A/N: And here's another chapter!
Lucero, as always- thank you!
Xxxxx
Staring at the marble floor, Rolanda could barely lift her head enough to throw up in the toilet.
She had wanted revenge on Minerva, had harbored such a grudge against her. And now that Donal was back, this was her chance to once and for all bring her down.
But as she lay on the floor, sweating, shaking, and throwing up, she knew she couldn't live with the choice she had just made.
Because even though she had hated Minerva after her choice, she had been with her and had been her friend for over forty years now. And even though at the beginning it was just a ruse to help Donal, she couldn't help but fall in love with their friendship.
And how much good Minerva had done… God, it still blew her away.
During the wars- how stoic and solid she had been in the face of so much grief and pain…
How she had sat at her husband's funeral without any display of emotion in front of her students except for an occasional tear…
How she had put her own money and efforts into repairing the school….
And when parents couldn't afford to send their children to school, she had silently paid for their tuition all seven years. At any given point in time, she could have been paying for ten children or forty.
And when Rolanda couldn't pay for her cancer treatments, Minerva didn't hesitate to pay the bill.
Minerva was there through it all, and never once did she ask to be recognized. And sadder still, she never was.
And even worse, she knew the Minister of Magic had dispatched a team to search St. Mungo's per Minerva's request, but they had arrived too early, and no doubt Donal would be watching from afar anyway.
If they had done their main sweep, it was unlikely they'd still be on high alert by the time Donal would enter.
She looked at the clock. It displayed 12:53. Seven minutes until Donal would make his move to capture Esmerele.
Pulling herself up, a steely resolve formed in her heart.
She had screwed up. She had betrayed her best friend.
But she would be damned if she let him get away this time. She had to do something.
She stumbled to her cabinet and withdrew a Pepper Up potion. Chugging it, she washed her face and grabbed her cloak.
12:55.
She mounted her Firebolt and flew to the front of the castle, and with a pop, she apparated into the freezing night.
Xxxxx
Minerva threw the covers off her and jumped out of bed. "I've got to go!" she cried, frantically throwing open the wardrobe and pulling out her clothes.
"Mom!" Percival said. She ignored him.
"Mom, listen!"
Still she ignored him, and brushed past them into the bathroom.
"MINERVA KATHERINE MCGONAGALL LISTEN!" He yelled. That worked.
She stopped and whipped around, eyes round with surprise. "WHAT?"
"Don't go there by yourself."
Minerva scoffed. "Really, don't be thick. I can take him with my eyes closed."
Percival shook his head. "I know Mama but don't go there by yourself. It already looks odd that we keep going in there to visit her, but if you just march in there and start firing curses, it's going to be really obvious to everyone you're personally involved, and they're going to demand answers."
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE ANSWERS, GODDAMN IT! I WANT MY DAUGHTER ALIVE!"
"THINK RATIONALLY, MOM! Even if you do save her, you're going to have to explain why she was in danger the first place and why you're protecting a Society witch! And our whole family- our whole LIFE that we have worked SO HARD on protecting- is going to be revealed!"
"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S REVEALED AS LONG AS SHE'S ALIVE!"
"YES YOU DO! Because if everyone knows what you have kept hidden, your credibility will be RUINED! No one will trust you anymore! Think of everyone who has depended on you, Mom! They'll be pulling up records, bank statements, our birth certificates!"
Minerva just stared at her son. Tessa sat on the bed listening to the exchange. Wise girl- let big brother handle this.
"Mom, please. Go to the Floo. Call Kingsley. Get an Auror and Unspeakable Team to surround and protect the hospital. Let the Aurors go in and find Donal. Look, Mom, I want her safe too. But barging in solo isn't going to do us any good, especially if he has others working with him."
"He hasn't before."
"But he might start; we have no way of knowing. Mom, I know you could kill him. I know you could. But Mom, it's just 10:47. The Healers are still on shift. If the Aurors get there before the shift ends, then he won't have a window of opportunity before the next shift starts."
Minerva stared at her son. He was just like his father. Absolutely infuriatingly like his father- calm and collected at all situations.
"Yeah what he said." Tessa said.
Minerva rolled her eyes for the millionth time. "Fine. FINE! Then get out my way."
Percival threw his hands up and stepped aside as his mother dashed down the stairs towards the mantle, instantly grabbing the Floo powder and yelling "KINGSLEY!"
Tessa gave her mother a classic look of disapproval. "Yelling won't get the Floo to work faster."
She gave her daughter a disapproving look. "If you weren't my child, I'd slap that smirk of your face. I really would."
