The following day, Catherine woke up early in the morning. It was still dark outside when she left the castle, dressed in muggle leggings, a snug long-sleeved shirt, and sleek black trainers. She walked leisurely towards the Black Lake, attempting to warm up her joints in the process.
The first silver light of dawn appeared on the horizon when the young witch reached her destination. Ensuring the coast was clear with a swift glance around, she broke into a run, the rhythmic pounding of her footsteps resonating with the solitude around her.
In approximately fifteen minutes, Catherine's face was all flushed. She was heavily panting, and a sharp pain in her abdomen, beneath the ribs, made her stop to catch her breath.
"You should continue moving, or it's gonna get worse." – she heard a voice behind her. Jumping in surprise, the girl slipped on the wet grass and fell on her bum. Fighting the tears of pain and humiliation, she looked up and saw James, who was wearing track pants and a t-shirt, his face frozen in a weird grimace.
"Come on, laugh if you must." – sighed Catherine.
"Hah…no, I…" – James said extending his hand toward his friend – "You didn't hurt yourself, did you? But, Merlin, you fell in a spectacular way."
"I'm happy that my pain brings you so much joy." – mumbled the young witch, getting to her feet – "You scared the crap out of me. What are you doing here?"
"The first Quidditch match is in two days. I'm training." – shrugged the boy.
"Alone?" – asked Catherine, brushing grass off her leggings.
"Yeah, I always go for a jog around this time. But physical training like this is not really popular among wizards, so I'm the only one who actually does it." – smiled James.
"I guess it's not popular indeed." – said Catherine contemplatively – "Although it's a core activity for Muggle athletes."
"I know, right!" – exclaimed James eagerly – "My father also says that the power and quality of one's magic depends on one's physical condition. The stronger your body is, the more powerful you are."
"Really?" – asked the girl in disbelief – "This is an interesting theory. I'm surprised you didn't manage to get Sirius to come with you."
"Are you kidding?" – chuckled the young wizard – "There's no way in hell you can wake Sirius Black up this early in the morning, let alone for going out and running. I, on the other hand, actually enjoy it quite a lot. It helps me clear my mind."
"Do you need to clear your mind?" – asked Catherine while they walked around the lake.
"Kind of… with everything that happened in the last weeks." – answered James seriously – "I don't regret what we did to the Slytherins because they deserved it, but I do regret innocent people getting hurt and that we disappointed Dumbledore."
"Indeed. It got way out of hand, and too many other people were involved. I feel particularly bad for Hagrid. He poured his heart and soul into this pumpkin for it to be destroyed." – added Catherine gloomily.
"This was very low of them. Although I suppose the writing Malfoy mentioned, if it really exists, was pretty threatening." – said James, glancing at his friend.
"It wasn't me!" – she snapped, catching his glance – "Why would I leave such an obvious message? Do you think I'm that stupid?"
"No, sorry, you're right, of course. Then, I guess someone really wanted this to continue." – quickly apologised the boy.
"Or their goal was to put a target on my back, seeing how everyone believed it was my doing." – growled Catherine.
"Don't worry, Flame! I'll figure it out, and nobody's going to lay a finger on you." – promised James.
"Please, James, I don't need you to play detectives or be my bodyguard. I told Sirius the same, just let it be. I got this." – protested the witch.
"You're really unfair, Catherine." – said the boy angrily – "I don't know about Sirius, but for me it's a mission in life to protect my friends. If you take this away from me…"
Catherine looked at James, confused. He had stopped, and his hazel eyes were burning with determination, staring at the girl.
"James," – the young witch started, carefully choosing her words – "is everything alright? I mean, it's not that I do not appreciate your care, but I don't really need it at the moment. It feels like you're stressed that you need to protect us by all means, even though we're not in any danger. Why do you do it?"
"I'm not sure." – the boy responded – "I suppose…I feel like I don't have anything to fight for or proof in life. I'm pure-blood; my family has a lot of gold; I don't have any issues with lessons and I'm popular. What's there to do but just enjoy everyone's attention. It's just that I'm not even sure they like me for who I am. They merely see all these superficial things."
