It was somewhat a relief to be back in school, within the relative safety of the castle walls. Her workload was such that she could keep her mind focused on things other than the disturbing events of the previous month. Of course, she could only keep her mind occupied to a certain extent. At night, in the quiet of her dormitory she would lie, afraid to close her eyes because she knew what she would see in her dreams. She would jolt awake in the night, staring round wildly as if she would find him lurking somewhere in the room, and she could only hope that things would get better with time.
Quidditch training began in earnest during the second week of September, with the first match scheduled between Gryffindor and Slytherin at the end of the month. Ron had seriously improved in his goalkeeping duties since fifth year and was now just as good as Oliver Wood had been. Harry was flawless as ever as their seeker; who could fail to be so when they rode a Firebolt? Ginny had switched to being a chaser and had as much skill as any of her brothers, maybe even more when you took her cunning into account.
Kathryn, as well as being a chaser, was also the team captain and she had led them to victory three years running. She had also, on occasion, doubled up as seeker if Harry was injured. This talent had saved them some embarrassing losses when Harry had been temporarily banned in fifth year. It was also helpful that they had not one, but two Firebolt's on their team which more than made up for the Slytherins seven Nimbus Two Thousand-and-One's.
On the Friday before the match however, the unthinkable happened. With the pitch in such high demand, the rival teams wanting to do everything they could to ensure victory, the Slytherin and Gryffindor teams had been forced to do their last minute training together. So as not to give away their strategy the Gryffindors practiced basic manoeuvres, Harry and Kathryn doing several laps of the pitch at break-neck speed just to put the Slytherins off their game by knowing they were up against two of the fastest racing brooms available. Kathryn in particular loved pushing her broom to the limits of what it would do, and was known for performing some gravity-defying acrobatics on the pitch.
Acrobatics, however, was not what this session was for. Whilst directing her team, who were trying to get shots past Ron, Kathryn was oblivious to what the Slytherins were doing. She didn't feel any particular need to observe their practice, as she had come to realise that in most matches their main tactic was to play dirty. With her back to the Slytherin team, she held her arm out and pointed out various positions to her team mates. Behind her there was a dull whoosh of a broom, and before she knew what had happened, Malfoy sped past her in a green blur, and grabbed her outstretched arm. If felt as if her arm was being wrenched out of it's socket as Draco went as fast as his broom could go, yanking her along after him all the while.
Harry, the only person seeing this unprovoked attack, sped to her aid only to catch her broom as it slipped from her grasp. He was powerless to help and could only watch as Malfoy smiled cruelly back at his sister before letting go of her hand and flying back to his team outside the pitch. Kathryn, however, did not have the luxury of being able to stop her flight, slamming into one of the wooden towers that rose throughout the stands with a sickening crunch. She did not reappear.
Hermione's piercing scream ripped through the silence of the stadium. The rest of the team landed on the stand nearest the tower and rushed up the stairs to find her.
Harry was the first to get there, sprinting up the stairs two at a time until he came to the hole she had left in the wooden wall. She was lying sprawled on a stairway, unconscious and with her right leg bent at an odd, unnatural angle. There were splinters of wood in her hands and a small trickle of blood ran from a cut in her cheek.
"Get Hagrid!" Harry yelled as he and Ron carefully moved her onto the landing where Harry sat with her head on his knees. Ginny disappeared, running as fast as she could to Hagrid's hut. Hagrid's huge footsteps could be heard as soon as he began to climb the tower.
"Out o' the way! Out o' the way!" He yelled as he pushed his way through the rest of the team. "It's alright Harry, I've got her." He reassured Harry as he carefully lifted her into his arms. "Now, one of ye go tell Madam Pomfrey I'm bringing her up and the rest of ye go fetch Professor McGonagall." He said gruffly as he awkwardly made it out of the tower as carefully as he could.
"I'll go tell Madam Pomfrey!" Ron shouted, mounting his broom as soon as they got out into the grounds. He shot off in that direction whilst the rest of the team cried that they would fetch Professor McGonagall and flew off in the direction of her office. Harry and Hermione ran after Hagrid, taking three steps to every one of his, as he carried Kathryn up to the hospital wing. He pushed his way through the students milling around in the corridors, most of them staring goggle-eyed as they passed.
