Chapter Seventeen: June 1978

Minerva sat at the dining table in the Burrow, bouncing one of Molly's two-month-old twins on her lap.

"He's adorable, Molly," Minerva gushed. "They both are."

"They are now, but I have a feeling they'll be troublemakers," Molly said, sighing. "They were born on April Fools' Day, after all."

"Don't give them that label before they're out of their cots," Minerva laughed. "You never know. They might never be pranksters. They might be quiet and studious."

"I hope so," Molly whispered. "I'll need a break. Five kids under the age of eight is a lot to handle."

"Well, Bill will be out of the house in a few years. He'll be joining us at Hogwarts soon enough." Minerva smiled knowingly. "And you'll miss him when he's gone."

"I've never thought about Hogwarts from a parent's perspective. I am afraid I'll miss them terribly." She paused, then asked quietly, "What was it like for you? To be at Hogwarts with your son?"

"It was a blessing, but it came with hardships," Minerva answered truthfully. "I loved that I could see him every day. That's not a luxury afforded to every parent, obviously. I saw him grow up. I saw the light in his eyes when he finally mastered a spell in class, and I saw him make friends.

"But of course, being a professor to your son creates challenges. He didn't have the same experience as his peers did. He rebelled from time to time. We didn't have space between us." Minerva thought for a moment. "Sometimes, I wonder what our relationship would have been like if I hadn't been imposed upon his adolescence."

"I'm sure you still had a good relationship, Minerva."

"We did," Minerva agreed, smiling, "but that never stops one from imagining the what-ifs, does it?"

"No, I guess not. You know, you look different when you talk about him," Molly offered gently. "Softer, almost."

"I rarely have the chance to talk about him," Minerva admitted. "It's nice to do so around a trusted friend."

Molly blushed. "Thanks for the compliment, Minerva. I'm honoured to be considered your friend." She leaned forward and laughed. "You know, I always thought you were married to Dumbledore, but I would have remembered if I went to school with someone with that last name."

Minerva laughed gently. "Albus was not my son's father, Molly. The identity of my first husband is something I will keep secret, thank you."

Molly grinned evilly. "Your first husband? Did you remarry? Wait, are you married to Dumbledore now?"

"Oh, I stepped in that one, didn't I?" Minerva muttered. She leaned down to baby George and said, "George, do something cute. Do it now, and I promise to give your future house ten points."

"You don't have to tell me," Molly said quickly. "I know you've told me more about your life than you've told most others, and I appreciate your trust. It's just fun to tease you."

"You sound like my brother," Minerva replied drily. "Perhaps one day, Molly, I'll tell you about my husbands. Both of them. Until this war is over, it's simply not safe."

"Well, I feel like I should hold you to that." Molly smiled over Fred's head. "I think you and I could spend a long night chatting over wine, bitching about our husbands."

"That sounds wonderful, Molly. Just keep in mind that you won't be able to drink if you're pregnant, and you're pregnant more often than not—I'm beginning to assume you prefer being pregnant. Or, at the very least, getting pregnant."

"Hey!" Molly protested. She blushed again. "Really, Minerva?"

"Fair is fair, dear. If you want to tease me, prepare to be teased back."

Minerva winked, then laughed when Molly glared at her.

Minerva watched the graduating students at the annual party after the graduation ceremony. There were fewer families in attendance this year, thanks to the war. The lack of people made it easier for Minerva to track James and Lily with her eyes. She knew that, after tonight, she and Albus would no longer have access to their children on a regular basis.

So, Minerva decided to be bold and approached James at his table. His adoptive parents hadn't appeared—something for which Minerva was eternally grateful—and neither had his friends'. The table consisted only of Lily, James, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew, and McKinnon.

"Hello," Minerva said by way of greeting. "I hope you're all enjoying yourselves."

"How could we not, Professor?" Black grinned at her. "We're finally free of this place. Can I call you Minnie now?"

"Absolutely not," Minerva answered sharply. "Under no circumstances will anyone be calling me Minnie."

"What can we do for you, Professor?" Lupin asked her kindly, intervening before Black could reply.

"I wondered if the Head Boy would do me the honour of a dance. It's a bit of a hit-or-miss tradition, but I thought I'd invoke it this year." Minerva's heart pounded as she looked at her son.

"Sure. I probably owe you one after you spent so much of your free time supervising me in detention," James laughed. "I'm afraid I'm not a very good dancer, though, Professor."

"That's what magic is for," Minerva said, winking. "Come on, then."

"Wait," James said. "Are you okay with this, Lily?"

