femgenficathon

Title: Determination

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Prompt: 19. Things are always darkest just before they go pitch black.--Kelly Robinson

Summary: Minerva takes care of the school while Dumbledore is gone. (Set in CoS; no spoilers for HBP.)

Determination

Lucius Malfoy might have bought or intimidated all of the school governors, but he certainly wasn't going to intimidate her. In Dumbledore's absence, the school needed her more than ever. Minerva was determined to keep things working no matter what.

As the Deputy Headmistress – nobody doubted for a moment that her position was only temporary – her first reunion with the staff wasn't as difficult to manage as the circumstances had lead her to expect.

It was the first time in many years that such terrible things had happened at Hogwarts. Students attacked, Hagrid in Azkaban, Dumbledore away... and, to top it all, a useless Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, just when they most needed someone efficient in that post. She didn't blame her colleagues for being so worried.

However, she couldn't allow them that luxury. In a situation like this, she needed everyone to keep a cool head; and she was the first who should appear calm.

Minerva adopted her strictest expression when she spoke to the rest of the staff. Even if she didn't expect it to have the same effect on them as on her students, she knew that she could convince them to follow her directions if she showed them that she was determined to make everything work.

"All right," she said once she got their full attention, "this is what we shall do." Her speech consisted of instructions for the staff, and in general they were well received. She strived, above all, to keep Hogwarts functioning properly. That required maintaining order more than changing things.

Although, as always, there were voices against the majority (and even a few ideas that were downright ridiculous), Minerva wasn't worried. She knew there were people she could count on: Poppy, Pomona, Filius... Even Severus knew how to work as part of a team when the circumstances called for it.

The school was not going to close. Not while she was in charge.

* * *

Of course, the students didn't take the news about the upcoming exams as well as their professors had. It seemed that everyone had assumed they'd be postponed.

It was tiring, having to explain to every single class that if the school was to be kept open that would involve, in fact, studying. But that wasn't Minerva's only reason to make them take exams in spite of the situation. The children needed to keep their minds on something other than the attacks, and this was the best possible distraction.

A few days later, however, she finally had good news to tell them. Pomona ran into her in one of the halls one early morning, looking very tired but happy.

"Oh, Minerva, I found you at last!" she panted. "The mandrakes are ready!"

For a moment, Minerva was at a loss for words. There was going to be some hope again... Not only would the attacked students wake up now; some of them might even remember who had done that to them.

"Are you certain?" she asked. Pomona nodded, beaming.

"Completely! I've already told Poppy about it. If all goes well, we will be able to awake the petrified children tonight."

For the first time in what had seemed to her a very long time, Minerva smiled.

"We must let the rest of the students know about this, then," she said. "It will make everyone feel better. Come on. I'll tell them during breakfast."

* * *

Minerva's good mood wasn't meant to last for long. Just like it had happened so many times that year, things soon took yet another turn for the worse.

It wasn't even noon yet when she found Potter and Weasley wandering down the halls, instead of going to their History of Magic class as they were supposed to. Worst of all, however, was that they were completely alone. That useless Lockhart had left his students unsupervised.

"Potter! Weasley!" she called. "What are you doing?"

The two boys froze when they heard her. It was hard to tell which one of them looked paler. Minerva was sure that she'd caught them just in time. Judging from the way they had acted during the previous year, they must have been about to do something well-meaning but dangerous.

As soon as they regained speech, they started babbling- and then Potter said something that she hadn't expected at all.

They wanted to see Granger.

She didn't answer immediately, and for a few tense seconds the boys looked more nervous than ever, but she made up her mind at last. After all, she knew...

"Naturally," she said, hoping they wouldn't notice her hoarse voice, or how her eyes were threatening to become teary. She gave them permission to go, assuring them that she would tell Binns why they weren't in his class.

She was relieved to hear them go; she couldn't hold back a sniffle anymore. All this time, she had managed to stay focused, and now these boys had taken out her soft side...

But Minerva couldn't help understanding them. She knew. She remembered perfectly well how it felt to see your classmates attacked, your best friends petrified. Hadn't she gone through all of that herself, fifty years earlier? Hadn't she tried many times, just like them, to sneak into the hospital wing? She had been much older than they were now, and even so it had been a very hard time for her.

This was not the right moment to give in to reminiscences, though. There were important matters she had to take care of. Minerva regained her composure, wiped off her tears with a handkerchief, and continued to inspect the halls.

There were no other students alone, thankfully; the rest of the professors had done their job well. When she reached the History of Magic classroom, she entered for a moment to warn Binns about Potter and Weasley's absence.

Minerva was returning to her office when she saw it: there was a new inscription about the Chamber of Secrets, right under the first one. She paled as she read it, but there was no time to be upset. Without wasting a second, she amplified her voice to send the students to their common rooms and call for a staff meeting.

The worst was yet to come.