Katie spent the last few days of her summer holidays cooped up in Ginny's room. She sat alone on the top bunk. Occasionally, she would take a book from her bag and flick through the pages, but most of her time was spent blankly staring at the wall.

She didn't know what to think, what to do, or what to say to anyone. The only thing on her mind was how she had completely wasted her last few months with her dad because of something that a crazy old wand maker had told her three years ago.

No one managed to retract any words from the girl over those few days. She very rarely left Ginny's room — only clambering out to use the bathroom or, once or twice, sit on the couch and drink a cup of tea before retreating back to the bedroom.

Chris was also in an awful state, but he coped with his grief by spending his days outside. He would walk aimlessly around the garden, kicking pebbles and chasing Felix, Katie's cat.

***

Instead of sitting with Harry, Ron and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express as usual, Katie decided to sit with Chris. They pair shuffled their was down the narrow passage, trying to find an empty compartment.

Katie heard a compartment door speedily slide open and an apprehensive voice behind her.

"Blair?"

The girl didn't have to turn around to know that the voice belonged to Draco Malfoy, only, something was different. His usual drawling tone had been replaced by a softer, more sympathetic tone. Despite this, Katie didn't turn around to face him. She ignored Draco, acting as though she hadn't heard him, and slipped into an empty compartment with Chris.

Niall decided to leave the two to their thoughts and went to sit with his other friends, Oscar and Brendon.

The noise of the pistons started up and the train jolted into life. Gradually, it picked up speed, until it was traveling and a regular and permanent pace. Only when the Platform was completely out of view did Chris speak.

"How are you holding up?"

His voice was hoarse and gravelly, as though it hadn't been used for a long time. Katie was safe to assume that, like herself, Chris had not uttered a single word to anyone since they arrived back at the Burrow on that faithful morning.

"I've been a lot better." Katie replied sourly.

Chris sighed and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "You have to work with me here, Kat. We're going through the exact same thing, you know, and—"

"No, Chris, we're not." Katie snapped harshly, not tearing her gaze away from the hills beyond the window.

Chris blinked at her confusedly.

"What are you saying, Katerina?" he questioned with a hint of agitation laced through his voice. "Of course we're going through the same thing."

"No, we're not," Katie repeated, slower this time, to really let Chris hear her sincerity. "Chris, I treated him like crap these last few months. I ignored him — I don't think I spoke more than five words to him all summer, and whenever he'd ask me why I was acting so distant, I'd shove him off. And now he's dead, Christian, and I never got that chance to make things right."

Katie was shaking now. When she finished her small rant, she buried her face in her hands and let sobs rack her body. Chris' eyes were wide in blatant shock. He tilted his head, staring at his sister, completely bewildered by her speech. He wanted to ask her why she had been acting strange around their father, but as he looked at her, sobs and shakes controlling her entire body, Chris decided that this wasn't the best time.

With a small sigh. Chris wiped the tears from his own eyes and moved into the seat beside Katie. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him, continuing to cry uncontrollably. A few tears whisked down Chris' cheeks, but he completely disregarded them.

Although he tried to ignore it, to table the thought for another time, there was only one thing whirring through Chris' mind. It was a question...

Why?

***

Wild wind whistled violently and heavy raindrops thundered against the grand window in the Great Hall. The bewitched ceiling mirrored the swirling storm outside the castle walls. Katie was mindlessly stabbing her steak with her fork but refusing to take even a single bite from it. She chose to sit alone at the end of the Slytherin table, which was quite different to her usual seat halfway down the table with Draco and Pansy, but she just wanted to be alone. She had too much on her mind to worry about being around people who would only apologise for what happened and somehow make her feel worse.

The Hall was alive with chatter. News of the Dark Mark reappearing at the Qudditch World Cup had circulated quickly, thanks to Rita Skeeter — a horrid news reporter that Katie, along with the Weasleys, despised. She had a knack for making everyone she wrote about look like terrible people. As well as the talk about the World Cup, the Sorting Ceremony had just ended, so the students who were already bored by the news of the Dark Mark still had something to converse about.

