A/N: Welcome, Welcome! How are we all? Christmas is almost upon us (for those of us that celebrate it that is!) and as such, I'm rushed completely off my feet having a stupid full time job that I hate! Haha, anyway, enough whining! I thought perhaps you'd like to see the first chapter of the new story.

This follows on from Of New Lives, New Scars and Old Mischief Makers. You kinda need to know what happened in that, and the one before, Of Births and Deaths and Everything In Between. If you haven't read them, I can really recommend them you know. I hear they're alright! :P

Righto. As always, I send my love to my wonderful Beta Spin84 without whom I really don't think I would look this good! Hahahah, anyway. She's wonderful and I couldn't do this without her! Props to Spin!

EDIT: 8/01/12 I will explain more in chapter 2, but there is a tiny difference right at the end of this chapter. Chapter 2 to follow soon, I promise! :D

" Hello dears, how are you?" Molly asked when Harry and Minerva appeared at the edge of The Burrow's wards.

"Hello Molly, fine thank-you, how are you?" Minerva smiled at the other witch. She enjoyed Molly's company immensely when they had the time to chat, having spent quite a lot of time with her; especially once the Twins had started school.

"Can't complain dear. No-one is really up yet, but Arthur had to go to the Ministry so I have breakfast already cooking if you have the time?" Minerva nodded, feeling Harry leaning slightly against her. He was nervous about spending the night away from her, despite how ridiculous she knew that made him feel. They had not been apart since the day the bond formed and she had to agree that it played heavily on her mind too.

"Sit you down then." Molly said happily, humming as she bustled around the kitchen. Minerva smiled warmly at Harry when he walked back around the table to her side.

They ate the majority of their breakfast in silence before Molly made them each a cup of tea and then the two women talked quietly, Minerva only pausing now and again to make sure Harry was alright. The anxiety was coming off him in waves and she was quite sure that he would not want her to go.

"Morning." The twins said in unison as they arrived in the kitchen. "Morning Minnie."

"Boys," Molly warned sternly. Minerva gave them a disapproving stare while biting her cheek trying not to laugh. No matter how much trouble those boys got into at school, she appreciated their sense of humour and their generally brilliant nature.

"Good morning." She said with a nod once they were tucking into their breakfast.

"You excited –"

"about the world cup?" they said to Harry, finishing each other's sentences as they ate.

Harry just shrugged, unable to fight the overwhelming apprehension he was feeling, but he calmed instantly when Minerva took his hand.

"Don't worry Harry-"

"we'll keep you safe." They both said with a wink. Molly suddenly cottoned onto the fact that Harry had not said two words since they got there and immediately realised why.

"Oh Harry, you mustn't worry dear. Minerva will only be a fire call away." She said patting his shoulder.

Harry blushed and hung his head, completely ashamed of the attention he was receiving when he heard a door upstairs bang and two sets of quick footsteps could be heard on the stairs.

"Your secret's safe with us mate." Fred grinned as they left the kitchen as two excited girls flew into the room.

"Harry! Min!" Hermione called, throwing herself into Harry's arms as Ginny waved shyly at him from the stovetop.

"Hi Harry." She said with a smile. He just nodded at her awkwardly as Hermione tightened her arms around him.

"How are you?" Hermione asked excitedly. "I expect you feel a little discomforted , it'll be the first night away from each other won't it? Don't worry, I used to get terribly homesick when I went away, but if we keep you busy you will be fine." She said at a frantic pace making Minerva and Molly smile.

"Thanks, I guess." Harry said with a shrug.

"Come here young lady." Minerva said pulling Hermione into a hug on her knee. She laughed and hugged her professor back.

"Madainn mhath piseag [Good morning Kitten]." Minerva said kissing her favourite student's hair.

"Madainn mhath Minerva." Hermione whispered happily.

"Well I must get back, I am expected at Hogwarts."

"Professor McGonagall!" came a deep voice from behind them. Minerva spun around smiling broadly when she realised who it was.

"Bill Weasley, how are you young man?" she said happily, accepting the slightly awkward kiss on the cheek from her former student.

"I'm well, yourself?" he asked, taking in Hermione and Harry shadowing her and watching him warily. "I must say you are looking exceptionally well." He said staring at her momentarily.

"I am very well thank you. I expect your mother will explain this to you properly, but I would like you to meet Harry." She said pulling her son gently in front of her. "Harry, Bill Weasley, Bill, Harry Potter ."

Bill looked shocked for a moment before graciously shaking hands with the young man. "I hear you are an outstanding seeker?" Bill asked kindly. Harry just nodded and shuffled his feet, eased only slightly by Minerva's hand on his upper arm. "I reckon there might be something else to keep your focus this year." He said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Bill," Minerva warned slightly and he grinned before leaving to have his breakfast.

