A/N: Ending on a sort of long one :)
Minerva McGonagall & Godric Gryffindor
The Forgotten Year.
1979
Suddenly she was back in front of the Lake. Godric and Rowena long gone. She made her way up to the castle and to Albus' room. She knocked on the door before letting herself in. He was already sitting at his desk doing paperwork when he looked up. "Minerva?" He quickly stood up and made his way over reaching for her hand to make sure she was really there.
"How long?" She questioned softly as he held her hand. He looked at her with a confused look for a moment before she clarified. "How long have I been gone?"
Albus looked down for a moment taking a breath. "You have been missing for a week, dear. I took your classes while you were gone." He explained softly with a twinkle in his eyes. "Where did you go?"
Minerva sighed and started explained what had happened that she was going for a year, though it may only seem like a week in his time. She explained her relationship with Godric and handed him the scrolls as proof and even told him to go talk to the founder of Gryffindor himself. After she was done explaining she gave him a hug and asked him for an extra week to get settled again, to which he happily agreed. "I will head down to my rooms now, it's good to be home." She stated before leaving with a sad smile. She was lucky no one had stopped her on her way to her rooms, but she knew Albus would probably announce that she was back at the next dinner.
A few weeks went by and everything was getting back to normal, she was teaching again and everything was fine until she started waking up feeling ill. She didn't want to see Poppy knowing the woman would only fuss over her and treat her like a child, but it had been a week now and she was barely eating. She resigned herself and headed for the hospital wing. As soon as she walked inside her friend was by her side. "Minerva, are you alright, you look a bit green." Poppy commented leading Minerva over to a bed and put privacy screens around it and a muffilo charm so no one could hear them.
"I wouldn't be here if I knew what was wrong, Poppy. I have been feeling sick every morning for the past week and I can't keep anything down." Minerva admitted as she sat on the bed. She knew she could be pregnant but she didn't want to admit it, the father died a thousand years ago. She shook her head as her hand rested on the raven necklace. Only Albus knew where she went in time and for how long, everyone else thought she had been knocked back a week and was in hiding until she could come back.
Poppy nodded and cast a diagnostic charm and paused seeing two heart beats. "Poppy, what is it?" Minerva asked not liking her friends silence, she was afraid to look at the chart herself.
"You are pregnant, Minerva." Poppy's voice was soft almost as if she was unable to say the words. Minerva's head shot up and saw the chart tears welling up in her eyes and she shook her head. She couldn't be. No. Poppy pulled her friend into her arms and whispered loving words in her ear. "It'll be okay, you've got Albus, Elphinstone, myself… It'll be alright." The matron promise and held her friend as long as she needed. Eventually they pulled away and Minerva went back to her rooms to talk to Godric's portrait in her rooms, which Albus had given her after her return.
She walked into the room and sat in the sofa across from the fireplace where the portrait was hanging above. "Godric, please don't tell me this is what you meant but having a piece of you with me." Minerva warned him in her normal professor voice. He looked at her curiously. "I don't know what you are talking about, Min." He responded not sure what she was talking about.
"I'm pregnant, you fool!" She told him clearly not please at that news. "I cannoe have a child, Godric… I cannoe have your child." She told him as she placed her head in her hands. "What will I tell them? That their father has been gone longer than I've been alive?"
Godric watched her not interrupting until she was finished, knowing it was never good to try and stop her before she got her point across. "Minerva, my love." His voice was soft and pleaded for her to look at him, which it did and he saw the tears in her eyes. "We didn't plan a child, but fate gave us time, why couldn't fate give you this child?" He questioned softly. "This child is half of each of us and they will need you." Minerva shook her head and he sighed. "Maybe if you find someone to raise them with, please don't give up on our child, my love." Minerva didn't respond instead she just stood up and spent the rest of the night in her room.
A month after speaking to Godric, Minerva finally accepted Elphinstone's marriage proposal in return for him helping raise the child as his own, letting people believe the child was his and he happily agreed. Two months later they were married and moved together to Hogsmeade which she didn't mind after all it was close enough to the castle. She was due in September but wanted to find out the sex at birth. Once she was seven months Poppy made her take some classes off and rest more. Once September arrived herself and Elphinstone moved to the castle so the heir of Gryffindor could be born in the castle, just like Godric wanted after he found out and she had come to terms with it.
