Minerva McGonagall and the Chamber of Secrets

by MinnieCat5

1942- In the middle of the war against Grindelwald, Hogwarts was a refuge. Minerva McGonagall entered her 6th year ready to make more memories with her friends, expand her prowess in Transfiguration, and even fall in love, hoping it all would distract her from thoughts of her family fighting on the front lines. A shocking attack on Halloween night, though, changed all that...

22. Playful and Serious

Playful and Serious

Monday, 3 May 1943

Minerva and Oliver walked hand-in-hand alongside most of their sixth-year friends the first Monday of the new term. Everyone walked quietly, each of them preoccupied with their own thoughts and practicing their focusing. They were walking down to Hogsmeade for their Apparition Test, and many of them were nervous about having a two-week break between their last lesson and their exam. They'd had an optional practice session the day before, but many of them were paranoid that it wasn't enough.

It was against school policy to hold an examination over a break, and the examiners only worked on weekdays, so they'd all had to wait this long for their test whether they'd stayed at Hogwarts over the holiday or not. Minerva thought it was rather silly that she had to miss Potions for those reasons. She'd have to ask Poppy and Rolanda what they'd done in class; Poppy wouldn't be seventeen for another month, and Rolanda for two.

Professor Twycross led them past the gates of Hogwarts, into the main cross of Hogsmeade, where they found four examiners waiting for them. Minerva took a deep, calming breath as Twycross began to speak. "This is your Apparition Test! I will call you by last name in groups of four to come forward. Your examiner will give you a photograph, and you must Apparate to the location in that photograph. There will be an examiner on the other side waiting for you who will also be able to help you in the event you are Splinched. They will hand you a piece of parchment with your results, and you must Apparate back to this location and hand that parchment to your first examiner. If you are able to Apparate there and back in one piece, you will receive your Apparition License! Does anyone have any questions?"

He was met with a nervous silence. Taking that as a no, he clapped his hands together delightedly and said, "Alright then, I will leave you with one final mention of those all-important D's: Destination, Determination, and Deliberation. Good luck to you all! Now, could I have the following students step forward for their test: Avery, Ayers, Black, and Brighton."

Theodore grimaced and stepped forward to follow the three witches to the Apparition examiners. Minerva's hands twisted nervously together as she fought to control her breathing. Logically, she knew she'd successfully Apparated several times in class, but this was different. There was so much more pressure to do it properly now, and it would be over a greater distance.

"Brown, Cridland, Douglas, Gillespie!"

Minerva's head shot up, looking around to see if the first group had returned already. Theodore was approaching them with a grin, holding up a square of parchment, "I did it! You can do it, mate." He thumped Oliver on the back and received a nervous smile in response. Oliver gave Minerva a quick kiss before walking over to his examiner. She looked around for Walburga Black, curious to see how the girl had fared, and was privately amused to see her throwing a fit to Twycross, who looked unimpressed.

For some reason that probably didn't reflect well on Minerva's character, Walburga's evident failure cheered her enough to calm her nerves, if just a little. Minerva kept affirming that she knew herself to be an intelligent, capable witch. If Theodore Brighton could pass his Apparition Test, Minerva McGonagall certainly could. Still, Minerva remained focused on controlling her breathing and remaining calm. She smiled when Oliver returned, beaming, with his own Apparition License, and then sighed gratefully as he started rubbing her shoulders soothingly as she waited for the next group to take their test.

Oliver's backrub ended all too soon, though, as Twycross called, "Longbottom, Malfoy, Martin, McGonagall!"

Minerva took a deep breath, accepted a kiss from Oliver, and walked with Donnie towards the examiners. She noticed that one of them was female, and made a beeline for her. The witch gave her a small smile and said, "My name is Violet Smallwood. And your name is?"

"Minerva McGonagall."

"M-C-G-O-N-A-G-A-L-L?"

"Yes, with an uppercase G."

Smallwood nodded, "Your date of birth?"

"4 October 1925."

"And what is your favorite color?"

Minerva blinked at Smallwood, who gave her a kind, amused smile. Minerva laughed nervously and replied, "Green."

Smallwood nodded and asked, "Do you feel better?"

Minerva laughed a little more genuinely at that, "Yes."

"Good." Smallwood handed her a photograph and said, "Whenever you're ready."

Minerva nodded and studied the image. It was of an open, rolling green field. Purple and yellow wildflowers dotted the green. There was a large, light grey rock at the front of the image, and a lone English Oak in the distance. She tried to imagine herself there, a little bit into the image, just in front of the rock and staring out at the tree. She closed her eyes, took a final, calming breath, and spun in place. She disappeared with a crack and experienced that uncomfortable sensation of being squeezed through a tube that she was still growing accustomed to. The squeezing only lasted a few seconds before her lungs filled with fresh air again. She opened her eyes and smiled with delight to see the same green field, the same wildflowers, and the same oak tree that was in the photograph in her hands.

A wizard stood before her with a clipboard. "Welcome to St. Andrew's Field. Now, let's have a look at you." Minerva stood with her arms out as he walked around her, examining her closely. He waved his wand over her robes a few times, and then asked, "Does anything hurt?"

Minerva shook her head, her heart pounding. She'd done it. Now, all she had to do was go back. I can do this.

The wizard scribbled on his clipboard and then handed her a slip of parchment, "Give that to Smallwood. Whenever you're ready, Apparate to her."

Minerva nodded, took another deep breath, focused on the image of Hogsmeade, a place she'd been so many times before, and spun on her heel. Once the feeling of suffocation passed, she found herself looking into Smallwood's face. "Welcome back," Smallwood greeted, holding her hand out expectantly. Minerva passed her the sheet of parchment and the photograph. The examiner then had her hold her arms out as she walked around her as the wizard had, scrutinizing her performance just as carefully with both her eyes and her wand. She, too, asked, "Does anything hurt?"

"No," Minerva whispered breathlessly, her heart leaping excitedly. She knew she'd done it, but she was trying to comport herself with dignity.

When Smallwood smiled at her, though, Minerva couldn't help but grin back. The examiner made a few more notes on her clipboard and then, with a wave of Smallwood's wand, Minerva had an Apparition License. She had to resist the urge to skip as she walked quickly over to join her friends, though she did leap into Oliver's waiting, eager arms. Minerva laughed as he spun her around, and smiled when he set her down and placed a lingering kiss on her lips.

---

Later that day, Oliver and Minerva laid together in Oliver's bed with the curtains closed. Their clothing was discarded either above their heads or at their feet – though their outer robes had fallen to the floor – and they laid together under his sheets, happily wrapped up in each other's arms after their celebratory shag. It was exhilarating, having an Apparition License. They had the freedom to go wherever they wanted, as long as they could picture the place they were going in their mind. And weren't at Hogwarts, of course.

Minerva had a small smile on her face, with her eyes closed happily, as Oliver peppered soft kisses over her face and neck, nuzzling her with his nose as he went. "You smell good," he murmured.

"Thank you," she replied quietly. She hummed in approval as Oliver's mouth moved to hers and he took her lower lip in his mouth. She breathed in deeply through her nose and reached up to hold his head between her hands, kissing him back.

A loud knock on the door made them break apart. The knock was soon followed by Donnie's voice loudly announcing, "You've been up here alone long enough, I'm coming in!"

Oliver snorted quietly into Minerva's hair as the door creaked open. As the sound of Donnie's footsteps moved across the floorboards, Minerva and Oliver looked into each other's eyes with twin looks of amusement. Minerva pressed her lips together firmly to remain quiet. Oliver grinned down at her and studied her face lovingly. He raised his eyebrows at her and then, sucking in a deep breath, called back, "I hope you don't plan on throwing open the curtains. Minerva just might kill you this time."

Minerva snorted softly, rolling her eyes.

"I can't do it when you're expecting it," Donnie retorted. "That ruins the fun."

"Donnie Longbottom, I promise you don't want to see this show," Minerva shot back in a warning tone. "It just might be the last thing you ever see."

Donnie laughed, "Oh, I'm not so sure of that."

Minerva raised her eyebrows at Oliver, an idea forming in her mind. He gave her a questioning look as she sat up and started searching among their clothing, finally retrieving three items. He watched, half disappointed and half delighted, as she put on his shirt and her knickers. When she handed him his own underwear, he put it on obediently. Minerva then tousled her hair a little more, emphasizing its disarray, and after eyeing Oliver's hair, decided to do the same to him. He tried dodging her, scowling playfully. She merely grinned in response and then – to his great surprise – threw open the curtain.

"Aren't you?" Minerva asked with raised brows.

Donnie turned around and looked at them. His face turned pink as he eyed their disheveled appearance. His eyes lingered on what Minerva was wearing, and swallowed as he recognized his best friend's shirt. Oliver merely grinned under Donnie's scrutiny, and decided to have fun and play along with whatever game Minerva had decided to play. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled back the collar of her – his – shirt, revealing the red mark he'd left at the base of her neck and placing an affectionate kiss on it. He met Donnie's uncomfortable eyes and said, "She's beautiful, isn't she? I think I'm just about the luckiest wizard in the world."

Minerva turned her head and smiled at her boyfriend.

