Chapter Twenty Eight

A/N: No reviewers.

When Minerva returned that night, Merida could not bring herself to tell the truth. Draco had left long before dark, the young woman had made sure of that, but it seemed so simple to brush it under the carpet. So much simpler than explaining why she was making a pact of peace with a Death Eater.

"Those poor children." Minerva sighed, her voice heavy as she pulled her cloak from her shoulders, barely having the strength to lift the fabric onto the coat stand. "I don't know why their parents would send them, they must know that Snape has taken control of the school."

"They don't have a choice, Mum; it's the law." Merida reasoned. "Besides, Hogwarts has always been the safest place in the country. At least if they're at school, they won't be caught up in Death Eater raids. Too many children have already died like that."

"Perhaps you're right." Minerva conceded, settling herself down in another of the armchairs beside the fire. It had always been the woman's favoured pastime, to sit beside the hearth with a warm mug in her hands, her daughter at her side. It was the only time she did not have to think about the horrors of the world outside. "However terrible that may seem, they may all be safer at Hogwarts."

"At least, they will be while you're there." The young woman smiled at her mother, and the woman smiled just a little in return. Such a gesture was rare in wartime, when atrocities occurred every day that turned the stomachs of the Dark Lord's opponents, and Merida subconsciously committed the sight to memory. She did not know when she would have the chance to see it again.

"Have you heard anything lately?" Minerva asked, lowering her voice instinctively. The Dark Lord had spies everywhere now, all listening for the slightest clue of Harry Potter's whereabouts. If they were overhead even saying his name, Merlin only knew what punishments they would have to endure.

"I had an owl from Ginny yesterday evening." she answered with a shrug. "She couldn't tell me much- they're screening all the letters- but she said everyone at the Burrow is safe as far as she knows. It's the best we could hope for after what happened at the wedding."

Minerva concealed a shudder. Though neither of them had been present that night, the terrifying stories had been whispered throughout the Wizarding World, a day of joy and celebration turned to ash.

"And… nothing else?" Minerva's voice was so hopeful, Merida was tempted to lie to spare her feelings, but she could not quite bring herself to, even if it might have been easier.

"Nothing." she affirmed with a heavy heart. The silence from her friends was one of the only things she seemed to think about these days. "It's too dangerous out there, the Death Eaters are everywhere. Even if they are alright, we wouldn't be able to know about it."

Or at least that was what she tried to tell herself.

"People have begun to go missing." Minerva remarked. "Muggleborns are being rounded up, Muggle sympathisers. Anyone who doesn't fit Voldemort's ideology of the perfect wizard."

Merida did not know much of Muggle history, but one of her classmates had told her the horrific stories of a hateful man who had brought the world to war. The Wizarding World had been heavily focused on Grindelwald at the time, so that was mostly what they hurt about, but the mindless cruelty that had been inflicted on innocent Muggles still sent shivers down her spine. After all, there was no need for magic to inflict pain, something wizards often were loathe to admit.

"And there's nothing we can do to help them?" Merida asked. It was a long shot, given how protective her mother had become, that she would allow her to become involved in the war at all, but she could not allow the offer to go unspoken.

"Aside from hiding them as best we can, there's nothing." her mother sighed. Even speaking the words seemed to pain her, something which Merida did not find hard to believe. Though she tried to keep a reasonable distance from her work, it was almost impossible, when she lived alongside so many students for so long. She may have only birthed one child, over the years, she had acquired thousands.

Merida took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves before she spoke. "And what if there was someone who could help us? What if someone knew how to keep the children safe?"

Minerva looked up at her daughter, her eyes so filled with disappointment that Merida was certain she had seen right through her. When she spoke again, her hope-filled message was stern and strong. "The only hope there is for those children is Harry Potter and his friends. They're the only hope for any of us, Meri."

The redhead's eyes fell to the tartan cushion on her lap, studying the intricacies of the pattern intently enough not to feel her mother's eyes on her. There was no fight left to be had, no argument she could possibly level that would change her mother's mind. To Minerva McGonagall, all Death Eaters were evil and it was the role of the Order of the Phoenix had to fight them to the death. It was a war-like mentality, but far too many of the professor's children had been turned into soldiers. It was enough to harden even the most accepting of hearts.

"Meri?" Minerva prompted, having seen her daughter's far away look. The girl plastered a smile onto her face, far too forced to be convincing, although neither of them questioned it. There were already enough problems in the world around them without creating another.

"I'm alright, Mum, I promise." Merida professed, feeling the lie burn her lips. Even as a child, she had prided herself on her honest relationship with her mother; sometimes she wondered when that had all changed. "I'm just worried about Harry, what's going to happen to him. All that weight on his shoulders, no one to help him. It must be Hell."

Minerva nodded solemnly, not sensing the deeper meaning behind her daughter's words. After all, it was not a Gryffindor she thought of, but a Slytherin, with the same burdens on his shoulders and yet the whole world against him. Including her.

'I'm sorry I can't help you, Draco.' Even the voice inside her head was a whisper, as if she worried her mother might hear the betrayal of her heart. 'But if dark and light are that far apart, it doesn't matter how close to the line we stand. You chose the dark side, I chose the light. That makes us enemies. And enemies don't help each other, however much they might wish they could.'

A/N: I feel like it is really important to show Merida's struggle between her mother and Draco, because Minerva has always been more of a wise voice in her life, so she might believe her mother over Draco even if she believed him a few minutes earlier. Hope you enjoyed and please review!