Chapter 41: Never Be The Same Again
May 7, 2006
Continuation
At barely seven in the morning, on a Sunday no less, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall wasn't surprised at all to find the castle's dining hall buzzing with excitement. The simple decision of pre-arranging today's breakfast schedule to an hour earlier from its usual time at 7:30 am was proving to be a good call, as it seemed that all of the castle's residents were already up and about. And that was because of only one thing—the Great Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was playing host to the 8th commemoration happening today, May 7, 2006.
"These scoundrels do know how to be joyously awake so early, eh?" Hogwarts flying instructor Rolanda Hooch laughingly remarked, gesturing to the erupted merriment coming from one huddle of students.
"True," Professor Flitwick lightheartedly responded. "The ability of our students to forgo sleep at the prospect of an exciting day is indeed something."
"I don't know, Professor, if that is only applicable with the students…" Herbology Professor Neville Longbottom admitted with the broadest grin, "Because I know I can't sleep when I have forthcoming blooming of henbane. Or whenever the Headmistress is due to send back her evaluation for my request on additional cuttings and seedlings."
That garnered considerable chuckles from those at the Hogwarts Staff table; even Minerva let out a smile at Neville's honest statement... Sometimes, she could not believe that this almost twenty-six year-old and 6-feet towering colleague of hers was the same human being who had been that absolutely lumbering and forgetful eleven-year-old boy who arrived at Hogwarts a decade and a half ago…
Further, Neville Longbottom had in fact managed to include himself in the short list of students whom Minerva ever apologised to in her long vocation as Transfiguration Professor. It was at the height of Sirius Black's Azkaban breakout (prior to the discovery of Peter Pettigrew's betrayal) when they had a security scare in the Gryffindor dormitory due to password accidental mislaying by Neville. Her temper had gotten the better of her, and she lambasted him with her poor choices of words, which she regretted and profusely apologised for.
In response, Neville had told her that there was no need for him to forgive her and that he'd accept his would-be punishment. He confessed that he was truly at fault for the security risk, and for making his Head of House worried for their safety…
That, unknowingly, had sent Minerva to an equal state of mortification (for her deplorable temper) and astonishment (for his unadulterated magnanimity). In return, Minerva made her own confession that Neville was proving to be the better person between them in their reactions. The bestowed honesty had led them to a more meaningful one-on-one chat. She had seized the opportunity to affirm how indeed he belonged to the house of the brave because bravery comes in different forms— and he exemplified the kind of courage many, many lack, the courage to face accountability.
Providentially, the open communication with her charge had paved the way for her to learn of Augusta Longbottom's (Neville's grandmother) harsh predisposition toward him, unjustly expecting Neville to slip into his father's persona. And because Minerva knew and went to Hogwarts with Augusta, she had no trouble giving the woman a tell-off about it… Neville never mentioned it, and in a way, Minerva simply gave Neville enough room to find his own strength. Except, during one of those dreadful nights in his seventh year at Hogwarts, just when Minerva finished helping him with his latest wounds from the Carrows' abominable punishment, he had expressed his appreciation for her support of him, including the intercession with his grandmother.
Thousands of students came and went in Minerva' teaching life, and she was quite mindful of how she (and the rest of the Professors) had affected those lives in one-way or another. In an unknown number of students, she knew the positive nudges here and there she instigated were just what they had needed in preparation for their lives after Hogwarts… However, in the case of Neville Longbottom, Minerva forthrightly believed that credit went to former Hogwarts Herbology Professor Pomona Sprout. That woman had always defended Neville against Severus' tough opinions of the lad for every blotched potion task, reminding the Potions Master that the excellent ingredients of this and that have been by Neville's care at Hogwarts greenhouse. Also, Pomona gave more than a nudge to Neville pertaining to his career opportunity. She set a good path for him.
After the war, after Neville had taken his NEWTS, Pomona came to Minerva about taking mentorship for him, lobbying for his internship at Hogwarts as a Teaching Assistant. Minerva knew that Pomona wanted to retire, for they had one conversation about it at one point when they were repairing Hogwarts. She understood when Pomona admitted that Hogwarts would Never Be The Same Again. That for her colleague, it signalled the ending of her teaching stint, that that was it… but because she would not forsake Minerva as the school rose from the aftermath, she was not retiring right away without readying her replacement. Hitting two birds with one stone, so to speak, Pomona had arranged for Neville's apprenticeship. And she had been absolutely right; she had efficiently set her retirement with someone most suited to take her place beyond question.
