Femme Fatale

A/N: Yeah, I know that basically whenever Katie and Oliver fight, it's about Ol's

Rantings and ravings- I know, so don't Tell me. I just figured that for Kate it

Must get reaaaaaaaaaaly old, and it's probably a really sensitive and soft

Spot for Oliver- he tries so hard, you see, and Katie has a way of snapping him

Back to reality, something that sucks (the snapping back to reality part), believe

Me- I've been through it. Especially when it's during math class and you have an evil sub

Who keeps you after class and calls your parents to reprimand you for doodling pictures of screaming Hermione Granger all over your notebook while you're supposed to be

Taking notes. Heh. Ignore this. Please. I'm psycho. Completely. I'll blame

It on the weatherman (didja know that it's a song? "I'll blame it on the weatherman"...

Whatever.) Shutting up.

Femme Fatale

Chapter Four:

In the Forests of the Night

Weeks passed. Fall melted into winter, the first snow fell, and there was homework. Oh, there was a lot of homework. The Gryffindor team won three of the four Quidditch games, losing only to Ravenclaw. Angelina and Fred had gotten together and broken up seven times in a period of four months. In other words, business as usual. Katie shocked people routinely with a disturbingly rude comment or outburst, keeping them fresh and awake. Yes, business as usual.

But all that changed, one steely December day.

It was the first Saturday of the month. A cold, dark Saturday. Snow covered the ground in blankets, at least a foot deep in the shallow parts.

And Oliver was hounding the team in the warm Gryffindor common room.

"Is anyone listening to my plans for the Slytherin Quidditch match? Hello? Now, we've got to go offensive, leaving Harry free to catch the Snitch. Yeah, keep the Slytherin team occupied. Weasleys, go Bludger-happy. This is our year, I can feel it. So, it we can-"

"Do you ever shut up?"

"What?" Oliver turned his head over to the perpetrator who dared interrupt his sacred battle tactics.

"Do you ever shut up?" Katie repeated.

"Katie!" Oliver's mouth hung open.

"Answer the question," she said coolly.

"Y-you! Oh, my god! You!" he spluttered.

"Yeah. Me." Katie crossed her legs and held her gaze steady. Then she shook her head, and stood up. "Oh, crap, I don't have time for this." Katie grabbed her trenchcoat (A/N: Katie has a trenchcoat- doesn't that ROCK?) from off a chair and stomped out of the portrait hole.

She continued down the stairs, deftly skipping the sixteenth step to avoid getting stuck, and through the corridors she barely recognized without the students laughing talking, before finally reaching the Great Hall.

After a brief, thirty-second struggle, Katie finally managed to wrench a fifteen-foot-tall mahogany door open.

Stepping out into the frigid air was like receiving a slap in the face: it happened quite suddenly, hurt for a few seconds, then faded into a ringing numbness. Shivering, Katie slipped into the trenchcoat, drawing it close around her slender body.

Katie tried desperately not to slip as she made her way down the fifty or so stone steps. Finally getting to the gray snow was a relief. A very cold, very wet relief. Katie's combat boots crunched the snow as she walked slowly to the other side of the grounds. She didn't notice how far she had traveled until she saw Hagrid's cabin in front of her.

I can visit, Katie thought, or I can wander. Her eyes flicked from the left, to Hagrid's cabin, and to the Forbidden Forest on the right. She tapped her foot (which was very hard to do, considering that it was a foot-and-a-half under soggy snow), and shrugged. She'd take a little look-see around the Forest, then come back and warm up with a cup of tea with Hagrid.

Katie sneezed, and set off towards the Forest. There was a lot less snow there, and she could walk ore freely. Slowly but surely, with each step she took, it got just a little bit darker.

There were...strange noises in the woods; hoots of owls that were out too early, the caws of crows that huddled in groups, the steady echoey sound of the wind blowing in the hollows of the trees. But it was quiet. So quiet. Although Katie would never admit it, she was starting to become just the tiniest bit spooked.

She was debating with herself whether she should turn back or not, when she bumped into something. Something alive.

Katie let out a shriek and whipped out her wand. Wracking her mind for a spell -any spell- she blurted out, "Lumos!"

Her surroundings were illuminated with an eerie bluish light, and she found herself face to face with an evil, bloodsucking, homicidal psycho-

Centaur?

"Greetings and meetings, young one," the centaur said calmly.

"H-h-hi," Katie stammered, lowering her wand.

"A student up at the school, I presume?" the centaur queried.

Not trusting herself to speak, Katie vaguely felt herself nod.

"Mmm...a Gryffindor, no? They're always finding their way into the forest."

