Gasp! An update. Yes…unbelievable, isn't it? But they say that what takes long, lasts long. Well, I hope, they are right, because this chapter provides some background information and brings in a canon character, I dearly love.

Chapter 33 – In the Shadows

Preparing the lessons for the next day seemed utterly ridiculous and unimportant, when one was confronted with the distinct possibility of dying before then, Baldur Nipps mused. He sat alone in the staff room, while outside dusk fell on this meaningful day. The end was coming, of that he was certain. Melina's little show had seen to that.

Like everybody else, Baldur hadn't doubted that the promised extra holidays just before the end of term were to be given with the single purpose of emptying the school. But now, after that little show – which had been a good one, by all means – the Dark Lord was probably forced to execute his plans earlier than anticipated.

Baldur sighed. He really wished he had somebody to talk with. Unfortunately, only Snape came to his mind, but he was out of the question or else both their covers would be blown. The rest of the staff was no choice either. Not even Xiomara.

He had to admit that he had grown quite fond of the quirky flying instructor. It was fun to flirt without any strings attached and Xiomara was a woman he could do that with.

Not like encountering Minerva. That woman was a goddess like her namesake – to worship, not to have fun with, though he would only be too happy to try. His admiration for her was not devoid of any romantic feeling. She was a beautiful, intelligent and absolutely fascinating woman and he was not blind to her appeal. Yet Baldur knew that despite everything that had happened, Minerva was Dumbledore's and would be until her last breath – which could quite easily come during the next 24 hours.

His only option was to help her in trying to put the day of her death as far off as possible. Of course, he would stand by her side in the upcoming fight. If she asked, he would be there.

Dusk had finally settled over the grounds, darkening the staff room and giving it a gloomy atmosphere that fit Nipps' mood well. He could not decide whether the kidnapping of Dumbledore had been a clever or an incredibly stupid move. Most things the McGonagalls had done recently could be considered both.

Baldur had not believed in Minerva's suicide for one moment. It was a ruse if he ever saw one. But it indicated that the powerful and ancient McGonagall clan was gathering its troops. Each step they took was a token of their battle preparations. However the question remained: Was it enough?

Nobody knew what the Dark Lord had planned. Nobody knew why he had led such a witch hunt on Minerva. Nobody knew which role she was to play.

And all these questions were shadowed by others: Did young Mr. Potter play a role in this scheme as well? And if yes, which one?

Baldur got up from his chair at the staff table and started pacing. He felt incredibly unprotected and raw.

Behind him, the door of the staff room opened silently, admitting another man.

"Preparing for the worst, Mr. Nipps?" he asked.

Baldur shot around, for a moment scared out of his wits. "Snape!" he gasped. "You should not be doing that. Sneaking up on unsuspecting people like this."

Severus' face contorted into a brief sneer, then settled back into a weary expression. "One of our former, unsuccessful Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, Alastor Moody, always demands 'Constant Vigilance!' As much as I hate to admit it, he has a point, Mr. Nipps. In these times, you cannot be careful enough."

Baldur nodded quietly. "Any new developments?"

The younger man shook his head. "No, nothing. The students all went to their dormitories. I believe they are preparing for whatever is to come."

"Do we stand a chance of survival?"

"I don't think so."

The replacement Transfiguration teacher sighed again. "What do you suppose was the reasoning for Melina kidnapping Dumbledore?"

Severus shrugged, fully aware of the possible spies in the room. "Revenge, I believe. Minerva McGonagall always took it personally, when one of her kin got insulted in any way. I went to school with her nephew and niece. And whenever anything happened to one of them, then hell was to be raised. I believe it runs in the family."

"All true and possible, but why did they take Dumbledore?"

Snape sneered. "Probably some ancient punishment of their clan."

"What for?"

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned', was the saying I believe. It seems the family takes over now."

"You think they will attack the school?" Baldur asked with a tremor in his voice, playing his part as well.

"Entirely possible. Those Gryffindors always believed they owned the school."

"Unfortunately, they do. It would have been so much easier if Minerva had seen things my way."

Severus and Baldur jerked their heads towards the door. The potions master was the first to find his voice again. "Yes, most unfortunate, my Lord."

