A/N: Sorry for the delay. I had a mild concussion and was not supposed to do anything. I do not recommend it. It's terribly boring. Anyway, it's slowly getting better now so I can finally get started on book three. Did I mention that it's one of my favourites? I hope you'll enjoy it with me.
58. Headlines
MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE.
The headline itself wouldn't have caught Minerva's attention, but the familiar faces in the accompanying photograph did. She quickly scanned the article and smiled to herself. Apparently, Arthur Weasley had won the Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw, which was probably the first thing the Daily Prophet had got right in a long time. No family in all of Britain would have deserved that win more than the Weasleys. Especially after everything they had gone through lately. Minerva was happy for them and also a little bit for herself. Surely, they could afford to buy their youngest son a new wand now, which should significantly reduce the number of accidents in her classes.
"I can't remember the last time I saw you smile while reading the paper. Would that be good news for a change?" Albus' voice made Minerva lower the newspaper. She had only picked it up to pass the time until Albus was ready to leave. It was a glorious summer day and they had planned to go on a little outing today.
Before she could fill him in on the Weasley's unexpected windfall, there was a knock on the door of Albus' study. A quick glance at him told Minerva that he was just as surprised to have a visitor as she was. It was late July and the castle was practically empty. With a curious expression on his face Albus turned towards the door and said, "Come."
Silvanus Kettleburn hobbled into the room. "Morning, Dumbledore," he rasped and upon spotting Minerva he added, "And to you, of course. Good thing you're here. You'll want to hear this, too, I suppose."
"Silvanus, what a pleasant surprise. Can I offer you a cup of tea or perhaps a piece of good news?" Albus greeted him politely, pointing towards the teapot and the newspaper on the table. Personally, Minerva would have skipped the small talk and Silvanus seemed to agree with her.
"Thanks, but I've got my own piece of news," he replied. "Whether it's good or bad might be a matter of perspective."
"Oh my, sounds intriguing," Albus said lightly. "Would you at least like to take a seat?"
Silvanus declined yet again. "Nah, better get this over with. You see, I'm only here to hand in my notice and to collect my things. I'm done, Dumbledore. I'm not coming back this September. It's time."
Minerva sat bolt upright in her chair. "What do you mean, it's time? It's the middle of the holidays! You couldn't have told us that before the end of last term?"
"Nah, I really couldn't," Silvanus said with an apologetic shrug of his shoulders. "With all of that Chamber of Secrets business going on and a monster on the loose in the castle, it would have looked pretty bad if the Care of Magical Creatures professor had called it quits, don't you think? Didn't want to leave you hanging or be more trouble than I'm worth."
"That was very considerate of you," said Albus. It wasn't the word Minerva would have used, but she kept her thoughts to herself. "Hogwarts will be sorry to see you go, Silvanus. We won't soon forget your highly creative and… memorable ways of teaching. Nevertheless, we shall, of course, wish you all the best for your well-earned retirement."
Minerva wondered if by 'memorable' Albus meant that time Silvanus had almost burned down the Great Hall when he had confused Flobberworms with Ashwinders.
"Thank you, Dumbledore. Knew you would understand. I might send you an owl every now and then to catch up. Eh, who am I kidding? I probably won't bother. But it's been good working with you. As far as headmasters go, you sure are a lot more fun than the rest of them." He and Albus shook hands and mere minutes later Silvanus was gone – and so was their only Care of Magical Creatures professor.
"I can't believe that man," Minerva said exasperatedly. "We have little over a month left until school starts and we now have not just one but two vacancies!"
Albus looked entirely unconcerned. "Actually, we still only have one."
"Have you found a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Minerva asked in surprise.
"Not yet. But I know just the right person to take over for Silvanus," Albus informed her and he was smiling as though Christmas had come early. "Would you like to accompany me when I tell him? We could leave as planned right after."
Minerva was curious, of course, but Albus' sudden excitement made her a little nervous. "Are you certain it's appropriate for me to come with you?"
"Quite," Albus nodded, his grin widening.
Minerva didn't know what to think and so she did what she always did when in doubt. She decided to trust Albus.
They left the castle together, but rather than walk towards the gate, Albus headed straight for… Hagrid's cabin.
With a little snort Minerva stopped walking. She really should have seen this coming.
Still smiling, Albus turned around to her. "Are you coming?"
"Are you… sure?" she asked in return.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"He's just… he's so… he's… Hagrid!" Minerva tried and failed to express her misgivings, probably because she didn't actually want to voice them.
