Capítulo 44: Chapter 44: Between a Rock and a Hard Place (3)
As Catherine and Sirius made their way into the Gryffindor Tower, a palpable sense of gloom pervaded the room. The muted ambiance hung thick in the air, with students exchanging only hushed whispers. The dominant sound was the intermittent crackle of the fireplace, casting dancing shadows across the sombre faces. In one dimly lit corner, James, Remus, and Peter sat in silence, their presence casting a subdued aura over the entire room.
"Who died?" – asked Sirius, having a seat on a large cushion placed on the floor, next to James.
"Our chances for the Quidditch Cup, most likely." – mumbled the other boy, depressed.
"Maybe we can still make it if we beat Hufflepuff and with some luck." – Catherine tried to console him, also taking a seat on the floor, next to Sirius.
"Are the two of you speaking to each other again?" – asked Remus with a glimpse of hope in his voice.
"Yup! We decided Flame could keep her darn secrets, as long as she stays ours forever!" – chuckled Sirius.
"I don't remember agreeing to such terms." – flatly remarked Catherine.
"Merlin be thanked! At least something good happened today!" – exclaimed James with relief, ruffling his messy hair and gazing at the hearth – "Slytherins would be impossible to stand! They were already acting like they had won the Cup. Some people complained they were verbally abused and pushed around by the fucking snakes on their way to celebrate in the dungeons."
"I haven't noticed." – admitted Catherine, quickly scanning the room – "Where's Lily?"
"I think I saw her going up to the dormitories." – said Peter helpfully.
"I'll go check on her. I'll see you all later." – the girl quickly declared and swiftly left the room.
'I hope she didn't have any issues with Volumnia and Tulia again.' – thought Catherine, taking two steps at once.
The girl's dormitory was silent and dark due to the large amount of snow covering the windows. The young witch needed a few moments before her eyes could get used to the dim light. She looked around the bedroom and sighed, seeing Lily, lying face down on her bed, not making a sound. The black-haired girl slowly approached her friend and sat on the edge of the bed. Gently, she caressed the soft red hair, cascading down Lily's shoulders.
"What's the matter, Lils?" – Catherine asked softly.
Lily didn't answer and continued to lie perfectly still. The other girl waited for a little bit, then decided that her classmate might prefer to be left alone. Therefore, she stood up and prepared to leave when she heard a weak, almost pleading voice.
"How do you do it, Daisy?"
"How do I do what?" – asked Catherine, confused.
"How do you manage to not care if they call you… a Mudblood?" – mumbled the red-headed girl.
Catherine felt a sharp pang of guilt. With time, she got used to her fake name and background, so she didn't need to be constantly alert to avoid a slip of her tongue. Nevertheless, it had always been hard when she needed to pretend, she understood what Lily was going through. On one hand, the black-haired girl was subjected to the same treatment as her friend. On the other hand, however, it didn't affect her quite the same way because she didn't doubt her worth as a witch over her blood status, like Lily did.
"I don't know. I just ignore them. It's a word. If you don't give it power, it doesn't mean anything." – Catherine finally said.
"I know you're right, and I'm trying to ignore the jackasses who only care about someone's blood, but it gets harder and harder." – admitted Lily, now seated on the bed, some red spots on her face clearly showing she had been crying.
"If you tell me who offended you, I can make sure they won't be using their mouth in a while." – Catherine suggested darkly.
"There's no point. We're just going to end up with another out-of-control situation like around Halloween." – the red-haired girl shook her head – "Plus, even if you hex them, it's not going to change their perception. I've never imagined it would have been like this… you know, coming from a Muggle family."
Catherine's heart clinched with pain. She was trying to disregard her raising anger and be there for Lily, who appeared extremely miserable.
"It shouldn't be." – Catherine said decisively – "You shouldn't be ostracised for being Muggle-born. This isn't a reason to be ashamed, and you should be proud of having magic in you, in addition to the craftiness and adventurous spirit of Muggles. I don't know what's happening in the Wizarding society for such behaviour to be tolerated and spread around, but we should fight it, don't you agree?"
"The emanation of the Gryffindor's fighting spirit!" – chuckled Lily – "You're spot on, Daisy! We made it to Hogwarts, and we have the right to stay! We can't be intimidated by some spoiled rich kids!"
"Like who?" – casually asked the other girl.
"Forget about it." – smiled Lily – "But you can do something to help me feel better if you're up for it."
"Sure, you name it!" – agreed Catherine happily.
"Let's have lunch outside next Sunday."
"Okay." – nodded the black-haired witch, a little puzzled.
"You, me and Severus." – clarified the red-haired girl.
"What?!" – shouted Catherine in disbelief.
"I need all the support I can get, and whether you like it or not, Severus is my friend and has been my friend for years before I came to Hogwarts. He told me I was a witch and opened the gates of this world for me." – said Lily, her emerald-green eyes shining – "I promise you, he's not that bad. All this is his way of defending himself. I do attempt to show him where he acts wrongly, but it's difficult with his classmates putting so much pressure on him. It appears that Slytherin is a very different place compared to Gryffindor. Give him a chance, Catherine! I don't want to be caught in a middle of your fights anymore. I need you both on my side. Please!"
Catherine sighed deeply. She was completely certain that despite Lily's noble intentions this 'lunch date' would be a disaster, and yet she couldn't find it in her heart to say no to her friend when she was feeling so vulnerable.
"Fine, I'll have lunch with the two of you, but you make him shower the day before." – the black-haired girl finally agreed sulkily.
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