#20 Help is Always There

It was the persistence of her knock that determined who came to the door, particularly since Professor Rivera (the most common one to answer) was busy elsewhere.

'Twiggs.' Professor McGonagall left the staff room, giving Amelia an unreadable but slightly suspicious look. But that wasn't particularly unusual, whenever one of her Gryffindor sought her out. 'What brings you here?' she asked.

Amelia's pose hopefully didn't include an attitude, but Professor McGonagall was willing to hear her out. Of course she'd heard the news as well, and was particularly livid that no one had spoken to her about it given that one of her Gryffindors was involve. The fact Reena Ashworth hadn't wanted to get Amelia in trouble was not outlandishly odd, but it did raise some eyebrows. 

McGonagall believe she should have been informed the moment it was known, regardless. 

'Is it about this morning?' she prompted, to take advantage of this moment to speak to Amelia now as she had intended to if someone had followed the proper way of dealing with inter-house matters.

At least she had heard from the other Professors on the matter. 

Professor McGonagall nodded as Amelia spoke, then silently gestured the student to follow her. They headed round a few corners, then ducked into an emptied classroom. It wasn't exactly her office, but it would surely do.

'Deep breaths,' she encouraged. 'Now, tell me what happened. You were in the reported bathroom, correct?' McGonagall knew that part to be true, as there had been witnesses to Amelia having been in the area at the time.

It was about the only truly witnessed part of the event, as far as they knew. She wondered if Amelia was alone, but didn't prod. It was far easier to get to the truth of the matter if she simply let the student talk and put things into her own words, rather than specific questions and prompts.

Professor McGonagall's lips pressed to a thin line, not pleased with Amelia's approach -- and didn't consider her hands evidence as it had been some time since the incident. But she considered the situation for a moment anyway, then sighed at the complexity of it all.

'Regardless of the matter, may I ask why you've sought me out?' she asked, curious about that aspect more than anything. 'Are you wanting me to take action? Do you just wish to talk? What are your intentions?'

Professor McGonagall nodded as if she understood.

'Well, I suggest you focus on yourself,' she said, placing a hand on Amelia's shoulder. She nudged her to stand a bit straighter. 'People will talk, there's no avoiding that now. Gossip is a fickle beast -- the trick is not to feed it. If people want to talk, let them talk. It's the ones closest to you who truly matter. The people who have your back.'

She glanced at the time, having to cut this short.

'It's not about what happened, it's about how you respond,' McGonagall added. 'Don't give them the satisfaction.'

Those words came with a rather pointed look, then a subtle wink. McGonagall then nudged her to get going, as dinner was about to start. Amelia got one last look of encouragement, and a demonstration to stand taller -- keep her chin up. Don't let them tear her down.