Disclaimer: I do not own anything that deals with Harry Potter and all that. Anyhow..... I just wanted to say that I hope you all like this new story that I am posting. And don't worry; I am still working on Bring On The Rain (Harry Potter) and Disappearing (Labyrinth).
A/N: The plot bunnies were attacking me and felt that I just had to write this story. The plot bunnies have helped me write several others as well, but you'll have to wait for a while longer before I decide to put those up. Okay, buddies?
Strict. Disciplinary. Distant. Three words that nearly all students and even a few of the staff members might use to describe the Transfiguration teacher and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall. She was always walking or sitting with a straight back, her face etched in what seemed like an eternal frown, and her hair forever in that ridiculously tight bun which gave most people a headache just looking at it.
But to those who knew her personally knew there was more to her than meets the eye. That stern, cold vibe she gave off was just a façade. It was just a mask; an act she felt she was forced to put on from the moment she left her rooms in the morning until the time she returned to her bed at night. It was only by herself or with her closest friends she had allowed herself to shed this masquerade as one sheds his or her clothes and be free. Even if it was for just a short time each day.
She had gotten so used to tricking others into believing she was a stone wall with her emotions that she often times fooled herself as well. But after a lifetime of heartbreak and disappointment, she felt she had no choice but to protect her heart from that final blow that could kill her.
Only her two best friends, Poppy Pomphrey and Xiomara Hooch, knew the love she secretly held for their boss, Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts and defeater of Grindlewald. It was possible that they knew before even Minerva knew herself. But when Minerva finally did realize it, she forbade Poppy and Xiomara from telling anyone- especially Albus. The pain of rejection from yet another man would prove to be just too great. She was not yet ready to lose their strong friendship from the fact that she was unloved. Not again... Not after what her last encounter with a man.
She sighed heavily as she leaned against her now closed her bedroom door. They had just had their farewell dinner and tomorrow morning, the students will all be gone. Normally, she would watch from the Astronomy Tower as the distant train carried her students away. But this year, several of her seventh years had asked her to wave to them from the platform. She didn't want to disappoint them, especially since she had really enjoyed having a few of them as students.
Making her way to her private bathroom, she shrugged off her outer robes, leaving nothing but a silk, black undergarment that stopped just above her knees. Because she was so tired, she didn't bother to pick up her dirty robes, leaving them, instead, on the floor. She'd pick them up after a long, relaxing bath.
She walked into her bathroom and turned on the tub faucet to full blast. Steam started to slowly rise up as water landed in the tub. This was, indeed, a most welcoming sight. Minerva removed the silky slip and then the pins that contained her hair for the better part of her life. Her ebony hair cascaded down her back, streaks of grey lining mainly the front. She was just about to remove the last of her undergarments when she heard a knock on her door. Her face fell in disappointment as she looked at the tub, now full with streaming hot water. Sighing heavily, she regretfully turned the faucet off, wrapped her pink robe around her body, and headed for the door.
"Who is it?" she called.
"Minerva? Minerva, quickly. Open up, hurry!" A blush crept slowly up her cheeks as she recognized the voice of Albus. But she paid no heed to it as she quickly opened the door.
"My goodness, Albus, what is it?" she asked. Albus thanked his lucky stars he had a long beard and hair, for it now served as a great shield to the blush that rose at the sight of Minerva in a robe.
"You need to come with me, and quickly!" he exclaimed.
"What has happened?" Minerva inquired as she followed him down the hall. She noticed he was not looking at her as they rushed past students, all of whom were really frightened. Perhaps she shoes a wrong time to take a bath!
"There has been an attack on a student," Albus said. They rounded a corner and walked quickly down the hall. Minerva noticed they were heading for the Gryffindor tower. Her heart skipped a beat.
"An attack?" she breathed. "But Albus, the Dark Lord has been defeated!"
"Not him," said Albus. "Another has attacked Colin."
"Colin Creevy has been attacked?" gasped Minerva. Albus said nothing, but looked at her worriedly. Then, he turned his attention to the hallway ahead of them. Minerva couldn't believe that Colin had been attacked... especially on his graduation night. "How did it happen?"
"Colin says it happened in his dreams," said Albus. "Apparently, a dark figure entered his dreams and commanded him to kill. Colin, of course, refused. And when the figure threatened to kill hi, Colin ran away. In his dream, he was running through a forest. He was almost in the clearing when he was hit from behind, dropping him to the ground. This caused him to gall into a series of convulsions." By now, they had reached the Fat Lady's portrait. Albus muttered the password and they entered.
