Chapter 84: Partners in Crime (1)
The Gryffindor Common Room buzzed with excitement as its inhabitants returned to Hogwarts in early January. Amidst the laughter and chatter, Sirius Black sat in a squashy burgundy-red armchair tucked away in a dark corner, his gaze fixed on the fireplace with a grim expression.
"I'm done unpacking." – Catherine announced, settling onto a big cushion on the floor beside her friend.
"Alright." – the boy responded absentmindedly.
"When do you think, James is going to come back?" – the young witch asked tentatively.
"Who knows?" – Sirius ran his right hand through his hair in exasperation – "If the funeral was today, I would assume he'd want to spend some time with his parents before coming back. I wouldn't expect him before the end of the week."
Catherine sighed audibly and joined Sirius in gazing at the merry flames dancing in the fireplace. Her hopes for finding solace in the carefree school life and forgetting about her family troubles and horrifying nightmares seemed to be already extinguished.
Once aboard the Hogwarts Express, the girl frantically searched the compartments for her friends, craving human company. The air between her and Greg had turned icy since their tense exchange on the hotel's terrace; he had since retreated into silence, offering only curt nods or monosyllabic responses when absolutely necessary. This had turned out to be quite unpleasant because after Florian Plantier had left for Iceland on Christmas day and the McMahon family returned to their home, Catherine had been left completely isolated.
Edward and Louisa had been preoccupied with various tasks and the kids had only seen them at dinner. The young witch had come with the realisation that she had honestly missed her brother, but at the same time she just couldn't find the courage to apologise. Deep inside, the girl knew the reason was that Greg did have a point and she didn't want to face some harsh truths about herself. To add to her troubles, the young witch was terrified to fall asleep. She had spent three days without being able to close her eyes for more than half an hour. At the point of complete exhaustion, she resorted to using a Dreamless Sleep Potion. However, due to its highly addictive nature, the third-year Gryffindor limited her consumption to no more than three times per week.
As a result, the heavily sleep-deprived Catherine burst into her friends' compartment, desperate to divert her wandering mind from her miserable holidays, only to find that James was not on the train. Sirius had informed her with a gloomy face that James' grandfather, Henry, was on his deathbed, and the boy had stayed behind to support his family. Naturally, this piece of news had cast a pall over the entire trip, and the four Gryffindors had spent most of it in silence.
"Have you completed your Charms' essay?" – asked the witch, looking for some sort of a conversation starter.
"Yeah, I had plenty of time to do homework." – Sirius responded, frowning – "It turned out to be a good excuse to spend most of the holidays in my room. Also, a much more pleasant option, considering the alternative."
"Family time being bothersome?" – the young witch inquired, although she already knew the answer.
"To say the least!" – Sirius barked a sarcastic laugh – "I think the only highlight in the past two weeks was that my uncle Alphard attended lunch on Christmas day."
"You haven't mentioned him before." – Catherine remarked with curiosity.
"He's basically the only decent person left in my family." – explained Sirius with a bitter smile – "Everybody else has been disowned. Uncle Alphard, however, hasn't given them the opportunity to do that yet. He just bugs my father and the other relatives every now and then by proclaiming how inventive Muggles are or how old-fashioned wizarding society is in Britain. Despite this, he hasn't committed anything that could be considered as the ultimate betrayal!"
"What would fall under that category?" – the girl asked with genuine interest.
"Oh, it could be anything – from marrying someone outside the established Pure-blood families to support Muggle-protection laws at the Ministry of Magic." – shrugged Sirius – "I think the reason why uncle is still in the family is because he's been constantly travelling around the world, never married, and he lives alone most of the time."
"You seem to envy him." – the young witch observed.
"Definitely!" – grinned the Gryffindor boy – "If I can choose how to live my life, I'll do exactly like him!"
"I'll miss you if you travel around the world all the time." – Catherine teased him, smiling.
"We can travel together…" – the wizard almost whispered. The black-haired girl could feel the intensity of his gaze on the back of her head. She cleared her throat.
"Well, once we graduate, we can make plans. For now, we're stuck with our families, and we can only be grateful we don't need to put up with them all the time."
"Light forbids!" – Sirius chuckled grimly – "But I still wish we spent Christmas together, especially since you were in London. I mean, not with my family of course! I wouldn't have subjected you to such treatment!"
"My family is not much of a prize either." – sighed Catherine, recalling the latest fight between her father and grandfather, the latter leaving without saying goodbye to anyone but his daughter and granddaughter.
"Still, imagine if I could have spent Christmas in a real Muggle hotel!" – grinned the young wizard – "I guess such experience is hardly new for you but for someone like me, being imprisoned in the wizarding world his whole life, it could be a blast!"
"I can imagine!" – the girl smiled back, thinking of the many ways one could be deprived of their freedom.
***
On Saturday morning, Catherine woke up around six. Since she had returned to Hogwarts, her sleep had improved. She hadn't experienced any nightmares, but the traumatic experience from the holidays still lingered on the back of her mind, preventing her from enjoying more than four or five hours of sleep per night.
