Post by Minerva McG on Aug 31, 2014 17:05:34 GMT -5
Disclaimer: I do not own or make any profit from Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K. Rowling, etc.
A/N: A story that came to me out of nowhere, as usual. A tribute to the relationship of Albus & Minerva in all its forms. I actually was going to have Minerva die somehow, but I couldn’t do it at the time and brought Albus in to save the day. (Might write that original version now, but we’ll see.) I posted this on FFnet a while ago on my profile 'Mir Queen' and then forgot about this lovely forum.
I've been thinking about writing a follow-up, too, but again I'm not sure.
Summary: Albus Dumbledore stood in the doorway like a hero from Greek Mythology, wand silhouetted with deadly precision against the light from the corridor, features contorted into a horrifying mixture of grief, fury, and terror, and his blue eyes sparking like fire. Umbridge looked positively ghostly with fear at the sight of him standing there like an avenging angel prepared for battle. (Rated 13+)
Boundless Salvation
In the wake of the Astronomy OWL catastrophe, not a single Gryffindor could concentrate on anything. After the initial worries and talk, their group had congregated right on the floor in front of the common room fireplace. Hermione leaned into Harry's shoulder with tears running down her cheeks. Ron stared at the floor, numbly clutching the hand of Ginny, who had come down after hearing the commotion of their return. Lavender was still crying quite loudly and Parvati followed suit. Neville's fists were clenched tight enough to draw blood, Seamus repeatedly and methodically cursed the wall stone-by-stone, and Dean had not moved at all for more than two hours.
And Harry… Harry found himself thinking of all the things he had never known about his head of house. Things he had never asked and now probably never would. Had she ever married? Did she have children of her own? Did she lose loved ones as Harry had? If she had, was that why she was so stern in demeanor oftentimes?
He wondered how Hogwarts could ever survive without the pillar of strength that was its deputy headmistress. Who would clear their throat in order to stop Dumbledore from telling a particularly inappropriate joke at dinner? Who would shout at Lee Jordan for his language when Gryffindor was losing in Quidditch? Who would have the guts to stand up to Snape so bluntly when he was acting extremely unfairly to the Gryffindors? Or tell Peeves to unscrew a chandelier in retaliation against the Ministry regime?
The questions went round and round in Harry's head until it hurt to think anymore. It hurt to think, hurt to feel, hurt to remember.
How many times had he dismissed Professor McGonagall as a cold statue of a person who didn't understand how he felt as a teenager? But she just didn't want him getting hurt or killed or to lose a chance at his dreams of the future by failing his classes. Could he blame her for that? Wasn't that what parents did every day for their children? Molly Weasley constantly did the same kind of worrying. Minerva McGonagall was no different than any parent out there, really. The biggest difference was that she had to look after hundreds of children rather a small group of them. And she had to factor in sub-heading the school and teaching her classes. When Harry thought about it that way, Professor McGonagall had – in her own way – been a mother to him ever since he'd first seen her on the staircase in the entrance hall. To all her students, really, but Harry couldn't think that broadly without his head splitting. Instead, he tried to think of anything he could do to help.
Unfortunately, it did not work as he expected. He found himself running over the event all over again, watching time and time again in his mind as Professor McGonagall was struck down and Hagrid roared his fury, swiping the wizards to the ground. The eerie glow that had surrounded Professor McGonagall haunted Harry. What could have happened to her body after something like that? Surely nothing he truly wanted to think about, but he couldn't quell it.
It was only when he had dwelled on it for several minutes, constantly replaying it, that Harry recognized something very odd. The glow, for all its color being the same as the stunning spell, did not seem to be at all connected to the stunners themselves. How odd, Harry thought. Working even harder to recall every detail of the spells cast, Harry realized very rapidly that something else had to have been cast on the professor. Some other spell, a curse if Harry was any judge, must have hit the professor in addition to the four stunners. He doubted anyone else had noticed it, but having the eyes and instincts of a seeker and a danger-magnet had trained him to realize something was different, even if it had looked the same as the stunning spell. Considering he had seen all the wizards except for Umbridge when the stunners were cast, Harry would have bet everything he had that it was her who had done it. Of course! Sadistic toad that she was, Umbridge would have stayed out of sight and out of mind, able to cast whatever she wanted while Professor McGonagall was focused on the ministry wizards straight ahead of her.
Whatever the spell was, it had unhappily done the intended damage and ensured that Professor McGonagall might very well end up dead. According to Lee Jordan (who had been the only one bold enough to check on the professor immediately afterward), two healers even had to come to Hogwarts instead of transferring their patient because the professor could not be moved for fear of further damage. Standing slowly, Harry could barely focus on Hermione's worried remark to him. Almost in a daze, Harry made his way to the infirmary.
When he got to the hospital wing and mentioned the possibility of a curse or other spell being cast in addition to the stunners, the two healers that had arrived all but ignored him. For some unfathomable reason, Madame Pomfrey was not even in the hospital wing that he could see.
Harry watched with mounting panic as the healers steadily lost Professor McGonagall to whatever curse had hit her. Frankly, the young wizard was glad he could not really see any part of the professor's face or body at all. Seeing the injuries and how close she was to dying would likely have undone him. He tried in vain to again convince the healers a curse must have been thrown, but they dismissed him angrily. Either it was because of his reputation thanks to the ministry or because he was underage or both. Regardless, if Harry wasn't able to do something fast, his head of house was going to die, and quickly.
There was only one person present in the castle who had enough experience with curses such as the one probably affecting the head of Gryffindor – and the boy was not looking forward to seeing him. If he was brushed off again, he was going to get Hermione and beg her to try something. Maybe he could even try to send Hedwig after Dumbledore, but that sounded extremely unlikely to work and very dangerous with Umbridge still in control. Nevertheless, he didn't know what else to do if his next option dismissed him. After that, he feared the outcome of this treacherous incident.
Running as if Voldemort himself was on his heels, Harry made it to the dungeons in record time and banged on the door of his least favorite professor. The wooden barrier was wrenched open and a furious-looking Snape glared at Harry with so much venom he might have mistaken him for a dragon.
"Surely, Potter, your arrogance does not lead you to my door to gloat over your invasion of my privacy?" the wizard hissed low, obviously not wishing the affair to be overheard.
