Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for reading the first chapter. I promise you- stick with the story because it will pay off. I apologise for not including a proper thanks to JKR in the first chapter. Without her interactions between Minerva and Dolores I wouldn't have gotten this plot bunny and wouldn't have a wonderfully created world to place it in.
Alastor Moody took a sip from his punch and adjusted himself in his trousers. The heat was unbearable. Edgar Bones had picked a helluva day to hold a picnic. At least there was a tent to provide shade from the August heat.
"Fancy a ride?" Edgar said to Moody from across the table.
Moody had been eyeing Edgar's new Shooting Star racing broom all afternoon. The Bones family had a lovely country house that provided plenty of free space to ride brooms. The freedom to ride was one of the biggest things Alastor missed about living in the country. Life in London made it difficult to ride a broom regularly. Alastor watched with envy as the McKinnon boy soared gently above the ground with ease. The light breeze of a casual broom ride was a good feeling on a hot day.
"I see she decided to come," Edgar said as he pointed to the back door of the house. Stepping through the doorway was Tully McGonagall accompanied by his fiancee, Dolores. The two made a beeline for Moody's table.
"Alastor," Tully said as he approached the table.
"Mister Moody," Dolores said sharply, nodding to the man.
"Is that the new Shooting Star?" Tully asked as he eyed the broom off in the distance.
"I've got the next ride," Moody said as Tully and Dolores sat down at the table.
Across the yard was a small sandbar where a shallow river flowed through the back of the Bones' property. Amelia Bones, Minerva Black, and Charlotte Dawes were relaxing on the sandbar with their feet in the water. The sand was hot, but the river provided a nice relief from the heat of day. The three ladies were sharing Black's muggle cigarettes and passing around a cool bottle of Gillywater.
"I don't see why they cut Greene's contract," said Bones angrily. Frank Greene had been her favourite beater for the Pride of Portee for the last twelve years. Amelia hadn't taken the news well when she learned that the team was cutting him. Charlotte was an assistant editor for The Pitch, the leading Quidditch magazine. Earlier in the afternoon, she had dropped the bomb that Greene was on his way out.
"He missed two games last season and he's getting on," Minerva replied as she took a lazily took a drag from her cigarette. "46 is pretty old for a professional player."
"Don't let your partner hear you say that," Charlotte said with a smirk from underneath her big, floppy sun hat.
"Sometimes I forgot he's so much older," Minerva said in response.
"Who is so old?" said Tully McGonagall as he approached the three ladies.
"You're blocking my sun," said Charlotte as Tully stood behind the three.
Minerva glanced back to greet him and noticed he was sporting muggle clothing. She couldn't resist the opportunity to get a dig in to Dolores.
"What a lovely shirt, McGonagall," Minerva said as took in his red and yellow Hawaiian style shirt. "It is very" Minerva paused, "loud."
"Hem hem," Dolores coughed.
"I could say the same for your bathing suit," McGonagall countered.
Amelia had talked Minerva into purchasing a new bathing suit. It was a bright yellow two piece and not something Minerva would have purchased on her own accord. She was uncomfortable in the suit, and Tully knew it, but he silently praised Amelia for her efforts. Amelia had tried to gently nudge Minerva into dressing a little more fashionably.
"Hem hem," Dolores coughed again. She was still standing on the grass a few feet behind the group.
"Why don't you come down here, dear?" Charlotte said politely.
"Where are my manners?" Tully said as he realised he hadn't properly introduced his guest. "Ladies this is my fiancee Dolores." He held his hand out for Dolores to join him down on the sand, but she refused to move from the grass. "And Dolores this is Charlotte Dawes, Amelia Bones and you've already met Minerva."
"We're about to walk upstream," Amelia offered with a smile, "There's a new nest of Puffskeins if you'd like to see them."
"Don't you think we should return to the party?" Dolores asked.
Tully could hear in her voice that she was uncomfortable. Dolores, in her sundress and cardigan, wasn't dressed for a jaunt up the river. Amelia reassured the two that they weren't going anywhere deep.
Despite Amelia's reassurances, Dolores declined the offer. She also decided that she would wait in the grass by the sandbar until the group returned. Amelia shook out the blanket the ladies had been laying on, while Charlotte placed the bottle of Gillywater back into a small wicker basket. Tully watched as Minerva stood up and stretched in a catlike fashion and said another silent 'thank you' to Amelia for her efforts. As he watched his partner's back arch his thoughts drifted to his dream from the other night.
"Look out!" Tully heard a voice call.
He whipped around to see Alastor Moody barrelling toward the gang on Edgar's new broom. Tully just had time to duck before hearing a loud splash. Sitting in a foot of muddy water was Moody laughing and covered in muck. But Tully's heart sank when he realised Dolores was sitting next to Moody in the water.
"I'm sorry about that ma'am," Moody said as he tried to help her to her feet.
