A Piece of the Past

Weeks passed by so quickly that Kate hardly even noticed when she'd been at Hogwarts for over a month. Her classes were mostly very interesting, except for Defense Against the Dark Arts, where Professor Fairclough continued having them read from their books and hand in reports. The only class that was truly horrible was Potions, because it seemed that the teacher, Snape, hated all Gryffindors. He always seemed to pick on Harry in particular, and though Kate often found him staring at her while the class was working, he never spoke a word to her unless he was taking attendance.

Harry continued to give her flying lessons almost every afternoon, and soon she was zooming around after him at the height of the Quidditch stadium. They played catch with the Quaffle from Madam Hooch's office, and Harry encouraged her to try out for the House Quidditch team. Kate declined, saying she would rather watch than participate, but he did manage to talk her into being a reserve Chaser.

On a Friday night in October, Kate found the common room bubbling with even more excited noise than usual. She took a seat next to Hermione, who was finishing an essay for Charms, and asked, "What's all the excitement?"

"Hogsmeade weekend tomorrow," Hermione replied, rolling up her parchment. "Done, finally. Have you heard much about Hogsmeade?"

"Just that everyone seems to love it," Kate answered. "I'm glad to be going; it'll be nice to get out of the castle a bit."

Hermione nodded, pushing her hair away from her face in exasperation. "Argh!" she cried, frustrated. "I'm so sick of my hair! I wish it would lay straight!"

Kate laughed and pulled on one of her own spiral curls. "I know what you mean," she said. "My hair's been curly as long as I can remember, and I'm sick of it, too."

"I straightened my hair once, you know," Hermione said thoughtfully. "It was just too much bother to use the straightening potion every day."

An idea popped into Kate's head, and she turned excitedly to Hermione. "Do you still have the potion?" she asked.

Hermione nodded. "I kept it, just in case I ever needed it again."

"Perfect!" Kate exclaimed. "I've got a brilliant idea!"

Hermione leaned in as Kate whispered her idea. They both smiled and hurried up to the girls' dormitory, and no one saw either of them until the next morning.

The next morning, everyone woke up earlier than usual for a Saturday because of the Hogsmeade trip. The Gryffindors were chatting and eating breakfast in the Great Hall when Hermione and Kate came down late.

No one took note of either of them until they sat down, Hermione next to Ron and Kate next to Harry. Ron did a double take and asked, "Hermione, what have you done to your hair?"

The two girls grinned. "I used my hair potion from the Yule Ball," Hermione explained. "But since it only lasts a while, Kate thought we could charm it to be permanent."

Kate nodded, her now straight and sleek blonde hair moving as well. "It's a simple Everlasting Charm," she added. "So if we want our normal hair back, we just reverse it and use the potion again."

Kate glanced at Harry and saw him smiling at her. "Brilliant," he said. Ron shook his head, but a smile was playing on his face too.

After breakfast, everyone began to line up to walk down to the village. The day was pleasantly cool, but the sun still shone, reminiscent of summer days. Kate couldn't help but be pleased that Harry was making an effort to stay near her, not only during the trip to the village, but throughout the entire day.

Hogsmeade was even better than Kate had imagined. A quaint little village, it reminded Kate of something out of old fairy tales that Muggles told their children.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione were too eager to show Kate around Hogsmeade. The four of them went in and out of every shop more than once before settling into the Three Broomsticks for butterbeer.

A woman with a broad smile came to the table holding four bottles of butterbeer. She was setting the bottles onto the table when her hand slipped, and a bottle crashed to the floor, splattering Kate in its contents.

"Oh, dear, I'm terribly sorry!" the woman cried. "Here, dear, let me clean you up. Come back here, now."

Kate followed her back to the kitchen and began attempting to wash the butterbeer from her robes in a sink at the back. She was nearly finished when she sensed someone behind her.

She whirled around in fright, but no one was there. Suspiciously, Kate turned back to the sink and finished rinsing her robes. She was wringing out the rag when she definitely heard someone breathing heavily to her right. She glanced over her shoulder, and yet again, no one was there.

