Chapter Two
"Minerva!"
Minerva McGonagall, Seventh Year Gryffindor, turned her head to the sound of her friend Elise Ollivander's voice. They'd both been on the train to Hogwarts, of course, but they were also both returning Prefects and as such had duties and no time to socialize. While they were still meant to keep an eye on the students getting to the school, there were now Professors on duty as well, so it wasn't nearly as important. "Elise, hello!" she called out in return. "Genia, hi!"
The blonde quickly caught up to her, fellow Ravenclaw Genia Flitwick in tow. Genia was Head Girl. They all knew it had been Genia and Minerva in the running, and honestly, Minerva didn't begrudge the Ravenclaw for getting the badge. She deserved it, and Merlin knew she was far better at staying out of trouble. The three girls exchanged embraces. Minerva hadn't particularly bonded to the girls in her own dorm, although she'd made friends with a few of the boys in her year within the confines of Gryffindor Tower. Her female friends, however, had been all but exclusively Ravenclaw. For the longest time, it had been Minerva, Elise, Genia, and Anne Thomas, but Anne had been withdrawn at the end of Fifth Fear for an arranged marriage. She was expecting her first child now, due sometime in the next few months.
"So, rumor has it," Elise whispered, a grin on her face, "we're getting a new Defense Professor this year. Looks like old Hardy finally retired. Thank Merlin. Professor Dumbledore was by Father's shop the other week, and he mentioned interviewing someone for the post, and how he was impressed because they dueled so she could show her skill and she beat him!"
"She?" Genia gaped.
"Beat Dumbledore?" Minerva clarified, not believing it.
"Juicy, right?" Elise giggled. "Looks like we might have a whole year of a Defense Professor who's going to prove to all the boys that a Witch can be just as powerful as a Wizard, in the end. I mean, if she beat Dumbledore…"
"We talking about Professor Dagworth?"
"Oh, hey Iggy," Elise greeted Ignatius Prewett. "I don't know her name. Father and Professor Dumbledore were talking about the new Defense Professor."
"That's Dagworth," he said with a nod. "I met her a few weeks ago. "She's a bit creepy. Her and Dad were talking about the war."
"No wonder she's so skilled," Genia commented. "If she saw any of the battles, she'd had to have been skilled to survive it."
"Likely. Uh, Flitwick, we're supposed to be in the first carriage so we can watch all the firsties coming off the boats when they get to the other side along with Professor Dumbledore."
Genia nodded. "Alright then Prewett. Later ladies."
Minerva and Elise waved the Head Girl and Head Boy off, then went to find a carriage themselves to start up to the castle in. "I wonder what sort of enchantment moves the carriages along," the Ravenclaw mused out loud as they made their way over. "I don't know why it took me seven years to be curious about that."
"I asked Mother once if she knew," Minerva admitted. "She told me that if I was very lucky, I'd never find out. Isn't that the oddest thing to say?"
"Parents are so strange," her friend agreed. "So, who is your crush of the year going to be? Have you sorted it out yet? I mean it was Anne in Fifth. Lewis in Sixth. So just to head it off at the pass, who's it going to be this term?"
Minerva scoffed. "Maybe I'll finally decide to start liking boys."
"And maybe Genia's parents will suddenly be alright with the fact that she fancies the living shite out of a bloody Goblin," Elise countered. "I'll believe it when I see it."
"Oh come on, Melok is alright," the Scottish girl frowned. "They're good together."
"Our laws don't allow it, Min," Elise reminded her.
"Goblin laws do," she countered. "Besides, our laws don't say anything about the two of them not being allowed to be together, they just won't recognize their marriage."
"So if they had a child together, it would technically be illegitimate," the Ravenclaw pointed out.
"I don't think Genia gives a toss about that," Minerva mused. "I mean, she is seeing a Goblin, after all. What's an illegitimate child after that as far as scandal? Between the two of us, I'm beginning to wonder if she should have been the bloody Gryffindor!"
