Painful Truths

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner stared out across the rippling waters of the Lake. Deep within its depths it held merpeople, a rumoured Shark and a Giant Squid. It's vastness appealed to him. As did the girl at his side. "She was drunk again." He spared nothing in his retelling of that night. Blunt hard cold facts helped to keep him from hexing something. Or from crying the bitter tears he'd held within for over a month. He glanced at Kat then back at the body of water. "I don't know what woke me that night. Almost like someone had cast a summoning charm on me in my bed," he chuckled. No humor nor mirth touched his deepened voice.

He paused with fist clenched by his sides. "She was crying," he murmured lowly. "She never cries. At first I thought maybe something was wrong with Avery, my little brother," his voice trailed off. He turned to her. "That night was the most bizarre experience in my life. It was as though I was somebody else listening to an inebriated woman tell a wild story she'd made up for the hell of it. Except I know it's true." His eyes held a faraway look and he stared over her head.

 

[Katalina Harker]

What had just happened back in the castle seemed like a world away and almost surreal. Kat and Sumner were now at the lake, which as she remembered was the first place they'd met. When the Ravenclaw began to talk she knew exactly who he was talking about. He'd mentioned his mother on several occasions, but this time was different. She saw that Sumner's fists were balled up tightly and she wanted desperately to grab them in her own and tell him that everything was going to be okay, but thought differently of it. Kat swallowed hard and looked up into his troubled face. "What did she tell you?" she asked in a hushed tone, slightly afraid of what he would tell her.

 

[Sumner Drage]

His mother's tear stained face invaded his thoughts. She was still so beautiful even with face splotchy and slightly puffy from drink. "She told me," his chin quivered and he choked on the lump in his throat. His head titled down, eyes meeting hers. "The man I grew up with isn't my father."

 

[Katalina Harker]

Even though he was looking right at her, Sumner's eyes were a focused on something a million miles away. When he told Kat exactly what it was his mother had revealed to him she didn't know exactly how to respond. "I...I..." she stammered, knowing that nothing she could say to him was going to make any of this any better. It wasn't fair that someone so wonderful had to suffer so much necessarily. "I'm sorry...I know that doesn't make it any better. Why...um, why would she tell you that now?" Kat wanted to know what had been running through his mother's intoxicated head when she had dropped that particular bomb on him.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Breath sighed from his body. He folded his long legs under him and sat down on the spongy grass. His hands rested palm up on his thighs. "I startled her." His mother had jumped at the photograph she'd shed tears over fell to the floor. "She had a picture." Slowly he had picked it up and stared at the stranger who so strongly resembled him. "It was like seeing a familiar friend. I have his eyes." The handsome stranger stared broodingly back at him.

 

[Katalina Harker]

It was almost like the boy in front of her was defeated and Kat didn't like seeing him like that. It broke her heart to see someone so strong look the way Sumner was right now. She knelt down on her knees in front of him and grabbed one of his hands in hers, interlacing their fingers. Kat's blue eyes searched his, seeing the emotion that he was holding back. "So what happens now? What are you going to do?" she asked, not really sure what his answer would be. Would he want to find his birth father? Was he even on speaking terms with his mother right now? There were so many things that were going to need answers, but Kat didn't want to push him for fear she would just make him angry.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner studied their linked fingers. His thumb rubbed lighty against the back of her smaller one. "There isn't much I can do. He's dead." Despite his own pain and confusion he'd held and rocked his mother as she sobbed into his shirt. Her grip had been painful then slowly lax. "I finally know why she can't get through the day without a drink." His eyes bored into hers with a dark intensity. "She loved him," he breathed.

 

[Katalina Harker]

A pained expression shadowed Kat's face. "You're sure he's de...dea...he passed away?" she asked in a hushed tone. She'd never dealt with matters of death well at all...had always made her a bit squeamish. Kat herself had never lost a loved one nor had she ever been in love so she didn't really have any advice for him which made her feel slightly helpless, but she knew that with his birth father dead Sumner wouldn't get much closure. "Of course she loved him and a part of her always will love him because she still has a part of him with her. His wonderful, brave, strong, caring son...she's got you!" Kat exclaimed passionately, meaning every word of what she just said. She rested her palm lightly against his face, her thumb gently caressing his cheek.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Lost for words, incredibly moved by her words, Sumner leaned forward and captured her lips with his. The pain he felt lessened when he was near her. Kat was a real friend, true in her deeds and words. Was that how she really saw him, even after knowing one another such a short time? It filled a void he hadn't known existed before he met her.

