Loud bangs and crashes echoed, shaking Hogwarts' walls, bodies were piled up and the unmistakable sight of Dumbledore caught Beatriz's eye. Snape stood in front of him and after a small pause, a green bolt of light filled the space and Dumbledore was sent flying out of a window and down to a pile of rocks below. Beatriz sprinted over to the window but felt herself being yanked back by a pair of arms. Fred's face met her as she turned to see who was stopping her but as she looked at him, she noticed how pale he looked, the cuts and bruises on his face were vibrant and he looked like he was laughing. "Fred. Freddy, are you feeling okay?" He didn't respond but instead, he dropped to the floor with no energy at all.
"What happened?" Molly's red-rimmed eyes, Goeroge's tear-streaked face and Ginny's trembling lips made Beatriz shuffle back, something met her back, assuming it was a wall, she shifted but a hand caught her arm.
"Why haven't you been fighting, Bea?" Charlie's voice echoed from behind her as the glass Dumbledore had just fallen from was replaced with the walls of the Burrow. "Bea, what have you been doing? We need to fight." Beatriz lifted her hand up carefully but her wand wasn't there.
"Beatriz Isobel Urquart, what were you thinking? You killed two people. Do you really think that you would be allowed to keep your wand after that? I think not. Detention, with Umbridge, right now." She felt like she was floating as Beatriz wandered through the walls of Hogwarts again, shouts and screams echoed behind her but she didn't react. As the pink office of Dolores Umbridge was entered, the familiar desk sat in the corner, plates purred behind her and a body lay, completely motionless on the floor, Snape's. He was sat up, leaning against the desk as blood poured from his throat. Already pale, sunken, features seemed to become paler and even more sunken.
"This is what you wanted, wasn't is Urquart? You said that you wished I wouldn't survive the year." Panicking, Beatriz tried to approach him as her hands shook but the skin on the back of her hand began to sting as she dropped to the floor in agony.
"No, please, Severus, wake up. Don't die. I didn't realise what was happening. You killed him and I didn't know what to do. All those times you pretended not to hear me say those mean things about you, when you saved me from being hurt by the Carrows, I just thought you hated me. I'm so sorry, please, don't go." His dark eyes soon lost the gleam of life and Beatriz had to clasp the back of her hand as she held the scar that Umbridge had given her. Tears poured from her eyes as she watched the lifeless man droop over himself.
"Bea, why didn't you come and find me? I was hiding for a whole year and you didn't even bother trying to find me. I only came back because I heard some rumours. What were you thinking? Did I not matter?" Beatriz turned to see Imogen but she couldn't see her. The room had emptied and a dark corridor sat before her, without a second thought, Beatriz raced down it, desperately searching for someone else. No matter how badly it hurt, she couldn't be alone.
"Imy, where are you? I want to see you. I heard that you've just had a baby. Can I come and see them?" No response came, instead, the memory of Imogen was wiped as a door was faced. The door itself was familiar to her, it led to her mother's private chambers at Hogwarts. Carefully pushing the correct stone, the door was brought open and the comfortable walls she had grown up in were seen again. Seemingly empty, Beatriz began to check the rooms with doors until the door leading to her room was pushed open. Inside stood Daisy, a cheeky house-elf that cared for her while growing up.
"Oh, Daisy is so sorry. Daisy didn't know what was happening when she just suddenly fell. Daisy should have been better to Headmistress, Daisy deserves to be punished. She will go and put her head in the oven." Beatriz tried to stop the elf when she popped away and the sight of fallen green robes met her eye. Familiar shoes with a slight heel poked out from under the fabric and instantly Beatriz dropped to the floor beside the figure.
"Mum, mum. Wake up, I need to talk to you. Mum, please." Black beady eyes were lifeless as McGonagall laid on her back, arms were sprawled over the floor but Beatriz couldn't bring herself to touch her as panic grew in her chest. Beatriz reasoned with herself that if she didn't check for a pulse then she could pretend that her mother was alive, even if her chest wasn't moving. When all hope was seemingly lost, Beatriz heard a familiar sound, the sardonic echo of laughter from Voldemort. Immediately, Beatriz's heart rate picked up and she found herself bolting up, panting in a familiar bed. White bedding was fitted to a thick duvet, pillows were shifted behind her and sweat had formed over Beatriz. Calming herself down as the room around her was examined, the cold, empty space in the bed beside her was watched briefly.
