Minerva knew she had made the wrong decision the moment she stepped into the room and recognized the man sitting there. Her hand instinctually reached for her wand, but luckily she realized the recklessness of that action in time. It wouldn't do to antagonize a lion in its cage. She wasn't an Auror after all. Her hand changed course until it rested on her heaving chest.

Minerva rather suspected the man had caught her inadvertent gesture, but no reaction came but a small, amused quirk of the lips. She threw a tightlipped smile back at him. Perhaps, if she played her cards right… At least he hadn't attacked her straight away. She allowed herself a few seconds to stand in the doorway, while she tried to pull herself together and ordered her brain into coming up with a plan. A fast one. Her eyes never left the man.

"Yaxley," she acknowledged softly, as she clutched the brown paper bag she was carrying closer to her chest and entered the room. She'd come to the conclusion there was no point in running. He'd followed her all the way to this dingy motel room. That couldn't be a coincidence. He must have been watching her.

Yaxley had made himself comfortable in the old, dusty recliner in the corner of the room and he was looking at her with that apologetic smile he always wore, his head slightly tilted down and to the side. He nodded politely in greeting, while his fingers thrummed once, twice, on the armrests of the couch. He seemed to have all the time in the world and that couldn't be a good thing.

'He's just a man', she angrily told herself, 'I taught him when he was a child, for Merlin's sake. He doesn't know any spell that I won't be able to...'

Taking as inconspicuous a breath as possible, Minerva crossed the room and put her bag on the rickety table next to the bed.

"Oh now, is that Chinese, Minerva?"

Yaxley's sudden voice cut through the silence and made her jump. She quickly turned around.

"I do love Chinese," he smirked, as he slowly got up from the couch, "You shouldn't have". He walked over to her and put a hand on the bag she was still clutching in her fist. They looked at each other for a few tense seconds until Minerva relented and let go of the bag.

Yaxley made a show of rummaging through it.

"Been shopping?" he asked in a voice that was too confident, too composed. He turned towards her, frowned and looked at his pocket watch. "At midnight?"

Minerva kept her mouth shut and sharply watched his every move. As he pulled out the tiny box with baby milk powder that had been in the bag and raised both of his eyebrows, all she could do was blink.

"Sweet Merlin, Minerva," he exclaimed, seemingly shocked, "aren't you a little old to be starting with children?"

Again, Minerva remained silent. She'd known what he was looking for the moment she opened the door. The fact that he was playing this cruel game with her only meant that he still hadn't figured anything out yet. Which was good, she reminded herself. She might still have a chance.

As Yaxley ostentatiously extracted the other items in the bag – a dummy, a feeding bottle, footie pajamas, a blanket, diapers – Minerva began to realize that her game was up and very slowly she reached for her wand. Before she could even get to it, Yaxley's wand poked under her chin and she gulped.

"Hush. Now really," he smirked, showing his awfully perfect teeth, "You know, Minerva, I think I'm starting to see a pattern here. Don't you?"

Minerva closed her eyes and after a moment of hesitation, she shook her head. Yaxley smiled at her, seemingly amused and put his hand in her neck. He brought his face closer to her ear. Minerva's skin crawled at the sound of his voice so close.

"So. Why don't you save us both a lot of trouble and tell me where that boy is?"

-MM-

Earlier that evening…

Minerva McGonagall looked the street up and down apprehensively. Doubt was nagging at her. Surely this wasn't the place where Dumbledore intended…?

The street was now deserted, unlike an hour ago, when she had first arrived here. There was nobody to be seen. The inhabitants of Privet Drive seemed to be tucked away in the relative safety of their houses. Every last one of them. Including the people that lived in the house right across the street. Number four.

It was a perfectly common two story house, identical to the others in the street. The house was quite plain, with a pitched roof, boring brown bricks and a small driveway leading up to the front porch and the garage. There was light filtering through the curtains of what most likely would be the living room. If she listened very intently, she could hear faint sounds as well. Presumably the muggles that lived here were watching the ten o'clock news. She contemplated the house with narrowed eyes and pinched her lips together in distaste. Though the lawn looked like it had been freshly manicured by a maniac with a scissor, there was nothing that indicated there was something off about the house. Still, Minerva had doubts.

She had seen the people who lived here, the remaining relatives of Harry Potter. Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle. The human incarnation of an oversized walrus: beefy neck, bristling moustache. Except that walruses were mostly gentle creatures, and this man certainly was not.

Minerva had seen Vernon turning up the driveway earlier that evening, presumably coming home from work. The man hadn't noticed the colorful, plastic tricycle that was lying on the sidewalk. He'd ran right over it in his ignorance and the sharp sound of snapping plastic had rent the air. Minerva had seen that poor little girl's lip tremble from across the street. And instead of apologizing or trying to comfort the girl, Vernon Dursley had gotten out of his car and started shouting at her.

