A/N: Due to corona craziness, I'm not working this week, which is both good and bad. On the plus side, the next chapter is done already, and I might just have another one by the end of the week. Hope you enjoy!

23. Heart of Lightning

Minerva couldn't help thinking that the Ministry of Magic had been built to impress – with its large halls of marble, the golden Fountain of Magical Brethren in the atrium and the highly polished floors and fireplaces. She had definitely felt a little tense as she had presented her wand for inspection and then taken a lift up to the second floor, watching Ministry workers as they stepped on and off the lift at different levels.

She was more relaxed now that she had met Elphinstone Urquart, who was Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol and who was giving her the 'grand tour' as he called it. In fact, he seemed very eager to talk her into liking the Ministry, while Minerva had expected to come here today (with special permission to miss a day of school) to convince the Ministry to hire her. The longer Urquart talked, the more it occurred to Minerva that it might be the other way around.

She hadn't decided yet what she wanted to do, or rather, she hadn't decided where in the Ministry she would like to work most. But ever since that article about her had been published in Transfiguration Today, the Ministry seemed to have decided for her that they would like an Animagus to take a more active part in Law Enforcement rather than to be tied to a desk by the judicial duties of the Wizengamot. Even the Auror Office had reached out to her without Minerva ever having applied for a position there.

Of course, she wasn't an Animagus yet, and she could only pray that she would be by the time she graduated from Hogwarts. In fact, she had prayed, or rather, she had asked her father to put in a good word for her and send a little lightning her way. She figured that couldn't hurt.

"You're lucky that you would start working here now that we have the interdepartmental memos and had the magical windows put in. It makes for a much nicer working environment. You wouldn't believe the mess and the gloomy atmosphere we used to have! And a couple of blokes from Maintenance just went on strike and now the food in the cafeteria has gotten loads better as well..."

Minerva wondered if Mr. Urquart realised that telling her all of this was perhaps not the best way to present the Ministry in a good light, but she found his disarming honesty to be extremely likeable, which, of course, also did the trick.

"It's no Hogwarts, is it?" Urquart said with a knowing smile when Minerva hadn't said anything.

"No, but it is still impressive," she quickly agreed.

"You don't look very impressed, though."

"Well, it's not really important what's on the outside, is it?" Minerva said. "It's about what's happening on the inside."

Urquart nodded approvingly. "Very well said. That is exactly why we need gifted young people like yourself to come and work here. If we manage to pass your muster, that is."

"I didn't mean to imply that it's up to me to judge," Minerva said uncomfortably.

"But it is. If you don't have an opinion and you don't voice it, then nothing will ever change, will it?" Urquart said, and Minerva was really beginning to like the man.

Perhaps he sensed that he was doing something right because he continued brightly, "Now, I was thinking you might like to accompany some of your potential new co-workers on a call to see what we're actually doing. Could I interest you in that?"

Minerva opened her mouth to say yes, that was exactly why she was here, but then her watch suddenly started to vibrate, making her jump so badly that Urquart couldn't help but notice.

"Is everything all right? There is no need for concern. You look like you can hold your own, but I can assure you that no one expects you to do perfectly without training."

"No, I'm all right. I'd be very interested in coming with you," Minerva said, but she glanced at her watch in mounting frustration. The vibrations only grew more intense.

Urquart gave her a funny look. "You know it is part of my job to tell when I'm not being told the whole truth."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Urquart, it's just... there's a storm brewing at Hogwarts," Minerva decided to just tell him.

"I'm afraid I don't follow," he said, looking apologetic. "Is that a metaphor?"

"No, one can only finish the transformation process to become an Animagus during an actual lightning storm," she explained.

"And you have bewitched your watch to tell you when it's time!" Urquart's face brightened. "How ingenious."

Minerva had thought so, too, though she had mostly just wanted to make sure that she wouldn't miss it, in case it happened at night. She hadn't considered that it might be during the one time she was otherwise occupied with a job interview.

"Only rather unfortunate timing," she said. Seriously, how could anyone have such rotten luck?

"Unless you leave for Hogwarts right now," Urquart pointed out.

Surprised, Minerva looked up from her watch. "But..."

"Oh, we can reschedule, or not, it's up to you really. Either way, this is more important. We're all rooting for you here, you know. Well, I am anyway, but I'm the boss." He chuckled. "I always loved Transfiguration, though I didn't have the privilege of being taught by Albus Dumbledore."

