Story of Min Chapter 7
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this fic, please do not sue me…that would be horribly bad.
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The sun was setting outside the window on a Saturday evening in December as the icy wind was whistling through the trees of the forbidden forest. The snow was layered over the ground like a blanket and the lake was frosty with bits of ice floating upon the glass-like surface. Golden light from the sun and the windows of the Hogwarts castle reflected off of the virgin snow while the moon began to drift out from behind the clouds.
Inside her room, Minerva McGonagall sat on her bed, the fire in the hearth warming the chamber. She opened her bedside cabinet and pulled out what looked like a stack of photos and some tape. She then reached for what she had gone down to her office to retrieve. It was a red book- a picture album, dusty but unused, which only housed one photograph. Minerva opened the book to its second page and began to fill in the leaves of paper with the photos and writing.
When she thought she had finished, she looked around and
found that there was one picture left sitting on her bedspread. It was a photo of her and Remus sitting in his office, having tea. He had a teapot in one hand and his other arm around her shoulder while he smiled. She had been holding her cup in her hands and her face uplifted to his while she grinned in a half smile.
Looking down at this last picture, Minerva ran her finger over the glossy plastic and smiled. Forgetting about taping the photo in the book, she closed her eyes and sank back into her pillow for a moment, not worrying about anything. As she fell asleep, the picture floated out of her half-opened hand and onto the floor, behind a stack of old textbooks.
The next thing she heard was a knocking sound on her window. After checking her watch (12:03) she opened one eye and saw nothing, so she dismissed it and lay down again. When she heard the tapping once more she rearranged her glasses and looked up fully. Outside her window, on a broomstick, was Remus Lupin.
With an eyebrow raised, and a sarcastic smile on her face, Minerva got up and opened the window.
" How are you this evening, madam?" said a laughing Remus.
" Quite alright, thanks… Can I help you?"
" Well, of course. I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to Bermuda, for I believe I've taken a wrong turn somewhere…" said Remus cynically, " really, I came to ask if you'd like to come outside."
Minerva eyed him questioningly
"In the middle of the night?"
" of course! Snow fights- haven't you ever had one?"
Minerva shook her head
"well, then I insist. I'll meet you on the grounds outside the entrance hall in a few minutes," said Remus before flying off.
Minerva hurried to her closet and put on some warmer robes. She pulled off her hat and let down her hair so she could manage her earmuffs, grabbed a warm cloak, and hurried out to the grounds.
When she opened the door of the entrance hall, she saw something she definitely hadn't expected. Remus was standing about 3 yards in front of her, holding a large snowball. He looked as though he were just about to release it and send it flying at her face when he'd stopped. He stood there with a rather thoughtful look on his face, as though he were considering something that had never quite occurred to him before.
Minerva walked up to him looking concerned.
"Remus? Reeeemus? Oy?" she said softly.
But he just sort of stood there, staring, for a bit. Taking this time while he was standing around, Minerva leaned down and shaped some snow into a round sphere and chucked it right at his face.
" ACK!!" spluttered Remus as a handful of snow smacked him in the face.
"well, hello to you too," chuckled Remus as he wiped the slush off of his cheeks.
"what were you doing standing around like that? You were staring right in my direction."
In the dark Minerva couldn't see him, but he had turned a rather deep shade of red at that comment.
" oh…er… that. Well, I was just thinking, and I was about to hit you with a snowball when…well…I don't know…I got rather…distracted."
Minerva looked at him inquisitively. But when she opened her mouth to say something a ball of ice-cold snow hit her full on between the eyes.
The night continued in this manner, sneak attacks of snowballs and such, until around three or so in the morning while Remus fell asleep behind a bush he was hiding in.
"goodness, we are so immature, acting like children. Snowball fights! How ridiculous!" said a voice in Minerva's head as she magicked Remus into the air and carried him with her.
"but then again," said another voice, " it was an amazing time!"
Minerva decided she'd stick with the second voice, and walked until she found herself at her quarters. She was about to go in, but then she realized Remus was still floating in midair behind her, asleep. She shrugged and said the password to her portrait and floated him up the spiral staircase to her little apartment-like living quarters.
