Chapter 3 – The Alignment Wanes

Minerva's first stop was close by. She knocked on Filius' door and waited a full two minutes before it opened. Filius was wearing a dressing robe and barely opened the door a crack. Minerva looked down at her tiny colleague as she spoke.

"Filius, please let me in. If I'm not mistaken, Aurora is here? I need to see her and you. I think I need to apologize to her while we figure out how to get out of this mess."

Filius looked indecisive when Aurora's voice came from behind him.

"Filius baby let Minerva in. She figured us out months ago."

Sighing, Filius opened the door and Minerva entered his apartment. Aurora was sitting on the sofa draped in a sheet and smiling. Minerva was taken aback for a minute. Aurora had beautiful skin and her shoulders were delightful. 'Minerva get a hold of yourself and stop thinking about sex' she admonished herself quickly before beginning to speak.

"Aurora, I think I need to apologize for disregarding your astronomical prediction. Tonight I have been completely on edge and only just realized the problem. Have you felt it as well?"

Aurora smiled and spoke, "Oh yes, we definitely felt it and I'd wager Septima did as well?"

Minerva let out a small gasp. She had thought her relationship with Septima had been very discreet.

Aurora giggled. "Minerva don't worry. We are colleagues, but when it comes to your personal business that is not my concern, the same way you've stayed out of my personal business." With that she looked over at Filius, who walked over and climbed in his lover's lap.

Minerva sighed. "Thank you Aurora. I just don't need complications right now. Which brings me back to why I am here. I think we all need to check on our houses and I think each head of house needs an additional professor along to help. I have a suspicion that we'll be very busy. Have you told Filius about your calculations regarding tonight's alignment?"

Aurora sighed. "No, you are deputy headmistress and if you didn't feel there was an issue, then I am not going to spread the word elsewhere. I do know how to keep business and personal separate."

Minerva nodded her head, "Yes, you've been quite discreet, but it seems now that I was wrong. Now, how long can we expect these effects to last?"

Aurora took a second to think back on her calculations before replying. "Well, the time leading up and fading out of the occultation will have some effect, but the worse period should end shortly before two in the morning. By around five the last of the fading effect should be all but gone."

Minerva sighed. "Ok, so we have another hour of the worst effects. Now, I'm going to tell you both what we need to do, then please explain to Filius why this is happening. It'll save me a bit of time, as I will have others that I need to inform."

Then Minerva looked at Filius. "Filius I need you to go to the Ravenclaw tower and start rounding up everyone. Some may have left the tower, but hopefully won't have gone too far. Take Aurora with you and use whatever means you can to subdue any behavior - petrification, stasis, cold water, whatever you feel is necessary. Now, I have a lot more to do. I'll let Aurora fill you in on the rest."

With that, Minerva left the apartment. Her next stop was Professor Sprout's apartment on the ground floor where she could watch the greenhouses from her window. Minerva knocked repeatedly until, a full five minutes later, when the door opened. The professor was in a dressing robe and looked quite flush. She stood in the door and did not invite Minerva in. As Minerva opened her mouth to begin speaking, another voice spoke up first from inside the apartment.

"Pomooona, come back to bed. I'm ready to go again."

Minerva blanched as she thought she recognized the voice. She recovered quickly as she hissed.

"Pomona, that had better not be Mr. Longbottom I hear. You know the rules about fraternizing with students. Anyway, I don't have time to worry about your indiscretions at the moment. I need you to collect yourself and head down to the Hufflepuff common room. I am going to take an educated guess and assume you are aware of strange magic that has encompassed us all tonight. What we are all feeling is the effect of a rare astronomical alignment that has sent everyone's libidos into overdrive. We need to take control of the common rooms and keep students separated. The worst will be over in an hour, but we will need to keep a watch for another three hours after that. I am on my way to find Severus and I will stop at the hospital and send Poppy to meet you at Hufflepuff. Each of us will need backup when we subdue our houses."

Pomona Sprout absorbed everything Minerva had said, nodded and assured her that she would be on her way shortly. When Minerva turned to leave, Pomona closed the door and looked at the young man waiting in her bed. Her thoughts drifted..'I can't believe how he's grown. So strong and..' Pomona shook her head and stopped her thoughts. She never should have allowed this liaison, but at least she now knew why. She wondered though if she would be strong enough even after the stars changed to resist him. Exercising all her willpower, she turned to her bathroom to get cleaned up and dressed.

Minerva's next stop was Professor Snape's third floor office. He was head of Slytherin, but Slughorn had once been the head of his house and would be an obvious choice for backup. She knocked on the door and Severus opened it and gestured her in. He was trying to project his usual coolness, but was obviously disturbed and his hair looked like an electricity experiment. Minerva looked around and saw no one, but then she noticed a wardrobe with a door that wasn't quite closed. Deciding she really didn't want to know, Minerva plunged ahead with her explanation regarding the astronomical alignment, the effects on the school and the need for all heads of houses to proceed to the house dorms.

Severus said nothing until Minerva finished. "Fine, I'll go. I suppose you want me to wake the slug and bring him along?"

Minerva pinched her lips. Severus' attitude to the new Potions master was barely civil and it annoyed her.

