Chapter 47: The one where green met grey

Disclaimer: I am just a mere visitor in the sublime world constructed by J.K Rowling. Anything that rings a bell is hers.

A/N: Sorry for the late update…here goes.

Previously on Phoenix Accession:

I snapped out of my reverie by the familiar voice. I was allowed out of my rooms and deemed fit enough to exist independently by Madam Pomfrey three days ago and every day since then that annoying voice would pick at my brains. I ignored it and ascended the stairs, like I usually did. The footsteps disappeared behind me and I smirked, maybe the idiot finally got the picture. I turned and walked down the corridor, stopping dead when somebody emerged from the portrait to my left.

Chapter 46

I glared at grey eyes,

"Don't you belong downstairs?"

I was annoyed at being thwarted, I knew that secret passage, and I should have been prepared. He took a step closer, assaulting me with his scent.

"Where have you been?"

"I just wrote Transfiguration."

He ran a hand through his bronze locks in frustration and growled, "I mean for the last few months as you bloody well know!"

I rolled my eyes. Mi told me that Cedric had actually asked her where I was the day I was attacked; she told him the story about me helping Nessie out like she was told to.

"Playing Mother Theresa to a bitch in high heels…or is it Florence Nightingale, I always get confused between the two-"

"I know that's a lie."

I laughed, not even denying it and continued walking. It's cute how he thought I would tell him the truth just by asking. He grabbed my elbow, and I flung him off, "What business is it to you where I go and what I do Diggory. Hop on off to Chang; I'm afraid she might not know how to walk with just two legs."

Mi filled me in about how they were still dating, she was even the person that mattered the most to him for the second task. I made my way to the common room, hoping to find Ron and have a game of chess before Mi dragged me off to the library.

Unfortunately, it seemed fate was not on my side today, actually she was kicking me in the gut and pulling my hair. I heaved a sigh at the one person I wanted to see less than Cedric.

"Hello Kitten."

I ignored Nott and continued walking; he seemed to take this as an invitation. "That paper was just not challenging enough; I fear old McGonagall is losing her edge. Did you see the last question? I don't even think Goyle would have trouble with that. Then again Goyle still has trouble with which goes first, socks or shoes."

I continued walking. It was strange; Nott was not the chatty type. And he definitely wasn't one to seek out company. Yet for the past few days that I was allowed out and about, I would see him here and there. Maybe I was just being paranoid after what had happened. Or maybe just because I knew him now his face was easier to recognise in a crowd. Whatever it was, he was still out of character.

"What's your deal?"

His smirk got wider, "I like girls."

"I don't mean like that Nott. I mean, what's with you always hanging around."

"Maybe I've always been there, you just haven't noticed me."

"That thought crossed my mind."

"What were your other thoughts?"

"That I'm just being paranoid."

"You're not."

I stopped and turned and looked at him, "So you are up to something?"

"I'm always up to something Kitten. I believe this is your stop."

He mock bowed and walked off. He was so strange. I didn't have time to wonder about his strangeness because just then a hand wrapped around my arm. The scream left my mouth instantaneously and my whole body seized up. My heart was beating a mile a minute and the floor was shaking beneath me until it stopped shaking and just turned black.

I opened my eyes and quickly closed them against the bright light. I sat up, shielding my eyes with my hand.

"Will you get your wand out of her face?"

"It's better than where you keep yours, up your…"

"Cease your bickering, she's awake. Bane?"

The light stopped shining and I saw Minnie's face swim in front of me. Li and Len rushed into view, Len spoke first,

"Ky, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that. Are you OK?"

"Of course, she isn't OK! I knew she shouldn't have left her room. She didn't get enough rest. She's not ready to be waltzing around the castle. She shouldn't even be here. She should be home, not here. We haven't even found the sick fucker, that's it! She's coming home-"

"I'm not going anywhere Li. Hogwarts is safe, I was just being silly reacting like that."

"Hogwarts is so safe that you got attacked!"

"I didn't get attacked in Hogwarts, I got attacked- "

"Stop this incessant babbling at once. Nobody is taking anybody anywhere. Linus, Bane is in the process of examinations, vacation starts in a week. And I cannot stress how much extra precautions we have been taking concerning her, nobody wants a repeat of…everybody is worried."

She seemed to soothe Li down with the concerned look she had on her face. He sat back down on the chair, and she turned to me, a steely look in her eye.

"Now Bane…I know you say you're fine- "

"Because I am."

"People who are fine do not scream when their brothers touch them." She took a deep breath and looked at me with such pleading eyes. "I'm worried about you. You've been through a traumatic experience and whilst physically you've got the all-clear, you haven't dealt mentally with this ordeal. You know I'm here if you want to talk."

I got off the chair, I was so sick of this. Everybody just wanted to harp on and on about this matter. Why can't they just give it a break, why can't they just let it go!

