** I apologize in advance for the grammar and spelling mistakes you will surely find...

The punishment - 7 - the morning she was gone

Severus

When on Wednesday morning I passed by Minerva's classroom the noise the students where making made me step inside.
"Silent!" I yelled, "Where is professor McGonagall?" I asked to the second year girl sitting right in front the teacher's desk.
"She didn't come yet..." she answered and I looked at the wall clock to check the time. It was twenty minutes past from the time the class was supposed to begin.
"The class is dismissed," I said before rushing out the classroom. Being late was something nobody would dare to associate with Minerva, so if she hadn't appeared in her class yet, I didn't think she would. I went to the greenhouses, where the seventh years were taking herbology, and asked Pomona to let Longbottom out for a moment.
"Of course," she said making a gesture to the boy, who walked out of the class watched by all his companions, who I guess, were questioning my reasons for requiring him.
"Longbottom," I said as we walked apart from the greenhouses, "I understand you could talk with professor McGonagall..." I was hoping with all my forces his answer was yes, because that would mean the reason of her missing was that she was out of the school and so, out of danger.
"I did, I woke up earlier to meet her in her office this morning before breakfast," the boy explained and I let go a sigh of relief, "professor McGonagall let me in and I told her that some members of the Dumbledore's Army had heart professor Carrow's intention of harming her and that we'd like her to leave the school safely..."
"That's great, Longbottom, so she accepted and everything went right, I guess..."
"No," the boy said with a worried expression on his face.
"What do you mean, no?"
"The professor said she was no coward, that she would stay in Hogwarts because that was her duty," Longbottom stepped aside as my face changed from relief to worry.
"If she is not gone, where is she?" I muttered as the boy kept talking.
"We left professor McGonagall's office together and before leaving the common's room she said she would show professor Carrow that she can fight back when it's necessary..."
"Fuck, that damn witch is insufferably stubborn!" I let go, "Did she come to breakfast?" I had to ask since I rarely stepped in the Great Hall during meals.
"She didn't," Longbottom replied, jogging to follow my large steps.
"What about the Carrows?"
"Alecto did, but not Amycus..." he answered after thinking about it for a moment.
"Do you have your wand with you, Longbottom?" I asked as we entered the Castle and made our way down to the dungeons.
"I do, Sir."
"Good, because I'll need you to back up me," I said and instead of turning left to the Slytherin Common room, we turned right were my private chambers and also Amycus' and Alecto's were.

"How do we know if professor McGonagall is in there?" Longbottom asked when we stopped in front of Carrow's bedroom door.
"You create a distraction, and I go in..." I said.
"A distraction?" the boy asked confused, "like what?" I raised my wand, pointed the door, and blew it up with a neat movement of my wand.
"Like that," I said quickly casting an invisible charm on both of us before Amycus came out to see what happened.
"Who's there?!" he yelled branding his wand to the air. He was half naked and sweaty, he looked to both sides of the corridor and not seeing anyone turned around and put the door back like if nothing had happened with the intention of going back inside but Longbottom already knew what to do, still invisible, he began to ran in the Common Room direction, throwing noisy and destructive spells all around the corridor. Amycus followed his path and I could go into his room.

The bedroom looked like if a tornado had passed, the floor was covered on books and broken vials and porcelain figures, the curtains and wall-portraits were ripped up and the furniture were upside down. The only thing that was on its place was the bed, were, as I had guessed, Minerva was lying down, half naked, with the only clothes that covered her torn and apparently unconscious.
Not willing to risk it, I ran to her side, took her sleeping body on my arms and disapparated before Amycus came back.

Being able to apparate around the Castle grounds was maybe the only good thing of having become the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
I left Minerva on my bed. Yes, I took her to the Headmaster chambers, the only place where Amycus wouldn't look after her.
I asked Poppy to check on her and while she did her job I looked for Longbottom.
"Professor Carrow followed me to the Hall and when he realized he was half naked in front of everybody he covered himself and went back to the dungeons..." he explained.
"You did a good job, Longbottom," I said, looking at the boy into his eyes, "thank you."
"I'm glad professor McGonagall is safe," he talked firmly, "is there anything else I can do for you, Sir.?" He looked back at me with no sign of that fear I was used to inspire on every children, further than than I'd say he was actually talking to me with loyalty, a treatment I'd never received back before. I rested a hand on his shoulder and offered him the best of my smiles, brief and shy, maybe not a real smile at all, but the best I could do.
"You were very helpful, Longbottom, and you showed courage but I don't want to put you in any more danger. Go to your common room and tell your companions that the head of your house has been dismissed of her duties for a few time... the protection of the tower of Gryffindor will be on your hands until she returns."
"That's a mission I'm glad to accept, Sir." he said before leaving.

Back in the private chambers of the Headmaster, mine since the beginning of the school year, I talked to Pomona after she checked Minerva.
"So?"
"She's fine," the nurse said and I let my body relax on the armchair of the sitting room, "she has a broken wrist and some bruises caused by several curses impacts but that's all... he didn't abused her."
"Thank god," I let go, "when I saw her lying like that I though I'd been too late..."
"You know this wouldn't have happened if you had told her to watch her back carefully..."
"I made Longbottom tell her, I even gave him the way to take her out from the Castle... but she wouldn't listen to him, as she never listens to anyone..."
"She would listen to you if you were honest to her..." Pomona said.
"I won't need to, I've come up with the greatest idea to keep her safe..." I said.
"Can I know what is it about?"
"Here..." I smiled, "as long as she's in here, she'll be safe..."
Pomona put down her eyes and let go a sigh.
"I won't say anything else because you don't listen either, you'll do as you wish because you're the headmaster but I don't want to have anything to do with this... having Minerva prisoner is anything but a good idea, trust me, I know best." and after those words of wisdom, the nurse left.

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: the only thing I know for sure at this point is that the last two chapters suck... so I'll try to mend that somehow. About Minerva and Severus having or not a lovestory... well... you already know my opinion so I can say there'll be something there that I don't know how will end.