Hogwarts Sunday
Sunday, a day of peace and rest, a day that drifts by slowly and lazily. Sunday feels different somehow, and people seem to meander instead of rush madly from pillar to post. Sundays are something everyone needs, and none more so than the hard working members of staff of Hogwarts.
The staff all had their own way to spend their Sundays, their own little routines, which on occasion were rudely disrupted. Particularly when Albus Dumbledore got one of his ideas, or just got bored and decided to have some fun. In the opinion of the marjority of the Professors, it was bad enough that they had to cope with brats like the Weasley twins on a regular basis, without also having the barmiest Headmaster in the entire history of Hogwarts inflicted on them.
Still this particular Sunday was peaceful enough. It was nearly three in the afternoon, and all was still and quiet. The staff heaved a collective sigh of relief as they went about their own pursuits.
In one of the tallest towers of the castle, Albus and Minerva were spending their Sunday alone in their chambers, as they so often did.
Albus Dumbledore sighed heavily and twiddled his long fingers absentmindedly. He was bored. Minerva had had her nose stuck in a book for the last couple of hours, and when he had attempted to chat, she had shot him a brief exasperated glance and gone back to reading. He knew that she deserved this time to do as she pleased, after all her hard work during the week, and she had after all spent a very pleasant, and rather intimate morning in bed with him. So he really had no cause to complain, or begrudge her this time. Still he was bored, had been for the last hour or more. The minutes on the clock were dragging by interminably slowly, and Albus longed for some fun.
Albus shot a series of glances at Minerva, from under his snow white eyebrows, sapphire eyes pleading for her attention. But her nose remained resolutely stuck in her book. Albus sighed mournfully, then glanced swiftly at Minerva, to see if she would notice that. When it evoked no reaction whatsoever, he sighed even louder, and then again so loudly that no one could have failed to be aware of the sound. There was the merest twitch of a lip from Minerva, as her shoulders tightened slightly, but still she refused to give him the attention he craved.
Albus shuffled in his seat, stretching out his legs before him, as his fingers drummed on the arm rest. The green eyes flashed in his direction, their meaning clear, and Albus sighed mournfully and ceased to fidget. For a time he occupied himself with counting his toes, which were clad in his favourite rainbow coloured socks, he still had ten of them. And no matter how many times he counted, or how many different ways he counted them, it always came out as ten. 'Even my toes are boring!' Albus thought mournfully.
Briefly he contemplated naming his toes, but he had done that last Sunday, and the Sunday before that. After all there was a limit to how many times you could name your toes silly things like, Fizz In The Middle, or Knit One Pearl Two, and still find it amusing. Albus gazed miserably out of the high arched window, even the weather seemed to reflect his mood, heavy grey skies, and drizzle, this day really did need brightening up! He would be doing everyone in the castle a favour if he tried to brighten their oh so dull sunday, even if they didn't welcome his attempts at first, it would do them good. Albus was convinced of this, or so he tried to persuade himself.
With that thought, he slipped quietly from his and Minerva's private chambers, and into the passage. There, he hovered briefly, wondering who he could bother ... whose day he could brighten, Albus corrected himself rapidly. After all he only had the best interests of his friends at heart, he would never bother people simply because he was bored.
Albus ran his long fingers through his beard, twisting and twiddling it absentmindedly, as his silver eyebrows creased in thought. Now who needed their day brightened most of all ? Light blue eyes glinted triumphantly, of course, Severus did! With a merry beam, Albus set of towards the dungeons, where he knew Severus would be holed up for the day, experimenting with new potions. "Can't be healthy at all for the poor fellow, spending all day in that gloomy dungeon," Albus muttered to himself, as he stepped lightly along the passages.
Sapphire eyes sparkling mischieviously, Albus raised his arm and knocked brightly at the door of Severus' chambers. When the door remained resolutely shut, he knocked several more times, and at last it creaked slowly, and unwilling open. The dark eyes, and long hooked nose of Severus peering grumpily at him, through the narrow gap between the door and the wall. "Go away!" Severus snarled, before Albus could say a word.
"Really Severus, anyone would think that you are not pleased to see me." Albus admonished lightly.
