Introductions : Minerva Meets the Boys
After a commercial break, the group settled down, having settled a popcorn fight between Madam Hooch and several of the Slytherins who insisted that they had caught her with Professor Snape, catching a quick snog behind the stadium.
Turning their attention back to the television, Minerva McGonagall's face returned to the screen. She was dressed in her finest dress robes and was standing before the doors of an amazing mansion. The next few scenes were devoted to Minerva exploring her new domicile. The rooms were large and sumptuous and Minerva smiled in approval. Later, she was shown descending the stairs and coming to a stop outside the door, ready to welcome the gentlemen that would be contending for her heart. As her heart pounded, she suddenly caught sight of something in the distance.
A horse drawn carriage was clip-clopping its way up the drive and around to where she stood. Out of the carriage stepped a handsome young wizard. Dark hair and blue eyes adorned a richly tanned complexion and a finely honed body. Most of this body was hidden beneath flowing, blue silk wizards robes, which gave him the appearance of gliding as he approached Minerva, a gleaming jewel on the cheek of the night.
The group in the lounge was ooh-ing and ahh-ing. Minerva smiled and fought to keep her composure as he lifted her hand to his and kissed it.
"Good evening, Minerva. My name is Alex. I'm here to welcome you to your new home and to wish you luck, but I am not one of your dates tonight," he said. Minerva looked a little confused. Wasn't she here so that gorgeous men could throw themselves at her feet?
As the carriage drew away from the scene, Minerva looked a bit nervous. What was going on? This wasn't in the script!
There was a mix of emotions in the lounge. Some chuckled, some shook their heads as if expecting the impending doom to drop out of the sky, right then and there. What Minerva was in for was nothing she or anyone in the lounge would have expected.
There was a loud bang, and the Knight Bus arrived, winding slowly up the drive and coming to a stop before her. The doors of the double-decker bus slid open and Minerva held her breath. What was this all about? Then the first man stepped from the bus. There, before Minerva, was a bearded, diminutive man of less than four feet in stature. This man saw Minerva, clasped his tiny hands over his heart and then his mouth to cover the squeak of glee that issued from his mouth before he approached Minerva and introduced himself.
"I have the honor of being Mister Filius Flitwick, Professor of Charms at Hogwarts school. I am very, very pleased to make your acquaintance!" he squeaked. Minerva shook his hand and he kissed hers in return. The little guy looked star-struck. Minerva showed him to the door into the house and then turned, almost afraid, to see the next person to come off the bus.
This man walked with a limp. Minerva ascertained that this was due to the wooden leg she could hear clicking against the pavement. One of his eyes was slightly larger than the other and clearly a different color. His smile seemed genuine though, and Minerva extended her hand graciously to greet him.
"My lady," he said gently, "My name is Moody, Alastor Moody, and I look forward to getting to know you tonight." Minerva smiled and nodded as he kissed her hand and went inside to join Flitwick.
In the lounge, as each man descended from the bus, whoops, hoots and cheering issued from various members of the participating audience. The Ravenclaws went wild when Flitwick arrived first, and the staff members, those that knew him the best, cheered when Alastor got his close up on screen. Poppy Pomfrey bit her lip and clapped along, all the time hoping and praying that this would be the only night she was without him.
A dark shrouded figure was the next to come down from the bus. Brown eyes hidden beneath long dark lashes contrasted the pale complexion of Severus Snape. He introduced himself and for the first time tonight, Minerva seemed to show interest. There was something about this man's eyes. She was intrigued. Severus joined the others and Minerva looked to the bus again, knowing that there were surely many where he came from. Sure enough, draped in black and dark cranberry robes, with his blonde hair brushed liquid smooth and pulled back into a neat ponytail was Lucius Malfoy. His icy blue eyes were guarding something, and it gave Minerva a bit of a start. He introduced himself and the barely perceptible sneer in his expression gave Minerva chills. She could tell that he was a something of a dark wizard, and that wasn't a good sign.
