It was early morning, when a rather sleep deprived Filius Flitwick made his way towards the Great Hall, to have some breakfast. The death of the Potters weighed on his heart and mind, much more than he was ready to admit to himself, or the rest of the world. The only person, who probably knew the depth of his grief was Minerva, because she was mourning as deeply as he, considering James was secretly studying under her, for his Transfiguration Mastery.

It was the late Potters' plan to work side by side, teaching the young generation of Hogwarts, while raising their small son. James was to retire from working as an Auror, and take on the mantle of assistant Transfiguration Professor, when Lily became assistant Charms Professor. They would have worked side by side their Masters, lightening their load, and gaining teaching experience for the time that it fell on their shoulders to carry on brightening young minds.

With the threat of the Dark Lord looming over their heads, the safety of their family became a priority, and these plans were supposed to be put in motion after the war. Unfortunately, they did not survive long enough to live the life they hoped to live.

The small Professor took a deep breath, as he sat down at the Staff table, filling a goblet with some chilled Pumpkin Juice, and looked over the House tables that were currently empty. Hogwarts students got some extra holiday time to be with their families, and be able to celebrate the end of a most horrid period.

"Good morning, Filius." Dumbledore greeted him jovially. He looked tired and older than ever, as all his planning came to a frustrating stall.

Flitwick had to quietly reign his temper in, not to cause a scene at the breakfast table, and merely nodded in the direction of the elder wizard. "Headmaster." He muttered, and focused his attention on his drink, slowly sipping it, and reaching out to pile some scrambled eggs onto his plate.

Soon his best friend joined their company, and Filius lightened up a bit, as the stern witch always brightened his mood. They were as close as siblings, and it was a relationship that the Hogwarts Professors respected, admired and sometimes even envied.

"Good morning, Min!" He greeted her heartily, and offered a goblet of orange juice to the witch, as he knew that was her favourite beverage to drink in the mornings.

"'Morning." She replied, and took the offered goblet and gulped down half of it, sighing in delight. The sweet nectar of the juice made her feel warmer, and she was ready to face another day.

"Good morning, Minerva." The Headmaster greeted her and frowned a bit at the difference of attitude, that his Charms Professor portrayed towards them. "I hope you had a good night of sleep." He said and his gaze rested on her face.

He noticed a change in her mannerisms, ever since they left young Harry in front of Number Four, Privet Drive, and he hoped that she wasn't second-guessing his orders. He simply knew better than her, after all, he was serving the Greater Good for much longer, than she was.

Albus Dumbledore decided, that he would have to keep his eyes on his Transfiguration Professor, in case he needed to gently coax her to a change of mind, as it would obviously be for her benefit. He smiled a serene smile to himself, proud of the way he was already fixing problems, and it was merely the beginning of the day.

His profound musings were interrupted, when a pair of owls have flown into the Great Hall. They did some aerial moves, fooling around for fun, and landed right in front of Filius and Minerva, both carrying identical letters with the Gringotts seal. The witch and wizard quickly shared a look, and untied the birds' load.

McGonagall offered them a bite to eat, before the owls left the same way they arrived. They felt Dumbledore's curious stare on their person, before he couldn't hold back and asked the question he wanted an answer to.

"Is there a reason you both got letters from Gringotts?" He asked, and didn't even have the dignity to mask the irritation in his voice.

"But, Albus! You know as well as I, that Gringotts matters are very private, and correspondence is strictly between the respective goblin representation and the witch, or wizard they have business with." Minerva lectured him with a huff, and hid her letter in the inner pocket of her cloak, to open when she had some privacy.

The Headmaster blinked and turned back to his breakfast, quickly losing his appetite. He disliked the new changes he saw in Minerva, as she seemed to have developed a sense of self, that he hasn't noticed in her before. He was also curious about this deep knowledge of Goblin Customs that she seemed to be privy to, and failed to remember that Flitwick had some goblin ancestors.

The Charms Professor grasped the letter in his shaking hands, and broke the wax seal that was protecting the parchment, and quickly unrolled it, his eyes becoming misty, as he read the contents.

"Dear Professor Flitwick,

It's our duty to notify you of the impending reading of the Potter will. Your presence is required at Gringotts, on Wednesday, 3rd November, at 8 am.

Looking forward to doing business with you,

Griphook

Head of the Potter Accounts

Gringotts Wizarding Bank"

There was a tightness in his throat and a weight on his heart, as he processed these words. He was invited to the reading of the Potter will, which meant that James and Lily named him in their last testaments. It brought tears to his eyes that they regarded him so highly, and he wasn't even aware of the greatest treasure they would bestow upon him, yet.

Minerva looked at him with a softness in her eyes, and her lips curved into a small elusive smile. She had a good idea what the letter was about, and she found herself very happy for her friend. He had a deep relationship with the Potters, especially Lily. She was much like a daughter to him, and he and his actual daughter, Fiona, were regular guests at Godric's Hollow.

Filius married his childhood sweetheart, Evangeline. For the longest time, they did not succeed in having a child. The delicate witch was on a complex potion treatment for more than a decade, when suddenly at a surprising age, she was blessed. It was a high alert pregnancy, and Flitwick lost his soul-mate to child birth, but mourning the loss of his sweetheart, did not stop him from loving his Fiona with all his heart and soul.

