New Year, New Start

[QuillofMinerva]

Chapter Five: The surprise delivery

Minerva McGonagall was so engrossed in writing her lesson plans for the coming year that she did not notice the owl speeding towards her. Until, of course, it a small box wrapped in brown paper landed with a thud on her desk, upsetting her ink pot which spilled all over her neatly written plans. She glanced up and gave the owl a piecing glare. She noticed it was a school owl and made a mental note to inform Albus that the school owls should have a couple of weeks retraining at the owl school in London. This was not the first time a school owl had flown in and caused destruction. She knew for a fact that the other teachers where also having problems. She pulled out her wand and dealt with the mess before acknowledging the owl's presence. The owl watched her mop up the ink and waited patiently in hope of getting a treat.

"Honestly, how do you expect me to be mad at you when look at me like that?" she sighed as she turned to look at the owl who was flashing her puppy dog eyes. "Here you go. Have a treat and be off with you."

The owl nibbled at the ginger newt she offered before taking off and exiting through the open window. Minerva smiled softly. The owls that came to drop post to her always loved snacking on her ginger newts and even though they often caused mess when they landed, she couldn't help but treat them.

Turning her attention back to the parcel that had been delivered, she unwrapped it and looked at the small velvet box with interest. There had been no note with the box except for her name that had been written on the brown paper. She didn't recognize the writing either. She opened the box and gasped slightly. Inside the box there were ten handmade chocolates. She racked her brain to try and think who would be sending her chocolate and came up with no one. Perhaps it had been a former student or someone who had forgotten her birthday. She looked at the chocolate, a small smile on her face as she fingered each one in turn. Her paperwork could wait for now. She could put up her feet, grab a good book and eat her chocolates. She closed the lid and made her way to her rooms where she kicked off her shoes and sunk into her comfortable wing backed chair that was near a roaring fire. She cast a quick spell over the chocolates to make sure that they weren't poisonous and that they hadn't come directly from the Weasley twins. To her relief, the chocolates seemed to be edible.

She relaxed into her chair and picked up the book she had received for Christmas from Poppy Pomfrey. It was about a nurse in an unconventional hospital who falls in love with one of her patients. Minerva didn't usually read muggle romances but since Poppy had given it to her, Minerva decided that she should at least try to read it.

Minerva became comfortable in her chair before reaching for a chocolate. She tucked her legs up underneath her and began to read. As she read, her right hand idly reached out and picked up a chocolate. She brought it to her lips and popped it into her mouth. She coughed and sputtered when she felt something rough and tasteless in her mouth. She pulled it out of her mouth and saw that it was a piece of small parchment. She unrolled it and saw that there was writing on it.

"If I could be any part of you, I'd be your tears. To be conceived in your heart, born in your eyes, live on your cheeks, and die on your lips," she read aloud.

Minerva read it again. She wanted to make sure that she wasn't seeing things. She set the note aside and opened another chocolate. There was another note in that one as well.

"I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you." She read it aloud. She needed to read them like this because she wouldn't believe they existed otherwise.

She opened another one and once again there was another note in the chocolate.

"Love is friendship set to music." She read the third note in same fashion as the other two.

She continued to open the chocolates up and was amazed to find a note in each one. All the notes were about love and friendship. And they all tugged at her heartstrings. They were all so beautiful. Some of them she was familiar with while others were completely new. Someone had gone to an awful lot of trouble in making these for her. She looked at the notes and wondered who would be sending her handmade chocolate with notes inside. She knew of no one who would do such a thing. Could they be from someone who wanted to love her from a distance? She quickly dismissed that one because if they had meant it, they would have signed their name so she would know whom they were from.

The only other reason, which seemed to be the only plausible reason, was that someone was playing a joke on her. She packed the chocolates away and threw the notes in the fire. She watched them burn as tears welled up in her emerald green eyes. How could she be so stupid to think someone truly loved someone like her? She tried to think who would be so cruel as to do this. Many names came into her head. She had annoyed Severus Snape only the other morning when she had scribbled his name off the quidditch timetable and put her name and her house name in its' place. Well, she had always booked that session for her team to practice and she would have gotten there first if the Potions Master hadn't hidden the sheet. Severus could be snide and nasty at times but would he resort to this to get back at her? Could it have been one of his snakes who she had given Christmas Eve detention to when she had caught them teasing a poor defenseless cat?

Minerva was hurt and there was no denying it. She was lonely and filled her life with her teaching, her duties for the Order and other small things. At the beginning of every year, she was painfully reminded that she was still alone. She had close friends that were always around but that wasn't the same as someone to come home to each night. She sighed as she got to her feet, picking up the box of chocolates and putting them into the bin before she headed back to her office and her work.

