100 Challenge - Among the Stars Above

[hope*remains]

Author's Notes: Yeah, so this is my first time posting on this board - ever. I really like reading the stuff here, and I've decided to try this 100-prompt challenge. I don't know how far I'll get, but it's worth a shot.

I figured I'd do my 100 challenge a little differently. It's all one big story, instead of 100 little mini fics. The chapters are very small, but that's because I have to write 100 of them. Each chapter has a different prompt that goes with it. So, enjoy.

Rating: TBA in each chapter. The first chapter is rated G.

Summary: Minerva McGonagall always felt a little bit disconnected from everyone else, especially at certain points in her life. Albus Dumbledore could be the light that leads her to where she truly belongs.

Disclaimer: I think I own the idea to make this all one big story. If not, oh well. Minerva's family members belong to me. The rest belongs to good ol' J.K.R.

---

"By now I'm high - running wild among all the stars above. Sometimes it's hard to believe you remember me." - from "High" by James Blunt

"I am like a falling star who has finally found her place next to another in a lovely constellation, where we will sparkle in the heavens forever." – Amy Tan

Among the Stars Above

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Chapter One - Months

“Mummy! Look, we’re flying!”

“Look, Mummeh, flying!”

Margaret McGonagall was not in the mood for listening to two little boys pretending to fly in the big room. She could not think of a time that she was in the mood for that, but right now, the noise they made was especially unwelcome. The baby had been screaming for the better part of a half hour, and was only just now beginning to settle down. And Margaret’s head was pounding after all the screaming, so the boys’ bit of fun was not helping anything.

“Quiet, boys!” she yelled over to them. “You’ll wake the baby!”

The boys did not stop running around with their arms wide open. They kept zipping back and forth, making as much noise as they could have possibly made. Margaret knew that she could not expect the boys to be quiet. After all, they were only two and three years old, respectively. Still, she did not like having to deal with them, especially not right now.

“Minnie!” she called after another minute of listening to the boys playing. “Minnie, take the boys outside, this instant, or else the baby’ll wake up again, and you’ll be the one to put her to sleep!”

“Yes, Mum,” a small, faint voice called from the big room. The voice came from a small, six-year-old girl, who had been sitting by the fireplace. Margaret had asked her earlier to sew together some old pieces of cloth to make something for the baby. But, as soon as she heard her mother’s voice, she put down the cloth and stood up to fetch the boys.

“Brendan, Tommy, outside now, like Mum said,” she commanded them. Her voice was now firmer and stronger than before. “Stop flying and get outside before you wake the baby,” she repeated, when the boys didn’t stop at first. “Go on, then.” Finally, the boys stopped running across the room, and turned to run toward the door. The girl hurried them outside, and then she followed. Within moments, all three of the children were outside, and Margaret had a moment of quiet, at last.

~*~

Noise. That was all Margaret ever got. Noise every day and every night. Rarely did she and Arnold have a quiet night to spend together anymore. During the winter, during the past few months, all the children had been inside all day, since none of them had any proper winter coats. Between having two rambunctious toddlers, having a new baby, and dealing with all the financial trouble, it had been nearly impossible for Margaret to control her own household.

Thinking about running the household reminded Margaret of her husband. Arnold had been very helpful this winter, except on the days that he had felt depressed from not being able to provide for his family. It had not been his fault, though. Nearly all the men from their little town had been unemployed by wintertime. So many families had gone hungry during the past few months. She and Arnold had saved money since their marriage had begun, so they had been able to survive the winter, but only just. Their life-savings were nearly completely gone.

When spring had finally come, Margaret had foolishly dared to hope that Arnold might get his old job back. Of course, that had not happened. He and their oldest boy, Jason, had traveled all the way to Glasgow looking for jobs. Then, to their good fortune, they had secured two low-paying positions working in the mines. Now, they stayed in Glasgow all week long. They came home on Saturday night and left the following evening. Margaret constantly feared for their health, as it was common knowledge that working in the mines was sure to shorten a man’s life. And, to have her nine-year-old son working there was almost too much to bear. But they needed that money desperately. She and Arnold had five children to feed, and Margaret was now sure that in several months, there would be yet another.

By now, the baby was completely calm. In fact, Margaret had been able to lull her completely to sleep. So, before the boys came back in and woke her up, she decided that she had better take the baby upstairs. She stood up and walked toward the stairs. On the way, she peered through the windows and saw her two little boys playing a game with their older sister. With a faint smile, Margaret left the window and went to put the baby to bed. She was very glad that she had at least one child to help her here at home, even if the child was only six years old.

