Chapter 30
McGonnagal's Birthday Party
Winter finally abated---thankfully---and Spring was welcomed by one and all. In addition to their busy schedules and the inevitable homework assignments, all the Gryffindors were busy with planning Professor McGonnagal's birthday party, and (in the quidditch players case) practicing for the last Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. That much anticipated match-up was scheduled to be played the month after Professor McGonnagal's birthday party.
Professor Snape began to act more and more strangely as the year progressed, now taking to never going out into sunny places, almost as if the light would spell his doom.
Professor Binns, much to everyone's surprise, begged off returning to work, saying he didn't want to come back quite yet, so that Professor Bat continued on as a teacher in the History of Magic. And this much to the delight of Harry, Hermione and Ron, as she gave them top marks on the last homework assignment on ancient Wizarding Families.
Come April, the next Hogsmeade trip occurred, and Patrick, Katie, and Angelina made their way down to get Professor McGonnagal's presents. Harry, Ron, and Hermione found their walking cuddly lion, which turned out to be the exact size as a real lion. They found it in a store, Wizarding Wants, which sold practically anything a wizard---or witch---could want. Time progressed, and soon it was only a week before the big party. As Harry was responsible, along with Ron and Hermione, as one of the ringleaders of the party planners, he found himself that Monday, running down to confer with the house elves, which were to be found in the kitchens, just behind the portait of a bowl of fruit, which sported one very ticklish pear...
"Hello, Dobby!" Harry called out as he stowed his wand away in his robe pocket.
"Oh, Harry Potter!" Dobby crowed, his tennis-balled sized eyes gleaming with happiness. "Oh, sir...it is a pleasure to be seeing you."
"Right. Um, could you do me a favor?" Harry asked.
"Oh, anything! Anything for Harry Potter, sir," Dobby proclaimed eagerly.
"Great! Well, Professor McGonnagal is going to have her birthday soon, and, you see, we Gryffindors would like to throw her a party," Harry explained to Dobby. He then dug into his pants pocket, pulling out Dean's drawing of the cake. "Here's a drawing of how we'd like the cake to look, all right. Do you think you'll be able to get it done in...say, a week?" Harry asked.
The other house elves gathered around Dobby, looking at the drawing. One elf, a bit taller than the rest, answered, "Of course, sir. Wes can do that, no problems." He then looked to the others, then back up at Harry. "Professor McGonnagal has always been nice to us, so...nows we can bees nice back to her, sir."
"Great. Thanks!" Harry replied, waving as he headed out the portrait hole. "See you, Dobby!"
"Comes back and visits us often, sir!" Dobby called back, waving madly.
Harry sped upstairs to deliver the good news to his fellow Gryffindors. "All right then, mates. The cake's all set!" Harry informed them, still puffing every so slightly from the long run up the many staircases.
"Presents are all wrapped too, Harry!" Colin Creevey squeaked loudly from the other side of the room.
"Decorations have been completed, Harry!" Parvati and Lavender announced from in front of the hearth, carefully rolling up the last banner.
"Great. Everything's shaping up nicely," Harry said, grinning. "I do think we're all set then, for next week!"
The next week fairly flew by, but since May the Third fell on a Saturday, there was no reason for anyone to worry. Emotions were nearing a fever pitch on Friday night, causing many a Gryffindor to have a sleepless night due to excitement. When Saturday did finally come, there was a rush down the staircases, as they all made their way down to the common room early in the morning. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, once they had eaten breakfast at least, took it upon themselves to head down to the kitchens to retrieve the cake from the house elves.
"Hey, you blokes!" Ron bawled as he shoved the portrait to the kitchens open, Harry and Hermione in tow. "Where's our---urk! Bloody hell!"
Ron, Harry, and Hermione could only stand and stare as Dobby, Winky and the other elves trundled a trolley with the cake towards them. To say it was big would have been an understatement. It was not big...it was enormous! The culinary creation was over a meter in length, a half-meter wide, and nearly ten centimeters high. "Oy! How in the name of Merlin are we suppose to get that up to our common room?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Not a problem, sirs and miss! We elves manages it nicely with magic, we will," Winky explained. "If sirs would be so kind as to steps back..."
The three stepped back hastily. "Of course, be our guest," Harry said.
The elves snapped their collective fingers together, and the cake appeared to waver before their eyes, until...it was gone. "Nows it´s up in your common room, sirs and miss," Winky declared with a rare smile.
