Snitch

[blackmagic]

I really don't know where this belongs, but I know it's funny. A new arrival at the Hogwart's School turns the place upside down.

A cold harsh autumn rain pelted the windows of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry much as it had for the past couple of days. It made for a thoroughly dreary Saturday for the students who were all milling about the confines of the castle. Wait. Did I say all? No, no. If one watched closely through the Gryffindor Tower, they would have seen three small figures traversing the grounds with some snacks and such for tea with an old friend.

"Do you think Hagrid missed us over the summer?" Ronald Weasley said as he trudged onward carrying some cream they had pilfered from the kitchen and a box of tea biscuits.

"I hardly think so," Hermione said matter-of-factly "we've only known him a year. Perhaps Harry was missed, but you and I, Ron, are quite forgettable." She carried a bag containing tea and a sugar bowl.

Harry brought various sweets from Diagon Ally and some treats for Fang as his contribution. The tea for Hagrid had been his idea as a sort of thank you for the picture Hagrid had given him before he left school the year before. He felt something special was in order to thank the man who had given him a link to the parents he so wished were here again. "I don't think you're forgettable," he said to Hermione.

"Thank you. Well, you're on your own now, Ron." Hermione quipped as they reached Hagrid's hut.

"Thanks a lot," Ron grumbled.

The three were unaware that a pair of sharp green eyes were trained on them as they entered the home of their friend. Minerva McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House, Transfiguration professor, and Deputy Headmistress, was not a women to cross. At this moment she was very unhappy indeed. It was not the disobedient children who were the cause of her foul temperament, but the Headmaster himself, Albus Dumbledore, who was the culprit.

"I still don't like the idea, Albus." Professor McGonagall said as she bent down to help Albus reorganize the lower shelves of one of his many bookcases. Albus looked down from his perch on a stool across the small nook from her and enjoyed the view he had for a moment. He chucked as he wondered what she'd say if she knew that, at her age, someone was staring at her backside. "You have quite a lovely figure, Miss McGonagall," he thought to himself. He was brought to his senses by the arrival of Severus Snape with several new scrolls. Also in his arms was a small, red and yellow sculpture of an Asian dragon.

"Headmaster, I've brought the parchments you had asked for. I don't understand your sudden interest in traditional Japanese wizards' dueling. It's practically a lost art form." Snape muttered as he tried to approach the older wizard. "Ugh! Why do you insist upon having bulky, upholstered items of little purpose everywhere," he growled and gave the offending woolen barricade a firm hit with one of the parchments he was holding. Albus stumbled off the stool, laughing so hard he had to lean against a wall for support.

With a yelp of shock Minerva jumped up, bumping her head in the process. Once her piercing eyes locked on the Potions Master, her shock turned to anger. "I resent being referred to as bulky, as well as upholstered! With regard to my presence in the Headmaster's office, I feel that my purpose here has always been clear." she hissed. Her fury hid the pain she was feeling.

Snape fired back. "I can understand your dissatisfaction with my assessment of the situation, but I must inform you that I call things as I see them."

Minerva's face turned a slightly deeper shade of red. "If you honestly can't tell the difference between a woman's derriere and a piece of furniture, then you are either mad or far too lonely!"

"You'd never leave Dumbledore lonely, would you?" Snape said coldly.

Albus stopped laughing and Minerva looked noticeably hurt - at least to him. "What are you implying, Severus?"

"Only that your purpose for being constantly with the Headmaster is clearer than you think." Snape said staring unfeelingly into Minerva's stunned eyes.

Just as Albus was about to break up the argument before it got any crueler, the silence was broken by a commotion in the hallway. Harry came running into the room. He had blood on his shirt.

"Professors," he pleaded, "Come quick. Something's happened. We need help."







*It'll get happier, I promise. Just hang in there.

[tartanmin]

oh min gud.. (danish) OMG
hate severus, love min and adore Albus..
I hope you the promise you'd made..
please update soon.

[Apocalypticat]

How awkward! Poor Minerva! Who could mistake her for furniture, indeed! I think you conveyed her feelings very well, and I did chuckle at Albus's appreciation of her figure.

Blood on Harry's shirt? Update!

[blackmagic]

Severus ran from the room and giving Harry a shove. "Get going, Potter. Lead the way!"

The older professors walked quickly, following Snape's billowing black robes and the growing amount of noise. Minerva could hear Hermione crying. Her anxiety grew as her mind filled with horrible images. She had seen Harry and could hear Hermione, but where was Ron? Her heart ached with fear for him. Against her better judgment, she really became attached to her students and had a sort of motherly love for them, especially these three. It had nothing to do with who Harry was and everything to do with them being utterly delightful to have around brightening up the Gryffindor common room. As her mind continued to assault her with frightful thoughts, a tear found its way down her cheek, soon to be followed by another.