Lily laughed. "Absolutely. Go and step on someone else's feet."

James rolled his eyes and held out his arm. "Professor?"

"Thank you, Mr. Potter."

"You can call me James now, surely." James turned when they reached the dance floor. "I'm not sure I know what to do here."

"Nonsense." Minerva placed his hand in a respectable position on her waist. "Now, left foot forward, yes. Just like that." She hesitated. "James."

James grinned at her, causing him to lose his footing and step on her foot. "Oh, sorry."

"I've endured worse," Minerva said drily. "Are you excited to begin your career as an Auror?"

"Yeah, I really am excited to start training," James said. His eyes lit up, and for a moment, Minerva was reminded of Albus. "I think it will be a good fit for me."

"I never went through the Auror Academy," Minerva mused, more to herself than James. "The war rather got in the way of that."

"Wait, you were an Auror?" James asked. "Really?"

"I was, yes. I started during the war, though, so my onboarding was definitely different than what yours will be."

"Woah." James shook his head. "I always knew you were interesting, but to hear you killed bad guys on the side? You rock, McG."

"I only ever killed one person," Minerva uttered softly. All too well, she could remember the vicious hatred inside her that had led her to kill Katrina Rowle—her first husband's murderer and an accomplice to the attempted murder of her family. "I sincerely hope, James, that you will never have to do that."

"Too bad we're at war," James said grimly.

"Keep yourself safe, all right? For your parents' sake—and for Lily's. She won't thank you if you get yourself blown up."

"I have too many plans to die in training, Professor," James replied. "I'm going to marry that girl someday. I can't do that if I'm dead."

Minerva laughed. "No, I don't suppose you can." As the song ended, she gently withdrew from her son's arms. "Best of luck in your future, James. And, if it suits you, please send me a letter and let me know how you get on. It's always nice to hear from former students."

James said, "Of course, Professor. I'll send you an owl now and again. But do you honestly think Lily won't be sending you a letter at least once a week? You'll be begging me to get her to stop writing."

Minerva looked over at the table, where it seemed her husband was taking her cue and asking his daughter to dance. Smiling, Minerva said, "I'll be happy to hear from either of you. As often or as infrequently as you like."

Albus felt Minerva's arm subtly brush past his back as she and James exited the dance floor. Albus, on the other hand, was about to dance with Lily.

"I'm afraid I'm not a very good dancer, Professor," Lily confessed. "I hope I don't step on your feet."

"Nonsense," Albus declared. "Would you like to know a secret, Miss Evans?"

"What's that?"

"I taught Professor McGonagall to dance when she was a student here," Albus whispered. "She stepped on my toes quite a lot, but as you have just seen, she got the hang of it eventually."

Lily bit back a grin. "I can't imagine Professor McGonagall being anything less than graceful."

"Everyone has their moments," Albus said, "even Professor McGonagall."

"I can't imagine she'd like you telling me that."

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her." Albus winked.

"If you say so. It's on your own head."

"Precisely. Now, Miss Evans, have you decided what you're doing after graduation? Professor McGonagall said you hadn't yet given her your final decision."

"I was debating between apprenticing at an apothecary in London or returning to school in the autumn to pursue my mastery under Professor Flitwick." Lily hesitated. "The latter depends on my NEWT results, obviously."

"I may not know your final mark, but the Charms examiners told me how excited they were by your talent. You have a raw talent for the subject, if they are to be believed—and, of course, Professor Flitwick is always most effusive in his compliments."

Lily blushed. "That's really kind of them to say that. I felt confident during the exam, but after, I remembered loads of more impressive spells I could have used during the practical portion."

"You impressed everyone just fine," Albus informed her gently. "Trust me. I have no doubt that you'll earn your desired grade and that we'll see you around the school in September."

"I know that professors don't often take on mastery students," Lily said, looking Albus directly in the eyes. "Thank you for giving me the option."

"It was a much more frequent practice before the first Muggle war. After that, professors no longer wanted to be responsible for older students' well-being. Certain professors made exceptions over the years, but it eventually fell out of favour." Albus smiled. "Professor Flitwick seems to think you are absolutely worth the effort."

"That's very kind of him. He's been very good to me." Lily paused. "Actually, Professor, can I ask you a question? If it's not too impertinent?"

"You may always ask. If I'm uncomfortable answering, I won't," Albus said, laughing. "What is your question?"

"Did Professor McGonagall earn her mastery with you?" Lily asked quietly. "She told me she has her mastery, but when I asked about her actual program, she became uncharacteristically tight-lipped. I didn't know if she refrained from telling me because she didn't want me to get my hopes up about returning to Hogwarts."

