A Contradiction of Terms

Chapter 7: Halloween

It was finally Halloween; the day Kate had been both dreading and anticipating since the start of the school year. She had cut her classes short due to the ever-growing butterflies in her stomach. After spending most of the afternoon nervously pacing the halls of the old castle, Kate went down to the banquet.

"Ah, Katherine!" Snape hissed, giving her one of his quasi-smiles. "I saved you a seat."

"Thank you."

The floating pumpkins and flying bats did little to capture Kate's attention. Even all the marvelous treats that the house-elves had prepared couldn't tempt her. She picked at her food and half-heartedly listened to Snape. He was uncharacteristically talkative-somewhere in the back of her mind she believed him to have drunk too much wine. When the students began to drift in little clumps back to their houses, Kate took it as a sign to head to the Shrieking Shack.

"Would you like to meet me in Hogsmeade later this evening?" she heard Snape ask. "We could go to the Three Broomsticks."

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, Severus, I have other plans this evening." Kate began to walk away, but Snape spoke again and she stopped.

"Oh," he said, sounding a little hurt. "May I ask where?"

"I've been invited to a friend's house."

"Perhaps I could come along," he suggested.

"I haven't seen them in a long time," Kate answered, getting annoyed.

"You haven't seen anyone in a long time!" Snape exploded. "You've been in bloody America for 15 years!"

"You know what, Severus?" Kate got right up in Snape's face, her blue eyes blazing. "Back the hell off!"

With that she turned and stalked out of the Great Hall. Snape closed his eyes, let out a shuddering sigh and smoothed his hair. He glared at a few students who giggled before leaving in the opposite direction.

-~-

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had left right after Kate, but once outside of the Great Hall, she was nowhere to be seen. Cavalier was lounging on one of the staircases.

"Cav, did you see where Kate went?" Harry asked.

"No, but I know where she's going."

"Where?"

"Why should I tell you? Maybe she doesn't want you to know."

"What could be so important?" Hermione mused. "I thought she didn't want to keep secrets from us."

"And you three are supposed to be so smart," Cav smirked. "Think a little. Who were her best friends here?"

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs," Ron answered.

"Right! And who would she really want to meet up with again?"

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs," Harry said, catching on.

"And one of them is 'special,' right? Needed some extra provisions made when he came here."

"Professor Lupin!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Good. Now, where did he go every month?"

"The Shrieking Shack!" the three students said at once.

"Correct! Think how long it would have taken you to figure that one out. I should have a talk with Dumbledore about your education. Your deductive skills are seriously lacking."

They paid him no attention.

"But how did she get past the Whomping Willow?" Ron asked, thinking hard.

"Ooh, I smell smoke," Cav said sarcastically. "How does anyone get past it?"

"Can you help us, then?" Harry asked.

"I thought you'd never ask."

-~-

Kate beat a rapid retreat from the Great Hall and the castle in general. As she was running across the lawn, she changed into her Animagus form and shooting over the ground like a feathered cannonball. When she reached the Whomping Willow, she darted under its' thrashing branches, found the knot that stilled the tree, and opened the door. Breathing heavily, Kate went down into the passage that would lead her to the Shrieking Shack. In retrospect, she needn't have run.

"But really," she said to herself, "I most likely wouldn't have come. I'd have chickened out again." Kate landed on the floor of the tunnel, and as much as she wanted to stay in Animagus form, she couldn't very well fly without air currents. Making her human self as small as possible, she scrambled through the passage to the Shrieking Shack. She didn't relax until she reached the trap door that lead into the old house.

Pausing just outside, she listened carefully. She heard two distinct voices; those of Remus and Sirius. Taking a deep breath, she changed back to her human self and gently pushed the door open. Sirius was sitting at the table, elbows resting on top, his head resting on his hands. Remus stood to one side and had been pacing the length of the room. Both men looked at her as the door, creaking slightly, closed.

"Hi," she breathed. Neither man said anything. "I'm sorry if I'm late, Snape tried asking me out-"

"Shut it!" Remus smiled, walking over and throwing his arms around her. "It's good to see you again."

"Same here," she said, a little relieved. At least one of them was speaking to her. If only Sirius would say something.

"Hello, Kate," he finally said. While Remus was hugging Kate, Sirius had gotten up from the table. An awkward silence followed. Kate and Sirius just looked at each other for the longest time. Remus glanced back and forth between them and sighed.

"Say something!" he cried. "Unless you two just want to have a little heart-to-heart by yourselves. I can leave, you know, and come back in ten minutes."

"Don't worry," Kate said, breaking her eyes away from Sirius. "We're all mature adults, at least I hope we are," she smiled feebly. "I am, I think."

"I am," Remus answered with a smile. "How about you, Sirius?"

"I'm not sure," he said in a low voice, a hint of a grin on his lips.

