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Minerva McGonagall was thoroughly pleased. She remembered it the second her eyes opened to the new morning. Her house had claimed the Quidditch Cup once again, and all was right with the world.
She promptly got out of bed and started her morning routine. She unwound her hair from the confines of a braid and stepped into her bathroom to wash; a smile graced her face as she recalled the scowl on Severus’ face as Ginny Weasley had lifted the cup into the air and had been carried off the pitch amidst cheers and hollers.
She knew very well the celebration that had ensued in Gryffindor tower that evening, but she had chosen to turn a blind eye, going so far as to lock the door to her room and spend the evening at the edge of the greenhouses with Pomona and Aurora, which had itself gotten quite out of hand. She shook her head as she recalled Pomona falling off her chair at one point in the night.
She could not muster one ounce of regret, however. Evenings like the one previous were being stretched thinner and thinner over the months. The last few weeks had been rather dour and nerve-wracking what with the attacks on students. Albus was becoming increasingly secretive and frustrating. Her lips thinned in the mirror. She sleeked her hair back expertly and tied it into a tight bun.
And who could forget Harry Potter, whom Albus was inviting into his study at all times of night. On top of the detentions that Severus had been doling out- though this time, Minerva thought ruefully, rather fairly- Potter had possibly needed the Gryffindor win more than anyone.
Minerva placed her wide brimmed hat smartly on her head, inspected herself once more in the mirror and then left her quarters with a flick of her robes. She had to restrain herself from an all-out strut as she made her way to the Great Hall for breakfast, though there were not many people about to witness her passage through the corridors.
She swept across the Great Hall and claimed her usual seat at the end of the staff table. The chairs next to her were empty, but Hagrid waved across to her from the other end, sitting next to a nattering Horace. She could see Severus disinterestedly partaking in a bowl of porridge behind them.
Minerva happily settled into her seat, poured a cup of tea and reached for the Daily Prophet that was already sitting waiting for her on the table. She sat back and started to read.
After having glazed over the same sentence about Minister Scrimgeour five times, she flicked her eyes up to observe the student’s tables, which were still filling up for breakfast. There was a distracting hum in the air that she could no longer ignore. It was not the usual breakfast chatter, no. One learns, after working at Hogwarts for so long, the sounds of the castle. Right now, it was thrumming with gossip.
Minerva narrowed her eyes. Perhaps they were discussing the match, it had been rather contentious. She looked over each house's table. The majority of her Gryffindors were still yet to come down, but a few of them were dotted around the Great Hall. Dean Thomas sat with Seamus Finnegan at the end of the table, holding his head in his hands. Mr Finnegan seemed to be trying to coax him into eating some food. Minerva smirked; it must have been quite the celebration indeed.
Further up the table, a group of her fourth-year girls looked to be deep in conversation, eyes alight with excitement. It seemed a Ravenclaw friend of theirs had joined them, and just as Minerva made to look away from them a squeal erupted from the Ravenclaw’s mouth, which she promptly clapped a hand over, red in embarrassment. Minerva frowned.
Smith had stopped at the Gryffindor table to talk to Thomas and Finnegan, the former of which was still crouched over the table. Finnegan talked to the Hufflepuff, and the boy’s eyes went wide at one point, then glanced at Thomas. He soon rushed off to the Hufflepuff table and sat down with his friends, leaning over to relay, Minerva assumed, whatever had just come out of Finnegan’s mouth.
The same seemed to be happening across the Great Hall as more students poured in. Some secret radiated out of the Gryffindor table and caught fire across the other houses, leading to many craned necks and whispered meetings. Every so often heads would turn as new students entered the hall.
Miss Vane entered the Great Hall surrounded by a gaggle of friends waving tissues and trying to placate her, but the witch looked positively morose. She had red rings around her eyes from crying, and she lifted her hand up every now and then to daintily wipe away a tear.
