When the Slytherins and Gryffindors filed into the classroom, Minerva McGonagall felt her face assume its usual stern expression. She realised with some pride that nothing in this world could keep her from teaching a regular Transfiguration lesson, once she had decided to do so.
'Today,' she began without much unnecessary chit-chat, 'we will be turning beetles into buttons. Like so.' She demonstrated the procedure she intended to teach them, and only a couple of minutes later the students were busy trying to persuade a mere tailor's device to grow legs and wings and start crawling around. Today, Minerva had resolved, she would take a closer look at the less gifted students, as it was time to hand out grade sheets and she had not decided what to give everyone yet.
'Not like that, Mr. Pettigrew,' she snapped as a small, fat boy made a grotesque wand movement towards the button. 'You need to preserve your subtlety. Do as I do.' She gave a short demonstration of what she expected and left the boy to practise by himself again. She had now spotted a girl in the back of the class, who seemed to be in desperate need of help. Minerva hurried to assist her, when a sudden explosion at the front made her and most of the students jump and whirl around. Thick smoke was arising from one of the tables and she could smell burnt flesh. A bark of laughter emerged from somewhere near the source of the accident and Minerva felt her face flush.
'Mr. Black,' she bellowed, 'this is neither funny nor clever. I thought better of-'
'Oh, but it wasn't me, Professor,' Sirius Black's dark voice came through the smoke. Seconds later he was standing in front of her, holding a perfectly shaped little beetle in his hand. 'It was Snape. Seems he was a bit... over-enthusiastic.'
'You shot my beetle,' said a squeaky voice from behind the smoke and Minerva waved her wand. The sight was clear at an instant. Only a soft vapour was left, hanging over the tables and under the ceiling like an indistinct veil of fog or rain. A pair of furious black eyes were flashing at Sirius Black and James Potter, who seemed to have great difficulties keeping their faces straight. Admittedly, of course, the sight of Severus Snape standing next to what was more or less a crater, holding his burnt wand in his black, smoking hands, had some comic potential. Minerva, however, refused to laugh.
'What happened?' she said sharply, not looking at Potter and Black for a change, but at Snape, who seemed to be the only one capable of speaking at the moment.
'I told you,' he said hesitantly, now back to his usual whisper, 'H-he shot my beetle. And they jinxed my wand. One of them, anyway. It b-burnt right through my thumb.' He was on the verge of tears. Naturally, Minerva thought, considering the state of his hand, which she had now taken a second look at. The boy would have to go to the hospital wing and have his flesh re-grown. She was slightly surprised that he was not howling with pain. Determined mind, she decided, despite appearances.
'And how would we have done that?' James Potter now sharply retorted Snape's accusation. 'Jinxing wands is classified as Dark Magic and practically impossible. I couldn't jinx a wand if my life depended on it. You?'
He looked at Black who shrugged. 'Test me.'
'The idiot blew up his desk because he got angry that his button wouldn't move,' remarked James and grinned. 'That's what you get for not doing your essays, Snivellus!'
'Snivellus?!?' Another bark of laughter filled the room and Sirius Black slammed himself onto a desk, clearly unable to control himself any longer. 'Snivellus! However did you come up with that?'
'Get a grip onto yourself, Black,' Minerva said with a severe look. 'You know I don't allow fighting in my class, Potter. Soothe yourselves - both of you.'
'Sorry, Professor,' they said quickly. But the damage was done. Young Snape had almost completely crawled behind the window curtains, trying to hide the tears that were inevitably pouring down his face. Minerva took a deep breath.
'Hospital wing, Snape,' she finally said in a would-be-comforting voice. 'Mr. Nott, would you be so kind as to keep him company?'
It took some persuasion to make Snape leave his shelter behind the curtains, but since Minerva had taken charge of the situation now, no one dared throwing a derisive remark at him as he and Timothy Nott left the classroom
'Let me have a look what you have accomplished so far,' she finally demanded, eager to bring the students' concentration back to their beetles. 'Potter, you will need some wings there. Black, I shall take a closer look at yours, if you please.'
It was late when the Deputy Headmistress finally left the Transfiguration classroom to return to the number of small room she called her private quarters. The day of a teacher was long and strenuous, she found. It began with classes and ended with the correction of essays. But it was the life she had chosen, and it was good the way it was.
She found that the corridors at this time of the day were wonderfully deserted, naturally, as the children were just about to extinguish the lights in their dormitory now. At least that was the rule. Whether most of them followed it was every night her most puzzling question. Especially when she was on night watch duty. Not this week, thankfully, but often enough.
Minerva sighed and unlocked the portrait hole to her dormitory by transfiguring the man on top of one of the horses it into a mouse. A nice touch, she had thought at the time when she had been thinking about a way of locking her belongings away. Some men deserved to be transfigured into animals.