To be continued!



A/N: These are the quotes again and who wrote them:

If I could be any part of you, I'd be your tears. To be conceived in your heart, born in your eyes, live on your cheeks, and die on your lips. By Unknown

I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you. By Unknown

Love is friendship set to music by E. Joseph Crossman

[Kassandra]

To be so happy at first and then so sad it made me want to hug her but I know Albus will come through.

[angharad]

Oh dear! It would seem that Albus miscalculated despite his best efforts. It would also seem that Minerva needs a hefty dose of womanly self-esteem.

[Karlynne]

Couldn't he have been brave enough to sign one of the chocolates? I really felt awful when Minerva searched her brain to figure out who would send her chocolates and immediately dismissed the idea of it being an admirer. So sad. Karlie

[griseldalafey]

So very sad

This whole plan is going to blow up in his face, isn't it? *bites lip* Poor Minerva.

I'm loving this story

[Krystal]

I hope Albus can get it right. I dont think Minerva is the sort to give a lot of chances.

[Miss Q]

I love this story! This last chapter was so sad .... Poor Min! But I am, as most of the time, hopefull that you make Albus find a way to turn things his way!

M

[QuillofMinerva]

Chapter Six: The blues

Albus had made his way to breakfast expecting to find Minerva looking happy and full of the joys of the season. But when he arrived he had been shocked to find her looking the unhappiest she had been for a long time. He had thought the chocolates would have cheered her up. They had come from his heart and had hoped they would light some type of fire within her.

He sat beside her and she looked up from her plate. She smiled at him but it wasn’t the usual happy smile. It was a forced smile and that shocked Albus. Her usually bright emerald green eyes were duller than most days and it looked like she didn’t get much sleep the night before.

“Good morning, my dear,” he said cheerfully as he reached out in front of him and poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice.

“Good morning, Albus,” she replied as she looked back down at her plate and pushed a mushroom around with her fork.

Albus wondered what could have dampened her mood. Minerva was a witch that didn’t let things get to her easily. She was very independent and could hold her own in anything. Maybe she hadn’t received the chocolates after all and instead, she had received some bad news. He decided to the broach the subject of her being so glum. He was lucky that their friendship was one where he could pry into her thoughts with her permission and that she would always talk to him if something were troubling her.

“You seem out of sorts my dear,” he questioned softly. He didn’t want to draw the attention of the other staff members.

“Yes” she answered absentmindedly. She hadn’t really heard him because she was thinking about the chocolates. She had spent most of the night trying to think who would play such a trick on her. And even when she walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, she had scanned the room to see if anyone was looking at her strangely.

“Yes, what?” Albus asked.

“Hmm, pardon?” she said looking up at him.

She had looked up into his eyes and saw them twinkling. She usually loved to see them that way but today they annoyed her. He was always so damn happy and sometimes he didn’t even need a reason. She had always been amazed that a man like Albus Dumbledore could always remain happy even when he was carrying the burdens of the wizarding world on his shoulders. She didn’t feel in the mood to talk to an overly happy person who was currently spreading lemon curd on his toast and beard. He always managed to spread some sort of jam on his beard at breakfast but was always unaware of it until she politely told him.

“Albus, you have curd on your beard,” she pointed out without even smiling like she usually did.

“I was saving that for later,” he replied. “I have some nice fruit crackers in my office.”

It was the same answer every morning for the last two weeks. Molly Weasley had made him some fruit crackers and he had become rather hooked on the delicious treats. Minerva usually laughed along with him and would say that she would come along and join him. She would also say that he needed to get a bit more on his beard, otherwise there wouldn’t be enough.

“Can’t you think of something else to say?” she suddenly snapped. Her outburst surprised not only herself and Albus but also the rest of the staff table. “Excuse me!”

Minerva quickly got to her feet and swept out of the Great Hall through the staff side entrance. She couldn’t quite believe that she had snapped at her best friend but then again he deserved it for being too happy when she was feeling anything but. She made her way to her office and sat behind her desk. She placed her head in her hands and sighed.

Why was she letting them get to her like this? Tricks had been played on her before and she had laughed about them in private. She remembered when the Weasley twins had offered her canary cream and she had taken one and placed it in her biscuit tin for another time. It had taken several hours for all the bright yellow feathers to disappear once she had finally eaten it. She had laughed about it with Albus after it had happened but there was something crueler about this joke.