"Well, we never were sure about you," Kate said lightly. "I'm sorry, Sirius. I was doing my job-I never wanted to arrest you."

"I know," he replied softly.

"Can you forgive me?" Sirius nodded slowly. Kate let out a long-pent up sigh and nearly ran to him, hugging him round the middle.

"Ah, Kitty, so good to have you back!"

-~-

Cavalier led Harry, Ron, and Hermione through the tunnel that led to the Shrieking Shack, even though they had all been there before.

"If I'm getting you past the Whomping Willow," he argued, "I'm going in with you. I never pass up an opportunity to harass Doggy and Wolfie!"

"Doggy and Wolfie?" Ron sounded a little confused.

"Is Sirius there too?" Harry asked.

"Would I have said 'Doggy' if he wasn't?" The humans doubled their speed, but Cav just continued at his normal pace. At least, that's what they thought.

"I think we've got company," Kate said as the dark brown cat streaked into the room. Cav leapt into her arms.

"Mummy!" he said, cuddling up to her. Remus and Sirius snickered. Kate rolled her eyes and dropped the large cat to the floor. "Well, thanks for the warm welcome. I come bringing godson and friends."

All three adults looked to the door. Three sets of eyes were peering through a crack.

"Well, come in!" Kate said. "I'm sure you don't want to stand there all night!" The three teenagers entered and greetings were exchanged.

"Now, what I want to know," Kate started, "Is why you three are here. I might begin to think you're keeping tabs on me." No one answered.

"I thought so. Why didn't you just ask?"

"You left too quickly!" Ron exclaimed.

"Oh."

"Good to see you haven't changed, Kate," Remus grinned. "She was always the first one out at the of classes."

"Yeah, I know. I was eager to get to the Quidditch pitch."

"But remember, you almost weren't allowed on the team. And you were almost kicked off the team several times."

"I remember," Kate grumbled. "I must have been the worst student in out year."

"I wouldn't say that. You were good a Transfiguration."

"And Care of Magical Creatures. Horrible at Potions, though. Hey, you guys," she addressed Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "We're probably just going to continue like this for a while. You can stay if you want. It's fine with me. What about you?" The men shrugged.

"All right then. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

She conjured up a rich chocolate cake, a bottle of wine, a pitcher of milk, 3 wine glasses, 3 glass tumblers, and a small saucer.

"Why didn't you stay and talk to us that night in September?" Remus asked, helping himself to wine.

"I don't know," Kate said as she began to slice the cake. "It didn't help that Sirius came running like a dog out of hell, barking like mad. I just relied on my animal instincts," she waggled her eyebrows. "And ran. Flew. Take your pick. You have some great trees outside your house, Moony."

"Thank you."

"I smelled something," Sirius stated, taking a glass and filling it with the sweet red wine. "And we both heard a squawk. How did you know it was her?" he asked Remus.

"Too perfectly timed," he answered. "And there aren't any eagles in my area. Kitty, you're an Animagus!"

"Ah, you caught me."

"Why?" Sirius asked. "And why did you attack me?"

"I did not attack you!" Kate said defensively. "I was just building up speed. As for why I chose to become an Animagus, well, I couldn't become one when I was in school because of Quidditch training and all those tutoring sessions, so as soon as I could, I went through the spell and the eagle chose me. I've always liked flying."

"I still say you attacked me," Sirius grumbled. Kate flicked a small piece of cake at him. He retaliated, and soon little chunks of chocolate cake were flying through the air. Cav was running around, cleaning them up off of the floor. Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched in stunned silence as the two adults regressed to childhood.

"Sirius! Kate! Stop it!" Remus cried as a lump of brown goo landed in his wine glass. "Eugh. That's disgusting." They looked at him, then pelted the Voice of Reason with chocolate cake. By the end of the escapade, all three adults were doubled over with laughter.

"Were they always like this?" Hermione asked Cavalier, who was licking icing from his paws.

"Worse," the cat answered. "Much worse."

-~-

Chapter 8: The Great Debate

It was the middle of November, and Kate was preparing for her first "debate" with Cornelius Fudge. It was really more of a discussion or political round-table. Arthur and Molly Weasley, the terrible trio, and Cavalier Jack were with her in a room just off the main Council Hall, doing their best to keep Kate calm.

"I've done this so many times," she whispered. "But I keep getting nervous. I'm going to make a complete arse of myself, I just know it."

"No, you won't!" Hermione said reassuringly. "We've gone over every point and counterpoint that they can hope to raise."

"You'll be fine, dear," Molly added. "Now, let's do up your hair."

"My hair is fine! I want it down."

"You'll look more professional if you wear it up," Molly said firmly. Kate didn't argue; she knew better. At that moment, a small feathered projectile zoomed through an open window. It was carrying a little package rolled in brown paper.

