May 1943


The word seemed to fall out from under Minerva's feet, and as all the breath left her lungs she crashed down to the floor beside Ro. She was almost afraid to look too closely, terrified that she'd find Poppy to be dead rather than just petrified, but when she felt Ro's trembling hand touch her shoulder she forced the fear out of her mind.

Pushing herself into a sitting position, she set about attempting to remove the quill case that was still in Poppy's outstretched hand. Minerva's fearful expression in the golden case looked back up at her as she took Poppy's hand- it took a lot of control not to flinch away from the cold, stone like feel of her skin- and after a while of pushing and pulling she managed to free the case. She set it down next to her and turned her attention to Poppy's face, where apart from a bruise on her forehead presumable from where she'd hit the floor there were no marks at all. Trying to move her other hand away from her mouth proved unsuccessful, so instead Minerva placed two fingers on Poppy's neck to try and find a heartbeat.

Minerva hardly dared breath as she searched around for any sign of life, and after a silence that seemed to stretch into forever she detected the faintest pulse beneath Poppy's skin. "She's alive." She said, unable to stop her voice from cracking.

"Oh thank God." Ro said brokenly, her breath coming in gasps as if she'd been holding it for all the time Minerva had been looking at Poppy.

Pounding footsteps made them both turn to look behind them. Professor Aurelius was rushing up the stairs, her skirts gathered up in one hand and the other pointing accusingly at Minerva and Ro. "Miss Hooch and Miss McGonagall, your exam has started 10 minutes ago! Why in Merlin's name are you still..."

Professor Aurelius's voice trailed off as Minerva and Ro moved apart to let her see Poppy's body. She stopped slowly at the top of the stairs, staring at Poppy with a look of dread on her face. Shakily she reached for her wand and pointed it at her neck, before whispering "Sonorus" and starting to speak.

"Professors Dippet, Dumbledore and Merrythought, and Madame Quinine, are all required urgently at the top of the fifth floor staircase."

It was only a couple of minutes before the staff members arrived; Minerva guessed that all the exams had been stopped and the students told to wait in their examination classrooms. Professor Dumbledore headed straight for Poppy, looking her up and down with an unreadable expression. "Petrified." He said almost immediately, motioning for Madame Quinine to take his place beside Poppy.

Ro and Minerva stepped back when Madame Quinine bustled forward with the all too familiar stretcher floating behind her. Professor Merrythought stayed with them, a hand on each of their shoulders, while Madame Quinine took Poppy up to the Hospital Wing and Professors Dippet and Dumbledore left in the direction of the Headmaster's Office. Professor Dumbledore could be heard saying "This cannot continue Armando," before they moved out of hearing range.

Professor Aurelius only took one look at the shock that Minerva could tell was radiating from both her and Ro before telling them they were excused from the exam. She hurried back down the staircase while dabbing her face with a handkerchief, and Professor Merrythought quickly led Ro and Minerva away down the corridor. To Minerva's surprise, rather than going back to the Gryffindor Common Room they found themselves in the Professor's Office, where she pointed to the comfy chairs in front of the window and told them to sit down. Minerva sunk slowly into one of the chairs, her legs feeling like they were made of cotton wool just as they'd done when she'd first found Poppy.

Professor Merrythought was pouring the contents of a small cauldron into three cups, and when she gave one to Minerva she realised it was green tea. She gave a second cup to Ro and kept the third for herself, sitting in another chair and taking a long drink. "I always find a cup of green tea one of the best remedies if you're down in the dumps. Professor Olwen had to donate some of her tea leaves to the staff room tin because we've all been getting through quite a lot of it lately." She admitted, giving Minerva and Ro a small smile.

Taking a sip of her tea, Minerva just nodded wordlessly, her mind still too scrambled to come up with any plausible sentences. A glance at Ro, who was struggling to hold back sobs while making stifled sniffing noises, told Minerva that she wasn't coping any better.

A flash of light caught Minerva's eye, and she looked over to see a silvery-blue squirrel sitting in front of Professor Merrythought's chair. It scampered through the air to float just above the arm of Ro's chair. Wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her robe, Ro giggled quietly as she moved her hand out to stroke it. Minerva was taken aback a little when it disintegrated at Ro's touch, but it reformed a moment later and proceeded to run in circles around Ro and Minerva's chairs.

"Is this a corporeal patronus?" Minerva asked.

Professor Merrythought looked at her with mild surprise on her face. "Yes it is, not many first-years are able to guess that. The best weapon for dealing with dementors and saddened students, I often use it to cheer up any Ravenclaws that come to me with their worries."

