Chapter 12

Minerva had been walking for ages, and her feet ached. She followed what appeared to be a trail left by a single person until it went cold. She pulled a piece of scarlet-red fabric from a thorny bush and sat down on a nearby stump to rest. "This must be the red that Hagrid saw," she muttered to herself. Beside the stump, half-hidden by vines, was a dark-skinned doll wearing a dark-green dress. Minerva shifted and her foot bumped the doll. She immediately felt herself being pulled away from the Forbidden Forest at a great rate of speed. Minerva had traveled by Portkey before and knew the feeling well, but she didn't know what object had been enchanted to bring her to her new destination. She had no idea where she was going and braced herself for confrontation. The moment her feet landed on the ground a hand shot out in front of her face, and she inadvertently inhaled a fine pinkish-looking powder. Her world quickly went black.

The sound of someone humming pleasantly was the first thing that Minerva perceived. She had no sense of her body at first, just a warm relaxed feeling that pervaded her senses. The humming sound began to move around her in a circular fashion. The person making the noise must've noticed that Minerva was rousing. She wasn't sure if she had moved, but there most likely had been a change in her breathing that gave away her return to consciousness. Minerva opened her eyes. Everything was bright and blurry. It was a moment or two before she could raise her head. Her neck hurt, most likely from her chin being slumped against her chest for too long. She attempted to raise her hand and that's when she realized that she was tied to a chair; secured with enchanted strips of red silk that bound her wrists and ankles.

"I was hoping to catch that great oaf, Hagrid, but you'll do," said a feminine voice. Then closer, in Minerva's ear, "You're a much bigger prize."

"Who are you?" slurred Minerva.

"You'll figure it out when you're more alert." Minerva heard light footfalls moving away from her; then the sound of someone inhaling deeply. "There's no air purer than in the Welsh mountains. Just look at that view."

Minerva felt her chair rise and move forward. She was startled and the shot of adrenaline in her body roused her to near full wakefulness. She pressed her back into the chair, fearing that the witch was going to throw her over the cliff. Instead, her chair settled precariously at the very edge of the high-mountain cave the two women currently occupied.

"Majestic, isn't it?" Minerva would've answered 'yes' had she not been tied to a chair that was teetering on the edge of a sheer cliff. Minerva looked out from the highest peak in a long circle of mountainous ridges. A large, glistening, blue pool sat stilly in the canyon below them. Spots of snow capped the many rocky peaks, and sparse green and brown grass dotted the slopes. The sky above was a clear azure blue filled with heavy, white, rolling clouds. The air smelled cool, crisp, and clean. Minerva was now fully awake and recognized the witch holding her hostage. Minerva's words were bold despite her perilous situation.

"Esmerelda Coldwater, the laziest witch that ever disgraced the noble house of Ravenclaw."

A silent wave of Esmerelda's wand sent Minerva's chair sliding quickly backwards. She could see her wand left unattended on a round dining table. Much of the cave was decorated and quite cozy, like a pleasant sitting room. Colorful children's toys were scattered throughout. An obsessive fondness for toys was one of Esmerelda's quirks. Just over her right shoulder, Minerva could see a boulder that was just large enough to hide behind if she crouched very low. Smaller rocks and boulders were scattered on her other side. It looked as though there might have been a cave-in at one time. There may possibly be a blocked passageway at the back of the cave. But how to get to it?

"Ever the loud-mouthed Gryffindor giving a display of false courage even when she has no chance of escaping," said Esmerelda coolly. "You won't dampen my spirits, Minerva, try as you might."

"I suppose you plan on killing me," said Minerva matter-of-factly, and it made Esmerelda giggle.

"Of course, I do, silly. But I suppose we could have a bit of girl time first. You're probably dying to know what I've been up to…" Esmerelda grimaced. "Oh, dear me, do pardon the pun." She sat down at her dining table and twirled her wand. "Tea?"

"No, thank you."

"It's not poisoned." Minerva didn't reply. "Suit yourself," shrugged Esmerelda and poured herself a steaming cup of fragrant herbal tea.

Minerva assumed that the doll Longbottom found had been meant for a resident of Hogsmeade, so she deliberately made no mention of the students falling prey to its curse. Instead, she focused on provoking Esmerelda's irrational temper by bruising her huge ego. "Severus was more than fit for you. He cured the Hogsmeade villagers overnight. The quarantine is just precautionary."

Esmerelda smiled and rose from her chair with a newspaper in hand. She opened it out and held it for Minerva to see. "I do read the papers, dear. The Ministry is calling it an outbreak of Splattergroit."

"Albus dispatched that Inferius of yours before it could injure anyone." Esmerelda still didn't react.

"I thought of Snape," said Esmerelda as she casually tossed the newspaper onto the table, "when I was creating my super worms. Parasites are such repellent creatures."

