Carry my soul into the night, may the stars light my way
I glory in the sight, as darkness takes the day
Sing a song- a song of life -lived without regret
Tell the ones, the ones I loved
I never will forget
OZ-SPEED MY DEARIES!... wait.. wrong universe!
J.K. Rolling unfortunately owns Harry Potter... not me, though I do take credit for the OC's
Chapter 3 - A Deep Message and Seeker's Thrill
Early August, 1937:
Minerva sank into her bed with her arms crossed and a groan of disapproval escaped her lips.
"Cheer up, Min. You're not going away forever, it's just for a week." The Poppy crawled her way into the bed near her friend to comfort her.
"Yeah, a week purely devoted to keep me from using magic. Poppy, Loch Ness is encased with an ancient ward that disables all magic. I won't be able to practice basic spells or fly-"
"What?" Rolanda jumped off her seat in protest, her feet loudly stomped the ground as she did. "No flying? That's crossing the line!"
Poppy rolled her hazel eyes. "Oh please, Rola, there are far worse things they can take away."
"Says you. Flying is my life!"
"And magic is mine." Minerva narrowed her eyes, frowning. "It's who I am and it's part of me. How can she even fathom the possibility that I'd give it up?"
"Maybe she thought you won't need it?" Poppy suggested.
"But I do need it! I know that sounds silly and childish, but I do. If I didn't have magic, I don't know who I would be..."
The room fell silent with her last drifting words. Rolanda joined them on the bed, snuggling up close with her sisters. They stayed there, helping each other block unwanted thoughts and help them relax and enjoy their comfort with what little time they had left together.
"Well, we're here. Welcome to Loch Ness, children," Robert said as Isobel tucked the portkey into her purse. Malcom let go of his father's hand, his jaw dropped and eyes widened from the view in front of him.
"Wow. Min, Cayd, turn around. The lake!"
Minerva turned around a little slower than her youngest brother, viewing the great Loch Ness. While it was beautiful, it didn't warm her enough to smile. She knew exactly what this place was and the slight tingling in the back of her head confirmed it; it was an anti-magic prison. Minerva tore her eyes away from the lake to stare at the castle with genuine loathing, the ancient wards made her feel as if something was beginning to be severed deep inside her.
"Come along now," Isobel's voice chimed as she gently stirred Malcom away towards, what only Muggles saw, a half destroyed stone castle. "Let's go inside and get our rooms settled."
"Come on Minvey!" Cayden said, looking up at her as he tugged at her left hand. Minerva sighed, seeing the castle as nothing more than a prison.
"All right," she whispered slowly, defeated by the eagerness of her beloved brother. She took a step, one-single-step, and it felt as if she was walking on little needles, stabbing into her heart, mind and soul. Magic was everything to her, combined into her very being and it was being taken from her without choice. She felt the turmoil within her mind rattling her heart.
Cayden could feel the struggle within his sister and stopped tugging on her arm. "Are you all right, Minvey?"
Minerva forced a small smile, as she cut off their connection, not wanting to cause him any more worry. "I'm fine Cayd, although I'm glad that you're not completely attuned to your magic yet."
He raised an eyebrow in confusion, but decided not to pursue the topic further. She took a deep breath, then continued to slowly walked towards the castle. The wards grew thicker as she pursued her way, causing the needling underfoot to advance their agonizing pressure.
"Minerva, darling, just let magic flow out of your mind. If you continue to fight it, it will only get worse," Isobel said, poking her head out of a window, then left just as quickly as she appeared.
Easy for you to say, you've given up magic most of your life, locked it away in fear that Muggles would see who you really are, Minerva thought. No, I'm a witch. It's what I am and what I'll never cease to be.
Her new found courage stoked a fire in her heart as she clung to her magic tightly, mentally willing it to encase a barrier around herself. It worked. She could feel the needles ebb away and the tightening at her chest cease. Minerva smiled defiantly; she just created a personal anti-ward shield charm.
The dark haired girl stayed in her room most of the time, reading her books non-stop, yearning to learn everything there was about magic. How to perform a spell with a wand, wandless magic and its effectiveness, and especially the branch of Transfiguration. The topic was absolutely fascinating to her and every now and then she'd look through her window and see her family playing on the shore line or in the lake and she'd take her reading outside, near the willow tree, so that her parents wouldn't complain.
At night, however, it was completely different. After the first few nights of practicing she was able to expand her anti-ward barrier around her room so she could practice wand magic. A surge of mischief, magical curiosity and the will to perform flowed through her heart and mind. Minerva summoned her wand to her hand with a single thought, not entirely knowing what she was doing but she had to do something or she'd go mad. She got out her Transfiguration book, searching for the first spell in the curriculum.
