Sorry it's a little short next one will be longer,
Hope you all enjoy. :)
The next day saw three groggy and sleep tired students who were roused awake by the others in their dorm as they got ready for breakfast. They didn't get that much sleep and so were not looking forward to the day ahead. It was going to be bad enough with the whole school talking about what happened last night and no doubt the fact they had been caught at the scene. They too would be the focus of topic.
All three slowly got up and very reluctantly dressed before meeting each other in the in the large room none waited when they were all together before heading straight to the door. They didn't fancy being stared at as somehow word had already gotten to a few of the upper years and as both Ron and Harry waited, they could feel the eyes on their backs. Both boys were eager to leave and so all but dragged Hermione when she came down the stairs out the door.
"How bad do you think it'll be?" Ron muttered as they made their way down mindful of the looks they got as Harry looked at him.
"Don't know. But if this is anything to go by, than worse before it gets better." Ron sighed as Hermione grimaced. More attention is not what they needed.
They got closer to the hall already they could hear the chatter from inside making them tense. It was a long hope for them to be able to just slip in unnoticed but as they made their way through the large doors with people turning their heads in their direction already, they knew they weren't that lucky.
"Just ignore them" She mumbled having to glare at a few Slytherin on the way "Let's just sit down."
They followed her down the narrow path between the tables pointedly missing the looks others gave them as Neville looked up from his plate. He smiled at them as they neared with Harry and Ron throwing themselves down on the bench. Hermione chose the less harsher way of sitting and gently lifted her feet over before facing the others.
"Rough night"
They all turned to him as he stared at them he didn't need an answer as thir faces said it all, a few of the first year Gryffindor's along the table had watched them studiously, no doubt having heard what had happened and was now eyeing them only to be scared off by a menacing glare from Ron who caught them.
"This is ridiculous!" He hissed pulling a platter of bacon towards him as Harry set about getting some pumpkin juice. He watched as his friend angrily yanked the meat from the dish onto his plate before reaching for the eggs. None spoke just stared as he harshly pushed a boiled egg next to the other food and made for the jug. All three moved a little as splash back from the container spilled onto the table.
"You…Er you eating that or teaching it a lesson" She asked a brow quirked as they then watched as he started pummeling his bacon viciously with his fork. He lifted his head to gift her a dark look before getting back to his food leaving the others to talk.
When Minerva McGonagall woke that morning she didn't expect anything other than the normal day of teaching with the usual watchful eye on the Weasley twins. But as she set about getting dressed she didn't expect to have a familiar silver Phoenix fly in and tell her she were needed at the head's office. Granted normally she would have gone to Albus's room for something but not before breakfast and not so soon after she woke.
She also, whilst walking down the hall once out of her room didn't expect to see so many kids talking so animatedly. Was she imagining it or did they look fearful? Shaking her head she quickly strode on until coming to a stop at the stone gargoyle who nodded at her before moving out of her way, it must have been bad to not ask a password but went without question as she arrived at his door, she didn't have to wait as he would have already known her to be outside as she made her way inside.
She saw Snape and Flitwick as she moved further into the room she also saw Ponoma which was a surprise as normally the Hufflepuff head didn't tend to come up to the head's office leaving that to her husband. Eyeing them all carefully she stopped at the desk looking at the older man.
She saw his face and knew something must have happened, for his face normally lively and joyful, was somber and serious.
"Albus?"
He looked at her from his spot on the table to see the Gryffindor head looking at him and gave er a small smile.
"Good, your all here."
"What's going on?" She eyed him and how his posture stiffened. He looked at her waiting and sighed before opening his mouth to deliver the bad news.
She hadn't really expected a lot that day but what she did not expect was to be stood there and told that the Chamber of Secret's had been opened if what a message left in the middle of the second floor was anything to go by, with the frozen cat left as a calling card.
She didn't say anything once he had finished. She didn't know what to say really…..This was something…..It was just something.
Sitting down in the chair opposite she watched her old friend look on at first she had thought him joking. A very silly and oddly weird prank had she missed something? Were the others in on it?
But then her sense of logic hit back and she shook that stupid thought right out of her head, of course the others weren't in on it 'Minerva you silly fool' she scolded herself. She also knew that it was no joke. The headmaster liked a good laugh now and then but not about the school, not on matters serious…And especially not about something as deadly as one like right now.
"Surely…..This is a trick." She said once her voice came back as she looked at her dear friend. He sighed and folded his fingers together.