If Minerva thought that Lucius Malfoy gave her chills, she was in for a shock with her next guest. With dark brown robes and a turban covering his head, the Dark Lord Voldemort glided up to Minerva and kissed her hand. Minerva thought she'd faint if he was before her another minute, but then he opened his mouth to speak.
"Hello, Minerva! I've very pleased to meet you. I've been waiting a long time for this and wow...just looking at you I can tell you were worth waiting for. I hope we get to talk inside. Bye now!" Voldemort slipped inside the door, a grin as wide as the horizon on his insipid face and a glow in his eerie red eyes. Minerva had to sit down for a while and take a glass of water before her next guest was allowed to get out of the bus.
When she had regained her composure and received her next guest, she was immediately glad she did. Dashing and youthful with dark hair and breath-taking brown eyes was Remus Lupin. Minerva's heart flip-flopped. Here, finally, was something she expected! Remus smiled, kissed Minerva's cheek, and complimented her robes before joining the others in the house.
The audience in the lounge was positively raucous with noise. Echoes of "Go Lupin!" resounded as well as the standard applause and whistling. Several staff members chuckled.
"Once a flirt, always a flirt!" cried Hooch.
Minerva greeted Firenze, an elegant, muscular centaur next, and then blond and blue eyed Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart didn't strike her as the type that really needed a significant other in his life. The staff watching the show thought they heard the words "stuffed shirt" and "self- absorbed git" come out of Minerva's mouth under her breath. She muttered something about him taking up all the space in the room.
After this, Minerva smoothed her robes in anticipation of the next guest. Timidly, a house elf tripped down the stairs of the bus. Minerva thought she was seeing things. Perhaps this was some member of the housekeeping staff that had mistakenly wandered onto the bus.
"I am Dobby, Madam, Dobby the house elf. Dobby is very pleased to be meeting you, Minerva. I is hoping that you will like Dobby's attire, Madam. It was all Dobby had!" the elf squeaked. Minerva reviewed his clothing and shooed him quickly into the house. Surely, there was some mistake with that one.
On the floor of the lounge, Harry had to put down his bottle of butterbeer. He was laughing just too hard. Ron was lying on his stomach on the floor, pounding it with one fist as he laughed. Dobby and Professor McGonagall...that was just too much. Others in the room were equally stunned and amused. Madam Pomfrey shook her head, and Madam Hooch stifled laughter to the point where tears poured down her cheeks under the strain of keeping her professional composure.
As quickly as the laughter started, it abruptly stopped when the bus started to rock a bit on its tires and a giant of a man forced his way out of the bus. Minerva wondered at length how he had gotten in to begin with, but realized that this could have been accomplished by allowing him to ride in the top compartment of the bus.
"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts!" a voice boomed from beneath the bristling beard and wild hair of the man. Minerva timidly extended her hand, half expecting that he would break it in his excitement. She was surprised to discover that his touch was gentle, and not the least bit too rough. His smile was dear, and Minerva blushed at his compliment on her attire. He seemed innocent and endearing, but Minerva wondered if there wasn't more to him than there appeared to be.
In her mind, Minerva reminded herself that there were yet two more men on that bus. She took a deep breath and looked at the doors of the bus and from it issued a man she little expected. After greeting Argus Filch, Minerva thought she needed to sit down again, but as she went to sit, a hand met her elbow and guided her to her chair. She looked up into the glittering blue eyes of the last man. These eyes were framed by gold, half- moon shaped spectacles and a long mane of white hair with a beard to match.
"Are you all right, Minerva?" asked a gentle voice. Minerva stared back, a weak smile gracing her face. She was no longer light-headed.
"I'm fine," she replied softly.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Albus Dumbledore. Would you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to your party, Minerva?" Albus asked. Minerva swallowed and nodded. She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and the two proceeded into the house. This was going to be and interesting competition to say the least!
