Undecided

“I can’t believe you two didn’t get expelled! You could have died too! That willow hates everyone!” I yelled at two of my guy best friends causing them to back off slightly.
“Correction Cat, it hates everyone but the teachers and you. With the exception of Lockhart that is. I heard from a fourth year that he tried to help Professor Sprout bandage it up and it tossed him fifty feet.” Mollie giggled.
“Not Cat’s point, Mollie.” Hermione said patting Mollie on the back gently. “I do hope Professor Lockhart is alright.”
“Who cares?” Harry, Ron, Mollie, and I chorused earning a glare from Hermione as we walked into the Hall for breakfast. We took our seats and piled our plates with our favorite breakfast things while Ron sat spell-o taping his wand that had snapped the night before. When I finished eating I decided that I wanted some hot chocolate but when I poured it and tried to take a sip it was too hot.
“Is that really all you’re going to eat Cat? One waffle, two strawberries, and three sausage links?” Mollie asked eyeing me worriedly.
“I’m still full from the feast last night Molls, I had four servings of corn beef and cabbage, and three servings of fish.”
“Very true, I forgot that Rosewood and Wendy were working in the kitchens now they must have made the fish and corned beef.”
“Must have, they know that they are two of our favorite foods, and British elves don’t know how to make Irish food.”
“Who are Rosewood and Wendy?” Hermione asked curious.
“You should remember Moine, you met them, Prince, and Iggy at Grandma Ashling’s house over the summer.” Mollie reminded her.
“They are all Mollie and my house elves. Wendy and Iggy belong to Molls and Rosewood and Prince are mine. Iggy and Prince are up in our room most of the time but they go down to help whoever is in the kitchens when they have nothing else to do. Wendy and Rosewood decided that their mistresses and the other children of Hogwarts needed good Irish food so they volunteered to work in the kitchens unless we need them for something else.” I explained.
“I met a house elf over the summer. He nearly got me expelled from school. After that Ministry owl showed up to tell me I couldn’t do magic over the summer, my summer sucked. That was about two weeks before Ron and the twins came and recued me with the car.” Harry said. At the mention of the car the three of us girls glared at him and Ron. I looked back at my hot chocolate and tried to take another sip but it was still too hot. I looked around carefully and then swirled my finger in the air collecting some of the moisture before I froze it and dropped it into my mug.
“CATHERINE!” I looked at my sister who was staring at me in a disapproving way.
“Mollie. See I know your name too.”
“Catherine Anne Sheehan, you know exactly what I mean. You can’t do that in front of people that don’t know we can do it.”
“No one saw me, and it’s not like I hurt anyone. I know you burned Fred last night, he showed me the handprint and said it really hurt so I healed it for him.”
“Jerk. And speaking of jerks, the blonde king of them just walked into the hall.”
“Mollie, be nice to him. He’s trying to be nice to you.”
“Yeah yeah yeah, whatever you say.”
“Would you two stop bickering?” Ron asked. “You’re almost as bad as the twins.”
“We are the twins.” Mollie and I said together smiling sweetly. Ron just glared. I looked up and saw Draco sitting at his table talking to his other friends so I decided to mess with him a bit.
“Hey Mollie, watch Draco.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Do it anyway.” I moved one hand under the table and concentrated on Draco only and started to move my hand cooling off the air right behind him and making it a little wet then I passed some of it around him making him think there was an invisible ghost sitting on him. Mollie laughed at the look of fear on his face and I smiled and decided to take it a step farther. I cupped my hand to my mouth and whispered, “I have you now Draco. You are my prisoner for all eternity.” In a low gruff whisper and sent it over to him.
“How will you know when he hears it?” Mollie asked.
“When who hears what?” Harry asked.
“Watch Draco, and you’ll know, trust me.” The four of them turned to look at Draco just as he shot up out of his seat screaming.
“GET AWAY FROM ME!” Everyone in the hall laughed their heads off at his outburst.
“Mr. Malfoy, is everything alright?” the headmaster asked him calmly.
“There’s a ghost. It sat on me, then is told me that I was its prisoner for all eternity!”
This caused the whole hall to laugh harder.
“I assure you that none of the ghosts here are malicious, I’m sure it was just some prank being pulled by one of the other students. Now, please sit down and enjoy the rest of the meal.” I smirked as Dumbledore spoke and then waved my hand to release the elements.
“Whoever pulled that prank on the ferret,” Fred started.
“Needs to hang out with us sometime.” George finished.
“It was me, and be nice to him.” I said and looked at him once more before I was distracted by the mail. Artemis and Apollo came and landed on Mollie and my shoulders and dropped a package from mom in each of our laps.
“What did Ma’thair send us?” Mollie
“I don’t know we didn’t forget anything at Mo’rai’’s house. Ma’thair made us check and like we could forget anything with elves packing us.” I stated eyeing the package.
“Besides, we just saw her yesterday.”
“You don’t think it’s our birthday dresses do you?” I groaned.
“No it’s too early, we won’t get them until the day before like always.”
“Open them and find out then.” George said. So we did. Inside were all of our favorite treats from the muggel world. Soda, candy, chips, everything.
“YES!” we exclaimed together and gave the boxes back to our familiars who took them to our room. Just as they left a feather duster fell out of the air and landed in the plate of eggs showering us with bits of scrambled egg. The feather duster was holding a red envelope addressed to Ron and it was then that I realized it was an old owl.
“Eral, you bloody menace.”
“Looks like mum sent you a howler Ronnykins.” Fred teased.
“Better open it. It’ll be worse if you don’t.” Neville commented and Ron nodded before picking up the now smoking envelope and opening it, Neville covering his ears, the same as the twins. As soon as the letter was open it sounded like an explosion had gone off filling the whole room.
“_STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY’D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON’T SUPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE_
“_LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN’T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD HAVE BOTH DIED_
“_ABSOLUTLY DISGUSTED—YOUR FATHER’S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT’S ENTIRLY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE’LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!” Mollie, Harry, and I just looked at the letter as it stopped shouting. There was a moment of silence before the whole hall burst out laughing once again. Hermione closed the book she had been reading and looked at Ron.
“I don’t know what you were expecting Ron but,”
“Don’t say I deserved it.” He grumbled and took our class lists as they were handed out. I took mine and groaned.