"So, you feel you lack purpose in life, thus you make your friends your purpose?" – asked the girl, deeply in thought.
"I guess you can say that." – nodded James.
"This is quite a heavy burden for us, James." – she finally said – "We can't be your purpose, but you can still rely on us to help you find it, you know?"
"So, I can't help my friends?" – the boy inquired angrily.
"No, silly!" – Catherine smiled, throwing her arm around James' shoulders – "Just relax a bit. The purpose will come to you. We're only twelve for Merlin's sake! Stop insisting we don't understand you and chill!"
The young Gryffindor smiled back at his friend.
"You're certainly not a person who appears to be the understanding type, Flame. But I do believe you, that you'll try for me."
"I'll take this as a compliment." – laughed Catherine – "And also, I do need your help with this running thing. Apparently, I'm lacking some knowledge in the field."
"Oh! Sure, we can run together. You'll get on my level in no time!' – exclaimed James – 'But why did you decide to pick up running?"
"After what Volumnia and Tullia did to me, I promised myself I would become stronger, and this would never happen to me again." – answered the girl with a cold voice – "Considering what you've told me, I'm convinced this is the best way. It would probably also help my magic work even if my body is in distress like in that damn bathroom."
"Absolutely!" – agreed the young wizard – "Let's go for it then! I'll time you and make sure you have a healthy pace. Ready? Go!"
"Wait!" – shouted Catherine, running after James as quickly as she could.
Half an hour later, the young witch lay sprawled on the grass, trying to find the mental and physical strength to get up and go to breakfast.
"Come on, Flame! You're going to catch a cold like this. Stand up!" – insisted James, grabbing his friend's hand and pulling her up.
"Just let me die here, James!" – moaned the witch.
"I can't! If you don't survive for Sirius' birthday, he's going to kill me." – chuckled the Gryffindor boy.
"When's that?" – asked the girl, finally standing up and picking a few yellow autumn hawkbits from the ground.
"This Saturday." – answered James – "Why do you constantly pick plants?"
"Not any plants, I pick up flowers." – explained the girl – "They have certain symbolic meaning, which under the right circumstances allows them to be used for magic."
"What kind of magic?" – curiously inquired the boy.
"Mostly ancient magic, but there is also another type. However, you kind of need to be born with that ability. Then you can use them as a source of power in a way." – clarified the witch, playing with the flowers in her hand.
"What's the meaning of these flowers then?" – asked James as they slowly walked towards the castle.
"Autumn hawkbit represents hope where's no hope left." – said Catherine.
"This is very interesting. What about roses?" – James continued asking.
"Depends on the colour. They can represent a number of things."
"I see." – nodded James – "What about lilies?"
"A lily symbolises purity and innocence." – answered the girl, smiling slyly – "Is there a particular reason you're interested in lilies?"
"No, just being curious." – quickly stuttered the boy – "You can teach me about these meanings, right?"
"Yeah, if you want." – shrugged Catherine – "When I have some spare time. I have a lot of things to take care of."
One of these things was finding a gift for Sirius' birthday. Catherine was so preoccupied with the task during Herbology that afternoon, she dropped a Puffapod seedpod, and the shining beans inside bloomed immediately after falling to the ground.
"Be careful, Miss Plantier!" – Professor Sprout warned her while the Gryffindor girl was trying to collect all the blooming seeds.
"Let me help you." – Alice Fortescue's friendly voice sounded from above, and she was soon crawling around helping Catherine gather all the sprouts.
"I think that's all of them." – sighed Catherine, getting up – "Thank you for the help, Alice, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, I don't think we've ever formally introduced ourselves. I know who you are, of course." – Alice giggled – "I believe the whole school knows after what you guys did with the Slytherins in the last month."
Catherine frowned, arranging the Puffapod sprouts in several pots. "That's not really the thing I would want to be recognised for."
"Well, at least people recognise you. The only thing people notice about me is these friendship bracelets I make, and it's only because they are now popular among Hufflepuffs, and I'm constantly being asked to make new ones." – sighed Alice and showed the Gryffindor girl a pretty yellowish bracelet made of some sort of leather.