After a commercial break, the group settled down, having settled a popcorn fight between Madam Hooch and several of the Slytherins who insisted that they had caught her with Professor Snape, catching a quick snog behind the stadium.
Turning their attention back to the television, Minerva McGonagall's face returned to the screen. She was dressed in her finest dress robes and was standing before the doors of an amazing mansion. The next few scenes were devoted to Minerva exploring her new domicile. The rooms were large and sumptuous and Minerva smiled in approval. Later, she was shown descending the stairs and coming to a stop outside the door, ready to welcome the gentlemen that would be contending for her heart. As her heart pounded, she suddenly caught sight of something in the distance.
A horse drawn carriage was clip-clopping its way up the drive and around to where she stood. Out of the carriage stepped a handsome young wizard. Dark hair and blue eyes adorned a richly tanned complexion and a finely honed body. Most of this body was hidden beneath flowing, blue silk wizards robes, which gave him the appearance of gliding as he approached Minerva, a gleaming jewel on the cheek of the night.
The group in the lounge was ooh-ing and ahh-ing. Minerva smiled and fought to keep her composure as he lifted her hand to his and kissed it.
"Good evening, Minerva. My name is Alex. I'm here to welcome you to your new home and to wish you luck, but I am not one of your dates tonight," he said. Minerva looked a little confused. Wasn't she here so that gorgeous men could throw themselves at her feet?
As the carriage drew away from the scene, Minerva looked a bit nervous. What was going on? This wasn't in the script!
There was a mix of emotions in the lounge. Some chuckled, some shook their heads as if expecting the impending doom to drop out of the sky, right then and there. What Minerva was in for was nothing she or anyone in the lounge would have expected.
There was a loud bang, and the Knight Bus arrived, winding slowly up the drive and coming to a stop before her. The doors of the double-decker bus slid open and Minerva held her breath. What was this all about? Then the first man stepped from the bus. There, before Minerva, was a bearded, diminutive man of less than four feet in stature. This man saw Minerva, clasped his tiny hands over his heart and then his mouth to cover the squeak of glee that issued from his mouth before he approached Minerva and introduced himself.
"I have the honor of being Mister Filius Flitwick, Professor of Charms at Hogwarts school. I am very, very pleased to make your acquaintance!" he squeaked. Minerva shook his hand and he kissed hers in return. The little guy looked star-struck. Minerva showed him to the door into the house and then turned, almost afraid, to see the next person to come off the bus.
This man walked with a limp. Minerva ascertained that this was due to the wooden leg she could hear clicking against the pavement. One of his eyes was slightly larger than the other and clearly a different color. His smile seemed genuine though, and Minerva extended her hand graciously to greet him.
"My lady," he said gently, "My name is Moody, Alastor Moody, and I look forward to getting to know you tonight." Minerva smiled and nodded as he kissed her hand and went inside to join Flitwick.
In the lounge, as each man descended from the bus, whoops, hoots and cheering issued from various members of the participating audience. The Ravenclaws went wild when Flitwick arrived first, and the staff members, those that knew him the best, cheered when Alastor got his close up on screen. Poppy Pomfrey bit her lip and clapped along, all the time hoping and praying that this would be the only night she was without him.
A dark shrouded figure was the next to come down from the bus. Brown eyes hidden beneath long dark lashes contrasted the pale complexion of Severus Snape. He introduced himself and for the first time tonight, Minerva seemed to show interest. There was something about this man's eyes. She was intrigued. Severus joined the others and Minerva looked to the bus again, knowing that there were surely many where he came from. Sure enough, draped in black and dark cranberry robes, with his blonde hair brushed liquid smooth and pulled back into a neat ponytail was Lucius Malfoy. His icy blue eyes were guarding something, and it gave Minerva a bit of a start. He introduced himself and the barely perceptible sneer in his expression gave Minerva chills. She could tell that he was a something of a dark wizard, and that wasn't a good sign.
