Amanda stared blankly at Professor McGonagall. Her upright posture, her face blazing with anger yet resolute, slowly overlapped with the faces of the adults she had once known in another world.
Yet they were entirely different. One had hesitated before a difficult road, pressing the burden onto a child's shoulders.
The other faced the unknown without fear, firmly telling the child to grow up healthy and happy.
Completely different. The thought surfaced in Amanda's mind.
It wasn't just the schools that differed; the adults of the two worlds were nothing alike.
Or rather… most adults were nothing alike.
Professor McGonagall's current appearance didn't just make Amanda's mind stall; even Hermione and the other three girls were awestruck by their Professor.
This was what a true teacher should be—carrying the sky on her own shoulders while leading still-naïve children forward.
'But… studying comes first.'
Mottled patterns flickered across Amanda's mind as she spoke with difficulty.
'No, it does not,' Professor McGonagall shook her head. 'What I'm saying now applies not only to you, Miss Lin.'
'To Miss Granger, Miss Penelope, to every student at Hogwarts, to every student in the world.'
'Studying is not the most important thing in your lives; you yourselves are.'
'Your joys and sorrows, your lives, should all come before it.'
'You are yourselves first, students second.'
Yourself first, student second—Amanda's mind felt like thunder cracking over level ground; the mottled patterns vanished.
She slowly lifted her head to look at Professor McGonagall. 'All right, I understand. Thank you, Professor McGonagall.'
'From now on… I will put myself before my studies.'
Professor McGonagall regarded her with satisfaction, then immediately turned grave once more.
'Now tell me: why did you try to harm yourself?'
'Because I broke Hogwarts rules—broke regulations.'
'Broke rules?' Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow, surprised that such a 'good child' had ever stepped out of line.
Had she finally gone night-strolling? At last?
'Earlier, Draco Malfoy insulted Hermione, and before that he and his father threatened her and the rest of us in Diagon Alley.'
'So after he insulted her again, I acted to remove the threat.'
Remove the threat. Hearing those two words, Professor McGonagall's brow twitched.
'Remove—as in what I'm thinking? You meant to kill him?'
'Yes.' Amanda nodded without the slightest change in expression, her tone flat.
'At the time I believed only by completely removing the threat could Hermione and the others be safe. Afterward I would accept any punishment—even Azkaban.'
'But you didn't succeed. Why?' Professor McGonagall sat back down opposite her.
She had no doubt that if this child had gone through with it, Draco Malfoy—spoiled rotten by Lucius Malfoy—wouldn't have stood a chance.
He wouldn't even have known who struck before he was dead.
'Correct. I failed; Hermione stopped me.'
Amanda gave an indifferent nod and stated the facts.
'Miss Granger did well.' Professor McGonagall inclined her head.
Hermione, still hugging Amanda, pressed her lips. 'I'm sorry, Professor. Amanda did it for us…'
'No, no, I'm not angry, Miss Granger.'
Professor McGonagall shook her head. 'I now understand Miss Lin's situation. She has no proper grasp of the value of life, nor proper respect for it.'
Growing up in a world that forced her to treat her own life as worthless, and having lost her emotions,
Amanda could hardly comprehend or cherish life's importance; that was why she could be so harsh to herself,
why she could act without considering consequences, even at the cost of her own life.
'Besides,' Professor McGonagall lifted her head with a touch of pride, 'standing up for a friend in anger is nothing I consider wrong.'
Madam Pomfrey, listening nearby, twitched her lips. Minerva, is this really the way to teach them?
Yet the lioness clearly felt no fault. 'Still, even in righteous anger one must know where to stop.'
She looked at Amanda with affection. 'Teaching someone a lesson is fine, but no Dark Arts, no taking a life—that is my bottom line.'
'Understood. Thank you, Professor McGonagall.' Amanda nodded earnestly.
'Since you didn't actually take Mr. Malfoy's life, why punish yourself?'
Meeting Professor McGonagall's puzzled gaze, Amanda's voice remained as calm as a still lake.
'Because in the attempt I damaged Hogwarts walls, ceiling, floor, broke rules by harming a fellow student, and used magic in the corridor.'
'Oh, you do know the rules well.'
Professor McGonagall regarded her with faint admiration, then winked slyly.
'Still, I daresay that sometimes, if you break a harmless rule and we don't catch you in the act…'
'…then it never happened. Of course, the moment you leave this room I shall deny ever saying so.'
All four Young Wizards besides Amanda burst into laughter.
The oppressive mood from hearing Amanda's past lifted considerably.
Once they were laughing again, Professor McGonagall nodded in satisfaction, stood, and sought Amanda's consent.
'Miss Lin, may I share what you've told me with Headmaster Dumbledore and your Head of House, Professor Flitwick?'
If Amanda said no, she would tell neither Dumbledore nor Flitwick.
'Of course, Professor. As a student I should keep nothing from my Professors.'
Amanda answered without hesitation, her voice mechanical.
'You needn't always be so rigid, so obedient, my dear.'
Professor McGonagall set her witch's hat on her head. 'Learn from Miss Granger holding you—be a little mischievous, a little livelier.'
Hermione flushed at the words. Compared with Amanda… had she herself perhaps broken rather a lot of rules?
She nodded to the five Young Wizards, then left for the doorway with Madam Pomfrey.
Hand on the handle, Professor McGonagall added one last reminder.
