And last night, Sirius Black had done something she had always been afraid to do. He had said a firm, resounding no to Albus Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard in the world. Sirius Black was a convict on the run, who could be discovered by the wrong person at any time, and given the Dementor's Kiss, but he didn't care. He would walk through any amount of danger for Harry, and Minerva felt an incredibly strong resolve sweep over her in that moment. From now on, she would learn to be stronger. From now on, she would keep Harry's best interests at heart.
And Minerva knew what she had to do as she conjured another chair by Harry's bed, and sat herself down in it. Sirius took his eyes off Harry again to look curiously at her, and Minerva felt her resolve grow stronger. Suddenly, it became impossible to retain her professional demeanor, even though it had only been moments ago that she had sworn to keep that in place. She truly looked at the pale, grief-stricken boy who was eating mechanically, like he wasn't even tasting the food. She opened her mouth and simply said, "I'm sorry."
Harry turned his head, his green eyes widening as he stared at her. "Professor?" he murmured, true surprise in his tone.
Minerva felt sick as she looked at his expression. This boy really had no idea what she was apologizing for, did he? He was used to not having adults be there for him, to listen to him and trust what he was saying. He didn't expect the people around him to protect him, to keep him out of danger. Albus, what have you done? she thought, horrified, and then, even louder in her mind, she added, Minerva, what have YOU done?
And then, she voiced her feelings out loud. "I am sorry for everything, Harry," she said softly, using his first name, a rare occurrence for her, and the shock only intensified in Harry's eyes. She took a deep breath and continued, "I'm sorry I have shown myself as someone who's failed to protect you. You have had an extremely difficult time of it, and we, the faculty, have failed to do what is right by you, me worst of all. I am your Head of House, and I have not done what is right. I vow to make it up to you." She moved her eyes to Sirius's face and gave him a meaningful look, including him in her promise. Sirius looked at her gratefully and gave a single nod, the corner of his mouth turning up very slightly.
"Thank you, Minerva," he said, sincerity shining in his eyes. A wistful expression stole over his face suddenly as he stared at her, and with a jolt of her heart, a sudden memory filtered through her mind. When the Marauders had landed themselves in detention during their school days, which was more often than not, Sirius used to wink at her cheekily and refer to her as Minnie, which always, without fail, earned him another detention. But secretly, when Minerva had returned to her room at night, she was very amused by it. In the light of day, she would never allow any student to show her such disrespect, but safe in her own room, she let herself laugh about it. She looked into his eyes and saw the nostalgia there, and wondered if he was recalling the same thing.
Harry's quiet voice pulled her out of her reverie. He looked at Minerva with an expression on his face that she didn't think she deserved to have directed at her. He looked stunned that she had said such a thing to him. "You haven't done anything wrong, Professor," he said. "It's okay."
Minerva saw the certainty of that belief in his eyes and knew she could not convince him that this needed to be said. It only made her more sure that she had to prove to him that she would do better.
There was another long moment of silence. Then, Harry said, "Where are the Diggorys?" From the way these words were spoken, it seemed as though it was costing him a great effort to voice them.
"No, Harry," said Sirius at once. "You are not responsible for this. Dumbledore has already told them what happened. You don't need to put yourself through this."
Minerva felt a surge of grief flood through her system. Her mind had been so consumed with thoughts of her regrets, and she had tried her hardest to confront them, but this was something that she couldn't bear to think about. Cedric Diggory had been a bright, talented student, and his future was full of promise. He was kind, loyal, helpful, and was a true leader of Hufflepuff House. He had been extremely popular, and someone many tried to emulate. His murder shook her to her core, and she would never be able to forget the look of terror forever plastered on his face. He was currently in a room not far away from this one, which was cut off from the rest of the hospital wing. She had quietly talked with the heartsick parents the night before, and said goodbye to her strong, wonderful student.
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