Seasonal Snogging: Chapter 2: The Emerald Eyed Monster.
The Three Broomsticks was full to bursting that night as the handful of Hogwarts Professors made their way into the bar. Hagrid was already there, taking up all the room as usual. The rest of them found themselves in standing room only as Dumbledore headed for the bar, rattling his jar hopefully on his way to buy the first round.
Minerva watched him as he passed various witches and struck up conversations with them in the hope of a quick kiss.
"He's a charmer isn't he?" Professor Sprout said, nudging Minerva, but winking at Madam Hooch.
Minerva "humphed!" and turned away slightly to hide the flush of anger in her cheeks.
The door opened and Aberforth came in. Spotting them all standing in the middle, he hailed them and made his way over.
"Hello!" he cried jovially "You're all drink less!"
"We sent your brother to the bar but he seems to have been waylaid trying to fill up his jar." Minerva replied, not without a hint of bitterness, he thought.
He looked over to Albus who was administering kisses to every cheek of a group of giggling spinster sisters. Rubies were dropping furiously into his jar. It seemed to be rather a large family.
Aberforth smiled confidently.
"He's not going to win, you know. Not unless he does something very special." He raised his eyebrows in a "you know what I mean" sort of way and then nearly tripped over Minerva, who had dropped her wand on the floor.
She returned to a standing position, looking hot and flustered to find Aberforth looking at her intently, with a strange twinkle in his eye that was not unfamiliar to her.
"You alright, Minerva?" he asked
"Yes, just a bit hot." She replied.
He refrained from remarking that he'd always thought she was "hot" and turned instead to look at his brother, who was now deep in conversation with Madam Rosmerta.
"So how many of you have kissed him then?" he asked the Professors. All the ladies bowed their heads in affirmation. "Just pecks on the cheek eh? No snogging?"
"Certainly not!" came Minerva's reply. "He doesn't need encouraging!"
"Aberforth grinned and put his arm round her waist. Had he been his brother, she might have found herself going a bit weak at the knees and moved away. As it was only Aberforth, however, an incorrigible old flirt who had no effect on her whatsoever, she did not bother remove herself from his hold.
"So your loyalty to the headmaster only goes so far eh?"
"Don't get any funny ideas, Aberforth." she said warningly.
There was a sudden burst of applause and they all looked over to see the headmaster wrapped in an embrace - tongues and all - with the landlady. It seemed to last an age, and the jar in Albus's hand was filling quickly.
"That's more than three points!" Aberforth cried "You only get three points for a snog, what on earth is he doing to her?!"
He instantly regretted his words, however, as Minerva pushed past him and out of the door, muttering about it being too hot and needing some air.
"Someone should go after her" Madam Hooch said. "I think it was more than the heat..."
Both she and Professor Sprout moved to follow Minerva outside but Aberforth stopped them with a raised hand.
"Don't worry, my dears." he announced with a smile "As my old mate Baldric used to say, 'I have a cunning plan...'"
For those of you who don't know, Baldric is a character from the UK comedy "Blackadder". His catchphrase was always "Don't worry, I have a cunning plan..." It has since become a bit of a national catchphrase, and I'm told "Don't worry, Baldric has a cunning plan" was actually graffitied on the Berlin wall. There's a useless bit of information for you.
And now for my very own cunning plan: review to find out about Aberforth's cunning plan...
P.S. I've never thanked all the people who have reviewed my other stuff! I do appreciate it, and all kinds of criticism are welcome! Knock yourselves out!