"It's Professor McGonagall," Harry burst forth without bothering to even bristle at the insult. "Umbridge and some Ministry wizards went after Hagrid and McGonagall ran out to help him, but they sent four stunners at her and some curse, too. I tried to tell the healers, but they won't listen. They're already close to losing her and you're the only one I know who might be able to help. Please, sir!"
Snape stood stock still for a moment, staring at Harry as though he had just spoken in pig latin. He shook his head almost violently and suddenly whipped out into the hallway, slamming the door behind him and dragging Harry along by the arm to who-knew-where. Stricken as he was by the thought of Professor McGonagall dying, Harry didn't ask questions.
"Describe it," Snape ordered commandingly after a long silence, walking so quickly Harry was half-running to keep up. Harry could only assume he was talking about the curse.
"It was the same color as the stunners and it glowed around the professor," Harry practically panted, realizing abruptly that they were heading towards the library. "And it kind of sparked around the edges, like fireworks, but really subtle. But it didn't seem to do anything visible except glow."
Snape said nothing, but finally dragged Harry into the library and immediately over to the restricted section. A wave of his wand removed the rope separating it from the rest of the library and other waves Harry guessed were meant to eliminate any wards on the books. It seemed as though Snape started to move faster with every step, summoning at least six different books and opening all of them with another wave of his wand.
Imperiously, he pointed to one in particular and merely said, "Read."
Doing as instructed without complaint for once, Harry was stunned to read a description of the exact spell he had seen. "That's it," he energetically replied, looking up to find Snape already nodding and flipping through another book at phenomenal speed. He stopped at a page to read, only to have his eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets.
"Merlin help us," he muttered worriedly, anxiously, to a level that Harry had never heard in the man's voice before.
"What is it?" Harry couldn't help asking, nerves taught and frayed.
"We need Dumbledore." Snape responded sharply without looking up, an edge of panic to the sound.
"We have to get rid of Umbridge," Harry pointed out unnecessarily, inwardly marveling at the somewhat civil speech he and Snape were engaging in. It was insane what the threat of losing a common ally could do to two people who virtually hated each other.
"We will need your… defense group," was Snape's reluctant remark, quiet and wary, his eyes shifting about keenly. "We must oust our headmistress."
"We really need to mobilize the other houses if we can," Harry added nervously.
"That I leave to you," Snape interrupted, "Start a revolt if you must. This reign must be delayed as soon as possible. I will care for Professor McGonagall and send word to Dumbledore. Now go!"
Not waiting for Harry's reply, Snape summoned and shrunk all the books he had pulled and swept out of the restricted section with them in his hand. Harry ran like hell to Gryffindor tower and immediately explained everything he had experienced to Hermione and Ron and the rest of his frantic housemates. The instant rallying cry when he suggested revolt was heartening and solidifying. The feverish, angry gleam in Hermione's eyes assured Harry that she was going to be at her planning peak. Parvati, courtesy of her sister being in Ravenclaw, headed off to find all the Ravenclaws from the D.A. Lavender, too emotional as yet to help with planning, joined Parvati while Neville went to get the Hufflepuffs. The three of them were going to end up recruiting members for the desperate cause.
Mere seconds after having started a plan, the slightly smaller group was startled by the portrait opening much too soon for the girls or Neville to have returned. To Harry's great relief and surprise, the seeming invisible entries were actually the disillusioned forms of Fred, George, and Lupin. The biggest shock was the dog trotting alongside Lupin. If Harry wasn't so frantic and desperate for help in saving Professor McGonagall, he would have completed blown up on his godfather for daring to come where he was likely to be arrested. But the rational side of his brain recognized the advantage to having two adult wizards with him. And especially mischief makers like Lupin and Sirius.
"Harry, how can we help?" the twins asked instantly, synchronized but all business.
"How can't you help?" Ginny responded enthusiastically as Snuffles padded over to flop down next to Harry as a measure of comfort.
"We have to get rid of Umbridge, simple as that," Hermione informed them quickly. "Dumbledore must be allowed the freedom to come here without worrying about the ministry."
"I think outright revolt is probably the best way," Lupin remarked, looking pensive. "We need to either fight Umbridge out of the castle completely or trap her somewhere she can't escape."
"Getting her out completely is probably best," Harry decided. "That way we don't have to worry about her getting the Ministry here in secret. At least if the Ministry comes openly to the front door we can probably hold them off long enough for Dumbledore to do what he needs to do and get out."
"A good point," Lupin agreed. "The staff members are on our side, by the way. That means we should have some very good wards to hold off the ministry if it comes to that point. Hopefully it won't, but you never can tell with Fudge and Umbridge."
Hermione sighed with relief; she looked quite terrified of a complete match-up against the government. Not that Harry blamed her. It wasn't really his first choice, either.
"That means we can focus mostly on Umbridge herself," Angelina nodded gladly.
"Do we know where Umbridge is, though?" Seamus mentioned worriedly.
"And the Inquisitorial Squad," Ron pointed out sourly. "They'll be onto us in a flash."
"We'll work on that first," Fred spoke.
George nodded his agreement, then qualified, "Of course, simply stunning the lot of them would be best."
"It would make it a whole lot easier," Dean snorted.
"We need to bait Umbridge," Harry suggested, "I can really only think of using me as the bait, but…"
"Or we could be the bait," George put in.
Fred amusedly added, "Yeah, we're not supposed to be here, after all."
"You could be the bait and simultaneously take out the Inquisitorial Squad," Hermione added thoughtfully. "Kill two birds with one stone."
"Sounds good to me," Harry nodded, as did the rest of the assembled group.
The rest of their planning session was incredibly brief. Not much else could be planned with the need for such instant results. Lupin and Snuffles were going to make sure Filch was occupied at first. Then, since Sirius could not reveal himself, he and Lupin were going to remain hidden under disillusionment and fire spells from the background that would not be directly tied to their hidden locations.
The D.A. and any other recruited students were to be split into six groups so as to have more streamlined direction from individual group leaders – Ernie, Angelina, Dean, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, the first three led by Lupin and the second three led by Harry. It appeared to be one large mass gathered in the entrance hall, but in actuality the lines were quite easily drawn for each separate group. Lupin thought it was a perfect way to allow Umbridge to underestimate the operation.
