And since I'm on a roll, still, it's time for another update. I'm making great progress toward the final chapters of the story. I think I may even be able to complete it by the end of next month. Thanks to all the readers who kept reading despite the slow updates. I appreciate the hits, and don't hesitate to comment.
This one is mostly new stuff, compared to the old draft, but it's important to this second draft, for reasons I'll develop at the end comments.
Hope you will like it.
My thanks to my beta, Billdog718
Rumours of the Worst Kind
Of course Ian didn't waste time before telling what had happened to him. Alexander was soon informed and immediately, he told Dumbledore about Aria's warning. Obviously, there was no way to tell if she was honest, and to be telling the truth, Harry had serious trouble trusting anything that came from the mysterious witch. There were simply too many secrets about that woman and her brother to take all what they were saying for granted. They couldn't take the risk to be used as pawns in the Twins' game. The worst in this was that the Twins were almost their only source of information about this whole mess.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Alexander were gathered in the Entropist's office. And they were discussing the options. First, Kenneth and Thierry had been contacted by Aria, and to both of them, she had given only advice and personal, strange guidance. Now, Ian was invited out of the Castle by Aria, in the middle of the night. And to add on things, he had joined her by floating out of his window.
Things were getting a bit out of hand, here.
Harry couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Professor McGonagall, now that he saw the effect of Ian's action on his own nerves. When he looked back at his school years, he had to admit that he had been something awful for the teachers that cared for his safety and health. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Remus, Hagrid, Madam Pomfrey… He must have been a real burden for them.
Now that he was in their position, he could understand how it felt. And a slight pinch of guilt disturbed him. But in a way, it was still amusing. There was something else, however, that amused Ron.
"You do realise something, of course," he said.
"What is that?" asked Harry.
"All these years, we sneaked out of the Gryffindor tower through the portrait hole," said the redheaded man. "and Ian just opens the door and floats out. How come we never thought of simply picking up brooms to fly out the window?"
Harry looked at him, eyes like galleons. Then he burst into laughing.
"I have no idea," he said.
"You really want me dead, don't you?" said Hermione. "At the thought of you two jumping out of the tower on brooms, I would have fainted, at the time, especially you, Ron."
"You didn't have that crush on me all along our school years, hun'," said Ron.
"No, but even when I wasn't in love with you," said Hermione, stressing the word 'love', "You had such a pathetic broom that you would have dug a nice Ron-shaped hole in the ground."
"Thank you, babe," said Ron, with a tensed smile.
Harry was laughing like a maniac, now, beating the arm of his armchair. Ron threw him a dark look.
"Always on her side," he said in pure disgust.
"Always on the winning side," said Harry. "And we had already that discussion before, hadn't we?"
"Yes, and you will have it as long as Ron will try to win over his wife," said Alexander, grinning.
"Oh, shut up, Lockenburn!" said Ron.
"Curiously, that's exactly what my own wife says when I'm right," said the Entropist, sending Harry and Hermione into another fit of laughter.
Kenneth was walking to Amanio's Office, in the West wing of the Castle. He wanted to clear some points about what Thierry had told him. When he reached the office's door, he heard some argument coming through.
"Do you refuse to listen to me, Hector?" said Amanio, suddenly raising his voice.
"Master, you must understand that we must keep an eye over him," said Anselme's voice. "He's an unstable element in our Order."
"I still don't see why you believe that," said Amanio. "Being happy and enjoying some fun with friends can't be considered as an offence to any of our rules. That will be enough."
"But," said Anselme.
"Hector," said Amanio, on a very patient tone. "You continue to profess your beliefs that we must cut ourselves from the world. I hoped that our stay in Hogwarts would have showed you the truth about this. Now, you can go, and stop bothering Thierry about that Gryffindor Girl."
The door suddenly opened and Anselme saw that Kenneth was waiting right outside. He threw him a hostile look, before he passed by him. Kenneth didn't move, until he was out of sight. Then he turned to Master Amanio, who gestured for him to get inside. The old wizard was taking back his seat with a deep sigh.
"Is something wrong, Sir?" asked Kenneth.
"Well, sort of," said Amanio with a sad smile. "I was hoping that Hector would understand the truth of real life in this place. Maybe I was overestimating his intelligence."
"I don't understand, Sir," said Kenneth.
"Hector seems to believe that we should live far away from the world," said Amanio, on a very tired voice. "As the monks we look like."
"Maybe you should give up the robes," said Kenneth, with a twisted smile. "That would avoid the confusion."
"That's an interesting idea," said Walter, chuckling. "But you know, there's a good reason why we keep those robes."
"Why?"
"They're really comfortable," said Walter. "They're warm, and they also allow the movement quite nicely."
Kenneth smiled and sat in front of Walter's desk.
"What help can I be?" asked Walter.
"Well, I was wondering something," said Kenneth. "Thierry read the records about the Knight to me. I was wondering... is that the reason Ivoire came to see me? Is it because of my link with Merlin? The Unicorns of the Grove are said to have been close to him."
"That's certainly an explanation," said Walter. "She may also have felt the bravery in you and the good heart that goes with it. But maybe she just recognised the Knight. Who knows?"
"She does," said Kenneth, with a smile.
"Too bad they don't talk, isn't it?" said Walter.
"And what about Thierry?" asked Kenneth, inspiration seizing him.
"What do you mean?"
"What do you suppose she sees in him?" asked Kenneth.
"I don't know," said Walter. "I really don't know. Maybe she sees in him what we all want to see in ourselves."
"Which is?" asked Kenneth.
"You must understand that when we enter the Order, we try to reach a balance between knowledge and life, between heart and mind. Thierry is a boy with a good heart, and a taste for discovery in real life. He's the kind of man who will go to see what on the other side of the hill, just because he feels the need to."
"And that's a good thing, isn't it?" asked Kenneth.
"Yes," said Walter, "in spite of what Hector seems to think, it is a good thing. Our Order mustn't have a mind crystallised on the past. And some of us would like us to be only studying the past, and event present as only historians. They say our mission to preserve Merlin's legacy from the outside world is too important to stay within that world. We should have a distant eye on things."
"And you disagree with that," said Kenneth, not asking a question at all.
"Well, at no time in his life, Merlin had lived outside the World. Even after the fall of Camelot, Merlin had remained involved in the Wizarding world, especially the recovery after the War of the Unicorn," said Walter. "So yes, I disagree and so does Thierry. But Hector, and he's sadly not the only one in the Order with that belief, thinks we should cut ourselves from the world, to clear our minds from everything but the knowledge."
"But where would you find that knowledge, then?" asked Kenneth. "From the depths of your own mind? Wouldn't that be a bit limited?"
Walter looked at him with round eyes and suddenly started to laugh.
"If only you could have said that in front of Hector," he said, between two fits of laughter. "That's exactly the flaw of the reasoning of that faction of our Order."
"So this is why Master Anselme despises Thierry? Because he thinks for himself and does have make friends outside the Order?"
"More or less," said Walter.
"You seem to worry a lot about Thierry," said Kenneth.
"Well, I can't deny that I have a special affection for Thierry, especially when I see how he grows up. I brought him inside the Order, you know. So I follow his path as carefully as I can, without playing favourites. But since we got in Hogwarts, I feel that something is wrong with Thierry."
"Is it what you wanted him to tell you when I walked into you, a few weeks back?" Kenneth asked.
Walter nodded.
"So you heard that, after all," he said.
