January 1946
The following month passed a lot quicker than Ro had anticipated. She hadn't really been sure how Minerva's silence would affect the rest of their group, since she was nowhere near as talkative as herself, Millicent and Septima. Timely remarks were more her style; dry comments spoken at the perfect time in the type of sarcasm that only Minerva could pull off so effortlessly.
It turned out that she could still be just as irritatingly witty even without the sly voice that usually accompanied it. Professor Dumbledore had taught her a spell that allowed her to write in midair using her wand, the golden letters bright enough to easily catch their attention. It wasn't long at all before they automatically looked out for a flash of fiery cursive during their conversations, allowing Minerva to participate just as well as she could normally.
The fact that the rest of the school though Minerva had a throat infection was a constant source of amusement to them all. Ro could barely contain her laughter whenever someone wished Minerva a speedy recovery, and it usually took Poppy standing on her toe or Minerva elbowing her in the side for her to be able to hold her tongue. She knew it was putting Minerva's secret at risk, but their misguided sympathy was too funny for her to keep a straight face.
The Quidditch Team were the only ones aside from her, Poppy, Millicent, Septima and Irma who knew the truth, and had reacted with surprise when Ro and Professor Dumbledore had revealed it to them. Minerva was still the youngest on the team, though Ro was less than a month older than her, so there was a considerable amount of admiration from some of their older teammates. Anthea and Nancy were particularly impressed, since as Transfiguration NEWT students they'd covered Animagi in much greater detail than anyone else. The only thing that had managed to wipe the look of abject concern from Larry's face was Nancy request that she used Minerva as a case study for any essays she had to do on the subject. But with the exception of that first session, their practises went on as usual. Minerva didn't need a voice to play just as fantastically as usual, it was Ro who did all the necessary (but usually good-natured) shouting.
The only aspect of life that had really changed was lessons. Subjects like Herbology, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies weren't affected as they didn't involve any spells being cast, and Ro assumed that Divination, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes were much the same. Potions wasn't a challenge as it was easy enough for Irma, Minerva's assigned partner, to say the single incantation at the end of each potion for her. But in Transfiguration, Charms, and DADA, where casting spells was a major part of the lessons, a few changes needed to be made.
Ro had wondered whether Minerva would just have to sit out of the practical lessons for a month until Professor Merrythought provided an alternative early on in the month. The fourth year's first DADA lesson in term was merely a recap lesson of the duelling techniques they'd mastered during third year. Ro didn't realise that Professor Merrythought had done this deliberately until she took Minerva and Ro, who was partnering her, aside near the start.
"How's it going, Minerva?" Professor Merrythought asked quietly, to which Minerva nodded with a smile. "Right, as you've probably guessed, practical lessons like these are going to become a little bit trickier until you've got your voice back. I had wondered about changing the timetable so it was just theory lessons until February, but Professor Aurelius hasn't got that option so I thought you may as well learn the way around it. This technique isn't usually taught until NEWT level, though early on in sixth year, but with what you're attempting now I don't see why you won't be able to learn it early. Have you heard of nonverbal magic?"
Minerva shook her head, but Ro had both heard of it and seen its difficulty first hand. She had been old enough during Erika and Tavins's NEWT years to remember well how hard they had both found nonverbal magic, particularly Tavin who didn't share Erika's natural flair for duelling.
"It's just the same as regular magic, but you say the incantation in your head rather than out loud." Professor Merrythought explained. "It requires a lot of mental strength, as you really must think hard about the spell you are trying to perform. Imagine the word in your head; say it with your mind's voice. Do you think you can manage that?"
Again, Minerva nodded, and Professor Merrythought smiled approvingly. "Good girl. Right, we'll put you on the attack side as I don't want you getting hexed all afternoon if you can't pull up a shield charm in time. If all goes well, Rolanda, we'll switch you two around. Your offensive spells are fantastic so you've no need to practice them, but your shield charms could use a little more practice which was why I picked you to work with Minerva. Now off you both go, and I'll be around in a few minutes to check how you're progressing."
As Ro had expected, it took Minerva a good ten minutes before she could conjure even the hint of a Knockback jinx. It was the first dueling spell they had ever been taught and one Minerva could normally use with almost a lazy ease, hence why they had chosen to use that spell. They never got around to switching roles by the end of the lesson but Minerva did manage to perform a fairly strong tickling charm on Ro while she wasn't looking, catching her completely unawares and bringing a broad smile to Minerva's face.
The date Poppy had marked off on their calendar rolled around quickly, and it found the six girls all sat in the Gryffindor dormitory with excited expressions. Professor Dumbledore had sent Minerva a note that morning with Minerva's latest set of instructions. She had to remove the leaf from her mouth, not dispose of it, and go to his office with it the following morning.
