Normalcy, Interrupted

Tuesday, 1 December 1942

Albus Dumbledore stood quietly, invisible and very still in the corner of a classroom that had been repurposed this academic year for Minerva McGonagall's use. A small smile played on his lips as he watched the activity in the room. It was a Tuesday between classes and dinnertime in the Great Hall, and so McGonagall was leading her Transfiguration tutoring group. Exams were fast approaching; consequently, the group had grown exponentially in the past week, according to the report McGonagall had made to him yesterday. Albus had wondered how she would handle the flood of students representing all of the years and houses, particularly since upon her first report of the growth in numbers she had seemed overwhelmed. Now, though, it seemed as though she had adapted splendidly and had worked out her own way of organizing the students that made sense to both her and them. He watched with pride as she walked between the groups of students that she had put together herself, observing their progress and interjecting as needed. It was clear that she had a talent for teaching beyond just having a talent for Transfiguration. She just needed help in honing those talents into fully-developed skills. Albus was still certain that he was best positioned to give her that help.

A third-year Gryffindor boy named Gordon Wright flagged her down. Albus watched as she made her way over to his group of third-year students and listen to Mr. Wright's question. A calico cat lounged lazily on their table, unconcerned about the wands being pointed at her. Mr. Wright said, "We just can't get this spell. What are we doing wrong?"

McGonagall rested a hand on the table and asked, "Whose cat is this?"

Third-year Ravenclaw Penelope Morgan raised her hand tentatively. McGonagall smiled reassuringly at the girl, "Penelope, is it?" When Miss Morgan nodded, McGonagall continued, "I imagine you must be afraid for your cat."

Miss Morgan averted her eyes, looking a little embarrassed.

McGonagall continued swiftly, "I assure you that your cat is perfectly safe. No matter what mistakes you might make, a simple reversal can set anything to rights. You need to let go of your fear that your cat will be hurt, or you'll never be able to apply the right amount of focus and will to the spell. Transfiguration is complex. It is dangerous, yes, but you are doing these spells while supervised. I know how to reverse your mistakes. The rest of you, too, also need to let go of your fear, if any of you are afraid of upsetting Penelope. Look at this cat," she gestured towards the calico, "she's not afraid. Cats are very intuitive. They are sensitive to magic. She knows she's safe."

McGonagall came around the table to take a seat next to Miss Morgan, "I'll sit right here next to you, ready to cast a counter in case you make a mistake. Penelope, I want to see you try."

Miss Morgan took a deep breath and eyed her cat warily. She raised her wand. Her hand shook. Albus knew that wouldn't do, but so did McGonagall. She placed a comforting hand on Miss Morgan's shoulder and murmured something to the younger girl that was inaudible to Albus. The Ravenclaw nodded and after taking a few more breaths, her hand steadied. Albus relaxed slightly at the sight of that. Two more breaths, and Miss Morgan said the spell with confidence. The cat shifted before their eyes into a tea cozy, albeit a calico-printed and slightly hairy one. Albus couldn't help but smile as McGonagall congratulated Miss Morgan; the smile then broadened into a grin as he watched McGonagall perform the counterspell nonverbally with ease, restoring the cat to its original, still-unconcerned state. Yes, she certainly had a talent for Transfiguration.

Albus was heartened by the number of Slytherins in attendance. There still weren't nearly as many of them as there were members of the other houses, but the fact that more than one or two decided to seek help from a Gryffindor – and be accepted by the other houses – helped him have faith for the future of the wizarding world. Demonstrating now that they could work together was promising for future relations between pureblood traditionalists and the rest of the wizarding world.

Albus watched as McGonagall moved from table to table for the rest of the hour, helping students of all houses and ages, including a few students who were older than her. As he did so, he debated whether or not he should reveal himself to her at the end of her lesson. He worried that she would feel self-conscious or worse, betrayed, as if he perhaps did not trust her abilities. He did need to talk to her, though, and now was as good a time as any. As long as he communicated his intentions in watching her tutoring session properly, it should be alright to reveal himself to her.

Decision made, Albus waited for the end of McGonagall's study hall. Students filed out slowly, talking to each other still about what they'd been going over. Some students lingered to ask last minute questions. McGonagall perched on the edge of one of the desks as she skimmed a paragraph a haggard fifth-year Hufflepuff asked her to review. After reading it, McGonagall looked up at the Hufflepuff and smiled, "Much better, Lois. It's very well written." The Hufflepuff beamed.

About fifteen minutes after the official end time of McGonagall's tutoring hour, the last student walked out of the door. Once the door shut behind the student, McGonagall sighed. Albus observed as she let her shoulder slump slightly. He saw a brief flash of heaviness on her face that took him by surprise. He always associated her with positivity – bright eyes eager to learn, mischievousness on the Quidditch pitch – but now, for just a moment, he'd seen the toll the current climate had taken on her.

Albus knew he needed to reveal himself; he could not allow her to let her guard down any further. He swiftly removed the Disillusionment Charm from himself. McGonagall had her back to him as she gathered her own belongings, so she did not immediately notice him. Albus cleared his throat to catch her attention.

McGonagall turned. Albus smiled at her, trying to head off any fears of judgement before they could hopefully even be born. "Professor Dumbledore!" she said in surprise.

Albus inclined his head, "Good afternoon, Miss McGonagall. I had some time and thought I might stop by and see how your tutoring was going. I didn't want to detract from your own lessons, though, so I thought it best to keep myself hidden. I must say I am impressed with what I saw today."

He was relieved to see a broad smile form on McGonagall's face. She replied humbly, "That is high praise coming from you, Professor. Thank you very much."

Albus perched on the edge of the desk McGonagall had vacated minutes previously. "I also wanted to talk to you about your project." McGonagall's eyes lit up, immediately understanding what he was talking about. Albus smiled, his eyes twinkling at her enthusiasm, "I spoke with Professor Marsh. She can spare a few Mandrake leaves."

"That's wonderful news, thank you!" McGonagall exclaimed, beaming.

Her excitement was infectious. Albus found himself grinning too. He had to force himself to take on a more serious expression as he continued, "We cannot start for a few weeks, though." McGonagall deflated slightly. "The last week that the Mandrake leaf is in your mouth needs to be one in which we can rely on the morning dew to not be frozen before sunrise. Considering it's the first of December in Scotland, I don't think that will be for a while."

McGonagall sighed, "Of course, professor. I understand. Still, thank you so much for your help so far."

"It's my pleasure. I'm looking forward to seeing your results myself," Albus told her honestly.

Some of McGonagall's grin returned at that.

Albus waited for her to finish collecting her belongings, and then they made their way to the Great Hall together.

