Minerva turned out of the alley and walked back towards the bookstore. Motioning for Narcissa to follow, she held the door open for the small woman.
"Trudy, would you mind if we used your back room?"
"Not at all," the storeowner replied. She unlocked the door with a small motion.
"Thank you," Minerva replied, closing the door behind them.
Narcissa stood awkwardly in the corner while Minerva ensured that the room was silenced and completely private.
Sitting down, the Scottish witch took in the Malfoy woman's countenance. She looked uneasy, like a small puppy that'd been hit a few too many times with the Prophet.
"What can I do for you, Lady Malfoy?"
"Narcissa, please."
"Narcissa, then."
The blonde raised a well-manicured hand to her mouth and began uneasily. "I know what has been going on with your family."
Minerva stood up quickly, her anger flaring. Narcissa rushed forward with her hands outward, motioning for the Headmistress to sit down. "No please, let me finish." She said soothingly.
Minerva crossed her arms and said nothing.
Taking it as a good sign, she continued.
"Donal came to our house. Apparently he got to know Lucius during his stay in Azkaban. I don't know, I didn't really hear the back-story. But he came to the house a couple of days ago. He didn't ask for help, just for a place to stay. He and my husband went into the office and talked. I shouldn't have listened in but I did. I worry so when he starts scheming. I want my son out of it, you know?"
Narcissa walked around the table. "Well I heard about his plan. About his attempts to kill you and your children."
"Do you know who they are?" Minerva asked coldly.
"Names? No, I don't. He wouldn't say who they were, just that he'd tried and failed to kill them."
The Headmistress arched her eyebrow. Unlike Donal to keep a secret that could ruin her. Perhaps he was just selfish and wanted to do that all on his own.
"But he's planning on coming to Hogwarts on Christmas Eve. He says he'll enter through the Forbidden Forest and attack there. Figured you'd be busy and be caught off guard."
Minerva sat quietly, digesting the news that she'd just heard. She didn't know whether to believe it or to be suspicious of it… She didn't put it past Lucius to send his wife with false information
"Look, I know we aren't really friends. We have never been on the same side," At this Minerva scoffed and raised her eyebrow. "But, Professor McGonagall, you must believe me when I say that I have never wished anything bad against you. Truly."
"Narcissa, you should know that no one knows of my family."
"I know."
"And I would appreciate it if it stayed that way."
"Yes, ma'am."
Minerva stood up and flicked her wand and said, "Evanesca," a spell that would remove any charms that the woman had on her. If she were under Imperio or any such other curse, it would be released.
She expected something.
But what she didn't expect to see was the nasty purple, black, and yellow bruise on the woman's eye and cheekbone. Her eye was red in the corner from where blood vessels had burst open. It didn't look like she'd had any care at all.
Recognizing the spell and Minerva's horrified expression, Narcissa turned away and immediately brought her hand to her eye.
"Narcissa, what in the world….?"
"Never mind it!" She said, moving her wand and redoing the glamour charms across her face. Turning back around, the bruise was gone, her eye was returned to normal.
"Where did you…"
"Forget it, please, it was my own fault. But what I'm saying to you is true, Minerva. I swear it. That is when he'll attack."
Minerva wanted to press on, but instead she focused on the information Lady Malfoy intended to bring. "Will just he be there?"
"That's what it sounds like. He's told Lucius not to get involved."
"You think he'll listen?"
Narcissa nodded. "I think he wants to avoid any entangling alliances now."
The Scottish witch gently stepped forward and removed the charms again, placing her hands gently on either side of the woman's face.
Narcissa immediately went to pull away, to look away, but Minerva's graceful hands kept her in place.
"Please, let me?" Minerva asked quietly.
Narcissa gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"Hemotractum," Minerva whispered. "Vescultractum, dermudetia, voltacto." Narcissa felt a sting in her cheek followed by a burning sensation. Her eye watered for a moment, then her skin felt like ice.
When Minerva withdrew her hands, Narcissa raised her own to her face. Gone was the swelling, the tenderness. She assumed her eye was back to normal too.
The Headmistress stepped away.
"I know that the story behind your face is for another time, or perhaps never. I shall not ask. However, I am grateful for your piece of information. I do take it to heart gratefully, as I can see that it was not easy for you to deliver it to me. Thank you very much, Narcissa, I won't soon forget it."
Minerva reached out her hand. Gently, Narcissa returned the gesture. "Nor will I."
And as she withdrew her hand, the blond witch vanished, leaving Minerva very perplexed and very concerned.
Xxxxxxxx
Minerva arrived back at the castle. Her face showed her inner worries.
