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.

Because of Christmas and all around it I needed my time to write this chapter. Therefore Artemis Sprape hasn't beta read it, either, because you would have to wait even longer and I'm afraid you would be angry with me. So, here is the next chapter.

Baby.cee: Can you tell what you mean with: omgoshh ? I have really no idea what that could mean. Maybe you can help me. Thank you for your review.

SherbetKitty: Did I write that I think you annoying? No, of course not. I like your reviews very much, especially because they are longer than four words. I don't want that you change anything. Please, keep up the way of your reviews. Thank you for your latest one.

DamesFan: Kennst du das Sprichwort: Unkraut vergeht nicht? Bevor jemand mit einem Willen wie Minerva oder Albus aufgibt, geht die Welt unter, das ist ein Versprechen! Und du warst im weihnachtlichen und im Silvester-Stress? Ich könnte dich glatt bemitleiden. Ich wünsche dir jedenfalls auch ein frohes und gesundes und schönes und tolles und - alles was mir jetzt nicht einfällt - Jahr. Bis dann.

Chapter 16 Evidence

"How is she?", asked a voice not very far away from the place she was. Although she wanted to know who the owner of that voice was, Minerva held her eyes closely shut. It was nearly peaceful to ly there – where ever it was – and listen to the quiet voices and to the steps of some people. She didn't know where she was or how she had arrived at this place. The last thing she remembered was, that she had seen an old house in the middle of nowhere. But that was all. What had happened afterwards?

Slowly Minerva opened her eyes. She was in a big room with many windows at the opposite wall. They reached from the ceiling nearly to the ground and they let fascinating streams of sunlight into the room. She looked around. On the left and on the right side of her bed there were many others, only one of them was occupied by a small boy, who was very green in the face. Minerva smiled. She knew this place. She had often been here, mostly because of Quidditch. It was the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts. That meant she was back, back at home.

Minerva sighed. It was a wonderful thought to be back again and when she now looked around again she saw Professor Crehl standing together with the medi-witch to discuss something. She wondered when she saw the worry in their faces and fom one second to the other a picture of her father appeared in front of her eyes. How could she have forgotten him, even when it only was for two minutes?

Hastily she sat up in bed. She had to go and see him and she had to find a way how to get him out of prison. After all he was innocent, wasn't he? Quickly Minerva pushed the covers of her bed and the slight feeling of dizzyness aside but in the moment she wanted to jump out of it, a hand lay itself on her shoulder.

"You don't want to do that.", said a quiet voice in her ear so that her hair stood up in her neck, Slowly she turned around in looked in the face of Nostradamus Crehl.

"I… I…", she studdered before she took herself together and answered with a steady voice: "I want to go out. I want to see and help him. He needs help or he will never get out of that again. He isn't a murderer. He would never do something like that…"

"I know, I know. But you can't jump to your feet and run to where ever you wanted to without thinking things over and that all in your state of health. Our medi-witch would kill me if I allowed…"

"I'm fine and we won't have the time to sit around and do nothing. In the meantime he is not only in a normal prison but in Azkaban with all the Dement…"

"No, not any longer. They have brought him into the prison cells of the ministry. His trial starts in mere seconds. Of course we have not the time for a complicated plan but we can't disturb it all without any evidence for his innocence."

"But we must help him. There has to be something we can do. He will never come out of Azkaban again."

"I wait for certain information. We believe that not your father has murdered Richard McGongall but your uncle Duncan McDrake."

"You go from one part of my family to the other? How dare you to even think that he can do it. I know that my father is innocent but my uncle isn't a murderer, either."

"We are sure and he is the only one who is able to do it that way. He hasn't done it with his own hands. He has his people who do the dirty work for him. Can't you imagine that he would do it?"

"No, he always hated a scandal and that…" She stopped and looked up at Professor Crehl. Slowly she continued: "He, Richard McGonagall, was a scandal for our family. If somebody found out how he treated my mother, my uncle could never be his old self. His partners would sneer at him and he wouldn't be able to do any business. But when he is dead there is no other than me, who could talk and he knows that I would never speak about it all in public. I would be too embarressed if someone forced me."

"Right. With him out of the way there is only your father left. But to murder him is more difficult and to let him vegetate in Azkaban is the perfect revenge for a man like your uncle is."

"He never liked me." Minerva started very, very slowlyn with a hint of hatred in her voice. "The only things that counted for him were my marks and my appearance in public. I should honour my family, all other never mattered to him." She paused and looked to the floor before she continued now a bit quieter than before. "My parents loved each other but his only problem was that my father had not the descent my mother had. That's why he forbade their marriage. It didn't matter to him what a character Richard McGonagall had, only that his ancestors were powerful and rich and well known." Professor Crehl sighed. He had heard of those things during his research for the needed evidence. He was the opinion that a girl as young as her - and even if she was twice her age – should never know such things. It depressed him that he couldn't prevent it.

In that second a man entered the Hospital Wing. His clothes were old and worn out. In his old hat were several holes and all together was extremely dirty, even the man himself. His face was flushed as if he had run the whole way from Hogsmead to the Hospital Wing, which could really be possible. Trying to calm his breathing he gave Professor Crehl a dirty letter before he let himself fall on one of the beds. The nurse looked with her nose turned up at the man before she vanished in her office. Minerva would have felt sorry for her, that she had to clean it all again, but in the moment she was more interested in the letter Nostradamus Crehl was reading hastily. After a few moments, when seemingly all stared at him and the letter, a small smile crept on his face and when he had finished the normally calm (and icy) Professor Crehl jumped into the air and kissed the other man on the cheek, before he realised what he had done and disgusted retreated.

"That is what we needed. We can prove that your father is indeed innocent when we only…" He looked at his watch and went pale. "Oh my… come we have no time or he will never get out again." Minerva only seized her clothes, jumped into her trousers and run behind the professor. Hopefully they would be in time.

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