Slowly he pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers as his breath panted silently. "I'm sure. I want-I want to visit his grave. Meet the other half of my family. Maybe they can tell me more about who he was."

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kissing Sumner was exhilarating for Kat. She kissed him back with intensity like she'd never felt before...almost like she needed him with her. When he pulled away Kat closed her eyes and listened to his breathing, her own following in sync with his. She nodded slightly. Meeting the other half of his family seemed like a good idea and might give him the understanding that he was needing. "Are you going to do that over Christmas holidays?" Kat asked, secretly hoping that he was going to wait until then and was not going to be leaving the school to find answers. It would break her heart if he did.

 

[Sumner Drage]

He shrugged and sat back so he could see her pretty face. "It'd have to be." Disappointment tinged his voice. He wanted to leave now. Pack his things and go home, force his mother to tell him where to find them. They had to have things of his fathers. Photographs, muggle movies, anything. He fell into a brooding silence then realized he was dropping all this heavy stuff in her lap. He was so damn thankful she was there to talk to him. But he didn't want to see her frown anymore, not when her smile was brighter than any Lumos spell could ever be.

"Besides," he smirked, "have to represent Ravenclaw with OWLs this year. No way is Hufflepuff winning two years a row."

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon. "If...I was just going to say...well if you didn't want to have to do it alone..." she trailed off, not really sure if this was something he wanted to do on his own. Kat perked an eyebrow and grinned a little bit when Sumner mentioned the house cup. "Definitely not, but of course as a Gryffindor prefect I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that we reclaim the house cup this year! No if's and's or but's about it!" she replied with a little crinkle of her nose.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Knowing the difficult journey ahead of him her offer was more than attractive for Sumner. He would have to think hard and make sure no danger could come to her.

His lip curled attractively, baring his teeth. "Well then," he stole a kiss, "I'll just have to do my best to keep you distracted."

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat smirked and giggled a little when he said he'd have to keep her distracted. "Oh really," she said as she gently pushed him onto his back as she bent over him and whispered in his ear, "We'll just see who stays distracted!" Her nose brushed against his lightly as her mouth found his once again.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner willingly sprawled on the ground. He tucked a hand under his head, the other remained on his abdomen. His smile met hers as Kat kissed him. A month ago he could've said that he could take or leave snogging. Then the first time his lips came into contact with hers he was lost. His first kiss was quickly becoming many with her and as overwhelming as it should be, he found he wasn't minding in the least.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Pulling away Kat rolled over onto her side, resting her head on her hand up on her elbow. She almost felt like she needed to pinch herself to make sure this was all real, but refrained to keep from looking like a goof. The bright sun beat down on top of them and there was a gentle breeze which blew her hair around her face. "So other than the obvious...how was the rest of your summer?" she asked rolling over onto her stomach and resting her cheek on her folded arms.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner licked his lips and stared up at the clouds. "It was one huge disappointment. Although," he chortled, "I did get to thump Avery a few times." He sighed happily at that. Besting his little brother or 'conditioning' him as he liked to put it, was one of life's simple pleasures. Little runt was starting to give as good as he got.

Still chuckling he turned his head to look at her. "How was yours?" He barely got the words out. The sun lit her features and he just stared at her, his eyes squinting as he took her in.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"You know you really ought to be nicer to your little brother...he might grow up to be bigger than you and then you are so going to wish you'd been nicer to him!" Kat said laughing a little bit, thinking about Sumner getting beat up by his younger brother.

Blush tinged her cheeks at the way he stared at her. No one had ever looked at her that way and she had to admit that she was loving the feeling that it sent coursing through her body. Kat sighed lightly as she remembered her summer. "It was nice. I spent two weeks in Ireland and then two weeks in Canada with friends from school. I hated to see it end, but now I'm glad to be back at school," she said with a little wink and then closed her eyes as the gentle breeze blew over her, making her a little drowsy.