A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS, friends! I hope you are all getting a chance to relax and enjoy the holiday. Thought I'd drop a turning point in the story as a little Christmas present…enjoy Thank you for all the kind words.

As the Gryffindor seeker caught the snitch, the entire Gryffindor stand erupted into applause as the Slytherin students slowly made their way out of the field. Rolanda smiled at the victory, glad to see Slytherin lose the house cup for the first time in a few years. In the stands behind her, the loyal Head of Gryffindor house was on her feet, waving her flag as tears streamed down her face. She saw Pomona and Filius hug Minerva, both glad to see that, if it wasn't either of their houses that won, at least it was Gryffindor. They all knew how badly Minerva had wanted to win. Slytherin had won the past two years, and Severus had been far too vocal about it. While Severus didn't look happy at the loss, he also didn't look miserable. Rolanda ran up the stairs climbed over some of the other staff members to place a hand on Minerva's shoulder.

"Drinks on me!" Minerva exclaimed, her eyes brighter than they had been in some time. The group laughed and Minerva put a hand on Severus's shoulder. "Took two years, but I finally got my victory."

A small smile played across Severus's face. It was hard to hear anything over the crowd, and Rolanda watched as Severus grasped her hand, pulling her in close so he could be heard when he said, "I assure you the cup was just taking up space in my room. I'd be glad to get rid of it for a year." She swore Minerva's cheeks pinkened, but before she could tell, Minerva had dropped her hand and started the walk towards Hogsmeade.

The Three Broomsticks was fairly crowed, but, much to everyone's relief, no students had snuck out and gone to the bar. Minerva ordered everyone a glass of Firewhisky, still in high spirits. Much to everyone's surprise, Severus had joined them, though he didn't say much aside from a few words to Minerva and Filius. With Gryffindor's victory, almost everyone had ordered Minerva a drink, making her fairly drunk a few hours into their evening. Minerva was a Scot through and through and could hold a decent amount of alcohol, she always had. Rolanda found that she and Minerva were the best drinkers out of the group, Pomona, Filius, and Poppy being less sturdy with their alcohol. Rolanda kept a careful eye on Severus, who, after a few drinks was a little more talkative than normal. Rolanda, watching carefully, found that he was slightly touchier with Minerva, probably thinking nobody had noticed.

"I think it's time to retire and check on my cubs," Minerva finally said, putting her fifth drink of the night down. "Merlin knows what the common room looks like by now."

They all laughed, Severus rolling his eyes. "Gryffindors are insufferable. One victory in how many years and you lose your minds."

Minerva smiled, jabbing Severus in the ribs. Pomona leaned down to take a sip of her drink, raising her eyebrows at Rolanda. The two had been exchanging looks all night, Pomona now as invested as her into their friend's love life. "Gryffindor loyalty is like non other," Filius added with a laugh.

"Thank you, Filius!" Minerva said, looking rather satisfied with herself. She was drunker than Rolanda had seen her in a while, and she loved how loose Minerva let herself get when she was.

"Well, I too am getting tired," Severus added. "And if I have to deal with a bunch of over-excited Gryffindors in the morning, I should start back now."

"I'm getting tired; I'll head back with you as well," Poppy said. Without a second thought, Rolanda jammed her heel into Poppy's foot, earning a slight yelp from the mediwitch. Rolanda was hoping something was going to transpire between a drunk Minerva and Severus, and she wasn't going to let the prudish witch ruin it. "Actually, I might stay here for a bit longer."

Minerva and Severus both stood from the table. "Good night, my dears," Minerva said, hugging them all as she made her way out. They all congratulated her on her victory and soon her and Severus were gone.

When they were out of ear shot, Rolanda finished off her glass and leaned back in her chair. "Who's coming with me?"

"What?" Pomona asked, finishing hers off as well.

"To see what happens with those two."

Poppy widened her eyes. "Oh come now, even if something were to happen-,"

Rolanda smiled. "So do you finally see what I've seen the past two years?"

Her friend's cheeks turned a light shade of red. "I will admit…I see how strong the bond between them is and if something did happen, I would still be skeptical of Severus, but far less than I would have been two years ago."

"I think it's tonight."
"What makes you think tonight, Ro?" Filius asked.

"They're drunk, emotions are high with Gryffindor winning. And did none of you notice the way he was looking at her tonight?"

