A Contradiction of Terms

Chapter 3: Snape...Flirts?

Understandably, it was quite a shock for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to see Miss Kate Hanover sitting at the professor's table in the Great Hall. Her usual clothing was replaced by dark green dress robes embroidered with ivy; her hair, which was normally pulled back in a ponytail, was swept up into a bun and firmly secured with her wand. She gave an apologetic smile to Harry and waved half-heartedly. What made Harry look twice was Snape. The potions master kept glancing at Kate with a small, sort of sour smile, and he colored and turned away whenever she looked in his direction.

"Is it just me, or is Snape blushing?" Harry asked.

"Yeah! At Kate! I'd hate to be in her shoes," Ron said.

"I knew her name was familiar!" Hermione exclaimed. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and the twins looked at her. "She was in Gryffindor House, and played on the Quidditch team! I'm surprised you didn't know," she said to Fred and George. "She was a Beater."

"When did you learn that?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, why didn't you tell us before?" George added.

"I only just remembered. There's a small bit about her in [I]Hogwarts, a History[/I], and there is also a plaque in the trophy room that says that she prevented the most injuries!"

"But why didn't she tell me she was a witch over the summer?" Harry asked, hurt. "And how much else hasn't she told me?"

"You'll have to ask her that yourself, I think," Hermione said. "At least that explains why the Ministry didn't interfere." It was nearly a week before Harry could talk to Kate. The next Monday, about mid-afternoon, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked into the room where they would be having Survival class with the Slytherins. They walked through a narrow corridor lined with pegs, which entered into a large, airy room with several windows high in the walls. No one else was there yet, just Kate, who was seated behind a massive oak desk. Her feet were propped up on the desk and she was absorbed in a Muggle novel. Behind her, on the chalkboard, she had written "Miss Kate Hanover, Surviving Without Magic in the Muggle World" in a faulty script. Her robe was hanging on a peg beside the chalkboard, and her wand was holding up a messy bun. More students found their way in, but she did not look up. Soon, the room was fully occupied, and Kate kept reading. The students looked at each other, saying nothing.

"I'll be right with you," she said. "This just got good." A moment of confused silence was broken by a hushed, snotty voice.

"My father will hear about this," the voice, belonging to a blonde-haired boy said. "It's bad enough that we have to attend a non-magic class, but to come in and find the teacher reading a Muggle book? I won't stand for it!"

"You're not standing for it," Kate said coldly. She had silently gotten out of her chair and was standing above Draco Malfoy, her arms crossed and cross as two sticks. "You're sitting. Don't try my patience, little man, or you'll find yourself hanging by your ankles from the ceiling of the Great Hall, wearing a flowered nightgown." She put her hands on the corners of his desk and looked him straight in the eye. "And don't think I won't!"

Draco went pale and didn't say anything. Kate snorted and returned to the front of the room.

"Well, then, class, I think it's time I introduce myself. My name is Katherine Hanover, and I will be teaching you how to survive without magic. As young Mr. Malfoy has pointed out, it is a little unorthodox to be teaching a non-magic class here at Hogwarts, but the school board has thought it fit to institute the class, so here I am. The reason is simple; magic can be addicting, just like alcohol and tobacco. To have a witch or wizard dependent on magic is disgraceful.

"The first half of the year will be spent on learning how to live like a Muggle. Now, I am pretty sure that many of you would not choose that lifestyle, and I don't expect you to. But for those who might find it

advantageous," she looked at Hermione and Harry, "I can teach you how to hide in plain sight." An appreciative murmur ran through the class.

"The second half will be wilderness survival, and it is as it sounds. You will learn how to survive in the wild; how to start fires, identify plants, build shelters, hunt, and the like. I'm working on gaining

permission to take you on a field trip into the Forbidden Forest, or even to America.

"Okay. Rules. First off, I want you to call me either Miss Kate or Miss Hanover-I would have you call me just plain Kate, but Dumbledore put the kibosh on that." She made a face that gave the class her impression of the Headmaster's rule. "Do not call me 'Professor,' because I'm not one. Becoming a Professor requires a lot more work than I want to do.

"Second, when you come in to class, hang your robes and wands up on the pegs by the door. You won't need them here. Wear whatever you're comfortable in, but wear something. I had one student come in naked." She shuddered.

"Third, respect each other. Respect me. Respect the area you're in. Any disrespect will be dealt with quickly, creatively, and effectively. The only reason Mr. Malfoy is not in the Great Hall right now is because it is the first day.

"Fourth and last; it's not really a rule, but I thought I'd include this anyway. There are no more Houses. When you come in, you leave your house on the peg with your robe. The points earned in this class go into one big pot, to be divided at the end of the year. Any questions?" Kate sat on the edge of her desk. Lavender Brown raised her hand.

