Return of the Gryffindor and a Library encounter

Albus sighed into his goblet. He'd been let out of the Hospital Ward just an hour ago and was sitting unaccompanied at the Gryffindor table. Loud and (lovingly) abusive banter encompassed the table.

"Hey everyone, she's back!" skinny Laurie cried out, breaking the table into silence.

"You guys ready?" she smirked over her shoulder at the head of the table. They all nodded and rubbed their hands together, though some covered up their eyes apprehensively. The other houses merely glanced over, sighed, and returned to their food.

"Oh Cecilia..." Albus shouted, "You really don't have to lift your-"

"This is how much you gits mean to me!" Cecilia lifted up her white shirt to show the dark, mottled black contrast. The table broke into applause and shouts whilst Albus quietly ate his treacle tart.

"Nice one Ceci!"..."Really took one for the team!"..."We're proud of you!"

"Did what I had to do." she shrugged, pulled her shirt back down then went to sit next to Albus.

"Nobody cheered when I came to eat." he pouted. The table was still quiet enough for his word to be heard. They broke into applause and shouts.

"We love you Al!"..."We've missed you!"..."Hey, if you were a straight girl Al, I'd do more than cheer!"..."Yeah! He's right! I would destroy you mate!"

"Thank you! I've missed you all too!" he smiled.

Then the table resumed conversation.

"So what have I missed?" Cecilia asked as she piled her plate with carbs.

"The Head made a speech." he shrugged, "There's a new Herbology professor. Guy. Not cute. The Hufflepuff toilets have stopped leaking too... Nice of you to turn up."

"Shut...up." Minerva breathed heavily behind the pair, "Four first years...dicking about...chased after.."
Albus and Cecilia smirked, then nestled her in between them. Albus piled roast potatoes and sausages on her plate. Cecilia handed her pumpkin juice. "Thanks." she said, draining the goblet.

"No problem!" Cecilia smiled, a rose blush rushed to her cheeks.

"Anyway." said Albus, "How was the meeting? What did I miss?"

"It was bad. Elphias was..ugh.." Minerva sighed, she picked at the potatoes. Then her face suddenly perked up, "Oh, I saw sexy boy today."

"Bitch you didn't!"

"Bitch I did!" she smirked,

"Details are needed!"

"Well it was after the meeting..." Minerva began to explain...

The meeting ended after going on for well over one and a half hours and now felt like a complete waste of time to them. Graduation ball suggestions were being 'kept in mind' and questions were ignored ruthlessly. No budget talk. No menu sampling. Minerva's knuckles had turned white, as she clutched her wand in her pocket and mentally played out a staff massacre in her head over and over again for the rest of the meeting.

"Can't wait until the Ball." Elphias Doge gushed, as he and Minerva walked down the corridor.

"I bet you can't." she mumbled.
She knew it was irrational to dislike him just because he had to come to the meeting with her instead of Albus. But had Albus been there he'd of gotten the ball plans and free chocolate frogs charmed out of the professors.

"Hey do you know who Cecilia's pairing up with?" he asked, turning his head to Minerva, his face was anxious,
"... Or Albus?" he added quickly, turning his head to face forward again, "You both are probably going together right?"

"Yeah." Minerva said plainly. Then, feeling guilty for being disinterested, "Cecilia hasn't got a date yet...and she sure as hell isn't going with any one from the other houses."

Loud gasp.

"Really? How do I get-! I mean ...T-That's nice to hear." he shrugged and let his face relax.

"Yep." She patted him rather fatherly on the shoulder.

"Right. Well I'm off." she said quickly, she turned a sharp left and disappeared off towards the stairs in search of her solace leaving Elphias in a rather happy state of abandonment.

...

Minerva spotted it. She'd only taken out her wand when his hand wrapped around it's spine.

"Here you are." said a deep, unfamiliar voice from behind her. A large hand pulled the book out of its place. She turned around quickly.

"T-Thanks." Minerva stuttered. She was not one to stutter but was caught off guard by Gellert Grindelwald gorgeous, foreign-'Off limits' Minerva reminded herself- face.

"Aucun probleme." he said, reading the cover of the textbook. He handed it to her, "Are you learning French?"

"Merci beaucoup, je parle couramment français." she said, trying to hide her awe as Gellert nodded along in understanding of the language, "I didn't know you speak."

"I've learnt some from exchange students at my school." He shrugged, "Do you travel there often?"

"Once every few years. I've..." she glanced up at him to see if she was boring him, but he seemed pleased to be in conversation, "I've always thought of leaving here, start a new life in Paris." she gushed,
"My parents made me learn for years; always thought I could get into Beauxbatons. Well, you know how parents just push you."

Gellert nodded silently. She saw something flicker through his eyes.

It looked like hate.

It was flitted away so quickly she wasn't sure.

"French, Herbology Ethics, and Dragon Egg spotting!" Gellert read out the book titles hugged into Minerva's chest. "You're really studying."

"Oh yes." she said happily, "And you're..." her prefect mode switched on "...skipping lesson?"

"I'm supposed to be in Herbology now, but we don't really get to do that at Durmstrangs so I've been sent here to read up." his hand coiled around the heavy book by his side.

"Right, we'll I should get back to my reads." she drummed her nails on the hardback of a book to signal the end of this conversation,
"Have fun smarting up." she said, her eyes glanced, unnoticed by him, at the book held protectively in both of his hands.

"You too."

"...And that was it!" Minerva finished off her account, "He's lovely." Albus and Cecila nodded, then sank back down in their seats.

"What is it?" Albus asked, nibbling at fudge and looking deeply into Minerva's face.

"What's 'what'?"

"That little smirk!" Cecilia exclaimed, finding it necessary to poke the corners of her mouth with her pinky fingers.

"Oh it's nothing." she shrugged, "Just something about then."

"Go on..."

"It's nothing really just- The book Gellert was 'studying' from..." Minerva paused and furrowed her brows to recollect that name from her childhood. "It was that Beatle and the Beard storybook."

"I remember that book!" Albus grinned, "I think you'll find it's...

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard."

A/N

Ohh is the plot thickening?
Yay for having a Minerva filled chappie!

13.2.12 : just tweaked this chapter slightly

Until Chapter 5..
~dumplingdoo