Donnie scoffed, "You two are disgusting." Oliver laughed. Minerva turned a smirk on him. Donnie walked over to his bedside table and opened one of the drawers, retrieving a stack of photos from it. He picked out two of them and put the others back. "Here. I took the first one while you were napping, before you were shagging that day. I wrote the date on the back of both, and if you look at the one you keep getting on to me for taking, you'll see I wrote a little more for you there."

Oliver reached out and accepted the photos. Minerva's eyes were drawn first to the one she'd known he'd taken, of her trying to reach for the camera with Oliver's sheet pulled up to her chest. The Minerva in the photo always just missed every time she tried to reach for the camera, and would turn around to give Oliver an exasperated look, who would give her a sheepish grin or grimace, and sometimes shrug or shake his head. Minerva's eyes roved appreciatively over Oliver's chest, which she hadn't realized had been exposed for the photo as a consequence of her reaching up with the sheet held firmly in place to cover herself.

The other photo – that she hadn't known he'd taken – was of them asleep. Oliver was spooning her, and she smiled softly as she watched the rise and fall of their shoulders. It was clear that Oliver wasn't wearing a shirt, as his arm and shoulder were clearly bare, and Minerva was grateful that, at least in this photo, it was clear that she was wearing clothes. It was a sweet photo, and she was glad that Donnie had taken it – though she'd never tell him. She wouldn't want to encourage him.

"Look on the backs," Donnie urged them. Minerva and Oliver flipped over the photos. The one of them sleeping simply labeled it as "13 March 1943," but the one with Minerva reaching for the camera had a note:

13 March 1943

Dear Oliver and Minerva,

I took this photo after the one of you sleeping. You'd taken a nap together after our victory over Hufflepuff – or yours, rather, since I almost doomed us – but later, Augusta pointed out how much your bed was shaking! You hadn't shagged in a while because of the Animagus project, so I thought it was a moment to commemorate. I hope one day you look at this photo, read this, and remember all the good times from this day and our other days together. I'm sure you'll thank me one day!

-Donnie

Minerva sighed and looked up at Oliver with a small smile on her face. He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"This is very sentimental of you, Donnie, I'm surprised," Minerva commented.

Donnie gave her an awkward half-smile, shrugging and scratching the back of his head, "I figure, the four of us – you two, me, and Augusta – we're going to be friends forever. I wrote it for the versions of us that are old and grey and wish we'd taken more photos like this to prove that we used to look good!"

Oliver laughed. Minerva rolled her eyes and shook her head, though there was a smile on her lips. As his laughter died down, Oliver leaned over, reaching under his bed. Minerva watched him curiously as he grappled for something underneath, and raised her eyebrows as he produced a shoebox. He glanced at her curious expression and paused, asking, "Have you seen this?" When Minerva shook her head, he turned to the box with a bit of a sheepish expression on his face. As he slowly opened it, he said, "Oh – er – well, why don't you see for yourself?"

He passed her the box, and Minerva looked inside. Folded pieces of parchment and two other photographs lay inside like a messy nest. She picked up one of the letters, and a smile slowly slid onto her face as she realized what they were. "These are all the letters you sent me over the hols," he explained unnecessarily, rubbing the back of his head. Minerva turned her smile on him, her heart full of warmth. In an attempt to make light of his embarrassment, Oliver remarked, "I have less letters from the Easter hols than the winter, you know."

Minerva laughed softly and looked down at the letters and quipped back, "I was feeling a little down, remember?"

His smile faltered slightly, and he gave her an apologetic look. She pursed her lips playfully as his brown eyes worked their magic, melting her heart. Oliver then picked up the letters and started flipping through them. "Here," he said, pulling one out and handing it to her with a grin. "This one's my favorite."

Minerva quirked a brow and accepted the letter, skimming over it quickly. She groaned and rubbed her hand across her face in embarrassment as she remembered what she'd written in this letter. Oliver started laughing as her face turned red. Donnie asked curiously, "What is it?"

Minerva shook her head, pulling the letter to her chest, "Oh no." She bent over and groaned again, which only made Oliver laugh harder, "This is so embarrassing, I can't read this." Still, she sat up a little and brought the letter back up to her face to read more of it.

"Remember – 'I want you to—'" Oliver pointed, grinning.

"No!" Minerva exclaimed, pulling it away. Donnie started laughing as he realized what kind of letter Minerva had written Oliver. Minerva sighed, shaking her head, "Merlin, this is horrible. And this was around Christmas, so we hadn't even had sex yet."

"I know," Oliver laughed, "that's what makes it so great."

At least Minerva's face was doing her house proud, though she felt like this letter did not.

"Oh Minerva, don't be embarrassed," Oliver said, softening his tone and reaching up to caress her cheek. Minerva raised her eyebrows at him, and he grinned again, unable to help himself in his glee. Minerva scoffed and rolled her eyes at his grin. Oliver laughed softly, "No, Minerva, come on!" She turned her eyes back to meet his, giving him a pointed look. He gave her a softer smile this time, and said, "You know, the reason it's my favorite is because getting inside your head like this really gets me going…"

Donnie made a gagging sound, but Minerva didn't look at him. She returned Oliver's soft smile with one of her own, and remarked lightly, "Oh?"

"Mhmm," he replied, nodding. His eyes flickered to her lips. She pressed them together in an attempt to conceal a grin. He saw right through her, though, and took that as an invitation to lean forward and kiss her. Minerva wrapped both of her arms around his neck, kissing him back.

"Alright, you've made your point, I really don't want to see this," Donnie grimaced as Oliver started guiding Minerva onto her back.

Minerva laughed into Oliver's mouth, making him draw away with a grin. He looked up at his best friend with raised eyebrows, "Donnie, mate, haven't you proved that you are quite capable of pulling my curtains yourself?"

Donnie scoffed and rolled his eyes, but took the two steps forward to close Oliver's curtains.

---

Saturday, 8 May 1943

"It's a beautiful day out here on the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch, perfect weather for our match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. I'm sure Hufflepuff will consider this a welcome change after the monstrous weather at their match against Gryffindor." Minerva grimaced at this reminder from Richard. She didn't like to think about that match, though she'd been putting her team through the wringer at practice because of it.

She was seated in the Gryffindor stands with Oliver on her right and Poppy directly in front of her. Poppy and Nathan had decided to sit with the Gryffindors because most of Nathan's friends were Gryffindors, and of course, Poppy had Minerva. Nathan was sitting in front of Oliver, and Donnie and Augusta were on Oliver's other side. The Gryffindors were hoping for a win for Slytherin – though, aside from those close to Rolanda, they wouldn't necessarily call it "rooting" – because it would be bad for their chances if Hufflepuff was allowed to increase their lead for the Quidditch Cup. Rolanda had promised Minerva she'd make sure her team flattened Hufflepuff, but despite Rolanda's excellent Keeping skills, her team had not won a game yet this season. Minerva was not fully confident in the rest of Slytherin's ability to hold off the unstoppable force that nearly devasted Gryffindor in March. Luckily for Slytherin, though, Rolanda was a much better Keeper than Donnie. The Hufflepuff Chasers would not be able to assault her the way they'd done him.

"Let's bring out your teams! Playing for Hufflepuff, we have Seeker David Browning! Beaters Herbert and Chester Milton! Chasers Audrey Lee, Bethany McGeehan, and Renée Edwards! And Keeper and Captain, Lucille Anderson!" The Hufflepuffs cheered loudly as Richard announced their team, who took a lap around the pitch.

"Now for the Slytherins! That's Seeker Lucretia Black! Beaters Richard Nott and Odysseus MacNair! Chasers Delroy Zabini, Patrick Parkinson, and Tereus Rosier! With Keeper and Captain, Rolanda Robinson!" The Slytherins drowned out the booing from the Hufflepuffs as they cheered for the team now circling the pitch together. Minerva and Poppy waved as Rolanda flew by them, who grinned when she spotted them.

The two teams flew to the center of the pitch to meet Plumpton. Lucille and Rolanda flew forwards to shake each other's hands. Shortly after they returned to their positions, Plumpton blew his whistle twice and threw the Quaffle into the air. Minerva grimaced as, just like during Hufflepuff's match against Gryffindor, Edwards reached the Quaffle first.

"And they're off! Edwards has the Quaffle. McGeehan and Lee fly after her, but the Slytherins are blocking their path. Zabini and Parkinson flank Edwards, looks like they're trying a body blow – and Edwards dives! Edwards escapes the Slytherins for now, but they are on her tail, still separating her from her fellow Hufflepuff Chasers. Edwards reaches the Slytherin goalposts unaided, she enters the scoring area – Robinson catches the Quaffle in front of her left-hand hoop and tosses it to Zabini!" The Hufflepuff stands groaned as Zabini shot off with the Quaffle, with Parkinson and Rosier flanking him tightly.

"Good start for Rolanda, at least," Donnie remarked with a wry smile. Minerva shot him a sympathetic look before turning her attention back to the game.

"The Slytherin Chasers are flying in a solid formation. The Milton brothers coordinate a double-Bludger attack to try to break them up – the Slytherins dodge – the Hufflepuffs are unable to get between them in time, and Slytherins knit back together."

The Slytherins behind Lucille's goalposts were booing loudly as their Chasers approached, trying to shake Lucille up. Rosier entered the scoring area, shot the Quaffle towards Lucille's non-dominant side "—and Anderson swoops in front of her right-hand hoop, snatching the Quaffle out of the air in the nick of time. Anderson passes the Quaffle to Lee, who immediately dives low, away from the Slytherins."

