Post by ginger newts on Jan 13, 2005 0:15:53 GMT -5
Well, I've been debating doing this one ever since the challenge was posted and have finally gotten around to writing it. I'm not sure how I handled all the dialogue in the end so honest feedback would be appreciated.
Baby, It's Cold Outside
The bathroom door opened, releasing a puff of steam into the small bedroom, and Minerva McGonagall stepped out wrapped in a towel with her long dark hair dripping water. She looked around, noticing how empty and strange the room looked without the curtains, paintings, and bedding that had filled it with color for the last seven years. As she dressed and brushed out her hair the young woman double, or rather, triple-checked that she had packed everything. Robes, blankets, school books, broom, and cauldron had all been shrunken to fit inside the large trunk, which Minerva now levitated into the sitting room.
She let the trunk hover for a few minutes and walked around the cramped room, looking at the framed photographs and other mementos that marked her time with her three roommates. They had never been best friends, but the four of them had made very compatible roommates and they’d had some good times together. On her way to the door, Minerva realized she would miss the other girls more than she had ever expected. She walked slowly down the street of university apartments toward the student center, where she could take a portkey home, but suddenly she decided she wasn’t quite ready to go home.
Minerva hadn’t lived with her parents since the summer before her seventh and final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, over thirteen years earlier. In the fall of that year, she had applied to several Wizarding universities and almost all had offered her a full scholarship. Expecting her N.E.W.T. results to be stellar based on her previous test performance, Minerva had been accepted into an accelerated program and began her work at the Morgan la Fay Institute for Witches in Wales over the summer. Course work for the first two years included all the core subjects that had been taught at Hogwarts: Charms, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Minerva’s favorite subject – Transfiguration, and to her dismay Divination. After that, students could choose one or two subjects to specialize in. Minerva continued to study during the summer holidays and was prepared to immerse herself fully in Transfiguration by the winter term beginning in January of 1944. She had even been accepted into the lab of one of Britain’s foremost Transfiguration Mistresses.
Unfortunately, by that time a war had broken out among the European magical community. Minerva followed the papers and kept in touch with her friends from Hogwarts, receiving news almost daily that someone she knew had been touched by the spreading evil. After a long discussion with Professor Allexis, Minerva decided that her tallents could be put to better use in the war. Whenever it ended she would be allowed to take up her place at school again. So, she registered with the British Ministry of Magic and after a brief training became part of a team of volunteers working alongside the Aurors.
Minerva traveled to France and Germany, often under cover of the allied Muggle armies who were also fighting a war against hate and evil. Among the other volunteers, she had been able to find only one other person who also understood what the Muggles were fighting for. The two concurrent wars that ravaged most of Western Europe were really remarkably similar. In both worlds a leader had risen quickly and easily by using minority influence to push his own agenda. Both men believed that certain groups of people were better than others and therefore more qualified to hold positions of power, or even to live. Ironically, both men belonged to the groups they were marginalizing and slaughtering.
The man with whom Minerva discussed all these things and more was Albus Dumbledore. Throughout the months of conversations held as they worked side-by-side, Minerva found that Albus was a Transfiguration Master and that he was on leave from Hogwarts. He had taken over the position of Transfiguration professor the fall term after she had graduated. Albus filled her in on the details of the Chamber of Secrets nightmare she had read about in the Daily Prophet and she told him about the work she had been about to undertake. Minerva had been slated to train as an animagus before she left school.
Several times over the course of the sixteen months they worked together, Albus and Minerva found themselves undertaking various operations as a team and one day they realized they were falling in love. Then, Albus had defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald late one night in the spring of 1945. Minerva hadn’t been with him on that particular night. He had gone with another team and when word reached the base camp that there had been a struggle with the dark lord himself Minerva had been beside herself with worry until Albus returned.
Abruptly, they found themselves thrown back into their pre-war lives with only the owls to stay in touch. Albus had returned to Hogwarts and Minerva took up her place at MLF again. She completed her studies in another year and a half and became a registered animagus in the process. There had been sporatic visits with Albus, but after he became deputy headmaster of Hogwarts in addition to being a war hero the demands on his time had been outrageous. Minerva’s free time was also severely limited due to her heavy course load and the addition of animagus training. More and more as the years went by they feared the relationship would slip through their fingers.
However, neither was willing to let the other go. They both knew they had found something special. When she finished at the college, Minerva decided to continue her studies and achieve Transfiguration Mistress status as well as her teacher’s training. She found several other girls from college to room with and completed the eight year program in seven years. It had now been four months since she had seen Albus, another all too short Saturday afternoon visit.
All these things and more were running haphazardly through Minerva’s mind as she made her way to the student center. At the last minute, she decided to change her destination and joined a group of students preparing to portkey to Hogsmeade village. They landed in front of the Three Broomsticks pub a moment later and Minerva set off up the hill toward the large castle that was home to Hogwarts.
The sun was setting as she entered the school and found her way to the Transfiguration professor’s office. Letting her heavy trunk settle to the floor, Minerva smiled a rare mischievous smile and knocked briskly on the door. It was opened magically from within and a weary “come in” met her ears. She did not enter, however, choosing instead to attract Albus’ attention by clearing her throat. He looked up slowly from the essays he was grading and did a double take, a wide smile breaking out on his face.
