March 1945
It didn't take long for the wars to become a daily part of life again. The second Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Slytherin took place on the last weekend in February, with a Slytherin victory as Minerva had hoped, but the celebratory atmosphere didn't even last the week before more tragedies were reported.
On the request of the seventh year students, Professor Dippet had agreed to install a Wizard Wireless in each Common Room to report events in both the Muggle and Wizard Wars. In Gryffindor Tower it was on nearly constantly, with the younger students crowded around it when Minerva, Poppy and Ro came down for breakfast and the older students listening as they went to bed. The first bad news reported was from the Muggle war; a rocket bombing in London in early March with several wizard casualties. The whole Tower mourned as one of the names read out was one they recognised; Edgar Maurice, who had been a seventh year when Minerva first arrived at Hogwarts. His younger sister Bertha left mere hours later, and Minerva saw a few other students being ushered down to the Entrance Hall alongside her.
From then on, each and every day was spent almost waiting for more bad news to arrive. Minerva remained cautiously untroubled considering her remote home in the Scottish Highlands, but the effect the wait was having on her friends was much more noticeable. Ro was practically glued to the Wireless every morning as the progress of the fight against Grindlewald was announced, her relief evident when Kurtis' unit was reported safe. Poppy and Millicent wrote home every day as did most of the Muggleborn students, and breakfasts were tense affairs until after the owl post had been and both had letters in their hands.
As winter turned into spring, the beautiful sunny weather brought a feeling of warmth over the castle that chased away some of the gloom and cold from within its walls. There was also the added bonus of no further Muggle war casualties since the bombing that had killed Edgar and so many others, giving the Muggleborn students a little more breathing space. It was announced shortly a week or so before the Easter break began that the British Hit Wizard Army had joined forces with several groups of fighters from elsewhere in Europe, providing a little relief for those students with relations on the front line. With prospects looking brighter than they had done in a long time, the last few days before the holiday felt to Minerva almost 'normal'.
On the very last day of the school term, Ro woke up in such high spirits that she didn't even wait to hear what the Wireless had to say before she was hoping out of the portrait hole to get breakfast. As Minerva climbed out behind her, the words 'BREAKING NEWS' floated in from the Wireless in the now empty Common Room. She hesitated for a moment, before deciding that whatever news was breaking would still be breaking when they returned and running after Poppy and Ro.
But Millicent, Septima and Irma hadn't even arrived from their own dormitories by the time it became apparent that the news would be following them downstairs. The air in the Great Hall was unusually sombre, even more than they'd grown used to in recent times, and one look at the Staff Table immediately told them why. Muggle Studies teacher Professor Bishop looked to be crying quietly as Professor Callisto patted her back and Professors Aurelius and Kettleburn were looking with horror at the Daily Prophet. It was Professors Dippet, Dumbledore and Merrythought immediately looking up at the three of them as they sat down though that really unsettled Minerva. Professor Dippet nodded to Professor Dumbledore, who got up from his seat and walked down to the Gryffindor table.
"Miss Hooch?" he said once in earshot, and Ro tensed immediately. "Would you mind if we had a talk in my office?"
"It's Kurtis, isn't it?" Ro stammered out before Professor Dumbledore had even finished speaking, "Grindlewald's got him, hasn't he?"
Professor Dumbledore shook his head, though the dullness of his blue gaze did nothing to reassure Minerva. "Your brother is safe and well. What I need to discuss with you is another matter entirely."
"Oh, alright," Ro shrugged, "keep that porridge warm for me, won't you Pops?" With a parting smile she followed Professor Dumbledore out of the Hall, just as Irma arrived from the dungeons.
"Morning," she greeted them with her usual half-smile, sitting down next to Poppy in the seat that Ro had just left. "What did Professor Dumbledore want?"
Minerva shrugged in an attempt at indifference, but in truth she was feeling increasingly uneasy. Millicent and Septima joined them soon after, but in stark contrast with their usual grins they were both looking shocked. "Did you listen to the Wireless this morning?" Septima asked breathlessly before anyone had a chance to say hello.