"In fact, that was how one of the other boys found him," Albus continued, allowing Minerva to enter before him. "Convulsing in his bed."
"Poor boy," sighed Minerva. She looked around and saw several students pacing. As soon as the students laid eyes on the newcomers, they rushed up to them and fired many questions at them at a time.
"Children, children, please calm down!" called Minerva. Everyone looked at her, fright clear in their eyes. It pained her to see her students, her precious cubs, scared to the point of panic.
"Are they going to come after all of us, Professor McGonagall?" inquired Ginny Weasly, another seventh year. Minerva just turned to her, her eyes softening slightly.
"I do not know, Miss Weasly," she admitted. "The best thing you can do right now is just sit here and wait for either Professor Dumbledore or myself to come back down and debrief you on the situation." With that, she went up to the boy's dormitory, followed closely by Albus.
"I think you dealt with that magnificently, Minerva," he commented.
"Thank you, Albus," she replied.
"You truly are a mother to those children! You look after them as if they were your own."
"I sometimes wish one of them were," whispered Minerva. Albus was very intrigued by his last comment, but had no time to respond or question her about it, for they had reached Colin Creevy's room. Poppy Pomphrey, Xiomara Hooch, Sylvia Sprout, and Severus Snape were already there. Poppy was busy caring for Colin as he lay in his bed, appearing almost lifeless (save for his rantings). Xiomara and Sylvia were condoling two of Colin's closest friends, and Severus was busy brewing a potion.
"What is the latest, Poppy?" Minerva inquired, walking over to the bed. Her friend recognized her robe, but made no comment when meeting Minerva's warning glare.
"He's been shaken pretty bad, but I'm sure he'll make it through the night okay. I should take him to the hospital wing so he can rest there." Minerva nodded.
"Have his parents been notified, Albus?" questioned Xiomara.
"Yes, I have sent Hagrid to the owlrey with the letter," Albus replied.
"What are you brewing, Severus?" Minerva asked, looking at the potions master and Head of Slytherin house.
"A sleeping drought," he replied, bringing a small wile of purple liquid. "Very heavy sleeping drought." He handed the vile to Poppy, who nodded and force fed it to the delusional boy, who kept ranting about a scary man after him. Almost instantly, he collapsed on his pillow and slipped into dreamland.
"And he's out," smiled Poppy, sighing with relief. "You added the ingredient to ensure him a dreamless sleep, right, Severus?" She checked the boyes pulse as she asked this.
"Of course I did, woman," huffed Severus, folding his arms and rolling his eyues. Poppy simply ignored him, levitated the now sleeping teen, and carried him down the steps and out of the Gryffindor common room. Minerva rubbed her eyes.
"You look tired, my dear," said Albus.
"I am," sighed Minerva.
"You look like hell," commented Severus. Minerva glared at him.
"Thank you, Severus," she spat.
"He's got a point, though, Min," Sylvia chimed in. "It seems you've been growing more tired and pale each time I see you."
"I just... haven't been getting enough sleep lately," sighed Minerva, standing up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. Good night to you all." With that, she swiftly left and headed for her room.
When she entered her bathroom, she noticed the water was no longer as hot as she would have wanted it to be. Sure, it was fairly warm, but all the steam was gone. Cursing her luck, she grabbed her wand from where she'd left it on her bed, went back to the tub, and muttered a heating spell. Once it had reached the precise temperature she desired, she set her wand down again, threw off her robe, took off the remaining undergarments, and lowered herself into the tub. It felt so good. She hadn't realized until just then how tired, or how tense, she really was. But it all came from worrying like a mother hen.
She sighed again. She really did want a child. And though she was well into her eighties, she knew she was still capable of having children. You see, people age at a much slower rate than those in the muggle realm. So Minerva was still capable of child-bearing, though her time to do so was shrinking quickly. True, she was no spring chicken. But as everyone knew, Minerva Katherine McGonagall was very strong, both physically and emotionally, for a woman her age.
She leaned her head back as she remembered the one factor that had stopped her from having the child she desperately wanted. She was unmarried. She was, after all, a lady, and would never become involved in a passionate relationship unless she had two rings on her finger: one with a diamond (no matter how big or small), and one gold.
Sadly, there was only one man she wanted... and he was not in love with her. This filled her heart with great sadness. Getting out of the tub and wrapping a towel around herself, she began to tear up. She loved him, but he didn't love her. What was she to do?
To be continued.....