Chapter Two

Within five seconds, the coupe was entirely empty- London was the train's final destination- except for the slender, rather tall young woman by the name of Minerva. She just sat there, back still painfully straight, knees neatly together, a serious expression on her dead pale face. Her black hair fell down her back in a long, thick braid, only accentuating that nothing less than white facial colour. She didn't cry, though- she just appeared to think.

After sheer minutes, a frown still fixed on her face, she smoothed her knee-length tartan skirt and finally left the wagon, her black, practical handbag dangling from her shoulder.

The pumps she wore made a hollow clacking noise against the stone of the now entirely empty platform. Almost unconsciously, she pulled her dark green cloak a little closer around her shoulders. But she didn't look back.

She kept on walking, until the noise of the London streets reached her ears and she almost smiled. Muggle-wise stopping a taxi, she allowed the driver to help her into the car.

Just like Frank would do.

Oh, shut up.

"Gryffin Street, please."

She absent-mindedly almost paid the taxi driver in Knuts before she finally found the few muggle coins she possessed. It gained her one weird look and, as she determinedly stepped towards the old, rather crooked house that was optimistically called "No. 36", a faint shrug of the shoulders before the taxi drove off again.

Minerva hardly noticed. Narrowing her bright green eyes, she looked up at the closed curtains of the first floor.

"I'm so sorry, Matilda..." was her soft sigh before she, carefully, knocked her gloved fist against the massive, oak door.

It was, almost immediately, thrown open by a young girl, about Minerva's age, but with long, auburn hair and the very light, sky blue eyes that were so much like her brother's. She enthusiastically smiled at the sight of her Minerva, but her mouth fell open and she could barely hide her disappointment as she noticed that her friend had come all alone.

Minerva weakly smiled, biting her lips in the process. She totally failed, though, and with a sad expression on her face she lowered her eyes.

"I am so sorry, Sera."

The other young woman quickly smiled, though- but it was a bitter smile and Minerva was way too observant a person to not notice it.

"It's okay, Min. What's his excuse this time? Too busy with the creation of his- how does he call it?- oh yes, his "imago"? In bed with a sudden strike of the flu? Or just not wanting to visit his mother for what could be the last time ever?"

Tears stood in her watery eyes as she opened the door a bit more, so as to let her friend in. Immediately, she bit her lips and forced a faint smile on her face again.

"So, Min, what's it with my dear brother?" she jovially asked, but as soon as her eyes met Minerva's, Sera knew that something was terribly wrong. No-one- not even best-friend-and-soulmate Serena Sinistra could ever call Minerva Caitriona McGonagall "Min" twice in a row and actually live to tell the tale. No-one.

"Minerva, what is wrong?"

The young woman with the black braid grimly smiled, her handbag clenched tightly to her slightly shaking chest.

"He's off to the States, to put it in his very own words. And if I know Frank- which I do- then he's not exactly planning to ever return."

She had said this all flatly, almost indifferently, but Sera knew her too well to be deceived. She narrowed her eyes.

"Off to the States?" was her surprised answer. "Without letting us know? And what about you, Min, please don't tell me you're going as well- I..."

The look in Minerva's eyes gave everything away, and Serena's jaw dropped as she brusquely ended her sentence.

"Min... what happened?"

A faint, irritated shrug of her shoulders and the inevitable sniff were the only real signs of emotion Minerva showed.

"What do you think? He wanted me to stay at home, I wanted to teach at Hogwarts. He ended up accusing me of adultery with Albus in the end. He left after that and yelled something about going to the States. I think that makes things pretty clear, doesn't it?"

The cough that followed was so undoubtedly a smothered sob that Sera threw her arms around her friend's shoulders.

"Min, I'm so sorry for you. I cannot believe this... Adultry, for God's sake, and that while he always was the one who didn't want to get married! The nerve!"

Minerva simply sniffed, then nodded and bit her lips as she stood up straight again.

"I am sorry, Sera," was her matter-of-factly answer.

"I know he is your brother and things- perhaps it's partly my fault, but..."

Here, she was interrupted, though, by nothing less than a more than disbelieving snort of her friend's.

"Your fault? Minerva, don't you ever believe that! In the past three years, you have visited your not even mother-in-law how many times? A hundred? And he, her only son, the only one she still wants to see before... you know...? Not one, not one single time did he visit her, our very own Mr. Superstar!"

Sera's bitter rant was interrupted by a weak, woman's voice, coming from upstairs.

"Serena? Who's there?"

A much softer expression crept over her rather harsh facial features as, casting Minerva a helpless look, she turned towards the staircase and replied

"Minerva, mother. She's come to visit you, I'll take her upstairs in a minute."

Minerva squeezed Serena's arm rather painfully at this remark- dark green eyes sparkling in a most terrified manner.

"Sera, what will I..."

"The truth, Min. She deserves to know the truth." was the flat reply. Serena didn't even lock eyes with her friend anymore. As Minerva didn't react, she did look up, begging eyes filled with tears.

"It can be over any moment now. She'd never forgive me if she died living a lie. You know her."

Indeed Minerva knew Matilda Sinistra, née Kerr, also known as Frank and Sera's mother. And indeed she knew that she had to tell the dying woman the truth- because she'd rather die without hope than simply close her eyes, fed by false hope.

And Minerva nodded and followed her friend, as Serena started to ascend the stairs.