Good Riddance
1943, somewhere in western Germany in a cold dingy cell.
Life was coming to an end.
She knew it, felt it in her heart and her soul.
She was giving up. It was really no use anyway, for not a single soul was known to be alive or sane after Grindelwald got his hands on them.
He had had them for eight days already. No one had ever lived past the tenth.
Time was up for Auror Minerva McGonagall and Auror Alastor Moody.
They were given water once every day and a slice of bread with a piece of rotten meat even the dogs wouldn't eat every two.
I'm surprised we're not dead of starvation already.
They were taken to a bathroom once a day.
The guards must have complained about the smell in the cells.
The few women the guards had captive were raped daily.
Thank god Grindelwald ordered me left alone.
The cuffs attached to everyone's hands were small, they cut off the circulation most of the time.
Men have thicker wrist than women. I feel sorry for all them. But at least Alastor is unconscious most the time.
Minerva, who shared a cell with him, looked across the dingy room at her friend.
Of course, if my eye was gouged out I probably would be too.
Alastor gave a loud groan and began to stir. Minerva looked up slowly. The guard outside their cell grabbed his night stick and cracked it over his head. Alastor fell limp again. Minerva began screaming in a Scottish Gaelic language at the guards, cursing them all to the worst deaths possible.
For god's sake what the fuck happened?! It was just a simple scouting mission!
A simple look this way, walk that way, look that way, then return to base. And Minerva, an Animagi since six-teen, was even in her cat form! She couldn't figure out what happened, except Alastor had been attacked and she jumped from the tree and slashed someone's jugular. The changed back to her human form and then got hit over the head with something. She woke up being dragged to a small fortress looking area.
For five days Minerva had been looking for a flaw in the guard patrol, their daily 'activities' with the women, the bathroom breaks, their food breaks, but there was absolutely no way they could break out of that cell without being caught.
It was too well guarded.
But seeing as Minerva had nothing else to do, she hung from the wall and watched the guards' shifts vigilantly for hours.
There was no change.
Bloody hell…
She found it. Just a small single minute gap.
All the prisoners in her block, various Aurors and important people, were shoved into a recreation room for an hour each day. They were the special people who were allowed to move around. However, many had already lost what wits they had left.
Half an hour into it there was a guard change. For the five days Minerva had been there, all the guards left the room one minute before their shift ended.
Minerva grinned from her seat on the broken couch.
Tomorrow she would take her chance.
When she got back to her cell she was chained next to Alastor for once, instead of across from him. He was semi conscious when she came in with the guard. The second the guard left he turned to her as asked, "What's the plan?"
Minerva smirked, her lips cracked. Blood started dripping down her chin.
"Seems like you're feeling better. What makes you think that I have a plan?"
"Your eyes." Alastor said, "You look like you're going to kill someone."
Minerva licked her lips. The metallic taste made her own blood boil.
"You're right Al," Minerva said, her dark blue eyes were cold as steel, "you are absolutely right. Do you feel up to faking a seizure and looking for weapons and wands tomorrow?"
The guard for their cell snarled at them. Alastor gave a twisted smirk, making his scabbed over cuts on his face open.
"Yes Tabby. I believe I can spare a few hours."
"Shut up! Damn Aurors…" The guard yelled.
Minerva couldn't sleep that night.
Alastor snored loudly next to her. His head rested gently on her shoulder. His left hand was hanging in front of her face, twitching every now and then. Minerva stared at a gold wedding ring on his hand. His wife of two months had the same one. They were designed by Alastor and Minerva agreed to help make it in the family forge.
I wonder…what will Poppy do when she finds out he lost an eye and his face looks like it got caught in a planes blades.
Alastor mumbled something that closely resembled, "Poppy…love….sorry."
She won't care. No one will really. He's the same gruff Scot that pushed me off the docks when I was five.
Minerva blinked, eyes watering.
I never got him back for that.
A sudden gold flash in her eyes drew her attention to Alastor's ring again.
The Gaelic engravings on it made her heart yearn for the McGonagall home in the Highlands. Minerva's eyes glazed over.
In her mind she saw the lush green grass blowing in the wind. Her brothers and Mother and Father were all laying about; playing, relaxing, dancing. The younger ones were down by the beach, swimming. She saw the forge next to the monstrous manor. The stables. The ancient rock that recorded all the dead McGonagalls…
Minerva smiled.
At least everyone knew they were still alive. The rock would record her death, but besides the rock, Minerva had a different reason that she knew everyone knew she was alive. Minerva's twin, Marx. Twins are special in the Muggle's world, never mind the wizarding world. They just know where and how well the better half of them is.
She smiled.
Alastor was getting worse, that much Minerva knew. She didn't sleep that night, she just stared at his wedding ring and planned. But she noticed when he turned feverish. His skin slowly turned pale and sickly. He wasn't breathing as well as he should and his cuts weren't scabbing up. At one point during the night, he opened his remaining eye and that was cloudy. He was somewhat delusional.
