Minerva McGonagall POV
Minerva McGonagall sat in her small sitting room, staring into the dying flames of the fire. She was tired, so tired she knew that if she shut her eyes then she would just sink into slumber. She also knew that she ought to go to bed but she made no effort to move; there was no reason to get up, not when she was so comfortable. Why shouldn't she sleep here? She let her head nod forwards and her eyes drift shut.
Suddenly, a loud, resounding thumping on the door made her jerk upright, so sharply that a muscle pulled in her neck and she gasped involuntarily. She jumped to her feet, faster than her old joints usually allowed, pointing her wand at the door. It swung open so fast that it rebounded off the wall and almost slammed shut again.
On the threshold stood an unlikely duo; Harry Potter and Severus Snape. Both were breathing hard from exertion and Severus was leaning forward, using the door frame to support himself. Neither seemed to have enough breath for words. Minerva felt her heart rate speeding up in anticipation. She tried to swallow down the rising anxiety as she took a couple of steps towards them.
'What is it? What has happened?' She was pleased that there was no sign of her nerves in her voice; she sounded brisk and business-like. Only someone who knew her very well would be able to detect her underlying exhaustion and the anxiety that had plagued her since Tansy left, grumbling along disconsolately in the background and sometimes rearing its ugly head at the most inconvenient moments.
Both men were still breathing too hard to speak and Severus was now bent almost double, his elbows on his knees as he choked for air. He gasped out something unintelligible, shook his lank hair out of his eyes and gestured to Harry to speak.
'Tansy…' Harry, too, was struggling to get the words out but he had fared slightly better than the older man. '…Tansy has just arrived at the Burrow. At least…' Minerva suddenly felt simultaneously very very hot and very very cold. Her ears went slightly fuzzy and she blinked against the fog that had suddenly descended in front of her eyes. She swayed and her knees trembled. Just in time, Severus, who was still bent double, flicked his wand a conjured a hard back chair behind her. She couldn't speak, couldn't think. No longer caring about appearances, she put her head on her hands and focused on breathing steadily in and out.
'Tansy?' It was the only word that she could say.
'We think that Tansy's just arrived at the Burrow, Professor.' Harry said again, advancing into the room. 'I came right away. We… we need you. She's…'
'Potter just arrived back via the floo in my office. We've just run the whole way up from the dungeons.' Severus explained, still struggling to steady his breathing. 'I know this is a shock Minerva but I think that we need to go there immediately.' He looked worriedly at Harry, who's eyes were bright and full of hope. 'The floo in my office will have turned off now but the one in your office is still working I believe? Are you okay, Minerva? Can you stand?' Minerva nodded absently and stood up shakily; she was still struggling to believe what the two men were trying to tell her.
'What do you mean, you think it's Tansy?' She asked Harry, her voice sounding far away and strange, as if it didn't belong to her.
'She's transfigured her face, Professor but there was something about her eyes, and she had a baby. I'm sure it's her.' The conviction in his voice was enough to let Minerva feel a tiny spark of hope; she wouldn't let herself feel too much until she actually saw her adoptive daughter; she wouldn't let herself be overwhelmed in case it wasn't really her.
'Is she okay? Is she hurt?' Tears had started to fall silently down her cheeks but she didn't wipe them away. Normally she would've been mortified crying in front of a student but it didn't seem to matter now.
'I don't know. I left her with the Weasleys. I had to get back before the floo shut. I…'
'And the baby? Is she okay?' Minerva interrupted him. She accepted the handkerchief that Severus conjured from mid-air and then allowed him to take her by the arm and lead her out of the sitting room and onto the landing.
'She looked okay, I think. It was hard to see her – Tansy had her wrapped in her coat. I think Hermione was trying to get Tansy to let her take her but… she's confused and scared, Professor. I think we all thought it best not to force her to do anything until you got there. She trusts you more than anyone.' Minerva felt her heart wrench a little and she nodded and opened her office door with a tap of her wand.
'Accio!' Severus summoned the floo powder, strode over to the fireplace, and threw a pinch onto the dying fire. Immediately, bright emerald flames roared to life, rising six feet tall in the fireplace. Without warning, Harry suddenly dashed forwards.
'The Burrow!' He vanished. Minerva hobbled forwards as fast as her creaking old knees would allow and stepped into the fireplace.
