55. Eyes in the Dark
Albus was surprised and immediately concerned when he found Minerva still in bed, though breakfast had already started. Usually, she would wake when he got up early in the morning and he had a hard time convincing her to stay in bed. He might be incapable of more than four hours of uninterrupted sleep, but he didn't want that for her.
It was one of the main reasons why he never argued when she decided to sleep in her own bed. Despite the fact that he definitely slept even worse when he couldn't listen to the steady, comforting rhythm of her breathing. Not something the so-called greatest wizard of the age should admit, though, was it?
Albus sat on the edge of the bed and gently placed a hand on Minerva's shoulder to wake her. She stirred, tried to get her bearings and then moaned in discomfort.
"You're sick," Albus deduced. There had been a spate of colds in the castle lately. It looked as though it was now Minerva's turn.
Not unexpectedly, she disagreed. "I don't get sick," she said indignantly and nearly choked on that sentence.
"Your cough begs to differ." Albus rubbed her back soothingly. "I will get you a Pepperup Potion."
She caught his hand to stop him. "You can't show up in the hospital wing first thing in the morning on my behalf. I can get it myself."
Albus sighed, not sure if she was really being cautious or merely too proud. Taking care of others came naturally to her, being taken care of not at all. It was endearing and exasperating at the same time.
Minerva made a feeble attempt to sit up, turned away from him to cough into her pillow and then slumped back down. "Or perhaps I'll stay here after all."
"Are you asking me for a sick day?" She had never done that before. Not even once in all her years of teaching at Hogwarts. He would grant it in a heartbeat, of course, but it was a little disconcerting to think that Minerva McGonagall would allow a cold to get the better of her.
"Don't be silly," she croaked immediately, making him chuckle. So much for that. "I just remembered what day it is."
His brow furrowed. "Is there something wrong with the Halloween feast? If you let me get you one of Poppy's wonderful potions, your appetite will come right back."
"Unless it gets spoiled by trolls again," Minerva muttered.
"Ah," said Albus, quickly catching on. "I don't think you can blame Halloween for that."
"I don't know. I've had more bad ones than good ones lately." She demonstrated that with a sneeze.
He handed her a handkerchief. "Well, you've certainly earned the right to sit this one out, if you'd prefer. Though it would be a shame for you to miss the troupe of dancing skeletons I hear I have booked for tonight. That must have happened during one of my less lucid moments," he joked, but quickly realised that making Minerva laugh wasn't a good idea right now. "Anyway, I'm sure Fawkes would love to stay in with you."
"How is he doing?" Minerva wheezed, promptly worrying about others again.
"About as well as you are," Albus replied pointedly.
"Then maybe you should go and get a potion for him instead."
Albus inclined his head. "Perhaps. But Fawkes is even more stubborn about taking his medicine than you."
"I'm not stubborn!" Minerva claimed. Never mind that he could hear her breath rasping in her chest. "I just don't think it's very dignified to walk around with smoke coming out of your ears, looking like a teakettle for hours afterwards."
"That sounds like something Gilderoy would worry about."
Minerva gasped. It was unclear whether she did so because of shock, anger or an inability to get air into her lungs. "Low blow, Albus. Low blow," she growled.
He leaned in closer. "Consider it proof of my love for you."
"That you're willing to insult me?"
"That I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make sure you're feeling better," he clarified.
She huffed. "Fine. You may go and ask Poppy to get a Pepperup Potion ready for me."
Smiling triumphantly, Albus wanted to kiss her before getting up from the bed, but Minerva turned her head away from him.
"Not until after Poppy has worked her magic on me."
"Even more reason to hurry then." He laughed and kissed the top of her head instead.
When he caught up with Poppy on her way back from breakfast, the only question she asked was whether she needed to come and take a look at Minerva herself. Albus declined. He had a feeling the potion would do the trick. And so it did. Minerva made a face when she drank it, but she was right as rain afterwards. Except for the smoke coming out of her ears. Albus very much doubted, however, that the students would dare to make fun of her. It made her look even more volatile than usual.
The effect had subsided by the time the Halloween feast began that night. Minerva still showed a distinct lack of enthusiasm. There was more than one possible reason for that. Gilderoy monopolised the conversation again. He was sitting at the very end of the High Table next to Bathsheda, who, being an avid reader of Witch Weekly, was the only true fan he had among the staff. Even so, he managed to pick up bits and pieces of other conversations around the table and to butt in immediately.
