Fury

Fury

Chapter Thirteen

Glass Houses

It was the week from hell.

Of course, nothing was as bad as when she had lost her brother, or when her mother had learned that her twin sister's entire family had been murdered. Nothing compared to the news that her cousin Matthew, Ben and Cornelia's older brother, had died in the weeks following the Final Battle, from wounds received, or that her uncle Daniel, a Muggle married to her Aunt Temmie, had died of a disease called cancer.

But this week was nearly as bad.

She spent that first night out of jail at the Manor, mostly because her grandmother refused to let her leave, and also because she had no place else to go. George hated her, with good reason; something to add to the week. The next day was spent hiding as first one aunt, then another, and then possibly an uncle or her grandmother, tracked her down to detail her deficiencies and explain why she was being kept in the house, as if Cate didn't already know. Her brother Nathan was nowhere to be seen, and her grandmother told her that he had left the night she was arrested and hadn't been heard from since. He had said, as he was leaving, that he wouldn't come back until Cate was home and safe; her grandmother thought it was an excuse to find some hapless girl and, as she put it, 'shack up'.

After three days of berating and belittling, Cate finally left, sneaking out through the front door and Apparating to her apartment. The building was quiet, the street busy with foot traffic, this near the center of London. She opened the front door with her key and proceeded up the stairs to the second floor. Her door was fourth on the left, and she sighed as she jammed the key in the lock and shoved the door open; it had always stuck.

The room was cleaner than she had left it. There were a few things missing, things that the teams sent to sweep the rooms had been unable to de-curse. She closed and locked the door behind her, feeling sobs beginning to rack her chest. She threw her cloak on the back of a chair and raced through the kitchen, through the living area with its small couch and old radio, and into her bedroom, where her clothes were not where she had left them, in piles on the floor, but put away in the closet. The Aurors sent to scrub her apartment must have been very neat.

She stripped off the staid, boring clothes that she kept at the manor and pulled on a pair of Muggle jeans and a loose, bright red sweater over an orange tank top. Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought, just for a moment, what it would be like to hide away in the Muggle world and be just Cate Moon, normal person.

There was a knock at her door. Cate swept her hair up into a ponytail and straightened herself up before calling out thoughtlessly, "Who is it?"

The voice on the other side was muffled. "It's Mrs. Barker, your landlady."

Cate was surprised. "Just a minute." She glanced around the apartment, making sure everything was neat; Mrs. Barker was famous for her spotless houses and apartments, and almost as well known for her temper.

Cate wrenched the door open and smiled. "Hello, Mrs. Barker. Come in, come in." She stepped aside and let the woman through.

Mrs. Barker had silver curls covering her head, honey-brown eyes, and a narrow mouth set in a narrow, birdlike face. She wore robes, as usual, in plain brown with vines and flowers around the collar. Her glasses were wide brown frames that made her look like an owl, and her hands were knarled and stained with potion ingredients. She took a chair at Cate's table, sniffing at the cloak flung over the back of another chair, and sat primly, waiting.

Cate gulped. "Can I get you some tea, Mrs. Barker?"

The older woman glanced at her. "Yes, if you have peppermint. I adore peppermint tea."

Something Cate hadn't known about her landlady. "I'll see what I can do."

Cate scrambled around her kitchen, ripping through the cupboards in search of peppermint tea, and discovered, unsurprisingly, that she didn't have any. She liked it, but it certainly wasn't her favorite, and she hadn't bought any food for her apartment in weeks.

She grinned ruefully at her landlady. "I'm sorry, I appear to be out of it. Can I get you anything else?"

Mrs. Barker shook her head. "No, thank you. We need to have a talk, Miss Moon."

Cate smiled. "Call me Cate, please; everyone else does."

Mrs. Barker's lips thinned. "It has been brought to my attention by several of the other tenants that you are not what you appeared to be on your application."

Cate froze. "What do you mean?"

Mrs. Barker raised a single eyebrow, reminding Cate unpleasantly of her grandmother. "You forgot to mention that you were a werewolf. Under the new laws, I am able to evict you for this alone. I would never do that."

Cate stared, stunned. Mrs. Barker continued. "However, the recent attack on your apartment, the influx of Aurors at all hours, and the fact that you had a young man here without my consent is inexcusable. You have endangered the tenants of this property long enough. I would like you out of the apartment by the end of the month. That is precisely two weeks from now. On the first of the year you must be vacated. The wards on the building will change, and the so will the locks."

Mrs. Barker stood, leaving Cate in stunned disbelief. "I'll see myself out."

Cate watched her close the door, saw the ward flash as it sealed, and dropped her head in her hands.

~*~

She slept through her alarm the next day, waking at nearly noon. Her clothing was shoved into conjured boxes, her kitchen and living room a disaster. She showered quickly, threw on her work robes, and hurtled down the stairs, missing one and taking the rest two at a time. She raced through London towards the Leaky Cauldron, her mind so frantic she forgot to Apparate. When she finally arrived in Diagon Alley, she slowed slightly, her hair blowing in the gentle breeze and bumping into those doing their Christmas shopping. She flung herself through the door of the apothecary, ran into the back room, and took a moment to compose herself.

