A Mind Gone Astray

When she arrived back at the Headquarters Cathy handed two bottles of elf-made wine that she bought to Mrs. Weasley, who seemingly just arrived at home a few minutes earlier, as her sign of gratitude for everything. When she heard Sirius grunting silently, she couldn't help but roll her eyes before she turned around to him.
‘You think I forgot for one second whose house this is?’ She strolled towards him and pulled out a bottle of the finest whiskey. ‘I saw you liked whiskey so maybe try this one for a change.’ With a smile she put down a bottle in front of him. ‘See this as a thank you for letting me stay at your house.’ Sirius looked startled and she was satisfied that he didn't expect that at all. When he kept silent, Catherine felt that this was the moment for her to leave. She turned on her heels and nearly bumped into Ron who was all excited and with one view on what he stared at, she knew that the package Mrs. Weasley bought was for him. Even though her curiousness wanted to make her stay and watch him unpack, she felt like she would interrupt a family moment so she simply walked up to the door when she suddenly heard glass shatter and then Sirius spoke a little louder than necessary.
‘Oops. I slipped and the bottle fell!’ Frozen in her steps she didn't dare to look back and after a moment, that she had to use for calming back down, she kept walking without another word. Not only she was angry but it also made her sad and latter she didn't understand. Something deep inside of her screamed for attention from Sirius but something else wanted revenge on his behaviour. Shaking her head she walked upstairs and ignored everyone else on her way up, falling down on the old moth-eaten blankets of her bed and just stared at the ceiling. It felt as if everything inside of her dropped when he declined her gift. By that she wondered how her mother ever managed to befriend him and even more. Was it maybe that she hurt him so much that now, when he looked at Cathy, Black saw her mother and some of the hurt came back up like a geyser? Mindlessly her fingertips went up and down a thick scar gracing her wrist. The blue eyes fixed on a spot at the ceiling, she tried to think of a way to handle Black and didn't notice that she was not alone anymore.
‘Cathy?’ Ginny's voice echoed somewhere in the very back of her head, in a far away room whose door was locked. ‘Cathy! CATHERINE!’ Her yell shook her out of the trance and instantly she sat up straight and looked at the redhead, blinking a few times to help her eyes focus. ‘Are you alright? Ron told me about Sirius and I am really sorry to hear that,’ she said with pity in her voice and something else that the blonde couldn't define.
‘No, it's fine. I guessed him to be stubborn and ever since Harry was cleared of all charges, he was grumpier than ever so … Whatever, right?’ She forced a smile but Ginny just looked at her doubtfully. Before she was able to speak again though, her eyes fell on the scar and her mouth gaped. When the Slytherin saw that, she quickly pulled down the sleeve of her thin sweater again but with no luck, she couldn't make it unseen.
‘What in the name of Merlin is that?’ She gasped and as an answer the blonde shook her head wildly so her hair whipped through the air.
‘Don't mention it. Please, It's nothing!’
‘That didn't look like nothing to me though. Come on, you told me I can trust you and I thought that's two-sided?’ Ginny's words made ice blue eyes look at sapphire blue ones and giving her education, she tried to see a hint of cunning but there was nothing but honesty. Just when she was about to speak, two people suddenly stood in the room with a loud crack.
‘Are you alright, Ginny?’ George asked.
‘We heard a scream and thought you might be in danger!’
‘What? No. I'm fine!’ The girl said and looked at her twin brothers with a frown. ‘Why would I be in danger anyway?’
‘Obviously because I am a Slytherin, Ginny. Don't forget that I am the enemy number one.’ There was no anger in her voice whatsoever. Mainly, because she knew that the guys were just joking but also because something was more important right now and that was Ginny's trust in her.
‘Yes! I mean look at her evil face!’
‘And the evil blue eyes piercing through you!’
‘Oh shut up you two!’ Cathy said and threw a Chocolate Frog at each of them. ‘Eat those instead!’ Both looked at her and shrugged.
‘Fine then. I can live with that,’ Fred said and they both sat down on her sister's bed, stuffing the frog into his mouth.
‘So, you were about to speak out, weren't you?’ Ginny said sternly and added, ‘I'm sure Fred and George either leave now or shut up about anything you're about to say.’ The twins looked at her and then at each other. Catherine sighed, defeated by her friend and even though Fred and George didn't just count yet she knew that if anyone could keep a secret, it was them. She opened her trunk and threw a big box of Chocolate Frogs at the three and nodded shortly before she took a deep breath.
