[2] The Great Orangenie | FRED WEASLEY

Chapter Twenty Six

Even though she knew talking to McGonagall would probably put her mind at ease, Aubrey ended up walking past the office about sixty times. There was always the chance that this would backfire awfully, revealing that Jasper and Mary were serial killers that had hurt Gil in cold blood, leaving Umbridge devastated. The chances of this were minute but not impossible.

"Aubrey?" Somebody interrupted her around the seventy-third passing of the door. Behind her, a tired look on her face was Angela, holding several textbooks.

"Hi, hon," Aubrey replied, managing a smile.

"Hello," Angela took a step forward, "Hold on, you don't do Transfiguration nor are you a Gryffindor... what are you here to see McGonagall about?"

"Um ..." Her hand ran through her hair awkwardly, as Aubrey tried to channel her inner Fred and come up with a half-convincing lie, "I was ... just ... lonely."

"Lonely?" One of Angela's eyebrows arched quizzically, clearly not believing a word of it, "So you went to ... McGonagall for a chat?"

Aubrey felt herself stiffen. Her lying skills may be ... dreadful but now that she'd chosen this path, she was determined to stick with this fledgeling lie, "Um ... yes. Fred said she's very motherly..."

"Motherly?"

"Yes."

"... okay," Aubrey replied, standing by the door and waiting for Angela to pass. Unfortunately, she didn't, "Well ... you can um, head on your way now, don't let me hold you up."

"I'm not," Angela replied, "I have to deliver these Transfiguration textbooks to McGonagall so I'm here to do."

"Great!" There was no excuse not to knock now so Aubrey took a confident step forward as if this was the first and not the seventy-third time she'd seen the door this evening. However, moments before her knuckles hit the wood, the door burst open, McGonagall dashing out. She didn't even notice the two girls for a few moments, so wrapped up in her own world.

"Girls?" She suddenly saw Aubrey clutching her knuckles and realised what she'd done, "Oh ... oh no, Aubrey, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you standing there ... you're not bleeding, are you?"

"Um, Professor..." Angela said, gesturing to the textbooks.

"Oh thank you, Angela, put them on my desk please," Angela obliged, walking into the office as McGonagall called after her, "Ten points to Gryffindor!" Her attention turned back to Aubrey, "I am so dreadfully sorry, my dear - "

"No, don't be, I'm fine," Aubrey flexed her fingers to demonstrate this, "See? No damage done."

McGonagall placed a hand on her chest, smiling kindly, "Oh, that's a relief ... I'm sorry but I'm in a bit of a hurry, Umbridge is insisting on being difficult - "

"Professor, that's what I came to ask you about," Aubrey said, stepping forward, "Well, not just that but actually about my parents at Hogwarts. You see, they don't talk about it much - "

"I wouldn't mention him around Dolores," McGonagall chuckled softly, "They had a ... clash of approaches to life, should I say. The results were quite spectacular..."

"So they didn't like each other?" Aubrey's face brightened despite the fact that this was bad news, "Because they don't talk about school much, only what came after - "

"Jasper was a handful, Mary not so much although even she could be difficult in her own way," McGonagall said with a smile, "Aubrey, I hate to rush off but I do have somewhere to be. I might have time to talk tomorrow lunchtime for a bit if you have any urgent questions although if you have questions regarding Umbridge, I suggest you got to your father."