Chapter 2

Minerva sat back in her wooden chair as the last of the students filed out of her classroom, chatting excitedly amongst themselves. For the first time that any student could remember, Professor McGonagall had dismissed a class early and with no homework. As the last student shot a look at her from over his shoulder and walked out of the room, Minerva flicked her wand, shutting the door behind him.

Leaning back, the smile she had been fighting all day broke free. Years melted away as her eyes crinkled slightly at the edges and a happy flush took hold of her cheeks. She knew she was grinning like an idiot, but in that moment, she couldn't have cared less. She was a woman very much in love. She could still see the twinkle of his eyes and his smile as she had walked out of the hall that morning. She licked her lips slowly. 'I wonder if he always tastes of lemon,' she thought idly, letting the memory wash over her taste buds. The day was made all the better, because she knew he would stay, and she could find out first hand. The quiet chime of the clock brought her back, and she shook her head quickly, scattering her thoughts.

There was still one last thing she needed to do if she was going to get ready for dinner later that evening, and the sooner it was finished, the longer her bath could be. Reaching into her right drawer, Minerva wrapped her slim fingers around a thin chain and lifted it out. The gold glittered in the sunlight, and the hourglass hanging from it was heavy in her hands. She watched it sway softly back and forth, hypnotic in its own way, before she blinked.

It appeared as if she wouldn't have to wait another twenty years as she did last time before another exceptional student would ask for the device. Her thoughts wandered back to Miss Granger's misadventures with the small device, as well as her own as a student, and Minerva was willing to admit she was a little hesitant to risk it again. Even she had a limit before the grey hairs would begin to arrive, and the trio had all but reached it. Granted, Daniel Ives was nowhere near as involved as Miss Granger was, but somehow he could still find his fair share of adventure.

Pushing her chair back with an obnoxious scrape that set her teeth on edge, Minerva stood up and made her way toward the Charms classroom. Classes would be ending in a matter of minutes, and she wanted to catch the young man before he got lost in his afternoon pursuits. Wrapping the tiny hourglass tightly in her hand, Minerva stepped out into the corridor. She got as far as the staircase before she saw another soul, or in this case, a ghost.

Floating just above the ground and wearing one of Filch's mop buckets as a helmet, Peeves was busy attaching moustaches to various suits of armor that lined the long halls. Several of them were already done, and those that weren't were busy trying to block their visors. Unfortunately, they were far too rusty to put up much of a fight.

Minerva brought her hand up to cover her smile. The poltergeist was a pest, but she had to admit most of his pranks were funny, as long as you weren't on the receiving end. She still remembered the morning Albus came to the Great Hall with purple hair after Peeves had put dye in his shampoo bottle.

Schooling her features, Minerva moved silently to stand behind him while Peeves hummed a nonsense song to himself, getting glue everywhere. She leaned toward him, careful not to brush against him. She never could get used to the cold feeling touching a ghost produced. "Peeves, what are you doing?"

The poltergeist whirled around, the bottle of glue in one hand, a moustache in the other, and one plastered to his own face. The length of it would have done Albus proud. "Peeves is just redecorating Deputy, ma'am," Peeves drawled in his oily voice. There were only three people in the castle that he would never dare cross. Luckily, she happened to be one of them.

"What did Argus try to do this time?" she asked patiently. Peeves bobbed up and down and began waving his arms wildly, glue sloshing out over the edge of his can, falling on Minerva's shoes. He never seemed to notice.

"Peeves was only floating along, minding his own business, when Filchey decided to smack him with a broom."

"And where, exactly, were you floating?" Peeves mumbled a reply that sounded remarkably like, "the second floor women's bathroom." Minerva closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to suppress a shudder. She made a mental note to talk to Argus in the morning, and find out exactly what he was doing in a woman's bathroom. Sometimes, that man could be down right disturbing.

