Minerva sat in her armchair and stared at the fireplace. The red flames
reflected in her glasses, dancing merrily to a silent tune. Professor
Sinistra had made her a hot chocolate and sat off to the side watching her
carefully.
"I'll be fine on my own Selina." Minerva muttered into her mug.
"Sorry Minerva, but Dumbledore has ordered be to make sure you are not left on your own." Selina nervously smiled.
"If she hasn't come for me in the last hour I doubt she's going to come at all." A moment's silence passed between them. "So I'm under, what the muggles call, house arrest?" Minerva asked, still entranced by the fire. Selina nodded slowly.
"No, it's just, After what happened downstairs, he doesn't want you or Trelawney to be alone. Just incase. well, you know."
"I understand." Minerva nodded and sipped her hot chocolate. "This is good hot chocolate."
"Thankyou, Malachi taught me how to make it so that it just has that little bit extra."
"Really?" Minerva had this sudden feeling that Malachi had taught Selina to make some kind of drink just for her that would probably kill her. "How is Malachi these days?"
"Well, I haven't heard from him lately, but he married Lourdes Mundane and they had three daughters. And he's working in Transylvania, helping to keep the deaths of muggles down to a minimum."
"Yes, I heard there was a bit of a problem over there with Count Vladiminkov not standing by the rules of at least two a year." Minerva shrugged. "Those vampires bite into more then they can chew sometimes." Selina laughed.
"Well, there's a comical way to view it." Just at that moment there was a knock at the door. Both women went silent. Minerva motioned for Selina to go ahead and perform her guarding duties. "Who is it?" Selina called.
"It's Albus, Selina." Came the reply and Selina shot to her feet and opened the door slightly.
"Professor Dumbledore." Selina fully opened the door and allowed him to enter. "If you don't mind sir I guess I should be leaving now, I have urgent business to attend to." She quickly said her good-byes and hurried out the door.
"I wonder where she's headed in such a hurry." Albus thought out loud as he closed the door and sat down in a chair facing Minerva.
"Let's just say, we're not the only professor's keeping a secret." Minerva smiled devilishly. "I know who it is and I'm not going to tell you."
"Now Minerva, dear, we both know that I have ways of making you talk." Minerva lifted an eyebrow. "But that's not what we must discuss tonight." Minerva's smile faded and she looked down into the empty mug in her hands.
"I'm sorry Albus, I shouldn't have started the duel down there." A tear slid down her cheek. "Harriett could die and it's all my fault. I'm the dumbest witch that ever lived. Sibyll was right." There was a soft pause as Minerva's eyes flooded with tears, "And William was right. I'm dumb, I'm dumb, I'm dumb." Minerva doubled over and cried into the arm of the chair, banging her fist against it.
"No Minerva. Sibyll said that because she was angry. You know that the whole thing with James hit home with her because of her condition. And you know what William was like. He was the one failing at everything, but he didn't want to blame himself." Albus had moved across the room and sat down on Minerva's armchair. "You're the smartest woman I've ever met Min. All the students think you're 'bloody brilliant' as I believe Mr Weasley once said." Minerva let slip a little laugh as Albus pulled her over to him and held her close. "Minerva, look me."
"Yes Albus?" She said as he tilted her face up to look at his.
"You do realise the whole school now knows what happened to you, don't you?" Minerva nodded. "And you will have to tell Harry soon." Minerva nodded again.
"They don't know the full story though." Minerva sniffed.
"Well I guess you can leave that to tell Harry and then give it about a week and the whole school should know." Albus chuckled. Minerva sat up suddenly.
"What will I do though Albus?" She realised she had lost the old man and started again. "You have that charm working so that he has to go back to the Dursley's every summer. What if he wants to stay with me?" There was silence. "Which I'm sure would be the first thing he thinks of." She added quickly.
"We'll find a way Minerva, I promise." There was a sharp knock at the door. Albus got up and opened it to find Madame Pomfrey standing their slightly out of breath.
"Albus, we need you in the tower quickly. Sibyll had an extra sherry bottle hidden away and she's sculled half of it already." Albus rolled his twinkling blue eyes.
