Chapter 93: A Piece of Cake (1)

Catherine's recollection of navigating the distance between the DADA classroom and the Gryffindor Tower was hazy at best. As she stumbled out the door, she found herself nearly collapsing into the waiting arms of James and Sirius, who had been anxiously pacing the corridor. Supported by them, with Remus carrying her belongings, they hurried towards the Common Room as swiftly as possible. Peter had darted ahead to ensure the path was clear and to alert the other Gryffindors. Fortunately, most students were either in the Library or on their way to dinner, and the few who remained were taken aback by the news and showed immense sympathy for Catherine's misfortune.

"Let's bring her to our room!" – Sirius suggested, pulling the young witch towards the boys' dormitory.

"Are you out of your mind?" – Lily nearly shouted as she hurried towards her classmates the moment they stepped inside – "She can't stay in your room; you're all boys! She has her own bed, and we'll take care of her!"

"But we can't get into the girls' dormitory!" – Sirius protested.

"How do you even know that?" – Lily asked, incredulous, gently guiding her shocked classmate towards their shared room.

"It doesn't matter!" – the boy shook his head, refusing to release Catherine's hand – "We want to take care of Flame too! She needs us!"

"She needs some rest first!" – insisted Lily, her tone softening – "I'll let you know if she needs anything, I promise! But for now, let her have a moment to cry it out and process everything. Trust me, it's something that will help her the most at the moment."

Judging from Sirius' expression, he clearly doubted the red-headed witch's assertion. Nonetheless, he relented and entrusted Catherine to the care of the Gryffindor girls, returning to James and the others to update them on the situation.

Lily gently assisted her friend up the stairs, offering comforting pats on her back and whispering soothing words as she guided her towards the door of the third-years' dormitory.

"Catherine!" – exclaimed the other girls as they spotted them entering the room. Mary swiftly sprang into action, making space for her classmate by rearranging the covers and pillows on Catherine's bed and drawing the curtains closed.

"Poor thing!" – sympathised Gwyneth – "These boys had finally done it, dragging you into their silly fight! But Snape's really such a git! Although you did teach him a lesson! To think he's been beaten up by a girl!"

"Gwynnie!" – Lily interjected – "Now it's not the time!"

"Right, sorry, dear!" – the other girl quickly apologised – "But honestly, you don't look that bad! Plus, your hair will grow up in no time! I actually think that a short haircut will suit you a lot, although being a bit unconventional!"

"Besides, you can always wear that wig from the Halloween party in the meantime!" – suggested Mary – "Being a blonde for a while could be quite fun!"

Catherine remained silent, feeling as though she were observing the events unfold from a distance. Upon leaving Thorne's classroom, all her strength seemed to evaporate. She was vaguely aware of James and Sirius mostly carrying her, and she heard gentle words of comfort from them and the Gryffindor girls, but she couldn't muster a response. Eventually, they settled her into bed, closing the curtains around.

Later, Lily brought her some sandwiches and orange juice, which the young witch left untouched. Completely drained by the turbulent emotions of the day, she finally succumbed to sleep. Consequently, it took her quite some time to open her eyes, despite sensing someone tenderly caressing her cheek.

"Greg!" – she exclaimed upon recognising her brother in the tall figure stretched out beside her on the bed – "Are you daft? What if someone catches you in my bed?"

"Still won't top the scandal you've already found yourself in today." – he whispered – "Just keep your voice down; everyone's out cold."

"What time is it?"

"Around 2 a.m. I had to wait for the Common Room to clear out, and your mates were burning the midnight oil!" – explained Greg, shifting slightly as his right hand traced over Catherine's bald head.

"Please, don't!" – she murmured, feeling tears welling up once again.

"Can't we make it grow back with a potion or a spell?" – Greg asked softly.

"No, Thorne said that the hex would prevent magical remedies. All I can do is wait for it to grow back." – whispered Catherine desperately, then remembered something – "Greg! You won't tell Mum and Dad, will you?"

The boy sighed deeply before replying. "I won't tell them, but they're bound to find out sooner or later. Even if you skip Easter at home, your hair won't be back to its old self by summer. Besides, given the seriousness of the situation and the buzz around it, McGonagall might write to the Plantier family anyway."

"I thought she had some fake names and address. Only Dumbledore knows about me, right?" – asked the girl anxiously.

"The names might be fake, but the address is legit. I reckon Mum and Dad wanted a proper channel of communication with the school in case they needed to respond, to make your backstory more convincing."

"Wonderful!" – moaned the young witch.

