May 1946

After Poppy and Ro left the bathroom, Minerva's attention turned to Irma's cubicle with a small sigh. The retching noises had quietened a few minutes ago, to be replaced with heavy, laboured breathing. Minerva knocked lightly on the door, calling softly "Are you alright in there Irma?"

The cubicle door swayed open under Minerva's touch, revealing Irma's pallid face looking forlornly up at her from where she crouched on the floor. She accepted Minerva's hand to help pull her to her feet, swaying slightly until Minerva had a supportive arm around her slim waist.

"Where did Poppy and Ro go?" Irma murmured after glancing around the empty bathroom.

"They're investigating," Minerva sighed, not wanting to think too deeply into what that might mean. "We think you've been poisoned, and possibly by Druella and Eileen."

Irma's eyes widened for a moment, and Minerva took her surprised look as a cue to explain. "We all drank pumpkin juice from the same jug and were fine. But Druella brought her goblet over to our table and placed it down near yours, then I think she might have left it by your plate and took your goblet back to the Slytherin table. So if she wanted to poison you, she could have put something in her own goblet then switched the two around without us noticing."

"Do you know what she might have put in there?" asked Irma, having tensed slightly at the mention of her being poisoned.

Minerva hesitated for a moment; she had been wondering herself how they would find the answer to that question. Her thought process had lead her to the same idea every time, but it wasn't one she was particularly keen on going through with. But, she reminded herself, if Poppy and Ro were willing to poison themselves to discover the cause of Irma's illness, she should be willing to go to similar lengths.

"No, but I do think we need to find out," Minerva began slowly, "and there's only one way I can think of doing that." Irma looked up to meet Minerva's gaze, her hand trailing to the neckline of her dress where Minerva knew her Time-Turner resided. Minerva nodded grimly, glad that they had both come to the same conclusion. "But not until you've got some strength back."

As if Minerva's last comment made her aware of how vulnerable she looked, Irma instantly pulled away and straightened out her dress with a still-shaking hand. Minerva wasn't sure if it was her genuinely feeling better or her just pretending that made Irma's wariness of physical contact return, watching her carefully in case she was about to keel over again. In a hollow voice that didn't invite confidence, she insisted "I'm fine."

Minerva huffed quietly. Glancing at her watch, she said "It's likely that Druella and whoever her accomplices are were at the Quidditch match, then made their final plans afterwards. So if we go back 5 hours it'll be 1:30, then we can sneak into the Slytherin Common Room and see we can get any clues out of Druella. Then we can hide out somewhere until now, meet the others in the Hospital Wing, and then present our findings to the Professors."

"I'm glad that you know what you're doing," Irma chuckled quietly.

Minerva rolled her eyes, a smile playing at her lips. "Are you ready?" she asked, pulling her Time-Turner out from beneath her blouse. Irma nodded, stepping closer to Minerva so she could drape the golden chain around both their necks.

With five turns of the hourglass the bathroom dissolved into nothing. Minerva could feel the familiar pressure in her ears as they rolled back through time, eventually stopping right in front of the Hospital Wing doors. Over a year and a half of using the Time-Turners meant they had both become very used to the unsteady sensation when time finished reversing, so Minerva was surprised when Irma careered into her unexpectedly. Irma let out a small groan as she clutched her head in both hands, but Minerva was distracted by the sound of footsteps on the other side of the Hospital Wing doors.

"Quick," she hissed, practically dragging Irma backwards into a helpfully placed alcove. Mere seconds later the doors were thrown open; they watched with baited breath as the Minerva, Irma, Ro and Poppy from four hours ago walked past them and down the corridor. Once they were safely out of earshot, Minerva glanced at Irma with concern and asked "Are you still feeling ok?"

Irma nodded, making a visible effort to pull herself together. Untangling herself from the Time-Turner, she waited for Minerva to tuck it back under her blouse before saying "The Common Room is this way."

Minerva was glad she had Irma as her guide as they walked through the Dungeons, passing the Potions Classroom and Filch's Office along the way. She was too busy trying to memorise the passage around her to look where she was going, making sure she'd be able to find her way out by herself if she needed to, and might have run straight into a stone wall if Irma hadn't thrown an arm out to stop her.

"Can I ask how you're planning to sneak in undetected?" Irma asked, one eyebrow raised slightly as she looked at Minerva.

