Story of Min Chapter 4
As Minerva spun around in the fireplace on her way home, horrid pictures flooded her mind. She prayed that what she'd just seen was a dream, which never happened. When she fell out of the hearth onto her knees she could only hope that everything was all right in her house too. When she walked upstairs, her father was hurriedly scanning a section of the daily prophet, her mother looking worried in a chair next to him. When she entered the room, her father engulfed her in a backbreaking hug and as she struggled to breathe she could hear her mother's voice in the background
"Oh, Minnie we're so glad you're not hurt! I should never have let you…"
When her father released her and she could breathe again she replied, " Mum, I'm perfectly allright- nothing even happened to any of us. We were very responsible."
Her parents gave her skeptical looks.
"Really! We were!"
"Fine then, Minnie, if you say so. Run along now, go find something to do."
Minerva sighed and, giving her mother a kiss, walked outside. In the garden, by the small blue pond, she sat on a bench and thought while her fingers dragged through the warm summer waters.
"Why can't they ever believe me? I just don't understand it. I'll be seventeen soon, and still, I'm treated like a ten-year-old. I've never acted immaturely…. What did I do?"
It was thoughts like these that kept repeating themselves for several hours. Even after sunset, Minerva didn't go inside. She just sat there, thinking for hours on end.
Suddenly, in the dark, she heard footsteps, not far away. In fear, she transformed into a cat, looking warily around. There was a crowd of men in black capes and masks, seemingly entering her house from the back door. They had their wands out, and she assumed they were robbers.
With bated breath, she sat in her cat form, her paws shaking with terror, waiting for them to come out, hoping they would just take anything they wanted and leave. Tears mingled with the tabby fur on her face, silently she cried in her fear. While she sat there it seemed like an eternity until she heard a sound from inside.
There was a shriek, followed by a thud of something heavy falling. Then the same shriek, though louder, followed by another thud, and silence. Minerva hid herself, curled up, under a tree and stayed completely still, keeping her eyes squeezed shut. She sat there by that tree, all by herself for several terrifying hours, until her weary eyes closed and she drifted into a light sleep haunted by nightmares.
When she woke, dawn was breaking over the hillside. There was silence all around and nothing moved. She felt as though the world was deserted, and looked around the woods frantically. Quickly, she rose up and ran into the house, slipping slightly in the dew.
Her heart was beating so fast it was fluttering, her feet pounding on the grass. When she reached the door, she found it ajar, and peeked inside. She saw nothing. Quietly, she walked up the stairs, avoiding the steps that creaked, and the rug that always tripped her. Her eyes shifted from left to right, searching for her parents.
When she came to their bedroom, she found this door ajar also. She opened it, and looked in, expecting to see them there, hoping they'd be sitting around, reading, talking, anything. But instead, shock and dread hit her like a heavy weight swung in her face. There were her parents, lifeless on the floor. Numbness spread over Minerva's body, and she dropped to her knees. Silent tears poured down her cheeks as she kneeled there, her mother and father's cold hands in hers. A beacon of sunlight flooded the room, and lit their faces. They looked terrified.
Time seemed to be frozen, for as she sat there for hours, crying her eyes out, Minerva felt that she'd only been doing so for several minutes. Finally, hours later, she rose up to her shaky feet and did the only thing she could think of. She owled the two person she trusted and needed most now.
Professor dumbledore,
My parents have been murdered. I am alone. Please help me. No one is around. I'm afraid.
At this she paused. She had never admitted this to anyone before, but now, she supposed she had nothing to lose.
Please hurry with a type of response.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
As the letter and the owl carrying it flew away into the horizon, Minerva stood and watched, numb and alone, feeling terribly cold and devastated.
~
After that day, Minerva dropped her childish manner. She stopped laughing, smiling, or even being happy unless it was unavoidable. She lived at Hogwarts, no longer in the Gryffindor tower, though she was still a student. She only left her room for meals and classes, and attended no social gatherings. Sometimes she sat in the staff room, but found the company of anyone uncomfortable and awkward. She shunned her friends and stayed by herself, though she loved to watch other people.
