The Dread Day Cometh
Chapter One
It was the fifth day of the Christmas Holidays at Hogwarts, and Albus Dumbledore's favourite time of year. In seven days Christmas would come, meanwhile Albus was determined to have as much festive fun as possible.
Everyday so far he had woken full of merriment, and feeling decidedly sparkly. As he lifted his head from the pillow Albus saw to his delight that it was a beautiful winters day, the sky clear and blue, the sun shining brightly down on frosted rooftops and dew speckled grass. Then he noticed something odd - his merriment was missing, instead he felt distinctly apprehensive, there was a tight knotted feeling in his stomach and he didn't feel at all sparkly. Briefly Albus wondered whether he had overindulged on mince pies and whipped cream last night, perhaps that could explain it. As he slipped into his favourite lime green dressing gown, he tried to remember exactly how many he had eaten, but lost count at ten.
As he stepped into the sitting room, he discovered Minerva, already dressed and seated by the fire sipping a cup of tea. Apparently, as she so often did, she had slipped from their bed leaving him to sleep. Albus smiled fondly, his bad feeling momentarily forgotten as he stepped forward to kiss his wife. Then he noticed the brisk business like expression on her face, and froze midstep as the awful feeling of dread intensified, clawing at his stomach and sending chills along his spine. He had the feeling that there was something he should know, but he still couldn't quite work out why he felt so bad.
"Albus I shall be cleaning our chambers today." Minerva announced firmly, emerald eyes glinting at him from behind square rimmed glasses.
Albus paled slightly as everything suddenly became clear, so that was why his sparkle was missing. "Oh dear! Must you?" He gasped. He still wasn't sure he'd fully recovered from the last time Minerva decided to clean, and it seemed a decidedly unchristmassy activity to him, one best put off for as long as possible or forever.
Minerva's lips thinned in disapproval. "Yes I must! And Albus, cleaning, as you know, is a long and involved business, one that must be done properly ..."
"Oh dearie me, oh dearie me ..." Albus wrung his hands together anxiously. "You know my dear cleaning really doesn't need to be so ... involved. Why if I were to clean I could do our entire chambers in the merest whisk of an eye ..."
"And that Albus, is why you are not permitted to clean! Now Albus, kindly cease waffling ..."
"I rather fancy some waffles for breakfast, it seems an uncommonly long while since last night's mince pies ..." Albus murmured contemplatively.
"Albus!" Minerva growled, as her eyes flashed at him irritably.
"With whipped cream, and lashings of golden syrup, and some chocolate shavings on top. I wonder how a topping of a sherbert lemon would go ... but perhaps that might be a little excessive ..." Albus continued happily.
"ALBUS WILL YOU BE QUIET AND LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE!"
Albus jumped, as though rudely awakened from a delightful dream, blinked at his wife from behind his half rim spectacles, and answered mildly, "Yes my dear?"
Minerva folded her arms across her chest, and eyed him sternly. "Albus, you know that I do not like ... people ... under my feet when I am cleaning..."
"Espeicially me, my dear?" Albus asked with a twinkle.
"I did not say that, and kindly cease interrupting me if you please."
"I apologise my dear, do pray continue." Apparently Albus had decided that if he did everything possible to pacify Minerva, and behave exactly like the perfect husband, then perhaps she might change her mind about cleaning.
Minerva eyed him as though she knew just what he was up to, then continued. "Now, as I was saying, I shall commence cleaning in precisely half an hour, that should give you sufficient time to leave. You will need to be gone for the entire day, as I said cleaning is a long and complex business, which must be done in the correct way and not rushed..."
Albus turned his charismatic blue eyes full on his wife, ever hopeful that they would have the desired effect, just as they so often did. "You know my dear, the house elves are more than happy to clean for us, and then we could spend a nice day together ..."
"Don't be silly Albus, you know perfectly well that their cleaning is not at all satisfactory! Why last time, I found dust on top of the door frame, and a cobweb behind my mirror!" Minerva's eyes glinted disapprovingly, as though the mere thought of such things was the deepest affront to her.
