Toujours Pur | Euphemia Black

Chapter 99 | Animagi

"What do you mean I won't be able to play Quidditch ever again?!" Minerva hissed out in one breath, her eyes practically popping out of her sockets as she gaped in disbelief at Nurse Madden and Professor Dumbledore from where she was lay in bed, struggling against Euphemia's hold who was trying to keep her down so that she didn't injure herself further.

Dumbledore frowned sympathetically, the usual twinkle from his blue eyes dulled considerably, "I'm sorry, Ms McGonnagal. But by the time you've recovered, the Quidditch season will be well underway and the Gryffindor team needs a Captain. It's not a matter of you not being able to play Quidditch ever again but I would advise against it at least for the rest of this school year so the team isn't disrupted," he told her.

"But who would be Captain? Harold?" Minnie asked frantically, her main concern not being about her personally but actually more about what her teammates were going to do. "Well, actually, I was thinking more Charlus Potter," Dumbledore inclined his head towards Euphemia as he talked about her boyfriend, causing her eyes to widen.

Minerva visibly relaxed against her pillows, "Okay, that's fine," she said quietly but her facial expression told a whole other story and Mia eyed her with a sad smile curving at her lips, knowing that her best friend wasn't fine at all. Charlus becoming Quidditch Captain was his dream but she knew that he wouldn't properly love it now because he was taking it away from Minnie, who had had so much potential as the leader.

"You could probably play Quidditch again sometime in the unforeseeable future," Nurse Madden piped up suddenly, causing three pairs of eyes to turn to her inquisitively, "I mean, we can't completely rule it out yet. But, for now, I'm afraid that it would only be a risk for your health," the middle aged witch informed Minerva sadly, feeling incredibly sorry for the girl who had made the sport her passion.

What passion could she possibly have now?

"I get it," Minnie nodded with a melancholic tone lacing her words as she slumped back into the bed, looking utterly defeated and fed up. Euphemia squeezed her hand comfortingly, wanting nothing more than to give her best friend the tightest hug ever but she didn't want to hurt her any further so she resisted herself from doing so, simply content with just holding Minerva's hand.

"I'm sorry it's come to this, Ms McGonnagal," Professor Dumbledore started saying quite solemnly as Nurse Madden started changing the bandages on Minnie's injuries (Mia had to look away when she saw how much blood was on the girl's head bandage - she couldn't even imagine how much pain Minerva must've been in). "I really wish there was another way."

"Have you found out what actually happened yet, Professor?" Euphemia asked mildly, probing the question in an innocent manner to try and see whether she could squeeze any information out of the Deputy Headmaster, secretly wondering whether the old man would actually spill the beans about the whole Eve situation or whether he would lie to their faces.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled appreciatively for a little while there, he evidently knew what Mia was hinting at and he didn't see any need in beating around the bush so he simply told them straight. "It appears Ms Eve Selwyn was holding quite the grudge against you, Ms McGonnagal," he said with the air of a gossip, seating himself down on a chair a fair distance away from Minnie's bed to give her some privacy as Nurse Madden continued tending to her injuries.

"So I've heard," Minerva gasped out from the pain as the nurse started rubbing some healing lotion into the wound on her abdomen that frankly looked rather ghastly in the way that there were bruises and gashes scattered all over her lower stomach, where her uterus was. "Are you going to do anything about it, sir?" she inquired curiously.

Dumbledore's face became quite serious then, his jaw tightening slightly, "Yes, Ms Selwyn has been given detention until the end of this term and she has been kicked off the Slytherin team, though that last part wasn't my doing," he chuckled lightly as if recalling a funny memory which led to Euphemia and Minnie staring at him with confused expressions.