"There is something so different about him when she's around," Pomona agreed. "I don't know if I could ever call that man happy, but around her…he's certainly the closest I've seen him to it."

Rolanda stood up, too nosey to not know what was going on between her friend and Severus. "Anyone else care for a walk with me back to the castle?"

"That's none of our business," Poppy argued.

"You're absolutely right, but Minerva's ours." Rolanda threw enough galleons on the table to cover the tip since Minerva had covered their entire tab. "Pomona?"

Pomona contemplated it for a few moments but stood and agreed to accompany Rolanda back to the castle. "We'll fill you two in later," she told Filius and Poppy as the two women left the bar.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Pomona whispered as they began their walk, Minerva and Severus far enough ahead that they wouldn't notice that they were there, but close enough that they would hear if they spoke too loudly. "I feel like I'm back in school again."

"We're drunk. It was a good enough excuse when we were twenty; it's a good enough excuse now." Rolanda watched as Severus and Minerva made their way back to the castle, standing closer together than they typically did. Rolanda wished she could hear what they were saying, but they were definitely a little unsteady on their feet. Pomona seemed to be watching as closely as she was, and Rolanda smiled at the witch's change of heart. Suddenly, they noticed the two had stopped walking and Rolanda and Pomona stopped as well. Severus had offered Minerva his arm, and she had turned to face him, revealing her profile for a moment before she took his offer and they began walking once more.

The rest of the walk was fairly uneventful, Pomona and Rolanda walking behind them like giggly fifth years. As Severus and Minerva entered the castle, Rolanda and Pomona were careful to keep quiet. "They're headed towards Gryffindor tower," Rolanda whispered. "We should hang back a minute so they don't see us." They did just that until Severus and Minerva had been out of their sight for a few moments.

It hadn't dawned on Rolanda how late they had been out until she entered the castle and noticed all the students were already in bed. The halls were empty and silent, a blessing after the recent victory. Only a few streamers and balloons were laying limp on the ground. Turning the corner towards Gryffindor tower, they saw Minerva and Severus duck down the hallway where the entrance to her rooms was. The two witches settled in a corner where they were blocked by a convenient statue but could still see what was going on.

The two had stopped in front of Minerva's door, her hand on the knob. "When do you think you'll be bringing the trophy by?" she asked with a smirk.

Severus leaned against the wall beside her door. "I could bring it by tonight if you'd like."

"I'd like that; I've been waiting long enough for the damn thing."

"It'll take me no time at all to bring it."

"I'd offer you a drink, but I think I've had my fill," she replied. Rolanda couldn't remember seeing Minerva's face that pink before.

"And here I thought a woman your age could hold her drinks a little better," he smirked.

Minerva pointed a finger at him. "Don't call me old, Severus."

He caught her arm, looking closely at her. Rolanda could practically feel the tension as their eyes met. "I didn't call you old. On the contrary, I was speaking to your experience. Meant it in the nicest way possible."

Minerva didn't pull her hand from his hold, instead a step closer to him. They weren't touching, but they may as well have been. "I wouldn't believe for one moment a Slytherin could mean something in the nicest way possible. There's always some sort of motive behind it. Isn't it in your nature to think before you speak?"

"Something like that," Severus replied much more quietly than he had been speaking before. His arm moved from her arm to her cheek. From where they stood, Rolanda could see him stroking her cheek with one finger. Minerva's cheeks were bright red. When he leaned in and kissed her, there was no use denying that, no matter how many times she had told herself it was going to happen, Rolanda could have prepared herself for the shock. She had known Minerva for years and seeing her kissing one of her former students was something that she never thought she'd see in a million years.

The kiss was short, and from what Rolanda could imagine, hesitant on both ends. Minerva had moved her hands to his shoulders, his having fallen to her waist. They stood there for a moment until Minerva pulled away, holding a hand over her mouth. "Dear Merlin, how drunk am I?" she muttered, her voice shaking.

Rolanda felt her stomach drop, wondering if Minerva regretted it after all this time. Severus's face fell, and his fists visibly clenched. "I should go."

Panicking that they would be caught, Rolanda began to pull Pomona away from the scene when they heard Minerva practically shout, "Severus, stop!"

The foot steps having stopped, the two women peaked back around the corner, seeing Minerva gripping Severus's arm, a look of panic across her face. Rolanda suddenly felt guilty for watching her friend in such a vulnerable moment. Her curiosity began to change to concern. "I shouldn't have walked you back. You're too drunk to think straight. I'll have a house elf bring the trophy tomorrow morning."