"Excuse me Minerva. I do hope you will stay put as a precaution while I deal with this." With that he was gone, leaving Minerva alone to think.
"I'll be fine on my own Selina." Minerva muttered into her mug.
"Sorry Minerva, but Dumbledore has ordered be to make sure you are not left on your own." Selina nervously smiled.
"If she hasn't come for me in the last hour I doubt she's going to come at all." A moment's silence passed between them. "So I'm under, what the muggles call, house arrest?" Minerva asked, still entranced by the fire. Selina nodded slowly.
"No, it's just, After what happened downstairs, he doesn't want you or Trelawney to be alone. Just incase. well, you know."
"I understand." Minerva nodded and sipped her hot chocolate. "This is good hot chocolate."
"Thankyou, Malachi taught me how to make it so that it just has that little bit extra."
"Really?" Minerva had this sudden feeling that Malachi had taught Selina to make some kind of drink just for her that would probably kill her. "How is Malachi these days?"
"Well, I haven't heard from him lately, but he married Lourdes Mundane and they had three daughters. And he's working in Transylvania, helping to keep the deaths of muggles down to a minimum."
"Yes, I heard there was a bit of a problem over there with Count Vladiminkov not standing by the rules of at least two a year." Minerva shrugged. "Those vampires bite into more then they can chew sometimes." Selina laughed.
"Well, there's a comical way to view it." Just at that moment there was a knock at the door. Both women went silent. Minerva motioned for Selina to go ahead and perform her guarding duties. "Who is it?" Selina called.
"It's Albus, Selina." Came the reply and Selina shot to her feet and opened the door slightly.
"Professor Dumbledore." Selina fully opened the door and allowed him to enter. "If you don't mind sir I guess I should be leaving now, I have urgent business to attend to." She quickly said her good-byes and hurried out the door.
"I wonder where she's headed in such a hurry." Albus thought out loud as he closed the door and sat down in a chair facing Minerva.
"Let's just say, we're not the only professor's keeping a secret." Minerva smiled devilishly. "I know who it is and I'm not going to tell you."
"Now Minerva, dear, we both know that I have ways of making you talk." Minerva lifted an eyebrow. "But that's not what we must discuss tonight." Minerva's smile faded and she looked down into the empty mug in her hands.
"I'm sorry Albus, I shouldn't have started the duel down there." A tear slid down her cheek. "Harriett could die and it's all my fault. I'm the dumbest witch that ever lived. Sibyll was right." There was a soft pause as Minerva's eyes flooded with tears, "And William was right. I'm dumb, I'm dumb, I'm dumb." Minerva doubled over and cried into the arm of the chair, banging her fist against it.
"No Minerva. Sibyll said that because she was angry. You know that the whole thing with James hit home with her because of her condition. And you know what William was like. He was the one failing at everything, but he didn't want to blame himself." Albus had moved across the room and sat down on Minerva's armchair. "You're the smartest woman I've ever met Min. All the students think you're 'bloody brilliant' as I believe Mr Weasley once said." Minerva let slip a little laugh as Albus pulled her over to him and held her close. "Minerva, look me."
"Yes Albus?" She said as he tilted her face up to look at his.
"You do realise the whole school now knows what happened to you, don't you?" Minerva nodded. "And you will have to tell Harry soon." Minerva nodded again.
"They don't know the full story though." Minerva sniffed.
"Well I guess you can leave that to tell Harry and then give it about a week and the whole school should know." Albus chuckled. Minerva sat up suddenly.
"What will I do though Albus?" She realised she had lost the old man and started again. "You have that charm working so that he has to go back to the Dursley's every summer. What if he wants to stay with me?" There was silence. "Which I'm sure would be the first thing he thinks of." She added quickly.
"We'll find a way Minerva, I promise." There was a sharp knock at the door. Albus got up and opened it to find Madame Pomfrey standing their slightly out of breath.
"Albus, we need you in the tower quickly. Sibyll had an extra sherry bottle hidden away and she's sculled half of it already." Albus rolled his twinkling blue eyes.
"Excuse me Minerva. I do hope you will stay put as a precaution while I deal with this." With that he was gone, leaving Minerva alone to think.