1Chapter Five
For the ball, Minerva wore her hair down and curled, something she rarely did. She still adamantly refused to wear makeup, no matter how hard Lara tried to convince her that it would make her 'absolutely shine.' She wore heels that hardly lifted her off the ground, which was good because Minerva wasn't that sure of her balance. Then, as a last effect, she transfigured two marbles into earrings. "Might as well use my talents," she said when explaining to Lara.
The Great Hall was packed. Students were everywhere, yet Minerva was not about to ask any of them to dance. Lara didn't press that issue, and minutes into the ball she saw her friend dancing with a sixth year Ravenclaw. She sure looked happy.
Minerva sighed and looked around the room. There was not a single boy she wanted to dance with. She knew most of them by sight and from in classes previous years, and knew them all to be very dim-witted. Stupidity was one thing Minerva could not stand.
"No one should be alone on a night like this."
She looked up and saw Albus Dumbledore standing next to the table. "Oh, hello," she said. "Chaperoning?"
"I suppose one could call it that," he said, sitting down beside her. "Why aren't you enjoying yourself?"
"I don't want to dance with any of these people," she said, "You know how mentally incapacitated they are."
"That I do, as I have had each and every one of them in class at one point." He smiled. "Good job on the earrings."
She instinctively touched her ear. "How did you know?"
"Magic leaves distinct traces, and I've seen yours enough to recognize it," he said. He looked out to the crowd. "Do you want to dance?"
"I told you, not with any of these dunderheads," she said irritably.
He smiled again. "You mistook my meaning." He held out his hand. "Do you want to dance?"
She blushed. "Certainly."
Albus led her to the dance floor and they began dancing a waltz. The room was a blur; all Minerva could see were his twinkling eyes. "Albus – sir," she began. "I want to thank you for everything you're doing for me. These private lessons are so helpful, and as for teaching…well, it's all I want to do, and you've given me the opportunity."
He was looking into her eyes now. "Minerva, I would do anything for you. You're a dedicated student, a genuine human being…" He pushed one of her strands of hair from her face, and Minerva's mind locked on how his skin felt against hers. "You're everything a professor could ask for."
If this was a normal situation, with a boy her age, Minerva was quite positive this would be the moment that they would kiss. It was with this realization that Minerva stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry, I'm a horrible dancer. I'm going to sit down."
He had a knowing look in his eye, and it was with slight disappointment he said, "If you insist."
Minerva turned around and ran, and she didn't stop until she collapsed on her bed in her dormitory.
How could she be falling in love with her professor?