Resolving a Misunderstanding (complete)

[MMADfan]

tigerlime said:

First, of course, come my thanks for updating so very rapidly. Secondly: GO GERTIE! I love the way she protected Albus from Valerianna. And, personally, I'm convinced she's not doing it because she wants Albus for herself. The conspiracy story was wonderful; I'm really glad Poppy told Minerva about it. It's great to finally know the (almost?) whole story of something; it seems like a fairly large piece of the puzzle.
It's also good to see more of Minerva's parents again, though I'm slightly worried that their meddling might make things worse rather than better. By the way, what happened to Melina and her boyfriend? Are we going to hear more about them in near future? I also have to wonder, naturally, what is wrong with Hagrid. I do hope we will find out more about that in later chapters.

Just to let you know, I'd be delighted if you kept up this speed of updating.

Hey, there! Glad you liked Gertie's conspiracy on behalf of Albus! Actually, we will be seeing more of Melina and will meet her boyfriend -- on 20 July, just as suggested in Minerva's letter to Minerva way back before those long three days and sixteen chapters at the Gamps! (Well some of those chapters was spent at Hogwarts with Albus. Still, I'd thought it was going to be ten or twelve chapters, and it took longer to tell than I'd thought it would.) We'll have another reference to it in the next chapter.

I've got the next couple chapters drafted, but they're not quite ready for primetime, yet, as they say (in the States, anyway). But it's still good news for you, since the next chapter will be posted in just a couple more days!

Don't worry about Minerva's parents. They are subtle enough . . . .

[Hogwarts Duo]

Talk about an emotional chapter...whew! Those were some serious moments there between Albus and Minerva.

I have to agree with Minerva on this one. Albus was trying his best to be strong and protective but sometimes even the best men need help and to let down their guard. I'm sure Minerva could have been a great help indeed if he'd only allowed her the chance. I am proud of her for standing up to Albus and making him see that actions don't just impact the moment, they echo for the rest of our lives.

And don't think I didn't notice how Minerva switched from calling him Albus to merely Professor. For me, that's a definite sign of her anger as well as her hurt. It's a subtle way of pushing him back from her, creating a bit of distance since that's what he so obviously wanted in the first place.

Thanks for updating so quickly...tee hee. And I'm happy to hear that the next bits are already in the works. Hmm, if only I could say the same about your other story...An Act of Love...HINT HINT...WITH A SLEDGEHAMMER!!!!

TTFN,
GLM

[Alesia]

You can absolutely feel the anger in Minvera in this chapter and she is right to be angry. I had always suspected this encounter went something like this but damn she is vilid (and should be) it will be interesting to see if Albus reads her letter (especially after finally seeing this scene). Wonderful chapter (I told you the other night how much I loved the previous one) but I have to agree with the Great and Mightly Duo - where is the epilogue for AOL? I am dying here.

[FireBird]

Thank you so much for posting another great update so soon! It's very good to get another important piece of history. No puzzle pieces here (I hope, otherwise I would have missed them), that was a relief. While I enjoy the little mysteries very much, my head tends to start smoking if there are too many unanswered questions and difficult connections.
I look forward to the next chapter, and mostly to Albus' reaction to the letter. You'd just better not have him decide not to read it!

[MMADfan]

Note: Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I'm glad people liked finding out what went on after Carson's funeral. Here's the next installment. Let me know what you think!

Posted in two parts because of length.

LXXXII: The Magic of Memory

Albus reached for the letter Merwyn held out to him. He took it, but didn’t look at it.

“I don’t know, Merwyn – ”

“Well, you decide. I’m going to go see how Egeria is managing with Fwisky. You know where the dining room is. Come along whenever you’re ready.” Merwyn reached behind him and Summoned a bottle of Scotch whisky from the top shelf of one of the bookcases. A short glass sailed along behind it. “Have another glass, if you like.” He poured a shot into the glass and set it down on the desk in front of Albus.

Merwyn clapped Albus on the back as he passed him on his way out of the study. “Take your time, Albus! Tea will wait.”

Albus looked down at the letter in his hand. The parchment was folded in half. The experience in France had placed a strain on his relationship with Minerva. Not the events themselves so much as his reaction to them, the way he had handled the aftermath. Minerva had been correct, of course. Carson’s death was not for naught. He had even known that at the time, intellectually, but it was difficult to face the fact that he lived while Carson was dead, and he felt responsible for his death and for the loss of Alastor’s leg. And yet it was the first time that he experienced both the pain he came to associate with separation from Minerva and that ache in his heart when he had rejected her generous offer of comfort and support.

Blindly, Albus reached out and picked up the small glass and took a sip of the smooth, warming Muggle whisky. He paused, then drank off the rest of it. He didn’t know why Merwyn would want him to read this letter, sent by accident so many years before, but now he was curious, despite his hesitation to reopen a painful time in his life or to invade Minerva’s privacy.

Albus unfolded the parchment.

“Dear Mother and Dad,

“If you are reading this, then I must apologise for the pain I have caused you. You must know that I wanted to return home to you, and that I would have done what I could in order to see you again. But you also know that I could not refuse the mission that was given me – I do not know if you are aware of its nature, so best not speak of it here – nor could I leave anyone behind if leaving him would mean abandoning him to an evil fate.

“You have both always given me the greatest encouragement and love that any daughter could receive from any parents. You always allowed me the freedom to find my own path, and, where possible, gave me the tools to do so successfully. I have always known that you were as proud of me as ever you could be, no matter what I chose to do. So please, be proud now. You raised me to find what was right and to pursue it. I am doing that now.

“Please give my love to Malcolm, Morgan, and Murdoch, and Melina, too. Tell her to study hard when she gets to Hogwarts, and to take advantage of the opportunity to learn everything she can.

“There is one other thing that I must mention. It may be possible that although I do not return, another will. You will remember this person well, as I did not throw up on his shoes, as you had warned him I might, Mother. It is likely that in this event, he will feel some guilt that he was unable to bring me back with him. You must tell him that I did only what I had to do, and that, as I wished to ‘emulate him in every way,’ could not choose to do otherwise. Remind him, too, that I am a Gryffindor and a McGonagall, and we tend to be a bit headstrong; no one could have prevented me from coming after him and finding him, and no price would be too high to pay in order to accomplish that. I only hope that I was sufficiently successful in my task that he was able to return, even if without me. If I was successful in that regard, please tell him that my gratitude toward him is immeasurable, and that some of my happiest memories include time spent with him.

“Do know that I love you all, although I may not say it often enough.

“With apologies,
“I remain your loving daughter,

“Minerva
“5 January 1945”

Albus took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. He re-read the paragraph that without doubt referred to him. Minerva would have given her life to see that he escaped. He had witnessed it himself in that moment when she had handed him the Portkey and told him that he had to use it and leave without her, if necessary. Albus didn’t know if he would have been able to do that, and he was grateful he hadn’t had to find out. It would have been the technically correct action, and he had often had to make hard choices, but that was one choice he was very glad he hadn’t been required to make.

Young Minerva’s devotion and concern for him were touching, even now. More so were the final words meant specifically for him. Happy memories of time spent with him – her happiest memories. She had been a beautiful child and had grown to become a beautiful young woman. And when Albus thought back on Minerva’s days as a student, he knew that many of his happiest memories from that time also included her. He shuddered and dropped the letter on the desk. He disgusted himself, thinking of his love for Minerva and reflecting on his memories of her as a student. He was old enough to be her grandfather – her great-grandfather, in fact. Perhaps that was why Merwyn had given him the letter to read, to remind him of his correct place in Minerva’s life, as teacher, mentor, Headmaster.

Merwyn had seemed friendly enough. A man doesn’t generally play chess and share drinks with someone he suspects of having an inappropriate relationship with his daughter. Why had he shown him that letter? What could be the purpose now, so many years after it had been written?

Hands on the armrests, Albus stood stiffly and blinked. He shouldn’t have had that last drink. One thing was certain, whatever Merwyn’s purpose had been in showing it to him, the effect of the letter was to make him feel worse for not having been a better friend to Minerva after Carson’s death and for having turned away her offer of help. Perhaps that was why Minerva had left the castle with scarcely a word. He had again rejected her gestures of friendship, although that was not what he had intended to do. But it could have seemed that way to her. He simply wished to avoid being alone with her for very long at one time, as well as to encourage her to make time for other friends. Albus didn’t want Minerva to become so accustomed to spending her time with him that she neglected opportunities for happiness in her life, not to mention he wanted to avoid inappropriate gestures of affection on his part. Yet if it made her so unhappy . . . he would simply have to find another way to control his feelings for her.

Albus left Merwyn’s study and headed down the hall toward the dining room to join Egeria and Merwyn for tea, wondering if Minerva had returned yet and what he would say to her if she had. Reading the letter she had written twelve years ago had put him in a peculiar mood, even more so than he had been when he’d Apparated to the McGonagalls’ doorstep with his pathetic excuse for a visit. He was behaving like a teenager with a crush, which, at his age, he thought, meant that he was behaving like an old fool. At the same time, he felt oddly relaxed after his afternoon of chess with Merwyn – probably a side-effect of the Scotch whisky Merwyn had kept pouring him. Albus liked his occasional glass of wine or small snifter of brandy, but it was actually a rare treat for him, since he was very busy and relied heavily on maintaining his wits and his magic, so the whisky was a bit more than he was used to, particularly in the middle of the day.

Tea was lovely, with several different kinds of sandwiches to choose from, little cakes, fresh berries, both clotted cream and heavy cream, and, of course, perfectly brewed tea. Conversation ranged widely, and Albus found himself feeling quite warm, relaxed, and sated by the end.

“You know, Albus, Minerva should be returning soon, but you may have time to finish your game with Merwyn beforehand.”

“I really can’t impose upon your hospitality any longer, Egeria,” Albus replied.

“Nonsense! It would be foolish to leave now, when your entire purpose in coming here today was to see Minerva. Merwyn,” she said, turning to her husband, “you take Albus back into the library. I’ll send Minerva along when she returns.”

Albus acquiesced and allowed Merwyn to lead him back into the library.

“I don’t know about you, Albus, but that heavy tea has made me a bit sleepy. I don’t know if I’m up to continuing our game just yet. Why don’t we sit and have a chat instead? And if we doze off, well, Egeria is very good at waking one just as one is in the midst of a lovely dream!”

Albus laughed and settled down in one of the armchairs across from the old horsehair settee. “You awaken from one lovely dream to another, I would say, Merwyn.”

Merwyn smiled and took his pipe from its place on the mantle. “That I do, Albus, that I do. Egeria is a remarkable woman – intelligent, efficient, energetic, a very talented midwife, but also one of the warmest, most loving women to walk this earth – at least, I think she is. Not that we haven’t had our ups and downs, but they have been minor ones. It was hardest once all of the children were gone, of course, but then Melina was born, and she had her first grandchild to dote on.” Merwyn laughed. “Not that I haven’t done my share of doting, naturally. But Egeria, my wonderful and most constant companion through life, she adds more to my days than I can properly express . . . . You know, Minerva takes after her mother in many ways. And once she has decided to settle down with her wizard, I am sure they will both be very happy.”

“So Minerva is seeing someone?”

“Hmm?” Merwyn puffed a few times to get the tobacco glowing. “No, not really. You know Minerva, after all . . . by the way, did you read the letter she wrote?”

Albus, wishing he had his pipe to occupy himself with, said, “Yes, I did. It was . . . remarkable.”

“Yes, we thought so at the time, once we got over the shock of receiving it.” Merwyn puffed a few more times. “She is quite devoted to you, you know, Albus,” he said, looking down at the bowl of his pipe.

It took almost all of Albus’s concentration not to blush. “Yes, and she has become a good friend over the years. She is doing very well at Hogwarts, too. I should tell her that more frequently, I believe.

“It is easy to take friendship and loyalty for granted, of course, and to make assumptions about it. And easiest, I think, to take for granted those whom we love most. I have learned that, and I don’t take my dear Egeria for granted, not when life is short and every moment precious.”

“You are a very lucky wizard, Merwyn.”

“Partly lucky, partly astute – I recognised what I could have with Egeria and grasped it with both hands, never to let go. . . .”

“Yes, one must take advantage of opportunities that arise, in life as in war.” Reading Minerva’s letter had carried Albus back to the years of Grindelwald.

“But life is not all war, Albus, do not forget that.” Merwyn grinned. “Look at me! Here I am, lecturing you on how to live life, you, whose life is so full.”

Albus just laughed. He could envy Merwyn, in some ways, if that were an emotion he were prone too. But envy and regret, he had learned long ago, are enemies of the present, enemies of life; they become your friends only when they are useful in impelling you to take some positive action, then leave them behind in the process.

“Up to finishing our game?” Merwyn asked, looking at Albus appraisingly. “Egeria’s cream cakes can make you a little sleepy.”

“They were very good – I was surprised that she made them herself, since you have house-elves.”

“There are a great many things that Egeria prefers to do herself. That independence and quirkiness appealed to me when we met. And her cream cakes, too.” He grinned.

The two men got up and resumed their game. Merwyn cleaned his pipe and sent it sailing back to take its place on the mantle, then he cleared the room of the tobacco smoke. “Egeria allows me a few vices, as long as they are occasional and I clean up after myself.”

Albus smiled. “I like an occasional pipe, myself. I find it relaxing . . . the ritual as much as the smoking itself.”

Merwyn nodded knowingly, then moved his knight, simultaneously endangering Albus’s remaining castle and his queen. If he moved his queen out of danger, he would lose his castle and his bishop would be placed in danger, and he couldn’t subsequently move the bishop without opening his king to check. But he was not going to allow Merwyn to decide which piece he would move next. Instead, he counterattacked, placing Merwyn’s bishop and second knight both in danger, and creating a defence for his own bishop so that Merwyn wouldn’t be able to take it without losing his knight in the process. Merwyn would have to decide to defend or attack. Either way, they’d both be down a couple men.

Merwyn laughed. “You don’t scare easily, do you, Albus?”

