Enchanted By The Thought

TWENTY THREE: RED HEADS

When you love someone more than they deserve, they will hurt you more than you deserve

Kat guided Beth back to her dorm room and Kat sat on the bed, listening to everything that Beth had been feeling. Beth just poured it all out and when she was done, she felt so much better. "Beth, I know I've said this before but you should really stay away from Draco." Kat insisted, taking Beth's hand. "I know that I've been a horrible friend and you have no reason to trust me but I'm serious."

Beth stared at Kat, her eyes narrowed. "Why? Why do I have to stay away from him?" Just the thought of not being around the silver-eyed boy caused a pain in her chest. He'd weaseled his way into her heart and now there was no going back. She knew that he was now a major part of her life and for her to just shut him out... she shuddered at the thought.

Kat sighed and ran a hand through her fair, looking frustrated. "I can't say it or I would. Please, please Beth. Just believe me. You're going to end up hurt." Kat rubbed her arm, biting her lip. "And I don't want to room with Hermione anymore. Do you think that I could move back in with you guys? I miss you." She turned her eyes to Beth, who sighed deeply.

"I don't mind but Maggie's the one you'll have to talk to. She's still pretty pissed off and hurt about how you treated her." Beth mumbed and Kat groaned, throwing herself back on the bed. Beth stood up and changed out of her sweaty Quidditch robes and changed into her uniform. "You know Maggie. She'll probably bitch you out but then she'll be fine again."

Kat let out a short laugh and sat up. "I'm sorry. I don't deserve your friendship. I chose a stupid boy over you guys." She mumbled and Beth raised an eyebrow. She opened her mouth to question what she meant by that but then the door opened.

"Why the fuck are you here?" Maggie's loud voice broke through the peace and Beth braced herself for the war. She stood up and made sure to stay away from the two girls, backing up. "You have some nerve, Katherine Patterson. Some real fucking nerve."

Kat put her hands up, looking ashamed. "Mags, I'm-" She began but Maggie lashed out, backhanding Kat. Beth opened her mouth to object, ready to defend Kat, but she also knew that Maggie needed to get this out of her system.

"Don't you dare call me that, you bitch. Only my best friends can. And you're clearly not. Beth, why the hell did you let her in here? Did you forget what she's done to us?" Maggie turned her rage to Beth, who felt her own anger rise up. She opened her mouth to defend herself but Kat was there, drawing Maggie's attention back to her. 

"Maggie, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know what got into me. I'm not expecting your forgiveness or acceptance but I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I deserve to have your hatred and to have you despise my very existence. I would too, if I were you. I called you something unforgiving and I treated you like shit on my shoe. And I'm here, begging for mercy. I miss you, Mags. I miss you and Beth. I want us to be friends again, how everything had been." Kat spoke softly, her hands looking as if she were trying to calm a tiger. Or in this case, a lioness that wanted blood.

Maggie glanced over at Beth, who had her arms crossed, before she glanced back at Kat. Beth knew her friend enough to know that her friend's main anger had passed. Maggie's shoulders relaxed and she burst into tears. Kat looked alarmed and uncertain, sending Beth a look. "You don't how much I hated you for how you treated me, Katherine. I despised you for the longest time. You had everything I wanted and more. And you were too blind to be grateful for Colin but I should thank you for that, shouldn't I? You pushed him right into my waiting arms." Maggie hissed, tears running down her face.

Kat's own eyes began to look unusually bright. "You don't understand what's been happening to me, have you? My parents have gone into hiding because death eaters are after them and now I'm a target. You want to know why I've been hanging around Malfoy and Blaise for so long? Because they've been taking turns in taking care of my parents and giving them a place to stay. And I knew that if I drew attention to Colin, he'd be in danger as well. So now, Maggie, yes. You can hate me for something that I can't help." Kat's voice had grown louder with each word and Beth wanted to protect Maggie but stayed where she was.

Maggie's eyes burned with a fire. "We're your friends Kat! Beth is a target, probably bigger than you'll ever be, as well but do you see her treating us like shit to 'protect us'? No!" Maggie angrily wiped at her eyes. "Colin isn't your concern anymore, you made that perfectly clear." Maggie whispered and Kat's eyes softened.

"Oh, Mags. I'm so sorry. I'm an idiot." Kat enveloped her friend into a hug and Beth watched her two friends as they cried into each other's shoulders. After a quick word with Professor McGonagall, Kat moved back into their dorm.

~

Kat sat on her old bed, sorting through her clothes. "Hey, Mags? I don't mind that you're with Colin. You'd probably treat him better than I ever did." She snorted once, neatly folding her clothes.

Maggie smiled lightly. "I don't know why you let him go, he's amazing." She answered quietly and Kat glanced at her curiously.

"I know he was. But he just wasn't for me." Kat shrugged and laid back on her bed. "At the time, sure. Hell, I even lost my virginity to him. But he's just not for me." Kat sighed once. Maggie bit her lip, looking away. Beth knew that virginity was a touchy subject to her friend; the guy that she'd lost hers to was an asshole. Even though Maggie refused to name who it was, Beth knew that the experience must've been rough on her friend. "Okay, so, Blaise has been pressuring me to join the Dark Lord." Kat spoke up, falling silent.

Beth felt shock run through her. "Uh, what?" She choked out, staring at her friend. Kat sat up, looking upset.

"Yeah, he wants me to. Draco doesn't want me to and they've been bickering about it all the time. Blaise thinks that if I'm in the group, I won't be a target. So that way he doesn't have to watch my every move." Kat snorted once, rolling her eyes. "Apparently, I'm just some nuisance to him. I mean, we're still dating but he's been getting on my nerves."

Maggie snorted once. "I'm surprised you haven't dumped him yet. I would, considering all that he's done."

Kat's eyes narrowed and Beth sighed. They might've called a truce but she knew they were still testing the waters. "I know who took your virginity." Kat spoke and Maggie paled, glancing once at Beth. "He bragged to me about it."

Beth's curiosity spiked and she looked at Maggie, who looked ready to bolt. "No, you couldn't have... He promised..." she barely whispered.

Kat scoffed. "Don't worry, I won't tell who. Wouldn't want to ruin a friendship right when I got mine back." She glanced once at Beth, who felt like she was out of the loop. "I'm surprised though, you never mentioned it to anyone."

Maggie scowled at Kat, her eyes flashing. "That's my secret to tell, not yours." She answered coldly and Kat raised her hands as if to say not hearing it from me.

"Who was it?" Beth asked and Maggie sent her a look, her eyes panicked. She opened and closed her mouth a few times but no words came out.

"Blaise." Kat spoke up without missing a beat. "It was Blaise."

Maggie relaxed and nodded once, confirming Kat's claim. "I just didn't want anyone to know because he's an asshole." Maggie muttered and Kat bristled but said nothing.

Beth rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Yeah, he is, but I wouldn't have cared. For a moment, I thought you were going to say it was my brother." She giggled.

Maggie let out a relieved laugh, sharing a look with Kat. "Harry? He is very attractive but we all know he's already smitten with Ginny. I have no chance."

"We all know the Potter males have a thing for redheads."