Oh, Albus knew why Minerva hadn't told Lily about her mastery, and it had nothing to do with Lily's hopes. It was likely due to Minerva's father's untimely passing and the subsequent breakdown of her romantic relationship with Albus.

Albus didn't like to think much about that time, either. He knew he hadn't been the best partner, and he found it odd now to consider what life would have been like had they never ended their relationship.

The young lady dancing with him wouldn't be in his arms, for a start, and that thought was so anguishing to Albus he was surprised at the force of the emotion.

"No," Albus said finally. "No, she didn't earn her mastery with me. She went to a school in London and studied under Professor Shacklebolt."

"Why didn't you teach her?" Lily asked curiously. "After all, you're the best Transfiguration master in Britain—and probably the entire world."

"I'd wager Professor McGonagall would give me a run for my money," Albus replied, smiling. "It simply wasn't an option at the time to have her under my tutelage."

Lily's eyes widened, and then she groaned. "Oh, my apologies, Professor. I can't believe I forgot about the war."

That was just the sort of excuse Albus needed. "Exactly, Miss Evans. After a year at the front, I had already spent enough time away from Hogwarts and I didn't have the time to commit to a new student. Besides, Professor McGonagall received quite the offer from Pythias College. I encouraged her to accept it."

"I think it's really brilliant how you two work together," Lily admitted. She lowered her voice. "Obviously, we students see Professor McGonagall on a regular basis, but I've had the opportunity to sit closely with her. I know more than the average student, and I appreciate how you balance each other out."

"Oh, Professor McGonagall suffers greatly as my deputy. This school would not be run nearly as well if it weren't for her." Albus looked up and, at that moment, caught his wife's eyes. Minerva graced him with a small smile before turning away to talk to Pomona.

Lily continued, "It seems like she does all the internal work, and you do the external work. I know that's an oversimplification, but you two have strengths on different fronts. It makes for a good team, I think."

"The external work?" Albus asked, laughing. "What does that mean?"

"The political stuff," Lily said. She shrugged in his arms. "You handle the Ministry, the Minister, and the Board of Governors. She handles the bit that involves overseeing the other professors, disciplinary matters, that sort of thing."

"Did she tell you this, or did you develop this theory on your own?"

Lily reddened. "Professor McGonagall mentioned it once."

Albus laughed. "During one of her usual tirades?"

"She was frustrated with Professor Dumornay. Something had happened with the Divination classroom." Lily paused and squinted at him. "Hey, what do you mean one of her usual tirades? That's not very kind, Professor."

Albus stopped dancing and led Lily off the dance floor. "Miss Evans, I have known Professor McGonagall for a very long time. I am extremely well-acquainted with her moods and methods of expression. I apologize for being familiar about her in your presence. That's not fair to her, nor to you." His eyes found Minerva, who was still speaking to Pomona. "I didn't mean any harm. Professor McGonagall and I are close. I would call it a tirade to her face."

"You love her," Lily realized, looking at him astonished. "Oh, my God—you love her!"

"I beg your pardon?" Albus whipped around to face his daughter, who, apparently, still liked to meddle in his love life.

"You love her," Lily said quietly. "It's in your eyes. The way you looked at her just now."

"Miss Evans—"

"I won't say anything," Lily said, holding up her hands. "She may even know how you feel, for all I know. Heck, you two could have been married for thirty years! I promise to keep my lips zipped."

Albus chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you." At her questioning gaze, he added, "You're in Professor McGonagall's corner. Not mine."

Lily grinned. "After everything she's done for me, yeah, I am. Thank you for the dance, Professor. I'll keep in touch. Perhaps I'll see you in the fall."

"I'll have the castle prepare a room for you," Albus promised, and he could have sworn his heart grew two sizes upon seeing the smile grace his daughter's face.

"Thanks, Professor. Have a great summer." And with that, Lily ran off to rejoin her friends.

After almost all the students had left the Great Hall, Minerva made her way back to her husband. "It appears that everyone is leaving for one final party in their common rooms."

"And as is typical on the last night of the school year, you will let the parties rage all night long."

Minerva snorted. "Why not? It's their last hurrah, and besides, it's not like I'm responsible for their bad attitudes tomorrow. We simply have to see them on the train, and that's all."

"My dear Professor McGonagall, your lack of duty astounds me," Albus teased.

"If they're allowed a night off, we should be, too." Minerva arched an eyebrow and lowered her voice. "And it means I'll be able to spend the full night in my own bed sans interruption."

