Chapter Twenty-One: January 1980
Minerva rose from her chair at the funeral of Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. She had chosen this seat specifically so she could watch James out of the corner of her eye. After all, Minerva knew that this was an incredibly difficult day for him.
The Potters had lived for seven weeks after contracting Dragon Pox. Due to Lily's pregnancy, James had only seen his parents twice since informing them that they would be grandparents.
The funeral was a relatively small affair. James had invited Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew—invitees that did not surprise Minerva. She had been touched to be invited—along with Albus—but Minerva wasn't particularly taken aback by that decision. James and Lily had grown close to Minerva and Albus, and Albus had practically insisted on attending.
He was worried about security measures, not that Minerva could blame him.
However, one thing Albus couldn't do was talk James out of inviting Iolanthe and Charlus Potter back to Godric's Hollow for the funeral. James had practically insisted: Charlus had lost his aunt and uncle, after all, and he wanted Charlus to have the choice of attendance.
James said that too many of them were losing choices due to the war.
Charlus and Iolanthe had quickly agreed to come, even bringing their daughters with them from France. Callum had asked James if he could attend for extra protection; James had agreed, but not before Lucy argued that she wanted to go, too. However, Albus and Callum had both put their foot down at the children attending the service, so Esmé and Eléa had been left in the care of Aoife and Alice. The plan was for Minerva's family to gather at the Manor after the funeral for some much-needed family time. James and Lily had been invited, but Lily had gently told Minerva that she thought James would want to wallow at home in the company of his school friends.
Minerva hadn't loved the idea of her son wallowing, but she had understood.
After all, James was mourning his adoptive parents. Why would he choose to be with his former professors when he could be with his friends and wife?
"My dear, we really need to leave," Albus murmured in Minerva's ear. His hand rested protectively on Minerva's lower back. "This isn't safe."
"Al, you, Callum, and I placed protective enchantments around Potter Manor, and then this cemetery," Minerva whispered. "There aren't many safer places in the world."
"No, but I know two, and we have access to them," Albus replied, referring to Minerva's own manor and Hogwarts. "We need to go."
"Well, why don't you tell James to leave his parents' graves?" Minerva sighed. "Al, he's not going to leave until he's ready."
"But Lily is pregnant," Albus protested. "She shouldn't be out here."
"I know you're worried. We'll return home as quickly as we can," Minerva soothed. He looked at her meaningfully, and she knew he wouldn't let it go. Sighing again, Minerva walked over to Lily, who was conversing quietly with Remus. "Lily?"
Lily nodded knowingly. "Albus is getting anxious, isn't he?"
Minerva stifled a laugh. "Perhaps."
"I'll get James," Remus said. "Are we meeting at the gates, Professor?"
"Yes, that'll do, Remus. Thank you." Minerva smiled slightly as she watched Remus walk to collect her son.
"How's he doing?" Minerva asked Lily.
"Not exactly well." Lily rubbed her forehead. "He's angry, frustrated, devastated—and he's trying to be excited about the baby, but honestly, James can't be excited because he's panicking about the war."
"At least he has you with him," Minerva said softly. "A supportive partner can make all the difference in the world."
"I know," Lily agreed. "After my own parents died, it was nice to have James by my side. I felt like I didn't have to go through it alone. I hope to be of some comfort to him now."
"Oh, Lily," Minerva murmured, "you will." She placed a supportive hand on Lily's arm.
They stood in silence until Remus returned with James in tow.
"Albus says we have to leave now?" James asked miserably. "I hate that we can't give them a proper send-off."
"The ceremony was lovely," Minerva commented gently. "It was a nice send-off."
"It was," Lily confirmed. "And, after the war is over, we can come back if you want. We can do a different ceremony—one of those large, Pureblood rituals if you want. But right now, Albus is right, James. We have to get home. It's unfortunately not safe for us to be out here."
Begrudgingly, James nodded. "Yeah. I know."
Lily looped her arm through James' and kissed him on the cheek. "Now, let's go and meet Albus and Callum at the gates. They won't let us Apparate away without a guard."
"For good reason," Minerva declared. "We're simply worried about you. All three of you."
At the gentle reminder of his unborn child, James straightened his back. "Okay. Are you coming, Minerva?"
"Yes. I believe the plan is for us all to walk out together, and then Apparate away. We'll ensure you get home, and then us McGonagalls will go to—"
"James!" Sirius screamed. Minerva had no idea where he had come from, but his wild eyes betrayed something horrible. "We tried to leave, but we can't. There are Death Eaters just outside."