Match to needle.
Quickly and quietly, Minerva crept down to the kitchen, grabbed a few matches from the cabinet, then went back into her room. She locked the door just in case anyone had heard her, then proceeded to read, again, the procedure of the spell. With a wave of her wand and incantation of words, the match's wood tensed near breaking point, then became hard as steel. She picked up the match and attempted to snap it but to no avail. She grinned with pride. It took everything she had to not jump up and down like a kangaroo.
Minerva focused her ecstatic mind on completing the spell and within two more casts, she had perfected it. Though not entirely how, but she did and she was ecstatic. It felt right, perfect, natural like the blood that pumped through her veins.
She heard the creak of the wooden floor in the hallway. Immediately, she grabbed her book, waved her wand while whispering 'Nox', then dived under the covers as the dim light turned off. Minerva held her breath as the footsteps gradually came closer to her door, then let it out again as they went downstairs. She didn't move, and her eyes began to droop with exhaustion as a yawn came over her. Magic can wait for tomorrow night.
Indeed it did wait. Minerva awoke to the sound of her brothers' voices outside, squealing and giggling as they splashed in the water. She smiled, imagining what they were getting themselves into. Nothing good, that's for sure.
Minerva checked under her pillow for her wand. Seeing it there, she climbed out of bed and quickly changed into a new set of young witches robes, grabbed her Transfiguration book, then ran downstairs.
"Good Morning, Minnie."
"Morning, Papa!" Minerva called, not looking back as she continued to run outside and heard her father laugh as he watched her.
"Minvey!" Cayden yelled, waving his arms at her from the water. She could see Malcom further out, beyond the dock, treading water to stay afloat. Minerva placed her book under the willow tree then ran over to the dock. Cayden climbed out of the water using the ladder, "We found something! Malcom says it's a fish, but I don't think so!"
"It is a fish, Cayden!" the older boy insisted as he gradually made his way towards his siblings.
"Fish don't leave a sparkling trail behind them!"
"There were not sparkles!"
"Yes there were, I saw them!" Cayden turned around, his big green eyes stared into his sister's identical copies, pleading her to agree with him, "You believe me, don't you sis?"
"Of course I do, Cayd, but I'd-"
"See, I told you!" Minerva rolled her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. Not again! If there is one thing I will be grateful for going to Hogwarts, it would be to get away from their constant bickering!
"Just because Minnie believes you, doesn't mean it's true!" Cayden whined.
"Boys, please!" Minerva raised her voice, nearly shouting in the process. Both of them looked at her with wide eyes, having never heard her shout at them in such a manner before. "If it is that important to know the truth, then dive under water and see it for yourselves."
Malcom shook his head. "We can't, it swam out of bounds."
Minerva rubbed her temples, groaning softly. "All right, fine. I'll go."
"What?"
"I'll go see if it's a fish or not." Minerva took off her shoes as she replied steadily. She stood up and prepared to jump but Cayden grabbed her arm.
"Minvey-"
"Don't," the older boy interrupted. "You'll get us all in trouble. Màthair said-"
"I don't care what Màthair said!" Minerva shouted. "She's the reason we're trapped in a prison that suppresses our magic! I hate it and I hate her for making us stay here."
"Y-you don't mean that, do you Minnie?" Malcom swam closer to the dock, his voice slightly quivering, and not from the cold.
"The devil I don't, Malcom." Not bothering to see his reaction, Minerva removed her arm from Cayden's grip and kissed his forehead while whispering. "Wish me luck!"
She dove into the water, feeling the rush of icy water hit her skin, and placed a mental block in the cold and focused on swimming out of the boundary. She surfaced for breath a few times then checked her position.
"You're almost there, Minvey, keep going!" Cayden cheered, his excitement was in complete contrast towards his brother's worried state.
"Be quiet!" Malcom hissed in the little boy's ear. "Do you want Màthair to hear you?"
Minerva continued her course, concentrating on her breathing and arm strokes. A bright light sparkled for a moment in the corner of her eye. After first, she thought it was just the sun reflecting against the water, but then she saw another and another, until it began to form a trail- just like Cayden said. Minerva plunged under the water and opened her eyes. The shimmering sparks of light were nowhere to be found. She swerved her body around, looking behind her. Nothing. The relatively clear, blue green water showed nothing. Not a single fish or living thing at all.
