Post by ginger newts on Oct 5, 2004 21:48:14 GMT -5
Okay, I was ordered to attempt ArabellaFiggs' challenge and I really hope everyone reads this in the spirit of innocent cuteness with which it was intended.
An Innocent Proposal
Albus Dumbledore hummed a little song to himself as he packed for the long weekend. The school year was over and he was on his way to spend time with some old friends, he couldn’t have been happier. Walking to the gates of Hogwarts, he apparated to the home of his school friend Malcom McGonagall and looked appreciatively over the expansive grounds. Albus had always enjoyed visiting Malcom and his lovely wife Elizabeth, who had been a second year when Malcom and Albus left Hogwarts. In the distance he could see the McGonagall’s two eldest sons riding horses while a younger brother and sister, Albus thought the twins were starting school in the fall, could be seen climbing a tree in the back yard. Before he could reach it, the front door was thrown open and the youngest of the McGonagall children came running out, black hair flying behind her, crying “Diana!” She didn’t even see Albus until she ran directly into him and fell back on the stone walkway.
Bending down to help her up, Albus asked, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she said, hopping up without help. She studied Albus carefully, “Who are you?”
Albus laughed, “I’m Albus Dumbledore, a friend of your father’s. And you must be Minerva, I haven’t seen you since you were about two years old.”
“You know me?” she asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.
Before Albus could answer, Elizabeth came to the door, “Minerva, what have I told you about leaving the front door hanging wide open? Oh, Albus, hello.”
“Hello, Elizabeth,” he answered cheerfully, inclining his head to the younger woman. “I was just getting reacquainted with your daughter.”
“Were you being polite to Professor Dumbledore?” Elizabeth asked, looking over the top of her glasses at Minerva, who rolled her eyes and made an impatient noise as if to say ‘of course.’
Albus couldn’t help himself, he laughed again. Minerva wasn’t yet six years old, but he had heard many stories over the past year or two from Malcom about her precociousness and her apparent innate Transfiguration ability. It seemed that every bit of accidental magic the child had done resulted in changing something into something else and she used bigger words than her brothers who were going into their sixth and seventh years of school. After seeing her reaction to Elizabeth’s question, Albus had a pretty good idea of what Malcom had been talking about. Then the girl turned to him and offered her hand.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Professor Dumbledore. Welcome to our home,” she said.
“Thank you, but please call me Albus, you’re not a student yet,” he said as he bent low and kissed the girl’s hand.
She giggled and then pulled herself up to her full height while forcing the smile off her face. “If you will excuse me, I was looking for my sister.”
And with that, she took off around the side of the house, leaving Albus staring after her with a bemused expression and Elizabeth shaking her head from the front door.
“That one will be the death of me,” she said. “Come on in, Malcom is in the study and I know he’ll be glad to see you.”
Elizabeth ushered Albus inside the house, where his bag was taken by a house elf, and then showed him into the study, leaving the two men to talk.
Albus spent four days with the McGonagalls and he had a wonderful time, he was already looking forward to seeing the twins at school next year. They were bright and somewhat mischievous just like their older brothers, but of all the McGonagall children he seemed to bond best with the youngest. Malcom had been correct, she talked more like a twenty year old than a five year old and Albus had caught her reading a book that was ridiculously advanced for someone her age. He had also been witness to her changing Diana’s fork into a bird that flew out the window one night during dinner, though whether it had truly been an accident was up for debate. Albus was very amused by the girl and he thought she showed great promise as a witch, it would certainly be interesting to see what happened to her at Hogwarts in six years’ time. Minerva, for her part, was quite taken with Albus and she took to spending all her time in whatever room he was in, watching him over the top of her book. Very often if no one else was talking to him, Minerva would draw Albus into conversation about whatever happened to be on her five year old mind.
The night before he was to leave, she crawled up onto his lap and just sat staring at him rather intently for a few moments, her green eyes wide and shining with life. Albus wasn’t sure what to say or do, he had never spent very much time around young children and certainly none with the spirit of Minerva McGonagall. After a moment she lifted a little finger and began to trace his facial features, finally she spoke.
“Albus?”
“Yes?” he asked, trying to conceal his amusement at her contemplative tone.
“Will you marry me?” Such an innocent question, but asked with all seriousness.
Albus chuckled, “Alas, my dear, I fear that when you are ready to be married you will want someone much younger than I.”
She shook her head violently, “No, I’ll never want to marry anyone but you.”
Minerva had been correct, she never did want any other man but Albus Dumbledore and much to his surprise and delight they were married about fifty years after she asked him. She had been his star student during her years at Hogwarts and Albus had helped her to master the most difficult of all Transfiguration skills, the animagus transformation. Later, they had remained friends, but didn’t see each other often until Minerva joined the teaching staff at Hogwarts. They formed a very strong friendship and after years of dancing around each other realized they were very attracted to one another. After a few years of courting, Albus asked Minerva to marry him, but she would always tell their children and grandchildren that it had been she who proposed. And after all, she had done it first.
