"Um..." Minerva stopped halfway up the staircase that lead up to the Gryffindor common room. Up to the seventh year girl dorms and to Clementine's four poster bed. Clementine was attempting to pull her up to her room for... for... well... Minerva wasn't entirely sure, but she had a pretty good idea.
She knew Clementine thought Minerva was actually her girlfriend Violet, because Minerva had taken a potion that transformed her into Violet, at least in appearance, "I... I forgot something in my dorm... I'll meet you at your common room entrance." Minerva said nervously. She knew this was wrong. She was finally starting to form a new friendship with Violet and Clementine both, she would never come back from something like this if she went through with it.
"I'll go with you. In fact, we can just go to your dorm instead. I'm sure it's empty too." Clementine started heading down the stairs, dragging Minerva behind her.
"No!" Minerva yelled, stopping Clementine in her tracks.
"What has gotten into you?" Clementine raised an eyebrow, "We don't have to go to either our dorms if... if you don't want to..." her cheeks reddened and she looked at the ground, embarrassed at the rejection.
"It's not that, please. Grab some food, and I'll meet you right back here, okay?" Minerva pointed at the spot where she was standing at the bottom of the staircase.
"Alright..." Clementine reluctantly agreed, feeling a pang of hunger among the utter confusion over her girlfriend's odd behavior.
"Thank you." Minerva sighed in relief, sprinting off to the Slytherin dorms, planning to hide in her four poster bed until the potion wore off.
Clementine stared after her briefly, confused at her quick exit, she walked into the great hall and sat down on the bench she had been at not long ago, more puzzled than when she had left.
"What was that about?" Louis asked, taking a huge bite, talking with his mouth full of food.
Clementine didn't even bother to reprimand him, "I dunno..." She answered, and it was honest. She had no idea what had come over Violet, why she had been so bold and forceful, when usually she was so timid and then just run off leaving Clementine on her own.
"Why are your clothes all rumpled?" Louis asked, raising his eyebrows as he continued to eat.
"They're not." Clementine glowered, swiping her hands over her robes to flatten them out before grabbing some food, sighing in disappointment at being left by Violet after she had her all worked up.
"Why weren't you on the pitch?" Violet grumped, plopping down beside Clementine, grabbing large helpings of whatever was closest.
"The pitch? Why would I be at the pitch? Are you wanting to go to my dorm still?" Clementine's eyes lit up at the sight of her girlfriend, whispering the last part so no one else could hear.
"Why would we go to your room?" Violet asked, taking a bite of roll.
"I dunno..." Clementine placed a hand on Violet's knee beneath the table, "to finish what we were talking about in the corridor just now." She said quietly.
"The corridor?" Violet scrunched her face in confusion, "I've been waiting for you on the quidditch pitch. Minerva gave me this." Violet reached in her bag and pulled out the note, handing it to Clementine while ravenously continuing to eat.
"I didn't write this." Clementine looked over the words, "You were just at the quidditch pitch?"
"Yes." Violet said, feeling frustrated at the repetitive questioning when all she wanted was to eat.
"Then who was I just snogging in an abandoned corridor?!" Clementine asked. Louis started choking on his bite. Mariana, Becca and Sophie openly stared at the curly haired girl, no longer trying to listen in sneakily without the two noticing.
Violet dropped her fork immediately, "You were what?"
"Someone who looked like you came into the great hall, pulled me into an abandoned hallway and kissed me." Clementine explained.
"Well this is exciting." Louis looked between the girls who ignored him.
"Did you kiss them back?" Violet asked sad and somewhat upset.
"Of course I did! They looked and sounded like you!" Clementine rushed to defend herself.
"Polyjuice potion..." Violet fumed, and as hungry as she was she stood from the table, knowing exactly who was responsible, "Minerva." She left the table, fire in her eyes as she walked single-mindedly down to the Slytherin common room.
Clementine jumped up from the bench, leaving a questioning Louis behind, "Are you saying I... I kissed Minerva?" She whispered, horrified.
"Seems like it." Violet tromped down the dark corridor, every footstep echoing off the otherwise empty halls.
"Would she really go that far?" Clementine rushed to keep up, following after as Violet slipped through the stone entrance into the Slytherin common room.
"It's Minerva." Violet stated, continuing her trek up the stairs to the 7th year girls dorms.
"Yeah..." Clementine sighed, trailing behind as Violet opened the dorm room with a rough shove, "I guess you're right..."
"Minerva!" Violet growled as she ripped open the curtains of the redhead's four poster bed.
"I'm sorry!" Minerva cried out from beneath her covers.
Violet felt no sympathy as she ripped them off, exposing a sobbing Minerva. Well, it was sort of Minerva. She was tall like Minerva, but she was still wearing Violet's too small clothes. Her hair was stuck between Violet's and her own in length and color. Her pale skin was still freckle free and her voice was not quite Minerva's and not quite Violet's.