"Pig!" Ron exclaimed, making a grab for the tiny owl.

"It's for you," he said once he had extracted the present from Pig's claws. Kate untied the bit of twine and unrolled the paper. In it were two hair sticks; one with a small dog carved on the end, and the other with a small wolf. Scribbled on the inside of the paper was a message.

"Sorry we couldn't be there with you on your big day, but here is a little present to make up for it. Best of luck, Moony and Padfoot."

"Okay, Molly, you can put my hair up," Kate grinned, holding out the two hair sticks.

-~-

The Council Hall fell silent when Kate and Fudge walked in, side by side, not looking at each other. It was the first time in ages that anyone had dared to challenge the current Minister. Many thought that it was about time someone challenged Fudge's administration and were open to the idea of a female Minister; open enough to go through the tedious debates, campaigns, and final elections.

The two candidates took positions behind their podiums and waited for the mediator. Kate swallowed several times before pouring herself a glass of water.

The door was thrown open and Gilderoy Lockhart waltzed into the hall, teal and lavender robes flowing around his ankles. Kate nearly dropped her glass. She had heard about him from Dumbledore and thought he was still in St. Mungo's, having his memory restored. Apparently he had been released. Several women in the Council were simpering and smiling at him. Kate raised an eyebrow and looked at Fudge. He shrugged; it was too late to do anything about it.

"Hello and good evening to you all," Lockhart grinned, addressing the crowd. A little of his pomp was gone, and a little of his flair for dramatics. A little, but not much. "Welcome to the first debate between Miss Katherine A. Hanover and Mr. Cornelius Fudge, both of whom are running for Minister of Magic. Let's hear it for the candidates!" A round of applause swept through the Council Hall. Cheers and whistles came from the small area where the Weasleys, Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat. Kate smiled up at them.

"Now, for our first topic: budget reform. Mr. Fudge, what is your view on the Ministry's money management plan?"

"My view is what it always has been; the system set in place by our predecessors is as efficient as it could possibly be. I see no need to change."

"Very good, Mr. Fudge. Miss Hanover, what are your views on this matter?" Lockhart asked, turning his famous smile to her. She returned the favour.

"While I agree with Mr. Fudge that the current budget is efficient, I find that times have changed, and the budget needs to change as well. In reviewing the paperwork from the last fiscal year, I found that the salaries of administrators and other high-ranking officials are grossly inflated, while other employees and their families are barely scraping by. If I am elected Minister, I will cut administrative salaries just enough to even everything out, but still allowing for seniority and superiority." Kate took a deep breath and felt the eyes of Lucius Malfoy upon her. Swallowing hard, she looked up into the stands and straight into his cold, grey eyes. She smirked at him, knowing that Malfoy was Fudge's biggest supporter.

"Very good idea, Miss Hanover!" Lockhart beamed. "Do you have anything to add, Mr. Fudge?" The current Minister gave a sickly smile.

"Only that I think that should Miss Hanover be elected Minister, she would have a hard time convincing the executives that they should take a salary cut, no matter how small."

"That is a good point, Mr. Fudge," Kate said. "But I would like to pose this to all the administrators and executives in the audience. If taking even a one percent wage cut-as little as ten Sickles a week-could help lessen the financial burdens of some of the less fortunate employees at the Ministry, enabling them to spend more time working and less time worrying about money, would you not take that small reduction?" Her last statement was met with thunderous applause.

"Apparently, Cornelius, they would," she said to Fudge before the noise in the hall ceased.

"And now for our second topic: Muggles," Lockhart said with his typical style. "And how much should they know? Mr. Fudge, would you like to start?"

"Yes, I would, Mr. Lockhart," Fudge said grimly. "It is very dangerous for the Muggles to know about us. Their minds cannot handle the reality of magic. In fact, I find it surprising that Muggles have survived for this long without it."

"Miss Hanover, a response?"

"The Minister has a valid point. Muggles should not know about us. We do not need another witch hunt. But Mr. Fudge also raised a question that I would like to address. It is amazing that Muggles have lived so long without magic. How did they do it? They made their own. They harnessed the power of lightning and use it to power almost everything; they created an internal combustion engine for automobiles; their creative minds wrote some of the best literature available. We don't give them enough credit."

"Would you have us use any of this Muggle 'magic' in our own world?" Gilderoy asked.

"Strictly speaking, no. We don't need to. It would be a good idea to learn about Muggle culture and how to use some of their brand of magic, however, as it might prevent us from becoming too dependent on our magic. The more we use our magic for simple things, the more we become dependent on it. I have seen some witches and wizards who cannot lace up their boots without a spell."

