After

With Poppy otherwise engaged, Minerva was able to return to working on her revised lesson plans. She was determined to keep busy, even if the ward staff (On Poppy’s orders) wouldn’t allow her to sign herself out. 

She was also determined to ensure that every student who returned to her care achieved the highest standard of education in transfiguration, despite their less-than-favourable circumstances. She began weaving second-semester information into the first semester of the subsequent year. Second-year students would begin the new school year with an accelerated course that mimics the second semester of the first year and so on. She would have to do a lot of backtracking, accelerate the course to an uncomfortable level, and assign less theoretical homework and more skill-based practice until she got them caught up to the standard of their academic level. It was not going to be easy. In fact, it was going to be a pain in the neck, but she had to remedy the damage done to their academic careers if she couldn’t fix anything else.

On the second (waking) day of her confinement, and neatly re-dressed in dark blue robes, she wrote letters to every member of her staff, requesting their return to their positions despite the events that had closed their school. She couldn’t send them because she was still locked up in a hospital, but she wrote them all. Mostly they were professional letters of inquiry, asking whether her colleagues would return to their position, so she skipped Septimia and Poppy, she knew she could count on them. She didn’t skip Filius or Pomona, but her tone was quite different, 

Pomona, 

If you don’t agree to come back for the new school year I shall simply be forced to beg. You have never seen me lose the last shreds of my dignity, though we have come quite close several times, your refusal to return would really do it. I might just fall to my knees and beseech you, I’m not kidding, and I have very bad knees. So I entreat you, don’t make me beg.

M

And

Filius,

You’re coming back for the new year. If you disagree with me I will simply lose whatever is left of my mind, so I beg you, don’t disagree with me. I don’t have time to find a new Charms Master, and frankly, I don’t think that I will be able to manage it personally if you’re not there. I await your agreeable reply with bated breath, 

M

The rest were far more professional and less desperate, but as long as she had her four core supports, Septimia, Poppy, Pomona, and Filius, the rest could be sorted out. Not that she wanted to lose any of her remaining professors, but the rest were slightly more expendable than those four. 

She paced the small room as she contemplated her letter to Slughorn. She felt certain he would see through the pretense of a decorous invitation to return, but a slightly mean-spirited summons might catch his attention. She sat back down in the chair she’d conjured up yesterday and wrote:

Horace,

Despite the fact that you behaved like a slimy coward and questioned my authority before the events of May second, I trust you. You proved your loyalty to Hogwarts as events unfolded and I trust you will prove it again now. I trust your skill in potioneering, your ability to teach, and your ability to step up to a challenge, if not the first time, then the second. I want you to return to your post for the new school year. I want the students to see you at the helm of the potions classes when they return in what is bound to be an uncertain time, and then we can discuss a replacement. 

I know you only came out of retirement as a favour to Albus, but I request that you return again as a favour to me.

McGonagall

 

As she finished that letter Therese returned on yet another round. “Hello, Professor, still busy I see.” 

“I have been busy since nineteen hundred and twenty-eight, I don’t plan on changing that now,” Minerva replied, with just the barest hint of a smile as she folded the note and set it aside with the others. 

“Letter?” Therese asked, crossing the room.

“Yes,” Minerva replied briefly, feeling no desire to explain them to her.

Therese seemed to sense some hostility so she said calmly, “I only ask because I can post them for you if you like.” She drew her wand and cast diagnostic spells at Minerva for what felt like the nine hundredth time that day. 

“That would be most appreciated, thank you,” Minerva responded pleasantly, sealing each of the letters. 

“You’re very welcome,” Therese responded, shaking her head in awe at the readouts in front of her. “Professor these look… shockingly fine…”

“Fine enough to let me out of here?” Minerva asked, pretending she wasn’t anxious to hear an affirmative answer. 

“No, they’re suspiciously fine. As in I am suspicious that you found some way to interfere with my spells,” Therese said, accusing Minerva of tampering without outright accusing her.

Minerva looked convincingly shocked, “You overestimate my abilities, I wouldn’t have the first idea how to interfere with that kind of spell.”

Therese seemed convinced of Minerva’s innocence. “Then I don’t know how you did it, Professor. I just don’t understand.” 

“Perhaps things weren’t as dire as originally thought,” Minerva answered, picking up her quill again and crossing Horace’s name off her list. 

“Oh, no… They were,” Therese answered her, eyes wide in recalled horror. 

“Hmm, then I suppose it’s another of those modern magi-medical miracles that Poppy’s always on about,” Minerva muttered distractedly as she reviewed her list and realised that someone was missing… Ah, Sybil Trelawney, of course. She added her name to the bottom of the list solely for the pleasure of crossing it off after she wrote the letter. 

She began writing again as Therese just shook her head, sighed, and said, “I can’t come up with a better explanation than that.”

“Sometimes, in life, we must simply look at the reality before us, however shocking or surprising, and accept it. Sometimes miracles are the only obvious conclusion,” Minerva said sagely, glancing up from the letter she was writing. 

“Erm… well…I suppose with results like this there’s no reason to keep you,” Therese seemed to be on the fence, but quickly got her resolve, “No, I have my orders.” 

“From Poppy?” Minerva asked, raising an eyebrow, “She’s a pediatrician, what does she know? Surely you know your own specialty better than she does?” 

Therese looked swayed, but it was an act,  “Yes, I absolutely do. But frankly, I can’t trust that you won’t do it again and wind up back here.” 

“Believe me, I have no plans of doing that again. For once I think I’ve learned my lesson,” Minerva lied, very convincingly.

“So you won’t go directly back to work the minute I allow you to leave here?” 

Minerva lied again when she answered in the negative, “No, not a chance, I’m going abandon my post for a week at least. I did enough the first time that I think I might be excused from proceedings for at least that long.” 

She must have been very convincing because Therese said, “Well… Alright then, I shouldn’t detain you unnecessarily. I’ll hate to see what Madam Pomfrey has to say about it, but I really do think you’ll be better off out of here, I know you hate it.” 

“I never have liked Hospitals and I do stay out of them as a general rule, but I have to admit that it wasn’t the worst two days of my life,” Minerva joked, darkly, seeing as she had just come out of the worst few years of her life. 

Therese was caught somewhere between laughing and sighing, “Well I certainly hope not,” She shook her head and started out the door, “I’ll just need you to sign two things and then you’re free to go, professor.”