All too soon their trunks were packed and the end of term feast was over. They said goodbye to Hagrid on the station platform, being slightly winded as he pulled them into a huge hug. As expected, Malfoy turned up to try and get his revenge without any teachers nearby. As usual, he, Crabbe and Goyle ended up stuffed in the luggage rack, oozing slightly and looking like rather large slugs, thanks to the multitude of jinxes and hexes that had been sent their way.
They exited the barrier that separated platform nine and three quarters from the Muggle world together. Not far away there was a large group of people waiting for them. Mr and Mrs Weasley were there in their Muggle-best. Tonks, this time with waist-length blue hair, Lupin and Moody stood beside them; Moody swathed in an oversize raincoat and a bowler hat to hide his wooden leg and roving magical eye. On the other side were Fred, George, Bill and Fleur; Percy still noticeably absent. Hermione's parents were also there, standing behind the Weasleys. Mr Weasley looked itching to engage them in conversation, probably wanting to question them about electricity, post-boxes or something like that. And finally, behind Lupin, stood Sirius; positively beaming to see them back.
Mrs Weasley got them first, pulling them into a huge hug. She gripped Kathryn extra tight, nearly breaking down over how worried they had been when they had got the owl from Harry explaining what Malfoy had done. Whilst Ron and Ginny said hello to their brothers and Hermione hugged her parents, Harry and Kathryn went over to Sirius. He clapped Harry on the back, giving him a quick hug, before turning to Kathryn. He had a look of concern in his eyes, searching for any visible scars or blemishes left by Malfoy. He looked almost disappointed that there weren't; sparing him the joy of being able to go and knock seven bells out of Draco. Once satisfied that there were none, he laughed and lifted her off her feet into a hug.
She caught a fleeting glimpse of the Malfoys leaving the station. Malfoy was walking quickly and Kathryn could just make out several angry red boils on his pale face. She laughed as Sirius set her down, although she stopped suddenly as she caught sight of another group of people. Standing as far away from their group as possible were the Dursleys.
She, like Harry, hated the Dursleys. There were as anti-magic as they could come and deeply resented Harry and Kathryn for being related to them. In their turn, Harry and Kathryn deeply resented them for hiding Harry's past from him for ten years. The entire group followed them as Harry and Kathryn pushed their trunks over to where they were standing. Dudley, their elephantine cousin, cowered behind his bony mother whilst their Uncle Vernon's face turned a deeper shade of purple. Sirius stood behind them, a hand on each of their shoulders. He was only their Godfather, but he cared for them like they were his own children.
"Well," Kathryn said, trying to sound as light-hearted as possible, "see you in a week then." They both said their goodbyes to Sirius, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, the Weasleys, Lupin, Moody and Tonks. Moody raised his bowler hat slightly and glared at Uncle Vernon with both his eyes as they followed Harry and Kathryn out of the station.
Part of the ancient magic that protected them from Voldemort meant that they had to return, only once a year, to where someone of their mother's blood resided. And so they did, for one week every summer they lived under the Dursley's roof before going back to Sirius in Grimmauld Place. They spent the entirety of the journey in silence, jammed in the small seats right at the back of Uncle Vernon's new people carrier whilst Dudley took up the majority of the main back passenger seats. The pair of them shared amused smiles as their Uncle grumbled away about the traffic, cyclists or the state of the roads whilst their Aunt shot nervous glances at them in the rear-view mirror every few minutes. Dudley, despite his bulk, was doing his best to make himself as small a target as possible; hunching against the window.
They unloaded their things in silence once they arrived in Privet Drive, giving Mrs. Figg a wave before dragging their trunks through the front door. Instead of heaving them up the staircase, however, they disapparated with two small 'pops' and reappeared upstairs in time to hear Aunt Petunia's shriek from downstairs. They laughed as they positioned their trunks against the wall below the window, not bothering to unpack them, just leaving the lids open so they could grab what they needed.
Harry let himself fall backwards on to his bed with a relieved sigh, not because he was back in Privet Drive, but because he knew he only had to stay here for a week. Kathryn, meanwhile, settled herself on the slightly small, rather lumpy old mattress that the Dursleys had provided when they realised that they had to put up with two Potters. It was covered with some threadbare blankets and one flat pillow sat at the head. She flicked through that day's copy of the Prophet before grabbing a quill and beginning the crossword.
