Fury

Fury

Chapter One

Meetings and Greetings

Catherine Moon woke up slowly, the sun peaking through the heavy dark gray curtains. She stretched her arms over her head and opened her pale blue eyes. She stood slowly, trying not to disturb the lanky sleeping body of her extremely fluffy gray and brown tabby, Mimi. She made sure that the sleeping cat had a nest left over and pulled off her long nightgown, dropping it into a pile on the floor next to all of her other clothes. Her mother hated her piles of clothing, but there was no one else around to comment on them, so she ignored them.

She stepped into the shower that was always too hot, hoping that it wouldn't cut out before she had washed her hair. Luck was with her today- the water lasted fifteen whole minutes before it began to sputter and die.

She took her time brushing and drying her hair- she had at least an hour and a half before work. Walking to her closet, she threw the doors open and stared at the rather small assortment of work robes. There was a strict dress code for witches- she pulled out the high-necked black dress and tight, plain light green robes that went over it.

Cate worked at the apothecary on Diagon Alley, and while she understood the reason for the dress code- if volatile ingredients mixed on long sleeves, the damage would be devastating- it still didn't look very feminine. She could hear her mother's voice in her head- "If you were more like your sister..." Isabelle could make the robes look like they had just come off of a model in a magazine. She laced up the dress with her wand- not having a roommate made buttoning nearly fifty tiny buttons very difficult- and pulled on the high boots. Her dark curls, long and usually wild, lay in a neat braid down her back. The clean, if slightly wrinkled, robe was thrown over it all.

Cate looked at herself in the mirror. She would have guessed her age at closer to thirty, even though she was only twenty-two. Twenty-three, today, her calendar was quick to point out. Her blue eyes were nearly hidden by dark curls, and her face, she was critical enough to note, had dark bags under her eyes, her mouth was too wide, and her nose just a bit too aquiline. And unlike nearly everyone she knew, she was off to work in a dreary job, and there wasn't even the small glimmer of hope that she would get to go out with her friends tonight. She had to work tonight, too, and there was absolutely no chance to get out of it.

Patting Mimi on the head one last time, she walked quickly to the door and apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. At least she could shop a little before work.

Birthdays were the worst.

~*~

Today was especially busy, for some reason. Yes, it was the end of October, but Halloween wasn't for another week, so why would they sell out of eye of newt? Bat wings? And it seemed that every little deary from the countryside was coming to their store, instead of their own nearby establishment. She had restocked the newt eyes twice now, and it wasn't even lunchtime.

They hadn't been this busy since the end of August. Normally, she thrived in an environment such as this, helping people, putting on a cheerful front and working hard, but today, of all days, she felt trapped and claustrophobic. There were two other people working with her at the shop, and they seemed as frazzled as she did. The woman who ran the checkout counter, the new blond girl hired just before August, looked to be near to tears. The owner, Madame Pine, worked exclusively with the wealthier clientele; she was extremely good at getting large sales from them.

When lunch came around, the shoppers seemed to slack off, but there were enough left that they could only take their lunch one at a time. Since she had gone first the last time, she was going last today. Even Madame Pine, who normally left to eat at one of the few tiny shops along the Alley, ate in the back room and swore she wouldn't return to the front until closing.

It was nearly two before Cate got to leave, and then she was told to eat quickly. The other girls- Sara and Electra- had each taken their sweet time, and yet she was to be back in half an hour minutes, and not a minute later. Cate threw her robe- now with the lovely addition of a dragon-blood stain- on the rack and rushed out the door, forgetting, in her haste, that there was a bit of a chill in the air. She nearly knocked over an elderly wizard entering the shop. After straightening him out, she spun away towards the Leaky Cauldron. If she hurried, they would still be serving lunch.

Rushing down the street, shivering, she was stopped by several slow-moving shoppers going in the other direction. She danced on her toes as she waited for them to pass, and then darted around them. She didn't notice the door open on the shop just in front of her, so focused was she on getting to the Leaky Cauldron. She didn't have time to think before she walked right into a tall person wrapped in a dark orange cloak. Packages flew everywhere, and the person let out a string of expletives that would have made her brothers proud.

She grabbed several of the small packages and was reaching for another when a strong hand gripped her by the collar of her dress and hauled her up unceremoniously. A low voice, extremely tense, nearly growled at her.

"Watch where you're going!"

Her eyes flashed. "Why don't you? Not my fault you didn't see me!"

There was a flash of recognition in his eyes. "Do I know you?"

Cate glared. "I certainly don't know you!"

The person laughed. "You look like a classmate of mine...Izzie Moon, right?"

Cate sighed. Fantastic. "No, I'm not Izzie. Isabelle would have had your eyeballs removed before she let you call her that. I'm her sister, Cate."

The man struck out his hand. "Sorry. Pleased to meet you. I'm George Weasley."

Cate felt one of her eyebrows lift of its own accord. "No, you're not. The Weasleys all have red hair and freckles. You have neither." His face was harsh, with angular cheekbones, a heavy nose and brows, and long, stringy blond hair.

The man laughed again. "Right, well, call it an experiment gone awry. Apparently, you can't mix a chameleon charm with a Daydream in a Box spell. Nasty side effects. Should wear off in a day or two." He grabbed the remaining packages from the street. "Where are you headed? I'll come with you."

Cate shivered. "Why? I don't need a big, strong man to walk me along a street."

He frowned. "Where's your cloak? It's freezing." He paused. "And now I sound like my Mum. I was just wondering if you could help me get these to the Leaky Cauldron. Have to Floo them to a customer, and I could use the help."