"I'm not! Go away!" Severus tried to slam his door shut, but Albus' purple clad foot seemed to be conveniently in the way. A low sound, almost like a growl, came from Severus. "What do you want?"
"I thought you might like to have some fun." Albus said hopefully.
"I detest fun!" Severus snarled, as he made another attempt to close his door. If only he had a lemon drop on him, perhaps he could throw it down the passage, and get Albus to remove his foot that way.
"Minerva's busy reading and ..." Albus began.
Severus wagged his finger admonishingly at Albus. "For your information Headmaster, my job description is Potions Master not babysitter!"
"You know you'd like to have some fun really," Albus said persuasively, as he turned his most charming twinkle on Severus, and pranced from foot to foot in childlike excitement.
Seeing his oppourtunity Severus snarled, "No I would not!" The door slammed shut within a whisker of Albus' long crooked nose.
"You very nearly shut the door on my nose!" Albus admonished. There was a determined silence from within, and Albus pouted as he stared miserably at the unyielding door. "I'm bored Severus..."
When no answer came Albus trudged mournfully back along the stone clad passage, perhaps someone else would be more fun.
After pondering briefly upon who would be more inclined to have some fun, Albus decided to go and see Filius Flitwick next. The little wizard shared a similar sense of fun to Albus, and Albus was sure that he would be far more entertaining than Severus. Albus hummed happily as he strolled along the passages, he had just eaten his sixth lemon drop in quick succession, and he had high hopes that Filius would be delighted to see him.
Arriving at Filius' chambers, Albus was briefly perplexed to find them empty. Then he had a brainwave, Filius did seem to have been spending a lot of time with Pomona Sprout lately, perhaps he was with her. Albus clapped his hands together joyously, this was even better! Two people to have fun with instead of one!
"I wonder where Pomona would be?" Albus muttered to himself. "Ah! Of course!" He said happily, and made his way to the greenhouses where Pomona was almost certain to be. Sometimes he thought that Pomona practically lived in the greenhouses.
As Albus entered the huge glass greenhouse, he heard strange noises coming from behind a stack of flower pots, at the far end of the greenhouse, very strange noises indeed. Albus' brow creased in mild concern, one white brow shooting upwards as the pots began to rock violently back and forth. "Filius? Pomona? Are you there?" Albus called.
To Albus' surprise the noises suddenly stopped, and he was nearly sure that he could hear some muffled swear words, and then there was a determined silence from behind the pots. "How very odd..." Albus muttered to himself, "Perhaps I should take a look ..."
As Albus stepped towards the precariously toppling flower pots, he was so intent on wondering what was behind them, that he accidentally trod on the long trailing frond of a wailing ivy, which promtly began to screech it's indignation at the top of it's voice. Just as Albus was trying to sooth it, whilst blocking his ears with his fingers, he distinctly heard a familliar voice say, "Merlins beard!" Irately.
"Filius?" Albus called "Is that you, Filius? Pomona? Are you here?"
Suddenly a dishevelled head of white hair popped up from behind the pile of pots. Albus' eyes widened in surprise as he noticed the state Filius was in - he appeared to be only half dressed, the tip of his nose had a large blob of mud on it, and there was another on his face. "Good heavens my dear Filius are you all right?" Albus gasped.
"Yes, yes, quite all right!" Filius answered in a strained voice, "Was there something you wanted Albus?"
"I just wondered if you'd like to have some fun," Albus answered brightly, his face beaming in anticipation.
There was a brief strained silence, during which Albus had the distinct impression that the little wizard was displeased about something, though Albus couldn't think what. "Now is not a conveinient time," Filius answered tautly.
"Are you sure you are quite all right my dear fellow? You look most dishevelled..." Albus asked.
"Yes yes," The little wizard almost snapped, "Really Albus now is not a good time!"
"Are you sure?" Albus asked, as he fixed bright blue eyes on Filius, who was starting to look more and more frazzled. 'How odd,' Albus thought, 'he seems to be blushing, how very odd.'
