Chapter Three – Realizations
A/N: And, in case you haven't figured it out by now, the primary pairing is AD/MM. A friend pointed out that Tracey seemed to be handling the change in circumstances rather well.
Tracey made her way through the corridors of the school, trying to process everything that happened in the last few days. She still wasn't sure how she'd ended up here, but the possibility that it wasn't a dream kept nagging at her. She paused at the top of a staircase and examined her surroundings. The floors were made of stone, but no rugs or carpets covered them. _Probably too much of a hassle to keep them clean,_ she mused. Portraits and suits of armor lined the stone walls, as well as torches that brightened when someone walked came near; only to dim when said person had passed. The ceiling was dark and shadowy, as if it didn't want her to know what it was made of. She shook her head. That was silly. _It must have taken forever to build this place,_ she mused as she continued on her way, the only sound to be heard was the slight swish of her robes and the occasional crackle of the torches. _Even with magic to help._ She sighed. _How can this be anything but a dream? Any moment now, Mom'll be waking me up and telling me off for playing on the computer at two in the morning._ She smiled wryly at the thought. Her mother had never really trusted technology and now she knew why, at least in part. She sighed and leaned her forehead against the door to her rooms. Why her, though? Why now? Straightening up, she said the password and the door to her rooms opened. She plopped onto the sofa and stared blindly into the fireplace.
She was in Harry Potter's world, just months after the end of the fifth book. She was the daughter of Albus Dumbledore and a Muggle. She was staying at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and the others were real people. She'd met and talked with Madam Rosmerta. She'd laughed with Albus Dumbledore. The whole bloody 'Potterverse' she'd read about and written about and dreamed about was real! She promptly fainted as the full impact of this realization hit her.
* * *
Half an hour later, Minerva knocked on the door to Tracey's rooms. Something had prompted her to seek the young woman out and Minerva wasn't sure why. When she didn't get an answer, Minerva spoke up, "Miss Cooper? Are you awake?"
When she still didn't get an answer, the Transfiguration professor said the password and slipped through the unlocked door. Upon entering the young woman's sitting room, she found nothing amiss. The furnishings were plain and sparse, since the new occupant of the rooms hadn't had much time to decorate and furnish them the way she would like to. The furniture had been rearranged a little to suit Tracey's tastes. "Miss Cooper?"
A moan behind Minerva brought her around to face the fireplace and the back of the sofa in front of it. Moving cautiously, she looked over the back of the sofa, just as Tracey opened her eyes. The young woman gave a screech of surprise that startled Minerva and was across the room in the blink of an eye, one hand over her heart. "I'm sorry, Professor. You startled me."
Minerva waved off the young woman's apologies. "It's all right, Miss Cooper. I didn't think you'd be asleep."
Tracey frowned, sinking into an armchair. "I don't think I was asleep."
Minerva stared at her. "Then what were you doing there?"
A flush of embarrassment crept into the other woman's cheeks. "I, uh, fainted."
"Why?" Minerva sat in a chair near Tracey's.
"I think because I fully realized what's happened to me." She stood and began to pace the room, reminding the older woman of a caged lion. "I mean, I'd read about this world and wrote stories about it, but I never thought I'd ever actually _be_ here." She sighed and raked her fingers through her thick hair, the torchlight edging auburn with gold. "And now, here I am. I'm _living_ at Hogwarts. I've visited Hogsmeade; I've drunk butterbeer and pumpkin juice; I've met the professors and Rosmerta; I've chatted with Madam Hooch and Pomfrey. Dumbledore is my _father_, for God's sake." Her words tumbled out, pell-mell, and she gesticulated wildly as she continued to prowl the sitting room, her robes swishing behind her. "All of this is _real_, Professor. I'm not dreaming or hallucinating. And--"
"--perhaps you should calm down," Minerva finally suggested. "There is no use working yourself into a state."
Nodding and taking a deep breath, Tracey sat back down in her chair. They sat in silence for a few moments before Tracey suddenly sat up straight with a start. "Did I do magic?"
Minerva nodded. "Yes, you managed to magic yourself across the room when I startled you earlier."
She sat silently for a few moments, just absorbing the thought. Finally, with a loud whoop, she leapt from her chair and began dancing around the room, occasionally punching a fist into the air. Minerva watched the younger witch for a few moments, bemused by the display. A knock at the door ended the victory dance and Tracey rushed to it, almost wrenching it open. Albus stood framed in the doorway, his fist posed for another knock. He let his hand drop and took in his daughter's disheveled appearance and the presence of his Deputy before speaking. "I heard noise and decided to investigate. What have you two been doing?"
Minerva rose from her chair. "I decided to look in on Miss Cooper before retiring for the night, Albus."
"Father! I'm a witch!" Tracey bounced eagerly on the balls of her feet, a broad smile on her face. "I can do magic!"
Albus looked at Minerva, who'd come up to stand beside the shorter woman, for confirmation. "Yes, she did magic. I startled her and it triggered her magic."