Minerva grew increasingly worried. Perhaps it had been foolish of her to leave the students to their own devices last night…
‘Quite a commotion this morning isn’t it?’
Minerva blinked and removed the frown that she hadn’t realised had been plastered on her face. ‘I’m quite concerned Pomona.’
‘I’m sure it’s nothing, Mr Thomas over there looks rather unhappy. Perhaps he had a fight of some sort,’ Pomona replied, reaching for the jam.
‘That’s not nothing,’ Minerva said.
Her colleague hummed and spread the preserve over her toast. Minerva turned back to face the students in front of her. It hadn’t escaped her that a certain trio of students were yet to come down to breakfast, and damn if it wasn’t always them.
‘It was a good quidditch match Minerva, perhaps everyone is still ruffled about it.’ Pomona said. She finished her sentence just as a bushy-haired witch and a red head entered the hall. Miss Granger and Mr Weasley. Minerva relaxed ever so slightly. Potter was likely around the corner. Any second now.
The Great Hall hushed slightly at Granger and Weasley’s entrance, but then grew even louder in volume as heads turned back to natter and whisper. Granger seemed to be admonishing Weasley about something, but that was not unusual, Minerva reasoned. Potter was still yet to make an entrance.
Minerva bit her lip. His friends would never just abandon him if something had gone wrong, he must be doing something else. Her eyes flickered over to the Slytherin table where Malfoy sat, not unlike his godfather, pushing food around his plate and letting the commotion wash over him.
She had just begun to exit her seat, halfway up from the table, when finally, Potter strolled into the Great Hall, blissfully unaware of the inner turmoil that he had caused his head of house.
And wasn’t there good reason?
Minerva’s eyes trailed from Potter, down to his arm, then his hand, where his fingers entwined with another’s.
Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley entered the Great Hall to the entertainment of almost the entire student and faculty body. The volume dropped to a low hum and many students found no shame in turning around completely to witness the couple.
She heard Pomona sigh beside her and realised that she herself had also made a small gasp, still halfway up from her chair. Unlike the many times when Potter had entered the Great Hall and been stared at (which, Minerva reasoned, had really been too many times) the boy seemed to take no notice of the looks that he was garnering. He laughed at something that Miss Weasley whispered in his ear and looked down at her with the brightest smile Minerva had possibly ever witnessed on his face.
As soon as they sat down with their friends, the chatter resumed, louder than ever. Minerva snuck a glance at Pomona, who raised her eyebrows. A small smile crept onto her face. Down the table she could see Filius happily biting into a piece of toast. Hagrid was openly beaming at the couple and Severus seemed to be trying to bore a hole into the Great Hall wall with his eyes.
Minerva glanced once more towards the Gryffindor table, where Miss Weasley seemed to be antagonizing her brother, much to the amusement of Mr Potter and Miss Granger. The girl rested her head on Potter’s shoulder, and he leaned into the touch. Minerva smiled to herself and resumed her breakfast, impossibly feeling even better than when she had woken up. She fell into conversation with Pomona- not without the occasional sliding of her eyes over to the students eating below them.
It seemed a large proportion of the school waited first for the new couple to exit the Great hall before themselves and so breakfast ended rather late. It also ended rather abruptly with Miss Weasley running out of the Great Hall cackling to herself and Mr Potter shouting after her, a grin on his face and minus one shoe.
‘Strange how it can make us all a little bit more cheerful, isn’t it?’ Pomona said with a smile, getting up from her seat. ‘Who do you have first?’
Minerva suppressed the urge to brag. ‘Gryffindor and Hufflepuff sixth-years.’
‘Ginny!’
Harry skidded out of the Great Hall and his eyes sought a flick of red hair that disappeared around the corner, he smiled to himself and set off after it, hopping occasionally on his one bare foot.
‘Ginny!’
‘What, Potter?’ She laughed and looked over her shoulder at him, waving his shoe in the air.