Albus just chuckled. In the end, Albus won the game, but only after Merwyn had put up quite a fight.

“A drink to celebrate?”

“You know, Merwyn, I would think you’re trying to get me drunk,” Albus joked.

“I don’t have company as often as I would like.” Merwyn shrugged.

“I won’t be able to Apparate to Hogwarts if you continue pouring the whisky.”

“We’re on the Floo-Network now – just were hooked up a few weeks ago, so I still forget. You could always Floo back to Hogsmeade. Or just stay the night. I know Egeria and Minerva would both be pleased to have you stay.”

“I have to get back. I didn’t make arrangements to be gone overnight. I should be leaving soon,” Albus said, shaking his head.

“Stay, Albus. Minerva will be here soon.”

Albus stood. “I don’t know – ”

The crack of Apparition outside the window interrupted his thought. Merwyn smiled.

“She still Apparates to the front of the house even though we altered the family wards several years ago to include her. It took us a while to get around to it, she was gone so much.” He grinned triumphantly at Albus. “There goes your excuse to leave!”

Sure enough, a moment later, the door opened and Minerva stepped in, looking fresh and lovely.

Continued in the next post.

[MMADfan]

Part Two of Two.

LXXXII: The Magic of Memory, continued

“Mother said I have a visi – Albus?” Minerva stopped partway into the room.

Merwyn got up. “I’ll just leave you two to your business, then. Thank you for the games, Albus. We’ll have to have a rematch sometime.”

“What are you doing here?” Minerva asked after her father had left the room. “I don’t mean to be rude, but this is a surprise.”

“I, um, brought you these. If you wanted them. I don’t want to disrupt your holiday. I’m sorry. It was inconsiderate of me . . . but your father asked for a game or two of chess, so I stayed a while. I was just thinking of leaving.” Albus stood.

“Oh. What are those?” Minerva asked, pointing to the file of parchments Albus had picked up.

“Just the applications I had mentioned. Another one arrived this morning, and I thought of you, and I just thought I’d pop around and deliver them myself.” His excuse sounded even weaker to his own ears than it had before.

“You didn’t need to do that, Albus. If it was important that I get them, you could have sent an owl; otherwise, I will be back at Hogwarts in a day or two.”

“I know . . . it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I’m sorry; I’ll be on my way. You can fetch them when you return.”

“Did you want me to look at them, Albus? You can leave them, if you like. And you don’t need to leave right away – unless you want to.”

“All right.” He held out the file. “I also thought it would be nice to see you. I . . . wanted to be sure you were well.”

Minerva took the file and put it back down on the low coffee table. “Why wouldn’t I be well?” she asked quizzically.

“Your departure was somewhat abrupt, and I worried that – ”

The library door opened and Egeria came in. “I thought so,” she said, shaking her head. “Merwyn just left the two of you in the library.” She turned to her daughter. “Take him for a walk. Show him the gardens. Your father’s had him locked away in here all day playing chess and doing God knows what. Plying him with drink, too. It’s a beautiful evening. You both need some fresh air.”

Before Albus knew what was happening, he was standing outside with Minerva, who was smiling.

“Mother certainly can be forceful, can’t she?” Minerva said, observing Albus’s puzzled expression. “Let’s take that walk, shall we? And I can reassure you that I am quite well. I just wanted a couple days of rest. Although I was a bit concerned that I had offended you in some way.” She took his arm and led him around behind the house toward her mother’s kitchen gardens, which she believed would interest Albus more than the flower gardens.

“No, no, not at all, my dear, not at all. I really do like the quill and the ink very much. And it was nice to have you back in the castle.” Albus hesitated. “I was disappointed, to be honest, to learn you were gone again so soon, although of course you should certainly feel free to visit your family whenever you like.”

“I didn’t want to sit idle in my rooms at Hogwarts today, and I hadn’t been home in a while. . . . I had a very nice visit with my Uncle Perseus and Aunt Helen this afternoon – I hadn’t seen them in an age – and Malcolm was around for lunch, too.”

“That’s nice. I haven’t seen Perseus in years – I don’t think I’ve seen him since . . . well, for a long time, anyway,” Albus said, not wanting to say that he didn’t think he’d seen him since before he’d begun teaching at Hogwarts. It was foolish of him; it wasn’t as though he could hide his age from Minerva, after all, not that there’d be any point to it.

“Yes, he’d mentioned the same thing. He said you’d been fairly close at one time – you, Collum, Perseus, a few others.”

Albus nodded.

“I hadn’t known that you’d been married, Albus,” Minerva said softly.

“It was a very long time ago, my dear.” Albus sighed. He was as old as he was, and there was no escaping it. “You may find it difficult to understand how it could be so, but I rarely even think of it anymore. No disrespect meant to Dervilia. But it has been a very long time.”

“He told me what happened, Albus. It sounded very sad.”

Albus stopped and fingered some mint, plucking it and crushing it a bit between his fingers. “It was sad. Beyond sad, Minerva. I blamed myself for quite a long time. And rightly so.” He looked over at Minerva. “I assume he told you how she died.”

“Yes. I can see now why it might be difficult for you to visit Robert and Thea.”

“What? Did Robert say something?” He appeared surprised.

“Not very much, and I misinterpreted it at the time. Just that he understood why you hadn’t visited. I assumed it was because Robert knew how busy you’ve been. But now I see that it might recall unpleasant memories.”

“I hadn’t thought of that . . . but perhaps . . .” Albus looked over toward the calendula. “Perhaps that was part of it. I don’t want him to go through what I did.”

“Did you love her very much, Albus?” Minerva asked quietly.

“Not enough, as you would know if Perseus told you the whole story. My mother had tried to convince me to take one of the house-elves. I told her it was unnecessary until the baby had actually come. But I spent days at a time away from home. She was alone. The cottage was isolated. She’d been dead a day when I Apparated home and found her. It was a very expensive lesson to me, Minerva, and I was not the only one to pay the price.” He looked sombre.

“I’m sorry, Albus, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Albus turned toward her and smiled slightly. “It was a very long time ago, Minerva. I was married for a blink of an eye, it seems now. Less than two years after we married, Dervilia was gone. The dreadful thing of it is, that before it happened, I would have been happier to be free. I married because I thought it was the thing to do. And I loved Dervilia – as a boy loves a girl. I saw no reason I couldn’t proceed with all of my plans, just as I would have if we hadn’t married. It was fine at first, but then she became pregnant. As I say, I was very young. I had not wanted children so soon – later, of course. But I didn’t change my habits. I left her in the cottage in Ireland and spent days at a time at my Potions apprenticeship in England. Apprentices weren’t supposed to be married back then, and my Master was making a great exception in taking me on. So I behaved as though I weren’t married. It was very wrong of me. But I had a narrow view of the world at the time, being so young.” He shrugged. “But you know, it was close to one hundred years ago, my dear, and one lives and one learns.”

Minerva nodded and gestured to Albus to follow her over to a wooden bench sheltered under a pergola covered by vines filled with heavenly-scented purple blossoms, taking his arm as they walked. They sat in silence for a while, listening to the bees and enjoying the light breeze.

Minerva finally said, “We all make mistakes. It’s just that some of them have graver consequences than we could have ever dreamed of. But, as you say, it was a long time ago.”

“Did Perseus also tell you about my other ‘youthful mistake,’ then? Why I left?”

“Not really. He did say that there was an incident, after which you travelled and studied, and didn’t return for years.”

“Yes . . . well, as long as we’re discussing my foolish youth, I will tell you of it.” He sighed and looked off into the distance before turning to her. “It was not the same sort of mistake. The first was a sin of omission; this was a sin of commission.

“I had a friend who was engaged to be married. I had arranged to meet them both at her flat in London. We were going to go out to dinner in Diagon Alley after he was done for the day at the Ministry. I arrived at the flat, my friend wasn’t there yet, but his fiancée was. She wasn’t alone; there was another wizard there. He was attacking her, Minerva, in the worst way. Apparently he was a former beau, someone who was upset about what he couldn’t have, and so he decided to try and take it. I saw him and I lost my temper. Badly. I don’t know what I did to him, but I didn’t even draw my wand. He remained a patient at St. Mungo’s until he died about a dozen years later.

“I destroyed his mind, Minerva. I didn’t intend to, but I was so angry, I lost control. No one else held me responsible for it, given the circumstances, but I did. I needed to learn more than I had at Hogwarts, more than I could in any apprenticeship, so I travelled. I travelled and I learned.”

“What about your apprenticeship? Had you finished it?”

“No. This incident, so close on the heels of Dervilia’s death . . . I felt a murderer twice over. I talked to my uncle. He recommended I take some time and travel. So I did. Longer than I thought I would. But, as I say, I learned a lot. I did attain my mastery in both Transfiguration and Potions, eventually, then I met Nicholas Flammel and his wife, Perenelle, and I worked with him for a time. Then I returned to Britain, did research, and,” he said with a shrug, “attempted to lead a normal life.”

“I’d say you have led a superior life, Albus, not just a normal one.”

Albus chuckled. “I suppose that is my notion of ‘normal.’ One thing I learned, quite painfully, Minerva, is that with great gifts comes great responsibility. I have attempted to live up to that responsibility. I hope that I do so most of the time.” He looked over at Minerva, who was observing him with an inscrutable expression. “Today, I was reminded very strongly of that cold January day when I Apparated here to deliver Carson’s letter to you. I . . . I don’t think I did the right thing that day. For you. What you needed from me.”

Minerva took his hand. “You tried, Albus. I know you did. But you were still suffering, yourself. And, of course, you felt responsible. I knew that then, but I didn’t know how to get through to you, to get you to see that you did all you could, just as Carson did all he could. I was not particularly understanding, I’m afraid, but I was upset, too.”

“You were very understanding, Minerva, and perceptive.”

“That short letter you wrote, after Grindelwald, it meant a lot to me.”

Albus smiled mildly. “It was about all I could manage at the time, but I thought it was important that you knew . . . what you said was true,” he said, remembering the note he wrote her, whose contents read simply, “We did it, Carson and I, together.”

Minerva smiled, herself, at the memory. She had gone to St. Mungo’s to see Albus the day after receiving his owl. The Prophet had gone into several special editions, covering the final defeat of Grindelwald, and Minerva fully expected to be turned away just as she had been after the incident in France, but she felt the need to go, nonetheless. She was on a short list of approved visitors, however, and she had been allowed up to see Albus. It had been a relief; Minerva hadn’t known what to expect, but he was sitting up in bed, eating beef stew with potatoes and carrots. He had grinned broadly when he saw Minerva. He explained that he was more tired than anything else and would be released the next morning. When Minerva asked him what had happened, how he had defeated Grindelwald, a look of pain crossed his face.

“Not without loss, Minerva, great loss.” He set down his knife and fork, and a bleakness entered his eyes that caused Minerva’s own heart to clench in sympathy. Knowing that he had probably already been inundated by questions from the Ministry, Minerva asked nothing more. Whatever she needed to know, she had learned from the brief letter he had sent her the day before.

Now, beneath the vine-covered arbour, Minerva squeezed Albus’s hand. “Stay for supper?”

Albus opened his mouth to decline the invitation, as he sensibly should, given the feelings rising in him as Minerva held his hand, but instead he heard himself saying, “I’d like that.”

Minerva relaxed, unaware she had even been tense. “Good. Would you like to see the rest of the garden? And perhaps take a leisurely walk along the cliffs?”

Albus grinned. “As long as you don’t have me Apparating to the top of any precipices.”

“Not today. Maybe next time!”

“Yes, maybe next time,” he said wryly.

“I’ll hold you to that, then, Albus.” Minerva chuckled.

As they walked, Minerva’s hand resting lightly in the crook of his arm, Albus asked, “Have you given any more thought to the Head of House position, my dear? Gertie mentioned in her letter that she’d discussed it with you.”

“Did she tell you that I was unsuitable?” Minerva asked, remembering the way they had left the conversation and Gertie’s last remark, which still stung.

“No, quite the contrary, in fact. She told me that she thought you would be very suitable,” he replied, puzzled by the tone of Minerva’s question.

“Oh. I thought . . . our conversation on the topic did not end on a positive note, that’s all.”

Albus smiled wryly. “You probably were talking at cross-purposes. I could see that potential quite clearly during staff meetings this year. You tend to focus on the way in which Gertie says something and respond to that rather than to what she is saying.” At Minerva’s frown, he added, “Which is perfectly understandable, of course, as you don’t know her well and she tends to be somewhat terse.”

“I am a great fan of brevity and succinctness, myself, Albus. I simply don’t always understand what her point is, I suppose.”

“So, have you given it more thought?”

“Yes, but, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to wait to make any decision,” she answered.

Albus nodded. “That’s fine. But I’d like your answer before the end of the month. I need to be able to make plans for the school year. Waiting much longer than that would make it more difficult.”

“Of course, Albus. I understand that.”

“I don’t want to pressure you, Minerva, but I really do hope that you take the job. I think you would be very good, and as a Head of House, you would have an opportunity to exercise more authority within the school, more leadership. I believe that both you and the school could only benefit from that.”

“Thank you, Albus. It means a lot to me that you have confidence in me,” Minerva said softly.

“More than just confidence, Minerva, but complete faith.”

The two fell silent as they walked, now on the rocky path along the cliff’s edge.

“How long had you planned to stay with your parents?” Albus asked after a while.

“I hadn’t really decided. Just a couple of days, I suppose.”

“When you come back, we might be able to go through the applications together, the first few . . .”

“That might be a good idea – that way I’ll know what kind of things you think important to consider. Would you like to do that tomorrow?”

Albus smiled and nodded. “That would work well. I have time tomorrow. Just come up when you are ready.”

“All right, then, I’ll return to Hogwarts in the morning and join you after I’ve dropped my things in my room.” Minerva felt like singing. Albus wanted to see her. Only to go over applications, but after his letter in which he said he’d always seek an excuse to spend time with her, and the fact that he’d come to see her at her parents about it when there were only a few applications to look at so far, she had no doubt that he did want an excuse to spend time with her now. The question was, what had been wrong the day before? Why had he seemed so distant? She was hesitant to ask him; yet if she had offended him somehow, she would like to know. On the other hand, bringing it up might cause him to withdraw again. She wished things were simpler.