Thoroughly frightened, Kate tossed the rag back into the sink and headed for the door out of the kitchen. She knew she wasn't hearing things when footsteps followed behind her. She made a run for the door, but someone caught her arm. Before she could scream for help, a hand was over her mouth, and she was being dragged away from the door and into a cupboard at the back of the kitchen.

The person who had taken her now pinned her against the back of the cupboard, a hand still pressed against her mouth. A low, hissing voice said to her, "So we meet again, Miss O'Brien. You look very different now, but I suppose that's to be expected."

The voiced stopped and listened, as though it had heard someone coming. After a moment, it began again, "No time for formalities. My master is anxious. You are treading in very dangerous waters, Miss O'Brien. Your parents are meddling in business that aught not be meddled in. I have instructions from higher up. It is they we want and not you. You are a weak little girl and mean nothing to my master but for the secret you hold."

The voice paused again. The speaker, who Kate was sure was a man, seemed to be listening for something or to someone. Kate realized that although she was nearly being suffocated by the hand over her mouth, the arm pinned behind her could still move. She inched her fingers ever so slightly over the back of the cupboard while her captor was occupied with his thoughts. She felt the handle of what seemed to be a knife and grasped onto it.

The man came to his senses and pinned Kate harder to the wall of the cupboard. "You see, Miss O'Brien," he continued in his raspy whisper. "If I kill you, no one will ever know your secret. But perhaps you might be persuaded to break your silence."

Kate knew she had no more time to prepare herself. She threw all her weight against her captor, freeing her arm just enough to stab at him with all her might. Taken by surprise, the kidnapper fell against the door of the cupboard, and before she knew what was happening, the man had Disapparated.

Kate burst out of the cupboard and sank to her knees. Tears welled in her eyes, but she knew she wasn't safe. She knew she might never be safe. But at the moment, she needed to get out of the kitchen in case her kidnapper returned.

She pulled herself quickly to her feet, wiped her eyes and tried to regain her composure. She walked out of the kitchen and returned to the table where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting. A new bottle of butterbeer sat at her place.

Kate sat down and forced a smile onto her face.

"We thought you'd gotten lost," Ron joked.

Kate laughed. "Apparently, butterbeer stains," she replied.

Hermione looked at her quizzically and Kate remembered that she was wearing black robes. She quickly changed the subject. "Um, I'm not feeling too well. Is there any chance I could get back up to the castle before everyone else starts to leave?"

"Sure," Harry said, looking concerned. "I can sneak you back up through the passage in Honeydukes if you want."

Not caring what kind of passage they used, as long as she could lie down for a while before supper, Kate nodded. She and Harry bid Ron and Hermione good-bye, and Harry led her into Honeydukes. They waited until the owners were occupied, then slipped through the door behind the counter, down a flight of stairs and into the basement, where Harry opened a circular trap door. They descended into the tunnel. Harry pulled out his wand, saying, "Lumos!" and Kate followed suit.

They followed the passage by the feeble light of their wands for a few minutes in silence. Kate finally could take it no longer.

"Ron and Hermione," she began, with a sly glance at Harry. "They bicker all the time. Any particular reason?" She knew the topic was for gossips and first-graders, but she needed a conversation starter.

Harry grinned back at her. "They disagree about everything, but I think they're rather fond of each other. Neither one would ever admit it, though. I wouldn't try asking if you want to keep your head."

"Just wondering," Kate said.

They chatted amiably after that, and Kate found herself wishing the passage would never end. Harry seemed to know his way, though, and he guided her to the end, where they were to exit through a statue of a witch. He pushed open the entrance before her, glanced around, and then motioned for her to come out.

Kate had just climbed out of the statue when she and Harry distinctly heard footsteps around the corner. Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her into the classroom next to the statue.

They both stood pressed against the wall as a dark figure passed the classroom in the hallway. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, but Kate stood, petrified, against the wall. Upon glancing about the room they had entered, Harry could see that a curtain was hung at the opposite end, and someone was pacing behind it. Harry and Kate held their breath for fear of being discovered and listened, as the person behind the curtain seemed to be speaking to someone unknown to them.

