Minerva couldn't eat that
night at dinner. She kept thinking
about what had happened at the house by the lake. Had Voldemort heard their every word and disapparated before he
could be found out, or did they miss him by a mile? And if they had caught him, would Minerva's Avada Kedavra have
killed him? After all, he wasn't really
human anymore.
She sighed
and got up from their table at the Three Broomsticks. "I'm sorry." She turned
to leave.
Dumbledore
stood up and took her by the hand before she got too far. "Minerva?
What's wrong?"
"I'm fine,
I need some air though. I'll meet you
back at the castle." She gently
squeezed his hand and he nodded thoughtfully.
That was their sign of understanding.
Minerva had always said that Albus was her best friend. Well, her best friend that was a man. Her best friend who was a woman was Liz
Austin.
Severus
looked at her funny. "Minerva? Where-"
She quickly
looked back and said, "Don't follow me."
With that she exited the Three Broomsticks.
Dumbledore
sat back down. Severus raised his
eyebrows. "Some happy birthday she's
having, don't you think?"
Albus
nodded back and they both turned to Hagrid.
But he apparently had his mind on other things. "Can I finish her strawberry daiquiri then?"
Minerva
leaned against the wall once she was outside in the summer night and let out a
large sigh. She didn't know what to
think at the moment. She needed to talk
to someone, but not Albus. Not right
then with Severus and Hagrid listening.
She looked to the night sky. June
21, she thought. This week's a
hell week for them. Liz'll be there
until 2 in the morning most likely.
With that decided, Minerva
apparated in front of the Camalotte Opera House, her old summer hang out.
Liz Austin
was far from anything like Minerva McGonagall, even though they were best
friends. Liz was only 26, while Minerva
was in her early 50's. Liz listened to loud
music, hard rock to the newest pop, and Minerva liked the quieter
melodies. Minerva's hair was always
black, while Liz's hair color changed monthly.
Minerva wore nice robes, while Liz's favorite thing to wear was her old
sneakers, baggy blue jeans, and the loudest Hawaiian shirt she could find. Minerva was raised in Scotland, and Liz grew
up in the USA. Liz liked egg rolls,
Minerva liked salad. And the biggest
difference of all was that during the summer, Minerva was an actress at the
Camalotte Opera House, while Liz stood in the background and worked with sets,
lights and sound. They couldn't really
explain their friendship, but they both decided that it was the theory that
opposites attract and that they should just let it be instead of argue about
the theories of life. And that's how
Minerva found her best friend.
At 11:30 PM, Liz Austin's CD
player was on full blast as she fixed the last of the footlights on the
theater's stage. She began to sing to
the rhythm of Carmen…
"O! Darling I love you with all my heart and
soul!
Unfortunately,
you're too heavy to hold!
You and I
will live in splendid bliss!
Now give me
a big kiss! MWA!"
All of the
actors and set crew present burst into laughter. Liz took off her baseball cap and bowed deeply. "No applause! Just throw money!" she said smiling. Then she placed her cap on backwards on her head.
"Not a
chance my little egg roll machine," Willis Monroe said plopping himself onto
the couch on stage. He pulled out his
script as he attempted to pull the jacket of his costume off.
"You're not
gonna strip are ya?" Liz joked.
"Not
tonight hun. I have a headache." He winked at her, and Liz busted up
laughing. "Don't you just enjoy
hell week?" he asked as he flipped through his script pages.
"Oh yeah,"
Liz replied smiling fondly. "Loud
music, absolute chaos, late nights, and pizza and egg rolls for dinner every
night!"
"It's hell
on earth."
"I
know! I love it!"
Willis
chuckled and shook his head without looking up from his script.
"Only one
thing would make this hell week better."
She set up the last footlight.
Willis
looked up. "What's that?"
"Well,
having Min here, of course."
"Well, turn
around then Liz Austin. Your wish just
came true," a new voice said.
Liz turned around
and found Minerva McGonagall watching her.
"Min! What are you doing
here?" She jumped off the stage and
threw her arms around her older friend.
Minerva
sighed. "What is it Min?" Liz asked a
little concerned.
"Alone. Not in front of Willis," she whispered. Liz nodded in reply.