"Peeves, I've told you before to stay out of our bathroom. No one wants to walk in and see you floating there with a camera. Especially," she said, looking down over the rim of her glasses, "when the pictures end up plastered all over the castle. And second, if you insist on punishing the caretaker, don't take it out on the armor. They haven't done anything to you. If you insist on being creative, please confine it to his office." The last bit she said with a smile. "Just don't tell him I sent you. You're not the only one he chases with a broom."

Taken aback, Peeves broke out in a toothy grin and saluted before turning tail and flying away in the direction of Argus' office.

When Peeves had finally turned the corner, Minerva finally chuckled before waving her wand and removing the offending facial hair from the row of armor. In thanks, the mind numbing sound of metal against metal filled the air as the armor came to attention before her, all helmets turning in her direction. "You're welcome, boys." She nodded.

Minerva turned on her heel, and stepped forward without thinking. To her surprise, there was nothing underneath it for her foot to land on. She had forgotten about the staircase until it was too late, and Minerva could feel herself pitch forward into the air.

Her normally superb balance failed her as she began to fall, and the world around her slowed to a crawl. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, and her frantic breathing filled the air. It was almost as if she could see herself falling, arms flaying wildly, the shocked cries of the portraits following her.

Just as quickly, time seemed to speed up, and with a sickening thump and a single breath, there was darkness. The portraits watched, bewildered, as she landed in a heap of emerald robes before disappearing without a trace. None of them had seen the time tuner shatter beneath her. Minerva McGonagall was gone, and the bath would have to wait.

Minerva could feel consciousness seep into the recesses of her mind, pulling her out of the blissful nothingness that had enveloped her. Her mind was telling her that she was face down, and whatever was beneath her was cold, but that information made no sense. The cause of her odd situation came flooding back to her, and she waited a heartbeat, and then two, but there was nothing. Despite the fact that she had fallen down a flight of stairs and landed flat on her face, there was no pain.

Unable to believe it, Minerva opened her emerald eyes cautiously, almost afraid of what she would see. She was, indeed, lying on the stone floor at the base of the staircase, still very much in the castle. "So this is what being dead feels like," she thought humorlessly. She slowly drew her knees up underneath her, and let out a yelp when her hand landed in the shards of the broken Time-Turner. Turning her hands over, she was surprised to see the little shards of glass the protruded from the very palm Albus had kissed to tenderly just a few hours before. She watched, fascinated, as the pain increased along with the tiny drops of blood. "Well, there goes that theory," she said wryly.

Deciding it would just be faster, Minerva got her feet, careful to avoid the rest of the glass, and walked back up the stairs, toward the hospital wing. There was no point in going to see Mr. Ives now, and the hospital wing was on the way to Minerva's chambers. Minerva trudged along the empty corridors, cursing her own stupidity, when she passed a window overlooking the grounds. She took another two or three steps before she stopped and turned back. Not sure of what she had seen, Minerva walked back to the window and looked down, not believing what her eyes told her.

Instead of the vast sea of green that the window normally overlooked, Minerva saw rows upon rows of dirt strips. At the end of each strip, there was a single wooden post with a dummy tied to it. They were life sized, and if it weren't for the way they swung in the wind, Minerva would have been sure they were students.

More confused than she could ever remember, Minerva's steps increased on her way to see the nurse. Perhaps she had hit her head going down after all, but for the first time, Minerva could sense unease in the pit of her stomach. The normal calming hum of the castle's magic was different. It had changed in a way she couldn't name, heavier, more sinister.

Looking around, Minerva began to notice other differences as well. The usual portraits had disappeared; all of them had been replaced with landscapes or removed all together. 'What the hell is going on," Minerva wondered. She needed to see Poppy, and then a trip to Albus' office was in order. She couldn't have been unconscious long enough for anything serious to have happened, could she? And where had those dummies come from? Too many questions, and not enough answers flowed through her head.

Minerva reached the ward and entered without knocking. "Madam Pomfrey," she called out, just in case students were about. "You know the rules, if you're conscious, you're well enough for classes." A woman came bustling around the corner, but Minerva couldn't believe her eyes. It was Poppy Pomfrey, of that Minerva was certain, but the woman couldn't have looked more different. Instead of the slightly plump woman she had seen at breakfast, Minerva looked at a wisp of a woman. Circles, black as night, ringed her eyes, and wrinkles invaded every inch of her face.

