A Mind Gone Astray

The days ran by and the weather quickly changed from the nice gossamer feeling to a rainy and typical British autumn. Catherine's pile of homework grew every day but she was desperate to show the toad that she is way smarter than most of the students living and dining here at Hogwarts. The only thing suffering under her idea of being successful was her reputation among the other Slytherins. Nott was always with her because they did most of their homework together but Draco started to be in a huff most of the time. Somehow she always managed to make it up to him again though the intimacy he demanded sometimes was a little too much for her liking. Yet she knew that complaining would have horrible consequences so she kept her mouth shut and let him do what he thought was necessary.
The positive side of playing along was that Draco never questioned her or the letters she received every now and then in the morning. She could tell him that they were from a girl she met last year who went to Beauxbatons but in reality Ginny and her found a way to communicate via the school's owls. The first time she sent a letter and told the owl to deliver it to Ginny was awkward because she feared that it was too obvious but no one noticed it and as a result she had a constant communication with the Gryffindor. One bright but windy Saturday morning, which was their first trip to Hogsmeade, the blonde was just putting two crumpets on her plate when the owls with the morning post arrived. Inconspicuously she looked up and towards the Weasley twins. She had written Fred a letter just the same way she sent Ginny one this early morning. It was much more a request to meet up nearby the Shrieking Shack in the afternoon. Of Ginny she already knew that many of them had planned a meeting in the Hog's Head later on but she still hoped for them to agree and find some time left. When the redheaded seventh-year looked up and directly at her with a nod, she smiled and turned back to her breakfast.
‘What are you so happy about, Miss Goyle?’ Blaise said and looked at her with one eyebrow up.
‘Are you, Blaise Zabini, trying to mock me and joke around?’ She chuckled and then shrugged a little. ‘But to answer your question: I found my way into the Quidditch team though Montague doesn't know about his luck yet.’ Confused by that, Blaise kept concentrating on his food though the blonde saw from the corner of her eyes that he made two attempts on asking her something but stopped each time. When she finished her food, she walked out of the Great Hall to get her bag from the dungeons so she could head off to Hogsmeade. She showed off her permission for entering the village and walked past everybody. Draco wasn't interested in going there as it didn't have any corner where Death Eaters or children of them were OK to speak openly and be themselves.
After she went into each store and bought some Christmas presents for her new friends, she walked her way to the Shrieking Shack. She walked the first beaten track left which lead to a clearing of the little forest area around it. She hopped onto a little boulder and got one of her newest books out to start reading. Three pages later, muffled voiced and the cracking of branches appeared which made her put her lecture aside again. Her face showing off her usual deadness, she looked at the three arriving students. Fred, George and their friend Lee Jordan stepped closer and all of them surveyed her warily until former started smiling. A smile too infectious for Catherine to keep up her mask.
‘Took you peeps some sweet damn time to get here! And I always thought when a Veela sings, the male population swings,’ she smirked and hopped off the big rock to wipe off the dirt from her clothes. Lee Jordan looked at her as if she just declared herself a muggle in disguise. ‘Damn, you guys have no idea how good it is to speak normally and not being looked at because I am destroying every pure-blood's expectation of a good woman.’ She shook her head for a moment and felt a little awkward since she didn't know how to greet the three so she simply stood there, smiling.
‘Good to know…’ whispered Lee and George chuckled for a moment.
‘Yeah, she's one of a kind. The Slytherin traitor,’ he joked and looked at the blonde then. ‘Why the meeting though? Anything happened or …?’
‘Nope. Not yet, that means. I need one of your Skiving Snackboxes product. Best be the one that makes you folks walk around so awkwardly,’ she grinned and held up her hand when Fred tried to speak, ‘don't dare to say you are not. It's my specialty to observe and study. So … how much you want for one of those or better … make it five. Just in case! Also don't worry about the use of them: I need them for fellow Slytherins.’
‘Oh good, I already feared you'd use them against the pink toad,’ Fred said and watched her reaction to it. Cathy didn't disappoint him when she grimaced shortly and spat on the ground next to her.
‘That filthy scum of a so-called teacher and self-made High Inquisitor! I prefer to burn that woman to the ground with my own abilities.’ All three guys took a step back and looked at her in disbelief. ‘Sorry … that just … Eugh, she dared to call me a half-breed who doesn't have the intelligence of a human just because my mother was a Veela. I wish I could just pay her back but time will come and then she has to pay for this.’ They all exchanged looks and it was George to speak again next.
‘If you need support with that, Fred and I are at your service, Miss.’ He bowed for a moment and Lee copied them with a grin. ‘Back to business now! We have some of the Fever Fudge left that we could give to you. It is still being tested so maybe you could do us the favour and study it in matters of how long it takes to start off and how long the large, pus filled boils remain on the person you test it on.’ Instantly a smile found its way on Cathy's lips.
‘Oh be sure that I'll enjoy helping you out and that you get the needed information.’ After that was clear, she dug out her purse to pay for the Snacks. They first tried to reject her money but she insisted on supporting this business idea. After they exchanged money and product, the blonde stored everything in her bag with a big smile. She shouldered it and looked at the three guys and before her good manners could interfere, she walked up to them.
