A/N: I apologize for the break! I will definitely have a few more updates coming soon. Slowly, events will begin to weave themselves together with a bit more clarity, but for now, we get to explore a few parallel perspectives. Thanks for your patience!
Kingsley's owl arrived early.
Quite early, in fact, as Minerva had not yet donned her robes when the light tapping began on the windowpane.
Frowning slightly, she set aside her tea and rose to let the bird in, wincing slightly as a familiar pain caught her sternum. The large owl ruffled her feathers appreciatively as she stepped in out of the cold, accepting a niblet from Minerva before offering the scroll on her leg.
Moving to read the rolled parchment, Minerva's thoughts of a productive day rapidly dissolved as she absorbed the Minister's short missive. Letting the note fall for a moment, she took a moment to gaze out over the grounds.
A light dusting of snow coated the banks of the lake, glittering in the early morning light as the sun was just barely beginning to rise. A silvery sheen of mist hung over the dark waters, glowing gold in places as the first rays broke over the tips of the Forbidden Forest.
It was an utterly enchanting and peaceful sight.
Difficult to believe that there could be unrest elsewhere in the world, Minerva thought ruefully.
Opening the window again, Kingsley's owl hooted gently, as if apologizing for relaying the somber news. She waited until the owl disappeared around a parapet before striding back to her sitting area and summoning a fresh parchment.
"Ptolemy," she said quietly. A soft pop! to her left indicated the House Elf's entrance, and she continued writing without looking up as her old friend replied with his familiar gravelly tones.
"Good morning, Headmistress."
She sealed the letter and lifted her gaze. Ptolemy greeted her with a small nod of the head and took the proffered parchment without question.
"Good morning, Ptolemy. I apologize for summoning you away before breakfast. Please relay this note to Filius and alert him that I will be at the Ministry until further notice. I will find time to speak with him further upon my return. I would also ask that you cancel my appointments for this afternoon and reschedule them for later this week."
The Elf nodded, gazing at her with an impassive expression. Minerva paused, attempting to remember the full list of names on her agenda. Green eyes narrowing, she rose and swept over to her bedside table and opened a heavy leather bound calendar.
Running a thin finger over her appointments, she quickly added, "Ah, if Merryweather gives you any trouble, please inform her that I would be happy to make a visit on Friday at her convenience."
She glanced over her shoulder to see Ptolemy nodding.
"Very good. Will youse be taking breakfast before leaving?"
"No. Thank you. Just a biscuit or two in the next few minutes should you have some available," she replied, already moving toward the bathroom. Ptolemy gave a small bow.
"I'se having Sylvie send some up," he called.
"Thank you," she said. Hearing the snap of his departure, she began to untangle her hair from its heavy braid as she crossed into the large personal bath. A flick of her hand had the shower running, and another gesture divested her of her clothing which folded itself neatly and appeared in the hamper near the door.
Sighing, Minerva leaned against the cool marble of the bathroom wall, mentally cataloguing the aches and pains throughout her body. She would have to ask Sylvie to bring a pain potion for later.
Stepping into the large shower, she let the pressure of the water pound into her aching shoulders for a moment. Wincing slightly as she turned, Minerva sighed and simply summoned the bottle of soap she needed rather than making the arduous bend to grab it.
She had stayed up too late again. Her body felt stiff and sluggish.
Turning her thoughts toward the present conflict at hand, Minerva began extrapolating several viable scenarios in her head while simultaneously pitting them against her duties as Head of Hogwarts. The next few weeks would be rough at best. The inquiries alone…
Her jaw clenched at the thought.
Minerva allowed herself a groan as her long fingers began massaging her aching scalp. Her hair fell about her shoulders in thick ropes as she lathered the citrus-ginger shampoo through her heavy locks. If only this could have waited another week.
Filius was an excellent Deputy but there was only so much she could delegate. They would both be working overtime to cover what now promised to be a long haul until the holidays.
The aftermath of the war was still reverberating through the Wizarding community. Enrollment was still down despite the wave of government subsidies and charitable donations that had helped repair major damages to the castle and resupply educational materials.
