What You Never Knew

Minerva McGonagall: The One Who Died Alone

She was a Muggleborn.

This was a fact that surprised many people when they heard it, considering that when Hogwarts was taken over by Death Eaters, Minerva was not taken away. Not to mention she was an exceptionally gifted witch. But the truth remained that Minerva was just as surprised as her parents when a tall man with auburn hair and purple robes arrived at her house just after her eleventh birthday. That was the first- and certainly not the last- time she speculated about her true parentage. She had always wondered why she bore no resemblance to any of her relatives…

Poppy Pomfrey was her best friend.

Of course, when Minerva met the timid brunette, she had been Poppy Matthews. They met the way many Hogwartians did: by sitting in the same compartment on the Hogwarts Express on their first train ride to school. From the moment Poppy asked Minerva if she could try healing a scab on her knee, the two were best friends.

The Sorting Hat irked her.

It didn't even talk to her! Professor Dumbledore just dropped it on her head and a second later, she was walking to an applauding red and gold table. She couldn't help but feel slightly offended by this; the hat talked to everyone else, so why not her? Was she really that easy to read?

She discovered she was adopted when she was thirteen.

Minerva had spent an hour relentlessly badgering her mother to show her her birth certificate, still suspicious of her actual parentage, when Mrs. McGonagall had finally broken down into tears.

"I- I'm so, so s-s-sorry," Minerva's mother had blubbered to her, plopping down on the couch in the living room. "I sh-should've told you, but I- I was afraid you wouldn't f-f-feel the same about us!"

"Mum, how could you think that?" Minerva had asked, quietly sitting down next to the crying woman, understanding that she was, indeed, adopted. "You raised me- you took me in. We may not be related by blood, but you're still my mother."

"Oh, Minnie!" Mrs. McGonagall sobbed, throwing her arms around her daughter, tears still streaking down her cheeks. Minerva awkwardly hugged her back, never having been one for hugs- even from her own mother.

"Mum…"

"Yes, dear?" Minerva's mother sniffled, her eyes damp, but not dripping as she let go of her daughter.

"Where did you find me?"

Mrs. McGonagall took a deep, shuddering breath before admitting, "Your father and I… well, we married older than most, and by that time, I was unable to have children. But we wanted desperately to be parents. So, we went from orphanage to orphanage, looking for the perfect child for us. We found you at Wool's Orphanage in London when you were two years old, and for us… it was love at first sight." Minerva's mother smile was watery.

"Why was I in an orphanage?" Minerva asked, curiosity rendering her unable to help herself.

"The orphanage director, Mrs. Cole, told us what she had heard, but if you ask me, love, I don't think it's completely believable."

"What is it?"

"She said that there had been a fire, in your family's house. Apparently, the firefighters hadn't been able to put out the fire- the water didn't work on it, for whatever reason. The firefighters later claimed that there were creatures, or something, in the fire- but that's another matter. Anyways, according to Mrs. Cole, a group of people with black cloaks showed up and somehow managed to put out the fire and rescue how- but your parents were already dead. Wool's Orphanage was right down the street from you, so that's where you were taken. You were only a year old at the time."

"Oh," was all Minerva managed to say. "Well… okay, then."

Then, Mr. McGonagall had come home from work, and the family had dinner.

She met Tom Riddle in her Sixth Year.

He was in the year below her, and though she had certainly heard of him and seen him in the corridors, she had never spoken to him- and, in truth, had no particular desire to. This all changed when he dumped one of her Ravenclaw friends, Alyssa Murphy, breaking her heart into itsy bitsy little pieces.

"Riddle!" Minerva had barked, angrily storming over to the boy and his posse of Slytherin cronies. She glared at the cronies and ordered, "Go. Now."

The cowards took no time in scattering.

"What do you want?" Tom had snapped, his demeanor somehow still cool and composed. "I don't believe I've spoken to you."

"Minerva McGonagall. Sixth Year."

"Ah- yes, I've heard of you. Your reputation in Transfiguration particularly."

"Yeah, yeah, great. That's not what I'm here to discuss." Mienrva could see why all of the teachers, except perhaps Professor Dumbledore, loved the Fifth Year Slytherin: he was, in one word, a flatterer.

"Then what are you here to discuss?" Tom raised an eyebrow.

"Alyssa," Minerva told him. "Why did you break up with her? She did nothing, absolutely nothing, wrong! She gave you space, didn't badger you about anything- she even helped you with your homework! So why did you break up with her?!"

Tom shrugged as if it was no big deal. "I don't love her."

