Author's Notes:

Sorry for the shortness of this, but it just seemed like next couple of bits would work better as their own chapter. Moreover, I like to give people something new to read at least once a week and I'm uber busy right now with evil things like scholarship applications (damn college tuition).

Anyway, for your enjoyment, a teensy bit more of my, er, little (yeah, right) stroy.

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"What did the Governors decide?"

Minerva was waiting for Albus in his office when he returned. She sat calmly on a crimson couch set off to the side of the room, with her long legs crossed and her hands resting neatly in her lap. If Albus hadn't known her better he would have thought she could not have cared less about how the meeting with the Governors turned out.

But he did know her better than that. The hazel eyes peering through square glasses were filled with nervousness and piercing him with their intensity.

Albus removed his traveling cloak and tossed it onto a nearby chair. Minerva peered at it for a moment and he knew she was simply itching to place it up on the cloak stand in the corner of his office. She might well have been the neatest and most organized person he knew, exempting those with mental disorders that compelled them to be neat.

"I presented the facts to them and they are quite in agreement with me that you are the witch for both of those jobs. It was a unanimous decision." He smiled at her. "Congratulations, Minerva."

Minerva allowed herself a smile. It was the first smile that Albus had seen on her face in simply years and it warmed his heart to see it. He was glad to see it on her face. He knew she'd wanted both of those positions very much despite the workload it would entail. It was nice to see that she was allowing herself to enjoy her victory—and it was her victory. He might have talked the Governors into appointing her but that was only because she deserved the jobs that he could do that.

This was indeed her victory. Minerva was an astounding woman.

"I must admit, I'm very relieved to hear that. I was worried." Her eyes met his, and suddenly her smile was focused directly at him. "Thank you, Albus. This means a large deal to me and I know you know that."

"Not at all, my dear. I offered you both positions. It was my duty to assure that you got them once offered."

"That's very sweet," Minerva replied, blushing and embarrassed. Albus was every inch the gentleman. It was a trait she adored in him, but it was also one that she was never quite sure what to do with. Most people were polite, of course, but only Albus was a gentlemen. Only he would express himself in that elegantly polite manner. It seemed too much to be the target of such things—but Albus was like that with everybody.

"Why are you so embarrassed by the idea that I was defending an agreement with you?"

Damn him! she thought, slightly angry at herself for allowing her emotions to be so easily read by him. He always knows everything? How does a person keep a secret in this bloody castle?

Yet she should know, shouldn't she? She had done so for years, after all—or maybe she only thought she had. That was a possibility that had occurred to her more than once over the years.

"I am not embarrassed," she replied sternly.

"You're blushing."

She scowled at him, making it very clear that this was not a subject she wished him to push. He was to drop the matter immediately.

He did. He knew that she was embarrassed to have been caught being embarrassed and that it was her pride that caused both. Minerva liked to appear strong and to do things for herself. It was simply who she was. She'd been like that every since she was a child. He remembered that quite clearly. Still, he felt that it had not been an entirely bad idea to inquire. People did change and the fact of the matter was that Minerva was a harder person to read that most. At times she truly did keep him on his toes and guessing.

"Well then," he said, quickly changing the subject. "Now that we've gotten things cleared with the Governors, I think that now is the time celebrate, don't you?"

"Not at all," Minerva replied, rising from her place on the couch and moving toward him. "There's a lot of work to be done and we've been delayed from starting on it because of this trouble with my appointment. We should finish that before beginning to contemplate things such as celebration."

"There's time for work later," said Albus with a flippant wave and a pleasant smile that Minerva would have found quite hard to resist at nearly any other point in time. He began moving to get his cloak. Minerva placed a firm hand on his arm, stopping him where he stood.

"That's no way to run a school," she pointed out. "Without us doing our jobs it will not function. Getting our work done should be our priority. There is time for celebration later."

Albus neither completely agreed, nor disagreed with Minerva. She was right, of course, work was important and there was much they needed to get done. It had been delayed for two weeks already, however, and he did not feel that spending a few hours working now would make much of a difference. Besides, in his view this merited celebration and it would only happen once. Minerva would only be appointed Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor once. It should be acknowledged as an event of note.

Minerva was looking at him quite sternly, however. Her mind seemed set and Albus had plenty of first hand experience at how difficult it was to change her mind once it had done that. Arguing with her was not the answer.

"You're not going to budge on this matter, are you?"

"No, I'm not. I've got a lot of work to do and I intend to see that it is done on time."

"Will you listen to a compromise?" he asked.

Minerva raised a curious eyebrow, her face still the model of firmness and calm. "Go on."

She might as well listen to him. After all, they would be working together. This would not be the only time they would have to compromise. It did not seem a bad idea to her to start getting used to that now.

"Well, it's about four o'clock, now. We could work until about nine or ten o'clock this evening then head down to the village and have a drink at the Three Broomsticks—perhaps we might even invite a few of our colleagues and announce your appointment. How does that sound?"

Minerva scrutinized him carefully. "And it would be straight back to work once we returned?" she inquired eyeing him piercingly and tilting her head slightly.

"If you wish."

"I believe I can live with that," she told him. "Now, let's get to work or I'll change my mind."