He caught up to her at the end of the hall and wrapped his arms around her waist. She was momentarily lifted off the ground. ‘Harry,’ she laughed, turning in his arms. ‘What on earth are you chasing me for, have you gone barmy?’
‘I think you have something of mine,’ he said, holding out a hand and looking meaningfully at his shoe.
She flicked her eyes towards the item in question. ‘This old thing?’
‘Yes. It may not have seemed obvious, it being on my foot and all, but that shoe was in use until you removed it.’ He replied with a smirk.
‘My mistake,’ Ginny said airily, and she plopped the shoe into his open hand, though she didn’t move her eyes away from his, and Harry marvelled at her blazing look. He brought his foot up to put his shoe on, trying to maintain eye contact, but he stumbled, and her lip twitched before they both broke out in laughter.
‘I just wanted to give them something mildly interesting at least, watching us dash out of the hall.’ Ginny said when their laughter subsided.
‘Merlin.’ Harry straightened up. ‘You’d think there were better things to talk about at this school.’
‘We’re actually pretty great,’ Ginny said. She wrapped her arms around his waist and moved closer to him, but before she could go any further a group of first years rounded the corner and erupted into a fit of squeals and giggles upon seeing them. Ginny rolled her eyes at Harry, who smirked, and retreated from him. She linked their arms together and the couple continued further down the corridor.
‘You’ve got Potions first?’
‘Yeah, then Herbology, then Divination- ‘
‘-Can I meet you at the bottom of the tower?’ Harry asked, then added, ‘For lunch?’
‘I would love it,’ she said, smiling up at him.
They halted outside the door to Slughorn’s classroom and Harry swung her hand in his. A lightness had bubbled up inside him ever since their kiss in Gryffindor tower, and it had carried him throughout the entire morning, still slightly disbelieving that he was indeed together with Ginny, and that he could kiss her and touch her and hold her.
‘Well, I’ve got to get to Transfiguration, but I’ll see you,’ he said, then leaned forward and tilted his head to hers.
‘Harry m’boy! I shouldn’t see you until after lunch, surely?’
Harry closed his eyes and turned to face Slughorn, who had clapped a hand on his back at the most inopportune moment.
‘Harry was just seeing me off, Professor,’ Ginny said. She squeezed Harry’s hand in hers, as if that was any consolation.
Slughorn waved Ginny off and winked at the two of them. ‘He doesn’t need an excuse to see his old potions teacher. My door is always open Harry, always open,’ he said, patting his stomach. Slughorn glanced between the two of them and smiled fondly.
‘I was the first to suggest your mother and father were going to get together, Harry. I’ve never been wrong about these things; you’ve proved me right once again.’
Harry felt his face flush, ‘Er. Brilliant.’
‘Come now Miss Weasley, we are already late as it is, Harry I’ll see you in the afternoon, m’boy!’ Slughorn boomed as he directed Ginny inside, leaving no time for any semblance of a goodbye between the two of them. Harry stood outside the Potions classroom for a second, then shook his head and began the sprint up to Transfiguration. McGonagall was going to have his hide.
‘I’ll catch up to you two!’
Ron watched Harry fight his way through the influx of students heading towards the Great Hall for lunch and couldn’t help but frown.
‘Stop that.’
‘Ah! Blimey Hermione, what was I doing?’ Ron said, rubbing his arm.
‘You know what you were doing.’ Hermione said. She shouldered her book bag and set off with the masses heading to the Great Hall. Ron caught up to her and shoved his hands inside of his pockets.
‘I’m happy for them I really am,’ he said. Hermione glanced at him with a sceptical expression and he spluttered in indignation. ‘What do you want from me? Should I be skipping about and hanging banners and ringing wedding bells?’
Hermione suppressed a laugh, but he didn’t miss the smile that flickered over her face. ‘No, you’ve actually surprised me, Ron. I expected worse.’
