"Albus!"

He turned around to look at his best friend. His smile was illuminating the whole room, filling her heart with joy. When he saw her, his smile grew, and Minerva felt like she was overflowing with that happy feeling in her heart.

She ran up to him and without hesitating, flung her arms around his neck. (A/N: OK, I know that Professor McGonagall is younger than Dumbledore, but in this I'm just putting them the same age at Hogwarts. Also, the characters may not be exactly like they were in the books. It's hard to take characters and give them a past). Then she let go, hoping that the tinge of red in her cheeks was not visible to her best friend, Albus Dumbledore.

"Minnie!" Albus said, rather quietly, but he never spoke loudly, so it wasn't a surprise to Minerva McGonagall. He saw her smiling at him, so brightly, and his heart felt warm and full of joy to be seeing her. Of course, he didn't show it, he only smiled maybe a bit too happily and pretended as though Minnie was just another one of his normal friends to be greeting after summer. But she wasn't--she was his best friend, though of course he wouldn't admit that to Elphius--he would be too sad to know that he was not Albus' best friend.

"I missed you a lot over the summer," said Minnie, after a small pause where their eyes locked, and stared, and they smiled, not consious that this was not a normal thing for two best friends to be doing. Then, as people began looking at them and smiling, thinking to themselves, Oh, what a cute couple. I always knew that Minerva and Albus would be good for each other, the two noticed, and let go of each other's hands, and Minnie said those words.

"Me, too," said Albus in his soft, sort of silky voice. Always so quiet, but he had so much to say when they were alone: few knew this; and perhaps this event--of Albus talking on and on about the wizarding world and how to improve it, or just of normal 14-year-old things--was known to one person mostly: Minerva McGonagall, known as Minnie by her good friends.

"Well," said Minnie, after a short pause. "Did you get your O.W.L.'s?"

"Yes," said Albus, looking at her, not realizing that he was supposed to state his grades.

Minnie didn't want to be nosy, so she didn't ask him directly, but kept on the subject of O.W.L.'s.

"Did you hear what people are saying?" she said, as the boy and girl began walking toward their compartment on the train. People were beginning to push past them.

"What are people saying?" asked Albus, being sure to use a complete sentence.

"They're saying," continued Minnie, excitedly. "That the Ministry is going to move O.W.L.'s to students' fifth year! Can you imagine that? That would certainly give you a lot of time to study."

"Yes," agreed Albus, dutily. "Yes, it would." Sometimes, he wondered why he had a girl as a best friend--they did talk oh so much. But still--he loved her (as a friend, of course). And besides, having a best friend since the day you boarded a train when you were eleven until the day you boarded a train when you were fourteen--well, sort of hard to abandon them, then, wasn't it? And Albus wasn't planning to in the first place.

The two slipped into their empty train compartment. They sat and talked for quite a while, or at least what seemed like a while. As Minerva was speaking about the wonders of transfiguration--she heard a voice from outside the door.

"Hi, Albus!"

Minnie looked up at the voice. It was Elphius. Minerva suppressed a sigh. Elphius would definitely want to sit with she and Albus. And she was hoping to have one of her face-to-face debates on Hogwarts, or the Wizarding world, with Albus. Or at least speak to him personally, as two best friends would. But she could do nothing to stop Elphius.

"Er, hello, Elphius," Albus' voice was the same tone as always, but he did stumble over the words a bit. "What would you like?"

As if he doesn't know already! Thought Minerva. Elphius wants to sit with Albus. He always does...

"Well, if you don't mind," said Elphius shyly. "I'd like to sit with Minerva...and you."

Minerva was shocked! He wants to sit with me? How strange!

"Well, sure, Elphius," said Minerva, quite puzzled. She motioned to the seat across from her, next to Albus, but very unexpectedly, Elphius came over and sat next to her. Minerva was quite surprised, but she made the feeling pass over her and she began to act normal.

There was an awkward silence. Finally, Elphius cleared his throat.

"Um, Minerva...I was sort of, well, erm, hoping I could...talk to you."

Minnie nodded her head, waiting for him to say something more.

"Alone."

"Oh!" Minerva looked at Albus uncertainly. "Well, I don't know, I--"

"It's all right," said Albus kindly. He stood up. "I'll go." Before he left, he looked into Minerva's pleading 'don't go' eyes, closed his eyes, shook his head and walked outside. Little did Minnie know, he was listening through the door.

Elphius cleared his throat again.

"I came to tell you that I have thought of you differently, nowadays."

"Oh?" said Minnie, trying to sound normal. She glanced at the door. I wonder if I could burst out...

"Yes. But I mean this is a different feeling..."


Outside the door, Albus listened to Elphius go on and on, speaking to Minerva. He knew that her eyes were growing wide. Albus knew that Elphius liked Minnie. Unexpectantly, he did. Albus took a deep breath, trying to control his manners, and pressed his ear to the door again.

"...what I'm trying to say, I guess, is that I think you're very beautiful. And I wanted to ask you if you would go to--"

Albus couldn't control himself. He didn't know what it was that bothered him about Elphius asking his best friend to go out, but he couldn't help it. He burst through the door and said, knowing that he'd regret it deeply, later,

"Sorry, Elphy, but you'll have to leave." And he grabbed Elphius by his shirt collar and pulled him out of the compartment. Then he locked the door tight.