I've put this story in the Last Tango section purely because it was written as an AU (alternate universe, ie. LTiH characters at Hogwarts) rather than a crossover (LTiH and Harry Potter characters interacting). If anybody thinks I've filed it wrongly, please let me know.
I hope everyone knows enough about HP to enjoy this. If anyone doesn't but is feeling brave, there's a short glossary at the end of the chapter for the most confusing terms.
Professor Caroline Cordelia Narcissa Celia Elliot, Order of Merlin: Third Class, former Potions Master and Head of Slytherin, and current Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was distracted.
She'd retired to her private quarters to escape the insufferable snores emanating from the portraits that hung in her office. Then, as she tried to get to work on sorting through ministerial changes to NEWTS, she found her room too quiet. She was tempted to put it off, but with the Christmas holidays approaching, the last thing she wanted was work hanging over her head. She considered that after two years of being Headmistress she should perhaps have more of a handle on the paperwork. Apparently not.
It was only mid-afternoon, but the winter equinox was approaching and, looking out of the window, she could see she sun was beginning to dip in the sky. She yawned, and caught her beautiful barn owl Graustark quietly judging her from across the room.
Caroline put down her quill. "All right, fine. I'll take a walk to clear my head, but then I'm getting this sorted."
Graustark gave a low hoot and blinked in the direction of her winter robes.
"I'll be fine," she said, leaving the room, "I'll use a charm if I need it."
It was that time during the final week of term, when the pupils were still at school, but no real learning happened. At least, that was as far as Caroline could tell. In her journey down to the grounds, she passed so many roving groups of students, she wondered if any classes were taking place at all. Fortunately, the chill in the December air kept the students inside (more effectively than school rules), so as she made her way outside, she revelled in having the space to herself. The air was heavy and misty, making visibility only a few hundred feet. The Great Lake had frozen all around the edges, and what little she could make out of the Forbidden Forest looked even more bleak and threatening than usual with no leaves on the trees. She strolled along, contemplating inviting herself over to Gillian's hut for a cup of tea or something stronger, when she saw another figure making its way towards her. She reached into the pocket of her robes for father's old wand, but relaxed when the shape grew closer and took the form of Hogwarts' Professor of Ancient Runes, Kate McKenzie.
Of all the staff at Hogwarts, McKenzie was the one that Caroline knew least. There were a few teachers who'd been there so long they'd once taught her, and she'd worked alongside most of the others for many years. McKenzie had only been appointed in September, following the retirement of the ancient Professor Penrose, and while she was friendly with the staff, she mostly kept to herself. It didn't help that the classroom in which Ancient Runes was taught (and by extension, McKenzie's living quarters) were way out near the Astronomy Tower, or that Caroline had been so bowled over by the sheer volume of work required of her as Headmistress that it left very little time for socialising.
Still, though; for once she didn't have work as an excuse, and it would be impolite to not at least say hello.
Kate McKenzie, Conductor of the Hogwarts Choir and Professor of Ancient Runes, was finishing up a solo stroll around the Great Lake. She regretted nothing about coming to Hogwarts – the students were delightful, the subject matter was interesting, the job was a much better use of her skills than doing translation work for Gringotts – but her room was unaccountably stuffy, even in midwinter. When it got too much for her to bear, she'd often walk around the grounds to clear her head. It had occurred to her that she should try some kind of charm to alleviate the problem, but, she thought, it was as good an excuse as any to enjoy the beautiful, sprawling grounds. On such an icy, misty day she'd assumed she'd have the outdoors to herself, but as she headed back towards the school, she saw an unmistakable figure approaching through the fog.
Professor Caroline Elliot strode towards her. "Professor McKenzie, hello."
Kate wondered briefly if she was in trouble. Was there something amiss on the grounds? "Professor Elliot. Are you out on a walk?"
"I couldn't focus in my office, I thought the fresh air might do me good. Although now I'm wondering if perhaps it's a little too fresh."
"No, it's just right. I don't know what sort of Dark Magic Professor Penrose used on the Runes quarters during his time, but the air in my room's stale as anything." It was meant conversationally, but Kate realised as soon as she finished her sentence that the first proper thing she'd said to the Headmistress since being employed at her school was a petty complaint. She inwardly kicked herself, "I mean-"
"If it's a problem, I can have Professor Park work a cooling charm in there if you think it would help?"
"I should have thought of that; I'll ask her the next time I see her. And... I didn't mean to complain, it's just, you know, tough, getting used to this mad old building."
Unexpectedly, Caroline laughed. "You're telling me; I've barely left the place since I showed up here age 11 and it still manages to surprise me."
Keen to keep the conversation going, Kate nodded, "Really?"
"Mmm. The Headteacher's Office is a place of neverending mysteries. There's secret passages, the brickwork changes when it likes, and I'm sure that not all the portraits are of former Heads."
