XI: The Special Project
Chapter 11 of 141
MMADfanMinerva has an unusual visit with Professor Dumbledore, and he tells her about a problem at Hogwarts and how she might be able to help.
ReviewedXI: The Special Project
Minerva and Albus reviewed her grasp of the reading she had done. She discerned no particular pattern to the questions he asked her, but he seemed pleased with her answers. Unlike other occasions on which they had discussed her reading, Albus did not ask her for her opinions of what she had read nor did they engage in any speculative discussion. Minerva thought it felt far more like an examination, but she didn't mind. She was glad to be able to please him.
After an hour or so, Minerva's stomach rumbled loudly.
"Sounds as though someone is hungry," said Albus. "Perhaps this is a good point to stop for lunch."
"I'm sorry, Professor. I can go a bit longer, if you like."
"No, no need. Wilspy!" he called.
Wilspy popped in immediately. "May Wilspy serve Professor Dumbledore and his Miss?"
"We are ready for lunch, now, Wilspy."
"Very good, Professor Dumbledore, sir." Wilspy popped back out.
Albus stood, pushing his chair back and stretching. He motioned for Minerva to follow him, and he led her from the office and the classroom, closing the doors behind. Minerva could feel the wards shiver back into place.
"Sir, where are we going? Do we eat in the Great Hall?" Minerva tried to imagine eating in the cavernous room, alone with her professor, he at the high staff table, she down at Gryffindor table.
"No. During the summer, if there are more than a few staff in residence, we do take our meals there, at a single table, but when there are very few, we generally eat lunch and dinner in the staff room. Most of the staff are taking this last day off before term begins and will return tomorrow. Normally, they are in residence the entire week prior to the start of term; however, Headmaster Dippet decided that a few extra days holiday would be appropriate under the circumstances."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor! I'm interrupting your holiday!"
"No, no, my dear," he said as they began down the stairs to the main floor. "It was my suggestion, in fact. I had a few experiments to do the last few days, which are better performed with as few people in the castle as possible I shall tell you of them later and today, well, you shall see," he said enigmatically.
As they reached the Entrance Hall, Minerva looked toward the Staff Room. Before she turned towards it, however, Wilspy appeared with a small pop, a covered basket almost as large as she hovering above her.
"I fix lunch for Professor Dumbledore and his Miss like Professor asks. I hopes lunch is good for the Professor and his Miss."
"Thank you, Wilspy. I am sure we will enjoy it."
Wilspy popped away without another word from Albus, leaving the basket hovering in front of them.
"Well, Miss McGonagall, I hope you enjoy picnics!"
"A picnic, sir?" As many meals as she had eaten with her professor over the last few years, somehow she had never envisioned picnicking with him. "Of course. Picnics are fine."
With that, the two set off out the doors of the castle and across the grounds. They did not stop by the large oak tree, as she had first anticipated, nor did they head toward the grassy lawn near the lake, where students often brought snacks and tossed bits of sandwich to the Squid. Instead, they turned toward the Forbidden Forest, passed the greenhouses, and then continued on until they were behind the castle, between the lake and the Forest. Minerva could just see a bit of the wall that surrounded the Hogwarts' grounds when they reached their intended picnic ground.
"This will do nicely, I believe." Albus turned to the basket, which had floated genially behind them like a well-trained butler, and with a wave of his wand, unpacked it all at once. Everything must have been shrunk quite cleverly, thought Minerva, although she saw no evidence that anything was unshrinking as it popped out of the basket. Seeing Minerva's curious expression, Albus explained, "Spatial charm, my dear. Bigger on the inside than on the outside. Quite handy. I have a carpet bag like this, a gift of an old friend. She would appreciate this picnic basket, I believe."