He received a lot of help from Minerva, and they practically raised his daughter together, as friends. Neither of them felt even the slightest romantic spark towards one another, and it was something many of their colleagues did not understand, as they shared a bond so deep, it boggled their minds. They did not care much for the opinion of the public though, as they were comfortable with their friendship, and that is what mattered the most.

Fiona Flitwick attended Hogwarts with Lily Evans and the Marauders, and they grew up together. She and Lily formed a sisterly bond, that delighted the aging Charms Professor. They have spent quite a few summers together at Flitwick Cottage, which was located near the sea, and the young Ravenclaw witch was the maid of honour at the Potter wedding.

The trembling wizard folded the letter, and squeezed it tightly to his chest, wondering if his daughter got one as well, although considering she was Godmother to Harry, he would have bet his life that she was also named in the will.

"Do you need to talk?" McGonagall asked, subtly touching his arm to draw his attention.

"Yes, let's go to my Quarters." He nodded and they stood up, leaving an angry Headmaster behind, who felt humiliated by not having the proper respect he thought he deserved. He was entitled to know everything, for Merlin's sake.

The Professors made their way towards Flitwick's Quarters, which was located just outside Ravenclaw Tower. He chose this accommodation, because he wanted to be close to his charges, to be easily approachable when they needed his guidance. He was one of the few Professors, who actually enjoyed mixing with his students of all Houses, but especially loved the company of his Ravens.

When he muttered the password, they entered into a small hall, that gave space for a wooden shoe cabinet, a frame used to give room for his cloaks, with a few hooks on top, and a rather intricately designed mirror, that was hanging on the pale blue wall. It was silver and looked to be of goblin origin, which made that particular object rather valuable.

They moved into the cozy living-space and sat on the bronze couch, that was decorated with blue pillows, which had the Ravenclaw insignia on them. The walls were decorated with silk textiles that were proudly parading in Flitwick's House colours. There were also a few paintings cluttering up the wall space in a tasteful manner. Some were vivid and magical, others were completely mundane, but would drive any non-magical person insane with envy, as they were famous muggle paintings.

"Are you okay, my friend?" Minerva asked in a concerned manner, searching his face for any sign of emotion.

"I am lost for words, Min." He breathed, still clutching the letter in his tiny hands. "I think it's better if I show the letter to you, so you understand." He mumbled and handed the parchment to the witch.

The Transfiguration Professor quickly skimmed the short note, and her eyes became a tad misty as well. It was as she thought, Lily and James named Filius in their will. The often strict witch's features softened immensely, as she thought about the Potters and the deeply rooted respect they had for the Charms Professor. It warmed her heart with a bittersweet feeling.

"This just shows you how much they respected and cared for you." She said softly, squeezing his hand. "Let's read the letter I've received." She suggested and dipped her fingers into the depths of her cloak, fishing the piece of parchment, – that seemed thicker than Flitwick's note –, out to meet their eyes.

"Dear Professor McGonagall,

It's our duty to notify you of the impending reading of the Potter will. Your presence is required at Gringotts, on Wednesday, 3rd November, at 8 am.

Looking forward to doing business with you,

Griphook

Head of the Potter Accounts

Gringotts Wizarding Bank"

The first note was literally the same as the one her friend received, but she found another one attached:

"Dear Professor McGonagall,

As per our agreement, it is my honour-bound duty to notify you, that the reading of the Potter will is well underway. I was delighted to spot your name on the list of named witches and wizards. I can say with absolute certainty, that the Potters chose well, as even without knowing their intentions, you stood up for their son. You are a treasure to your kind.

May we meet again to discuss these matters,

Ragnok

The Director of the Goblin Nation

Gringotts Wizarding Bank"

Minerva McGonagall was gaping at the parchment, like a fish out of water. It was unthinkable for a witch or wizard to receive such a complimentary note from Gringotts, let alone one from The Director of the Goblin Nation, yet the evidence was clear in front of her eyes.

Filius was becoming rather concerned at the expression on her face, so he gently snatched the parchment out of her trembling hands and read it, his eyes becoming as large as a house-elf's in the process.

"Oh my goodness, Minerva!" He squeaked. "I am impressed. I have goblin ancestors, and I have never laid my eyes on The Director, and he personally invited you to meet with him again." His voice was full of awe.

It was such a long time, since the older witch blushed, but under such an adoring pair of eyes, she was somewhat flushed.

"Well, I just did what I thought was right." She said, and tried to school her features back into their well-behaved lines. "I am glad that Albus wasn't able to stop this from happening." She sighed in relief and the tiny Professor couldn't help but agree.

They spent the next few hours chatting about the late Potters and little Harry, planning to contact Fiona, and spend the day in Hogsmeade with her.


A/N: The actual reading will happen next chapter, where you will also meet the lovely daughter of Flitwick. I wanted him to have a family of his own, because I always thought he was rather lovable. I would also like to backtrack to the previous chapter, where I used Fudge instead of Bagnold. It was an honest mistake, but not to worry, I will make sure to think up a reason why he came into office a few years early.

Also, thanks to a supportive reviewer's logical advice, I decided to keep these notes shorter after all, so if you'd like me to reply to your review, please register, or sign into your account, and I am more than happy to start a conversation with you. And if anyone has tips on how to start a forum, I will do that for this story, where we can interact more freely.

Thank you for the recent favourites, follows and reviews. Your support means the world to me! :)