Chapter 92: Flame of Fury (5)

Life at Hogwarts continued as usual, with the small exception that Lily was furious at James and the rest of the boys for forging her handwriting and humiliating Snape. It seemed that she remained unaware of the actual person who physically wrote the letter, and Catherine had no intention of confessing to her, as the youngest descendant of Salazar Slytherin couldn't see any benefit in doing so. The last thing the black-haired girl wanted was another extended period of not speaking to her closest female friend.

Furthermore, it looked like the letter hadn't caused any irreparable damage. Snape and Lily appeared as close as ever, and the Slytherin boy didn't seem any grumpier or more depressed than usual.

'Maybe he didn't quite buy it in the first place and just wanted to check with Lily.' – the witch reasoned silently to herself.

One positive development was that Catherine saving Greg from Lavinia's love potion appeared to mend their strained relationship. While they hadn't yet found the opportunity to speak privately, he was once again behaving normally in the Common Room and interacting with her as he used to in the presence of others. Additionally, the new Dragonfire Delights proved to be incredibly tasty, prompting Catherine to exert extra effort in restraining herself from devouring them all at once.

"I don't understand why you like those so much." – Sirius remarked while they were waiting for Professor Thorne to open the DADA classroom door – "They're very spicy. I literally feel steam coming out of my nostrils!"

"You're exaggerating." – responded the young witch, tossing her long, thick braid across her shoulder – "I actually enjoy the intensity of the sensation, but I understand it might not be for the faint of heart."

Sirius was ready to argue, but Thorne's arrival interrupted him, and he sulkily followed the Gryffindors and Slytherins into the classroom.

"Today, we're going to have a practical lesson revising various Protection Spells." – announced the Professor to the third-years – "Since there's a good number of you, we can make this exercise a speed duelling. This means that you will exchange spells with your partner, then move to your left and repeat the process with another partner. The idea of this exercise is to allow you to face various casting styles and spell strength, improving your adaptation skills and breaking the routine of being paired with the same partner time and time again."

Excited discussions broke out among the students as the DADA teacher divided them into starting pairs and explained the sequence for changing partners.

"Now, remember we're practicing Protective Spells, so keep your attack hexes and jinxes mild. Once you've used the appropriate defence, move to your left and face your new partner. If they're still occupied, wait patiently until they're finished, and don't forget to maintain a safe distance from any pairs still exchanging spells." – the wizard calmly instructed, his sky-blue eyes flashing dangerously as he surveyed the room – "Do not attempt to use this class as an excuse for unauthorised duelling. You are going to regret it!"

The first portion of the class proceeded smoothly, with everyone practicing their protective spells alone, ensuring they maintained proper form and used the correct incantations. Catherine's first partner was Mary, and her Knockback Jinx was relatively easy to deflect. In turn, the black-haired witch used a very mild Trip Jinx, which unfortunately proved too strong for Mary's Shield Charm.

As Catherine moved left to face her new partner, Remus, she reluctantly acknowledged that Thorne may have had a point about her needing to control the power and intensity of her spells. Sometimes the principle of 'the more, the better' was not applicable, and this was one of those instances. Naturally, things went much more smoothly with Moony, especially since he was her usual DADA partner, and they were very familiar with each other's spells. However, the next person in line was Evan Rosier. Without hesitation, he sent a quite strong Stinging Jinx in Catherine's direction, which she fortunately managed to deflect, though she felt her Shield Charm strain under the force.

The rest of the practice duels unfolded in a similar manner. Facing Gryffindors proved a friendly, mutually beneficial exercise, while facing Slytherins became a true test to avoid spending the rest of the afternoon in the Hospital Wing. The young witch was tempted to use something like a Reflective Spell to send whatever they threw at her back at them, but she refrained, not wanting to risk detention. Instead, she alternated her defence between Protego, Defensuro, or Guardio which ensured adequate protection.

Catherine had to admit the exercise was pretty intense. By the last ten minutes of the class, she was exhausted, a thin film of sweat forming on her forehead.

'I think the most tiresome part is staying vigilant and ready to respond correctly to whatever comes your way.' – thought the girl as she moved left to face the last person she was supposed to duel.

Taking a deep breath and steadying herself, the young witch raised her wand. Her gaze locked with Snape's burning black eyes, and a knot formed in her throat. His face, unnaturally pale, bore a chilling smile that sent shivers down Catherine's spine. Waves of suffocating magic emanated from him, causing her to struggle for breath. It became evident to her that the prank had affected the Slytherin more deeply than she had anticipated. The lanky, black-haired boy now exuded pure hatred, making Catherine realise he was well-aware she had participated in the writing of the fake love letter.

In mere seconds, the confrontation escalated.

"Protego!" – yelled the black-haired girl, pouring all her strength into the shield charm.

"Calvario Totalus!" – Snape roared, his wand unleashing a beam of yellow light that streaked towards the witch with alarming speed.

Despite Catherine's efforts, the shield shattered upon impact, the force of Snape's spell knocking her to the ground. As the girl struggled to regain control of her body, her ears still ringing from the hex, she pushed herself up, determined to stand tall. Hair falling into her eyes, the witch hastily brushed it away, her anger mounting at being bested by the Slytherin.

