Well, here we are at the third chapter. Apologies for the delayed posting. Was easily sidetracked into reading the plethora of lovely Minerva-Hermione stories being released lately. Chapter 4 shouldn't take nearly so long to roll out. Or so I hope. Oh, and in case you smacked your head, leading you to think otherwise – let me point out blatantly that I do not have any ownership rights in any way, shape, or form to the Harry Potter characters. They are, of course, completely under the jurisdiction of one J.K. Rowling. I am merely playing with the characters in ways she never envisioned (whether or not that is a good thing remains to be determined…).
After hours of tossing and turning, Xiomara got up at 2 o'clock in the morning, deciding that she might as well go and read something. As she made her way down the steps to the North Tower Common Room, she could see shadows from the fireplace dancing up the stair well.
'Oh, dear, Sibyll is still awake.'
Sure enough, Sibyll sat there on a tattered rug on the floor of the large room, cleaning one of her many crystal balls.
"Xiomara, what a tragedy. I saw that tonight's dinner would not go well. I was hoping I would, for once, be wrong." Sibyll put a hand to her forehead, resting her elbow on a nearby end table.
"Oh, my dear, no. It wasn't so bad as all that. We had a nice meal and conversation. Minerva's ever so much more relaxed when not having to be the Headmistress. Yes, we had a minor discussion about my, er, image and about Ms. Granger. And there was the interruption from her Highness, the Pink Toad. But, really, it went well enough." Hooch paused for breath briefly, and then continued, "She is so lovely, and when she laughs, oh, how her neck invites. I am sure I would prefer her hair was kept up, however. Yes, Sibyll. It was a decent evening. I think that even Severus will find it went acceptably enough." Hooch's rambling was a clear indication of her exhaustion. She smiled as she moved further into the room. Her form-fitting t-shirt and shorts left her muscular forearms and tan, firm legs fully exposed to the cool night air.
Sibyll barely glanced at the petite figure prancing around the room in such minimalist garb. She continued to polish the clear orb she currently had resting on her crossed legs. After she placed it on the nearby table, she picked up another next to it, hefting it onto her lap and giving it a slow and steady shine.
While Xiomara searched the bookshelves that lined a full wall, she tripped over one of the outstretched legs of an owl perch.
"Sorry, Katherine," she mumbled, giving the silvery bird a gentle pat with one hand while massaging her own foot with the other. A flutter of scarves caught her eye, and Xiomara made to turn towards the movement, falling flat on her face while Sibyll began to moan miserably.
"You apologize to the owl, but who apologizes to me? I sit here, with no more of a home than the owl, and yet no one cares. Albus tells me that I must stay within the school grounds, but I cannot do anything for fear of that horrid amphibian."
Xiomara turned towards the bookcase as she stood back up so that her friend wouldn't see as she rolled her eyes. As she did so, she spotted the book she wanted. As she removed the book from the shelf, she turned the book next to it on its spine as a marker.
"Well, Sibyll, I don't know what to tell you. I dare say that there are a good many students upset that you have been ousted from your teaching position. I do thank you again for setting up the dinner with Minerva." Hooch slipped over to where Sibyll sat and gave her a peck on the temple. Hooch swung the tattered midnight blue leather bound book loosely in one hand as she wearily returned to her room, hoping that her original printing of "Beedle the Bard" would knock her out. Within an hour, she was slumbering, the book draped across her chest.
"I believe that the ladybugs were unhelpful tonight," Professor Trelawney mumbled to herself. "I am ever so grateful for my abilities as a Seer. Obviously my abilities as a matchmaker are not as fully developed as I should have liked." She sighed and continued with her crystal ball cleaning ritual.
As the sun rose later in the morning, Xiomara practically skipped down the stairs. She slipped a note around Katherine's leg and let the owl out one of the stained glass windows. She took the book and tucked it into the pocket of her robes and left the tower, first going downstairs to the now unused Divination classroom, and then gliding down the ladder to the hallway below.
