The following day passed by rather uneventfully. After long hours of scrubbing an upstairs bathroom, Katie and Harry were slumped back in armchairs in the drawing room. Harry was polishing his Firebolt and Katie was reading through her old copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

"So, have you met Kreacher yet?" Katie's voice broke through the comfortable silence. Harry stopped polishing his broom and blinked confusedly at the Slytherin.

"Who?" he asked.

"The house-elf." Katie told him.

Harry shook his head.

"Lucky you," Katie grumbled as she tucked her nose back into her book. "He's a menace. He calls me blood traitor on a daily basis, which doesn't make much sense because, well, I'm a Half-blood, aren't I?"

Harry shrugged. "I s'pose. Say, what do you want for your birthday?"

Katie quirked an eyebrow, folded down the corner of the page she was reading to save her reading point, and placed the book on her lap. "Harry, my birthday was almost two weeks ago."

"I know, and I didn't get a chance to buy you anything, so what do you want?"

Katie suddenly leapt to her feet and her hands shot up to her head.

"I forgot to get you a present too!"

Harry laughed out loud.

"Merlin," he chuckled. "We're useless."

As Katie was laughing, Harry got to his feet, walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. Although she was confused as to why he was hugging her, she went along with it and hugged him back.

"Here." Harry said simply before brusquely kissing Katerina. She blinked thrice at him.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"Birthday present." Harry smiled.

Katie snorted. "You're a real sap, you know that?"

"Hey!" Harry pouted dramatically, making Katie laugh. Like he had done, she kissed him quickly, then, grinning, she said, "Birthday present. Now we're even."

"You two are disgusting." Chris said from the door.

Both startled, Katie and Harry whipped around to face the seventh year, who was leaning idly against the door frame.

"Says the one who's been shagging Hermione in secret." Katie quipped.

Harry choked. "What?"

"I have not been shagging her!" Chris defended firmly as his face began to glow scarlet. "I kissed her once!"

"What?" Harry repeated. His facial expression was a perfect mix of horrified shock and heavy confusion. His eyes danced between Katie and Chris.

"Do me a favour, Chris, make things right with Oscar. I'm rooting for Hermione and Ron." Katie said.

Harry let out a very strange noise of suprise that Katie had never heard before, and it took all of her strength to not burst out laughing at the sound of it.

"Hermione... and... Ron?" Harry quizzed, sounding somewhat disgusted. His eyes were blown wide.

Katie let out a disappointed sigh and pat Harry on the shoulder.

"You're such an oblivious git." she giggled.

"What? I'm honestly so confused right now."

"What's going on?" Hermione had appeared in the doorway next to Chris, who refused to glance her way, his face visibly growing more red with every passing second.

Harry opened his mouth to speak but Katie stepped on his toe and the only sound that passed his lips was a howl of pain. He hopped backwards while Katie smiled innocently at Hermione, who looked, through narrowed eyes, between Katie and Harry, before rolling her eyes.

"Katie, Ron's looking for you. He's in Fred and George's room, I think." Hermione announced.

"Thanks, Mione, I'll be there in a second."

With one last estranged glance at Harry, Hermione retreated from the room.

"What did you stand on my foot for?" Harry wailed, his voice considerably higher in pitch than it normally was.

"Don't go asking them if they have a thing for each other." Katie scolded.

"Why not?" Harry questioned, still frowning down at his foot. "If they just get together it might stop them from clawing at each other's throats every second of every day."

"They'll get together in their own time. We have to let destiny run it's course, Potter." Katie assured him.

"And you, Curly," she rounded on her brother, "how long until you start playing for the Appleby Arrows?"

"I still have a year of school to get through, Kat, and if you call me Curly again I'll Hex you into next week."

Katie laughed. "I'd like to see you try. Right, I've got to go see Ron."

Katie then swept from the room, leaving Chris and Harry shrouded in awkward silence. Quietly, Katie climbed the stairs up to the third landing. She was just about to turn the doorknob to Fred and George's room when she heard a distinct clattering coming from the drawing room behind her.

Curiousity getting the better of her, Katie decided that Ron could wait, and she crossed the landing and went inside the drawing room. A large closet in the back corner was clunking and shaking, as though something was inside and trying to get out.

