Darcy smoothed the red flannelette sheets over the bed and sighed, looking around the room. A Hogwarts flag, with all 4 houses hung on the wooden panelled wall, the attic window shining the midday sun down on it from across the modest bedroom. A desk sat underneath it, a dresser and wardrobe set on the adjacent wall, facing the foot of the bed. From that bed, a window looked out over the rolling green fields of Scotland. Warm browns and reds and yellows coated the decor. The clincher, there, sitting on the bedside table, a little photo frame sat next to a lamp. The frame was freshly polished, not a speck of dust to be seen. Behind the gleaming glass, a grinning red head spun around with a tiny baby in her arms, all black hair and pink skin. A larger, hairy hand reaching out in the corner trying to catch the baby's attention.
A tear rolled down Darcy's cheek.
"I hope I'm doing the right thing, Lils. I hope I can do half the job I know you would have done. I can't leave him there, and I know he's better off with me, but is it the best for him?"
Photo-Lily only smiled, kind green eyes gleaming back at tears ones, and looked back down at Photo-Baby-Harry. Darcy blinked the moisture away, and set it back down.
She heaved herself off the bed, but stopped before leaving, and tugged at the corner of the sheets, pulling away the creases she'd just made. The clanging of a steel kettle onto a wrought iron stove brought her attention downstairs, so she quickly left the warm and sunny room, closed the door behind her, and hopped downstairs.
A swish of green skirts and a pale brown and gray bun greeted her when Darcy made it to the kitchen. It made her smile, the familiar sight of the woman she'd come to know as a sort of mother, or at least mother-figure, fussing about to make a spot of tea with lunch.
"You just let yourself in then?" Darcy called. Without flinching, the older woman replied.
"You told me to, Darcy."
"I know, I'm just teasing."
Minerva McGonagall levelled her protege with a raised brow. Darcy met it with a cheeky grin.
"Perhaps it's best you chose a Healing traineeship then. Your comedy skills seem to be lacking."
"You wound me, Minnie," Darcy smirked as she stepped forward to give the woman a hug 'hello'. McGonagall's lips pursed, but she said nothing. She returned the hug, gently, and pulled back first. She reached up and wiped a stray tear away that was sitting on her bottom lash.
"Try not to fret dear. You're doing a very brave thing. I'm very proud of you for this."
The words nearly brought a whole new round of tears to Darcy's eyes, and she started blubbering a little. McGonagall simply rolled her eyes, and pulled her back in, rubbing the girl's back.
"You'd best let this all out now, you'll not be able to blubber in front of Harry like this, let alone those muggles."
That sobered Darcy. This time, she pulled away, and gave a determined little smile, wiping at her tears. McGonagall frowned and passed her a hanky. Where she'd pulled it from was a years-long unanswered question, one that Darcy had given up trying to figure out ages ago. She simply took it, dabbing at her eyes and, as daintily as she could, blew her nose before pocketing it. She would get it back to Minerva later.
"Right, now let's have our lunch and you can be on your way."
"I'm feeling far too sick I don't think I could stomach a meal now."
"You'll not be leaving this house without something in your stomach, Darcy, now sit."
The freshly boiled kettle floated over, filling a teapot that rose in turn, and tipped towards her cup. Minerva walked over with a plate of small sandwiches. Cucumber, ham and cheese, tomato and cheese, all cut into small pieces. Darcy's eyes boggled out.
"When did you do all this?!" She exclaimed. Minerva simply sipped her tea.
"You were taking your sweet time tidying that room, dear. I started getting peckish."
Darcy let out a scoff in amazement, shaking her head at herself. Somehow after all these years, Minerva was still surprising her. She continued to sip and munch slowly, telling McGonagall all about her plans so far, and how she was planning to handle the day. Minerva simply nodded at it all, and made sure to mention not kicking in the door to the muggles' home, as it would be received rather poorly in comparison to her former headmaster. Darcy nodded, hugged the woman goodbye, and they both stepped away from each other as they disapparated.