New Job
A/N: I'm afraid this fic takes a backseat to my other ones and only gets worked on if I need a break. Anyway, Albus has a suggestion for Minerva.
"Albus!" Minerva exclaimed as her husband tumbled out of the fireplace. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the week!"
He put a finger to his lips to shush her, but a ten-year-old girl with long black hair pulled back into a thick ponytail soon appeared, rubbing sleepy blue eyes. "Papa!"
"Hello, Anna," he replied, catching her when she threw herself into his arms. "Have you been a good girl?"
She looked affronted. "Of course, Papa! I'm _always_ a good girl!"
"Especially this close to Christmas," Minerva commented dryly.
Anna gave her mother a look, but didn't say anything. "Let's get you back to bed, Anna, I need to talk to Mama about something important."
The girl started to object, but a look at her father's face convinced her that now was not the time to do so. "Okay, Papa."
"That's my girl," Albus hugged her tightly before setting her down and letting her lead him out of the room.
Once they were gone, Minerva sat down on the couch, wondering why her husband had Flooed from Hogwarts in the middle of a school week. She hoped neither of the twins was sick or injured. Both were in their last year at Hogwarts and eager to finish. Daniel in particular had been a trial at times. His natural impatience had not aided him in his classes at first and often resulted in detentions and deductions of House points. He'd learned to curb that impatience, however, and had steadily improved. Erica had always been overshadowed by her brother, but once separated from him, came into her own and few referred to the pair as the Potter twins any more, but Daniel and Erica. Before Minerva could work herself into a state, Albus returned, looking grave. She rose from her seat on the couch, feeling anxious. "Albus, why are you here?"
"Please, Minerva, sit down," he gestured to the couch and she reluctantly did so. He sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Danny-boy and Rica are fine."
She relaxed slightly. "So why _are_ you here?"
"I've come to offer a job," he explained, looking down into her face.
She looked up at him, astonished. "A job?" He nodded. "Doing what?"
"Teaching," he answered quietly, raising one hand to caress her cheek.
She pulled his hand away. "You're not going to seduce me into a job, Albus. Teaching what?"
He sighed, dropping his hand into his lap. "Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"What's wrong with Alakolu Moki?" Minerva asked. Alakolu was the current Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and had come from Hawaii. "Why can't he teach it?"
He sighed again, more deeply this time, and she was surprised to see tears in his eyes. "He's dead, Minerva. He had a heart attack and Millicent couldn't save him."
"Oh no," she gasped, surprised. "I'm so sorry, Albus."
He gathered her close, blinking back his tears of grief. "We can't bring him back, Minerva, but we need someone to teach his classes."
"Why me, though?" she asked, pulling back enough so she could look into his eyes. "Why can't you pick someone else? I have Anna and Tiberius to think of, after all."
He brushed her hair back from her face. "Armando asked me to ask you, specifically. He seems to feel you're the best choice for the job."
"What would we do about Anna and Tiberius, though?" she asked, biting her lower lip thoughtfully. "I can't just leave them here without someone to look after them."
He thought for a moment, looking into the fire. "We could have Arabella and Kevin come stay with the children. Shawna will be a good playmate for Anna."
"Hmm," she thought for a moment, considering. "Well, at least give me time to think about it."
He smiled tenderly, cupping her face between his hands. "Gladly." With that, he lowered his head to kiss her.
She pulled away. "What about your cubs? What if they need you?"
"Kayla agreed to keep an eye on them for me," he replied, kissing her forehead. "Right now, I need my wife."
She smiled and stood up, pulling him up with her. "Well, there's a perfectly good bed upstairs. Shall we?"
Without warning, he scooped her up and carried her up the stairs and to the bedroom.
A/N: I'm afraid this fic takes a backseat to my other ones and only gets worked on if I need a break. Anyway, Albus has a suggestion for Minerva.
"Albus!" Minerva exclaimed as her husband tumbled out of the fireplace. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the week!"
He put a finger to his lips to shush her, but a ten-year-old girl with long black hair pulled back into a thick ponytail soon appeared, rubbing sleepy blue eyes. "Papa!"
"Hello, Anna," he replied, catching her when she threw herself into his arms. "Have you been a good girl?"
She looked affronted. "Of course, Papa! I'm _always_ a good girl!"
"Especially this close to Christmas," Minerva commented dryly.
Anna gave her mother a look, but didn't say anything. "Let's get you back to bed, Anna, I need to talk to Mama about something important."
The girl started to object, but a look at her father's face convinced her that now was not the time to do so. "Okay, Papa."
"That's my girl," Albus hugged her tightly before setting her down and letting her lead him out of the room.
Once they were gone, Minerva sat down on the couch, wondering why her husband had Flooed from Hogwarts in the middle of a school week. She hoped neither of the twins was sick or injured. Both were in their last year at Hogwarts and eager to finish. Daniel in particular had been a trial at times. His natural impatience had not aided him in his classes at first and often resulted in detentions and deductions of House points. He'd learned to curb that impatience, however, and had steadily improved. Erica had always been overshadowed by her brother, but once separated from him, came into her own and few referred to the pair as the Potter twins any more, but Daniel and Erica. Before Minerva could work herself into a state, Albus returned, looking grave. She rose from her seat on the couch, feeling anxious. "Albus, why are you here?"
"Please, Minerva, sit down," he gestured to the couch and she reluctantly did so. He sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Danny-boy and Rica are fine."
She relaxed slightly. "So why _are_ you here?"
"I've come to offer a job," he explained, looking down into her face.
She looked up at him, astonished. "A job?" He nodded. "Doing what?"
"Teaching," he answered quietly, raising one hand to caress her cheek.
She pulled his hand away. "You're not going to seduce me into a job, Albus. Teaching what?"
He sighed, dropping his hand into his lap. "Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"What's wrong with Alakolu Moki?" Minerva asked. Alakolu was the current Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and had come from Hawaii. "Why can't he teach it?"
He sighed again, more deeply this time, and she was surprised to see tears in his eyes. "He's dead, Minerva. He had a heart attack and Millicent couldn't save him."
"Oh no," she gasped, surprised. "I'm so sorry, Albus."
He gathered her close, blinking back his tears of grief. "We can't bring him back, Minerva, but we need someone to teach his classes."
"Why me, though?" she asked, pulling back enough so she could look into his eyes. "Why can't you pick someone else? I have Anna and Tiberius to think of, after all."
He brushed her hair back from her face. "Armando asked me to ask you, specifically. He seems to feel you're the best choice for the job."
"What would we do about Anna and Tiberius, though?" she asked, biting her lower lip thoughtfully. "I can't just leave them here without someone to look after them."
He thought for a moment, looking into the fire. "We could have Arabella and Kevin come stay with the children. Shawna will be a good playmate for Anna."
"Hmm," she thought for a moment, considering. "Well, at least give me time to think about it."
He smiled tenderly, cupping her face between his hands. "Gladly." With that, he lowered his head to kiss her.
She pulled away. "What about your cubs? What if they need you?"
"Kayla agreed to keep an eye on them for me," he replied, kissing her forehead. "Right now, I need my wife."
She smiled and stood up, pulling him up with her. "Well, there's a perfectly good bed upstairs. Shall we?"
Without warning, he scooped her up and carried her up the stairs and to the bedroom.