It was a cold evening during the winter break of 1991 that Minerva McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor, found herself walking down a deserted corridor of the school. As she turned the corner lost in thought, she caught the sound of a soft sob. Carefully she continued, trying to strain her hearing. Just then she sees the wisp of a cloak before it disappeared to her right. As she turns she feels a small body next to her and pulls. An invisibility cloak was in her hands as she saw Potter come out from beneath it.

What in the world…? I stammer, as I see his face streaked with tears and eyes that stare at me full of fear, as sadness was driven out of them. My exclamation seems to startle him even more, so I crouch down to the boy. 'Oh the things Severus would say if he saw me, Ha let him say what he wants, this boy needs help'. In a soft voice that few would ever recognize as my own I ask: "Harry, please tell me what's wrong?" He just shakes his head "I'm fine" he mumbles. "Well then, you will need your cloak if you plan on reaching your dormitory unseen." He grabs his cloak back quickly, far too quickly and disappears. 'I'll be dammed if I leave that boy alone now, well it would be impossible for a human to find him, but a cat should not have a problem.'

She turns in place and a grey tabby appears in her stead. Using its enlightened hearing and sense of smell it follows the boys trail. They go up to sets of stairs in the direction of the Gryffindor common room but one floor below they turn South into an unused classroom here the boy makes his way to the corner hidden by the cloak. Cautions the tabby make its way toward the corner.

It pushed itself under the cloak of invisibility. Here, it finds a boy, who looks no older than seven, curled in a tight ball sobbing in complete silence. Slowly and gently the tabby starts rubbing against the boy's leg. Just as slowly the boy, Harry starts to respond. After a few minutes he begins to pet the cat's soft coat. He finally looks at it and jumps back into his tight ball in recognition of the person he was stroking. The tabby then turns back to herself and attempts again to soothe Harry but now with words.

The first thing that comes, to her lips are "No one will hit you here". They are barely above a whisper but seem to be crucial for Harry. He lifts his head with a look of disbelief on his face. McGonagall slowly sits in front of him and begins to speak in a calming voice of daily life in the castle. This seems to get his trust because he uncurls, still sobbing but calmer than before. Slowly the woman approaches the boy; she put her arms around him so that he is cradled in them. Tears run down his face, as he suddenly understands he isn't alone.

"Now, would you tell me what ever left you in this state?" "Well Professor, ehm…" Harry mumbles. "Harry, you may call me Minerva when we are alone, and I do not bite". "Ehm, well Minerva then, I…I s….saw my pa…parents for the la…ast time today" he manages to say between sobs. "oh, Harry, don't worry they will always be with you." He nods "It's just that, I wish I knew them". She nods and says in the same tone "They were some of my best students and once they graduated, good friends. When we have some time I could tell you some stories about them." His eyes light up as he nods. After a small pause "Now of to bed, tomorrow might be an interesting day." Then they left both thinking in wonder of what had just hapend.