I'm so sorry for the late update! I have been without my computer for the past 4 weeks. Thank you for your kind words and for following the story, I hope not to disappoint you, and also to update more often than this. I'm honestly not sure where this story is going. Or rather, I know where it will end, and how to get there, but I keep finding details I just have to fill in properly, and so it takes more time than anticipated.
I'd wish these were my characters, but Alas, they are not – they all belong to the highly gifted JK Rowling
Chapter 2, year one
Having spent the last 20 years teaching at Hogwarts, Minerva had put little effort into scheduling the first semester for the first years this year. They would have to start with the absolute basics, and those didn't change much from year to year. She would spend a lot of time with theory the first few weeks, while slowly letting them try some simple wand work.
"This" she said, sounding sterner than she felt, holding up a small object "is an ordinary match stick. You will try to transfigure it into a needle. That will require two transfigurations spells to begin with. Later you will off course be able to do this in one combined spell. You have to change the wood into metal, which we spent the last 20 minutes learning how to do."
She stopped and looked down at her students. Some wriggled uncomfortably; obviously not everyone had paid as much attention as she expected them to. The round face of Neville Longbottom was pale and sweaty. She felt a sting in her heart for him. Alice was always so scared looking too, when faced with a new challenge. He looked so much like her.
"The second part" she continued "will be to transfigure the shape of the match into that of the needle. To transfigure size is more difficult, because you need to make more or less material. We will not do that until after Christmas, but you should look it up beforehand, as it takes quite some getting used to." Her eyes met those of the brown eyed girl in the first row, who had already proved to be highly dedicated, having taken more notes than the rest of the class put together. She almost grinned, and had to bite her tongue not to do so, realizing that the young Miss Granger would probably try to shrink her toothbrush tonight.
"Well, you know what to do. Go on!" she barked. There was a scramble of chairs and desks, mixed with excited chatting, while the students found their wands and matches.
Half an hour later Minerva stood in front of the teacher's desk again. She looked disapprovingly at a burnt mark on the desk of Mr Finnigan, who had lit not just one, but a whole box of matches on fire. To his left the young Weasley's face was bright red, as she had told him loudly to stop doodling broomsticks and pay attention to his highly wooden match stick. He held such a resemblance to his father she could laugh.
All in all nothing this class had failed to produce had surprised her, as always it would take a few rounds of practice before they made progress, they were simply not confident enough yet.
She had anticipated this, off course. What did take her by surprise was the fact that the muggle born Granger had indeed made some progress. Not just a bit, actually. She had managed both to make her match into metal, and to make its shape quite close to that of the needle. It was missing the hole on top, and the point could be sharper, but still this was far beyond what any first year had ever produced on a first attempt. She held up the needle and showed the rest of the class, not being able to hold back a small smile as she looked down at Miss Granger's light blush.
She turned her back to them, while writing down homework on the black board before dismissing them. The class scrambled out, and she stood watching them go.
One small first year turned around and looked straight at her, just before leaving the room. She stared back at the girl with the huge bushy mane. Her eyes were the deepest, warmest brown, and Minerva felt herself sink into them, they filled her heart and soul with warmth and welcome. She gave the girl another smile, and received a huge grin in return, before the girl took off after the others. Minerva stood smiling for several minutes longer. What an extraordinary student that girl must be. "She's bound to go far" she whispered before clearing the black board, and writing headlines for the next class, just as a noisy group of fourth years piled in.
Minerva sat at her desk, supposedly marking essays – again. She thought she might have saved herself a lot of trouble if she gave the students a bit less homework. Her first year students seemed overwhelmed by the work load, and most of the essays were rather poor. One student had handed in a quarter of a foot, on an essay that should have been at least one foot. The one she was currently marking though was written in tiny, neat letters, and was 5 foot. She realized this was even more exhausting than the too short ones, but was quite impressed by the insight of the student.
She stretched and yawned, and stood up to have a look at the world outside. She watched as her long time friend Rolanda bossed the first years around, recognizing a few Gryffindor students in the lines. This was clearly the first lesson, she realized, as the students reached out the hand over the brooms on the ground.
