Disclaimer: All Harry Potter people, places, things, or ideas (all Harry Potter nouns) belong to J. K. Rowlings.
Chapter 13: The price of knowledge.
When the school term had resumed, Minerva enlisted a house elf to help look after the baby while she taught classes. It was just after Halloween as she was putting the baby to bed when she received an urgent note from Dumbledore. She called the house elf back quickly and left as soon as she was able to.
Starting in her cat form, she changed to a human in front of a house on Privet Drive when the headmaster appeared. "Professor McGonagall, I'm glad you could join me."
"Of course, Albus," she replied. Then she noticed that he was holding a basket containing a child. "Your note was really quite vague. Do you mind clarifying it?"
He nodded and looked down sadly at the basket. "James and Lily Potter were killed by him, yet their son has survived. Somehow when he tried to kill him, the spell failed and he has vanished. I do not know whether or not our enemy has been defeated, but he seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth for the meantime. Unfortunately his followers are still many and dangerous."
She took a deep breath and allowed a few tears to escape as she processed the news in her mind. "Which is why we are leaving James and Lily's son here, I presume?" she questioned.
"Very astute of you, as always. Harry has relatives here and they can look after him. I want you to meet me back at my office shortly," he instructed.
After leaving baby Harry with his relatives, the headmaster and his deputy reconvened in his study. She took the cup of tea he offered her and raised an eyebrow, expecting an explanation. "Let me begin by asking you how your son is."
"He is fine, thank you, but leaving him in the care of a house elf for most of the morning is not what I would prefer. I wish I could do more for him," she admitted regretfully. Then she sat up in her chair. "Wait, you said 'begin,' Albus what else has happened?"
He walked from one end of the room to the other before speaking. "A few deatheaters have been caught and placed in Azkaban, one of whom we know."
"Severus Snape?" she asked.
Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I was wondering if you had any opinion on what should be done with him."
She chose her next words very carefully, not wanting to reveal too much. "At one time what I said mattered to him. What if I could convince him to act as a spy for our side?"
He looked at her thoughtfully. "I would need to meet with him first, to find out whether he regrets his actions and to gage if he can be trusted with something like that. But what then? What would he do in the times when he would not act as a spy?"
"We both know that he was excellent at making potions. Perhaps we could retain him as Potions Master?" she recommended. "We are in need of one."
He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "That is an idea worth pursuing. You may go now if you wish. I have disturbed your evening and kept you from your son. I appreciate your input," he conveyed.
She noticed how bland his voice sounded and realized quickly that the deaths of Lily and James Potter had hurt him deeply and he was attempting to be strong so that he did not cause her distress. "Goodnight Albus, and it is perfectly alright to be upset and to grieve."
"Thank you, Minerva," he replied, a hint of relief in his eyes.
Before she left, one more request needed to be made. "Albus, after you meet with Severus, may I meet with him? It may help the situation, especially if I can meet with him some other place aside from a cell."
He raised an eyebrow and scrutinized her for a moment. "I expect my deputy to be careful. Goodnight." She gave him a small smile before leaving. They planned to visit him over the next couple of days.
Returning to her quarters, she took a moment to look in on her sleeping son. She paused for a moment, caressing his cheek as he slept. A few tears slid down her cheeks as she thought of the Potters and their orphaned son. Lad, this world is a frightening place. I only hope I can find a good way to protect you from it, she thought to herself.
Minerva and Dumbledore made their way to Azkaban two days later. A bedraggled prisoner was led to a rarely used upstairs room. How strange that they should bring me to some sort of visiting area, Severus thought as the guards led him to a room with wood benches and only one other door. Though the room had rudimentary listening devices embedded within the walls, there were no cameras or windows for watching any occupants of the room.
As the seconds ticked by, he wondered why anyone would need to meet him so privately. He watched anxiously as the heavy oak door at the other end of the room opened. A solitary figure in a hooded gray cloak slowly stepped into the room. The figure balanced something bundled up in a similarly gray hooded robe on its hip, as if trying to conceal and not conceal at the same time.