“No way. We have Lockhart first thing, right after Herbology.” Hermione let out a girly giggle and the boys Mollie and I just stared at her. “You have GOT to be kidding. She’s worse than pug face when it comes to Draco.” That comment sobered her up quickly and she proceeded to glare at me all the way out to the green houses for class. I reached my hand up under my hair as if to scratch my neck but really I was petting Gypsy who was now awake and purring in my ear. One of these days she was going to be too big to sit on my shoulder under my ear all the time, but until then I was happy to let her. A flash of blue caught my eye and I looked to the left to see Skittles playing with a leaf.
“What are you looking at sis?” Molls asked.
“Your cat, she’s playing with a leaf over there.” Mollie looked over and laughed as the blue kitten pounced on the leaf and then jumped into the air hissing and turning ghost white as she had landed on a snake that didn’t enjoy being pounced on.
“Silly kitty.”
“Yes, she is.”
“She turns red every time she is near George you know, and every time the two of you are together she turns Valentine pink. Have you noticed?”
“Yeah I have, I just don’t know what it means.”
“Molls, sis, the shop keeper told you that Skittles could tell you who you were meant to be with, that she likes to play match maker, I think she’s telling you that George is your soul mate.”
“I don’t think so.”
“I do, and Cat is right Mollie. Look.” Hermione held out a sheet of parchment and Mollie took it, looking it over.
“So it’s a list of colors with emotions next to them. Big deal.”
“Mollie, I got that list from a book about knagels. Red means love, and that specific color of pink means true love.”
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“Nope.” I smiled at her as we gathered with the rest of the class by the green houses.
“A knagel is never wrong about someone, though she might be wrong about Malfoy, she’s purple for trustworthy every time she’s near him and likes to sit on his lap I’ve noticed.”
“Dorkfoy is stealing me cat.” Mollie grumbled, “And she has to be wrong about him, he is so NOT trustworthy.”
“Mollie, be nice. Yes, he is.” I scolded glaring at her. I saw Draco looking at us and him and his friends walked over to us.
“Who’s not trustworthy?” Zabini asked us sounding genuinely curious.
“All snakes.” Mollie sneered.
“Mollie, I said to be nice. Don’t make me write a letter to Ma’thair about you being rude to people.” I scolded.
“I don’t care if you do or not.” She retorted puffing up. I eyed her cautiously but gave up for the time being, thinking of the letter I was going to be writing in class if we were taking notes.
“Hey Malfoy, that ghost still after you?” Harry asked.
“Shove off Potter.” Draco sneered and I sighed and shook my head.
“Can’t we all just get along? This fighting between the houses is stupid and pointless, not to mention it’s giving me a headache.” I said rubbing my temples trying to lessen the pain. It was like my elemental powers were going haywire with all the fighting, must be a water and air thing, both calm and cool elements not like the hot angry elements of fire and earth.
“You okay, Lady Catherine?” Draco asked looking at me. I glared at him but played along knowing that he had to keep up appearances.
“If you all would stop arguing and be nice to each other then I would be perfect. The anger and tension in the air is affecting my calm and control and I don’t know why.” I told him as I closed my eyes to concentrate on not drowning them or blowing them back fifty feet. Then a small gust of wind hit me carrying with it a disgusting smell that almost made me puke.
“Cat? You ok?”
“What reeks? That smell is making me sick.” I mumbled and clutched my stomach and holding my breath.
“There is no smell.” Hermione said sniffing. “What are you talking about?” I shook my head indicating that I shouldn’t open my mouth. Just a second later Professor Sprout and the nutter butter cookie showed up, Professor Sprout looking irritated and the smiling idiot talking her ear off. I let out the breath I was holding, needing fresh air, and took in another breath, the stink getting stronger the closer with every step that Lockhart got closer to me. I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned around and ran back to the school in into the nearest girl’s bathroom that just happened to be the one on second floor. I rushed in and to a stall and retuned my breakfast violently to the world.
“Prince.” I called out as my body shuddered from the force of being ill. There was a soft pop and Prince was standing in the stall with me.
“Are you alright, Cat?” He asked worriedly. I shook my head.
“No. Will you go tell Professor Sprout that I’m not feeling well and then bring Madam Pomphry to me please?”
“Yes, of course. I shall return in a moment with the medi witch. Do you need anything else?” I shook my head and leaned over the bowl returning more of the contents of my stomach to the world. Prince vanished with another pop and I flushed the contents of the toilet away and leaned against the cool wall of the stall, my body shaking and cold sweat on my skin.
“You look dreadful.” A voice said happily and I looked up to see the ghost of a young girl with glasses and pigtails smiling at me.
“Hello Myrtle, how are you?”
“Deliciously depressed. Are you sick?”
“Obviously.” I leaned over the toilet bowl once again the last of my breakfast and part of what was left of dinner making itself known. I flushed again as I heard a pop. I reached up and unlocked the stall door and saw the nurse looking at me worriedly.
“What happened?”
“I was fine until people started arguing more than normal and then there was this smell on the wind that only I could smell and that’s what made me sick, and it got stronger as Professor Lockhart got closer to me. It was horrible.” I explained and she nodded.
“Elf?”
“Prince, madam.” He corrected and I smiled weakly at him.
“Prince then, would you take Miss Sheehan and myself back to the hospital wing?” Prince nodded and took a hold of both of us. The feeling of aperation causing me to be sick on the floor of the hospital wing when we had stopped moving. The older woman vanished it with a flick of her wand and helped me stand. She directed me to a bed and put up the privacy curtains and handed me some pajamas to change into.
“Will I be ok?” I asked as I changed.
“I suppose you will be. You just need to rest, take a potion to settle your body, and eat a little. I recommend bed rest in here for two or three days. I shall speak with the teachers and request that Gilderoy change his cologne to something the does not make you ill.”
“Thank you ma’am.” She nodded and came around the corner of the privacy curtains and handed me a potion and a cup of ginger. I drank the potion first, then the sweet ginger and lay down against the pillows under my blanket.
“You are quite welcome, child. Now sleep.” I nodded and closed my eyes relaxing myself by envisioning a wild, out of control, storm raging outside lulling me to sleep with the sounds of the driving rain, the howling wind, and the loud crashing thunder, the bright forks of lightning flashing across the sky.

