Daniel led Minerva up to the front door of the cottage and pushed it open without waiting for admittance. It led them into a small porch that was surprisingly warm and smelt strongly of the sea's salt spray.

"Mother! I'm back."

"In here, Danny!" An alto voice called from a room off to their left.

Minerva looked at Daniel in disbelief:

"Danny? You have got to be kidding me."

"I told you she was a nightmare," he replied apprehensively. "Just follow me, Minerva. I'll make sure she doesn't rip your head off."

"Are you calling me a coward now?"

"Don't even go there, sister."

"Sister? Please tell me you never said that."

"You keep telling yourself that, darling," he laughed walking into the occupied room. "Good morning mother. Um, my friend Minerva will be staying with us over the holidays."

Minerva stepped into the breezy room and saw, sat in a plump black armchair, a lady she vaguely remembered from her childhood. She had shoulder-length platinum blonde hair that had very wispy ends and her dark obsidian eyes were fixed like a peckish vulture on Minerva.

"Good morning, Annabelle. How are you?"

"Ah, Alessandra and Murray's youngest. I haven't seen you in years. My, you have grown." She spoke with a sharp English accent.

Yes, thought Minerva, that does tend to happen. But she bit her tongue.

"So, Minerva – was it? Tell me, what is it you do for a living?" asked Annabelle.

"Actually, Mum, she's the head of my department," Daniel answered for Minerva.

"Oh, well... you are quite young for that. You must have remarkable... talent," she looked Minerva up and down and the Scottish witch could tell exactly what she was implying.

"Well, I'm sure that being the youngest trained Auror in centuries and battling in the war against Grindelwald before I left Hogwarts constitutes a little recognition."

Daniel looked nervously between his mother and friend; nobody had ever stood up to his mother. This was going to be an interesting vacation.

When she realised that she was not going to be able to stare Minerva down, Annabelle turned back to her son.

"So, are you two courting?"

Daniel and Minerva looked awkwardly at each other for a moment.

"Er..."

"Um, yes. Yes we are," Minerva answered lightly. She looked at Daniel. Knowing of his Legilmens ability, Minerva thought 'I thought it might get her off of your back.' The look he gave her told him her that she understood.

"Oh... is that so?"

"Yes, mother." Daniel said, pulling Minerva closer in a side-hug and wrapping one hand around her waist. Minerva leant her head on his shoulder.

"Well," began Annabelle, sighing, "in that case, I don't want any funny business while I'm here."

"Don't worry, mum. Anyway, Minerva, let me show you to your room."

~*~

Minerva laid down her bag on a soft white double bed in the airy bedroom.

"Right," Daniel began, "my mother has gone and bagged the spare room so, if it's okay with you I'll just sleep on the floor; if I go and sleep on the sofa, she'll know something's not quite right."

"Don't be daft. You take your own bed and I'll transfigure something into another one for me," suggested Minerva.

"You'll never fit another bed in here," said Daniel glumly.

"Well I'll sleep on the floor then."

"No I insist, you are a guest, therefore you must be comfortable and take the bed."

"Merlin, Dan, you are so awkward. Anyway, I'm your boss, if I tell you to take the bed, you must take the bed."

"That is just so unprofessional. Look at us, not more than five minutes dating and we're already arguing." Daniel joked.

"Well, if we can't decide on who sleeps in the bed, maybe we should just share it." Minerva couldn't believe those words had just come from her mouth.

"Ooh er missus! You saucy little minx!"

"Dan! Come on, we're both sensible adults... well... close enough. I'm sure we can be mature about this."

"Well, I suppose so. By the way, thanks for doing this."

"No problem," Minerva smiled. "Now, I'm going to unpack my bag so why don't you go and talk to your mother for a bit?"

"But - " Daniel began childishly.

"GO!"

He sloped off quietly while Minerva began to unpack her clothes.

~*~

Daniel sat down opposite his mother on a long black sofa. She was giving him that penetrating look that told him that she disapproved of something. She was biting her thin lower lip.

"What is it this time, Mother?"

"Well, that Minerva girl; there's something strange about her."

"Like what?"

"I don't know really... she's a bit... in-your-face."

"She's confident, that's all," replied Daniel defensively.

"She's all high-and-mighty."

"No she's not."

"And she's so thin," Annabelle carried on regardless of Daniel's interruption. "How on earth is a woman like that supposed to carry children?"

"Hang on a second! You're thinking a little far ahead, aren't you?" Daniel spluttered.

"You can't hold back the future, Danny."

Daniel mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Head of the Auror Department? In my day, a woman would be lucky to be an Auror, let alone head of the whole department. I wonder how many she slept with to get there?"

"Mother! I will not have you talking about Minerva like that," said Daniel in actual rage. "Besides, there have been female Aurors for centuries!"

"Well," Annabelle continued, though only a little more subdued, "the fact remains; I do not like that girl."

Little did Annabelle and Daniel know that Minerva had heard every word.