...uh, yeah, I am NOT J.K. Rowling. If you thought so, well, you're more delusional than the H/Hr shippers. (No offense meant.)

Oh and also, this was just a one-off thing I wrote as a sample RP on a Harry Potter RPG I just joined. So, it's not a wonderful piece of writing. Just FYI, in case you are allergic to bad writing. sneezes

A Short Trip to London

(In the point of view of Minerva McGonagall)

"Excuse me, professor?"

A student poked his head into my office, where I was sitting at my desk grading papers. I was not in the best frame of mind, as it was a Friday and I needed to grade these essays before Monday, not to mention tomorrow was a Hogsmeade village day for the students which I had to chaperone yet again.

"Yes, Mr. Atherton? Is there something wrong?" I mentally ran through any possible reasons for a student to willingly come to my office on a Friday, looking over my glasses at him.

"Actually, yes. It's about the Muggle Studies field trip on Sunday - Professor Mitchell told us in class today that she couldn't go with us because of a family emergency she has to attend to this weekend. She told me to ask you if you could go instead."

I sighed. Didn't I already have enough to do? "Which other teachers are chaperoning?" If I was going to do this, there would have to be a couple of other teachers going along - I never was very comfortable on trips to the Muggle world. "Just Professor Grubbly-Plank, ma'am - there's not too many of us going, so we only needed two teachers, but all of the other teachers we asked couldn't go."

Resigned, I put down my quill. "All right, I suppose I could." I got all the information about the trip I needed, then dismissed him and started to make a checklist of what I needed, or more specifically, how to dress as a Muggle on Sunday.

This was going to be interesting.

"Professor! Professor! Can we go shopping?" Ah, the joys of chaperoning a class with girls, in a big city. We had taken Portkeys to the Leaky Cauldron, and were in London, and I was finding it nerve-wracking having to corral thirty students in a strange setting, even with Wilhelmina's assistance.

"Now girls, remember we decided to take the morning for sight-seeing and then the afternoon for exploring. It's only ten-thirty and we have a couple more stops to make before lunch. So will you please refrain from trying to change my opinion, because it will not. Just enjoy what we're doing, there will be time enough later on." I paid no heed to their groans.

"The younger generations just can't appreciate history, can they?" my colleague commented. "So it seems," I replied shortly. The city was already too big, too complicated, and I was definitely not looking forward to the afternoon of wandering.

After lunch, we let the class loose with a list of reminders that I would have to work to follow as well: Do not under any circumstances take out your wand; Do not under any circumstances attempt to use wizard money to purchase anything - use the money we changed for you; Be sure to return to the Leaky Cauldron by 5 PM; Pay attention to the crossing signals so that you aren't in danger.

I had added the last one based off of my own feelings - even after visiting London so much, I was still not comfortable in the streets. Every time I had to cross I was constantly looking left and right to make sure the vee-ick-les weren't about to run me over. Even Wilhelmina was better than me at this.

"How can you just walk out there without a worry, Professor?" I had to ask my colleague at one point. "I'm used to it," she replied simply. I shook my head as we continued on, wondering how people 'get used to' the sound and constant motion, wondering too at the complexity of the money system - I had decided when we arrived to let Wilhelmina deal with any purchases we made.

I could only hope to get through this afternoon and not have something go wrong with the students. Heaven forbid...

At 5:00, everyone was back. I inwardly sighed in relief. After supper at the Leaky Cauldron, we would be heading back to familiar territory and I wouldn't have to pretend to be Muggle any more.

Then again, there were those papers to grade. I still hadn't finished them. Drat. I could foresee a headache already, thinking ahead while eating the Leaky Cauldron's famous stew.

Perhaps I would hand them back Wednesday instead of Monday, I thought - I would just give an in-class assignment so that I wouldn't have to cope with writing a lesson tonight.

The students can hardly complain about that.

Again, not the best I've written (when was that ever, in the first place?). Don't smite too hard...but I like concrit. :-)