Kate spent the whole of October at ease.
With a contract still under revision and negotiation between them, Lockhart's attitude toward her had grown somewhat fawning—he even awarded her marks a notch higher than everyone else's.
Although the man's smug face was genuinely a bit annoying, at least, no matter how vain he was, he wouldn't go and parade that vanity in front of Hermione—which counted as a good thing.
With him no longer standing between them, she'd finally returned to her usual way of getting along with Hermione.
It was just that, for some reason, the little girl would occasionally be nowhere to be found, having gone off who knew where.
Judging by the magical fluctuations around her growing steadily stronger, Kate guessed she must have been sneaking off somewhere to practice spells.
What on earth kind of spell had Katherine taught her, that she had to keep her practice hidden from Kate?
She'd written to Katherine specifically to ask, and only after confirming that the spell Hermione was now practicing wasn't some dangerous bit of dark magic did she set her mind at ease and turn a blind eye to the girl's occasional disappearances.
Besides, she no longer had to make a trip to the Headmaster's office every weekend, nor did she have to dwell, for the time being, on the threat of the diary.
With Dumbledore around, the diary couldn't slip out of his grasp.
After the affairs of the Philosopher's Stone and the diary, she was gradually coming to feel that having a reliable, powerful backer to lean on really was a fine thing.
Perhaps in many matters she didn't need to think too ill of Dumbledore; that old man, in the overwhelming majority of cases, could be counted a good person.
As long as the abilities she displayed stayed within the range of a normal child, she needn't worry about what Old Man Dumbledore might do to her.
Mm... the upper limit of a "normal child" was probably reckoned according to the abilities of a young Voldemort.
Thinking of it that way, she really was nothing more than an utterly ordinary second-year student.
Soon enough, Halloween arrived.
The Great Hall had already been decorated as in years past with live bats, and the enormous pumpkins Hagrid had grown, carved into lanterns, drifted along the corridors—so big that three people could have sat inside one.
There was even a rumor that Dumbledore had booked a troupe of skeleton dancers to liven things up for everyone.
Thanks to Kate's warning, the three little lions had also used every sort of excuse to wriggle out of the invitation when they ran into Nearly Headless Nick.
Now they sat with her in the brightly decorated Great Hall, enjoying the Halloween feast alongside everyone else.
Before that, though, she saw Dumbledore step up onto the raised platform.
"Everyone," he said, tapping his goblet to signal for quiet, "amid this cheerful atmosphere, I'm afraid I must inform you all of a very important matter."
Even Malfoy, who had still been talking, fell silent, brow furrowed as she tilted her head up to stare at him.
Dumbledore swept his gaze over the assembled students, lingering on Kate for a moment before he continued:
"During the Christmas holidays, a little over a month from now, Hogwarts will be carrying out inspection and repair work on the castle.
"There's no need to worry—this is merely a necessary inspection done at intervals; after all, the castle we now occupy has stood firm against wind and rain for a thousand years.
"So far it has shown no problems whatsoever, but for the sake of the safety of all our students and staff, we need to inspect it on a regular basis.
"Therefore, I ask that all students and staff mark 'confirmed departure' on the forms asking whether they will be going home for Christmas.
"For any students or staff for whom going home is inconvenient, the school will fund a twelve-day study-tour; the basic costs, of course, will be covered entirely by Hogwarts.
"Students who are interested should first write to their parents to consult them, and after obtaining a letter of parental consent, sign up with Professor McGonagall."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Great Hall, which had managed to stay quiet until then, erupted into cheers.
A study-tour—Hogwarts had never held anything like it before, so how could it not get people excited?
Clearly, compared with going home for Christmas, this unprecedented study-tour held far greater appeal for the children.
But amid the cheering, Kate's ears twitched—she seemed to catch Harry's despairing cry: "No, my aunt and uncle will never let me join the trip!"
She shook her head and silently took a sip of pumpkin juice.
Twelve days of holiday, at most ten Galleons per student—with a thousand students and staff across the whole school, that came to at least ten thousand Galleons.
