Good at Heart

[Nerweniel]

Author note:
Today, sixty years after Auschwitz, to all people who suffered, Jewish, German and otherwise, to all those who died and survived, to all those who remember and to all those who have forgotten.
And most of all to you, Anne. You know why.

Good at Heart [/u]

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.
~Anne Frank

Prologue

*1941*

“Miss McGonagall, come in.”
The grave, baritone voice of an auburn-bearded man ringed through the room- and slowly, tentatively, the heavy door leading to Albus Dumbledore’s office was pushed open by a pale, slender hand. The girl who appeared in the door-opening sheer moments later was young, very young- but the look in her eyes wasn’t the one of a child anymore. A very peculiar colour they had, those dark green gemstones, glimmering behind a pair of square glasses- but one quality of them was no mystery, and that was their intelligence.
Minerva McGonagall didn’t need- had never needed- the shiny Prefect badge fixed on her robes in order to have some authority over her fellow pupils. One blink of her green eyes was enough to make any student- and some teachers- shiver, and yet there was no-one who could deny the obvious fact that Minerva was a beauty after all. Long, black hair pulled back into a thick braid, pale skin smooth and white, nose straight and elegant, only a tiny bit too long. The girl’s face was serious, though, as the obvious question marks in her eyes were rewarded by a rather laborious smile of her teacher’s.
“Have a seat, my dear.” the Transfiguration Professor said, making a rather vague gesture towards one of the unoccupied chairs in the corner of the room- but Minerva did not react.
“Professor, what is wrong? Is it mother- or father? Tosia? Betty? Professor-”
“Sit down, Minerva.”
Somehow the piercing look in the bright blue eyes- now clouded with worry- of her teacher’s, made the nervous girl obey, and with a small sigh, she lowered herself onto the chair, eyes staring at the older man expectantly. As he came to sit opposite her, though, she lowered her eyes in a mix of respect and discomfort.
“What do you know about the situation in Europe?”
Minerva didn’t know what was more confusing- his question or his hand, casually patting her shoulder as if to calm her- totally not succeeding. The forcedly merry expression in his blue eyes did not fool her, though- and seriously she bit her lips.
“Well, I know about Germany, of course- about their leader, that odious Hitler man, and about his and his party’s ideas. I know they’ve attacked- and conquered- more than half of Europe, and- well, of course I think it horrible, for all those poor people in Europe, and in Germany as well, because I heard he has his opponents arrested and killed- and I-”
“Do you know who he considers his “opponents” the most, Minerva?”
Albus’s rational question effectively stopped the fifteen-year-old girl’s torrent of words- and with a slow nod, she replied.
“Yes. Those who are not of the Aryan race- and most of all- my people.”
It was strange, Albus observed, how Minerva- only half Jewish, through her mother’s side- had always called the Jews rather than the Scots “her people”. And yet that she did, and not because she wasn’t proud of her Scottish descent as well. It was a sort of- defensive reaction, almost, and Albus admired the young witch in front of him for it. The way she lifted her chin as she spoke those words- many a braver person wouldn’t have done as she did, not in these days, at least.
As he asked her a question about it, she merely smiled and slightly inclined her head.
“Jewish descent goes through the mother, Professor. It’s no use hiding it, and nor do I want to.”
The fierce light in the young woman’s eyes touched Albus, and as if to express what he could not say, he covered her small hand with his own larger one.
“I know, Minerva, and I admire you for it. I would advise you, though, to keep in close contact with your parents. They’re muggles, and thus can’t defend themselves the way we can. So warn them, my dear. They’re always welcome here, if they can come. I don’t know if they will or if it would be wise to, but ask them- and warn them.”
He couldn’t emphasize these words more, and as he bowed over to her, Minerva could literally read the fear in his eyes, and silently she nodded.
“Warn them.”

[KayleeTonksLupin]

As I said before, Grand-mere: This is BLOODY AWESOME! Okay, so perhaps I didn't word it that way. But anyway, LOVE IT! *grin*

Je t'aime,

Kaylee

[Sensiblyquirky]

I like this Lies, and am interested to see what you do with it. Keep up the good work, baby sis.

[Kassandra]

I like the though of Hogwarts being a safe haven for muggles during the war. Its a shame it didn't really happen.

[griseldalafey]

*very* interesting start, I love it. Can't wait to see were this is going to.

