Work Text:
Minerva McGonagall looked down at the piles of parchment she still needed to clear up, even through the holidays. It's been nearly half a year since the defeat of Voldemort, and there were so many things she had to manage. She sighed.
"Why the long face, Minerva?" portrait Albus Dumbledore asked, looking a bit worried, "It's Halloween. The paperwork can be done later, so go and enjoy yourself, my dear. Don't you agree Severus?"
Portrait Severus Snape rolled his eyes, "Your incessant obnoxious behavior of dragging me into your conversations has got to stop. But yes, Minerva, you should go, if only to shut this old coot up."
Minerva cracked a smile, "I will, I will, after I finish this stack of documents." Then, she suddenly sat straight and spoke, "I'll charm some sherbet lemons and cauldron cakes for you two, so leave me in peace Albus."
Albus' face lit up in joy while Severus' face frowned, and they said simultaneously, "(No) thank you, Minerva!"
Minerva smiled back politely, hiding her disappointment. She waved her wand to conjure a package of sweets in each of their portraits, and lowered her head to bury her face in parchment as she reminisced in the past:
"Haha Minerva, guess where I've hidden the ice mice?"
"Ice mice for you, correct?"
In the end, portraits were only portraits.
There would not be ice mice for her this year. Or the subsequent years.
Not anymore.