minerva objected vehemently.

"It feels that way, though. And if they weren't my parents, then I wouldn't have been born either. Then I wouldn't be the child of prophecy. It's very simple," Katie explained.

Everything revolved around the prophecy in her life.

From the moment Katie was born, the prophecy hovered over her life like a dark cloud. And Katie was tired of having to hide and deny part of her existence. She didn't want to hide, she didn't want to run anymore.

And so, that evening, she sought out a place she hoped would bring her answers. The library. Very carefully she studied the title of each book in the library in Grimmauld Place. Perhaps in one of the books she would find the answer. Katie sensed it - somewhere in those books was the solution.

"Can I help you? Are you looking for a particular book?" suddenly Katie heard Hermione's voice behind her.

"I'm just looking around," Katie replied without taking her eyes off the spines of the books.

Katie was sure that Hermione could surely help her find the right book, but how was she going to explain it to her? How was she supposed to explain to Hermione that, yes, what exactly? Katie didn't have the right words to explain it to Hermione, and so she kept silent.

"It's an impressive library. It's just a shame you can't read all the books," Hermione commented.

"Because they're dark books?"

"No, or yes, that too. But some books can only be opened with the blood of the Blacks. There's a special spell placed over the books. The whole shelf next to the fireplace is full of books like that, protection spells, curses, blood spells, family magic, but you can only open them with blood of a Black, unfortunately. And I can't ask Sirius to give me a few drops of his blood just because I'm so curious about what's in the books," Hermione replied, disappointment at being denied so many books evident in her voice. So much knowledge.

Unconsciously, however, the young Gryffindor had given Katie a crucial clue. The answer to many of her questions could lie there. Perhaps the solution was there.

Katie approached the shelf and let her eyes wander over the books. Hermione was right, the shelf was packed with books of dark magic.

Two books in particular piqued Katie's curiosity - protection spells, magical rituals, family magic, and a chronicle of the Black family. Just as she reached out for one of the books, she heard Hermione's voice again: "You can't open it. You'd need the blood of a Black to do that."

In mid-motion, Katie paused.

Hermione was wrong. Of course Katie could open the books, Black blood ran through her veins, because she was Bellatrix's daughter. But if she reached for one of the books now, she would be revealing her secret to Hermione.

"Hermione, my brother is looking for you. He told me to tell you that he's waiting for you in the kitchen," Percy's voice suddenly sounded behind the two of them.

They both turned to look at Percy. He was leaning against the doorframe. It almost seemed as if he had been standing there for a moment longer, watching them both before he said anything.

"Ron?" asked Hermione cautiously, hoping at the same time that the answer would be something else.

"No, Fred," Percy replied.

A smile settled on Hermione's lips when she heard that. She nodded, leaving Percy and Katie alone in the library.

"What are you looking for here?" he inquired of his friend.

"A solution. For me. Something to protect me," she admitted.

"A solution?" he looked at her questioningly.

Fortunately, with Percy, Katie could be honest and tell him everything. She could sort of let herself go with him, be Catelyn. And ideally, she would like to be around him much more often than she was now. But Percy had already graduated from Hogwarts, so they both only had moments like right now.

Katie was leaning back against the bookshelf when Percy approached her. She lifted her head and looked directly at him.

"Dumbledore is getting closer and closer to the truth about me. And the only plan my father has is to hide me with the Fidelius Charm, somewhere in Scotland, but as long as it's far away and all alone. And preferably for a very long time. Hiding the bastard child of Severus Snape," Katie explained, a hint of bitterness evident in her voice.

She wasn't happy with the solution. Katie didn't want to be locked away and that was why she was here in the library now, looking for a better solution. But most of all, she would like to stop playing hide and seek and admit who she was, what she was. She would love to just stand up at the next meeting of the Order of the Phoenix and tell everyone that she was the child of prophecy, Catelyn Black.

"Maybe there is no other solution, at least for now," Percy said cautiously.

"There's a solution to everything, always, we just have to find it," Katie muttered.

"We could also just disappear, to America or Romania to my brother Charlie. That's both hopefully far enough away from Voldemort, Dumbledore, and my mother," Percy suddenly suggested.

