Another long chapter. I seem to be unable to control myself anymore. I would say 'please enjoy', but I'm pretty sure you're gunna need tissues.
It was mid-October, and the weather was turning cool. Albus Dumbledore, to the surprise of nobody, was being laid to rest today on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the place that had been his home for as long as most alive could remember. Minerva was wrapped in a heavy cloak to ward of the chill, but it seemed that no clothing, and no warming charms, could warm her right now. She felt numb, as if she'd been doused in ice water and left in sopping wet attire in the coldest place on earth. Her heart was beating slowly - too slowly to make her feel alive right now. And the truth was that a part of her had died when her best friend had taken a killing curse for her, and as far as she was concerned, nothing would ever be the same. Albus had been her rock. He'd been the man to fix the unfixable, and handle anything that the world could throw their way.
Leaves tossed and turned around the gathered crowd, brown and breaking as the embodied the death the Wizarding World was facing right now. Minerva's stomach lurched as she watched, as if she was on a ship in the middle of a horrible storm, nausea setting in so deep inside her that she was certain she'd never feel well again. Hermione's hand was gripping hers tightly, a silent reassurance and an anchor to keep her in the present. Without Hermione here, Minerva wondered if she would have survived that first night. Sorrow was incapacitating enough, but the guilt she felt was on the verge of breaking her. Hermione stood firm and strong beside her, though Minerva knew her lover well enough to know the younger woman was forcing herself to hide her tears today, because Minerva needed to know that someone could hold her up now that Albus was gone.
Minerva glanced to her left, noticing the boys. Harry, like Hermione, seemed to be holding himself together for the most part. Of course, he was no stranger to death. Dudley, to Minerva's surprise, was weeping openingly, as if he had been as close to Albus as she herself had been and more. As the Headmaster's casket was lowered into place, a marble thing far too heavy to move without the aid of multiple levitation charms, Dudley let out a choked sob. It was the first sound she'd ever heard come out of the boy's mouth, and unconsciously, she moved away from Hermione and wrapped her arms around the young wizard, her own pain being set aside for a moment for the sake of his own.
"It's senseless," a small voice sounded from his lips. "Murder. Why'd that stupid woman have to kill him? Why'd my stupid father have to kill my mum?"
"I wish I knew, dear boy," she whispered, pulling his body tightly against her own as tears feel freely down both their cheeks. "I wish I knew."
"It's not fair," he mumbled.
"No, it's not," she agreed.
Hermione, it appeared, had not really been blind to the exchange, though Harry was currently curled up on the ground holding tightly to Sirius, who'd come in his Animagus form. The Defense Professor wrapped her slender arms around both of them. "I promise you both," she said, voice catching. "It is going to be okay. Not today, not tomorrow, but in time, it will be okay."
Minerva was alerted to Harry and Sirius joining them a few minutes later, upon seeing a dog's tongue gently licking away Dudley's tears. She mustered a small glare at the black dog, as if to warn the Animagus that she'd hex him if he tried to lick her. Alternately, Sirius returned to all fours and placed his head under Minerva's hand, which was hanging limply at her side. Surprisingly, the warm canine body seemed to take away some of the chill still clinging to her body. She scratched his head absently, wondering if he was comforting her, or if it was the other way around. Albus had done a lot for Sirius as well. Albus had done a lot for everyone.
That was his legacy.
About half hour later, the large crowd began to dissipate, and Minerva was unsurprised to see her brother Robert moving her way through the mass of people. While younger than herself, and younger still than Albus, he and the Headmaster had shared a deep friendship that had stood the test of time. Neither had ever admitted to such, but Minerva suspected that at one point, they'd even been lovers. While more unalike than they were similar, the two men seemed to balance each other out. Where Albus had been the instinct, the humor, and the no small amount of chaos, Robert had been the logic, the grounding, and the ordered individual. Minerva was sure that for as broken as she felt right now, Robert was much in the same boat.
