Disclaimer / I don't own anything

Chapter 5

Isobel's POV

I wake up to whiteness. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust. I realize I'm looking at the roof of a room, so I slowly sit up and look around me. I realise I'm in the Hospital Wing. Beds lined with white sheets surround me, and next to me, the bedside table is decorated with a vase of flowers. Sitting in a chair on my right is Harry.

"Isobel, you're awake. Thank God," he exclaims when he notices me.

"What happened?" I ask.

Harry sighs, and moves his chair closer.

"We're not sure," he starts.

"We're?" I interrupt.

"Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey," he says a little irritably, "Just let me explain," he continues.

"Sorry," I say.

"As I was saying, we're not sure. One minute you were fine, the next you had collapsed. They ran some tests," he stops, noticing my face. "Magical," he clarifies. I nod. "But the tests didn't tell us anything. Physically, you have no reason for fainting. You've been out for about a day. The only thing they could put it down to was exhaustion, but we couldn't think of any reason you'd be so exhausted."

He says the last bit like a question, so I shake my head.

"I'm just as confused as you are," I say.

Just then, the doors to the Hospital Wing open, and Dumbledore strides in, coming to a stop on the other side of my bed. He peers down at me, and I notice the twinkle in his eyes has disappeared.

"Miss Potter," he says gently, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright thank you, Sir, I'm just confused. I don't know what happened."

Dumbledore nods and opens his mouth to say something just as Madame Pomfrey appears. She comes over to stand next to Dumbledore and gives me a worried look, then glares at Dumbledore.

"I did not clear you to visit Headmaster, and Miss Potter needs rest."

"It's alright," I butt in. "I feel fine, honestly. Nothing is wrong. I just want to leave," I say truthfully.

I don't like hospitals, because nothing good comes from them. I especially don't like being the patient, because I don't like being told to sit and rest and do nothing. Madame Pomfrey looks at me sceptically.

"I am going to look over you once more, and if I can't find anything, then you are free to go," she says sternly.

I nod as she starts waving her wand. Several minutes later, I'm declared free to go. As I am about to shut the door, Dumbledore calls me back. I signal for Harry to go on then walk back to the Headmaster, and peer up at him.

"I'm sorry to hold you up, but I wanted to ask you something," he says, a little apprehensively.

I grow uneasy. He must pick up on this, as he reassures me.

"Not to worry, I just wanted to request that you come to my office tomorrow evening, to discuss a certain matter. You're not in trouble, I just want to understand what happened. I'm a man on knowledge you see, and not knowing something is troublesome."

I'm still a little worried, but I agree anyway. He lets me go, and I soon catch up with Harry, who I'm pretty sure was walking slowly to find out what Dumbledore wanted. I tell him, although I don't know much. The rest of the day passes without worry, and I join classes after lunch. I have to miss out on Quidditch practice because I have to 'take it easy', so I catch up on the schoolwork I missed over the time I was passed out. The next day goes by normally, and I barely take note of my dinner, bouncing my knee in anticipation of talking with Dumbledore tonight. He's absent from dinner, so McGonagall dismisses us when we're done. I start making my way to the Headmasters office as a sense of dread starts to fill me.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore's POV

I miss dinner tonight to think about what I will propose for Miss Potter later. My mind flicks back to when Minerva contacted me, telling me what had happened. I instantly had a suspicion, and when Poppy did her tests, it was pretty much confirmed that Isobel had collapsed from exhaustion from using too much magic. After the tests were finished, Minerva and I went down to the bathroom, and I stared in surprise when I saw the mess. Every mirror had shattered into thousands of minuscule pieces, every cubicle door was in tiny wood splinters, and the toilets and sinks had exploded, spitting water everywhere, and had collapsed into broken pieces on the floor. As for the troll, it was a pile of dust in the middle of the room. I walked over to the nearest wall and placed my hand on it. Years ago, when I became Headmaster, my magic was tied into the castle. I could feel magic surging through the wall and radiating off every surface. The mess had been caused by a massive wave of magical energy, probably provoked by rage or fear. There was a possibility of it being caused by another, but I knew it had to be Isobel, especially because of how she had collapsed. I pull myself back to the present, staring at the wall across from my desk. I know that this situation has to be handled properly, otherwise, everyone, including Isobel, could be in danger. She unintentionally expelled an enormous amount of magic that was uncontrolled and too much for her body. More importantly, she did it without a wand. That alone means that she is an extremely powerful witch. And an extremely dangerous one. I had suspected this from when she was Sorted, and I know I have to train her properly, so she doesn't accidentally do something dangerous. The problem is how I'm going to explain this to her. I remember what happened when I was younger, and how scared I was to know how dangerous I am. The same happened, albeit on a slightly smaller scale, when Minerva started at Hogwarts, two years into my teaching. I did my best to help her control her power, and it worked. But Isobel, I can tell, is much more powerful than Minerva and I, combined. I conclude that I will need help from my Deputy. Just as I make this decision, the said woman enters through my office door. She walks over to my desk, and sits on the side of it, laying a hand on my shoulder, then moving it up to cup the side of my cheek. I lean into her touch and sigh as the feeling instantly calms me.

"I'm going to need your help Min, she's so much more powerful than either of us, even combined."

