Author's note: Just a little background information about this story. It takes place during and after DH beginning sometime before the final battle. It's not exactly cannon I changed Minerva's age placing her about at the age of Severus, for some reason I have always seen her as a younger woman than she was in the movies. The idea for this story came to me while I was in Germany this summer and I have been adding to it ever since and I have also begun a prequel which I may publish sometime in the near future. This is also my first fan fiction so hopefully its not too bad. I hope you enjoy what I have so far.

Disclaimer: Everything in Harry Potter belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling, sadly I do not own anything other than Katherine McGonagall

It had been almost a year since he, her beloved had betrayed them, and he had shown his true allegiance to He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named, he had fooled them all. Then he had done the dreadful deed and killed Dumbledore, her beloved husband Severus Snape was on the other side now. Though she hated to say it she missed him. Getting up every morning in their bed, looking at his empty spot on the bed and missing him. After the betrayal he had left Minerva and their daughter Katherine. Eventually You-Know-Who had made him headmaster so he could loom over the school and do as he pleased. From that point on it had been as if Severus and Minerva didn't know each other. From the time the death eater's had taken over Minerva was always on her toes, she would not allow her secret marriage to be discovered for any reason. Her biggest concern was her daughter, Katie; she would not allow anything to happen to her precious little gift from God.

Wearily Minerva woke up from a restless sleep, ever since that night on the tower she had not been able to get a restful sleep. Looking over at Severus's side of the bed sadly. The man she thought she had known, the one she had been secretly married to for twenty-three marvelous years. She had known him to be a kind, gentle, loving man who would never truly be mean. Someone she had thought she had known so well but had really known so little about. She knew she was wasting her time thinking about him; so wearily she got up and changed from her green nightgown in to one of her black dresses, and put on her emerald green robes. Even in these dark times she had to keep up a pleasant appearance not just for the students but for her daughter as well.

After quietly checking in on her daughter's room to be sure she was still there and safe and sound, Minerva quickly made her a small breakfast and hurried off to the Great Hall. If one of the deatheaters noticed that she was even a little bit late to breakfast, she would be under immense suspicion, and would be punished by some brutal method, she had seen it done to many of her colleagues before, for Katie's sake she did not want it to happen to her. If she were injured badly or made unable to work she would not be able to take care of her daughter. Thinking of that Minerva hastened her pace and made it to the Great Hall in record time. Slowing down she straightened her self out outside the door and caught her breath. Gracefully she straightened up and took her place at the staff table and started with breakfast. She purposefully looked away from the Headmaster's spot, looking at him hurt too much, even more so than thinking about him.

As she was eating her breakfast she didn't notice the Headmaster gazing at her, just for a moment with a look of pain in his eyes. His beloved wife was sitting just over there if only she knew that he was working under Dumbledore's orders and that he hadn't been on the dark side. How he wished he could tell her but she would be in extreme danger if she knew his secret. He could not allow her to be harmed, even if it meant not being able to be with her. It was for her safety that, he, could not tell her the truth, it was better for everyone. Even if it meant seeing her with another man, so long as she was safe and happy that was all that was important. He truly missed his wife and his daughter very much, and felt so much pain in not being able to spend time with them, or be there for them every day. He felt like the worst father imaginable, unable to spend anytime with his family for their safety if Voldermort found out about his daughter he would surely find some way to use her against him. He would torture her to make sure he did his bidding, he wouldn't be able stand something like that. Likewise if Voldermort found out about Minerva he would torture her in front of him, it would cause her to completely break down.

Voldermort had always had an, infatuation with Minerva, sort of a schoolboy crush, but more like lust than anything else. He didn't love her he wanted her power, he wanted a beautiful great trophy at his side, someone he could use and not love. His love and infatuation of power drove him after Minerva constantly. Severus knew all of this from reading his mind, Severus was much more skilled in legilimens than Voldermort knew and he would like too keep it that way. If Voldermort knew that his "right hand man" was even involved with Minerva he would be furious. He would force Severus to watch as he did all of those horrible to her. Severus knew he could not allow any of this to happen so he had to keep the secret, it was imperative. To protect his family he had to do what was right even if it caused them some pain it was nothing compared to what would happen to them if they knew.

The school day was about ¾ of the way over and Minerva sat at her desk during her advanced Transfiguration class waiting for 4:00 when class got out. It was her last class of the day, she wanted to go back to her chambers and spend some time with her daughter, she always worried about Katie, especially having to leave her all alone all day hidden in her quarters to protect her, and keep her out of sight from the deatheaters and even Severus, the girl's father. Minerva's thoughts were interrupted by a tapping on the window by her desk, looking over she found an owl tapping on the glass. Quickly she opened the window and allowed the bird to come in. After taking the message from the bird she gave it a piece of toast left over from her break that she had been unable to eat, and then sent it on its way. Looking at the envelope she could tell that it had not been tampered with by the deatheaters, it had come directly to her. It was either from someone whom they trusted very much, or someone that was extremely clever, or both.

She was about to open the envelope when she noticed a little note on the outside, that instructed her not to open it until she was in private. So instead she put the envelope inside of her inner robes and went on with her work. She had only fifteen minutes left until class was out, she supposed she could wait that long to read the letter.

Not five minutes after class was over Minerva readied herself and went back to her chambers, (luckily she did not meet any deatheaters on her way there.) She entered them quietly and began her search for Katie. Quietly she peered in to the library. Ah there was her daughter nose deep in a book reading, she should have known. Minerva decided not to disturb her at the moment and opted rather to go to her bedchambers and read the mysterious letter she had received during last hour. As she opened the letter she immediately recognized the graceful script it was written in, it was from Severus!

Minerva, I would kindly like to request your presence in my office tonight at 8:00. I have some pressing and personal matters to discuss with you, and some additional matters for the end of this term and the beginning of next.

-Severus