"Wow, it looks incredible, Alice!" – exclaimed Catherine – "I know you've just complained about it, but would you mind teaching me how to make it? It's kind of urgent; I need one for Saturday."
"Oh, I can teach you, I guess. I'm free tomorrow afternoon." – said the Hufflepuff.
"Good, I'm also free. How can I repay you?" – the other girl asked.
"Please, no need for that!" – blushed Alice – "I'd be happy to share my craft. You look like pleasant company anyway."
"You're the first person to tell me such a thing." – laughed Catherine – "How about that? I'm going to bake you a pumpkin pie this Saturday."
"Really? I love pumpkin pie; in fact, I love pumpkin anything." – giggled the other witch.
"Great! See you tomorrow then." – smiled the Gryffindor and returned to her classmates.
"Yes, I'm going to wait for you in front of the greenhouse. Find some leather strips for the bracelet!" – instructed Alice.
Catherine and Alice spent the Friday afternoon seated on the wooden bench in front of the greenhouse, enjoying the rare November sun. Catherine had acquired a few strips of dragon hide from Hagrid, and the Hufflepuff girl walked her through all the steps involving embroidery and braiding until the bracelet was completed.
The Gryffindor spent her evening trying to apply what she had learned on the most beautiful piece of black hide she had. The embroidery was hard work and apparently very painful one, Catherine deducted, assessing her handiwork, richly decorated with red threads.
"What happened to your fingers? Why are they all bandaged?" – asked Remus during their Astronomy class that night.
"Nothing, just an accident. I need to hear what Professor Sinistra is saying." – the girl shushed him.
After class, Catherine stayed in the Common Room to braid the bracelet, which took her about three hours. She went to bed completely exhausted and fell asleep immediately with a smile of satisfaction on her lips.
Unfortunately, she couldn't enjoy her rest for long because at eight, the Gryffindor Tower was already buzzing with excitement about the upcoming Quidditch match. The young witch groggily put on some clothes and went to breakfast. Most of the Gryffindor team was already there, and Catherine took a seat next to Sirius, who appeared rather pale amid the constant taunts coming from the Slytherin table.
"Good morning." – she greeted, grabbing a toast from the pile in front of her.
"Morning, Flame." – answered James, grinning as Sirius just groaned – "Don't mind him; he's just nervous for his first game."
"I'm not nervous!" – snapped Sirius – "But if we lose, it's going to be a disaster."
"I seriously doubt it." – commented Catherine mercilessly, but then she smiled at Sirius' sulky face and took out the completed bracelet – "You can consider this a good luck charm, as well as a birthday present."
The boy looked at the bracelet with surprise. Then he slowly took it from his friend and stared it for a while.
"Um… if you don't like it, it's not necessary to wear it." – said Catherine cautiously – "I just thought you may like a friendship bracelet, but it's the first one I've made, so it might not be very good."
"No, I love it!" – proclaimed Sirius and looked at the girl, his grey eyes filled with happiness and something Catherine couldn't quite define – "Will you help me putting it on?"
"Sure!" – beamed the young witch while carefully adjusting the leather straps around the boy's wrist – "Now go get them!"
James and Sirius left the Great Hall soon after, together with Greg, who cast a weird glance at Catherine. Pretending she didn't see him, she finished her breakfast and went to the Quidditch stands, taking the seat Remus saved for her.
The weather was chilly but mostly clear. There was still a trace of the silver morning mist, and the grass was moist from the melting frost. The Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw teams entered the pitch under the excited cheers of the students on the stands. Patrick Blackwood and the Ravenclaw's captain Elara Hawthorne, who was also their Seeker, shook hands and fourteen brooms flew into the sky with the signal from Madame Hooch's whistle.
The Quidditch stadium erupted, and Catherine joined the choir of voices, encouraging her classmates. Next to her, Peter had improved his sign, which was now glowing in red and gold, and big letters were forming: James & Sirius – Victory for the Lions! He proceeded with jumping up and down on the stands, watching Sirius with the Quaffle, evading a Bludger, sent by Magnus Talon, one of the Ravenclaw's Beaters, and scoring the first goal. Peter's excited scream almost burst the young witch's eardrums.