Of all the people she watched over the years, she watched Remus the most. On the full moon, she would transform into her cat form, and follow him to the shrieking shack from afar. She hid and watched him, remembering when they were friends. She ached to talk to him again, but could not give up her stubborn pride and tell him why she had left him alone for so long.
So she watched James, Lily, Sirius, Peter, and Remus grow and prosper, teaching them what she could. She felt an emptiness that was new now, different than the old pangs of loneliness. It was deeper, and worse, and came most often when she saw James and Lily or when she saw Remus by himself. She could not place the feeling, or explain it, but she shared it with no one.
After James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Peter left Hogwarts, life for Minerva became duller than before, but she began speaking with the faculty, and had daily conversations with the headmaster, thinking not much more of her friends. She loosened up a bit, but her teaching stayed the same, strict and fair.
When James and Lily passed away, she mourned for weeks, and longed to take their child rather than those muggles he'd been sent to. She was not even considered as a foster parent by Dumbledore. Probably, she thought, because James and Lily had become rather distant from her.
But when Harry came to Hogwarts, though she wanted to, she could not go up to him and talk, or treat him differently than other students. She helped him onto the quidditch team, which she thought was an honor to James's memory, for he would have wanted it.
~
Just before start of term one year, she was having a discussion with Dumbledore about the faculty and new positions this year.
"So, who's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year, Albus?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, " A new one, for sure, Minerva. Never taught yet."
Minerva raised her eyebrows, " Really…"
"How odd," she thought. "Usually Dumbledore hires experienced professors." But she shrugged it off.
~
((A/N- everything that happened in the 3rd book- erase from your minds- I'm going about it my way, and this is Harry's third year- just, none of it has happened yet and I'm not planning on copying the prisoner of azkaban into my fic. So, pretend it never happened and read on!J ))
~
On the morning August 31, most of the teachers had arrived, and were busy unpacking, setting up classrooms and more. The house elves were setting up the great hall for the banquet and Dumbledore was re-checking the list of students for the sorting.
Minerva, dressed in her usual green robes, hair up, hat on, spectacles straight, was carrying a very large amount of books from the entrance hall (where they'd been delivered from flourish and blotts) to the library. Owing to the three very tall stacks in her arms, she could not see very well, and ran headlong into someone entering the hall. She landed on the floor, covered in spell and reference books, her glasses knocked off in the fray.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't see you," said a male voice from somewhere above her.
She squinted up at him, and groped around for her glasses. He handed them to her and she placed them, once again, on her face. Before her she saw a man in rather dusty, patched black robes, with light brown hair, and tired eyes crouching down to help pick up the books. She stood up, dusted herself off and pulled out her wand. Instantly, the books soared into three neat piles at her feet. She looked up at the man.
" Thank you," she said, looking at his familiar face and wondering how she knew him.
" Not a problem," he replied with a grin, " By the way, er… sorry to ask, but, do I know you? You look so familiar…"
Minerva frowned in thought, " I was about to ask you the same thing."
The man extended a hand, " Remus Lupin, pleased to meet you."
Minerva goggled at him as he stood there.
"Remus? Remus Lupin?"
Remus looked absolutely bewildered, " er… yes."
Minerva looked him up and down, " no. You're not Remus Lupin. You can't be."
Remus raised an eyebrow, and smiled, " well, I am… can't do anything about it. But who are you?"
Minerva looked up at him and replied, " what? You can't guess?"
Remus just looked more confused.
"Well, if you are Lupin, you sure have lost your touch. And your memory for that matter, since I only taught you for seven years."
And with that, she popped into her cat form and back again.
" Professor McGonagall?"
She gave him a quick smile. " Welcome back Remus."
She picked up the books and said as she walked away, " well, I must be going, Dumbledore is in the great hall, I believe, he'll show you to your quarters, and explain things to you. Goodbye." Her voice faded away with distance, and Remus stared after her until she turned a corner out of sight.