'I expect you'll need plenty of time to talk things through. Since your magical skills are more than adequate, I've excused you all from classes today.'
With that she quietly closed the door.
The moment they stepped off the girls' staircase, Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey were met by every Little Eagle still in the Ravenclaw Common Room.
'Professor McGonagall, is something wrong with Amanda?'
Platt stood up as the representative and politely addressed Professor McGonagall.
"There's been a minor situation, Miss Platt, but Miss Amanda is fine now," Professor McGonagall nodded. "The details concern Miss Amanda's privacy; if you wish to know, you may ask her."
"But remember, if Miss Amanda prefers not to speak of it, don't press her."
"Of course, Professor McGonagall, thank you," Platt said earnestly.
Professor McGonagall waved a hand. "Caring for my students hardly warrants thanks."
With that she left with Madam Pomfrey—Madam Pomfrey back to the Hospital Wing, she herself to the Headmaster's Office to report Amanda's condition to Dumbledore.
In the Headmaster's Office, Headmaster Dumbledore closed his eyes after hearing Professor McGonagall's account.
Clever as he was, it had never occurred to him that the child Amanda came from another world.
And... what that other world was like; he remembered suspecting her.
Headmaster Dumbledore shook his head self-mockingly—Tom had made him see enemies everywhere.
"To place all hope and pressure on children—I can't understand the thinking of people in that twisted world."
With no students nearby, Professor McGonagall let her fury loose.
"Cowards! Worthless fools!"
Looking at his old colleague, Headmaster Dumbledore fell silent—yes.
Using a dark future as excuse to force today's children, abandoning their health and happiness to make them grow up fast—
what was that if not adults' failure? The more he thought, the more Headmaster Dumbledore felt his own plans must change.
"Minerva," Headmaster Dumbledore lifted his head, moisture glinting in sharp blue eyes, "what if I told you we're doing the same thing?"
"What?" Professor McGonagall stared, incredulous.
Headmaster Dumbledore drew a deep breath and slowly recounted the prophecy Professor Trelawney had once made.
A newborn child would defeat the Dark Lord, possessing power the Dark Lord lacked.
Professor McGonagall's lips trembled; she stared at Headmaster Dumbledore in disbelief.
"So the child... is Potter?"
Headmaster Dumbledore paused. "Voldemort chose Harry. There were two boys who fit—Harry and Neville. He chose Harry."
"Preposterous!" Professor McGonagall clenched her fists. "All the great Wizards in the Wizarding World, and Voldemort fears a baby enough to kill him!"
"Why didn't he dare come to Hogwarts then? Why not face you!"
Headmaster Dumbledore sighed. "He feared death too much."
"I thought as much," Professor McGonagall snorted coldly. "So that's why you kept Sybill?"
"Yes." Headmaster Dumbledore nodded.
"That reason, at least, makes sense."
Professor McGonagall added, then narrowed her eyes as something struck her.
"Wait, Albus—surely you're not planning for Potter to defeat Voldemort? A child?"
After all, Albus had just condemned the other world's practice.
"I'm afraid it must be Harry, Minerva—Harry must defeat Voldemort."
"Nonsense." Professor McGonagall stepped forward. "Potter's only in second year; what he endured last winter was already too much."
"I will not allow anything more dangerous."
"I'm his Professor, his Head of House; you're his Headmaster, Albus."
"We're still alive—it's not that child's job to face Vol—Voldemort!"
She spat the name through clenched teeth.
"He took two of my best students; I won't let him take their child."
"Even if only Harry can kill him, we should bind Voldemort and let Harry finish him after he comes of age, not send him into danger now."
"I am his Headmaster, Minerva." Headmaster Dumbledore lifted his head; blue fire rekindled in his eyes.
He looked fifty years younger. "So I've changed my mind. Most of the Wizarding World has lost its nerve."
"But I'm glad you haven't, and neither have Hogwarts' other Professors. Voldemort is our burden."
"Not Harry's. We'll catch Voldemort and let Harry finish him—I'll find a way."
Professor McGonagall smiled. "You know, Albus, Hogwarts' Professors and everyone in the Order of the Phoenix will follow you."
"I'll do my best, Minerva." Headmaster Dumbledore rose, radiant. "So Harry and the others can grow up healthy and happy—and so we don't become cowardly adults."
Amanda and the others knew nothing of the conversation in the Headmaster's Office.
After Professor McGonagall left, Penelope exchanged glances with Cho Chang and Marietta Eckmore.
"I reckon everyone outside is worried by now."
Penelope spoke first; the hurried arrival of Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey would have been noticed.
Given how much everyone valued Amanda, they'd be frantic.
"So we'd better go out and calm them, give a brief explanation," Cho Chang added quickly.
Marietta Eckmore looked uncertainly at Amanda. "Amanda, do you mind if Ravenclaw knows?"
Amanda shook her head expressionlessly. "I don't mind."
Her past was just that; let them know.
"All right, we're heading out then."
Penelope nodded and left the Dormitory with Cho Chang and Marietta Eckmore to explain Amanda's other-world origins.
It was fine for Ravenclaw to know; beyond that—Harry and Ron could know, but no one else.
Mind made up, Penelope prepared to impose a secrecy vow after the explanation and have a seventh-year cast a confidentiality Charm for good measure.
Once the three left, only Hermione and Amanda remained in the Dormitory.
Amanda turned mechanically to look at Hermione, who was holding her.
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