"Uh, yeah." Katie squirmed uncomfortably under the centaur's gray-eyed gaze.

The centaur swept himself into a deep bow. "I am Peleus, a centaur of the forest."

Unsure what to do, Katie settled on a deep nod. "Er- I'm Katie. Katie Bell."

Peleus snapped up. "Kathryn Bell?"

Katie raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Ahhh.... Kathryn Bell.... You are written all over the stars, you know. Mmhm, I fear you are in grave danger...You will- no. I shouldn't tell you. Too dangerous to toy with the subtle threads of fate."

"Are you pulling a Trelawney on me?" Katie asked, unsure whether to smile or run away.

Peleus smiled slightly. "That fool of a teacher wouldn't know a real prediction if it fell from the Heavens."

Katie laughed. "I hear ya."

Peleus bowed again. "Be well, young one. And be wary."

And with that, he disappeared into the trees behind him.

Katie shoved her hands deep into her pockets. "Damn cryptic centaurs," she muttered to herself.

Turning around, Katie made her way back to the front of the forest. It took longer than she had anticipated. One hour passed, then another. Katie drew her watch to her face, barely able to see the glinting silver numerals in the gloom.

It was 10:45. At night. And in the Forbidden Forest.

"Fuck."

Katie sped up her walking, occasionally tossing nervous glances over her shoulder.

And you know what they say: once you acknowledge the fear, it grows. And boy, did it grow.

She flicked out her wand, and whispered "Lumos" shakily. Blue light flooded from the tip of her wand. After a brief glance around, she said "nox!" quite shrilly.

Because of the shadows. The damn, bloody shadows. Stretching, dark, terrifying shadows. Better to walk in the company of darkness than of....those. Katie shivered.

She couldn't feel her feet anymore. She knew that they had to be moving for her to be moving around, but they were too freezing to actually feel.

Then, as suddenly as the forest had begun, it stopped. Katie looked out on the grounds and saw a few little dots, but nothing significant. She started to walk back, then froze.

Ahead of her was a great long walk to the castle, and behind her, conveniently located, was the perfect climbing tree, with strong branches, and a few faded leaves, too stubborn to fall off.

And Katie was tired...so tired...

Maybe she's just climb up and sit a little, just to dry off.

No, her mind told her. No! Go back to the castle. Go back to the castle.

But before she could think properly, she found herself sitting up in the tree, legs dangling down, left boot almost ready to fall.

Katie leaned back, her muscled relaxed, and tentatively closed her eyes. A rustling noise cam from inside the Forest, and she tensed, her eyes flying open.

There was nothing.

Sighing and telling herself that she was being paranoid, Katie slowly closed her eyes for the second time.

The noise came again, but she didn't notice, too lost in the blackness of her head.

***** Katie's POV ******

I had just drifted off, then shaken myself awake for the third time.

Pushing my hair out of my face, I could have sworn that I heard my name. No, I told myself. You're a loser, and you're hallucinating. Then, there it was again.

Screw it.

I shut my eyes tightly, trying to block out all the voices.

Voices. So many voices.

I thought I was going crazy. I couldn't tell why I thought I was going crazy- the cold?

Things stopped making sense about then.

Cold. So cold. So cold...So cold...

In my mind, I brought myself back home, sitting on the rock in the middle of the lake on the grounds. In July. Where it was warm.

Warm, it's always warm here,

And I can't take the cold

I can't feel a thing

The sky is gonna open,

People are gonna pray and crawl...

Oh, and I can't feel...*

I opened my eyes. I was beyond shivering or crying. I was lost.

So lost. Too lost. Can somebody come find me?

Am I too lost to be saved

Am I too lost?

"Tourniquet" -Evanescence

- I blinked, trying in vain to shake the helpless feeling from me. I was spinning, hurtling towards the ground. I looked down. I was in the same place, still sitting in a tree. And still spinning.

What's happening to me? Maybe I am crazy.

Got to stop spinning...

Circles and circles and circles again, again...*

Next thing I knew, I was being shoved to the ground by something. Rank breath filled the air, and I choked. I could see pieces of my surroundings: The snow. The trees. There! A patch of gray fur. And there! Teeth. So many sharp teeth. A splotch of red. My blood? Why can't I feel my skin tear if it's bleeding? Where's the pain? WHERE THE FUCK IS THE PAIN?

Minutes, seconds, hours? What?

Time won't ever fade

Silken threads that break

Thrown to the wolves

I'm always frozen*

Ahh...There it is. Pain. Wait! Pain! Noise... Screaming... Me? Am I screaming? Blood... so much blood. Oh, I sting, I hurt, I want...I want.... What do I want? I want to die, for this to be over.

