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Hogsmeade village was bustling with activity this weekend. It usually was when the students were down from the castle. Constance Puddifoot was whirling from table to table like a dervish, serving a full house on her busiest day of the year. Lovebirds of all sorts flocked to her tearoom on Valentines Day, and she just loved to see young love in bloom. Also, all the galleons that ended up in her pocket by the end of it.
Down at the end of the far row of tables, there were a pair of customers who caught her eye. Isobel Morag MacDougal looked like she was a few degrees off combusting from nervousness, and her date, Hyacinth Potter, was paler than the Bloody Baron. ‘ And once again it falls to me to help love along,’ Constance decided as she marched over.
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Meanwhile, back at the castle, Minerva debated for the umpteenth time just returning to her quarters, forgetting the note she grasped white knuckled in her hand, and just enjoy a peaceful day when the bulk of the students were away. Readjusting her spectacles, and uncharacteristically taking a moment to smooth her hair, the old lioness decided to be courageous and just knock on the bloody door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
There was a beat where she almost turned and went, but then the oaken door finally swung inward.
“Ah, Minnie,” Poppy Pomfrey, wearing her best olive-green dress, greeted her softly. “Do come in.”
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Hyacinth, Heidi to her friends, had just about worked up the courage to ask why her date hadn’t said a word since they sat down ten minutes ago when the proprietor of the shop suddenly loomed over their table. “Is the tea to your liking, dearies?”
“Oh, oui, yes it’s wonderful,” Heidi replied, only half paying attention to the woman, and mostly trying to figure out why Morag was acting so weird, and whether it was her fault. “Although, I think my girlfriend and I might like to split that purpleberry scone after all. What do you, zink, Morag?” Even after seven years living in Britain, the fourth year Gryffindor hadn’t quite been able to shake her slight French accent, much to her father’s amusement.
“GIRLFRIEND!?!?” Morag exclaimed.
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Poppy took a long sip of her peppermint tea and watched carefully to gauge Minerva’s expression. She wasn’t having much luck. The healer swallowed uneasily and said, “I was glad you accepted my invitation.”
“Of course,” Minerva replied stiffly, her hands in her lap, “we’ve been friends for years after all. A spot of tea together is a lovely way to spend the afternoon.” Her chair creaked ever so slightly.
Poppy sighed, “Minnie, you know…” she took a deep breath, “you know I’d like us to be more than that.”
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“Why are you acting so surprised?” Heidi demanded, hands on her hips, her silvery blond hair flying wild as she demanded answers; the part-veela girl barely noticed that she and Morag were now attracting stares. She put her hand to her impressive chest, “you were ze one who asked me out, remember?”
“But Ah didn’t think Ye’d say yes!” Morag blurted, her face as red as a Weasley’s hair. The raven haired Ravenclaw hurriedly added, “I thought there wasn’t a million ta one chance the prettiest girl in the whole year would ever want ta go out wit me!!” The poor Scottish girl had spent so much time preparing herself to be let down gently by Hyacinth that she’d utterly failed to prepare for the gorgeous young woman across from her returning her affections.
“Why not?” Hyacinth replied, “you’re lovely, intelligent, a kind person and up until today rather charming.” Morag’s blushing just increased. Hyacinth took a deep breath and forced herself to find a calm place. When it came to matters of the heart she took after her mother, Appoline, but at the moment she needed to channel her father, James, instead.
She softly took Isobel’s hand in both of hers, “Morag, I’ve liked you for some time and I was delighted when you finally asked me out. Honestly, I’d have been even more delighted if you had asked me in time for the Ball; you could have saved me the horror of dancing with Krum.”
Morag, calming down a little, chuckled, “Ahm still pretty sure he asked you mostly ta mess with your sister; get in the Hogwarts champion’s head, y’know?”
Heidi scoffed, “as if that oaf has a chance of beating Fleur, whatever he does.” Krum, Truffaut, and that little cheater Harry Lupin were all destined to lose to her big sister, Fleur Potter.
“Yeh coulda asked, me , y’know,” Morag said shyly.
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“Elphinstone’s been dead for decades, Minnie!” Poppy nearly shouted in frustration. She’d been so so patient, for so so long, but she was sick and tired of playing second fiddle to a pair of dead men. “Don’t you think he’d want you to be happy?”
“It’s not about that!” Minerva shouted back, shaking with emotion. “He died because of me, I can’t risk you-“
“Oh for Merlin’s sake, Minnie!” Poppy cried, “he died because he tried to repot a bloody Venomous Tentacula by himself, not because you bought the blasted plant!”
“It’s not just him it’s-“
“Dogual, the goat farmer, I know, Minnie,” Poppy interrupted, “I know everything about you because I’ve been in love with you for ten years and unless I’m insane, you’re in love with me too. You’re just too stubborn and caught up in the past to-“
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“Oh, because I thought you were dating Hermione,” Heidi replied simply.
“You wha-WHY?” Morag demanded, very confused.
“You spend all your time together, almost always accompany one another to Hogsmeade, and a few weeks ago she was looking for you to talk about date ideas,” Heidi said with a shrug. “I realized when you asked me out that I must have been wrong, since I know you’re not the sort to two time, but you can understand how I drew the conclusion. I thought you were just being discreet, due to her parents.” The other Gryffindor was a muggleborn, and some muggles had such strange backwards ideas about sexuality.
“She’s my bestie, not my girlfriend,” Morag said firmly. “She’s got this massive crush on Ron and I was helping her figure out something she could do with him that would be so romantic he’d stop missing the hints.”
“She what now!?” Ronald Weasley, halfway through a date with Lavender at the next table interjected.
“ Silencio,” Heidi muttered with a wave of her wand, quieting her housemate. “We’re having a private conversation.” She turned back to Morag, “so, if all the confusion is cleared up and we both agree we’re deeply attracted to one another, can we please finish our tea and go make out in the bathroom?” At some point she had discreetly undone another button of her blouse, giving Morag a glimpse of scarlet silk below it.
“Aye,” Morag agreed, her eyes as wide as saucers, before gulping down her tea like she was dying of thirst.
In many ways she was.
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Bitter tears fell from Minerva’s eyes as she walked back to her office. ‘ You just don’t…’ Even the thought was more than she could finish. All she could do was what she always had done. Leave the past to the past. Put away the childish dreams that died long ago.
Although she cared dearly for Poppy, and longed for that companionship, she wouldn’t let herself have it. Clearly being with her always ended in ruin, and she wouldn’t visit that upon another again. As she stepped on the stair that would take her to her rooms, she paused just a moment at the sound of laughing children billow up from below. She smiled through the tears as she walked away.