She saw mouths move, and snorted a bit when nothing happened. Well, almost nothing. Harry Potter stood quite still with his broom firmly in his hand, while all the other brooms had either rolled over, fallen back down on the ground after rising half way up, or simply lay at the exact same spot as before. This intrigued her, usually no one had the broom in their hand on the first try, and certainly not the muggle raised kids who had never even seen a flying broom before.
The students placed their brooms correctly on the ground again, and they repeated the process. After a few tries most of them had managed to get the broom up. She had laughed out loud when she saw Ronald Weasley quickly kick his broom up with his foot when no one was watching him.
The small brown eyed girl with the huge bushy hair, who Minerva also recognized as the writer of the lengthy parchment on her desk, still hadn't made her broom move, which surprised her. The girl seemed highly adept at everything else the school threw at her. Minerva squinted her eyes, and took in the girl's frustrated face. There was something other than frustration there. Fear? The poor girl seemed too scared of the flying task to actually try at summoning her broom, probably hoping to be refused the chance at riding it if she didn't master this first part.
Minerva's pity of the girl who was quickly becoming her favorite student was short lived, as something much more dramatic happened. The clumsy, terrified son of Alice Longbottom, whose toad she kept catching in the bathroom, had somehow risen several feet off the ground, obviously without Rolanda's approval. She watched in horror as the boy was tossed around by the broom, like a ragdoll on a wild horse, before he fell hard to the ground.
Rolanda was at his side within seconds, yelling something and looking very upset, before rushing him out of sight, probably heading for the hospital wing. Minerva thought for a second about running out to help her colleague, when the students on the ground started moving, obviously arguing.
A blond boy, who she had learned was none other than the son of a very unpopular school governor, took off on his broom, closely followed by Harry Potter.
Harry Potter would never have been on a broom before! Now he raised high above the ground, making aggressive gestures towards the Malfoyboy, and actually shooting straight at him! She yelled loudly as Harry suddenly went into a steep dive straight down. In just the right second he pulled up, grabbing something in his hand that Malfoy had just tossed.
Minerva stared at the scene of students cheering and jumping around for another second, and then turned on her heel, rushing outside. She had to talk to Mr Potter about his knowledge of Quidditch, he was her hope in the horizon! She would also have to send a letter to Diagon Ally, it was too long since she had ordered a proper broomstick!
Minerva had spent a good ten minutes too much in front of the mirror vanishing a highly resistant spot from her nose, and was running quite late for the Halloween feast.
Her high heels clicked against the stone floor with hurried steps. As she stepped off the staircase on the first floor the next set of stairs suddenly creaked and turned up rather than down. She swore under her breath, and made a sharp turn down the corridor, heading for a secret passage behind a tapestry that would take her to the bottom of the grand staircase.
The soft sound of a student in despair suddenly caught her attention. Her sharp cat hearing made her ears twitch in the direction of the abnormal noise she had just passed. That was definitely the sound of a crying girl.
She stopped in mid stride, and turned back towards the sound. It came from the bathroom. Quietly she walked into the room, her shoes revealing her presence immediately as they hit the tiles.
The crying student went dead quiet. "Hello?" she said carefully, moving a few more steps towards the only occupied cubicle. There was no answer, except a sniff.
"Come on, lassie, surely nothing can be so bad it's worth missing a good feast?" she said kindly, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Again nothing but a sniff. She knocked the door gently, lowering her voice "I'm late too you know, we can go down together. Please come out, I won't bug you with questions."
She stared at the ever silent door, feeling a bit annoyed, slightly worried and quite sad. She really had no time for this, which surely was just another teenage drama. The corridors were always full of children hitting puberty with full force, with all the frustrations that followed. Students rarely missed out on feasts though, only the occasional breakfast or lunch.
It would be easy to just force the door open and drag the girl out. She could simply vanish the door, really. It would be to intrude though, and there was no school rule against crying in the bathroom.
