Hestia and Flora walked through the castle corridors, following Professor Pomona Sprout—very, very reluctantly—toward the vice headmistress's office.
Both had their arms crossed over their chests and were frowning with undisguised annoyance at the whole situation. In their minds, this punishment was the most ridiculous and absurd thing they had experienced in their seven years at Hogwarts. What did it really matter that they had left school without signing a stupid permission slip? They had gone out to accompany Aurelian to the Ministry! He was their FIANCÉ, after all. That should explain everything.
In the twisted logic of the Carrow sisters, they had every divine and legal right to be with him at all times, to look after him, and to make sure no one dared to hurt him, touch him, or even look at him. The school shouldn't give a flying fuck about what they did with their free time, and if they missed a measly day of classes to be by their future husband's side, the teachers should just shut up and look the other way.
Her footsteps echoed down the hallway until they stopped in front of a heavy oak door.
Seeing that the twins were still lost in their dark thoughts, their faces contorted with indignation, Professor Sprout cleared her throat loudly to get their attention.
Hestia and Flora looked up, staring at her with their cold black eyes. The Hufflepuff Head wasn't intimidated by the hostility in their gazes; instead, she gave them a patient, kind smile.
"Come in, please, young ladies," Sprout said, opening the door for them.
The twins entered the Deputy Headmistress's office, shuffling their feet slightly in protest. There, sitting stiffly behind her large desk with her hands clasped on the wood, was Minerva McGonagall. Professor Sprout walked over to stand right beside the Deputy Headmistress, presenting a united front in the face of the situation.
Hestia and Flora took their seats in the two chairs facing the desk. They didn't even try to hide their annoyance; both crossed their legs in unison, wearing expressions of open displeasure and superiority that Minerva immediately noticed and assessed.
The silence lingered for a few seconds, heavy and fraught with tension, until the vice principal spoke.
"Misses Carrow," McGonagall began, her tone as stern and sharp as ever, "You are about to come of age under magical law, but that does not mean you can flout the school's rules as if they did not exist. I am well aware that, given your… particular family circumstances and your commitment, this institution has been a bit more lenient with you in the past. But I assure you that I am truly fed up with this attitude of defiance and disdain toward our authority."
Hestia let out a derisive snort, looking away toward a painting on the wall.
"With all due respect, Professor," Hestia replied, in a tone that lacked even a shred of genuine respect, "the school year is almost over. We're graduating in a month, a month and a half. Bringing us here to lecture us on rules and attitude at this point makes absolutely no sense."
McGonagall pressed her lips together into a thin line, about to retort at the insolence, but Professor Sprout gently raised a hand, signaling that she wished to speak.
Pomona looked at the two young Slytherins with a mixture of genuine sadness and concern over how they viewed life.
"No one here is denying your talent, girls," Professor Sprout told them in a calm voice. "We know that you are extremely dedicated witches when it comes to magic, that you have excellent grades, and that you're truly good—almost brilliant—at whatever you set your minds to."
Sprout paused, searching for the right words so as not to provoke the sisters' anger, but knowing she had to be honest, she continued.
"However, that blind devotion, that deep… obsession that you both have with Mr. Gaunt… is troubling. It's unhealthy behavior that could cause you very serious problems in the future. You can't let your entire world revolve solely and exclusively around one boy, no matter how talented he may be. You have to think of yourselves."
At the mention of the word "obsession," the atmosphere in the office changed dramatically. What little warmth there had been in the room seemed to vanish.
Flora uncrossed her legs and leaned forward slightly. She narrowed her eyes, fixing Professor Sprout with an icy, piercing gaze that revealed her conviction.
"You're wrong, Professor," Flora replied, her voice sounding like a gentle yet lethal poison. "You don't have to worry about us at all. Our future will be absolutely perfect… because we'll have a beautiful, powerful, and enormous family with our Aurelian. And nothing—and no one—is going to stand in the way of that."
Minerva McGonagall closed her eyes, let out a long sigh, and rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to summon every ounce of patience left within her.
"That's all well and good, young ladies. The fact that two talented young witches want to have children and start a family is always a welcome development for the future of our society," the vice principal conceded, softening her tone slightly. "But the way you express yourselves—that obsession—is the real problem. The two of you should be thinking about the careers you'd like to pursue after school. That should be your number one priority upon leaving Hogwarts. Later on, in a few years, once your lives are settled, you can think about having children."
Upon hearing the experienced witch's advice, Hestia and Flora fell silent for a second. Slowly, they turned their heads to exchange a knowing glance. And then, as if they'd just heard the best joke of their lives, they both burst into loud laughter.