Right?

This is over my head,

But under my feet.

I'm somewhere in between

What is real...

And just a dream*

Dying? Am I dying? Maybe I'm already dead. If I'm dead...then this is hell

This is hell.

There it is again. Screaming. Is it me? Then I'm not dead. Yet.

Dragging, dragging, I'm moving.... Now I'm stopped.

And cold.

I'm cold all over again.

***** End Katie's POV *****

"Katie!" Oliver's voice echoed across the grounds. 'Katie Katie Katie Katie...'

"Kate!" Angelina's eyes flew all across the snow, looking for her best friend.

"Kathryn Samantha Bell, where the bleeding hell are you?" Lee yelled, almost hysterical by this time.

"Kate!" Fred and George cried in unison, Fred blinking rapidly, trying to force back nervous tears.

Alicia was dashing left and right, squinting into the darkness, wand raised.

Harry was standing rather helplessly in the midst of it all, not exactly sure what he should do.

Percy was almost crazy with worry, and was trying hard to be useful. In a fit of frustration, he whipped out his wand and started pointing in random places, screaming "Accio Katie!"

"What time is it?" Oliver yelled.

Lee checked his watch. "It's almost bloody midnight!" He paused. 'She was pretty mad when she left, wasn't she?"

Everyone froze.

"Are you saying that this is my fault?" Oliver hissed.

Lee shrugged. "I'm just saying-"

"DON'T SAY ANYTHING!" Oliver roared. He shut his eyes tight. 'How can you even think that?"

Silence.

"And here comes the guilt..." Oliver ran a hand through his hair.

"Maybe she went to the forest," Harry said thoughtfully.

"Maybe," Angelina muttered.

<<<<< Oliver's POV >>>>>

"Spread out," I ordered.

Everyone did so except Percy, who looked around with wide eyes, shifting rapidly from foot-to-foot, doing the Nervous Dance.

"Spread out," I repeated. Percy fainted and sprung up again witch extreme rapidity. Without a word to me, he began calling "Katie!" shrilly.

I had no idea what to do. The whole "I am in Control" act was wearing off. I'd never felt like this before.

So helpless, so guilty, so pained.

Like someone ripped out my heart and is currently jumping all over it.

I feel...almost dead.

Oh, fuck, her I am blathering on and on about my feelings.

When she left earlier, she must have taken something with her.

Like my sanity.

But hours later when she hadn't returned, I sat in an armchair, hating myself.

It was like someone had punched me in the stomach, and was it something I did? Something I said? Something I am? Did she leave because of me?

Probably.

I asked percy about what it meant, and he informed me matter-of-factly that I was in love.

But I'm not. I can't be.

Maybe I am.

Falling?

Oh, crap.

I must be fine,

'cause my heart's still beating

Sometimes these feelings can be so...

MISLEADING.

Fell in love with a girl

Fell in love once,

And almost completely*

I stood still for a moment, then hollered, "Katie!" My own voice sounded foreign to me.

Suddenly, Alicia let out a bloodcurling shriek. "Oh. My. Fucking. God!" She let out a sob. "KATIE!"

Everyone ran over to Alicia, looking down. And it was quiet.

I sprinted over, trying to see what they were so shocked about. I couldn't, so I pulled out my wand, and paused, terrified at what I might be seeing. "Lumos."

Katie.

She was lying face down in the snow, and a pool of blood was almost radiating out from her, staining the snow crimson. Her hair was in disarray, clothes ripped.

We were all barely breathing at this point, and both Alicia and Angelina were sobbing silently.

Nobody moved. I bent down and slowly flipped her over. I gasped.

Katie was deathly pale, almost gray. Her fingertips and lips were blue, and her eyes were closed. Frost was collecting on her eyelashes.

And she was cut, slashed, ripped, bruised, scratched, split, and God knows what else. Everything was bleeding freely at that point, and she was obviously in critical condition, if not dead.

I groped wordlessly for her hand -which was stiff and freezing- and pressed at her wrist.

No pulse. Not that I could tell.

"Oh god. Oh god. Oh fuck. Oh god." (A/N: I know that they say "Oh god" a lot, but have you ever listened to a panicking person? They say "Oh god" or "Oh my god" just about every other word.) My eyes were probably as big as dinner plates by then.

"Anything?" George squeaked.

I couldn't answer him.

Instead, I leaned down so that my face was almost touching Katie's, and hissed, "You are NOT dead! You hear me? Not dead!"