~*~

“Minnie, catch meh! Catch meh!”

The little girl ran and scooped up the silly two-year-old in her arms and began to swing him around in circles. After a few swings, she set the giggling boy back on the ground. “I caught you, Tommy,” she said, watching the boy roll around on the ground in laughter for a moment. Then, he got up and ran off again, crying out for her to come and catch him.

With a sigh, the girl ran after him, but she slowed down after a moment, running out of breath. She watched her brother running around with a smile on his face. Suddenly, she felt a tug on the back of her skirt. She whirled around to see her other little brother, a silly three-year-old named Brendan, smiling and tugging at her skirt. As soon as she looked down, he took off running in the other direction. With another smile, she ran after him. As she ran, the wind blew her hair in every direction. Her mother had cut it to shoulder length only a week or so ago, but it grew very fast. She brushed it out of the way so that she could see where she was going. She told herself that one day, she would like to have short hair, so that it would never get in her way when she ran.

“Come and catch me, Minnie!” shouted little Brendan, who had turned around and was running backward to watch and see if his sister was following him.

“Catch meh, Minnie!” little Tommy cried from the other direction. “Catch meh!”

It was about that time that the girl decided to try something else. It was true that she loved to run, especially after being cooped up inside for several months in the house with a screaming baby and a frustrated mother. But, during those months, she had discovered certain ways to make the boys smile. With a mischievous grin on her face, she suddenly collapsed to the ground. With an overly dramatic voice, she called out, “Oh, I don’t think that I shall ever be able to catch Brendan and Tommy. They are simply too fast for me.”

She closed her eyes and tried to keep a straight face as she lay sprawled out on the ground. She wanted to smile, but she knew that she had to lay still. She listened closely as small footsteps slowly approached her. No one could ever tell how she could hear things like this, but she always could. The footsteps were getting closer... closer... “Caught you!” she shouted, leaping up from her spot and opening her eyes. Two little boys jumped back in surprise. They began to giggle as their sister grabbed them and began to tickle them. After a moment, all the children were laughing, and within moments, the boys had escaped and were being chased by their sister again. It seemed that despite months of playing together, these games had not quite yet gotten old.

[hope*remains]

Rating: G

Disclaimer: I own Minerva's family members. The rest belongs to J.K.R.

A/N: Minerva is somewhere between the ages of six and eleven in this chapter. And I had to include Albus somehow. I just had trouble knowing what nickname to give to his brother...

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Chapter Two - Air

Minerva McGonagall always loved to spend time up in the hills near her home. When she was up there on those hills, she could hardly be upset about anything, not even the fact that her hair was constantly blown in her face by the wind. Up on the hills, she did not have to be anyone in particular; she could just be herself, the way she liked it. Perhaps that was why, most often in the wintertime, she craved to run up to the hills and just stay there awhile.

When she was younger, her dad used to take her up to the hills and point out all the villages that were visible from such a high place. They used to sit and stare down into the valley, searching for any new houses or buildings that they could see. She used to laugh as her father would topple over in the grass, claiming that the wind was too strong for him, even though it wasn’t really. He used to rub his hands through her hair and tell her how much he loved his little Minerva. She had always liked that best of all.

Now, she could still tell you the name of each and every village that she saw. She could point out any new places that she had never seen before. Once in a while, she would sit on the grass and let the wind blow by her, but she never was knocked over, not once. And she wished that her dad could be here to enjoy the hills with her, like he used to. But most of the time, he was working in Glasgow. And most of the time, she was working at the house. She could not come up to the hills very often, so she craved all the more.

~*~

At the moment, Minerva was sitting next to the fireplace inside her house. As it was summer, there was no fire in the fireplace, but Minerva would have sat there even if there was a fire. The spot by the fireplace had been Minerva’s spot for as long as any of the other children could remember. One of the unwritten laws of the McGonagall house was that no one sat next to the fireplace except for Minnie. Her mother almost always knew where to find Minnie; if she was in the house, she would most likely be sitting by the fireplace.

Today was Saturday, and most of the children were already in bed. In fact, Margaret only let Minnie stay up later than usual on Saturday evenings, because this was the night that Dad and Jason came home from Glasgow. Though they were always very tired, Margaret loved watching both Arnold and Minnie’s faces light up as the little girl ran from her spot into her father’s arms. Though it might not have been good for Minnie to stay up so late on a Saturday night, Margaret valued the sight of her husband smiling as he greeted their daughter. She could not get rid of that, at least not any time soon.

