Minerva McGonagall was walking down the halls of Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry.
She couldn't sleep and had a feeling that tonight would be different.
She had a feeling that something would happen tonight, but she couldn't figure out what.
Minerva was walking pass the corridor that led to the entrance of Ravenclaw tower when she heard a series of bangs and yelling.
She turned sharply down and saw that Amycus Carrow, one of the death eaters that taught at the school was trying to get through the door with the bronze eagle knocker which she recognised as the door to the Ravenclaw tower.
She walked up. "May I ask what you're doing, Professor Carrow?"
"Trying - to get - through this damned - door!" Shouted Amycus. "Go and get Flitwick! Get him to open it now!"
Minerva remembered something. "But isn't your sister in there? Didn't Professor Flitwick let her in earlier this evening, at your urgent request? Perhaps she could open the door for you? Then you needn't wake up half the castle."
"She ain't answering, you old besom! You open it! Garn! Do it, now!" Amycus snarled.
Minerva narrowed her eyes. "Certainly, if you wish it,"
She walked up past Amycus and knocked.
A musical voice rang out. "Where do vanished objects go?"
"Into non-being, which is to say, everything," She answered promptly.
"Nicely phrased," replied the eagle door knocker and the door swung open.
Minerva saw a few Ravenclaw students run upstairs then looked down to see Alecto's body sprawled across the floor.
"What've they done, the little whelps?" Amycus screamed. "I'll Cruciate the lot of 'em 'til they tell me who did it - and what's the Dark Lord going to say?" He shrieked standing over his sister and smacking himself on the forehead with his fist looking quite deranged. "We haven't got him, and they've gorn and killed her!"
Minerva fought the urge to roll her eyes. "She's only stunned," She looked down at Alecto. "She'll be perfectly all right."
"No she bluderging well won't!" Bellowed Amycus. "Not after the Dark Lord get hold of her! She's gorn and sent for him, I felt me mark burn, he thinks we got Potter!"
Minerva's head shot up at the end of his sentence.
" 'Got Potter'? What do you mean 'Got Potter'?"
"We was told Potter might try and get inside the Ravenclaw Tower, and to send for him if we caught him!"
Minerva didn't believe it. "Why would Harry Potter try and get inside Ravenclaw Tower? Potter belongs in my house!"
"We was told he might come in here!" Said Amycus. "I dunno why, do I?"
Minerva stood up and looked around. Her eye's swept across the whole room but saw nothing.
She stared back at Amycus who was now looking crafty.
"We can push it off on the kids. Yeah, that's what we'll do. We'll say Alecto was ambushed by the kids, them kids up there," He said looking up toward the dormitories. "and we'll say they forced her to press the Mark, and that's why he got the false alarm... he can punish them. Couple of kids more or less, what's the difference?"
Minerva felt the color drain from her face. "Only the difference between truth and lies, courage and cowardice. A difference, in short, which you and your sister seem unable to appreciate. But let me make one thing very clear. You are not going to pass off your many ineptitudes on the students of Hogwarts. I shall not permit it."
Minerva watched as the smile faded from Amycus' face replaced with a snarl.
"Excuse me?"
Amycus moved forwards until his face was inches from her own. Minerva did not back away, just looked at him with disgust.
"It's not a case of what you'll permit Minerva McGonagall. Your time's over. It's us what's in charge here now, and you'll back me or pay the price." And he spat in her face.
Minerva felt bile rising in her throat and before she could do anything the most familiar voice rang out. She spun around and saw Harry Potter.
"You shouldn't have done that. Crucio! "
Minerva was shocked to see him. He looked different. His hair came down to his shoulders and was un kept. She was also shocked at Potter for using unforgivable. Her eyes had widened at his appearance and now, watching Amycus flying through the air and smash into a cabinet, and slid, unconscious to the floor.
Potter spoke again. "I see what Bellatrix meant, you really need to mean it.
"Potter!" Whispered Minerva, barely aware she was clutching her heart. "Potter - you're here! What -? How -?" Minerva tried to clear her mind. "Potter, that was foolish!"
"He spat at you." Was Potter's only reply.
Minerva felt overwhelmed but proud at the same time when something clicked in her mind. "Potter, I - that was very - very gallant of you - but don't you realize -?"
"Yeah, I do," He assured her. "Professor McGonagall, Voldemort's on the way."
The shock of his statement hadn't even settled in her mind before Luna Lovegood pulled off the invisibility cloak. "Oh, are we allowed to say the name now?"
Minerva stumbled backwards. Luna Lovegood was taken because of what her father had been writing about Potter. She fell into a chair and was clutching at the neck of her old tartan dressing gown.
Potter turned to Lovegood. "I don't think it makes any difference what we call him. He already know where I am."
Minerva felt actual fear for the boy. "You must flee," She whispered. " Now, Potter, as quickly as you can!"
"I can't," He replied. "There's something I've got to do. Professor, do you know where the diadem of Ravenclaw is?"
Minerva thought this whole thing was ridiculous. The Diadem of Ravenclaw?
"The d - diadem of Ravenclaw? Of course not - hasn't it been lost for centuries? Potter, it was utter madness for you to enter this castle -"
Harry cut her off. "I had to. Professor, there's something hidden here that I'm supposed to find, and it could be the diadem - if I could just speak to professor Flitwick -"
He stopped talking as there was a sound of movement, clinking of glass; Amycus was coming round.