They stayed there until they heard Uncle Vernon bellowing that dinner was ready, the smell of roast lamb wafting through the half-open door. They wandered slowly downstairs only to find two bowls of watery stew being shoved into their hands before they had even made it to the kitchen.
"The Polkiss' are here, now take that and be quiet." Aunt Petunia hissed at them before hurrying back into the dining room. Piers Polkiss was Dudley's best friend and had tormented Harry for as long as he'd known him. In truth, they were grateful to have avoided dinner with the Dursleys and they carried their meagre meals upstairs with smiles on their faces.
"Well, that was a bit of an anticlimax." Kathryn sighed, regarding the contents of her bowl with suspicion. "I could smell lamb."
"I don't think we're worthy of a nice dinner." Harry replied, also regarding his dinner with a similar air of dread.
"I think this might have been beef at some point." She held up a small chunk of greyish meat for him to see. "Not the most appetising sight."
"Definitely not." Harry replied and, in unspoken agreement, they spooned the mushy vegetables and meagre chunks of meat into the food bowls in Athena and Hedwig's cages before dumping the empty crockery outside the door. Both cages were empty at the moment, their occupants off hunting.
"Well, what do we have?" Harry asked, digging inside his bag. "Pumpkin pasty? Cauldron cake?" he asked, holding up what he had saved from the train with a smile.
"Mmm, both." Harry tossed them over to where she was sitting cross-legged on the end of his bed. "Thanks."
"Well, it's better than what they give us." He shrugged, leaning against the headboard. "I wouldn't be surprised if those were leftovers from a couple of weeks ago."
"They do look a bit washed out." She agreed, popping a piece of pasty into her mouth. "But, I do have an idea," she smiled mysteriously and walked over to the door, "give me a minute." Stepping out onto the landing, she could hear the sound of six people in the proper dining room, meaning that the kitchen was empty. Deciding to take the risk, she spun quickly and reappeared a second later in the kitchen. Hoping that the distinct 'pop' made when she apparated was muffled by the closed door, she delved into the fridge for something to drink and anything else that she felt they could spare.
"Dinner is served!" she smiled as she reappeared in their room, setting her plunder on the bed. She had managed to acquire several slices of cold roast ham, French bread, some stilton and a chunk of pâté.
"Not bad!" Harry laughed, inspecting the haul. "I'm sure Dudley's waistline can bear the deprivation!"
Their dinner of cold pumpkin pasty, the spoils from the fridge downstairs, cauldron cakes and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans was much more appetising than what they had been offered, and they washed it down with the ice cold apple juice that Kathryn had also appropriated from downstairs. Once they heard the front door snap shut, they settled themselves onto cushions and played a few games of exploding snap until Uncle Vernon came storming upstairs demanding that they stop because, as it turned out, Piers Polkiss was staying the night.
They slept late the next morning, finding a plate of cold toast poked inside the door when they woke up. They shoved this into Athena and Hedwig's cages as they had done the previous evening and began to get dressed. They could hear the sounds of Piers and Dudley playing on Dudley's sixth PlayStation as they headed downstairs. Harry couldn't help smirking as he watched Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia squirm as Kathryn flicked her wand at the bread, which promptly sliced itself and jumped into the toaster. She even whimpered as the frying pan landed on the hob and bacon began to sizzle. They took their bacon sandwiches out into the garden to eat as the sun was shining brightly, sitting on the Dursleys new garden furniture and making sure that they left crumbs all over the tabletop. Their Aunt gave another faint whinge when they came back inside and, with a quick wave of their wands, cleaned up and sent the pans and plates sailing back into their cupboards.
Nothing was said as they headed out the front door and wandered off through the estate towards the children's play park. It was already busy with mothers sitting on the benches whilst their children played on the swings and climbing-frames. They all gave Harry and Kathryn suspicious glances as they walked over to the small hillock at the edge of the park.