Voldemort nodded, deep in thought. Nipps couldn't help but think that in this pensive mood, the Dark Lord looked almost human. But then, history showed that most monsters looked pretty human. Lord Voldemort was no difference. The 'man' by the door would not hesitate for a second to kill them all, if it suited his plans.

"We could have made this the greatest place on earth. Together. But she was too short-sighted to see the opportunities." Voldemort muttered under his breath. "And now it is too late. The opportunity has passed."

"The opportunity for what, my Lord?" Severus managed to choke out, while his insides burned in fear and curiosity.

"The opportunity for eternal peace, Severus." The Dark Lord replied patronizingly. "Minerva always insisted on it as a goal, but she rejected the unique chance to achieve it." Then he turned to the door. "I need to prepare now. Good evening, gentlemen."

When the door had barely closed after him, Baldur Nipps quietly exclaimed: "What was that all about?"

Severus just shrugged.

"Did he mean to imply that he and Minerva McGonagall had something going at some point?"

The potions master raised a surprised eyebrow. "I don't know. It might be. Minerva never spoke of her personal life. Maybe they knew each other when he was still Tom Riddle."

"What did he mean that they could have achieved 'eternal peace' together?"

"I don't know. And somehow, I don't want to know."

Baldur nodded. "Makes sense to me." Returning to his earlier train of thought he asked, "Do you think the McGonagalls will attack the school?"

This time it was Severus' turn to shrug. "Who knows." Suddenly, a spark of decision came into his eyes. "In any case, I consider it best to be prepared and have all our personal things in order."

Nipps looked at him uncomprehendingly for a second, then his mouth twitched in agreement. "I do think that is the best idea; you have had this whole week, Professor Snape."

Snape only snorted.

"Wow, that was the bloody best stunt I have seen my entire life." Ronald Weasley exclaimed in awe.

"Would you stop making such a fuss over it, Ronald? The whole event was stupid enough." Hermione Granger reproached with an edge to her voice.

"But Mione, this beat every prank Fred and George ever pulled. She basically stole Dumbledore right out from under the nose of everybody."

"Yeah, it was certainly funny to see You-Know-Who's dumbfounded face. He was royally had." Ginny inserted quietly, but with amusement evident in her voice.

"Hermione is right, it was a rather dangerous action to take." Neville commented. "With this stunt, she not only confirmed that Professor McGonagall is still alive, but also opened the battle."

Harry, who had absentmindedly listened to the back and forth of the conversation suddenly turned with a spark of interest. "What do you mean by 'opened the battle', Neville?"

The other boy looked decidedly uncomfortable with suddenly being the center of attention. "Well, You-Know-Who promised us some extra holidays, right? They were to start in 9 days. We all knew that the holidays were only a ruse to get the students away from Hogwarts. But what he seemed to have been trying to avoid has now happened: The McGonagalls got involved. Therefore he has to move much faster with his plans. So, whatever he planned with Melina's stunt this morning, he became aware that he might not have those 9 days."

"You call that woman by her first name?" Harry asked in surprise.

Neville blushed. "Uhm…yes."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"She's my godmother. Was my mother's best friend and a cousin thrice removed of my father's."

"I didn't know you were related to Professor McGonagall."

"Almost all 'pureblood' families are related. The McGonagalls are the oldest wizarding family. Almost purely Gryffindors with an occasional Ravenclaw. I told you that days ago." Ginny threw in, slightly annoyed.

"Does that mean they are related to Voldemort too?" Harry asked.

The others stared at him incredulously, shocked by his train of thought. Finally, Ron found his voice. "Of course not. The McGonagalls never minded muggleborns, but they sure minded Slytherin. Couldn't stand them. A McGonagall and a Slytherin? That would be a first."

"But why was he so keen on getting her and her family out of the way?"

"Because if the heir of some founder wanted to do anything to or with the school, the heirs of the other founders could step in." Ginny explained.

"However, Helga Hufflepuff has no living heirs. The only left-over Slytherin is You-Know-Who. And then there are the McGonagalls."