"Yes, I did, Sir," said Kenneth. "Sorry about this."
"Don't be," said Walter. "I know that something is wrong. Actually, should you discover anything about it, I would be really grateful."
Kenneth smiled.
"First assignment as Merlin's Knight?" he said.
"Let's call that a favour done to a friend," said Walter with another smile. "I know he needs help. But I still don't know what kind of help. And I know he will not ask for it."
It started with a few whispering in the castle's corridors. Discrete conversations… Ian was familiar with the process. When the attention of the students was drawn to a new rumour, it always started the same way. A few words heard here and there, and then a few glances at the subject of the rumour, and soon, most people had heard something. And then the distortion began, twisting the initial story and making it either bigger or smaller. Ian knew how it worked, having initiated a few rumours on his own, and having witnessed the birth of those often enough.
But this time around, there were a few things that Ian found disturbing. First, it seemed the rumour came from Hufflepuff, which was a first, in Ian's experience. The 'puffs usually didn't meddle in that kind of things; they just lent an ear to the rumours. It showed, actually, because as much as rumours launched among other houses managed to remain detached, this one made it clear that the Hufflepuff were afraid that it would be true. Second, the subject of the rumour was a surprise. The whisperings and the looks followed Gillian Crawley. Ian was puzzled at this and had started to listen in; going to his various contacts to gather what the rumour was truly about, what he heard shocked him seriously.
"So what have you heard about Gillian?" asked Kieran, one morning, after Ian had spent all his evening questioning his sources.
"Something awful," said Ian. "Grayson told me he heard that Gillian has been sleeping around."
"What? That's outrageous!" exclaimed Kieran.
"I know," said Ian. "Rumour is, she has a spot near the astronomy classroom, and that it involves several guys."
"Odious!" said Alba.
"And also stupid," said Ian. "I mean... Gillian is a clever girl. She knows better than getting into that kind of trouble."
"That's a little weak for a defence, Ian," said Edwin, reprovingly. "It's almost as if you believe that she's that kind of girl."
"Of course, she isn't," said Ian. "But even if she was, she is clever enough to make sure not to be caught. The rumour has to be believable, if one wants to sell it. That kind of idea just doesn't stand."
"Right," said Joel. "Gillian? Sleeping around? No way!"
"Problem is," said Ian, "many people are discussing it. And in a place like Hogwarts, talking about it has just the same effect as believing it."
"That's awful," said Hermione.
"I agree with that, Hermione," said Minerva, darkly. "The real question for us is: do we believe it?"
"Not for a second," said Harry.
The meeting wasn't planned. Professor Flitwick had come to Minerva just as she was talking with Harry and Hermione about the curriculum of the seventh year, to discuss that rumour running around the school about Gillian Crawley. Harry had to admit he didn't know all the students of Hogwarts precisely, but Gillian had drawn his attention enough for him to pay attention to her character, if only for her attitude in the Defence Club. She didn't seem the type to sneak out with a boy and have sex in the school, when the rules were so clear about the issue. Harry wasn't naïve. He knew that many students lost their virginity in Hogwarts. The idea of coming of age, the thrill of the forbidden, it could draw teenagers to go for it. He didn't see the real harm, as long as it was mutually consented. He knew for a fact that some of his friends had done it, during the last years of his education. But the many flaws in character that teenagers manifested in their school years led the teachers to enforce a strict discipline about that. And so he, Hermione and the others were expected to be mindful of this kind of behaviour, and frankly, Gillian Crawley didn't fit the type. This was more likely a rumour launched to hurt her reputation.
"I suggest we clear up the issue with Miss Crawley as soon as possible," said Minerva. "If only so that the teacher won't play an unwilling role in the spreading of that rumour."
"I admit, I feel a little uncertain how to mention that subject to her," admitted Flitwick.
Harry knew that the tiny teacher was a savant man, a former talented duellist, but he wasn't what one could call a ladies man, and frankly, he didn't seem at ease with the subject, despite his age.
"I will talk to her," said Hermione. "Maybe, since I'm not her House Head, she'll be more inclined to talk to me, without fearing getting in trouble."
"Good thinking," said Harry. "And once you have made your opinion, make sure she knows we believe her."
"You can't tell me you believe it!" said Terry, shocked.
"Well, I don't," said Alwena, sadly. "Trouble is, what most people say is that any rumour has a base of truth. So no matter if it's true or not, you will always find someone to say that Gillian has done it at least once. You think that's possible?"
"Nah," said Terry. "Gillian isn't like that. I could name a few girls, especially in seventh year that wouldn't hesitate too much, but Gillian? I don't think so."
"Yeah," said Alwena. "I don't buy it either. I mean, where would she find the time, anyway? Have you seen how much she works?"
Terry had a chuckle, but sobered quickly.
"Well, if someone means to harm Gillian, they're doing a hell of a job," he said. "Word has spread so fast that I'm surprised Gillian can even walk the corridors. Everywhere I go, I hear about it."
"How can everyone be so mean?" asked Alwena, scandalized.
"It's not about being mean," said Mandy, joining in the conversation, by dropping into the couch next to them.
Terry could tell that she was a little angry. He remembered that she had been the target of a slandering streak of rumours, back in his first year. It had been a nasty one at that, just because she had stepped on the toes of some Slytherin bitch from sixth year. Ian had managed to put a stop to it very quickly, though. His first deed as the school's gossip monger… So if someone knew how Gillian could feel, that was Mandy.
"Not everyone is mean in the strict sense of the word," said Mandy. "They're curious. It's news. Most people don't even really care about it or pass a judgment on Gillian's behaviour. But they discuss it, and it just feeds the fire. By now, the so-called facts are clear in the open. Soon, people will act on it, and you can bet that sides will be taken and that Gillian will be called upon it, and that's when it will get ugly."
"Have the rumour speculated on the boys involved?" asked Alwena. "Maybe that could point us to the one who has started it. Jealousy can be a powerful drive."
"That's quite the wise statement, Wena," said Terry, with a smile. "No name seems to be sticking, except one. You care to put a wager on which one?"
"So, on a scale from one to ten, how pissed off are you?" asked Kalindra.
"Make that a twelve," said Kenneth, darkly.
"Sure could have fooled me," said Rob. "You seem awfully calm about this whole thing."
"That's because I don't have a target, yet," said Kenneth. "But there will be hell to pay."
"I wonder what angers you the most," said Kalindra. "The fact many claim you have slept with Gillian wouldn't be a problem in itself. Are you angry about the effect on Gillian's rep or yours?"
"My reputation has no relevance in that," said Kenneth. "Gillian is going through a lot worse than me."
"As I suspected," said Kalindra. "Look, I won't insult you by asking if it's true, because I know you and clearly know that you didn't sleep with her. The question then is: 'what is really going on there'?"
"That's the question, right?" said Kenneth.
"I don't understand," said Rob, puzzled.
They were in the courtyard, and they should have been enjoying the spring sun, right now, but the mood wasn't there, if only because the mood in the castle was starting to deteriorate. Gillian Crawley was beginning to suffer directly from the rumours. After the snide looks, the whispers, came the veiled insults. Girls, who were in truth jealous that Gillian was said to be more popular than them. Boys, who were vexed that they hadn't been picked up by her. And all the rest, who just followed the trend like sheep. Kalindra had seen Gillian grow more tired and weary as the days went by. And she also saw Kenneth seething since the beginning of that mess. She knew that he didn't care about being called 'one of Gillian's studs'. Kenneth's anger was about the fact that people said that, since he was a favourite of Potter's, he was in fact the reason why Gillian had escaped trouble.