"Sounds exciting."
"Yes, but not the best atmosphere in which to get work done. Like your hothouse, apparently."
Kate considered for a moment how nosy she was allowed to be with the Headmistress. She decided to just go for it. "You haven't got too much work to do over Christmas, have you?"
"Actually, no. I was planning to get a head start on it, get it all out of the way, but there's no rush. Term hasn't even ended yet, despite what the miscreants running around in there think." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "and you?"
"Oh, I'm more or less the same. There aren't classes on Friday, so I was thinking, if I got it all done before then, I'd treat myself to a trip to Hogsmeade."
"Hogsmeade, what a good idea. I've not been to Hogsmeade in ages." The way Caroline said it, it felt rude not to extend an invitation. Kate had been waiting for an opening to get to know the beautiful but aloof Headmistress for months. The stars had aligned, but Kate still stumbled a little.
"Would you, I mean, if you're free, would you like to, you know, come too?"
Caroline's blue eyes twinkled. "Friday afternoon, you said?"
"If it fits in with your schedule."
"It fits perfectly," Caroline said, the corners of her mouth turning up the slightest bit, making Kate's stomach do a startling impression of a flutterby bush, "would you like to come to my office after lunch on Friday, then, and we can walk together?"
"Yes," Kate managed, "that sounds great. Is the password still Wolfsbane?"
"No, not for ages. It's currently Polyjuice."
Kate nodded, "see you soon then."
Caroline nodded back, her smile enigmatic, and then continued on her walk.
"Are you ready?"
As she removed her glasses and looked up from the scroll she was perusing, Caroline was aware firstly of a number of remarks from the portraits dotted around her office, and secondly of a stunning figure in winter robes of green and blue tartan.
"Professor Kate. McKenzie. Kate." she said, undignified. Dippet laughed at her from his elaborate frame.
"If you're not ready, I can come back-"
"Don't be silly, I'll be ready in a moment."
Ever since she'd paid Madam Malkin an exorbitant sum for her green velvet winter robes, Caroline had felt quite dashing in them, knowing how the cut was flattering to her figure, how the material fell just so. As she retrieved the robes from her coatstand, she considered briefly how she'd not once felt under-dressed before. Kate seemed suitably impressed with them, though, and after petting Graustark goodbye, Caroline was ready to leave.
Even in summer Hogsmeade managed to feel wintery, with its winding, cobbled streets and the tired old buildings slouching cosily against each other. In December, the village transformed into a scene from inside a snowglobe. Fresh, fluffy snow topped every surface, and it sparkled in the golden glow from the windows of every shop. The street was bustling with a mix of students and locals, but the presence of so many people, rather than making her feel exposed, gave Caroline a feeling of anonymity. Using the cold and crowds as an excuse, she linked arms with Kate and the two of them walked in perfect step towards the Three Broomsticks.
Once inside, Caroline pulled Kate, somehow managing to keep their arms linked despite the volume of people milling around, towards a table at the back of the pub. Their table, like the others in the pub, was festively topped with what appeared to be a poinsettia crossed with a venus flytrap. Caroline delicately levitated it onto the nearby windowsill, and then uttered another quick charm to stop the decrepit table from wobbling. "Is this all right?"
Kate pulled her stool to be nearer Caroline's, presumably because of the noise from the rest of the pub, "it's perfect."
"Right then. What can I get you?"
Half an hour later, the two women were both on their third tankard of butterbeer. The alcohol content was extremely low, but it had just enough of a kick to warm from the inside out. Kate was just about managing to refer to the Headmistress, at her insistence, as Caroline, and Kate was surprised at how easily the conversation flowed. They started off on lighter topics; Caroline mentioned how she'd divorced her husband, John, four years ago, Kate talked about her old job doing translation work for Gringotts. It was lighthearted, but there was a slight tension that Kate couldn't put her finger on.
"What do you make of Greenwood teaching Care of Magical Creatures?" It was asked causally, as if she wanted Kate's opinion on a new hat. Kate got the feeling, though, that asking for opinions on professional matters was not something Caroline did lightly.
"I think she's a good teacher. She works hard and she definitely knows her stuff. I had Cynthia Probus telling me all about nogtails before class last week, and I can't usually get her to talk about anything."
"Well I'm glad someone's enjoying them. Did you know I had to personally apply for a permit to allow nogtails on the grounds? I was chatting to Dippet's portrait the other day and he told me that, when he was headmaster, they could have dragons on school property without so much as a by your leave."
"Longing for simpler times?"
"Well, Dippet also had to deal with that basilisk during his tenure, so perhaps unlimited beasts roaming the halls isn't ideal. Unless – Parseltongue's not among your linguistic talents, is it?"
Kate nearly choked on her butterbeer. "I'm afraid not."