[Karlynne]

Very original storyline so far. I am interested in reading more. Karlie

[Nerweniel]

Chapter One

*1943*

Minerva McGonagall heard her own footsteps, echoing and echoing through the near-empty corridors of Hogwarts and, with a short shiver and a quick turn of her head, quickened her pace. Her late-evening patrol through the castle- one of her Head Girl duties- was nearly completed, and if she was entirely honest with herself, she knew she was glad because of it. The mere sight of Hogwarts’ corridors emptied always somewhat frightened her- she did not know why. Usually, she wasn’t really unappreciative of a little loneliness, now and then. Especially at Hogwarts, being alone for a moment was a rare luxury, but even before Hogwarts, when she had still lived in France with her parents, peace and quiet had always proved to be almost an impossibility. With two little sisters- Tosia had been nine when she had left, Elisabet- or Betty- six- and a couple of grandparents, all living together in one house, Minerva had learnt to appreciate being alone as a rarity.
And yet there was one person whose company she preferred to being alone. One person whom she could be alone with- whom she could share moments of thoughts and ponderings with, one person in the entire world who understood.
It was not much, Minerva almost ironically thought, but it was something. Or better- it was someone. Their mutual worries about Minerva’s parents had brought Albus Dumbledore and the young girl who was his student even closer together than their many mutual interests and a sense of unusual closeness had ever done during the years before.
As Minerva found herself- the way she did almost every night- knocking on the heavy door leading to her Transfiguration teacher’s private quarters, she could not but reflect on the contents of the latest letter her mother had sent her, about three days earlier. Albus- for she’d grown to call him by his first name now- would certainly want to know what was in it, and honestly Minerva had not the faintest idea as for how she would reply to that question. Of course her mother had written that everything was okay- that they were all safe and sound, that there was not the slightest reason for Minerva to be worried, but the girl merely shook her head at those lines.
She knew her relatives too well- and she could read the shadow of the constant threat in every single word her mother wrote. Minerva had heard stories about what was happening in continental Europe- and though every story was vague and without the slightest hint of accuracy, it was not exactly reassuring stories. Even Minerva’s mother could not but, from time to time, mention things like how an old acquaintance of hers, whose children had been Minerva’s friends when she’d been a little kid, had been arrested and carried away to an unknown destination- or had all of a sudden disappeared, gone into hiding, or run off to Switzerland or England. Or how Minerva’- Roman Catholic- father had done an attempt to have his children scratched off the list of Jews in the community- and had failed horribly.
Minerva had begged her parents, many times, to come back to Scotland, but always had they decided against it. Of course it was very hard for Muggles, Minerva knew, to transport themselves across the carefully guarded Channel, but with a little help- and yet she knew that even that little help was impossible. Her maternal grandmother, namely, was ill and close to her death, thus impossible to transport. It was only logical that Minerva’s mother did not want to leave her mother behind, and thus they stayed, hoping that the mixed family would escape the eye of the new government.
It was vain hope, Minerva knew, and many times had she cried over the danger her family lived in- but she knew just as well that she couldn’t change it anyway, so she cried- in private.
There was only one man who had ever seen her break, who had ever watched her crack- and that was why she was, this night like all other nights, knocking on his door once more. She loved visiting him, talking to him, playing a fierce game of chess with him- just being with him, for the very simply reason that it was the one place where she did not have to be strong- where she could worry, where she didn’t have to cope with the constant pity written across the faces of almost all her fellow students and teachers.
And pity, Minerva reflected, was such a damn empty concept after all.
And yet the look in her teacher’s eyes was not an empty one as he looked up from the piece of parchment which he had obviously been reading. It was still filled with pity, but it was not empty.
Minerva stood frozen for multiple seconds, then fled- for fleeing it was- into the opened arms of her Transfiguration teacher- and did not say a word.

[griseldalafey]

Bad news... Now I'm anxiously awaiting how bad exactly...

Very captiving story!

[Sensiblyquirky]

very good, Lies. I really want to see how you play this out...so more updates!!! ;D

big sis #2

[KayleeTonksLupin]

I said it once and I'll say it again...BLOODY AWESOME! ;D Poor Min though! Glad she has Albus!

