Disclaimer: Me? Owning anything to do with Harry Potter? You lot are off your rockers…….

A/N: I know that the bulk of this is about Peta and Severus, but there's a hell of a lot of Albus and Minerva (yay) so deal with it.

Embrace…enjoy…

TartanLioness: wow...quick to review or what! Blackmail is what I do best, but as you'll see in this chapter, not every scheme turns out good. They really do have a strong friendship, but then again, they're with each other almost all the time, and it's not as though Peta is going to start chatting to Severus any time soon...or is she...ha ha, I'm so mean.

Chapter 10: I Won't Say I'm In Love

If there's a prize for rotten judgement
I guess I've already won that
No man is worth the aggravation
That's ancient history, been there, done that!

Who'd you think you're kidding
He's the Earth and heaven to you
Try to keep it hidden
Honey, we can see right through you
Girl, you can't conceal it
We know how you feel and
Who you're thinking of

No chance, no way
I won't say it, no, no

You swoon, you sigh
why deny it, uh-oh

It's too cliché
I won't say I'm in love

I thought my heart had learned its lesson
It feels so good when you start out
My head is screaming get a grip, girl
Unless you're dying to cry your heart out
Oh

You keep on denying
Who you are and how you're feeling
Baby, we're not buying
Hun, we saw you hit the ceiling
Face it like a grown-up
When you gonna own up
That you got, got, got it bad

No chance, now way
I won't say it, no, no

Give up, give in
Check the grin you're in love

This scene won't play,
I won't say I'm in love

You're doing flips read our lips
You're in love

You're way off base
I won't say it
Get off my case
I won't say it

Girl, don't be proud
It's O.K. you're in love

Oh
At least out loud,
I won't say I'm in love

A week had passed uneventfully until the Friday night had once again returned. It had been a week of looking at Albus pointedly, encouraging to admit his feelings, but to no avail. Things were getting desperate, and it was in the staffroom that Friday afternoon that Peta could be seen pacing up and down, whilst Poppy had her head in her hands. Rolanda, however, was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"I didn't actually think it would come to this," Peta said to no one in particular.

"You do understand that we're going to have to tell Min, don't you?" Poppy said to Rolanda.

"Of course we are. We said we would, so I think we should."

Peta stopped pacing in front of the flying mistress. "So you're going to tell her then."

"Me? Oh no, you two are coming…"

"No Ro, I'm not going."

"Why not? You can't leave me to do this on my own."

"I…I just can't. I know it seems like I'm trying to pull out, but I can't do this. You three mean so much to me, and I don't want to spoil that."

"That's really sweet Peta, but then that means I have to tell her myself." Rolanda looked over at Poppy, who still had her head in her hands. "Unless…"

"Oh no Rolanda Hooch. You got us into this, you can get us out. Besides, I've five students in the ward who need my attention." She looked at her watch. "Right now in fact. So, by the time I see you again, I want to some development to have happened."

Peta addressed Rolanda as Poppy closed the door behind her. "Tell you what, you go and tell her, and then in about twenty minutes I'll come to her office and take the half the blame for it."

"What about Poppy?"

"Well, she really didn't have much to do with it, if you think about it. It's a good thing I suppose, because then if Minerva hates us forever, at least she'll be able to talk to Pops."

Rolanda gave Peta a hug. "You're a damn good friend Peta. I'm glad you're here."

"I'm glad I'm here too," Peta replied, grinning. "Now, our dear Transfiguration Professor should be in her office right about now, doing whatever the busiest witch in the school normally does. So how about you go and meet your doom?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You'll be fine," Peta reassured her, guiding her towards the door, opening it and pushing her out, "and if not, I'll be along in twenty minutes. Just count down the time until I come to save your life."

Rolanda waved back at the other witch as she made her way down the corridor. Peta turned and went back inside the staffroom. She was a little apprehensive about what was going to happen, but hopefully all should be well. She was still grinning as Severus entered.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Oh nothing Professor," Peta replied. Nothing could spoil her good mood at the moment. "I'm just hoping that my little project I've been working on is successful."

"This project wouldn't have anything to do with Albus and Minerva confessing their love, would it?"

Peta opened her mouth in surprise, and blinked a few times. "How…how did you…"

"Poppy and Rolanda have been conspiring for as long as I care to remember. Plus, I just saw Rolanda skipping down the hall towards Minerva's office singing 'Love is in the air'."

"I'll kill her when I get my hands on her, as if Min wants the whole school to know that we're setting her up."

"Rest assured, you'll have one annoyed tabby on your hands by the end of this."

"Thanks for you reassurance." Peta's sarcastic tone was very evident in what she said.

"Did you expect anything else?"

