Coming out of the Headmaster's office, Kate's mood was noticeably brighter. Setting people up really was the more entertaining option.
At this hour most of the third-years had gone off to Hogsmeade. The only students still in the castle were probably her and Harry.
But having only just pulled one over on the boy's godfather, Kate wasn't yet thick-skinned enough to sit and trade jokes with him as though nothing had happened.
Better to get this errand out of the way first.
She walked briskly to the office of the Care of Magical Creatures professor and knocked, and heard a stir of movement inside.
David came over and opened the door. The moment he saw her, a smile spread across his mild face. "Kate! It's not often you come looking for me of your own accord."
"Brother, the way you say that makes it sound like I only come to you when I want something." Kate gave an embarrassed laugh and was about to step inside when she felt something like eyes watching her from behind.
She turned to look, suspicious. The corridor was completely empty — not a soul in sight.
"What's wrong?" David asked, concerned, noticing the odd look on her face.
Kate shook her head and smiled up at him. "Nothing. I probably just imagined it."
"Then do you want to come in and sit for a while? I brought a few little animals along. They'd be delighted to see you."
David chuckled and ruffled her hair, his big hand coming to rest on her shoulder afterwards.
"Er… you didn't bring the Niffler, did you?" Kate's face twitched, and her hand went to her purse without her thinking about it.
He blinked at her. "Come in and see for yourself."
And with that the two of them went into the office, talking and laughing.
At the far end of the corridor, Pansy hauled Blaise back by the arm as he tried to lean out for a better look, hissing at him, "Any more of that and they'll spot us!"
"I'm only curious," Blaise said, craning his head towards the office with a puzzled frown. "How on earth would Shafiq and Professor Scamander end up together?"
Pansy's expression was complicated. "Who knows."
The two of them had simply ditched Draco as usual and slipped back for a secret date — and instead they'd caught Kate and that professor looking as close as that.
And close was the word. Judging by what they'd just seen, the physical contact between Kate and David counted as intimate.
Add to that the way David always showed Kate a little favouritism in every Care of Magical Creatures lesson, and there was no avoiding the conclusion: those two must have known each other before term even started.
But turn it over as she might, Pansy couldn't think of any blood tie between the Shafiq family and the Scamanders.
"Perhaps they're old family friends," Blaise guessed. "Shafiq's on good terms with the Headmaster — maybe she also knows the Headmaster's student, that old Mr Scamander."
Even Pansy didn't sound convinced when she heard it. "Does a chain of connections that twisted sound remotely plausible to you?"
Blaise fell silent.
To protect Kate, Dumbledore had never made her connection to Newt public; only a small circle of people knew about it.
Which was why David had never once let slip in class that Kate was his Junior Sister and he her Senior Brother.
And Pansy and Blaise, quite naturally, did not belong to that small circle.
Still, whatever the explanation, the fact remained: they had seen Kate meeting David in secret, and the two of them got on far too easily to be an ordinary teacher and student. Which meant there was something going on here that they didn't know about.
"We'll wait right here," Pansy decided flatly. "We'll talk to Kate when she comes out."
Blaise said nothing for a moment. His girlfriend appeared to have forgotten that they'd come out today for a date.
Then again, even if he dragged her away by force now, the rest of the date probably wouldn't be much fun.
Never mind. Better to let her have her way.
How long they waited, she couldn't say. Pansy's legs had gone stiff and sore from standing by the time the office door finally opened.
She poked her head out eagerly and saw Kate walking out with David, the two of them chatting and laughing.
"And you told me you weren't here because you wanted something," David said, shaking his head helplessly. "Ordering a Firebolt, of all things, and you need my help to do it."
Kate gave a cheeky little giggle and wheedled at him, "I only want to give Harry a Christmas present. Please, Brother, help me make it happen!"
As she spoke she turned all her pockets inside out, looking pitiful. "Look — the Niffler cleaned out every last bit of my pocket money."
"If Father found out I'd taken your money, he'd scold me into an early grave." David laughed despite himself, then took out a dozen-odd Gold Galleons of his own and pressed them into her hands.
Unable to refuse, Kate could only rub the back of her head and grin foolishly. "Then I'm counting on you, Brother!"
"Don't worry. The Firebolt will be on Potter's breakfast table before the Christmas holidays."
They said their goodbyes, and David went back into his office. Kate, meanwhile, turned her head towards the far end of the corridor as if she'd sensed something.
Strange. Why did she keep feeling as though someone were watching her today?
"Homenum Revelio!" She flung the spell down the corridor. Nothing happened at all.
Kate scratched her cheek. She was probably being paranoid.
Only once she'd turned and walked away did Pansy, tucked behind the corner, let her nerves unwind a little. She grabbed her boyfriend's hand and demanded, "You saw that just now, didn't you?"
"Mm. Professor Scamander gave Shafiq Gold Galleons." Even Blaise's habitually unruffled face showed a ripple of something.
Still, he said, "I think Professor Scamander is simply an elder of Shafiq's family circle."
"…Whether he's an elder or not, we'd have to ask Kate to know for certain." Pansy pressed her lips together, and perhaps she was thinking of that friend of hers with the hopeless crush.
That night, after curfew.
Everyone had gone back to their dormitories to rest, Kate included.
She had only just finished the day's training and was still dripping with sweat and exhausted when, most unusually, there came a knock at her dormitory door.
"Who is it?" She crossed to the door, wary, and picked up her wand, holding it behind her back.
"It's me, Pansy. Our dormitory wants to cook something, so I've come to borrow some seasonings from you."
Over the past few years Pansy had often come to borrow seasonings, always insisting that Kate's were the best-tasting of anyone's.
That set Kate's mind at ease. She slipped her wand into the pocket at the back of her waist, and the moment she opened the door she saw Pansy walk in, glancing around in every direction.
"The seasonings are on that shelf over there." Kate helpfully pointed out the seasoning box hanging beside her desk.
Pansy smiled apologetically and hurried over to the desk. Before she could even take a single jar, her eye was caught by the most conspicuous thing on it — a photograph.
"Is this—"
She stared at the picture of David and Niao Yun together, startled into speaking.
Only then did Kate realise something was wrong. She rushed over to block the photograph. "It's nothing. Take your seasonings and get back to your room, quickly!"
The last thing she wanted was for an outsider to find out Dark Cloud existed.
But that hasty attempt to hide it took on quite a different meaning in Pansy's eyes.
So Kate really did have an out-of-the-ordinary relationship with Professor David — otherwise, why would she keep a private photograph of him in the most conspicuous spot on her desk!
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