Chapter 48: Tough Love (3)

"I understand choosing Care of Magical Creatures but Study of Ancient Runes? Why would you spend your time learning dead languages?" – whispered Sirius during their first Charms class after the Easter holidays, when Catherine informed him about her choice of electives. 

"First of all, even though we no longer actively use these languages, there's invaluable information written on them. Therefore, I consider my choice of this elective far from a waste of time. There are plenty of ancient texts that need to be discovered and translated. Ancient magic had unparallel capabilities which modern spells could only partially replace. Incendio!"

Catherine pointed her wand towards the torches the Gryffindors were practicing on, and two of them got lit immediately. 

"Then why did it disappear?" – asked Sirius smugly. 

"It didn't disappear, it's just being used less because it's harder, doesn't require a wand and takes more time than spells which give more precise results for many things. It has different dynamics, the magic flows should be handled differently and…"

"Alright, alright, I get it, you like your mystery spells written thousands of years ago! Incendio!" – chuckled Sirius, trying to light a torch himself.

"They're not spells, it's…"

"Fine, I got it. Now, help me out here! How do you light two at the same time?" – snapped the boy impatiently.

"What do you mean, how? Just do it!" – said the young witch. 

After the class, Sirius was sulking because he never managed to light two torches at the same time, and he was also convinced Catherine purposefully refused to reveal the secret to it. The tension raised further during the next DADA class when they were being separated into pairs in order to practice the Expelliarmus spell, as well as blocking it. They had agreed previously that Catherine would be partnering with Sirius this time, but he just went straight to Remus, leaving Gwyneth Jones her only option. While the other Gryffindor girl was not too shabby with her spells, she was highly competitive, which very often resulted in her using some sneaky tricks to win a duel, an argument or whatever was on the table for winning. 

Consequently, after Catherine managed to disarm her classmate three times in a row, the latter decided to change strategy. Instead of waiting for another round of spells exchange, Gwyneth took matter into her own hands.

"Expulso!" – she shouted the very second Catherine lifted her wand, ready to cast another disarming spell.

The black-haired girl immediately recognised the danger, however, she was surprised by her own reaction.

"Incendio!" – she heard herself casting the Fire-Making spell as a torrent of flames clashed with the white stream of light that Gwyneth's wand had produced. As a result, both spells were deflected, the Expulso curse breaking a few of the mirrors, covering one of the walls in the DADA classroom, and Catherine's spell ricocheting and being redirected straight to Professor Thorne. 

In a flash his wand was out, and he used a non-verbal spell to protect himself, hence any nasty consequences were avoided, yet the whole class stopped their exercise and stared at the two girls in silence. 

Catherine took a deep breath and looked at her teacher. To say he was livid might have been an understatement. His face was completely drained of all colours, and his lips were trembling. 

"A month detention, Miss Plantier." – he almost whispered through his clinched teeth.

"What? Why?" – asked Catherine astonished by this blunt unfairness. 

"You did not follow the instructions, you endangered your classmate by using an extremely powerful Fire-Making spell, and you almost hurt your teacher. Shall I continue?"

"First of all, Gwyneth didn't follow your instructions, I was merely attempting to protect myself!" – shouted the young witch, her green eyes flashing with anger, her face slowly turning red – "Second, I didn't mean for the spell to be powerful, that's how it's always been, ask Professor Flitwick! And third, what kind of a teacher would get hurt by a spell cast by a second-year?"

"First of all, you could have very well protected yourself with a Shield Charm, but instead you preferred a flashier display of power, didn't you?" – said Thorne, his sky-blue eyes, fixed at his rebellious student – "Second, the fact you're not able to assess the strength of such a dangerous spell is worrisome at best. During a practice duel you're the one responsible for not hurting your opponent. Third, I believe I'd take twenty points from Gryffindor due to your clear disrespect. I'm here to make sure you become the best version of yourself and not to be your friend. Praise is for the weak, Miss Plantier!"

"Don't sell me this bullshit!" – erupted Catherine, completely forgetting where she was. She couldn't stand this injustice anymore. Despite her father's assurance he had passed to Greg, the young witch was adamant that Thorne was a spy who had his eyes on her since the first moment she set foot in Hogwarts. He was constantly tormenting her, always expecting much more from her than from any of the other students, not to mention being overly interested in what she was doing outside of his classroom. She didn't care anymore, her only thought was making him pay for every nasty comment and every pain suffered during DADA. 

"Don't you dare to talk to me in this manner!" – the wizard shouted back – "I don't give a damn if you like me or hate me! You'd learn how to control both your anger and your power even if it's the last thing I am to accomplish in this life!"

"I'm not some kind of a pet you train! I'm a fucking human being! Take one hundred points from Gryffindor if you want! I simply don't care anymore!" – Catherine cried, her eyes filled with angry tears. She turned around and darted through the door, not being concerned about Thorne's stunned face or the yelling that erupted behind her back. She didn't stop running until she reached one of her favourite spots close to the Forbidden Forest. It was a secluded nook, surrounded by old pine trees whose branches were slowly quivering in the light spring breeze. 

The young witch sat on the ground, cradled her knees, and focused on her breathing. She felt strong zaps of raw magic bursting through her body, begging to find a release. Catherine groaned in frustration. It was hardly the first time Thorne was unfair to her, but losing her temper like that meant she would have not only problems with the school but also with her parents. 

'This should not be a reason to be expelled, right?' – she thought anxiously. 

The very idea of being returned home and losing any prospect for the future terrified her to no end. She started feeling shortness of breath and her heart was beating erratically. The young witch realised that despite her brain and her growing powers she was still just a little girl who had no control over her own life. Suddenly someone embraced her trembling frame. She lifted her head and saw Remus' worried face. 

"I knew I would find you here." – he smiled gently – "James went to check around the Lake, but I thought you would rather seek some privacy."

"I'm sorry, Moony. I probably look like an idiot." – Catherine murmured, wiping away the tears from her face.

"You can never look like an idiot to me. After everything we've been through together, I thought you knew." – said the boy softly, taking a seat next to his friend. 

"I don't know why I lost it like that. Thorne probably took all the points we had left in the Gryffindor hourglass."

"Not really. He was rather stunned by the way you left. In addition, he was busy with Sirius and James, who started shouting at him after you left." – explained Remus.

"Light, they shouldn't have gotten involved. I'm in deep trouble as it is. What's the point for them to be punished as well, for something I did?" – sighed Catherine.

"You did?" – snapped Remus unexpectedly – "Catherine, you didn't do anything. It was an accident during practice – it happens. His expectations of you are ridiculous and I might have not yelled at him, but I feel I should have."

Catherine stared at her friends in disbelief. For the timid, quiet Remus Lupin to react this strongly, it was unheard of. The only time she had seen him in a similar state was when they had faced the Boggart in the Honeydukes' cellar. The girl laid her head on his shoulder and smiled. 

"It's good that you didn't get yourself in trouble. With all of us being in detention someone must do our homework."

"Don't worry, he didn't give detention to Sirius and James." – said the young wizard.

"He didn't?"

"Nope, he just sent them to McGonagall, dismissed the class, and went to his study." – shrugged the boy.

"I forgot about McGonagall." – groaned Catherine – "I bet she'll give me quite a scolding."

"I don't think so. She's always been just, despite being strict." – Remus disagreed – "Do you want to go back to the castle?"

"I want to stay here a bit longer. I need to collect myself before returning to this hot mess I got myself into." – the girl sighed, gazing at the blue April sky, scattered with fluffy white clouds.