A Cat's Tail: Minerva McGonagall Fan Fiction

Chapter 32

"Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them...here!" (A/N: Who else can't wait the 56 days till the next movie?) Minerva and Hagrid were in Flourish and Blotts finding all of their books. Minerva had completely disappeared underneath her mountain of them.

"Tha' is all, right?" Hagrid scanned his list that noticeably shorter than Minerva's due to all of her Runes and Arithmancy books.

"Yep, could you-" The books all fell, landing right on Minerva's foot. SHe shrieked in agony. "Argh, that hurt!" She mumbled as she scrambled to pick up all her books.

"Let me take them!" Hagrid grabbed a few books off the floor, adding them to his own pile. 

"Minnie? Have I got everything?" A very jittery Malcolm bounded up to Minerva, waving his very complete list.

"Yes, now why don't you go find mum and dad so can them your books? I'll meet you at the ice cream parlour," Malcolm hugged her tightly before running off. "Let's go get some ice cream!" They hobbled off, Minerva leaning on Hagrid's shoulder, occasionally wincing.

Minerva licked her honeycomb and toffee ice cream. It tasted celestial. 

"You've got it on your nose!" Minerva laughed, wiping Hagrid's ice cream off his nose, then kissing it. He blushed, smiling widely.

"I KNEW IT!" Minerva nearly dropped her ice cream at the sound of Ria yelling. "YOU TWO ARE-"

"Hello, Ria," Minerva laughed at Hagrid's comically shocked face. "You really don't have to yell, you know," She laughed, her own cheeks flushed.

"Oh my gosh yes!" She squealed as if Hagrid had just started dating him. "I'm maid of honour!" She hopped up and down, ignoring the awkward shuffling if the new couple.

"We're not-" Ria hugged Minerva tightly.

"Kiss again! KISS AG-" Minerva clamped a hand over Ria's mouth.

"Shush," Minerva let go of the panting Ria and licked her ice cream, savouring the cold bursts of sweetness that only ice cream had. 

"I can't wait to tell EVERYONE!" Hagrid looked more bothered by this idea, but Minerva patted his hand under the table.

"Ria, could yer be a little bit quieter at least?" Hagrid squeezed Minerva's hand back.

"3 quills,"

"Check,"

"12 rolls of parchment,"

"Excessive, but check,"

"Inkwell,"

"Check," Minerva was helping Malcolm with his final Hogwarts preparation, but she'd much rather be in bed. "Mal, it's nearly ten, can we go to bed already?" She yawned. She, Malcolm and (a very disgruntled) Hagrid had just about managed to fit into the boat and Minerva's muscles were feeling the repercussions of it.

"No! Please!" Minerva placed her hands gently on Malcolm's shoulders. 

"It's ok. All you need is sleep and yourself. And sleep. Did I mention some flipping sleep!" Minerva laughed just as Robert tiptoed around the door of Malcolm's room, cheeks stained with tears.

"Minnie?" Before he knew what was happening, Robert was smothered by his older siblings.

"Robbie, what's wrong?" Minerva tenderly stroked his soft blond curls, so unlike hers and Malcolm's. He just proceeded to burst into tears.

"You're all leaving me!" He managed to blurt out as Malcolm wiped his running nose. Malcolm and Minerva froze. 

"Hey mister, we'll write all the time and we'll come back as much as we can," Malcolm joined in the hug. They were silent for a second, and from downstairs the muffled sound of shouting wafted from upstairs.

"Why is he blond then?" 

"How should I know? He's your son!"

"Is he though?"

"Of course he is!"

"It's not unlike you to hide things from me before!" Minerva was relieved that she'd covered Robert's ears, and she and Malcolm glanced at each other. They couldn't leave Robbie in this mess.

"Robbie, Mal, let's sleep in my room tonight, ok?" When Hagrid woke up the next morning, he was surprised to find their blissfully sleeping heads resting on each other, breathing in sync, lying on the floor. Hagrid walked over to where they were sleeping and gently kissed Minerva's forehead.

"Minnie, Hogwarts today!" He whispered, and all three of them stirred.

"Wha-?"Minerva mumbled sleepily.

"My Mr and Mrs McGonagall, thank you so much for having me," Hagrid's eyes watered as they both hugged them, having sudden flashbacks of his dad. 

"Hey, as long as you don't do anything to my daughter, I like you!" Robert laughed, but his eyes were serious, and Hagrid gulped. Isobel's mouth was set in a firm line. 

"By Robbie," Minerva and Malcolm kissed their brother goodbye with promises to write at least once a week. As the little house and the Scottish mountains span away, Minerva gripped Hagrid's arm tightly. 

Isobel watched her children jogging away to the steaming train, she wished she could climb into it's gleaming red belly. She'd given up so much and gained so little. What she'd do to just wave her wand once more, or feel the rush of the wind in her hair and the pressure of Quidditch. Oh, the good days of Hogwarts.

"Minerva and Hagrid are-" 

"Hi, Ivy how was your summer?" Minerva butted in before Ria could open her mouth. 

"Dating? I know," Minerva and Hagrid were both scarlet.

"Well, we..."

"We didn't..." They looked at each other, then their feet.

"Minerva wouldn't stop owling about their first kiss!" Affrodille laughed, earning Minerva a glare from both Ivy and Ria.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" They exclaimed.

"For the reason that you wouldn't shut up. Sorry, Iris, I didn't want Ivy to read the letter," Hagrid was hyper-aware of how close Minerva's knee was to his.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Minerva cursed her terrible luck with timing as Pomona stuck her head around the door of the compartment. 

"Kiss! Who exactly?" She asked, eyeing Minerva and Hagrid suspiciously.

"Minnie and Hagrid!" Affrodille grinned, beside herself with glee.

"Finally! Kiss! Kiss!" For the sake of making them shut up before somebody else heard, Minerva leant forward and pecked Hagrid's lips.

"Good enough?" She mumbled, their pinkie fingers intertwined by accident.

"Kiss properly!" Ria exclaimed, and Hagrid pulled Minerva forward into a deeper kiss. When they drew away, she was breathless, as was he.

"Aw! Magrid! They're Magrid!" Iris giggled. Minerva put her hands over her face.

"Oh my gosh her ears are properly blushing!" And they were, the tips tinged pink as well as her cheeks.

"Go away!" She mumbled into Hagrid's shoulder.

"Who'd have thought you'd get a boyfriend, little miss Gryffindor," The colour left Minerva's face in an instant. Tom Riddle. Great.