#just minerva

[theminervamcgonagall]

Being Practical

Minerva set the tray of hot chocolate and clam chowder in front of Jordan.He started shoveling it in.

"Hungry,I see..."said Minerva. He looked paler than usual, but much less tired than the last time she had seen him.

"Starving,"said Jordan. He paused to drink some of his hot cocoa. "How long was I out?"

"A week,"said Minerva. She moved to the window and moved the safe house curtain aside. "I expected Evelien to be here..."

Jordan set down his spoon. "I didn't tell her."

"That you'd be here?"said Minerva carefully. She suspected she knew the answer.

"No, uh, I didn't tell her about...any of this,"Jordan stared into the chowder and resumed eating it much more slowly.

"I see,"said Minerva. She turned back towards him. "She thinks you're dead." He avoided her gaze.

"I'll tell her.I should be the one.I was going to...before...but..."

"The longer you wait, the harder it will be."

"I was being practical,"said Jordan."Everything I know... Every single thing that I know about you, about her, about the twins...I know what they look like when they lie. I know you care more than you'll ever say. All that knowledge. Lestrange could know. She could've twisted everything I ever told her into a weapon.I was being practical."

"Practical,"repeated Minerva.  She had been young once. She hadn't been as young as Evelien when she had lost Elphinstone, but still...If she had known what would happen, she would've said yes to his proposals sooner. They could've had more time. His death had cut her to the quick and it still affected her to this day. If Elphinstone, rest his soul, had faked his own death she would've been relieved. And furious. And hurt. "Practicality aside. What you're doing is cruel."

"Speaking of cruelty...do we know how long Lestrange had me?"

"Sixteen months and a few days. Don't change the subject."

"I think I have a right to know how long, don't you?"said Jordan clanging his spoon into his bowl. "Was it the ball?"

"Harper's kidnapping,"said Minerva."You need to tell her."

"I don't have to tell Jennie anything,"said Jordan. "I don't even know where she is." 

"You know that's not what I meant."

"I know it's not what you meant,"growled Jordan."You know what cruelty is, Professor? It's letting someone live in a fantasy world for over a year then ripping it away. Cruelty is killing someone so slowly they don't even realize it's happening until they want it to happen, then not going through with it. Don't you dare call me cruel."

"Is that why you drove off a pier?"said Minerva."That wasn't part of the plan."

"I wasn't talking about me, Professor."

"Weren't you?"

"I was and then I wasn't,"said Jordan pushing his chair away from the table. "It's been a long year."

"I'm trying to help.I can't help if you won't let me. If you don't want me, tell someone you're alright. Tell Dina. Tell George, Fred...Someone. Do you want me to get your parents?"

"No. I'll tell Dina,"said Jordan."Mum will just stress me out.I can't deal with that right now. I don't need to be fussed over. I need work. I need to do something. Be useful.I don't know...Muggle grocery store.Flexible hours. I'll disguise myself. No magic in the muggle areas. I promise. Unless you considered what I asked?"

"Research?"

"Paperwork. Something."

"I don't know...I don't think you should be alone."

"A shop. Full of people with satsumas and cereal boxes. That's not alone.And no one's looking for me. I'm suppose to be dead, remember?"

Minerva wasn't convinced."You never answered my question. The pier."

"I got lost. Things are different on a motorcycle. If Bellatrix was tracking me I didn't want to wait until she actually found me. I improvised. Water seemed safer than crashing into something. "

"Pomfrey told me the results of your examination.She mentioned..."Her eyes moved to Jordan's hands resting on the table. Jordan dropped them onto his lap out of sight.

"Yes, I told her that,"said Jordan. "But I didn't know at the time...Sixteen months? That means I was still under Lestrange's curse. I didn't understand what was happening. I didn't know what was wrong. Now, I do. I'm angry and there are things I need to work through, but I made a lot of people a promise. I made Dina a promise."

[theminervamcgonagall]

Order Meeting:The Current State of Things

Minerva stood from her seat at the table and waited for everyone to quiet down.

"Thank you all for coming. First, I would like to apologize. It's taken much too long for me to organize a meeting with all our members. The short version is we were thoroughly unprepared for the attack on the Remembrance Ball. I, like so many of you had hoped these days were behind us."

She scanned the room at the many familiar and attentive faces.