Disappointed, Minerva began to propel her body towards the surface when she suddenly felt, something like a hand, grab her ankle. She didn't kick to loosen it in fear, like most children her age would. Instead, she looked down. Large, bright yellow eyes that were almost painful to look at stunned her momentarily. Thick, dark red hair pooled around a slender, pale, moss-green skinned, feminine creature. Small sparkles of light danced around the fins of her tail which glowed a serene effect. It was a Siren.
The beautiful creature placed a finger upon her amethyst lips, signally for silence, or in Minerva's case, no struggle and the young witch complied with a little nod. Minerva watched the siren swim up to her, completely captivated. She didn't understand why, but she felt very safe right now.
When the sun blazed eyes met her emerald green orbs, the creature opened her mouth, singing a melodious song the echoed softly within her mind.
"Child of change, of morphing talent: born to discover the ways of our magic, of how we survived. You will suffer at the hands of dark evil, a terrible price for one so young. My people have Seen what is to be and it makes us weep, even in the water. Your heart will guide your actions. May you live by the song of my people."
Suddenly the siren began to sing. It wasn't a very pretty song. Strangely, it was filled with morbid intent, yet, it also swayed with a deep, centered hope.
Carry my soul into the night, may the stars light my way
I glory in the sight, as darkness takes the day
Sing a song- a song of life -lived without regret
Tell the ones, the ones I loved
I never will forget
Minerva suddenly felt very faint, yet somehow calm, as if her mind had entered a very happy daze.
"If you bind your life with this, it will give you the strength to continue living, even in your darkest days."
The moment the siren began to swim away, Minerva's trace ended and she grabbed her arm. Wait, please, I don't understand!
The creature shook her head, then leaned forward. "You will in time."
Her dark lips softly pressed against her cheek, then again to the other, before Minerva felt a strong current fling her from the siren's grasp. All Minerva could see was the dancing sparkles of light fade away as her body unwillingly climbed to the surface.
When she broke from the water, her lungs bursting for air, she could hear Cayden and Malcom's frantic calls.
"Minerva!"
"Minvey!"
She coughed a bit more, wheezing air into her burning lungs before managing to croak, "I'm all right!"
"Then hurry up and get over here before Màthair or Papa see you!" Malcom hissed.
"I'm moving, I'm moving," she mumbled as she began to paddle her way into the boundary. Every stroke she made was automatic. She was numb and wasn't sure why, she doubted it was from the cold water. The siren's message was just as chilling to her... and that song! Minerva couldn't make sense of it, the entire thing was purely bizarre. She decided to not tell her brothers about the siren, or her message for that matter, best that they have nothing to worry about but that didn't mean she couldn't tell Cayden that he was right about the 'sparkles', did it?
Mid-Late August, 1937:
Minerva held her broom with pride as she raced down the dark stone passageway with Rolanda at her side and Poppy trailing just behind them. The peaceful roar of the waterfall filled her ears with further excitement. Upon reaching the entrance of Aquae Lament, the two sisters mounted their brooms without breaking a stride and their feet glided off the ground. Minerva's dark hair flowing behind her as she soared through the air, hearing Rolanda holler out with glee while spiraling like a rocket. Minerva, flying with more grace than her reckless sister, soared after her, causing Rolanda to concentrated on her speed as she made vertical launch into the air. Together, the two witches entangled in a spiraling dance.
Poppy, whose feet were still firmly planted on the ground, lost sight of her sisters in less than a minute. Alhough she could feel their thoughts and emotions through their mental link, her nervous thoughts didn't fully reach them until she felt the swoop of both sister's stomachs as they plunged into a nosedive three hundred meters from the ground.
Give up Min, you can't beat me! Rolanda taunted Minerva.
The dark haired witch laughed. Oh yes I will! First one to pull diving down towards the waterfall loses.
You cannot be serious! Poppy yelled at them in their mind as fear ebbed into her thoughts. Two hundred meters passed and neither girl flinched to pulled up. Oh for Merlin's sake! Min, pull up! Rola, stop this instant!
One hundred meters. Minerva could see the water's stream directly below her and she grinned with devilish intent. Rolanda, far too concerned with her own speed, didn't register her sister's new thoughts. Poppy, however, did. Minerva Margaret McGonagall, don't you even dare! You're far to inexperienced, it's insane and your going to get killed!
Fifty meters. Rolanda hunched her shoulders, preparing to pull up at what anyone would consider, the last minute. Minerva did the same, though what she was planning was far more daring. At ten meters, the hawk eyed girl pulled up, but Minerva didn't pay attention, not wanting to distract herself. She could feel the mist of the waterfall behind her.
Rolanda turned around, and with Poppy they both screamed, "Minerva!"
