Late Night at the Astronomy Tower
Dumbledore was not startled when they got to his office. Strangely enough, he almost seemed to expect the group to turn up in the middle of the night.
When they told him what happened, he examined the marking on his neice’e neck. When he was satisfied that Katrina was perfectly unharmed, he sent Harry and Ron out into the hall so that he could talk to Hermione and Katrina alone. They were only in their for a few minutes, when Hermione was sent out. Katrina talked to her uncle for what seemed like hours. They were in there for so long, that Ron took a nap on the floor.
When Katrina was finally excused, Dumbledore stepped out of the office and said to them, “I’ve discussed the night’s events with Miss Figg throughly. I do not think any of you are in immeditate danger, although this news is very disturbinng”
Harry noticed that he lookever very grave and serious.
“However,” he contunued. “It’s best that you stick together from now on and be extra careful of what’s going on around you. Also, it’s now Saturday morning, so why don’t you walk back to your dorminatries, get changed out of your pajamas and go join your fellow class mates for breakfast.”
Luckily for them, either everyone was already at breakfast or was sleeping in. Harry knew it would make a strange sight to see the four of them walking around school in their night clothes. Katrina was wearing pink bunny slippers after all. The only people they passed was a group of first year Hufflepuff girls, in which they ignored. The girls were not very happy about being ignored. They were quite curious why the famous Harry Potter would be walking around in his PJ’s for.
When he got back to his dorminatry, he changed into the first clean thing he good find, which happened to be the black Monsters of Merlin t-shirt that Katrina bought him for his birthday. Harry thought for a moment about the great time he and Katrina had at the concert. He sighed. He knew that somehow, someway, something really bad was going to happen to her, and there was nothing he could do but try to protect her from whatever it could possibly be.
Harry and Ron met the girls in the Common Room. Hermione noticed tha Katrina was wearing a hot pink baby tee that said MONSTERS OF MERLIN in bright silver glittery letters, along with black jeans covered in glitter.
“You two look like a couple of rock stars.” Hermione teased them, noticing that they were both wearing the same band.
Ginny, Neville, and Percy were already eating breakfast in the Great Hall.
“Good morning, beautiful.” Percy said, kissing Katrina on the cheek.
Ron groaned. “What a cheese ball.” he muttered. Harry and Hermione sniggered.
“Are you ready for our big day?” Percy asked.
“What big day?” she replied, shaking her head. “Oh wait! I remember!” She laughed. “I’m a total space today.”
Katrina and Percy were going on a double date with Neville and Ginny. Since it was not a Hogsmeade weekend, it wasn’t much of a date. They were going for a long walk on the grounds together, and then having a picnic by the lake. Harry thought this was really stupid since it was late November and very very cold outside.
Just then, Katrina’s obnixoux looking bird, Dite, dropped a letter on her lap.
“Oh, it’s from Arizona!” she said, tearing open the enevolpe. Percy scowled.
“What does it say?” asked Ginny.
Katrina read it aloud:
Hey Katrina,
How’s it going? Not much going on here except tests, tests, and more tests. Sorry, I can’t come visit you this weekend. Too bad, huh? Well, since I know your just gonna miss me so much, I’m sending you a gift. Rember how you told me that you were homesick? And you missed all your cats? Well, when you get a chance today, go to your Uncle’s office around lunch time. There you’ll see this little guy...
“What little guy?” asked Hermione.
“There’s a picture attached to the letter.” Katrian explained.
“A picture of what?” Ginny wanted to know.
“Him!” Katrina squealed, as she showed them the letter. In the middle of the page was a picture of a very handsome looking, slender gray cat.
....His name is Ptolemy. I hope you like him. He’s quite a cat, not as unusual as that funny looking bird of yours...
Katrina grunted as she read that.
..But I’m sure you will give him a good home anyway. Take care of him.....I’ll be there to see him, and you, next weekend.
later,
Arizona Brown
“He bought you a cat?” asked Percy? “Ah, that’s no big deal, cats are cheap. If I knew you wanted a cat, I would have bought you all the cats a week’s salary can buy!”
Katrina didn’t listen. She was too busy chattering with Ginny, who loved felines just as much as she did.
Katrina and Ginny finally drug Percy and Neville away. They wanted to see if Arizona’s present had arrived early, and then start their date.
“What could possibly be the big deal with that necklace?” Harry exclaimed. “It’s just a stupid necklace.”
“There’s got to be something more than what mets the eye.” Hermione said. “There just has to be. My guess would be that this has something to do with You-Know-Who’s heir.”
“I agree.” said Ron. “But we need more information. And I don’t think there’s a single book in the libary that will help us find out what we need to know.”
He gave Hermione a “ha ha ha” kind of look.
“No, there’s not a look in the libary that will help us, but I know one somewhere else that has everything we need to know.” replied Hermione, her brown eyes twinkling.
“Where’s the book at?” asked Harry.
“Drew Fordson. I saw it one day on his desk, and asked him about it. So, I’ll just see if we can borrow it.”
Hermione left the Great Hall, and Harry and Ron waited there for her. When she got back, she shook her head. “He doesn’t have it. He loaned it to Profesor Sinastra.”
“So, just ask the Astronomy teacher if you can borrow it.” suggested Ron.
“Profesor Sinastra has the stomache flu and is in the hospital wing.” she told them.
“We’ll just borrow it later.” Ron said.
“No, I want information about this now.” Harry said. “Hermione, do you think the book would be in the class room?”