"Yes, Severus, I wish you to find Professor Slughorn and enlist his assistance. He was the head of Slytherin before you." Snape scowled and nodded.

For her final destination, Minerva headed for the hospital. Madam Pomfrey would be able to backup Professor Sprout with the Hufflepuffs. As she entered the hospital wing, Minerva stopped. Directly ahead of her was a draped bed and from the sounds coming from behind the drape it was obvious who was there and what was happening. Just as she summoned her courage to speak, a scream issued from the bed.

"Merlin! Yes Horace! Oh my I would have never thought.."

As the screaming and subsequent groans ceased, Minerva found her voice.

"Hello Poppy. Hello Horace. Yes, I know you are startled and I am not here to chastise. I need both of you to collect yourselves and help me. There is a rare astronomical alignment tonight and I unwisely disregarded Aurora's warning. The main effect is heightened libido, which we have all felt. My concern is for the students, who we need to bring under control. Poppy, I need you to go to Hufflepuff and assist Pomona. Horace, you are needed to assist with Slytherin. We have about 45 minutes of the worst of the effects left. I am now on my way to Gryffindor."

As Minerva left, Madam Pomfrey and Professor Slughorn disentangled themselves. They separated immediately, using every ounce of control to dress and attend to the duties that Professor McGonagall had assigned.

Downstairs, McGonagall approached Gryffindor tower and saw Septima waiting in the hall. The sight of her set Minerva on fire. She stopped and took several deep breaths before she felt herself safe enough to move closer. As she approached, Minerva saw the bound forms of Jack Sloper, Demelza Robins, Cormac McLaggen, and Jimmy Peakes. It appeared that all were bound with the 'incarcerous' spell. As Minerva stood, looking at them, Septima spoke up.

"Hello Minerva. I arrived a few minutes ago and started clearing nearby rooms. I found Demelza and Jack first and then Cormac and Jimmy in a room across the hall. I haven't been in the tower yet, but the Fat Lady says that we should be prepared. She's been hearing a lot of 'rutting noises' as she put it."

Minerva took one more deep breath as she replied. "Well, we better get in there. Are you ready? This won't be easy with the effects still on us as well."

Septima stepped forward, embraced Minerva and kissed her deeply. Then she pulled away and responded. "Okay, I'm ready now."

Minerva looked over at the four students who were bound, but still awake. 'Oh well, I can always blame that kiss on the alignment' Minerva thought as she stepped toward the portrait hole. When the two professors entered the Gryffindor common room, the first sight that greeted them was the foursome of the Weasley twins, Angelina, and Katie. Katie was getting double penetration from the twins while Angelina sat on Fred's face and played with Katie's tits. McGonagall groaned at the sight of them, but then she gritted her teeth and started casting. She pulled all the participants apart and then bound each one with the 'incarcerous' spell. Once that was complete, she looked over at Septima, who was drooling. Minerva slapped her partner and Septima's eyes refocused.

Minerva looked at Septima and forced herself to focus. "Can you handle the boys' dormitories? I think that may be easier for you."

Septima nodded and proceeded up the boys' stairs, while Minerva headed up the girls' stairs. The first two floors were the easiest for each professor. Most of the first and second years didn't seem to be as involved as the older students. A few were snogging, but the majority were sitting a bit dazed and a few were crying. Professor McGonagall had limited time to analyze this, but was thankful for small favors. 'Must have something to do with puberty' she pondered as she moved upstairs. Reaching the fifth years' dorm, the professor continued to incant 'finite incantatem' to dissolve silence and privacy wards. She was immediately assaulted by Ginny's screams and proceeded to separate and bind her and Harry before moving to the next floor. In the sixth years' dorm, Lavender and Alicia were already falling out of Alicia's bed and the sight of them made Minerva ache. Steeling herself, she separated and bound them next. Then she turned to another bed in the room, dissolved the privacy wards and separated Parvati and Romilda. Then she continued on up to the last floor.

Meanwhile, in the dungeon, Professor Snape entered the Slytherin common room and immediately threw Draco off of Pansy none to gently. He then petrified them both before turning to separate Millicent from between Vincent and Gregory. As Snape was finishing in the common room, Professor Slughorn burst in.

Snape sneered. "Nice of you to show up Horace. Take the girls' wing, I'll take the boys' wing. Don't be too gentle with them." Horace nodded and the two professors split up to subdue the rest of Slytherin house.

Upstairs, Professors Flitwick and Sinistra were on their way into the Ravenclaw tower when a noise from a classroom across the hall drew their attention. Running in, Aurora found Luna being levitated and Roger using the strange position to his full advantage. She groaned as she watched them and was unable to move. Filius came in right after her and took control, breaking the couple apart and binding them. Then he took his lover's hand and dragged her back to the hallway. Aurora finally came out of her stupor and dropped to her knees to begin snogging her lover. Filius gave in and snogged her for a couple of minutes before exercising all his will and separating from Aurora. They made their way into the common room and split up as they began the task of subduing the tower.

As all the towers began to be brought under control, the clock in the Great Hall struck two and the effects gradually began to wane. By 2:30 all students had been located and were either bound, in stasis or petrified.