"How the hell did they find us?" Remus wondered. He plunged his hand into his robes. "You have to be joking."
Beside him, true to his Animagus ego, Peter Pettigrew squeaked.
"It's okay, Petey," Sirius advised. "We'll protect you."
"Lily, you should go home." James extracted himself from Lily's grip and looked at her with an imploring look. "You need to go home. Keep yourself and the baby safe."
"I'm not leaving you," Lily said firmly. "Either you come home with me, or I stay here with you."
No, Minerva thought, her heart hammering. Not again.
Then, her mind quickly shifted to a different thought.
"Sirius, where are the others?" Minerva asked. She looked around the cemetery and couldn't see Albus, Callum, Lucy, Iolanthe, or Charlus.
"Charlus and Iolanthe tried to leave. The others went with them for protection," Sirius explained. "They left the wards you all put in place so they could Apparate away. That's when they discovered the Death Eaters. Peter and I followed, but as soon as we left the wards, James' cousin pushed us right back in."
"Oh, hell," Minerva muttered. "Do you have any idea how many of them there are?"
Sirius paled. "Around ten, if I had to guess. I only got a quick look. But, er, Professor?"
"Yes, what is it, Sirius?"
"I think Lord Voldemort is with them." Minerva gasped, leading Sirius to add, "I'm not certain, Professor. But Dumbledore looked angry."
Oh, he would be, Minerva thought grimly.
"Well, clearly, we need to help you five escape before the Death Eaters discover you're here. That is, if they don't already know," Minerva said, planning aloud. She did her best to think clearly. "I'll do everything I can to protect you—Peter, Sirius? You can help me duel. James, you focus on protecting Lily whilst we move outside the boundaries. I'll Apparate the five of you back to Lily and James' house, and once I'm assured you're safe beyond the property line, I will return to fight."
Her words were met with outcries.
"Not bloody likely, Professor!" Sirius exclaimed. "I joined the Order, remember? I am more than capable of fighting."
"Yes, but against Voldemort himself?" Minerva snapped. "I will not have your death on my conscience, Black. You can hate me for the rest of your life if you wish, but I will not have you die because you wanted to be a hero."
"Minerva, I don't want your family dying for me," James said slowly. He looked at Minerva with a fierce determination in his eyes. "You and your family came here today to help me mourn. You ensured I could give my parents a proper funeral. I will not repay that kindness by running away at the first sign of trouble."
"This is no time to be noble!" Minerva cried. "Lily is pregnant, James! Neither of you can risk being injured!"
Both James and Lily's eyes widened, and Minerva knew instantly that they had forgotten their bond, meaning an injury to one was an injury to both of them.
"Do you understand now?" Minerva begged. "We need to get you out of here."
"Too late," Remus said grimly. "Get your wands out."
Minerva whipped around to find the Death Eaters staring at them, evidently now able to see where they were standing in the cemetery.
"Shit," Minerva cursed. She quickly surveyed the scene: there were five bodies on the ground, and seeing as everyone in her family was still standing, she presumed the fallen "soldiers" were Death Eaters. Callum and Lucy were handling two of Riddle's minions, and Iolanthe and Charlus were doing their best to defeat one.
Minerva felt her throat constrict when she saw Albus single-handedly duelling Riddle and two of his minions at the same time.
"Prepare yourselves," Minerva advised her students. "If the Apparition wards come crashing down, Lily, I want you to Apparate home. James, you will take her. No questions, do you understand?"
They nodded, and Minerva breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good. Sirius, you wanted to fight? Now's your opportunity. I don't know that we'll be able to bring Voldemort down; the trick will be to bring down the rest of his henchmen. Peter, you'll need to fight, too." Minerva remembered Pettigrew was not very good at duelling, so she hastily added, "If you don't feel comfortable, there's no shame in casting a good Protego."
Sirius moved forward and stood beside Minerva, with Peter, Lily, and James behind them.
"Lil? Prongs? Get yourselves home." Sirius rolled up his sleeves bravely, and Minerva felt a swell of pride for her former pupil. "We'll protect you."
Suddenly, Minerva found herself screaming as she and her students were blown back into the air. Only her quick thinking saved them from crashing into the ground as she cast a quick pillow charm.
"I guess the wards are broken?" Sirius yelled. He cast a spell at an approaching Death Eater, knocking them to the ground.
"Five points to Gryffindor!" Minerva called. For good measure, she cast a string of chains and immobilized that same Death Eater.
"Impressive, Professor," Sirius said, grinning.
