Chapter 45: Between a Rock and a Hard Place (4)
The following week appeared endless for Catherine. While she was happy her relationship with Sirius was back to normal, she would have appreciated if he hadn't allied with James to make fun of her and the planned 'date' with Snape and Lily. The young witch was secretly hoping that Snape would put his foot down and refuse to participate. Lily's joyful face and good mood, however, told a different story.
'Whatever, it's just for an hour or two. I can control myself for this long.' – the girl reassured herself and buttoned up the elegant pink coat her mother had bought for her from Paris during her last trip. While pink was not necessarily her favourite colour, Catherine rather appreciated how it looked on her, and the cut was really flattering. Also, it provided some variety after wearing black robes for the entire school week. The second-year finished arranging her hair into a long single braid and smiled with satisfaction at the result, reflected in the mirror.
Lily and Snape were supposed to wait for her in the Entrance Hall, so Catherine picked up the basket with the cake she'd made and the orange juice she had taken from the Kitchens earlier and left the Gryffindor Tower, ignoring the 'Have a blast!' shout, coming from Sirius.
The young witch trudged listlessly through the staircases and corridors of the castle on her way to the Entrance Hall. As a result, she arrived five minutes late, and the other two students were already waiting there. Catherine immediately noticed the frozen discontent on Snape's face. He was wearing the same ugly coat James mocked him for, as well as a pair of boots that looked a little bit too large for him.
''Hi, I'm sorry, I'm…" – the Gryffindor tried to apologise, adamant to be at her best behaviour.
"You're late!" – hissed Snape, not willing to let her finish.
"Thank you, Mister Obvious!" – snapped Catherine, her green eyes flashing with irritation.
"Enough! None of you is allowed to be sarcastic today!" – Lily scolded them – "The weather is perfect, so let's have a nice stroll around the lake until we're hungry. I'm dying to try this chocolate fantasy of yours, Catherine. She's quite a baker, Severus!"
Snape grunted something inaudible, and they left, the crisp air embracing them as they stepped outside. The children walked for several minutes without talking. Catherine revelled in the rare sunlight, kissing the surface of the Black Lake, and igniting a dazzling display of diamond-like sparks.
"Every season is so beautiful at Hogwarts!" – Lily finally broke the silence – "It's not the same in Cokeworth, is it, Severus?"
"It's an utter crap hole." - followed the elegant answer.
"Well, I wouldn't describe it exactly like this, but it's not a very nice place, indeed. Especially on Spinner's End, there's a lot to be improved. They really need to fix your pipes."
"The best improvement would be to not go back there." – mumbled Snape, mostly to himself.
Catherine observed him with curiosity. She knew enough about the boy from Lily, although the red-haired witch was discreet and never really provided any concrete details. Growing up in a poor family, with a Muggle father who didn't appear to care about either his son or wife, must have been challenging. Catherine thought that regardless of her own family issues at least she never had to worry about money. Her parents did care for her, despite the young witch having her own doubts about the reason behind it. She recalled how Snape had always ignored the trolley aboard the Hogwarts Express and how all his books were second-hand, without needing to comment on his atrocious clothes.
'It must be tough in Slytherin; if he's half-blood and also doesn't have gold, they're probably not making him feel very welcomed.' – noted the girl internally.
"Would you mind stop staring at me like I'm some exotic animal in a Muggle Zoo?" – Snape's cold voice, interrupted Catherine's thoughts.
"I wasn't staring; my gaze was just directed that way and you happened to be there." – stuttered the witch, mentally cursing herself for being so transparent in her thoughts.
"Stop fighting!" – shouted Lily, casting a fearsome look at the young wizard.
"I wasn't fighting." – he said with a much meeker demeanour – "I just asked politely."
'Apparently, in the dictionary, they've changed polite to mean passive-aggressive.' – thought Catherine but kept silent.
The stroll continued surprisingly peacefully. Lily and Snape were chatting about potions. Catherine found herself tempted to intervene, but she was worried that the very sound of her voice would irritate the Slytherin, and they would end up fighting again. He was completely different when talking about things he loved. He was witty and insightful. His black eyes were gleaming and even his voice was different, much deeper, and pleasant, to the extent a teen boy's voice could be. Catherine was astonished to find that she didn't really mind being around that Snape.
'I guess, this is how he's usually with Lily.' – she thought – 'Too bad that at some point, he'll remember I'm here as well.'
Almost as to prove Catherine's point, Lily turned towards her and asked cheerfully: "What do you think about that, Catherine? Shall we be allowed to work on our own potions?"
"Umm, I guess it can really help some students," – answered Catherine, noticing the immediate change on Snape's face – "but on the other hand, you hardly want someone like Peter to be left to experiment with potions."
"I was certain you would prefer to follow the official instructions." – Snape said triumphantly.
"Well, the instructions are there to be followed." – shrugged the black-haired girl.
"A true power is understanding magic on a deeper level and not blindly follow what others had already come up with." – exclaimed Snape, casting a glance at Lily.
"Why are you so obsessed with power?" – asked Catherine, half-curious, half-annoyed.
"What a Gryffindor question! Power is everything! It can provide you with gold, a place in the society, the admiration of the others." – Snape answered, although the black-haired witch had the impression this answer was not really meant for her.
"In my experience, power mostly leads to fear." – Catherine mumbled.
Snape looked at her with such a condescending expression, that the Gryffindor girl needed to use all her self-control, mastered during the years, in order to avoid hexing him. Noticing the change in the mood, Lily quickly suggested they sit under the tallest willow tree on the shore and have lunch there.
