Crossed Wires by Clayre

Minerva McGonagall walked slowly up to the Dumbledore mansion, she looked up at the gargoyles and winced slightly. She had never been a fan of the gruesome looking statues. She remembered stumbling across a few during her time as a student at Hogwarts. She was nervous about spending the evening with Aberforth. She enjoyed his company but she was worried that he may have the wrong end of the stick. Her school friend Poppy Pomfrey had told her that rumors were spreading like wild fire around the wizarding community that she and Aberforth were in item. Minerva had been distressed to hear this because there was no truth in the rumors and she had decided to speak with Aberforth that evening.

She climbed the stone stairs that led to the front door and used the gargoyle doorknocker. It sounded loudly against the oak door. Minutes later the door swung open and revealed a cheerful looking Aberforth.

"Ah Minerva," he greeted with a smile "on time as usual."

"Hello Aberforth," replied Minerva returning the smile as she entered the mansion. "What's that you have in your arms?"

Aberforth had answered the door carrying a bundle of something. After closer inspection, Minerva saw that it was a baby goat. The little kid only looked a few days old and seemed to be very weak as it snuggled against Aberforth's chest.

"Oh Aberforth," gasped Minerva as she reached out and stroked the creatures head "is it okay?"

"Aye she is fine Minerva," reassured Aberforth. "She was born a bit too early and her mother rejected her so I'm hand rearing her. This way!"

Minerva followed Aberforth into the warm inviting living room where she had started to imagine curling up with Albus in front of a fire while lying on the sheepskin rug. Minerva sat down and promptly found herself being handed the kid which snuggled into her.

"Watch her while I go and get her bottle," Aberforth told her before disappearing out of the room.

Minerva looked down at the small goat in her lap and felt slightly uncomfortable. What if it started getting distressed and hurt itself? But luckily for Minerva, the small creature snuggled into her arms and made a contented sound. She careful ran her fingers over the animal and found it somewhat therapeutic. Aberforth returned a few moments later and stood in the doorway admiring the sight before him. Deep down he was finding himself more and more attracted to the witch sitting on the couch, but he quickly shook that thought from his head because she was Albus' girl, even though she didn't know it.

"You're a natural!" he stated as he moved into the room.

"Flattery will get you nowhere Aberforth," she replied with a soft smile.

"Would you like to feed her?" asked Aberforth offering her the bottle.

"Are you sure," replied Minerva, taking the bottle. "What if she refuses it because she doesn't know me?"

Minerva needn't have worried because as soon as she offered the milk to the goat, she immediately latched on to the bottle and started lapping away.

"Ah, Bri is a hungry little thing," observed Aberforth as he sat down beside her and watched her.

"Why was she rejected?" asked Minerva.

"No one really knows why mothers sometimes reject their young," replied Aberforth. "But luckily I found her when I did."

"If I was a mother," stated Minerva "I could never reject my baby."

"Would you like children Minerva?" inquired Aberforth.

"I would like to," answered Minerva as her gaze fell upon a portrait of Albus Dumbledore, "when the right man sweeps me off my feet."

They slipped into a comfortable silence until dinner was served, Aberforth took Bri from Minerva so she could freshen up and then join him for dinner. Quite a spread had been laid out on the large dinning room table and as Minerva sat down, she found her mind once again wandering to Albus. When Aberforth finally returned from the bathroom, she decided she would quiz him about his brother. Aberforth appeared five minutes later and immediately started to fill his plate with food. He looked up at Minerva and saw she was watching him intently.

"Oh sorry," he said as he realized he had forgotten his manners. "I am a pig when it comes to eating."

"It's fine," assured Minerva. "Your brother is the same." A silence filled the room until Minerva summoned her courage and asked a question that had been plaguing her mind. "Speaking of Albus, have you heard you anything?"

"One or two reports from some of his friends," admitted Aberforth "nothing exciting to report though."

"Oh," replied Minerva a bit disappointed " I have received some progress reports and that's it really."

"I'm sure he is thinking about you!" said Aberforth before he could stop himself "I-I mean you are part of the Order and everything."

Minerva's head had snapped up at the first comment Aberforth had made. She then scolded herself for hoping there was some meaning into what he had just said. Her actions hadn't gone unnoticed by Aberforth, who smiled to himself as he realized that perhaps she held a torch for his brother. Aberforth was trying to weigh up the pros and cons of pursuing this conversation with Minerva when a huge flash of lightening lit up the room and the rumble of thunder interrupted his thoughts.

"I didn't think there would be a storm tonight." said Aberforth as he rose from his chair and walked over to the window.

It was raining heavily and it looked like hailstones as big as his fist were falling from the heavens. Another flash of lightening flashed through the sky causing Aberforth to step back.

"Ouch!" yelped Minerva.

"What?" asked Aberforth as he whirled around to face her.

"You stepped on my foot, you great oaf!" she replied with a smile.

"Oh Merlin," exclaimed Aberforth "are you okay?"

"Fine!" she answered.

