Chapter Seven
"Just stand up to him, Katy!" Halley whispered as they passed a sniggering Harland Cooper, "Just turn around and tell him to shut up!"
"I can't," Katy whispered back, hugging her battered old Potions textbook and looking anxiously behind her.
"Well, you've got to, sometime," said Jason, glowering threateningly in Harland's direction, "Otherwise he'll think he's winning."
"He is winning," said their friend Isaias bluntly, "unless we can show him up somehow… it feels stupid, being in Gryffindor and running away."
"We're not running," Halley retorted, "We're just not… facing him either."
"We're running," said Isaias as they reached Transfiguration, "I wish I knew some hexes."
"Isaias!" scolded Katy, "Hexing him wouldn't solve anything and besides, he wouldn't be able to defend himself! I don't think he knows any hexes either. It wouldn't be fair."
Jason agreed with Isaias but didn't say so, not after what Katy had said.
"If you'd just… hit him!" Jason tried to reason with Katy as they struggled to transform their matchstick into a needle. "Or scare him on Halloween, or something. He's a coward and everyone knows it-he just needs someone brave enough to stand up to him."
"You knocked him down," said Katy, gently tapping the matchstick with her wand, "and the only thing that did was earn you a detention. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."
"Well, I hate the way he looks at you," said Jason stubbornly, glaring at Harland across the room.
"Try twisting your wand a little as you say the spell," Katy said, "Did you hear me?"
"Mr. Redman, if you do not turn around by the time I'm finished speaking..." Professor McGonagall warned.
Jason turned around.
^*^*^*^
"Where are you going, Hagrid?"
"House elf's gone missin'," Hagrid said, "And don' yeh try coming after me. Yer mother and father spent too much time in here as it is."
Katy lingered by the edge of the forest.
"But don't house elves stay in the castle?"
"…come in here fer herbs and mushrooms and the like," came Hagrid's reply.
Katy wondered why they couldn't just locate the house-elf with magic. Ben, guessing at the reason for her puzzled expression, said, "They can be hard to track because of their house magics. It interferes with finding spells."
They stood there for a moment in silence, but when it was clear that Hagrid wasn't coming back anytime soon, they turned back toward his hut.
"Come on, Katy," said Ben, "Let's go back to the castle."
"Poor elf," said Katy softly, surveying the grim, dark forest with a shudder. Strange sounds always seemed to come from its insides, and the sharp, twisted trees seemed to be cloaked in fluttering shadows.
"Goodbye, Grawp," said Ben to Hagrid's lumpy younger brother, who was sitting by the hut and using massive hands to twist thick, woody-looking vines into rope. "Maybe we'll see you tomorrow."
Grawp nodded.
"GOO'BYE," he boomed. Ben winced and smiled. Grawp really was getting better at controlling his volume, though even Hagrid seemed to be going a bit deaf anyway.
"Can I stay a bit longer, Ben?"
"No," Ben said firmly, tugging at her arm, "it's not safe out here."
"But the house-elf-"
"Hagrid's looking for her, don't you see? Come on, Katy. You can come down tomorrow."
"What if I stay by Grawp?" Katy pulled her arm away. "And I'll come back before curfew, Ben, I promise. Hagrid can walk me back."
"Hagrid might not be back for a while-" Ben began, but Katy interrupted him.
"I'll stay by Hagrid's house," she said, "and if he's not back before seven, I'll-I'll come back."
Ben hesitated. "I could stay with you."
"No," Katy said, surprising herself at how quickly the reply escaped her, "I mean-it's all right, Ben. I know you have an exam tomorrow…"
"But-"
"Honestly," Katy said, "I'll be fine."
"Oh, all right," he said reluctantly, "But Katy, I'll know if you stay."
He reached into his bag and pulled out his map.
"So don't stay long," said Ben, "or I'll come and get you."
"All right, Ben," Katy said, "I'll be fine."
"Wait," Ben said after a moment, "take out your wand."
Puzzled, Katy did as she was told.
"Now," said Ben, taking out his own wand. "Watch me."
He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders, holding his wand out in front of him.
"Protego!"
There was a sound like the beat of wings; Katy jumped and Buckbeak made a soft screech of annoyance; a bright blue shield had blossomed from the tip of Ben's wand.
Moments later the shield dissolved.
"We're not supposed to learn that yet," said Ben, smoothing down his purple hair with a hand. "But it's a Shield charm. I came across it when I was reading. You learn it, Katy-go on. It's `pro-teg-o'."
"Protego," she repeated. Ben nodded.
"It's a sort of whippy motion," he said, demonstrating. "But there's a bit of a twist at the
end-you see how I do that? Yeah, like that. Now do it together."