Minerva's eyes were wide. "Severus, no. I…"

"I should be going."

Without another word, Minerva had pulled Severus towards him, pressing her lips against his. Pomona had grabbed Rolanda's hand, squeezing gently, both clearly relieved Minerva had wanted Severus's advances. The last thing she, and she was sure Pomona, wanted was to have pushed for something Minerva didn't want. When they pulled away, a tear was running down Minerva's cheek. They could no longer see Severus's face, but his hand was on her arm, a finger stroking her robes. "You didn't do anything I didn't want…that I haven't wanted."

"What?"

"I…Severus, I'm old enough to be your mother. I never thought that these feelings…whatever the hell it is that's been running through my head could be returned…I'm far too old for this…for you."

"Oh, Min…" Severus shook his head, leaning in and pressing his forehead against hers. Rolanda smiled to herself at his use of her pet name. Very few people called her anything but Minerva or Professor McGonagall. She had never heard Severus say it. "I suggest we move this conversation inside should any stray Gryffindors be running around."

For the first time in a few minutes, a smile played across her face. She grabbed his hand, stopping his motions on her arm. "Before you come in…is this…do you want this?"

"You mean, do I want you?"

"Yes," she said, looking more sheepish than Rolanda ever remembered her looking. "Because…well…we're both very drunk and if this goes anywhere, I want to know it means something…"

"You and I both know that our enlightened staff has made it clear there is something going on we haven't talked about. Believe me, Filius has made it quite clear to me. This has nothing to do with my current level of intoxication. But…" He leaned in and kissed her again. "The complete loss of judgement to let go enough to do this has everything to do with the drinks we had this evening."

"I think I hear someone coming. Let's go inside, Severus." Minerva muttered a password Rolanda couldn't make out and entered her rooms with Severus following closely behind her.

Once the couple was inside, Rolanda pulled herself away from the scene, leaning up against the wall next to a smiling Pomona. The confirmation she wanted had been received. Rolanda pushed Pomona down the hall and neither spoke until they were far away from Minerva's rooms and Gryffindor tower. "Rolanda, you were right all this time," Pomona said, breaking the silence. "Oh, Merlin, it happened. Do you think it'll be a one-time thing?"

Shaking her head, she said, "I don't know with those two. I could truly see things being a one-night fling to get the tension out of the air, or, with the way the two of them are something more serious."

"When do you think she'll tell us?"

Rolanda laughed. "Minerva McGonagall is going to wait as long as possible to tell us she's shagging a former student."

Pomona nodded. "I can't even imagine her admitting it."

The two women leaned back against the wall, both bursting into laughter after a few moments of silence. "In all honesty, I'm happy that they did something about all this tension," Pomona said, her voice composing itself after a few moments of laughter.

"She's had a rough few years. She needs it." Pomona nodded. A thought suddenly came to Rolanda, and she laughed even harder. "Telling Poppy is what I am looking forward to the most."

"I have to say, that was my first thought as well."

"She means well," Rolanda quickly added. "But, Minerva is a little wilder than she realizes."

Silence fell over them for a few moments until Pomona spoke. "At the risk of looking like two students out of bed and having to deal with Sybil while she's on rounds, I think I'm going to bed."

The thought of Sybil finding them wandering the halls at night was a thought that made Rolanda shudder. "Good point. Good night, Pomona." She stood up straight and began towards her rooms.

On the walk back to her room, Rolanda replayed the conversation between Severus and Minerva in her head. They had chemistry; that much had been clear for a while. They had entertaining bantering and bickering over Quidditch, students, and pretty much anything. What she had seen that night was Minerva more vulnerable than she remembered seeing her. For some reason, the Potion's Master who couldn't bring himself to say a kind word to anyone else made her comfortable enough to let her guard down. Rolanda wasn't sure if she would ever get to that level of trust with Minerva. Minerva was the most selfless person she had ever met, but that selflessness made her a bit of a loner. As many friends as she had there were plenty of times where Minerva was clearly under a lot of pressure and wouldn't open up to anyone. Minerva needed someone she trusted. She needed Severus, and Rolanda sincerely hoped that it was going to work out for the two heads of houses. She would have given a lot to hear what happened behind closed doors.