Ceilidh

A/N: This chapter is just a shortie. I apologize in advance. It leads up to the final two chapters so don't be too angry with me. Thank you so much to all of you that took the time to review the last chapter. It means a great deal to me. Ang, thank you for being a great beta reader!

Chapter Nine: Respect for Family Traditions.

Albus Dumbledore had been staring at the skirt of the last ten minutes. He had put the rest of the clothing on and stood wearing his bright yellow boxer shorts with purple ants scuttling across the yellow material. These particular boxer shorts had been a gift from Minerva one Christmas. She had always said that he had ants in his pants at Christmastime because he never sat still for very long. They were one of his favourite pairs and they went well with the cream Jacobean shirt she had given him to wear.

He prodded the kilt with his wand. Anyone watching this would have thought a dangerous snake had been placed on his bed instead of a kilt. How could Minerva expect him to wear that? She must be teasing him. She had to be teasing him. There was a knock at the door and Albus recognized the short, ryhmatic knocks as those belonging to Minerva. The door swung open and Minerva walked in wearing a tartan hand pleated skirt that reached down to her ankles. Draped over her right shoulder there was a matching tartan shawl. Albus looked closely at Minerva and saw that she was also wearing a black cashmere wrap around cardigan that had a small collar.

"You look stunning!" he told her, meaning every single word of it.

"Albus, this may seem like a strange question but why aren't you wearing your kilt?" she asked as she eyed his appearance. "Aunt Constance would have a fit if she saw you in those boxers."

Albus looked down at his feet and shuffled awkwardly. He hoped that she would have suggested another form of clothing to wear or better still, not noticed he wasn't wearing the kilt.

"Sweetheart, I have been looking forward to this evening for a while now" he began softly. "I just can't get my head around wearing a skirt!"

"Albus how can you expect me to take you seriously when you are telling me this while standing in your bright clashing boxer shorts?" she answered as she crossed her arms across her chest and fixed him with a stern glare. "It is a kilt not a skirt! They are totally different."

"Will the men be wearing them?" asked Albus.

"Yes, it's tradition!" she answered.

"Technically," he replied "I don't have to follow tradition since I am not a family member."

Minerva's nostrils flared and she unfolded her arms and folded them again. Albus could tell that his last comment had hurt her slightly but he was trying to save himself from wearing a glorified skirt.

"You are attending a family event," she told him sternly. "There is a dress code and the code is there to be followed by one and all. Don't I put on the Dumbledore family Christmas hat when I attend the Boxing Day party Aberforth arranges? I play the games you both think up without complaining. Do you know why I do that?"

Albus shook his head. He had started to feel like one of her students who had been caught not listening to her while she told the class about complex transfiguration spells.

"I do it because they are your family traditions," she told him. "I respect them and I thought you might do the same for me. You don't have to wear the kilt, Albus."

"I don't?" he said happily.

"No you don't," she answered as she made her way towards the door. "You don't have to wear any of the clothing I gave you because I am going…ALONE!"

Minerva pulled back the door and stormed out through the opening. She didn't even glance back to see the look of shock on Albus' face. The door slammed violently behind her and Albus bit his lip. He had really done it this time.

To be continued