Minerva had never seen the boy outside of his infancy, but all the professors knew he would be arriving this year, given that Dumbledore had sent him his letter. It had only taken her seconds to pick out Harry Potter from the crowd of first-years, it was like staring at James Potter all over again. And if he physically resembled his father this much, then frankly the Sorting Ceremony was just a formality, there’d be no doubt that the boy would be in Gryffindor.
She could not stop staring at the boy.
It had been a week already, since Minerva watched Harry Potter sort in Gryffindor, and yet she could not stop looking at him. With every angle she looked from, all she saw was James Potter. From the nest that he calls his hair, to the glasses, all the way down to his skinny frame; it was as if Minerva took a Time-Turner back to 1971, when James first arrived. Harry looked exactly like his father.
And so she waited in suspense – and dare she say eagerness – for the first sign of mischief. She waited and waited for that prank, that one moment of childish enjoyment that would make her think of course, this is James Potter’s son after all. It wouldn’t take long. Even if he didn’t have a Sirius Black in his year, Harry had Fred and George Weasley, who Minerva dares could’ve given Black a run for his money back in the day.
But then Harry turns and their eyes cross at any given moment for the past week. Minerva is hit with a bright flash of green and thinks of course. Of course, it would be no surprise if Harry wasn’t a troublemaker. It would be no surprise if he was instead a sweet, sweet child who exudes respect for his peers. Because even if he is James Potter’s son, he is Lily Evans’ son as well. Even if it was all that Harry had from his mother, one would only need to look into his eyes to know who his mother was, and they would easily see it when they met him as a person.
Every time she sees the boy, she inevitably takes a trip into the past, albeit with a bitter taste in her mouth. They were taken too early, far too young. They had so much to give to the world, to fix in this god forsaken world with their strong sense of morality, courage and compassion. The Wizarding World needed young people like them to lead the youth, to step into the positions of leadership and guide them towards a world of equality and equity. And then the Wizarding World had taken them from the people, from her.
She had a vow not to show bias towards her students. Even if the other Heads showed favoritism towards their own students, she would be above it all, much to the chagrin of her own House. Favoritism is what inevitably brought upon the meaningless death of this innocent child’s parents, and she would have no part in it.
However she can’t help it if she remembers some students more than others. How could anyone forget James Potter, with him being the whirlwind of chaos and passion that he is? Everyday with him was a battle for Minerva to maintain her sanity, with the line between pride and disappointment getting blurrier by the year.
She knew, by the time that James was in his final year, that each incident had its motive. James was a man of sheer determination and he would let no wrongdoing go unnoticed. And so she let him have his way, she took points and gave him detentions as any professor should, but the look of respect that she gives him every never goes unnoticed. It was an unspoken message between the two of them, you make me so proud to be a Gryffindor, but Merlin you’re going to be the death of me child.
And who else could keep James Potter in check but Lily Evans? Kind, compassionate and smart Lily Evans, who hid a strong will of her own and fought fire with fire. Lily Evans, who Minerva could count on to take the piss out of James Potter for his mischief when Minerva couldn’t. Lily Evans, who was the kind of person to see people for beyond their House affiliation and had suffered for it. The woman who was intelligent enough to see James Potter for the changes he went through, to see the frustration hidden behind his antics and to realize when a bloke had matured.
Even if James Potter had grown into a fine young man, he was an absolute tyrant as a child and early teenager. Had it not been for Lily’s astute observations and tolerant personality, Minerva doubts that Lily would’ve even given James Potter the second glance he needed to prove he was a better man. Who knows if Harry would’ve even existed if Lily wasn’t the person she was.
And how could she not remember James and Lily Potter, when they spent so much time together in the Order? Minerva had been so reluctant to pull wizards and witches so young into the Order, to fight in this war that they were born into. But they were Gryffindors through and through, and would hear nothing short of a thank you once they heard of the Order’s existence. And of course with James’ and Lily’s natural ability to pull people towards them, the Order gained some of the finest members Minerva had ever seen.
So no, Minerva had no favorite students and she will die on that hill no matter how hypocritical it may sound. But she also makes it an oath that she will do her utmost to protect Harry, this sweet child, until her dying breath. Even if the world had turned against him, Lily Evans’ and James Potter’s son would not die unless she was dead first, even if Voldemort rises from the grave and turns all of Hogwarts against him. She owes it to his parents, that much at least.
Minerva ponders, with a curious smile on her face as she sits in the Great Hall and watches Harry. She wonders what the future will bring, what sort of chaos Harry will bring to Hogwarts (he’s still James Potter’s son, it’s inevitable). She also wonders what classes Harry will excel at. Maybe he’ll become a Quidditch Chaser, like his father? Or maybe he’ll be a Potions extraordinaire, like his mother? Or perhaps Transfiguration like James – oh how hard it would be for Minerva not to show bias if that were the case. Merlin the admiration that Minerva felt when she found out James was an animagus, as a fifth year no less. The pride that Minerva felt was practically tangible.
Or perhaps Harry will completely flip the script and excel where they couldn’t. They both originally struggled at Defense Against the Dark Arts, Minerva wouldn’t put it past Harry to surprise her. Godric knows James was always catching her off-guard. Perhaps Harry will excel at DADA, create a Patronus as a third-year or battle a troll before he even knows his first set of battle spells.
Harry will be a blank slate for her, an enigma just like his parents. She will have no expectations of him, eager to see what surprises he held in store for her.
For now though, she’ll have to settle for reminiscing the years of when James and Lily were still in school, some of the moments that Minerva feels she’ll never forget.
