Chapter 120: For the Heart of a Lioness (3)

The golden rays of the late afternoon sun danced across the emerald grass field, casting a warm glow over the Quidditch Pitch bustling with energy. A significant number of students had gathered for the Gryffindor try-outs, drawing spectators from other houses driven by curiosity or to support specific players, with Greg McMahon commanding the largest crowd.

Catherine stood poised at the edge of the pitch, her Nimbus 1500 clutched firmly in hand, determination gleaming in her eyes. She rumpled her short black hair, a confident smirk playing on her lips. As Marvolo Wood signalled the start of the try-outs, the young witch shot forward with lightning speed, effortlessly navigating through the air with grace and precision.

Her agility was unmatched as she effortlessly dodged Bludgers and weaved between the goal hoops, her eyes never wavering from the Quaffle. With each pass and shot, the fourth-year demonstrated her evident superiority, seamlessly syncing with her fellow try-out teammates. Gasps of admiration echoed from the spectators as Catherine scored two impressive goals, outsmarting Greg, who was not able to save the tricky shots.

Meanwhile, one of the third-years, Scarlet Porter, a tiny brunette with a fierce determination in her eyes, also made quite an impression. She showed striking speed and accuracy, and managed to score one goal to Greg which was already impressive, considering her youth and the fact she was Muggle-born and had truly seen a broom for the first time when she enrolled at Hogwarts.

As the try-outs drew to a close, it was clear to all who watched that Catherine had emerged as the standout talent. With a final flourish, she scored an awe-inspiring goal that drew thunderous applause from the crowd. Marvolo Wood promptly announced Catherine and Scarlet as Gryffindor's newest Chasers, sparking jubilation among the team, especially Sirius, who believed they now had a formidable squad for the Quidditch Cup.

Catherine landed gracefully on the ground and smiled happily. She hated to admit it, but training with Sirius and James had proved to be very helpful, since even though she knew Greg's style quite well, he didn't cut her any slack and the try-outs turned out to be extremely challenging. On the other hand, Scarlet looked like an excellent Chaser and the two of them flew quite well together. This meant that unless they did anything really stupid, this was their year.

As the rest of the Gryffindor team returned to the ground, Catherine found herself swept up in Greg's surprisingly strong embrace. He twirled her around in celebration before setting her down, still holding her close.

"Congratulations, Flame!" – he chuckled, as Catherine blinked, slightly dazed – "You were the best up there without a doubt! No Keeper could have stopped those goals you scored against me!"

"Thanks, but next time, could you express your happiness in a way that won't make me want to throw up?" – Catherine muttered, trying to compose herself and fight the rising nausea.

"You seem fine when Black does it." – Greg noted casually, earning an angry hiss in return.

"I'm not fine regardless of who does it! I get motion sickness if someone twirls me around like a rag doll!"

"Yeah, you may need to work on that as a Chaser." – the boy grinned, reflecting on how much Catherine had grown while noting she still wore the same sulky expression as a three-year-old. This made the young wizard nostalgic, prompting him to draw her closer and hold her tight for a moment.

"Are you done molesting me in front of the entire House?" – she muttered, trying to break free from his embrace.

"Hey! Plenty of girls would do anything to be as close to me as you are now." – Greg smirked, releasing the flushed witch.

"That's because they haven't witnessed you peeing your bed." – Catherine remarked sarcastically, a small smile playing on her lips.

"It's not funny! I had nightmares and I was still young." – the embarrassed aristocrat protested vigorously.

"Sure, although not as young as one might think." – the girl replied mercilessly – "Perhaps, you should tell this story to Lavinia Nott. It may repeal her from you."

"If only that were true." – Greg scoffed with derision – "You may complain about not being regarded as who you truly are, but you have been saved from plenty of unwanted attention from people who don't give a flying rat's ass about you as a person. All they see is the title, the gold and the power. For that, my dear, they'd endure far worse than a childhood mishap."

Catherine glanced at her brother's face, which wore a look of sadness and sincerity. She felt a pang of guilt due to her constant protests about needing to hide her identity. For the first time, it occurred to the young witch that Lord Gregory Lloyd McMahon might not have been entirely happy with his role in the family and the attention he so gracefully tolerated.

'I've been complaining endlessly about not being seen as more than a vessel of the demon, but Greg has only been seen as the heir of House McMahon. In both cases, nobody gives a damn about who we are as people.' – the girl thought bitterly. Her heart filled with empathy for her brother, and in a sudden rush of emotion, she rose on tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and planted a peck on his cheek.

"Thanks for today. You gave me quite a challenge as a Keeper… and also… for everything." – she stuttered in a hurry, her eyes focused on the ground. Quickly turning away, she joined the rest of the team who were chatting enthusiastically and discussing their prospects of finally winning the championship. Catherine graciously accepted congratulations from all sides, spending the next half-hour socialising with the cheering squad led by Peter, as usual. Finally managing to get into the changing room, she took a quick shower and dressed into a pair of black jeans and a plain white t-shirt.

