Rebel Without a Cause

1.

"Harry?" Kathryn asked, uncertain, as she rapped on the cupboard door. "Are you in there?"

A head of tousled black hair poked out as the door opened, but just barely, with a pair of bright green eyes which the girl would recognize anywhere.

"What is it, Kathy?" the young boy asked his sister, concerned.

"I can't sleep," she whimpered. "I'm having nightmares, and Dudley keeps running in and telling me to shut it or he'll do it for me, and I know there's not much room, but--"

Before she could continue to ramble, Harry gently took her hand and let her inside.

"Thanks," she muttered, smiling sadly.

"Anytime, Kathy. You're my sister; it's my job."

2.

It was the first day of primary, and Kathryn didn't know anyone. At home, she wasn't allowed anywhere beyond the backyard, and that was only if she'd finished all her chores and was good all day, too, which was really hard because Aunt Petunia was mean. All the other kids knew each other from Nursery.

She sat alone at the back of the room, quietly coloring while the rest of the students arrived. She had to get there early, Aunt Petunia said, because there was stuff to be done.

"Hi!" chirped the voice of one of the girls who had just walked in, smiling with pretty white teeth and sparkly blue eyes. "I'm May, who're you?"

"Kathryn," she said, not looking up. The only other kids she'd spoken to were her brother, her cousin, and her cousin's stupid friend Piers, and only Harry wasn't mean to her. One time, Piers pushed her into the wall and now she had an ugly scar on her forehead from when they had to go to the hospital.

Apparently, her lack of enthusiasm didn't bother the other girl, May, who sat down next to her and started talking some more.

"I'm pretty sure we live right across the street from you, I've seen you through the window sometimes. Why don't you just come outside? My sister's name is Mari but she's kind of like my mom too, because she's eighteen and takes care of me. I don't really know anybody because we moved her just a couple weeks ago, dunno why she picked this boring place. I'm a witch too, did you know? Mari can use magic, it's really cool..."

May went on and on, while Kathryn sat there silently, not really paying attention. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

3.

Petunia didn’t know what to do about her niece anymore. Kathryn was, once again, in the basement as punishment, which seemed to become a startlingly regular occurrence for the girl. In fact, it often seemed her niece spent more time in the basement than in her own bed, all the way upstairs in Dudley’s old bedroom. It used to be that Harry was the problem child, always making strange things happen, hence his relegation to the cupboard. Kathryn was never a perfect child, and looking at her was often a rather painful experience for Petunia, but the girl never used to put up much of a fight in the face of Petunia or Vernon’s authority. She used to be so quiet, really. Where her brother had to try to be inconspicuous, it always seemed to be more natural for Kathryn. But lately, ever since she’d started primary and made a friend, she was trying Petunia’s patience constantly. Kathryn became difficult about doing her chores and started asking pesky questions like “why?” And in situations when the usual “because I said so, now go!” would have done the trick, it only caused the small redhead to pout and stomp

"Marianne says to question everything," Kathryn would quip whenever Petunia told her to do something. Her niece had never been a perfect child, as previously stated, but at least before them she hadn’t ever thought about prancing around the neighborhood and doing things Petunia told her not to. Frankly, Petunia Dursley considered May’s upbringing to be “vulgar and irresponsible”, among other things. And now that same influence was creeping its way into her niece’s every action.

She only hoped that time and consistent punishment would do the trick. If she couldn’t stamp magic out of Kathryn, then by God at least she would keep her disciplined. The last thing she wanted was another Lily! Sometimes she feared that was exactly who Kathryn was shaping up to be...except worse.

4.

"Kathryn!" shouted the voice of Aunt Petunia down the stairwell. "Upstairs, now!"

Kathryn bit her lower lip in frustration with her aunt, and reluctantly headed upstairs at her request. She ran upstairs to a frightening sight: the entire entrance way and what she could see of the living room was covered in envelopes! She picked one up of the ground; it was addressed to a "Mister H. Potter" of the "Cupboard Under the Stairs, Number Three Privet Drive". Kathryn gasped, how had they known Harry lived in the cupboard?

"Go upstairs and pack your things, girl." Aunt Petunia hissed at her. "We're leaving for a while."

