Disclaimer: I don't own it, have never owned it and probably never will, unless I suddenly find a way to make millions and then buy HP off JKR, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.
A/N: A little germ of an idea that wiggled it's way into my brain and went into hibernation, refusing to move until I wrote it, so here I am. I did toy with idea of erasing Harry's memory of this, but didn't in the end. Was I right?
I am also so bored, and am supposed to be researching a Historic item, but haven't quite got there yet. Usually this is a good day, but it's a bit quiet for my taste today. Boredom is good for writing but not for school. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and please do leave me a word or some in a review; I love hearing what you think! You're great! Hope to hear from you soon!
Summary: Harry will find out something that he never knew before, about two of the few people he thought he knew.
A Secret Conversation
Harry skulked along one of the corridors, biting his lips and hunching his shoulders to stop the Invisibility cloak from sliding off him. It was close to midnight, and the dark flooding in from the windows was beginning to convince him that he should be heading back to the Gryffindor common room when he heard to low voices just up head. He was just wondering which classroom he should take cover in, when the owners of those two voices came around the corner and he had to press himself sharply against the wall to keep from being bumped into. Hoping the two would just walk by, he kept his breathing low and his back fresh against the cold stone.
He was convinced by now that tonight was not his night. He had slipped out of the common room to try out his invisibility cloak for the first time, since it had been lying in his trunk since Christmas when he had received it. However since stepping out of the Portrait hole, he had not managed to catch a break! He had nearly ran into Snape, quite literally, and was only by a very lucky coincidence that he managed to get away. It had appeared it was Madame Hooch's night to patrol as well and she had distracted Snape in a rather amusing fashion while Harry got away. Some of the insults Snape had muttered back at her even Harry had not heard! But it was worth it to see Snape blush, Harry thought.
Now he was caught in a corridor with the Headmaster and his Deputy, the only to people he didn't want to run into (besides Snape, but who would be unlucky enough to do that twice in one night?). "I really do need more practise at this sneaking about lark." Harry thought to himself as he waited with baited breath for the two professors to pass. But it seemed luck, which had already forsaken him once tonight, had given up on him altogether now. They stopped, just opposite him; far away enough that they wouldn't bump into him, but so if he moved in any way, they would know he was there. He wasn't sure Dumbledore didn't already; he had seen his eyes flicker his way very briefly before returning to his friend. Harry ground his teeth and hoped his muscles wouldn't cramp, while also hoping they would come to their senses and take their discussion elsewhere, rather than this drafty corridor.
Harry had been trying not to listen to what they were talking about, that was something Malfoy would do, but when he heard his name come up, any thought of eavesdropping was driven from his head, and he leant an ear to the talk, wondering whether he was always discussed this way. McGonagall seemed agitated and his face took on a curious expression as she folded her hands together anxiously, something he had only ever seen her do at Quidditch games. Dumbledore looked as serene as ever, and this seemed to only irritate his Transfiguration professor, and as Harry knew, when her temper was high, you better watch out, but the Headmaster didn't seem to realise this.
"Albus, how could you give Harry that cloak? You know what trouble James and Sirius got up to with it, what do you think his son will do? And with a Weasley in the mix as well, I'll be surprised if the castle is still standing by the end of the year! You know Fred and George managed to decimate the Filch's cleaning cupboard last week, and their excuse? "Filch told us to tidy it, Professor." I had to give them another week's worth of detention for doing the detention they were already serving! I ask you Albus, why would you willing give it to him?" McGonagall's voice was shrill, a sure sign she was in the middle of what promised to be a very long rant, a sign to head for the nearest escape route, but Dumbledore merely smiled at her and laughed. Harry raised an eyebrow at that, he didn't think even Dumbledore was that crazy.
"My dear Professor, I seem to remember even you having to contain a laugh at some of the Marauder's more spectacular tricks. How about the time when James and Sirius showed up for one of their exams in third year with boils all over them, soaking wet, claiming the Giant Squid had eaten them? I saw your mouth twitch then." Albus replied cheerfully, wagging an annoying but knowing finger in his Deputy's direction. She looked uncomfortable for a brief second before raising an eyebrow and retorting in a voice even Harry could tell was slightly amused,
"I also remember having to assure several of the first and second years for months afterwards that the Giant Squid was in fact harmless and it was a more imaginative story on the Marauder's account. Poor things, they were all terrified to go near the lake for ages. The number of times I'd suggest a walk to the lake and they'd flinch, it was slightly entertaining to begin with but quickly got very irritating." Her tone had softened, to something between amused and exasperated. Harry was a bit confused, but continued to listen. He was sure these Marauders were something to do with his father, and even if they weren't, they sounded brilliant. Albus had chuckled in answer, but Minerva had realised he had gotten her off topic, and was beginning a new tact. Controlled calm. Harry grinned as he imagined how long that would last.