It was 1977 and they were nearing the end of the year; the end of April brought about a day of heavy showers on a beautiful sunny day. While sun showers were a nice drizzle for the rest of the world, it came down like a storm for the Wizarding World and the bright sun reflecting off the countless teardrops often made it hard to see.
Minerva holds back a sigh of exasperation as several more students bustled into Transfiguration minutes after the start of class. She expected students to come in late. The sun shower was unexpected and more than likely, many of the students would be spending time in the corridors trying to dry off before entering class. She was not annoyed because of that, she was disappointed that her Head students, James Potter and Lily Evans still hadn’t arrived yet.
NEWTS were completed and the next few weeks of class would simply be stretch goals for the students, an opportunity for them to explore the extents of their magical capacity and discover whatever spells they desire. While she understood that that the end of exams brings forth a sigh of relief and an urge to ease up, she still expected her Heads to at least arrive on time. Nonetheless, she would wait until James and Lily arrived; even if she must dock points, she wanted to give a speech and would not let the two miss it.
A flourish of laughter draws Minerva’s attention to window and she peers outside to see James prancing in the Courtyard, absolutely saturated from hair and shirt down to his shoes. He’s laughing with a smile on his face so bright that it makes even the sun look a little dull today, and Minerva can’t help the chuckle that escapes her lips.
“Join me Lily!”
Minerva finds Lily standing underneath the protection of the corridors, books in one hand and the other covering the smile on her face. She shakes her head vigorously and her fiery red hair flails around mercilessly with each shake.
“You’re absolutely insane, Potter!” Lily yells but she’s sporting a smile just as wide and bright as James’.
“You love it, Evans! Admit it!” James counters and he’s running over to Lily, pulling her towards the puddle-ridden Courtyard. Minerva watches as Lily resists but the smile never leaves her face and Lily can’t quite portray the irritation that she’s trying to convey.
She watches as Lily gives in and joins James in the center of the Courtyard, and the two are dancing hand in hand like they aren’t late for class, like the rest of the world doesn’t even exist outside of the inches of space between them.
James gives Lily a twirl and she laughs as her hair, now stranded into locks by the downpour, twirls with her and now completely strays across her face. She doesn’t care though, because James is pulling her in close again and pushing her hair back with both hands, so that he can cup her cheeks. She doesn’t care that she’s now soaked to the bone and her hair is going to be a mess for the rest of the day, because all she sees is the boy in front of her, this beautiful boy that makes the world seem perfect even when it’s not.
James brings Lily in for a kiss and Minerva decides it’s about time to look away, opting to let them relish in their moment of privacy, even if they are out in the open. She decides she won’t give them detention (how could she dare reign in on their happiness, when they’ve already gone through so much), but she will have to take some points. Minerva McGonagall shows no favoritism, after all.
“Marry me Evans!”
Minerva’s gaze snaps back to the Courtyard, her mind reeling at what she swears she just heard. Merlin, did he just propose? At the young age of 17? When they’d only been together for a year? Upon observation, she sees that the question even takes Lily off-guard, who’s looking at James in shock.
“What?” Lily whispers, the shock apparent on her face.
“Marry me Lily,” James repeats as he brushes his thumb across Lily’s cheek and lays his forehead on hers. “You make me feel like I can take on the whole bloody world. Marry me.”
James pulls back and grabs a small box out of his hand. The box pulls back to reveal a beautiful diamond ring that glares so brightly it outshines even the raindrops in this beautiful sunny day. He doesn’t press it into Lily’s hand, instead opting to hold the ring in his hand with his gaze never leaving Lily’s. The message is clear. You don’t have to. I can wait.
He doesn’t kneel on one knee, like Muggles do, like what Lily is probably used to and the message he’s trying to convey is received. But both are moot points, because even if Lily wasn’t expecting the proposal, her response was clear before her brain had even caught up.
Lily purses her lips to hold back the smile and Minerva isn’t sure if those are tears forming at her eyes or if it’s just the rain dripping down her cheeks. She takes the ring and slowly drops it onto her left ring finger, and then she’s tackling James with a hug so forceful that it brings them both to the ground.
As if they’re not drenched already, they fall into a puddle but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because they’re both in such a state of euphoria that can’t be recreated, that can’t be conveyed with a kiss even though they now try.
“Cheers Minnie! What’s got you so happy today?”
Minerva is taken out of her stupor by Sirius’ late arrival. The boy isn’t even wet and she’s certain that, as usual, he didn’t even have a reason for arriving late. For half a second, the soreness in her cheeks makes her aware that she must’ve been smiling during the entire sequence, but that doesn’t matter because she’s now glaring at her next tardy student.
“10 points from Gryffindor for drastic tardiness, Mister Black. And be sure to see Professor Binns for detention tomorrow night for your clear lack of respect.”
The punishment does little to erase the lackadaisical smile on Sirius’ face and the cheers! he responds with is almost enough to ruin Minerva’s mood. Almost.
Minutes later, her two Heads arrive to class still soaked, with Lily giving Minerva an apologetic look to counter James’ carefree smile. Minerva should really be punishing them, really. It would be unfair not to, but…
“Mister Potter and Miss Evans, while I understand that the end of your NEWTS brings a well-deserved moment of relief and relaxation, it would do well for our Head students to still be mindful of the habits they may be instilling in your juniors. Now please, take some time to dry off in the back and take your seats.”
“Oi, what’re you on about Professor!” Sirius yelped in offense. “How come you’re not docking points from them?”
“Mister Black, would you like to make it two detentions?”