After the reading up to the 1st of September…
Minerva McGonagall & Poppy Pomfrey
Minerva and Poppy apparate in their rented cottage and decided not to think or talk about what happen, instead, they pulled out their inheritance, lay everything on the table, returned it to normal size, share a tender kiss and retired to sleep, feeling the effects of the muggle gin and apparate in the form of a persistent headache...
Next morning, Minerva woke up a little before sunrise as usual but instead of walking out to see the sunrise, she sat on the table to seize the books and to her surprise she found a little note in the first one.
"Minerva, If you're reading this I'm death and you accept my inheritance, first of all, thank you for all the years of friendship, I know you knew about my love for Lily even before Dumbledore, you saw it in our years as students but never use it against me like he did, thank you and if I'm worthy of a wish, make sure Poppy relax a little, she'll never admitted, but she has been so afraid the last 20 years, while we were playing chess with Voldemort, she was drowning in fear, she deserves a little rest, I know you'll love her for as long as you breathe, that has never been an issue, you have love her since I was a boy, but you were also committed to the cause so much, that sometimes she wasn't your priority, I hope the other half of my inheritance help you both to have a break, catch up with your emotions and with each other, I wish you both a long and happy future ahead, no one deserves it more than you two. Regards, Severus."
She was crying a little bit because he was right, her relationship with Poppy was a little distanced, now was the time to catch up, to be just the two of them again, no more Voldemort, no more Dumbledore schemes, no more Order, just the two of them and their happiness with or without Hogwarts…
She heard a grumpy sound coming from the bedroom as Poppy grumpily was waking and smile, the last time she had heard that grumpiness from his wife was the morning after their wedding, Albus, Pomona, Filius, Rosmerta, Elphinstone and Poppy's brother had been the only attendants, since both mothers had disapproved the relationship, Poppy Father was death and hers was forbid to attend by her mother as well as her brothers but that didn't prevent the celebration to be a wild one, all of them drink like there were no tomorrow by her estimation, each one easily drink a barrel of firewhisky and for the bits that she is able to remember, they also perform a lot of magic and probably that's why they never recover their insurance money back, but that was almost 40 years ago, why could possibly make her grumpy now, then she remember that Poppy drink a little bit too much with Harry's aunt and the gin is not something common for her, and well, they weren't that young so maybe she was having a small hangover, so she stand up and put a kettle for tea while prepare a hangover potion, that way when Poppy appear in the kitchen, Minerva had already prepared a cup, Poppy was grateful and give her a little peck on the check, but didn't speak until after the first sip. As they prepare for the day, both were really affected by the words of Severus, but neither expresses verbally, they were processing the words in a different way, Minerva was worried about her relationship with Poppy and Poppy was preoccupied about their job with the St. Mungo's wizards regarding the new potions…
With that on mind, they were to the meeting in the Leaky Cauldron in order to had a light breakfast and wait for Rosmerta, Aberforth and Robert, in order to go to Gringotts as early as possible, they didn't know how much time will the goblins need to approve the transfer of the money but it took the majority of the morning to work out every single detail with the goblins given the level of security in the Prince Vault, since Severus insisted in call it that so the Dark Lord, his followers or even the Ministry couldn't make a connection to him and seize the assets, finally by midday they leave Gringotts, all sorted out regarding the private vaults of them four to the three vaults, since Aberforth and Rosmerta had separate vaults given their respective business while Minerva and Poppy had and joint vault since their marriage but the new directive to transfer half of the patents earnings to the Hogwarts vault were going to take about a week to settle both with St. Mungo's and with the Hogwarts Board of Governors, given the fact that they weren't in control of the school thanks to Voldemort uprising so they need to wait for the next meeting since the appointment of Minerva McGonagall was done from the Ministry and they still were waiting for ratification of the board, in that meeting they will be notified of the will of Severus Snape, the transfer of the funds and the regular deposits regarding the use of the potions by St. Mungo's, after that, they went to enjoy a light meal before heading to St. Mungo's to process the transfer of the patents and the earnings to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they had no problems with the paperwork or the transfer and they were really excited by the new potions and their applications...
After say goodbye to Rosmerta, Aberforth and Robert they decided to enjoy the rest of the afternoon in London, do some shopping and take a relax stroll through Hyde Park before come back in the cottage by sunset.
The next day, they decided to pay a visit to Severus grave, they weren't surprise by the location he chose for it, so they bring flowers for him and for the Potter's, they stay there reminiscence Severus for a long time, before they leave they look for the groundskeeper and pay him a little fee as a thank you for keeping the graves clean, but the keeper said that a lady had come the day before and clean them by hand, also inform them that said lady had plant some seeds in the grave and maybe there will be flowers the next time they came, they ask for her name, but the groundskeeper didn't know it, Minerva left a little intrigued but Poppy had an idea to who it was, however she keep it for herself and maybe someday they'll know exactly who was the woman that visit the grave of Severus Snape and the Potter's.
