Thank you thank you sooo much to everyone who reviewed, and all the favuorite stories etc. It means a lot xx
Hope you like this.
I still haven't watched the film, though I have lifted a few more quotes, because I couldn't resist...but I actually have no idea what an international tea tray competition is, nor how one would go about it!
Hermione bounded into the Room of Requirement a week after they had first met, to face the group of women already gathered on the various seats.
"We've got it!" she squealed, brandishing a handful of papers rather violently. The occupants of the room ducked quickly as excitable sparks flew out of Hermione's wand towards them.
"Hermione, please!" Minerva spoke, looking pointedly at Hermione's wand in her hand, her high-pitched voice at odds with the calm hand that reached out to snuff out an ember intent on setting her sleeve alight.
"Oh, right, sorry." She hastily dropped her wand and continued on in her squealing. "But we got it! The sponsorship! And and and they've agreed to send one of their own photographers at no extra cost; cover all the printing and publicity and have decided to hold an international tea tray competition to boot!"
There was an assortment of grins, chuckles, and confused faces around the room. A chorus of 'well done's' and 'bloody hell's' echoed through the room, until Sybil became the one to voice the thought topmost in everyone's minds.
"Hermione, dear...what is an international tea tray competition?"
Hermione sat, the comment seeming to have taken the edge off her excitement.
"Well...um...actually, I'm not really sure. But," she brightened visibly. "Apparently, Sultan Apu is coming from India with his collection of tea towels."
When the excitement she felt didn't seem to be spreading, Hermione sighed in frustration.
"Sultan Apu? Said to be the last living relative of Aladdin? He's been looking for a magic carpet ever since he heard of his father's; seems he focused his search in a rather unusual area, though. Built up quite the collection, by all accounts, though no one has ever seen them, until now."
"Oh, be still my beating heart," Rolanda muttered. "What's he hoping to fly on a tea towel, a bloody flea circus?"
Hermione huffed, and Ginny suppressed a giggle as she looked at her friend.
"An international tea tray competition is where you create a tray representing a part of the world. For instance, you could make a Jamaican one, or a part of Africa. Points for the most interesting presentation and originality...what?" Ginny stopped abruptly as the eyes of the whole room fell on her. "Hermione's not the only one that can research, you know. Granted, hers is probably more useful, but there is a place for useless information sometimes."
Hermione quickly got over her affront at Ginny knowing something she didn't, and ploughed on.
"Anyway, the photographer is available to start tomorrow, and I thought the sooner the better."
"But we haven't rehearsed everything!" Sybil piped up, panic clearly written on her face.
"Excellent!" Molly Weasley beamed as she stood up, pointedly ignoring Sybil's comment. "It's a good job I managed to get this organised for today, then."
As the group looked on bemused, Molly turned to the back of the room and gave a shout.
"Tegwen, dear, could you come join us now!"
A few moments later, a tall woman with precisely spiked blonde hair and thick black glasses rounded a corner and came to stand next to Molly.
"Everyone, this is Tegwen Grant; George put us into contact when I mentioned what we were doing..."
"You told George?" Ginny squeaked, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment. Molly looked at her in confusion.
"Of course, dear. We're not making this calendar for our own entertainment now, are we? We need all the publicity we can get! Anyway, Tegwen is here to introduce us to the fascinating world of rugs."
Tegwen leaned down to Molly's ear and hurriedly whispered, the group becoming more intrigued as Molly's eyes widened, and a look of thunder passed across her features as she muttered furiously.
"Bloody George; interior decorating my-Sorry, ladies, I stand corrected. It's not just rugs; it is, in fact, all forms of...um...carpeting."
Hermione and Ginny caught each other's eyes, and didn't manage to hide their snorts of laughter as Minerva paled, Rolanda burst out laughing, Sybil scratched her head, and Pomona gazed down her robes, intrigued.
"No. No front bottoms." Poppy stated as the buzz died down.
"Beg your pardon?" Hermione asked, even as she was asking wishing she wasn't.
"I'm in this all the way, Hermione, but no front bottoms. That's a sight I reserved for just one man in my life."
"Well...do you think your husband would mind then?"
Poppy cocked her head to the side as an evil grin plastered her face.
"It wasn't my husband."
As Ginny covered her ears and began humming what was fast becoming her own personal mantra, Tegwen was already being led to the back of the room on the arms of Molly and Rolanda, as Minerva sat shaking her head in the chair.
"Well, I guess anyone that wants to...err...learn more can go with Tegwen. Otherwise, we'll all meet in here tomorrow. Shall we say 10am; the photographer can make it by eleven, and seeing as it's half term we can go at it for most of the day without major interruptions?"
Poppy nodded enthusiastically, but there came no response from Minerva.
"Minerva? Are you ok?" Hermione asked, bending down in front of her.
Minerva met her gaze and forced the corners of her mouth to quirk a little.
"Are you quite sure that oregano is not a hallucogenic drug? I think I would be willing to sample it about now."
Hermione beamed. Noticing that, despite her protestation, Poppy had dragged Sybil off to the back of the room, and Ginny was busy pretending not to be mortified at her mother's questions, she moved her lips as close to Minerva's ear as she could without touching.
"You have nothing to worry about, Minerva. I'm not the only one that thinks you beautiful."
She leaned in closer, taking Minerva's hands.
"You know," she whispered, causing Goosebumps to appear all over Minerva's skin, "I hope this calendar is a success, because I've already got next year's mapped out."
"Oh, yes?" Minerva managed, hoping her voice was steadier than her breathing.
"Mhmm." Hermione replied, and taking a mental deep breath ploughed on before she could change her mind. "I think that you are going to be such a hit, that next year's calendar is going to be wholly about you; the Twelve most Beautiful views of Minerva McGonagall. Eleven months artistically clothed, and a little 'lift the flap' for December."
Hermione planted a quick kiss on Minerva's cheek, and for the second time in a week, flashed a huge smile before disappearing and leaving Minerva speechless.