Minerva McGonagall Broken Heart
Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Head Mistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Head of Gryffindor, and Transfiguration Professor was currency with her fifth year students getting ready to lease the class for the day. She is a bright and intelligent women who has been through much in her life but students and teaching truly is her calling. She had been teaching already for thirty years and every student would tell you that she not only knew her subject but she was able to teach it very well. She was always open of questions and always fare to each student no matter what who the students parents were or how much money they had, each student learned Transfiguration from her because she brought them each into the subject and kept them interested throughout their seven years of study at Hogwarts.
That was many students were going to be shocked today. Some of her students had been known to her for years, many of those she had known since they were babes. Since she never allowed a student to be left behind in their studies of her subjects, Minerva knew half of her students better then the rest but she never teated one differently in her class. Yes, there were some trouble makers that she treated with a firmer hand outside of her classes but even those students were rear.
Minerva McGonagall was generally stern and always serious but today the Professor that each student always wanted to get a smile out of or to win the betting poll for making the women laugh in public (six or more people were required to win the poll) were going to she a side of the women that gain of the respect of each student that they had never speculated about. They were about to see something that brought shame to many witches and wizards that it had happened to in the past and something that had never been seen in public before and never in a classroom of young impressionable fifth year students.
As she closed this, her second to last class of the day Minerva said, "Your eighteen inches on the transfiguration of base material used for proper witches or wizards dietary supplements for use in meals will be due in our next class on Mon…" She suddenly broke off when her a white glow surrounded her. She had never felt so hopeless, psychical pain, and despair in her sixty years of life. She must have known (like two of the Ravenclaw students who seemed to know also) what was happening to her because she began to weep openly as the glow that had surrounded her gathered in front of her.
Minerva took only a half step back because of her desk and started sinking to the ground while the glow continued to converge into a ghostly form. One of the two Ravenclaw that knew what was happening started telling others and soon the students started running from the room without having been released by Minerva and within minutes the class was empty except for three students that were worried about the teach or in the case of the other Ravenclaw that knew what was happing when it first started, she was worried about the glowing figure that had still not taken form.
That one Ravenclaw was the only one to approach the Professor and the glowing figure. She knew that her Professor was not a touchy feely but she needed to get her attention so she reached out and took Minerva's shoulder, "Professor, do you know who that is? Shouldn't they have taken form by now ma'am?"
it was truly shocking for the student to see her Professor with tears in her eyes, "I don't know." was the only response that Minerva was able to give while sobbing into her hands.
The Ravenclaw looked at her Professor and the sprit for a few more minutes before deciding what needed to be done. Her Professor would be helped or haunted by the sprit and there was nothing that anyone could do about that right now but the sprit needed help and she knew the the Grey Lady would always help another sprit or student even if she did not speak to anyone. "I'm going to get the Grey Lady, I know she will help your sprit and if she can't she'll get another ghost that can."
When the Ravenclaw ran off Minerva tried speaking to the sprit but not response came. She asked it why it was there and who it was several time but the sprit seemed not to hear her or choose not to respond. The sprit never moved and never took any shape beside being the cloud of glowing fog that was a mer arms length from her. The sprit only seemed to have two features that she hope were just because the sprit was not taking it's form. It had width and height and if the size was anything to go by Minerva hoped to even thing that was Holy that this sprit was not a child.
When the Grey Lady ended Minerva's classroom Minerva had gotten up from her kneeled position and was cleaning herself up. There was no one other then Minerva and the sprit in the classroom now and Minerva noticed that most of the light within the Grey lady was gone now showing that she was also unhappy. The Grey Lady approached the sprit and said to Minerva, "I would not have expected you to ever become hunted Minerva." She sounded disappointed in her living friend, that was what the ghosts called their friend that were among the living still, living friends.
"I have never, please…"
The Grey Lady looked at her friend then floated to the sprit that still had not taken form. She floated into the other sprint taking it meager form into her own before speaking again. "By the gods." Showing shock and pain in her features. She quickly moved away from the other sprit.
"He has suffered greatly and his death was not more then a year ago." the Grey lady said simply but Minerva noticed that she had gained some of her light and color back.
"It a boy then? I don't understand why he would haunt me. I have never hurt any child."
The Grey Lady floated closer to the Professor before explained more, "He is male but I can not tell you the age he was at his death nor can I tell you his name or anything about his other then what I have already told you Minerva. He is not here and until he is he will not be able to communicate with you or I."
