Severus was tired, so tired that he didn't feel tired. He groaned, and flipped over to stare at the ceiling above his bed. He had doled out 16 detentions, taken 85 points from Gryffindor, and managed to bring only 3 students to tears. Today had been particularly productive. Severus grinned and reached for his wand on his bedside table. He always liked to rub his fingers over the intricate grooves before going to sleep. It seemed to calm his nerves. But his wand wasn't there.
Severus grumbled, got out of bed, and started searching around on the dark table for it. It still wasn't there. Severus thought back to where he possibly could have dropped it. He remembered having it a supper, because he had used it to turn Gilderoy's hair snot-green. Then he went to correct papers… and he couldn't remember using it after that. It must be in the Staff Room, he thought. Severus sighed, wrapped his black bathrobe around him, and silently treaded off to the Staff Room. It was late, and Severus delighted in listening to the sound of his bare feet lightly scuffing across the floor. The castle was always so much more peaceful when there was a noticeable decrease in brats running around. Severus took a deep breath, and smiled as the air swirled around in his lungs.
He turned a corner and came to the room he was searching for. After muttering the password to the disgruntled painting of a goblin, Severus slipped inside. And he certainly got a shock by doing so.
There was a familiar tabby cat lounging on the table, looking so utterly relaxed Severus wouldn't have been surprised if it had passed out right then and there. This sight alone would have brought a smile to Severus's lips. But what made it more amusing was that the cat was lounging on a bed of catnip. Severus grinned, and the cat seemed to grin back. He flicked his wand, and Minerva McGonagall sat on the table before him, her robe revealing much of her cleavage. Apparently, what affected her as a cat still affected her because she said,
"Dude, I like that robe." Severus looked down at his robe. It was black, but frayed, and there was a hole in one of the pockets. Severus smirked and said,
"Yes, I like yours too." Minerva looked down and giggled. She sighed and said,
"Yeah, but it's a little to high-cut for me." Severus's eyes bugged. This was the lowest-cut shirt he had EVER seen Minerva wear, and it was too high for her? What messed up other dimension had he wandered into, and where did he sign in?
Minerva grinned, and then the Great McGonagall Gene kicked in: Sobering up immediately after making an absolute fool of you. The cloudy tint in Minerva's eyes cleared up, as did the lounging air about her. She leapt off the table, changing back to cat midair. But before she could run, Severus waved his wand, and she went zooming into his arms. After scrambling to escape for a bit, Minerva let out a cat-huff, and hung limply. Severus chuckled, and repositioned her so he was holding her with one hand and had the other free to scratch behind her ears. Against her will, Minerva started purring. Severus chuckled again, and Minerva appreciated the feel of his warm chest rumbling against her side. She purred even louder. Severus leaned down planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. Minerva wiggled around until she was closer to Severus and purred even louder. Curious, Severus gently prodded at Minerva's mind. In her still-present post-catnip daze, Minerva failed to notice. Severus almost fell over with the force of what was flashing through her mind.
There was a gentle current of pleasure that permeated her every thought. There were flashes of things that Severus supposed made Minerva happy: An older woman he supposed to be her mother standing next to what must have been Minerva's father; tea with ginger newts; and the most surprising and most often seen sight was… himself.
Severus couldn't quite believe how many images there were of him. In his school days, in his teaching days, days when he was sad, days when he was happy, and such a large variety.
Severus pulled his mind out of Minerva's and chuckled as he looked down at the imploring green eyes staring up at him. He sighed and said,
"Very well. I take it you would like to sleep in my rooms tonight?" The cat nodded and grinned. Severus smiled back, and carried her down to his rooms. He set her on the other side of the bed, and Minerva curled up as a cat and fell asleep almost instantly. Severus went to turn out the light, and realized that he never had gotten his wand from the Staff Room. He smiled, and fell asleep stroking the sleeping cat on his bed.