"This is going to be a long game," Minerva murmured. Oliver nodded beside her. Poppy turned around and grimaced.

And it was. The Chasers flew back and forth across the pitch with the Quaffle – passing it, intercepting it, grappling for it, hoarding it – while the Beaters flew around them, constantly trying to break them up. Anxiety grew within Minerva's stomach the longer this dance went on without a single goal being scored. There were many near-misses and groans from the crowd, as the longer this went on, the more the anticipation built up for that goal to finally be scored. Despite her anxiety, Minerva was enraptured. She held her breath every time a Chaser attempted a goal, and released it heavily, shaking her head, every time Rolanda or Lucille blocked it. The Chasers started playing more aggressively. Minerva watched with her elbows on her knees and her hands over her mouth as the Slytherin Chasers twisted and corkscrewed around each other, passing the Quaffle back and forth. She wasn't sure who had the Quaffle. They curved towards Lucille's right-hand goalpost, and she drifted to follow their progress, watching intently as they twirled together. Then, suddenly, Parkinson broke away, zooming to the opposite goalpost. Lucille reached, but Parkinson was faster and "—PARKINSON SCORES! 0-10, Slytherin!"

The Slytherin stands erupted with cheers. Minerva sat up in her seat, releasing a relieved breath to finally see some action, and smiled softly as she watched the Slytherins all standing and cheering in their section. She glanced down at her watch and grimaced.

"How long was that?" Oliver asked. Poppy turned to hear Minerva's answer

"Nearly thirty minutes," Minerva replied. Oliver grimaced, too, and Poppy scoffed, shaking her head and shooting Nathan a significant look. Nathan shrugged at her helplessly.

The game continued on much the same way, dragging on with more blocked shots than successful ones. After another hour of play, the Slytherins had managed to score only three more goals on Lucille, while the Hufflepuffs had yet to send one past Rolanda. Rolanda was at the top of her game; Minerva imagined she'd pushed no one harder than herself at practice after watching the way the Hufflepuff Chasers had humiliated Donnie. For the Hufflepuff Chasers weren't performing worse than they'd done against Gryffindor – they seemed to Minerva to be as strong as ever – it was just that Rolanda was simply so above and beyond anyone else on the Quidditch pitch in skill. While Lucille looked like she was tiring, Rolanda was steady on her broom and quick with her saves. Minerva lost count of how many times Rolanda intercepted the Quaffle.

Another thirty minutes later, and the score was 0 to 60, Slytherin. Two hours of play, only six goals scored total, and no sign of the Snitch was a slow game of Quidditch, and the people in the stands were feeling it. Poppy, in particular, was leaned over and groaning. Minerva rubbed her back sympathetically. Poppy complained, "This game is so long."

"I know, I know," Minerva said soothingly. "We have to stay for Rolanda, though. She would be so disappointed if—"

She was cut off as the crowd gasped, and she along with them. Poppy's back straightened as she looked around for what had captured the crowd's attention. David Browning was diving, diving towards the base of the Slytherin goalposts. Minerva's eyes raked the area for the Snitch. If this was a feint, it would be a rather foolish place to do it – he could easily end up interfering with his team's Chasers.

"It's not a feint," she whispered, her eyes zeroing in on the Snitch.

Oliver glanced in her direction briefly, his eyes wide, before standing and trying to see the Snitch for himself. "It's not? You see it?"

Minerva pointed, her heart pounding. Everyone was on their feet. The Hufflepuffs were screaming and cheering. Lucretia was zooming towards Browning, trying to close the distance on his lead, but she was too far away. Minerva's hands covered her mouth. For Rolanda's sake, she didn't want Browning to reach that Snitch. Rolanda had worked so hard, had played so well that she deserved a win this season. It didn't seem fair to Minerva that Rolanda might lose again just because her Seeker had stagnated.

"MacNair hits a Bludger towards Browning. Browning's closing in. The Snitch darts to the right, and Browning curves, but the Snitch isn't leading him out of the way of MacNair's Bludger – he's facing it head-on, now. Browning reaches – the Bludger is closing in – can he get there in time? And Browning dives, dodging the Bludger just before it connects with the Snitch, sending it across the field. Black is still flying its way, but she seems to be searching again. Both Seekers are looking around, but it seems the Snitch is lost once again." The Hufflepuff stands groaned collectively.

Rolanda pumped her fist into the air, shouting something congratulatory towards MacNair as he flew past her, grinning. Minerva released a huge breath and retook her seat, but seconds later was on her feet again, her jaw hanging open and her eyes wide as she watched Lee send a Quaffle sailing past Rolanda, who had perhaps let her defenses down in her euphoria. "And Lee scores! That brings the score to 10-60, with Slytherin still in the lead." The Hufflepuffs, who had just been so disappointed by the loss of the Snitch, were now on their feet again, cheering and stomping and roaring. Lee flew behind Rolanda's goalposts and over the crowd of yellow and black in celebration.

Minerva and Poppy exchanged a grimace at that and slowly retook their seats. Even though it was only one goal, Rolanda, being overly critical of herself, probably would take it hard. Rolanda fell easily back into her rhythm, though, at least not letting it get to her for now. While Rolanda took a goal scored on her as motivation to not let that happen again, Lucille seemed to grow more frustrated and defeated as the Slytherin Chasers racked up points against her. The game started moving just a little quicker, though not by much, as the Slytherins managed to score three more goals in the next half-hour.

Donnie winced sympathetically as Zabini brought the score to 10 to 90, Slytherin. "She's falling apart," he commented, rubbing his face anxiously.

"Lucretia needs to catch the Snitch, though," Minerva reminded him tensely, her hands clasped in front of her mouth. "Hufflepuff can still win if Browning gets it."

Lucretia had not yet caught the Snitch this season, so Minerva did not have a great deal of faith in the Slytherin Seeker. Browning, though, was the Hufflepuff team's newest addition, and although he had caught the Snitch during his first-ever match on the pitch back in November, Lucretia had more overall catches and hours played on him. Minerva supposed it really could go either way.

The Slytherin Chasers were not making Browning's job any easier, either. Minerva empathized with the pressure she was sure Browning must be feeling – especially being only a second-year – as the point gap between Hufflepuff and Slytherin continued to increase without another sign of the Snitch. Once the score reached 10 to 160, Minerva sighed and sat up straight, cracking her back as she exchanged a significant look with Oliver. Catching the Snitch would give Hufflepuff a tie, now.

Almost as soon as Minerva had settled into her certainty that Hufflepuff was doomed for the flattening Rolanda had promised, Edwards took the pitch by surprise by hurling a Quaffle past Rolanda. Minerva and nearly everyone around her gasped while the Hufflepuff spectators screamed in delight and Richard shouted to be heard over the din, "AND EDWARDS SCORES! That's 20 to 160, Slytherin!"

"Rolanda's going to be furious," Poppy commented as Rolanda threw the Quaffle at Rosier.

Minerva nodded, "That's the most that's been scored on her this season."

Donnie scoffed, shaking his head.

"Browning's diving!" Richard announced. Minerva snapped her head back to the game, searching for Browning. "Black is directly on top of him, they're neck and neck!"

All of the spectators rose to their feet as the Seekers flew side by side towards the Snitch. Meanwhile, Rosier was making his way down the pitch with Zabini and Parkinson on either side of him. They moved together, dodging the Seekers, the other Chasers, and the mess of Bludgers as the Beaters didn't know where to send them. They completely ignored the action below them as Lucretia and Browning pulled up together, following the Snitch as it changed its course upwards and to the left. Browning had the advantage as it curved left, since he was flying on Lucretia's left side, but Lucretia had the better broom. She closed the gap on his advantage quickly.

"Zabini scores! The score is 20 to 170, Slytherin, and the Seekers are still in pursuit of the Snitch!"

"Browning can't catch it now," Oliver said, though he had his hands on his head anxiously.

"He can't let Lucretia catch it either, though," Minerva reminded him. "He can't just pull away. He has to stop her."

Browning, though, was only thirteen, whereas Lucretia was eighteen. He was simply not big enough to stop her; Lucretia dodged his attempt, flying past him and closing the distance between herself and the Snitch. She reached – and Minerva groaned as a Bludger immediately connected with Lucretia's reaching arm. She grimaced empathetically. All Seekers endured a Bludger to the arm at some point, and Minerva was no different. Lucretia, though, was not letting it stop her. She curled her right arm against her chest and reached with her left "—BLACK CATCHES THE SNITCH! Slytherin wins, 20 to 320!"

The Slytherin section erupted in celebration. A little to Minerva's left, in the front row, Prewett was on his feet cheering just as loudly as any Slytherin as his fiancée held the Snitch in the air triumphantly.

---

As the spectators returned to the castle, flowing through the Entrance Hall to disperse to their common rooms or various corridors, Minerva, Oliver, Poppy, Nathan, and Prewett stood on the grand staircase, leaning against the railing so that they were out of the flow of traffic. From their vantage point they could see everyone as they entered the castle. They were all waiting for the Slytherin team, while the rest of their friends had moved on to other parts of the castle.