Katy took a deep breath and raised her wand.
"Protego!" she cried, and nearly dropped her wand as the wing-like sound whooshed again.
"Good job," said Ben, his voice slightly muffled by the shield between them. "If anything comes at you, use this spell. It will block them for a few seconds-enough time for you to run away if you need to. And one more thing-Petrificus totalus. I won't show you, but all you have to do is jab your wand and say it. Say it again-good. It makes whatever comes at you stiff as a board."
Katy tucked her wand into her robes.
"Remember," said Ben, "before seven. I'll be watching."
"I know," said Katy, "I'll be back."
He looked at her seriously and waved.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," he said as he began to walk toward the castle. "Be safe, Katy."
"I will," she said, "besides, Grawp will protect me."
She was glad to hear him laugh as she settled down on Hagrid's front porch steps, slightly sideways so she could see the edge of the forest. It was very peaceful out, though autumn had frosted the breezes and the skies a cool gray.
Katy wondered, as she gazed at the big orange pumpkins and their prickly vines, why she had wanted to stay. Ben was right; Hagrid was looking for the elf and was going to find her, in all likelihood. And the Forbidden Forest frightened her, with its looming shapes and shifting darks. But Katy had felt a strange compulsion to sit here alone; alone, with no one to comfort her if she felt afraid.
A breeze stirred up and Buckbeak made a soft sound, a thin, thoughtful mumble that made her smile. Grawp used a big hand to pat Buckbeak on the back, continuing to twist the rope in slow, definitive motions.
Katy reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out Hogwarts, A History. She flipped it open without much interest and cast the page an idle glance.
Godric Gryffindor was known for his bravery, of course, but he was also known for his concern for the neglected and the abandoned of the world. Historians speculate that this may have resulted from Gryffindor's childhood, for the founder himself had been orphaned at the age of ten.
Notable personages placed in the House of Gryffindor include Albus Dumbledore, Lily and James Potter, Harry and Hermione Potter--
Katy stopped reading and shut the book forcefully.
She wished Yasmine hadn't talked her into buying the most recent addition of the book. It hurt strangely to see her parents listed as `notable personages' from the House of Gryffindor, as it reminded her of how very much she felt she had to live up to.
She had not felt brave or courageous even when she was being Sorted; she did not feel as though she deserved to be placed in the same house as her parents and grandparents. She'd been told otherwise, of course-but she couldn't help but think of her elder brother and of when he stood up for her. She had just sat there, too afraid to move. And then her friends, who all told her she ought to be brave and stick up for herself, always saw her let Harland insult her and tease her.
Tears welled up in Katy's eyes, but she scrubbed at them angrily and fought them back.
She wouldn't let herself cry, at least. It was a tiny show of bravery, but it was a start.
"Katy, yeh're still here?" Hagrid came tramping out of the forest, brambles and leaves tangled in his wild beard and hair. "I'll walk yeh back-hang on a mo."
"You didn't find her?"
"Nah," said Hagrid, looking sorrowful, "Dunno if anyone could, ter be honest. Wait `ere. I'll walk yeh back."
He disappeared into the house and Katy gazed into the darkening forest. She shuddered, thinking of being all alone in there, with the eerie caw of the occasional crow and the bony rustle of the autumn-bare trees…
"No one should be left out there alone, especially no one as small as a house-elf," she said out loud, and her heart pounded at the words. Determination flooded through her entire body; without a thought she stood and gripped her wand tightly. She could hear Hagrid bustling round in his house behind her. She'd have to go quickly.
She hopped off the step and started off round the side of the hut-but stopped short when confronted by the watchful golden eyes of Buckbeak the hippogriff.
Her breath froze in her lungs and she gripped her wand again. He drew a wickedly sharp talon through the earth, leaving a deep score in the earth. His wings fluttered in a soft, tense movement.
Grawp was fast asleep beside him, the rope abandoned and half-finished. Katy let out a breath, trying to calm her shaking hands.
"Hello," she said softly.
You make eye-contact, she remembered her father saying, and then bow. Wait for him to bow back.
She met Buckbeak's challenging golden glare with a steely look of her own. The hippogriff eyed her regally as she bowed, very slowly. She heard his neck-chain clink softly as the hippogriff arched his feathered neck; she caught her breath as he straightened up, clacking his beak crisply.
And he bowed.
She approached him cautiously and raised a hand to his beak-it was smooth and cool to the touch, and something like a bird-like purr emerged from the hippogriff's throat. Unexpectedly he pushed his beak further into her hand, and she stroked his headfeathers gently.
