AN: Sorry! I realize that there were lots of typos in the last chapter and plot aspects that could have been developed a bit better… I'll try and do better and I will do a bit more proof reading this time. Things will start to settle down once I get into the story a bit more. Setting the story and the prologue parts are always the most awkward. By chapter 3 we'll be into the story and out of the background so please be kind.
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Over the next couple of years, Minerva continued to visit Hannah in her cat form. She'd accompany her while she worked tirelessly in Aunt Petunia's garden and when Aunt Petunia wasn't at home, she'd let Hannah scoop her up into her arms and take her inside while she cleaned the house, including Dudley's incredibly messy two rooms (his bedroom and his playroom). She had also seen where Hannah slept, her cupboard under the stairs. She had sat on the child's lap many times, trying to comfort her in her cat form as she confided the harsh realities of her upbringing to her. All of it made Minerva cringe. The sadness and the hopelessness that this child felt mirrored her own feelings of helpless because no matter how hard she tried, she could not make Albus see sense. He insisted time and time again that Hannah had to stay with the Dursley's, that one day Hannah would realize, but for now, this was where she had to stay,
Since today was Hannah's seventh birthday, Albus permit Minerva to go visit her. Minerva was able to get Albus to excuse her from her duties quite regularly during the Summer to spend a couple of hours with Hannah every couple of days to every couple of weeks. Minerva appreciated this greatly, because even though she was absolutely furious with Albus and Hannah's living situation, at least she could watch the child grow and provide her with a little bit of comfort.
Hannah absolutely loved cats. Whenever Minerva approached her, at least on most occasions she would shout "MINNIE!" with such joy seeping through her green eyes that Minerva almost stopped in her tracks to admire their light. So, similar was that look to how Lily's eyes would shine on a regular basis. It hurt her to know that young Hannah knew nothing of Lily and James and how much they had loved her.
Sometimes, Hannah would greet her more subtly when she came, or Minerva would find her in the playground, or Aunt Petunia's garden silently cry and gazing at the sky, lost in a daydream and a world of sorrow.
While Minerva was not excused by Albus very often from her duties at Hogwarts during the school year, she would at least get to see Hannah once a month, or so. Enough to know that not only was she horribly neglected by her relatives, but also badly bullied at school, even though she was still so young.
On this particular day of Hannah's seventh birthday, Minerva found herself being greeted by a very upset Hannah.
"Minnie!" She exclaimed, choking on her tears.
Minerva rubbed up against her, meowing softly and gazing into her tear filled green eyes.
"It has been awful." She explained "Aunt Petunia has me doing chores all day in this awful heat while Dudley gets to celebrate his birthday inside with all his friends. They threw him a party, but I'm not allowed to be in the house. Since to them I'm too much of a freak and…" she paused to catch her breath before whispering "I just want them to wish me a happy birthday, maybe give me a break from chores for the day… I don't need much…"
Hannah never ceased to amaze Minerva.
She didn't need much, Minerva scoffed internally, staring at the child's obvious hand me down clothes that were way too big for her. As well as knowing that she had no toys from the times Minerva had been inside her cupboard under the stairs. There were in fact things that Hannah needed, one was to know that someone cared.
XXX
Hannah's seventh birthday hadn't been pleasant, just like all of the other birthdays before that one. The only good part of her day was seeing Minnie. She had seen Minnie many quite regularly since the first time she had met her two years ago, especially during the Summer. The cat gave her much needed friendship and a space where she could talk freely about her home life and school. She especially loved it when Minnie would stay with her while she did her chores sometimes. It made them more enjoyable when that happened.
After making the Dursleys breakfast and going outside, she found a small parcel with her name "Hannah Lily Potter" scrawled across it. She knew better then to open it near the windows where her relatives could see so she kept it hidden until she could take a break from the weeding.
When she finally stopped weeding, the sweat was pouring down her face. She went back to the parcel and with trembling fingers took the note from the top and read:
Hannah,
I hope this brings you a little birthday cheer. Your relatives must not see this.
Minnie
"Minnie?" Hannah breathed. But how?"
Cats couldn't send mail and they most certainly could not read, or write. Hannah, still trembling opened the parcel. Inside was a small red and gold necklace with a little lion engraved on a pendant.
Hannah's breath caught as tears began to form in her eyes.
It was beautiful.
She slipped the note and the gift into the pocket of her oversized jeans and headed inside to put it underneath her mattress where her relatives would never look.
No, cats couldn't read, or write, there was a simple explanation for the gift of course. It was simply a gift from one of Aunt Petunia, or Uncle Vernon's friends who felt sorry for her.
Yes, Clementine (who was often called Min, or Minnie by Dudley when he was younger) was the perfect explanation. She had even been at the party with her kids yesterday and had given Hannah sympathetic glances once she had finally been permitted to come inside by her Aunt and Uncle.
While Hannah cherished the gift, she soon brushed the sender out of her mind, knowing she could never thank Clementine in front of her relatives anyway. She instead scribbled "thank you, I loved the gift. Hannah" onto a scrap piece of paper and hid it where the original gift had been. The following morning, the note of gratitude was gone.
XXX Time Skip
It was the first of May, about two months before she would be ending her fourth grade of primary school. The air was cool, but Hannah was dragging her feet on her walk home from school. Until of course, Dudley's gang started chasing her. She was small, light and fast. Normally, this worked to her advantage, but today she couldn't keep running for long, there was just too much on her mind for a nine-year-old and pretty quickly Dudley's gang caught up to her.
