Disclaimer: I do not own the reconizable characters. Property of J.K. Rowling, it is.
A/N: Hope you like this, I got a major plot bunny from an AD/MM Yahoo group message.
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'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. . .'
Minerva had the displeasure of having to stop reading due to the fact that a large brown tawny just flew into the study in which she was reading in. She removed the small envelope from the old owl and noticed the Hogwarts seal on the back of it. The owl hooted gleefully and flew out of the large second story window. Minerva turned her gaze from the airborne owl to the small beige envelope in her left hand. She noticed the indeed very purple of the ink at once as her former professor's.
Of course, you could call him more than her former professor. At least, you used to be able to, but now-now they became a little more distant, mostly to blame Minerva for. Yes, it was her fault that they didn't come in contact more often. She ran from him over eleven years ago. She was but a teenager at the time. Barely out of Hogwarts, just starting her Auror training. For, that's what she set out to do, before...
"Mum, look-look! This letter just came!"
"Come here. Let's have a look at it, shall we?"
The young girl of eleven sat on her mother's lap in a large over-stuffed armchair. "Mum, a big brown owl swooped through the window and dropped this in my lap! What is it? What is it?" said the girl excitedly.
"Let me see..." said Minerva teasingly. "Mmmm, an owl? As much as I want to believe that a big brown owl..." but she cut herself off as she saw the letter clutched in her daughter's small hand.
"Mum, what is it?" asked the girl as she saw the dread in her mother's eyes.
Minerva's heart skipped a beat: a Hogwarts letter. Did they know that Melissa was her daughter; surely not...they wouldn't have sent Minerva a letter if they did. "Go ahead and open it, Mel."
"Kay," she answered. She ripped the letter open and began to mutter things aloud. "'Hogwarts...Witchcraft and Wizardry...September 1st...Platform 9 3/4...Cauldron?' Didn't you go to Hogwarts, Mum?"
"Yes," she answered promptly.
"I can't believe this! I'm a witch! I didn't think...Wait! I didn't know that Hogwarts was for witches and wizards, I just thought it was some school that you used to go to...Does that mean...Why didn't you tell me?"
"I-I couldn't tell you. I just hoped that maybe the letter wouldn't come and that we could live our lives."
"'Live our lives'?" asked Melissa impatiently. "What do you mean? Why did you separate yourself from everyone? You must have had friends...?"
"Yes, I did...and it was tough leaving them, and leaving..."
"Leaving who?" asked Melissa.
"Leaving everyone. I had friends-best friends. The best anyone could ask for. I just got up and left one day without telling anyone where I was going or when I'd be back. I wasn't planning on going back."
"Why? Why weren't you going back?"
Minerva abruptly turned her head from her daughter. She stared at anything except her; it was too painful a thought. Melissa decided that she should drop the matter.
Minerva turned her gaze to the letter in hands. She decided that it couldn't hurt to read it. "Mel, go get ready for bed, would you, please?" she asked in a fashion unlike her own.
"Oh-Okay, Mum," she answered feebly.
After Melissa left the study, Minerva found her courage to open the envelope. The envelope in question had a faded look to it, almost...old. The deep purple lettering didn't make the letter look more normal; more...muggle-ish. But, nevertheless, she opened it.
'Dear, Miss Minerva McGonagall," it read. 'We would be very much obliged if you would become our new Transfiguration professor. Your record is very remarkable and we would be very privileged if you would join our staff for an evasive amount of time. Your answer is imperative to us. Please send us an answer by owl before August, the first.
Yours Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore'
'Albus,' she thought desperately. 'Albus, I miss you.'
"Come on, Mum, let's GO!" said Melissa enthusiastically.
"At least eat breakfast," wagered her mother.
"Fine," she moaned.
After fifteen minute's breakfast, Melissa stood next to her mother be the study fireplace. "Why are we waiting by the fireplace?" asked Melissa.
"Come on," said Minerva. "Take a handful of this powder," she said, sticking a small scarlet urn in front of her. "Throw it into the fire, now-carefully," she said as her daughter stuck her hand in a little further than expected. "Okay, now step into it-Watch your head. Speak clearly; Diagon Alley. Got it? I'll be right behind you."
"Okay," said Melissa nervously. "Diagon Alley!"
Minerva watched as her daughter flew through a swirl of green flame.
"Diagon Alley!"
"Wow!" she heard Melissa exclaim as she came into view in a store fireplace. Flourish and Blott's, actually.
