"With all due respect professor, you've been letting everyone who wants to bully me for four years now. And when I finally decide enough is enough, you crack down on me. It's almost the same way you treat Harry", comes the now almost venomous voice of Nadine, directed at her head of house. For her part the Scottish woman just frowned. "While you may have experienced awful bullying I can assure you that it has not escaped my attention, or my punishment. Furthermore-" she says, interrupted by Nadine's snort of disbelief.
"Of course you noticed it, but on the second part I disagree entirely. Finnegan, Ron and even Malfoy have never been punished for the things they've said to me or recently Harry" she says crossing her arms under her chest and smirking, a secretive smile crossing her face as if something had just occurred to her. "Unless you want them to escape punishment that is. I mean it's easy to explain away Snape's favoritism, but yours? Well that's a bit harder. You've always favored Gryffindors…..except the ones who don't seem to conform. Like Harry and I" she says simply, stopping to inspect her nails. "My grandmother is on the Hogwarts supervision board, an ancient counsel as you know. Imagine if she were to made aware of the goings on here? How you have negatively affected house Longbottom's chance of securing a good match" she says, in a sing song falsetto.
McGonagall's face turns sterner than anyone even thought possible, and her tone of voice is clipped and short. "I have done nothing that would affect such a….". "Ohh but yes you have. You see, the bullying continued to such a point as to irreparably hurt my self esteem" Nadine teases, pouting her lips and widening her eyes. "Imagine how such an argument could work in my favor if I were to break out into tears" she adds making her threat clear. The head of Gryffindor had to be careful with this situation. "What is it you want Longbottom?" She asks tiredly, her fingers going to pinch the bridge of her nose. "The same thing Malfoy got. Nothing" comes the quick reply and with a tilt of the head and a smirk Nadine begins to walk off. "Have a good afternoon Minerva" she intones, exiting the office of her head of house.
"Who was that?" Minerva asks herself as she sinks back into her chair and pours herself a glass of firewhiskey, already feeling the headache from the state of her house coming on. Bullying of Potter and Longbottom. Counter claims of Padma Patil saying that Longbottom had bullied her. A report of abuse from a secretive source concerning Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. So many were impossible for the teacher of forty years to believe. These were children after all. She remembered that these were different times and drank her firewhiskey, deeply delighting in it's taste. Secretively she knew Longbottom was right. She had let the bullying go on for too long but she had noble reasons. Gryffindors were supposed to be strong and courageous. Harry especially needed this trait and as at home the adversity would only strengthen him. That had been Dumbledore's rationale at any rate.
Minerva had agreed, despite her better intuition but soon she realized that Harry needed more. He needed someone who shared his struggle. Someone to watch his back and give him a real reason to fight. When the people at stake hated you and loved you according to their own needs it was hard to justify the sacrifice that would be required of him. To fight such a brutal monster as Lord Voldemort? For the wizarding world that had shown him nothing but contempt? Bah. Minerva could see the failing of that strategy from the start. That's why she soon looked to Nadine Longbottom. After all, they did share many characteristics. Her parents were in a coma at St. Mungo's, possibly permanently. Her grandmother was a domineering bint who did nothing but tear Nadine down and she was bullied constantly by her peers. So Minerva turned a blind eye and hoped to harden the young girl up. Strength attracts strength after all. She had focused extra hard on Nadine in her classes as well, keeping her extra as a pretence of punishment to shield what it really was.
Minerva loved Nadine like a daughter. She was so like her when she first went to Hogwarts. Lonely, frustrated, scared and a family that would not make things easier. She smiles sadly at the memory, refilling her glass.
Her plan had worked. Harry and Nadine seemed to be blossoming into so much more than she could have ever hoped. Nadine was also different and Minerva couldn't have been happier. Even if she had to be on the other side of the new Longbottom, she had enjoyed it profusely. There was a little lioness hidden behind that shy exterior and Potter seemed to bring it out the most. "Good luck Potter" she says, tearing the detention slip meant for Nadine in half and tossing it into her fireplace. "It seems that you'll be needing it".
Dungeons
"Hey Nadine, you missed Herbology" Harry said to her as she entered the combined potions class. The Slytherins and Gryffindors were muttering about themselves, exclusively within their own houses however, and were pointedly ignoring Harry, although their eyes did seem to peek in their direction once Nadine settled comfortably into the seat next to his. "Sorry Harry. McGonagall decided to lecture me about hexing Malfoy" she said with a half apologetic smile. "Why? Did you miss me?" She asks teasingly as her thumb and forefinger grasp the young boys chin. He just smirks and puts his hand on her waist, pulling her in closer until their thighs were in close contact. "Very much so gorgeous" he says suavely and pecks her cheek.