"Well then," Poppy said, examining the calendar, "today is Monday the 28th of January 1946. Your month is over." Her formal expression gave way to a bright smile, and they all looked expectantly at Minerva.
Minerva slowly took the Mandrake leaf from out of her mouth, and dried carefully on a handkerchief. A moment of quiet passed as Minerva licked her lips, coughed slightly, and said "Was that as dramatic as you were all expecting?"
The former silence was broken by resounding laughter. "Only you," Ro said between breaths, "could end a month of silence with that amount of sarcasm. I've missed that."
"Good," was all Minerva said, before she broke off with a stifled cough. Her voice sounded rough and raspy, though Ro supposed that wasn't a surprise after not using it for a month.
Poppy, however, looked more concerned. "I feel like you ought to have a throat-soothing potion," she began, but Minerva waved her away.
"Don't yet. I don't want anything to risk affecting the process." Minerva croaked with a wry smile.
Looking slightly mollified, Poppy sighed and her hand drifted away from her cabinet. "Ok," she agreed, "but if you think I'll watch you suffer for goodness knows how long without doing anything about it, you're mistaken."
Ro laughed at the determined frown on Poppy's face. "That goes for all of us," she said, and Millicent, Septima and Irma all nodded. "We're all behind you. Don't go forgetting that."
Minerva's Animagus training became much less involved in the following few weeks; she visited Professor Dumbledore's office every few days to have various spells put on her, but that was about it. Ro was grateful for the timing, since the next Quidditch match was looming fast. Gryffindor were playing Ravenclaw on the third weekend of February, which fell on the same weekend as Valentine's Day.
When the day of the match rolled around, Ro couldn't deny being worried. Minerva was the usual bundle of poorly-hidden nerves that she was before every match, but Ro was surprised by how apprehensive she was herself. Ravenclaw's Nina Hilliard was the only Seeker that had beaten Ro to the Snitch without using questionable techniques, and she could begrudgingly admit that Captain Scrimegeour had put a fantastic side together. They had beaten Hufflepuff in November by a massive margin, so Gryffindor needed to take the victory to stand any hope of hanging onto the Quidditch Cup.
Ro was down on the pitch early as normal, but Poppy forced her into eating half a bowl of porridge before she was allowed to escape the Great Hall with Minerva. Knowing Minerva needed something to occupy her mind with, Ro sent her to the broom shed to collect the teams' brooms while she went to survey the conditions. The morning sky was littered with pale clouds, hiding the sunshine but bringing no sign of rain; by far the best conditions to play in as far as Ro was concerned, though there was a certain thrill that came with playing in the rain.
"Morning Ro," a voice behind Ro startled her out of her thoughts, and she turned to see the Flying Instructor, walking over to join her.
"Hi Marilyn," Ro called back. Marilyn had made the Gryffindor Quidditch Team promise to keep calling her by her first name despite her teaching post, as long as there were no other members of staff in earshot. She'd said it was too odd hearing people call her Madame Douglas who she'd gone to school with only a couple of years ago, and Ro couldn't blame her.
"Great conditions to play in," Marilyn remarked, glancing upwards. "Though I don't think you need that to win. I can't be biased anymore, much as I'd like to be, but you've got some fantastic talent on that team of yours."
Ro's beaming smile was only a hint of the pride blooming in her chest. "You should know, you picked two of them yourself!" she pointed out with a chuckle. Nancy and Ernest, her two fantastic Beaters, had both been picked for the team in Marilyn's last year as Captain.
Marilyn laughed in response. "That I did, but the rest of the team are just as good. Yourself included; I played with your sister for four years and even she isn't as good as you. Wear that Captain's badge with pride, as you're going to do great things on the Quidditch pitch. I'm sure of it."
Her confidence restored by Marilyn's praise, Ro felt a lot lighter when she and Minerva went into the changing room. Nancy, Anthea and Larry were already there, with Larry all changed but the sixth year girls looking as though they had only just arrived. Ro wasn't surprised not to see Ernest and Cleatus, as they usually left it late before joining the rest of the team, but what did surprise her was Larry rushing hastily out of the changing room.
"Ro," Minerva called, distracting Ro from the issue of Larry, "come and look at this."
There was a small piece of parchment in the top of Minerva's Quidditch uniform bag, which she had hung up in the changing room before going to the broom shed. Minerva passed it to Ro, who read it with growing confusion. 'I think you're incredible', was all it said, with no name or any indication as to who might have left it.
Cracking a smile, Ro clapped Minerva on the shoulder. "Looks like someone's got an anonymous Valentines greeting!"
"Who do you think it's from?" Minerva asked, taking the note back and looking thoroughly confused.
