ʜᴇᴀᴠᴇɴ ᴏʀ ʜᴇʟʟ ⟶ ɢinny ᴡeasley

ii

It was no surprise that Minerva McGonagall didn't like mediocrity. She always demanded the best of her students, for she thought that her subject was not to be taken lightly; she made both the gentlemen and the young ladies sit upright, with a correct posture; just by glancing at them, the boys knew they had to put on their ties and the girls had to wear their skirts to the knee.

In return, she did the same. She had sacrificed much of her life for the school and for Gryffindor, she went out of her way to make sure things were in their place, so that the students were safe in the place that had once been their home. She entered her classes knowing that the students had a deep respect for her, recently appointed Headmistress, and that she still retained some of the energy that characterized her in her youth.

She had everything under control... right?

It wasn't quite like that. Some of her control had been lost when she had written that letter to Draco Malfoy and Jude Travers. She knew that to be a good Headmistress, she had to try to include all those students she once had, even if that meant the return to the castle of two self-confessed Death Eaters. That situation caused her mixed feelings: she was convinced that those two children, eighteen and seventeen years of age respectively, were only victims in that game; however, she had witnessed as clearly as the others how the two Slytherins rolled up the sleeves of their shirts and showed their mark.

Her decision would have outraged some and pleased others, whatever she did, so she decided to bring out her more understanding side with the two students and invite them back to Hogwarts, although she hoped that, given the consequences, neither of them would show up. However, when at the sorting ceremony she saw those two Slytherin at the table, slightly apart from the rest, her breath caught in her throat: what was she going to do now?

She decided that she would be as human as possible. What if it was true that the two youngsters did not want to take part in the dark side and only found themselves in the middle of that war? Minerva was willing to forgive them, to accompany them on their path of repentance and to help them achieve that rehabilitation. However, while the young Malfoy's attitude made her think that he really wanted to return to the path of light, the figure of Jude Travers confused her deeply.

She had seen her walk alone to the carriage, a small backpack slung over her shoulder —according to Hagrid, she had refused to leave it along with the rest of her luggage— and sunglasses over her eyes even though night was closing in at that point in Scotland. She knew that under the black cloak she now wore were muggle clothes, nothing like what she had been used to wearing during her stay at Hogwarts years before. She had ridden into the carriage, her eyes averted from the conversation among other Slytherins her age, as lonely as she had sat at the table now.

McGonagall decided to call her to her office when dinner was over, trying to find the logic of the situation, a flaw in her plan, a weakness in that impenetrable gaze.

When she invited her to take a seat, the young Slytherin took off her glasses and Minerva gasped, understanding why she was wearing them.

"What happened to your face?" The Headmistress and head of Gryffindor looked genuinely concerned in Jude's eyes. "Do you want me to call Madam Pomfrey?"

The corners of her mouth didn't even waver when she looked at her. "A bit of ice will do."

McGonagall pursed her lips, looking at her for a few more seconds as the young woman looked away, but said nothing more. The Headmistress thought that this was what the young woman wanted, to intimidate her, so she decided to be cautious but let her know that it was she who had control there. "I have taken into account your situation, Miss Travers, so from now on, you will be having your own dormitory."