Katie was adrift with thoughts and feelings from all that had happened the past week, past month with the two men that had dropped into her life. They seemed to take over her vision, make it hard to see anything but them. She didn't mind it, but she also felt as if she hadn't seen or talked to anyone else for much too long. She needed to see Cory, Angie and Tonksy, to reassure herself that they were still there, still hers and that everything was right in the world despite her topsy-turvy love life.

She hadn't seen Cory for a couple of weeks and was feeling overdue for some of his stuffy company. He'd always been good to her, hugs and just an ear when she needed, despite what people thought about him. She wasn't completely blind to the things he did, but he'd always treated her well and that counted for something.

Katie knew he wouldn't be home from the Ministry until late on a weekday and waited until after she'd helped with the evening pub crowd at the Shed and showering before Apparating over to his flat with food she'd snagged from the pub. She arrived with a soft 'pop' in his dark entryway and figured out fairly quickly that he wasn't home yet.

She toed off her shoes and padded into the sitting room, setting the food on the coffee table and curling up into the corner of the couch. She'd wait for a little while as Cory was more than prone to working much more than he should. Turning on the lamp next to her, she pulled a small paperback novel out of the back pocket of her jeans and began to read.

Cormac Apparated into his flat, tired, but relieved to be home. He pulled off his cloak, hung it in the closet and dropped his bag on the floor. Sensing someone was there with him, he smiled, as that could only be the one person he trusted enough to grant direct Apparition into his flat-Katie. "Katie?" he called out. "Beautiful?" Knowing he'd most likely find her curled up on his couch with a paperback, he headed for the sitting room.

Hearing movement near the entryway, Katie dropped her book on the sofa and hopped off the couch, winding her way towards the door. She heard him call out to her just before she saw him around a corner and jumped into his arms as soon as he came into her vision, smiling against his shirt because she was sure she had managed to startle him this time. "Hallo, Cory," she grinned up at him, "missed you."

Wrapping his arms around Katie, he gave into his natural inclination to spin her around a few times. If anyone else could see me now....he thought. He returned her grin with one of his own. "Beautiful! I missed you, too. I'm glad you're here. And please tell me that's food from the Shed that I smell." Katie smiled and nodded. Releasing her from his arms, he set her down and poked her in the side playfully. "Race you to it," he said, running off down the hall to his sitting room.

Not surprised at all when Katie passed him, he was a bit shocked to see her already sitting on the floor beside his coffee table, food spread out before her. "How'd you do that?" he said. He spelled a fire in the fireplace and sat opposite of Katie at the table.

"Magic," she said around a sweet smile.

"You know, I do have a lovely table and chairs we could use if you feel so inclined," he said, nodding towards his kitchen.

Katie shook her head, already intent on her food. Now that it was spread in front of her, she found herself ravenous. "Nope, I like it better in here. More cozy, and plus, the food's already out and smells yummy." She glanced up at him then, a smile tugging at her lips. "I know you want to eat right this moment, even if it does mean sitting on the floor. If I still know you as well as I think I do, you've not eaten since the lunch hour, maybe, possibly something you grabbed for breakfast on the way out, yes?"

Grabbing his fork, Cormac said, "Guilty as charged. You still know me, beautiful, better than anyone else. And yes, I'm ravenous." He smiled and tucked into his food, not talking much until he was done. Pushing back from his plate, he thanked Katie for bringing dinner and climbed onto the couch. He patted the spot beside him and smiled. "Come tell me how're you're doing. Are you warm enough? Do you want me to make the fire larger?"

Crawling up onto the sofa next to her friend and wrapping her legs underneath her, Katie let herself relax. "I'm warm enough and the fire's just fine, promise," she grinned up at him before turning her attention back to the flames dancing in the grate. "And how am I doing?" she repeated absently after a few moments. "I'm doing ... alright, I guess. Quidditch is good. We won our game Saturday, though it was all kinds of horrible to be out there in the wind and rain. But ... I've had some ... trips and stumbles in my love life lately, but I'm feeling mostly optimistic about things." She turned to him again with a wry little grin. "I guess I should be optimistic that I have love life problems at all, as I haven't had those for a long, long time."

Not liking to think of Katie hurting in any way, either out in the wind and rain or through the actions of a man, Cormac wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "I know I'mthe last person alive to be giving relationship advice, so I'm not going to give any. Are you all right, though? No one has done or said anything, er, untowards, have they?" I don't want to have to hurt anyone. No, who am I kidding? I'd love an excuse to hurt someone, but that wouldn't make Katie happy.

Katie laughed softly under her breath as she laid her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. She knew he had the occasional moral dilemma, but his face as he offered to defend her honor was priceless. "No one's been 'untowards', promise Cory. Just ... some misunderstandings is all. And the fact that I'm apparently attracted to people with issues, but I'm not complaining too much." She poked him in the side then, a small tickle, before continuing. "I mean, otherwise, I'd probably not have adopted you, yeah?" she finished with a cheeky grin.