Just at the moment, both Margaret and Minerva could hear the door opening. Minnie leapt to her feet and ran toward the door. With a smile, she jumped off the ground; right into her father’s waiting arms. “Dad, you’re home!” she cried, her arms wrapped around him as tight as possible. “I’ve missed you, Daddy.”

“Oh, my dear Minerva, I’ve missed you, too,” he said. She pulled away and looked at him with a smile. “Have you been good for your mother this week?”

Minerva nodded quickly. “I have, Dad.”

“Are you certain?”

“She has, Arnold,” came Margaret’s voice as she entered the room. Arnold set down his little girl and pulled his wife into an embrace. With a quick kiss and a long hug, he held her tightly. “She is always very helpful,” Margaret continued after a moment.

Minerva turned to her older brother, Jason, who had also just arrived home. “I’m glad you’re back, too, Jason,” she said. She reached out to give him a hug. Jason would normally have pulled away from a hug, but he was too tired to do anything about it at that moment.

“I’m glad to be home, Minnie,” he said with a yawn. He finally pulled away from the hug and went to greet his mother. Then, he went off to bed, for he was very, very tired.

“Minnie, it’s off to bed with you, too,” Margaret said after Jason had gone.

“Yes, Mum,” Minerva answered, though she really did not want much to go to bed. She looked over at her father. She gave him another large hug, and said, “Good night, Dad, I love you.”

“I love you, too, Minerva,” he said back. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and sent her off to the upstairs, off to the world of dreams.

~*~

“Albus, what in Merlin’s name are you doing?”

“Eating a sherbet lemon, of course. Do you want a taste?”

“What is a sherbet lemon?”

“A Muggle treat, and a very tasty one at that. Here, try one.”

“No, thanks, Albus. I think I’ll have a chocolate frog instead.”

“Suit yourself, Aber.”

Two brothers sat in the middle of the Hog’s Head pub in Hogsmeade. One had long auburn hair, and a beard to match. The other had darker, shorter hair, and only a fraction of a beard. The one with the auburn hair was eating sherbet lemons, and the other was pulling out a chocolate frog. Both were obviously enjoying their tasty treats, though the one with the chocolate frog wondered how his brother could enjoy some silly Muggle candy.

“So, Aber, any news from the Ministry about that job?” asked the one with the sherbet lemons.

“No, Albus,” the other answered. “Nothing at all. I’m beginning to get the feeling that they don’t want me working for them.”

“Do not worry so much, Aberforth,” said the one called Albus. “You will find something, somewhere, trust me.”

“And what of you? How is the work at Hogwarts going?”

“Rather well, thank you,” Albus replied. “I quite enjoy teaching Transfiguration.”

“Yes, well you would,” Aberforth said with a chuckle. “You were the one who got top marks in all your subjects and passed the N.E.W.T.s without any trouble at all. Then, you look at me, and I’ve got only a few measly O.W.L.s and one passing N.E.W.T. It is little wonder that no one wishes to hire me.”

Albus laughed heartily. “You worry yourself, Aber,” he replied. “You will find a job somewhere. You’ve just got to keep looking.”

“Perhaps, but encouragement is something you give out regularly, Albus, so it is sometimes difficult to really be encouraged by it.”

Albus laughed again. He gobbled up the last of his sherbet lemons, took a drink of some hot cocoa, and set the empty mug back on the table. “Well, then, Aber, I shall try to restrain myself from giving any unnecessary encouragement to you.” Then, with a smile, he added, “But for now, what would you say to taking a walk through the village? I have heard that the night air is quite comforting to the worried soul.”

[osusprinks]

I loved both of these chapters. It's neat to see pieces of their lives. I also like the way you are using the challenges. Good luck!

[laundry basket]

Oh, this is a cool way to use the prompts. I like the idea of one big story, and you pull it off well. Both chapters were wonderful, and I can't wait for the next one!

[hope*remains]

Rating: G

Disclaimer: I own Minerva's family members. The rest belongs to J.K.R.

A/N: First impression time! Albus meets Minerva for the first time ever. *squee* And plumsuit!Albus is ready to go. *double squee*

It was difficult deciding how Albus should break the news about Hogwarts to Minerva - I hope it works all right.

---

Chapter Three - Purple

The sound of footsteps approaching was all that could be heard from outside the front door. The man standing outside could tell that the footsteps belonged to a very small person, but he would have to wait and see if he was correct. He thought he had heard shouting moments before the footsteps began, but once again, he could not be sure.