The Hufflepuff team entered the castle first, surrounded by members of their house. They all walked with their heads held high, and none of the Hufflepuffs around them looked particularly upset. There was some tiredness in their expressions, but for the most part it looked as if those Hufflepuffs who had made a point of surrounding their team were there to support and console their housemates. Thomas Laskey walked hand-in-hand with Renée Edwards, who waved up at Minerva and Oliver as she passed them on her way to the basement stairs. They waved back.

Several more waves of students came through the castle doors. Minerva's head perked up as she noticed a concentration of Slytherin students flooding into the Entrance Hall. As expected, they were shortly followed by the green-clad team, led by Rolanda and Lucretia. Richard walked beside Rolanda, grinning proudly.

Prewett ran down the stairs and pushed through the crowd as soon as he saw Lucretia. The Slytherin Seeker smiled as he approached, and then shrieked as he lifted her up. Minerva smiled softly as she watched them beam at each other with love in their eyes. The whole Slytherin team stopped as Prewett spun their Seeker around. When Prewett set her down, he said something to her, rubbing her right arm gently. Lucretia said something back, nodding and looking vaguely amused. Prewett smiled and kissed her right there in front of everyone, which he hadn't even done when he'd proposed to her on the Quidditch Pitch. This behavior elicited whistles from the people around them who were watching, the Slytherin team behind them and Minerva and her friends alike. Minerva placed a hand over her heart when she realized that Lucretia was crying when she and Prewett pulled apart. Goosebumps raised on Minerva's arms as it occurred to her that this game had been Lucretia's last.

Rolanda and Richard pushed forward once they caught sight of their friends waiting for them on the stairs. Minerva stepped down to the bottom of the stairs to meet them. Grinning, Rolanda said, "So much for not being on the board for the Cup, eh?"

Minerva smiled and offered Rolanda a hug, "Yes, zero to 300 is quite impressive."

Rolanda laughed lightly as she pulled out of the hug, "It's not enough, of course. I'm sure you'll manage a 170-point lead over Ravenclaw."

"Already done the math, have you?" Minerva laughed.

"Of course!" Rolanda grinned. "I had to see if Slytherin stood a chance."

Minerva sighed, rolling her eyes, "In any case, you were brilliant out there. Truly."

Rolanda tilted her head side to side consideringly. Richard rolled his eyes beside her. "I let two slip past me."

"How could you?" Oliver quipped, rolling his eyes. Rolanda scoffed and backhanded him playfully on the upper arm. Oliver grinned and made a show of covering the spot with his hand.

"Come on, you should come down to the common room with us!" Rolanda suggested suddenly.

Minerva blinked and glanced over at Oliver, and then at Poppy and Nathan behind them.

"I don't know if it's a good idea for me to enter Malfoy's territory," Minerva remarked, only half-joking.

Rolanda rolled her eyes, "I don't give a pin what Malfoy thinks, I'd love to have you there. Richard and Prewett will be."

Oliver shrugged, eyeing Minerva, "I've never been in the Slytherin common room…"

Minerva sighed and glanced at Poppy again, who gave her an amused look and shrugged too. Minerva turned back to Rolanda and said, "I suppose we're coming, then."

"Wonderful!" Rolanda replied brightly.

As the Slytherin Captain started leading the way to the dungeons, Minerva grasped Oliver's arm, leaning over, and said, "You know this means you have to dance with me, don't you?"

Oliver threw his head back dramatically, putting a hand to his forehead, "Oh no! What have I done?"

Minerva laughed.

The followed the crowd of Slytherins down into the dungeons, through the dark corridors, and ultimately through the doors to the Slytherin common room that usually wasn't even visible. Oliver and Nathan looked around curiously as they took in the Slytherin common room for the first time, with all its different marbles and elegant furniture. Minerva's favorite feature of this room, though, was the huge window in the back with its underwater view of the Black Lake. Judging by Oliver's slightly parted lips as he stared at the window, Minerva thought it was fair to assume that he was impressed by it, too.

"That's fascinating," Nathan remarked. Minerva glanced back at him and noticed he was eyeing the window, too. Poppy smiled at him.

Lucretia and Prewett had somehow made it to the common room before them, and were currently surrounded by Slytherins who wanted to congratulate Lucretia on her catch. When Rolanda approached them, they immediately made room for her, surrounding her as well.

"They're not so different from us, after all," Oliver quipped with a wry half-smile.

Minerva laughed lightly, "No, that's the wonderful thing about Quidditch."

"McGonagall."

Minerva sighed and turned, knowing before she laid eyes on him that Malfoy had sniffed her out like a bloodhound. "Malfoy," she returned cordially.

"As a Prefect, I'm sure you know that only Slytherins are permitted in Slytherin house, except in the event of an emergency. Is there an emergency?" Malfoy said silkily. Riddle stood beside him with his hands folded behind his back, watching Malfoy with a look of vague amusement.

"No, no emergency," Minerva replied coldly.

Malfoy raised his eyebrows, "Then what do you think you're doing here?"

"Come now, Malfoy," Riddle interjected softly, suddenly, that look of amusement still in place. Malfoy turned to him, unable to hide his surprise. "It's not as though you are a strict follower of the rules. Why do you care if she's here? You'll be in your bed with Walburga before the hour is up, I'm sure."

Oliver bit down on his lip hard to smother his laughter. Malfoy's jaw clenched. Minerva watched with interest as the two Slytherins stared at each other, one barely holding in anger and one looking almost…entertained. Eventually, Malfoy broke the connection, turning back to Minerva and saying, "Do at least try to comport yourself with dignity and not make a mockery of the hospitality of Slytherin." With that, he turned on his heel and walked away. Minerva rolled her eyes, but then Riddle caught her eye. He quirked a brow at her, his smirk widening just a little, before turning and following Malfoy.

At that moment, house-elves started popping into the room, some with trays of food or drinks, and a few holding on to the boys of the Slytherin Quidditch team. MacNair grinned and raised his arms as people turned to look at the new arrivals, "We brought food!" A cheer met his pronouncement, and some of his housemates moved forward to congratulate the rest of the team on their performance.

Minerva, Oliver, Poppy, and Nathan helped themselves to some food while Rolanda, with Richard glued to her side, fluttered around the room, making small talk and accepting praise from her housemates. While it looked like Rolanda wouldn't notice either way if her friends from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were there, it was nice for them to see her this happy, and so appreciated by her housemates.

As Minerva looked around the room, she did a double-take as her eyes slid across Slughorn. She couldn't believe he was there – but yet, she also could. While the idea of a professor, even a Head of House, joining a not-strictly-by-the-book student party was bizarre to her, of all professors, Slughorn would be the one to insert himself in a situation such as this. He thrived in this kind of environment, which he was demonstrating rather well by holding court in an armchair by one of the fireplaces with a group of fourth- and fifth-year boys around him. She did not see her fourth-year cousin, Mason, among them; now that she'd thought about him, she realized that she couldn't see him anywhere. In any case, Minerva had absolutely no interest in going over to visit Slughorn.

Instead, she glanced over to the large, empty space in the common room where couples were twirling, and then nudged Oliver, "Dance with me?"

He sighed a long-suffering sigh, but offered her his hand. Minerva took his hand happily, and they walked together to the makeshift dancefloor. The other couples were dancing beautifully, showing off the benefits of their upper-class pureblooded upbringings. Prewett and Lucretia twirled past them as they stepped out of the watching crowd. When Minerva and Oliver turned to face each other, Minerva read a little more discomfort than usual in Oliver's expression, though she knew he was determined to push through it, surrounded as he was by all of these Slytherins. As they danced, Minerva was more aware than ever that she typically had to lead, and for the first time, it seemed to bother Oliver. He would try to take back control from her, only to misstep and lead her incorrectly.

Taking pity on him, as soon as the song ended, Minerva stepped away and guided him as casually as she could off the dancefloor. Once they stepped back into the crowd, a voice beside them commented with amusement, "Are you a Mudblood, Brown?"

Minerva and Oliver's heads snapped in the direction of the voice, and found that they'd run into Malfoy and Riddle again, though they were now surrounded by more of their gang. Minerva pursed her lips as her eyes roved over the smirking faces of Gordian Bulstrode, Walburga Black, Richard Nott, Odysseus MacNair, Cepheus Lestrange, the Avery siblings, and the Yaxley twins. She was disheartened to note that Shafiq was the only Slytherin Prefect missing, which, to her, spoke volumes about the hierarchy in Slytherin.

Oliver squared his shoulders and replied, "I'm a half-blood, actually."

"Well you're certainly not a pure-blood, with dancing skills like those," Walburga laughed. Oliver's face colored.

Irene Yaxley pouted at Minerva, "Don't you think you could do better, luv?"

Minerva flared her nostrils, her face reddening. She grabbed Oliver's arm and pulled him away, not bothering to dignify that with a response. She marched him over to the opposite side of the room, incensed. How dare they—

"Is that why you like to dance?"

"What?" Minerva turned to Oliver abruptly, staring at him in surprise.

"Is it a pure-blood thing?" he asked. The hardness in his expression made her uncomfortable; Oliver was usually such a cheerful person.

