The Forging of the Bonds

Chapter 37. New and Old.

"Morning, Kate," Mike said the next day at breakfast.

"Hey, Mike," she said with a grin. "I've got some news."

"What?"

"Nadine and I are... together."

Mike smiled. "I'm happy for you, Kate."

She frowned. "Elizabeth doesn't know."

"Why not? Isn't she Nadine's best friend?"

"Well, yes... but she doesn't know anything. I wouldn't tell you if..."

"I understand. I don't go blabbing people's secrets around."

"Even to your girlfriend?"

"Even to my girlfriend. But this may not be a very good idea. You will be discovered sooner or later; it's impossible to keep a secret in this place."

She shrugged. "Thanks, Mike. We'll try to stay discreet."

"Sure. Say, Kate, can I ask you for an idea?"

"Okay..."

He told her what he'd seen last night in Potter's office. "So, do you have any idea how to do this?" he asked.

"Let me think," Kate said. She paused for a few moments. "Unfortunately, no. Not at the minute."

"Why not?"

"You need to get them to talk about something. Something important to both of them. And I don't know either of them well enough to know what that might be. Until we know, even forcing them in the same room is pointless."

Mike nodded. "I'll try to think of something. My parents will be here for the third task, so it'll be a perfect opportunity--" He broke off. "Morning, Dave."

"Hey. An opportunity for what?"

Mike told him. "Quite a long shot, I think."

"Hey, when Elizabeth and I started dating, I began to believe anything is possible."

"Speaking of which, what were you and Elizabeth doing in the Prefects' bathroom?"

"Mike!" Kate looked shocked. "You didn't tell us this?"

"Nothing is going on. I'm just giving her swimming lessons."

"Is that what they're calling it now?"

"Shut up. You've never been inside the Prefects' bathroom, have you? Why don't you ask Laura for a tour?"

Dave nearly choked. "I did," he whispered. "Laura is a stickler for rules; she refused because I'm not a Prefect."

"Well, try again," Mike suggested. "They might have us in the lake again during the third task, so we decided she should learn."

"Whatever, Mike," Dave said, laughing. "Whatever."

"See you around," Mike said as he got up.

"Going to give your girlfriend another swimming lesson?"

"Kate, how do you pull his mind out of the gutter?"

"Sorry, Mike, I'm afraid that's one thing that's not possible."

"Agreed," Mike said. "He's hopeless."

XXX

As a matter of fact, Mike did give Elizabeth another swimming lesson that night. "You're getting better," he said, truthfully. "Pretty soon, you'll be as good as I am."

"You're just saying this to flatter me."

"Yeah, but it's true," he said, and kissed her. "Come on."

They left the Prefects' bathroom and headed down to the bottom of the castle.

On the second floor, Mike suddenly grabbed Elizabeth and pushed her into a side corridor.

"What're you--"

"Shh! Filch!"

The caretaker was patrolling the halls, muttering obscenities. "In here," Mike said, attempting to open the closest door. It was locked.

"Alohomora!" he said, swinging the door open, and shutting it behind them.

"I thought you locked the door," Kate's voice said.

"Longbottom?" Elizabeth asked. "Lumos."

And they saw Kate and Nadine in a tight embrace, close enough for Kate's blonde tresses to intertwine with Nadine's black curls.

"What is going on here?" Elizabeth demanded.

"I think it's obvious," Nadine said.

"You've been snogging each other?"

"Well, Malfoy," Kate interjected, "that's what people who date often do. You should know." She nodded towards them. "Hi, Mike."

"Date? Date? But..."

"But what?" Nadine demanded. "Kate's a woman?"

"Since when do you call her Kate?"

"You used to call him 'Weasley'," Nadine pointed out. "I don't see how whom I date is any of your business any more than who you date is any of mine."

"It's not, but--"

"But only if it's a guy, right?"

"Uhm..."

"I told you you'd be discovered," Mike told Kate. "I just didn't think it'd be this soon."

Elizabeth turned to him. "You knew? You knew about this? When?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it does, Weasley!"

"I knew Kate liked Nadine at the Yule Ball. I found out they'd got together this morning."

"And you didn't tell me."

"Kate asked me not to. I don't reveal secrets entrusted to me."

"But this is important!"

"Most secrets are, that's why they're secrets. Look at this calmly, Eliza--"

"Calmly? Calmly?! I've been spending six years in a room next to a dyke and--"

"Excuse me." Nadine narrowed her eyes. "What did you just call me?"

"A--"

Nadine drew her wand, and sent something at Elizabeth, who hastily threw up a shield, and launched a curse of her own.

"Stop!" Mike yelled, blocking Elizabeth's spell and stopping in front of her. "Don't do anything you might later regret."

"I am not," she answered, not looking at Kate or Nadine. "Did you encourage them to get together? Did you think you could get off watching them?"

"Elizabeth, you're talking nonsense, and you know that."

"Nonsense? I'll tell you what's really nonsense! That anything good might have come out of this! How could I have been so stupid?"

"What're you--"

"It's over between us! It's over! Find someone else! Maybe they'll let you join!" A yellow bolt emerged out of Elizabeth's wand and hit him square in the chest. Mike dropped. It was like being punched in the solar plexus. Elizabeth ran out of the room.

Kate helped Mike up. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I guess. Except for the fact that my girlfriend just left me."

"Sorry, Mike. This is--"

"It's not your fault."

"But--"

"I told you you'd be discovered eventually, Kate. I hate being right sometimes."

"I'll try to reason with Malfoy," Nadine said, preparing to leave.

"Good luck with that," Mike said. "You saw how she listens to reason yourself."

"I have to try. Sorry for my behavior at the Ball, Weasley. I was--"

"Jealous, I know."

"Take care of your best friend, Kate," Nadine said. "And I'll see what I can do about mine." She gave Kate a peck on the lips and left.

"Mike, I'm--"

"I don't regret supporting you, Kate. If Elizabeth has a problem with this, that's just it--her problem. I am not willing to give up your friendship to keep her as a girlfriend."

Kate smiled at him. "I just..."

"Wish everything was simple? So do I, Kate. Funny. This morning, we were talking about a reunion scheme for Potter and my parents. Now, it looks like I'll need one myself."

"I'll help you with both of them. But yours is simpler. You still have the tournament--you'll have to talk to each other."

"Yeah... Damn, the third task just got a hell of a lot harder for us."

Even as he said it, Mike knew it was an understatement.