Since he knew the truth about Katie, he had also given it some thought. He had thought long and hard about what options they had if things got too dangerous for Katie. But one thing had been clear to him immediately, he would go with Katie, no matter where. He would not leave her alone, ever.

"But that can't be a solution either, neither the Fidelius spell nor just running away. I don't want to hide for who I am. Just because two people who weren't supposed to have a child became parents, that I'm being punished for it?"

"You're not being punished, not for who you are or who your parents are," he objected.

"But it feels like it. Like I have to pay for what they did and who they are."

Wordlessly, Percy pulled her into his arms and just held his girlfriend for a moment.

"Katie, I'm so grateful to those two for doing this, for having a child together. Having you."

"But-"

"No buts. I know it's not easy. And also that we can't help our parents. We don't define ourselves by them. So, try to see it as an opportunity or a challenge to be different, to be better. Just be you," he asked.

Katie nodded.

Percy was right, after all. She should make the best of this whole thing. And prove to herself that she wasn't like her insane mother or her bad-tempered father, that she was more Katie than Catelyn.

"And you think there's a solution in the books?" he asked.

"Probably. Maybe. I don't know, but I hope I can at least find something that might help me. Anything. Hermione says these books are full of magic, spells, curses. Something will be in those books that can help us."

Katie broke away from his embrace and looked at the long row of books on the shelf. Percy stepped up beside her and reached for one of the books, coincidentally the one Katie had wanted to look at more closely earlier. The book, however, would not open.

"The books are enchanted so that an unauthorised person cannot open them. At least not one who is not part of the family," Katie said by way of explanation.

"And how can they be opened?"

"Hermione thinks that the blood of a Black can open the books," Katie explained, reaching for her wand.

With a muttered spell, she cut her palm and let some blood drip onto two of the books.

Unnoticed by either of them, two drops had landed on the wooden floor of the library.

She handed one of the books to Percy while she leafed through the other book, always looking for a solution. But neither of them really knew what they were looking for. They had no idea what solution they were really looking for.

"I think this sounds promising," Percy suddenly said, holding the book out to Katie.

"The Blacks' blood protection. If you perform the ritual in a Black's house, it provides protection for the entire bloodline. A few drops of blood should be spread on the floor and the words Le sang de mon sang. Protection de mon sang. Tout le mal reste à l'écart. Maintenant et aussi longtemps que le sang coule dans mes veines shall be said and then incense shall be burned in the house to drive away evil while-" Katie read the entry.

However, as she was about to read the end of the ritual in the book, Percy interrupted her, "Do you think this could be a solution?"

"I don't know. Maybe I should just talk to my father again calmly? Even though I can imagine that talking calmly and Severus Snape don't go together. Or I could write to my mother again? Maybe I should meet with her and ask her directly. Maybe, she's bound to know her family's spells. She will surely know which spell is the right one" Katie pondered.

Before Katie could think any further about what to do, however, the door to the library was opened and Hermione entered the room, but stopped at the door so that she couldn't see that Percy and Katie had two books on the small table in front of them. Two books from the shelf Hermione was interested in. Books that only a Black could actually read.

"Percy, your mother sent me to get you. Dinner's ready," she said.

"Ok, you go ahead, Katie and I will be along in a minute," Percy replied.

When Hermione had closed the door behind her again, they both turned back to their books. The solution was definitely in one of these books, they just had to find it.

And that was why they shouldn't stop looking. Not now.

"Shall we leave them here or shall we take the books upstairs to your room? We could continue looking later after dinner."

"It would certainly be noticed that they were missing. And someone would start asking questions then. Let's just come back here after dinner," Katie replied.

Even though she would have preferred to continue right now, she knew it was more sensible to wait. And also that it was better if the books didn't leave the library. It would only raise unnecessary questions.

A little later, Katie and Percy were sitting at the table in the kitchen with the other current residents of the house. Molly Weasley had cooked an Irish stew.

There was a normal relaxed mood around the table until suddenly the door was yanked open.

"Something's happened," Sirius blurted out as he entered the kitchen, "With the Black family tree on the wall."