The game continued, and on the other end of the pitch, Greg McMahon displayed incredible reflexes, blocking Ravenclaw's attempts with a mix of skill and instinct, ensuring the score remained in Gryffindor's favour. His dives and saves added to the growing excitement, earning him applause from the enchanted crowd.
Hovering high above the action, James was just a red spot in the sky. Elara Hawthorne, though nimble, couldn't match James' determination and preferred to stay way below him, constantly making circles around the pitch.
After Sirius' initial success, the game stabilised, and Ravenclaw scored three goals. Marigold Weasley managed to return one of them, but nevertheless the game was equal and relatively clean. The only incident occurred when one of the Ravenclaw's chasers, Archibald Smith, didn't stop in time after peeking toward the Gryffindor's goal posts, and as a result, collided with Greg. Thankfully, neither of them got really hurt and they stayed on their brooms.
While Madame Hooch was investigating the situation, the crowd erupted into cheers as James made a spectacular mid-air manoeuvre, catching the Snitch in his outstretched hand and bringing the win to Gryffindor in the blink of an eye. The Gryffindor supporters spilled from the stands to the pitch, waving scarlet and gold banners as the players circled the stadium in victory.
Sirius, all flushed up and ecstatic by the fast-paced game, landed harder than intended, hence he ended up tumbling to the ground and bringing Catherine down with him.
"I'm sorry, Flame!" – he laughed, immediately jumping to his feet, and helping his friend get up as well.
"It's okay; it seems I fall a lot these days." – said the girl, fixing her clothes.
"Let's go celebrate!" – shouted Sirius above the crowd – "A birthday and a victory in one day! I suppose the bracelet does bring luck."
"Or you're just a great player." – Catherine winked at him – "You go; I'll join you later after finishing my baking lesson with Hagrid. I'll bring pie."
The celebration continued until late in the evening. Eventually, Catherine returned to the Common Room with the promised pies, after sending one to Alice. It was fortunate that Hagrid grew a lot of pumpkins because they threw away quite a lot of his attempted pastries. One was burnt, one fell on the floor, and one's filling had a very suspicious appearance, thus the young witch had decided against offering it as food.
"It's delicious!" – said Sirius, still chewing while sitting next to Catherine on the floor in front of the fireplace.
"Yeah, it's because this is from the ones I made." – the girl chuckled – "I don't know what's with Hagrid and cooking. Whatever he touches turns into a disaster. At least he's enthusiastic about it."
"Maybe I should learn how to cook too, with such a great teacher." – winked the boy.
"I'm not sure you would be able to be around food for a long enough time to cook it without eating it first." – Catherine teased him – "Plus, don't you have house-elves at your home?"
"We do, but they are not particularly helpful towards me." – answered Sirius gloomily.
"Why's that?" – asked the girl, helping herself to some of his pie.
"I think they don't believe I'm fit to represent the great house of Black. That's why they mostly obey my mother and her favourite child, which as you can imagine, is not me." – concluded the young wizard, staring at the fire – "Do you know what they sent me for my birthday?"
Sirius reached into his pocket and retrieved a sizable silver ring adorned with a massive black stone. He carelessly tossed it to Catherine. Intrigued, she examined it closely and noticed an engraving on the inside of the ring.
"Toujours Pur? That's rather demanding, isn't it?" – the girl attempted to joke, although Sirius' face remained blank.
"The 'birthday card' was even better: You are now old enough to bring glory to the family." – he mumbled, appearing rather depressed.
"You know, from what I saw from your mother and brother, none of them deserve to spoil the celebration of your birthday." – proclaimed Catherine decisively, standing up – "Now, let's have some pumpkin juice to wash down this pie."
Sirius smirked at her and did his best to not think or mention his family for the rest of the evening. This time it turned out to be easier than usual. Probably the bracelet did have magical properties after all.
'You're truly a remarkable witch!' – he thought while watching Catherine enchanting the butterbeer bottles, they had taken from the Kitchens, causing them to waltz on the table under the cheers of their classmates.
