Wisdom and Victory {Fred Weasley}

Chapter 6

We've hit our first 100 reads! :)

It had been a week since Victoria had argued with her mother and people were beginning to notice. Usually, the two were very professional, behaving like every other teacher and student did; at least when there were others about. But now it seemed people were beginning to notice their hiccup. Namely, Misters Weasley.

She took her usual spot in the second row of the Transfiguration classroom, which had been half full when she'd arrived. She took out her parchment and ink, and began skimming the textbook, avoiding her mother's eyeline. In her early years at Hogwarts, she had been very popular to sit next to, with everybody wanting to get on the Transfiguration professor's good side. But they had failed to realise that in doing so, it made them seem more approachable to her mother, and thus, they were picked on. Frequently.

So now, for the most part, Victoria spent her lessons alone, which secretly, she rather enjoyed. Until today, apparently. She moved her arm absentmindedly as someone sat down on her right, only starting when someone else sat down in her left. The twins. She dared a glance at her mother, who quickly looked away, scowling. "Before the lesson starts it seems prudent to remind you that my mother has eyes and ears like a hawk," she said quietly, looking back at her textbook.

"Oh, no worries," said the twin on the left cheerily.

"We're here to learn," the one on the right explained. Victoria didn't believe them.

"Who's who, then?" she asked, closing her textbook as the bell rang.

"Fred," said the one on the left.

"George," said the one on the right. Victoria nodded and looked up to her mother, who was sharply tapping her wand on the edge of her desk to draw the buzzing class's attention.

As per usual, Victoria took diligent notes on her mother's lecture, attempting to ignore the fact that Fred was doodling a beater's bat and George was charming a ceiling tile to change colour. About halfway through the lesson they were set to work, practicing conjuring. The volume of the room grew steadily to a buzz as her mother patrolled around, seemingly avoiding the place where Victoria practiced.

"So that's why you've sat next to me," said Victoria with a knowing smile. "Because you want to be avoided too."

"I'm offended, Vicky," said George.

"We've already told you we're here to learn," Fred said.

"And what is it you want to learn?" asked Victoria, feeling success on the tip of her wand. "Evidently transfiguration is not one of your priorities, else that ceiling tile would have remained untouched."

Fred chuckled to himself. "Vicky, we need your help," George said, leaning in.

"With?"

"Your dear Mama," said Fred. Victoria let out a loud laugh that drew the temporary attention of her mother. The twins busied themselves with flicking their wands and she felt her face growing hot.

"I'm not pranking my mother," she muttered, also waving her wand somewhat frantically. "I quite like my head on my neck where it belongs."

"We don't want to make her mad!" George said quickly. "An angry McGonagall..." Fred mock shuddered, making Victoria smile.

"We just want to cheer her up again," said Fred. "You see, when you and your Mumsie have a scuffle-"

"Well, it affects us all," said George.

"Our essays."

"Our grades."

"Our learning," they chorused. "We were just hoping to lift her spirits," Fred finished.

Victoria narrowed her eyes, looking at their identical expressions of hopefulness. "I'll think about it," she said eventually. The pair of them grinned, before finally turning back to their work, triumphant.

Twenty minutes later and the Gryffindors rushed out to dinner, with the Ravenclaws shortly behind. Victoria however, hovered behind, collecting the pieces of parchment that Fred had left behind and putting them in the bin, turning around to see her mother looking at her, lips pursed and eyebrows raised.

"I just wanted to say I'm really sorry," Victoria said. "I-I lost my head...there's no excuse. But I do regret it. I am sorry."

Minerva McGonagall was silent as Victoria apologised, her calculating and analytical look piercing her, pushing her down. But Victoria McGonagall, raised by her mother, did not back down. Her mother sighed. "I only wish you'd told me that you knew sooner. How long have you known?"

Victoria opened her mouth to answer, but there was a small cough from the doorway behind her. She whirled round to see Umbridge stood there, prissy, in pink, with a face like stale piss. "Can I help you, Dolores?"

"I was wondering if you required assistance, Minerva?" Umbridge said, waddling through the door.

"Assistance?" repeated her mother. "I'm talking to my daughter. I assure you I can handle it."

"Do you think it wise to discipline your own daughter?" asked Umbridge, now firmly inside the room. Victoria couldn't believe her ears.

And neither, it seemed, could her mother. "This is a personal matter," she said, stepping forward and indicating the door. "Now if you'll-"

"A personal matter in school hours?" Umbridge interrupted. Victoria couldn't help but think that if Umbridge enjoyed having a beating heart, she ought to run as fast as she could out the door.

"It's dinner," said Victoria stiffly. "Neither of us have lessons. Do you expect us to converse in letters?"

"Like every other student at the school?" said Umbridge with a very forced smile.

"Not entirely efficient," said her mother. "I thought that was one of the main focuses on your so-called curriculum?"

At this point, Umbridge seemed to realise she could not win a battle that shot her down every time she opened her mouth. Her smile dropped and she turned back to Victoria. "I'll see you on Tuesday, Miss McGonagall," she said, turning on her heel to leave.

"I can hardly wait," Victoria retorted. Once the door was firmly closed, she turned to her mother, who had a rare smile on her face.

"Marlene McKinnon," said McGonagall, "Was a Gryffindor student just like you. A particular affinity for quidditch, if I recall. A chaser. She became pregnant with you in her sixth year, gave birth in her seventh, and had already decided that she would put you up for adoption when I stepped forward. I've always wanted children, but the opportunity has never presented itself, and then, there you were.

"That was the only time you met your birth mother," she continued. "After that, it was just me and you."

Victoria was silent as she processed the information. "Do you...do you know who my father was? Or is?" she asked hesitantly.

Her mother looked pitiful, and shook her head. "Marlene never confided so much in me, and I did not take it upon myself to invest quite so much into the personal lives of my students." She smiled and Victoria let out a small laugh.

"Thank you, Mother," she said, smiling.

"With regards to Cedric," her mother said, before she could reach the door. Victoria turned. "I'm always here. But I've found that time on the quidditch pitch is not wasted when dealing with emotions."

"Thank you," Victoria repeated, before turning and heading for dinner, her lips upturned in the smallest of smiles.