As promised, some more Elphinstone and Minerva :)

Thank you all so much for the reviews! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story!

I hope everyone is doing ok given the situation!

16 April 1985

"Hello," called Elphinstone at the sound of the front door slamming shut. He emerged from the kitchen to find Minerva hanging up her cloak and taking off her shoes in the hallway. "Good day?"

"Eventful," she replied as Elphinstone kissed her. "One of my sixth years managed to turn themselves into a hedgehog – inadvertently. Her neighbour got such a fright that he fell off his chair."

Elphinstone snorted. "He'll never hear the end of that."

"No," answered Minerva. She put her bag down then went into the living room so that she could warm her hands by the fire. "And it really isn't funny either. He almost fell on top of her."

"Which wouldn't have been an ideal situation for either, then," Elphinstone said, biting back a smile. "Lots of needles in—"

"Unmentionable places," Minerva interrupted. "Poppy would never have let me hear the end of it."

Elphinstone smirked and put down the 3 glasses, plates and pairs of cutlery he was holding onto the coffee table. "Well, thank goodness none of that happened," he said, taking out his wand and flicking it so that a festive tablecloth slid neatly underneath the crockery and covered the whole table. Noticing Minerva's confused expression, he shrugged. "I couldn't find a birthday one so I just took the one we used for Christmas last year."

"I suppose we can always cover the snowmen with bowls," Minerva replied thoughtfully, eyeing the illustrations on the tablecloth – alternately portraying smiling snowmen next to stacks of presents. "Did you get the banners?"

Elphinstone nodded as he went back into the kitchen. "I also managed to find those muggle sweets you asked for, the—erm, those flying saucepans—"

"Saucers," Minerva corrected.

"Yes, flying saucers," Elphinstone said distractedly. "Anyway, I almost paid the shopkeeper with galleons."

"You wouldn't be the first," Minerva said, joining him in the kitchen and busying herself with extracting some paper napkins from a drawer. "Albus has done that numerous times when he's gone to collect some of those sweets."

"Well, I've saved him the trouble." Elphinstone looked up as Minerva came to stand beside him. "Admiring my work? I didn't know what to put so I just piped some Transfiguration books."

Minerva looked at the cake Elphinstone had been busy icing. "Because everybody wants to be reminded of school on their birthday," she teased, before smiling then kissing him on the cheek. "Looks lovely. I'm sure Albus will appreciate it."

"I hope so. That's an hour of my life gone," Elphinstone replied, finishing off by piping the dot on the 'i' of birthday. "I've wrapped the socks too. They're in the living room. Although you might want to have a look - it isn't my neatest work," he admitted. "When will he be arriving?"

"Albus told me 7," Minerva said, going back into the living room to put the napkins down as Elphinstone turned on the radio. "We've lost another Defence Against the Dart Arts professor though so he might be a bit late."

"Another one?" came Elphinstone's incredulous voice.

"Unfortunately. Job at Durmstrang this time," Minerva answered, looking around for the wrapped gift they had purchased for Dumbledore. Finally spotting it, she inspected Elphinstone's handiwork. "She did say she would be staying until we find a replacement."

"I guess that's better than the last one. Didn't he leave the next day?"

Minerva nodded as she used her wand to rewrap the socks. "I was furious. He just came into my office and told me he was going a week before term began."

"Well," said Elphinstone, joining Minerva and taking one of her hands in his and placing the other on her waist. "Now you know what it felt like for me when you took your job at Hogwarts."

Minerva smiled as they began swaying to the sound of music coming from the kitchen. "I gave you several months notice, not one," she said, "Besides, it is not as though you lacked applicants. We, on the other hand, have hardly anybody who wants to take on the position. There are rumours now that it's cursed."

Elphinstone widened his eyes dramatically. "Oh, dear."

"Indeed," Minerva replied.

Elphinstone let go for a moment to pick up his wand and turn the radio up. He then put it back down, resumed his position, and spun her around.

Minerva laughed. "What are you doing?"

"Dancing."

"I can see that," she replied as Elphinstone continued to dance with her very unrhythmically. "But we have dinner to prepare and Albus should be arriving any minute now."

"Dinner is already made," said Elphinstone, "The cake is finished and the living room is decorated." He indicated at the two happy birthday banners that gracefully flew up and hung themselves above the fireplace. He spun Minerva again. "Don't you remember this song?"

"Of course I do. We played it in the manse when we got married. July 6 1982."

Elphinstone smiled as he pulled her back close. "You wouldn't believe how many hours I spent practising this dance."

"Many, many hours," Minerva said, smiling too. "Helen told me. She said that her feet have never been the same since."

"Well, it went better than the Scottish dancing."

"Hm, I think you only trod on my toes four times then."

"I know. Masterful."

"Truly," answered Minerva just as the song ended. They continued to sway on the spot, their heads resting on each other's shoulders.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Minerva sighed and they stopped dancing.

"That will be Albus," she said, wiping down her robes then tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ears. "I'll go and let him in. Can you hide the cake?"

"He's 114, not 14," said Elphinstone smiling, already going back into the kitchen to put the cake away.

Minerva shrugged and made her way to the front door. "Might as well do it properly," she said.