Angelina whispered, "Oh my fucking god," shakily, and pressed a hand to her mouth. "Oh my fucking god." Tears streamed steadily down her face. "No!"

For Alicia, no words would come. She just stood there, eyes huge, the blood draining quickly out of her face.

Fred kneeled down next to Katie, a few stray tears falling onto the snow. He grabbed her other hand. "No, Katie. No you. Not you."

"She can't be dead," Percy said loudly. "She was alive just as ago."

George nodded vigorously, pacing.

Harry stood rigid, eyes blank, face paling. Lee stood next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. When a few salty drops leaked onto his cheeks, he wiped them away quickly, expression solemn and unchanging.

"She might still be alive," I mumbled quietly.

Immidiatly, half a dozen cloaks were piled on to of Katie and wrapped around her.

Lee scooped her up and ran as fast as he could towards the castle. About halfway across the Quidditch field, I plucked her out of his arms and sprinted the rest of the way, dashing up the slippery steps, barely daring to blink. It was an awkward race: time and space against Katie's life.

Harry was the only one that could keep up with my long strides, Lee and George trailing slightly behind. The rest of them (Percy, Angelina, Alicia, and Fred) were only a bit behind them.

We padded through the door, down the halls, up more steps than I could count in a lifetime, past the North Tower, and finally burst into the Hospital Wing.

I gasped for breath, and choked, "Help!" as best as I could.

No answer.

"I think she's dead, for cripes' sakes!"

That got a reaction.

Madame Pomfrey came bustling in, wrapping herself up in a blue terrycloth bathrobe. She slid on her glasses and flicked a light on.

Her eyes widened at the sight before her, but she remained calm. "You -Mister Wood- what happened?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"She stormed out of the common room, disappeared and around 11:30 we started looking for her. I -we, that is- really don't know," Harry said quickly.

"I-I found her around midnight," Alicia whispered shakily.

Madame Pomfrey began circling Katie like a vulture. She placed her fingers on Katie's neck, feeling for a pulse. After a few moments, her face fell.

"I'm so sorry, but-" she broke off, trying had to think of what she should say next.

"Oh!" Pomfrey's eyes widened. She stood still for a few seconds. "Oh!"

She smiled slightly. "A pulse."

We all sighed in relief.

I realized that I had been holding my breath.

"Is- is she going to be okay?" I asked in a small voice.

"Only time will tell." She began pulling sheets onto a sterile hospital bed. She looked up. "Mister Wood?"

I didn't react.

"Mister Wood, could you please put the girl on the bed?"

I tightened my grip on Katie's still body.

"Mister Wood, Kathryn needs treatment."

"Katie," I whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Her name is Katie."

"Very well, then. Katie needs treatment, so if you could please just set her on the bed-"

"Oh!" I stepped up to the bed, and set Katie down gently. I brushed a stray tendril of black hair out of her face plopped down on the nearest chair.

Percy, Harry, the twins, Angelina, and Alicia crowded around Katie.

"Shoo!"

Madame Pomfrey sped over, shaking her hands at us. "Shoo! You can come back in the morning- as early as you like, Now, go!"

"Technically," Fred began, "It IS morning."

Pomfrey glared and continued shaking her hands.

The group (except me) shuffled out.

Madame Pomfrey zeroed in on me. "Wood-"

I looked up and gave her the best Pathetic Look that I could muster in such a situation. Apparently, it worked.

She sighed. "Fine. But stay out of my way."

I leaned back into the chair and scooted it up so it was right next to the bad.

I seized Katie's cool hand and soon fell asleep.

<<<<< End Oliver's POV >>>>>

Madame Pomfrey rummaged about in the back cupboards, looking for a potion. She shoved aside a few crystal phials before grabbing a blue coloured bottle.

She drew it back, uncorked it, and tentatively sniffed. The familiar smell of pine sap, witch's hazel, and camadrium filled her nose.

Pomfrey re-corked the bottle, and pulled an infusion of day lily, mermaid's blood, yarrow root, and bitter-root from the top of the oak desk, and placed both bottles in the pocket of her bathrobe.

She walked back to Katie's bed and felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. Both she and Oliver were fast asleep. Oliver had his head on the side of the bed, his hand gripping hers gently, almost as though he was afraid that if he squeezed too hard it would break.

Madame Pomfrey walked to the other side of the hospital bed and trickled the entire contents of the azure bottle through Katie's already parted lips. Next came the clear bottle- fourteen drops.

Satisfied, she turned on her heel, and went back to her room. Just as she lay down, she stood up and walked slowly back to the Hospital Wing.

She flicked off the lights.

"Sweet dreams."

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