Tessa rolled her eyes.
Then Percival realized why she didn't understand this- she didn't know about her dreams before- and how deadly accurate they were.
"Sis," he touched her face, "Sorry, but…" He summoned his magic and transferred his memory to hers.
She closed her eyes as the magic hummed through her, visions passing through her mind in the blink of an eye.
Letting her go, he studied her face.
She just looked at him with wide eyes and said a quiet, "Oh."
The fire activated and Kingsley's voice echoed in the office. Tessa and Percival moved to stand behind their mother.
"Minerva? What on earth? Why are you calling my house? It's late!"
"Yes, I can read clocks perfectly fine, but I'm telling you that Donal is going to try and take Esmerele from St. Mungo's."
Kingsley gave her a look. "How do you know?"
Minerva gave an exasperated sigh. "I just do, now please, I'm trying to be responsible and call you instead of just barging in there and doing it myself. Now if you would rather I just let you go and enjoy your night and go by myself, alone to St. Mungo's, I shall."
Kingsley gave Minerva a look that spoke volumes.
"Fine. I'll send them out now."
"Unspeakables around the hospital and Aurors inside and out."
"I know my job Minerva."
She raised her eyebrow. "See that you do."
Xxxxxx
Kingsley stood in the lobby as the Auror team regrouped. He glanced at the clock- 12:37. They had been searching and sealing the building since 10:54.
If there were any security breaches, surely they would have found them by now.
All the Floo networks were sealed, the main entrance would remain guarded, and the other doors were password protected, and only a handful of healers knew the code.
The lead Auror, Darius Fitzhugh, stepped forward and shook his head. "We didn't find anything, sir. All the patients are who they said they were, all the entrances are sealed, and none of the windows have been tampered. We found no evidence of portkeys or other means of apparating in the building."
"And surrounding?"
"We have asked the families to seal off their Floo networks until 1:30 and all obliged. We also have a division in the sky looking for anyone flying in as well."
Kingsley nodded. "That's the best we can do then. What about the critical ward?"
"The critical ward has one door entrance on the west wing, but the administrator assured me that only patient's families and a select group of high level healers have the access code."
"Will you leave someone in Esmerele's room then?"
"We are leaving someone patrolling the hallways, but Ms. Brian requested that she remain alone for the night. If I may ask sir, who gave you this tip? Surely they had sounder evidence than just a hunch."
Kingsley replied roughly, "Do not question where the tips come from. If nothing happens, then it looks good on us. If something does happen, you better pray like hell you have a job come tomorrow morning."
Darius nodded and turned back to his team. With a final nod to the Minister, the Division walked through the last Floo back to the Ministry.
Kingsley stood and stared at the ceiling, shaking his head.
"I hope you're wrong, Minerva. I really do."
Xxxxxx
Tessa was trying to stay awake in the chair, but so far she wasn't successful. It was nearly midnight, and her whole body wanted to be asleep.
Percival seemed fine, though how he was… it was anyone's guess.
The boy seemed to stay awake for days upon end without sleeping sometimes, Minerva remembered that from his school days.
But then again, Albus would do that too.
The fire came to life and all three crowded around.
"And?" Minerva asked cautiously ask Kingsley's face came through the fire.
"Nothing Minerva. Not a breach anywhere in the whole building."
She closed her eyes and shook her head. She hated being wrong, but more than that, she hated being proved wrong when her gut told her she was right.
"Are you leaving Aurors there?"
"Both on the premises and in the air."
She nodded, "Thank you. It is the best thing we can do."
"It is, and I will let you know if anything changes."
With that, he disappeared and the fire waned.
"What do you want us to do Mom?" Tessa asked gently.
Minerva shook her head. "Wait, I suppose. That's all we can do, isn't it?"
Percival thought about it. "How about you change the furniture, Mom?"
Minerva gave him a look. "And what good is that going to do?"
"I figured we'd all sleep in here tonight, that way we'll hear if the fire goes off or if someone comes through the office. And I personally don't want to sleep in a chair or on the floor, but if that's what you want then I won't complain."
"Tessa?"
She shrugged. "Fine by me."
Minerva turned to her desk and grabbed her wand, and with a few strokes the furniture morphed into three queen size beds, all a good distance from each other. Another wave and the lights dimmed.
All three of them crawled in their respective beds.
Percival lay on top of the comforter, like he always did.
Tessa burrowed herself underneath the sheets and comforter, like a little animal burrowing in the winter.
Minerva hugged her pillow close to her and tried to put her mind to rest.