She gave a deep sigh and regained balance, stepping away from the wall she had lent against. "Please come down when you feel like it" she said a bit more stern than she had intended, and left the room. Her heels clicked all the way down the corridor and through the tapestry, letting the crying girl know that she was once again alone.
The feast was good as always. Minerva had helped Albus earlier that day to transfigure about 200 moths into bats, as catching moths was far easier than catching bats. They were flittering restlessly over the heads of the students, some looking rather scared of the small flying mammals.
She tried to recognize any missing student, thinking of the girl from the bathroom. Her eyes scanned the Slytherin table, those being the students most likely to ignore her request to join her down stairs. Finding no missing face she moved on, searching down Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables before starting in the front of the Gryffindor house table.
The students were chatting away, none looking out or place or searching for a missing friend. She stared at the first years sitting closest to the head table. Somewhere far in the back of her head she felt her brain working at full speed, processing what her eyes took in. All the boys were there. Miss Brown and Miss Patil was snickering and pointing at a handsome boy over at Hufflepuff table which she realized was young Mr Diggory. Two girls. Where was the third?
She scanned the table again to make sure, but the bushy brown hair of Hermione Granger was definitely missing. Her heart dropped to her stomach, and she made a move to excuse herself when the doors suddenly burst open with a loud bang, and Quirrel shouted about a troll.
She rose immediately and had to cast several charms to help the headmaster calm the students enough to give order of evacuation. Then the lot of them headed towards the dungeons.
After just a minute or two it became quite clear that there was no troll in the dungeon, though it was equally clear that it had been one there. The walls had scratch marks on them, a few laps had been blasted off their stands, and a strong, unpleasant smell lingered in the air. As she approached Albus to find what his plans were they heard a distant bang from somewhere above them.
Minerva suddenly stopped dead, pale as a sheet. She turned without a word, and bolted. "Minerva!" Albus called after her. She turned in mid-run and yelled back to him "I have make sure she is safe!" She ran as fast as she could, not bothering about what Albus thought, and collided with something hard as she burst through the first floor tapestry.
Severus had come running from the opposite side, and they were now both on the floor, robes all over the place. "Where is it?!" She barked, at the exact same time as Severus yelled "Where is he?!" She stared at him. "Who?" He was about to answer when they heard a racket from the bathroom in the end of the corridor. What could be nothing but the troll screamed at the top of its lungs. There was something else though. Voices. Children's voices yelling spell words.
Minerva looked at Severus, who looked at her. Then they made a run for it, Severus limping slightly, straight at the door, which they wrenched open just in time to see the massive troll smash to the ground.
Minerva stood rigid. The two boys didn't even notice them, but looked gleefully at each other, then at something in the corner. "Is it dead?" Minerva heard the small voice pipe up from the corner, and sure enough, there she was. Pale, wet and full of troll drool, but alive. She gave a sigh of relief, then straightened up to her fullest height and walked into the room. The three younglings went very quiet.
Miss Granger took the blame. Minerva had been downright shocked to hear the obvious lie. She let her go though, after an appropriate talk. She knew that the girl was desperate to make friends, and seeing her save their butts shoved some character and a good heart. If this would make her happy she would let her lie. For now.
Then she turned at the boys. After a short telling to and awarding some points for being luckier than allowed, she dismissed them.
Just a short time later she sat at the top of the stairs leading to Gryffindor tower in her cat form. She had used another secret passage, and reached the top before Hermione got there. She waited until the girl passed her, and was pleased to feel the girls hand absently stroke her head in passing, then turned and transfigured to human form.
She cleared her voice, and had to catch the girl as she screamed and fell backwards. "Woah, watch out!" she squeaked, steadying the girl, who looked more terrified now than when she had approached the troll minutes before.
Minerva straightened up and took one step back, to leave some space between them. "Miss Granger" the girls face fell, her eyes directed at the floor. "Hermione, please, look at me." Hermione lifted her head, though didn't make eye contact.