"Don't think on it, that's the whole idea!" Ro responded, though secretly she had her suspicions. After a pause, she continued "D'you want to be in a relationship?"
Minerva hesitated for a moment, clearly thinking hard, before she shrugged. "With the right person, I suppose, but I'm not desperate. Not like some people." Ro laughed at her last words; there had been an interesting scene in the Common Room the previous evening when Shirley Miller had asked Ernest to the Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop on the Sunday Hogwarts trip. He had declined in favour of going with Nancy, and it had taken Prefect Bertha Maurice quite some time to quieten Shirley down. "What about you?"
Ro pulled a face which she hoped had the right amount of disgust in it. "Not a chance. No way. Not interested-"
Nancy, Anthea and Minerva's laugher interrupted what might have been a long stream speech. "Alright, we've got the point." Nancy grinned. "Now are you getting changed, or are you planning on turning into Ernest and Cleatus?"
Leading the team out onto the pitch felt just as nerve-wracking as it had done the first time, but Ro grinned in response to the crowd's cheering and even risked a wave to where she could see Poppy, Irma and Millicent. Captain Scrimegeour gave her a nod as they shook hands, which she returned before mounting her broom. If there was one thing she really liked about the Ravenclaw team and their Captain, it was the fact that they weren't hesitant to give respect where they thought it was due.
Once airborne, however, all friendly feelings towards the Ravenclaws vanished to be replaced with a burning frustration. "I have to get the Snitch, I have to get the Snitch," she muttered constantly under her breath, squinting around the pitch through her goggles. She was ignoring what the Chasers were doing to the point where she didn't even check which team had scored each time the applause sounded; for all she knew, Gryffindor could have been 100 points ahead or 100 points behind.
It wasn't until someone in red raced in front of her that she realised she really wasn't looking where she was going. She slowed the Rocket to a standstill, taking a proper look around the pitch. The majority of the players were clustered around the Ravenclaw end of the pitch, with the exception of one red uniform hovering in front of the Gryffindor rings and a blue cloak circling the pitch about 10 feet above. The lone Ravenclaw player had to be Nina Hilliard, and judging by her movements she hadn't yet spotted the Snitch. Victory was still firmly within reach.
With a cleared head and fresh perspective, Ro restarted her search for the Snitch. A break in the clouds let a single beam of sunlight into the otherwise grey stadium, and Ro turned her gaze away on instinct as a bright glint hit her eyes. Moments later she was racing towards the glint, shielding her face with one hand hardly daring to believe her luck. When the Snitch was safe within her fingers she turned a cartwheel in the air, grinning triumphantly as the crowd cheered. Maggie Jordan's shriek over the commentary was almost deafening, though it was short lived as Professor Dumbledore hurriedly tugged the microphone away from her with a twinkling smile.
The Gryffindor Team were upon her in seconds, with high-fives all around and an overjoyed hug from Minerva. Since Ro and Minerva had missed out on most of the last after-match party due to Ro's broken nose, they were both eager to get back to Gryffindor Tower with the rest of the team. With nothing but celebrations on everyone's minds it wasn't hard to smuggle Irma into the Common Room, especially since everyone was in casual clothes rather than school uniform. She was starting to become a permanent fixture in the Tower, since her small involvement in the conflict with the Slytherin Team after the last match had made her even less popular in the Dungeons than she had been before.
The customary Quidditch excitement started to die down after the Hufflepuff-Slytherin match a week later, letting life return to normal. Septima had worked out that Gryffindor were already in a massive lead for the Quidditch Cup; Gryffindor didn't even need to win the final match against Hufflepuff to still take the Cup. Even though the team still drilled hard every week, Ro was happy to let practises become more fun than focused until closer to their final match.
Luckily for Minerva, that coincided neatly with a renewed vigour in her Animagus training. Ro didn't know what she and Professor Dumbledore were doing in his office in their daily sessions, but she would easily tell that it was taking its toll on Minerva. She was getting overtired to the point where she would sleep straight through their alarm clock unless it was placed right next to her ear. Ro had learned very early on that staying up late working was not a good idea, but all her attempts to persuade Minerva not to try it too had proved fruitless.
Poppy's frustration threatened to boil over several times when Minerva refused any medicinal draughts in case they interfered with the process, but Ro managed to channel her concerned energy into checking Minerva's Potions homework for her. She had been let off of Transfiguration homework entirely and most Professors had given her extended deadlines, but in typical Minerva style she was determined to get everything done.
It was nearly the end of the Easter holiday when everything came to a head. Exams and Quidditch finals were looming fast, and Minerva was desperate to become an Animagus before they arrived. She was spending more and more time in Professor Dumbledore's office, and getting more and more annoyed with herself when she still couldn't manage the transformation. Ro kept reassuring both Minerva and herself that she just needed to practise, but when Minerva didn't return to the dormitory for nearly two hours late one evening she did start to get worried.
