A/N: Thank you for your support and, as always, happy reading.
For the disclaimer, please see the prologue.
Chapter Forty-Eight: June 1951, Pt. II
Minerva knocked on Albus' office door for the third time, a frown forming on her face. Roaming students were beginning to stare at her—her future students—and so, with a deep breath, she opened the door.
"Albus?" Minerva called tentatively. "I'm sorry for barging in like this, but I wanted to give you some good news."
When she was met with silence, her Auror senses immediately began to take over. While she hadn't confirmed with Albus that he would be in his office, she knew he typically was there on a Saturday afternoon. Minerva also knew that all professors were alerted to any disturbances in their offices.
The deviation in his schedule wasn't enough to make her nervous, but the fact that he didn't come running once she entered his office was concern for alarm. She took another glance around his office, this time looking for anything out of the ordinary. The Pensieve was not in its usual spot, but other than that, his office appeared to be in its normal shape.
Except for the wide-open door into his quarters.
"Merlin, Albus, if you've been taken again, I will find you and then kill you," Minerva grumbled. She withdrew her wand and walked around the office, checking for traps or a hidden presence. When she didn't find anything, she walked through into his quarters, which looked decidedly like they had been left in a hurry.
She saw Callum's cloak strewn over a very familiar armchair, and Minerva winced at the thought of her brother sitting in the spot where she had first seduced Albus. Shuddering, she adjusted her gaze until her eyes found vials lain across a coffee table. She picked one up, inspecting it. It was labelled February 5, 1948.
"Ahh, so these must be your memories," Minerva murmured. She gently put the vial back on the table and moved to the Pensieve. Her eyebrows rose to her hairline as she saw a memory floating around in the water. Taking a deep breath, she dove in.
"You realize that Leader K isn't going to approve, don't you?" A man—whose long, blonde hair looked suspiciously like Abraxas Malfoy's—drawled to his companion. Both of them looked to be sitting outside of Albus and Callum's cell. "The instructions were clear: K wants us to merely keep them here, for the time being."
His companion exhaled a ring of smoke, a cigarette hanging carelessly from his fingers. "I think we're entitled to torture them if we wish. I didn't sign up to babysit. I signed up to have fun, and it would be stupid if K's intention was to let Dumbledore and McGonagall just sit here. Quite frankly, I don't care if Leader K approves. Riddle approves, so let him handle this one. Sometimes I don't know why we listen to K, anyways."
The original man snorted. "We listen to K because if we didn't, we'd have to face Riddle, even if they disagree with each other. We both know we'd lose that particular duel."
The companion laughed. "Do we really think Riddle is that powerful? We all thought Dumbledore was brilliant, and Crabbe is the one who captured him. Dumbledore can't really be that scary. And if Dumbledore isn't that scary, then there's no way in hell Riddle is, either. Get a grip, Malfoy."
"You're delusional if you think you can take either of them on and win," Malfoy scoffed. "We may want to torture them—both you and Riddle have more reasons than most to justify it—but I do not want to risk getting on Leader K's bad side."
"Why not?" Malfoy's friend turned around, and Minerva was shocked to see Elphinstone's replacement, Goyle. "K wants information. Torture is the best way to make someone talk."
"You're forgetting that we've tried torturing them," Malfoy snorted grimly. "They haven't broken. I highly doubt they'll break now. Besides, we need to keep them around as bait for the one K really wants."
"Do you mean the one K wants, or the one Riddle wants?" Goyle looked at Malfoy.
Malfoy grinned. "Who says they aren't the same person?"
The two men laughed before walking away from the cell, ending the memory.
Minerva withdrew her head from the Pensieve, her heart pounding. She blindly reached behind her until she felt her knees make contact with Albus' desk chair. Sinking into it, she sighed deeply.
"Leader K and Tom want the same person?" Minerva muttered to herself faintly. "What are the odds it's me?"