‘Well I’m full of surprises,’ he said, nudging her with his shoulder. He didn’t know what he meant exactly, but he caught a tinge of red that flourished on her face as she dipped her head. He looked away and they walked in silence until they reached the Great Hall.
‘Brilliant! They’ve made pies today.’ Ron forgot any awkwardness and eagerly claimed a seat at the Gryffindor table, not hesitating to fill his plate with two shares of food. Hermione dutifully rolled her eyes and started to load her decidedly smaller plate of food. They ate for a while in comfortable silence.
‘It’s just,’ Ron started, swallowing down a mouthful of food. Hermione looked at him expectantly. ‘It’s just that, the way he ran off right now, d’you think he’s going to be doing that all the time now?’
Hermione looked at him strangely, tenderly he would describe it, if it wasn’t Hermione. ‘Ron. Harry is not going to forget about you- or us- because he’s dating Ginny.’
‘I didn’t say that exactly- ‘
Hermione cut him off with a raised eyebrow.
‘Well yeah! I mean what if he just becomes some bloke that my sister’s dating?’
‘He won’t. I think that’s impossible; Harry needs you; he thinks of you like a brother.’ Hermione said seriously.
‘-Hello brother dearest.’
Ron nearly jumped out of his seat, he had been so focussed on talking to Hermione that he hadn’t noticed the approach of Harry and Ginny, who settled across from them at the table.
‘Merlin, give a bloke some warning.’
‘That we’re about to sit down at the communal Gryffindor table?’ Harry countered, reaching for the pumpkin juice.
‘Yes, I’d like an owl three days in advance, you arse.’
Harry laughed and Ron glanced at Hermione who smiled at him and nodded her head, she even wore that smug expression that she reserved for when she was right about something. He turned back to face Harry and Ginny.
Watching them over lunch, he couldn’t deny that they certainly made each other happy. They were always in contact somehow, a hand on an arm, brushing shoulders, fingers clasped together. Ron had never seen Harry with anyone like that. They laughed together and whispered to each other. They soundlessly communicated, passing juice or food over with just a simple nudge. Ron actually felt quite stupid for only seeing it now, because that kind of intimacy doesn’t come after one day, after one kiss. Harry and Ginny had been friends for months right under his nose, and he had hardly noticed.
Ginny was in the middle of discussing her morning when she mentioned Slughorn. ‘He asked me if you had said anything about your first Potions lesson with him! Like all we talk about is Sluggy. He was quite disappointed when I said no.’
‘Our first Potions lesson? He’s barmy,’ Ron said.
‘That was the one with the array of potions. Harry won the felix and- oh my god. He wanted to know what Harry smelt in amortentia!’ Hermione exclaimed.
‘What?’ Harry said, looking alarmed.
‘Remember! He had all of those potions laid out and one of them was amortentia, the love potion that smells different to everyone who encounters it, according to what or who they love.’ Hermione explained. Ginny’s smile grew increasingly larger and she looked at Harry mischievously. Ron sincerely hoped that the subject of amortentia was going to be strictly applied to Harry and Ginny.
‘Come on then Harry, what was in your amortentia?’ Ginny urged.
Harry spluttered. ‘That is highly personal, I’ll have you know. But actually- ‘he looked to the ceiling in thought- ‘it makes a lot of sense now.’
Ginny gasped. ‘You don’t mean to tell me you’ve liked me since the beginning of the year!’
Harry snuck a glance at Ron, who himself was a bit dumbstruck, but shrugged.
Harry looked at his three friends, then threw up his hands. ‘Sod this, I don’t care if you know.’ He started to count off on his fingers. ‘I smelt treacle tart, broom polish and a flowery type scent from the Burrow in Slughorn’s class.’
He paused for Hermione to gasp.
‘But, at the time I didn’t know what that meant,’ he said, then turned to Ginny, ‘It is you though, your hair.'
Ron feigned a gag. Hermione hit him on the arm again. Ginny rounded on her brother and raised an eyebrow at him.
