A Mother's Heart Chapter II
A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed. Hope you enjoy the second chapter.
The next morning Minerva woke up very early. It wasn't unusual for her but today she was even up before sunrise. When she left the bed Albus turned in his sleep, looking at her groggily.
"Min, come back to bed. We have another 5 hours before you have to go and pick up Harry." He extended his hand to her but she just tucked him in again, kissed him on the forehead and went to the bathroom.
She was way too excited. Truth be told she didn't really know why that was but she guessed because she had always dreamt of that day. Today she would pick up Harry from the Dursleys and he would spend the rest of the holidays with her and Albus.
Smiling happily she brushed her hair till it shone and decided to leave it down for once. At the moment she wasn't Harry's teacher after all. And she wanted him to feel welcome and loved. Minerva thought back of the day when Hagrid had brought the tiny baby Harry from the ruins of his parents' house and Albus had placed the infant in the care of his relatives. It was so long ago, and yet Minerva felt the agony of leaving the child with the Muggles as if it had been yesterday. She closed her eyes quickly, trying to fight back the tears. If she had only fought more for Harry, to keep him with her. But no, she had trusted Albus as usual. Certainly, the boy had been safe with the Dursleys but he had led a miserable life. His relatives despised him. Nobody deserved that, especially not a child.
Since Minerva hadn't been able to have children she had always considered the students as her children. But with Harry it had been different. She didn't exactly know why but in a way Minerva had always been afraid he would reject her if he knew about her true feelings for him. And of course she didn't want to favour him over his fellow students. It had been hard for her, especially when she had to punish him but she had always suffered with him.
So she had never let her feelings for Harry show. Of course Albus had always suspected that there was something but she had never talked about it. But after seeing him so miserable at the end of the last term she couldn't help but finally let him know.
And she was glad he hadn't rejected her or her feelings but turned to her. She had always known that the boy craved for love but … her own fears had kept her from letting him know that there was someone who cared for him very deeply.
Snapping back into reality Minerva quickly dressed herself and went to the kitchens to fetch some breakfast. It was only 6 in the morning but she needed a cup of tea now.
When she came back Albus was up too.
"Why didn't you go back to sleep, darling?" she asked after kissing him good morning. He pulled her closer, kissing her again.
"Because the bed seemed cold and empty without you, my dear," he told her, patting the small of her back before going to the bathroom to get dressed. She smiled after him… Even though they had been married for so long now they were so much in love, just like at the beginning of their relationship.
Two hours later Minerva was going over her belongings again. She didn't want to leave anything here she would need over the holidays, and even though she always had the possibility of getting it she wanted to spend as much time as possible with Harry. Of course Miss Granger and Mr Weasley would be there as well but Minerva hoped that she would get the opportunity to get to know Harry better. She wanted to know what he was thinking about, his feelings, his dreams, and his fears. The talk yesterday had been a good start; he hadn't pushed her away so perhaps there was a chance for them. Minerva dearly hoped that Harry would let her that close to him.
Albus sat in his favourite chair and watched her, slightly amused. It was very unusual for his wife to be that nervous about something but he understood. It was extremely important to her that Harry would feel comfortable around them… Plus she still had some of her work for school to do.
"Darling, why don't you just sit down and try to relax? I'll get you a nice cup of your favourite herbal tea." Albus took her hand and led her over to the sofa, pushing her down gently. She smiled at him gratefully. She knew it was silly to be that nervous but she just couldn't help it.
"Thank you, Albus." She took the cup from his hands carefully.
"I know you want everything to be perfect. But I'm sure Harry won't expect you to be perfect. I think he just wants you to be human…" Albus looked at her from his twinkling blue eyes. The boy didn't need perfection right now; he needed comfort and understanding, someone who cared for him.
Minerva nodded.
"Right."
A couple of minutes later Albus pulled out his watch and checked it.
"Well, I think we can leave now and pick him up. I don't want you to leave traces in our carpet," he said chuckling. Minerva had finished her tea and begun pacing again. She looked at him guiltily but not for long.
Harry had packed all of his belongings in his trunk. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to go to Minerva's home but in the owl she had sent him earlier this morning she had stated that they would pick him up. 'They' probably meant that Dumbledore would be with her. Harry wasn't sure how he felt about the headmaster at the moment. He had always admired the old wizard for his wisdom and kindness but the last school year had shown him another picture of the man. Of course he understood his reasons but nonetheless he couldn't quite forget the feeling of loneliness he had always had during the last year.
"So how are you leaving? On your broomstick?" Vernon smirked when he took a look at Harry's large trunk. Harry just rolled his eyes. He didn't want to admit that he had no idea but luckily he was spared to come up with something. The doorbell rang.
Petunia opened the door and hopped backwards when she saw Albus and Minerva standing in front of her.
