'Are you sure you want to stay until the end of term Penny?' Minerva said as Monday morning loomed its rather dull, misty head. She felt concerned for her great niece, who'd had very little sleep after an awful distressing day, but Penny's response wasn't what she had expected. 'You don't have to you know; no one would think any less of you if you decided to take compassionate leave,' she explained in response to her great niece's reaction when asked if she wanted to take some leave until the following school year.

'Honest Aunt Minerva, I'll be fine; I just want to get on with it. Grams would want me to and taking time off isn't going to bring her back,' Penny replied defiantly, trying to convince herself more than her aunt, as she looked at her exhausted reflection in the mirror. She had dark circles under her eyes and her already pale complexion looked deathly white. She tried to brush her hair but gave up and allowed it to stick out at whatever angle it saw fit. She smoothed out her uniform and argued with her collar, trying to make herself look as presentable as possible.

'Very well, if you're sure; but if you change your mind you just have to say the word. And I'm always here if you need to talk,' Minerva said with maternal compassion. 'I will also advise the rest of your teachers of the situation. Now you'd better go down to breakfast before your lessons start,' she added with a hint of her teacher authoritarian tone as she watched Penny disappear from sight. She felt concerned as she watched her leave, and Penny never realised that her aunt's gaze followed her down the staircase. Minerva had a feeling that she would regret this decision later on, but she knew that she had to allow Penny to grieve in her own way and time.

As Penny arrived downstairs for breakfast she tried to carry on as normal as possible. Normal felt good to her; it was the only certain thing she had to cling to when the rest of her life was anything but normal. However, Minerva wasn't entirely convinced that continuing as normal was such a good idea. She knew that her great niece was still in shock and that, regardless of what Penny said, at some point the shock would wear off and the grief would hit her. For now though, she was just going to have to keep a close eye on her.

Minerva headed down to her class room to prepare for the fifth-year class she had first thing. She was glad that she wasn't starting anything new and they were just revising for their upcoming OWLS. Like Penny, she was happy to keep busy and continue as normal as it kept her mind from her own pain, although her tolerance was even shorter than normal, much to the dismay of the two miscreants now standing in front of her.

'You two! Miller! Brown! Come here at once!' She said irritably to two third year boys who had been sat in the corridor trying to hex each other, attempting, she suspected, to get themselves out of their first class. 'What exactly do you think you are doing?'

'Well Professor…' Miller, a dark brown haired boy, began to say and looked desperately at his friend for help, who looked just as desperately back at him.

'We were just…just…' Brown tried to continue, but words also seemed to fail him.

'Well seeing as neither of you can come up with a reasonable explanation and seeing as it's very obvious what you were trying to do, I think an evening's detention is in order and ten points from Ravenclaw. Now get to your class immediately and don't ever let me see you doing that again!' She barked. The two students quickly disappeared under her watchful eye as she glared after them, before turning on her heel and walking into the sanctuary of her class room, just as the school bell rang.

'Right I want you all to take out your text books and quietly revise. There will be no need to talk unless you have any questions you would like to ask,' she said as the fifth years sat in their seats, the sound of scraping chairs and shuffling school bags filling the room.

Whilst the fifth years were studying Minerva took the opportunity to mark the first-year homework she hadn't managed to do over the weekend and was glad that they weren't in until the afternoon. The silence in the classroom, except for the occasional sound of turning pages, allowed her the peace of mind to get on with her work and to think over some of the things that had been troubling her over the weekend.

Down in the dungeons, Penny was suffering traumatically at the hands of Snape and Barton. After everything that had happened over the weekend, she'd completely forgotten to do her potions homework – something that Snape took great delight in announcing to the whole class and loudly gave her detention for it. Then he proceeded to pair her with Barton to brew the Wideye Potion, much to the dismay of both Penny and Tonks, who had been worried sick about her friend since she'd disappeared with Professor McGonagall on Saturday afternoon, and the moment she'd seen her at breakfast, Tonks had known something serious had happened from the crest fallen look on Penny's face.

