Severus McGonagall
by Teddylonglong
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes!
"Lily, what's wrong? What happened?" Severus asked in concern, gently putting his arm around her shoulders.
"I've been expelled from Hogwarts," Lily sobbed.
"You WHAT?" Severus queried in disbelief. "Tell me exactly what happened please."
"Petunia!" Lily sobbed. "She is so horrible; I can't stand being under the same roof with her anymore." She hurriedly wiped her eyes with her fists, before she continued, "She was always going on about magic and freaks and me being friends with a freak like you, oh well, the usual; you know her."
"I do indeed," Severus said softly, gently rubbing circles into the girl's back.
"But today, when I received your present, she was so jealous that she went on about it all the time, and when I was in the kitchen to help Mum cook lunch, she threw all my presents through the window. She was just going to begin throwing all my other possessions out as well, shouting she couldn't bear having a freak in the house anymore, when I noticed it and stopped her."
"You stopped her?" Severus asked curiously.
"Yes," Lily sobbed even more. "I pulled my wand and knocked her out with the Expelliarmus spell. I didn't even think about not doing any magic during the holidays. It only took ten minutes until the owl arrived that I was expelled from Hogwarts, and then I left."
"They expelled you?" Severus asked, terrified. "They can't easily do that. Let's speak with Minerva. I'm sure she'll be able to help you. Come, we need to find her, so she can cast a drying charm on you in any case, if you don't want to spend the rest of the holidays sick in bed."
Severus pulled Lily out of the room and into the living room, where they had both been reading their new books before Severus had retreated to his room for a few minutes. His adoptive mother immediately waved her wand at Lily to dry her and asked what had happened.
"I've been expelled from Hogwarts," Lily sobbed, causing her head of house to look at her in disbelief.
Severus quickly began to explain what Lily had told him, causing the girl to cast him a grateful look.
"Lily, don't panic. I'm sure we'll be able to keep you here at Hogwarts. I'm going to call the headmaster over," Minerva said gently. "The rule that forbids students to do magic outside out Hogwarts is a rule that Professor Dumbledore made up. Therefore, he'll surely be able to revoke it."
'Although Lily attacked a muggle with magic?' Severus mused in disbelief as his adoptive mother stepped over to the fireplace and called the headmaster.
Five minutes later, Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace, and if the situation hadn't been so grave, Lily and Severus would have both blurted out with laughter at his sight. He was wearing dark red robes that made him look like Santa Clause with his long, white beard.
Minerva quickly told the story, noticing that the headmaster's expression became grave. "Albus, you'll surely be able to do something about the matter, considering that it's your own rule according to which Miss Evans was expelled."
"Hmmm," Dumbledore made thoughtfully, slowly stroking his beard. "This is indeed very difficult, because Miss Evans used magic to harm a muggle." He gave Lily a sad look.
"I'm sorry," Lily sobbed, leaning into Severus' embrace as he pulled her closer.
"Please, Headmaster, do anything to keep Lily at Hogwarts," he said urgently. "You can punish her and for example tell her she has to spend all of her free time in the Potions classroom, researching for a cure for lycanthropy or something."
Dumbledore threw him a surprised look. "Mr. McGonagall, are you aware that the search for a cure to heal werewolves would probably cost all her remaining six years at Hogwarts and still have no result? Many people over the centuries have tried to find such a cure."
"I know," Severus replied, sighing. "I'll help her, and maybe together we'll be able to come up with something."
"Lily and Severus are good friends with Remus Lupin," Minerva threw in, smiling.
"Ah, I see," Dumbledore said pensively. "Very well then; Miss Evans, do you agree with the punishment Mr. McGonagall suggested for you?"
"Yes sir," Lily replied eagerly. "Will that be possible? May I remain at Hogwarts?"
"I must go to the Ministry and talk with the Minister; however, he'll probably agree to my suggestion." With that, the Santa Clause like headmaster stepped back into the fireplace and vanished in the flames.
"Don't worry; everything will be all right, Lily," Minerva said soothingly, when an idea crossed her mind. "Malcolm," she called her house-elf, who appeared in the blink of an eye. "Please gather a few other elves and install a Potions lab here in my quarters next to Severus' room."
"Yes, Mistress Minerva," Malcolm replied excitedly and popped away.
