The Gathering: The New Order of Merlin Book 1

43. The radical side

       Minerva shivered slightly and pulled her cloak tighter around herself. It was chilly today, definitely too chilly to hang outdoors. She didn't understand how the twins were not bothered by this weather and figured they were in denial, ignored being cold just for the sake of spending time outside. She had to keep this conversation short so they could all go back in.

Minerva scolded herself for not reaching out to the twins earlier. It wasn't until that untalented boy, Merlin Ealdor, cast the spell perfectly that she realized that the twins were the last ones who couldn't. It was neglectful of her to not coach them earlier. They were under her care, after all.

She sent Elsa inside already after the girl successfully cast the spell. Jack sat on the ground with his head down, not acknowledging Minerva at all. She worried if he still thought of running away. She had promised them that Hogwarts was the safest place on earth, but with the attack on Mrs. Norris, this was no longer the truth, and so now, even more than before, it was imperative to get him to open up.

"Your sister was able to cast the spell, Jack," she said, but he didn't react.

His silence was unnerving her, and she wasn't sure what to do with herself. She felt strange, towering over him like this, but she was most certainly not going to sit on the ground with him like an undignified wench. His bare feet had to have been freezing by now. Would she ever get him to drop this inappropriate habit?

"Why don't we sit over there?" She pointed to a bench nearby. "I'd like to talk over what's troubling you. And, on Merlin's beard, put your shoes on."

Jack walked over to the bench, grabbing his shoes on the way but not putting them on. Ah, this boy.

"Professor," he was watching his foot swing under the bench and spoke slowly as if he practiced this line beforehand, "is it possible for me to stay at Hogwarts if I fail Transfiguration? Or will I be expelled?"

"Jack, there is still time to learn. There is no reason for you to assume so early on that you will fail. I'm confident that you'll make progress with the right attitude just like your sister did."

"Isn't the final exam turning an animal into an object? I will not do it, Professor. You will have to fail me."

"Why won't you do it?"

"I will not end life."

"Oh, Jack. Is that what you're worried about? A part of the exam is returning the animal to its previous form. I'd never ask you to kill an animal. If you couldn't do it, I'd do it for you."

He snapped his head and exploded, "So it's no big deal? Would it be okay to practice that spell on a witch or a wizard, Professor?"

"No, it would certainly not..."

"How would you like to be turned into a..." he interrupted her, "into... into a bench? If you wouldn't, then how can you do it to another living creature?" His voice rose. "Does a witch have more right to live than a rodent?"

"Jack..." His unexpected outburst was making her head spin. "I beg your pardon? Are you comparing me to a rodent?"

"Witches and wizards are worse than rodents. A rodent wouldn't do that to a fellow living creature."

"How dare you?" She restrained herself from slapping him, but her body language must have shown it because he flinched away from her.

Minerva exhaled a puff of air, which was visible in the cold. She wouldn't hit him, no matter how much she wanted to for his rudeness. In all of her years of teaching, no student dared to challenge her so insolently. Did he honestly think that he understood the ethics of Transfiguration better than she did?

She did not recognize the boy sitting in front of her. Where was the fun-seeking silly troublemaker whose biggest offense was an aversion to shoes? She had never seen this audacious, radical side to him.

Ah, but he ran away from home, didn't he? His rebellious phase had started before he even met her. It wasn't completely her fault then.

"Mind your attitude, Mr. Nix. You will serve detention for your disrespect. You lost two points to Gryffindor." She rose from the bench, afraid of what else she might do if they continued. "This isn't the last of this conversation."

Minerva trembled as she walked away, her nerves shot, her pride mangled, but with every step further away from him, her heart was sinking more. She was supposed to get him to open up, and she achieved the opposite. And what exactly did they argue about? He didn't want to hurt animals, and she yelled at him for that. Did she just give him a reason to run away? Perhaps she was too harsh. He was disrespectful, true, but she didn't handle it right either. She had to be the adult here and smooth it all away.

She turned back, intending to fix her mistake, but it was too late. Jack had already left.