It was early morning on September 19th 1979 when she woke up with a terrible pain an her bed was soaked. Poppy had moved her to the Hospital wing closer to her due date. "POPPY!" She called as loud as she could not caring if she woke the students, she needed Poppy now. Seconds later the matron rushed in and saw the wet spot. "Who am I calling?" She questioned knowing Minerva would want someone there with her for the birth. "Helena." Minerva responded without even thinking, she had connected with her friend's daughters' ghost since being back and had become somewhat of an aunt to her, after all her mother did share stories about her Aunt Athena. "I want Helena Ravenclaw."
To say she was shock would be an understatement, she had never expected her friend to call on the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower. Poppy quickly rushed away to floo Filius and tell him to ask Helena to come to the hospital wing as Minerva is asking for her. Once she was done she made her way back to the bed and pulled the covers off her friend to see how dilated she was. "We have time." She informed her as she ghost rushed in and to Minerva's side.
"Aunt Athena." The ghost greeted not looking at Poppy. Minerva offered the girl a small smile though she was in pain. "I didn't expect you to call for me." Helena admitted as she floated next to the bed. Minerva turned to Poppy. "Poppy can you give us a few moments?" The matron nodded and stood up. "Call me when the contractions are getting closer together." She told her friend before leaving.
Once the Matron was gone Minerva turned to Helena again and smiled once more. "I know you and your mother didn't get along in the end, but she was the closest thing I've ever had to a sister and I am grateful that she told you about me and told you the truth." She sighed wishing she could hold the girls hand. "I would've been there for you if that time was my own."
Helena listened with a small smile, though she was still angry at her mother she was thankful for her aunt. Helga was like an aunt to her but she never lived up to the stories that her mother told her about Athena McBride. "Mother always spoke about you as if you were blood, and though I knew otherwise I couldn't help but feel a connection to you. So when you returned and found me, I was happy but also angry that I never got to meet you." She admitted as she watched Minerva's face scrunch up in pain. "Are you alright?"
Minerva nodded as the pain drifted away once more. "Knowing your mother she would be proud of you, no matter what happened."
They talked and mended old wounds until the pain became too much and Helena went to get Poppy. After another hour a little girl was welcomed into the world. Helena stayed throughout the birth not wanting to leave her aunts side. "She is beautiful, Aunt Athena. She has her fathers nose." Helena commented as she watched the baby in Minerva's arms. "Does she have a name?" Poppy questioned as she started filling out the birth certificate. Minerva looked between the baby in her arms and Helena for a moment before parting her lips to speak. "Hermione Minerva McGonagall." Helena looked at her with a smile.
Once Poppy was done with the paper work she left Minerva with her child and Helena. "I wanted to name her Hermione Rowena McGonagall, but that would look questionable." She told her niece softly. Helena nodded. "Mother would have loved that, maybe when she's old enough you can tell her the story of her father and aunt, and let her decide if she wants the original name you picked or to keep what is now on her birth certificate."
Minerva smiled at this idea and nodded. "After all she has two founders watching over her." She whispered as she cooed at the bundle in her arms. "It hurts that she will never know Godric, and I fear she will hurt much like you did only hearing stories about me." She confessed softly.
Helena moved closer and placed a ghostly hand on Minerva's cheek. "This is a better time for her… She will grow up strong like her mother, wise like her Aunt Ro and loyal like her father. She will be everything that I couldn't and I will be there for her when it's her turn to walk through these walls."
"You were an amazing woman, Helena… Pain is what got in your way and thank you, I'm sure she will adore having her own ghost." Minerva chuckled looking up at Helena. "She will be a hat stall as I was… I can feel it."
This made Helena smile the idea of having her cousin in her house warmed her somehow even though she was dead. "Maybe it's time to talk to my mother." She said suddenly as she backed away.
