A penny for her thoughts - 3
…
Dumbledore was now in a beautiful garden, and again, Minerva didn't seem to be there… so he looked for that tabby cat he knew so well, and effectively, he noticed it on the corner of a window, ready to jump.
When the cat's front legs touched the ground, the memory became a blur, but not because it was disappearing, but because she was running so fast, she couldn't see the garden around her clearly. When the tabby cat stopped running, they already were down town, far away from the family house. She walked by the streets tasting her freedom with joy, and then jumped into a little green house with yellow flowers on each window.
Inside, there was a modest bedroom with few furniture. The door was opened, and a short brunette girl came in closing the door after her.
"Hi, Min!" she exclaimed when saw the cat, and it transfigured herself into the young witch. The girls embraced each other and sat onto the bed.
"I almost thought I wouldn't be able to do it today" Minerva told to her friend "I think my grandfather is beginning to suspect something…"
"You should stop coming, Min… especially now that we're going to school… Imagine he decided to take you to some boarding school again, instead of Hogwarts"
"It's too late for that, we're taking the train in a couple days… Do you already have the books?"
"Not yet…" the girl answered sadly "My father had almost collected the money to buy them but then my mother got worse and we had to get her new medicines"
"Is she better now?"
"The fever went down but they still not sure of what she has…" tears came up to the girl's eyes and Minerva embraced her again.
"I'm sure she'll be fine, Augusta… you'll see" she dried her friend's tears and then took a little sack full of coins from her cloak "This is for your books"
"No, I can't accept this" she rejected to take the money.
"Please… Your parents and you have always been so good with me… I want to thank you for that"
"But… where have you take it from?"
"It's mine… from my parents… you don't need to worry… What matters is that you'll be able to get the books on time…"
Lionel knew Minerva was the most generous witch he'd ever met but, that scene moved him.
"We'll meet in the train in two days, ok?"
Augusta Longbottom nodded and then saw how her friend transfigured into a cat while she jumped through the window to the street… Albus just saw how the scene disappeared to let Minerva's family house appear again.
"Minerva Gene McGonagall come down here right now!" her granfather's voice yelled from downstairs.
"Yes, sir?" she wondered coming down, already knowing something was wrong. Had he found out her secret? Did he know she was an animagus, or that she had been meeting Augusta secretly?
As soon as she stood in front of him, he grabbed her by her hair and took his wand out.
"I should have imagined you would be like your father…" he muttered while his wand touched her skin causing her a lot of pain.
"Granddad, please… you're hurting me" she sobbed, and Dumbledore tried to grab the man, but he obviously couldn't since that was nothing else than a vision.
"Shut up, little burglar! Where's my money?"
"It's not your money!" she exclaimed "It's my parent's money, so I have all the right to take a few coins if I want!"
The man couldn't believe she knew that… and Minerva took advantage of his surprise to run away and hide into her bedroom. Just two more days. She thought, walking in front the mirror and pulling her top up to find a big bruise there were her grandfather's wand had been.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
After that, a lot of memories past through very fast; the train, the magic hat shouting Griffindor!, the bedrooms' tower and then… a classroom.
It was different than he remembered it but, it was the transfiguration class of Hogwarts. Albus looked at the young Minerva, happier than on any of the memories they'd been traveling through… That was her first class ever in the school, and she looked joyful.
"Who do you think will be our teacher?" Augusta wondered.
"I don't know…" Minerva whispered, right when a young blonde haired wizard came inside and Albus could feel her heart beating faster, her hands sweating, her legs trembling, her eyes unable to stare at the wizard who turned around and said:
"Good morning, my name's Albus Dumbledore and I'll be your transfiguration teacher this year"
After that, memories past fast again: book pages, quidditch victories, and a lot of sights every time his younger self crossed the corridor in front of her.
She had a crush on me at school… Dumbledore thought… How could I never notice that?
He looked around on the next memory… He recognized that place quickly, it was his office, but there were a few different things… he then realized that behind which was now his desk there was sitting down Headmaster Dippet, and not him.
"Armando" he listened to his own voice saying and he turned around to meet a younger version of himself followed by a teenage Minerva "Mss. McGonagall is here, you want me to stay?"