"Severus had no trouble wiping them out, and I'm sure he'll have no trouble thwarting whatever else you've planned. Severus outclasses you in every way." That hit its mark. Esmerelda threw her a sharp look.

"Snape? That skinny, greasy, overgrown, garden gnome will do no such thing! There's no antidote for that poison. I never created one."

"What poison?"

"My Favorite," said Esmerelda. "I invented it myself, of course. And that's what I call it—My Favorite—because it's just too beautiful to name. It makes the drinker hemorrhage from every bodily orifice, slowly at first, but it speeds up. Most choke to death on their own blood before they bleed out, but they bleed, Minerva. They bleed so magnificently."

"You're a lunatic!"

"Well that's beside the point, isn't it?" shouted Esmerelda exasperatedly. She began to pace. "The point is that slimy Snape won't be able to counteract My Favorite. The formulation is much too complex, and it would take too much time for him to figure out an antidote. It's impossible," she said triumphantly.

"It doesn't really matter," said Minerva casually. "You'll never get into Hogsmeade now to use it."

"It's not so difficult to get past young Aurors, especially when they're quarreling with grumpy Hogsmeaders. A high-quality invisibility cloak can work wonders. Very expensive though; took me ages to afford one."

"Why didn't you just steal from the people you murdered?" said Minerva.

"Well, I did, but they were mostly poor," replied Esmerelda unperturbed. "At any rate, all I had to do was place the right item in the right place. You see, I've been watching for some time now, and I've noticed that a pair of red-haired twins and their black friend, a rather nice-looking boy, have been able to break into Honeydukes' cellar without notice. I'm not sure how because it was difficult to see from where I was hiding."

A tight ball formed in the pit of Minerva's stomach. She hoped her worry hadn't become visible on her face. It didn't seem that Esmerelda noticed anything because she was still talking.

"I had originally planned on poisoning the sweets in the hopes that the children would carry enough back to their friends to dispatch most of the student body. But when I saw those three boys, I changed to a better plan. All I had to do was wait for the Aurors to inspect the sweets and leave; then I could place something very enticing for those three lovely boys to take back to Hogwarts. A few cases of sweet raspberry wine did the trick." Esmerelda beamed with pride.

"You're a monster."

"Not yet, but I will be."

"Why the children?"

"Isn't it obvious?" shrieked Esmerelda. "Haven't you been paying attention? I want to hurt him—to crush him!"

"Hurt who?" said Minerva, bewildered.

"Tom Riddle, of course! He sent assassins to murder me," said Esmerelda venomously. "Me, his cleverest Potions-maker."

Minerva laughed. "You're master betrayed you, how delightful."

"He was never my master!" screamed Esmerelda in fury. "He was my companion in mischief, my friend. He was good fun for a time. Then he became obsessed with world domination and became a bore, so I left him. I returned home to Wales. He turned on me, and I vowed to get revenge, but the bastard died before I could have it. So, I had to look elsewhere."

"Schoolchildren?" shouted Minerva. "You're seeking revenge on schoolchildren?"

"No, you idiot!" Esmerelda drew in a few deep breaths and rubbed her temples to calm herself. "Who does Dumbledore care about the most?"

"You're no match for Albus Dumbledore!" snorted Minerva.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Of course, I know that! I'm not going to challenge him directly! I'm not a fool!" Esmerelda was raving now, and pacing back and forth in frenzied agitation. "There was only one wizard who Tom feared; the greatest wizard of our age. If I kill an entire school full of children under his care, Dumbledore will never recover from the guilt of not being able to protect them. Everyone will know that I'm the witch who destroyed him. I'm the one who ground him into despair. Everyone will fear me and Tom, wherever he is, will know that I'm not to be trifled with. I'm not Inferior!"

Minerva waited for Esmerelda to stalk away from the table in her frenzied pacing. She silently Accio-ed her wand and, in one deft move, removed her bindings and dived behind the boulder. Esmerelda reacted quickly and wounded Minerva's ankle. A trickle of dark red trailed the cave's dirty stone floor.

"Isn't it beautiful, Minerva? Isn't it lovely?" cackled Esmerelda.

Minerva used Engorgio to enlarge the boulder she hid behind. Esmerelda began chipping away at it, laughing all the while. Then, suddenly, she became very quiet. Minerva conjured a bandage for her ankle. She peered around the boulder and saw an army of charmed children's toys marching toward her. Esmerelda had never been a good duelist; she relied heavily on distractions. A single angry flick of Minerva's wand shattered the toys and sent them flying across the cave. A shuffling sound and a low moan alerted her to something behind her. She wasn't fast enough to move out of the way before an Inferius viciously bit into her shoulder. Minerva howled in pain.

