The Past or The Future?
Part 1: Minerva Aine Longbottom
Thirteen Years Later...
The wind was aggressively signaling the approach of Autumn as it whipped through Minnie's hair. She dreaded it, Autumn meant many things. Autumn meant it was almost Winter. It meant she could no longer bathe in the sunlight beside the pond at the home where her family spent the Summertime. It meant she could no longer read whatever she wanted for hours on end. It meant she would have to start wearing sweaters and bulky school robes again.
Unfortunately, it also meant she would soon be returning to school. That in itself was a terror beyond the average comprehension. Minnie wasn't sure she wanted to feel the true complexities of her apprehensions. She'd much rather focus on the waves as they lapped against the beach down a small ways from her Godparent's home.
During the last two weeks of summertime, her parents would go away together for a small anniversary trip, prep for the school year and throw a giant childfree party. All of these things lent Minnie and her little sister Alice to two weeks of being passed around between family and friends. They'd spend a week together at Grandma and Grandpa Fyre's followed by five nights respectfully at each of their Godparent's homes and one night with their Uncle Jack.
Minnie's Godparents had a three level home by the seaside. It was where they'd raised their own children. With their children all grown now and leading lives of their own, they always welcomed Minnie with open arms. Her Godmother, Ginny would insist it was a wonderful way to prevent their house from feeling so empty.
Minnie loved it there. She enjoyed Ginny's doting and Harry's calm demeanor. She also enjoyed the quiet, she was rarely afforded solitude the rest of the year.
She enjoyed their rooftop the most. She could watch the ocean and spend some time alone. Just sitting and enjoying the sea breeze as the sun set. Stars were beginning to peak out from the dark veil of night.
"Minnie!" The voice of Albus Potter, her Godparent's middle son called to her from the window in the roof where they crawled through to sit on the roof. He had his head popped up and he called to her, "We've got visitors, they want to see you!"
Minnie sighed deeply as she looked away from the waves and the sunset. "Alright Al, I'm coming."
"What's the matter Minnie?" Albus asked as he noticed Minnie's hesitation."You've been acting odd since yesterday."
"I'm fine." Minnie lied cautiously. She knew she could talk to Albus, she certainly trusted him, but it wasn't exactly the easiest thing to verbalize.
She and Albus were close in an odd sort of way. He was nearly a decade older and on the surface they had little in common. They had bonded simply because of proximity. His parents were Minnie's Godparents and Minnie's parents were his'. He would spend a few days or weeks with them when he needed to during Minnie's early childhood and every time Minnie came to stay at the Potters, he made sure she had someone to talk to. Even after he had graduated Hogwarts and moved out, he'd make sure to come visit.
They shared in the torment of being named after Hogwarts' Headmasters. He related to her teasing when it began and they both would wonder to each other why their fathers would have strapped them with such insufferable names.
Albus pulled himself up through the window. "I know you. Something is wrong."
"Nothing is wrong, just hate the end of Summer is all." Minnie admitted strongly.
"Do you not want to go back to Hogwarts?" Albus asked.
Minnie nodded her head.
"Come on, it's always rough till the fifth year." Albus insisted sitting beside her. He laid back, leaning on his elbows. "My fourth year was a rough one."
Minnie laughed wrapping her arms around her legs, "You and your boyfriend's little adventure through time still gives my mum and dad nightmares."
"Don't be dramatic, I'm sure that isn't the case." Albus coughed a little.
"Dad ended up dead and mum worked for that horrible Professor Umbridge." Minnie grimaced with the true horror the situation provoked. "I was also never born."
"In my defense, my dad was also dead." Albus spat back with contempt, "And I didn't exist either."
"Still pretty awful." Minnie giggled a little at the end of her harsh tone.
Albus' eyes dropped, "That's beside the point."
"What is the point?"
"My point is, eventually things get easier."
"I dunno Al." Minnie pulled the hair from her eyes as the wind whipped it.
"Oh come on." Albus pat her back, "I bet it's not so bad."
Minnie didn't have the words to explain why she dreaded school.
