```Chapter 8```
"Minerva I'm growing tired of you saying such rude remarks." Grindelwald said, looking as serious as a mischievous child and maintaining the same evil glint in his eyes. "Since you are so disobedient we will have to start our work today." He turned and looked at the widow as a large tawny owl flew in with big yellow eyes. Grindelwald took the scroll from the owl and smiled. "A letter to you, Miss McGonagall." He sneered as he tore it open.
"Dear Minnie," he read out loud with a larger smirk than before. "How are you? Did you arrive home safely and with out a hassle? I should hope so. I am lovely and in good health and all is well here except for the absence of my dearest friend. (that means you) Just a quick letter to check up on you and tell you I miss you so much! Love, Poppy." Grindelwald leered even more and Tom joined him. Minerva felt a sickening feeling grow in her stomach and she fought temptation to wince.
"Could this letter be from the one and only Poppy Pomfrey?" Tom asked, looking more evil by the moment. Minerva glared at him but did not answer. Briellie shrank back sobbing again into Albert as he moved to place a protective arm around her.
"Well Miss McGonagall?" Grindelwald questioned, taking a step forward to back Minerva into the wall for a second time.
"Yes." Minerva said softly yet heatedly, the one word saving her mother from more torture but undoubtedly writing off her friend to certainly worse torture.
"The very same Medi-witch who has clutched at the heart of our dear Auror friend Alastor Moody?" Grindelwald asked, knowing well enough it was the same and just trying to generate more trepidation in Minerva's mind.
"Yes." Minerva said again, looking more distraught by the moment.
"Fetch a quill and parchment." Grindelwald said callously and with out the slightest hint of why. Minerva stared at him dumbfounded. "Go you stupid girl or I shall kill one of your parents!" Minerva rushed through the kitchen and down a short hall way into her fathers study and came back a moment later to see Tom standing next to a pulled out dining room chair. Minerva sat down daintily and placed the quill, ink and parchment in front of her.
"You are going to write a letter to Poppy." Grindelwald said with a business-like air about him as he sat across from her. "In the letter you will not tell Poppy anything of the affairs that have been held in this house. Instead you will talk about how you were quite bored on the train but welcomed home graciously. You will then ask her when she can come for a visit because your mother is dying for guests. Also inquire after Mr. Moody." Grindelwald said tenting his fingers on the table.
"And if I refuse?" Minerva asked, looking cold before she could register in her mind what consequences would follow.
'That was so stupid. Oh Merlin help me, don't let them hurt mum again.' Minerva thought helplessly.
"If you refuse I will personally hunt down the petty wench and kill her in front of her lover." Grindelwald said fiercely, loosing his calm and collected façade for a moment. Minerva blinked once in surprise, not expecting him to threaten Poppy, but her parents. "Write." He said fiercely.
Minerva began writing very carefully and taking her time. Tom read over her shoulder and repeated back each sentence to Grindelwald.
"Dear Poppy, How are you? All is well and good here. The trip on the train was boring but I was welcomed home with a great celebration as always. Poppy I was wondering if you'd like to come stay here for a while. Mum wants guests very badly and it's been ages since she's seen you- not to mention I'd love to have some company. We always seem to have much to talk about and I, though you are not, am much to lazy to write such long letters and usually need responses half way through a long story, so I stop. When can you come? Soon. I miss you too. Love, Minerva." Tom smiled lightly. "Why didn't you sign Minnie?" he asked, seeming slightly annoyed with her for it.
"I hate that name. It's repulsive." Minerva said, looking at him with a clear annoyance.
"Start signing your letters as Minnie." Tom ordered, leaving no room for discussion. Minerva contained her temptation to explode with the rain of Scottish temper that had welled up in her.
"I have no intention of writing more letters." Minerva said, no facial expression daring to cross her face.
"Oh but you will." Grindelwald assured her. "Right now you are going to write a letter to Dumbledore." Minerva stared at him in frozen shock as Briellie and Albert stood up shakily, Albert trying to console the hysteric witch in his arms, and Moosy darted into the kitchen.
"You can not make her write to Dumbledore." Albert said in a deathly threatening whisper. Briellie whimpered and walked towards Grindelwald and sat very delicately on his lap, staring at Albert with a cold expression.
"Good little mud-blood pet." Grindelwald patted Briellie's head and smiled at Albert. "There is nothing I can not do." He said with a narcissistic flare in his voice.
Minerva's lip trembled and she stared at her mother in shock before looking away.
'Why? Why is he doing this to us? Why is he-' and Minerva stopped short as she saw a small puff of fire in the fireplace and the head of her sister appear.
"Mum? Da? Minnie?" she called, looking around.
At that moment Minerva had to fight valiantly not to scream at her sister to leave.
'No- not Kaity too. She's got her children-"Minerva stopped thinking as a wand poked into the back of her head.
A/N: Ok, I know, it took a while to update and this sucks. But I have excuses: 1, I did not feel like writing. I didn't know what was going to happen in the story. 2, Darlingdearheart got a lot worse, despite her arguing on the subject. It had me worried sick. 3, I was wanting to read other fanfics that I liked. i.e. Psychological Warfare, Moody, Alastor Moody and other fics that get me thinking.
Really, I know the chapter sucks. But according to darlingdearheart: 'It was so heartless of you to leave people like that- wondering what was going to happen after you- Little Miss- promised another chapter after such and such reviews. How dreadful of you! Apologize!'
So I'm sorry.
Thanks to all the reviewers, like Jestana and Palanfanaiel. You guys all rock.
No more demanding reviews... although I think you know I'd like a lot- because the more I have the more I get thinking about the story during school and the more I feel like writing.
Peace Out,
S.T.
