When the day of the attack had arrived, Minerva paced anxiously around the floor of her house, her lithe animagus form taught and alert with anticipation.
Percival had wanted to be inside with her, but in the event anything went wrong, Minerva had forced him to stay on watch on top of an adjacent building. At his incessant nagging, Minerva agreed that Percival would alert the ministry if anything went too astray.
The fireplace that roared inside the house was a one-way link to Hogwarts, at which Tessa and Esmerele stood guard. Well, Tessa was the main defense. Esmerele stayed behind, her body not quite ready for anything more than a few spells.
Tessa had been working day in and day out on her accuracy and power, and, much to her mother and siblings surprise, she had inherited her parents' aptitude for quick learning.
The morning ticked onward and there was not a sign of Donal anywhere. By noon, Minerva began to worry that he had seen right through her decoy and decided not to show.
Percival was getting anxious too, and he began tapping his wand against his leg as he scanned the area again and again.
Tessa began to worry as well, for her view of the house remained empty.
Xxxxxx
Donal decided that morning was perhaps not the best time to attack after all. Morning would be when everyone's ears were sensitive to the early morning rustles. If he could attack in the afternoon, when people were sleepy from their heavy lunch, then he would have a better chance of being undetected.
Not like it mattered much- Minerva would be there. He would kill her. He would destroy her house. He would win. That he knew.
He figured the way to the heart would look something like he'd seen in Minerva's first apartment- she had things that looked ancient and Gaelic, as if transported back to the Elizabethan world of Ireland and Scotland.
Before leaving his hiding spot, he cast a simple masking spell on his body. The sun was high in the sky, barely tilting to the west as it made its gradual descent out of sight.
The snow sparkled like a thousand diamonds as he slowly made his way down the street. The beauty of the scene was not lost on Donal, and he almost wished that he wouldn't have to stain the perfect ice crystals with the debris of the house and the blood of its master.
Almost.
He rounded the corner and waited, staring down the house, looking for any signs of movement in the house.
A small, swirling line of smoke rose up from the chimney, and from the second window on the left, Donal could make out a small fireplace. A fire meant heating. No need to heat an empty house.
He took it as a good sign.
Xxxxx
Percival noticed footsteps approaching on the west side without a body.
At first, he almost missed it. The reflection of the sun on the snow was nearly blinding to look at.
But as the footprints moved into the shade of the building, he could easily see that it was a person masked by a charm.
He looked down into the last window on the second floor, where two pairs of cat eyes stared back at him.
He nodded.
The eyes blinked solemnly, and then they disappeared.
Xxxxx
Tessa looked into the fire and saw a gentle blue glow coming from the opening to the second floor.
She nodded at her sister.
This was it.
Xxxxxx
Minerva stretched out her body and sprinted down the narrow openings in the ceiling planks.
She moved into the wall, inside of which was a small stairway leading down into the chamber.
The staircase led to the basement ceiling. The planks were latticed tightly, supported below it by thicker planks.
She crouched just above the doorway, that way she would be at Donal's back when he entered.
Her fur stood erect on her back.
She was ready.
Xxxxx
Stepping gingerly out of the shade, Donal made his way to the door, wand at the ready.
He thought about going around back, but from what he had surveyed, the woods would be hard to maneuver in and out of.
With a quick, "alohamora," the door gave a small click, signaling that the spell had worked.
He steadied his shaking hand as he opened the door and stepped inside, shutting the door quickly behind him.
He was greeted by silence, save for the crackling of the fireplace.
The room was expansive and grand, exactly the opposite of what Minerva's flat had been.
On the furthest wall sat a marble and wood door with a Gaelic cross burned into it. He moved around and saw that the door led to a downward staircase.
Slightly suspicious that such a grand doorway would be placed in the middle of the room, he flicked his wand aggressively, sending out an angry red and yellow stream of magic.
The door shattered, sending marble, wood and granite flying out in all directions. The stone crashed to the floor, making the entire building shake. The wooden door lay shattered and smoldering, small tails of smoke rising up from the debris.
The floor now sat scorched and damaged, but revealed was the staircase leading downward.
Satisfied that he would not be killed by a trick planted inside the door, Donal proceeded downward, wand out.
Xxxxx
Tessa recoiled and gasped as the beautiful door was broken into a million pieces in her family's living room. She knew it was unavoidable, but the thundering sound of the stone crashing to the floor jolted her.
Esmerele laid a calming hand on her sister and nodded, silently telling her sister to stay strong.
Xxxxx
Minerva nearly jumped out of her skin when the heard the deafening crash from above. From the small pieces that fell down the stairs and the weight that the pieces seemed to have, she gathered that Donal had shattered the door.
Regaining her composure, she crouched back down and awaited his next move.
Xxxxx
Donal moved carefully down the stairs.
So far, there had been no sight of Minerva, and his suspicion was growing.
"Minerva," he called out in a sick, sing-song voice. "Come out, come out, where ever you are…"
When he reached the landing, a grand white marble and gold Gaelic cross statue stood before him.
His eyes widened with his grin, for this must be the heart.
A cruel, cold laugh escaped from his lips and he raised his wand to destroy the beautiful statue.
Xxxxxx
With his gaze transfixed on the cross, Minerva narrowed her emerald cat eyes and silently cast a spell on the man before her.
A purple and silver line shot out from her head and wound its way to Donal's.