"Leave, Lily!" Minerva shouted behind her. She knew that it would take a lot for James and Lily to abandon their friends.
Minerva appreciated the instinctive loyalty, but she really needed them to leave the cemetery.
"Min!" Lucy and Iolanthe rushed towards Minerva and Sirius, casting spells as they ran.
"You two—go with Lily," Minerva ordered.
"That's why Dad and Charlus sent us over here," Iolanthe argued, "but I'm not going to just abandon my parents and husband!"
"Oh, for the love of God!" Minerva exploded. She flicked her wand again, this time aiding Albus from afar by taking down one of the Death Eaters he was fighting. "There are"—she did a quick scan—"two Death Eaters left, plus Voldemort. Iolanthe, your uncle and I can handle this. Now, go!"
"Minerva, we can't!" Lily shouted, and Minerva could hear an echo of fear in her voice. "For some reason, the Apparition wards are still in place!"
"What do you mean, they're still in place?" Minerva shouted.
Whatever Lily's response would have been, it was interrupted by the sound of Charlus falling to the ground with a large thump, his body crumpled.
Much like in 1966, Minerva felt time slow down.
Iolanthe screamed and ran towards her husband, giving absolutely no thought to her own safety.
Callum ran to his daughter. He did his best to hold her back whilst still duelling. Lucy rushed towards them, clearly ready to pull Iolanthe away.
Lily pushed James aside and sprinted to Iolanthe's side. "It'll be all right. We'll get him help!"
"Lily, get back here!" James yelled. He tried to meet Lily, but Peter, surprisingly strong, held him back.
Somehow, Minerva knew to look at Riddle, his eyes now red. He grinned, and before Minerva knew it, his wand changed targets from Albus to Lily.
"No!" Minerva screamed. Before she could react, a jet of blue light had left Riddle's wand.
Lily turned and instinctively ducked, but Lucy pushed Iolanthe and Lily out of harm's way, fully absorbing the curse herself.
She fell to the ground limply, blood already flowing from her chest.
Then, time resumed its normal speed.
"No!" Callum roared. He ran and began casting hexes and jinxes, easily bringing down the remaining Death Eaters.
Minerva tore her eyes away from her brother—Albus would ensure nothing bad happened to him, she knew. Their only enemy now was Tom bloody Riddle.
She left the men in her life to it, and ran to Lucy's side.
"Lucy, darling, are you with me?" Minerva asked. She felt sick when she saw how pale her sister-in-law was. "Lucy, hold on."
"Min," Lucy rasped, "we both know I'm not leaving the ground. It's a good thing we're already in a cemetery."
"Don't you dare talk like that," Minerva muttered. She Transfigured a blade of grass into a thick piece of gauze and automatically stuck it to Lucy's chest.
"What is that?" Lucy whispered.
"A Muggle technique. I learned it during the war." Minerva pursed her lips when she saw how quickly the blood was running through the material. "Damn it."
"Minerva, the wards are down!" Albus called loudly from his spot where he was battling Riddle. "Get out of here!"
"Iolanthe," Lucy said, as clearly and loudly as she could. "Go. Now."
"But Mum!"
"Now, Iolanthe Mira. Now. Go with the others to Lily's house."
"Mum, I can't leave you and Charlus—"
"Now." Minerva watched as Lucy lifted her head so she could meet her daughter's gaze. "Now. I love you."
Iolanthe sobbed, but let herself be Apparated away by Lily. After a quick glare from Minerva, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter followed suit.
"Oh, Lucy, why did you move?" Minerva groaned. She Transfigured more grass into pieces of gauze. Her frustration crept into her tone. "I'm not a Healer, Luce! I can't fix something of this magnitude."
"Min, look at me." Lucy's eyes fluttered with the effort. "Min, I couldn't just watch as Lily was hit. I couldn't let her be hit while pregnant. Not again. I never want you to go through that again."
"Lucy," Minerva choked, "I appreciate that more than you can know, but—"
"But what, Min? Lily ducked. If the spell hadn't hit Lily, it would have hit Iolanthe. I couldn't let that happen, either. Not to my own daughter."
Minerva began to cry. "Listen, Luce. I'll get Callum over here—Albus can handle Riddle—and then I'll Apparate. I'll try to track down Poppy or Perenelle. I'd Apparate you now to St. Mungo's, but..."
"I'm losing too much blood for Apparition. I know." Lucy winced. "I know it looks bad, Min, but the pain isn't terrible. This isn't the worst way to die."
"You're not allowed to die!" Minerva cried. "You are not allowed to leave me, Lucy McGonagall!"