It took a few seconds to realize that she wasn't alone. Madame Pine was staring at her, arms crossed over her chest and face set in a scowl. A copy of the Daily Prophet lay on the table, open to the page with her picture and a headline that read: "Werewolf Uses Family Influence to Flee Criminal Charges". Cate flushed angrily and opened her mouth, but Madame Pine beat her to it.

"You are fired."

She snapped her jaw closed. "I beg your pardon?" Somehow, her voice had risen at least two octaves.

Madame Pine listed her supposed offences off on her fingers. "Consistently late for work, consistently taking overly long breaks, consistently disrespectful, disappeared without word for almost two weeks, and consistently dressed inappropriately. Your letter of termination will be owled to you. Turn in your key and robes."

She held out a hand, and Cate shucked off the robes and handed over the tiny silver key in shock. "But..."

Madame Pine's face never changed. "You may go. Quietly. I have customers."

Cate walked out, sure that the shock must be evident on her face. She drew her wand as soon as she exited the Alley and Apparated to her apartment without thought. When she entered and saw the boxes, she collapsed in a heap.

Her life, as crappy as it was, was falling apart.

~*~

Cate lay around her apartment for four days before she finally got the energy to finish packing. Christmas was in a little under a week, and she so did not want to move back to the Manor just as her entire family- including those young enough to still go to Hogwarts- packed the place with their drama and things. And there was the glory of returning home in disgrace, with no where else to go, when you knew you weren't wanted.

She couldn't think of anything she'd like to do less.

Still, there were no real options for her. And once her grandmother found out about her losing her apartment and job- if she hadn't already- she would have to move back in anyway.

She called her elf to help her. Reesa glanced around the half-packed apartment, gave her a wounded look, and snapped her fingers. The clothing, dishes, and other things that she had neglected to pack flew around the room with precision, landing neatly folded or neatly stacked in their boxes. When everything was packed- it took minutes- the elf snapped her fingers again, and the boxes vanished.

"Where..." Cate began, but Reesa interrupted her.

"Miss's things are in Miss's rooms at the Manor. Miss can go home now, and Reesa will finish."

Cate stared at her blankly for a second before walking over to the fireplace to Floo home. As soon as her hand was out of the jar, it vanished, no doubt sent home by a diligent Reesa. She threw the powder in the fire, hesitated a second, and then cried out, "Moon Manor!"

There was the final, split second view of her former apartment before she was pulled away.

~*~

Her room would have been a disaster, if not for Reesa.

With the Manor full to the rafters of family and guests and friends, the House-Elves were working non-stop to feed, clothe, and clean the place, not to mention the decorations. Christmas was tomorrow, and the little creatures were going a mile a minute, all with beaming faces. Her room was not a priority, though Reesa often winced when she saw it, with boxes of things shoved against one wall to the ceiling, a tricky bit of magic holding them up and keeping them from being knocked over.

Cate was sick to death of her family. One cousin after another popped into her room, asking questions, giggling, or being pompous and rude, as her sister did on occasion. It certainly didn't help that nearly every single one of her cousins had a date, fiancé, or, in Nathan's case, a live-in guest. Charles, sixteen now, had brought his girlfriend and his best friend home. Even her littlest brother, Hercules, home from his third year at Hogwarts, had brought friends home.

The house was never quiet. There might have been one moment, days ago, when someone, somewhere, had left her alone, but that time had come and gone when her cousins, aunts, and uncles arrived. And tonight, there was to be the annual Moon Christmas Ball, a special event this year, since her grandmother had invited half the Wizarding World, in an attempt to smooth over Cate's recent disgrace.

Cate sat in the middle of her bed and sulked. At least, that's what Persie and Demi said; they were ready, their dates waiting outside. Cate was the only cousin tonight without a date, and she felt nothing, and certainly did not feel guilty about feeling nothing, and she wasn't sulking, no matter what anyone said.

All of the female cousins of any age were crammed into Cate's room, except for Isabelle. Why they had chosen her room was beyond her; of all of them, she probably had the least space, with the stacks of boxes and everything. All were determined to make themselves gorgeous, and all determined to make her smile and talk at the same time.

Persie had arrived first, dressed in glorious scarlet, with her dark hair hanging loose around her shoulders and panic in her eyes. "I can't get my hair right!" she cried, flopping onto Cate's bed. Persie's twin arrived next, also panicking. Demi wore elegant silver robes with tiny bells hidden along the hems that jingled as she walked.

"I'm going to go mad if you don't shut them up! I have no idea what I was thinking when I bought these! Cate, you're good with Silencing spells, right?"