She roused him from his sleep just enough so that he would go into the bathroom and change out of his wet clothes. But after doing so, oblivious to the fact that he was not in his quarters, he plopped back onto the couch in the sitting room where he'd been before, and fell asleep again. Sighing, Minerva threw a blanket over him and went into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
~
The next morning, Remus awoke to find himself in an unknown place, dressed in pajama pants and a sweatshirt that didn't belong to him, and by himself.
"How curious," he thought, confused, "all I remember is having a snowball fight…"
Then Minerva strode into the room, her nose in a book, fully dressed. She didn't notice that Remus was awake at all, she just sat down and continued reading. Then she looked up and smiled.
" Finally awake?"
Remus answered with a grunt of affirmation. Then he remembered what he meant to ask.
"Where are we? Why am I here? How did I get here? What time is it?"
Minerva raised her eyebrows and handed him a cup of tea.
" We are in my living quarters, you are here because I don't know where yours are, not to mention how to get in, I brought you here last night when you fell asleep outside in the snow, and it is 11:32," answered Minerva. " there's toast and juice on the table, and your clothes are drying in the bathroom- that's the second door down the corridor on the right. I have to go see Dumbledore for a meeting, I'll be back in a bit. If you want, you may eat and show yourself out, whatever you'd like, but I must go. Goodbye," and with that she snapped her book shut, placed it on the counter, and walked out the door.
" How odd," thought Remus, " she just leaves me in her house? Strange…"
Remus, not wanting to overstay his welcome, ate his breakfast and got dressed, but when he was about to walk out the door, he saw a red photo album sitting on the floor by the table, and picked it up. He looked through the pictures and when he reached into his pocket (he usually had numerous odds and ends sitting around in there) he found two small photos. One was the same one on the first page of the book, and the other was old and crinkled with lines, creased from folding it into places. It was an old snapshot of Minerva sitting by herself on the grounds, unhappily spying on Lily and James in their sixth year as they sat by the lake together. Remus quickly pasted the snapshot into the book and scribbled underneath it with his quill:
I was watching the whole time.
Then he closed the album and left it where he'd found it, and left the room.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this fic, please do not sue me…that would be horribly bad.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sun was setting outside the window on a Saturday evening in December as the icy wind was whistling through the trees of the forbidden forest. The snow was layered over the ground like a blanket and the lake was frosty with bits of ice floating upon the glass-like surface. Golden light from the sun and the windows of the Hogwarts castle reflected off of the virgin snow while the moon began to drift out from behind the clouds.
Inside her room, Minerva McGonagall sat on her bed, the fire in the hearth warming the chamber. She opened her bedside cabinet and pulled out what looked like a stack of photos and some tape. She then reached for what she had gone down to her office to retrieve. It was a red book- a picture album, dusty but unused, which only housed one photograph. Minerva opened the book to its second page and began to fill in the leaves of paper with the photos and writing.
When she thought she had finished, she looked around and
found that there was one picture left sitting on her bedspread. It was a photo of her and Remus sitting in his office, having tea. He had a teapot in one hand and his other arm around her shoulder while he smiled. She had been holding her cup in her hands and her face uplifted to his while she grinned in a half smile.
Looking down at this last picture, Minerva ran her finger over the glossy plastic and smiled. Forgetting about taping the photo in the book, she closed her eyes and sank back into her pillow for a moment, not worrying about anything. As she fell asleep, the picture floated out of her half-opened hand and onto the floor, behind a stack of old textbooks.
The next thing she heard was a knocking sound on her window. After checking her watch (12:03) she opened one eye and saw nothing, so she dismissed it and lay down again. When she heard the tapping once more she rearranged her glasses and looked up fully. Outside her window, on a broomstick, was Remus Lupin.
With an eyebrow raised, and a sarcastic smile on her face, Minerva got up and opened the window.
" How are you this evening, madam?" said a laughing Remus.
" Quite alright, thanks… Can I help you?"
" Well, of course. I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to Bermuda, for I believe I've taken a wrong turn somewhere…" said Remus cynically, " really, I came to ask if you'd like to come outside."
Minerva eyed him questioningly
"In the middle of the night?"
" of course! Snow fights- haven't you ever had one?"
