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Upside Down
Minerva McGonagall in Charge
It was the summer after Albus Dumbledore's death and the Order of the Phoenix was still fighting against Lord Voldemort and his many minions. Minerva McGonagall had taken control of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as well as the Order of the Phoenix like Albus had wanted. In his will, he had stipulated that she was to gain control of Hogwarts and the Order because he felt she was the only one capable of running them efficiently.
Minerva had immediately improved the protection spells surrounding Hogwarts with the help of the few Aurors that just happened to be members of the Order. She had argued with the School Governors and the Ministry of Magic until she managed to keep Hogwarts opened. They had initially wanted to close it due to the lack of safety but she had insisted it was just as safe as anywhere else in the Magical Community. The School Governors had reluctantly allowed it to remain open but with some restrictions.
The Order of the Phoenix had thrived under the control of Minerva McGonagall. She had organized secret surveillance of speculated Death Eaters then immediately informed the Aurors when they found something to incriminate them and sentenced to Azkaban. Her plans had seen the capture of nearly twenty Death Eaters and prevented them so they could not help the Dark Side in the war. It was her goal to weed out Voldemort's minions one by one so that there would be less chance for the Dark Side to win.
Minerva had also arranged to remove Harry Potter from his Uncle and Aunt's house just after three weeks of arriving there. She had insisted that he stayed at the Order's Headquarters, choosing to ignore all the complaints from the Weasleys. She loved the whole lot of them but she had to place Harry's safety above their demands for his comfort.
Presently, she was conducting an Order meeting with all members there. They were speculating on the surprising calm that had swept throughout the Magical World in the last month. There had been no reports of Death Eaters terrorizing anyone and it appeared as if the Dark Side was plotting something that needed all of its members to accomplish. There was no other explanation!
Just as the meeting was getting productive, the flames in the fireplace danced to life with bright green flames. A disheveled Narcissa Malfoy stepped out of the fireplace clinging to a bundled child. She scanned the room until she found Minerva and immediately strolled to her. The Order members stared at her curiously while clutching to their wands just in case she tried something and wondering how it was possible to enter the house with all the security measures on it. "What do you want," yelled one of the Aurors on the far side of the room.
She glanced around the room nervously, noting all of the hostile glances she was receiving, before focusing her attention on Minerva McGonagall. She stilled her quivering body before sadly saying, "I overheard Lucius and Voldemort conversing this morning. It appears as if you personally have upset him and he wanted to send you a message. He planned to attack your sister and her family today. I tried my best to warn Aphrodite about his plans but I arrived too late. I only managed to save the youngest child."
Minerva had paled tremendously as she listened to the woman standing before her. She looked down at the bundled child and with a shaky hand pulled back the blanket some. She cried out when she saw the curly raven haired girl with tears welling up in her eyes. She reached out to the child and gave a small smile when the girl launched herself in her arms. "Auntie M," she mumbled before burying her face in Minerva's robes and sobbed.
"Yes Athena, Auntie M is here now," she cooed as she rubbed the girl's back soothingly. She gazed up to the woman who had rescued her niece. "Why would you risk yourself to warn Aphrodite?"
Narcissa gave a sad smile before answering, "She was the nicest person I ever met in my life, she helped me when I needed it most and I wanted to return the favor. I'm just sorry I did not reach her in time."
"John and the boys," Minerva asked brokenly.
"They were already dead when I arrived," she answered with her eyes downcast.
"Thank you," Minerva whispered.
"Don't thank me," the pale blonde replied then added, "Just defeat Voldemort."
"Your own husband is a Death Eater, why would you want us to defeat Voldemort," Moody asked bewildered.
"Lucius may be my husband but it does not mean I share his views. Voldemort is a cruel monster and needs to be destroyed for the good of the Magical World. Hopefully Lucius will be destroyed along with him," she said truthfully then added, The Ministry of Magic has been notified so you should expect a visit from them soon." She disappeared with a pop leaving everyone gaping at an empty spot.