Chapter 10
Mary walked slowly to Dumbledore's office, like a woman in a trance. She’d never known him very well, and had a slight distaste for him. He was well known for picking favourites. Lily had met him many times and so had the lads but Mary had never had a one on one conversation with the man. Not until now, at least.
He’d always disliked Slytherins, according to Lily, who often said this was unfair. Mary didn’t care, to be honest. She disliked Slytherin too, and if it meant Gryffindor got more house points, what was it to her?
She prayed his favouritism would come in handy now.
She knocked on the door to his office, and it opened, agonisingly slowly. Sometimes she wished Hogwarts wasn’t so fucking ancient.
Dumbeldore was sitting at his desk. Mary’s parents were sitting down in front of him, looking extremely uncomfortable. Her eyes widened in shock. She didn’t know why she was shocked, after all, calling her parents was the obvious thing to do, and yet she’d never seen her parents in Hogwarts before. Her ma and da were separate to Hogwarts, something completely different. They existed in almost another universe, where Mary was still the odd girl on the street, rather than the popular, well known and constantly crushed on girl she was here.
Going back home was always such a humbling experience. She felt so alien there. She spent most of her summer hanging out with Marlene and Lily or the guys because she couldn’t stand to be somewhere where she was treated like the invisible woman. Mary loved to be seen.
Her ma was wearing her best outfit, a blouse, a skirt, her black heels and tights and her best hat pulled over her hair. Her hands were clasped tightly. She hated the Wizarding world. It was too unknown for her, and Mary knew she thought it made no sense. Her Ma considered herself sensible, and she knew she thought all of this was nonsense.
Mary’s Da was wearing his finest shirt, his black overcoat and his most sensible black trousers. He’d trimmed his beard. He looked worried, and his eyes were flooded with relief when he saw Mary. Her Ma stood up immediately, rushing to embrace her.
Dumbeldore watched them with black eyes. His expression was unreadable.
“Are you okay? Your poor nose!” Mary’s Ma wailed, reaching up the clasp Marys face, inspecting her features intently.
Mary forced a smile. “I’m okay, Madame Pomfrey healed me up.”
“But it was only a night, how could-“
Mary smiled. “Magic, Ma.”
“But magic did this to you in the first place, right?” She said sharply, turning to glare at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore watched them calmly, raising his hands, as if to calm them. This did not have it’s attended effect. If anything, Mary’s ma and da looked more furious at being shushed. Mary sucked in a breath.
“I assure you, Hogwarts is perfectly safe.
Magic is not to blame, only these boys who wielded it,” Dumbledore said.
“Then why are you giving them the opportunity to perform such dangerous magic? Two words pronounced correctly and they could’ve killed our daughter,” Mary’s Ma snapped.
“Ma, please don’t-“ begged Mary but her mother continued to speak.
“And are they going to be expelled? If they’re not, Mary will not be returning here,” she raised her head high, glaring at him defiantly. “My daughter will not be punished for something she cannot control. She already has enough of that back in the normal world.”
Mary sat there, picking at the skin of her nails, biting her tongue. She will not be punished for something she cannot control. But that would never happen. She’d always be punished, for one thing or another. And it was so unfair. And she hated it. And she hated how no one else could understand.
“They will most likely be expelled, yes. I’m talking to you first, then I will also bring in Mulciber and Averys parents and I will send Mary away. The boys and her will be present when I make a decision,” Dumbledore said calmly, looking at her through his half moon spectacles. “And please, sit.”
Mary’s ma eyed him cautiously, as if he would grow fangs and bite her, but she sat down and faced him, though her gaze was full of fury. “So I’ll have to talk to their scum parents?”
Dumbledore’s mouth quirked at the corner. “Yes, so we can all reach an agreement.”
“I doubt we’ll be agreeing much,” Mary’s da said.
Mary’s ma squeezed her hand gently and Mary stared at her, wanting nothing more than to break down crying in her arms and be held like a child again. But Mary MacDonald did not cry, and she didn’t break down. She smiled softly at her and looked up at Dumbledore, gaze hardening.
“I want them to be expelled. I don’t feel safe with them in the school, and I doubt anyone else does, either,” she said confidently.
“The boys said they tried to talk to you in the classroom and you tried to attack them and they defended themselves. Is this true?” He asked.
“NO!” Said Mary, horrified.
Mary’s Ma stood up angrily. “Did they say she was “aggressive?” This is racist bullshit!”
