Chapter Text
Chapter One: September 1991
Minerva McGonagall inhaled deeply as she waited for this year's group of first-year students to make its way to the castle. After all, she had performed her customary welcome speech for more years than she cared to remember. Normally, there would be nothing for her to worry about.
But this year was different.
Minerva and her husband, Albus Dumbledore, were expecting the arrival of their grandson, Harry Potter. It would be Harry's first year at Hogwarts, and they were anxious to be able to spend time with him. Of course, Harry had no idea who his grandparents were, so Minerva hadn't ever had a real conversation with him, and he wouldn't know her once he clapped eyes on her.
Minerva's sister-in-law, Arabella Figg, looked after Harry where she could, popping into the Dursley's home and ensuring that Harry managed to eat some decent food. Minerva had visited Harry and Arabella during some of these visits—in her cat form, so she would be unrecognizable—but she wanted to see Harry as herself. She wanted to see how Harry would act in school, and how he'd interact with her as a professor.
Earlier that day, Molly Weasley had sent Minerva a note saying that she had helped Harry get through Platform 9 3/4 and that he had definitely boarded the Hogwarts Express. This had calmed Minerva to no end; it had only been an hour earlier that Hagrid had informed her that he had forgotten to tell Harry how to pass through the barrier at King's Cross.
Now, she stood in front of the entrance to the Great Hall, anxiously tapping her fingers against the bannister, waiting for her grandson to appear before her. Albus had surprised her today with the strength of his own nerves; he had finally succeeded in wearing a hole in her carpet with all his pacing.
At least he has the rest of the staff to occupy him, Minerva thought grimly. Normally, she liked introducing the students to the Great Hall and leading them through their sorting. But, in this instance, she wished she had asked Filius to take over. The last thing she needed was to faint at the sight of her grandson.
That wasn't exactly the first impression she was hoping to make.
As was typical, Minerva heard the students before she saw them. This year's group sounded rambunctious and in any other year, it would have made Minerva smile. She took a deep, calming breath, knowing that Harry being at Hogwarts was far better than the alternative, no matter what the year would bring.
When the group of first-years rounded the corner and saw Minerva, they stopped suddenly—they were clearly cowed by her presence.
Minerva knew that this was her cue.
"Good evening," Minerva announced calmly. As she gave her habitual welcome speech, her eyes scanned the crowd until she found Harry. He was standing two rows from the front, and his bright green eyes were roaming the entryway in awe, rather than focused on her. Harry was beside Ronald Weasley, who grimaced nervously at Minerva. Minerva was close with Molly Weasley, and all the seven Weasley children affectionately referred to Minerva as their aunt. Minerva was happy to see that at the very least, Harry appeared to have made a friend on the train.
"I'll be back in a moment. When I return, you'll be sorted into your Houses," Minerva finished. She swept her eyes over the crowd once more before slipping into the Great Hall and walking briskly to the head table.
"Are you all right if I bring the students in now?" Minerva asked Albus quietly.
"All is well here," Albus confirmed. He smiled lightly. "Fred and George are making quite a fuss about being hungry, so the sooner, the better."
Minerva rolled her eyes. "I'll bring them in, then." She hesitated, then added, "He's near Ronald."
Albus' breath caught, and he nodded at his wife. "Thank you."
Minerva turned on her heel and exited the Hall as quickly as she had entered. "Follow me, please!" she called out to the students. She led them through the Hall and up to the staff table. At the dais, Minerva turned to face the first years. Every year, she enjoyed watching their faces as they tried to puzzle out what the Hat's role in their sorting would be.
Ronald's face was particularly amusing, and Minerva would have sworn he muttered, "Fred and George are liars!" out of the corner of his mouth.
She cleared her throat to recapture their attention. "I'll call you up, one by one. You will sit on the stool, and I will place the Sorting Hat upon your head. It will reveal your House, and you will join the corresponding table," Minerva instructed. She glanced down at the list. "Now, Abbott, Hannah, will you come up, please?"
Frankly, Minerva wasn't paying very much attention to the students as they were sorted. Albus was just as nervous as she was, and thanks to their soul bond, the double dose of anxiety was making it difficult to remain standing. Two students did manage to catch her eye: Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom were both sorted into Gryffindor—but only after five minutes, making them the first Hatstalls since poor Peter Pettigrew. Minerva allowed herself a moment to wonder about Granger and Longbottom before the moment was upon her.