"Well, congratulations, Tracey." Albus enfolded his daughter in a warm hug. "We have much to discuss, but it will have to wait until morning."
Minerva slipped past Albus into the corridor as Tracey replied, "Aw, Fa-ther!"
The older witch hid a smile as she shut the door behind her. Albus and Tracey were steadily growing closer. As she made her way to her rooms, Minerva found herself wondering where that left her. Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, she continued on her way.
* * *
It took every scrap of the courage that had made the Sorting Hat put her Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw for Minerva to raise her hand and knock on the door to the Headmaster's office the next morning. When she'd woken up, she'd found a note on her pillow, requesting her presence in Albus' office as soon as possible. She could only assume it had something to do with Tracey Cooper and her magical training. Thoughts of the young woman who'd literally dropped from the sky had led to thoughts of what she had revealed to Minerva the previous evening. If people who'd read the books were able to pick up on the fact that Minerva and Albus were closer than one might expect, then what of people who actually _interacted_ with the two? More importantly, Tracey had implied that many fans thought there was a romance of some sort between the Headmaster and his Deputy. The significance of such an opinion was not lost on Minerva and she wondered if there was more to Albus' actions towards her than she'd first thought. Deciding to ponder the full implications later, Minerva had finished getting dressed and left for the Headmaster's office.
The opening of the door in front of her disturbed her thoughts and she entered the Headmaster's office. "You wished to see me, Professor?"
"Good morning, Minerva." Albus' eyes twinkled at her from behind his spectacles as he stood and walked around his desk to greet her.
"Good morning," she replied, looking around the room. They were the only two present. "What did you wish to see me about?"
"We need to make arrangements for Tracey's training in magic," he explained, coming to a stop in front of her. "However, she needs to be present first."
Minerva smiled in response. "Very well." She moved away and sat down in one of the chairs facing the large desk. "What shall we do while we wait for her?"
He seated himself in the other chair. "Talking sounds good to me."
"What is there to talk about?" she asked, truly curious.
He shifted in his seat, appearing to be a little uncomfortable, "The stories Tracey mentioned last night?"
She deliberately pretended not to understand what he meant. "What stories?"
"The ones fans of these 'Harry Potter' books wrote concerning us." The twinkle returned to his eyes. "Surely you remember the fact that I had mentioned them last night."
"Oh, yes, those stories." Minerva nodded, fighting down a blush. "Well, what about them?"
"Do you think any of those stories have come close to the truth?" he asked thoughtfully. "After all, there are a great number of possibilities."
She uncomfortably shrugged her shoulders. "I'm surprised that anyone would see us as a couple."
"Oh?" Albus raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean, Minerva?"
She fought the urge to squirm in her chair. "Well, it's just that--"
A knock at the door interrupted her. Albus reluctantly waved a hand to admit the visitor. "Good morning, Father! Oh, good morning, Professor."
"Good morning, Tracey." Albus stood and hugged his daughter.
"Yes, good morning, Miss Cooper," Minerva greeted the younger witch as she plopped into the chair Albus had just vacated. "Did you sleep well?"
She shrugged unconcernedly. "Not really, I was still wired from realizing I'm a witch after all. I've always wanted to try all those spells mentioned in the books."
"Be prepared to work hard," Minerva lectured. "Learning magic is no easy task and your training, in particular, will be intense."
Tracey had sobered at Minerva's words. "I understand, Professor." A glint of amusement suddenly appeared in her eyes. "Will I get to visit Diagon Alley?"
Minerva smiled. "Yes, you'll get to visit Diagon Alley."
"Yes!" Tracey punched the air with her fist.
Albus cleared his throat. His daughter looked up at him, a little sheepishly. "May I continue?"
Tracey dropped her hand to her lap. "Yes, Father."
He smiled before speaking. "As Minerva said, you'll need to go to Diagon Alley for supplies, but it will need to be done in such a way so as not to arouse suspicion."
Tracey frowned, confused. "Why?"
"Because people will wonder why a full-grown witch needs school supplies," Albus explained, leaning back in his chair.
"Oh," Tracey looked decidedly sheepish. "Good point."
"Albus, she looks young enough to be a student," Minerva pointed out. She turned to Tracey. "I thought you were younger when I rescued you."
The young witch grinned. "It's not the first time."
Albus chuckled. "Well, that part is taken care of." he sobered slightly. "Is there someone you would like to go with you, Tracey?"
"You, Father," she answered promptly, just as sober. "You've missed so many important events in my life. I want you to be here for this one."
Minerva felt tears pricking at her eyelids and blinked furiously to get rid of them.
Albus smiled at his daughter. "Of course I will go with you, Tracey. There are other factors that need to be considered as well."
Tracey nodded. "What are they?"
* * *
Tracey's eyes sparkled as she walked down Diagon Alley at her father's side. "This is so cool."
Albus chuckled at his daughter's response. "I'm glad to hear you say so."
She looked up at him with a smile. "Thanks for doing this with me, Professor."
They had agreed to keep her relationship to him a secret from a majority of the wizarding world. "You're welcome, Miss Cooper."