Albus couldn't take it anymore. He had been watching Minerva intently... again... and seeing her cry broke his heart. "Minerva," he said and, before she could say anything, he had taken her securely in his arms. He felt her body tense and knew she was uncomfortable with his actions. No doubt Severus' comments were only making matters worse for her. "Minerva, they'll be OK. I promise you, your students will be alright. Please, my dear, don't cry." He gently kissed the top of her head. She looked up at him, clearly unsure of what to do. She was too startled to cry, which had been the goal of the kiss. "That's better," he said with a smile. "Now come alone." They walked to the scene together, Albus' arm wrapped around Minerva's narrow waist.

They arrived to complete chaos. The professors pushed their way through the crowd of students. Hagrid was there, also bloodied. Harry stood next to a sobbing Hermione and there was a rumbled, blood-soaked, hand-me-down-robe-clad heap on the floor. Minerva fell to her knees beside it crying. A hand came to rest gently on her shoulder.

"Are you alright, Professor?" Ron said softly.

Minerva reached up to her shoulder and touched his hand. Then, with a glowing smile, hurried to her feet and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, Mr. Weasley, thank Merlin you're safe," she said as she hugged him closer.

"Uhhh... Professor?" Ron said in a tone somewhere between complete fear and absolute humiliation as his head lay pillowed on her breasts. Minerva looked down, blushed slightly, and released him immediately.

Albus stepped forward and placed a hand on the embarrassed Minerva's shoulder. "She thought you were hurt, Mr. Weasley. She was worried about you." He looked down at Minerva and gave her and smile.

More than ready to change the subject, Minerva approached the mound of cloth again. "Who's this, then? she said pulling back the robe. She gave a startled scream and ran to Albus clutching his arm. There on the ground lay an injured, scared border collie. The dog looked nervously at the newly arrived adults.

Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape then spoke in unison for the first time in living memory. "Oh no."

"Professor Dumbledore, Sir," Hagrid began "I would've taken care of this little girl myself, but she's pretty badly hurt. She needs real medical care. And plus there's Fang. Every time I take in another dog, he gets all moody. I don't want to hurt his feelings, you know."

"I completely understand, my friend, what do you suggest?" Dumbledore asked in a most professional matter. He hoped he knew what the suggestion would be. He'd always liked dogs.

Hagrid glanced at the displeased heads of Gryffindor and Slythern "Well, Sir, Harry and his friends here found her lying in the grass howling and carryin' on and they brought me to her. I thought maybe you could take a look at her and see if we could help the poor thing. And then maybe..."

"Can we keep her, Professor?" asked Harry. "We are allowed pets after all and she doesn't have an ID tag."

"Let me remind you, Mr. Potter, that you are allowed an owl, a cat, or a toad. Dogs are not on that list." Minerva was still clutching Albus' sleeve. "We will have to find another solution."

"You made an exception for Ron's filthy rat," Hermione pointed out.

"Scabbers isn't filthy!" Ron snapped.

"His ancestors probably spread the Plague!" Hermione shouted.

"That's enough! The dog could never stay. All of you already have pets. Isn't that correct, Professor?" Minerva sent Albus a look that was nothing sort of a plea for help. He just smiled back at her.

The students watched the Headmaster smile lovingly at their Head of House and they lowered their heads in defeat. They listened as he began to speak. "You have a very good point, Professor. A dog is not on the list of approved magical pets due to the amount of care and attention they require. No one student can keep up with their studies and take proper care of a dog this size." Minerva gave the students a stern look as her employer and friend continued on. "However, we can not simply abandon her to the elements. I therefore believe that she should be taken to the hospital wing for medical treatment. Her recovery time will also be her trail period for the position of school mascot." The students cheered and Minerva's face fell. Severus groaned as Albus smiled at the children. "Furthermore, since she was found by three Gryffindors, she shall reside in the Gryffindor common room. You three had better think of a name." Albus turned to Minerva who only glowered at him.

"We already have, Professor." Harry said.

"Dear Merlin, they've named it." Snape moaned shaking his head.

"Well, she has a spot on her right shoulder that looks like a quidditch snitch so we named her Snitch." Hermione said proudly.

