Chapter 61: Back to School (4)

The two weeks that followed passed swiftly, compelling the third-years to hastily review the knowledge acquired during the last year and forgotten over the summer. Lessons progressively intensified, leading numerous students to spend the precious few sunny autumn days within the confines of Hogwarts' library.

Catherine didn't find the school curriculum particularly challenging, having become more or less accustomed to using only her wand for magic. However, her mind was otherwise occupied. On top of her ongoing frustration with their Animagi project, she was anxiously awaiting any news from Dumbledore. The young witch felt the overbearing need to talk to another Fire Mage and learn how to control her power, thereby preventing any unintentional harm to her friends. 

She tried to maintain distance from the boys, yet they proved exceptionally persistent. Sirius insisted on sitting next to her during most of their lessons, and when he was not near her it was James or Remus who were filling in for him. Faced with this unyielding opposition to her plans, Catherine eventually relented, choosing to spend time with her friends as usual. Nevertheless, the young witch remained cautious and couldn't wholeheartedly relish their moments together. 

Another concern weighing on the Gryffindor girl was the peculiar behaviour of Slytherins. In the aftermath of the tumultuous events of the previous year, Catherine remained vigilant, anticipating hexes or curses aimed in her direction at any given moment. In fact, the overall atmosphere at the school was tense. In just two weeks, two separate students experienced mysterious accidents, and both of them happened to be Muggle-borns.

"There are some dangerous things brewing in the Wizarding society." – Sirius shared during one of their first evenings at Hogwarts – "From what I managed to overhear by my older relatives, there is this guy who preaches for Pure-blood supremacy and Wizarding domination."

"What a load of rubbish!" – snapped James – "How does your family even know about him? Nobody had mentioned anything on my side."

"I'm trying not to think about it." – Sirius admitted gloomily – "The bottom line's that things can get heated. After what happened last year, I insist that you don't go anywhere alone, Flame!"

"Why?" – asked Catherine, confused.

"Because you're Muggle-born, of course!" – Sirius said, incredulous at his friend's cluelessness – "Not to mention that many Slytherins hate you for various reasons ranging from mockery to curses you sent their way. You should watch your back!"

Despite Sirius' fears, no one had attempted to attack the black-haired Gryffindor thus far. Slytherins, in fact, seemed to deliberately avoid her, with two major exceptions—Snape, who remained as hostile as ever, and, unnervingly enough, Lucius Malfoy, whose new role as a Head Boy appeared to lead him very often to the same places as Catherine. While he didn't interact with her in any way, the young witch couldn't get rid of the nasty feeling of being chased. 

Another source of unease was Carter Thorne, who also somehow managed to materialise wherever Catherine happened to be. She couldn't help but notice Malfoy's evident displeasure with their teacher's constant presence. Meanwhile, Defence Against the Dark Arts classes remained surprisingly normal. The third-years delved into the study of dark creatures, and it seemed Thorne had yet to figure out how to combine tormenting Catherine with teaching students how to protect themselves from Grindylows. 

Amidst all the troubles, one event successfully diverted the young witch from her turmoil.

"Animagi!" – Professor McGonagall announced the topic of the Monday's lesson during their third week of school. While the subject had always excited the students, this specific lesson was met with exceptional enthusiasm by the Gryffindor third-years, who, for the most part, were absorbing every word from the Transfiguration teacher. 

When she demonstrated the transformation by turning into a silver tabby cat, Sirius even stood up from his place to get a better view. Once the teacher covered the basics, she asked if the class had any questions. 

"Is there a way to choose the form of the animal you would transform into?" – asked James.

"What are the dangers of the process you mentioned, Professor?" – Peter chimed in.

"Do you still remember what you've done in your animal form?" – Sirius inquired.

"Does your scent change to mimic the animal's smell?" – Catherine also piled up.

"Oh, well, I see that this topic certainly piqued your interest." – exclaimed McGonagall – "The form of the animal is not chosen by the wizard or witch; it's meant to reflect your inner nature. For many Animagi, it aligns with the shape of their Patronus, but this is not a rule. The dangers are quite significant, Mr Pettigrew. Besides the severe legal consequences for unregistered Animagi, there are risks such as partial transformation, poisoning by the potion you are required to take as part of the process, which of course, we won't discuss today. Additionally, there are potential physical and mental injuries and pain from an incomplete transformation. That's why I stress once again that this is a lesson purely for informative purposes. If any of you have the desire to become an Animagus, I would be happy to help you once you are part of my NEWT level class."

"As for your questions Mr Black, you do remember everything you do in your animal form, and you're responsible for your actions. The only difference, which I can describe, is probably that your feelings become less complicated, serving as a sort of stress relief for some people. Miss Plantier, I honestly do not know if the scent of the Animagus changes to that of the respective animal. I doubt that anyone had ever studied such a peculiar topic. Why would you want to know?"

"Oh, just trying to understand if the transformation is complete on every level." – Catherine quickly responded.

"Good save! I'm not sure I would have been able to come up with such a good lie so quickly." – James complemented his friend after the class as they headed to lunch.

"I had thought of it beforehand." – the girl frowned – "The question was odd enough to arouse suspicion. I couldn't just hope she wouldn't ask."

"It's not like you got an answer anyway." – said Remus with a mocking smile. He was in a bad mood during the whole class, since unlike McGonagall, he was well aware of the reason behind his classmates' exquisite interest in the Transfiguration lesson.