"But, that was only because you looked for them my dear, if you hadn't looked for them, no one would ever have known they were there." Albus answered soothingly, "And if no one knows they're there, then what does it matter?"
"Blasphemy!" Minerva spluttered, "Of course it matters!"
Albus glanced at his wife, unsure if she was joking or not. She certainly appeared completely serious, and he knew from many years of sharing his life with her that she was almost obsessive about cleaning. Albus sighed sadly, they had had so much fun together recently.
Minerva shot an exasperated look at him. "Please cease sighing Albus, this is for your benefit too. Think how nice it will be once our chambers are truly clean, and I'm quite sure you can find someway to amuse yourself for a day. Don't you have some paperwork that is long overdue? You could spend the day in your study catching up with that."
Albus looked absolutely horrified at such a ghastly idea as spending the Christmas holidays doing paper work. "Paperwork... what a hideous idea!" Albus shuddered briefly, then gestured towards the high arched windows, through which the winter sun shone brightly. "Minerva, my dear, see how brightly the sun shines today, and in the middle of winter too. Why this could be the very last day that the sun shines until spring, we should make the most of it."
"Nonsence Albus, of course the sun will shine on other days before spring." Minerva snapped.
"Do you really want to take that risk my dear? What if it doesn't? What if you wasted the last sunny day before spring comes cleaning?"
Minerva's eyes glinted dangerously at that, flashing angrily at him from behind her square glasses. "A day spent cleaning is never wasted Albus, Never! And my mind is made up, I intend to clean today, and you will need to make yourself scarce."
"And just think of all the festive fun we should be having!" Albus sounded incredulous that anyone would even contemplate choosing cleaning over fun.
Minerva rolled her eyes despairingly. "We did that yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that."
"It's Christmas Minerva, everyday is for fun!"
"Not today, Albus!" Minerva stated in her best no nonsence tone.
"But... but... Christmas Minerva... Christmas..." Albus stuttered miserably.
"Christmas can wait until tomorrow." Minerva said firmly. "Now you only have ten minutes left to get dressed, and get out of my way, so hurry up please!"
The next minutes flew by rather breathlessly, as Albus found himself bustled and harried into dressing, without even so much as a cup of hot chocolate. At last he stood by the fireplace, acutely aware of Minerva's impatient presence by the door. Suddenly he had an idea, perhaps not the best of ideas, but an idea all the same - one that might save him from being ejected into the corridor without any breakfast, and no one to have Christmas merriment with. "I could help ..."
The words were barely out of his lips, before Minerva cut him off mid sentance. "Have you forgotten last time you helped Albus?" She snapped, her lips set in a thin line of disapproval.
"Last time?" Albus blinked at Minerva in bafflement from beneath snow white eyebrows. He didn't remember ever having helped Minerva clean before.
"Yes!" Emerald eyes flashed irately at him, from behind square rimmed glasses. "You thought it might be fun if you taught my dusters to dance! You thought that cleaning was dull and needed livening up! Have you ever tried dusting with a dancing duster Albus?"
"No, but it does sound like jolly good fun..." Albus chuckled.
Minerva's foot tapped on the floor impatiently, she wanted to get on with her cleaning, and soon. "It was not fun Albus! Nor was it fun when they decided to run away and I had to chase them round the room!"
Albus eyes sparkled brightly. "Oh yes, I remember now, that was fun perhaps we could do it again today..."
"I did not find it fun Albus! Now get out before I hex you!"
Albus eyed his wife thoughtfully. "Minerva my dear, I don't think cleaning is good for you ... it seems to make you most awfully bad tempered." He said gently.
Albus had a split second to note his wife's flashing eyes, and the way her wand hand was inching towards her robes, before he decided that a rapid exit might be best.
Author's Notes
I've decided to get on and type my Christmas themed stories, despite having a bad shoulder, so here's the first. There's one more chapter to come after this. And, unless my shoulder decides to worsen I have several more stories I hope to complete before Christmas. ;)
All feedback is very welcome. I hope it amused. Merry Christmas everyone. :)