Argh sorry for the late update! I completely forgot! I hope it was at least worth the wait?
15 July 1997
Minerva had gone to Caithness for the weekend. It had not been Minerva's idea—in her mind, she still believed that she should really have stayed at Hogwarts. But Helen had insisted and Pomona had told Minerva, indirectly, that this was likely the last time she would be able to see her family before things settled again. Pomona was right.
Minerva had spoken to Malcolm the night he had stayed with her at the castle. She had encouraged him that he best start making plans to go into hiding. He and Helen were financially in a good position to do that—Minerva had added that if need be she could help support them too—and she additionally advised that the rest of the family go with them.
Though Malcolm had seemed less than keen to go without her, Minerva knew that he was making plans to leave. She knew she could not go with them, and so seeing her brother and sister-in-law one last time felt important, if sad.
As more morbid thoughts crossed Minerva's mind she tried to shake herself and, when that did not work, she finally accepted defeat and left her bedroom en route to the kitchen downstairs. It was five o'clock in the morning and she had barely managed to get a wink of sleep. It was always the same, this time of year. But, considering everything else that had happened recently, and was still happening, Minerva felt even worse than she usually did in July.
"Oh, Helen!" she said, her hand flying to her chest when she noticed that the kitchen was not empty like she had expected it to be.
"Morning, dear," Helen said, smiling tiredly. "I've made some tea if you would like some. Earl Grey."
Minerva got herself a mug and came to sit opposite Helen at the kitchen table. "What are you doing up so early?"
"Malcolm was snoring," she replied, "absolutely deafening," she added, rolling her eyes and smiling. Minerva smiled weakly in return, but she had a distinct impression that Helen was not quite telling the whole truth. "You?"
"Early bird catches the worm," Minerva said. She paused and looked away at her fingers and her mug instead. "I must return to Hogwarts before lunch."
It was not usual for silence to fill the air when Minerva and Helen were together. Particularly not an uncomfortable silence, for this is what had currently filled the room: a heavy and uncomfortable silence.
Finally, Helen cleared her throat. "I didn't realise you would be leaving us so soon."
"It is best that way," Minerva said quietly. "You need to get yourselves organised before you leave and—and I must return to help at Hogwarts."
Helen was silent for a moment — Minerva was under the impression that she was trying her best to think of what to say. Finally, she cleared her throat.
"Minerva you could come with us," she said. "I know Malcolm has spoken to you before, and you have spoken to him. And really, you don't need me to tell you that we would be more than happy—hopeful even—if you would change your mind and come with us. But I really want you to understand that that is the absolute truth. Please come with us."
"I cannot, Helen," Minerva replied. "I must return to Hogwarts and do the best I can to help."
"But after Dumbledore—"
"Especially after what happened to Albus," Minerva insisted. She pressed her lips tightly together as the image of Albus' face surfaced in her mind. She did not mention his name if she could help it. Some day she would be able to without having her heart hurt so much that it felt difficult to breathe, she thought. But that day would not come for a long time still.
"Helen I did not come to have my mind changed. It is made up, and you know as well as I do, how stubborn I can be."
Helen nodded and wiped her eyes. "I do," she said.
"Then there is no point wasting time trying to convince me to stay," Minerva said gently. "I came to say goodbye. Not forever," she added pointedly, "but for quite some time before we can all be together again."
"We will miss you terribly. The grandchildren especially."
"I will too."
Helen reached out to hold Minerva's hand that was resting on the table. "Stay for lunch at least."
"Helen—"
"For me?" Helen said, speaking over Minerva's protests. "We all love you dearly, Minerva. We may not see each other again for several months."
Helen looked at Minerva and Minerva felt herself grow quite emotional all of a sudden. She swallowed and nodded. "I can stay for lunch," she said hoarsely. "I would like that very much."
Helen smiled and she squeezed Minerva's hand. "Good. I'm glad." She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "I did want to discuss something else—well, not discuss necessarily but—erm—I was cleaning out the attic yesterday and I found something that should be returned to you."
Minerva raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"
Helen put her hand in her pocket and retrieved something from it. She appeared to hesitate before she stretched her arm out across the table towards Minerva and opened her hand.