"I'm somehow glad that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia have created the idea that we are dangerous, criminally minded youths." Harry said as they sat down beneath the trees. "I mean, it really guarantees us time to ourselves." They both laughed, staring pointedly at the mothers who all gave them skittish looks; worried about the influence these 'criminally incurable' youths could be having on their dear children.
They stayed there for the rest of the day, briefly wandering down to the small local supermarket where they used some of the Muggle money they kept handy to buy a decent picnic lunch. They talked and laughed about Quidditch and ways to get rid of Malfoy, waving at old Mrs Figg as she passed, although they knew that she was probably watching them for the Order.
It got progressively later and, once all the children had gone home; some protesting loudly about having to get off the swings, Harry and Kathryn ventured down and onto the soft bark that covered the play area. They raced each other up the climbing wall and, once darkness had completely fallen, grabbed a swing each and bewitched them to fly higher than Muggles could make them. They laughed and screamed as they soared higher, stopping dead however, when they saw a group of people heading for the park gate. Leading the group was Dudley with Piers Polkiss right behind him.
"Oh spare us." Harry groaned as he spotted his cousin. "I thought he would have grown out of this by now." Despite the length of time that had passed since his childhood years at number four Privet Drive, the memories of the taunts and the bullying still touched a nerve.
Harry and Kathryn kept on swinging, although normally this time, pretending not to have noticed. They could hear Dudley boasting, rattling what sounded like money in his big meaty fist as the gate banged open.
"Did you see his face?" Dudley asked in a mocking tone. "He nearly wet himself!" His friends guffawed stupidly behind him. Dudley had always surrounded himself with rather stupid friends, acting as his muscle once he got into boxing. They reminded Harry and Kathryn very much of Crabbe and Goyle who seemed to always be right behind Malfoy. The fence rattled as the gate was slammed shut; Kathryn and Harry shoving their wands up their sleeves just in case.
"Been beating up more fourteen year-olds probably." Harry muttered under his breath as they kept on swinging.
"Hey, Big D." One of Dudley's cronies piped up. "There's someone else here."
"Kids know not to come here at night, if they know what's good for them." Another said, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "Have to teach them a lesson, we will."
"So whose sweet money did you still this time Big D?" Harry called out, capitalising on the fact that, despite being three times Harry's width, Dudley was mortally afraid of the pair of them. "You know the Listers' had to move away because of you. Jack wouldn't leave the house." Harry continued; using the gossip he had picked up from other people in the park during the day.
"Here, Big D, isn't that your cousin?" Piers said quietly. "Who's that with him?" he added; spotting Kathryn who was sitting with her legs crossed on the swing, her back ramrod straight and an icy expression on her face.
"Reckon we could take him." Dudley's other friend went on, continuing to crack his knuckles.
"I'd like to see you try." Kathryn said coolly, fixing him with a sceptical look.
"You watch; we'll tear your boyfriend to pieces."
"First, he's not my boyfriend, he's my brother." She corrected. "And second, well, second you're all idiots so we win hands down." She and Harry laughed.
"That's your cousin Big D?" Piers said in astonishment.
"Yeah, so what?"
"You never told us that you had a fit cousin!" he drawled, making the fatal mistake of assuming that Kathryn was just a pretty face and no more. She jerked her head at Harry and they both stood up, walking straight towards Dudley and his gang and for the park gate that they were now blocking. Harry could see that Piers had just crossed the boundary and was going to pay for it and he couldn't wait to watch.
"What did you say I was?" she asked in a sweet voice, batting her eyelashes deceptively.
"I said you're good looking, that's what I said." He puffed out his chest as if hoping he was going to score.
"You know what Harry," she turned to her brother, "I think we should start living up to our reputation." Without warning she spun to face Piers and, with speed that they did not expect, slammed her fist into his nose. She felt it give a satisfying crunch beneath her knuckles.
"Dangerous, criminally minded youths." She finished, smiling dryly before she and Harry bolted; springing over the fence and streaking off into the estate.
"See you later ickle diddykins!" They cried as they ran, laughing as Piers howled in pain, writhing on the grass and clutching his face. They heard a dull clang followed by a grunt that sounded like Dudley had kicked the fence, finally stopping when they reached the lane running off Wisteria Walk and into Privet Drive.
"Nice punch!" Harry gasped, clutching at a stitch in his side.