At Tracey's request, Minerva had agreed to accompany father and daughter to Diagon Alley and she watched as the pair dove into shop after shop, buying the items Tracey would need. Albus and Minerva had to virtually drag Tracey from Flourish and Blotts once they were done buying the young woman's books, otherwise she would have happily browsed for hours. Tracey wrinkled her nose at the smells of the apothecary shop, but the variety of interesting ingredients distracted her from the smells. They wandered through several other shops and bought a broom for Tracey before finally going into Ollivander's to buy Tracey a wand.
Tracey looked around with a combination of nervousness and anticipation. Boxes of wands lined the walls and shelves. A single spindly chair sat off to the side. Albus was the one who spoke, "Algernon?"
"Hello." Algernon emerged from the back of the shop and nodded to the two professors. "Albus, Minerva." His gaze landed on Tracey. He stared at her for a long moment and she withstood it with only a little fidgeting. "What's your name?"
"Tracey Cooper," she replied, lifting her chin slightly.
The pale eyes studied her further before Algernon addressed her again. "Which is your wand hand?"
"My right," she replied, holding up her hand.
Algernon pulled out his tape measure and began measuring Tracey for her wand, going into his usual spiel about wands and wand cores and so on. Leaving the measuring tape to measure Tracey on it's own, Algernon began flitting around the shelves, pulling down boxes containing wands that might suit Tracey, still talking. Finally, he said, "That'll do," and the measuring tape obediently fell to the floor. After trying several wands, Algernon handed Tracey, "Oak, seven and three quarters, dragon heartstring."
When the young woman raised the golden-brown wand and waved it, swishing, through the air, a shower of red and gold sparks erupted out of the end. "Congratulations, Miss Cooper."
"Thank you, Professor." Tracey smiled up at Minerva. The younger witch turned to her father and raised an eyebrow.
Albus glanced at Minerva, amused, and then Algernon, before returning his gaze to his daughter. "An excellent choice, Tracey."
She beamed. "Thank you, Father."
* * *
They ate lunch at a restaurant in Diagon Alley before returning to Hogwarts. All their packages from shopping had been shrunk and tucked into pockets. Albus and Minerva enlarged the packages for Tracey when they reached her rooms and left her to unpack them. Knowing Tracey, it would take her all afternoon to go through everything and put it away. "Would you like to play chess, Minerva?"
"I'd love to, Albus."
He offered his arm and together they headed up to his study. They spent the afternoon playing chess and enjoying each other's company, something they rarely did anymore. On their way down to dinner, they stopped at Tracey's rooms. Albus knocked and they were answered by the sound of someone crying. They exchanged puzzled glances before Albus said the password. They entered with some trepidation, wondering why Tracey would be crying. "Tracey?"
"Over here, Father," they turned to see Tracey curled up in an armchair, half of the packages from their shopping spree unpacked and the other half still wrapped. Tears were silently sliding down her face.
"Tracey, what's wrong?" Albus waved his hand and the other armchair floated over in front of hers.
She sniffled as Albus sat and took her hands in his. "I miss my mother."
Albus opened his arms and the young witch, looking very young indeed, crawled into them. She quietly cried into her father's shoulder. Feeling as if she was intruding, Minerva left Tracey's rooms and went down to the Great Hall. When she arrived, the rest of the staff was already there and waiting.
"Where are the Headmaster and Miss Cooper, Minerva?" Poppy asked as Minerva made her way to her seat.
"They won't be joining us for dinner," Minerva told them. "They have to talk some things over."
* * *
Up in Tracey's room, Albus Dumbledore found himself quite at a loss. Tracey had been so happy when he and Minerva had left her early that afternoon. "What brought this on, Tracey?"
She sniffled and sat back, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I don't know. I was going through everything and thinking how lucky I was to have had you there with me for once. It reminded me of all the special moments of my life that you've missed." She looked up at him with wet eyes. "My first steps, my first bike ride, my first day of school, going to middle school, and then high school. Getting my driver's license." She smiled wryly. "Not that it's going to do me any good here in England. Going to prom."
He handed her his handkerchief. "Why did it make you cry?"
She mopped her face. "I wish Mom could have gone to Diagon Alley with us this morning. It would have been nice to have had both of you with me."
"If I remember correctly, _you_ were the one who requested that Minerva join us," he pointed out gently as she blew her nose.
She nodded. "I know, but that's because I like her so much." She sighed and slumped in her seat. "Besides, she would have been lonely if we'd left her behind."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What makes you say that?"
She grinned at him with mischief sparkling in her blue eyes. "That's my secret, Father."
He sighed and smiled, glad to see her cheering up. "Then I'll let you have it, then, Tracey. Are you hungry?"
"Not really, no," she replied with a shake of her head. "I need to finish putting everything away, anyway."
"Would you like some help?"
"Yes, please."
"Perhaps you'll be hungry by the time we finish, then."
"Perhaps."
Without another word, father and daughter began unwrapping the packages that remained from their shopping trip.