Murmurs wove their way around the hall. Kate suspected the audience was wondering who those magic-dependent people were. A break was called, in order to allow the audience and candidates time to stretch their legs and get a bite to eat. Kate slumped into a seat at the bottom of the stands as the hall emptied. A hot cup of coffee was pushed into one hand, and a sweet roll into the other.

"Here, eat," Molly Weasley said.

"Oh, thank you!" Kate smiled. "I didn't think that I'd be so exhausted!"

"You're doing wonderfully, Kate!" Arthur cried, coming up from the side. "Fudge is furious."

"Bully for him." Kate tore into the sweet roll. "Why is Gilderoy Lockhart moderating this? I thought he was in St. Mungo's."

"His memory was restored," Arthur sighed. "And he was released. The Ministry employed him as a mediator for special events. I think the idea was that he would attract younger people."

"Good plan," Kate said sarcastically. "The most he'll attract are air-headed girls. Speaking of which," Kate looked pointedly at a gaggle of girls in brightly coloured robes chattering away at Lockhart, who was in turn showering them with attention. The man in question turned and flashed a brilliant smile at Kate.

"Oh, I'm gonna be sick!" she mumbled as Lockhart walked over to them.

"Hello, Miss Hanover. Can I call you Kate?" he asked.

"I'd rather you didn't," she said, sipping her coffee.

"Well, Kate, I'd like to tell you how well you're doing. Fudge is a tough person to argue with."

"So I've seen. But if you will excuse us, Mr. Lockhart, I'd like to finish up this little break in peace. I need to talk to my campaign manager." She indicated Arthur Weasley.

"Ah, yes, very good!" Lockhart said, hardly fazed. He wandered off.

"Stupid git," Kate grumbled.

After a few minutes of relative peace, a second sweet roll and a Cheering Charm, Kate was ready to face Fudge again for the last debate topic. The audience slowly trickled back into the Council Hall. Lockhart waited until everyone was seated and the doors were closed before starting.

"For our last topic," he said slowly, pausing for dramatic emphasis, Kate was sure.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his alleged return to power."

There was a hush in the room, as if everyone had lost their voices.

"That very idea is preposterous!" Fudge slammed his fist into the podium. "It is a rumour that I wish to squash right now! We have had no reports of any sort that You Know Who has even regained a body, save a child's statement last year after the Triwizard Tournament. He had obviously been under an extreme amount of stress, and therefore his word could not be counted as fact. There were no other witnesses!"

Kate's eyes narrowed. In the time she had been teaching at Hogwarts, she had managed to learn about the events that took place directly after the Third Task. Harry saw her expression and whispered "Please don't say my name, please don't say my name," several times over. The Council Hall was buzzing with side conversations.

"Except for numerous Death Eaters and one Peter Pettigrew!" Kate said finally, her voice low and menacing. "That child that you refer to is Harry Potter." The boy in question cringed. "And I would trust his word above anyone else's. Voldemort tried to kill him 14 years ago and failed. Everyone knows that story." The room went silent when she said the name.

"Everyone also knows that Peter Pettigrew is dead! Sirius Black blew the poor boy to smithereens the day after he betrayed the Potters to the Dark Lord!" Fudge sneered. "You of all people should know that, Miss Hanover. You were there shortly afterwards!"

"Yes, I was. And I know that the Magical Law Enforcement Squad found little more than a finger-surely anyone who had been blown up would leave a bit more of a mess. But that is not the topic. How can you not believe the word of the only person to survive an attack from Lord Voldemort?"

"He is but a child," Fudge scoffed. Kate raised her eyebrows mockingly.

"That may be, but he's rapidly growing into a man. Surely you can see that. How do you explain the death of Cedric Diggory, Mr. Fudge?" she asked. "How could a young man, healthy as a horse, die so suddenly?"

Fudge was not able to answer. He stood at his podium, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Kate continued.

"Why have you decided to ignore the advice of Albus Dumbledore, the only wizard that Lord Voldemort ever feared? He suggested that the Ministry make peace with the giants. Even if Voldemort has not returned to power, and I hope that he is not given that chance, reconciling our differences with the giants-and other species-would make sense. Do you not agree? That way, should any other power rise, we would have other allies in those battles. Until you can answer those questions, Mr. Fudge, I have nothing more to say to you."

Kate bowed to her opponent, to Gilderoy Lockhart, and to the audience before collecting her papers and walking calmly out of the Council Hall. Lucius Malfoy watched her go. His outer features were schooled into an expressionless mask, but just under the surface one could see the contempt he had for Miss Kate Hanover. She was jeopardizing his hold on the Ministry, his link to inside information. If action was not taken, she would become Minister, and Malfoy didn't want that. He shifted his gaze to Fudge, who was still standing dumbly behind the podium. It was a good thing that Malfoy had Fudge in the palm of his hand. That would make taking care of Miss Katherine Hanover so much easier.