By Leta McGotor
Disclaimer: The chracters and so on belong to JKR but the story is mine.
Huge thanks to all who have read and reviewed (Especially to gynji, coolie, maggie Ernst, Quill of Minerva, madge622 and KK Duke)
Here are some answers: Minerva does not yet know that Albsus is going to die.
I did not intend to show that Minerva and Severus are enemies or so. They are rivals (she is a Gryffindor and he a Slytherin – I can't change that). But I agree that they are something like friends, too. Not openly, that is correct and maybe not the best of friends – but they respect and help each other and so on. Some harsher comments were not made out of hate or so, but of a change of mood or out of stress.
I wish all of you a lot of fun with the next chapter.
Chapter 2: Arguments
Severus was shocked. If he hadn't known better, he would have sworn he had landed in the middle of a death eater meeting. All people around him were dressed in the deepest shade of black, no face, not even the skin of a hand was visible. All those strangers looked at Severus and before he could even think farther, half a dozen wands pointed at him, ready to strike him down. Severus cought his breath, preparing to defend himself, not exactly knowing how.
"Stop. Stop it.", came a voice from behind the line of enemies, Minerva's voice. She fougth her way through the crowd and stood in front of one of them, who was a bit taller than most of the others. "Don't attack, I know who he is." Minerva hissed at this man in a way that even surprised the Slytherin in the middle.
"We can't let him be, he has seen us and what we are preparing. He would tell. I don't trust those." He spat to the ground and jerked his head in Severus' direction. "Better kill him, a grave is eays to find here." Some of the others laughed nastily.
"I said No, that's definite." Minerva glared at the man, who was nearly two heads taller than she was. But after a minute or so, he looked away, spat on the ground again and shrugged.
"He came with you, he's your problem. But these are my people you bring into danger, don't forget." Minerva nodded and turned to face Severus. Without a word she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the crowd to a grave a little way up, so that the others could not eavesdrop.
"What did you think following me here? Are you mad? They nearly killed you." She hissed and whispered at the same time.
"And what do you do here? This is a graveyard in the middle of the night. Not a suitable time to visit a grave and bring flowers."
"That's not your business."
"Not my business? Do you know these men? If I'm not gravely mistaken, this is a group of the most dangerous men, that…"
"A group that is not ruled by You-Know-Who, right. And they don't harm me. I have known them for the greatest part of my life. So don't dare speak ill of them, Severus."
"Oh, you have known them. And now you plan a picknick? Whatever you are doing here is definitely not harmless or they would not have tried to attack me. So, what is it?"
"It's not your business."
"Does Dumbledore know?"
"It's not his business, either. So go back to Hogwarts and to bed and let me be."
"You tell me what you are doing and I will go" He crossed his arms stubbornly.
"And if I don't want to?" She also crossed her arms and glared at him. This was a question of willpower and she was not going to lose.
"I'll stay."
"They won't let you. It's really better for both of us…", but she did not continue for one of the masked men came striding towards them and when he was near enough, he addressed her.
"We think it better to stop for tonight. Too many unwanted people here." He looked sharply at Severus, whoose face was stony. "We send you a new time soon." He nodded in her direction before he disapparated like the rest of them. Minerva glared angry at Severus.
"That's your guilt. Do you know how long we planned this? How hard it was to find the books and the equipment and all?"
"I will. You just need to tell me what you are doing."
"That's not your business", she answered again and vanished into thin air. Severus also apparated to Hogwarts and cought her on her way.
"So", he said calmly. "I have to tell Dumbledore all about it, you know."
"You wouldn't." She turned to him.
"Why shouldn't I? It could be very important according to those men there. What's that for a connection between you and them? No one like you would even know them. They are mercenaries, they kill if you pay them for their job. What have you to do with them? Who do you want to be killed?" His temper was rising slightly, but he could control himself.
"It's not your…" Minerva began with crossed arms.
"Business, I know. You repeat yourself. Ah, look there, Minerva. There is still light in Dumbledore's study…" He pointed towards the castle.
"No. You mustn't tell him." Minerva interruted him hastily with – was it fear in her voice?
"Why not?" He asked coldly.
"He wouldn't understand." Her voice sounded slightly desperate.
"Tell me and I decide what is understandable for you to hang around with those." Minerva sighed and closed her eyes shortly to collect herself.
"I don't want to have someone killed. It's… it's more like an experiment. That's all." She surrendered.
"You experiment with them? One who loves danger will die in it, Minerva. I expect anyone would help you with it, why those?" He couldn't understand her train of thoughts there.
"They have no scrupel. This… experiment… well, is not… well. I don't expect anyone wanting to participate in something like this." She shrugged.
"Try me. Ask a Death Eater and maybe you get what you want." He answered not looking at her directly.
"Oh Severus, that's no joke and no game. So give it a rest." She said slightly irritated.
"I can't" He crossed his arms.
"Why not?"
"Because Albus askes me what I have done that your mood is so…"
"Why does he ask you about my mood?" Her voice was rising.
"Ask him. I don't know. But don't expect me to give the matter a rest if you walk through Hogwarts either with an expression to kill or with tears all over your face. I want to know what is going on." His voice matched hers.
"You never cared about my mood." Minerva answered after several moments of silence.
"Oh yeah, because you know what I'm thinking."
"Severus please, I can't tell you, not yet anyway. Maybe I'll explain it later to you, but not now. And my mood… I was a bit stressed lately and you don't help me by disrupting all those preparations."
"Those preparations are…"
"You don't get it. Right?!" She stamped her food on the ground, her mouth was a just visible line.
"What is behind this experiment? Nobody knows something about it, not even Albus, and you expect me to do nothing, to ask no questions? I believe it an even better idea now to go to Albus and tell him." He turned around and made his way towards the castle. But before he could enter it, Minerva hold him back.
"Promise me, that you will not tell anybody, especially not one of the Order and not Albus. Promise me that you will not interfere in anything we do. Promise me you will not follow me to this place again. And promise me you will never visit this graveyard, no matter whether by day, night with someone or without. Do you promise me that?" She said urgently to him. He just nodded.
"Well, come with me then." She went past him and began to climb the first staircase. Severus's eyes followed, evaluating the situation. Not long afterwards he found himself right next to Minerva, who opened the door to her private chambers.
After entering, Minerva closed the door and prepared it so, that no one could eavesdrop. Then she motioned for him to sit down somewhere and vanished into another room.
Severus sat down and looked around. He had never been in Minerva's private chambers before. This room contained a desk, which was loaden with papers, all neatly piled. Next to it was a window and next to it a little door for a balcony. The window-sill was broad enough for one to sit upon it and the book that lay there showed that Minerva did exactly this.
There was a nice fireplace at well, which illuminated the whole room in a golden light. In the middle of all there was a small couch and one armchair in a wine-red shade and a little table with an ancient looking chess set on it.
Minerva came back into the room, holding a small box in her hands. She sat opposite of Severus and opened it taking a few pictures out. One of them she gave Severus. He looked at it.
Two people were visible in the photograph. One of them sat now opposite of him. Minerva sat in a light dress on a swing, which was fastened to an old tree. Against the tree a man was leaning. He had not only black hair, but was dressed completely in the same colour. His face showed a slightly arrogant expression, but his eyes blazed with joy as he looked at the woman sitting on the swing.
"That's my brother, he died shortly ago. We – his friends and me – want to bring him back to life. That's our experiment." Minerva said. Severus looked at her unbelieving. Surely he had understood her wrong. That was impossible.
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