‘Care to tell us what your amortentia is, Ron?’
Ron choked on his pumpkin juice and furiously shook his head. Ginny smiled in satisfaction then got up from her seat. ‘I’ve got Defence of all things,’ she said.
Harry made to join her and shrugged his bag onto his shoulder. ‘I’ll see you at Charms yeah?’
Ron nodded and waved them off with Hermione. The two of them watched Harry and Ginny exit the Great Hall, at one point, Ginny leaned over and swished her ponytail in Harry’s face, much to his surprise. Ron watched his best mate laugh and sling an arm over his sister’s shoulders. He could not help if a small smile formed on his face.
‘I wish I knew what I would smell in amortentia,’ Ginny said, as they made their way upstairs.
‘Could ask Slughorn,’ Harry said, ‘He’d probably give you parchment and paper to record it all though.’
‘I bet it’s something to do with quidditch, like your broom polish. Maybe a food, I don’t know. And the person… hm…’
Harry raised an eyebrow at her. She bit her lip and the monster in his chest growled lowly. ‘You. After quidditch- ‘she leaned in to whisper in his ear ‘-all sweaty.’
Harry’s breath hitched in his throat. Ginny observed him with satisfaction. A red glow settled on his cheeks.
‘How long until lunch ends?’ he asked, voice low.
‘Long enough.’
She made to push him into a hidden corridor behind a tapestry, but he placed a hand on her hip and stopped her before she could complete the move. She looked over her shoulder to see what had stopped him and almost laughed out loud. They were on the Defence corridor already and Snape was standing outside his door, looking right at them.
‘What does a girl have to do to get a peaceful snog around here?’ Ginny murmured to Harry, still pressed close to him.
‘I can’t say we’re trying very hard to find a peaceful place.’
Ginny looked back once again at Snape, who really had no shame in glaring at the two of them. She turned back to Harry with a challenging gaze. ‘Kiss me.’
‘What? Gin- ‘
‘-Come on Harry, do it.’
‘I don’t know...’
‘Come on, he’s a git.’
‘Ginny- ‘
‘-Do it.’
‘But I’m not a git.’
‘I know, but I’m a git.’
‘You’re not a git.’
‘Weasley, you’re late, ten points from Gryffindor. Potter your shirt is out, twenty points.’
Ginny dipped her head and laughed to herself. Never mind the fact that all other students were supposedly late. She withdrew from Harry reluctantly, and didn’t miss the almost pained look he had on his own face. She stepped away from him slowly, not breaking eye contact, and then spun around, making sure to flick her hair flouncily.
With a promise to meet in the common room in the evening she trounced into the Defence classroom under the satisfied sneer of Snape. Git.
‘Sitting with you two is like having a giant stare at me sign planted on your head.’ Ron said, looking about the common room. Harry copied his movements and saw only the swift swivelling of heads refocusing on essays and chess games. He honestly hadn’t noticed. He hadn’t noticed much today.
Ginny lifted her eyes from her parchment to talk to Ron. ‘I really don’t get it; we’re just doing work.’
‘And sitting very close together.’ Ron scoffed.
‘Oh really? We can sit closer though, if you’d like.’
‘That’s not bloody necessary- ‘
Too late. Ginny shifted over on the floor- where she had previously been sitting cross legged next to Harry, brushing her thigh against his own- and sat down in his lap. She settled down against his chest and looked smugly at her brother.
Harry looked at Ron in apology, though he was still trying to calm his senses at the sudden wave of Ginny that he had been engulfed in. She was settled comfortably between his legs, and had resumed her work, scratching notes on a piece of parchment.
‘Well if they weren’t staring before…’ Ron muttered under his breath, having the sense not to protest too loudly.
‘Hermione, I’m very grateful for this planner you made me, but how on earth did you fit in three hours of revision a night with these two around?’ Ginny asked. Hermione cocked an eyebrow over her Ancient Runes book.