Before she got the chance of entering, however, locking out all the stress and the inconvenience of the everyday school life for another eight or so hours, she heard footsteps approaching from somewhere in the corridor and she stopped, waiting to see who might be wanting to see her at this time of the night.
The footsteps stopped and Minerva realised that she was looking in the wrong direction.
'Minerva McGillivray.'
The voice behind her was deep and gentle, and she recognised it at an instant.
'Mr. Lupin,' she said, turning, looking into the eyes of an elderly man with messy hair and overlarge glasses, behind which a pair of blue eyes was twinkling at her in a very Albus-like manner. 'Are ye sure this time of the day is wisely chosen for a visit? There are bairns on the loose, you know.'
He smiled. 'Indeed.'
'Indeed,' she said and they were gazing at each other for a long time before she finally gave in, pulling him in a short, hearty embrace and admitted him into the small living-room that was part of her private quarters.
'I would never have thought Hogwarts this big,' said Lupin, taking a good look around her quarters as well, his eyes still in a playful twinkle. 'And this beautiful.'
'It is a great castle,' Minerva agreed with a sigh. 'Ye havnae bin here before?'
'Dumbledore has invited me several times over the years, but somehow the thought of hundreds of children with wands and abilities such as my son's and my wife's makes me exceedingly nervous.'
He grinned. Minerva smiled again.
'So, what made ye change yer mind?'
She watched his expression grow more serious and decided that it was, perhaps, time for an eavesdropping spell. With a flick of her wand the door was sealed.
'You know, of course,' said Mr. Lupin quietly when she had settled down again, 'that we are still working tirelessly on the case of the... animal that has... caused my son's monthly... transformation.'
Minerva nodded. The subject was still an uncomfortable one for him. She could sense it in every word he uttered.
'Albus mentions it occasionally,' she said quietly. 'But... he more or less skipped the details, a believe.'
Mr. Lupin nodded gravely. 'Maybe it is better this way.'
'So... why heiv ye come noo?' said Minerva, 'feeling that this was a difficult subject to approach with him.
'I've decided to come because I heard about the appointment of your new Potions teacher,' said Mr. Lupin slowly, watching her expression with the utmost interest. 'I hear it is one of the lads from the border taking a year off?'
'Rodney?' said Minerva in surprise. 'Why - d'ye suspect...' She had to take in the accusation that lay behind his words and took a few breaths before shaking her head with the utmost caution, so as to not offend him. 'A dinnae ken a' the details of his life, naturally,' she said, 'but a can assure you that Albus and a heiv bin looking closely at his records...'
'He stands directly under the command of Lance Snape,' said Mr. Lupin quietly. 'And although neither of this... soldier folk have any appreciation for the subject of Potions - not that I could judge, of course - he agrees to take the only available vacant position at Hogwarts... as though he'd do anything just to be here at this specific time.'
'A refuse tae believe that Rodney Robertson is planning an assassination on the grounds of his superior having a... dislike for his chosen subject,' Minerva snapped. 'Seriously, d'ye heiv any proof backing up this theory other than your dislike for the Robertson family?'
'I do not dislike the Robertson family,' said Mr. Lupin quietly. 'But I have a pair of eyes. And I have put a great deal of effort into researching this, given that it was a border's soldier who was responsible for the... accident involving my son.'
'But it could heiv bin everyone!' raged Minerva, feeling her face flush with hot anger, as always when someone was basing accusations on an old, brooding hatred. 'A think you are being irrational, Mr. Lupin. Yer oe might nae be tae yer subtle taste, but a daresay ye cannae make a criminal oot of him because of yer personal feud with yer guid-brither.'
She was really angry now, feeling that if she got any angrier he would be unable to understand her any longer, so, with an air of reasonable she took a deep breath, going back to just glaring at him.
Mr. Lupin was still smiling.
'As I say,' he said quietly, sounding as good-humoured as ever, 'I have reason to believe that he has contact with doubtful subjects. Werewolf breeders aren't to my taste either, I admit, but...'
'Ye cannae even do that!' stormed Minerva. 'How on earth wid ye want tae "breed" a creature that is human, most of the time?'
Mr. Lupin's look clouded, just for a moment, and Minerva regretted her words at an instant.
'A'm sorry,' she said quietly. 'Dinnae listen tae me raging nonsense. Yer son is a guid lad, granted. But the problem remains that yer accusations are unfounded.'
'I am not accusing anyone,' said Mr. Lupin after a short while. 'I am conveying facts to you, Mrs. McGillivray.'
'McGonagall,' said Minerva automatically, without looking up from the table. Her friend raised an eyebrow.
'You are married?'
'Divorced,' snapped Minerva indignantly, thinking that her legal status was the last thing she wanted to discuss with a Muggle lawyer. 'Well, what do you expect me to do? Question him?'
Mr. Lupin, who had obviously intended to drop a further remark, changed his mind and gave her a thoughtful look instead, looking fairly reasonable again.
