Surprising turn - a turn for the better? Or into madness ... (Draco Ff)

Chapter 37 ~ What are you trying to explain to me...?

Victoria's Pov.

There was a strange tension in the air since we followed Potter and Ginny Weasley into the Room of Requirement.
It hit us like a punch right in the pit of our stomachs when we saw the live little bird flutter out of the vanishing cabinet.
We realized things were getting serious.
Now there was no way around Dumbledore's death.
On the one hand, I felt relief because the cabinet was working and we hadn't signed our death warrant yet.
On the other hand, I felt complete emptiness.
My head seemed to have been swept empty.
Draco was beginning to feel mortal.
His concerns from a few months ago were nothing compared to his current doubts.
He tried to accept that there was no turning back.
No way out.
Nothing at all.
I was sitting in my Charms class and only heard Professor Flitwick's voice muffled in my ears.
I caught maybe every eighth word, but that wasn't enough to say I was following the class.
But since we were studying with the Ravenclaws, Flitwick paid little attention to the Slytherins.
He was busy teaching his favorite students with enthusiasm and drive.
I looked around the room and realized that more than half of my house seemed to be busy with other things.
Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass seemed to be having an extremely important conversation about Draco Malfoy and other girl stuff.
I enjoyed the jealous looks the other girls in Slytherin gave me when Draco held my hand or kissed me.
Young Malfoy seemed to enjoy the lustful looks as well.
However, he found Parkinson's behavior excessive and inappropriate.
Like me, he couldn't stand her.
I turned away from the gossiping girls and looked hopelessly at the big clock hanging on the opposite wall and sighed loudly.
Double Charms was cruel and pure torture.
I laid my head on the table and closed my eyes.
I tried to get through the boring hour in a meaningful way.
That's exactly what Draco thought half an hour ago when he decided to sleep through the hour.
I felt my eyelids getting heavier and my pulse slowing down.
I slowly drifted away and noticed my limbs becoming heavy as lead.
Unexpectedly, the large oaken door jerked open and made a shrill squeaking sound.
I snapped out of my doze and raised my head.
As I looked at the students, I noticed that everyone had turned to face the door and was eyeing it questioningly.
I threw my body on its side and was able to make out Professor McGonagall standing at the entrance to the classroom, making an extremely serious impression on the students with her tightly tied bun.
"Filius, could you spare a student?" McGonagall asked with a hint of a smile on her face.
"Of course, Minerva," the little professor said, clapping his hands once.
My gaze wandered back to the Head of Gryffindor House and settled on her crossed arms.
"Miss Lestrange, would you please follow me!" she finally said and turned on her heel.
It took me a moment to realize she meant me.
Beside me, Draco gave me a questioning look.
I just shrugged my shoulders, got up lazily from my seat and slowly walked towards Professor McGonagall, who was already waiting for me in the hallway outside the classroom.
I closed the door behind me and looked at her expectantly.
However, she didn't change her face and her eyes gave nothing away.
"Follow me," she said, leading the way.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, hoping for a satisfying answer.
"To Professor Dumbledore, he asked me to take you to his office," said the pointed-hatted Transfiguration teacher, continuing on her way.
Professor McGonagall came to a halt in front of the golden gargoyle.
"Lemon sorbet," she said firmly.
There was a brief jerk before the gargoyle released a spiral staircase winding itself upwards.
With a hand gesture, the Transfiguration teacher motioned for me to step onto the first step.
Immediately thereafter, the stairs began to move and carried me up to the office.
When the stairs stopped, I walked towards the large, heavy oak door.
On it hung a door knocker in the shape of a griffin.
I saw that the door was open a crack and entered without knocking.
The round office room seemed friendly and spacious, but I felt anything but comfortable.
I looked around and saw all the paintings of the former Hogwarts Headmasters.
I didn't recognize them all, there were too many for that.
There were also many bookshelves and a large desk in the office.
On one of the shelves I recognized the old, tattered sorting hat.
And also Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes had taken a seat next to the door.
But there was no sign of Dumbledore.
i hated it
Being summoned by someone and then not showing up yourself.
I turned my body in the direction of the dainty little tables on which whirring and smoking measuring devices stood and examined them.
"Oh, Miss Lestrange, glad you came," I heard the Headmaster's old, wise voice.
I turned in his direction and took deliberate steps towards him.
"Please sit down," Dumbledore said, pointing to the visitor's chair in front of his desk.
"I prefer to stand," I offered my opinion, crossing my arms.
He just nodded and sat down behind his desk.
“You must be wondering why I asked you to come over.
Well Viktoria, I can call you that, right?
Anyway, Viktoria, there's something I want to tell you." He paused, his eyes glaring at me from behind his half-moon glasses.
I waited.
Until he continued.
“You know, many years ago there was a young man.
He was known by many names, so I can't even tell you his real one.
However, many called him Ragnar, which translated means "Council and Army", he reminisced and while he continued to talk he paced up and down in the circular room.
“He lived in the Scandinavian countries, in one of the old Viking villages.
His father was known by the name Lodbrok and was a tall, strong man of handsome build.
But Ragnar, on the other hand, was slight and small.
He was anything but a Viking.
However, his father did not want to see this and took him on the ship on hunts and robberies.
He didn't want this.
He never wanted it.
He never wanted to be a Viking.
Yet, being born into a Viking family tree, he never had a choice.
His parents decided everything for him.
He knew if he tried to fight back, he would die.
But the missions he was taken on against his will also became more dangerous each time.
More and more often they forced him to do things that were repugnant to him.
They were morally reprehensible.
He was finished.
He knew he couldn't go on like this any longer and decided, despite everything, to turn his back on his family.
He went under.
Nobody had ever seen him again.
He did the right thing.
He broke free from the constraints of his family and made it out of it.
His story is still being told today." He finished, turning his back on me.
I was completely confused and couldn't make sense of it.
"Professor, I don't understand what you're getting at," I said seriously.
"You will, Victoria, you can go now." Dumbledore said, leaving me completely confused and a little annoyed.
Why did Albus Dumbledore have me summoned to tell me some stupid old Viking story?
With a loud sigh, I left his office, descended the spiral staircase, and made my way to the Slytherin common room.