Before the actual fight commenced, Seamus, Dean, and Ron were working with the twins to stun the Inquisitorial Squad and hide them elsewhere. Ron had at first thought to go with Harry and Hermione, but considering his anger at Malfoy, he wanted to get a crack at the Slytherin first. Unfortunately, the Squad was apparently not present anywhere inside the castle. When Harry finally (discreetly) checked the map, he found them just as they came in the entrance hall with Umbridge in the middle of them.
When Umbridge and her lackies first appeared in their line of sight, everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting. Suddenly, like a shot, Umbridge called for them to disarm the other students, but a tidal wave of disarming spells erupted so furiously from the defenders that they had just enough time to jump out of the way and keep their wands in hand. From there, the fight became chaos. Harry luckily had a vantage point up a step on the staircase and in spite of its open target range, he was easily able to fend off incoming spells because he could see them coming almost before the caster could speak the words. Lupin and Sirius were doing an amazing job of staying unnoticed and yet still making an impact in the brawl. Even Harry couldn't tell where they were coming from.
Harry lost sight of Umbridge quite suddenly in the middle of disarming Goyle, a fact that worried him immensely. The toad was easy to spot usually, so why couldn't he see her in the vicinity? And where was she going anyway?
Only when he chanced a glance towards the hall leading to the infirmary did Harry realize, with a jolt of unease, where she was headed and why. Of course, Snape was in there and not likely to take Umbridge lying down, but if he was caring for Professor McGonagall, might his ability to fight be hindered? Seeing the riot around him, Harry could tell his leadership was not necessary anymore and was glad of it. It left him free to chase after Umbridge. Only once he arrived in the hospital wing did Harry remember the healers were also in there. That might make things difficult, he supposed, but he had to handle it. Professor McGonagall's life was at stake.
Sure enough, the healers were not in a friendly mood, certainly aided by Umbridge's open threat about their jobs, and Harry was forced to dodge spells until he could leap up and disarm them from behind a bed. Luckily for him, Snape had fired a rapid disarming spell at the second healer before Harry could be blasted off his feet. But the fight was hardly over. To Harry's outrage, the ministry wizards who had stunned the professor in the first place ran into the hospital wing with wands raised.
Harry cursed. Snape leapt from his concealment behind Professor McGonagall's curtained bed, but having seen his shadow rising up, one of the ministry hit team already started firing on him. Snape was thrown into the far wall and sank down to the floor, unconscious. Now Harry was forced to fight all four wizards at once. It was rather a bad time to be shorthanded and Harry wished he had brought someone with him. He didn't particularly fancy four-to-one odds right then.
To make things exceptionally bad, Harry caught sight of Umbridge making her way to Professor McGonagall's bed with determined purpose. What her purpose was, Harry could not be completely certain, but he was absolutely positive it could end up causing the professor's death. The terrible part of it all was that the healers simply stood back like fool puppets and Harry was too involved in battling the ministry wizards to even defend Professor McGonagall. His best option with the far more advanced attackers was to stay behind the nearest bed as much as possible, which was much too far from the professor to do anything, and throw out spells whenever he could.
Panic spread through Harry as Umbridge raised her wand. For his distraction, Harry gained a stinging hex to his leg, but his eyes wandered back immediately to the toad. He had to do something!
"NO!" he shouted his fury, but Umbridge did not turn and four stunners went over Harry's head and took out a part of the wall above him, sending a shower of stonework over his hiding place. McGonagall was surely about to be tortured or murdered in cold blood. Harry couldn't stand the thought of it, but he was helpless.
In the midst of everything, just when Umbridge's lips were ready to impart her murderous intentions, a sound akin to a ten-cannon blast echoed down in the entrance hall. Without exception, every head in the infirmary turned to face the doorway in shock. Harry was able to stun two of the ministry wizards before they recovered. He was lucky to have taken out two, because his next distraction was a most thrilling and frightening sight that he could hardly look away from to do any fighting.
Albus Dumbledore, tall and lean in deep blue robes and utterly piercing in his gaze, stood in the doorway like a hero from Greek Mythology, wand silhouetted with deadly precision against the vague light coming in from the corridor. Dumbledore's features were contorted into a horrifying mixture of grief, fury, and terror; his blue eyes sparking like fire in the dim light of the infirmary doors. Umbridge – her wand pointed directly at Professor McGonagall's unconscious form – looked positively ghostly with fear at the sight of him standing there like an avenging angel prepared for battle. Indeed, Harry felt a thrill of fear himself and he was on the same side as Dumbledore.
The vague swipe of a wand was all it took for the headmaster to blast Umbridge and the remaining ministry wizards into the walls, from which they slid down to the floor and lay still as death. Harry didn't much care, instead preferring to focus on the rapid steps Dumbledore took to enter the hospital wing at last.
The healers had obviously been ordered by the ministry to stop Dumbledore at all costs, because they actually scrambled to find their wands and lifted them against the headmaster. The professor barely lifted his own wand before a stunning sell from nowhere knocked out the healer nearest Professor McGonagall. Turning, Harry caught sight of a disheveled and furious Madam Pomfrey, her wand raised as she now levitated the stunned healer away from the professor's bedside. While she ran to Snape and revived him, Dumbledore took out the other healer, but didn't bother to move him. Instead he rushed to the side of Professor McGonagall, for whom Snape had no doubt done everything possible, yet still she barely breathed and her skin was almost translucent from what Harry guessed was blood loss. Dumbledore so tenderly stroked her raven hair back from her face that Harry felt as if he were eavesdropping or spying on them. It felt wrong to keep watching, but in his fear for his professor's life, Harry could not help but witness the rescue that was very nearly too late.
With the same tenderness, Dumbledore laid his wand just above Professor McGonagall's heart and began to speak enchantments that sounded too strange to be any modern form of magic. As he wound further and further to the end of his recitation, Dumbledore constantly spun his wand in a slight circle, encircling the heart of his deputy with a deep and boundless salvation. The end of his enchantments came with a glow of strands in brilliant gold, misty silver, rich blue, and warm bronze. The four strands interconnected to form almost a cage above the head of Gryffindor's heart. Steadily the glow faded to nothing, leaving only a peculiar feeling of power in the air and Dumbledore murmuring indistinguishable words.