She stared at him with her mouth hanging open slightly, shocked that he'd asked her such a thing. She shook her head abruptly, more to shake off her surprise than to answer his question. "Of course not! I simply enjoy dancing. Was I given ballroom dancing lessons growing up? Yes! I'm sorry if that's privileged of me, I can't help that, but I don't like dancing just because society tells me I have to, or whatever it is you're implying."

Oliver's face turned red again. He glanced away, clenched his jaw, and then met her eyes again with a hard stare, "You didn't say anything when Yaxley—"

"Merlin, Oliver, are you serious? She didn't deserve a response, she was being rude—"

"—you still could have spoken up for me," Oliver interjected.

Minerva clenched her jaw, biting back a retort. Logically, she could tell he was genuinely upset, and as ridiculous as she thought this conversation was, she needed to respect that. She took a deep breath. Once she was able to relax her shoulders, she reached up, touched his cheek gently, and said softly, "I'm sorry." They eyed each other for another tense moment before Oliver's own shoulders finally relaxed a little. She gave him a small smile before continuing, "That's not what I want. I don't want some…prissy, perfectly-groomed, cookie-cutter pureblood."

"What do you want?" he asked, quirking a brow. A smile started to grow on his face, and he reached up to caress the back of the hand that rested on his cheek.

A smile started curling its way onto Minerva's face as a giddy feeling fluttered in her chest. She playfully retorted, "Well, Donnie Longbottom seems to be under the impression we're going to be together forever."

Oliver laughed and ducked his head down briefly before glancing up at her sheepishly, "I might have mentioned something like that to him first." He raised his eyebrows at her and added, "But I think our setting is getting to you, because you didn't answer my question, Captain Prefect."

She laughed softly, "I want…someone who makes me laugh. Someone who helps me forget about all the things that scare me, but who I'm also not afraid to be scared with. I want someone who's not afraid to be scared with me, too. Someone who is proud of the things I do, and who I am proud of. And…," she yanked on the front of his robes playfully, "…someone who will put up with my love of dancing."

Oliver snorted softly, and touched his forehead gently to hers, "I think I can be that person."

Minerva smiled at him, "Then come dance with me, and show these pureblood arses they can't bother you."

Oliver grimaced, but permitted her to pull him onto the dancefloor. As they danced, Minerva thought of more things that she hoped for in her marriage that she didn't have the courage to say, namely: I want someone who will compromise for my dreams, and who has ambitions for himself, too.

Minerva wasn't sure he was ready to fulfill that one, and it worried her.

---

Saturday, 15 May 1943

Minerva and Rolanda stood back as Poppy bustled around Pomona's cot, adjusting flowers and cards on the tables on either side of her bed. Michael, Minerva's brother, stood off to the side a little, holding his camera awkwardly. Minerva didn't blame him for feeling uncomfortable. It wasn't every day you were asked to photograph a petrified person, but today was a special day. It was Pomona's seventeenth birthday, little did she know it, and Poppy was determined to do something for her best friend.

"Alright, help me sit her up, will you?" Poppy asked, glancing back at Minerva and Rolanda.

"You realize we can't make her sit…" Rolanda began hesitantly.

Poppy waved her off, "Yes, yes, of course. I mean let's move her into the closest thing to a sitting position we can manage. We can prop her up if we have to."

Minerva raised her wand and levitated Pomona. Poppy used her hands to guide Pomona into a new position, with the slight curve of her back leaning against the metal bars of the headboard. Since she'd been petrified while leaning over the sink, there was enough curve in her back for her to look like she might have simply been leaning comfortably against her pillows.

"How does that look?" Poppy asked Michael, who stood at the end of the bed. "Can you see around her arms?"

He tilted his head back and forth, "I can see her face, so I suppose it's alright. I don't think we can do better."

"Alright, then, come round," Poppy instructed, pointing for Minerva and Rolanda to go around to the other side of the bed. They obeyed, and Poppy situated herself on the edge of Pomona's bed, right by her head. Minerva sat down on the other side, leaning close to Pomona's head, and Rolanda leaned towards her with her arm around her shoulders.

Michael raised his camera to his face, "Ready? 1, 2, 3…" The three girls smiled for the photo, and blinked after the flash.

Poppy sighed as she relaxed out of her pose, looking down at Pomona's frozen face. Minerva silently levitated Pomona back so that she was as flat on her back as her petrified shape would allow. Poppy's face crumpled as her eyes roved the expression of vague surprise on Pomona's face. She rested her elbow on the metal headboard, and put her forehead in her hand. "She'll probably hate that picture." Poppy shook her head, starting to sniffle, and moved her hand to cover her eyes. "It was a stupid idea."

Minerva and Rolanda exchanged a sad look, and then came around the bed. Rolanda reached Poppy first and placed her hands comfortingly on the Ravenclaw's back, "Hey, no, it wasn't a stupid idea. Poppy…" She urged Poppy to turn, and wrapped the other girl in a hug. Rolanda held her tightly as Poppy's shoulders started shaking and a few quiet, hiccoughing sobs escaped her mouth.

Minerva looked back at Michael, who looked distinctly uncomfortable and unsure what to do with himself. She walked over and gave him a brief side-hug and whispered, "Thank you for doing this. You'll bring me the developed one later, right?"

Michael nodded, and she patted him on the shoulder before jerking her head in the direction of the Hospital Wing doors with an understanding smile. He left at once.

Minerva turned back to Poppy and Rolanda as Poppy's sobs grew louder.

"It's her seventeenth birthday, we always wanted to do something special…I want her to know we were here, that we love her and miss her…"

"And that's why she'll love it," Rolanda assured her, rubbing her back. "She might think she looks awful – let's be honest, she didn't get petrified in a flattering position – but she'll see the love in it and appreciate that part."

Poppy nodded into Rolanda's shoulder. Once her sniffling died down, she pulled away and brought her hands up to wipe her face. Minerva grimaced at the sight of Poppy smeared makeup, and immediately conjured a handkerchief for her. Poppy accepted it gratefully and met Rolanda's eyes as she cleaned her face. "I'm sorry about your robes."

Rolanda shook her head, "Don't worry about it."

Poppy gave her a wobbly smile, and then looked down to examine her stained handkerchief, "Ergh, I must look awful."

Minerva and Rolanda laughed lightly. Rolanda took the handkerchief from her and said, "Here, let me help you."

Poppy obediently offered her face to Rolanda, who wiped the rest of it clean for her. Once Rolanda was satisfied, she offered the handkerchief to Minerva, who gleefully vanished it. Rolanda snorted, and Minerva turned her nose up at her loftily. Smiling slightly, Poppy turned back to Pomona. Her smile faltered a little and she sighed, reaching out to touch Pomona's arm affectionately. "I'm taking good care of our Venomous Tentacula," she said. Minerva and Rolanda exchanged a sad look; Rolanda's hand came up to cover her heart. "It doesn't like me as much as you, so Marsh insists on supervising in case it attacks me while I'm pruning, but I think you'd approve of how I've been doing. Maybe by the time you wake up it will like me just as much as it likes you." Poppy cleared her throat and let her hand fall back to her side. Minerva and Rolanda both placed a comforting hand on Poppy's back.

Poppy took a deep breath and turned back around to face her friends. She put on a brave smile and said, "Alright, let's go."

"Are you sure? We can stay as long as you'd like," Minerva asked.

Poppy nodded, "Pomona wouldn't want me to stay in here all day."

Minerva and Rolanda gave her sympathetic smiles before stepping away, leading the way out of the curtained area around Pomona's bed. They paused outside as Poppy took one last look at Pomona.

Poppy gave them that brave smile again as she started walking out of the Hospital Wing. As her friends fell into step on either side of her, she said, "I wish we knew who to blame." They grimaced. Poppy shook her head, her jaw clenched, "I wish we had leads. I wish we knew where to look…"

"I know how you feel," Minerva murmured. "I feel helpless, like a bowtruckle without a tree, every time I think about it. I wish the threat was more tangible."

Poppy and Rolanda both nodded.

They were all quiet for a few paces, until Minerva decided she needed to lighten the mood. She asked, "What do you want to do now?"

Poppy blushed, "Well, actually, Nathan knew today was going to be hard for me, so he planned a date for us."

Minerva and Rolanda smiled. Rolanda replied, "That's so sweet!"

"I thought so too," Poppy agreed, looking bashful. "Nothing too…taxing. Just some quiet time alone, some pillows and blankets, and some food from the kitchens."

"That sounds lovely, Poppy," Minerva said, rubbing her arm gently.

Poppy grinned at her feet, her cheeks still pink.

"It's very romantic," Rolanda added. "I wish Richard would do something like that. I feel like we've fallen into a pattern, doing the same things all the time. I love him, but a year and a half in, we're kind of…boring, now. Maybe I'll tell him what Nathan's doing for you and see what he does. That means I need more details after the date is over, of course!" Rolanda and Poppy both laughed.

Minerva smiled in amusement, thinking about her own relationship. Were she and Oliver boring? Perhaps. It would certainly be nice to have Oliver plan something like what Poppy was describing. She thought back to her discovery, months ago, that Oliver had been giving Nathan relationship advice. Maybe it's time the student became the teacher, she thought to herself, amused.

They found Nathan waiting for Poppy seated on the steps of the grand staircase. He clambered to his feet as they approached. Minerva and Rolanda slowed to let Poppy walk ahead of them to meet her boyfriend. Nathan wrapped her in a hug and asked quietly, "Are you alright?"