"Good morning. I hope we're not too early." Albus said merrily before stepping into the house. They wore both muggle clothes, not wanting to attract any attention.
"He's upstairs." Petunia retreated back further into her house, just pointing to the staircase. Albus took in her demeanour slightly amused.
"Thank you." Minerva nodded and together they ascended upstairs. It took them only seconds to locate Harry's bedroom. Vernon looked at them with a nasty smile on his face.
"Have a nice holiday with the boy. You can have him…" he said before going downstairs, without a word of goodbye to Harry.
Harry looked at Albus and Minerva with mixed feelings. Though he was glad he would leave Privet Drive in a couple of minutes he wasn't sure what to expect.
"Hello, Harry." Minerva said, taking him into her arms. He hesitated a moment before returning the embrace.
"Hello, professor." He smiled at her.
"Harry, what did I tell you yesterday?"
"Sorry… Minerva. I think it might take some time to get used to that." He stepped back from her and took Dumbledore's hand.
"Hello Harry. I'm glad you accepted our invitation." Albus held Harry's hand between both of his.
"Thank you, professor. It's very kind of you to take me in for the holidays," Harry said politely. Albus flinched a bit by his formal tone but he thought they might have to talk about the events of last year.
"Well, you can call me Albus whenever we're in private."
Harry gaped at him. That was certainly a new quality in his headmaster. All the time he had known Albus Dumbledore the old man had shown a certain care for him but kept him at arms length.
In the meantime Minerva had taken care of Harry's luggage. It had been shrunk and placed in the pockets of her jacket. She gave Albus a nod and he took out a phoenix feather whispered some well-chosen words, changing it into a port key.
"Do you want to say good bye to your aunt and uncle?" Albus asked. Harry shook his head. They would know that he was gone, and they would be happy about it.
"No… Albus." Harry gave him a small grin and looked around for his trunk.
"All taken care of, dear," said Minerva who had followed his gaze.
"Well, then I think it's time to leave. Touch the feather, please." Albus whispered the incantation that would activate the port key, and in an instant Harry felt the familiar tug behind the navel. Everything around him disappeared in a blur.
When the world came into focus again they were standing in front of a beautiful manor surrounded by vast grounds. In the distant Harry could see a forest.
"Wow. It's beautiful here." Harry looked at Minerva. She smiled at him and put an arm around his shoulder.
"I'm glad you like it. This is where I grew up. My family has lived here for over 200 years." She looked around the grounds proudly.
"Shall we go in then? I guess Harry would like to unpack and go off to explore the grounds before lunch." Albus chuckled, knowing the curiosity of his student. Harry grinned at him. The upcoming holidays didn't look so unhappy anymore, and with Ron and Hermione he would have fun here.
"Right." Minerva led the way up the front stairs and opened the door. The entrance hall was dominated by the family crest which was displayed on the wall opposite the door. To the left of the crest was a huge staircase leading to the upper floors.
Minerva let Harry have a look around the hall before ascending the stairs, showing him to his room.
"So this is your bedroom. It used to belong to my little brother." Minerva smiled fondly at the memory of her brother. Ulysses had died during the war with Grindelwald. He had fought bravely at her side but that one day… She hadn't been able to save him from a fatal curse.
"Thanks… Minerva," Harry said, hesitating a little. It was strange to call his professor by her first name… The usual so stern professor McGonagall. Some of the Slytherins called her 'ice queen' but Harry had always sensed that there was more to her; more than she showed to the outside.
Minerva smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
"When you have unpacked I'll give you a tour through the house. Just come downstairs and turn left. The kitchen is at the end of the hallway..." She sniffed lightly. "Or just follow the scent of cocoa… I see that Albus was in need of something sweet." She grinned and went to the door, taking another look at the boy inside the room before she left.
Harry couldn't help but smile at the behaviour of his two professors. It seemed they were determined to give him the best holidays ever. But that wasn't all. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was but there seemed to be something different in their behaviour towards each other.
While he unpacked he pondered about this new development. The thought that Minerva McGonagall actually cared for him that deeply had scared him a bit at first but now that he was slowly getting used to the idea it seemed … well, great. He couldn't find another word for it. That was what he had always dreamt of. But still… There was some kind of … feminine side to her now that he didn't know. And the interactions with Dumbledore… Perhaps Hermione would be able to figure it out. She was usually very good at stuff like that. Well, she was actually good at everything but anyway…
It didn't take Harry long to unpack his trunk. When he was done he went downstairs looking for the kitchen. He grinned. Minerva had been right; there was a distinct smell of cocoa in the air. So he just followed the scent.
The kitchen door was slightly ajar. Harry could hear that both Albus and Minerva were inside though they were not talking. He pushed the door open and… stopped dead in his track, his jar dropping. Minerva McGonagall sat on Dumbledore's lap and they were … kissing.
Okay, that's it this time. Please don't forget to review. :-)