McGonagall's body suddenly spasmed violently, lifting tightly up off the pink sheets. Harry felt quite green when he realized the pink was not the sheets, but his professor's blood stains. Even after cleaning spells, the blood had plainly not come out all the way. That certainly spoke to the amount of blood she had lost, much to his discomfort. Snape, roused by Madam Pomfrey, suddenly picked up several of the nearby blood-replenishing potions he must have summoned from his office and the infirmary stores hours before. Dumbledore personally administered the potions and Harry prayed the use of them was a good sign.
"She will be all right now," Dumbledore murmured at last, just loud enough for Harry to hear. "I must take care of her myself, however."
"You'll be taking her with you then?" Madam Pomfrey asked concernedly, standing just beyond Snape's elbow.
"Yes, unfortunately I must move her," Dumbledore sighed, staring at his deputy sadly. "I shudder to think what might happen if she remained here with Umbridge still in power."
"I agree," Snape nodded curtly. "I have packed the necessary supplies already. The books, as well."
"Thank you, Severus," the headmaster smiled just slightly at the potions master, who did not acknowledge it, but turned to usher a tearful Madam Pomfrey back into her office, a calming draught in his hands.
Dumbledore turned back to his unconscious deputy, face aged beyond what Harry normally saw of it. Ever so gently, Dumbledore wrapped McGonagall's too-slender body in his own cloak. With the agility of a much younger man, the headmaster then bent to easily lift Professor McGonagall up into the crook of his left arm. Her head fell limply backward and her long black hair draped across his arm. The exposure of her neck left Harry extremely uncomfortable for the simple fact that the skin there looked somehow raw.
A piercing blue gaze was the next thing Harry saw, the gratitude and pride shining there warming him greatly.
"I cannot thank you enough for what you have done, Harry," Dumbledore spoke quietly, laying his free hand on Harry's shoulder. "Professor McGonagall would be touched, indeed… Now, if you would, please have Madam Pomfrey look you over. I will send the rest of your admirable group here, as well. Sirius has already left, unfortunately, but he will contact you via the mirror he gave you for Christmas."
"Mirror?" confusedly wondered.
"I see you were wary of using any means of communication that might endanger Sirius," the headmaster smiled wanly, the twinkle in his eyes very dull. "Trust me, Harry, the package Sirius gave you for Christmas is perfectly safe to use. Make sure that is your primary source of communication with him. And now I must hurry. The memories of Umbridge and her supporters are being modified as we speak, so don't mention any of this."
"Of course," Harry nodded. "I hope Professor McGonagall will be all right, sir. We're all worried about her."
"I will do everything in my power to help her get well," Dumbledore promised gravely. "Know that she is already on the road to recovery. Farewell for now, Harry."
Harry couldn't speak anymore. He was afraid his tight eyes might give him away. The fear and panic might be released later, when he was alone, but not in that moment when he needed to stay strong.
Fawkes came swooping into the infirmary in a flash of brilliant red and gold plumage, and in an instant Dumbledore had disappeared with Professor McGonagall draped over his arm and the supply bag under the other.
In the aftermath the next day, with Umbridge and fifty other people wondering how in blazes they had ended up in whatever room they'd been unceremoniously stuffed in after a thorough memory modification, Harry felt it wasn't fair at all. McGonagall had been beaten down harshly, nearly died, and then nearly died again by Umbridge's hand, but the fat toad didn't remember a damn moment of her own humiliation when the students fired spells at her or Dumbledore blasted her into the wall. The ministry wizards were still free to follow Umbridge's reign like mindless idiots, Hagrid was still stuck on the run, and now both figureheads of the school were forced out for their own safety.
In spite of it all, Harry passed his exams well enough to suit him and fell asleep that night with relief that at least Professor McGonagall was in safe hands now. He just wondered if he would ever be able to see her or Dumbledore again, but tried not to think like that.
His scar woke him up with far less relief and quite a lot of panic late that night.
Sirius!
Voldemort had Sirius in the Department of Mysteries! Everything seemed to coming at Harry all at once and now it had culminated in the worst of his fears.
With immense haste, the young wizard woke Ron and then sent Hedwig to get Hermione. It was only through virtue of Hermione's determination to make him see reason that Harry thought to call on Grimmauld Place and check Sirius' location. But he remembered Dumbledore for some reason, recalled the safety of Sirius' package at Christmas and remembered the relief that he could talk to Sirius without fear of Umbridge catching him at it.
Only when he saw Sirius' elated face in the mirror did Harry calm down, enormously thankful that Hermione was willing to fight him back down from being so stupidly reckless.
His godfather's elation lasted a mere second after Harry explained his vision. Foregoing soothing words, Sirius gravely talked Harry through the possibilities of a confrontation at the ministry. There was really no other way to expose Voldemort, but Harry feared the thought of Sirius there with the monster even more now than he ever had before. With good reason, he felt.
"Thank you, Hermione," Harry murmured ashamedly as Sirius disappeared from the mirror to inform the Order of what had happened.
"It's all right, Harry," she reassured him quietly, hugging him comfortingly to her side. "I know you were afraid of losing Sirius. And your vision could very well have been true. I'm just glad it wasn't."
"So am I," he sighed, relieved beyond measure, but it was then he recognized the absence of his other best friend. "Where's Ron?"
"He went to tell Professor Snape," she said, biting her lip. Harry was not especially pleased by this action, but he couldn't do much for it now. "He doesn't like him still – obviously – but he didn't know who else to tell. The Order needed to know, and…"
"I get it, really," Harry sighed uncomfortably. "He probably needed something to do anyway."
"Yes, he was quite restless," she agreed. "I wonder what will happen now?"
"Dumbledore will have to set up something at the ministry, I guess," Harry shrugged awkwardly. "Trap Voldemort into thinking I'm there somehow."
"Yes, the Order will probably surprise them with a decoy," she guessed pensively. "That seems the only way."
In the end, Hermione had no real idea, and as much as Harry wanted to be there with Sirius to help somehow (and prevent any possibility of his vision coming true), he had no clue where or when anything would occur.
Yet somehow, as he attempted to lay down again two hours later, Harry had a feeling he would be seeing Dumbledore much, much sooner than he had thought.