Presently, the door creaked open, and a small girl appeared at the door. She had short, dark brown hair and hazel eyes, and she looked to be around six or seven years old. The girl stared up at the man who stood on her doorstep. The very first thought that entered her mind was how purple the man looked. His eyes were bright blue, and his hair and beard were long and auburn-colored, and he wore very interestingly shaped glasses. But the one thing that stood out the most was the color of the clothes that he wore. The man was wearing a bright plum-colored velvet suit. The little girl liked the color purple, but she had never seen a man dressed entirely in that color before.

“Er... g-good day, sir,” she stammered after a moment. “C-c-can I help you?”

The man’s eyes sparkled brightly, and he let out a small chuckle. This little girl amused him greatly. “You most certainly can, young lady,” he said, smiling down at her. “Are your mother and father at home?”

The girl nodded. “I'll g-go and fetch my Mum, if you’d like,” she stammered.

“That will be fine, thank you,” he said, nodding. “But first, would you care for a sherbet lemon?” He took a small handful of candy out of his pocket and held one out for her to take.

“Thank you, sir,” the girl said, taking the candy and smiling, shyly. Then, she disappeared back into the house. She left the door wide open, and the man could hear the sounds of chaos from within. He guessed that there were quite a few children inside. He strained his ears and could pick out the voice of the little girl. Within moments, a woman had appeared in the doorway. She had dark brown hair and hazel eyes, just like the little girl. The woman was holding a small boy in her arms, and she was very, very pregnant.

“May I help you, sir?” the woman asked as the boy fidgeted. The man watched the boy as the woman began to bounce him up and down. The boy’s eyes were red, as if he had just been crying.

Then, the man took his eyes off the boy and looked at the woman. “Yes, you may,” he said to her. “You are Mrs. McGonagall, are you not?”

“Yes,” the woman answered. “I am. And you are?”

“I am going to answer all your questions in a moment,” the man replied. “If I may, I should very much like to come in. And I would like to speak with you and your husband, and your daughter, Minerva.”

Mrs. McGonagall looked surprised, and the man could tell that she had not been expecting him to ask for Minerva. “Yes, yes, come in,” she said, breaking out of her daze. She stepped aside, and with her free hand, she motioned for him to enter. “I’ll have a cup of tea made for you, if you’d like.”

“No tea, thank you,” the man replied as he stepped through the doorway. “I don’t have much of a taste for tea. Not quite sweet enough for me, I'm afraid.”

The woman nodded and began to lead the man into the house. As they walked, two young boys ran past them, nearly running into their mother. “Brendan! Tommy!” Mrs. McGonagall began shouting. “How many times have I told you that there is to be no running in this house? You are not little boys anymore!” Blushing, she turned to the man behind her. “You will have to excuse us, sir,” she said more quietly. “We’re not accustomed to having visitors, and besides, it is difficult to keep track of so many children.”

“Yes, yes, I quite understand,” said the man. “How many children do you have, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Seven, at present,” Mrs. McGonagall answered. “And, as you can see, another one is on the way.”

“Yes, I see,” the man said. “My congratulations.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said. It was obvious to the man that she did not feel very lucky to have so many children at that present time. And, of course, the man understood. He had never had to deal with so many children under the age of eleven. It was a wonder that the woman was able to speak calmly at all.

A moment later, they had entered what appeared to be the main room of the house, though it was fairly small. The little girl that he had met at the door was playing with another, younger girl. The two boys that had run by them when they first entered were also in this room. And another, older girl was sitting on the hearth by the fireplace. Her dark hair fell over her eyes, so he could not see what they looked like. She was sitting quite still, and was deeply immersed in a book.

~*~

Minerva was enjoying a rare moment of peace. Her mother was cradling little William, who had just gotten tired of throwing a temper-tantrum. Her little sisters were playing with the dolls that Minerva had made and given them for Christmas. Her father and Jason were outside working on some project, but Minerva did not know what that was. Her other brothers were... somewhere in the house, most likely about to be yelled at by Mum. Meanwhile, she was busy reading one of the books that her father had borrowed from a library in Glasgow. He always seemed to know exactly what cheered her up the best.

When she heard a knock on the door, Minerva did not look up. She kept reading as she heard her mother tell Shannon to go and answer the door. She heard Shannon move quickly out of the room and toward the front door. She heard the door creak open. She heard her little sister’s voice speaking to the visitor. And, she heard an unfamiliar voice speak back to Shannon. Though she tried to keep her mind on the words that she was reading, she couldn’t help but try to figure out who the visitor might be. She had no such luck.