"Very good, Miss Granger. Very good indeed. I believe Snitch will be most happy as a Gryffindor." Albus said gently stroking the frightened dog's head. Soon the students had dispersed, the trio, Hagrid, and the dog were in the hospital wing, house elves had cleaned up the mess, and only three remained it the hall.

"Congratulations, Professor, you now have a dog," Snape said to Minerva as he turned to leave.

Minerva was furious. How could Albus just pile another responsibility on her without even asking her how she felt about it. Without a word she headed down the hall, not caring that she was being followed. "Minerva, wait!" Albus called after her.

[KristaMarie]

Oh boy.... this is going to be a good one....

[blackmagic]

Minerva ignored Albus all the way to her private chambers where she slammed the door in his face rather unceremoniously. She was alone no more than a minute when Albus unlocked the door and walked in. He heard her in her bedroom and went in after her.

"Oh! Albus, what do you think you're doing? How did you get in here?" Minerva said as she leaped from the bed dropping her book. "Are you in the habit of strolling into women's bedrooms uninvited," she growled.

"No, though, as far as habits go, there are far more unpleasant ones then sneaking up on you in your bedroom," Albus mused as he took a seat on the bed.

Silence. Inwardly he cursed himself for being so forward, but the shock of his statement seemed to have knocked the anger out of her. A rosy blush colored her cheeks and she stood blankly staring at him. Carefully, he took her hand and sat her down on the bed beside him. He looked deeply into her eyes and, just before he became lost in them, he asked her what was wrong while putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. Having her crumble against him crying was the last thing he had expected to happen, but there she was. He had no idea what he'd done wrong, but whatever it was, he'd better fix it soon. No telling what would happen to Severus if he teased her when she was this emotional. Slowly he began the process of setting things right.

"Is the dog really that horrible? I thought she was kind of cute myself," Albus said softly as he rubbed Minerva's back. She looked up at him and he had fight back the thought that she was possibly the most beautiful woman on the planet. He longed to kiss her tears away, but after quickly calculating that he had only about a 13% chance of surviving the snogging session, he thought it wiser not to.

Oh, if he had only he had known how wrong his calculation was.

Minerva could only watch him for a moment. Had she really seen what she thought she'd seen in his eyes. No, it couldn't have been that. Albus Dumbldore was far too professional to have feelings for a colleague. She answered him disappointedly. "It's not just the dog; it's everything that's happened today."

"You still do not approve of my new undertaking?" he asked calmly, referring to his study of traditional Japanese wizards' dueling. Privately he hope it was because she would miss him if he were studying somewhere far off, but that was unlikely. Her answer, therefore, came as a shock.

"What will I do without you?" She blushed when she realized how her words could be taken differently.

"Will you miss me that much, my dear? You know I'll be there for you if you need me." Albus smiled at her as he continued rubbing her back. "I won't let you get lonely."

"Albus!" Minerva sat up quickly. The words exchanged with Snape earlier that afternoon came rushing back to both of them. Seeing how uncomfortable Albus had become she tried to explain. "I'm so sorry. Thanks to that blasted Severus, I may never see the word 'lonely in the same light again. Of all the stupid..."

"He hurt you, didn't he," Albus asked, giving her a kind smile.

"Well, how would you feel if your backside was mistaken for some sort of large ottoman?" Minerva retorted with a weak smile. "Albus, I've had enough of talking about things which make me unhappy. I had a bad afternoon. That's all. Let's go for a walk around the castle before dinner; that will cheer me up."

"An excellent idea, Minerva. Let's go see how Snitch is adjusting to life at Hogwart's." Albus hopped to his feet and headed toward the door. Minerva took her time, slowly getting to the door as Albus waited impatiently. "What's wrong now my dear?" he asked.

Minerva sighed. "I'm afraid of dogs."

[mmadlyinlove]

Hehe. Of course she's afraid of dogs... She's a cat animagus... LOL... kewl...

~mmadlyinlove~

[blackmagic]

"Well, this is a problem. Why didn't you say something earlier?" Albus asked as they walked to the hospital wing.

"You never gave me the chance. It was all 'What do you suggest, Hagrid? Let her live here? Wonderful! Yes, I think Snitch is a perfect name. She can live in the Gryffindor common room and give my deputy gray hairs. It's brilliant." Minerva snapped, giving her best Albus Dumbledore imitation. The Headmaster was not amused, though he did have to admit her imitation was spot on.

"It wasn't like that, Minerva, and you know it," he growled.

