Lemon drops: 8, units of hot chocolate: 3, attempts trying to make up with Minerva: 63, succeeded attempts: 0
Two days. It has been two days and she still isn't talking to me. I did talk to Alastor yesterday and he finds it funny now. But Minerva doesn't. This morning I asked her if she could pass me the eggs and she called me 'Professor Dumbledore'. It can't get any worse.
Oh, I forgot. It can.
This afternoon I saw her in the hall and I called her name, but she ignored me completely.
And after dinner it got worse. I had flowers delivered to her office. After dinner I walked passed her office to see if she had received them. She didn't want to let me in. I got angry and told her that in that case she should give the flowers back. She did. Had four thorns in my face.
I understand that she is angry, but this angry? It must have been very embarrassing. But I just want her to talk to me again. I miss her.
Have at least still Fawks to play chess with. Not always fun since he's a better player then I am and I'm a bad loser.
Friday January 17th
Lemon drops: 26, units hot chocolate: 507.08 Don't want to get out of bed. Want to stay in bed with lemon drops, hot chocolate and comic books.
07.11 Woke up this night to discover that I wasn't in my bed but on one of the toilets. I have been sleepwalking since I was six years old. Once in my fourth year I was found sleeping on one of the tables in the Great Hall. Very humiliating.
But I haven't been sleepwalking ever since I got Headmaster. I'm sure it will pass.
10.34 Cannot concentrate on work. Am going for a walk. This whole situation with Minerva has been nagging on my mind all morning.
14.02 Hooray, Minerva is no longer angry with me.
I was walking down the lane when I heard someone sobbing. There are two benches behind a couple of trees and a first year was crying there. Neville Longbottom.
I sat down next to him and handed him a handkerchief. He jumped up and stuttered, "Professor… I didn't see you".
"Sit down Neville", I said, "and tell me what is wrong".
Neville sat down but didn't say a word.
"What is the matter?" I pressed on. "Did something happen? Is someone angry with you?"
Neville shook his head. "I had…", he started, "it was… Malfoy did…", he didn't get any further.
"Are they bullying you?" I asked and he nodded.
"Why?" I asked.
"I'm an idiot", Neville answered. "I can't get anything right, I'm not a good wizard, there is nothing I can do. Everything I touch falls apart, my marks are bad… they have every reason to pick on me".
"That's nonsense", I said.
"It's true", Neville said.
"Do you know what I was like when I went to Hogwarts?" I asked.
"I'm sure you were very popular", he answered. When I started laughing he looked highly surprised.
"Neville, up until my fifth year I was everything but popular. Do you know what nickname I got in my first year?"
He shrugged.
"Wet pants Dumbledore", I told him. Neville smiled.
"Horrible, isn't it?" I asked. "And it wasn't even me. It was the fountain. But no one believed me".
"But you didn't have bad marks", Neville said.
"No, I didn't", I agreed. "But that only made things worse. They started to pester me about that. But slowly I gained friends who did respect me and who stood up for me if I didn't myself. One of them was your grandfather. And after some time, it didn't bother me anymore, whatever they said to me. Believe me Neville, one day you'll beat them all and then you will be the one laughing at them".
Neville didn't say anything for a long time. "I think you should go back to your class", I said eventually. He nodded and took his bag.
"Thank you Professor", he said and I smiled. He walked back to the castle and I stayed behind on the bench.
When I stood up and turned around Minerva stepped from behind a tree and smiled at me.
Turned out that she had heard everything.
I offered her my arm for a short walked and apologised to her again. This time she accepted them. I asked her if the 'Wet pants Dumbledore' could stay between the two of us. She promised she wouldn't tell anyone else.
After she was done laughing.
During dinner we have talked only to each other and I told her the joke about the troll, the phoenix and the hag who were sitting in a bar. She thought it was very funny.
Am happy. Feel like singing.