"Hey," said
Willis rising from the couch, "the prodigal prima donna returns."
"Hello
Willis," Minerva said allowing him to wrap his arms around her. In her opinion, he always gave out the best
hugs. She smiled. She really needed a hug!
"We miss
you," Willis said. "The summer
productions aren't what they usually are without Minerva McGonagall on the play
bill."
Minerva
sighed. "I'm sorry, but I've been
helping Albus. Duty calls you know."
"What's he
got you doing this time? Hunting up the
Dark Lord yourself?"
Minerva
opened up her mouth a slight fraction, then decided against it. She was stuck being silent for a moment, but
Liz saved her.
"Girl talk,
Willis. Scram!" And Liz led her away to the back of the
stage.
Minerva
gladly took a seat on one of the nice fluffy pillows on the floor as Liz picked
up a push broom and began to sweep sawdust from the stage. "So spill it, Min," said Liz looking her
straight in the eye. "You're the one who
always complained about late hell week practices, and said you would never come
to one if you didn't have to. But yet
here you are, and on top of that you're not even in this production. So my ruling is something is eating you from
the inside. What is it?"
"Always
knowing when something is up, right?" Minerva said.
"Remember
my motto Min."
"Damn, I'm
good," Minerva recited, and she chuckled.
"Exactly. Now, what's up?"
Minerva
went through the whole story about the house on the lake. How she wanted to kill Voldemort, if he
could be killed. How she wanted to
repay him for taking away her husband and her sister-in-law. How she didn't know what to make of her whole
existence anymore. Liz listened
intently.
"Is Robert
the reason you went on this mission tonight?"
"I don't
know," Minerva replied looking at the floor.
"Or was it
that Dumbledore asked you especially to come and you agreed 'cause he's your
best friend besides me?"
"I can't
answer that either, Liz," Minerva said with a loud sigh.
Liz frowned
a moment. "Min, I truly don't know what
to tell you. When the Dark Lord was in
power here, I was only a teen and living in the United States. I don't even know anybody who was killed by
his power. I never knew you until after
Robert's death. But I will tell you
this. No matter how much hatred, joy,
or conflict there may be, time marches on, and there's nothing you can do about
it. And when you hit rock bottom, you
can only go up." She set the broom
down. "So if you've hit the bottom
today, I recommend you go to bed and wake up tomorrow and look forward to
touching the sky."
Minerva
smiled. "You always have to say the
right words to make me feel better don't you?"
Liz smiled
broadly. "I'll be right back," she
said. Minerva laughed, for she knew
what was coming. Liz walked to lower
center stage and spread her arms. "DAMN
I'M GOOD!" she yelled and everyone present in the theater laughed.
"She's
insane," Willis said from behind Minerva.
He took a seat next to her.
"I think I
need to be more choosy about my friends," Minerva replied with a smile.
Willis
shook his head and a box appeared from behind his back. "Happy Birthday Min."
"It's from
both of us," Liz said returning to the group.
Minerva was
skeptical, but when she opened the package she gasped and smiled.
"Every
prima donna needs one Min," said Liz. "And
I always told you we'd get you one one day."
Minerva
stood up and draped her new dark green, feathered boa around her neck. "I can't believe you two!" she laughed
loudly. "Where the heck am I going to wear this thing?"
"How about
the next cast party? Or you could wear
it to opening night since you're an audience member this year. You are coming, right?"
Minerva put
the boa back into the box. "I should,
unless Albus has me working that night."
Liz put her
head on her shoulder. "Please come,
Min. Pleeeaaassseee?"
"Stop
whining. I'll come."
Liz
smiled. "Damn I'm good."
Note from the author:
If you're a little confused, I'll try and straighten it out for ya. I was inspired when reading the Goblet of
Fire and it said that Harry Potter wasn't sure where Professor Dumbledore went
for the summer holidays. Then I got the
idea for Minerva! During the summer,
Minerva is an actress! AN ACTRESS! NOT A SHOWGIRL! READ MY LIPS! To me, that
just seemed to suit her. But there will
be more background to that in another story.
Also, did you like Liz Austin?
She's sort of an alter ego for me.
In another story I'll be pairing her up with an unlikely person. Hehehe… So please review. And as always…NO FLAMES!