"No, I clearly don't 'know it'. What was it like then. You never asked me if I approved of keeping the animal, let alone having it live in Gryffindor's common room. That makes her my responsibility. I have to feed her and clean up after her and walk her, and do everything else that no one who says they 'love the dog' wants to do. You and the children will pat her on the head and leave me to do the work. To cap it all off, I'm deathly afraid of her. I was completely left out of the decision and given all of the dirty work. I really don't appreciate that, Albus." Minerva gave an exasperated sigh and walked ahead of him.

"Point taken, but what am I meant to do now? Tell the children there's been some terrible mistake? Sling the poor dog out on her hairy hide? What should I do Minerva? How do I tell those children I've lied to them and still maintain their trust?" Albus had known his not consulting Minerva was wrong, but he didn't think she would be this angry.

"You can't take the dog away from them now - not unless she makes a thoroughly horrible mascot. It wouldn't be fair. Let's just call this a learning experience and move on. I'll just have to get used to her." Minerva said. She smiled at Albus warily. "I am a Gryffindor after all. That should make me strong enough to handle one dog."

"I never knew that you were afraid of dogs. I'm sorry, Minerva." Albus said honestly.

"The fact that I'm a cat animagus never gave you a clue," she replied.

"I guess that explains why you never covered any of Serius Black's detentions," he said with a chuckle.

"He chased me up a tree once." Albus laughed as Minerva went on. "Oh yes. The twelfth of January 1964. I was up there for four hours, those Marauders threw snowballs at me, and I was late for dinner. I was never quite sure if he knew it was me up there or not." The two laughed all the way to the door of the hospital wing.

"Are you sure you're alright with this," Albus asked as he gently touched her sleeve.

"I'll be fine, Albus," she reassured both him and herself. "Better put on a brave face in case the children are still there." With one deep breath, they went to face Minerva's fear together.

[mmadlyinlove]

Oh dear.... Wonder what will happen next? ~mmadlyinlove~

[Ashlynn Minerva Rose]

lmao!!! I love this so far! I can't wait to find out what happens next!

Much Love,
Ashlynn Minerva Rose

[morethanacrush]

"Dear Merlin, they've named it."

Wow. I believe what my dad says is.... "My God. They've named the damned thing."

lol my mom breeds dogs, and usually if we name a puppy - we keep it.
I love this story!! I can't wait for your next update.

[blackmagic]

"I can't believe we got to keep her," Ron said as he happily petted the newly-almost-adopted Snitch.

"Me neither. I thought McGonagall was going to throw us all out of Hogwart's for even suggesting we keep her." Harry added as he scratched the dog's ears. Snitch kicked her right hind leg in response.

"I'm worried about them," Hermione said, slowing her stroking of Snitch's head. The boys groaned and Snitch nudged her hand demanding less talk and more petting. It seemed that all three did not wish to be involved in her new plan to 'fix' whatever problem 'they' were having at the moment. "I've never seen her that angry with him. She looked so sad too."

"Alright, Hermione, who is it we're supposed to be helping?" Harry asked. He had a feeling he knew, but he hoped that he was somehow mistaken.

"McGonagall and Dumbledore, of course. I hope Snitch isn't negatively affecting their relationship." Hermione looked truly concerned.

Ron couldn't help but chuckle. "I don't think a hurt dog will destroy their relationship at all. They would be sure to put their personal feelings behind for the good of the school. Don't worry, I'm sure your favorite transfiguration professor won't be losing her job over this."

"Ron, sometimes I wonder how you ever made it into Hogwart's to begin with. I'm talking about their personal relationship. Their romance. Please don't tell me you haven't noticed!" As Hermione continued on, she did not see the two figures standing in the doorway or the surprise on their faces.

"Well, my dear, it seems you and I are a couple and quite an affectionate one from the sound of it," Albus whispered to his blushing deputy. He couldn't hide the fact that he found this situation quite amusing. Minerva, his supposed lover, did not share in his enjoyment.

"Do something, Albus," she hissed quietly. Albus did do something. He took her by the arm and silently lead her from the room. "Why didn't you do anything," she moaned.

"On the contrary, I did something. I left the room with you so we could stand here an listen to all of the things that apparently make us seem like we're having the romance of the age." With that, he put his ear to the door and pulled Minerva along with him.

As they listened, Minerva could feel the heat rising in her face. Every harmless, friendly interaction they had seemed to have taken on a double meaning. She could not believe someone so clever could put together a scenario so far from the truth; it was unheard of. Suddenly, Minerva's thoughts were interrupted by something hard prodding her in the backside. She yelled and jumped away from him, putting her back against the wall. "Albus Dumbledore, what on earth is the meaning of this!" Albus looked confused for a moment and burst into laughter. "I don't find this at all funny. How dare you..." She was stopped mid-sentence by the sight before. Albus carefully drew his wand from the pocket of his robe.

