Author's Note: Hello All! Here is the latest chapter, and so far the longest. I've been planning this one for awhile now, and I'm excited to have finished it finally. There were a few questions about this story after the last post and I would like to clear up any misunderstandings. Yes, I do have Minerva and Severus around the same age in my Harry Potter universe. Minerva has already been at the school for a year, but on the basis of working in the library and student teaching, not as a full professor. The beautiful thing about fan fiction is that we can tweak things and change them.
As always the recognizable characters do not belong to me, they belong to the brilliant JK Rowling.
Enjoy!
"Checkmate." Minerva said triumphantly. She had trapped Albus' king in record time. This was the third game of chess they had played this evening and the first game she had won.
"It seems as if you have bested me my dear girl." Albus replied amusedly. "Can I interest you in one more game tonight?"
"Certainly." Minerva replied cheerfully. "Only one more though I think. I need to get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight."
"Indeed Minerva?" Albus asked with a smile. "What happens if you win this game and we are all tied up? Certainly we will have to find some way of determining a champion."
"In the off chance that I do win this next game I will agree to stay and play one more. However since that is almost certainly out of the question I remain unconcerned." Minerva replied.
"We'll see as the game progresses." Albus said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Besides we have had to postpone our chess games for weeks."
Albus did have a point. After almost three weeks back at school Minerva finally had a chance to spend an evening with the Headmaster. He had postponed this evening, and this chess game several times. Therefore she was very surprised when her house elf had brought the invitation to play chess to her rooms after classes had ended.
Luckily she and Severus did not already have plans for the evening so she was free to attend this, and she was glad of it. Truth be told she was enjoying her new found friendship with the potions master very much, she didn't want to compromise it by having to cancel a meeting. Having someone her own age at the castle was wonderful, especially someone she could relate to so well.
"What are you thinking about Minerva?" Albus asked interrupting Minerva's musings.
"What do you mean?" Minerva asked with a start.
"You must be deep in thought about something Minerva. I asked you twice if you would like some tea and you did not answer me." Albus replied.
"I'm sorry Albus, I guess I was in another place for a moment." She said hastily. "Tea would be lovely."
Albus summoned a steaming tea kettle and a set of cups and saucers from the kitchen. "Now tell me Minerva, what exactly is on your mind right now? I know we haven't had much of a chance to talk since you have been back for the year and I regret that." Albus said as he was pouring tea into their two cups.
"It's quite alright Albus, I assure you. I have been finding ways to keep myself occupied." Minerva replied with a smile. "In fact that was what I was just thinking about."
"Please tell me your means of entertaining yourself do not merely consist of grading papers and correcting articles in Transfiguration Today. You need to be more social, from all accounts I have heard you have not been spending much time in the staff room with the other professors." Albus said
"I promise you that is not the case Albus, although I do not mind grading and I do enjoy correcting articles. As it so happens I have made a new friend amongst the staff. While it is true I am not often in the staff room, that does not mean I spend all of my time holed up in my rooms."
"I wonder who this new friend of yours might be." Albus said curiously. "Is it Professor Vector, or Sinistra. Perhaps our divination teacher, Sibyl."
"Goodness no!" Minerva replied quickly. "While I am sure Sibyl is quite friendly I do not think that we would be the most compatible as friends. While I enjoy the company of both Professor Vector and Professor Sinistra we have vastly different interests. I am not one to go gazing at stars all evening, nor am I terribly interested in discerning the future."
"Then I am at a loss as to who this mysterious new friend of yours could be." Albus replied. "Would you be so kind as to clue me in? I am very interested to hear about it."
"The new potions master, Severus Snape." Minerva replied with a smile.
"Really Minerva?" Albus asked somewhat shocked. obviously he had not been expecting this turn of events. "May I ask, pray tell, how this friendship came about?"
"I was looking for books in the library one evening and Severus was there as well. We started talking and realized that we had many common interests." Minerva replied. "It's not such an uncommon way of making friends."
"Not at all. What exactly do the two of you have in common? He is a Slytherin and you are a Gryffindor after all. Generally friendships do not form between rival houses." Albus exclaimed.
"Mostly we just play chess together." Minerva replied. "We are well matched in the game. I think we both find it a welcome relief from the stress of a week of teaching."
"Indeed, and is this all the two of you do?" Albus asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Occasionally we play other games such as Exploding Snap and Gobstones." Minerva replied wondering why Albus was giving her the third degree.
"I see." Albus replied curtly.
"Why are you so curious about this? I thought that you wanted me to be more social, to make friends." Minerva asked.
"I do want you to make friends Minerva, I am only concerned for your well-being." Albus replied. "Which is why I must caution you on this friendship you have started with our new potions master."