"So why do I have to go?" Kathryn retorted. "You always left me here before."

"I said go!" Aunt Petunia repeated, voice raised a notch higher along with her hand, which hovered as a warning. "Do what you are told!"

Kathryn pursed her lips, almost daring her aunt to do it. But in the nick of time, she sighed and walked dejectedly up the stairs to her room. She just wasn’t very good at the ‘doing as your told thing.’ She didn’t want to be good at it. Maybe if her Aunt Petunia had adored her or something before she’d feel like her aunt’s rejection of her were worse. But Kathryn always had the nagging feeling that there was something about her that her aunt just didn’t like. It was different than with her uncle -- he didn’t like much of anything but Dudley and bacon -- but she didn’t know what. Not that her Uncle Vernon spent much time looking or talking to her; it was generally accepted that she was her aunt’s domain as far as instruction and punishment went.

"Hurry up!" shouted the impatient voice of Petunia Dursley. "We're leaving now!"

Kathryn ran down the steps, a handful of essentials in her hand. Her aunt gave her a nasty look, like how you look at something gross that's attached itself to the bottom of your shoe. What is so wrong with me? Kathryn wondered, but at the same time wondering what was wrong with Aunt Petunia. The only conclusion she had ever come to was that she must be bad, but how she did not know. Or that Aunt Petunia was just a really angry person. Or maybe both. Aunt Petunia always had this dislike of Kathryn and Harry, ever since she could remember and probably before that too.

Dudley, Harry, and Kathryn were all stuffed in the back of the van as Uncle Vernon pulled out of the drive. The whole way to wherever they were going Dudley whined about being next to Kathryn and Harry.

"Mummy!" Dudley complained. "I don't wanna be next to these freaks!"

"Shush, Dudders." Petunia scolded. "Daddy wants it quiet."

She was quite right about that, Uncle Vernon had seemingly gone mad, thrown right off his trolley. He had been that purple color ever since Kathryn had seen him that day, so she knew something was seriously wrong. Kathryn knew something was very seriously wrong though, when they had been driving for much longer than even, even to London! She tried to peek around Dudley to see the scenery, but he was too fat, so she looked past Harry. They were at the coast. Kathryn gasped as they pulled into a parking lot next to the sea, where the waves were crashing into the sharp jagged rocks that were everywhere.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon hoarded the three children out of the car and they rented a boat. Kathryn trembled, a boat in this weather? Kathryn and the others all gathered in the boat and they set off. The destination was apparently a little rock that they called an island and stuck a house on it. She had no idea why they were doing any of this; she was completely in the dark about the whole thing. Kathryn decided she would ask Harry when they got settled in.

5.

"Kathy, I have to go away to school for a while," Harry said, as they sat at the kitchen table together that morning before he left.

"Yes, I'm not dumb, I know," she scoffed, angry that he was leaving her here with the Dursleys while he got to go off and learn spells and lots of other exciting things.

"Don't be upset," he exclaimed. "What am I supposed to do? Take you with me?"

"Whatever," Kathryn muttered. "I'm going to May's. See you at Christmas or whenever you get around to coming back."

With that, she got up and left the house without another word. Of course she didn't expect him to take her with him, or anything stupid like that, but it didn't make his leaving any easier. For as long as she could remember, Harry had been there for Kathryn, even sometimes when it got on her nerves. Now he was just going to be gone? And how could he write to her if Aunt Petunia would rather die than have someone see an owl fly to their windows?

It was in that moment Kathryn decided she didn't need Harry Potter to do anything for her. She didn't need his approval, his company, or anything else he had to offer.

6.

"May, can I come over?" a young, ten year-old Kathryn whispered into the phone receiver.

"Errr why are you whispering, you nut?" May asked, confused.

"Because I'm in a lot of trouble, I'm supposed to be locked in the basement right now, but somehow I got the door to open and everyone is asleep..."

"Yeah, sneak on over. When are they going to realize the basement isn't a good place to put a kid?"

"Probably never. But I'm on my way," Kathryn said quietly before hanging up the phone with a relieved sigh. Ever since Harry left, things had gotten so much worse. With only one freak to blame everything on, being Kathryn Elizabeth Potter really sucked right about now.