It was a Monday morning and Minerva McGonnagal found herself wandering around the grounds of Hogwarts, the wind in the courtyard blowing her hair back as she also tried to control her Gryffindor scarf from flying away. The day before had been rather windy and it was obvious that the weather had carried onto this particular morning.
The leaves from the trees that scattered Hogwarts' grounds scudded over the ground and took small flights into the air, swirling around the girl's ankles as she tossed her head back and raised her eyes to the sky, a smile spreading from freckled cheek to cheek.
The branches swayed like the arms of a Quidditch crowd and in their chaotic dance they were hypnotically beautiful, especially in the crisp late September morning. Her mind relaxed from true stress of the workload that all the fourth years had found themselves buried under ever since the term had started.
She felt the happiness of her life bubble up from within, the memories from her past swimming before her and images of her and her brothers running around in the autumn air came flooding back to her. Were it not for the other early risers, the students heading out for a morning walk before breakfast like Minnie herself, she would've span like a little girl again, arms out wide and fingers spread, but instead she kept her hands in her robe pockets and inhaled deeply.
The wind carried the fragrance of the woodland, the essence of her childhood days....and Minerva considered flinging herself down underneath the tree opposite the path that she was stood on and she eventually did so with a sigh of relief. She was just about to close her eyes and let the fresh air wash over her when a sound from behind the tree caught her attention and she sat upright.
Miaow...
What on earth was that? Minnie scrambled up onto her knees and crawled across the grass so that she could peer around the bark of the tree, looking for the source of the noise. She felt twigs and leaves dig at her exposed knees but she didn't care in that moment, her unruly hair falling out of her plait as she looked around. Minerva definitely knew what she had heard, it was the distinct sound of a cat and Minnie was desperate to find it.
And then there it was. A small black kitten was curled up in the grass, it's little white paws complementing the sleek and shiny black fur that coated the majority of the animal's body with the exception of the chest that was also white and Minerva longed to stroke it but she didn't want to shock the little kitten in any way, shape or form. The kitten had shockingly bright blue eyes that took Minnie by surprise but the fourteen year old edged towards the kitten on her knees and took it as a good sign that it didn't move away from her.
"Hello, little one," she whispered, reaching her hand out towards the kitten as a sort of peace offering, "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm Minnie," Minerva smiled warmly at the kitten, being reminded of all the stray cats and kittens that she always found back at home, they seemed to follow her everywhere - as if she attracted them. Some of the cats had actually lived in her family's barn for a little while and Minnie had always loved looking after them all. This small one was no exception.
The kitten raised a paw towards Minerva and padded gently over, licking Minnie's palm with it's pink tongue which made Minerva giggle as her skin tingled. She then took that exact palm and ran it down the back of the kitten, smiling even more when the kitten purred and rolled over onto it's back as Minnie stroked it's white stomach.
"What on earth should I call you?" Minerva wondered out loud and she settled herself so that she was sat cross legged on the grass, with her hand still extended to the kitten in front of her. The wind was blowing her hair in all different directions which seemed to intrigue the kitten as it peered up with those gorgeous blue eyes and batted at the flying strands around Minnie's face.
"I think Florean Jr would be a perfect name," came a voice from behind the girl, a voice that she recognised and Minerva whipped around to face Florean himself, who was stood there with his hands on his hips. "What are you doing here?" Minnie asked him with a laugh and he gestured back at her with a raised eyebrow, looking down at her on the grass, "I could ask you the same question."
The kitten was very shy of Florean as he plonked himself down next to Minerva but Minnie made sure that it didn't run away by making comforting noises that attracted the kitten to sit in her lap as she stroked it again, gazing at Florean. "I'm just having a picnic, as you can see," she replied sarcastically and a dry chuckle was released from Florean before something dawned on him and he turned to look at Minerva in absolute shock.