Instantly, she felt his power being drained as the purple line turned into a mix of burgundy and black.
Donal was still staring at the cross, she guessed he was unsure of how to destroy it best.
Minerva's head began to pound as she drained his magic. She had underestimated how much power he actually had, and her cat body was beginning to tremble and weaken as her magic was torn between maintaining her animagus and draining out his magic.
She dug her claws into the wood and bared her teeth, determined not to break her concentration on the task at hand.
She just had to hold on for just a few more minutes, for that was how long the spell would take to drain the required amount.
Her back began to burn, as if her spine was set on fire. Her legs were trembling beneath her as the spell worked its way through his body.
Donal raised his wand and cast a spell against the cross, making Minerva's spell give a harsh jolt.
Unprepared for it, Minerva felt her body began to morph back into its human form.
No! Her mind screamed, and she tried to concentrate on focusing her energy back into her animagus form.
The burgundy line shivered and grew thinner, and Minerva knew she had to choose between holding the spell or being a cat.
She looked desperately around. Moving backwards, she prayed that her weight would hold. If she morphed back in this position, she thought that her body would at least be concealed.
Giving up her internal fight, she allowed her body to morph back into its human shape.
The boards creaked and Donal turned his head slightly, causing the spell to flutter.
Minerva held her breath and cast a quick invisibility charm, praying it would be enough to keep Donal at bay.
Donal stopped his movements and looked up. His line of sight was about ten feet away from Minerva, but still she felt her body tense up at the thought of him discovering her hiding place.
He turned slowly, looking both ways.
The burgundy line stayed just in his blind spot.
Donal turned back to the cross and began casting his spell once more.
Not allowing herself to breathe a sigh of relief, she concentrated her effort into the spell again.
The line was growing thicker and her head began to throb, she could tell that it was nearly done. Just a little more and his magic would be drained.
Glowing brighter than before, the line began to twirl back towards Minerva.
With a bright flash, the spell was done.
But it came at a price. The flash made Donal spin around, and in her concentration, Minerva had let her invisibility charms slip.
Donal's eyes went wide. "STUPEFY!" He yelled, a bright light went hurling towards her body.
Rolling to the side, Minerva realized that she had no way to escape in her human form. But her body was so weak from the spell that she didn't think she could safely transfigure back.
She fired back, transfiguring the far wooden planks into stone, sending them hurling down on Donal's head.
With a cry, Donal fell down, the rocks colliding against his body as he went sprawling to the floor.
Minerva shot a spell above her head, blasting a hole into the main floor.
Scrambling up, she ran across the room to take cover behind one of the columns in the room.
She heard a yell and a crash, and Donal came sprinting up the stairs.
"DEPULSO!" he screamed, hitting the column behind which Minerva was hiding.
It shook, but it held.
"REDUCTUM!" She fired back, bringing down a section of the second floor ceiling between him and her.
With another wave, she transformed the wood into shards of glass. It rose up into the air and went hurling towards Donal.
Donal arched his wand, a giant burst of flames shot out, melting the glass into a heated wall of sand and fire which he sent shooting at Minerva.
She waved her wand and moved the heat aside, sending it back as daggers of steel.
Another flick and she transfigured the first row of knives into smoke, clouding Donal's view.
She could hear his laugh and with dismay she knew the weaponry didn't hit its target.
All of a sudden, the windows at the front of her house blew inward, glass pouring in, shattering, glinting beautifully against the sunlight.
Minerva put a shield around her as the dangerously sharp pieces rained down onto the hardwood floor.
Percival! He must have heard the commotion.
Donal let out another yell and levitated the glass on the floor and sent them hurling towards the main door.
Minerva could barely make out her son's figure.
She had a split second choice.
Defend her son, or cast an offensive spell against Donal.
She chose the latter, praying to whomever that her son had the skills to defend himself.
With a mighty arc, she pulled out the column and sent it flying towards Donal.
Caught off guard by his own spell, Donal threw his body onto the floor as the massive pillar lurched his way.
Minerva flicked her wrist again, stopping the column in mid air, and with another flick, sent it landing on top of Donal.
But before it landed, he had rolled out from under it and send another spell towards Minerva, a green bolt of light came whizzing towards her body.
She narrowed her eyes and leaned to the side, her body taking over, reflexes doing a timeless dance with death.
The Killing Curse shot past her body, leaving a nasty mark on the wall behind her.
Percival shot out another spell, but Donal put up a shield.
From behind her, she heard the Floo activate and for a split second she turned her head.
"TESSA! GET BACK IN THERE!"
Donal laughed and shot out another spell at Minerva.
Again her body took over and she ducked gracefully to the side, rolling on the ground and stopping beside her daughter's tall frame.
Tessa reached down and helped her mother up. "NO, MOM! I'M STAYING WITH YOU!"
Another spell hurled at them both, and Minerva sent up a shield.
Percival shot out again at Donal, this time, his spell collided with Donal's shoulder.
With a horrid yell, Donal grabbed his arm. To his dismay and Minerva's delight, blood was gushing out of the wound.
Sadly, it wasn't his wand arm, and he angrily shot out another spell towards Minerva.
She pushed her daughter to the side and sent the spell whirling back towards Donal.
Donal deflected as Percival was taking aim.
But in the momentary pause between spells, Donal turned on his heels and vanished.
Xxxxxxxx
A/N:
I'm sorry again for the delay in updates, but I do hope this made up for it!
All my best!