Riddle Me This

Chapter 52

Catherine's POV

I hummed as I sat in Papa's home potions lab, reading his potions books, looking at all the notes made in the margins and smiling. I had a potion going, already asking permission from the Ministry to see if I could brew potions if I had an auror present to watch me. Doing it Papa's way had almost gotten me in trouble at first, but everything got better afterwards.

"What are you making?" The auror asked. I turned to him.

"Wolfsbane. And quite a bit of it too. I figured that maybe some of the apothecaries could start selling them, and maybe St. Mungo's should have some in stock for their lycanthropic patients." I said, putting my book down after putting a slip of parchment in where I was.

"Didn't Snape create the Wolfsbane potion?" The auror asked. I smiled proudly.

"Yup. Papa made it for Remus Lupin when they were in Hogwarts." I explained as I grabbed vials to set next to the cauldron. "It was very kind of Papa to do for someone who had helped torment him in his youth." I checked the potion and smiled, beginning to transfer it into the vials and labeling them appropriately, before quickly brewing my cauldron cleaning potion and allowing it to do it's thing.

"What was that you just made?" He asked. I smirked.

"A potion I brewed in fifth year. It cleans the cauldron, and then evaporates into a therapeutic mist. Don't worry, it fades eventually." I said with a wave of my hand.

"You're the one who made that. You're C.A.R.S?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yup." I said happily. "I also brewed the one that makes the snake that disposes of the unusable parts of ingredients." I admitted happily. "I figure I won't be able to experiment with potion making again until after I get back from Hogwarts this year." The auror nodded and I sighed. "Well, I'm done brewing for today." I announced, and we headed out of the potions lab, locking the door behind me.

"So, I really can't have Draco over for a night?" I asked as we sat in my sitting room. The auror, what was his name... Johnathan I think it was, shook his head.

"Mr.Malfoy is not to leave his house until the start of the school year. The only reason you did was to register as an Animagus." He stated. I hummed sadly. Yeah, that was a fun trip. It ended up that the black Dark Mark on my animagus form faded to a light gray after the death of Voldemort, a fact I made sure the person registering me knew, because that was probably important. Speaking of that mark, it didn't burn anymore, which was fantastic.

"Am I allowed to have any company besides you?" I asked. Auror Johnathan shook his head.

"No. Not until your probation is over with." He said. I sighed as I leaned back in my chair. Johnathan had helped me move things around from the cellar to make the house more my own. Well... a mix of my grandparent's house and Papa's house. And since I couldn't use magic, Johnathan even helped me change the color of a few things. Black, dark green, and brown in every room was too much. So in the sitting room, everything black was now white, dark green replaced with a lighter spring green, and brown toned down to light tan. As well as other colors, like my purple chair.

"Bummer." I groaned as I picked up the healing book Kreacher had given me. "What about house elves?" Johnathan groaned.

"You've asked the same three questions everyday, Smith. Answer's not going to change." He said. I huffed.

"Well I'm sorry for wanting different company every once in awhile." I said.

That was how my summer went until it was time to return to school. McGonagall, being the new Headmistress at Hogwarts, had invited everyone from my year back for an eighth year to make up for the poor excuse of education we had while Voldemort was using Papa as a figurehead at the school. I was escorted to the train and put in a cabin with Johnathan and Sevy, because I apparently was on house arrest until we made it to the castle. And the blinds were drawn and a silencing charm put up.