‘Alright, if you really want to know the story then I just ask you to keep it to yourself. As well as every pity or empathy that might comes up. I don't need any of this which is why I don't feel like telling anyone ever what happened a little while ago,’ she started and waited for a moment until all three internalized her words. ‘At the very beginning of the summer holidays, it was obvious that things had changed at home. Sine only my father was left of my parents, he picked us up from King's Cross and didn't waste a word on me but only talked to my brother. That if you can count grunting as talking.’ A crooked smile graced her lips for a moment and she shook her head shortly to get her mind sorted. ‘So after we arrived at home, I was degraded from child to maid. Of course that only if we were alone and no other pure-blood family was around. It happened that at nearly every evening of the first week of our holidays we had guests or were guests at other houses. It was a celebration week of the return of the Dark Lord and a celebration that nobody got killed for not searching for him,’ she added and was interrupted by a snort of Ginny whose face had darkened with each word. ‘Unfortunately it isn't unusual to treat your wife like a maid in our circle. Nearly none of the wives work and they are all just there to give the man an heir and if you get little girls everyone hopes that they are good-looking so they can marry a rich and influential man.’ She paused for a moment to word her next part carefully.
‘It so happens that I am promised to the, at the moment, son of a very influential person. You probably know him. His name's Draco Malfoy,’ she said and Fred, who had just taken a bite of his Frog, nearly choked on it. Ginny started to mindlessly pat his back to calm him down while she was looking at Catherine in shock. George on the other end just looked at her and tried not to say anything or show pity in his face while she continued.
‘After the first week, everybody calmed down a little more and the last occasion that was planned followed on the second Friday of our holidays. At the house of Malfoy we had a little dinner party and nobody could have warned me ahead of time that he was there as well. Eyes of a scarlet colour with black snake-like pupils looked at me from head to toe. His skin was such a pure white only bones can compare to it. When he spoke and said my name, his voice had a sharpness in it and it felt like it was cutting the air.
‘Never in my life I wanted to run away that desperately and had so much fear shake my body. His presence made it hard to keep my mind clear and focused. I am sure my father was embarrassed by my behaviour but luckily nobody else noticed the little stutter I had once or twice. I was always overshadowed by those who wanted his attention but to my misfortune, I sat right by his side because he asked me to. When the whole party was over and we went back home my father started yelling at me about how I dared to misbehave like this and why I wouldn't crave for the attention of the Dark Lord like every other person. The end of story was that he spat out that I was a traitor and that he would get these thoughts straight out of me. After that … half an hour of beating me up followed (everyone was taking in sharp breaths and they looked angrier than ever) and then,’ she sighed and pulled up the sleeves of her sweater to reveal scars on both her wrists, ‘he decided to round it all up by slitting my wrists up. Lucky for me he forgot that Professor Snape and him were supposed to have a talk and so he entered just when I was bleeding on the floor.’
‘You gotta be kidding me!’ Ginny said and had a hand slapped over her mouth.
‘It … is okay somehow. I mean I survived, didn't I? Also that made my decision final and that a member of the Headquarters found me like this in the obvious position of my father being the attacker, he knew that this was the missing point for me to get out of there. I had talked to Dumbledore and Snape before, it was last Christmas and again at the end of the term. My father was right in one point: I am a traitor but I am one that can't show it openly. That brings me to a little warning I have to speak out to you … I will not be able to keep any harm from you, no matter which kind. I have to be the Slytherin everyone expects me to be. I hope you understand.’ There was a moment of silence in which the three just looked shocked and then Ginny got up to her feet. Cathy expected her to walk out of the room but instead she walked up to the blonde who stood up when she saw that, prepared for everything but not for what really happened. The arms of the younger girl were wrapped around the blonde and she pulled her into a tight hug. Slowly she realised what was happening and just then it was that she felt like she found a real friend in the redhead and the first warm smile since her mother had died found her lips as she hugged her back. Fred and George seemed too embarrassed for a moment to do anything but then they also got up and at least patted the blondes back for a moment.
‘Maybe we should, um, go downstairs? I heard Mam has prepared a little something for the new prefect in our family,’ George said and Cathy was glad that he took their minds off the story.
‘Sounds like a plan to me!’ The blonde smiled and loosened her grip before they all went downstairs.