“Cat, wake up. Cat?” I opened my eyes slowly and looked at the faces of my friends who were all surrounding me worriedly.
“Hey guys. What’s up?”
“Not much, just some freak storm that blew up while we were in Herbology class learning about mandrakes that has lasted all day and is scaring the first years and the teachers. It wasn’t supposed to storm, and this is a bad one.” Harry said as he and Mollie helped me sit up.
“Are you ok, sissy” Mollie asked, she hadn’t called me sissy in five years, she must be worried about me.
“I’ll be fine. It was Lockhart’s cologne that made me sick. Madam Pomphry says I need bed rest for a few days and that Lockhart needs to change smells. I looked out the window and saw the same storm I had been dreaming of to relax me. “Oh god.”
“What?” all three of my friends and my sister asked.
“The storm, it’s my fault. That’s the same storm I was imagining to relax me to sleep.”
“Impossible, Gram said you wouldn’t be able to do that until three days after our birthday.”
“But Mollie, it’s so close to our birthday, it makes sense that we would be able to do some things already, we just can’t control it. That means I can make the storm, but I can’t stop it. We just have to wait it out.” I sighed and sat back in my bed and closed my eyes.
“Don’t worry about a thing. Everything is going to be just fine. You’ll see. And look Hermione even brought you your homework.” Harry said hugging me. I smiled up at him and hugged him back.
“Besides, I know someone that is extremely worried about you.” Hermione said as she gave me my homework for the day.
“Besides you guys? Who could that be I wonder.”
“No clue.” Mollie said smiling evilly.
“You all out, now. This girl is sick and needs her rest!” The medi witch bustled out of her office and shooed everyone away after they gave me hugs. I smiled and started on my homework. I finished it just before dinner and took out an extra piece of parchment.