She collapsed onto the desk and immediately frowned when her forehead made contact with barely-wet ink. "What on earth...?"
Albus' handwriting spelled it out quite clearly for her:
Katrina Rowle: Leader K? Same initial. Shared history with both Minerva and Tom. Has a history of endangering the McGonagalls. Possibly hates me for advocating for her expulsion.
Also has family ties to Aidan—investigate blood essence and family seal.
Minerva's blood ran cold. "Katrina? And Aidan? Oh, no..."
Her mind easily pieced the puzzle together. If they thought she and Aidan were in danger, she could understand why Albus and Callum had rushed out of the office so quickly.
"Please, Merlin, let them be wrong," Minerva pleaded to herself as she ran back into the hall, sparing no thought for the students this time. "And, God, if they're right, let them get there in time."
Once she reached the Hogwarts gates, she apparated to the edge of her house, hoping that, by some miracle, Aidan hadn't left yet. Minerva checked the perimeter. It seemed the wards remained intact; not wanting to waste time, she stepped just inside the boundaries and cast a quick Hominem Revelio.
"No one's there," Minerva murmured. Her heart began to beat even more quickly. "Okay, Dalton. Find Dalton."
She apparated as closely as she dared to Albus and Violet's house, inwardly berating Albus for not informing Violet about the magical world. It was a half-mile to run, but to Minerva, it didn't pass quickly enough.
Collecting herself, she knocked on Violet's door.
"Minerva?" Violet asked, opening the door. "Is everything okay?"
"Is Dalton here?" Minerva panted. "Is he safe?"
"Safe? Yes, of course, he's safe." Violet frowned and gestured for Minerva to come inside. "Would you like to come and see him?"
"Yes, please." Minerva ran inside and found Dalton and Athena laughing together on a play mat. "Oh, thank Merlin."
"Mumma?" Dalton turned around and smiled. "Wanna play with us?"
"Oh, I would if I could, but I have to go see Daddy, sweetheart." Minerva crouched next to him and pulled him to her chest. "You behave while you're here, all right?"
"We always behave!" Athena chimed in, laughing. Her blue eyes twinkled at Minerva, reminding her of Albus.
"Yes, you do." She pressed a quick kiss to Dalton's head and released him. "I love you."
"Love you!" Dalton yelled as Minerva retreated toward the entryway.
"Minerva, is there anything I can help you with?" Violet asked, concerned. "Should I be worried about the children?"
Minerva bit her lip. She needed to accurately convey the potential dangers, but she didn't want to scare the poor woman by speaking of spells and magic. "I believe Albus told you that Aidan used to work as a police officer?"
Violet thought for a moment. "The same force as Callum, right?"
"Yes," Minerva answered quickly. "Someone—an enemy of sorts—from their time on the force has decided to come out of the shadows and threaten Aidan. I wanted to make sure Dalton was safe before—"
"Before what, tracking them down?" Violet raised an eyebrow. "Are you qualified to do that?"
"Yes, Violet."
"Is Albus involved? Violet's voice was quiet. "That's what you're not telling me, isn't it?"
"Yes, Albus is involved. He, along with Callum, went after Aidan. You and the children should be safe; no one is after Albus, and Albus made it so your house is unplottable."
"Unplottable? What does that even mean?"
Minerva swore under her breath. "It means that you're safe. Please, Violet. I don't have time for this. Albus will explain all of this later." Yes, she thought, make it Albus' mess. "Now, what time did Aidan drop Dalton off?"
"Probably about an hour ago. Does that help?"
Somewhat. "Yes. I need to go, Violet, but do me a favour—please do not open the door for anyone but me, Albus, or Callum, okay?"
"What about Lucy?" Violet followed Minerva to the door. "She and the kids usually come over on Saturdays."
"I'll send an owl and tell them not to come," Minerva promised. "Thank you, be safe!"
"What do you mean, you'll send an owl?" Violet called after her, but Minerva was too focused on her mission to care.
