"And that is checkmate, Professor!" Minerva laughed. And indeed it was.
Albus bowed his head, but smiled. Such a deep, melodious laugh she had. And well, yes, he had lost their game of chess… Mostly because of all the stupid mistakes he'd made himself. He had had serious problems to concentrate- he did not know why.
Maybe because he had been witness of a rather amazing process
The melting of Ice Queen – and first class troublemaker- Miss McGonagall, to the kind, intelligent and lovely young woman Minerva. She really was very intelligent- even though he had had problems concentrating, he knew he still was a good chess-player and not many people had ever beaten him. Yet, she just had.
Albus smiled approvingly.
"Yes, it is, Miss McGonagall. Congratulations."
"Thanks." she muttered.
A silence fell. A quite uncomfortable silence.
They both startled as the large grandfather clock in the corner of Albus's room struck ten.
"I think- I think your detention is over for today, Miss McGonagall."
Minerva stood up and nodded, as she grabbed her cloak.
"Right, Professor. Well, goodnight then…"
He smiled as he guided her to the door.
"Goodnight, Miss McGonagall."
She nodded.
But, as she was about to leave the room, she abruptly turned around and looked straight into her teacher's eyes. Albus inhaled slowly. They suddenly were so very close to each other. Uncomfortably close- and yet, he did not feel that way.
"Professor?" she muttered. He could see her dark eyelashes tremble.
"Yes?"
"We've been idiots." she then spoke quickly- impulsively.
Albus smiled and nodded in agreement. He felt exactly the same way.
"Yes, Miss McGonagall. We have indeed been complete idiots."
She nodded vehemently, and then said- hesitatingly, it clearly was a difficult thing to say…
"I am sorry, Professor. I- I have behaved very childish indeed. I am sorry."
Albus looked at her- read the seriousness and the sincere regret in her deep, cerulean blue eyes- and nodded again.
"I am sorry as well, Miss McGonagall. I have been quite ridiculous myself, too."
She swallowed. The sentence she was about to say was one she hadn't said often before.
"Can you then forgive me? I am- I would like it very much if you were able to forgive me and we-could start over. I am very ashamed of myself."
Albus smiled. He knew this was an important thing for her- he knew the strict education the McGonagall family gave to their children, he knew how important politeness was to her, doing the right thing. He knew she felt terrible about forgetting her own, her McGonagall and her Gryffindor ideals.
"Yes, I do forgive you, Miss McGonagall."
"Please call me Minerva, then, Professor."
Minerva. The name of the Roman goddess of wisdom and war she'd received, and that had been very farsighted choice indeed. Wisdom. Wisdom and bravery united in one person- this girl..
This was the very time he truly agreed with his predecessor. She indeed was to be a great witch.
"Please call me Minerva."
He almost smiled as he, for the very first time, noticed something of a Scottish brogue in her words. The way she pronounced her first name. That soft, rolling r made him think of her father again- Henry, who'd been proud of the accent of his forefathers. His daughter had almost lost that so-typical thing of her homeland, but this very special heritage of her father she still possessed.
He softly nodded.
"Minerva. Yes, I'll call you Minerva. It's a good name."
She smiled.
"Then I now say goodnight to you, Professor. And- tomorrow… 7 o'clock again?"
He nodded.
"Yes, 7 o'clock is alright. Goodnight, Minerva."
"Goodnight."
And lightly, Minerva walked through the already dark corridors to her dormitory. She felt strange- happy and- perhaps… frisky. She felt as if she could start laughing, here and now, in the corridors of Hogwarts, her so beloved school. Yet, with a small smile on her lips, she oppressed the unfamiliar feeling.
Why was she happy, after all? A whole week of detention!
But was detention a bad thing?
She had the strange feeling it wasn't.
Please Review… Happy New Year!
Albus bowed his head, but smiled. Such a deep, melodious laugh she had. And well, yes, he had lost their game of chess… Mostly because of all the stupid mistakes he'd made himself. He had had serious problems to concentrate- he did not know why.
Maybe because he had been witness of a rather amazing process
The melting of Ice Queen – and first class troublemaker- Miss McGonagall, to the kind, intelligent and lovely young woman Minerva. She really was very intelligent- even though he had had problems concentrating, he knew he still was a good chess-player and not many people had ever beaten him. Yet, she just had.
Albus smiled approvingly.
"Yes, it is, Miss McGonagall. Congratulations."
"Thanks." she muttered.
A silence fell. A quite uncomfortable silence.
They both startled as the large grandfather clock in the corner of Albus's room struck ten.
"I think- I think your detention is over for today, Miss McGonagall."
Minerva stood up and nodded, as she grabbed her cloak.
"Right, Professor. Well, goodnight then…"
He smiled as he guided her to the door.
"Goodnight, Miss McGonagall."
She nodded.
But, as she was about to leave the room, she abruptly turned around and looked straight into her teacher's eyes. Albus inhaled slowly. They suddenly were so very close to each other. Uncomfortably close- and yet, he did not feel that way.
"Professor?" she muttered. He could see her dark eyelashes tremble.
"Yes?"
"We've been idiots." she then spoke quickly- impulsively.
Albus smiled and nodded in agreement. He felt exactly the same way.
"Yes, Miss McGonagall. We have indeed been complete idiots."
She nodded vehemently, and then said- hesitatingly, it clearly was a difficult thing to say…
"I am sorry, Professor. I- I have behaved very childish indeed. I am sorry."
Albus looked at her- read the seriousness and the sincere regret in her deep, cerulean blue eyes- and nodded again.
"I am sorry as well, Miss McGonagall. I have been quite ridiculous myself, too."
She swallowed. The sentence she was about to say was one she hadn't said often before.
"Can you then forgive me? I am- I would like it very much if you were able to forgive me and we-could start over. I am very ashamed of myself."
Albus smiled. He knew this was an important thing for her- he knew the strict education the McGonagall family gave to their children, he knew how important politeness was to her, doing the right thing. He knew she felt terrible about forgetting her own, her McGonagall and her Gryffindor ideals.
"Yes, I do forgive you, Miss McGonagall."
"Please call me Minerva, then, Professor."
Minerva. The name of the Roman goddess of wisdom and war she'd received, and that had been very farsighted choice indeed. Wisdom. Wisdom and bravery united in one person- this girl..
This was the very time he truly agreed with his predecessor. She indeed was to be a great witch.
"Please call me Minerva."
He almost smiled as he, for the very first time, noticed something of a Scottish brogue in her words. The way she pronounced her first name. That soft, rolling r made him think of her father again- Henry, who'd been proud of the accent of his forefathers. His daughter had almost lost that so-typical thing of her homeland, but this very special heritage of her father she still possessed.
He softly nodded.
"Minerva. Yes, I'll call you Minerva. It's a good name."
She smiled.
"Then I now say goodnight to you, Professor. And- tomorrow… 7 o'clock again?"
He nodded.
"Yes, 7 o'clock is alright. Goodnight, Minerva."
"Goodnight."
And lightly, Minerva walked through the already dark corridors to her dormitory. She felt strange- happy and- perhaps… frisky. She felt as if she could start laughing, here and now, in the corridors of Hogwarts, her so beloved school. Yet, with a small smile on her lips, she oppressed the unfamiliar feeling.
Why was she happy, after all? A whole week of detention!
But was detention a bad thing?
She had the strange feeling it wasn't.
Please Review… Happy New Year!