Then, Shannon ran quickly back into the room. Minerva looked up from her book at her sister with curiosity. “Mum,” said Shannon, “there’s a man at the door. He wants to see you.”

“Thank you, Shannon,” her mother answered. With the baby in her arms, she forced herself out of the chair, and as fast as she could, she left the room and went to greet the visitor. Shannon went back to playing with Grace, and Minerva turned back to her book.

Not long after, Minerva heard shouts coming from near the front door. Moments later, her brothers appeared in the main room. They had obviously just been caught running through the house, as usual. Minerva was not surprised, of course – they had been like this since they were very small. The two boys sat down in one corner of the room.

Then, Minerva could see her mother and the visitor entering out of the corner of her eye, but she did not look up. She wanted to keep reading until her mother asked her to leave the room, because as soon as she was asked to go, she would have to be in charge of her brothers and sisters – again. Minerva was entirely used to that sort of thing, but she liked these moments where she wasn’t the caretaker.

“Shannon, take William upstairs,” her mother commanded. She held out the baby for little Shannon to carry. “Grace, go and fetch your father. I believe he’s outside, with Jason.” Grace nodded and ran off toward the back door, while Shannon hurried toward the stairs with the baby. “Boys, outside or to your rooms, now.” The boys quickly ran past their mother and the visitor and toward the front door.

As her mother began giving out orders, Minerva determined that she would receive instruction, too. She set down the book and looked up. She glanced at her mother, but she soon found her eyes drifting to the curious stranger. She was slightly startled by his appearance. He was dressed all in purple. She noticed his bright blue eyes, his long hair and beard, and his funny-looking glasses. But, she was most surprised by his suit. She had never seen any one person, particularly a grown man, wearing so much purple.

Minerva stared at him until his eyes met hers. Quickly, she turned toward her mother. “Mum, do you want me to...”

“No, Minnie, stay,” her mother interrupted. “This man wishes to speak with you, too.”

“Oh,” was all that Minerva could say. She turned her eyes quickly to the floor, as if she were afraid to look at the man again. “Of course, Mum,” she added in the faintest of whispers. She wanted very badly to pick up the book again and resume her reading. Maybe then the man would not see her face, which she could tell was beginning to turn red.

She thought she heard a faint chuckle, but she did not look up. “Here, Minerva,” came the unfamiliar voice, which she now knew belonged to the stranger. His voice was gentle and kind, and had a hint of laughter hidden within it. She could see him moving to kneel beside her out of the corner of her eye, but she did not move. “Sherbet lemon?” he asked, holding out his hand. Minerva forced herself to look over at the candies in his hand. She took one and said, “Thank you, sir.” She had only ever tried a sherbet lemon once, and she had not cared much for it. Still, she knew that one of her siblings would be sure to take it, and it was too polite to refuse. Then, she looked down at the floor again, keeping the candy in her hand.

“Sit down, please, sir,” her mother said as she pulled a chair over for the stranger to sit in. The man bowed graciously and sat down. “Arnold – Mr. McGonagall should be in momentarily,” she added.

Sure enough, Mr. McGonagall soon appeared in the room. Mrs. McGonagall thanked Grace and sent her upstairs with the others. Minerva wanted to run over and hide behind her father, but since she was nearly twelve years old, that was hardly appropriate. The stranger stood up again to shake hands with her father, and then both of the men sat down. For a moment, Minerva wondered whether her father had met this man in Glasgow. But then, she decided that that was not likely. After all, no good man from Glasgow would be seen in such outlandish, purple clothes.

After a moment, the stranger began to speak. “I suppose that now would be the best time to introduce myself, for I know your names, yet do you not know mine. My name is Albus Dumbledore, and I am the Professor of Transfiguration, as well as the Head of Gryffindor house, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” He paused and pulled out an envelope from his pocket. “I have here a letter for a Miss Minerva McGonagall.”

It was at that moment when Minerva looked up once more. She felt the redness quickly drain from her face, and it was replaced by a rather sickly-looking pale color. The man, Professor Dumbledore, stood up again and began to come toward her. Before she had realized what was happening, he had placed the envelope in her hands and had returned to his seat. Minerva found herself staring at the writing on the front of the envelope without being able to move or think.

“Well, open it, Minnie,” her mother urged her.

