Miss Mischief ▶ George Weasley

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sleeping until eleven in the morning was something you could not often do at Hogwarts. But during the holiday you could do it everyday and not get in trouble.

Eating breakfast at one in the afternoon was also something that you could not do at Hogwarts. And doing it at home was not frowned upon.

Coralie often encouraged her daughter to spend half of her day in bed when she was home for the summer time. She would bring her breakfast and bed and would turn on the radio in Emerson's room that was hardly ever touched.

However, Emerson began her holiday differently than every other year since she began schooling at Hogwarts. Coralie had certainly stuck to her word when she had told Emerson that they would be having a talk about her behavior at school. So here she was, sitting at the kitchen table polishing silverware and whatever else Coralie asked her to do.

If it wasn't for Madame Pomfrey's letter to Coralie about the recurring pain Emerson was having, Emerson knew that she would likely be on her knees scrubbing the bathroom floor or cleaning her mother's office or bringing old boxes up to the attic. Coralie certainly did not want her daughter to be in any more pain, so she agreed to keep Emerson's punishments simple.

As Emerson used a soft cloth to wipe down the silverware, Coralie stood with her arms crossed, staring down at her child.

"When have I ever made you think it was okay to hit someone?" She asked. Even though Emerson had been home for nearly a week now, it was the same conversation on repeat. Why would you hit someone? I taught you better than that! You could have been expelled! What if you had gotten seriously hurt?

"You have never taught me to think that it was fine to hit someone, Mum," Emerson answered dryly. "I was just mad."

"Mad or not, you're lucky you only got detention," Coralie shook her head. "I understand being angry and offended, and I also understand that what that boy said to you was truly awful but you did it twice in the same year with the same boy."

Emerson put the fork and rag down that she had in her hand and looked up at her mother. "I know, and I wish I hadn't. McGonagall and Snape made sure I regretted it. And hell I do regret it. Do you know how many lines of 'I will not hit younger students' I had to write? I can still see the parchment everytime I close my eyes."

Coralie laughed. "Alright," she took a seat across from her. "I'm not mad anymore, my dear. I just want to make sure that you don't do it again."

"If I ever hit someone again it will be for a legitimate reason that you will understand, I promise," Emerson said as she resumed her chore. Coralie smiled and stood back up.

"You can be done with that now, Emery," Coralie said as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her purse, slipping her wand inside. "It is time to go shopping."

If Coralie had given birth to a boy fifteen years prior, there was no way she would have survived. She wouldn't have the joy of yanking tiny pieces of hair into a delicate braid, or talking about the latest fashion trends, or finding out about all of the boys her child liked. Of course in this case, there was no boy.