Poppy came bustling toward her, not bothering to look up from the stack of supplies in her arms. "Didn't you hear me? Back to class with you. Tell your classmates to bring you back if it gets worse." She continued on her way and began stocking the shelves. Minerva stood rooted to the spot, her mouth agape, as she tried to put the words together.

The only thing she managed to sputter out was, "Poppy!"

The other woman stopped, her hand hovering in the air, before she set the flask down gently and turned around. She looked back at Minerva with cold, unfeeling eyes. "Who are you?" Her words were harsh, and Minerva visibly flinched.

"Poppy, this isn't funny. What's..." but she was cut off. For the second time in her life, Minerva was silenced as a red light streaked toward her, and she fell to the ground.

Minerva groaned as again, she flitted back to consciousness, but this time, it was far from painless. Her head was pounding in time with the throb in her hand, and her shoulders were sore from being wrenched behind her. She could hear voices, all recognizable, but inconceivable given her present circumstances.

Opening her eyes just enough to see, she listened. "I've tried every counter charm I know headmaster, and made up a few just for good measure, and I'm telling you. It's not a glamour. It's been too long for it to be Polyjuice, so I don't know how she's done it."

Minerva would recognize Filius' squeaky voice anywhere, but she couldn't understand why Albus would have her tied up and left on the floor. She was shocked when the second voice spoke, and it wasn't Albus. "That does me no good, Filius," Severus drawled. "What I want to know is who she is, and how she got into my castle. If she's a member of the underground, I need to know why she's here. Do whatever you deem necessary, but I want the answers by dinner tonight."

"If I may, headmaster," Poppy interjected. "I have another idea. She was already bleeding, so I ran it against Minerva's old medical file. I hadn't been able to get rid of it after... Well, when I ran the comparison, it was a match. I don't know how or why, but that is Minerva McGonagall. I suggest we turn her over to the Praetorian Guard. They can take her to the Minister. I'm sure, if nothing else, he can get the information you require with... the least amount of discomfort for her."

Severus looked across the room at Minerva's body before nodding. "Alright, Filius, call the guard and inform the Minister. I take it you've already healed her hand, Poppy?"

"Of course." She sounded indignant. "Some things don't change, headmaster."

"And others do, despite our best efforts. Get her ready for transport."

Poppy waited until Severus left before turning and stopping at Minerva's side. "You can open your eyes; I know you're awake." Minerva blinked and looked up at a visibly suspicious nurse.

"Poppy, what is going on?"

Poppy just shook her head, pulling Minerva to her feet. Minerva heard her mutter a few words, and the pain in her head and shoulders disappeared. "The Praetorian will be here soon," Poppy said quickly. "I don't know who or what you are, but listen to me. Do not say a word until you reach the Minister's office. I don't know how you got here, but even the trees have ears." Her eyes shifted across the room before falling back on Minerva. "If you really are Min, then do as I told you. This isn't the same world you left. Remember, not a word."

Soon, a group of men, many of whom she recognized from the Auror office, arrived and carried her away. The trip was as uneventful as it could be. She followed Poppy's advice and remained silent in the face of their questions.

They arrived by Floo powder in the Ministry, and she was quickly brought to the Minister's office. She still couldn't understand what was happening, or why she was standing outside the Minister's office when one had yet to be elected.

Things were happening too fast for her mind to register everything, but nothing could have prepared her for what awaited them beyond the door. With a quick knock, the thick oak door swung open, and Minerva was unceremoniously pushed into the office. A lone person stood, his back to her, staring out the window. He had silver hair, trimmed short and close to his head. He was tall and broad shouldered, and, instead of robes, he wore a something that looked like black armor.

Minerva couldn't help but gasp when he turned around, her heart dropping to the ground and shattering. "Albus!"