batsutousai | FIC: Zephuros ~ 1 ~ R ~ HP/OC

Title: Zephuros
Author:

batsutousai
Rating: M/R
Pairings: HP/OC
Warnings: Mary-Sue/Gary-Stu-age, more OCs that you could ever wish for
Summary: Not all acts are forgivable, and Harry finds himself swayed by one who teaches him so much more than the Order ever dared.

(Dis)Claim Her: Kat/Kit belongs to me. So there. XD

A/N: Also, the responses to the first chapter were generally mind-blowing. I CERTAINLY didn't expect to get such a great response. *sweatdrop* We'll see how many of you still want to stick with this nonsense after this chapter, aye?

Now, welcome to Gary-Sue Land!!! XD
(She....has a bit of a multiple personality, I realized part-way through. Just thought I should warn you...)

Kat Miller Comes to Towne

Kat Miller was your average magical teenager-almost-not. Nineteen years old with a penchant for avoiding any and all work that had anything to do with school - she fit in almost perfectly at her all-women's university in the States, despite the Muggle majority. Except for one thing: Kat wasn't just a girl. Oh, no. She was also a boy.

You see, Kat was a rare breed of magical creature, a Vacuus Sexus - 'without sex'. Because they're related distantly to Metamorphmagi, they're able to pick an appearance for both their male and female forms sometime between birth and puberty, when the form they'd chosen would solidify and they wouldn't be able to pick another face again unless it was through the use of an outside spell.

But Kat rather liked her ability, though she had to keep it a secret, lest the American Magical Government find out about her and tag her as dangerous, or whatever it was they felt like doing to something else they didn't understand. While school was in session, she was Kathryn 'Kat' Miller, quiet yet quirky girl with shoulder-length auburn hair, a simple figure, and blue-blue eyes. At home and over long weekends alone, he was Kit Miller, snarky and darkly humorous, tall young man with short black hair and murky grey eyes.

And it was much to Kat's joy that she would shortly be travelling overseas to London for not just one semester, but a whole year. Her mother, Lynn, had nearly thrown a fit when Kat had decided to go - everyone knew that England was in the middle of a magical war - but Kat had pointed out that she wasn't planning on getting involved in any wars - she was just going to see the sights and hear the accents. Lynn still didn't like the idea, but she let her daughter go with the knowledge that the girl could easily get herself out of tight situations if she needed to; it was one of the reasons Lynn had always said that Kat could never tell anyone her secret.

So it was that Kat boarded a plane and crossed the Atlantic in a doze of travel-induced sleepiness. Once at Heathrow, she stumbled through customs and picked up her baggage.

"Kathryn Miller?" a voice asked at her elbow, accent thick to Kat's American-trained ears.

"That's me, yah," Kat replied, glancing up at the host family she'd be staying with. She found herself face-to-breasts with a tall, stern-looking woman with cold blonde hair and even colder eyes. "Urm..."

"I am Amelia Cooke. You will refer to me as Mrs Cooke or Madame. We do not condone familiarity in our house."

Kat just gaped, heart sinking already at the prospect of having to put up with this woman.

"Come. It's not courteous to leave your driver waiting for too long," Mrs Cooke stated, then spun on her heels and stalked off towards the exit.

Kat hoisted her bags up and hurried after the woman, wishing she was in her male form, since he could lift far more than she could. And it would help if prim and proper would help a bit, Kat fumed, burning a hole of hatred in the back of the woman's perfect dress.

Mrs Cooke finally stopped before the doors and gave Kat a sharp look. "Perhaps we should make a stop before we get to the house for more clothing for you."

Kat bit back her initial response, furiously recalling that she was Kat, not Kit, and forced a quiet smile. "This is only my travel clothing, Madame. I promise that the other clothing I have brought with me will meet your standards."

Mrs Cooke humphed, then turned away and stepped from the airport, leaving Kat to, once again, suffer through the dragging of her things.

Once outside, a young man with a worried look plastered across his face hurried forward. "You'll be Miss Miller?"

"Ah, yes." Kat pulled up a shy smile.

"Take her things, Richard!" Mrs Cooke snapped.

Richard made a slight face, which caused Kat's waning smile to solidify, then held out a hand. "Your bags, miss."

Kat bit back a giggle at the sound of a male her age acting so proper and handed over three of her bags with a minimal amount of juggling, keeping two with her. "Thank you."