Running down the street, Minerva tried to focus. I should go to Scrimgeour Manor and see if Aidan is there. Perhaps this is one big mistake. But, if it isn't, should I try to find Callum and Albus first? That way, we can plan an attack.
It quickly occurred to Minerva that she didn't have Felina with her, so she instead sent a Patronus to Lucy, warning her not to make the trip to Scotland. She was about to send a Patronus to Albus and Callum when an owl—the same one that had delivered the letter to Aidan, supposedly from his mother—dropped an envelope in front of her. Her heart sinking, Minerva reached down to open it.
Hello Minerva,
By now, I'm sure you have deduced that I am the reason behind this ingenious plan. It was fairly easy to lure your dear husband to his family home. Unfortunately for him, he arrived here just in time to find out that he is now Lord Scrimgeour. I hope you weren't too fond of your in-laws.
Don't worry about Aidan. He put up a good fight—I'm sure you'd expect nothing less from your Gryffindor husband. In the end, we managed to capture him. He's still safe and sound. We're keeping him near Scrimgeour Manor. I don't know how often you've been here, but I enclosed a Portkey to ensure you could find your way. I activated it before I sent it. If you're unable—or unwilling—to come before it deactivates in twenty minutes, then I'm afraid I cannot hold myself responsible for what might happen to Aidan.
I must thank you for giving me this opportunity. If you hadn't defeated me during that final task, I might not have had the resolve to further study the dark arts, nor dared to follow my true, destined path.
Katrina thinks she's in charge of this entire operation—I'm more than willing to indulge that little delusion. I'm involved just enough to have the support and admiration of the followers we have amassed together. I'd like to believe that what Katrina and I have built will last, but even I know that meddling with time is a dangerous pastime. She doesn't see all of the dangers, but I do.
When this inevitably fails, I'll rise from the ashes as clean as a newborn babe. No one will blame me—not me, Mr. Riddle with the perfect image. I'll have the experience and the team. And I'll be ready, no matter what the future brings.
You're still more than welcome to join me if you wish. You'll always have your rightful spot beside me.
I hope to see you shortly.
My Sincerest Regards,
Tom M. Riddle
Minerva crumpled the letter in her hand and sucked in a breath. She found comfort in small mercies: at the very least, it didn't appear that Riddle knew about Dalton.
"Ouch," she grumbled as her hand made contact with the Portkey. "Of course, it's a bloody snake pendant. Okay, Minerva, think. Get Aidan out, and bring him home."
Sighing, Minerva withdrew her wand. She produced her corporeal Patronus and whispered, "Riddle and Katrina have Aidan at Scrimgeour Manor. Please meet me there, and be subtle. They want me, but hopefully, the two of you can catch them off-guard."
Minerva was about to send it before she paused. She knew where the Manor was, so she focused deeply on her magic. "Albus, I'm sending the location to you through our bond. If that doesn't work, just track me. Be safe, you two." Taking a deep breath, she sent her Patronus on its way before focusing solely on the Manor's location. She did her best to communicate it to Albus.
"Here goes nothing," Minerva murmured, and she touched the Portkey.
When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in a large expanse east of Scrimgeour Manor. Aidan had told her that this very space was where he had failed to develop any Quidditch skills. A cursory look around the property didn't reveal much of anything.
"What would Riddle do?" Minerva asked herself aloud. "What would Riddle and Katrina do?"
The answer hit her like a rogue bludger.
She looked up, and sure enough, she could see Aidan strapped to a tree, dangling in the air. Minerva dropped the Portkey, transfigured a tree branch into a broomstick, and flew up to retrieve him.
"We thought you would come for your husband." Katrina's taunting voice could be heard in the air around her. It scared Minerva so much that she almost fell.
"Min, why did you come?" Aidan screamed as she flew up to him. "This is clearly a trap!"
"I'm here to rescue you, husband!" Minerva yelled back. She reached him and clutched at the ropes tying him to the tree. "What is this?"