The halls were full of students on their way to the Great Hall for dinner. As the weather had grown colder and wetter, the students increasingly took to spending their time indoors. They found niches and alcoves and halls with limited traffic where they could sit with their friends from other houses. Even students from the same house would occasionally do this as a way to give variety to the places they spent time together. As of today, too, the interior of the castle was slowly becoming more magical than it usually was as the staff and house-elves worked together to decorate it for the holiday season. Garlands of holly and pine were draped around the banisters of the staircases already, and there were more decorations to come in the next week. Albus felt as though the arrival of the first decorations was the cause of the buzz of excitement that he sensed in the students as he and McGonagall walked through the halls on the way to the Great Hall.

He watched as McGonagall nodded, smiled, or waved at students she passed, and as she received such responses in return from students of all houses and years. He commented, "It seems the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain is not a pariah to the other houses."

McGonagall laughed and smiled up at him in amusement, "I happen to also be a Prefect, you know."

"Ah yes, now that you mention it, I do remember making a note of that somewhere."

McGonagall huffed in amusement. Albus grinned. More seriously now, McGonagall said, "Last year I simply made a point of making myself approachable to anyone of any house." She flashed him a wry smile, "I inserted myself into everyone's business, if you will."

Albus chuckled, "Campaigning for Head Girl early?"

A light blush appeared on her cheeks, but when she replied, it was with her back straight and her voice strong and confident, "I'm no Slytherin, professor. It is simply what I knew to be the right thing to do in my position."

A smile twisted onto Albus's lips in amusement. He said nothing in response. They walked through the doors to the Great Hall in comfortable silence and parted ways as she veered off towards the Gryffindor table and he made his way up the Head Table.

Saturday, 5 December 1942

By Saturday, Hogwarts was fully decorated for the holidays, with garlands, mistletoe, and a single giant Christmas tree with elaborate magical decorations. The night before, Poppy and a small group of other Jewish students – including her two second-year brothers – had celebrated the first night of Hanukkah in the Great Hall with the permission of the staff and under the supervision of the Arithmancy professor, Dedalus Wagner, who also participated in the festivities in the hall with his family.

Minerva wasn't sure who exactly was responsible for the decision to include mistletoe in the decorations, but since the Headmaster would ultimately have veto power over any decision like that, she blamed him for what she had to go through as Prefect because of their presence. She was sure he meant well, but it was an odd thing to hang up in a school full of teenagers, in her opinion. It made her job harder. Students were increasingly staying in the hallways too long, making themselves late for class and staying out past curfew. It seemed that the fear caused by the attack on Crowley back on Halloween had faded by now, leaving her fellow students feeling braver about breaking the rules in place for their protection.

Rolanda, Richard, and Oliver were also not making her job any easier. Rolanda and Richard were among the most obnoxious couples under the mistletoe. It had been cute the first day that the mistletoe was up, watching them flirtatiously drag each other under nearby sprigs, but it grew tiring very quickly. Oliver was trying to mimic this behavior, but Minerva resisted every attempt. She refused to make a giggling spectacle of herself… no matter how much his attempts privately amused and endeared him to her.

Saturday afternoon, Minerva made her way to the library with Pomona, Poppy, and Nathan to study for Professor Dare's impending Charms exam, which promised to be difficult. As they neared the library, Minerva's eyes fell on Oliver, leaning against a wall as if waiting for her. He grinned broadly when their eyes met. Minerva's eyes darted around suspiciously, searching for the nearest sprig of mistletoe. It was a few feet away from Oliver, hanging over a suit of armor.

Oliver pushed off the wall and approached Minerva, who fought hard to maintain a suspicious expression on her face despite the infectiousness of his smile. He took her hand and said, "Thought I might find you here."

"You look like you're up to something, Oliver Brown," Minerva returned, regarding him with narrow eyes and pursed lips.

Oliver merely grinned in response to her suspicion, "I think you're paranoid, Minerva McGonagall."

Minerva hummed in response and retorted, "I wonder why?"

Oliver wiggled his eyebrows at her. Their group started walking again, now accompanied by Oliver. They turned the last corner towards the library, taking the turn close to the wall. Minerva made it a few steps down the hall before she ran into an invisible wall and stumbled backwards. Oliver's laughter next to her caused her to round on him in genuine annoyance. Pomona, Poppy, and Nathan on Minerva's other side stopped to see what happened, bewildered.

Oliver smiled sheepishly and pointed upwards. Minerva's eyes darted up to follow his finger and released a strangled, exasperated sigh as her eyes fell on mistletoe. She put her hands on her hips and said, "So trapping me is romantic to you now, is it?"

"You and I both know you like this game," he replied defiantly, crossing his arms and smirking at her mischievously.

Minerva rolled her eyes and cursed inwardly as her lips twitched in amusement. He wasn't wrong. He caught the twitch in her lips and grinned wider. Minerva sighed and turned to her friends, "You can go on without me, I'll catch up."

Poppy and Pomona waved goodbye. Nathan's eyes lingered on the mistletoe before following the two girls to the library. Minerva sighed again and leaned against the invisible barrier preventing her from escaping the mistletoe. She raised her eyebrows at Oliver and crossed her arms. He smiled broadly at her and reached up to cup her cheek. Although her eyes bored holes into his, she leaned into his hand affectionately and brushed her lips against it briefly. His smile softened at her display of affection.

"I think I've studied harder to find ways to lure you under the mistletoe than I studied for my OWLs," he teased.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic!" Minerva retorted, rolling her eyes.

Oliver laughed as he caressed her face, "It's only a little bit of an exaggeration."

Minerva tried to purse her lips to hide her smile, but failed. "If I kiss you, will you give up?"

"Give up? I'll have won, my dear Minerva!" he replied, placing his free hand dramatically over his heart. She gave him a stern look. He laughed and added, "So yes, I would stop."

Minerva raised her own hand to cup his cheek, holding his face firmly in place as she leaned forward. The beginnings of a triumphant smile appeared on Oliver's face as his eyes fluttered closed. Minerva smirked as she tilted her head at the last second, planting a kiss on his cheek instead of his lips.

As she pulled away, Oliver's eyes flew open in confusion and he made a small noise of disappointment. Minerva laughed at the almost tragic expression on his face. She said smugly, "I never said where."

"Not fair!" he complained, looking distressed. As he examined the utterly mischievous expression on Minerva's face, he deflated and laughed softly, "I'm going to need to have a word with Rolanda about how she's corrupted your mind with her Slytherin ways."

Minerva laughed. Oliver pouted. She placed her hand back on his cheek and caressed his face gently, murmuring, "Aww…" at how much he reminded her of a sad puppy.

He leaned into her caress and murmured, "There's no one around, you know."

