"Why had no-one ever told me this?"
"Because your parents didn't want you to know." Minerva muttered flatly.
Noctua arched her eyebrows in a very McGonagall-ish way.
"Why not?"
"That, I really can't tell you…" Minerva muttered, staring at her hands in very out-of-character way. The slight redness of her cheeks made Noctua frown.
"Auntie, what is wrong here? If there is something- some… secret… about my parents, then I have the right to know. I am their daughter."
Minerva nodded. Noctua was certainly her parents' daughter. That was quite clear- in every gesture she made, in every breath she took, in every word she spoke…
"And even if it is something…" The girl shivered despite herself.
"Even if it is something- horrible… I want to know what it is, Auntie. My parents are death, Aunt Minerva, gone forever, and…"
"No!" Minerva interrupted her niece, and as the girl's gave her aunt a questioning look, she added
"No… no I cannot tell you. I cannot, here, now, just tell you… And this- this is not only my choice to make…"
"But then whose is it? My mom and dad are death. You are my last relative- well, except Uncle Albus, but strictly spoken, he isn't even related to me."
"Don't say that… I really cannot tell you, Noctua…" Minerva spoke flatly
Noctua was now staring at her really very strangely behaving aunt. Was this ever-controlled, cool, fearless, practical Auntie Minerva? This was a desperate woman speaking- her aunt spoke as if she really had no choice. As if she really couldn't… But wasn't this the woman who had learned Noctua everything about the power of your mind, the Auntie who had once said to her twelve-year old niece "you can do anything if you want to". And who had meant it?
Yet, Noctua felt pity for the older woman. Minerva couldn't tell her. She wanted to, but she couldn't. And Noctua could read in her eyes how difficult Minerva found it to admit that the "power of the mind" wasn't everything…
"Then… then…" The girl was desperately seeking a solution. She didn't want to torture her Aaunt with her questions, but she had the right to know…
"Then tell me… in a riddle!"
And suddenly, the old Minerva returned. She raised her eyebrows and sent her niece a piercing glare.
"Noctua," she then said curtly. "this is everything except a game. The secret- oh, it is not horrible… no, certainly not. But it is so long ago. The choice has been made years ago. Don't bring everything back. I can assure you that it was all very difficult for your mother and father…"
"I realize that, Auntie." Noctua's eyes were pleading.
"But if you cannot tell me… maybe a riddle can be a way for me to find it out for myself."
As Minerva saw the look in those light blue eyes of the girl, she sighed and took a piece of parchment.
"I will do it, Noctua. Only because I love you more than I love myself. But I do not know whether I am doing you a favor of not. Let me think…"
And she thought. But after about half an hour, she gave her niece the riddle she'd invented.
"This is it." she then sighed, suddenly looking way older than she was.
"Don't ask a thing. Please. Go to bed, now… And sleep well… please?"
And with a nod and a hug, Noctua left her aunt, reading eagerly the neatly written words on the parchment.
"Your first name tells it all,
your parents always bond,
in animal and symbol
The first is the second."
But she frowned.
What was this supposed to mean?
(Author Note: Yes, what does it mean? It all does make sense in a way, my dearly beloved readers! Try to find out yourselves before I solve it myself in one of my next chapters… yeah, a little mystery won't kill you ^-^!)
~*~
With a sigh and a hardly disguised sob, Minerva fell down again on her chair again. Hiding her face in her hands, she muttered
"Why have I done this? Why have I…"
"Why have you what, my dear?"
Minerva startled and looked up- right into the eyes of her husband. Albus smiled as he sat down next to her. Confusedly, Minerva frowned.
"How did you get here… Oh…" she added as she saw the open window. "I get it. Right."
"Yes." Albus grinned. "But," he then spoke seriously, laying an arm around her shoulders.
"What is wrong now, my dear."
With a heavy sigh, Minerva grabbed another piece of parchment and wrote down her riddle again.
As Albus read it, his eyes grew bigger and bigger, and as he looked up again, he spoke flatly
"Noctua?"
"Who else? She wanted to know." Minerva muttered.
