Chapter Three-
Home of the Notorious Troublemaker
Professor McGonagall stepped inside the old Scottish house. The witch looked around the first floor of the home, at the tall ceiling, at the small living room, and at the pictures upon the walls. She sat her bags down, took Hermione's, and the bags disappeared. She began to speak, but Hermione was no longer listening to the older witch's instructions and endless comments of do's and don'ts. Instead she was lost in a silent reverie about all the things that took place here.
'Why don't we have Order meetings here? It is probably more protected than the current location. Harry would be pleased that they wouldn't have to use his godfather's house. Why doesn't she talk about her family? Look at this house! It's huge! And the pictures. They move too! She was beautiful. Is this her son? No. It's Professor Dumbledore!'
'Miss Granger, I'll have dinner ready in a few minutes. Miss Granger? Miss Granger!'
'Oh, Professor. I-I didn't see you there. Um, is this Professor Dumbledore?'
'Yes, Yes it is. He is about thirty in that picture, then in this one, when I first met him, he was…oh…eighty.'
'Eighty! Professor, that would make you…'
'Yes,' she laughs at the girl's remark, not knowing her true age, 'I'm almost Seventy-six.'
The girls went to the kitchen, hoping to eat. Professor McGonagall had made a feast full of turkey, hot off the oven's burner, honey baked roast, steaming hot ham, all kinds of fish, dressing filled with thousands of fresh herbs you could smell for miles, cranberry sauce overflowing with unsullied juices for tasting, English green beans, mashed potatoes, and so much more that crammed the house full with sweet smelling food and deserts fit for kings.
'The taties and nips are my great-grandmother's recipe she used every time we had a family gathering, which meant, every night she came. Oh dear lassie, you don't know what taties and nips are? Why, they're a Scottish way of just saying potatoes and turnips. Their quite good and they won't bite you now. Do try some lassie, my girl.'
'Professor, I um, well, do you think we could talk, about-things.'
'Well, Miss Granger, what do you think that we are doing now, then eh?'
'About other things than food, Professor, though it is an interesting topic.' She added quickly with a smile.
'How did you like your OWLS, then Miss Granger?'
'Professor, it's Hermione, and I loved them. The whole feeling of taking tests and the excitement of doing it, then you get your scores back and…well, you know what I mean Professor.'
'No I don't…Hermione. You did exceptionally well on ALL of your OWLS. By the way, if you get the pleasure of hearing your first name,' she sighed reluctantly, 'you might as well use mine.'
They finished eating dinner then retired to the living room for tea and biscuits. After a while, they settled down and began to talk. First, the obvious subject of school was at hand with questions of Hermione's ambitions and Minerva's teaching, which Minerva sternly took the younger witch's advise. The next questions were of the Order and of Harry. It was decided that they would visit Harry later that week and invite him to stay with the two witches. Ron would be visited a day after they got Harry, and then Ron would come with Ginny to the Estate. It was settled. At least for a time. Minerva then
brought up the question of whom Hermione liked…
'Um, Min…I…Oh-Harry.'
'Harry? As in the Harry who is my grandson or the Harry who is the boy who lived? Or are they the same…'
'WHAT!'
'Just joshin' you.'
'Well…yes. Min? What is the worst thing you did in school?'
'Worst thing? Hummm… I… well, quite frankly I can't tell you because there is too many things to count. Especially that I did.'
'…What did you do?'
'Full version or long?' Hermione glared.
'OH alright. Let's see: flooded the bathrooms, turned the Potions teacher into a pig, put a toad in the Herbology teacher's desk, mixed up the potions in the Potions Professor's cabinet, made the Defense Against Dark Arts teacher write on the chalk board that she had an affair with the Headmaster, which she really did, glued the Charms teacher to her chair, killed Binns, kissed the Transfigurations teacher-'
'You –killed- Professor Binns?'
'Yes, Mara, Mona, and I snuck up behind him and gave the poor man a heart attack. Poor man. You should of seen the face he gave me when I came for my present position. You'd think he'd of did all over again.'
'and you kissed the Transfiguration teacher?'
'Well, more than that actually, but…we won't go there.'
'WHO WERE YOU TEACHERS?'
'Why, the Herbology teacher was Professor Dina, Potions was…Smith, Charms was Tilly Rena, and the Transfigurations teacher I replaced is the current Headmaster.'
'You kissed Professor Dumbledore?'
'As I said before, kissed and more, Hermione. I had a record of being bad. Until the Weasly Twins beat me this year.'
Note: Tatties and Nips are actually English, But I decided…ok it fit.
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