A smirk was her only response, before closed her eyes and visualised a dark grey cat in her mind. She inhaled deeply and willed herself to transform, knowing she had succeeded when a thousand scents flooded her nose and she felt cold stone beneath four paws. She opened her eyes to see the world around her in a heightened definition, and if she pricked her ears she could hear a couple of voices on the other side of the wall.

The brief sound of laughter made her look up to see Irma towering above her. "I suppose that's how," she answered her own question, before stepping towards the door. "Serpent," she whispered quietly, and Minerva watched as the stones rolled away in a similar manner to those that made up the barrier into Diagon Alley. Motioning for Minerva to keep close, Irma stepped through the gap and down the path that lead to the Slytherin Common Room.

There was no resemblance to the fiery warmth of Gryffindor Tower; there was a chill in the air that made Minerva ruffle her fur in an attempt to warm herself up. There was a fireplace on one wall, though compared to the roaring fire in Gryffindor Tower it was just burning gently and emitting a soft glow. A few lamps burning with blue flame contributed to the eerie lighting, though not as much as the far wall that was simply a plane of glass. From the sight of rippling plants and a wide expanse of bluey-green beyond the glass wall, it didn't take Minerva long to guess that they were beneath the Black Lake. There was a prick of unease in her chest at the sight of where she had almost died a few short months ago, but she pushed it away determinedly. A black velvet curtain hung either side of the glass wall, and the several sofas scattered around the room were all black leather.

With practically the whole school watching the ends of the Quidditch match, Minerva wasn't surprised to see the Common Room almost deserted. A pair of seventh year girls were walking under one of two archways in the nearest wall, looking back and giving Irma a nod before continuing on their way. As soon as they had gone, Minerva hopped up onto the back of the nearest sofa so she could communicate with Irma closer to eye level.

"Those two archways lead to the dormitories," Irma explained, motioning to the arch that the seventh years had disappeared down. Minerva nodded in acknowledgement; if it weren't for the urgency of their mission she would have asked to see Irma's bedroom, but the lack of time prevented it.

As if to emphasise her point, familiar voices suddenly sounded on the other side of the stone wall. Irma whispered an apology before scooping Minerva into her arms, her grip tight but not overly uncomfortable. She hurried across the common room, squeezing into the gap between one of the sofas and the far wall. "Druella always sits here," Irma whispered, grabbing the velvet curtain and pulling it around them both to fully obscure them from view.

The voices suddenly sounded much closer, becoming clearly recognisable as Druella Rosier, Abraxas Malfoy and Orion Black. Druella was laughing, a shrill, wicked sound that sent an icy chill down Minerva's spine. "Good shot with that Bludger, I doubt she'll be out of the Hospital Wing for a good while yet!" It was clear that it was Septima they were referring to, and Irma went rigid beside her.

Orion chuckled deeply. "Now we just need to rid ourselves of the other one." Minerva's heart gave a jump in her chest- this was exactly the proof they had been hoping for.

"It won't be forever though," Druella sighed, sounding almost upset. "But at least we'll have cleansed ourselves from those traitorous pieces of filth for a few precious days."

"A long overdue punishment for being able to walk the corridors so freely. The proof that a Mudblood was allowed to besmirch a name as grand as mine, it's almost as criminal as the Mudbloods themselves." Orion's voice was a threatening growl.

"They may as well be Mudbloods, from the people they associate themselves with!" cackled Druella.

The pompous drone of Abraxas chimed in. "First you've got the two actual Mudbloods- Slughorn's pet Pomfrey and that Bagnold who might as well be joined to the Ravenclaw Vector by the hip. Then there's McGonagall who think she knows everything, and one of the Hooch rabble who are all nothing but foreign- blood traitors!"

Minerva couldn't remember ever feeling quite so angry as she did at that moment. It wasn't the comment directed at her that had riled her up, but their blatant insults towards the rest of her friends. She didn't realise she was growling at the back of her throat until Irma smoothed a hand down her furred head in an attempt to calm her down.

"Never mind them, we've got more important things to think about." Orion insisted. There was a sound of heavy glass being placed on wood, and an appreciative murmur from Druella and Abraxas. "The potion you requested? It arrived in the post from Lucretia this morning."