Je t'aime,

Your petite-fille, Kaylee

[angeldust]

wow! am engrossed!!!!!! please update soon! And a fantastic way to show that you do care about all those terrible things that happened in Auschwitz. ;D

[Karlynne]

This fic is turning into a very good angsty one which is so hard for me to read but its a good story so I will struggle on. I already feel so much for Minerva. Karlie

[Dewey]

Wow! You done good, Lies. You done damn good.

-Kathy

[Kassandra]

I am very interested now. Please continue.

[Nerweniel]

Chapter Two

She’d never been this close to anyone but her parents, Minerva realized as she, with a despair she didn’t know she held, hid her face in the deep purple robes of her teacher, and that thought only made her cling more to the man in front of her- holding on to him as if never to let go.
Couldn’t she- just for once, just for now- forget about the world, couldn’t she simply close her eyes and escape from the life of every day, from the life she didn’t want to lead, from the life she didn’t want to see led by those whom she loved?
And yet with the hollow smile of bravery and the empty blink of courage, Minerva knew that no, she couldn’t. There was perhaps an escape possible, but it was not easy and nor was it good- it only seemed like that, just the way she was tricked into believing it by the wicked weakness of that strange structure that formed the human mind.
The arms of her- teacher- around her waist felt nice, though, so she allowed herself that one comfort, leaning her head against his chest as slowly, softly, with shaking lips which almost accidentally seemed to form words, she asked the inevitable question- and half-way decided against it.
“What is-”
And yet she shut up, looking up from the comfortable embrace she had been hiding in, only to find the worst of her fears acknowledged in the now sad, blue eyes of her tutor and friend.
There were tears in her own, emerald ones, she knew, but just for this once, she did not care. Minerva McGonagall never cried in public- barely cried in private, even- but for the first time in her life, the girl with her black hair and her big, fierce eyes, realized a universal truth. Sadness isn’t the producing of tears- sadness is simply not caring anymore about spilling them. She did not want to cry, and even, technically, didn’t know why she cried. And yet, somehow, she did. She did- she did so damn well that she even didn’t know she did.
“What’s in that letter you were reading?”
The question was asked almost carelessly, in a vain attempt to keep up the routine of everyday conversations- but Albus recognized it as what it was- for indeed it was nothing more or less than a careful reformulation of the direct, unbearable question she had wanted to ask earlier.
She literally felt him sigh against her ear, and as a gentle, strong hand came to rest on top of her smaller one, carefully leading her towards the couch, she closed her eyes. Did she want- need- to hear this? Did she?
And yet she allowed herself to be led towards the couch by a firm, yet gentle hand, then merely looked up at him as he sat down behind her, taking her hands into his own.
“It’s a letter from France.”
As if she didn’t realize that by now. And part of her really wanted to cover her ears by her hands, to yell and to scream, just to not have to hear the terrible words- but all of a sudden, she was simply frozen, unable to move or say anything- but hear she could all the better, and every word cut straight through her heart.
“It’s a letter from your parents’ neighbours. They- Minerva, they have been arrested, and so have your siblings. I am so sorry.”
His arms around her were all that kept her from fainting right away, a sudden light feeling inside her head proving that no matter how prepared she had been, finally hearing the so long feared words was still worse than anything she could have ever imagined.
As her cheek rested against his and finally, finally tears started to fall, Minerva McGonagall felt her own body shake, and all of a sudden knew that she would need every single ounce of that famous Gryffindor courage that she could muster.

[KayleeTonksLupin]

Oh no! NO! I can't stand it...somebody, please, help...help...ALBUS, DO SOMETHING! *shakes with fear for Min*

Je t'aime,

Kaylee

[Sensiblyquirky]

Oh, poor Minerva. Well done, Lies...I like the style. I'm glad she trusts Albus to confide in, she certainly needs him.

Christy, big sis #2

[Kassandra]

I knew it was coming but it was still hard to read. Keep it coming.

[Karlynne]

I have read several holocaust era books which has depressed me greatly so I struggle to read this but I must say this story is definitely angsty. I'm glad Minerva knows she has to be brave during this difficult time. I guess there's no chance of any comic relief?