She still didn't know what to make of this evening's rendezvous with Lady Malfoy. Narcissa, her mind whispered. Yes, Narcissa. What to make of her.
The sister of Bellatrix. Mother of Draco. Wife to Lucius. Slytherin girl. Top of her class in Charms and Defense Against Dark Arts. Mother by 24. Rich.
Potentially abused.
But why was it Minerva's problem even if she was? That wasn't the reason she had met her anyway. She didn't ask for help. Minerva had revealed it incidentally.
One side of her wanted to ignore it. The other side wanted to find out what had really happened.
But right now she had more pressing matters. For today was the 20th of December, and in just four short days, Donal would be waiting on her doorstep.
She arrived at the Gargoyle and quickly made her way inside.
"Who'd you go snog, mom?" Tessa asked.
Minerva rolled her eyes. "Quite the opposite happened. I got a piece of information about Donal."
All three children leaned in. "From who?" "Was it reliable?" "What?" "How?"
Minerva's eyes went wide and she raised her hands. "ONE AT A TIME!"
Moving behind her desk, she sat down and withdrew a bottle of wine.
Percival was the first one to step forward. "So tell us the whole story."
Minerva etched a tall, crystal glass and poured herself a generous amount.
"Narcissa Malfoy, of all people."
Esmerele and Percival both gave dubious expressions to their mother, but Tessa looked lost. "I'm sorry who?"
"A Slytherin woman." Esmerele said, as if that explained it all.
"She came up to me right before I was going to meet Tessa. Apparently Donal has been hiding out at her house and is planning to attack on Christmas Eve. He figures we'll be caught off guard."
"How did she get this information?"
"Just listening in." She replied to her son.
"What are we going to do?" her youngest daughter asked gently.
"We'll prepare, like we were going to do. We'll just have to start earlier than we thought."
"Are you worried?" Tessa asked.
Minerva looked into her children's eyes. Two pairs of icy blues like Albus, one set of emerald like her own. "Not for us." She said, with more steely confidence than she actually felt.
Grabbing a piece of parchment, she wrote a note. Glancing at the clock, she figured dinner was finishing up and students would be returning to their dorms. She finished the note and banished it to the professors, calling for a meeting in an hour.
"Are we involving them?" Percival asked.
"Just telling them to help guard the school and keep the students who are here unaware of what's going on outside."
Xxxxx
At 9:00 that evening the professors were gathered around a long table in the Room of Requirement, the only place that they were assured of complete privacy.
When the room had fallen silent, Minerva stood up at the head of the table.
"I'm sure you are all aware of what has happened this past month. You are probably also aware that it isn't over. From intel I've gathered, Donal is planning to attack. He will come to the castle through the Forbidden Forest. My plan is to stop him before he reaches the castle grounds and keep him in the forest. Questions?"
"How will you ensure that he doesn't reach the school?" Filius asked.
"Protective charms around the building for starters, then I am going to try and kill him as fast as I can in a duel."
"And if you fail?" He asked quietly.
"I won't." Firm. Not an inch for wiggle room.
"Who are the three adults staying with you?" Professor Grey asked.
"Long distance family members."
"Are you sure we aren't in danger?"
"One can never be completely sure but one can be quite certain."
"And what if you die?" Pomona asked gently. "What if you don't make it out?"
Minerva sighed and gave a small smile. "Then Filius will take over and your lives will continue, just as we've always known they would."
"Is that a possibility, though? Truly?" Filius asked, his gray eyes shiny with tears.
Minerva closed her eyes and held back a sigh. "Anything's possible on any given day."
"But on this day…"
"This day, Filius, is no exception to any other day. For all we know I'll drop dead the second I walk out of here from a heart attack."
"Oh Minerva…"
"Don't you 'Oh Minerva' me!" She breathed out and tried to be more gentle. "We are living every second. Don't ask for trouble before it's due."
Xxxxxxxx
It had been agreed that the students would be assembled in the furthest hall from the Forest. Wards would be aligned; the castle itself would shift to protect its occupants at the Headmistress' wish.
The younger professors were to stay on guard outside the student's dorms.
The elder ones would be watching and waiting at the windows in the event something went wrong.
Green sparks. That was to be the symbol if Minerva was in danger.
They prayed to whatever Unnamed Being out there that Minerva would make it out alive.
Because if anything happened to her, they didn't know how anyone would survive.
Xxxxxxx
A/N: Hope I'm still keeping everyone's attention! Reviews are always appreciated, as well as con crit.
Xoxo
PTROSE