By the time they arrived at the hospital wing, the rest of the team were already there, gathered at the door to the hospital wing along with Professor McGonagall and Ron. McGonagall's face was full of concern, yet pink with rage at the same time. Harry could only begin to imagine the heated discussion she would be having with Snape that evening. Laying her down carefully on one of the beds, Hagrid stepped back and allowed Madam Pomfrey to move in and tend her patient.
"Broken leg," Madam Pomfrey murmured to herself, feeling Kathryn's joints and bones for any other breakages or fractures, "sprained shoulder and arm, concussion. She's lucky her shoulder isn't dislocated."
"Will she be alright?" Harry asked in a strained voice.
"Yeah. Will she be OK for the match tomorrow?" one of the beaters asked. For this he received a harsh look from both Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey.
"She most certainly will not." Madam Pomfrey said sternly, her nostrils flaring. "She could have died. It's a miracle that she doesn't have any spinal damage!"
"Sorry." He said in a sheepish voice, staring down at his shoes in embarrassment.
"Well, I think that we should give Madam Pomfrey some privacy, don't you. Go on, back to the common room." Professor McGonagall decided that was enough and shooed them out of the room so they could have more privacy.
Madam Pomfrey did not look up from her patient, dropping a small amount of blue liquid into Kathryn's mouth. Slowly, her eyelids fluttered open. She panicked at first, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her eyes moving wildly, trying to figure out where she was.
Once she had been calmed down, Madam Pomfrey turned her attention to her leg, which was still stuck at an odd angle. Kathryn's face twisted in pain as Madam Pomfrey pointed her wand at the offending bones and they slowly repaired themselves. The white screens were then pulled round and Hermione helped her change into a pair of pyjamas. Once they were removed again, Kathryn was propped up on several pillows with a weak smile on her face. Madam Pomfrey had now turned her attention to her arm and was rubbing copious amounts of a purple salve into it, paying no attention to Kathryn's winces and gasps of pain. She then spent five minutes binding her entire shoulder and arm in a supportive bandage.
"Keep it still." She ordered sternly before returning to her office. The three of them pulled over chairs and made to sit down but Professor McGonagall would have none of that.
"Out. She needs rest." And so they left, promising to meet her in the Entrance Hall the next day. And so, not for the first time, Kathryn spent a night in the hospital wing. She lay awake for several hours, unable to get comfortable with the stabbing pain that shot through her arm and leg each time she moved.
At two o'clock the next afternoon, after a thorough check up from Madam Pomfrey, she was allowed to leave the hospital wing to go and watch the match. It was starting later than usual due to the repairs that had to be done to the stadium after her accident, but the castle was already empty. Harry, Ron and Hermione were long gone, she had told them not to wait if she hadn't been there to meet them, so she walked as fast as she could up to her dormitory. Although it was technically healed, her leg still ached when she put pressure on it, making the walk up to the common room more than a little painful. She had just enough time to change before the match started and, pulling on one of the items she had ordered the items she had ordered from Quality Quidditch Supplies just as a precaution. Covering this with a black cloak, she gritted her teeth and began the walk back down through the castle.
She made it to the pitch just in time, although she ended up standing in the same tower that she had collided with the previous night, unable to find somewhere to sit. The dull ache in her leg was now a stabbing pain, and it was taking all her energy just to stay on her feet. Wincing from the pain, she began to descend the stairs; heading for the team changing rooms where she would have some kind of view.
She had only gone down one flight when she heard footsteps getting nearer. Moments later, the person rounded the corner and her blood ran cold. She was face to face with Lucius Malfoy. He was the last person she wanted to meet, especially on her own. She had been telling herself for the past month that nothing happened, even though she could hardly forget what he had done to her.
"Well, well." He said in a maliciously surprised tone. "What do we have here?"
"No seats." She said shortly and made to get past him. Unwilling to let her escape so easily, he held out his arm and hooked it round her waist, stopping her from getting past.
"Come sit in the box, I'm sure the teachers won't mind. And you'll get a fantastic view." He said, inclining his head upwards. Realising she had little choice in the matter she let him pass and then followed him upwards towards the teachers' box, grimacing in both pain and fear as she went.
He was right about the view. This gave her a complete overlook of the pitch, only bested by actually being on her broom, where she could watch her team's performance. There were few teachers in this box and Mr Malfoy took the front row, which was unoccupied. She noticed that she did get odd looks from some of the box's occupants, but they didn't pay much attention.