"A trick, Min! You won't be able to get me out! These ropes have their magical signatures in it!
"No..." Minerva flew back a bit so she could look at it all more clearly. "I did that..."
"To Grindelwald? Yes, you did." Riddle's voice sent a chill down Minerva's spine, and she turned, but his voice was floating in the air, like Katrina's. "We've gone forward in time, talked to him...asked for the memories of that final duel. You are truly talented, Minerva. It took us months to figure out how you did it, but it's proven to be quite the invaluable charm."
"Min, if there's no way for you to fix this, you need to go. Now," Aidan begged.
"Aidan, don't be ridiculous. I'm not leaving you here," Minerva responded. "There has to be another way."
"Yeah—you need to leave without me. What will happen to—"
Minerva flew closer to him and pressed her hand to his mouth. "Don't speak his name. I don't think they know about him. He's safe, and he'll continue to be safe when both of us are home."
Aidan kissed the palm of her hand so that she would remove it from his mouth. "I don't think that's happening, my love. These two have time-travelled. They know more than we ever could."
"Okay, so maybe I can't untie you." Minerva thought for a moment. "But perhaps I can escape with you, and then I can come with back-up for them, and then we can undo the bindings."
"I don't think that's going to work..."
"Aidan, don't you dare give up on me!" Minerva snarled angrily. She wiped away a few loose tears. "This is not how it ends, you hear me?"
From his perspective, Aidan didn't really see himself getting out of this, but he didn't know how to convince his wife of that. He sighed. "Okay, what's your plan? How do you suggest we get me down from the sky?"
"I could just try to apparate us from here," Minerva responded, shrugging.
Aidan looked at her incredulously. "Babe, I'd be splinched so many times over that it really wouldn't be worth the effort."
"Then what would you suggest?"
He opened his mouth to respond, but instead of answering her question, he unleashed a scream as the tree suddenly began to fall through the air.
Minerva swore and swerved. She descended as quickly as she could, doing her best to reach him.
She didn't catch up until they were both on the ground. Katrina had her arm protectively wrapped around the tree and one of Aidan's arms.
Minerva whipped her wand out, but a cold voice stopped her from firing a spell. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Turning, Minerva found Tom Riddle's wand pointed at her back. "Hello, Minerva."
"Hello, Riddle," she spat.
"Don't try anything that would save him," Riddle warned, "or I'll hit you in the back with a very unpleasant spell."
Minerva pursed her lips. "May I turn back around to look at Katrina, or will you hex me for that?"
Riddle smirked. "That I'll allow. I wouldn't dream of allowing you to miss the show."
She swallowed and turned, taking the time to inspect Katrina closely for the first time. To her shock, Katrina looked older. "You know, Katrina, for being the same age as us, you didn't age well."
"I'm not the Katrina from this time, you idiot." Katrina rolled her eyes. "She's been locked up for a while so we don't accidentally run into each other. It's dangerous business meddling with time, you know."
"I am aware of that, which is why I was surprised to hear that you were involved in such an endeavour," Minerva commented dryly. She saw a flash of movement on the edge of the property out of the corner of her eye. Praying it was Albus and Callum, Minerva wanted to keep Katrina talking. "Why us, Katrina? What did we ever do to you?"
Katrina laughed. "Oh, Minerva, you must realize that you, Dumbledore, and my dear cousin here are to blame for most everything going wrong in my life, don't you?"
"I'd argue we all make our own choices," Aidan grumbled.
"And I would argue that you should shut it if you like being alive, cousin," Katrina snarled, gripping his arm more tightly.
"Aidan," Minerva shook her head, "let her talk, okay?" She locked eyes with her husband and did her best to convey that help—she hoped it was help and not an ambush—was nearby.
"Yes, cousin, listen to your wife," Katrina laughed, digging her wand into his side. "We don't want any accidents to happen, now do we?"