Albus chortled. "Yes, I do think that's his name. And I also think that he knows more about magical creatures than anyone I've ever met."
"Knows about them or just plain loves them," Minerva argued weakly.
"In my experience, people who are so passionate about their subject that they're willing to take personal risks to learn everything they possibly can make for the best teachers," Albus said pointedly, his blue eyes twinkling.
He had her there and he knew it.
The cabin door was pushed open at that moment and Hagrid emerged, whistling cheerfully. He took a couple of steps and then paused when he saw them. "Mornin', Professors. Beautiful day, ain't it?"
"Very much so," Albus agreed. "And we don't want to keep you from enjoying it. I just have something to ask you."
"'course, Professor. I always got time fer yeh," Hagrid replied, patting his boarhound and making him sit by his side.
"That's good to hear actually because I or, that is to say, Hogwarts will require a lot more of your time from now on. I was hoping that, in addition to staying on as our gamekeeper, you'd be willing to take over as our new Care of Magical Creatures professor."
The boarhound whined when Hagrid suddenly stopped patting him, his hand suspended in mid-air and his mouth falling open. "Yeh… yeh want me ter… ter teach?" he finally asked with great effort.
"I do," Albus confirmed happily.
"Ter… ter teach the students?" Hagrid clarified.
Albus laughed softly. "Well, Hogwarts is a school, so yes, we usually teach students around here."
"Bu'… bu' wha' abou' Silvanus?"
"He just came to see me and let me know that he'll be retiring, effective immediately."
"An' yeh want me ter replace him?" Hagrid pressed on.
"Like I said," Albus nodded.
"Me?"
"Yes, Hagrid, you," Albus said patiently.
The gamekeeper shook himself. "Bu' I'm not a teacher!"
"You weren't previously, but you will be if you say yes. And I'm sure you'll do wonderfully."
At a loss, Hagrid glanced from Albus to Minerva. "He's not havin' me on, is he?" he asked her.
Albus' brow furrowed while Minerva suppressed a 'serves you right' kind of smile. "No, Hagrid, he's serious and so am I. I'd love for you to join us in the staffroom as a colleague this year."
His eyes widened. "Me? A teacher like yerself? Really?"
"Yes, Hagrid, really," Albus continued. "I understand your surprise. But I must say it saddens me that you would doubt our sincerity and your ability to do this job. Because I believe in you, Hagrid, and I'm prepared to do so for the both of us if you need me to. Still, if you'd prefer to take some time to think about…"
He never got to finish that sentence because Hagrid suddenly wrapped them in one giant bear hug, lifting Albus and Minerva off their feet and nearly crushing them to him and each other.
Minerva gasped, both in surprise and in need for air, while Albus awkwardly patted Hagrid's arm. "That's quite enough, Hagrid," he managed.
Blushing furiously and wiping his eyes that were brimming with tears, Hagrid set them back down. "Sorry, Professor. Jus' can' believe it. Me a teacher! Never had nobody believe in me like that! I won' disappoint yeh, Professor!"
Albus cleared his throat while Minerva straightened her glasses and her robes. "Can I take that as a yes then?"
"Blimey! Yeah, 'course I'll do it! Thank yeh, Professor. Thank yeh fer givin' me the chance!" Hagrid said fervently.
"Not at all, Hagrid. I'm the one who should be thanking you," Albus replied kindly. "Now, I think we will give you a moment to process all of this. We can talk more tomorrow."
Still a little dazed, Hagrid gave them a quick nod and Albus and Minerva left him to it, setting off in the direction of the gate to the school grounds. They hadn't reached it yet when Hagrid suddenly called after them and came running towards them.
"Oh Lord," Minerva muttered under her breath and tried to hide inconspicuously behind Albus, just in case Hagrid was planning another hug.
"I always hoped you would let me protect you should the need arise, but this is not how I pictured it," Albus teased her quietly.
Minerva didn't respond because Hagrid had already reached them. "Sorry ter bother yeh again, Professor. I jus' remembered that yeh'll need me ter give yeh a book fer the students."
He looked right at her and so Minerva stepped out from behind Albus. "I need to send out the booklists soon, yes, but there's still a little time..."
"No need. Got it righ' here," Hagrid said proudly and held out a book that promptly tried to bite Minerva's hand off.
Alarmed, she took a step back again. "That's all right. You don't have to give me the actual book. The title will do."
"That's easy enough. It's called The Monster Book of Monsters. Should I write that down fer yeh?"
"I think I can remember that, thank you," Minerva said drily while Albus was shaking with laughter inside.
