𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗹𝘆, james potter

-ˋ65

CHAPTER SIXTY FIVE
✧ 
-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH EVERYTHING COMES TO A CLOSE

. . .

The dark-haired girl's eyes widened, staring down at Olivia. The girl was wailing on the floor, yelling about how Tiger was hurting her.

The Howell girl might have not known where she was directing her anger - but she for sure knew that whatever Olivia was doing was fake. There was no way that it had just suddenly started just like that.

Olivia was faking it, and that thought sparked another idea in Tiger's mind. She shrugged, walking away from Olivia, wailing on whining on the floor. She slipped onto the seat where Olivia once sat, the whole hall silent as they watched Olivia writh on the floor, Tiger sat above her, picking the blueberries out of the fruit salad on her plate. 

A few minutes passed, the whole school staring as Tiger simply ignored Olivia. It was a wonder that Olivia hadn't stopped yet - the lack of reaction from anyone should have told her that at this point, it was just embarassing. 

"Give it up you fraud." Sirius shouted, and almost as soon as he did, Olivia fell somewhat quiet, before wailing a few more times and slowly sitting up. 

"Ow.." She said, hand clutching her chest, before looking around, seeing that everyone was staring at her. "She was trying to kill me!" Olivia wailed, squeezing her eyes shut as she saw Tiger sat where she was around ten minutes before.

"Olivia, it's far too early for this." Tiger shook her head, looking down at the girl. "Nobody wants to here your wailing, and I'm not entirely sure that St. Mungos has a ward for people so completely crazy it is a wonder how they can do anything." 

"You're the crazy one! You were trying to kill me." The girl replied, and a ripple of mumbles covered the hall, shouts of laughter from various students nearby. "Why are you laughing? This is serious."

"Yes it is." Another voice said, and Olivia looked up to see Dumbledore stood above her. "A very serious offence in the eyes of the law. The information you have been releasing is confidential information. You do remember signing the form that said you would refrain from spreading the incidents?" 

Olivia frowned, before scowling. It must have been within the pile of letters that her parents had gotten with her return home for the summer holidays. The girl had been given one from her parents, and had signed it without a second thought, sending it back without even reading it. 

"Not only have you been spreading confidential information, everyone has just watched you wailing on the floor, whilst Tiger ate some of her breakfast." McGonagall almost hissed at the girl.

"I suggest that you and Miss Williams find your way to my office. Professor Slughorn will be escorting you. Miss Howell," Dumbledore turned to Tiger. "Would you like to stay and tell your tale, or would you rather your friends tell them for you, or Professor McGonagall, for that matter."

"James?" Tiger looked at the boy, who nodded. "You and Sirius don't mind, do you?" She asked, and both Potter boys nodded. 

"Of course." James told her, Sirius looking more serious than Tiger could remember him ever being. "We'll not leave any details out, tell it exactly how you told me." 

"And I'll make sure they tell it in a way that is respectful." McGonagall said just as Tiger was about to leave. "You handled that very maturely."

"What did I actually do - I could feel something happening but I couldn't see anything." Tiger frowned, wondering if something was wrong. 

Leaning over one of the first years - who were listening into what they were saying rather intently - McGonagall placed a empty piece of paper in Tiger's hands. 

"But.." Tiger frowned, staring down at it. "This used to have the writing on it, didn't it?" McGonagall nodded. 

"I believe that Dumbledore is waiting for you."" The woman said, and Tiger nodded, not saying much else before leaving the hall, beginning to ascend through the school, up to the entrance of Dumbledore's tower.

And much like the previous time, it opened up for her without the password, and Tiger climbed uip the staircase almost hesitantly. She didn't know what would happen in there, just what Dumbledore was planning on doing. 

"Just the person we were waiting for." Dumbledore practically beamed, and Tiger, slightly confused at how he was so happy upon seeing the girl - considering the situation they were in. "Here, sit." The headmaster pulled out his wand and waving it once, a plush looking chair appeared to the side of Dumbledore's desk, rather than besides Miss Williams and Olivia. 

Tiger didn't really say much during everything - or listen much. All she knew was that Dumbledore continiously spoke in a way that scared her. He was so calm and his voice so even and stable, but hidden behind it a raging fire. 

Tiger zoned out, and didn't zone back in. So much had happened in the past twenty-four hours, she was exhausted, just wanted to everything to be over. 

She no longer had to live with the threat of everyone finding out what had happened at Ilvermorny, no longer worried about Olivia holding the fact her best friend and boyfriend was dead seemingly because of her.

"Tiger, if you wouldn't mind visiting Madame Pomfrey - I'm sure you feel fine but I have a feeling she may have something to relieve some of the tension, perhaps a balm." Dumbledore said. "You have experienced far more than enough at the hands of these two."

Tiger nodded, standing up and walking towards the door, the three watching as she left. Just as she was about to descend the stairs, she stopped. 

"I'm sorry you dislike me so much, Olivia. I understand that we were once friends, and I know that you liked Leo. But he chose me. I know you hold that against me - and if all this hadn't had happened, and if Leo hadn't chosen me, then maybe we could have still been friends."

"I'm sorry you felt the need for me to pay for what I did - maybe I did. But I want you to know that I would never, ever have killed Leo. You might not want this, but I need this. I forgive you for what you have done to me, and I hope you can forgive me for no longer dealling with everything you and your friends put on me."  

And with that, Tiger left the Headmaster's office, finally sealing that part of her life shut, getting the closure she needed.

And finally leaving Ilvermorny and all the horrible incidents that occured them behind her, forever this time.

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