Post by angharad on Oct 14, 2004 17:20:46 GMT -5
Albus Dumbledore was behaving oddly. Now, that in itself was nothing to remark upon; there was, after all, a reason why he was often referred to as “eccentric”. However, this particular brand of oddity was not his usual “barmy old codger” routine, and Minerva McGonagall was determined to get to the bottom of the matter. She began to notice Albus’ strange behavior during their first meeting of the school year. He was quite distracted, and she found herself having to call his name and repeat herself several times, despite the fact that he was looking right at her. Then there were mealtimes, at which he displayed an uncharacteristic loss of appetite. Whenever Minerva remarked upon it, though, Albus would move his food around the plate a bit, then invariably change the subject to how lovely she was looking or how much he enjoyed talking with her. Naturally, those sorts of compliments made her highly suspicious, as she had learned over the years that men only said things like that when they were trying to pull the wool over her eyes in some manner. The final straw came when, during another meeting, he received a book by owl post and, instead of showing it to her, as he usually did, hurriedly put the book in the top drawer of his desk. Not wishing to alert him, she made no comment about the hastily hidden volume, having decided right then and there to begin an investigation.
It was easy enough to learn the title of mysterious book. When Albus excused himself for a moment, she quickly opened the drawer to discover that he had purchased How to Win a Witch; A Guide to the Modern Witch for the Out-of-Practice Wizard. Closing the drawer just as quickly, she returned to her seat to do some serious pondering. Why would Albus not wish for her to see the book? Obviously, it wasn’t a present for her and, if it was intended for anyone else, he would have shown it to her. The only conclusion she could come to was that Albus Dumbledore was in love, or well on his way to being in that state. Who in Merlin’s name is he in love with, and why on earth does he need a book to win her? If she’s even remotely worthy of him, she’d be thanking her lucky stars for his smallest glance in her direction! Minerva’s ruminations were interrupted by Albus’ return, and she forced her mind to return to more mundane matters, which was a blessing. Otherwise, she would have been forced to wonder why her attitude towards her best friend’s love life had become so…possessive. When she left his office, however, she was determined to find out who this hard-to-get woman was, and give her what she’d heard one of the students refer to as a “clue-by-four”.
Thus it was that a grey striped tabby cat, at a discreet distance, followed Albus Dumbledore to Hogsmeade that afternoon. His first stop was Gladrags where, to Minerva’s great surprise and indignation, Madame Rosmerta was waiting. After scooting down an alley to change back into human form, Minerva unobtrusively entered the shop and saw that the two had made their way to the lingerie section. Well, that was quick, wasn’t it? Minerva fumed. Albus was holding up a gown that, where it wasn’t completely sheer, was emerald green. It was absolutely gorgeous.
“What about this?” Albus queried, smiling dreamily at the filmy fabric.
“She’ll hex you into the next millennium if you give her that,” Rosmerta gasped, eyes boggling.
“Why?” Albus asked. “It’s beautiful, and she’ll look stunning!”
“That may be,” Rosmerta responded warily, “but Minerva McGonagall is one of the most tightly wound people I’ve ever met. If you give her that as your courting gift, she’ll think you’re only after one thing.”
Albus’ face fell. “I suppose you’re right,” he conceded with a sigh. “What shall I give her, then?”
“A necklace,” Rosmerta replied firmly. “Intimate enough to convey your intentions, yet not as intimidating as a ring, and certainly not as potentially dangerous as that.”
Albus nodded and, after one last longing look at the gown, followed Madame Rosmerta out of the shop.
To say that Minerva’s mind was reeling would be an understatement. It’s me, she realized joyfully, though ungrammatically. He wants…me! As a close friend of Albus’, she’d known for years about his family’s courting gift tradition. On Halloween, which marked the beginning of the year for those who followed certain ancient ways, each Dumbledore man would send a gift of clothing or jewelry to whichever lady he fancied. If the lady in question returned his interest, she was to wear the gift right away. This year, Halloween would fall on Friday, the day Minerva and Albus usually played chess in the evening. Good heavens! He was actually thinking of giving me that gown, and… She blushed profusely, making her way to the door, then stopped. Tightly wound, am I? With a small smile, she turned back.
On Halloween, after the feast, Minerva arrived in her rooms to find a small parcel sitting atop her desk. Inside, suspended on a handsome gold chain, was a golden cat wrought in an intricate Celtic interlace pattern. The note that came with it read:
Dearest Minerva,
I would very much like to court you. If I have your permission to do so, please wear the enclosed gift to our chess game this evening. If you aren’t wearing it, I’ll understand and we’ll say no more about it. No matter what you decide, please know that I am
Always yours,
Albus
One hour later, an understandably nervous Albus opened the door to his rooms to reveal Minerva wearing a heavy cloak. Gesturing for her to come inside, he asked “Have you just come from outdoors?”