Minerva and Pomona exchanged a look, deeply confused by the sudden and disrespectful outburst of laughter.
Hestia was the first to stop laughing, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye and looking at the deputy headmistress with deep, sharp irony.
"By Merlin's beard… are you really serious, Professor?" Really?" asked Hestia, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "Do you honestly think that we—precisely us—are going to stoop to working like ordinary wizards and witches?"
Minerva's face flushed with indignation. Her confusion quickly turned to anger. She raised an eyebrow sternly.
"You're talented young women. Why on earth wouldn't you?"
Flora crossed her legs elegantly, looking at the two older women as if they were creatures of inferior intelligence.
"No offense, Professor McGonagall, but we're simply not interested in working. We consider it foolish and a huge waste of time for our plans."
"We'll focus on continuing to improve our magic," Hestia continued haughtily. "And to achieve that level of excellence, we need to practice our arts and read books—not waste our youth and our time cooped up in some mediocre job, filing papers at the Ministry or serving idiots at a second-rate shop on Diagon Alley."
Pomona Sprout stared at them wide-eyed, unable to believe the level of arrogance and disconnect from the real world they were displaying.
"But… if you don't plan to work or pursue any profession, then how on earth do you plan to make a living?"
The girls raised an eyebrow in unison, almost offended by the absurd question.
"For starters, our family is immensely wealthy," Flora replied, as if she were stating the obvious. "And likewise, our Aurelian has already made it very clear to us that we should never worry about anything related to money. He told us he would take care of absolutely everything to support us."
Minerva leaned back slowly in her chair, processing the words with a mixture of horror and amazement.
"So that's it? Do you two plan to simply be the decorative ladies of the House of Gaunt, living off your husband money and protection for the rest of your lives?"
Far from feeling insulted by the insinuation, Hestia and Flora's faces lit up. They nodded frantically, looking happier and more radiant than the teachers had seen them at any point during the meeting.
"It's a dream come true!" Hestia sighed, clasping her hands together with pure excitement.
"We literally can't wait for the day to come when we can finally bear the majestic surname of our beloved," Flora added, smiling from ear to ear.
Minerva watched them for a few seconds. The headache she felt in her temples grew more intense. She realized, with crystal clarity, that she was wasting her time. Taking away their house points meant absolutely nothing to them, and assigning them traditional punishments like cleaning trophies or cauldrons would do absolutely nothing to correct that level of disengagement.
And remembering that, as the girls themselves had insolently pointed out, there was very little time left in the school year… a brilliant idea occurred to Minerva McGonagall.
A small, almost triumphant smile played on the vice principal's lips. She interlaced her fingers on the desk once more, adopting a posture of control.
"You're right. I know full well that my usual punishments are useless with the two of you in this situation," Minerva declared in a soft voice. "So let's try something different. As punishment for leaving school grounds without permission, starting tomorrow and for an entire week, you must both remain strictly and physically separated from Mr. Gaunt."
The sisters' smiles froze on their faces.
"During that time," McGonagall continued, taking a bit of pleasure in the sudden terror in their eyes, "you must eat apart from him in the Great Hall. In any classes you share, you must sit at opposite ends of the classroom, as far away from him as possible. In your free time and outside of school hours, you may be together, but while you're participating in mandatory school activities… you will remain completely separated from Aurelian."
The reaction was immediate and explosive.
Hestia and Flora leapt from their seats as if the chairs had caught fire. They slammed their hands down on the vice principal's desk, their eyes blazing with a mixture of panic and fury.
"You can't do this to us!" Hestia shouted, completely losing her temper.
"He's our fiancé! You have no right!" demanded Flora, baring her teeth.
Minerva let out a small, dry laugh, feeling that she had finally hit the nail on the head.
"I can, and I assure you I will," the vice principal declared with unwavering authority. "The teachers will be making sure you follow the punishment to the letter. And let me warn you of one thing, Misses Carrow: if you continue to cause a disturbance, shout, or defy my authority at this moment, I will extend this punishment for the remainder of this damned school year. Have I made myself clear?"
Hestia and Flora froze. The terror of not being able to be near Aurelian during class hours for an entire month was enough to silence them.
Breathing heavily, their chests heaving with the rage they were holding back, they both straightened their posture. They fixed Minerva McGonagall with a glare brimming with the blackest, most venomous, and most visceral hatred they had ever projected.
Without saying another word—lest they make their punishment worse—the twins turned on their heels and marched out of the office.
A second later, the heavy door slammed shut behind them with such force that it made the pictures and inkwells on the vice principal's desk tremble.
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