Disclaimer: Everything you can recognize from the amazing Harry Potter saga belongs to the wonderful and beloved JK Rowling, as you all well know (and if not, I don't know what you're doing reading this... :P). The rest comes from my imagination and it's a gift for you to enjoy and the only way I have to thank the woman who brought light to my school and high-school years with her fantasy world.

Apologize: Like I do at the beginning of all my fics (the newer ones, at least), I apologize in advance for my grammar and spelling mistakes. I'll appreciate it if you don't take my try to write in English and not my native language (which is Catalan) as an offence to yours, but a praise. I don't have a Beta Reader not because I haven't asked or been asked, but because it just doesn't work for me... I'm sorry.

After having said that, I hope you enjoy this first chapter.

...

Who is Isobel O'Flaherty

Part 1 - the name on the list

.

The sound of the drops of rain hitting against the crystal window was distracting her. She knew that what he was saying concerned her, that it was important, but she didn't want to hear.

"Minerva," he called her name, "Minerva, are you listening to me?"

"I'm sorry, Albus, what were you saying?" she excused herself raising her eyes at the man in front of her.

"I was saying that the war is no place for a baby..."


...


After freshen up and get dressed, Minerva McGonagall abandoned the empty Gryffindor tower to have some breakfast. This had been a very stressful week getting everything ready, but finally it had come to an end, in a few hours the students would began to arrive to the school, and tomorrow the new term would began.

In the meantime, the staff was having their meals in the teachers lounge, since it was a more cozy room to fit them. When she arrived she noticed everybody was standing at one corner of the table, looking at something and babbling like children. She sat at the other side, next to the only other person who seemed not to care about the excitement of their colleagues.

"Good morning, professor Snape," she muttered while pouring some tea on her cup.

"Good morning," he responded politely and passing her the pot of sugar, which he apparently had just been using.

"Do you know what's going on over there?" she asked, with a hint of curiosity but mostly trying to make conversation with the other professor.

"Apparently, professor Filius was owled some pictures of his first grandson and now is showing them to everybody," he explained. And despite he couldn't care less about the matter, he did find it curious that Minerva had stayed on her seat instead of rushing to see the photographs, "aren't you joining them, professor?"

"I don't like babies," the words choke on her throat as she spread some butter on a cold toast. At that moment, the Headmaster came in and coughed to make his presence clear. As everybody went back to their seats, he walked to professor Flitwick and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I've arranged it for you to have this first week off, Filius," he said, "I only expect you to accommodate the new students and then you can leave to visit your daughter."

"I really appreciate it, Albus, but I already told Mary I wouldn't be there until the weekend."

"Nonsense. You'll leave tomorrow evening so you can enjoy more time with the new member of the family," Dumbledore insisted, "Minerva and I will take care of your duties while you are gone, she won't mind, right dear?" He looked at his Deputy Headmistress, who was sitting at the other end of the table, and everybody turned around to see her reaction.

Minerva glowered at the Headmaster. The last thing she needed to deal with during the first week of term was the classes and students of another teacher, like if she hadn't enough work of her own!

"No, of course not," she forced a smile on her lips, "say hi to Mary from me, Filius."

After that, the Headmaster sat down at the center of the table and everybody returned to their breakfast. Only Severus seemed to have noticed the bread toast becoming nothing more than crumbs as Minerva clenched her fist around it.

"Why don't you just tell him you're not ok with it?" he asked her, whispering so nobody else could hear them.

"What good would that do?" she questioned, and her words hanged on the air until everybody was gone and back to their duties.


Minerva watched the clock as she tapped with her fingers the handrail of the stairs. It was about time that Hagrid arrived, and it didn't matter how many times she'd done that, not even how upset she still was about having to work double during the next days, she was still getting nervous like the first year she became Deputy, before meeting the new students for the first time.

She smiled when she could finally hear them, and tried to stay serene when the first children reached her.

"Good evening," she said, "I am Professor McGonagall," as she talked the children gathered around her and she tried to take a glimpse at each of their amazed faces, "Welcome to Hogwarts. Now please, follow me into the Great Hall."

She crossed the large room with decision and climbed the few steps that separated the professor's table from the students' as the eleven-year-old bunch of kids awaited, staring at the hat on the stool.

Professor McGonagall walked to the Headmaster, who handed her a rolled parchment, and then faced the students again.

"I will call your name, and you will step up here and sit down," she instructed before saying the first name, "Margaret Adams!" she said with a very clear voice and a young brown-haired girl approached her shyly and sat on the stool as Minerva lifted the hat and put it on her head.

After a moment of complete silence, the magic hat spoke with a deep voice.

"Hufflepuff!" it said, and one of the large tables began to clap as the young girl run to sit down with her new house companions.

As Minerva went through the list, the joy of the evening was shown on the teacher's table as well. Flitwick was commenting to Madam Pomfrey that he never recalled another year with so many new acquisitions for Ravenclaw; Sprout was telling Trelawney and Madam Hooch about the special welcoming party they had every year in the common room after the dinner; Snape was silent, watching Minerva do her job and only applauding when the hat said the name of his house.

"Isobel," was the next name on the list, "Isobel O-" but it seemed to choke on Minerva's throat. Of course, after saying thirty seven names out loud, who wouldn't need a sip of water? But that didn't seem to be her problem. She turned around and scowled at the Headmaster like if there was something wrong. Dumbledore just grinned and made a gesture with his hand for her to continue with the list. Minerva faced the students, looked down at the parchment and glanced at Albus one more time.

Of course all that happened in a fraction, so fast that it was almost unnoticed by everyone, except for the observant potions master who sat at one corner of the table. He did realize that there was something wrong with that name, something serious enough to fill the eyes of his colleague with tears.

"Isobel O'Flaherty," she finally said with no trace of trouble in her voice.

.

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: This is the first part of a story that will take around 5 to 10 chapters (no more, I hope). There will be many turns of events (maybe I'm exaggerating by "many"), so things won't be what they seem at first sight. Feel free to ask anything, tell me what you think, what you expect... I'll post sooner or later depending on the response of this first chapter, since I don't want to go as fast as I did with Hogwarts 1997.