Another Time. Another Place.
A/N: Thank you Miss Ang for beta reading through this chapter for me and thank you for keeping the ADMMship alive.
Chapter Three.
Hagrid had shown her to her new rooms, and after a few minutes of telling her about the most recent pet he had reared from an egg, he was on his way. Minerva had promised to pop by the Game Keepers shed the following morning so she could meet his menagerie of pets. Meeting Hagrid at the gates had been a welcomed surprise to the predicament that Minerva was facing. His friendly disposition and the fact that he could talk for Scotland settled her nerves, and the walk up towards the school wasn't anything that like she had dreaded. The hour was late so they hadn't come across anyone apart from a peculiar little man that Hagrid introduced as Argus Filch, the caretaker. Minerva hadn't warmed to the man or his little cat who had hissed at her as she walked by. Minerva had resisted the urge to hiss back but promised herself that she would have words with that cat at some point during her stay at Hogwarts.
Minerva stood in the small entrance hall of her rooms. She liked that she didn't have to step from the corridor straight into her rooms. It gave her a sense of privacy. She had lacked privacy in France. Spending every hour of every day in a safe house with seven other French Aurors didn't allow for such things as privacy. It was a place to sleep and eat. To have her own rooms at last was a goddess send and something she would really enjoy.
She opened the wooden door and stepped into her new home. The living room was warm and inviting, decked out in gold and scarlet drapes. Gryffindor was the first thought that entered her mind as she looked around. The furniture was all made out of strong dark oak. Smooth to the touch and rich in colour. Empty bookshelves dominated one wall and Minerva couldn't wait to fill the shelves with books that she had had to keep in storage for six years. She made her way through the living room and opened another door that led into a small elegant bathroom. She could waste plenty of hours in that bathroom. Shutting the door, she made her way over to another door that she assumed to be the bedroom. She opened the door and was surprised to see her new classroom. Had the school shifted the placement of rooms since she had been here last? The Transfiguration classroom had always been on the fifth floor of the castle and the staff private rooms were on the seventh floor. She made a mental note to enquire at breakfast about the shifting rooms. Minerva finally found her bedroom and smiled as her eyes fell upon a large four poster bed. It looked so comfortable and she realised just how tired she was. The rest of the room was decked out much like the living room but in complete gold and bronze. There was a beautiful fireplace with a mantle that she could fill with photo frames and trinkets. A beautifully carved dressing table with a gold gilt mirror stood to her left. Everything about the room was comforting and welcoming.
"Professor McGonagall ..."
Minerva jumped and whirled around, her hand on her wand that was concealed in her pocket. Standing before her was a tiny house-elf. Big eyes filled with wonderment stared up at her.
"Oh, you gave me a fright," Minerva said gently as she slipped her hand out of her pocket.
"Soxy has so longed to meet you, Professor. Such an honour to serve you," replied the elf as she twisted her hands in a nervous way. "Soxy did not mean to frighten the esteemed Professor McGonagall. Bad Soxy! Bad!"
Minerva didn't like where this was going. She remembered house-elves of old and knew that the little elf before her would go punish herself if the conversation carried on down this path.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Soxy," said Minerva with a warm smile. "Are you to be my elf?"
"Soxy jumped at the chance," squeaked the elf. "Soxy brought Professor McGonagall a snack for Soxy thought the Professor may be hungry since she travelled a long way to Hogwarts."
"Thank you, Soxy," replied Minerva. "I could do with a little something before bed."
Soxy beamed a smile so bright and rushed off into the living room where she stood proudly next to a tray of many delights. An array of cream cakes, cheese, and biscuits were piled high on the silver tray. Most of the things would sit too heavy in Minerva's stomach at this time of night, but the ginger newts would be a welcomed nibble before bed. Soxy had poured a mug of warmed milk with nutmeg. It sat ready and waiting patiently for Minerva to sit down and relax.
Minerva sat down in one of the arm chairs and ate her ginger newt while Soxy looked on. Minerva had never liked people watching her eat and having Soxy watch her with interest made no exception. Minerva finished off the biscuit and the mug of milk and thanked Soxy again for thinking of her.
"No troubles for Professor McGonagall," she replied proudly. "Soxy wanted to make sure her Professor was comfortable."
After engaging in a few more minutes of polite conversation, Minerva bid the little elf a good night and another thank you before retiring to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Tomorrow she would start unpacking properly and finding homes for all her belongings. Tomorrow also brought the promise of seeing Albus Dumbledore.
Minerva awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and well slept. The bed had been just as comfortable as it had promised and had moulded around her as she slept. She lay there for a few minutes, collecting her thoughts before checking the time on the old Grandfather clock at that stood proudly in one of the corners of her bedroom. It was 6:10 am and that gave her plenty of time to dress for the day and make a start on the unpacking before breakfast at 9.00am.
Minerva bathed and dressed herself in plain black robes that had a touch of scarlet thread running through it. With delight, Minerva made a start on unpacking her boxes of books and, with a sense of purpose, she began to alphabetise her book case. She liked knowing where things were and setting her books out like this gave her the knowledge of things being in their place. She had always put her books like this, and her father who possessed what he called a great sense of humour would daily come into her bedroom and rearrange her books. It had been funny the first few times but after that it became a nuisance, and Minerva had developed a little charm to get her own back on her father. Till the end of time, she would never forget how her father had looked covered head to toe in bright green paint at the breakfast table after an ill-fated trip into her room to cause mischief.
Minerva smiled to herself as she remembered her beloved father. It had been four years since he had passed, quietly in his sleep after a long illness. She truly missed him and after all this time, she still had moments when she needed him. She could have done with his counsel right now. She could imagine what he would have said and she chuckled at the thought. She continued to unpack her books and then moved on to placing some of her trinkets.
A knock on the door brought a stop to the unpacking. She brushed down her robes and wondered if it was Hagrid calling on her to meet his pets before breakfast. She opened the door with a warm smile.
"Hello Minerva," greeted Albus Dumbledore.