Many families were still reeling from their losses which placed a heavy burden on elder children, many of whom were pressed to leave their schooling and find jobs in the workforce. Other families had relocated and left the country, and others still were simply choosing to spend more time together by exercising their right to private tutors.
They were all still healing.
Sighing, Minerva stepped out of the shower and into the soft embrace of cream-colored towels charmed into wrapping themselves around her hair and body. Her shoulders felt marginally better, but as she dried herself and summoned her robes for the day, she knew it would only be a matter of hours before they stiffened again with a resurgence of tension.
She cast a tempus and saw that it was nearing six. Her usual morning ablutions would have to wait. Quickly stepping into her silken undergarments, she cast a drying charm on her hair and moved her fingers in a slightly different gesture than her usual.
Her thick hair parted itself on one side and wrapped itself into an elegant twist on the back of her head, slightly higher than her usual low bun, drawing her features upward and giving her the illusion of more height.
She could use every advantage today.
She slid several pins into the twist to keep it in place and cast a glance over her reflection, one long hand coming to her throat to test the skin and tone. Her cheeks looked more gaunt than usual and the dark circles under her eyes seemed more pronounced. Poppy would be having it out with her soon enough. Pursing her lips Minerva cast her usual glamours and moved on to her robes.
Rest was not a luxury she could afford.
Just as she was donning her innermost set of light silk robes, Minerva felt the wards shift as someone began ascending the stairs toward her office. Filius, she thought with a half-smile.
He was too good to her.
She knew her friend would have read between the lines of her short note, though she hadn't anticipated meeting him until after her visit to the Ministry. Working quickly, she finished sealing the closure on high-necked emerald robes, charming the heavier black outer layer to follow her as she swept back into her private rooms.
She waved a hand and sent a charm to her office, letting Filius know she would be with him shortly.
Stepping in front of the full-length mirror at her wardrobe, Minerva assessed her reflection and pinned her brooch in place at her neck as she slipped into heeled boots that tied themselves effortlessly.
The color reversal of her robes was deliberate. Her usual emerald was visible only at the front of her skirts, the high neck where her brooch was fastened, and at the graceful sleeves which had fitted themselves like gloves, each ending at a point on the backs of her hands. The silken outer layer of black was more fitted than her usual teaching robes, aside from gracefully draped sleeves that billowed slightly as she moved, giving her an added lift and formidable air.
Minerva summoned her hat and transformed it slightly, replacing the usual pheasant feathers with a spray of black plumes that had an iridescent sheen of blue and green. Placing it on her head, she tilted it forward and to one side so that it lengthened her neck attractively.
Sensing that Filius had ordered tea for the both of them, she summoned her wand and appointment book and swept into her office without a backwards glance.
"Headmistress." Filius' greeting was curt as he watched her enter the office and settle in behind her desk. The shorter wizard was already stirring a cup of steaming tea, the cheerful gold-rimmed cup seemingly at odds with his unusually stoic posture. Ever the testament to his house, Minerva knew he understood the situation was dire at best.
"Professor." She replied, helping herself to her own cup and moving a few letters out of reach. A gentleman at heart, Filius waited patiently until she settled back her chair, meeting him with a level gaze.
"I take it something truly significant has occurred?" He asked evenly.
"More like several something's, Filius," she said quietly. Her friend's blue eyes widened slightly and she held up a palm to forestall his questions. "I am not yet at liberty to say, though I have little doubt that the papers will be publishing the news by nightfall."
Filius nodded, looking somewhat pale. Until they received more information, it would simply be a waiting game. They both sat in silence for a moment, each lost in his or her own thoughts, sipping their tea quietly.
The ramifications of the current situation were unclear, though Kingsley's note had seemed brusque in her opinion, which either meant that events were still unfolding and he too was waiting for answers, or that the Minister saw fit to inform her in person lest critical information be leaked.
The latter did not bode well.
"Do you know when we should anticipate the summons?" Filius' quiet question broke through her darker thoughts and she lifted her chin.
"I cannot say, though once containment efforts have been enacted, I daresay we shall have to create our own contingency plans for the remainder of the week and possibly into next," she replied.
Filius nodded solemnly, vanishing his tea with a gentle flick and rising slowly.