Esmerele was safe.
Fornow,the back of her mind whispered.
And with sadness in her heart, she knew she couldn't refute it.
Xxxxxx
Rolanda apparated to the small housing district beside St. Mungo's. She figured that there would be some Aurors still in place even after the initial search was finished.
She hid her broom behind a trash bin and cast a quick masking spell around it. Turning the spell on her, she felt a warmness spreading over her body as she disappeared from sight.
It was a couple of blocks before the hospital, and she starting running out of sheer desperation to stop what she had caused.
She rounded the corner and the building loomed in front of her. She dashed to the side door and whispered the password.
The door creaked open and she slipped inside.
Stepping silently on the marble floor, she tried to listen for any signs of another person walking the halls.
To her left was a dressing room and she opened the door slightly to see if maybe he was in there.
On the ground was a man in Ministry robes. He wasn't moving.
Rolanda kneeled down and pressed her fingers against his neck. A pulse beat steadily.
So probably Donal just knocked him out. Good, but bad. Because that meant that he was definitely in the building and now there wasn't anyone on the floor who could stop him.
She picked up her pace and dashed down the hall, coming to a halt as Esmerele's door.
Donal stood beside the bed, casting fire binds on Esmerele's arms and legs.
She wasn't moving, wasn't fighting.
But if the binds were there, she must still be alive.
Breaking her invisibility charms, Rolanda fired. "Expelliarmus!" But before the curse hit him, he blocked it.
"What the hell are you doing here? Why are you casting at me?"
"Because I've fucked up, Donal. That's why. And I don't hate Minerva! She's been good to me. And I won't let you just take her daughter- and for what! What could you possibly gain from her?"
"You know what I want!"
"No, I don't! But whatever it is, she doesn't have it! Please, let her stay, let her live!"
Donal's eyes were red with rage and he fired a curse at Rolanda, barely missing her chest.
She fired back, blue light bursting from her wand. With a wave, he blocked her curse and sent another one hurling back at her.
She tried to move, tried to block it, but still part of the curse hit her shoulder, and she screamed out in pain as what felt like daggers ripped through her muscle and bone.
Still she fired back, and this time she managed to knock him back, allowing her to run out into the hall and take cover.
He bolted out of the room and fired down the hallway towards her, the rock of the statue she was behind took a nasty hit, and the marble burst outward.
She fired again, but missed badly.
He fired back, breaking more of the marble.
She could hear him marching forward. She had to move.
She ran backwards, crouching to avoid being seen, and ducked behind the wall.
A flick, and she sent out a spell to lock Esmerele's door.
Donal heard the lock click shut, and for a split second, he turned his attention away from her back to Esmerele's room.
In that second, Rolanda fired again, this time, her curse collided with his hip and he went sprawling backwards onto the floor.
With a yell of pain, he rolled over to his side and fired back, sending out a ball of fire down the hallway towards her.
She ducked back, but the fire collided with the adjacent wall, and she sent up a shield to try and protect her body from the hellish flames.
She knew the side of her body had to be burnt. She could smell it more than feel it.
But still, she fired again.
There was a deafening silence.
She peered around the corner. Donal was nowhere to be seen.
She staggered out and looked around the hallway. Nothing.
Limping and grasping the wall with her good arm, she moved to Esmerele's door.
Still locked. And inside Esmerele lay silently, unmoving on her bed.
She looked back down the hallway. There was a thick trail of blood from where she had been. She looked at her shoulder. Well, there wasn't really a shoulder- it looked as if some animal had ripped it from it sockets, and she could see her muscle and bones jutting out of her wounds.
A bolt of light came hurling towards Rolanda, and she flattened herself to the ground as it whizzed past her head.
Now totally unprotected, she pressed herself against the floor as she sent another spell outward, putting all of her energy into it.
A bright orange light burst out, and she heard Donal yell in pain. Then came the unmistakable pop of apparating. Raising her head, she was greeted with an empty hallway.
Then her golden eyes closed and she collapsed to the ground, her mind willing her body to shut off against the agonizing pain.
Xxxxxx
The guard at the front heard a commotion from somewhere in the building. He ignored it and kept pacing around the front. Then, from the side of the building, he saw a great ball of fire through the window. Not wanting to get in the crossfire, he sent a signal into the night sky to the Aurors and Unspeakables he knew were still keeping patrol.
Xxxxxx
Bernard Retcher, an Auror who was stationed on the roof of the building, saw the ball of fire as well as the red sparks in the night sky. He responded by sending up another spark of light to signal to the others in the vicinity. Then he turned and ran down the stairs into the building, throwing the Floo in the fireplace. "Minister of Magic!"