When Albus was through, Minerva looked about in astonishment. She had grown up with magic and seen many things, but she couldn't imagine that a single wizard could co-ordinate anything like this so quickly and easily. A large blanket was spread out on the ground, and several large pillows rested on two sides. Platters, plates, bowls, and utensils had arrayed themselves neatly upon the blanket, and a large pitcher of cold lemonade had settled down beside two glasses. A bouquet of wild flowers sat in a vase, adorning the very centre of the blanket. But most astonishing of all, some kind of flowered settee with a canopy over it had appeared a few feet from their picnic spot.
Albus smiled amusedly at Minerva's reaction. "I see that I shall have to speak to your parents about widening your horizons. You have evidently not been on a picnic before!"
"Sir!" Minerva restrained herself from rolling her eyes at her favourite professor. "It's just that it all popped out so fast and arranged itself. It didn't look as though you did anything. And that seat!" Minerva shook her head.
"Ah, well, I cannot take all of the credit. The basket, after all, is very large, and Wilspy did pack it for us." Albus gestured toward the picnic blanket. "Please, Miss McGonagall, be my guest. Do not stand on ceremony. Have a seat and help yourself."
Albus sat down on one side of the blanket, settling himself on one of the large pillows, folding his legs in front of him. Minerva joined him, sitting on the edge of the blanket and leaning on a pillow. They spent several minutes selecting their food and eating, interrupted only by occasional exclamations of, "Did you try this? It's delicious." After their initial appetite was satisfied and their thirst quenched by the fresh lemonade, Minerva asked the question that had been at the back of her mind since Albus had expressed approval for their picnic spot.
"Sir? Why are we having a picnic, and why here?"
"Picnics are enjoyable, don't you think, Minerva? And it's good to enjoy the fine weather while we may."
"But, sir, why this spot?"
"I believe the answer to that question will wait until we have sampled some of Wilspy's desserts."
Minerva didn't really want desert, but picked out a small elderberry pastry and nibbled at it.
Dumbledore sighed, put down the bowl of trifle he had been eating, then stood and stretched. "I see that I have tested your patience sufficiently." He looked down at his trifle. "Ah, well. I need to watch my waistline, anyway," he said with mock regret.
Minerva smiled and stood, as well. Albus waved his wand, and everything began returning itself to the basket, with the exception of the lemonade, the blanket, and the settee which Minerva wasn't sure had come from the basket in the first place. Albus picked up his glass of lemonade and strolled over to the flowered seat. As he settled on it, Minerva noticed that it seemed to rock, or swing, with his movement.
"Care to join me?" he asked.
"A swing, sir?"
"A glider, my dear." Albus demonstrated the gentle back-and-forth motion of the seat.
Minerva sat next to him, somewhat carefully. When she had settled into the seat, Dumbledore waved his wand for several seconds, making a complicated pattern in the air, and leaving trails of red and gold. A rush of magic flowed across her.
"What was that, Professor?"
"Just a bit of warding, my dear. I have decided to tell you about the second project you might care to assist with, if you choose, despite not having completed our evaluation of your progress. The rest of the faculty and staff are returning tomorrow, and it is best that my explanations be made before then, so that you may feel completely free to ask any questions that may occur to you. All right, Minerva?"
"Yes; but I'm very confused, Professor. What Headmaster Dippet said earlier, and what you're saying now and that ward you just cast why all the secrecy? And there was the ward in the Three Broomsticks when you met with my father. And "
Albus interrupted. "All will become clear shortly, I hope, Minerva. First, I want you to remember that no matter your decision about the project I'm going to describe to you, your Animagus training will proceed apace. Do you understand that?"
"Yes, sir," answered Minerva seriously.
"Good. I also want you to promise me that you will not give me your decision now. I want you to think about it this afternoon. We can talk again after dinner. All right?"
"Of course!"
"Very well. One other thing, Minerva. I do not want you to choose to do this simply out of loyalty to me. If you do choose to help us, then I will rely on that loyalty, as I know I am able to, but please consider everything carefully before you decide."