Penny was exceptionally good at potion making, but today she was distracted and couldn't have cared less about what Barton was doing, so wasn't paying attention to the fact that instead of adding six dried Billywig wings to the mortar, Barton had added eight which meant that when they added four scoops of the crushed ingredients to their cauldron, a putrid, acid green smoke filled the room.

'Johnston, did you follow all of the instructions carefully?' Snape chided.

'I did Sir!' Penny exclaimed indignantly. 'I trusted Barton to…'

'Ten points from Gryffindor for not being able to follow even the simplest of instructions, and another five for trying to blame your classmates for your own failings,' he replied, sharply cutting her off and then sweeping away. Barton had a satisfied look upon her face, delighted that Penny got into trouble, but Penny never said a single word, even to Tonks as she swept briskly out of the classroom when the bell rang.

Upstairs, Minerva was just finishing the last couple of essays when a second-year girl entered the room and walked up to her desk with a note and timidly said, 'Please Professor; I have a note from Professor Dumbledore.' Minerva took the note from the girl and opened it. Professor Dumbledore wanted to see her when she next had a free class, to discuss her situation. She was grateful that she didn't have a class following her fifth years, meaning she could go up to him almost immediately. She wrote a reply to him on the back and handed it back to the young girl.

'If you could take this back to Professor Dumbledore Cripps, thank you.'

The young girl walked quickly out of the room and Minerva turned her attentions to her fifth-year class, until the bell rang. As soon as the last student had left she headed straight up to Dumbledore's office.

'Fizzing Whizbee,' she said to the gargoyle in front of the entrance to his office. The gargoyle nodded his head and jumped aside, revealing the stone staircase behind.

'Ah Minerva,' Dumbledore greeted her once she had climbed the stairs and entered the room 'how are you?' He asked her kindly as she took the seat opposite his desk.

'Tired,' she replied, finally allowing herself to look as tired as she felt.

'Are you sure you should be here? You and Penny should take time off…'

'I'm fine Albus, thank you. She doesn't want to, and so long as Penny wants to continue then I will continue along with her.'

'How is Penny?'

'She's stubborn and determined like her grandmother,' Minerva replied as she allowed herself a small smile.

'Much like her great aunt also,' Dumbledore added and reciprocated his friend's smile. 'We haven't got much time for me to explain what I have to I'm afraid Minerva. The Minister and Amelia Bones will be joining us shortly.' Minerva looked a little concerned at these words. Visits from the Minister of Magic never meant anything good. 'Cornelius and Amelia have a few things they would like to speak to you about, but there are a few things I would like you to hear from me first,' he explained. 'Ever since Voldemort lost his powers there's been a fight for command within the dark arts; there are many dark witches and wizards and other beings who want to continue his work, but most of the culprits have either been apprehended over the last ten years or have killed each other in their fight for supremacy.

'However, there is one wizard who has managed to evade capture and has been gaining power and respect even quicker that Voldemort had. His name is Elpherick Gryzendo and I believe it was he who attacked and killed your sister, or at least he is responsible for it,' Dumbledore explained calmly.

'I still don't understand how that can be though Albus. No one at St Mungo's had any idea what the poison was and I'd certainly never come across it, even in my time at the Law Enforcement office,' Minerva replied.

'I'm afraid I can't answer that either. What I can tell you, is that Penelope came to me just before she left. She was concerned about Penny, about something coming after her now that her powers are growing…' but before Dumbledore could continue there was a knock on his door, which was opened enthusiastically by Cornelius Fudge, who swept quickly into the room, closely followed by Amelia Bones.

'Professor McGonagall my dear; may I first of all extend my deepest sympathy at your loss. Penelope's death has come as quite a shock to us all at the Ministry, but please be reassured that we are doing all we can to apprehend her attackers,' Cornelius said as he shook Minerva's hand, however, Minerva wasn't entirely convinced or comforted by his words.