Maybe it was because she wanted them to be from someone who actually loved her and not someone playing a joke on her. She usually didn’t have a self-esteem problem when it came down to it. She was an independent woman who was known for being strict, fair and noble. She was a teacher that commanded respect from her pupils and wanted to give them a thirst for knowledge. Her self esteem was not lacking in her professional life at all but in her personal life she was very aware that it was missing.

Ever since the stunner incident, she had been painfully aware of her life and how empty it seemed. She had her students, her friends and her job but there was something missing…love. She knew that she was getting old. She managed to be in denial until the four stunners had hit her. While she was lying in St Mungo’s, all she heard was that it was remarkable how she had survived such an attack at her age. This had annoyed Minerva to no end. She wasn’t old in wizarding terms at all but the healers seemed to overlook that rather important point. She had looked in the mirror after several days of coming round and had been disgusted by the angry looking scars that the stunners had left on her chest. They made her feel and look ugly.

How was anyone supposed to love her when she couldn’t even love herself? That was why the chocolates had hurt so much. They had offered her hope but then that hope had been replaced by a cruel joke. She was still unsure who would so such a thing but she didn’t have a chance to think about it anymore as someone speaking broke into her thoughts.

“Minerva!” came Albus’ voice from the doorway.

“Albus!” she answered back. A sense of guilt overwhelmed her as she thought back to how she had spoken to him. “I am sorry about before.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked as he walked in and shut the office door. He perched on the edge of her desk and nibbled on his piece of toast he had brought with him.

Minerva looked at him and saw the concern flashing in his eyes. They were no longer twinkling and she wished that they were.

“Perhaps,” she answered with a sad smile.

TO BE CONTINUED

[Karlynne]

SO CRUEL! How can you stop there? Now I must move not knowing what will become of Minerva and Albus until we can get settled. I shall have to unpack the computer first and set it up. Unless you want to update tomorrow? Karlie

[Orion's Guard]

I want this to go on and on, and to read it all at once. I am addicted and I say make the story stretch! It makes me cold on the inside to think of Minerva feeling that way about herself.

[KayleeTonksLupin]

COME ON! MORE! PLEASE! IT'S GOOD BUT MIN CAN'T SUFFER LIKE THIS!

-Kaylee

[Sensiblyquirky]

I'm enjoying this very much, and I hope Minerva can realize someone can and does love her! Albus better not give up!

Christy

[QuillofMinerva]

Chapter Seven: Explaining the Moods

Albus looked at Minerva, his eyes encouraging her to speak to him. He didn’t want to pester Minerva for answers because he knew that she wasn’t a witch to push. He didn’t want to find himself with jelly legs like Severus Snape had discovered when he had made a comment about “women’s problems” explained her moods. Albus knew that she would talk to him in her own time and he felt privileged to be one of the few that knew her like this.

“We have known each other for a long time,” said Minerva as she rested back into her chair.

“Since your school days, my dear,” Albus answered with a smile. He remembered her as a bubbly and approachable Head Girl who had a passion for learning but also for causing a bit of mischief, something that she denies to this very day.

“Yes, a long time,” she replied softly, flashing him a brief smile. “We can talk about pretty much anything, can’t we?”

“I like to think we can,” answered Albus. “Though I do draw a line when it comes to talking about men. I don’t think it would be taken well if someone overheard the Headmaster talking about men’s bottoms!”

“I have never spoken about men’s bottoms in my life,” cried Minerva in mock outrage before smiling. “Well, not since my school days.”

Minerva and Albus both broke into laughter and the tension in the air seemed to evaporate. Minerva smiled. She should have known that Albus would make her laugh. He had always possessed the ability to make her smile even in the grimiest of times. She couldn’t describe her feelings for the man sitting on her desk because she didn’t know what they were.

She knew that she felt more than a best friend should for a best friend but she wasn’t sure how deep her feelings actually went. She had shut her heart to love a long time ago, believing it for fools. Some people say love is a weakness while others say it is a strength. Minerva had no opinion on love except for the fact that she wished she had it in her life now. She hadn’t cared about it until the stunners. The attack on her had made her look at her life and she wasn’t happy with what she saw.

“Do you think it is to late to change?” she asked.

Albus looked at her, confusion etched on his forehead.

“In what sense do you mean…change?” he enquired.

“Life,” she answered thoughtfully.

Albus hadn’t expected an answer like that. He had never been asked such a question and wasn’t sure how to respond at first.

“It is possible,” he said. “But it may not be the life that needs to be changed but the way you look at it.”

“As helpful as ever,” she replied somewhat sarcastically.

Albus raised an eyebrow and got up to leave but a hand on his sleeve stopped him. He turned around and saw Minerva looking at him, sorrow in her eyes. He knew that he could never be cross with her for long. He really wanted to know what was wrong with his best friend and the woman he secretly loved.