Minerva shook her head, and wordlessly unfastened the cloak, letting it fall from her shoulders as she moved towards him. She was wearing the necklace…and something that, where it wasn’t completely sheer, was emerald green. She looked absolutely gorgeous. They did *not* play chess.
It was easy enough to learn the title of mysterious book. When Albus excused himself for a moment, she quickly opened the drawer to discover that he had purchased How to Win a Witch; A Guide to the Modern Witch for the Out-of-Practice Wizard. Closing the drawer just as quickly, she returned to her seat to do some serious pondering. Why would Albus not wish for her to see the book? Obviously, it wasn’t a present for her and, if it was intended for anyone else, he would have shown it to her. The only conclusion she could come to was that Albus Dumbledore was in love, or well on his way to being in that state. Who in Merlin’s name is he in love with, and why on earth does he need a book to win her? If she’s even remotely worthy of him, she’d be thanking her lucky stars for his smallest glance in her direction! Minerva’s ruminations were interrupted by Albus’ return, and she forced her mind to return to more mundane matters, which was a blessing. Otherwise, she would have been forced to wonder why her attitude towards her best friend’s love life had become so…possessive. When she left his office, however, she was determined to find out who this hard-to-get woman was, and give her what she’d heard one of the students refer to as a “clue-by-four”.
Thus it was that a grey striped tabby cat, at a discreet distance, followed Albus Dumbledore to Hogsmeade that afternoon. His first stop was Gladrags where, to Minerva’s great surprise and indignation, Madame Rosmerta was waiting. After scooting down an alley to change back into human form, Minerva unobtrusively entered the shop and saw that the two had made their way to the lingerie section. Well, that was quick, wasn’t it? Minerva fumed. Albus was holding up a gown that, where it wasn’t completely sheer, was emerald green. It was absolutely gorgeous.
“What about this?” Albus queried, smiling dreamily at the filmy fabric.
“She’ll hex you into the next millennium if you give her that,” Rosmerta gasped, eyes boggling.
“Why?” Albus asked. “It’s beautiful, and she’ll look stunning!”
“That may be,” Rosmerta responded warily, “but Minerva McGonagall is one of the most tightly wound people I’ve ever met. If you give her that as your courting gift, she’ll think you’re only after one thing.”
Albus’ face fell. “I suppose you’re right,” he conceded with a sigh. “What shall I give her, then?”
“A necklace,” Rosmerta replied firmly. “Intimate enough to convey your intentions, yet not as intimidating as a ring, and certainly not as potentially dangerous as that.”
Albus nodded and, after one last longing look at the gown, followed Madame Rosmerta out of the shop.
To say that Minerva’s mind was reeling would be an understatement. It’s me, she realized joyfully, though ungrammatically. He wants…me! As a close friend of Albus’, she’d known for years about his family’s courting gift tradition. On Halloween, which marked the beginning of the year for those who followed certain ancient ways, each Dumbledore man would send a gift of clothing or jewelry to whichever lady he fancied. If the lady in question returned his interest, she was to wear the gift right away. This year, Halloween would fall on Friday, the day Minerva and Albus usually played chess in the evening. Good heavens! He was actually thinking of giving me that gown, and… She blushed profusely, making her way to the door, then stopped. Tightly wound, am I? With a small smile, she turned back.
On Halloween, after the feast, Minerva arrived in her rooms to find a small parcel sitting atop her desk. Inside, suspended on a handsome gold chain, was a golden cat wrought in an intricate Celtic interlace pattern. The note that came with it read:
Dearest Minerva,
I would very much like to court you. If I have your permission to do so, please wear the enclosed gift to our chess game this evening. If you aren’t wearing it, I’ll understand and we’ll say no more about it. No matter what you decide, please know that I am
Always yours,
Albus
One hour later, an understandably nervous Albus opened the door to his rooms to reveal Minerva wearing a heavy cloak. Gesturing for her to come inside, he asked “Have you just come from outdoors?”
Minerva shook her head, and wordlessly unfastened the cloak, letting it fall from her shoulders as she moved towards him. She was wearing the necklace…and something that, where it wasn’t completely sheer, was emerald green. She looked absolutely gorgeous. They did *not* play chess.
LOL!! That was fantastic! Thank you for the laugh after a long day. The ending was perfect!
