PRINCESS ➳ harry potter , draco malfoy (OLD VERSION)

73 || The Parchment

A/N: I was thinking about making the next chapter about Chris since we don't see much of him and don't really get to see his feelings about everything that's going on, but if that isn't something that y'all want to see then just let me know!

.
.

"It can't be a coincidence," Hermione said. "It just can't be."

It was the morning now. Katie had waited outside the portrait of the Fat Lady until Hermione emerged, looking startled when Katie jumped at her and started telling her every little detail of what had happened. They were now walking to breakfast together as Hermione tried to comprehend the situation.

"Hermione, I don't think you're seeing the bigger picture here—"

"No, that's exactly what I'm seeing," Hermione intervened sharply. "It can't be a coincidence that on the same night you see your brother being tortured, Harry sees Mr Weasley get attacked."

Katie was growing thoroughly agitated now. What did Hermione not understand? Katie didn't care about the link between the dreams, Katie didn't care if this was the universe's way telling her that she and Harry had to reconcile, Mr Weasley was in St Mungo's fighting for his life and Leo was alone with the Death Eaters, and had been for over a year. Katie thought that these last two facts were much more important than she and Harry having horrific dreams on the same night.

"Katie, you have to talk to him—"

"No."

"Katie—"

"I don't care, Hermione, all right!" Katie snapped, her sudden change in tone making Hermione flinch. "I don't care about Harry, I don't care about me and Harry, someone has to—"

"Kat!"

A sudden cry from the other end of the hall drowned out Katie's angry rant. Chris was sprinting towards her, panting heavily, and as soon as he was close enough, he threw himself onto her in a hug that almost knocked her flat.

"I overheard McGonagall and Snape talking. Merlin's Beard, are you OK?" Chris asked, panicked.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Katie told him, writhing free of his bone-crushing hug. "But Chris, Leo—"

"I know," Chris said quickly. "Do you know where he is? Are they going to try and find him?"

With a pang of sadness in her stomach, Katie directed her gaze to the floor and shook her head miserably.

"Dumbledore says they can't."

"Why not?" Chris bellowed.

"Because it's the Death Eaters that have him."

Chris' face turned as white as a sheet of snow and his eyes widened so drastically that Katie was afraid they would pop out of their sockets.

"How do you—?"

"I don't know," Katie answered hastily. "I just... know."

Unlike Dumbledore, Katie's indistinct explanation did not resonate very well with Chris, who raised his eyebrows in heavy confusion.

"You don't know but you just know?" he repeated critically, and Katie realised just how ridiculous that statement must have sounded when it escaped her lips.

"I know it sounds mad—"

"It is mad."

"But I saw Leo, OK? And even after I woke up, I could still hear him screaming, and I just know that it's the Death Eaters. But Dumbledore said that they can't directly move against the Death Eaters, not yet, anyway."