TW for mentions of rape, miscarriage and torture of a child

A Veela Family

Chapter 9: Minerva

"Hello, Minerva, take a seat," Hogwarts said coolly as the Transfiguration Professor stepped into the Headmaster's Office, her ghostly hand gesturing towards the chair opposite the one she stood in the place of.

"Hello," McGonagall said as she took the seat, looking a tad confused, though she was clearly trying to look like she thought she had done nothing wrong.

"I suppose you may be wondering why I wanted to start these one-on-one meetings with you," said Hogwarts, raising a ghostly eyebrow.

"I would like to know why these one-on-ones are necessary in the first place," McGonagall said, also raising an eyebrow.

Hogwarts smirked, moving to sit her ghostly visage down on the throne like chair so she could properly converse with the woman. "I want to make this school a safe place again. A safe place for every child that steps into this Castle. In order to do that, I need to know that the staff are willing to look after them, and protect them. I need to know that the staff want to, and will look after these children who look up to us for help, and guidance, and support."

"I have spent my entire career looking after these students-"

"And yet, you have failed to protect them in so many ways," Hogwarts cut her off. "Don't get me wrong, when you first started as a teacher here you were alright. Very promising. But then Dumbledore made you Head of Gryffindor, and then added Deputy Headmistress to your titles not too long afterwards. At any point after you were made Head of House did you stop to consider that that meant you actually had to look after the children in your House? Did you make sure they had everything they needed for the year? Did you sit with them at any point to help with any questions they may have had about anything? Did you have meetings with them regarding their progress? Did you have Poppy run health scans on them to make sure they were okay? Were you always available when the students needed you?"

"It is their parents and guardians responsibility to make sure they have everything they need."

"Yes, perhaps. But not everyone is able to afford school supplies, and not all parents or guardians care enough about their children to really pay attention. In which case, it is your responsibility to make sure they have access to the things they need but don't have. Such as reliable winter wear, the books and stationary they need, etcetera.

"Moving past those things, though, we have time for you to improve upon your duties as Head of House if Severus and I decide to keep you on. What I'm most curious in finding out is your behaviour regarding the Marauders, and Severus. And your behaviour regarding other students that are being bullied, either within your House, by the students in your House, or just any students, since you, as Deputy and Professor, also have a duty to keep all of the children in this Castle safe."

"They are children. Sometimes they misbehave," McGonagall said haughtily.

"Yes. But there is a very big difference in misbehaving, and raping another student, is there not? Because rape is an actual crime, and yet four students in this school, in your House, got away with that crime. They also got away with attempting to kill Severus. Misbehaving is one thing, but physically and mentally hurting another student is something that should never, ever go unpunished. Yet it did. Severus came to his teachers for help, and none of them did. You did not make sure he was safe from them at any point during their schooling. Whenever they broke a school rule, the most they got was a point loss. Whenever they hurt a student, the most they got was a point loss. So tell me, what the fuck were you thinking? Severus was a child, too. Did he deserve any of the hell they put him through? Did he deserve to get pregnant at the age of sixteen, then to be tortured until he lost his child, and then to be branded as a Death Eater to try to keep himself safe because none of you helped him?" Hogwarts snarled.

"I didn't know he had gotten pregnant, or that he could," said McGonagall, her voice hard.

"No, but you knew that he had been raped. You knew that he had been targetted in front of a large group of students that day. You watched some of it from one of the windows, and yet you left them to it without punishing any of the students that were there. And when they almost killed him, Severus was the one punished, not Mr Black, the one who sent him after a werewolf. Why?" Hogwarts growled.

"We couldn't have Severus tell anyone that Remus was a werewolf. Remus would have been taken by the Ministry and killed."

"Severus wouldn't have told anyone, Minerva, you know that. Who would have believed him that you had allowed a werewolf to live here at the school? And that doesn't answer the rest of my questions. Why weren't they punished for not only choking him with bubbles whilst he was hung upside down, not only removing his trousers and underwear, but also for raping him? They should have at least been expelled from this school with a criminal record, you know, to protect Severus and the other students. Why weren't they?"

"They were children-"

"So was Severus. So were the other children they pranked. Although, thankfully, if you can really say that, they didn't go quite as far with other students as they did with Severus. Why weren't those students who were hurt by those four offered the same care and affection as the ones hurting them received? Why weren't they protected? Is it, perhaps, because they weren't in Gryffindor?"

