Minerva looked up at the portrait that was hanging on the wall behind her desk. His blue eyes twinkled back at her. She whispered, "I will never forgive you, Albus. But I eventually understood why you did what you did. You loved me and kept me alive to protect them all. I have a chance to finally have a family." Before the man could reply, there was another voice that filled the room.

"I would love to have you in my life." His voice startled her. She looked to the doorway and found the young man with green eyes. "You are the only family I have left after all. You've always been the mother I never had and so much more." His smile brightened the entire room, "I want to tell the world that Minerva McGonagall is my Godmother."

Chapter 4: Mother McGonagall

She stared at him from across the room unsure what to say to the young man. She had spent the last eighteen years hoping for this moment, but never trusting that it would happen. "You don't hate me?" the words left her mouth before she could stop them.

Harry didn't even pause before responding, "Why would I hate you? You've spent the last eighteen years watching over me and helping me." He looked at her with such love in his eyes that it took her breath away. "I wasn't lying when I said you are the closest I've ever come to having a mother and I don't want to give that up." The room was filled with silence as Minerva processed what the young man had said. "Plus, you look like you could use some family." They looked at each other and smiled. Minerva watched as Harry moved across the room and stopped beside her and offered his hand. She gladly took his hand and was helped off the floor.

Minerva wrapped her arms around Harry and sobbed, "I've waited years to have you in my arms again. I don't think I can ever let you go now." Harry allowed her to hold him for what felt like hours, but he didn't mind. He finally felt like he was being welcomed home-the one place he longed for since before he could even remember. Minerva was reluctant to let him go but her back was beginning to tighten after the trip from the pensive. "Harry, I need to sit down. My back can no longer cope with the hell that pensives put the body through." Letting the young man go, she smiled up at him and turned to walk towards the staircase beside her desk. "Follow me, Harry. I think we should talk now that everything is said and done." She paused, thinking about what she wanted to say next for there were so many thoughts going through her mind, "There are so many things I have wanted to tell you since you walked into this castle seven years ago. Things that you have longed to know, I'm sure, since you were very young living with those horrible Muggles." She didn't look back at him, not wanting to see the look on his face after mentioning his Aunt.

The duo made their way up the staircase without another word being shared between the two of them. They both needed the time to gather any thoughts about what was about to happen and what needed to happen or be said after years of separation. They needed to forge ahead and repair what had been damaged so they could truly be the family they both longed for. When they reached the top of the winding stairs, Harry took in the space in front of him. The room was a deep red with gold accents. There were bookshelves that lined the walls, but the most breathtaking aspect of the room was the view from the windows—he could see the grounds that surrounded Hogwarts in their entirety and it was magnificent. He looked to where his Godmother was standing and caught her watching him. He watched as she moved towards the couch and grabbed a tin from the coffee table.

"Have a biscuit, Potter." She said with a smile. Harry couldn't help but laugh at her as he indeed did grab a biscuit. "Brings back memories doesn't it? I suppose we could sit in front of the fire and talk." Harry took a seat on the couch and was surprised at how comfortable it was and let out a deep groan. Minerva laughed, "young man, don't you even start with the groaning. I'm far older than you. But I do love this couch so I understand-nothing better than sitting here with a good book, a cuppa, and a nice blanket. More times than not, I'm interrupted by something urgent." She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes at the word urgent. It was nice to hear her laugh after the hell everyone had been through the past few years.

"I don't think I've ever heard you laugh before." The words left his mouth before he could even think about it. He instantly hated himself for it as he watched her face turn.

"There has been very little to laugh about since you were eleven years old, Harry. I don't think I've truly laughed in a very long time. But that will change now that we're all free." Minerva sat down beside Harry and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch. She placed it over her lap and continued to hold the biscuit tin in her hands. "It took every ounce of my control not to run towards you and wrap you in my arms…" She was looking down at her hands, "I was thrilled to see you in the crowd of first years and to see you stand up for Ronald. I can't even begin to tell you how much grey hair I've gained since you started Hogwarts." She laughed again and finally looked at him. "It's always been the three of you. Every year trying your damnedest to give me a heart attack."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at her admission. "How do you think we felt? Every year it was the three of us left to solve the problem. No matter how much we tried, trouble found us and we couldn't ignore it. Plus the three of us are too stubborn to leave it to the actual adults." They sat and looked at each other for a few minutes not sure what to say next. Harry had so many questions and he didn't know where to start, "So, I'm pretty lucky to have the amazing Minerva McGonagall as my Godmother. How'd that come about?"