Mom,
Mollie was being terrible today. Ruder than normal in fact. I told her I was going to write this letter to you and she didn’t believe me. I’m sick of her attitude towards Draco, and the rudeness she displays to other people, like all of Draco’s house. Not all of the Slytherins are mean or vile or cruel, just a few of them are. I’m at my wits end and nothing I can do can make her be nice to them.
I should probably tell you I’m sick. I caught a whiff of Lockhart’s cologne and the smell made me physically ill. I’m in the hospital wing on bed rest for a few days. Also my elemental powers are acting up. Today Mollie and my other friends fighting with Draco and his Slytherin friends gave me a migraine and then once in the hospital I thought of an out of control storm to relax me to sleep, according to Mollie and my friends the exact storm I thought of started out of nowhere while they were in Herbology class and hasn’t ended yet.
Also, thank you for the sweets and chips and soda. I love them.
Love,
Cat

I sealed the letter and called Artemis who took the scroll and disappeared in a burst of cool blue flames. I smiled and settled down to eat. Once I was finished with my food I took my potion and settled down to go back to sleep.

“Cat?” I opened my eyes at the sound of the soft voice and looked into the silver blue eyes of Draco Malfoy shining out in the dark hospital wing. “Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. My stomach still hurts but other than that I’m good. How are you?”
“Worried about you, I’m sorry I was part of the reason for your headache earlier.”
“It’s fine. I know how you get when it comes to Mollie. She hates you so much that one of these days I’m hoping hate turns into love and she can see you the way I do.”
“Don’t hold your breath, love.”
“Oh hush you. And I’m sorry for how she treated you and your friend. Zabini.”
“It’s ok, I explained to him that the part of her brain that tells her mouth that the things she’s saying and the way she says them is rude has been disconnected.” I laughed lightly and smiled.
“Too true. She’s always been like this.”
“I’m so sorry for that.”
“It isn’t your fault. When I get sick of her attitude I tell mom and mom or dad gives her an attitude adjustment and it works for a while, but it’s never permanent. I sent a letter to mom earlier and she should be getting back to me tonight or in the morning.”
“I see. Will it work?”
“God I hope so.” He smiled and laughed a bit stroking the soft white kitten lying on my chest. Suddenly there was a bright blue flash of fire and Artemis was back. She settled down on my shoulder and dropped the letter in her beak onto my lap. I picked it up and opened it seeing my mother’s small smooth script.

Cat,
I will deal with your sister. I have sent her a howler that she should get at breakfast. She needs to grow up and learn to control her attitude before you two turn twelve. I do hope you feel better soon my dear. I am going to talk to Mother in the morning about your powers but for now keep Draco close to you. If you can, find a way to get him admitted to the hospital wing as well. Sleep well my dear and get to feeling better.
Love,
Mom

I handed to letter to Draco who read it quickly and nodded.
“But how do I get admitted to the wing? I’m not ill at all, and I’m not hurt either.”
“How do you feel about another visit from your ghost friend from this morning?” I asked smirking at him.
“It was you?!”
“Guilty. Now don’t move.” I manipulated the air and moisture around me and then brought it close to his body.
“That’s freezing!”
“Good, now go tell her that.” He nodded and went to talk to Madam Pompfry while I looked out the window at the storm raging outside. A few minutes later I heard Draco being tucked into the bed next to me. I looked over at him, fake worry on my face.
“He will be alright dear, just a case of the chills and a cold sweat. You need your next potion.” I nodded and took the potion from her.
“Thank you. Can I have another blanket or two? I’m really cold.”
“Of course you may dear.” She flicked her want and two thick warm looking blankest flew over to her from a cabinet. She shook one out and settled it over the top of me then did the same to the other. I was instantly warmer and drowsy again.
“Thank you.” I yawned and fell back to sleep.