A/N: In case I haven't made it clear- I WANT REVIEWS AND CONCRIT! Everything is appreciated.
Hope everyone enjoys this next installment.
Lucero- xoxoxo
Xxxxxx
Rolanda paced around her rooms anxiously. Why had she gone back to Donal after all these years?
Not that she didn't still get angry as hell when she thought of what Minerva did, but she had been a good friend to her these forty years.
Her initial plan to set her up was befriending her. That was Donal's idea. He convinced her that what Minerva needed was a best friend to confide in. It's a woman thing, he had smirked.
Amazingly, Minerva had been more than willing to start a friendship with Rolanda. And in a short amount of time she was telling little secrets that, once pieced together, made it easy to find a way to take her down.
When Donal had received his task from Grindelwald, all Rolanda did was tell Minerva that she held in her library the original Quidditch texts, and like magic, Minerva told her that she too had originals- the very originals Grindelwald needed.
Donal figured that even if he did succeed in stealing the books, it'd be highly likely he'd be caught. He and Rolanda had made a solemn vow that no matter what happened, they would never give the other up.
Because some day, he might be free, and they could finally get their revenge once and for all.
But after ten years, then fifteen, then twenty, she'd given up hope that she'd be reunited with Donal.
And she held on to Minerva's friendship. She'd seen her wedding, knew her children.
She'd had plenty of opportunities to hurt Minerva. But for some reason she just couldn't. She'd been too good to her.
Eleven years ago, Rolanda discovered that the cost of her cancer treatment had gone up to a crippling price- 20,000 galleons compared to the original 9,000. The potions they used to re-grow the bones had gone up in prices due to a dittany shortage across the UK, and all of their dittany had to be imported.
If Rolanda didn't have her treatment, she'd be dead within a year, two at the most.
Minerva had overheard her talking to her brother about her inability to pay, and the very next day she handed Rolanda a slip for 20,000 galleons- taken directly out of her private Gringott's account.
So after all this good, why on earth had she given up Minerva's daughter like that? She didn't even think twice. And more than likely, he was going to kill both of them.
She starting shaking, sobbing uncontrollably, wishing she could undo everything.
But she couldn't. Because some part of her, some deep, evil, dark, unreachable part of her still hated Minerva for what she had done.
And, despite her strength, she didn't have the will to fight it.
Xxxxxx
Minerva lay in bed. Despite her wanting to sleep, she couldn't. Especially with Percival pacing outside her room.
"This isn't working." She called out.
The door creaked open. "If you keep saying that, it won't."
Minerva sat up. "But I'm not sleepy."
Percival groaned and pulled a small tablet out of his pocket. "I didn't wanna give you this, but here. Take this."
Minerva eyed them suspiciously. "What is it?"
"Muggle medicine. It's a sleep aid. You'll be out in a little bit."
Still suspicious, "I don't want to stay asleep forever."
He rolled his eyes. "Just a couple of hours. Besides, it's barely seven in the morning. You won't be hurting anyone by sleeping."
"When I wake up?"
"I'll give you a Pepper Up potion and we'll be good to go."
Reluctantly, she took the medicine and sipped her water. "I'm only doing this because you're supposedly the best potions master in the world."
Percival shrugged. "I know."
Xxxxxx
After scooting around the floor for what seemed like ages, Tessa hadn't found anything useful. There was one door on the far end of the room, but it had more locks than a Gringott's vault- no way she was going to break though that.
There was no other crevice, no other crack. Her eyes felt more adjusted to the dark, but perhaps that was a trick of her mind.
At least there weren't rats or bugs in here. The one plus of her imprisonment.
Her stomach burned with hunger. How long had it been since she had eaten?
Her bladder burned too, but she was not to the point where she would use the bathroom here. Cause more than likely she'd be trapped in here with the smell.
And, hostage or not, she was a debutante. And debutantes were classier than that.
She leaned her head against the cool floor and shut her eyes, trying to think of pleasant things that now seemed permanently in her past.