Plucking up the strength, Beatriz prepared for the day, washing and dressing herself. A pretty blouse and smart trousers were pulled on, smart shoes were also reluctantly worn as Beatriz adorned herself in black and white clothes for the day. Muggle makeup was faintly worn but she had no desire to wear it. By the time she was dressed, Beatriz stood in her kitchen, sipping at her cup of water as she listened to the latest news on the radio. Despite how long it had been, despite the years that had passed, Beatriz still expected to hear the news of mysterious deaths and sudden natural disasters that Muggles had started noticing. Once the news was over, the house was cleaned quickly and Beatriz stood still, only to step forward and then twist her body.
With a loud pop, Beatriz found herself in a familiar village with people she recognised. "Hello, Bea. What are you doing here?" George called as he stepped out of an alley.
"Seeing mum, I assume you're going ahead with Zonko's shop then. It looks like a nice location." George nodded as Ron soon followed out of the same alleyway with a bewildered smile on his face.
"Yeah, your mum's going to love us. Students will never have to attend lessons again with our sweets," George teased as he watched the shop with wide-open eyes. "And what's this I hear about a marriage? You should have invited us, a little rude, hey Ron." Ron's face began to blush as he hoped to stop the awkward exchange.
"We weren't really announcing the marriage. But, I assume your mum told you about it." George and Ron nodded together. "Seven people attended the wedding. Four witnesses, the happy couple and the priest who married us. We had a Muggle ceremony in the end." Ron and Fred had to excuse themselves soon after as they met with a witch with a piece of parchment. Free of companions, Beatriz approached the gates that led to Hogwarts and tapped her wand once on it. Immediately the metal swung open and she was given access. Metal clicked behind her once again as she ventured up the path to the Entrance Hall.
"Bea, it's lovely to see you. What are you doing here?" Flitwick announced as he strolled past her with a disgruntled fifth-year walking behind him.
"Here to see mum, I assume she's in her office," Beatriz admitted as she anxiously breathed in the air of Hogwarts.
"Of course, probably talking to Albus and Severus. The three of them spend more of their time fighting than they do anything else." Beatriz laughed at his comment as the student who followed him grew curious.
"Little else you can do if you're a portrait. Just ask the Fat Lady. See you later, Filius." Departing from his presence, Beatriz quickly travelled to her mother's office where the steps were already down and her stern tone carried down the stone.
"This is a school, not a Quidditch pitch. Detention with Professor Longbottom tonight." A grumble left the student as Beatriz stood at the doorframe, trying not to laugh as she saw the focus in her mother's eye. "Now, off you go. You will be banned from using your broom, even for Quidditch matches, until the end of the year. Next year I will sit down with your Head of House and we will discuss the option of lifting the ban." The girl looked ready to fight the decision when the stern glisten in McGonagall's eye stopped her. "Off you go." The girl turned and began to leave, startled by the arrival of Beatriz, she ended up standing still and waiting to see what to do.
"Sounds like these students are as naughty as I was." McGonagall flicked her head up from the parchment she was examining as she met her daughter's eye. "Hello, mum." The greeting had resulted in the student's eyes growing wide as she then tried to escape before she could get into more trouble.
"Hello, Bea. I wasn't expecting you. How long will you be visiting? I see you're still dressing like a Muggle." Beatriz checked her watch as she hugged her mother and then sat in a seat in front of the desk that was significantly tidier than when Dumbledore had worked there.
"I can't stay for long, Richard and I have a business meeting in a while. I just needed to talk to you." Beatriz began examining an old portrait of her father that sat on the desk as she tried to clear her mind.
"What's happened? You don't like coming to Hogwarts unless you're desperate." Beatriz nodded carefully as she bit her lower lip.
"I told Richard about magic last night." McGonagall sighed out carefully as she leant forward on her elbows.
"How did he take it? It doesn't look like it went well." Beatriz shook her head slowly as she thought about how to answer her mother's question.
"Richy's going to need a moment to process it. He has a lot of questions for me. He actually doesn't really care about the magic, just as I was falling asleep last night he asked me to transfigure his clothes into pyjamas because he couldn't be arsed to dress himself. What Richy didn't seem to like was when I mentioned the war, he said that he knew something was up, I had too many nightmares to not have a sad past. And he was annoyed when I told him what I do for a living. Particularly when I told him that I was standing in for Finn at Azkaban tomorrow. I think his real issues are my safety and my past. But, after our meeting tonight I am going to take him to Diagon Alley, he wanted to see Hogwarts but I told him he couldn't, I've shown him loads of pictures." McGonagall smiled sadly at her daughter as she heard her words. "Mum, you didn't exactly pretend to support my choice to marry a Muggle but times are different now. They make movies about magic and he thought it was so cool. It looked like Christmas had come early when I told him. He wants to see you become a cat as well. Molly's invited me over for dinner tomorrow and I thought that I might bring him with me, it'll be nice. We're celebrating Molly's birthday. She said that you didn't want to come." McGonagall nodded slowly as she pushed the parchment on her desk to the side.