Suddenly, there was a deafening rumble of thunder, and the doors of the Great Hall banged open. The merry voices of the hundreds of Hogwarts students quickly died away as everyone's attention was drawn to the doors.

A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff, shrouded in a black travelling cloak. The stranger was illuminated by a bright fork of lightning that flashed across the ceiling. He lowered his hood, shook out a long mane of grizzled hair, then began to walk up towards the teachers' table.

Indistinct whispers broke out amongst the students as all eyes followed the mysterious man. A dull clunk echoed through the Hall on his every other step. He reached the end of the top table, turned right and limped heavily towards Dumbledore. Another flash of lightning crossed the ceiling and Katie shivered.

The lightning had thrown the man's face into sharp relief, and it was a face unlike any Katie had ever seen. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made his frightening. One of them was small, dark and beady. The other one was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye was moving ceaselessly, without blinking, and was rolling up, down and from side to side, quite independently of the normal eye — and then it rolled right over, pointing to the back of the man's head, so that all they could see was whiteness.

The stranger reached Dumbledore. Katie ever-so-slightly rose from her seat, finding herself intrigued by this mysterious man. He stretched out a hand that was as badly scarred as his face, and Dumbledore shook it.

Katie barely had time to think about who this man was and what he was doing at Hogwarts before a familiar voice rang out behind her.

"You should really eat something."

Katie shut her eyes quickly, calming her breathing, before turning around to face the owner of the voice. Draco Malfoy was standing behind her, an eyebrow quirked, and a glint of worry shining in his eyes. Katie sighed and turned away from him.

"I'm not hungry." Katie mumbled.

Draco glanced around aimlessly and chewed his lip, thinking about what he could do or say next. He knew it was stupid to ask Katie how she was doing, because the answer would undeniably be that she was feeling terrible. Even if you weren't aware of her father's death and family's disappearance (which most of the school wasn't, but thanks to his father working at the Ministry, Draco found out the day after the World Cup), it didn't take a genius to work out that something was wrong with Katie. She was visibly thinner, her face was shrunken, her eyes were bloodshot and surrounded by dark circles. She looked as though she hadn't eaten or slept in days.

Without uttering a single word, Draco outstretched his hand to the girl. Her eyes danced between his hand and his face, and her eyebrows furrowed in perplexity.

"C'mon." Draco said, flicking his head towards the doors of the Great Hall.

Still unsure, Katie reluctantly placed her hand in Draco's. He helped her to her feet and led her straight out of the Great Hall, ignoring the Slytherins that were trying to get his attention.

"Where are we going?" Katie asked as Draco pulled her through the winding Hogwarts corridors. He didn't respond and Katie sighed, realising that her best bet was to just run with it.

Ten minutes of silence passed and Katie found herself ascending the Astronomy Tower — the highest tower in Hogwarts — with Draco Malfoy.

"Why are we going up here?"

Once again, Draco didn't respond.

It was quite a hike to the top of the tower, so when they finally emerged from the stairwell, Katie was slightly out of breath. The trek proved to be worth it, however, when Katie took in the view.

She rushed to the barrier, leaning out over it, letting the cool night air whip her face as she gazed out at the Black Lake, which was shimmering mysteriously under the light of the pale moon. Draco stepped up to her side moments later and he too gazed out at the spectacular sight.

"This is beautiful," Katie breathed. "I've never really taken in the view before."

"Yes, it's quite nice." Draco hummed in response.

Although reluctantly, Katie peeled her gaze away from the landscape and allowed her eyes to land on Draco. The dim light of the moon was beating down on his face, it's light reflecting in his eyes and making them twinkle like snow. Katie also took note of how his eyebrows were twisted, giving off the impression that he was deep in thought.

"I'm really sorry about your father," Draco said finally, his voice quiet and steady. "And your brother... and your mother..."

Katie felt her breath get caught in her throat. Feeling tears bubbling up in her eyes, she faced away from Draco, and she didn't respond to his statement.

Instead, she said, "Why did you take me up here?"