She drifted off into a somewhat peaceful sleep.
The Alps… skiing down the mountainside with her darling husband… peppermint mocha by the fire… metal clanging.
Metal?
Clanking?
Rattling?
Her eyes fluttered open at the sound. Suddenly alert, she scooted to the far side of the wall, listening carefully to whatever what making the noise.
It sounded as if the locks were turning, like heavy concrete gears grinding in an enormous clock.
Silence.
Then the door creaked open, and the faintest light drifted in.
A man appeared at the door. Dark hair. Tall.
She didn't recognize him.
"Tessa…." He called into the darkness.
Her stomach recoiled. She knew exactly who that was. She'd know that voice anywhere now.
"Come out, come out wherever you are." He sang in a sick, sing-song voice.
She didn't know what to do. Stay silent and face the consequences? Or speak up and make him knock her out just as quickly?
She had to try.
"Here." She called weakly, her voice still rough and raspy.
A bright light shined in her face as his wand pointed directly at her head.
"Ah, the red-headed French queen. The reject of the McGonagall clan."
Tessa tensed up. How did he know she was a McGonagall? No one knew that!
She tried her best to look defiant, nose in the air, lips curled in distain, the look she'd given her mother so many times. "I don't know what you're talking about. Don't say foolish accusations without a base."
A bright red light hit her, and her back twisted in pain. Then it was released, and he stood there, laughing at her.
"Don't play coy with me, Theressa Brian Rousseaux. Or should I say Theressa Katherine McGonagall? That is the name on your real birth certificate, is it not?"
She glared at him, saying nothing.
"Now, I must wonder, why didn't you take your darling daddy's name? What, he ashamed of his children? No one else to carry on the Dumbledore name?"
Tessa laughed. What a weird response, she thought. But nonetheless, she couldn't stop laughing.
Now it was Donal's turn to look confused.
"SHUT UP!" He bellowed.
She stopped, but she couldn't stop the grin from showing.
"What is so goddamn funny?" He demanded.
"Theressa Dumbledore. That sounds so… stupid… Who would want that name?"
She giggled again. Her parents had discussed this with them, and all the children were more than a little grateful that they didn't have to carry around the Dumbledore name. McGonagall was much easier.
"Besides," she added, "Wasn't he the Headmaster of Hogwarts? Je suis une fille Beauxabon."
At this, Donal looked really confused. Why on earth would her daughter go to Beauxbaton's? It was inferior in nearly every way to Hogwarts. No way she would let her daughter go to a school that mainly produced girls ripe for marrying.
For the first time, he doubted himself. Beauxbaton's didn't match up- at all. He remembered how much Minerva had criticized one of the girls at the Society who had been educated there.
So why would she send her daughter there?
He held the bright light up to her face, looking for a trace of Minerva.
Red hair in perfect curls. Bright, crystal clear blue eyes. Small nose. Perfect lips. Thin but curvy figure. Average height.
Minerva had black hair. Emerald eyes. Distinct high nose. Thin lips. Slim and straight figure. Tall for a woman.
They really didn't look anything alike. But Esmerele- she was a dead match to her mother.
Tessa could see his hesitation, too. So she pushed on. "Je voudrais pouvoir vous aider, mais je ne peux pas."
Her French was perfect, even with that annoying nasal sound. And Minerva was Scottish, with a very distinct accent and fluent in Gaelic. And Albus was English through and through.
Donal turned away, angry at himself. Had Rolanda lied to him? Where did her allegiance really stand?
He turned back. "What's your master?" He asked. All the McGonagall clan were masters in something.
Tessa laughed again. "n'out pas un. I don't have one." She replied.
Donal yanked her up and jammed his wand into her hand. "Show me."
"Show what?"
"A spell! Anything!"
"Which spell?" She asked, with a snarky "duh" undertone beneath it.
"Conjure a Patronus." He asked.
Tessa looked at him blankly. "A what?" Now this really wasn't acting. She didn't know what on earth a Patronus was. Why should she? She didn't take anything besides charms in Beauxbaton's. And acrobatics.