"We can't be certain but from the looks of things it seems that way." Snape had stood at the back made his voice known.
"Perhaps…It is merely a joke." Both looked around to see the other man as he stood with his hands behind his back. "How so, Severus?"
"Well," As he moved forwards to be closer, "The cat could have been. For a we know part of a simple prank. To get back at the caretaker, and the state she is in a mere result of a freezing charm?"
None spoke as Dumbledore contemplated the alternative explanation. It did seem plausible, Argus was a very bitter and angry person who hated any and all students who passed his way, maybe somebody had done it to get their own back on all the times he gave them a hard time. If he didn't know his secret he would have been much harder about the way he treated the pupils. As it was he was the only one save himself, and possibly the twins who knew the layout of the castle better than most.
But reality brought him back and the dreaded true reason. He shook his head. He would have liked it to have been that but he knew it wasn't and as he looked at the other man before preparing to speak. He knew it to, merely offering a suggestion that didn't seem as frightening.
"This was no prank. The residue of magic was much too powerful to be placed on something so crass as a joke. The magic alone is far higher than what any of our lower years….Even most of our sixth and seventh years have at this stage."
The other looked at him with Flitwick and his wife standing next to each other,
"So what shall we do, Albus?"
He didn't speak for a while merely thought before finally answering.
"Be on guard, anything that looks possibly suspicious is to be monitored and reported to me immediately," They listened closely as he spoke.
"Also do not try to apprehend whatever this might be by yourselves. If this is someone then the magic alone is something to be weary off and not taken lightly." They nodded slightly all thinking on what that could have meant as he looked back up, eventually he told them the meeting was over as Ponoma and Filius took their leave the door shut behind them leaving only the other two in his room which told him that the meeting wasn't as over as he thought.
"Yes, Severus?"
The other man looked without expression as he chose his words carefully, there had been a reason he was here and wanted to voice his concern's before the end, hopefully with the others gone. But as it seemed Minerva also wanted to say something and so had stayed, now making his topic of conversation harder to bring about.
"I know what you're thinking Severus and I can assure you that as much as the fact's stand, I doubt she would have had anything to do with this."
Minerva looked from one man to the other, eyes narrowed at the fact she was missing out on their conversation. They eyed each other, Snape with silent doubt and Albus a sense of tiredness. She was a perceptive woman the pieces were all there and so it didn't take her all that long to figure out what the younger man was implying. Albus had to stand up from his chair fearing she would attack him she rounded on him so quickly.
"You despicable excuse of a human!" She hissed standing up and glared at the Potion master who hadn't moved in spite of her quickness. Albus watched his two head's with extreme caution. Though both very different, Minerva being the more temperamental and brash of them to Snape's calm and icy attitude both were very powerful and if a fight broke out he really didn't want his office trashed.
"You really think she had something to do with this?" She asked moving closer so she was standing next to him as he turned so that they were facing each other,
"I was merely pointing out the undeniable fact's that are in front of us" She scoffed his explanation and fixed him with a venomous gaze.
"That's bull and we all know it, you just want someone to pin this on and she is the—"
"The only what, Minerva?" He said looking at he with his patterned gaze.
"She's the only one who is connected to the very legend itself? One at this current moment in time who is the only founder's heir in this school...One which I might add and if saying so ironically, has been dubbed the darkest house since the school began!"
They were breathing heavily after their ranting with the other man watching closely. They had arguments in the past but never on something so personal and so was worried that something might come to a head, she stared at him in silence for a moment before very slowly speaking.
"…Your only blaming her for this, because she is the only one connected to him that you can."
He pulled back slightly confused by her statement. Her eyes followed his expression which went from confusion to guarded as he replied,
"And what by that do you mean."
She stepped back so that they had space between them she knew what she was going to say next would hit a sore spot with him but he started this, he had dared to start on her family and so was hitting back.
"You blame her for the death of Lily because you can" She watched as his face drained of what color it had but had no intention of stopping.
"You blame others for what happened. And the way it never worked out, James was the one who she fell in love with but he is no longer here and so you take it out on the only one who is, Harry."
"Stop it now Minerva."
"And you blame you know who, for her death, but since he is not here you're doing the same thing to Hermione as well because she is the only one that is." She hated even comparing that beast to her daughter but in this case she had to if only to get her point across. And judging by the look on his face, she would have said she had"
"You don't know…ANYTHING!" He yelled, finally showing emotion. He gave her his most coldest stare he could muster as the truth of what she had said hit hard, images of his precious Lily and….James rushed at him like the Hogwarts train before moving on to a picture of Harry, that boy who looked so much like his tormentor. Then it shifted to the night he held her still body and cried, he pictured Voldemort hovering over her, wand out as he killed her but then vanishing once he got to Harry.