Minerva stood up and pointed her wand at him. "Imperio," There was a curious sensation down her arm and as she thought Give your sisters and your wand to me. Amycus got up and got his sisters wand and handed it and his over to her. Lie down beside your sister. He shuffled obediently towards his sister and lied down. Minerva waved her wand creating silver ropes that bound them both tightly.
She turned to him again. "Potter, if He who Must Not Be Named does indeed know that you are here -"
She stopped talking. Potters jaw was clenched and his eyes closed: he must have been seeing into You-know-who's mind.
"Potter, are you alright?" She asked with concern.
"Time's running out, Voldemort's getting nearer. Professor, I'm acting on Dumbledore's orders, I must find what he wanted me to find! But we've got to get the students out while I'm searching the castle - it's me Voldemort wants, but he won't care about killing a few more or less, not now -"
He stopped talking. Minerva knew there had been more to the sentence.
"You're acting on Dumbledore's orders?" Asked Minerva. She then drew herself up to her fullest height. "We shall secure the castle against He Who Must Not Be Named while you search for this - this object."
Potter was staring at her. "Is that possible?"
Minerva snorted. "I think so. We teachers are rather good at Magic you know." Her tone turned serious. "I am sure we will be able to hold him off for a while if we all put our best efforts into it. Of course, something will have to be done about Professor Snape -"
Harry cut her off. "Let me -"
But she just continued. "- and if Hogwarts is about to enter a stage of siege, with the Dark Lord at the fares, it would indeed be advisable to take as many innocent people out of the way as possible. With the Floo Network under observation and Apparition impossible within the grounds -"
Potter interrupted. "There's a way. In the room of requirement, that's where the students have been disappearing to like Neville and Seamus, there is a portrait and behind it is a secret passage way and it leads into Aberforth Dumbledore's pub."
"Potter, we're talking about hundreds of students -" She said exasperated.
"I know, Professor, but if Voldemort and the Death Eaters are concentrating on the school boundaries they won't be interested in who's Disapparating out of the Hogs Head."
Minerva nodded. "There's something in that."
She pointed her wand at the brother and sister and a silver net fell over their bodies, tied itself around them and hoisted them into the air.
"Come. We must alert the other Heads of House. You'd better put that cloak back on."
Minerva turned on her heel and marched towards the door pulling out her wand as she did so.
From her wand tip burst three cats and they all bounded in different directions filling the corridors with silvery light.
The climbed down two flights of stairs and Minerva noticed that another set of footsteps joined theirs.
She stopped and raised her wand. "Who's there?"
"It is I," And Severus Snape stepped out from behind a suit of armour.
Minerva stared at him with cold hatred but she tried not to show it on her face.
"Where are the Carrows?" He asked quietly.
Minerva suppressed a snort. Don't even know where your little friends are.
"Where ever you expected them to be, I expect, Severus," She said.
Snape took a step nearer and Minerva had a hard time not to take a step back.
Snape's eyes flitted around the air around her as if he knew that Potter and Lovegood were behind her.
He spoke again. "I was under the impression, that Alecto had apprehended an intruder."
Minerva could feel her heart beat speed up but answered on calmly.
"Really?" She said. "And what gave that impression?"
Snape made a slight flexing movement, where, Minerva knew, the dark mark was branded into his skin. She hopped it was burning very, very badly.
"Oh, but naturally," Said Minerva, with a slight sneer. "You Death Eaters have your own private means of communication, I forgot."
Snape barely heard her. His eyes were still searching the air around her. He was gradually moving closer, apparently not knowing he was doing so.
He looked back at her. "I did not know it was your night to patrol the corridors, Minerva."
Why is he making this so difficult? Thought Minerva angrily.
She raised her eye brows. "You have some objection?"
"I wonder what could have brought you out of you bed at this late hour?"
Maybe I was taking a walk you stupid old git. Minerva forced herself not to say what she was thinking.
"I thought I had a disturbance." She replied.
Snape looked into her eyes. Minerva suppressed a shiver.
"Have you seen Harry Potter, Minerva? Because if you have, I must insist-"
That was too far. Minerva moved quicker than she ever had before.
But Snape's shield charm through her off balance.
She brandished her wand at a nearby torch on the wall and it flew at Snape.
The flame became a lasso that circled Snape.
She flicked her wand and it was no longer flame, it was a great serpent that she blasted to smoke which solidified into a swarm of pursuing daggers.
Snape avoided them only by forcing a suit of armour in front of him.
Minerva was bewildered. Why wasn't he fighting back?
"Minerva!" Said a squeaky voice which belonged to Filius Flitwick.
He must have seen Snape because he squealed. "No! You'll do no more murder at Hogwarts!"
His spell hit the armour Snape was taking shelter behind and with a clatter it came to life.
It turned on Snape and he struggled against the crushing arms. He sent it flying towards them. Minerva ducked and saw it crash into the wall.
Snape saw his chance.
He bolted from the hall and ran into a nearby class room. Minerva sprinted after him.
Minerva saw Snape fly at a window and shielded her eyes just in time as glass shattered around.
She jumped up as Pomona, Filius and Horace at the rear thundered into the room.
She ran to the window. "Coward! COWARD!"
Authors Note
HI! Ok so yeah I changed it up a bit. More about what Minnies thinking about. Right now I'm going to write some more and yeah. Hope you like it! :D
REVIEW! Please! I like getting reviews =-)