Poppy and Irma both shook their heads. "I heard something just as we were leaving Gryffindor Tower, but didn't stay to listen." Minerva said, looking up at the newspaper that Millicent was brandishing. "Why, what's happened?"
"Look for yourself," Millicent said, showing them the front page. There it was, in stark capital letters; 'MINISTRY OF MAGIC TAKES DIRECT HIT FROM MUGGLE ROCKET'.
"But how, it's underground?" Irma voiced Minerva's own question as Poppy took the newspaper, reading it with furrowed brows.
"Apparently the building above was hit, and the impact caused the ground to fall down into the Ministry." Septima said, worry in her voice. "One Muggle was killed and quite a few Ministry workers too, most of the first floor was completely-"
She was interrupted by a sharp gasp from Poppy, who had one hand over her mouth as she stared at the Prophet. "Minerva," Poppy said slowly, handing it to Minerva, "you should read this. Carefully."
An uncomfortable weight seemed to drop in Minerva's stomach at Poppy's words. Taking the paper, she cleared her throat and started to read out the front page article.
"The building above where the Ministry of Magic is situated has been completely destroyed by a Muggle bomb at approximately 7:45am this morning. As a result of the bomb's impact, considerable damage has been done to the Ministry Headquarters from sections of ground falling into the Ministry and demolishing most of the first floor and sections of the second. Minor structural damage has also been sustained to other floors. Obliviators were on scene to modify the memory of Muggle workers as was required."
Minerva looked up at Poppy, who was still just as pale and trembly as she had been before. "Go on," she encouraged grimly.
"One Muggle (Mr William Exeter) was reported dead at the scene and two more (Mr Stephen Blake and Mr Arnold Latham) have been taken to a Muggle hospital for treatment. In the time since the bombing, workers from St. Mungos and Ministry staff who Apparated from the unaffected Atrium have slowly worked through the rubble that remains of the first and second floors. So far the Wizard death toll has reached 8 with 12 more seriously injured. The Minister himself is unharmed although his office has been destroyed along with the rest of the first floor, having been in the Department of International Magic Cooperation on the fifth floor at the time. The bodies identified so far are that of Miss Barbarella Phillips, Mrs Gladys Hooper, Mr Cadmus Jenkins (all from the Improper Use of Magic Office), Mr Arthur Cooley (Tea-boy to the aforementioned Department), Mr Nicholas Bishop (Special Advisor for Muggle Communications)-"
"I bet that's why Professor Bishop is so upset", Millicent murmured quietly.
"-Mrs Irene Howard (Secretary to the Advisor for the Minister of Magic), Mrs Felicity Abbott (Head of the Wizengamot Administration Services) and Mr Quentin Fawley (Daily Prophet correspondent). Madame Wilhelmina Tuft (Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement) and Mr Eldritch Carlisle (Chief Advisor for the Minister of Magic) have been taken to St. Mungos for emergency medical treatment along with several others not yet identified."
Minerva read over the casualty list in her head several times, feeling something very familiar about one of the names. It was only as she squinted down at one name in particular that the penny dropped, and she felt as if an icy hand had gripped her chest unexpectedly.
Mrs Felicity Abbott.
Aunt Felicity.
Ro's mother!
Nearly falling over backwards in her haste to get up from the table, Minerva dropped Millicent's copy of the Prophet into her porridge as clambered over the bench. "If we're not back, meet us in Gryffindor Tower after the first lesson." she ordered Irma, Millicent and Septima, not hearing their reactions as she and Poppy raced out of the Great Hall without a second's hesitation.
"Do you think she'll be in the dormitory?" Poppy panted from behind her.
"I don't know, I just hope she hadn't done anything stupid!" Minerva called back as they reached the third floor. Not concentrating on anything other than running as fast as she could manage, she narrowly avoided running straight into Professor Dumbledore who seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Professor!" she gasped, "Where's Ro?"