Lucy smiled loosely. "Take care of Callum and my girls, won't you?"
"You know I will, Luce, but—God!" Minerva sobbed. "Callum, get back here! Cal, you need to be here!"
"Do what you can for Charlus, too," Lucy whispered. "Please."
"Cal!" Minerva screamed. She knew firsthand how terrible this was—to watch your spouse die before your eyes—but she also knew Callum better than she knew almost anyone else in the world.
Callum would want to be with Lucy at the end.
"Callum, get over here!"
Finally, Callum cast one final spell at Riddle before running to his wife's side. "Luce..."
"I love you, Callum Robert McGonagall," Lucy breathed. "I've loved you since I was fifteen."
"Can we do something?" Callum pleaded with his sister. "Do you know any spells?"
"I can try to find Poppy," Minerva said desperately, "but I don't know that I can find her in time, Cal."
"Try, Minnie!" Callum snapped.
"No," Lucy replied weakly. "No, Min, you need to help Albus now."
Minerva snapped her neck up to look at her husband. Albus was duelling Riddle. While Minerva could tell her husband had an edge, she also noticed that Riddle's already-impressive skills had improved.
"Cal?" Minerva asked quietly. She wouldn't leave Lucy and Cal without his permission.
"Go." The word was harsh and curt.
Minerva ran towards Albus, helping where she could by sending spells flying in Riddle's direction.
"Why, Riddle?" Minerva screamed. "Why my family?"
Riddle's response was to merely block Albus' last spell, look Minerva dead in the eye, and then Apparate away.
"Min!" Albus rushed to Minerva and looked her over. "Are you—?"
"I'm fine." Minerva shook her head. "I'm worried about Charlus. And," she gulped, "Lucy."
Albus nodded understandingly. "And the children?"
"They're gone. Presumably to Lily and James'." Minerva desperately searched her husband's face. "You were right, Al. We never should have allowed this to happen. We should have postponed, or—"
"My dear, I highly doubt either of us could have prevented James from hosting this. The best we could do was provide cover. And I'm so very glad we did." Albus kissed the top of her head. "Now, would you like me to see to Charlus, so you can go back to Lucy?"
Minerva nodded, and, for what felt like the hundredth time that hour, ran to her family.
She approached her brother carefully, taking note of how he was draped over Lucy's bleeding body. "Cal?"
Callum looked up at her. His eyes were bloodshot. "She's gone, Minnie. She left me."
"Oh, Cal," Minerva whispered. Her heart broke for her brother. After all, she had been exactly where he was now. "I'm so, so, so sorry."
All she could think to do was what Albus had once done for her: Minerva wrapped her brother in her embrace, and held on tightly as he railed against her.
The death of Lucy McGonagall was not to be honoured with a funeral, Callum had decided. Lucy had died attending a funeral, and Callum felt that to host a ceremony would be an insult to her memory.
Instead, Minerva and Albus joined Callum and his daughters at Peverell Manor. It was protected almost as well as McGonagall Manor, and unlike the cemetery in Godric's Hollow, it wasn't a public space. No one, except Lucy's few remaining relatives, knew where it was located. A small amount of Lucy's ashes had been reserved for Callum, Aoife, and Iolanthe, but the rest were to be released over the small lake at the edge of the Peverell property.
It was the perfect place to pay tribute to Lucy.
Charlus had made almost a full recovery; Poppy had been shocked at the speed of his rehabilitation. He would now always have a limp, but considering the damage that Rosier had done to his hip, Charlus was relatively unscathed. Iolanthe was very thankful for her husband's life, let alone his leg.
When it came to her mother, Iolanthe was stoic. On the other hand, Aoife was distraught. Both women had latched on to Minerva, who was doing her best to help her nieces through their grief. Alice and Charlus were on full childcare duty, watching all five of Lucy and Callum's grandchildren. Albus helped when he could disappear from Hogwarts—he knew from Minerva that Iolanthe, Aoife, and Callum were in no position to help.
All in all, the McGonagall family was doing what it did best in times of tragedy: it rallied, and did so together.
Minerva, however, had someone else occupying her thoughts.
James had been inconsolable upon learning of Lucy's death. He had written to Callum, apologizing profusely. He felt guilty that Lucy had died at his parents' funeral. James wanted nothing more than to make it up to Callum—even going so far as to offer himself up as Callum's personal punching bag. Callum's response had been to visit James with Minerva, and hug him tightly. Minerva had no idea what her brother had said to her son, but Callum's words seemed to work wonders. Finally feeling somewhat alleviated of his guilt, James asked if he and Lily could go to Peverell Manor.
