Professor McGonagall blinked twice as she stared at Potter in disbelief. She was incredibly happy to see him but at the same time she wanted to tell him that he was a fool for coming back. She then remembered what Dumbledore had said about Potter needing to die in order for Voldemort to be finished off once and for all, and came to the conclusion that it wouldn't matter whether Potter came to Hogwarts or went somewhere else; his life would be lost either way.
"Um, professor? Aren't you going to ask me to identify myself?" Potter asked.
"What? Oh, yes," Professor McGonagall replied. "Go on."
"I am Harry Potter and in my fifth year you swore to me and Umbridge that you would do whatever it took to fulfill my dream of becoming an Auror," Potter said placidly.
Potter had barely finished speaking when Professor McGonagall advanced upon him and gave him a brief yet meaningful hug. She held him at arm's length and examined him fully. He appeared to be unharmed. Professor McGonagall gave him a smile then shook her head.
"You shouldn't have come back here, Potter," she said.
"I… had to, professor," Potter replied hesitantly.
"I know," Professor McGonagall said softly.
"You do?"
Professor McGonagall leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "I know you're looking for his Horcruxes."
She pulled back and saw that Potter's brilliant green eyes had gone wider than Golden Snitches. He stared at her, seeming to struggle with his speech.
"H-How –? How did you –?" Potter stammered.
"Professor Dumbledore has told me everything. If you like, I can assist you in any way I can," Professor McGonagall told him.
"Professor…" Potter said in a low voice.
"What are they stored in? What objects did You-Know-Who hide his soul in?"
Potter seemed to hesitate. Then he motioned Professor McGonagall to come closer and she complied. Potter whispered in her ear at his turn.
"Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem and Helga Hufflepuff's cup," he said. "They're somewhere in this office."
Professor McGonagall widened her eyes. "The founders' personal belongings?" she said in astonishment.
"Yes, and we've already destroyed Slytherin's locket with the sword of Gryffindor."
"The sword? He didn't make it –?"
Potter shook his head. "It's actually our weapon against Horcruxes. Our only weapon."
"How many have been destroyed so far?"
"Three."
Four to go, then, Professor McGonagall thought, her heart hurting at the fact that Potter was unknowingly one of those Horcruxes. She straightened herself and faced her other students, who were watching them questioningly.
"Mr Weasley and Miss Granger, come here, please," Professor McGonagall said. "The rest of you: keep watch."
Mr Weasley and Granger approached them as Longbottom, Finnigan and Miss Weasley stationed themselves each in a corner of the office. Professor McGonagall eyed the trio severely.
"All right. Each of you take a section of the office to search. I doubt that these Horcruxes will be hidden in plain sight," she told them firmly.
"You told her?" Granger said incredulously to Potter.
"She already knew," Potter replied, shrugging. "Dumbledore –"
"Hey, neat cup!"
I could be wrong, Professor McGonagall thought as she whirled around. Finnigan was examining a small golden cup in his hands, awe written all over his face.
"Look! There's a badger on here," Finnigan said, pointing.
Potter rushed towards him and he took the cup from him. He gave it a long look and smiled.
"One down, one to go," Potter said, throwing the cup to Professor McGonagall.
She caught it and spotted the badger engraved into the face of the cup. It amazed the Transfiguration professor to be holding a piece of history, but it disgusted her to know what this valuable object had been tainted with.
"Here, professor," Granger said, opening her small beaded bag and holding it out. Professor McGonagall raised a skeptical eyebrow but placed the cup inside anyway. It was a perfect fit.
"Undetectable Extension Charm?" Professor McGonagall asked, amused.
"That's Hermione for you!" Mr Weasley exclaimed, putting an arm around Granger and making her smile.
"Investigate the tables and cabinets, you lot. I'll take on the desk," Professor McGonagall ordered as Granger picked up the Invisibility Cloak Potter had left on the floor and put it in her bag.