Minerva decided not to push her further, and continued "Please don't lie to me again. You are not stupid, neither am I. I will accept that there might be things you want to keep secret, but do not lie to me. I am not, opposed to what seems to be public opinion, a cold hearted old woman. I care. For all of you, for all my students." Then she stroked away the single tear that had been falling on Hermione's face, and smiled. "You are an extraordinary student, Miss Granger. I have great expectations for you".
The girl looked at her, and smiled shyly from the praise. And this student did something no student had ever done before. She hugged Minerva McGonagall.
Minerva was too shocked to move; she just went very stiff and awkwardly petted the girl's back. She bid her goodnight, and watched her leave through the portrait hole behind the Fat Lady, then turned to find her own chambers, through the secret passage open only for the head of Gryffindor house.
She couldn't define what had made all the difference, nor why Miss Hermione Granger was so special to her, but she did accept the fact none the less.
Hermione Granger was special to her.
It was very early in the morning when Minerva found herself walking down for breakfast one Saturday in November. She had to get ready for the first Quidditch match of the year, making sure the stadium and stands were alright.
As she passed the bathroom on the first floor bathroom she heard a melody, and stopped to listen. The most beautiful voice was singing, or more humming, a tune that felt familiar to her. She couldn't remember the lyrics though, but stood still listening.
The melody bore its way into her heart, filling her every cell with a different kind of magic. It was very pleasant, and she let the tunes swell inside her.
All too soon the voice went quiet, and she heard instead the sound of water running from a sink. Realizing she had shut her eyes she quickly opened them again and looked around. Luckily no one else was there to see her. She walked quickly on, not wanting to be seen looking so pleased and dreamy outside a girls bathroom.
Half an hour later Minerva sat at the speaker's desk, humming a tune to herself. "…that saved a wretch like me…." She sang out loud, voice not really more than a whisper, and the tune most certainly off key, only to stop abruptly. Where on earth did that song come from? She shook her head, glad no one heard her, and shut her mouth firmly. She had a vague feeling she had heard the song not too long ago, though.
At that precise moment a young Gryffindor boy, Mr Jordan, came in. He nodded respectfully to her, and sat himself by the microphone. "Ready?" she asked, and he nodded again. She pointed her wand at the microphone and said "sonorous", and then leaned back to listen as the boy did his sound checks. She was looking very much forward to this game; having spied at some Gryffindor practices lately she had good faith in the young Mr Potter, who she rightfully had assumed was meant to play seeker.
The match turned out to be quite entertaining, though she had one hell of a job keeping Mr Jordan in check. At some point she had started screaming swearwords herself, thankfully out of microphone range. Then Harry's broom had started jumping around like a wild horse.
She felt all the color drain from her face, while watching him hold on for dear life. She cast several cushioning charms on the ground beneath him, and prepared herself for immobilus and levitating charms, when someone rushed past her, right underneath the stands. Her eyes flittered down for a second before darting back up at Harry – she had to keep focused – but she could have sworn she saw Hermione Granger running towards the teachers stands with her wand at the ready.
Seconds later the game was won, and she screamed herself hoarse with the young speaker for the absolute brilliant catch of the snitch.
Christmas was drawing closer, and Minerva did her usual rounds in Gryffindor tower to take names of students who would stay at Hogwarts. She was glad for any who did, as the castle felt so eerie without the noises of the students.
All the four Weasley children were to stay behind, which would assure that she had work to do. Most of the other students were going home though, including all the girls.
Hermione Granger had come to see her after the last transfiguration lesson before the holidays, and left her a small Christmas present. She was so surprised that she almost forgot to say thank you, she had never had a present from one of her students before.
Having only a very few, distant family members Minerva didn't expect more than a few presents; Molly would send a delicious pack of homemade sweets, Albus would give her a book, Filius would have bought an ornament of some sort and Pomona and Rolanda would both have bought some sort of clothing in colors she could never make herself wear. Now she sat looking at the neatly wrapped present with the tag written is the familiar writing of Miss Granger "To Professor McGonagall from Hermione". She smiled and picked up her wand, then headed out to visit Hogsmeade.
