Chapter 30: The Lion, the Snake, and the Pumpkin (2)

In a few days, Remus returned, tired and pale, greeted by a grim and tense atmosphere in the Gryffindor Common Room. The payback for James and Astrid materialised in Narcissa Black, spending a whole day with Madame Pomfrey until the Matron managed to turn the girl's purple skin back to its original colour. 

The conflict had escalated beyond spells, evident as students from both houses resorting to physical brawls and confrontations. Remus Lupin was ambushed by three sixth-years while having a walk in the school grounds and later found, tied to a nearby tree, cold and with a split lip. 

Lily Evans was shoved by Bellatrix Black into a mud puddle on her way to Herbology. Catherine, who walked not far behind, drew her wand and used a Stinging Hex on the fourth-year Slytherin. However, Bellatrix moved too quickly, and the hex landed on Valeria Malfoy. Her scream attracted other Slytherins, and Catherine had to duck on the ground to avoid spells aimed at her. What she couldn't avoid, though, was Draven Nott, who was at least two heads taller than her and probably weighted three times as much. He grabbed her and tossed her around like a ragdoll. Sirius jumped on top of him just in time to save his classmate from any serious injuries. 

The severe punishments and house points deductions didn't seem to have any significant impact on either Gryffindors or Slytherins, who behaved as if possessed by demons. The situation was so out of control that even Lily resorted to violence, using a Bat-Bogey Hex against Evan Rosier, who had taken Mary's schoolbag and was refusing to give it back.

"I'm seriously impressed with you, Evans." – grinned James, bending over to have a closer look at the disgusting sight that was Rosier. 

"I don't need your approval, Potter!" – snapped Lily – "I think this whole war with Slytherins is incredibly stupid, but I'm not going to let them bully me or my friends."

"Where have you even learnt this hex?" – asked Catherine, surprised. 

"It was written on the wall of the girls' bathroom." – said Lily, blushing, and added quietly just for Catherine to hear – "I had more than enough time to look around, being locked in that cabin."

The conversation was interrupted by Professor Slughorn, who arrived to let them into the Potions classroom. Like Professor McGonagall, he had a lot of work in the recent weeks, and his usually smiling face was tired and sour. His mood didn't improve when he saw Rosier, although the fact that it was Lily who hexed him probably softened the verdict. She was scolded a little, and five points were deducted from Gryffindor. 

That would have settled things for a while if it wasn't for Snape, pretending he tripped and spilling a generous amount of what seemed to be powdered dried valerian leaves on top of Sirius. Since that ingredient was not dangerous, it all ended up with an exchange of pleasantries between the two boys. Five minutes later, however, Sirius' whole body started to itch. The more he scratched himself, the worse it became. In just another five minutes, he was completely losing his composure and scratching his arms so vigorously he broke the skin, and long bloody marks appeared everywhere he touched himself. 

The sight was truly horrific, and Catherine and James both grabbed one of Sirius' hands to prevent him from further hurting himself. Professor Slughorn took him inside his office in an attempt to figure out what caused the terrible itch, while Slytherins were elbowing each other, sneering. 

"What did you do to him, Snivellus?" – shouted James angrily.

"Me?" – asked Snape not even trying to hide his satisfaction – "I can't help it if Gryffindors don't take showers regularly and get all itchy."

"Seriously?"- laughed Catherine sarcastically – "And when was the last time you showered?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" – scoffed the Slytherin boy.

"It means that a person who showers twice a year has no right to criticise others. I wonder how Lily manages to keep her eyes from watering staying next to you." – answered Catherine, her face full of disgust as she looked at Snape. 

The Slytherin suddenly drew out his wand, trembling with anger, and pointed it at the black-haired girl. James also had his wand ready, but Catherine just raised her eyebrows mockingly and motioned towards the Gryffindor boy to put his wand away. 

"Are you going to hex me, Snape?"

"I may if you don't keep that wicked mouth of yours shut." – the boy answered sinisterly.

"But, my dearest Snivelly, you are the one who started this in the first place."- said Catherine with a huge smile that never reached her eyes. The young witch laughed cunningly and in a flash took out her wand.

"Densaugeo!" – the girl shouted.

"Furnunculus!" – Snape yelled simultaneously. 

Both hexes hit their targets. Catherine screamed and covered her face with her hands, while Snape sank to his knees, frantically hiding his mouth. 

"Flame!" – cried both James and Remus, trying to take a look at their friend's face and assess the damage. Nobody checked on Snape. He finally managed to stand up, but by this time, he couldn't hide his rapidly growing front teeth anymore. At this moment, Professor Slughorn appeared again, accompanied by Lily, whose face was as red as her hair. 

"Catherine! Severus! Merlin, what happened?" – the confused teacher tried to take a better look at the young witch's face revealing a terrible picture. The only thing that was still recognisable were the girl's bright green eyes. Everything else was covered with purulent pimples. Gryffindors squawked in surprise, and Slytherins burst into laughter. Catherine's eyes filled with tears, and she ran away from the dungeon before the stunned Potions Master could react. 

"What a mess!" – Slughorn exclaimed in desperation – "Severus, go to the Hospital Wing immediately… or actually, no… I've already sent Mr Black there. I can probably fix this on my own. Come to my office. You have some explanation to do, young man."

Snape followed the Head of his house, trying to look down so his classmates wouldn't notice how big and ugly his yellowish teeth had already grown.

"Severus!" – whispered Lily, looking at him with a mixture of pity and irritation.

"Don't get involved!" – hissed the boy and disappeared inside Slughorn's office.

Catherine and Sirius missed the next class and appeared directly at lunch. While Catherine's skin was back to normal, she still felt self-conscious about it and mainly stared down at her plate. Sirius' injuries were treated but not completely healed; therefore, both his arms had a generous number of bandages.

"I can't even eat normally. My arms are so swollen and stiff… Damn this greasy nasty bastard." – complained Sirius, throwing away his fork in frustration.

"Madame Pomfrey said the terrible inflammation and itching were probably caused by Serpent's Stingroot." – said Catherine, then took Sirius' fork and started feeding him Shepherd's pie – "The dittany should help, but indeed, Snape is a real pain in the ass. This was planned in advance. You don't just randomly come up with the idea, collecting potion ingredients for your assignment." Sirius nodded vigorously, chewing.

"Well, he got what he deserved. Shall we stop already?" – asked Remus hopefully. 

"Not bloody likely!" – James tuned in – "If they want to resort to dirty tricks, we can do that too. Do you know that from the Kitchens you can go to the storage units of the school? It's where they keep the food but also things like soap, shampoo, and so on."

"That's the spirit!" – laughed Sirius, involuntary spraying Remus with pieces of Shepherd's pie – "Sorry, mate!"

"You're such a kid." – sighed Catherine, leaving aside the fork and turning to James – "Do you have anything in mind?"

"Come on, Catherine, be reasonable!" – pleaded Remus, wiping his face clean.

"I'm not going to let them think they can bully us!" – insisted the girl.

"True that!" – agreed James – "Plus we're not going to do anything really dangerous. We're not like them. Take it as part of the seasonal spirit. After all, Halloween is just around the corner."

"I think I have a splendid idea." – said Catherine with a mischievous grin – "I just need a few days to prepare enough… supplements."