Mr Weasley and Granger nodded and split up. Professor McGonagall made her way to the desk, gliding a hand on the edge as she walked around it. She heard the cling and the clang of delicate objects being moved and she knew that her students had begun their search.
The Transfiguration professor opened the first of four drawers. It was crammed with thick rolls of parchment. She rummaged through them in case the diadem or something else of importance was hidden among them. No such luck.
Professor McGonagall closed that drawer and opened the next. This one had a few of Dumbledore's inventions in it. She looked through them, memories of her sitting on Dumbledore's desk as she watched him tinker with those inventions resurfacing, and she caught sight of a small velvet box. Frowning, Professor McGonagall took the box out and opened it. A small gasp escaped her when the content was revealed to her.
A diamond ring was sitting inside the box, sparkling in the light of the lamps. Professor McGonagall admired it, unable to fathom why Dumbledore would have a ring like this in his desk.
"That was supposed to be an engagement ring, which I had found in a lovely Muggle jewelry store."
Professor McGonagall jumped a little and turned around. Dumbledore was watching her solemnly from his canvas.
"Albus?" Professor McGonagall said, nonplussed.
"I was hoping to marry you but then my hand got cursed," Dumbledore continued. "I had only about a year to live and I didn't want to leave you as a widow. You didn't deserve to have that happen to you again."
"Albus…" Professor McGonagall said softly, tears stinging her eyes.
"Aaw!"
The Transfiguration professor jumped again; she had forgotten about her students. She faced them and found them watching her, the girls' faces glowing and the boys merely smiling. Professor McGonagall felt herself blush a little.
"Put it on, professor!" Miss Weasley exclaimed excitedly as Granger nodded in agreement.
Professor McGonagall looked at the ring and slowly took it out of its packaging. She slipped it on her finger and she couldn't help but feel a mixture of happiness and sadness at the sight.
The girls sighed contently before continuing their search; the boys had already done so. Professor McGonagall turned back to Dumbledore, who was grinning at her broadly.
"It's absolutely beautiful," she whispered, resting a hand on the frame of his portrait.
"Keep it," Dumbledore told her. "It was meant to be yours."
"Thank you. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Professor McGonagall smiled at Dumbledore before going back to her search. She closed the drawer and moved to the other side of the desk. She opened the top right drawer and found a disarray of knick-knacks. The Transfiguration professor faced Dumbledore with a hand on her hip.
"You and your knick-knacks," she said, half-amused and half-annoyed. "I never could get you to dispose of them."
"What can I say? I was a collector," Dumbledore said with a chuckle.
"A packrat, you mean," Professor McGonagall corrected him as she dug through the mess. There wasn't anything in there either so she closed that drawer too.
She pulled on the handle of the last drawer but nothing budged. Frowning, Professor McGonagall pulled a few more times to no avail. Odd. Why would only three out of four drawers be unlocked? Dumbledore had always kept all four unlocked and certainly it wouldn't be wise for Snape to be keeping a few extra secrets apart from the ones Professor McGonagall had learnt about tonight. What was in this drawer?
Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at the keyhole and whispered, "Alohomora." The lock clicked and the drawer sprung open. She was pushing scrolls aside when she felt something cool underneath her fingertips. She grabbed the object and pulled it out. Now hanging in her hand was the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw.
It was an amazing sight: that diadem hasn't been seen for centuries and it was now in the palm of her hand! By looking at it, Professor McGonagall was reminded of how the Sorting Hat had had difficulty choosing whether it should put her in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Professor McGonagall was more than proud to be a Gryffindor but being a Ravenclaw would have been an honor as well.
"I believe this is what you are looking for, Potter," Professor McGonagall called out, holding out the diadem as she made her way around the desk.
Potter whirled around but Granger, being the closest, reached their head of house first. She took the diadem from Professor McGonagall, examined it, and smiled triumphantly.
"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," Granger read aloud. "This is it!"