"...has no idea. The true plan cannot fail, even if your scout has proved worthless. I do not blaspheme you, master, but I place fault in the weakness of some of your servants. I am not weak, master. I will not fail."

Harry placed a finger to his lips and then pointed to the door. Kate nodded and squeezed his hand, still holding tightly to hers. Together they inched silently towards the door. Harry grasped the handle and turned it minutely until the door clicked open softly. He pushed the door open until he and Kate could squeeze out, and then they both took of running down the corridor, still hand in hand.

They burst into the Gryffindor common room, almost empty except for a few first years playing Exploding Snap in the corner. Kate leaned against the wall and sank to the floor, Harry next to her.

"That was close," she breathed.

"Who do you think was in that classroom?" he asked, glancing worriedly at her. "And who were they talking to?"

Kate shook her head. "I don't know," she replied honestly. But something in the pit of her stomach told her that she had been the topic of conversation.

Kate crossed the grounds with Ron and Hermione on a misty October morning. It was the morning of the first Quidditch match of the season: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Kate was relieved that no reserve players were needed, and she could enjoy the game from the stands with her friends.

Kate, Ron, and Hermione found seats with Neville, Parvati, and Lavender, all of whom were looking particularly nervous. The Gryffindor Quidditch team had been unbeatable with the Weasley twins as beaters and Oliver Wood as captain, but the new players were reserves from previous years as well as younger, inexperienced players. Still, they had Harry, and so hope held out.

As the match began, Kate kept her eyes on Harry. It was easy to see he was a natural Seeker; he hovered high above the rest of the game, watching carefully for the Snitch. Several times, Bludgers were sent his way, but the Gryffindor Beaters managed to hit them away.

Slytherin had just taken the lead 70-60 when Kate saw Harry suddenly go into a steep dive. The crowd gasped as the Slytherin Seeker, a boy named Draco Malfoy, tried to catch Harry, but it was too late. Harry emerged from the dive with a tiny golden ball fluttering in his hand. The crowd cheered and stormed the field as the Gryffindor team landed, hugging Harry and cheering.

Harry was surrounded, and Kate couldn't reach him. She caught his eye, and he smiled at her as the team pushed him towards the locker room. The rest of the Gryffindors were already heading back to the common room for a victory party. As the crowd cleared up, Kate hung around outside the locker room, waiting for Harry. He was the last one out, after the rest of the team. She caught his elbow as he went by the door, and he turned, surprised to see her, but happy nonetheless.

Kate smiled shyly. "That was really fantastic, Harry! You were...really fantastic," she repeated.

Harry laughed and leaned closer to her to speak, but she didn't hear a word he said. Kate's mind was whirling; she knew she shouldn't be here, she knew she was endangering him, but at that moment, her heart vetoed her head, and she gazed up at him.

His sparkling green eyes met her crystal blue ones. He whispered her name, and she closed her eyes, wanting more than anything in the world just to be close to him. And before thoughts of protest could form in her mind, he was kissing her. He was a good kisser, Kate thought, though she hadn't kissed many other guys before. Her knees were shaking so hard she thought they would buckle. She felt weak as he ended the kiss, but he was holding her arms to keep her steady. He was always holding her up, she realized.

"I'm sorry," he said, like a true gentleman.

Kate made a mental note to kick herself later as she replied, "I'm not."

He smiled, and Kate melted. She had no rational thoughts as he took her hand and walked her slowly back up to the castle. She forgot why she was in England as he kissed her again outside the common room. She abandoned all logic when she saw the looks on Parvati's and Lavender's faces as they came through the portrait hole hand-in-hand. Being with Harry made Kate forget who she was, and it only made her love him more.

As she lay in bed, Kate tried to hold onto the precious moments of the victory party; Harry had not left her side, and her hand had almost never been without his. Before she could drift blissfully to sleep, all her thoughts of reproach came flooding back, and Kate felt immeasurable guilt. She was weak, she knew, for befriending him, for kissing him, for loving him, when it was his life she jeopardized as well.