"Don't touch me," Dolores snapped. Her sundress and hair were wet. She wiped the muck from her eyes and glared at Moody. Ignoring her protests, Moody picked her up and tried to help wipe the chunks of mud off her dress. Her blonde hair was coated in thick slime.
"Please come inside the house," Amelia said as she offered Dolores her hand. "We'll get you cleaned up and find you something new to wear."
Dolores didn't immediately respond. She glanced down at Amelia's attire as if to judge whether she could trust any clothing the woman could offer.
"No I don't think so," Dolores said in her sickly sweet voice as she finally stepped out of the water.
As she did, she took Edgar's new racing broom with her. Amelia offered to take the broom. Dolores smiled and pulled out her wand. Before anyone could stop her, Dolores said a quick spell and the broom snapped in half. With a smile, Dolores handed the broom to Amelia and began to walk away. The group stood on the sandbar in silence.
"Hey," Minerva yelled at Dolores as she walked away across the grass. "What's your problem?"
Dolores continued to walk away without acknowledging Minerva. Moody was beside himself as Amelia and Charlotte tried to reassure him that it wasn't his fault. Minerva shot a glare at Tully. He responded with a shrug. His eyes widened. He certainly hadn't expected Dolores to break Edgar's broom. Her thinned lips told Tully she wasn't buying his response. Without a word, Minerva took off after Dolores.
"Black," Tully called after her.
He wanted to avoid any confrontation between the two witches. Dolores had quite an unpredictable temper. Hell, she had just snapped a man's broom in half. There was no telling what she would do when cornered.
Unfortunately, Black beat him to her. Minerva put her arm on Dolores's shoulder and turned her around. Tully picked up his pace to a jog.
"Do you need something, Miss Black?" Dolores said as she spun around. Minerva was taken aback by Dolores's tone. Dolores wore a face of pure innocence and a tone of genuine surprise.
"What is your problem?" Minerva said repeating her earlier question. "That was completely uncalled for."
"Yes it was," Dolores said sweetly, "and Mister Moody is fortunate that I won't be pressing charges."
"Press charges?" Minerva said incredulously. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. Her chest was heaving as she glared down at the smaller woman.
"Is that a problem, Miss Black?" Dolores asked as her smile grew wider. Minerva opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by Tully's arrival.
"Darling," Tully said breathlessly as he reached the pair. "Perhaps you overreacted. Let's-"
"Overreacted?" Dolores said with a slightly faltering smile. Her eyes were wide and her face seemed frozen as mud and water dripped from the hem of her dress.
"Why don't we go inside and talk?" Tully suggested as he took Dolores's hand in his own.
Twenty minutes later, Tully emerged, alone, from the house. He walked across the veranda and joined the group under the tent. Charlotte and Amelia were trying to remove the mud from Moody's clothes.
"Sorry McGonagall," Moody said in earnest as his clothes dripped onto the stone. At least the heat would help dry Moody's clothes faster.
"I'm the one who should apologise," Tully said as he turned to Edgar.
"As I recall," Minerva said from the corner of the tent, "you're not the one who broke the broom."
"The children would enjoy walking up to see the Puffskeins," Charlotte said quickly. "We can handle cleaning up."
As they walked along the stream, Edgar and Amelia shared stories from their childhood. Tully had rolled his pant legs up and removed his shoes. He felt relief as his feet touched the cool stones under the moving water. As he walked, he noticed small minnows swiftly swimming to avoid his footsteps.
There was a clearing up the stream that the Bones had used as a camp out spot as children. Tully had been fishing with Edgar on this stream a handful of times. Tully's home in London was suitable for a bachelor, but he dreamed of owning a country home one day so he could take his children on camp outs.
"Aunt Amelia," said Edgar's youngest daughter. "Will you take us on a camp out tonight?"
"Please, please, please, please, please!" cried McKinnon kids in unison.
"Perhaps you should take Dolores on a camping trip?" Minerva suggested as she looked back at him. Tully thought she looked ridiculous toting around a toddler in a bathing suit. He chuckled.
"Dolores doesn't really enjoy outdoor activities," Amelia said smartly.
"Well with her work it is hard to enjoy the outdoors," Tully said as he stepped high to avoid a large, slippery rock covered with moss.
"I'm sorry," Minerva said as she cocked her head, "Did you say work or wardrobe?"
"Well there's that too," Tully said with a small smile.
"I'll go on a camp out with you!" Edgar's daughter offered.
"There won't be any camp outs tonight, but there will be fireworks," Amelia reassured the children. Giddy squeals of delight accompanied Amelia's announcement. "But quiet down or you'll scare the Puffskeins!"
As the sun began to set, a beautiful orange hue streaked across the skyline. Moody, now dry, helped Amelia lay out blankets. The McKinnon boy was very upset that they weren't, in his mind, close enough to the fireworks. It took almost a half hour to settle the little ones onto the quilts.
