Post by Sensiblyquirky on Dec 8, 2004 16:54:18 GMT -5
So about those finals... ;D
Part One:
Minerva McGonagall smiled softly to herself as she strolled down Hogwarts’ quiet corridors toward the Headmaster’s office. Albus had been working so hard lately that he had not even had the time to decorate his office for Christmas, and that was saying something since it was his favorite time of year.
She could not pinpoint a day or a year, but somewhere in the past three years Minerva had fallen in love with Albus Dumbledore. He was her best friend, and she was drawn to his calm nature, his ever present wit, and the breadth of love and warmth that exuded from his heart. That was why, on the day the students had left for break, she was headed toward his office at eleven in the evening.
Minerva was going to decorate his office and sitting room for him, and maybe even get some of his paperwork filed away. She hoped that this would improve his holiday, and give her a chance to express to him exactly how she felt.
Minerva reached the gargoyle, and soft Scottish tilt whispered “Candy Cane” before the stairs were exposed to the quiet of the evening. Upon entering his office Minerva decided to do the paperwork first. She shuffled through the unorganized pile on his desk, and in two hours time had filed, signed, and sealed her way to a clean desk top all the while carrying on a light conversation with the few portraits still awake.
For a change of scenery Minerva started in the sitting room. She smiled softly at his odd pieces of furniture before deciding on the corner near the right window for the placement of a tree. Taking a small object Minerva transfigured it into a tree, not a real one but she charmed it to smell like a fir. Working quickly, but carefully, Minerva adorned the tree with white lights, icicles, large decorative white, silver, and gold ornaments. Then she covered the tree with some fake snow, and used the excess to create a snowy tree skirt underneath the tree on which his presents could rest. Atop the tree she placed a large star that would blink occasionally.
Satisfied with the tree Minerva moved to the mantel above his fireplace. Garland was placed on the Mantel, and falling along the sides. Minerva removed her hairpins and placing them on the table transfigured each of them into various candies that Albus loved, and hung them in the garland on the sides. A top the mantel she placed a few more candies, and then candles of various sizes. The final piece to the mantel was a red stocking with his name on it that was placed in the middle. Minerva used a stocking she had found shopping in Hogesmeade, because it depicted a Scottish Santa, and then she knitted his name on to the top. Pleased with his sitting room Minerva moved back into his office. There she used brighter colors, and more garish decorations more to his liking rather than hers.
At five in the morning Minerva crossed the threshold to her rooms, and dropped on the couch in exhaustion. She was quite excited as to what his reaction would be the next morning at breakfast, and Minerva fell asleep dreaming of how happy Albus would be.
However as Albus stumbled into the Great Hall the next morning he was anything but happy. He looked haggard, and was in a very rare bad mood. Mumbling a few good mornings he sat heavily down in his chair, and speaking to no one began to eat some breakfast.
Minerva was worried. She was so sure he would like them. “Albus is something the matter?” she asked cautiously.
“As a matter of fact something is the matter. I was at the Ministry until six this morning, and when I returned I had intended to get some paperwork done so I could take a nap this afternoon, but when I arrived someone had cleared by desk. I cannot find a single thing! I have spent the last two hours searching for documents that I need to get sent off, and some of them are missing. Does anyone have any idea who did this?” Albus asked his voice rising to show his anger as he moved his head along the staff table.
As his head fell on Minerva he noticed she was fiddling with the fork in her hand, and her head was turned down. Minerva, on the other hand, was trying to cry. She had worked so hard, and he had not even mentioned the decorations.
“Minerva, do you know something?” Albus asked slowly but in voice to attract the attention of the rest of the staff, and the few students up.
Minerva sighed, “It was me,” she mumbled.
Albus was sure he had heard incorrectly, “Excuse me?”
Raising her head to look him in the eyes she repeated, “It was me.”
“What in the name of Merlin were you thinking?”
“I just wanted to help a little, because you were so busy.” Minerva stated firmly but sadly.
“Well you didn’t help at all, because I cannot find a thing! I know you do not like a mess, but I knew where every single document was on my desk.”
“I was just trying to help, Dumbledore. I thought you could use a little Christmas cheer since you had been so busy, but I’ll go fix it all now.”
Not waiting for a response Minerva quickly fled the hall, her tears falling heavily down her cheeks as she briskly walked to his office.