'Most importantly,' he said, 'have an eye on him. Watch his steps. See to that none of your students come to harm whilst he is here.'
Minerva tried to consider this. 'That would be a breech of protocol,' she said sternly. 'He is a member of our staff. A shall stay alert, but I willnae heiv him watched over some random accusations of his father's archenemy.'
Mr. Lupin seemed to consider this. 'Very well,' he said eventually. 'You must do as you see fit. And I trust you, of course, but consider yourself warned. There are things going on outside Hogwarts, Minerva. Dangerous plottings. And while this school is one of the few places I still consider to be safe, I cannot grant how long this will be the case if Dumbledore and you are not more careful in choosing your staff members in future.'
Minerva remained silent for a while, then sighed and leaned forward slightly, surveying him closely through her small spectacles. 'You seem very well informed.'
'That is what I am being paid for,' said Mr. Lupin coolly. 'To keep my eyes and ears open around my world and yours. And I must say, considering the lack of safety standards you wizarding folk are apparently used to, I can understand why you would need such things as Muggle mediators and spies all over the place.' He leaned forward as well, now looking more serious than ever. 'You just have no. Idea. What is happening,' he said quietly. 'Your world - our world, possibly, is heading towards a war. Another one. Worse, maybe, than the last. I do not know. But I recognise the circumstances that precede a war. And I have known and observed the wizarding world for long enough to tell when things are getting heated. Right now, in the Ministry of Magic, an astounding number of people will be voting against Muggleborn school governors. They have been doing votings for over a month now, trying to get an overall idea of how people think about the ongoing discussions. And hardly any of the votings went very well from our perspective, I can assure you.'
Minerva stared at him, marvelling about the amount of information he had collected, wondering whether it was actually healthy for a Muggle to know this much about the wizarding world. He was a Muggle, after all...
'Well,' she said weakly after a while, 'Whatever we might be... "heading" at... a trust Albus tae find a way oot. If he disnae, no one else will.'
Mr. Lupin hurried to assure her that she was not.
'It was Albus who teached me to hold a person innocent till their guilt is proven,' said Minerva firmly. 'Tae meet them with respect... and tae gie second chances.'
She looked directly into his eyes, feeling that she might as well lecture him, even though he had never been one of her students.
Mr. Lupin seemed pensive.
'Do as you please,' he said eventually. 'Maybe this is a matter that escapes my limited Muggle view...'
'Dinnae be ridiculous,' snapped Minerva. 'A value yer advice. But a must take steps as a see fit. And ma conscience tells me tae go easy on Rodney Robertson.'
Mr. Lupin nodded and raised.
'I understand. Only please... be careful with whom you surround yourself these days, will you? In general, I mean?'
Minerva got up as well, nodding. She hesitated for a while, fighting against an inner urge that had been nagging her for some time, and eventually gave in.
'Ye dinnae... happen tae heiv any news from the border? How...' she hesitated some more, 'how are they getting on?'
Mr. Lupin gave her a look that could have meant everything and nothing, then smirked.
Did the man know everything?
'I haven't heard much from them lately,' he said pensively. 'It seems to me that a certain Assistant Commissioner has his men well under control in times like this.'
Minerva frowned. 'Who?'
'Assistant Commissioner Lance Snape, of course,' said Lupin, not indicating what he did or did not know. 'He has been promoted in preparation for his transfer to Africa. Didn't you know? He has been appointed Lieutenant in one of the largest training camps down there. He is a rags-to-riches person, all right. At least as far as the army is concerned.'
'Wait a moment,' said Minerva, looking irritated. 'Are ye saying they appointed him Lieutenant down in M'bwa? On a permanent basis?'
Lupin nodded.
'But he has family up in London,' said Minerva sternly. 'A wife - sick, if I am not mistaken - and a son.'
'Well, but his son would be at Hogwarts most of the time, isn't he?' stated Mr. Lupin. 'And anyway, he is not going before the end of the year. Apart from the fact that you wizarding folk seem to have means of travelling rather fast from one point to the other?'
'Naturally, naturally,' sighed Minerva. 'It willnae be that much of a problem, but still... I dinnae think he should go.'
'I'll tell him when we meet again,' offered Mr. Lupin, ruggedly pulling Minerva from her daydreams.
'No!' There was a short break. Minerva found herself giving her opposite an embarrassed grin. 'That... willnae be necessary. Knowing him, he will only... draw the wrong conclusions.'
Mr. Lupin gave her a surprised smile and nodded.
'As you wish.'
He held out his hand.
'It has been my pleasure talking to you, Professor McGonagall,' he said smilingly. 'I have a feel that we shall meet again soon.'
Minerva nodded took his hand and nodded. Merely. Her thoughts were somewhere else, very far away, and remained there, long after Lupin had left the castle again.