Uncertain, Minerva hovered on the spot, but Urquart seemed honestly fine with her leaving right now and for some reason she trusted that he wouldn't mislead her. "Thank you, Mr. Urquart. I'll be in touch!" she said and then she was off.

She squeezed into a lift that was technically already full and then she raced towards the Ministry exit where she turned on the spot and Disapparated.

Minerva reappeared halfway between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts in a gust of wind. The clouds in the sky were pitch-black and churning and there was a deep rumbling that warned that worse was yet to come. The rain was coming down sideways and it pelted her face as Minerva sprinted towards the castle gates.

She had expected the gamekeeper or the caretaker to let her in, but she ran straight into the arms of Professor Dumbledore.

"I hope you didn't just run out of your interview," he said as he directed her back up to the castle with due haste. The wind was so bad that she could barely hear him.

"No, well, sort of, but it's fine," Minerva shouted back. "Quite honestly, they seem to want me pretty badly."

"Of course, they do," Dumbledore nodded and a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, momentarily illuminating the dark grounds.

Minerva's heart was beating madly against her ribcage. Almost as if it was hoping to escape. But there was no escape. That much Minerva knew. The rest of her thoughts were a jumbled mess and she was immensely grateful that all she needed to do for now was to follow Professor Dumbledore.

It was only when he had brought her all the way up to the seventh floor of the castle and was pacing back and forth opposite a large, ugly tapestry that Minerva figured she should maybe ask a question.

"What are you doing, Professor?"

He didn't answer her, but he did open a door that definitely hadn't been there mere seconds ago. To her utter astonishment, Minerva stepped into a large room with a domed ceiling that was completely made out of glass and thus gave them the perfect view of the raging storm – which should have been impossible because there were more solid floors above this one. But of course, nothing was impossible at Hogwarts.

The room itself was mostly empty, but the floor was cushioned and the walls were padded as though the room expected someone to go berserk and run right into them. That did not exactly fill Minerva with confidence. But there was no time for such misgivings.

Dumbledore waved his wand and her Animagus Potion appeared in his hand from wherever he had kept it hidden all this time. Lightning struck and the potion turned blood-red.

"Remember, Minerva, show no fear. It is too late to turn back now. Trust yourself. You know what to do and you have the strength. No matter what happens, you will always find yourself in there." Dumbledore lightly touched her heart and then handed her the potion.

Minerva nodded, even though her mouth had gone completely dry. But she wanted this. She had waited for this. She was ready.

Her voice rang out clear and true when she placed her wand-tip over her heart one more time and said, "Amato Animo Animato Animagus." Then she drank the potion.

And dropped the crystal phial immediately as a burning pain shot through her veins, setting her insides on fire. Minerva curled her hands into fists and gritted her teeth so she wouldn't scream, but just as she had known before there was no escaping the pain.

Her heart thudded feebly as the second heartbeat she had come to know awoke in her chest, beating fast, twice as fast as her human heart, and also twice as strong. Her head was spinning, feeling dangerously light, as if both of her hearts were too busy fighting for dominance to actually supply her brain with oxygen.

Minerva could feel herself collapse, but she didn't feel the impact of crashing to the floor. Either the room was too soft or she was losing all sense of control over her body. She barely knew where she was anymore and so it hardly mattered that she had fallen.

Then she saw it. Standing above her, looking down on her – a cat, a silver and black Tabby cat with square markings around its green eyes. Eyes that challenged Minerva to rise now or else to never rise again.

And so Minerva let go and bid her frantic little human heart to be still. She felt her robes and shoes and glasses all meld to her skin and become one with fur, once again making her feel as though she was being swallowed whole or dropped into a cauldron of molten lava. Running into the walls didn't sound like such a bad idea anymore.

Running, climbing, sinking her claws into something... but no, that would be foolish. She just needed to breathe and to keep breathing. In and out. In and out…

Suddenly, the things she could smell multiplied. The cushioned floor that had once been spattered with pumpkin juice, the ink on Professor Dumbledore's hands, the cinders of fresh phoenix' fire on his robes, the scent of ozone in the air outside...

And she could hear mice scurrying and – mhm, mice, perhaps she should... no! – students adjusting their chairs, the tips of their feathers scratching fresh parchment as they were doing their homework, someone complaining loudly about not having been invited to tonight's Slug Party...