Hagrid grinned broadly as well. "All righ' then. I better be off thinkin' abou' me first lesson. Have a good day, Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore, sir." He waved and hurried off, taking that monstrous book with him.
"We really need to change that rule about letting teachers choose their own set books," Minerva said, shaking her head. "First all that Lockhart nonsense and now The Monster Book of Monsters? What's next?"
Albus beamed. "I think it sounds like a thrilling read."
She wanted to be annoyed with him. But she couldn't begrudge him his good mood when it came from giving Hagrid something he clearly hadn't even dared to dream of before. He deserved to be happy – even more so after his recent stint in Azkaban. Minerva just hoped this wouldn't end with dangerous creatures roaming the castle again. She'd had more than enough of that last term. She'd had enough of a lot of things last term, come to think of it.
Albus had been about to open the gate for them, but he stopped, eyeing her closely. "What's on your mind, Minerva?" he asked, observant as ever.
"I was just thinking about how happy you made Hagrid with this, but also how relieved Silvanus looked when he told us about his retirement."
"Not to toot my own horn, but that sounds like an ideal solution for everyone involved, does it not?" He winked at her.
"It really is hard to argue with Silvanus' decision to retire before he manages to lose the one leg and the couple of fingers he has left," Minerva admitted. She had been angry with him for not telling them sooner, not because she didn't understand his choice. "It makes me wonder if he's smarter than we are."
Albus quirked a brow. "Are you anticipating that we might lose some of our extremities, too?"
"You know that's not what I meant."
"Do I? Because I never imagined I would hear Minerva McGonagall talk about retirement any time soon. You'll have to explain that to me, I'm afraid."
"Is it really so inconceivable?" Minerva asked. The question was meant as much for herself as it was directed at Albus. "You may refuse to acknowledge my age, but with everything that happened last year and the year before that, I'm beginning to feel it. I think it's fair to wonder how much time we have left to go wherever we'd like to go and to see whatever we'd still like to see."
Albus stayed perfectly still for a moment, the expression on his face withholding any kind of judgment. "Is that really something you want? To leave Hogwarts?"
Minerva took in the sight of him, standing there against the backdrop of Hogwarts castle and the surrounding Scottish hillsides, each equally magnificent. "Not in a million years," she realised, the feeling hitting her fast and leaving no room for doubt. "I guess it's just nice to imagine us being together without those constant worry lines on your face or mine."
"I happen to think that your face is perfect the way it is and I fear there's nothing that can be done to fix mine." Albus finally threw open the gate and smiled at her. "But for today at least we can give it a try."
Minerva laughed. No matter how excited she was to leave the castle grounds today, she knew she would be just as excited to return tomorrow.
MASS MURDERER ESCAPES! BEWARE OF SIRIUS BLACK!
Cornelius Fudge glanced at the sensationalist headline in today's Evening Prophet and grimaced. "Terrible, terrible thing, Dumbledore! Horribly embarrassing for the Ministry. I reckon my time in office might be over if we don't recapture Black fast," he lamented, wringing his hands in dismay.
Albus chose not to point out that the future of Cornelius' career was hardly of the utmost importance right now. "What happened exactly?" he asked instead.
"No one knows!" Fudge replied miserably. "We have no idea how Black managed to fool the Dementors. Not even the Dementors know. They're just as baffled and embarrassed as we are."
"I highly doubt that," Albus said quietly.
"I know you don't like them, but you can't argue with their track record." Fudge began to pace in front of the fireplace in Albus' office. "Nobody ever escaped from Azkaban – until now. He Who Must Not Be Named must have taught Black some kind of Dark Magic that's even more powerful than a Dementor!"
"If that were indeed the case, then why would he have waited twelve years to use it?" Albus contradicted.
Fudge stopped pacing and turned towards him with a peculiar look on his face. It warned Albus that this conversation was about to become even less enjoyable. "There's something we do know about what Black's doing – not how, but why. It's why I'm here actually. Before he escaped, the Dementors heard Black mutter to himself for days, always the same thing over and over. 'He's at Hogwarts.'" The minister paused, waiting for Albus to react. When he didn't, Fudge continued, "Black had probably lost all sense of time in prison, but for some reason he now knows that Harry Potter is going to school here at Hogwarts. Clearly, Black wants to finish what his master set out to do before he disappeared. Perhaps he hopes that killing Harry will bring back You-Know-Who."
Albus stroked his beard thoughtfully while Fudge stared at him. "Are you ever going to say something?"
"I'm not sure what you would like me to say, Cornelius. You're probably aware that this sounds like pure conjecture."
