In response to Those Voices The Mirror of Erised Challenge on HPFC.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Prepare for some angst.
Desires
Minerva McGonagall was a no nonsense type of woman. She was a determined, intelligent woman that didn't think too much of frivolous things. However, everyone has wishes and desires - Minerva was no exception.
She was aware of the location of the Mirror of Erised for months, she had never been curious as to what she desired the most. Until tonight. Walking through the castle late at night, she looked both ways, like a paranoid student doing something they shouldn't be doing, and entered the room.
While she had known the location of the mirror, she actually had never seen it until now. It was an extremely ornate and tall mirror with a gold frame and it had two clawed feet. She should have known it was going to be elaborate, yet she still stood a few feet away from it in awe.
Finally drinking in the mirror, she mustered up the courage to actually look into it. She was no longer alone. Next to her, was a man that seemed to be about her age. He was holding her hand in the mirror, and he was beaming. There were also grown adults that were the perfect combination of each - she assumed they were the children she never had. When she looked at her mirror image, she looked content. She had no idea who the man was, she didn't recognize him.
She saw a sparkle and noticed the ring on her finger.
She held back a sob, fingering the emerald and diamond ring she wore. Memories came rushing back to her to the point it became overwhelming.
How could she not have remembered her own fiance?
It had been years ago, and she had vowed never to love again. She had buried those memories deep, but it was painfully obvious that she still yearned for the life she had believed she was destined for.
His name was Desmond Naracott, and the day he was killed by Grindelwald wannabe followers was the day she died, too.
They had been young and very much in love. He had been a year older than her, but that didn't stop him from proposing to her in her final year of school. They had dated throughout their years at Hogwarts and were considered the perfect couple. Des was able to get Minerva to relax and live a little, and she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She would have been perfectly happy staying home, raising their children, and be the perfect wife for him.
He was the only one that she allowed to call her Minnie. When the Marauders were in school, it pained her to no end when Sirius Black arrogantly called her that. If he only knew.
It was only a month after she graduated that it all came crashing down. They had been planning their wedding together during school holidays and once she graduated. She had been the happiest woman ever. She thought, grimly, that was the only time she had ever been happy.
She remembered that morning, when she received an owl bearing the dreadful news. The love of her life had somehow been at the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up getting killed by some kids that were too young to be even considering using an Unforgivable.
They had been sent to Azkaban, but that didn't help the way her heart felt hollow. She applied for the position of Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts shortly after his death. She needed something she could channel all of her efforts into and she never looked back.
This was her greatest desire, one she knew would never come true. Staring at her long dead fiance and non-existent children, she felt her control slipping. Minerva McGonagall, a woman of strength, collapsed onto the floor in uncontrollable sobs.
A.N: So, didn't plan this on becoming so angsty, but I always wondered why she never got married, and this came up. I hope I did her justice with this challenge.