Katie poked her head back out into the corridor. When she saw that no one was coming, she whipped out her wand and took cautious steps towards the moving closet.

She tapped the door to the closet with the tip of her wand and it began to shake more violently. Katie was beginning to worry that there might be an animal trapped inside so, heart pounding hard in her chest, she grabbed the handles to the closet and threw open the doors.

Katie let out a loud gasp and jumped back.

Instead of a mouse or a bird, standing in the closet staring right back at Katie was herself.

The mirror image was draped in all black robes and her face was paler and more shrunken than even Katie's after her many nights of disturbed sleep. Her eyes were heavy and darkened, and they had a certain evil glint to them that made Katie feel extremely uneasy.

Katie's palms started sweating and her wand slipped from her hand. Trembling with fear, she walked backwards as the shadow of herself grew gradually closer. Katie backed right up into the wall. Now she was trapped.

The second Katie opened her mouth to speak, but when she tried to speak, a chilling hissing noise came out instead. It was as though it rattled the room around her, and it sent icy shivers down Katie's spine, who knew at once that it was speaking Parseltongue, but she couldn't understand what it was saying despite the fact that she was a Parselmouth.

Feeling exceptionally panicked now but too afraid to move from the spot, Katie began feeling along the wall for the door but found that it was nowhere within her reach. Her eyes darted to the floor. Her wand had rolled under the coffee table halfway across the room. She wanted to make a dive for it but found that she was frozen in fear.

As the shadow figure grew nearer, Katie's breathing grew heavier and her heart beat faster. Finally, with all the strength she could muster, as tough she broke through the constricting bars of her fear, she let out a scream so loud that it momentarily drowned out the violent Parseltongue.

No more than twenty second later, the door flew open and swung back so fast that it was almost knocked off it's hinges. Remus stepped into the room, wand clutched tightly in his hand, glanced between Katie and the second Katie, and seemed to immediately understand the situation.

Without hesitation, Remus pointed his wand at the Katie from the closet and yelled, "Riddikulus!"

She turned into a white balloon before she disappeared with an aggressive crack in a puff of black smoke.

Katie was now staring wide-eyed at the closet. It hadn't dawned on her that the creature inside had been a Boggart, but last time she had faced a Boggart, for her Defence Against the Dark Arts exam in third year, her Boggart had been a snake.

"A Boggart..." Remus said. Then, he turned to Katie and said, in a very serious voice with an undertone of worry, "It was yourself..."

There was a ten second interval in which Katie and Remus merely stared at each other, each of their chests heaving up and down from breathing so fast.

Standing in the doorway was Harry and Ron, each of them as white as snow. Katie hadn't noticed them until that very moment. Growing more fearful now, Katie's eyes flicked between Remus and her friends by the door.

"I have to go." Katie said quickly. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

Without another words, Katie pushed passed Harry and Ron in the doorway, and instead of going downstairs to her bedroom, she climbed the stairs to the next floor. She was unsure of where exactly she was going, but she did know that she certainly needed some time alone to process.

Katie skimmed passed an opened door and caught a brief glimpse of Sirius staring blankly at a wall. The image did not fully register with her brain until about five seconds later when she doubled back on the open door.

Sirius was standing in the centre of the empty room — there wasn't an item of furniture in sight. His hands were tucked neatly behind his back and he was almost glaring at the wall. Clearing her throat, Katie stepped forward and knocked on the open door, attracting the attention of Sirius, who smiled fondly.

"You OK?" she asked him wearily.

"Always," he replied casually. "Come in."

Katie entered the room and it was suddenly clear to her why Sirius had been staring at the wall. Spread across the wall was a big tapestry with the branches of a family tree embedded on it. Very large words at the top of the tapestry read; 'The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.'

"Is that a family tree?" Katie asked. Sirius hummed out a yes, but didn't give Katie any time to examine the family tree before rounding on her and speaking.

"Have you had any more visions?"

Katie was a little taken aback by the bluntness of the question, but she answered anyway.

"No, just the same dreams at night."

Sirius turned to face the tapestry once more. "You didn't wake up last night." he said.