The witch pretended to think for a moment. "Um…no." She looked at the clock by the door. "Right, twenty minutes is up, time to assess the situation." She paused at the door. "If you're lucky, the place won't resemble a bombsite, and if I'm lucky, and she is angry, then she'll take it out on you, rather than me." She flashed a quick smile at Severus, before closing the door. As Peta made to walk down the hall, she was almost run down by a certain spiky haired witch.

"Ro? Ro!"

Rolanda turned towards Peta, tears in her eyes. "We should never have started this. Never! Everything's ruined!" She ran towards the staircase before Peta could call after her. She didn't go after Rolanda though. Although it sounded harsh, Peta was more worried about Minerva, seeing as she was a victim in all of this. Gathering royal blue robes, Peta hurried off in the direction of Minerva's office, trying not to startle the older students who were still out and about. She knocked gently on the door, not sure if she wanted to know what was going on. There was no answer, so Peta cautiously tried the door handle. The door opened slowly, so she crept in quietly, noticing that Minerva was sitting at her desk, staring at an essay on her desk, but obviously not reading it.

"Min…"

"Go away."

"What happened?"

"I said, go away!"

"No," Peta replied, determination building up inside of her. She sat in the chair in front of the desk. "Tell me what happened."

Minerva looked up sharply. "Why should I? What do you know about my life? You've been here less than a year and you think you can just interfere with it. You get Ro to come here and tell me that Albus is so in love with me, when obviously he isn't, and then have the nerve to ask me what happened! Didn't you think how much this would hurt me? No of course you didn't, you just thought of yourself!"

"You wish he did love you, don't you."

"Maybe I do, but that's not the point. What I wish now is that you'd never come here in the first place!"

Peta looked at Minerva, gob smacked, a mixture anger and hurt apparent on her face. Without saying a word, she left the office, slamming the door behind her so hard that a picture fell off the wall in the office. Inside the office, Minerva let the reality of what she just said sink in. She mentally slapped herself, before dashing around her desk and out into the corridor, to see Peta walking down the corridor.

"Peta, wait. Let me explain!"

Peta turned around. "Oh no, I think you've explained quite enough Professor McGonagall. I've heard all I need to know. Goodnight!" She strode off towards her rooms, passing Severus on the way.

"What's wrong now?" he said, rolling his eyes.

Peta stopped. "Oh you know, just the usual, it's been a long day, too much work to do, and oh, Minerva hates me!" She was about to carry on walking when she said, "You were right, and now I've just blown everything." She let out a growl of frustration. "What's the point, I'm going to bed!"

A firm knock on her door told Peta that Minerva was on the other side. She had been in bed thinking for the past hour. It was now eleven o'clock and she was extremely tires, but there some things that needed to be said, even if it was in her pyjamas and dressing gown. She opened the door slowly.

"I'm sorry," they both said at the same time. Peta was surprised, and looked like she was about to cry, which gave Minerva time to say something, stepping in and closing the door behind her as she did.

"I shouldn't have said what I did. I was just angry and upset and…" She noticed that Peta wasn't looking at her anymore, but something on the floor that was apparently more interesting. She placed a finger under Peta's chin, and lifted her face so their eyes met.

"Never doubt that I don't want you here. I can't imagine you not being here, especially from what I've heard about you Ro, and Poppy trying to get me and Albus together."

"Is Rolanda ok? She looked pretty upset when I saw her."

"She's fine now; I went to see her a little while ago. I think she was more upset about me denying everything she accused me of, rather than what I said to her." Minerva smiled weakly, "she's heard it many times before."

It was Peta's turn to speak. "I'm sorry we got involved, but do you know how frustrating it is, watching you two together?"

"What do you mean, together?"

Minerva sat down on the couch, and Peta sat next to her. "The way you both look at each other. They way you both know what the other is thinking." She smiled. "The way you both know what the other is going to say, so the conversation never happens."

"I guess, but that doesn't mean anything, does it?"

"I suppose you're too close to each other to see it, but it does. You're made for each other…it's fate."

"I hardly think so."

"Min, stop doubting him. You love him, he loves you, wham bam thank you Mam, the beginners guide to romance."

"That's a tad crude Peta."

"But it's true. Now do us all a favour, put us out of our misery, and tell him how you feel. Please?"

In truth, when Peta put it like that, it seemed so obvious. Minerva reluctantly gave in.

"I'll try, but if nothing comes of it, then you three are never to bring it up again, or try to fix us up. I won't blurt it out though, but then again, I can't promise anything." She took a deep breath. "And now that is over and done with, I'm going to bed. And you should too, by the looks of you."

"Does it amuse you to tell me how rotten I look," Peta teased.

"Yes," replied Minerva, pulling Peta into a hug and kissing the top of her head. "it amuses me greatly."

A/N: oh chapter number 2 today...im so pleased, cause the next chapter is when it's starts to get juicy...hee hee