25 December 1949

It was early in the morning however, not everyone was sleeping in the Scottish manse.

Minerva McGonagall was sitting, her knees drawn up to her chest, on the window seat in her bedroom. She had been sitting there for the last half an hour since she had woken up. Her eyes were watching the delicate snowflakes drifting in a downward spiral towards the already covered ground and she stared transfixed by the elegant meander of the ice crystals.

It always snowed on Christmas Day in Caithness. Nevertheless, Minerva was in no doubt that both her brothers would be bearing the same look of excitement they bore each year when they noticed that they would be having a white Christmas. Malcolm especially would be in a particularly good mood, she thought. Indeed, based on the letters she had received from her mother during term time, it was clear Malcolm had missed his brother and sister terribly when they had both left for Hogwarts in September; Minerva for her fourth year and Robert for his first. Malcolm still had two years until he could join them. It was something he found frustrating, Minerva knew, however, he would never say as much in front of Isobel or Robert Sr. At least, not out loud.

Allowing a sigh to escape her lips, Minerva's mind wandered to thinking about Hogwarts again. How she longed to return to the castle again, to see her friends, to practice magic. The freedom she had at Hogwarts to be herself was something she would never take for granted. At home, magic was rarely spoken about. Minerva had followed Isobel's lead and Robert had done the same once he had started his first year. It was not that Minerva's mother and father had expressively forbidden it. In fact, Minerva was certain that Isobel yearned to use her wand again just as much as Minerva and Robert yearned to go back to Hogwarts. However, Isobel was also too ashamed to bring the topic of magic into family conversations. Minerva suspected it was because her mother still felt guilty for keeping so much of her identity secret from Robert Sr.

With that last thought, Minerva dropped her knees and stood up. She stretched her arms and her legs and yawned widely. Then, after rubbing her eyes, she went to pick up her wand. Although magic was not usually allowed to be practised by underage students outside of school, Dumbledore had been able to get special permission for Minerva to do so. If she had not been so close to completing her journey to becoming an animagus, Minerva thought it unlikely that permission would have been granted by the Ministry for her to practise the spells at home. As it was, she was close to becoming one of the youngest people to complete the animagus transformation. All that was left for her to do, was transform without saying the words. This last step, however, was the one Minerva had found to be the most difficult.

Pushing these thoughts to one side, Minerva stepped into the middle of her small room and closed her eyes. She tried to allow her body to relax as she thought about everything she had learnt and everything Dumbledore had told her.

"Amato Animo Animato Animagus" she whispered, concentrating hard.

Almost immediately after repeating the spell, Minerva felt her skin melt into fur. Her body shrunk until she would have been easily able to hide underneath her bed. Her senses also became much more pronounced, and Minerva revelled at being able to see and hear so clearly. Pleased that she had managed it, Minerva concentrated again and morphed back into her human form.

Now, it was time to try it without words. Minerva closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. She tried to clear her head so that she could focus entirely on the transformation. After a minute of hard concentration and focus, Minerva felt herself shrink again. She felt a small bubble of excitement rise up from within her, however, she refused to acknowledge it until she was sure that she had properly succeeded in the transformation.

After another minute, Minerva tentatively opened her eyes. This time, she did not push away the feelings of joy and excitement. She looked down at the floor and was thrilled to see not her feet, but small pristine paws.

"Minerva?"

Without thinking, Minerva morphed back into her human form. "Yes?" she said, a little breathlessly.

The door opened and Isobel opened the door. She looked around the room for a moment until her eyes landed on the small wooden stick on the carpet. Blushing Minerva picked up her wand and stuffed it into her pocket.

"Just practising," she said quickly.

A pregnant pause filled the air until Isobel finally cleared her throat. "Animagus training?" she said lightly.

Minerva nodded, not quite fooled by her mother's attempt at levity. "Non-verbal spell," she said quietly. "It's the last step."

Isobel nodded and cleared her throat. "Did you manage it?" she asked, and Minerva was surprised to notice the genuine interest in her mother's voice.

"I—erm—yes," she stammered, not quite knowing how to behave in this situation. She did not have to wonder for long, however, because Isobel smiled.

"That is a wonderful achievement, Minerva," Isobel said sincerely. "I could not be prouder."

Minerva could not help herself as a small smile tugged at her own lips. "Really?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Isobel said. "I doubt many people your age have accomplished such a thing," she added.

Minerva blushed and looked away. She could not remember the last time her mother had given her such praise. Suddenly, a door slammed in the house and the following sound of someone walking up the stairs interrupted the small moment between mother and daughter. Isobel cleared her throat.

"That will be your father," she said tensely, smoothing down her skirt. "Malcolm and Robert are going to church with him this morning. I came to ask if you would like to join them? I think it would be nice if you went with him," she added softly.

Minerva nodded and looked up again. Isobel gave her a small smile and Minerva returned it. "Of course," she said. "I'll be down in a moment."

There was another slightly paused, then a creaking of floorboards as Isobel moved. "Thank you, Minerva," she said sincerely. "I know that your father has missed you a lot whilst you have been away."

"I've missed him too," Minerva said truthfully.

Isobel nodded and then closed the door again so that Minerva could get ready.