What an interesting year ahead of us :) Dragons, blast-ended skrewts, Victor Krum, a bit of Peter Pettigrew, Barty Crouch Jr (aka David Tennant), and not to mention Voldemort! I don't know how I'm going to fit it all in!

Anyway, hope you're excited :) Double post this week too because I'm very nice (and also have quite a lot of pre-written chapters ready for upload)

Thanks for the lovely comments as well. I'm so glad you're enjoying the story :)

1st September 1994

Minerva sighed as she walked down the corridors and searched for a cream envelope amidst sheets of parchment in her hands. She had received the letter earlier that morning however, with it being the start of the academic year, she had not yet had the time to read it.

"Evenin' Professor McGonagall."

Minerva looked up to see Hagrid standing in front of the doors to the Great Hall. She smiled. "Good evening, Professor Hagrid. How are you?"

"Oh, 'm all righ'," he said passing a nervous hand through his shaggy hair.

Minerva frowned noticing his less than cheerful demeanour; something that was of rare occurrence. "Is something bothering you?"

Hagrid shuffled his feet as though he was debating whether or not he should share. In the end, he shrugged. "To tell ya' the truth I'm a bi' worried about this term," he admitted.

"How so?" Minerva asked, tilting her head.

"Well, after las' year with Buckbeak I'm worried tha' I'll make another mistake."

Minerva slipped the letter back into her pocket. "That is ridiculous, Hagrid," she told him truthfully. "You should not blame yourself for the incident with Mr Malfoy. You told your students how to introduce themselves to Buckbeak, it was Mr Malfoy who chose not to listen to you."

"That's kind of yeh, Professor. But I bet you a student's never been injured in any of your classes," he said, gesturing at her vaguely. "Or in any other Professor's here for tha' matter."

"You would be surprised, Hagrid," said Albus, joining Minerva and Hagrid by the doors. Minerva turned and raised her eyebrow at him. Dumbledore merely smiled. "During my first class, I had a student successfully turn a match into a needle. Unfortunately, a mistake in the wand movement meant that the needle was also very intent on poking any living person in close proximity. It caused quite the ruckus I must say," he added, catching Minerva's eye.

Hagrid, looking bemused, did not seem to know what to say to this unusual revelation. Fortunately, a small whistle sounding from Albus' peculiar watch saved him from trying to reply.

"Ah, and that will be the train," said Albus pleasantly.

Hagrid looked at the doors and cleared his throat. "I bes' be off," he said. "Shall I bring them into the side room, Professor McGonagall?"

"That would be most helpful, Hagrid," Minerva replied with a nod.

Hagrid tipped his head then made his way towards the entrance hall en route to Hogsmeade station.

"I suppose we better follow," Minerva said. The carriages always appeared at least ten minutes before the first years. As per every year, Minerva and Albus had to open the school gates to let the Thestrals through. "Did that really happen?" she added, looking at Dumbledore. "With the matchsticks?"

"Regrettably so. I can tell you now that the matron at the time was not best pleased with me," Albus replied. "Though it might have been worse if Madame Pomfrey had been working here."

"Ha. Perhaps so," Minerva said, giving him an amused look as they walked down together out of the Great Hall. However, no sooner had they stepped foot in the Entrance Hall were they suddenly showered with water. Minerva gasped as the cold water came into contact with her skin.

"My deepest apologies, Professorheads," said Peeves, though he did not seem in the least sorry.

"That was quite rude, Peeves," Dumbledore said patiently, shaking some of the water off his hand and then drying himself with his wand.

Minerva, who had done the same, looked up angrily at the poltergeist. Unlike Albus, she had no qualms about speaking her mind when she had to. "Peeves! Get down here this instant," she barked, motioning for Peeves to come down.

Instead of doing as he was told, Peeves stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry.

"Now, really Peeves," said Albus. "That was entirely unnecessary."

Peeves looked not in the least bothered. "Not coming down, not ever," he chanted before cackling away with a suspicious-looking bag.

"That is going to come back to bite us. More water balloons in there, no doubt," Minerva muttered grumpily. Indeed being dowsed in water was not the way one liked the academic year to start. "He is not even listening to you now," she added. "Perhaps we should get the Bloody Baron."

Albus nodded mildly in agreement and looked side to side as though searching for the ghost. Meanwhile, Minerva's eyebrows had knit together slightly as she finally scanned the letter Arthur Weasley had sent her that morning. She had not had the time to read it until this point which was something she regretted now.

"Problem?" Albus commented as Minerva stopped walking.

"Mm," she said. "Arthur Weasley says here that Alastor has been held back at the Improper Use of Magic's office," she said slowly, as she scanned the letter. "Oh dear," she added with a sigh. "Look here," she said, pointing with her finger at the second sentence.

Albus came closer and peered over her shoulder. Once he had finished reading, he looked up at Minerva who shook her head tiredly and folded the letter again.

"Well, that isn't the first time he's thought someone was trespassing," she said, exasperatedly. "If he does this one more time he will never hear the end of it."

"I can imagine Rita Skeeter would be most eager to get her hands on this information."

Minerva tutted and held up her hand. "Do not speak to me of that woman," she said tersely, moving again towards the front doors. "I think she would be doing the Wizarding World a service if she retired early. Though I would be surprised if she ever did retire - I don't think she could."

Albus caught her eye, looking faintly amused.

"Do you not remember that awful piece she wrote about you two years ago?" Minerva reminded him.

"How could I forget."

"And then the second one she nearly wrote about you and I..."

"Based on Gilderoy's testimony if I recall correctly."

Minerva rolled her eyes. "Thank goodness Malcolm was still working for the Daily Prophet. If he hadn't managed to stop its publication..." she trailed away and shuddered at the memory of the essentially gossipy article Rita Skeeter had written two years ago. "Anyway," she said, shaking her head, "Arthur did not say when Alastor would be released. I hope that they do not convict of anything. Because if he was seen using magic by a muggle..."

"Use the floo network, my dear, and ask Arthur for an update," Albus said. "I can take care of matters here."

He smiled at her, and Minerva finally nodded.

"Very well," she said. "Could you make sure with Ewan that everyone got on the Hogwarts Express," she added, handing Albus a clipboard. "And that every student enters the castle as well. Also, I feel Peeves might make a reappearance—"

"I will make sure I have an umbrella at hand," Albus said.

Minerva pressed her lips together. "I think I will try to locate the Bloody Baron anyway," she told him. "Having the first years drenched with water is not ideal. Not to mention how dangerous it would be to have the floor covered in water," she added. "Right, well, I shall see you shortly, Albus."

Dumbledore smiled. "See you later, my dear."