Chapter 136: New Brooms Sweep Clean (1)

"Haf I towl you how mush I luff you?" – Sirius asked, his mouth full of Black Forest cake.

"You've mentioned it a few times." – Catherine smirked, leaving her half-eaten piece on the low table in front of her.

"You really outdid yourself, Flame!" – James praised her – "But you always put so much more effort into Sirius' birthday cakes than mine!"

"Are we comparing cakes now?" – asked Sirius with a smug smirk.

"Please don't!" – Remus groaned tiredly, but added with a smile – "Although this cake does taste delicious!"

"Mhm." – the black-haired girl answered without looking at the wizard.

"What's wrong with the two of you?" – asked Sirius, his gaze darting between his two friends – "You've been acting so weird the last two days?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired." – Catherine snapped, standing up – "Good night."

With that, the young witch quickly dashed towards the girls' dormitory. It was still relatively early, and she found herself alone in the bedroom. She jumped into her bed and buried her face in the pillow. Although she wasn't planning to sleep, she couldn't bear being so close to Remus and pretending nothing had happened between them. The young witch hated to admit that she felt humiliated by his rejection. Watching him act skittish and guilty, tip-toeing clumsily around her and trying to start conversations despite his introverted nature, gave her a sense of vengeful satisfaction.

The tension between them was obvious to everyone, though only James knew the real reason. Catherine realised she was behaving childishly and that Moony was not at fault for how he felt, but that only made her angrier. She still couldn't bring herself to treat Remus the same way she used to. Additionally, she was ashamed of initiating the kiss, which had put her in an extremely vulnerable position.

Her lack of sleep over the past few days also contributed to her anxiety and frustration. After suddenly waking up in the early hours following the Halloween Ball, she had seen the rug in the middle of the room burn to ashes in seconds, with various personal items flying out of the trunks at the foot of the beds and hovering around. While the sight was scary, it paled in comparison to the disgusting taste of blood that the nightmare had left in her mouth. She had spent thirty minutes in the bathroom trying to gargle it away, eventually deciding not to sleep again that night. 

The days that followed were a blur of endless discussions with the girls about whether they should complain to McGonagall about the burnt rug, and flashbacks of the dream which drove her to the edge. While she wasn't certain what exactly the term 'leaking magic' entailed, she knew the nightmares were a bad sign. She impatiently awaited her next lesson with Dumbledore, hoping for some reassurance and help.

'I wish I could get some Dreamless Sleep Potion.' – the girl thought as she sat up in bed – 'I guess I could make it myself, but acquiring bicorn horn is difficult. That means I'd either have to steal the potion from the Hospital Wing or the ingredient from Slughorn. Either way, it's just a temporary solution, and I don't want to develop an addiction.'

Grunting with annoyance, Catherine prepared for another sleepless night, preferring it to the alternative of having nightmares. The dormitory door opened, and Mary entered the room, carrying a pile of books.

"Hey! I didn't know you were here." – she said, surprised to see her classmate.

"I'm feeling a bit under the weather these days." – Catherine replied, trying to be as amicable as possible.

"Oh? Maybe you caught a cold during the Halloween Ball." – Mary suggested with a sigh – "I'm sorry I missed it. It sounded like so much fun. But on the other hand, I wouldn't have been able to cope with all the gossip and people offending me, some of them straight to my face."

"They're absolute garbage!" – the other witch hissed – "You should really try to ignore them, regardless of how hard it is. You need to continue living your life!"

"That's what Lily said as well." – Mary admitted with a sad smile – "But I don't know if I'm strong enough. I know you deal with all kinds of rumours too, but at least you know they're not true. What can I say? I really loved him, Catherine, and I still do! I thought he loved me too. That's why I agreed to be with him even though I felt awkward and it hurt a lot. I just thought I had found someone who'd always be by my side and protect me. How could I have been so stupid?!"

"You're not stupid." – Catherine said gently, hugging her friend who was on the verge of tears – "You just trusted the wrong person. That's not a mistake that should have been punished in such a manner."

"He told me he couldn't be with a Mudblood and he thought I knew from the very beginning." – the other girl sobbed – "Is it going to be like that for us? Never being one of them despite being born with magic?"

"No." - the black-haired witch shook her head – "I refuse to believe it! Bloodline isn't important. It's bullshit through and through!"

"Apparently it does matter. Look how they treat us even here at Hogwarts!" – Mary sniffed desperately.

"Those who do are a bunch of clowns who dream of greatness and power but understand neither!" – Catherine declared, her eyes flashing with anger – "Look how they coward in front of the aristocrats! They're ready to do anything to be associated with them, but at the same time they don't comprehend that nobody in the major Houses gives a fuck about their blood!"

"They don't?!" – the other girl asked, astonished.

"No…" – Catherine admitted, realising she might have revealed a bit too much knowledge on the matter, but she felt she needed to share this in order to reassure her friend – "Greg McMahon explained to me it's not blood that makes those families so powerful. They possess such rare magical talents that they pass down the generations regardless of who they have children with. That's why it's not uncommon for them to marry Muggles who are rich or have connections to the Muggle governing structures. How do you think they got their noble titles? They rule both worlds. That's what the pure-blood morons don't understand. Power comes in many forms. It's not only about magic."

"Thanks, Flame!" – Mary smiled – "Hearing all this does make me feel a bit better."

"It's going to be alright!" – Catherine smiled back.

***

The next day started off unnervingly for Catherine as she nearly fell from her broom during Quidditch practice. Exhausted from another sleepless night, she hadn't noticed her grip slipping until Sirius shouted at her to get a better hold of her broomstick. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. She endured severe scolding first from the team captain, Marvolo Wood, and then from both Sirius and James.

