"Minerva?"
"Yes, Albus?" the Transfiguration professor called back testily from her office.
"Ah, would you like a hand there?" Albus Dumbledore asked as he stepped through the door and saw was the issue was.
"I am perfectly capable of handling it on my own, Albus," Minerva snapped back, brandishing her wand at a rabbit that just wouldn't sit still.
Albus conjured himself a squashy purple armchair and took a seat. "Oh, I didn't doubt it for a minute," he assured her. "I simply thought that an extra wand may make quicker work of the task."
"And I thank you for your kind offer," Minerva pursed her lips as she finally transfigured the rabbit into a block of wood, "but I would really rather deal with it myself."
"Very well then," Albus agreed, leaning back and watching his long-time friend struggle with a whole group of rabbits. After nearly a half hour's battle Minerva had succeeded in turning each rabbit into a block of wood, taking a five-minute break before transfiguring the lot into turtles.
"I agree that it is easier than procuring real animals for each lesson," she panted when she had finished, "but it is dreadfully hard on the teacher to transfigure the blocks of wood into the appropriate object before each lesson!"
"I quite agree, my dear," Albus smiled benevolently, "and yet you do such a good job! I don't believe any student has ever guessed that what they're practicing on in class isn't a real animal. Why, I remember a great number of students coming to me with worries about the poor animals, and I always found it difficult not to laugh when I knew that the animals they were afraid for were actually just pieces of wood – excellently transfigured ones, of course, but wood nonetheless."
"Well, yes," Minerva cracked a small smile, "I have had such students as well."
Albus nodded wisely, then stood to leave. "I will see you later, then," he said, vanishing his armchair once more.
Minerva blinked. "Did you not come here to speak with me?"
"Oh, I just wanted to see how you were getting along, Minerva," the old man said with a twinkle in his eye. "I have reassured myself that you are, as I always knew, the very best instructor for this post. I am very pleased to have you here, my dear."
"Thank you, Albus," Minerva blushed slightly at the high praise, not a rarity from Albus but always a gem to be treasured.
"I will see you at dinner, Minerva," Albus smiled and turned to leave.
"Till dinner, Albus," Minerva agreed, and went with a small smile to grade the latest essays. Behind her the turtles milled around, waiting to be turned into teapots by the next class.