Phew. It's been that kind of week, huh?
29 January 1994
"Unless you're here to tell me my request for retirement benefits has been approved at last and I can travel immediately to Greece and never return, you can turn right around and leave me alone."
Remus shut the door of her office, a ghost of a smile on his face. "You'd never retire. You'd come back here and backseat-fly whoever took over the Transfiguration department." He sat down. "Why Greece?"
Minerva's lips twitched. "Finn and I spent our anniversaries there."
He smiled a little more. "And why so strained?"
She made an impatient noise. "I stopped just short of putting my Seeker into detention this morning."
"Ah, the infamous Firebolt," said Remus knowingly.
"Oh, good, you've heard about it too," Minerva replied.
"Harry might have mentioned it the other night."
Minerva snorted. "I also found Hermione Granger in my classroom at the wrong hour, and I am fairly certain she lied to me when I asked if she'd mixed up her schedule and used the Time-Turner incorrectly."
"And you've never been lied to by a student," Remus supplied helpfully.
She gave him a look. "Not by Granger, I haven't."
"Point taken," he replied. "She's seemed a bit strained herself, lately."
"I've noticed. She's always been capable as a student, but I've wondered if she's taken on too much this year. I feel a bit responsible," she said. Remus frowned. "Well, I got the Time-Turner for her… and then there's the infamous Firebolt. When I confiscated it, I made it rather clear it was she who'd told me about it." Remus winced. "I know, not one of my finest moments, but I was rather caught off guard. She kept saying Potter and Weasley would hate her for it, but I told her they would have to get over it. I didn't really think either of them would take it so seriously. I haven't had it destroyed, after all, though I certainly thought about it."
"Oof," said Remus. "There's the Professor McGonagall I lived in fear of."
"I beg your pardon?" Minerva asked, shocked.
"Nothing," he replied. "Just that in my day, we always lived in respectful, abject fear of you."
She narrowed her eyes. "Very amusing, I'm sure. I don't recall that abject fear stopping you and your friends…" she trailed off, and they shared a tense smile. Minerva shook her head. "Was there anything else you needed?"
"I was wondering if you could give me a little teaching advice," said Remus. "I've hit a bit of a block with Harry. He's able to make a shield Patronus fairly well, now… but that won't do much unless a dementor comes close enough to… well…"
Minerva folded her hands under her chin. "How can I help?"
"Give me a bit of… encouragement?" Remus looked sheepish. She nodded. "Do you remember what you thought of to conjure your first full-fledged Patronus?"
"Vividly," Minerva smiled. Even now, she felt a warm sensation behind her breastbone. "I was… oh, sixteen or so. I had a childhood memory of my father playing his bagpipes—poorly—in our garden. My mother was pregnant with my first brother, Rob. It was…" She trailed off again, this time a little emotional. She met Remus's eye, a little embarrassed to have simply said all this. She cleared her throat. "If he's lacking in joyous childhood memories, it's not surprising. But… I happen to know he's had many wonderful experiences in his time here."
"My first Patronus was easy," Remus confessed. "Seventh year—I thought about the first time James and Peter and… when they found out about me, and they stuck around, anyway."
Minerva blinked, and her throat seemed to tighten suddenly. She smiled and nodded. "I can imagine that."
"He hears James," said Remus suddenly. Minerva stared at him. "And Lily. When the dementors get close, he can hear—the last moments…"
He cleared his throat and stood up, facing away from her for a moment. Minerva took this like blow to the chest, sitting back in her chair. She understood why Remus had wanted to visit, now. Who else could he confess this to?
"Oh, dear," she said heavily.
He turned to face her again. "I'm sorry to just say it like that, I—" he looked confused.
Minerva turned up one corner of her mouth. "Even teachers we lived in fear of can be good confidants. I'm glad to be yours, Remus."
He smiled. "I am, too."
There came a knock at the door. Minerva signaled for Remus to wait and called, "Come in."
Oliver Wood appeared, grinning brightly, and Minerva felt her warm feelings dissipate. She sat up straight. "I hope you aren't here to ask what I think you're going to ask, Mr. Wood."
"I only wanted to—er—very gently remind you that most of the literature says Firebolts take upwards of twelve practice hours for the player to get used—"
"And I would like to remind you of where your priorities should lie," Minerva cut him off. "Your players should always be alive and well at the end of a game! As I've told Potter countless times, I will tell him when we have finished our examinations! We are currently checking for Hurling Hexes and—"
"Well, even if it threw him off, he'd probably still have a fighting chance at catching the Snitch first, right?" Wood smiled hopefully.
"WOOD!"
"Only joking, Professor—"
"Perhaps you'd like the detention I very nearly offered Mr. Potter this morning?!" Minerva shouted, standing up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remus slipping out of the office door, barely disguising his laughter, and made a mental note to restore a little of his respectful, abject fear later.