"Draught of Ipecac; Emetic potion for the removal and neutralisation of toxins. Ingredients: ipecac root, crushed bezoar, flobberworm mucus, stewed mandrake. Directions for use: either drink undiluted and follow with water, or mix with drink." Abraxas read aloud.

Druella hissed excitedly, "We can mix it with my drink at dinner this evening, then switch it with hers! She'll never know it's in there, and then she can embarrass herself in front of the whole school! She might be laughed out of Hogwarts and never return!"

"Don't get too carried away now," Orion cautioned, followed by a forlorn-sounding sigh from Druella.

Abraxas huffed slightly. "It will have to be you who gives it to her, Druella. The suspicion will be too high if it's Orion or I who does it, but you'll have to be careful to make sure she doesn't get suspicious of you."

Laughing again, Druella said "Oh I've got an idea, don't you worry!"

Their conversation changed after that, and Minerva soon lost interest. Sat mere inches behind the Slytherins there was no way she could talk to Irma, so they were resigned to sitting in silence until it neared dinnertime. Irma fell asleep before long, her traumatic afternoon proving to have taken its toll. In a desperate attempt to overcome her boredom, Minerva took to pulling threads from the bottom of the velvet curtain with one of her claws, hoping she wouldn't make the curtain shift too much in the process. She could hear other people in the Common Room, but almost three hours later there was still no sign of Druella, Abraxas and Orion leaving.

Her attention eventually caught by Druella's sharp call that resonated across the Common Room, accompanied by the shifting of leather that indicated someone had stood up from the sofa. "Oh Eileen! Have you seen Vector since the end of the Quidditch Match?"

Eileen's nasally voice responded. "No, I saw her leaving with Minerva, Poppy, Rolanda and Millicent halfway through the match. It was after Orion's Bludger hit her sister."

"She's been in Gryffindor Tower all afternoon," another voice called, which Minerva recognised as that of Malcolm's friend Imogen Farley. "I was walking down the seventh floor corridor when I saw them all go in."

"No-one asked your opinion, Farley," Orion snarled, and in the silence that followed, Minerva felt for the younger girl. She was in a similar predicament to Irma; a half-blood Slytherin with friends in other Houses, though without Irma's direct connection to the House of Black. But unlike Irma she seemed to have enough nerve to face up to her prejudiced Housemates.

"We'll have to find them at dinner then. We ought to make sure her sister is ok" That was Druella again, and Minerva had to commend her on her acting skills after hearing the hint compassion in her tone. "Are you ready to go?"

"I suppose so, let me put this in the dormitory first."

Minerva didn't hear anything else, distracted by the sudden tingling of her whiskers. She still wasn't completely accustomed to her feline senses, but she knew that meant they weren't alone anymore. Hackles raised, she turned, though relaxed slightly at the sight of a young female cat sat looking at her.

'Hello,' said the cat, in the same odd form of communication Minerva had already discovered when talking to her owl Fergus.

'Hello,' Minerva said, dipping her head slightly in a greeting, 'who are you?'

'My name is Pearl. I'm Eileen's cat.' Noting the white pelt and pale blue eyes, Minerva had to admit the name fit. She vaguely remembered seeing Pearl before, asleep on one of Eileen's books during a study session in the Library. 'Who are you?'

'I'm Minerva. I'm with Irma.' It felt strange introducing herself to a cat, even more so as belonging to Irma like Pearl did to Eileen, but she wasn't sure how much Pearl would understand if she mentioned she was an Animagus.

Frowning slightly, Pearl leaned towards her and sniffed deeply. 'You don't smell right. Not like a proper cat. Like Mrs Norris. Are you like her?'

Surprised, it took Minerva a moment to recover and think of something to say. Seeing no way to avoid revealing she wasn't a true cat, she nodded 'Yes, I'm an Animagus. I'm actually a Gryffindor student.'

Pearl studied her for a moment. 'Minerva. Black hair, green eyes, glasses?'

Minerva nodded. 'Yes. You're very observant.'

'I'm a cat.'

'Fair enough.'

The sound of Eileen calling Pearl's name made them both look around, and Minerva suddenly panicked. 'Please don't give us away. We mustn't be seen,' she hissed desperately.

Pearl gave her a suspicious look, but nodded. 'Until next time,' she said, before jumping up onto the back of the sofa.