Poppy nodded into his shoulder and cleared her throat. As they pulled apart, he studied her face, and his head jerked back in surprise, "You're not wearing—"

"Oh, I know," Poppy groaned, bringing her hands to her face. "I must look—"

"You look beautiful," Nathan interjected with a genuine smile, pulling her hands away from her face. Rolanda and Minerva met each other's eyes gleefully. Poppy gave him a bashful smile as he studied her face sans makeup for the first time. Eventually, he asked, "Are you ready?"

Poppy nodded quickly. They grinned at each other and started walking up the stairs. Poppy seemed to remember herself, though, as she stopped walking and turned back to her friends.

"Have fun!" Rolanda laughed, winking. Minerva waved. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Poppy blushed, shaking her head and turning back to walk with Nathan. She knew exactly what Rolanda would be doing if she were alone in a nest of pillows and blankets with Richard.

Once both Ravenclaws' backs were turned, Rolanda turned to Minerva and feigned a swoon. Minerva laughed and backhanded her playfully. Rolanda straightened and grinned, grabbing Minerva's arm, "Minerva, have I ever told you how beautiful you look without makeup on?"

Minerva rolled her eyes and shoved Rolanda playfully, "You're ridiculous."

"That's why you love me!"

---

Sitting beside Oliver on a couch in the Gryffindor common room that night, Minerva had a lot on her mind. She sat back against the couch with her feet curled up underneath her and watched him. He was leaning over the coffee table, writing an essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts that Minerva had already finished. It looked like he was almost done – it looked about the proper length to her eye, and Oliver almost never wrote over – so she knew she'd have an opportunity to talk to him soon if she wanted to. Sure enough, soon Oliver set down his quill and rolled up his essay. He stretched and leaned back, putting his arm along the couch behind Minerva. He smiled at her and placed a hand on her thigh, "Now that we're both done our work, maybe we could go upstairs…"

Minerva smiled lightly in amusement, covering his wandering hand with hers, "I was hoping we could just talk."

He raised his eyebrows, "Talk? We can talk. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I've been thinking about the future a lot recently, and I realized that I'm not sure what it is you want to do after Hogwarts," Minerva said, propping her elbow up on the back of the couch and resting her head in her hand.

"That's because I'm not really sure, to be honest," he replied, tilting his head back and forth. "I'm looking forward to flying with the Arrows this summer, and you know, professional Quidditch would be a dream but…I know I'm not good enough. I certainly haven't worked for it like Rolanda has. And, I think, what really made me stand out was how well I worked with you. I'm nothing without you." He said the last part with a wry smile.

Minerva smiled back, "And I you. Well. On the Quidditch pitch."

Oliver's mouth dropped open in offense, "Hey!"

"I'm an accomplished witch! I'm not going to minimize that for the sake of your ego," she retorted.

Oliver's head jerked back and he glanced away, muttering, "I was only trying to say something sweet."

Minerva felt guilty. She reached forward and touched his arm gently, saying, "I'm sorry." A slightly awkward silence fell between them, before Minerva prompted, "So, you're interested in pursuing Quidditch?"

Oliver cleared his throat, "Er, yes, but I know I probably won't go far. But I also don't know what else I would do."

Minerva nodded, her heart clenching with anxiety on his behalf. "You've mentioned you want a family, though."

"Oh yes," he agreed. "I know I want to be a dad, that's one thing I'm sure of. I want to be a dad in my twenties, preferably early twenties."

Anxiety shot through her heart for herself that time. The hand she was resting her head against curled into a fist. "If you're not sure what you want to do for work, but you know you want to be a dad—"

"Oh, I'll figure something out," Oliver interjected. Minerva's mouth snapped shut. He hadn't understood where she was going with that at all. He continued, "I'll figure out a way to provide for my family."

Minerva's eyebrows shot up at that, "But what if your wife has a dream job? What if she's happy working? Would you be alright with that?"

Oliver's eyes shifted uncomfortably. He was smart enough to understand he was being tested, so he chose his words carefully, "If that's what she wanted, yes. I don't want her to feel like she has to work, though."

"Would you ever consider not working?" Minerva asked. This wasn't an avenue that even she'd yet considered, but if he wasn't sure what he wanted to do, that, to her, sounded like an opportunity.

Oliver blinked in surprise, "Me? Why wouldn't I?"

Minerva blinked, too, "Well, why wouldn't your wife work?"

"Er—" he eyed her warily "—well, if…we couldn't both manage having a job and children…" When Minerva raised her eyebrows at him significantly, he grimaced lightly, "I see what you're saying. You're asking if, instead of my wife giving up her job, would I?" He averted his eyes, clearly uncomfortable. Minerva pursed her lips anxiously. "I don't…I wasn't raised that way. I was taught that a husband and a father is supposed to provide for his family. It would feel…wrong…emasculating, to let my wife be the sole provider."

Minerva's lips formed a thin line as she stared him down. He wouldn't look at her. "Emasculating," she repeated quietly. "So, if opportunity knocks and your wife is offered the job of her dreams, if the two of you can't work out how your children – that you've already had before she's settled into a career – how your children are going to be looked after…you expect her to turn it down in favor of the job you settled with because you need to be a provider?"

"Minerva, come on," he said softly, meeting her eyes again in disbelief. "You make me sound so harsh."

"It is harsh!"

"Minerva!" he hissed, trying to remain quiet despite their rising tempers since they were in the common room. "What if I love my job that I already have? Why does my wife only get to be the one who loves her job in this scenario?"

"Because I have a dream right now, Oliver, and it would really break my heart if you stood between me and it," Minerva replied. "You've just told me you don't know what you want to do."

"That doesn't mean I won't love whatever I end up doing," he returned, his brow furrowed sadly. She looked away from him. He squeezed her hand. "This is all hypothetical, anyway. I don't think we should be so worked up about this. Clearly, working is important to both of us, so we'll simply have to find a way to make having a family work along with that. We both have multiple siblings, our parents—"

"What if they're all dead?" Minerva asked quietly.

Oliver's head jerked back. He didn't answer immediately, staring at her in shock. When he finally spoke, he murmured, "Well that's morbid."

Minerva rubbed her face with her hand tiredly, gave him a sad little smile, and said, "But possible."

He stared at her for a long moment before ducking his head down and rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. "Then we'll pay for childcare."

"What if we can't afford it?" she countered.

"With two jobs? I certainly hope we can," he joked.

"But what if we can't?" she pressed. "What if…we have too many children, or something?"

He raised his eyebrows at her in amusement, "Too many children? How many children do you want?"

She rolled her eyes, snorting softly, "Oh, I don't know. How many do you want?"

He tilted his head at her consideringly, and replied, "Why don't you tell me what you want? I feel like I'm being interrogated."

Minerva sighed and ran her fingers through her hair thoughtfully. "I'm one of four children, and I liked growing up in that dynamic. I think four is a good number, if we can manage the time and the finances."

"I like four," he replied quietly, smiling. She met his eyes, a smile quirking at her lips. He rubbed her shoulder affectionately and joked, "See? We can agree on something about the future."

Minerva snorted softly. He smiled back a little wider.

"Was there anything else about what I said that bothered you?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm certainly not having children in my early twenties," she replied immediately.

He laughed, "Late twenties, then." When he saw Minerva grimace, his jaw dropped open a little, and he exclaimed, "Later?"

Minerva sighed, "Late twenties at the absolute earliest. Ideally, I want to be settled in my career and know my income before I have children. I thought that if I didn't have that all figured out by thirty-five, then I'd start having children regardless."

"Thirty-five?" he repeated, looking stunned. He shook his head quickly as if to clear it, and then said, "I'm sure we'll figure it out. I love you, Minerva McGonagall, and I'm sure we can make it through any of these problems as they come."

Minerva gave him a tight smile, a little uncomfortable with his dismissiveness, and not so sure. He clearly felt the conversation was over, though, and she didn't want to push him too hard. For a moment, she had a vision of everything crumbling around them, but then snorted to herself mentally – she hated Divination.

---

Saturday, 22 May 1943

"Each and every one of you has given so much at practice these past weeks," Minerva said. She had her hands on her hips, standing in front of her team. She was heartened to see the looks of excitement on each of their faces. "All we need to do to put that Quidditch Cup in Dumbledore's office is be two goals ahead of Ravenclaw when I catch the Snitch. Yes, when," she retorted in response to Prewett's raised eyebrows. He smirked in amusement. "If you think for a minute that I'm going to let King touch the Snitch, you are sorely mistaken." She met Oliver's eyes and let a smirk curl slowly onto her face. He grinned back. "I can't let Peter Green have the satisfaction."

"We won't let you down," Oliver said, still grinning.

"Hear, hear!" Donnie cried, thrusting his broomstick into the air. The Chasers whooped and clapped.

"Good morning people of Hogwarts!" Minerva raised her eyebrows significantly at her team as Richard's voice rang throughout the Quidditch pitch. Everyone got to their feet, their brooms in-hand, and started walking to the exit. "It's another perfect day for our final Quidditch match of the season. Both teams are within reach of the Quidditch Cup, so I'm sure we are in for an exciting game. As a reminder, to win the Quidditch Cup, Ravenclaw will need to win by at least 210 points, and Gryffindor by at least 170.