"Potter, Harry!" Minerva's voice rang out. Much to her annoyance, the entire school went quiet. Minerva despised the reputation her grandson had unwittingly brought with him to Hogwarts.
Harry approached her, looking nervous but determined. Minerva smiled gently at him and placed the Sorting Hat on his head. Never before had she wanted a student in her own House so badly; she wanted the excuse to see Harry as much as possible.
It took two minutes and thirty-seven seconds before the Hat yelled, "Gryffindor!" Minerva felt her shoulders relax as she took the Hat off Harry's head.
"Thanks," he whispered, before running off to join the obnoxiously loud Gryffindor table.
Minerva stared after him for a beat before shaking her head and resuming the sorting. She was happy—but certainly not surprised—to see that Ronald would be joining his older brothers in Gryffindor. Finally, when the sorting was over and Minerva was no longer required, she sent the Sorting Hat back to Albus' office and sat in her chair.
"Well done, Min," Poppy Pomfrey murmured into Minerva's ear. "We're proud of you."
Minerva smiled at her long-time friend. Poppy and her wife, Ro Hooch, were two of only three other members of staff who knew that Harry was her grandson. "Thank you."
"Do you want us to come and visit after the feast?" Poppy asked. "Or would you and Albus rather be alone?"
Minerva looked at Albus. He was fidgeting, which was very unlike him, and she could still feel his nervousness roiling through their bond. Turning back to Poppy, she said, "I think tonight it might be best if we're alone, if that's all right."
Poppy smiled knowingly. "Of course. Just let us know if or when you want company over the next little while, and we'll make ourselves available."
Minerva nodded, allowing a grateful smile to grace her face. "I will."
"Now, you should really nudge Albus, or no one will eat for a while. He hasn't given the command for the food."
"Oh, hell," Minerva muttered before leaning over to Albus. "Al, food."
Albus jumped out of whatever reverie he had been in and leapt to his feet. In his haste, he knocked over his glass of pumpkin juice, causing Poppy to stifle a laugh and Minerva to roll her eyes.
"We had two Hatstalls this year," Albus whispered to Minerva after he had finally opened the feast and Minerva had cleaned up his mess. "How odd."
"Even odder still that neither involved Harry," Minerva agreed. "After all, we were both Hatstalls, and so were his parents."
"True, my dear; however, his parents only managed it the first time they were sorted, not the second." Albus paused to refill his glass of pumpkin juice. "I do wonder what we can expect from Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom."
"Merlin knows I'll find out soon enough," Minerva replied, wincing slightly, "seeing as they're both in my House."
Albus chuckled. "Indeed, they are. Hopefully, they're not troublemakers."
"I already have my hands full with Fred and George—and heaven knows how Ronald will behave."
"I'm sure they'll continue to be their usual selves, but at least next year, you'll have Ginevra. She surely won't cause as much trouble as her brothers."
"Blimey," Minerva responded, paling. "Five Weasley children here at one time. They'll find themselves in so many hidden corridors that I'll spend all of my time trying to find them."
"Don't dwell on it." Albus patted her arm. "You've reminded me: I should warn everyone to stay away from the corridor on the third floor."
Minerva frowned, her mood darkening. "Yes, you should. No one needs to suffer from that particular decision of yours."
Albus opened his mouth to respond, but thought better of it. He knew his wife didn't agree with his decision to house the Philosopher's Stone at the school, and he had no desire to sully Harry's homecoming with a tiring argument.
As Albus gave his ominous speech of warning—to which Fred and George Weasley were paying too much attention for Minerva's liking—Minerva took the opportunity to watch the Gryffindor table.
Harry was laughing, which she took to be a good sign. He was surrounded by the Weasleys, and that warmed Minerva's heart. She knew that the Weasleys would take care of him. Overall, Harry seemed happy, and Minerva knew she couldn't hope for much more than that.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of the students making their way to their dormitories. Minerva stood, anxious to return to her quarters, but she soon found her path blocked by Ronald Weasley.
"Mr. Weasley?" Minerva asked, arching a brow. "Is everything all right?"
"Um—yes," Ronald said, scratching his head. He looked around and then leaned in. "Can I still call you Aunt Min, or am I supposed to say Professor now?"
Minerva smiled. "Professor in the Great Hall, class, or any other public setting, but if you ever wish to pay me a visit in private, I'll always be your aunt."