Neville loved Herbology and being at Hogwarts. And without a doubt, he was a young war hero—who amongst other things had slayed Voldemort's killing pet. Minerva did not actually witness that moment, for apart from taking down Voldemort's followers who felt like it was their mission to be the one to kill her (Dumbledore's best friend), she was also completely occupied intercepting death-eaters who were harming her students. But many others who fought at Hogwarts had seen Neville taking Gryffindor's sword, striking Nagini with it, with all his might...
And that…that felt like a lifetime ago…
Especially on a day like today…
Another outburst of laughter from a group of students had garnered the Professors' attention, and over the racketing volume, Minerva heard Arithmancy Professor Septima Vector concernedly ask Professor Flitwick if they must curb the students for too much commotion.
"It's all right, Septima." Minerva gently intruded, "Let them be. We already know that it would be pointless to patrol students' more than usual overzealousness today. Who knows, having them very tired by today's activity might give us all an early turn in tonight…"
"Quite right." Filius chuckled and met Minerva's gaze in unabashed delight. Both noticed the jaws dropping, not only from Septima but as well as other Professors for the Headmistress' relaxed attitude, an almost unheard of disposition from the renowned disciplinarian Professor McGonagall... But Minerva merely gave Filius an unassuming shrug.
For the current school year, Minerva knew that her behaviour in terms of unveiling liberalities, with her words and with her actions, was causing incredulous reactions amongst the Hogwarts' staff and student body, which she was certain had somehow reached the families of the latter, and that meant a great deal of Wizarding population in Britain…
On separate occasions in recent past months, colleagues such as Filius, Poppy, and surprisingly Neville (perhaps that shouldn't be as surprising given that Neville was a Gryffindor), had bravely lauded this adjustment they'd seen in her. She waved off the commendation not unkindly. After all, this was just another surge of roaming news featuring her and her latest adjustments… just as the ones that initially went afire and then died down into normalcy beginning a few years ago…
Following the by and large tunings of war aftermath, Minerva took the reign of forging overdue fundamental changes at Hogwarts for the sake of its future. Some of these she had long researched and lobbied to Dumbledore when she was a Deputy to him. Unfortunately, while she truly admired, respected, and loved the wizard, she disliked his deferment to venture progressive deportment for the school… She had tried her hardest to push these laborious but pivotal adjustments for Hogwarts, but of course, emerging wars had taken front and center, and gave justification to the non-action from Dumbledore… And they had two wars in their Deputy-Headmaster partnership.
But as Headmistress, Minerva primarily began wrecking common depictions and disregarding obsolescent exercises at Hogwarts when they opened classes second year after the battle. These concerns ranged from— basic and advanced curriculum revamp, staff lodging arrangements outside the castle (to appeal to the employment of highly qualified instructors), and to incorporating inter-house immersion for the students' well-rounded character development, and several others… These acclimatisations had more or less ruffled so many people, but Minerva was resolute; resulting in Hogwarts to Never Be The Same Again.
And lately, yes, even adjustments of the Headmistress herself, physical or otherwise, were not escaping everyone's notice. Minerva was conscious that the already one year old story regarding the 'subtraction of de-glamour spell on her person was circulating like a never-ending memo about her true but impossibly younger physical attributes. Naturally, she understood the prying, because basically she gave a bit of a preview with less de-glamour when she appeared at last year's commemoration. But due to the events triggered by the dark mark, she overlooked re-applying the spell when she returned to Hogwarts, and carried the unconcealed appearance to Azkaban and then to St Mungos.
Thereafter, it actually felt more pretentious to resume its cover-up, so grudgingly she extracted an agreement with herself to finally let it be, to remain in her true appearance. For this reason, it could Never Be The Same Again for the residents of Hogwarts to see Headmistress Minerva McGonagall shockingly 'de-aged'.
Most of the staff were first to somewhat learn how to not be as stupefied at seeing her around without her customary de-glamour. Some even managed to be bold enough to bring up their amazement and admiration. But others were yet to progress from their benign but blatant staring.
Minerva knew that it could be awhile for the conundrum to completely subside, particularly because she was mostly locked in the castle since last May, (secretly recovering from her drained magical power and shocking burning attacks from time to time), thus the limited number of Hogwarts residents bearing witness to it had contributed to fanning the fire of curiosity when they wrote to families and friends outside of Hogwarts. In fact, Minerva knew the ongoing informal contest amongst students about discovering the real explanation to her more than unusual magical ageing.