Xxxxxx
Kingsley was pacing around his room, glancing at the clock. It was not but 1:13 in the morning. He heard his fireplace crackle and a dread began to fill his chest. "Minister?" A voice called. "What's happened." A statement, because he knew something had to have happened at the hospital. "There is a fire in the building and the guard has signaled a warning. We're sending in a team to investigate." With that the fire closed.
Xxxxxxx
Percival was the first to hear the fire come to life. "Minerva?" Kingsley's voice came out. "I'm here," she called weakly from the bed after her son gave her a not-so-gentle push on the back. "Minerva, the guard has alerted us to activity in the hospital. I don't know anything except that an Auror saw fire through a window. I'll keep you posted." "I'm going," she said, already making her way back to the stairs. "Don't…." but then he stopped, knowing his words would be utterly useless.
Xxxxxxx
Esmerele was completely unconscious on the bed, oblivious to the duel going on outside her bedroom. The pain potions had nearly knocked her out, and on top of that Donal had given her a drop of Drought of Death, slowing her heart rate and breathing until it was nearly non-existent. The combination of the two, if not treated soon, would kill her.
Xxxxx
The Auror team rushed into the critical ward. The marble statue in the hallway was shattered. Scorch marks ran across the floors, walls, and ceiling. The air smelled like smoke and burned flesh. They saw a blood trail leading to a body crumpled on the floor. There was a puddle of blood around her, and her arm was badly injured. "HEALERS! NOW!"
And in an instant a team of healers ran forward to examine the woman. "Barely alive." The healers called. "Is it Esmerele?" "No, she's in her room, but the door is locked. We need to get this woman out of here!" The healers placed the mangled body on a stretcher and immediately whisked her into the adjacent room to start working on the injuries. The Aurors rushed forward and blew the door to pieces, and the healers marched in to assess Esmerele. "I can't find a pulse!" The first one cried. A whirl of diagnostic spells flew around her small body.
"It's the Drought of Death! It's interacting with her pain potions!" "Drain her system!" "But sir, we don't know if we can filter out the potions!" "We have to try!"
xxxxxx
Minerva apparated to the front of St. Mungo's with Tessa and Percival close behind. Kingsley rushed forward to meet them. "What's happened? Tell me!" She demanded. "Rolanda was here. Apparently she tried to stop Donal and she is seriously injured. The healers don't know if she'll make it through the night."
Minerva clutched her chest and Percival ran forward to support her. "Is Esmerele alive?"
"She has pain potions and Drought of Death in her system. They're trying to flush it out but they don't know if they can filter out her blood stream quick enough. She needs a blood transfusion."
"I'll give it…"
"But Minerva, if you do, the healers are going to know you're her mother, and we can't let them."
"I'll do it." Percival said.
"You're not a match."
All three sets of eyes turned to Tessa. "Where do I go?" She asked.
Xxxxx
Minerva ran into Rolanda's room.
The prognosis was grim.
She had suffered severe blood loss, and the healers didn't think they could replenish it enough to save her.
On top of that, her blood was already compromised from her cancer treatments.
They didn't think she'd last until dawn.
Minerva leaned down and held her friend's hand. Rolanda looked at her with sad eyes- they looked almost brown, as if all the luster had gone from them.
"I'm sorry." She whispered.
"Don't be, please don't be, darling, you saved my daughter."
Rolanda shook her head. "Minerva, I was the one who told him she was here. I was the one who gave up Tessa."
Minerva stared at her in disbelief. "What…? Why…?"
Rolanda looked at her with nothing but guilt in her eyes. "Quidditch." She said simply.
Minerva looked away as tears filled her eyes. "After all this time…"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just… but I couldn't live with it. That's why I came here to stop him. I knew the Aurors were too early."
She looked at her friend. "You saved her."
"It was the only thing I could do after I betrayed you. And I know I'm going to die, and I don't even want to live."
Tears spilled over as Minerva leaned down and pressed her head against her friend's, "Oh, no, please, please stay with me. I need you. Please don't leave me!"
"Forgive me, Minerva I'm so sorry."
"I do forgive you, I do. Please don't give up! Stay with me! Fight with me! Please!"
"I love you, Minerva." And with that, her golden eyes closed for the last time.
A long beep sounded.
Rolanda Hooch has passed through the veil.
Xxxxxx
A/N: Tissues, anyone? I hope everyone is still enjoying!