"Severus, please instruct the elves exactly how you want to have your lab. However, both of you have to promise me that you won't do anything dangerous, which includes brewing all on your own during the night when you're tired," she added with a stern look in Severus' direction.
"I promise," Lily and Severus said simultaneously, before they eagerly left the room to observe the elves' work.
'Better having them here under my eyes than alone in the Potions classroom all the time,' Minerva thought, knowing that Professor Slughorn hardly ever made an appearance in the classroom after dinner. 'Even if I'm not a Potions professor, I'll be able to cast the Evanesco spell if necessary.'
By the time the headmaster returned from the Ministry, the Potions lab was ready. The room had the same size as Severus', but it was magically enlarged. In the middle of the room was a huge, white working table with four work stations. One side of the room held a huge magical window just like Severus' room, one of the smaller sides had two large sinks, and the other two walls were covered with shelves that reached from the floor to the ceiling.
"Severus, this is wonderful," Lily said in amazement. "I especially like that it's so bright."
"That's true," Severus replied, smiling.
"Now I believe it's time to head to the Great Hall for Christmas dinner. We need to..." Minerva said, entering the lab, only to interrupt herself. "Oh, this is a wonderful Potions lab. Was that your idea, Severus?"
"Yes," Severus replied evenly, before he quickly extended his arms to steady Lily, who was swaying a little. "Lily, what's wrong?"
"He'll be the youngest and best Potions Master since Salazar Slytherin," Lily said in a slightly strange, high voice, before a small shudder ran through her body and she stared at Minerva and Severus in confusion. "What? Oh sorry..."
"Are you feeling all right, Lily?" Minerva asked gently, giving her student a sharp look.
"I think Lily is a Seer," Severus spoke up in a small voice. "She had visions of the future before."
"Is that true, Lily?" Minerva asked briskly with a clearly shocked expression on her face.
"Yes, I think so," Lily replied in a barely audible voice. "Sometimes, I see scenes, which normally occur on the next day or a few days afterwards. There is only one vision, which I see from time to time, but it's always the same, and it'll probably occur in about ten years' time. I showed it to Severus last year."
"It was quite frightening," Severus agreed, "but we're adults in that one."
"Yes, it was about Alice and Frank and Sev and me and two babies," Lily explained, deciding not to reveal the bad side of the vision in order not to worry the professor unnecessarily. "By the way, thank you so much for saving me from being expelled, both of you. I really appreciate it."
"We're glad to have you here, Lily," Minerva said gently. "After dinner, I'll go and speak with your parents. I'm sure they must be beside themselves with worry. You may accompany me if you want, but you don't have to." She gave Lily an assessing look.
"I'll never ever return there. If my parents want to see me, they can come here or meet me somewhere, and if I can't stay here during the summer, I'm going to spend the holidays in the Shrieking Shack, but I won't go back home as long as my sister lives there," Lily said firmly.
"I'm sure we'll find a solution," Severus said soothingly, gently putting his arm around Lily's back.
When they returned from dinner, Minerva asked, "Lily, is there anything you want me to bring from your home?"
Lily sighed. "I didn't bring anything except for my wand. Can you just bring everything you can find in my room and can somehow fit into my trunk, please?"
"Of course, Lily; would you like to stay in my guest room or in your dormitory over the rest of the holidays?"
"Oh, my dormitory is all right, Professor. Thank you so much for everything," Lily said softly, throwing Minerva a grateful look.
"Very well then; don't wait for me, Lily. It might be late until I'm back, because I have a few other errands to run as well. I'll see both of you tomorrow morning. Severus, please don't forget to go to bed around curfew. Good night."
"Shall we head to the lab and do some research?" Severus suggested as soon as Minerva had stepped into the fireplace to take the Floo to the Leaky Cauldron.
"I'd like that. Sev, do you think we'll be able to invent something that might help Remus?" Lily asked hesitantly as she eagerly followed Severus into the new lab.
"I hope so. Oh right, I need my notes. Lily, sit down and wait a moment. I'll fetch my notes from my room, so I can tell you what I've found out so far." He hurried out of the room, returning a few minutes later with a huge stack of parchments. "The most difficult thing is that we can't do tests with rats, because we don't have werewolf rats. Therefore, we have to base everything on theory, at least until we reach some kind of final stage.