A dawning comprehension grew on Katie. Her mouth opened in mild surprise. Sirius was right. Last night was the first night in weeks that she hadn't had either of her regular nightmares.

"I did hear Leo screaming, though." Katie admitted, the sinking feeling returning to her stomach.

Sirius frowned as he placed a comforting hand on Katie's shoulder. "If they're still out there, we're going to find them, Katerina."

Katie smiled. "Katerina," she repeated. "No one really calls me that any more, I haven't really heard it since Dad died. He always refused to call me Katie." she added with a gentle laugh.

"Well I, for one, think he had the right idea. Katerina sounds much nicer that Katie," Sirius' frown welded into a smile that mirrored Katie's. "And I am truly sorry about your father, Katerina. His anniversary is coming up, isn't it? That must be hard for you."

Katie shrugged. "It could be worse. I've still got Chris — and my friends, of course."

"You'll have a proper family again someday," Sirius gave her shoulder a ginger squeeze. "Molly has been working on becoming your legal guardian. Unfortunately, it's hard, because your mother isn't confirmed dead, and Christian is seventeen in a few weeks. I would adopt you myself, but being a fugitive and all." Sirius annexed with a sour sort of chuckle.

"And you'll be free again someday." Katie assured him. Sirius' lips curled into a small smile once more.

"One can only dream."

***

"Katie, Harry, get UP!"

Katie was pulled from her slumber only to be met by a glaring, blinding light and her duvet being torn from her. She groaned loudly and squinted through the light.

"Hermione... s'matter?" she grumbled, placing her arm over her eyes to block out the light.

"We're going to miss the train!" Hermione said hurriedly. "Mrs Weasley is furious. Hurry up!"

Hermione then whisked from the room, shutting the door behind her. Katerina let out another loud groan and rolled over in Harry's arms, who also was clearly not very keen onn getting out of bed because he held her tighter.

"We have to get up." Harry told her after a few peaceful seconds.

"Well, we don't have to," Katie replied, her voice still groggy and sleepy. "We could always just, you know, miss the train and fly a car to Hogwarts."

Harry mock laughed. "Yeah, yeah, very funny." He shoved Katie off him and onto her back, making her huff involuntarily.

"Hey! That was rude!"

Harry merely chuckled and, with a great yawn, got off the cover-less bed. The duvet lay in a heap next to the headboard thanks to Hermione.

"Come on, get up." Harry said. He grabbed Katie's hand and pulled her up, all the while she let out one, long and heavy groan.

"I hate you." she mumbled angrily.

"I know you do," Harry grinned. "I'm going to get dressed. See you downstairs."

Harry followed Hermione from the room and also closed the door behind him. Katie let out a great yawn and stretched. Felix was sat upright in the corner, looking very annoyed by the fact that he had been so rudely awakened. Milo, however, was whizzing excitedly round and round the dusty floor. Something told Katie that he was well aware they were returning to Hogwarts, and he couldn't wait.

***

"Excited to be going back to Hogwarts?" Remus asked.

As they had no choice but to walk to King's Cross, the Hogwarts students had been divided into groups and escorted to the station by one or more adults. Katie was travelling with Hermione, Ginny and Lupin.

"Excited to play Quidditch again." Katie responded.

It felt like a lifetime since she had last ridden a broom. The girl couldn't even recall the last time she had handled a Quaffle. Quidditch had been cancelled the previous year, thanks to the Triwizard Tournament being held at Hogwarts, and Katie felt as though she might just whither away if she didn't play another Quidditch match soon.

The Hogwarts Express was, and it differed in no way from the previous years, packed and very noisy, being filled with the sounds of hundreds of students sharing their summer stories, showing off their new haircuts, and discussing the coming year.

"I'm going to find Pansy and Draco. I haven't seen them all summer," Katie said to her friends. "Come on, you two." she added to Felix and Milo before hitching up her trunk and setting off down the narrow corridor in the centre of the train.

She glanced inside every compartment she passed but couldn't seem to find her Slytherin friends. She did, however, come across Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who each gave her an enthusiastic wave.

Finally, in the second last compartment that she was to check, Katie found Pansy Parkinson, accompanied by Blaise Zabini. Katie slid open the carriage door and Pansy grinned at her.

