October 1944
While the threat of the wars brought with it a certain responsibility for everyone, Minerva had her own additional responsibility in the form of the golden pendant around her neck. Since being handed the Time-Turner by Professor Dumbledore on their first day of lessons, she'd grown used to slipping it over her head in a split second, moving back an hour as he'd instructed her, before tucking it safely into the inside pocket of her robe. Despite Poppy's warning to her when she'd first opted to take on all five extra subjects, she wasn't finding all the homework to be too much of a problem. Yes, she'd had to sacrifice a lunchtime or two to finish off a particularly long essay, but she was keeping on top of it nicely.
The real issue she had with the Time-Turner was not being allowed to tell her friends. There had never been any secrets between them before, the openness a stark and welcome contrast with the air of privacy there always was at her home. It hurt to have to brush off Ro's confusion, Poppy's concern or Septima and Millicent's questions, but Dumbledore's insistence meant she had no other choice.
The one person who hadn't queried her was Irma. Minerva remembered from their conversation in Flourish and Blotts that Irma was now taking all five extra subjects too, and thought it quite likely that Professor Slughorn had given her a Time-Turner on that same morning when they had both been late to breakfast. She had on a couple of occasions seen Irma rushing out from the hidden spots Minerva usually used for travelling through time, though with the constant rush they were in between lessons, neither girl had asked the other what they were doing there.
It was late October by the time Minerva was convinced that Irma was using a Time-Turner. Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs had just finished, and she was hurrying down the Grand Staircase to the alcove beneath it she always hid in to travel back for her Ancient Runes class. Irma was in that class too, but as the Charms classroom where Irma was beforehand was only on the first floor she always made it to the bottom of the stairs first. Except for today; Minerva was so occupied trying to stuff her Transfiguration textbook into her satchel that she ran into the alcove without looking and collided head-on with Irma. Minerva could see the gold chain around Irma's neck despite her hastily trying to shove it under her robes, an anxious expression on her face, but Minerva held her hand out to stop her.
"You don't have to keep it a secret from me," she said firmly to Irma, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her own Time-Turner.
Irma's eyes widened as she watched the tiny hourglass swinging from Minerva's fingers, but seconds later her face had softened into a smile. "I ought to have guessed."
Minerva returned Irma's smile, before they both started laughing. Relief shone in Irma's face, though whether it was from finally breaking their bounds of secrecy or having someone to share the weight with Minerva wasn't sure. "I'm glad I'm not the only one anymore," she said.
"Did Professor Dumbledore tell you it had to be kept a secret?" Irma asked, and when Minerva nodded in agreement she added "The others- should they be told?"
Minerva hesitated, her mind conflicted in what would be the best thing to do. "I'm not sure," she started slowly, "they'll guess eventually, I know they will. But it feels wrong to go against what the Professors have said."
"I agree." Irma said, and Minerva suddenly felt a lot less tense. "They'll work it out in due course, and in the meantime we ought to get back for Ancient Runes!"
From then on, most of their Time-Turning tended to be do together. They weren't together for all of their elective classes as there were some classes at different times due to large numbers of attendees, but nearly every day they met either under the Grand Staircase or behind one of the statues. The process was a lot easier with a friend, as with two minds to remember everything there were far fewer times when a textbook was left in the Common Room and they were forced to return to the future to fetch it. Not only was this a great help, but simply knowing that they were going through the same thing together lifted a weight from Minerva's shoulders that she hadn't even known was there.
The few times each week when Minerva wasn't rushed off her feet was Quidditch practice. Despite the threat of aerial attack hanging over their heads, the interhouse Quidditch tournament was still going ahead as usual. Their first match against Slytherin was drawing ever closer, and with it the tensions between the two houses was rising. The dynamic between the first years was ever changing; with older relations on the Quidditch team, the amount of House pride that Malcolm, Emery and Winston all had was huge. Imogen Farley could still frequently be seen with them, Atticus and the Grubbly twins, but Minerva had noticed her spending more time with her fellow Slytherins than she had done before. The thing she pondered most over though was the Slytherins in their own year; she'd seen Owle Bullock and Abraxas Malfoy in the library more that term than in the whole of first and second years combined, huddled together over a book and hastily shoving it beneath their robes whenever someone approached them.
"I've noticed it in the Common Room too." Irma said when she and Minerva came across them while working in the library. "Those two and the rest of the Quidditch team. I've got a hunch they're planning something- if I were you I'd tell your team to watch out."