‘Thank you – for making me – the happiest girl in the castle,’ she said and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek. ‘Now I better be off though before things get too suspicious!’ And with that she walked off and left three confused and Veela-drunk guys behind her.



After a short but enjoyable encounter with Ginny and a extraordinarily delicious dinner, she got onto her feet to start her mission to get into the Quidditch team after all. She knew when the team would practise since Draco was the Seeker and so she slowly walked off to the pitch. The official reason for her to be there was, of course, that she wanted to watch Draco play. It was already getting dark and Cathy asked herself why in the name of Merlin they would have practise in the dark when the pitch was empty so often. It made them appear as if they wanted to hide something or someone of the team which could only be the new Beaters. Surely that would be the reason. Using the moment of surprise to their advantage.
When she arrived at the stands, she could already hear giggling at the middle one and even though she wasn't in the mood for it, she joined Pansy and her girl group.
‘Oh look, the princess joins us!’ Pansy cackled and the three other Slytherin girls, among them Millicent Bullstrode, giggled. Cathy just let a fake yawn slip and kept her eyes on the pitch.
‘I would reconsider mocking me, Panse. Could be that I accidentally let some of the things Draco told me about you slip past my princess-lips.’ That and the fact that the boys walked out of the dressing room silenced her. First to come out were Montague, Pucey and Warrington who were the Chasers, followed by Miles Bletchley the Keeper and then her brother with his best bud Crabbe followed. Last one was Malfoy and Pansy used her chance to cheer loudly for him, clapping her hands like crazy which made Catherine lean away from her, finding her hearing too important than to lose it to her. Malfoy enjoyed the hype about him and when he saw the blonde Slytherin sitting among his group of fans, he looked more than proud of himself.
Watching the seven spots flying around on their brooms wasn't nearly as exciting as playing herself, Cathy thought and was already excited that she would soon join them once she was able to fulfil her plan. It was after the training that she left the stands immediately and walked downstairs to the dressing room. She waited at the door and as if it was a game, Pansy had joined her with her girls. When Draco came outside, he walked up to his future wife and smiled at her.
‘Liked watching me play?’ he said silently with a smirk. ‘Come on, let's go celebrate a good practise.’ His arm was around her middle and even though it was feeling good to make the black haired Slytherin girl, whose face was shockingly similar to Cathy's brother's face whenever he had to calculate something, she had to slowly wriggle herself out of his touch.
‘I'll be there in a moment. Why don't you go ahead and I bring the butter beer with me that I smuggled into the castle?’ His face hardened for a moment but he gave in this time. ‘I promise to be there very soon,’ she smiled and he left the pitch, being followed by the group of girls immediately. The blonde turned back to watch the door and one after another walked out and to her satisfaction, Montague was the last in. Slowly she sneaked into the room and hoped to Merlin that he was already dressed. Relieved to see him fully clothed she stepped into the light, wearing one of the spare Quidditch robes. Graham looked up when he heard her steps and looked at her with a frown.
‘What do you want? Why are you wearing this? I told you over and over again that you are not in the team,’ he grumbled but she kept walking closer to him.
‘Are you sure? I mean … there is not even the slightest chance for me to get in?’ she purred and looked at him with a light pout. Her voice and charm made an impact on him. He looked at her and sighed shortly, shaking his head no. ‘Aw not even if I tell you that I am only here for you? To impress you and charm you…’ she whispered her lies with a thick and sweet voice which had the effect she wished for. His mouth gaped and Cathy, who was already close to him, took her chance and plopped the little orange piece of the Fever Fudge into Montague's mouth before she snapped her fingers to seal his mouth shut – one of the perks of having the powers of a Veela. With big and panicking eyes he looked at her as she pushed him down on the bench behind him, looking straight into his eyes.
‘You listen to me now, Montague.’ Her voice was dangerous and threatening. ‘What I gave to you will make you horribly sick and only I have the antidote for that so you better over think the fact that you won't let me in and decide to kick Crabbe out to make room for me. Nobody else knows my brother's tactics better than me.’ Her voice had turned into a whizz and with another snap she unsealed his lips again only to hear him coughing and just that moment, sweat started running down his forehead.
‘What did you give me, you little brat?!’ he coughed and looked at her in horror.
‘Do you really want to discuss this instead of getting better with my help?’ She cocked her eyebrow at him and it took Montague another ten seconds before he nodded wildly.
‘Fine… FINE! I let you in and kick Crabbe out. Now heal me.’
‘Sounds way better to me! You better not pull back that promise because otherwise we will have to do this allover again,’ she smiled and got out the other half of the Fudge which she transfigured to look like a piece of chocolate. He quickly grabbed for it and swallowed it down, breathing deeply a few times as he laid back. ‘Good, good. Now I see you at next practise. Oh and don't forget to tell your buddies the new change!’ she rejoiced and walked out of the dressing room again with her normal clothes on, deciding that the twins and Lee Jordan deserved a big thank you by her for Christmas.