Professor Mother Lion

Guess Again Albus!

The bespectacled tortoise shell cat sat on the sign for privet drive and waited. She was stiff, and cold. And getting far too old for this but still she waited. The cat prided herself on 3 things: her abilities in transfiguration, her dedication to her students and her unerring knack of knowing when she was being manipulated. Albus Dumbledore, head master of Hogwarts and apparent eccentric was definitely manipulative especially tonight. She knew he'd sent her former student Sirius Black off on a rampage the moment he'd refused him Harry, it was the only piece of his family he had left so the result was... predictably awful. While she couldn't believe the messed up boy would ever betray his friends she could believe he would kill the one who did, collateral be dammed if he had nothing left to lose. That moment came when Hagrid had taken the child on Albus' orders. She should've known he was up to something. She'd told him repeatedly that the home life of some of her students needed investigating by the DMCP (department for magical child protection) yet he did nothing, allowing them the respite of school to form the closest of bonds before sending them on missions to drive them a part. He had to have known what he was doing. He was Chief Mugwump for Merlin's sake he knew how to play people to get what he wanted it was part and parcel of politics... well for those intelligent enough to be any good at it. Minerva had promised herself when Lily's boy had been born and Severus had given them the terrible news about the prophecy that if it came to pass she would do everything she could to make sure Harry didn't suffer the same fate. So she sat there in the cold and the dark in bones too old for either and waited for the dimming of the lights his Diluminator caused. Albus Dumbledore, complete with dark purple cloak and starry pointed hat, waltzed up Privet Drive as though nothing were amiss. He even chuckled as she shifted out of her cat form and greeted him with her patented you've-greatly-disappointed-me-student stare that normally did her so well. He reeled off some half-hearted comment about her being far too poised for a normal cat when the distinct sound of Sirius' flying motorbike backfiring was heard overhead. She would have smiled on any other occasion having worked with Sirius and James on that particular project for their Muggle-Studies class that just so happened to be uniquely insulting to Walpurga Black at the same time. Between that and their constant pranking while still pulling off good grades she's begrudgingly re-evaluated her men can't multi-task thesis to some could but it was still rare as rocking horse s**t! Somewhere in their cottage in Hogsmede Elphinstone was probably laughing himself silly with that particular assessment. Gods I hope you're alright with this Phin, she prayed as the familiar figure of Hagrid got off her students bike and handed a sleeping bundle to half-moon bespectacled professor who meandered toward the door of Lily's relatives. Minerva took action and stopped him before he quite reached them.

"Albus, you cannot leave him with these muggles. Lily would not have allowed it." She stated through gritted teeth although the headmaster seem to misjudge her tone.

"They're the only family he has left, Minerva. Don't fret so much I'm sure Lily and her sister's sibling rivalry will not be taken out on the boy." He tried to wave her off dismissively but she wouldn't budge. Not this time. She bit back her comments and tried a different tack.

"I've watched these muggles all day there is no way they could prepare him for what is to come. Every child in our world will know his name, he'll be a target all his life."

"Exactly, he should grow up away from all of that. Besides he will be protected here by the Potter blood wards that require a close familial bond." He tried again only to be told no. "I'm sorry Minerva, what are you trying to say?"

"Professors," Hagrid tried to intervene, the tension in the air making him uncomfortable and the boy squirm in Albus' grasp.

"I said no head master. He does not need to be housed here for those old wards to work. Nearly every pure-blood in Britain is related to each other including the Potters,"

"It would not be a close enough..."

"Unless there were hundreds of distant relatives I did my research Albus." She stated firmly, refusing to be moved and remembering the smug glee that the Sorting Hat had when it nearly put her in Ravenclaw. "The safest place for Harry Potter is at Hogwarts with me to raise him." Albus looked at her in disbelief and quickly passed the mewling Harry to Hagrid in order to better square off against the witch. Minerva was his friend, probably one of his closest but he would not let her jeopardise his plans like this. If it came to it he could work around her, make the boys closeness work to his advantage but the risks would be greater.

He pushed his glasses further up his nose and suggested, "What would happen when you're teaching Minerva, or if you or Elphinstone became ill? Who would care for the boy then in the middle of a busy school?"

"I'd help yer professor!" Hagrid piped up, eager to keep Lily and James' boy safe like he'd promised. They'd always been good to him and he'd even knitted Harry a very large blanket when he was born. It was the one Sirius had wrapped him up in when he'd handed him to the half-giant. Nor was Hagrid alone in his love for the boys parents...

"Thank you Hagrid," She said smiling warmly at the hairy man. "I've already discussed this with Poppy and Pomona. We'd take it in shifts around school work if need be and the elves in kitchens have already agreed to help as well. He would be loved and cared for with us which is far more than Sibyl reckons will happen if we leave the boy here." She finished coolly. It took all her resolve not to gloat as she watched the normally inscrutable face of Albus Dumbledore scrunch up in surprise and then dismay when Hagrid chimed in. 

"She's right professor Dumbledore sir. 'Arry would be safest with us and the little tike would be no trouble at all look see," Hagrid beamed as the boy slept peacefully in his arms with a bunch of his bushy beard in his tiny fist. Albus decided to pick his battles and use this to his advantage.

"That's true now Hagrid but what about when he is older? With all that fame and notoriety he'll have from such a precious age what's to stop him becoming even more of an entitled miscreant than his father was at that age? James shaped up for the Evans girl but..." Minerva had had enough.

"If you believe that Lily's influence over her son even if it is by portrait," that got him. For the first time in a very long time Albus had no come back. "or that I would allow him to grow to be entitled you surely don't know either of us at all. All I want to ensure is that I keep my promise to two of my best and brightest student that their beautiful son would grow up loved and cherished and safe from both Voldemort and the Dursleys! I will not be swayed on this Albus." 

As much as he hated it he knew the transfiguration teacher too well to even try to argue with her now. The best he could do now would be go home and reformulate his plan for the boy with his alliances in tact. He'd also have to watch her far more carefully from now on and ensure that this new cunning streak she'd developed did not get beyond his control.

"I see your point Minerva, I apologise. I was only trying to do what I thought was best for the boy. He may come back with us to the school if Hagrid doesn't mind taking him seeing as he's too young to apparate?" Hagrid nodded gleefully and after Minerva had duplicated what formula he already had he set off ready to meet them at the gates by daybreak. The pair left separately after that, McGonagall to her home in Hogsmede to explain it all to her husband and Albus to sort his plans out, and the lights in Privet Drive were returned to normal in their wake never to be disturbed again.