Where Some Screams Have Gone

A/N: This Chapter will not be a chapter to worry over. This is to "set the stage" before the actual "story" is told, so there should not be anything that would upset anyone. Thanks again to my beta, MadBrilliant, and for all of you who have continued to review. Keep 'em comin'!

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One week later, Katherine was back at Hogwarts and sat with Severus and Minerva. They had something very important they wanted to tell and show her.

She sat down, looking very pale and sad. She was suffering greatly since the annulment had been swiftly granted. It stung her pride that a life dream could be ruined so perfunctorily. Her dreams of living happily ever after with Marcus were gone. What else can possibly be worse? she thought.

The Headmistress poured all of them tea and made sure it was spiked with a Calming Draught. This was going to be upsetting enough as it was!

She nodded to Severus as she handed out the tea. He cleared his throat and spoke to Katherine in his most commanding tone.

"I want you to talk to me about your fifth year."

She blinked a few times and furrowed her brow. "What exactly what do you want to know?" she asked.

"Just talk about whatever strikes you as significant," he said softly.

She took a sip of her tea and began. "Well, I was excited because it was my O.W.L. year. I, of course, already knew what I wanted to do. Oh, I remember you and I argued, Severus! You refused to let me go back into the Forest again with you. I was so angry with you...I didn't understand. It was so confusing! But then, Professor McGonagall said I was old enough that it would not be proper for us to be alone like that, which, by the way, Minerva, I thought was a very sorry excuse. I mean, Hagrid, or Filch, as a chaperone, could have joined us! But anyway, I would sit looking out the window of my common room and watch you, Severus, walk out without me, and I remember I would feel so sad and lonely."

Snape shifted uncomfortably in his chair and cleared his voice. Katherine scrutinized him. Why does he look so guilty? she thought.

She started getting upset. "What is going on here? Why the trip down memory lane?"

Minerva spoke up. "Please, Katherine, just go on."

Katherine relaxed back into her chair and took a deep breath. "Well, I remember the whole Death Eater Murders! It was all anyone could talk about for months! It dominated my whole fifth year!"

"Tell us about it," whispered Snape.

She looked at them like they were crazy. "Um... you know all of this. But okay! Um, there were seven Death Eaters, four who were confirmed, who had survived the war and had disappeared, plus three who were only suspected of Death Eater activity. The Aurors concluded they had each been stalked and executed one by one in a very perfunctory Muggle fashion, so it was undetectable by magical means. To this day, no one knows who it was, and after the seventh one was murdered, it stopped. I recall the Ministry tried half-heartedly to find the person or persons responsible, but no one really cared. The war had only been over with for five years, and the sentiment was, 'if we ever caught the guy, we'd give him a medal!' I also remember I was very concerned about you, Severus. The vigilante had been ruled out as a Death Eater because there was no Dark Mark over the areas they were murdered. I was so scared you would be targeted because I already knew by that time you had been a Death Eater."

She stopped, and when they kept silent, she went on. "You want me to talk about things you already know?" she asked.

"Partly," said Snape.

"Well, you know, Severus, my fifth year was difficult. Marcus was...h-he really started to court me for real, but I was having a lot of problems. I remember I stopped drinking my Lemon Balm Tea. I couldn't stand the smell of it. And roses, I don't know...I still don't know. Every time I see red roses I get angry. You remember, Severus... I was having crying fits in class. Only in Potions class, though. Strange. It was all so disturbing. I thought it was the combination of the excitement of really dating Marcus, getting sick during the end of my fourth year, the residual effects of that plant I had been exposed to, pressure of O.W.L.s, the Death Eater Murders, and my anger about not being able to go back to the Forest."

"But, it was, at the same time, an exciting period for me academically. That was also when you really started to take me on as a serious Potion maker, Severus. I remember happy times in the lab, learning about all the potions I'd be making in the future, and you were very kind and patient with me. You made Calming Draughts for me in advance, I recall, for whenever I had one of my fits."

She turned abruptly to Minerva. "And don't think it has escaped my notice that there is Calming Draught in my tea, Minerva!" she chided.

The Headmistress gave a slight smile. "Well, under the circumstances, I thought we all could use one," she replied.

Snape still sat stiffly in his chair. "Tell me about your fourth year," he said, sounding more demanding than he had intended.

Katherine quirked her lips to the side of her mouth as she furrowed her brows at him. Then she started becoming agitated and set her teacup down. "You both know my memory isn't very clear about that." She started squeezing and flexing her hands. "I don't like to think about it!" She jumped up and started pacing when she realized they weren't about to let her out of it.

"I just remember that I don't remember. April is gone! I mean it was March; the snow was melting. The weather was getting nice. I went to Hogsmeade with Marcus and some friends. Then, it was May! I woke up in the Infirmary, and I was told I had been very sick with some obscure disease, that it had been contagious, and no one had been allowed to see me. Then, Severus tells me I had unknowingly touched or inhaled some rouge plant during our last trip into the Forest! That was the explanation for all my crying and agitation during my summer and my fifth year, you said. Something about "residual effects."

"It was a very blurry time, I recall, staying all summer at Hogwarts in the Infirmary, drugged most of the time. Everything was fuzzy. But I remember getting sick, real sick, like my body couldn't hold me anymore. I wanted to literally jump out of my skin. At times I thought I was going to have a heart attack! It was an awful time! But by my sixth year, I was back to normal, although I still don't like red roses or Lemon Balm Tea."

"Well, Severus?" prodded Minerva.

"Katherine, please sit down," muttered Snape.

Katherine knew something was wrong. She started breathing hard, and her heartbeat was fluttering. Her stomach was turning. She flashed her eyes back and forth between the two of them. Suddenly, she was grateful for her laced tea.

"What!" she yelled.

Snape produced from his wand a small bottle.

"Memories?" she whispered.

"Your memories, Katherine, with a few of mine and Minerva's mixed in. It's time to face the truth. Minerva, Madam Pomfrey, before she died, and myself...we were all complicit in this cover-up. You were not sick...not in the way I had told you...but you were so very damaged and in terrible shock. We did what we thought was best, although, I must say, I pushed the issue. Poppy and Minerva had their doubts. But I was rather insistent."

Katherine's eyes started to tear up as they darted back and froth between Minerva and Snape; her lips quivering. "Does this have to do with why Marcus left me?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"Yes," Severus answered, so softly it was almost inaudible. He couldn't meet her eyes. He handed her the bottle. She turned it over and over in her hands. Finally, Minerva stood up and offered her hand to the young women. She took her hand and allowed herself to be led to a Pensieve. Snape sat in the back corner and watched her pour the silvery fluid into the basin.

She was about to go in when he jumped up and said, "Stop!"

The two women jumped and looked at him. He strode over to Katherine and took her into his arms and embraced her, knowing full well it could be the last time he would ever be able to be near her again. He stroked her light brown hair and held her tightly as he could without crushing her.

"Please, know that I never wanted this to happen. I never wanted to hurt you." His voice cracked as he whispered into her ear. She pulled back from him and saw the pain in his face. She was shocked. Severus had never embraced her before!

"It's okay, Severus. I believe you," she said looking into his eyes earnestly.

She extricated herself from him and went into her mind.