Minerva shook herself out of the trance and read the address on the front. Sure enough, it was a letter for “Miss M. McGonagall.” She turned the envelope over and the strange wax seal on the back. Oddly enough, the seal was mainly purple, of all colors. She slowly and carefully began to tear open the envelope. She pulled out the parchment that was inside and looked at it without speaking.

“Read it aloud, Minnie,” said her mother.

So, Minerva read the letter out loud. When she had finished, she looked up at her parents, and then at the visitor. “What does this mean?” she asked, feeling very confused.

“It means,” began Professor Dumbledore, “that you have been granted a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for you are, in fact, a witch.”

“A witch? What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I am saying, dear girl,” Professor Dumbledore continued. “Your name was written on our records on the day you were born, and as you are now eleven years old, you are eligible to attend our school, beginning in September.”

No one spoke for a moment. Professor Dumbledore did not try to explain further, so Minerva wondered whether he was letting the news sink in. And then, she wasn’t sure that the information was sinking in. Mr. McGonagall was trying to interpret the man’s words to see what he meant. Mrs. McGonagall was beginning to wonder whether they ought to have let this man in the house.

Minerva was absolutely stunned. Words seemed to have temporarily abandoned her. All she could do was stare at Professor Dumbledore in shock. A glazed look came over her face, while her mind ran wild underneath. Several possibilities tumbled through her head. This could be some sort of a joke, though it was very well-planned. This could be a dream, or some kind of trick of her imagination. But then, Minerva had never had a dream as vivid and lifelike as this, and she did not think that she had the right amount of imagination to somehow create this. The only other possibility was that this was somehow real, and not a joke. That would explain why this “professor” was dressed so strangely, at the very least.

“Excuse me, sir – professor,” Mrs. McGonagall began, breaking the silence. “How much will we have to pay for her to attend this – this school?”

“Nothing at all, Mrs. McGonagall,” Professor Dumbledore answered. “The school has set up a fund to give aid to those students in need.” Then, perhaps after seeing the looks Mr. McGonagall’s face, he added, “That includes most students who come from Muggle families, as most of what you will need for school requires wizard money.” Minerva looked at her father and mother and knew that that would make them feel better – they were both rather sensitive to their financial situation.

“In fact, I was sent here not only to deliver that letter, but also to escort Miss McGonagall to buy her supplies, that is, if she is of the mind to accept our invitation,” Professor Dumbledore continued. He turned his gaze to Minerva. “Would you like to come to Hogwarts, Miss McGonagall?” he asked.

Minerva felt all eyes turn suddenly toward her, and she was quite unprepared for it. She, of course, had no answer. The man’s question was followed only by a blank stare and an unspoken call for help on Minerva’s part.

“I... I...” she stammered, feeling very silly as words escaped her.

Fortunately for Minerva, her father spoke. “Minerva, you ought to go,” he began. “I’ve taught you to read and write, but there is so much more for you to learn. And you know that your mother and I cannot afford to send you to a school in Glasgow. I can’t say that I understand exactly what is going on here, but I do know that you deserve an opportunity to learn, and this is exactly that sort of opportunity. I’d see you go and make the most of it.”

Minerva turned to look at her mother. Mum did not say a word, but Minerva could not blame her. Minerva knew that her mother wanted what was best for her, but it would be difficult for her mother to take care of the house if Minerva went away, especially with a baby so close to coming. Mum would want her at home, but she did not dare say so, since that would sound selfish.

“Very well, then,” Minerva said, at last. “I will go with you, but only if you’ll promise to tell me more about what I’m getting myself into.”

Minerva watched Professor Dumbledore’s eyes shine brighter as he let out a small laugh. “I wouldn’t dream of keeping that information from you,” he said, smiling. “We might as well be off to buy your things right away. After all, I would not want to deny your parents a chance to eat supper with you.”

Minerva nodded politely. She felt her cheeks turn slightly red again as the professor laughed. She looked to her father, who seemed very glad about her daughter’s decision, and then to her mother, who looked as though she were trying to hide her sadness through smiling. Then, Minerva looked back again at Professor Dumbledore. She shook herself lightly to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming, because it seemed strange to think that she was about to go shopping for wizard school supplies with a man who wore very funny purple suits.

[twinkle]

This story is really great!
I look very much forward to follow Minerva through the tale of her life.
And Albus wearing purple all over... only he could ever come up with perfect Muggle attire in THAT colour ;o) I wish I had seen him in this outfit (see me grinning broadly here).