Professor Dumbledore regarded them sadly for a moment or two. "I presume you two have seen this morning's edition of the Daily Prophet?" he asked, and when both Minerva and Poppy nodded he sighed as he continued. "Miss Hooch, I believe, is in Gryffindor Tower. She left my office about five minutes ago, understandably in quite a state. You two had better go up and see her."
His words did nothing to lessen Minerva's increasing panic. Without another word she had taken off again, sprinting up the staircases until they were running towards the Fat Lady. "Chandelier, open the door!" Minerva shouted, not caring how rude she sounded, and was grateful when the portrait swung open in time for her to jump through without breaking stride. The Common Room was still deserted, the Wireless recounting details of the Ministry bombing which they'd read in the Prophet, so with an apprehensive glance at Poppy they continued up to the dormitory.
There was no sign of Ro, but it was clear from a first glance that she'd been there as Professor Dumbledore had said. The curtains and bed-hangings were flapping wildly from the breeze coming from a jagged hole in the window, shattered glass scattered all around the floor. "Good grief, it's never been that bad before." Minerva whispered, remembering Ro's past incidents of accidental glass-smashing as she looked in wonder at the scene before them.
Poppy bent down to pick something up of the floor; it was a photo, one that Minerva remembered seeing at the Hoochs' house in Little Wakering. "The entire frame's damaged, she must have thrown it against the wall." Poppy said in a shaking voice as Minerva took the photo to look at it more closely. The date in the corner told her it had been taken just under 10 years ago, which made sense when she turned her gaze to the people smiling and waving up at her. From the yellow eyes of all five children and the father, she knew instantly that it was the Hooch family. Kurtis looked to be around the same age as Fleamont, and the slightly younger boy next to him must be Mallory who was the only sibling she hadn't met yet. The Erika from 10 years ago looked so much like Ro did now that it was almost impossible to tell them apart, and Tavin bore a striking resemblance to Emery. Aunt Felicity was standing beside her husband, looking hardly different to when they had met her over the summer, and in their arms, grinning at the camera, was unmistakeably a 5 year old Ro.
She turned it over to see a few words written on the back in Aunt Felicity's neat cursive. "July 21st, 1935- celebrating Kurtis and Mallory's NEWT and OWL results, the birth of Anja Katriona Hooch, and Luther's leaving party." Minerva read quietly, her horror growing. "This- this must be the last photo of Ro's father before Grindlewald killed him."
Poppy gulped quietly. "They all look so happy," she whispered, turning the photo back over to look at the waving family.
After watching Ro smiling from her parents' arms for a moment or two longer, Minerva shook her head to get herself back on track. "Come on, we have to find her."Her voice cracked slightly as she spoke, walking over to the window and pulling out her wand. "Reparo," she said, and the glass from the floor flew back into the window to seal the massive hole. But as she turned away, a flash of movement in the sky outside caught her eye and she had to restrain a gasp when she realised what it was. "Poppy, Ro's out there!"
Poppy was by her side in an instant, a hand flying to her mouth. Ro was shooting across the sky at breakneck speeds, twisting, turning and diving as if she was being followed by an invisible Bludger. "Remember the Auror Guard in Hogsmeade? She's going to get herself killed!" Poppy cried.
Minerva's mind was whirling. "Right- you get the window open, I'll get my broom, we'll have to go after her." She ran over to her bed and pulled her broom out from under it, taking cover as Poppy aimed her wand at the window. With a shout of "Reducto!" a blue light burst from Poppy's wand and the entire window exploded into fine shards of glass.
Once the window was gone, Minerva ran up to the ledge and mounted her broom. "Get on behind me, quickly!" she said, and Poppy unsteadily swung a leg over so she was sitting behind. She wrapped her arms tightly around Minerva's waist as they kicked off, hovering above the ground for a moment before flying out of the Tower.