"Now, let's bring out your teams. First, let's welcome the Ravenclaw team to the pitch! That's Seeker Charlotte King! Keeper Leo Ward! Chasers Clyde Young, Lloyd Ravensdale, and Lillian Hobbs! Beaters Herman McQuillen and Captain Peter Green!"

From the Gryffindors' place on the ground, they watched as the Ravenclaw team took a lap around the pitch while the Ravenclaws in the stands cheered.

"And now let's welcome the Gryffindors! Keeper Donnie Longbottom! Chasers Amelia Livingston, Hank Cunningham, and Catriona McCormack! Beaters Ignatius Prewett and Oliver Brown! And Seeker and Captain Minerva McGonagall!"

The Gryffindors shot up into the air and flew around the pitch. With the wind in her face as she followed her team, Minerva smiled in exhilaration. She was excited about this game. The weather was beautiful, her team had been looking strong at practice, and she was confident in their ability to win the Cup. The Gryffindors cheered as their team flew over them. Minerva grinned when she spotted Rolanda and Lucretia sitting with Augusta among the Gryffindors, waving red and gold flags. When she flew over the Ravenclaws, she found Poppy and Nathan standing and waving, trying to get her attention. Once she waved back, though, they started booing and giving her the thumbs down dramatically. Minerva just laughed.

Once the Gryffindors met the Ravenclaws in the center of the pitch, Plumpton commanded, "Captains, shake!"

Minerva and Peter flew towards each other with their hands extended. Minerva raised her eyebrows at her ex-boyfriend as she squeezed his hand hard; when he responded in kind, she merely smirked. They released, and flew back to their positions. There were about two seconds of peace as Plumpton raised his whistle to his lips and prepared to throw the Quaffle in the air, but then – madness. Amelia reached the Quaffle first and shot off with it, down and around the other players as they rose higher into the air. Minerva flew higher and began to circle the pitch, monitoring her team while keeping an eye out for the Snitch.

"Livingston has the Quaffle! Cunningham and McCormack are following her closely beneath the Ravenclaws, who are trying to interfere with their formation – and Brown has control of a Bludger right out of the gate, he slams it between the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Chasers – the Gryffindors pull up to avoid it, the Ravenclaws scatter but are quickly regrouping. Livingston passes to Cunningham – to McCormack – to Cunningham – Cunningham tucks the Quaffle under his arm – no, Cunningham slips the Quaffle under his arm to Livingston – Livingston enters – Livingston scores! Gryffindor is the first team on the board, 0 to 10! Ward tosses Hobbs the Quaffle, Hobbs ducks a Bludger from Brown, Hobbs is trying to rejoin Young and Ravensdale – Prewett lines up a shot, Prewett hits a Bludger towards the Ravenclaw Chasers, they're scattering. The Gryffindor Chasers try to slip between them – Green has a Bludger, Green takes aim at the Gryffindors – but Brown is there, Brown redirects Green's Bludger towards the Ravenclaw Chasers. Hobbs pulls up to avoid it, Young and Ravensdale are in pursuit but the Gryffindors are weaving around, between them, making it difficult for the Ravenclaws to reunite. Hobbs reaches Longbottom at the goalposts unaided – Hobbs shoots – and Longbottom protects his left-hand hoop! Longbottom tosses the Quaffle to Cunningham."

Minerva grinned from her place above the action. Her team was flying so well. Pride swelled in her heart, feeling privileged just to watch them. As promised, Oliver and Prewett were handling the Bludgers aggressively, doing everything they could to prevent the Ravenclaw Beaters – Peter specifically – from being successful with the Bludgers. Just as Oliver had his reasons for wanting to humiliate Peter, Prewett, too, wanted to keep the Ravenclaw Beater and Captain as frustrated as possible; he was the one who'd hit Lucretia with a Bludger back in February, preventing her from catching the Snitch.

The Chasers flew back and forth around the pitch without another attempt at a goal for a while. Ravensdale had taken her Chasers by surprise as they moved together down the pitch following Lillian's attempted goal, by swooping up and intercepting a pass between Catriona and Hank. All six Chasers were playing aggressively in that way, making risky interceptions and forcing dropped balls with body blows. After much of this back-and-forth, Donnie and Ward each had an opportunity to block the Quaffle, which they did successfully – one to Minerva's delight and the other to her chagrin – but then "—and Young scores! Ravenclaw ties it up with Gryffindor, bringing the score to 10-10!"

Minerva grimaced, but dove lower to swoop past Donnie and call, "It's alright, you're doing great!"

He flashed her a grin as he flew around the goalposts to catch the Quaffle and toss it to Hank.

Despite Oliver and Prewett's aggressive Beating, the Gryffindors didn't hold on to the Quaffle for long. The Ravenclaw Chasers had wised up to the Gryffindor Beaters' strategy of scatter-and-protect, and were not flying together anymore. Ravensdale managed to steal the Quaffle and had whipped around and passed it to Lillian before the Gryffindor Chasers could react. Lillian sped off mostly unchallenged. Minerva held her breath as she circled, watching. A Bludger from Prewett threw Lillian off course, but a Bludger from McQuillen kept the Gryffindors away from Lillian. After dodging Prewett's Bludger, Lillian resumed her path towards Donnie with the Quaffle tucked safely under her arm. Donnie leaned forward, focused on Lillian, prepared for her to strike. Lillian removed the Quaffle from under her arm, raised it, flying towards the scoring area – and then dropped it. Donnie glanced down, but was too slow to react to realize she'd distracted him from noticing Ravensdale, who swooped up from below to catch the Quaffle and hurled it into his right-hand goalpost.

Minerva released the breath she'd been holding with some frustration. She gave Donnie an encouraging smile as she flew past him; he grimaced back. She met Oliver on her circuit of the pitch, and said, "Focus on keeping the Chasers off Donnie, give him a break to relax." Oliver nodded, and Minerva continued circling.

The Gryffindor Beaters needed a new strategy anyway, since the Ravenclaws were avoiding allowing themselves to be scattered. As play continued up and down the pitch, both Oliver and Prewett shifted their focus to assisting Donnie with defending the goalposts. This meant the Chasers had a little less protection – though Oliver and Prewett did not completely abandon them – but they managed. So much so that "—McCormack scores! The Gryffindors bring the score to a tie again, now 20-20!"

Minerva whooped and did her lap around the pitch a little faster.

To Minerva's delight, it wasn't long before Amelia scored another goal, bringing the score to 20 to 30, with them in the lead. She started searching for the Snitch a little more seriously, now, considering her team only needed to make one more goal and then she could catch it to win the Cup. King hadn't made any moves to dive for the Snitch, fake or otherwise. She was circling the pitch in the opposite direction from Minerva, though on the same level.

So focused was Minerva on finding the Snitch that she didn't notice what was happening between the Chasers until there was a roar from the crowd. She jerked her head up to listen as Richard announced, "And the Ravenclaws tie it again! A nice shot from Hobbs brings the score to 30-30!"

Minerva pursed her lips, frustrated. She searched for the Beaters, wondering what had happened. As she observed the dynamics between the Chasers and the Beaters playing below her, she began to get the impression that Peter and McQuillen had increased their aggression, forcing Oliver and Prewett to defend the Chasers more than Donnie. Minerva thought, though, that ultimately drawing her Beaters back to her Chasers would be a poor strategy on Peter's part. She knew her team worked well together. Her Chasers were accustomed to flying around them. They seemed to intuitively know where to be as the Beaters directed Bludgers towards the Ravenclaw Chasers trying to interfere with their plays. It wasn't long before Minerva was proven correct, as Hank sent the Quaffle sailing through Ward's left-hand hoop, bringing the score to 30-40. Minerva smiled bracingly, cautiously pleased.

When Catriona scored another goal not too long later, Minerva's heart leapt. This was her window. This was her opportunity. If she caught the Snitch now, her team would win the game and the Cup. King was tailing her now, though, prepared to interfere with her attempt to catch the Snitch if necessary. Her heart pounded as she circled, looking for that glint of gold and listening for that flutter of wings that indicated victory. And then – there it was. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, but she didn't waste a breath. Minerva dove, desperate to catch that Snitch. She vaguely heard the roar of the spectators around her as they noticed her abrupt movement, but she blocked them out. She knew King was following her, but she had to be faster. King couldn't be allowed to reach her and interfere with her catch.

"Green hits a Bludger towards McGonagall – Brown abandons the shot he was lining up, Brown is flying to block Green's Bludger, Prewett now moves to take control of Brown's Bludger – will either Gryffindor Beater make it in time? McGonagall is closing in on the Snitch, with King close behind. Young is making a desperate bid for Longbottom – Young shoots – Young scores! It's 40-50, Gryffindor!"

Minerva was paying no attention to Richard's commentary until what she perceived as a premature uproar from the audience drew her attention. She glanced away from the Snitch, up and around, and noticed with a jolt that Donnie was diving for the Quaffle on the side of the goalposts that meant bad news for Gryffindor. She couldn't catch the Snitch, now. Minerva looked behind her for King, turning to block the other Seeker. The two Seekers slowed, staring at each other in a brief stalemate, before King smirked and flew up and away to circle the pitch once again. Minerva released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and followed King back up to a higher vantage point. That had certainly been disappointing.