"It's taken us this long to reconnect old networks, to seek out old contacts, to juggle this and our own duties to our day jobs, to find new bases, and to gather enough information that we can work with. Some of you have gone off on smaller missions for us already and others have been recruiting. Time has also given us room to think. Since the attack, we have lost three former members of this organization: Randolph Williams, Brenda Bradbury, and Carina Dearheart."She paused to let their names sink in. 

"There have been more attacks on former members than I can say succinctly.Some of the victims are in this very room." She didn't need to point them out. People either knew or it was the individual's choice whether such information was revealed or not.

"We are all aware of the worrying growth of werewolf and Death Eater attacks on the general magical and muggle population.This is the current state of things. And it is woefully familiar to us."She drank from her glass of water and licked her lips. "They know our old patterns. So we must break them. Meetings of this nature, with all of us here, will be few. Meetings will be smaller. Remus and I have found multiple locations that have no previous connection to former Order members that will be used as safe houses, meeting, and training places." 

" Practice and training will mean we will be better prepared. They train. And so will we. I'll leave it up to individuals as to when they do or where, but I have drawn up a list of spells all of us should be proficient in."She gestured to the stack of pamphlets in the center of the table. Lee raised his hand. "Yes, Jordan?"

"You're telling me I have homework?"

Minerva arched a brow, "I suppose I am. You'll be relieved to know I will not be assigning you essays."

"Just mission reports?"Lee asked cautiously.

"Yes. And please hold your comments and questions until I am finished, Jordan."

"Yes, Professor,"said Lee. "...This definitely feels familiar."

"Where was I?"Minerva paused to remember.

"No essays."

"Jordan."

"You were on homework.I was listening-- I swear."

She shot him a warning look. Lee mimed zipping his lips and throwing the away the key.Minerva shook her head and sighed. "Yes. As I said, the lists are there. Missions. No one will have solo missions. It will be in pairs or greater numbers." They would not have a repeat of what had happened to Arthur. "And no single person will carry a secret alone. We were fortunate Severus was able to convey important information before he died.But if he hadn't...We might not have had even a single year's reprieve from the fighting. Multiple people with a secret carries problems of it's own, but it also holds people accountable. We won't put all our eggs in one basket." She sipped from her glass of water once more. "One last thing before I open it up to questions or what we'd like to discuss further...Myrtle has recently informed me that Death Eaters visited the Chamber of Secrets during the battle."

"Recently?"said Lee."As in...she couldn't have told us this before?"

"She was..."McGonagall pursed her lips."Upset."

"She's always upset."

"There was a battle going on, Jordan. She has, just as you and many of us have, been dealing with her memories of it in addition to whatever troubles she has. And to answer your question before you ask it, no, we don't know why Death Eaters visited the Chamber during the battle. It's a point I would've proceeded to if you had simply indulged my request to hold comments and questions until I finished..."She took a long drink and drained her glass. "That question and the question of whether there is indeed a rebel faction within the Death Eaters are our first priorities. If there is a civil war within the Death Eaters, it will make it easier to fight them. It also complicates things. We don't want innocent people caught in the crossfire."

She breathed out slowly."Now, the floor is open to questions and comments."

[theminervamcgonagall]

Minerva's Doubt

They had all hoped the Order could rest. The year of peace had worked it's lulling charm and meant the structures of the organization had willingly faded. Everyone had been quite ready to let wartime resistance networks rest. Albus was no longer there to urge caution. The Remembrance Ball attack shocked everyone with it's severity. And once again, order was disrupted and worries resurfaced. 

And The Order of the Phoenix was needed again. The next year was spent trying to juggle reestablishing it's vitality and on going reconstruction efforts. And Minerva had chosen to focus more of her energies on her school. It was a concrete problem. It had an obvious course of action. The headlines of werewolves and death eaters did not subside or wait. And while recruiting took time and looking for new headquarters took time...She wondered if she had taken far too much time. 

[theminervamcgonagall]

When it Feels like Flying.

"Dancing?"repeated Minerva.She folded her arms and tilted her head up to study the smile on his face.Elphinstone nodded.

"Yes, dancing."

"Me?Dancing?"

"Do you repeat yourself this often in your classes?"he said kissing her forehead. 

"Unfortunately, yes, but usually the other person is the one who is hesitating."

"Repetition can be intimidating."

"Repetition can be intimidating?"said Minerva arching a brow.

"It can be when you combine it with that look."

She dropped her arms to her side."What look?"