As Minerva and Poppy approached her, Ro stopped her erratic flying to look down at them with pure anger written all over her face. "Leave me alone!" she shouted, tears running down her cheeks from red-rimmed eyes. She turned to continue flying but Minerva was quicker; ignoring Poppy's alarmed squeak, she swerved around so they were in front of her again.
"You have to come down!" Minerva called desperately, "It's not safe up here!"
"I don't care!" came the screamed reply, "Dad's gone because of the Wizard War, Mum's gone because of the Muggle war, I just don't care anymore! I just want it all to be over!"
"Ro, please-" Minerva begged, but she didn't get to finish the sentence before a red beam of light shot between them and Ro. Poppy's fears had been realised; the Auror Guard had spotted them and clearly thought they were Grindlewald's soldiers. Within seconds the sky was alight with blues and reds, most of them missing by incredibly small distances. "We're going to get hit, please come down!"
But her words had exactly the opposite effect to what she had hoped for. Ro looked down in the direction of Hogsmeade, waved both arms wildly in the air and yelled "Go on then, I bet you can't get me!"
"She's gone mad!" Poppy's horrified whisper sounded in Minerva's ear.
"I've already lost everything, you may as well just-"
She was silenced by numerous Stunning spells striking her in the chest- Minerva couldn't count how many had hit or missed. The manic grin was wiped from her face, eyes rolling backwards as she fell into unconsciousness, but before Minerva could catch her, the Silver Arrow splintered violently on impact with a Reducto curse. With nothing left to keep her airbourne, Ro started falling towards the ground at an alarming speed.
"Hold on!" Minerva cried, tipping her broom forwards to dive straight after her.
Poppy's grip on Minerva intensified, using one of her hands to pull her wand from her robe pocket and swish it down at Ro. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she shouted, and to Minerva's astonishment Ro gradually slowed down. She hovered still for a second, allowing Minerva and Poppy to gain a considerable distance on her, before Poppy's concentration failed and she suddenly dropped again. Her focus entirely taken up by Ro, Minerva hardly noticed Greenhouse 3 looming below them until Ro crashed through the roof and they were forced to swerve steeply in order to avoid doing the same.
Dizzy from the speed of their descent, Minerva landed clumsily on the ground next to the greenhouse and staggered slightly as they sprinted inside. The glass panel Ro had fallen through had completely smashed, fragments of glass littering the ground around Ro's still form. Minerva's heart was hammering in her chest as they approached her slowly, Poppy bending down to place two fingers on Ro's neck and put her ear to Ro's face. "She's alive," Poppy reported quickly, but footsteps sounded behind them interrupted her before she could say anything else. In the doorway of the greenhouse were the Hufflepuff and Slytherin first-years, with Professor Epsilon pushing his way through the crowd; Minerva assumed that it had been the Arithmancy Professor's turn to cover the first-years' Herbology class.
"Merlin's beard," he said, the colour draining from his face. "Miss McGonagall, what happened?"
"She got hit by the Auror Guard while she was flying." Minerva explained hurriedly as Poppy one of Ro's arms to check it for injury. Judging by the awkward angle the other was lying at, it had clearly been broken by the fall.
"Oh my, she needs to get to the Hospital Wing." Professor Epsilon said faintly, striding over and bending down as if to pick her up.
Poppy moved at lightning speed, pushing Professor Epsilon away with surprising strength. "Don't move her, she might have spinal injuries!" The glare on her face as she looked at the Professor reminded Minerva strongly of Professor Merrythought's intense looks when instructing them on the more dangerous spells in DADA.
Professor Epsilon looked taken aback by the authority in Poppy's tone, but merely stammered "Right, of course. Miss McGonagall, your friend seems to be in control, what needs to be done?"
Minerva looked to Poppy, who said without looking up from Ro "Fetch Madame Quinine, now!"
As Professor Epsilon ran out of the greenhouse, Minerva approached the frightened looking first years who were staring at the scene before them with shocked expressions. "Everyone back to Greenhouse 1, we need some space here." She ordered, trying to convey a confidence she did not feel.