She closes her eyes for a second, then gives me a reassuring smile, signalling that she agrees. We don't move, just enjoying the moment. We haven't had a lot of time together recently, as the year started up again. No one knows that Minerva and I are married, so even during the breaks, we still have to be discreet.

As Minerva got older, we started spending more time together as I helped her become an Animagus, and she got more powerful. It became harder for her to control her magic, so we started meeting almost every second night for both matters. We both realised our feelings in her final year, although we didn't act upon them until she began teaching, as it was extremely inappropriate for a student/teacher relationship, and Minerva wasn't of age. During that time, Grindelwald, then Voldemort were threats, so we kept our relationship secret, as we didn't want either of them finding out and using it as a weakness. Even after Harry defeated Voldemort, we still kept it a secret, as neither of us believes he is gone. As much as it pains us to keep it from the world, we agreed to do so until there's no threat to either of us.

I slide my hand into Minerva's and run my fingers along the ring on her right hand. Recently, it hadn't disappeared, but normally, it was charmed to only appear in times of stress, anger and sadness. Now though, everyone seemed to be on alert, for some unknown reason, so it never left her finger. I study the Gaelic design on the gold band and smile at the emeralds that so much resemble Minerva's eyes. I feel her hand reaching for mine as she does the same. Upon our marriage, I had matching rings made for us and enchanted them to ourselves. Through them, we can sense what the other is feeling, and can send small messages. They resemble our marital rings, although we can't wear them on the correct hand, in case they appear and are noticed by others. My ring is the same as Minerva's, except it is set with twinkling sapphires that Minerva said match my eyes. For a long time, they had been a symbol of our love, and tonight is no different. I bring my wife's hand to my lips, and softly place a kiss there, just as a knock sounds on my door. Minerva quickly stands up from her perch at my desk and moves to stand to the side so she can participate in the conversation to come. I stand up as well but stay in front of my chair.

"Enter," I call.

Miss Potter appears around the door, and I beckon her in. She stands a few feet away from my desk, and I can tell she is nervous, although she hides it well. I take a deep breath as I prepare to tell her the information I have recently discovered.

Isobel's POV

I stand, shaking slightly, in front of Dumbledore, as McGonagall watches from the side.

"Miss Potter, thank you for meeting me. Unfortunately, there is something important we need to discuss."

I grow even more nervous, even though I remember that he told me yesterday I'm not in trouble.

"I'm guessing you are slightly confused about recent events," he pauses slightly before continuing. "I've thought hard about it, and I believe I have concluded, although a little problematic."

I try my hardest to hide my nervousness. What could I have done to cause so much disaster? I silently pray that this conversation will take a completely different direction, although of course, I know it won't.

"You see Miss Potter, I believe that you are much more powerful than you realise," Dumbledore states, oblivious to my thoughts.

When he says this though, I am completely confused. Powerful? Me?

"The damage that occurred in the bathroom is very substantial and quite unusual," the Headmaster continues.

I blush slightly, embarrassed at what he implies.

"Don't worry," McGonagall pipes in, "The damage is easily repaired, and you are not in trouble."

Dumbledore nods in agreeance, and I breathe a sigh of relief, that unfortunately, doesn't last long.

"However," Dumbledore says as my heart sinks.

"That damage was caused by you. Unintentionally, yes, we acknowledge, but the fact still stands. I believe that the amount of magic you exploited caused you to collapse, as it was too much strain on your body. This, I believe, requires extra attention, and most likely private training. This is what I wanted to discuss this evening."

I blink as I register what he says. Instead of getting in trouble, Dumbledore is offering to privately train me to help me control my magic.

"I believe it is the best path forward as if this goes unattended, your magic could become dangerous and harmful," Dumbledore continues, looking at me curiously and waiting for my answer.

The obvious answer would be to just say yes, but, I was also partly sorted into Ravenclaw, so my mind runs through all the options before completely agreeing. I decide that it is the best solution, so I nod to signal my agreeance. Dumbledore smiles a little, and McGonagall steps forward.

"Professor Dumbledore has asked me to help with some of these training sessions," she says. "I hope that is alright with you."

The words are a question, but she phrases it like a statement, so I know if I did have any problem with it, it wouldn't matter. Luckily, I don't mind though. From our first Transfiguration lesson I could tell that although strict, McGonagall is a good teacher, and apart from Dumbledore, is probably best suited to help me with my magic. With this thought in mind, I nod again.

"One last thing," Dumbledore says. "I ask you not to tell your friends about this, as they could take it the wrong way."

I'm smart enough to know there's more to his words, but I decide not to ask. I signal my agreeance, then wait for my dismissal. Dumbledore gives it, bidding me goodnight as McGonagall gives me the tiniest of smiles. I take my leave and head back to Gryffindor tower to finish my homework. Harry and the others pester me about what Dumbledore wanted, but I remember what the Headmaster said, so I just tell them that Dumbledore wanted a full recount of what happened. He seems to believe it, so leaves it be. I go to bed with a head full of answers, and another strange dream.

Author's note

Ok, so I know that some people don't ship Albus and Minerva, but they are one of the main couples in this story, so (in the nicest way possible) either deal with it or stop reading. You've probably figured out part of the plot from the information in this chapter. Unfortunately, I won't address that for a while, so the characters will just have to continue obliviously. I hope you guys enjoy. Thank you so much for reading and leave a review on what you think.