He reached her, and wrapped his strong arms around his sister. "There, there, mo chridhe," he whispered. "Be certain Albus is watching us still. He's not really gone."
"Probably laughing at my smudged makeup," Minerva sniffled. "The arse."
"Well you are looking a bit like a racoon," he admitted, pulling out his wand and casting a quick series of spells to right her tear streaked face. "Now then, that's better."
Minerva glanced behind her, making certain that Hermione was doing alright with the boys as she spoke with Robert; a glance that did not go unnoticed by her brother. "Oh don't give me that look," she said, seeing his arched eyebrow.
"I'll inquire about your love life another time," he conceded. "I am officially here to inform you that the Board of Governors have voted and effective now, you are the Headmistress of Hogwarts."
Minerva reached out and took the parchment in her brother's hand, and to her surprise she was suddenly overwhelmed with sensation. It didn't feel like she was being cursed - quite the opposite in fact. It was as if she was feeling alive for the first time. Like being born again. She could suddenly sense everything around her; every stone, every plant, every animal on the grounds of Hogwarts. She could sense heartbeats all around her, and the emotions that the owners were feeling. In a sea of sadness she felt a wave of concern, and turned to see Hermione watching her carefully. Somehow, her lover seemed to know something was off kilter. In fact, by the lack of confusion, Minerva suspected that Hermione knew more than she did.
The brunette said something to Sirius, probably and request that he mind the boys, and she moved over to where Minerva and Robert were standing. "Min, are you alright?" she asked softly.
Robert seemed to have noticed how off balance she was at the moment, though from him Minerva sensed confusion. "I just handed her the order from the Board giving her the Headship," he explained to Hermione.
Hermione nodded. "Breathe for me, honey," she said, pulling her lover into her arms. "Just breathe. Focus on my voice. Come back into yourself. That's it…"
Minerva did as she was told and a few seconds later, the din of emotions around her seemed to fade away. They were still there, but it wasn't overwhelming her any longer. "Thank you," she whispered into her lover's curly mane.
"What in the name of Merlin is going on?" Robert demanded.
Hermione pulled away from Minerva, and eyed Robert. "Barrister McGonagall, I take it?"
He looked startled that she knew who he was. "You have me at a disadvantage, Madam," he said. "You are?"
Hermione looked at Minerva, asking a silent question, and while the two women had long mastered the skill of communicating without words, in this moment, Minerva could sense Hermione's thoughts as though she'd asked her query out loud. Can he be trusted?
Minerva nodded.
"I am Hermione Slytherin," the brunette introduced herself, offering her hand. "Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor here at Hogwarts."
Robert shook the proffered hand with a smile. "And I suspect, my sister's paramour."
Hermione chuckled. "And there's that McGonagall bluntness!"
Minerva glared at her brother, then turned her attention back to Hermione. "I trust you can explain what just happened?"
"I can, but not now," she replied. "Finish catching up with Robert. I need to get our boys home."
Minerva nodded, ignoring as Robert silently mouthed the words 'our boys' in amused question. Once Hermione was out of earshot, she turned back to her brother and gave him a brief summery just so he'd drop the subject. "Yes, I am involved with Hermione. Our boys, Harry and Dudley, are both her wards, whom I have also developed a parental bond with. Hermione and I have been together almost a year now. Yes, I'm certain her surname gives you cause to stop and wonder, and until I have a chance to speak to her I will not be telling you how she came by that name in the first place. She has secrets, and they are hers to share or not share."
Robert held his hands up in defeat. "Alright then, Min. Might I change the subject, now that's all cleared up? I did have other matters I wanted to discuss."
She knew exactly what he wanted to know. "The Order."
"Obviously Albus held Headship of Hogwarts and Headship of the Order, and he has passed at least Hogwarts to you," Robert stated. "So I'm wondering if you will also take Headship of the Order, or if it will be someone else."