Draco looked at the girl, whose face he couldn't see because her gaze was focused on the sloping hills that looked like blotches on a dark canvas.

"What? You don't like it?" he said.

Katie couldn't help but roll her eyes. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Of course I like it, idiot."

Draco responded to Katie's unanswered question. "It's quiet up here. I thought you might appreciate being away from the rest of the school."

Although he did not want to push her, Draco felt that he couldn't stop himself from continuing to talk.

"Look," Draco began softly. "I don't know how it feels to lose a parent, I don't know how you're feeling right now, but—"

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Katie cut Draco off. Her voice was breathy, almost timid, with a hint of accusation hidden beneath the questioning tone. Draco blinked thrice at the girl, bewilderment evident on his pale complexion. Truth be told, the boy did not know exactly how to respond to Katie question, but he found the words rolling off his tongue without him really willing himself to speak.

"Because I..." he paused, biting his lip. Katie's heart beat quickened.

"I care about you, Katie."

Katie let out a small breath of relief — or maybe it was disappointment? She wasn't quite sure. Despite her reaction, Katie was very taken off guard. This was probably the most open that Draco Malfoy had ever been with her — or with anyone, for that matter, and she was sure he had never uttered the words I care about you to anyone in all of his years.

"Look at me," Draco said gently, his voice barely rising above a whisper. "Please."

Please.

Another new phrase slipping past Draco Malfoy's lips.

Katie folded her arms and hesitantly maneuvered her body so that she was facing Draco directly. Tears leaked from her grey eyes and she bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep her sobs from escaping. Draco felt his heart sink at the sight.

"Katie—"

Before Draco could finish, however, there was a clatter of heavy footsteps, and a warm light flooded the Astronomy Tower. Katie's heart stopped when she saw Filch, his beady eyes glowing ecstatically at the sight of two students out of bed after hours. A menacing grin split across his shrunken face.

"Detention for both of you." he said wickedly.

Katie sighed and dropped her shoulders. Filch's devilish eyes landed on the witch, and his grin seemed to widen when he said, "Loss of parent does not excuse you, Blair."

Katie felt both a pang of sadness and a surge of anger rush through her body when Filch said this. She balled her hands into fists, squeezing them tight to stop herself from lunging for Filch. Draco, however, did not seem to have as much self control as his housemate. He stepped in front of Katie protectively.

"Don't you dare speak to her like that, you filthy Squib." Draco spat, narrowing his eyes.

"Draco..." Katie said weakly, grabbing his arm and pulling him back. She let out a small whimper of desparation when he resited her strength and stood rooted to the spot.

Rage flashed through Filch's eyes and the evil smile on his face quickly melted into an angry snarl.

"You just bought yourself a week's detention, Malfoy!" Filch growled before turning on his heel and marching away. "To bed! Now! Both of you!"

Draco's piercing glare followed Filch until his head disappeared beneath the floor as he descended the stairs. Then, Draco rounded on Katie, who was staring at her feet with a shadow of disappointment etched onto her face.

"Are you OK?" Draco asked her.

"You shouldn't have called him that." Katie mumbled, swinging her leg and kicking the floor.

Draco cocked his head to the side. "Called him what?"

"A filthy Squib." Katie hissed.

"Well, that's what he is, isn't he?" Draco pointed out and shrugged nonchalantly.

Katie sighed and shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Draco. When you say things like that... it's the same as when you call Hermione a... a Mudblood."

"Katie, I'm sorry, I was just—"

"Let's just go to bed, yeah? I'm tired."

Draco watched, a frown etched on his face, as a very upset Katerina Blair stepped away from him and followed Filch down the stairwell.

When she was atop of the Astronomy Tower with Katie, Draco wanted to comfort her, he wanted to hug her, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe it was because of his upbringing — his father always said that showing emotion was a sign of weakness — or maybe the fear of her pushing him away were he to wrap his arms around her had complete control of Draco. Whatever the reason, he failed to console Katie, and had somehow made her even more distraught in his efforts to lift her spirits.

