Post by maritelske on Feb 14, 2007 2:50:01 GMT -5
Summary: Minerva has only been teaching at Hogwart’s for a year before she and her headmaster meet a junction in their relationship.
AN: Happy Valentine’s Day!
I’m winning
I’m losing
I’m afraid of never choosing this heart of mine, so beaten down
Before you came around
[Rosie Thomas]
The sun was just setting in the horizon – a glittering jewel cascading beyond the end of the world. Yet Albus Dumbledore seemed hardly to appreciate its beauty as he sat alone to his own tortured thoughts, his palms pressed together as he peered over his fingers – gazing into the distance blankly.
In his mind he only heard two words, and they passed across his lips like a mantra. He wondered idly if, perhaps, he should do something more productive and he willed himself to pick up the quill on his desk, scratching it across the parchment before him.
He sighed heavily.
It was going to be a long night.
- - -
In her office, a tiny cramped space, Hogwart’s newest teacher crossed her office – running her hand through her dark hair. She was tired – her glasses were slipping haphazardly off her nose, yet she seemed hardly to notice. It had been a long day and hadn’t had enough sleep to warrant dealing with such a stressful day.
Yet despite her exhaustion, and the way the bright sunlight impaired her vision, she could hardly keep her mind focused. It kept floating off – lost somewhere between the headmaster’s office and the way his hand had felt across hers that evening.
She chided herself as she de-tangled her hair, pulling it back into a low ponytail and wondered when her resolve had become so weak.
The transfiguration essays sat ominously on her desk, and she sighed heavily.
“Well, they’re hardly going to mark themselves Minerva McGonagall!” Her voice was sharp as she sat herself unceremoniously at her desk, lifting up the first essay off the pile.
It was going to be a long night.
- - -
“This is ridiculous, Albus!” Dilys cried as the current headmaster sighed once again, starring into the darkened night, “Why don’t you just go downstairs and tell the girl you can’t stop thinking about her?”
“Oh, be quiet Dilys!” Fortescue joined in the argument at that moment and the affronted witch threw her silver ringlets over her shoulder.
“Leave the poor man alone” Armando agreed, apparently only feigning being asleep, “But Albus, you do know that today is Saint Valentine’s Day?”
“I am well aware of that, thank you Armando” Albus Dumbledore did not seem pleased to have his personal life meddled with by the paintings on his office wall, and the oiled faces of the previous headmasters and mistresses took it as a sign to cease conversation while Dumbledore returned to his parchment.
Once again, he sighed heavily and Dilys threw her hands up in the air furiously.
“Honestly, Albus! If you don’t go down there and tell her how you feel, then I will!”
“Armando? What do you think?” There was a moment’s silence as his predecessor considered his answer, running his hand across his chin.
“She is his teacher!” Fortescue cried indignantly, seemingly horrified, “Why, in my day – this sort of thing never occurred”
“Yes, but in your day – people obviously had no heart” came Dilys’ furious reply, and Fortescue frowned at her from his golden frame.
Albus Dumbledore was now pacing the length of his office, his forehead furrowed in his frustration, “This is not helping”
“I think... Albus, be serious. I saw the way you looked at one another when she was a student and I know you were too noble to act on your feelings then. Don’t make the same mistake now”
A silence descended across the office, a rarity during such an occasion, and Albus finally ceased pacing – seemingly considering Armando’s words. And slowly, a smile appeared across his lips.
“I will be back later”
Dilys Derwent gave a triumphant grin as the auburn-haired wizard left the office, and disappeared out of view.
- - -
Minerva McGonagall was starring idly out into the darkness etched with tiny stars, and seemed hardly to notice intrusion to her office such was the nature of her thoughts.
But when the man before her coughed nervously, her eyes snapped up and she jumped slightly in surprise, knocking over a bottle of ink beside her.
“Albus!”
“I’m sorry Minerva – here, let me” They both dived for the offending ink bottle at the same time, there hands brushing beside one another’s. Almost instantly, Minerva pulled away as if his skin burned, mumbling something incoherent as she did so.
“I’m so sorry Albus, I should have been paying more attention. I was just... and it’s late and I – ”
“ – Minerva” He stopped her, lifting her chin with his hand. She felt her heartbeat increase suddenly as his eyes swept across her face, holding her gaze in a look that made her toes curl.
