Capítulo 131: Chapter 131: The Season of the Witch (1)
Catherine gazed intently into the hand mirror she held, perched on the edge of Sirius' bed. Her long-sleeved, high-neck gown, crafted from sheer black fabric adorned with intricate lace and floral embroidery, draped elegantly around her, pooling into a cascade of black silk. Nervously, she drummed the heel of her knee-high boot against the floor.
"Aren't you done yet?" – Sirius asked, peeking through the door.
"What happened to being a perfect gentleman?" – the young witch smirked, trying to choose a suitable eyeshadow colour from the little palette in her lap.
"That's why I'm here - to escort you downstairs, Milady!" – the grey-eyed boy grinned, as he approached his friend – "Do you need help with your makeup?"
"It's usually Mary who helps me with this, but I can't ask her now, obviously. It's bad enough we're going to leave her alone during the Ball." – the young witch sighed.
"I'm still furious about this." – said Sirius, taking a seat next to her – "But it's not your fault. You've already helped her a lot, and now you don't even want to prepare for the Ball in front of her, which is incredibly considerate. You don't need to feel bad about it."
"I know." – the girl mumbled – "But it's still kind of awkward. The girls and I are trying our best to create some sense of normalcy, but I think I lack the social experience needed to handle this situation."
"I don't think many people have that kind of experience. This has been a shitstorm since the very beginning." – the young wizard scoffed – "And the teachers still can't figure out who did it! I'm baffled that James and I got detention, while that knobhead Ronan came out completely unscathed and even became more popular because of the whole ordeal! How messed up is that?!"
"They didn't have any solid evidence, and he was in the pictures too. They couldn't exactly prove he staged it." – Catherine hissed, annoyed – "What bothers me is that these anti-Muggle and Muggle-born beliefs are more widespread than I thought."
Sirius glanced at his friend and suddenly stood up from the bed. He took the mirror from her hand and knelt on the floor in front of the surprised young witch.
"You shouldn't be afraid, Flame!" – he said gently, grabbing the brush and starting to apply the makeup with unexpected skill – "Nothing bad's going to happen to you, I promise!"
"I'm not afraid for myself." – the black-haired girl replied, feeling her face flush under Sirius' intense gaze – "You really know your way around makeup."
"Well, I'm good at painting." – shrugged Sirius, darkening the contours of Catherine's eyes – "A canvas is a canvas. Doesn't matter if it's made of skin."
"Eww…" – the young witch exclaimed, torn between disgust and amusement.
"Stay still!" – the boy warned her, layering purple shadow to her crease, accentuating the green in her eyes – "Do you want lipstick as well?"
"No!" – Catherine answered more sharply than she intended – "I'll just put on some transparent lip gloss."
'The last thing I want is him being too close to my lips.' – the girl thought, suddenly feeling very hot without any apparent reason.
"As you wish." – Sirius replied, handing her the mascara, clueless about his friend's tenseness.
Catherine critically studied her face in the hand mirror and smiled appreciatively. She was honestly surprised by the results.
"If you're ever in need of gold, you and Marianne Trundle can start a business together." – the witch teased the fourth-year, who was lazily leaning against one of the posters of James' bed, watching her.
"I'll keep it in mind." – he stated absentmindedly – "I can't wait to dance with you, you know?"
"Then we shall hurry up." – the girl mumbled nervously – "James and Remus are probably wondering where we are."
"Yeah, it's better if we leave before Evans does." – Sirius suddenly stated, heading towards the door – "It was hard enough listening to him complain the last three days."
"I hope he won't do anything stupid." – sighed Catherine. Despite Lily never explicitly answering Gwyneth's persistent questions, the young witch was certain she was going to the Ball with Greg.
"Don't worry about it." – said Sirius, holding the door for her – "He's going to be pissed when he sees her with McMahon… don't make such a face, you know it must be him! But he's never going to ruin the Ball for you! This night is meant to be your special moment!"
"You don't have to go through so much trouble." – the girl mumbled, a bit unnerved – "I just want us to spend a nice evening together."
"And we will!" – grinned Sirius - "I can't wait to see the special entertainments the teachers planned for tonight!"
"They started decorating yesterday." – the young witch noted – "I overheard McGonagall talking with Thorne about something at the Quidditch Pitch. I suppose that's why they cancelled practice for Thursday, Friday and Saturday."
"Finally!" – exclaimed James as Sirius and Catherine appeared in the Common Room.