As Minerva spun around in the fireplace on her way home, horrid pictures flooded her mind. She prayed that what she'd just seen was a dream, which never happened. When she fell out of the hearth onto her knees she could only hope that everything was all right in her house too. When she walked upstairs, her father was hurriedly scanning a section of the daily prophet, her mother looking worried in a chair next to him. When she entered the room, her father engulfed her in a backbreaking hug and as she struggled to breathe she could hear her mother's voice in the background
"Oh, Minnie we're so glad you're not hurt! I should never have let you…"
When her father released her and she could breathe again she replied, " Mum, I'm perfectly allright- nothing even happened to any of us. We were very responsible."
Her parents gave her skeptical looks.
"Really! We were!"
"Fine then, Minnie, if you say so. Run along now, go find something to do."
Minerva sighed and, giving her mother a kiss, walked outside. In the garden, by the small blue pond, she sat on a bench and thought while her fingers dragged through the warm summer waters.
"Why can't they ever believe me? I just don't understand it. I'll be seventeen soon, and still, I'm treated like a ten-year-old. I've never acted immaturely…. What did I do?"
It was thoughts like these that kept repeating themselves for several hours. Even after sunset, Minerva didn't go inside. She just sat there, thinking for hours on end.
Suddenly, in the dark, she heard footsteps, not far away. In fear, she transformed into a cat, looking warily around. There was a crowd of men in black capes and masks, seemingly entering her house from the back door. They had their wands out, and she assumed they were robbers.
With bated breath, she sat in her cat form, her paws shaking with terror, waiting for them to come out, hoping they would just take anything they wanted and leave. Tears mingled with the tabby fur on her face, silently she cried in her fear. While she sat there it seemed like an eternity until she heard a sound from inside.
There was a shriek, followed by a thud of something heavy falling. Then the same shriek, though louder, followed by another thud, and silence. Minerva hid herself, curled up, under a tree and stayed completely still, keeping her eyes squeezed shut. She sat there by that tree, all by herself for several terrifying hours, until her weary eyes closed and she drifted into a light sleep haunted by nightmares.
When she woke, dawn was breaking over the hillside. There was silence all around and nothing moved. She felt as though the world was deserted, and looked around the woods frantically. Quickly, she rose up and ran into the house, slipping slightly in the dew.
Her heart was beating so fast it was fluttering, her feet pounding on the grass. When she reached the door, she found it ajar, and peeked inside. She saw nothing. Quietly, she walked up the stairs, avoiding the steps that creaked, and the rug that always tripped her. Her eyes shifted from left to right, searching for her parents.
When she came to their bedroom, she found this door ajar also. She opened it, and looked in, expecting to see them there, hoping they'd be sitting around, reading, talking, anything. But instead, shock and dread hit her like a heavy weight swung in her face. There were her parents, lifeless on the floor. Numbness spread over Minerva's body, and she dropped to her knees. Silent tears poured down her cheeks as she kneeled there, her mother and father's cold hands in hers. A beacon of sunlight flooded the room, and lit their faces. They looked terrified.
Time seemed to be frozen, for as she sat there for hours, crying her eyes out, Minerva felt that she'd only been doing so for several minutes. Finally, hours later, she rose up to her shaky feet and did the only thing she could think of. She owled the two person she trusted and needed most now.
Professor dumbledore,
My parents have been murdered. I am alone. Please help me. No one is around. I'm afraid.
At this she paused. She had never admitted this to anyone before, but now, she supposed she had nothing to lose.
Please hurry with a type of response.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
As the letter and the owl carrying it flew away into the horizon, Minerva stood and watched, numb and alone, feeling terribly cold and devastated.
~
After that day, Minerva dropped her childish manner. She stopped laughing, smiling, or even being happy unless it was unavoidable. She lived at Hogwarts, no longer in the Gryffindor tower, though she was still a student. She only left her room for meals and classes, and attended no social gatherings. Sometimes she sat in the staff room, but found the company of anyone uncomfortable and awkward. She shunned her friends and stayed by herself, though she loved to watch other people.
