A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Big thank you to the amazing Always Hopeful for her help and her stories!
Chapter Two
Minerva sat the family table, posture upright as always, though her shoulders drooped slightly, betraying her weariness. The table was decorated in yellow, red, and purples, in deference to the Brodie family tartan, which contrasted significantly with the McGonagall tartan Minerva had chosen to wear.
'Albus would love the purple in the Brodie tartan,' Minerva thought idly as she fingered the tartan tablecloth and listened to the bagpipes play, while the newlyweds danced yet another reel. She looked up to see Athena, looking beautiful, as always, in her mother-of-the-bride dress robes, approaching with Minerva's old friend, James Pomfrey, looking quite dashing in his traditional kilt.
"Minerva, dear," Athena began with a coy grin, "You remember James, don't you?"
"Of course. James, how are you?"
"I'm well, thank-"
"And single," Athena broke in with a bright smile, the polar opposite of Minerva's sudden scowl. "I'll leave you two to get reacquainted."
Minerva watched Athena as she moved confidently to the next table and began chatting with the Crouch family, before shaking her head as she turned back to James.
"I'm sorry about Athena, James."
"Oh that's alright Min. Same old Athena. She hasn't changed much, has she?" he said with a crooked smile. "Actually I set myself up. I figured it was better you were fixed up with me, rather than that Macdonald chap."
"Magnus 'Dent-Head' Macdonald?" Minerva exclaimed, her distaste evident.
"Aye. I saw Athena chatting him up and being an Auror, I'm sworn to protect the innocent from harm, so I decided to offer myself up for use in Athena's matchmaking attempts." James began to laugh.
Minerva grimaced in Athena's direction, watching as she picked up the newest edition to the Crouch family, Barty Jr., she believed. "I would have spent the whole night listening to why a dangerous, often fatal, ancient game that has been banned over 200 years should be reinstated. The man thinks of little else besides Creaothceann. Oh what was Athena thinking?" Minerva laughed before continuing, "And where is Poppy this evening?"
It was a well known fact among the Hogwarts staff that James Pomfrey and Minerva's friend Poppy Stewart, the young school matron, had been seeing each other for nearly a year. Minerva was thankful Athena had yet to hear of the relationship.
"Poppy always visits her parents during the first week of her holiday breaks. She offered to postpone the trip, but I thought she should go. Best to keep her parents happy as I'll be going to see them next week."
"Is Poppy staying with them next week also? I thought she was returning to Hogwarts."
"Well no," James suddenly seemed shy. "This is strictly between you and me, but I'm going next week to ask her father's permission before I propose to her."
As she offered her congratulations and blessing, Minerva wondered what it was about her that encouraged these confessions from young men at Christmas time. It would most likely be another Christmas wedding, she knew Poppy would say yes without hesitation and had always wanted a winter wedding. Minerva sighed as James left her table to speak to some coworkers. She was happy for Poppy and James and Verplaca and Corc. She truly believed that each would be happy with their chosen spouse. It seemed the world was full of happy couples.
"And once again I'm alone," Minerva whispered as she looked at her watch to determine how long she would have to wait until leaving would no longer be considered rude. It had been a trying day.
Minerva had spent the morning, as she readied herself for the wedding festivities, cultivating a positive and optimistic attitude. Within moments of arriving in Athena's home, she realized her work had been in vain. As was the tradition in the McGonagall family, the day had started with a large breakfast with the entire bride's family in attendance. Athena had lead her to the children's table, explaining loudly so all present could hear, that as everyone else had come in pairs there was no where else to seat her. She had attempted to remain positive, but after answering her oldest great-niece, an impetuous child of nine, at least a dozen times as to the whereabouts of her beau and why not all women have beaus, Minerva was already at her wits end when the breakfast concluded and they moved onto dressing the bride.
Though she knew that she shouldn't have a favorite, Minerva had always related to Verplaca more than her other nieces. She had graduated only a few years before and Minerva had enjoyed the pleasure of teaching her at Hogwarts. Verplaca had proven herself to be just as driven in her studies as Minerva herself had been at Hogwarts, and had graduated with top honors. Minerva had hoped Verplaca would follow her path and attend university, but she had chosen instead a low level job at the Ministry and a high society wedding. In her more cynical moments, Minerva was beginning to believe there was no way to combine the two options.
As she helped Verplaca ready for the wedding and presented her with the set of sapphire earrings McGonagall brides had worn for centuries to bring them good luck in marriage, Minerva was struck with two equal but opposing emotions: sorrow that she might never wear those earrings, and pleasure as she realized the stones encased in the pure gold were the exact color of Albus' eyes. The happy thought of those sparkling blue eyes was enough to remind Minerva of her early morning promise to her self. She would not allow Athena or anyone or anything else ruin this happy day for her. Her youngest niece was marrying the love of her life and Minerva was extremely happy for her.