Once the kids were set, Edgar passed around some Bones' family wine. As Tully savoured a third glass of the homemade nectar, he started to feel the wear of the day and sun. Even the booms of the fireworks weren't enough to keep his attention. He could feel himself starting to nod off and he struggled to keep his eyes open.
"It's too sweet," Moody surmised as he licked his lips.
"It's supposed to be sweet," Amelia countered as a firework crackled down into smoke.
Edgar must have cast a cooling spell on the quilts. Compared to the humidity he'd sat in all day, that quilt felt like heaven. Tully drifted off to sleep listening to the whirl, boom, and sizzle of the fireworks in the night sky.
Tully could hear voices whispering, but he didn't open his eyes. It was cool out. This was the first good sleep he'd had in a quite some time. As he lay barely awake, he tried to distinguish the conversation. There were hushed voices and then a giggle. As he inhaled he could smell smoke.
"I am worried," said a voice that Tully recognised as Minerva. "He was winging it during that meeting. I know he didn't read the report thoroughly."
Tully felt a small pang of guilt. It was obvious Minerva was discussing the report on the Pinelli family. He had barely skimmed the contents of the report and she could tell.
"You don't think he can handle himself?" Amelia whispered in a serious tone.
"I should have made my meaning clearer," Minerva said solemnly. "He can handle himself." Tully's heart swelled with pride from his partner's assessment. "But we're sailing through uncharted waters." She added. "I'm not sure we're ready."
"And his charm has nothing to do with this concern," Amelia said with a hint of sarcasm. Tully's ears perked up at the comment. He had to stop himself from moving too much. He heard his partner snort softly.
"Potter and I are friends," Minerva said in a matter-of-fact tone. Tully's heart sank. He knew there was a reason he didn't like that man. "We're very old, very dear, friends," Minerva reiterated, "and nothing more."
"So your upcoming dinner is-" Amelia started but was cut off by Minerva.
"Dinner," she said in a dangerously low voice. "And just dinner. And you can stop pretending to be asleep McGonagall."
Tully felt his cheeks flush as he sat up straight.
"How did you know?" He asked as he smoothed his hair down.
"Your breathing changed," Minerva responded as she tapped the ash off the end of her cigarette.
Glancing around, Tully noticed that most of the guests were gone. Amelia and Minerva were sitting on a blanket near Tully. Closer to the house, Tully could barely make out a few shadows sitting on the veranda. It looked like Edgar and his wife, Moody, and Barry McKinnon were laughing together.
"They're playing Knights and Knaves if you want to join," Amelia offered.
It was a simple card game and one that Tully enjoyed tremendously. Each player would draw question or dare cards to ask another player. If one was asked a question card, the player could answer truthfully or lie. Then each player would bet a Knight or Knave piece depending on if they thought the person was truthful or dishonest. If one was asked a dare card, the person could accept or decline. To accept earned the player a Knight, but to decline earned the player a Knave. The person to collect the most Knights was named the Knight. Alternatively, the person to collect the most Knaves was crowned the Knave for the evening. The Knight would be able to command the Knave for minor tasks for the remainder of the evening.
"Would you ladies care to join?" Tully asked hopefully. Knights and Knaves was one of his favourite card games. His years as an Auror made it easy, or so he thought, at detecting liars in the game. He added a reassuring smile to seal the deal, but the two women politely refused his offer. Tully left and joined the group on the veranda while Minerva and Amelia stayed out on the lawn.
"The truth is," Minerva said after Tully was out of earshot, "that Potter and I are very complicated."
"What do you mean complicated?" Amelia pried as she took a swig of gillywater.
"Why don't we talk about you and-" Minerva started but was immediately cut off by Amelia.
"It's tricky," Amelia said shortly.
Minerva stretched back on a blanket and stared up the stars. She rolled her shoulders back and sighed. The sun had gone down but the heat still hung in the air. It was so still and humid that it would be hard to sleep.
"Complicated. Tricky," she said in a dreamy, most-unlike-Minerva tone. "Do you think there's any chance women like us- Aurors, career women- have at a regular romance?"
"Regular? Unlikely, Miss Black," said a deep voice.
Minerva sat up quickly and spun around to see Minister Urquart. Amelia dropped the bottle of gillywater and stood up quickly. Minerva also jumped up and tried her best to look presentable. Minister Urquart chuckled.
"I'm sorry to barge in on a lovely evening, but I thought I might find you all here," he said quickly as the three walked in the direction of the veranda. "There's been an incident," he added quietly.
"Minister," Tully said as he threw his cards on the table and stood up quickly to greet his boss. Minister Urquart gave his team a brief rundown of an incident that had occurred very recently in London. In the distance there was a flash of heat lightening and low rumble of thunder.
"Storm's a coming," Moody said as he glanced out across the lawn. "Let's get there before the evidence is washed away."