"What did he mean?" Hermione asked, watching the eldest Weasley child walk away. Minerva kept her lips pressed firmly together as they left the house, indicating that she was not going to say anything.

"Does it have something to do with school?" Harry asked quietly. They were getting closer and closer to the edge of the wards and although it made him feel utterly stupid, he didn't want her to leave.

He'd been wishing his whole life for someone like Minerva to come along and love him, to make up for all the times he watched his aunt hug his cousin and tell him that she loved him, even with that awfully sappy voice she used to use. Now that he had found her, he didn't really want to let her go. Minerva held onto his arm tightly as they walked.

"It does, but like I said before I am not allowed to tell you. I think though, that you will like it, once you get over the shock." Harry shrugged but remained quiet as they stopped just inside the boundary of The Burrow. Hermione gave the professor a hug before moving away a little to let mother and son have some privacy.

"It will be alright Harry." She whispered as she pulled him into her arms. "I am not going to the moon; I will only be at Hogwarts getting all of my paperwork done so that you and I can enjoy our first evening together when you get back to the castle." He nodded into her shoulder, but didn't unwrap his arms from around her.

"I don't want you to go." He whispered into her neck.

"You don't have to go to the Quidditch World Cup Final you know." She said with a smirk. "You could come to Hogwarts and go in the next eighty or ninety years, whenever it next returns to these shores." She glanced at Hermione who was trying not to giggle. Harry finally gave in and huffed his displeasure.

"Alright, alright." He said pulling back and holding up his hands in surrender. "I just-" he glanced at Hermione who was once again pretending not to listen. He thought about the words he wanted to say before looking sullenly at the ground. "Bidh mi 'gad ionndrainn [I'll miss you]." He murmured. Minerva smiled despite the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh mo mhac, na biodh fáitchios ort [Oh my son, don't be afraid]." She whispered into his hair when she pulled him back into her arms. "I will always be with you right here." She said gently, placing her hand over the scar on his chest. "I love you little one. I always have and I always will and if you need me, I just want you to think of me and nothing else and I'll hear you. I promise balachan [little boy]." Harry nodded but hugged her harder for a moment before standing back.

"Take care of him Hermione. Actually, what am I saying? Take care of each other. Please be careful when you go to the game." She said warily. Hermione nodded and hooked her arm in Harry's. "Tell Ronald I said hello and I will see you all when you get to Hogwarts. If I do not see you before the feast I expect you all in my quarters after." She said stroking Hermione's cheek and pressing a kiss against Harry's hair.

"Tha gaol agam ort [I love you]." She whispered, walking backwards out of the wards with a watery smile upon her face.

"Tha gaol agam ort-fhèin [I love you too]." Harry said sullenly as she shimmered slightly before turning on the spot and leaving them by themselves.

"You'll be fine Harry." Hermione said gently, pulling him back towards The Burrow. Harry smiled despite his unease as he saw Ron stuffing his face at the table.

"Hiya Harry." he mumbled in between his mouthfuls of food. "Excited?" he asked with a smile. Harry just nodded and nibbled on a bit of toast while they waited for Ron to finish his breakfast.

"Let's have a game of Quidditch." Fred suggested after Ron had suitably stuffed his face.

The match was good and acted as a great diversion for Harry. Bill and Charlie, who Harry met later, even joined in and soon they were flying around, laughing like loons for most of the day.

Hermione smiled as she watched them all in the air. She hated flying, not really liking the idea that there was only a rather narrow piece of wood between her and the ground. She would always be the one found on terra firma with a book while the other's practiced.

The day passed quickly for them and before the kids knew it they were being ushered up to bed early on account of their early start the next morning. Harry and Ron talked quietly for a while but before long Ron was snoring deeply, completely oblivious to the feelings of dread Harry was now allowing himself to feel.

"Màthair." He whispered as he fell asleep, no longer able to keep his eyes open.

Minerva had had a rather productive day, although Albus was still avoiding her and that worried her somewhat.

"Minerva, how were the holidays?" Poppy asked when she literally bumped into Minerva on her way to the kitchens for lunch.

"Hello Poppy. They were splendid, how were yours?" Poppy smiled and linked arms with her colleague and friend as they both wandered towards the ground floor, tickling the pear to gain entry before being rushed by a whole family of house elves.

"Fine, just fine." She said sitting opposite her friend and grinning at her.

"What?" Minerva asked when she realised what Poppy was doing. Poppy just laughed and shook her head.

"You look well." She said expectantly.