He was still talking when the feast had already ended, debating the true nature of the Loch Ness Monster with Silvanus.
"Do you hear that?" Minerva suddenly said loudly to cut him off and to rouse all the other teachers from the stupor they seemed to have sunken into.
"Hear what?" Lockhart was, naturally, the first to respond. "I don't hear anything."
"Exactly. The students are never this quiet," Severus agreed with Minerva. The two of them were on the same page rather a lot these days. Albus had yet to decide if that should make him happy or suspicious.
For now he trusted their instincts. They left the Great Hall in a hurry and followed the stream of students up the stairs. The ominous silence didn't last long and was soon replaced by a lot of yelling. When Albus saw the reason why, he realised that he might have to take a closer look at Minerva's theory regarding Halloween catastrophes.
Restoring order among the students was the easy part. Filius and Pomona took care of shepherding them back to their dormitories and away from the ghastly message on the wall. Albus detached Mrs Norris from the torch bracket and after he had accepted Gilderoy's offer to use his classroom, he examined the cat closely. Despite his best efforts she remained petrified. Thankfully, not dead, however.
Still, it was deeply concerning and dangerously close to an awful tragedy. And on top of everything else, the détente between Severus and Minerva came to a sudden end when Severus attempted to revoke Harry's Quidditch privileges. The Potions master was merely being spiteful, but he wasn't completely off the mark. The boy wasn't telling the truth about how he had come to discover Mrs Norris. Sadly, Albus couldn't make Harry trust him, certainly not right now. He let him and his friends go.
Next, he turned back to Argus. "Why don't you bring Mrs Norris up to the hospital wing where she can rest comfortably until the Mandrakes are ready? I'm sure Gilderoy would go with you to make sure you get there safely."
Lockhart nodded with a self-important grin. "Come with me, my man. Your cat will be just fine when I'm done with it. In the meantime, perhaps you ought to consider getting a dog…" He left with a distraught Argus in tow.
Once they were gone, Minerva asked, "Could this have something to do with the barrier to Platform 9¾ sealing itself? Severus does have a point that these things keep happening wherever Potter seems to be – which still doesn't warrant random punishment." She shot him a nasty look.
"There could certainly be a connection, but the two are markedly different acts of magic. Both immensely powerful and yet one was comparatively innocent and one was the very opposite. Tonight's attacker meant to inflict harm," Albus replied.
"Are you completely convinced that it couldn't have been a prank, Dumbledore? Writing on the wall like that seems very crude. You said it couldn't have been Potter, but a seventh-year student perhaps?" Severus suggested.
"We have to consider all possibilities," Albus conceded. "But the malicious nature of the attack gives me pause."
"More importantly, if the cat had been petrified by a spell or a curse of any kind, you would have been able to reverse it, Albus," Minerva argued.
"Most likely. Still, I would by no means say it's impossible that this was a curse I don't recognise."
"But I would," Minerva said, unwavering.
He gave her a grim smile.
"If it's not a curse," Severus said darkly, "it would mean that somebody let another creature into the castle yet again."
"Let it in or just let it out," Albus answered thoughtfully.
Minerva was suddenly almost as pale as she had been this morning. "Should we search the castle then?"
Albus shook his head. "There would be no use, I'm afraid. I'm not saying that the two of you aren't among the smartest people I know. But the castle has been searched many times before."
"What about you, Dumbledore? You're the headmaster. Shouldn't it reveal its secrets to you?" Severus challenged.
"Oh no. Nor would I want it to. Being forced to keep a secret can be a terrible, terrible thing. Of course, often enough we only realise that once it is rather too late."
Severus' only response was a defiant glare.
"Then what do we do now?" Minerva demanded.
"Thankfully, there's been no real victim, other than poor Argus, but he'll get his cat back soon enough. Until then we'll just have to be observant and look out for everything that seems out of the ordinary. If you notice anything unusual about a student, a member of staff or a part of this castle, I need you to tell me about it, no matter how small."
Minerva and Severus both nodded. Neither of them looked particularly reassured.
Albus shared the sentiment.
"How is Harry doing?"
Minerva dropped into a chair in front of Albus' desk and met his questioning gaze. "He'll be all right, but he'll be in a lot of pain first, growing back all the bones in his arm. Which would have been entirely avoidable! I can't remember the last time I've seen Poppy this upset. That man…" She released an angry breath. She couldn't even bring herself to say Lockhart's name right now. "He's not just a fool, Albus. He's a menace! A danger to everyone in this school!"
