never until forever [s. black]

twentytwo

katherine takes her wand and sticks it up her sleeve. she sets the pillows up to make it look like someone is in the bed. she could feel her heartbeat increase as she glances to the other side of the room, where emma is sleeping silently. she takes a coat and slowly slips out of the room, closing the door softly behind her. takes a glance around, making sure no one is around, she sneaks out of the dungeons. as she rushes away, she slips her coat on, holding it tightly against her to keep herself warm on the chilly november night. she doesn't notice it until it's too late, but she runs into someone and starts panicking.

"whoa. calm down, princess. it's just us." sirius asssures, making her let out a deep breath and relax. a blush rushes to her cheeks and she takes a step back.

"okay, follow us." peter says as he starts walking and sirius nods for her to go ahead. she walks past him, following remus, james and peter. she can't help but look around, afraid that someone might catch them. they walk through hallways she had never seen before and they stop in front of a door. james opens it, letting everyone pass, before closing behind them. remus opens up the hatch door and james pulls his wand out.

"luminous." his wand brightens up, before he slips down the hatch. katherine looks up at sirius wearily and he smiles reassuringly as peter and remus follow james. she takes a deep breath and goes down the hatch, before sirius does too, closing the hatch behind them.

"where are we?" katherine asks softly as she follows them through the tunnel. remus grins as he glances over his shoulder at her.

"that's a conversation for another time." he says with a cheeky grin and she can't help but chuckle softly. the only source of light is coming from james and suddenly they all stop.

"what's going on?" katherine asks as james frowns.

"hagrid is just where the opening is." james answers and her breath gets stuck at the back of her throat. they wait silently as james keeps an eye on the map. "okay, he's gone. let's go."

they continue making their way in silence and before they know it, they're already out of the tunnel and at the edge of the forbidden woods. katherine looks around and her eyes widen as she notices how far they've gotten from the school. sirius slightly pushes her to go ahead and she follows the other, with him close behind. they stop in a clearing in the woods, james getting rid of the light as they all gather.

"i'm not going to lie, but this is the part where i start worrying that you guys will murder me." katherine says honestly and they all laugh, shaking their heads.

"no. we're going to apparate to the front of your house." james says, making her nod in understanding. they all grab each other's hands, before katherine feels the pushing and shoving of being apparated. soon she finds herself on familiar grounds as she is facing the gates of the mansion she had to call home. "whoa. nice house you got here."

"uh, thank you. not home quality though." katherine chuckles dryly. she feels a chill on the back of her neck, taking a quick glance to left she gasps and pulls the boys down behind the bush. they look at her questioningly and she puts a finger on her mouth in a silencing manner. she points up and they all look up to see the dementor floating by. they wait a few seconds, before taking a look around and running in through the gates.

"you weren't kidding about that." peter says with wide eyes and she nods, before she leads them to the front entrance.

"okay, so here is the plan. you go get everything you need and then we meet back here. we'll take care of your father and brother." sirius explains, making her nod.

"be careful." she says and they nod, before leaving her. she runs in the direction of her room and quickly goes to her closet. pulling out a bag, she shoves some clothes in it, before closing it. as she is about to leave she notices a picture frame of her and her mother, taking it with her she leaves the room. she rushes to her father's office, glancing around to make sure no one sees her. she opens the vault behind the painting and takes a few galleons with her, before closing it again. she didn't take a lot because she had her bank account that would be enough for the rest of her life. not wanting to waste anymore time she rushes out of the mansion, meeting up with the marauders.

"all set?" sirius asks as peter helps her by taking her bag and she smiles gratefully as she nods. she takes one last look at the mansion, before leaving. as they rush out, they don't notice the dementor until it's facing them.

"i have a really bad feeling about this." james as they all look at it and katherine's breath gets stuck at the back of her throat. their eyes wide in fear. "run?"

"run!" without hesitating any longer they start running, making the dementor screech as it follows them. they make their way out of the mansion grounds into the woods in front. katherine gasps as her foot gets stuck between tree roots. sirius turns around and his eyes widen as he runs back, making the others stop and turn to look at them in confusion.

"sirius, you bloody fool. what are you doing?" katherine asks, making him give her a look as he tries to free her, but to avail and she shakes her head. "go. sirius. you have to go."

"merlin's beard, katherine. i'm not leaving you here." sirius snarls, making her heart skip a beat. katherine can feel the presence of the dementor nearing and she turns around with wide fearful eyes. she pulls her wand out.

"you have to go. i'll be fine." katherine says as she glances between the approaching dementor and sirius, who shakes his head stubbornly. she sighs as she glances at the dementor. the dementor is now hovering over them and she takes a deep breath as she points her wand at it. "expecto patronum."

sirius eyes widen as a light blue light emits from her wand and takes the form of a dog. the dog takes a protective stance in front of them and emits an even brighter light. the other boys watch in amazement as the dementor turns into nothing. the dog turns around, running around sirius and katherine, before going back into the wand. katherine leans back against sirius, feeling her relax as the other rush to them and checks on them.

"you guys okay?" james asks with wide eyes and they nod reassuringly, making them grin. "well, good because katherine that was awesome. how did you learn how to use a patronus charm?"

"i lived with the those things surrounding the house. i read about them." she chuckles softly, making them all chuckle as well. "i didn't think it was going to work."

"this was your first time?" sirius asks, slightly amazed, making her nod as she leans her head on his shoulder.

"yeah. now will someone help me out here?"