Author's Note: Written for…

The Battlefield Wars. Team/Position: After All This Time – Always, Sergeant. Mandatory Character: Minerva McGonagall. Assisting Character: Elphinstone Urquart.

Under the Sun

Minerva smiled to herself, watching the children playing gobstones on her living room floor. She felt an arm snake its way over her shoulders and leaned into the touch.

"Your brother just sent an owl. They should be here in an hour or so," Elphinstone told her, chuckling as the children started throwing the stones at each other rather than the target.

Minerva turned away to hide the disappointment on her face. "Good, I'll got put the kettle on. Malcolm will want to stay for a chat."

She pulled away and moved into the kitchen but Elphinstone followed right behind her.

"We can keep the children for another day, if that's what's bothering you," he told her. She smiled slightly, unsurprised that he had noticed her mood swing. He'd always known her so well. "I'll just write your brother to take an extra day of holiday."

She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around him. "You would put up with them longer for me?"

"What's there to put up with? The kids are no trouble." She leaned in to kiss him when the kitchen door swung open and her nieces stormed inside.

"Auntie Minnie, Mal's stolen all of our stones!" Isobel said as her sister nodded emphatically.

Minerva could hear the unmistakeable sound of running on the stairs and shook her head.

"He gets more like his father every day," she muttered.

Elphinstone stifled a laugh. "How about we go outside for lunch?" he said suddenly. "You girls can help me put together a picnic while your aunt takes care of Malcolm, alright?"

The girls nodded, content that their brother was being dealt with, and helpfully began gathering toppings for their sandwiches.

"Don't forget to write to their parents," Elphinstone whispered to her as she headed out.

It wasn't hard to find her nephew, huddled in a broom cupboard with his stolen hoard of gobstones.

"I was only trying to have fun," he complained, handing the stones over. "I was bored."

"Well, we're having a picnic in a few minutes. If you behave and stop pestering your sisters, we might do a bit of flying after that," Minerva told him, pleased with his immediate excitement at the thought.

There were some days – most days, if she was honest – that she regretted not having any children of her own. Elphinstone was never helpful in easing this longing, always talking about how quiet the house was when she was out, constantly going on about how nice it was to have her nieces and nephews around. And of course, his personal favorite, the guilt trip: "If you had accepted my proposal sooner we could've had our own houseful by now" But this was rarely used.

The picnic was a great success. There had been endless rain showers since the children came to visit a week before, and it was the first time they'd been let out into the garden.

After sandwiches and biscuits, Minerva changed into more comfortable flying clothes and collected the brooms.

"I don't want to fly," little Tillie said as her aunt helped Isobel to mount a broom. "Can't I stay down here?"

"Of course, I can show you my garden!" Elphinstone said excitedly.

"Your Uncle is very proud of his garden," Minerva teased.

"As I should be. I've won five ribbons for it!"

Minerva shook her head, positioning Mal in front of her on the broom while her husband lead Tillie away to look at the flowers and herbs that occupied so much of his time.

They were only in the air for a total of fifteen minutes. Isobel, Minerva was ecstatic to learn, was a superb flyer, and Mal had as much enthusiasm for Quidditch as she did. She was in the middle of daydreaming about what the Gryffindor team would be like with them on it in a few years' time when Tillie's unmistakeable scream drew her attention away.

She touched down in the garden in seconds, pulling out her wand as she ran to the gated side Elphinstone claimed as his own.

There was a moment of confusion, as her niece stood near the gate seemingly unharmed, but the terror on her face was clear. Minerva rushed through and Tillie immediately grabbed her aunt's hand and pulled her around the side of the house.

"It was trying to drag me away, but Uncle Elphin saved me!" she said hurriedly as they reached the man lying on the wet ground with spiky green vines crawling over him.

Minerva was momentarily stunned by the sight of the plant – a Venomous Tentacula, she realized belatedly.

"Diffindo!" She severed the tentacles quickly, spelling them off the too-still body of her husband, then knelt by his side.

He was blinking up at her through half-lidded eyes, his mouth in a tight line as she held his hand.

"Auntie? Will he be alright?" Isobel asked. She was holding onto her siblings.

"Send your parents a message, I need them," Minerva told them and waited until they were out of earshot before letting herself properly worry.

"I'm sorry," Elphinstone was saying, trying to comfort her even as the color drained from his face and his voice grew weak.

"You'll be fine," she lied, trying to hold back the tears that were already threatening to fall. "Katie's a healer, she can help."

He shook his head microscopically and she got a better angle of the bite marring his shoulder.

"You'll be just fine, Minerva."

"I won't," she said. She didn't have to think about it. She had just barely survived Dougal's death. It had been a different sort of love but it hurt just the same. There would be no coming back from this.

"Thank you," he said, squeezing her hand tightly as the poison coursed through him.

"For what?"

"For saying 'yes.'"

She let out a sob as a hideous blue tinged his face. "I love you, Elphinstone. Please, don't…"

But there was nothing left to say. She was alone again.