Minerva walked around in the different stores for quite some time, picking out things for her friends. She found a book for Albus which made her laugh out loud "Knit your own socks – the muggle way". She had gotten Filius a new hat, with fancy Christmas decorations hanging from the brim, and gloves that flashed in different colors for Pomona and Rolanda as pay back for whatever they had gotten her. Finally she bought a bottle of fine single malt whiskey for Molly, and was on her way back to the castle when she remembered the gift from Hermione.
It would be highly controversial if she bought a present for a student. But then, who would know? She turned back and went into a small corner shop at the end of the street, and looked around for a few minutes. In the end she decided on a small beaded handbag, which the witch behind the counter wrapped nicely for her.
That night a grey tabby sneaked up into the girls' dormitory in Gryffindor tower and snuck a small present into the trunk of Hermione Granger, a not stuck to it saying "To Hermione" and nothing else.
It had been a stressful couple of weeks after the Easter holidays. Exams were upon them within a short time, and Minerva was very busy making sure students were as well prepared as they could be. The fifth and seventh year students were in a state of panic, OWL and NEWT exams hanging over them like dark shadows.
By the end of May the hospital wing was over crowded with students having panic attacks, nose bleeds, faints and fits. Madam Pomfey had asked for an extra set of hands, and Minerva had volunteered to help for a few hours one afternoon. She had just finished attending to a head injury to a fifth year Hufflepuff, caused by said student fainting on the top step of the grand staircase and falling all the way down, when the doors creaked open behind her.
She turned around to see Mr Ronald Weasley standing there with his hand in a handkerchief. He looked terrified to see her there, and tried to back out again, but she stopped him by magically closing the doors behind him. "What happened?" she said, looking down at the swollen and green hand. He mumbled something about a dog, before Madam Pomfrey came over to examine the wound.
They had both agreed that this would not be just a dog bite, but the boy was stubborn, even though his crazy red face told them clearly that he was not telling the whole truth. Madam Pomfrey gave him a bed and ushered her out to help yet another puking girl, and Mr Weasley was left to flush in peace. Minerva huffed grumpily around for a few hours, irritated that the young Weasley wouldn't tell the truth and get proper treatment.
The following Saturday Minerva was on watch duty, a task she preferred performing in her cat form. It allowed her to move soundlessly around the castle without being seen.
It was close to midnight, and she had just heard a noise that was highly out of place at this time of night; someone had sneezed from behind a tapestry. She moved as close as she could without detection and smelled the tip of the shoe poking out from under the tapestry. It smelled of expensive cologne, shoe polish and candy. Judging by the shoe size this was a student, probably a pompous, posh one.
She transfigured into her human shape and tore the tapestry away, reveling a very pale Draco Malfoy. She dragged him by the ear down the hall towards her classroom, taking 20 points as she went, while he shouted about Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hagrid and a dragon. She had heard many creative lies in her days, but this was quite out of the ordinary.
Then she made an abrupt halt, and turned sharply back. She was certain she had heard another noise, and could smell fresh air, as if the doors had just been opened. "Be quiet!" she hissed at the still wailing Malfoy and stood dead still. Someone had been here, just seconds ago. Then Mrs Norris came prancing into view. "There are more students in the hallways" she said to the cat. "Find them." The old cat ran off into the dark.
Minerva had not more than rounded the corner before she bumped into someone. She was devastated to find Neville Longbottom stuttering in front of her. He started about Harry Potter, a dragon and Draco Malfoy being a foul git. She wrenched the door of her classroom open, and ordered them both to sit. "Explain!" she barked, and they both went off again blabbering about fairy tales.
"That's enough!" Minerva felt her temper rising, anger piercing through her words, leaving the two boys looking down at their desks. She drew her breath sharply a couple of times, making her voice sound deadly calm, if possible silencing the boys even further. "That is quite enough, from both of you! Dragons! If you intend to lie, at least have the decency to try something plausible the next time!"
