The Potions Master's Daughter

The Last Piece in a Puzzle

"Professor McGonagall is your mum?"

Bill gasped in recognition. "You're that girl who used to sit at that mini desk and scribble with cylinders of wax! You've grown so much!" Charlie's eyes widened in recognition.

Minerva and Sadie exchanged a look and laughed. "Sadie, do you remember that boy I told you about, the one who was the captain and seeker of Gryffindor and almost won us the house cup last year?" Minerva asked. Sadie nodded.

"Yeah. I remember him. You ranted for an hour straight about how if that second year beater hadn't knocked him off of his broom, Gryffindor would have won. I also remember you ranting about how Professor Snape was never going to let you forget it." Bill and Charlie burst out laughing. Minerva shook her head amusedly.

"Well, this is him and his very intelligent older brother. They have a second year brother as well. Boys, meet my adopted daughter, Sadie Evans. She'll be starting school next year," Minerva informed them.

Bill smiled. "You'll be in the same year as the twins! Fred and George would love to meet you, I'm sure you'd get right along with them."

Minerva put a hand on Sadie's shoulder. "Oh, no you don't. I know exactly what kind of shenanigans those two get themselves into and I refuse to let you get in trouble."

Sadie laughed. "No worries, Mum. I wasn't planning on getting into any trouble. Besides, Merlin knows what you'd do to me if I did." Minerva laughed and hugged her daughter before walking over to talk to Rosmerta and get some water.

"Well, I've never seen Professor McGonagall look so..." Bill trailed off, unable to come up with the word.

"Lively? Motherly? Unprofessional?" Sadie supplied.

Bill chuckled. "Actually, I was going to say...Normal."

Sadie laughed. "Yeah, well this is the real her. Umm, it was nice meeting you, but I'd better get back to work."

The boys waved good bye to Sadie as she went to wait on another guest. When she went back to get some Meade, she heard her mother and Rosmerta talking.

"I don't know what to do. I have to tell him sooner or later. Sadie is starting Hogwarts next year, and I don't want him to find out at the Sorting Ceremony. Her last name will definitely come as a shock but not as much as the fact that she looks just like him. Should I tell them before hand?" Minerva's voice rang around the corner. Sadie paused, eavesdropping against her better judgement.

"You need to tell them soon. Before school. They're going to find out sooner or later. Better now before they find out on their own. The end of this term is only days away, Minnie. Maybe tell them in the middle of the summer," Rosmerta's voice suggested.

Minerva sighed. Sadie could almost imagine her mother burying her face in her hands. Based on her muffled voice, Sadie's assumption was correct. "I don't want to lose her. What if she prefers to stay with her father instead of me? I don't think I could bear it!" Sadie's eyes widened. How could her mother think that she'd rather stay with someone who didn't even know she existed yet? Her mother's voice was getting thick, like she was about to start crying.

As much as Sadie wanted to go in there and comfort her, she knew she couldn't let her mother know she was eavesdropping. "What if she does want to live with him? What do I do then, Rosmerta?" There was a sound of sniffling, and Sadie knew that Minerva was crying. She knew she had to go in there to get the Meade, so she decided to act like she didn't just hear the conversation. That way, she could still comfort her.

She walked calmly into the kitchen to see her mother, crying in a chair and Rosmerta trying to comfort her.

Key word: Trying. In other words..........it wasn't going very well.

"Mum? Are you alright?" Sadie rushed over to her. Rosmerta stood up while Minerva feverishly wiped tears off of her face.

"Yes, dear. I'm fine," Minerva insisted unconvincingly. Sadie sat down in the chair next to her mother, looking her dead in the eyes.

"No, you're not, Mum. I'm not stupid. You've been crying. I can tell. What's wrong?" Sadie asked.

Minerva sniffed, wiping her eyes one last time. "Nothing is wrong, Sadie. You can stop asking because even if something was wrong, it's nothing you can help with anyway. I've got to go." She stood from her seat and finished her cup of water. Sadie stood as well and surprised Minerva by attacking her torso.

"I know something's wrong. But since you won't tell me, I won't ask. I love you, Mum. I hope you feel better about whatever you're worrying about. I've got to go. There's a man outside waiting for his Meade." She let go of Minerva and brought the Meade back out to the guest outside. He thanked her profusely and poured two glasses of it.

Sadie just spotted her mother walking out the door at the same time a certain greasy-haired potions professor strode in. He sat at a table and pulled out a photo. Sadie just happened to be serving the table behind him and got a clear shot of the photo.

It was a picture of him and a redhead girl smiling underneath a tree. For some reason, the photo seemed to make him sad. Sadie could vaguely recognize the redhead, but couldn't pinpoint her name.

Then she saw the girl's eyes. They were a very clear emerald green. Just like Sadie's. Just like Harry's from the baby pictures Minerva had shown her. It was suddenly all so clear, why Minerva had moved Sadie and herself to a cottage in Hogsmeade when Sadie was five, why Sadie had started staying at the Three Broomsticks instead of going up to the castle. She started making connections in her mind.

He had greasy, black hair. She had greasy, black hair. He had pale skin. She had pale skin. He had a picture of her mum. She had a picture of her mum. Finally, like placing the last piece in a puzzle, it all clicked. She knew who her father was, but only one person she knew could confirm it. Her mother, her adoptive one.