"That's not important, Flame." – Greg said, enfolding his sister in a tight embrace – "Do you know how worried I was when Lily told me what happened at dinner? I hate to harp on it, but can't you steer clear of Slytherins? Why do you insist on getting mixed up in Black and Potter's shenanigans? What if you had been seriously injured? Who knows what Snape is even capable of?! Rumour has it he's mastered more hexes and curses than half the seventh-years!"

"I'm not afraid of Snape!" – Catherine snapped, attempting to wriggle free from her brother's grasp – "It's too late to do anything about Slytherins. I'd rather they hate me for what I can do to them, than simply because I'm Muggle-born!"

"But you're not Muggle-born!" – Greg countered – "Although, given what you apparently did to Snape's face, no one would doubt that part of your background."

"He should count himself lucky I didn't set him on fire!" – hissed the girl.

"Light forbids! That would have been a total disaster!" – Greg remarked, adding contemplatively - "Though, I must say, I'm surprised you didn't."

"Me too." – admitted Catherine – "I just wanted him to suffer as much as possible, and I wanted to feel it in some way... I suppose that's why I resorted to punching him. I was so furious, I can barely recall what was going through my mind."

"This is truly scary, sis!" – Greg observed, though Catherine detected the underlying concern in his voice – "Get some rest now. Everything will look brighter tomorrow. Most students are horrified by what Snape did to you, and I doubt anyone will dare to laugh or tease you."

With that, Greg swiftly departed from his sister's bedside, slipping out of the girls' room without a sound, leaving Catherine to sink back into a deep slumber.

***

Catherine spent most of the weekend indoors, feeling too self-conscious to venture downstairs even for meals. Despite knowing the boys had already seen her without hair, she couldn't bring herself to face them again. Moreover, her right hand was badly bruised, serving as a painful reminder of her physical altercation with Snape's nose and chin.

Eventually, with Sirius threatening to camp out on the stairs to the girls' dormitory, Catherine relented and donned a hoodie and a pair of jeans before finally leaving her room. As she was promised, Gryffindors were incredibly supportive, with everyone rallying against the Slytherins and Snape in particular. James displayed his solidarity by proudly showcasing Catherine's now blue knuckles, boasting about her formidable brawling abilities.

"I prefer not to be known as the girl who punches people like a Muggle." – Catherine complained, edging closer to Remus, who seemed to be the only one among the boys behaving normally. Finding solace in his presence came naturally to her.

"Well, if you hadn't done it yourself, one of us would have! Snivellus would have been punched either way." – shrugged Sirius – "Frankly, his nose was ugly enough as it was. You might've done him a favour!"

"That's the least of his worries." – growled James darkly – "We'll ensure he faces consequences for what he did."

"That's enough!" – Catherine snapped angrily – "I don't want to get into another war with Slytherins! I'm certain he knew I was involved in the prank with the letter! However, even though we're all to blame, I'm the one left looking like a boiled egg! I did what I felt was necessary as a payback at the time, so just let it go!"

"Flame's right! Your recklessness hurt her as much as Snape's hex did!" – Remus interjected, his expression visibly upset.

"So what now? You expect us to stand by and do nothing?" – Sirius retorted, his annoyance evident as he tried to ignore the truth in Remus' words.

"I expect you to concentrate on collecting the ingredients for the potion!" – hissed Catherine, her green eyes flashing with irritation.

Remus gently squeezed her hand, his amber eyes meeting hers with concern.

"You've been through a lot, Flame. How about you take it easy on yourself for a while?" – he suggested softly, his disarming smile having its usual effect on Catherine.

"Moony has a point!" – James said, settling into a seat beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders – "I know this sounds terrifying to you but, why not let us take care of you for a change? We'll ensure the Thestral hair turns out just as good as ours, I promise!"

Catherine sighed inwardly, but unable to come up with a valid excuse to refuse James' offer, she decided to go along with it for the time being. The truth was, she felt a sense of security in the warmth of her Common Room with her friends, who never left her side. She was certain that if it were not forbidden, they would even sleep in the same room as her.

Lily, Gwyneth, and Mary might not have been as overbearing, but they certainly went to great lengths to lift Catherine's spirits and cheer her up. Lily, in particular, showed exceptional concern, ensuring her friend had plenty to eat and persistently urging her to finish every last bite. While most of her attentiveness stemmed from genuine care, Catherine couldn't shake the feeling that at least a small part of it was driven by guilt of knowing it was Lily's best friend who had caused the ordeal.