"Katie! Hi!"

"Hey Pans, have a good summer?" Katie asked as she swung her trunk up onto one of the racks above. Pansy yanked her into a hug.

"It was good," Pansy replied. "Yours?"

"Fine," Katie lied. She glanced around the compartment and frowned. "Where's Draco?"

"The Prefect's cabin." Blaise told her.

"I'm supposed to go too. I won't be long." Pansy said.

Pansy exited the compartment, leaving Katie and Blaise alone. Katie didn't know Blaise very well, so the pair were shrouded in awkward silence, which was thankfully broken when the door opened and Theodore Nott came in.

"Hey, Blaise," he grinned. "Hi, Blair."

"Hey, Theo. Good summer?"

"Not bad, not bad."

As Blaise and Theo engaged in conversation, Katie idly stroked Milo, who was sitting very still for a Niffler. Katie lost track of how many minutes passed by, but it was quite awhile later when Pansy returned. Draco wasn't with her.

"He's coming now." Pansy told her before she could ask.

Katie got to her feet and wobbled around a bit, thanks to how fast the train was moving, and slipped out into the corridor. Sure enough, Draco was making his way towards the end of the train. He gave Katie a small but welcoming wave when she peeked out of the compartment, and she wasted no time in rushing to Draco and throwing her arms around him.

"Woah — that's very uncharacteristic of you, Blair." Draco laughed as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Honestly, I don't care," Katerina said slightly breathlessly. "I just had the worst summer ever and, for once, I'm actually really happy to see you."

"The worst summer ever? That's a bit rude, considering you spent it with me." a third voice said. Katie looked over Draco's shoulder and saw Hermione and Ron making their way back from the Prefect's carriage.

Katie snorted. "Oh, get over yourself, you know I enjoyed some of it."

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked, glancing behind Katie as though expecting to see Harry standing there. Katie slapped a hand to her face.

"Dammit! We left him alone, didn't we?"

"Nah, he's probably with Ginny." Ron shrugged.

Draco turned to Katie, smirking, and said, "You'd want to be careful leaving Potter alone with the Weaslette, she might just try and steal him from you."

Ron opened his mouth furiously, but Katie, who knew all of Draco's antics like the back of her hand, gave Draco a smug look and spoke before Ron could get the chance to yell.

"Yeah, well, that's what I have you for. You're my backup." Katie teased, patting Draco on the side of the face. Hermione's eyes narrowed and Ron let out a small grunt of anger. Katie grinned and rolled her eyes.

"I'm kidding," she said, almost laughing. "Ron is obviously my backup."

Ron, who apparently only just realised that Katie had been joking, also rolled his eyes.

"We're going to find Harry." Hermione announced, with a glare in Draco's direction.

"All right, see you tomorrow morning."

Ron's eyebrows furrowed. "You're not coming with us?"

"Ron, I just spent two months with you, I think I'm good."

"Right, yeah," Ron nodded stupidly. "See you later, then."

"Bye, Katie." Hermione smiled.

"Bye!" Katie called after them and watched them drag their trunks up the train. Once they had disappeared inside a compartment, Draco turned to Katie.

"So, bad summer, huh?" he asked.

Katie sighed. "I don't even want to talk about it. But what I do want to do is show you my Niffler."

"Your what?"

Instead of responding, Katie grabbed Draco by the wrist and pulled him inside the compartment that Pansy, Blaise and Theodore were in. There was a chorus of greetings for Draco while Katie scooped Milo up in her arms and turned back to Draco.

"My Niffler!" she beamed.

"Oh," Draco breathed in realisation, "those things."

"What's his name, Katie?" Pansy asked.

"Milo."

"Where in the name of Merlin did you get that thing from?" Draco asked as he cautiously prodded Milo's snout, who sniffed Draco curiously.

Katie grinned mischievously. "Top secret."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You drive me up the wall sometimes, you know that?"

***

The train pulled into Hogsmeade station and there was an eruption of the usual commotion that occurred when the students tried to weave themselves off the train and onto the platform.

"All right, Milo, hop inside my cloak," Katie told the Niffler, which clambered up her leg and rested within the black drapes. "C'mon, Felix."