He had to laugh with her. If anyone had issues-it was him. If there were anyone undeserving to be in her life-it was him. He grimaced lightly at that thought. "Yes, point taken," he said. He was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. "I just want you to be happy, Beautiful. I know you have a good head on your shoulders, but it makes me mental-thinking of someone possibly hurting you. Be careful, okay?"

"I'm trying to be as careful as possible. Sometimes it's hard when you like someone to keep perspective, I guess, but ... but I've got people looking out for me," she answered, thinking of all the people in her life who cared about her, of Fred who was there with her every step of the way this time around. Katie brought her eyes up to his again. "People like you to defend my honor and stuff, right?" she grinned.

"I know it's ironic to think of me defending anyone's honor, but if I were to defend anyone against anything-it would be you." He met Katie's eyes. "Does he make you happy? Does he treat you like the wonderful woman you are?" Is he the complete opposite of me? "Beautiful? Who is he?" he asked and raised an eyebrow.

Katie squirmed, not quite sure how to tell Cormac there was more than one. A blush tinting her cheeks, she looked up at him and gave him a sheepish smile. "There's actually two someones, maybe. Fred Weasley and ... well, I've been seeing Greg Goyle too." Though I'm not quite sure yet if he's still seeing me.

"Two someones?" Seems like we have more than our Gryffindor status in common. "Well, you certainly go the extra mile, don't you?" He grinned for a moment, but then the smile fell off Cormac's face. His mind drifted towards the visit he had received from Greg at his office a few weeks back. "Fred's a good bloke. But Greg? That makes me nervous-he treats you...right?" He fought back a shudder. Don't go there, Cormac. Go back.

"He's been very honorable towards me, promise," she answered before Cormac went too far into unfamiliar territory. So honorable that he left me to a 'better' man. Katie knew that Cormac had an illustrious past and present with women, but it was nice that he tried to go around his own instincts and practices to try and do right by her.

Taking a deep breath, Cormac then blew out a sigh of relief, grateful that Katie had spared him the details. "So are you unsure which one you want? Or are you going to keep them both?" he asked with a laugh. "I wouldn't recommend that route myself, having had it blow up in my face, but perhaps it's easier for a woman to keep two men?" He grinned slyly. "I never would have thought I'd be having this conversation with you. I dare say it's quite refreshing."

Katie blushed at his last comment, eyes studiously watching the flames as she answered. "I want to keep them both, actually." She wasn't really willing to share more than that as she wasn't sure on much more anyways. Her and Fred wanted to keep Greg together, the three of them, but Greg didn't know that yet and until she was sure where everyone stood, if Greg was okay, she wouldn't go into details. It was better than lots of explaining later. Turning back to her friend, she gave him a small smile, eyes twinkling with humor as she said, "You know, I never really pictured us having this conversation either." She leaned over then, wrapping an arm around him in a hug. "But it's really nice to know that you won't judge me, either way."

Chuckling, Cormac answered, "You're right about that; no judging from me. Hell, you could have them both at the same time and I wouldn't have room to talk." He pulled Katie in closer, resting his chin on the top of her head, enjoying her familiar and calming smell.

Cormac hadn't asked her a question, and Katie felt at this point that there was no need to elaborate or confirm how close his comment had come to some of the things that she and Fred had talked about. Taking a breath and trying to will away the blush she knew was painting her cheeks from their conversation, she relaxed against him. In the comfortable silence, she let her eyes wander from the flames and was more than a little surprised to see a portrait of a half naked woman hung above the mantle. Looking a more closely, her eyes widened a little bit. "Cory, is that ... is that Alicia?"

"Er-well-yes. It was a gift of sorts, long story. I didn't know what else to do with it." He shrugged. "I tried putting it in my bedroom, but she was watching me undress." He paused. "It just feels odd when a portrait propositions you, so, I moved her in here."

Katie was a bit speechless, both that Alicia had given a semi-nude portrait of herself to Cormac and that he had it hung in his main sitting area. "Yeah, that would be ... odd," she answered after a few moments as she tilted her head to the side as the Alicia in the portrait shifted to show herself off at a different angle. "Well, it definitely ... makes a statement in your otherwise bare room." Tilting her head the other way, she continued, "Though, I do feel like I'm intruding or something. She definitely has eyes for you Cory."

He laughed loud and long. "I think you might be right." He kissed her cheek. "Did that make her jealous?" he said with a wink. "Dean Thomas painted it. He's good, isn't he?"

"Dean Thomas? I don't think I've seen or heard from him since school," Katie said absently. Then turning to her friend, she gave him a small smile. "He is very good. I think I've now seen more of Alicia then I ever wanted to, but he paints beautifully."

"You don't know how much I appreciate you not comparing your anatomy to hers like Pansy did when she saw the portrait in my office." He smiled cheekily.

"Pansy? Pansy Parkinson, Cory? Seems we've both been pretty busy, yeah?" she snickered, mood lighter than it had been in days. Laying her head against his shoulder again in the comfortable silence that followed, Katie watched the flames dance merrily in the hearth and did her best to studiously ignore the portrait above.

Summary: Katie visits Cormac. They have a surprisingly normal (well, kind of) conversation about relationships.