"And you haven't even told him that it was YOURS?"
Rolanda Hooch rolled her eyes furiously.
"Minerva McGonagall, you are the worst kind of idiot imaginable!"
Minerva stared angrily at her friend, and as Rolanda had finally shut up, she snapped
"So, Miss Hooch, have you stopped raving?"
Rolanda's hawkish yellow eyes spat fire.
"Yes, "Miss McGonagall", I have "stopped raving". And I am not a student, so don't do the "I-am-formidable-stern-old-McGonagall"-thing to me!"
Minerva inhaled and exhaled again, very slowly, and then, in a somewhat calmer tone, she spoke curtly
"I know. I am sorry. But Rolanda, think! How could I ever have told him? Imagine. Just imagine. "Hello Albus, I am Minerva McGonagall, your best friend, and I love you." Albus would most probably immediately die of a heart attack!"
Rolanda nodded.
"Yes, he probably would."
Minerva looked at her friend triumphantly, but before she could open her mouth, Rolanda yelled
"Because he loves you as well, you moron!"
Minerva shook her head and looked as if she could every moment physically attack her friend.
"He- does- not- bloody- love- me."
Rolanda stared at the other woman, standing up, thus towering over the still sitting Minerva.
"Are you really that blind? You- you… Minerva, that man worships you! He kisses the earth you walk on! He kisses the cups you drink from! He…"
"He does not!" Minerva snapped angrily, now standing up as well. "Stop playing cupid! And for heaven's sake, stop the ridiculous "love"- analogies! But, oh, whatever, as if you know anything about love! As if you have ever…"
With this, Minerva shut up, and when Rolanda sat down again, cheeks bright red, staring at her feet, she knew she'd gone out of line.
With a sigh, she sat down as well and muttered
"I am sorry, Ro. I know you have…"
But Rolanda stared at her friend. She was crying, and a sad Rolanda was way worse than an angry one…
"How can you say that, Min? You are- you are my best friend. You know I- you know very well I have lost the only one I have ever loved… You know very well he- he has been killed by Grindelwald. You know he was a soldier! You were with me, in that terrible 7th year, when I received the letter… He was dead, Min, he still is, and I…"
She sobbed, and Minerva was now almost crying as well, as she laid an arm around the slender shoulders of her best friend.
"Hush… Oh, Rolanda, I am so sorry. I know… I am an idiot, Ro. I am a total idiot, and… Can you ever forgive me this?"
But as she looked up again, Rolanda was already smiling again.
"Of course I can, Minerva. I was… I am sorry, but that still is a kind of emotional subject for me."
Minerva nodded as she hugged her friend comfortingly.
"I know. I know… It's just- I really don't think Albus loves me, Rolanda. Let's face it."
"Oh no," Rolanda shook her head determinedly.
"No, no, no, Minerva Katherine McGonagall! At least one of us will… will become happy with a man! And oh yes, he bloody does love you! One week left before the ball, Min, and as I have promised you…"
"Rolanda…"
"I am serious, Min."
As Minerva looked into the sincere eyes of her friend, she sighed and finally gave in, as she spoke flatly
"Then do as you wish."
And with a grin on her face, Rolanda Hooch left her slightly worried friend, and in the corridors beckoned a tall, brown-haired 7th year's Ravenclaw.
"Hey, Mr Charry…"
With this, she whispered some words in the boy's ears.
"… and it's a muggle song. So- do you know it?"
The boy broadly grinned.
"Of course I do, Professor. And I think we can actually play it…"
"Wonderful!" Rolanda exclaimed. "That'll be twenty points to Ravenclaw, then! Bye!"
Yes, perhaps she was kind-of abusing her teacher's privileges, but as if she cared. She had never been a terribly scrupulous woman. It was usually Minerva who reprimanded her then. But not this time…
Oh, no, not this time!
Rolanda Hooch rolled her eyes furiously.
"Minerva McGonagall, you are the worst kind of idiot imaginable!"
Minerva stared angrily at her friend, and as Rolanda had finally shut up, she snapped
"So, Miss Hooch, have you stopped raving?"
Rolanda's hawkish yellow eyes spat fire.
"Yes, "Miss McGonagall", I have "stopped raving". And I am not a student, so don't do the "I-am-formidable-stern-old-McGonagall"-thing to me!"
Minerva inhaled and exhaled again, very slowly, and then, in a somewhat calmer tone, she spoke curtly
"I know. I am sorry. But Rolanda, think! How could I ever have told him? Imagine. Just imagine. "Hello Albus, I am Minerva McGonagall, your best friend, and I love you." Albus would most probably immediately die of a heart attack!"
Rolanda nodded.
"Yes, he probably would."
Minerva looked at her friend triumphantly, but before she could open her mouth, Rolanda yelled
"Because he loves you as well, you moron!"
Minerva shook her head and looked as if she could every moment physically attack her friend.
"He- does- not- bloody- love- me."
Rolanda stared at the other woman, standing up, thus towering over the still sitting Minerva.
"Are you really that blind? You- you… Minerva, that man worships you! He kisses the earth you walk on! He kisses the cups you drink from! He…"
"He does not!" Minerva snapped angrily, now standing up as well. "Stop playing cupid! And for heaven's sake, stop the ridiculous "love"- analogies! But, oh, whatever, as if you know anything about love! As if you have ever…"
With this, Minerva shut up, and when Rolanda sat down again, cheeks bright red, staring at her feet, she knew she'd gone out of line.
With a sigh, she sat down as well and muttered
"I am sorry, Ro. I know you have…"
But Rolanda stared at her friend. She was crying, and a sad Rolanda was way worse than an angry one…
"How can you say that, Min? You are- you are my best friend. You know I- you know very well I have lost the only one I have ever loved… You know very well he- he has been killed by Grindelwald. You know he was a soldier! You were with me, in that terrible 7th year, when I received the letter… He was dead, Min, he still is, and I…"
She sobbed, and Minerva was now almost crying as well, as she laid an arm around the slender shoulders of her best friend.
"Hush… Oh, Rolanda, I am so sorry. I know… I am an idiot, Ro. I am a total idiot, and… Can you ever forgive me this?"
But as she looked up again, Rolanda was already smiling again.
"Of course I can, Minerva. I was… I am sorry, but that still is a kind of emotional subject for me."
Minerva nodded as she hugged her friend comfortingly.
"I know. I know… It's just- I really don't think Albus loves me, Rolanda. Let's face it."
"Oh no," Rolanda shook her head determinedly.
"No, no, no, Minerva Katherine McGonagall! At least one of us will… will become happy with a man! And oh yes, he bloody does love you! One week left before the ball, Min, and as I have promised you…"
"Rolanda…"
"I am serious, Min."
As Minerva looked into the sincere eyes of her friend, she sighed and finally gave in, as she spoke flatly
"Then do as you wish."
And with a grin on her face, Rolanda Hooch left her slightly worried friend, and in the corridors beckoned a tall, brown-haired 7th year's Ravenclaw.
"Hey, Mr Charry…"
With this, she whispered some words in the boy's ears.
"… and it's a muggle song. So- do you know it?"
The boy broadly grinned.
"Of course I do, Professor. And I think we can actually play it…"
"Wonderful!" Rolanda exclaimed. "That'll be twenty points to Ravenclaw, then! Bye!"
Yes, perhaps she was kind-of abusing her teacher's privileges, but as if she cared. She had never been a terribly scrupulous woman. It was usually Minerva who reprimanded her then. But not this time…
Oh, no, not this time!