"So, Katrina," Minerva asked nervously, "you say we ruined your life, but why go to this much trouble?"
Katrina grinned. "I was hoping you'd want to hear more. After I was so unceremoniously dumped from Hogwarts, I found it hard to find employment. My family completely disowned me—said I was a disgrace to the family name." She snorted. "They'll be begging for me to come home once they find out everything I've accomplished."
"You think your family will be proud of the fact that you've been killing Muggles all over the country?" Minerva asked. "Is that something to be proud of, Katrina?"
"I am doing all I can to protect Purebloods. Erasing Mudbloods and Muggles from the world better ensures the longevity of our great families; so, yes, my family will be proud. I had nothing left after I was expelled." For a moment, Katrina's face betrayed her hurt. "My only employment opportunities were with scholars of the dark arts. I learned a lot from them; where I surpassed them, however, was my natural charm.
"I managed to get in contact with a few of my old school friends. I showed them what I had learned and convinced them to join me. A few contacts in the Unspeakables office told me about the Ministry's interest in time travel. I worked on the science for a year or two before attempting my first journey forward in time. Tom, of course, has been an invaluable ally since the beginning." She flashed a brief smile in Riddle's direction.
"Why wasn't your first instinct to go back in time?" Minerva frowned. "You could have prevented yourself from getting expelled."
Katrina laughed loudly. "That, McGonagall, would require me having remorse for my actions. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I would still charm that bludger. And I still would have hurt your sister. I heard she died in the war—I would say that I'm sorry for the loss, but I think we all know that would be disingenuous."
Minerva shook her head. She used the time to look around, and to her relief, she saw Callum and Albus creeping closer and closer.
It was them. She just had to give them enough time.
"Can I ask you another question, Katrina? After all, I'm a bit of a scholar myself," Minerva said. She felt Riddle's wand poke her shoulder, pushing her closer to Katrina. She did her best not to shudder. "How are you able to tell us all of this information if you're future Katrina, and not the Katrina we know?"
"Because it still happened to me." Katrina rolled her eyes. "I wasn't dumb enough to try and change anything about my own past. No, the reason I'm here right now is to try and stop the two of you. Based on past experiences, I know that the younger me would be unable to duel you now and win. I freely admit that I don't have your skill. At least, I didn't at your age.
"Now that I'm older, I have the ability and the knowledge to do more damage to you both than I otherwise would have been able to. You might be wondering," Katrina drawled, running her wand across Aidan's neck, "why I came back to defeat you both.
"See, in my own time, I'm as dedicated as ever to our cause. To free the founders of our race from enforced anonymity because of the unmagical population. Unfortunately for me, in my own time—where we're all the same ages—I still can't defeat you. The two of you are too formidable a force. In fact, cuz, you gave me this lovely scar two years ago." Katrina used her free hand to yank her robes down so that her shoulder and collarbone were visible. A horrid, jagged, puffy scar began under her sternoclavicular joint and ran all along her collarbone, ending halfway down her bicep. "This was a wake-up call for me. I wasn't able to take both of you on by myself; you two are too powerful together. So, I knew I had to come back in time. I needed to come and take one of you away." She pushed her forehead against Aidan's. "Anything to say for yourself?"
"Too bad I didn't finish the job," Aidan said calmly before spitting in her eye.
"Oh, you little—" Katrina snapped, raising her wand.
She didn't get far before Albus and Callum emerged from the shadows, flinging spells and causing confusion.
"Minnie, duck!" Callum yelled. Minerva obeyed and felt the wind from a spell briefly kiss the top of her head.
It turned into an all-out war.
Callum and Albus did their best to duel while continuing to gain ground. Minerva and Callum took on Riddle, both doing what they could to distract him. The entire situation had caused Minerva's arm to flare up in pain where Riddle had once marked her. She gritted her teeth and carried on, knowing full well she could take care of it when they were all safe.