Kate heard noises as if someone was getting out of bed. She pulled aside the curtain of her four-poster and saw Hermione in a robe and slippers, trying to open the door quietly.

Hermione's head jerked around when Kate opened her curtains. "Oh!" she cried, and then dropped her voice to a whisper. "Sorry if I woke you. I'm just going to the library for...research."

Kate shook her head disbelievingly. "Can't you research tomorrow?"

"I've got a full schedule," Hermione said defensively. "I won't have time tomorrow."

Kate shrugged. "See you tomorrow, then." She pulled her curtains shut and listened as Hermione left, and the door clicked softly shut. Resolved to find a solution tomorrow, Kate closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Kate's decision to find a solution dissolved when Harry met her at the bottom of the stairs the next morning. Their hands found each other, and he kissed her cheek, saying, "Morning."

Ron grinned and raised his eyebrows playfully, but Hermione looked somewhat displeased. She said nothing as the four of them headed down to breakfast, but Kate assumed she was tired from spending the night in the library.

Many pairs of Gryffindor eyes were locked on Kate and Harry as they entered the Great Hall, holding hands once more, and sat down to breakfast next to each other. Kate felt a burst of shame as she caught Ginny Weasley's pained gaze; Ginny so obviously admired Harry.

"It's so nice outside," Kate commented, looking up at the ceiling, which was sunny with a bright blue sky.

"Wish I could spend the day out there rather than finishing Potions homework," Ron sighed.

"If you didn't put everything off until the last minute--" Hermione began, but Ron elbowed her good-naturedly.

"If I didn't put everything off until the last minute, I wouldn't get any help from you," he finished.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but Kate could see the corners of her mouth begin to curl upward into a smile.

Harry turned to Kate. "Wanna take breakfast down to the lake?"

Kate nodded, and they wrapped up some toast in a napkin and stood up. "Are you two coming?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione.

Hermione was glaring disapprovingly at Harry, but Ron shook his head.

"See you later, then," Harry replied, and he and Kate left the Great Hall.

Kate felt as if she was floating instead of walking. The guilt that had built up in the night was pushed to the back of her mind. The only thing that mattered now was Harry.

They sat under a tree near the shore of the lake, Harry leaning against the trunk and Kate resting against his knees. He played lazily with her hair, letting it slide through his fingers like silk.

"Does anything live in the lake?" Kate asked.

"Merpeople," Harry replied calmly, as though this was ordinary. "And the giant squid."

"Giant squid?" Kate said with a laugh.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Look there; it's coming to the surface on the far side."

Kate followed his gaze and saw a large object emerging from the previously calm surface of the lake. It began to swim lazily towards the spot where she and Harry sat.

"Is it--tame?" she asked.

Harry smiled. "I think so. Sometimes it comes close enough to the shore for people to feed it. Wanna try?"

"Sure," Kate said. Harry pulled her up, and they moved to the shore of the lake to feed the squid the last bits of their breakfast. The giant orange animal came almost out of the water, extending its tentacles to Harry and Kate. They tossed their toast into the lake, and the squid ate it quickly, extending one long tentacle out again.

"Sorry," Harry said with a smile. "That's all we've got."

But the squid was reaching out farther now, as though it wanted something besides food.

"Here," Harry said, taking Kate's hand. "You can touch it."

Kate grinned as she knelt down and cautiously patted the long tentacle. Harry knelt behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder. The squid extended its tentacle further and pulled another out of the water. Kate laughed as the long, snakelike tentacle tickled her ankles.

Suddenly, Kate was not laughing. She realized that the squid's long arms had tightened around her ankles, and another was wrapping around her knees. She clutched at Harry, who realized a little too late.

The squid began violently pulling at Kate. She tried to stand but lost her balance and toppled into the sand. Harry grabbed onto her arm, but by this time, another tentacle was beginning to curl around his legs.