"Why do you feel that you must caution me on this Albus?" Minerva asked. She could not understand what exactly it was that the Headmaster was getting at. She had made a new friend, there was nothing wrong with that.
"I merely think that you should be careful about the people you make friends with, that is all." Albus replied. "Severus may not be the best of choices."
"I'm not sure what you mean." Minerva said. "Could you please explain your reasoning to me?"
"The two of you come from vastly different backgrounds. As I said before he is a Slytherin and you are a Gryffindor. Up until this point the two of you have lived vastly different lives. As it stands the two of you are still worlds apart in many ways." Albus said by way of explanation.
"What you have just told me does not make any sense Albus. You have always preached that we should overcome house boundaries and rivalries. That we should forge change and accept people who are different from us, yet you are telling me that I should not be friends with Severus simply because he is from a different house, and we have different backgrounds?" Minerva asked steadily. She was doing what she could to keep her temper in check.
"I would prefer you find other company Minerva. If not for the reasons above than for my personal opinion. The decision is yours, but I ask that you would trust my judgement on this issue." Albus replied coolly.
"I will take what you have said into consideration, then based on what I know and and have experienced I shall make my decision." Minerva answered him. "It is my decision to make, and it will be made as I like."
"Very well." Albus replied. "Shall we begin our game of chess then?"
"I do not think I am up to it tonight Albus, I think I should be getting back to my rooms. It is rather late and I do have to get up early in the morning to prepare for my first class." Minerva said curtly.
"If that is how you feel we can resume at another time." Albus replied giving Minerva a quick hug as she got up to leave.
"Perhaps within the next week or so?" Minerva replied.
"I would enjoy that very much." Albus said.
"Goodnight Albus." Minerva said as she left his office.
"Goodnight Minerva." he replied.
Once Minerva had left Albus' office she found herself taking a deep breath. It had been difficult for her to control her temper throughout their conversation. She found Albus' take on her friendship with Severus to be absolutely ridiculous. It was not for him to decide who she could and could not be friends with. The arguments he made were not even logical, they did not fit into the personality of the man she had known as a student, or as a professor.
As she walked down the hallways to her rooms she could not help but wonder if Albus had other reasons for opposing her friendship with Severus. Coming from Albus she knew that they must be good reasons, but Severus had not given her reason to doubt their friendship or to question her choice of friends.
She would have to sleep on it. The two were scheduled to have a chess game the next afternoon. Both of them had an early end to their classes on Friday afternoons and they had taken to meeting for tea and chess on those afternoons. She couldn't imagine any reason that the two of them could not be friends. If anything Albus' questioning had only served to strengthen her good opinion of Severus. With these thoughts Minerva retired to her chambers for the evening.
The next day had come quickly enough, and Minerva's classes had gone rather smoothly. Before she knew it they were over and she was setting out a tea tray in her office and putting the chess board on the table. The more she thought about the previous night's conversation the more she was convinced that Albus must have been confused, or at least his judgement must have been somewhat clouded.
Severus arrived promptly at 4:00 as he had promised he would. Ever since her conversation with Albus the evening before Minerva was determined to prove that he was wrong about Severus. Whether she wanted to prove this to herself or to Albus she was not entirely certain. She terribly hoped it was for the latter, and not the former.
"Good afternoon Minerva." Severus said. "I trust that I am not late."
"Not at all Severus, you are right on time as usual.
"Excellent." he replied. "I hope you are well Minerva."
"Quite well I assure you. Thank you." Minerva said. "Won't you come in?"
"Thank you Minerva." he said kindly as she ushered him into her office. Lately they had taken to meeting in one another's offices because it was less strict than the library. They could eat and drink here as well, and there was no one there to shush them.
"How has your week been Severus?" Minerva asked as the two of them sat down to chess.
"Trying, but things are looking up now." he replied with a smile as he made his first move.
"A bold choice don't you think?" Minerva asked indicating Severus having his knight take the first move.
"Sometimes that is the best way." Severus replied. "We cannot always play it safe by moving a pawn first."
"If you are referring to my strategy at chess Severus, I prefer to think of it as cautious."
"Caution can make you foolish if you heed it too closely."
"Haste makes waste my friend."
"Ah, but he who hesitates is lost." he said as he captured Minerva's Bishop.
"That was uncalled for." Minerva exclaimed at the loss of her Bishop.
"I will take that as a point for bold new moves." Severus replied with a smirk.
"We shall see." Minerva replied mischievously before capturing Severus' knight with her rook.
"Of all the things."
You could have been more prepared, traditionally one should be more guarded in their games."
"Perhaps, but sometimes a little bit of risk pays off, and the gains are greater than the losses." Severus said maneuvering one of his pieces.
"Every once in awhile that might be true, but if you can utilize all of the pieces you have then your chances are much greater." Minerva said smiling and moving her queen. "Check."