"Come on, we've got to go to Gringotts," stated Minerva. "Gringotts, the wizard bank," she said, answering the unsaid question.
They walked out onto a bright street packed full of witches and wizards clad in robes from a bright acid green to a common black. A huge snowy-white building soon came into view.
"This," started Minerva. "is Gringotts."
"Wow!"
Minerva led the young girl inside the bank. "Minerva!?" came an exclamation from the other end of the wizard bank. "Minerva? Is that you?"
"Poppy!" exclaimed Minerva. "Poppy, it's so good to see you..."
"What are you doing here? I haven't seen you for a good eleven-almost twelve years. You've changed a lot!" she said quickly. "Who's this?" she asked, looking at Melissa.
"This is Melissa, Poppy..."
"Melissa? Huh? You never...Are you related?"
Melissa snorted.
"What was that for?" asked Poppy. "What's so funny?"
Minerva elbowed Melissa. "Ouch!"
"Am I missing something, here?" asked Poppy.
"No-No, not at all," answered Minerva.
"Wha-" started Melissa furiously. "Ouch!" she said as Minerva stepped on her foot.
"Well, whoever you are," started Poppy. "Better watch her temper, I see it's already impending..." Minerva gave her an icy glare. "My god!" exclaimed Poppy as something dawned on her. "Is she...How do you two know each other?"
"Er-" started Minerva.
"Because if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're watching a child from someone I know all too well," said Poppy.
"Yes," said Minerva as she stepped on her daughter's foot, yet again. "Yes, I'm watching someone's child."
"Yes, that's what I thought...but I didn't know he had any children...I mean, my god!..."
Realization dawned on Minerva quickly. Of course, last she heard, Albus was headmaster of Hogwarts and Poppy had become school nurse.
"She's the spinning image of-OUCH! What was that for?" shouted Poppy.
"Later," whispered Minerva.
Melissa was too intrigued in the bank and the goblins to realize that the two adults were talking.
"Why don't we meet back in Flourish and Blotts in...say an hour?" said Poppy.
"Okay," answered Minerva "See you then."
"Bye," said Poppy, walking out of the bank.
"Mum," said Melissa dreamily. "what are these things?"
"Those are goblins," answered Minerva.
"Wow! Goblins," she whispered...
The rest of the Gringotts trip seemed to go by in a haze. Next thing they knew, Minerva and Melissa were standing on the stone steps heading back toward Diagon Alley.
"Watch your step!" shouted Minerva as the younger girl almost fell down the steps, too entranced in her Hogwarts letter.
"Are you sure we can get all this here?" said Melissa, motioning towards the shops on either side of them.
"Yes," said Minerva firmly. "I'm sure." She held a straight face no longer, she broke out into laughter, much like a teenage girl's, but, then again, she was young.
"Come on-Why don't we get your robes first? Over here, come on. I promise that the shop doesn't bite." And with that, the pair walked into MADAM MULKIN'S ROBES FOR ALL OCCASIONS.
"We wear THESE?" asked Melissa. "What are they? I've never seen anyone wear anything like this back home."
"Well, you wouldn't, we live in a muggle community," stated Minerva matter-of-factly.
"'Muggle'?" asked Melissa.
"Non-magical people."
"Oh."
After they collected all of Melissa's provisions with exception to her books, they walked down Diagon Alley and turned in Flourish and Blotts. Poppy was already waiting for them when they arrived.
"Now," started Poppy. "will you tell me who this lovely young lady is?"
"Yes, Poppy. This is my daughter..."
"Your WHAT?"
"She's my..."
"Minerva, I-I would never have been able to guess. Who-But WHO?" said Poppy quickly. "I mean, look at her. You'd never be able to guess that she was your daughter, aside from the eyes, that is. That would make you..."
"Yes, Poppy?" asked Minerva.
"That would mean...School...Hogwarts...Seventh year..." spat Poppy.
"Shhh. I don't want Mel to know," whispered Minerva as her daughter, in question, was looking around the bookshop inquisitively.
"Know WHAT?" asked Poppy accusingly.
"Not in here-Let's get your books, Mel."
"Kay."
Half an hour later, the three could be found back at Minerva's home in London. Melissa wound her way through the house laden with all her school things, eager to start reading. Minerva led Poppy into the kitchen to talk over a cup of tea.
"So what have you been doing?" asked Minerva. "Last I heard, you were the Hogwarts school nurse."
"Yes, rather time consuming job, too. I'm just now starting to get accustomed to it. Other than that, nothing much. What about you? I'm anxious to hear what you've been doing."