"Sorry," he said as he grinned at the red-faced Minerva.

[StormAngel]

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Poor min.

[blackmagic]

"Minerva McGonagall, where is your mind?" a familiar voice called from down the hall. Minerva turned to face its owner in a volatile mixture of embarrassment and fury. Emerald eyes met amber ones in a fierce power struggle. The battle ended when Minerva realized that her friend had brought a crowd with her. Minerva's shoulders slumped in defeat.

Snape looked at Dumbledore's wand and muttered, "It looks like I'm not the only one who confuses inanimate objects with parts of the opposite sex's anatomy."

"This is an entirely different matter, Severus," Minerva hissed.

Severus continued. "You are surly the most sensitive piece of bulky, upholstered nonsense Albus has. It is unfortunate that she has spent so much time away from men that she can't tell the difference between a wand and a man's..."

"That's enough. Need I remind the both of you that there are children in the next room. I feel that certain aspects of their professors' lives should remain a mystery to them," Albus said with an air of authority. "Now, may I ask what has brought you all here?"

"Well," said Pamona Sprout moving toward Albus excitedly with Filius Flitwick in tow, "word has it Hogwart's has a new resident ... of the canine persuasion."

"Mona and I love dogs and had to come see that it was happy. We found everyone else was coming to do the same thing," Flitwick added.

Albus looked at Snape over his half-moon spectacles an smiled. "How very kind of you, Severus." The potions master squirmed and muttered something about being there under duress. "Since it seems we are all here for the same purpose, lets all go together."

The sudden entrance of most of the Hogwart's faculty came as quite a shock to the three students, one grounds keeper, and one border collie. Everyone soon relaxed thanks in no small part to the dog - everyone except Minerva.

The students began to see the more human side of their professors. The dog was well enough to play for a bit under the watchful eye of School Mediwitch Poppy Pomfrey, who adored her already.

Madame Hooch made a paper airplane out of an unused medical chart. Professor Flitwick then charmed it to fly around. The dog chased it and, when she caught it, Snitch was rewarded with treats. Professor Sprout had already taken her measurements for an official school mascot uniform. She didn't tell anyone, particularly the headmaster. She wanted it to be a big surprise.

Albus noticed the the joy this animal was bringing to both the students and the staff. Even the brooding Severus had to crack a small smile at the dog's antics. Only Minerva still seemed on edge.

For what it was worth, Minerva did enjoy seeing how happy the dog made everyone else, especially Albus. He was teaching the dog to beg for treats which were sherbet lemons he was transfiguring into a dog-snack version. She loved seeing Albus this happy. The way he smiled. The way he laughed. It all made her feel so drawn to him. This feeling had taken her completely by surprise and thoroughly unnerved her. How had her friendship with Albus become so complected in the span of one afternoon? The warm gentle tone in his voice that she had been aware of for years now had the sudden ability to make her blush. His touch which she had grown so used to now sent shivers running through her. She closed her eyes in bewilderment. "What am I to do now?" she said softly to herself. When she opened them again she was staring straight into big chocolate brown eyes and a furry black and white face.

She screamed and jumped up as the fear tightened in her chest. The dog, who had found nothing but playmates at Hogwart's thus far, thought this was another type of game and began chasing her in true border collie fashion. Minerva's squawks and attempts to put pieces of furniture between her and the dog failed miserably. Everyone else's joining in the fuss had only made it more fun for the dog. Eventually, Snitch had caught up to her and grabbed a hold of the back hem of her outer robes. A tug-of-war had broken out between her and Minerva. Snitch ended up pulling the outer robe completely off of her opponent, setting the woman off balance. Minerva pitched forward and readied herself for a quick impact with the floor, but she fell into something strong and warm instead.

[morethanacrush]

oooooohhhhh
yes.

[blackmagic]

Albus couldn't help but feel responsible for what had happened. He could feel Minerva's tense, trembling body in his arms. He knew she must be embarrassed. Falling into the waiting arms of her employer in front of students and staff was not exactly normal behavior for Minerva nor was her dissolving into tears as she had done earlier. Truthfully, he was worried about his friend. Severus' teasing always made her more sensitive and withdrawn for a while. She'd look a little sad and lonesome for a day or so and then she'd be back to normal, but this was different and he couldn't deny that something a deeply shaken their friendship. It didn't appear likely that she would ever relax around him or trust him again.