They spend the rest of the summer literally doing nothing, they were talking, walking, having dinner dates all over England, even had a couple of awkward dinners with Poppy's mother who had finally accept the relationship but that was very ill and with her brother that was taking care of her, they went to Scotland to mend the relationship with Minerva's family since, Minerva's mother had died without approving but her father and brother where still alive and she received a couple of owls from her brother Malcolm who had awake from the spell her mother had perform, apparently, after their youngest brother Robert Jr. were kill in the First Wizarding War, their mother, Isobel Ross, erased all magic memory's from him and bound his powers he also explain that the separation between brother and sister was due to a very complicated form of the Memory Charm combine with the Memory Modifying Charm that she used to erase her from both her father and brother mind but also modified the memories of their youngest by made him a soldier who died during The Troubles conflict victim of the IRA, so he remain a hero, but not Malcom or Robert senior will remember him been kill by Death Eaters or even been avenge by Malcom and Minerva...
A little disturb by the methods her mother use to separate her from the family Minerva travel with Poppy to Caithness where her brother still lived with her father in the town of Wick, since her father was being treated in the Caithness General Hospital and her brother was a librarian at the Wick Carnegie Library, a fact that he actually likes even now that he can remember his magic and his previous job as muggle affairs officer on the ministry, they were having a pleasant dinner, since Minerva arrive earlier in the afternoon, he also confess to be deeply sorry to obey their mother when she forbade him to attend her wedding, and he repeatedly ask for forgiveness, begging to be part of their family once more, Minerva was crying and Poppy was holding her hand the entire time, which make his brother laugh and remember the times when Minerva used to go to family functions with Elphinstone Urquart and pretend to date him, but only their mother believed, Minerva actually laugh about it, since she and Elphinstone were good friends, he even was a witness to their wedding and she remember him as the one who buy the 12 barrels of firewhisly that were drink at their wedding, even when there were only six guest and both of them, his brother eyes almost pop out of their sockets at the amount of firewhisky, he ask for more details but Minerva confess him that she had no recollection of their wedding party, only that she wake up with a pounding headache and a beautiful wife the next day, Poppy was a little blush but offer no explanation or clarification in the events…
The next day they visit her father but before they enter, the doctor told them that Robert McGonagall Senior was on palliative care, since there was nothing more to do for him, Minerva wanted to cry but she forces herself to be brave to see his father again after almost 30 years, the last time being the funeral of Robert Jr, her father was sitting backward to the door so he didn't see her until she spoke, he turn around with tears in his eyes and open his arms to his daughter, they embrace for a long time, with Poppy and Malcom watching from the door with tears in their eyes, eventually they separated and decided to had lunch on the garden, they catch up with their lives and cry a little bit more for the separation but nevertheless they were happier to be reunited even at the end, Robert knew it was his time, but at least he had survive enough to see his daughter one more time…
They decided to spend the rest of the summer in Caithness to be close to her father, after all they had sort out the majority of their affairs, the only pending was the ratification of Minerva as Headmistress by the Board of Governors after their meeting on the 8th of July so she could be back to the cottage by that time and stay with her father, Poppy stay with her but both of them knew she will be needed in St. Mungo's often since the potions were on probation state but their arrange a permit to temporary connect the fireplace in her father home to the Floo Network so they can manage the affairs they need it but stay in Scotland as long as they want.
They didn't have that much time together, Robert McGonagall Senior died in the early days of June and been a muggle they buried him like one, their mother, Isobel was already on the McGonagall family plot and Robert was being prepared to be there as well, next to his wife and son, at the end, Minerva, Poppy, Malcom and the congregation of Wick was there, they give the last farewell to Reverend Robert McGonagall and the condolences to both siblings as well as the daughter-in-law, after that, Malcom decided not to stay in Scotland but he didn't have a clue of what to do, Minerva convince him to come with them to the cottage and then figure it out what to do, he agreed and after packing all of his belongings they inform the new reverend that according with their father's will, the house was for the church to use as it fit, they also inform the Ministry to severed the floo connection since they were leaving the house to muggles, the reverend thank them and make them promise to visit, then he quit his job on the library and travel back to England with Minerva and Poppy, they stay on the cottage and keep on the repairs, and renovations since her brother had good taste and more time to supervise the workers they had, since Minerva was following the repairs of Hogwarts while Poppy was visiting St. Mungo's to check the progress of the new potions pretty much every other day, turns out Severus was right, the new potions were excellent for treatment, so the St. Mungo's board of director's immediately buy the new formula and she clarify the same agreement they have, half for her, half for Hogwarts so with that in order, they prepare everything to greet the new students, a new school year was about to begin...
Malcom had reconnected to old acquaintances and was offer a job on the Ministry on the Archives office since the place was a mess after the undertaking, by the beginning of August the cottage was renovated, Hogwarts was ready and Malcom had found a small flat near the Ministry, Minerva and Poppy help with the place and they had dinner every other day, happy to have them in his life as well as Elphinstone, who was still an incurable bachelor and had a flat on the same apartment complex as well as Poppy's brother, Richard, who was also a bachelor which Minerva finds amusing when the tree of them were together, since the day she and Poppy had to pick them up from the Leaky Cauldron dead drunk and had to ask Tom to help them to put them on the floo one by one to delivered at their homes but she also feel good to know that his brother have friends to relay on and a new goal in life, plus Richard was so yell out by Poppy, the next day and was totally hilarious…
