What If? Year 2

Chapter 49

I sat with Cedric and his friends for breakfast. I could feel my friends' eyes on me, but I try to block them out and listen to Tricia and Jack argue about the assignment due today. Cedric keeps his hand on my back the whole time, slowly tracing circles and lines up and down it. At some point my eyes wander over to the teacher table and McGonagall catches my eye.
Wanna talk? she mouths to me, a small frown on her lips. I think for a moment before nodding. She gets up and starts to move towards us. I move to get up, but Cedric's hand presses into me.
"Where are you going?"
"She's coming with me, Mr. Diggory," McGonagall tells him, "I have a student that needs tutoring in my class, and I thought Goldie was the perfect candidate." I look up at her and she smiles.
"Alright... I'll see you at lunch then, Golds?"
"Okay, thank you, Ced." He nods and squeezes my hand before letting me go. I wait until we get out of the Great Hall before speaking.
"Who needs tutoring?"
"While that is a topic of conversation... that's not what we're going to talk about." I take a deep breath.
There is no way she knows... right?
"Don't stress about it... I'm sure you'll find my side of this family spat is in favor of you." My head snaps up to look at her. Now I saw the irritation in her eyes that she was trying to hide from me.
"How..."
"Your uncle ran into my office yesterday after you talked with him and demanded to know the Gryffindor common room password. He told me that you ran off after he yelled at you." I sigh.
"Y-yeah... I shouldn't have ran off, but I... I went straight to the common room."
"I'm not going to scold you, Marigold," she says, as we get to her office, "your uncle already heard that." I swallow slowly as she opens the door for me.
"Don't worry... he's in his office, staring at that map he took from Harry."
"Then he'll be here sooner than later."
"Then I'll be quick. I'll teach you how to do the patronus charm. I think the way Professor Lupin was going to handle it was irrational and ill experienced. You are already subject to constant surveillance by professors and peers. It would be unfair to keep you from school events, such as quidditch games. I may bend some, and have you sit with me, just in case. But to keep you from them all together would not only be unfair, but almost impossible. There are far to many students there all the time and you'd easily be able to blend in." I nod.
"Now, I do expect you and Professor Lupin to at least be civil, if it does not go back to the way it was before. I will work to teach you the charm during our time together. We'll do half in the book the Headmaster gave you and half on the charm. It maybe a struggle since I do not have anything to simulate a dementor attack, but we will make it work. How does that sound?"
"Good, thank you, Professor."
"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" I pause, worrying that she might know about the tear stained note.
"N-not that I can think of."
"Are you sure? You don't usually sit with Mr. Diggory's friends, not that that's a problem."
"Cedric and I hung out this morning."
"The Fat Lady told me that Mr. Diggory came to her this morning in destress about you."
"We... he got me this necklace that shows our emotions. I completely about it. I was panicking this morning and he noticed on the necklace and came to check on me."
"Why were you panicking?"
"I... I vented out on a piece of paper and did not depose of it properly and all the dormmates found it."
"What did it say?"
"Things that Uncle... Professor Lupin said."
"What did it say?"
"It also had some things that Harry shouted at me before I got attacked by Pettigrew. They kind of touch on similar things."
"What did it say?"
"That I should have stayed where I was... and that I don' t belong and n-no one wants me around." I cannot look at her, but I hear the anger in her shaky breath.
"You know that none of that is true, right?" I pause, planning my answer, but the pause was to long for McGonagall.
"Goldie... none of that is true. Please, you have to know that. We are all so proud of you."
"T-then why does no one call on me? Or treat me like the other kids in the class?" McGonagall takes a pause of her own.
"I didn't... Do I do that?"
"Not as badly... but some people do it, really bad."
"Well, I'm not meaning to. I'm guessing that's how most of the professors are. I could talk to them all about it. What exactly do they do?"
"I... I raise my hand to answer, but I don't get called on. If I do get called on it's because everyone is busy writing notes. I don't get to help in examples. I don't get called out like the rest of my class for talking or messing around."
"You don't mess around in my class."
"Yeah, but in History of Magic... and Divination, Hermione and I write notes to each other and giggle."
"No professor is going to yell at you for that."
"...okay, but the rest of it?"
"I'll talk to them about it." She rubs my shoulders.
"Feel better?"
"Yeah, thank you, Professor."
"Anytime, Marigold. What class do you have next?"
"History of Magic."
"I'll talk to Professor Binns first. Let's go back to the Great Hall, and you'll go talk to your friends and explain what the note said and why. I will talk to the professors about your concerns."
"Okay, thank you." We go back to the Great Hall and Ara is besides me as soon as I get into the door.
"Are you okay?" I nod my head, but she gives me a look. So I start in on my story, keeping my eyes on my shoes.
"If I ever get my hands on him..." Ara starts, as I finish.
"N-no, no... it's alright. I'll figure it out. Thank you for being so concerned." She smiles and pulls me to her side.
"Of course! Isn't that what sisters are for?"