"Thanks! Thanks a bunch!" the three said. "We'll let Professor McGonnagal know about the cake and all," Harry told them as they scurried back out of the kitchen and back upstairs.
Once they returned to the common room, the first thing on their mind was the cake. "So, did the cake show up?" Harry asked hurriedly.
"Not a problem, mate. Here it is," Dean said, grinning as he rolled the trolley with the cake atop it toward them.
"Well, that's certainly a relief," Hermione told Ron and Harry. And as Gryffindors screambled about like mad, soon everything was ready.
"Right now, let´s go through the plan once again," Harry commanded. Everyone assembled around him, Hermione, and Ron in the center of the decorated common room.
"All right. Mariah," he began, looking over at her. "You first."
"Right, Harry. I will run off to Aunt Min's, and inform her that someone's let a boggart loose in the common room here, and it´s scaring the daylights out of everyone," Mariah recited eagerly, yet with the sense of someone who's been over this one too many times already.
"Great. And when she comes back with Mariah? What then, you lot, eh?" Harry asked to the rest of the assembled Gryffindors.
"That's easy, Harry. We scream 'Surprise!' and give her the best birthday ever!" Lavender squealed in excitement.
Harry couldn't help but smile, as did everyone else. "Right then! Everyone to their places then!" Harry prompted them, nodding to Mariah, who took off out of the room.
Mariah rehearsed what she planned to say and do on her way up to her Aunt's office. Taking a deep breath, Mariah was stepped up to her Aunt's door and began the performance of a lifetime.
"Oh, Aunt Minerva! You simply must come immediately!" Mariah beseeched her Auntie, her voice trembling with mock terror.
"Good heavens, child...what is it?" Professor McGonnagal asked, obviously quite shocked over seeing her niece as she was.
"Oh, it's terrible, Aunt Min! Someone's let a boggart loose in our common room! Oh, and it's it´s creating havoc up there!"
Minerva sighed, and got to her feet. "Oh, they have, have they? Well, we shall certainly see about that!" she declared, taking up her wand and rushing past her niece.
Mariah smiled smugly to herself, thinking, I should start a career as an actress, I should. Mariah quickly composed herself back into her role as the unsettled niece once more, and rushed after her aunt.
Professor McGonnagal rushed across the castle to the Gryffindor Tower and up to the portrait of the Fat Lady. She frowned as the portrait swung open to expose a darkened common room. "What's this? Oh, very well. Lumos," McGonnagal intoned, her wand tip flaring blue-white. "Very well then. I--- " But before she could utter another word, she was set back on her heels.
"SURPRISE!" came a thunderous yell, that caused the Transfiguration Professor to gasp, and step back.
Professor McGonnagal just stared as all the lights came on, and all the grinning Gryffindors moved before her. Mariah then appeared just behind her speechless Aunt, putting a comforting hand on her shoudler. "Sorry 'bout tricking you like this, Aunt Min... but it was the only way we could get you up here witouth you becoming suspisious, you see."
"Happy Birthday, Professor McGonnagal!" Hermione said quite sincerly.
"Thank you, child," McGonnagal replied, moving shakily into the common room and sinking into a comfortable chair. "I---well, that is, why, what a surprise this all is, really..."
The Gryffindors all smiled, saying nothing at first, just enjoying the stunned expression on their unsettled Head of House's face.
"So, Professor? Would you like to start with your cake? Or would you rather start with all your presents?" Ron asked.
"Presents? You don´t mean---?" McGonnagal asked.
"Yep!" Harry said. "Presents, Professor...definitely! We've been planning all this since we found out you' be having your birthday today."
She smiled wanly at Harry, then the old twinkle came back to her eyes. She turned to Ron, and caught his eye. "Well, Mr. Weasley...now that you do mention it, I am finding myself just a bit hungry this morning," McGonnagal observed with the first hint of a smile. Dean Thomas grinned, then came over with the cake trolley.
Seeing his still surprised Head of House staring at the humongous cake, Harry explained, "It was the house elves idea, Professor, to give you this cake, you understand. They told us that it was the least they could do..since you've been so nice to them and everything."
