Chapter 5:The Truth
"So what happened after the war?" Hermione asked as she sipped some tea that had been given to them. It was about ten o'clock at night now.
"Well Katy and I got even more careful with our lives and children. She went back to her maiden named and all the children used her name as well. Our now eight children grew and started lives of their own. Minerva took my jobs in 1956 when I made Headmaster and Poppy joined the staff in 1957. I think my favorite son in law though is Marshall McGonagall…brilliant man and the perfect mind for Minerva," Albus laughed.
"The sarcasm that drips from them is something," Poppy said rolling her eyes.
"Things went back to as normal as they could be. Everything was as normal as can be…until the '70s. That's when Voldemort started gaining power and followers," Albus stated.
"Min went to school with him and he met mother a few times when he worked for Borgin and Burkes. Mother's always had odd and very old things in the house. We weren't allowed to touch them…some I think were cursed," Poppy stated, "HE knew that and tried to get her to sell the items."
"Katy refused several times. She even fought death eaters out of our home because of it," Albus replied.
"What were the artifacts?" Hermione asked.
"This one in particular I believe Riddle wanted," Albus replied as he handed Harry a picture.
The picture was of Katy several years older wearing blue robes. They realized as this was a colored photo that her eyes were a deep green. Actually the woman in the photo looked almost exactly like McGonagall.
In the picture she was pointing her wand at the camera. On her left hand they saw a small diamond ring and golden wedding band on her ring finger.
The thing that really caught their eyes however was a black ring on her pointer finger. The ring was made of solid silver and decorated with black and white diamonds in the shape of a snake. The snakes eyes red rubies and the tongue was emerald.
"Why would he want it?" Hermione asked.
"It used to belong Slytherin's wife. Katy's family was descendants of Salazar's," Albus replied, "They say it contains special powers to the wearer."
"The only thing the ring ever did for her was make her spells more accurate when she shot them. And I'm not even sure it's the ring that does it," Poppy stated.
"It glows when ever she's angry though," Albus stated putting the picture back in the book.
"Well what else happened?" Harry asked.
"We lost Eileen to her husband but Katy refused to let Severus live there once she found out and he moved in with us when he was fourteen," Albus stated.
"Snape!? I figured that's who Eileen looked like…so Katy's last name is Prince?" Harry asked.
"Yes it was," Albus nodded.
"Okay so she got on Voldemort's bad side then," Harry replied.
"As much as your own parents," Albus stated, "In fact she…she…"
Poppy put a hand on her father's shoulder as tears pooled in his eyes.
"Harry do you remember what you were told about the night the Potters died?" Poppy asked.
Harry shook his head.
"What most don't know is that just an hour before he came to your house he visited father's one last time. Mother was the only one home and she fought as hard as she could against him. HE knew killing her with the Avada Kedavra would be too easy so HE shot her with a very old killing curse not even used anymore. The curse was meant to destroy her organs one by one till she was nothing left but a shell. We're still not sure how but it backfired. HE was wounded by her last curse and disappeared before any of us showed up," Poppy stated.
"What do you mean it backfired?" Hermione questioned.
"She saved herself and we're not sure how. She's alive but my wife has been in St. Mungo's in a coma for the last twenty-four years today," Albus stated wiping his eyes, "My children and I take our turns visiting her today and tomorrow every year on the anniversary hoping she'll wake up but it hasn't happened."
"We try to go more but we never miss a Halloween," Poppy replied.
The two younger professors sat quietly in contemplation of what they had been told till they heard the clock on the mantle strike midnight.
"We better go to our rooms. I'm sorry about your wife headmaster," Harry stated as he and Hermione stood.
"I really do hope she wakes up," Hermione nodded sniffing slightly.
"As do we. As do we," Albus sighed.
"Before we go though…what's her real name?" Harry asked quietly.
"Katherine, Mr. Potter. Her name is Katherine Grace," Albus replied closing the book.
Harry nodded as he and Hermione left the man and his daughter alone.
"Merlin I wish there was more I could do," Albus sighed.
"Flora's been researching the curse all this time father there isn't much to go on," Poppy sighed.
"Yes but you'd think your mother's notes on the curse could help," he stated.
"There unfinished," Poppy replied looking down at the book, "By the way what does that mean. We've never understood it."
Albus looked at the words in his wife's neat script and smiled.
"My dear child that is the vows your mother wrote when we married. She recited them every timed we had a fight as her way of apologizing," he sighed caressing the words.
As he moved his hands over the writing he read in a soft voice think with emotion.
"Our Hearts Entwine as Thee Divines. Love Abounds what's Unfound. Souls Together; We Forever. Blessed Be," he whispered.
Meanwhile in a private room in St. Mungo's Minerva sat holding the hand of a ghostly pale figure.
"Oh mother," Minerva sighed.
"Oh mother what?" a voice Minerva had almost forgotten answered. The hand she held squeezed hers.
Minerva's eyes widen in shock as she looked into the green eyes she hadn't seen in over twenty years.
"You're awake!" Minerva gasped.
"So I noticed," the woman stated and cleared her rather dry throat. "Mina get me some water."
McGonagall nodded excitedly and hurried to get a glass of water and a healer.