She glanced around, "I suppose there isn't." Her hand that had been stroking his face slid into his hair, where she tangled her fingers into his red locks. A spark of hope returned to his eyes, and he leaned closer. He smiled as Minerva guided him to her lips with the hand in his hair. She could still feel him smiling when their lips met, though he quickly molded his lips against hers. His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her in place securely. Minerva's other hand came up to hook around his neck. He kissed her deeply, soaking up the reward for the fruits of his labor. A pleased moan escaped Minerva's throat as his tongue teased hers gently. She pulled away and stared at him breathlessly, surprised at how quickly desire had overtaken her. She could see the same feelings plainly on Oliver's face. Looking around, she spotted the door to an unused classroom nearby. Oliver followed her gaze and, quickly deducing her train of thought, removed the charm he'd cast to keep Minerva under the mistletoe. Once freed, Minerva took his hand and led him to the classroom, thinking to herself that she couldn't really hate the mistletoe…

Minerva entered the library ten minutes later and quickly found her friends. Poppy and Pomona raised amused eyebrows at her. Blushing lightly, she ignored them. Pomona snorted at this. Nathan's face was also slightly pink, but Minerva noticed his eyes lingering on Poppy, perhaps gauging her reaction to what had clearly just transpired between Minerva and Oliver. Nathan's eyes then flickered over to Minerva; the pink in his cheeks darkened as he realized he'd been caught staring at Poppy.

The pair's Hogsmeade date wasn't until next weekend, but they'd been spending even more time together ever since Poppy asked him back in November. They'd sat together at the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff Quidditch match, and while Poppy had happily reported that he'd briefly held her hand during the game, she also conveyed her disappointment that Ravenclaw had lost. She'd thought that perhaps the energy of a win might have created the right conditions for him to have the courage to kiss her. As it stood, they had not yet kissed, and Poppy was starting to grow impatient again.

Minerva, Pomona, Poppy, and Nathan sat together at a table in the library and spread out, preparing to spend the next few hours studying for their Charms exam. Many of their classmates sat at tables around them, as well as students from different years studying for their own exams. Minerva and her friends reviewed their notes and quizzed each other in low voices for the next few hours, even as the students around them came and went.

An hour into the time dinner was served in the Great Hall, Nathan sat back and stretched, saying, "Well, I think we've reviewed more than enough for today. I'm ready for some food. Do you want to come with me, Poppy?"

Poppy glanced up at her two friends. Pomona quickly interjected, "Go on, Poppy! We wouldn't want you to be eating alone later on our account!"

Minerva nodded in agreement. Poppy smiled at them both before turning to Nathan and replying, "I'd love to." Nathan smiled, and the two Ravenclaws packed up their things to head off for dinner. Pomona and Minerva exchanged smirks as they watched the pair walk away holding hands at a slightly awkward distance from each other.

Once they were out of earshot, Pomona sighed and said, "I was thinking of leaving too, but I wanted to give them some time alone."

Minerva smiled understandingly at her and replied, "That was very thoughtful of you."

"What happened to Oliver, anyway? He didn't want to study?" Pomona asked as she started to gather together her belongings.

Minerva did the same as she replied, "He and his friends have their own study plan." She shook her head and gave Pomona a pointed look, "Which means they'll probably wait until the day before to do any revision."

Pomona snorted, "And I suppose Rolanda will be joining the boys?"

Minerva shrugged, "She may join us later but she may also study with them. She told me she wasn't sure."

"All she's sure of right now is that she wants to shag Richard and play Quidditch," Pomona remarked drily, standing and shouldering her bag.

"Pomona!" Minerva laughed, effecting a mock-scandalized expression on her face. She quieted quickly as some students at nearby tables shot her dirty looks. Pomona merely grinned at Minerva.

Minerva and Pomona walked together towards the library doors barely two minutes after Poppy and Nathan. They slipped through the doors as quietly as possible so as to not disturb their peers. Minerva was so focused on shutting the door slowly and quietly that she jumped about a foot in the air when Pomona's hand suddenly grasped her upper arm in a viselike grip. She whirled around, a disgruntled question on her lips, but the look on Pomona's face stopped her. Pomona's eyes were wide and sparkling, and her face was flushed with excitement. She held a single finger to her lips. Minerva shut her mouth. Pomona then pointed down the hall. Minerva followed her finger, and when her eyes landed on the object of Pomona's abrupt change in demeanor, a slow grin appeared on her own face.

Down at the end of the hall, right where Oliver had trapped her hours before under mistletoe, Nathan and Poppy stood facing each other. They hadn't seemed to notice Minerva and Pomona; they only had eyes for each other. They stood about a foot apart and still only loosely held one of each other's hands. Nathan seemed to be in the middle of saying something. Pomona and Minerva strained to hear. The sound carried down the hall just enough for them to barely make out his words, "…and, well," Nathan smiled sheepishly, awkwardly at Poppy, "I know I should have kissed you the day of the Quidditch match. I wanted to. I promise. I just…I didn't know when the right time would be. Nick tried, of course, to give me advice, but…that sort of thing doesn't come to me as naturally as it seems to come to him."

Poppy took a step closer to him. Minerva and Pomona exchanged grins. Poppy replied, "Well, I'm glad to know that you wanted to. I wanted you to."

Nathan glanced up at the mistletoe above them. When his eyes met Poppy's again, she blushed and dipped her head slightly to avert her gaze shyly. Nathan took a step closer to her. Their toes were nearly touching. His hand came up slowly to cup her cheek. He looked into her eyes for a second longer, hesitating for just a moment, before leaning forward. Poppy tilted her head up and leaned forward as well. When their lips finally met, the kiss seemed gentle and innocent. Pomona squeezed Minerva's arm tighter; Minerva, still grinning, glanced over at the Hufflepuff and nearly laughed out loud to find that she had her other fist stuffed into her mouth. The kiss didn't last very long at all, but when the couple parted, they both looked exhilarated. They grinned stupidly at each other for a moment before Poppy's hand on the back of Nathan's head urged him to kiss her again.

Minerva looked away this time, endeavoring to give her friend some privacy. She had to yank on Pomona's arm a few times to get her to do the same. Once Pomona finally looked away from her childhood best friend and met Minerva's eyes, Minerva mouthed slowly and carefully, "What do we do?"

Pomona grimaced comically and shrugged. Minerva glanced back at the embracing couple, cast a quick nonverbal Silencing Charm on her feet, and began to slowly creep along the wall opposite them. Pomona followed suit. They very nearly made it to the next hallway, but right as they were about to turn the corner, Poppy exclaimed from behind them, "You two!"