Some of the combined class make faux puking motions, trying to upset the two while some look on in secret envy, wishing they had someone in their lives who was as open and caring as those two already seemed to be in such a short time . Others however, looked on in sheer hatred. Ron and Ginny had prospective targets for their hate but it was equal in intensity. Ron simply hated that Harry could get any sort of happiness that wasn't in his control. That's why he wanted Harry to date Ginny after all. It would make it easier to control him. Ginny however, hated Nadine because she occupied a place she felt was rightfully hers. She got up, hoping to hex Nadine into the next Oblivion before the entrance of Snape disrupted her plans. "Hmmm" he said curtly, surveying the classroom as he looked for his usual targets.
"Potter, it seems you have a wart growing on. Perhaps you can tell Longbottom to move over" he draws , a smirk teasing at the corner of his mouth before the laughter of the Slytherins filter into the empty space. "Wart? Ohh you must mean my gorgeous girlfriend. You know girlfriend? You might not know what that is considering you're a greasy bat. As for warts i thought you were talking about the thing on your nose" Harry retorts quickly, his arm wrapping around his girlfriend's waist protectively. The silence of the classroom is deafening before one Gryffindor, it sounds like Lavender, coughs, trying to hide her laugh. Snape however, is fuming so that his usually ghastly complexion has actually gained some color. "Fifty points for Gryffindor Potter. For back talking a teacher" he says before roughly turning around and walking towards the board, trying to keep his composure as he begins to write.
Harry just rolls his eyes and smiles at Nadine, his arm still about her waist. Outside, cool confidence is queen as she writes the notes for the lesson down meticulously. However, inside she is a puddle of good. Not only had Harry officially announced that they were a couple, he'd stood up to Snape. For her. He'd never stood up even for himself or his friends. Then there was the rather pleasant feeling of his arm around her waist. Less than innocent thoughts entered her mind as she pondered if his hands would like to go lower. Despite her lack of physical self esteem Nadine knew that she had one thing guys liked and she had to hope that Harry would like as well. She bit her lip at the thought, imagining how soft and gentle he'd be with her, or would he be rough and wild? She didn't bother to question why either one would suit her just fine.
She shakes these thoughts away, realizing that now is not the time to get all hot and bothered just because her boyfriend decided to go alpha male on a teacher for her. No these things could wait. Harry would be rewarded for what he did. For now she just did her work quiet as a church mouse, a contented smile playing on her lips.
Later on Gryffindor Common Room
"Sod off Patil, you're probably just jealous" comes the high pitched voice of Lavender Brown. "As if Brown" comes the retort. "Who would be jealous of Longbottom? She's chubby, flat and utterly useless at magic despite the like she's been keeping up with. It won't last. Maybe she used Amortentia on him" she said to which many of the girls sitting around the fire nodded in agreement. Lavender however just leaned back in her chair and laughs. "Ohh please. Either she's an incompetent buffoon or she's an evil genius. Pick one. You can't have it both ways" she says before she stands up and stretches. "Now you bints can sit and talk all night about Nadine Longbottom and Harry Potter but I'm going to bed. I wish them the best of luck and hope they don't bother thinking about you when they are going at it like rabbits and making dozens of little Potters in the future" she's says to which a surprising reply comes from the entrance to the common room.
"Thank you Lavender. That was a really sweet image you helped paint in my head" says Nadine who enters the common room, her robes and hair askew and her face full of evidence of a blissful and hidden pleasure. "I was actually just with Harry girls. Don't you want all the details?" She asks cutely as she advances, almost predatorily on the sitting group of girls. The Patil twins are openly nervous about the look on their usual preys face while Katie Bell and the rest visibly shrink back while Nadine takes a seat. She leans back and smiles. "We snogged for a while. Well more than a while" she confesses with a giggle, hoping to twist the knife into the girls egos. "After that Harry, ohh he was so cute, nervous as he was, decided to slip his hands into my robes. I was an enthusiastic supporter however so don't get the wrong idea" she adds with a tease before leaning forward and smiling at Padma Patil. "I don't need Amortentia Padma. In fact I don't need any potion. I have one thing, the one thing physically anyways, that Harry really needs" she says before getting up yawning where she stands and turns around, swaying her hips as she walks towards the steps to the girls room. She turns her head over her shoulders and lets out a laugh. "Just in case you don't get it, Harry is an bum man" she teases before leaving the girls alone, the crackling of the fire the only sound to be heard at that moment before Lavender laughs hysterically and stands.
"It's been a laugh riot girls, it really has but I think I need to hang out with Longbottom more. After all, she seems to be alot cooler than any of you slags" she says before rushing off after Longbottom. "Hey Nads, tell me. What's Harry packing?" She asks as she runs up the stairs. No response but a giggle is heard leaving the girls downstairs feeling very left out of what is supposed to be a communal female activity.