We will meet again ~ Fred Weasley

- Into The Dragon's Fire -

"Courage was never about being unafraid; it was about moving forward when fear gave you every reason to stop."

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"Kat, stick by my side. If we stay together, no one should suspect a thing," Hermione whispered, barely moving her lips as they approached the entrance to Gringotts.

Katherine gave the smallest nod she could manage, keeping her expression carefully composed as she moved alongside Hermione, their disguises making them almost unrecognisable from the girls who had left Bill and Fleur's cottage only minutes earlier.

Gringotts stood ahead of them, enormous and imposing against the surrounding buildings, its pale stone exterior catching what little light remained in the sky.

The sight of it should have been familiar, considering how many times Katherine had visited the bank before, but tonight it looked completely different.

Tonight, she wasn't Katherine Potter.

She was Narcissa Malfoy.

Or, at least, she had to convince everyone else that she was.

All they had to do was walk through those doors, convince the goblins that Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy had arrived to access a vault, retrieve whatever Horcrux was hidden inside Bellatrix's vault, and get out before anyone realised who they truly were.

Simple.

At least, that was what Katherine kept telling herself.

They entered Knockturn Alley, and instinctively both girls lowered their gazes as they walked, their heels clicking against the uneven stones.

It wasn't somewhere Katherine would normally have allowed herself to wander, but tonight the people they were was precisely the reason nobody seemed particularly interested in stopping them.

The Death Eaters had made fear their currency.

And Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy were two names that carried plenty of it.

"Madam Lestrange. Madam Malfoy."

A deep voice suddenly cut through the quiet.

Katherine's stomach lurched.

A tall wizard was walking towards them, his dark coat brushing against the ground as he passed. He gave them an acknowledging nod, clearly recognising the women they were pretending to be.

Hermione didn't even look at him.

Katherine, unfortunately, did.

"Good evening," she replied.

The words came out in an exaggeratedly refined accent that sounded so unlike her that she immediately regretted opening her mouth.

The man continued walking for another few steps before slowly turning his head.

One eyebrow lifted.

Katherine's stomach dropped.

Hermione gripped her arm.

"You're not the Queen," she muttered through the faintest smile. "Drop the posh accent."

Katherine swallowed.

"Right."

"Don't," Hermione warned quickly when Katherine looked as though she was about to try again. "Someone could hear you."

Hermione released her arm and continued down the alley, her posture changing almost instantly.

Her shoulders straightened.