"Was that piece of tricycle rubbish hers then? Couldn't she watch out where she flung away her junk? Could have made a nasty scratch on his brand new Mercedes! He'd gotten it from his company only a month ago, and…"

The girl's mother had come rushing out her door then and she'd quickly taken hold of her daughter's hand… - "Go inside, Lizzy"… - and then she'd asked the man what the hell was wrong with him. He'd yelled something about insurance policies and who was going to pay for those scratches on his car at the end of the day? She'd frowned and retorted that he needed to calm down because there weren't any. He'd threatened with reporting it to the police if her little girl didn't learn to clear up her toys when she was done playing with them. She'd answered that "Absolutely, he should do that next time". He'd mumbled something more about her hedges being in dire need of a trim and then he'd turned around and went inside his house.

That was Minerva's first acquaintance with Vernon Dursley. His wife, Petunia, didn't seem all that much better, as she was glaring at the neighbours when she let her husband in.

Minerva's eyebrows shot up. This was the family Harry was supposed to live with for the next ten years?

No. Not bloody likely.

She would inform Dumbledore and between them they would work it out. There had to be another option, she was sure of it.

-MM-

"Not to mention he'll freeze out here tonight, Albus," Minerva argued, "It's the 31st of October and all he's got is this flimsy blanket to keep warm…"

Minerva had been fruitlessly arguing on Harry's behalf for nearly twenty minutes now. She was starting to worry that Dumbledore really wouldn't see sense.

"The boy is not going to freeze," Dumbledore argued patiently, "I intend to ring the doorbell and remain nearby until we are absolutely sure he is taken inside by his relatives. I am sure they will…"

"His relatives," she scoffed, "Albus, you couldn't find two people who are less like us. You should have seen…"

"Yes, Minerva, I was made quite aware of your objections. I have already given you my reasons for entrusting the boy to these particular people. Harry will be safe here. Trust me when I say that if there was any other possibility, we wouldn't be here right now."

Minerva knew worry was showing on her face as she looked at the bundled up baby that was lying in Hagrid's arms. She just couldn't believe that those two people, the Dursleys, would be able to provide sufficient protection for the Boy Who Lived. They were Muggles, for Merlin's sake. And not even of the brighter kind. The way Vernon Dursley had behaved to that poor girl earlier proved just that. Who was to say he wouldn't react the same way when it came to Harry?

Dumbledore sighed. "I can see you are not entirely convinced about this course of action, Minerva. Nevertheless, I must insist that we proceed. It would be unwise to linger too long. Lord Voldemort may have been defeated for now, but most of his followers are still out there."

Minerva took a deep breath.

"Perhaps if you would let me…" she began, only to be cut off immediately.

"We have discussed why the boy cannot stay with you," Dumbledore responded not unkindly.

Minerva nodded doubtfully. "Yes. It has to be family."

Dumbledore pinned her with a piercing gaze. "Indeed," he confirmed in the end.

Minerva took a look at Hagrid, who was standing rather awkwardly, with his shoulders slightly hunched. She knew she didn't have to expect support from that corner. Hagrid was sweet, but… She sighed.

Dumbledore gave her a questioning look and finally Minerva conceded with a worried nod. Dumbledore smiled.

"Hagrid, if you please."

He took the little bundle out of Hagrid's arms, walked the few steps to the door of number four and gently put the crib down on the doorstep. He tucked the letter between the blankets and took a step back.

"Trust me, Minerva. Though he might not enjoy it here, at least he will be safe," Dumbledore stressed.

Minerva looked down at her feet. She nodded.

-MM-

Minerva knew she shouldn't have gone back to check on the boy. She shouldn't have waited until Dumbledore and Hagrid had Apparated, shouldn't have changed into that blasted cat. Shouldn't have sneaked inside.

Then she wouldn't have seen what she had seen. Vernon and Petunia Dursley, locking the baby away in that cupboard under the stairs. Vernon laying a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder, saying: "We'll find a solution for this in the morning. Now put it out of your mind, darling. He's not worth losing our sleep over." She wouldn't have seen them pretending like they didn't hear the soft whimpers of the boy in the cupboard, who had woken up to find himself all alone in the dark.

But she had seen. And she had heard.

And she couldn't have left him there. Honestly, what woman could?

-MM-

The bastard had done it. He'd hit her.

They were standing over the bag, looking at each other like time had frozen. Minerva briefly thought: "For Merlin's sake, what am I waiting for? The cavalry?", when Yaxley's fist suddenly came out of nowhere. Once, twice. Right on her nose. She was breathing through her mouth now. The room seemed to swim before her eyes and she could feel the warm blood trickling.

In all the commotion Yaxley had managed to take her wand and Minerva was now standing in the middle of the room, defenseless, breathing raggedly, her hand clutching her broken nose. Her head was about to burst.

"Y…" she croaked, "You…"

"Yes, that was all me, professor," Yaxley grinned, "Surprised you there, didn't I?"

He strode towards her and Minerva stumbled back, eying the two wands that were clutched in his fist.

"Tell me where you hid Potter, Minerva," he coaxed, "Because I really don't like hurting you."