[griseldalafey]

It's so very sad. But you are writing an amazing story

[Nerweniel]

Chapter Three

“Albus?”
Minutes had passed, but the quiet embrace of teacher and student, of friend and friend, was not yet broken, and Minerva’s head- filled with confused and uncharacteristically shocked thoughts- still leant against his chest. The man had simply held her as she had cried a little- and for the first time in his life, he knew Minerva McGonagall, strong and balanced Minerva, even Minerva was in her way a very fragile creature. And young- very young indeed.
It was so very easy to mistake the girl in his arms for a woman much older than she really was, mature and wise beyond her years as Minerva certainly was- but she raised her head a little, looking into his eyes with a heart-breaking, deep sort of sadness buried in her striking green eyes. Her face was pale as it always was, but different- and the whiter sort of pale of her skin only accentuated the tearstains on her cheeks.
Softly wiping them off with a rough, yet gentle thumb, Albus tenderly shook his head as he looked down on her black-haired head.
“You are terribly young, my- my dear.”
The last word had come out somewhat odd, though- and Minerva, always quick to notice things out of the ordinary, slightly narrowed her eyes as she seemed to observe him with care. She seemed to sense that only very nearly had he avoided speaking a certain word out loud- her only problem was that she did not know which word it had been.
A small frown disturbed the peace of the girl’s face as she tried to read something she didn’t fully understand in his clear blue eyes- and found them all of a sudden illegible.
“I- I do suppose I am.”
The sudden confusion in her voice was obvious, as was his hand, gently resting against her cheek in a comforting as well as comfortable gesture.
“Minerva, I cannot express how sorry I am for what- what happened- and-”
His own clumsiness surprised him- and yet in a way, it didn’t. During his relatively long life, Albus had comforted and even embraced many people who had lost loved ones- and yet somehow this was different. He had not cared as much for those people as he did for Minerva- in fact…
His own trail of thought shocked him more than he could say, as slowly Albus realized that in fact he had *never* in his life cared for someone the way he cared for Minerva. There was something about her which never ceased to fascinate him. He couldn’t lay a finger on it, but it was there, ever-present in every word she spoke, in every blink of her eyes, in every simple, single gesture she made. He’d never questioned this feeling of his, accepting it as only natural- but all of a sudden, he did question it- and what he found was, to say the least, startling.
Did he love Minerva?
Was this, this feeling he’d had for years, then really Love- also known as what he had chased and despaired about for years, also known as what he’d accepted as impossible to find many, many years earlier?
The next moment, though, Albus didn’t know what was bigger- his relief and sudden feeling of tenderness at finally realizing that he loved Minerva, or the sudden fear of his own feelings that was just as present.
She was a student- but perhaps he could have lived with that. Yet moreover, she was a seventeen year old girl who had just lost her parents and siblings to a horrible fate- a girl who was in front of what could be the start of a very complicated time in her life, a girl who’d need every single sort of support she could get- but also a girl who was vulnerable. Too vulnerable.
“Minerva- all I wanted to say was-”
“Y-yes, Professor?”
Her hand was resting atop of his now- thus taking away the last bit of self-control he still possessed. He couldn’t pull away now- he couldn’t leave her now, sad and lonely, without at least letting her know that there was someone left in this world who- that there was someone who- that-
“Minerva, I- you are not alone in this world. Even apart from your family, there are still people who-”
Her voice was softer than ever before as, nose nearly touching his, she slightly leant forward. He read the emotions- strange emotions, mixed emotions- in her eyes and all of a sudden found himself nothing more than mere water in the palm of her hand.
“What, Albus?”
“Who love you. I love you, Minerva. I’m sorry.”
Later on, Albus would wonder many, many times whether it had been he who had initiated their first kiss after all- but deep down he always knew it had been Minerva. The way she had tentatively led her lips onto his- the way she had closed her eyes, as if in a desperate attempt to forget the sadness and remember only the joy, would remain etched against his mind forever.
Her last words were nearly inaudible as their lips parted- and yet to him, they weren’t. They would never be.
“I love you too.”

[QuillofMinerva]

I am so glad that Albus is there for her because she will need someone. I am glad that Minerva kissed him first rather than him making the first move.

Thank you for the update

Clayre xx

[Sensiblyquirky]

Wonderful. You are writing the emotions so well. Excellent job...I was hanging on every word.

big sis #2

[griseldalafey]

Such a bittersweet (but wonderful) chapter. I'm glad they're together, but on the other hand, her poor family.

this isn't the end yet, is it?