"Yes, sir. I will make any decision very carefully." Minerva felt serious, grown-up, and, truth be told, rather nervous. She wished he would just tell her what the project was.
"All right, then, Minerva. I know that you are discreet and can be trusted, however, I need your explicit promise that you will not repeat any of what I tell you now to anyone but myself or Headmaster Dippet without my express permission, unless there is an extreme, dire, life-threatening emergency and then only what may be necessary to avert or remedy the immediate crisis."
Minerva blanched at his words, and swallowed hard. "I will take a wand oath, Professor. I won't tell anyone, I promise."
"Your promise is sufficient, Minerva. Please do remember the conditions to the promise you may speak freely with Headmaster Dippet about what I tell you today, and also about your Animagus project, but if he asks a great many questions about it, I expect you to become suspicious and confirm his identity before continuing. Understood?"
"Yes," replied Minerva, eyes round. What could he possibly be about to tell her? "Just one question, before you tell me everything, sir. What if Headmaster Dippet isn't the Headmaster anymore and a new Headmaster or Headmistress questions me?"
"Excellent question, my dear. In the event that there is a new Headmaster, do not speak freely with him or her without first having discussed it with me. If I am unavailable, well, I will rely upon your judgment in that event. So, do I have your solemn promise not to reveal to anyone, other than myself or the Headmaster, the nature and contents of what I am about to disclose to you without my permission, unless extreme emergency requires it, and then only to such an extent to avert or remedy the crisis?"
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore, you have my solemn promise."
For the next two hours, Albus told Minerva of the school wards, of his on-going work to repair the damage done following the neglect and abuse of previous generations. He patiently explained the nature of the foundational wards surrounding the castle and grounds, the structure of the ward lattice, and the proper methods for adding new wards and disabling or removing old ones. He then told her of the changes made in the 17th and 19th centuries and the damage that had been done both to the ward lattice and the wards themselves, with even the foundational wards being affected. Several times he stopped, Summoned more lemonade, drank deeply, then continued. Minerva was silent, absorbing all she could of what Professor Dumbledore told her, only nodding occasionally to indicate her attention.
"Minerva, when I arrived here, I thought to be done with the task in a few years, six or seven at the very most. But I discovered that the situation was more dire than anyone had previously realised. Part of the function of the wards, as I explained to you a little while ago, is to protect the developing magic of the students, keeping them from harming themselves by expending too much magical energy or, especially for the younger ones, keeping them from performing accidental magic when their emotions run high." Minerva was well aware of the accidental magic a young witch could perform when she was upset; once, when she was eight, Minerva was very angry about not getting her own way about something she couldn't even remember what, anymore and she had exploded her mother's favourite china tea set so completely that there was nothing left but chalky residue on everything within ten feet of it.
"Unfortunately," continued Albus, "one of the peculiar wards layered on during the seventeenth century was an ill-advised and ineffective attempt by the Board of Governors to, how shall I put this . . . keep the students on an even keel, with no emotional outbursts, or highs and lows; another, similar ward, was placed on the castle to try to reduce the, er" Albus turned faintly pink "reduce the libidinous urges of the young men in residence." He cleared his throat, and Minerva tried to appear as though this were no more startling than any of his other explanations. "Apparently, the Headmistress at the time thought these measures as idiotic as we do today, and she therefore deliberately did not integrate them into the primary warding system, thinking that reasonable times would return and the wards could be more easily removed if they hadn't been integrated. The lady's thinking was only slightly flawed in that regard, although she was correct in that, had it not been for the changes made by Nigellus in eighteen seventy-four, I would have been able to remove those peculiar wards with relative ease even today."
Dumbledore paused to drink some more lemonade, casting a chilling charm on it. Minerva spoke for the first time since he began. "It doesn't seem as though those charms have had any effect, judging by the behaviour of the students. Not that there's a lot of accidental magic, but I think that's more because the students developed some self-control prior to coming to Hogwarts. And as for the other, well, it seems as though that would have been a futile attempt to control behaviour. Not to mention that they didn't consider the girls in their equation. I think I see what you meant about the wards being ineffective, but why were they disastrous?" she asked.
