Minerva:

She decided to take Hermione for a walk around the lake.

"Your mother's name was Megan Heriot. I wanted her to have her father's name. It also gave her a head start to make an impression before dots could be connected as I became the transfiguration teacher not long after she was born.

I developed an extensive set of correspondence with witches and wizards around the world. The red witch goes by many other names in other cultures. Anyone who tries to kill the red witch, also known as the blind prophetess, ends up living with some sort of curse that ends up affecting lineage. Sometimes in the opposite direction where relatives vanish from existence."

"What's the difference between a prophecy and a curse?" Hermione asked.

"Probability and power. A curse is powered by a force of some sort and therefore more likely to actually happen."

"What was my mum like?" she asked.

"Bubbly and outgoing. A Gryffindor, she had your father's warmth and friendliness. She was also brilliant like me. She was more likely to be found socializing than in the library and still got good marks. She developed a rebellious streak during her third year. She was testing my patience as she wanted to get a rise out of me in front of other students. You get your hair from your grandfather. She tried to tame it with a sped-up version of sleek-easy and I had to save her from being strangled by the potion one night. She was bald for the last three months of the term."

"She sounds like a brat," Hermione said.

"She matured by her fifth year. She also found love with a sixth-year Ravenclaw named Benjamin Fenwick."

"Fenwick. That name sounds familiar. An order member?"

"Correct. When your mother turned seventeen, I finally told her exactly how her father died. I warned her against getting into the war Voldemort was launching. That is one of the things I learned from my research was that the Red Witch did not need to be directly responsible for the death. It's probability again. Just being in Voldemort's realm increased the odds of death."

"Why did my father die? I thought it was only blood relatives."

"Fenwick's mother had family in Germany. He saw the tattoos left on those muggles. He could not stand on the sidelines of any fight where others were going to be treated as inferior. Ben tried to break off his engagement to Megan to protect her. But she loved him too much to let go of him. A little older than the Potters, he fought valiantly and paid with his life."

"They only found pieces of him," Hermione said with a shake of her head.

"Pieces of three other death eaters were found by him. He was protecting one of the muggle ministers being targeted by Voldemort. The minister managed to escape."

"So, what happened to my mother?"

"I was carrying out a mission for Dumbledore and had taken a moment to rest on a bench. The red witch appeared to me. I tried to dual her, but she disarmed me. She came to warn me. My daughter was not safe and neither was her unborn child."

"What do you do?"

"I tried to bargain with her. I offered her my life. She wanted more. I begged her to spare you and Megan. She smiled an evil smile. The red witch set up terms. Once Voldemort was defeated the curse could only be ended by a duel with my granddaughter before she turned twenty. Your mother was destined for death within a couple of years."

"So, who exactly killed her?"

"Voldemort's followers. That was another mistake I made. It was public knowledge how close Dumbledore and I were. It was never romantic though Dumbledore may have been overly affectionate with me to cast off suspicion about his past. The secret keeper betrayed Megan. He was an ex of your mother's who was preyed upon to get her whereabouts. Megan sobbed through the floo powder network that her water had broken. The connection was then destroyed."

"I thought keeping her away was the safest thing. I couldn't let Megan stay with me at Hogwarts because several older students were related to top-ranking death eaters. The defense against the dark arts teacher was also a very suspicious character who turned out to be a puppet for Voldemort. There was no such thing as a safe place.

The death eaters sensed vulnerability. During that stormy night, they attacked and killed your mother. I found you among your mother's robes as she managed to hide just as they came in it seemed. But they wanted me. Someone put an anti-apparition charm on the area. I was running. I knew I needed to find a place for you. Your parents opened the door and I warned them your mother was dead and you were not safe with me. They took you in and here you are."

Hermione stopped and took a seat on an overturned tree.

"My mother was killed because of your connection to Dumbledore. That is why you never reached out to me."

"Dumbledore personally killed those death eaters. We had so many contingencies in place and they all failed. Your mother was marked for death. I have spent the last eighteen years hiding personal connections. If you were to ask Rita Skeeter about me, you might be led to believe I have brothers, which I don't. I was briefly married to an old friend, but even that relationship was cut short. My parents died before Megan was born. I used a good chunk of my personal fortune to acquire the skill to create a charm that wouldn't erase the existence of your mother and grandfather, but merely prevent people from articulating thoughts about them out loud. Not entirely different from the charm that makes Hogwarts unplottable. It hurt that no one spoke about the most important people in my life. But you were safer that way."

"So, I need to kill this witch before I turn twenty," Hermione said. "Where do I find her?"

"I think I know where to start," Minerva said. "But I want to believe there is another way."

"Professor, I have killed people," Hermione said. "I'm not afraid."

"I don't like that."

"War forced us to do awful things. That is what war is," Hermione said with a touch of agitation.

"The elves need my final approval in four days. Let's do this together then."

"I'd like to bring Ron and Harry."

"Are you sure Mr.—Ron would want to come along?"

"He feels like he lacks purpose. This would give him something to do."

"Okay. I'll inform Flourish and Blotts to expect you in the near future."

Hermione wouldn't look at her. "Thank you. I need to be alone right now."

"If, you're sure."

Hermione held her face in her hands. "Please."

"Okay. I'll be in touch."

McGonagall made her way back to the castle. Hagrid was at the entrance.

"I saw you and Hermione by the lake. I can guess what you were talking about."

"It was as hard as I imagined it would be."

"Have dinner with me and Grawp tonight," Hagrid said.

"I think I would like that."

Hagrid smiled and Minerva smile weakly in return.