"Shame. It'd be quite fun to have a giant pet snake, don't you think? It'd go some way to making Professor Aspinall respect me."
Though it was clearly a sensitive topic, Kate couldn't ignore what Caroline said. "Caroline... she does respect you. All the staff do. The board of governors wouldn't have appointed you if they didn't think you were up to the task. Although..."
"What?"
"You having a giant pet snake probably wouldn't do wonders for certain Slytherin stereotypes..."
Caroline's eyes widened in shock, "They're not-"
"Caroline, I'm joking." Kate said, smiling at Caroline across the rickety table, "although, seriously; I've heard the rumours about Professor Finnemore retiring. You don't have to tell me if they're true or not, but please promise me you won't make Dobson Head of Slytherin when she goes?"
"Oh, absolutely not! Merlin's beard, can you imagine?" Caroline took a long drink of butterbeer and then, paradoxically, looked quite sober. "Although – and this is between you and me – it's only a matter of time before who I want as Head of House stops mattering altogether."
Kate leaned in, honoured to be trusted with sensitive information. "Really?"
"Mmm. I had to really fight to get Greenwood the Care of Magical Creatures position. She's my stepsister, and some of the governors were concerned it would show favouritism. Of course, some of the governors were concerned that she's a half-blood, but they'd never say so."
The disdain in Caroline's voice for those questioning Greenwood's aptitude based on her parentage was clear. As Kate heard it, she felt relieved that Caroline wasn't one of those Slytherins and then immediately guilty for holding the anti-Slytherin prejudice she'd joked about earlier. Still, Kate (along with the rest of the Wizarding world) knew that Caroline was formerly a Dawson, and the Dawsons were one of the oldest, most influential families in the community. They hadn't become influential by marrying muggles.
While her inner thoughts spiraled, Kate asked, "What did they do?"
"The usual tutting and concerns about whether she was qualified on all counts to teach about magical creatures. I'm all for major decisions about the school being made by elected representatives, but not the gaggle of crusty old racists we've got at present."
Kate burst out laughing and the two of them instinctively looked around to make sure nobody was listening.
"Aparecium," flicking her wrist just so, Caroline performed a revealing charm for good measure. "Idle talk and all that," she said, matter-of-factly, "I don't know if I'm being paranoid, but it would be embarrassing to have the shortest term as Headmistress in the history of Hogwarts. My mother would die of shame."
After several hours, neither woman really knew how many butterbeers they'd made their way through, but Caroline felt the pleasant, warming buzz stay with her, even when she and Kate eventually left the pub and were back outside in the freezing cold.
The crowds in Hogsmeade had died down while they'd been in the pub, so Caroline found herself without an excuse to link arms with Kate again. They made their way back to Hogwarts together, though, not missing a beat in their conversation. "Are you going home for Christmas?"
"Only for a few days. My dad's at St Mungo's, so I'll make sure to pop in and see him. My mum's a Portkey away in Cambridge, so I'll see her and my siblings for Christmas day. I don't want her tiring herself out with loads of visitors, though, so I'll head back here after and leave her to dote on the grandkids. How about you?"
"I'll be going to Yorkshire with the boys to my mother's house, too. It'll be good to see her, and her husband. They're very sweet." Caroline considered a witty remark about her mother's love life compared to her own, but decided it was too self-deprecating and might embarrass Kate. "Actually, I expect Greenwood and her lot will come over, so it'll be quite busy."
"Will you be home for long?"
"No, the boys have made arrangements to stay with their dad in the new year, and I'll go mad if I have to spend too much time with my mother, so I'll be back here... probably just after Boxing Day."
Kate nodded. "Are there any students staying over Christmas?"
"Not this year, fortunately. Although it meant I had to break it to the house-elves that they all have to take a day off, and they were distraught. There was so much wailing. Anyway, by the sound of it, I think we'll have the castle all to ourselves."
Kate glanced at her, eyes wide.
"Oh, don't look like that. I'm sure we'll find something to do."
A/N: - Some terms:
Slytherin/Gryffindor/Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw: The 4 houses of Hogwarts. Which house a person is put into depends on their personality. Slytherins are typically ambitious and self-preserving. The others are brave, hardworking, and intelligent respectively.
Portraits: The Headteacher's office contains portraits of all the past headteachers. Because they are Wizard paintings, the people in them can move/talk.
Nogtails/Basilisk: Magical creatures; nogtails look like pigs and are harmless, basilisks look like giant snakes and are not.
Muggle: Non-wizarding. Our society, essentially.
Hogsmeade: A village near to Hogwarts; students and teachers often make trips there at weekends.
Gringotts: Wizarding bank.
St Mungos: Wizarding hospital.
Quidditch: Sport played on broomsticks. Chaser is an offensive position in the game.