AN: set after part four in the Shoebox Project (yes, this is a fanfic on a fanfic.)

http:// community .livejournal. com/shoeboxproject /1233.html# cutid 1

do be the link. (remove spaces etc) read it first, or you have no idea what I'm on about.

I don't own SBP or HP. sorry.

It was later. After the Halloween party, after Minerva had, against her heart, fended off all advances aware, painfully so, of those boys, the Marauders as they called themselves, hanging around, mit camera. Of course Remus wasn't there; he was in the common room reading a nice thick book, a fact which, judging from the grumblings she had heard, was caused some chagrin between the four of them.

It was after she'd chased all her cubs into the common room, after she'd sealed all the exits and after she'd checked the other staff had done the same thing. After she'd got ready for bed, plaited her hair, chucked on some shoes and overrobe and gone down to the kitchen.

She was now sitting in the kitchen, with a cup of tea, relaxing. Her glasses were off, sitting on the table next to her. Everything seemed a little blurred. She saw, distantly, the door open and close, but nothing came in.

While that might have startled a first year, Minerva had been living at Hogwarts most of her life, and such things merely said to her that a person, complete with invisibility charm, had entered and was now somewhere in the room.

Rising, she pulled out her wand, "Are you going to reveal yourself, or do I have to do it the hard way?" she asked, tartly.

The air behind her shimmered, and became Albus Dumbledore, "Since you asked so nicely." She turned, moved her wand slightly, and the Mirage disappeared, to reveal a slightly sheepish looking headmaster over by the Cadburys.

"I asked Albus. You can do better than that."

He smiled, looking at her. Taking in the more apparent accent, the tired eyes, the dishevelled hair, lack of glasses. "Yes, but you're tired, and I couldn't find the energy." She was next to him in a moment, massaging his shoulders, feeling the knots loosen.

"You can do many things better than others." She insisted, softly. If only he would realise that she'd only waved him off because of the camera.

Slowly he turned around, "And you'd probably react better too?" she looked at him, easy to see as he was so close, and slowly reached up and took off his glasses. Putting them on the bench, she raised one eyebrow. He lent closer to her, "Would you care to see who's better? Sirius or I?" she put her hands around his neck and nodded.

AN2: there is a reason that button is set to reveiw, instead of favourite author or something. please reveiw?