"I was just getting to that, my dear. Although I think that it would have been a bad idea to place those wards even if they had been effective since the students need to learn to control themselves and their emotions without the artificial imposition of restraining wards, and who knows what kind of havoc would have been wrecked when the boys left for the summer and were suddenly beyond the ward's control . . . but that is neither here nor there, Minerva. The disastrous thing is that the changes Nigellus made in the re-warding process integrated and mutated those layered wards in such a way that they not only diverted energy from the main, safety-oriented wards, but such that they also drained both magical and emotional energy from whomever co-ordinated the wards and, to a lesser degree, from any witch or wizard who was connected to the ward triggers."
Minerva stared, shocked at what she had just been told. "You mean the Headmaster and the Heads of the Houses, don't you?" Fear sprang up in her; fear, to be sure, for all whom were affected, but especially for Professor Dumbledore. "Do you mean that whenever you're here, you're being drained?" she asked, slight panic rising in her voice.
"Hush, my dear, don't you worry. You are correct in identifying the Headmaster and the Heads of the Houses as those affected, but I was able to identify and disable that effect early on before you even returned for your second year, in fact."
Minerva relaxed back into her seat, the glider rocking gently as she did so. "Oh, well, that's good, then. They are very lucky you are here."
"I believe that Headmaster Dippet's health was seriously imperiled, and no one had identified the source of his decline. Everyone merely thought he was getting older and the strain of running the school was too great. Once I relieved him of the wards that first summer, he began to improve immediately, even before I disabled the draining effect."
Minerva processed what he had just told her. "So, are you saying that you control the wards now? I thought you said it had to be the Headmaster."
"It does not have to be the Headmaster who is the Keeper of the Wards; in fact, there is a mechanism by which the wards are passed to a designated Head of House whenever the Headmaster leaves the grounds. He can also transfer them deliberately, if he chooses. As far as the wards are concerned, however, I have been the 'Headmaster' since June of thirty-seven. When I leave the grounds, they are passed back to Armando, and when I return, they are passed to me. There have been occasions, of course, when we both have been absent from the school, and I transfer them to the Headmaster so that he can pass them to another Head of House."
"Why, sir? Can't you just pass them directly since the wards seem to believe you are the Headmaster or, at least, the acting Headmaster?"
"I could, but unless Armando were already absent, it might raise some questions. You see, my dear, you are the only person, apart from Armando, myself, and Professor Gamp, who is aware that I am the Keeper of the Wards. Although the other three Heads of House are aware that I am repairing the wards and that is why I was hired here in the first place, they believe that I only control the wards when Armando passes them to me during the ward renewal or when I am doing experiments or tests on them. They don't realise that I conduct frequent tests, and often make small adjustments, on an on-going basis. Also, although the original wards are not designed to drain the Keeper's magical energy, they do function best when there is a magically fit wizard serving as the Keeper."
"This is all very interesting, Professor, but I do not see what any of it has to do with me or my Animagus project."
"I'll get to the point, then, shall I? Although I have made significant progress in realigning the wards, repairing the ward lattice, and retuning each of the individual wards properly, as well as putting into place a few new security measures, such as the anti-Apparition wards, there are still several problems that I have not resolved. In fact, I think that I could work on the wards for decades and still not be able to return them to the condition they were in in eighteen seventy-three. Without the assistance of Professor Gamp, I doubt I would have got this far."
"Professor Gamp? That was another thing I was curious about, Professor. She isn't a Head of House, but you mentioned her as the third person who knows that you are the Keeper of the Wards. Besides me, now, of course."
"Yes; she knows because she has been assisting me with the Arithmantic calculations I've used in realigning, or even in redesigning, the wards. Her help has considerably reduced the amount of time it has taken me to bring the wards into reasonable shape."