“You know, Albus, last week when we talked, we said we’d try to resolve misunderstandings before they took on greater proportions than they deserved. I was wondering if I said or did anything yesterday that bothered you. You seemed so reserved after dinner . . .”

“I was tired, to be honest, and I had a headache in the afternoon. I wasn’t at my best . . . also, the mention of Gordon’s widow brought back unpleasant memories, which I was unprepared to discuss.”

Gordon’s widow? He must be speaking of Valerianna. Well, if he could scarcely bring himself to speak her name, Minerva wasn’t going to force him to.

“I’m sorry, Albus. I didn’t realise – ”

“Don’t give it another thought, my dear. Truly.” He patted the hand that rested on his elbow. “It did sound as though you had a nice time with Quin, though.”

Not that again. Minerva hoped Albus wasn’t going to mention that Quin was a “catch” again. “Yes, he is very entertaining. Quin mentioned that he knows you slightly.”

“He and his children have often been there when I’ve visited Gertie, and I’ve seen him at other social events, as well, but we haven’t spent much time together. I should rectify that. Perhaps you could invite him to visit Hogwarts soon, Minerva. You did promise him a tour, after all.”

“Yes, I did. Do you suppose I could show him the different House common rooms? Since he wasn’t a student here, he’s quite curious. I’m certain that Wilhelmina would agree to have him take a peek into Gryffindor Tower, and Johannes would probably enjoy showing him Ravenclaw Tower, himself, but I am unsure about Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Professor Dustern is still Head of Hufflepuff, but she’s left the school, and Slytherin tends to be quite secretive – not to mention that Slughorn is gone for the summer.”

“They will all be back for the ward renewal. It is the last of Professor Dustern’s responsibilities, after which she will be free to leave Hogwarts and never return. However, if you’d like to give him the tour before that, I can contact Horace for you. I think he’d agree. As for Hufflepuff . . . you might have Poppy ask her, as a favour to her, since she used to be Poppy’s Head of House.”

“That’s a good idea. I’m sure Poppy would be happy to do it – I’ll write to her tonight and have her ask her permission. I don’t know when Quin will be able to visit, perhaps in the next week or two. Which reminds me, while I was visiting Malcolm and my aunt and uncle, Melina’s little owl found me. She agreed on the twentieth to meet with us. Brennan will meet us at her friend’s flat – the one he thinks she shares with her. She suggested two o’clock. Brennan will have shut up his chemist’s shop for the day by then, and she’ll have lunch with him before she brings him up.”

Albus nodded seriously. “Yes, that would work well. We will have a few hours so that once the initial spells are cast, we can answer his questions.” He looked sharply at Minerva. “I do hope I will not have to Obliviate him, Minerva. I dislike doing that for any reason other than to avert a major crisis.”

“I shouldn’t think so . . . after all, after the spells are cast and the ritual is performed, it’s not as though he’ll be able to talk about it with other Muggles, and he will only be able to discuss it with witches and wizards whom Melina introduces to him as such.”

“I know, but if he finds it too difficult to deal with – a completely new reality – I don’t want the boy to live in a state of psychological torment.”

“I have only met him once, but I found him to be a bright man, quite steady,” Minerva said. “I think he will be resilient. Most important of all, he really seems to love Melina. I think that will help a lot. Love is a great motivator.”

“Yes, indeed, it is,” Albus answered with a smile. “But back to Quin. Let me know when he will be coming, and I will try to be available to meet with him. When will you see him next?”

“I really don’t know, Albus. I told him I would owl him about the tour of Hogwarts, other than that; I have no plans to see him.”

“Oh, what a pity! It sounded as though you got along quite well.”

“Yes, we did. And having no plans to see him again doesn’t mean that I won’t, just that I have no specific plans to do so.” Minerva looked over at him with a frown. “I do hope you aren’t going to suggest again that he is a ‘catch,’ Albus. He does not want a relationship with any witch right now, and I am not interested in him in that way, in any case.”

“No, no, just trying to be supportive of your friendships, my dear,” Albus said with a smile. “After all, although it is fortunate that Poppy is also working at Hogwarts, and you have other congenial colleagues, it is always nice to maintain relationships outside the school, and that can be difficult, given the amount of time you spend there.”

“Thank you, Albus, but I think I can manage my friendships, both in and out of Hogwarts. And what of you? You mentioned Poppy, but we are friends, as well, aren’t we, Albus?”

“Of course, my dear, although I can’t help but think that you could find more congenial company than this old codger.”

“Albus, the only time I don’t find your company congenial is when you make statements like that,” Minerva retorted sharply.

Albus’s eyebrows raised at that, but he didn’t respond.

“Come, Mother will have supper for us – you are still staying for supper, aren’t you, Albus, despite being such uncongenial company?” Minerva asked sarcastically.

“Yes. I’m sorry, Minerva. I was only thinking of you,” he said softly.

“I know, and I’m sorry,” Minerva sighed, “but I don’t understand why you persist in thinking I wouldn’t enjoy your company. We are friends, we have a good time together, and you seem to enjoy yourself, as well. Unless you say these things because you don’t find my company as congenial as I do yours, and you are trying to let me down gently?”

“No, no, not at all! Truly! Never believe that, Minerva. I do enjoy your company, very much. So much that I am afraid I am in danger of monopolising your time, that’s all.”

Minerva laughed. “We are both so busy, there’s hardly any danger of that. And I doubt very much I would mind being monopolised by you, in any case. And if I have other things to do, I will always tell you, and you must do the same, of course.” Then, thinking of her hurt feelings the night before, she added, “Although I might be a little sensitive if I begin to think you are avoiding me, as you seemed to last night.”

“As I said, I was tired and had a headache. I probably – ”

Minerva interrupted him. “I understand that now, Albus, and it’s all right, you needn’t explain again.” She laughed. “We may need to communicate better sometimes, but that doesn’t mean we have to repeat ourselves. Although I will not hesitate to do so myself if it means I must tell you again not to say I must find your company dull.”

“I don’t believe I ever said my company was dull, my dear!” Albus replied with a twinkle.

“Hmmpf. I will tell you if you are ever in danger of becoming dull and you tell me if I begin to bore you, all right?” Minerva asked with a grin.

“That is a deal, Professor McGonagall!” Albus said, smiling.

The two went in to supper, their eyes sparkling. Merwyn and Egeria looked at one another and smiled.

Note: So, did Albus and Minerva's meeting at her parents bring them closer?

Next, "An Owl from St. Mungo's."

[esoterica1693]

I can't believe I'm the first to review this today! Wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

Albus' history makes a lot of sense.

I think we both understand Albus similarly. You've given him a backstory which resembles, in broadest outlines, the one I imagine him having--we have him battling somewhat similar ghosts and demons and repenting of similar sins. (Your version is much better written, of course!)

Merwyn is quite the wise wizard. And Albus is being his usual dense self when it comes to understanding the huge clue-by-fours Merwyn is sending him!

The ritual for Melina and her love sounds most intriguing. Wonder what the combination of working powerful magic, dealing w/ secrets, and seeing true love will do to Albus. <g>

[esoterica1693]

Total tangent:

I looked up the name 'Dervilia' to see what meanings it might have , and this is what I found:
" Irish meaning of the name Dervilia for a girl:
true desire
Dervilia does not currently rank in the top 1000 names in the United States. "

Doesn't rank in the top 1000? I can't imagine why! :-)

Are you imagining Albus to be Irish? English? Welsh? Scots? Some of all of the above? I've always imagined Welsh, both b/c I'd like to think him related to Merlin and b/c of the whole Gryffindor thing--the gryffin being the symbol of Wales. And b/c I'm of Welsh heritage myself. But Irish could fit too. :-)

[sevherfan]

<contented-sigh> mmm, I needed that today.

Was this the first time she's walked with her arm on him? Maybe I hadn't read closely enough early on & missed it. But I didn't miss it this time. Even if it isn't a first, it sent my mind down that path. I've loved each one and can't wait for more firsts.

[Alesia]

All I have to say about this chapter is
"Albus! For MERLIN'S SACK JUST LAY A REALLY GOOD LIP LOCK ON HER AND GET IT OVER WITH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

ahh, now that I got that out of my system I want to applaud Minvera's parents on their great Slytherian moves in this and the last chaper.
Very clever the two of them, very clever.

[FireBird]

Most interesting, this. I think I'd like to meet Perseus, and hear more about Albus' group of friends. Getting to know Albus' history was good, if slightly sad.
Minerva's parents were indeed subtle enough, thank goodness, and I hope Albus thinks about what they said again and see it in a different light. And yes, I do believe they've come closer together, and I'm glad they've cleared up yet another misunderstanding.

[Hogwarts Duo]

“It is easy to take friendship and loyalty for granted, of course, and to make assumptions about it. And easiest, I think, to take for granted those whom we love most. I have learned that, and I don’t take my dear Egeria for granted, not when life is short and every moment precious.”

Oh if Merwyn isn’t giving Albus subtle hints about his daughter by comparing her to Egeria I’ll eat my hat…if I had a hat! ;D And I do believe he’s trying so incredibly hard to do a bit of matchmaking without either party knowing about it. He’s just too cute! I think here he’s trying really hard to give Albus a push in the right direction. Woo Hoo!

Albus smiled wryly. “You probably were talking at cross-purposes. I could see that potential quite clearly during staff meetings this year. You tend to focus on the way in which Gertie says something and respond to that rather than to what she is saying.” At Minerva’s frown, he added, “Which is perfectly understandable, of course, as you don’t know her well and she tends to be somewhat terse.”

“I am a great fan of brevity and succinctness, myself, Albus. I simply don’t always understand what her point is, I suppose.”

THANK YOU GOD!!!!! Finally Minerva is voicing the opinion I’ve been holding since seeing Gertie for the first time. I can totally understand Minerva’s frustrations at Gertie and her Slytherin motivations. And for Albus to call her terse…he must have had more then one complaint about her….grrrrr! I can’t blame Minerva for jumping to the conclusion that Gertie had said less than favorable things about her.

The two went in to supper, their eyes sparkling. Merwyn and Egeria looked at one another and smiled.

Awww…the wheels of love are in motion and it’s looking fantastic!!! This last sentence gave me hope that Albus and Minerva are going to find a way to be together…with a bit of subtle nudging from her parents…tee hee. I’m so happy that they’re going to be supportive of the romance between their daughter and the greatest wizard of the age.

Also, I noticed that Merwyn loves to play chess with Albus. I have to wonder if maybe this is where the idea of Albus and Minerva playing chess together was born. How cool is that? You always find new and creative ways to introduce us to the things we’ve come to take for granted and canon! That’s so refreshing and wonderful.

Looking forward to the next chapter and THANK YOU so much for updating An Act of Love! YOU ARE THE BESTEST!!!

[MMADfan]

esoterica1693 said:

Total tangent:

I looked up the name 'Dervilia' to see what meanings it might have , and this is what I found:
" Irish meaning of the name Dervilia for a girl:
true desire
Dervilia does not currently rank in the top 1000 names in the United States. "

Doesn't rank in the top 1000? I can't imagine why! :-)

Are you imagining Albus to be Irish? English? Welsh? Scots? Some of all of the above? I've always imagined Welsh, both b/c I'd like to think him related to Merlin and b/c of the whole Gryffindor thing--the gryffin being the symbol of Wales. And b/c I'm of Welsh heritage myself. But Irish could fit too. :-)

Dervilia was Irish. Albus met her in school. (It is an odd sort of name, isn't it?)

[laundry basket]

*is happy for the update* Yayness! Awh, the meeting at Minerva's parent's house was sweet. And finding out about Dervilia, and Albus's other incident. Makes for a very interesting story line
Aaaaand I am hoping that this story continues long enough so that we can read about Quin and Albus meeting? Please? That would be awesome. By that time we'd probably be at chapter 100. . . lol. But, back to the review, I loved this chapter, and am wondering about the "owl from St. Mungos." Leave us with a cliffie, why doncha?

[MMADfan]

hogwartsduo said:

<snip>

Oh if Merwyn isn’t giving Albus subtle hints about his daughter by comparing her to Egeria I’ll eat my hat…if I had a hat! ;D And I do believe he’s trying so incredibly hard to do a bit of matchmaking without either party knowing about it. He’s just too cute! I think here he’s trying really hard to give Albus a push in the right direction. Woo Hoo!

Yuppers! Merwyn is doing his best here!

hogwartsduo said:

<snip!>
THANK YOU GOD!!!!! Finally Minerva is voicing the opinion I’ve been holding since seeing Gertie for the first time. I can totally understand Minerva’s frustrations at Gertie and her Slytherin motivations. And for Albus to call her terse…he must have had more then one complaint about her….grrrrr! I can’t blame Minerva for jumping to the conclusion that Gertie had said less than favorable things about her.

hogwartsduo said:

The two went in to supper, their eyes sparkling. Merwyn and Egeria looked at one another and smiled.

Awww…the wheels of love are in motion and it’s looking fantastic!!! This last sentence gave me hope that Albus and Minerva are going to find a way to be together…with a bit of subtle nudging from her parents…tee hee. I’m so happy that they’re going to be supportive of the romance between their daughter and the greatest wizard of the age.

They want their daughter to be happy, and Albus is quite the wizard -- a bit old to be a "son"-in-law, one might think, but her parents are quite willing to overlook the age difference, given all of his other characteristics. Of course, until he showed up on their doorstep with a thin excuse to see their daughter, they weren't sure whether he might return her feelings, but they are now thinking it's likely mutual. So a little match-making might be in order!

hogwartsduo said:

Also, I noticed that Merwyn loves to play chess with Albus. I have to wonder if maybe this is where the idea of Albus and Minerva playing chess together was born. How cool is that? You always find new and creative ways to introduce us to the things we’ve come to take for granted and canon! That’s so refreshing and wonderful.