Gwyneth had told Catherine in confidence that the red-headed girl had a huge argument with Snape during Saturday breakfast, declaring she would never speak to him again unless he apologised. Lily's silence was likely the ultimate punishment for the Slytherin, far more severe than the fifty lost points or the month-long detention during which he was expected to collect every single fallen leaf from the school's vegetable and herb patches, as well as the nearby fields. He was also supposed to cut them into shreds and leave them for Professor Sprout to use as fertiliser. Apparently, Thorne insisted on personally overseeing the punishment, suggesting it was his idea, as he was known for devising such daunting tasks."

While feeling internally satisfied with the consequences Snape was about to face, Catherine couldn't be entirely happy because regardless of the punishment, her hair was still missing. This became painfully apparent on Monday when she followed Mary's suggestion and donned the blonde wig she had worn as Christine Daaé.

"I look very weird." – the witch complained as the Gryffindor third-years made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"I think you look just fine!" – Sirius chimed in immediately.

"Perhaps Marianne Trundle knows a spell to dye the wig black, if that would make you feel more comfortable?" – Mary suggested.

"It doesn't matter." – mumbled Catherine – "Everyone knows it's a wig anyway."

Despite her fears, most students were incredibly sympathetic, especially since they were unaware of her involvement in the love letter prank. The only ones who taunted her were the Slytherins, which was to be expected. All in all, the first day back to school went better than the witch had anticipated.

On Tuesday morning, the third-years of Gryffindor had double Transfiguration and while Professor McGonagall showed some concern over her student's misfortune, she was not cutting her any slack with regard to the task at hand – mastering the Hardening Charm.

"You're doing it wrong." – Catherine whispered to Peter, who was seated in front of her with Mary – "You relax your hand too quickly and don't allow the magic to fully petrify the ball of wool. Hold it a little longer."

"You're so skilled at Transfiguration." – James remarked as Peter's next attempt was finally successful.

"You're just as skilled, if not more so, James." – Catherine replied, slightly puzzled by her friend's newfound modesty.

"I may know how to do things but explaining them is another matter." – the boy smiled nonchalantly – "You'll probably make a great teacher someday!"

"That doesn't sound like something I'd do." – the witch laughed, immediately being shushed by Professor McGonagall.

"Thanks for the help, Flame!" – grinned Peter after class, as the Gryffindors made their way through the corridors – "It's been ages since I didn't have to do extra homework!"

"You just need to concentrate harder." – shrugged Catherine – "You perform well if you follow the instructions closely."

"Now look at that!" – came the nasty voice of Valeria Malfoy from behind. The Gryffindors turned around, facing a large group of Slytherin fourth-years. Lucius' sister and Lavinia Nott stood at the forefront, sneering with apparent delight. Lavinia, bitter after the failed love potion attempt and particularly because Greg had finally snapped and stopped speaking to her altogether, looked at them with obvious disdain.

"Just keep walking." – Remus whispered to Catherine, taking her hand and nodding to James, Sirius and Peter to move forward.

"Leaving so fast?" – asked Lavinia with an artificially sweet voice, as the corridor was getting more and more packed with students, everyone attempting to figure out why they were not able to pass – "Hey! Don't dare to turn your back on me! Accio wig!"

The blond wig flew away from Catherine's head straight into Lavinia's waiting hand. Slytherins erupted in laughter, while James and Sirius drew out their wands, ready for a fight.

"You've always been such an eyesore, especially for an arrogant Mudblood like yourself!" – chuckled Valeria, mockingly curtsying before the stunned Gryffindor girl, who was staring at her in disbelief – "It seems you fancy yourself a royal figure, so allow me to be the first to show you proper respect!"

Before anyone could react, Bellatrix Black appeared out of nowhere, placing a crown made of golden foil atop Catherine's bald head.

"Articulus Repellitus!" – shouted Sirius, but Bella evaded his Knee-Reversal Hex, laughing at her cousin.

"Long live Queen Egghead!" – the youngest of the Black sisters yelled scornfully.

The Slytherins bowed and curtsied mockingly, while Catherine fought back tears and struggled to remove the crown. Then, in a remarkable turn of events, Peter Pettigrew burst forward, his face flushed and sweaty, and bowed deeply before Catherine and their bewildered friends.

"About time to recognise her!" – he declared with a trembling voice – "Long live, Catherine Plantier – the queen of Gryffindor!"

For a moment, silence hung in the air. Then, Greg McMahon's melodious voice cut through the tension as he, too, came forward and bowed low with a smile.

"Long live the Queen of Gryffindor!"

One by one, the students followed suit, the chant echoing down the corridor. The outmanoeuvred Slytherins swiftly vanished from the scene.