As she left Professor Sinistra narrowed her eyes at the Headmaster, “She worked in your office all night, you know. I was returning from gazing, and she was just returning to her rooms and it was five in the morning. She was just trying to help you. Don’t take your frustration out on her.”
“She’s the cause of my frustration!” Albus retorted loudly.
“No she is not!” Sinistra said in return, “I bet she did half that work for you, perhaps that’s why it isn’t there. Did you notice anything else different in your office?”
Albus mumbled something, “come again?” “She had decorated it for Christmas.”
“So she spent all night doing half your paperwork, and decorating your office and you yell at her this morning?” Sera just shook her head too angered to say anything else at the Headmaster’s treatment of her friend.
At this time Minerva was pulling out his paperwork as she cried. She had already cleared away all her decorations in his office. As she was creating the last pile on his desk Albus entered. Quickly cleaning her eyes Minerva cleared her throat before speaking, “I sent off a number of items you were done with last night, and this pile here,” she indicated with her finger, “is what is left for you to sign, this one for you to even respond to, and this was miscellaneous. I had filed them in your drawers, and I’m sorry I caused such a mess.”
Needing to remove herself from the environment Minerva practically ran past Albus out of his office, forgetting about his sitting room. Albus looked around his office, and noticed it didn’t look anywhere as nice as it did this morning.
He wasn’t sure how he was going to solve things with Minerva, but he decided a nap would probably help. Albus opened the door to his sitting room, and just stood in the doorway staring. It was beautiful, the tree let off a brilliant glow to the room and the fireplace was beautiful. Albus leaned his head back against the doorframe, and closed his eyes, “She worked so hard,” he said aloud to himself.
“Yes she did,” said an angry voice from one of the picture frames. “She was in here all night, and I want to know what you said to make her cry so much this morning.”
Albus turned around, “She was crying, Armando?”
“Yes, Albus, what did you do?”
Albus didn’t think it was possible to feel any worse, but he had been wrong. Minerva would tear up occasionally, but it was rare to catch her really crying. “I yelled at her, because I couldn’t find anything.”
“Go apologize this instant!”
Albus nodded, but he knew finding Minerva right now would be hard. He had known her long enough to know that right now, no matter what he said, she did not wish to be sought out or found.
Part One:
Minerva McGonagall smiled softly to herself as she strolled down Hogwarts’ quiet corridors toward the Headmaster’s office. Albus had been working so hard lately that he had not even had the time to decorate his office for Christmas, and that was saying something since it was his favorite time of year.
She could not pinpoint a day or a year, but somewhere in the past three years Minerva had fallen in love with Albus Dumbledore. He was her best friend, and she was drawn to his calm nature, his ever present wit, and the breadth of love and warmth that exuded from his heart. That was why, on the day the students had left for break, she was headed toward his office at eleven in the evening.
Minerva was going to decorate his office and sitting room for him, and maybe even get some of his paperwork filed away. She hoped that this would improve his holiday, and give her a chance to express to him exactly how she felt.
Minerva reached the gargoyle, and soft Scottish tilt whispered “Candy Cane” before the stairs were exposed to the quiet of the evening. Upon entering his office Minerva decided to do the paperwork first. She shuffled through the unorganized pile on his desk, and in two hours time had filed, signed, and sealed her way to a clean desk top all the while carrying on a light conversation with the few portraits still awake.
For a change of scenery Minerva started in the sitting room. She smiled softly at his odd pieces of furniture before deciding on the corner near the right window for the placement of a tree. Taking a small object Minerva transfigured it into a tree, not a real one but she charmed it to smell like a fir. Working quickly, but carefully, Minerva adorned the tree with white lights, icicles, large decorative white, silver, and gold ornaments. Then she covered the tree with some fake snow, and used the excess to create a snowy tree skirt underneath the tree on which his presents could rest. Atop the tree she placed a large star that would blink occasionally.
Satisfied with the tree Minerva moved to the mantel above his fireplace. Garland was placed on the Mantel, and falling along the sides. Minerva removed her hairpins and placing them on the table transfigured each of them into various candies that Albus loved, and hung them in the garland on the sides. A top the mantel she placed a few more candies, and then candles of various sizes. The final piece to the mantel was a red stocking with his name on it that was placed in the middle. Minerva used a stocking she had found shopping in Hogesmeade, because it depicted a Scottish Santa, and then she knitted his name on to the top. Pleased with his sitting room Minerva moved back into his office. There she used brighter colors, and more garish decorations more to his liking rather than hers.
