Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me and there are lots of other stories that are probably similar.
A/N: I love reading baby Harry stories and when I ran out of them to read, I decided to try the stories myself. I must say I still prefer reading them :) My favorite character is Minerva McGonagall and I honestly believe that she is a warm hearted woman with a soft side that she shows to only certain individuals.
Chapter 1
"MAMA!"
The cry of an upset infant pierced through the silent night. No less than a minute later, an elderly woman was by the infant's side, gently picking him up and affectionately cradling him in her arms, soothing his cries of distress.
This was not the first time tonight that the child has called his new caregiver to his side. Ever since Minerva McGonagall laid the babe in his crib earlier that evening, the infant had woken up crying for his mother every few hours. Although the child was just over a year old, he somehow knew that the bed that he slept in was new, as was his current surroundings. Confused and scared, he cried for a familiar face, a reassuring voice that he had heard so many times before and yet now refused to answer him. Instead, there was a new voice. One that was different from his "mama" and yet carried the same underlying love and comfort that he was used to. It will take some time for the child to grow accustomed to this new voice, but he will eventually learn to accept and even grow to love the stern deputy headmistress of Hogwarts.
As sleep and tiredness won over fear and unrest, Harry's cries dampened until they became rhythmic waves of deep breaths. Minerva then carefully placed the sleeping child back into his crib and covered him with a soft blue blanket.
She ventured that this would not be the last time the child would wake tonight. So instead of going to her own bed in the next room, she returned to her previous position in a comfortable chair and propped her feet up on an ottoman. A little soreness in the morning is a small price for the comfort she would provide for the little boy who is struggling through his first night at Hogwarts.
It would be easier on herself to just move Harry's cot next to her own bed but she knew that the more Harry grew accustomed to his surroundings, the easier the transition it will be for him. The child needed stability, and Minerva was not going to shift the child from room to room just so she could sleep more comfortably herself; especially not after all the boy had to go through for the past forty-eight hours.
As she closed her eyes and snuggled under a warm blanket in her chair, she couldn't help but think how different things had been just two nights ago; Who-who-must-not-be-named was as powerful as ever and the Potters were in hiding but Harry was happily living with both his parents.
When the attack at Godric's Hallow happened, Minerva was among the first wave of people to find out. That was one of the advantages of being in the Order and working beside who some would consider the most powerful wizard alive; she was always informed of Albus Dumbledore's whereabouts and thus was aware of events in the Wizarding world.
She had barely enough time to overcome her shock of learning of the Potter's death when she heard rumors that the child, Harry, had not only miraculously survived a killing curse from He-who-must-not-be-named, but somehow reflected the curse back onto the caster. She quickly apparated to the address that Albus had left for her earlier to learn the truth to the rumors.
She was shocked to discover that Albus wanted to leave the boy with his muggle relatives as she had seen first hand how horrible they were. Although Harry was unrelated to her by blood, she had known his parents for half of their lives, first as students and later as colleagues in the Order. She was fond of Lily Evans Potter for her intelligence and was often amused by James Potter's pranks, although she would venomously deny it if ever confronted.
Despite her many arguments for him to reconsider, the Headmaster remained adamant with his decision to leave the boy with his relatives. Minerva disagreed with the arrangement but trusted the Headmaster enough to respect his decisions. In return, Albus promised her that he will personally keep an eye on the boy while he was under the care of his relatives and remove him immediately if he felt that the child would be harmed in any way.
Surely, after twenty-four hours of being ignored and crying himself red and hoarse, Harry was personally placed in Minerva's arm by Albus Dumbledore himself. Even as determined as he was to leave the boy with his relatives, Albus could see how easily the boy would become ill and neglected if left under the care of his relatives.
Thus, Harry Potter became the newest and youngest resident at Hogwarts under the care of Minerva McGonagall. Everything seemed to return to normal in the wizarding world as people celebrated the downfall of He-who-must-not-be-named. The whole wizarding community was given two weeks break to reunite with families and try to resume the peaceful lives that they lived before Voldemort.