During the following days, Anthea settled in a new routine that included Charlie and Dora. She still woke up at the same time as her Mum, ate breakfast in the kitchens, studied with Queeny until ten, but then she was free to roam the castle for twenty minutes with her friends, and allowed the same grace during the afternoon break. After classes, she met them in the library. She couldn't help with their homework, obviously, but they didn't mind lending her their notes and she learned through them.

In exchange, during the weekend, she took them to explore the castle. She knew a lot of secret passages and amazing spots thanks to Queeny and the other elves. The Room of Requirement, though, she kept to herself. Rowena Ravenclaw's creation was her sanctum sanctorum, the place where she could truly be herself – on the rare occasion where she went there alone, anyway.

On the second weekend of September, Alastor came back to the castle. Anthea bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to make the taste of blood invade her mouth to stop herself from running to him. She knew his instincts wouldn't take too kindly to it. When he opened his arms to her, though, his eyes soft and inviting, she threw herself at him and hugged him with all her might. "I missed you so much, sir," she couldn't help but whine.

He had new scars, still raw and red, on his hands and face. He was still an active Auror, after all. The end of the war had seen a lot of them, old and young alike, step away from the office. He was past the age of retirement, had seen far too much for ten different lives, and yet he couldn't quit. His sense of duty tied him to the office. He wouldn't stop until he had mentored enough recruits so that Britain was secure. It made Anthea's heart ache to know that, by the time Voldemort came back, he would still be fighting.

"I missed you too, lass, I missed you too." His hands were so wide against her back, so gentle too. She closed her eyes, breathed in and out as deep and slow as she could, and put that memory safely in her mindscape. There was something more to the comfort almost overwhelming her than simply smell and heat: she felt his magic too, a quiet hum against her skin that she could recognise as his. She couldn't identify a lot of people by magic alone: her mum, Queeny and Alastor were the only ones, although she was starting to be able to do so with Charlie and Dora.

"Mad-Eye Moody, hugging a child? Never let that be known in the office, Alastor, or your reputation will be ruined." The man who had spoken was very tall and broad-shouldered, with a skin so smooth and dark it looked, well, magical. Anthea blinked up at him, staring into his eyes. His irises were such a pale shade of grey they almost looked white. He had a fascinating, expressive gaze, and there was something magnetic about him. She had a very hard time looking away, and was thankful that the man didn't take advantage of her difficulties by slipping into her mind. If he was who she thought he was, he definitely had the skills to do so.

"Kingsley, don't be rude. This little lass is very important to me, and you know that."

Anthea's heart skipped a beat when she saw the smile on Alastor's scarred face. Those weren't empty words. The weight they held made her impossibly proud and happy. She couldn't even express it, except with a beaming smile. "Are you here to see Mum? She's in her office, grading homework."

"No, lass. We're actually here for you. Can we go in the Room?"

She heard the capital letter in his voice and knew where he wanted to go. She nodded and turned around, leading them through corridors and stairs with a confidence that even enrolled students of Hogwarts didn't have. The castle was her home, after all. Since she wasn't a student, Queeny had been able to show her secret passages leading out of the castle as well – not that she really wanted to leave. She had her mother's trust, after all. She didn't want to lose it now, for something as stupid as going where she wasn't allowed to go unsupervised. The knowledge, though, might come to be useful.

"Here we are," she said after pacing three times in front of the tapestry. When she opened the dark oak door, she couldn't help but smile. The room in front of her was almost a carbon copy of the living room in her quarters. She gestured for Alastor and Kingsley to settle in then sat in a chair, crossing her legs. Being a small child had some advantages. She could get comfy wherever she wanted.

"So, lass, as I said last time we saw each other, I want Kingsley to come teach you here regularly. He can afford to while I cannot, and he's the best I trained in a long time."

Anthea's lips twitched when she saw Kingsley straighten up under the praise. She understood the sentiment. Even a small spark of approval from the man made her feel like she could conquer the world. "Nice to meet you, sir," she said with a courteous nod of the head.

"Likewise, Miss McGonagall." He flashed her a smile that creased dimples on both his cheeks. He looked so much younger, suddenly, almost a school-aged boy.

"Okay, stop playing so nice, the both of you. Anthea, Kingsley will take over most of your training, except for Occlumency. Your mum told me Snape was taking over for it."

"Do you approve, sir?" Anthea asked, lowering her eyes to her hands.

He didn't answer immediately, allowing silence to settle over the room. Even Kingsley didn't dare disturb it. After a while, he spoke, his voice strangely close to soft. "Yes, I do. Snape is one tough man, but he will never hurt you if he has any other choice. He is on our side, no matter what circumstances could lead you to believe."

There was something there, something bigger and heavier than Anthea could grasp. She frowned, biting the inside of her cheek, and nodded. "Then I will trust him, sir."

"Good lass," Alastor said, a thin smile on his scarred lips. "I told Kingsley about you, about how motivated you are in your training."

"You mean you never stopped talking about her when it was just the two of us," Kingsley deadpanned. The playful gleam in his pale eyes betrayed his true feelings, and Anthea understood, clear as day, that this was nothing more than banter. The realisation helped her relax. Alastor could be quite snappy with people, even people he liked, but Kingsley seemed able to see beyond that and give as back as he got. For the hundredth time, she wondered why this aspect of his personality, so much more interesting than his deep, soothing voice, wasn't explored in the canon books.

"Shut it, you love it when I ramble."

Kingsley chuckled but didn't deny it. He was less impressive when he relaxed, and far more approachable – as much as an unknown adult could be to a child. "Anyway, Miss McGonagall, I'm going to come to the castle twice a week from now on. I'm only working part-time so far, so I have time for you, way more time than old Alastor here. I'm curious to see if you're as good as he said."

Oh, and here it was. A playful challenge. Of course she couldn't ignore it. She stifled a giggle and met his eyes, a mischievous grin playing on her lips. "I hope I won't disappoint you, sir. You should just call me Anthea, though. I'll have enough 'Miss McGonagall' thrown at me by my mother and her colleagues when I officially start Hogwarts."

"What do you mean, officially?" Kingsley asked. "Are you sneaking in classes?"

Freezing, she met Alastor's eyes, but he just cocked an eyebrow and let her dig herself out of that hole. "Well… I considered it. I'm getting bored with my own classes. I love Queeny, but she can't teach me magic."

"You don't have a wand, though," Kingsley observed. He glanced at Alastor, but the old Auror seemed content enough to sit back and watch, to let his former and present students bond without interference.

"I have a toy wand, sir. Well, I have two, but the first one will burn out soon, I think."

"But a toy wand will not allow you to learn new spells like you would in class. And, anyway, that's if you can get into the classes in the first place."

"Just leave those problems to me, sir. I can manage."

Sure, she didn't have a plan yet, but she couldn't ignore a challenge, now, could she?