Haunted | 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘵

Chapter 12

13 July 1999, Ministry of Magic 

Theo dragged Max Burke through the Ministry of Magic to an interrogation room. Katherine had called Harry telling him what happened and within a flash, Harry had arrived at the Ministry. Harry was close to Max and when he heard what happened to Katherine he immediately wanted to be included in this investigation.

Theo insisted that Katherine see a Mediwitch about her neck, which was heavily bruised from the strangulation at the hands of Max Burke. No matter how much she tried to explain he wasn't himself, Theo wouldn't budge on the matter.

"What do you think Kat?" Harry asked,

"He looked straight through me, he didn't know who I was," Katherine said "I'd like to test his blood, to see if it has any or a similar toxin to what was in Pansy and Daphne's blood,"

"Alright, go ahead," Harry said, gesturing for Katherine to go in, Theo grabbed her arm.

"I'll be fine," she told him, Theo let go of her, Harry eyed them curiously, watching how different they were with each other.

Katherine entered the room, Max was looking down at the floor, he was tied to the a chair. 'I should be fine' she told herself, walking behind him, she lifted his sleeve to search for a vein to extract some of his blood. As Katherine pushed the needle into his arm.

"Colloportus" he muttered locking the door, Max grabbed her hair, "undo theses," he demanded referred to his bound wrists

"No,"

"It's not you, I want, remove the spell now," Max ordered,

Katherine winced, she could hear banging on the door, Harry and Theo were trying to get in. Katherine swung under his arm, grabbing his free arm dragging him around the room. Max hit his head on a metal bar, which caused him to drop to the floor. He groaned holding his head.

"Kat?" he said "What are you-" she punched him, holding her own head from where he had pulled her hair.

"What happened to you?" he asked, Katherine opened the door, Theo checked Katherine before hurtling towards Max

"Woah, Woah," Max held his hands up in surrender, as Theo grabbed his shirt holding him up against the wall.

"Theo let him go," Katherine asked, but Theo didn't listen

"I said let him go," Katherine held her wand against his neck, Theo dropped Max down.

"Thanks Kat, what happened? why am I here?" he asked, Katherine looked at Harry and Theo.

"What do you remember last?" Harry asked,

"I was planning to take Mia out on a date, where is she?" he asked, Harry didn't know what to tell him, that Mia hadn't seen him in nearly three months.

"Harry have you got this, I've got to get this checked out," Katherine said, picking up the vial of blood she had taken, Harry nodded and Theo left with her.

At St Mungo's,

Katherine used her medical pass to get onto the floor where all the lab work and experimental treatments were practised. Theo escorted her up to the floor, he was still hoping she would get checked out while she was here, but Katherine wanted to get this blood tested as soon as she could.

Katherine gathered her notes from her locker which had all of Pansy's and Daphne's results in the file. She laid them out, as she tests Max's blood, she saw he did in fact have the same toxin in his system. Theo watched her, he looked over her shoulder at the paperwork.

"What's your theory then?" Theo asked

"I managed to extract a tiny portion of the toxin from each other their blood, it's not a lot but it's enough to test out a theory I have,"

"Which is?"

"I have a theory that the toxin causes temporary hallucinations, that disappears once the person is in shock," Katherine said,

"Take Pansy, for example, she was so close to death, if she wasn't found when she was she would have died, Daphne, we found her choking to death, I banged Max's head on a metal bar, and they all say the last thing they remember happened months ago,"

"Alright let's test it," Theo said

"What?"

"Put the toxin in me,"

"No, if you go off the radar we have nothing," Katherine said

"I won't-

"But what if you do, I've been petrified through this, you knowing what you're doing has kept me from being scared," Katherine admitted

"I promise, I'll be fine and for the record, I don't mean to make you scared," Theo told her, caressed her cheek, grazing his thumb on her bruised neck,

Theo kissed her and for the first time, Katherine felt weak in her knees. Katherine assumed that her feelings were coming from him helping her with the children, she got to know a different side to him. The caring father figure that she never thought he could be, he doted on Alex and Lisa, especially his little Bekah.

"Okay, sit down,"

Theo sat, lifting his sleeve allowing Katherine to inject him with the toxin. As soon as the Toxin entered his blood system, his eyes changed, they looked right through Katherine like he didn't know who she was just as Max's eyes did. He pushed her aside, apparating out of St. Mungos.

2 August 1999, Grimmauld Place,

Harry and Katherine had been working non-stop for over two weeks trying to locate Theo, a gut-wrenching fear that he was dead, flooded Katherine's mind the only reason Pansy and Daphne weren't dead was that they found just in time.

Harry and ordered Katherine to stay at Grimmauld Place with the kids and Ginny hoping that she could manage some sleep, though it was no use. Katherine was worried, she tried to keep calm for the children's sake, they missed their dad. Katherine heard scuffling in the living room, Harry had dragged Theo through Grimmauld Place, she had to see if he was alright.

"Theo! You're going to be alright," Katherine shrieked, her voice flooded with panic, Theo was struggling to breathe, he was hyperventilating, trying desperately to catch his breath.

Katherine remembered one of the memories began like this, she hurried to the kitchen grabbing a potion that she tipped down Theo's throat, his breathing began to calm a little, Katherine held his hand

"You scared me," Katherine whimpered, a tear falling down her cheek Theo gently wiped a tear.

"I never meant to scare you," he said, Theo cupped her cheek bringing her down to kiss him.

"The warrior I heard her she spoke to me, she wanted me to kill Draco," Theo said, resting his head on Katherine's,

"Dad!" Alex yelled, running into the living room quickly followed by Bekah and Lisa

"Daddy I thought you were hurt again," Lisa cried,

"Don't ever leave us again," Bekah hugged him, though he winced in pain he wouldn't let her know that.