The figure did not speak until it sat down next to him. "Severus," a woman whispered hoarsely.
Severus picked up the edge of the figure's hood with the ends of his fingers and slowly pulled it back to reveal someone he did not expect as he almost gasped in surprise. "Minerva! What are you doing here and why all the-" she held up a hand and cut him off, carefully holding the hooded bundle on her lap with her other arm and hand.
"Shh! I cannot use a silencing charm here, so we must speak quietly," she explained.
He nodded and eyed her curiously. Her hair was out of its customary bun, only in a flat braid and her green eyes flashed with concern. "Why did you have to meet me here instead of the cells? Mind you I am not ungrateful; I would rather be here anyway."
She gave him a weak half-smile. "I asked special permission from Dumbledore. I am trying to get you out of here and I have an idea for an ultimatum."
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening. I want you to know that I was not told of what You-Know-Who intended to do to the Potters, or even that he was looking for them. This place is most definitely not my idea of a five-star hotel, let alone a flat. Since I do notwant to spend the rest of my life here, you have my interest," he told her.
The bundle on her lap made noises that Severus was not expecting and he wondered why she would smuggle in a dragon as she pulled the mysterious creature close to her to comfort it. "If you became a spy for our side we could not only get you out of this pit of despair, but also offer you a job. Hogwarts is in need of a good Potions Master and I cannot think of anyone better for the job than the man who saved my life."
"You give me too much credit. But why do you need another Potions Master? What happened to Eygore and Slughorn?" he inquired.
"Professor Slughorn decided to retire permanently. And as for that idiot Eygore, he is a permanent resident at St. Mungo's because he thinks he is a camel. He used the wrong ingredients during a demonstration for the Potions class and the fumes from his own potion caused him to lose his mind. Fortunately the entire class was smart enough to evacuate the room before anyone else was affected," she explained.
He wore an earnest smile, if only for a moment. "After all that I've done, you still care. Why?"
Reaching out to touch his face she sighed deeply, knowing that she had to tell him. "Last summer when we met, you told me that you regret what you've had to do, that you wanted to come home, and that you would do anything to be rid of it. I have always known that you were made out of better substance than that, even when-" the bundle in her lap started to cry, interrupting her.
"Now, now, everything is alright. There's no need to be fussy here. Shh, see? I suppose it's time I moved that hood out of your face," she spoke to the bundle. Minerva could feel her cheeks growing red as she turned back to Severus with what he realized was a small child.
"I take it that this child is the other reason that we are meeting here?" he inquired, wide-eyed.
She glanced down at the baby and then faced Severus again. "He was part of the reason that I asked, but Dumbledore did not know I was bringing him until today. Our meeting last summer had some… unexpected results. I would like you to meet your son… and mine. This is Mordecai Cyrus Snape."
Severus studied the child, noting the fine black hair that was Minerva's and the dark brown eyes that were his. "Merlin, I never expected anything like this. At least he didn't get my nose," Severus whispered with a ghost of a smile.
Minerva smirked. "Perhaps there is hope for all of us yet. Would you like to hold him?"
The man next to her adamantly shook his head. "Not here, I want to remember nothing of this place."
She raised an eyebrow but nodded. "I understand. I will speak to the headmaster and see about getting you out of here. We have much to discuss, but this is not the place. Why didn't you ever contact me?"
"I tried to, but every time I had to dispose of the message because it would just barely avoid detection. Does Dumbledore know who the child's father is?" Severus questioned.
Minerva shook her head. "He may suspect, but I have not told him and I intend to keep things that way as long as possible."
"I know that you can't guarantee that, but I appreciate the effort," he responded. "There is one thing I would like to know. Why did you keep the child?"
"Because I felt that you deserved a say in his fate," she explained.
He helped her as she stood to leave and walked her to the door from which she came. As his own guards returned to collect him, he kept eye contact with her and whispered a phrase only she could hear, "Thank you."
(My thanks to Miss eo-Wyn, Leta McGotor, and Underground () for reviewing :D)