Of all the people she watched over the years, she watched Remus the most. On the full moon, she would transform into her cat form, and follow him to the shrieking shack from afar. She hid and watched him, remembering when they were friends. She ached to talk to him again, but could not give up her stubborn pride and tell him why she had left him alone for so long.
So she watched James, Lily, Sirius, Peter, and Remus grow and prosper, teaching them what she could. She felt an emptiness that was new now, different than the old pangs of loneliness. It was deeper, and worse, and came most often when she saw James and Lily or when she saw Remus by himself. She could not place the feeling, or explain it, but she shared it with no one.
After James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Peter left Hogwarts, life for Minerva became duller than before, but she began speaking with the faculty, and had daily conversations with the headmaster, thinking not much more of her friends. She loosened up a bit, but her teaching stayed the same, strict and fair.
When James and Lily passed away, she mourned for weeks, and longed to take their child rather than those muggles he'd been sent to. She was not even considered as a foster parent by Dumbledore. Probably, she thought, because James and Lily had become rather distant from her.
But when Harry came to Hogwarts, though she wanted to, she could not go up to him and talk, or treat him differently than other students. She helped him onto the quidditch team, which she thought was an honor to James's memory, for he would have wanted it.
~
Just before start of term one year, she was having a discussion with Dumbledore about the faculty and new positions this year.
"So, who's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year, Albus?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, " A new one, for sure, Minerva. Never taught yet."
Minerva raised her eyebrows, " Really…"
"How odd," she thought. "Usually Dumbledore hires experienced professors." But she shrugged it off.
~
((A/N- everything that happened in the 3rd book- erase from your minds- I'm going about it my way, and this is Harry's third year- just, none of it has happened yet and I'm not planning on copying the prisoner of azkaban into my fic. So, pretend it never happened and read on!J ))
~
On the morning August 31, most of the teachers had arrived, and were busy unpacking, setting up classrooms and more. The house elves were setting up the great hall for the banquet and Dumbledore was re-checking the list of students for the sorting.
Minerva, dressed in her usual green robes, hair up, hat on, spectacles straight, was carrying a very large amount of books from the entrance hall (where they'd been delivered from flourish and blotts) to the library. Owing to the three very tall stacks in her arms, she could not see very well, and ran headlong into someone entering the hall. She landed on the floor, covered in spell and reference books, her glasses knocked off in the fray.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't see you," said a male voice from somewhere above her.
She squinted up at him, and groped around for her glasses. He handed them to her and she placed them, once again, on her face. Before her she saw a man in rather dusty, patched black robes, with light brown hair, and tired eyes crouching down to help pick up the books. She stood up, dusted herself off and pulled out her wand. Instantly, the books soared into three neat piles at her feet. She looked up at the man.
" Thank you," she said, looking at his familiar face and wondering how she knew him.
" Not a problem," he replied with a grin, " By the way, er… sorry to ask, but, do I know you? You look so familiar…"
Minerva frowned in thought, " I was about to ask you the same thing."
The man extended a hand, " Remus Lupin, pleased to meet you."
Minerva goggled at him as he stood there.
"Remus? Remus Lupin?"
Remus looked absolutely bewildered, " er… yes."
Minerva looked him up and down, " no. You're not Remus Lupin. You can't be."
Remus raised an eyebrow, and smiled, " well, I am… can't do anything about it. But who are you?"
Minerva looked up at him and replied, " what? You can't guess?"
Remus just looked more confused.
"Well, if you are Lupin, you sure have lost your touch. And your memory for that matter, since I only taught you for seven years."
And with that, she popped into her cat form and back again.
" Professor McGonagall?"
She gave him a quick smile. " Welcome back Remus."
She picked up the books and said as she walked away, " well, I must be going, Dumbledore is in the great hall, I believe, he'll show you to your quarters, and explain things to you. Goodbye." Her voice faded away with distance, and Remus stared after her until she turned a corner out of sight.