After taking her broom on a few trips around the grounds, enjoying the sun attempting, poorly, to burn its way through the fog, Xiomara strode into the Great Hall for breakfast.
A monotone voice began, "Ah, yes. While I wish that Minerva would be upset enough with you to have you sacked, I admit that I am impressed by your ability to woo even her. She is in good spirits today. I presume the night was not unpleasant. As my rooms are in the dungeons directly below Minerva's rooms, I have to say that you both exercised an appreciative amount of noise control."
Xiomara smiled tightly, "Severus, the only benefit you would get from having me sacked is that you would get to referee Quidditch matches. And I have to say that last night I went the old fashioned route – no hanky panky on the first date. We ARE talking about Minerva McGonagall. I must win her mind before I can win her heart."
Severus blanched and gave her a blank stare. She winked after a moment, and it seemed to relax him.
"Hooch, you consistently amaze me." And at this statement, Hooch giggled.
After she completed her meal, she made sure to walk by where Umbridge sat.
"Dolores, a word, if I might?"
Professor Umbridge looked startled, but gestured to the empty chair next to her. As she perched on the edge of the offered seat, Hooch leaned forward so that her words would not be overheard.
"Dolores, dear. I must make a confession. Despite my reputation, nothing happened last night with Professor McGonagall. Well, other than a pleasant meal." Dolores raised a thin eyebrow and paused in her tea preparations.
In her high-pitched, girly voice, she simpered, "Madam Hooch, I do not approve of inter-staff romances, so I am glad to hear that one is not currently occurring between the two of you. Nonetheless, your reputation precedes you, and I shall be watching and waiting. If you slip up, I do have authority from the Ministry to ensure that your services are terminated. And Albus Dumbledore cannot protect you in the same way he protects the Seer, Trelawney."
Xiomara set her lips in a pout and lowered her chin, looking at Professor Umbridge from under her eyebrows.
"Oh, dear, Dolores. That is a pity. You see, the purpose of that dinner was to get you to notice me." She paused to point at Dolores' chest. Her finger stopped about an inch above the woman's left breast. Xiomara then moved her finger downwards past the peak of the large bosom. Her finger never touched the cloth. She let it hover momentarily just below the underside of Dolores' breast as the woman sucked in a deep breath. For a split second, both women thought that breast and finger might just meet, and the tension was almost electric. Hooch suddenly brought her finger to the opposite corner of her mouth and wiped away an imaginary tidbit of moisture.
She continued, smirking wickedly, golden eyes gleaming, "It sounds like my plans went awry – for although you have, indeed noticed me, I'm afraid the attention has not been of a positive nature…? Since you don't approve of inter-staff romances, I can only guess that your recent interlude with Filch was simply that – a little fling. And I so enjoy a good fling," she wriggled her eyebrows before continuing. "A woman with standards so low as to shag him, Dolores? Definitely not worthy of my bed." And with that, Xiomara appeared to literally fly out of the room. Professor Umbridge's eyes were mere slits, and her hand hovered over the end of her short wand, which just barely poked out of her cardigan pocket.
"I would suggest keeping the wand where it is. Madam Hooch was merely attempting to get a rise out of you. If her attempts are unsuccessful she will, eventually, give it up." Snape glared at the pink blob of a woman, his anger barely contained.
Dolores stammered, "But…but…of course." For several moments she seemed to focus on getting her breathing under control and her mind back on track.
Xiomara didn't see Minerva at all during the day, and with lessons and lesson preparations being carefully monitored by Dolores, Xiomara had difficulty finding useful ways to occupy her afternoon in Ministry acceptable ways.
'I wonder if owling the note to Minerva this morning was wise? Perhaps Katherine was intercepted?' Xiomara fretted for a bit before hopping aboard her broom and putting some distance between her and the ground. She knew better than to return to the tower, as Sibyll was, in all likelihood, enjoying melodramatic misery for any and all visitors.
