Chapter Eleven
The Gryffindor common room was blaring with music from a levitating phonograph and loud conversation. The lights were dimmed and floating candles set the scene for alluring shadowing of dancing couples and snogging partners.
"And you think this is the best place for her to be, Professor Merrythought?" Albus snapped as they entered the room via the portrait.
Gatalea glared, but didn't respond, cutting through the crowds of students who made way for her without a sound, many not even noticing her presence.
"Potter!" Dumbledore called out, catching sight of him with Xiomara and a group of other Fifth Years. The messily haired boy immediately got up from the corner and came to the teachers.
"Professor, is everything okay? Is Minerva with you?" he asked, looking behind him to only find Melanie and Moody.
"She's not in here?"
Xiomara shook her head, lights flickering off her spiky hair. "She went out for some air. I think she didn't like all the people. She said she'd be right back."
"When was that?" Albus' voice border lined on urgent.
"Maybe an hour ago…"
Without another word, he turned back to the others. "We need to find her. There are three courtyards on the third floor."
"I remember them well. Ramirez, you stay with Dumbledore," Moody said shortly, moving out the portrait hole and down the corridor within seconds. "Constant vigilance," he called behind him.
"How can we help?" Potter asked, his eyes wide and earnest.
"She went towards the South Greenhouses," Galatea called over the music as she scurried over to them. "Someone said she looked like she was alone. Last time anyone saw her was twenty minutes ago."
Dumbledore nodded and tried to calm his rushing heart. He turned to the anxious Gryffindors. "Stay here and keep everything going. As far as anyone knows, nothing's wrong. Minerva just went out for some air."
"I told you not to plan a party, Xio," he heard faintly as they rushed towards the Southern Greenhouses.
"Take a breath, Albus, I'm sure she's fine," Merrythought was saying, struggling to keep up with the Transfiguration professor's pace as he caught sight of a familiar face.
"Riddle!" Albus bellowed at the trailing robe of Slytherin. The tall, dark boy stopped on the staircase and turned back to look at the professor with a mix of arrogance, dislike, and annoyance.
"Professor Dumbledore, you're returned," Tom Riddle said in a false politeness that Albus had always hated. "How wonderful."
"Did you see Minerva McGonagall come this way?"
"Yes, sir."
The pale skinned and dark hair boy smiled charmingly.
"Did you notice which way she was heading?" he forced his tone to remain polite.
"She said she was—"
"She talked to you?" Albus' voice was ludicrous.
"Why wouldn't she, sir? Minerva and I have always been friendly despite other relationship advice she's been given," Riddle responded said icily.
"Which way did she go, Riddle?" Merrythought interrupted the staring contest crossly.
"Towards Hogsmeade, though I told her she should go back to her dorms and get her cloak. She's rather a little thing to be out there without a jacket. We wouldn't want her to catch a cold."
*The Great War 1944*
Aberforth Dumbledore was closing up his shop, wiping down the bar when he caught sight of it. Just outside was the tiniest little kitten he had seen since had a been a lad. Puzzled, he threw his dirty rag onto the countertop and moved towards the doors.
"Hello there, Ears."
The kitten small, almost unhealthily so, he noticed, with peculiar tabby markings in her silver fur. The small tuffs of fur near her velvet ears twitched slightly at the sound of his voice. However, there was just something else about this cat.
"Let me go and get you something to drink? It's my job every other day of the week, why don't today, hmm?"
The kitten didn't move, but seemed to be staring at the monument towering in front of it. "Ah," he said with a sigh. "That was for a girl at the school up yonder. Little pretty thing that got taken as war goods. Her friends were heartbroken I think and wanted to do something for her. Heard she was a pretty special kid." He bent down to brush a little bit of the snow off the kitten's head.
"Let me get ya some milk, hmm? It's too cold for a little thing like you to be outside."
He turned back towards his bar and shook his head, snowflakes tangling in his beard. "Look at ya, Abe, talking to a damn kitten. You've done lost your marbles," he grumbled, moving inside to get the milk, but before he made it, there was a gentle pop. He whipped around, wand raised high in the air, expecting a Blackcoat, but instead found a girl.