The End... for now?
A/N: A story that came to me out of nowhere, as usual. A tribute to the relationship of Albus & Minerva in all its forms. I actually was going to have Minerva die somehow, but I couldn’t do it at the time and brought Albus in to save the day. (Might write that original version now, but we’ll see.) I posted this on FFnet a while ago on my profile 'Mir Queen' and then forgot about this lovely forum.
I've been thinking about writing a follow-up, too, but again I'm not sure.Summary: Albus Dumbledore stood in the doorway like a hero from Greek Mythology, wand silhouetted with deadly precision against the light from the corridor, features contorted into a horrifying mixture of grief, fury, and terror, and his blue eyes sparking like fire. Umbridge looked positively ghostly with fear at the sight of him standing there like an avenging angel prepared for battle. (Rated 13+)
Boundless Salvation
In the wake of the Astronomy OWL catastrophe, not a single Gryffindor could concentrate on anything. After the initial worries and talk, their group had congregated right on the floor in front of the common room fireplace. Hermione leaned into Harry's shoulder with tears running down her cheeks. Ron stared at the floor, numbly clutching the hand of Ginny, who had come down after hearing the commotion of their return. Lavender was still crying quite loudly and Parvati followed suit. Neville's fists were clenched tight enough to draw blood, Seamus repeatedly and methodically cursed the wall stone-by-stone, and Dean had not moved at all for more than two hours.
And Harry… Harry found himself thinking of all the things he had never known about his head of house. Things he had never asked and now probably never would. Had she ever married? Did she have children of her own? Did she lose loved ones as Harry had? If she had, was that why she was so stern in demeanor oftentimes?
He wondered how Hogwarts could ever survive without the pillar of strength that was its deputy headmistress. Who would clear their throat in order to stop Dumbledore from telling a particularly inappropriate joke at dinner? Who would shout at Lee Jordan for his language when Gryffindor was losing in Quidditch? Who would have the guts to stand up to Snape so bluntly when he was acting extremely unfairly to the Gryffindors? Or tell Peeves to unscrew a chandelier in retaliation against the Ministry regime?
The questions went round and round in Harry's head until it hurt to think anymore. It hurt to think, hurt to feel, hurt to remember.
How many times had he dismissed Professor McGonagall as a cold statue of a person who didn't understand how he felt as a teenager? But she just didn't want him getting hurt or killed or to lose a chance at his dreams of the future by failing his classes. Could he blame her for that? Wasn't that what parents did every day for their children? Molly Weasley constantly did the same kind of worrying. Minerva McGonagall was no different than any parent out there, really. The biggest difference was that she had to look after hundreds of children rather a small group of them. And she had to factor in sub-heading the school and teaching her classes. When Harry thought about it that way, Professor McGonagall had – in her own way – been a mother to him ever since he'd first seen her on the staircase in the entrance hall. To all her students, really, but Harry couldn't think that broadly without his head splitting. Instead, he tried to think of anything he could do to help.
Unfortunately, it did not work as he expected. He found himself running over the event all over again, watching time and time again in his mind as Professor McGonagall was struck down and Hagrid roared his fury, swiping the wizards to the ground. The eerie glow that had surrounded Professor McGonagall haunted Harry. What could have happened to her body after something like that? Surely nothing he truly wanted to think about, but he couldn't quell it.
It was only when he had dwelled on it for several minutes, constantly replaying it, that Harry recognized something very odd. The glow, for all its color being the same as the stunning spell, did not seem to be at all connected to the stunners themselves. How odd, Harry thought. Working even harder to recall every detail of the spells cast, Harry realized very rapidly that something else had to have been cast on the professor. Some other spell, a curse if Harry was any judge, must have hit the professor in addition to the four stunners. He doubted anyone else had noticed it, but having the eyes and instincts of a seeker and a danger-magnet had trained him to realize something was different, even if it had looked the same as the stunning spell. Considering he had seen all the wizards except for Umbridge when the stunners were cast, Harry would have bet everything he had that it was her who had done it. Of course! Sadistic toad that she was, Umbridge would have stayed out of sight and out of mind, able to cast whatever she wanted while Professor McGonagall was focused on the ministry wizards straight ahead of her.
Whatever the spell was, it had unhappily done the intended damage and ensured that Professor McGonagall might very well end up dead. According to Lee Jordan (who had been the only one bold enough to check on the professor immediately afterward), two healers even had to come to Hogwarts instead of transferring their patient because the professor could not be moved for fear of further damage. Standing slowly, Harry could barely focus on Hermione's worried remark to him. Almost in a daze, Harry made his way to the infirmary.
When he got to the hospital wing and mentioned the possibility of a curse or other spell being cast in addition to the stunners, the two healers that had arrived all but ignored him. For some unfathomable reason, Madame Pomfrey was not even in the hospital wing that he could see.
Harry watched with mounting panic as the healers steadily lost Professor McGonagall to whatever curse had hit her. Frankly, the young wizard was glad he could not really see any part of the professor's face or body at all. Seeing the injuries and how close she was to dying would likely have undone him. He tried in vain to again convince the healers a curse must have been thrown, but they dismissed him angrily. Either it was because of his reputation thanks to the ministry or because he was underage or both. Regardless, if Harry wasn't able to do something fast, his head of house was going to die, and quickly.
There was only one person present in the castle who had enough experience with curses such as the one probably affecting the head of Gryffindor – and the boy was not looking forward to seeing him. If he was brushed off again, he was going to get Hermione and beg her to try something. Maybe he could even try to send Hedwig after Dumbledore, but that sounded extremely unlikely to work and very dangerous with Umbridge still in control. Nevertheless, he didn't know what else to do if his next option dismissed him. After that, he feared the outcome of this treacherous incident.
Running as if Voldemort himself was on his heels, Harry made it to the dungeons in record time and banged on the door of his least favorite professor. The wooden barrier was wrenched open and a furious-looking Snape glared at Harry with so much venom he might have mistaken him for a dragon.
"Surely, Potter, your arrogance does not lead you to my door to gloat over your invasion of my privacy?" the wizard hissed low, obviously not wishing the affair to be overheard.
