A Cat's Tail: Minerva McGonagall Fan Fiction

Chapter 37

Within a week, the hospital wing was filling up with petrified students. Even during breaktimes, the corridors were almost silent, a melancholy hush falling over the remaining students. Rumours were circulating about the cause of the strange epidemic, though the most popular by far was the heir of Slytherin. Obviously, Tom - and other obnoxious Slytherins - boasted that it was their doing, but Minerva couldn't help but believe Tom, especially since their conversation moments before the first attack.

Though Easter was fast approaching, bringing warmer weather and Quidditch matches, all Minerva could feel was dread. Hagrid was still distant, excusing himself from lessons every two minutes and hardly ever at meals. Malcolm was in hospital yet neither of her parents had visited, it wasn't mandrake juice and the potion Dumbledore gave her didn't work, most likely due to being for normal dreams, not ones other people projected into your head. Her occulamency skills were weakening, mainly due to the massive workload and stress of upcoming exams combined with Quidditch frenzy. On top of all this, she was dreading going home. When she was at Hogwarts, she could pretend that her parents were happily married, and life was sunshine and rainbows. 

"Minerva!" Minerva was walking through the corridors, absorbed in her own thoughts, when a French accent burst her bubble.

"Affrodille," Minerva smiled weakly.

"Talk to me, please! We are normally such good friends, but now, you don't even talk to me!" Minerva rubbed her nose guiltily. 

"I'm sorry...I've got a lot on my plate at the moment..."

"I'm 'ere for you, just like you are 'ere for me," Affrodille butted in, stubbornly. Minerva opened her mouth, then closed it again. She felt tears pricking behind her eyes, so she clenched her eyes shut. She would show no sign of weakness. "It's ok to cry sometimes, Minnie," Affie said softly.

"I'm not crying," She said, through clenched teeth. Affrodille sighed. Minerva breathed in deeply and .et the words fall out of her mouth. "My parents are probably going to get a divorce. I don't want to go home because they hate each other, and it's all my fault. My mum cheated on my dad and my youngest brother isn't his. My brother's in the flipping hospital wing, petrified, and my parents didn't even bother to show up. Hagrid's not talking to me. I think he's hiding something; he keeps leaving class for ten minutes at a time. I'm worried that he might be really sick and he can't tell me...I keep getting horrible nightmares, every single night, and I can't keep up with school work and Quidditch and everything else. And Tom Riddle-" She stopped abruptly.

"You can tell me anything," Affrodille said, squeezing her friends hand, empathy written across her features. Minerva shook her head, her eyes still clenched shut.

"I can't," Affrodille hugged Minerva tightly. 

"What about you, you spend insane amounts of time in owlery, and I hardly see you, even when I'm not avoiding human contact," Minerva smiled weakly, blinking rapidly to keep the tears inside. 

"This isn't about me-"

"I told you, you tell me,"Minerva interrupted, and Affrodille sighed. 

"Most my family live in France, as you know, and...Grindelwald...well 'e's been very...active in Paris and other big cities in France. My family 'ave gone into 'iding, seeing as my uncle, a pureblood, married a...moldu...what's the word...muggle-born! Anyway, but my grandfather is not so happy about zis...he supports Grindelwald, says 'e 'as ze right idea. It's very dangerous, you see, and..." Affrodille stifled a sob. "I might never see zem again. I can't go to France, well, not legally anyway, and zey can't come 'ere without being detected," Minerva hugged her just as Affie had hugged her. 

"We'll always stand by each other, yes?"

"Yes," 

"As you all know, there have been a series of attacks, chiefly towards those who are muggle born or who have muggle parents," Minerva looked down as several people looked her way, some sneering, some concerned, as well as the few other people of muggle parentage in the Hall. "Hogwarts is no longer as safe as I wish it could be, and though there are serious dangers outside these walls, the dangers are great inside them too. Many students have been pulled from this school, and the ministry warns that, unless we find the culprit, the school will have to close. With a heavy heart, I invite you to eat,"

As Dumbledore sat down, and started talking to the headteacher, Minerva saw Tom slip out of the door out of the corner of her eye. 

"I'll be right back," She muttered to Ria, who was preoccupied in staring Ivy. Minerva made a mental note to mention that later.

"Huh? Sure," Minerva followed the swishing back cloak, muttering a spell to make her steps silent. She followed him down staircases, past many suits of armour and into the dungeons. Maybe he was just going to the Slytherin common room...

"Well, well, well, what do we have here," Minerva jumped, thinking Tom had seen her, and she opened her mouth to respond.

"Nuffink," She gasped as she heard a familiar voice.

"Rubeus Hagrid, a third year Gryffindor, loitering around the Slytherin common room, doing... nothing," Minerva peered around the corner were Hagrid was indeed standing, trying to hide a chest behind him."Seems...fishy," Minerva saw a bead of sweat trickle down his face.

"Not at all," Hagrid mumbled, sounding very suspicious, shuffling back to try and cover the chest.

"You see, there happens to be a...beast...on the loose. Killing muggle-borns and people like your dear girlfriend's brother, and her soon enough, I'm sure,"

"No! Leave her alone!" He burst out, causing Minerva to smile despite herself.

"You wouldn't be around to protect her if you, say, got expelled for the possession of a beast...a beast that may end up murdering someone...especially if news about your parentage got out... giants aren't friendly creatures," As Tom said this, the lid of the chest creaked open, and furry tentacles poked out. 

"He's harmless, I swear! Yer have got ter believe me!" Hagrid exclaimed. Minerva couldn't bear to listen to the rest of it...she knew Hagrid loved magical creatures but surely he wouldn't keep a dangerous one.  She recalled just how much he wanted a dragon...it might have been an accident, a beast out of control. Minerva ran and ran until she, yet again, found herself at hospital wing.

"Hello Malcolm, I'm sorry mum and dad never came to see you, I'm sorry I'm not a better big sister, I'm sorry," She gently kissed his hand, stroking his frigid face, frozen in an expression of pure terror. Hagrid coldn't have done this to him...but maybe his beast had...