That was a sum Hogwarts certainly couldn't produce, so it could only be the Shafiq family who paid it.
Fortunately, she had already sketched out a rough itinerary for the tour, covering four regions of England, and everywhere the route passed through, the Shafiq family held businesses.
She had indeed covered the food, lodging, and travel fares for those twelve days, but any extra expenses would naturally have to be footed by the students themselves.
A mere ten thousand Gold Galleons—it would be recouped soon enough.
If this event went off successfully, then perhaps Hogwarts would keep holding it in the future—and just how much profit that might bring, no one could say for certain.
And how much money the Shafiqs could take was, in any case, secondary; the most important thing was that, so long as this event was carried on, the profits would keep growing and enduring, and the other families of the magical world would hardly fail to grow envious and want a slice of the pie.
By then, the declining Shafiq family could seize the chance to become sought-after once more in the magical world.
And Hogwarts, too, with a share of the profits, would be able to give its students and staff a somewhat better life.
Of course, that was on the condition that no one came along to wreck this grand scheme for name and profit—Voldemort, for instance.
At least this year, she didn't have to fret over it.
All through Halloween night, the students ate their fill of delicacies while each group discussed the unknown study-tour to come.
"I never imagined the school would actually cover the cost of a study-tour. I've absolutely got to go home and tell Mum and Dad to let me sign up!" Ron said excitedly, chomping away at a chicken leg.
Hermione, however, shook her head in disagreement. "If all the children in your family go off on the study-tour, then only your parents will be left at home for Christmas—how lonely would they be? I don't think very many students will be able to go."
"Bill and Charlie have already graduated—they can go home!" Ron retorted, unconvinced. "A trip that doesn't cost anything—my mum and dad are bound to agree!"
Harry ate in silence, saying nothing.
On a day for family reunions like Christmas, his aunt and uncle probably wouldn't want him coming back.
Over at the Slytherin table, Malfoy was talking with considerable interest as well. "As it happens, my father won't let me come home this year, so I'll just join the study-tour and see what sort of tricks the school comes up with."
Hearing this, Kate, for once, struck up the conversation with her of her own accord. "Oh? You've got guests over at home for Christmas?"
"Some friends of my father's, I suppose," Malfoy said without any guard at all. "I'm not really sure myself."
Probably those old Death Eaters.
Because the diary had been slipped into Ginny's cauldron, Lucius probably still believed, even now, that Hogwarts would be thrown into chaos on account of Ginny.
Never mind—let them scheme all they liked; they were a rabble of nobodies anyway, incapable of stirring up any real waves.
Kate gave a little smile and raised her glass to her. "Happy Halloween."
A little surprised by Kate's attitude today, Malfoy was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly reached for the drink at her hand—only to knock the cup straight over.
Flustered, she used a spell to clear away the stains on the table and on herself, and when she looked up, she found that Kate was still holding her glass aloft, a faint smile playing at her lips as she waited for her.
Not knowing quite what she felt, Malfoy raised a fresh cup and clinked it against Kate's, watching as Kate tipped her head back and drank the beverage down bit by bit.
Even with part of it hidden from view, she could still see, as Kate tilted her head back, the way the throat in that long, fair neck slid up and down as it swallowed the liquid.
Almost unconsciously, she swallowed too.
Her senses, grown sharp with emotion, caught the teasing, mischievous glint in Pansy's eyes from diagonally across the table.
Her heart lurched, and before Kate had set down her glass, she threw her own head back and downed the entire drink in one go.
"Cough... cough cough!"
Having choked, her face flushed crimson in an instant, concealing within it a barely perceptible trace of panic.
But quickly, Malfoy straightened up, lifting her choking-reddened eyes as though nothing had happened, facing the person before her with her proudest bearing.
Kate, however, wasn't looking at her at all just then; she had her head down, wholly absorbed in dealing with the steak in front of her.
"....."
Her fingers clenched unconsciously around the cup in her hand, and Malfoy pressed her lips tight, lowering her head as well, hacking the steak before her to pieces with a venting resentment.
Damn that Kate!
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