"Well, actually, I'm a journalist."
"Yes, well, that must be nice. Muggle newspaper! Ha!"
"Laugh now, Poppy. Laugh now. Actually, I got an offer from Hogwarts."
"Really? Are you going to take it?"
"Actually...no, I'm not," stated Minerva, on the verge of tears.
"And why not? I'd get to see you more often."
"Er-"
"Do you know what, Minerva, what's wrong, you've been acting strange ever since I asked you if you were watching someone else's child. AND I actually believed it! I mean, at first glance, she looks nothing like you, but-and tickle-me-pink, but at first I thought that Professor Dumbledore was in contact with you and decided to have you take care of his child!"
That was the last straw, Minerva let out all of the unshed tears that she had had in the past eleven years. "You know," sobbed Minerva. "You're right! You're completely right, okay? She is his daughter!"
"Min-Minerva, I didn't-I had no idea. But you said she was your daughter..."
"She is," whispered Minerva.
"Then-"
"Yes, Poppy, you're completely right. We were still in Hogwarts when it happened."
"MY GOD!" shouted Poppy. "Minerva, what did you think you were doing, he was your professor...Almost five times your age."
"It was stupid-We were in love. I can't explain it!" shouted Minerva, to match Poppy's screaming.
"SO WHAT? It was irresponsible! You were his student, he was your professor! You could have been expelled, he could have been fired! AND...to top it all off, you ran! You ran away from him. WHY?" screamed Poppy.
"Mum?" asked Melissa.
"That's why," muttered Minerva.
Poppy sunk back into her chair. Ashamed at her shouting match with her old friend.
"Mum?" repeated Melissa. "Is something wrong? I heard shouting. I heard you talking about-about"
"Yes?" said Minerva, throat clearly dry.
"Er-Never mind. Just forget I said anything," said Melissa, and walked out of the room as fast as she came.
"See what you did?" whispered Minerva to Poppy, who was sitting across the mahogany table from her.
Poppy eyed her friend. "Why DID you leave?"
"I left because I didn't want to get hurt. I was only seventeen, Poppy. If I would have told him, I-I would've had to leave, anyway. And this way, Melissa didn't have to grow up in a world like that. If people would have known that she was Albus's daughter, let alone that I was the one that he got pregnant...I don't want to think about it...Then there was the war, Albus was a main part in it," Minerva sighed heavily. "If they would have known...they might have killed me or taken me to get to him, and you know what! I didn't want that to happen! I couldn't imagine him dead, or tortured into giving up on the war. To think about what they would've done to Melissa if they knew about her!"
"It's okay, the war's over now, and everyone's fine...Albus included," added Poppy as an afterthought.
"How is he?" asked Minerva seriously interested.
"He's okay. He didn't seem so after we graduated, though, from what I heard. He was really worried and apprehensive. I s'pose he thought that you'd stay there with him. Unfortunately, that dirty-that, that...HORRID woman," said Poppy. "GUINEVERE!" she almost spat the name. "Or GUINN as she so wants to be called. Oh, how I despise that women."
"So-So he's married?" asked Minerva nervously.
"No. But, I'm afraid that any day now, she'll seduce him into proposing. I wouldn't be astounded if she put him under the Imperius Curse to get her way," groaned Poppy. "Humph! The despicable creature!"
"So-So he's in love?" asked Minerva, still just as nervous.
"I wouldn't know. She's very seductive, you know, and I wouldn't doubt it if she was just in it for the fame, or maybe a spy of You-Know-Who's. No one else seems to notice it, but me. They all think that they're blissfully in love, and nothing could hinder their affiliation. REALLY! They're all blind! He's clearly still in love with the woman who left over eleven years ago," stated Poppy matter-of-factly, which was very uncommon for her, due for her personality.
Poppy could see unshed tears in her friend's eyes. She stood up and went around the table to comfort her friend in an embrace only meant for best friends.
"Accept the position. Give yourself another chance. I dare say that the Headmaster will be pleased to see you."
"I guess you're right," sighed Minerva. "I will."
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A/N: If you're wondering where I got the name Melissa, it wasn't easy to come up with a name for that character. So, I looked, and looked, and...Melissa: means 'bee' in Greek. Dumbledore, everyone probably already knows: an old English term for 'bumblebee'.
Yay, for me! I'm working on my 'detailismness'. I'm not too good at details. Please review and tell me what you think. Do you think I'm improving on it? Thanx! Love ya...