Looking forward to the next chapter and THANK YOU so much for updating An Act of Love! YOU ARE THE BESTEST!!!

Maybe Albus might invite Minerva for a game of chess? Do you think? That sounds like a good excuse to spend time with her!

tigerlime said:

Most interesting, this. I think I'd like to meet Perseus, and hear more about Albus' group of friends. Getting to know Albus' history was good, if slightly sad.
Minerva's parents were indeed subtle enough, thank goodness, and I hope Albus thinks about what they said again and see it in a different light. And yes, I do believe they've come closer together, and I'm glad they've cleared up yet another misunderstanding.

D'you really think they would have simply hit Albus over the head with it? Naw!
Albus's history was sad, but that was, as he said, a long time ago. And it set him on the path that brought him to the defeat of Grindelwald, not to mention teaching at Hogwarts, so it's hard to regret, even if it's sad.

alesia said:

<snip!> I want to applaud Minvera's parents on their great Slytherian moves in this and the last chaper.
Very clever the two of them, very clever.

They are doing their best! And every little bit helps!

sevherfan said:

<contented-sigh> mmm, I needed that today.

Was this the first time she's walked with her arm on him? Maybe I hadn't read closely enough early on & missed it. But I didn't miss it this time. Even if it isn't a first, it sent my mind down that path. I've loved each one and can't wait for more firsts.

I don't believe it was the first, but it was natural, and it was the sort of thing that shows a greater degree of comfort between them.

esoterica1693 said:

I can't believe I'm the first to review this today! Wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

Albus' history makes a lot of sense.

I think we both understand Albus similarly. You've given him a backstory which resembles, in broadest outlines, the one I imagine him having--we have him battling somewhat similar ghosts and demons and repenting of similar sins. (Your version is much better written, of course!)

I wouldn't say he's battling them -- back at the time, he did, but it's been decades -- but they helped to make him the man he became.

esoterica1693 said:

Merwyn is quite the wise wizard. And Albus is being his usual dense self when it comes to understanding the huge clue-by-fours Merwyn is sending him!

The ritual for Melina and her love sounds most intriguing. Wonder what the combination of working powerful magic, dealing w/ secrets, and seeing true love will do to Albus. <g>

Merwyn is a good guy, isn't he?

As far as the business with Melina and Brennan, it's not going to be quite as you envision (but I think the story is predictably unpredicatable), but I think you will enjoy it!

thelaundrybasket said:

*is happy for the update* Yayness! Awh, the meeting at Minerva's parent's house was sweet. And finding out about Dervilia, and Albus's other incident. Makes for a very interesting story line
Aaaaand I am hoping that this story continues long enough so that we can read about Quin and Albus meeting? Please? That would be awesome. By that time we'd probably be at chapter 100. . . lol. But, back to the review, I loved this chapter, and am wondering about the "owl from St. Mungos." Leave us with a cliffie, why doncha?

I'm glad you enjoyed this! And I've gotta leave you with a little cliffie after that sweet ending to the chapter!
Also, there are REALLY only about fifty-something chapters to the story so far, but I broke them up a lot when I was first posting the story to the boards and ffnet, so it feels longer. (As if that makes any difference!) And didn't you see all those references in various chapters to having Quin get a tour of the castle? ;D

Thank you all for your comments! I'm glad you're all still enjoying the story. There will be another update soon -- probably on Sunday or Monday.

[elivania]

GAH!!!!! I just want to jump in there and force them to snog each other silly. This dance they have is driving me insane!

*sigh*

Brilliant work as usual.

[esoterica1693]

Re demons, and whether AD is still fighting his....
I agree he's resolved the one about ruining the mind of the wizard who was assaulting the witch.

But the loss of his wife and child almost a century ago and blaming himself for it....he may be over it in most all respects, but it surely is part of his self-understanding of himself vis a vis entering into committed relationships, his trust in his own judgment re romance and love and commitment to a witch and such. Couple that w/ the Valerianna debacle, and you have a wizard who most likely has much less confidence in himself in that sphere than any other part of his life. Which could influence his behavior w/ Minerva, whether consciously or not. He doesn't trust his own judgment in matters of the heart or 1:1 romantic commitments.

Now if only that would lead him to listen even more closely to folks who have demonstrated sound judgment before--like Gertie! And Merwyn. :-) Obviously I'm in the 'Gertie is good, if opaque, and has ADMM's interests at heart' camp. :-)
- - - -
I re-read the whole story last night (it took most of the night!) and the two things which leapt out at me as needing to be resolved:

What was it Gertie was referring to w/ Albus as she left for Cornwall, about probably not changing her mind?

What is up w/ Hagrid and Wilhelmina?

I wonder if Gertie is thinking of retiring in the foreseeable future and wants to line Minerva up to be her successor as Albus' protector and confidante, whether platonic or otherwise....

Hagrid and Wilhelmina might have something to do w/ the current musical-chairs of faculty and House-heads.

Robert and his wife must re-enter the story too....and of course Quin and adorable Alroy!

[MMADfan]

Note: This chapter is posted in two parts because of its length.

LXXXIII: An Owl from St. Mungo’s

Minerva kissed her mother and father good-bye the next morning and, for the sake of the novelty of it, Flooed to the Three Broomsticks, and then Apparated from Hogsmeade to the school gates. She walked briskly up to the castle and hurried inside and up the stairs to her rooms. Minerva dropped her carpet bag on the floor just inside the door, then set off for the second-floor entrance of the Headmaster’s office. The first few weeks that Minerva taught, she had difficulty remembering that the entrance was on the second floor, since when she was a student, it had been on the ground floor near the staff room. Minerva wondered why Albus had moved the entrance to the second floor when his classroom was on the first, but then after realising that Professor Gamp’s office, classroom, and living quarters were on the second floor, it occurred to her he may have done it in order to make it easier for his Deputy to access his office. Minerva then deliberately avoided thinking about the fact that the reverse was true, as well.

This morning, however, she simply skipped down the stairs, gave the password to the gargoyle, and rode the stairs up to the Headmaster’s office.

Albus rose from behind his desk when Minerva came into the room, his eyes smiling. “Good morning, Minerva! You are an early bird!”

“Oh! Am I too early? I can leave and come back – ”

“No, no, not at all, my dear! If you did that, I would simply have to sit here and await your return. I assume you’ve had breakfast, but would you like a cup of tea? I have a nice, bracing Assam I enjoy in the morning,” he offered as he came around the desk.

“That would be very nice, indeed. I couldn’t eat anything more, though. Mother stuffed me with a good Scottish breakfast before I left.” She sat in the armchair Albus indicated – thankfully, no longer clad in tartan velvet – and smiled up at him. “Mother and Dad insisted I use the Floo this morning, too. You’d think they believe that it’ll stop working if it isn’t used regularly!”

Albus chuckled. “Yes, I didn’t mind Flooing to the Broomsticks last night, but I was rather taken aback by Egeria’s suggestion that in her medical opinion, I wasn’t fit for Apparition after the whisky I’d drunk – hours before.” He smiled, not genuinely offended.

“Yes, well, how else was she going to convince the greatest Apparater in Britain to use the Floo-Network instead of Apparating? From the Pyrenees to the Pennines, after all,” Minerva said teasingly.

Albus opened his mouth. “It wasn’t – ”

“I know, I know, it wasn’t literally from the Pyrenees to the Pennines, but that does have rather nice alliteration, don’t you think? So, are these the applications?” Minerva asked, picking up the slim folder.

While Albus called Wilspy and requested a small pot of tea for the two of them, Minerva picked up the file and began scanning the applications. Albus sat down in the chair next to hers and watched her expression with growing amusement.

“Are these people serious?” Minerva finally asked. “This one, I don’t think he can write in complete sentences, so I wonder how he would set any written work for the students – or even read the textbooks, himself. I thought that perhaps he was not a native English-speaker, but that doesn’t appear to be the problem. Did he actually go through seven years at Hogwarts, Albus?” she said as she handed him the wizard’s semi-literate letter. “And these others, they’re hardly any better – as applicants, anyway, even if they are able to compose a coherent application.”

“Ah, David Fairchild. Nice child, but slid through school. Took only three NEWTs, I believe. Two ‘Acceptables’ and one ‘Outstanding’ – in Care of Magical Creatures, obviously. He was an unusual boy. Quite good with beasts of all sorts, but not particularly talented, otherwise.”

“Hmmpf. Well, I suppose we won’t reject him out-of-hand, then. But this one, Clarissa Quaffenbush. I can’t imagine why she thinks that degnoming her gardens for fifty years qualifies her for a position at Hogwarts!”

Albus laughed. “May I see that one? I didn’t read them, just put them aside for you.” He chuckled as he read it. “I imagine it’s yet another attempt to escape Wilberforce, her husband. Every few years, she takes off on some mad scheme and returns to him a few months later.”

“Poor woman!” Minerva exclaimed.

“If you knew her, you would be saying, ‘Poor Wilberforce!’” Albus said with a smile.

“Well, that’s one that’s a clear ‘no, thank you,’” Minerva said, setting it aside. “Even if she had any other qualifications, we can’t simply be another of her mad schemes!”

The two of them were perusing the fourth application when an imposing Eagle Owl flew into the window and banged against it urgently. Albus rose to let it in, frowning when he saw the green and blue band on its leg.

“From St. Mungo’s,” he said. “Minerva, would you mind taking care of the owl – there are some phoenix treats in my middle drawer.”

Minerva rose to give the owl some treats as Albus opened the parchment sealed with bright blue wax. She was just holding the clustered seeds out to the large bird when Albus sat down heavily.

“Oh, dear God.”

Minerva froze, seeing Albus’s face, entirely drained of colour, and his eyes glazed.

“Albus? What is it?”

Albus swallowed hard and looked up at her. “I will need your help today, Minerva. Robert. It’s Robert Pretnick, Minerva. He was attacked by a werewolf last night. Bitten. I must get to St. Mungo’s immediately.”

“Of course, Albus. What can I do?” Minerva had gone over goose-bumps – a werewolf. She shuddered at the thought.

“First, please notify Gertrude – can you Apparate there, my dear? Good. Then please notify all of the staff – including Poppy, Hagrid, Ogg, and Madam Perlecta – that there will be an emergency staff meeting tomorrow morning at eight-thirty. Be sure to contact both Professor Dustern and Filius Flitwick. Filius is in Provence – use an Eagle Owl and send his letter first. But ask Horace to return to the school as quick as he can – I want to see him this evening, at the latest. Ask Gertrude to meet me at St. Mungo’s right away. You may inform Gertie of the contents of the letter, but do not tell the others. Simply inform them that there is an emergency and that the Headmaster requires their attendance at the meeting.”

“I will take care of it all, Albus. Don’t worry. But how will they believe the letter is from you, and that it isn’t some hoax or that I’m exaggerating?”

“Use the Headmaster’s seal.” Albus waved his wand. “There – you have access to it now; it’s in the bottom drawer of the desk. And, if you like, sign it with your name and then write mine beneath yours.”

“Very well, Albus. You get going now. Don’t worry about a thing here,” Minerva said, taking the letter he held out to her.

Albus tapped the fireplace with his wand, then tossed in some Floo-Powder, stepped in, and called out, “St. Mungo’s Hospital!”

Minerva read the letter that had so shocked Albus.

“Healer Crispin Fastnott
“St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
“Creature-Induced Injuries and Ailments

“13 July 1957

“Dear Headmaster Dumbledore:

“It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that Robert Pretnick was admitted to my ward in the early hours of the morning. He told me that, as his employer and in lieu of next-of-kin, you were to be informed that he was injured last night. Witnesses who brought him to St. Mungo’s said that he was admirably brave in protecting four others, including two small children, and that, as a result of his courage, he was the only victim of the attack. Sadly, however, Mr Pretnick was bitten; the perpetrator of the attack was a fully-transformed werewolf.

“He has stated that he wants no visitors. This is typical in the aftermath of such an attack; however, I believe he could benefit from your presence.

“Sincerely,

“Crispin Fastnott, Healer-in-Charge
“Creature-Induced Injuries and Ailments”

Minerva blinked away tears. She had scarcely known the quiet Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, but he had seemed like a good man, and this letter bore that out, if he sacrificed himself for the sake of others. No time to think about that now, however. Wishing she could activate the Headmaster’s Floo and Floo into Hogsmeade, she rode the stairs down to the second floor, then transformed into her tabby form and ran down to the front doors, returning to her ordinary form to open the doors before racing down to the front gates, jumping through the bars. With barely a pop, she transformed to her ordinary form, caught her breath, and Apparated.

Minerva arrived at the edge of the Gamp gardens and walked as quickly as she could up to the front doors of the great house. Krantzy opened the door to her hard rapping.

Without allowing Krantzy to waste time with elaborate greetings, Minerva said, “I must see Gertrude Gamp. It is very urgent that I see her immediately.”

Krantzy bowed deeply and popped away. Minerva stepped into the cool foyer, hoping she wouldn’t have to wait long.

“Minerva?” Gertrude’s voice floated down from the first floor. She started down the stairs. “Krantzy said you had come to see me – ”

“Yes, I am here on Professor Dumbledore’s behalf. There is an emergency.”

The witch’s normally unreadable expression changed to one of worry as she hurried down the stairs. “Albus? What happened? Is he all right?”

“He is fine, but he wants you to meet him at St. Mungo’s immediately.” Not knowing an easier way to break the news, Minerva said, “Professor Pretnick was bitten by a werewolf last night.”

While Gertrude’s reaction was not as strong as Albus’s had been, she went pale and stopped on the second step from the bottom. “A werewolf . . . ,” she whispered.

“Yes, I have the letter here.” Minerva fished the letter from her pocket and handed it to Gertrude, who unfolded it and read it slowly before giving it back to Minerva.

“The staff will need to be notified . . . .”

“The Headmaster has asked me to do that. Right now, he needs you at St. Mungo’s. He’s calling a full staff meeting for tomorrow morning at eight-thirty. I am to tell no one but you the reason for the meeting,” Minerva said.