"Yeah, but it wasn't a negative answer." – Sirius chimed in – "You were sitting close to her desk, Moony. Couldn't you smell her when she transformed into a cat?"

"I'm not a Bloodhound! It doesn't work like that! Sometimes, I can indeed sense the scents of certain people, but it needs to be really close to full moon." – the other boy responded sulkily.

"I wonder what my inner animal would be." – Peter said out of the blue, oblivious to the previous conversation.

"If there's any correlation, you're all going to turn into mules." – snapped Remus as he took a seat at the end of the Gryffindor table, busying himself with filling a plate with steaming goulash. 

"I'm not convinced about the mules, but I wouldn't mind being a horse." – James contemplated.

"Oh yeah?" – laughed Sirius, grinning at his best friend – "And why's that, James?"

"I don't know; horses are cool, fast, and also strong." – said the other boy, pouring himself some pumpkin juice.

"Not to mention the huge attributes!" – laughed Sirius which caused Remus to choke on the goulash. 

While the flushed Catherine was trying to help Moony, James, who hadn't found Sirius' remark offensive in the slightest, was engrossed in speculating on what kind of animals everyone would turn into.

"I would say that Sirius should be a lion, because of Gryffindor, obviously; Peter, probably a rabbit; and Flame… you would look great as a kitty-cat, just like McGonagall!"

"This could be handy!" – agreed Sirius – "This way, Flame could just curl and sleep in my lap whenever she likes."

Catherine's green eyes flashed dangerously, glancing at Sirius and his smug smile.

"The only way for me to turn into a cat is if you turn into a mouse first! I seriously doubt the House you are sorted into has anything to do with your animal form. Imagine if every Animagus who studied in Slytherin turned into a snake! It's ridiculous!"

"Except for Snivellus, who would turn into a bat!" – laughed James, joined by the rest of his friends.

"Joke aside, I just hope our forms would be strong enough to handle…well, Moony." – said Catherine, casting a quick glance around, but nobody was paying them any attention.

"I'd worry about that after we actually get to this point." – James concluded soberly – "For now, my main concern is the Quidditch tryouts this weekend. We just must make it back onto the team and finally get this damn Cup back where it belongs!"

***

Greg McMahon walked down the corridor on the third floor, heading towards his afternoon Charms class. He had to depart from lunch a little earlier to steer clear of the enthusiastic well-wishers eager to extend birthday greetings and engage in a conversation with him for a few minutes each.

He tried not to complain, but sometimes he envied his sister. The popularity the young wizard enjoyed at Hogwarts was nothing but an illusion, created by people who sought his future influence, wealth, and connections. His status as an aristocrat and heir to one of the main Houses, in addition to being related to the Four Founders, made every accomplishment he achieved seem insignificant or expected by default.

Such was the case with his reselection for the Gryffindor's Quidditch team during the weekend. He wished he could be as enthusiastic about it as Potter and Black, who also got back to the team. Instead, he was preoccupied with concerns about whether people anticipated him to lead Gryffindor to victory and if his perceived lack of initiative was the cause of their loss in the previous season.

The fourth-year sighed, acknowledging how tired he was. The continuous training he did with his father, who visited every week to teach him elemental magic, was draining his strength significantly. Thankfully, the worst part was over, and the young wizard was able to open himself to his element almost every time he tried, without fainting or vomiting like in the beginning. However, the fatigue remained, which was the reason why Greg snapped at Frank this morning when the latter woke him up at six with a modified rock version of the 'Happy Birthday' song, played on the boy's guitar. Naturally, this improvised serenade woke up half of the Gryffindor Tower who quickly become determined to also participate in the birthday festivities. The day had already seen a flurry of cards, petite presents, and a few more substantial ones. The young lord was dumbfounded by the expensive cufflinks, a tie, and a quill he received from some Slytherins who casually invited him and his family to some functions their relatives were hosting.

'I need to think of reasons for declining those invitations.' – Greg thought when someone grabbed his hand and pulled him into the girls' bathroom of all the places.

"What do you think you're doing?" – shouted the boy, and then he finally noticed the person who dragged him inside – "Flame!? What the heck?"

"I intended to give you this, but it seemed like you were constantly surrounded by fans without any free moments, so I had to take matters into my own hands." – the girl explained, a little embarrassed – "Here! Happy Birthday!"

The girl tossed Greg a small package, wrapped in silver paper, and dashed out of the bathroom before her brother could overcome his surprise and say anything. He unwrapped the gift and gasped, gazing at the miniature globe which appeared to contain a live underwater world, including a small Siren who was singing, seated on a moss-covered rock. For a second, Greg thought he was actually able to hear the song, but he quickly shook his head and carefully put the present into his robes' internal pocket.

Leaving the girls' bathroom with a huge grin and peppy step, he almost bumped into Severus Snape who was just passing by and stared at him with disapproval.

"Don't you know this is the girls' bathroom?" – he said to the blond boy, attempting to sound civil but without much success.

"Yeah, I know." – Greg answered casually and continued his way towards the Charms' classroom but then he couldn't help but add smiling broadly at the complete confusion on the other wizard's face – "However, I just can't resist using it!"

'Catherine's completely right.' – the fourth-year thought when he was already in class, waiting for Professor Flitwick's arrival – 'Unleashing your inner Slytherin is quite fun!'