"It's Professor McGonagall," Harry burst forth without bothering to even bristle at the insult. "Umbridge and some Ministry wizards went after Hagrid and McGonagall ran out to help him, but they sent four stunners at her and some curse, too. I tried to tell the healers, but they won't listen. They're already close to losing her and you're the only one I know who might be able to help. Please, sir!"
Snape stood stock still for a moment, staring at Harry as though he had just spoken in pig latin. He shook his head almost violently and suddenly whipped out into the hallway, slamming the door behind him and dragging Harry along by the arm to who-knew-where. Stricken as he was by the thought of Professor McGonagall dying, Harry didn't ask questions.
"Describe it," Snape ordered commandingly after a long silence, walking so quickly Harry was half-running to keep up. Harry could only assume he was talking about the curse.
"It was the same color as the stunners and it glowed around the professor," Harry practically panted, realizing abruptly that they were heading towards the library. "And it kind of sparked around the edges, like fireworks, but really subtle. But it didn't seem to do anything visible except glow."
Snape said nothing, but finally dragged Harry into the library and immediately over to the restricted section. A wave of his wand removed the rope separating it from the rest of the library and other waves Harry guessed were meant to eliminate any wards on the books. It seemed as though Snape started to move faster with every step, summoning at least six different books and opening all of them with another wave of his wand.
Imperiously, he pointed to one in particular and merely said, "Read."
Doing as instructed without complaint for once, Harry was stunned to read a description of the exact spell he had seen. "That's it," he energetically replied, looking up to find Snape already nodding and flipping through another book at phenomenal speed. He stopped at a page to read, only to have his eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets.
"Merlin help us," he muttered worriedly, anxiously, to a level that Harry had never heard in the man's voice before.
"What is it?" Harry couldn't help asking, nerves taught and frayed.
"We need Dumbledore." Snape responded sharply without looking up, an edge of panic to the sound.
"We have to get rid of Umbridge," Harry pointed out unnecessarily, inwardly marveling at the somewhat civil speech he and Snape were engaging in. It was insane what the threat of losing a common ally could do to two people who virtually hated each other.
"We will need your… defense group," was Snape's reluctant remark, quiet and wary, his eyes shifting about keenly. "We must oust our headmistress."
"We really need to mobilize the other houses if we can," Harry added nervously.
"That I leave to you," Snape interrupted, "Start a revolt if you must. This reign must be delayed as soon as possible. I will care for Professor McGonagall and send word to Dumbledore. Now go!"
Not waiting for Harry's reply, Snape summoned and shrunk all the books he had pulled and swept out of the restricted section with them in his hand. Harry ran like hell to Gryffindor tower and immediately explained everything he had experienced to Hermione and Ron and the rest of his frantic housemates. The instant rallying cry when he suggested revolt was heartening and solidifying. The feverish, angry gleam in Hermione's eyes assured Harry that she was going to be at her planning peak. Parvati, courtesy of her sister being in Ravenclaw, headed off to find all the Ravenclaws from the D.A. Lavender, too emotional as yet to help with planning, joined Parvati while Neville went to get the Hufflepuffs. The three of them were going to end up recruiting members for the desperate cause.
Mere seconds after having started a plan, the slightly smaller group was startled by the portrait opening much too soon for the girls or Neville to have returned. To Harry's great relief and surprise, the seeming invisible entries were actually the disillusioned forms of Fred, George, and Lupin. The biggest shock was the dog trotting alongside Lupin. If Harry wasn't so frantic and desperate for help in saving Professor McGonagall, he would have completed blown up on his godfather for daring to come where he was likely to be arrested. But the rational side of his brain recognized the advantage to having two adult wizards with him. And especially mischief makers like Lupin and Sirius.
"Harry, how can we help?" the twins asked instantly, synchronized but all business.
"How can't you help?" Ginny responded enthusiastically as Snuffles padded over to flop down next to Harry as a measure of comfort.
"We have to get rid of Umbridge, simple as that," Hermione informed them quickly. "Dumbledore must be allowed the freedom to come here without worrying about the ministry."
"I think outright revolt is probably the best way," Lupin remarked, looking pensive. "We need to either fight Umbridge out of the castle completely or trap her somewhere she can't escape."
"Getting her out completely is probably best," Harry decided. "That way we don't have to worry about her getting the Ministry here in secret. At least if the Ministry comes openly to the front door we can probably hold them off long enough for Dumbledore to do what he needs to do and get out."
"A good point," Lupin agreed. "The staff members are on our side, by the way. That means we should have some very good wards to hold off the ministry if it comes to that point. Hopefully it won't, but you never can tell with Fudge and Umbridge."
Hermione sighed with relief; she looked quite terrified of a complete match-up against the government. Not that Harry blamed her. It wasn't really his first choice, either.
"That means we can focus mostly on Umbridge herself," Angelina nodded gladly.
"Do we know where Umbridge is, though?" Seamus mentioned worriedly.
"And the Inquisitorial Squad," Ron pointed out sourly. "They'll be onto us in a flash."
"We'll work on that first," Fred spoke.
George nodded his agreement, then qualified, "Of course, simply stunning the lot of them would be best."
"It would make it a whole lot easier," Dean snorted.
"We need to bait Umbridge," Harry suggested, "I can really only think of using me as the bait, but…"
"Or we could be the bait," George put in.
Fred amusedly added, "Yeah, we're not supposed to be here, after all."
"You could be the bait and simultaneously take out the Inquisitorial Squad," Hermione added thoughtfully. "Kill two birds with one stone."
"Sounds good to me," Harry nodded, as did the rest of the assembled group.
The rest of their planning session was incredibly brief. Not much else could be planned with the need for such instant results. Lupin and Snuffles were going to make sure Filch was occupied at first. Then, since Sirius could not reveal himself, he and Lupin were going to remain hidden under disillusionment and fire spells from the background that would not be directly tied to their hidden locations.
The D.A. and any other recruited students were to be split into six groups so as to have more streamlined direction from individual group leaders – Ernie, Angelina, Dean, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, the first three led by Lupin and the second three led by Harry. It appeared to be one large mass gathered in the entrance hall, but in actuality the lines were quite easily drawn for each separate group. Lupin thought it was a perfect way to allow Umbridge to underestimate the operation.