"So I suppose there was purpose behind your ridiculous decision then?" She questioned, her face regaining it's usual stern veneer. Harry observed Albus was about to answer, when suddenly he seemed more wary, his eyes resting on his Deputy's face with what even Harry could tell was apprehension. The second of hesitation was enough to tell McGonagall everything she needed to know. Harry watched in horror as her face darkened, and if her wand had been in her hand, Harry was sure it would have been sparking.
"You want him to use it, don't you?" Her voice was deadly low, daring and venomous. One that Harry couldn't withhold a wince at, and nor, it seems, could Dumbledore. He actually took a step backwards. Minerva's eyes flashed over him, even in the dark Harry could see them glowing, much like her cat counterpart, with a violent emerald green. Dumbledore did his best to shake his head, without letting his eyes leave her, just in case. "You actually want him to wander around the school at night, probably by himself, with goodness knows what able to get at him? What if something happens to him Albus? I promised Lily I would keep him safe, and I've done very little of that since he was handed over to the Dursleys by you!" Minerva was getting very emotional, that Harry could see, but he wasn't sure anymore if it truly was about Albus giving him the Invisibility cloak.
"But Minerva, you were there as well, and I explained to you then why it had to be done." Harry's ears perked up at this. McGonagall had been there when he had been given over to those people? Why? And why had she promised his mother to look after him? Had they been close? The questions whizzed around his mind, without any answers. He watched the two professors as they stared at each other, fighting without words over whether they had done the right thing or not. Eventually, Minerva sighed and stepped forward, into Dumbledore's arms, which he had opened to her a second before hand. It seemed they had had this conversation before, and Harry wished he were not witness to this one. It was clearly not meant for his ears.
"Albus, he looks so much like James." She whispered wonderingly, from her place on Albus' chest, and he looked down at her, brushing his beard away from her face. "Sometimes if I look up and just glance at him, I really do think it is James, come back to play a prank on me. And then I look properly, and I realise it's Harry, and all at once, I can't bear to look at him because I care about him so much, for his sake and for his parent's sake. I'm afraid he'll see and think less of me." Harry felt as though he couldn't swallow. He hadn't realised that Minerva cared so deeply for him, almost like a mother.
If Harry had been able to look at anything but the crumpled witch he had thought he knew, clinging to her friend with sheer desperation and suppressing tears of an old grief, he would have seen Dumbledore's eyes flick towards him briefly again before he replied in a louder voice which invited the listener to join the conversation, though he wasn't sure until Albus looked directly at him again,
"I don't think Harry would think less of you at all." The two wizard's eyes met and Albus added, "Would you Harry?" The boy started, audibly, and Minerva's head jerked away from Albus to look in the direction the sound had come from. Dumbledore nodded encouragingly, and Harry emerged from the shadows, sliding off the cloak and slinging it over his arm. McGonagall went to draw away from the Headmaster, but his arms remained securely around her, holding her to him. Harry, unsure exactly what to do, now he had been caught, stood and waited. Albus raised an eyebrow at him and Minerva's mouth was getting a little too thin for Harry's liking, but when Albus flicked his eyes at the woman in his arms, Harry realised Dumbledore did actually want him to answer.
"Professor, I wouldn't think less of you. I… I would think more of you. I don't often get told about my parents, or looked after, except by Hermione of course, so it would be nice if… well, you showed that side of you I suppose." Harry stammered, glowing as red as his Gryffindor bed hangings but determined to say what he meant and was encouraged to see Dumbledore nodding, smiling at him with that twinkle in his eye. Professor McGonagall's expression flickered briefly, not long enough for Harry to know what she was thinking, before she detached herself from Albus' arms and made her way to Harry, who was feeling somewhat nervous.
"Harry, I can safely say well done. You are the first student to ever ask that of me, which shows the real spirit which I knew you had. And my dear boy, if you want to know about your parents, all you have to do is ask. The pranks I could tell you, honestly, some of them I wish I could forget!" Her tone wavered only slightly over the 'dear boy' but Harry knew she meant it. He grinned up at her and he saw a glimpse of a shining tear in her eye before she swamped him in a hug that was delicate but at the same time, warming. Like he imagined a real family member would enfold him in their arms. He lifted his own and slid them around her neck, hugging her back, feeling only a bit awkward but more welcomed than anything.
Albus watched for a few seconds, smiling sadly, before going over an placing an arm around them both of them, wishing he could do something to heal both of the people he cared most about in the world. They were both… damaged. Minerva by grief, which perhaps was a problem he could help her move past, but Harry lacked parents, and that was something he could do nothing about except try to fill the hole in other ways, however inadequately. He himself had grieved for the loss both of them had suffered, though not as deeply as Minerva had done. After all, she had been closer to the two than he had, just as she was to all of her students.
Harry knew McGonagall was not the type to cry, perhaps she had been through so much grief that she had no use for tears any more, but he knew that he could feel wet patches through his hair from where her head hovered over his, having dropped a kiss on his hair moments before, and there was a hand rubbing his back in a comforting way that he though perhaps was Albus' while Minerva's hands rested gently on his shoulders, her arms curling around his back. Harry realised this is probably what is felt like to be hugged by parents, real parents who would love you always and he found comfort in that. He hadn't consciously realised how much he missed that love, but he certainly would now.