Since the initial argument with Severus in his office she hadn't seemed able to look him in the eye. She shied away from his touches as well. When he'd taken her arm to lead her from the room earlier, she didn't appear to be comfortable with his touching her. The same had been true of when he pulled her close to listen at the door to the children's assessment of he and Minerva's relationship, though he was not surprised by her reaction to having his wand pushing into her bottom. That had been supremely entertaining, but there was something about her blush that had made him feel something... unusual and very unexpected.

"Professor, is there a problem?" Pamona Sprout asked quietly.

"Should we leave you two alone?" Flitwick added.

Albus had no idea what they were one about. Then he looked down and noticed how his hands were caressing Minerva's back and shoulders. It seemed as if they moved of their own accord. He was trying everything he knew to relax her - even his subconscious was involved, but she remain stiffened under his touch. He couldn't help but feel a little hurt. Something unknown to him had suddenly driven her away from him. The gentlemanly thing to do was to let her go. Trying not to look as sad as he felt, he allowed her to finally pull away from him. He made an excuse to the rest of the group and quickly left the room, being sure to ask Poppy to pick up some dog supplies in town before he left. He was a hurt, confused, lonely man and there was only one place to go. He made sure to take care of any business which needed his attention, making no notice of the absence of his phoenix, Fawkes, before he left for the apparation point at the end of the grounds.

The Hog's Head was dimly lit and nearly empty when Albus arrived. He watched his brother magically cleaning glasses behind the bar. He seemed happy. Albus' thoughts turned sullen; of course Aberforth was happy - all his friends were goats. Goats are far less complicated than people - especially women. "A pint of your best, my good man," he said coming to the bar. It was always embarrassing discussing personal matters with Aberforth, but it seemed it was healing as well.

"Well, well, what brings the great and powerful Albus Dumbledore to my humble establishment?" Aberforth said handing his brother a beer. "I'll have to see some ID, young man."

"Very funny, Aberforth," Albus said grumpily. "I need your help."

"With what?" the bartender asked, running a large hand through his wiry, white, Einstein-like hair. "Is it about a girl?" he jokingly batted his eyes at Albus.

Albus finished draining his beer and rolled his eyes. "Aberforth, really, at over a century and a half old, I have a hard time believing you still view my romance interests as 'girls', but my problem does center around a woman, though she is someone with whom I am not involved." Albus proceeded to tell his brother about Minerva's sudden behavioral changes and how he was feeling as a result of them. All the while Aberforth was sitting across from him grinning. "What do you find so amusing about this, anyway?" His brother's reply shocked him.

"You're in love with your deputy." Albus looked confused so he clarified his response. "You love Minerva."

[morethanacrush]

Ahhhhh! More, more more!!
Please

[tabbykit]

More!! Please?
I can't wait for you to update!

[blackmagic]

Minerva McGonagall glared at Poppy Pomfrey over her glass of juice at the Three Broomsticks where they had stopped for a quick snack before going shopping for pet supplies. She had had quite enough of being laughed at. "And what is so funny about all this?" she hissed. She drummed her fingers on the table with the same rhythm as a cat might flick its tail.

"I'm sorry you're upset Minerva, but really, you and Albus." Poppy crumbled into another fit of riotous laughter.

"Albus and I what?" Minerva said exasperatedly. She was growing increasing tired of the whole thing. "What's so funny about Albus and myself suddenly having problems with each other."

"It's no so much funny as it is ... cute." Poppy said with a smile.

"Cute?" Minerva replied.

"Sweet then. You have to admit that it's also a bit obvious too though." Poppy continued.

"So my problems with my close friend have gone from funny to cute to sweet and obvious. I have to ask, what exactly is so obvious? Please just tell me so I can try to fix whatever this sweet and obvious thing is. Albus means very much to me," Minerva said trying to mask her hurt feelings at Poppy's never ending giggles. How could Poppy laugh at her now? Rolanda maybe - but Poppy was always so understanding. That's why Minerva had asked to go along with her. She certainly didn't feel like spending hours looking at dog supplies.

"Oh, because you're in love with him, Min," Poppy said with a smile. "You're in love with Albus. It's so obvious. The staff's all known for ages. We've always wondered why you never did anything about it. It's so sweet - how he puts his arm around your waist when you walk together."

Minerva sat in shocked silence for a very long while before regaining her composer. "We walk arm and arm. He doesn't put his arm around my waist, you silly romantic fool."

"He did today when you came and found the dog," Poppy reminded her.