"Picnic? You mean you're planning on eating Florean Jr?" he exclaimed dramatically, a gasp escaping from him and Minnie shook her head with a slight smile of amusement and a sigh of exasperation. "It was sarcasm, my friend. I am not eating any cats, I could never." she assured him and Florean simply chuckled before he leant back on the tree behind them, which was what they were hiding behind.
"Also, Florean Jr is a totally lame name," Minerva told him, running a hand over the kitten's head and a purr echoed through the air which made Florean blink in surprise. "I'll have you know it's a very distinctive name!" he informed her and she would've face palmed if it hadn't of been for the kitten in her lap and the fact that her hands were extremely busy with tending to the animal.
"I want a cute name," Minnie said with a slight smile down at the kitten in her lap, who had made itself at home in the material of her school skirt. Florean opened his mouth as if he was going to protest that 'Florean Jr' was a cute name but Minerva silenced him with a look and he subsided into deep thought.
"Well, is it a boy or a girl?" Florean asked eventually and Minnie answered that she assumed it was a girl by the shape of the body and the way it was acting. So, Florean started suggesting silly girls' names like 'Beryl' and 'Deidre' and Minerva rolled her eyes at every single one. After at least twenty minutes of discussing, they eventually decided on the name 'Midnight' because the kitten was midnight black, apparently.
"Hello, Midnight!" Minerva said with a smile, cradling the kitten and she seemed to appreciate the name as she snuggled further into the warmth of Minnie's uniform, making Florean coo at the cuteness. Now that they were alone and rather far away from the rest of their friends, Florean started thinking about the question he had asked Minerva in the letter he had sent to her over the summer.
She hadn't mentioned it whatsoever so Florean had assumed that she hadn't thought anything of the question or that she had completely and utterly forgotten. However, now this was the first time that Florean and Minnie had actually been alone with the exception of the few 'matchmaker' meetings over the past three weeks.
"Did you get my letter?" Florean found himself asking Minerva as they both sat underneath the tree, watching the kitten they had named Midnight slink around their feet. Minnie paused from stroking Midnight to glance over at Florean hesitantly. "Yes, I did...." she replied slowly, "I was going to ask you about that, actually, but I never found the right moment."
Florean felt his chest constrict as his breathing suddenly sped up, his eyes widening a little as he prepared himself for the question of 'Are you sure there's nothing wrong with you?' and the comments that 'Surely you can't think you're one of...those."
But none of these expected comments ever came and Minerva actually seemed to be deep in thought as she curled her knees up so they were drawn to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. "What did you mean by 'my opinion'? You mean what I think of homosexuals?" she asked casually, her tone light and Florean felt some of his breathing ease as he took in the non judgemental expression on her face.
He nodded frantically and Minnie smiled a little before replying, "I don't care - people are free to love whoever they want, regardless of gender, race or blood status. Love is love at the end of the day and you can be whoever you want to be, no one is going to stop you." Her words were wise and delivered with a caring tone to match the advice and Florean found a smile stretching across his face. Thank Merlin.
"But...what if they're confused? What if people don't know which gender they like? What do they do then? I'm asking hypothetically, of course," he added hastily as he realised he might be giving too much away.
"I don't see why that's a problem. Woman or man, who cares who you love? If you love both, at least you get both sides of the playing fields, eh?" Minerva nudged Florean and, by the look on her face, he could tell that she knew he hadn't been speaking hypothetically and he sighed in defeat.
"That's how I feel," Florean confessed in a whisper and understanding and acceptance flashed across Minnie's freckled face as she swept some more of her unruly, brown hair out of her face. "Okay," Minerva said simply and she gently moved Midnight, who she had been stroking previously, to the side of her as she leaned forward and grasped Florean's hands.
"It's normal, it's normal to feel like that, you know? You're not abnormal or a freak in any way, shape or form, Florean. You're still you and, at the end of the day, that is enough. Who cares which gender you like? Who cares if you like both girls and boys? It may not have been broadcasted as of yet but I am pretty sure there are hundreds who feel the same way. But there's no need to hide away, there's no need to be ashamed of how you feel. People love you for who you are, Flo, they don't care what your sexual preference is." Minerva finished with a reverence shining from her face and Florean flung himself forward and into her arms, where she hugged him gladly.
