The awkwardness in the room was almost tangible ,shared by all. never in all her years did Minerva considered a position in which she would be embarassed on behalf of her colleugue.

She didn't have time to think about how Granger was able to floo Hogwarts. Was she a squib? Were all muggles able to do so and the known fact about "muggles not being able to" was a fat lie? Was it true the castle was sentinent, that maybe castle allowed her to be here?

There were a tone of things on her mind.

Longbottom report of Potter and Weasley not being in their dorm was scary, but not scary enough. She summoned an elf and sent it to go search for the lads.merlin knew those trouble seekers could get into what situation now. Owning an invisibilty clock was a damn hinderance when she wanted to locate them. So the elf… Albus was absent and he couldn't send all other professors who were searching for the 3 girls in the clutches of the heir to waste their time on a couple of stupid brats.

Probably invisible stupid brats.

Severus on the other hand…

With Hermione's mother?there was not any explantion unless he was the father. He had rushed after Longbottom news, but all of them knew it was not out of worry for Potter-Weasley duo and more because the slap and Granger .

Keep Hermione safe? Why would he do that?

Unless…

Mrs Granger, or should she call her Madam Snape…Merlin it was suffocating her not knowing. Her animagus form wasn't a cat for nothing.

She couldn't picture Severus having a..torrid affaire with a muggle of all people. And one who was so much older than him. And Severus…having a daughter? And MISS GRANGER? God she couldn't call that girl Snape, how she could do it?

Imagine his smug face, when telling her about the brightest witch of the age… many had called him the brightest wizard of their time.

To think the brightest witch of this age was actually his daughter.. at least Minerva could sour his mood by mentioning her being in Grryfindore…

Did he know? Did the child know? She doubted it.Miss Granger was not a good liar, nor a secret keeper.

But how could you not know you have a child with someone you are dating… or where they? Was it a one time thing? her mind was going on and on, and Minerva couldn't put a stop on it.

Molly , the epitome of Gryfindorishness, bless her soul,was the one who break the silence.

"Mrs Granger, I think? Would you mind telling what.." finally! Someone asked what she was dying to ask herself!

And it did not met approval on Mrs Granger side, predictable really.

Granger shook her head "our children are in danger and that is what you decide to linger on?"

Molly didn't back down. You see the woman was like a dog given a bone, maybe she thought distracting herself with the unusual usual drama was better than thinking about her darling dughter being dead..

" I do know dear, but seeing …"

She stood up" Fine. Have it your way.Professor Snape and I had no contact until recently. Hermione is his daughter, and mine. That is all I have to offer"

And stormed out of the room.

Leaving them in a bigger dilemma, the bigger question.

The what?the how? The fuck?

As she was giving the Gargoyle the password to get out, another weasley jumped inside.

It was now Ronald time to scare the shit out of her.

He was bruised, had chunks of debries on his hair, and was talking at an abnormal speed, telling the most stupid tale.

That he and Harry went after Lockhart to help them, and for some unexplicable reason saw fit to go to the the unused bathroom on second floor.

And that was not the crazy part. The crazy part started with that incompetent fool drawing a wand on two kids, Severus somehow getting involved in rescue, and Lockhart causing the exclosion that …

Oh Morgana. Harry was trapped under debries.

Potter was trapped there, with SEVERUS , and he was in a bad mood to begin with. Just how long those two could tolerate before killing each other.

She sent her patronus "Filius, Pomona, get as much as professors you can, and meet me in the second floor unused bathroom."

She hurried down the stairs, not unlike Severus minutes ago. Leaving weasleys, Greemgrasses and Granger behind. She couldn't do a thing about the heir, but she would NOT let Potter and Snape die on her watch, all because of a moron like Lockhart.

Oh, girl..Could this night get any more catasrophic?

She knew she jinxed it as soon as she thought about it and yet…

Merely an hour and a half after they began moving the rubble and dirt, Hooch came running, panting heavily.

Fililus and Pomona, even Charity and Sinistra and all who could help came, and in nearly 90 minutes they had not put a dent in it.

Firstly they could not move whatever they wanted arbitrarily, they found it when Sybil tried to lavitate a rather large piece, and the ground shook. Apparently, while this part of castle was not a critical point, it had enough magic in it that moving it without thought made it somehow react.

Badly.

Soon they were left with a puzzle, trying to guess which one wouldn't activate some magical ward, or other shit, one would not make all the debries to fall on eachother and suffocate those two poor sods trapped under and one that was not for some unfathomable reason spelled to be unmovable.

And Albus wasn't here yet, fucking with her nerves.

She was considering to let all children go back home, hopefully those petrified kids could find a solution soon.

And merlin they needed Severus for that. He had been in his quarters for some ungodly hours, so he must have been unto something. They had to get his arse out of these junk holes, get him to compelete the potion and then she could send the kids home.

She could yell at him and Albus later.

And Hooch had arrived just now, looking awful. So much that she forget to reprimand her for not coming here to help.