The sound of ink dripping onto the floor ruined the moment, and Minerva swore under her breath as she dived to retrieve her forgotten textbooks. In that same moment, Albus whispered an incantation – and the ink vanished, appearing back in the bottle. The transfiguration papers re-stacked themselves, and the young transfiguration teacher’s textbooks appeared instantly cleaned – causing her to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Thank you” She gave a small smile, and wondered hopelessly why she had forgotten that she too could do magic.
“I am sorry for the intrusion. I can see that you are busy” He gestured to the stacks of essays before him, most of which were currently blank, and Minerva nodded.
“Was there something you wanted, Albus?” For a moment, he was sure that she looked almost hopeful.
“I simply came to wish you good luck for your first set of exams tomorrow. I am sure your students will perform admirably”
There was a silence once more, a deafening of voices – a gold string that seemed to wind itself around Minerva’s heart so fiercely that she felt sure that she had forgotten to breathe.
“Thank you, I hope so. Goodnight, Albus”
“Goodnight, Minerva” He gave her a soft smile and turned to leave, his hand lingering on the mahogany doorframe one last, hopeful time.
“Albus?” Her voice was soft, and he smiled – turning to face her.
“Minerva”
“We have known each other a very long time” She stepped towards him, raising her head to meet his eyes, and even she wondered where she had managed to retrieve such courage from.
“Yes” Albus Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of his time, yet he still had not been able to uncover the mystery of Minerva McGonagall.
“And I just wanted to say that... I didn’t mean what I said about you in the sixth year - about you being a barmy, old codger”
“You didn’t?” He raised one eyebrow in amusement, and she grinned – the smile reaching all the way to her eyes. Again, she took one step closer – her emerald green robes sweeping across the floorboards behind her.
“No”
“Which part didn’t you mean? The barmy part, or the old part?”
“I believe it was the codger part, actually” He was grinning now – and found himself unexplainably closer to her than ever, her face so close than he could reach out to touch it.
“And what about the barmy part?”
“Oh, no – you’re still barmy” She laughed – a beautiful sing-song laugh that he was sure he would never grow tired of hearing – and he grinned, turning to walk back through her doorway once more.
“Goodnight, Minerva”
“Goodnight, Albus”
FINIS.
AN: Happy Valentine’s Day!
Since you’ve been around
I’m winning
I’m losing
I’m afraid of never choosing this heart of mine, so beaten down
Before you came around
[Rosie Thomas]
The sun was just setting in the horizon – a glittering jewel cascading beyond the end of the world. Yet Albus Dumbledore seemed hardly to appreciate its beauty as he sat alone to his own tortured thoughts, his palms pressed together as he peered over his fingers – gazing into the distance blankly.
In his mind he only heard two words, and they passed across his lips like a mantra. He wondered idly if, perhaps, he should do something more productive and he willed himself to pick up the quill on his desk, scratching it across the parchment before him.
He sighed heavily.
It was going to be a long night.
- - -
In her office, a tiny cramped space, Hogwart’s newest teacher crossed her office – running her hand through her dark hair. She was tired – her glasses were slipping haphazardly off her nose, yet she seemed hardly to notice. It had been a long day and hadn’t had enough sleep to warrant dealing with such a stressful day.
Yet despite her exhaustion, and the way the bright sunlight impaired her vision, she could hardly keep her mind focused. It kept floating off – lost somewhere between the headmaster’s office and the way his hand had felt across hers that evening.
She chided herself as she de-tangled her hair, pulling it back into a low ponytail and wondered when her resolve had become so weak.
The transfiguration essays sat ominously on her desk, and she sighed heavily.
“Well, they’re hardly going to mark themselves Minerva McGonagall!” Her voice was sharp as she sat herself unceremoniously at her desk, lifting up the first essay off the pile.
It was going to be a long night.
- - -
“This is ridiculous, Albus!” Dilys cried as the current headmaster sighed once again, starring into the darkened night, “Why don’t you just go downstairs and tell the girl you can’t stop thinking about her?”
“Oh, be quiet Dilys!” Fortescue joined in the argument at that moment and the affronted witch threw her silver ringlets over her shoulder.
“Leave the poor man alone” Armando agreed, apparently only feigning being asleep, “But Albus, you do know that today is Saint Valentine’s Day?”