"When Poppy let's us go, we will come with you. I am sure she will want to meet your cousin." Minerva smiled for a moment. "Go do whatever you need, Hogwarts will tell you when I'm free and I will meet you near the founders room. I should be able to enter with Hermione." She offered to which Helena smiled and left the room to figure out how she was going to talk to her mother.
It had taken a few days but Minerva was finally able to take Hermione home, but she knew she needed to make one stop before she could. She held Hermione in her arms as she made her way through secret passages and doors that Rowena and Godric had shown her, she stopped outside the door and took Hermione's little hand placing it over the lock before the door gently opened revealing Helena waiting inside.
"Minerva!" Rowena called seeing the woman enter not noticing the bundle in her arms at first. "Is that?" She questioned as Godric entered his portrait in the room.
Minerva nodded with a smile and she took the baby over to each portrait so they could get a good look at the tiny girl. "Her name is Hermione Minerva McGonagall." She told them proudly before looking at Helena. "But that wasn't her original name, I changed her middle name at the last second for her safety." She explained not taking her eyes off her niece.
"What was the name, love?" Godric spoke up after he had finished looking himself in the image of his child.
Looking from Helena to Rowena to Godric and back to Helena she smiled wide. "Helena said I should give Hermione the option to change her name to the original once she is older and understands how she came to be."
Rowena looked between her daughter and friend confused as to why both seemed to have to same smile on their faces. "Yes, that is a brilliant idea, but what was her original name?"
Minerva looked up her friend and back down to her child. "Hermione Rowena McGonagall." She answered softly but loud enough for everyone to hear. Helena had moved to her aunt and cousin side as the name was spoken and Hermione woke up.
"She must know she is with family." Helena whispered as her mother seemed to be getting her thoughts together.
"You want to name her after me? But why?" Rowena finally questioned with a smile on her face.
"Because you are the only sister I ever had and in some ways you became like a mother to me, I couldn't think of another person I would name a daughter after." Minerva admitted softly. "I wish you could meet her and not just through your portraits." She mumbled looking down not noticing the portraits sharing a look.
Suddenly there were two more people in the room. "We neglected to tell you something about this room and the portraits we had planned to put here." Rowena smiled as she moved closer. "We can come back for an hour at a time every now and again, once a month or so… We both wanted a way to see you again, but we didn't want you spending all your time here." She admitted as she placed an arm around Minerva's waist to side hug her. She smiled feeling Minerva rest her head against her own with a soft hum.
"I think since you are here, Helena wanted to speak to you… There is time to bond over Hermione later." Minerva said softly as she offered Helena to come closer to the group.
"Mother, it has been a long time and I've obviously had time to think." Helena began to speak as she floated in front of her mother and aunt. "I want to apologise for doing what I did." She sighed wishing she could take it all back. "I should've come home when Baron came to get me, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me… I'm sorry I let my need to be brighter than everyone else cloud what I now see is more important."
Rowena listened to her daughter carefully as tears filled her eyes. "I forgive you, sweetheart. I know you want to destroy my diadem and now I understand and if you know a way to do that I'm sure your aunt will be glad to help you." She told her daughter softly. Minerva watched the pair with a smile leaning on Godric's shoulder.
"Anything for family." Minerva agreed with a smile. "May I ask who your father is?" Helena looked at her mother for a moment and shook her head, her mother never told her.
Godric wrapped his arms around Minerva from behind knowing this would be a hard conversation. "Before you left we took some of your hair and blood to give you access to places in the castle no one else can, after you left we included you into the wards of this room so Hermione doesn't need to be with you when you visit."
"That is all well and good, Godric but what does this have to do with Helena's father?" Minerva questioned not knowing what her leaving had to do with this girls parents.
"You see Minerva…" Rowena paused and looked at her daughter for a moment before looking at Minerva. "I felt I would never marry and I wanted an heir." She sighed and moved to sit down. "I should've asked before you left, or at least told you when you returned." She shook her head again trying to clear her thoughts. "Helena Athena Ravenclaw is yours as much as she is mine." She finally admitted.