Suddenly Pomona's head popped up from behind the pots, she looked equally as dishevelled as Filius. Her face was flushed a vivid scarlet, her hair was in even more disarray than normal, and she seemed to be breathing deeply. "Just catching a rogue mandrake Albus, nothing to worry about, now off you go!" She said firmly.
"I could help," Albus said eagerly.
"No!" Filius and Pomona both yelped at once.
"But I'm bored," Albus whined. "Let me help, please!"
"Can't have you scaring it," Pomona snapped, "Now, off you go, at once please!" Her finger pointed commandingly at the door.
"But..." Albus began.
"Out, Now!" Pomona bellowed, in a voice which made Albus jump slightly. Mandrake catching is serious business you know."
Sighing heavily, and with many a pleading glance backwards at Pomona and Filius, who stood with arms resolutely folded glaring at him, Albus made his way out of the greenhouse. As the door shut behind him, he was certain he heard giggling from within. Albus pouted, why wouldn't Pomona and Filius let him join in with their fun? Albus sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time that day, as he glanced up at the dull grey skies which echoed his sense of boredom. Why wouldn't anyone have any fun with him today?
Gloomily Albus trailed towards the school, it seemed that today was destined to be just another dull interminably long Sunday. Just as the dampness from the drizzle seemed to seep through his robes and purple boots, so the gloom seeped deeper and deeper into him, until he was almost lost in his own world by the time he reached the giant entrance doors of the castle.
As he stepped into the large entrance hall, with it's wide sweeping staircases, he only vaguely noted the groups of students mooching moodily in corners, and sagging miserably against walls. Poor dears, they looked nearly as bored as him, such a waste of a Sunday. If only he could cheer them up somehow. And then it came to him, a brilliant idea, one of his best ever, if he did say so himself. A bright beam crossed his face as Albus glanced around at the sweeping stairways, and the large stone clad hall which ran almost the length of the castle. Perfect, it was just perfect! His gloom and boredom banished at last, Albus took his wand from under his robes with a merry swish. "Now how about some fun my dears!"
Once Albus had left his chambers, Severus had tried to turn his attention back to his research. He soon found that he couldn't focus any more though, for at every moment he feared that Albus would return to bother him further. At last Severus decided to take up refuge in the library, and grumbling darkly to himself gathered up books and scrolls, and strode along the passages, black robes billowing round him.
Then he heard it, screams of joy and excitement, and his dark eyes glinted. Whatever was causing this noise, Potter was almost bound to be involved somehow, and he would be absolutely justified in putting the spoilt brat in his place. A rare smile crossed Severus' face. Taking some of his foul mood out on Potter, now that was his idea of fun. Eagerly Severus swept along the passages, so eagerly that he didn't bother looking where he was going. Consequently he was more than a little astonished when he discovered that the stone floor was now slippery, very very slippery indeed, and that he was whizzing down what should have been stairs at an ever increasing speed.
Minerva was so immersed in her book that at first the hullabaloo from downstairs was simply an irritant, which she only barely noticed. It was only when the racket continued and grew louder, that she slammed her book down in disgust, and paid full attenion to the noise. She could clearly hear screeches and screams, it sounded like a riot was taking place. Minerva's lips thinned dangerously, drat those Weasley twins this must surely be all their doing, whatever it was. Then she noticed that Albus was missing, and sunk her head in her hands and groaned despairingly. If Albus was involved it was bound to be far worse than anything the Weasleys could come up with.
Minerva strode along the passages, her well attuned hearing, a most beneficial bonus of her animagus ability, leading her unfailingly to the source of the noise. At last she arrived on a low staircase overlooking Hogwart's vast entrance hall. For a minute Minerva was stunned into silence by the sight that met her eyes.
One of the long sweeping stairways had been transformed into a giant snow slide, down which students were flinging themselves with reckless abandon, making Minerva's heart leap in her mouth at the risks they took. The other flights of stairs were now covered in ice, and down one of them skated Albus Dumbledore, whizzing merrily round the madly curving corners, as his long white beard flew behind him. Following him was a jolly chain of Gryffindors, led by Harry Potter, his glasses askew and whooping joyously. Despite her horror, Minerva couldn't help but feel a motherly sense of joy at seeing the boy she secretly considered a grandson so exceptionally happy. Still despite Harry's very evident happiness, this behaviour was dangerous, reckless. What was her fool of a husband thinking, letting the students endanger themselves in this manner?