"So, why aren't you playing? I thought you were Gryffindor captain?" he asked as the teams sped out onto the pitch and began weaving in and out of the stands; being cheered along by the rest of the school. She noticed the look of mixed curiosity and disgust Malfoy gave her as he sped past their box on his broom.
"Injury." She stated simply, showing him her arm.
"Pity."
"Actually, it was your son." She shot back, whipping around to look him in the eye. "He nearly pulled my arm clean out of its socket." She winced as she turned to face him, the quick movement pulling at her arm.
There was not much conversation as the match began, Kathryn carefully watching her team as they got the lead and keeping her eyes firmly away from the man next to her. She tried to ignore the presence of his hand on her leg as the Slytherins started to pull back and eventually took the lead back from Gryffindor, wanting nothing better than to push him right over the edge of the box.
Malfoy, taking advantage of their reserve chaser; a fourth year called Chris, had Goyle aim a Bludger straight for him. There was a collective gasp as he fell to the ground, knocked out from the force of the blow, accompanied by jeering and laughing from the Slytherin end of the stands.
"Not very sportsmanlike." She commented caustically, shooting a disdainful look to the man next to her. Mr Malfoy, however, smiled; apparently proud of his son for getting the opposition injured. Such a callous attitude was more than she could take. Standing up sharply and leaning over the edge of the box, Kathryn began yelling obscenities at Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team.
"You cheating scum!" She yelled as Malfoy zoomed past, fully aware that his Father was sitting right behind her. "They're going to be scraping you off the pitch by the time I'm done!" She raised her wand as Harry called a timeout.
"Accio Firebolt!" She cried whilst their unconscious chaser was carried off the pitch, and, within a minute, her broom was in her hand.
"I'll show you some Quidditch." She murmured fiercely, mounting her broom and tearing off her sling even though her arm was screaming in pain. She tossed her cloak aside, revealing what she had bought that day in Diagon Alley.
When at Beauxbatons she'd had a bad experience when a Bludger hit her full on in the chest; breaking her collarbone, sternum and several ribs in the process. To prevent this happening again she had pieces of custom 'armour' made. Constructed out of dragon hide crafted into a corset-like frame it protected her body whilst also intimidating the other team. This particular one was jet-black to match her hair; a golden lion winding its way round from back to front.
"Hill is unable to return to the game. Will Gryffindor have to forfeit?" the voice of Dean Thomas, the new commentator, rang out through the stadium. "No, wait. The Gryffindor captain is coming into the game, despite injury." Kathryn kicked off hard and her broom carried her over to the rest of the team who were hovering in the air, waiting for her instruction.
"Ok. Let's show them how a proper team plays Quidditch." She growled; a steely glint in her eye. "Ron don't let anything past, we can't afford for their lead to get bigger. Ginny, stay tight to the edge of the pitch and then pass back to Emma or me. Harry, keep above the game and away from Crabbe and Goyle. If they come near let me handle it. And you two," she turned to their beaters, "keep the Bludgers away from us, especially me; aim for Crabbe, Goyle or Malfoy. Hell, aim for anything Slytherin that moves." They all nodded and she signalled to Madam Hooch that they were ready to resume play.
She winced in pain as the game began, her arm not taking kindly to this activity. She shrugged it off, using the pain to focus her mind. She easily outstripped the Slytherin players and soon she, Ginny and Emma had put several goals through their hoops and the lead was back in their possession. She was also right about Crabbe and Goyle going for Harry, it was an obvious-enough ploy now that she was back in the game. She did as she promised and dealt with them, flying straight towards them both at top speed; playing chicken extremely well. She was about five metres away from them when they pulled their brooms up and sped in the other direction. Instead of slowing and turning she headed straight for the tower stand where she had been sitting, spiralling up it and diving back down into the game.
"Gryffindor Captain Kathryn Potter pulls off the finest game of chicken we have ever seen!" Dean Thomas' voice rang out through the crowd. The rest of the game nearly froze when Harry shot towards the ground and Kathryn saw the tiny speck of gold he was chasing.