'One advantage of short hair is that it dries quickly without needing spells.' – the young witch mused as she stepped into the approaching darkness of the September evening.

"Finally!" – Sirius' voice startled the fourth-year.

"You scared the living hell out of me!" – the girl exclaimed, her heart pounding heavily – "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing?"- the boy snapped – "I'm not going to let you wander around alone after dark!"

"What's wrong?" – Catherine asked, sensing the uneasiness hanging in the air. The dim light prevented her from seeing her friend's face clearly, but his tone and swift stride towards the castle, regardless of whether she followed, suggested something troubled him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." – Sirius shrugged as he turned alongside the Quidditch Pitch and suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Catherine, caught off guard by his abrupt halt, bumped into the wizard's back.

"What the…" – she growled, rubbing her nose, but the boy turned around and shushed her with a sharp gesture.

Catherine peeked around him and saw two figures engrossed in an intimate conversation. The last rays of sunshine caught in the luscious red hair of the girl, who smiled shyly at the tall blond wizard. Greg gently removed an unruly streak from her face and either whispered something in her ear or kissed her cheek. After this brief exchange, the couple slowly walked away, disappearing into the shadows.

"I knew it!"- Sirius growled with a grim triumph, almost sprinting towards the castle – "I need to tell James!"

"No, you don't!" – Catherine objected decisively, grabbing her friend's hand and pulling him back with an excessive force. This move surprised the wizard, causing him to lose balance and tumble to the ground along with the girl, who landed on top of him.

"Well, if you wanted to have a quick roll in the hay, you could have said so." – he smirked, his previous bad mood completely forgotten, as the heavily embarrassed witch quickly jumped to her feet.

"Just stop it already!" – she snapped, refusing to look at his face – "What we have just witnessed is not of our business and it's a really cheap move to go around spreading rumours. There are plenty in circulation as it is."

"However, this one is real!" – Sirius insisted, brushing dirt off his clothes as he stood up – "Also, James has every right to know the truth!"

"The truth?!" – Catherine yelled, perplexed by her friend's ridiculous stubbornness – "We just saw them hanging out together – nothing more, nothing less! If this gets out, Lily could be in danger. There are plenty of people who would harm her if they thought she was McMahon's girlfriend, especially since she's Muggle-born! Besides, James has no entitlement to know anything about Lily. He's not even her friend! I know he fancies her, but that doesn't give him any claim over her. She's free to date whoever she wants and be friends with whomever she chooses. The sooner he understands this, the better! It might stop him from seeming so desperate, and maybe she'll see him for who he really is!"

"Alright, I see your point about endangering Evans, and you're right about it…" – the boy agreed with a sigh – "But it feels wrong to let James hope for her attention. Don't tell me what we saw was just two friends being close to each other! There was too much touching involved!"

"By your logic, we're also much more than friends." – Catherine chuckled, sensing how Sirius stiffen beside her – "My point is, it's better for James not to know and to relax a bit! Lily won't pay him any attention if he acts like a jealous toddler every time they meet! Even I get annoyed by it!"

"First of all, it's very different with us! We have something special! – Sirius stated confidently – "Second, Evans is just stubborn about all this! Yeah, she's pretty, but James is quite a catch, and most girls in school would love to be in her place!"

"I'm starting to think you would also want to be in her place." – the girl scoffed – "But seriously, the problem is that she doesn't see the James you and I do because every time he gets close to her, he turns into a clingy, obsessive maniac! That's why if you tell him what we saw, he'll jump to all the wrong conclusions and might end up in a fight with Greg. How is that going to help him prove to Lily that he's kind, mature, and fun to be around?"

"Fine! I won't tell him for now, but I'll keep an eye on them!" – Sirius agreed half-heartedly.

"It's for the best." – Catherine nodded reassuringly – "I'll try to talk to James and remind him that no girl owes him her attention. He needs to let her feel free and safe with him if he wants her to consider him a dating material."

Sirius felt he disagreed with that recipe for successful love life, but he decided not to argue with his friend. Her words made him reflect on his own behaviour. He had been upset after seeing Catherine with Greg McMahon after the try-outs. When she gave the aristocrat a peck on the cheek, Sirius felt white-hot rage, and if he had his wand, he might have used Snape's spell just to see Greg's bald head. However, Catherine's calm reaction and the scene they witnessed made the boy reconsider his previous determination to give her the cold shoulder. Seeing that she wasn't upset about the possibility of Greg McMahon and Lily Evans being a couple made him think that maybe what he saw was just a friendly gesture after all.

'She seemed like she was speaking from experience, though!' – the young wizard thought as they reached the steps of the castle – 'If Catherine believes a girl needs to be given her freedom and not chased desperately, then that's what she's going to get! Perhaps it's time to explore my options and get to know some other girls around the school.'