"Well done, Draco," he muttered sourly to himself. "You somehow managed to make her even more upset. Bloody brilliant."

***

The next morning marked the first day of classes. As the students filed along the corridors, Katie noticed how they all seemed very perked with excitement — much more than they had been the day before. She shrugged it off and made her way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, keeping her head bowed low to avoid conversation with everyone. She wasn't sure who exactly knew about her father's death and the disappearance of Leo and Maria, but it was probably common knowledge if it had reached the ears of Draco Malfoy.

Katie entered an almost vacant Defense Against the Dark Arts room. Only a few Gryffindors occupied a few of the seats, and the rest were completely empty. Sighing and steadying her breathing, readying herself for the chorus of sympathetic words that she was going to receive from her friends, Katie seated herself next to Hermione. Ron and Harry shared the bench next to the girls'.

"Where did you go last night?"

Katie had barely settled into her desk when the question rolled off Hermione's tongue. Katie blinked at her friend, pleasantly surprised by the fact that she didn't ask her how she was feeling — but then the reality of Hermione's real question sank in, and Katie felt her face heating up.

"What do you mean?" she faked a perplexed tone and looked down on her hands, which were resting on the polished wood.

Hermione almost scoffed. "You left halfway through the Feast. Where did you go?"

"No where." Katie said speedily. Judging by their unsatisfied expressions, Katie's friends did not believe her weak lie. She sighed and ran a hand through her honey blonde hair.

"The Astronomy Tower." she mumbled. The words were only barely audible to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"The Astronomy Tower?" Ron repeated.

"With Draco." Hermione stated, raising an eyebrow. Katie's stomach lurched uncomfortably. She was hoping that the blonde dragging her from the Hall had slipped Hermione's gaze.

"With Draco." Katie confirmed, defeated.

"With Draco?" Ron echoed, sounding very displeased. Harry, however, wore an expression completely different to those of his friends. Hermione's eyebrow was still quirked in suspicion, and in her eyes their twinkled an interrogating sort of shimmer. Ron looked slightly angered — it was widely known that he wasn't Malfoy's biggest fan — but Harry seemed to be put out. His eyes were dull and he looked at Katie sadly, though he quickly remodeled his expression to be that of a bewildered person when Katie's eyes landed on his face.

"What were you—"

Ron cut across Hermione before she had the chance to finish. "Blimey, Hermione! Leave her alone. There's more important things to be talking about."

Katie twisted her eyebrows in confusion, awaiting an elaboration.

"Right, of course," Hermione nodded. "You missed some very important information while you were gone."

"Yeah?" Katie sounded very intrigued. She leaned towards Hermione, resting her chin on her closed fist, waiting eagerly for Hermione to continue. It was Ron, however, who offered an explanation to the Slytherin girl.

"The Triwizard Tournament!" he exclaimed, face glowing with excitement. "Here! At Hogwarts!"

Katie's mouth fell open. "The Triwizard Tournament?" she gasped. Ron nodded enthusiastically.

"You've heard about it?" Harry quizzed. Katie was grinning now, excitement coursing through her veins.

"Of course I've bloody heard of it!" she proclaimed. "It's legendary! Too bad they discontinued it in... well, it must've been a century ago," she added thoughtfully. "Oh, I'd love to enter—"

"Don't get your hopes up," a thick Irish accent slid into the conversation. Seamus Finnigan had entered the classroom. "New rule says that no one underage can enter."

"You mean you have to be seventeen?" Katie inquired, disappointment settling in her stomach. Seamus frowned and nodded.

"Bleedin' rubbish, if you ask me." he said hotly before walking away and taking his seat beside Dean Thomas.

"He's joking, right?" Katie turned to Harry, who shook his head.

"Don't worry," Ron said in a hushed tone, leaning across the aisle to Katie. "Fred and George are looking for a way to cheat their way in."

Hermione disapproved of this scandal very much. She huffed, crossed her arms and then tucked her nose into a book, but didn't say anything. Katie tittered in amusement, earning herself a glare from Hermione.