Minerva bit back her initial reaction, Wasn't she in Slytherin? If Professor Dumbledore believed her to be trustworthy, she must be. And it wasn't as though she were anything like some of the nasty little Snakes in school with her now. As prefect, she'd had to stop a Slytherin from tormenting some little Hufflepuff or Gryffindor on more than one occasion. Then there was that infuriating Riddle boy, who didn't seem to discriminate amongst the Houses, but who seemed to like tormenting everyone equally even boys older than he. She didn't understand how he had any friends at all but they were more like little sycophants, she thought scornfully.
"I still don't understand what I have to do with this, or how I can help you. Professor Gamp is a mistress of Arithmancy, I'm just a fifth-, sixth-," she corrected herself, "year Gryffindor."
"I have a very particular problem, you see, and if you decide to help me, I may be able to find a solution. The foundational wards included a small but very clever charm designed by Rowena Ravenclaw, who was responsible for the initial design of the castle, that allows the Keeper of the Wards to see who is present in the castle or on the grounds not literally see them, although I suppose it could be modified to perform such a function but, for example, to draw on the ward in order to charm a parchment that would create a list of everyone currently present at Hogwarts. The list could be charmed to change as people came and went, and so forth. If such a charm worked properly, it would greatly enhance the security of the castle. Unfortunately, the ward has been degraded over the last decades, and no charm I have been able to cast has the full intended effect. I have repaired the ward to the point where I can charm a parchment to list the names of everyone in the castle, but only if they are there in their own forms."
"I think I see. Do you mean that if an Animagus were in the castle, he wouldn't appear on your list?"
"Precisely. In fact, as soon as an Animagus transforms, his name disappears from the parchment. Initially, anyone who had taken Polyjuice disgusting stuff, Minerva, I don't recommend it appeared on the list as the person whom they are Polyjuiced to be and not as themselves. This indicated to me that the ward was not properly tuned to witches' and wizards' magical signatures. I was able to correct the problem, insofar as the Polyjuiced person now appears as himself, not as the person whose appearance he took, but I have not been able to make the adjustments necessary to detect someone in Animagus form. If you achieve the Animagus Transfiguration, I would like you to assist me in making those adjustments."
"But why me? You've never said, but I assume you are an Animagus. And somehow you were able to discover this was a problem with the wards."
"Because I must conduct tests and experiments on the wards while someone is Transfiguring themselves back and forth between their ordinary form and their Animagus form, or entering and leaving the grounds; this is something I cannot do it is not possible to be both a participant in this test and its conductor. As to why you in particular, Miss McGonagall," Dumbledore looked at her very seriously, "because I trust you. There are only a handful of Animagi in Britain, or even in Europe, if we were to look further afield. There may be some of whom we are unaware, of course, but of all the Animagi of whom I am aware in Europe and in North America, there are only one or two whom I might have trusted with this. One of them is, however, over one hundred and fifty, and tells me that she hasn't transformed in more than sixty years. The other, a younger man, disappeared two years ago in Austria. He is believed to have been killed, either by Grindelwald because he would not join him, even possibly by the Nazis, as he was a Gypsy. It can be difficult even for an accomplished witch or wizard to escape the Muggles if they have no wand and have also possibly suffered injuries. Other than those two, you are looking at the only other Animagus in Europe who could be trusted with this project. Unfortunately, I cannot be both myself and my Animagus form at the same time . . . well, I could be, but it would confuse the wards so much, no tests would be reliable," Albus finished enigmatically.
"All right, Professor. I know that you told me to think about it and let you know my decision after dinner, but it is almost time for dinner, anyway, and I can assure you that I won't change my mind. I will "
Albus interrupted her. "You will tell me of your decision after dinner, right?" he asked with a smile.
"Right. That's what I was about to say," Minerva said with a grin.
"Well, I suppose we should be going back now; as much as I would like to sit here in a swing with a pretty girl, we do need to consult with Wilspy about dinner."