Minerva and Pomona whirled around, twin expressions of guilt on their faces. Poppy and Nathan's faces were bright red; Nathan couldn't even look at them. Minerva tried to make light of the situation by slinging an arm around Pomona's shoulders and saying, "I was getting even for the time I was spied on. Pomona's just nosy."

Pomona smacked her playfully and shrugged off Minerva's arm, "We weren't trying to spy, we just happened to decide to leave soon after you. We didn't know you'd be sticking around."

Poppy sighed, her face still red, and glanced at Nathan sheepishly. He smiled at her. She laced her fingers through his and turned back to her friends, suggesting, "Well I suppose we should all actually head to the Great Hall now?"

Minerva and Pomona nodded before turning their backs on the couple and leading the way, but not before Minerva noticed that they were now walking much closer to each other than they had been when they left the library.

Later that night, after dinner but before Minerva's after-curfew rounds, Minerva, Pomona, Poppy, and Rolanda gathered in the Room to talk about their days. Rolanda was extremely disappointed when she learned that Minerva and Pomona had witnessed Poppy's first kiss with Nathan. When she heard the news of what she had missed, she slid to the floor and buried her face in her hands, groaning. Her friends laughed at her.

"That's what you get for using the cold weather as an excuse to shag your boyfriend instead of studying," Minerva teased her. Rolanda looked up at the Gryffindor through her fingers and scowled.

Pomona laughed, "Yes, maybe next time you'll join us in the library! You never know what you might miss."

Rolanda got to her feet and returned to her armchair, "I highly doubt anything that exciting is going to happen again during one of these study sessions."

Poppy, whose face was pink at the attention on her love life, "I certainly don't plan on making a scene again."

"Oh, you weren't making a scene!" Pomona insisted. "You would have been completely alone if Minerva and I hadn't decided to leave as well."

Poppy sighed and rested her head against the hand she had propped up on the armrest.

Rolanda asked, "So, Poppy, are you calling him 'boyfriend' now or are you going to wait until your date?"

Poppy shrugged uncomfortably, "We haven't talked about it."

"Well what about the holidays? Have you talked about whether you're getting each other gifts?" Rolanda pressed.

Poppy's face turned redder at this and she averted her eyes. Minerva's eyebrows shot up at this body language. Her interest was even more piqued when she noticed the light smile playing at Poppy's lips, "Poppy?"

Poppy sighed and succumbed to the line of questioning, confessing, "He took the initiative himself, actually." Her smile widened and she looked up at her friends with bright eyes, "He gave me a little gift yesterday and today for Hanukkah. I get the impression he's going to do this every night of Hanukkah."

Minerva and Rolanda exchanged impressed looks. Pomona aww-ed, clasping her hands together. Poppy quickly added, "The gifts are nothing really special, I do mean little when I say that. Last night he gave me a box of pepper imps, which of course you know is my favorite candy, and tonight he gave me a lovely eagle-feather quill."

"It is special," Pomona insisted.

"He's not Jewish. It would have been completely unsurprising –"

"– expected, even –" Rolanda interjected.

"– if he'd forgotten about Hanukkah entirely," Minerva finished. Poppy's face flushed again and she stopped trying to suppress her smile.

"Give the boy some credit," Pomona teased.

"I will admit that they've made me very happy," Poppy confessed shyly. She huffed and brushed flyaway strands of hair out of her face, "Of course, Hanukkah isn't quite like Christmas in terms of importance, but it's the thought that counts." Growing uncomfortable under their scrutiny, she shook her head anxiously and glanced over at Pomona, "Anyway, enough about me. Pomona, why don't you tell them about your conversation with Professor Marsh?"

Minerva and Rolanda turned to Pomona with their eyebrows raised. Pomona grinned, already seeming much happier to be the focus of the conversation than Poppy had. "Oh! Well, I told her that I've still been feeling like I need to do something to help David Crowley, and, well, you know that Herbology is my best subject, so I offered myself as help with the Mandrakes. She accepted!"

"That great news, Mona!" Rolanda exclaimed.

"I thought she wasn't accepting student help?" Minerva asked with wide eyes.

Pomona grinned, her face flushing, "Well, she wasn't, but I made a very convincing argument. I told her that, not only am I the top Herbology student in sixth year, but I'm taking NEWT-level because I want to do things like this. I want to dig in the dirt, wrestle with Mandrakes, and do research. I'm not just doing this so I can run an apothecary, or have my own backyard garden to supplement Potions work, or use it as a stepping stone for becoming an Auror or a Healer. I said it was a great opportunity for me, that had the added benefit of lifting some of the weight off her shoulders."

Rolanda clapped her hands together, looking delighted, "Pomona! That's absolutely Slytherin of you! I'm so proud of you for going after what you want!"

Pomona flushed redder and muttered, "Er, well, she does need the help, you know…"

Rolanda waved her off, "Yes, sure, but she wasn't going to take it. You convinced her to."

"And it was good and honorable and true of me to go to such lengths to make her let me help her," Pomona said with an air of self-deprecating formality. Her friends laughed.

Saturday, 12 December 1942

The last Hogsmeade weekend before the winter break brought with it a frenzy of students on the hunt for the perfect gifts for their friends and family. Shopkeepers who rarely saw foot traffic on Hogwarts weekends gamely braced themselves as students flew through their shops in a flurry of scarves and snow-wettened footprints. It was the busiest day of the year for the village and so they made the most of it. Minerva and her friends would be among the shoppers later in the day, but for now, the couples in their friend group went their separate ways while Pomona and Theodore spent time with their other friends.

Minerva and Oliver went to a small café for lunch. Minerva was grateful for time away from the castle to spend with Oliver, sitting and talking about everything and nothing. As much as she loved Hogwarts, as much as the castle felt like home to her, it had become a place of stress recently. It was nice to be reminded that life existed outside of Hogwarts, and that it wasn't all bad – in fact, it could be just as good as what she was accustomed to when Hogwarts felt safe. Talking to Oliver about such low-stakes topics as Quidditch and the things she caught people doing as Prefect meant the world to her.

"…and I just stood there, completely speechless, for a few minutes before he even noticed me," Minerva recounted, grinning. Oliver's face was red and he had a hand covering his mouth as his whole body shook with laughter. "He finally noticed me before I could collect myself and announce my presence. He was so embarrassed. I can't blame him. If anyone had found me dancing alone in my knickers in an empty classroom, I would have been mortified. Not that I would do such a thing."

"You couldn't," Oliver agreed, his eyes sparkling, "because if you ever did, I would not let you do it alone."

Minerva flushed but rolled her eyes, then attempted to smile flirtatiously even though her heart started racing at his implication, "Keep dreaming, Brown."