'The Burrow!'
The only thought that crossed her mind as she was sucked into the spinning green oblivion was that she would soon be reunited with her daughter.
She staggered slightly on arrival – she always did these days, especially when she had forgotten her walking stick. As she straightened up, using the mantle as a crutch, she saw the Weasleys all grouped in a crowd over by the back door. She couldn't see the person they surrounded and her heart stuttered slightly with a combination of fear and hope. The floo whirred behind her and she felt Severus stepping out of the fireplace beside her.
'Professor…' Harry was beckoning her over but nobody else seemed to realise that two more people had just joined them. There was too much noise and someone was crying noisily.
'Give the girl some space now!' Severus's authoritative tones snapped out, rising above the clamour and Mr Weasley turned and saw them.
'Ah Minerva, Severus! Thank Merlin!' Mr Weasley pulled his wife back a few steps. The students also took small steps backwards.
'You know that Miss Laverstock has never liked being the centre of a crowd. This won't be helping' Severus continued, his voice still commanding.
Minerva wanted to thank him but the words stuck in her throat; she could now see the person on the floor over by the door: The girl sat in a crouched position against the wall, her knees drawn up and her arms tightly embracing a tiny sleeping baby. She seemed to be resisting every attempt Hermione was making to take the child from her. Her pinched white face and straight auburn hair were strange to Minerva but although the terrified eyes that found her own were brown, the Professor could see her adoptive daughter clearly in their expression.
'It's okay, Tansy. I'm here now. You're safe.' The girl had been mumbling the same phrase over and over again and as Minerva approached, she began to make out the words that she was saying:
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…' Just that, over and over again.
Ignoring her creaking knees, Minerva knelt on the cold stone floor beside the shaking girl and enveloped her in her arms.
'It's okay, I know.' Minerva wasn't quite sure what to say. 'We all know what happened, Tansy. We all understand. Let's…' She slid her wand out of her pocket and waved it once. With a faint popping noise, the transfigurations on the girl's face vanished, leaving Tansy's familiar deep blue eyes and curly black hair. Tansy lifted one hand to touch her face and then lowered it again. Then she looked directly into her adoptive mother's eyes and whispered something. If Minerva hadn't been so close, she might've missed it altogether.
'I… thank you… Professor. I love you… mum.' The final word was so quiet, Minerva thought she must've imagined it but she had no time to dwell on it; Tansy had slumped back against the wall, her exhaustion getting the better of her.
Gently, Minerva pulled the baby out of her daughter's limp arms, teasing her legs carefully out from the straps of the sling. She still weighed very little, although she had clearly grown in the three months she'd been gone. After one quick glance to ensure Hope was okay, Minerva handed her up to Mrs Weasley's waiting arms and set about dealing with her unconscious daughter.
'Let me see her Minerva.' Severus had appeared beside her. He bent down and waved his wand over the unconscious girl. Then he straightened up and looked Minerva in the eye. 'She's fine, Minerva, no obvious injuries. I think it's just exhaustion. Madam Pomfrey will be able to perform a more in-depth analysis when we get her back to Hogwarts. There was a collective sigh of relief from the assembled Weasleys and Hermione. Minerva felt something loosening inside her and suddenly found herself fighting tears.
'Thank you, Severus.' Her voice shook slightly.
Severus waved his wand again and, with a faint popping noise, a stretcher appeared out of thin air, forcing both Ginny and Ron to take a step backwards. One more flick of his wand and Tansy's limp body was lying on the stretcher. Harry helped Minerva to her feet again as Severus conjured straps to keep the girl from tumbling off the stretcher.
'Thank you, Mr Potter, er Harry.' Minerva said, straightening her robes compulsively. She hobbled over to the stretcher, which was hanging in mid-air in front of the Potions Master and stroked her daughter's tangled hair off her face.
'We should get her to Madam Pomfrey as soon as we can.' Severus said quietly, now conjuring a blanket and draping it over the girl. 'We can't take a stretcher in the floo so we will have to apparate.'
'How's the baby doing, Molly?' Minerva asked, turning towards the kitchen table where Molly Weasley had laid the sleeping baby.
