- Title: Christmas Wishes
Author: Jagged Fel
Category: AD/MM Romance, Humour.
Rating: G.
Spoilers: none.
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters…just borrowing from J.K.
Summary: Albus/Minerva fic. Dumbledore & McGonagall meet for a midnight snack.
Christmas Wishes
Professor McGonagall tread quickly through the deserted corridors of the 2nd Floor, grateful for the steady light given off by the torch-brackets every few meters along the passage. It was a cold, stormy Christmas Eve and Minerva was just a bit worried about the Christmas Eve Party down in the icy dungeon, which had been arranged for the ghosts of Hogwarts to have their own Christmas celebrations tonight (if she listened carefully she could just hear Sir Nicholas' imitation of the Headless Hockey team). It was not as though ghosts could catch a chill, but Minerva had a built-in instinct for these sorts of things, born from her daily interaction with children and young adults.
She turned a corner and found herself facing the familiar statue of Lharnardo the Learned, which only appeared at night to guard the Staff Room.
"Password?"
"Odgen's Fire Whiskey." McGonagall smirked slightly at the reminder of Hagrid's favourite beverage. Each month the Hogwarts staff took it in turn to name the password for the Staff Room. This month had been Hagrid's turn and after long deliberation he had finally made his choice, explaining that it was the only thing in life he could count on apart from the professors and of course Harry…Which Minerva thought was a rather sweet, and very Hagrid-like thing to say.
The statue sprang aside with a bounce that Professor McGonagall was quite sure the real Lharnardo would have lacked, revealing a hole in the wall that led to the Staff room. Minerva stepped in and found that someone else was already there.
"Albus!"
"Evening, my good Professor." Dumbledore beamed at her, his eyes holding that old twinkle that never seemed to go out. He was standing by the Staff pantry (which, McGonagall noted, was half-empty) in dark blue night robes and his usual purple nightcap, and holding an open packet of chocolate frogs. "Midnight snack I presume?"
Professor McGonagall was starting to recover from her initial shock of seeing the Headmaster raiding the pantry in the middle of the night, "Er, no I came for a glass of milk actually…"
"Ah…Might have one myself." Two warm glasses of milk immediately appeared in mid-air and separated, each soaring either to Dumbledore or McGonagall, "Now couldn't you have done that from your quarters?" Albus asked, raising an eyebrow and taking a sip from his glass.
"Yes…"
Dumbledore smiled, "I'm guessing you expected a peaceful midnight snack without any probing headmasters then?"
Minerva laughed, a little guiltily and Dumbledore asked no more questions, instead offering her some chocolate frogs.
She accepted the frogs, eating them quickly, "Chocolate…a girl's second best friend."
"Oh? I thought I qualified for that position right after 'solid gold and diamond studded ring'." Dumbledore demanded turning a mock-angry glare on his colleague.
McGonagall returned the serious expression, "Heavens no, Professor! Even your wicked charm could hardly replace a creamy caramel truffle that melts in your mouth."
"Ah, so that was what you wanted for Christmas."
The pair shared a laugh. After a moment Minerva stifled a yawn and instinctively looked out through the open Staff Room hole (A/N: it doesn't shut until it's told to), where the antique GrandWizard Clock, once belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw stood, towering nine feet off the ground, "Goodness, it's almost Christmas Day! I'd better get to bed, Albus."
"Yes, me too, or I might be tempted to open my presents before morning. You know how I hate doing that."
"Mmm…" Professor McGonagall nodded sympathetically, and walked through the hole in the wall, Albus just a step behind her.
"Oh wait, forgot the glasses." Dumbledore spun around, and with a wave of his wand, the empty milk glasses vanished.
He turned back and found himself facing Minerva at the opening of the hole.
"Uh oh…"
The two exchanged a glance and looked up to find the sprig of mistletoe that Professor Sprout had hung there earlier in the day, right above them.
"Ah…the last time this happened, I ended up with Professor Sinistra's Hit Wizard husband threatening to disembowel me and ship me off to Romania for a month. Awfully possessive fellow. And he was hardly one to joke around…"
Minerva chuckled, "You never told me about that." She accused.
"Possibly, I was too busy reading up on Romania's Magical Health Care Services." Dumbledore smiled lightly, "Now, I suppose we should get this over with, before Mrs Norris wanders over here and brings Filch along for the show."
"Or Peeves. You know, he does have one of those Muggle instant cameras."
"Yes…" Dumbledore leaned in, cupping Minerva's cheek and slowly, inexorably, his lips found hers, after what seemed like an eternity to both of them. Starting as the touch of light lips, the kiss builded as she leaned into him, his arms encircling her waist, drawing her closer…
From far away it seemed they heard the great clock chiming, indicating midnight and the dawn of Christmas Day. Down in the dungeon, it seemed like the party was just getting started.
The two professors broke apart, rather reluctantly as their moment of intimacy passed. Albus' penetrating blue gaze found Minerva's and held on to it for a moment, before they both shared a grim smile. Whatever had just passed between them was now gone. They were back to the platonic partner-and-friend relationship they had shared all these years.
"Merry Christmas, Albus."
"Merry Christmas, Minerva."
~THE END~