"My, what a clever cat you are!" Albus exclaimed. He offered her his arm. "Come on, then. Let's get ourselves upstairs."

They walked silently up to Minerva's quarters. Minerva sighed when they arrived. "Finally, I can take these wretched shoes off."

"Here, let me." Albus led Minerva to the couch and removed her shoes. He gently began to massage her feet. "There we go, my dear."

"That's heavenly," Minerva muttered happily. "How did your conversation with Lily go?"

Albus laughed gently. "Quite well. She thinks I'm in love with you."

"Where the devil would she get that idea?"

"Apparently, we make a good team running this school. And," Albus swallowed, oddly nervous, "it's apparently obvious in the way that I look at you."

Minerva smiled knowingly. "It is, but it's nice to hear you finally recognize it after all these years."

"How obvious is it?"Albus asked, bemused. "I don't want to be giving away our secret, after all."

Minerva shook her head. "It's only obvious to those that know you. And I, of course, have had the pleasure of your gaze on me for many years now. I know what your facial expressions mean."

"And you have our bond to help you," Albus remarked.

"That, too." Minerva smiled. "Speaking of which, I couldn't help but notice how happy you were whilst dancing with Lily. It does you so much good to be around her."

"It really does," Albus admitted. He began to rub Minerva's other foot. "She has grown into a wonderful young woman. I'm very happy that we'll have her here in the autumn."

"And with any luck, James will make the occasional trip up to the castle to visit her," Minerva sighed. "I am going to miss having them around."

"We were almost like the opposite of parents this time," Albus mused. "We had them all throughout the school year, and then we had our summer vacations and holidays free of children."

"It has been different. I'm honestly just happy they like spending time with us. Lily will still be a part of our lives, and James doesn't seem to dislike that he is stuck with us because of her."

"They've both grown into exceptional young people. I know we were worried about James for a time," Albus said, chuckling, "but I'm not nearly as concerned about their future now as I was the last time they graduated Hogwarts."

"Why?" Minerva snorted. "They're not Riddle's targets because they're not known to be our children? They're not engaged and pregnant? They have far more suitable career plans?"

"All of the above, my dear." Albus looked away from her feet and towards her face. They both laughed. "You must admit, their prospects now seem much better than they did ten years ago."

"They do," Minerva said. "And yet, we're in wartime. I'm still worried."

"You wouldn't be a mother if you didn't worry."

"You don't seem too worried."

"I am worried, but you worry enough for the both of us." Albus chuckled at the look of betrayal on her face. "Come here."

Minerva scuttled down the couch and flipped around, her head resting against his shoulder. "You can't blame me for worrying."

"No, I can't," Albus soothed. "I also know that worrying changes nothing. We have prepared as much as we possibly could. You've prepared our students. James will be trained with the Auror force; it may still be dangerous, but he'll be prepared. Lily will be back with us soon enough."

"Thank Merlin," Minerva muttered. "We can protect her here."

"I agree. There's no one better to protect her than you."

"Al, don't be silly."

"No, Min. You are the best protection she has."

"Why do you say that when you know you could out-duel me in a heartbeat?"

"For one thing, I don't know that, Min. I do know that love is the greatest magic there is, and you have the greatest capacity to love out of anyone I've ever met."

"I don't know what to say to that, but I doubt it's true."

"It is true."

Minerva sighed and settled into her husband's arms. "I love you, Al."

"And that's how I know you have the greatest capacity out of anyone—"

She stopped him from talking by putting her mouth on his.

Severus Snape was nervous, but he did his best not to show it. He was about to take the oath to join Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters. It was too late to back out now, no matter what.

At this stage, it was either continue with the process or be killed for cowardice.

Severus didn't have any faith that Lord Voldemort would simply let him walk away unscathed, and if there was one trait that Severus possessed in spades, it was self-preservation.

He looked over at Lucius, who was watching Severus with an odd look of pride on his face. Lucius had convinced Severus that joining the Death Eaters would be a good idea. He said that the Death Eaters would give Severus protection that his Muggle father's name couldn't give him.

Unfortunately, Severus knew that was most likely true. He was a half-blood, after all, which meant that Lord Voldemort would have come for him sooner rather than later.

He also knew Lily was lost to him forever. He needed something new to live for.

Who better to live for than the only other people who had ever been kind to him at Hogwarts? Lucius, his Prefect who had provided him with plenty of class resources and rare books, things his impoverished parents couldn't give him. Lucius had also informed Lord Voldemort of Severus' skills at potion-making. Lord Voldemort had been delighted with some of Severus' concoctions and had subsequently offered Severus a place in his army if he wished.