Now that she'd been so close to tasting victory, watching the back-and-forth between the Chasers was agonizing. Every time a Ravenclaw Chaser intercepted a pass between her Chasers, Minerva winced. Every time one of her Chasers stole the ball from the Ravenclaws, Minerva couldn't help but smile a little. Watching the exchange tied Minerva's stomach in knots, and watching each attempted goal in particular set her heart racing. Every time her team attempted and was blocked, she would experience a brief flutter of hope that was quickly crushed. Every time a Ravenclaw attempted a goal on Donnie her anxiety rose to a peak before feeling a sweep of relief as he managed to save it.

Minerva's heart soared again as she watched Hank and Amelia twirl around each other down the pitch in a familiar play. She could see the Quaffle passing between them, but they were moving too tightly together for any of the Ravenclaw Chasers to intercept. Catriona flew below them. Peter attempted to smack a Bludger their way to break them up, but Oliver intercepted it and directed it instead at the Ravenclaws who were trying to fly between Hank and Amelia, forcing the Ravenclaws to fly up and away. As soon as the Ravenclaws were off their backs, Hank and Amelia deviated from their standard version of the play and dropped the Quaffle to Catriona beneath them, who quickly shot up, entering the scoring area, and "—McCormack scores! It's 40-60, Gryffindor!"

Minerva grinned. She ignored King as she circled, searching desperately for the Snitch. She first started looking in the general area the Snitch had last been in, but she saw no sign of it there. She expanded her search, her eyes roving for that elusive golden ball that would give her those victories she wanted so badly.

To her surprise and delight, before she could catch sight of the Snitch again, Richard was announcing another Gryffindor goal, "With a great shot through the center hoop, Livingston brings the score to 40-70, Gryffindor!"

That was even better for her team. They had a ten-point buffer, now, so if a Quaffle slipped past Donnie it wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen. Minerva relaxed a little as she searched the pitch for the Snitch, though she was still very eager to find it.

"Hobbs has the Quaffle, Hobbs is carrying it down the pitch. That's Young at her side and Ravensdale down below. Brown directs a Bludger their way, but Green intercepts, Green sends the Bludger towards the Gryffindors in pursuit. Prewett has the other Bludger, though, and Prewett aims for Hobbs from opposite Green – will Green make it in time? Hobbs and Young don't gamble, they move together up and away from the path of Prewett's Bludger, but away from Ravensdale too. Brown's wrangled his Bludger again, he's sending it back towards Hobbs and Young – and now McQuillen is there, McQuillen slams it towards the Gryffindor Chasers. Livingston and McCormack fly higher, while Cunningham flies lower to avoid the Bludger. Cunningham is gaining speed, Cunningham flies beneath Hobbs and Young, separating them from Ravensdale further. Hobbs passes to Young, Young looks ready to tear away – and Cunningham darts up and – wow! – steals the Quaffle right out of Young's hands as he's settling into his grip. Cunningham flies back towards Livingston and McCormack. They're flying below him, now. McQuillen sends a Bludger Cunningham's way, but Prewett redirects it to the Ravenclaws. Green hits the other Bludger directly towards Cunningham, Cunningham dives lower, he's flying between Livingston and McCormack, now – and Cunningham passes the Quaffle off to Livingston as he flies past her! Nice pass! Both Prewett and Brown are on top of their Chasers, now, ready to defend them from an assault from the Ravenclaw Beaters, and they do – nice hit by Brown towards Hobbs – Livingston approaches Ward, she's nearing the scoring area, Cunningham is coming around from the side, though – Cunningham enters the scoring area, Livingston tosses him the Quaffle – Cunningham scores! That brings the game to 40-80, Gryffindor!"

Minerva beamed, immensely proud of her team. They were just showing off, now. Peter seemed to know it, too, because at that moment he chose to call a time out. Minerva sighed, unhappy about halting her search for the Snitch, but grounding regardless. Her team flew to her, and Peter's to him. The Gryffindors were all smiles as they landed, each one of them looking positively exhilarated. As soon as they were all in front of her, she said, "I am so proud of all of you."

As that statement garnered a whoop from Hank and clapping from Amelia, Oliver smirked at Minerva and asked, "Do you think he's nervous?"

"Peter? Oh yes," Minerva replied, failing to suppress a smirk of her own. She looked around her team across the field at where the Ravenclaws stood. As she watched, she realized Peter was speaking intently to King, who was nodding. Minerva swallowed hard, having a feeling she knew what Peter was advising his Seeker to do.

Oliver seemed to have the same thought, for he asked, "You don't think he's telling her to catch it, do you?"

Minerva grimaced, "I think it's very possible. If they count on us not scoring any more goals at all, they would need eight more goals before she can catch the Snitch and win them the Cup. I don't see that situation happening, because Donnie is on top of those goalposts and my Chasers are solid." She smiled around at their pleased faces at that. "It's his last game. They'd win right now it if she caught it, just not the Cup. I think making sure we lose doubly might mean more to him at this point than winning both the game and the Cup."

That statement sobered up the team a little, and they looked across the field at the Ravenclaw Captain talking to his Seeker.

Taking a deep breath, Minerva said, "It's all on me, at this point. You've all done a wonderful job building this lead for me. I can't stress enough how incredibly proud I am of your performance today. Now, I hope I don't let you down."

Oliver came around and squeezed her shoulders, "Impossible."

"Captain Prefect would never lead us astray," Donnie joked, grinning. Minerva shot him an amused smile as she leaned into Oliver's backrub.

Soon enough, the time out ended and all the players rose to the air again. Minerva was hyper-aware of King's position, now, as they both circled the pitch. King was keeping close to her, but clearly looking for the Snitch herself and not relying on Minerva to find it for her. Minerva's heart pounded in her chest as the pressure settled onto her shoulders. This was it. There was unlikely to be another tie before the Snitch was spotted, but whether Minerva or King saw the Snitch first remained to be seen.

Ravensdale attempted another goal, but to Minerva's delight, Donnie blocked it. He tossed it to Hank, who sped off with it under his arm, with Amelia and Catriona in pursuit. Oliver shot a Bludger between them and the Ravenclaw Chasers. Minerva glanced up at him briefly – and then did a double-take. She'd seen a glint of gold just over his shoulder. She stared, a smile forming on her face as she looked in her boyfriend's direction. Minerva surreptitiously looked around for King to see if the Ravenclaw Seeker had spotted the Snitch. Her heart jolted to find the fifth-year girl watching her. Then, King's head turned to look where Minerva had been looking. Heart pounding, Minerva made a decision. She shot off towards Oliver.

"McGonagall is now barreling towards Brown – either she has something important to tell him or she's seen the Snitch! Either way, King is in pursuit!"

Oliver watched her approach with wide eyes, and started looking around himself for the Snitch. Minerva grimaced; he needed to move. As soon as he looked back in her direction, she waved her hand in a sharp jerking motion, gesturing for him to move. To her immense relief, he obeyed, diving lower and looking up. She did not bother examining his expression to see if he'd spotted it. Her gaze was locked on the Snitch, watching it for any change of direction.

"King is closing in on McGonagall, but McGonagall is not looking back!"

Minerva flattened herself against her Cleansweep Three, pushing it as fast as it would go. She reached – the Snitch darted left – Minerva adjusted, reaching again – she could see King in her peripheral vision now, coming up on her left – Minerva pushed – and smiled as her fingers closed around the tiny metal ball, the wings stilling between her fingers. King nearly collided with her as Minerva stopped moving, sitting up straight and holding her fist triumphantly in the air. The spectators roared. King pulled away as Oliver flew up from below to throw his arms around her. She laughed as his Beater's bat banged against her back.

"You did it! We did it! That's the Cup, Minerva, we won the Cup!" Oliver shouted over the cheering crowd, pulling away to beam at her. Minerva grinned back, elation filling her heart and tears prickling at her eyes. Oliver's smile softened as he saw how emotional she was getting, and she laughed a little, reaching up to wipe her eye with the hand that was not clutching the Snitch. Oliver leaned forward and kissed her, eliciting a roar of approval from the spectators.

Minerva and Oliver were forced apart, though, as the rest of their team reached them, cheering and yelling excitedly. She found herself enveloped in many hugs all at once, all their broomsticks banging together. Below them, the Gryffindor supporters were pouring out onto the field. Laughing through her tears, Minerva led her team to the ground, where they found themselves hoisted onto the shoulders of their housemates. When she spotted Rolanda, Minerva leaned down and grasped her hand tightly. The Slytherin grinned up at her, shouting her congratulations. Lucretia was beside her; Prewett slid off the shoulders of Henry O'Brien and Nicholas Pomfrey to embrace her. Donnie was on the ground, touching foreheads with Augusta as they both grinned. The Chasers were being held up by their fifth- and fourth-year classmates and were clinging to each other tightly, laughing and crying simultaneously.

The crowd carried the team back to the stands, where Dippet was waiting with the large Quidditch Cup. Dumbledore stood beside him, beaming, as Dippet handed Minerva the trophy. She thrust it into the air and the Gryffindors around them cheered again. As Minerva beamed around at them with tear tracks of joy on her face, she thought she'd never been happier in her life.