Knock, knock..
Minerva sat up quickly, still sobbing. Who…?
"Minerva… Minerva, are you in there?"
Rolanda… of course. Grabbing a large, tartan handkerchief, Minerva blew her nose and desperately tried to wipe her tears away. She then sat down behind her desk.
"Yes, yes I am. Come in."
Rolanda Hooch came in, with a merry smile on her lips and in her eyes, as always, but as she saw her friend, her smile froze. She frowned.
"Minerva, what's wrong?"
Minerva didn't look up, pretending to be focusing on a piece of parchment on her desk.
"Minerva?"
Rolanda laid her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Minerva, could you stop pretending to be reading that piece of paper?"
"I am reading…"
Rolanda rolled her eyes.
"Then why is that parchment upside down?"
Minerva startled. It was the truth, the parchment she was staring at- Ginny Weasley's transfiguration homework- was lying upside down…
"Minerva, look into my eyes."
Silently, Minerva looked up, and then started to sob softly. She couldn't… she just couldn't… Rolanda had to be the first person, except her parents and her brother, that had ever seen her, proud, calm Minerva McGonagall, cry.
"Minerva… what is… what is wrong?"
Minerva shook her head, unable to say anything, as she stood up and sat down in the large sofa in the corner of her room. Rolanda remained silent, now sitting next to her friend, just stroking the other woman's hair.
Slowly, Minerva stopped sobbing, and muttered, not daring to look in her friend's eyes
"I am sorry, Rolanda. I shouldn't have…"
But Rolanda shook her head.
"Minnie! Don't say that. Why shouldn't you have the right to cry when you want to...? Tell me, Minerva, what is it that makes you so… so terribly unhappy? What is…"
"I can't…"
"Oh yes you can! This isn't the time to be unhappy, you know, with the Valentine feast two weeks away. You know, we will even have a Valentine Ball this year! Come on, Minnie…" she then spoke softly.
"You can't bottle it up. I am not leaving before I know what it is that hurts you like that…"
Despite herself and her tears, Minerva laughed helplessly as she saw the so well-known determined look on Rolanda's face. Her friend smiled.
"You are so much prettier when you laugh, Minnie…"
Minerva smiled, her sadness almost forgotten.
"Am I?"
Rolanda laughed.
"Minerva McGonagall, don't act as if you don't know that you were and still are a very pretty woman, with the most beautiful eyes and hair I have ever seen. I don't know why you wear that idiotic bun, by the way. You really are beautiful, Min."
Minerva smiled, but there was pain in her eyes, as she muttered, more to herself than to her friend
"I wish he'd see that."
She immediately realized that she had said it out loud, and startled. But it was too late. Rolanda had heard it, oh, how she had heard it, and with her violet-blue eyes bigger than ever, she almost yelled, accusingly
"So that's it, isn't it, Minerva McGonagall. You are in love with… Well, with Albus Dumbledore of course!"
Minerva sat up quickly, still sobbing. Who…?
"Minerva… Minerva, are you in there?"
Rolanda… of course. Grabbing a large, tartan handkerchief, Minerva blew her nose and desperately tried to wipe her tears away. She then sat down behind her desk.
"Yes, yes I am. Come in."
Rolanda Hooch came in, with a merry smile on her lips and in her eyes, as always, but as she saw her friend, her smile froze. She frowned.
"Minerva, what's wrong?"
Minerva didn't look up, pretending to be focusing on a piece of parchment on her desk.
"Minerva?"
Rolanda laid her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Minerva, could you stop pretending to be reading that piece of paper?"
"I am reading…"
Rolanda rolled her eyes.
"Then why is that parchment upside down?"
Minerva startled. It was the truth, the parchment she was staring at- Ginny Weasley's transfiguration homework- was lying upside down…
"Minerva, look into my eyes."
Silently, Minerva looked up, and then started to sob softly. She couldn't… she just couldn't… Rolanda had to be the first person, except her parents and her brother, that had ever seen her, proud, calm Minerva McGonagall, cry.
"Minerva… what is… what is wrong?"
Minerva shook her head, unable to say anything, as she stood up and sat down in the large sofa in the corner of her room. Rolanda remained silent, now sitting next to her friend, just stroking the other woman's hair.
Slowly, Minerva stopped sobbing, and muttered, not daring to look in her friend's eyes
"I am sorry, Rolanda. I shouldn't have…"
But Rolanda shook her head.
"Minnie! Don't say that. Why shouldn't you have the right to cry when you want to...? Tell me, Minerva, what is it that makes you so… so terribly unhappy? What is…"
"I can't…"
"Oh yes you can! This isn't the time to be unhappy, you know, with the Valentine feast two weeks away. You know, we will even have a Valentine Ball this year! Come on, Minnie…" she then spoke softly.
"You can't bottle it up. I am not leaving before I know what it is that hurts you like that…"
Despite herself and her tears, Minerva laughed helplessly as she saw the so well-known determined look on Rolanda's face. Her friend smiled.
"You are so much prettier when you laugh, Minnie…"
Minerva smiled, her sadness almost forgotten.
"Am I?"
Rolanda laughed.
"Minerva McGonagall, don't act as if you don't know that you were and still are a very pretty woman, with the most beautiful eyes and hair I have ever seen. I don't know why you wear that idiotic bun, by the way. You really are beautiful, Min."
Minerva smiled, but there was pain in her eyes, as she muttered, more to herself than to her friend
"I wish he'd see that."
She immediately realized that she had said it out loud, and startled. But it was too late. Rolanda had heard it, oh, how she had heard it, and with her violet-blue eyes bigger than ever, she almost yelled, accusingly
"So that's it, isn't it, Minerva McGonagall. You are in love with… Well, with Albus Dumbledore of course!"
