More Minerva and Albus because I think their friendship is so cute :) Hope you enjoy the last peaceful chapter before...erm..nothing involving a giant snake and a Horcrux.
4 October 1992
"Can I help you, girls?"
The four girls clustered by the staffroom door jumped and turned around as Minerva stopped walking and crossed her arms.
"We-We were just waiting for Professor Lockhart, Professor," piped up Louise, a First Year Ravenclaw. Her fellow classmates nodded eagerly in agreement, Grace, Minerva's goddaughter, being one of them. "We wanted to give him some...letters."
"I see," Minerva said, raising an eyebrow. "And this could not have waited until tomorrow morning?"
"Erm...no?"
Minerva pressed her lips together. "Well, seeing as I am going into the staffroom, perhaps I could pass on these letters you have to Professor Lockhart?"
The girls went beet red however nodded silently and placed the letters awkwardly in Minerva's outstretched hand.
"I will see that he receives these," Minerva told the girls, waving the letters. "Now, if I am not mistaken it is five minutes until curfew so I suggest you run along back to your dormitories."
The girls nodded and scampered off back to their respective dormitories bar one who lingered behind.
"Miss Matthews?"
Grace tried to give Minerva her most winning smile. "Professor McGonagall," she began, "would it be possible to find out how I did in my transfiguration essay?"
"I'm afraid it would not," Minerva replied, "seeing as I have not finished marking yours yet."
"Oh."
"I do not tend to tell my students their grades before I return their papers to them either way, Miss Matthews," she explained, looking at Grace over her spectacles. "You will found out what you got this Friday with the rest of your classmates and no sooner. In the meantime, I suggest you concentrate on your other homework and," Minerva checked her watch, "getting to your dormitory in the next 2 minutes unless you want to be caught out of bed after hours."
Grace smiled slightly. "Understood," she said with a nod, already backtracking up the corridor. "Night."
"Goodnight," Minerva replied, shaking her head as she watched Grace hurry to the end of the hallway towards the Ravenclaw Common Room. When the last of Grace's robes disappeared round the corner, Minerva turned her attention back to the staffroom door and said the password. "Revelio."
The door swung open, and she stepped inside. As expected, the room appeared to be empty, and Minerva finally allowed her shoulders to relax. Stifling a yawn behind her hand, she went to place the heart covered letters in Gilderoy's pigeon hole and was about to pick a seat by the fire when she noticed the tip of a pointy hat poking out from behind the back of a red chintz armchair.
She frowned. It was unusual to find Dumbledore in the staffroom and much more so at this hour when he was usually in his office reading or knitting.
"Good evening, Headmaster," she said, settling down in a seat opposite Albus and giving him a brief nod.
Albus smiled and lowered his newspaper.
"Good evening, Professor McGonagall," he said pleasantly. "I trust you have had a good day?"
"As good a day as it gets," she replied, not missing the amused look he gave her as she bent down and began to retrieve some files from her bag. "And yourself?"
"Quite pleasurable, thank you."
Minerva nodded and rested some essays on her folded legs, dipping the nib of her quill into some red ink when she was settled.
"I'm glad you heeded my advice," she commented after a while. "They suit you."
Albus beamed. "Thank you, my dear. I thought no one had noticed."
Minerva's eyes briefly flicked up again, looking amusedly at her friend who smiled as well - after all, they both knew that the glasses frames he had picked were almost identical to the previous ones, only perhaps a little less dented and a little shinier than before.
Still smiling slightly, Minerva looked back down at her essays. She gave Grace's essay a mark, then moved to the next essay, raising her eyebrows already at the little note that that particular First Year had left for her at the top of their essay; apologising for its content for which he was quite sure was not up to scratch.
"Is this really the way to spend an evening such as this one?" Albus asked after a few minutes had elapsed.
"Aha, and the truth comes out," Minerva said, her eyes still scanning the essay in front of her and giving two ticks - it was in a fact a very well-structured and analytical essay. "I hope you were not waiting for me?"
She heard Albus fold his legs and lean back comfortably in his chair.
"Hm?" she prodded.
He smiled. "I do not understand why you dislike birthdays so, Minerva."
"Another year, another grey hair, another wrinkle," she said, writing a note in the margin of the essay and then leaning back. "Also, I am very busy and have no time for frivolities."
Albus chuckled. "I am quite sure one evening will not make that much of a difference, my dear."
"That is precisely what Pomona told me this morning."
"Then, perhaps you should heed her advice."
Minerva smiled mildly. "I am afraid you are both quite mistaken," she said. "I am too old for parties, Albus, and I do need to return these essays to my First Years by Friday so I cannot afford to take the night off."
"How about an hour?"
"To do what?" she answered, the nib of her quill hovering above the parchment.
Dumbledore flicked his wand so that an old chess board unfolded itself from its resting position on a nearby shelf and floated gracefully to land on the table separating them.
"Might I tempt you to a game of chess?"
"So that I can beat you again?" she asked innocently.
He shrugged, but there was a distinct twinkle in his eye. "That remains to be seen."
He looked at her and waited patiently until she finally relented.
"Oh, go on then," she said, putting away her folder. "But only one game, mind."
Dumbledore smiled cheerfully as the pieces began to set themselves onto the board. "Your wish is my command."