"Since when do you drink coffee?" – asked Remus during breakfast.

"Since today." – the girl snapped, ignoring the pain in Moony's amber eyes.

"Seriously, why are you so mean to him?" – Sirius asked curiously – "I can hardly imagine Remus doing anything to displease you. What's the matter?"

"Nothing!" – Catherine almost yelled, then lowered her voice as she noticed half the Gryffindor table looking at them – "Can I do anything without constantly being asked why? Seriously, give me some breathing room, all of you!"

"I'm sorry." – Remus mumbled, his eyes fixed on his eggs, his appetite gone.

"The perks of having a fiery lioness for a friend!"- James laughed, desperately trying to lighten the atmosphere - "Another recent example is Evans giving Snivellus the boot! They're not talking to each other!"

"She didn't mention anything." – the black-haired girl said, surprised, glancing at Lily, who was sitting with Greg and Frank and appeared to be in an excellent mood.

"I wish she could also get rid of McMahon, but I guess one can't have everything at once." – James sighed dramatically.

Lily wasn't the only one in high spirits. Catherine had noticed that Professor McGonagall had been unusually cheerful during their Transfiguration lesson on Monday. And the next morning, when Catherine 'accidentally' encountered Carter Thorne on her way to Herbology, he also seemed extremely happy.

'Too bad no amount of sex could stop him from following me around.' – the young witch thought, annoyed. Furthermore, she felt embarrassed every time she remembered the steamy scene she had witnessed from under James's invisibility cloak.

In stark contrast, Severus Snape was the embodiment of misery. Catherine saw him for the first time Tuesday afternoon during Ancient Runes, and he looked completely defeated. His uncut black hair was messier and greasier than usual. Dark circles under his eyes and a sickly yellow undertone to his skin made him even uglier. Apparently, not being on good terms with Lily had taken a severe toll on his well-being. He wasn't even participating in class. The only sign of life he showed was when Catherine took the seat next to him. For a second, his black eyes flashed with hatred, but then he just returned to doodling in his notebook.

'I'm not sure whether it's flattering or offensive to be so hated by someone to the degree that it takes them out of their despair!' – the girl thought as she left her schoolbag on an empty chair in the Library. With Gryffindors having Astronomy later that evening, she decided to skip dinner in order to catch up on her homework before her lesson with Dumbledore the next evening. The Library was extremely peaceful at that time, which helped her concentrate. In her opinion, it was worth the tirade she would endure later for not eating properly.

"No dinner tonight?" – Greg's voice startled her.

"I have a lot to do and limited time. What about you? I'm surprised you're alone." – the girl teased her brother.

"I needed to pick up some books." – the boy shrugged – "Are you alright? What happened this morning during practice? You almost fell off your broom."

"I'm fine. I lost concentration because I have so many things on my mind." – the young witch lied – "By the way, can you send this to Dad?"

Greg scanned their surroundings. When he was certain nobody was around, he took the sealed envelope and placed it between the pages of his Intermediate Transfiguration textbook.

"If this is another letter about Professor Thorne, it's a waste of time." – the fifth-year remarked casually – "We've already checked him numerous times. Wouldn't it be easier to just accept he's a jerk? If he's giving you such a hard time, maybe you can ask McGonagall to speak with him as our Head of House?"

"It's not about Thorne." – Catherine replied, scoffing sarcastically – "And there's no point in involving McGonagall at all. I don't feel like becoming the subject of their pillow talk."

"I beg your pardon?" – Greg exclaimed in disbelief – "What do you mean by that?"

"What do you think?" – the girl smirked.

"You can't insinuate such things without proof." – the boy said, trying to recall if he had noticed anything suspicious about his two teachers.

"What proof? I literally saw them making out and then going to McGonagall's room! I doubt they were having tea there." – Catherine laughed.

"Merlin!" – the wizard exclaimed in shock – "Wait! You said you saw them?"

"Yeah, but it's not important." – the witch waved her hand dismissively – "Why do you look so bothered? It might not be very professional, but honestly, I don't think Thorne really cares."

"I'm not bothered, just surprised." – Greg replied, attempting to appear calmer – "Anyway, I'll send your letter to Dad tomorrow."

"It's not that urgent." – Catherine said – "I have another favour to ask, though."

"Oh? It seems you're really going to be in my debt." – the boy smirked, amused – "What do you need?"

"I want you to use your position as the heir of House McMahon to make people stop mocking and humiliating Mary MacDonald." – the girl replied decisively.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" – her brother asked, utterly confused.

"I don't know. Be creative." – the young witch shrugged – "Maybe chat with her where people can see you together, or invite her to Hogsmeade with you and the guys. It won't be that weird now that you're with Lily."

"A true heir of Salazar Slytherin, aren't you?" – Greg chuckled – "You could have just asked me, you know? Yes, we're together, but we're trying not to make it too obvious for now. I don't want people to give Lily a hard time. You know how disgusting they can be."

"I do." – Catherine nodded with a slight smile of satisfaction – "That's why I asked you to help Mary."

"Alright. I'll do my best to stop the bullying against her." – the aristocrat finally agreed – "I think I owe you for not letting Potter ruining the Ball for us, and I also feel bad for the poor girl."

"I'm glad the Ball ended well for at least one of us." – Catherine noted, turning her attention to her Summoning Charm essay.

'What happened to her last Friday?.' – Greg thought with concern, observing his sister's pale and tired face – 'It's pointless asking her now. I better go and write a letter to Dad. He'll have a field day when he finds out about Carsilion and Professor McGonagall. I wonder why Catherine needs to contact him directly. It's a first.'