Minerva stepped back and sat down on the chair that she had just vacated and sighed loudly. She wouldn't be able to floo back home or even apparate home in this weather. What was she going to do?

"You can't travel back in this weather," said Aberforth who almost read her mind. "You can stay with me."

Horror filled Minerva and she sat rooted to the spot. She tried to process his words and then tried to find her voice. She couldn't stay the night…the Daily Prophet would have a field day if they found out that she had spent the night with an unmarried man. Aberforth sensed the tension that had immediately filled the room as he had said the words and by looking at how she was sitting, she must have taken it the wrong way.

"I mean you can stay in one if the guest rooms," he said quickly.

Minerva felt slightly relived when he said that but she still didn't feel comfortable about staying there the night. She decided that she would brave the weather by foot and take shelter at one the guest houses in the nearby village.

"I'll walk down into town and find somewhere to stay." she told him "Thank you for your kind offer though."

"I am not having you walk out in this weather," said Aberforth, who couldn't quite believe how stubborn she was being.

"I will be fine," she assured him. "What's a little rain?"

"Oh for Merlin's sake Minerva," sighed Aberforth "don't be ridiculous. You are not going out in this weather. I promised Albus I would look after you and that's what I intend to do!"

"I am going," she said, her temper rising. "What did you just say?"

"I said," replied Aberforth quickly, hoping she would accept his answer "you are not going out in this weather."

"Don't play me for a fool Aberforth Dumbledore" warned Minerva. "Tell me what you said after that!"

Aberforth was stuck and he didn't know how to get out of the situation his big mouth had landed him in. He should have remembered that Minerva had acute hearing and she missed nothing and Albus would kill him, if he found out that she knew about his request. He could feel Minerva's eyes burning into him and he knew that he would have to explain everything to her.

"Albus asked me to look after you while he was away!" he admitted.

"He what?" demanded Minerva who couldn't quite believe her ears.

"He asked me to look after you," replied Aberforth.

Minerva was outraged, she couldn't believe that Albus felt the need for her to be witch sat. In all her years, she had never felt so insulted or so angry at someone like she was with Albus Dumbledore. She turned from Aberforth as embarrassment took hold of her. Albus must think that she couldn't look after herself. Minerva had always been known for her independence at Hogwarts and in the Order, so why did he think the need to get someone to look after her?

"So, is he paying you for witch sitting me?" she demanded angrily.

"No!" answered Aberforth.

"Well your time has been wasted," she snapped. "I do not need a witch sitter for Merlin's sake. I am a very capable witch and I resent you both for making a fool of me. When I see Albus next, I am going to tell him exactly what I think of his little plan. Oh I am so angry!"

"Minerva," said Aberforth calmly "it isn't like that!"

"Then pray tell me, what is it like?" she snapped. "Because from where I am sitting, it seems exactly like that."

"Calm down," he suggested. "There is no point being angry."

"No point in being angry," yelled Minerva getting to her feet! "I should hex you into next year for going along with his little game. I have a right to be angry, so don't you dare tell me not to be angry."

Aberforth was about to reply when suddenly an owl came bursting through door and dropped a letter on to his lap. He looked at the bit of parchment and hesitated. "Minerva, would you mind opening the owl? I've…ummm…left my glasses somewhere and I…ummm..can't read without them."

Minerva eyed him cautiously. She had never remembered seeing him with glasses but then again he had never really had to read anything in front of her…except for the occasional menu and that didn't mean anything for she often frequented restaurants and never needed the menus.

She took the parchment from his hand and opened it slowly, noticing that it was from a member of the Order that had gone with Albus. She read the first letter and stood stunned for a moment when Aberforth's questions about it snapped her into reality.

"He has fallen!" said Minerva looking up at Aberforth.

"Who?" asked Aberforth, noticing that her anger had now subsided into worry. "Not Albus?"

"Grindelwald," answered Minerva with a smile. "Your brother has only gone and beaten Grindelwald!"

"Is Albus okay?" asked Aberforth worriedly.

"It doesn't say," replied Minerva. "Oh Aberforth, isn't this wonderful? We don't have to live in fear of that mad man anymore."

"Lets celebrate, Minerva!"

Minerva was happy that Grindelwald had been defeated but her thoughts were with Albus. She hoped he was okay. All her anger at him had disappeared and now she felt sick in the stomach with worry for him. Suddenly another owl swooped into the room and dropped another owl in front of Aberforth. He quickly handed her the parchment and waited to hear what it said.

"They think Albus may not make it," she told him sadly. "He is in a muggle hospital in Paris. I have to get to him," she said trying to fight back her tears.

"I'm coming as well," said Aberforth "but how are we going to get there?"

A/N: A very heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who has reviewed so far. We're very glad that you're enjoying the story this far. And we hope to get at least 10 reviews for this chapter…so would you be so kind as to drop us an owl??? Also, Arch Sorceress of the Coven…neither of us has read the series, "Song of Fire and Ice" so the similarity was purely coincidental. But now we're curious…who's the author of the series?