Chapter 150: When Snow Covers the Mud (3)

Sirius Black sipped from his red mug of hot cocoa as he watched Catherine, dressed in an oversized white sweater and jeans, seated on James' shoulders, carefully placing the star atop the Christmas tree. She laughed heartily, her cheeks still flushed from the cold outside, and her green eyes gleaming with delight. Sirius understood how she felt—spending her first Christmas with the Potters, she was easily swept up in the warmth and spirit of their loving home. For him, someone who usually dreaded the holidays, this was a rare, eye-opening experience—one of the happiest times of his life. And sharing it with Catherine made it all the more special.

He sighed, closing his eyes in embarrassment. He could hardly believe how much of a coward he'd been. The moment had been perfect, and he had wanted to kiss her so badly. For a fleeting second, it had even seemed like she wanted it too.

'Why did I chicken out at the last second?' – he thought angrily – 'Was I that afraid of being rejected? Or was I more scared of ruining our friendship and losing what we have?'

"Isn't it beautiful, Sirius?" – Catherine's voice startled him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, you are!" – he blurted out, immediately noticing the confused look on the girl's face and the mocking smirk on James' lips – "Oh, you mean the tree? Yes, it turned out splendidly."

"Shut up!" – Sirius growled as James elbowed him playfully on their way to dinner.

The food was plentiful and delicious, as always, and afterward, the whole family spent the evening making popcorn and chatting in front of the fire. Catherine and James' father were deep in a conversation about potion-making, which everyone else found a bit dull, but the two seemed to be enjoying themselves. By around ten, James suggested they head to his room for a sort of slumber party, where they could talk without being supervised.

"Bored with your parents already?" – Euphemia teased, winking at Catherine – "I know, I know. Go on, have fun with your friends. But don't stay up too late, or you'll sleep through opening presents tomorrow!" 

Once they were settled on the thick red carpet in James' room, he gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry about them, they can be a bit much sometimes."

"I don't mind." – Catherine said, smiling.

"Neither do I." – Sirius added, rummaging through his suitcase – "Actually, I was thinking we could try to figure out how to make names appear on the map."

Catherine's good mood faltered as she glanced uneasily at the parchment lying next to her on the floor.

"It won't work this far from Hogwarts." – she noted, hoping to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"I know, but we can still brainstorm for a bit." – Sirius replied enthusiastically.

"I'm with him." - James chuckled, pulling a bottle filled with amber liquid from under his bed - "And here's a little something for inspiration. I swiped this from my dad's stash—20-year-old Beetle Berry Whiskey."

"Are you seriously planning on getting drunk?" – Catherine asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not drunk, just a sip!" - James defended himself - "Ever tried whiskey?"

"No." – the girl shrugged – "Just a bit of wine."

"Afraid you'll get tipsy and do something wild, Flame?" - Sirius grinned as he took the bottle and gulped down a large sip - "Wow! That's strong!"

"I'm not afraid." – Catherine muttered, frowning, after taking a sip herself - "I'm not sure I like this though."

"More for us!" - James chuckled, taking a sip himself - "Now, what about using the Human-Presence-Revealing Spell? Do you think that could work?"

"Theoretically." - Catherine replied uncertainly - "However, I'm not sure we can adapt it without causing conflicts with the other spells. I'd rather suggest we develop a variation of the simpler Mapping Spell. We need to modify it to map people instead of objects."

"I'm not sure how we can do that." - Sirius remarked, taking another sip of whiskey - "Where would we even begin?"

"I need to think about it." - the girl responded, folding back the parchment - "In any case, brewing the potion is our priority right now."

"You'll nail it, I'm sure!" - James said, a little too loudly, his face beginning to flush.

"Are you feeling alright?" - the young witch asked, her voice tinged with concern - "I don't think the alcohol agrees with you."

"He's fine!" - Sirius laughed, tossing the bottle back to James - "Don't be such a prude! You can't tell me you haven't been itching for a bit of freedom!"

"I have, but that doesn't mean getting drunk the second I'm left unsupervised." - Catherine shrugged.

"Oh, come on! It's just for fun!" – Sirius said nonchalantly – "It does relaxes the nerves, I can tell you! Maybe we can now play a game or something."

"I can't play chess right now!" – James suddenly yelled, causing his friends to shush him immediately.

"Merlin's beard, mate, you really can't hold your liquor!" - Sirius laughed - "How about Truth or Dare?"

"Absolutely not!" – Catherine snapped, a bit too quickly. Realising her tone, she cleared her throat and softened – "I just don't think it's a good idea when there's alcohol involved."

"Why not?" – Sirius asked with a smirk – "Afraid your first kiss might end up being on a dare?"

"Not particularly." – the girl replied calmly – "It wouldn't be my first kiss, but I still wouldn't enjoy doing such a thing. It feels… humiliating."

Sirius froze, his playful expression vanishing. "What did you say?"- he asked quietly, a wave of anger rising inside him.

"That it feels humiliating." – Catherine repeated, confused by his sudden shift.

"Not that!" – the boy snapped, his grey eyes flashing – "You've had your first kiss? With who? When? It was that prat Frank Longbottom, wasn't it?! I underestimated him!"

Catherine shot to her feet, her face flushed with anger. "What's wrong with you?" - she fired back - "I don't owe you any explanation about my love life! Who are you to keep tabs on who I kiss when half the school saw Marianne snogging you in Hogsmeade?!"

With that, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Sirius struck the floor with his fist, the sharp sting in his knuckles clearing his head. The warmth of the day had vanished, replaced by a searing jealousy that gnawed at him like acid.

'This has to be a nightmare!' – he thought desperately – 'I can't believe someone's going to steal her right from under my nose!'