"Well, Mr. Potter, they've obviously outdone themselves," McGonnagal observed, pulling a handkerchief from her robes to dry a tear. Dean offered her a slice of cake, and told everyone else to help themselves. Lavender and Parvati took over then, quickly dividing the enormous cake into neat squares with a nicely crafted slicing spell.
Professor McGonnagal sat with her neice and the Trio talking as she worked on her very generous slice of birthday cake. "Thank you all," she said for the tenth time already, her voice still cracking with emotion.
"You're more than welcome, Professor," Harry said as he queued up the Hogwarts Sisters 'Movie and Musicals' CD, playing 'Jellicle Cats' over Mariah's volume enhanced CD player.
"I see you've found our other CDs then, Mr. Potter," McGonnagal proclaimed with a small smile.
"Right you are, Professor," Harry said.
When the cake had been distributed, there being enough for most to have seconds, Patrick, Katie, and Angelina gave Professor McGonnagal all of her presents. Katie gave McGonnagal Harry's, Hermione's and Ron's gift last. The lion padded over and he and Minerva seemed to bond quickly. As she softly stroked the purring lion's head, Ron made his way awkwardly over to her, shuffling his feet in embarrassment.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley? Is there something I may help you with?" Professor McGonnagal asked.
"Well, yeah, Professor...there is. You see, I told Fred and George about your party and all, and well, they sent me this," he explained and then quickly gave her a parcel. "It's from them, you know...Fred and George. And, yes, they did promised me that it wasn't anything dangerous," he added very quickly.
Professor McGonnagal took the parcel, slit open the brown paper wrapping, and opened it. Within laid a sweater done up in scarlet with a gold lion emblazoned upon the chest. Along with the sweater can the following note:
Ron told us they where going to celebrate your birthday, Professor...so we told Mum, who made you this sweater. Just consider it from all the Weasleys you have been there for, and a special thanks from me and George...why, because of your help with the Animagi class.
Fred and George Weasley
"Oh my. Why, I never would of ever guessed that..." McGonnagal whispered, pausing to wipe a tear. She then picked up the sweater, and put over her head and on. Then she began talking about her time at Hogwarts as a student. When the mantel clock finally chimed midnight, she thanked them all again for her presents, as well as for the surprise party, before heading for the door, still wearing her new scarlet and gold Weasley sweater.
McGonnagal's Birthday Party
Winter finally abated---thankfully---and Spring was welcomed by one and all. In addition to their busy schedules and the inevitable homework assignments, all the Gryffindors were busy with planning Professor McGonnagal's birthday party, and (in the quidditch players case) practicing for the last Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. That much anticipated match-up was scheduled to be played the month after Professor McGonnagal's birthday party.
Professor Snape began to act more and more strangely as the year progressed, now taking to never going out into sunny places, almost as if the light would spell his doom.
Professor Binns, much to everyone's surprise, begged off returning to work, saying he didn't want to come back quite yet, so that Professor Bat continued on as a teacher in the History of Magic. And this much to the delight of Harry, Hermione and Ron, as she gave them top marks on the last homework assignment on ancient Wizarding Families.
Come April, the next Hogsmeade trip occurred, and Patrick, Katie, and Angelina made their way down to get Professor McGonnagal's presents. Harry, Ron, and Hermione found their walking cuddly lion, which turned out to be the exact size as a real lion. They found it in a store, Wizarding Wants, which sold practically anything a wizard---or witch---could want. Time progressed, and soon it was only a week before the big party. As Harry was responsible, along with Ron and Hermione, as one of the ringleaders of the party planners, he found himself that Monday, running down to confer with the house elves, which were to be found in the kitchens, just behind the portait of a bowl of fruit, which sported one very ticklish pear...
"Hello, Dobby!" Harry called out as he stowed his wand away in his robe pocket.
"Oh, Harry Potter!" Dobby crowed, his tennis-balled sized eyes gleaming with happiness. "Oh, sir...it is a pleasure to be seeing you."
"Right. Um, could you do me a favor?" Harry asked.
"Oh, anything! Anything for Harry Potter, sir," Dobby proclaimed eagerly.
"Great! Well, Professor McGonnagal is going to have her birthday soon, and, you see, we Gryffindors would like to throw her a party," Harry explained to Dobby. He then dug into his pants pocket, pulling out Dean's drawing of the cake. "Here's a drawing of how we'd like the cake to look, all right. Do you think you'll be able to get it done in...say, a week?" Harry asked.