The End
An Innocent Proposal
Albus Dumbledore hummed a little song to himself as he packed for the long weekend. The school year was over and he was on his way to spend time with some old friends, he couldn’t have been happier. Walking to the gates of Hogwarts, he apparated to the home of his school friend Malcom McGonagall and looked appreciatively over the expansive grounds. Albus had always enjoyed visiting Malcom and his lovely wife Elizabeth, who had been a second year when Malcom and Albus left Hogwarts. In the distance he could see the McGonagall’s two eldest sons riding horses while a younger brother and sister, Albus thought the twins were starting school in the fall, could be seen climbing a tree in the back yard. Before he could reach it, the front door was thrown open and the youngest of the McGonagall children came running out, black hair flying behind her, crying “Diana!” She didn’t even see Albus until she ran directly into him and fell back on the stone walkway.
Bending down to help her up, Albus asked, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she said, hopping up without help. She studied Albus carefully, “Who are you?”
Albus laughed, “I’m Albus Dumbledore, a friend of your father’s. And you must be Minerva, I haven’t seen you since you were about two years old.”
“You know me?” she asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.
Before Albus could answer, Elizabeth came to the door, “Minerva, what have I told you about leaving the front door hanging wide open? Oh, Albus, hello.”
“Hello, Elizabeth,” he answered cheerfully, inclining his head to the younger woman. “I was just getting reacquainted with your daughter.”
“Were you being polite to Professor Dumbledore?” Elizabeth asked, looking over the top of her glasses at Minerva, who rolled her eyes and made an impatient noise as if to say ‘of course.’
Albus couldn’t help himself, he laughed again. Minerva wasn’t yet six years old, but he had heard many stories over the past year or two from Malcom about her precociousness and her apparent innate Transfiguration ability. It seemed that every bit of accidental magic the child had done resulted in changing something into something else and she used bigger words than her brothers who were going into their sixth and seventh years of school. After seeing her reaction to Elizabeth’s question, Albus had a pretty good idea of what Malcom had been talking about. Then the girl turned to him and offered her hand.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Professor Dumbledore. Welcome to our home,” she said.
“Thank you, but please call me Albus, you’re not a student yet,” he said as he bent low and kissed the girl’s hand.
She giggled and then pulled herself up to her full height while forcing the smile off her face. “If you will excuse me, I was looking for my sister.”
And with that, she took off around the side of the house, leaving Albus staring after her with a bemused expression and Elizabeth shaking her head from the front door.
“That one will be the death of me,” she said. “Come on in, Malcom is in the study and I know he’ll be glad to see you.”
Elizabeth ushered Albus inside the house, where his bag was taken by a house elf, and then showed him into the study, leaving the two men to talk.
Albus spent four days with the McGonagalls and he had a wonderful time, he was already looking forward to seeing the twins at school next year. They were bright and somewhat mischievous just like their older brothers, but of all the McGonagall children he seemed to bond best with the youngest. Malcom had been correct, she talked more like a twenty year old than a five year old and Albus had caught her reading a book that was ridiculously advanced for someone her age. He had also been witness to her changing Diana’s fork into a bird that flew out the window one night during dinner, though whether it had truly been an accident was up for debate. Albus was very amused by the girl and he thought she showed great promise as a witch, it would certainly be interesting to see what happened to her at Hogwarts in six years’ time. Minerva, for her part, was quite taken with Albus and she took to spending all her time in whatever room he was in, watching him over the top of her book. Very often if no one else was talking to him, Minerva would draw Albus into conversation about whatever happened to be on her five year old mind.
The night before he was to leave, she crawled up onto his lap and just sat staring at him rather intently for a few moments, her green eyes wide and shining with life. Albus wasn’t sure what to say or do, he had never spent very much time around young children and certainly none with the spirit of Minerva McGonagall. After a moment she lifted a little finger and began to trace his facial features, finally she spoke.
“Albus?”
“Yes?” he asked, trying to conceal his amusement at her contemplative tone.
“Will you marry me?” Such an innocent question, but asked with all seriousness.
Albus chuckled, “Alas, my dear, I fear that when you are ready to be married you will want someone much younger than I.”
She shook her head violently, “No, I’ll never want to marry anyone but you.”
Minerva had been correct, she never did want any other man but Albus Dumbledore and much to his surprise and delight they were married about fifty years after she asked him. She had been his star student during her years at Hogwarts and Albus had helped her to master the most difficult of all Transfiguration skills, the animagus transformation. Later, they had remained friends, but didn’t see each other often until Minerva joined the teaching staff at Hogwarts. They formed a very strong friendship and after years of dancing around each other realized they were very attracted to one another. After a few years of courting, Albus asked Minerva to marry him, but she would always tell their children and grandchildren that it had been she who proposed. And after all, she had done it first.
The End
xXx 