Lily and Severus spent the whole evening in the lab, and Severus explained the most important details he had found out so far, before they tried to make a plan for their future research. Around curfew, they obediently finished their research for the day.
"Shall we continue right after breakfast tomorrow?" Severus suggested.
Lily smiled. "Of course, Sev. That's my full-time job now, whenever we don't have classes."
"Oh Lily, you know that it's not like that," Severus said softly. "Sleep well then; I'll see you at breakfast. Will you be all right all on your own in Gryffindor?"
Lily agreed, smiling.
HP
Lily took her punishment very seriously, and from this time onwards, the two friends spent most of their free time together either in libraries or in their own lab in Minerva's quarters to research a possible wolfscure potion. Minerva regularly checked on her son and his best friend, but the two students did not only enjoy themselves with their daily research but were also very responsible and took good care of each other. However, in spite of being very adept and diligent, it took the two friends until the end of their fifth year, before they were able to offer Remus a very first attempt for a potion that might in any way help for lycanthropy.
Together with Poppy, Lily and Severus hurried into the Shrieking Shack to enquire if their potion had worked or if Remus had still transformed.
Remus waited for them with a smile on his face. "Thank you so much, Lily and Severus," he said in a soft voice. "I still transformed into my wolf's form; however, I was not a werewolf but more like an Animagus. I still had my human mind."
Lily and Severus looked at each other in clear disappointment. "So sorry Remus," Lily apologized, before her thoughts wandered off to the ingredients, which they had used, and she absentmindedly followed her friends back to the castle.
HP
It was later the same day, when Lily and Severus headed to their lab for another experiment, that Severus uncertainly cleared his throat and hesitantly spoke up. "Lily, will you become my girlfriend?" He pulled a small box out of his robe pocket and tossed it at Lily, observing in evident excitement as she opened the box and stared at the chain that was inside in awe.
"Oh Sev, of course I want to be your girlfriend," she replied, smiling, only to add, "Have I ever been anything else?"
Severus smirked. "Oh well, in fact I'd prefer to ask you to marry me, but we probably have to wait until after our NEWTs anyway," he replied, regrettably.
Lily smiled. "It's ok, Sev; if I know you want to marry me, I can well wait for another two years," she said brightly, before she looked back at the chain and the golden pendant, and finally gave Severus a questioning look.
"I hope you like it. I designed it myself and thought to make it a symbol of our family, considering that we're both cat Animagi," Severus explained, hesitantly.
"It's beautiful," Lily said, amazed. "And it's a wonderful idea."
"The jeweller, who made it for me, added several charms to it, for example against attacks, illnesses and potions accidents," Severus continued, smirking. "I hope it'll help me to keep you safe, my dear."
"Thank you so much, Sev," Lily said, happily eyeing the chain.
Severus let out a sigh of absolute relief, before he stepped nearer and gently took the chain out of Lily's hand to carefully fasten it around her neck.
HP
Minerva chose that instant to step into the lab and was the first to hear the good news. "Congratulations, Lily and Severus," she said, feeling very happy for her son and the girl, who had been like a daughter to her since her first Hogwarts year. "Do you have a few minutes to join me in the living room? I'd like to speak with you both, but especially with Severus, about what you intend to do after your OWLs, considering that you're going to take your NEWTs in Potions in two weeks' time."
Both students readily followed the professor into the living room, where Lily and Severus looked at the professor in expectation.
"Severus, even if you still have to study two years for your other subjects to finish your NEWTs, it would be possible that you took over some of Professor Slughorn's classes if that's what you want," Minerva said gently, looking from Lily to Severus.
Severus let out a long sigh. "Thank you so very much for offering this," he said slowly. "However, I'm not sure if I'd be a good teacher. I'd like to become the Potions Master for Hogwarts though, provided that it's possible to separate the two posts."
Minerva nodded her understanding. "I'll tell Poppy and Theresa about your suggestion, and we'll speak with the headmaster. I know for a fact that they'd appreciate it a lot if you could continue brewing for them and they didn't have to rely on Professor Slughorn."
Severus thanked his guardian profusely and continued, "Mum, in fact, I wanted to speak with you and Lily about this anyway." Seeing that Minerva and Lily cast him expectant looks, he continued, "I've made an important decision for my and perhaps also Lily's future."
tbc...
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