Betrayal
"These will be too dressy. I don't want to look as though I tried to look nice!" I thought, holding up another dress robe I had recently bought. I was still packing even though Albus would knock on my door any minute and tell me it was time to go.
"Time to go," I mused at how melodramatic it sounded, and yet… "It is rather finalizing. I don't know anything about her life anymore. She could be happy, without me. And here I was, twelve years later, still not over her," I angrily threw another dress robe into my suitcase. "I suppose you never really get over your fist love," I though as an excuse. "It's probably more that we ended on such horrid terms." We hadn't even formally broken up, I realized.
"Technically, I had stayed true," I thought, bitterly. "Nope, no dating for me. Not for the hopeless romantic who, despite the long years that had passed, still dreams that my beautiful, quidditch goddess will show up in my chambers to apologize and beg my forgiveness, which I will quickly give." I shook my head to pull myself from the daydream that never really left me. This only allowed another daydream to come back. This one, however, had happened.
My mind drifted back to the day she walked away from me…
"Minnie!" Xiomara had yelled while running into our dorm room, "I did it! I was accepted! I made the team! I'm on the first all woman quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies!" She hugged me and jumped up and down, something she never did as it was too juvenile. She had looked so cute. I smiled and indulged her by jumping as well.
"That's great, 'Mara! I knew you could do it! You're the best player ever, how could you not have gotten on the team?" I kissed her.
"Great, so now we just have to get you packed!" Xiomara ran over to my trunk, threw it open, and began tossing all of my belongings into it.
I hurried over to her to stop her. "What are you doing?" I asked.
"We need to get you packed!" she simply stated again before turning back to my trunk.
"Packed for what?"
"Training, Min. I have to be in Holy Head by noon."
"'Mara, you know I can't leave. School's not even over for another month. We talked about this, remember?"
She stopped throwing my belongings into my trunk and turned to me. "Minerva, I can't stay here. You know the rules as well as I. Anyone who does not report for training will be kicked off the team. I can't throw away the chance of a life time, not for this. Would you really want me to give up this chance? This could be it for me, Min. Talent scouts won't suggest you if you fail to report. You know I can't stay."
"So, what, you're dreams are more important than mine?" I had asked her. I had known I was losing her, but if I was, I knew a fight would make the separation less painful… For a while . "I worked my arse off here for six and a half years, but I should just give up now, because you made the Holy Head Harpies? And then what, Xiomara, become a housewife? Sit in the stands and listen to your many adoring fans talk about their careers and bright futures? I won't do that."
"What are you saying? You're not coming with me? You're leaving me?"
"No," I softened my voice, which had slowly grown louder and more angry. "I can't go with you. That's all it means. I can't."
"Fine," she had said bitterly, "look me up if you ever visit Holy Head."
My eyes widened and I felt like someone had slapped me. She turned to walk away. "'Mara?" I whispered, a lump had caught in my throat and my eyes stung with tears. She stopped but didn't turn. Neither of us said anything for a long time, we just stood there. Then she walked out of my life, for good.
Or so I had thought. Now, it was twelve years later and she was asking my permission to come back and teach at the school and life she had been so desperate to leave.
"Min?" I heard Albus call softly, "It's time to go."
I ran to Albus "I can't see her again!" I shouted. "How can you do this to me? Send me blindly to go see her?" I began beating my fists on his chest in rage, but I was on the verge of hysterics.
Albus grabbed my wrists to stop me. "It's okay, Minerva."
"It's not!" I tried to blink back the tears, but they just began flowing. I cried into his robes. "I can't do it, Albus! I can't! I can't say that I forgive her. It's not all her fault, but I can't forgive her anyway. I've been in mourning for twelve years! I can't see her again, Albus. Isn't there some way you can just owl her and tell her I said she could teach and I can find a way to avoid seeing her, ever!"
"Shhhhhh…" Albus whispered into my ear. "It's okay, Minerva." He rubbed my back to calm me down.
Albus dragged me to my bed and sat me down. Then he conjured a cup of tea and pushed it into my shaking hands before sitting in the armchair opposite me. "Minerva, you are a very strong woman. You can do this. You can confront your past. You must. I'll be right there for you the whole time. You must face Xiomara on your own, but after you two speak, I'll be right there. Waiting. You're going to be okay. You can do this. Are you ready?"
I stared at his twinkling blue eyes. He was my best friend and he had faith in me. I nodded and I stood up. I finished packing my luggage and I strode over to the cabinets.
"What are you doing, Minerva?" Albus asked me.
I grabbed a bottle from the cabinets with one hand and my luggage with the other. "Firewhiskey, Albus. I'd like to get a little tipsy on the train ride there, if you don't mind." Albus looked at me, his eyes, I noticed, still twinkling. "I'll be sober enough by the time we arrive at our rooms."
His eyes widened, "About that, Minerva. I asked for adjoining rooms. I hope you don't mind. It seemed silly to pay more so that the rooms weren't adjoining, so I simply agreed to the adjoined rooms."
I shrugged and continued walked. "Albus, there are no suppressed romantic feelings between us. Why should I care if our rooms are adjoining? You're like one of the girls." I laughed at the thought of Albus trying to make a move. Albus, who I had known for so long, my best friend and the older brother I never had. Try to make a move… You had more chance of little Tom Riddle trying to take over the world!
