Chapter 96: A Piece of Cake (4)

Remus was cleverly decoyed into his own birthday celebration, where, to everyone's relief, he was seen genuinely enjoying himself. Meanwhile, Catherine and James discreetly relocated their duelling practice sessions to the vicinity of the Forbidden Forest, where other people were rarely seen, Hagrid being the notable exception. With the arrival of milder temperatures towards the end of the month, they also increased their jogging sessions, taking advantage of the warming weather.

On March 27th, the Gryffindors threw a grand celebration for James' fourteenth birthday, culminating in a late-night feast. The highlight was a magnificent lemon and elderflower cake, masterfully baked by Catherine. Naturally, everyone was quite groggy the next day, except for Lily, who had firmly refused to participate, much to James' disappointment.

"Are you sure about this, mate?" – Sirius whispered to his best friend during breakfast.

"Yeah, it's the perfect opportunity to sneak into Hagrid's hut." – James affirmed with a decisive nod – "As long as you're fine with it!"

"I am, but I can't shake the guilt of not telling Flame." – admitted the other wizard, stealing a glance down the table where Catherine sat, her gaze fixed sleepily on her untouched toast.

"She'll freak out and suggest another plan, equally perilous, but this time she'll be the one in harm's way." – chuckled James, affectionately observing the young witch who had just spilled half a jug of orange juice over the toasts – "We shouldn't wait any longer. Even if I sneak in with Flame during her baking lessons, nobody knows if I would be able to get the Thestral hair with them also inside the room!"

"You're right, I just hope she won't get mad because frankly, I fear her way more than the salamanders!" – agreed Sirius, watching as Peter and Remus attempted to assist Catherine in cleaning up the sticky mess she'd made.

With that, the Gryffindors finished their breakfast and slowly made their way outside for their double Care of Magical Creatures class. Professor Kettleburn had told them last time that they were about to start studying salamanders, which were arguably much more exciting creatures compared to what they had dealt with thus far. Excitement buzzed through both Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, who shared the class that term, as they eagerly chatted while awaiting the arrival of their teacher.

As Professor Kettleburn finally appeared, he ushered the students to a small clearing adjacent to Hagrid's hut. There, inside a massive bonfire, a dozen of scarlet lizards were playing amongst the flames.

James and Sirius found a spot as far from Kettleburn as possible, leaving their schoolbags on the ground. They took out pieces of parchment, quills, and a small silk pouch.

"How much should I give them?" – asked Sirius whispering.

"Not more than two pinches." – James replied quietly – "The Igniflare Dust is very potent, and we don't want you spending the week in the Hospital Wing."

"No guarantee it won't happen once Catherine finds out." – the other wizard chuckled nervously.

"Gather 'round, students!" – the Professor's voice boomed above the chatter – "As you already know, today we're going to meet some very intriguing and useful magical creatures! Take a look at the fire, and you'll spot a whole bunch of scarlet salamanders, which are the most common variety. Who can tell me how long a salamander can survive out of the fire? Miss Evans!"

"Up to six hours." – answered Lily promptly from the front of the group.

"Correct! Five points to Gryffindor!" – Kettleburn smiled brightly – "As you're probably aware, salamander blood has numerous practical applications, but caring for these creatures requires a certain degree of finesse. Does anyone know what you should feed a salamander when they are not in the fire? Yes, Miss Evans?"

"It's generally recommended to feed them pepper, but only when we make sure they are not near fire." – Lily responded confidently.

"Right again! Another five points to Gryffindor!" – exclaimed the Professor – "Indeed, as Miss Evans pointed out, it's crucial not to give salamanders pepper when they have access to fire. Otherwise, they may sneeze flames. Considering they are born from and bear a small amount of the essence of fire, or what they call true fire, it could be extremely dangerous to be in the path of their flames! The same goes for handling the creatures with bare hands. That's why we'll be using our dragon-hide protective gloves later to handle them safely."

