We will meet again ~ Fred Weasley

104| independant

Twigs snapping as the trio stepped off of the porch, all stopping in their tracks to check whether someone had heard them. The urge to giggle at the secrecy was there but they tried to keep it silent until they reached the shed.

Ginny was tiptoeing around the pebbles by the flowerbeds with a large bag of crisps in between her teeth, her hands full of bottles. Just like Katherine and Hermione's.

The brisk air was causing goosebumps to cover their legs within seconds of exiting the Burrow. The bottles clanking together no doubt being heard from the home.

"If mum catches us, we are being disowned," Ginny whispered while pulling open the door to the shed, slowly to avoid the creaking. It was cluttered, broomsticks, buckets and even old kitchen appliances were stuffed towards the back. The floorboards were muddy by the three chairs in the centre with a cardboard box as a table from when Fred and George would invite Lee to smoke, a little ashtray underneath the right-hand chair as a hiding spot. Katherine could remember the rest of them having to distract Molly from questioning what they were doing to avoid getting pranked.

"Don't trust Kat to do a silencing charm, Mione." Ginny sniggered as Katherine scoffed. Hermione was stood by the door while the other two took their seats, she was muttering the silencing charm while waving her wand smoothly along the wall. Katherine needed this, a break with just her girls. Although pain takes over a portion of her brain. It steals the part of her she wants to share with others, her light and laughter, her generous heart. It is the sort of pain that burns as if some invisible flame were held against her skin. The emotions of loss are that way, right? Death, abandonment or betrayal, they all lead there. Being there, in a shed for yet another girl night. It brings her back to that night. A nice time with friends and Katherine chose to use Veronica for her own selfish desires. The desperation was strong to know what was happening with her friend but deceiving her wasn't the best option, she knew that now.

"Kat," Ginny sighed, staring at her with her arm out in front, a bottle of gin clasped in her fingers. "Gin's got the gin?" She smiled knowingly but almost as if she was hesitant to make the joke they had made over a year ago. Katherine burst out laughing taking the bottle and clinking it with Mione's.

"Distract me." Katherine smiled unscrewing the cap. "I need to think about something else."

They both looked at the floor whilst I deep thought, trying to come up with a light-hearted conversation but they seemed to be getting nowhere. Katherine couldn't help but roll her eyes, anything, any topic would have been fine. Ginny has just applied for the Holyhead harpies quidditch team, Hermione has been working in the ministry changing the lives of house-elves as every wizard knows it. Yet they didn't have any want to speak on it.

"Harry? Ron? Come on spill!" Katherine groaned as both the girls turned red from the mention but had indiscreet smiles on their faces. Ginny's eyes were almost closed with how large hers was. The wrinkles in their eyes saying everything they needed to.

"We told Ron." Ginny chuckled along with Hermione. Kat arched a brow leaning forward in her seat with her elbows on her knees. She had been waiting for it to be out in the open so she could make jokes and taunt the two about their relationship, just like they had all done when she first got with Fred.

"It was quite anticlimactic." Hermione nudged her arm looking at Kat to explain, "he said he already knew and was just waiting for them to fess up." Katherine's hand flew to her mouth to stop herself from howling at what she had said. They hadn't exactly been discreet but Ron tends to be oblivious, who would have thought he'd catch on. "Ron told me that his management is going to consider me for ministress in the future," Hermione muttered to not sound too pleased for herself, but Katherine didn't like it.

Her mouth was wide open from the news of it. It's a big deal everyone knows that. "Don't you dare downplay this." Katherine snapped her finger inches from Mione's face making her eyes widen and push herself further back on her seat. "Ministress, Hermione!" Katherine squealed jumping slightly on her seat, Hermione smile only grew as if she only just got recognition for it. "I couldn't imagine anyone better for the job."

"I second that!" Ginny chimed in, barely swallowing her drink, little spills of vodka trailing out the corners of her mouth. She shrugged at the mess, wiping it away with her jumper sleeve.

Katherine grinned looking Hermione directly in her eyes. They seemed happier now that we had acknowledged her achievement and worth. Her eyes reminded Kat of the shed door, flecks of deep brown with lighter hues, so much strength remaining despite the years of weathering, so much life just by looking into them. Hermione smiled with her eyes even when her lips are still. They didn't seem so bright a few moments ago but now she had rosy cheeks and it made the whole moment feel more affectionate.

"Enough about me," Hermione said. "What do you want to do tomorrow?" Katherine's face automatically dropped, she had hoped this wouldn't come up. She was shaking her head without a word, trying to avoid it completely. "It's your eighteenth, it has to be special." Katherine only continued her refusal.

"I'm going to be eighteen and I have nothing. No plans, no steady job. It's quite sad." She frowned, ripping open a bag of crisps. "You guys have it all figured out and I work as a cashier five times a week." Katherine scoffed at the thought, how unadventurous she had become. Before she might have wanted to dabble in different professions but she hadn't even tried. After everything, you'd expect her to be extraordinary, imagine the disappointment when you find out she is nothing but ordinary.

"It's been tough for you, that does not mean you have nothing," Ginny replied, sternly. "There is no rush. I haven't even been accepted to the harpies yet, I haven't got any other options if I don't get in." Kat nodded, not really taking in her words as she didn't believe them. Ginny was better at quidditch than any of her brothers, she was going to be accepted. Katherine, however, didn't have the faintest idea of plans for the future.

"Healer?" Hermione asked but Katherine shook her head, "law enforcement?" She shook her head again. "Curse-breaker?" Kat only shrugged this time wanting the list to end and for the conversation to be dropped.

"Nothing interests me," Katherine muttered. "I don't think I want to work in the wizarding world..." She added, even quieter than before. Ginny choked on her drink from hearing the statement causing Mione to glare in her direction.

"You want to work with muggles?" Ginny gasped in utter shock. "But muggle jobs are boring, no magic. I can't even imagine." Hermione slapped her arm to shut her up but it didn't bother Katherine. She didn't expect them to understand it but she had a vision. Working in a little cafe, in Paris, perhaps. Having the same regular customers, knowing their orders without them having to ask. A simplistic job like that excited her more than any ministry job did.

"Why is that?" Hermione asked, turning her body to face her.

"I grew up with muggles, just like you Hermione." Katherine gleamed, sitting up straighter in her seat. "I'd like to separate my life into two parts. Being a witch, and working without that advantage. Not getting the easy way out, doing things myself, independently." The way Katherine spoke about it was quite an eye-opener to the other girls, her passion when talking about the simple things in life was inspiring.

"So do it." They both said to Kat in unison. "What's stopping you?" Ginny added with her left brow raised waiting for an answer.

"I promised Fred that I would help him in the shop." She frowned," he couldn't afford to hire another person and I said I would do it. I couldn't leave him to do it alone."

Ginny and Hermione had a look in their eyes when she had finished talking, turning to each other and whispering, "I have an idea," unheard to Katherine.

- if you get the extraordinary/ordinary reference I love you with my whole ass heart.