"It's going to be too cold to sit on the ground." – Snape noted.
"We thought about this in advance." – answered Catherine while Lily was spreading a blue and white checkered blanket.
"Velouraegis!" – said the black-haired girl, pointing her wand towards the blanket.
"Isn't it brill!" – smiled Lily, immediately taking a seat – "Catherine came up with this spell that creates a warmth shield. It's perfect for having a picnic in the winter!"
Snape's face didn't change while he tentatively joined Lily on the blanket. Nevertheless, Catherine noticed with satisfaction that he glanced at her direction a few times with something between curiosity and appraisal.
The three students had great appetite and finished all the sandwiches Lily had brought. Catherine proudly took out her impressive chocolate cake which Lily praised accordingly. Snape didn't say anything, but he ate it which was a good sign in Catherine's book.
"I really don't know how you can be such an amazing baker, Daisy!" – sighed Lily happily after finishing her second piece – "My mom tried to teach us how to make simple things, but I'm hopeless. Tuney was much better, even at my age. I keep forgetting ingredients or steps I need to complete."
"You probably just have a mental block. But I promise you, it's really enjoyable. It helped me a lot when I was forced to stay home with the hou… with the servants. You're so good at potions, there's no way you're bad at cooking. The skillset is the same." – reasoned the other girl.
"Pff, the skillset is the same?" – snickered Snape – "What are you trying to do here, Plantier? Persuade Lily that she's destined to be a good housewife?"
"What are you talking about?" – snapped Catherine – "I refer to a basic human skill. We all need to eat. Why won't you enjoy the process of preparing your meal as well?"
"Some people can't be picky about what they eat, let alone savour the moment of creating a fancy dish. Ask your…servants!" – hissed Snape with disdain.
"I'm well aware of that!" – shouted Catherine and stood up. Her face was red, and she was truly enraged, partially because this could have easily been avoided if she didn't have that slip of her tongue regarding the servants.
'Thank the Light, I didn't say house-elves.' – she thought. Somehow, she was positive that Snape could tolerate more easily the fact she was rich due to her Muggle-born status. If he had known the truth, Catherine sincerely doubted that he would have sat anywhere near her, despite any pleads by Lily.
"Of course you are! That's why you graciously let us eat that cake, didn't you?" – Snape's voice brought the Gryffindor back to reality – "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!"
"Are you comparing me to Marie Antoinette?!" – shouted Catherine, attempting to decide whether she was offended, amused, or impressed by Snape's knowledge of French.
"He's not!" – intervened Lily, horrified that her perfect plan was turning into disaster.
"And what if I am?" – asked Snape provocatively.
"Then you have a lot of nerve to challenge a queen!" – answered Catherine, her green eyes flashing.
A vague shadow of a smile appeared for a split second on Snape's thin lips, but later Catherine thought it must have been her imagination because in the next moment, the wizard had his wand drawn out.
"Locomotor Mortis!" – he shouted, and the black-haired witch felt her legs being bound and paralysed. She lost balance and fell headfirst into the cake leftovers, which decorated her pink coat with lavish brown stains.
"No!" – cried Lily desperately, but it was too late.
"Tarantallegra!" - Catherine managed to shout with mouth full of chocolate, finally having a hold of her own wand.
While Snape was trying to stop dancing in a weird quickstep rhythm, Catherine somehow stood up, still under the effect of the Leg-locker Curse. She lifted her wand at the same time as the Slytherin, fully aware that she couldn't afford to give him a breather or she would suffer the effect of another curse.
"Expulso!" – someone shouted from behind. A loud bang echoed through the silent landscape, and a powerful blast threw Snape into the Black Lake.
"Finite Incantatem!" – Catherine recognised Sirius' voice, while feeling her legs finally returning to their normal state. She turned around and saw all four of the Gryffindor boys running towards them.
Lily was helping Snape get out of the water. Apparently, the effect of the Dancing Feet Spell was nullified, but he had lost one of his shoes in the lake. His lanky, thin frame was clearly visible under the drenched clothes, and he was spitting out water and sand. His sopping wet black hair now reached a little bit below his shoulders, emphasising the boy's hard facial features and prominent nose. All in all, Severus Snape looked quite pitiful. Nevertheless, he growled and clung to his wand with all his might, ready to fight them all.
Catherine was livid, but, to her surprise, mostly due to the interference of her classmates.
"I think the picnic is over." – she stated, turned her back to Lily and Snape, and left with all the dignity she had left, considering the cake in her hair.
"Hey, wait!" – shouted James and ran after her, but she didn't slow down.
"Why are you angry that we came to save you?" – asked the boy finally catching up with his friend.
"Nobody asked you to help me, James Potter!" – Catherine snapped, turning abruptly, and facing the very surprised James who was blinking in confusion.
"But he was about to curse you again!" – he tried to justify himself.
"Yes, and I had a wand in my hand!" – she shouted, releasing all her rage – "There was no point of interfering. He's not that scary that we should face him five against one!"
"Don't be angry, Flame!" – Sirius attempted to smooth the situation – "We didn't have much time to assess what was happening. James just wanted to protect you!"
Catherine screamed in utter frustration, turned around and disappeared in a flurry of pink cashmere and chocolate cake in front of the stunned faces of her classmates.
"At least you did have a blast, didn't you!" – shouted Sirius after her and grinned at James.