“I am well aware of that, thank you Armando” Albus Dumbledore did not seem pleased to have his personal life meddled with by the paintings on his office wall, and the oiled faces of the previous headmasters and mistresses took it as a sign to cease conversation while Dumbledore returned to his parchment.
Once again, he sighed heavily and Dilys threw her hands up in the air furiously.
“Honestly, Albus! If you don’t go down there and tell her how you feel, then I will!”
“Armando? What do you think?” There was a moment’s silence as his predecessor considered his answer, running his hand across his chin.
“She is his teacher!” Fortescue cried indignantly, seemingly horrified, “Why, in my day – this sort of thing never occurred”
“Yes, but in your day – people obviously had no heart” came Dilys’ furious reply, and Fortescue frowned at her from his golden frame.
Albus Dumbledore was now pacing the length of his office, his forehead furrowed in his frustration, “This is not helping”
“I think... Albus, be serious. I saw the way you looked at one another when she was a student and I know you were too noble to act on your feelings then. Don’t make the same mistake now”
A silence descended across the office, a rarity during such an occasion, and Albus finally ceased pacing – seemingly considering Armando’s words. And slowly, a smile appeared across his lips.
“I will be back later”
Dilys Derwent gave a triumphant grin as the auburn-haired wizard left the office, and disappeared out of view.
- - -
Minerva McGonagall was starring idly out into the darkness etched with tiny stars, and seemed hardly to notice intrusion to her office such was the nature of her thoughts.
But when the man before her coughed nervously, her eyes snapped up and she jumped slightly in surprise, knocking over a bottle of ink beside her.
“Albus!”
“I’m sorry Minerva – here, let me” They both dived for the offending ink bottle at the same time, there hands brushing beside one another’s. Almost instantly, Minerva pulled away as if his skin burned, mumbling something incoherent as she did so.
“I’m so sorry Albus, I should have been paying more attention. I was just... and it’s late and I – ”
“ – Minerva” He stopped her, lifting her chin with his hand. She felt her heartbeat increase suddenly as his eyes swept across her face, holding her gaze in a look that made her toes curl.
The sound of ink dripping onto the floor ruined the moment, and Minerva swore under her breath as she dived to retrieve her forgotten textbooks. In that same moment, Albus whispered an incantation – and the ink vanished, appearing back in the bottle. The transfiguration papers re-stacked themselves, and the young transfiguration teacher’s textbooks appeared instantly cleaned – causing her to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Thank you” She gave a small smile, and wondered hopelessly why she had forgotten that she too could do magic.
“I am sorry for the intrusion. I can see that you are busy” He gestured to the stacks of essays before him, most of which were currently blank, and Minerva nodded.
“Was there something you wanted, Albus?” For a moment, he was sure that she looked almost hopeful.
“I simply came to wish you good luck for your first set of exams tomorrow. I am sure your students will perform admirably”
There was a silence once more, a deafening of voices – a gold string that seemed to wind itself around Minerva’s heart so fiercely that she felt sure that she had forgotten to breathe.
“Thank you, I hope so. Goodnight, Albus”
“Goodnight, Minerva” He gave her a soft smile and turned to leave, his hand lingering on the mahogany doorframe one last, hopeful time.
“Albus?” Her voice was soft, and he smiled – turning to face her.
“Minerva”
“We have known each other a very long time” She stepped towards him, raising her head to meet his eyes, and even she wondered where she had managed to retrieve such courage from.
“Yes” Albus Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of his time, yet he still had not been able to uncover the mystery of Minerva McGonagall.
“And I just wanted to say that... I didn’t mean what I said about you in the sixth year - about you being a barmy, old codger”
“You didn’t?” He raised one eyebrow in amusement, and she grinned – the smile reaching all the way to her eyes. Again, she took one step closer – her emerald green robes sweeping across the floorboards behind her.
“No”
“Which part didn’t you mean? The barmy part, or the old part?”
“I believe it was the codger part, actually” He was grinning now – and found himself unexplainably closer to her than ever, her face so close than he could reach out to touch it.
“And what about the barmy part?”
“Oh, no – you’re still barmy” She laughed – a beautiful sing-song laugh that he was sure he would never grow tired of hearing – and he grinned, turning to walk back through her doorway once more.
“Goodnight, Minerva”
“Goodnight, Albus”
FINIS.