"Well, how am I supposed to understand the workings of a deranged mind like Black's? It's the only thing we have to go on right now. Potter is still at his aunt and uncle's for now and I've already warned the Muggle Prime Minister. There was no other way, considering all the people Black killed the last time. But we need to take precautions for when school starts and both Potter and Black will be coming here. I'll order the Dementors to protect Hogwarts and..."
"No," Albus interjected swiftly.
"No?" Fudge echoed, looking confused.
"There will be no Dementors in Hogwarts," Albus clarified.
"I'm sorry, Albus, but that's not up to you. The Dementors are under the Ministry's control…"
"And Hogwarts is under mine and I am telling you, Cornelius, there will be no Dementors in this school."
Now Fudge bristled at being dismissed out of hand like that. "Now, see here, Dumbledore…"
"You and I are both busy men, Cornelius," Albus cut him off once again. "And time is a precious commodity these days, so I shall keep this brief. As long as I am Headmaster of Hogwarts castle, no Dementor will be allowed to set foot on the school grounds. Unless you'd like to petition the governors to suspend me again, there is nothing left for us to talk about."
Fudge went red in the face and then paled just as quickly. "Suspend you? With Sirius Black on the loose? Parents would come at me left and right! But couldn't you be reasonable for once, Albus?"
"I think it's perfectly reasonable not to let entirely unfeeling and barely controllable creatures near hundreds of students who are filled to the brim with the kind of innocent, joyful emotions a Dementor delights in preying upon," Albus said coolly.
"But if Sirius Black tries to get into the castle…" Fudge protested.
"… then you can leave him for me to deal with."
"The way you dealt with the Chamber of Secrets, you mean?"
A stony silence fell over the room.
"Like I said, you can either accept the way I run this school or look at other options, but in the meantime, there will be no Dementors in Hogwarts," Albus said eventually.
Fudge threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "Fine! Outside of it then! Hogwarts may be yours, but the rest of Britain is mine, and I'm stationing the Dementors around the school entrances! They won't harm anyone other than Black. You have my word on that!"
Albus heaved a sigh. "I'd be careful if I were you, Cornelius, not to make promises you cannot keep."
"That's exactly what I'm trying to do here, Dumbledore!" Fudge exclaimed. "I promised everyone that we'll catch Black and the only way to do that is to let the Dementors do their bloody job. Ideally, before Black gets to Potter. You of all people should know what he's capable of! You testified against him!"
"I can assure you that I have not forgotten what I said," Albus replied darkly.
"Then you should help me do whatever it takes to protect Potter!" Fudge insisted.
"And so I would, but it appears that you and I have very different ideas how best to do that."
Fudge glared at him and then he shook his head. "If that's all you have to contribute, then you can stay out of it altogether! This is Ministry business. We will take care of Black and we will take care of Potter until he's back at Hogwarts. Oh, and of course the boy doesn't know a thing about any of this and it should bloody well stay that way!"
"If that is what you wish," Albus agreed calmly.
"It is." Fudge put his bowler hat back on and stalked towards the door. Then, apparently surprised by his own act of bravado, he paused with his hand on the doorknob. "And, er, a good evening to you, Albus." With that, he left.
Albus leaned heavily back in his chair, thinking back to what had happened twelve years ago. Now as then, something didn't feel right.
Before he could get too lost in thought, Minerva walked into his office. "I just ran into Cornelius. He asked me to try and talk some sense into you about allowing Dementors into the school! According to him, Black only escaped to come after Potter. I thought he was delusional, but seeing the look on your face now…" Her voice trailed off and she sank slowly into the nearest chair. "It's true? Black is after Harry?"
"Cornelius certainly seems to think so," Albus nodded.
Minerva shot him an annoyed look. "And what do you think?"
"Something or someone definitely must have caught his attention and motivated him to break out of prison. Nobody grows stronger after twelve years in Azkaban. If he was capable of escaping now, it stands to reason that he would have been able to do so a lot sooner had he wanted to."
"Doesn't everyone in Azkaban want to get out?" Minerva wondered.
Albus shrugged. "I suppose that depends on whether they stand something to gain."
"Other than their freedom?"
"Some people are forever imprisoned right inside their own minds, no matter where they are physically." Albus inclined his head. "Anyway, have you come here to talk sense into me then?"
Minerva snorted. "Into you? I'd like to knock some sense into Cornelius! Dementors in Hogwarts – the very idea is preposterous! This is a school, not a prison."
Albus smiled at her softly. "I'm glad we agree. Unfortunately, I couldn't dissuade Cornelius from stationing them outside of the school."
