Disclaimer: Ok, in this chapter I have a lot to disclaim. First - Harry Potter and everything else to do with him belong to J.K. Rowling. Then the idea of chaining people to the walls cme from Heptagon and her story Creation of Pigwarts. And in addition to that, the paragraph where the chess tournament is announced is from the story Heptagon and I wrote together, and from her chapter, not mine. But the rest of the ideas, I believe, are mine.

Chapter 14: Poppy and Albus

"Albus, you have to do something about it!"

Madam Pomfrey stormed into the Headmasters' office with her face red with anger, and her hands stained with some differently coloured potions.

Dumbledore raised his gaze from the parchment he had been studying with mild interest.

"Is everything alright, Poppy?"

"I will not tolerate the Quidditch championship in this school any longer! I have seven Slytherins, eleven Glyffindors, and two unfortunate helpful Hufflepuffs in the Wing right now, and there's still more than a week to the next game!"

"It might have nothing to do with that game," Albus smiled sweetly, conjuring a chair for the ruffled matron.

"Really? So why are half of both Slytherins and Gryffindors looking like giant versions of Pommas, Quaffles, and Snitches, and poor young Bill Weasley like one of the hoops, whole with his mouth so round and big that the Pomma-Zabini could freely pass through?"

"Well, in that case I must agree with you. It most certainly has something to do with the game," Albus smiled, scratching a large signature under the report he had been reading, and putting his work away. "What would you have me do, my dear Poppy? It's not like I could take away their chance to play Quidditch! I already get at least a dozen owls every week asking me why the First Years can't play."

"Replace it then! With Wizard Chess or something like that! Something that wouldn't be as dangerous!"

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Back then Dumbledore had just smiled his small smile which so clearly said that he knew better than to do as others advised. But now years had passed since that incident. And now Dumbledore was dead. And now even the motherly Madam Pomfrey was dead, usually lounging on her portrait in the hallway leading to the Hospital Wing (Dumbledore knew that, he had just passed by that corridor quite often recently), but right now she was probably in the small antechamber next to the Great Hall, visiting someone there on a lame excuse, and straining her ears so that she wouldn't miss any word that Albus said.

"My dear students, professors, ghosts, and other creatures, I would like to welcome you all to another year at Hogwarts," he started. "I know you can't wait to start with your studies, and take up new subjects…" there was a murmur of disappointment in the hall, seeing as Dumbledore's speech was really long this year. "But this year we have something very special planned out in Hogwarts — A HOGWARTS CHESS TOURNAMENT!"

Poppy beamed with joy at hearing that. Finally Albus had got himself together to do what she had advised him to do so many years ago. She didn't listen to the explanation of rules that Dumbledore followed the announcement with, instead she nervously waited for the ex-Headmaster to leave his portrait that he had demanded to be moved to the Great Hall. And finally, as the chatter and clicking of forks echoed from the feast, he came.

"I couldn't but notice that you didn't cancel the Quidditch games," she reprimanded him as soon as she noticed him approaching.

"Well, my dear, I thought that if I did call them off it would only turn their attention back to flying, but this way they'll just forget about it," Albus twinkled, and nodded lightly to the ragged young man who was chained to a dungeon wall on the portrait they were passing through. "Come with me," he ordered Poppy.

Pomfrey wrinkled her nose at the sight of the captive, because she had offered to cure his awful wounds many times already, but the man had always refused.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked as the wrinkled hand held on to hers tightly and tore her from one picture to another.

"There's a picture near the kitchens that I'd really like to visit with you. You know — candles, and roses, and a nice dinner, and snow falling outside… Besides, I have a great idea of a prank!"

"Albus!" she reprimanded, but the blush creeping up her painted cheeks hinted that she hadn't paid much attention to the part about the prank.

"Yes, and it has a greater goal too, not just our enjoyment. I thought we should eat the pear that allows people to open the portrait that leads to the kitchens — imagine how much that would lessen the amount of students creeping around the school at night! They'd all get nice long nights of sleep, and it would be so good for their health…"

Poppy chuckled, but still shook her blushing head. "You know we can't do that! Besides, I just can't wait to get to that dinner picture…"

Albus twinkled, and quite soon, after passing through all kinds of paintings of fruit trees, and dinner parties, and a loaf of black bread on a table with a huge knife by its side, they got to the small dimly lit painting at the end of the hallway.

Poppy couldn't but gasp in surprise.

"I didn't know a painting like this even existed in this castle!" she said, awestruck. "It's beautiful! Thank you, Albus!"

"Well, it was originally for Rowena and Salazar. They were quite friendly before he left the castle, I've heard."

"It's still beautiful," Poppy smiled, sitting down in the chair Dumbledore had pulled out for her in a gentleman-like manner.

"There's one more thing I've borrowed from Rowena for today…" Albus said, not going over to his seat but standing there next to Poppy and looking down at her eager young face. "I'm really sorry I can't afford to have one painted just for you, but this will have to do. I hope you're not too disappointed…"

With that he kneeled down, and took the hand of the matron between his palms.

"Madam Poppy Pomfrey, will you marry me?" he asked, and snow fell outside, and candles burned, and a red rose on the table was drowning them in its sweet smell.

"Of course, Headmaster. Of course I will, Albus," she said, and let him slide the borrowed engagement ring on her finger.

He quickly stood up, and the next moment he was already seated at the table, facing his young fiancée. "You know, there's a nice portrait in the seventh floor corridor between the magical mirror that insults your appearance and the secret entrance to the attic above Divination classroom. We could get married there, if you don't mind, naturally…"

Author's note: REVIEW! And then go and read Chess (link on my profile) - there are no proposals there, but at least there's a Hogwarts Chess Championship.