"Ah." Minerva said, suitably chastised. "I kept meaning to owl you, but with Harry over, then I had Hermione and Ron as well and I just didn't have time." Poppy smiled understandingly at Minerva and let the silence hold for a moment.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on?" she asked finally. Minerva shifted uncomfortably in her chair, realising that Poppy could not see the jewel she wore on her neck. It was a little bit sad that her friend would not be able to join them, but she knew that not everyone had the heart and soul needed for such an undertaking. Deciding that even a version of the truth would be better than an outright lie, Minerva took a deep breath.

"Well, it's a sort of result of the Màthairean Beannachd." She explained carefully. "The first few nights that we were home were fine, in fact I'd noticed a few changes during the time while we were getting to know each other last year. Then when I was on my way to get you-know-who so he could stay with us I had an accident, broke my leg and nearly got crushed by a rock slide." She should have known that would have Poppy in a tizzy.

"What? Who healed it, are you sure it set straight, which leg is it?" she asked, kneeling in front of Minerva.

"Poppy, please get up I'm fine." Minerva said rolling her eyes. "There was, well something happened. Harry suddenly apparated to my side and something else occurred." She said checking that the house elves were busy at work, and then pulled the neck of her robes down and showed her the new scar.

"Wow." Poppy said, studying it a little closer, leaning over the table and poking it with her wand.

"Oi!" Minerva said with a chuckle as she moved out of her reach. "Harry apparated out of the wards of the manor to my side and some sort of shield appeared around us, stopping any more rocks from falling on us. The break healed almost immediately and we gained these new scars. They stop us from sensing each other's feelings all the time, but we can still let each other know when we place our hands over them." She said absently, sending Harry a burst of love.

"That's incredible." Poppy said. "It suits you Minerva." She declared eventually as they enjoyed their lunch. Minerva looked at her quizzically.

"What does?" she said looking at her scar. Shaking her head, Poppy took her friends hand and squeezed it gently.

"Motherhood dear." Poppy said gently, making Minerva smile.

"I love it. I can't tell you how much I love that boy, even though I know in my head that he's not mine, I feel like he is, like I carried him for nine months and birthed him." She whispered tracing a groove in the table. "And I enjoy it, even the hard bits; even when he is upset I just love taking him in my arms and holding him." She blushed when she realised just how much she had revealed and how much she had changed even from last year, when the Professor McGonagall of old would never have opened up with her feelings that much.

"And how is Albus?" A dark look crossed Minerva's face and Poppy thought that maybe she should have left that topic alone.

"I wouldn't know." Minerva said sharply. Poppy winced at the tone she used, realising that perhaps her friend had not changed all that much since she had last seen her.

"What happened?" Poppy asked gently.

"I," Minerva sighed, "something happened over the holidays that I cannot tell you my friend, something which you cannot know." She said awkwardly, relieved to see that her friend wasn't as upset about the idea of secrets as she thought she might be, "we met someone, someone important and he and Albus talked for hours, then Albus came back here and I haven't heard from him since." She said sullenly, recalling the passion filled nights she had shared with him before he had spoken with Merlin.

"Maybe this person told him something that upset him, or that he didn't like. Maybe he's just working through it Min. You know what he's like, always thinking." Poppy said kindly as she stood from her seat. "I must go and talk to Severus about some potions he owes me, will you be alright here?" she asked looking at her friend thoughtfully.

"I will be fine." Minerva said taking a deep breath. "I shall go and finish the paperwork for the Tournament." She said with another eye roll. She knew the Tournament was supposed to bring the three schools together, but she didn't hold out much hope of that. Issues ran too deep, with too much history, and she particularly loathed Igor Karkaroff. She had known of him as a death eater and the thought made her lip curl into a sneer as she remembered how he had jumped ship as soon as Voldemort had disappeared.

"I don't know why we are even holding it." Poppy said crisply. "I will have no end of injuries to deal with, and no doubt there will be a spate of young girls coming to me in tears once those Durmstrang boys get here." She said shaking her head. Minerva nearly giggled until she remembered that Poppy's first time was a situation not dissimilar so she respectfully held her tongue.

"Well, we shall just have to keep an eye on them." Minerva said with a nod, taking her dishes to the sink and thanking the house elves.

"Yes, well." Poppy said with a sniff.

"I'll be off then; it is good to see you my friend." Poppy said giving Minerva a short hug. "I am very glad you are finally happy." She whispered, spying Albus walking around the corner. "Don't look now though, our esteemed Headmaster is walking towards us."

"Ah, Poppy, Minerva." Albus said somewhat awkwardly. The three stood looking at each other in silence until Poppy mumbled her apologies and left. "Minerva." Albus said quietly, conscious of the fact that the castle had ears.

"Headmaster." She replied sharply. Albus sighed and nodded, moving away again before anything else could be said. Minerva watched him go, completely agog with how absolutely ridiculous he was being. "Albus!" she called, frowning when he ignored her.

