Before she was Professor McGonagall, she was Minerva Macnair. After an arranged marriage forces her into an impossible situation, Minerva does what she must to survive. When she makes a new life for herself, her secrets follow and threaten everythin...
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"You taught me things he never did—maybe never could."
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4 July 1997
"Alastor."
Malcolm pulled Alastor into a tight embrace and held him there for a few moments before releasing him.
"How's she holding up?"
"You know yer mum. Working too hard and won't let anyone know how she's feeling, but I think she's managing."
In truth, Alastor was worried about her. Since Dumbledore's death–since he'd been murdered by that fecking traitorous snake–he'd not seen her shed a tear. In fact, he'd barely seen her after that madness five nights ago when her Patronus had summoned him with the unbelievable news.
After the chaos had died down, he'd wanted to stay with her, but she wouldn't hear of it.
"It wouldn't be prudent," she'd said. "Hogwarts will be crawling with Aurors, governors, reporters, and Merlin knows who else for the foreseeable future."
"Bugger the governors and everyone else," he'd growled, but she'd grasped him again and held him hard against her.
She whispered in his ear, "Let me get through the funeral. Then come. I'll need you."
He didn't argue.
She was doing her pillar-of-strength act, he knew, but he also knew she needed it. And he was willing to let it be, as long as she knew she could lean on him afterward, after she'd comforted every student, reassured every teacher, cossetted every governor, and chivvied every Ministry official into doing what they should've been doing for the past year to face the mounting danger.
They'd held each other for a few stolen minutes in Dumbledore's office–now hers, he supposed–and he'd gone, throwing himself into the search for Snape.
He'd seen Minerva during the hurried, panicky Order meetings they'd had in the ensuing days, but they'd hardly spoken privately. When he'd shown up in her quarters early that morning with his trunk, he'd been ready for an argument, but she'd merely sighed and asked him to use his Invisibility Cloak when entering or leaving her personal quarters, for propriety's sake.