"I shall inform the other Heads of House and begin creating a rotation for covering classes and rounds. I will also begin revising our plans through the holidays, reviewing critical repairs that have yet to be made and scaling back unnecessary items that can be shelved until after the new year."
Minerva gave a short nod of appreciation, thankful that her Deputy's Ravenclaw eye had yet again seen straight to the heart of the matter and read her unspoken wishes.
He sent her a reassuring smile and dismissed himself. Minerva let her focus slip down into her teacup as she collected her thoughts for the coming meeting. Depending on the locations of the events… Hogwarts might yet avoid involvement, she thought hopefully.
Realistically, she knew that such hopes were fleeting at best.
"There has been no indication of…" Filius had paused near the door, his question trailing off as he gave her a searching look. Minerva rose gracefully, setting down her tea and allowing her fingertips to trail along the surface of her desk. She shook her head apologetically.
"At the moment, I know little more than you, my friend. When I return from the Ministry, you shall be the first to know."
Filius nodded, stepping back and giving her a small bow.
"Very well. Good morning to you, Headmistress."
The blue robes of her friend disappeared in a gentle swish. The heavy doors resonated as they shut with a firm click, and the room once again fell into stillness. The quiet rhythm of the antique grandfather clock was the only sound uttered for a moment.
"That remains to be seen," Minerva replied softly.
At once there was a flurry of activity on the walls as the portraits began speaking quietly with one another in worried tones. A few, she noted, were absent completely - likely doing their own reconnaissance into matters.
"Headmistress. Phineas reports that Kingsley is currently meeting with Cornelius Fudge, but anticipates that their briefing should conclude within the next fifteen minutes."
"Very well, you may tell Phineas to give Kingsley my sign. I will be over shortly." She waved a hand toward Dilys who disappeared.
"Headmistress, Madam Hesperia would like to schedule a floo-call at your earliest convenience."
Minerva's eyebrow rose at that. She hadn't heard from the professor emerita of Ilvermorny in, what? Decades? There were no such things as coincidences and she inclined her head toward Headmistress Castledine's portrait.
"Thank you, Adelpha. Please let her know I will return to her within the day." The elegant silver haired witch nodded, her sapphire earrings twinkling before she vanished.
Checking the time she saw it was a little before six-thirty. Minerva nibbled lightly on one of the biscuits Sylvie had left, forcing herself to go through the motion of eating even though she had no appetite. She had barely finished the one when the overlapping commentary began.
"Most disturbing news indeed, I daresay- "
"The Yanks were the last. Upstart bunch of fools anyway-"
"-would do no such thing. The security measures for the convocation alone -"
"- lasted months. Merlin, the paperwork was a nightmare!"
"Please." Minerva held up a hand and gave a sweeping look about the room. "It is foolish to surmise the gravity of the situation as it is still unfolding. I ask you all to withhold your commentary and questions until we receive more information. I remind you all of your duty to the welfare of the school and its students… they will not be served by idle guesswork."
There were a few sheepish looks and begrudging mutters as the portraits fell silent. Minerva avoided looking to the far left where she knew the familiar bright gaze of her friend watched in sympathy. Vanishing her tea and biscuits decisively, she rose and moved out from her desk.
Summoning her heavy winter cloak, she quickly fastened the ornate silver closures with a gesture and donned a pair of elegant black gloves.
"I shall return as soon as possible," Mineva said. "Please relay emergency information through either Phineas or Filius."
Stepping towards the fireplace, she conjured a fire and threw in a handful of Floo powder. The flames glowed a brilliant green and just as she was about to step off the threshold, a quiet voice behind her made her pause.
"Be well, Minerva. Sylvie will be ready with a pain potion upon your return."
"Thank you, Albus," Minerva replied quietly, turning to make eye contact with her old friend. Her heart clenched as she met his blue gaze with her emerald one, wishing for the millionth time that it were him crossing the threshold and not her.
Regretfully, she pushed such useless thoughts to the side and smoothed her features. The past remained in the past and it was time to see to the safety and security of the school.
Without a word, the Headmistress of Hogwarts stepped forward and vanished.
As always, reviews and feedback are appreciated! :)