"Name, please?" Kate asked.

"Lavender. Do you have a boyfriend?" Kate nearly choked. A few of the Slytherin girls sniggered.

"Um, no. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was just curious," she trailed off. Kate chuckled.

"Nice try, Lavender. And five points from the pot for that snicker. Anyone else?"

It was Harry's turn.

"By 'hiding in plain sight,' do you mean lying to the Muggles around you? Because essentially that's what you're doing." Kate grinned wryly.

"In a way, yes, and also no. Now, class, I will offer an example. A witch or wizard may move into a Muggle community, and not tell his or her neighbors that he or she has magical powers. This witch or wizard may look and act just like a Muggle-in fact, just like I'm going to teach you-and the rest of the Muggles will believe him or her to be just like them. That witch did not lie to the Muggles, she just let them believe what they wanted. So technically, she didn't lie. She just didn't tell them the whole truth. I hope that satisfied you."

-~-

"I wanted to tell you, Harry, honestly. But what good would it have done you? That's a rhetorical question, by the way," Kate said, right after the rest of the class had left the room.

"What else haven't you told me?" Harry asked.

"A lot," Kate sighed. "But right now isn't a great time to talk about it. There's some really heavy stuff I have deal with first."

There was a knock at the classroom door. Kate's head snapped up, almost expecting it to be Sirius. It was Snape. He was leaning stiffly against the doorframe, trying to look relaxed. Kate stifled a laugh.

"Can I help you, Severus?"

"Um, well, perhaps." He coughed. "I was wondering, if you're not busy, uh, if you would like to get a cup of tea?"

"I'll see you later, Miss Hanover," Harry said in a low voice.

"I'll catch up with you soon, Harry."

"Hello, Potter," Snape said, standing straight and looking rather uncomfortable. He hadn't seen the boy there.

"Hello, Professor," Harry mumbled as he passed.

"Well, Kate?" Snape asked.

"As much as I would love a cup of tea, Severus, I have a lot of things to do. Maybe later." She gave him a dazzling smile and breezed past him.

Chapter 4: Sorting Baggage

Kate was sitting on the edge of the tower walk, her feet hanging out into space. It was near midnight, and the sky was clear and liberally sprinkled with stars. The moon was waxing gibbous, nearly full, and gave a little light. She was completely lost in thought and did not hear Dumbledore approach.

"I thought I'd find you up here, Kitty." Kate started, having not heard that nickname for 15 years.

"Hello, grandpa. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"You seem a little distracted."

"Why couldn't I tell him? Why couldn't I just say it?"

"To which 'him' are you referring?"

"Harry."

"Why do you think?"

"I suppose I was afraid. He'll ask why I didn't take care of him when Lily and James died, and I'm ashamed of the answer."

"You weren't ready to take care of a baby."

"He won't buy it."

"You underestimate him. And Sirius."

"What makes you say that?" Kate asked.

"Times have changed, Kitty. People change."

"I know that. But I find it hard to believe that Sirius could forgive me after I turned him in. He spent twelve years in Azkaban because of me."

"That is not your fault. You were doing your job. He understands that, and has probably forgiven you already."

"How can you know that?" Dumbledore looked at her over his half-moon spectacles. His eyes twinkled.

"Are you and Cav in on this together? We had this same conversation earlier this summer. He seems to believe I'm in love with Sirius."

"He's a smart cat. But then I've found cats to have highly developed observational skills," Dumbledore said officially.

"I don't know where you two are getting this! I haven't seen the man for 15 years. He probably doesn't even remember me, save for the fact that I put him in prison."

"Somehow I doubt that. He's staying with Remus, if you are interested in seeing him again." Kate looked interested in spite of herself. Her face fell.

"And I'm supposed to know where Remus lives?"

"I suggest following Hedwig." Dumbledore pointed to a snowy owl flying out over the forest. Kate looked over the wall and spotted her. Without a word, she jumped off the building.

-~-

Meanwhile, Harry had been scratching out a letter to Sirius.

Sirius

You know that lady, Katherine Hanover, I told you about? It turns out she's a witch. She's teaching here at Hogwarts. I wish she had told me that. It turns out she didn't tell me a lot of things. Snape interrupted her before she could say anything else. I don't know what to do. I mean, I like that she's here, but I don't like that she kept

all those secrets from me. Something's strange about this whole thing.

Harry

He gave Hedwig the letter, stroked her feathers, and watched her fly away.

-~-

She landed in the topmost branches of an ancient pine and looked down at the clearing. Hedwig, the snowy owl, had landed on a windowsill in the small house.

"Sirius, it's for you," she heard Remus say. She smiled mentally, then gently glided to the roof of the house. "From Harry." She waited for Sirius' response, wanting to hear his voice again, she realized suddenly.

"I thought so," Sirius said after a few minutes.