"You look beautiful!" – smiled Remus, making the black-haired girl blush heavily. After buying Moony a set of school robes that fit, they had also gotten him stunning midnight blue dress robes, which suited him perfectly, accentuating his broad shoulders and attracting quite a few appreciative looks from the Gryffindor girls.
The Common Room appeared more crowded than usual, likely due to the variety of colourful attires. Most students had opted for dress robes, but quite a few, including Catherine, had chosen Muggle clothes, especially the girls who could experiment with various styles of dresses. James was wearing a brown Muggle blazer and jeans, paired with sneakers. The young witch suspected he was trying to copy Greg's style, and although he did look nice, he seemed a bit uncomfortable.
Sirius had been planning on a much more casual look. However, to his disappointment, his mother had sent him a package containing luxurious black robes with the Black family's crest embroidered on the front. The package was accompanied by a very stern letter regarding Sirius' duties as the heir of the family, which for some reason included him wearing that exact set of robes. The young wizard was annoyed and sulky for days after receiving his 'costume' but nevertheless obeyed his parents. Despite his initial reluctance, he still looked incredibly handsome; the cut was flattering, and the fabric appeared very expensive.
"Shall we go?" – Remus asked, nervously scanning the people around – "Peter and Nora have already left, and we're going to meet downstairs."
"Yeah, I'm not waiting for the girls, I think it will take them a while." – Catherine nodded.
"Why exactly were you not invited to the seventh-years' dormitory and had to use ours?" – asked James, glancing at the staircase leading to the girls' bedrooms.
"Because they didn't have enough space." – the black-haired girl smirked as they headed towards the exit of the Gryffindor Tower – "But in reality, because Patricia Rakepick hates me."
"Why? She's a cool gal!" – Sirius asked, surprised.
"Who knows." – the witch shrugged, although she did suspect it had something to do with Sirius. The red-headed seventh-year had always been quite friendly with him and wasn't one to share the attention of any boy.
"Her loss! You look gorgeous, and we're going to have a blast!" – James said, throwing his arm around Catherine's shoulders as they walked through the festively decorated corridors of Hogwarts, adorned with cobwebs and levitating candles.
"Don't forget she's not only your date!" – Sirius laughed, jokingly pulling the girl away from James.
"Save it for when there are more people around." – Catherine smirked sarcastically, freeing herself from Sirius' arms – "The gossips will go wild after tonight."
"Don't worry baby, everything will turn out alright!" – Sirius hummed, prompting the black-haired girl to burst into laughter.
"The last thing I expected from you is to know about The Beach Boys!" – she stated with amusement.
"I like Muggle music. It's very refreshing." – he grinned as they reached the Entrance Hall, which looked like a spooky cave, opened both to the Great Hall and the school grounds.
"Everybody's staring at Flame." – Remus noted as the four of them walked slowly towards the bright lights, radiating from the Great Hall.
"Good!" – Sirius snickered - "After all, it's a 'season of the witch.' Perfect time to let the sparks fly!"
The girl raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "Donovan too? You're full of surprises tonight, Sirius."
Sirius winked. "I'm just getting started."
***
Lily Evans closed the door of her dormitory. Mary was set with enough snacks and drinks for the night and she was feeling a bit better, managing to even compliment her bright yellow dress. Taking a deep breath, Lily entered the Common Room where Greg was waiting for her, dressed in exquisite silvery grey dress robes that made the blue of his eyes stand out even more. He smiled charmingly the moment he saw her, and the red-headed girl felt a bit dizzy, her stomach fluttering with butterflies.
"You look mesmerising!" – Greg complimented her, offering his arm. Blushing furiously, Lily smiled in return, trying to ignore the eyes directed at them.
"I checked on Mary. She seems fine, so we can go now." – the young witch said, adding nervously – "You also look very handsome. This colour suits you!"
"Thanks, it's something my mom made for me." – the wizard replied as they left the Gryffindor Tower, heading downstairs.
"I still can't believe your mom actually owns Sorcerié!" – Lily giggled, admiring the grey fabric that seemed to radiate its own light.
"She has a few brands, but that's the one she puts the most effort into." – the boy shrugged – "She's quite an artist. I do hope I can be as good as her one day."
"You never showed me your paintings!" – Lily protested with a playful sulk – "I'd love to see them!"
"Well, most of them are at home. I don't have much time to paint here with Quidditch, Prefect duties and school work." – Greg admitted with a hint of sadness in his voice – "Not to mention all the duties I have as the heir of my House."
