Chapter 9: Confessions
Once breakfast was finished, Christine took Mitchel by the arm and followed her friends silently out of the Great Hall and into a deserted classroom on the fourth floor, one floor above the classroom they were meant to be in. Martha closed the door after her friends and magically locked it, sound-proofing the room.
"How did you learn to do that, Martha?" Lannastar asked her friend in awe.
"My parents." Was all Martha said in reply and Lannastar seemed to understand immediately.
"What did you need to talk to us about Martha?" Christine asked her friend softly.
"Christine, when you told me that your parents didn't know you were dating Mitchel, I got the impression you weren't telling us something. Now that we're in private, I want you to know, that whatever it is you're not telling us, you are allowed to. Adelyne, Dora and Lannastar will agree with me on this: we're your friends, and we trust you, but we need you to trust us with your secrets. What aren't you telling us and why? We need to know if we're going to help you through it. We promise we won't tell anyone about it, and we're not going to contradict you or laugh at you, no matter what the problem is. Recite the Maraudesses vow." Martha replied and all Maraudesses placed their right hand over their hearts.
"We will never laugh or contradict if anyone has done something. We will only listen and offer advice where necessary. We will never talk over someone when they are telling us their problems and we will always trust other members. We will never shun people away and we will always try to be as friendly to our fellow students as possible. We will NEVER tell other Maraudesses lies." They chorused and Christine sighed.
"Alright. I'll tell you. Admittedly, I'd broken one part of the vow. I lied about my parents not knowing about Mitchel and me. But what I'm really worried about is that I know that I'm pregnant with his baby and I don't think my parents will be happy if I suddenly come home for the summer with a baby in my arms." She said and everyone in the room looked at her in shocked silence.
"Wait, Christine. You're telling us that you're having my baby?" Mitchel asked her in surprise. Christine looked first at him, then at her feet, nodding.
"Yes. But Mum and Dad may want me to abort the baby, and I don't want to do that." She choked, tears streaming down her face, which was hidden in her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs. She fell to her knees and all her friends and Mitchel crowded around her, Mitchel pulling her into a hug.
"Christine, I don't think your parents would force you to abort, because they'll know the attachment a mother has with her baby. Even an unborn baby. And I know that from experience." Said a voice and Martha wheeled around, seeing her mother behind her. Natalie walked over to the distraught girl and knelt next to her, placing her hand on her shoulder. Christine looked up and saw Natalie there and hugged her suddenly, her tears falling on her chest, soaking her robes. Natalie looked surprised for a moment before she gently patted the girl's back.
"But what I suggest is that you tell them about this. Because regardless of their reaction, at the end of the day, they're still your parents and they have a right to know about your pregnancy." She said softly to her. Christine looked up at her and nodded.
"O-okay." She choked, her breathing heavy.
"And Christine, we don't hate you for lying to us because you told us the truth in the end; and we only want to help you get through this, and offer advice to you. We're here to listen to and help you. We don't want to contradict you, and we won't, even if it is something really bad. Okay, maybe we would a little bit if it was as bad as you killing someone, but you didn't so we're not going to contradict you." Adelyne said softly to her friend and she looked up at all her friends and gave a watery smile.
"Thanks guys." She said, standing up and beginning to walk out of the room. The others followed and together they walked into the Transfiguration classroom. McGonagall was already in there and they were about to be told off for being late, but Natalie walked in at that moment and whispered something to her and she nodded and allowed the students to take their seats.
