Albus sighed as the sun started to set. He had been flying all day and even though he didn't want to admit it- he wasn't twenty anymore, and his muscles started to object. Perhaps it was time for a little rest… Perhaps even the "Great Albus Dumbledore" had to take a break.
He sighed again and maneuvered his broom towards the ground. A forest. The perfect spot to… But as his feet touched the grass, he quickly turned around. Had he heard something in the bushes? He couldn't explain it, but he'd had the feeling he had been followed all day…
Imagination, of course, he thought. He was becoming a paranoid old man. Yet…
With a short shiver, he started to unpack his broom. A slight movement of his broom, and there his shelter for the night was: a small, green tent. It was probably not very comfortable, but it was well enough for him and it was important not to be noticed before he had at least reached the borders of Germany. Even though he was still in England- Grindelwald had his spies everywhere…
And then, he heard another noise- and as quietly as possible, he sneaked towards the bushes.
~*~
Minerva sighed in relief. Phew- that had been a close one. She thought he'd heard her for a moment. Stupid, dry twig she'd stepped on. But everything was okay now, wasn't it? Until her booted foot hit another branch. The blood rushed to her cheeks. Had Dumbledore heard her? But hey… where was Dumbledore?
She knew the answer when a very familiar-sounding voice yelled
"Stupefy!"
And her body stiffened.
Albus Dumbledore came running towards her- and his jaw dropped. With a quick gesture of his wand, he released her. She shivered and looked at him, a guilty look in her green eyes.
"Minerva?" he spoke, too shocked to sound angry. But the angriness came- and it came very quickly.
"Minerva, what are you doing here? Or, wait, I get it!"
Minerva wanted to interrupt him, but he raised his hand and she closed her mouth again. She had, somehow, deserved this.
"Stubborn Miss McGonagall couldn't accept being left behind and decided to play the heroine, didn't she? Minerva, this is the most irresponsible thing I have ever witnessed! You should be expelled right away! This is the most immature…"
"No!" the girl exclaimed, and in a calm voice continued
"Not immature, Professor. I take full responsibility, and-"
"Oh shut up!" Albus snapped angrily. "And stop it! Do you know what this means? Now we'll have to go back, and we can't! I have already been delayed, and I cannot risk… You should actually be expelled, Miss McGonagall, and please, spare me the responsibility-talk! Because what will your mother…"
"Nothing," Minerva responded flatly. "She doesn't care anymore, since Grindelwald murdered my father…"
She bit her lips, yet a lonely tear escaped from her eyes. Albus saw it and almost felt pity. Almost.
"I know how you feel, Minerva…" he continued in a softer tone. "But…"
"No, you don't!' the girl interrupted him. "No, you *don't* know how it feels when you are thirteen years old and your so admired father is killed in a horrible way! You don't know how it feels when you, barely more than a child, have to go up to the Ministry to "identify" his terribly, terribly wounded body, because your mom's in a coma and you don't know whether she's ever going to wake up again!"
Albus felt the blood rush to his cheeks. Horrible- absolutely horrible… A child of thirteen?
"Minerva…" he stammered. "is this true?"
She nodded vehemently.
"Yes. I have never been the- same again…"
Her voice broke.
With an oppressed sob, she succumbed on the grass and hid her face in her hands. Her body shook heavily, yet she managed to control herself. Years of carefully built up self-control weren't wiped away easily…
She looked up again at her Professor.
"And therefore, Professor, to revenge him, I have followed you. Therefore I want to fight. I am perhaps a girl, but I am the only child of my father and if I don't fight for him, then no-one will."
Albus sighed and sat down as well.
"Yes," he spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words.
"I understand now why you've tried this, Minerva, yet I don't approve it. You don't have to fight, that's the task of others…"
"Of men." the girl answered bitterly.
Albus sternly nodded.
"Of men. I am sorry to say this, but…"
"I am not going back!"
Clenching his teeth in renewed angriness, Albus stood up.
"Oh yes you are, Minerva McGonagall. Tomorrow, we are going to…"
Yet, on that very moment, as if sent by the hand of God, an owl descended from the darkening sky. It carried a letter, which Albus opened immediately.
"Dear Albus..." he read out loud, then swore
"Bloody hell!"
The letter came from his employer, Headmaster Dippet… Grindelwald's followers had, again, attacked Muggles. Thirteen Belgian peasants had been killed. The Dark Wizard himself, though, still dwelt in Germany. Preparing for his final victory?
Now Albus knew he couldn't return. He could not lose one day. He had to go on, now… The travel would take long enough without delays. But that meant…
"And?" Minerva had the guts to ask.
Angrily, the man shrugged his shoulders, handed her the letter and walked away towards his tent.
As Minerva read the piece of parchment, she could hardly oppress a smile. She, too, knew what this meant. She had to stay with him. Till death did them part...
With a slight, happy sigh, she stood up, walked towards him and asked matter-of-factly
"And now?"
The man looked up and sternly stared at her.
"And now you are staying, you damn stubborn Scotswoman. I suggest you sleep in my tent and I sleep outside. Two tents will arouse suspicions…" With this, he turned away from her and grunted something between his teeth.
But as the first drops of rain fell on their heads, Minerva shook her head.
"Oh no, you damn idiotic Englishman! We are both sleeping in that- thing, there! And since we will be together for a very long time, you'd better forgive me and get used to me!"
She didn't know where she got the courage to say this.
Albus shook his head in slight shock.
"Oh no- we cannot sleep together in one tent… imagine what people would say…"
Minerva raised her eyebrows and pointedly looked around.
"People? What people? And unless you plan on "trying something", tonight, I don't mind sharing a tent with you… So are you?"
Albus blushed and looked slightly shocked.
"Of course I am not, Minerva, don't act stupid!" he responded stiffly.
