Disclaimer: The Potterverse and its characters are intellectual property of J.K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing them for a short while and promise to give them back unharmed.

A/N: Enter my personal choice of the best fitting partner for Minerva.. ;o)

Many thanks to Moira and Kelly Chambliss for betaing.

~*~

prompt 99: learing

~*~

Tired

~*~

Dumbledore peered through his lashes. There she sat, motionless, staring at her hands, tired, exhausted.

He knew she felt as though he was always watching her, so mostly, he pretended to be asleep. She still needed to learn not to be bothered by his constant presence, particularly since she wanted neither his advice nor help.

He knew this so well, having had the same experience – oh, so such a long time ago!

Sometimes, he regretted having burdened her with this responsibility. She had a hard time bearing the weight of this position. But she endured, using every ounce of her wisdom and her strength, and she did it well. Better than he ever had, he thought.

~*~