Eileen and Druella leaving the Common Room seemed to rouse everyone's interest, and it didn't take long before the Common Room had fallen silent. Minerva waited five more minutes in case there were any stragglers left behind, before hopping onto Irma's lap and patting her hand until she stirred. Irma glanced around for a moment, blinking blearily, before her eyes focused on Minerva. "Clear?" she mouthed.

Minerva nodded, clawing her way up onto the back of the sofa as Irma stiffly got to her feet. The Common Room was indeed empty, the only sound coming from the grandfather clock tucked in the far corner of the room.

"It's just gone half past five," Irma said, her voice quiet but sounding stronger than it had earlier, "we should go, sometimes the seventh years like to have dinner later than everyone else. We don't want to get caught here."

Nodding affirmatively, Minerva let Irma pick her up again before they left the Common Room. She didn't know where Irma was planning on going, until they reached the Entrance Hall and Irma headed for their secret spot beneath the Grand Staircase.

Once they were safely secluded from prying eyes, Minerva shifted back into her human form. "Good plan, we can hide out here until the dinner hall is clear. We can't exactly go marching into the Great Hall to find the Professors while our old selves are still eating!" she said, glad she could talk normally again.

Irma chuckled, shaking her head. "Breaking the past, present and future wasn't something I had planned today. But I suppose this wasn't either," she added dryly.

"Not quite," Minerva agreed. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better. I suppose I've had nearly five hours to recover, even though it hasn't happened yet."

Minerva nodded, smirking at the absurd logic that came with Time-Turning, before sudden footsteps sprinting past made them both jump. "I imagine that's me," Irma whispered.

At the sound of more people running in the same direction, Minerva nodded. "And that'll be the rest of us."

"We never left the bathroom, so we don't have to avoid ourselves anymore. It's just Poppy and Ro we've got to worry about." Irma said, and Minerva could practically see the cogs moving in her mind. "Do you know exactly where they went after they left?"

Minerva sighed, recalling what Ro had said to her before dragging Poppy away. "Ro went up to Gryffindor Tower to fetch a potion for Poppy, which will happen probably about now," she said, her point emphasized by the well-timed sound of someone running up the staircase above them. "But then she was talking about how the poison might have got to you, and mentioned the possibility of the goblets being switched. I'm almost certain they went back to the Hall."

"In which case we have to watch out for them passing by again," Irma continued for her, "so we'll have to talk to the Professors in one of their offices or risk being seen."

Minerva hummed in agreement. "Next question: what are we going to tell the Professors?"

Irma looked thoughtful for a moment, before shrugging lightly. "What we just heard is the only thing that comes to mind. Though that means admitting we used the Time-Turners inappropriately."

Sighing in resignation, Minerva nodded. "But what else could we have done? I'm sure they'll want to know that Orion's receiving potentially dangerous items through the Owl Post. Filch might have to tighten security up."

"Alternatively, Professor Slughorn might not act at all. He's always been more lenient with the Black family." Irma suggested bitterly.

Minerva shrugged helplessly. "Well, all we can do is try. We've got this far, we can't give up," she said determinedly, before another thought occurred to her. "And we don't know what Poppy and Ro are planning on doing. From the look on Ro's face before she left the bathroom, it will be nothing good."

Before Irma had a chance to enquire what she meant, more footsteps accompanied by familiar voices hushed them both immediately. Minerva's heart gave a leap as she identified Professors Dumbledore and Slughorn amongst the group of teachers, and might have gone to speak to them there and then if it weren't for the fact that Ro would be passing by again sooner or later. Sure enough, the sound of someone sprinting down the staircase announced Ro's return just seconds later.

"Where are you going in such a hurry, Miss Hooch?" At Professor Slughorn's question, Minerva started nervously playing with the end of her plait.

There was a hesitant pause before Ro's voice sounded, slightly out of breath from her trip up the castle. "I- er- we, I mean- um- had a slight-well- incident at dinner," she stammered out, before adding hurriedly "but we're fine! Everything's under control, nothing to worry about."

"Well then, Miss Hooch, I trust you will find either myself or Madame Quinine if your incident turns out to be less under control than you had anticipated." Professor Dumbledore responded, a mixture of amusement and concern in his voice.