“Good – I can Apparate from here, but I’m afraid you’ll have to walk out past the wards.”

“I didn’t know where your wards ended, so I Apparated to the edge of the gardens.”

“The wards extend only about halfway across, so no need to walk all that way,” Gertrude replied. “Gluffy! Gluffy!”

“May Gluffy serve?”

“Gluffy, please inform my parents I am leaving the house on Hogwarts business. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to return today or not, so they aren’t to expect me.”

“Yes, ma’am, Madam Gamp.” The squat purplish-grey elf popped away.

“Come, Minerva, I’ll see you out and Apparate from the front step.”

The two witches walked outside.

“I will see you in the morning, then, if not before.” Gertie nodded to Minerva and Disapparated.

Minerva made her way across the gardens, trying to feel where the wards ended, but unsuccessfully, so when she judged she’d gone a little more than halfway, she Apparated and arrived at the Hogwarts gates a bare moment later. Letting herself in, she walked quickly up to the castle, then made her way back to the Headmaster’s office.

Minerva sat at the Headmaster’s desk and composed the first letter.

“Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
“Headmaster’s Office

“13 July 1957

“Dear Professor Flitwick:

“Headmaster Dumbledore is calling an emergency meeting of the full Hogwarts staff tomorrow, 14 July, at 8.30.

“It is no doubt an inconvenience to interrupt your holiday, for which the Headmaster and I both apologise, but it is urgent that you attend this meeting.

“I look forward to meeting you tomorrow morning.

“Sincerely,

“Minerva M. McGonagall,
“Mistress of Transfiguration

“A. Dumbledore”

Minerva composed the next letters based on this one, varying them depending on the individual to whom she was writing, making sure to tell Slughorn that the Headmaster wanted to see him at the castle that night, then made copies of them all for Albus’s files. When she was finished, she opened the bottom drawer of Albus’s desk and took out the Headmaster’s seal and violet sealing wax, then began rolling and sealing the parchments. She had never used a Charmed seal before, so she tried it out on Poppy’s letter first – if she made a mess of it, Poppy wouldn’t mind. Minerva smiled at the result. She only had to wave the seal over the wax, and the wax spread, hardened, and a perfect representation of the Hogwarts Headmaster’s crest embossed itself in the wax. Well, that was easy.

Minerva finished sealing all of the letters, even those she wasn’t sending by owl. She would hand-deliver the ones to Wilhelmina, Johannes, and Hagrid, who were the only members of staff still in residence. She hoped none of them asked any awkward questions. Albus obviously wanted to tell everyone at once. Minerva thought that the Owlery wasn’t being kept up very well over the summer – she would speak to Albus about that. He may not have noticed the other night, since it was dark. She wondered to whom he’d sent his letter – to Gertrude, probably.

The strongest young Eagle Owl winged away bearing Flitwick’s letter, and Minerva tried to choose owls for the other letters depending on where she believed the staff member was on holiday. When she wasn’t sure where someone was, she picked strong ones. If Slughorn was in Finland, or some such place, she didn’t think that a Scops Owl would be up to such a trip.

Since the entrance to the Owlery tower was on the seventh floor, Minerva thought she would stop and see if Wilhelmina was in her quarters first. The portrait guarding the Gryffindor Head’s door, however, informed her that Wilhelmina had left for lunch already. Minerva had been so busy, she hadn’t realised how late it had become, so she walked down the seven flights of stairs to the staff room, where she found Johannes, Hagrid, and Wilhelmina eating lunch in an apparently awkward silence.

“Good afternoon!” Minerva said as she walked up to the table.

Johannes, whose back had been to the door, looked up at her with a relieved smile. “It is good to see you, Minerva,” he said, saying her name as he always did, making it sound more like “Minerfa” than “Minerva.” “You are back in the castle again, yes?”

“Yes, for the time being. I have letters here for each of you, from the Headmaster,” she said, handing them each their letters. “Well, from me, actually, but on behalf of the Headmaster. There will be an emergency meeting of the entire staff tomorrow morning at eight-thirty.”

“An emergency meeting? Of the entire staff?” asked Wilhelmina. “Whatever for?”

“I’m afraid I can’t say. Professor Dumbledore simply asked that I request your presence.” Minerva hesitated. She was only a fellow staff member, after all. “Attendance isn’t optional, but that shouldn’t be a problem for any of us, since we are already all here.”

“Bu’ wha’ happened, M’nerva?” Hagrid asked, looking worried. “Professor Dumbledore, he’s not leavin’ us, is ’e?”

“No, no, of course not. It’s nothing like that. He will tell you all everything tomorrow morning.”

“But you know, Minerva? What this is, this emergency?” asked Johannes.

“Yes. I was with the Headmaster earlier, which is why he asked me to inform everyone of the meeting.” Minerva was uncomfortable not being able to tell her colleagues about Pretnick’s injury, but she would follow Albus’s instructions to the letter.

“What of Gertrude?” asked the German wizard.

“She is with the Headmaster now, I assume. Now,” Minerva said, ready to change the topic, “I am quite hungry. What’s for lunch?”

Despite her words, Minerva found it difficult to eat. At least her presence – and the letters, which each of the others opened and read – had done something to alleviate the uncomfortable silence she’d walked in on. She couldn’t help but notice that Hagrid looked something the worse for wear. His eyes were bloodshot, and it didn’t seem he’d bothered to change his clothes recently. Hagrid, as unkempt as he might appear to some, with his bushy dark beard and somewhat worn clothing, always bathed and changed his clothes after working outdoors. It looked as though he’d slept in the clothes he’d worn the day before, then not changed before coming up to the castle for lunch.

“Hagrid, since we should be expecting staff to trickle back to the school throughout the day, and possibly even overnight, I think it would be good for you to remain on the grounds, make sure that no one has any difficulty entering. Professor Flitwick, the new Charms teacher, will be coming to the meeting, but I don’t know when he will arrive,” Minerva said, hoping that Flitwick wouldn’t arrive until quite late, or even the next morning. The other staff could easily enter the grounds without Hagrid opening the gates for them, and she didn’t want him deciding to visit the Hog’s Head for “a quick pint,” then staying out for hours and ending up in a state worse than his current one.

“Aye, Minerva,” Hagrid said before taking a large swallow of cider.

“And it might be wise if we all abstained from anything alcoholic until after the meeting,” Minerva added, with a pointed look at Hagrid’s large mug of dry cider.

Hagrid sighed and reached for the pitcher of pumpkin juice. “Ah’ll need a glass, then.”

“Wilhelmina, could you pass Hagrid a glass, please,” Johannes said.

Wilhelmina passed a glass to Hagrid, who took it without looking at her or acknowledging her in any way.

Minerva shook her head slightly at this peculiar exchange. She had no idea what was going on, but now she thought that the problem was something between Wilhelmina and Hagrid, despite the fact that when Minerva had visited her the other evening and asked about Hagrid, Wilhelmina hadn’t had anything more specific to say than that she had noticed Hagrid seemed upset about something.

Perhaps Johannes knew what the problem was. He had been here for years and knew both Wilhelmina and Hagrid well, and he clearly had become used to relaying messages from Hagrid to Wilhelmina. She wondered if he did it in reverse, as well. How very awkward for him. And how very childish of Hagrid and Wilhelmina. Or, at least, of Hagrid. Wilhelmina had tried to talk to him several days ago, after all, and Hagrid had turned her away. She would have to get to the bottom of this. It couldn’t continue, whatever it was; Albus had enough to deal with without having two feuding staff members on his hands, or even one depressed half-giant. But it would have to wait until tomorrow after the staff meeting. She would take care of it then. In the meantime, she would return to the Headmaster’s office and see if there was anything else she could do there; at the very least, she could see if there had been any owl deliveries.

Continued in the next post!

[MMADfan]

Part Two of Two.

LXXXIII: An Owl from St. Mungo’s

Minerva excused herself from the table and returned to Albus’s office. She opened the west-facing window and checked the Charmed owl box. There were two letters in it, both addressed to Albus specifically at Hogwarts, rather than with his name alone. Minerva hoped that all of his correspondents were considerate enough to do that. With all of the letters that Albus received, any that were addressed to him without indicating a specific destination would arrive wherever he was at the time. On his particularly busy days, this could result in very exhausted owls, as well as a very harried Headmaster.

One of the letters was from the Wizengamot, judging by the seal, and Minerva put that in the centre of the desk. The other one, which was possibly either personal or Hogwarts business, was enclosed in an envelope, and Minerva put that one above the one from the Wizengamot. She then went back over to where she and Albus had been working that morning and finished reading the last of the applicants’ letters. This was also going to receive a “thank-you-for-your-interest” letter. The wizard was a shopkeeper, owned an owl shop in Manchester, but also, as he had put it, sold creatures that would “appeal to the most discerning witch or wizard,” including Kneazles, Crups, Bowtruckles, and Puffskeins. From what Minerva could tell, that was the extent of his experience with creatures. Hadn’t these people read the advert? What part of XXXX-rated beasts did they not understand? They were supposed to be able to have experience with XXXXX-rated creatures and be able to handle XXXX-rated ones for demonstration purposes; they also had to be experienced enough to supervise a class of adolescents in handling creatures rated at XXX, at the very least. The only applicant who had come close was David Fairchild, and Minerva certainly hoped that the advertisements coming out in the next week would field a better array of candidates.

Minerva decided to send responses to the applicants now, or at least write them for Albus’s later approval. She wrote three polite letters to the three completely ineligible candidates, gently explaining that their interest was appreciated, but that the position was unsuited to their particular qualifications. Minerva snorted to herself. Next time they had an opening for a gnome-thrower, they could call on Clarissa Quaffenbush. She then wrote a brief note to David Fairchild, telling him that they had received his application and they would contact him again later in the summer. That seemed nice and noncommital, she thought.

Now what should she do? Minerva felt reluctant to leave Albus’s office, although it didn’t appear there was much reason for her to stay. She wished she knew how Pretnick was. Perhaps they had only believed he’d been bitten. Deep gashes from an animal’s claws might be mistaken for a bite wound. But that sounded unlikely. St. Mungo’s was not prone to making those sorts of mistakes, and if Pretnick was brought in soon after the attack, the Healers had had plenty of time for a diagnosis. But perhaps it hadn’t been a werewolf that bit him. There had been a full moon the night before, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t have been a true wolf that had attacked them. But how many wolves still lived in Britain? Minerva didn’t know much about mundane animals, but she’d never heard of wolves anywhere in Britain but in Muggle animal museums – zoological gardens, she thought they were called. Perhaps Pretnick had been somewhere on the Continent and been transported to England after he was wounded . . . but even if that were so, Minerva had to admit it was unlikely that it was anything but a werewolf. Pretnick had to have been conscious to have asked that Albus be informed; as a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, he would recognise a werewolf. And he would know very well the consequences of such a bite, both practically and socially.

Minerva swallowed past the lump in her throat. This would mean finding a new Defence teacher, too. Pretnick . . . she hoped he had family, brothers or sisters, perhaps, who could take him in. If not, she had no idea how he could support himself. And without someone to make sure that he was locked up for the duration of a the full moon, he would be a danger to everyone. Maybe Albus knew of someone who could help him, at least someone who could cage him during those three days a month when he would lose his humanity with the rise of the full moon. Minerva shuddered at the thought. And Robert seemed so mild-mannered . . . it would have been better if he had died, in some ways.

Minerva was disturbed from her reverie by the knocking of an owl at the window. She opened it and let in the little bird, took the letter that had been tied to its leg, and gave it a few treats from Albus’s drawer. The letter was addressed to her. She unsealed it and quickly read the contents. Slughorn would be arriving at eight o’clock that evening. He hoped this was sufficiently early, but he’d had plans that he would prefer not to alter.

“Don’t go just yet,” Minerva said to the little owl.

She scratched out a quick note to Slughorn, telling him to come as soon as he was able to get away, but that she would tell the Headmaster to expect him no later than eight o’clock. She wished she could give him the same instructions she had given Hagrid about avoiding alcoholic drink – the Slytherin Head of House was fond of his liquor, from what Minerva had observed – but she didn’t feel she had the authority to say that to a senior faculty member and Head of House. It was different at lunch; Johannes and Wilhelmina had likely understood that she was really speaking to Hagrid. It simply wouldn’t do to have Hagrid hung-over in the morning. Minerva wished she could think of a subtle way to ask him to bathe and change his clothes.

Sighing, she attached the letter to the owl’s leg.

“Take this to Horace Slughorn, quick as you can, like a good owl.” Minerva stroked its little head gently then carried it to the window, where it flew off.

Minerva had just sat down in the armchair near the fireplace when there was a flapping and hooting at the window, which she had left open. Another letter, again for her. This one was from Poppy. Minerva groaned as she read it. Of course, Poppy thought that Minerva could give her some information about the reason for the unexpectedly-called staff meeting. Minerva quickly jotted her friend a note, telling her that the Headmaster would explain the reason for the meeting in the morning, and she looked forward to seeing her then. She sent the note off with the owl that had brought Poppy’s letter.

Minerva decided that she had done all she could and it would be inappropriate to hang about in Albus’s office for the rest of the afternoon. She left Slughorn’s letter on Albus’s desk with a copy of her reply, but took Poppy’s letter and put it in her pocket. Just as she was heading for the door to the spiral stairs, however, the small fire in the fireplace glowed green.

“Minerva? Are you there yet?”

Minerva hurried over and knelt next to the fireplace. “Yes, Albus! I’m here!”

Albus’s head floated in the green fire. “Oh, good, just thought I’d take a chance that you might still be there. Gertrude and I will be returning in time for dinner. Were you able to reach everyone?”

“I presume so, although I have only heard back from Professor Slughorn and Poppy. And, of course, I saw Johannes, Wilhelmina, and Hagrid myself. Professor Slughorn said he would be here at eight o’clock. I wrote back asking him to get here earlier, if possible, but no later than eight.”