But Kalindra knew also something. This kind of wave of rumour didn't start by chance.
"This is an attack," said Kenneth, echoing her own thoughts. "It's meant to hurt people. Gillian, most likely. But also the guys involved, somehow. For the moment, we're called lucky, but..."
"You say it could be aimed at you?" said Rob. "Isn't it a little paranoid?"
"I would have said yes," said Kenneth, "if anyone else was involved. But it's hard to imagine someone holding a grudge against Gillian. You know her, Rob. Do you know anyone that would loathe Gillian that much? She has no quarrel with anyone, no feud. The only thing that sets her apart is the fact she's won the Silver Quill last year and dated me for the Yule Ball. I don't see a competitor for the Quill go to such extremes to get even. So... I don't know if you have noticed, but when you ask the names of the boys Gillian is supposed to have hooked up with, you can't never get the same one in two different version, except for mine. Someone has insisted for my name to be dragged into this."
"Any leads?" asked Kalindra.
"Ian has dug up a few things," said Kenneth. "He says that the rumour appears to have started in Hufflepuff, but he's not convinced. This is not the 'puffs' style."
"So it could be a Ravenclaw with a grudge to Gillian, or a Slytherin, because, well, it's what they do, huh?" said Rob.
Kenneth had a noncommittal shrug. Kalindra had a sudden inspiration that she didn't like one bit. She had to check this out quickly.
"It also could be a Gryffindor," she said, absently, but she refused to explain herself, and took her leave in a hurry.
"I need to hurry, Julie," said Robert. "I have a meeting in ten minutes."
"But seriously, Robert, you can't believe that!" said Julie. "You know her. She wouldn't do that!"
"I'm not saying that she's sleeping around," said Robert. "I just find the whole thing suspicious. She doesn't defend herself, does she? All I know is that a rumour can have a root in truth."
"It can also be pure lies," said Julie, dryly. "I'm appalled that you would think otherwise."
"Well, Gillian was pretty close to Lionheart at the Ball," said Robert. "You saw them kiss, like I did. I mean, does it seem impossible to you that it could have gone farther than that?"
"I refuse to believe that Gillian or Kenneth would act like that," said Julie.
"Maybe you put too much faith in them, Julie, but I hope you're right," said Robert. "Because they could be expelled for this, if it's proven true."
"Expelled?" said Julie. "Surely it wouldn't come to that!"
"Oh, it could," said Robert. "The rules are pretty clear. To have sex in the school with a fellow student or a teacher, for that matter, is a serious misbehaviour and it is a quick way to expulsion. If I were you, I'd ask Lionheart about it. If he doesn't act to clear his name, he'll be dragged into this."
Julie was shocked that the possibility existed, though it made perfect sense. She then saw Kalindra appear at the corner, and when her eyes fell on Julie, the tall black girl frowned before walking straight at her. Julie excused herself from Robert's group, who were still discussing the issue. Kalindra caught up with her and led Julie into a deserted classroom. She was starting to worry, when she saw the decided glint in Kalindra's eyes.
"Okay, I'll be deliberately blunt about it, to avoid any misunderstanding," said Kalindra. "Do you have anything, even remotely, to do with what is whispered about Gillian?"
"WHAT? Are you insane?" shot Julie. "Why would you think I'd do something like that?"
Why in the world would Kalindra accuse her of something so vile? Julie was aghast. It was unthinkable that she... and then, her mind sort of tripped. A sudden thought reminded her that Kalindra was one of the only people to clearly know that Julie had been terribly jealous of Gillian, back in December. So actually, in Kalindra's logic, she had a motive. And thus, she needed a better answer than just a denial.
So Julie changed her tone and her response.
"You think that I would stoop that low?" she asked. "It's not like I had any claim on Kenneth, in the first place. Besides, you told me yourself that Kenneth isn't with Gillian and that I don't need to be jealous."
Kalindra seemed to let out a breath that she had been holding.
"Alright," she said. "I needed to make sure. Because, had you been involved in this mess, that would have been a disaster of epic proportion."
"Have you heard from Gillian?" asked Julie, knowing that she was off the hook and thus able to focus on the important. "How is she doing?"
"As badly as you could expect," said Kallie. "Being called Hogwarts' slut will do that to you."
Julie winced at that.
"I guess," she said.
"What's the Slytherin stance on this?" asked Kalindra. "Since you hang out with them more than me..."
"Many people believe it," said Julie, annoyed at the idea. "As for Robert's group, well. Robert is worried. He thinks that if they don't defend themselves, the people involved could be expelled."
"Not if the whole thing isn't true," said Kalindra. "and it's not."
"I don't think it is, either," said Julie.
"No, Julie, you don't get it," said Kalindra. "It's not true. Period. You heard the rumour. Kenneth is the only guy who's been cited constantly has having slept with Gillian. And I know for a fact that he didn't."
"Yeah," nodded Julie. "So the only identified rumour is a lie, so it's not unreasonable to think the rest is made up as well. From what I know of Gillian, she's not the kind to go through boys like tissues. I could have believed it if there had been only one boy mentioned, but Gillian's no slut."
"Nice of you to admit it," said Kalindra. "Can you try and make that message get through the skull of the Slytherins?"
"I'll see what I can do," said Julie. "But Robert is insistent," she said, disturbed at the idea. "He keeps on bringing it up, saying there needs to be an investigation."
"You don't seem to like the idea," said Kalindra.
"It's insulting to Gillian," said Julie. "Besides, I think we can trust the staff about this. Does Kenneth plan on saying something?"
"I'm not sure," said Kalindra. "He's furious, of course, but even I can't know all that's going through his head. I can't imagine what his next move will be."
"I have never questioned either your honour or your integrity, Mr. Lionheart," said Professor McGonagall. "But I'm puzzled by that move. What do you think to accomplish by coming to us?"
"I want to make sure that Gillian won't get into trouble over a bunch of lies," said Kenneth.
He was sitting at his House Head's desk.
"Besides, some rumours claim that she has escaped trouble because I'm one of Professor Potter's favourite students."
"Ridiculous," said McGonagall. "Professor Potter wouldn't bend the rules that far to accommodate you and I know for a fact that a Lionheart wouldn't expect a favour of this kind."
Kenneth nodded gratefully at that admission.
"Most of the rumours are about Gillian and I," he went on. "I could testify under truth potion that Gillian did nothing wrong with me. Since the other supposed lovers aren't clearly identified, they can be dismissed as invention."
"A safe reasoning, Kenneth," said Professor Dumbledore, who had been in McGonagall's office when he had knocked. "Although it is unnecessary, it's a generous offer."
"Unnecessary, Sir?"
"We have already interviewed Miss Crawley about the rumours about her," said McGonagall. "Professor Weasley and Flitwick have ensured that she was truthful, when she denied the rumours. We therefore trust her on the issue and she will not be submitted to any disciplinary action."
"Oh," said Kenneth, sheepishly. "It does make my offer a little superfluous."
"Superfluous, but again, admirable," said Professor McGonagall. "To come to the aid of a fellow student shouldn't ever be discouraged."
Kenneth nodded.
"So what now?" he asked. "What can we do to stop the rumours?"
"It's difficult at best," said Dumbledore. "One would need to discover the true source of the rumour, before doing anything about it, and in the meantime, students will talk, as it is in their nature."
