Taming the True Fire (HP)

March swept into Hogwarts with biting winds and relentless sheets of rain, driving the students indoors to weather the storm of mounting homework. Catherine sat cross-legged on the floor of the Gryffindor Common Room, scowling at her History of Magic textbook. The words blurred before her eyes, and with a growl, she tossed it aside, casting a longing glance at the crackling fire nearby.

"That's a face I've only ever seen in Professor Binns' class." – James teased, crouching beside her with a steaming cup of tea in hand – "Here, I spiked it with some of Peter's mum's famous anti-nausea remedy."

"You didn't have to, but thanks." – the girl murmured, her voice tinged with exhaustion as she took a sip – "The nausea's easing up anyway. And as a bonus, I'm not fainting as much now."

The young wizard grinned, though concern flickered behind his eyes. "Good to hear. We've got enough to handle without constantly watching to see if you're about to drop."

Catherine leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I checked the potion today. Added the Gryffin claws. If everything goes right, we're a week away from adding the phoenix feather. It has to turn green first, though. Only then can we brew it for the final two weeks. The Mandrake leaves go in just before drinking it, when a thunder storm hits."

"We add the leaves before we drink it?" – the boy asked with curiosity.

"Yes." – the witch nodded – "In a way, it's similar to Polyjuice Potion. You add the piece of the person you want to transform into just before consuming it."

"Sounds disgusting." – James chuckled – "Although holding those leaves under our tongues for a month was no stroll down Diagon Alley either."

"You were the only one who complained all the time." – Catherine remarked nonchalantly – "What I'm currently most concerned with is how to immobilise the bloody tree without people noticing. There's no point in becoming Animagi if the whole school finds out. Not to mention we're doing it illegally."

"I asked Moony about it, but he didn't have a clue." – the boy frowned – "He said Madame Pomfrey used the Freezing Spell, but obviously that doesn't work for us."

"True." – the girl nodded contemplatively – "We shall go and explore. There must be another way. We'll test every spell if we have to."

James glanced out the window. "Well, the rain's finally let up. If we're going to try, let's do it tonight. We'll wait until everyone's asleep, then sneak out under the Invisibility Cloak."

"Where are we going under the Invisibility Cloak?" – Peter asked, sliding down on the floor next to Catherine.

"We're going to check the Whomping Willow." – James replied, eying the young witch who shrugged – "You're staying here. Not enough room for four under the cloak."

"Is Sirius coming?" – the girl asked casually, her eyes fixed on the floor.

"I… think so." – James hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck as if to convince himself. His confidence wavered when Sirius didn't show up before curfew. When he finally strolled in, he flashed them a careless grin and made for the dormitory stairs.

"Hey!" – James called, his tone sharper than intended. Sirius stopped, raising an eyebrow - "You coming with us to check out the damn tree? I told you earlier."

"Ah, sorry, mate, must've missed that." – he replied with an apologetic smile – "Can't it wait? I'm knackered, and we've got Quidditch practice tomorrow."

Catherine's eyes narrowed as she took in his wrinkled robes, messy hair, and the unmistakable hickey on his neck. She clenched her fists, battling the urge to yell at him. Instead, she forced a tight smile at James.

"I'm done waiting." – she announced, striding toward the door – "If Sirius is too tired, Peter will do. It's not like it matters."

She didn't wait for a response, leaving Sirius to stare after her, bewildered. The girl stood outside the Common Room, her back to the portrait hole, until James and Peter joined her moments later. The latter was clutching the Invisibility Cloak, his face tight with irritation.

"This was completely unnecessary." – he muttered as they crept through the dark corridors.

"You think so?" – the girl shot back, sarcasm coating every word – "Lately, Sirius has been so busy snogging Marianne in every broom closet that he's forgotten we exist, let alone that we're trying to become Animagi. Apparently, helping Remus is less important than keeping his hands all over her."

James listened to Catherine's rant in silence. It was better to let her vent now than face the storm if she ever found out the real reason behind Sirius' indifference. He shot a wary glance at Peter, half-expecting him to blurt something out, but to his relief, the other boy stayed quiet. Nevertheless, James felt quite relieved when they finally reached their destination, removed the Invisibility Cloak and concentrated at finding a solution to their immediate problem – the Whomping Willow.

After a brief deliberation, the three friends agreed to attempt a few ways to distract the tree and stop its violent swings. First, James tried levitating a large boulder with the Wingardium Leviosa, hoping to hover it in front of the willow as a distraction while they moved closer. He controlled the rock skilfully, manoeuvring it like a shield. However, the Whomping Willow's branches moved too quickly and smashed the boulder into pieces, sending rocks flying in all directions.

"Well, that went brilliantly." - James grumbled, brushing dirt and pebbles from his robes - "Bloody tree's faster than I thought."

Catherine stepped forward, her eyes narrowing in concentration. "Stupefy!" - she cried, sending a jet of red light toward the Willow. For a split second, the branches froze, and hope flickered in her eyes. But then, with a shudder, the tree lashed out again, one branch snapping dangerously close to Peter.

"Stunning it is definitely out." - she muttered, stepping back in frustration.

"Maybe it just needs a lullaby?" - Peter suggested with a sheepish grin. Both James and Catherine shot him exasperated glares.

"Yeah, or maybe we can offer it a nice belly rub." - James snapped, rolling his eyes - "Honestly, Peter, you'll end up worse off than Davey."

"We're out of ideas." - Catherine sighed, lowering her wand - "We'll need to do some research. I really thought the Stunning Spell might work, but... no luck. We'll have to ask around discreetly and see if there's another solution."

