Chapter 18: Hogsmeade

                                    

                                          
"And your reasoning, Miss Weasley?"
                          
I've been in McGonagall's office many times before, but never for misbehaving. I felt horrible sitting there before her, with a black eye beating in pain. After Neville found us, a group of people started crowding around us and he brought Liam to the Hospital wing, while Scorpius, Al, and I were sent to the Headmistress's office.
                          
"He's been harassing me for a while now," I said it. I wasn't prepared to tell her just yet, but the words blurted out of my mouth.
                          
"What do you mean, 'harassing'?" She leaned forward at her desk.
                          
I shrugged, shifting uncomfortably in my own seat across from her. "He's been whispering things to me, bad things."
                          
"Like threats?" She asked. I couldn't tell her expression behind her old face. It looked emotionless, though I knew she was not that kind of a woman. She is just hard to read.
                          
"I guess you could call it that." I lowered my voice without noticing.
                          
"I see." She paused to take off her glasses and wipe off the frames with a handkerchief she took from out of her pocket. "Were these romantic threats?"
                          
I felt like sinking into my seat. Something about admitting to this made me feel like a horrible and small person. I nodded slowly.
                          
"Hm." McGonagall looked down at her palms and didn't say anything for a minute. "Did he ever follow through on them?"
                          
I shrugged again. Did forcefully grabbing me and sneaking into my bath count? 
                          
"Rose," She called me by my first name this time, and leaned closer, placing her elbows on the desk. "Please feel comfortable to talk to me, this might not seem it, but it's serious."
                          
I've always trusted McGonagall. She's known generations of my family, all personally. I've always liked her and felt like she was more than just the headmistress of Hogwarts. I guess it was just hard for me to talk about this to her because I don't want her to see my wrongs.
                          
I told her about everything that has happened. I felt like it wasn't that bad, considering what other girls my age go through, but McGonagall made me feel comfortable telling her, I even let some tears fall. She said that she was going to be thinking all night of the right punishment for Liam, possibly even expulsion. As for me, I still punched him in the face, so I received a weeks detention, but it was with Neville, so I didn't mind in the slightest.
                          
When I left her office, it was late. It seemed to always be late, I hardly got any sleep anymore. I was so tired, but happy to see Scorpius waiting for me outside her office. He had spoken to McGonagall before, with Al. He received a weeks detention with McGonagall herself, as he was the one who did most of the punching.
                          
"Hey, how was it?" He asked in a quiet voice. As soon as I reached him, he grabbed my hand and interlocked his warm fingers with my clammy ones. He did it so casually as if it wasn't a big deal, but my heart skipped a beat when I noticed it.
                          
"Er, it was fine," I said. I got a good look at Scorpius's face, he had a couple of bruises and a black eye to match mine. "I told her everything and she's thinking of a punishment for him."
                          
"Good." Scorpius grinned. 
                          
He walked with me all the way down to the common room and we stopped before the portrait hole. 
                          
"Thanks for helping me," I said. "You know, before."
                          
"He deserved it." Scorpius shrugged it off. 
                          
I waited as a third year passed behind me into the common room before I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a light kiss onto Scorpius's lips. "Goodnight," I whispered, tiredly, to him.