McGonagall: A History

McGonagall: A History

Prologue

"Cameron!"

"Cameron, where are you!?"

The little girl's voice was almost drowned out by the howling wind as it raced across the fields of gorse and heather

"Cameron!"

Lightning flashed overhead, briefly illuminating the landscape; it was swiftly followed by a crash of thunder. Minerva jumped at the sound. There was only a couple of seconds between the two. The storm must be right above her.

"Cameron!"

Her long dark hair was now plastered to her face. The rain lashed against her delicate, pale skin and rivulets of water ran from her eyelashes, down her long straight nose and onto her chattering lips as she ran, stumbling. She heard a noise and turned.

"Cameron!"

"Minnie."

"Cameron!" she called again as she fled towards the sound of the voice as the lightning flashed once again, guiding her way. In the light she saw a tree, leafless and stark in the cold winter night. She then noticed a figure on the ground at its base and hastened towards it. Stumbling on the uneven ground.

"Cameron," she panted as she fell to her knees next to her little brother who was lying, curled into a ball on the muddy ground.

"Cameron, are you..." She could hardly breathe, she was exhausted. "Are you..." She never finished her question.

"Minnie he's hurt." The boy turned his head to look at her. His sandy blond hair was so wet it looked almost black and his lips were a cold blue. His small body trembled as he tried to uncurl his numb limbs.

"You're hur... he's... who?" The little boy held out his hands to reveal a small, bedraggled ball of fluff.

"Cameron put that down, come on." The lightning and thunder flashed and crashed simultaneously above them. "Lets get home, mother's going to be so angry." She tried to pull him up but he tugged his jacket sleeve away from her.

"No Minnie, he's only little, I'm not leaving him."

Minerva McGonagall peered once more at the small bundle in her brother's hands. He looked at her pleadingly. "Please Minnie, he's just a baby, he'll die."

She held his gaze and nodded. The little boy tried to smile but his chattering lips prevented him from doing little more than grimacing.

Cameron McGonagall allowed his big sister to pull him up by the elbow as he lovingly cradled the little bird in his hands. The two small children glanced at each other and Minerva smiled briefly, muttering, "Wait here," before running forwards - out of sight and into the darkness.

Cameron did as he was told. He trusted his big sister. He knew she would never leave him. She would always find him and she would always save him. He felt the baby bird tremble in his hands, he bent his face to it and muttered nonsensical words which he felt would be comforting. The lightning flashed above him.

"Here." She was back, she stopped just short of her little brother and placed a furry looking bundle at his feet. Although his eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness he found it hard to distinguish exactly what it was. Minerva then lifted off her sodden black pinafore, leaving herself in only her white under-dress. She spread the pinafore on the saturated ground and folded it in half two, three, then four times. Her under-dress now stuck to her body and you could see the goose bumps covering her skin below the now sheer material.

She placed the mysterious furry bundle onto the folded pinafore and held her hands out for the tiny bird. Cameron handed it to her, carefully keeping it shielded with his hands, refusing to allow the continuing onslaught of rain to touch it. Minerva took the bird into her hands and placed in onto what her brother now realised to be moss, carefully wrapping the warming materials around its tiny body, leaving its head free.

She handed it to her brother. "That should keep him warm."

He gazed at his big sister's face in awe and gratitude. He was only six but she was seven. She was really clever and seemed to know things Cameron never thought he would. She smiled back and held out her hand. He transferred the bundle to his left and held out his right to hold onto his sister.

The lightning flashed above them and they heard a loud noise, like a gunshot. It came from the sky but didn't sound like thunder. Minerva looked up and saw only an enormous black shape descending upon them, blocking out the cloudy sky.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as the branch fell towards them. It was huge. There was no time and no place to run.

Without thinking, Minerva pushed her little brother to the ground and fell on top of him, shielding his little body with her own. She squeezed her eyes shut, her heart in her throat as she clutched onto Cameron's jacket.

She did not scream.

The object fell on top of the two children; covering them completely; obscuring them from view.

Minerva McGonagall very slowly opened one eye, then the other. She barely dared try to breathe. She felt no pain. So this is what it was like to -

"Minnie," came a little voice. She opened her dry mouth, "Cameron." So he was okay too, she almost sighed with relief, he was alive. They were both alive. But why was there no pain? Why had the rain stopped? Why...? Her train of thought trailed off as she felt the boy shift underneath her in an attempt to free himself. He kept his left arm extended in front of him in an attempt to protect the baby bird.

She turned her head and felt something soft and dry touch her face. She maneuvered her numb, shivering body into a sitting position. It was a blanket. A huge, black fleece blanket.

She looked up at the tree above her. Half of the top was missing and the upper trunk still smoked from where the lightning's fire had been put out by the rainwater. The tree was jagged where the missing branches had been severed. She looked around her. The limbs of the tree were nowhere to be seen... but they had been coming right for them, she had seen it with her very own eyes.

Cameron watched his big sister throw her gaze about them. She looked scared. That worried him. She was never scared. She was always really brave and knew exactly what to do. He whispered fearfully, "Minnie..."

Her little brother's use of his pet name jerked her back to reality. It didn't matter what had happened. They were safe. And lucky. This blanket must have been blown to them by the wind.

"Minnie..."

She silenced him with a glance and pulled him towards her as she wrapped them both in the warm, comforting blanket. She glanced around her one last time before taking her little brother's shivering free hand and beginning the long walk back to the farmhouse.