"Oh." Albus responded flatly. "Right…"
"Because your parents didn't want you to know." Minerva muttered flatly.
Noctua arched her eyebrows in a very McGonagall-ish way.
"Why not?"
"That, I really can't tell you…" Minerva muttered, staring at her hands in very out-of-character way. The slight redness of her cheeks made Noctua frown.
"Auntie, what is wrong here? If there is something- some… secret… about my parents, then I have the right to know. I am their daughter."
Minerva nodded. Noctua was certainly her parents' daughter. That was quite clear- in every gesture she made, in every breath she took, in every word she spoke…
"And even if it is something…" The girl shivered despite herself.
"Even if it is something- horrible… I want to know what it is, Auntie. My parents are death, Aunt Minerva, gone forever, and…"
"No!" Minerva interrupted her niece, and as the girl's gave her aunt a questioning look, she added
"No… no I cannot tell you. I cannot, here, now, just tell you… And this- this is not only my choice to make…"
"But then whose is it? My mom and dad are death. You are my last relative- well, except Uncle Albus, but strictly spoken, he isn't even related to me."
"Don't say that… I really cannot tell you, Noctua…" Minerva spoke flatly
Noctua was now staring at her really very strangely behaving aunt. Was this ever-controlled, cool, fearless, practical Auntie Minerva? This was a desperate woman speaking- her aunt spoke as if she really had no choice. As if she really couldn't… But wasn't this the woman who had learned Noctua everything about the power of your mind, the Auntie who had once said to her twelve-year old niece "you can do anything if you want to". And who had meant it?
Yet, Noctua felt pity for the older woman. Minerva couldn't tell her. She wanted to, but she couldn't. And Noctua could read in her eyes how difficult Minerva found it to admit that the "power of the mind" wasn't everything…
"Then… then…" The girl was desperately seeking a solution. She didn't want to torture her Aaunt with her questions, but she had the right to know…
"Then tell me… in a riddle!"
And suddenly, the old Minerva returned. She raised her eyebrows and sent her niece a piercing glare.
"Noctua," she then said curtly. "this is everything except a game. The secret- oh, it is not horrible… no, certainly not. But it is so long ago. The choice has been made years ago. Don't bring everything back. I can assure you that it was all very difficult for your mother and father…"
"I realize that, Auntie." Noctua's eyes were pleading.
"But if you cannot tell me… maybe a riddle can be a way for me to find it out for myself."
As Minerva saw the look in those light blue eyes of the girl, she sighed and took a piece of parchment.
"I will do it, Noctua. Only because I love you more than I love myself. But I do not know whether I am doing you a favor of not. Let me think…"
And she thought. But after about half an hour, she gave her niece the riddle she'd invented.
"This is it." she then sighed, suddenly looking way older than she was.
"Don't ask a thing. Please. Go to bed, now… And sleep well… please?"
And with a nod and a hug, Noctua left her aunt, reading eagerly the neatly written words on the parchment.
"Your first name tells it all,
your parents always bond,
in animal and symbol
The first is the second."
But she frowned.
What was this supposed to mean?
(Author Note: Yes, what does it mean? It all does make sense in a way, my dearly beloved readers! Try to find out yourselves before I solve it myself in one of my next chapters… yeah, a little mystery won't kill you ^-^!)
~*~
With a sigh and a hardly disguised sob, Minerva fell down again on her chair again. Hiding her face in her hands, she muttered
"Why have I done this? Why have I…"
"Why have you what, my dear?"
Minerva startled and looked up- right into the eyes of her husband. Albus smiled as he sat down next to her. Confusedly, Minerva frowned.
"How did you get here… Oh…" she added as she saw the open window. "I get it. Right."
"Yes." Albus grinned. "But," he then spoke seriously, laying an arm around her shoulders.
"What is wrong now, my dear."
With a heavy sigh, Minerva grabbed another piece of parchment and wrote down her riddle again.
As Albus read it, his eyes grew bigger and bigger, and as he looked up again, he spoke flatly
"Noctua?"
"Who else? She wanted to know." Minerva muttered.
"Oh." Albus responded flatly. "Right…"