All too soon, Minerva and Oliver had to make their way back to the main cross of Hogsmeade so Minerva could meet her brother. Oliver was meeting up with Theodore and a friend of his from Hufflepuff, Ben Harris. Michael was already waiting a bit away from the older boys, standing a little awkwardly against a wall with his arms crossed. Minerva and Oliver parted with a brief kiss on the lips. When Minerva turned towards her younger brother, she found him averting his eyes, evidently finding the garlands decorating the Three Broomsticks that he'd been waiting under suddenly fascinating. She smiled fondly as she approached him. Oliver walked off with Theodore and Ben, already laughing along with them.

"Awrite, Michael!" she said in greeting, thickening her Scottish accent for comedic effect. Michael snorted and pushed off the wall he'd been leaning against.

"Hi, Minerva," he replied mildly, not joining in but smiling slightly in amusement.

"How was your morning?" she asked as they set off down the street.

"Good," he said simply, burying his hands into the pockets of his robes.

They walked in silence for a minute or so while Minerva grasped for something to say. She glanced her brother's way and eyed his stiff posture and his downward gaze. She asked, "You sure you're alright?"

He glanced up from his feet to look at her briefly, "Hmm? Yes, I'm fine."

Minerva pursed her lips slightly. She observed him for a few more paces before pressing, "I didn't make you uncomfortable with Oliver, did I?"

Michael laughed, "What? No!" He sighed and shot her a long-suffering look, "If you must know, I –" he broke off and grimaced, his face turning slightly pink. He shook his head, "Theodore, er –"

Minerva's brow furrowed as Michael huffed and didn't continue. She stopped in the middle of the street. Michael stopped too and turned to face his sister. With him finally standing at his full height, Minerva was confronted with the fact that, at thirteen years old, he was nearly as tall as she was – and she was not a short woman. His face was turning redder, and he averted his gaze again. Minerva put a hand on his shoulder, "Did Theodore say something to you?"

"Not to me, he was talking to Ben. They were, er, they were joking about how Theodore and Pomona are now, well, the only single people in your friend group. Theodore joked that he should date Pomona." Michael's jaw shut firmly, his face beet red now.

Minerva blinked at him, not comprehending. She waited for him to explain what about that made him in particular feel uncomfortable. Her first thought was again of herself, and of how two of her best friends were now in relationships, but she doubted that this simple fact would put Michael in this state. As she watched him kick the snow in front of him, a memory came to her as if she'd cast Lumos in her mind to light her way to it. She remembered the day by the lake when Michael had offered to take her photo with her friends; in particular, she remembered how Michael's face had lit up when Pomona addressed him. Minerva's hand slid from her brother's shoulder to grasp his upper arm and she tried to catch his eye. "Michael?" He met her eyes sheepishly, "Do you fancy Pomona?"

He groaned and buried his face in his hands. Minerva smiled fondly at the pink ears sticking out behind his thumbs. She wrapped her arm around him and was pleased when he leaned in. "Is that a yes?" she asked.

Michael nodded against her neck. He pulled away and looked her in the eye, his face serious now, "You can't tell her."

Minerva smiled sympathetically. She remembered how, in her third year, she'd at first not wanted Oliver to know she fancied him. She'd been embarrassed of her feelings. She understood where Michael was coming from, and considering that Pomona was three years older than him, this was a secret she felt good keeping from her friends. "I won't tell her. I promise," she assured him.

Michael gave her a genuinely relieved smile. He smoothed his hair absent-mindedly, "Can we move on, then?"

Minerva laughed and gave him one last brief one-armed hug before starting to walk again, "Sure, Michael." They walked on, popping in shops and chatting freely, now that Michael's awkwardness was dealt with. Discussing what their family members might like inevitably led to reminiscing about their childhood. As they walked through a leather shop Michael said, "I'll never forget that time – it was the summer before Mitchell's second year – he'd just gotten his first proper broom –" Minerva started laughing already. Michael grinned, "– you remember?"

"Of course!"

"Mum said –"

"Mum said he could only ride it after he'd finished his chores –" Minerva interjected, grinned.

"– but you snuck out and flew it round the house, how many times?"

"– four times –"

"– four times before Dad was able to snatch you out of the sky on his own broom!" Michael finished the story laughing. Minerva was laughing right along with him.

Minerva's laughter dwindled into a sigh and she said, "Mitchell was so angry that I rode his broom before he got to."

"How old were you?" Michael asked, grinning.

"Ah, it was…1934, so…nine? No, eight, I hadn't had my birthday yet." Minerva raised her eyebrows suddenly, "If it was 1934, you were only five. I can't believe you remember all that."

Michael grinned, "It's one of my earliest memories."

"Hmm. Did you know that when I got my first proper broom, I offered Mitchell a ride on it first?" Minerva asked.

"No, I didn't. That was uncharacteristically nice of you," Michael teased. Minerva shoved him. "Did he do it?"

"He hexed me – underage and outside school – said no to my face, and when we went inside for dinner, he locked us inside the house and took my broom for a ride."

Michael looked bewildered, "But, where was I? I don't remember that."

"I remember you weren't there…I think you and Miranda were with Uncle Jon and Aunt Diana. Merlin knows why."

"Probably so Mum and Dad didn't have to manage all four of us during the busy back-to-school shopping season at Diagon Alley," Michael reasoned. "I do remember them doing that more than once."

The rest of their shopping carried on much like this, and they somehow managed to find gifts they were pleased with through all of their laughter. Minerva levitated their parcels back to the main square, drunk with the giddiness of using magic outside of school legally. Once there, they split up their packages. Minerva conjured a bag and charmed it to be lightweight so Michael could more easily carry his gifts back to the castle.

Minerva only had to wait a few minutes for Poppy and Rolanda to come down the street with their boyfriends. Minerva smiled as she watched them, particularly Poppy and Nathan. They were practically glowing after their first proper date. As Minerva watched Nathan confidently lean forward and kiss Poppy goodbye, she grinned broadly. Her smile faded slightly as she watched Nicholas Pomfrey approach them and slap his younger brother on the back. He waved at Poppy. She gave Nicholas a friendly smile and waved back. The trio exchanged a few words before the Pomfrey brothers walked off, and Poppy came to join Minerva. A ghost of her joy from her date still lingered around her. Minerva raised her eyebrows significantly at Poppy, who blushed and rolled her eyes, muttering, "I'll go fetch Pomona."

