Chapter Text
Minerva sat in her cloak, reading the Daily Prophet. She smirked at the headline that read, Harry Potter: Head of the Auror Department. She had always known that Harry would get there one day, but she had never thought he would do it so young.
As she sat there, lost in thought, someone touched her shoulder from behind.
“Minerva?” a small voice asked.
Minerva jumped and turned around to see a girl she had attended school with at Beauxbatons. She was accompanied by a man with scars on his face and long, shoulder-length red hair. Minerva knew him as Bill Weasley. Their baby daughter was also with them. She had not seen them in ages.
“Wow, Fleur, it has been a long time. Look at her—she is beautiful.”
Fleur nodded and smiled from ear to ear. “Yes, I ’ave a beautiful family now. I ’ave married Bill, and we are very much still in love. Zen we ’ave zis beautiful daughter. She is a year old now.”
Fleur smiled as Bill handed her the small child.
“Fleur, she is the spitting image of you.” Minerva smiled at Bill. “It is very nice to see you as well.”
She knew that he did not recognize her at all.
Bill smiled and shook her hand. “It is nice to meet one of Fleur’s friends. I must say, though, you look oddly like someone I have seen before. Have we met?”
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. She was surprised that he had even a small recollection of her.
“I am sorry, but no, I do not think we have ever really met before,” she lied. She could not let on that she knew anyone until she had told Harry everything.
Bill nodded in agreement. “Yes, I guess not. I do that a lot. I have seen so many people that their faces all look the same after a while,” he replied as he headed over to the counter to pay the waitress.
Fleur smiled at Minerva. “Bill iz a very friendly man, although sometimes a bit strange.” She laughed as she sat with Minerva.
Minerva nodded. “It is always nice to be friendly.”
She stood up. She was in no mood for conversation.
“I really need to get going. We should meet up sometime to catch up and have coffee. Gabby can join us as well.”
Fleur nodded. “Yes, zat vould be great.”
Minerva nodded and headed out the door. She needed to keep up her act, but she did not know how much longer she could continue.
As Minerva walked away, Fleur stared closely at the newspaper. She gasped as she suddenly realized who Minerva resembled. They had the same eyes.
Walking through Diagon Alley, Minerva was lost in her thoughts. There was so much she needed to tell Harry, but she was unsure whether he would believe her. He was known to be a hothead, and the rumour was that he was also a bit of an airhead.
She walked into a small side alley and looked around to make sure no one was nearby. In a moment, she was gone.
Minerva appeared in a small clearing. There were two graves. One belonged to Edward Tonks, Nymphadora’s father. The other belonged to Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Lupin. They all rested there.
Walking over to Remus’s grave, she knelt.
“Father, what am I to do? How do I tell him? I wish you were here to help me do this. It has been two years, and I have been hiding away in Romania, too afraid to tell him.”
She sighed as she felt someone kneel beside her and touch her hand.
“Sweet Minerva, I knew I would see you here today,” Andromeda said, smiling at her.
Minerva reached over and hugged her. “I am so sorry that I have not been around more. It is just so hard to face life here without them in it. I lost everyone that night—everyone but you.”
Tears filled her eyes as she thought about the night of the war.
Andromeda nodded and held her tightly. “It has been hard, but we need you back. He is growing up so fast, and he does not even know who you are. Come home. It is time for you to return to your life here with us.”
“Teddy.” Minerva sighed. “Dad would be furious with me for not helping you with him. He is my little brother, and I am a stranger to him.”
“You do not have to be, my dear. Come home. He is young enough that he will not remember you being away for the first two years of his life.” Andromeda looked at the headstones. “I miss them all so much every day.”
“I am sorry that you have lost so much as well. It was all because of the chaos that the Potter children brought into your life.” Minerva stood up.
“No, do not do that. They all knew what the stakes were, and they wanted to fight. They wanted to free our world from the evil it had become. They did this because they loved you and Harry, and because they wanted the future of the wizarding world to be brighter.”
Andromeda also stood and wrapped her arm around Minerva’s waist. They stood side by side, looking down at the graves.
“How do I do it? How do I tell Harry? What if he does not want to believe me? What if he wants nothing to do with me?” Minerva asked, fear growing in her voice.
“One step at a time, day by day. First, let’s get you back home with Teddy. Then we can plan the rest once you have settled in,” Andromeda said with a smile.
Minerva looked at Remus and Nympahadora’s headstones.
“Do you two think it is time?”
As she asked the question, rain began to fall around them. She smiled up at the sky.
“That sounds like a great plan.”
Minerva turned to face Andromeda and took her hand. Together, they Disapparated home.
The living room of the cottage had not changed at all. It was filled with pictures of the family, and Minerva’s heart sank. She had not looked at photographs of them in two years.
“Grandma!” a small voice called from down the hall.
Minerva turned and saw him. Teddy was waddling down the hallway. He was a perfect mixture of his parents, and his hair was bright blue. She could not hold back her tears any longer.
“He has gotten so big,” she said, looking over at Andromeda.
Andromeda nodded and picked up the toddler. “Teddy, say hello to your big sister. This is Minnie.”
He looked at her and then at all the pictures.
“Minnie.”
Minerva nodded. “Yes, Minnie, buddy. I am so sorry that I left you, but that is all over now. I am home. I am home to stay.”
Andromeda smiled at her. “You are both where you should be now.”
Minerva spent the rest of the evening playing with Teddy while Andromeda filled her in with all the stories she loved sharing about the boy.
Minerva entered her childhood bedroom. Everything was exactly as she had left it more than two years ago. The room had been kept clean, but nothing had been touched.
“Wow, this is…”
She sat on her bed and took a deep breath.
“Dad, I wish you were here. I really need you. Your advice would be so helpful.”
She lay back and soon drifted into a deep sleep.
The next morning, she awoke to Charlie smiling down at her.
“You did it. You are home.”
She sat up and smiled at him. “I am, and it feels amazing. Teddy is so incredibly sweet, and I cannot believe that I stayed away for this long.”
He sat beside her and took her hand. “That is all in the past. All that matters now is that you are here with them and that we are getting closer to living the life we should be living.”
“I think I am going to tell Harry.” Her expression grew worried. “Grandmother says he comes over all the time to see Teddy, so I think that will be the perfect time to tell him.”
His face lit up. “Really? You are actually ready to tell him?”
“I really want to tell him. I have asked so much of you over the last two years, and I think it is time for us to put everything out in the open. We can finally get this secret out of the way and all be together.”
He hugged her. “This is wonderful. When I am finished with the camp at the end of the month, things will finally be where we want them to be.”
“Hopefully. We still do not know how Harry will react. How will your family react?”
“Harry may be angry for a while, but he will come around. As for my family, they will adore you. I know it.” He kissed her.
“I guess we will find out within the next week or so.”
She got up and looked out the window.
“This is going to be hard.”
He came up behind her. “You have got this. Your grandmother will be here to help you, and if you need me, I will be here as soon as you summon me.”
He smiled.
“Thank you, but I really think this needs to be just between Harry and me.” She kissed his cheek.
Minerva spent the next few days reconnecting with her grandmother and little brother. Charlie returned to finish the final three weeks of his contract.
“Minerva, can you come out here, please?” Andromeda called from the kitchen.
Minerva smiled at Teddy as she stood and walked into the kitchen.
“What is it? Is everything okay?”
Andromeda nodded and looked out the front window.
“He is here.”
Minerva’s face went white. She knew it was time, but her nerves were getting the better of her.
“You have got this, love. I know this is the right time and that it is for the best.” Andromeda kissed her cheek.
Minerva smiled and nodded as Harry walked through the front door.