“Very good, my dear. It is a relief to know I could leave everything in your capable hands. Thank you for fetching Gertrude for me.”

“Of course, Albus. Is there anything else I can do?”

“No, nothing at the moment . . . although, if it isn’t an imposition, could you wait in my office in case there are other owls from staff? It’s possible they might be addressed to me, rather than you.”

“Yes, but – ”

“Very good – just open anything that isn’t clearly unrelated to the current situation. I trust your discretion. If you wouldn’t mind responding to any other owls on this matter that might require it, and just set everything else aside?” he said questioningly.

“Of course. I will be happy to do that,” Minerva responded. She could hear someone speaking on Albus’s side of the Floo, and Albus turned his head briefly and nodded, then turned back to her.

“I must go now, my dear. We will be back at the castle sometime before dinner. Thank you so much for your help today!”

“You’re welcome, Albus. I will see you and Gertrude later.”

“Bye-bye, Minerva!” Albus’s head disappeared from the fireplace and the green glow faded away.

Minerva stood, crossed over to the desk, and picked up the envelope that had arrived earlier by owl. Using her wand, she neatly unsealed the envelope and pulled out the letter. After looking at the greeting and the signature, Minerva realised it was a personal letter, not anything to do with Hogwarts business, so she put it back in the envelope and replaced it on the desk. Just as she did that, the late afternoon owls started coming in through the window she’d left open. It was rather chaotic, each owl apparently believing its delivery to be more important than any other. In the end, she managed to bring some order to the situation by saying very loudly that there would be no treats for any of them if they didn’t settle down. She was quite surprised when it worked, but she took advantage of the calm to take the letters from the owls, a few of which were carrying more than one. After she had given them their treats, Minerva settled down to sort through the post.

“You did very well, dear,” came a voice from above her.

Minerva looked up to see Dilys Derwent smiling at her.

“Thank you, ma’am. I don’t know how the Headmaster deals with so many owls every day.”

“Today must be a Saturday, because it’s usually much worse on a weekday,” the portrait replied. “But I was referring to more than just your skill with the owls. You have provided the Headmaster with most excellent assistance.”

“I hope so, ma’am.” Minerva wanted to get on with looking at the post, but didn’t want to be rude to the headmistress’s portrait.

“The Headmaster is fortunate to have you at his side,” the portrait continued.

Minerva blushed at the unexpected turn of phrase. “I am just helping out while his Deputy Headmistress is on holiday, that’s all.”

“Yes, dear, of course.” Dilys nodded and turned back to the work sitting in her lap.

Minerva couldn’t restrain herself from asking, “What is that you’re doing, ma’am?”

“This? Just a bit of tatting, dear. I thought I’d make a nice lace collar. It’s that or another nap, and napping can become dull after a time.”

Minerva raised an eyebrow at that. She had no idea how a portrait could create anything. Very peculiar things, these portraits. The ones in Hogwarts seemed even more imbued with personality than the ordinary wizarding portrait. But tatting? Minerva shook her head. At least that was better than claiming to be under a geas, as her own door warden had done.

Sorting through the letters, she found only three that were clearly unrelated to the current situation, and she put those aside with the earlier letter bearing the Wizengamot seal. She quickly opened and organised the rest of the post, placing his personal correspondence in one pile, letters from apparent strangers in a second one, Hogwarts business in a third, and Ministry-related correspondence in a fourth pile. When she was finished, she had two letters from staff members saying they were on their way to Hogwarts and would be there for the meeting in the morning. One of the letters was from Professor Dustern, and could be called “chilly,” the other one was from Professor Herder, explaining that he was in Norway, but was arranging for a Portkey to Hogsmeade for the next morning, so Albus should not be alarmed if he weren’t there earlier than the meeting itself. Neither letter seemed to require a response. Just as Minerva was preparing to relax and perhaps call Wilspy for some tea and biscuits, there was another flurry of wings at the window, and a beautiful Tawny Owl landed on the sill and hooted.

Minerva stood and, bringing a treat with her, went over and retrieved the letter tied to the Tawny’s leg. The bird flew off, and Minerva spied a few more owls flying toward the castle. Looking at the letter that had just arrived, Minerva saw that it was addressed to her. Opening it, she smiled. This one was from the new Charms teacher.

“Aix-en-Provence
“13 July 1957

“Dear Professor McGonagall,

“While it was a surprise to receive a call to a staff meeting before even being on the staff, I am more than happy to attend. I have arranged Portkey which will bring me to Hogsmeade at 11:00 tonight. I understand that is quite late and will be happy to stay at the Three Broomsticks and wander up to the castle after breakfast.

“I am very much looking forward to meeting you! I have heard a great deal about you, and I am excited that we will soon be colleagues.

“Please extend my greetings to Albus. I do hope that he is well!

“Very sincerely yours,

“Filius X. Flitwick”

What a sweet and very enthusiastic letter – no wonder Albus had hoped to have him join the staff. He sounded much nicer than Professor Dustern, that was certain. She quickly pulled out a parchment and wrote him a reply, telling him that he was very welcome to stay at the castle, and she would see to it that he was met at the gates when he arrived that night, if she couldn’t meet him herself; however, if he would prefer to stay at the Broomsticks, he should simply send her an owl to let her know. She made a copy for herself, then sealed the letter using Albus’s violet wax, but charming the wax seal with three intertwined M’s, rather than using the Headmaster’s official seal.

Wishing that she had kept the Tawny to return to Flitwick with her letter, she saw that there were, indeed, two more owls flying directly toward her. She dutifully gave them their treats when they made their deliveries, letters for her from Professor Evandras and Professor Herder, who appeared to be together, since one owl delivered both letters, and from Madam Perlecta. Deciding to wait before reading and responding to those letters, Minerva hastened from the Headmaster’s office, taking the long spiral staircase to the second-floor, walking the length of the corridor to the most reliable staircase, and then climbed up the five flights to the seventh floor, then up more stairs to the Owlery to post her letter to Flitwick.

The trip back to Albus’s office went faster, but after Minerva had let herself in and checked the Charmed owl box, she collapsed into the most overstuffed chair in the room. She didn’t know why Albus didn’t just have Wilspy owl his letters for him; that walk was an awfully long one just to post a letter. She was glad dinner would be soon; her worry had reduced her appetite that noon, but now she was quite hungry and rather tired. Minerva also wanted to see Albus and Gertrude and find out how Pretnick was doing.

Sprawled in the overstuffed chair, Minerva opened the three letters that had arrived before she had gone to the Owlery. They were all similar, just brief notes informing her that her letters had been received and that they would be attending the meeting. Minerva now worried that she should have told everyone to owl her. Supposing the ones she hadn’t heard from hadn’t received their letters? How would she know? If they didn’t arrive for the meeting in the morning, would Albus be disappointed in her? She sighed. If an owl couldn’t make a delivery, it did eventually return with the undelivered letter, but that was unlikely to happen before eight-thirty the next morning.

Minerva was just setting the letters that had been addressed to her on Albus’s desk when the office door opened, and Gertrude and Albus entered. Gertrude’s strained expression softened slightly when she saw Minerva, and she nodded to her. Albus let out an audible sigh, but smiled as his eyes met Minerva’s.

Before either had spoken, Minerva asked, “How is he? Is it – was he – ”

“Ah, now, Minerva, let’s all sit a moment or two, shall we?” Albus said quietly.

“Of course.”

Minerva joined Albus and Gertrude, sitting in one of the floral armchairs, letting Albus take the large, overstuffed chair. He looked very tired. Minerva so wished she could take care of him, and an urge to embrace him came over her. Swallowing, she turned instead to Gertrude.

“Is Pretnick going to be all right?” Minerva asked the older witch.

“He will live,” Gertrude said softly. “But he was, indeed, bitten. There is nothing that can be done about that.” She shook her head, and her jaw tightened.

“We must do all we can to support him, Minerva, all of us,” Albus said. “He is suffering dreadfully now, more so from knowing what has happened to him, what will afflict him for the rest of his life, than from the wounds he sustained.”

Minerva nodded. Of course, she would do whatever she could, though she didn’t know what that might be. She had never known anyone who had been bitten, and although she had met a few people after they were already afflicted by this terrible curse, she had never had any sustained contact with any of them.

“He was a credit to your House, Minerva,” Gertrude said. “He saved others when he could have saved himself; everyone else was running away, leaving a pregnant witch, her teenage son, and her two young daughters to fend for themselves, but Robert ran toward them, distracting the werewolf and giving the woman and her children time to escape. Even after he was bitten, he tried not to do any permanent harm to the werewolf, but, in the end, he had to kill it. The fact that he had to kill the werewolf bothers him almost as much as his own fate, I believe.” Gertrude pressed her lips together.

“He knows it was just a young woman . . . a Muggle woman,” Albus said, trying to explain. “She hadn’t been a werewolf very long. We don’t know her whole story, but it’s likely that no one who knew her understood the danger she posed. The Ministry had no record of her before this morning, and Muggles are completely unequipped to deal with a werewolf. It is an unfortunate fact that most Muggle werewolves are dead within a few months of infection if they do not come to the attention of the Ministry before then.”

Minerva shook her head. “I am very sorry. For them both. How horrible for him.”

“You know what you’ll be facing, Albus, if you make the proposal you suggested to me earlier,” Gertrude said.

“I do. But I am prepared to deal with it.”

“Perhaps you are, but is Hogwarts? I do not say that because I disagree with you in principle, but out of concern for the school. There are practical considerations – ”

“I know there are, Gertie, my dear, and you will certainly make sure that I am aware of them all,” Albus replied with a smile, reaching out and patting his Deputy’s hand. “And I will be grateful for your counsel in the matter.”

“What are you talking about? What proposal?” Minerva asked, trying to ignore the slight stabbing pain in her gut when Albus patted Gertie’s hand so casually.

“Well . . . I had wanted to discuss it with you later, after dinner, but I will tell you now, briefly. I want Robert to remain on staff. He is opposed to it, himself, and Gertie, as you may have gathered, is not in complete agreement with me,” Albus said.

“Stay on the staff?” Minerva asked, eyes wide. “Albus, this is a school. Full of children. A werewolf doesn’t simply suffer from a case of cyclical hirsutism. He could be a danger here – and werewolves don’t only bite, they also kill.”

Albus listened to Minerva calmly, then said, “I know all of this. But I believe we could find a way to work with it, to keep him and everyone else safe.”

Minerva looked over at Gertrude, who looked sombre. “But you don’t think we can?” Minerva asked her.

“I do not know. It is not something I have considered before today,” Gertrude responded sombrely. “But I think it would not be easy, even if it were possible.”

Albus sighed. A chime went off somewhere above them. “That’s my reminder that I have to be at dinner in ten minutes. Why don’t we go to dinner; we can speak of this later.”

Note: Hope you all enjoyed this installment. There will be another up in a few days. Thanks for reading!

[esoterica1693]

Oh, yay! A great chapter, and a break from teh romantic angst! I love love love angst, don't get me wrong, but still, a nice change in pace. Except for poor Pretnick! Poor brave noble fellow! A cut above some who will follow him in the DADA post in later years. :-) Hopefully Albus can figure out a way to support him.

Albus can be so quick-thinking in a crisis. Swoon! <g> W/in seconds of reading the letter he had figured out exactly what he needed Minerva to do, what time would work for the staff mtg, etc.

And I think it's great that he immediately turned to her as a stand-in for Gertie. He didn't, even for one instant, consider bringing in one of the more senior staff present and having them arrange the meeting or go to Gertie. Even though MM was standing there w/ him when he got the letter, he could have called on Wilhelmina or Johannes--but he didn't.

And, go Dilys! :-)

I do think that AD and GG have discussed having MM succeed her as his Deputy when GG retires. While neither could have anticipated this crisis, I bet those discussions made it all the more natural for Albus to simply turn to Minerva w/o any second thoughts. And I bet that's another part of why he wants her to be Head of Gryffindor--give her a bit more status and seasoning w/ the other staff and working as a team w/ him leading up to the promotion to Deputy. Plus of course he knows she'd be good at it!

Eagerly awaiting your next addition in a few days. I can't imagine growing up in the era when most fiction was first published in serialized format--the suspense! Patience is NOT one of my virtues!

[Hogwarts Duo]

Ohhh I’m so glad Minerva went back to Hogwarts when she did. Otherwise Albus would have been in a pickle with everything and I’m sure it did him good to know that Minerva was there taking care of everything for him. AWWWWW!

The witch’s normally unreadable expression changed to one of worry as she hurried down the stairs. “Albus? What happened? Is he all right?”

I don’t know why but that sentence pained me a little. I know Gertie and Albus are friends and have known each other forever but that just seemed a bit too…friendly isn’t the right word…let’s just say it struck me as something Molly Weasley might say about Arthur if she learned he’d been injured. I can see Minerva making a similar statement if she’d learned Albus was in the hospital or there was an emergency with him. Guess it goes back to Gertie’s motives and how uncertain I am of them.

“But I was referring to more than just your skill with the owls. You have provided the Headmaster with most excellent assistance.”

“I hope so, ma’am.” Minerva wanted to get on with looking at the post, but didn’t want to be rude to the headmistress’s portrait.

“The Headmaster is fortunate to have you at his side,” the portrait continued.

Minerva blushed at the unexpected turn of phrase. “I am just helping out while his Deputy Headmistress is on holiday, that’s all.”

“Yes, dear, of course.” Dilys nodded and turned back to the work sitting in her lap.

Wheeee…sounds like our dear Dilys knows a little more about Minerva than she knows about the former Headmistress!!! I’d say Dilys has either been privy to some interesting conversations about Albus and Minerva or she’s just one very perceptive witch. Either way I think it’s very telling that even the portraits know how invaluable Minerva is to Albus, even if neither of them realize it at the moment!

And last but not least…I was practically OVER THE MOON when Minerva realized that Albus was tired and that all she really wanted to do was take him in her arms and care for him, holding him while everything else around him whirled about. That was just so touching and heartwarming…awww.