"Yes. I suppose he did," Minerva conceded as she took a sip of juice. This thought had never occurred to her. Love, indeed. It seemed so ridiculous. There had never been the slightest indication that he felt in any way romantically drawn to her and she had always thought of him purely as a good friend. Now everyone was saying she was in love with him and she didn't know what she felt. She had to figure out her feelings before she next saw Albus. Albus! She prayed that he didn't hear any of the nonsense Poppy had been spouting before she'd had a chance to figure out what was making her feel this way and what made her colleagues mistake her for a woman in love. That's all it was, of course, a simple mistake.

Minerva's thoughts were interrupted by the dazzling arrival of a very unhappy phoenix. He was singed and exhausted and quite out of sorts.

"What happened, Fawkes," Minerva asked.

[crystalpheonixeyes]

More More More. I really do like this. Poor Minerva. I just wanted to smack Snape though.

[dianahawthorne]

Aah! How can you stop here?! Please update SOON!

[blackmagic]

"I could never... You can't mean... I am not in love with Minerva. That's absolute lunacy. You've finally gone mad." Albus said as he found his voice again. "Where do you come up with this nonsense."

Aberforth rubbed his stubbly chin pensively. "Merlin, it was years ago, right before the school year began. The staff was in town stocking up on school supplies. You were in here talking about something academic and boring when you saw her across the street. You pointed her out to me as your deputy and I congratulated you on your choice. I thought you were going to run out into the middle of the street and snog her senseless, but all you did was stand there staring at her and practically drooling all over yourself like a fool. She noticed you and came in to drop off a package you had left in Honeyduke's - Sherbet Lemons I'd wager. You managed to compose yourself when she spoke to you, but you couldn't stop staring at her arse when she walked away. I can't blame you. She's got quite a nice arse as I remember it." He smiled as he recalled her swaying hips.

"You shouldn't have been looking," Albus snapped.

"And you should be?" his brother replied.

"You realize none of this helps me with my current situation. I may not be in love with her, but I have no desire to lose her friendship." Albus had to get off the topic of love. He was feeling strange, but love couldn't possibly be the cause. granted, he admired her figure at every opportunity and found her to be engaging in conversation, but love was most certainly not it the cards here. It was out of the question.

"But you do love her, Albus," Aberforth said trying to convince his brother that, for once in his life, The Greatest Wizard of the Century was dead wrong. "It's not just her looks. It's the way you talk about her. You've told me all about staying up with her until dawn playing chess and talking."

"I've done the same with Nicholas Flamel. Am I now in love with him as well?" Albus grumbled.

Aberforth knew he was losing the fight. "Flamel doesn't have an arse like that or 'the most radiant green eyes you've ever seen'. I don't know why you love her, but I guarantee you that you do, and if you mess this up, you'll hate yourself forever. It's not that hard, you know. Just invite her out for dinner and tell her all of the things you've told me about her. After she heard all that, she'd never leave your side again."

"You know it's more complicated than that. The school. The Ministry. The Order. Having her beside me in a professional capacity is far too important to our world to trivialize with love - and I still don't love her anyway." Albus said coldly. somehow, though he knew they were true, every word he'd just said felt false.

"Whatever you say. I still think that you're head over heels for Minerva. You'll figure it out sooner or later. Something will happen that's completely out of the blue," Aberforth collected his brother's empty glass and cast a cleaning spell on it. "She'll just run up to you one day and say..."

"Albus, I need you, " Minerva shouted as she rushed over to the Headmaster.

"Yes, that's exactly what she'd say and... " Aberforth turned and saw Minerva. Her hair was coming undone, locks tumbling from their restraining bun and over her shoulders. Her cheeks were pink from running and her red lips were slightly parted. Aberforth surveyed her figure with approval. "You are one lucky man," he said quietly to Albus.

"Excuse me," Albus finally stammered.

"I need you." Minerva heard her words and blushed. "Something has happened at the school. We are needed back immediately. Fawkes is injured. He came and found me. I thought you should know, so I sent him home with Poppy and came to find you." She finally looked up to meet Albus' gaze.

"Fawkes came to you, Minerva? I thought a phoenix would only its wizard and that wizard's spouse and children - his family," Aberforth questioned his brother with the slightest hint of a smile.

"They go to those with those with whom both they and their wizard have a bond. It isn't my fault he doesn't like you," Albus said. He tried to pay for the beers, but his brother wouldn't take the money.

"Take it as a thank you for our discussion," Aberforth said with a wink.

Minerva's curiosity got the better of her and she had to ask, "What were the two of you discussing?"

"Life," Albus answered.

"Life and love," Aberforth added.

"Oh," Minerva smiled and turned to Albus. "Are you a man in love then?"