"I honestly don't know," Minerva admitted. "The reading of his will is tomorrow. I dearly hope he's had good sense enough to hand over the Headship of the Order to someone else. I'm not sure I could handle both. In any case, what you are really asking is if whoever it is will be trustworthy, and I am surprised you'd even question. Albus was a great judge of character. I'm sure who ever he stated was to take over the Order in the event of his death is, they will be trustworthy and a worthy leader besides."
"What I worry about is if he bothered naming anyone at all," Robert replied. "The man wasn't exactly a picture of order. Merlin knows when he last updated his will. For all we know, he listed someone who has been dead for ages. What then? A vote?"
"I suppose."
"That could end badly."
"I don't think so. Hermione would win the vote in landslide," Minerva said thoughtfully. "In fact if Albus was smart enough to write his wishes down regarding Headship of the Order, I would not be surprised if Hermione was his successor choice."
"Not Severus?" Robert asked speculatively.
"While Severus is certainly an able general, he lacks the people skills it takes to lead a group of people who are not accustomed to taking orders," she reasoned.
"True," he conceded the point. "However, people skills alone is not going to win the war. She would need to have a general's mind, as well."
Minerva laughed outright. "Oh Robert. Just get to know the woman. She's fire and ice with nerves of steel, and makes me look like an idiot child with her intellect, most days. She'd be a better leader than Albus ever was. He wasn't… hard enough. Merlin knows I loved the man, but he did have his failings."
"I know he did," her brother said softly.
She and Robert spent another half hour catching up, hardly noticing the crowds getting thinner and thinner, before he noticed her shivering and told her to get herself up to the castle, promising he'd be in touch soon. As she trudged up the hill toward the entrance hall, Minerva thought about the last several days. Hermione had discovered Dolores was using Blood Quills on the students, and had tightly taken the issue to Albus. Albus had agreed with Hermione, that Dolores needed to be removed from Hogwarts, and the Headmaster asked the Defense Professor to utilize her influence with Lucius Malfoy to make that happen. After that, there had been the duel. Minerva had known that Dolores was a nasty piece of work, but she had not expected her to be dark. There were plenty of unpleasant people in the world, and it was a rarity that a sour demeanor was indicative of a person being a dark witch or wizard.
Minerva shuddered as she remembered, in perfect clarity, each spell that was cast and how it had ultimately led to a sudden, relaxed feeling; warm, cozy, and making her feel perfectly agreeable to whatever Dolores wanted her to do. Such was the nature of the Imperius Curse, and that sensation was the beginning of a new battle between the voices in her head. She could hear Dolores ordering her to move away from Albus and Hermione, and she could hear her own thoughts recognizing how very much of a bad idea Dolores' idea was. The final voice…
She sighed. Albus had projected into her mind, using advanced Legilimency to help her fight the Imperius. Minerva had never heard of either Legilimency or Occlumency being used in that manner, and knowing Albus the idea had occurred to him at the moment. Had he not died, he might have gotten an academic paper out of it, as his efforts had been the only thing stopping her from turning her wand on him and Hermione. Minerva knew the Imperius could be resisted with practice, and made a mental note to talk to Hermione about working on that skill together. She never wanted to be in that position again. She never wanted to experience the guilt that would have surely followed had she harmed her friends while under that Unforgivable Curse. Telling someone 'it wasn't your fault' only helps so much.
Minerva wouldn't say there was a good outcome to that duel. Yes, between Albus and Hermione, the attack on her life had failed, but the cost had been Albus' life, and to make matters worse, Dolores and the Carrows had escaped, bolting away from the scene of the crime as she, Hermione, Remus, and Filius looked at Albus' body in shock. Severus being Severus had put aside his grief in that moment and taken chase, but it had been three against one at that point, and Hermione had found him near the edge of the wards, in a full body bind, about a quarter of an hour later. They were lucky that Dolores and her lackeys had not just killed him outright. Severus had speculated that, given his status of Death Eater, they'd looked at him as one of their own who was only giving chase to keep up appearances.