"You weren't bad yourself." She said, gasping to catch her breath. "I saw you kick him before we legged it!"
"I've been wanting to do that for years."
"You should try it more often; it's really good for letting out all that tension and frustration." She laughed, massaging her knuckles as they walked slowly back to the Dursleys' house. Their Aunt and Uncle said nothing as they walked in the door and headed straight into the kitchen without a word. They both, however, heard Uncle Vernon mutter something that didn't sound very nice under his breath. They ignored him as they were used to his unremitting loathing of the pair of them, matched only by that of Draco Malfoy and his father. Helping themselves to a bowl each of the soup that was bubbling on the stove, they headed upstairs in silence.
They heard Dudley thunder in about a quarter of an hour later, yelling that Piers had fallen off one of the swings and had broken his nose. The wailing of an ambulance, mingled in with the shrieks of Aunt Petunia as Piers splashed blood on the carpet, soon followed this. Harry and Kathryn simply curled up beneath their duvets, transfigured from the pathetic blankets they'd had before, and did rest of the Daily Prophet crossword; falling asleep in the early hours of the morning before the Dursleys had returned from Casualty.
They spent most of the week like this, sleeping late and spending as much time out of the house as possible. They caught brief glimpses of Piers when he was with Dudley, although Dudley's bulk did block him from view most of the time. His nose was a mess, all strapped up with thick bandages. He was insisting that he had fallen off one of the park swings, not wanting to admit that a girl had broken his nose with one blow. They were relieved when, once the week was up; their trunks were once again packed and sat waiting in their room. They didn't eat breakfast; instead pacing up and down the hallway waiting for the signal. All of a sudden there was a flash of red and gold flame and a single, long golden feather floated town onto the vigorously scrubbed carpet.
They swiped it up off the floor and ran through to the living room; peering through the blinds for any sign of wizarding life. There was only one person walking up the street. He had unkempt, straggly, straw-coloured hair and was wearing a shabby overcoat. He was certainly out of place in the neatly manicured Privet Drive.
"It's Dung!" Harry hissed, giving him a small wave as he looked at their faces in the window. The doorbell rang and the pair of them pelted out into the hall, skidding to a stop in front of the door. They could see the outline of a tall, well built man with long hair silhouetted against the glass. Opening it wide, Sirius came striding in, beaming at them both.
"Wotcher Harry!" Tonks, today with strawberry-blonde hair, came strolling through the conservatory doors; tracking dirt in from the back garden. They heard Aunt Petunia whimper from the living room.
"Hello Harry, Kathryn." Lupin came down the stairs, his young face prematurely lined and his hair greying.
"Are you all set?" Sirius asked, his eyes travelling across their trunks and their caged owls.
"All set. We've been ready to go since the day we got here." Kathryn said under her breath, knowing that the Dursleys would be listening intently.
"Shouldn't you say goodbye to your Aunt and Uncle?" Lupin asked, nodding his head in the direction of the living room. Even though they knew that the Dursleys wouldn't care if they came back or not, they stuck their heads around the living room door.
"Goodbye then." Harry said. Uncle Vernon grunted in acknowledgement.
"You never know, we might not have to come back next summer." Kathryn added brightly, knowing that this was the ideal thing for the Dursleys. They were sure that they heard Uncle Vernon whisper 'good' under his breath. Kathryn merely shook her head and turned back to Sirius, Lupin and Tonks.
"Oh come on, they wouldn't care less if we died." She grabbed her trunk, ready to leave. "Can we just go home now?"
"OK, on the count of three." Lupin took Hedwig's cage and Tonks took Athena's.
"One, two, three." They all disapparated, reappearing moments later in the hallway of number twelve Grimmauld Place and, being in a fairly large crowd, upset the curtain covering the portrait of Mrs Black. Cries of 'Ingrates!' 'Mudbloods!' and 'How dare you besmirch the house of my fathers!' followed them as they clunked upstairs with their trunks.
A red-haired, lanky, long-nosed person poked his head out of one of the doors.
"Hermione!" He shouted. "Harry and Kathryn are here!" A girl with bushy brown hair joined Ron at the door.