Neither of them noticed Aberforth's silly grin.

"No, my dear," Albus said and softly added, "but if love does strike me, I promise you'll be the first to know."

Minerva and Albus silently walked arm and arm back to Hogwart's, each lost in their own thoughts.

[dianahawthorne]

I can't wait for the next chapter- well done, as always, and please update soon!

[revolutionaryetude]

This is a really pick-me-up peice. I can't wait unitl you next update.

[morethanacrush]

"She's got quite a nice arse."
lmao.
Can't wait for more!!

[laundry basket]

lmao Aberforth is teh awesome Yeah. Update soon!

[blackmagic]

Fawkes never appreciated being ignored, but there was also the problem of too much of a good thing. He awoke from his nap in the hospital wing to find that he now had the undivided attention of - of all things to find in Hogwart's - a dog.

Snitch was completely fascinated by the magical bird. It made a lovely plaything. Every time she barked, it answered her with a squawk. Wherever it went in the air, she followed on the ground. His disappearing and reappearing in balls of fire did bother her, but he was far too strange to leave alone. The bird seemed distracted by someone entering the room and Snitch to advantage of this and jumped for the bird, relieving it of a tail feather. Warm laughter could be heard from the entrance.

Snitch liked this human and ran to greet him and his companion. The female human screamed, just as she had done every time the dog made a sudden move in her direction, and clung to the male resting her head on his chest. The male didn't seem unhappy about this. He smiled down at his female friend and began to play with a lock of her dark hair. He couldn't have seen it, but his female was smiling. Snitch thought they looked as if they were mates. Seeing them together made her happy, though she found the female to be a little too nervous. Snitch listened to her humans converse and realized, to her disappointment, that the two were not mates - why on earth was that? She then decided that she would have to get them to be mates. They seemed perfect together and oblivious to this fact. They were not young humans, but neither looked to have another mate and she thought she could see that feeling - was it love - that caused humans to mate for life flickering between them. Yes, it was decided; these two had to mate. She'd just have to figure out how to get them to see that.

Fawkes had gotten used to Albus doing strange things over the years, but this bordered on inexcusable. While he was under a full-scale attack from this hairy beast which apparently wished him to be bald, Albus had taken to flirting with Minerva... again. He knew they were both madly in love with each other and completely blind to their own feelings and he was usually happy when Albus seemed to 'see the light', but this was not the time. Fawkes was fighting off a two-front invasion and his human was too busy being almost-romantic to notice. Sometimes Fawkes wondered why he kept Albus around at all. He flapped his wings and finally got the couple separated and was pleased with himself when a sharp pain hit him and Albus laughed again. That blasted dog had removed another feather leaving him with a bald spot in the center of his tail. She seemed annoyed with him for ruining his person's fun. Fabulous, a dog who's also a romantic.

Albus and Minerva followed Fawkes down the hall to Albus' office. Snitch had crept out with them without being noticed. Albus only realized she was there when, as they approached the door, she began to growl even though she had two feathers in her teeth. "Someone is in there," he whispered to Minerva. They both drew their wands and silently entered the room.

Books were scattered on the floor and there were papers everywhere. The room was dead silent. The small group made their way through the room. "Wait here while I check upstairs," Albus said. "If anything happens, run and get help. Don't endanger yourself on my account, my dearest Minerva." He started up the stairs and then turned back, took her hand, and kissed it gently. Then he ascended the stairs.

Minerva was flustered by Albus' actions. her knees felt weak and she needed to sit down. Slowly she made her way to her favorite chair and began to sit.

Albus had just flung the door to his closet open and found nothing but wildly colorful robes. Just as he noticed the empty pedestal which had once held a statue, he heard Minerva screaming. He ran down the stairs to her.

Minerva stood in the middle of the room with both hands on her backside. Snitch was growling, but it took Albus a moment to see what she was growling at. He looked back up to his bedroom. The statue had come to life. Sitting in Minerva's chair was a red and yellow Asian dragon who was about eight inches long. Presumably, Minerva had nearly sat on him.

"Good day," said the dragon, "My name is Ramen Udon Soba. I am to assist you in your study of traditional Japanese wizards' dueling."

[dianahawthorne]

OMG! This is insanely good! Per-lease update soon!

[tabbykit]

The dragons name is all noodles!!! Awesome! I think Minerva should have a snappy retort that is something along the lines of .......Mr. Noodle. Haha! Poor thing, almost got sat on my Minerva's nice arse......Update soon!

[laundry basket]

LOL that was too funny . . . Snitch and Fawkes are cool