"Those need to go in the trunk as well," Mrs Cooke said to Kat as Richard moved her other bags into the car.

Kat frowned and clutched one of the bags to her chest, the other hung off her shoulder loosely. "If you'd please, Mrs Cooke, I'd rather keep some of my things with me. I need to, to feel at all safe."

Kat's last word hung between the two women thickly as Richard continued to pack the trunk as quietly as he could.

Mrs Cooke finally offered Kat a nasty sneer and said, "Americans," before sliding into the car with another humph.

Kat took a deep breath and shakily returned the smile Richard was offering her before slipping into the car with Mrs Cooke.

-

"Richard, help Miss Miller take her things to her room, then show her back to the parlour. Miss Miller, I expect you to be dressed better when you return," Mrs Cooke said before turning and disappearing into the manor they'd arrived at.

Richard glanced over at Kat sadly and murmured, "I'm sorry about her. She's-"

Kat cut him off with a shake of her head. "Please don't apologize for others, Richard. You can no more control her nasty personality than I could. It doesn't matter." She grabbed another of her bags, then gave the staring Richard a tired look. "Can we please go in?"

"Oh! Sorry!" Richard grabbed her last two bags, then led the way into the house and up a grand staircase. Down the hall just to the left of the staircase was her new room and Richard set her bags down on the ground gently. "Shall I wait outside, then?"

Kat looked around at the room in quiet awe. The far wall had a large window with a seat in front of it and perfect dark brown velvet curtain. The room's walls were a pale green with dark green trimmings. All the furniture was made out of beautiful dark red-brown wood that Kat didn't recognize. The room just screamed, 'I'm swimming in cash!' Even just the bed - a four-poster with drapes of golden-brown satin - was more than her mother could have ever dreamed of affording, especially now that Kat was in college. She felt small and dizzy in the suddenly too large room and had to grab the bed post to keep her feet.

"Miss Miller?!"

Kat shook her head and desperately wished she could be Kit for this. "I'm fine, thank you. If you could wait outside for just a moment, I'd be most grateful."

"If you're sure..."

"I am. Thank you." Kat glanced up and forced out a smile. Once the door had closed behind Richard, though, the smile faded, as did her female form.

Kit tugged off the too-tight clothing, then made a run for the bathroom that was attached to the room for a quick shower and refresher. It wouldn't do to have Mz Cooke getting on Kat's case for being dirty from her travels or, Merlin forbid, late.

After Kit was done in the shower, he turned back to Kat and she picked out some clothing with a sigh. Time to face the she-beast.

Kat poked her head out the door and pulled out a smile for the nervous Richard. "Thanks for waiting," she said quietly.

"Of course," Richard replied, looking a bit relieved. "Shall I take you down?"

"Please," Kat agreed, then followed Richard down the grand staircase and through a set of high doors to a soaring room edged in gold. Kat bit back any reactions - the house was almost too much for an American middle-class child.

Mrs Cooke sat in the centre of a stern-looking settee, a tea set on the coffee table between her chosen seat and the squashy chair that was obviously meant for Kat. The chair looked so out of place that Kat couldn't help but wonder if it had been conjured just for her.

"Don't just stare. Sit," Mrs Cooke ordered Kat, then turned to Richard. "You're wanted by the Master in his study. Go quickly."

"Yes, Madame," Richard replied with a bow, then hurried away.

Mrs Cooke turned back towards Kat, who had taken the seat left for her, and frowned. "You have come at a bad time for the United Kingdom, Miss Miller. I do hope you're aware of that."

Kat glanced down at the tea tray and bit her lip. "Quite. My mother didn't want me to come."

"You should have listened to her. You're not safe her-"

"I can take care of myself, thank you," Kat interrupted as she saw a small figure in the shadows of the doorway. "I passed with flying colours in my Defence NEWTs and my mother's best friend, who works for the AMG, taught me a fair number of other spells."

Mrs Cooke snorted and picked up her tea with dainty fingers. "Your manners are disgusting."

Kat bit her lip, hard, and tasted blood. "I'm sorry, but not all of us were brought up on bribe money."

"Watch your tongue!" Mrs Cooke looked absolutely furious. "You will show respect while in this house or you will be forced to stay in those ridiculous excuses for dorms at the university. You should feel privileged to be in this house-"

"I don't feel at all privileged, thanks," Kat snapped back, looking up at Mrs Cooke angrily. "I'd almost prefer the dorms to this monstrosity you call a house."