"What about Ravenclaw?" Hermione asked curiously. "Is anything known about them? I didn't find anything about them in 'Hogwarts – A History'."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Honestly Hermione, not everything stands in that book."

"How would you know? You never read it."

"Hey, stop it, will you." Ginny interrupted. "Those things are more of a legend than a stated fact. They were not put it into 'Hogwarts – History'. It's more a story passed on from generation to generation."

"So what about Ravenclaw's heirs?"

"Well, rumor has it that the McGonagalls are descended from a child that came out of a relationship of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. It's only a rumor, though."

"What is known is that there was once a union between a Ravenclaw-heir and a McGonagall." Neville said.

"Yeah, about 500 years ago. And that is the line that still exists." Ginny added.

"So they come with the power of both founders?"

"So they say," Ron answered, "but even that is only a legend. Nobody knows what the McGonagalls can do. It's only known that they are extremely powerful and influential. Dad says they don't push their influence so much as the Malfoys do, but there is nothing in this community that happenswithout them."

"My Gran once said that without their money, our community couldn't exist. Hogwarts would have been forced to close many years ago, if they weren't so loyal to the school."

Harry and Hermione frowned. "Why is that?"

Ron snorted. "Honestly, did you never ask yourself who is paying for all of us to come here? Do you pay any tuition? No? Thought so. Most Gryffindor students are here on their money. Many Ravenclaw too and some Hufflepuff."

"No Slytherins though."

"And they support St. Mungo's and many social things."

Harry felt his head spin. Was he a total idiot? So many things, right under his nose and he had never thought twice about them. It had never occurred to him that somebody was actually paying for his chance to learn magic, for his chance to fight the Dark Lord one day. And it had certainly never crossed his mind that this money came from his own teacher.

He went deeper in his self-reproach. It had never occurred to him that she was the heir of a founder. And he would have never thought that this entailed a bit more than just the fact and maybe a few powers. He had thought himself so special, so singled out, and now he had to realize that he wasn't alone in that place.

Coming out of his thoughts, Harry realized that his friends had already moved onto another topic.

"I guess he will be trying to do something against the castle itself. It would have the best effect."

"Why?"

"There are many secrets and powers tied to the castle. And it has some self defenses. So, if he levels the castle, he doesn't have to fear it anymore."

"Are you sure of that, Neville?" Hermione asked with a tremor in her voice.

The boy shrugged. "Unfortunately no. It's only a guess. I am just trying to put together some of the stories I've heard from my gran and uncle Algie, along with some things Meli told me."

Hermione sighed. "Where does that leave us?"

The others looked at her uneasily for some time and then at the same time, Ginny and Neville answered heavily. "Exactly where we were before."

Gloomy silence settled over the friends as they contemplated their situation. No matter from which angle they looked at it, the situation was bleak – at best. They didn't know what was to happen, only that it would probably mean the end of their world. But how do you prepare for something you don't know or even imagine?

Amidst the gloomy silence Neville suddenly spoke up, yet again surprising the others. "For my part, I will help the McGonagalls should they come to fight. I don't know much, but I have become pretty good at casting and dodging spells since you set up 'Dumbledore's Army'. I will put that to use."

The others stared at him wide-eyed. The usually bumbling and stumbling Neville Longbottom had more resolve and bravery then he let on.

Ron nodded decisively. "You are right. We have not learned all those spells for nothing. We will help them. They might need people inside the school. Yes, we will help them."

Ginny smiled. "Absolutely. They do the championing and we do the support. This is not over. Not if we can do anything about it."

"But…"

"No 'buts', Hermione." Ron said very gently, putting his arm around her shoulders. "It's true we know nothing of the dangers. But we do know that when this is over and if You-Know-You has won, we are all dead."

"And if we don't at least try to fight him, he has won before he ever started." Harry added. "Yes, you are…"

He never got around to finishing this sentence, for at that exact moment, the walls of the common room began to shake.

To all my reviewers: Thanks for your praise, it really warmed my heart. I also apologize for the long wait, but RL and a certain – hopefully wellknown and popular – website, as well as the beginnings of a new loooong story interefered quite a lot. However, I try to be faster in the future.