The return of the pattering footsteps and a door banging open in the distance signaled that Ro had returned to the bathroom, and Minerva knew they didn't have long. "We should go now," she hissed, and although Irma looked doubtful she nodded all the same. Leaving Irma to follow more slowly, Minerva hurried over to where Professors Dumbledore and Slughorn were heading for the staircase along with Professors Merrythought and Beery. "Professor Dumbledore!" she called, trying to keep her composure when all four Heads of House turned to look at her.

"Miss McGonagall, is everything alright?" Professor Dumbledore asked, his concerned expression only deepening when Irma joined them from under the staircase. "You all left the Hall in such a hurry, and Miss Hooch looked terribly uneasy when she passed by just a moment ago."

Minerva shook her head, knowing they were short on time. "Could we speak to you and Professor Slughorn in your office, please?" she asked, trying to put as much conviction into her voice as possible. "It's quite urgent."

A look of astonishment crossed Professor Slughorn's face at her final comment, but he nodded when Professor Dumbledore glanced in his direction. "Very well then. Galatea, Herbert, we will join you as soon as we're finished."

Once into Professor Dumbledore's office, Minerva allowed herself to breathe easily for the first time since they had left the Dungeons. Irma was still looking slightly washed out, but nodded quickly when Minerva sent her a questioning look. "Take a seat, girls, then please explain what's troubling you," Professor Dumbledore said, motioning to the two chairs in front of his desk.

Between the two of them, over the course of almost an hour they managed to explain everything that had happened since Irma had first been sick. Professor Slughorn looked astounded when Irma revealed they had used the Time-Turners, not a hint of shame on her face, but Professor Dumbledore merely raised an eyebrow before motioning for them to continue. But it was when they reached the part about how the poison had entered the school that the Professors started to look particularly concerned.

"I will speak to Orpheus as soon as the opportunity arises," Professor Dumbledore said, a harsh edge to his voice. Minerva had only heard it once before, when she and Poppy had overheard Professor Merrythought confronting him over his link to Grindlewald. "This is a matter of school security. Horace, can I leave it to you to deal with this accordingly?"

Professor Slughorn nodded, still wearing an almost comical expression of shock. "Certainly, Albus. But what of Mr Black and accomplices?"

"Miss Prince had no real part to play, so she will not be reprimanded. But Miss Rosier and Mr Malfoy are equally as guilty as Mr Black, so they will all receive the same consequences. I will speak to Professor Dippet, and let you girls know in due course." Professor Dumbledore said, turning from Professor Slughorn to Minerva and Irma as he finished. "Although your use of the Time-Turners was outside the guidelines that you were set at the start of your third year, it is clear that you did so with the right intentions, so we will say no more on the subject."

Minerva sighed internally, trying not to let the relief show on her face. "Thank you, sir," she said, giving a small smile.

Professor Dumbledore smiled back, the twinkle returned to his eyes. "Now, if you are feeling better, Miss Vector, I suggest you both go and find your friends. We will make sure everything is dealt with as quickly as possible."

Understanding themselves dismissed, Minerva and Irma both thanked the Professors before leaving Professor Dumbledore's office. "That went better than expected," Irma said, smiling.

Minerva nodded. "Now we need to find Poppy and Ro. If they did drink that potion- and knowing Ro they almost certainly did- we should probably head towards the Hospital Wing."

Minerva's intuition turned out to be right. Poppy and Ro were just leaving the Hospital Wing as Minerva and Irma rounded the corner onto the Hospital Wing corridor, and from first glance it was clear they'd done exactly what Minerva had feared. They were clinging to each other like lifelines; Ro's arm was slung around Poppy's shoulders while Poppy had one hand supporting Ro's waist, leaning into each other while somehow managing to stay upright.

Exchanging a glance that was equal parts amused and concerned, Minerva and Irma hurried down the corridor to join them. "I can't believe you really did it," Minerva said, unable to think of anything better to say.

Poppy winced, covering one ear with her free hand. "Too loud," she murmured, hunching over slightly.

Frowning in concern, Minerva slipped a hand behind Poppy's back in order to take her weight from an exhausted Ro. "You're not doing too well, are you," she sighed, feeling the heat radiating from Poppy's forehead with the back of her hand.