Callum had firmly forbade it.
"I'm afraid not," he had denied. "You two are worth too much. Keep yourselves—and the baby—as safe as you can."
Minerva knew that Callum had said that out of love for his time-warped nephew, and she loved her brother all the more for it.
"Are you ready, my dear?" Albus asked Minerva quietly. They had given Hogwarts' wards to Filius for the day so that they could fully give their attention to their family.
Now, they were sitting in their bedroom at McGonagall Manor, waiting to Apparate to Peverell Manor.
"Is one ever ready to throw their sister's ashes into a lake?" Minerva scoffed. She gulped. "Oh, Al, I didn't mean..."
"I know something of what you're going through." Albus smiled wryly. "I can tell you that no, no one ever feels ready to throw their sister's ashes into a lake."
Minerva sighed, but looked at him gratefully. "This may sound horribly insensitive of me, but I feel sadder now than I did when Diana died. Seeing as Diana was my actual sister, I feel a bit disloyal, to be truthful."
"If I may be so bold," Albus said, his voice soft, "Lucy was more of a sister to you than Diana was."
"I loved Diana."
"Yes, you did. Of course you did, my dear. You were sisters. But you and Lucy? You were friends before you were sisters. You confided in Lucy as a teenager; if I recall correctly, you never had that relationship with Diana. Besides, when Diana died, it was during Muggle and wizarding wars. Death was everywhere. You saw that on the front. You were more desensitized to it then. After all," Albus added, "I've kept you away from the fighting this time around."
"I feel like I didn't feel this...despondent."
"My dear, dear, wife." Albus cupped her cheek. "Do you remember when I told you that Diana died? You were in your hospital bed, and you immediately began to weep."
"Yes, of course I remember."
"Well, you were plenty despondent then," Albus chuckled. "You cried in my arms for an hour."
Minerva's eyes widened. "It couldn't have been that long!"
"Oh, but it was." He kissed her forehead. "You may have had a closer relationship with Lucy—which makes sense, seeing as you knew her for decades more—but you still grieved Diana. Don't ever doubt that."
"Thank you, Al." Minerva squeezed his free hand. "I needed that."
"Now, shall we be off?"
Minerva nodded and allowed Albus to lead her to the fireplace.
"Hi, Minerva. Albus." Alice nodded sadly at them upon their arrival. "Everyone else is outside."
"We're sorry if we held you up," Albus apologized.
Alice waved her hand. "No, you didn't. After all, we have an unfair advantage. We've all been staying here together since...well, since it happened."
Minerva hugged Alice and said, "Let's go outside and join the others then, shall we?"
It was a peaceful afternoon, slightly breezy, with small amounts of snow covering the highest of hills that surrounded Peverell Manor. The sun was bright and warm, and the usual creatures that roamed the property were silent.
Almost reverent, Minerva thought. It was as though the land knew it had lost one of its own.
Callum silently handed Minerva a small container of what she presumed were Lucy's ashes. "Here's the last of it," her brother said gruffly. "We'll all be spreading some together over the lake."
"Cal, why don't you save some?" Minerva suggested gently. "There's no need to waste some on me."
"Lucy would have wanted you to be involved in this," Callum replied. "Besides, I don't want to keep any of these ashes. The girls have taken some to keep, but I can't. I thought I could, but..." He shook his head. "This is a poor substitute for Lucy, and I doubt it would do me any good."
Minerva nodded understandingly. After all, she had made a similar decision after Aidan had passed away, and she knew it wasn't an easy choice. "All right. Thank you for letting me be a part of this."
"Come," Callum said as he held out his arm.
Minerva looked at Albus, who smiled sadly. Sighing, Minerva wrapped her arm around her brother's elbow as they walked to the edge of the water.
"The girls each want to say something," Callum muttered. "I think I will, too. You don't have to if you don't want to."
"I'd like to," Minerva said softly. "I loved Lucy."
Callum sniffled. "God, this hurts."
"I know."
"I know you do," Callum whispered. "We're quite the pair, aren't we?"
"We've endured our fair share of tragedy," Minerva admitted, "but we've also been extremely fortunate."
He nodded and released Minerva as they arrived at their destination.
"Hey, Aunt Min," Iolanthe said.
"Hi, sweetheart," Minerva replied in greeting. She opened her arms as Aoife flew into them. "Oh, darling. I'm so, so sorry."
