We will meet again ~ Fred Weasley

- I'll Be Waiting -

"First they broke my body, then they broke my heart, and somehow I was still expected to heal while carrying the weight of grief that never gave me a moment to breathe."

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One night, Katherine was sneaking from the Slytherin common room to the Gryffindor dorms to see Fred, a routine that had become far too regular lately.

The castle was quiet at this hour, the kind of silence that made every tiny sound feel painfully loud. Moonlight spilled through the tall windows lining the corridors, casting silver patterns across the stone floors as she moved quickly through the halls, her shoes barely making a sound against the cold ground.

Despite the late hour, warmth still lingered in her chest at the thought of seeing him.

Fred had become part of her routine now — stolen kisses in hidden corridors, late-night conversations that lasted until sunrise, hands brushing under tables during meals, sleepy smiles exchanged across crowded rooms. After years of waiting, years of almosts and what-ifs, being with him still didn't feel entirely real.

Sometimes she caught herself staring at him simply because she could.

And tonight, after another exhausting day of classes and whispers surrounding the Tournament, all she wanted was him.

She smiled faintly to herself as she rounded the corner toward the staircase leading to Gryffindor Tower—

Then suddenly—

"Lumos."

Blinding light flooded her vision so abruptly she physically recoiled, one hand flying upward to shield her eyes. Her heart lurched violently against her ribs as panic surged through her body.

For one horrible second, she thought she'd been caught by Snape.

Or worse.

The light illuminated the deep scars lining the stone walls and the tall figure standing directly in front of her.

Professor Moody.

Katherine froze instantly.

The sharp magical blue of his eye spun toward her unnaturally fast while his normal eye narrowed. Even after months of his teaching, the sight of that eye still unsettled her deeply. It never looked at people normally — it looked through them.

Like it could peel apart every secret she had ever hidden.

Her stomach twisted.

Harry somewhat trusted Moody.

Most of the students did now, actually. They admired his stories, his harsh teaching methods, the way he treated students more like future soldiers than children.

But Katherine couldn't shake the feeling that something about him wasn't right.

It was in the way he watched people too closely.

The way his voice lingered strangely on certain words.

The way he always seemed to know things he shouldn't.

And right now, with that magical eye fixed directly on her in the empty corridor at nearly midnight, unease crawled violently down her spine.

"Miss Potter," Moody said, his gruff voice echoing through the corridor, "I suggest you come with me."

The words were calm enough, but something about them made dread settle heavily in her chest.

Katherine tried not to let her nerves show as she slowly lowered her hand from her face.