A Mind Gone Astray

The kiss was stopped by Madam Pomfrey who didn't like to see their patients get involved with such kind of behaviour in the hospital wing. Cathy left the station confused and unimpressed. She always thought that her first kiss would make her feel excited and that it would be with someone she loved or at least thought she loved but now that this happened with Draco, a man she was tied to by her parents, there was nothing inside of her. No feelings for him had ever evolved even though he is a good-looking young man and he knows what to say so girls wanted him but Catherine was none of those girls. Of all the guys she knew, just one woke the feeling of desire within her and that was Fred.
‘What's wrong with you, petal?’ Nott said at dinner this Saturday and nudged her with his elbow. She looked up and at him with a crooked smile. Theodore had always been a person she was able to talk to because he saw, next to her Veela charm, the person behind it.
‘Do you promise me not to tell anyone? I don't want to get anyone into trouble for being a person with feelings,’ she said silently though there was no one around since Pansy had decided to have dinner with Draco in the hospital wing and quite honestly, Cathy didn't care about it. Nott looked at her for a moment with a frown before he nodded slowly.
‘Alright. Promise.’
‘Draco and I kissed today and there was … absolutely nothing and I wish right now that I wouldn't be promised to him,’ she whispered and looked at him frightened. When she looked into his eyes, she could've sworn there was jealousy a split second but if it was, it went a little later and his face turned into a rather sad one.
‘You know, I wish I could tell you that things can change but you know as well as I do that they won't. Seems like you'll have to suck it up and try to deal with it. Get yourself a lover if Draco's not enough,’ he said and wiggled his eyebrows which made Cathy laugh.
‘You're a prat, Theo,’ she laughed and turned back to her dinner.



Theodore Nott kept his word and nothing of her doubts and bad feelings ever slipped through. Meanwhile November passed so quickly that students were able to skate on the frozen Black Lake again and snow was everywhere. This was, by far, Cathy's favourite time of the year. She loved the cold and snow and was rather cheerful when they all went to their lesson first lesson Care of Magical Creatures with returned Rubeus Hagrid. Even though his teaching methods weren't always the best, he definitely knew his subject and his creatures. As a matter of fact, it didn't even bother her when the first lesson with him was in the Dark Forest. Draco wasn't as keen as Cathy when it was about the forest. Officially he wasn't scared of anything but it wasn't hard to realise that he feared the Forbidden Forest more than anything. They walked a little while into the darker parts where no snow had hit the floor and when they finally stopped at the darkest place in the middle of nowhere and silence, you could hear some students pant from trying to keep up with the gamekeeper but it was hard to see even once the eyes got used to the dark. Hagrid who had been carrying half a cow with him, threw the dead animal on the ground before he turned to the class to assure that, whatever he was about to call closer, was well-trained and knew him. And then, out of the blue, he gave a shrieking cry that made many students around Cathy flinch. He gave the shriek once more and then the first one appeared. One of those animals that pulled the carriages of Hogwarts came out of the forest, looking around before it walked up to the cow on the ground and started tearing bits and pieces out it with its fangs. The body of the winged horse shimmered with the movement and somehow it fascinated the blonde. A short while she watched the one when a second came around and started feeding from the cow.
‘Who can see 'em of ye?’ Hagrid asked then and only a few held up their hands, among them Potter, Longbottom, Nott and Cathy herself. Hagrid just was about to continue when Draco lost his patience and spoke out.
‘What exactly is there to be seen?’ he said in a sneer. Hagrid did not answer but pointed at the cadaver on the ground of which, for everyone else, pieces are being ripped out before they disappear into nowhere. It seemed that that nobody was paying attention before but now some people gasped or gave silent screams.
‘Thestrals,’ the Professor smiled proudly then, ‘We have a herd of 'em here at Hogwarts. They are tamed and for Christmas and the new school year they pull the carriages for ye.’ There was a whisper going around and a discussion about how they are bad luck just because only those, who have seen death, can see them. Then suddenly a rustle occurred from nearby Catherine and a little woman with a green cloak and green hat, giving her much more the look of a toad, appeared from between two trees.
‘Hem, hem,’ she imitated her horrible fake cough and Hagrid greeted her with a certain amount of happiness and naïvety he sometimes has and that often gets him into precarious situations. The second Umbridge had entered the lesson, Hagrid got more and more nervous about her foul comments that made him look like a dumb giant. The apex of her humiliation was when she talked to the students and turned around the words they spoke. Of course it wasn't necessary for when she talked to Slytherins because they used every chance they got to slander Hagrid off. Usually Cathy wouldn't care but the fact that they talked about half-breeds like this made her shiver because she was one of them and Umbridge let her feel that in every lesson of Defence Against the Dark Arts and also whenever their paths crossed. At the end of the lesson Hagrid was so confused that he just dismissed the class and walked ahead, his head as red as a tomato. Catherine grabbed her chance when Draco and his gang walked in the very back to walk a bit faster, catching up with Hagrid.
‘Professor?’ she asked silently and cautiously. He looked at her for a moment to then grunt shortly.
‘What is it Miss …?’
‘Goyle. My brother is the gorilla that has no brain,’ she smiled a little sadly. ‘What I was about to say though … Don't let this woman bring you down with this half-breed slander. She does it with me as well and it makes me incredibly angry because I know I am much more intelligent than she likes to admit and it scares her that us “half-humans” can be smarter than her in anything. You know more about creatures than she does and that's something she hates suffering under.
‘I hope next time she tries to discredit you that way, you can remember my words and feel better about yourself, Sir.’ While she spoke she didn't look at Hagrid but took care where she stepped but she could see him looking at her in surprise once.
‘Er … thanks, Miss Goyle. Ten points to Slytherin for yer intelligence,’ he whispered the last part with a wink at her and Cathy smiled thankfully before she turned to get back to the end of the line of students and she could have sworn to see the Golden Trio look at her impressed and somewhat grateful.
‘What have you been doing?’ Draco asked suspiciously and eyed her head to toe.
‘Something you don't care about because you're too blind to see that you didn't only attack him,’ she said coolly.