Minerva grinned after the Ravenclaw as she walked purposefully into the Three Broomsticks, where Pomona said she'd be sitting with some friends from Hufflepuff. Turning her attention back to where Rolanda was still standing a little bit away with Richard, Minerva sighed and shook her head. She averted her gaze again. The couple was wrapped up in each other's arms, embracing tightly. Wrapped up in their winter robes, scarves, and hats, with the snow around them, it was a romantic image, but Minerva would rather not stand there and just watch them. Hollering from across the street drew her attention. Minerva laughed softly to herself as her eyes landed on Oliver, Theodore, Ben, and Donnie whistling and hollering at Richard and Rolanda. Glancing back at the couple, Minerva saw they'd broken apart to glare at their audience. Richard made a rude gesture, dipped Rolanda, and kissed her again. The boys roared again. Rolanda stood upright and pushed Richard away gently, pink in the face and laughing. Richard gave her a soft kiss on the forehead and walked backwards towards his friends, his eyes still on Rolanda. Minerva caught Oliver's eye and waved. Oliver grinned and waved back. She blew him a kiss, as a joke. He raised his eyebrows, looked upward, lunged, and jumped, reaching as if to catch something out of the air. He brought his closed fist to his chest and grinned over at Minerva, who rolled her eyes and shook her head, but was smiling.

"You Gryffindors are so dramatic," Rolanda drawled at Minerva's shoulder. Minerva jerked her head around, surprised to find Rolanda standing so close.

Collecting herself, Minerva retorted, "Oh, and Slytherins aren't? Please."

Rolanda giggled. At that moment, Poppy and Pomona rejoined them, and the four of them walked together towards the shops, ready to brave the throngs of students.

They moved together from shop to shop, pointing out gag gifts they thought would be funny to give to other people in their year that they weren't shopping for. Minerva was only looking for gifts for Michael and Oliver, and also little goodies to give her Quidditch team. She would also be shopping for the three ladies she was currently with, but they'd already arranged to do that part last. Poppy was only shopping for Nathan aside from her friends, since her family didn't celebrate Christmas. She and Minerva spent most of their time helping Rolanda and Pomona find gifts for their families. Pomona had a hard time finding good gifts that were safe to give her family, since she had four siblings and they were all Muggles. She wanted to get them unique gifts, but she also didn't want to break any laws by giving Muggles charmed objects. Finding such gifts probably took the longest of anything their group did that afternoon.

Eventually, though, they were able to break off into the pairs they'd predetermined so they could buy each other gifts. Minerva and Pomona set off together while Poppy and Rolanda went in a different direction. Minerva already knew that she wanted to buy Rolanda a new set of Keeper's gloves because she'd been complaining about hers, but she was a little more stumped when it came to Poppy. She didn't want to get the Ravenclaw yet another book, despite the fact that it seemed to be a tradition of theirs to always gift each other books. Minerva was thankful for Pomona's input. The Hufflepuff had known Poppy far longer than Minerva or Rolanda had, having grown up as neighbors. With Pomona's help, Minerva chose a gift for Poppy that was not a book that she was pleased with, and Minerva was happy to give input on Pomona's gift for Rolanda. An hour and a half after they'd left Rolanda and Poppy, they met them again under the statue of Hengist of Woodcroft to swap shopping partners and purchase their final gifts.

Once all their shopping was done, they walked together back up to the castle gates. As they passed the gates and the castle came into full, unobstructed view, Minerva, Rolanda, Poppy, and Pomona all stopped at once. They stood in silence, staring at the castle. Although it was only late afternoon, it was wintertime in Scotland and so the sky had already darkened considerably. Many of the castle's windows were lit, and that, along with the moonlight shining on the snow-covered turrets, created a stunning effect.

"It truly is magical," Pomona murmured. They all smiled.

"It's beautiful," Poppy agreed.

"It's…home," Minerva added. The other three looked her way and gave her soft smiles. They leaned on each other briefly before lifting the hems of their robes and marching through the snow up to the castle, their parcels floating along ahead of them.

After Minerva brought her packages to her room, she changed out of her snow-dampened clothes, grabbed a book, and made her way back out of Gryffindor Tower. She didn't have much time for leisure reading, but she liked to take the opportunity when she could. There was a particular nook in the library that she enjoyed curling up and reading in, and she had that place in mind as she set out into the maze of moving staircases. She let them lead her where they pleased, as long as it was in the downward direction. Halfway down, she caught sight of a familiar head of gelled red hair two levels below her in the middle of a moving staircase. She smiled at the sight of her boyfriend. He seemed to be on his way up. She watched as he started climbing up as his staircase neared a platform, and her eyes followed his potential path. She peered at another male figure standing on a platform one level below her and one level above Oliver; it seemed to be Nathan. As Oliver mounted a new staircase, it became clearer that he was making his way towards Nathan. Minerva's staircase connected with a platform on the same level as Nathan's, but farther down, just as Oliver's did. Impulsively, Minerva decided to get off and enter the corridor, curious against her better judgement.

She walked down the corridor towards the boys, and as she neared, she heard Nathan's voice say, "Not here!"

Oliver's laughter carried down the hall clearly. The boys came into the corridor from the Hall of Staircases and walked directly across into an unused classroom. Again, Minerva's curiosity pulled her nearer, although the more responsible part of her brain nagged that it was inappropriate of her to be following them unannounced.

"Is here alright?" Minerva heard Oliver ask in a joking voice. Nathan scoffed. Oliver laughed, "Sorry. So, how did it go?"

"Really well, actually," Nathan replied. Minerva heard real enthusiasm in his voice that made her smile. He must be talking about his date with Poppy, she reasoned.

"That's great!"

"We both really liked Glasshouse, so thanks for suggesting it. And it was hardly awkward at all. Asking a lot of questions is a good trick," Nathan said.

Oliver laughed, "It's not a trick. I hope you kept it from being an interview –"

"I think so," Nathan interjected. "I told my own stories, and I tried not to feel bad for talking about myself. I'm getting better at that, I think."

"Good, I'm glad," Oliver replied enthusiastically. As Minerva listened, she grew more stunned by the second. It seemed as though Oliver had been coaching Nathan in dating Poppy, but Minerva hadn't had any idea. Oliver continued, his tone growing more suggestive, "I saw you kiss her at the end of the date. Looked like you'd had more practice."

Minerva heard Nathan laugh awkwardly.

"Alright, alright, sorry, don't want you to run away on me. Good for you, is all. What did you get her? I hope Nicholas wasn't too poor an influence," Oliver joked.

"Nick was actually quite helpful. He knows that I'm taking my relationship with Poppy seriously, and so he is too. He helped me pick out this."

There was a pause, and then Oliver said, "That's lovely, mate. I'm sure she'll love it."

"Thanks."

There was a single clap of hands, and then Oliver said, "Well, I don't think you need me anymore."

"What?"