"I have someone to find, Buckbeak," she said, and on impulse, adrenaline pumping through her veins, she pulled his chain free and came around to his side. "Will you take me?"
To her astonishment, Buckbeak bent at the knees, and allowed her to climb onto his back, just behind the wings. She had just enough time to feel him tense powerfully underneath her before there was a great, upward heave and a rush of wings, and she fell forward, seizing the hippogriff around the neck-the air flew past her like a mighty wind and they bounded up, up, up-
She heard Hagrid tearing out of the hut and roaring, "Beaky! Bring her back down, yeh great feathery lump-"
Buckbeak let out a high, sharp cry that Katy felt in the muscular neck beneath her arms; she felt a sudden rush of triumph; the ground grew more and more distant beneath them and the gray clouds rolled closer around them. The wind whipped around her, but she held on tightly-the rhythmic pumping of Buckbeak's wings took time to get used to, but a new boldness had taken hold of Katy and she sat up straight, gripping Buckbeak's sides with her legs and surveying the ground beneath her.
They were over the Forbidden Forest now, out of sight of Hagrid's hut. Buckbeak gave a questioning sound, almost like a tremulous whistle.
"I don't know," Katy said, using a hand to stroke his neck and gripping the chain like reins. "What do you think? You have better eyes."
Buckbeak appeared to appreciate the compliment, and suddenly he dipped lower, so that they were nearly touching the trees.
"Right," said Katy, taking a deep breath and grinning, "We have a house elf to find."
^*^*^*^
Harland Cooper was seething with rage, and none of his usual cronies were currently brave enough to approach him. Although Harland was not particularly proficient with his wand, he was already well-convinced of the persuasive power of a good punch.
"Where's Potter?" he demanded, halting Jason Redmond, Halley Parker, and Isaias Rover in their tracks. Isaias treated Harland to a less-than-complimentary hand gesture while Jason simply glared.
"It's none of your business where Katy is." Jason crossed his arms. Though Harland was taller than he was, Jason was reputedly stronger. "Why don't you annoy someone else for a change?"
"Shut up," snapped Harland, "You tell that Potter girl to watch her back."
"I've got her back," Jason snarled back, "She has friends, which is more than you can say, Cooper. You stay away from her or I'll do a lot more than knock you down."
Harland growled. It was three against one at the moment, and he didn't fancy the odds. So he stalked away, leaving Jason glaring after him.
"That was brilliant," said Halley and Isaias at the same time. Isaias whooped.
"Did you see the look on his face?"
"Where is Katy?" said Halley, looking troubled. "I saw her brother come back a while ago. Shouldn't she be back?"
"I dunno," said Jason, suddenly concerned. "Maybe she's in the common room. Let's go."
Jason was not a particular perceptive fellow, but he had the strangest feeling that whatever Katy Potter was up to, it was something entirely out of the ordinary.
^*^*^*^*^
They landed in the center of the forest. Katy slid off of Buckbeak's back, taking out her wand and praying that she could manage the spell properly.
"Lumos," she whispered, and light appeared at the tip of her wand. "You think someone is around here, don't you, Buckbeak?"
He whistled again, softly this time, and snapped at a crow.
The forest was deathly quiet, and Katy was immensely grateful that she'd heard her mother mutter the light spell before. It would have been a severely frightening place without it.
She glanced about the clearing and shuddered inwardly. The trees themselves were contorted into unearthly positions, and it seemed as though arms were stretching for her, fingers beckoning at her, faces leering through the darkness-
Suddenly she heard voices-harsh, old-sounding voices- all in a murmur, just behind her.
"You should not have ventured this far, human," came the first voice, cold and angry. "You are overbold."
"I'm looking for an elf-" hesitated a second, and Katy started.
"Were you not so insolent-" said the first, and then another babble of voices.
"Give her to me!" cried the human voice, "She belongs to the castle!"
"She is a creature of magic; they belong to themselves," said the voice coolly, "centuries of wizarding slavery does not make her belong to the wizards."
"Wh-what are you doing? Get away!"
"We cannot kill a foal, Redal," said a third voice, softly, "lower your bow. Another human approaches." The voice turned audibly toward Katy. "Present yourself, human."
Katy swallowed hard and made her way toward the voices, picking her way through the bushes and scrambling into the clearing. The moment she looked up, her breath caught.
Nearly a dozen centaurs were standing in front of her, their solemn faces and glimmering eyes fixed on her with such grim looks that Katy felt herself tremble.
"Lower your wand," spat a centaur with silver hair and a silver coat. His face was narrow and his eyebrows were thin; his mouth was twisted into an ugly, angry line. He pointed at her with the tip of a bow. Katy lowered her wand. "Put oxut the light. We will not have your magic in this gathering."
