* * *

Outside of the house, Catina stopped. Staring up at the building, she felt small, like a flake up dust brandishing the carpet. Fred tried to continued walking but felt the dead weight of the paused girl tug him to a halt. He turned to face her, watching as her eyes gazed up at the building, pondering

over whether she could bring herself to enter once again. Fred was fully aware that it wouldn't be the easiest of decisions and that she would have to do it in her own time, but he was freezing and was sure she was too.

Without saying a word he placed his hand (the one not holding hers) on the small of her back and rubbed some circles. "As much as snowmen are cute, and you'd make a very sexy one, I'm afraid that we will have to go inside because you will die."

"It's August, darling."

"I don't care what month it is. I don't want you catching your bloody death."

Catina leaned her head into his chest. "If you leave me out here right now, I'll hold you with the highest rank of respect," mumbled she, her mind was all fuzzy and her stomach had dropped at the thoughts roaming her mind like a predator. "But I know you won't and that I will have to go in. But just know, that there won't be any midnight kisses until I say so because I hate you for forcing me back in."

Fred didn't respond verbally, instead, he climbed the stairs with Catina following him only because he would not let go of her hand and either way she would be dragged behind him like a deadweight. He forced the door open and silence fell upon them, the chatter dying instantly and heads popping around the edge of the doorway. "Cat!" Exclaimed Remus hurrying into the hallway towards the girl.

For the first time in the period of knowing the girl, Remus watched as Catina shied away and hid behind Fred whom she clung too tightly. Remus' shoulders dropped and his eyes filled with concern, overflowing the longer he stood before the pair. Mrs Weasley wasn't far behind him, her hands on her hips as she stared at her son in a mix of disapproval but also relief that the pair were quite alright, or at least physically.

"Cat, you must know that you simply must not run away again. You are going to get hurt and all we want is what is best for you," Mrs Weasley said with her hands on her hips, "but, I am glad you are back safe and sound, nevertheless."

"Yeah, if you're going to run at least be successful, it's rather embarrassing to watch you fail so much," George commented, rolling his eyes from the doorway to the dining room. Bill clapped his hand around the back of his brother's head and pushed past the crowd.

"How about we save the lecture for the morning, eh, mum?" He said and put his arm around Fred's shoulder, smiling softly to Catina who snapped her head away from him, "let's just give her some space... in the house."

"What space?"

"Shut up, Ronald!"

Mum sighed stepping back, "Of course, everyone off to bed! It's late, Catina dear, as long as you stay in the house you can stay awake for as long as possible. Bill, can you stay with her?"

"Actually mum, let Bill go to bed, I'll stay with her," said Fred, rubbing his thumb over her hand, a sentiment that went unnoticed by everyone who failed to see their hand-holding. Molly went to protest but her eldest son sent her a look which made her agree.

"Fine, but Bill stays too. Everyone else," she clapped, "off to bed!"

Fred led Catina into the living room where she curled up on the sofa, still holding onto him as Bill sat in an armchair opposite them, a paper in his hand to occupy and keep him awake. From the sofa, Catina stayed quiet, Fred held her closer and rubbed her back gently to try and soothe her but what he didn't expect was to feel hard ridges on her spine under his hoodie.

"Kitten, what is on your back?" He murmured.

"Huh?"

"Let me look at your back."

Catina shuffled over and let Fred pull up the back of the hoodie which confused Bill. "What's up, mate?" He asked his brother. Fred beckoned Bill over. On Catina's back was a series of long scars. It looked as if her back had been ripped apart. "Sweetheart, who did this to you?"

Catina didn't respond. Instead, her hands reached up to trace the scars. "Was it that Hardin bloke?" Asked Fred.

She shook her head.

"Oakley?"

Her head shook again.

"Cat, please we're worried."

"I don't know," she said, "They were not there before."

Fred pulled the hoodie back down so Catina could sit properly. "Scars don't just simply appear, Cat," he said, "please tell us the truth."

"I am telling the bloody truth, darling. I don't know how they got there!"

Her fists balled up and Fred immediately grabbed them. "Okay, okay, we believe you! Calm down!"

"I'm not a liar, Fred!"

"I know you're not, I know..."

Bill motioned to the door and left it, leaving the two teenagers alone. He was fully aware that Fred could handle the situation and he was probably going to make it worse by being there and interfering. He knew the main details and would sort something out in the morning, or at least mention it to every other adult.

Once his brother had left, Fred pulled Catina onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and buried his head into her shoulder. "Kitten, I'm sorry, just please calm down."

"How can I calm down when nobody bloody believes me. I swear this is one of the reasons why I want to leave this damn house!"

"And you will, we go to school next week. you won't be back here until Christmas and you don't have to be around anyone here. You can go back to your friends and everything. But if you think I'm leaving you alone you're wrong."

"Why are you obsessed with me?" She pushed him off and leapt off of his lap.

Fred stared at her puzzledly, "because we have something-"

"We have something? We have something? Darling, a few kisses here and there is something? If it is something that we have then why is it only that? Why do you only want that from me? Do you know how confusing you are? One minute you don't want anything to do with me. The next we hang about a bit. Then we kiss. We kiss some more. You tell me you care about me. And now you think we have something! What does that even mean?"

"Cat, the only confusing person here is you. I'm laying myself on the table for you! You're the one making it complicated. I sodding like you! I didn't want to admit it because I have literally known of your existence for a few weeks but I do. I do like you. And I know it's quick but there's just something about you. that makes me crazy about you. I want to make you feel happy, safe and make you smile."

"You're hurting my head!"

"How?"

"It's always the same! Someone claims they care about me then they leave. I bet you when we get back to school you won't want to know me."

Fred tugged at his hair, "You're literally talking ot of your arse, Cat. I've just told you that I bloody like you and you're trying to tell me I don't. Whoever hurt you before didn't deserve you. I don't want to hurt you. I want to be with you."

"Why?"

"I've just bloody told you!"

"What about George?"

"Don't worry about him."

"You're family?"

"Again, don't worry about them."

"You're friends?"

"Stuff them."

"Fred I... I don't know."

"Kitten, I just want you to be happy."

"So you've already said," she muttered rolling her eyes. Fred reached out to her and pulled her towards him.

"I don't need to know everything about you. If that is what is worrying you. You tell me as much as you want, I won't leave either way." Fred said staring into her eyes.

"Lupin said that."

"I promise I won't leave. I'll promise you that a thousand times if I have too. Just please be mine?"

Catina nodded her head and collapsed into his arms. Her walls were breaking down, a few were still standing but had prominent cracks in them. The outer ones were fully demolished and were a pile of rubble at her feet, Fred standing on top of it all. She was no longer the bold and brave Catina Lennox. Instead, she was a small little kitten in the arms of Fred Weasley, her boyfriend.