Baby, It's Cold Outside
The bathroom door opened, releasing a puff of steam into the small bedroom, and Minerva McGonagall stepped out wrapped in a towel with her long dark hair dripping water. She looked around, noticing how empty and strange the room looked without the curtains, paintings, and bedding that had filled it with color for the last seven years. As she dressed and brushed out her hair the young woman double, or rather, triple-checked that she had packed everything. Robes, blankets, school books, broom, and cauldron had all been shrunken to fit inside the large trunk, which Minerva now levitated into the sitting room.
She let the trunk hover for a few minutes and walked around the cramped room, looking at the framed photographs and other mementos that marked her time with her three roommates. They had never been best friends, but the four of them had made very compatible roommates and they’d had some good times together. On her way to the door, Minerva realized she would miss the other girls more than she had ever expected. She walked slowly down the street of university apartments toward the student center, where she could take a portkey home, but suddenly she decided she wasn’t quite ready to go home.
Minerva hadn’t lived with her parents since the summer before her seventh and final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, over thirteen years earlier. In the fall of that year, she had applied to several Wizarding universities and almost all had offered her a full scholarship. Expecting her N.E.W.T. results to be stellar based on her previous test performance, Minerva had been accepted into an accelerated program and began her work at the Morgan la Fay Institute for Witches in Wales over the summer. Course work for the first two years included all the core subjects that had been taught at Hogwarts: Charms, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Minerva’s favorite subject – Transfiguration, and to her dismay Divination. After that, students could choose one or two subjects to specialize in. Minerva continued to study during the summer holidays and was prepared to immerse herself fully in Transfiguration by the winter term beginning in January of 1944. She had even been accepted into the lab of one of Britain’s foremost Transfiguration Mistresses.
Unfortunately, by that time a war had broken out among the European magical community. Minerva followed the papers and kept in touch with her friends from Hogwarts, receiving news almost daily that someone she knew had been touched by the spreading evil. After a long discussion with Professor Allexis, Minerva decided that her tallents could be put to better use in the war. Whenever it ended she would be allowed to take up her place at school again. So, she registered with the British Ministry of Magic and after a brief training became part of a team of volunteers working alongside the Aurors.
Minerva traveled to France and Germany, often under cover of the allied Muggle armies who were also fighting a war against hate and evil. Among the other volunteers, she had been able to find only one other person who also understood what the Muggles were fighting for. The two concurrent wars that ravaged most of Western Europe were really remarkably similar. In both worlds a leader had risen quickly and easily by using minority influence to push his own agenda. Both men believed that certain groups of people were better than others and therefore more qualified to hold positions of power, or even to live. Ironically, both men belonged to the groups they were marginalizing and slaughtering.
The man with whom Minerva discussed all these things and more was Albus Dumbledore. Throughout the months of conversations held as they worked side-by-side, Minerva found that Albus was a Transfiguration Master and that he was on leave from Hogwarts. He had taken over the position of Transfiguration professor the fall term after she had graduated. Albus filled her in on the details of the Chamber of Secrets nightmare she had read about in the Daily Prophet and she told him about the work she had been about to undertake. Minerva had been slated to train as an animagus before she left school.
Several times over the course of the sixteen months they worked together, Albus and Minerva found themselves undertaking various operations as a team and one day they realized they were falling in love. Then, Albus had defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald late one night in the spring of 1945. Minerva hadn’t been with him on that particular night. He had gone with another team and when word reached the base camp that there had been a struggle with the dark lord himself Minerva had been beside herself with worry until Albus returned.
Abruptly, they found themselves thrown back into their pre-war lives with only the owls to stay in touch. Albus had returned to Hogwarts and Minerva took up her place at MLF again. She completed her studies in another year and a half and became a registered animagus in the process. There had been sporatic visits with Albus, but after he became deputy headmaster of Hogwarts in addition to being a war hero the demands on his time had been outrageous. Minerva’s free time was also severely limited due to her heavy course load and the addition of animagus training. More and more as the years went by they feared the relationship would slip through their fingers.
However, neither was willing to let the other go. They both knew they had found something special. When she finished at the college, Minerva decided to continue her studies and achieve Transfiguration Mistress status as well as her teacher’s training. She found several other girls from college to room with and completed the eight year program in seven years. It had now been four months since she had seen Albus, another all too short Saturday afternoon visit.
All these things and more were running haphazardly through Minerva’s mind as she made her way to the student center. At the last minute, she decided to change her destination and joined a group of students preparing to portkey to Hogsmeade village. They landed in front of the Three Broomsticks pub a moment later and Minerva set off up the hill toward the large castle that was home to Hogwarts.
The sun was setting as she entered the school and found her way to the Transfiguration professor’s office. Letting her heavy trunk settle to the floor, Minerva smiled a rare mischievous smile and knocked briskly on the door. It was opened magically from within and a weary “come in” met her ears. She did not enter, however, choosing instead to attract Albus’ attention by clearing her throat. He looked up slowly from the essays he was grading and did a double take, a wide smile breaking out on his face.
Karlie
that's so awesome! you did a great job!!