The next week felt rather dull after the excitement of the weekend, and life at Hogwarts was slowly returning to normal. The second-years were mostly occupied with school assignments, which had the unpleasant habit of accumulating out of nowhere. Consequently, Catherine was forced to pause her research on Animagi to finish a History of Magic essay on the International the Warlock Convention of 1289, the two parchments professor Slughorn required on the various methods of potion storage, and the comparative analysis of the basic techniques for inanimate-to-inanimate transfiguration for Professor McGonagall.
The witch was surprised to see James and Sirius keeping her company in the Library that week, but it turned out they decided to help Remus with his homework due to the approaching full moon on Friday. Catherine thought it was a splendid idea and volunteered to take care of the Astronomy assignment they expected Professor Sinistra to give them after the class on Friday evening.
"Attention, everybody!" – the Astronomy teacher clapped her hands to attract the students' attention in the midst of the noise produced by the howling wind and the clattering teeth of the Gryffindor second-years on the top of the Astronomy Tower – "Please take out your telescopes and moon charts and gather around."
The young witches and wizards clumped together in an attempt to accumulate some heath. Sirius was rubbing his hands and frowning at Sinistra, who looked especially thrilled, gazing at the rather clear sky above.
"You're in luck today not only because the weather is clear…" – started the Professor.
"Yeah, some luck that is." – growled Sirius.
"…but also, because we're going to spectate an especially rare event tonight." – continued Sinistra, pretending not to hear the boy – "Around once in every three years, we witness a combination between a Supermoon and a Blood moon, called Super Blood Moon. Can anyone tell me what a Supermoon is?"
"A Supermoon occurs when the moon is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit, appearing larger and brighter in the sky." – answered Lily immediately.
"Exactly, Miss Evans! Five points to Gryffindor." – smiled the older witch – "Now, who can tell me what a Blood moon is?"
"A Blood moon refers to a total lunar eclipse during a full moon." – Catherine replied swiftly.
"Correct, Miss Plantier, and another five points to Gryffindor." – nodded the Professor – "Both Supermoon and Blood moon are rare occurrences on their own, but the combination is even rarer and a spectacular view. In addition, it affects magic in many different ways. You may want to take notes."
After half an hour of taking notes and another hour of observing the Super Blood Moon while filling in their moon charts, the Gryffindors finally returned to their Common Room.
"I think I'll never feel warm again." – complained James, crouching in front of the fireplace.
"I believe another five minutes and I would have lost a toe or two." – moaned Sirius, joining his friend – "Aren't you cold, Flame?"
"No, not really." – answered Catherine, taking a seat in her favourite burgundy armchair – "But I rarely feel cold in general."
Sirius reached out and took the girl's hand in his.
"What are you talking about? Your skin is ice cold." – he objected, looking at the young witch with suspicion.
"My skin gets cold, but I don't feel it." – she explained calmly – "I have always been like that. It's kind of problematic because I never know if I wear enough clothes, and eventually, I catch a cold."
"You're really weird, you know?" – grinned Sirius at his friend who rolled her eyes.
"Whatever, I'm going to bed. I promised Hagrid to teach him how to make brownies tomorrow." – she said, heading towards the girls' dormitory.
"Oi, bring back some for us as well!" – shouted James after her – "Just please make sure they're from the ones you made, not Hagrid's."
'James did have a point.' – thought Catherine the next day as she was returning from the Gamekeeper's hut, carrying a tray of brownies for the boys. She was uncertain about how Hagrid managed to make his brownies harder than the shells of the walnuts they used in them, but it was a fact. Nevertheless, he appeared to like the treats and ate most of them while they were still hot.
The boys were not in the Common Room, so Catherine left the brownies in her bedroom and went to the Owlery to check on Orion. When she returned to the Gryffindor Tower, Sirius, James, and Peter were sitting in one corner, discussing something with grim faces.
"Hey!" – Catherine greeted when she joined them – "What's the matter?"