'She looks fine.' She had unwrapped Hope's blanket and Babygro and was looking down at her as if she was the first baby she had ever seen. She was clearly giving the child a thorough once over. 'Nothing obviously wrong excepting that damp nappy.' She paused and put a hand to her mouth. 'I can't believe she's…' She choked on a sob. '…she's his - she's Georgie's. Our first grandchild.' Minerva nodded and swiftly crossed the room so that she could pat the other witch on the back. She smiled weakly, still fighting the tears that threatened to fall.
'Congratulations Grandma.' She said, in a soft voice.
'We need to get them both to Hogwarts,' Severus said again, more forcefully, his voice cutting through their quiet exchange. He flicked his wand at the back door, which swung open, letting in a current of icy cold night air, and then levitated the stretcher carefully out into the garden.
'I'm coming, Severus,' Minerva limped forwards, looking back over her shoulder at Mrs Weasley, who had given Severus a pointed look of annoyance and had quickly flicked her wand at the baby to replace her wrappings before the cold night air could chill her.
Tansy's POV
Tansy jerked awake, surprised and frightened to find herself lying on her back and tied down to something flat that floated smoothly through the air. A long way above her, she could see the night sky, covered with a sprinkling of stars. The air she breathed was icy and tasted of pine needles and leaf mould and she thought she could hear water lapping over rocks somewhere over to the right. She shifted her weight slightly, trying to loosen the restraints around her waist and arms but they were unyielding and panic started to flood through her. Her breathing started to become shallow as she realised what was happening. She was on her way to Azkaban! They hadn't even let her say goodbye to Hope. Tansy started to fight against the restraints in earnest.
'Tansy, it's okay.' Minerva McGonagall had appeared, leaning over her, blocking out the night sky above. Tansy stilled for a moment at the sight of her adoptive mother. 'It's okay; we're nearly there.' Tansy opened her mouth to ask where they were and what was happening but another voice spoke quietly from by her head.
'Lie still, Miss Laverstock. Everything is okay.' She twisted her head and saw Severus Snape walking behind her, pointing his wand at the underside of the stretcher and Harry and Ron walking beside him. She couldn't see her daughter anywhere and her absence cut Tansy like a knife. She could feel her terror building.
'No…!' The word started at a whisper but then it increased in volume. The scream hurt her head and her throat. 'NO!' Tansy struggled more forcefully, pulling at the restraints. She got one hand free and then used it to claw at the belt around her waist, ripping several of her nails in the process. Instead of giving, it tightened convulsively around her stomach, as if it sensed that its captive was trying to get free. Her flailing dislodged the thick, knitted blanket that covered her and she felt the stab of the icy night air as it fell to the ground.
'Please try to calm down, Miss Laverstock. We are not going to hurt you.' Tansy thrashed again. Before, in the dingy little basement flat in the muggle world she had thought that she was prepared to be sent to Azkaban.
Not like this!
The voice screamed in her head.
Not without saying goodbye to Hope! Not with my friends and Minerva McGonagall holding the chains.
Tansy screamed again, her voice cutting through the quiet night. Tears started in the corners of her eyes as she fought against the restraints.
'Severus, stop.' The stretcher suddenly stopped moving forward and hung suspended in mid-air. Harry and Ron crowded forwards until they were standing beside Minerva. Both of them were trying to reassure her, but Tansy couldn't calm down enough to listen to their words and she continued to fight against the restraints.
'Give the girl some space.' Tansy was sure that she'd heard those same words before that night but she couldn't be sure when.
'It's okay, Tansy.' She felt Minerva's gentle hand on her shoulder and the restraints around Tansy's waist suddenly vanished. Before any of them could stop her, she wrenched herself out of Minerva's grasp and pitched herself sideways off the stretcher. She landed very hard in a pile of snow, knocking every bit of breath from her body.
'Miss Laverstock, are you okay? Let me help you up.' There were hands pulling her to her feet and arms restraining her tightly as she fought to free herself. The more she fought, the tighter they became. 'It's okay Miss Laverstock.' Tansy tried, one last time, to wrench herself free from the Potion Master's grip and then gave up. She shuddered and fell still, hanging limply in his arms and thick, self-pitying tears started to roll down her cheeks; this was it. There was no hope now. She would be put in a cell in Azkaban and she would never see Hope again.