And then after school she rarely used magic at all. Hell, it'd be a miracle if she could still unlock a door after all these years.
So when he asked her about a Patronus, she really didn't know how too, even if she had some sort of idea as to what he was talking about.
"A Patronus." He said again, this time with anger in his voice.
"I heard you, but I don't know what it is or the words you use."
Donal fought the urge to hit her. Was she really that stupid? No McGonagall would be that thick. Or, perhaps, was this Jacques' mistress? And Tessa was still at large?
"Expecto Patronum." He said, now really angry and nearly convinced that he had the wrong girl.
Tessa sighed dramatically and raised the wand. Dully she said, "Expecto Patronum."
A weak little white wisp came out of the end, and that was it.
"Again." Donal said. "Like you mean it."
Again, Tessa raised her wand. "Expecto Patronum!"
A stronger wisp came out, but that was it.
Angry, Donal grabbed his wand and jerked her forward. "You really are stupid."
She said nothing as he dragged her out of the cave. Slamming the door behind him, he continued to pull harshly as she stumbled up the stairs behind him.
She must have been really underground, because the stairs just didn't stop. Winding up, up and up, she walked for what seemed forever. But finally there was the faintest light, and they exited the cave into the cool night.
Donal whipped around and sent a curse rippling through the cave. The ground began to shake, and Tessa had no doubt that the cave had collapsed.
"Go." Donal said.
Tessa just stood there, too stunned to move.
"I SAID GO!" He bellowed, eyes dark with anger.
Tessa's eyes went wide, and she conjured up a picture of Hogwart's front gate in her mind, and with that, she was gone.
Xxxxx
A perfect night sky. Twinkling stars above.
A lit cigarette glowing in the dark.
A young witch with short black hair, blowing out the thick smoke into the sky.
A man coming to stand beside her, tall and strong.
They were whispering, whispering secrets that should never be revealed.
Minerva strained to hear what they were saying.
The woman passed a piece of parchment to the man and gently kissed his cheek.
"I will always love you," she whispered.
One last kiss and they parted, the woman's golden eyes shining in the night, the man's sapphire eyes lingering for just a moment more.
And then they vanished.
Xxxxx
Minerva awoke with a start and felt utter disbelief. Not only was the dream incredibly unbelievable, she refused to believe that Rolanda, who had been with her through three wars, had ever loved Donal. And even if she had, no way she would betray Minerva.
And Rolanda has been in the castle all this time. Minerva would have known if she had gone to Azkaban and seen him.
She shook the thoughts from her head. Divination. What a bloody waste of time.
She walked out of her room and down to the office.
"Anything?" Percival asked, hearing his mother's footsteps.
"Nothing, I'm sorry darling."
Percival shrugged indifferently. "We knew it was a long shot. No harm, no foul." He smiled up at his mother reassuringly.
"What time is it?" She asked.
Percival glanced at the clock. "Ten thirty."
She rolled her neck. "Let me get dressed. I've got to go make my rounds about the school."
"Alright. Mind if I go down to the dungeon?"
"Always the potion's man." She grinned.
"Always."
He got up and gently kissed his mother's cheek.
She turned and went to her bathroom, and she heard the Gargoyle turn.
She did her usual quick toilette and got dressed. She wasn't feeling up to putting on her excess robes. She'd just have to put a little warming charm on what she had on.
A forest green long sleeve cotton dress, a black inner robe, and a matching forest green outer robe. Nothing extravagant, all basic cotton.
She flicked her wrist and sent her hair into a tight bun. Grabbing her boots, she slid her feet inside.
Walking out of her office, she reached onto her desk and grabbed her wand, a quill, and some parchment and tucked them in her robes.
The Gargoyle sprung to life again and allowed the Headmistress to exit.
Xxxxx
Tessa landed ungracefully on the lawn in front of Hog's Head.
Ok, so her apparating sucked. She'd only missed her target by a couple of miles. So what?