This newest resolve had lasted only until the end of the ceremony. The wedding was beautiful. Minerva had enjoyed watching a nervous Corc fidget with his kilt, while waiting for Verplaca to walk down the aisle of the old stone church. As everyone turned to watch the bride's entrance, Minerva had kept her eyes fixed on Corc. At the first sight of his bride, Corc's eyes widened and face flushed as his mouth dropped open. As an equally flushed Verplaca joined Corc at the front of the church, Minerva agreed that Verplaca was indeed a beautiful bride. The young couple was so very happy and Minerva hoped they would live long and happy lives together.
The ceremony had swiftly come to a close and the guests had been invited to the Brodie estate for the reception. Verplaca had asked Minerva to remain behind for family pictures. Unfortunately this meant that Minerva was once again at her sister's disposal.
Athena's first complaint had been Minerva's hair. Minerva had attempted to dress her hair in a more fashionable style, but in the end had decided it would not matter what the bride's aunt's hair looked like and fixed her hair in her traditional and practical bun. Athena was appalled that Minerva would be willing to be immortalized in the wedding photographs with her hair in such a fashion. What followed had been Minerva's worse nightmare. As Minerva had reminded herself not to cause a scene, her sister, aunts, older nieces, and even the bride's mother-in-law had crowded around her attempting to fix her hair. Minerva had always considered her hair to be her best and worst feature. She loved the feel of her long hair when she left it down and loose, but Minerva had learned long ago that she was not taken seriously by the many men in her profession when she appeared that way.
Minerva knew she would never stop traffic with her beauty, but she also knew she had been and still was attractive. While she never dressed with her femininity in mind during the school year and rarely during the summer, she had made an attempt for Verplaca's wedding. Apparently the attempt had been unsuccessful, at least in Athena's eyes. Once Minerva's hair was twisted up in a complex and unduly large French twist, which seemed more like a beehive to Minerva, Athena had immediately turned to her robes and without comment began casting spells to change the color and shape. The end result was a completely different Minerva, unlike anything seen before and Minerva hoped unlike anything to be seen in the future.
As she looked in the mirror, Minerva saw bright pink dress robes cut too high and too low for her taste. The pink robes matched exactly the large flowers placed throughout her hair, which had been even higher than Minerva had imagined. As she turned from the mirror, again inwardly repeating her mantra of 'don't cause a scene…don't cause a scene', Minerva had come face to face with Verplaca, who had taken one look at her mother's work and began muttering counter spells. Once Minerva's appearance had been returned to normal and she decided not to hex her sister into the next century, she had taken her hair down in an attempt to appease Athena. Verplaca had smiled at her favorite aunt before returning to the photographer.
Once the photographer had taken the shots she needed, the family had joined the wedding guests at the Brodie estate and the reception had begun. Minerva had appeared on the outside to enjoy her evening, while she had actually spent the time pretending she was somewhere else, anywhere else. Athena it seemed, had gone out of her way to make Minerva miserable, and she had succeeded. In fact the only highlight of Minerva's day, the actual wedding ceremony excluded, had been her small chat with James Pomfrey.
Minerva looked again at her watch. The reel had just ended and Verplaca was making her way towards the family table. Minerva stood to greet her, having decided she would make her excuses.
"Aunt Min, I'm so glad you came today."
"You know I wouldn't have missed your wedding."
Verplaca smiled brightly, "But I know today wasn't easy for you. Mom means well. Honestly she does," Verplaca continued as Minerva showed her disbelief. "She just wants everyone to be happy and she thinks you have to be married to be happy."
"And what do you think?"
"Well you aren't married and you are happy. Right?"
Minerva looked into Verplaca's joyful eyes and realized she was right. "Yes I am happy. You make me happy. I was so proud of you today and I am happy for you and Corc. I love you both."
Verplaca and Minerva hugged.
"Say hello to Professor Dumbledore for me. I'm sure he'll be waiting for you when you get back," Verplaca said with a smirk. She had undoubtedly heard and started some of the rumors spread among the students each year about the true nature of the headmaster and deputy head's relationship.
"Unlikely, but I will tell him when I see him," Minerva answered with a smile as Verplaca moved away to say her goodbyes to Corc's Aunt Jean, who was also on her way out.
Yes it had been a trying day, but a good one Minerva decided as she apparrated home to Hogwarts.
A/N: A glimpse at what I sort of imagined the Brodie tartan to be… http/