A/N: Inspired by an episode of 30 Rock. :-) Remember kiddies, I don't own Harry Potter's universe :( But I do own Daniel and Annabelle McG!
"Minerva! Minerva, snap out of it! You have to help me!" Daniel McGonagall had just rushed into the office of Head Auror, Minerva McAllister, and caught its owner in a daydream; something she frequently did when trying to avoid the constant stack of paperwork on her desk.
"W-what?" she replied with a rather dazed expression.
"Wake up, Missus. I need your help urgently."
"It's not another one of Alastor's idiotic ideas of a practical joke, is it? Because - if it is - I'm rather busy."
"I can see that," Daniel said sarcastically. "Besides, you used to like Alastor's jokes."
"That was before I was responsible for cleaning up his messes," Minerva answered shortly.
"So hypocritical! Anyway, back to the point, I require your assistance."
"And why would that be?"
"It's my mother."
"Annabelle? Is she alright?" Minerva asked worriedly.
"Yes, she's fine. It's just that… she's coming to stay with me for Christmas."
"Is that it?"
"Yes!"
"Why on earth do you need my help, then?"
"Don't you see? It's my mother. She criticises everything. Nothing is ever good enough for her. Ever."
"And why exactly should I help you?"
"Because you, sweet angel of mercy, have a heart so big that you help everybody you can." Daniel said sweetly. "And you know you want to help me."
"Hmm… I don't know, Dan, I'm going to have to think about it…"
"Ah, come on, Min, don't leave me hanging here!"
"Geez, Dan, seriously. I suppose I could help you."
"Really? Oh, Minerva McAllister you are my hero. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, spinning around quickly.
"Dan, put me down!"
Ignoring her desperate pleas, he walked straight out of the office, into a room full of various desks behind which sat an assortment of different witches and wizards. The air was filled with little paper bird-shaped memorandums whizzing around.
It was five days until Christmas so the whole office had insisted that the Minister should let them decorate the offices. Minerva would have done it without his permission anyway, but it was the principle of the thing. There were strange sparkly ornaments dangling from the ceiling, tinsel littering the many desks and a huge Christmas tree decorated in gold, blue, silver and red (it just so happened that all of the Aurors at the time had been Ravenclaws and Gryffindors) in the corner.
"Attention my friends. This woman – our boss lady – is a saint. Literally," Daniel announced loudly.
"Honestly, Dan, put me down," Minerva said, lightly hammering her fists on his back.
"Don't worry, Dan, she likes it really," Alastor Moody added cheekily.
"Oi, Moody! You had better watch your back!" Minerva shouted back.
"He can't do that, Min," Alaysia Grenfell interjected, "he's too busy watching yours instead!"
"Alright, alright," Daniel surrendered, lowering Minerva to her feet. She brushed off her robes and ran a hand through her long black hair.
"Alright, back to work people. Oh, and don't forget, Alastor, the Minister wants to see you about that request you submitted last week."
It was the twentieth of December and Minerva McAllister was just closing up the Auror office for the Christmas holidays. She was about to head home and pack her bag, ready to be picked up by Daniel, when said man turned up right behind her.
"Thank you so much for doing this, Minerva," he said gratefully.
"Woah! Honestly, you are going to give me heart attack one day!"
"I should hope not, you're only… what, like forty?"
"Daniel McGonagall! I am twenty three!"
"Just kidding. But, I'm really so grateful to you; that woman is already driving me insane and she only turned up an hour ago. If you weren't coming I think the Ministry might have been dealing with a murder."
"She's your mother, Dan. Maybe you should give her a shot. I mean, I would give anything to have my mother back…"
"Oh… oh, Merlin, I'm sorry… I didn't think…"
"Oh, you've got nothing to worry about. Right, I'm off home to pack my bag. Something tells me that you are in no rush to get home, am I right?" Daniel nodded in reply. "In that case, do you want to pop home with me while I pack a bag and then we can get going?"
"Sure, why not?" So they Flooed to Minerva's Scottish manor house from the Ministry foyer.
They reappeared in a warm hallway with sea blue walls and dark wooden flooring. A light scent of lavender floated into the room from an open window looking out onto an enormous field. Daniel let out a low whistle.
"You live here?"
"No, Dan, I'm just trespassing in a random place."
"Funny, really funny," Daniel replied sarcastically.
"My, my, you are easily impressed. This is only my hallway. You wait until you see the living room."
Minerva flung open a large door to their right and Dan followed her into a huge room. It had a fireplace that stretched almost the whole length of the back wall, no less than three bookcases, and the biggest, most wonderful Christmas tree Daniel McGonagall had ever seen. Minerva flicked her wand lazily at the fireplace, which promptly burst into flames, illuminating the room with its glowing embers.
"I thought you didn't celebrate Christmas," Dan said in total awe.
"You never asked," Minerva answered simply. "Besides, who was it that told the Minister we were decorating the office."
Five minutes later, Daniel and Minerva were ready to depart.
"I have to say that - for a woman - you're pretty quick packing."
"Sexism doesn't wash with me, Dan," replied Minerva.
"Wow, so many flirting possibilities are coming from that sentence."
"Daniel McGonagall!" Minerva exclaimed in mock disgust. "Now, do you need my help or not?"
"You know I do."
"Well then," she wrapped her arm around Daniel's as they prepared to Apparate away.
"My lady." And they were gone.
With a loud crack, the witch and the wizard appeared on a cliff edge overlooking the Cornish sea.
"Oh, Merlin!" exclaimed Minerva. "You live here?"
"Ooh, now there's some déjà vu for you. And yes, yes I do. That – right there -" he began, pointing at a beach surrounded by a sea wall and high cliffs with little caves in their faces, "- is Portreath beach."
They turned a corner and stood opposite a secluded little cottage with old sash windows.
"How could you not want to come back here?" asked an astounded Minerva.
"Wait until you see what's inside."