Complicated Love (Dramione)

I love her more than anything.

Organizing her great grandmother’s funeral was one of the hardest things Minerva had to do in her life. She and her mother spent every waking hour thinking about ways to give Minerva McGonagall a funeral that did her justice, but nothing seemed to be good enough.

But one thing Minerva did keep putting off was naming her twins; she couldn’t think of names for them at a time like this, she wanted names that would make her smile, names special for them, and Teddy was getting impatient, they were all pretty tired of calling them ‘baby one’ and ‘baby two’.

It was the night before the funeral and Minerva still didn’t feel like anything was good enough.

“Minerva, take a break!” her mother said to her at seven o’clock that evening.

“I can’t mum, there is so much left to do!” Minerva cried, running her hand through her hair from frustration.

“No there’s not, everything is perfect, now there is something we need to do.” Hermione said, taking her daughter’s reluctant hand and guiding her into the living room of the burrow.

Teddy, Remus and the twins were sitting there with most of the Weasley family, the girls were being cradled by Lily and Rose at the moment (they seemed to think that they were their dolls).

“We need to name them Minerva.” Teddy said, looking at his daughters lovingly.

“Well I have been thinking about one name…” Minerva said hesitantly.

“Really?” Teddy asked her excitedly.

“Yeah, I was thinking maybe Isobel, like my granny’s mum.” Minerva said happily.

Minerva had spent hours listening to her great grandmother’s stories about her childhood, talking about her brave and amazing mother. It was the perfect way to honor her granny.

“It’s amazing darling!” Hermione said, giving her daughter a gentle hug.

Minerva picked up the little girl that was in Lily’s arms. Her daughter’s hair was bright turquoise like her father’s and her eyes were the same shade of green as her granny’s.  She was to be Isobel.

“But what about this little one?” Teddy asked, taking his other daughter from Rose. This little girl’s eyes were exactly the same as her sister’s but her hair was pale blond like her mother’s and had never changed, maybe this one had a lot less metamorphmagus than her other siblings.

“Call her Annabel, it sounds like Isobel!” little Lily piped up happily.

“That’s actually a lovely name Lily.” Minerva said, looking up at her husband.

“I agree; she would make a lovely Annabel.” Teddy said, bouncing his daughter up and down on his knee, she began smiling.

Minerva was happy that they had finally named her daughters, but she still had to get through tomorrow.

Minerva had barely slept that night, the twins had kept her awake but she had been glad having them as a distraction, she wouldn’t have slept anyway.

Minerva and her family stayed in the burrow that night, none of them could bear to be without each other on that terrible night, because in the morning they had to say goodbye to the most amazing woman any of them had ever met.

When morning finally came everyone dressed in his or her best robes, it wasn’t the usual havoc in the house, everyone was too sad to make much noise.

When everyone was finally ready each of them stepped into the fireplace and used the floo network to go to the funeral. Minerva stepped into the fireplace cautiously with Isobel in her arms. She covered her daughters face as she dropped the powder and clearly stated their destination, but when she arrived she felt sadder than ever.

Minerva stepped out of the fireplace in the head teacher’s study at Hogwarts; a portrait of her great grandmother was already behind the large desk.

Minerva smiled sadly to herself as she remembered all the wonderful times she had had in here with her granny, all the cups of tea and all the long talks, it was sad to think she would never have that again.

Once everyone had arrived through the floo network they walked down to Hogwarts grounds, the entire castle was silent, peeves wasn’t even there to disrupt the calm, and when they got outside they saw why, most of the wizarding community must have been there that day.

There were ministry officials, teachers, parents and every student in the entire school, the whole grounds was full.

Minerva and her mother walked up to the front hand in hand, Ginny and Victoire were holding the girls.

Minerva and Hermione walked past many people they recognized, everyone who had survived the war, all the healers who had cared for her, the Hogwarts ghosts were even there, including Peeves, he was holding a cane in his hands gently like it meant everything to him.

When they finally reached the front of the crowd they couldn’t help but let out a huge sob, Minerva McGonagall’s body was lying on a long, marble table, it brought back terrible memories of Dumbledore’s funeral for Hermione and most of the other people there.

Hermione held her daughter’s hand throughout the ceremony, she hated to see her daughter in floods of tears once again, she had had such a hard life and she wasn’t even 25 yet!

Half way through the ceremony Minerva got up from her seat to talk about her grandmother to the crowd and as she quickly scanned across them she knew she wasn’t the only one hurting. All her past pupils were shaking with uncontrollable sobs and it was at that moment that Minerva realized how important her granny had been, how she had changed everyone’s life in tiny little ways, in wonderful ways.

“My great grandmother…” Minerva whispered, she swallowed the lump in her throat, wiped her tears and continued, “My great grandmother was the most amazing woman I have ever met. She was strong, brave and the most caring woman to have ever walked the planet. She took care of me every day, if I needed anyone she was always there, with open arms and a cup of tea. She was my idol. I will raise my children with stories of Minerva McGonagall, the best headmistress Hogwarts has ever seen, I will bring them up with her morals and her values, they will know that where ever they are, their great great grandmother will look after them, because she loved all her family, and she loved all her students. And I will spend every day trying to live up to my name, because I love her more than anything, I always have and I always will.”