Restricted

Chapter 31. Truth

"For what?" Madeline gasped, frowning in confusion as she finally succeeded in escaping Jolie's hold. "It is not illegal! Keeping it a secret just keeps me safe—"

Jolie sputtered out an unamused laugh. "Is that what he told you? Gods, Madeline... Come on, let's just go to Dumbledore. He'll know how to—"

"No! He already knows!"

With the confession, another secret was set free. Jolie must have thought her identity was solely concealed by her and her father alone.

Jolie paused, her scowl morphing into disgust. "He—what?"

"Dumbledore already knows," Madeline breathed.

Another pause. Then, Jolie threw her hands up in disbelief.

"He knows? And he's just fucking alright with it?" she gasped loudly.

Madeline waved her hands in a vehement plea. "Shut up! Please—"

"What the fuck is going on?" Jolie practically shouted. "You've been lying to me—to all of us—for months! You lied about spending all that time with Pucey, then Justin—"

Madeline felt her eyes widen.

Jolie had known about the fucking duelling club all this time. She should've known the lie couldn't protect her for that long, but she'd at least thought—

"—all for Snape? What the hell is wrong with you?" Jolie spat, cutting off Madeline's rampage of horrid realisations.

This couldn't be happening. This couldn't happen. Jolie wouldn't do this to her—throwing her under the bus. Madeline had to make it right.

"I'm—sorry. I'm so sorry, alright?" she pleaded. "But if you'll just let me explain—"

"What, so you can tell me another lie?"

Shame washed over her, a guilt like no other.

She was untrustworthy, proven time and time again to be a liar. Madeline tried to muster the courage to dispel that fact, to argue the accusation away.

"No. No, I'll tell you everything, I promise. Let's just go back to the dorm, and—"

"No! If Dumbledore already knows, then I'll tell... McGonagall," Jolie mumbled, almost to herself. "I'll write to the bloody minister if I must! This is wrong, Madi—"

Madeline tried not to feel offended. She was finding it difficult, however.

"It's not that bad," she argued. And glancing both ways down the corridor, checking if anyone else was present, her voice lowered to a whisper. "It's been kept a secret for a reason—"

"Yeah, to save his perverted arse," Jolie seethed. "You should hear yourself, spouting off his lies—"

His—what?

If Madeline's eyes could widen any further, they would have.

"Perverted?" she repeated, her confusion evident in her voice. "What the hell are you on about?" Jolie's anger only mounted, looking disgusted with her.

"What? You can't tell me you think what he's doing is morally correct, can you?"

"No, I can't. I hate having to lie about it," Madeline admitted, shaking her head. "But he's made it clear that it's in my best interest, and it isn't illegal—"

"Even if you were of age, it would still be illegal!" Jolie countered. "He is a professor! Your professor—!"

"My marks are graded exactly the same as everyone else's!" Madeline huffed. She'd be damned if Jolie thought she was only getting good marks because Snape was her father. "I get no special treatment—"