Minerva looked over her niece's shoulder to see Albus Conjure a few chairs for himself, Charlus, Alice, and the children. She smiled at him gratefully and wiped her eyes.
"Shall we get started?" she asked. "Is there anyone that would like to go first?"
"I will," Iolanthe declared. She held her hand open. "Mum, I love you. As Uncle Albus says, death is just another adventure. I hope you're out there adventuring, so that when we meet again, you have some decent stories to tell me. Thank you for everything." Her voice broke on the last word, but Iolanthe kept her composure long enough to release Lucy's ashes into the wind.
"I'm going to keep this short," Aoife whispered. She withdrew herself from Minerva's embrace and sighed. "Mum, I love you. I'll always be devastated that the kids and I didn't have more time with you, but I am so grateful for the time we did have."
Aoife, too, opened her small box and let the ashes fall into the wind and over the lake.
"Minnie, you next," Callum said.
"Lucy," Minerva began, "you have helped me more times in my life than I care to admit. You have been a guiding light and a shoulder to cry on since we were at Hogwarts. I love you for loving me and treating me like a sister, but more than anything, I love you for the way you loved my nieces and my brother."
Callum started to cry.
"I miss you," Minerva whispered. She opened the box Callum had given her and watched as the remnants of Lucy drifted off into the wind.
"I don't quite remember living my life without you, Lucy mine," Callum said after a time. "We've done everything together since Hogwarts. We were true partners. Walking alone isn't as enticing as walking with you. I'm sorry I couldn't give you forever, Luce." He scattered his allocation of ashes before walking silently back to the house.
"Oh, Cal," Minerva called, but he didn't stop.
"I'll get him," Aoife said gently, and she went chasing after her father.
Minerva moved to follow, but Iolanthe stopped her with a firm grasp on her arm.
"Iolanthe?"
"Aunt Min," Iolanthe uttered quietly, "would I be able to talk to you, please?"
"Of course." Minerva nodded at Albus, who left with Charlus, Alice, and the children. She gestured for Iolanthe to sit. "What's on your mind?"
"A lot," Iolanthe snorted. "But there's one thing in particular I wanted to discuss with you."
"And what would that be, dear?"
"The Potters' funeral was the first time that I had ever met Lily or James." Iolanthe looked her aunt in the eye so that she would know what would follow. "They look shockingly like Athena and Dalton, wouldn't you say? Of course, their eyes have somehow swapped places, but other than that?" Iolanthe shrugged. "It's as clear as day."
"Mira," Minerva warned, using her niece's middle name. She and Albus had known this was a risk when James had invited Iolanthe and Charlus to the funeral, but they hadn't been able to dissuade James. "Please don't."
"Don't what, Aunt Min?" Iolanthe crossed her arms. "Don't ask how or why these two random former students of yours look exactly like my deceased cousins? I can't be the first person who has asked you about the resemblance."
"Actually, you are," Minerva confessed. "No one at Hogwarts has ever mentioned it."
"I wonder if the Unspeakables somehow charmed the memories of each professor," Iolanthe mused. "Seeing as it was probable they would end up being educated at Hogwarts again."
"Well, Albus and I didn't have our memories modified, so I doubt that theory."
"Maybe the Ministry knew better than to try to get to you," Iolanthe challenged. After a moment of silence, she sighed and tucked her raven hair behind her ear. "Aunt Min, I need to know. Please. I won't tell Aoife or Dad—hell, I won't even tell Charlus, though Merlin knows he wondered."
"Iolanthe, please," Minerva whispered. "I don't know what answer you want from me."
"I want the truth. Are James and Lily Potter somehow Dalton and Athena?"
Minerva blinked in an attempt to stay tear-free. "Mira..."
"Is everything all right?" Albus called softly from behind them, and Minerva knew that he had returned after feeling her desolation through their bond.
"Uncle Albus, could you please come here?" Iolanthe asked. Once he had, she added, "I'm asking Aunt Min a personal question she doesn't seem to want to answer. I'm hoping you will answer it for me."
Albus looked startled. "I'm not sure I can answer a personal question meant for Minerva."
"You can—it's personal for you, too. Uncle Al, did Dalton and Athena somehow survive and end up in new lives as James and Lily Potter?" Iolanthe looked between them imploringly. "Or am I to believe that you two had more children with other partners, kept said children secret, and then gave them away for adoption?"
"Mira—" Minerva started, but her niece kept talking.
"You should also keep in mind that Lily told me her mother's name is Violet." Iolanthe crossed her arms. "Apparently, if their baby is a girl, they're considering a flower name. It's a bit of an Evans family tradition." She cocked an eyebrow. "And I would believe that, except I know that Athena Marigold Dumbledore-Williams' mother was also called Violet."
