His footsteps were clipped as he raced up the steps of Hogwarts, only moments later.
"Harry!"
"Filius," he nodded as he saw his former Charms professor. "How are you?"
"Not bad, my boy," he smiled. It faltered as he looked closer. "You, however, are not."
"No," he sighed. "Narcissa Malfoy has died. I -" He took a deep breath. "Feel the need to pay my respects so I'm just going to tell Min and go and tell Molly."
"Pomona and I have a free period. We will go to Molly and then go with her to," he looked expectantly.
"Wiltshire," Harry shrugged.
"Ah," he nodded. "Of course. Well, we will go there. You follow with Minerva?"
"I didn't know -"
"Our students are like our children, Harry," he whispered. "Sometimes you despair at their choices but you still watch them grow from someone so small and innocent into," he touched Harry's arm. "Someone magnificent."
Harry bit his lip so he wouldn't cry.
"Okay," he muttered.
"Minerva is teaching," he muttered. "I'll send a note to Aurora, who has a free period now. She'll meet you there, I shouldn't wonder."
Harry nodded and jogged through the castle to the Transfiguration classroom. He watched through the open door as Minerva taught this classroom full of tiny children how to transfigure an animal into a water goblet. He realised that he knew nothing of Narcissa. Not really. He knew some of it from Andy and other bits and pieces he'd heard during the trials, but he wondered what she'd been like, as a child. As an adolescent. He was sure that people had made up their own mind about her prior to anything she'd ever said or done. At his core, he knew one thing more than any other.
She had loved her son so deeply that she would defy a tyrant to ensure his safety.
That was all he ever really needed to know.
"Now, I want you all to -" there was a pause. "Harry?"
He waved from the door and Minerva did her best to redirect the attention away from the Hero of the Wizarding World while she made her way to the back of the classroom.
"Is she alright?"
"Who?" Harry blinked, lost in his thoughts. "Oh, no, Hermione's fine as far as I know. Narcissa," his voice wobbled. "Narcissa Malfoy has died. Her funeral is," he looked at his watch. "Now-ish."
Minerva's shoulders dropped as she stared at him.
"Ginny is asking Hermione if she wants to go. No," he held up his hands at the sharp look. "No expectations, just a question. Filius," he pointed down the hall. "Bumped into me on the way up. He's gone to get Molly and the rest. Andy," his voice really did break then. "Andy and Teddy are meeting us there, so if you want to go, Aurora is on her way down to take your class."
"Let me give them their homework," she whispered, squeezing his shoulder. "Then we'll go."
He nodded and stepped away from the door to see Aurora Sinistra coming down the hall.
"Thanks," he muttered as she nodded and went inside.
Harry paced up and down as she heard Minerva wrap up the class quickly and her clipped footsteps echoed as she came out into the hall, shutting the door behind her.
"Come here," she muttered, wrapping her arms around him. Between Molly and Ginny and Hermione, he was surrounded by women who hugged him, but there was something different about Minerva's hugs. They were deep and they were strong and they were special. "Do you know where we're going?"
"No," he managed. "Wiltshire?"
"I know the place," she nodded.
They marched through the corridors and out into the grounds. Just before they stepped out of the gate, Minerva waved her wand over herself and then Harry, Transfiguring their robes into more appropriate funeral attire and wrapped her arm around him. They disappeared from sight with a pop.