"The Golden Snitch has been sighted!" Dean Thomas cried out across the stadium. Malfoy immediately followed suit, tailing Harry in the hope of catching the Snitch himself. It was a dangerously close race and Kathryn also dived, her arm screaming in pain by now. She planned the angle precisely and, for the split second he looked up, Malfoy saw her heading straight for him. He shrieked in panic and pulled up, the sharp movement causing his broom to spiral out of control and crash into the pitch, leaving Harry clear to catch the Snitch. Sure enough, five seconds later, he had wheeled around and was flying next to her; the golden Snitch firmly in his grasp.
"Potter catches the Golden Snitch!" Dean shouted. "Gryffindor win! Gryffindor win!"
Harry and Kathryn took several victory laps around the pitch, weaving in and out of the towers as cheers of 'GO GO GRYFFINDOR!' echoed around the stadium. Although full of joy from their win, Kathryn could feel her arm weaken as she flew high above the stadium, her grip faltered and she wobbled precariously in mid-air. Harry and Ron, spotting this, flew straight to her and supported her as they flew back to the ground.
The second their feet touched the ground, they were mobbed by hoards of cheering Gryffindors; lifting them up onto their shoulders. From her vantage point, Kathryn could see the Slytherin team sulking as Malfoy, their new captain, yelled at them for not getting rid of her. She laughed out loud as the sight of Malfoy, his face and hair streaked with mud from his landing. From what she could see, most of the other Gryffindor students found this exceedingly amusing too.
Looking up, she saw Lucius Malfoy looking down at her from the stands. Smiling defiantly up at him, she swept her arm out and lowered her head in a mocking bow. He stood, holding her cloak, and fixed her with a look of pure ice before disappearing.
Whilst the rest of the team made their way back up to the castle with the rest of the school, Kathryn lagged behind, not wanting to leave a nice cloak behind. She backtracked to the pitch, which was now deserted. Her arm and leg were both hurting from the exertion so she moved slowly as she climbed up the tower and back to where she had been sitting, hoping against hope that he had just left her cloak behind. When she reached the top, she found the stand empty, but her cloak was nowhere to be seen. Swearing under her breath, she perched herself on the edge of the box to give her leg a rest and looked down at the pitch. The grass was rich and verdant in the afternoon light, the banners belonging to each of the four houses rippling softly in the breeze.
After a few minutes spent in the calm solitude of the empty stadium, she was about to stand and head back to the castle when she heard sharp footsteps on the wood behind her. Taking a deep breath and preparing to face him, she was stopped in her tracks as a vice-like grip encircled her aching arm and twisted it up behind her back. Crying out in pain, she was frozen to the spot as he moved ever closer. She tried to keep her breathing steady as another hand snaked around her waist so she was pressed tightly against his chest.
"Good game." Lucius Malfoy's smooth voice whispered in her ear.
"Always happy to please." She replied sarcastically, gazing over the edge of the box and wondering if she could possibly survive a fall from this height. Probably not.
"Of course, I don't like the fact that you won."
"Good brooms don't make good players." She shot back at him. He didn't reply, instead he nestled his head into the hollow of her neck and began to kiss it softly. Although she felt herself melt a little inside, she tried to pull away from his grasp. In response to this he tightened his grip on her arm; yanking it a little higher up her back, so much so that she cried out in pain for a second time, the anguished sound ripping through the silence.
"Oh no." He scolded her, tutting in disapproval, "We don't need any of that." She remained still as he pulled her closer, inhaling the scent of her hair as he did so. Her heart thundered inside her chest, his lips coming to rest on the pulsing vein in her neck. He slowly loosened his grip on her arm and slid his other hand round her waist. She felt his lips pull back in a small smile before turning his attention to the other side of her face and simultaneously sliding his hand under the soft cotton material of her top. Her heart was racing now, not from fear, but from excitement as his hands softly caressed her skin.
His grip did not loosen as one hand dipped below the waistband of her jeans and she heard his chuckle as she writhed against his grasp, only serving to make her torment worse.
Part of her wished that he would just hit her and be done, instead of tormenting her like this. She'd had her fair share of pain; she understood that feeling, she knew how to cope with it. This pain, however, was worse than any she had ever encountered before. This pain was eating away at her heart and mind and she could do nothing to forestall its assault. She yearned for him to cause pain in a way she recognised. She had coped when he'd hurt her before and rough, cruel hands had hurt more than this tender caress.