Looking forward as always to MORE!!!!! Hey, I’m not the GLM for nothing!! ;D

[esoterica1693]

Something recently occurred to me about the whole France rescue/Carson thing.

AD doesn't just owe his life to Carson--he also owes it to Minerva. If she hadn't been there and been so efficient in finding the portkey and getting them gone, those German wizards would have eventually found him--and he was in no shape to fight or escape. He could well have been captured or killed.

Yet neither of them has ever articulated this--that she most likely saved his life, and that he is as indebted to her as Carson. And their relationship afterwards was more distant than I would have expected given the trauma in France on top of their pre-existing close relationship. Maybe it is b/c they had the bad scene about Carson's letter and death so shortly afterwards-- that became their defining moment re: processing France and they never returned to the topic at any length.

[esoterica1693]

Of course I realize that Carson paid a much higher price than Minerva did, so AD in a sense owes him more--but still, he possibly wouldn't be alive w/o her.

[laundry basket]

Oh, I loved this update! Especially the portrait talking to Minerva -- she's quite the observant one, isn't she? lol. But, I felt so bad for Pertnick. Bitten by a werewolf. . . though quite foreshadowing to the future of another Hogwarts Defence Professor, no? Still. Very nice, and great to know Albus immediately turned to Minerva in such a crisis and trusted her. Sweeet lol. I hope that that's what Albus and Gertie where discussing, Min being Deputy after Gertie retires. Wouldn't that be lovely? *sigh* Anyway, wonderful update, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter

[FireBird]

What an update! Until you posted this, I didn't even realize I was missing some action amongst all this emotional turmoil. But now here it is a, and I am more excited than ever about this story. I agree with all those who have said that this crisis is bringing out the very best of Minerva and Albus' teamwork. And I have been convinced by the presented arguments that Gertie is planning on making Minerva her successor when she retires. (I just don't see why she would be planning on retiring already, and I certainly don't want her to retire just yet.)
Albus is so wonderful, wanting to keep Professor Pretnick on the staff! I really hope he manages.
The Hagrid situation is worrying me as much as it is tickling my curiosity, now, but, of course, given the present crisis, it will have to wait.
I must say, Professor Flitwick's letter seemed totally in character for him and I am looking forward to Minerva meeting him.
All in all, I am screaming for an UPDATE! I can't stand the suspense! (I do still appreciate that you generally update very quickly, though.

[MMADfan]

Note: Thanks, all, for your comments! Here's the next chapter, posted a bit earlier than I'd anticipated. I hope you enjoy it! (It is, unfortunately, slightly too long for one post, so I've divided it in two.)

LXXXIV: To Be of Assistance

On the way down to dinner, riding the spiral stairs down to the second floor, Minerva told Albus of the various letters they had received in response to the summons to the emergency staff meeting, mentioning that she hadn’t heard from a few of the staff, but hoped that simply meant they would be there.

Albus patted her back. “Don’t worry about that, Minerva, as I can see you are. If they did not receive their letters, there is nothing you can do about it, but I believe everyone will be there in the morning.”

“Albus, I’m going to stop in my rooms before coming to dinner. You two go on ahead. I’d like to change,” Gertrude said.

Minerva looked at her. She’d become so used to seeing Gertie in her summer attire, she hadn’t noticed that the witch was wearing lovely silvery-blue robes with fancy, delicate embroidery in silver thread.

“We will see you there, then, Gertie,” Albus said, with a smile and a nod to his Deputy before she turned down the corridor to her rooms.

After Gertie was gone and they were headed toward the stairs, Minerva said, “Also, I wrote to Professor Flitwick and told him that he could stay in the castle tonight. He’s arriving at eleven o’clock. I hope that’s all right, Albus.”

“That’s fine, just fine, Minerva. Very thoughtful of you, in fact.”

“Well, he said he could stay in Hogsmeade tonight, but I didn’t think that sounded like the right way to start off here. And I told him that I or someone else would be sure to meet him at the gates when he arrives.”

“Very good, indeed, Minerva,” Albus said, uncomfortably reminded of his own negligence the day that Minerva had arrived at Hogwarts. It had been cold that day. “If you would like to meet him yourself, that would be very good. Do you know where the Ravenclaw guest quarters are? No? I’ll show you on the way back up to the office after dinner. If you don’t mind joining us, that is. I know you have been very busy today, and it is your holiday . . . .”

“Oh, no, I’m very happy to. And I was glad to be able to be of assistance today. It was the least I could do.”

“Your very least is always the very best, though, Minerva,” Albus said softly, putting his hand on her arm.

Minerva looked over at Albus, and for a moment, she thought she saw a change in his expression, but it was there and gone again, and unidentifiable, though if she’d had to have named it, she would have called it “wistful.” But he was probably just tired after his long day.

“Thank you, Albus.” She smiled warmly at him.

They entered the staff room to find it more full than usual, and many of the returned staff were those who hadn’t sent a response owl, which relieved Minerva’s worries. Fortunately, there were still a few seats left, one at the head of the table, one in the middle, and two together toward the far end of the room. Albus led Minerva to one of the two free seats and pulled out a chair for her, then surprised her by sitting beside her. Dinner appeared on the table as soon as the Headmaster sat down.

“You aren’t sitting at the head of the table, Albus?” Minerva whispered questioningly.

“It’s summertime and we’re in the staff room,” he said with a smile. “So unless I am in danger of becoming dull and you would prefer me to sit elsewhere, this chair suits me just fine.”

Minerva smiled. “I just wondered, that’s all – but I will tell you if you are in danger of becoming dull!” she joked.

“And I shall return the favour, my dear.”

Gertrude entered the staff room wearing a dark grey teaching robe over her summer attire and took the free chair in the middle of the table. Hagrid followed a few minutes later, looked over the table, realised that the only remaining chair was at the head of the table, shrugged, and pulled the chair out. Unlike the chairs on either side of the table, however, this chair had arms, and Hagrid looked at it, clearly seeing that he wouldn’t fit in it. Minerva, noticing this, was about to say something to Albus about removing the arms from the chair or widening it, but before she could, Wilhelmina had her wand out and had enlarged the chair for the assistant groundskeeper.

Hagrid looked over at Wilhelmina and said, “Ta, Professor,” then sat down.

Wilhelmina smiled at him, but Hagrid had already turned his attention to serving himself and didn’t appear to notice.

Minerva wished she knew what was going on with those two. At least Hagrid had acknowledged Wilhelmina this time, although she was fairly certain that Hagrid usually addressed the Care of Magical Creatures by her first name. Once they had dealt with the initial consequences of Pretnick’s injury, she would make the time to see Hagrid and find out what was wrong. If anything, he seemed more subdued than he had before she had left for the Gamps on Monday. Of course, he might still be suffering from the hangover he’d been nursing at lunch. She was glad to see that he looked cleaner than he had earlier in the day, however.

“So, Albus,” said Professor Evandras, the Ancient Runes teacher, “when are you going to enlighten us about why we have interrupted our holidays in order to return for a staff meeting?”

All conversation at the table halted, everyone waiting to hear Dumbledore’s response.

“At the staff meeting in the morning, when the entire staff is assembled, seems appropriate,” Albus replied with a slight smile.

“Can’t you just give us a little information now, Albus?” Professor Evandras asked. The witch smiled winningly at him.

“Only that it is something of great importance, or I would not have called you all here,” Albus replied patiently.

“But, Albus – ” Professor Evandras began.

“The Headmaster has answered your question, Lillian,” Gertrude interrupted. “Now tell me, how was your trip to Turkey?”

Gradually, the conversations around the table picked up again, and Minerva was happy that no one offered any follow-up questions. She knew that Albus wouldn’t answer any questions about the purpose of the staff meeting, but some people could be annoyingly persistent, even with the Headmaster, hoping to wheedle just a little information out of him. Gertrude was able to shut them up in a way that Albus wouldn’t have; he was quite capable of deflecting questions and silencing people, of course, but it was nice that he didn’t have to come across as the stern Headmaster. It was a role he played with some reluctance, Minerva believed. She wondered what the dynamics had been like when Dippet had been Headmaster and Albus had been his Deputy. Albus had taken on so many of Dippet’s responsibilities even as Deputy and was of such a different temperament from Gertrude, she imagined that the relationship had been rather different, and Albus’s role, as well.

Minerva was hungry and ate with a good appetite.

“Enjoying your meal, my dear?”

“Mmm, quite,” she responded after swallowing her potato. “I wasn’t up to eating very much lunch today, and this afternoon was quite busy, so I didn’t have tea – besides, I was in your office for much of the afternoon. Did you eat lunch, I hope?”

“Yes, my dear, we ate in the hospital tearoom, and Gertrude fetched tea and biscuits late in the afternoon. You know you can call Wilspy if you’re in my office and require something. Or, if she’s not in the castle because I’m away and she’s with me, you can call Hwouly, the house-elf matron, as she also has access to the Headmaster’s office and my suite. You shouldn’t let yourself go hungry, my dear.”

“I considered calling Wilspy, actually, but the owls just kept coming. I don’t know how you deal with all of it.”

“Well, much of it is deposited in the Charmed owl box, so I’m not continually interrupted, and Gertie deals with much of the Hogwarts-related correspondence – and she receives a good deal of her own Hogwarts post, as it is. She is invaluable to me.”

“I’m happy to hear that, Albus,” Minerva said graciously, but feeling a most unwelcome pang of jealousy at his words.

“My duties for Headmaster Dippet were somewhat unusual, so it took us a little while to find a system that worked for us, but the fact that we know one another so well smoothed things along nicely.”

“I’m sure it did.” Minerva took a mouthful of spinach. She’d put too much salt on it, so she drew her wand and did a mild desalination spell.

“You know, Minerva, you could probably do that wandlessly,” Albus said.

“Possibly. But it seems hardly worth the effort.” Minerva thought that Albus overestimated her abilities. Desalination seemed like a basic spell, but it was really quite complex, especially if one wanted to apply it as she had, to remove only some of the salt and not all of it. It was easy enough for her to do with a wand, and even nonverbally, but to do it wandlessly would require focus, concentration, and control that she didn’t think she could muster just to make her meal more palatable.

Albus didn’t respond to Minerva’s comment, as Johannes on his other side had asked him a question about the possibility of expanding greenhouse four that summer. Many of the castle reconfigurations were done at the same time the wards were reset, and, although the greenhouses weren’t a part of the castle proper, it would be most convenient to make alterations to them at the same time. Minerva was surprised slightly by the request, since Birnbaum would be gone in a year, but, of course, if the change was needed, it would be negligent not to request it. This reminded Minerva of all of the staffing changes that were occurring over the next year. Professor Dustern was on her way out, being free from her contractual obligations after the ward renewal, Wilhelmina would be leaving in December, and Johannes in June. And now Pretnick had been bitten by a werewolf.

Continued in the next post!

[MMADfan]

Part Two of Two.

LXXXIV: To Be of Assistance, continued

Minerva couldn’t honestly see how they could keep Robert on the staff. It wasn’t just a matter of the three days a month when he would need to be locked away, but during the days leading up to the transformation, he would become agitated and anxious, then after the three days had passed, he would be exhausted for at least a week, not to mention that, being locked up without any outlet for his desire to find and attack humans, he would likely have self-inflicted injuries that would need to heal. Perhaps they could find some other role for him at the school – he could give special presentations, perhaps, or assist Albus with some of his paperwork when he was well enough. He wouldn’t have to live on the castle grounds to do that. He could take a place in Hogsmeade, and Albus could arrange a secure location for him to endure the transformation every month. That was the best she believed could be hoped for, though she wouldn’t feel comfortable saying so to Albus, at least not so frankly. She admired Albus’s desire to treat Pretnick like a normal wizard, but the fact was, he wasn’t a normal wizard anymore. Until there was a cure, or at least a treatment, for lycanthropy, Pretnick’s life would not be normal, and he would have to get some other kind of work, perhaps something that was only part-time. In a shop, or something of that sort. Of course, there was such a prejudice against werewolves that it would be difficult for him to find anything at all.

Minerva’s ruminations depressed her and left her with no appetite for dessert. Instead, she sipped a cup of tea and let the conversation flow around her. Her attention perked up when Albus tapped his glass. Everyone fell silent.

“I would like to thank you all for taking time from your holidays to return for the meeting tomorrow morning. I know you are all curious about the summons, and your patience is admirable. Breakfast will be served in the Great Hall tomorrow morning beginning at half past six, for the early birds among us. Other meals will also be served in the Great Hall while more of us are in residence. I look forward to seeing you all at eight-thirty here in the staff room.”

With Albus’s announcement, a few of the staff got up and headed off, while others finished their desserts. Minerva had got the impression she was to be included in an after-dinner meeting with Gertie, but she wasn’t sure.

“Albus,” she said, turning to him, “you mentioned something about showing me the Ravenclaw guest room.”

“Yes, yes, indeed.” He smiled at her. “We can do that right now, if you like. Let me just have a word with Gertie, and we can be on our way.”

Waiting for Albus, Minerva stood in the doorway of the staff room and watched him go over to Gertie, place a hand on her shoulder, bend over, and speak close to her ear. When Gertrude turned to respond, Minerva could see the intent look on her face, but she was more distracted by the thought that as Gertrude spoke, Albus was so close to her, he could breathe in her words with her breath. She controlled her response enough so that she didn’t wince outwardly, but the intimacy of their conversation caused her to avert her eyes and repeat her mantra, “his private life is private and none of my business,” to which she added, “she is his Deputy, she is his Deputy, she is his Deputy.”

Minerva desperately wished that she could adjust better to being around Albus. They were friends. But the closer they seemed to become, the greater her tension. And tension was what had caused all the problems between them last week. She had to get over it. She had no right to be jealous of Albus’s relationship with Gertie. But right or no, Minerva was jealous. Yet if she were to be as close to Albus as Gertrude was now, even here in the staff room, she feared her feelings would leak through and everyone would know. Worst of all, Albus would know. He would see it in her eyes and believe her infatuated. Sometimes, she was just fine; she could sit beside him and speak with him, walk with him, hand on his arm, and be just fine, but at other times, it was as though she lost the ability to think, breathe, or speak. If he were to speak to her as he was to Gertrude at that moment, his lips so close to her mouth, his hand on her shoulder, his breathe warm on her face . . . the mere thought of it caused Minerva’s heart to pound and her breath to catch in her throat.