"And in the meantime, Gillian will suffer from it," said Kenneth, darkly.
"So will you," said McGonagall.
"I don't care," said Kenneth. "For the rumour, me and 'the boys' got lucky. But it's Gillian's name they drag in the mud. Idiots. If I find that it's someone's idea of a joke..."
"Patience, Mr Lionheart," said McGonagall. "If it turns out to be so, I will personally teach the author the price of such a misguided joke."
"So," said Ian, as he walked closer to her. "To ask you if you're okay would be a very bad joke, considering, right?"
Gillian Crawley raised puffy eyes to him, and had a sad shrug. Ian had found her near the lake, sitting under one of the trees that grew over the banks. It was pretty obvious that she had been crying.
"I just needed to get away from it all, for a little while," she said.
"I can't really blame you," said Ian, as he took a seat next to her, against the tree trunk.
Gillian noticed his relaxed attitude and snorted.
"Aren't you worried about your reputation?" she asked bitterly. "Sitting with me…"
"Well, you're still two years older than I am," said Ian, casually. "It's not like you would be interested by a kid like me. Besides, half the school calls me a freak, so I guess it could damage your reputation just as badly."
"Not half the school calls you a freak," said Gillian.
"And not everyone believes you're sleeping around," countered Ian. "I mean, most people know you wouldn't do that."
"Most people," pointed Gillian, sadly.
"Well, the ones who don't know you hardly matter, do they?" Ian insisted. "From what I heard, the teachers believe you, so it's only a few idiots gossiping."
"Yeah," said Gillian, on a drawling tone. "Still it hurts."
"No arguments from me," said Ian. "But I'm curious."
"About the details?" snapped Gillian.
"Nope," said Ian. "About who would benefit from such a slander... Do you have any idea of who would wish to harm you like that?"
Gillian sadly shook her head.
"I have always tried to be nice to everyone," said Gillian. "I guess I must have pissed off someone, along the way."
Ian gave it a long thought. And suddenly something clicked in his mind. Nothing about it made any sense. Why would anyone go at Gillian. What kind of offence would justify calling her a tramp across the whole school? It didn't look like the Hufflepuff's style and Ian failed to see who in Ravenclaw or any other house could gain anything in dragging Gillian's name in the mud. But he did see what it had done, so far. It had divided the school between two sides. Those who believed the rumour and those who defended Gillian. And the sides were actually quite clearly defined. On a sudden thought, Ian broke the silence.
"What if it's not about you?" he said.
"Are you serious? How could it not be about me?" said Gillian, bitterly.
She was looking at him, clearly astonished.
"Bear with me for a second," said Ian. "What if you're just an excuse... a random victim?"
"Random?" she repeated.
"What did these rumours accomplish, so far? "said Ian, seriously. "Your reputation has taken a hit but most students don't believe it. As soon as it clears up, it will be forgotten and people will even remember you as the girl who has been falsely accused. You haven't been expelled, because, let's face it, our teachers are smarter than the four Houses combined, it seems, and so far, nothing has leaked to the Board of Governors. So what has it accomplished?"
"I have no idea," said Gillian, puzzled.
"It has created sides," said Ian. "Maybe that's the goal: to divide."
"But to divide who?" said Gillian. "I'm not that important that the whole school is going to fight over me."
"The issue is important," said Ian. "You're a Ravenclaw and you wear the Silver Quill, so our House is going to support you. You're a wronged lady, so the wannabe heroes of Gryffindor will side with you. Slytherins are ready to expect the worse from everyone, so they'll say you're a... whatever. And the 'puffs will join whoever they trust."
"Yeah, but it's not like it's any different from a quidditch match," said Gillian.
"You're right," said Ian. "I'm just thinking out loud, here, but maybe we should try to find out who is taking your side or the other, and how it can matter. The motive is unclear to me, but it could just not be about you."
"You mean someone would have put me through all this just to serve another agenda?" said Gillian. "Who does something like that?"
"Okay, I'm done with that," said Tonks, furiously, as she kicked the door open. "Who does something like that?!"
Harry was a bit startled, when the older witch barged in. He turned to the other occupant of the room. From behind his office, Remus has closed his face a bit, and looked pretty down, suddenly.
Harry had been visiting the Order's headquarters for an update on Remus' investigations about the Twins, the leads both Aurors and Hunters may have on the Warlocks and the people who had sneaked into Hogwarts. There was no specific reason, but as Harry had been free, that afternoon, he had decided to visit his friend and find out about what more they knew, which wasn't much, incidentally.
And now, Tonks was kicking in the door and making a scene. Surely, he had missed an episode, here.
"You are denying my transfer request?" Tonks hissed, clearly furious.
"I didn't deny it," said Remus. "I postponed it."
"Same damn thing!" Tonks countered.
"Er... should I leave you guys alone?" asked Harry.
Tonks' resounding "no'" was countered by a discrete "yes" by Remus, but Harry chose the safety course and remained, looking from one to the other, as Tonks seemed to be steaming, her hair a bright red, and Remus was seething a bit, now.
Sensing this was going nowhere, Harry decided to pitch in.
"May I ask what is going on?" he asked. "What transfer?"
"Nymphadora has asked for a transfer back to the Aurors," said Remus.
"Don't call me Nymphadora!" she retorted. "And he's blocking me."
"I simply asked Kingsley to hold on until I have a chance to talk to you about it," said Remus, more calmly. "I thought you would have had the courtesy of at least discussing it with me."
"And how was I supposed to do that?" asked Tonks, furious. "You barely talk to me."
"I was giving you some space," said Remus. "Maybe you can understand why it has been awkward to..."
"Guys, I really should be going," said Harry, regretting his earlier move.
"Don't you dare take one step," said Tonks. "I have some beef with you too, Potter!"
"Why am I getting yelled at?" he muttered. "I didn't do anything."
"You gave him lousy advice!" said Tonks, with a defiant nod.
"Lousy?" protested Harry. "Hey, even Ginny agrees my advice was good! He's the one who was wrong in the first place.
"You do realise I'm still in the room, don't you?" said Remus, a bit archly. "Tonks, I just thought your decision needed to be discussed. You have more prospects by staying in the Order. You are up for a nomination as department leader soon. I think you need to consider this before you leave to head back into the Auror hierarchy."
"Oh, so now, you care?" asked Tonks.
"Hey, that's unfair," said Harry, getting annoyed, this time. "Remus always cared about you. That was the whole point. He's been focusing too much on your sake to fully understand..."
"Again, I am right here, Harry, thank you," said Remus. "I still believe that you can continue a good career in our ranks, rather than heading back to the Corps just to follow..."
"But how am I supposed to have a good career if you don't work with me!" said Tonks. "You've been all kind of distant, and it's messing up our team and... wait a second, what?"
Harry was a bit startled. What had caused Tonks to stop her rant? And then he remembered what Remus had said.
Ooooooh, he thought. Yeah, I really shouldn't be here.
"Who am I supposed to follow?" asked Tonks, slowly and deliberately.
Remus looked a bit embarrassed.
"I... I just assumed that your plan to rejoin the Aurors was due to wanting to be around Longbottom a bit more," said Remus, on a voice that was telling Harry, he was conceding defeat.
"Er... Longbottom? What does Neville...?" he began, confused.
"He's not talking about Neville," said Tonks. "He's... Remus, you think I'm asking to leave so that I could be with Derrick?"