Before she could gather her thoughts, something black and fast moving whizzed past her screeching loudly. It vaguely resembled an ice skating bat, as black cloth billowed madly around it. "Severus!" Minerva gasped, clapping her hand to her mouth in shock. As she watched the flying figure of Severus sped up, going faster and faster, arms flailing wildly, until at last he lost his balence and tumbled down the ice covered stairs in a flurry of boney arms and legs, and landed in a heap at the bottom. After some muffled groaning and some language which made Minerva purse her lips disapprovingly, Severus shook his lank black hair, rose shakily to his knees, and glaring around him furiously demanded to know, "Who is responsible for this?! Potter, it was you, wasn't it?!"
"Severus my boy, so nice to see you having some fun at last!" A delighted Albus bellowed, as he continued his mad canter down the staircase.
Making a mental note to strangle her husband at the first possible opportunity, Minerva started towards the Severus, who was rubbing his rear and knees, and muttering darkly.
"I thought we agreed to warn each other when Albus is bored," Minerva complained as she made a great show of picking Severus up, and dusting him off.
"And I thought you agreed to keep better control of him!" Severus growled, as he glowered at Minerva sullenly.
"I can't watch him all the time you know!" Minerva snapped indignantly.
At that moment Albus strode up to them. "Most impressive my boy, most impressive!" He said, as he slapped Severus on the back, causing him to wince.
Severus staggered to his feet and glared indignantly at Albus, "What do you mean impressive?!" He snarled.
"Why your skating of course my boy," Albus continued as though blissfully ignorant of the Severus' simmering fury, "Your acrobatics as you came down those stairs were excellent, truly excellent. I didn't know you could skate Severus."
"I can't!" Severus snarled, as his wand hand twitched longingly, it would almost be worth getting fired to hex the old fool where he stood.
"Really? Well you clearly have a talent for it, I suggest taking it up." Albus answered happily. He then slapped Severus on the shoulder brightly, the exact same shoulder that Severus had just landed on, something Albus was blissfully unaware of.
"That's it! I've had enough of this mad house! I quit!" Severus snapped, as he strode off, trying very hard not to slip on the ice as he did so. and resolutely ignoring the laughter of the students as he fought to keep his balence with madly flapping arms.
"Oh dear, I wonder what could have upset him this time." Albus blinked after Severus in mild bafflement.
"I would imagine that he did not expect to find the main hall of the castle turned into an ice rink!" Minerva snapped, "Albus, how many times have I told you not to make Severus resign again!"
"Oh he will change his mind by tomorrow, he always does." Albus answered brightly.
Minerva's eyes flashed at him, as her lips thinned disapprovingly, "Albus Dumbledore, this is a school, an institute of learning, not a palace of frivolity and fun ..." She began, then stopped as she noticed the faraway look in her husband's eyes. She was just about to insist that he do her the courtesy of listening to her lecture, when she heard faint music playing, at the same time softly glowing candles descended from the high ceiling to hover in mid air, casting a golden light over everything.
Minerva couldn't help but smile, as the sound of music washed over her, growing louder with each second. It was the exact same waltz that had played, as she walked down the aisle of the tiny highland chapel on her wedding day. Glancing down she noted that her feet were now encased in delicate emerald green skating boots.
Sapphire eyes twinkled at her irrisistably, as Albus reached out a hand and drew her gently onto the ice, "Would you have this dance with me, my love?" His whisper was like a tender caress that flowed across her skin, and Minerva could only nod, and let herself be drawn under his delightful spell.
As music filled the castle with it's magic, the students were treated to the sight of their Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress waltzing round the ice together, their bodies moving as though they were one.
Author's Notes
This has been sitting on my hard drive for months, waiting for me to edit it and post it. Finally I decided to do so. Originally written for Camp NaNoWriMo last year, I hope it was worth the wait. I still have several others that I wrote for Camp, so expect those soon too, hopefully. ;)
I'd love feedback. Thanks for reading, and as always it was fun tormenting Severus.