Violet opened her mouth to yell but as her eyes took in the trembling form of the girl in front of her she exhaled sharply, trying to calm herself. Taking in a slow deep breath she managed to speak in a soft voice, "Did you use a polyjuice potion?"
"Yes." Minerva answered quickly, not even trying to deny it. She shook from head to toe and Violet started to feel guilty about the anger that coursed through her, slowly ebbing the longer she stood listening to the tall girl hiccuping for breath between sobs.
Clementine placed a calming hand on Violet's arm, rubbing it lightly she asked, "Why?"
And then they waited. Side by side Clementine and Violet waited patiently for Minerva's sobs to slow down and for her tears to dry. By the time her crying died down to nothing more than intermittent sniffles, she looked completely like Minerva again. Tall, red headed and freckled. Violet's school uniform fit her snugly but the blonde was nice enough to not mention it as Minerva managed to finally sit up on the bed, eyes red and puffy.
"I'm sorry." Minerva said, barely above a whisper. Violet opened her mouth, ready to press her for more of an explanation, but Clementine began rubbing her back, drawing her attention. The brunette quietly shook her head no and Violet kept her mouth closed. After a minute or two passed in silence, Minerva spoke up again, "I didn't mean for it to go that far. I have these dreams... these vivid dreams... You know about them Vi, I've told you before."
Violet nodded and Minerva continued, "I've been dreaming about Clementine lately. I'm sorry, I can't control them anymore than anyone else can. I thought if I kissed her again I could get her out of my head. I didn't mean to uh... snog her... and when I realized what she was taking me to her dorm for, I left. I got out. Fast. I swear Violet." Minerva clutched onto Violet's robe's, crying again, "I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I cherish our friendship... I know that seems like a lie, after what I did... after everything I've done... but I do."
Violet looked at Clementine who had tears in her eyes of her own, "It's forgotten." The brunette said, sitting down beside Minerva and hugging her. The red head kept her arms loose at her sides, afraid to show any returned affection. Violet looked a little less willing to forgive someone who had just snogged her girlfriend but she knew Minerva was being sincere. She hadn't seen her this broken in a long time. Clementine gave Violet a look as she hesitated to share her sentiment, "Everyone deserves a second chance."
And a third, fourth, fifth? Violet thought, but she didn't say it.
"You have to stop this Minerva." Violet ran a frustrated hand through her hair, "All these tricks and 'games' or whatever it is to you, they have to stop. You need to talk to us if you're having problems. Don't try to solve them with potions or duels, just talk to us?"
"Okay..." Minerva nodded, wiping her nose on her too small uniform shirt, making Violet crinkle her nose in disgust when she realized it was hers, "Can we talk now? I had a... a really bad Christmas..."
Violet sighed and sat down on the bed next to Clementine, her stomach still grumbling with hunger pangs, "Go ahead Minnie, we're here for you."
Minerva talked well into the night. Clementine trying to be a moral compass to the girl until she fell asleep in a tired heap on her bed. As quietly as they could Clementine and Violet climbed out of the bed.
"That was exhausting." Violet yawned, changing into her Gryffindor pajamas, not noticing how Clementine froze, unable to look away.
"Yeah." Clementine whispered, swallowing hard, unable to respond until Violet was dressed, "I thought I had a lot of problems..." She followed Violet to her four poster, closing the curtains and casting the spell. They resumed talking in their normal voices.
"Clem... your problems are not even in the same realm as Minerva's... You've been to Azkaban... twice... this year. Yes Minerva's had it hard but that doesn't mean she has a right to make things harder for you." Violet fumed, not as quick to forgive. The two girls sat cross legged, facing each other on top of the blankets.
"You're mad because she snogged me." Clementine teased, Violet glowered.
"Of course I am! Twice, she's snogged you twice!"
"I would never have kissed her on purpose, you know that right?" Clementine asked, taking Violet's hands into her own.
"I know that..." Violet allowed Clementine to take her hands but continued to look grumpy.
"Vi..." Clementine leaned in, her lips brushing against Violet's as she spoke, "I love you and only you."
"I... I know that..." A grin spread over Violet's cheeks. She leaned in, bringing their lips together in a slow kiss, stopping only when she said, "I love you too." Quickly reestablishing the connection immediately after.
Arms found themselves around one another, collapsing onto the bed, lips still together in an ever increasingly heated union.
"Ow..." Clementine suddenly pulled away, hand to her forehead.
"Did I hurt you?" Violet asked in concern, eyes scanning the brunette's face.
"No... I just got a terrible headache..." Clementine squeezed her eyes together as the pain intensified, "This is as..." she inhaled deeply as a wave of nausea swept over her, "as bad as when M-Marli was around."
No sooner had she said the name than a voice echoed through the room, "Cleeeeemeeeennntiiiiinnnne." It was sickly sweet and hauntingly familiar, "Where are you my puppet?"
"Marli." Clementine breathed out, fear visible in their eyes as the curtain on Violet's bed was torn open.