AN: Wow, thank you so much for the last few reviews on my story. I am very glad that you guys are enjoying my interpretation of what happened after the main story ended, I'm having a lot of fun fleshing out these relationships and giving some more backstory to Albus and Minerva. More on that front will be coming!
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Chapter Thirteen: The Hogwarts Days
Thankfully Harry had made contact with the werewolf pack before the Werewolf Capture Unit could get their hands on them, since Remus, perhaps wrongly so, he had a soft spot for werewolves and had trained his unit to talk to them first before taking any action.
His previous thoughts before the mission were correct, it was a harmless fringe group that banded together for transformations and would only harm livestock. So after brokering a deal with their leader Amicald, the two groups parted ways, with the werewolves moving to a different location to protect themselves.
After arriving home, he discussed Minerva's letter with Ginny who seemed equally as shocked as he was, the pair finding it hard to process the experience of watching Minerva talk to them as if nothing had happened. She had insisted on reading the letter again, but ended up returning to the room with the same wide-eyed expression they had both worn the first time around.
"It just seems so surreal watching her." Ginny swallowed hard and gave her head a small shake as if to regain her composure.
Ginny closed the letter and folded it back together gently, her warm eyes on her husband who was looking at the window. He was attempting to mask his expression but she could see the pain written all over him. "Harry, will you come and sit down?" She gestured to the empty seat next to her on the sofa.
He looked at her and hesitated, Ginny frowned at him briefly. "Please?" She added.
Harry walked over and sat down next to her, pulling her to him tightly as he sighed. She passed him the letter which he took and placed into his robe pockets again. "I don't want her to die, Harry, but we both know she isn't herself right now."
"It just doesn't feel right. I don't want to take her things, the;re hers and she's still here." Harry leaned into Ginny as she raked her fingers through his hair.
"Well let's look at it from a different perspective. We aren't taking her things, just helping to safekeep them for the moment."
"I know, I know… you're right." He breathed. "Plus Hermione would probably kill me herself if I don't do it."
Ginny laughed as she nuzzled herself in the crook of Harry's arm. "Yeah, she would and…. I'd let her."
"I love you too Gin." Harry responded laughing as he placed a warm kiss on Ginny's lips, she smiled underneath his and deepened it for a moment. Teasing him as she ran a hand up his chest.
Harry let out a low sigh whilst Ginny peeled herself away from him. "Take that to Hermione and Ron's, 'cause when you get back there's more where that came from." She finished, giving him a cheeky wink as she stood up and left the room to get ready for work.
He grinned at the playful cheekiness of his wife, she knew exactly how to drive him crazy. So he stood up, and headed outside.
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Harry apparated himself to the Weasley's house and rapped on the door, Ron quickly answered it and the pair pulled themselves in for a quick hug.
"Good to see you mate, did the werewolves give you any trouble?" Ron asked, as the pair walked into the kitchen where Hermione was reading the morning paper.
"No, not at all. It was a misunderstanding between muggles and the pack, I had a long chat with their leader and they've moved on."
Hermione looked up from her paper and shot Harry a quizzical look. She also worked in the Ministry, they previously worked in the same department but Hermione had become undersecretary for Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt in preparation for when she would become the Minister of Magic herself. "I don't want to know the rest of this story, do I?"
Harry grinned. "Probably best if you didn't."
She smiled back at him and put her paper away, she withdrew her wand and conjured hot breakfast tea for the three of them. The boys gladly took their seats either side of her at the kitchen table.
"As I promised Hermione, I said I would tell you when I read Minerva's letter from the Ministry."
Ron reached over and held onto Hermione's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as he did so. She clung onto her mug of tea equally as tightly. "What did it say?"
He took the letter from his robes and passed it to her as he explained that the letter was actually a magical recording of Minerva, and if she wanted to view it she could but just to prepare herself beforehand "She laid out what she wanted to do with her affairs if she passed, or couldn't take care of her things anymore. She left messages for each of us, but it was something else that caught my attention in particular."
Hermione looked at the letter in Harry's hand curiously. "Can I see it?" Harry nodded and passed it over to her. He then grabbed his cup of tea and stood up surprising both her and Ron.
"Sorry guys,I'm not up to seeing it again so soon, I'll just nip in the other room and you can give me a shout when you're done?"
