PRINCESS ➳ harry potter , draco malfoy (OLD VERSION)

90 || Sectumsempra

Both Katie and Professor McGonagall we're completely silent as they walked along the corridor to the office. Katie's mind was working furiously. McGonagall wanted to tell her the truth? But did she not already know the truth? She was a Horcrux, part of Voldemort's soul was encased inside her. That was why she was a Parselmouth and that was why Voldemort had been trying to persuade her to join him. Perhaps McGonagall was going to explain how she had come to be a Horcrux in the first place.

Professor McGonagall's office was quite warm so Katie slipped off her cloak, draped it over the back of her seat, straightened the cuffs on her now visible jumper, and seated herself. For at least half a minute, McGonagall did not speak. Her strained face was expressing the same amount of hesitance that Harry's, too, had shown.

"I've been speaking with Professor Dumbledore," McGonagall began at last, and Katie took note of how her voice quavered ever-so-slightly. "He's informed me about... Voldemort and his Horcruxes."

McGonagall shivered, but whether it was because of the mention of Voldemort or Horcruxes, Katie did not know, nor did she ask.

Taking a deep, slightly shaky breath, McGonagall went on. "He told me that Mr Potter..." she paused, "that Mr Potter believes that you are a Horcrux."

Katie's blood ran cold. She wasn't sure why she was so surprised to hear this. She had, after all, anticipated that this was what the Professor would want to discuss with her. Still, Katie said nothing, instead choosing to stare at the desk in front of her.

"This is not true." McGonagall said simply.

At once, Katie tore her eyes away from the table and focused them avidly on Professor McGonagall, whose jaw was clenched as though trying to refrain her from saying something.

"I'm not — I'm not a Horcrux?" Katie asked, half disbelieving, half hopeful.

McGonagall nodded slowly. "You are not a Horcrux."

"But then..." Katie's mind was pulsing with a million questions, as it so often was. "Why can I talk to snakes? Why am I an Occlumens? Why does Voldemort want me? And why would Dumbledore say that I was a Horcrux if I'm not?"

But McGonagall was shaking her head. "Professor Dumbledore did not say that you are a Horcrux. If I recall correctly, his exact wording was that a piece of Voldemort lives inside you."

"But was he not referring to Horcruxes?" Katie asked. She was feeling very bemused now. "What else could that mean?"

McGonagall shut her eyes, kept them close for a few seconds, then heaved yet another deep breath.

"Voldemort wants you on his side," Professor McGonagall said slowly, "because of who your father is."

Katie blinked slowly at her teacher. "So you know?" she questioned. "You know who my father is?"

"I do," McGonagall bowed her head, an utmost apologetic look painted on her lined face. "Professor Snape told me some time ago."

"Professor Snape?" Katie repeated quickly. "Snape knows who my father is?"

McGonagall arched an eyebrow. "You know, of course, that Professor Snape was once a Death Eater, and a very trusted one at that. He has a lot of inside information on Voldemort and his ranks."

"So my father is a Death Eater?" Katie put the pieces of the puzzle together. She supposed that made sense — her mother was a Death Eater, after all.

Professor McGonagall stared dejectedly at the Slytherin girl in front of her for many still moments.

"Professor Dumbledore wishes me not to tell you this," she said slowly, thinking hard on each word and every syllable. "But after I found out that you tried to... that you tried to... use the Killing Curse on yourself, I decided that it was dangerous to keep the truth from you any longer."