'I've got this, Severus.' Tansy felt Snape's arms slacken slightly as Minerva McGonagall took her firmly but gently by the forearms. To her surprise, she found that she could speak.
'I… let me say goodbye to Hope… please. I'll come then. I'll go to Azkaban… I won't fight.' The words were muffled by her tears.
'Tansy, look at me.' Slowly, Tansy raised her eyes; Minerva's face swam behind a curtain of tears. 'Tansy, we aren't going to Azkaban. We're at Hogwarts. Look…' She nodded over her shoulder and, for the first time, Tansy looked beyond her and saw the familiar sight of the school, lit up ahead of them. 'We're going to the hospital wing. Nobody will hurt you.'
'Nobody is taking you to Azkaban, Tan.' Ron said, coming to stand beside Minerva McGonagall and placing a gentle hand on her arm.
'I…' Looking at Ron was painful; George's face swam before her eyes. She shook her head and focused on Ron. 'I'm… I'm sorry. I'm sorry about…' She still couldn't say his name.
'I know Tan. It's okay.' She felt Severus Snape letting her go and taking a step back as Ron closed the distance between them, his arms outstretched. He wrapped them around her and hugged her fiercely. 'I'm so glad you came back.'
'Let's get inside, Tan,' Harry's voice said and she felt him take her elbow and gently start to guide her up the castle drive. Her legs shook with exhaustion and she was grateful to lean on him and let him take most of her weight.
'Where's Hope?' Tansy asked, still not quite believing that she hadn't seen her daughter for the last time. She glanced back over her shoulder but there was nobody following them up the castle driveway.
'Hope is here Tansy.' Tansy swung round and saw that Mr and Mrs Weasley, Hermione, Ginny and Madam Pomfrey had come out of the front doors and were walking down the front steps towards them. She felt an almost overwhelming sense of relief as she saw her daughter's tiny blanket-wrapped form in Mrs Weasley's arms.
'She's fine Tansy. We just took her by the floo because it's so cold out here.' Mrs Weasley said gently, shivering slightly and carefully drawing the blanket tighter around the child in her arms. Tansy thought that she looked thin and exhausted and her voice trembled a little as she spoke but her tone was kind.
Tansy took a deep breath and then looked straight into the other woman's eyes. Ignoring her internal panic she opened her mouth; talking had never been easy for Tansy but, for the first time in her life, the words came easily now.
'Mrs Weasley.' She looked away briefly, her eyes briefly flicking over to Mr Weasley and Ginny but then immediately back to the other woman's. 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.' She realised that she was crying again, great shuddering sobs that shook her whole body so hard that she could barely stand upright. She felt someone else placing a steadying hand on her shoulder and the boys' arms tightening around her waist. Mrs Weasley stepped forwards, walking down the last two steps, her face glassy with tears.
'It's okay, Tansy. It's not your fault. It was never your fault.' Tears were falling thick and fast onto baby Hope's hat and blanket and Mrs Weasley carefully handed her over to her husband. Then she pushed the boys to one side and enveloped Tansy in a bone crunching hug.
'It's my fault. It's all my fault. I… I killed him! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!' The words were frantic and panicky but it was a relief to finally say them out loud. 'He didn't mean to; it wasn't his fault… he was cursed but I…'
'Tansy!' She heard Mr Weasley's mild authoritative tone and looked up from Mrs Weasleys' shoulder. 'Tansy, listen to me now. We have all seen the tape. We all know what happened. We all understand what Bellatrix forced him to do to you. You had been tortured to the point of insanity. It's no wonder…' Mrs Weasley's arms tightened to the point of discomfort and Tansy shuddered.
'I killed George.' It was the first time that she'd said his name out loud since she had pleaded with him not to attack her and that too felt like a weight had finally lifted from her shoulders. At the same time, the name sent a twist of pain through her gut. 'I'm sorry.'
'We know, Tan; we forgive you.' Ron had joined his father.
'Ron's right.' Ginny said decisively, swinging her long red hair over her arm and muscling in so that she could squeeze up to Tansy too.
Under the starry night sky, Harry, Hermione, Professor Snape and Minerva McGonagall looking on, Tansy found herself in the centre of a Weasley crush.
Oh my goodness, writing the final draft of this chapter made me tear up! I hope you enjoy it.