"I feel like I've been hit by the Knight Bus or something," Ro groaned, running her hands through her hair. When her gaze met Irma's she frowned for a moment before asking "How come you're looking better? You were throwing up into a toilet less than an hour ago!"

Minerva couldn't help but laugh. "That's the beauty of time travel," she explained, "technically we're 5 hours ahead of you two."

"And I spent most of it asleep behind a sofa," Irma added, smiling wryly.

"Good for you," Ro grumbled, gratefully accepting Irma's offer of support. "Can we go back to the dormitory now? I need to sleep for the rest of the year."

The trek back to Gryffindor Tower was a slow one, since Poppy could barely support her own weight and Ro wasn't faring much better. Minerva guessed it was likely that they had drunk more of the potion than Irma had done, since Irma only sipped it before realizing something was wrong while Poppy and Ro were deliberately trying to investigate its effects. The Fat Lady let them into the Common Room and they moved as fast as possible up into the dormitory, not wanting to answer anyone's curious questions quite yet.

Poppy's energy reserves were clearly gone by the time Minerva sat her down on her bed, making no attempts to brush away the curls that had fallen in front of her face. "Is there anything I can get you?" Minerva asked, gently helping her to lie down.

Poppy shook her head ever so slightly. "Just tired," she whimpered, rolling onto her side and wrapping her arms around her stomach. Minerva could scarcely believe that this was the same person who had been treating Irma so attentively such a short time ago. After repositioning the pillow so it was underneath Poppy's head, Minerva left her to get some well-needed rest.

Ro was in bed too, though lying sprawled on her back and looking slightly zoned out. "Min?" she croaked, "if I ever try to do something like that again, please hex me and remind me of this moment."

Both Minerva and Irma laughed. "Will do," Minerva smiled, "now go to sleep. You look absolutely done in."

When Ro closed her eyes, Minerva turned her attention back to Irma. She'd noticed on the journey back that her hands had started to shake again, and even in the dim light of the dormitory she was looking very pale. "Are you alright?" Minerva asked, gently touching Irma's shoulder, "you're not looking well."

"I'm not feeling it," Irma admitted, meeting Minerva's gaze. "I should probably get some sleep."

"Then stay here for the night. You can sleep on my bed. If I were you I'd want to avoid Druella for as long as you can." Minerva said, her tone inviting no argument.

Irma nodded, stifling a yawn. "But what about you?" she asked, sitting on the edge of Minerva's bed and removing her shoes.

"I won't take up much room," chuckled Minerva, changing into her Animagus form before jumping up beside her.

"I think it'll be some time before I remember you can do that," Irma commented with a smile, laying down with an air of hesitation. Minerva curled up next to her, leaving enough of a gap between them to respect Irma's personal space but close enough to be of comfort.

"Goodnight," Irma whispered, and Minerva purred in response before drawing her tail around her nose and giving in to sleep.

Author's Note:

Funny story why this chapter took so long: I had it ready to upload on October 3rd, as promised, but then my cat knocked a full cup of tea all over my laptop. Cue laptop shutting down and deleting all documents. Thankfully I make it a habit to back up everything on it at the end of every month (since I have so much stuff on here) so I'd only lost about 4 days of work, but in those 4 days I'd written out quite a few chapter notes and college assignments in addition to the last two thirds of this chapter. I wanted to rewrite the chapter notes asap before I forgot everything and deadlines meant I had to prioritise the college stuff over this, so after much toil I give you chapter 39!

In retrospect it's probably a good thing I had to rewrite, since I'd made a few errors in working out the times in the first draft. I do really like this chapter, but I won't be writing another time-travel chapter for a long while xD

The whole Slytherin Common Room section was fun, I enjoyed imagining what the Common Room looked like. As with Gryffindor Tower I've described it as I see it in my own head, so it's not really 100% canon. And we will see Pearl again a few times in the rest of the story.

Ipecac is a real-life emetic, and I read some amusing yet disgusting stories about it while doing my research. If anyone's curious, there's a clip from Family Guy you can find on YouTube which gives you a general idea!

Without checking my notes, chapter 40 will mark the last chapter of fourth year (at long last!). Then we're onto fifth year, which will possibly be one of the most action-packed yet. Without giving away any spoilers, there will be many new characters introduced and many new challenges for our girls. Hopefully it won't be this long of a wait until next time, but I am eternally grateful for your patience :)