Minerva laughed, blushing a bit, and watched as her professor returned the remaining picnic items to the basket and Vanished the glider seat. Together, they walked back up to the castle, not speaking, just enjoying the cool breeze blowing in off the lake.
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Latest 25 Reviews for Resolving a Misunderstanding
954 Reviews | 6.45/10 Average
Okay...I think it's time for a Gertrude and Malcolm story. If you got any ideas like the proposal or her pregnancy I'm all ears. I've read this story 100 times but just wanted to say that this story is great every single time I read it, it always feels like my first time.
I have a love hate relationship with this fic. I do not enjoy stories where people spend time angsting when they could just tell each other how they feel and be done with it, no matter how it plays out. I enjoyed this because of Quin. If you hadn't had he or Getrude, this story wouldn't have worked for me. The witty dialogue is what kept me interested to the end. Well done with your OCs.
Review in progress... :-)
Putting myself in Albus's shoes - from his vantage point of what had played out between them - I can very well imagine how awfully guilty he must have felt, how repulsed by his own behaviour, how defeated, with no option but to assume things were over. Really sad and horrible, for him.
But then Gertrude...oh, how I love that woman! Her questioning of Albus, her coclusions: brilliant! Utterly love that small scene! :-)
Forgot to rate...
Must have been very upsetting, embarrassing and worrying for Albus indeed, to have found a young woman attractive for a few moments, only to find out that she's actually his student. I can so imagine how he must have been shocked and appalled by himself.
I loved seeing these two lively, bright and, both of them, determined and decisive girls: Melina seeing the need to educate on healing spells, before even being allowed to hold a wand; and Minerva, trying to take matters in hand concerning Albus's health as well as the running of Murdoch's household. Yet, I always find Melina bordering on overpowering and you already show that here, in her as a young girl.
"And what a pity we can’t hold hands as innocently as Melina does." I love this observation, which, I'd say, actually counts for all of us.
You made me realize it's a bit sad, isn't it? Holding hands is comforting and gives a sense of closeness, but once you're above a certain age (and experience?), there's just no way the innocence will ever come back, unless it's holding hands with a small child. Which means that I, and most likely by far the most of us, hardly ever hold hands anymore. Alas.
Very nice, serious chapter and probably decisive in Albus's later 'hesitations' towards Minerva. Right???
Soap in the eyes indeed! Malcolm is such a twit ... its hard not to like him at least a little ... still ... I think Gertrude is far too big a catch for the likes of this McGonagall ... *snorts*
Forgive me Madam Raven ... I'm bound to get uppity with at least one of your characters.
Even with my aggravation, I did enjoy Malcolm and Gertie's banter.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Awww, you'd like Gertrude to be single and still all shades of mourning? Poor Malcolm! He adores her, you know! :-) ;-) He also amuses her & brings her some vitality. Glad you enjoyed their banter! :-)
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
I know I know ... and you know why, of course ... his arrogance and swagger embarrass me because .... yes ... exactly ... reminds me of a younger version of ... someone foolish ... not saying whoooooo ... *whistles innocently*
And of course we can't have Gertie in all shades of black forever! She needs her lime green suits - just like in this chapter - she redresses in three shades of ... GREEN! Gertrude Spring! Seee! That's where I got the lime green from! *grins*
That and I would want her to find joyous love ... I love Gertie too much not to. Even if it has to be Malcolm. *grins*
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
There's a place in life for people who are a bit brash. Aside from their entertainment value! haha! But don't be down on those characteristics of yourself. You've noted yourself that you've learned to tone down a bit and not just say whatever pops into your head! :-)Yep, Malcolm got her to wear green, green, and green, and look all nice and cheerful. I was pretty sure you were remembering her post-Malcolm greenness when you mentioned the lime green suit. hee!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
I will share something simple I have learned. Humility is a virtue and pride is a liability. *nods* And I has lots more liabilities than virtues, me thinks.