Mrs Cooke narrowed her eyes and seemed to calm herself with a steel will. "Tinky."

The little house-elf that had been hiding in the door hurried forward, bowing lowly. "What can Tinky do for Madame?"

Mrs Cooke met Kat's eyes with that same cold calm that she'd had when they first met at the airport. "Tinky, you will be answering to Miss Miller's call if she needs any help. Make sure you help her around the house and that she's comfortable. Outside the house, Richard will keep an eye on her."

"Tinky understands, Madame."

"Why don't you show Miss Miller around, then?" Mrs Cooke suggested, her eyes warning Kat that if she didn't leave now, she'd regret it later.

Kat stood easily and inclined her head. "Thank you for the tea," she intoned, even though she hadn't had any, before turning away and following Tinky from the room.

Tinky stopped at the bottom of the grand staircase and asked, "What would Miss Miller like to see?"

Kat grimaced. "I don't suppose there's any way I could talk you into calling me Kat?" Tinky shook her head furiously. "Not even when it's just us?"

"Tinky must respect her master and master's guests at all times," Tinky replied, looking slightly panicked.

Kat tugged on a lock of hair and gave the house-elf an understanding smile. "That's okay, then. How about you show me your favourite places in this house?"

"Miss Miller would not mind?" Tinky asked, eyes impossibly wide.

"I've hardly been here an hour - I won't know where to begin, or, for that matter, what I'm not allowed to mess with," Kat replied, feeling more cheerful by the minute in the presence of this small house-elf. Tinky was, after all, a magical creature, just as Kat was.

Tinky's eyes lit up with happiness. "Then Tinky will show Miss Miller the north tower first, then the library!"

"That sounds wonderful," Kat admitted.

With a bounce in her step, Tinky led the way.

-

"Tinky, if I told you an important secret, would you be duty-bound to tell your master?" Kat asked three hours later when they had stopped by Kat's room for a quick break.

Tinky's eyes fell. "Tinky would."

"That's okay then," Kat replied, not minding all that much. "Do you know how your master responds to magical creatures?"

"Like house-elves?" Tinky asked, looking curious.

"Well, yes and no." Kat tugged on a lock of her hair. "More like a werewolf, I suppose."

"No, bad," Tinky responded, making a face. "Master doesn't like them. Master says to Tinky they should be locked up in zoos with other beasts." Tinky paused, then added, "Like house-elves." Then she proceeded to slam her head on the bed post.

Kat grabbed Tinky and hugged her, biting back tears, as well as words that would probably upset the elf again. "I'm sorry," she allowed. "I wish things were different."

Tinky clung to Kat for a minute longer, then slipped back to her original spot on the bed, watery eyes holding an understanding look. "Miss Miller like Tinky." It wasn't a question.

Kat nodded, her stomach doing loop-de-loops.

Tinky nodded back. "Tinky won't tell. Miss Kat like Tinky here. House-elves don't tell other house-elf's secret."

Kat bit her lip and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Tinky," she whispered, then paused and thought about what the house-elf had just said. "Miss Kat?"

Tinky smiled and nodded vigorously. "House-elves call house-elves by born name, but Miss Kat still guest."

"Thank you," Kat said again, finding it difficult to properly express her gratitude.

"Can Tinky know what Miss Kat is?"

Kat blinked then stood from the bed. "I'm a Vaccus Sexus," she explained, then shifted into her male form. "My name when I'm like this is Kit," he added, smiling faintly.

Tinky clapped her hands together in excitement. "Mr Kit is amazing!"

Kit's lips twitched and he took a moment to resize his clothing before sitting back down. "Perhaps not so much amazing as just strange."

"Why Mr Kit more female? Mr Kit better in male body," Tinky said in response.

Kit sighed. "I was born female, so that's what's on my birth certificate. Mom won't let me declare myself because of the possibility of getting thrown into jail or being tagged or something equally cruel and overly dramatic." Kit rolled his eyes. "Though, it is fun. It's like I have my own twin sister."

Tinky laughed.

-

Kat never got the chance to meet the master of the house - he always had some reason to not be there for meals or be cooped up in his office. Not that Kat minded - she wasn't looking forward to meeting him, anyway.

