11 I am Minerva

Fiona yawned. She had not yet fully recovered from the incident that almost deprived her of her life. Of course, few hours had passed since one thought that he had just arrived at Hogwarts the night before.

"In order not to tire you anymore, I say stop here for today," the old man said to her as he saw her yawn. Although Fiona made a move to hide her fatigue, Albus was so observant that he managed to see it.

Before Fiona could say anything, someone knocked gently on the door three times.

"Come on," Dumbledoor said, and then a dynamic figure entered the room. "Minerva?"

"I just wanted to make sure you and the lady were okay. I also want to remind you that it is already afternoon and our guest needs to rest," explained the tall woman - Minerva, as Albus called her. "I undertake to help her with the things she has to buy and ... to say a few words about the lessons she will attend," he added with a sweet smile.

"Welcome. Good luck and good recovery, dear ..." Dumbledoor wished as he pulled a pack of papers out of the drawer next to him. Although a wizard, he had a lot of issues to settle.

Within minutes, Fiona was in Minerva's apartments. They drank steaming lemon tea, ate cucumber sandwiches and laughed at some funny events that Fiona recounted from her childhood.

"Tell me a few words about you," Fiona said suddenly. "You have piqued my interest so I would like to know a few things about you."

Minerva drank some of her tea and thought a little about what she would say to her conive.

"My name is Minerva...Minerva McGonagall and I am a Professor here at Hogwarts. I am a Scottish half-blood witch, the only daughter of Muggle Robert McGonagall and witch Isobel Ross. I also am the older sister of Malcolm and Robert Jnr. I attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was Sorted into Gryffindor House, but it took the Sorting Hat five and a half minutes to decide if she was Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, which made me a Hatstall.

A Hatstall is an archaic term for a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry whose Sorting took more than five minutes because the Sorting Hat found them to have a personality equally suited to different Hogwarts Houses.The Sorting Hat sometimes takes the student's personal preference into consideration in order to break such a tie.

True Hatstalls are rare, occurring around once every fifty years, but near Hatstalls may be more common.

Anyway, during my seventh year, I was appointed Head Girl."

"And what is a Head Girl?" Fiona interrupted kindly.

"I'm glad you asked!" said Minerva happily. " A Head Girl or Boy is a seventh year student who has authority over Prefects at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Each year, both a Head Boy and a Head Girl is selected by the Headmaster of Hogwarts. The pair of students are instructed to do duties to assist the school. They lead both the prefects and (in many cases) the entire student body. These students are chosen because of their academic achievement, outstanding reputation as a student, and a honest, good, and hard-working personality.

Prefects may have a greater chance of being appointed to this position, as both have similar expectations on the student; however, this is not a prerequisite. If a prefect is elected, they don't have to be replaced as prefect, and can serve in both capacities."

"I see, I see. So, what did you do next?"

"After my education, I worked for two years at the Ministry of Magic and later returned to Hogwarts, where I became Head of Gryffindor House and the Transfiguration professor. Though I wasn't a member of the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War, I helped the Ministry of Magic's resistance through spying on Death Eaters and bringing the Aurors crucial information on their activities. And that's all about me, dear... at least for now." Minerva stated and looked at Fiona.

Her lips were half open and her brown eyes gleamed with excitement. Fiona was definitely a woman who thirsted for knowledge. She was not fed up with hearing stories and information about everything around her, which she could very well use for her at some point in the future. And that was something that Minerva liked very much.

"I still have so many questions to ask and so many things to learn ..."

"Sure you have," Minerva agreed. "You can ask me anything you want and I'll see what I can answer." She added a little while later.

"Firstly, what is the Ministry of Magic? Secondly, what is the Order of the Phoenix and thirdly, what happened exactly to that War you mentioned earlier?"

McGonagall did not immediately respond. She first wanted to think carefully about what and how much he would tell her. Besides, the blonde woman in front of her had just come and she still did not trust her 100%.

"Because there is so much I have to tell you about the topics you just asked me, and because it is still too early to find out about it, I would prefer to discuss it some other time," he finally said in all honesty. "But I could help a little with the list of essential items that Albus gave you. Can I see it?"

Fiona nodded and gave the woman the papyrus she had been holding for so long. Fiona was given a supply list for the first year students and it read :

Uniform :

1. Three sets of plain work robes (Black)

2. One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear.

3. One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar).

4. One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings).

5. Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags at all times.

Books :

1. The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk

2. A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

3. Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

4. A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

5. One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

6. Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

7. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

8. The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Other equipment :

1. 1 Wand

2. 1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size)

3. 1 set of glass or crystal phials

4. 1 telescope

5. 1 set of brass scales

"Alright," said Minerva. "The day after tomorrow the lessons start. Therefore, you will have to wake up very early tomorrow. I will come to find you in your room and after we have our breakfast, I will take you and we will go to the Diagonal Alley. We will buy the necessities and after we do, we can make a stop at my favorite eatery. What do you think?"

"I'm in!"

"Exquisite. Let me take you to your room now to rest. In there you will find everything you need. And pay close attention to your rest. Tomorrow will be a big day and I want you to rest," Minerva said a bit sternly but with a dose of love, and without wasting any more time, the two witches set out for their destination.