A Family at Hogwarts

It was not long after Minerva settled herself into her old rooms at Hogwarts that there was an insistent knocking at her door. Sighing, she let them knock and argue with the portrait that guarded her room. She had changed the password promptly upon arrival. Selene. Almost forty years of teaching and she had never used her precious daughter's name as her password before. Her reasons for not using it were not that she did not want to use the haunting name every time she wanted to enter her rooms, but that she gave her password out to her friends and did not want them asking what the name meant.

That did not matter this year. No one would be entering her rooms without permission and none of them would speak her name. Selene. Not this year. Her friends, her dear friends, those wonderful people she had worked beside for all these years…no, they would not be welcome this year. And she hated herself for it. It was they who knocked on her door this evening. She thought if she remained silent, they would go away.

She heard a bit of chatter. It was definitely Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout.

"Minerva McGonagall, open this door right now, or so be it I will have Filius blast it down!" Definitely Pomona. There was much protest from the Griffin that was her portrait at the thought of being blasted down and a smart comment form Filius about doing no such thing.

"What Pomona means is no one has heard from you all summer. We thought you were dead, Minerva."

Her heart ached for them and reluctantly she went to let them in. It was not practical to think she could hide from them all term. Minerva tapped the back of the portrait to allow them entrance. She was immediately guilty of how concerned her two colleagues and friends looked. Filius had never looked older and Pomona had lines on her face Minerva had never seen before. Nothing was said as she led them into her room.

It seemed the Hufflepuff had used up her anger outside in the hallway, because next thing Minerva knew, her slender frame was pressed against the plump warm body of Pomona. Pomona's short arms were wrapped completely around her.

"You've lost weight, my dear. Where have you been?"

"We lost Albus and then you just disappeared," said Filius gently. "And then it was announced Snape was going to be Headmaster."

Minerva slowly backed out of Pomona's embrace. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you and it's better if you don't know."

Filius studied her hard for a moment with sad eyes. Then he turned suddenly and called for a House Elf. "I thought we could use some tea."

"Tea sounds brilliant," said Pomona with a small smile. It was a forced smile, Minerva knew, but her friend was trying. Trying to be strong. They would all have to be very strong this year. And they were all so capable.

Both took a seat on her sofa, as if it were a decade ago and nothing was wrong. A house elf appeared with a tray and was gone with a bow. Minerva stood there awkwardly staring at them like a stranger.

"I wish I could tell you..." She swallowed the lump in her throat as she tried to explain everything without saying a word. Pomona reached out her hand and Filius patted the seat on the sofa between them.

"We have both been around long enough to know that sometimes there is nothing wrong with secrets in a war."

"I don't know what to say..."

"Say you'll have tea with us. Say for a little while, just this moment, we can pretend everything is normal." Filius picked up a tea cup and stroked his beard. Pomona was wringing her hands in her lap. Minerva stared at her friends; looked at her family, the only family she had left.

"This is a war and people are going to get hurt. People I care about are going to get hurt," she said sternly. "But I have the power to help stop this war. I know things that no one would could ever imagine. And people are going to be hurt."

"Minerva," murmured Pomona. "I would say we understand, but we don't. We can't and we may never understand. However, we can support you and do whatever you need us to do. Come. Sit and have some tea."

"Thank you."

She sat down between her two friends and accepted the tea cup. She closed her eyes as she took a sip, trying to imprint this memory among the ones of pain and agony that this year had created. These moments would be few, if there were any more to come. She could allow herself this moment. Maybe Tom had not won.

Not much was said between them. Just wonders of how many of their students would return for the school year or the new plants in the green house. Filius talked about books he had read and the memories of times gone by. An hour passed, then two and they bid their farewells, leaving Minerva alone once again.

She walked over to the dresser and pulled out the photograph of Selene. If anything could get her through this year, it was the thought of finally seeing her child again. Running her fingers over the image and watching her baby girl wave up at her, tears formed in her eyes as she thought of how she came to be with the photograph in the first place.

"I see you survived your first year." Albus' eyes twinkled at her from the doorway.

"Survive? You make it sound so dreadful," she teased back. It had been six months since she had taken the job from him in December. "And to think, I didn't even work a whole year."

"Well you did not quit either. I say, congratulations. I'm actually here to make sure you are returning next year."

"Of course I am. I cannot imagine anywhere else I would rather be." Her eyes must have given her away, because he raised an eyebrow. She shook her head and reworded her sentence. "I mean, I cannot imagine being anywhere else right now."

"Minerva, you've been through so much in the past year. I just want to make sure you are alright."

"I think we both know the answer to that question." She forced a smile. "But that's life isn't it. You live, you love, you lose, you learn."

"As long as you learn from the tribulations, they cannot do any more harm." Albus reached into his lavender robes and pulled out a rectangular wooden box. "I have something for you. But first I want to tell you a story. You see, when you came to Hogwarts, every Professor could see the potential for greatness. Three years later, Tom Riddle showed the same potential. The two of you make an unstoppable pair.

"I know something about unstoppable pairs. As a young man, I too found myself in a relationship with someone who could equal me in intellect and talent. And much like yourself, I found myself looking the other way out of blind faith. But there is something about you and I, Minerva, that sets us apart from our partners. We found a light at the end of the tunnel. You may not be able to find it right now, my dear, but there is a reason you are here and not with him.