Harry was thinking fast, now. So if Remus had stalled Tonks' transfer out of jealousy... no, that didn't fit, because that wouldn't stop Tonks. In fact, Remus wording was clear. He wanted Tonks to preserve her career despite dating Derrick. That was still Remus looking out for her. And then Harry remembered what Ginny had told him of her talk with Tonks. Tonks and Derrick were not a thing.
He was about to voice that, when he saw that Tonks' face had changed. The fury was gone, and she looked... astonished.
"You think I..." she stammered. " But I... How would you..."
She fought a second to get a grip on herself. When she did, she spoke very calmly her next words.
"Remus, why did you keep your distance, these last few months?" she asked, softly.
"I... I hurt you," said Remus. "I didn't want to add to it, so..."
"And you think I have thing for Derrick Longbottom?" she said.
"I saw you at the party," said Remus. "I... I know you've spent some time around him, these days. I thought it may be for the best, but I didn't want you to step back in your career. I can..."
"For the best?" Tonks cut him. "So you were... What, giving up on me?"
"He's giving up on him," said Harry, quickly. "Nothing to do with you."
"Harry," said Remus, warningly.
"No, Moony," said Harry. "I'm sorry, but you're making a mess of things, and coming from me, that should be very, very worrying. So I will talk, now.
He turned to Tonks.
"Okay, I'll be clear and simplistic on purpose," he said. "First off, Tonks, if we could do this with your real face on, that would help."
Looking a bit confused, Tonks made the very slight shift that revealed her actual face, including the slight scar over her eyebrow. She kept her pink hair, but Harry didn't care about that. It actually served his point.
"Now, Remus," he said, turning back to his father's friend. "You denied Tonks, last year. Why?"
"You know why," said Remus.
"Tonks needs to hear it," said Harry.
"I'm... I'm not good for her," said Remus, after a while.
"Bullshit," said Tonks, immediately, before a look by Harry silenced her.
"So it has nothing to do with her, right?" said Harry, still looking at Remus. "I mean, you do see her, right now? What is she, to you?"
Remus slowly looked up to Tonks and seemed to be struggling with himself for a while. With a small sigh, he finally spoke.
"Beautiful," he said.
Tonks nearly choked on that, and Harry could see her eyes shine a bit.
"Excellent," he said. "So, Tonks, to be clear, he denied you because he's a werewolf, because he's so used to being an outcast that the notion of someone actually wanting him is a bit... impossible to him. Add to this the fact you work together, that he's a close friend to your parents, and he chose to believe that he would be a disaster for you. Am I getting this right, Remus?"
"More or less," grumbled Remus.
"But he had never denied what he feels for you," said Harry. "He will prefer to be alone and unhappy than to bring you any kind of pain, and right now, since he mistakenly believes that you are falling for Neville's cousin, he's willing to let you go, but not to risk your career."
"But I'm not falling for Derrick!" said Tonks. "Did you honestly believe that?" she asked Remus, directly.
The tone she used was so comical that Remus did look a bit sheepish. Good, thought Harry. sheepish was good, instead of sullen.
Tonks' mind appeared to be working at breakneck speed, right now. And Harry saw the moment the situation would be unlocked, when she had a teasing smile.
"You know, I do think I should be changing job," she said.
"You do?" said Remus, a bit weakly.
"Yeah, it appears my boss actually sucks at getting information," she said. On that, she walked to Remus, standing right before him.
"I'll be clear and simplistic on purpose," she said, with a wink to Harry. "You're attracted to me."
"Yes," said Remus.
"But you think your reputation, despite being a bloody war hero and a leader of the country's law enforcement, will ruin me," she said.
"Er... yes, but that's..." began Remus.
"Shut it," said Tonks, firmly, causing the former werewolf to go quiet. "Still, you think I'm beautiful."
"Of course," said Remus.
"Even like this?" insisted Tonks. "Even with this?"
She had shown her scar. Harry couldn't hide a smile. Now, Tonks was the one being ridiculous. Well, the relationship had to be balanced, right?
"Why would you even believe that a scar would bother me?" said Remus, with the first hint of a smile. "Have you looked at me? Nymphadora, and you'll forgive me for using your name, don't you ever believe you're anything but beautiful to me."
Tonks' emotion was hidden behind a slight grumble.
"Yeah, well, a girl gets vain, sometimes, sue me," she said. "So, now, to the point, if I'm to refuse Kingsley's offer, can you promise me you will stop shunning me at work?"
"Yes," said Remus.
"And can you promise me that you will stop taking the decisions about my heart on your own?" she pushed her effort.
Remus nodded.
"Yes," he said.
"Good," said Tonks. "I'm glad we sorted that out. Harry?"
"Yes?" said Harry, a huge grin across his face.
Tonks snaked her arms around Remus' neck, and he did nothing to stop her.
"Get the hell out of here," said Tonks, on a light tone.
Harry moved in a second.
"Thank Merlin," he sighed in relief, rushing without turning back from the office, knowing full well that two of his best friends were probably snogging the life out of each other, right now.
He nodded to Arielle Van Dick, who must have heard enough to know what was going and had a little pleased expression on her face.
"About time, wouldn't you say?" she said.
"Oh, yes," said Harry, grinning. "Have a good day, and don't let them out for a while, huh?"
Arielle chuckled and he left. For once, he didn't mind one bit passing through the landing of Grimmauld place. As soon as he was out, he apparated, and landed in Hogsmeade.
A few minutes later, he was reaching his apartment. Upon entering, he was gladly surprised to find his fiancée sprawled on the couch, reading a file. A pot of tea was on the small table. Probably one of the best set up in the world for his apartment, right now.
"Hello, love," said Ginny, distractedly, as he stepped in. "How was your day?"
"A great source of relief," said Harry. "Oh, by the way. Remus and Tonks. Solved. You're welcome."
"Solved?" said Ginny, suspiciously. "What did you do?"
"Oh, not much, I'll admit," said Harry. "Just stopped Tonks from being pig headed and Remus to be thick-headed. All in all, it worked out pretty great."
"Are you sure? I mean, where are they, now?" asked Ginny, still unsure.
"Right now? Well, they should be snogging in Remus' office," said Harry. "They were clearly about to start when I left."
"Oh," said Ginny. "Snogging is certainly good. Then you actually got it right?"
"Your faith in my social skills is overwhelming, Ginny," said Harry, smirking. "What is it? Are you upset because you don't get to solve the love life of everyone?"
"Oh, shut up, Potter," said Ginny, feigning a pout.
"Oh, will you shut it, now!" said Nigel Gates, Hufflepuff sixth year. "Nothing happened between me and Crawley."
"Oh, yeah?" sneered Eric Cootes, a Slytherin classmate of Robert's. "Not what I heard. Why deny it? You're ashamed?"
Julie was starting to feel disgusted by the whole thing. Robert's friends had been a little too quick to jump on the bandwagon and they were discussing Gillian's reputation at length. Robert, for his part, played a low profile, but Julie could feel that he wasn't convinced of the Ravenclaw girl's innocence. Julie was highly disturbed by this. And her doubts brought her to question anything Gillian said in her mind. She didn't want to believe the rumour.
But beyond her doubts, she was starting to get angry. Because the whole great hall was turning into a circus, and it was all about Gillian. Didn't anyone have anything better to do with their time than try and slander Gillian's name? She didn't deserve this. Granted, no one deserved this, but Gillian was a great girl and it pained Julie to see her accused like that, especially when... the certainty hit her like a bludger in the head... especially when Julie knew in her heart that Gillian was no slut. She didn't need to listen to the sides in the dispute. She just knew it.