With heavy hearts, the trio trudged back to the castle, their feet dragging across the damp ground. They veered toward a shortcut by the Black Lake, the air around them thick with silence and tension.

"Shall we put the cloak back on?" – Peter asked nervously.

"There's nobody around." – James replied confidently – "It's hard enough to walk under it with the three of us."

"Did you hear that?" – Catherine whispered, stopping abruptly – "Sounds like... splashing. It's coming from over there."

The fourth-years crept toward the lake's shore, the cold night air prickling their skin as they pushed aside the dense bushes. Ahead, soft, glowing orbs hovered in the darkness, casting a pale light over a tall, blond wizard in elegant blue robes, who was watching Greg McMahon struggle to draw streams of water from the lake and hurl them at a line of rocks.

"You need to put much more force into this in order to break a rock." – the man instructed, crossing his arms as he scrutinised the shallow dents on the stone.

"That's as much as I can manage." – Greg responded, struggling to catch his breath – "It's easier if I freeze the water first."

"Freezing won't help break the rock and you'd need to be much more precise when aiming it." – Edward McMahon replied sharply, his ocean-blue eyes narrowing as he surveyed their surroundings – "I feel an odd fluctuation in the magic. Who's there?"

James stiffened, glancing at his friends. "Now what?" - he whispered, panic creeping into his voice.

"Step into the light so we can see you." – the Duke commanded, his voice cold and authoritative. His wand was suddenly in his hand, aimed toward the bushes.

Slowly, the three students emerged into the circle of light. Greg's eyes widened in shock. "What are you all doing here after curfew?" - he demanded, his tone accusatory.

James crossed his arms, trying to mask his uncertainty. "I could ask you the same." - he shot back, realising now that the man before them was McMahon's father.

"You have no right to ask me anything." – the fifth-year growled, irritation flashing through his face – "I'm a Prefect, and you should be in bed by now!"

"Then we would have missed meeting such a celebrity!" - Catherine interjected, her voice icy. She ignored Greg entirely, her jade-green eyes fixed on the Duke. Her hands were clenched into fists, trembling slightly at her sides.

Edward hesitated, taken aback by her fierce glare. Sensing the rising tension, Greg stepped forward, a pleading look on his face. "Before anyone starts spreading rumours, this is my father—Duke Edward McMahon." - he explained quickly, gesturing to the older wizard - "He's here with Dumbledore's permission to teach me elemental magic. Dad, these are my fellow Gryffindors who seem to have forgotten the meaning of curfew: James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Catherine Plantier."

The Duke inclined his head, his eyes flickering over the boys with a mixture of curiosity and caution. "A pleasure to meet you." - he said, though his gaze briefly lingered on Catherine, struggling to gauge her anger.

"Oh, do mind your manners, boys!" - Catherine sneered - "Bow before His Grace, the Duke!"

"There's no need for that." – Edward said awkwardly, unsure of what had sparked his daughter's evident hostility.

"Oh, but we insist, Your Grace!" - Catherine retorted, her voice dripping with mockery. She dropped into an exaggerated curtsy, her eyes never leaving his face - "I'm so ashamed that we had no idea you were here so often. If we'd known, we would have arranged a proper welcome. But you understand, right, Your Grace?"

James stared at her, bewildered by her unusual behaviour. "What are you doing? Are you seriously trying to pick a fight with an aristocrat?" - he leaned closer and whispered.

"Ne t'inquiète pas. Il s'en fout! S'il s'en souciait, il aurait essayé de me voir au moins une fois étant ici si souvent!"[1] – the girl shouted, her voice breaking. Angry tears filled her eyes as she turned sharply on her heel and bolted toward the castle.

"What does this mean?" – James asked, dumbfounded – "Flame?! Bloody hell, what happened?"

He sprinted after her, with a worried and equally confused Peter close behind. Greg stood frozen, stunned by his sister's outburst.

The Duke remained silent for a moment, staring after his daughter with a pained expression. Finally, in a low voice, he asked. "Am I such a bad father, Greg?"

Greg hesitated, his gaze shifting to his father's anguished face. "I don't think you are." - he said thoughtfully - "But I'm not the one you should be asking."

Edward sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. "Let's call it a night." - he muttered - "I'll walk you back to the castle."

The father and son had long vanished into the shadows when Severus Snape finally crept out from his hiding spot. He pushed his way through the dense branches, his face marred by scratches and his hair matted with dirt and leaves.

'Damn girl!' – he thought with irritation – 'Nearly broke my wrist ducking out of sight when she stormed through.'

Severus had spent almost an hour observing the lesson. While following Greg McMahon to fulfil the task assigned by Lucius, he couldn't help but be fascinated by the use of elemental magic, wondering if he could learn it himself. He had been thinking about it ever since Lily mentioned it, and it was yet another thing he envied the young lord for.

Lost in thought, he nearly jumped out of his skin when Potter and his gang appeared out of nowhere. Typical of them, sneaking around and breaking rules. What puzzled Severus, though, was Plantier's sudden hostility toward the Duke. Her sharp words and emotional outburst made no sense to him. There had to be a hidden meaning in her strange tirade, but he'd been too far away to catch every word.

Then she bolted, moving so fast that he had to dive behind a bush to avoid being trampled. "Bloody reckless, all of them." - he muttered bitterly as he adjusted his robes, brushing off dirt and debris. Potter and Pettigrew had obviously dashed after her, not far behind.

Finally, he straightened his clothes as best he could and headed toward the castle. It was time to call it a night. 'All things considered,' - he thought as he slipped through the Entrance Hall and down to the Dungeons – 'the strangest part of all was that Black wasn't with them.'

[1] Don't worry. He doesn't care! If he did he would have tried to see me at least once being here so often!