On the other side of the field, Albus was responsible for Katrina. He used the Imperio charm—he knew it was illegal, but desperate times called for desperate measures—on Katrina in order to force her to drop the bindings holding Aidan to the tree. It took longer than he hoped, but finally, Aidan was free.
"Thanks, Albus!" Aidan called, stretching his limbs. He cast Alarte Ascendare to shoot Katrina up into the air and laughed. "I've always wanted to use that spell!"
"Aidan!" Albus shouted, exasperated. "I lost control of her, thanks to that!"
"It was fun," Aidan responded. He shrugged despite the moment. "Come on, I owe them for that."
"We both do, I suppose," Albus said grimly. "Come on, be ready."
"Always am, Professor." Aidan smiled tightly. "Thank you for coming."
"You're welcome." Albus nodded toward the sky. "Look out, she's falling." He turned to Minerva and Callum, who seemed to be holding their own with Tom. "Wand at the ready now, my boy."
Minerva looked at Aidan and Albus, relieved. "Callum! Let's get out of here!"
"Hold on, Minnie! I want to make them pay!" Callum cast another spell at Riddle. "They took me away from my family!"
"And they'll kill us all if we don't leave!" Minerva screamed. She reached for her brother, but found herself blasted backwards.
Tom shook his head as he watched the McGonagalls fly through the air. The McGonagalls were giving him more resistance than he would have thought; granted, he hadn't expected Minerva to have brought reinforcements. He heard Katrina screaming through the air and rolled his eyes. "Arresto Momentum!" Tom yelled lazily.
Katrina stood up, out of it. "Tom, now!" she shrieked. "Before they can do anything else!"
Sighing, Tom cast a spell to freeze time for a split second. He was once again thankful for the late nights he had spent in Knockturn Alley going through old, forgotten dark magic texts. He waved his wand, causing his four frozen enemies to manoeuvre through the air. Tom unfroze time and struck a barrier, Summoning Minerva to himself and Aidan to Katrina.
He laughed as Minerva came to in his arms. "Doing all right there, love?"
Her eyes widened. "What on earth?" She tried to move but found herself restrained by Riddle. Minerva reached for her wand but saw it just out of reach on the ground in front of her. She looked for help but found Albus and Callum were on the other side of a newly-formed barrier. Aidan was wandless and immobilized in Katrina's arms.
"No!" Minerva snarled. She tried to wrestle away from him. "You do realize that Albus and Callum will figure out how to get through your barrier, don't you?
"No, they won't," Katrina sang. "This barrier only lets in anyone related to the Scrimgeour family. We modified the marriage aspect of the spell so that only spouses were allowed; otherwise, your brother would be in here, too."
"How is Riddle in here, then?" Minerva asked, her eyes narrowed. She looked at Albus and Callum, who were fruitlessly attempting to break through the barrier. She prayed they'd figure out the marriage alteration so at least Callum could get through.
"Oh, we performed a blood magic ritual," Riddle said, his charming voice in her ear. "I think you'd find the alchemical makeup of the spell to be quite fascinating."
"I have my doubts," Minerva said disgustedly. "How glad I am to see that you never abandoned your scholarly pursuits."
Katrina interjected before Riddle could respond. "I must admit, you two gave more of a fight than we were expecting. How kind of you to keep us on our toes."
"What do you want from us, Katrina?" Aidan bit out harshly. He had to fight to use his mouth under the duress of Katrina's Petrificus Totalus. "What happens now?"
Sighing, Katrina modified her spell so that Aidan could move his mouth without restriction. "Now, dear cousin, I kill you. Then, I'll go back to my own time, Tom will free the me from 1951, and we will continue to dominate the world."
Aidan paled and looked at Minerva. She could see the hope dim in his eyes. "Aidan!" Minerva cried. She struggled against Riddle's hold to no avail. "Don't hurt him! Please!"
"I won't torture him before he dies. It will be a clean death," Katrina laughed wickedly. "I don't like to hurt people unnecessarily. At least, not like you hurt him. You did more damage to him than I ever could."
