Chapter 43: Between a Rock and a Hard Place (2)

The day of the second Gryffindor Quidditch match surprised the students with a new layer of snow. The winter came back with a vengeance, and the freezing wind blew mercilessly in the faces of the students, trying to reach the Quidditch stands.

"Aren't they going to cancel the match?" – asked Remus anxiously, staring at the white furry up in the sky. 

"Probably not." – answered Peter enthusiastically – "At least, they wouldn't have for professional players." 

"But they are not professional players." – continued Remus, wrapping himself more thoroughly in the thick woollen scarf, Catherine had gifted him for Christmas. 

Catherine herself, standing behind the boys with Lily and Mary, thought that Remus did have a point. She looked at her fingers, which were starting to turn blue, and quickly donned a pair of red gloves she was carrying around but had almost never used. As usual, not being able to feel the cold proved problematic during winter. 

'On the other hand, considering Sirius' sullen mood this morning, a tough and dangerous Quidditch match and a well-deserved victory might prove to be exactly what he needed.' – debated the witch internally and sighed. 

She truly missed him. Their friendship had started weirdly, and she was still not quite accustomed to his sudden emotional outbursts, but Catherine felt lonely without his constant laughter and jokes. She missed him just being there for her, even when she didn't need him.

Feeling burning tears brimming in her eyes, the second-year attempted to distract herself and directed her attention to the crowd on the stands. Most people were wearing red and golden colours, and just around one-fourth of the attendees were decorated with green and silver.

The teams were ready to start, and Patrick Blackwood shook hands with the new Slytherin captain, the fourth-year, Emma Vanity - or at least it looked like they did, since the scenery was enveloped in the white blizzard. Madame Hooch's whistle signalled the beginning of the match, and fourteen brooms flew into the sky. The frozen crowd cheered enthusiastically. 

'Nothing can stop the Quidditch fans at Hogwarts.' – thought Catherine – 'Rain, shine, or a bloody snowstorm, the sports rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin always attracts every living soul in the castle to the stands.'

From the very start, both teams displayed incredible skill and agility, each seeking dominance in the air. Sirius, Patrick, and Marigold demonstrated amazing teamwork, passing the Quaffle with incredible speed between each other. After a perfectly executed Dummy Pass, Sirius succeeded in tricking the Slytherin Keeper, Corban Yaxley, and the first goal prompted the crowd to roar. 

Slytherins didn't wait for long to take the initiative, but Greg proved to be a better Keeper than Yaxley and thwarted Slytherin's attempts to score, earning cheers from the Gryffindor supporters. The result was 40 to 0 for Gryffindor after a little more than fifteen minutes of play. At this point the bad weather conditions started to affect the game. 

Dominic Woods made a mistake and send one of the Bludgers towards Patrick, instead of the Slytherin Chasers, causing the later to drop the Quaffle. This time Greg was not able to block, and Slytherin got back in the game. In the next ten minutes, they managed to return two more goals, throwing Gryffindors off their game. This apparently affected Sirius more than the others, and he started executing more and more dangerous moves. 

Eventually, he attempted to stop the Slytherin attack by flying full speed against Valeria Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's younger sister, who was darting with the Quaffle, straight towards the Gryffindor's goal posts. The girl suddenly dived down, surprising Sirius, who couldn't stop in time and collided with Greg, almost knocking him off his broom.

Down on the stands, Catherine tasted blood in her mouth and realised she was biting her cold, dry lips so hard that they had started to bleed. Disregarding such minor inconvenience, she focused again on the game up in the air. In the chaos after the incident between the Gryffindor's Chaser and Keeper, Slytherin managed to score three quick goals, and they were now in the lead. 

At this moment, two tiny figures, circling above all the players, almost simultaneously dived towards the ground.

"The Snitch!" – screamed Peter. 

Catherine couldn't see the small golden ball in the snow, but she was sure that both James and Emma, who was the Seeker for Slytherin, had their eyes firmly locked on it. They were flying neck in neck, but when the referee's whistle sounded to announce the end of the match, it was Emma who was holding the Snitch. The crowd in green and silver went wild, while most of the other fans looked in disbelief at the scoreboard. The stellar team of Gryffindor had lost with a score of 210 to 40. 

Catherine left the stands with everyone else and waited patiently in front of the Quidditch changing room. The Gryffindor team eventually got out, with their heads low.

"Where's Greg?" – asked Catherine, quickly scanning the group.

"Madame Hooch sent him to the Hospital Wing for a quick check up, but I think he was not really injured, just a little dizzy." – explained James quietly.

"What about Sirius?" – the witch inquired.

"Trying to drown himself under the shower." – groaned the black-haired boy and adjusted his glasses – "He thinks it was his fault."

"And was it?" 

"Of course not." – snapped James – "We were too cocky and allowed to be easily distracted. The weather also didn't help. Excuse me, but I really need a cup of hot tea."

Catherine glanced at the gloomy James sprinting to catch up with the rest of his teammates. She hesitated a little and entered the changing room. 

The girl couldn't hear any running water, so she took a deep breath and entered the main premises. 

"Just go away, James. No point to argue anymore. I know what happened up there, mate!" – mumbled Sirius, who was sitting on one of the long benches, wearing only a towel across his hips and looking at the ground. His head was resting on his hands, and water was dripping from his still wet hair. 

"Care to share with me then?" – asked Catherine, crossing the room.

Sirius jumped from surprise, staring at the young witch in disbelief.

"What are you doing here?" – he asked, then suddenly blushed – "I'm naked, for Merlin's sake!"

"Big deal!" – laughed the girl, trying to sound more confident than she felt. 

"Did you come to scold me because I injured McMahon?" – asked Sirius, finally remembering they were not on good terms.

"No, I came to scold you because you're a troll." – answered Catherine with a deadly serious face. 

"What?" – Sirius blinked a few times, confused. 

"You, Sirius Black, are a troll. You're loud, inconsiderate, thick-skinned, stubborn, childish, and you act before you think. The only difference is that you do smell better." – the green-eyed witch said with a wicked smile.

"Are you nuts? You came here after the hard time I had to insult me?" – shouted Sirius in disbelief.

"You wanted honesty." – the girl said – "This is my honesty. I'm moody, hot-tempered, sarcastic, vengeful, manipulative, and quite likely dangerous to be around. Frankly, I'm a Slytherin through and through, but the Sorting Hat thought I needed to find my courage in Gryffindor. I can't tell you many things about myself, but I was and always will be honest about you and about our friendship, even if you don't like what you hear." 

"Yeah, it's not very flattering to be called a troll." – noted Sirius.

"So?" – asked Catherine, feeling increasingly anxious, observing Sirius' stone face. 

"I guess then the choices are either I accept you and your secrets or lose you and be as miserable as I felt in the past few weeks." – said the boy sullenly. 

"I didn't mean it like that, it's not an ultimatum, I just…" – Catherine attempted to explain.

Suddenly she found herself scooped off the ground and twirled around the changing room. Fighting the raising nausea, the young witch heard Sirius' musical laughter in her ear. Dizzy, she looked into his grey eyes, with a still questionable expression.

"Keep your secrets if they are so important, Flame. As long as we stay honest about us, it's fine by me. But I'll still listen if you change your mind." – said Sirius, finally letting go of his classmate.

"Are we good then?" – Catherine asked cautiously.

"We are!'' – grinned the boy – "I feel like a huge burden was taken off my back. At least this fucking day wasn't a complete disaster after all."

"Sirius…"

"Yes?" – asked the young wizard, looking at the slightly blushing witch who was avoiding his gaze.

"As long as we're being honest…you've lost your towel."