Oliver laughed, "Really, I think you'll be just fine without these secret meetings. Of course, you're welcome to join me, Donnie, Richard, and Theodore anytime. You're one of our mates, now. If you really need help with something, you can ask any of us."

"Alright," Nathan replied, sounding uncertain.

There was a sound that Minerva guessed was Oliver slapping Nathan on the back. Then, unexpectedly, Oliver's voice was much closer to the door than it had been previously, "I'm pretty pleased with what I got Min – Minerva?"

Oliver had just opened the door and caught Minerva standing by it. His face showed surprise, then realization, then displeasure. Minerva's heart sunk, feeling suddenly very guilty. Nathan had gone pale behind Oliver, but his ears turned pink.

Minerva opened and closed her mouth unattractively a few times while Oliver stared stonily at her. Eventually, she just said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have eavesdropped."

Oliver nodded and glanced back at Nathan, who seemed to have grown increasingly more uncomfortable. He was running one of his hands through her hair repeatedly, with his elbow resting on his other arm, which was pressed horizontally against his chest. He glanced up at Oliver and then over at Minerva, "It's…it's fine. Please just…don't tell Poppy?"

"I won't," she replied quickly. Then, after a moment of thought, she added, "Why, though?"

His face colored and he glanced at Oliver again. Oliver snorted and turned back to Minerva, "He seems to think she'll find their relationship less genuine if she finds out I've been helping him. As if you girls don't do that all the time."

Minerva smiled slightly, pleased that he didn't seem to be too mad at her. He was joking with her, at least, although Oliver didn't seem to be the type of person who could stop joking. "We do, it's true."

Nathan shrugged, smiling sheepishly, "I just…I don't know. I don't want her to know."

"I won't tell her," Minerva reassured him, "but, I think you should."

Nathan grimaced.

"I think she'll think it's sweet," Minerva said softly, her eyes drifting back towards her own boyfriend. Oliver raised his eyebrows at her, a smile curling at his lips as her double meaning dawned on him.

Nathan glanced between them and said, "Er, I…I'll think about it." He raised the box in his hand awkwardly, looking at neither of them, "I think I'll go bring this back to my room. Bye."

"See you later, Nate," Oliver called after him with his eyes on Minerva and a smile on his face. Nathan waved without turning around as he continued to walk away.

Minerva took a step closer to Oliver, who wrapped his arms around her. She placed her hands on his chest and looked him in the eyes. They were the same height. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Minerva smiled and said, sighing, "I really am sorry for eavesdropping."

Oliver sighed too, but gave her a lopsided smile, "It's alright. I kind of hoped something like this would happen, to help him feel less embarrassed about the whole situation."

"You think he'll tell her?"

Oliver shrugged, "I think you finding out and being positive about it gave him his best chance of feeling confident enough to tell her."

Minerva nodded and then rested her forehead against Oliver's. He smiled and nudged her nose with his. She nudged him back. He wrapped his arms around her more tightly, and her arms snaked around his neck. They kissed softly a few times before Minerva murmured, "It truly was sweet of you to help him."

Oliver grinned and pecked her again. Minerva pulled away enough to look him suggestively in the eyes before pulling him back into the empty classroom he and Nathan had just vacated, in order to more fully express her appreciation.

Monday, 21 December 1942

It was nearly two hours past curfew and Minerva was reaching the end of her Prefect rounds with Head Girl Gloria Scott of Hufflepuff. The Prefects were still doing rounds in increased numbers and in pairs or trios by order of the staff, so instead of four Prefects patrolling the corridors, rounding up straggling students in the two hours after they were all supposed to be in their common rooms, there were eight. In addition, either the Head Boy or Girl would join them as a ninth set of eyes. Tonight, Minerva and Gloria walked the lower quarter of Hogwarts while two Ravenclaws, two Slytherins, two other Hufflepuffs, and one other Gryffindor patrolled the upper three-quarters.

Gloria was friendly, but Minerva was not particularly close to her. They intermittently made small talk as they walked throughout their section of the castle together, but for the most part, they walked in silence. For Minerva, at least, this was because her Prefect rounds reminded her of the mysterious threat that petrified David Crowley, that potentially still loomed over Hogwarts. The mandatory paired rounds were indicative of the fact that the professors still did not know who or what caused Crowley's condition. As such, Minerva took her rounds very seriously.

They were on their last sweep of the castle, coming up to the ground level from the basement. The Entrance Hall was quiet and dim, with only a few candles lighting their way. The flickering light from the candles reflecting off the baubles in the garlands decorating the staircase created a lovely effect. Out of habit, Minerva's eyes scanned the room in a matter of seconds, and consequently, it didn't take her long at all to notice the figure standing on the stairs. Minerva stopped moving, her wand up in an instant. Gloria froze, her eyes following the direction of Minerva's wand. As the Head Girl caught sight of the figure, she drew her wand as well.

The figure did not move.

"Hello?" Minerva called. She began to slowly make her way towards the stairs.

Still, no response.

Minerva and Gloria reached the stairs and started climbing cautiously. From here, they could discern that the figure had their back to them, and that they were a student. A few steps below the student, Gloria came to a halt. Minerva nearly stopped with her, but, eyeing the student, she slowly climbed the final few steps. She recognized him now. An unsettling feeling filled her gut. She reached out with her left hand, her wand still raised in her right, "Gordon?" Her hand fell onto his shoulder. She removed it quickly, startled.

"What?" Gloria asked hurriedly.

Minerva stared at the back of Gordon Wright's head. She replied, "He's stiff…and cold." Her heart pounded, but, hoping for the best, she raised her wand and whispered, "Rennervate." She'd said the word hoping that it would put more force behind her spell than nonverbal magic, but still, nothing happened. She tore her eyes away to look at Gloria. The witches exchanged a look of grim understanding.

"He's petrified," Gloria whispered.

Minerva nodded solemnly.

"We need to tell someone," Gloria said. "We're near the Hospital Wing. Let's find Madam Jenison –"

"We can't just leave him here by himself," Minerva insisted, turning her attention back to her fellow Gryffindor.

Gloria was silent for a moment. Finally, she said quietly, "Then I'll go. You stay here and…and guard him." Minerva gripped her wand tighter and glanced back at Gloria, nodding. Gloria nodded once, firmly, and turned swiftly around to hurry off towards the Hospital Wing, her wand clutched tightly in her hand.

As Gloria's hurried footsteps faded in the distance, Minerva became more aware of the silence around her and Gordon. She studied him and their surroundings; she hadn't had this kind of opportunity when Crowley was petrified. Gordon looked like a statue, standing so stiff and still. He had his schoolbag hanging on his shoulder. Minerva wondered where he'd been. She imagined he might have come from the library, which made her all the more sympathetic to him. He was one of the regulars at her Transfiguration tutoring sessions, and she appreciated how unafraid of asking questions he was. She loved questions.