Ro nodded blankly, and with a small sigh Professor Merrythought set down her tea cup and moved the chair forward so she was only a foot or two away from Minerva and Ro. "She's going to be fine, I promise you." She said with certainty, "Professor Dippet told me this morning that a supply of Mandrake Restoring Draught has been located, and will be with us within the next month. It won't be long at all, you only need to hang on until then."

There was a knock on the door; Professor Merrythought called out "It's open, come in!"

The door was pushed open with a creak, and behind it was Septima and Irma. Septima immediately rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Minerva's neck in a crushing hug, and moments later Ro received the same treatment.

"Septima, Irma," Professor Merrythought said in greeting, lifting her wand and conjuring another two chairs. "Are you two alright?"

Septima nodded as she released Ro and sat down in one of the chairs. "Millicent's not though. We went back to the Common Room after the exam to put our quills away, and she refused to come with us to see you. She's too scared to leave the dormitory, so Mali, Emily, and Bonnie stayed with her." Minerva remembered as Septima spoke that Mali Shafiq, Emily Stretton, and Bonnie Dale were the other three Ravenclaw first-years.

"Poor dear," Professor Merrythought tutted, walking back to her cauldron and pouring another two cups of tea. She gave one to Septima and placed the other on the arm of the vacant chair, before looking over at Irma who was still hovering by the door. "Irma, please do sit down."

Irma dully sat down, and as she lifted her head up Minerva noticed that her eyes were red and puffy. Minerva was surprised, having not expected Septima's isolated twin to be so affected by Poppy's misfortune. The reason came a second later though when she muttered "Everyone thinks this is Slytherin's doing."

Minerva instantly felt guilty, knowing that she, Ro and Poppy had been thinking that themselves before they found the Muggleborn link.

"When we were with Millicent in the Common Room," Septima started carefully, leaning towards Irma to place a hand over hers, "Bonnie Dale had a right go at Irma saying I shouldn't let her in and that this is her fault. That brat Robert Fawley joined in too; Marvin Russell, one of the prefects, had to tell them to go back to their dorms. He left just before we did to go and find Professor Dippet about it."

Professor Merrythought sighed angrily, pausing for a moment with her head in her hands. "I'll talk to them when we get back to the dormitory. I know Bonnie's brother has been petrified, but accusing people is a step too far."

"I've heard nothing in the Common Room, I promise you it's not-" Irma started, but she was interrupted by the door flying open. About a dozen terrified faces were behind it, all wearing blue-trimmed robes, headed by Filius Flitwick. Before anyone could speak, Filius squeaked the words that send ice flooding down Minerva's veins for the second time that day.

"Professor Dippet says everyone has to go to the Great Hall... Marvin Russell's just been petrified."

The atmosphere in the Great Hall when Professor Merrythought led them in was of pure despair. Very few students were sat at the correct House table, with different coloured robes scattered all around as they huddled with their friends across the four Houses. Minerva watched as Professor Merrythought strode up to the staff table to take her usual seat on one side of Professor Dippet, before she, Ro, Irma and Septima took a seat on the edge of the Gryffindor table. She couldn't see Millicent, but assumed she had been swept along with the crowd of Ravenclaws.

"Please can I have everyone's attention?" Professor Dippet called, silencing the frantic murmurs that had filled the Hall previously. "I'm sure it causes you all as much distress as it does us that the eighth student has just been attacked and petrified. Madame Quinine assures me that we will be able to revive them all shortly, but our immediate concern is the safety of our remaining students. To maximise the chance we have of keeping you all safe, from now on everyone will sleep in the Great Hall. There will be staff guarding the Hall at all times, and all students will be escorted to and from their lessons. With the exception of all our fifth and seventh year students, whose exams are of the greatest importance, all exams are cancelled and the normal timetables will be resumed."

The thought of how all the students would be able to sleep in the Great Hall did cross Minerva's mind, but she needn't have worried. By the time the first-years returned from their afternoon lesson with a still shell-shocked Professor Aurelius, the tables in the Hall had been removed and replaced with hundreds of bunk beds. It was strange not sleeping in their dormitory in the Gryffindor dormitory, but for the next few days everything passed without further incidents.

It was nearly a fortnight after they were moved into the Great Hall that, late in the evening when the Heads of Houses were counting their students, Professor Merrythought's worried voice called out that one of her third-year students Myrtle Warren was missing. When one of the Slytherins, who Irma said was another third-year Olive Hornby, admitted that she'd made Myrtle cry and run out of the Great Hall, Professor Dippet dispatched her and her classmate Orion Black with Professor Slughorn to look for her. Once they had left, the remaining students were all sent to their beds.