Kate kicked roughly, and the grip around her ankles loosened enough for her to free one leg. She began kicking viciously at the squid while holding tightly to Harry's arm. She noticed that he was fighting but being pulled towards the lake as well.

"Harry!" Kate screamed as a brutal blow from the squid severed their grip on one another. She felt water around her knees and saw that the squid was moving out into the lake.

"Kate," Harry cried, and she was surprised to see him looking rational, though his eyes were full of fear. "Get your wand out. We've got to think of something; we can't keep at it like this." He lashed out as the squid tried to wrap a tentacle around his waist, and the limb recoiled.

Kate nodded and pulled her wand from inside her robes, noticing that Harry did the same. They were now waist deep into the lake, and their legs were no longer touching the sandy bottom. Kate knew they didn't have much time. She bit as hard as she could into a tentacle coming towards her neck.

"Stunning spells," Harry called to her. "Do you know any?"

"Only one!" Kate yelled back to him, hating the panic in her voice when he was being so calm.

"On three then," Harry said. "One...two..."

But the squid seemed to anticipate their attack. Before Harry reached three, it had pulled both of them under water. Kate hadn't caught a breath, and her lungs filled with water instantly. She kicked and struggled, freeing her legs for a split second; but that second was enough to force her to the surface. As her head burst out of the lake, she felt the tentacles hit her knees again, tighter than before.

She looked over and saw Harry fighting to stay above water. He caught her glance and yelled, "Now!"

They both pointed their wands at the only weak spot they could find on the squid: its eyes. Before they could be pulled under again, they had both called, "Stupefy!"

The spell was not enough to stun the squid, but the spell hitting its eyes did cause it to instantly release Harry and Kate. As the squid cowered, tending to its eyes, they swam frantically to the shore.

Halfway there, Kate could hear the squid beginning to chase them again. She looked for Harry and saw that he was ahead of her. He would make it.

But he glanced back at her. The squid was quickly gaining ground, but he stopped, moved back, and grabbed her arm. "Come on, Kate!" he screamed in her ear, the first real sign of panic he had shown through the whole ordeal.

She swam as hard as she could. She felt the tickle of the squid's tentacles, stretched as far as they could, on the back of her legs, but at that very moment, her knees hit something solid. Before she could stand, Harry was dragging her out of the water and far up onto the grass, out of reach of the squid.

Kate wanted to lie on the grass for a moment, but Harry wouldn't allow it. He pulled her up and nearly carried her away from the lake. When they were nearly at the entrance of the castle, he stopped, turned to her, and wrapped his arms around her as though she was a life preserver and he was drowning in the ocean.

She buried her face in his chest, breathing shakily and listening to the rapid beating of his heart. After a few minutes that seemed an eternity, he pulled away, kissed her firmly, and said, "We're not going to talk about this until we get inside and change clothes or my head may explode."

Kate nodded with a faint trace of a smile and laid her head comfortably on his shoulder, his arm wrapped reassuringly around her waist, and headed slowly inside. Just before they entered the castle, Kate threw one last glance back at the lake; the water lay calmly now as though made of glass, and in the split second before Harry pulled her inside, she could have sworn she saw a dark robed figure emerging from the bushes on the far side of the lake. She shook her head, however, and concentrated instead on staying upright until she reached her room.

They attracted many curious stares, not only for their waterlogged state but because in all his six years at Hogwarts, Harry had never had a girlfriend. Even though many people believed that he and Hermione had been dating, they had never seen him openly affectionate with any girl, and the sight of him walking down the halls with Kate was enough to set off an unstoppable gossip chain.

Upon climbing through the portrait hole, Harry and Kate ignored the questionable stares from the other Gryffindors and went to their separate dormitories to change clothes.

Kate barely made it into the sixth year girls' room before collapsing in a sobbing heap. She didn't care if anyone was in the room, though it was empty; she needed to release everything that had been building up through their ordeal at the lake. Her guilt over Harry was back in full force, but she couldn't see a reasonable way to deal with it, so she pushed it out of her mind again and concentrated on getting dressed. She changed clothes and robes, but instead of going back to the common room to join Harry, she sat on her bed, deep in thought.