The young Malfoy looked up, as if to protest, but thought better of it, seeing the fire in the green eyes. He quickly shifted his gaze to the desk again. Minerva dismissed Malfoy to the dungdeons, and intended to walk Neville back upstairs. As she rose again, and opened her mouth to speak, Filch came barging in the door holding not one, but two new first years.
Minerva stared open mouth at them, emerald eyes almost black with anger as she realized exactly which two students. Gryffindors. Hers. Another two. Filch said something about the Astronomy tower, and she felt herself burning with rage.
She yelled for what felt like hours. Her anger faded slowly into something deeper, something more private; disappointment and sadness. She realized after a while that even though all three students kept their heads bent, she was only looking at one of them. She had asked Hermione Granger to explain herself, which had drained all color from the girls face. Shame was etched on the young face. Shame and fear. Why was this girl, who seemed to admire her so, also so terrified of her? She remembered that she had told the girl never to lie to her. And so this was her way of not lying, simply say nothing.
Again her annoyance and disappointment of Granger's lack of ability to trust her made itself present, and then she did something she had never done before. She took 150 points in one go. 150 from her own house. She regretted it the second she said it; that was way too harsh on a group of first years, even though they violated the rules so thoroughly. Albus would certainly let her hear this. Sighing she dismissed the three students to their dormitories.
"Children's pranks…" She muttered to herself. "Dragons. What's next? Harry Potter's got a cloak of invisibility, so he can sing in the girl's bathrooms? Dragons... Those gnomes are going to be the death of me! Aaargh, children!" She spat the last word, and left the room again to continue her nightly parole.
"Well, well, is it not the deputy" Albus looked up over his spectacles as Minerva entered his office a few hours later. He poured them both a cup of strong tea, while she sat on her regular chair looking disgruntled and somewhat embarrassed. "Do not worry, I am quite sure those mischievous little gnomes, was it not that which you called them, will be able to rectify their mistake within the end of the year." Blue eyes twinkled in the semi darkness of the early sunrise.
Minerva gave a sigh, finally letting her shoulders drop down in a relaxed position. She mumbled something indistinctive, and took a sip from her cup. "Come again?" Albus said, one eyebrow raised. "I was saing…" she started "that I would have wished it was someone other than Miss Hermione Granger with the boys tonight. She's such a clever girl, and I see no reason for her to ruin her possibilities by risking everything for a prank on Malfoy, even if that boy is an… an… ass!"
Albus laughed out loud at her outburst against the young Malfoy. "You sound just like Severus!" he grinned. "Except Severus claims the Malfoyboy to be a genius, while loathing young Mr Potter." Minerva looked startled "I don't loath Malfoy!" she said, sounding incredibly childish. Albus simply chuckled. "And I certainly do not pick favorites like Severus!" she said stubbornly, feeling the tinge of blush creep up her cheeks for the obvious lie.
Albus raised an eyebrow again, lowering his spectacles as he surveyed her over the brink of his nose. "So Miss Granger is not to be considered a favorite then?" She simply huffed in response, causing the older man to laugh again.
"We should get ready for breakfast, professor." He said, and rose from his seat. "I do however have one question for you, on behalf of someone else." She looked up, puzzled. "Have you been struck by lightning yet?" he asked simply, already moving out the door, obviously not expecting her to answer. He was half way down the stairs when she stopped blubbering and called "who asks such a question?" He stopped and looked up, eyes twinkling madly. "The sorting hat." Then he left, leaving a highly confused Minerva behind.
The mood of the students did not improve over the next couple of weeks. Minerva felt bad for Granger, Potter and Longbottom for the way the other students punished them, and then they had to go out to the forest with Hagrid to find a dead unicorn. According to Albus they had found it, but he wouldn't give her any details on what had happened.
When the last exam finally was over Minerva gave a huge sigh of relief. The good feeling was short lived, though. She had caught Miss Granger with her wingmen in a corridor, and they had told a story about someone trying to steal the philosopher's stone.