"Then may I ask how you know that he is male My Lady? Do you know why…He is not here? I thought that if you were haunted that was it you dealt with it. I don't think…It might just kill me not knowing who i have wronged in life that they would…Haunt me."
"It is not the way of sprits to not show themselves completely, we cannot do such things Minerva. I know that your sprit is haunted by a male because of his pain. His death was was beyond the pain suffered by any sprint in this castle and his latent pain in areas of his bod that I do not posses leads me to know that he was male while he lived." It took Minerva a minute to figure out what the Grey Lady has said but when she did she was shocked.
With her eyes pleading Minerva said, "I would never, please, you have to believe me that I would never do that to a man, any man." She plead.
"I have been your friend long enough to know that you have no such malice in you Minerva but the fact still remains that you have harmed this sprit in some way while you knew him in life. I must find out how to make amens for this to him and allow him to move on. Helping him will help you to become a better person and learn from a pure soul how to keep this from happening again in the future." The Grey Lady turn and was floating out of the class room as she said, "PLease let me know when your sprit is able to communicate, I would like to meet him."
For weeks Minerva McGonagall felt with the sprit appearing at odd times since he had first appeared but each time he was still without form and did nothing but float in the spot that he had appeared in. The other Professors and Headmaster had already heard about her sprit that was haunting her, the headmaster even joked that he was glade that it was not him. she was very soar with all of her colleges right now and the Headmaster was at the top of that list. the students had already given the sprit their time and now were on to other gossip since the sprint had not formed there was little to gossip about sine no one knew who it was that was haunting Minerva.
Minerva had already contacted every distant relative that she knew outside of england including many friends trying to find out if there was a male that she had known that had died or was missing that they knew of but all of the responses had been negative so far. she had order all of the Prophets for the last year ad was still going through and looked for the person that had known well enough to have imprinted her. They had to have known her quite well to allow the person to imprint to her and her to him. She went through her old diaries looking for the boys that she had dated in Hogwarts and while she was working as a Auror and before she met her husband, Merlin rest his soul. She had never gotten close to another an after her husband died not because se didn't want to but more because of her responsibilities her at Hogwarts did not allow time for dating. she was lucky to have time to see many of her close friends during holidays and some even on special weekends. She had even written a letter to a friends in the department of mysteries to find out what was happening to her sprit and why he could not take form to begin haunting her.
She had started to worry that one of the letter that had not been responded to was the man that was trying haunt her so started getting organized to figure out way to make sure. She kept her notes about the sprit and decided that she would write those that had not responded along with friends or families in general so that she would know if her friends had passed on at least their friends or family would let her know.
Six years later Minerva was still trying to get the name of her "Haunted Man" as the students had named him. They joked and laughed at the sprit showing far less respect for him then any other sprite in the castle which was very poor as the students disrespected them in general.
Minerva had heard from each friend or relative that she had ever met. Yes there had been some deaths, that was normal in life, life and death were constant. She had written each Ministry throughout the magical world for new sprits, Ghosts, that were register throughout the world during the time period that the Grey Lady had given her but there had not been one that she had known out of the three who still haunted the living. She had shared the information that she had received about several people that had died with her colleagues since many had been known to them also, Remus Lupin was one of the most notable had killed himself while in Spain. He had been so alone since the war without his friends from Hogwarts. In the same year Sirius Black had also been kissed by a Dementors, the Ministry had said he had been trying to breakout of prison. Both of them had passed over, not that Black would have had a choice if he was even able to after the Dementors had taken his betraying soul.
She had not given up but a couple years ago she had stopped her active search and now was waiting. The sprite still came and went as it pleased and never got in the way of her classes so she left him to his haunting and that was what he was doing to her. She was more haunted by the fact that she could not identify the sprit and that had caused her heart to break for the poor soul.
Her biggest break had been when her Unspeakable friend had come to Hogwarts to see the sprit and get him register for her since they had no name or anything beside that he had died a violent death, was male and when he had appeared to haunt her. The Unspeakable said that the Minerva's sprit, fore it was haunting her so the Ministry conceded the Ghost to be Minerva's, was being blocked by something keeping the sprit from gaining form. the Unspeakable had went on to say that there may have been some unknown wards that were holding it in the place that it had passed on. If a place was warded like that they may never find the sprit or break the wards to allow it to continue it's haunting and Minerva may be host to a ghost for the rest of her life.