"Minerva.. please you have to do something! I went to headmaster's office and he wasn't there.. please those idiots are taking Hagrid…"

Apparently, ministry people alltogether had not owned a single brain cell.

Hagrid?? The heir? Could they get any lower in Iq levels? The man cried over injured nifflers and hippogriffs owies, the only one beside Dumbledore who senaturs accepted in their territory.

The heir?

Harming children? Knowingly?

So she left to deal with them. She arrived just on time, when they were about to use bruite force to subdue him, multiwand incarecerus and Merlin knew what other things.

She barked at them, with her most scary looks that would shame Severus, then made them go look for Lockhart instead. It made her quite happy that even as ministry lackys, her angry looks could make those shudder in fear. Good to know she still had it in her to deal with these unrully youngesters. Yes, it was abit crual to make them shake in their boots,yes Severus copy work was riveling her own. Was it unethical? yeah but it was nearly morning, and she had an awful night.

One disater avoided, She sent Hagrid to get Albus arse back to castle. Then she willed her old knees to get into castle again.

She was on the first step of moving up to the second floor so she could get Potter-Snape duo's arse out of fire.

That was when the whole castle shook with a vigor.

What had they done? She was gone for only an hour! She looked at the hour glass, maybe to assure herself that Snape was still alive.

You see, she had been informed by her watch that there was a great shortage in Gryffindore house points , taken by Severus just less than an hour ago. Her watch as deputy was charmed to notify her of house points , and who took them.

Severus had to be alive, and pissed to take that many points. Why the glass was all but empty!

It was possibly the first, and the last time in history she would be glad of losing thos points.

It proved he was alive, and relativly well. She still remembered him, when he was despeerate, indifferent, depressed. Just after the war. When he was more than broken, he was a hollowed body, a shattered soul with remnants of humanity and compassion attactched to it.

On the eadge of darkness.

She knew He was not in those moods, so he was ok.

And if he was, Potter was too. he would never let a child die in his watch, at this she was certain.

so why her heart was beating madly, trying to claw its way out? It was just minutes ago, Severus was more stubborn to die because of being trapped under bathroom debries.he hated becoming a ghost.

And Potter was alive too. she had imagined the worst scenario in Granger, Greengrass, Weasley case.

They had already lost 3, she just couldn't allow it to raise to 5.

Na-ha.

Merlin balls where was ALBUS SO FUCKING MANY NAMES DUMBLEDORE?

Her knees creaked behind the pressure she was putting on them. Oh her mother would have a right fit if she saw her running down the corridores, one hand clutching her wand and the other gathering her robes up to her knees so she could run faster.

How unlady like she had become.

Damn it Severus, I will have it at your expanse. Why the hell you would get all heroic on her NOW? Albus just disappered, you disappered and she has what? A half goblin, a half giant and a motherly hen hufflepuff.

Oh Albus, I will curse all your socks to be dead grey! And..and Potter would serve detention until he was 40!

Panting, she stood at the door, when another shudder went through the castle.

"what the fuck is wrong?"

Albus was standing in the center of the now rebuilt bathroom, everyone standing in circle around him.

The weasleys plus Ronald for some reason,Lord and Lady Greengrass, Mrs Granger, Filius and Pomona..

Wait Albus?

"Albus?" she only managed to say his name.

"I m afraid my dear, we don't have enough time for chatter."

Chatter? What chatter?

Another mini earthquake.

"Lord Greengrass, Molly, Filius with me. The rest I am afraid, can not follow."

The protests, the shoutings..wait.. followwhere?"no my daughter.."

"I will come no bloody muggle.."

"Molly wont go alone.."

"no"

Ronald weasley stood firm.

"if it's a basilisk, only a parseltoungue can do it. And from all of you, I am the only one who saw Harry do it"

Minerva's mind was in frozen mood now. A basilisk? She was wondering how the bathroom was now clear, yes, Albus had probably restored it, but where was HARRY?

WHERE WAS THAT FUCKING POINT-TAKING SNAKE?where the hell was Severus?

"young Ronald, I am certain I can not allow another of your family to take such a dangerous move.. and with the heir down"

Molly interupted him"Albus, I consider Harry one of mine, and he is down there, with a bloody Basilsik . if Ronald wants to help, so be it."

"never will be said that one of mine left another family member to die. I am not in agreement of many pureblood customs, but if there is one I am proud to follow, this is it"

Oh.

Oh.

Somehow Potter infamous Luck got them – bot himself and Severus- to the den of the heir.

Maybe..maybe they were still alive?

It was nearly 12 hours past the other 3 hostages, but those two…

And there was Severus.

"I am in"

Albus raised a brew" Minerva , you are the deputy, should the castle fail.."

"then there are others. I am sure you got some aurors to get children out, you get them didn't you? I never said I want in, I said I am in"

"Merlin knows how much I want to ground both Potter and Snape until they get 40"

She heard Ronald whisper to his mom "snape isnt 40 yet?"

And rolled both her eyes and her shoulders. She had a seeker, and a grumpy potion master to save.