That was how Severus ended up here, on a dais in the basement of Malfoy Manor, with Lord Voldemort's wand pressed none too gently against his left forearm.

"Are you ready, Sssssseverussss?" Lord Voldemort hissed.

Severus nodded. "Yes, my lord."

He heard Lord Voldemort whisper something in a foreign language. Could it have been Parseltongue? Then, the pain began in his arm before radiating throughout the rest of his body. Severus had never known pain like this—which was saying something, considering his upbringing.

He felt his scars sing, happy to make contact with dark magic. It was almost as though he was vibrating, and the darkest parts of his soul were fighting to take charge. To guide his brain through the rest of his life. Severus suddenly felt his knees hit the floor, and he knew he was about to faint. Lucius had warned him about this. Yet, Severus found he didn't want to be so vulnerable.

In the end, Severus did faint, and only woke after the process had finished. His new master bestowed a soft kiss upon his forehead, dried Severus' tears, and then walked away, the rest of the brethren in tow.

"Let's get you up," a kind voice whispered in his ear.

Severus chanced a look to the left and groaned when his vision was too blurry to make out the person speaking to him. "Huh?"

"It's Narcissa. Lucius had me set up one of the guest rooms for you. He knows how painful this can be. Lean on me. One of the elves will take us there."

Begrudgingly, Severus put most of his weight on Narcissa's arms and allowed her to help him off the ground. He barely heard her call for the elf, and before he knew it, he was placed in a large, comfortable bed with a heated blanket wrapped around him.

"Oh, that's nice," Severus murmured. He looked up at the blurry figure he presumed was Narcissa. Quietly, he added, "Thank you."

"It's the least I could do for one of Lucius' friends. Now, rest up. You need lots of sleep and nutrients back in your system. Our main elf Dobby will be responsible for your food. If you need anything, just call for him. I'll come and visit a couple of times a day: change your bandages, make sure you're healing properly, that sort of thing. It will be at least a few days before you'll feel well enough to go through training, so perhaps I'll bring you some books."

Severus frowned. "There's training? For what, the war?"

Narcissa scoffed. "Of course, there is training, and yes, for the war. Do you think the Dark Lord would send his army out into the wild without training? No, he's not a fool. He may despise Dumbledore, but he is intelligent enough to know that the Headmaster wields great power. Dumbledore will ensure his fighters are trained; the Dark Lord will do no less by his followers."

"Where is this training to take place?" Severus asked quietly. He bristled as Narcissa patted his forehead. He wasn't used to being cared for, and he didn't know how to react.

Especially when his vision was fuzzy, and he couldn't see Narcissa approach him.

"Here, of course. The Dark Lord doesn't have his own Manor, and we have so many acres here that would otherwise go to waste."

Severus found enough energy to cock an eyebrow. "You're telling me you're comfortable with Death Eaters training on your property?"

Even as dulled as his senses were, Severus could sense Narcissa's anger. "Don't be daft. I know what my husband got himself into, even if he doesn't understand it himself. I obey these orders because I have to. I am not a Death Eater; I never took the oath."

"Then why the hell—"

"I want my husband close to me while he still can be. If training headquarters are located here, then it's easier for him to come home to me."

"You really love him," Severus whispered, seeing the truth of it. For a second, it reminded him of how much he had loved Lily. Still loved Lily. "You'd do anything for him. Hell, you're doing this for him."

"Our marriage may have been arranged, but I do love him. For all his faults, Lucius is a decent man, deep down. He offered me the chance to escape from our engagement contract—against the wishes of both our parents." Narcissa took a step back and frowned. "Do me a favour and don't mention that."

"O' course," Severus muttered.

"But yes, Lucius and I have found a way to be good partners. In joining the Dark Lord's cause, he is doing what is expected by both of our parents. He is keeping me out of harm's way, though, something for which I'll always be grateful."

"How exactly is he accomplishing that? I didn't think the Dark Lord was one to bend to the will of others."

Narcissa grimaced. "My father and father-in-law are bankrolling the Dark Lord's research. He wouldn't be where he is now without our families' resources. Besides, Lucius and I would like children. I can't fight if I'm hoping to get pregnant. The Dark Lord agrees that the heir to the Malfoy family must be kept safe."

"You're content to be pregnant, give birth, and then raise said child around a group of murderers? A group of murderers who don't seem to take too kindly to children?"

"Yes," Narcissa uttered. She chuckled. "It's funny what we do for the people we love."

"Yeah," Severus said, thinking of Lily whilst looking at the new ink on his arm. "Or because of them."