His Daughter

Author: Leta McGotor

Disclaimer: I own nothing but some characters like Nostradamus Crehl and the McDrake family including Richard McGonagall. The other belongs to JKR.

Starlover88: You like it? I hope you think so about the next chapter, too. Thank you for your review.

DamesFan: Sag mal, hast du nur Urlaub? Ich schlage mir hier die Tests um die Ohren und du fliegst zum Schüleraustausch – kannst du nicht mit mir tauschen? Aber, was soll's, bald habe ich auch wieder Ferien. Wie ich deinen („wenigen") Ausführungen entnehmen konnte, gefällt dir das, ja? Ich bin gespannt, was du zum nächsten Kapitel sagst. Danke für dein Review und ich hoffe ich höre wieder bald von dir.

EM: I believe that he is still present in the next chapters, sorry, but he has to, there is no way around. But maybe his last scene is not that good for him, you understand what I mean? I haven't got the idea yet, but I (and you) will see what comes, right? Thanks for your review.

SherbetKitty: "Urgh, he is so…urgh!" – You read my soul, I can't like him, either. He is a bit the combination of all I don't like – arrogant, cruel, nasty and much more. He is not the dream of a man. Thank your for your review (and the same opinion about Richard)

- You are great! -

Chapter 9 The Daughter in the Middle

Albus Dumbledore stood in the middle of the corridor in the Ministry for Magic, not moving, not looking around, only gaping at the far corner, where only seconds ago his greatest private enemy had vanished and pulled his daughter with him. Hours seemed to come and go before Albus could come out of his reverie. Then from one second to the next panic rose inside of him that he maybe had lost her by simply standing here and doing nothing. That couldn't be true. Therefore he ran the way down to the corner and also two other corridors. All people he met looked curiously at him, not sure whether that man had gone mad and if there were people, who wanted to bring him to St, Mungo's. All that people didn't matter to Albus in the moment. May they think what they want.

Then Albus reached ther Entrance Hall of the Ministry. Furously he looked around but Richard and Minerva McGonagall were not among the wizrads and witches waiting to depart by Floo powder, so he ran around the cleaning wizards, who had a lot work to do with cleaning the Fountain of Magical Brethren and collecting all the coins in the pool. Albus jumped into one lift, which gates were nearly closed and waited impatiently to get outside. In fact, Albus was that nervous that all people were scared when he looked grumpier and grumpier with each minute they needed. In the end Albus jumped out of the lift and onto the street. He looked around. It was impossible that they had gone in this short time. Albus looked around all corners, in some of the other streets and called Minerva's name, but to his dismay nobody reacted. Dejected and with hanging shoulders Albus made his way back to Hogwarts, his brain working non-stop on a plan how he would get his daughter back.

It was the same day when Albus found himself standing in front of a huge manor, the family manor of the McGonagall's. Never did he imagine that this building was that gigantic, but it was. He swallowed while waiting that somebody would open the door for him. Half a minute later a young woman, hardly of age Albus thought, opened the door and looked shy and frightened at him.

"Good afternoon, sir. How can I serve you?" Albus was taken aback by the woman bowing in front of him and waiting to fulfill his orders. With a raised eyebrow he said:

"Good afternoon. I was looking for Richard McGonagall or Minerva McGonagall. Is one of them at home?"

"The Sir is at home, yes. Whom shall I announce, sir."

"That is not neccesary. It will do that I speak to him on my own." Albus saw that the woman opened her mouth to protest but in that moment he had entered the house and strode to the living area. He didn't know exactly where he could find it but he had a clue. All those old manors looked the same, didn't they?

After a short run along several long and cold corridors Albus stood in front of two wooden double doors. He swallowed for the last time, knocked and without waiting for a response he entered the room, for he was sure what he was doing. When he stepped into the room (it more seemed like a hall), he was greeted by the disgusting smile of Richard McGonagall. He held a glass of red wine in his one hand and his wand pointing at Albus in the other. He sat very relaxed in his armchair near the fire, while Minerva – Albus realised with a short glance around the room – stood at the far end lost in a dark corner. She wore no shoes and her hair looked like it had met a storm. She had changed clothes and wore now a dirty-grey dress, which was to big for her. She didn't dare look in Albus' direction and simply stared at the floor.

"Albus, I knew you would come. What a pleasure that you could make it that early to my little home. I know it is nothing compared with your rooms at Hogwarts (he smiled even wider) but today you have to accept my common standards. Let's talk, let's talk. Please, sit down." Albus didn't move an inch. He didn't intend to chat with Richard McGonagall.

"You know, why I'm here, Richard. I want my daughter."

"Your daughter? Isn't her name Minerva McGonagall, is it? How can you assume that she is yours?"

"You know perfectly well, that she is not your flesh…"

"Do I? Of course she is not my child. Look at her. That pale skin, the colour of her eyes, her hair – she is not a beauty."

"She looks nearly the same her mother had done and Victoria is… was beautiful, as well as Minerva is today."

"Victoria? You live in the past, wake up. You have no evidence that she is not mine. But if you want her, you can have her."

"Pardon?"

"Yes, yes you have understood me right. You can have her but not without a little fight." He had jumped to his feet and was now facing Albus. "What, Albus? Are you scared? Don't want to risk your life? I don't intend to kill but in the end there will be one of us, who defeats the other and I will be the one who triumphs. Understood? So what is your choice? Fight for your daughter or rescue the little bit of pride you have left, Dumbledore?" Albus reached for his wand, never would he give up Minerva and if he had to fight against the whole world. Richard McGonagall grinned fiendish at him.

"Rule one, Dumbledore, no killing. Rule two: No one leaves that room. Rule three: The fight is finished when one resigns or when one of us is unconscious. Rule four: The help of others is not accepted and the one who receives it will lose the fight. Rule five: The price is Minerva. Questions?"

"It couldn't be clearer."

The two men started to duel. One after the other spell, jinx and curse flew through the air and hit another one, furniture and from time to time one of the two. Minerva only could stand in her corner and watch. She couldn't move, it seemed her feet were glued to the ground. Her thoughts raced each other. She wanted so desperately to help her father but knew if she dared, he would lose the battle. So she stayed pressed against the cold wall behind her. Hours seemed to come and go and the coloured lights flew through the air, as if they tried to form a rainbow.

Meanwhile Albus was in his element. Never he had belonged to those who duelled for fun but this time he felt for the first time right doing it. While he shot one curse after the other, he had a picture in front of his eyes, a picture of Victoria, Minerva and of himself. Something that wasn't allowed to be. But it seemed that this one gave him the strenght to continue until he felt that he maybe could really win that battle.

Minerva, too, saw what her father felt. Richard McGonagall looked worn out and at the edge of his power. He would lose and she would go back to where she belonged, she felt it deep down in her heart. But suddenly she went pale. She had seen that look on the face of Richard McGonagall, that short evil smile. This made her move. She came to her feet and ran to the centre of the room, standing between the two oponents, who both had shot their curses. Albus screamed her name, he didn't intend to hurt her. Why had she run between them? Richard was shocked, too. He had planned that curse for her father, not for the girl.

It was an explosion of light when the two curses hit Minerva simultaneous and it was followed by silence. When Albus could see again through the dust he saw the crumpled figure of his daughter lying on the ground, motionless. Within a fraction of a second he was by her side but Minerva didn't breathe.

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