A Matter of Necessity

The Letter

Ok. I swore to myself I wouldn't write another fic till I'd finished my other ones but the idea's been buzzing around my skull most of last night and all of today so I had to write this or go crazy! (And I like being sane better, although insanity could have it's uses...Like getting out of school! Dreams) Anyway back to the point! This unashamedly Dumbledore/McGonagall so if you don't like this pairing leave now!

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"Are you completely mad?" Albus Dumbledore asked Professor Dippet as he sat watching the Headmaster.

"Professor Dumbledore this new decree is absolutely necessary. Our kind are dying out." Dumbledore rolled his eyes at the ceiling. It was the exact nonsense that the Daily Prophet had been spouting.

"The marriage decree is a matter of necessary. Wizard kind have suffered greatly in the war against Lord Grindleward. We must rebuild our population." It had read.

"Surely you can't let the ministry do this. A forced marriage decree it's ridiculous." He scanned the list in his hands again. "If it was only the seventh years it would be bad enough, but it includes students as young as those in the third year. It's disgusting Headmaster. They are mere children themselves and the Ministry are expecting them to," He made quotes in the air. "Repopulate our kind." "They don't even know who they are themselves yet. You have to do something. Write to the Minister for Magic. Tell him he can't do that to students so young. What about their future's?"

"PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE." Roared Dippet who had been trying unsuccessfully to get a word in edgeways for ten minutes. Dumbledore became quiet immediately fiddling with the parchment in his hands. "I am in complete agreement with what you are saying about the younger students. I have already sent several owls to the Minister and I expect them to be exempted from the decree. I was talking about the older Wizard population." Dumbledore muttered something that Dippet couldn't catch going as red as his hair. "Was that all?" Dippet asked with a small smile.

"Yes Sir." Dumbledore replied shame-faced. Dippet smiled.

"Your zeal to do what is right is to be commended. Just try not to assume that you are the only person who knows what to do. Such is the arrogance of youth." He reflected. "In time you will make a worthy successor."

Dumbledore thought he'd heard wrong. All the staff knew Dippet was nearly due for retirement and had been speculating about who would get his job as Head. "Me Sir?" Was all he could say. Dippet nodded and pointed to the door.

"Don't tell the rest of the staff." He cautioned him as Dumbledore headed for the door. "I'll be announcing it in two weeks." Dumbledore nodded and went back to his office to mark the huge stack of Transfiguration essays he had waiting for him.

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Dumbledore put down the last essay and stood up. He didn't notice the tabby cat that had sat watching him from the windowsill for the last half-hour till it gave a plaintive miaow. He looked at the cat and smiled. "Miss Minerva McGonagall I presume." He said to it. The cat jumped from the ledge transforming as it did so into a seventh-year Gryffindor girl with long black hair and bangs that framed her face.

Dumbledore smiled. He'd been supervising her change into an animagus for the past year after the Ministry had given her the go ahead. Minerva smiled at him. "Registered an hour ago." She said in her soft Scottish accent. "I wanted you to know first Professor Dumbledore as without your help I'd have had to wait till next year to begin the process."

He smiled back at her. "Congratulations Minerva. I suggest you head back to your common room now. I overheard talk of party in your honour. You wouldn't want to miss that." On impulse she hugged him quickly before turning once more into a cat and racing away again. He stared after her for a moment surprised; Minerva McGonagall rarely showed affection like that. Then he shook himself, picked up the stack of essays and took them through to his classroom ready to be given back the next day.

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Minerva entered the Gryffindor common room to rowdy applause and cat calls. Hanging above the fireplace was enchanted picture of a tabby cat that was racing about and changing colour. She smiled. It wasn't long till she was dragged into the centre of the party her friends had set up for her.

She escaped at eleven o'clock after being asked to transform repeatedly and fell instantly asleep.

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Sorry that's so short. Next chapter up soon if you review! Just press that pretty blue box!