If Minerva thought that Lucius Malfoy gave her chills, she was in for a shock with her next guest. With dark brown robes and a turban covering his head, the Dark Lord Voldemort glided up to Minerva and kissed her hand. Minerva thought she'd faint if he was before her another minute, but then he opened his mouth to speak.
"Hello, Minerva! I've very pleased to meet you. I've been waiting a long time for this and wow...just looking at you I can tell you were worth waiting for. I hope we get to talk inside. Bye now!" Voldemort slipped inside the door, a grin as wide as the horizon on his insipid face and a glow in his eerie red eyes. Minerva had to sit down for a while and take a glass of water before her next guest was allowed to get out of the bus.
When she had regained her composure and received her next guest, she was immediately glad she did. Dashing and youthful with dark hair and breath-taking brown eyes was Remus Lupin. Minerva's heart flip-flopped. Here, finally, was something she expected! Remus smiled, kissed Minerva's cheek, and complimented her robes before joining the others in the house.
The audience in the lounge was positively raucous with noise. Echoes of "Go Lupin!" resounded as well as the standard applause and whistling. Several staff members chuckled.
"Once a flirt, always a flirt!" cried Hooch.
Minerva greeted Firenze, an elegant, muscular centaur next, and then blond and blue eyed Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart didn't strike her as the type that really needed a significant other in his life. The staff watching the show thought they heard the words "stuffed shirt" and "self- absorbed git" come out of Minerva's mouth under her breath. She muttered something about him taking up all the space in the room.
After this, Minerva smoothed her robes in anticipation of the next guest. Timidly, a house elf tripped down the stairs of the bus. Minerva thought she was seeing things. Perhaps this was some member of the housekeeping staff that had mistakenly wandered onto the bus.
"I am Dobby, Madam, Dobby the house elf. Dobby is very pleased to be meeting you, Minerva. I is hoping that you will like Dobby's attire, Madam. It was all Dobby had!" the elf squeaked. Minerva reviewed his clothing and shooed him quickly into the house. Surely, there was some mistake with that one.
On the floor of the lounge, Harry had to put down his bottle of butterbeer. He was laughing just too hard. Ron was lying on his stomach on the floor, pounding it with one fist as he laughed. Dobby and Professor McGonagall...that was just too much. Others in the room were equally stunned and amused. Madam Pomfrey shook her head, and Madam Hooch stifled laughter to the point where tears poured down her cheeks under the strain of keeping her professional composure.
As quickly as the laughter started, it abruptly stopped when the bus started to rock a bit on its tires and a giant of a man forced his way out of the bus. Minerva wondered at length how he had gotten in to begin with, but realized that this could have been accomplished by allowing him to ride in the top compartment of the bus.
"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts!" a voice boomed from beneath the bristling beard and wild hair of the man. Minerva timidly extended her hand, half expecting that he would break it in his excitement. She was surprised to discover that his touch was gentle, and not the least bit too rough. His smile was dear, and Minerva blushed at his compliment on her attire. He seemed innocent and endearing, but Minerva wondered if there wasn't more to him than there appeared to be.
In her mind, Minerva reminded herself that there were yet two more men on that bus. She took a deep breath and looked at the doors of the bus and from it issued a man she little expected. After greeting Argus Filch, Minerva thought she needed to sit down again, but as she went to sit, a hand met her elbow and guided her to her chair. She looked up into the glittering blue eyes of the last man. These eyes were framed by gold, half- moon shaped spectacles and a long mane of white hair with a beard to match.
"Are you all right, Minerva?" asked a gentle voice. Minerva stared back, a weak smile gracing her face. She was no longer light-headed.
"I'm fine," she replied softly.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Albus Dumbledore. Would you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to your party, Minerva?" Albus asked. Minerva swallowed and nodded. She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and the two proceeded into the house. This was going to be and interesting competition to say the least!