Elise shook her head. "No, Genia's been completely logical about the whole thing. As far as she's concerned, the only thing about Melok that her parents find unacceptable, or our laws find unacceptable, is the fact that he's a Goblin. His character is above reproach. He's honorable, can financially provide for her, he's a gentleman, he's magically powerful, and comes from a respected family line. If he was a Wizard, her parents would be thrilled at the notion of him being their future son-in-law, so as far as she's concerned, they're being racist berks and need to shove over."
"Isn't her mother a Prince?" Minerva asked. "I'm not certain shoving over is something she's genetically able to do. Stubborn mules, the lot of them."
"Well at least we know where Genia gets it from," Elise shrugged.
By now, they'd found an empty carriage, and were about to hop in, when two other familiar voices sounded behind them and gave both girls pause. "Well, well, if it isn't Ollivander and McGonagall. Blood Traitor and Half-Blood," one voice said.
"I can't believe they keep letting you come back," another scoffed. "Especially you, McGonagall. How many detentions did you get last term alone? Eight? Ten?"
Minerva sighed. "Black. Carrow. Don't you two have some pond scum to be admiring in the form of potential future husbands?"
"Actually," Walburga Black said with a sneer, "that's what we wanted to talk about. Jillian's mother heard through the grapevine that your Blood Traitor mother is trying to get back into good social graces by marrying you off to one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Said Isobel Ross had recently been seen taking tea at the Lestrange place."
"Of course," Jillian Carrow went on, looking all manner of put out, "Rasputin already married that Slughorn cow, and Rodion is promised to me, so I don't know what your mother is playing at, McGonagall, but she better back off."
While she wouldn't exactly put it past her mother to arrange a marriage for her, Minerva did know her mother would not betroth her to someone without asking her input. She hoped so, anyway. Minerva rolled her eyes. "Honestly, don't worry your pretty little head. I'd sooner shag you than marry Rodion Lestrange. Have at him."
"You take that back!" the other girl yelled, drawing her wand, evidently a bit insulted at the insinuation Minerva wouldn't object to shagging her. Objectively speaking, Jillian Carrow was pretty enough, even if she was a complete brat with a predilection for violence.
Black, Minerva, and Elise all drew wands in response to Carrow's actions, but before any of them could get a shot off, the sound of a woman clearing her throat came from behind Minerva. "Miss Black. Miss Carrow. I'm not sure if you're aware, but you're standing in a large pile of Thestral shite," the voice said.
Minerva was pretty sure she was in love before she turned around, as Black and Carrow's eyes widened in horror at the idea that they might be standing in some invisible pile of dung. Without a word, the pair of Slytherins were off, casting cleaning charms at each other a distance away in rapid succession. The two girls turned to face their rescuer. "You have got to be Professor Dagworth," Elise whispered, awe in her voice.
As for Minerva, she was having trouble finding her voice. The woman in front of her had eyes like chocolate, hair so curly it begged to be played with, and a frame that hinted at an active lifestyle. Absolutely adorable freckles were spattered over the woman's nose, and as far as Minerva was concerned, this was the most beautiful creature she'd ever laid eyes on. "Hi," she breathed out.
Professor Dagworth locked Minerva's gaze for a moment with a look of concern, before straightening. "Let's see if I can guess your identities correctly. I'm still getting to know everyone. You," she said, pointing to Elise, "were able to guess my identity from the off, so I'm going to bet you're as much of an eavesdropper as Mister Prewett is and you're Miss Ollivander."
"Yes ma'am," Elise confirmed, swallowing hard.
"That makes you Miss McGonagall," the older Witch determined, looking amused. "My mother requests that you at least try to minimize your visits to the Hospital Wing this term."
"Oh, so you're Healer Dagworth's daughter, then?" Elise asked, ever after any knowledge she could find.
"I do believe that was implied," the Professor responded, raising an eyebrow. "Cordatus Prewett also requested I keep an eye on his son this term, and I hear that you, Miss McGonagall, have a habit of getting up to a bit of troublemaking with him and Mister Wood. Fair warning, I'll be watching."