"Is it because of Alice? I know she's rather talkative and she can be, well, overwhelming. I understand being the misunderstood sibling." Albus surmised.
Minnie knew Albus always felt in the shadow of his brother and sister. "No, she's brilliant, but she doesn't bother me."
"Are you struggling to make friends?" Albus asked with a quiver of trepidation.
Minnie smiled a little, she had a decent amount of friends, "No, I have friends."
"I mean, I don't know what it's like to have my parents as teachers, but I understand a little bit about living in a parent's shadow." He surmised with a slight chuckle.
"It's not my parents either." Minnie admitted with a heavy sigh. "It's me."
"What's wrong with you?" Albus asked patting her back.
Minnie wasn't sure how to answer.
"I think you are pretty spectacular." Albus interjected as
"At what?" Minnie crossed her arms.
"Being Minnie."
Minnie nodded and forced herself to smile. She had no idea who she really was, nothing had ever happened to her and she didn't know what she wanted to be. She wasn't sure how to tell Albus what her real problem was.
"Come on, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione are asking about you." He revealed before the two climbed into the ladder taking them off of the roof.
Minnie could hear a conversation as she and Albus sidled through the kitchen to the front sitting room. Minnie could hear familiar voices. Her Godparents were both there, along with another married couple. Minnie's parents were close with them as well, Ron and Hermione had been school friends with her parents.
Minnie noticed Albus was being oddly quiet, almost as if listening to the conversation. They each had their backs turned and hadn't seen them enter.
"Two now." Harry's voice mentioned softly.
"Right before the school year." Hermione cautioned.
"Nasty time for problems to be happening out there." Ron observed with a tremble to his voice.
"Is there ever a convenient time?" Ginny asked with a slight laugh etching her tone.
"No." Ron and Harry said in perfect sync.
"Convenient time for what?" Albus asked into the room, making everyone turn to look at them.
"Letting my Goddaughter go back to school of course!" Ginny exclaimed standing up quickly, giving Harry a very definitive look with her dark brown eyes. She walked over to Minnie and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, "I always hate letting her go. Every time I see her again, I swear she looks more and more like a young woman."
"Kids have a tendency to do that after all." Ron chuckled heartily, "I mean look at us, we used to be little snot nosed brats."
Minnie could tell that wasn't what they were discussing. She was also certain her uncle Ron had never been a snot nosed kid, not with the gray hair lining the edges of his bright red hair and beard.
Ginny walked her over to the sofa where everyone was seated. Minnie sat down beside Hermione who began playing with Minnie's curls. Hermione had similar hair to Minnie's mother and her. It was dark, bushy and long. Whenever Hermione saw Minnie she would say something about how she and her mother used to do each other's hair at Hogwarts.
"Well, I think you become brighter and brighter every year." Hermione insisted with a small conceding smile as she continued twirling one of her curls, "Your mum wrote me that you had some of the top grades last exams."
Minnie nodded, but felt her cheeks turn warm, "Except in Divination, I'm rotten."
"It's the most ridiculous subject anyway." Hermione waved her hand, "No real need for it, unless you are looking for a career that requires it."
"No, I don't think so anyway. I'm going to keep at it for now." Minnie answered feeling uncomfortable as the subject of careers entered her mind. She knew it was the year of her OWLs and she would need to decide on some sort of career path. It was a difficult task seeing as she was completely undecided. She had several talents, but none that she wanted to follow for a career.
"There are plenty of internships at the Ministry that doesn't require it." Hermione reminded, the smile on her face playing with the wrinkles by her eyes.
"Ok Miss Minister of Magic, stealing my own Goddaughter from me." Ginny giggled before sitting beside Minnie and wrapping her arms around her, "She's obviously going to join me at the Daily Prophet. Follow in her mum's footsteps."
"Oh yes, because her mum's career wasn't a bloody nightmare." Ron coughed on the biscuit he was eating. "Poor woman only worked like a glorified house elf for nearly two decades."
"I wasn't meaning like that." Ginny scowled at her brother, "I meant Minnie has a talent in writing, just like her mum. I love your Gazette articles."
