Fawkes' method of travel, while expedient, had never truly sat well with Minerva, and today was no exception. With a brilliant flash of red, the two appeared just outside the main doors of Hogwarts. Unlike her cottage, the skies around the school were a brilliant blue, dotted occasionally with a bright white fluffy cloud. The air was crisp but not cold, and a light breeze carried the falling leaves through the air. They rustled as they passed by, on their way toward the forest.
Minerva released her death grip of Fawkes' tail as a wave of nausea washed over her. Perhaps it was the heat that he radiated, but Minerva suddenly remembered exactly why she always insisted on apparating separately when Fawkes was needed. Another gust came up and wrapped around her as she leaned against the cool stones of the ancient castle, willing her stomach to relax. She took an odd comfort in the slight roughness beneath her cheek and the cold that seeped into her. It was still the same. Despite everything that had happened, Hogwarts still stood, silent and proud. It had stood for a millennium before she arrived, and, gods willing, it would stand long after she was gone. That irrefutable fact brought a comfort to her troubled mind.
Minerva pushed herself upright again, taking a deep breath, and another, before straightening her shoulders. "Wish me luck Fawkes," she said, stroking his head gently. He butted her hand once before disappearing in another flash. Minerva let her hand reach out and run slowly along the giant oak doors. Even after all these years she could still feel the overpowering hum that reverberated in the very foundations. As it pulsed through her again, she knew it. She was home. Before her courage failed her, Minerva pushed on the heavy doors and did her best to slip through unnoticed. Unfortunately for her, she had forgotten to check the time, and she entered just as students were changing classes.
Immediately, she was surrounded by hundreds of chatting and laughing students, most of whom didn't even seem to realize she was there. She simply stood for a moment and watched. Flashes of red or silver caught her eye in the sea of black robes. She watched as a group of girls stood in a corner, exclaiming over the newest article in Witches Weekly. No doubt there was a new quiz to determine just who would ask them to the winter ball or something just as trivial, but she smiled anyway. Boys walked together, trying to outdo each other in the alphabet belching games. She was equally pleased and disturbed that it appeared to be a Gryffindor that won the honor, making it all the way to T before he ran out of steam.
She soon realized, much to her displeasure, that she must of been standing there far longer than necessary when she spotted two students watching her from across the corridor. They both had to be at least sixth years by their height, but given how they were staring, she would hazard seventh years instead. One of them looked somewhat familiar. He was taller certainly, and had grown up to be quite handsome, but Minerva was sure she could still see a small Aries Borden staring back from behind his transfiguration essay. He had been hopeless then. 'I wonder if he's improved?' she wondered.
Minerva was about to follow the wall to avoid the crowds in a last ditch effort, but she had stayed too long. The two students were headed directly toward her. There was no hesitation, no awkwardness when the two boys stopped directly before her, coming eye to eye for the first time. "Professor McGonagall?" the taller of the two spoke, the slight question in his voice belaying the confidence her projected.
"Mr. Borden," she replied, lifting her eyebrow ever so slightly. She watched in silent amusement as his back straightened ever so slightly. She still had it. In a move that surprised them both, he reached out and wrapped her in a tight hug before pulling back as if slapped. A bright red flush worked its way up his face and into his red hair. "It's good to see you too Aries," she said quietly, trying to suppress a blush of her own.
"Jake and I thought it was you when came in Professor. Are you here to stay?" It had all come out in a rush, and Aries never looked up from his shoes until he had fallen quiet.
"No Mr. Borden, I am not. I will be leaving as soon as my business in the castle in completed. Surely, considering the amount of grumbling I heard after my lessons about the workload, you wouldn't be so edger for me to return." Minerva had said the last with a slight smile, trying to lift the heavy atmosphere, but failed spectacularly when Aries and Jake exchanged dark looks before nodding. Deciding it was a question best left unasked, Minerva excused herself and strode directly into the gathering students.
This seemed to startle the group that had formed to watch as they took notice of the new arrival. "Your next classes will beginning soon. It would be best not to be late," she said, slipping naturally back into the stern professor she had always been. Several younger students jumped and scurried away. True to her words, she hadn't gone ten steps before the bell sounded, and a stampede began.
Minerva's steps also increased. Her arrival would be announced to every professor before long, and she wanted nothing more than to be back home before they had a chance to investigate themselves. It would lead to far too many questions. With the students gone, the rest of Minerva's trek through the corridors was eerily silent. The precise click of her heels along the flagstones were the only companion to her thoughts. She nodded to the portraits as she walked by, trying to ignore the looks of surprise, shock, and, oddly enough, contempt, that they displayed. She took notice of the small changes in the halls. A tapestry had moved outside the prefects bathroom, and the Lady of Shallot had moved from the Astronomy Tower. 'You can do this. It's only a quick visit. You see that he's alright, you check that he's not going to die, and then you let him have it!'
Her thoughts traveled along with her feet. Each new thought ended with him begging forgiveness before she left him there and returned back to the cottage. 'How can it be possible to love and loathe someone at the same time?' She never got the chance to answer herself; her feet had stopped moving, and she found herself in front of a familiar door. Pushing it open, Minerva took in the pristine infirmary. Beds still lined the wall, and the windows still caught the perfect amount of morning light.
Taking a quick look around, Minerva let out a relieved sigh when she didn't notice Poppy. Friend or not, Poppy was protective of her patients, and she certainly wouldn't appreciate Minerva screaming at one in her infirmary. Minerva couldn't help but shudder. The students always thought she was the one not to cross, but none of them had ever seen Poppy truly mad. It had taken three weeks for the school nurse to sort out Angela Duncan. The idiot girl had made the mistake of insulting Poppy's parents during their sixth year. Poppy had been lucky not to be expelled, but once they found Angela's arms it was all but forgotten.
Closing the door as quietly as possible, Minerva slipped through the curtains in the back that separated the student and faculty wards. For only the second time in her life, Minerva came up short. He was still laying in bed asleep, but Minerva couldn't reconcile the man she had left with the one before her. His hair was shorter as well as his beard, but it was the chalk white skin and black circles that surprised her more. He was far too thin, and his hands that were capable of so much sat limply at his side. He looked the very picture of an old man, and despite herself, she was frightened for him.
Wrapping her arms around herself, Minerva stepped closer, coming to a stop beside him. "What have you done Albus?" she asked quietly. "Why do you do this? You send me away, and then call me back again? I am not your whore, to be at your beck and call." She let out a shuttering breath, "I'm not even your wife anymore, except on parchment. Why can't you leave me be?" Her voice had never risen above a whisper, but when she was through, her voice was raw from the emotion of it.