Minerva escaped to the entrance hall to wait for Albus, and tried to clear her mind. She was in the midst of calming her breath and her heartbeat when she felt Albus behind her.

“Ready, my dear?”

“Yes, of course.”

The two started up the stairs. This was one of the days when Minerva thought that there were far too many stairs in the castle.

“I just wanted to tell Gertie to meet us in my office in an hour or so,” Albus explained.

“An hour?”

“Yes, my dear. She has heard everything I will be telling you, and by that time, perhaps Horace will have returned to the castle, and the four of us can meet together. I also asked her to check with St. Mungo’s and find out how Robert is doing so that she can update us,” he said in a low voice.

“Aren’t you going to include Wilhelmina and Johannes in the meeting?” Professor Dustern hadn’t been at dinner, so Minerva assumed she hadn’t returned yet. “As Heads of House, they surely could be informed this evening.”

“True, and I had considered it, but I would prefer to wait until tomorrow. Until then, it’s on a need-to-know basis, as the Muggles would say during the war.”

“I see.”

They reached the seventh floor using a different staircase than the one Minerva generally used to get to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.

“Here we are.” Albus placed his palm on the portrait of an adolescent boy, dressed in eighteenth-century clothing, reading at a table, shelves of books behind him. A breeze coming through the window next to him ruffled his light brown hair. He looked up with a smile when the Headmaster touched the painting.

“Albus!” he cried enthusiastically. “I mean, Headmaster Dumbledore! It is good to see you. Have you a task for me?”

“None but your usual duties, Paris; however, there will be a guest tonight. Please make him welcome.”

“Of course! A dignitary, perhaps?” said the boy hopefully.

“Not precisely. The new Charms teacher, Filius Flitwick. He was a Ravenclaw when he was a student, so I thought he would enjoy staying here.”

“I will make him very welcome, Albus – I mean, Headmaster.”

Albus smiled. “You may call me ‘Albus,’ if you like. It’s what we’re used to, after all.”

“You wish to set a new password?” the portrait asked.

“Yes.” Albus touched the portrait lightly with his fingertips. “Allegro.”

The Headmaster turned to Minerva. “Filius enjoys music,” he explained.

Minerva just nodded. She hadn’t realised it was so simple for the Headmaster to change a portrait’s password. She had assumed there would be some fancy ritual involved. Of course, when she changed the password to her suite, what she did was little different, but she used a password charm and her wand.

“So, give it a try, Minerva.” When she looked at him, confused, he added, “The password. Try it out.”

“Allegro,” Minerva said, addressing the boy in the painting.

“Welcome, ma’am!” he said as the door clicked open.

“This is Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher. She was in Gryffindor as a student.”

“Ah, I would have remembered her, otherwise, I am sure. She is beautiful now, and must have been unforgettable as a girl.” The portrait bowed to her. “Welcome, Professor McGonagall.”

“Thank you.” Minerva wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or insulted.

“You are very right, Paris. Unforgettable as a girl, and beautiful now,” Albus said, looking at Minerva with a peculiar expression on his face. She thought he almost looked sad, though his words were not.

Albus looked away quickly and opened the door to the guest suite, motioning for Minerva to enter before him.

“I have known Paris since I was a boy. He used to hang in the Arithmancy classroom in my day. At some point before I returned to teach, he was moved up here,” Albus said as he entered the small sitting room, furnished in bright blue and bronze, heavy blue draperies drawn back to reveal one south-facing leaded-glass window.

Minerva looked around. “This seems quite nice – and is this the bedroom?” She opened the heavily carved door on the west wall of the room.

The bedroom was similarly decorated, but had two windows, one on the west wall and one on the south. The bathroom was small, but more than adequate, Minerva thought for a guest room.

“It needs towels. There are no towels. And I imagine the bed linens need changing,” Minerva said.

Albus smiled and called a house-elf, unfortunately named Drooly, and asked him to see to it that the rooms be readied for the new Charms teacher.

“Righty-o, Headmaster! Drooly fixes everything real nice for new Ravenclaw Professor!”

The two left the suite with a wave to the portrait of young Paris.

“Aren’t we going the wrong way, Albus?” Minerva asked, puzzled by the turn they had taken down a small side corridor. “Surely one of the main staircases – ”

“Ah, Minerva, you are about to be introduced to one of the little secrets of the castle,” he answered with a wink and a conspiratorial grin. “A little Headmaster’s short-cut, you might call it.”

Minerva raised her eyebrow, but followed curiously. The side corridor ended with an ancient, heavy-looking oak door, bound in iron. It was clearly a door; although there was no handle, it had great iron hinges down the left side.

Albus put a hand to the door and said, “Peppermint pillows.”

The door glowed slightly before it swung toward them to reveal a narrow stone staircase no wider than the door itself. Minerva could only see the first few steps as the rest were shrouded in darkness. She shivered involuntarily. But a gesture from Albus, and the stairs were lit from torches set at intervals on either side. She could see now that it was a spiral staircase, although, unlike the one that opened at the gargoyle, this one didn’t move.

Minerva followed Albus into the stairway, jumping slightly when the heavy door closed with a thunk behind her.

“All right, there, Minerva? Not claustrophobic, I hope. It’s just a short flight.”

“I’m fine.” In fact, Minerva was slightly claustrophobic, but with the torches flaring and Albus there with her, she wasn’t too bothered by it yet. She did hope it really was just a short flight, however. The stairs were steep and there was no handrail, but Albus stepped lightly and quickly ahead of her.

“I’m sorry I must proceed you, Minerva,” Albus said as they climbed the worn stone steps. “But it’s narrow, as you can perceive, and I need to open the door at the top.”

Albus had been correct; it didn’t take them long to reach a door that matched the one at the bottom of the steps.

Albus repeated the procedure he had performed below, and the door swung away from them to reveal a sort of barren antechamber with a few tall, narrow windows on the right. There was another set of stairs across the way, leading further up. Minerva hoped they weren’t taking them, as well; although there was no door at the bottom, they were as narrow as those they had just come up. If Albus brought her this way again, she might transform into her Animagus form, Minerva thought. It would be much more comfortable.

Fortunately, Albus opened the door on their left and gestured for her to proceed him into the room ahead. Minerva walked through the door and was surprised to find herself in the Headmaster’s suite. In the Headmaster’s bedroom, to be more precise. Minerva tried not to think about the fact that she was now standing in Albus’s bedroom, and tried not to look around, curious though she was, having not had a good look at the room before. Without a word, Albus crossed the room, opened a door and led Minerva into his sitting room.

“Well, my dear, that was much faster, don’t you think, than going all of the way back down to the second floor and riding the other stairs up to my office?” Albus smiled, but Minerva thought he looked tired.

“It was, indeed. You know, today when I posted all of those letters and made the trip back and forth to the Owlery, I wondered that you ever post your own letters at all! But with that short-cut, it’s not so far, is it?”

“No, not at all. There are a few other short-cuts such as that throughout the castle – not leading here, but equally convenient for a Headmaster in a hurry,” Albus answered. “Would you mind if we talked here before going down to the office, my dear?”

“This would be fine, Albus.”

Albus sank down onto the settee, letting out an audible sigh.

“You know, Albus, we don’t have to talk about the situation now. You have to tell Professor Slughorn about it in a little while, anyway. If I am going to be there, I will hear it then.”

Albus smiled slightly. “Ah, but I would not say to Horace all that I might say to you, Minerva.”

“It can wait, though, can’t it? I know the basics of what happened and what you want to propose tomorrow. You look quite done in; this day must have been very stressful for you.”

“You look rather tired, yourself, Minerva. You should sit down. Come, sit beside me.”

When Minerva had sat down next to him, Albus continued, “You may be right, my dear. We are both tired, and we have less than a half hour before Horace will be here. Perhaps we should speak of something else. But I do want to tell you,” he said, gazing at her warmly, “how very much I appreciated being able to leave everything here in your hands today; knowing I did not have to worry about that was a relief. Thank you very much, my dear Minerva.”

Albus briefly touched her forearm and gave it a light squeeze. Minerva believed she saw the same sad expression pass fleetingly across his face that she had seen earlier. He must be fatigued and distressed about Pretnick’s fate, she thought.

“You’re welcome, Albus. You know that you can call on me at any time for anything at all,” she said. Remembering Gertrude’s words to her in the garden, she added softly, “Whatever you need, Albus, that I can give you, is yours. I hope you know that.”

She thought for a moment that she saw a tear in his eye, but it was only a trick of the light.

“Thank you. You have a very generous spirit, Minerva. I do hope that I don’t tax it unduly,” he said quietly.

“Albus, you must call on me if you need me! I am not simply one of your teachers, I am your friend. Please,” she said, “don’t behave as though you ask too much of me. You do so much, and you must know how much I – how much I want to be able to help you.”

Albus nodded. “Yes, my dear, and I will be sure to remember that. But you must promise me that if I ask too much or become tiresome or unappreciative, you will tell me.”

Minerva laughed lightly. “You could not ask too much of me, Albus, and as long as you refrain from claiming you are uncongenial company, I doubt you will ever become tiresome, but if you seem unappreciative, well, I might remind you of this conversation.”

Albus leaned back, seeming to relax completely for the first time since he’d received the owl from St. Mungo’s.

“Why don’t you close your eyes for a few minutes, Albus? I can go down and wait for Gertrude and Slughorn, and when he arrives, I’ll come get you.”

“Not necessary, Minerva.”

“Not necessary, but a good idea.” Minerva looked at him and was almost overwhelmed by the urge to take him in her arms and hold him, telling the whole world to sod off – at least until Albus was rested. Instead, resigned, she just took his hand as she stood. “Especially if Slughorn is late, which he may be, you might as well use the time to rest.”

“I’m not doddering yet, Minerva,” Albus said, tensing up slightly.

Minerva shook her head and smiled down at him, not taking offense. “You most certainly are not, Albus. But you have had a long day.” She touched his cheek lightly with her fingertips, in lieu of the kiss she wished to give him. “Let me do this for you, Albus.”

The words were an echo of those she had said so many years ago after Carson’s death, and he gave in with a smile. “All right, my dear. I could use a short nap, I suppose.”

Minerva went downstairs, leaving Albus stretched out on the couch. It had been so easy to touch and even to kiss Quin, whom she barely knew, really, and yet with Albus, whom she had known for so many years and whom she loved so much, it was a constant struggle to touch him and not to touch him. . . . She remembered Quin’s words about how her joy would die if she did not allow herself to love him openly, letting him know that she loved him and giving him the opportunity to accept her love and love her in return. But that could not happen; the opportunity for acceptance was also an opportunity for rejection. He would be gentle and kind to her, but he would never again look at her the same way, and their friendship would be ruined. She could maintain this friendship, Minerva thought, and love him as a friend. That would be enough. It would have to be.

[twinkle]

I love your updates very much!

I especially enjoyed the scene with the secret stairway. Hogwarts must have dozens of them and the idea of having some just for the headmaster is a really good one.
The fact that they arrived in Albus' bedroom was quite interesting. Will we see more of those stairs?

The scene on the couch was really cute. Just give them another ten or twenty years and they might, perhaps, if in great stress, hold hands ))
Or give them a HUGE push in the right direction ;o)
But I liked that Albus for once accepted Minerva's care. This proves one thing I sometimes start to doubt: Men are able to learn ^^.

So, when will we see more? ;o)

[FireBird]

Aha, so Albus is starting to lose control of his emotions slightly and beginning to show them. It's so typical for Minerva to interpret that wrongly, though. No new developments in terms of mysteries or action, but everything that happens seems to bind Albus and Minerva closer together, in a way. I really want to read about the staff meeting now, though.
Oh, and by the way, I was absolutely thrilled to find an update so unexpectedly soon!

[Hogwarts Duo]

“You are very right, Paris. Unforgettable as a girl, and beautiful now,” Albus said, looking at Minerva with a peculiar expression on his face. She thought he almost looked sad, though his words were not.

Squeeee!!! That was such a shipper moment if ever I read one. I’m happy to see that Albus recognizes Minerva’s beauty, even if he is lax in telling her himself and then expanding on those same thoughts to include those hidden in his heart. At least she got to hear them once in her lifetime. HAHA!

“Not necessary, but a good idea.” Minerva looked at him and was almost overwhelmed by the urge to take him in her arms and hold him, telling the whole world to sod off – at least until Albus was rested. Instead, resigned, she just took his hand as she stood. “Especially if Slughorn is late, which he may be, you might as well use the time to rest.”

This bit was so very much the Minerva we know and love now. She’s the protector of Albus Dumbledore, the one who can make him see reason and sense. We’re given a glimpse of the woman she may yet become…the woman who holds him tightly when the world gets too close and demanding. What a beautiful image!

She touched his cheek lightly with her fingertips, in lieu of the kiss she wished to give him. “Let me do this for you, Albus.”

The words were an echo of those she had said so many years ago after Carson’s death, and he gave in with a smile. “All right, my dear. I could use a short nap, I suppose.”

Oh if only she’d show a little bit of that Gryffindor courage!!! GRRRR! It may not have been the perfect time but it would have been a great start. Taking a moment to kiss him lightly on the lips or even the cheek could have gone a long way in making Albus see what he’s missing and to in turn give Minerva a little bit of hope.

And then everything comes back to Quin. She certainly didn’t have any problems hanging all over him and kissing him for show and her own pleasure. Yet she categorically denies that there’s even a slim chance that she could have that and so much more with Albus? If she’d only take a chance and risk being hurt, she’d find more love than Quin could ever hope to give her in a century!

Looking forward to even more so update soon!!!

GLM