Cate sighed in defeat. "Fine. Hand me those small ones." They walked in silence for a minute before George, his blue eyes shining, began to speak.

"Sorry about the whole running into you thing. Won't happen again."

Cate barked a laugh. "Too right it won't. You'll have to start watching where you're going, so you don't bowl over innocent passersby in the future."

There was another pause as they skirted around two small boys staring into the Quidditch Supply Shop.

"I know I've seen you before. It's not just that you look like your sister..."

Cate snorted. "I do not."

George grinned. "Other than the obvious difference of your hair color, you really do look like Izzie Moon."

Cate actually laughed. "Right. Just like an owl looks like a toad."

George grunted. "Sure. Other than that, I'm sure I've seen you around."

Cate looked at him sideways. "You have. A year ago, at the Hogwarts Memorial Banquet."

George actually blushed. "You were there?"

Cate grinned. "Yes, and everyone and their mother knows that you were there. It was in the papers the next day. Your sister showed everyone."

George stammered a few words before settling on something innocuous. "You know Ginny?"

Cate nodded. "Yeah, we were partners in Potions."

George frowned at her. "I don't remember you in Gryffindor."

He pulled his wand out from under the pile of packages and tapped the brick wall to let them into the Leaky Cauldron.

Cate followed him in, shutting the door quickly and letting the heat from the blazing fireplace soak into her. "I wasn't a Gryffindor. I was a Ravenclaw, actually."

George nodded. "Hm. I would have thought you would have been in the same House as Izzie."

Cate snorted inelegantly. "Right. Isabelle was the only one in the family to be in Slytherin in something like fifty years. She was extremely proud of that."

George nodded to Tom, who handed him the container of Floo powder. George led the way through the empty tables to the fireplace. "Wasn't there a Moon in Gryffindor, though?"

Cate smiled as she set the packages on a table and sank into the chair. "Yeah. My brother, Nathan. He was a year under you."

George nodded. "Right. Hang on a sec." He threw the powder into the fireplace and said, "The Blue Duck!" A few seconds later, an elderly woman's head appeared in the fireplace.

"Can I help you?"

George smiled. "I have a delivery for one of your guests, a Mister Northoben. He asked me to deliver them by Floo? Room 18?"

The woman smiled, and her eyes disappeared into wrinkles. "Of course. Send them through. I'll make sure he gets them."

George nodded, nearly hitting his head on the mantle. "Sure. Thanks."

He began sending the packages through one by one. By the time he finished, the flames were nearly their normal color.

After the last package was through, he stood slowly and turned to face Cate. "Thank you very much, Cate. Can I walk you back to your shop?" He held out an arm, and Cate giggled.

"Actually, I'm here for lunch." She turned to watch his reaction. It was almost as if... "Do you...do you want to join me?"

George grinned. "Can't say no to a beautiful woman, can I?"

~*~

Cate ran back into the shop nearly an hour and a half after she had left. The other two girls glared at her as she threw her robes back on. Madame Pine pointed to a crate of tiny bottles of dragon's blood. Cate levitated it in front of her and began to restock the shelves, not having to be told that she was in trouble. Madame Pine's face said it all.

When the shop finally closed at seven, Madame Pine sent Sara and Electra home and locked the door. Then she turned to face Cate, her face a mask.

"Where did you go for lunch today?"

Cate hung her head. "The Leaky Cauldron," she whispered.

Madame Pine glared. "And I gave you how long for lunch, Miss Moon?"

Cate sighed. "Half an hour."

Madame Pine's lips thinned. "That's right. Half an hour. Which, considering how busy we were this afternoon, was quite a boon for you, Miss Moon. Let me tell you now, that will not happen again. Let this be a warning."

Cate nodded. "Yes, Madame Pine."

The woman sighed, still annoyed. "You may go."

Cate turned and practically ran out the door. She made it to the Leaky Cauldron in record time, just fast enough to Apparate home before her lessons. She sighed when she saw the goblet and a sandwich on the kitchen counter, next to a note in her sister's elaborate handwriting.

Catherine,

Take the potion straight away. Your provider was kind enough to drop it off at the Manor, so I took the liberty of sending it to you. I also had Opal clean your apartment. It was quite filthy. Wear something nice tonight; the cousins are coming and no one wants you to appear as you normally do. Do not embarrass me; I've selected most of your wardrobe, after all, and it's a shame you simply refuse to wear the items that would suit you best.

Isabelle

PS: Opal insisted on leaving the sandwich.

Cate grabbed the sandwich and brought it into her bedroom. Her sister wouldn't have wanted her to assume that it was a kindness on her part, after all. The clothing that had been neatly piled on the floor was put away, and it really didn't look like her room at all. She grabbed a nice white blouse and a long gray skirt, throwing them over her work boots. The robes in the closet looked clean and pressed, so she selected her favorite, a dark burgundy with flowers at the hems. She let her hair out and brushed it, glancing at the clock as she did so. Gasping, she pulled the comb through her tangled curls. She only had ten minutes before the family dinner in her honor.

She ran out into the kitchen, skidding across the tiles. Sighing, she grabbed the goblet and took a deep breath, frowning as she looked at the greenish-brown potion. She watched the flecks of red swirl around, looking disturbingly like blood. "I hate this. I wish I didn't...but, well, here goes." She took the stopper out and chugged the potion down, wincing at the bitter and slightly metallic taste.

Wolfsbane Potion was disgusting.