Minerva, a bit incensed that this new Professor thought she'd catch her and the boys out where so many others had failed, straightened her spine. "Go ahead and watch, Professor. Me and Roland and Ignatius know this castle better than anyone."
Dagworth actually laughed at that. "Care to make a wager on that, Miss McGonagall? I can think of several secrets of this castle off the top of my head that I'd be willing to bet you and your fellow Gryffindors have never found."
"Show us?" Elise asked, giddy.
Minerva watched as Dagworth seemed to consider the request. "If the lot of you can stay out of trouble for a fortnight, I'll show you one. Beyond that, you'll have to earn it. I'll see you ladies in the Great Hall."
With that, Professor Dagworth nodded to them and walked off, although oddly not toward the carriages as Minerva would have expected. She seemed to be heading into Hogsmeade proper, which was strange considering she'd be expected in the Great Hall for supper like the rest of them. Did she really have time for running an errand in town just now? That completely aside, the Scottish Witch couldn't help but feel a bit giddy. Dagworth was stunning, had shut down Carrow and Black, and knew secrets of Hogwarts they didn't and was willing to share them. A wide grin began to form on her cheeks.
"Oh no," Elise said, as the pair of them hopped up into the carriage they'd been standing beside. "I know that look. Minerva, she's a Professor, for Merlin's sake!"
The Gryffindor scoffed. "I don't know what you're on about."
"You can't fancy the Professor, Min!"
"Whyever not?" she retorted, crossing her arms defensively. "She doesn't look more than a few years older than us, and besides, we graduate at the end of the year. Further, Genia can't fancy a Goblin, and she's doing that anyhow."
"Yeah, and she'll likely be disowned for it," Elise said seriously. "Are you really willing to risk that for a short term thing with a Professor? Assuming she'd even go for that?"
"I'm accustomed to getting my way," Minerva pointed out. "Of course, I get the impression she is too. Did you happen to catch what her first name is, when you were listening to Dumbledore and your father talk about her?"
Elise was quiet for a moment. "Hermione."
"After the messenger God Hermes," Minerva mused. "Curious. Hermione Dagworth. Beautiful."
Her friend let out a groan. "Oh Merlin. There I thought this year was going to be quiet."
The first Defense class of the term was something Minerva had been eagerly anticipating. So few Seventh years were taking it, so it was a combined class for all the Houses, which meant for a change she got to be in a class with her Ravenclaw friends. Minerva grabbed a table with Elise on one side of her, and Genia on the other, Roland, Ignatius, and Ash Brown sitting directly behind them. Black, Carrow, and Patricia Rookwood were just opposite them on the far side of the room, and Professor Dagworth hadn't made it into the classroom quite yet. The students were chattering softly as they waited, but Minerva wasn't paying attention. She was poised with a quill and parchment at the ready, determined not to miss a thing the moment Dagworth got there.
She arrived with a literal bang, slamming open the door which separated the classroom from its attached office, and striding into the room with such purpose that if Minerva didn't know any better, she'd think that one of the students was very much in trouble. "Books away," the woman snapped. "You will need them for reference as you do your homework, but you will never require them in my classroom. This is not a place for theory, it is a place for practical practice and the refinement of a skill that could well be the difference between life and death for each of you as your lives go forward. Grindelwald may be finished, but history shows that Dark Lords rise and fall like a heartbeat. I'd stake my life on the notion that there will be another Dark Lord in your lifetimes, and it is my job to see that you are all prepared to defend yourselves in that instance. Now, to begin, can any of you tell me what creatures are referred to as the three omens of Death?"
Ignatius raised his hand, and Dagworth pointed at him. "There's the Grim."
"That's one," she agreed. "Five points to Gryffindor. Anyone else?"
Carrow raised her hand, and again, Dagworth pointed. "Dementors."
"Five points to Slytherin. Good," the Professor praised. "Can anyone tell me the third?"
George Abbott, a Hufflepuff, raised his hand warily. As soon as Dagworth signaled, he replied, voice unusually soft. "Thestrals, ma'am."