Minerva did mention it to Fleamont the next time she saw him, and he agreed to keep an eye out. Since the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, Edward Nott, was in seventh year like Fleamont, she figured that he'd be in a better position to find out what they were up to. But when the day of the match rolled around, they were still just as clueless.
"To be honest, team, we don't really know what we're up against." Fleamont started as the Gryffindor team gathered in the changing room. "There's no point in denying that the Slytherin match last year was an absolute disaster, and if our information source is correct-"
"An information source from none other than a snake herself." Alastor interrupted with a growl, and Minerva couldn't help but bristle. "What makes you so sure she isn't telling you this just to put us on edge?"
The table rattled as Ro slammed her fist onto it, giving Alastor a fierce glare through narrowed yellow eyes. "I would trust Irma with my life," she hissed.
"But who's to say she wouldn't go behind your back to get some extra House points?" Alastor retorted. "Constant vigilance, that's what those snakes need, constant vigilance!"
"Yes, constant vigilance, which is what we'll need to be during today's game." Fleamont cut in hastily, leaning between Alastor and Ro to give each of them in turn a warning look. There was a tense silence for a few moments, before Ro nodded and stood back. "Now," Fleamont continued, "as I was saying, we can't let this game go the same way as last year's game went. But that was the first time we'd played before as a team- since then we've come on in great strides. And don't forget that Marilyn's team beat them the year before last. They're not invincible. Keep that in mind, lions, and let's go!"
At Fleamont's command, the team fell into their usual ranks and walked out onto the pitch to meet the Slytherin players. The two Captains shook hands, never breaking eye contact as they did so, before the teams mounted brooms and lifted into the air. As she rose above the pitch, Minerva could just about make out Poppy, Septima, Millicent and Irma watching from the stands. Poppy was holding onto Ro's omnioculars, Godric the puffskein with his tiny Gryffindor scarf sitting on her shoulder, and Minerva returned Millicent's wave before Spinnet's whistle jolted her focus back to the game.
Larry seized the Quaffle literally from under Lestrange's nose, and Minerva couldn't help but smirk at the irritated looking Slytherin Chaser as she and Fleamont darted past him on Larry's tail. They were within scoring distance when Lament intercepted and took the Quaffle, but despite the fact that they made it to the other end of the pitch they were prevented from scoring by Alastor blocking their shot. Minerva caught the Quaffle from Alastor and narrowly avoided a Bludger as she turned, throwing clumsily to Fleamont as she regained her balance. They made it down the pitch uninterrupted and Larry made the scoring throw, Minerva grinning as Keeper Abraxas Malfoy missed and the first goal was scored.
The second goal went to Slytherin, but only because an incoming Bludger meant Alastor was forced to shield his face rather than catch the Quaffle. It was clear that Beaters Nott and Orion Black were planning on using the same tactics as they'd used to win in the previous year, as they were both targeting Alastor fiercely whenever the Quaffle neared the Gryffindor end of the pitch. But this time the Gryffindors came prepared; it wasn't more than 15 minutes into the game when Gryffindor's Ernest Lawrence hit a Bludger into Nott's arm as he raised his bat to smash the other in Fleamont's direction. Nott shouted so much that Mr Spinnet was forced to call a timeout, Madame Quinine and Professor Slughorn coming out onto the pitch to see to the Slytherin Captain.
"What a baby." Nancy Campbell said contemptuously as Nott was lead away from the pitch, his injured arm cradled to his chest. "Well, their loss is our gain."
"They certainly aren't happy." Fleamont remarked with a poorly concealed smile. "They're without a Captain now, that'll certainly put a spanner in the works of whatever they were scheming. Don't drop your game now though, I imagine Black will still keep us busy."
"Ah, we can handle him." Ro grinned, lifting her goggles onto her forehead. "What's the score, I can't keep track very well while chasing the Snitch."
"20 all, though we should get the upper hand now that they're one Beater down." Alastor said, wiping his brow.
They all looked over as Mr Spinnet approached them, paying no attention to the filthy glances that the Slytherin team were giving them. "Are you ready to continue play?" Spinnet asked Fleamont.
Fleamont glanced around his team before nodding. "Yes, we are." As they all remounted their brooms, Minerva saw Fleamont grab Ro's elbow and say quickly "Get the snitch quickly, I don't like our chances if your friend is correct."