"What?"

"It's Kate. She's back." Outside, the bird held its breath. This was what she wanted to hear; Sirius' reaction.

"From America?" Remus' voice held a note of surprise. Evidently he thought she'd stay there.

"Yes. She's teaching at Hogwarts." His voice was expressionless.

"And?" Remus asked.

"And what? She's back. That's all. Am I supposed to feel something?"

Kate's heart sank. Dumbledore was wrong. He hadn't forgiven her.

"How can you say that? She was our friend-still is!"

"Then why hasn't she come here? She's avoiding us!"

"Correction: she's avoiding you-she probably thinks you don't want to see her again. And she most likely doesn't know where 'here' is!"

"She could find out," Sirius said, sounding put-out. Remus was making sense.

"And you could stop being so stubborn and go see her!"

"No. If she wants to see me, let her come here."

"I am here!" Kate tried to say. It came out as a garbled squawk. Sirius looked up and out the window, leaping to his feet.

"There's something out there," Sirius said, transforming into Padfoot. He tore out of the house, hot on the trail of whatever had made the noise. Kate flew up to the tree and took off. She wheeled around and swooped in on the dog, keeping far enough away to avoid his sharp teeth. He barked like mad. Remus ran out of the house and looked up, saw the bird of prey wheeling in the sky and smiled. Kate had indeed

returned.

-~-

"What are you doing back so soon? I thought you had gone to see Sirius and Lupin," Cavalier asked, stretching out on the bed as Kate returned to her human form. She collapsed next to him and scratched

his belly.

"I chickened out."

"I can tell. What happened?" Kate told him all about it. "Well. Remus was always the smart one. But if Sirius is still reluctant to come to you, you need to contact him. Write him a letter. I can take it to him tomorrow."

"You don't know where they live."

"Dumbledore told me."

"Fine." She got up, stretched, and went over to her desk. After pulling out a few sheets of parchment, a pot of ink and a quill, she sat down to write.

Dear Moony and Padfoot,

I know it's been a very, very long time, but I'm back in England now, and at Hogwarts. I know Harry wrote to you, Sirius, and told you about me. I've made a mess of things, and I need to set them right, starting with you two. Would it be at all possible to meet some time, perhaps in Hogsmeade, or the Shrieking Shack? I miss you both terribly, and I want to see you again. Please send back a reply with Cav.

Yours truly, Kate

"If you like, I can set out tonight and be back tomorrow evening, or the day after."

"All right. Be careful." She flopped back onto the bed.

"I will. You made the right move, Kate. Be proud of yourself."

"I know. Give me time. Now get going, before I change my mind."

-~-

Cavalier hummed to himself as he ran through the forest, carrying the letter in his teeth. It was morning when he reached Remus' house. Putting the letter on the doorstep and making sure he hadn't drooled on it inadvertently, Cav sat down and called out:

"Oi! Doggy! Wolfie! Letter for ya!"

A few muffled grunts and human growls were followed by the door being wrenched open by a significantly bleary Sirius Black.

"Who's there?" he growled, looking around.

"Down here, Doggy." Sirius squinted down at the cat.

"Cav!"

"Yes, it's me. I come bearing a missive from your favorite witch."

Cav pawed the letter, pushing it toward Sirius.

"Unless you don't want it. I can always take it back to her."

Sirius grunted, picked up the letter, and went inside.

"Hey!" Cavalier Jack shouted. Remus opened the door.

"Hello, Cavalier. I thought I heard you. Come in."

"Thank you, Remus," the cat said as he slunk into the house.

"Can I offer you some breakfast? We have some fresh rabbit."

"Yes, please! I've only been able to get my paws on mice at the castle. And coffee, too, if you don't mind. I promised Kate I'd get the letter here as soon as possible, so I ran all night." Remus placed a small plate of rabbit meat and a saucer of strong black coffee in front of the cat.

"What does it say, Sirius?" he asked as Cav ate.

"She wants to get together. All three of us."

"That's what you want, right?" Remus was confused. Sirius didn't sound happy.

"Yeah. She's admitting that she's messed up. Are you sure Kate wrote this?" he asked Cav. The cat swallowed a mouthful of rabbit.

"Yes. Do you think I'd lie to you, Doggy?" he said thickly. "Honestly, I don't know what she sees in you. First you want her to contact you, then when she does, you don't accept it!"

Remus smiled oftly.

"He has a point, Sirius."

"Yes. I hate it when he does. Something about cats." Cav rolled his eye, finishing his rabbit and coffee.

"The moon will be full tonight," Cav said. "If at all possible, I'd like to be out of the area before then. I don't like the idea of being tomorrow's breakfast, if you know what I mean."

"Certainly," Remus said. "Sirius?"

"What?"

"Write a reply."

Sirius grumbled, but did as he was told.