"I know that. And so are Mi and Mona and Pomfrey and Nonno and even Kinky! But there isn't anything to talk about. I was sick, but now I'm better. I don't even have a scar! So would everybody kindly please back OFF!?"

I turned away from her shocked face and ignored Linus and Lenzo. I was sick of that look. Like I was some wounded animal, I didn't need anybody's pity. What I needed was everybody else to just get over this so I can move on with my life.

I grabbed my broom and sped downstairs ignoring Ron's call on my way out. I took the stairs two at a time and charged out the front doors. I stopped only when I reached the quidditch pitch, or what was supposed to be the quidditch pitch. Now what stood there was a huge maze, I flung my broom on the floor cursing the damn Triwizard Tournament.

"You really shouldn't treat your broom like that. Toss it around like that again and I'll personally take it away."

I glared at the owner of the voice, whipping around furiously. I glared at his green eyes and moved my hand up in a diagonal motion; he dodged the jet of red light and cocked his eyebrow at me. He surprised me though by reacting quickly,

" aqua eructo"

"Impervius, ascendio." He dodged the line of blue, I realised what he was doing at his wand movements,

"impedimenta."

I lazily moved out of the way, which seemed to anger him, "expelliarmus".

I dodged again, but it almost hit me, "rictusempra".

He didn't dodge this time but erected a shield charm, weak but present, nonetheless. It held for a few seconds and then it broke, and the tickling jinx hit him.

I sent a stinging jinx as the shield disappeared and he fell to the floor dodging it, laughing like a crazy person.

He cast the counter curse quickly and he sent a tripping jinx at me. I executed a perfect shield charm and smirked at him. How do you like them apples Potter?

"fumos" I squinted as dark grey smoke obscured my view; I turned quickly preparing for the sneak attack.

"Don't you know the basic rule of combat; don't ever turn your back to the enemy."

I felt his arm circle loosely around my neck, smart move; he remained in front of me knowing I would expect a sneak attack and turn.

My hand was hanging loosely at my side, and I pointed it up, spraying water all down his front. He let go at the pressure I hit him with but unfortunately it wasn't before he cast a freezing charm on me.

Not the stop and stare kind but the cold kind, I shivered uncontrollably, and it was hard to get a good aim to hit him with. I quickly cast the counter curse, diving to the ground to evade his next jinx but my wand flew from my hand.

Fortunately, I sent a trip jinx just before that, which hit him and he fell to the ground, his wand falling out of his hand. One moment we stared at each other, the next we scrambled for our respective wands. He grabbed his first, but I had prepared my spell already,

"Ventus" he wasn't pushed back by a gust of wind though, and erected a shield charm that defended the wind attack, but it didn't stay long enough to protect from the next spell, and I raised my arm to disarm him but then my own wand went whizzing out of my hand.

Harry's face mirrored my confusion as he stared at his empty hand…I looked to my left and saw a grim faced Sev standing there, three wands in his hand and an angry gleam in his eye.

"Unauthorized duelling is prohibited on school grounds."

"Lucky it's not unauthorized then." They both looked at me curiously; honestly, I was also curious as to how I was going to work this out. "Well-"

"We're practicing for the third task. I needed help and Ky graciously…Ky offered."

Sev sneered down at Harry with open distaste, "As important as we all know you are Mr Potter, it may come as a surprise to you, but you are just a student here so when I say something is unauthorized…it is so, seeing as I am the authority on such things. Twenty points from Gryffindor. Each. Proceed to your dormitories."

And with a swish of a cloak, he was gone. It looked like he disappeared, but it was just that his dark cloak blended too well in the night. I reached to pick my broom up, but Harry beat me to it. He cradled it cautiously, running his hand gently across the handle. We started walking towards the castle; the only thing stopping me from wrenching the broom out of his hand was the look on his face. He was in his element, engrossed in the workmanship of the broom.

"You're very lucky to have brothers who did this for you."

I laughed a hollow laugh at that. How rich, he dare bring my brothers up in conversation after all the things he said.

The confused look dropped quickly from his face, "About that, I should probably apologise."

"It's not necessary."

"It is. I am sorry. I didn't mean what I said."

"When does anybody? Hardly anybody means what they say, we hide behind words like a shield, the less truth in them the stronger the shield…it should be the other way around. We feel protected by lies and half-truths. I do not care whether you meant or did not mean what you said, you said it. The doubt went through your mind and fell off your tongue and that to me is truth."

"So, you never doubted a thing in your life?"

I turned and looked at him, "Of course I doubted things. Lots of things…but never people. You know how I told you once that I name people in my head right off the bat…well I don't just name them. In that first few seconds of meeting somebody, I have already decided to call them friend or foe. You always wondered why Mi and I had got close so quickly, it's because once you get the label out of the way you don't have to work too hard to achieve the name itself. Treat a friend like a friend Potter, a foe like a foe."