“Minerva, what has brought this on?” he questioned as he sat back down on the desk.

“I had a joke played on me yesterday,” she revealed. “It was cruel in nature.”

Albus felt his blood pump around his body. How dare someone play a trick on Minerva? He, like the rest of the wizarding world, liked a good trick but when they were cruel he hated them. He racked his own brain trying to think of what could have happened and who would have done it. He also questioned why she hadn’t come to him sooner about it.

“I received a gift yesterday,” she continued, “It was delivered by a school owl. Oh, before I continue about the gift, I must remind you to book some owl lessons for the owls this year. They are getting worse with their sloppy delivering.”

“I have noted your request,” Albus replied as a nauseous feeling settled in his stomach.

“Anyway, the gift was a delightful box of handmade chocolates,” she explained. She failed to notice the look of horror on the Headmasters face. “Inside the chocolates there were little notes that confessed love and desire. Whoever made them spent a lot of time making these but what I don’t understand is why spend so much time on a hurtful joke?”

Albus felt as though a brick had been dropped on him. She thought all his hard work had been some type of cruel joke. He hadn’t even thought they would be taken that way. He wanted them to be received with joy. He hadn’t expected to be having this conversation about them. Instead, he had expected her to tell him about her secret admirer.

“Wh-what makes you think they are a joke?” he asked.

“Well, there was no note from whomever they were from,” she told him. “And I don’t get gifts like that. I get books or figurines of tabby cats. I don’t get chocolates with love notes inside.”

“They could be genuine Minerva,” he pressed on. “They must be because of the time and effort put into them.”

“They are fake Albus,” she answered. “A cruel joke on me. For one moment, I thought they were genuine and I can’t believe I was so stupid to think that! I mean look at me! Who could ever love me? I am unapproachable, frosty, old, and scarred for life. Who in their right mind could want me?”

Albus wanted to tell her that he wanted her but he couldn’t because her class started to arrive in the classroom that adjoined her office. Minerva got to her feet and smoothed down her robes. She laid a hand on his arms and smiled.

“I feel better after getting that off my chest,” she told him. “Thank you and I’ll see you at lunch.

Albus watched her sweep into the classroom sadly. His well meant plan to woo her had been a disaster and he would have to think of something else to capture her heart.

To be continued!

[Rikki]

Damn those students. Really bad timing here. I really hope Albus will be able to make it up to her... Can't stand Min being so sad. But wonderful update, thanks.

Hugs, Rikki

[Lay]

Great update Quill

I love this story a lot, I thought you would get more reviews though

[Sensiblyquirky]

Oy, at least Albus knows now so hopefully he can come up with another great idea that Minerva will accept! Those students...always arriving at the wrong time!

christy

[Kandice]

Poor Albus he was so sure he was going to make her happy, can't wait to see how he fixes this.

[Krystal]

Couldn't he just lock the students out for a few minutes? Thanks for updating

[Karlynne]

Well its back to the drawing board for Albus but I think he can come up with something.

[Kassandra]

Why can't Albus just tell her? I fear he will do something else to make things worse for himself.

[griseldalafey]

I'm glad they at least talked about it... but poor Minerva....

I like the slow path you're taking with Minerva's feelings

[QuillofMinerva]

Chapter Eight: The Next Step

It had been two days since Minerva and spoken to him about the chocolates and she now seemed to be over the initial hurt feelings. She was carrying on with her lessons and seemed to be her usual self at the staff table but he wasn’t sure what she was like when she was locked away in her office or rooms.

Albus had been devastated when she had told him that the chocolates hurt her feelings. It had made all his hard work seem like nothing. He knew that she had received them from him and if he had put his name on even one of the bits of parchment, she wouldn’t have felt that way most likely. She might have hexed him and broken their friendship but that would have been better than having her hurting as she was now.

Albus had decided that he was going to make it up to her and this time she would know it was from him because he would give her a clue. He didn’t want to come straight out with his name as she may think he was only doing it to make her feel better. So, he left an important clue so that she could figure it out. He wasn’t going to send her chocolates anymore as she may question their origin and throw them away again. He racked his brain as he tired to think about what else to send her. He wanted it to be perfect but he had no ideas.

After sitting on his bottom for several hours, Albus decided to go for a walk and that might offer some inspiration. He got to his feet and made his way over to his wardrobe, pulled out a brightly colored winter cloak and made his way out of his rooms. A while later, he stepped out into the crisp winter air and shuddered as the wind whipped around his body.