For the rest of the night, she did not sleep…
In the morning came their daily bout of torture, it seemed much worse than usual. Minerva had to try so hard not to cry out or attack their captors when they started to beat on poor, sick Alastor.
Soon… please hold on Alastor…
Slowly the time went by. Finally, Minerva told Alastor it was time. He gave a small smile at her and nodded. Minerva started screaming for guards as Alastor, very realistically, began to spasm and roll his eye around. A guard looked in, ready to beat whoever was screeching like that, but saw Alastor having a fit and called another guard. Minerva stopped screaming and watched as he was unchained and carried away.
He winked at her.
She didn't smile.
About an hour had past. It was almost time for the Rec. Room.
Where was Alastor?
There was water dripping on her head…
Minerva decided to count the tiles. She got to 20.
Decided to count how many steps the guard takes when he paces. 30 steps. To the end of the hall?
Did they find out he was faking? I wonder why Grindelwald is treating us so well. I mean, come on. A rec room? Even if it was for about twenty minutes…
After about a half an hour of random thoughts and counting, Minerva came to a conclusion. Thinking was VERY bad for yourself…
A door suddenly opened. Minerva slowly turned her head toward where the door to her cage was.
Alastor was brought back in, looking about the same as he did when he left. A little more tired and a little more bloody.
The guards strung him up and left. Minerva counted to thirty before she spoke.
"So, how was your trip?"
Alastor smiled but kept his head down so she couldn't see his face.
"A little eventful. I got beat a wee bit. The Doc gave me some meds, and I found a room Min."
"Oh?" Minerva said, interest piqued.
"Yea, a nice big room, with name tags and everything. These long metal, what are they called again? Guns?"
"Yes, Alastor, guns. Remember/? You got shot a few times."
"Not as many as you dearest step-cousin. But yes, I found them Min. They keep them right buy the door down the hall with the wands all alphabetical-like. Just down the hall from the room."
Alastor looked at her, suddenly, staring her down with his one good eye. There was a vicious glint in his eye. He was tense, jumpy. His smirk was murderous. He knew whoever crossed them in their escape, was as good as dead.
Minerva gave a short laugh.
No one in the Jail knew Minerva was a Animagus. It wasn't on Ministry's list. Albus Dumbledore taught her in her fourth and fifth year, then decided to keep it a secret and tell everyone they abandoned the training. Only Minerva's very close family and friends knew she was one. The one guard that had seen her change was either dead or in a coma.
It was decided that Minerva, during that thrity second period, would change, then run out the door and get to the wands and guns. From that closet to the Rec Room it was twenty-five steps. It would take her five seconds to get from the Room to there. About ten or fifteen seconds to gather their wands and maybe a gun. Then about 7 seconds to get back to the room. Overall, around 27 seconds.
She had three to hid their wands on them, and hope to whatever Gods there were that no one would rat them out.
The second Minerva knew the guard switchoff was coming she sarted toward the door, right before it locked shut she transformed, adrenaline pouring through her veins. The second her paws hit the freezing cold floor, she bolted.
In exactly five seconds, she arrived at the door. She transformed and walked inside, no one was in the hallway. Inside there were piles of ammunition and guns. The wands however, were organized. Minerva found her's and Alastor's with no problem. She also went and grabbed a knife and two pistols, plus the ammunition. That took 17 seconds.
She had only a few more seconds to get back to the Room and hide the wands. She sprinted back, hearing German voices very close by. As she ran back inside, she changed back to her human form. People were talking very loudly. She threw a gun at Alastor and shoved the knife down her boot. She gave a gun to Alastor and shoved her own down the front of her pants. Her wand went inside her sleeves.
Suddenly the door slammed open.
Everyone stopped talking and froze.
But in walked four guards, blissfully unaware that Alastor was shoving his wand down his pants.
Minerva sat down, uncomfortably aware of the gun down her pants. Her heart would not stop pounding, she was excited for later. She made sure to remember those faces that just walked in. They had just taken one of the female captives into a corner and began to rape her. She didn't scream, just looked tired and resigned. But she kept staring at Minerva.
Pleading. Tears were forming in her eyes.
Minerva hesitated. Should they do it now? She glanced at Alastor, who was also looking uncertain. They could definitely take on four guards, especially when they were so occupied…but….
All these people would slow them down. Half probably wouldn't make it to a point where they could apparate. Minerva felt horrible. But she gave the girl a look that she hoped she would understand.
They would be back. In force.
Alastor and Minerva made it back to the cell with no incidents. Now all they had to do was wait.
Alastor couldn't reach his wand while he was chained, but Minerva could. All she had to do was bend her wrist as far down as she would bend it, and flick it up into her hand. During the last few hours in the cell Minerva observed her cousin. He was sick, not that he would admit it. But she knew who would be doing most of the fighting and more importantly the apparition.