Minerva stepped into the entry hall and made directly to the stairs that would lead her up a few floors, and eventually to Hermione's quarters. Well, it might as well be their quarters, with as seldom as she stayed in her own anymore. She suspected Hermione was putting off asking her to move in officially until she'd had a chance to talk to the boys about the nature of their relationship, which of course Minerva understood. That said, Harry and Dudley were well accustomed to her just barging in without knocking, so with a quietly uttered password, she stepped into the two bedroom suite. For the time being, the boys were sharing a room, though Minerva thought that in light of her promotion, she might suggest Hermione move to quarters a bit larger, to allow Harry and Dudley each their own space.
"Hey Minerva," Harry said sullenly.
"Hello Professor McGonagall," Dudley greeted nervously.
She eyed the latter boy for a moment before giving him an encouraging smile. "Dudley, you are more than welcome to call me Minerva as well. We're family."
"Okay," he whispered. Obviously, the funeral had awoken his voice, though Minerva suspected it would be some time still before he was what one might call conversational. Still, it was a step in the right direction. Dourif would be thrilled he could start taking his charge up to the next level of spell casting.
It was no surprise that Minerva found Hermione in her office nook, quietly speaking to Severus and Dourif as to not be overheard by her wards. "Hermione?" she questioned.
Said woman looked up, and offered a small smile. "Join us, Min," she greeted. "We were just discussing your promotion."
Minerva's eyebrow arched. "If you're looking for a raise in your Potions budget, Severus, we'll discuss it at the next staff meeting, where I'm sure everyone else will be raising issues that Albus steadfastly ignored. I need to have a look at where the budget stands before making any promises."
Severus rolled his eyes. "We were talking about the Deputy position, not budget issues."
"I had Filius in mind," she expressed. "He's got the longest tenure behind myself. That's usually how the Deputy position is determined."
"I don't care who it is, so long as it isn't me," Severus stated. "If the Dark Lord does rise again, which we all know is likely, then putting me in the Deputy position is just asking for him to coordinate your assassination, in an effort to put me in the Head's office."
"Filius is the best choice," Hermione agreed with her paramour. "He's loyal, an Order member, and an able wizard besides. The issue we're debating is if or not to tell him the full truth of who I am. In a worst case scenario, if you were to die and he became Headmaster, I am not certain he'd trust me as you do - Merlin knows he already has questions - and for the safety of myself and the boys, I need the Head of Hogwarts to be able to trust me, and I him or her."
"On the other hand, the more people you tell the full truth to, the greater risk of exposure," Dourif argued.
"I can hardly argue that point, as I don't know what Hermione's great secret is, aside from her being married to the Founder of my House," Severus said pointedly. "And I am not asking. Merely stating that I cannot be objective to this point."
Hermione nodded. "I see Leland's point, but given that we already know that Minerva is a target, I feel it unwise to allow her potential successor to remain blind. Of course, this is only if he becomes Deputy. He's allowed to turn down the promotion."
Minerva nodded in agreement, though she very much doubted Filius would say no. While she did not believe it was ever his ambition to become Headmaster, he was if nothing else a loyal friend, and would know how great a help he could be as her Deputy, and take the position on that desire to help alone. "Hermione, how about you and I go down to speak with him now? I'll offer him the promotion, and if he accepts we can fill him in on the truth right away."
The younger woman nodded in agreement and turned to the men. "Leland, would you mind staying with the boys till I get back? I don't want them to be alone right now…"
"I'm leaving," Severus said. Minerva knew he was excusing himself before Hermione could suggest he stay as well. "I will see you all at the staff meeting tomorrow afternoon."