Harry watched as Minerva's shoulders sagged some and then he saw a smile form at the corner of her mouth, "I have always had a soft spot for troublesome cubs. Jame, Sirius, and Remus were a handful, but they kept life in this castle interesting. I realized that they enjoyed getting a response out of me and it turned into a game before us." Her smile grew the more she thought about her three cubs, "Over the years, they started calling me Minnie whenever they were sent to my office for some prank. I swear they spent more time in my office over seven years than in an actual classroom. I watched as the boys accepted Lily into the group. She never got caught unlike the boys, but I knew. I never said anything and it drove James crazy." She smirked.

"When they graduated, life in the castle was once again dull as dishwater. Until I got an owl from Lily inviting me to the wedding." Minerva looked at Harry before continuing. She had tears in her eyes, "Lily came to visit me shortly after I accepted and asked me if I would walk her down the aisle." She grabbed Harry's hands, "She told me that I was more of a mother to her since she came into the Wizarding world. It was a wonderful wedding. Before I left, the four of them stopped me and officially welcomed me to the Marauders." Harry was shocked. He thought all of the Marauders were gone, but here sat the last of the group. They had adopted this woman into their self created family-probably for the same reason Harry had always thought of her as a mother figure; she cared about them. "They called me Mother McGonagall from that point on."

Harry squeezed her hand as the tears ran down her face, "Were you there when I was born?"

"I was the first to hold you." She smiled at him, "You were so tiny with piercing green eyes. I adored you instantly. I tried giving you to Lily, but she just smiled at me and told me to sit down. I sat there and stroked your face." Minerva reached over to cup his face, "I didn't even realize that your parents were in the room and that's when they asked me to be your Godmother. I said 'yes' without even taking my eyes off of you. I spent the rest of break with you three and it was as if I was your grandmother. It was the happiest I have ever been-other than my wedding day."

Harry was shocked. He didn't realize that McGonagall had been married. "You're married?"

She removed her hand from his and turned from him. She was silent for what felt like an eternity and when Harry thought she wasn't going to answer his questions, she finally responded. "I was married, Harry. I was married for fifty years." She got up from the couch and walked over to the windows that overlooked the grounds. "I was twenty-four when we married. Only a handful of people know about our marriage and they live within this castle. I suppose now that the war is over, I can now use the name that has been denied me for fifty years." Harry didn't want to interrupt his godmother because she was talking to herself more than him at this point. He was curious as to who she had been married to in secret for so long. Minerva McGonagall had always been a target because of her protective nature and he imagined how many people would love to turn this powerful witch to the dark side. Harry was broken from his thoughts, "I loved him more than life itself and I still do. He gave me children and a life filled with love and magic. I experienced love that was more than I could've ever imagined after a life-time of watching how miserable my mother was without her magic." Harry stood up and walked over to the windows and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Harry, I was married and I'm a mother. My husband's portrait has stopped responding to me in the last year. I'm afraid of what you will think when I tell you who I was married to."

"I will think that they were lucky to have a wonderful woman as a wife and mother of his children. After everything that has happened in my life, I can't hold anything against others. So please tell me." They continued to sand there in front of the windows. She turned and looked at him. Harry could see her internal struggle in her eyes. She truly was afraid to tell him who she was married to and it made him think about who could possibly make her this concerned when it came to sharing it with him.

She took a deep breath and looked directly into his eyes, "I have gone by McGonagall all of my life and my children go by my mother's maiden name Ross. My children couldn't go by my name nor my husbands. I didn't change my name at his instance but I have had another name since 1947. Harry, I am Minerva McGonagall-Dumbledore." She continued to look at him while he processed what she just shared. The terror that washed over her the moment her secret came out of her mouth froze her in place. She didn't know what to expect after everything Albus had put this young man through. Harry was shocked when she said her full name. Suddenly, he was overcome with despair at what his godmother had lost. Albus has been killed by someone she had trusted and didn't know the truth until after it was too late. Harry pulled the woman into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so sorry. I'm not angry at either of you. I miss him every day and I can't even fathom how you have felt since his death." He felt Minerva sink into his embrace and begin to sob. Her sobs were for the loss of her husband and for the forgiveness and acceptance this young man had gifted her. Harry moved them back to the couch and continued to hold her as she sobbed. Her sobs subsided but she didn't pull from his embrace. "So the rumors were true! Hogwarts' greatest known secret." He felt her chuckle, "Just so you know from this point forward, I'm reinstating your title of Mother McGonagall. It truly does fit you." Harry continued to hold Minerva as she fell asleep in his embrace. She had to be exhausted after everything she shared with him. He thought about what she said about Dumbledore's portrait and wondered if he was waiting for the truth to come out before talking to his wife. He'd have to try talking to Albus now that he knew their secrets.

What do you think? Was it worth the wait?

Thank you for continuing to read this story!