Minerva stared at him as he slept.
They needed to leave soon. Alastor was getting worse.
It was around two in the morning when Minerva ficked her wand into her hand. Alastor was sick, but they needed to leave.
She destroyed the locks on her wrists without a sound. Then she walked over to Alastor and froze. The guard was coming into the closed in cell. She jumped to the side and held her wand at the ready.
In came one of the rapist from this afternoon. Alastor looked worried. The guard walked over to him and began edging him on, taunting him and slapping him around. Minerva walked silently behind him, suddenly grabbing his head and twisting. A sharp pop and crack were the only noises.
Minerva tied him in place of where she was. She got the chains off of Alastor and he fell onto her, forcing her to completely support him. He tried to walk but it wasn't working out to well. Minerva let him lean against the wall and poked her head out into the hallway. No one was there.
Minerva began running through the way she came in and turned them backwards.
Left, right, straight, straight, right, straight, left and out they would go.
Minerva grabbed Alastor and dragged him along down the hallways, hopefully to the outside air.
Halfway through and no trouble yet. There were a few close calls, but nothing hiding in the shadow filled crevices wouldn't fix. Alastor lost consciousness as she headed toward the last hallway. Minerva peaked her head around and saw about ten wizards walking toward her.
Minerva laid Alastor on the ground and pulled out the gun. She made sure it was loaded and peered around the corner again. She had ten bullets in this magazine. She put her wand close by, just in case she didn't get them all with the gun. Then she would have to run, with Alastor on her back toward where she thought the exit was.
Taking a deep breath, she leaned around the corner and fired. Then fired again.
Two bodies fell.
The wizards began to pull either guns or wands out.
Three more shots, two more bodies down.
They bagan to fire back at her, but she kept firing. And firing.
Then she ran out of bullets.
Dropping the gun Minerva stood up and threw a few stunning spells toward the two remaining wizards. One fell and the other tripped. As he fell, Minerva got a good look at his face.
The ringleader from this afternoon.
Two words. Two words she had never uttered before. They suddenly formed in her mind.
Just another spell… A voice in her head told her. Nothing more, nothing less…
Minerva let her fury and pain flow through her, letting it meld with her magic. All that torture, all the women that were brutally raped, Alastor, all those men and women that were killed merely for the sake of boredom. Minerva let the spell take hold…
"Aveda Kadeva!"
A bright flash of green light flew from her wand, powered by her rage and pain.
The man fell with a quiet thump.
Minerva stood for a full five seconds staring at him, before she heard the sound of foot steps and decided to run.
Dragging a six foot, four inches and 220 pound man of nearly pure muscle is not a fun thing. Especially for a six foot two inches and 150 pound woman.
Minerva really felt like her back was going to break. After attempting to drag him through the last hallway, she decided it would work better if she chucked him on her back. It was faster but a lot more painful
"Gods, Alastor you're going on a diet when we get back!" Minerva moaned as she slipped going through the forest.
The compound was surrounded by a dark forest, making Minerva think of the Forbbiden Forest at Hogwarts.
She still couldn't apparate, but soon. She felt the Anti-Apparation spells weakening.
The dogs were closer, barking and snarling about twenty yards away from Minerva.
As she began to run, Minerva started a chant,
One more mile, one more mile, one more mile….
Suddenly the forest ended, at the top of a hill overlooking a small town.
Minerva took a few moments to keep that image in her head before she took a deep breath. She twisted her body hard, making sure she had Alastor and went to the first place she thought of.
Hogwarts.
It must have been around dinner time when Minerva showed up at the Gates.
A few more feet…all I need to do is get to the hall…
The gates slowly creaked open for her as she stumbled up the hill, Alastor still out cold on her back. As she made her final march Minerva took a mental record of her injuries.
Various fractures across her body, multiple bleeding wounds, bite marks and gashes, right elbow shattered, right hand broken, she couldn't see out of her left eye, nose shattered, her knee was dislocated for sure, her feet were swollen, her left shin was broken.
And that was only a minor list.
When she made it to the front doors of Hogwarts she felt tears running down her face. The doors opened for her and she walked inside. There was a roar of voices coming from the Great Hall so she headed there. Her youngest brother was at Hogwarts right now. A third year. She hadn't seen him in over a year.
The lights were to bright and everything was to loud. Especially when the screaming began. Some stupid girl was screaming bloody murder at her as she walked into the Hall.
Slowly she laid Alastor on the grounf before she collapsed herself.
The last thing she saw was 400 pairs of eyes staring at her. The teachers were panicking. Dumbledore was sprinting toward her.
The last thing she heard was her baby brother, Liam.
"MINERVA!"
Then, finally, a calm darkness took over her.
A/N; This was just a little something that hit me. But then I realized this could fit in with my other story, Minerva's Memoir, Time of Your Life.
But it works well on its own too I guess.
I think I'll be posting a second chapter too….