"I'm impressed," Albus uttered quietly. "You've given this a great deal of thought.
Iolanthe scoffed. "I didn't give this a lot of thought, Uncle Al. I'm merely observant. You can't possibly expect me to believe that my parents didn't figure this out." Her eyes widened. "Unless they already knew."
Minerva didn't know what to say, but her husband decided to step in for her. "They did, but we didn't tell them."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Iolanthe asked. "So they figured it out? How would they even have met James and Lily before the Order?"
"That," Albus said firmly, "is a question for your father. I can appreciate your curiosity, but please respect that that is his story to tell you."
"Why did they get to know? Why couldn't the family know?"
"Iolanthe, darling, it's not that simple!" Minerva pleaded. "Truly, it's not. This whole thing is a complex, unprecedented situation. We had to mitigate it as best we could, and that meant not telling anyone who didn't absolutely need to know."
"Aunt Min," Iolanthe said, and Minerva was dismayed to see tears falling down her niece's face, "I love you. I believe I can understand why you'd want to keep something like this a secret—I'd likely do the same for my own girls. I'm an adult and a parent, and I can understand the need for secrecy. But I'm also your niece. Your goddaughter. I loved Dalton and Athena. How could you possibly think I wouldn't keep this secret? It would have been better than thinking they had died!"
"I'm so sorry, Mira," Minerva begged. "I truly am."
"I know you are. But I'm...I'm hurt." Iolanthe shook her head. "I need a while, Aunt Min."
As Iolanthe walked away, Albus suddenly felt a strong pull of despair. He knew that little mattered more to Minerva than her nieces, and she had never done anything before to warrant this sort of anger.
He could feel his wife crumpling, and he needed to take her home.
"My dear, let's head back to the Manor. I'll send word to Filius that he must keep the wards through the night. Poppy can assist him if required."
Minerva only had the strength to nod.
When Minerva and Albus returned to the Manor, and he slipped into bed beside her, she rolled into his chest and sobbed.
Voldemort removed his head from the basin of Malfoy's Pensieve and sighed. He was frustrated, and frustration was not a sensation that he enjoyed. James and Lily Potter had been on his mind since the failed attack at the cemetery.
Well, it hadn't been a complete failure. He had succeeded in killing Minerva McGonagall's sister-in-law. Just the thought of Minerva's screams brought a smirk to his lips.
After the attack on the Evans' house, Voldemort had wanted to see James and Lily Potter in the wild, so to speak. And now, he realized, they had escaped his clutches twice. Only the idiotically-named Longbottoms and Minerva and Dumbledore had done so more than these lucky teenagers.
Voldemort had planned this attack with the help of the young, rather imbecilic boy Peter Pettigrew. He had hated to interrupt the funeral of two well-respected Purebloods, but when Pettigrew had crawled out of the shadows of the Order to turn to his own cause, well, Voldemort had felt the boy may be worth listening to. Even though the battle hadn't gone to plan, Pettigrew's information had been correct, and Pettigrew had proved his utility to Voldemort.
Pettigrew had happily offered up his memories in order to prove further loyalty to Voldemort. This included flashbacks to his Hogwarts days, along with the werewolf Lupin and the blood-traitor Potter. It was all very interesting; Voldemort found it helpful to understand more about the upbringing of Lily Evans and James Potter. The girl's friendship with Severus Snape had caused Voldemort to raise one of his no-longer-existent eyebrows, but what intrigued him more was Minerva's clear interest had in both Evans and Potter.
It was always only in the shadow of Pettigrew's memories, but Voldemort could see it. An extra millisecond spent at Evans' desk, a lingering look on Potter after he answered a question in class. It wouldn't be obvious to just anyone, but Voldemort knew Minerva McGonagall better than she would ever admit.
He knew her desolation when he saw it. After all, he had caused more than his fair share.
With this memory, Voldemort now had a strong hunch about Lily and James Potter, and the earlier deaths of their doppelgängers, Athena and Dalton Scrimgeour.
He needed to pay a visit to the Ministry.
Three days later, after having ingested a fine batch of Snape's already-brewed Polyjuice Potion, Voldemort looked the part of Abraxas Malfoy.
Voldemort didn't particularly care for the long hair, but he liked that everyone cowered when he passed.
Power, when paired with the right appearance, proved quite effective.
He made his way to the Unspeakables department, where one of his lesser-known Death Eaters, Wilkes, ushered him in the door.