"Oh Harry! Kathryn!" She exclaimed, hugging them both. "The Dursleys were ok then? We were wondering if they were going to feed you or not."
"Harry!" Ginny's voice was added as she looked down from the floor above.
"Oh yeah, well, we think they tried to pass off last week's leftovers as fresh stew so we just ate the leftovers from the train." Harry explained as Ginny flung her arms around his neck. "Come to think of it, I'm starving."
"Me too, we didn't have breakfast." Kathryn apparated up the final flights of stairs to her room and dumped her trunk at the foot of her bed before running back down to where the three of them were standing.
"Ginny, seriously," Ron pulled a face as his little sister kissed Harry, "I'm your brother. There are things I'd rather not see."
"Whatever Ron." She shot back with a scowl. "You weren't exactly uninterested when Hermione got here this morning." Kathryn and Hermione tried their best to stifle giggles, but weren't very good at it.
"Mum's in the kitchen." Going slightly red, Ron steered the conversation back to food, jerking his thumb towards the stairs. "I'm sure she'll be eager for more mouths to feed." Laughing and chatting, they all made their way down to the basement kitchen where Mrs Weasley was busy preparing lunch; tossing a large bowl of salad whilst potatoes peeled themselves in the sink.
She fussed over them, immediately placing sandwiches in front of them the minute Ron mentioned that they hadn't eaten breakfast whilst the five of them talked over what they had missed during the week.
Although she was glad to be home, and happy to see Sirius and her friends, Kathryn wanted to be away again. She couldn't bear what she was feeling. After a week spent with the Dursleys, she was ecstatic to be back where she belonged, but she couldn't keep her thoughts from wandering. The guilt welled up inside her as they talked about Malfoy and how it was outrageous that his Dad had not been brought in for being a Death Eater and she couldn't help wondering when she would next be seeing him. That night, once they were all gone to bed, she stuck a piece of parchment to her door telling them not to wake her up until lunch the following day.
In truth she woke at five o'clock the next morning after only six hours sleep. Washing and dressing quietly, she grabbed a bag and crept down the stairs and into the hall. She folded her still-wet hair up under a hat, masking her scar from view, and stepped out into the fresh morning air. Not looking back, she headed for the nearest tube station and sat on the platform waiting for the first train. It only took her a few minutes to get to Central London and Kings Cross station. Even though it was early, the station was already buzzing with life; shops opened for business and tourists arrived to consult the departures boards. It was also full of the usual early-morning commuters; men in expensive suits, their heads buried in the Financial Times and constant beeping coming from pagers or mobile phones. She headed over to one of the ticket desks and, within a matter of minutes, had purchased a first class return ticket to Paris on the next Eurostar.
They clunked slowly out of London and through the English countryside towards the coast. The pace picked up when they entered the Channel Tunnel and they shot through northern France; the lush green countryside passing too quickly for them to see any distinguishing landmarks until they made their approach into the centre of Paris. They arrived dead on time in Gare du Nord; emerging into the bustling centre of the French capital, bathed in glorious summer sunshine. Within half an hour she was settled in a small brasserie on the banks of the Seine sipping a strong black coffee and nibbling on a pastry.
Meanwhile, back in London, Harry was only just heading upstairs to wake her up. He crept quietly in and drew back the heavy, dark blue curtains that had been blocking out the summer light. He opened them to find an empty bed; neatly made and with no sign of Kathryn.
"Sirius!" He yelled out the door, pelting down the stairs. "Sirius!" Harry nearly collided into his Godfather as he ran upstairs.
"What?" he panted. "What is it?"
"Kathryn," Harry gasped, "she's gone."
"What? What do you mean gone?"
"Gone, Sirius, she's just not there!"
"No note?"
"Nothing." Harry ran his hands through his hair. "Sirius, she's out there somewhere," he pointed towards the front door, "alone, with no guard and with god-knows how many Death Eaters on the loose."
Kathryn, however, had no idea of the panic she was causing as she sat watching the Parisians go by. She received no odd looks, blending perfectly with her surroundings thanks to her being able to speak fluent French. She had practically spent half her childhood in Paris, having lived in a large house in the surrounding countryside. She had spent her teenage years visiting the capital nearly every day during the summer holidays and consequently knew where the wizarding community hid itself and where she could go if she didn't want to be found. She wandered aimlessly down the everlasting boulevards, inhaling the unique scent of bread and pastries; freshly baked throughout the day in this bustling metropolis.
