One:
Minerva rolled her eyes as she turned the corner and saw Tom Riddle leaning against the windowsill. He always popped up wherever she was no matter how hard she tried to avoid him. If she had been quicker, she would have turned on her heels and hurried away but he had already saw her, he always saw her and he stood immediately, his mouth curved into a sneer.
"You've been avoiding me," he said.
"No, I haven't, I've been busy- studying," she said quickly, "I have to go, Tom, I'm on duty..." she swerved past him but he moved lithely in front of her.
"You don't need to study, your clever enough," he remarked. "And talented enough."
"Thank you, Tom but I-"
"I've waited for you, Minerva, you won't be late, the least you could do is talk to me for a bit."
Minerva sighed. "Okay, but not for long, as I said-"
"So why have you been avoiding me?" He moved closer to her, leering over her, his dark eyes shining with malice. "You know, your the only girl who doesn't want to talk to me and yet your the only girl that I find worth talking to."
Minerva didn't like how close he was- she was tall but he was taller still and he loomed over her. She craned her neck. "You were courting Patty King the other week."
Tom shook his head. "No, never. She is not worth my time. She is stupid, dull- no, you are the only one worth my time."
"Well, that is nice but I must be going," she shuffled to his side to skirt around him but he grabbed her wrist. Not tightly but... firmly at least.
"You don't have to go yet."
"Yes, I- I do, I don't want to be late," she was a little frightened and she hoped that it was evident in her face. She slowly moved to grab her wand but her hand didn't reach it in time- his did.
"Drawing your wand on me? And you a prefect? Really Minerva-"
"Give me my want, Tom," she demanded.
"I will," he laughed. "You don't need your wand around me- it wouldn't do you any good, any way, your talented Minerva but I'm..."
"Give me my wand!" She cried.
He laughed again as he moved, leading her backwards until she felt her back against the cold wall and dropped her wand to the floor as he did- but it clattered too far away. He hadn't let go of her wrist, she suddenly noticed but didn't try to wrench free. She couldn't let him know that was indeed, terrified now, she would rather die then reveal that without her wand, she was quite powerless, she knew that she had little strength- she was clever, witty, talented but she was slight and couldn't push him off far enough to quickly run away. She was fast on her long legs, she was sure that she would be able to get away if she had the chance but that chance had yet to present itself.
Her eyes darted up and down the corridor, her heart silently pleading for somebody to march up the deserted corridor. But it was late, nobody was allowed out of their respective common rooms and the professors would be asleep. She turned her gaze to watch him, to find any weakness that might help her but he towered over her, his eyes on her, his mouth upturned into a vengeful twist and she knew that she had no chance.
"Tom," she said as calmly as she could. "Your holding my wrist, I would like to move my hand, if you would-"
"I'm not stupid," he said quietly. "I know your scared. You needn't have been but you ignored me. That isn't kind, Minerva. If I let go, you'll scurry away and that would defeat the object. I need you here, you see, with me, I've tried to woo you properly but you pushed me aside and now I'm tired of trying. There is no point, when I can just take what I want- I always have done-"
"Mr Riddle!" Boomed a voice and Minerva could have fainted with relief.
Tom let go of her straight away but sneered at her before he turned to the voices person and said, "Professor Dumbledore-"
"Get back to your common room," Dumbledore said coldly. Minerva knew that he was about the only person in the castle, save for herself, who wasn't fooled by Tom Riddle's charm.
"Good night, Minerva-"
"Off you go!" He ordered and he watched Tom as he waltzed around the corner.
Minerva, for the first time in her life, lost control and sank along the wall onto the floor. She clambered for her wand, wrapping her hand tightly around it, in case he came back, and started to cry. She was embarrassed that Dumbledore was there, she made sure that she never cried in front of anybody, but she couldn't help it.
"Miss Mcgonagall, did he hurt you?"
Minerva shook her head.
"Just frightened you," he said. He bent down and lifted her gently to her feet. "Come with me."
She didn't question him but simply followed. Wherever he was leading her, it was safe and she had never felt as safe as she did with him. She knew that he could lead her into the depths of hell and still keep her safe.
By the time they reached his small, warm sitting room her heart was no longer pounding with fear, instead her face was burning with embarrassment. What a fool she had been! How vulnerable she had made herself. She could have taken him, if he hadn't so quickly taken her wand- if only she could have summoned it with her mind. She hadn't practised that, only read it and now she thought how stupid she had been. If she had bothered to practise she would have been able to get him away before her professor was forced to do it. As she perched on the edge of his red couch, chewing her lip with frustration and willing her face to go back to it's alabaster self, Dumbledore smiled.
"You needn't be embarrassed," he said kindly. "Anyone would have been frightened-"
"Thats not it. I'm embarrassed because you had to get him away because he had taken my wand- I should have known how to summon it but I've been concentrating on so much... I never thought I would need it."
"Mr Riddle has been following you around for weeks," Dumbledore declared. "I know because I've been following him around for just as long. I do not trust him, I am the only one of my colleagues not to but I must trust my instincts. I have made it my business to know where he is, that is what lead me to your... encounter. I was withheld by Professor Slughorn conversing about some root or another that he was searching for other wise Riddle would never have gotten so... so close."
Minerva smiled at him as his face fell. "I'm grateful, Professor. Tom... unnerves me. I'm not interested in boys, especially not him and he doesn't like it."
"That doesn't surprise me," he passed her a cup of black tea that she hadn't asked for and she took it gratefully.
"How do you know I like my tea black?"
He blushed. "I- I just noticed, once, when-"
Minerva laughed. "I've never made a Professor blush before. Or tongue tied. I didn't know that my question would pose such a problem for you," she said over an arched eyebrow.
"I didn't want you to think that I was like Mr Riddle, knowing too much about you," he said apologetically.
"Never," she replied quietly.
"I hope not," he grinned at her. "As to summoning your wand... I could teach you that, although I don't suppose that would take long."
"Oh, no, I can teach myself, your so busy, I wouldn't want-"
"Nonsense! I want to help you. If for some reason I couldn't be there when you were in trouble, at least you would be able to summon your wand if it were taken from you, you should know how to do that."
"If your sure?"
"Absolutely! If you wouldn't mind giving up your day at Hogsmeade tomorrow, why don't you come here after lunch?"
"Thank you," she rose elegantly. "It's very kind of you-"
"Nothing at all... the thought of anything happening to you, Minerva, well..." he went quiet as his face turned a shade of grey. "Anyway, you've finished your tea?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Well, you must forgive the ramblings of an old man-"
"Your not old." Minerva froze. She couldn't believe that the words had fallen out of her mouth. Her face burned again. Why was she so stupid? Had she no control over her own words? "I'm sorry, I- I-"
Dumbledore coughed. "It's late, I know that you are a prefect but you should be getting back, you don't want to be caught-"
"Of course not, good night, sir."
"Good night, my dear. See you after lunch."
"Yes, see you after lunch."
As she walked out the room, she had to fight the urge to kiss him.