A Cat's Tail: Minerva McGonagall Fan Fiction

Chapter 25

A/N: 25 chapters! I can't believe it!

"You and Hagrid need to date!"

"Ria! No!"

"Why not?"

"Pomona that doesn't help!"

"Minnie, tell us why!"

"Affie, I'm only thirteen! I don't want a boyfriend!"

"But he obviously likes you!"

"How'd you know that?" Pomona, Ria and Affrodille stopped in their tracks.

"Are you crazy?" Ria asked incredulously. 

"He blushes every time he's within a mile radius of you!" Pomona shook her head. "Honestly, this time next year, you two had better be dating!"

"This time next year we won't be dating! Trust me," School had started and apparently, everyone's number one priority was playing cupid. At that moment, Hagrid came around the corner, making Minerva curse inwardly at her loudmouthed friends.

"Minerva! I was looking for yer! Dumbledore's not in school, and won't be for most of this term!" Minerva looked at him, surprised.

"You don't think it's got anything to do with..." She looked around carefully. "...Grindelwald?" Hagrid nodded. 

"Hello? We still exist you know!" Ria exclaimed. Minerva frowned. 

"Sorry,"

Later that day, Minerva was to the library to meet Pomona and Affrodille in the library, when she realised that the corridor was completely empty. She could sense that something was wrong. Minerva gulped.

"Ah, little miss Gryffindor, how nice to see you," Minerva froze. Tom Riddle. She went to continue walking, but she felt a cold hand on her shoulder. "Leaving so soon?" He pulled her back and pressed her against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Her voice was as shaky as her hands, which were pretty much an earthquake. Tom leaned in, still grinning chillingly. 

"What do you think I'm doing?" He got closer, and their noses were touching. She could feel his cold breath on her cheek. Minerva tried to push him off her, but he was a lot stronger than she was.

"Stop it!" Minerva was shaking all over now. Her wrists were burning from the pain of being pressed against a stone wall.

"Leave her alone!" Minerva felt a wave of relief rush through her at the sound of Hagrid's voice. 

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Is your boyfriend coming to save you? How sweet," Tom mocked. Hagrid pulled Tom off her using the strength that comes only with being a half-giant. 

"Stupefy!" Minerva's hand trembled, but the spell still knocked Tom backwards, and Hagrid grabbed Minerva's hand and they ran. If they'd looked back, they would've seen a confused Tom Riddle sprawled on the floor, narrowing his eyes and thinking of revenge.

"Minerva, what happened?" Minerva couldn't say anything, so she just hugged Hagrid, pressing her head into his shoulder to hide her tears. "Yer shaking! Do yer need to go ter the 'ospital wing?" Minerva shook her head.

"Thank you," She whispered, her voice still trembling. She breathed in deeply, thankful for Hagrid's warmth.

"Do yer want to talk abou' anything?" Minerva shook her head again, remembering Tom's threats. "I think yer should tell someone abou' this," Hagrid wrapped his arms around her, gently stroking her hair.

"Sorry for making your uniform wet," Minerva mumbled, pulling out of the hug. Her eyes were puffy and her face was tearstained. 

"It mus' be pretty bad if yer crying. I've never seen yer cry before," Minerva bit her lip.

"I'll tell you about it, just...not right now. I was supposed to meet Affie and Pomona in the library," Hagrid took her hand.

"Let's just go to the Great Hall early," Minerva gripped Hagrid's hand, feeling like a newborn giraffe. It turned out they weren't as early as they thought, and Affrodille was glaring at her, only half-heartedly of course.

"I figured you'd be with 'im," Affrodille eyed their intertwined hands, which they hurriedly let go of.

"Affie, it wasn't like that-" 

"Minerva are you ok? Have you been crying?" Minerva opened and closed her mouth like a fish.

"If you don't want to tell me, I don't mind, but you are ok, right?" Affrodille fixed her with a stern but motherly look.

"Yes," Minerva caught Tom's eye and shivered. Affrodille didn't believe a word of it, but didn't push it, knowing Minerva would only tell in her own time.

Quidditch practice was leaving very little time for homework, but Minerva somehow managed to still avoid detention. Her next Quidditch match was coming up, and she was much more nervous for this one than the last one. Tom Riddle was the Chaser for the Slytherin team, and Minerva did not want to face him several of metres up in the air. She glared at him from across the pitch, and the moment the whistle blew, she put all her force into playing the game like never before.

"Potter passes the ball to McGonagall - ooh nice dive- Riddle misses her by millimetres, she passes to Scott- back to McGonagall, Knott nearly fouls her and...SHE SCORES! GRYFFINDORS LEADING TEN NIL, sorry I mean zero, this ain't football,"

The whole school was cheering (except Slytherin, who's booing were drowned out by cheers) and Minerva actually did a loop-de-loop this time, earning her a few more cheers. Tom, flew by, whispering:

"I'll break you on the Quidditch pitch," Minerva nearly fell off her broom, her hands were shaking so hard. Tom flew by, almost grabbing the Quaffle out of her arms. As she threw it to another Chaser, she caught sight of Hagrid glaring a Tom, but she whipped her head around in a millisecond to narrowly avoid a bludger to the head. 

The game was a long one, but Minerva was fueled by adreniline to wipe that smug smile off Tom's face. She glanced at Ria, who was diving past her. The Slytherin seeker caught on, nearly knocking Minerva off her broom, but Ria caught it first. 

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Minerva was exhausted after almost two hours of flying, diving, catching, throwing and avoiding Tom-ing. Both her and Ria flopped down on their beds whilst everyone who wasn't on the Quidditch team partied wildly.  Apparently, Tom was exhausted too because she didn't dream that night. The last thing she thought before she fell asleep was a mental note to practice Occulamency. 

Minerva stared at her copy of The Daily Prophet in disbelief a few days later. Apparently, Dumbledore was actually fighting Grindelwald...the article seemed to be attacking him for it, but all Minerva could think was that she might never see her Transfiguration professor again. 

"Hagrid!" Minerva shoved the newspaper under Hagrid's nose. "Look!" Minerva watched as Hagrid's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Dumbledore might defeat Grindelwald!"