Realising she wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep, the young witch silently opened the red curtains around her four-poster bed, donning a black cotton turtleneck, a pair of trackpants, a matching black jacket and her new Nike Waffle Trainers - a Christmas present from Greg. The third-year left the girls' dormitory and ventured outside the castle in the freezing January morning. Since jogging in the pitch darkness was not ideal, the Gryffindor resorted to using her wand.
"Lumiflux Iterum!" – she incanted, using the latest spell she had invented to conjure a luminous orb of light that hovered and moved in front of the caster, illuminating the path ahead. In fact, it was James who had suggested that such a spell would be useful for them; Catherine had simply modified a classic Luminous Spell widely used by wizards and witches to provide light in their homes.
The orb's light reflected off the large pool of black waters, casting flickering shadows around the witch. Suddenly, she heard the noise of someone quickly approaching from behind. Turning around, wand still in hand, Catherine saw another person apparently jogging around the lake without concerning themselves with insignificant issues such as being able to see where they were going.
The dark figure, wearing a Muggle hoodie, swiftly entered the light patch created by Catherine's orb, which prompt the girl to gasp and take a step back in surprise.
"James!" – she exclaimed, her breath hanging in the air in the form of silver mist – "When did you come back?!"
"Late last night." – James Potter responded, removing his hood, which had been covering his black, untidy hair – "I couldn't sleep, and I thought running around in the cold, dark morning would help me shut my mind off for a while. I'm surprised to see you here, though, Flame."
"I had trouble sleeping too." – the girl admitted – "I'm glad that you're back! I'm really sorry for your grandfather! I know the two of you were close."
James nodded and looked away from Catherine. She sensed he felt extremely uncomfortable. The truth was that James wasn't one who was prone to expressing his emotions when they could make him look weak, even if it was in front of his closest friends. In this aspect, he and Sirius were very different. With a flick of her wand, the witch made the light orb vanish, and then, acting on instinct, she reached out in the darkness to embrace James. At first, he jumped in surprise, but then his tense body relaxed, and he buried his head into the crook of Catherine's neck. Even through the collar of her turtleneck the young witch could feel the burning moisture of James' tears, seeping through the fabric.
The two teenagers stayed like that for several minutes. Finally, the wizard released his friend and cleared his throat apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Flame! I didn't want to show such a weakness in front of you."
"Oh, and who were you saving it for, then?" – Catherine teased him gently.
"I haven't been myself during the past week." – James admitted as they wandered aimlessly around the castle's grounds, attempting to warm themselves up.
"You don't need to explain anything." – the girl reassured him, taking hold of her classmate's hand, providing him with emotional support and to prevent herself from tripping on the hard, frozen ground.
"It just happened so quickly that it still feels surreal." – James exclaimed, his voice trembling slightly – "My grandpa was truly an amazing wizard, you know! He had been a very respected Auror… these are highly skilled wizards and witches who work for the Ministry, hunting Dark wizards… But beyond that, he was brave, honest, selfless, and always protected the innocent. He was everything I aspire to be!"
"You're lucky you have had him as a role model." – noted the young witch, reflecting on who could have had such a significant influence on her own life.
"That's true… I guess I'm also lucky because we spent so much time together. We went fishing, we travelled, he taught me how to do so many things… Grandpa bought me my first broom and even had a fight with my mom who was scared I was too young to fly and would end up hurting myself. I just wish he could have seen me growing up, starting my own family, and making him proud." – James' voice was warm with emotions, contrasting with the chilling darkness that enveloped them both.
"I'm sure he would be proud nonetheless, darling!" – Catherine ensured her friend honestly – "After all, the people we love can never truly leave us, as long as we keep their memory alive in our hearts."
"This sounds nice." – James noted as they slowly made their way towards the castle, which was still asleep and quiet.
"Is there anything I can do to make you feel a bit better?" – the girl asked, hoping she could help James through that hard time – "Perhaps a big, moist chocolate cake with hazelnuts?"
"You know I can't say no to your cooking, but you have enough on your plate." – the wizard responded – "Can I save this offer for my birthday?"
"It's not an 'either – or' kind of situation, James." – the black-haired witch chuckled slightly – "I just want to alleviate your pain, even if only slightly. You're still going to get your birthday cake."
"Then, how about you teach me wandless magic?" – suggested the third-year out of the blue.
"I don't know if I'm proficient enough to teach you." – Catherine hesitated – "All I can do for now is cast a Levitation Charm wandlessly. I have a lot to learn myself."
"Then, let's learn together!" – the other Gryffindor student insisted – "It's already remarkable that you managed to do so much by yourself at such an early age! If anyone could teach me, it's got to be you!"
"But why do you want to learn so badly? You have plenty of time. We're just in our third year after all." – asked the witch, still uncertain if she should agree to her friend's request.
"You, of all people, asking that?" – James snorted – "Because I want to be powerful as soon as possible. I want to protect everyone dear to me… and I want to become an Auror, worthy of Henry Potter's lineage!"
"I see." – said Catherine, and after a few moments, she smiled broadly – "In that case, I promise I won't rest until I make an excellent Auror out of you!"