She was surprised to hear a chuckle slipping from between her lips.

"Liar," she rasped, her shoulders shaking with the effort to suppress laughter. She thought she might be going insane. Was even more surprised to find that she didn't care actually. She was sure he was going to finish her anyway. Minerva could see it in his eyes, in his calm demeanor.

Yaxley smiled at her, a genuine smile, and he tilted her face up.

"You know, I always thought of you as a beautiful…"

"Oh, just cut it out, Yaxley," she interrupted harshly and then she seized her chance. Pushing him back just slightly, she brought her knee up and hit him straight between the legs. Thank heavens he hadn't seen it coming, because she didn't know if she had enough strength and wits left to pull off a second attempt. Minerva watched him stumble back, doubling up in pain.

Before she could react and attempt to summon her wand, Yaxley cursed, straightened up slightly and pointed both wands high above her head. At first Minerva thought he was in too much pain to aim properly, but then she realized his intentions when the ventilator was hit with a bang and came crashing down on her.

"No!" she yelled. Without thinking she flung herself flat on her stomach on the bed just at the moment the fan collided with the floor. Instinctively she tried to reach behind her to check if the boy was safe, or if he was hurt,… Then she froze when she heard Yaxley's silent chuckle.

She slowly looked up, only to find herself on the other end of Yaxley's wand tip. He was smiling now.

"Clever, Minerva, I'll give you that," he smirked, "Keeping Potter on your back. No wonder I couldn't find him anywhere. Is that an invisibility spell? Well then, I guess… Finite Incantatem."

Minerva could feel the charm wash over her. She closed her eyes.

"What have we here?" Yaxley muttered, "Relashio".

"No!" Minerva yelled hoarsely, and she rolled around, seizing Harry Potter in her arms while scrambling back on the bed. Yaxley didn't stop her. He simply stood there, chuckling indulgently and shaking his head.

"Minerva…" he sighed.

"Just. Stay there, Yaxley," she whispered, while she edged to the side of the bed, "You don't get to…"

Minerva cut herself off. She wasn't even sure what she wanted to say. Her head was bursting and her nose… God…She couldn't let him… Let him…

But wasn't there… In the drawer. Hadn't she seen…?

Minerva crawled out of the bed, keeping Potter tucked in the crook of her arm as gently as she could, and crouched before the nightstand. She tore it open with a shaking hand and rummaged frantically through it. There! There it was. Her life-saver.

She pulled out the corkscrew and turned around on her knees. Very, very gently, she lay Potter, safely tucked in in his blankets, beside her on the ground. She would need both of her hands and her wits for this.

Yaxley was looking at her with his head curiously tilted to the side.

"What've you got there?" he asked, still amused, as he rounded the corner of the bed. Minerva clutched the corkscrew in her fist until her knuckles turned white.

"Oh, now Minerva," he laughed, "Dear Merlin! Really?"

She glared at him.

"You're going to stick that in me, are you?" he chuckled, "Got gumption enough, you think?"

Minerva, as if to prove it, grabbed the screw with both of her hands and lifted her arms. Yaxley actually roared with laughter.

"You know what?" he hiccupped, "I'll give you your chance. You want to smash it in my chest? Hell, why don't you try? Come on, do it now". And he leaned forward, hitting his chest with his hand.

Minerva took a deep breath and raised her arms even higher…

And then she let loose with a scream and drove the corkscrew in his left foot with all the strength that was left in her.

Yaxley squealed like a pig and he fell and there was blood everywhere. Minerva hadn't known a foot could bleed so much. She stared at it for a second or two.

But she knew she couldn't waste time. She needed to finish this. Then she could go to Dumbledore and beg for forgiveness.

She shuffled closer and looked at Yaxley's tear-streaked face. Behind the pain, she could see his rage and above all, his fear. She needed to act quickly.

"B…Bitch," he whispered.

She raised her arms again.

It all happened very quickly then. Yaxley's gaze darted to the side and he raised his two wands just slightly. Minerva looked at them, not understanding why she hadn't disarmed him when she had the chance.

"Avada Kedavra," he whispered softly, like he was chanting some kind of lullaby. The green spell shot out of both wands like a lightning bolt and lifted the baby out of its blankets for just a second. And then, nothing. Harry Potter lay there silently, without moving, without breathing.

"No…" Minerva pleaded hoarsely, "You… didn't…"

Yaxley chuckled through his pain. "Think I just did, darling."

Minerva clenched her fist. Blazing anger lifted her arms even higher and she plunged. She couldn't seem to stop. Her terror compelled her to drive that screw in over and over again, like she could bring Potter back to life through it. Yaxley died within the first fifteen seconds. Minerva was long from finished then.

"Please," she groaned, as she mangled Yaxley's body to a bloody pulp, "Oh, please…"

She was terrified. What had she done?

She'd gone and gotten the Savior of the wizarding world killed. And she knew, she just knew there was no atoning for that…

THE END