Before the actual fight commenced, Seamus, Dean, and Ron were working with the twins to stun the Inquisitorial Squad and hide them elsewhere. Ron had at first thought to go with Harry and Hermione, but considering his anger at Malfoy, he wanted to get a crack at the Slytherin first. Unfortunately, the Squad was apparently not present anywhere inside the castle. When Harry finally (discreetly) checked the map, he found them just as they came in the entrance hall with Umbridge in the middle of them.
When Umbridge and her lackies first appeared in their line of sight, everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting. Suddenly, like a shot, Umbridge called for them to disarm the other students, but a tidal wave of disarming spells erupted so furiously from the defenders that they had just enough time to jump out of the way and keep their wands in hand. From there, the fight became chaos. Harry luckily had a vantage point up a step on the staircase and in spite of its open target range, he was easily able to fend off incoming spells because he could see them coming almost before the caster could speak the words. Lupin and Sirius were doing an amazing job of staying unnoticed and yet still making an impact in the brawl. Even Harry couldn't tell where they were coming from.
Harry lost sight of Umbridge quite suddenly in the middle of disarming Goyle, a fact that worried him immensely. The toad was easy to spot usually, so why couldn't he see her in the vicinity? And where was she going anyway?
Only when he chanced a glance towards the hall leading to the infirmary did Harry realize, with a jolt of unease, where she was headed and why. Of course, Snape was in there and not likely to take Umbridge lying down, but if he was caring for Professor McGonagall, might his ability to fight be hindered? Seeing the riot around him, Harry could tell his leadership was not necessary anymore and was glad of it. It left him free to chase after Umbridge. Only once he arrived in the hospital wing did Harry remember the healers were also in there. That might make things difficult, he supposed, but he had to handle it. Professor McGonagall's life was at stake.
Sure enough, the healers were not in a friendly mood, certainly aided by Umbridge's open threat about their jobs, and Harry was forced to dodge spells until he could leap up and disarm them from behind a bed. Luckily for him, Snape had fired a rapid disarming spell at the second healer before Harry could be blasted off his feet. But the fight was hardly over. To Harry's outrage, the ministry wizards who had stunned the professor in the first place ran into the hospital wing with wands raised.
Harry cursed. Snape leapt from his concealment behind Professor McGonagall's curtained bed, but having seen his shadow rising up, one of the ministry hit team already started firing on him. Snape was thrown into the far wall and sank down to the floor, unconscious. Now Harry was forced to fight all four wizards at once. It was rather a bad time to be shorthanded and Harry wished he had brought someone with him. He didn't particularly fancy four-to-one odds right then.
To make things exceptionally bad, Harry caught sight of Umbridge making her way to Professor McGonagall's bed with determined purpose. What her purpose was, Harry could not be completely certain, but he was absolutely positive it could end up causing the professor's death. The terrible part of it all was that the healers simply stood back like fool puppets and Harry was too involved in battling the ministry wizards to even defend Professor McGonagall. His best option with the far more advanced attackers was to stay behind the nearest bed as much as possible, which was much too far from the professor to do anything, and throw out spells whenever he could.
Panic spread through Harry as Umbridge raised her wand. For his distraction, Harry gained a stinging hex to his leg, but his eyes wandered back immediately to the toad. He had to do something!
"NO!" he shouted his fury, but Umbridge did not turn and four stunners went over Harry's head and took out a part of the wall above him, sending a shower of stonework over his hiding place. McGonagall was surely about to be tortured or murdered in cold blood. Harry couldn't stand the thought of it, but he was helpless.
In the midst of everything, just when Umbridge's lips were ready to impart her murderous intentions, a sound akin to a ten-cannon blast echoed down in the entrance hall. Without exception, every head in the infirmary turned to face the doorway in shock. Harry was able to stun two of the ministry wizards before they recovered. He was lucky to have taken out two, because his next distraction was a most thrilling and frightening sight that he could hardly look away from to do any fighting.
Albus Dumbledore, tall and lean in deep blue robes and utterly piercing in his gaze, stood in the doorway like a hero from Greek Mythology, wand silhouetted with deadly precision against the vague light coming in from the corridor. Dumbledore's features were contorted into a horrifying mixture of grief, fury, and terror; his blue eyes sparking like fire in the dim light of the infirmary doors. Umbridge – her wand pointed directly at Professor McGonagall's unconscious form – looked positively ghostly with fear at the sight of him standing there like an avenging angel prepared for battle. Indeed, Harry felt a thrill of fear himself and he was on the same side as Dumbledore.
The vague swipe of a wand was all it took for the headmaster to blast Umbridge and the remaining ministry wizards into the walls, from which they slid down to the floor and lay still as death. Harry didn't much care, instead preferring to focus on the rapid steps Dumbledore took to enter the hospital wing at last.
The healers had obviously been ordered by the ministry to stop Dumbledore at all costs, because they actually scrambled to find their wands and lifted them against the headmaster. The professor barely lifted his own wand before a stunning sell from nowhere knocked out the healer nearest Professor McGonagall. Turning, Harry caught sight of a disheveled and furious Madam Pomfrey, her wand raised as she now levitated the stunned healer away from the professor's bedside. While she ran to Snape and revived him, Dumbledore took out the other healer, but didn't bother to move him. Instead he rushed to the side of Professor McGonagall, for whom Snape had no doubt done everything possible, yet still she barely breathed and her skin was almost translucent from what Harry guessed was blood loss. Dumbledore so tenderly stroked her raven hair back from her face that Harry felt as if he were eavesdropping or spying on them. It felt wrong to keep watching, but in his fear for his professor's life, Harry could not help but witness the rescue that was very nearly too late.
With the same tenderness, Dumbledore laid his wand just above Professor McGonagall's heart and began to speak enchantments that sounded too strange to be any modern form of magic. As he wound further and further to the end of his recitation, Dumbledore constantly spun his wand in a slight circle, encircling the heart of his deputy with a deep and boundless salvation. The end of his enchantments came with a glow of strands in brilliant gold, misty silver, rich blue, and warm bronze. The four strands interconnected to form almost a cage above the head of Gryffindor's heart. Steadily the glow faded to nothing, leaving only a peculiar feeling of power in the air and Dumbledore murmuring indistinguishable words.