Albus quirked a brow. "You're sure Poppy is the one who is upset?"
"And I happen to agree with her completely."
"I understand how you feel. But to be fair, Gilderoy wouldn't have been able to remove the bones in Harry's arm if he hadn't broken it while playing Quidditch first."
"Oh, so now it's my fault?" Minerva snapped.
Albus blinked in surprise. "I did not say that."
"You're blaming Quidditch, and he's playing it because I told him to."
"I think he's playing because he enjoys it," Albus amended.
"Exactly." Minerva leaned forward in her chair. "I really wish you would stop hating on it."
That accusation seemed to surprise Albus enough that he needed to think about his answer for a moment. "I don't hate on anything. But I fail to understand why everyone is so incredibly fond of a sport during which the people I care about get hurt constantly."
Minerva shook her head. "That's not what Quidditch is truly about, although overcoming adversity is a part of it."
"It seems to me as though Harry is facing more than enough adversity in life already."
"And he can leave it all behind when he's out there flying. Perhaps that's what you need as well. Get some fresh air." Minerva eyed Albus' desk, which was covered in books and scrolls of parchment. "Doesn't have to be Quidditch. A walk would do."
"Sounds lovely. You'll have to breathe that fresh air for the both of us," he declined.
"That's not how it works, Albus."
He heaved a weary sigh. "I realise that. But I can't go prancing around the highlands with you when there's possibly a very real danger in the castle."
"Prancing around the highlands?" Minerva repeated, unwilling to believe he had just said that.
"An incredibly poor choice of words," he admitted, chagrined.
Minerva got up and pushed back her chair. "I see that you're too busy for company or civil conversation. I shall let you spend your weekend working in peace."
She left before she could hear any more words come out of his mouth. Back in her office she wondered if she had really just snapped at Albus over Quidditch. And a game Gryffindor had won, no less. Despite the fact that Severus had told her all about how Lucius Malfoy had gifted (or bribed, depending on who you asked) the Slytherin team with a set of Nimbus 2001 broomsticks. Once again talent and honour had triumphed over such lazy attempts at subterfuge.
Minerva didn't really feel like going for a walk anymore. Instead, she sat down to mark homework assignments until it was time to go to bed. Her own very cold, very empty bed. But if Albus had slept more than a few hours here and there since the attack on Mrs Norris, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
She slept rather fitfully that night, too. When she woke up for what felt like the umpteenth time and it was still pitch-black outside, Minerva threw back the covers. She put on a dressing gown and glanced at the fireplace in her office. But she really didn't want to travel via Floo Powder right now and get soot on her nightgown. So she decided to head towards the headmaster's office on foot. Maybe she just needed to stretch her legs for a bit and it wasn't as though she would be seen in the dark.
Or so she thought. On her way up the stairs Minerva first stepped on something squishy and then nearly tripped over something hard as stone. She had her wand out in seconds and gasped for air when the light revealed what she had found. The squishy stuff was just a bunch of grapes. But what she had thought might have been stone was a petrified Colin Creevey.
She felt a sharp pang in her chest when her heart began to throb painfully. Minerva held her wand higher, searching for anything or anyone close by. She looked further up the stairs and back behind her. There was nothing there. No sign of an attacker. Then she heard the stairs creak and whirled around, gripping her wand firmly.
"Come on, show yourself," she muttered furiously as she stared into the darkness beyond her wand's cone of light and shoved down her fear. She would put an end to this whole thing right here. Or if it happened to be the other way around, then at least it was better her than another student.
The light of a second wand flared up in the dark, illuminating a pair of gleaming blue eyes.
"Holy mother of…!" Minerva cussed under her breath. "Albus!"
He hurried down the remaining couple of steps towards her. "Are you all right?" he asked urgently.
"No! They attacked a student this time, Albus!" she hissed.
He was already bending down over Mr Creevey, examining him.
"He's petrified, isn't he?" Minerva asked.
Albus straightened up again and nodded gravely.
"What was he doing here in the middle of the night?"
"Isn't Mr Creevey rather taken with Harry?" Albus mused, eyeing the grapes.
"Of course. He wanted to sneak up to the hospital wing to visit him." Minerva shook her head. "He's only a first-year. My God, Albus. He could have…"
Luckily, he stopped her from finishing that sentence. "He is alive and we can revive him just as we can revive Mrs Norris. Now let's help him get to where he wanted to go."