She nodded.
“I guess I’ll get my Invisblity Cloak out and make a little trip up there tonight.” said Harry, gloomily.
************************************************************************
The Astronomy Tower was very dark. Harry expected it to be, but he hadn’t been there at night since his first year at Hogwarts when he had to send off that illegal dragon. It was pitch black in the tower, and silence surrounded him. “Lumnos,” he said, as he wand gave him some light.
He entered the teacher’s classroom. It was very different being in the room at night. Everything seemed so foreign to him. He almost wished he had invited Hermione or Ron to come with him. After a lot of searching, he finally found the book he was looking for under a stack of graded papers.
“Profesor sure doesn’t keep a very organized desk,” Harry mumbled as he looked at the cover. “If he was more organized, it would have made this much easier.”
He stared at the cover of the book. The Inner Circle of the Dark Lord by Ms. Moran Greene. Hopefully, this book would give him some answers. He had to know what was lurking around, and what could possibly be attacking the young women that he cared about. Katrina was in a lot of danger, and Harry would do whatever he could to keep her safe.
He left the Astronomy Tower and headed into the coridor. To his right, was a magnificent looking window, stepping out onto a outdoor balcony with many large gargoyles. Harry found himself drawn to the window, and felt a great desire to step out on to that balcony. He examined the window. Harry saw that it opened by pushing it up, but there was a lock on it. He pointed his wand at it and watched as the lock opened. Harry then liften up the window and stepped out onto the balcony.
The balcony was very beautiful, and a bit romantic, in an odd sort of way. The style was French Gothic, and reminded Harry of “The Hunchback of Notre Dam”.
Harry knew at once why he was so drawn to this place. Katrina Figg was sitting there with her arms wrapped around Percy Weasley. When Harry stepped out onto the balcony, he pratically tripped over them. they were apparently sharing a very personal moment.
“Harry!” she gasped.
It was not a vision of Katrina that he wanted to see. Her hair was messed up, and her makeup was a little smeared, some of it on Percy’s face.
“What the bloody hell are you doing here?” Percy demanded, jumping up, tossing Katrina from his embrace.
Harry offered her his hand and pulled her from the cold ground.
“What are you doing here?” Harry asked, raising one eyebrow.
“That’s none of your business!” Percy bellowed. “What I is my business, is what you think you’re doing here. Do you know that you can be expelled for being out on this balcony in the middle of the night! You are supposed to be in your bed!”
“I don’t think you’re supposed to be here either.” Harry replied.
“I’m a Hogwarts staff member so I am allowed to go where I want when I’m not working! I have Dumbledore’s permission to sit here if I want! But you‘re a student, and as a staff member, I‘m going to have to report you.”
Harry sniggered. “Yeah, but does she?” Harry remarked, indicating Katrina. “I bet Katrina would get in a lot of trouble if I told Dumbledore she was here.”
“Oh, Harry, you wouldn’t!” Katrina begged.
“I just might.” he said, eyes flashing. “And I think she’ll get in a lot more trouble if Dumbledore knew that she was here making out with his personal secetary in the middle of the night. I think that might get his secetary in a little trouble too.”
“Oh, I see.” Percy grumbled. “This is blackmail.”
“No, it’s not blackmail. It’s a deal. The deal is if you don’t tell on me, I won’t tell on you.” said Harry.
Percy sighed. “I don’t like this one bit. This doesn’t put me in a very good position, and it does not make me look very profesional when I have to make deals with students to keep myself and my girlfriend out of trouble.”
“No, but you lip locking with one of the students in the middle of the night doesn’t look very profesional either.” Katrina said. “Honestly, Percy, I think Harry’s right. Don’t tell on him, he’ll get in trouble, and I don’t want him to get in trouble. And then he’ll tell on us, and just think about what would happen if my uncle knew we were here.”
“Your uncle knows we are dating and he has told me that he’s very happy about our realionship.” said Percy.
“Yeah, but would he be happy about you sneaking off with me in the middle of the night?” Katrina asked.
Percy didn’t have an answer to that.
He sighed again. “Okay, Harry, you win. Katrina, you and Harry go back to your Dormintary, and as for me, I’m going home.”
The three of them did not speak as they headed down the corridors. Percy headed off to the Entrance and Katrina and Harry turned toward their house.
“Harry, what were you doing out tonight?” she asked him once Percy was far away.
“That was my own business.” said Harry. “Although I already know you were doing out there tonight.”
“Percy is my boyfriend, Harry.” she said.
“And what about me?”
“Harry, you know I love you, but I love Percy too.”
She put her hand on his shoulder in the dark, but he pushed it off.
“You can’t love both of us.” he told her.
She laughed and it startled Harry.
“Well, then I must be doing something wrong because I am in love with both of you.”
Harry shook his head. “You can’t love two different guys at the same time. I don’t know much about these things, but I think being in love means that you only want that person and not anybody else in the whole world. If you think that you could be in love with both of us, then that means you don’t love either of us.”
Katrina’s voice broke with tears and emotion as she began to speak. “But you don’t understand, that’s the way that I feel. I can’t help this, it’s just how things are. Please don’t be mad at me.”
“I’m not mad at you.” Harry said. “I’m in love with you, and I want you to feel that same way with me.”
She sighed, as she turned to walk into her Dormintary. “If you love me as much as you that you do, then you will try to understand. If you really love me, then you’ll want me to know for sure how I feel, and you’ll want me to be ready.”