How on earth they knew about the stone was beyond her, but she had been quite cross in her dismissal. When she caught them a second time she was livid. She had told them quite clearly to get outside and behave themselves, before heading to the staff room.
It was not until she sat down that she started pondering about what the students had said. Would Miss Granger lie to her again? They sounded truly desperate. But why would three students know anything the teachers, and headmaster, did not? And how could they have found out about the stone? Not a soul outside Hogwarts knew, except for Nicolas Flamel. Or so she thought, at least. Maybe someone could know? Who would that be?
She shook her head. Surely no one knew, they must have found out by listening to some of the teachers talk in private. She took a sip from her tea, and sat in deep thought for a while.
After dinner the uneasy feeling in her stomach still wouldn't let go, and eventually she stood up and walked over to an open window. Lifting her wand and pointing it to the horizon she said "Recorde Patronum. Three young Gryffindors knows what's hidden and warn of threat. Finite." She watched as a streak of blue light shot into the distance and disappeared. If it was of any importance Albus would probably know.
Minerva had no idea what happened next.
That night she was on patrol, and hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary, when Dumbledore came hurtling into the school and disappeared down the 3rd floor corridor. As he shot through the closed wing he turned to her startled face telling her, as she tried to ask for an explanation, to wait there for Miss Granger and Mr Weasley.
Both children arrived moments later, the latter supporting a huge bruise on the forehead, while the girl was in hysterics. She had to force them both up to the hospital wing, practically carrying the young Granger over her shoulder. Hermione had fought against her the first two flights of stairs, after which she just sobbed uncontrollably.
Madam Pomfrey had performed her usual diagnostic spells, and found nothing wrong with Miss Granger. Mr Weasley on the other hand had a slight concussion, and was to stay in the hospital wing over night just in case. Harry Potter had been brought up only a short time after she arrived with the other two, and was unconscious on a bed in the corner.
Albus had told her some incredible story which included all three children, Lord Voldemort, the mirror with the shadow of the woman in it, and a stone. Oh yes, and Professor Quirrel, who Albus matter of factly had announced to be dead.
Minerva McGonagall was shocked. She sat staring out of the far window in the hospital wing, watching the moon and how it lit up all the grounds in a silvery light. Albus was speaking to Hermione and Ronald, she heard the murmur of voices, but didn't pay attention to it. Suddenly she felt a small hand touch hers, and looked up. Miss Granger was standing next to her; Albus had clearly left the room already.
"Professor… "The girl looked nervous, and had removed her hand the instant Minerva looked at her. "I'm sorry to bother you but… could you walk with me to Gryffindor tower? I don't want to walk the hallways alone" she looked smaller than Minerva had ever seen her. Minerva rose slowly, and offered her hand to Hermione. "Come lass, we'll walk up to the tower together."
She pulled Hermione close and walked with her, listening to the girl's story. By the time they reached the portrait hole she felt quite ashamed for not helping them earlier that day. "I wouldn't lie, you know." Hermione said, as if reading her mind. Minerva nodded slowly, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, Miss Granger. I should have known it was important when you said it was. I did contact Albus though. But I wished I had told you so."
Hermione smiled at her again, that radiating smile she had learned to appreciate so much for its warmth and welcome. And for the second time a student hugged her. Hermione had flung herself around her waist, and hugged her tight. This time she managed to pet the girls back a bit less clumsily, and smiled in return. "Good night, Miss Granger".
Minerva turned and walked towards her own rooms. In the distance she could hear a voice singing the most beautiful tune, and stopped to listen. The song was a lullaby as old as time itself, she knew the melody but the words were not the ones the once heard from her mother. The song came from an open window, the singer somewhere in the castle, voice carrying though the night. She was sure it must be the same person as before, in the bathroom on that cold November day. Again the sound filled her every being with emotions.
Slowly, with regret, she walked on. No one could see the tear running down her cheek.
Is it too much? Too little? Hopefully it turns out alright! I will try to put one year in each chapter, the first one being to kind of test the waters.
Happy New Year to each and every one of you, may 2014 bring love to your lives and joy to your hearts!