22 May 1955

Robert swung the door open and his face broke into a grin. "Hello, sweet pea," he said.

Minerva smiled. "Hi, Dad. It's nice to see you," she said truthfully.

Robert smiled and pulled his daughter into a tight, comforting hug. "It's nice to see you too," he said. "It's been a while since you popped round. We've missed you."

He stepped aside to let her in. Minerva stepped inside and felt her heart squeeze painfully in her chest when she looked around the small foyer. She had been putting off coming home not only due to the risk of accidentally bumping into Dougal in town but also because she knew it would worsen her feelings of homesickness.

Despite having lived in London for over several months, Minerva still did not recognize her small flat as home. Coupled with the unwelcoming attitude of some of her co-workers and the pronounced anti-muggle sentiment she had found present in a lot of Ministry workers, Minerva didn't enjoy her social life at work either. Her unpleasant experience in England, save from the rare pleasurable moments she spent with Annabelle or Elphinstone, had started to make her miss home more and more each day.

However, not wanting to taint the experience of finally being at home by dwelling on negative thoughts, Minerva internally shook herself. "So have I," she said finally. "Where's Mum?"

"In the kitchen," Robert replied. "I've been asked to get the dessert out of the freezer so I'll leave you to say hello." He kissed her on the top of the head before pulling his slippers on and leaving quickly to go to the freezer outside.

Minerva shrugged off her coat and slipped her shoes off. Padding down the hallway and into the kitchen, she found Mum doing the washing up.

"Hi, Mum."

Isobel turned around, her face breaking into a smile. "Minerva, your home!" she said, happily. She dried her hands briefly on her apron before rushing up to her daughter and giving her another hug. "How are you, darling?" she asked, sitting Minerva down at the table.

"I'm all right," Minerva answered tiredly. "Frankly, nothing much has happened since we last spoke," she added. "What about you?"

"Well," Isobel began, as she started manually drying pots of pans. "Your father and I are making the most of the last few weeks of peace and quiet we are going to have until September," she teased.

Minerva smiled slightly. "I heard Malcolm and Robert might be staying with some friends from school?"

"It hasn't been decided yet," Isobel said. "How is work?"

Minerva faltered. "Oh—erm fine," she said, "I suppose. It has been very busy these past few months; department reshuffling and all. But I expect that is what most jobs are like at the Ministry."

Isobel made an odd movement at that last word, and Minerva immediately stopped talking. They never really spoke about magic, work or school at home. Although the rule had never been spoken aloud, Isobel always became very nervous when magic, or anything to do with the Wizarding World, was mentioned. Whether this was due to the fact that she did not want her husband to feel left out, or because she could not bear to talk about something she would never be able to go back to, Minerva was not entirely sure. She privately suspected it was both. Nevertheless, since Minerva was working in the very same department Isobel had wanted to work in before she got married, combined with the fact that Robert was not indoors, Minerva could tell that Isobel was desperate to talk about the forbidden topic.

"Which subdivision are you working in?"

"Hit Wizards," Minerva said. "I thought of joining the Witch Watch," she added, "then perhaps progressing to work as an Auror."

Isobel nodded understandingly. "I was going to be placed in the Witch Watchers division," she said, a faint glow in her eyes now. "Of course becoming an Auror was always the end goal but I had heard things about the Witch Watch and it sounded interesting." She shook her head suddenly and turned back around to finish drying the pots. "Are you enjoying the work?"

"I am," Minerva said. She wasn't entirely being untruthful. In some ways, she did enjoy the work. It was the company she could not stand. Elphinstone, Annabelle and a couple more being the few exceptions.

"I had researched the Hit Wizards during my N.E.W.T year," replied Isobel. "It seemed quite intense."

Minerva shrugged. "I suppose it is. But it keeps me on my toes," she added. "And it makes me feel good that perhaps I am making a difference."

Isobel didn't say anything for a while. Then, finishing the last pot, she put it down and turned to look at her daughter again. "I have to admit that I have been worried about you, Minerva," she said, pulling up a chair and sitting across from her daughter. "You're not looking very well," she added. "Ever since last summer you've seemed," she paused as she struggled to find the word, "different."

Minerva looked down. "I'm fine, Mum. Really."

Isobel did not seem convinced. "What happened, darling?" she insisted. "Dougal came round every day a week after you left asking about you. Did something happen between you two?"

Minerva looked up and stared at her mum for a few minutes. She had never told either of her parents or anybody else for that matter, about what happened the previous summer. She thought it might make her parents upset if they learned that she hadn't wanted to become like them. Although they loved each other dearly, they were both from separate worlds and sometimes it was obvious. Minerva didn't want to be in a relationship in which her other half wouldn't understand a central piece of her identity. The thought of hiding her wand, her magic, and the world she belonged to like her mum had, was not something she thought she could live with. She had seen how difficult it had been for her mother.

"We were not right for each other in the end," Minerva replied finally.

Isobel stared back at Minerva for a moment, and Minerva deduced Isobel knew exactly what she meant. The moment was interrupted, however, by the sound of the kitchen door swinging open noisily. Robert came in holding a lemon tart topped with raspberries and icing sugar.

"A masterpiece," he said, placing it on the counter and kissing Isobel on the cheek.

Isobel smiled weakly and Minerva noticed she avoided Robert's eyes. "Set the table, will you dear?" she said, patting him on the shoulder before swiftly checking the casserole bubbling on the stove.

"Of course, my darling," said Robert, opening the cutlery drawer.

Minerva watched them for a moment before getting up too to collect the glasses and plates.