Harry stood alongside McGonagall and the other members of the Order in front of the rickety asymmetric house that was the Burrow – the home of his friend Ron, and the rest of the Weasley family.
"You can go if you like," McGonagall said, turning to Moody and Mundungus.
The three associates disapparated, leaving Harry with Arthur Weasley and his new Headmistress.
They walked towards the ramshackle dwelling, and Minerva pulled Harry aside as Arthur carried on to the front door.
"Harry," she looked at him seriously, "I am going to find my daughter. You stay here until I get back."
He stood by the shed, and waited. He then heard a noise behind him. He frowned, and opened the door. He gasped. Fred was standing in there, kissing a young woman. They broke apart, and he looked at Harry embarrassedly. He quickly disapparated, unlike the young woman, who stepped lightly forward, and stuck out her hand.
"Harry!" she smiled so sweetly that Harry felt his cheeks go scarlet, "We meet at last!"
Harry was confused. "Who are you?" he asked, yet, even as he said it, he vaguely recognised her.
"Why I'm Miracula Vipertooth. I know you, but I'm not sure you know me."
"I…I do think I've seen you before," he said quietly.
"Your fourth year, Beauxbatons crowd, next to Fleur Delacour when she was called up as a Champion."
The memory came flooding back. The grinning face – younger, yet unmistakeably the same – giving Fleur a hug as she strode up to Dumbledore.
"Remember?"
Harry nodded, "You went to Beauxbatons but you're most definitely English?"
It was Miracula's turn to nod. She sniffed, "Mummy didn't want me to go to Hogwarts. She didn't think it was fair for me to be taught by own mother; and I kind of know what she meant."
Harry's face dawned with realisation.
"You!" he cried. She put her finger on her lips urgently, "You've spied on me. You told everyone about my plans!"
She nodded enigmatically, and, as if to prove how she did it, she transformed into a large red bird, the same phoenix that had lived in Professor Dumbledore's office for years.
"Fawkes!" Harry exclaimed loudly, questions filling his head as he did so, "You saved me in second year when you should have been in Beauxbatons! You were in Dumbledore's office when I looked in the Pensieve, when Dumbledore told me of the prophecy, when I had lessons on the history of Voldemort!" Harry noticed that she did not flinch when he spoke the Dark Lord's name, "You've watched me ever since I first set foot in that office!"
Miracula converted back into a slender, beautiful woman and rolled her eyes, "Mummy was right. You are a nasty piece of work! In answer to your first query, we had our third term in our fifth year off, as Madame Maxime was mourning after her mother's death and none of the other teachers wanted to replace her for a few months. In answer to your second, third and fourth complaints, yes, I did witness all of those happenings, and, in answer to your fifth, that is also correct, I have watched you for years. Ever since I left Beauxbatons, I have secretly lived in Hogwarts for most of the year, but gone home with Mummy for the summer."
Harry was about to say something along the lines of telling her that it was creepy, and she should be ashamed of herself, watching him for years, but the silence was broken, not by Harry, or even Miracula, but by McGonagall.
"Sorry Harry, she doesn't seem to be around, but I'm sure you'll meet her soon enough."
As Harry was standing just outside the shed, and Miracula in it, McGonagall could see Harry, but not her daughter. Harry stepped back, and Miracula bounded out, giving her mother a shock.
"Miracula!" she clutched her heart and shook her head, "I see you've met Harry. Now, Molly wants you inside to peel some potatoes for lunch. Go!"
Miracula skipped down the drive towards the Burrow, and Harry looked up at McGonagall, "Professor?"
"Yes, Potter?"
"Why is Miracula living here?"
McGonagall sighed snobbishly, "She is courting Fred Weasley, and is the best friend of Fleur Delacour, and so Molly and Arthur kindly invited her to stay until September. Now, we'd better get you inside. I wonder where Nymphadora is?"
Right on cue, Tonks apparated in front of them, carrying two humungous suitcases, a birdcage and a snake basket.
"Oh, Harry," McGonagall looked at him, "it was my idea for Hagrid to get you a snake."
Harry was taken aback.
"Why?"
"So that you can practise your Parseltongue. Nagini isn't just going to fall into your grasp."
Harry was about to ask how McGonagall knew Harry wanted to destroy the Horcrux that was Voldemort's pet snake, but then his mind was cast to the pretty young woman to whom he had just been talking. Miracula may have been likeable, vivacious and attractive, but she had ruined his plans, and may have put the wizarding and muggle worlds alike in terrible danger, and for that, she would pay.
If he'd known that she was dating his best friend's brother to forget someone else, and had told everyone that he was running away so that she could keep an eye on him, and that she was going to experience some horrible events in the near future, and that she shared a secret with her mother about the third member of her immediate family, and that she would die in a horrible way, and that she was completely selfless, and that she would do something lovely for his favourite family, and that she cared about people more than most, he may not have felt that way.
But the daughter of Minerva McGonagall may have been brilliant, but she loved too passionately, hated too bitterly, felt guilt too strongly, and felt pain too agonisingly. She had too many sorrows in her head to be truly happy, no matter how cheerful she seemed.