They picked up the young boy and carried him up the stairs together. He was cool to the touch. It felt all wrong.
"What were you doing here by the way?" Albus wanted to know.
"I was… on my way to you," Minerva confessed. "What were you doing?"
"I wanted to get some hot chocolate from the kitchen and then," he stopped to look at her rather than where he was going while walking backwards, "I was going to see if you were still up."
It made her feel a little bit better, but she said, "And yet neither one of us was in time to help Creevey."
"I'm not sure we could have," Albus said, and Minerva was back to feeling worse again.
They entered the hospital wing, woke Poppy and Albus confirmed what so far nobody had dared to say out loud, as though that had made it any less real.
The Chamber of Secrets was open and Hogwarts was no longer safe.
Minerva was torn between horror and hot, scathing anger. She wanted to fight someone or something, but she had no idea who or what.
There was nothing they could do for Colin Creevey just yet. They pulled the curtains around him and Poppy went back to bed. Minerva returned to the headmaster's residence with Albus.
"What do we do, Albus?" she wanted, no, needed to know.
"First of all, we need to start asking the right questions," he answered unhelpfully.
"What does that mean?" Minerva asked once again.
"It means that it doesn't matter where the Chamber of Secrets is, nor what creature dwells inside of it. Both have been a part of Hogwarts for hundreds of years and for most of that time they haven't bothered anyone," Albus explained. "The problem is only the person controlling the chamber and using it to attack others."
Perhaps it wasn't very brave of her, but Minerva felt that it did matter what kind of monster she might run into in the corridors. For the sake of argument she said, "But then we are back to asking who."
"We already know who," Albus reminded her. "The same person who opened the chamber when he was here at Hogwarts fifty years ago."
"But… you said You-Know-Who isn't in the castle this time!" she said, daring him to say differently now.
Albus walked over to Fawkes, stroking the ailing phoenix absent-mindedly. "He isn't. He isn't even in Britain at the moment."
She stared at his back. "Then how, Albus?"
"Precisely, Minerva," he agreed thoughtfully. "How?"
She waited for him to say more. When he didn't, she sighed softly. "I suppose you'll be up for the rest of the night, thinking about this?"
Albus turned around and surprised her by saying, "Probably. But I'm willing to try to catch some sleep if you are."
Their earlier disagreement forgotten, they finally went to bed together, though all they did was to lie awake.
"This is bad, Albus, isn't it?" Minerva whispered after a while.
He didn't disagree. "Nevertheless, we mustn't give into fear."
"Then why won't you at least let me go look for something to fight?" She had never taken Care of Magical Creatures. Perhaps that made her the least qualified person to go fight Slytherin's monster – or the most. Because you couldn't fear what you didn't know anything about. Either way, this thing wouldn't take Hogwarts from her. Only over her dead body.
Albus seemed to know what she was thinking. "Because I have found that if one stares into the darkness for too long, it will stare right back eventually."
Minerva shivered. Wordlessly, she curled into him and Albus wrapped an arm around her.
They both held on for the rest of the night.
It was like living in the Owlery.
By Monday morning everyone in Hogwarts knew what had happened. By Monday afternoon the owls started to arrive. Albus had always received a lot of owls and he was often busy with his correspondences. This was beyond that. This was beyond anything Minerva had ever witnessed.
"Let me help," she said to Albus and she wasn't asking this time. "I can't deal with the Ministry or the governors for you or make sure this doesn't get into the papers. But let me handle the parents."
Albus looked at her quizzically. "You really want to answer to the people who have the most reason to be upset?"
She wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but it needed to be done. "I do. Because this is too much for any one man to handle, even if that man is you."
His face creased into an affectionate smile. "This man was never under the illusion that he could do any of this without you."
Minerva grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment. "What do we tell the parents, though? Obviously we all want Hogwarts to stay open. But a student was hurt…"
"Temporarily," Albus said. "He suffered no permanent harm. I believe that he didn't feel anything at all when it happened. As long as that doesn't change, I think it is justifiable to keep the school open. Sending the students home to hide in fear and by doing so jeopardising their education and their futures must remain our last resort." He paused. "Unless you disagree?"
She locked eyes with him, remembering the day he had offered to make her deputy headmistress and had told her to consider her answer carefully. "I would defend this school with my last breath."
Albus nodded slowly. "Then unto the breach we go."