At five in the morning Minerva crossed the threshold to her rooms, and dropped on the couch in exhaustion. She was quite excited as to what his reaction would be the next morning at breakfast, and Minerva fell asleep dreaming of how happy Albus would be.
However as Albus stumbled into the Great Hall the next morning he was anything but happy. He looked haggard, and was in a very rare bad mood. Mumbling a few good mornings he sat heavily down in his chair, and speaking to no one began to eat some breakfast.
Minerva was worried. She was so sure he would like them. “Albus is something the matter?” she asked cautiously.
“As a matter of fact something is the matter. I was at the Ministry until six this morning, and when I returned I had intended to get some paperwork done so I could take a nap this afternoon, but when I arrived someone had cleared by desk. I cannot find a single thing! I have spent the last two hours searching for documents that I need to get sent off, and some of them are missing. Does anyone have any idea who did this?” Albus asked his voice rising to show his anger as he moved his head along the staff table.
As his head fell on Minerva he noticed she was fiddling with the fork in her hand, and her head was turned down. Minerva, on the other hand, was trying to cry. She had worked so hard, and he had not even mentioned the decorations.
“Minerva, do you know something?” Albus asked slowly but in voice to attract the attention of the rest of the staff, and the few students up.
Minerva sighed, “It was me,” she mumbled.
Albus was sure he had heard incorrectly, “Excuse me?”
Raising her head to look him in the eyes she repeated, “It was me.”
“What in the name of Merlin were you thinking?”
“I just wanted to help a little, because you were so busy.” Minerva stated firmly but sadly.
“Well you didn’t help at all, because I cannot find a thing! I know you do not like a mess, but I knew where every single document was on my desk.”
“I was just trying to help, Dumbledore. I thought you could use a little Christmas cheer since you had been so busy, but I’ll go fix it all now.”
Not waiting for a response Minerva quickly fled the hall, her tears falling heavily down her cheeks as she briskly walked to his office.
As she left Professor Sinistra narrowed her eyes at the Headmaster, “She worked in your office all night, you know. I was returning from gazing, and she was just returning to her rooms and it was five in the morning. She was just trying to help you. Don’t take your frustration out on her.”
“She’s the cause of my frustration!” Albus retorted loudly.
“No she is not!” Sinistra said in return, “I bet she did half that work for you, perhaps that’s why it isn’t there. Did you notice anything else different in your office?”
Albus mumbled something, “come again?” “She had decorated it for Christmas.”
“So she spent all night doing half your paperwork, and decorating your office and you yell at her this morning?” Sera just shook her head too angered to say anything else at the Headmaster’s treatment of her friend.
At this time Minerva was pulling out his paperwork as she cried. She had already cleared away all her decorations in his office. As she was creating the last pile on his desk Albus entered. Quickly cleaning her eyes Minerva cleared her throat before speaking, “I sent off a number of items you were done with last night, and this pile here,” she indicated with her finger, “is what is left for you to sign, this one for you to even respond to, and this was miscellaneous. I had filed them in your drawers, and I’m sorry I caused such a mess.”
Needing to remove herself from the environment Minerva practically ran past Albus out of his office, forgetting about his sitting room. Albus looked around his office, and noticed it didn’t look anywhere as nice as it did this morning.
He wasn’t sure how he was going to solve things with Minerva, but he decided a nap would probably help. Albus opened the door to his sitting room, and just stood in the doorway staring. It was beautiful, the tree let off a brilliant glow to the room and the fireplace was beautiful. Albus leaned his head back against the doorframe, and closed his eyes, “She worked so hard,” he said aloud to himself.
“Yes she did,” said an angry voice from one of the picture frames. “She was in here all night, and I want to know what you said to make her cry so much this morning.”
Albus turned around, “She was crying, Armando?”
“Yes, Albus, what did you do?”
Albus didn’t think it was possible to feel any worse, but he had been wrong. Minerva would tear up occasionally, but it was rare to catch her really crying. “I yelled at her, because I couldn’t find anything.”
“Go apologize this instant!”
Albus nodded, but he knew finding Minerva right now would be hard. He had known her long enough to know that right now, no matter what he said, she did not wish to be sought out or found.
