AN: Written for QLFC Round 13
Seeker for the Appleby Arrows
Prompt: Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin
Word Count before AN: 1083
Beta's: Captain Hope
He's Waiting On The Other Side
"We'll meet beyond the shore. We'll kiss just as before. Happy we'll be, beyond the sea. And never again, I'll go sailing."
Minerva McGonagall was no longer able to leave her bed. She simply lay there with the warmth of the heavy quilt draped across her, watching the sun begin to set from her bedroom window at Hogwarts.
She had turned one hundred years old in October, and as far as she was concerned, it was time. Time for her to leave behind all that she was and all that she had ever known. Time to take the journey to the other side and to all that awaited her there.
"It won't be long now." That is what Hannah Longbottom had said when she had last come to check up on her.
Minerva smiled. Sweet, quiet, Hannah Abbott had grown up to become a rather gifted healer, and much to Minerva's surprise had fallen in love with Neville Longbottom. When Poppy had passed some ten years ago, Hannah took over for her.
Everything was in order and exactly how it should be. Minerva had retired from Hogwarts, and her successor was doing an admirable job in her place. Her students, those children that she had put her heart and soul into, had all gone on to lives and careers of their own, taking a little piece of her with them as they did.
How many children had passed through her classes? How many had she kept over for tea and biscuits when they had needed someone to talk to? To confide in? How many lives had she had a part in shaping over her sixty-five years as a Professor and as Headmistress?
Minerva thought of them often and was proud of each and every one of them. Most sent her an owl from time to time, letting her know how they were doing and keeping her up-to-date on the latest happenings in their lives.
She turned her head towards the door that Hannah had left cracked open and she could hear the quiet sounds of her family in the living room. Oh, she hadn't had any children of her own, still yet, her home was filled with them. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were all there with their families, who by now were growing up, soon to start families of their own. And Teddy! Well, he and Victoire were already expecting their third child!
Her gaze wandered to the rows and rows of shelves that lined her back wall. Instead of books, they were filled to the brim with photographs of her family. Pictures of her students and friends. Oliver Wood had sent her a picture of him and his team from when they won the Quidditch World Cup back in 2005 and she proudly showed it to everyone who came to visit!
Albus was up there, too, of course. Albus, her best friend. How she missed him!
Severus nodded at her from time to time from his portrait on the third shelf. As did Remus, Tonks, and all the others who she had grown to love so dearly but had been taken far too soon. She couldn't wait to see them again!
And then there was Elphinstone. His portrait wasn't on the shelves with the rest. Instead, it sat on her bedside table where she could easily reach for it. She did so now and slowly ran her fingers over the frame as she smiled down at him.
"Soon, my love," she whispered.
She thought of all the times that she had turned down his proposals to her. All the time that had been wasted. Time that they could have had together; perhaps even starting a family of their own.
A tear slid down her cheek though she didn't bother to brush it away. It had been years since she had cried for her husband. Oh, she had missed him terribly and thought of him every day, but she did not often allow herself to grieve so openly for him. The three years that they had shared together had been three of the very best of her life. Her only regret was not saying "yes" sooner. But deep down in her heart, she knew she hadn't been ready for him then.
She was ready for him now. It was almost time.
Minerva could hear his joyous laughter and she could see the way his eyes lit up when he was happy. She could remember so perfectly the way that her hand fit in his. The way he would trace the back of her hand with his thumb as they sat together in the evenings to talk about their days.
Minerva had lived another fifty years after Elphinstone's passing and it was enough.
It was more than enough.
He was waiting for her now, and she couldn't bear to make him wait any longer. She longed to be in his arms again. To have him hold her as he had before. He was there, just on the other side, waiting for her on that lovely, golden shore. She would get to him, and then her heart would be whole once more.
The sky grew darker as the pinks and purples turned to dusky twilight.
The sun set. Minerva McGonagall smiled, and then she was gone.
Only the light from the lamp by her bed illuminated the room now, casting shadows along the walls and on the pictures of her students. The pictures of her family.
She had wondered how many of their lives she had helped shape. She imagined the number was higher than she could ever fathom. Minerva McGonagall had been a major part of thousands of lives, and she would continue to be so. Those children were her legacy and they would take her wherever they went. They would tell her story.
Days later at her funeral, there wouldn't be room enough to hold all the people who came to pay their respects. The Great Hall would be filled and current and former students alike would need to stand outside on the grounds, their wands raised high to celebrate a life well-lived. A woman well-loved.
Barely a second had passed from the moment she took her last breath to now. Minerva was there, standing on a sandy beach. Her hair was no longer in a tight bun but instead flowed in waves down her back. Her hands were no longer wrinkled but smooth with youth. She looked up, and there he was.