McGonagall's body suddenly spasmed violently, lifting tightly up off the pink sheets. Harry felt quite green when he realized the pink was not the sheets, but his professor's blood stains. Even after cleaning spells, the blood had plainly not come out all the way. That certainly spoke to the amount of blood she had lost, much to his discomfort. Snape, roused by Madam Pomfrey, suddenly picked up several of the nearby blood-replenishing potions he must have summoned from his office and the infirmary stores hours before. Dumbledore personally administered the potions and Harry prayed the use of them was a good sign.
"She will be all right now," Dumbledore murmured at last, just loud enough for Harry to hear. "I must take care of her myself, however."
"You'll be taking her with you then?" Madam Pomfrey asked concernedly, standing just beyond Snape's elbow.
"Yes, unfortunately I must move her," Dumbledore sighed, staring at his deputy sadly. "I shudder to think what might happen if she remained here with Umbridge still in power."
"I agree," Snape nodded curtly. "I have packed the necessary supplies already. The books, as well."
"Thank you, Severus," the headmaster smiled just slightly at the potions master, who did not acknowledge it, but turned to usher a tearful Madam Pomfrey back into her office, a calming draught in his hands.
Dumbledore turned back to his unconscious deputy, face aged beyond what Harry normally saw of it. Ever so gently, Dumbledore wrapped McGonagall's too-slender body in his own cloak. With the agility of a much younger man, the headmaster then bent to easily lift Professor McGonagall up into the crook of his left arm. Her head fell limply backward and her long black hair draped across his arm. The exposure of her neck left Harry extremely uncomfortable for the simple fact that the skin there looked somehow raw.
A piercing blue gaze was the next thing Harry saw, the gratitude and pride shining there warming him greatly.
"I cannot thank you enough for what you have done, Harry," Dumbledore spoke quietly, laying his free hand on Harry's shoulder. "Professor McGonagall would be touched, indeed… Now, if you would, please have Madam Pomfrey look you over. I will send the rest of your admirable group here, as well. Sirius has already left, unfortunately, but he will contact you via the mirror he gave you for Christmas."
"Mirror?" confusedly wondered.
"I see you were wary of using any means of communication that might endanger Sirius," the headmaster smiled wanly, the twinkle in his eyes very dull. "Trust me, Harry, the package Sirius gave you for Christmas is perfectly safe to use. Make sure that is your primary source of communication with him. And now I must hurry. The memories of Umbridge and her supporters are being modified as we speak, so don't mention any of this."
"Of course," Harry nodded. "I hope Professor McGonagall will be all right, sir. We're all worried about her."
"I will do everything in my power to help her get well," Dumbledore promised gravely. "Know that she is already on the road to recovery. Farewell for now, Harry."
Harry couldn't speak anymore. He was afraid his tight eyes might give him away. The fear and panic might be released later, when he was alone, but not in that moment when he needed to stay strong.
Fawkes came swooping into the infirmary in a flash of brilliant red and gold plumage, and in an instant Dumbledore had disappeared with Professor McGonagall draped over his arm and the supply bag under the other.
In the aftermath the next day, with Umbridge and fifty other people wondering how in blazes they had ended up in whatever room they'd been unceremoniously stuffed in after a thorough memory modification, Harry felt it wasn't fair at all. McGonagall had been beaten down harshly, nearly died, and then nearly died again by Umbridge's hand, but the fat toad didn't remember a damn moment of her own humiliation when the students fired spells at her or Dumbledore blasted her into the wall. The ministry wizards were still free to follow Umbridge's reign like mindless idiots, Hagrid was still stuck on the run, and now both figureheads of the school were forced out for their own safety.
In spite of it all, Harry passed his exams well enough to suit him and fell asleep that night with relief that at least Professor McGonagall was in safe hands now. He just wondered if he would ever be able to see her or Dumbledore again, but tried not to think like that.
His scar woke him up with far less relief and quite a lot of panic late that night.
Sirius!
Voldemort had Sirius in the Department of Mysteries! Everything seemed to coming at Harry all at once and now it had culminated in the worst of his fears.
With immense haste, the young wizard woke Ron and then sent Hedwig to get Hermione. It was only through virtue of Hermione's determination to make him see reason that Harry thought to call on Grimmauld Place and check Sirius' location. But he remembered Dumbledore for some reason, recalled the safety of Sirius' package at Christmas and remembered the relief that he could talk to Sirius without fear of Umbridge catching him at it.
Only when he saw Sirius' elated face in the mirror did Harry calm down, enormously thankful that Hermione was willing to fight him back down from being so stupidly reckless.
His godfather's elation lasted a mere second after Harry explained his vision. Foregoing soothing words, Sirius gravely talked Harry through the possibilities of a confrontation at the ministry. There was really no other way to expose Voldemort, but Harry feared the thought of Sirius there with the monster even more now than he ever had before. With good reason, he felt.
"Thank you, Hermione," Harry murmured ashamedly as Sirius disappeared from the mirror to inform the Order of what had happened.
"It's all right, Harry," she reassured him quietly, hugging him comfortingly to her side. "I know you were afraid of losing Sirius. And your vision could very well have been true. I'm just glad it wasn't."
"So am I," he sighed, relieved beyond measure, but it was then he recognized the absence of his other best friend. "Where's Ron?"
"He went to tell Professor Snape," she said, biting her lip. Harry was not especially pleased by this action, but he couldn't do much for it now. "He doesn't like him still – obviously – but he didn't know who else to tell. The Order needed to know, and…"
"I get it, really," Harry sighed uncomfortably. "He probably needed something to do anyway."
"Yes, he was quite restless," she agreed. "I wonder what will happen now?"
"Dumbledore will have to set up something at the ministry, I guess," Harry shrugged awkwardly. "Trap Voldemort into thinking I'm there somehow."
"Yes, the Order will probably surprise them with a decoy," she guessed pensively. "That seems the only way."
In the end, Hermione had no real idea, and as much as Harry wanted to be there with Sirius to help somehow (and prevent any possibility of his vision coming true), he had no clue where or when anything would occur.
Yet somehow, as he attempted to lay down again two hours later, Harry had a feeling he would be seeing Dumbledore much, much sooner than he had thought.
The End... for now?