A few tears welled up then, in both pairs of green eyes, for the chance to be loved. To be loved unconditionally, without reason or rationality. Harry felt both pairs of arms tighten around him and he pressed himself closer to both, wanting to be held and comforted, wanting to be the little boy he had never had the chance to be. They all knew how cruel the world could be, and they had felt the effects of that cruelty, but in that cold, draughty corridor, in the embrace of people the most dear to them, they found solace in the knowledge that love could help them and warmth filled the air.
Eventually, they gently pulled apart from one another and together, decided to walk back to their rooms, taking a detour to Gryffindor tower so they could walk Harry back safely and arm in arm, they strode together, leaving the one place they would ever feel truly comforted behind. On the way, Harry was treated to a severe lecture on the proper use of Invisibility cloaks from both of the two adults, and was also given a few details about a few of the less wild pranks, which had him struggling not to laugh to loudly in the silent castle and even Minerva cracked into a smile at one point, which Albus teased her mercilessly about, of course.
Harry had to laugh when they got to the portrait hole and Albus actually poked the Fat Lady out of her "very nice" dream so they could get inside. McGonagall had insisted on walking him in, to make sure he did go to bed and not go for another nighttime wander. It was sweet, he thought, but unnecessary. He was tired now, he'd felt so much tonight he was worn out and was looking forward to sliding beneath his sheets. It was also quite funny to see Dumbledore try to clamber through the portrait hole, and then fall out of the other side into the Common Room, grumbling about the thing growing smaller, only to have Minerva remark it was unlikely, seeing as how it was stone.
They took Harry upstairs, climbing the stairs with more energy than he could muster and opening to door to his Dormitory silently. He observed sleepily that they must have had practise but didn't ask, as his mind was growing a little fuzzy. Maybe he would ask some other time, for he was sure there would be another. They waited by the window as he shrugged off his jacket and stowed his cloak in his trunk, then approached as he finally got into bed. Minerva stood closest to his head, a hand ruffling his hair a little and gently tracing the scar on his forehead, but Harry didn't mind. For now, he was a normal child, being put to bed by caring relatives.
Albus sat on the end of the bed, smoothing out the covers, and watching the two with glowing eyes, half glad and half sad, and a half smile hovering around his mouth that Harry returned before laying back his head on his pillow, which seemed ever so soft and deep. Minerva smiled down at him and brushed a hand down his cheek, her eyes telling him to sleep but he was reluctant to lose this moment of complete calm and love. Albus seemed to sense this, and whispered quietly, so as not to wake the other boys,
"We will always be here, Harry. You will never be alone." Harry nodded, and let the sleep hovering around the edges of his mind take him away to a land of dreams where his parents were waiting for him with open arms. As his breathing evened out, Minerva brushed his hair away from his eyes once more before drawing away, hand on her mouth and tears glistening in her eyes once more. The unfairness of the situation was crashing down on her, and Albus got up slowly, not to wake Harry, before taking his friend in his arms again, running his hand over her hair and kissing the top of her head.
"Albus, I won't let him walk alone again. I won't!" Minerva muttered against his chest, gathering handfuls of his robes in her fists, shaking her head and burying her face in him. Suddenly, she seemed very small, and vulnerable. Albus, who at one time might have been uncomfortable, being this close to her in front of so many potential witnesses, just held her. He watched her succumb to tears in his arms, and just let her cry, hoping the ache in his stomach and throat would allow him to say something, what he did not quite know yet.
"I'm not asking you to Minerva. You were wonderful with him tonight, I could see in his eyes he felt loved for the first time in years. You will never cease to amaze me my dear." He could feel her blush spreading across her cheeks but her tears dried a little. She drew her head away slowly, and looked up at him with shining eyes. He could see how grateful, how glad she was that she had done some good, she discounted the good she did every day as duty but tonight had been good for all three of them.
"If I've done something for him, I shall be happy." Her voice was honest, frank even, and he nodded at her, assuring her she had done much for the boy laying in his bed only a few feet away, who happened to have a smile resting on his face as both their gazes flicked over to him, which was reflected on theirs. Then Minerva turned back to her friend with a raised eyebrow. "Have I told you I love you today?" She asked in a gentle whisper, smiling sweetly. Albus paused to think, his eyes twinkling merrily.
"I'll hear it again if you have." His voice bounced with amusement. The warmth surrounding them intensified and her eyes flickered over his face, endeavouring it seemed to memorise every little detail before she leant up on tiptoes to whisper in his ear, her lips mere millimetres from his ear and her breath tickling the sensitive spot just behind it,
"I love you." His mouth tipped upwards at a steeper angle, and he turned to press his lips to her cheek, as he whisked them both back to his rooms for a night of quiet whispers and moans.