With that they were off, Slytherin taking possession but Alastor saving the goal thanks to the absence of Beaters aiming for him. Gryffindor took another three goals, Minerva relishing every time she got close enough to see Malfoy's increasingly furious expression. Larry took a Bludger to the foot which nearly knocked him off his broomstick as he neared the goalpost again, and as Minerva and Fleamont steadied him they lost the Quaffle and let Slytherin take the next goal. Without Nott at his side, Black lost his confidence in constantly attacking Alastor so Gryffindor were slowly able to get into the lead.
When the points reached 120-90, Minerva took a moment to look around for Ro. She was zooming through the air in close pursuit of a Slytherin player, but as they neared Minerva she was surprised to see that it wasn't Seeker Bullock but Chaser Lestrange instead. Bullock was following on behind them both, looking to be more intent on staying with Lestrange than following the Snitch which was a foot or so in front of Lestrange. As Minerva watched, Lestrange snatched the snitch out of the air and threw it quickly back to Bullock, who lifted it into the air with a shout of "Slytherin has the Snitch!"
Not one person seemed to have seen Lestrange catch it first. The Slytherin side of the stands burst into applause, completely drowning out Ro's shouts of "Foul! Foul! Disqualify them now!"
Spinnet's whistle sounded, and he called out "Slytherin wins the-"
"Oh no they don't!" Ro bellowed, her face reddening with fury. "Mr Spinnet, that was a Snitchnip! Plain and obvious!"
Hisses and boos sounded from the Slytherins in the audience as Spinnet frowned, looking between Bullock, Lestrange and Ro.
"She's just lying because she didn't get her hands on the Snitch for the second year running!" Lestrange sneered, and Minerva shot him the dirtiest glare she could muster.
"I saw it too." Nancy shouted.
Minerva swooped upwards to hover beside Nancy, and Larry joined them seconds later. "So did we." Minerva said, Larry nodding in support.
There was the sound of someone clearing their throat over the magical megaphone, and everyone looked over to see Professor Dippet standing beside Filius Flitwick in the commentator's area. "Is there anyone else who can prove Miss Hooch and the Gryffindor Team's statement?"
Silence fell for a few minutes, before someone called quietly "We can!"
All eyes turned to look to the source of the voice; it was Septima. She and Poppy were pushing their way through the stands to the nearest teacher, which happened to be Professor Aurelius. She spoke to them both for a minute, before casting Sonorus on her throat and announcing "Miss Pomfrey has the entire incident recorded on her omnioculars. We can rewatch it all and find out who is telling the truth."
Hope soared in Minerva's heart. The entire stadium was murmuring tensely as Professor Aurelius took Ro's omnioculars to Professor Dippet, Mr Spinnet flying over to join them. Professor Dippet looked through them first, nodding thoughtfully before passing them to Spinnet to look. He stepped up to the magical megaphone and announced in a stern voice "Miss Hooch is telling the truth."
Minerva shouted with joy as the stadium erupted into uproar. The Gryffindor team were cheering and embracing each other, whilst in comparison the Slytherin team's expressions suggested that Christmas had been cancelled. Even with the aid of the magical megaphone, it was a few minutes before Spinnet could make himself heard. "Due to this appalling foul, the Slytherin team has forfeited this match. No points will be received by them, and the Gryffindor team will get the 120 points scored by their Chasers as they have won this match."
The elation at their unexpected (yet in everyone's opinion deserved) victory lasted long after the Gryffindor team returned to the Tower. The rest of the House had somehow managed to throw a party in the 15 or so minutes it took them to get changed after the match; there were red and gold banners draped over the walls and the words 'LIONS FOR THE CUP' were shimmering in midair. Fleamont and Alastor disappeared along with Lester Longbottom almost immediately after the team arrived in the tower, reappearing an hour or so later armed to the teeth with Honeydukes sweets. Minerva thought that he must have used his invisibility cloak to sneak into the village, and her theory was confirmed when he caught her eye and gave her a knowing wink.
It wasn't until the next morning that Minerva's spirits were finally grounded, and it wasn't in a gentle way. She was walking back from the Owlery where she'd picked up her copy of The Prophet, intending to join her friends in the Great Hall for breakfast, when menacing voices from an empty classroom made her stop in her tracks. They were so quiet behind the closed door that she could scarcely make out what was being said let alone who it was, but the frightened sound that answered them could only belong to Poppy. Wasting no time at all, she whipped out her wand to unlock the door before kicking it open and marching in. The sight that met her eyes was hard to take in. Orion Black, Abraxas Malfoy and Owle Bullock were crowded into the far corner of the room, Poppy's blonde hair just about visible over Owle's head.
