Chapter 2

I've never mentioned to anyone what I had seen that night and my mistress said nothing to me either although she must have known I'd been there because she had found her bedroom tidy and their clothes hanging over the back of a chair the next morning. Somehow I have the distinct feeling she hadn't told anyone she was in love with a woman, nonetheless the headmaster knew and during a rainy day in the fall 1946 he made that clear.

They had told Tilly to cook dinner for them in Dumbledore's own little kitchen. They could have ordered Dumbledore's elf to do the same but McGonagall thought Tilly's food tasted more delicious. Tilly had been happy to receive such a compliment and immediately started to plan. In the meanwhile McGonagall and Dumbledore were sitting in the living room, talking and playing a game of chess. Dumbledore had left the kitchen after collecting two cups of tea for them leaving the door standing open and although Tilly could hear every word they said, he didn't really pay attention. He loved to cook and while working for McGonagall he could rarely spend time in a kitchen. His mistress had told him she wanted the lasagna "made the muggle way" for it tasted much better.

He made extra loud noises knocking pots, bowls and knives together so he didn't hear their conversation. He made the pasta and the two sauces, shredded the cheese and put it all in the baking tin. And suddenly, after he had cleaned his working place, there was nothing left to do: The lasagna was in the oven, the salad finished and the kitchen so clean that one could eat from the floor. Although Tilly knew it was rude to eavesdrop and for a house-elf like him, strictly forbidden, he became curious when he heard Dumbledore say,

"Forgive me... but who is this young woman, who is almost living in my castle, Minerva?" there was a long silence in the living room and Tilly imagined his mistress was as surprised as he was.

"A friend of mine", she answered.

"A friend?" and Tilly could picture his raised eyebrow.

McGonagall sighed, "fine...she's my girlfriend. We are in love! Are you now going to fire me?" Dumbledore chuckled, "My dear what makes you think I'd want to do something like that?" he asked.

"I don't know, maybe you should ask my mother?"

Tilly had moved closer to the door. From his new position he could see that McGonagall had her back towards the door while he had a clear view of Dumbledore, who was eyeing his opposite questioningly.

"She threw me out of her house when my sister told her that I'd been seeing a girl", she said bitterly. Tilly shuddered involuntarily. "Three weeks before Christmas – the feast of love" she added in a voice so full of sarcasm that Tilly had to stop himself from crying out for her to stop.

"What's her name?" Dumbledore asked

"My mother's? Diana", McGonagall answered confused.

"No, your girlfriend's name!" Dumbledore said seriously.

"Oh! I'm sorry! It's Ricarda," she said with a smile.

"What is she like? What does she do? I guess, I shouldn't ask you so many questions" It's the job of your best friend, not you boss..."

"It's okay, Albus! Anyway, you are my best friend! Ricci is... she's amazing. Charming, humorous, smart... she's what I've always looked for but never found in men. I know she's not only looking for my money or the fame of the McGonagall family, because she's got enough of that herself with working for the ambassador of the USA and coming from one of their oldest pureblood families."

"Are you happy?"

"Yes", she answered and to Tilly she sounded like she would burst into tears the next moment. Apparently Dumbledore thought the same for he looked rather unconvinced.

"Somehow you don't look like someone who has just fallen in love with the most wonderful person, she's ever met," he said slowly.

Although Tilly didn't see her face, he knew that McGonagall was crying by the husky sound of her reply, "you know what my mother said to me? When she threw me out?" she sobbed, when Dumbledore shook his head. "She asked me how I could do this to her – deny her grandchildren when I already took my father and her second husband from her."

Dumbledore's face first turned with shock and then red with anger. "She accused you of taking that ... person from her after all he's done to you?"

"Yes..." McGonagall whispered. "She blames me because I killed her dear husband after he had raped me over and over again, from their wedding till my 17th birthday!"

Tilly stood there in the kitchen, petrified by what he'd just heard. How could someone do that to a person as wonderful as his mistress? So shocked was he, that he didn't really hear when McGonagall said, "she blames me because of the curse..."

"Tell me about this curse, Minerva! Tell me about this curse and the prophecy, that you've mentioned when you came to fight against Grindelwald but about which you've never spoken since then."

Dumbledore suddenly jumped out of his chair. At the word prophecy Tilly had dropped the tin pot he had been holding and it had clattered loudly on the floor. He hurried to the table and pretended to be chopping tomatoes when Dumbledore appeared in the doorframe. The professor shot Tilly a warning glare, which clearly said, "never tell anybody of what you just heard!" and shut the door firmly. The house-elf supposed he had also cast a silencing charm over their room because Tilly could not hear even a single sound of what was spoken in the living room.

I did as he had told me. Till today McGonagall, Dumbledore and I are the only ones, who know about the conversation I heard. I served them their dinner in silence, because they waited to speak until I had returned to my room and after their meal they washed the dishes themselves.For some weeks I avoided my mistress as much as possible, even when she tried to make conversation I said only the most necessary, hoping she'd never mention that evening again. She became once again the stern teacher and friendly mistress, always polite and always without any signs of emotions. She and Dumbledore grew – if possible – even closer than they were when she arrived at Hogwarts.