"Do you think anything's gone wrong?" Poppy asked anxiously, voicing the question that Ro didn't want to ask.
"I'm sure she'll be ok." Irma said from her own bed, only looking away from her book for a second. As usual, she was boarding in Gryffindor Tower over the holiday because Druella and Eileen had gone home.
Ro nodded, but she was hardly convinced. "Professor Dumbledore will keep her safe. I'm sure she'll be back before lo- well, speak of the devil!"
Minerva had just flung the door open, looking a little shaken but still incredibly excited. Ro, Poppy and Irma said nothing, watching her close the door carefully and drop her satchel by her feet before turning to face them. Silence reigned on for a few more minutes as Minerva fiddled with her fingers before an encouraging nod from Poppy made her speak.
"I've done it," she said, a grin splitting her cheeks which Ro knew was mirrored on her own face.
Poppy hopped off her bed and flung her arms around Minerva's neck, squealing softly as she did so.
"That's really amazing, Minerva," Irma smiled, putting her book aside to look proudly up at Minerva.
"You really deserve this Min. You've worked harder than any of us." Ro said, gripping her in a tight hug when Poppy finally released her. After a moment she stepped back and said "Well? Let's see it then!"
Minerva nodded, hesitatingly slightly before she closed her eyes, tensed her arms and inhaled deeply. Her form blurred slightly, then there was a loud pop as she appeared to shrink very fast. The satchel on the floor hid her from view, until it was knocked over by a pair of black paws.
There was a cat on the floor where Minerva had stood a second ago. It was mostly black, though sparsely decorated with dark grey stripes spreading out from the centre of it's back. The face was a slightly paler silvery grey, with very distinctive square markings around its bright emerald eyes that reminded Ro instantly of a pair of glasses.
Minerva had become a cat.
"That was fantastic!" Poppy grinned, Irma clapping with a bright smile on her face.
Minerva dipped her furry head into a funny looking bow, making everyone laugh. With another pop she was back in her human form, looking slightly dishevelled but perfectly intact.
"Well then," Ro started, "what's your plan now?"
Minerva looked thoughtful for a moment, before turning to look back at the door behind her. "I'm going to have some fun," she said decisively, grinning wildly at Ro, Poppy and Irma. The prefects and teachers patrolling will just think I'm someone's pet, no-one will guess unless they really look at me properly."
Ro shook her head and tutted, trying and failing to imitate Poppy's signature trait. "Minerva McGonagall, a rebel? Who would have guessed it?"
"Well she has earned it," Poppy giggled. "But do be careful, won't you? Don't go jumping across stairways or chasing the owls, or any other silly thing that a cat might try and do?"
Irma let out a breath of laughter as Ro pointed out "She is still a fifteen year old girl, you know, not an actual cat?"
"I won't do anything stupid, Poppy," Minerva promised her. "I only want to explore for a while. You're welcome to wait up for me if you want, I won't be very long."
Ro got to her feet so she could open the door for Minerva. She wondered briefly how Minerva would get in and out the dormitory in her cat form, but then assumed it would be the same way that pet cats got in and out of their owner's dormitories. "Sounds good. Have fun!"
Minerva transformed back into her feline shape, shaking out her fur as she stood. She nodded a goodbye to Ro, Poppy and Irma, before walking out onto the balcony and disappearing down the stairs.
Author's Note:
So much for getting this out just after I got back from holiday! I managed to get hospitalised literally a day after I got home- it's a long and probably boring story, but basically the regular treatment I have for my medical condition went very wrong and I ended up with a badly infected hand. I was released this time last week but my hand's super bruised and sore so writing's been a slow process.
This is most definitely a filler chapter, but I needed to make these things happen so we can move onto the next few exciting chapters. I didn't want to go into too much detail about the Animagus process since there's such little canon info, so I hope what I did worked well. I've written her Animagus form as mostly black even though she's portrayed as silver-grey in the series because she's still young and her hair hasn't gone grey yet, since Animagi change as their humans change.
The teeny valentines day mention was a last minute addition, but I thought it was an important one since Harry and co were already romance-plagued teenagers by this point in the series. Minerva's attitude to romance is very much taken from her canon story, since it was clear she only wanted a relationship with the absolute right person. Ro, on the other hand, is very much not interested in boys! The theme of romance will be explored more as the girls get older, and I don't think it will spoil too much if I reveal there is a romantic sub-plot approaching ;)
That's all I really have to say right now- I get my a-level results tomorrow morning and am so nervous right now I can't really think straight. The next chapter is a really fun one from start to finish, and another one of those chapters I've been really looking forward to for a long time. Hopefully it will be out by this time next week!