Dumbledore looked unfazed and it was so irritating. Mary felt like she was insane. She had a right to be angry. Dumbledore's unaffected gaze made her feel like a small child throwing a tantrum. They broke her nose and dangled her out a window. That wasn’t nothing. No, she ought to be yelling and crying and screaming. She had a right to feel this way.
“I didn’t say I agreed with them,” he said. “And their stories were disconnected, so I doubt any of what they said was true.”
“So you believe me?” Mary relaxed a little.
“Yes, and so does Professor McGonogall. She was adamant that they be expelled. She’s quite fond of you, it appears.”
So she’s not holding a grudge because I fell asleep in her class? Mary thought to herself with a smile.
Dumbledore smiled at her, which was a little unnerving. “You may go now, Miss MacDonald.”
Mary left the room, letting go of her mothers hand cautiously, missing the warmth of it. She passed by Mulciber and Averys family.
Mulcibers father was large and muscular, with dark brown eyes that were almost black. He had black hair that hung limply over his face, a poor attempt to hide his receding hairline. His mother was thin and brittle, with dark hair and poisonous green eyes like acid. They gripped on to his shoulders even tighter as she walked by. Mulciber looked at her with hatred so deep and powerful and unflinching she felt sick.
Averys parents were tall, and they did not look at her as she walked past. In fact, they did it very pointedly, almost turning to face the wall as she walked by them. Avery didn’t meet her eyes. He was wringing his hands and staring at his feet, hanging his head like a doomed man.
Fuck you, she thought, wondering if she thought it loud enough they would hear it. Hear it and be ashamed of how they treated her. But boys like them thought their shit smelled like roses. They’d never believe anything they’d done was wrong and their parents would tell them the same.
Life was exhausting sometimes.
As Mary entered the Gryffindor common room, Marlene leapt from her spot on the couch to hug her so tight Mary saw black spots.
“Did you curse them?” She asked.
Mary laughed, already feeling a bit better. “Didn’t get around to it.”
“Mary!” Lily yelled her name, rushing across the corridor, eyes wide. She’d clearly just been in the shower, because water was dripping from the ends of her wavy red hair, on to her school uniform. She stopped a centimetre away from Mary at the last second and hesitated.
And Mary stared at her and hurt.
And Lily hugged her. “I’m so sorry about everything.”
Mary could barely speak. “You didn’t do anything.”
“I’m still sorry,” she insisted, pulling away.
Her wet hair had left patches of wet on Mary’s infirmary gown. She didn’t care. She was in love with Lily. She’d wear anything that Lily had touched because Lily was sacred and anything she touched was blessed.
Lily shouldn’t be sorry for this.
She should be sorry for breaking Mary’s heart.
“The lads filled Mulcibers dorm with spiders,” Marlene said. “Just so you know.”
Mary laughed. “Really? Didn’t know they were afraid of spiders.”
“Everyone’s afraid of spiders if there’s 1200 crawling over your room,” Lily said with a grin.
“Don’t you disapprove of pranks?” Mary said.
“Well, I’ll let this one slide,” Lily laughed.
“For me?” Mary teased.
Lilys eyes were soft. “For you.”
Mary couldn’t breathe for a second. For her for her for her for her for her for herforherforherforher-
“I should go back the infirmary,” she said after a second. “Madame Pomfrey hasn’t dismissed me yet.”
The girls nodded and Mary left, shaken.
Why did nothing ever go the way she wanted it to?
A couple of hours later, she was called into Dumbledores office again. The room was deadly silent, and ever single one of the parents seemed to be shaking in silent rage. Mulcibers and Averys parents both turned to glare daggers at her this time, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. How was any of this her fault? If they didn’t want to get in trouble, they shouldn’t have dangled her out a window. Simple!
Mary sat next to her Ma awkwardly, who looked tired and furious. She offered a smile to Mary before Dumbledore began to speak.
“Mr Avery and Mr Mulciber, it has been decided that both of you will be asked to leave Hogwarts. Both of your wands will be snapped.”
“This is ridiclous! Wait until the ministry hears about this!” Mrs Mulciber seethed.
“This is ministry protocol, actually. Your son could have killed Mary, and this attack could be considered an attempt to do so. And there are even graver punishments for that,” he warned.
Mary stared at him. “And me?”
Dumbledore laughed. “Why would you be punished Mary? You’ve done nothing wrong.”
Mary fell silent. It didn’t feel like that.