She checked her body for any signs of splinching. Finding none, she walked into the small tavern.
It was empty, save for a bartender diligently cleaning the tumblers.
"Excuse me..." She asked gently.
The man gave her a funny look. "You look awful." He said.
Tessa shot him a look, even though she knew he was probably right. "You don't look like a picture of beauty either, so shut up."
The bartender leaned down and threw her a key. "Room 129. Up one flight of stairs and third door to the left. Take a shower, and I'll fix you something to eat."
Tessa stared at the small key, deciding whether or not this was a trap.
Picking up on her hesitation, the man pointed towards the wall. "Look in the mirror, lady."
She turned and nearly screamed out loud. She looked REALLY bad. Hair matted, mascara running, lip bruised, forehead cut, clothes torn and soiled.
"Told ya so." He said.
Giving him her best smirk, she rolled her eyes and walked up the stairs.
Nice man, really.
She walked into the room and headed straight for the bathroom. Stripping her clothes, she moved into the shower, letting the hot water run over her body.
For the first time, she really let herself cry. She had lost her husband. Sweet, silly, loving Jacques. He was so good to her. And she loved him so much.
Her sobs came violently, and her body was shaking.
She cried too because she had survived because she had failed as a student and a witch. She survived because she was the disappointment of the McGonagall clan.
And Jacques, who had never done anything mean to anyone, died.
She beat her hands against the wall, screaming and crying for all she was worth.
It was so unfair, so brutally unfair, and she had never felt this hurt since her father died.
And that time it was different- he'd died in a war for a noble cause.
But her husband having to die because some deranged psychopath had a vendetta against the McGonagalls?
Unfair.
She was so angry and hurt.
Pulling herself together somewhat, she cut off the water and stepped out, grabbing a towel from the rack and wrapping her hair and drying her body.
She went back into the room and saw a simple yet pretty blue dress and a simple black robe.
She smiled, grateful for the small token of kindness.
She got dressed and made her way back downstairs.
"Better?" the man asked.
"Much, merci." She replied.
"And you are?" he asked.
"No one important."
He gave her a smile. "On the run are ya?"
"Actually, yes I am. I'm not staying here. I've got to go find someone."
The bartender nodded. "A woman on a mission."
"Something like that. Which way is Hogwarts?"
"Go into Honeydukes' and go down to the cellar. There's a stone that is slightly lighter than the others. That passageway will take you to the statue in front of the charms classroom. But when you come out, make sure no one is around. I don't need kids knowing about it and then coming at night to steal candy."
Tessa nodded. "Thank you."
He gave a small smile and turned away, and Tessa left. Exiting, she glanced to left and saw the bright sign for the candy store.
She entered and a myriad of sweet smells hit her nose. A small witch came up to her and asked, "May I help you?"
Tessa asked quietly, "Can I go to the cellar? I need to go to Hogwarts. The bartender said it was okay."
The witch nodded. "If Bill says you're okay to use it, then it's fine with me. Go down this aisle," she indicated the furthest isle on the right, "and go through that door."
"Thank you."
Tessa smiled and hurried down the isle. Throwing open the door, she made her way down the stairs.
The odd tile wasn't hard to spot, and she carefully lifted it up and lowered herself into it.
When she hit the bottom, she reached up and slid the tile securely back in place.
The passageway was much like the prison she was just in. She shuddered at the thought and picked up her pace.
The tunnel dipped down really far, then took a hard right, then started making its way back up.
Around another curve, down a dip, slight right, slight left, down again, and up.
She began to wonder if this passageway would ever end.
Finally, there was a staircase that led to a small door, barely four feet high and about three feet across.
She pressed her ear to the crack. Hearing nothing, she slid the door about an inch and listened again.
Still nothing. She opened the door and found herself staring at a wall. Turning, she saw she was hidden by a rather odd statue.
Crawling, she exited the whole and slid the door back in place.
Stepping gingerly around the statue, she looked down the hallway. Seeing nothing, she exited.