On a whim, she apparated to the top of the Eiffel Tower and spent a good hour just gazing at the clear view across the sprawling city. Little did she know of the frantic owls being sent to various people around Britain, including Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape, Mad-Eye Moody and Hagrid. There were also messages on their way to Madam Maxime, her old Headmistress, and her adoptive parents. She was half tempted to indulge herself in their restaurant, but decided instead to find somewhere to stay.
Wanting to remain as inconspicuous as possible, she went somewhere no one would think of looking for her. The Georges V was situated right near the Eiffel Tower. A doorman in a smart red coat with a gold trim gave her a warm smile as he opened the door for her and she stepped into the cool, opulent reception. She strode over to the unoccupied receptionist and, without hesitation, asked for a specific room. The receptionist tapped a few keys before giving her the price. Without a second thought, Kathryn handed over a Muggle credit card that she kept for emergencies. After all, Death Eaters were not likely to search for a wizard or witch in blatantly Muggle areas.
A few swipes and keystrokes later, the friendly woman was handing her a smart silver card-key and wishing her a pleasant stay whilst simultaneously pressing a small brass bell on the desk. A porter appeared silently at her shoulder and relieved her of her bag, leading her away to the elevators. Her room was on the top floor with a view of the Seine and a large balcony. She could see all the way to the Eiffel Tower one way and up towards Notre Dame on the other. She stood there for a moment, listening to the noises of the French capital below, before sprawling out on the giant bed and dropping off to sleep.
She woke up a couple of hours later feeling slightly bleary-eyed but refreshed all the same. She ordered her dinner from their room-service menu, which was impressive to say the least, and ate on her balcony. Sipping her wine slowly, she watched the sun set, gazing intently at the many glittering lights of the city sparkling to life. Although tempted to go out, she drew the curtains across the windows and crawled beneath the sheets, nineteen hours of being awake finally taking their toll.
Despite this fatigue, however, the excitement of being somewhere different woke her early. She showered and dressed, forfeiting her hotel breakfast in favour of a fresh pastry from the Patisserie on the street opposite. She meandered slowly up the banks of the Seine, making for her favourite café and only stopping to buy a newspaper. She spent the morning reading this in the café whilst sipping coffee, watching the world go by. She only abandoned her seat at midday when the time came to go in search of a good sandwich.
Meanwhile, back in London, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Lupin and Mr Weasley had spent the morning combing Diagon Alley in search of her; questioning every shopkeeper yet trying to remain calm and unsuspicious. None had seen her and the met back at the Leaky Cauldron where they sat over a solemn lunch. Nobody talked much, staring down at their plates with troubled expressions. They had received an immediate response from everyone they had sent owls to, all promising their assistance and disheartening them further as it appeared that she had not gone, at they had hoped, to her old home in France.
"She can't have been kidnapped." Harry said numbly, poking at his slice of pie with his fork, not really hungry. "I mean, no one can find Grimmauld Place unless Dumbledore tells them." He said in a slightly lower tone.
"Well, yes, but there's nothing to say that they didn't get her after she left the house." Sirius said in the same, lifeless tone.
"But she left that note." Hermione said, also poking at her food.
"You know what she's like Sirius," Harry looked his Godfather in the eye, "you know how she will randomly decide to go somewhere. Only this time she didn't tell us."
"Well, she didn't want to be caught, did she? Look at that note." Ron said as they arrived back at Grimmauld Place that afternoon. "She wanted to be long gone by the time we realised that she was missing."
"And she's had a tough year Harry." Hermione added as they gathered in Harry and Ron's bedroom. "You know, Malfoy attacking her twice, that accident in the greenhouse and, to cap it off, having to play nice with a Death Eater." She tickled Crookshanks who was sprawled on the bed beside her. "I mean, she probably just wanted some peace and quiet and I for one don't blame her."
"Well, yeah," Ron began.
"But just sneaking off is dangerous! At least the other times she's gone away she's had a guard or something." Harry thumped the mattress with his fist.
