After the Willow Tree | Theo Nott

CHAPTER ELEVEN

(the meeting with mcgonagall)

"How could this have happened?"

"Miss Parkinson, I assure you that I am doing everything in my power to get to the bottom of this," Headmistress McGonagall said exasperatedly.

Pansy had stormed into her office a few hours after everything that happened in the Great Hall, once Lorelei had fallen asleep beside Daphne with tear stains dried to her cheeks. But Pansy was determined to prove that this was just a big mistake, and she would do anything she had to for Lorelei to solve this.

And McGonagall was exhausted by Pansy's insatiable rage over the situation.

"But why wouldn't you already have a solution?" Pansy demanded.

"Miss Parkinson—"

"Wouldn't you have known if two boys shared the same soulmate last year?"

Headmistress McGonagall cut in sharply, "We were simply trying to survive a year ago, Miss Parkinson, need I remind you."

All of the anger left Pansy at once, and she deflated, slowly sinking into the cushioned seat in front of Headmistress McGonagall's large oak desk. It was different from the one Dumbledore used. His was a yellow-tinted wood with an intricate design built into it whereas McGonagall's was a dark wood, simple and smooth.

Everything inside the office was different, really. It was somehow both more organized and more cozy. The strange objects he'd collected around the room were replaced with towering bookshelves full of literature on magic, transfiguration, and the history of wizards. The bright lighting of his office from before was replaced with warm-lighted lamps, and thick, soft-as-clouds rugs lined the floors—something Pansy knew because Professor McGonagall had instilled a no-show policy in her office, much like one would a home.

Now seated at her desk, while Pansy pulled her legs up underneath her in the cushy seat, McGonagall said more softly, "I have been briefed on a number of soulmate-related issues with my enrolled students a few weeks ago, so I understand why this flaw with the soulmate spell would provoke such an intense reaction from you."

Pansy grimaced.
"But I implore you to think about the gravity of the situation we were facing last year, and that I had absolutely no awareness of what was occurring until a few weeks ago." McGonagall picked up her quill and began writing across a scroll. "It would have been Professor Snape who would have been made aware of the situation with Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott. If the ministry even thought it necessary to tell him at all."

"Snape?" Pansy paled. "So he might have known about..."

"Yes," McGonagall said, understanding the unasked question. "And I understand that you desire to keep it all quiet, so I am writing to the minister to get you and your friends a chance to visit the ministry yourselves."

"Which friends?"

"Lorelei Jones. Draco Malfoy. Theodore Nott. Daphne Greengrass. And Luna Lovegood."

"Is it really necessary to bring Theodore? I mean, he—"

"They will not be prepped on your concerns nor mention them unless you do," she interrupted, "but I hope it allows you a chance to seek your own answers."

Somehow, McGonagall understood what Pansy meant with her question about Theodore, and from her knowing stare, she figured McGonagall understood far more than Pansy preferred.

Pansy swallowed and rose from her seat. "Thank you. I apologize for my earlier outburst. Lorelei does not deserve this stress is all."

"And neither do you, Miss Parkinson." She whistled sharply, and an owl flew to the open window. "I sincerely hope this allows you all to find the answers you seek."

And with that, Pansy nodded and rushed towards the lift. She thought it was simply a desire to give this update to her friends, but deep down, a terror had settled into her chest. And she had a feeling it had everything to do with the knowing way McGonagall looked at her.

"McGonagall is getting permission for the six of us to go to the ministry for answers," Pansy explained when she got back to the dorm where Daphne and Lorelei were sitting in silence. "That group being the four of us girls plus Draco and Theodore."

Lorelei paled to a sickly shade but nodded.

Daphne watched her worriedly.

"I promise we'll help you get answers, all right? There was clearly some mistake, and we're going to figure it out together," Pansy said. She perched on the edge of Lorelei's bed and tried to smile encouragingly at her, but just then, the door unlocked and swung open slowly.

Luna stood in the doorway with skin that was still slightly green, but her eyes swept over the room until they found Lorelei's.

"Draco got into a fight because of people talking about the three of you," she said and floated over to the bed, "so I heard about what happened."

With this update from Luna, Lorelei broke into tears.

"I thought you might need me. Why don't we go visit Hagrid?"

Through her tears, Lorelei nodded aggressively and stumbled out of the bed to follow Luna from the room. She was still in her rumpled Hufflepuff robes, and her hair was a tangled mess, but she left with Luna without a second thought.

"Thank you, Luna," she whispered as Luna closed the door behind them.

In the resulting silence, Daphne smiled at Pansy, though it was full of pity. "Pans, are you okay?"

"Yep." Pansy popped up, moving quickly back to her own bed. "I'm fantastic."

"Pansy—"

"Just stop, Daphne," she snapped. "Stop trying to force me to face something I plan to never, ever deal with."

"You're going to destroy yourself running from this."

"And it will destroy me to embrace it." Pansy swiped at a tear slithering down her cheek. "So if I'm going to be ruined either way, at least let me choose the way I'll go."

Daphne frowned. "You don't have to be destroyed by it," she said softly.

But Pansy shook her head harshly. "I wish I had that choice." 

//