Minerva shook her head
"well, then I insist. I'll meet you on the grounds outside the entrance hall in a few minutes," said Remus before flying off.
Minerva hurried to her closet and put on some warmer robes. She pulled off her hat and let down her hair so she could manage her earmuffs, grabbed a warm cloak, and hurried out to the grounds.
When she opened the door of the entrance hall, she saw something she definitely hadn't expected. Remus was standing about 3 yards in front of her, holding a large snowball. He looked as though he were just about to release it and send it flying at her face when he'd stopped. He stood there with a rather thoughtful look on his face, as though he were considering something that had never quite occurred to him before.
Minerva walked up to him looking concerned.
"Remus? Reeeemus? Oy?" she said softly.
But he just sort of stood there, staring, for a bit. Taking this time while he was standing around, Minerva leaned down and shaped some snow into a round sphere and chucked it right at his face.
" ACK!!" spluttered Remus as a handful of snow smacked him in the face.
"well, hello to you too," chuckled Remus as he wiped the slush off of his cheeks.
"what were you doing standing around like that? You were staring right in my direction."
In the dark Minerva couldn't see him, but he had turned a rather deep shade of red at that comment.
" oh…er… that. Well, I was just thinking, and I was about to hit you with a snowball when…well…I don't know…I got rather…distracted."
Minerva looked at him inquisitively. But when she opened her mouth to say something a ball of ice-cold snow hit her full on between the eyes.
The night continued in this manner, sneak attacks of snowballs and such, until around three or so in the morning while Remus fell asleep behind a bush he was hiding in.
"goodness, we are so immature, acting like children. Snowball fights! How ridiculous!" said a voice in Minerva's head as she magicked Remus into the air and carried him with her.
"but then again," said another voice, " it was an amazing time!"
Minerva decided she'd stick with the second voice, and walked until she found herself at her quarters. She was about to go in, but then she realized Remus was still floating in midair behind her, asleep. She shrugged and said the password to her portrait and floated him up the spiral staircase to her little apartment-like living quarters.
She roused him from his sleep just enough so that he would go into the bathroom and change out of his wet clothes. But after doing so, oblivious to the fact that he was not in his quarters, he plopped back onto the couch in the sitting room where he'd been before, and fell asleep again. Sighing, Minerva threw a blanket over him and went into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
~
The next morning, Remus awoke to find himself in an unknown place, dressed in pajama pants and a sweatshirt that didn't belong to him, and by himself.
"How curious," he thought, confused, "all I remember is having a snowball fight…"
Then Minerva strode into the room, her nose in a book, fully dressed. She didn't notice that Remus was awake at all, she just sat down and continued reading. Then she looked up and smiled.
" Finally awake?"
Remus answered with a grunt of affirmation. Then he remembered what he meant to ask.
"Where are we? Why am I here? How did I get here? What time is it?"
Minerva raised her eyebrows and handed him a cup of tea.
" We are in my living quarters, you are here because I don't know where yours are, not to mention how to get in, I brought you here last night when you fell asleep outside in the snow, and it is 11:32," answered Minerva. " there's toast and juice on the table, and your clothes are drying in the bathroom- that's the second door down the corridor on the right. I have to go see Dumbledore for a meeting, I'll be back in a bit. If you want, you may eat and show yourself out, whatever you'd like, but I must go. Goodbye," and with that she snapped her book shut, placed it on the counter, and walked out the door.
" How odd," thought Remus, " she just leaves me in her house? Strange…"
Remus, not wanting to overstay his welcome, ate his breakfast and got dressed, but when he was about to walk out the door, he saw a red photo album sitting on the floor by the table, and picked it up. He looked through the pictures and when he reached into his pocket (he usually had numerous odds and ends sitting around in there) he found two small photos. One was the same one on the first page of the book, and the other was old and crinkled with lines, creased from folding it into places. It was an old snapshot of Minerva sitting by herself on the grounds, unhappily spying on Lily and James in their sixth year as they sat by the lake together. Remus quickly pasted the snapshot into the book and scribbled underneath it with his quill:
I was watching the whole time.
Then he closed the album and left it where he'd found it, and left the room.