With that, he was gone, earning an amused smirk from Hermione and an eye roll from Minerva. Dourif appeared more focused on Dudley's newfound voice than his colleague's departure, and Minerva grudgingly admitted that the man she loathed did seem to be doing well with the boys. At some point, she knew she was going to have to let go of the past and accept Dourif for who he was now, but it was not going to be today.
"You ready?" Hermione asked her.
Minerva nodded, and the two of them made their way from Hermione's quarters to Filius' ten minutes later. The diminutive Charms Professor was sans his typically cheerful demeanor when he answered his door. Like everyone else, he was mourning. "Minerva," he greeted softly. Then, he noticed the parchment in her hand with the Ministry seal. "Headmistress," he corrected himself.
"Filius, there is no need for formality today, just as there was no need for it yesterday and every day before for the last several decades," she said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
He nodded. "Come in, both of you," he invited, noticing Hermione standing quietly behind Minerva. "What can I help you with, my friend?"
"As you surmised, I have been made Headmistress of Hogwarts," she said with a sigh. "Not that you wouldn't have been my first choice in any case, given your tenure length is only second to my own, the Deputy promotion belongs to you, should you accept it."
Filius chuckled. "May I remind you that I was brought on the staff in the fall of nineteen fifty-nine as nothing but a substitute teacher when the tenured one died suddenly two weeks into term? I was only supposed to stay a few weeks till a new Professor could be hired."
"Thirty-six years later…" Minerva chuckled.
"Tell me about it!" the half-goblin sighed. "Of course, you know I will take the position, if only to ease your burden. We all knew you'd be Head before long, but we hoped Albus would just retire, not pass from this world, and certainly not the way he did."
"I suppose that hands the floor to me," Hermione said, taking a deep breath. "If you are to be Minerva's Deputy, then there is something that you should know."
"Would this be the something that the Order members are not privy to, regarding your background?" Filius asked, turning to the other witch in the room.
"It is," the Defense Professor replied. "But you're a smart man, Filius. Do you have a guess?"
The Charms Professor offered a sly grin. "The Order knows that you are not Amelia, but rather Hermione Slytherin, and that you came by that surname via marriage to Salazar Slytherin, who lived and died ten centuries ago. Now, there really are only two known theories as to how you could have been there and be here. The first, as the Lex Excetra perpetuates, is that you were in possession of a Sorcerer's Stone when you left Hogwarts all those ages ago, and have simply been here and there, laying low, till quite recently. Personally, I find it unlikely that you could have remained invisible to any record in all that time. Possible, but not probable. The other option is that you left the Founders Era via timeturner or something like a time turner, and for some reason decided to come forward one-thousand years in time."
"You are partly correct," Hermione gave. "I did indeed come to this time from that one via time turner. But my reason for coming forward all those years was simply an issue of correcting a mistake that happened here, at Hogwarts, thirty odd years ago by my reckoning, though only about a year and a half by yours. I came forward in time to come home."
Filius ran the dates over in his mind for a moment before blinking, shaking his head, and letting out a long breath. "It's so obvious when you consider that this might have been your original timeline. You're Hermione Granger."
She nodded. "I trust you understand this must remain a closely guarded secret."
"I understand everything," he assured her, offering a knowing smile at Minerva. "Everything about you, all of the things that have left me confused, make perfect sense now that I know who you really are. Saving Sirius? Raising Harry? Not turning away a supposedly muggle boy? Your kindness to non-purebloods despite the fact that you yourself are assumed to be a member of pureblood society's elite? All of it!"
Minerva had to chuckle. Filius always got excited at the prospect of a puzzle solved. While any other man might have felt burdened by a great secret, he and that Ravenclaw brain of his relished in the metaphorical chess match that he was not being included in. Minerva was glad Hermione had opted to tell him, because while most looked at him dismissively unless discussing Charms, she knew that Filius was wise, and clever, and had a great analytical mind which would be of use in the coming war. They would be lucky to have him on their side, especially now that the greatest Chessmaster of them all was dead and buried.
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