The other house elves gathered around Dobby, looking at the drawing. One elf, a bit taller than the rest, answered, "Of course, sir. Wes can do that, no problems." He then looked to the others, then back up at Harry. "Professor McGonnagal has always been nice to us, so...nows we can bees nice back to her, sir."
"Great. Thanks!" Harry replied, waving as he headed out the portrait hole. "See you, Dobby!"
"Comes back and visits us often, sir!" Dobby called back, waving madly.
Harry sped upstairs to deliver the good news to his fellow Gryffindors. "All right then, mates. The cake's all set!" Harry informed them, still puffing every so slightly from the long run up the many staircases.
"Presents are all wrapped too, Harry!" Colin Creevey squeaked loudly from the other side of the room.
"Decorations have been completed, Harry!" Parvati and Lavender announced from in front of the hearth, carefully rolling up the last banner.
"Great. Everything's shaping up nicely," Harry said, grinning. "I do think we're all set then, for next week!"
The next week fairly flew by, but since May the Third fell on a Saturday, there was no reason for anyone to worry. Emotions were nearing a fever pitch on Friday night, causing many a Gryffindor to have a sleepless night due to excitement. When Saturday did finally come, there was a rush down the staircases, as they all made their way down to the common room early in the morning. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, once they had eaten breakfast at least, took it upon themselves to head down to the kitchens to retrieve the cake from the house elves.
"Hey, you blokes!" Ron bawled as he shoved the portrait to the kitchens open, Harry and Hermione in tow. "Where's our---urk! Bloody hell!"
Ron, Harry, and Hermione could only stand and stare as Dobby, Winky and the other elves trundled a trolley with the cake towards them. To say it was big would have been an understatement. It was not big...it was enormous! The culinary creation was over a meter in length, a half-meter wide, and nearly ten centimeters high. "Oy! How in the name of Merlin are we suppose to get that up to our common room?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Not a problem, sirs and miss! We elves manages it nicely with magic, we will," Winky explained. "If sirs would be so kind as to steps back..."
The three stepped back hastily. "Of course, be our guest," Harry said.
The elves snapped their collective fingers together, and the cake appeared to waver before their eyes, until...it was gone. "Nows it´s up in your common room, sirs and miss," Winky declared with a rare smile.
"Thanks! Thanks a bunch!" the three said. "We'll let Professor McGonnagal know about the cake and all," Harry told them as they scurried back out of the kitchen and back upstairs.
Once they returned to the common room, the first thing on their mind was the cake. "So, did the cake show up?" Harry asked hurriedly.
"Not a problem, mate. Here it is," Dean said, grinning as he rolled the trolley with the cake atop it toward them.
"Well, that's certainly a relief," Hermione told Ron and Harry. And as Gryffindors screambled about like mad, soon everything was ready.
"Right now, let´s go through the plan once again," Harry commanded. Everyone assembled around him, Hermione, and Ron in the center of the decorated common room.
"All right. Mariah," he began, looking over at her. "You first."
"Right, Harry. I will run off to Aunt Min's, and inform her that someone's let a boggart loose in the common room here, and it´s scaring the daylights out of everyone," Mariah recited eagerly, yet with the sense of someone who's been over this one too many times already.
"Great. And when she comes back with Mariah? What then, you lot, eh?" Harry asked to the rest of the assembled Gryffindors.
"That's easy, Harry. We scream 'Surprise!' and give her the best birthday ever!" Lavender squealed in excitement.
Harry couldn't help but smile, as did everyone else. "Right then! Everyone to their places then!" Harry prompted them, nodding to Mariah, who took off out of the room.
Mariah rehearsed what she planned to say and do on her way up to her Aunt's office. Taking a deep breath, Mariah was stepped up to her Aunt's door and began the performance of a lifetime.
"Oh, Aunt Minerva! You simply must come immediately!" Mariah beseeched her Auntie, her voice trembling with mock terror.
"Good heavens, child...what is it?" Professor McGonnagal asked, obviously quite shocked over seeing her niece as she was.
"Oh, it's terrible, Aunt Min! Someone's let a boggart loose in our common room! Oh, and it's it´s creating havoc up there!"
Minerva sighed, and got to her feet. "Oh, they have, have they? Well, we shall certainly see about that!" she declared, taking up her wand and rushing past her niece.
