A Cat's Tail: Minerva McGonagall Fan Fiction

Chapter 16

Minerva woke up to an empty dorm room. It was the weirdest sensation ever. No snores, no fighting, no laughing. There was...silence. She was one of the only second-year Gryffindors staying, and none of them happened to be her close friends. She made her way down to the Great Hall, which was pretty much empty. All the teachers and students could fit on one table (the Gryffindor table, much to many of the Slytherin's disgust) with room to spare.

Minerva sat down next to a tall fourth year Slytherin boy. He was sitting extremely close to her.

"Sorry, could you move down a little bit?" The boy had a sneering look on his face.

"Why would you want me to do that, little Gryffindor girl?" Minerva blinked. What?  "Why would anyone not want to be close to me?" Minerva was shocked by his arrogance.

"It's nothing against you, I just need a little space," Minerva added hurriedly.

"Why would you want space between us, little Gryffindor girl?" 

"Why wouldn't I?" Minerva shot back, losing her patience.

"Little miss Gryffindor has a fiery spirit then?" The boy was still not moving. Dumbledore was looking coldly in the boy's direction.

"Tom, could you give Miss Minerva here a little space?" Dumbledore looked sternly at Tom.

"Of course, Professor," Tom's voice was laced with fake innocence. Minerva realised with a jolt that this boy was Tom Riddle. She'd heard half the girls in the school swooning over him, and he wasn't even that handsome, in her opinion. He was known for leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him. Minerva ate her food in slightly awkward silence, put off her food by Tom's nauseous grin. 

She spent the rest of the day in the library reading and writing letters to various people. 

"Little Gryffindor girl. You're not so little are you?" Minerva inwardly rolled her eyes and continued reading her book. "Why do you read so much? You're a girl, you can just sit around wearing pretty dresses and let the men do the work!" Yet again, his voice was iced with fake innocence. Minerva's knuckles were turning white from how tightly she was holding her book. How could he say things like that? Hadn't society realised that women were just as good as men yet? "Don't ignore me, little Gryffindor girl," Minerva clenched her jaw.

"I don't even know you! Why are you bothering me?"Minerva still didn't look up from her book. If she had she would've seen a foul grin plastered on Tom's 'handsome' features.

"I'm Tom Riddle, but you know that already, don't you?"

"I'm not one of your pathetic followers who just think you're hot. I have a brain, one that isn't polluted by irksome boys!" Tom grabbed her chin and pressed his fingers into her chin.

"Irksome? Somebody uses fancy words. You're one tough nut to crack, but I'll crack you. I'll break you like all the other girls," Tom got up and left, still grinning maniacally. Minerva felt faint. What did he mean, he was going to break her? She looked back down at her book and vowed to resist everything Tom Riddle could throw at her. 

The rest of the week, Minerva tried to avoid him, but he appeared everywhere. As she went down for dinner that day, he tripped her up before she walked into the hall and fell flat on her face. She could live down the embarrassment alone, but the menace in his eyes was too much to take. He repeated the same space trick every single day and refused to let her sit anywhere else.

"I'll break you, just you wait!" He whispered menacingly, the next day. But Minerva kept her chin up and shoulders back, ignoring his threats, even though they left her shaken to the core. Her letters kept up the false optimism as well, telling her friends and parents that the peace to read was amazing. Inside, however, she felt like she was being repeatedly stabbed. 

It was halfway through the half term, and Minerva was sitting in the library, working on a transfiguration essay. 

"Little miss Gryffindor, still working? Come have some fun outside!" Minerva's quill was shaking slightly. "Enjoy some time away from your mudblood friends!" Minerva almost snapped her quill in her half.

"My friends aren't...aren't..."

"Mudbloods? Can't you even say it?" Tom laughed coldly. "Not as strong as you think you are, little miss Gryffindor," Tom sneered.

"Surely being a strong person is resisting evil and standing up for those you love?" Minerva raised her head and look defiantly in his eyes. "Which would make you a very weak person indeed," Tom Riddle frowned slightly.

"Gryffindor egos," Tom said bluntly, his mouth curving into a cruel smile. Ignore him, ignore him, ignore him. "The silent game doesn't work on me, little miss Gryffindor," It will, soon enough.

After that Minerva vowed to stay in the common room to work. She still had to see Tom at meal times though, but much to her relief, Dumbledore managed to get her to sit next to him and talk about transfiguration. She smiled gratefully at the Professor, eternally thankful for getting away from Tom Riddle.

At long last it was Sunday. She stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come and teleport her into Monday, but it didn't happen. She was well and truly shaken. What did a notoriously egotistical Slytherin want with a second year Gryffindor? He was like a poison that followed you, wanting you to breathe it in. 

She'd never wished for it to be a Monday so much in her life.