"Hello, Lor...Mr. Malfoy, sir," Wilkes muttered, bobbing his head in deference.
"I'd like to see the files I asked for, Wilkes," Voldemort sneered.
Wilkes led him to a back room, and then unlocked three more rooms to unveil a door that said "CLASSIFIED" in big, bold letters.
"Who is normally allowed in here, Wilkes?" Voldemort asked quietly. "Will I be disturbed?"
"No, sir." Wilkes shook his head vehemently. "The only people with keys are McGonagall and Lockhart. I cast an Imperio on Lockhart. That's how I retrieved the keys; I made him give them to me, and then I cast a memory charm. He and McGonagall are in a meeting with the Minister for the next few hours."
Voldemort nodded approvingly. "Well done, Wilkes. If the information I require can be found in these files, I will be sure to reward you accordingly."
Wilkes smiled nervously. "Thank you, sir. Here, I'll give you the key. You can take that, and meet me outside when you've finished. I'll guard the door."
"That'll do, Wilkes." Voldemort took the key and then turned to face the files. He heard Wilkes shut the door as he left, and then Voldemort began his search.
He found the Classified: Time Travel file easily enough, but it was larger than he had expected. Sifting through it, Voldemort found a slim folder within it entitled Time Travel and Soul Bonds.
"Are they bonded?" he wondered aloud. Upon opening the folder, Voldemort grinned. That would explain how Minerva's green eyes—the eyes that he would know anywhere—had shifted from Dalton Scrimgeour to Lily Potter.
Finally, this was precisely the type of information he had been searching for.
He read about the Unspeakables' interest in time travel involving couples with soul bonds. The Ministry was curious to see what effects bonds had on time travel, and if the bond could withstand it. Only the most senior officials in the Unspeakables department were privy to the research, and only one person knew the identities of those that decided to take the plunge and leave their lives behind forever.
"Aha!" Voldemort exclaimed triumphantly. Looking down the list of names, he found the two that he was looking for: Athena and Dalton Scrimgeour.
Furiously, Voldemort read through the file. He read about the promises the Ministry made to the young, bereaved couple. The Unspeakables had promised them that they would be guaranteed to find their way to each other again—apparently, they had a rather strong bond. When they had travelled in time, the de-aging potion they had taken had contained a monitoring spell. The monitoring spell in question would allow the Unspeakables to keep tabs on the people they were unceremoniously dumping into another life.
"What imbecile would agree to this? Complete Ministerial supervision," he murmured, shaking his head. "A desperate imbecile, I suppose."
Voldemort kept reading. He learned that Athena's new family was chosen because of her Muggle mother's identity—that fact had made Voldemort raise his eyebrows. He never would have thought Dumbledore would fornicate with a Muggle. The entirety of Violet Williams' family had had their memories modified to make them believe that Lily Evans had been born a few years after her real half-sister. The same had been done to James Potter's adoptive parents and family.
What was very interesting was that their intended destination—the one the Ministry had originally approved was—1842.
So who had changed their temporal destination, and why? Why had someone gone to the trouble of modifying the memories of two separate families simply to keep Athena and Dalton Scrimgeour in this time?
If it had been to screw with Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore, Voldemort certainly understood the urge, but he didn't know anyone else hated them to that degree.
When his eyes found the name of the responsible party, Voldemort grinned.
His old, now-dead accomplice, Katrina Rowle. Someone who hated McGonagall and Dumbledore with every fibre of her being. Someone who had meddled in time for her own gain. Before her death, she must have travelled to this time and fixed this—arranged it so that McGonagall's son would still be ripe and available for Voldemort to do with what he liked. Plus, Voldemort discovered, she was the reason the young couple had kept their appearances.
This was why Katrina hadn't been concerned with Minerva's baby when they had attacked Aidan Scrimgeour all those years ago. Voldemort had wondered about that, and now he had his answer.
She had already infiltrated the Ministry and taken care of the problem. Voldemort didn't quite understand how the timeline had upheld Katrina's actions, but Katrina had meddled with so many timelines that he was surprised they all hadn't ended up dead.
But truly, Voldemort mused, the how didn't matter to him. All he cared about was the what, and he had Minerva McGonagall's son ripe for the slaughter.
And now, knowing what he knew, Voldemort would finish the job.
He would murder James and Lily Potter.
Even if it killed him—which, he thought with a grin, it wouldn't.
It couldn't.
A/N: I cried writing this, then editing this, and then re-editing it...as it turns out, I was quite attached to Lucy McGonagall.