"What do you mean?" Aidan's eyes found hers. "Min?"
"They just want us to fight each other, Aidan! Don't listen to her!" Minerva tried to move again. "Damn it, Riddle, let me go!"
"That would be a great ploy," Riddle drawled, ignoring her last plea. "Except in this particular instance, we do have something over you. As it happens, Minerva is keeping a pretty big secret from you, Scrimgeour."
"Min tells me everything," Aidan said defensively. He swallowed and did his best to make her feel better. "We'll be all right, Min."
"That is untrue. You will not be all right. Besides, even if you did survive this, would you ever be able to forgive the fact that your dear wife knows how Charlotte died, and never bothered to tell you?" Katrina smirked and pressed her forehead to Aidan's. "Your Min knew since the day Charlotte died. I'm guessing you don't know?"
"Min?" Aidan's tone was more defeated this time. "What is she talking about?"
"Aidan..." Minerva pleaded, but Riddle interjected.
"Oh, little Minnie here knew that I was the reason for Charlotte's death. You see, the final task of the tournament involved obstacles we had to pass by in order to continue through the maze. One obstacle happened to be a witch: either you had to duel her yourself, or someone else would die. Some poor, unsuspecting witness. Like your Charlotte."
"Min, tell me you didn't..."
"Oh, no, your wife duelled the witch like the perfect little Gryffindor she is," Riddle laughed. "No, it was me that passed by her. Charlotte died because of me. Everyone covered it up: the Minister, your favourite, courageous professor Dumbledore, Dippet...even your wife.
"Albus knew too?" Aidan asked, his voice hollow. "Is this just another thing you both kept from me?"
"Aidan, please! We didn't want you to struggle with it any more than you already were." Minerva looked at him, begging him to see things through her eyes. "We didn't want you to live life searching for vengeance."
"So what, this was another life choice you both made for me?" Aidan met her gaze, and she was shocked to see a combination of venom and hurt in his eyes. "Perhaps if you'd let me go after this bastard, this wouldn't be happening right now!"
"Perhaps," Riddle said coyly. "Any last words for your husband?"
"Aidan, please understand!" She turned around to look at Riddle again, her face streaming with tears. "Please, Riddle! Please!"
He merely shook his head. "You had your chance to join me, Minerva. You made your choice." Riddle looked towards Aidan. "Any last words?"
"I love you and our little family," Aidan whispered, his voice just enough to carry in the wind. "Don't you dare give up."
"Don't you give up!" Minerva screamed. "Please, someone help!"
Aidan shook his head and said simply, "No, Min. It's fine."
Minerva felt a slow, sinking feeling fall through her stomach. She couldn't understand why Aidan was so calmly accepting this. "No, Aidan! Riddle, let him go! Katrina, take me instead!"
Riddle pulled her more flush against him. His breath was hot in her face. "I want you alive." He nodded at Katrina. "Come on, let's get this over with."
It all seemed to happen at the same time.
Katrina's arm rose, her wand circling around her.
Albus and Callum arrived, impossibly breaking through the barrier. Minerva would have to ask them how they did that.
Minerva tried to look away, but Riddle peeled her eyes open, forcing her to watch.
Katrina yelled, "Avada Kedavra!" at the same time that Callum screamed, "Confringo!"
A green light shot towards Aidan—whose betrayed but loving eyes never left Minerva's—while Callum's blue light hit Katrina and mixed with her spell.
Minerva saw both Aidan and Katrina drop to the ground, and then time sped up to its normal pace.
"Aidan!" she shrieked, falling to the ground as Riddle let her go, laughing. "I will kill you!"
Minerva reached for her wand and fired a spell, managing to hit an unsuspecting Riddle in the leg. "How dare you! Avada—"
"Be careful, little girl." Katrina jumped in front of Riddle protectively, perfectly placing a Protego so that they both remained unharmed. Minerva noticed that Katrina's hand was bleeding, most likely a consequence of Callum's Confringo. "We're more than a match for you."