That, and the fact Gillian had appeared at the entrance and would be able to hear Cootes in a matter of seconds, decided her to move. Since Cootes wouldn't listen to her, she turned to Robert.
"Can't you make him shut up?" she asked, under her breath.
"Excuse me?" said Robert, who hadn't been paying attention, apparently. "What, Cootes? He's just joking around."
"Well, it is odious," said Julie, sternly. "Gillian could hear him."
"Well, maybe if she spoke up..." said Robert.
"What?" nearly exclaimed Julie, but she caught herself and it ended in a furious whisper. "What do you mean?"
"She doesn't seem to defend herself," said Robert. "What does that tell you?"
"That she's doing the only thing she can," retorted Julie. "You know as well as I do that you can't deny a rumour and hope to see it vanish. Come on, the teachers have all said they believe her, but all these jerks get out of this is that she tricked them good. People goaded enough into it will find a way to see their truth in whatever is before them."
"Still," said Robert. "I think she just waits for the rescue. But don't worry, I'm sure Lionheart will oblige her soon enough."
"Kenneth? What is that supposed to mean?" said Julie.
"Lionheart can't help meddling in this kind of business," said Robert, with a shrug. "Never misses a chance to play the knight in shining armour, does he? Maybe she's even set herself up so she could be rescued by the brave knight."
"That's just ridiculous," said Julie. "No one will put themselves through this kind of mess just to get a boy's attention. Besides, it's not like Gillian and Kenneth are together."
"Really?" said Robert. "Look over there."
Julie followed his gaze and saw the Gryffindor table, where she was supposed to eat very soon. The sixth year gang was settling down there, and she caught Kenneth's eyes. He was throwing furious looks at Cootes from where he sat. It seemed he was seconds from jumping in between Gates and Cootes, before Gillian would hear anything. Julie considered for a second that Robert may be right. And she had to admit she didn't like the idea of Kenneth and Gillian getting closer again because of this.
"See?" insisted Robert. "He's chomping at the bit, right now. I guess he cares about her more than you think."
Despite what Kalindra had told her about Kenneth and Gillian, Robert's words ran through her spine in a cold shiver.
When Gillian finally walked by Cootes, the Slytherin boy, instead of shutting up, turned to her and spoke up.
"Hey, Crawley!" he called. "I need to understand. Are you that good in the sack that your loverboys feel the need to protect you, or so lousy that they want to deny they ever touched you?"
Julie choked on that. She threw a horrified look to Gillian, who just stood there, pale as death, struck mute as a heavy silence had fallen on the Hall. Julie forgot all doubt about Gillian. There was simply no way that she would set herself up like that, and Julie felt awful even considering it. No one could go through this willingly.
She suddenly got up, feeling the need to distance herself from the Slytherin gang, because some of them were snickering. Robert's expression was unreadable. Julie looked over to Kenneth, silently begging him to step up and do something.
A furious voice suddenly echoed under the enchanted ceiling, as if it was answering Julie's wish.
"Alright, that is it!"
But, to her utter shock, it wasn't Kenneth's voice. When she saw who had spoken, she turned to Robert, who looked thunderstruck. Kenneth hadn't moved from the Gryffindor table, but someone else had jumped from there.
It was Fields.
Kenneth's eyes widened and his hand paused over his wand, as he looked slowly to his right, to see Anthony Fields stand up and jump over the table to walk straight at Cootes. His eyes told a novel, and it spelled imminent doom for the Slytherin git. Fields walked by Gillian, whose wide eyes followed him. Without a single pause, Fields had armed a punch and struck, catching Cootes right in the gut. Cootes bent in two, and his friends were too stunned to do anything. Kenneth didn't hope the Slytherin table would tolerate such an attack, so he moved immediately, drawing his wand, and seeing Rob, Will and Teddy do the same. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Kalindra get her wand ready as well.
Fields had pushed Cootes against the huge table, his hand at his throat and his wand pointed at Cootes' eye. His face was still furious.
"Apologize to her!" he spat.
"Get out of my face!" protested Cootes.
"Apologize!" roared Fields.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Kingsberry, one of Cootes' friends, drawing his wand and pointing it at Fields's back.
Kenneth realised that they potentially had a huge fight at hand if the Gryffindors meddled in that, but he couldn't leave Fields without backup. But before he could do anything, someone else had moved.
"I wouldn't do that," said Jeremy Wats, one of Thierry's Brothers.
He had his staff in hand, pointed right at Kingsberry.
"I do want to hear an apology as well," said the Novice.
Kenneth stopped in his tracks, gesturing to Rob and the others to stand down. The shock of Jeremy's intervention seemed to have cooled off many wills to defend Cootes. But Kenneth saw Kilpatrick, a Slytherin seventh year bully, stand up and walk toward Wats.
"You think we will let you guys attack one of us, like that?" he grumbled, displaying his famous lack of wits.
"Oh, stand down, you idiot," said another voice, a girl's, this time.
Janet Spencer, her prefect badge clear on her slytherin robes, was pointing her wand at Kilpatrick. She looked pretty angry.
"Cootes has crossed a line, here," she said. "I will not stand by while he insults Gillian. Now, you shut up, and sit back down, unless you want to look like a stupid jerk as well as a giant bruise."
Kilpatrick's determination faltered at this and he stepped back. Fields hadn't lost any of his focus and was still holding Cootes pretty tightly.
"I said to apologize," he grumbled. "She doesn't need to take that crap from you!"
"Why defend her, Fields?" sneered Cootes, with a painful wince. "Have a crush, maybe, Gryffindor?"
"None of your business," retorted Fields. "What concerns you is whether I hex your bits off or not."
"Over her? She's a tramp!" huffed Cootes.
"Says who? You?" Fields cut him. "You're the one who launched that rumour?"
The light from the tip of his wand grew brighter and Cootes tried to recoil.
"Let me tell you that if I find you're at the start of this, you will regret it," said Fields, before turning to the entire hall. "I'll make it clear for everyone. I will find the degenerate who has spread lies about Gillian and there will be hell to pay!"
He suddenly pulled Cootes by his collar and threw him on the stone floor, right at the feet of Gillian, who was looking at Fields, astonished. Kenneth could tell she hadn't seen his outburst coming.
Fields wasn't done with Cootes. He pointed his wand back at his face, holding him by the hair.
"I'm waiting," he said, coldly. "Apologize to her."
Cootes started to panic, when he realised that there was actually no teacher in the Hall to stop this.
"Go on," said Fields. "and make it good."
"I'm... I'm sorry, Crawley," grumbled Cootes.
"Not good enough!" barked Fields. "What are you sorry for?"
"I... I'm... watch it!" protested Cootes, as Fields pulled at his hair. "I'm sorry I called you a tramp!"
"And?" insisted Fields.
"And I'm sorry I said you were sleeping around!" added Cootes, hastily. "I... I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry!"
"There you go, bastard," said Fields, as he let go of the git, who collapsed against the stone tiles. "Will that be enough, Gillian?" he asked her.
Kenneth was amazed by the way Fields was handling this. Gillian seemed to be, too, for she could only nod slowly.