"Blimey! Does this mean we're done here?" Mr Weasley asked.
"Yeah, it does," Potter replied as Granger placed the diadem in her bag. "Let's get out of here before we get an unwanted visitor."
As he said the last word the door opened and Snape and the Carrows came walking in. They froze in their tracks and Professor McGonagall saw a flicker of panic flit across Snape's eyes before he composed himself to appear cold.
"Too late!" Longbottom cried frantically.
"So the old woman came to play, hm? And she's brought a couple of kids to join in the fun," Alecto sneered cruelly.
"She probably doesn't have enough power to take us on in her old age," Amycus added gleefully.
"Hey! Don't you dare talk about Professor McGonagall like that!" Potter snapped angrily.
Professor McGonagall looked at him in alarm. As much as she appreciated Potter defending her, it was clear that the Carrows had yet to notice him and he had just attracted their attention with his outburst.
"Potter! It's Potter!" Amycus yelled excitedly. "Call the Dark Lord!"
"With pleasure," Alecto said. She rolled up her sleeve, displaying her Dark Mark, and began to approach the tip of her wand to that mark.
Using lightning-quick reflexes, Professor McGonagall conducted her wand like a whip and with a loud crack! and a flash of blinding light, Alecto was lying unconscious on the floor.
Screaming ferociously, Amycus struck. Professor McGonagall deflected his curse and sent one his way. He dodged it but was soon hit by one that came from the east side of the room. Professor McGonagall watched on in a mixture of horror and disgust as Amycus's face twisted and stretched itself into something unrecognizable. She looked in the direction the spell came from and found Granger tapping her foot with her arms crossed at Mr Weasley, whose wand tip was smoking.
"He was going to KILL her!" Mr Weasley was saying. "OI!"
Professor McGonagall returned her attention onto the Death Eaters but she had done so too late. Amycus managed to straighten himself, his face terribly distorted, and he sent a Stunner her way. It hit Professor McGonagall squarely in the chest and she was knocked off her feet. She collided with the desk and fell to the floor, the pain incredibly vivid.
"Stupefy!" she heard Potter cry. She raised her head on time to see Amycus slam against the wall and crumple to the ground, where he lay unmoving.
The Transfiguration professor felt a pair of hands gently help her to her feet.
"Are you all right, professor?" Potter asked worriedly.
"Y-Yes. Thank you," Professor McGonagall replied a little shakily.
Colorful lights were flashing all over the office as jinxes and curses flew everywhere. Longbottom, Finnigan and Miss Weasley were dueling with Snape but even though they had the upper hand in numbers, he had the advantage in skills. He expertly dodged and deflected every spell but Professor McGonagall soon noticed that that was all he was doing. He wasn't using any offensive spells against any of the students. It was clear that he had no desire to harm them.
"Expelliarmus!" Granger suddenly yelled.
Snape's wand flew out of his hand and he could not have looked any more astonished. Seizing her opportunity, Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at him.
"Petrificus Totalus!" she exclaimed.
The former Potions master grew rigid and toppled over. They all stared at him for a few seconds, breathing hard and hearts racing.
"Go! Now!" Professor McGonagall ordered sharply.
Her students did not to be told twice: they each rushed out of the office, Granger pulling the Invisibility Cloak out of her bag for Potter to wear. Professor McGonagall swept across the office after them but stopped when she reached Snape. She bent down, pointed her wand at him again, and whispered the counter-curse.
With a jerk, Snape was brought back to life. He was slowly beginning to sit up when Professor McGonagall pressed a hand to his chest to stop him. Snape looked at her and she could see read the questions in his eyes.
"You have my alliance, Severus," Professor McGonagall whispered.
Snape widened his eyes but she did not give him the chance to speak. Professor McGonagall straightened herself and fled the office.
All right! So Snape's finally got someone on his side who isn't living inside a painting. It must be a relief if you ask me.
Thanks for the reviews!