Professor Dagworth looked at him sadly. "Can you see them, Mister Abbott?"
He nodded, seemingly unable to find his voice.
"What's a Thestral?" Brown asked loudly, not bothering to raise his hand.
Dagworth sighed. "Mister Abbott, see me after class. To answer the question, of the three omens of Death, the Thestral is the only one that is kept on the Hogwarts grounds. I'm sure some of you have wondered over the years how the carriages move; they are pulled, as any other carriage might be pulled, by Thestrals. They appear like black skeletal horses, with leathery skin, and rather than grains and grasses, eat meat. They are invisible to others, with exception to those who have witnessed death."
"Merlin," Minerva muttered.
"You're telling me," Elise said.
"Hogwarts keeps Thestrals in part because they are actually quite docile, despite their association with death, and genuinely make good carriage horses," Dagworth continued to lecture. "They further serve a purpose in helping to inform the staff if any of the students have gone through a recent loss and opted not to speak up. The death need not be violent to give you the ability to see Thestrals. Watching an ailing grandparent pass would have the same impact as watching someone be cut down in battle, and where grief is concerned, it is something we Professors prefer to be aware of."
"That's actually really considerate," Genia whispered.
"As for the other omens," Dagworth went on. "Grims have a superstition to them that is highly unwarranted. They have the reputation they do because as a species, Grims are capable of great carnage, and have absolutely no doubt that one is capable of tearing you to shreds. It does not mean, however, that if you see one you are doomed. It merely means you encountered a dangerous creature and lived to tell the tale. Of the three, the only Wizarding omen of death which is truly worth your effort to be concerned over is the Dementor. Can anyone tell me what spell is the most effective defense against a Dementor attack?"
Minerva raised her hand, her mentorship with Professor Dumbledore having exposed her to this bit of magic. The Professor pointed to her. "A Patronus Charm," she answered.
"Good, Miss McGonagall," Dagworth praised. "So, who wants to learn how to cast the Patronus Charm and effectively develop the means to stop a Dementor from sucking out your soul?"
Every hand in the class was up almost in an urgent manner, which left Minerva amused and Professor Dagworth grinning widely. "Well then," she said. "Shall we begin?"
Two weeks into term, Minerva and Elise, along with Genia who had absolutely been strong armed into coming, showed up at Professor Dagworth's office door just after supper. Minerva, with all her Gryffindor nerve, knocked. "Enter!" came a quick response.
Genia looked apologetic at the Professor as they did just that. "I'm sorry ma'am, but these two seem to think there's some sort of agreement in place between you and them and I was wrangled into coming along."
Dagworth chuckled. "No worries, Miss Flitwick. I honor my agreements, and these two did manage to stay out of trouble these last two weeks, so I owe them a secret of Hogwarts."
That got Genia's attention. "Secret?"
The Defense Professor grinned. "Come on, ladies. We're going to the seventh floor."
Minerva and her friends followed as they were led to the east corridor of the seventh floor, eventually stopping in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. It was an isolated area of the castle, although fairly close to Gryffindor tower in the grand scheme of things, and Minerva relished in the proximity of whatever this was to her own dorms. "So?" she pressed.
Her body tingled as Professor Dagworth took hold of her from behind, hands on her arms, and guided her in front of the empty wall opposite the tapestry. "Alright, Minerva," she said softly. "What is something you wish you had access to here at Hogwarts, but you don't? A place?"
Hearing her name coming off Hermione Dagworth's lips sent shivers down her spine. She swallowed hard and considered the question. "A place to study for me and my friends. We could go to the Library, but Pince is a nightmare and there's no privacy, but we can't go into each others' dorms so an alternative would be… well, that would be lovely."
"Imagine it," came from her Professor's direction. "Close your eyes and imagine everything you could possibly require from a study room, and keep that image in your head."
After a full minute, Minerva nodded. "Okay. I've got it. Now what?"
