A/N: Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts on what I should do moving forward. I think you are correct in that if I choose to post an updated version of Births and Deaths, I should do so separately. As it happens, I'm going to put it on the backburner for now and get this finished before I mess with that. Seems silly to get caught up on something that's already okay before this is okay. I adore you all. Thank you for sticking with me.

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Minerva McGonagall took a deep breath of fresh air during the break in the meeting. They had been going back and forth for more than an hour and she'd had to step out of the room before she took someone's head off. She couldn't understand why she was feeling so out of sorts and Severus especially was trying her patience.

Actually, that wasn't completely true. She knew exactly why she was so grumpy.

She missed Harry fiercely. She knew that the work she was involved in; the work with the Order, was more important than anything else at the moment but she did so long to hold her boy for more than thirty seconds. Treaties had to be brokered, and past allegiances needed to be strengthened. It was hard work, firstly tracking down past friends and calling in favours. Consequently, she had barely slept in the last month, let alone been home. If Kenna was to be believed, on the few nights that she had stopped in at the Manor, Harry was suffering too but in war, she knew very well that relationships suffered. She thought about her relationship with Albus and nodded to herself. She had barely seen him outside meetings and although the pain of missing Harry was a mite keener, she did so crave his touch.

"My dear," the very man occupying her thoughts whispered in her ear.

"Albus," she breathed, letting him take her in his arms.

"You have worked hard and slept little," he said kindly. "You should take a night off. Get some rest."

She looked up at him, gauging his seriousness. She sighed once more, letting her forehead rest against his chest.

"T'would be good to see Harry," she sighed. "But you also need me. We need me. Out there. You are good, Albus, but you cannot be in all places."

"Even Severus has had a night off, Min," Albus chuckled, massaging her shoulders gently as they swayed to music only he could hear. "You need some sleep, and I would be happier assigning tasks to you, knowing you were properly rested."

"Harry suffers," she said simply, knowing that he would understand. "And I am not sure I can soothe his ills."

"We all suffer, my love. He is healing, while we are working on protecting him and all the others as best we can. Spend some time resting. I am not so old that I do not remember how everyone suffered through the first war. While time is of the essence - we all have more to lose now, we must work to make sure we do not lose it despite our efforts."

"I will do as you ask," Minerva caved, chuckling morosely. "I suppose it is too much to ask that you join me?"

"It is," he said sadly. "But, I may be able to clear a few hours tomorrow night if you wish to have dinner with me?"

"I would like that," she whispered, cupping his cheek and kissing him gently. "Shall I stay for the rest?"

"I think we have it covered, although I believe Miss Granger wishes to talk with you before you go, if you have the time?"

"I always have time for Hermione," Minerva smiled. "However, I may not be out of here within the hour if I do stop."

"You must rest," Albus said quietly.

"I will try and keep my time with Hermione short then," she acquiesced. "I shall miss you. Though we have not had much time, it was nice working together with you as we once did."

"You missed the rush of war?" he asked.

"I missed relying on each other. The rush is different than teaching, I admit, but I am too old to rejoice in it as I did in my youth and I have too much riding on my survival to be quite so cavalier with my life."

"Wise words for one who looks no older than our students."

"A fact you take great delight in."

"I love you no matter the wrappings," he said, before leaning closer still. "Or lack thereof."

She threw her head back, roaring with laughter, feeling the weeks of tension that had built up already evaporating. She looked back at him to find his eyes twinkling as well and felt happier than she had in a long time.

"You should go before Molly decides to tell us off for acting like teenagers in the garden."

"I should," Minerva said, kissing him once more and letting her hand linger in his before finally moving into the house, seeking out her most studious pupil, and the girl she loved as much as Harry.

"Oh, Minerva!" Hermione squealed as she turned the corner into the library.

"Oof, hello Hermione," she chuckled as Hermione threw herself into her arms. "How are you? Where's Ron?"

"Oh, he's off helping the twins. I wanted to ask you when we can start writing to Harry?" she asked breathlessly. "Only I don't know if Professor Dumbledore's plan is going to work. Harry's really sensitive and I don't want him to think I didn't want to write to him, I just," she grimaced, "I think this is a bad idea."

Minerva frowned, wondering what Hermione was on about.

"I'm sorry, I'm not following."

"Albus asked us not to write to Harry, so he could concentrate on, well, I'm not sure, but I think it's the wrong decision."

Minerva stilled as she felt her blood run cold. She didn't know Hermione and Ron hadn't been writing to Harry, she'd just assumed they were talking normally. She hadn't even had the time to think about why Ron and Hermione hadn't asked her when they would be visiting, and the happy feelings she had about Albus coming to dinner quickly turned to ash in her mouth.

"I," she swallowed. "You haven't been writing?"

"No, Albus told us to let him," she shrugged. "I dunno. Heal, I guess."

"Oh," Minerva breathed. "I didn't know."

She grimaced, feeling a ball of shame and disgust roiling in her stomach at her stupidity.

"Have you not been home?" Hermione asked, rather accusingly in Minerva's ears. If anything, she felt she deserved it.

"I've been away," she said simply, knowing how sharp Hermione was and refusing to give her an ounce of detail she could extrapolate on.