"Harry, she can take care of herself." Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's not like she's helpless."
Paris, meanwhile, was suiting Kathryn fine. By Thursday she had reacquainted herself with one of her favourite places on earth. She even caught sight of some of her old friends; fashionably dressed and gazing longingly into the windows of the boutiques. They did not even recognise her as she breezed past them into the shop. How far away that life was now; those carefree years she had spent wandering the boulevards. She didn't say hello, not wanting whispers of her presence to spread. The next day, as she strolled down rue Faubourg-Saint Honoré with several bags slung over her shoulder, she could not shake the nagging feeling that someone was watching her. It was the kind of feeling she got when she and Harry were staying at Privet Drive; knowing that the Order of the Phoenix were watching her.
Diverting her attention she headed away from the crowds and for the nearest metro station. She rattled through the tunnels until she got to the river bank again; wandering slowly across Pont Neuf until she came to the middle of the bridge where she stood and looked down the Seine. She did not notice the person standing a few metres away from her, too busy watching one of the many tourist boats float by.
Without a backward glance, she walked the rest of the way over the bridge and ambled up the street alongside the river. She picked up one of the Muggle newspapers from a little kiosk and leant against the wall reading it, still unaware of the person following her. She finally noticed the presence when she caught sight of a pair of black shoes poking out of the bottom of her paper. As well as the silver tip of a cane. Taking a steadying breath she lowered the paper and smiled.
"So you know I've gone." She said dryly.
"Whispers did reach my ears."
"I wondered whether you'd come looking." She folded the newspaper and tucked it under her arm, starting to walk again, following the river.
"You're pretty hard to find." He continued, following her as she walked.
"I didn't want to be found."
"You told me where you'd come." In truth she had, mentioning it months ago when talking to the Governors after the ball; explaining about how she had grown up in the city and where she' stay if she ever went back.
"I'll be more careful in future then." She said dryly, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him.
"So, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"
"I was just going to mooch about, that's all I've been doing really. Why?" glancing at the road, she darted over with him still behind her.
"Well, I could buy you dinner." He suggested once they were on the opposite pavement.
"You expect me just to abandon the take-away for some expensive restaurant do you?" she laughed, starting to walk up the street in the direction of her hotel. "Well, I think I could just about do that."
"Seven?"
"Seven." She nodded before disappearing inside the hotel reception.
She reappeared three hours later, dressed to the nines in a figure hugging crimson dress with a scooped neckline and a large, chocolate brown fur stole draped artfully over her shoulders. He was waiting for her in the foyer, dressed in his usual black. They walked in silence down the banks of the Seine until they came to a fairly inconspicuous building, apart from the doormen in smart blue coats and top hats. Seated at a table on the sixth floor with a spectacular view, they ate the duck for which the restaurant was so acclaimed; watching the city light up around them. It was nearly midnight when they left and, when she caught sight of their reflection in a dark shop window, they looked like any other ordinary couple.
In an unspoken agreement he accompanied her all the way to the top floor and, without hesitation, followed her into her room. She tossed the key on the sofa and headed straight out onto the balcony, wrapping her arms about her against the chill in the air. She knew what would come next; trying her best to suppress the feeling of yearning that was building up inside of her. She kept her gaze on the Seine as she heard his footsteps on the tiles.
"You didn't want to be found." He stated, coming to stand behind her. "Or did you?" he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
"I didn't want to be found, that was the point."
"So, what were you running from?"
"Nothing."
"Where were you running from?"
"Nowhere. Don't try and trick me." A steely tone appeared in her voice.
"You can stop this you know." He whispered in her ear. "You don't have to humiliate yourself like this."
"If only I could believe you." She sighed. "A fragment of information would not satisfy you, only strengthen your belief that you will win." She said quickly, resigning herself to her fate. "You will not break me."
She surrendered to him, allowing him to lead her back inside where she let him take what he wanted. At least, that was what she told herself in an attempt to assuage her guilt. In reality, she could not reasonably claim that he was in any way forcing her. She met each advance with a passion of her own that she could neither control nor explain, and she relished the pleasure.