"We're the same age!" Minerva screamed. She held her wand out again and hated that her hand was shaking. "Avada—"
"Minerva!" Albus arrived behind her and pointed her arm in the other direction. A tree collapsed in a haze of green smoke. "Killing is not the answer, all right? Neither of these people is worth your soul."
"Yes, they are!" she screamed again.
"His voice isn't so convincing when it's not whispering sweet nothings in your ear, now is it?" Riddle taunted. "Ooooh, look, Katrina. Your scar is disappearing."
"No!" Minerva shrieked, knowing what that implied. She felt her magic sparking at her fingertips. "No!"
Her magic fought its way out of her body, throwing Katrina and Tom back a few yards. "I will kill both of you!"
"Minnie!" Callum's voice broke through. "Let Albus handle them. You need to be here."
Minerva looked at him. It suddenly hit her that Aidan was on the ground, unmoving. "Albus—" she yelled, already running.
"I'll take care of it!" Albus called, waving his wand.
Minerva ran until she reached Aidan. "Callum, what was he hit with?"
Callum hung his head. "I think he ended up both with my Confringo and Katrina's Avada."
She thought back to their Auror training. "Doesn't that mean that the Avada should be diluted? It has to be, right?" Her gaze turned to Aidan. He was pale and still except for his shoulder, which appeared to have been blasted off. "His shoulder will be fine if we get Poppy." Minerva turned back to her brother, her eyes wide. "Get Poppy here, Cal."
Callum took his sister's hands gently. "No, Minnie. Dilution only happens in the rarest of instances, remember? The intent of spells can only combine mid-cast if the wizards or witches share twin wand cores."
"What are you saying then, Cal? Were you planning on being of use?" Minerva snapped. She shook Aidan's body. "Wake up, Aidan. We can put your shoulder back, and then all will be well. Wake up, darling."
Albus yelled, "I need some help! Quickly—they have some talisman that meddles with time!"
Callum patted his sister on the back. "Stay here."
"Where else would I go?" Minerva cried as he ran off. She maneuvered herself so that Aidan was half-laying in her lap. "It'll be all right. We'll get Poppy or someone from St. Mungo's, and we'll fix you, okay? I'm not letting our last conversation be about Charlotte's death. I need you to wake up so that you can yell at me and punch Albus in the nose again, okay?"
She looked into her husband's lifeless eyes, unwilling to believe it. The world felt strangely calm to her. This was all part of some mysterious dream, one where her brain refused to see the truth in front of her. Minerva forced herself to speak, hoping against hope that her voice would wake him up. "We'll fix you, okay? Dalton needs you. I need you."
Her voice broke as Callum and Albus returned. "Well, where are they?"
The men looked at each other. Eventually, Albus said, "They had some sort of time machine. They managed to get away."
"No!" Minerva screamed. "No, you couldn't have let that happen! We need them to pay for what happened here! For what they did!" She took a breath. One problem at a time, Minerva. Get yourself together. "It's fine. When Aidan wakes up, he can give his memory to the Aurors."
Albus took one look at Aidan and bit his lip. "Minerva, he's not waking up."
"How could you say that?" Minerva was crying now. Her head knew that Aidan had gone—had left her—but her heart wouldn't believe it. "Albus, please, you can fix this. Or Nicolas?"
Albus looked at Callum before sitting beside Minerva. He took her hands in his and squeezed them just enough for her to feel the pressure—for her to recognize the reality of the situation. "No one can bring back the dead, my dear."
"Stop saying that!" Minerva wailed. "This can't be the end! It can't!" She withdrew her hands and coiled them into fists. Holding nothing back, she began to punch Albus with all she had, enjoying the pain it caused her as it reverberated through their bond.
Albus did nothing to stop her until she eventually collapsed from exhaustion, falling into his arms.