"Minerva I'm growing tired of you saying such rude remarks." Grindelwald said, looking as serious as a mischievous child and maintaining the same evil glint in his eyes. "Since you are so disobedient we will have to start our work today." He turned and looked at the widow as a large tawny owl flew in with big yellow eyes. Grindelwald took the scroll from the owl and smiled. "A letter to you, Miss McGonagall." He sneered as he tore it open.
"Dear Minnie," he read out loud with a larger smirk than before. "How are you? Did you arrive home safely and with out a hassle? I should hope so. I am lovely and in good health and all is well here except for the absence of my dearest friend. (that means you) Just a quick letter to check up on you and tell you I miss you so much! Love, Poppy." Grindelwald leered even more and Tom joined him. Minerva felt a sickening feeling grow in her stomach and she fought temptation to wince.
"Could this letter be from the one and only Poppy Pomfrey?" Tom asked, looking more evil by the moment. Minerva glared at him but did not answer. Briellie shrank back sobbing again into Albert as he moved to place a protective arm around her.
"Well Miss McGonagall?" Grindelwald questioned, taking a step forward to back Minerva into the wall for a second time.
"Yes." Minerva said softly yet heatedly, the one word saving her mother from more torture but undoubtedly writing off her friend to certainly worse torture.
"The very same Medi-witch who has clutched at the heart of our dear Auror friend Alastor Moody?" Grindelwald asked, knowing well enough it was the same and just trying to generate more trepidation in Minerva's mind.
"Yes." Minerva said again, looking more distraught by the moment.
"Fetch a quill and parchment." Grindelwald said callously and with out the slightest hint of why. Minerva stared at him dumbfounded. "Go you stupid girl or I shall kill one of your parents!" Minerva rushed through the kitchen and down a short hall way into her fathers study and came back a moment later to see Tom standing next to a pulled out dining room chair. Minerva sat down daintily and placed the quill, ink and parchment in front of her.
"You are going to write a letter to Poppy." Grindelwald said with a business-like air about him as he sat across from her. "In the letter you will not tell Poppy anything of the affairs that have been held in this house. Instead you will talk about how you were quite bored on the train but welcomed home graciously. You will then ask her when she can come for a visit because your mother is dying for guests. Also inquire after Mr. Moody." Grindelwald said tenting his fingers on the table.
"And if I refuse?" Minerva asked, looking cold before she could register in her mind what consequences would follow.
'That was so stupid. Oh Merlin help me, don't let them hurt mum again.' Minerva thought helplessly.
"If you refuse I will personally hunt down the petty wench and kill her in front of her lover." Grindelwald said fiercely, loosing his calm and collected façade for a moment. Minerva blinked once in surprise, not expecting him to threaten Poppy, but her parents. "Write." He said fiercely.
Minerva began writing very carefully and taking her time. Tom read over her shoulder and repeated back each sentence to Grindelwald.
"Dear Poppy, How are you? All is well and good here. The trip on the train was boring but I was welcomed home with a great celebration as always. Poppy I was wondering if you'd like to come stay here for a while. Mum wants guests very badly and it's been ages since she's seen you- not to mention I'd love to have some company. We always seem to have much to talk about and I, though you are not, am much to lazy to write such long letters and usually need responses half way through a long story, so I stop. When can you come? Soon. I miss you too. Love, Minerva." Tom smiled lightly. "Why didn't you sign Minnie?" he asked, seeming slightly annoyed with her for it.
"I hate that name. It's repulsive." Minerva said, looking at him with a clear annoyance.
"Start signing your letters as Minnie." Tom ordered, leaving no room for discussion. Minerva contained her temptation to explode with the rain of Scottish temper that had welled up in her.
"I have no intention of writing more letters." Minerva said, no facial expression daring to cross her face.
"Oh but you will." Grindelwald assured her. "Right now you are going to write a letter to Dumbledore." Minerva stared at him in frozen shock as Briellie and Albert stood up shakily, Albert trying to console the hysteric witch in his arms, and Moosy darted into the kitchen.
"You can not make her write to Dumbledore." Albert said in a deathly threatening whisper. Briellie whimpered and walked towards Grindelwald and sat very delicately on his lap, staring at Albert with a cold expression.
"Good little mud-blood pet." Grindelwald patted Briellie's head and smiled at Albert. "There is nothing I can not do." He said with a narcissistic flare in his voice.
Minerva's lip trembled and she stared at her mother in shock before looking away.
'Why? Why is he doing this to us? Why is he-' and Minerva stopped short as she saw a small puff of fire in the fireplace and the head of her sister appear.
"Mum? Da? Minnie?" she called, looking around.
At that moment Minerva had to fight valiantly not to scream at her sister to leave.
'No- not Kaity too. She's got her children-"Minerva stopped thinking as a wand poked into the back of her head.
A/N: Ok, I know, it took a while to update and this sucks. But I have excuses: 1, I did not feel like writing. I didn't know what was going to happen in the story. 2, Darlingdearheart got a lot worse, despite her arguing on the subject. It had me worried sick. 3, I was wanting to read other fanfics that I liked. i.e. Psychological Warfare, Moody, Alastor Moody and other fics that get me thinking.
Really, I know the chapter sucks. But according to darlingdearheart: 'It was so heartless of you to leave people like that- wondering what was going to happen after you- Little Miss- promised another chapter after such and such reviews. How dreadful of you! Apologize!'
So I'm sorry.
Thanks to all the reviewers, like Jestana and Palanfanaiel. You guys all rock.
No more demanding reviews... although I think you know I'd like a lot- because the more I have the more I get thinking about the story during school and the more I feel like writing.
Peace Out,
S.T.