"Thank you," he whispered in her ear, tears welling in his eyes as her arms wrapped around him willingly. "Thank you for everything, for all of that and for not judging me," Florean told her and Minnie pulled away to look him right in the eyes, her own eyes softening when she saw he was crying. Minerva gently raised a hand and wiped Florean's tears away before she pulled away completely to attend to Midnight, who had been purring at her feet for a while, the kitten wanted attention.
"Why would I judge you for feeling something as normal as love?" she asked as she took Midnight in her arms again, stroking the black kitten's sleek fur.
"Because I feel it for both boys and girls, maybe? I'm pretty sure that no one else feels like that - it's either one or the other, never both," Florean suggested weakly but he could tell by the fiery expression on Minnie's face that that had been the wrong thing to say.
"What have I just told you?" she asked with a sigh, "There will be so many people out there in the world that feel exactly the same as you - you are not alone, Flo. Besides, you're one of my best friends and I love you no matter what, even if you're a wee little annoying," Minnie added with a chuckle and Florean laughed with her, the two of them leaning back against the tree.
Midnight suddenly padded over from where she had been being petted by Minerva lovingly, mewing as she batted at Florean's robes. The boy picked her up and the kitten snuggled into his neck, purring in an adorable fashion and looking up at him with those bright blue eyes.
"See, even Midnight supports you," Minnie said gently with a hint of amusement hidden in her tone before she stood up, tugging Florean up with her. "Breakfast will be starting soon, we better get back," she gestured to the castle and Florean nodded, hooking his arm through hers so that they were linked.
As they walked back up to the castle, the early morning air fresh on their faces, Florean couldn't help but think how lucky he was to have a friend like Minerva, who would support him through thick and thin, even something as major as struggling with his sexuality. He felt much lighter than he had in months and it was all because he had told someone - it felt great. Midnight slinked around their ankles as they reached the Entrance Hall and Minnie picked up the kitten, sending a warm smile in Florean's direction.
He felt free - for the first time in what had seemed like forever - and it was all because he had told someone. All because of a little black cat that had brought Minerva and Florean together on that cold September morning.
~~~
Meanwhile, in the Slytherin girls dormitory, Mia was just waking up and she turned over in her bed with a slight sigh, her cheeks flushed from sleep. Through the dark green curtains that surrounded her four poster bed, she could hear Walburga and Heather moving around as they got ready, the two of them talking in hushed whispers.
From the sounds of it, Heather was rinsing her toothbrush and Walburga was cursing as she broke her lace on her shoe that she had been tying which meant that they were surely nearly ready to go. She didn't want to risk escaping the safety of her curtained bed to see them in the morning and so she simply sat up in her bed, listening to them bustling about.
Eventually, they left and Mia breathed a sigh of relief, swinging her legs out of her duvet and pushing the curtain back, revealing a mostly empty dormitory. Euphemia could see that Eileen was still awake because her silhouette was sat up from behind the curtain and Mia couldn't help but laugh when she realised that Eileen had also been waiting for Walburga and Heather to leave before she got ready.
"It's okay, they've gone," she called out and Eileen swiftly pulled back her own curtain with a laugh. "Seems like I was not the only one not in the mood to communicate with them this morning," she remarked and Mia smirked in amusement before going to brush her teeth.
It was only when Euphemia actually ventured out of the bathroom did she realise that Mary had not been with the two as they left the dormitory and the girl in question was actually sat at the end of her bed, tying her green and silver tie with a rather melancholy gleam in her eye. "You okay?" Mia asked over her shoulder as she crossed the room to grab her bag and robes, which she flung on over the rest of her uniform.