She grumbled all the way back to her rooms, sighing heavily while she finished her paperwork.

"What troubles you my child?" Isobel McGonagall said gently as she looked down on her only daughter from her portrait.

"Nothing Màthair." She said softly leaning back on her chair and looking up at the painting of her mother.

"Come now child, I know you, there is something bothering you." Minerva sighed and moved to the sofa in her office. "I miss Harry, and there is something going on with Albus. He is avoiding me and I don't know why." Isobel clicked her tongue, wishing that she could hold her daughter. It was the one thing she regretted in life, not giving her daughter as much love as she could, but she knew her daughter would not fail in the same way.

"My love, you need to take a moment to think about what is happening around you. Sweetheart, there is something that Albus is not telling you, something that perhaps he should but he will need to come around to that idea himself. You must not push him." She said soothingly. Minerva sighed dejectedly and curled up on the sofa, hugging a cushion to her chest. How she wished Harry was with her, and Hermione and Ron also. How she wished she could simply curl up with them and run her hands through Harry's hair, and doze while Hermione nuzzled into her shoulder and Ron stoically pretended not to hold her hand.

"Rest my child." Isobel said gently moving into another portrait to be closer to her daughter. "All will be well inghean [daughter]. Sleep now, cadal sàmhach [peaceful sleep] little one."

Minerva was lulled into sleep by her mother's soft, warm voice and the gentle heat from the fire. As she closed her eyes and felt her body relaxing she suddenly found herself standing in a hall not dissimilar from the room they had met Merlin in.

"Màthair!" She spun around to find Harry standing in his pyjamas looking as shocked as she felt before she found herself with both arms full of fourteen year old.

"Oof, careful Harry." She said gently as she held him to her. "Are you alright baby?" Harry just nodded and leaned against her chest finding comfort in her beating heart.

"Happy you're here." He said quietly.

"I'm fairly interested in where 'here' is." She said looking around. Harry peeped over her shoulder and gaped.

"Wow." He muttered, refusing to let go of her.

"Welcome my children." came a voice from behind them. They both spun around to see Merlin grinning at them cheekily.

"Where are we?" Minerva asked, pulling Harry back into her chest and wrapping her arms around him. The whole place made her nervous and she wasn't comfortable with having him wander off.

"You are in Harry's mind, he misses you terribly my child and his consciousness - through the form of your bond - has brought you here so he will settle." Harry was just thinking how nice it would be to lay on the couch with his mother when one magically appeared behind them.

"Whoa." Harry whispered.

"Indeed." Minerva agreed.

"You may stay as long as you are naturally asleep, however, if someone in your own realm were to try and wake you before your body is fully rested it will be very hard to wake you." Merlin explained carefully. "Aside from waking naturally when your body has recharged itself, you can only be woken by touch, something to anchor your body to that plane of existence so you can be drawn from your minds but until that happens it will be as if you are in a deep sleep."

Harry and Minerva both nodded their understanding before dropping onto the couch tiredly.

"Are you alright mo mhac [my son]?" Minerva asked as Merlin disappeared from view. Harry nodded and leaned against her with a yawn.

"I'm tired, and I had another nightmare just before I came here, but I think it had to do with something Mr Weasley said to me about a man named Mad-Eye. I dreamt that there was a room with a million eyes in it and all of them were following me."

Minerva chuckled and smoothed Harry's forehead.

"Alastor does indeed have a magical eye, but it not something to fear my boy. Maybe one day you'll meet him." She said gently, knowing from his calming emotions he was falling asleep. "I'll stay with you for a while then I want you to go back and get some proper rest mo mhac. I wouldn't want you to be grumpy for the Finals tomorrow, and I have no doubt that you will have to be up early."

"Yes Màthair." He replied sleepily, shifting only so he could lean his head better against her chest and wrap his arms around her. She chuckled and kissed his hair. It didn't matter where they were, only that they were together. She felt a slight pull in her mind as if something was happening back where her body was, but she dismissed it and cuddled Harry closer. Whatever it was, if they wanted to speak with her urgently they would have to wake her.

Albus sighed as he stood in front of Minerva's door. He knew he was treating her badly, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and stay with her forever, but what Merlin had told him was weighing heavily on his mind. He knew there were parts of it he could never share with Minerva, and some parts that he should, no would, share with her.

He raised his hand and knocked, knowing she was inside.

Nothing happened and his heart sank a little. He knew she was not beyond ignoring him back and he hoped with every inch of his soul that she wasn't so angry with him that she wouldn't even consent to see him.

He knocked again, a little louder and called out her name.

Frowning sadly when his calls went unanswered he turned from her door and left, his heart sinking further into sadness with every step he took away from her quarters.

It was very plausible he had just lost the love of his life.