"And it gets better and better and better!" yelled Lee Jordan, his voice magically fortified. The audience indeed went quite crazy, especially the Ravenclaws, among whom were most of Serena's students.

"But the show isn't over yet- oh damn sure it isn't! Our three teaching temptations..."

"Jordannnn..." Minerva moaned.

"...are not finished yet. Because here is Madam Rolanda Hooch with... Lady Marmalade."

As Minerva slightly turned towards her friend, though, she immediately knew something was wrong. Terribly wrong, because if Albus's eyes had been twinkling, Rolanda's were literally sparkling. Sparkling with very well-known mischief.

It was the sparkle which she'd seen so many times during the past decades, but she knew she should have known, as Rolanda exclaimed "It's Lady Lemon Drop!" and started to sing...

"Hey Witchie, Go Witchie, Soul Witchie, Go Witchie.
Hey Witchie, Go Witchie, Soul Witchie, Go Witchie."

Minerva saw Albus sit up a little bit straighter, an- interested look in his eyes, his clear blue sapphires twinkling with wonder and amusement.

"He met Lemon Drop down in old Hogwarts School,
The smartest witch he ever knew.
She said "Hello,
Hello, let's just go with the flow!"'

Minerva McGonagall was a respectable, controlled witch- well, most of the time. She had never ever so much as been tempted to slice someone into very little pieces. Never had she considered chopping a friend's head off with a very, very sharp axe.

But oh God, if she would have had an axe on that very moment. Lady Lemon Drop- how could Ro ever do such a thing... Only a misplaced and totally in vain feeling of "keeping up the façade" kept her from running towards Rolanda, grabbing her wand, and doing what she'd wanted to do for fifty years, ever since their first "stage performance" at Hogwarts.

But wasn't it obvious to everybody who this song was about? Lady Lemon Drop- how very subtle of Rolanda... and "the smartest witch he ever knew"... It was a terribly exaggeration- of course it was!- but Minerva wasn't stupid, she knew the reputation she had.

And "go with the flow" had been Rolanda's favourite proverb, so long ago, when Minerva told her that it was just "not done" to confess one's love to one's teacher...

It was terrible.

"Itchi Witchie Ya Ya Da Da
Itchi Witchie Ya Ya Here
Ginger-choca-lata Ya Ya
Scottish Lady Lemon Drop!"

Well if there had ever been a time to die out of embarrassment, then now was it, Minerva thought with her last bit of usual, calm sarcasm. Sheer moments later she was on the edge of a hysterical crying fit and very uncharacteristically thinking "Screw sarcasm! Long live hexes!". She knew, though, that stopping Rolanda here would get the gossips really going, so she forced an iron smile on her frozen lips and kept on happily dancing along to the music. Even as Rolanda continued...

"Elle veut bien coucher avec toi, ce soir.
Elle veut bien coucher avec toi."

Minerva thought she'd faint as she realized that this wasn't only Rolanda's plan- her suspicion was proved by one, quick glance at Sera, who immediately lowered her guilty gaze, along with the certain knowledge that Rolanda's knowledge of French was non-existing.

Oh nice. So her two best friends had betrayed her. Oh wonderful. How sweet life was.

In order not to look at her two ex-best friend, also known as her archenemies, Minerva fixed her green-eyed, blurred gaze somewhere on the front row of the audience. She could literally slap herself as all of a sudden, her eyes locked with Albus's. Oh clever. Oh nice.

As she noticed the seriousness in his sky blue eyes, she realized he had understood what this song was about. Well, of course he did! Minerva scolded herself.

If anyone did, then it had to be him, who'd been there, next to her, during all those years. Who had taught her, who knew about her reputation, who'd shared her life- though not in the way she'd wanted him the most to.

Minerva could hardly believe as she, wanting desperately to look away but not being able to do so, saw him, the man she'd adored for so many years, slowly, sincerely and with a rare twinkle in his absolutely gorgeous eyes nodded. He nodded.

And when she herself started the next song- after Lee Jordan's way-too-enthusiastic "And here she goes- our darling Minnie herself! Who would have thought those emerald robes hid such a gorgeous pair of legs!" - Minerva took the risk and did what she'd thought she'd never do.

"The moment I wake up
Before my glasses, my makeup
I say a little prayer for you!"

She looked him straight in the eye, this time- this wasn't Professor Minerva McGonagall anymore. This was Minerva, the desperate lover who'd loved in silence for way too long a time...

"My bun's in my hair, now.
I'm wondering what robe to wear, now..."

"Emerald green!" she heard Rolanda yell- and for once, no threatening glare was sent her way.

"I say a little prayer for you."

He knew she was religious, despite her wizarding ancestry. He knew it. He damn well knew it!

"Forever, and ever, you'll stay in my heart
and I will love you.
Forever, and ever, we never will part
Oh, how I love you!
Together, forever, that's how it must be.
To live without you
would only mean heartbreak for me..."

She'd never meant something the way she meant those words. Together. Forever. And indeed- she was a brave woman, and yes, she was independent, but if he was to leave her, once, ever, oh then the great Professor McGonagall would fall like no-one had fallen before.

"I walk to my class, dear,
While teaching I think of us, dear,
I say a little prayer for you
At lunch I just take time
And all through my dinner break-time,
I say a little prayer for you!

Forever, and ever, you'll stay in my heart
and I will love you.
Forever, and ever, we never will part
Oh, how I love you!
Together, forever, that's how it must be.
To live without you
would only mean heartbreak for me..."

Now, at his questioning glance, it was her turn to nod. She didn't care anymore about what her students thought- or about what went on in the corrupted little mind of Severus Snape. Albus loved her- or did he? She couldn't know for sure, but she loved him.

She loved him like she'd never loved him before.

And when Serena started her second song, she could not but smile at the lyrics- why murder your friends when you can stare into your true love's eyes instead?

"I wonder if one day that, you'll say that, you care
If you say you love her madly, she'd gladly, be there
Like a phoenix in its cage!"

And oh damn yes, she would. But it was the next lines that made her chuckle.

"She is just like a cat on the run
That look like "Oh don't you dare!"
We thought she did deserve some plain fun,
and now she's up in the air
Are you leading her on?
Tomorrow will you be gone?"

Albus was laughing too, she saw- and he shook his head. But what, she wondered, did that mean? Was it just plain amusement, or was he answering Sera"s question?

"I wonder if one day that, you'll say that, you care
If you say you love her madly, she'll gladly, be there...
Like a phoenix in its cage!"

She was his phoenix in its cage- or at least, that she wanted to be. Yet still, though she didn't feel as insecure as she had felt anymore... time would tell.