A Cat's Tail: Minerva McGonagall Fan Fiction

Chapter 20

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update, school is just arghh. I'll try to update more during the summer holidays, which just started!

"You can't keep pulling wool over her eyes" 

"She's only 13! She's safe at Hogwarts!"

"Maybe she is, but it's penetrated the Muggle world too now!" 

Minerva sat on the stairs, listening to her parents arguing, again. She still didn't know what, but all she could tell was that danger was brewing. Something that her father wanted her to know, which he didn't truly understand, and something her mother didn't want her to know but understood more than her father. Something to do with somebody called Grindle something...Grindleward? Maybe?

"Well Hogwarts isn't for muggles, is it?"

"But she's got a muggle father, and we all live in a muggle village!"

Minerva sighed, trying to hold back the tears as she silently crept up to her room. It was her fault. They were always arguing about her. Apparently, they hadn't fixed their marriage over the half term. Worst of all, Ash was sick and her mum didn't have an owl, so she could only write very short notes to her friends using their owls. 

"Minnie?" Malcolm gently shook her awake. He was 10 now, and she could see how much he'd matured during her time away. 

"It's Christmas!" Robert smiled broadly, but his eyes didn't sparkle, and he was much taller than Minerva had remembered. She realised she hadn't really been talking to her brothers that much during the holidays. She pulled both her brothers into a hug.

"Minnie, are Mummy and Daddy going to get unmarried?"Robert asked.

"You mean divorced?" Malcolm corrected.

"I..." Minerva realised that her brothers needed her to have a definitive answer. The truth was, she was unsure herself. She did know one thing though, and that her parents had enough respect for each other to not subject the social taboo which was divorce. No one wants a divorced woman to work for them, considering society had only just got used to the idea of divorce and women working, let alone a divorced woman working. "I don't know, I'm sure they'll stop arguing soon," 

"Why do they argue?" Robert asked. Minerva was tempted to relay the story of her mother not telling her father about her being a witch and the resulting trust issues, but was aware that her brothers needed comfort, however much maturer they now were, they needed a few years before they could make a head or tail of the situation.

"They just are very stressed at the moment...there is...well...let's just say that everything isn't sunshine and rainbows out there," Robert looked comforted, if not slightly confused but comforted nonetheless. Malcolm, however, fixed Minerva with a knowing gaze.

"It's not your fault though," Malcolm said, more benign then Minerva remembered. She was touched and was well aware that her oldest brother had probably overheard some of her parents 'heated discussions' over her welfare, and maybe even suspected part of the story of her birth.

"Just remember, when you get a girlfriend, always tell her the absolute truth," Robert and Malcolm squealed.

"Ew! Girls are gross!" Robert giggled.

...

That was a Christmas Minerva would look back on and still be able to taste the tension. Her parents made snide remarks about each other over the Christmas dinner, and although they passed over Robert's head, Minerva felt closer to Malcolm than she ever had, sharing understanding glances every few minutes. Anger was bubbling away inside her, and as her mum opened her mouth to make a snide comment, Minerva felt it spilling over.

"Could you two stop arguing for just one second! It's Christmas!" When her parents just blinked, startled, at her, she scraped her chair back and stormed upstairs. "What sort of celebration involves feeling prisoner in your own house?" She yelled, proceeding to slam the door of her room shut. She heard more shouting downstairs, followed by slightly lighter footsteps storming up the stairs.

"Minnie?" Malcolm slipped into Minerva's room and joined her on the windowsill, looking out out the fading sun. Reds, golds and ambers bled into the ever inkier blue sky. "I told them to give us a minute. I know that story you gave me and Robbie earlier isn't the real reason they argue, and you can get it off your chest if you'd like, we've got time," Minerva looked deep into his deep blue eyes, so unlike her own, and she felt like she was looking into the eyes of her mother on her father's face. Minerva sighed, steaming up the window, and began to tell her story.

"To start with, you know dad's a muggle, and mum's from what's known as a pureblood family. Basically, her family is all wizards and wants it to stay that way. So her and dad fell in love, and she got pregnant with me. Dad, being in love with her and not wanting to subject mum or me to complete social disgrace, proposed," Minerva bit her lip and glanced at Malcolm.

"Mum's family disapproved to the point where they literally disowned her. Remember, at this point, dad hasn't the faintest idea mum's a witch, so she had a hard time explaining the reason they disowned her to him. Dad's family are very Catholic and disapproved of mum's family because they didn't go to church. They get married, pretty much alone, and everyone's told I was conceived on their wedding night," Malcolm nodded slowly, absorbing all this new information.

"How'd you know?" Minerva could feel tears pricking at her eyes.

"When mum and dad were arguing one time, under the influence of alcohol if my nose was correct, they started yelling at and about me being the mistake that caused all this,"

"That's horrible!" Minerva stroked Malcolm's hair before turning round to face the window again.

"Anyway, I started to show signs of magical ability, so mum hid me away from dad for years, until she broke down and told him everything. He was deeply hurt, but after a few months, he came around. They still have trust issues, but dad was much happier when he had two sons to carry on his lineage. He still hopes that one of you or Robert don't have magical ability, but I'd bet you anything you do," 

"Oh," Malcolm and Minerva sat in silence for a minute. Their reverie was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Sweetie, can I come in?" Minerva's shoulder's sagged.

"Yes," She muttered.

"Look, your father and I are so- oh, hello Malcolm, are sorry," Isobel looked at her husband.

"We're reaching a breaking point, and we didn't mean to ruin your Christmas,"

"Come and finish dinner, and everything will be fine,"

But Minerva knew it wouldn't be.