"Sometimes all you need are a few good men, or women." Severus replied moving his king.
"In this case though, it would seem that I have the upper hand." Minerva replied moving her queen again.
"Indeed?" Severus asked moving his king again.
"It would seem that in this case I will triumph."
"Things are not always as they seem." Severus replied making a move. "Checkmate."
"I don't believe it." Minerva said surprised. "By all accounts I had you trapped. I should have had the game in a matter of moves. You baited me."
"Indeed." Severus said in reply
"Albus would never have done anything like that in our chess matches." Minerva replied sullenly.
"The headmaster and I are not the same person Minerva, we are vastly different people." Severus replied.
"Perhaps, but perhaps the two of you are more similar than you think."
"That has yet to be proven." Severus replied.
"It matters not." Minerva said standing up and walking over to her desk. She leaned forward and grabbed a tray of tea and biscuits from it. As she was walking back to the table her foot got caught under a rug on the floor and she fell forward.
Quickly Severus got up and caught her before she hit the floor, but not before the contents of the tray spilled everywhere, the steaming kettle of tea spilling all over his left arm and down his robes.
"Are you alright." He asked Minerva, helping her up and brushing crumbs off of her robes.
"I think so." she replied. "Oh but the tea, your arm must be scalded." Reaching forward she attempted to take a look at it but Severus pulled back.
"I'm fine, I assure you." he replied. "I have endured much worse before."
"You're not fine, there is pain on your face." Minerva replied grabbing his arm again, this time catching him off guard. Before he could stop her she pulled up his sleeve and took out her wand, her intent was to heal whatever burns he might have. His arm was an angry red, blisters were already beginning to form on it. Quickly she cast a charm to prevent the damage from spreading further. It would not mend the injury, but he would not scar.
"I suppose you have some salve you can put on this?" she asked him, still examining the burn marks on his arm.
"Indeed, perhaps I should go attend to this now." he replied attempting to break free from her grasp.
"I want to make sure that this charm has worked first, if you'll just wait a, oh…" Minerva said spotting something she had not seen previously. There was a mark on is arm, a tattoo of some sort. She examined it a bit more closely until she realized what it was.
"The dark mark!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.
Taking advantage of Minerva's surprise he removed his arm from her grasp and quickly pulled his sleeve down over it; covering up the dreaded mark. Minerva found that she was thankful that he did.
It took her a few moments to completely process what she had seen, it didn't equate to her. When realization hit her she couldn't stop herself. "You're a Death Eater." she said looking at him in a whole new light. she couldn't believe that she had made friends with one of them. "I can't believe it."
"What can't you believe Professor McGonagall?" Severus asked, his voice deathly quiet. "That you have deigned to spend time in my company and my presence?"
"Had I only known about this…" She started
"Had you only known what? That I was a Death Eater?" Severus spat. "You would not have associated with me?"
"It certainly changes a lot." Minerva replied hotly.
"It does not make me any different than who I was to you five minutes ago." Severus said darkly. "A mark on my forearm becomes visible and everything changes."
"You have deceived me." Minerva replied. "That in itself changes everything."
"In what ways have I deceived you?" Severus asked coldly.
"Your mannerisms, how you treated me." She said indignantly
"I treated you with regard and esteem. Treatment that I believed that you were worthy of you, I am not inhuman." Severus said.
"You never told me what you were." She said. "That is deception enough."
"I do not believe so, I told you exactly who I was. This mark on my arm does not make me a different person."
"I just don't know about all of this." Minerva said pacing for a moment.
"Your attitude was different a few minutes ago."
"I didn't know that you were a Death Eater a few minutes ago." she shot back at him.
He stared at her, unfeeling at the cutting words she threw at him. It bothered her that he had no rebuttal to this, that he didn't even wince when she said those words. He just stood there silently, egging her on it seemed.
"I cannot believe that Albus would have a death eater teaching at this school." Minerva said appalled. "Surely he must have known what you are."
"Obviously." Severus replied suddenly gripping his left arm. "He knew who I was, although I am not entirely convinced he knows who I am now."
"What might that be?" Minerva asked. "A "changed human being" someone who has "reformed.'"
Severus drew himself up to his full height and Minerva backed away slightly. Severus eyes were empty of all of the teasing, joy, and concern that had been there not too long ago. He actually appeared to be rather menacing. It would seem this is how some of his students felt in his presence. She hated to admit it, but she was afraid of this man now. What she had seen on his arm had disgusted her, what she saw now sent a chill down her spine.
"It does not matter." Severus replied his voice almost a whisper. "I should go, I would hate to force my repulsive company on you any longer." With that he turned and strode towards the door, without looking back he let himself out. Once he was gone Minerva sat down in the chair she had occupied just a few minutes before and sobbed.