"Hey, freak" Dudley yelled, grabbing Hannah and pushing her into the dirt while the other boys laughed.
Hannah's knees collided painfully with the cement, but before she could clamber to her feet again, Dudley and Piers were punching every part of her that they could get their hands on.
Hannah whimpered.
"I'm sure mum and dad will do the same when they find out what you did at school today freak!" Dudley continued to torment.
Hannah shuddered recalling the events of the day. She just couldn't understand it.
How could she have changed her teacher's hair blue?
Maybe she really was a freak.
Hannah sighed as she finally managed to wiggle herself free from Dudley and his gang to run, this time at top speed, home to her Aunt and Uncle's.
Sure enough, Dudley was right.
Hannah's already bruised body became even more inflamed by the time Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were done with her. She was left gasping in pain and her heart stinging from all of the insults they had thrown at her. Calling her every horrible name they could think of.
Hannah just didn't understand why strange things kept happening to her.
XXX
Minerva hadn't been planning to visit Privet Drive today, but she got lucky when Albus suggested she go check on the child as six weeks had already gone by since her last visit. Of course, she was more than happy to oblige.
She appeared at the park and transformed herself into cat form before making her way carefully to #4. She wasn't sure if she would see Hannah, it was nearing dusk by the time she got there.
Minerva perched herself on the back wall of the garden and waited, alert to her surroundings.
As night began to fall, Minerva stretched, realizing that she was in fact not going to see Hannah tonight. She jumped off the wall and was just about to transform back when-
"MINNIE!"
Minerva stopped and turned around. The street lights gave off much light to what would have otherwise been a very dark street. She had been so preoccupied that she had not heard Hannah quietly slip out from the house and approach her.
Minerva squinted staring into those bright green eyes as she stared at Hannah, her eyes searched the rest of her appearance.
There were bruises and marks all over her face. Minerva could also tell that she had been crying.
Minerva meowed in greeting, her concerned eyes never leaving Hannah.
"Oh, Minnie!" The girl continued "today has been awful!"
Minerva cringed and shuddered internally as the girl recounted what had happened that day- changing her teacher's hair colour blue, Dudley's gang and the further wrath she had gotten from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.
"I just don't understand" she finished "why am I such a freak? Why do these strange things keep happening to me?"
Minerva could tell that Hannah was lost and confused. This wasn't fair and she knew it.
Minerva had to do more somehow.
Her musings were interrupted by Hannah
"Even your strange" she said.
Minerva just gazed at her. It was getting really late so she turned and started walking towards the Dursley house, hoping Hannah would follow her and get the hint to go back inside. Luckily, it worked and with a final sad smile and scratch to the head, Hannah went back inside.
When she was sure nobody was watching, Minerva transformed herself back into human form and transfigured a handkerchief into a healing cream for the bruises. She left it hidden by the flowers, exactly where she left Hannah's birthday presents and other treats that she brought for the child. When Hannah was younger, she would leave a note attached and sign "Minnie", but Hannah began to grow suspicious so she now left no signature. Instead she simply wrote "Use this cream, it will help" hoping the child would be able to put two and two together and apply them to any injuries.
When Minerva got back to Hogwarts, she went straight to Albus.
"Enough is enough!" Minerva exclaimed opening the door to his office.
"What on earth- "
"No!" Minerva snapped back.
"I have had enough, Albus!"
"My dear Minerva, I don't know what you- '
"Do not pull that with me Albus Dumbledore! You know very well what I mean, the way they treat Hannah is downright abuse!"
"Minerva, I'm sure she's- "
"No, she is not fine!" Minerva snapped.
"Whatever do you- "
"I will show you what I mean." Minerva got her wand out of her robes and put it to her temple, extracting a silvery white line of mist and putting it into one of the vials on Albus desk.
"Your pensieve." Alnus nodded reluctantly and stood up. He was used to Minerva doing this to him after visits with Hannah.
After the two had their feet firmly slammed on the floor of the headmaster's office after viewing the memory from that night, Alnus sighed.
"Alright Minerva, what shall we do?"
Minerva gasped, finally she was beginning to make him see sense.
She collapsed in her chair as she thought.
"I will take her."
"You cannot." Albus said.
"And why is that?"
"Too obvious."
Minerva's nostrils flared as she sighed, placing her head in her hands in despair. Over the years she had become so attached to the child, she would have loved to take her, but Albus…
XXX
"Aunt Minnie" Sirius Black said tentatively as he approached her after his Transfiguration lesson.
"Mr. Black." She said, narrowing her eyes disapprovingly of his nickname for her.
"I, I'm scared to go home."
Minerva McGonagall stared sternly down at her student who was finishing up his first year at Hogwarts. She knew he was telling the truth, the Black family, excluding Andromeda were all dark, ruthless witches and wizards. Sirius was different, an outcast like Andromeda and the first Gryffindor in the Black family. Sirius was a special, yet mischievous child she mused.
"I can't go back, professor" he continued.
"I'm not like them."
XXX
"He's not like them." She finally said out loud to Dumbledore as they sat in silence pondering about Hannah Potter."
"Who?" Albus asked, eyes twinkling.
"Sirius Black."
Albus face blanched.