"So what, you were just leading her on?" Tom said nothing, and Minerva's eyes narrowed into vicious slits. "You were! How dare you! Why'd you do it, huh? Why? It's just plain evil! Not to mention cruel, malicious-"

"-Cunning, sly? Say what you want, Minerva McGonagall- I was just being a Slytherin."

He was up against the wall, the Gryffindor's wand pressed to his throat, before he could say, "Ha". Minerva growled at him, "So you toyed with Alyssa's emotions just to impress your friends? Your henchmen? I didn't know even a Slytherin could sink that low."

"Put your wand back, Minerva," Tom ordered calmly. "You don't want to duel me."

Minerva snorted. "I'm older and smarter than you, Riddle. You don't intimidate me."

With that, she promptly turned the Slytherin into a teapot and walked away smiling. She didn't even care that she got a detention- and a lifelong enemy- because of it.

She never thought that she would want to become a teacher.

In fact, throughout all her Hogwarts Years, she had her heart set on becoming an Auror. She did become one, actually- and was pretty darn good. Then, she had met with Professor Dumbledore just after he was dubbed Headmaster, and he asked her if she would please consider taking on the position of Transfiguration professor in his place. At first, she had politely declined; but Dumbledore was persistent, and eventually, Minerva found herself drawing up lesson plans. And, one day, she found herself wondering why she ever even considered being an Auror in the first place.

When she was forty-seven years old, she went to visit Wool's Orphanage.

The curiosity had become too much for her, and one day, Minerva found herself introducing herself to Mrs. Cole as "the little girl adopted by Harold and Margaret McGonagall in 1927". Mrs. Cole had been exceedingly welcoming, and had given her a tour of the orphanage, introducing her to each child they came across. She only left out one thing- or tried to.

"Wait, what about that room?" Minerva asked as Mrs. Cole warily glanced at a door out of the corner of her eye and hurried by.

"Oh, you- you don't want to go in there," Mrs. Cole assured her. "It's nothing special- it's just like every other room. Come, let's keep going."

"Why can't I see it?" Minerva wondered indignantly.

"Well, you see, we think it might be… haunted."

"Haunted?" Minerva laughed. "Oh, and why is that?"

"We've tried putting children in that room, to live in of course, but they always end up with the worst nightmares, or snakes in their beds, or something equally horrible," the orphanage director explained. "No one since him has been able to live in that room- sometimes I wonder if he left something in there."

" 'He'? Who's 'he'?"

"Tom Riddle."

Minerva sucked in a breath. It couldn't possibly be the same Tom Riddle who she had gone to school with, who had broken her friend's heart, who was supposedly Lord Voldemort nowadays- according to Albus, at least? "Did he have black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin? Rather mean?"

"Yes! H- How did you know?"

"He went to school with me," Minerva admitted. "I haven't seen him in years, though."

"Probably better for you… he was always a rather suspicious child, fightened the other children terribly… well, let's stop dwelling now, shall we? The kitchen's just ahead."

"Lead the way."

James Potter was her godson.

His mother, Eleanor, was one of her good friends, as was James' father, Nicholas. Nevertheless, Minerva was surprised- but extremely pleased- when she was chosen to be young James' godmother. That was why she always had a soft spot for the boy, his friends, and the mischief they made: James was like the son she never had, but always wanted.

She offered to take Harry Potter in when James and Lily died.

After all, since James was her godson, Harry was very nearly her grandson. Alas, Albus refused, insisting on giving Harry- sweet, lovable, adorable little Harry- to the Dursleys, to be their responsibility to raise and care for. Minerva, for the rest of her life, resented Albus for this. Sure, she understood her friend's reasons, but couldn't help but think every so often, I would be a good grandmother.

She hated being Headmistress of Hogwarts.

She loved Hogwarts, with all her heart; but she loved, no, adored teaching. As Headmistress, Minerva couldn't teach- instead, she had to watch her replacement teach Transfiguration, teach her subject. It made Minerva insanely jealous, even though she realized it was foolish of her to feel that way. So, in 2017, she retired, having decided that she had done her duty to Albus long enough.

Minerva McGonagall was universally respected by the Wizarding World. She was also loved by many of her students- current, and former- as well as her numerous friends. But Minerva was one of the few people in the world who never found her true love, never found someone she could imagine spending the rest of her life with or raising children with. And so, loved though Minerva McGonagall was, when she died- at the sprightly age of 132- she died alone.

LOVE McGonagall! Tell me what you think of my take on her- in a review! :) I need three before I update again, please! Thanks!

-Joelle8