Empty Gold • d.meadowes

-46-

Professor McGonagall stared at her through her spectacles as Dorcas quietly approached her table and sat down on the chair opposite her. She had received a note from a first year while she was sitting idly in the common room staring out of the window, that said that she was to meet McGonagall in her office.

"Ms Meadowes, first of all I would like to talk about your NEWTs," she began, gazing over a long scroll of parchment in front of her. "Would you -"

"I'm not going to sit for the exams," she answered without waiting for her to finish. "I only came here to say goodbye."

McGonagall stared at her, her lips pressed into a thin line. It was clear that she disapproved, but Dorcas didn't pay any mind. She sat with her fingers twisted together in her lap, her eyes roaming freely around the office.

She sighed after a while. "Very well. I can't say I agree with your choice, but it's your decision to make." She set aside the scroll and looked directly at her, crossing her arms on the table. The sternness in her face seemed to vanish, now that the matter of the academics was over. "Your father requested me to ask you what you would like to do with your mother's house. He wanted to talk to you himself, but seeing as you were in such a hurry to return to the castle, he was unable to bring up the matter."

"I'll sell it," she answered without a second's thought. There was no argument. She couldn't bear to step foot into the house where her mother had lived for over twenty years, where she had taken her last breath.

"If you would allow me to make a suggestion," said Professor McGonagall softly, peering into her with kind eyes, "I think it would be better if you rent the house to potential clients. At times like this, it would be difficult for you to find a job, and it'd be safe to have a constant source of income."

"Fine. Whatever. I'll do that." She said nonchalantly, wanting to leave the office as soon as possible.

"And will you be staying until the end of the term?"

Dorcas thought for a moment. "No."

"Alright, I'll let your father know. That will be all, Ms Meadowes."

She shot to her feet and turned around to leave. Once she was at the door, McGonagall spoke again.

"One last thing, Ms Meadowes. As you very well know, You-Know-Who is getting more and more desperate to gain power over us, and the situation, both inside and outside the castle, is unstable. If you are looking to get into trouble, I suggest you think twice and not run headlong into undesirable situations. Wait until you are officially part of the Order of the Phoenix, and only then think about avenging your mother. Your safety should be your top priority."

Dorcas was dumbstruck. She stared open-mouthed at Professor McGonagall, unable to figure out what to say. A small smile seemed to be playing around the corners of her lips, though Dorcas thought she must be mistaken. Feeling slightly disoriented, she was only able to give a nod of her head before she wrenched open the door and stepped out, hurrying towards the stairs to reach the Gryffindor tower, which was the only place she wanted to be in nowadays.

It was true. The only reason Dorcas had returned to the castle was to face Emma Vanity. She still didn't know what she would be doing, but the only thing that ran through her head whenever she thought of the Slytherin girl was to give her as much pain as she possibly could. True, she wasn't directly involved in the murder, but she had been the one to constantly approach Dorcas to try and recruit her, and she had been the one to threaten her when she had refused.

Dorcas felt slightly shaken by McGonagall's words, as though she was able to read her mind and see exactly what she wanted to do. But of course, she shouldn't have been surprised. Professor McGonagall mustn't have been new to this sort of experience, for she has, after all, been teaching for a long time and must have been used to such situations.

Mildly reassured, she headed back to the Gryffindor tower, darting across the corridors so as to avoid having to talk to anyone. Once she was inside the comfortable embrace of the common room, she found Maeve and Silver sitting on the floor by one of the high windows, their books laden over a low table. The former spotted Dorcas first, and waved enthusiastically at her. "There you are!" she called in an unnecessarily loud voice.

As she made her way towards them, Maeve handed over a tray to her. "Here's your lunch!" she announced brightly. Dorcas stared at her as she sat next to them, but didn't question her odd behaviour as she accepted the tray.

Silver, who has been staring intently at the books in front of her, looked up, face uncharacteristically stiff. She opened her mouth to say something, but Maeve beat her to it. "So, Dorcas, what did McGonagall want?"

She shrugged. "Asked about my plan for the NEWTs."

"And what's your plan?"

Before Dorcas could answer, Silver held up a hand, sighing loudly. "This is ridiculous. Dorcas, we need to talk."

But Maeve shot her a glare. "She's having lunch, Silver. Don't bother her."

Silver ignored her completely as she pushed aside her books and slid towards her, so that they were face to face. Out of the corner of her eyes, Dorcas noticed Maeve biting her lips anxiously. She clearly didn't want Silver to say whatever she wanted to tell her.

"Leigh has been asking about you," said Silver without beating about the bush. "And so has been Juliet. They both want to talk to you. You cannot hide in here forever, Dorcas. You need to go out."

"I was out," she answered flatly, picking up the goblet of pumpkin juice from the tray and taking a small sip. "Just came in, didn't I?"

"You cannot expect us to bring your food in here forever, Dorcas." Maeve gave an anguished squeak at the words. Once again, Silver ignored her. "They're your friends and they're worried about you. You cannot avoid them like that."

Just a month ago, the words would have hurt Dorcas. A lot. But now all she felt was an aching loneliness inside her. She took another sip of the pumpkin juice. "Don't worry. Just a few more days, and I'll be out of your hair for good."

Silver gave a resigned sigh. "You very well know that's not what I'm trying to say, Dorcas. It's not healthy, what you are doing. You will feel better if you take a long walk outside the castle. Trust me."

"That's enough, Silver," said Maeve sternly, and finally Silver listened to her. She slid back to her previous position to return to her books, and spoke in a softer voice.

"I don't mean to be insensitive, but -"

Dorcas didn't hear the rest of the sentence, for she stood up abruptly. The goblet toppled, spilling pumpkin juice all over the floor, and Maeve moved back with a start as the liquid rolled towards her. "Thanks for bringing my lunch," she stated, and stalked off to the girl's dormitory. She could still hear Maeve and Silver having a loud row even after she had shut the door and climbed into her bed.

She didn't think Silver was being insensitive. Even if she were, she didn't really feel much too bothered by it. Dorcas rummaged aimlessly in her trunk, pulling out a a book at random. It was her Transfiguration book. She settled herself in her bed and turned to a random page, allowing her eyes to glide over the tiny writings.

The curtains around her bed were drawn, so she couldn't see anything as she heard the door open, but she did hear Maeve and Silver talking in hushed voices. She heard them approach her bed. It was Silver who spoke.

"Dorcas? I'm sorry about what I said to you back there. I wasn't thinking." She paused, perhaps waiting for her reply, but Dorcas remained silent, her eyes fixed at the top corner of her page, where she had scribbled revise diagram, so very long ago. "We were going to the kitchen. Would you like to come with us?"

But once again, Dorcas ignored them. After a few minutes, she heard footsteps as the two girls left the room. The door clicked shut, and everything was silent.