The silence stretched between them for a few moments before Minerva finally sighed.
"Alright," she said. "I understand that you do not have any deep or real connection with Miss Evans, and that the two of you are nothing more than fleeting acquaintances."
Antonio nodded, uncertain where she was heading with this.
"But I believe," Minerva continued, her gaze steady, "that I would not be wrong if I assume that you care about her. There is no denying or masking this Lord Olario."
Antonio fell silent for a moment, taking his time before responding.
"I suppose you could say so," he admitted at last. As Minerva had observed, his reaction earlier was enough to make it clear that he cared about Lily. Not that he did not care about her. He cared about her.
Even if he could not fully explain why, denying something so evident would have been pointless. His relentless and anxiety for her safety had been obvious enough.
"Then perhaps you might be interested in something," Minerva said.
"I was at Hogwarts when I first received the news of the attack in Hogsmeade," she began. "I reached the settlement as quickly as I could."
"There was mayhem everywhere. Destruction and panic across every street. Shops, inns and establishments had been damaged. Students were running in terror with Death Eaters chasing after them. Spells were flying wildly through the air. So many people were getting hurt. Students, shop owners, workers. It did not matter who they were."
Antonio nodded slowly. He could picture the scene vividly. The chaos, the screams, the panic that would have followed when the Death Eaters had descended upon Hogsmeade.
And he could not really have expected the students to show courage or bravery in such a situation. They were just children. The majority of them would not even have known how to perform basic combat spells. If the adults of the Wizarding Britain were so terrified of the Death Eaters, expecting anything from children was sin.
"Everything was so chaotic and random, Lord Olario," Minerva said quietly. "The Death Eaters were not truly fighting. At the slightest resistance, and as soon as Hogwarts professors appeared, they fled."
Antonio nodded. This was the reason why they had suffered no casualties. Charlus had already told him about this. He was not surprised.
"But in all that chaos, there was something I simply cannot ignore," she added.
"What is it, Professor McGonagall?" Antonio asked, his curiosity piqued. It was for this thing she had asked for this conversation. Antonio was certain of it.
"Do you know how Miss Evans was injured?" she asked.
"No," Antonio shook his head, his curiosity rising further.
"When I reached her," Minerva continued, "she was surrounded by four Death Eaters as if they had deliberately encircled her."
Antonio's eyes widened in surprise, the weight of her words hitting him instantly. He realised the implications.
"You are saying Lily was specifically targeted during this attack?" he demanded, his voice tight with a tremor of disbelief.
"I am not certain," Minerva replied, her tone cautious. "But the signs certainly point that way. In all the chaos and randomness, she was the only student who had been surrounded by multiple Death Eaters."
"And there is another fact," she added, her voice turning solemn. "One that is even more glaring than this."
"What?" he snapped.
"Except for the civilians, no student had been attacked with the intent to kill," Minerva said gravely.
"What do you mean?" Antonio asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean the Death Eaters were not truly trying to kill the students," she explained. "Most of the injuries they caused were minor. Wounds that could easily be healed. The spells used were limited in nature. None of them were life threatening."
He nodded slowly. This aligned with what he, Charlus, and Edmund Bones had already discussed.
"Even the two deaths that occurred were more accidental in nature," Minerva continued. "Both victims died because a roof collapsed on them."
"But not Lily," Antonio interjected immediately.
"Yes," Minerva agreed, nodding. "She was struck by a cutting curse. If the Death Eater had wished, he could have cleaved her in two but that does not mean he was not trying to kill her."
"I am certain that if I had arrived even a moment later, she would have been struck again and that next spell would have killed her."
She paused, her expression tightening. "All of this feels far too deliberate to be a coincidence. My gut tells me Lily was deliberately targeted and she survived only because of luck."
Antonio nodded silently. Her words made perfect sense. After hearing everything, he too was convinced. It had not been a coincidence.
"Who do you think targeted Lily?" Antonio asked. "And why?"
"Well," Minerva began after a brief pause, taking a couple of moments to gather her thoughts, "there could be a few reasons she was targeted."
"Firstly, she is a Muggle born and that alone is reason enough for Death Eaters to go after her," she said. "But I do not believe that was the true reason."
"And the second reason you believe in?" Antonio pressed, though he already had a strong suspicion. He wanted to hear it from her directly.
"Recently, Miss Evans offended a group of students," Minerva said slowly. "Students who come from powerful, influential families and families with connections to the Death Eaters."
"And since they were given the opportunity to participate in the attack on Hogsmeade," she continued, "they may have decided to use it for personal vengeance."
Everything Minerva had said or assumed was true, except for one crucial point. The Death Eater had not simply used the attack on Hogsmeade as a chance to exact revenge. The attack itself had been planned around that very goal.
"I would not say Lily offended them," Antonio said firmly. "It was they who attacked her. She only defended herself and then took the right course by complaining and she was right to do so."
"Of course she was," Minerva said bitterly. "But not everyone sees it that way."
"And you are confident in your reasoning?" he asked.
"I do not see any other explanation," she replied. "She is a Muggle born, so there is no politics involved. And she has no enemies who would wish her harm except for that group."
Antonio nodded thoughtfully. He agreed with her reasoning. But even so, a quiet resolve began to form in his mind. He would have to investigate this himself.
"And what do you intend to achieve by telling me all this?" he asked.
Minerva shook her head.
"I do not really know," she admitted. "Maybe because I saw that you cared about her, I decided to tell you. She does not really have anyone in this world who looks out for her."
"As long as she is in Hogwarts, I will keep her safe," she said firmly. "But once she graduates, in a few months, I cannot say the same."
Antonio did not respond, but the implication in her words was clear.
"I will come to see her tomorrow," he said after a moment. "I assume that would be allowed."
Minerva nodded. "Yes. But only if Lily herself is willing."
Antonio gave a short nod in acknowledgment, then turned and quietly left the room.
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