Hermione nodded and Harry left the room, she quickly opened the letter and found the illusion of Minerva springing to life in front of her. By the time she had finished, her eyes welled with tears and her face mirrored that of Harry's when he had first seen it. A mix between shock and sadness all in one. Ron, a master of breaking the tension, craned his head over to read it too, but his reaction was much less subtle. "Fucking hell Harry! She left you guys near enough everything!"
Harry felt a lick of anger rise within him, catching him off guard. He knew that Ron didn't mean any harm with his comment, but the thought of Minerva never coming back to them stung deeply. "She hasn't left anything, Ron. She isn't going to anytime soon either!" He said, his voice rising to a shout unexpectedly.
Hermione swatted at Ron who mumbled a quick apology under his breath.
"Harry…" Hermione soothed. "You're right that she hasn't left anything but she has given you a job to do."
She paused and slid the letter back across the table to Harry. "I know." He replied sadly.
There three then drifted into silence, Harry looked at the letter on the table and played with his hands in an anxious sort of way.
Hermione looked at him thoughtfully for a second. "Do you want me to come with you?"
Harry looked at his two best friends, feeling thankful for their unwavering support and how they could understand what each other needed without having to ask. He nodded lightly, and Hermione responded by getting her coat and sending a patronus message to Kingsley to explain her absence at work for the day.
He smiled in her direction thankfully. "You're the best Hermione."
"-and she knows it!" Ron added, causing all three of them to burst into laughter.
-MP-
Both Harry and Hermione were walking through the Weasley's front garden, heading towards the designated apparition point that was some distance from the house. During the war it was essential to have distance between the apparition point and where you lived as one of many safety measures that were put into place. Hermione had insisted on keeping to the rule long after the war. One of her own war time scars, a lingering fear long after the threat had been eliminated.
Hermione had a certain expression when she was lost in thought, she would gently bite her lip and her eyes would darken, just a hint, as if she had retreated into her own mind. Light would come flooding back into them when she was ready to share her latest idea.
She paused after opening the gate and Harry followed suit. She looked at him as she tucked her scarf into her coat ready to apparate, still with a slight distant look to her. "I think we should go through her office first."
Harry admitted to himself that he hadn't really planned out how he was going to sort and store all of Minerva's belongings, and was glad to have some input from Hermione.
"Sure… we could do that. But may I ask, why?"
Hermione grabbed Harry's hand. "Well she's asking you to sort through her things, to keep them safe. I assume that is because she doesn't want anybody finding things they shouldn't. What better place for that to happen than-"
"- Hogwarts." Harry finished, an exasperated groan leaving his lips as he spoke. That was one place he wished to avoid.
"I understand Harry. I do." She emphasised. "But we need to do it."
"I know… I know…" Harry responded. "Come on, let's just face it."
They squeezed each other's hand and apparated to the Hogwarts apparition point in Hogsmeade.
The castle loomed in the background, it was a foggy winter night. The tallest of the Hogwarts turrets were obscured by the clouds. It was an image that once brought him a sense of comfort but now caused a knot to form in his stomach.
"Do you think we should have written in advance?" Harry asked, suddenly aware of their lack of planning thus far.
Hermione giggled, as they both trudged up the path to the castle entrance. "Yeah, probably."
"I guess some things never change with us." He mused, relaxing slightly as they reached the gargoyle guarded gates. He requested to see Professor Flitwick and the gargoyles closed their eyes, it was only a matter of being patient and waiting for a response from within the castle.
A few minutes later the gargoyle's eyes flew open and spoke coldly to them. "The Headmaster will be with you shortly."
Both Harry and Hermione exchanged anxious looks, in preparation Harry took out the letter from his robes and stared ahead. Moments later they would hear the entrance door swing open followed by shuffling footsteps down to the gate they were standing behind."
"Ahhh…. Mr Potter and Mrs Granger, what can I do for the two of you this evening?"
Professor Flitwick looked much older, Harry thought to himself, his hair was white and there were much deeper lines upon his face, but noticeably, the same warmth exuded from him which seemed to always reach his eyes.
"We're here because of Minerva." Harry said simply, the professor looked over him thoughtfully before answering.