'The fuck's going on, did my braid come loose?' – she thought, her hand instinctively reaching to gather the unruly black strands. 

Her vision finally cleared out and to her horror, she saw her braid lay severed on the floor. A surge of panic flooded Catherine as her hands darted to her head, discovering nothing but smooth skin where her hair used to be.

"Oh, mighty Gorgon!" – Peter's voice quivered with terror.

"Flame!" – Sirius screamed, as he, James and Remus dashed towards their friend.

"Miss Plantier, can you stand up? Does it hurt anywhere?"- Professor Thorne's pale, worried face appeared before her as he gently assisted the girl to her feet.

Still reeling from confusion, Catherine raised her chin and caught her reflection in the mirrors lining the opposite wall of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

A piercing scream tore through the corridors of Hogwarts, reverberating with Catherine's shock as she stared wide-eyed at her bald head, her lips trembling violently. While never considering herself vain, she cherished her long, straight, shiny hair as the one aspect of her appearance she took pride in as a teenage girl navigating the tumultuous waters of adolescence.

Choking from the humiliation, the Gryffindor's gaze landed on Snape, who stood arrogantly across from her, arms folded, his expression brimming with sadistic satisfaction. Their eyes met and he smirked with delight.

Catherine had never experienced such an overwhelming surge of anger. She felt a primal fury ignite within her. Every fibre of her being screamed for retribution, her focus narrowing to a singular desire: to make him suffer as she did. With a wild scream, she launched herself at the Slytherin, catching the young wizard off guard as her fist connected with his nose, breaking it with a sickening crack. Though she was only slightly taller and not much heavier than Snape, her rage fuelled her with a monstrous strength that belied her size.

Snape crumpled to the ground, blood streaming from his nose, completely stunned by the feral, untamed wrath emanating from his classmate, rendering her unable to speak coherently. As he rose to his feet, the boy found himself so taken aback by Catherine's reaction that he scarcely felt any pain. The Slytherin had anticipated Plantier would attempt to hex him and had steeled himself for it. However, physical violence had not even crossed his mind.

In that moment, the witch charged at him again, seemingly intent on landing another punch. Snape, aware of his own strength, knew he could potentially subdue her with a well-placed blow. He braced himself to do so, but at the last instant, he hesitated. Despite technically being a self-defence, the wizard couldn't bring himself to strike a girl, even if it was Catherine Plantier.

His moment of indecision proved costly as Catherine's fist found its mark, this time connecting with his chin. Spitting blood, Snape attempted to retreat, though it was unnecessary as Professor Thorne had finally managed to seize the kicking and screaming Gryffindor, restraining her with the Incarcerous Spell.

"Everybody out! Potter, Black, Lupin, that applies to you as well!" – Thorne shouted, his auburn hair all messed up and falling into his eyes – "Avery, take Snape to the Hospital Wing. I'll deal with him later!"

After the murmuring and complaints of the students finally subsided, Thorne wandlessly shut and locked the door. With the classroom now empty, he turned towards the miserable, sobbing witch, still bound by invisible ropes. As he swiftly revoked the spell, he could only stand by helplessly as his best friend's daughter dropped to her knees, tears of bitterness streaming down her face.

Catherine had never felt so utterly out of control. She, who always had a plan and remained calm and prepared in every scenario, found herself in a situation she had never anticipated.

"I want to go home!" – she mumbled weakly – "I can't take this anymore! I just can't!"

The young witch was taken aback as a warm embrace enveloped her, realising that Professor Thorne had settled on the floor beside her, his arms wrapping around her protectively.

"Shh, don't be ridiculous!" – he almost whispered somewhere above her head – "Your place is here, and you can't let those who hate you see how deeply they've hurt you. You can't give your enemies even a glimpse of your weakness!"

"They're going to laugh at me for years!" – the girl exclaimed desperately – "Hair-growth potion won't help here, would it?"

"Sadly, no." – sighed the teacher, gently rocking the young witch back in forth, attempting to calm her down – "But it's not permanent. Your hair will grow back on its own, though it'll take some time. And your Shield Charm was so good! The issue is that the thicker a barrier is, the easier it is to crack with enough concentrated force in a small spot."

"I didn't know that." – Catherine said, her face still red and puffy from crying, a hint of curiosity flickering in her green eyes as she looked at Thorne.

Carsilion had never felt more tempted to reveal his true identity to the girl. Seeing her as the strong, stubborn, and powerful witch she usually was had made it relatively easy for him to maintain his alias, acting as her shadow protector, ensuring her safety, and remaining vigilant for hidden dangers such as other aristocrats or individuals like Lucius Malfoy. However, this was a completely different scenario. Holding her like that reminded him of how fragile she really was, still a child forced to grow up way too fast.

As the sobbing finally ceased, the DADA Professor released his student, though he continued to watch her every move with concern.

"Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?" – he asked worriedly.

"No, I'm fine…" – Catherine replied quietly – "I just don't know how I'm going to walk through the whole castle looking like this."

"I would say doing it with friends would be the easiest way. And I believe they're all waiting outside for you." – the teacher responded, offering a slight smile.

Catherine nodded appreciatively and headed towards the door. Just before opening it, she paused and spoke without turning back.

"Thank you, Sir."