The four of them sat for some time discussing the situation, what the Ministry were intending to do and the Minister seemed particularly keen to assure Minerva that he personally was trying to do all he could. However, as Dumbledore had predicted, Cornelius made no mention of Gryzendo; in fact, he was making it sound as if it was just a random attack and had nothing to do with Penelope's work at all, even despite the fact that they all knew differently.

On hearing all that she could stand, Minerva excused herself from their company. She'd had enough flannelling to last her a life time and she certainly wasn't in the mood for it, and said 'If you will excuse me Cornelius I have a class waiting for me…' as she got up from her chair.

'Oh, why yes of course Minerva,' Cornelius said with a faint smile.

She smiled slightly at Dumbledore as she left, breathing a heavy sigh of relief as she descended the stairs into the corridor. She walked straight towards the portrait of an old woman who appeared to be doing battle with a troll and said the password 'Algora trapenesium,' making the portrait swing open to reveal a secret passageway, which led down into the courtyard, cutting out plenty of corridors and turns. She walked briskly through the courtyard and into the corridor leading to her classroom, where she found her first years waiting noisily outside for her.

'Right in you go please. I want you all to quickly and quietly get out your textbooks please. Barton hand out the homework,' she ordered as she handed Sally-Ann Barton the homework she'd marked that morning. She watched as Barton handed out each piece of parchment, and pursed her lips together when she saw her look at Penny's score as she handed it to her. However, Minerva smiled a little smugly at the look on Barton's face when the girl realised that Penny had scored a hundred per cent, the only person in the class to do so.

Whilst everyone was busy at their desks, Minerva looked at Penny who was very subdued and looked on the verge of tears. It seemed that Tonks had also noticed her friend's distress and was trying to quietly encourage her to talk, but Penny only shook her head and looked up expectantly at Minerva, waiting for her to start the class.

'Now the homework as a whole was somewhat disappointing. One or two of you have clearly grasped the concept of transfiguration and why it is useful to the average witch or wizard; however, most of you failed to explain or explain clearly that transfiguration was one of the first forms of magic first established in our world. Now I expect much better standards than this if you are going to pass your end of year exams,' she explained sternly as she looked around the classroom, occasionally allowing her gaze to hold on Penny for a little longer than the others. She rapped her wand on the blackboard and several questions appeared on it. 'I want you to re-read the chapter in your textbooks on the history of transfiguration and then answer the questions on the board.'

Minerva sat herself behind her desk and watched the room as they all frantically turned to the pages in their books. Penny was trying to concentrate on the text she was reading about the first witch to ever turn a rock into a teapot, but the harder she tried to read, the harder it became to stop the tears in her eyes rolling down her cheeks. Wet pools began to form on her paper and Minerva could no longer ignore her niece's pain. She went over to Penny and gently tapped her on the shoulder and led her out of the room. Naturally the whole class looked confused and watched them as they left, with no idea as to why or when Penny had started to cry. A degree of urgent whispers filled the room once they were out of it, and everyone speculated about why McGonagall had removed Penny from the class.

'She's for it now,' Barton hissed hysterically. 'The teacher's pet isn't as smart as she thinks; I bet she got the worst mark in the class and that's why old McGonagall removed her!'

'Yeah, did you see the look on McGonagall's face?' Laurena Fowlkes, one of Barton's cronies, asked gloatingly.

'Shut it!' Tonks turned and said to them. 'You haven't a clue what she's going through,' she added, reflecting on Saturday afternoon and the urgent events that had led her friend away then. Tonks didn't know what had taken her friend away, but she knew it had been bad and she had an awful feeling about it. She knew Penny would tell her in her own time, but no matter what it was, she wasn't about to let anyone tease or taunt her friend.

'Well said Tonks,' Olivia said as she too jumped to her friend's defense.

