The Teacher's Son

Chapter 27

"Really, what has got into all of you today?" Minerva asked, transforming back into her human form. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class."

Her class looked at her guiltily. 

"Please, Professor," Hermione Granger spoke up, raising her hand, "We've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and-"

She frowned. "Ah, of course. There is no need to say more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which one of you will be dying this year?"

There was a moment of tense silence, then Harry spoke.

"Me." He was scared, Minerva could see that easily. She reminded herself to have a word with Sibyll about scaring the third years.

"I see. Then you should know, Mr. Potter, that Sibyll Trelawney has predicted the death of one student since she arrived at this school. None of them have died yet." She saw Harry's shoulders relax a bit. "Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues-" She stopped herself, taking a moment to compose her thoughts. It would do no good to point out that she thought Divination was a pointless class, especially taught by Sibyll.

"Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney..." Minerva let the class guess what she thought, trailing off and changing the subject slightly. "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in."

Hermione giggled and the class seemed to be released from whatever strange trance the Divination teacher had put them under. McGonagall knew Harry would want to speak with her later. She ignored the murmuring of a few students who seemed to be on Trelawney's side in all of this and went on teaching.

"Professor!" Harry called as the class packed up. 

"Mr. Potter, I'm afraid I have other business to attend to at the moment, if you need to speak with me I will be available after your classes have ended."

He got the message and nodded, mouthing 'Bye, Mum!' when no one was looking.

Minerva nodded to him, then turned into a cat and padded out of the room. She was on skive duty, watching for students that were skipping class. As usual, she kept her eyes peeled for identical shocks of red hair.

-------------------------------

"Come in, Harry."

Harry opened the door to his mother's study and closed it quickly behind him. "Hello, Mum."

She smiled at him. "How were your classes? Besides Professor Trelawney's, I think we both know how that went."

"They were okay. Malfoy is trying to get Hagrid in trouble." Minerva saw the angry flash in Harry's eyes at the thought of it. She knew he loved and looked up to the half-giant quite a bit, their relationship had formed early on when he was playing down near the lake as a young boy.

"I did hear what happened. The attack was provoked, I assume?"

"If the stupid git-"

"Harry James, mind your language."

"Sorry. If Malfoy had listened to what Hagrid was saying instead of doing whatever it is he does with his friends during class, he would have realized that insulting a proud creature who can rip you apart isn't a good idea."

Minerva nodded. "I will be sure that those deciding what the best course of action is know that."

"Thanks Mum." Harry slouched in his seat.

"Do you believe in the Grim?" He asked suddenly.

Minerva frowned at him. "The Grim?" 

"Yeah. You know, big black dog, likes to haunt church yards, omen of evil."

"Is this about your Divination class?"

"Yeah."

She sighed. "Put it out of your mind, Harry. Sibyll is a bit of an air head, you've been around her enough to know that."

"I would put it out of my mind!" Harry insisted. "Only, it makes a little bit of sense."

"What makes a little bit of sense?" Minerva stood and moved to the table against the wall in the corner. She waved her wand over the teapot sitting there and watched as it filled with water, then boiled it with another silent spell.

"Remember the night I left the Dursley's?" Harry started slowly.

"Yes." Minerva remembered very clearly. She remembered the wave of panic she'd felt when she showed up to retrieve Harry, only to be bellowed at by the large tomato that was Vernon Dursley about her accursed child blowing up his sister and then running away only hours before. But she didn't tell Harry that. He didn't need to know that.

"Well, I was lost, and I didn't know what to do. I was trying to think of what I could do, then I felt something staring at my back. My hair stood on end, Mum. And when I turned around, there were two yellow eyes staring at me! I didn't know what it was, so I got my wand out and used Lumos to see better."

He took a deep breath, like he was reliving the experience. "It was this hulking black dog, Mum."

"I'm sure it was a stray, Harry." Minerva assured him, pouring two cups of tea.

"I thought so too, and that's what Hermione said, but right afterward I almost got run over by a bus. What if it really was a Grim, Mum?"

"There's no such thing as a Grim, Harry." Minerva said. "It was just a coincidence, I promise you."

"Okay, I guess." Harry took a sip of his tea.

"Why don't we talk about something else for a little bit, then you can try your animagus change again."

[A/N You guys know the drill, italicized text is directly from the book and JK owns that, along with the characters and the original story line]