Esmerelda sprang out, seemingly from nowhere, and splashed Minerva's robes with Muggle kerosene. "Useful creatures, Muggles. If you use an incendiary, you'll burn with them."

"Them?" Minerva produced a sheet of heatless pink flame from her wand and the Inferius cowered. Minerva turned to see two more Inferi rising from their places at the back of the cave. Esmerelda pelted her with painful stinging hexes.

Minerva had to dispatch three Inferi and catch Coldwater before she exited the cave. She wasn't as fast as she'd been in her youth, but she had to try. She released the fire spell and the Inferi rushed at her. Esmerelda cackled from somewhere behind her. Minerva used Tergeo to clean her robes of the kerosene. The Inferi body-slammed her just as she shot a powerful fire spell from her wand's tip. Her wand hand was thrust upwards and the flames scorched the cave's ceiling. The Inferi crouched away from the heat. Minerva aimed the flames at them and moved them to the back of the cave, corralling them behind a wall of pink flame.

Esmerelda ran for the mouth of the cave, and Minerva charged after her. "Levicorpus," shouted Minerva as Esmerelda dived for freedom, hoping against hope that the spell would catch the Sorceress. Minerva moved quickly to the mouth of the cave and found Esmerelda hanging by her ankle. Minerva wasted no time and flung the witch hard against an inside wall. Esmerelda retaliated with a stunning spell. A single stunning spell wasn't enough to take down a witch of Minerva McGonagall's caliber. She remained standing, flicked her wand at the many rocks and boulders in the cave, splitting them into small pebbles. She swished her wand with force and hurled hundreds of pebbles at Esmerelda, who sank to the floor unconscious.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side, Minerva," said a deep voice coming from the cave's entrance. Minerva was startled by the voice and instinctively shot a powerful stunning spell in the direction of the sound. Kingsley Shacklebolt jumped out of the way just in time. The spell hit the cave's mouth and carved off a chunk of stone that disintegrated into sand.

"Dear, Merlin, you startled me!" Kingsley walked to Esmerelda's slumped form and picked up her wand. "I tried very hard not to kill her, Kingsley."

Shacklebolt laughed as he knelt to inspect Esmerelda's injuries. "I think she'd have preferred it if you had. Albus sent me after you, but you obviously don't need saving."

"I'm not past my prime yet, Kingsley, but I'm grateful for the concern." She pointed to the rear of the cave. "There are three Inferi back there."

"I'll send some Aurors to take care of them, and I'll escort Ms. Coldwater to Azkaban by way of St. Mungo's so you can get those wounds tended to."

"They're only minor."

"Best to err on the side of caution, Minerva. And I'll let Albus know you're safe."

"Thank you, Kingsley."

Albus Dumbledore walked between the rows of beds; holding hands, and patting heads, and chatting with his students—his children. Dumbledore made a point of speaking to every student; each of them looked at him with awe, reverence, and relief. In spite of the fact that many talented people worked together to save them, the students credited Dumbledore, and only Dumbledore, as their savior. Such are the loyalties of children.

Each child looked hopefully at Dumbledore—a living legend, an almost god-like figure to them, a wizard whose very name was sacred, as he made his way to each bed; all of them waited patiently to be the center of his attention if only for a few fleeting moments. The energy in the Great Hall was serene. The students felt safe in what they thought of as the heart of the school—the Great Hall, governed by the greatest wizard of all time. All of the students were sitting up in their conjured beds and looking well. The Healers were busily checking vital signs, but went about their work in a much more subdued manner than they had earlier. The crisis was over. Within a few hours' time, all of the students would return to their houses, and Hogwarts' normal daily activities would resume.

A Ministry owl flew in and dropped an envelope into Dumbledore's hand and immediately flew out again. The envelope was Kingsley Shacklebolt's personal stationary. Dumbledore casually tore it open, careful not to rouse the suspicion of the watchful students, and quickly read the letter within. Dumbledore raised his hand and the hall became instantly silent.

"I've received information from the Ministry assuring us that the witch responsible for all of this misery has been apprehended and will cause no further harm." The students cheered and were immediately hushed by their attendants, who wanted them to remain calm until all of their medical tests were completed. Albus waved the professors to him. Poppy, Filius, and Pomona drew nearer, waiting silently in anticipation. "Minerva is well," said Albus quietly. "She's sustained some minor injuries in an altercation with the witch responsible for all of this mayhem. She'll be rejoining us later in the evening." Poppy and the professors heaved a collective sigh of relief. "What a tale we shall have to tell Minerva when she returns."

The End

(I hope you enjoyed it.)

A/N: I've cleaned this story up and formatted it for eReaders if anyone wants a permanent copy for themselves. Get the file here: dub dub dub DOTshadygrimDOTwixsiteDOTcom/the-presence/neville-s-nightmare There's also an external link to the epub file from this same story located on Wattpad.