Poppy Potter

Lesson Time

I fell asleep on the windowsill, waking when Hermione shook me in the morning, my drawings underneath Onyx on the wood. "Hey, why are you here instead of in your bed?"

"Oh, um, I couldn't sleep, so I started drawing." I yawned, rubbing my eyes, my neck cricked into an upright position. "Always makes me sleep. What times is it?"

She was already starting to get dressed now as I got to my feet, my tiny white toes getting buried into the soft carpet. "Breakfast. We should eat before lesson, it sets the balance for the day ahead."

Brilliant, she was slightly crazy, but what could I say about that? I grew up in a cupboard with my brother, being treated as a slave. "I don't eat breakfast, I'd rather just get to class early and sit at the back. I get lost easily, Harry and I always have. You go on to breakfast without me, and I'll save you a seat, yeah?"

"Yeah, but don't go too near the back, she could think we're going to be trouble makers."

"Trust me, I'm going to be as quiet as a mouse." I told her, quickly grabbing my clothes and started to get dressed, my tie carefully knotted over my shirt, and my hair brushed into staticky curls.

Hermione headed off to breakfast, and I started to look through the castle, trying to find the right part for my lesson, and saw the woman herself heading towards a corridor, and I followed silently on the balls of my feet. Only she still heard me. "Poppy, this class doesn't start for another half an hour, why are you here?"

I blinked, my voice getting trapped in my throat as I came around the corner and saw her, still in that beautiful green robe. And she realised that I was very quiet, so came closer. "I'm not angry, I'm just concerned that you're missing breakfast, Miss Potter. You're supposed to be at eating at least 3 meals a day, you're as thin as a rake."

"I, I ate more last night th, than, than I wou, would have eaten in a week." I muttered, not looking up from the cobblestone floor. "I, I just, I didn't want to get lost."

Professor McGonagall folded her arms carefully, looking down on me. "Would that be with the Durlsey's Poppy? Your Aunt and Uncle?" I nodded again, not wanting to speak. "And what about Harry? Does Harry eat?" Another nod. "Why does he eat more than you do?" I didn't reply and she sighed, carefully leading me into the classroom and waved her hand to put a plate of toast and tea on a desk second from the front. "I want you to come to my classroom every morning and eat at least that. We don't need you wasting away here, Poppy."

Sitting down carefully, I stared at the plate for a moment, not entirely sure what was happening. "O, O, Ok."

She sat down on the table in front of me as I started to pick at the toast on the plate, finding it perfectly cooked. "You're a lot shyer, than your brother, aren't you, Poppy?" I didn't answer, so she took it as a yes. "It seems that as happy as he is, you're just as scared. Did you give him your food to keep it that way?"

"H, h, he needed it more. Dudley, he, he went after him more than me. I let him have most of my food, b, because, because he was running a lot." I muttered, nibbling a tiny piece of toast. "I just wanted him to be safe, and not get hurt. I wanted him happy."

"Do you do that a lot? Put him before you, I mean, Poppy?" She asked again, smoothing down her robes. "You're not going to keep any more down than you've already eaten, so just... drink the tea, dear. You know, your brother wouldn't be very happy to know that you're making him happy at the expense of yourself, would he?"

"I, I'm fine, honestly, Professor McGonagall. I'm just, I'm happy to be out of there." I told her, pushing the plate away and managed to take the mug of hot tea, sipping it. Just how I liked it as well, sweet and strong. "I want to learn, I, I want to know about everything. I was never any good at classes at primary school, I more just scraped through with minimum grades. I liked art, but that was it. I'll be happy if I can actually do something here, be considered smart, or have a friend."