[KayleeTonksLupin]

Ohmygosh, Grand-mere, I need a box of tissues NOW...and chocolate would certainly help too...*crying* such a sweet yet sad chapter...tell me everything will be okay?

Your distressed petite-fille,

Kaylee

[Dewey]

Don't cry, Kaylee. It will all be okay, I hope. I was on the edge of my chair desperately trying to read faster and faster to find what happened. That was great. Awesome. I'm enjoying every moment I read this. Spectacular.

-Kathy

[Nerweniel]

Chapter Four

The sky was dark, save for the occasional little red on-and-off light coming from a muggle war airplane crossing the sky- and Minerva tilted her head back a little, resting it against the stone wall behind her once more. The top of the Astronomy Tower had always been one of her favourite spots at Hogwarts, and visiting it at night was one of the rare abuses of her Head Girl power that she permitted herself. Her natural feeling for what was right and what wasn’t opposed to the idea of her sneaking out of her dormitory- but she couldn’t help it. Summer was coming closer, and the temperatures at night were, if not warm, then still agreeable- but that was not what made her come here at night.
A sigh escaped her lips as, with a monotone sound, another plane passed above her head, and her black braid curtly shook along with the rest of her head as she tried to think of where it was heading for.
The East- Germany, she knew, and for a short moment, she actually wondered why that idea gave her an uncomfortable feeling, low in her stomach
The next second, though, she remembered it again- and sighed once more at the thought of the stupidity of some of the people surrounding her. Most of her muggleborn classmates really believed that throwing bombs on Germany was the solution- but Minerva only knew too well that it wasn’t.
They didn’t understand it if she voiced her opinion, though.
“Minerva, you of all people…”
But they did not get it.
“When I see those planes fly over to Germany, I don’t think about those leaders, safely hidden in their underground palaces. I think about the little girl in Berlin who perhaps gets a bombshell in her leg on this very moment…”
Minerva bit her lips and looked up at the stars once more- eyes having adjusted at the darkness, finally able to see more than just the poignant red lights. She’d never really been the one for stargazing, actually, but sometimes, she liked it.
It helped her to think.
And sometimes…
A pair of warm arms enfolding her from behind did not even make her look up again, and a soft smile graced her lips as, leaning back, the back of her head was cradled by what only could be the thick, auburn beard of the man she loved so very much. A pair of lips gently kissing the top of head made her turn around, and almost impulsively she pressed her lips to his, over and over again, as if to never let go. When, moments later, Minerva pulled back again, slightly panting- she still did not say a word. She just leant her hands against Albus’s cheeks and then, at his pulling her closer, gladly fell into his embrace once more.
“You’re cold, Minerva.”
“No, I’m not…” was her muttered, absent-minded reply, but only as he covered her shoulders by his own thick, purple cloak did she realize how comfortable that felt.
“Yes, you are.”
“Perhaps- a little.”
A faint, impish smile of his made her smile as well, and in silence, the two people sat there, atop of the Astronomy Tower, her head on his shoulder, his head atop of her head. The stars were bright, that night- yet Minerva could not keep her eyes off the seven stars which, to her, seemed to stand out more than the others.
“Ursa Major, my dear; The so-called “Great Bear”. Seven stars, quite bright tonight.” came Albus’s soft answer to her unspoken question, and Minerva sighed.
“Seven… yes, seven. You see that one, that faint one on the left? I bet that’s my grandmother. Ill, and old, but ever-present… and that one close to her is granddad- he loves her so much, you know? And then that one is mother- it’s bright and somehow seems to watch over the other stars, and next to her is dad, of course. I bet he’s winking at me right now. Then there is Tosia- already such a big girl- and the bright one is little Betty. And then that one- that- that must be me, I suppose.”
The silence which followed was filled with tension, sadness- and a strange sort of melancholy, too. The expression in Minerva’s eyes, Albus realized, came, perhaps, closest to “dumbfounded”.
Only moments later, tears started to fall.

[angeldust]

Wow this was extreamly powerful!!!!

and amazingly well written

update soon

[TartanPhoenix]

I don't know how you do it, but this story just keeps getting better. I feel so badly for Minerva, but at least she has Albus to look after her.

[Sensiblyquirky]

I'm glad she has Albus, and I could picture the scene perfectly in my mind. Nice job.

Big sis #2