Outside in the corridor, Minerva couldn't have cared less about what her class thought as Penny was her only concern now as she sat her down on the bench and softly said, 'I think it's time you and I took that time off don't you?' Penny was now sobbing harder than she'd ever cried in her life and Minerva allowed her to continue as she placed her arm comfortingly around Penny's shoulders and held her tightly. She stroked Penny's soft honey blonde hair as the young girl began to cry herself quiet. She was exhausted and distressed as her grief finally took over as Minerva had predicted it would. 'I want you to go up to the hospital wing for a little while and rest. Madam Pomfrey will give you something to help. I'll send Miss Tonks up with you if you'd like?' She said quietly once the flow of Penny's tears had subsided a little, and Penny nodded her head in acknowledgement, too tired to fight it and having to admit defeat. She watched as her aunt left her, returning a few minutes later with Tonks having just filled her in briefly on the situation. 'I'll take you both up to the hospital wing and then I'll have to return to class.'

They found Madam Pomfrey in her office, stocking up on ingredients and brewing some new potions, but she stopped immediately when she saw Minerva and the two girls. The grave look on her friend's face and the distressed, reddened and tear stained face of their student concerned Madam Pomfrey greatly. She wasn't used to Minerva taking time out of class to take a student to her.

'What on earth has happened Johnston?' She asked as she addressed Penny directly.

'Poppy, Miss Johnston's grandmother died suddenly at the weekend and I think she's suffering from shock,' Minerva explained to the sympathetic nurse. 'I've sent Miss Tonks up with her, I hope that's ok?'

'Of course, of course. Here, have some of this, it'll help with the shock,' Madam Pomfry said as she poured a purple potion into a cup and led Penny out to one of the beds, where she obediently laid down. She drank the potion in two short gulps, enjoying the calming feeling it gave her. She felt herself sink into the soft pillows below her and she felt certain she wouldn't be able to remain awake for long.

'I'll be back up to check on her as soon as I've finished my classes Poppy, but if anything happens and she needs me sooner, just send Miss Tonks to get me,' Minerva said as she left the room, although she felt guilty for doing so.

As soon as Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall had left, Tonks turned to her friend, a concerned expression on her face. 'Why didn't you tell me Penny?' She asked, and Penny looked at Tonks and felt tears swell in her eyes once more.

'I'm sorry Dora. I guess I was trying to pretend this weekend hadn't happened. I'd already lost my mum, I've no idea where my father is, he left long before I was born and my Grams was sort of all I had,' she explained quietly.

'How did she…?'

'She was murdered.'

'Merlin's beard!' Tonks exclaimed loudly.

'You can't tell anyone Dora,' Penny implored.

'But what the hell happened?!'

'She's been away for weeks working. I don't know anything about what's been going on and no one would tell me at the hospital, but she was after someone. They just got to her before she got to them,' Penny explained with bitter tears.

'Penny I…I don't know what to say…I'm so sorry…' Tonks whispered sorrowfully. 'What'll happen to you now?'

'I'm going to live with my…' For a split second Penny had forgotten that Tonks didn't know that Minerva was her great aunt, but she guessed it was now better to tell her best friend the truth, rather than tell her more lies. '…I'm going to live with Professor McGonagall. See, she's my great auntie, she was my Grams' older sister,' she explained.

'Oh!' Tonks replied with a slightly shocked expression to begin with, but then added it all up in her head and realised that it explained a few things that had happened over the year, but before they could discuss it further Penny had drifted to sleep, the potion finally taking full affect. She slept on for hours and didn't notice Tonks leave when Minerva returned as she'd promised, but she daren't wake her niece for it was the first time she'd slept properly in a few days. She just sat with her and watched over her, waiting for the moment she would wake herself.

She didn't sleep at all that night. Instead she pondered about everything that had happened over the weekend, the last words her sister had ever spoken to her and what Dumbledore had said to her earlier that day. He had confirmed her worst fears, that her sister's death was the result of some evil entity going after Penny. They knew very little about Penny's developing powers, and yet someone else out there was trying to go after the young girl. The thought of this was almost unbearable to Minerva, and she wished that she had more answers than questions.