A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Infinite appreciation!
Lucero- you're my rock!
xxxxxxx
Back at the castle, Minerva and her two children sat in silence.
Minerva read her old Transfiguration texts. Tessa and Percival had their noses in Defense Against the Dark Arts books. Percival was now on the third book; Tessa was barely halfway through the first.
When they couldn't read anymore, they tossed ideas back and forth about how to catch Donal. They had discussed it with Esmerele, too.
Percival wanted to lure him to the house and capture him there. Tessa wanted to kill him outright. Esmerele wanted to just stay at Hogwarts until the Ministry found him.
With nothing more to do, Minerva stood and stretched. "I'm off to bed. I'm sure you can remember where your rooms are."
They nodded and said their goodnights.
Up in her room, Minerva stripped her clothes and transfigured the shower into a pool.
Jumping in, she started slow methodical laps.
Stroke, kick, breathe. Stoke, kick, breathe.
She thought about what was happening. Could she really stop it? Perhaps the best way to finish him once and for all was to meet him by herself outright. A duel to the death. With all her magic reserves, no doubt she had the skill to beat him.
But Donal had unadulterated rage and fury, and mixed with magic, it makes a deadly combination.
Should she try to protect the house? Should she stay there?
How long would the children stay at Hogwarts?
Was anyone else in danger? Her cousins were still traveling abroad. Unlikely they would be targets.
Donal wouldn't try to attack Hogwarts. Too many witnesses and much more magic against him.
It would end up being a one-on-one duel. She knew it.
50 meters, now 100, now 200, now 500.
Her shoulder began to protest at the sudden workout.
Halting at the end of the next lap, she pushed herself out of the water and wrapped in a towel.
Not bothering with her normal nightly routine, she flicked her wrist and dried her body. Another flick and her towel was a nightgown.
Collapsing on the bed, she almost instantly fell asleep, her body thankful for the rest.
Xxxxxx
The healer walked into Esmerele's room to give her the nightly pain potions.
Normally she would protest against it- she hated how it made her so sedated- but tonight, it was welcome.
It had been a long day. A happy day, but a long one.
She leaned her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes.
With a small movement of her hand, she transfigured her cup into a vase of roses, and she turned her head to the side to fall asleep smelling the sweet smell.
In a few moments, the potions began kicking in, and she felt herself falling into that dreamy place between being awake and being in a dream.
She felt more than heard someone walking in the room.
It took her more effort than she would have liked to turn her head back to the front.
Forcing her eyes open, she peered out.
The clock displayed 1:01 am.
Odd, the healers were gone for the night. They left the Critical ward at 11:30 pm. The night shift team wouldn't come in until 1:30.
The outline was fuzzy, but sure enough it was someone in the standard white and blue robes.
She closed her eyes again.
Something in the back of her mind whispered to her that something wasn't right.
The drug induced side of her mind kept pulling her closer to sleep.
Still, that nagging voice persisted, and she opened her eyes again.
She peered at the healer once again.
Her subconscious mind took in his appearance. Tall, dark hair.
Another red flag went up. Had she seen him before?
No, her mind said, you haven't. At least, not here.
Sleep was overwhelming her and she fought to keep her train of thought going.
Where did you see him?
Society? There was Jarod, Connor, Tiernan. Nope.
Percival's friends? No.
Mother's friend?
Red flag.
Hogwarts? No. Then where? She only associated with people at the school.
Her mind was fuzzy.
Ministry? No.
An old friend?
YES! YES! YES! Her mind screamed.
Then like a stream train going full speed down a long hill, she jolted awake, knowing exactly who was standing in her room.
Donal Bregger.
He turned around at her sudden intake of breath, and a slow smile formed on his haunting face.
"Missed me?"
xxxxxxx
Minerva tossed and turned in her sleep. To an onlooker, she'd probably look like she was fighting off some inner demon, the way her arms and legs kept thrashing about.
Despite her movements and spasms, she still stayed asleep.
She was hovering above a tall building she immediately recognized as St. Mungo's.
Hard to miss, really, with its stark white walls contrasting with the black London sky.
Her body, was she in her body? She couldn't feel a body. So perhaps she was just a mind, floating above. Whatever the case, her body was lowering down to the bottom floor.
A side entrance was in front of her. Curious, she never recalled anything about a side entrance, though of course there had to be one.
A cloaked figure walked up from behind. The person, she was sure it was a person, was hunched over, face hidden in the thick robes.