He shook his head, "People are not black and white, you can't just judge them so simply, if there's anything I learnt from school it would be that."

"Did I say anything about black and white? Good or bad? That's your problem Potter; you speak like a six-year-old. Bad people need friends too."

"Malfoy has enough friends."

"Malfoy has no friends, and let's stop pretending that little soiree we had was about Malfoy." His face took on a wary expression quickly, "You had those doubts in your head long before the Ball."

"No, I didn't."

"Oh, please Potter, you were practically quoting Ginny verbatim."

"Exactly!"

I frowned at him, "I didn't think those things. I wanted to hurt you for betraying us, for…" His eyes drowned in the intensity he was trying to convey. "I repeated everything Ginny had said. They were never my doubts. I just wanted to hurt you for…hurting…us."

My eyes narrowed, "So, you've never wondered where I was that night."

"Of course I had. I wondered where you had gone, but that's only in my nature. At the same time though, I didn't suspect you were up to any of the stuff Ginny claimed you were up to. I have a feeling something happened that night, but I also know that if you needed me to know you would tell me."

"That's not like you, you're usually a snoop."

"No, I'm not. I only delve into secrets that I think would be threatening. I know you're not a threat."

"You shouldn't be so sure Potter, you got your butt beat back there, and I would think that's pretty threatening."

"Don't be so sure, I had a trick up my sleeve."

"Just admit defeat."

"Let's just call it a draw."

"I don't do draws."

"Too bad because that's what it was…I'm sorry about you getting hurt as well."

I froze, how did he find out about it? He frowned at my wary stance,

"It was never my intention to harm you. I didn't expect the spell to hit the bracket and-"

"It's fine, no harm, no foul."

"You did get harmed though."

"True, let me abridge my previous statement, no scar, no foul. By the way, why now?"

He looked at me and then down to the floor, "Well you didn't want to speak to me those few weeks. And honestly, I didn't deserve to speak to you. I hurt you and I was so embarrassed and angry at that. It was easier just not talking to you, not dealing with the guilt. Plus, I thought that's what you wanted."

"You didn't answer my question."

Green met grey, "I saw you run out of the common room just now…I know that you weren't with your brothers this past few months. I know something happened to you that made Hermione go into a state that I've never seen her in before. I don't blame you for not telling me…I don't deserve it. I've been an awful friend. But I want you to know… that I care. I care about you. And this friendship. If there is anything, anything at all…."

I nodded, snapping away from the pull of his eyes, of him. I realised I had taken a few steps forward and that realisation scared me. I entered the common room and headed straight for the dorm, an unsettling feeling gnawing in my tummy.

…he knelt before me, slowly slipping the mask up. He kissed my knee, then my thigh. He pushed my legs apart and I looked down, willing the strength to shine in my eyes. He reached up and took off the mask.

I shot up from the bed and started reciting the multiples of seven in my head. I was at 231 before I managed to breathe at a normal pace. I didn't know if I had screamed but I had cast a silencing charm around my bed before I went to sleep.

This was becoming a ritual. I didn't have a proper night's sleep from the time I woke up from my mental vacation. I lay back down on the bed, angry that the dream plagued me so. But it made sense, the bastard wasn't caught yet. It's just my mind trying to get some clue to help us figure out who it is. I gave up on sleep and pushed the blankets off me.

Ten minutes later I was in my potion's lab. This incessant shaking was becoming bothersome. I dropped the Ptolemy onto the floor in frustration. I knelt down to pick it up and stopped. I stared as the blood red substance oozed across the floor of the potion lab.

Flashes of blood-soaked shirts, of blood on little house elf fingers. Blood dripping onto the shiny floor. Blood on long wrinkled fingers. On hands that were gentle. Blood turned to tears. Tears from different faces. Nonno, Linus, Lenzo, Mi, Minnie, Mona, Fil. So many tears. Tears at a pale face that looked like death, of purple lips, of closed eyes. Tears at the slow rise of my chest, at the soft beating of my heart.

Tears in my hands. I closed my fists and watched the liquid squish out.

I heard a sound behind me, I turned and looked up. I must look a sight; his sallow face went from annoyance to shock before he could even blink. But nothing scared me more than what happened next.

He dropped down to the floor and pulled me to his chest. Holding me tightly in a hug, stroking my hair and muttering in his deep baritone that everything was alright. I didn't realise I had been bawling, blubbering Godric knows what into his shoulder…

I was not OK.

A/N: I went back and forth on how involved I wanted Harry to be with this. It isn't like him to not meddle if a friend suddenly disappears for months, but I think his feelings for Ky terrifies him, I think he can't believe how he reacted to seeing her with Malfoy and I think genuine embarrassment would have him allow her space. Also, part of me wanted Ky to work things out in her own way – leaning on family figures (Hermione and Severus) rather than a potential romantic interest. Let me know what you think about the Harry-Ky interaction in this chapter!

Kalina