"I understand that most of your belongings were lost in the fire. Griselda wrote to me when she found out you were working with me. She said that since I knew you the best now, I could find the right time to give you this. She knew that it would mean more to you than it did for her. She took the picture one day when you brought Selene with you to work. The other item is from me. I thought it was about time you were welcomed into the family."

He handed her the box and took leave of her quarters, leaving her dumbstruck and speechless. She ran her hand over the wooden box. A phoenix had been carved into it, with flames reaching around the majestic animal. She slowly lifted the lid and the hinges creaked with age. On the inside of the lid, there was an inscription that read, 'Through the flames and from the ashes, life rises again'.

Inside the box was a beautiful broach with the Hogwarts crest on it. Minerva paid no mind to the token. She only had eyes for the photograph in a simple white frame. There, at age seven, was Selene. Minerva remembered the day well. She had taken Selene shopping for some new clothes and the child had picked out the purple dress with little white flowers on the waist band. Minerva had let her wear it out of the store and they had stopped by Griselda's lab so Minerva could pick up some of her work. She must have been out of the room when Griselda took the picture. Selene loved the way that dress moved when she spun around. In the photograph, Selene was spinning round and round, the dress flowing around her.

Minerva held the frame to her heart and said a silent prayer to her daughter. No matter what, this time, she would not let her down. This time, both mother and father would be reunited with their daughter.

Ginny Weasley stared out the window of the Hogwarts Express as it sailed down the tracks toward the school. The landscape flew by, but she wasn't paying attention to what was going on outside. In fact she wasn't even paying attention to what was going on inside her compartment. Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnigan were talking earnestly beside her. The better word was perhaps 'plotting'. It was no secret who the new Headmaster was and Dumbledore's Army, in all of its former glory, was being reinstated as they spoke. For this first time since her first year at Hogwarts, Ginny felt sick to her stomach. When she was eleven, it had been the nerves of her first year getting to her; fear of the unknown. Now, once again, the unknown haunted her.

A drop of condensation was making its way slowly down the glass in front of her. She traced the little trail of liquid it left with her finger, trying not to cry. Her family was scattered. After the disaster that was Bill and Fleur's wedding, everyone had gone into hiding. Bill and his new wife were at Shell Cottage, Charlie was off trying to find supporters, Fred and George were switching between living in their shop (which was dangerous) and going to Aunt Muriel's where her Mum and Dad currently were (which was equally dangerous). And then there was Ron. If only she had stayed closer to them, she wouldn't be on the train now. Maybe she could have escaped with them and she would know if they were safe. Or alive. As much as she loved her family, her true worries rested with Harry. She loved him so much that she felt it would physically hurt her if he didn't make it out of this war alive. Of course, he was the one person who was least likely to survive. Of all the boys to fall in love with...

"Ginny?" Neville's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she glanced at the window where her little drop of water had disappeared at the window sill. "Are you okay?"

Her friend's concerned faces irritated her for some unknown reason. They knew she had spent some time at the hands of Death Eaters during the summer and they had been walking on eggshells around her since she boarded the train. They had been shooting her little glances all morning and she had about had it with the pity party. Even Luna, lovely Luna, had been treading carefully around her friend. And if Ginny was honest, she did not really blame them. The clenching of worry and nervous in her stomach had put her on edge and she felt like jumping down their throats every time one of them asked if she was feeling okay.

And she decided that honesty was the best policy. Steeling herself, she spoke slowly. "No. I'm not okay. None of this is okay. We're in a war and they are shipping us off to school." The four stared back at her before they all came to the conclusion that Ginny Weasley was in fact among the living and sane. The tension in the room left in a breath and they settled down in discussion.

"It's a joke anyway. School. I mean, why are they bothering to send us to Hogwarts anyway?" snorted Dean.

Seamus added, "Well I can see the beauty in the plan. Send all the children to one place. It's the perfect hostage situation. Hogwarts is going to be a slaughterhouse and Snape is leading the massacre."

"That's why we've got to organize the DA again. And it will be easier to recruit people because everyone knows You-Know-Who is actually back. They won't be expecting us to fight from the inside," said Neville.

"I think Hogwarts is the safest place of all." Once Luna had decided that Ginny was back to normal, she had gone back to reading her book. She didn't even look up as Neville retorted her comment.

"That would be true Luna, if Dumbledore was alive. And obviously it wasn't even safe when he was there since he was murdered on school grounds."

"But what does Voldemort have to gain if he kills a bunch of innocent children?"

"He's evil. End of story," scoffed Seamus, folding his arms across his chest and slumped back in his seat.

Luna set her book down to make her point. "If he kills us, there are children from all over the wizarding community at Hogwarts. Some of those people haven't involved themselves in the front lines of the war. They're staying low, hoping that the Death Eaters will just ignore them if they comply. And it's working. But if he kills a bunch of school children, he'll have an army of angry and revengeful families building an army to fight back."

Ginny raised an eyebrow in thought. Luna was right. Hogwarts was probably the safest place to be. If Voldemort had any sort of a plan to win the war, it wouldn't be to start at Hogwarts. Oh, he would have his claws in Hogwarts, but he knew better than to push his luck. There would be no skirmishes at Hogwarts, that Ginny was sure of. But she also had no doubt that it would end at Hogwarts. For that is where it all started; it was where Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort.