Post by Hogwarts Duo on Dec 13, 2005 10:30:50 GMT -5
The Most Stressful Day
Summary: Albus and Minerva both have a stressful day during exam week.
Minerva was wide awake and staring up at the stars through the large skylight in the ceiling above the bed. Each one twinkled merrily from its’ velvety blanket as if smiling down upon them, giving her a sense of peace and calm in the otherwise stressful day. She searched the blanket of stars until she found their star as Albus so often called it and then she let her mind slip back to a fond memory. She couldn’t help but hug Albus a little tighter as she remembered her first night spent in these rooms with him and all the glorious times since. Pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, Minerva cradled Albus’ head to her breast, her fingers lacing through his hair slowly as she closed her eyes and tried to relax enough to fall asleep. Merlin knows after the events of the day, she should have been exhausted, if not for the antics of her students then definitely from her antics with Albus.
It was exam time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Minerva was on her guard almost constantly. Each year at least one student thought he or she had found a way to fool the perceptive Transfiguration professor and tried to cheat on the final exam. This year was no exception, though the outcome was certainly not one Minerva could have ever anticipated. Though in hindsight, the clues were all there if only she had assembled them properly.
Agnes Scuffington wasn’t terribly gifted when it came to the art of transfiguring one object into another and Minerva had struggled all year with the young girl. Often after one of the first year exams in which Ms. Scuffington had participated, Minerva would need a potion to relieve the pounding in her head. A few times, Albus had entered her rooms and treated her to a soothing shoulder and head massage, which almost always turned into him nuzzling her neck, further releasing her tensions and stress.
And today was no exception. Agnes had reasoned that the only way to pass her transfiguration class was to cheat. Despite being told the test was practical instead of written, the young first year had focused most of her time and attention on her plot to outwit her professor instead of applying herself to her studies. The result was no less catastrophic than any of her other classes with Professor McGonagall.
The first year students were supposed to take an ordinary quill and transfigure it into an ink pot and from there they were to turn it into a small matchbox. For most of her students, Minerva felt this would challenge them but not overly exert their skills. Many of them would be successful on their second attempt but the average was three tries before the matchbox was produced.
Agnes had cast a charm on her wand, something dangerous to begin with, and as soon as she tried to perform the first part of her exam, the wand took on a mind of its’ own. Shrieks and shrills echoed down the hallway as the young girl’s wand blasted the quill up into the air before it burst into flames. The flames soon split into several smaller flames and landed on the desks of her classmates. Quick to action, Minerva cast a spell turning the dancing flames into tiny bubbles which soon dissipated. Needless to say, Agnes was instructed to remain after class for a stern lecture, a promise of a letter to her parents, and a deduction of sixty points from the noble house of Hufflepuff.
After dismissing the sobbing girl, Minerva sank into her chair and closed her eyes, attempting to rein in her frustration and disappointment before heading to lunch. When a set of warm fingertips began rubbing her temples, she sighed and felt her shoulders drop in relaxation. “Mmm, I wondered how long it would be before you came to check on me.” Minerva felt a pair of warm lips on her neck followed by a slight nipping at her ear.
“I looked at the schedule of exams and realized that Ms. Scuffington would be in your first class this morning. Such a chaotic way to start the day, wouldn’t you say?” Minerva nodded her head, which was now leaning slightly more to one side so that Albus could have full access to her neck.
“She tried to cheat on her exam, Albus. And when she attempted to transfigure the quill into the ink pot flames appeared and I had to step in and change them into bubbles before we burned down the school.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as all that,” he chuckled. “Come on. Let’s get some lunch into you and hopefully this afternoon will be much better.”
Albus escorted Minerva to lunch and was pleased to see a smile across her face more than once during the meal. Apparently her tensions had eased slightly and while she was still annoyed at the young girl for trying to deceive her, Albus had swooped in as he always did and made everything better. After a brief parting kiss, Albus made his way to his office as Minerva headed off in the direction of the staff room to grade some essays from her sixth year class.
Several of her colleagues had already taken spots in the crowded staff room, no doubt having grown weary of staring at their own offices as they tried to finish writing exams, grading exams or working on revising their lesson plans for the upcoming year. Minerva was fortunate, however, to find that her favorite chair near the fire was unoccupied so she settled in for an afternoon of work.
Nearly two hours later, Minerva was enjoying a cup of steaming tea and a plate of ginger newts as she looked at her completed paperwork. She had really concentrated on finishing up her work so that she could spend a quiet evening with Albus which involved cuddling before a heatless fire and some not so heatless kisses. Minerva was just about to pour herself another cup of tea when Fawkes suddenly burst into the center of the room in a ball of fire, nearly setting Professor Binns’ stack of ungraded essays on fire and knocking over the ink well onto Professor Flitwick’s charms book. Given the rather abrupt and startling entrance, many of the professors gasped or squealed in surprise as the brightly colored bird squawked apologetically before hopping over to Minerva, offering her the note in his beak.
“It’s alright, Fawkes. They needed a little excitement in their day,” she whispered to the bird before giving him a loving pat on the head and a ginger newt for his troubles. Fawkes bumped his head against Minerva’s cheek then perched on her shoulder, as if he was afraid of the others in the room.
Minerva,
Please come to my office immediately. Something has happened and it’s extremely urgent. I’ll explain everything once you arrive.
Albus
Minerva gathered her things up and banished them to her private office before dashing from the staff room amid a flurry of whispers and hurled speculations as to her hasty retreat. For Albus to send Fawkes with a message in the middle of the afternoon, especially one as cryptic as the one she had received, it must be terribly serious. By the time she reached the staircase leading to his private office, she was practically sprinting down the hallway.
“Albus,” she called out upon entering the room. She waited in silence for his answer and upon hearing none she started up their winding stairwell, which led to their private rooms. It was there that she found him, seated on the windowsill and staring across the grounds. “Albus? Are you alright? Your note sounded urgent and to send Fawkes, it must have been important.”
Albus held out his hand, an invitation for Minerva to join him near the window. When she stepped close enough, Albus whirled around and enveloped her in his arms, holding her tightly to him. “I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you feel cheap or unimportant to me, Minerva. Merlin knows that’s not how I see you at all. I love you with all my heart and I hope you know that.”
“Good heavens, Albus! What’s wrong with you? You’ve never made me feel that way, sweetheart.” Minerva pushed back a little from his tight grip to look into his troubled eyes.
“I had to fire Professor Amberling today.” Minerva looked just as shocked as Albus had earlier in the day but that still did not explain his current mood in regards to her. “And before he left, he said some rather nasty things which made me reevaluate my own actions.”
“Why don’t you show me in your pensieve and maybe I’ll understand what you’re rambling on about, dear? Right now you’re not making much sense and you’re beginning to frighten me just a bit.” Albus nodded his head and together they walked over to the pensieve where he extracted a set of recent memories and swirled them around in the bowl.
Minerva kissed him on the cheek then plunged head first into his thoughts. She saw him as he watched her for several long minutes before sneaking up behind her and rubbing her shoulders. She saw herself nearly melting beneath his magical touch and her body tingled as she remembered the exact feel of his breath on her neck.
The next set of memories was of lunch and she listened as Albus described his plans for the afternoon. His warm voice stirred feelings inside her, the same feelings which made her long for a quiet night with him. She felt her cheeks burn as he kissed her longingly in the hallway before they parted ways for the afternoon and she never realized that he had elicited a soft moan from her as his body pressed against hers earlier that afternoon.
Minerva went further into his thoughts and saw him answering owls in his office when she heard a knock on his door. It was one of her cubs, a rather shy lad who had been fascinated with Albus since his arrival at the school five years ago. Minerva had watched young Bernard as he watched Albus at mealtimes and in the hallways. She could tell he greatly admired his Headmaster and she had to admit she felt a surge of pride for Albus.
“Ah, Mr. Drogheda, what can I do for you this afternoon? Aren’t you supposed to be taking your Defense Against the Dark Arts exam at this very moment?” Albus’ piercing blue eyes surveyed the young lad, noting how the boy shifted from one foot to the other before speaking.
“Yes sir I am but Professor Amberling never showed up for class. We took a vote in class and I was chosen to go to the staff room to see if he was there but the house elves said the professors were either in their private offices or in class. That’s why I came to you.”
“I see. Well you did the correct thing, Bernard. And fifty points to your house for coming to me with this matter. I’ll see that a professor comes to your class immediately and then I’ll attend to the matter of Professor Amberlings’ absence. I’m sure he merely lost track of time.” Albus smiled warmly at the young lad, offered him a sherbet lemon and then reminded him to go back and share the information with his classmates.
Minerva watched as Albus contacted Madame Sprout in her greenhouse, who readily agreed to look after the class while the absent professor was located. And in the very next memory, Minerva saw Albus knocking on the chamber door of one Professor Amos Amberling. The door opened slowly and to say both Albus and Minerva were shocked would have been an understatement as a scantily clad woman opened the door.
The woman in question opened the door even wider when she saw Albus Dumbledore on the other side, her smile spreading into a broad grin as she stepped fully into the doorway, giving Albus a rather revealing view of how little she wore. The thin material covered her body, to a certain degree, but it did nothing to hide any of her curves, angles or treasures from his eyes. “Albus Dumbledore,” she remarked in a husky voice as her hand reached out to him. “I was hoping I’d get the pleasure of meeting you one day. Though I had hoped it would be under different circumstances. I’ve always found you rather exciting and I’m sure we could have a grand time together.”
Summary: Albus and Minerva both have a stressful day during exam week.
Minerva was wide awake and staring up at the stars through the large skylight in the ceiling above the bed. Each one twinkled merrily from its’ velvety blanket as if smiling down upon them, giving her a sense of peace and calm in the otherwise stressful day. She searched the blanket of stars until she found their star as Albus so often called it and then she let her mind slip back to a fond memory. She couldn’t help but hug Albus a little tighter as she remembered her first night spent in these rooms with him and all the glorious times since. Pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, Minerva cradled Albus’ head to her breast, her fingers lacing through his hair slowly as she closed her eyes and tried to relax enough to fall asleep. Merlin knows after the events of the day, she should have been exhausted, if not for the antics of her students then definitely from her antics with Albus.
It was exam time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Minerva was on her guard almost constantly. Each year at least one student thought he or she had found a way to fool the perceptive Transfiguration professor and tried to cheat on the final exam. This year was no exception, though the outcome was certainly not one Minerva could have ever anticipated. Though in hindsight, the clues were all there if only she had assembled them properly.
Agnes Scuffington wasn’t terribly gifted when it came to the art of transfiguring one object into another and Minerva had struggled all year with the young girl. Often after one of the first year exams in which Ms. Scuffington had participated, Minerva would need a potion to relieve the pounding in her head. A few times, Albus had entered her rooms and treated her to a soothing shoulder and head massage, which almost always turned into him nuzzling her neck, further releasing her tensions and stress.
And today was no exception. Agnes had reasoned that the only way to pass her transfiguration class was to cheat. Despite being told the test was practical instead of written, the young first year had focused most of her time and attention on her plot to outwit her professor instead of applying herself to her studies. The result was no less catastrophic than any of her other classes with Professor McGonagall.
The first year students were supposed to take an ordinary quill and transfigure it into an ink pot and from there they were to turn it into a small matchbox. For most of her students, Minerva felt this would challenge them but not overly exert their skills. Many of them would be successful on their second attempt but the average was three tries before the matchbox was produced.
Agnes had cast a charm on her wand, something dangerous to begin with, and as soon as she tried to perform the first part of her exam, the wand took on a mind of its’ own. Shrieks and shrills echoed down the hallway as the young girl’s wand blasted the quill up into the air before it burst into flames. The flames soon split into several smaller flames and landed on the desks of her classmates. Quick to action, Minerva cast a spell turning the dancing flames into tiny bubbles which soon dissipated. Needless to say, Agnes was instructed to remain after class for a stern lecture, a promise of a letter to her parents, and a deduction of sixty points from the noble house of Hufflepuff.
After dismissing the sobbing girl, Minerva sank into her chair and closed her eyes, attempting to rein in her frustration and disappointment before heading to lunch. When a set of warm fingertips began rubbing her temples, she sighed and felt her shoulders drop in relaxation. “Mmm, I wondered how long it would be before you came to check on me.” Minerva felt a pair of warm lips on her neck followed by a slight nipping at her ear.
“I looked at the schedule of exams and realized that Ms. Scuffington would be in your first class this morning. Such a chaotic way to start the day, wouldn’t you say?” Minerva nodded her head, which was now leaning slightly more to one side so that Albus could have full access to her neck.
“She tried to cheat on her exam, Albus. And when she attempted to transfigure the quill into the ink pot flames appeared and I had to step in and change them into bubbles before we burned down the school.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as all that,” he chuckled. “Come on. Let’s get some lunch into you and hopefully this afternoon will be much better.”
Albus escorted Minerva to lunch and was pleased to see a smile across her face more than once during the meal. Apparently her tensions had eased slightly and while she was still annoyed at the young girl for trying to deceive her, Albus had swooped in as he always did and made everything better. After a brief parting kiss, Albus made his way to his office as Minerva headed off in the direction of the staff room to grade some essays from her sixth year class.
Several of her colleagues had already taken spots in the crowded staff room, no doubt having grown weary of staring at their own offices as they tried to finish writing exams, grading exams or working on revising their lesson plans for the upcoming year. Minerva was fortunate, however, to find that her favorite chair near the fire was unoccupied so she settled in for an afternoon of work.
Nearly two hours later, Minerva was enjoying a cup of steaming tea and a plate of ginger newts as she looked at her completed paperwork. She had really concentrated on finishing up her work so that she could spend a quiet evening with Albus which involved cuddling before a heatless fire and some not so heatless kisses. Minerva was just about to pour herself another cup of tea when Fawkes suddenly burst into the center of the room in a ball of fire, nearly setting Professor Binns’ stack of ungraded essays on fire and knocking over the ink well onto Professor Flitwick’s charms book. Given the rather abrupt and startling entrance, many of the professors gasped or squealed in surprise as the brightly colored bird squawked apologetically before hopping over to Minerva, offering her the note in his beak.
“It’s alright, Fawkes. They needed a little excitement in their day,” she whispered to the bird before giving him a loving pat on the head and a ginger newt for his troubles. Fawkes bumped his head against Minerva’s cheek then perched on her shoulder, as if he was afraid of the others in the room.
Minerva,
Please come to my office immediately. Something has happened and it’s extremely urgent. I’ll explain everything once you arrive.
Albus
Minerva gathered her things up and banished them to her private office before dashing from the staff room amid a flurry of whispers and hurled speculations as to her hasty retreat. For Albus to send Fawkes with a message in the middle of the afternoon, especially one as cryptic as the one she had received, it must be terribly serious. By the time she reached the staircase leading to his private office, she was practically sprinting down the hallway.
“Albus,” she called out upon entering the room. She waited in silence for his answer and upon hearing none she started up their winding stairwell, which led to their private rooms. It was there that she found him, seated on the windowsill and staring across the grounds. “Albus? Are you alright? Your note sounded urgent and to send Fawkes, it must have been important.”
Albus held out his hand, an invitation for Minerva to join him near the window. When she stepped close enough, Albus whirled around and enveloped her in his arms, holding her tightly to him. “I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you feel cheap or unimportant to me, Minerva. Merlin knows that’s not how I see you at all. I love you with all my heart and I hope you know that.”
“Good heavens, Albus! What’s wrong with you? You’ve never made me feel that way, sweetheart.” Minerva pushed back a little from his tight grip to look into his troubled eyes.
“I had to fire Professor Amberling today.” Minerva looked just as shocked as Albus had earlier in the day but that still did not explain his current mood in regards to her. “And before he left, he said some rather nasty things which made me reevaluate my own actions.”
“Why don’t you show me in your pensieve and maybe I’ll understand what you’re rambling on about, dear? Right now you’re not making much sense and you’re beginning to frighten me just a bit.” Albus nodded his head and together they walked over to the pensieve where he extracted a set of recent memories and swirled them around in the bowl.
Minerva kissed him on the cheek then plunged head first into his thoughts. She saw him as he watched her for several long minutes before sneaking up behind her and rubbing her shoulders. She saw herself nearly melting beneath his magical touch and her body tingled as she remembered the exact feel of his breath on her neck.
The next set of memories was of lunch and she listened as Albus described his plans for the afternoon. His warm voice stirred feelings inside her, the same feelings which made her long for a quiet night with him. She felt her cheeks burn as he kissed her longingly in the hallway before they parted ways for the afternoon and she never realized that he had elicited a soft moan from her as his body pressed against hers earlier that afternoon.
Minerva went further into his thoughts and saw him answering owls in his office when she heard a knock on his door. It was one of her cubs, a rather shy lad who had been fascinated with Albus since his arrival at the school five years ago. Minerva had watched young Bernard as he watched Albus at mealtimes and in the hallways. She could tell he greatly admired his Headmaster and she had to admit she felt a surge of pride for Albus.
“Ah, Mr. Drogheda, what can I do for you this afternoon? Aren’t you supposed to be taking your Defense Against the Dark Arts exam at this very moment?” Albus’ piercing blue eyes surveyed the young lad, noting how the boy shifted from one foot to the other before speaking.
“Yes sir I am but Professor Amberling never showed up for class. We took a vote in class and I was chosen to go to the staff room to see if he was there but the house elves said the professors were either in their private offices or in class. That’s why I came to you.”
“I see. Well you did the correct thing, Bernard. And fifty points to your house for coming to me with this matter. I’ll see that a professor comes to your class immediately and then I’ll attend to the matter of Professor Amberlings’ absence. I’m sure he merely lost track of time.” Albus smiled warmly at the young lad, offered him a sherbet lemon and then reminded him to go back and share the information with his classmates.
Minerva watched as Albus contacted Madame Sprout in her greenhouse, who readily agreed to look after the class while the absent professor was located. And in the very next memory, Minerva saw Albus knocking on the chamber door of one Professor Amos Amberling. The door opened slowly and to say both Albus and Minerva were shocked would have been an understatement as a scantily clad woman opened the door.
The woman in question opened the door even wider when she saw Albus Dumbledore on the other side, her smile spreading into a broad grin as she stepped fully into the doorway, giving Albus a rather revealing view of how little she wore. The thin material covered her body, to a certain degree, but it did nothing to hide any of her curves, angles or treasures from his eyes. “Albus Dumbledore,” she remarked in a husky voice as her hand reached out to him. “I was hoping I’d get the pleasure of meeting you one day. Though I had hoped it would be under different circumstances. I’ve always found you rather exciting and I’m sure we could have a grand time together.”