She woke that morning to find him, thankfully, gone. The crumpled sheets and pillow were the only signs that anyone had been there apart from her and they would soon be gone, along with the rest of the laundry. She packed her bag hastily, cramming her clothes in and slinging it over her shoulder. She tucked the small piece of parchment, bearing the number '32' in black ink, which had been on the pillow beside her, into her pocket. Within half an hour she had checked out and was walking towards Gare du Nord, clutching the numerous bags that held her shopping.
Within hours she was back in the lively hub of Kings Cross station and, in seconds, was standing before the door of number twelve Grimmauld Place. She knocked softly and waited for the door to be opened, having left her key in her room. Harry, who had been halfway down the stairs at that point, stopped dead in his tracks; making Ron and Hermione, who had been following, to walk into the back of him.
"Only one person remembers to knock." He said, his eyes widening. The next thing Ron and Hermione knew, Harry was running full pelt down the stairs to get to the hallway. Sirius and Mrs Weasley had also heard and come running. Harry opened the door and caught a brief glimpse of his sister before Mrs Weasley charged out the door and grabbed her in a bone-crushing hug, almost in tears.
"We thought something terrible had happened to you!" she said; trying to remain composed despite the tears that were running down her cheeks.
"Honestly, I didn't mean to scare you-" she tried to explain as Mrs Weasley hugged her again.
"Well it didn't work." Sirius said in a serious voice. "It was just plain dangerous."
"Excuse me. Who came to Kings Cross when they knew they could be recognised by a certain Death Eater? Don't lecture me about being careful." She shot back, an eyebrow raised.
"Alright, alright. Just don't do it again." Mrs Weasley said, trying to hold back sobs.
"At least, not without telling us." Sirius said with a small smile at which Mrs Weasley shot him a reproachful look.
"I was careful. I mean, I travelled the Muggle way and stayed in a Muggle hotel and everything. Death Eaters don't usually check in those kinds of places for a wizard, do they?"
"But if you were spotted." Mrs Weasley said in a croaky voice.
"I blend in." Kathryn explained. "I practically grew up there remember. I can disappear in Paris if I want to."
"Well, the important thing is you're safe." Mrs Weasley dabbed at her eyes with a spotty handkerchief.
"I really didn't mean to make you worry so much. I just wanted some alone time." She hugged Sirius and Mrs Weasley before heading out of the hallway and upstairs to her room.
Harry, Ron and Hermione appeared at her door as she was unpacking.
"I'm really sorry I just disappeared like that." She said, turning to face them. "I just needed some time to myself."
"See, I told you that was why!" Hermione said triumphantly to Harry.
"Well, now that that's sorted, did anything happen while I was gone?"
"Well, there were a couple of unexplained murders, one in Devon and the other somewhere in Liverpool." Harry said, closing the door behind them.
"Voldemort's getting braver, isn't he?" Kathryn raised an eyebrow. "Well, after three years it's about time, isn't it?"
"Oh Ron!" Hermione exclaimed as Ron shuddered at Voldemort's name.
"And the Dark Mark?" she asked, referring to the skull with a snake protruding from its mouth that the Death Eaters conjured in the sky after they'd killed.
"Hovering in the air above both houses." Harry nodded solemnly.
"The Muggles explained them away as early fireworks." Ron added, shaking his head.
"I'm worried about my parents." Hermione said in a quiet voice. "It's anyone's bet what Malfoy's told his dad."
"Sirius suggested moving them in here." Ron put his arm round Hermione's shoulders.
"But I don't think they'd be able to cope with that!" Hermione giggled at the though of her parents living here where it was highly likely that something would talk to you. "I mean, Dumbledore's said that they're safe."
"Then they're safe Hermione." Kathryn said firmly. "You can always trust Dumbledore."
"Well, anyway, was Paris nice?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.
"It was fine."
"Why Paris though, I mean, it's fairly close." Ron said.
"Well, I know my way around for a start. It's also more accessible by Muggle transport than Sydney or New York." She laughed, throwing dirty clothes in the laundry basket in her bathroom. "And it helps that I know my way around."
"See anyone you know?" Harry asked casually.
"No. I wanted to be alone, remember?" Kathryn lied, tucking the piece of parchment further into her pocket.