"Now," Fields went on. "The next one I catch spreading those lies about Gillian Crawley will get it exactly like Cootes, here, did. I'm sick of all of this. You should be all ashamed of yourself! Mark my words, I don't care if you're a first year or a NEWT student. If you slander her, your arse is mine."
"What is going on, here?"
Professor McGonagall finally made an appearance. Kenneth was actually surprised the whole thing had gone uninterrupted by any teacher. But Fields had apparently lucked out, there. The Head of Gryffindor paused in the middle of the mayhem and threw a stern look around. She saw Cootes sprawled on the floor and then saw Fields standing there.
"Mr. Fields, I would like an explanation," she said, pointedly.
A deadly silence hung over the hall, until Janet spoke up.
"Nothing serious, Professor," she said. "Anthony here was just teaching Cootes a few manners towards a lady. I think Eric got the gist of it, by now."
"Is that so?"
The irony was clear in her voice of the older witch. Kenneth could tell that she wasn't fooled. But he had also seen the look McGonagall had sent to Gillian. He was convinced she was highly aware of what was going on. She turned to face each student apparently involved. Wats and Janet were the image of innocence. Gillian was still shell shocked and Fields was doing his best to act casual. Finally, McGonagall turned to Will, as a prefect, but saw his wand out. She sighed and turned to Donahue.
"Mr. Donahue, you seem to be far enough to have kept a cool head," she said. "Would you agree with Miss Spencer's analysis?"
Everyone in the hall turned to Donahue, from Janet to Julie, who was standing next to him. The Slytherin prefect looked a little unsettled.
"Er... I think... I think Janet pretty much summed it up," he finally said.
Kenneth caught a glimpse of something passing between Cootes and Donahue, while McGonagall seemed to resign herself.
"Very well," she said. "Everyone return to their respective House's table, then, so that lunch may proceed without further interruption."
Everyone scattered, including Cootes, helped up by Kinsberry. As Fields slowly made his way back to his table, Kenneth could see that Gillian was still amazed by what had just happened. He smiled at that. He passed by Gillian.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm better, now," said Gillian, a little weakly. "Er... can you thank Anthony for me? I'd do it myself, but I don't want to draw attention on him. Tell him I'll go talk to him a little later."
"Will do," said Kenneth, before rejoining his housemates.
He took his seat next to Fields, who was blushing profusely, now, while he was praised by Will, Rob and Kalindra.
"Nice one," he said.
"Yeah," said Fields. "Actually, it felt pretty good."
"About bloody time someone spoke out for Gillian, too," said Julie, joining them after having taken her leave from the Slytherin table and Donahue.
"Then why didn't you say anything to your Slytherin pals?" asked Rob, a little harshly.
Kenneth arched an eyebrow, while Julie looked puzzled.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.
"You're on Gillian's side, now?" said Rob. "Sure could have fooled me, given you're hanging out with the guys who've been speaking like that about her. You do realise that Cootes is one of Donahue's lapdogs, don't you?"
Julie's eyes narrowed.
"First, I don't think that Robert has any 'lapdog'," she said. "Second, he didn't say anything against her like Cootes did. And finally, I think I deserve the courtesy of being entitled to my own opinion. So a few Slytherins are jerks, it's not because I date one of them, that I admit everything they do. And I certainly didn't start or spread those rumours, in the first..."
"Alright, cool it off, you two," said Kenneth, suddenly. The looks he got in return from the whole year showed that he had caught everyone off guard, even Kalindra, who was trying to ease up Rob's anger.
"Julie, no one accuses you of anything," he said. "We know you wouldn't do that. And Rob, Julie's right. She's not her boyfriend, so stop laying it into her, like that. Look, we're all pretty tense, so let's drop it, alright? Fields, Gillian wanted to thank you in person, but she didn't want to draw attention to you from the teachers. She'll come around to see you later."
"Oh," said Fields, blushing again. "It's not... necessary."
"Of course, it is," said Kalindra, grinning. "To the hero goes the reward. It's lucky we know Gillian is innocent, because if not, the rewards would make you pass out, Fields."
Will laughed at that. Rob was a little uneasy after going off at Julie, so he chose not to comment. But Julie did.
"It was very brave of you," she told Fields.
"On behalf of girls, I'm proud of you," enthused Kalindra.
"Kallie, enough," smirked Will, "You'll make him disappear under the table."
Lunch came and went in a good mood. When it ended, the Gryffindors wisely chose not to linger in the hall, if only to avoid drawing more attention from McGonagall. As Kenneth was getting up, Julie caught his eye with a short wave.
"Thanks for what you said, earlier," she said, with a shy smile. "I know I haven't voiced my support of Gillian that openly, but..."
"Don't worry about it," said Kenneth. "Rob is pretty emotional. He was just venting out."
"Yeah, still, thanks for not considering that I just have to follow Robert's opinion," said Julie.
"I think I can give you a little more credit than that," said Kenneth, simply.
"I appreciate it, really," said Julie. "You know, there is actually something that disturbs me in what Robert said about the whole thing."
She seemed a little uneasy to talk about it.
"Go on," said Kenneth.
"Well, he didn't say that Gillian was sleeping around, but he was really insistent about the fact she seemed to wait too long before to act about it," said Julie. "He said the same about you, in fact."
"About me?"
Kenneth was surprised.
"Yes," said Julie. "I think he was more interested in the fact you two could be expelled than anything else. He even had this crazy idea that Gillian was setting herself up to be rescued by you."
"By me?" said Kenneth, astonished.
"I know, it's dumb," said Kenneth. "Nobody would go through all this willingly. But even with this idea, he didn't really think that she was sleeping around... I think."
Kenneth nodded and the silence as they walked wasn't that awkward anymore. It had been a long time since Kenneth had felt like that around Julie. He had to admit he had missed that.
Julie had a little start as they reached the stairs leading to the Astronomy tower, for their next class.
"I forgot one of my books," she said. "See you in class?"
"I'll save you a seat," said Kenneth, without thinking, as she began to run away.
She paused and turned to him, looking pleased. Kenneth didn't regret the slip, actually. It would be nice to sit with her again in class. She had a bright smile.
"Okay," she said.
Kenneth looked at her run away, deeply troubled. He knew that Julie had nothing to do with that attack on Gillian's reputation. He just knew it. But he had suddenly felt something else entirely, because after what she had just told him, the look he had caught between Cootes and Donahue started to have a whole different meaning.
From where he had stood, Kenneth had seen Cootes look up at Donahue in profound shock and outrage that he wouldn't back him up. And Donahue's eyes were clearly telling him to shut up. And now, Julie was telling Kenneth that Donahue claimed Gillian had used these rumours to get close to Kenneth? What was his play, here? Also more troubling, was Donahue just using an opportunity to oppose Gillian and Julie, or was he at the source of the rumour? Kenneth had no certainty, and again, he had no proof, but a gut a feeling told him something was very wrong there.
Julie was walking out of the Defence class with a slight spring in her step. It had been a long time since she had last shared a lesson with Kenneth sitting beside her. It had felt good to be back there. She had missed it. Since Kenneth had defended her after Gillian's ordeal, Kenneth had started to share more classes with her. They had resumed their easy banter. And it had felt right.
It had been three days since the commotion in the great hall and Fields' incredible intervention on Gillian's behalf. And since then, Julie had spent more time with her Gryffindor friends. It could very well seem odd, but even if she dated Robert, she now felt awkward hanging out with his friends, especially the ones, like Cootes, who had been spreading lies about Gillian's virtue.