"Peter forgot there was a disappearing step on the fifth floor and twisted his ankle. We took him to the Hospital Wing, and we overheard Madame Pomfrey talking with McGonagall that Remus was there." – answered James, carefully looking around.
"In the Hospital Wing? But why?" – asked Catherine anxiously.
"We don't know. Apparently, something went wrong during the transformation last night, or so we've overheard. Madame Pomfrey didn't want to tell us anything, and she also didn't allow us to visit him." – said Sirius bitterly.
Catherine's heart sank. She spent the remaining afternoon and the evening deep in thought and even skipped dinner. The typical Saturday evening noise of the Common Room was irritating her, so she went to bed early, excusing herself with a headache. However, she was not able to fall asleep. After trying for a few hours, she finally gave up, quietly dressed herself, and left the dormitory, taking the tray of forgotten brownies with her.
Hogwarts at night was a completely different experience. It was so quiet that Catherine could hear her own breath. Every shadow looked like Mrs Norris, Filch, or a teacher, usually in the form of Professor Thorne. Trying to move as swiftly and quietly as humanly possible, the young witch finally reached the Hospital Wing on the second floor and gently opened the door, just enough to sneak inside.
There was solely one bed occupied, at the very end of the room, with curtains tightly closed around it. Madame Pomfrey was apparently asleep in her room, judging by the rhythmic snoring coming from there. The girl quickly reached the bed and silently opened the curtains, gasping in horror. Even with the little dim light coming from the Matron's room, Catherine was able to see the gruesome slash wounds on Remus' face. By the bandages, she determined the situation was similar to the rest of his body.
"Catherine?" – she heard Remus' weak voice – "What are you doing here this late at night?"
"Shh! Madame Pomfrey doesn't know I'm here." – the girl whispered – "Light, Remus! What happened to you? Haven't you said they isolate you before you transform?"
"Yes, they do. The transformation… it's really a torture. You know…it's hard to feel how your body changes and lose your mind simultaneously, being left with just a flicker of your consciousness. But sometimes it's way worse than others. I couldn't act upon my instincts, and I ended up hurting myself." – the boy said quietly, avoiding his friend's gaze.
"So, you did this to yourself?" – asked Catherine, feeling something choking her.
"I know. I must look terrible. But at least I didn't hurt anyone else, and Madame Pomfrey is positive that no visible scars would be left on my face because they reacted quickly." – mumbled Remus, still looking sideways.
"This is not the point, Remus!" – the young witch said, fighting the urge to shout and express the storm of emotions she was feeling – "If you knew, this could have been prevented. Your pain and suffering do matter!"
"You are too kind for your own good." – whispered the wizard in the bed, finally daring to look at his friend – "That's why I insist you guys stop this nonsense about becoming Animagi. I'm just too dangerous. It's bad enough that I endanger my classmates by studying at Hogwarts. I can't betray Dumbledore."
"What betrayal? We want to do this in order to help you preserve the human part inside of you even during your transformation." – hissed Catherine – "I thought we'd already discussed this. For now, just concentrate on recovering."
"But..." – Remus couldn't protest further because Catherine used the opportunity to shove a brownie in his mouth.
"You know..." – said Catherine contemplatively while Remus was chewing the chocolate delight – "I wonder if this bad effect on your transformation had something to do with the Super Blood Moon. It affects magic in various ways. We learned about it yesterday during Astronomy class."
"I don't know; this is the first time I hear about it." – Remus finally managed to say – "Maybe I can ask Professor Dumbledore; if someone knows, it should be him, right?"
"I guess…" – mumbled the girl – "It's worth observing the effects of Supermoon and Blood moon on you. There's no reason to worry about such a bad transformation for the next three years anyway. More importantly, do you want another brownie?"
Remus looked at the young witch and smiled.
"How could I say no? If you bring me such delicious treats after every transformation, they may end up not being so bad."
"It's a deal!" – the Gryffindor girl immediately agreed.
"Flame, I was merely joking!" – exclaimed the young wizard anxiously.
"Too late! I told you – no way you're getting rid of me anymore, Moony!" – Catherine chuckled and planted a quick kiss on the forehead of the stunned Remus.