Chapter 2 – Find Me A Find

Minerva McGonagall sat in her office, enjoying the peace and quiet while she marked the last of the seventh year transfiguration papers. As her quill busily scratched away at the parchments, she couldn't help but think that she had some of the brightest students in her class that she had had for a long time. Usually there was one or two that showed great potential in her chosen field but this year the whole class was showing great potential. She would have to relate her thoughts to her dearest friend, Albus Dumbledore, at their weekly chess game, which was to take place that evening.

She placed her quill down as she thought of Albus, her best friend and the man who held her heart without even knowing it. Before she could get too deep into her thoughts about if things were different, a large tawny owl flew through the window and dropped a rolled up piece of parchment on her desk, narrowly missing her ink well. She recognized the owl as one belonging to the school and she wondered who in the name of Merlin would be sending her an owl when they could easily come and see her in her office. She opened the letter and read what it said. She frowned deeply to herself as she reread the letter.

Dearest Minerva,

I have admired you from far for such a long time and I have finally got the courage to reveal this to you. Please do me the honour of meeting me in Hogsmeade at a small restaurant called La Provance this evening at eight o clock where I will reveal all to you. Please come.

Minerva screwed the letter up in her hand and threw it into the air, where she pointed her wand at it and whispered a few chosen words. The ball of paper turned into an emerald green quill and Minerva placed it back into her quill box with a sigh. Over the years she had received plenty of these joke letters, which tended to be from students who wanted a laugh at her expense. She had never taken one seriously and over the years she had made a nice collection of quills out of the letters. If only they were real and if they were from one certain man, then Minerva would have no hesitation in going along to La Provance and seeing what came of the situation. But alas it was probably from a bored student or from Severus Snape! Oh she detested that man with every bone in her body but she tried to get along with him for the sake of one of her best friends. After all Xiomara Hooch was married to the greasy-haired potions master. Minerva could never see what her friend saw in him and she supposed that love was blind. Albus also had a liking for the potions master. He saw him as the son he never had.

She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. She let out a breath of air that she hadn't realized she had been holding. She was slightly frustrated with her life. If someone like Severus Snape could find happiness in love then why couldn't she? She had had her chances through her life but she had always shied away from them for one reason alone and that was because they weren't Albus Dumbledore.

She scolded herself mentally for waiting for something that was never to happen. He saw her as his best friend, the person he could pour his worries out to. He had even spoken to her about an unnamed woman that had caught his heart a long time ago. She had listened to him and while she seemed cool and understanding on the outside, inside her heart was breaking. She was fighting away the tears that were threatening to leak from her emerald green eyes. Strangely enough though, he hadn't mentioned her since that night five years ago.

She pulled out the emerald green quill and played with it with her delicate fingers. She then reached for her wand again and transfigured it back into its original state. She reread the letter again and decided, perhaps, she would throw caution to the wind. She would go to the meeting place but disguise herself so no one would be the wiser that she was there. She could sit in a darkened corner of the restaurant and wait for the someone to show if, they were serious.

Albus Dumbledore returned to his office after seeing to some important matters with Hagrid, who wanted to take the sixth years Care of Magical Creatures class to see hungry dragons. Albus had declined Hagrid's request, leaving the Grounds Keeper and Professor rather upset. But Albus did say that perhaps he could bring it up in the next school governors meeting. He walked into his office and Fawkes was in his usual position, asleep on the arm of Albus' desk chair. He wasn't surprised to see his desk littered with letters; most of them would be from Fudge asking him trivial questions. Minerva often joked that one day Albus would receive an owl from the Minister asking what colour he should wear to an important Ministry meeting.

He smiled at the thought of Minerva, his right-hand woman, his best friend and the only woman in his long life that had stolen his heart. He sat down behind his desk and started to probe through the tens of letters he received, six of which were from Fudge. He was about to begin the tiresome task of replying to his letters when one other letter caught his eye. He curiously reached for it and unrolled it.

Dear Albus,

I have finally rallied all my courage together and I want to tell you what I should have told you many years ago. Please meet me at La Provance in Hogsmeade at eight o clock.

His bright blue eyes widened as he read the short note addressed to him personally. He set the letter down on the desk and turned to his trusted Fawkes.

"Well, my dear friend, it seems to me that someone is playing a trick on me or I do have a secret admirer," he mentioned to his phoenix. "I would prefer the latter but I somehow think not. Maybe I should call their bluff. I will go La Provance this evening and catch them in the act. They will soon find out that playing a trick on Albus Dumbledore is not as easy as they thought. It means that I will have to cancel my chess game with dear Minerva but I will make it up to her. I wish I were meeting her there, Fawkes. I know I have gone on about her to you for years but my feelings for that woman never stop growing. Why am I such a fool when it comes to declaring my true feelings for her?"

Fawkes simply lifted up his head and cooed softly before stretching his wings and tucking his head back underneath one of them causing Albus to chuckle loudly.

"Yes, I see I have bored you quite enough on that subject," he said moments later. "I shall send Minerva some flowers to apologize for cancelling our chess game and I will tell her about my plan to catch some students. She will find that most amusing."