Dagworth let go of her, and stepped back. "Now open your eyes so you don't trip over your own feet, and walk back and forth a few times in front of this wall; a few meters in either direction, then about face."
Minerva did as she was told, but by the second pass she was starting to feel like an idiot. "What am I looking for?"
The Professor just smiled. "Keep walking, and focus on the room you require, Minerva."
She huffed, but did as directed. It only took two more passes before she stopped dead in her tracks in front of an area of the wall which was now morphing into a door. A moment later, the door swung open wide, and before her was a room that was all she'd imagined and more. "Bloody hell," she muttered.
"I'd say!" Elise agreed. "Professor, what is this place?"
"Some call it the Come and Go Room," Dagworth replied. "I prefer the more direct descriptor of The Room of Requirement. At this moment, the space has formed to your exact specifications, Miss McGonagall. However, if you came back another day and required a place to practice dueling, it would easily provide you with an appropriate space for that. If memory serves, Professor Dumbledore first found this place because he very much required a toilet. Its limits are your imagination. Well, that and Gamp's third law, although I did know someone who found a workaround to that."
Genia looked curious. "How do you work around Gamp's law? I mean, you can't make food from nothing. That's a fundamental truth of magic."
Their Professor looked amused. "Be creative, ladies. In my friend's case, he required the Room to form a passageway between here and the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade, although I'd advise against you lot trying that because if you're caught in Hogsmeade I'll be first in line to give you all detentions. I expect it could just as easily form a passage to the Kitchens. I also would be surprised if you couldn't summon a House Elf here to bring you snacks."
"How do you even know about all this?" Elise inquired. "I asked your Mum when you attended, because honestly you don't seem much older than we are and I'd have thought you might have been an upper year when we were starting out, but she said you didn't even attend Hogwarts."
Dagworth smirked. "I did not. My sister did, however, and my mother has been Healer here for decades. I've spent a little time in the summers wandering these halls as she was getting things ready for next term."
"What House do you think you'd have been, if you had gone to Hogwarts?" Minerva inquired, very much wanting to learn more about this woman. "Also, I'm with Elise. You don't seem much older than us."
"I'd have gone to Slytherin," their Professor replied. "Even if that does gall my sister a bit, who was a Ravenclaw."
"Does she not like Slytherins?" Genia questioned.
Their Professor snorted in amusement. "The opposite. Her best friend is a Slytherin, although she married a Gryffindor. She tends to wish she had gone to Slytherin, but I think she's got too kind a heart for it. There's more to being Slytherin than cunning and ambition. There's an underlying ruthlessness about the personality type that if you don't have, you're best suited for Ravenclaw."
"Well that explains you," Minerva said, looking at Genia. "How often have we said you were almost a Slytherin?"
"Whereas I was nearly a Gryffindor," Elise sighed. "Minerva almost went to Ravenclaw, of course, which is how we got to be friends. Both hatstalls to each others' houses."
"How did you end up mixed in with these two, Miss Flitwick?" Dagworth asked kindly.
"Under duress," Genia let out, looking half annoyed. "Admittedly, they've been worth it. My parents don't really approve of who I'm seeing, but these two, and the Gryffindor boys Minerva hangs with, have been supportive."
Dagworth frowned. "What's wrong with who you're seeing?"
Minerva perked up, taking immediate note to the fact that the Professor didn't automatically assume Genia was seeing a man. Could she be open minded regarding same sex relationships?
"He's a Goblin," Elise supplied helpfully.
"Merlin, Elise, have you no tact?" Genia hissed.
"I told you to stop acting like you're ashamed," the other girl counseled. "You love him. He loves you. You're probably going to marry him, so to hell with what anyone else thinks of it. Due respect, Professor," she added, glancing back up at Dagworth.
The older Witch waved off their concern. "If he treats you with respect, Miss Flitwick, and supports you in your ambitions, then I have no issue with his heritage. I'd rather see you marry an honorable Goblin than a dishonorable Wizard. Or Witch. Whatever your preference."
Minerva swallowed hard. Okay. She was totally swooning right now.
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