"I'm used to them leaving me out, it's okay. They're the best friends and I'm just the tag - along, I'm just the one that does whatever they say. I'm not bothered, I'm used to it," Mary said rather robotically and Euphemia could've sworn that the girl wiped a tear away but it was gone as soon as it was there. Eileen was also watching the girl with an understanding expression on her face and she walked over to Mary quickly, placing her arms around her.
Mia felt something twist in her chest - these two girls were both lonely and felt unwanted each in their own way, for different reasons. She couldn't relate to them on the friends spectrum because she had some great friends that she knew she would die for. But, Euphemia had had a very lonely childhood in terms of always needing to impress her parents, always striving to be the very best and not being who she actually was. Of course, she had had Marius but the two siblings didn't get enormous amounts of time together as Marius was always doing 'manly' things whilst Mia was taught how to behave like a lady.
It had only really been when she had met Clover and Justin that she had actually experienced what it was like to have actual friends and when she had met her group, she had felt complete even though it brought it's own danger because her parents didn't approve of those friends. Euphemia always found it quite funny that her parents always disapproved of the only true friends she actually made.
Quietly, she slipped out of the dormitory, grabbing her bag at the last second and slinging it over her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, Mia saw Eileen had sat Mary back down on her bed and they seemed to be in the middle of a deep talk which Euphemia wanted to be part of but she genuinely felt like she didn't belong there. Sure, she was lonely most of the time in more ways than one. Yes, she was struggling to survive under her family's rage. But Mia had friends. She had friends she could rely on and that meant more to her than she could possibly express.
Euphemia just knew that she would be completely and irrevocably broken if she ever lost any of them, if she ever had to stop being friends with them. The girl was dwelling on this as she walked through the common room, ignoring the dark look that Orion was giving her from the corner, where he was sat with his cronies. She ran up the steps from the dungeon to the Entrance Hall and rushed across the shiny floor, not looking where she was going and she collided heavily with someone, making them utter a painful 'oof.'
Mia turned her head and opened her mouth to apologise to the person that she had knocked to the floor before she saw that it was Florean, who had just been coming in from the grounds and his talk with Minerva, though Euphemia didn't know this, of course. Because it was only Florean, Mia scowled at him playfully as he mock glared back at her.
"If you two had brains, you'd actually be dangerous, you know that?" Minnie said from above them and Euphemia was suddenly tugged to her feet by her best friend, the two of them looking down at Florean, who was still sprawled in a heap on the floor. "Is no one going to help me up?" Florean asked with a wounded expression and Mia and Minerva both glanced at each other in mock consideration, stroking their chins with their hands in sync.
"Nah," they both said at the same time, shaking their heads and they stepped over him as Florean gasped loudly, the sound so piercing that other people in the Entrance Hall looked over at the trio. "Peasant," Euphemia mouthed at him as she and Minnie walked away from the boy, glancing over their shoulders to smirk at him.
"You know it's really creepy when you do that, right?" Florean shouted after them and, when he realised they actually weren't going to turn back, he jumped up from his position on the floor before racing after them, eventually reaching them through the straggling crowds of people swarming for a relatively early breakfast. Florean jumped onto their backs, causing them both to squeal and burst into laughter just as they crossed the threshold into the Great Hall.
"You prat," Minnie wheezed through her giggles as Mia was bent double, also laughing as she clutched at her back where Florean had leapt on it. "I'll need a back massage now! I've sustained a serious injury," Euphemia complained playfully and Florean smirked, "I know at least two people who would happily give you a back massage," he remarked as Minerva cracked up again, chuckling at the bemused expression on Mia's face.
"What? Who?" she asked with a confused look and Florean sighed, looking pointedly in the direction of the Gryffindor table, where Charlus and Lyall were deep in conversation, the former moving his hands to emphasise whatever point he was talking about. Euphemia followed his gaze and Minerva could've sworn that her expression softened when she saw Charlus speaking so enthusiastically.
"You'll see, Mia. You'll see," Minnie patted her consolingly on the shoulder before the three parted different ways, all of them joining their respective house tables.
Here is a picture of Midnight the kitten:
Isn't she cute? :D
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!