"Oh and because Neville's a Herbologist are we to expect her to pursue a career there as well?" Ron asked with another laugh.
"Let the poor girl decide on her own." Albus interjected with a dramatic eye roll as he leaned in the doorframe. He addressed Minnie, "Like leaches they are."
"Everyone's just curious I suppose." Harry laughed at his son. He turned his head back to Minnie, his kind eyes meeting her's. "What do you want to do Minnie?"
Minnie hated that question, she'd rather just turn people down. She didn't want to be a writer. She found a comfort in writing, but it would be too much pressure considering who her mother was. She adored Herbology, but not because she saw a career in it. She didn't think she'd enjoy it anymore if it ceased to be a hobby.
The open ended question posed too many possibilities. She worried the words wouldn't exit her mouth properly, "I dunno, I expect it'll knock me in the face sooner or later."
"It normally does." Harry smiled, "I honestly wasn't sure what I wanted to do until Professor McGonagall was staring me down."
"While the toad watched correct?" Ron almost choked with laughter. "I wish I could have seen good ole McGonagall tell that woman off. I suppose that's one of the reasons why your mum was so eager to name you after McGonagall. She used to torment that awful Toad."
Minnie felt her shoulders raise as she explained, "Dad picked my first name."
"Well, I wager it made it an easier decision." Ron's chuckling continued.
Minnie hated her full name, so she just nodded.
"The point is, not everyone knows what they are doing." Harry pushed Ron slightly. "Not everyone has their whole life laid out for them, and even if they do, they change their minds eventually."
"Look at your mum." Hermione surmised, "She always knew she was going to be a writer, but she's still changed careers and life pathways. I knew I was going to be in Magical Representation, but I never expected I'd be Minister of Magic when I was in my career consultation."
Minnie nodded nervously. She knew she wouldn't be Minister of Magic or anything where she'd have to speak in front of people. She hated presentations and speeches, they terrified her.
"Fifth year is a hell of a year though." Ron announced, "Ours was certainly something."
"That's an understatement." Hermione finally released Minnie's coils of hair. "That was when we started Dumbledore's Army, protested a tyrant, fought Death Eaters and shook the cracks in the Ministry Itself."
Minnie appreciated Hermione's language. The politician showing in the best way, truly captivating.
"Something like that." Harry admitted before pouring himself a glass of wine. He began to scratch at a scar on the back of his hand. Minnie's mum had a similar one, it said something different.
"That was my fourth year of course, it was definitely an interesting one though." Ginny's smile began to falter slightly. "Your parents would probably tell those stories better than both of us."
Minnie shrugged, "I dunno, they don't talk about the war a lot. Mum's condition and all, dad worries it'll send her into an attack."
Ginny nodded knowingly as her and Hermione's eyes met, "That would make sense."
"They aren't hiding it or anything, they said we can ask questions as long as it isn't anything graphic or inappropriate." Minnie blurted, hoping she hadn't made her parents look bad.
"I doubt Alice does well with that." Harry's eyebrows both raised. Minnie's younger sister had a tendency to say everything she thought as soon as it entered her brain. Whether it was appropriate or not.
Minnie chuckled a little, "She doesn't."
"I'm sure you read about it all then. Alice seems to know plenty." Hermione's shoulders reached her ears.
Minnie shook her head, "I haven't read anything really."
"You are joking?" Ron raised his eyebrows, "You haven't read anything?"
"Maybe a few things here and there." Minnie had never brought herself to read books about her mum and dad. It wasn't that she didn't have a curiosity, it was more she worried it would skew her opinion of her parents, Godparents and the other important people in her life. They weren't celebrities or famous to her, they shouldn't be. "M-m-mum said we didn't have to read any of it if we didn't want to. I told mum I wanted to wait till it came up in History of Magic. We haven't reached modern histories yet."
"That's alright." Albus laughed nervously, "Can be overwhelming."
Minnie nodded in response, her mind spinning slightly. She had been curious, but the idea of peeling back the layers of the past sounded more daunting than looking for her future. As the conversation around her turned, her mind began to drift as she wondered which would be more horrifying, the past or the future.