Her sprit had joined her early this morning while she was still sleeping. She had gotten off to a late start this morning since is was summer and the only task today was to send the letter off to the new school year and get the letter ready for the new batch of first years. It was a simple task for her since the letters were addressed for her and the house elves would make sure that the letters got attached to owls and sent off. The only thing that she had to do was make sure that the muggle born letters got saved off to the side so that the Professors could go give each muggle born and their family a proper introduction to the magical world.
This year was special, special for her at least, in that Harry Potter would be coming to Hogwarts this year. There had been a lot of speculation about Harry in the staff meeting three days ago, both good and bad but the negative opinions were from the potions master only so the staff had chosen not to listen to the man. Harry Potter was special because of the sacrifice his Parents had made to save him and that that the boy had live after being cursed with the Killing curse. no other person had lived after being hit with the killing curse to this day and there was no one who had done it before him. That same night the dark wizard that called himself Lord Voldemort had died and the speculation that was now thought of as fact was that Harry had killed the dark wizard somehow.
Minerva watched as the pre-printed letters were addressed by age and therefore by grade. When they quill got to the first years she started sorting them after they were addressed. She pulled the first years that had wizarding families out and set them to be posted by owl to the students while setting the names that she knew were not from current magical families into another stack, those would be reviewed and then a Professor would go to introduce the student to the magical world. after the process was finished Minerva looked though the envelops again. her heart started sinking like a stone thrown into the Black lake. She looked three times through both stacks of first years as the tears started falling down her face.
She looked up for her sprit with her hands shacking the last of the letters that she had been going through. She looked again for her sprit but he was not there, he had left again. "Harry." was the whisper name that she spoke as sobs over took her. the elves in the room waiting for the letter for them to post began to panic and after a few minutes a elder was sent for after they could not get a response from Minerva. She had collapsed to the floor with the few letter that she had been holding spread along the floor around her. it took only a little time for the other Professors in the castle to be called and to arrive in Minerva's office to help the distraught Professor. They got no response from Minerva so without the med-whitch there they had Professor Snape called, who had not come when the elves tole him that Minerva needed help. They helped Minerva to her rooms and laid her down in bed before retreating to Minerva lounge to speak about what might have happened. Since the Headmaster was not there they figure that it may have something to do with him and they started trying to make contact with him.
Minerva heard them and although she respected each of her peers she was angry that they would gossip about her. she needed to know for sure, she had to know. if it was the truth then she didn't know what she would do but her heart was breaking again. A year before Lily Potter's death Minerva had been at the Potter's with Lily after her best friend had killed in Hogsmeade Minerva had come to bring the news herself knowing how close they had been. Minerva had ended up a few days later coming to see Lily again and their friendship seemed to keep growing from then on. She remember Harry Potter as a infant, he was a amazing baby, he was the child that Minerva wished that she could have had. He started producing accidental magic at three months and that continued even after James and Lily had decided to bound his magic. Minerva remember the day that Harry had imprinted him self with her magic and amazingly enough her magic accepted the imprint of him to her's. Lily had told her that Harry had done the same with Sirius, Peter, and Remus and that she should consider herself a honorary godmother since Lily's best friend had been his official one and was now dead. Minerva had come over to the Potter's everyday that she could after that but sadly that was not a lot because of her work with war and teaching.
She didn't need to see him but she had to be sure. She knew it was Harry that was haunting her now since the quill had not written a letter for Harry then he was dead. Minerva took her old broom out of her closet and got right on it like she was seventeen again. she flew through her open window and down to Hogsmeade so that she could Apparate to Harry Potter's former home. As soon as she got to Hogsmeade Minerva landed then Disapparated to Little Whinging, Surrey. Minerva in her state apparited right in the street in front of number 4 Private drive. She had no care for anything other then getting to Harry right now and confirming the sinister truth. Minerva used her wand to open the door that had been boarded up just like all of the windows and the garage door. Entering the house she found it empty of all furniture and anything that was not nailed down. the staircase had caught her attention next, not because of the way the walls of it seemed to have been removed down to the wooden studs but because of the ghostly figure there who seemed to be sleeping in the area below the floor runs of the staircase.
Minerva took slow shaky step towards the figure before falling to her knees startling the ghost child. As she cried her grief freely now as her in front of her was Harry Potter, dead. Harry did not try to come over like a child would often do if they saw someone they knew that was crying. He did sit-up abut that was as far as he got seance he seemed to be afraid of her.