Mariah smiled smugly to herself, thinking, I should start a career as an actress, I should. Mariah quickly composed herself back into her role as the unsettled niece once more, and rushed after her aunt.
Professor McGonnagal rushed across the castle to the Gryffindor Tower and up to the portrait of the Fat Lady. She frowned as the portrait swung open to expose a darkened common room. "What's this? Oh, very well. Lumos," McGonnagal intoned, her wand tip flaring blue-white. "Very well then. I--- " But before she could utter another word, she was set back on her heels.
"SURPRISE!" came a thunderous yell, that caused the Transfiguration Professor to gasp, and step back.
Professor McGonnagal just stared as all the lights came on, and all the grinning Gryffindors moved before her. Mariah then appeared just behind her speechless Aunt, putting a comforting hand on her shoudler. "Sorry 'bout tricking you like this, Aunt Min... but it was the only way we could get you up here witouth you becoming suspisious, you see."
"Happy Birthday, Professor McGonnagal!" Hermione said quite sincerly.
"Thank you, child," McGonnagal replied, moving shakily into the common room and sinking into a comfortable chair. "I---well, that is, why, what a surprise this all is, really..."
The Gryffindors all smiled, saying nothing at first, just enjoying the stunned expression on their unsettled Head of House's face.
"So, Professor? Would you like to start with your cake? Or would you rather start with all your presents?" Ron asked.
"Presents? You don´t mean---?" McGonnagal asked.
"Yep!" Harry said. "Presents, Professor...definitely! We've been planning all this since we found out you' be having your birthday today."
She smiled wanly at Harry, then the old twinkle came back to her eyes. She turned to Ron, and caught his eye. "Well, Mr. Weasley...now that you do mention it, I am finding myself just a bit hungry this morning," McGonnagal observed with the first hint of a smile. Dean Thomas grinned, then came over with the cake trolley.
Seeing his still surprised Head of House staring at the humongous cake, Harry explained, "It was the house elves idea, Professor, to give you this cake, you understand. They told us that it was the least they could do..since you've been so nice to them and everything."
"Well, Mr. Potter, they've obviously outdone themselves," McGonnagal observed, pulling a handkerchief from her robes to dry a tear. Dean offered her a slice of cake, and told everyone else to help themselves. Lavender and Parvati took over then, quickly dividing the enormous cake into neat squares with a nicely crafted slicing spell.
Professor McGonnagal sat with her neice and the Trio talking as she worked on her very generous slice of birthday cake. "Thank you all," she said for the tenth time already, her voice still cracking with emotion.
"You're more than welcome, Professor," Harry said as he queued up the Hogwarts Sisters 'Movie and Musicals' CD, playing 'Jellicle Cats' over Mariah's volume enhanced CD player.
"I see you've found our other CDs then, Mr. Potter," McGonnagal proclaimed with a small smile.
"Right you are, Professor," Harry said.
When the cake had been distributed, there being enough for most to have seconds, Patrick, Katie, and Angelina gave Professor McGonnagal all of her presents. Katie gave McGonnagal Harry's, Hermione's and Ron's gift last. The lion padded over and he and Minerva seemed to bond quickly. As she softly stroked the purring lion's head, Ron made his way awkwardly over to her, shuffling his feet in embarrassment.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley? Is there something I may help you with?" Professor McGonnagal asked.
"Well, yeah, Professor...there is. You see, I told Fred and George about your party and all, and well, they sent me this," he explained and then quickly gave her a parcel. "It's from them, you know...Fred and George. And, yes, they did promised me that it wasn't anything dangerous," he added very quickly.
Professor McGonnagal took the parcel, slit open the brown paper wrapping, and opened it. Within laid a sweater done up in scarlet with a gold lion emblazoned upon the chest. Along with the sweater can the following note:
Ron told us they where going to celebrate your birthday, Professor...so we told Mum, who made you this sweater. Just consider it from all the Weasleys you have been there for, and a special thanks from me and George...why, because of your help with the Animagi class.
Fred and George Weasley
"Oh my. Why, I never would of ever guessed that..." McGonnagal whispered, pausing to wipe a tear. She then picked up the sweater, and put over her head and on. Then she began talking about her time at Hogwarts as a student. When the mantel clock finally chimed midnight, she thanked them all again for her presents, as well as for the surprise party, before heading for the door, still wearing her new scarlet and gold Weasley sweater.