Post by angharad on Oct 8, 2004 15:50:22 GMT -5
Sorry this is late, but on the way it turned into a possible explanation of the "Hot Chocolate Inconsistency", so I had to do a bit of reading to make sure I'd gotten my facts straight. I hope y'all enjoy it! 
It was the wee small hours of the morning, and Albus Dumbledore was having a serious craving for hot chocolate. Of course, it would have been a simple thing for him to order some from the kitchens, but that would have meant waking one of the house elves, which he really didn’t want to do. So, as he had many times before, he put on his wooly bathrobe and trudged down to the kitchens himself. He was almost there when, at the opposite end of the corridor, he spotted Minerva McGonagall. He was just about to call out to her when he noticed something distinctly odd. She was walking very slowly, which was not at all usual for her, and she was wearing a rather glazed expression, almost as if she were under the Imperius Curse. He was at her side in a moment, wand at the ready, but she kept moving slowly forward, not registering his presence at all. It was at that moment that he realized she was sleepwalking which, although infinitely preferable to being under the Imperius Curse, was still a cause for concern. Quietly and calmly he spoke her name. “Minerva.”
She stopped, and turned towards him. “Albus?” Her voice had that unfocused quality of one still asleep.
“Yes Minerva,” he replied gently. “Are you all right?”
“I am now,” she smiled at him dreamily, slipped her arms about his neck and, to his surprise and delight, kissed him in just the way he had been fantasizing about for the past three months!
Now, Albus Dumbledore was a gentleman, and would never take advantage of a lady. However, he was only human and Minerva, even in her sleep, had obviously raised kissing to an art. After a brief inner struggle, he responded to her kiss, figuring that the eventual need for oxygen might be just the thing to wake her. He was quite correct. When the kiss finally ended, her eyes were wide open and focused intently upon him. “Albus, what…how…” she began.
“You’re in the kitchen corridor,” he told her, rubbing her back in a soothing, circular motion. “You were walking in your sleep.”
“Sleepwalking?” She took a moment to process this, then blushed furiously. “Oh Merlin,” she groaned, burying her face in her hands, “I threw myself at you!”
Albus gently pulled her hands away from her face, kissing them as he did so. “No Minerva,” he stated, “you merely gave me the kind of kiss that most men only dream about.” She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her. “I had been working up the courage to ask you to accompany me to the Astronomy Tower for champagne and dessert next Saturday.” He smiled as she looked up at him incredulously. “Maybe now I won’t have to be so nervous.”
There was nothing for it but to laugh at the absurdity of it all, and that is exactly what they did. “What were you doing down here, Albus?” Minerva asked, once she had caught her breath. “Has there been any trouble?”
Albus shook his head. “No, nothing like that,” he assured her. “I merely came down to the kitchens for some hot chocolate.”
Now it was Minerva’s turn to shake her head. “Honestly Albus, that sweet tooth of yours…”
“…has come in rather handy this evening, wouldn’t you say?” he finished with smile.
“Yes, it has,” she conceded with a rueful smile. “I have never walked in my sleep, at least not to my knowledge. I wonder why I did tonight.”
“You have been under a great deal of stress of late,” Albus reminded her.
“No more than anyone else,” Minerva countered, frowning.
“You have Harry Potter and five Weasleys in your House,” Albus responded. “And you’re my right hand in all things. I would say you have considerably more on your plate than anyone else here.”
“What about you?” she queried. “If anyone should be sleepwalking due to stress, it’s you.”
“I have Fawkes, Minerva,” Albus reminded her. “Besides, being a renowned eccentric carries with it all sorts of built-in ways of relieving stress.” He looped her arm through his. “Now, I think it best that I escort you to the Hospital Wing.” She started to protest, but he cut her off. “Madame Pomfrey has a very effective sleepwalking potion that will get you through the rest of the night. She’ll know best how to proceed from there.”
His tone brooked no argument, and Minerva really didn’t mind walking arm-in-arm with Albus Dumbledore, even if it was to the Hospital Wing. As they began to mount the stairs, Minerva saw something out of the corner of her eye and stopped. Partially propped against the banister on one side of the staircase was something that looked like a toppled statue. “That is no statue,” Minerva quickly made her way over, dragging Albus with her. “It’s Colin Creevey!” she exclaimed, touching the child’s face gently. Looking up at Albus, she whispered, “Petrified?”
Albus bent down to examine the youngster. “I’m afraid so, Minerva,” he confirmed gravely. “One of yours?”
Minerva only nodded, trying valiantly to get her emotions under control.
“We’d best get him up to Madame Pomfrey,” Albus stated, worry and resolve readily apparent in his voice and countenance.
There was no sleep for Albus and Minerva for the remainder of that night. After carrying the petrified boy to the Hospital Wing and leaving him with Madame Pomfrey, there was the rest of the staff to alert, the child’s parents to inform, and a school of frightened, vulnerable students to protect. It was almost Midnight the following evening before Minerva was able to begin her bedtime preparations, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. “Enter,” she called, recognizing the pattern of the knock at once.
In came the Headmaster, holding a vial of deep blue liquid in his hand. “Madame Pomfrey sends this with instructions to take it every evening, immediately before retiring.”
“Albus, I hardly...” Minerva began.
“Minerva,” he interrupted her very gently, reaching out to stroke her cheek as he did so, “Until we find out how these attacks are being carried out, no one is safe walking about the castle in her sleep. Besides,” the twinkle was back in his eyes now, “the next time you kiss me, I want you to be awake and conscious.”