Listening half-heartedly, James scanned the area, pondering when the best time would be to proceed with their plan. Suddenly, he noticed Catherine squatting next to the bonfire, a bit apart from the rest of the class, a gleaming red salamander trustfully playing in her bare hand.

'What the hell? Weren't they supposed to be too hot to handle?' – thought James briefly before hearing Sirius' voice in his ear.

"Now or never! Kettleburn turned away from us to distribute the pepper!"

The two wizards grabbed some Igniflare Dust and tossed it into the flames, which started hissing like a nest full of enraged snakes. James swiftly sought cover behind a nearby rock, while Sirius clenched his eyes shut with determination. Within moments, a torrent of fire shot forth, propelled by the irate, sneezing fire lizards. A chaos erupted with students screaming and running around, uncertain where the danger had come from. James Potter quickly retrieved his grandfather's invisibility cloak from his schoolbag and instantly disappeared under it. He sprinted towards Hagrid's hut, encountering Hagrid himself halfway, the Keeper of the Keys drawn by the clamour and hurrying in the opposite direction.

James reached the door of the small building and stepped inside, his gaze darting around anxiously. Everything seemed oversized, tailored to fit the specific needs of the giant, making the furniture and appliances appear disproportionately large for ordinary people.

Looking up amidst the hanging hams and pheasants, the boy spotted several braids resembling greyish horse manes. With agile movements, he leaped onto the table, but still found himself unable to reach the Thestral hair. Swearing under his breath, the young wizard descended and, with considerable effort, manoeuvred one of the massive chairs onto the wooden surface. This newfound height proved sufficient, allowing James to successfully pluck a few strands of Thestral hair from one of the braids. He nearly stumbled upon landing and hastily returned the chair to its original position.

Pulling the invisibility cloak over his head, the Gryffindor third-year hurried back to the clearing, darting behind the rock where his schoolbag lay. He swiftly stowed away the silvery cloak and the Thestral hair before joining the circle his classmates had formed. Finally allowing himself a deep breath, he shifted his focus to Sirius, who had agreed to endure an injury serious enough to create chaos capable of luring Hagrid from his home. Making his way to the front, James clenched his teeth at the sight of his best friend lying on the ground, his complexion as pallid as a vampire's, ugly red marks glistening across his hands and neck. Though thankfully his face remained unscathed, his eyes were shut, and his lips trembled as if in pain. Hagrid and Kettleburn were gently applying some green slime to the affected areas of his skin.

James looked around and spotted Remus and Peter standing nearby. Moony cradled Catherine, her complexion mirroring Sirius's pallor, tears streaming down her cheeks. A pang of guilt stabbed at James. Perhaps Sirius was correct; maybe they should have told her. However, the young witch would have vehemently opposed any of her friends risking harm, regardless of their successful acquisition of the Thestral hair.

"It's alright, lad!" – proclaimed the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, as Hagrid effortlessly lifted Sirius, turning towards the castle – "This should help ease the pain, and Hagrid will take you to the Hospital Wing. Fortunately, Dumbledore can heal this particular type of injury, as I doubt Madam Pomfrey could do much. I hope this serves as a lesson to all of you not to attempt such foolish pranks in this class! Creatures are not to be trifled with; they must be respected!"

"Sirius!" – cried Catherine, breaking free from Remus' embrace and rushing toward Hagrid, who carried her friend.

"Don't worry, Flame!" – the boy managed to mumble, pain evident in his voice – "I'm going to be fine before you know it!"

"Why would you do such a stupid thing?! What were you thinking?" – she hissed, her emotions oscillating between anger and concern.

"That salamander fire was weaker." – Sirius attempted to joke, earning an annoyed groan from the young witch.

"We'll talk more after you're healed. Do you need anything?" – she asked, wiping away her tears.

Sirius quickly scanned the area for James, who gave him a thumbs-up, prompting a sigh of relief, as he smiled playfully at Catherine.

"A piece of leftover birthday cake would be nice!" – the wizard said to the upset girl who was staring at him in disbelief.