Indeed, when she did arrive to their common room that evening, her white shirt muddied and the bottom hem of her robes torn in several places and dragging on the floor, she was accosted.
"Oh, the day was horrid. And you were nowhere. I am thinking of leaving Hogwarts despite Albus' pleas."
Xiomara scowled at the frizzy haired woman before her, "Sibyll, you've been drinking too much. There is NO need to talk like that around me. Hallo!! You are a lush. And I am in no mood to deal with such nonsense." She stormed into the kitchen, practically knocking over a small vase with daffodils in it.
"Don't hurt those flowers. They were a gift from Lavender Brown and several other students." Sibyll's outstretched hand was shaky as she attempted to move the vase away from the table's edge.
Xiomara's yellow eyes flashed angrily, "First of all, you are drunk, Sibyll. Just look at the tremor in your hands. Secondly, I am not some twit. I will NOT hurt your precious flowers. From the looks of them, they are from a patch near the edge of the Dark Forest. Which meant the girls risked getting in trouble to obtain them."
Sibyll looked imploringly at her.
Xiomara pointed to the edge of one of the petals, taking a calming breath, "The ones in Madam Sprout's greenhouses have a smoother edge to their petals due to the protected environment. And they honk. If you were to take one of Madam Sprout's flowers out of the greenhouses and plopped it into a vase, it would look lovely, but wouldn't last. Like you, a flower kept within a safe habitat should not leave it. You and I both know that the Death Eaters or the Dementers or any number of evils would descend upon you if you left the safety of Hogwarts. You have made predictions and prophecies that are too valuable, Sibyll." With that, Xiomara took the glass of water she had poured and swept past the other woman and up the stairs to her private rooms. Sibyll stood there for a moment, staring at the vase before carefully picking it up and throwing it against the wall over the fireplace. The shatter of glass made her smile tightly, and for a moment, the fire spluttered as a small amount of water trickled down on it. The flowers lay strewn across the mantle and the floor beyond. She left them there and went up the stairs to her own room.
The next couple of days fared no better for Xiomara. She had verified that Katherine had delivered the note to Minerva without interference. Nonetheless, the time went by without reply. She did not want to be too aggressive in her pursuit. And, there was the fact that Sibyll shared with her during this waiting game a disturbing prediction.
'Dolores will be Head of Hogwarts before the term is complete, Xiomara. I have had dreams foretelling it. Albus will leave Minerva and myself unprotected. One or both of us will face grave danger. I am certain of this.' Sibyll had gripped both of Xiomara's hands in her own and squeezed them tightly as she said all this. She removed her glasses afterwards and peered at the short, spiky-haired woman with grave intensity and not a little fear.
On Friday morning, Xiomara walked past the Great Hall, determined not to enter. She could not face the idea of sitting so close to Minerva during breakfast and act as if nothing was bothering her. She went, instead, to the Staff Lounge and had a quiet spot of tea with Professor Flitwick who regularly preferred his breakfast in silent solitude. After he rose to go to his first class, she continued to stare off, glassy-eyed, out the window. March breezes were knocking around the newly blossoming tree leaves, and there were definite signs that the sky was planning to drop buckets of rain at any moment.
With a sigh, she rose and left the room, making her way towards the greenhouses.
'If Pomona has some catnip plants, perhaps…'
As Xiomara exited through a door leading outside, she felt a tug on her robes. She stopped short and turned to see Ginny Weasley looking more than a little nervous.
"What is it, dear?"
"Well, it doesn't make sense. But she sounded insistent." Ginny wrung her hands, and then continued, "She was insistent. It just makes no sense."
From off to one side, Hermione approached, "Ginny. Spit it out." Ginny looked more nervous than ever. Madam Hooch rested a hand on the redhead's shoulder.