Hogwarts hadn't changed at all since her childhood. Well, what she faintly remembered.
She walked down the hall, not really knowing where she was going, but hoping she'd make it somehow.
The hallway turned into a dead end. Sighing, she turned around and started the other way. The hallway gave way to the staircases, some of which were moving around the castle, other were momentarily stationary.
As if on cue, a staircase drifted down and landed in front of her. Nervously she stepped on, holding onto the thick railing for dear life.
She closed her eyes and tried to think of her mother. Maybe the stairs would know what she was talking about.
When it stopped, she was at the entrance to another hallway. Walking quickly to avoid the staircase's next move, she moved into the hallway and looked around.
Seeing nothing again, she moved to the left. She heard a voice faintly from behind a door.
Not knowing whether to knock or wait, she decided she'd peep in the door.
She leaned her head in and nearly fell forward, as the door opened abruptly and without warning.
"Tessa!" Her mother cried, wrapping her daughter into a tight hug.
Tessa tensed at first and then relaxed into the hug, wrapping her arms around her mom and pressing herself to her mother's thin frame.
"You're alive, my darling, you're alive!" She cried. As if suddenly self-conscious, she remembered there was a classroom behind her.
"Not here, let's go to my office." She grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway to a large portrait. The man in the picture nodded and the frame swung out, allowing them access to the passageway.
Once inside, Minerva turned to face her daughter. "What happened? I'm so sorry my darling! I saw it in the prophet about Jacques. I'm so, so sorry. I wish I could have been there to something to stop it."
Tessa leaned in and hugged her mother again. She hadn't done that in so many years. She'd forgotten what it was like to just be held in a protective mother's embrace.
Tears sprang to her eyes. "I'm sorry too, Mama." She whispered.
Minerva hugged her tighter and kissed her head. "Don't be, honey, you haven't done anything wrong."
"Yes I have!" she cried, turning away and crossing her arms. "I know I have! I ran off from home, I didn't try in school… I stayed in France instead of being with you when Daddy died! And, god, I was so mean to you, and you didn't do anything! You or Daddy! You just stood there and let me do what I wanted. Why Mama? Why didn't you try to make me better?"
Minerva looked sadly at her daughter. "Is that what you wanted?"
Tessa looked down. "I don't know."
Minerva sighed and sat down on the steps. "We didn't fight you because we knew that our lives were going to be very difficult from the start. We knew that living with such a secret would hurt anyone. It certainly took its toll on your father and I. And when you'd get into those moods… gosh you had such violent moods… I was so scared that I would say something that would make you even more unhappy. And it broke my heart in two every time you weren't happy."
Tessa cried and said, "I'm sorry we didn't talk Mama."
"And I am sorry too."
Tessa stood back and wiped her tears. "Start over?" She stuck her hand out in a very business-like manner.
Minerva smiled and shook her hand. "Agreed."
They hugged each other again.
"So," Tessa said pulling away, "What the hell is going on?"
Minerva groaned. "Long story. But come up to my office. Percival will fill you in."
"He's here too? What about Esmerele? Is she okay? Is she still missing?"
Minerva shook her head. "At St. Mungo's recovering. It seemed Donal tried to beat her up to get information. You look like you were relatively unharmed."
She nodded, "He didn't hit me. But he did use the Cruciatus curse."
Minerva winced. "Your sister too."
"Can I see her later?"
"Definitely. But before that, I want to hear your story and fill you in on exactly what has happened this past week. How on earth did you escape?"
Tessa let out a small laugh. "Cause I'm really, really stupid, Mama."
Minerva scoffed, but she continued. "No really Mama, I am. He asked me to produce a Patronus."
"And did you?"
"Mama, I don't even know what a Patronus is!"
Minerva laughed. "Oh my dear."
Tessa laughed and gently held her mother's hand for the first time in thirty years.
Xxxxxxx
A/N: Well there ya go everyone! REVIEWS AND CONCRIT!
Hope everyone enjoyed, as always.