‘Well, I wasn’t sitting in between one’s legs, for a start.’
Ginny flushed, and Harry let out a bark of laughter. Ron whooped in glee and leaned over to give Hermione a high five which she begrudgingly returned.
‘Besides that, I’d usually end up in the library, it's much quieter.’
Ginny flicked her eyes towards the clock on the wall and tapped her quill against her mouth.
‘Library closes in half an hour,’ she murmured to Harry, leaning back against him.
‘Reckon it’ll be worth it?’ Harry asked.
‘Oh, I definitely think it’ll be worth it,’ she said, a glint in her eye.
‘Hm, well, it just so happens I have my cloak right here, so if we study really late, we shouldn’t get caught.’
She kissed him on the cheek and stood up, straightening out her clothes. ‘Harry and I are going to the library,’ she announced.
‘For half an hour?’
‘Yes, might as well get in all the learning I possibly can Ron. Mum is expecting good OWLs after all,’ Ginny said, picking a piece of lint off her sleeve.
‘Well surely you can go alone, Harry and I can have a game of chess- ‘
‘-I need Harry to tutor me, we’re doing Defence you see.’
‘But- ‘
‘Ron. Harry and I are going to snog, shut it.’ Ginny said, rather loudly.
The whole room was certainly staring now, someone in the shadows wolf whistled. Ron went red and shut his mouth. Hermione pulled him over and offered to play a game of chess with him instead.
Harry shared a sheepish look with Hermione, who nodded her head towards the portrait hole. He took Ginny’s hand and they exited the common room, not without a few eyes trailing their path. Finally, the fat lady swung closed and they were alone. Merlin if someone showed up now to interrupt them, Harry just might stun them.
‘I heard something about snogging,’ he said, bringing a hand to his chin in speculation.
‘Bold of you to assume it was you I was talking about.’
‘I’m pretty sure you said my name in the same sentence.’
‘Come here, Potter.’ Ginny pulled him close to her and wound her arms around his neck. His hands came to her waist naturally. When they were inches away from each other Harry paused.
‘Wait.’
‘Harry- ‘
‘I really don’t want anyone interrupting us, especially not the fat lady,’ he whispered.
Ginny’s eyes slid over to the portrait, where the subject was trying very unsuccessfully to make herself scarce. Harry once again took her hand and they dashed down the corridor, until they reached the first hidden tapestry he knew of. He pushed it open and pulled Ginny after him. She laughed and ended close to him, face a hairsbreadth away from his.
‘Finally,’ he said, and then he claimed her lips with his in a deep kiss. He brought his hand up to her hair and moved closer to her, his other hand at her waist. Ginny responded in kind, linking her arms behind his neck, she pressed her body close to his, supported by the wall behind her.
Their kiss grew more heated, lips slanting over each other. Harry moved away from her lips and trailed down her neck, the monster in his chest purred contentedly. Ginny moved her hands into his hair and pushed against him, eliciting a groan, she smiled and did it again.
‘Gin- ‘he gasped, removing his mouth from her neck.
‘Harry,’ she replied, finding his eyes in the dark.
He stared at her for a long time, unabashedly. She didn’t squirm under his gaze, simply assessed him in kind.
‘I can’t believe this,’ he whispered.
‘Me neither.’
‘I’m just. I’m really happy right now.’
‘Harry- ‘
‘No, I am, and it’s you. You’re bloody amazing,’ he said and brought a hand up to sweep a strand of hair out of her eyes.
She didn’t reply, just brought him closer and caught his lips in a long slow kiss, different to the fiery heat of just a few moments ago, the passion simmered below the surface.
They studied in that hidden corridor for quite some time, stealing kisses and sharing jokes, and Harry could not help but revel in the proximity of Ginny Weasley, perhaps he had never spoken truer words. He was incredibly happy.
‘I cannot help but feel as if I am being kept in the dark about something.’