Harry, however, changed quickly and raced back to the common room to wait for Kate. He sat near the fire, and though he got several odd looks, no one asked questions except for Ron and Hermione. They sat near the fire with him, and Hermione asked worriedly, "What happened, Harry?"

Harry relayed the tale of his and Kate's ill-fated breakfast, and Hermione's eyes were full of fear. Ron looked discontented, but he seemed to brush it off. "So the squid's not as tame as everyone thought," he said. "Talk to McGonagall about it. See if there's anything that can be done."

Harry was all for this plan, but Hermione shook her head and whispered fervently, "There's more to it than that, Ron." She turned to Harry and said gravely, "Harry, it's got something to do with Kate."

Harry laughed. "No way, Hermione," he replied. "It's just the squid getting a bit too hungry. It's not like it has a grudge against Kate or me or anyone."

"No," Hermione hissed. "But maybe someone else has."

"What are you saying?" Ron asked. "That someone purposely set the giant squid on Harry and Kate?"

"It's a possibility," Hermione said. "Especially with what I've found out."

Ron shook his head. "You're nuts, Hermione."

But Harry was becoming interested. "What did you find out?" he asked.

Hermione leaned in closer so that there was no chance of anyone hearing them. "There are things Kate's not telling us," she began. "You know that school she supposedly attended in France--L'ècole des Sorciers?"

Harry and Ron both nodded.

"Well, it doesn't exist," Hermione continued. "I looked for it everywhere. There's no school of magic by that name anywhere."

"Maybe it's some kind of mistake," Ron said. "Are you sure you got the name right?"

Hermione glowered at him. "I'm perfectly sure, Ron. Kate didn't go to any school in France. And speaking of France--she wasn't there because her Muggle father had a job transfer. In fact, her father's not a Muggle, and neither is her mother. They were both at Hogwarts around the same time as your parents, Harry. Actually," she added. "They must have known each other--they were all Gryffindors."

Harry and Ron looked at Hermione incredulously. "How did you find that out?" Ron asked.

"Kate's father, Connor O'Brien, played Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team the same years as your father played Seeker, Harry," Hermione replied.

"So what?" Harry said, disbelievingly. "That doesn't prove that the squid attacked us because of Kate."

"She's been lying to us all year, Harry!" Hermione said furiously. "And the lies don't stop there! I pulled out all the old records of people who worked at the Ministry of Magic. Both the O'Briens were with the Ministry. Connor O'Brien was an Auror, and his wife Bridget was an assistant to a team of Unspeakables in the Department of Mysteries. That is until they were both reassigned to secret tasks that went unrecorded in the Ministry documents." Hermione looked very smug as she folded and her arms and waited for reactions from Harry and Ron.

Harry was torn between curiosity and anger. "Look, Hermione," he said. "Whatever Kate did, she has a reason for it. Her parents' jobs have nothing to do with anything that's happened today. Just promise not to go spreading this around, all right?"

But Hermione was persistent. "Harry, her past and yours are linked somehow, I know it! I just have to do some more research--"

"Stop with the research," Harry cut her off. "Kate is--she's just...different, you know? I don't care if she's been lying. There must be a good reason." Harry's ears turned pink, and he looked directly at Ron and Hermione. "I think I might love her, ok? So I don't want you guys to...dislike her. Or accuse her of anything."

Ron grinned mischievously and raised his eyebrows. "All right, then," he said with a laugh. Harry shook his head and asked, "Hermione?"

Reluctantly, Hermione said, "Fine, but I won't pretend I like your being around her, Harry. It could be dangerous."

Ron laughed loudly now. "There's nothing dangerous about having a girlfriend, Hermione, unless it's you."

Hermione shot daggers at him with her eyes. "Then I guess it's lucky for you I'm not your girlfriend." She stood up huffily and headed up to the girls' dormitories.

Ron shrugged at a distressed-looking Harry. "She'll get over it," he said.