* * *

Oakley didn't stay long since he had to head back home. After all, he was a muggle and to get form Devon to his home in Kent was around seven hours by car. He promised to see Catina as much as he could and left his address and telephone number for her to contact him with. Him leaving seemed just as hard as it did when she was taken from his family years prior, only this time she knew she would see him again.

His visit had kept her mind off of her father but as soon as she shut the door behind him, it swarmed her once again. Charlie and Remus hadn't left her alone with Oakley as a precaution and thankfully no magic could be seen whilst he was there (which was frightfully difficult since they were at The Burrow) but they managed it.

"Cat?" Asked Charlie, he was rather tentative and cautious but it was a question he needed to have answered. "Please tell me whoever this Hardin donny is that he didn't... he didn't sexually assault you."

Her eyes stared at him wide and watery. Flashbacks to her time living with them Emryz' clouded her mind. "Never."

"He didn't?"

"No. He was just cruel and creepy. He would slap me and kick me and taunt me but he never did anything like that. Even on the Halloween night, all he did was tear my costume to upset me. I don't think even he could stoop that low."

Charlie nodded, satisfied with her answer. Although, from the lines on her forehead he could practically see and hear the cogs turning in her head as she contemplated things. Today was certainly a rollercoaster of a day and it was as if the topic of her father had flew out of the window! He wasn't going to bring it up, after all, he couldn't force her to do or say anything. This was her choice.

From what he could gather, Catina never really had much control over decisions in her life. Everyone seemed to "know" what was "best" for her. No wonder she was so indecisive over things. No wonder she would run. Too much control over someone is claustrophobic and nobody likes feeling claustrophobic!

As if he knew that something was wrong, Juno plodded into the room and leapt onto Catina's lap, nuzzling into her. She hugged him tight, scratching behind his ear and whispering into his fur. Her voice was incoherent to Remus and Charlie but seemingly, Juno reacted to what she was saying. He coiled his tail around her arm, purring and he even shook his dainty little head. The girl frowned in response as her cat stood up tall, arching his back.

"Junie-"

He mewled and collapsed onto his side as if he was dramatically pretending to faint in exasperation.

"Juno." Catina said more sternly. He only mewled again, this time ending it with his tongue lapping out of the side of his mouth. "Christ almighty, Juno, stop being so dramatic!"

Proceeding to hiss, he leapt his feet and scurried away.

"Your cat is strange."

"Tell me about it," she chuckled and wandered off out to the garden over to Fred who must have arrived pretty recently as he was not here beforehand. His eyes lit up as he saw his girlfriend heading towards him, his arms opening up wide to which she embraced gratefully. He tugged her onto his lap and kissed her cheek sweetly.

"I heard you had a visitor."

She nodded which he took the hint that she didn't really want to talk much about it. His thumb rubbed small circles on her stomach with his head buried between her shoulder blades. They were in love. They had already realised that but something still felt off. It didn't feel the way it used too. Fred seemed off.

"You are Fred right?"

"Obviously, who else would I be you numpty?"

"George."

He rolled his eyes not responding.

Something was seriously off.

"Can we go somewhere private?"

"Yeah, sure." Fred replied and the pair slipped back into the house where nobody was occupying, Charlie and Remus having joined everyone out in the garden shortly after she did. "What's up?"

"I could ask you the same question."

Like a deer in headlights, Fred stared at his girlfriend with no way of deciphering what to say. He was as puzzled as puzzled could be and quite frankly, wanted to laugh. Laughing made everything better in his eyes and quite true that was unless it came to being confronted by his werewolf of a girlfriend.

"You're acting strange. Like, you've forgotten how to be you. I fear that may be my fault for all the trouble I've caused." Words seemed to flow from her throat, spilling things she had been noticing without her wanting to. That's what people in relationships do though, right? They talk about their feelings and their observations of one another. Don't they? Truth be told, she was clueless but it felt right, so it had to be correct. No?

"What do you mean 'acting as if I've forgotten how to be me'?" He questioned, his lengthy fingers brushing back his fiery red hair, leaving strands askew and a pathway where they had run through like a parting in an orange spiky hedge.

She rubbed her neck and began to pace. "I dunno, you just- you're not cracking the jokes. There's no teasing. You're being straightforward and apparent. There's not witty lines or that seriously attractive smirk. Except there is. But it's not from you. Bill is taking that role from you and as much as Bill is a lovely guy and all, that's not what I see him as. I see you in that way and it's like you've swapped personalities. I want Fred. I don't want some easily-swayed, agrees with anything, boring guy."

"Did you just call Bill boring?" He snickered, slightly returning to his old ways. Catina exhaled heavily, swatted his arm. "Hey!"

"Out of all I just said you pick up on that? Seriously? Fred, I'm being serious here-"

"No you aren't. You're being, Cat."

"Fred!"

"What? I'm just doing what you have asked me too!"

"Exactly! I don't want that twenty-four-seven! I want you to do it because that's what you do, not because I want you to. Fred, you've changed. You've changed when you didn't need to. Please, just stop. Go back."

"You've majorly contradicted yourself there, kitten. I just thought that's what you'd like? You and Bill seem to have a good connection-"

"Jealousy? You're jealous! You think that I like Bill? Jesus, Fred, I like you and only you. Yes, Bill is wonderful but there's nothing more than that. Please don't change and please don't assume what I do and don't like. That's ruining what we have. I just want us. The way we were. Not what this is."

Fred took her hands and kissed her knuckles. "You're right. It doesn't seem like we fit anymore. I shouldn't have gotten jealous over that boring tosser. If I promise to go back to the real me will you stay over tonight? George is staying here tonight. I'm supposed to be too but I wouldn't mind a night alone with you."

"Let's not rush things, eh, darling?"

Shoulders slumping, Fred nodded rubbing his neck. "Rushing is our middle names though. You rush to get away from places and I rush to get out of school-"

"Oi!"