One after another, her cousins jammed themselves in the room, talking loudly and over one another. Demi and Persie's little sister, Rhea, wanted help with the clasp of a necklace that neither of her sisters had given her permission to borrow. Rhea was in violent pink, something that clashed hideously with her borrowed makeup and jewelry, and didn't match the shoes she'd stolen from Cate's closet when she thought no one was looking. Vicki and Ellie were arguing over Ellie's date, a tall, gorgeous, and stupid man named Richard Merser. Vicki had wanted to wear yellow, a cheerful color, but Ellie had stolen the robes and was now refusing to give them back; Demi settled the argument by handing Vicki a set of cream and gold robes that didn't fit her anymore, and which were far prettier than the yellow ones.

Cornelia was next, hanging on Elin; both wore lovely purple robes, though Elin's were a shade darker, and neither had any jewelry to match. Carrie was holding on to Lydia, her soon-to-be stepdaughter, and trying to force her into a Christmas gown; Lydia spit on Carrie's dark red robes and screamed. Charity was trying to force herself into silky black robes that were a size too small. Soon, even the girlfriends, fiancés, and friends arrived, and the small room was elbow to elbow of screaming, crying, laughing, shouting girls, full of excitement.

One of the aunts tapped on the door, and as suddenly as it had begun, the room cleared, leaving Cate alone at the center of the aftermath of a storm. She slowly got up from the bed, threw on the gold robes she had sworn never to wear, and pushed her hair back from her face, deciding as she did to leave it loose. And no jewelry, either; the robes were splendid enough. There was nothing to do about the shadows under her eyes or the unmanageable random curls in her hair, and she couldn't make herself care.

Everyone had made a line behind her grandmother, starting with her parents. Everyone, even her littlest brother, had a partner. Everyone but her.

Elspeth opened the ball with a magnificent display of flowers erupting from her wand and floating down from the ceiling to land as silver snowflakes on the guests below, those who were not family, who laughed and applauded. And then the family paraded down the stairs in their opulent robes, one pair after another, until Cate, bringing up the rear, was firmly on the ballroom floor, trying to find a place to hide.

Elspeth planted herself in the throne-like chair at one end of the ballroom, and gestured for the orchestra to play. The music swelled around the room, and couples began to dance, starting with her parents. Her mother was, quite possibly, the most beautiful woman there, with her sheet of blond hair flying out behind her, and her opalescent robes inviting envy in every woman present. Her father looked tall and handsome in his own dark blue robes, and was smiling merrily; she hadn't seen him smile like that in a long time. Isabelle and Matthias soon joined them, Izzie looking like a younger version of her mother. Aunts and Uncles, cousins, brothers; soon everyone was dancing except the very old and the very young. And Cate.

She felt so alone, watching everyone dance. She shook herself out of it and tried to slip unnoticed into the next room, where the elves had set out a Christmas feast of nibbles and appetizers. She looked up just before she reached the door and saw her grandmother watching her, the expression on her face unreadable. Looking directly at the woman, Cate straightened and walked, proudly, into the next room. Damned if she was going to let her grandmother win this round.

She grabbed two of the little meat and cheese rolls, shoving them in her mouth, before heading towards the desert table. She grabbed for a little cookie, one with sprinkles, when another hand reached out and grabbed it ahead of her. She glanced up and glared at Nathan as he nibbled around the edges.

"You're not very sneaky, dearest sister." he mumbled between bites.

"Neither are you, big brother." she growled, snagging another cookie.

He shrugged. "Don't need to be. Grace is waiting for me. Said I had to have a few words with the family mope."

Cate glared. "Don't mince words, loving brother. Tell the truth now."

Nathan finished the cookie and brushed the crumbs off of his lapels. "Grandmother sent me. She seemed to think you might be unhappy."

Cate threw up her hands. "I wonder why! My life is falling apart! I have no job, nowhere to live, no privacy, and best of all, George hates me now!"

"I don't hate you."

~*~

The gardens were freezing, but Cate was willing to ignore that for the privacy. She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing the stupid gold robe were thicker.

"Why are you here?" she asked, her teeth chattering.

George glanced at her before leading her to a bench, pulling out his wand, and warming the area. "Better?"

She nodded, and found herself leaning into him. He shuffled sideways, almost unconsciously. She waited, but he didn't speak.

"You didn't answer my question." Her voice was no longer cold, but simply curious.

George shrugged. "Your grandmother invited me. And Harry. And the rest of my family. But she made a point of inviting me. Even wrote a letter to me personally, saying that she was wrong. About what, I have no idea."

Cate stiffened. "You came because my grandmother wrote you a letter."

George didn't look at her. "Yeah. She was very convincing."

There was another long silence, broken by George. "About what you said, after the trial..."

Cate turned away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"But..."

She spun and faced him. "Not another word. I mean it."

Neither spoke, until Cate felt the moment pass. "I missed you."

There was a pause before he said, "I missed you, too."

She moved closer to him on the bench, and this time he didn't move.