One time, Slytherin House head had told her that students from their house were claiming that Slytherin families knew the legend of how the McGonagall bloodline had a de-ageing nature passed down from Merlin. Reverting witches and wizards of Minerva's family to their teenage years once they hit a certain middle age... This made her roll her eyes. Despite ageing quite slower than most magical people, she could assure them that she was not a descendant of Merlin, and more so, was not ageing backward to her teenage years. And that she felt every bit as old as her true age number…
Also, Filius informed her of the other running narrative about her more than unusual magical ageing, which he said was more or less the consensus from the students— that it must be related to her animal form (Tabby cat as her registered animagus). That the only explanation for her young appearance was because as a cat, she had several lives, where the application for each life meant that she aged only every 9 years since coming of age.
Then Poppy said that she overheard a handful of Hufflepuffs who thought that the reason the Headmistress looked younger and more beautiful was because of the great magical power of love— that Minerva McGonagall was deep in love... This actually made her laugh in front of the Mediwitch, but later on, in the privacy of her rooms, she thought that while the young Hufflepuffs were belatedly catching on, for it began back in 1998, the affable Hogwarts students seemed to be the ones supposing it correctly— not about her magical ageing, but the truth that she was in love, something she never thought she would know or feel…
Exactly eight years ago, when that sudden impression struck Minerva, she could not even define it for what it was... The kind of feeling that descended on her was one she had never known as she looked at the young woman standing behind Harry Potter when, of all places and times, they were laying Severus Snape in his resting place!
When she finished speaking of the things that needed to be said about Severus' true role during the war, she lifted her eyes to Harry to check up on him, to wordlessly comfort him, but then she also gazed at his brilliant best friend, who had been standing supportive behind him. For reasons unknown, Minerva had an intense reaction on seeing Hermione, the most confusing realisation at not finding that distinctive intelligent and ever-diligent student that used to come to her office for advanced lessons. In its place was a young and beautiful woman, one who was clearly suffering like everyone present in that memorial. However, unlike everyone else, Minerva had the incomprehensible desire to ease all the burdens and sorrows exuding from those chocolate eyes of Hermione Granger.
Minerva found herself craving to wrap her arms around Hermione and kiss away all the horrors… And that never thought of notion equally shocked and frightened Minerva… By default, she packed the inexplicable feeling aside and convinced herself of its nonsense. She dismissed it entirely and construed it as an emotional illusion— a byproduct of surviving another war when she had expected not to come out alive from it.
Then fate treaded into Minerva's life with obstinacy, when much later, at almost nighttime, after she had long sent everyone home and closed off Hogwarts, she came back when her temporary wards alerted her. She only planned to check who had broken entry at the castle's gates and throw out whoever that might be. But of all people, Minerva found Hermione, alone, on the ruined grounds.
Minerva had no intention to engage or disturb the young witch who evidently wanted solitude in processing her own grief; after all, she had seen her immediately escaping the crowd after the New Beginning ceremony by the Ministry, leaving Harry and Ronald to cover for her... Thus, Minerva decided to only watch over the young witch for protection, and she quietly let Hermione be. But when the overpowering desolation and vulnerability started to manifest in the problematic manner the breaths were coming out of Hermione, Minerva could not help but make her presence known.
Under the circumstances, on such ruined Hogwarts grounds, Minerva was disconcertingly uncertain on how to interact with Hermione, given the unnamed emotions brewing at the pit of her guts that began that morning at Severus' funeral... But as always, she brought forth her Minerva McGonagall façade to stand as a barrier and make personal attachment impossible. She chose to comment about Hermione's restoration of the library, and ventured into manageable topics, such as the Headmistress' decision (her direction) to cease work temporarily at the castle to give people a chance to rest.
But Hermione's bold meeting of her gaze and unfiltered words had easily dismantled Minerva's walls, compelling her to abandon her standard reservation. She began conversing on a personal level, physically drawing nearer. And before she knew it, the young witch's magic started exhibiting distress. And then Hermione collapsed without warning, Minerva barely catching her.
Not knowing how monumental it'd be, but alarmed for Hermione's welfare, Minerva apparated home to the manor directly from the Hogwarts grounds… Thereafter, Minerva McGonagall could Never Be The Same Again.
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End of Chapter 41
Year 2006 – Never Be The Same Again
Posted 2022.0807
Do you remember when you fell in love and the precise moment it dawned on you…?
For Minerva McGonagall, when it descended on her, it was one hell of denial, but fate won't let her.
Thank you for still reading!