"That sounds like quite a lot indeed." – the young witch replied gently – "How's the elemental magic coming along?"
"I'm learning a lot, but it's hard." – the boy admitted – "Once you grasp the basics, like opening yourself to your element and extracting the soul of the water, it's all about mastering control and doing more complex things with your power. But I can't complain too much. It's necessary for me to protect my family, and at least I don't get sick anymore when using elemental magic."
"That sounds scary." – Lily almost whispered, surprisingly taking hold of Greg's hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze – "Is your family in any danger?"
The young aristocrat paused for a second, gazing into Lily's stunning emerald-green eyes. For the first time, he felt tempted to share his burden with her, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Not only could this put Catherine in danger, but Lily would also become a potential target, recognised as someone too close to the McMahons and their secrets.
"The usual intrigues and schemes. It's a big game that everyone plays but nobody really understands the reason for." – he shook his head – "It's not a great topic for a fun occasion. Did you know they've transformed the school grounds into an enchanted garden, and the Quidditch Pitch is now a labyrinth? You can win a prize if you find the exit within thirty minutes."
"Really?" – the witch exclaimed excitedly – "How do you know?"
"I met Professor Thorne earlier today about my homework, and he told me." – the boy grinned confidently.
"You're really the teacher's pet!" – Lily teased him playfully.
"Not sure about that." – Greg answered, amused at the memory of how irritated Carsilion had been after reading his essay about the duel the Marquess had with Greg's mother – "Aside from Slughorn, I don't think the other teachers really care about my status, which is honestly very refreshing."
"They're all great!" – the red-headed girl smiled – "Although Slughorn can be a bit overwhelming. He held me for ten minutes after class when I asked him about a modification in the Calming Draught's recipe that Severus suggested. He went on and on, and the worst part was that it wasn't even about the potion! He exhausted the topic in the first two minutes and then proceeded to tell me how he felt robbed of the opportunity to throw his Halloween Party. He's so busy he'll only be able to organise one for Christmas."
"Thank the Founders!" – Greg chuckled as the two Gryffindors reached the Entrance Hall, where Frank Longbottom, Benjy Fenwick, and Thaddeus Hart were already waiting for their respective dates. Waving at his friends, Greg confidently led Lily towards the group of fifth-years when suddenly a figure dressed in black blocked their way.
"I knew it!" – Severus Snape hissed, his face contorted with rage. He appeared ghostly pale, almost inhuman. His black eyes were so dark that if Greg didn't know better, he would have thought he was an Earth Mage.
"Sev?" – Lily mumbled, clearly embarrassed as many people turned to watch them with a visible interest – "Why do you look so angry? I thought we talked about this already, and you said you were fine!"
"Sure…" – the boy sneered sarcastically – "Except you forgot to mention that you rejected my invitation because I'm not up to your standards, which I must say appear to be extremely high!"
"Excuse me!" – Lily snapped, her eyes flashing with fury – "What's that even supposed to mean?"
"Isn't it obvious?" – Snape laughed bitterly – "How can I compete with the fucking heir of Hogwarts?! I've never thought gold, looks and blood status were so important for you, being a Muggle-born! Silly me! I should have known there's no way you'd go to the Ball with someone who doesn't even have a proper set of dress robes!"
"None of this is true, and you know it!" – Lily exclaimed, her face as red as her hair – "And how dare you accuse me of being a gold digger? Do you think I owe you a date to the Ball just because we're friends?!"
"Of course not." – Snape shook his head, his whole body now radiating desperation rather than anger – "I knew you'd be ashamed to be seen with me. I just hoped against hope our friendship would make those things less important. But I guess I was wrong. Enjoy your… date!"
With that, the Slytherin turned around, his black school robes swirling around him as he almost ran towards the Dungeons.
"I'm so sorry…" – Lily apologised to Greg – "I don't understand what got into him! This is unacceptable, and I won't tolerate it. I'm mortified it happened in front of you!"
"It's ok." – Greg smiled at her – "I didn't want to interfere in the relationship with your… friends, but if you want my honest opinion, that was a deranged level of self-pity!"
"You're right." – the red-headed girl stated, tossing her hair back – "I've never seen anyone so determined to dig themselves into a pit of misery!"
'You think this is bad? Count yourself lucky you don't have to deal with Catherine's self-pity! It's a wonder she and Snape don't get along, considering how similar they are sometimes.' – Greg thought with a smile.
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