Minerva took a sip of her tea and relaxed into her chair. It had been possibly one of her most pleasant days of teaching at Hogwarts in a long while and she was still enjoying the last few hours of it, now in the staffroom with her colleagues, chatting after dinner.
‘Albus, don’t you know? Why you’re closer to the boy than any of us,’ Horace said. He reached over in his seat to pick a biscuit off his plate and looked back at the headmaster. ‘I predicted it. I’ve always been very good at these things.’
‘And what may that be, Horace?’ the headmaster asked, a twinkle in his eye. Minerva knew however that he was slightly put off by Horace dangling the information in front of him.
‘Potter and Weasley are together,’ Severus informed.
For one of the few times in Minerva’s life, she witnessed a furrowed eyebrow on Albus Dumbledore’s face. He contemplated this news for some time.
‘Harry Potter and Ron Weasley are a couple?’ Albus confirmed.
Minerva almost spat out her tea, ‘No, Albus, Miss Weasley. Ginevra.’
Albus hummed in understanding. ‘Well, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley being together was not out of my realm of belief, though Harry and Miss Weasley do make a smart pair, now that I think of it.’
‘Do they ever!’ Pomona said, ‘They sent the whole school into a frenzy, teaching was near impossible.’
‘I must admit Potter was particularly upbeat in my class today,’ Minerva said.
‘There was a teary-eyed girl in my class today, shame. She didn’t get any better when I told her that her tea leaves spelt a lonely, lonely life of solitude.'
‘I believe that was Miss Vane, Sybill. She was in such a state that her friends brought her to me for a calming draught.’
Minerva had to suppress a snort. Honestly the number of girls she herself had heard today lamenting the pairing up of Harry Potter. In fact, she had even heard a fair share of boys talking about Ginny Weasley, disappointed at the fact that- Minerva grimaced- she was “off the market”. Minerva had never considered just how highly esteemed they both were.
‘Did you have either of them today, Severus?’ Albus inquired, after having heard comment from every other professor.
‘I had Weasley, yes.’
‘Anything you would like to contribute?’ Albus antagonized. Minerva shared a glance with Pomona.
‘Weasley was late because of Potter. They behaved in a wholly inappropriate manner in the middle of the corridor.’
‘I experienced the same Severus,’ Horace added, though he was smiling, ‘Had to drag Miss Weasley away from Harry!’
Severus looked at Horace with utter disdain.
‘Severus posits a valuable point, we cannot treat them differently, no matter how we feel for them.’
Minerva almost choked on her tea for the second time that evening. Sometimes she wondered if Albus even heard himself. The rest of the teachers bit their tongue and snuck knowing looks, everyone sipped the drink in their hand simultaneously, bringing the room to an abrupt silence.
‘Well, let us hope that such happiness can only continue to bloom within the halls of Hogwarts. I must bid you all goodnight,’ Albus said after some time, sensing the lull in conversation, he rose from his chair. The rest of the teaching staff slowly trickled out of the staffroom thereafter, and Minerva bade goodnight to her colleagues and made her way to her quarters along the empty corridors.
She had already started to bring her hair down from its bun when she heard a noise, students out of bed. She rounded the corner and faced an empty length of passageway, torches flickered light over the stone walls. She remained still, waiting to hear something.
‘Gin, the common room’s this way-’
‘Shh, Harry- ‘a gasp.
‘What?’
‘McGonagall.’
Minerva shook her head. She couldn’t see anyone, but she had long since known that Potter could sneak around the Hogwarts corridors unseen. She strolled confidently down the hallway and pointedly ignored a hastily covered dismembered foot near the statue of Barnabus the Barmy. She hummed a tune to herself and rounded the corner.
‘There’s no way she didn’t hear us.’
‘Well, perhaps she was thinking about something else.’
‘Come on.’
It had been a very pleasant day and some things, Minerva reasoned, were best left to be.