The voice whispered a word. The door gently swung open.
Both the figure and she moved forward.
Before her was a stark white hallway. The figure took a sharp turn through a door and disappeared.
She couldn't follow, but she took in the scene.
Forward she floated. The first room seemed oddly familiar. The second too.
Then with a sudden realization, she knew exactly where she was.
Critical ward.
The figure reappeared, though this time in a white and blue healer's robe.
Her mind forced her to look away, and she was now in her daughter's rooms.
She looked peaceful.
Footsteps, and then the man entered.
Turning towards the bed, cobalt blue eyes bore in to the spot where Minerva's eyes would have been.
And, feeling as if her breath was gone, she began to fall, the scene began to melt, and no matter how hard she tried to move forward, she couldn't get back.
There was a piercing scream, then her dream went black.
Xxxxxx
Percival and Tessa were sitting in his room playing chess. It was a sight to behold. They had never sat peacefully together. Actually, Tessa had never been in her brother's room her entire childhood.
"You were no fun to pick on!" She said, playfully hitting his arm.
"Why not?"
"Because you wouldn't get angry. You'd just look at me and give me that silly grin and keep on your marry way. It was infuriating! I just wanted to see you get angry!"
Percival smiled, "I knew exactly what you wanted, but I wasn't about to give it to you!"
Tessa laughed and took a sip of her tea. "Esmerele was a strange little thing, wasn't she?"
He nodded. "She was just like Mom."
Tessa scoffed. "Not at all like Mom!"
"Now there I have to disagree. You really didn't get to know Mom like we did. And during Nugget's school years, when she and Mom would sit together? My god, they were spitting images of each other. And Mom was only distant with you because she didn't want to set you off again. But when she was really at ease, she and Esmerele were just alike."
"Well, I guess I can see that. But Nugget was the sweetest baby and nicest girl in the world. I was two when she was born, and I don't think she ever cried. I went up to her crib one night and pinched her, just to see if she was broken or something. And she just peered at me with her green eyes and giggled."
"You know, I don't remember her crying either."
"Not once! And even as a toddler, she was happy with whatever she was given. She didn't ask for anything. She just sat there, listening to everyone, taking in everything. When I was ten, I was so thoroughly ready to go to France. And one night, she came into my room. It was late, oh, around eleven. I wasn't really asleep, but when she came in I pretended like I was, you know, so she would leave."
"Yeah, you gave that to Mom a lot too."
"Shut up I'm not done." He threw up his hands.
"As I was saying, she came into my room and she sat on the floor. And then in this tiny little voice she whispered 'I'm sorry you're so unhappy here, T. I wish I could make you happy…
You're my big sister, and I need a big sister here with me.' Then she started to cry and god it just killed me! She said, 'I'm so scared, T, I'm so scared to go to school on my own! I want you here with me. I want to wake up and know my sister is there to protect me. Please, please don't go. I'm going to miss you so much, and Mommy will too! I know you fight with her, but, T, she's been crying every single night since you said you were going to go. Please don't go.'
… and then she just walked out of the room. She never said a word about it the next day."
Percival smiled sadly. "Did you say anything?"
"How could I? I was ten and my baby sister had pretty much chopped through my thick skin with one swing. And I just…. God, Perc, I felt so guilty. I mean, I knew I was mean to Momma but I just couldn't stop."
Percival leaned in and held his sisters hand. "We never stopped loving you, you know. We always loved you. We just wanted you happy."
"I know." She smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek and falling onto the couch.
She wiped her eyes and was reaching for her tea when a horrible scream came from their mother's room.
Glancing at each other, they bolted out of the room and dashed upstairs.
Their mother was thrashing on the bed, her face twisted in pain, her hands balled around the headboard as if she was hanging on for dear life.
"Momma! Momma!" Tessa yelled, reaching out and shaking her shoulders.
"Minerva!" Percival yelled. "Minerva wake up!"
"Momma!"
Her eyes shot open and she sat upright. Her mind was in a spin, and she tried to sort out the thoughts and feelings running through her mind.
Minutes passed and not a word was spoken.
"Mommy?" Tessa asked gently.
Then Minerva collapsed back onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably, fists hitting the headboard.
"He's got your sister!" She cried. "That bastard found my baby!"
xxxxxx
A/N: So another chapter and another twist. I do hope everyone is enjoying and I can't wait to read reviews!