Hey Lovelies! Okay, so I know that MMAD isn't a thing in canon. Not even close, but sometimes I really like them together, and I think that they are the perfect pair for this little story that has been floating around in my head. This may be fairly short, or it could go on for awhile, I'm not sure yet, the outline could go either way. In any case, I hope that you enjoy it!

Chapter 1 – Something's Wrong

Minerva looked over her first years' shoulders as she walked around her classroom. They were copying down her notes from the board, it seemed as good of a time for this announcement as any.

"Alright listen please as you continue to copy the board. This is your first holiday here at Hogwarts, so as your Head of House I'm going to go over some things. First off, you do not have to remain at the school for the holidays; in fact we encourage you to visit your families if you wish to do so. Secondly, for those of you that do wish to stay there will be a sign-up sheet so that we know who will be staying. Please sign it. Lastly, if you are staying let me remind you that all school rules still apply during the holidays."

Her gaze flicked to Misters Potter and Weasley, both of whom had slightly pink ears. She was sure that she didn't want to know what they had been whispering about all period. "Does anyone have any questions about the holidays?" She waited a moment before continuing. "If not and if you are all finished copying the board please take out your wands and repeat after me."

Minerva conducted the rest of the lesson in her normal manner, but even her stern gaze was doing little to quench the excitement of the holidays in her first years. They all seemed to be laughing and chatting happily as they each tried to apply the spell to the objects in front of them, all except for one.

Hermione Granger was unusually silent. Even when Minerva had asked the class for questions and had assigned a rather long assignment to be completed over the break the girl didn't say a word.

Normally she would have expected Hermione to make some comment on how homework over the holidays wasn't such a bad thing, but she was silent. Minerva dismissed the class amongst the grumbles of the youngsters, and she chuckled quietly to herself as she made her way back to her desk. "Miss Granger?"

The girl paused and let the boys leave the room in front of her before turning and making her way back to Minerva's desk. "Yes ma'am?"

"You were unusually quiet the second half of class today, is everything alright?"

Her pause was just slightly too long before she answered. "Yes ma'am. Everything is fine."

Minerva looked across the desk at the young girl with pursed lips, but finally she nodded. She didn't think that Hermione was telling her the truth, but she wasn't going to push the issue. "Very well then. Off you go. I'll see you at dinner."

"Thank you Professor." Hermione bobbed her head to the older witch and then hurried from the classroom as fast as she could. Minerva looked after her for a moment, and then she went back to the paperwork that was sitting on her desk and tried to put Hermione out of her mind as she prepared for her sixth year class to arrive.

Putting the girl out of her mind ended up being easier said than done in the long run. Minerva was pacing her sitting room after dinner when the door opened behind her. "Tabby, what ever are you pacing for? If I didn't know any better I'd say that you picked up that habit from me." Albus laughed quietly until he saw the look on his wife's face. "Minerva, what's the matter?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure exactly." She brushed it off and stopped pacing, instead planting a smile on her face. "It's alright, don't worry about it right now."

He looked at her seriously, "Are you sure? You seem awfully upset about whatever this is."

"I'm sure it's nothing, just me worrying over something silly. Tell me do you have any big plans for the evening Headmaster?" The fake smile that she had planted on her lips earlier was now a genuine, teasing, one.

"As a matter of fact I do." He opened his arms to her and she moved into them. Allowing her body to melt completely against his for only a moment before she pulled herself together. "I plan on ordering some tea and challenging my wife to a friendly game of chess."

Minerva laughed. "When was the last time a game of chess between the two of us ever ended up friendly?"

"I believe you were about eighteen the last time one of our matches ended up amicably." His blue eyes twinkled as he tried to hide his amusement.

"People would think that we have played for the last thirty-five years just to spite one another then." She winked at him as she stepped away across the room to pull the chess board and both sets of men from the drawer that they were in. She sighed as she pulled her spare set from the drawer, knowing that these pieces didn't respond to her near as well as her original set, which had been commissioned by her husband for a certain protection detail.

Albus beat her hands down and he laughed as she muttered something in Scottish that he didn't quite catch. One of the first things he had truly loved about her was her temper, and it was times like this, when they were alone, that she didn't refrain from letting it show.

"I believe I win again my dear. If I'm correct in my accounts that means that I have beaten you more times this school year than I did all summer."

She pointed one finger at him and raised an eyebrow. "You know exactly why you keep beating me Albus, and I say you have an unfair advantage until these pieces get it through their heads to trust that I know what I'm doing."

"Tabby, it's just a game, they aren't really people you know?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I know that."

He stood up from his chair and extended his hand out towards her. "Come on then. Let's go to bed, before you decide that you want to lecture the chess men."

She rolled her eyes and sighed but allowed herself to be pulled towards their master bedroom. "I would not stoop so low as to lecture the chess men. Lecturing you though?"

"I don't think so." He smiled at her and gave her a gentle push in the direction of the bathroom. "Let's get ready for bed."

Half an hour later Albus was snoring softly at her back, one arm thrown loosely around her waist, but Minerva was still wide-awake. Chess had proved a good distraction for a while, but now that the silence had settled around them her worry was back.

She rolled over and faced her husband as she thought. There was something wrong with Hermione. Something that the girl didn't want anyone else finding out, and it was going to eat the both of them alive. She stretched under his arm and Albus tightened his grip on her as she rolled over once again.

She knew that her worrying, her tossing and turning was bound to wake him, but she couldn't help it. There was something wrong. She tried to think about when she had first noticed it. It was after her announcement about the holidays. When the class had first started Hermione had been herself and then after the announcement she had shut down, gone quiet. Something was keeping the child from appreciating the holiday spirit.

She moved again on the bed and this time Albus did wake up, "Minerva, what's the matter? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She rolled so that they were face to face, "I'm just worrying again. I think that there is something wrong with Miss Granger."

"Miss Granger? Whatever do you think is wrong?"

"I have no idea, something about the holidays though. I made the usual holiday announcement to my first years this afternoon and they all responded well to it except for Hermione. The train leaves on Saturday, and I'm worried about her." She sat up and threw the blankets off of her legs, while grabbing her glasses off of her bedside table.

"Where are you going?" Albus sat up a little as well.

She pulled a dressing gown on over her emerald nightgown and turned to look at him. "I'm going to go check on her. I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong."

She saw the smile in his eyes as he nodded. He loved that she was so protective of her students. All of them really, but the Gryffindor's in particular. She transformed into the familiar, silver tabby that was the reason for her nickname and she darted out of their rooms and up to the Gryffindor tower.

The Fat Lady swung forward on her hinges when she saw the tabby cat coming towards her. She would know her anywhere and the Head of House didn't require the password, especially if she was coming in the middle of the night. As quietly as possible Minerva made her way up the winding staircase that led to the girls' dorms and she pushed the first year door open.

Four sleeping figures were lying in their beds with the curtains open so that she could easily see them. Only one bed had the curtains drawn around it, and she could hear soft sobs coming from that direction. She had been right, Hermione Granger was crying into her pillow, something was most certainly wrong.