Wisdom and Victory {Fred Weasley}

Chapter 23

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"You should go to bed, Victoria," said Sprout's warm voice as Flitwick emerged from the hospital wing that she'd been pacing outside of.

Victoria but her lip and shook her head. "No, no I'll wait."

The professors exchanged a pitiful glance that made her stomach heave. "You have potions tomorrow-" began Flitwick.

"I'll wait," she said firmly, stopping her pacing to look at them.

Sprout nodded understandingly. "You know where to find us," she said quietly. Victoria nodded, resuming her pacing outside the doors, her hands balled into fists.

A pair of footsteps rounded the corner, and Victoria looked up, her breath catching in her chest. Angelina was running towards her, and before she knew it she found herself in a rib crushing hug. "We saw what happened," she whispered quickly. "Oh, Vic, I'm so sorry. That awful cow...she'll pay. Lee and Alicia are working on-"

"I've been expelled," said Victoria quietly, although that was the least of her worries. "I'm leaving after exams finish."

Angelina scowled, looking furious. "It was self defence!" she exclaimed. "And that awful woman had it coming. What a complete b-"

"Might I ask what the two of you are doing out of bed so late?"

Snape had appeared in all his bat-like gloom. Victoria had half a mind to ask him the same thing.

"My mother's being treated, Professor," she said coolly. "She was attacked."

"I heard from one of my fifth years what happened to Professor McGonagall," said Snape. "But I don't remember asking you about it."

"Well I'm hardly going to hurry off to bed, am I?" she protested, raising her voice slightly.

Snape looked like he was about to retort with something along the lines of no Hogsmeade trips or a month of detentions, but just then the doors opened, a stretcher appearing between them. Angelina gasped at her professor's deathly pale face, and Victoria gripped her arm tightly for support.

Madame Pomfrey swept over. "We're transferring her to St Mungo's," she said quietly to Victoria. "There's not anything else I can do here...You should go to bed."

And despite every part of her wanting to scream no, she let Angelina guide her back to Gryffindor tower.

*****

No matter how many times Victoria yawned, how many times she had to hold her eyelids open, or how many times her mind drifted off to St Mungo's, wondering if her mother was even still breathing, Victoria McGonagall pushed through her written potions exam. She hadn't slept so much as a wink last night, staying awake well into the morning, thinking only of the news she may receive at breakfast.

But there had been no letters at breakfast, when she had forced several mugs of coffee down her throat, nor had there been any news from staff. Only pitiful stares.

But the thoughts of her mother, though gut-wrenching, were encouraging. How proud would her mother be if Victoria scraped her pass after the night she'd been through? So there she was, scribbling away helplessly, and looking forward to the nap she would have over lunch.

When the exam was over, Angelina linked her arm firmly through hers, leading her outside with Lee and Alicia to sit by the lake and test each other on potions recipes.

They filed into the cool dungeons that afternoon, and Victoria was surprised she didn't take her fingers off with how aggressively she was chopping her mandrake leaves. A pepperup potion, a healing potion. The only part of potions she could actually do. She thought it was the universe's way of saying sorry.

Instead of going outside to celebrate the end of exams (there was only alchemy left, and only Ravenclaws did that), she trudged sleepily up to her dormitory, and packed away her things, shoving everything into her trunk except her notes, which Katie happily accepted from her. Charlie was ushered into his basket, and all that remained were the three library books she had out.

"I'll take these back," she said to a still-scowling Angelina. "I'll see you again, you know. I'm not going off to die."

"We know," said Angelina. "It's just, it would've been nice to graduate together. And with Fred and George gone..."

"I'm sure they have plenty planned for this summer," said Victoria, feigning content as she eased out the door. "I'll be right back."

She returned the books, saying her silent goodbyes to the library she loved so dearly, before heading back the long way to Gryffindor tower. And that was when things went to Dragon Dung.

Ginny, Ron, and two people a few years below her were scurrying through the corridors, wands drawn, covered in cuts and bruises and chattering excitedly. "Merlin's beard," she hissed, drawing their attention. "Are you alright?"

"You're in the Order, aren't you?" asked Ron eagerly. Victoria didn't ask how he knew about it.

"Well, I'll be joining as soon as I leave here," she said with a frown. "Which is today...what happened?"

"Umbitch," said Ginny simply.

"We need to hurry up if we're going to catch up with Harry and Hermione," said the fifth year boy Victoria didn't know.

"Come on, then," said Ron, and they hurried along once more.

"Where are we going?" demanded Victoria as they made their way across the lawns towards the forest. Victoria felt a lump in her throat as they passed near the spot her mother had been hit.

"The Ministry, most likely," called Ron from the front. "They've got Harry's Godfather."

"They?" asked Victoria. "Who's they?"

"Death Eaters," said the boy as they thundered through the trees. Victoria picked absentmindedly at a scrap of parchment in her pocket. "I'm Neville by the way. This is Luna."

"Victoria," she mumbled as they came across Harry and Hermione, covered in blood. They told some story involving Umbitch, a giant and a herd of centaurs. Victoria felt herself give a small smile.

"You're not coming!" exclaimed Harry, stroking the invisible horses known as thestrals. Victoria felt something nudge into her side and she jumped nervously.

"Well I am," she said determinedly. "I'm the only adult here. And I've got nothing else to do."