"Hey!" Minerva snapped, and the three Slytherin boys looked over at her menacingly. Poppy used the distraction to squeeze quickly between Owle and Abraxas, throwing herself into Minerva's arms while shaking uncontrollably. "What in Merlin's name are you playing at!"
"Oh, we were just teaching your little friend here what happens when Mudbloods like her try and mess with us." Orion smiled maliciously.
Abraxas nodded pompously. "I would have expected her to have learned her lesson after she was petrified, but it seems like some people need a little reminder every now and again." He lifted his wand as he spoke, but, blood boiling in her veins, Minerva was ready for him.
"Expelliarmus!" she shouted, and Abraxas' wand flew out of his hand to land with a clatter on the other side of the room.
"Everte Statum!" Orion growled, an orange light bursting from his wand. She recognised this spell as one Druella had used in the pantomime, but thanks to the weak Shield Charm Poppy managed to draw up in time she only winced and stumbled slightly. Another Expelliarmus from each had Orion and Owle's wands soaring out of their hands, leaving all three of the Slytherins unarmed.
Orion shrugged, the intimidating sneer still on his face as he took a few steps towards Minerva and Poppy. "Ah well. Skill can only take you so far, you know, a certain amount of it always comes down to brute strength."
He moved so fast that Minerva barely saw it. She only had time to shove Poppy out the way before Orion's fist met her jaw, knocking her backwards to land hard on the floor. Eyes closed against the agony, all she could hear was Poppy's panicked scream, the Slytherins' laughter and another voice asking "What in Merlin's name is going on here!" It was Professor Merrythought. Minerva was concentrating so hard on trying to block out the pain spreading across her jaw that she barely heard a word of what Professor Merrythought was shouting at the Slytherins.
After what felt like hours, the noise died down and she cracked open one eye. Professor Merrythought and Poppy were knelt down either side of her, silent tears flooding down Poppy's face as she clenched her hands together. "Alright Minerva, just stay still for a moment or two. You're going to be just fine." Professor Merrythought's soft voice calmed the beginnings of panic that were fluttering in Minerva's chest as she gently felt Minerva's jawline. Seeming satisfied, she eased her hand under Minerva's shoulder and slowly helped her to sit up. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok." Minerva nodded, ignoring the throbbing in her cheek.
"I heard Poppy's shout from my office and came to see what was happening. I will be having strict words with Professor Slughorn about whether those three ought to be allowed back onto the Quidditch team, but unfortunately it isn't for me to decide in the end." An angry look glinted in Professor Merrythought's blue eyes as she spoke. "You've escaped lightly, Minerva, I've seen the likes of the Black family do a great deal worse. If you're sure you're feeling alright, then I'll leave Poppy to fetch you some bruise paste."
Assured that she was feeling fine, Professor Merrythought left them to go and find Professor Slughorn. Poppy grasped Minerva's arm and helped her to her feet, waiting to make sure she was steady before wrapping her arms around Minerva's torso in a near-painful squeeze. "Please don't ever do that again," she said in a high-pitched voice.
"I'm not promising you that." Minerva smiled, laughing as Poppy pretended to aim a slap at her. "Think of it this way - it's probably better if I'm the one coming to your aid instead of Ro, or we'd all be in the hospital wing right now with embedded glass injuries!"
Poppy looked at her with an unimpressed expression, before the smile playing at her lips got the better of her. "Even I can't argue with that."
Author's Note:
If you think I've squeezed an awful lot into this chapter, you would be absolutely right. But I didn't think any of the individual bits could fill a whole chapter alone, so this was my best option.
As I'm sure you've guessed by now, our Slytherins are nasty pieces of work. Orion Black is Sirius' father, so from everything Sirius has said about him I figured he had to be pretty horrible. As for Abraxas and Owle, the former is Draco Malfoy's grandfather and the latter wrote a book about Dark Magic. Need I add anything else? xD
I figured it would make sense for Minerva and Irma to know they each have Time-Turners, as they're aware they're both taking every subject and would surely keep seeing each other while time turning. I spent a while trying to think of ways they could possibly keep it a secret from each other, before ditching the idea and deciding they just had to know. Ro, Poppy, Septima and Millicent all remain clueless though (for now...)
Next chapter will either be next Friday or next Monday. If I remember correctly from my notes, this is one of the chapters that I've most been looking forward to writing since starting the fic! Thanks in advance for your patience :)