"Right. I just wanted to say hi," he said awkwardly, and Minerva suddenly got the feeling that the boy was homesick.
"I'm very glad you did. How was your journey?"
"It was great! The train was so cool, and Harry Potter—we helped him get onto the platform—shared my compartment and bought us a bunch of sweets! He didn't know what a chocolate frog was, so I told him. He got Dumbledore's card."
Minerva chuckled. "I hope the sweets didn't spoil your appetite."
"Nah, we both ate loads. The food was incredible." Ronald looked up at her in awe. "Do we eat like this every day?"
"Not every meal is so extravagant, but yes, the food here is rather good."
"I'll say!" Ronald exclaimed. "I'll have to get up early before class so I can try everything at breakfast tomorrow."
"Make sure you get enough sleep," Minerva advised. "Your first day will be busy. In fact, why don't you go up to the Tower now? There are still a few students left whom you can follow."
"Right. Thanks, Professor." Ronald went to leave, but he turned back to face Minerva again. "Wait. If I'm going to still call you"—here he mouthed the word aunt— "in private, can you call me Ron?"
Minerva laughed. "I can manage that. Now, go and find your friends, all right? You know where to find me if you need me."
He nodded and ran, clearly eager to avoid getting lost in the castle on his first day.
"Is everything all right with the youngest Weasley boy?" Albus asked, coming up behind her. "He seemed rather nervous."
"I think it's just a case of the first-day jitters. We're close enough that I hope he'll come to me in the future if something truly is wrong."
"I've no doubt about that—now, shall we head up to my office, Professor McGonagall?" Albus smiled wryly. "I have some matters I would like to discuss with you."
Minerva took his proffered arm. "Lead the way."
They walked up to Albus' quarters in silence, save for some quiet chuckles at the antics of a few students. Minerva found it comforting to slowly shed her Deputy Headmistress persona; after the nerves the day had brought, she wanted to simply be Minerva again.
When they reached the gargoyle to enter Albus' office, Minerva let herself fall back against Albus' chest. As they whirled out of sight of the public, Albus pressed a kiss to her head. "We did it, Min. We made it through."
"Thank Merlin," Minerva muttered. "Can we go straight home, or do you have something you need to do in your office?"
"We can go straight to your rooms," Albus confirmed. Long ago, Albus had constructed a secret passage from his quarters to Minerva's so that they could live together and easily get to where they needed to be. Since the Headmaster's quarters were already connected to his office, everything worked out well.
Out of everything they needed to do to keep their private lives private, it was the simplest. And, if Minerva were truthful with herself, the most pleasant.
Once they had reached Minerva's quarters, Minerva plopped unceremoniously onto their couch.
"How are you feeling, Min?" Albus asked quietly.
"I'm happy he's here," Minerva responded slowly, "but that almost makes the whole situation more nerve-racking. It's going to be like before—when Athena and Dalton had gone forward in time as Lily and James. We know that Harry is our grandson, but he does not. It's a mess of secret-keeping, and frankly, it hurts my heart to know that I'll never be able to know him as his grandmother."
"It's a challenging situation," Albus said. He settled beside her on the couch and pulled her backwards, so that her back was leaning against his chest. "We've done it before. We can do it again."
"So long as Harry doesn't start meddling with time, too."
"Don't even joke about that." Albus' voice was wary. "I couldn't handle it."
The last thing Albus wanted was to lose Harry to the reaches of time—he wanted him here, in this time, where he and Minerva could watch him and keep him safe from the reaches of Tom Riddle.
"He's here," Minerva whispered softly, interrupting Albus' musings. "He's finally home."
She felt Albus' chest rumble as he said, "Yes, he is. You can watch over him every day."
"I only need to know that he's safe," Minerva replied, chuckling. "I'll give him the same freedom as every other student—but I am happy he's safe."
"I'm sure he'll get into some trouble," Albus laughed. "He wouldn't be your grandson if he didn't."
"My grandson?" Minerva whipped around, a playful smile on her lips. "You had your fair share of trouble back in your Hogwarts days."
"Quite right, but not nearly so much as yourself, your brother, and Aidan." Albus closed his eyes. "You three gave me so much trouble."
"Yet you married me despite it all. I couldn't have been that bad."
"Some people are worth the trouble, my dear," Albus replied, kissing her temple. "And you've always been worth it."