"How is she?" Flitwick asked. Harry broke their eye contact for a second before resuming it. "She's in a long term ward at St Mungo's. As you know she was gravely ill with dragon pox and during treatment she had a seizure and…." Harry trailed off, as his voice strained in his throat.
Hermione brushed his arm supportively, finishing the story for him. "She has unfortunately lost her memory and has been placed in long term care. That's why we are here, Professor Flitwick."
"Please, call me Filius." He responded calmly. Hermione then finished the update on what had been going on with Minerva and explained her wishes as outlined in her will which is why they needed to gain access to the castle.
"Of course! Of course! You can both come in, you know where her office and private quarters are, do you not?"
Harry nodded, and the three of them made their way inside Hogwarts. Professor Flitwick parted ways with them whilst Harry and Hermione made their way to Minerva's private quarters.
Once inside, Hermione looked in awe at all of the books that adorned the walls, her eyes bright with an almost childlike wonder.
Harry nudged her gently with his arm. "Some things never change." He murmured. She smiled in reply. "No, they don't."
"I wonder what she wanted us to find here." Harry said as he looked around the room. "From what I remember there isn't anything other than parchment and books." He paced around the room opening draws carefully to examine the contents.
Hermione however, was drawn to the books and let her fingers skim gently over the hefty volumes. "This really is an awful lot of books." She mumbled. "Is this the full collection?"
Harry shook his head. "No there is more in her office, these seem to be where she kept the overflow."
Her hand paused on books that caught her eye, pulling them out slowly and pushing them back as she went. She took a step back and looked at the bookshelves as a whole, they arched around the corner finishing near Minerva's bedroom door. Harry meanwhile, was still searching the furniture being careful not to disturb things too much.
Hermione stopped at the corner bookcase, bringing her face close to the books, noticing that some titles didn't seem to match the rest of the room. Minerva's collection focused on Transfiguration and Charm Work but these books seemed a mish mash from autobiographies to household spells, and one unmarked green leather book. Slightly shorter than the rest but appeared much newer.
She tugged it from the shelf which was followed by a loud clunking sound, causing Hermione to jump back.
Harry spun around and saw the book in Hermione's hand, he was about to ask her where she had found it when the remaining books began to move by themselves. Shifting positions, moving up and down, spinning and twirling until they locked into place. They withdrew themselves into the wall which revealed a tall cabinet, of the same dark wood the rest of the furniture in the room was made out of.
He raced over, immediately reaching out to open the cabinet when Hermione stopped him. "We should be careful Harry."
Harry shuffled in annoyance trying to shrug off Hermione's hand. "Minerva wouldn't hurt us Hermione."
"It's not us she would want to keep out." She responded. "Also, this is Minerva we are talking about. She wouldn't leave something important unprotected."
"Good point." Harry agreed. He then took out his wand and muttered under his breath as his wand moved around it. "There is some warding in place." Harry added, mumbling more incantations as he moved. "I think I can get through it."
"I can help." Hermione added. "Just tell me the steps." She took out her own wand and followed Harry's lead and after nearly an hour had passed the wards were broken and the pair were free to open the closet.
"How did you get through, Harry?" Hermione looked a bit shocked, dark circles appearing under her eyes after the intense spellwork.
"She's a master at what she does, but it wasn't wards that were protecting this cabinet Hermione." He tucked his wand away and raised his palms to the handle. "It just required somebody she trusted."
Hermione nodded and put away her own wand. Looking nervously at Harry and the cabinet. A thousand things running through both of their minds, reminders of what they went through as teenagers, always expecting the worst and having to remind themselves there wasn't danger in every step.
"Are you ready?" She asked Harry, who tried to smile confidently in response. "Yeah, I suppose."
He undid the lock and pulled open the heavy cabinet doors, they were carved from strong, dark wood which gave it a foreboding feel by itself. The heaviness of the doors added to the suspense he felt within him, what was so important that Minerva would need to lock it away within the walls of Hogwarts itself?
Finally with one last forceful tug he opened the doors fully to reveal its content. He froze, staring in at it whilst Hermione let out a loud gasp from behind him.
"What on earth?" He heard her say, he turned to her and found her covering her mouth with her hands.
Harry swung his head back and forth in disbelief, at the cabinet and his best friend. "I-… I…"
-MP-
