Minerva's mirror: Chapter 4

(Minerva stands before her mirror, getting ready for bed. She un-coils her hair and looks at herself with it down.)

"It is lovely, dear."

"Shhh."

"Ooh, sorry."

(Minerva begins to run her fingers through her hair, closing her eyes as she does so. She moves her head from side to side as each hand glides through, pulling as far as her arms will reach. She does this for some length of time. Then suddenly she opens her eyes, pulls her hair over her shoulder and hurriedly plaits it, shaking her head.)

"What am I doing?"

"Plaiting your lovely hair, dear."

"No, I meant…never mind."

"Something on your mind?"

(pause)

"What makes you think the Headmaster's fond of me?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"This morning you said that the Headmaster is very fond of me. And that he'd like to see my hair down…How do you know?"

"Well, I hear things."

"What sort of things?"

(Minerva leans in to mirror.)

"Just things. From portraits passing through the rooms, and the like."

"And what have you heard regarding me and the Headmaster?"

"That he's very fond of you, as I said."

"What about him wanting to see my hair down?"

(Mirror pauses.)

"Well…I added that bit in myself. It's quite dull being your mirror, you know! I have to entertain myself somehow!"

"There's no need to be rude!"

"But I'm sure there's something in it. Professor Dippet says…"

"Professor Dippet?"

"Oh yes. Pops in all the time to visit your grandmother in the sitting room."

"And what does he have to say about the Headmaster and I?"

"Nothing. Just that he's very fond of you."

(Minerva eyes her mirror suspiciously and clears throat).

"As it happens, the Headmaster did indeed ask to see my hair today."

"Ah ha!"

"But not for his own benefit. For that of his mirror."

"His mirror?"

"Yes. Apparently, it doesn't like him taking advice from people who don't show their hair. It wants to check mine itself."

"Oh dear. That doesn't sound good."

"It most certainly does not. First of all, it was ridiculous of Albus to ask me at all and secondly…"

"No. I mean for the Headmaster. I happen to be well acquainted with the mirror in the Headmaster's bedroom and it's a glass not to be trifled with! We're a pair, made by the same master craftswizard and my other half was a petulant so and so from the moment he was first hung. We used to be in the same room, until we were separated for fighting. Ooh! He could be a know it all at times! In the end, our mistress had to move him out for countering all of my advice. Said the slanging matches across the room were too much. Of course, she stuck with me, she was a woman of taste…"

(Minerva snorts)

"Albus won't be bothered by a grumpy mirror."

"He will if it starts to play up. I know that mirror of old. You mark my words, it won't behave until it gets what it wants."

"Well, it's not going to get what it wants. I do not take orders from mirrors…"

(mirror whispers under breath) "Don't I know it!"

"…and there will be no taking down of my hair before a second party, and certainly not in the Headmaster's bedroom! Not unless Albus…"

"Not unless he..?

(Sigh)

"Nothing. Goodnight. Nox."

(Minerva gets into bed and slams bed curtains shut.)

I really struggled with this chapter, so I apologise for the lack of laughs. In the end I've had to knock it out as it is just to keep the story in the format I planned. It ain't up to much, I know, so I am delivering two chapters at once as a form of compensation.

And for those of you complaining of lack of detail, I'd been reading lots of plays when I started this and was interested in writing a piece in theatre-style, as it were. I found I couldn't manage without stage directions, which are in the brackets, but for the most part this fic will be based entirely on conversations.