Albus adored the winter weather. The wind seemed so strong and masterful as it blew leaves through the air. He walked slowly around the grounds and ended up outside one of Professor Sprout’s greenhouses. He had always enjoyed Herbolgy as a student and that had carried on through his maturing years. He pushed the door open and was met with the heat designed specifically for the flowers. Sprout would always grow flowers regardless of the time of year. She had a passion for roses and kept several varieties in the greenhouse. None of the students knew about the roses, though. She was afraid that some spiteful Slytherin would come by under cover of darkness and trash them.

“Headmaster, is that you?” came a voice from the corner of the greenhouse.

Albus whirled around to see Professor Sprout, looking rather grubby with her wand in her hand. She looked ready to pounce on any intruder that trespassed in her roses’ greenhouse. Once she was certain it was the Headmaster, she placed her wand back inside her robes and smiled at him.

“I wouldn’t have used it,” she said innocently. “I just use it to scare people off.”

Albus raised an eyebrow at her. He wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth. He remembered Phyllis Sprout from her school days and she hadn’t been terribly gifted at charms or anything else that required the use of her wand. She would probably cause more damage than she had intended if she cast a spell from her wand and it backfired.

“Maybe you should just put a strong locking charm on it,” said Albus and then he had second thoughts. “Actually, I could put one on for you and it could only be broken by you.”

“Oh Headmaster that would fantastic,” she said beaming at him. “As you know I have never been good with the wand waving!”

“Consider it done!” he said with a smile, as he looked around at the roses. “These are wonderful. How do you cope with so many varieties under one roof?”

“Simple, when you know how, Headmaster,” she answered. “I only have fourteen varieties here. Oh, I must show you the new one. I bred it myself and plan to take it to be registered next week.”

Albus wasn’t a green-fingered wizard and had no idea that you could cross breed roses. She explained to him as they walked that you could do so by using complex methods but only if one had the time, patience, and love to do them properly. Albus had to admit that the new roses she showed him were stunning. He had never seen such a colour before and it intrigued him. The bud on one of them was opened and the petals were full but delicate looking. It was a sky blue rose with white flecks on the petals.

“Aren’t they beautiful?” enthused Professor Sprout as she looked proudly at the flowers she held dear to her heart.

“Stunning!” answered Albus as he reached out and traced the delicate petals with a long finger.

“You can have one,” she told him. “They are charmed to never die and that would look lovely on your desk. I’m sure of it!”

“I have another use for it Phyllis but I can assure that it will be well looked after,” he told her. He had found the perfect gift for Minerva.

Professor Sprout smiled and cut him a rose from the bush. She handed it to him and didn’t let him go until she had told how to care for it and what the rose needed to keep it happy. Albus couldn’t help but think that he was buying an owl or another type of animal. He remembered getting a talk like this when he had gone with his father to buy an owl many, many years ago.

He bid her farewell and swept back into the school and he walked quickly to his rooms, glad that he met no one along the way. He got into his office and sat behind the chair, sitting the rose aside and pulling out a piece of parchment. Fawkes, who had been sitting on his perch, peered over the Headmasters shoulder as he scribbled away.

“Perfect!” he announced a few minutes later and he reread the letter, making sure everything that needed to be included was in the note. Albus leaned back in his chair and smiled. He now had the perfect gift and the letter explaining everything, plus a clue to who her admirer was. It would be the early hours of the morning before he could deliver this to Minerva and he was already growing impatient.

to be continued!

[Karlynne]

Oh good. I love flowers. I hope this works. Karlie

[KayleeTonksLupin]

Aha, is Clayre wanting a Kaylee-wolf treat just like Rikki? Ah well, I promised Rikki that if she made you update I'd give you a truckload of them to share *grin* So here it is. *drives virtual truck onto the board and shows Clayre and Rikki all the lovely Kaylee-wolf treats*

Hugs,

Kaylee

[griseldalafey]

owww.... *bites nails* I just hopes this works out and that his clues are clear enough...

I love this story

[Orion's Guard]

I just don't think I could see get Minerva hurt again... but it would make for an angsty tale and make it harder for Albus to come clean in the end

[Kamdra]

I must have missed an update but I have to tell you that I am really enjoying this story. I hope the rose works for Albus the way he hopes

[Sensiblyquirky]

Nice update, and I hope this idea works!!

[Kassandra]

Is he ever going to confess to sending the chocolates? I hope flowers go over better. A bit of a coward to just leave a clue. Is he really a Gryffindor?

[angeldust]

oh my i hope it all doesn't go wrong again! I hope she doesn't take it wrong and destroy the flower! I hope he put how to use it!!!!

(Bites nails while watin for update!)