Minerva opened her eyes and she saw everything with the same sharpness, even in her peripheral vision. But mostly, there was Dumbledore's smile, and while rather greyish now in colour, it was no less bright.

"A cat, naturally," he muttered. "If only I were a betting man..."

Minerva opened her mouth before she remembered that the only thing she couldn't do anymore was talk. But she had paws now and a tail. Huh, that was... interesting. Her new body seemed to know exactly how to use it, though, and before long she was racing across the room, climbing the walls and jumping from one obstacle to the next (they simply appeared whenever she wished them to) in a burst of boundless energy.

Professor Dumbledore sat in the middle of the room and observed her quietly but cheerfully, a lot more so than he had looked to be in months.

Eventually, Minerva grew tired and she thought that it was about time to thank her teacher, so she returned to where he was sitting.

He understood her intentions, but he said, "You know I cannot change you back."

Minerva sat back on her haunches and tried to visualise her human form as clearly as she could. That should have been all she needed to do, but nothing happened. She was still very much a cat and very much stuck. She looked up at Professor Dumbledore slightly panicked. He had never mentioned this when he had warned her of the dangers. Sure, permanent mutations sounded worse, but Minerva didn't exactly fancy spending the rest of her life as a cat either.

"Ah, yes, that can sometimes happen," Dumbledore said, perfectly unconcerned. "There is nothing to do but wait."

She stared at him. Surely, he wasn't serious...

"Care for a game?" he asked with a smile on his lips, pointing towards a chessboard that had appeared on the floor between them.

Apparently, he was serious. And since Minerva couldn't just walk out of this room and go down to dinner (opening the door alone would be a bit of a problem), she agreed.

Playing Wizard's Chess as a cat, however, also had its challenges. She couldn't direct her pieces with her voice, so she had to use her paw, which frightened them so much that they kept running off the board screaming their little heads off. Professor Dumbledore regularly had to coax them to come back, which, Minerva thought, was also the reason why he was winning.

When she had lost her Queen after a rather unfortunate move that had resulted from a miscommunication and Dumbledore had brought his Bishop in position to say, "Check," Minerva felt ready to explode in anger.

And she did, burying the chessboard and all the remaining pieces underneath her once again fully human body.

While the chess pieces were protesting loudly, Dumbledore chuckled. "I thought that might work."

Minerva pushed herself back up into a sitting position and then she flung her arms around Professor Dumbledore's neck in a fierce hug. It was terribly inappropriate, but she had never been filled with so much joy and relief, and she owed it all to him. After a moment, though, she got embarrassed and scrambled back onto her feet.

"Sorry, sir."

"That's all right," Dumbledore said. "I do believe a little celebration is in order. What you have done here today is quite simply astounding."

"Except for when I couldn't change back at first," she said, a little more critical than her teacher.

"Something that can be easily fixed. With enough practice, you'll be able to slip in and out of your animal form at will. An advanced Animagus won't even require a wand," Dumbledore told her.

"Right. Uh, where did I...?"

Smiling, Dumbledore handed her wand back to her, which she had dropped earlier.

"Thank you," Minerva said.

"Don't mention it."

"No, really," Minerva insisted. "Thank you. I..." But she choked up.

The storm outside had passed, but everything inside of her was still in upheaval. In a good way. She had been chasing this dream for so long, it was surreal to think that it was now no longer only a dream. She didn't know how to express how grateful she was. To Professor Dumbledore. Who had sacrificed so much time and energy and patience, even parts of his reputation.

All for her.

Unlike Minerva and the sky above them, Dumbledore seemed perfectly at ease now. There was a soft glow in his eyes when he said, "I often find that when we are unable to come up with the right words, it is because they are, in fact, most unnecessary."

As always, Minerva felt that he was right.

A/N: I don't think it's clear whether Dumbledore knew and used the Room of Requirement or not. At the Yule Ball he makes it sound as if he doesn't know its exact location and how it works, but that was just meant to be a funny anecdote, and he was trying to make a point about not knowing all of Hogwarts' secrets. And Harry of course theorizes that both Flitwick and Dumbledore would have never needed the room to hide something because they were model pupils. But I think Dumbledore knows a lot more than he lets on. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that he would go and use the room, but it was the perfect place for Minerva to transform safely, so I just went with it.