Chapter One
"Minerva!"
The well-known high shriek along with hard banging on her door slowly, very slowly reached Minerva McGonagall's ears through the thick, strange mist that blurred her mind.
"Mmmh…"
"Ilba Roma!" came the quick reaction to her mumbling- it was the password to her rooms- and immediately, the dark, mahogany door slammed against the wall.
"Minerva?" now said the same voice again- much softer, yet still undoubtedly Poppy Pomfrey's…
As the firm but concerned hands of the school nurse lightly shook Minerva's shoulders, she found her eyelids flutter and as her own, emerald eyes met the light blue ones of her friend and colleague, she landed back on earth with a rather nasty thump.
Poppy Pomfrey's jaw dropped as she put her hands on her hips. Minerva blinked in embarrassment and immediately sat up straight, a fiery blush creeping on her usually so chalk white cheeks.
"Poppy- I am so sorry. What's the time? I must-"
She half got up- but the firm, certain hand of the Mediwitch pushed her back among the cushions.
"Oh no, Minerva, you "must" do nothing! You are going to be a nice girl and you're going to tell me immediately what is wrong with you!"
Minerva rolled her eyes, yet found herself gladly leaning back into the chair.
"Nothing is…"
Poppy Pomfrey rolled her eyes so wildly that it was hard to believe she actually had eyes left afterwards. She shook her head in that typical I-know-better way of hers, and Minerva knew there was nothing she could do if Poppy had that particular look in her eyes…
And as, on top of it all, a sudden wave of nausea filled her mouth with a bitter taste, she realized that was very bad timing indeed.
"Minerva McGonagall, it's not a habit of yours to fall asleep again after having dressed. For heaven's sake, you're the kind of woman who can be happily out and about at 5 o'clock without even blinking! No, you are obviously not well and I insist…"
"Poppy, let me go…" Minerva interrupted her friend in a mumble. Poppy made a vague gesture of stopping her- but Minerva pushed her aside and she gave in.
Luckily, because Minerva- again- reached the bathroom right in time.
As she fell down in front of the toilet, she closed her eyes… and not entirely out of disgust. Bad, bad timing. As she felt two soft, soothing but determined hands stroke her hair, she moaned out loud.
Now Poppy would go all fussy again. And- it was not that she didn't appreciate her friend's caring for her, but really- fussing was the last thing she needed at the moment. A quick glance at her pocket watch showed her that breakfast was about to begin- and what oh what would the "Headmistress" think if Minerva did not turn up?
When she'd managed to flush the toilet and stand up quite straight again, she sent Poppy a begging glance
"Poppy…"
But the way her friend had her arms crossed told her that she would not get away with this…
Minerva inwardly scolded herself for falling asleep in her chair- but she knew she could never have helped it. She had just felt so immensely tired- she had not had a real good night's rest since Albus's departure, some weeks earlier. She just could not fall asleep in that suddenly so large, empty bed, without his cerulean, wise, twinkling eyes to drown in. So she tossed and turned- and so she felt exhausted.
"Minerva Katherine McGonagall, don't give me the puppy eyes! I've known you for over forty years- but it isn't as if that's necessary to see you are obviously ill and not able to teach! You are going to lay down on that bed and…"
But Minerva knew she couldn't do that. And she knew Poppy knew she couldn't do that.
One word stopped the Mediwitch's torrent of words immediately- as Minerva knew it would.
"Dolores."
Minerva sighed, yet read a reluctant look of understanding in her friend's eyes.
"I cannot stay away from breakfast with Dolores around- who knows what new "rules" she'll introduce today. Albus told me Hogwarts needed me, Poppy, and I won't disappoint him. Besides- I have been this ill every morning for about two weeks now and I know it- it'll get better during the day."
Her large, emerald green eyes did all the begging they could, and unwillingly, slowly, Poppy's determined hands slid off her hips.
With a half-hearted nod, she sighed, but raised her index finger as in a warning.
"You can go, Minerva, but tonight, you are coming to see me. You are not well and knowing you, that is very strange indeed."
"Poppy, that really isn't…"
"I can always change my mind!" the Mediwitch almost snapped as she opened the door.
"Now are you coming with me?"
Minerva McGonagall came with her.