He knew the dark lord was gone and so couldn't vent his fury like he wanted. Though he would have been killed for it at least he would have been with his dear Lily, but he hadn't and so when he saw Hermione there he knew that this was the one was he could.
Both others in the room watched as he battled with his inner emotions. Albus had now moved so he was on the other side in case the younger man lashed out, never one to deal with his feeling's Severus kept them until he could get rid of them another way but now with all that she had said, truth it may have been. He feared it might have struck to much of a raw nerve.
"Harry is not James" He looked up to hear her again
"And Hermione is not…..Him." Dumbledore now looked at her, she was standing to her full height baring down on the sagging looking Potion master with a rage that was filling the room, yes he shouldn't have implied what he did as he figured it was rubbish to, but she really did know how to strike back when it came to matter's of her heart by going for people's others.
"She…Might be the heir but she has no idea of that. Nor did she have anything to do with this." She spoke with an air of finality he lifted his head so his hair was out of his face to look at her and her blazing eyes.
"She has no enemies so to speak that tiny exception being the Malfoy boy, but not enough to warrant her going around scaring cat's and writing in blood, and if you even think to suggest that further than this room….One remark to her at all about this. I will make sure your life for the rest of your tenure here is very uncomfortable."
But she and Albus watched the silent and defeated younger man simply stare before turning and sweeping out of the room door closing with a heavy bang. None spoke for a while the air much to strung for that until she let out a deep sigh.
"That was unnecessary Minerva." His statement was met with another tired sigh as she dropped her head to her hand and sank into the chair behind her, rubbing her hand over her eyes she did regret the harshness of what she had said, Lily was indeed very personal to him and to attack that was like a blow to the jugular. But at that moment she didn't care. All that she was bothered by was that he unfairly pointed his finger at an innocent and unknowing little girl.
"I know….I just. He was quick to accuse her Albus when she hadn't even done anything." He nodded at her in understanding she lifted her head to stare at her old friend.
"What do you think?" He took his time pondering his answer on that
"I think…..I think things around here are going to change for the better or worse I cannot say, but I know with friends like who she has now. Little McGonagall will find herself a big part of it all."
She nodded wearily knowing it was the best she could get out of the cryptic man. One day she would like a straight forward answer but clearly not today, so she stood. Apologized once more for the outburst and made her way to first lesson her head now spinning with thoughts about all that she had learned, and all that was still to come.
Since they had a free the had decided to go and sit in the yard outside. Ron had to comfort Ginny who was distraught after hearing about the fate of the cat that morning. They watched as he sat there in extreme awkwardness and rubbed her back in trying to soothe her.
He seemed to have done something right as she eventually smiled and looked up from her sobbing. But then had to ruin it with an insensitive joke which made her tear up again and all four watched as she fled the hall crying still
"….good going Ron." He scowled as Harry ribbed him.
"Yeah…What was that only forty minutes? Make it an hour and you have the record for being the worst agony aunt in the world" He scowled once more at her teasing before muttering as they to left the hall.
"Bugger off, I'm no aunt."
They laughed as they went outside before moving to the middle were they sat near the grassy path in the shade. They didn't have to go far, seeing as they had Herbology first and so fell into easy chatter to pass the time. They could still hear people around them talk about the incident to which now has become very boring for her; yes a cat had been scared to the point of being immobile. Yes she was very curious and knew she would be looking until she found her answer, but did that mean it had to be dragged through the topic of subject over and over?
It both annoyed and amused her that these people really did have nothing better to talk about during their day and really showed what sad little lives they led. As they packed up and moved down to first lesson.
All of this really was just another mystery of which she would have fun solving. The endless hours researching, the thrill of discovering who the culprit, the unmasking of said culprit and finally the ending of it all. Back to normality.
She really did hate when things got in the way of lessons and this she could tell if not solved soon was in very real danger of doing so, which was why she was determined to figure it out before it could come to that.
When they did find whoever it was that was stupid enough to pull something like this, she would have to find the spell in which they used to cause the cat to be like that. Not for the thing's Ron suggested, as some of his ideas….Really all, were ridiculous. But if only for the satisfaction of using it on them herself.
Nothing came between her and her beloved lessons. And the sooner this person knew that the better.