Minerva awoke a few hours later to see Ro's head peering down from the top bunk. "Min, there's someone moving around the Hall and I don't think it's one of the teachers." She hissed urgently, before sliding down the ladder.

Minerva hurriedly pulled on her tartan dressing gown and pocketed her wand before standing up to join Ro. She debated waking Irma and Septima too, but both were sleeping soundly in a neighbouring bunk bed. Ro took hold of her wrist and together they ran through the maze of bunk beds to a door that was behind where the staff table usually stood. A cloaked figure could be seen in the doorway, and as the figure moved out the Hall and down the corridor the hood fell down to reveal Professor Merrythought.

The Professor turned around upon hearing Minerva and Ro, waving her hands frantically and whispering "You need to go back!"

"Where are you going?" Minerva asked, a dozen ideas and suspicions spinning around her head. Surely Professor Merrythought couldn't be the culprit!

"To find this creature and put an end to it once and for all before Myrtle or one of the Slytherins is found hurt."

Relief flooded through Minerva, before she looked up at the Professor and said "We're coming with you."

Professor Merrythought's eyes widened. "Don't be ludicrous Minerva, it would be far too dangerous to take you with me. I don't know what I'll be facing here, and I don't want you two to get hurt. We've got enough problems on our hands with the third-years in the corridors."

"But Professor, if you're alone who's going to watch your back?" Ro replied stubbornly. "Olive and Orion went with Professor Slughorn to look for Myrtle. Professor Dippet said that no-one's to go around alone, surely that means you as well as us?"

There was silence for a couple of moments as Professor Merrythought just stared at Ro. Eventually she shook her head and took a deep breath before saying "You make a good point, Rolanda. You must promise to keep alert and stay back, and do exactly as I tell you. Even if that means leaving me and going back to the Hall. Is that clear?"

She eyed Ro and Minerva in turn, and Minerva nodded quickly before she could change her mind. Without another word Professor Merrythought turned back down the corridor and started to walk down it, and up a steep staircase. Minerva had no idea where they were going until they emerged on the first floor corridor, and Professor Merrythought wasted no time before starting her search.

"I've been looking at the clues left at each petrification," she said as they walked, "and there's a common circumstance. They were all looking at the attacker reflected in an object."

Minerva thought back to the petrifications she knew of in great detail; Shirley had said that Ernest had been found looking into a window that she could see her reflection in and Poppy had been holding her reflective quill case."So they were all petrified by looking at it?" she asked.

Professor Merrythought nodded. "Yes, which is why if we think it's around, we mustn't look at it. We'll have to rely on our other senses."

They searched around the corridors where petrifications had taken place, listening out at each corner before daring to look around the walls. Minerva's stomach lurched when she heard a sound that echoed in the otherwise silent night; it was hard to describe, something like a rustle or even a slither. Forcing down the terror that was threatening to stop her in her track, she stumbled forward to tug on Professor Merrythought's sleeve.

"Can you hear that noise?" Minerva whispered.

Professor Merrythought nodded, drawing her wand out of her pocket. She held her free hand over Ro's eyes and motioned for Minerva to do the same, which she did over her glasses. Effectively blinded, Minerva stayed within touching distance of the Professor as they slowly tiptoed their way down the corridor.

A screeching roar stopped them in their tracks, and if it weren't for Professor Merrythought gripping her shoulder tightly she might have looked up purely on instinct. She could scarcely remember ever being so frightened, being faced with an enemy she couldn't even see. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the creature responsible for attacking the Muggleborn students.

"Go and don't turn back!" Professor Merrythought howled as their attacker roared again, accompanied by the rustling that sounded as if it was getting closer. Her eyes still squeezed shut, Minerva couldn't see where she was putting her feet and she skidded onto the floor, her glasses clattering a few feet away from her. She tried to feel around for her glasses while keeping her eyes still shut, but frightened cry from Professor Merrythought made her open her eyes.

Everything was blurred without her glasses, so Minerva had a limited idea of what was happening in front of her. She could see the cloaked figure of Professor Merrythought stood with one hand shielding her eyes and the other holding her wand out behind her. A dark shape was looming behind the her, it's jaws wide open, and as Minerva watched the creature lunged forward and Professor Merrythought screamed.

Footsteps made her turn around to see a very blurred person standing at the far end of the corridor, behind Professor Merrythought and the creature. Without her glasses Minerva had no way of distinguishing any features, but she heard the person say something which she could hardly make out over Professor Merrythought's heavy and panicked breathing. To her amazement the shadow of the creature seemed to withdraw, before it turned away from the Professor and disappeared along with the person around a corner.