"Minerva?" Imogen, Pomona and Rosmerta had left their classmates to stand in front of her with wide eyes. "Will Ro be ok?"
"I don't know," Minerva said bluntly, not finding the effort to pretend otherwise. Thinking fast, she added "Can you three go down to the Dungeons and ask for Irma, Septima and Millicent to come down to the Greenhouse? They'll be in Potions; Professor Slughorn won't mind."
Once the first years were all gone, Minerva turned her attention back to Ro. She was terrifyingly still, her only movement the feint rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Her head lolled sideways, and Minerva's stomach churned when she noticed the thin trail of blood trickling from one nostril. Poppy tapped Ro's broken arm gently with her wand and muttered "Ferula," conjuring up bandages that wrapped it tightly to a splint. She then focused on splinters of wood and glass in Ro's face and hands, using her wand to remove them as carefully as she could with her shivering hands.
Needing something to distract her from the panic rising in her chest, Minerva set about collecting the remaining pieces of Ro's beloved Silver Arrow. The fragments of pale birch wood in her arms were almost painful to look at, reminding her of times Ro had soared over the Quidditch pitch with such joy on her face. 'She'll need a new broom,' Minerva thought; a dark voice in the back of her mind adding 'if she ever wakes up.'
Her foreboding thoughts were silenced by a new voice, shouting "Out of my way!" Madame Quinine had arrived, and Minerva had never been so grateful to see the matron as she crouched beside Poppy and gave Ro a quick look over. "Walter!" she snapped as Professor Epsilon reappeared tentatively in the door of the greenhouse, "Inform Armando that St. Mungos needs to be summoned! Multiple Stunners are beyond my capabilities." Minerva felt her chest constrict and she accidentally dropped the bits of Silver Arrow, words failing her as Madame Quinine levitated Ro onto a conjured stretcher and stormed out of the greenhouse with Ro floating ahead of her.
The sound of crunching glass alerted her to Poppy scrambling to her feet, looking remarkably lost in the centre of the wreckage now that she had nothing to fuss over. Her hands were held out in front of her when she turned to face Minerva, as if she didn't know what to do with them anymore. She opened her mouth to say something, then her face crumpled as she broke down into shuddering sobs. Minerva rushed forward and pulled her into her arms, rocking her back and forth like she used to do when one of her brothers was upset.
"You did so well, she's going to be just fine," Minerva murmured as Poppy wept into her shoulder.
"But what if she's not?" came the whimpered question.
Minerva winced at the very idea, unintentionally squeezing Poppy harder as the tears she'd been holding back all morning finally spilled down her cheeks. "She will be," she whispered fiercely, unsure whether it was Poppy she was trying to convince or herself.
Author's Note:
It's odd, being an author, looking forward to writing a scene but dreading it at the same time. I enjoy writing emotional situations, but at the same time I hate imagining the characters I've grown to care for so much being put through such terrible times.
I'm sure that between cursing my name you're wondering what on earth gave me this idea? Well it first arose from seeing on the HP wiki that Ro was hit by an anti-aircraft gun while flying on her broom at some point in her life. I knew I wanted to write this, but then realised that there would be no anti-aircraft guns around Hogwarts so had to think of a substitute (which is how the Auror Guard were born). But despite Ro's reckless she is usually fairly level-headed, so I knew there would need to be a severe emotiona reason for her to put herself in such danger. Hence poor Felicity Abbott meeting her untimely fate. (The surname thing will be explained later, to anyone who is confused). When I first came up with this idea, Felicity was going to be quite an unlikeable character so killing her off would have been fairly easy. But then I got very attatched writing those summer '44 chapters, leading to a great deal of debate over whether to go ahead or not. But the character development she'll undergo as a result is very important to the rest of the story, so I decided to stick to my plan.
I don't know whether it's completely accurate, and that goes for fitting in with HP canon and the first aid details. The Ministry bombing seems fairly possible to me, and as for the first aid stuff I am a lifeguard so it should hopefully be pretty realistic