Always. [Bill Weasley] (on hold, to be edited)

[chapter four]

Kate Fontaine

The moment it dropped onto the ground, Katie flew into the air like a string was dragging her up. Her arms were stretched out wide and her hair whipped around due to the strong wind. The entire scene was eerie and strange. Everything got worse as Katie let out a terrible scream. Her eyes flew open like whatever she was seeing caused her a huge amount of pain. She screamed and screamed; her friend began to scream too and tried pulling Katie to the ground again.

I ran forward with my wand pointed out. "Stop!" I shouted at her friend, urging her to let go. "You don't want whatever is happening to get to you so stand back!" I ordered afterwards. Katie's friend didn't want to listen.

"Leanne," I heard Hermione yell. "That's Kate Fontaine! She's an Auror!" At those words, Leanne reluctantly released her friend's ankles and I moved towards her. Katie fell as Leanne let go and I caught her, placing her onto the ground as she writhed on the ground, still screaming.

"Hagrid!" I exclaimed when the half-giant made his way towards me.

"Kate!" Hagrid replied. "Harry!" he added once he spotted the boy, who had slowly made his way over to me, attempting to help. "Jus' bin visitin' Grawp, he's comin' on so well yeh wouldn'-"

"Hagrid, Katie has been cursed." I interrupted, giving him an urgent look. "I don't know how but it has something to do with the package she was carrying. "

"Wha?" said Hagrid, his eyes wide although he couldn't totally hear us.

"Someone's been cursed!" Harry bellowed into Hagrid's ear.

"Cursed? Who's bin cursed- not Ron? Hermione?"

"Katie Bell," Harry said her full name, which I didn't actually know. I lead the two towards her body, which Ron, Hermione and her friend (Hermione called her Leanne) were attempting to calm her down.

"Something's happened to her!" Leanne wailed. "I don't know what-"

"It's Leanne, isn't it?" I asked for confirmation as Hagrid began inspecting her friend Katie. Leanne nodded her head, still whimpering. "Did it just happen all of a sudden, or...?"

"It was when that package tore," Leanne sobbed and she pointed in the direction of the brown-paper package on the ground. The snow had made the material soggy and therefore, it ripped.

"Don't touch it!" I snapped, slapping Ron's hand when he went to grab the packaging. "You don't want to get cursed, do you?" I added. Ron shook his head a little. An ornate opal necklace was visible, parts of it poking out of the soggy paper bag.

"I've seen that before," Harry commented, staring at the necklace. "It was on display in Borgin and Burkes ages ago. The label said it was cursed. Katie must have touched it." He looked up at Leanne, who was shaking.

"How did Katie get hold of this?" I inquired, trying to soothe Katie's constant crying.

"Well, that's why we were arguing," Leanne confessed. "She came back from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks holding it, said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it. She looked all funny when she said it... Oh no, oh no, I bet she'd been Imperiused and I didn't realise!" Leanne shook with more sobs and Hermione tried to pat her shoulder in a comforting manner.

"She didn't say who'd given it to her, Leanne?" I asked, trying not to push her.

"No... she wouldn't tell me... and I said she was being stupid and not to take it up to school, but she just wouldn't listen and... and then I tried to grab it from her... and- and-" Leanne let out a loud wail that made me jump a little in surprise.

"We'd better get up to school," Hermione suggested, her arm still around Leanne. "We'll be able to find out how she is. Come on..."

Harry stopped for a moment before grabbing his scarf from around him and handing it over to me. "Here," he began. "You can wrap the package in that." I smiled thankfully at him and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. The action made him blush a little, but Ron whacked him.

"That's my brother's girlfriend." I heard him whisper furiously. Harry rolled his eyes before they followed Hagrid, who was carrying Katie. I carefully wrapped the package in Harry's scarf and followed everyone up to the castle.

"We'll need to show this to Madam Pomfrey," I commented. "And then your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, perhaps."

"McGonagall!" Ron abruptly warned when we neared the castle. Sure enough, Professor McGonagall hurried down the stone steps of the castle and met us.

"Hagrid says you four saw what happened to Katie Bell- Miss Diggory!" she exclaimed once she saw me. "I-I mean Miss Fontaine, my apologies." Professor McGonagall added with a sad look. I frowned at the memory of my late brother. Oh, Cedric. "Upstairs to my office at once, please! What's that you're holding, Miss Fontaine?"

"It's the object she touched," I explained. "I believe that it's cursed."

"Good Lord," Professor McGonagall muttered with an alarmed expression, taking the necklace from me. "You may return to your post, Miss Fontaine. Thank you very much." I waved her acknowledgement off and smiled at Harry, Ron and Hermione before making my way back to Hogsmeade, informing Tonks, Proudfoot, Savage and Dawlish of what happened.