Minerva stayed where she had fallen, staring at the corner that the creature had vanished around, before another agonised wail from Professor Merrythought brought her back to her senses. She frantically rummaged on the floor for her glasses, sighing with relief when she found them before jumping to her feet and sprinting across the corridor.

Professor Merrythought was heaving for breath when Minerva reached her, and Minerva had to shake her arm a few times in order to get her attention. The Professor looked at her for a couple of seconds, her usually kind blue eyes wide with panic, before looking back at her left hand. Or what was left of it. The sleeve of her robe had been ripped away to reveal not a hand, but just mangled skin and a stump that was pouring with blood. A menacing dark red pigment was inching slowly up the veins in Professor Merrythought's arm; Minerva presumed that whatever had attacked them was a venomous creature, and the poison was heading fast into the Professor's body.

With a pained moan Professor Merrythought swayed into Minerva, and unable to support both of their weight she crashed onto the floor. "Professor, Professor Merrythought!" she called urgently, though Professor Merrythought's face was vague and unfocused. "Please don't die!" Minerva begged, looking around for any sign that help was on the way.

Her hopes soared when she heard people sprinting from the direction of the Great Hall. Ro rounded the corner first - in the chaos Minerva hadn't even realised that she'd gone - followed by Professors Dippet and Dumbledore. Soaring above them was a bright red bird with embers springing from its plumage; a phoenix. It swooped down next to Minerva and Professor Merrythought before anyone else could reach them. Fascinated by the bird, Minerva watched intently as tears fell from its eyes and splashed onto Professor Merrythought's wrist that was still dripping blood all over Minerva's hands.

To her utter amazement the flow of blood seemed to slow and eventually stop, and the red lines creeping up Professor Merrythought's arm faded away to nothing. Her laboured breathing was stilled as she stared blankly at her wrist, before slowly moving her head to look up at Professor Dumbledore.

"Will she be ok?" Minerva heard Ro say in a shaking voice, looking at Professor Merrythought with a horrified expression.

Professor Dumbledore sighed as the phoenix jumped up to perch on his shoulder. "I think she will, Miss Hooch," he said eventually, leaning down and putting a hand under Professor Merrythought's uninjured to help her to her feet. She swayed alarmingly for a moment before Professor Dippet stepped forward to take her other shoulder, keeping clear of her bloodied wrist.

"The phoenix tears will have removed the immediate danger from the venom of... whatever creature did this." Professor Dippet added, "But she is still in danger simply due to the nature of her injury. Madame Quinine will do her absolute best, but at the very least she will be without one hand for the rest of her life."

They all looked up as Professor Slughorn burst into view, followed closely by Olive and Orion. All three were evidently distressed; Professor Slughorn was wearing an anguished expression, Olive was sobbing into a handkerchief and Orion just looked numb with shock.

"Horace, what has happened?" Professor Dippet said urgently.

Professor Slughorn shook his head hopelessly as he said "The Ravenclaw girl, Miss Warren, she's dead!"

There was a disbelieving silence for a moment, punctuated only by the shallow breaths coming from Professor Merrythought. Minerva jumped when she felt a hand seize her shoulder, but relaxed again when she turned around to see it was only Ro. There were tears running down her face, and as Minerva took Ro's hands in hers she started to cry.

"Oh Min," she managed to say between gasps, "what if that had been Poppy? She'd be- we wouldn't ever-"

Unable to face hearing rest of what she knew Ro was going to say, Minerva just leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Ro's neck, sobbing herself as she felt Ro whimpering uncontrollably into her shoulder.


Author's Note:

A very long chapter! I considered splitting it into two, but I don't want the story to get too long bearing in mind it will cover all seven years of their time in Hogwarts.

I thought it would be fitting that Professor Merrythought would seek out the basilisk. All the staff seemed to think Lockhart should have done in 1993, so as Merrythought is an amazing DADA teacher it seemed to me like she would try and track it down.

No-one has realised that the creature is a basilisk, as no-one knew in 1992 when the Chamber was opened again. This is why I had Minerva see the basilisk bite Merrythought without her glasses on, as I wanted her to see what happened but not the identity of the attacker. As someone who also needs glasses for seeing far away, I can promise that is an accurate description of what it's like seeing without glasses.

The person Minerva sees communicating with the basilisk is of course Tom Riddle; again I wanted her to see him without knowing his identity. The timeline of events is that he killed Myrtle, and then moved into the corridor aiming to get another victim. As neither Merrythought or Minerva are Muggleborn, he saw no need to attack them properly so returned the basilisk to the Chamber.

As we know from canon that Myrtle's body wasn't found for hours after she died and her body was taken from the bathroom in the middle of the night, I thought it was fair enough to presume that Olive found her during the night.