Chapter 66: The Song of the Little Bird (1)

The Gryffindor Common Room offered a comforting oasis, radiating warmth and joy that starkly contrasted with the bleak and chilly October weather. Students of different ages were engaged in various activities, such as playing exploding snap or wizard chess, completing their homework, or simply chatting and laughing with fellow classmates and friends. In the glow of the roaring fireplace, Catherine was sitting comfortably on the red plush carpet, absentmindedly playing with Nyx. The Kneazle was bouncing around, trying to catch the white feather that Catherine was moving lazily with her wand, clearly enjoying its playtime.

The young witch, however, was hardly paying attention to her familiar. Instead, she was musing about all the preparations for Slughorn's party. Regrettably, Snape turned out to be right about human transfiguration. It was incredibly complicated, but the main problem was the lack of time. The party was less than a week away, which was not nearly enough for the Gryffindor girl to figure out how to change both her hair and eye colour. Furthermore, the looming threat of a mistake which could ruin not only the costume but the whole event for her, forced Catherine to swallow her pride and order a wig and blue contact lenses from a Muggle store in London called Glam Depot. 

The dilemma with the dress, however, proved a bit more complicated. The third-year was quite particular about what she wanted and wasn't certain if there would be ample time to order something tailored to her specific idea. This was especially challenging as it necessitated a fitting. The only viable solution was for Catherine to send a message to her mother.

Duchess Louisa McMahon possessed an incredible sense of style, glamour, and drama, making her one of the top designers of her generation in both the Muggle and the Wizarding worlds. Furthermore, she was the person who knew her daughter's measurements best, regularly buying clothes for her. The issue was that Catherine had been strictly instructed not to send any owls to her parents unless it was an absolute emergency, and the young witch somehow doubted a clothing necessity would fall within that category. Her other option was to request Greg to send a message on her behalf, but he was incredibly difficult to encounter without being surrounded by a lively company of friends at all times. The last thing she wanted was to ask him to speak privately and reignite all the rumours about the two of them from last year.

'I could try dragging him into the girls' bathroom again, but if anyone sees us there together in there, it's going to be a horrible disaster. It's foolish to take such a risk twice, just to get the dress I want.' – thought the Gryffindor girl, absentmindedly rubbing Nyx's ears.

The Kneazle purred happily, earning a smile from its owner. Suddenly, Catherine's jade-green eyes lit up. She swiftly stood up, grabbing a piece of parchment from the nearby table. After half an hour, the young witch hid the detailed note under the collar of her pet, letting it roam freely in the Common Room, much to the horror of quite a few students.

'I guess I'm lucky that there are just two people that Nyx likes in the Gryffindor Tower. This could prove to be a great way to send Greg messages when I need to.' – thought the girl, her eyes following the black tail, disappearing behind the door leading to the boys' dormitories.