Voldemort was now dueling McGonagall, Slughorn, Kingsley all at once, and there was cold hatred in his face as they wove and ducked around him, unable to finish him -
Bellatrix was still fighting too, fifty yards away from Voldemort and like her master she dueled three at once: Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, all battling t heir hardest but Bellatrix was equal to them, and Harry's attention was diverted as a Killing Curse shot so close to Hermione that she missed death by an inch - He changed course, running at Bellatrix rather than Voldemort but before he had gone a few steps he was knocked sideways.
"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"
McGonagall had come flying from where she'd been dueling Voldemort and thrown Harry out of the way. There was a brief pause in the battle where everyone stared wide-eyed at the normally composed Professor. Harry couldn't tell what they were more shocked by: The Professor claiming Hermione as her own or the curse that flew from the esteemed woman's mouth so easily and with such hatred.
Bellatrix roared with laughter at the sight of her new challenger, the woman was old, she would fall easily.
"OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted Minerva to the three girls and with a swipe of her wand she began to duel. Harry watched with terror and elation as Minerva McGonagall's wand slashed and twirled, Bellatrix's smile faltered and became a snarl. Jets of lights flew from both wands, the floor became hot and cracked; both women were fighting to kill.
"No!" Professor McGonagall cried as a few students ran forward, trying to come to her aid. "Get back! Get back! She is mine!"
Hundreds of people now lined the walls, watching the two fights, Voldemort and his three opponents (Molly Weasley had taken Minerva's place), Bellatrix and Minerva, and Harry stood, invisible, torn between both, wanting to attack and yet to protect, unable to be sure that he would not hit the innocent.
"What will happen to your Gryffindors when I've killed you?" taunted Bellatrix as mad as her master, capering as Minerva's curses danced around her. "When Minnie's gone the same way as Freddie, Sirius, Jamesy, Lily, Loopy Lupin, and Nymphie?"
"You—will—never—touch—our—students—again!" screamed Minerva.
Bellatrix laughed, the same exhilarated laugh as her cousin Sirius had given as he toppled backward through the veil, and suddenly Harry knew what was going to happen before it did.
Minerva's curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart.
Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge: For the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she topped, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed.
Several hours later, the war was over, Harry had dueled an won. Everyone was happy, or well, almost everyone. Minerva excused herself from the feast they were having and dropped the napkin onto the table, slipping out of the Hall as quietly and quickly as she could.
"Professor." Hermione called, having followed the woman. There was no response.
"PROFESSOR!" She practically screamed, desperate to talk to the woman about what had occurred during the final minutes before Voldemort's ultimate defeat.
"MINERVA BLOODY MCGONAGALL!" The young woman tried again and was yet again rewarded with silence.
"MINNIE MCG!" Bloody hell, Hermione thought. She was running out of names. Suddenly, she hesitated, knowing a name that could be useful…taking a deep breath she let out a soft yet loud call to the woman who was still walking briskly in the opposite direction. "Mum!"
The Transfigurations Professor stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned to face her charge, her expression unreadable.
"What did you call me?" The Scottish woman asked softly.
"I-well, I'm not going to bloody apologize for it because I think of you as it but I called you my…Mum." Hermione said softly and suddenly she was swept into a tight hug by her Head of House.
"I am sorry for the scene I caused in the hall….I thought I had lost you and you have always been…special to me."
"I'm proud that you would think of me as your daughter. Besides, did you see Ron's face?" Hermione giggled, surprisingly light hearted even though she had suffered the loss of so many people in the past year. "You could just say it…you were afraid of losing me because…"
"Say what?"
"That you love me." Hermione said softly, looking up at the woman she'd always idolized. "It's okay, I…I love you like my Mum. I-love-you." Hermione tested the words on her tongue and found that it felt right to say them to the woman she was still hugging.
"I do love you, like my own daughter."
"I am your own daughter."
Hermione had never seen the woman smile so widely and it made her feel warmth swelling through her to know that the smile was because of her. "Now, let's get back to the celebration." She pulled the woman through the doors and back into the chaos that was a feast…well, more of a party.
Mother and daughter had never been happier.
****Author's Note****
Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters or any such material affiliated with it.
Anyway, just a little one shot inspired by...boredom, I suppose. There are lines taken directly from Deathly Hallows Part 7 and then there are lines where I changed words in them but they're kinda the same. It's my twist on it.
Until next time,
~C.E.S.