"I'm sure Charlie Weasley can't wait to meet your husband. It's not like the pair of you were engaged a few years ago." McGonagall paused as Beatriz smiled to herself. "Why are you guarding Azkaban tonight? That's for Aurors, not Magical Law Enforcement employees. Of course Richard is worried when you tell him that you work at a prison full of killers." Beatriz laughed to herself slightly as she looked up for the first time, meeting Dumbledore's portrait and catching sight of Snape's distinct features.
"He wasn't too worried about Azkaban actually. He was more upset when I told him how dad died and that I now have the same job that he used to. I am going to tell him exactly what happened during the war, from the Quidditch World Cup until my seventh year. I know you don't want to but it would be nice to see you tomorrow, I miss seeing you and Hogwarts isn't my home anymore. I can't stand it here." Beatriz's eyes began to water as she blinked rapidly.
"My dear, it's all right. You're not alone. I struggled too, I still do sometimes. But, you get used to it. You're better than you ever have been. For the first two years after the war, you lived like a Muggle. Now, not only can you handle magic, you use your wand and you even apparated here, I assume. And marrying Richard, you and I both know that you couldn't handle marrying someone with magic, that's why you suddenly broke off the engagement with Charlie, isn't it?" McGonagall stood and rested a hand on her daughter's shoulder who only turned and hugged her mother at the waist.
"I just feel like everyone else can cope. People are moving on, but I can't even sleep without a potion. I can't handle certain laughs. Mum, I killed people, I watched people die. I shouldn't have survived, but I did." Beatriz soon began to clear her mind and regroup herself as she stood and cleared her throat quietly as she noticed the time.
"Beatriz, you deserve to be happy and Richard makes you happy. Maybe, by telling him about magic, you'll find yourself enjoying it as much as you did when you were a baby." Beatriz silently agreed as she wiped her face with the back of her hand.
"Can I use your fireplace?" McGonagall nodded as both girls rounded the table and some powder was quickly grabbed. "Love you, mum. I'll hopefully see you tomorrow. Goodbye Albus and Severus. Please give mum a minute of peace." The powder was quickly thrown down and Beatriz was soon stepping out of another fireplace.
"Ah, what the fuck?" China shattered as Beatriz stepped from the fireplace in the corner.
"Sorry, I left the car at home." Wide blue eyes met Beatriz as she spoke. "Reparo." The china began to form again and Beatriz lifted the cups from the floor.
"How did you get here? We don't have a fireplace at home. Where else do you have portals stashed away?" Richard began looking around him, looking for an opening she came through.
"It's not a portal. I apparated to Hogwarts and then used mum's fire to get here. Muggles can use the Floo Network so when we're done here I'll show you how to do it. If you want me to." Uncertain eyes met Beatriz as she placed the mugs down.
"Where's my kiss?" Smiling, Beatriz placed the strongest kiss on his lips she had ever given him.
"I wasn't sure if you wanted a kiss from me. You didn't wake me up before you left for the restaurant." Richard soon wrapped his arms around Beatriz as he smiled wildly down at her.
"If I had it my way, we would be kissing all the time. And, as for the meeting, Harold just called, he is stuck at the airport so he just told us to go ahead, he's going to invest in us, I believe. His phone kept breaking up." The phone in the corner of the room was glanced over quickly before Beatriz jumped up and lept at Richard. "Also, what is an apparate?"
"I'll show you. I could let you apparate with me but I might splice you, I'm a little shaky right now. And, it hurts when you side apparate, lots of people throw up." Beatriz untangled herself from Richard and with a loud bang, she stood behind him.
"Teleportation? Damn, I wish I knew you could do this sooner, we would never have to drive again. No wonder you were reluctant to learn." Beatriz laughed as she hugged him from behind and rested her forehead on his back.
"Just promise me that you'll never leave me." Richard turned and engulfed Beatriz in a tight hug to answer her question.
The end.