The dark haired witch pulled with no more than a single meter above the water's surface. She outstretched hand, gliding it across the water as she slowed her broom down. Her hair was in a complete mess, but she didn't care, euphoria filling her mind.
Poppy, now on her broom, followed Rolanda over to their friend's side, hovering over the stream. Both of them in utter shock, although the hawk eyed girl was more excited than anything.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking?"
"Do you know what you just did?"
"You could have been killed!"
"How did you do that?"
"Quidditch!" yelled a gleeful voice behind them, startling the two witches into silence. All three turned to see Cayden bounding down the hill towards them with a small golden ball in his hand. Minerva gracefully flew near her little brother, leaning slightly to be eye level with him and hovering over the ground with ease while she extended her arm towards the shining object.
"What do you have there, Cayd?"
"It's Màthair's first snitch!"
Minerva nearly fell off her broom. "P-pardon?"
Her sisters flew near her side, Rolanda seemed to be on the verge of bouncing off her broom and onto the ground.
"Min, you never told me your mum was a Seeker!" Rolanda's excited voice beamed aloud.
"I didn't. Cayd, are you sure it's her's?"
"I'm quite positive, Minerva, as I caught it myself," Isobel's cold voice echoed from the tunnel as she appeared from the entrance, her dark hair flowing freely down her back and twisting slightly to perfectly frame her face. "I was Ravenclaw's Quidditch Captain, and from what it looks like, you've inherited that skill as well."
The woman knelt down to her son, who gave her the golden ball. It activated its feathery wings upon her touch, buzzing like a humming bird. "Why don't you give it a shot?"
She released the ball from her grip and like lightning, it zoomed past Minerva's emerald eyes. The girl raced after it without a thought, following its trail like a predator tracking its prey; weaving in and out of the trees, climbing then falling in altitude, edging closer and closer. She reached for the ball with all her might and clutched the golden devil. The feeling was incredible.
All three kids cheered, Rolanda being the loudest, "You and I are going to tryouts! It's official, Min, there's no getting out of it now!"
Minerva laughed as she glided towards them. "All right, all right! It's you're turn to practice though. Poppy, can you toss me a ball?"
The light bronze haired girl eyed her curiously then tossed her the ball while Rolanda hopped on her broom again and soared to their makeshift tree goal. Instead of catching it with her hands, Minerva harnessed it with her magic, hovering it around her body. Poppy's jaw dropped and Cayden giggled.
The yellow-eyed girl, however, smirked, "Are you going to toss me that or just impress everyone with your awesome powers?"
In a blink of an eye, the Quaffle-size ball zipped through the air. Rolanda drifted slightly to the left, then barrel-rolled onto the ball, tumbling through the air several times.
"Miss Rolanda! Your Màthair wasn't kidding when she said you were destined for Quidditch. You're a natural!"
"Thank you, Mrs McGonagall."
Rolanda tossed the ball on the ground near Poppy, who then tossed another ball towards Minerva. She circled the ball around her body once, then fired it at the goal. Rolanda pulled up hard then whacked it with the tail end of her broom. The ball landed thirty feet away near the entrance.
"I'll get it!" Cayden's excited voice said as he bounded away towards the ball. Poppy tossed another towards Minerva. Isobel left to make supper, reminding them to not do anything stupid while she was gone. They practiced for nearly an hour. Rolanda caught, or diverted, every ball hurled at her, and when she began to grow tired, Cayden would release the Snitch for Minerva to chase after until she was breathless. The little boy watched her with wide eyes, captivated by his sister's performance.
"Again, do it again!" he cried as Minerva glided her feet back on solid ground. She sat down, trying to steady her breath, exhausted.
"Minvey!" Cayden ran to her side. His short, nearly black hair blew slightly in the wind as his brilliant green eyes staring at her, clearly disappointed that she stopped chasing the golden ball. "Do it again, go chase it!"
Minerva chuckled. "I can't, Cayd. I'm too tired."
"But I want to see you catch it again!"
Minerva smirked, sat up and grabbed her beloved brother by the waist, tickling him. His giggles filled her thoughts with happiness.
"You're such a silly boy!" she kissed him on the cheek, resulting in him wiping it off with a grin and she hugged him close.
"Minvey?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, Cayd?"
"I don't want you to go to Hogvarts."
Minerva sighed. "It's Hogwarts, Cayd, and I know. I wish I didn't have to leave you for so long, but I have to. It's where I'll learn to use wand magic."
He nodded silently as a single tear slid down his face. She saw the shimmering drop and hugged him closer, but he didn't see his sister's tears following his.
~LinK