Coming Out of the Broom Closet (Chapter Four)
I walked up to Professor McGonagall's desk to hand in my test, looking practically anywhere but at her. "Here, professor." I mumbled. Then I turned around preparing to sit in my seat.
"Hermione?" I turned around to see Professor McGonagall starring at me expectantly. Then she beckoned me forward with her finger. My stomach dropped and I walked back up to her desk.
"Yes, professor? Have I forgotten something?" I asked her, my voice wavered.
"I think we need to talk." Her voice seemed to grow with every word. With every word, I shrank a little in confidence. Surely, she wasn't going to bring up anything I had told her in private while the classroom was full! "It's about you. And your secret. You cannot have a crush on me." My heart dropped. She couldn't really be saying this. "You simply cannot. I won't allow it. If you cannot erase your feelings for me, I am afraid I will have to do something you won't like." I blinked back tears.
"But professor… You don't understand!" I began, trying to keep my tears from coming out. "I don't want to have these feelings! But please! I can't talk to anyone else! No one else understands!"
"No! I'm afraid I cannot speak to you about this again. You will have to find another place for counseling." Her face was stern as she spoke. But as I looked at her, in disbelief, her features began changing. Her hair shortened and her eyes became yellow and hawk-like.
"Professor…?" I stared intently. Her features continued to change. Half of her face had changed and she stood up at her desk.
"Oh. It appears the Polyjuice Potion is wearing off." She looked at her hand and shrugged. She smiled viciously. "Irregardless. I must ask you to leave my Minerva alone." She continued to change. I blinked and shook my head, hoping against hope it wasn't real. This couldn't really be happening, right? Wrong. In Hogwarts, anything was possible. Madam Hooch leapt over the desk, sending papers flying. "Or else," She began advancing on me, wand raised. I stepped back, wanting to leave but not wanting to take my eyes off her for fear of what she might do. "I will have to make you leave her alone."
I tripped over my too full schoolbag I had left on the floor. I nodded from my position on the floor. Yet, I continued to crawl backward while lying on the floor, leaning on my elbows.
"You know, I don't believe you." Madam Hooch aimed her wand and opened her mouth, about to speak. I stopped. A cat came and sat on my chest where Hooch had aimed.
Hooch sighed but didn't lower her wand. "Minerva, move." The cat glared before transforming into McGonagall. She sat straddling me, her arms crossed.
I loved her dearly, but she was quite heavy and was hurting my chest.
"Xiomara! What are you doing?" McGonagall screeched. She then stood and walked the few feet toward Madam Hooch. She took Madam Hooch's wand and put it into her robes.
"I was going to take care of this problem," Hooch jerked her head in my direction, "once and for all." Hooch informed her. They were facing each other now.
"Sweetie, no. You can't go killing off students just like that." McGonagall laughed. "Besides, she is my problem. Not yours. You handle things much to harshly."
"What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours. I want to help." Madam Hooch told her. She took McGonagall's hand and stepped closer to her.
"I know, sweetie. And, you can." McGonagall took out her own wand and pointed at my chest, just as Madam Hooch had done before. She never took her eyes off Madam Hooch's, though.
Hooch smiled. "I thought we can't just go around killing off students, though."
McGonagall smiled as well. "Maybe just this once." My jaw dropped and I began scrambling to get away. I looked behind the lovers to see my best friends. They were merely completing their tests. I stopped my scrambling.
"Harry! Ron!" I tried to get their attention. "Help!" I raised my wand to call something over to help me. "Accio…"
McGonagall twisted her head quickly. "Expelliarmus!" My wand shot out of my hand and across the room. I whimpered and began scrambling again. I looked into my teacher's eyes. She looked back at me and saw that my eyes shone with tears. She dropped her arm to her side from where it had aimed.
"Please, professor…" I pleaded, tears began falling. Each tear left a path down my face. Her face softened for a moment. Madam Hooch then squeezed McGonagall's hand and the softness left her eyes. She turned to face Madam Hooch again.
Madam Hooch stepped closer, again, to McGonagall. "Do you need help, dear?"
McGonagall nodded. She had begun crying as well. "Yes."
Madam Hooch took a closing step toward McGonagall and pulled her into a passionate kiss. She took Professor McGonagall's wand hand in her own and pointed at me, all while kissing McGonagall. McGonagall regained her grip on the wand and also helped to aim.
As they kissed, a red beam shot from the wand directly toward my chest. At first I didn't feel a thing. Then, as they both raised McGonagall's wand arm, I raised in that direction as well. Then I finally hit the ceiling. Once I was there, their kiss intensified. It was as if the kiss' energy was being drawn from my life force.
The air sucked out of my chest and bright white lights shone in my eyes…