McGonagall let out an offended squall, "Are you accusing me of favouritism?"

Hogwarts laughed darkly, "Unfortunately there is a hell of a lot of favouritism going on in this school? Especially against Slytherins. Did it ever occur to any of you that if, perhaps, you treated the children with fairness, and didn't treat the children in Slytherin as if they were evil just because of a few bad people from that House, that they might not follow in their family's footsteps? That they might actually feel safe enough to come to you for help so that they don't have to do whatever they fucking can to survive? THEY ARE CHILDREN! They deserve to be protected, and looked after, and loved, and cherished, and no one is giving them that except Severus, because he understands. He is the only adult in this school that the children of Death Eaters, from all Houses because yes, they are in all Houses, can turn to for help getting out of that situation. And it should not be that way. It should never have been that way, but since Tom Riddle has been in this school you have been turning children to the Dark because that was their only choice. That was their only form of safety, if you can even call it that given how much they are getting hurt."

"What do you want from me?" McGonagall said, her voice hard.

"I want answers. Proper answers. I need to know if you actually care about all of the students in this school. If you have just been going along with Dumbledore this whole time because he was your boss and you thought you couldn't go against him. Or if you truly believe that the children in this school who have been hurt, either by other students, or by you sending them back to abusive or dangerous households, deserve to be hurt. I need to know if I should keep you on as a member of staff here. Or if I should let you stay but demote you so that you are just a transfiguration professor. I need to know that you will do everything you can to keep the children in this school, each and every one of them, safe. I need to know that you will protect them, and help them, and nurture them, and stop showing bias towards your old House. So, answer my questions, honestly, so that I know if I can trust you or not to be a member of staff at this school."

If Hogwarts wasn't a ghostlike figure at that moment she rather thought that she would be a lot more intimidating as she glared at the Deputy. But the fierceness of her magic was certainly making an impression on the Professor by the frazzled look on her face and the twiddling of her fingers.

Hogwarts raised her eyebrow, leaning forwards, close to the witch who had let down too many children in her time as a member of staff in her walls.

"Answer my questions," she whispered darkly. "Tell me if I can trust you or not to keep the innocent children in these halls, all of them, safe. Now. Or I will deposit you outside the border of the wards, with your things, and stripped of your positions faster than you can say Quidditch."

And that certainly set the Scottish witch on course, answering the questions Hogwarts asked. Trying to get Hogwarts to see her side of things.

…

Harry was sat on a plush armchair in the conservatory, trying to relax, and yet the thought that he was going to, temporarily, die was swirling around his mind… constantly. Along with just everything else that was resting on his shoulders at the moment. But, there was a part of him that had faith in Hogwarts to get the burdensome sould shard out of his head. And, well, there was hope there too. For a better future, for himself, his family, and the students at the school now, and those to come.

He just had to win them the war first.

Somehow.

And he would. Whatever it took.

He just hoped his family came out of it unscathed. And the School, and the students. Or as unscathed as it was possible to be anyway.

He sighed, looking out one of the many windows into the marvellous autumn garden. He saw a small red/orange snake slithering through the grass and smiled, almost wanting to go and talk to the precious creature. Though he couldn't help but wonder if he would be able to talk to snakes once the soul shard was removed from him. If he were to go out and talk to the snake now, and the snake came back when he was unable to communicate with it, he didn't want the poor thing to be hurt or confused as to why Harry was no longer talking to them.

Only time would tell, he supposed.

He hoped.

He hoped.

Hiya, how are you all today?

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on everything that has happened so far and where you think the story is going, etc. or for things you might like to see as the story progresses. Even if it is just something small.

I have Tumblr now. My username is marauderingpaige if you want to go and give me a follow over there. I also have one more focussed on personal life and writing, username is paigemakepeacewrites. And I have a Discord server, too, a new one! If you would like the link then feel free to drop me an email (my address can be found on my profile) or message me on social media, or join my Facebook group, and I will happily share it with you.

I have also now started writing a fanfiction for House M.D. It is an omega verse fic with House as the omega and Wilson as the alpha. If you love the show as much as I do then feel free to go and check it out. It is called Lights Will Guide You Home.

I have also started a couple of fics for Good Omens (I can't help myself. I have far too many ideas that need removing from my brain.) They are called House a Love Like You and I, and I Could Find You, Darlin'. Feel free to go and give them a read if you love Good Omens as much as I do.

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