"The look you just had."He imitated her and stood very straight. "Repetition can be... "He squinted at her."intimidating?"

"I don't mean to be intimidating."

"Yes, you do"said Elphinstone. He picked an apple from the fruit basket on the table and bit into it. "I think you enjoy it."

"That is not what I enjoy,"said Minerva pressing her lips together.

"Then we should do something you will enjoy. Like dancing."He finished off his apple and chucked the core in a bin.

"I don't. I mean, I don't..."

"You've never danced?"

"I have.I'm not very good at it,"she shrugged. She folded her hands in her lap and studied her fingernails.

Elphinstone held out his hand and pulled her out of her chair."I find that hard to believe." He flicked his wand and turned on the radio.

"Alright, your hands go here,"he said adjusting their placement and he slid one hand to her waist. "And I'll place one here."

"I said I wasn't good at it...Not that I didn't know how."

"Alright,let's just dance then..." They started to move. Elphinstone cleared his throat and smiled at her. "Minerva."

"Yes?"

"I'm suppose to lead."

"Oh. Of course....Yes,"nodded Minerva. Elphinstone stopped them.

"And you should relax,"he reached a hand up."And this might help."He pulled the pins out of her hair and her carefully constructed bun fell away.He tilted her chin up and kissed her lips. Minerva pulled away and licked her lips. "That does not help me relax."

"Well, you're not as tense.Shall we try again?"

Minerva smirked and kissed him again enthusiastically. Elphinstone pulled back. "I meant dancing...And I'm leading.That's the rule.I know how you like rules."

"Depends on the rule."

They tried dancing again.She had never quite understood how to feel at ease at this sort of thing. But with him, it reminded her her younger days when she'd swoop through the air on her broomstick. 

[theminervamcgonagall]

A New Home |Elphinstone and Minerva

"Hogsmeade is all magical. No hiding. No secrets. We're free to use as much or as little magic as we want,"said Elphinstone. Minerva's fingers curled around the top of the gate door handle. She pushed forward into the front garden. Elphinstone kissed her cheek and offered an arm. She took it and they walked up the stone path to the house. Elphinstone unlocked the door to the house with his key, "Take a look..." He held the door open for her.Minerva stepped inside.  Sunlight filtered through the large windows into the living room. There were plenty of book shelves, a window seat overlooking the garden, and hardwood floors. She peered through one of the windows near the entrance to the kitchen. She smiled at the view of Hogwarts castle in the distance. 

"I thought to myself, 'I can see Minnie curling up by the window seat with a book,'"said Elphinstone.

"It's lovely,"said Minerva. "It's a bit far from the ministry, though."

"I don't mind.It just means you'll be home before I am."

"Home. Our home. It's a wonderful thought,"said Minerva smiling.

"Yes, it is."

[theminervamcgonagall]

Something A Little Sad

Drabble Request from Ages Ago:

Young Minerva with her parents on her first day back at home in Caithness after finishing year 1 at Hogwarts.

"And I can turn toothpicks into needles and float feathers and-and-it was amazing, mother. Just like you said it would be!"grinned Minerva. "The staircases move and the paintings talk and I can fly on broomsticks and the library is HUGE. It's so much bigger than father's or the one in the village. I was lost in there once and a prefect found me and--"

Her mother laughed,"Calm yourself, Minerva.I'm trying to comb these knots out of your hair.You fidget.."

"I can comb my own hair, mother..."muttered Minerva. "I want to, I've missed it,"said her mother kissing the top of her head.

"My hair?"

"Yes, and every bit of you...It's been too quiet,"she said."Now, sit still."

Minerva looked into the mirror at her mother braiding her hair. "Mother..."

"Yes..."Her mother weaved the strands of her hair together. "Why don't you do magic?" "I do...You've seen me."

"But at Hogwarts and Diagon Alley they do it all the time."

"It's complicated, darling..."  The door to her room creaked opened and her father smiled slightly at seeing his wife and daughter together.

"Good morning, Minerva."

Minerva beamed. "Good morning.I was telling her about school..."

"Oh. I imagine you two have much to talk about,"he said. He glanced at his wife and he was still smiling, but Minerva sensed there was something a little sad about it.

[theminervamcgonagall]

My grand-niece is calling for me...I shall answer all questions upon my return.

[theminervamcgonagall]

I wonder if perhaps...that was more information than the anonymous person was looking for, but if the Anon thought she was dying than she can't have been properly educated about the process.