The young man of the household, Tinky had said, was out of town with some of his friends and would be returning the night before their classed started again. Tinky had also said that the 'young master' was not as stern as his parents and that Kat was sure to like him.

And so it was with quiet trepidation that Kat got ready for the first day of her new university and hurried down to the private dinning room to eat breakfast and greet the youngest of her three hosts.

"You must be Kat," a voice said as she entered the dinning room. It sounded friendly enough, so Kat looked up and met the smiling blue-grey eyes that watched her. "I'm Derek. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I..." Kat tugged on a lock of her hair and shifted a smile on her face. "Thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you, as well."

Derek laughed. "The way my mother speaks, one might think you're a thug!"

Kat settled in the chair across from Derek with a smirk. "No, that's my brother."

Derek laughed again. "I like you," he informed her with a wink, then stood. "If you'll forgive me, I'm afraid I have to get dressed - pyjamas aren't the best first impression, you know?"

"I do," Kat agreed cheerfully.

Derek left with a wave over his shoulder just as Tinky popped in with food for Kat. "Does Miss Kat enjoy the young master?"

"He's very different," Kat allowed.

"The young master supports the Dumbley instead of the Ministry. He knew the fallen-but-great Harry Potter once," Tinky continued, not the least bit thrown off by Kat's careful assessment of Derek.

"You know, that doesn't tell me much about him," Kat pointed out dryly.

Tinky let out a half-smile. "Tinky knows," she informed Kat, then winked out of sight.

Kat shook her head with a smile. "House-elves."

-

Richard drove Kat and Derek to the university, then left. Derek turned to Kat with a smile after the chauffer had left. "I've heard that you're like us, magical, so I was hoping that you wouldn't mind meeting with a couple of my friends here. They all went to Hogwarts, but I went to Durmstrang, so we've only met through the uni. I think you'll like them."

Kat blinked. "Uhm, sure. Lead the way."

"Wonderful." Derek led Kat through the minor crowds and over to where a young man and young woman sat on a bench. The woman had crazed brown hair and bright brown eyes while the young man next to her had bright orange hair that stood on end and a pair of dark sunglasses covering his eyes. "Ron, 'Mione, this is Kat Miller. Kat, this is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

Kat smiled back at the two grinning ex-Hogwarts students. "It's a pleasure."

"The pleasure is all ours," Hermione replied, standing. "We should probably be heading for our classes, however. Don't want to be late!"

"Oh!" Kat looked at her watch with a touch of concern. "She's right. I'll see you three later!" Then she turned and ran towards the building, heedless of the voices calling after her to wait.

It wasn't until she'd already gotten lost in the building that she recalled that she didn't know where her first class might even be.

-

-

A/N: I hope everyone approves? Or is busy fleeing.

Let me know if I need to make up a chart for the OCs. I've been using that doll maker I'm so fond of to keep them straight, myself... *sweat*

I'm sick, so I'll just leave this here. Ja!
~Bats

Chapters:
Prologue - Harry's Tale
~~1 - Kat Miller Comes to Towne~~ ||| 2 - Rivalling Friends
Discontinued

Current Mood: sick
Current Location: desk ~ B106
Current Music: Soldier's Daughter ~ Toxic

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

haruka89.livejournal.com

I really don't know what to make of this yet, but it seems to get interesting. And with me being very, very curious I, of course, want to know how it continues.

And I think this chart would be a good idea.

From:

batsutousai

Mmmmm... ^.~

I'm thinking so myself. Or at least put up the dolls I've been using. I would have done it when I posted this chapter, but I had a club to get to. ^.^"

From:

rule-number-7.livejournal.com

Can I refer to Mrs. Cooke and Miss Bitch? Please? lol

I can't wait for more!

From:

batsutousai

That's MRS Bitch, to you!! XD

From:

rule-number-7.livejournal.com

FINE! lol

From:

grazhir.livejournal.com

I'm glad to see you kept the gender-switch thingie. :)

I admit, it took me a minute or three to remember why Harry might be referred to as "fallen."

From:

batsutousai

It worked out well. And it was fun to make a new species. XD

LOL!!!

From:

shara-lunison.livejournal.com

:: nod, nod :: I think... you should continue to post on weekends so that I have some form of entertainment... for the ten minutes it takes me to read anyway. ^^;

God, what I wouldn't give for a video game... U_U

From:

They condemn what they do not understand

FIC: Zephuros ~ 1 ~ R ~ HP/OC