"Take a breath. Gather your thoughts. Tell me when you are ready." Madam Hooch never ceased to be amazed at the fact that the Weasley children were all such tightly wound bundles of energy. Ginny didn't look all that calmed, so with a smile, the instructor switched gears.
"Close your eyes, Ginerva. You are on the Quidditch pitch, quaffle under one arm. One of the hoops is momentarily unguarded, so you have a clean shot. You take another deep breath, and during that moment between inhalation and exhalation, you make the toss. The quaffle glides through the goal without a hitch. You exhale, all tension gone." She paused, "Now open your eyes, dear, and let's start over again."
Ginny smiled up at Xiomara, "Professor McGonagall stopped me this morning on my way from the Common Room to breakfast. She told me to give you a message, but that it wouldn't make sense. And, it doesn't." Ginny smiled shyly.
Madam Hooch's breath caught at the thought of a message from Minerva.
"She said to tell you, and I quote, 'Miss Weasley needs private flying lessons tonight of the same sort as the last time.'" Ginny tilted her head a bit as she did an astoundingly realistic imitation of her Head of House's voice.
Xiomara's lips twitched in a small smile, "I see." Her mind began dancing around with delight that Minerva, indeed, wanted to see her again.
"But what does she mean? I haven't ever had private flying lessons before, Madam Hooch. I don't get it."
Xiomara returned to earth. "Hmm? Oh. That's actually not a bad idea, Ginny. Would you like extra lessons?" She fluffed her spikes of hair as she contemplated her own offer.
Ginny Weasley's eyes lit up, "Would I ever!"
Madam Hooch's spirits lifted that a student had interest in her subject matter.
"Fine then. Let's start next week. I will talk to Minerva about your current course load to figure out a schedule for these lessons. Today is Friday, so, by Monday, please come up with a list of any particular areas related to flying or Quidditch in particular, that you have great interest in working to improve. I will gladly incorporate reasonable requests into our sessions." Her eyes alighted on Hermione.
"Miss Granger. Would you like to be included, dear?" The curly-haired young lady looked shocked. Xiomara was struck with an evil idea that she couldn't help but test out.
"Professor McGonagall, being a House Cup winning Seeker in her own day will undoubtedly be delighted that one or both of you are interested in extra lessons. I dare say she will want to join us on occasion." She tightly pinched her lips, biting down on them to hold back her own laughter. Sure enough, Hermione's features brightened.
"Well, I might be interested in the lessons if Professor McGonagall thinks it important."
"I understand. Well, girls, I don't want you to be late for classes. Dolores Umbridge," Madam Hooch coughed, "will be surely put us all in detention if you don't get a move on." She shooed the girls off, then stood for a moment watching as a couple of birds twittered by. Shortly, she continued on her path to the greenhouses in her usually brisk stride.
As Ginny and Hermione scurried along the hallway to their respective classes, Ginny came to a halt.
"Did you see that?"
Hermione looked at her exasperatingly. "See what?" She grabbed Ginny by the elbow and thrust her in the direction of the stairs down to the dungeons and Ginny's Potions class.
Ginny stopped at the top step, looking back at Hermione, "How happy Madam Hooch looked when I gave her the message? I think she has a soft spot for Professor McGonagall."
Hermione sighed, tucked a bit of hair behind her ear, "Of course she has a soft spot for Professor McGonagall. She's pretty much the only female over the age of 17 here at Hogwarts that Hooch hasn't tried to shag yet."
Ginny giggled, "You believe all that rot? I certainly don't. She's all talk. Fred and George have told me all about her and what she's really like. She has been a serious contributor to their mail order business, you know. I do think she really does have a thing for McGonagall, though. And…" Ginny giggled again, "I have an absolutely marvelous idea—now that I think about it. I have to find Fred and George at lunch, so I won't see you until later today, okay?" With that, Ginny Weasley flipped her shoulder length red hair over a shoulder and skipped down the stairs, leaving Hermione to stare after her, completely bewildered.