"You're not as crazy as you think."
Aberforth lowered his wand hesitantly.
She didn't look like a threat, in fact she didn't look like much at all. Pretty, beautiful even, if she didn't look like she was sick. She was pale and thin, almost too thin, dressed in just a thin sweater over her undershirt. Her dark curls caught the snowflakes and seemed to make her glow.
"Where'd you come from? Students are supposed to be down here," he snapped, looking around. The girl didn't seemed phased. She hadn't even moved since he had turned, still standing near the glass monument, her eyes coursing over the monument and the snow ridden letters and now frozen flowers and tiny tokens.
He opened his mouth to speak again, when the realization struck him that the kitten was gone. "You're Albus' student. The Animagus." He swallowed and gestured towards the monument. "This is all for you."
The girl didn't answer, she didn't even look as if she heard him.
"Come on inside," he said, nodding towards his bar, and reaching out to touch her arm. There was a crackle of wild magic that burned his wrist as he immediately jumped back. The snow evaporated with a cloud of steam. The girl blinked slowly as if she was still asleep and turned back towards the monument and the snow.
Aberforth hesitated, memories of his sister flooding through his head. He took a deep breath and tried again. "Minerva?" he said smoothly. "Minerva, let's get inside. It's too cold to be here, okay?"
As his words filtered through she nodded. "I'm..." she frowned defensively. "I don't think I'm supposed to be here."
Aberforth let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding. "It's all right, let's go inside and find Albus, shall we?" He was surprised when the girl, clearly shell shocked, allowed him to lead her inside the bar.
Her skin was ice cold to the touch. He closed the doors behind him with a wave of his wand and easily popped her up on the bar top. "Err, just stay there."
With a snap of his wand the washcloth was transformed into a thick blanket and he slowly wrapped around her shoulders, catching sight of the deep, just beginning to scar over wounds on her forearms and shoulders as she wrapped the blanket tighter around her.
He felt the bile at the back of his throat grow and pieces from articles on war camps in Germany rise to the forefront of his mind. With another wave of his wand, he sent a half crumpled piece of parchment towards the castle with a hastily scrawled note reading:
"I think I've found something that belongs to you.
–Abe"
"My brother talks about you, you know?" he said gently, turning back towards the girl who was watching him with large intelligent eyes. "I think he's a little in love with you."
"Perhaps, I am a little in love with him."
Aberforth raised an eyebrow at the reply, but didn't comment on it. "That's good, I suppose. My brother always did need a little good something in his life."
"He didn't mean to hurt her."
His heart stopped short for a second and he forced himself to take a shaky breath before responding. "Albus told you about our sister?" Aberforth kept his tone surprised, but calm. He kept the steady motion of wiping; the sense of motion that always soothed Arianna.
"Yes."
"Hmm." He didn't otherwise, but kept wiping and tidying up the bar.
Aberforth chuckled drily sudden, a sudden thought dawning on him. The girl turned to look at him, eyes asking a question she didn't have to. "It's just…my brother was always a ladies man. I mean, pretty boy, smart, all that you know. But you…he did storm a prison for you, little Miss. Perhaps, you're the one to turn my brother around."
Minerva looked at him, head tilted sideways for a moment before opening her mouth to reply. The store's jingling bell cut her response off. "MINERVA!" Albus rushed inside with a host of others behind him. Minerva slid off the counter and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Merlin, Minerva, you frightened me," he said into her hair.
The others couldn't hear her response. But no one, not even Professor Merrythought commented on the intimate gesture.
As he carefully set her down again on the ground, he turned towards Aberforth who was awkwardly folding and refolding his rag. With a moment's silence, Albus stuck out his hand. An eyebrow raised, Aberforth took it. "Thank you for looking out for her."
Aberforth nodded once sharply. "She's not like the others ones, is she brother?"
"I wouldn't know what you mean."
"She's only sixteen, Albus."
"No, brother, she's far older," Albus said quietly, rubbing his face with his hands warily.
"You need to look out for her," Aberforth hesitated, watching Minerva interact Melanie and Moody. "She reminds me of Arianna." Albus winced slightly at the mention of her name. "Don't mess this one up."