McGonagall stormed out of the staff room in a heated rage. That Slytherin was simply impossible to get along with! Every time they tried to develop a normal conversation they ended up in a quarrel, to not say a fight. And it was definitely always his fault!
Minerva dashed past the second floor corridor when she heard the older wizard's voice that made her stop.
"Minerva? I heard you had a fight with Severus again."
McGonagall sighed and turned towards the Headmaster with the calmest of expressions she could force on her face at the moment. "Did the whole school hear?" she asked quite snappily.
"I'm afraid so," Albus replied, not offended of the woman's grim diction. "Would you care to explain?"
"No, I would not," Minerva grumbled. "Can't you do anything about him, Albus? He's a real bully all the time. I simply wanted to go over the Quidditch timetables for this year, and that lead to him accusing Gryffindor of cheating in the game six years ago! Honestly, I cannot even consider professional matters with him anymore without having to listen to his lecture about how lazy my students are in his Potions classes. And not only did he-"
"I believe," Albus cut her off, "that this time it was not entirely Severus's fault. Nor was it last week, and the week before that."
The witch looked at him, wide-eyed. "Are you claiming that I am the one starting these fights?" she asked, anger rising in her again. "Well! I wouldn't have thought YOU would ever say something like this to me. As it appears, I am now the one responsible for that snake and me not getting along, am I?"
"I haven't said that, Minerva dear," Albus interrupted, still calmly, before she could continue with something more vile to say. "I know Severus has got his downer's side, but you are not being very nice either, you know."
"Do you expect me to-"
"I expect you two to act like grown-ups. Go and apologize to Severus."
Minerva shook her head firmly. "Not a chance," she said, her voice certainly held a somewhat haughty tone. "I have nothing to apologize for. He started it."
To the witch's supreme annoyance, Albus chuckled. "Forgive me, Minerva, but if you could hear yourself right now, you would be laughing too," he explained to the sullen professor. "You sound like some of your first-years."
"That is entirely not funny," commented McGonagall coldly.
"Perhaps," Albus agreed. "But I still must incist on you apologizing to Severus, it's hard to wander around the castle in fear of suddleny standing in the middle of a magic duel between two very powerful teachers."
"You know, Albus-"
"Minerva..." The Headmaster's voice was almost menacing.
Finally the witch sighed. "Alright, Albus," she said in defeat. "I'll... I'll apologize to Severus for picking a fight with him again."
And with that she turned to leave, muttering, "This is the last time I give in to you, Albus, I swear."
The Headmaster smiled after the witch until she turned the corner, and then another amused chuckle escaped his lips.
She was not happy, not happy at all, but she couldn't break her word to the Headmaster. So, after lunch she called Severus to her office. She was not yet quite sure how to apologize for calling his teaching methods spiteful and "developed in the wrong way", and his Slytherin students "nasty spoiled goblins".
The arrogant Potions master entered without knocking, surprising McGonagall grately. He strode in as if this was his own office and not Minerva's, a contemptuous sneer playing on his lips.
The two of them greeted each other with silent nods of their heads. As McGonagall was not sure how to begin, Snape took the chance.
"If you are intending to continue where we left off this morning, I suggest you put up a silencing charm, because your students have already heard enough of what we think of each other," he said with meaningful pauses in his sentence.
Minerva would have almost thrown a nasty comment of her own at him, but wisely kept silent.
Noticing the witch gritting her teeth quietly, Severus found a moment for another convenient remark. "But perhaps you should write down your funeral instructions before you call a wizard like myself for a duel."
Minerva sighed a very angry sigh, and, as calmly as possible, stood up from her chair and made her way around the desk to where Severus was standing.
"I didn't call you here for a continuation of our fight," she told him firmly.
Before she could go on, however, a fast and cold blast of wind rushed through the office, followed by a laughing Peevees. McGonagall recalled now that she had forgotten to strengthen the spell on her rooms ceeping the poltergeist out today. The strong wind that Peevees had conjured hurled around the many parchments and books in the room, also knocked over the chairs and both of the professors. While the poltergeist enjoyed the disaster going on, he sang:
"Finally I get to play.
Teachers Snape and Minnie, hey!
For explenations there's no need.
You're a cute couple indeed!"
And he left just as quickly as he had came, only a devilish laughter echoing behind him.
Minerva sat up on the floor beside Severus, embarrassed of having landed on him. Snape's expression was on the other hand quite amused.
Minerva shook her head and sighed once again. "Прости меня, Северус," ("Prosti menja, Severus." = "Forgive me, Severus.") she said quietly, a sad note in her voice. That was it! she realized. Dumbledore hadn't told her that she had to apologize in English. It was easier to do it so that Severus didn't know what she said.
"I'm sure you just called me a bastard in another language," Severus said with not as much disgust as usually.
Minerva huffed quietly. "If you had paid attention in your classes of foreign languages then you would have known what I said."
"I really don't want to know what you said," Severus replied as he as well sat up. "And just so you know, I have never studied Russian. And also I did pay attention in my classes. Aga Peevees veel minu käest saab, et ta mu vana nõiaga paari pani! (But Peevees will pay for thinking of me as a couple with an old witch!)"
At that, Minerva pointed her wand at the Potions master, whispered "I understood what you said.", and levitated Severus up from the ground and out of the office. With another flick of the wand the office door closed.
"Well, I believe my daily duties are over now," Minerva said, enthusiastically standing up and starting to tidy up her office.
Author's note:
This is my attempt to write an SSS story (simple, short and silly). I don't know why exactly I wrote this, it just came up in my mind. If anyone wonders, the foreign language that Snape speaks is Estonian. Watching a couple of "Harry Potter" movies in Russian I really liked McGonagall speaking in Russian.
I hope you enjoyed!