"Minerva!"
The well-known high shriek along with hard banging on her door slowly, very slowly reached Minerva McGonagall's ears through the thick, strange mist that blurred her mind.
"Mmmh…"
"Ilba Roma!" came the quick reaction to her mumbling- it was the password to her rooms- and immediately, the dark, mahogany door slammed against the wall.
"Minerva?" now said the same voice again- much softer, yet still undoubtedly Poppy Pomfrey's…
As the firm but concerned hands of the school nurse lightly shook Minerva's shoulders, she found her eyelids flutter and as her own, emerald eyes met the light blue ones of her friend and colleague, she landed back on earth with a rather nasty thump.
Poppy Pomfrey's jaw dropped as she put her hands on her hips. Minerva blinked in embarrassment and immediately sat up straight, a fiery blush creeping on her usually so chalk white cheeks.
"Poppy- I am so sorry. What's the time? I must-"
She half got up- but the firm, certain hand of the Mediwitch pushed her back among the cushions.
"Oh no, Minerva, you "must" do nothing! You are going to be a nice girl and you're going to tell me immediately what is wrong with you!"
Minerva rolled her eyes, yet found herself gladly leaning back into the chair.
"Nothing is…"
Poppy Pomfrey rolled her eyes so wildly that it was hard to believe she actually had eyes left afterwards. She shook her head in that typical I-know-better way of hers, and Minerva knew there was nothing she could do if Poppy had that particular look in her eyes…
And as, on top of it all, a sudden wave of nausea filled her mouth with a bitter taste, she realized that was very bad timing indeed.
"Minerva McGonagall, it's not a habit of yours to fall asleep again after having dressed. For heaven's sake, you're the kind of woman who can be happily out and about at 5 o'clock without even blinking! No, you are obviously not well and I insist…"
"Poppy, let me go…" Minerva interrupted her friend in a mumble. Poppy made a vague gesture of stopping her- but Minerva pushed her aside and she gave in.
Luckily, because Minerva- again- reached the bathroom right in time.
As she fell down in front of the toilet, she closed her eyes… and not entirely out of disgust. Bad, bad timing. As she felt two soft, soothing but determined hands stroke her hair, she moaned out loud.
Now Poppy would go all fussy again. And- it was not that she didn't appreciate her friend's caring for her, but really- fussing was the last thing she needed at the moment. A quick glance at her pocket watch showed her that breakfast was about to begin- and what oh what would the "Headmistress" think if Minerva did not turn up?
When she'd managed to flush the toilet and stand up quite straight again, she sent Poppy a begging glance
"Poppy…"
But the way her friend had her arms crossed told her that she would not get away with this…
Minerva inwardly scolded herself for falling asleep in her chair- but she knew she could never have helped it. She had just felt so immensely tired- she had not had a real good night's rest since Albus's departure, some weeks earlier. She just could not fall asleep in that suddenly so large, empty bed, without his cerulean, wise, twinkling eyes to drown in. So she tossed and turned- and so she felt exhausted.
"Minerva Katherine McGonagall, don't give me the puppy eyes! I've known you for over forty years- but it isn't as if that's necessary to see you are obviously ill and not able to teach! You are going to lay down on that bed and…"
But Minerva knew she couldn't do that. And she knew Poppy knew she couldn't do that.
One word stopped the Mediwitch's torrent of words immediately- as Minerva knew it would.
"Dolores."
Minerva sighed, yet read a reluctant look of understanding in her friend's eyes.
"I cannot stay away from breakfast with Dolores around- who knows what new "rules" she'll introduce today. Albus told me Hogwarts needed me, Poppy, and I won't disappoint him. Besides- I have been this ill every morning for about two weeks now and I know it- it'll get better during the day."
Her large, emerald green eyes did all the begging they could, and unwillingly, slowly, Poppy's determined hands slid off her hips.
With a half-hearted nod, she sighed, but raised her index finger as in a warning.
"You can go, Minerva, but tonight, you are coming to see me. You are not well and knowing you, that is very strange indeed."
"Poppy, that really isn't…"
"I can always change my mind!" the Mediwitch almost snapped as she opened the door.
"Now are you coming with me?"
Minerva McGonagall came with her.