Stay With Me || Garreth Weasley

A Reflective Duel

He knocks.

"Come in," calls his aunt's voice.

Garreth nudges her office door open to see her at the desk, quill in hand. The fireplace is going, banishing the evening darkness with an orange glow. She glances up, smile warming her face.

"Garreth, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Her face falls. "You weren't sent here by Professor Sharp, were you?"

"No, no. Can we talk?"

"Of course." She gestures to the chair and he sits. "Is this... to do with your father?"

Ugh, that's a whole other nest of Doxies that he doesn't want to deal with today. "No."

"Because I know this might be hard for you to understand, but he does care about—"

"It's not about him." He takes a deep breath. "I want to end the tutorship."

It's not been an hour since he argued with you. He's not had time to properly process everything, or think of a game plan going ahead – he's not stupid, he knows that even if he breaks off everything with you, Feng and Company might still make good on the threats against his family – but doing this feels like a good first step. A decent first step. His heart is still hammering, making him restless and twitchy.

"What?" Matilda seems to remember herself and puts down her quill. "Whatever for? I thought you and Miss—"

"Yeah, look, I'll spare you the long-winded explanation, Auntie." He tries not to make the hurt obvious. "We've had a quarrel, and— I don't think it's going to work from now on."

"What happened?"

Lies, betrayal, secrets. Over and over. "Stupid drama, is all. Don't want to get into it."

"Garreth." She removes her glasses, stares down at him with a strange concoction of sternness and sympathy. "Your scores have improved significantly since you started it, as have hers. Your Transfiguration marks alone are very promising."

"I'll revise on my own, swear it, just please don't make me do the tutorship anymore."

"Is this to do with Lance?"

"What? No."

"Would you like me to talk to her?"

"No." Merlin's collarbone, no.

She sits back and intertwines her fingers. "If it really bothers you that much, then all right, I won't force you to continue, but I do expect you to revise in your own time. I will, of course, have to speak to her about it. I had planned for this to continue until her O.W.L.s, but if you want to end this now, then I would like you to write a few reflective paragraphs—"

"What?"

"Paragraphs," she reiterates, lips pursed, "on what you've gained from the tutorship and how it can be improved. In case I decide to widen the scope of the project to other students in future."

Oh, he can think of some improvements, all right. Don't pair up with someone who keeps more secrets than clothes.

"All right, fine."

She softens after a moment. "This is highly unusual of you, Garreth. I'm sure whatever has happened between you two can be resolved. It would be such a shame, you both got on so well. At Christmas you two were inseparable."

Christmas seems so long ago. Back then, the poachers were on the back of his mind.

"Yeah, well." Shit happens. "Things change."