"It could be good if you stay, yes" the old headmaster said, offering them a sit with his hand, and holding a letter with the other.
While they sat down, the Albus from the present remembered that moment, and he actually was able to repeat every word from the conversation that follows.
"How are you doing, Mss. McGonagall? Your OWL exams are close, but I'm sure you'll have no problem with them… Professor Dumbledore has already told me you're the best student of his class"
"I'm fine, I've been preparing my exams successfully and I actually have the best marks in the school, Professor Dippet… but I'm sure you haven't called me to talk about this, have you?" the fifteen year-old talked drily but maturely.
"No, you're right. I've called you because I thought I should give these news to you personally" and he handed her a letter she opened patiently as the headmaster kept talking "I was sent it this morning from the Ministry, I'm sorry for your lost, Mss. McGonagall"
Minerva read in silence:
Sir William James MacCormack, grandfather of your student Minerva Gene McGonagall, has dead tonight in his home in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. It's been a peaceful dead.
Both Albus and Armando kept looking at the young girl while she was reading. She showed no tears, no anger, no feelings. Albus remembered thinking she was just trying to look mature in front of her teachers but now, after know how her grandfather treated her… he understood her indifference.
Once again, the memories passed in front of Albus eyes like if someone was pressing the speedy button… He saw a Christmas tree, but not at the old family house of Minerva, but in the modest Longbottom's house… He guessed that, after her grandfather's death and since he had no more family, the Longbottom's had let her stay with them. He saw her growing up, becoming a beautiful young woman who was suddenly kissing some guy in one of the school's corridor.
He moved around the sweethearts hoping he could see his face.
"Al" she muttered and Albus turned to her because she sometimes called him by that name "Al, please" she begged, and Albus was starting to get upset to whoever the boy was "Alastor!"
Moody! Albus couldn't believe it… He had thought sometimes in the order that there'd been something between Minerva and Alastor Moody for the way they act, but… in the school?
"What's wrong?" a teenage Moody replied, not stopping kissing her lips.
"We're in the middle of the corridor, would you please stop" she asked "I don't want to spend my last months in the school in detention just because you can't control yourself"
"Let's go to the prefects' bathroom"
"No"
"Come on, you always say you love having a bath there… that it relaxes you…"
"Yes… on my own"
"Come on, it will be fun" after insisting a little more, Moody finally convinced Minerva and the next thing Albus was allowed to see was the two teens in front of the bathroom's door.
"Alastor…" she muttered "I don't know what you think it's going to happen in there but…"
"Nothing will happen that you don't feel ready for" he said caressing her hair "I just want to spend some nice time with you…"
"I love you" she whispered standing on her tiptoes before kissing him.
"I love you too"
The sweethearts went inside while Albus wondered how the smartest girl of the school was allowing a boy to go with her into the prefects' bathroom… everybody knew what happened in there when a boy and a girl went inside together. But after that he found himself inside the bathroom, and he could see Alastor sitting at the edge of the swimming pool while Minerva swam without any clothes under the water. Her body was beautiful, but he could feel her excitement and nerves while she approached him.
"Come with me" she whispered taking his hands, pulling him into the water with her while they kissed.
Right then, Albus wished he'd allowed Severus to be the one to go into Minerva's mind… not because he wanted him to see that, but because Snape would have been able to go straight on to the memory they were looking for. He tried to make the prefects' bathroom disappear… he tried hard and finally: more classes, more book pages, the NEWTs exams, a train and… darkness.
It wasn't a lightless darkness… it was a peaceful darkness… he could suddenly feel her fear, her questions, her doubts… School had finished, she had all her parent's money back inherited from her grandfather but, she didn't know what to do with her life… but there was a light… and Alastor Moody appeared while the sky was drown around them… They were flying above London, and were wearing the Ministry Aurors' sign on their brooms.
"Alastor, care!" Minerva yelled out when a wizard all dressed in black with his face covered attacked him. Moody was able to move away, but Minerva was injured and felt from the broom. Alastor speeded down and caught her on time, while the image became a blur.
...
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: I hope you still like the story… it's just so fun to imagine how Minerva's past might be… ;-)