The Other Potter: Book 6

Old people.

The awkward moment when I nearly post chapter 3 instead of 2.

Lucy's got talent.

---

"Willow? What are you doing here?"  The voice shook me from my daydream and I looked around. 

"Hi." I smiled at the woman who stared at me with concern. 

"Why are you out here?” Professor McGonagall asked.

I have nowhere to go.

“I like the sun.” I said, rolling up my newspaper from the night before.

“It's not safe in muggle London anymore...it isn't safe anywhere. I'll take you home." 

"Alright," I said, almost curious about where she was taking me. 

"Where are you living again?"  she turned and looked at me.

"Here." I said, pointing at the place I sat. 

"Willow-" 

"Professor."  I mocked her tone.

"Stop being so difficult." She snapped.  

"I'm not being difficult." I said stubbornly. 

"Where is your house?" She said loudly over the top of me. 

"I don't have one." I said softly. 

"Sorry?" She said, unable to hear me. 

"I said I don't have a home. I don't have anywhere to go." I said loudly and obviously.

Her mood changed almost at once. 

"Of course you do-" she cooed, sitting beside me.

"I don't though. I really don't." I said. "Harry's got his aunts - my aunts - but I'm not welcome there..." 

"Neither is he really,"  

"They still let him stay there don't they? He's still got somewhere to go." 

"What about Miss Granger? Can't you stay with her?" 

"Been there. Done that. Got thrown out." 

"I'm sure the Weasleys-" 

"There's only so often I can trespass on their hospitality. None of them say anything, but sometimes I'm sure they'd just like to be a family." I sounded very sweet, I’m so cute.

And a tear rolled down professor McGonagall's cheek. Awkward.

"Oh Willow, You remind me of someone I once knew. She had your sweetness..." And she broke down into sobs. "I don't know where my Ruby is." She sobbed into my shoulder as I hugged her sadly. "I understand why she went, but I can't understand why she couldn't write me a letter or something. I don't even know if she's still alive." 

"She'll be fine." I said soothingly. "If she's anything like you, she'll be thriving." And professor McGonagall stopped crying and smiled sadly at me.  

"We're the forgotten ones Willow." She sighed. "Never thought of first. Always left alone." 

"But it won't always be like that professor." I smiled. "You'll find ruby again, I'll make a home. Everything will work out...it always does." 

"You're quite the optimist." Professor McGonagall said lightly. 

"It comes naturally." I joked. 

"It really does, doesn't it?"  She said seriously.

There was silence and then she asked me a rather peculiar question that I didn’t have an answer to.

“How does it make you feel...not having somewhere to go?”

There was a long, thoughtful silence.

“It...It doesn’t make me sad, because thats pretty much how it’s always been...I mean, I’d like to have a family and stuff...but I just don’t...I’m not missing what I’ve never had.”

We sat for what seemed like an age in silence. It wasn't awkward though, it was just nice. 

Lol, kidding, it was totally awkward. My favourite teacher just bawled her eyes out on my shoulder, and I just told her some really deep stuff. Another day in the life of a hobo.

"What do you want me to do then?"  McGonagall asked.

"I'll just stay here." I said softly. 

"You can stay with me if you like." McGonagall looked strained, as though it was not what she wanted to say. 

"Nah," I told her kindly. "If Ruby were to turn up, and I was there...you wouldn't want her to think she was replaced." 

I was still under the gaze of Minerva McGonagall. 

"You need to go somewhere, it isn’t safe here.” She told me sternly.

“I’ll go to the Leaky Cauldron then-“

“That’s about as safe as here.” She said rather exasperatedly.

“What other options do I have?” My voice came out sounding half desperate and half annoyed. “I don’t have anywhere to go.”

She sighed sort of sad and exasperatedly, and said; “I’ll take you to Dumbledore, he knows best.” And grabbing my arm, we apparated to right outside the Hogwarts gates.

“But I don’t wanna see Dumbledore, he’ll send me to the Weasley’s because he’s lazy.”

“Probably.” She replied.

“Don’t hate me for this –“ I told her, and I apparated back to where she’d uncaringly left Soxy and my trunk.

And then Lupin appeared beside me.

“Morning.” He said to me.

“You’re not here by coincidence are you?” I asked.

“Nope.” He said, popping the P.

“Meow.” Soxy said.

“No, I’m not feeding you!” I snapped back.

“Let’s go home.” Lupin smiled at me, picking up my things.

It was one of those forced smiles- something I know too well.

So instead of being a burden to society, I’m a burden to Lupin.

And Dumbledore has coerced the whole thing.

That man really knows how to make me feel bad.

 ---

I have a feeling Staplesfan is a seer.

She foresaw this.

SHE IS A TRUE WITCH!

AHHHH!

Anyway, I was reading back on the past things I used to write down here, so I'm gonna reuse one:

you know the drill:

Comment, Vote, Don't get abducted my aliens.

<3 Loaf you all.