"I-I don't know how," Katy finally managed to stammer. "If you please, sir."
The centaur snorted and reared up slightly. His front hooves landed with a hard, muffled thump in the earth.
"You foolish witch-foal," he said coldly, "How did you learn this magic, then? Surely not without its counter-incantation?"
"I watched my mother," said Katy.
"And do you know this insolent wretch?" said the centaur, turning his eyes toward a huddled figure in the center of the clearing. Katy felt anger rise up in her unexpectedly, but she kept her voice level.
"Yes," she said clearly, and Harland Cooper looked up at her. "And I'm sorry you had to meet him first, because he was very rude."
Suddenly one of the centaurs came close to her; she started back, but he held up a hand. He moved closer still in a soft trot. Then he bent his head nearer to her. She swallowed. He had very light blue eyes and he seemed to find something of interest in her face.
"What is your name, little foal?" he asked softly.
Katy swallowed again. "Ka- Katy Potter, sir."
"Potter?"
Another murmur went up among the centaurs.
The centaur straightened and smiled, ever so slightly.
"There is something of her father in her face," he said quietly, to the wider group. "We cannot forget what Harry Potter has done, not so soon. Someday, perhaps, our kind will forget, but even then the stars will remember."
He bent his head slightly.
"I am Firenze, Katy Potter," he said, and Katy bowed her head, too, feeling herself to be in the presence of someone very important. "I once met your father in this very forest, on a night like this one. And Mars shone even brighter than it does tonight."
"Enough, Firenze," said the silver centaur, called Redal, "Though you are undeniably too kind to the human race, in the instance we must agree. The foal of Harry Potter will go unharmed. But what of this one?"
Harland whimpered audibly.
"Please don't hurt him," said Katy, as the centaurs began to mutter among themselves, "I know he's been terribly disrespectful, and you really ought to be upset with him. But I think-if you don't mind-I should just take him back to the castle and let our teachers punish him for you."
"Very well," said the silver centaur, looking at Harland with distinct dislike and disgust, "but he must never come into this forest again."
"As if I'd want to," said Harland, scrambling to his feet and looking rather ugly under all the mud and dirt, "see if I ever come into this stupid forest again-"
"You seek a house-elf," said Redal loudly, over Harland, "Firenze will direct you. Take that insufferable creature with you."
"If you say another word," said Katy fiercely, seizing Harland by the arm, "I'll tell everyone that I had to save your life."
He glowered at her but said nothing more until they had reached the clearing where Buckbeak was tearing into a crow with gusto.
"What is that?" Harland said in a high-pitched whisper. Buckbeak's head snapped up just as a bone cracked in his beak. It was clear by the way he looked at Harland that he was not overly amused by his remarks.
"He's a friend of mine," said Katy, as Firenze bowed to the hippogriff respectfully. "You stay here."
"Alone?"
"You made it all the way into the forest on your own," Katy said, "there isn't a difference."
"I flew, and it wasn't half as dark then. I can't even find my broom." said Harland, "And I didn't have a monster like th-"
"No, Buckbeak," Katy said sharply, "please don't. I know he's rude, but he's only afraid."
Buckbeak snapped his beak irritably and shot Harland a menacing look.
"This way," said Firenze, trotting to the opposite side of the clearing. "She is not far."
The elf was only about a hundred feet away, huddled by a bush in a tiny pile of leaves.
"She has a broken leg," said Firenze, "I saw it fit to bind it for her, but my herd would not allow me to take her beyond this clearing."
"Dilly did not get the mushrooms back," mumbled the house-elf sadly, gripping her long, dog-like ears in her hands, "Dilly was frightened and ran, ran, ran-but too far-"
"It's all right," said Katy, kneeling beside the little elf, "I'm going to take you back to the castle."
"Dilly is very sorry that the goulash has no mushrooms," squeaked Dilly, "Her leg hurts, and she tries to Apparate, but she coulds not… no-"
"I'm sure it tasted fine without mushrooms," said Katy, who would not have gone near goulash anyway, "I'm going to pick you up. Is that all right?"
"Miss is very kind," Dilly murmured, her big blue eyes glassy, "Miss is-but miss is-miss is Harry Potter's daughter!"
Suddenly the elf looked at her with a mottled glow of reverence.
"All the houses elves know of Harry Potter's great kindness to elves, but Dilly never dreamed of Harry Potter's daughter having the same kindness-and Miss is so very brave-"
Katy blushed, a great warmth spreading across her.
"She is very tired," said Firenze as Katy got to her feet. "You should return to the castle quickly."