It was the wee small hours of the morning, and Albus Dumbledore was having a serious craving for hot chocolate. Of course, it would have been a simple thing for him to order some from the kitchens, but that would have meant waking one of the house elves, which he really didn’t want to do. So, as he had many times before, he put on his wooly bathrobe and trudged down to the kitchens himself. He was almost there when, at the opposite end of the corridor, he spotted Minerva McGonagall. He was just about to call out to her when he noticed something distinctly odd. She was walking very slowly, which was not at all usual for her, and she was wearing a rather glazed expression, almost as if she were under the Imperius Curse. He was at her side in a moment, wand at the ready, but she kept moving slowly forward, not registering his presence at all. It was at that moment that he realized she was sleepwalking which, although infinitely preferable to being under the Imperius Curse, was still a cause for concern. Quietly and calmly he spoke her name. “Minerva.”
She stopped, and turned towards him. “Albus?” Her voice had that unfocused quality of one still asleep.
“Yes Minerva,” he replied gently. “Are you all right?”
“I am now,” she smiled at him dreamily, slipped her arms about his neck and, to his surprise and delight, kissed him in just the way he had been fantasizing about for the past three months!
Now, Albus Dumbledore was a gentleman, and would never take advantage of a lady. However, he was only human and Minerva, even in her sleep, had obviously raised kissing to an art. After a brief inner struggle, he responded to her kiss, figuring that the eventual need for oxygen might be just the thing to wake her. He was quite correct. When the kiss finally ended, her eyes were wide open and focused intently upon him. “Albus, what…how…” she began.
“You’re in the kitchen corridor,” he told her, rubbing her back in a soothing, circular motion. “You were walking in your sleep.”
“Sleepwalking?” She took a moment to process this, then blushed furiously. “Oh Merlin,” she groaned, burying her face in her hands, “I threw myself at you!”
Albus gently pulled her hands away from her face, kissing them as he did so. “No Minerva,” he stated, “you merely gave me the kind of kiss that most men only dream about.” She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her. “I had been working up the courage to ask you to accompany me to the Astronomy Tower for champagne and dessert next Saturday.” He smiled as she looked up at him incredulously. “Maybe now I won’t have to be so nervous.”
There was nothing for it but to laugh at the absurdity of it all, and that is exactly what they did. “What were you doing down here, Albus?” Minerva asked, once she had caught her breath. “Has there been any trouble?”
Albus shook his head. “No, nothing like that,” he assured her. “I merely came down to the kitchens for some hot chocolate.”
Now it was Minerva’s turn to shake her head. “Honestly Albus, that sweet tooth of yours…”
“…has come in rather handy this evening, wouldn’t you say?” he finished with smile.
“Yes, it has,” she conceded with a rueful smile. “I have never walked in my sleep, at least not to my knowledge. I wonder why I did tonight.”
“You have been under a great deal of stress of late,” Albus reminded her.
“No more than anyone else,” Minerva countered, frowning.
“You have Harry Potter and five Weasleys in your House,” Albus responded. “And you’re my right hand in all things. I would say you have considerably more on your plate than anyone else here.”
“What about you?” she queried. “If anyone should be sleepwalking due to stress, it’s you.”
“I have Fawkes, Minerva,” Albus reminded her. “Besides, being a renowned eccentric carries with it all sorts of built-in ways of relieving stress.” He looped her arm through his. “Now, I think it best that I escort you to the Hospital Wing.” She started to protest, but he cut her off. “Madame Pomfrey has a very effective sleepwalking potion that will get you through the rest of the night. She’ll know best how to proceed from there.”
His tone brooked no argument, and Minerva really didn’t mind walking arm-in-arm with Albus Dumbledore, even if it was to the Hospital Wing. As they began to mount the stairs, Minerva saw something out of the corner of her eye and stopped. Partially propped against the banister on one side of the staircase was something that looked like a toppled statue. “That is no statue,” Minerva quickly made her way over, dragging Albus with her. “It’s Colin Creevey!” she exclaimed, touching the child’s face gently. Looking up at Albus, she whispered, “Petrified?”
Albus bent down to examine the youngster. “I’m afraid so, Minerva,” he confirmed gravely. “One of yours?”
Minerva only nodded, trying valiantly to get her emotions under control.
“We’d best get him up to Madame Pomfrey,” Albus stated, worry and resolve readily apparent in his voice and countenance.
There was no sleep for Albus and Minerva for the remainder of that night. After carrying the petrified boy to the Hospital Wing and leaving him with Madame Pomfrey, there was the rest of the staff to alert, the child’s parents to inform, and a school of frightened, vulnerable students to protect. It was almost Midnight the following evening before Minerva was able to begin her bedtime preparations, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. “Enter,” she called, recognizing the pattern of the knock at once.
In came the Headmaster, holding a vial of deep blue liquid in his hand. “Madame Pomfrey sends this with instructions to take it every evening, immediately before retiring.”
“Albus, I hardly...” Minerva began.
“Minerva,” he interrupted her very gently, reaching out to stroke her cheek as he did so, “Until we find out how these attacks are being carried out, no one is safe walking about the castle in her sleep. Besides,” the twinkle was back in his eyes now, “the next time you kiss me, I want you to be awake and conscious.”
A perfectly reasonable explanation of the whole hot chocolate thing if you ask me! That was very good. 
