Wings of Sun

Grandma Minerva

"Severus? Severus, are you here? I have something for you!" a female voice called out from the fireplace. Harry looked up from his Sherlock Holmes book, confused. Who could be here at seven o'clock at night?

"Severus?" the woman's voice came again. Whoever it was, they wouldn't find Snape in the living room. About an hour after falling asleep, he had ungracefully rolled over off the couch and onto the carpet. Deciding not to risk falling off again, he had made his way slowly to his room and hadn't come out since. Harry never could have thought that a man like Snape, who looked so graceful, could be anything but.

He bookmarked the page, using the small card that Snape had given him with his present to place between the pages, and poked his head out his door. Spin hissed sleepily at him and Harry put his finger to his lips, shushing the half-awake snake.

Quietly, he tiptoed to the stairs, placing himself as close against the wall as he could. An older lady was standing in the middle of the living room, one hand on her hip and the other holding what looked like a small ball of black fluff. She wore wizard robes, and had on a large brown pointy hat. Her large wings were a dark brown, nearly black, at the top, and slowly faded until the tips of her wings looked like they were soaked in bright golden honey. They were honestly the most beautiful wings Harry had seen so far, and that was saying something, since he had believed his mother's to be the most beautiful.

The woman turned her head his way, and Harry quickly brought his head back, but too late. He knew the woman had seen him.

"Hello, dear. Do you know where Severus is?" the woman asked him, peering up the stairs. Harry gripped his wand in his pocket, but even if he tried to use it, he knew it wouldn't work. The most he could do was poke her with it.

"He's um, asleep right now," Harry replied then instantly regretted it. What if she was some evil person? One of those Death Eaters or whatever that Snape had warned him about? They could easily take advantage of the older man being asleep and attack him. But looking at her again, she didn't seem evil. If anything, she seemed familiar. As Harry stared, he knew he recognized her from somewhere, he just couldn't place it.

The woman looked shocked, then schooled her features. "Asleep? This early? That is so unlike Severus."

"We uh, went shopping earlier today. I think he was tired from that." As he talked, Harry slowly inched his way down the stairs, keeping his eyes on the woman the entire time. If he needed to remember her, he had to get closer.

The woman seemed amused. "Oh, really? I never pictured Severus for the shopping type." Her hand on her hip came to rest on the top of the small ball of fluff, which Harry realized was not a ball at all, but a small black kitten.

"He was mainly doing it for me. I needed clothes and stuff for school. Plus, we were almost out of food." Now Harry was almost right in front of the woman. She didn't seem keen to attacking him, so he let his guard down. But only a little. If he needed to, just a simple yell would have Snape come tumbling down the steps to help him.

"And who are you, dear child? I don't recall Severus having a son," the woman asked, and Harry realized she hadn't noticed his scar yet. He quickly brushed his bangs over it more, just in case she did.

"U-um..." Harry tried to think of a name, something that would sound realistic.

The woman's eyes widened. "Goodness! You're Harry Potter." Darn. He didn't hide his scar well enough.

"Why didn't I notice before? You look just like your father." Harry blinked, shocked. He looked like his dad? No one had ever told him that before.

"Who are you?" Harry asked.

The woman smiled, looking a bit sad. "I'm Minerva McGonagall, Harry. I'm a teacher at Hogwarts. I taught both of your parents, and was a close friend with them, both throughout their school years and after."