"Min," Hermione gaped. "He's going to be so lonely. He's been there in the manor by himself and he hates that. That's how," Hermione looked horrified and Minerva's stomach twisted tighter. "That's how life used to be. If he wasn't being tormented, he was being ignored. He -"

"I -"

Minerva closed her eyes, opening their connection in her mind gently, and gripped Hermione's arm as she was assaulted by so many feelings all colliding violently with one another in her chest.

"Oh Merlin," she whispered, cupping Hermione's cheek before rushing to the door. She flung it open and stepped down off the first step, Apparating into the night air with an almighty crack.

-0-

Harry was startled awake again as he heard the front door bang, but he curled up tighter in a ball rather than investigate. He didn't care who it was. It could have been Voldemort himself, for all he cared. The people that were supposed to love him had abandoned him. Hermione, Ron, Minerva, and Albus - he was so angry with all of them. This was supposed to be his happy place. His sanctuary. He was supposed to have a family now, a family that loved him and cared for him and wanted him. He angrily brushed away the lone tear that ran down his face. He had nothing that he did not have before and the only common denominator between them was himself.

"Harry?"

He set his jaw as Minerva called to him from the door. He went still, calling on the skills he'd learned at the Dursley's. If nobody could see him or hear him, everything would be alright.

Everything was always better when he was invisible.

"HARRY?" Minerva called from outside his room now.

"He's in there, Mistress," Kenna said, a little sharply considering she was talking to the Mistress of the house. "Master has been in there all afternoon crying. He came back white as a sheet and has been crying or sleeping since."

"Thank you, Kenna," Minerva whispered, and despite his anger, Harry felt a pang of sadness at the hurt in her voice. "I -" she paused. "Thank you."

He watched silently as Minerva's feet walked into his room to the foot of his bed. He knew she would realise where he was now, but he didn't really want to see her. She'd left him alone, and he'd been expelled from the one place he'd felt was home for saving a Muggle from the bad guys. It was so unfair it just made him angrier.

This holiday, which was supposed to have been everything he needed to heal and recuperate, had been awful. The one shining beacon of hope had been Hogwarts, and now he sobbed quietly. Now, even that was gone.

"Tha mi duilich, mo mhac [I'm so sorry, my son]," she sighed.

He couldn't see what she was doing, but he heard the creak of the bed and crumple of paper as she found the letter that would change their lives.

"What on -?"

There was a tense silence before she stood suddenly, lighting the fireplace and shouting into it.

"ALBUS!"

"Minerva?"

Harry growled as Albus appeared from the flames.

"Did you know about this?" she hissed.

"Know about what?" he asked, stepping into the room. "Where is Harry?"

"He is where you imprisoned him. Again. Was that what this was all about? All the missions, all the time away. Were you trying to keep us apart?"

"Minerva, you're not making sense," he said. Even his voice made him angry.

Harry covered his ears; uselessly it turned out, as the volume of their voices had escalated beyond normal levels.

"You kept everyone from his life. Do you not understand? Do you think so little of him that you actively seek to hurt him?"

"What? Minerva stop, I don't understand what you're saying."

"HARRY!" she screamed. "You have forbidden Harry's friends from contacting him, and kept me so busy I have barely had time to come home and kiss his forehead before dragging me back out again!"

He didn't want to hear it. He hadn't known she'd been home at night, but right now he didn't care.

"STOP!" Harry yelled, suddenly appearing out from under the bed without noticing how he got there. "STOP! Leave me alone, like you've done all holiday. Leave ME ALONE!"

"Harry, darling, I had no idea." Minerva's eyes were wide and it gave him no pleasure to see the tears in them. "Leanabh [baby], don't get angry. Tha thu ceart gu leòr [You're okay]."

A flash of hurt pierced his stomach.

"No! I was home." He shook his head. "Here, then you left and I was all alone. I'm always alone except with you. And I realised home was you! With you! And you weren't here. Hermione and Ron weren't here, Albus wasn't here -"

He glared at the man in question, who refused to meet his eye.

"Harry -"

He looked at Minerva and curled his lip.

"I don't want to hear it," he said coldly. "Get out."

Albus left without another word, but Minerva lingered.

"Tha gaol agam ort, leanabh [I love you, baby]," Minerva sighed, reaching forward to touch his arm before thinking better of it.

She left quietly and pulled the door not-quite-closed behind her as she left. As soon as she had gone, Harry wished he could call her back. He dropped to the floor, curling up in a ball and letting the tears fall uncontrollably.

"Oh Master Harry," Kenna sighed as he felt her tiny hand patting his hair. "There there. It will all be well. Mistress will make sure. Do not worry."

He didn't notice her put him back into bed or pay any attention at all as she changed his clothes to soft pyjamas before quietly disappearing with a pop.

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A/N: SURPRISE! Admit it, you were worried weren't you! Thank you to everyone who PMed and reviewed me to get my butt working. Life got very busy, but here we are, the next part of this. I tried to answer as many questions as you guys had in your reviews as I could, feel free to ask away. I'm not overly happy with how this ended up, but we have to get through this bit before we go back to school. As you will see, the canon needed to be tweaked a little to fit with what I wanted, but mostly, as with the other stories, I tried to keep it as close as possible.

Age of Healing won't be too far behind (I hope) so keep an eye on EmPoweredBeing's facebook page for updates.

As ever, the amazing Spin has done a wonderful job in making this readable, accommodating my terrible lack of self-editing and various sex changed my characters had :/ yes it's as weird as it sounds.
Enjoy! Oh, and note the title change :D