Robert hadn't reacted to that, yet, but actually, Julie didn't care. She was enjoying rebuilding her friendship with Mandy, Rob and Will, since they had always refused to be around Robert's friends. They had spent most of their time gently teasing Fields' about his rise in fame, which caused a constant blushing on the boy's cheeks. But it was all in good fun.
When she walked out in the corridor, she saw Gillian. These days, whenever Gillian was around, it was to speak with Kenneth or to Fields. Her gratitude to the Fields was obvious. And Julie could hardly blame her to talk with Kenneth. So she was surprised, when the Ravenclaw girl came to her.
"Could I talk to you for a second?" she asked.
"Er... sure," said Julie, puzzled.
They stepped out of the flow of students and if Julie could feel a certain tension in Gillian, she still looked a hundred times better than a few days ago. Since Fields had stepped up to defend her by kicking Cootes' butt, the rumours on her had started to die down, if only in fear of retaliation by the Gryffindor boy and all the gang who had made it clear they shared his opinion. No one in their right mind would openly challenge the Gryffindor sixth year, not with Kenneth, Kalindra, Fields and Teddy in their midst.
Still there was a certain strain in the way she stood.
"How are you doing?" asked Julie.
"Better," said Gillian. "I don't think I'll ever be able to thank Anthony enough for what he did."
"Well, you can start by not calling him Anthony," said Julie, with a smile. "He hates his first name. I only call him like that as a tease."
"He does?" said Gillian, surprised. "I... I'll have to remember that."
"For the record," said Julie, "I didn't believe in any of..."
"I know," Gillian, cut her. "Kenneth and Kalindra told me so. Thanks. But actually, it's still what I wanted to talk to you about."
"What do you mean?" asked Julie.
"I've had a lot of time to think about it," said Gillian. "And I talked to Ian. He did a little digging about the origin of the rumour."
"And?" asked Julie.
"I've come to a conclusion," said Gillian. "This whole thing was never about me."
Julie was shocked. What was she talking about?
"I don't understand," said Julie, earnestly. "This was an odious attack on your reputation, and this wasn't about you?"
"No," said Gillian, "because I just can't imagine anyone holding such a grudge against me that they would try and do that to my reputation. Ian pointed out that all these rumours were meant to create a reaction, and force people to take sides. But it failed."
"I just don't understand where you're going with this, Gillian," said Julie.
"Of course you don't," said Gillian. "As you said, you never believed in the rumours about my supposed easy virtue in the first place. But you were supposed to. And Kenneth was supposed to jump to my defence."
"What?"
Julie felt like she had been punched in the gut.
"It was all about you," said Gillian. "It was all planned for you to take sides against me. And I think the point was for you to fight over it with Kenneth."
"That's crazy!" protested Julie.
"Is it, though?" said Gillian, calmly. "Think about it. Ian knows for a fact that the rumour started in Slytherin, not in Hufflepuff. Janet told me that Cootes and Walters were acting on orders. And when Fields stepped up to speak on my behalf, it all started to dissolve. Ian overheard some Slytherins say that the ploy had failed. Why? How has it failed? My reputation was on its way to ruins. How could it be a failure? It failed because the two people who were supposed to fight over it did not. I thought about it and in fact, it all makes senses. When you look at the disputes that have taken place this year, there are a few consistencies. Ravenclaws and Gryffindors usually side against Slytherins, Hufflepuffs tend to stay neutral and you find yourself in a bind because you date a prominent Slytherin prefect. But this time, something was different. You never spoke against me and Kenneth didn't need to fight for me. As soon as it was clear that you weren't against me, it all stopped."
Julie was floored by what she had just heard. It didn't make any sense! This whole mess would have been to keep Kenneth and her apart? That was crazy. And yet she remembered how Robert had been insisting on the fact Kenneth should take Gillian's side, and he did insist heavily on the truth behind rumours. Gillian's words started to make their way through her denial, but it was too much.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "No way!"
"I've thought a lot about it," said Gillian, sadly. "I tried to see what effects this whole ordeal has created. And the only thing that didn't go as usual is you and Kenneth. This has to be about you two."
"But Robert wouldn't do that!" protested Julie.
"Who can order Cootes and Walters around?" countered Gillian. "The question is 'why'? Why would Robert try to keep you and Kenneth apart so desperately? Did anything happen between you?"
"I... Kenneth... No," said Julie. "That's impossible! Okay, Robert sees Kenneth as competition, but..."
"Competition?" said Gillian. "Julie, this goes beyond their usual rivalry. To do this over petty duels would be... oh, Merlin!" she suddenly said, like struck by a revelation. "It's you!"
"What?" asked Julie."
"You're the girl Kenneth can't get over," said Gillian. "Oh, my, it's so obvious. It's you! It's always been you! But I had no idea that Kenneth and you had..."
"We haven't!" said Julie, brusquely. "We... we can't..."
Gillian frowned, puzzled.
"Julie, what the hell is going on?" she asked. "I'm not the kind of girl to pry, because this it usually none of my business, but your relationship with Kenneth, whatever it is, had already messed up my Yule ball, and now it's messing with my life, right now. So what is going on with you two?"
Julie was breathing hard, unable to deal with this whole situation. She leaned against the wall behind her, trying to find her balance again. She realised that Gillian had suffered because of her, and that she deserved the truth.
She chose to be honest.
"I have visions," she said.
"Huh?" said Gillian, clearly not having expected that.
"I see things: past, present... future," explained Julie. "And I can't be with Kenneth because I had a vision where he gets killed to save my life. So I tried to push him away, but... but I'm in love with him."
"And he's in love with you," said Gillian, simply.
"I'm not so sure," said Julie. "I've been such a bitch to him..."
"Uh-Uh," said Gillian, shaking her head. "He's in love with you. I'm not naïve. I know I can get any boy I want in this school. And I know Kenneth was attracted to me. If he pushed me away at the ball, it's because he had it bad for someone else. It all makes sense now."
"Does it?" said Julie, bitterly. "I'm responsible for the whole mess, and it doesn't make any sense to me. I think I've just gone and screwed it all up for everyone."
"What makes sense is that Robert would pull a stunt like that," said Gillian. "Look, I don't know what you plan to do about Kenneth. I can't even imagine what it is to live with those visions. But one thing is clear to me: dump the jerk!"
"You don't have any proof that Robert..." Julie began, but it sounded so stupid, even to her, that she didn't finish her sentence.
"I'm a Ravenclaw, Julie," said Gillian. "Our main concern is reason. And one thing reason tells us is that: when you look for a guilty party, you ask yourself: who benefits? It's a Muggle in ancient Rome that said it first. Who benefits from keeping you apart from Kenneth? Who benefited from having Kenneth shocked on the Quidditch pitch? You're a clever girl, Julie. I know for a fact you're not naïve. So you have a choice. Either you admit I'm right and you do something about it, or you deny it, and you go on dating Robert. I just wanted to warn you that what he's doing to keep you isn't acceptable."
And on that, she walked away, leaving Julie speechless.
And here we are. This particular bit was one the firsts I wrote when I started to rework on the story. I confess I like this whole Gillian Crisis. It did help me to flesh out the whole personal plots of the sixth year, including Julie, Kenneth, but also Fields, Gillian and even Marion and Teddy. That little moment of the story was the intuition I needed to plan out the rest. I'm so glad to finally put it out there.
Anyway, see you very soon. The next chapter is done and betaed. I'll post it very soon.