"Very well, then!" the girl settled the matter, oppressing a victorious smile.
She was her father's daughter and she would fight!
He sighed again and maneuvered his broom towards the ground. A forest. The perfect spot to… But as his feet touched the grass, he quickly turned around. Had he heard something in the bushes? He couldn't explain it, but he'd had the feeling he had been followed all day…
Imagination, of course, he thought. He was becoming a paranoid old man. Yet…
With a short shiver, he started to unpack his broom. A slight movement of his broom, and there his shelter for the night was: a small, green tent. It was probably not very comfortable, but it was well enough for him and it was important not to be noticed before he had at least reached the borders of Germany. Even though he was still in England- Grindelwald had his spies everywhere…
And then, he heard another noise- and as quietly as possible, he sneaked towards the bushes.
~*~
Minerva sighed in relief. Phew- that had been a close one. She thought he'd heard her for a moment. Stupid, dry twig she'd stepped on. But everything was okay now, wasn't it? Until her booted foot hit another branch. The blood rushed to her cheeks. Had Dumbledore heard her? But hey… where was Dumbledore?
She knew the answer when a very familiar-sounding voice yelled
"Stupefy!"
And her body stiffened.
Albus Dumbledore came running towards her- and his jaw dropped. With a quick gesture of his wand, he released her. She shivered and looked at him, a guilty look in her green eyes.
"Minerva?" he spoke, too shocked to sound angry. But the angriness came- and it came very quickly.
"Minerva, what are you doing here? Or, wait, I get it!"
Minerva wanted to interrupt him, but he raised his hand and she closed her mouth again. She had, somehow, deserved this.
"Stubborn Miss McGonagall couldn't accept being left behind and decided to play the heroine, didn't she? Minerva, this is the most irresponsible thing I have ever witnessed! You should be expelled right away! This is the most immature…"
"No!" the girl exclaimed, and in a calm voice continued
"Not immature, Professor. I take full responsibility, and-"
"Oh shut up!" Albus snapped angrily. "And stop it! Do you know what this means? Now we'll have to go back, and we can't! I have already been delayed, and I cannot risk… You should actually be expelled, Miss McGonagall, and please, spare me the responsibility-talk! Because what will your mother…"
"Nothing," Minerva responded flatly. "She doesn't care anymore, since Grindelwald murdered my father…"
She bit her lips, yet a lonely tear escaped from her eyes. Albus saw it and almost felt pity. Almost.
"I know how you feel, Minerva…" he continued in a softer tone. "But…"
"No, you don't!' the girl interrupted him. "No, you *don't* know how it feels when you are thirteen years old and your so admired father is killed in a horrible way! You don't know how it feels when you, barely more than a child, have to go up to the Ministry to "identify" his terribly, terribly wounded body, because your mom's in a coma and you don't know whether she's ever going to wake up again!"
Albus felt the blood rush to his cheeks. Horrible- absolutely horrible… A child of thirteen?
"Minerva…" he stammered. "is this true?"
She nodded vehemently.
"Yes. I have never been the- same again…"
Her voice broke.
With an oppressed sob, she succumbed on the grass and hid her face in her hands. Her body shook heavily, yet she managed to control herself. Years of carefully built up self-control weren't wiped away easily…
She looked up again at her Professor.
"And therefore, Professor, to revenge him, I have followed you. Therefore I want to fight. I am perhaps a girl, but I am the only child of my father and if I don't fight for him, then no-one will."
Albus sighed and sat down as well.
"Yes," he spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words.
"I understand now why you've tried this, Minerva, yet I don't approve it. You don't have to fight, that's the task of others…"
"Of men." the girl answered bitterly.
Albus sternly nodded.
"Of men. I am sorry to say this, but…"
"I am not going back!"
Clenching his teeth in renewed angriness, Albus stood up.
"Oh yes you are, Minerva McGonagall. Tomorrow, we are going to…"
Yet, on that very moment, as if sent by the hand of God, an owl descended from the darkening sky. It carried a letter, which Albus opened immediately.
"Dear Albus..." he read out loud, then swore
"Bloody hell!"
The letter came from his employer, Headmaster Dippet… Grindelwald's followers had, again, attacked Muggles. Thirteen Belgian peasants had been killed. The Dark Wizard himself, though, still dwelt in Germany. Preparing for his final victory?
Now Albus knew he couldn't return. He could not lose one day. He had to go on, now… The travel would take long enough without delays. But that meant…
"And?" Minerva had the guts to ask.
Angrily, the man shrugged his shoulders, handed her the letter and walked away towards his tent.
As Minerva read the piece of parchment, she could hardly oppress a smile. She, too, knew what this meant. She had to stay with him. Till death did them part...
With a slight, happy sigh, she stood up, walked towards him and asked matter-of-factly
"And now?"
The man looked up and sternly stared at her.
"And now you are staying, you damn stubborn Scotswoman. I suggest you sleep in my tent and I sleep outside. Two tents will arouse suspicions…" With this, he turned away from her and grunted something between his teeth.
But as the first drops of rain fell on their heads, Minerva shook her head.
"Oh no, you damn idiotic Englishman! We are both sleeping in that- thing, there! And since we will be together for a very long time, you'd better forgive me and get used to me!"
She didn't know where she got the courage to say this.
Albus shook his head in slight shock.
"Oh no- we cannot sleep together in one tent… imagine what people would say…"
Minerva raised her eyebrows and pointedly looked around.
"People? What people? And unless you plan on "trying something", tonight, I don't mind sharing a tent with you… So are you?"
Albus blushed and looked slightly shocked.
"Of course I am not, Minerva, don't act stupid!" he responded stiffly.
"Very well, then!" the girl settled the matter, oppressing a victorious smile.
She was her father's daughter and she would fight!