He was standing facing the garland wrapped around the banister of the staircase. She imagined he must have been appreciating the decorations, and envisioned him admiring the way the candlelight reflected off their baubles the way she had been throughout her rounds. He was facing a beautiful silver bauble. Reflected in it, Minerva could see her own concerned expression, as well as Gordon's look of frozen surprise. She wondered if he'd seen his attacker before he'd been petrified, and if he would be able to identify them once he was cured.

Sighing heavily, Minerva turned her back to him to scan their surroundings, ready to defend them should Gordon's attacker return. To Minerva, the minutes she stood there on edge, waiting for something or someone to come out of the shadows felt like an eternity. When she finally heard Gloria and Madam Jenison's hurried footsteps coming towards her, Minerva jumped and turned her wand in their direction.

"It's us!" Gloria called. Minerva lowered her wand and exhaled slowly.

Madam Jenison mounted the stairs two at a time, a grim expression on her face. Minerva stepped out of the way as the mediwitch raised her wand and started casting diagnostic spells on Gordon. Gloria and Minerva stood back, watching her work with bated breath as they awaited the verdict that they were sure was coming.

Footsteps from above drew Minerva's attention. She turned to see Headmaster Dippet, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Merrythought, and Professor Gibson moving swiftly down the stairs towards them. Dippet called, "Is it true, Mary?"

Madam Jenison lowered her wand and turned her grim expression on the professors, "I'm afraid so, Headmaster."

Minerva looked at her Head of House, watching him take in the scene. Eventually, his eyes met hers. Neither of them smiled.

"What happened on your rounds this evening, ladies?" Dippet asked seriously. "I need to know everyone you saw, and particularly anything that was suspicious."

"The first half-hour we rounded up a few stragglers," Gloria replied immediately. "Mostly first years."

"Anyone not in their first year?" Dippet asked.

"Two. Lyall Lupin and Rubeus Hagrid."

"Were they together?"

"No, sir. Both were alone when we found them," Minerva replied.

"But this was more than half an hour ago, and you escorted them back to their common rooms, did you not?" Merrythought interjected.

"Yes, professor," Gloria replied.

"When was the last time you went by here?" Dumbledore asked.

"We came down these stairs about ten to fifteen minutes before we found him, on our way to patrol the basement and dungeons," Gloria answered swiftly, as if she'd already thought of this.

"And you saw no one?" Dippet pressed.

Gloria and Minerva exchanged a hesitant glance, before Minerva said, "We saw Professor Slughorn coming through the castle doors. He walked with us downstairs."

Dumbledore and Merrythought exchanged a glance. Dippet shot them a sour look. Dumbledore walked further down the stairs towards Gordon, examining the boy up close. As he did so, Dippet said, "Well, it's beyond the end of your shift. You two should be returning to your houses. We may contact you with more questions, but for now, you should get some rest. Dumbledore, Gibson, if you would, please escort your students to their common rooms?"

Dumbledore turned to Minerva, while Gibson and Gloria turned to smile tiredly at each other. The Hufflepuff Head of House walked down the stairs to join her charge, and the pair walked together through the Entrance Hall to the basement stairs. Dumbledore and Minerva nodded in acknowledgement to one another and began their trek up the stairs to the portrait hole of Gryffindor Tower.

They walked in silence until, once they were out of earshot of those they left behind, Dumbledore said, "I feel as though I owe you an apology, Miss McGonagall."

Minerva's head snapped in her professor's direction, surprised.

Dumbledore smiled thinly, which was barely imperceptible through his beard. "I assured you that we – your professors – had the situation in-hand. I asked you to use those assurances to calm your fellow students. I should never have asked you to do such a thing, being well aware that the culprit and the method of the first attack were a mystery to us. In damaging my credibility, I have also damaged yours. For that, I am deeply sorry."

Minerva walked on beside him in silence. Everything he said was true, but still, it didn't sit right with her. Perhaps it was rooted in the fact that she, even at the age of seventeen, wanted to believe her favorite professor was infallible. Of course, he was not. He was human, the same as she. He operated on more experience than she did, but ultimately, he was bound to make mistakes.

"I understand," Minerva said finally, carefully. They glanced at each other at the same time as they walked. She gave him a small, reassuring smile and continued, "I forgive you."

He chuckled softly, "You haven't encountered any angry Gryffindors yet, my dear. Perhaps you will be rescinding your forgiveness tomorrow afternoon."

Minerva laughed lightly through her nose and shook her head, "I forgive you because I understand the impulse to reassure the students, and because I colored the truth myself in my own assurances." She grimaced, "They asked too many questions."

"I never thought I'd ever hear Minerva McGonagall utter the phrase 'too many questions,'" Dumbledore joked. Minerva laughed. He sighed, and they stopped together as a they reached a platform in need of stairs. They turned to face each other as they waited. "In all seriousness, from this point on, I won't ask you to make any false assurances, or color the truth, as you say. As much as you can, direct the students to me."

"That's going to be easier said than done, sir," Minerva replied, with a rueful smile.

"I know. But do your best," he said simply.

Their staircase arrived, and they climbed together in silence. As they mounted the next set of stairs, Dumbledore broke the silence again by saying, "I know Mr. Wright was a regular to your tutoring sessions. Are you alright?"

Minerva pursed her lips as she considered the question, "It was a surprise, to see him like that." She paused. "I suppose I haven't fully processed that he'll be residing in the Hospital Wing until further notice."

"I find that adrenaline does that to me," Dumbledore remarked.

"That must be it."

She felt his eyes on her but continued to walk with confidence. Carefully, softly, Dumbledore said, "Remember, Miss McGonagall, that there is courage in admitting when you need help. My door is always open should you need it."

Minerva paused on the stairs as they swung into position. Dumbledore stopped with her. They turned to face each other again. Minerva scanned his face, ready to be embarrassed or ashamed or defensive, but the look on his face stopped her. He did not look pitying or as though he were afraid that she was going to explode. There was an openness and sincerity about his expression that silenced her. It made her wonder how his own experiences had led him to that advice.

"Thank you, sir," she finally said. "I'll keep that in mind." And she meant it.

He smiled, and their staircase connected to a platform. They continued. They walked in comfortable silence all the way to the portrait of the Fat Lady that guarded the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. There, they turned to each other once again.

"I hope you are able to get some sleep tonight," Dumbledore said.

"You as well, sir."

Dumbledore inclined his head, a twinkle in his eye, "I will try, thank you."

"Goodnight, Professor Dumbledore."

"Goodnight, Miss McGonagall."