"Then I guess I should brush up on my Patronus Charm," Minerva muttered.
"I'm sure your Patronus is as impressive as ever."
"Except, it needs happy memories and those seem to be few and far between," she argued. "With the Chamber of Secrets closed, I thought things would improve this year. But now we have a murderer on the loose! It's like we're not allowed to teach the students in peace ever again."
He saw the paleness of her cheeks and the weariness on her face and decided he didn't like it. "If you're really worried about memories powerful enough to sustain your Patronus, that is something we can fix." Albus rose from his chair and circled out from behind his desk to get to Minerva, who looked at him questioningly.
"What exactly are you planning to do?"
"To make new happy memories," he explained with an enigmatic smile on his lips as he pulled her to her feet.
Minerva laughed and tilted her head back a little. "That's fairly confident of you."
"I hear that's the only way to defeat a Dementor," he said. "But of course it's your Patronus and your choice."
Thankfully, Albus actually had a particular destination in mind when Minerva decided to indulge his sudden whim and allowed him to lead her outside. The castle grounds were quiet and the sky was dark and clouded as they left. Once they had twisted, turned and Disapparated – Albus gently guiding Minerva towards where they were going – the night lit up spectacularly above their heads.
Minerva appeared to be speechless for a moment, which was a sight just as rare. "Are those the Northern Lights? My God, Albus, where did you take us?" she asked eventually.
"Just a little further up North," Albus replied vaguely. "If I remember correctly, you recently mentioned certain places you wanted to see one day and I was 'fairly confident,' as you put it, that the two of us could reach this one."
"Fairly confident?" Minerva repeated. She surreptitiously inspected her hands as though checking for any fingernails she might have left behind in Scotland.
He reached for her left hand and held it up to his lips. "Do you honestly think I would have let you splinch yourself?"
She opened her mouth, but then decided against whatever answer she had been about to give. Instead, she craned her neck for a better view. A smile bloomed on her face as the swirling rivers of greenish-blue light danced across the clear night sky. Before long, her eyes gleamed almost as brightly, a light of their own shining deeply within. It was even more breath-taking than Albus had imagined.
Until Minerva began to shiver. "We should have remembered to bring a coat."
"I think we can find something else around here to help ward off the cold," Albus said, clasping her hand and leading the way.
They didn't have to go far to get to a shallow pool of water. It was a natural hot spring with steam rising lazily into the cool air. It shimmered faintly in the light of the night sky, which gave it an almost mystical look.
Minerva seemed mesmerised at first, then her face creased into a frown. "You want me to get in there? My skin is already wrinkly enough without soaking it in hot water for too long."
Albus gave a little snort of laughter. "Your skin is exactly as wrinkly as it's supposed to be. I know that because I was lucky enough to witness it become that way. And I've never seen or felt anything so right." He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb for emphasis.
Caught by surprise, but also a little pleased, her eyes widened and her frown eased. "A simple 'you look fine' would have sufficed," she quipped.
"Fine is hardly the right word for any of this, don't you think? And not nearly good enough to impress a Dementor." Albus didn't wait for her to argue. He simply undressed and stepped into the water first – wrinkly skin, white hair and all.
Minerva took some time watching him and then she watched their surroundings. Almost as though she wanted to make sure that Sirius Black wouldn't jump out at them from behind the bushes. Honestly, it would have made things a lot easier if he had, albeit being very unfortunate timing. But they were completely alone and so Minerva eventually followed his example.
Albus stopped himself from telling her how ethereal she looked while getting into the water. The Northern Lights illuminated her naked body in a way that her critical eye wouldn't have appreciated but his loving one did even more. He meant what he said. He didn't care that her breasts were sagging or that her inner thighs weren't toned and smooth anymore. All he saw were the parts of her body his lips had loved to explore over the years and would love to touch again if she let him. To his slight fascination and great delight, he still wasn't too old for that.
Minerva sank down deep into the pool until the warm water was up to her collarbones and then she tipped her head back. "Oh," she sighed happily, "this might just be better than magic."
He chuckled. "That depends what kind of magic we're talking about," he said, pressing a kiss to her wet shoulder.
She tore her eyes away from the lights in the sky to meet his. "Any magic other than yours, other than the wonder you are to me."
Albus thought fleetingly that he should question that, but Minerva wouldn't let him. He had told her earlier that all of this was her choice.
Luckily for him, she chose to kiss him and love him without any hesitation or fear, reminding them both that there were some feelings even a Dementor couldn't take away.