He held her there until she shuddered and went limp in his arms, tears coursing down her cheeks as he laughed at the amusement. She thought she would die with shame as he wrapped her cloak gently around her shoulders before taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilting her head up to look at him. She resisted the temptation to spit in his face, just thankful that he was finished.
"Good girl." He said in his most demeaning tone before turning on his heel and calmly walking away. Kathryn sat, silent tears rolling down her cheeks, until she was sure that he was gone. Only then did she start the walk back up to the castle, rubbing the signs of distress off her cheeks. She ambled slowly through the cool afternoon air, allowing it to calm her down and hoping that it would make her cheeks flushed enough to hide the fact that she had been crying.
It was five o'clock when she got back to the castle, having been gone a lot longer than she had originally thought. The Entrance Hall was almost deserted, with a few people lolling about on the stairs, still discussing the match. Several of them congratulated her as she passed them. The Slytherins she passed merely glared and cracked their knuckles, giving her more than enough reason to duck behind a tapestry and through a secret passage that led right up to their common room.
She was assaulted by a huge noise as soon as the portrait of the Fat Lady swung forward. Arms reached forward and pulled her into the middle of the room; slapping her on the back and pressing drinks into her hands. Several pictures of the match, taken of course by Colin Creevey, had been blown up and hung on the walls; the most prominent of which was one of her speeding towards Malfoy as he and Harry raced for the Snitch.
"It seems you're the hero of the hour." Harry said; grabbing a fresh butterbeer from the several she had been given. "Where did you go anyway? I thought you were just going for your cloak."
"I went for a walk, you know; to let my arm loosen up a bit. The match really pushed it." She lied, flopping down into a conveniently empty chair.
"Yeah, that was pretty impressive flying, considering you're injured. I'm surprised Madam Pomfrey hasn't frog-marched you up to the hospital wing for another night!" He laughed as Hermione and Ron pushed their way through the crowd.
"Is your arm alright?" Hermione fussed immediately, looking at her as if she was about to keel over. "You know you really shouldn't have flown."
"Come off it Hermione, she was brilliant!" Ron said, taking a swig of butterbeer.
"Well, yes. But she could have hurt herself even more Ron!" Hermione continued, making Kathryn smile at how thoughtful her friend was being.
"Hermione, I'm fine really. The stuff Madam Pomfrey put on has worked really well." Kathryn reassured her, suppressing the urge to flinch as more stabbing pain shot through her arm.
"Well, it was some amazing flying." Hermione admitted with a smile. "They way you flew at Crabbe and Goyle was the best thing, they were white with shock!" She laughed.
"I personally like to think that they wet themselves." Harry shrugged, clinking bottles with Ron.
"Anyway, what were you doing sitting next to Lucius Malfoy up in the teachers' box?" Ron asked pointedly, keeping his voice hushed.
"Yeah." Harry said in the same hushed tone. "Why would you even consider going near him?"
"There were no seats left. He ran into me in the stairway and invited me to sit in the box with him." She explained quickly, knowing that it wasn't really a lie. "Don't look at me like that!" they had all fixed her with a stern look. "It was the sensible thing to do; I couldn't stand for long, not with my leg."
"That doesn't matter, he's still dangerous." Hermione chastised her. "I mean, what would Sirius say?"
"I know he's dangerous Hermione, but he's still a Governor." Kathryn replied in an exasperated tone. "I'm a prefect; it would have been rude to refuse." She rationalised. Both she and Harry had been made Gryffindor prefects in their sixth year, even though Hermione and Ron were already the Gryffindor prefects. "Aren't we supposed to represent the school? Aren't we supposed to impress the Governors as well as visitors?" She didn't get to elaborate any further however, as the common room was beginning to empty as people went down to dinner. Ron, being almost ruled by his stomach, was quick to dismiss Hermione's fears and persuade them to go down for dinner. They obliged, laughing as they went; Kathryn hoping that they would not pester her with further questions
She was surprised as a hoard of Gryffindors joined them as they left, escorting her through the corridors to dinner. Word of Malfoy's attack on her had obviously spread and the Gryffindors were now taking measures against further assaults. Kathryn was even more stunned when, just as they came to the entrance to the Great Hall; they lifted her onto their shoulders for a second time and carried her triumphantly past the Slytherin table.