Minerva instantly gasped. A small silver ring was resting quite innocently in the palm of Helen's hand.
"I thought it was yours. The fated engagement ring we all thought Elphinstone dropped coming back from the loch," Helen said. "It must have fallen off after we returned when you both went upstairs to find those books for your mum."
Minerva reached out to pick the ring up. She had been terribly upset when it had been lost. None of them had thought to use a charm to retrieve it because they all believed it to be buried underneath some mud somewhere between Loch Scarmclate and the manse. Minerva couldn't believe that it had been sitting in the attic for over a decade gathering dust.
She cleared her throat. "Thank you, Helen."
Helen smiled weakly. "Lucky our nephew wants to learn how to drive," she said. "I only went upstairs to find Malcolm's old driving manuals. Robert has been nagging me for weeks."
Minerva nodded distractedly — she was too absorbed in rotating the small ring between her fingers. Elphinstone had had it engraved: 2nd July 1982; the last and successful time he had proposed. The wedding had happened barely a month later on July 30th. It had been a small and private event, though neither Elphisntone nor Minerva had wanted it any other way.
"Auntie Helen?"
Helen and Minerva looked up at the sound of their great-niece's summons. It was followed by the soft sound of slippered feet coming down the wooden staircase.
"Minerva, I am going to say this now," Helen said, quickly and quietly. She moved to sit beside Minerva and she held on tightly to her sister-in-law's hands. "And I promise I will only say this once."
Minerva frowned slightly but nodded for Helen to proceed.
"Don't you dare put yourself in any danger—"
"Helen—"
"No, listen to me, Minerva. I am being absolutely serious," Helen said firmly. She pressed her lips together for a moment as a bottom lip trembled and uncharacteristic tears pooled in her eyes. "We need you very much to return. If it's a few months, a year, or several," she added, "you must promise me that you will not put yourself in any more danger than you are already in."
"Aunt Minerva?" The muffled footsteps of their great-niece were sounding closer and closer.
Helen tightened her grip on Minerva's hand. "Promise me, Minerva. Losing Robert and Florence was—terrible. Then your father, your mother and Elphinstone..." she trailed away. "Minerva we need you very much—"
"Are you ignoring me?"
Helen stood up abruptly and brushed the tears from her eyes, as the kitchen door swung open to admit 7-year-old Meg.
"Of course not, darling," she said, and Minerva was aware of the forced nature of Helen's smile. "Breakfast?"
"Yes, please."
Meg slid onto a stool beside Minerva's at the kitchen table. "You left so many books in your old bedroom, Aunt Minerva," she said. "I was reading Little Women last night. Uncle Malcolm said that it belonged to his mum."
"I believed it did at one time," Minerva recalled. "Are you enjoying it?"
"Enjoying it!" Meg scoffed. "I don't think I slept a wink last night."
Minerva smiled, and even Helen managed a weak chuckle as she placed a bowl of porridge in front of Meg. "Eat up quickly if you still want to go to church with your uncle. He should be down in a moment."
Meg plunged her spoon into the steaming porridge. Helen had put some honey with it, and the look on Meg's face as she gulped down her breakfast proved that she appreciated it.
"Will you come, Aunt Minerva?"
"Don't speak with your mouth full, Meghan," Helen said.
Meg blushed and swallowed her food. "Sorry," she apologised. She turned to look at Minerva expectantly. When Minerva did not say anything immediately, Meg's shoulders sagged slightly. "You're going back to Hogwarts aren't you?"
Minerva sighed. "I am afraid so."
"Will you come back for my birthday?"
There was a short pause. Minerva caught Helen's eye, and a look passed between them. Helen returned to sit at the table.
"I can hear Malcolm now," she told Meg. "Finish quickly and then get dressed."
Sufficiently distracted by Helen's words and the sound of her great-uncle coming down the stairs, Meg shovelled the last spoonfuls of porridge into her mouth. She then clambered off her chair and, quickly saying goodbye to Minerva and Helen, she left the kitchen and ran up to her room to get dressed for church.
Helen looked at Minerva.
"Go with them. Malcolm would like that," she said. "I'll make lunch and then—and then we can say our goodbyes."