^*^*^*^
Harland did not take to the flight very well. Katy was, despite her irritation, somewhat sympathetic to the boy's fear, and she allowed him to sit in the front where he could grip Buckbeak's neck.
The moment they touched down by Hagrid's hut, they were set upon by Hagrid, a very relieved Ben and a severe Professor McGonagall.
"Dunno what yeh were thinking," growled Hagrid crossly, as Harland slid off Buckbeak's back, looking green. "Ruddy stupid thing to do-like yer father, yeh are-always in trouble…"
"And furthermore! Approaching a hippogriff without supervision was a very foolish thing to do!" Professor McGonagall's glasses quivered at the end of her nose as Katy looked down guiltily. "Hagrid has been searching the grounds for you since you took off so recklessly-your parents have been alerted, and Merlin knows how your mother feels-"
"Half-proud of you," Ben told her under his breath, "and half-terrified out of her mind."
"…fifty points from Gryffindor!" pronounced the professor finally, "Yes, fifty, Miss Potter, though I've half a mind to make it seventy-five-"
Katy swallowed hard.
"…but you did what you felt was right," said McGonagall, her heart softening in spite of herself, "just like your parents, I suppose. So-twenty points to Gryffindor for sheer courage, and ten points to Gryffindor for your selfless motives."
Katy had never felt quite so brave in her ten years of life; before she could think about it, she threw her arms around the Headmistress and hugged her tightly.
Professor McGonagall did her best to look severe, but it was very hard. After all, she thought rather guiltily, she was secretly glad to see that Katy was going to follow in her parents' footsteps.
^*^*^*^
"I really don't know what to say," said Hermione as she released Katy from her tight hug. "I'd like to scold you, but then-"
"It really wouldn't be fair," finished Harry, grinning. "My guess is-minus the flying-your mum would have done the exact same thing."
"As if you wouldn't have been right there with me," Hermione said, casting a sideways glance at her husband. He shrugged. Even Teddy appeared to be smirking.
"I'm sorry to have frightened you," said Katy to Ben, "I heard you got to Professor McGonagall's office just as Hagrid did."
"Yeah," said Ben, "I told Mama and Dad first, though-the two-way mirror, you know."
Just then, the door to the Headmistress's office swung open and Professor McGonagall swept in.
"I can't say I was entirely surprised," was all she said, as she sat down at her desk, "she is your daughter. Now, you two, off to bed. No dawdling in the corridors, and I expect to see your essay on my desk tomorrow morning, Miss Potter, regardless of how late you've been up."
"Good night," Hermione said to Katy and Ben, kissing them both on the forehead and hugging them quickly. "We'll write."
"Good night, Mama," they said together.
After bidding goodnight to Harry and Teddy, they shuffled out of the office together, looking rather inappropriately happy.
"Well," said Professor McGonagall to the remaining Potters in her office, "I see this family has no intention of letting me have any peace."
Harry and Hermione laughed. Teddy yawned, clearly not entertained, and dozed off promptly on Harry's shoulder.
"Now how has your training been, Mrs. Potter?"
"Oh, it's been wonderful," said Hermione.
"Still the head of the class, I hear."
"Yes," said Harry, as Hermione opened her mouth with a modest look on her face. "But she'll deny it."
"Ah," said the professor, looking amused. "And you, Mr. Potter. I hear your program at Padfoot Hall has been wildly successful."
"Well-" Harry began, but Hermione interrupted him.
"He's started to receive applications from the top defense organizations in the world," she said, "and though he won't tell you, he's also received several job offers from almost every country you can think of."
"Is that so?" said Professor McGonagall, "Well, I suppose I shouldn't have expected any less from either of you."
"Thank you," they said together.
"And I suppose this is Remus Lupin's son?" Professor McGonagall said, motioning to the boy in Harry's arms. "I thought so-he looks very like you, Mr. Potter. Except for the eyes. He has your wife's eyes."
"Now why does that sound familiar?" Harry said dryly. Hermione nudged him.
"Harry, be polite."
"I expected as much," said Professor McGonagall, "Metamorphagi often take the appearance of their most familiar relatives as their natural appearance-"
"Until the age of three," Hermione finished.
"Very good. Ten points to Gryffindor, as I used to say," said Professor McGonagall with a wry smile. "Well-I'd best let you two go. You both look tired."
"Thank you, Professor," said Hermione, smiling.
"We owe you a lot," said Harry, putting his arm around Hermione. "We haven't forgotten that."
Minerva McGonagall surveyed them fondly, feeling an inordinate amount of pride sweep over her. She smiled.
"It was my pleasure."
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