Minerva quickly but gently handed Hermione to her father and sat down next to Rowena. "Why didn't you tell Helena that?" She questioned softly as she held her friend's hand to let her know she wasn't upset. Helena seemed to be in some sort of shock as she took in the information, that had been part of the reason she had run away. She felt her father didn't want her.
"I didn't want you to know before I had the heart to tell you." Ro admitted softly as she looked up at her daughter. "I'm sorry I failed you Helena. All you wanted to know was who your father was, and I was too much of a coward to tell you." Minerva pulled her into a hug as Helena moved closer to her parents.
"As you have forgiven me, I will forgive you." Helena responded before looking at Minerva. "Now I understand why that stupid hat was fighting over my house." She rolled her eyes causing her mothers' to laugh.
"Well since the hat is both part of your mother and I, it would make sense." Minerva replied before Rowena could knowing she would need a few moments. "I may not have known you when you were alive, but I am proud to be your mother."
Rowena nodded at Minerva's words, she was proud of her daughter. "When I sent Baron to bring you home, I had planned to tell you before I died… I couldn't tell him the truth but if I could have, I would have because I knew something about your aunt would've brought you home."
Helena shook her head. "Even if you told me she was back, I was too angry to come home." She admitted. "May I call you mum in private?" She asked looking at Minerva.
"Of course, dear. Though it will be much the same as when you called me Aunt Athena, only when no students are around… In my chambers or empty classroom is fine." Minerva responded with a smile as Godric came over and sat next to her, leaving her between him and Rowena. "I guess this means Hermione is your sister." She added taking the baby from Godric.
Rowena brushed her thumb against the newborns cheek with a smile. "She's a hat stall." She whispered proudly. "We can decided before she's eleven which house she will be in." Godric looked at Rowena confused causing her to chuckle.
"My love, I was a hat stall… Between you and Ro." Minerva admitted softly. "And I found out recently that Helena was also, it only makes sense that Hermione will be as well." He continued to look at Rowena and if looks could kill and they weren't dead, she would be now.
"You almost stole my lioness from me?" He questioned in a teasing manner so they knew he wasn't serious. "McGonagall's have always been in Gryffindor, ever since the first year… not one has been in another house." He explained seeing Minerva's confusion. "The Ross family was different, most ended up in Ravenclaw or Slytherin, few were ever in Gryffindor."
Minerva gently handed Hermione to her aunt and placed a hand on Godric's arm. "It's alright, love. My mother was also a Ravenclaw." She told him softly. "I don't want to tell the hat where to put Hermione, I just want her to be happy." With her words he calmed down and nodded. "Thank you." She whispered before kissing him softly.
"We have to go soon, be sure to bring Hermione back every now and again." Godric almost whispered before he took one more look at his daughter. "I will leave you with Ro and Helena until Ro has to leave as well." He kissed her one more time before heading back to his portrait and faded back into it, heading off to another one to give them privacy.
"I could have loved you like that if I hadn't met Godric." Minerva softly admitted. "Part of me did." She added looking away. "I know it was a different time and I could've been with you both but the morals from my time got in the way." She closed her eyes and bit her lip feeling almost ashamed but having a need to say it. Suddenly she felt fingers under her chin gently forcing her to look into those brown eyes, she wanted to say something but before she could soft lips touched her own. Rowena was kissing her, it was different to Godric but she felt just as much love. "Ro…" She whispered breaking the kiss for a moment. "I did… I do love you much the same as I do Godric." She finally admitted before kissing the woman once more.
Rowena smiled though it was bittersweet. "I have loved you since I saw you and knew I never wanted children with anyone else." She whispered her hand still on Minerva's cheek. "I know you can't tell from her ghost but Helena had the perfect mix of my dark brown and your green eyes, the most vibrant hazel eyes I had ever seen."
Minerva turned her gaze from Rowena to Helena who was watching them carefully. "McGonagall cheekbones." She commented with a smile causing Helena to return it instantly. "I love you, my daughter."
Helena placed a ghostly kiss to Minerva's cheek with a smile. "I love you too, mum… Both of you."
"I love you as well." Ro told her daughter with a smile before looking back down at the bundle of joy in her arm. "I love all three of you."