I so love this chapter. The dragon riding is just so incredible ... and then the duel is ABSOLUTELY awesome! I love the giant field of sunflowers and the fireball - aka - fire don't hurt phoenixes - snap you're stunned, Buddy bit.
Give me a Madam!
Give me a Raven!
Ravenclaw's Madam Raven!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Holy COW! Bloo knows English!
Dragons Dragons Dragons!
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
It was a stunner to get any review from Bloo that didn't consist of "Cheers for posting." It became so tiresome to keep opening TPP review alerts, go to the review page, and discover yet another of the exact same three words. I didn't want to turn off alerts altogether because I was still getting a lot of real reviews for fics that were still WIPs at the time.I'm glad you enjoyed the dragon riding and the "whoops, you're Stunned!" at the end. :-)Thanks!
Madam Raven, remind me which house Siofre was sorted into?
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
She's Ravenclaw. And Lydia is Slytherin. Siofre's first husband - Merwyn's father - was Gryffindor, and her second husband Herbert was Hufflepuff.
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
I thought she was Ravenclaw. Still no idea who Lydia is ... I know her daughter is Maisy, or Maise or something like that.
Forgive me, I get all the McGonagalls and their affiliates, across yours, mine and Squibby's universes confused.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Lydia's her sister-in-law, remember? Murdoch Tyree's wife. She's a major CSG character. (I thought you were reading that at one point, but I must have misremembered.)
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
No I was reading it (you are correct), but in the last six months I've lost about 40 IQ points and have forgotten nearly everything I used to know ... so I am behind on RaM-verse extensions. Bad me ...
*sighs* Albus ... Albus ... Albus ... most romantic man to ever grace .... fiction. If only men could be so romantic anymore. That poem is beautiful ... I am guessing, since there are no foot-notes, that it is one of your originals?
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Yep, Albus and I wrote that way early in the story. I'm not much of a poet, but I thought it felt and sounded like a poem that Albus would write.
*snip*
“Ah, well, it’s best not to rush things. Enjoy it, Minerva, savour it. He’s likely nervous, as well. The age difference is probably causing him far more concern than it is you. His perspective is different from yours, and as I said when you were here on Friday, he is from a different time and place. He also has had experiences in his life that you and I, fortunately, have been spared, and that I can only dimly imagine.”
*snip*
I really like that. That shows uncommon wisdom.
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
*snip*
“No, simply . . . odd, disorienting, I suppose,” Albus replied, though Minerva thought that he did look tired and drawn. “It was so long ago, it is almost like remembering a dream. Collum was actually almost five years younger than I, in Aberforth’s year, but he was in my House, and I was also good friends with Perseus. Perseus and Crispinian were cousins of some sort, and Crispy was great friends with Collum, who was only a couple years younger than he. Anyway, for some reason – I don’t remember why, now – we were all here for a few days that summer after my NEWTs. I had just married, and I remember that Dervilia persuaded me that we should accept the invitation because I would be beginning my apprenticeship soon and would have much less time for my friends. I hadn’t been inclined to, wanting to spend the time with her, and feeling that they were all still children while I was a married man – at all of eighteen! But we actually had a good time. I remember that the girls – Siofre and Gwyn – visited once for the day and gave Dervilia some relief from our masculine company.” Now Minerva was beginning to feel peculiar. Gwynllian and Siofre, the “girls,” were her grandmothers. Perseus was Gwynllian’s brother, and Crispinian was her other grandfather. For a dizzying moment, Minerva felt as though she had stepped back in time, to a point when her Great-uncle Perseus was just a boy, friends with Crispinian, not knowing that Crispinian would marry his sister, Gwyn, nor that Collum would marry Siofre and die in an accident when his son, Merwyn, was just a baby. And Albus and Dervilia . . . that their happiness would be very short-lived.
*snip*
Woah ... yeah that would make me uncomfortable as well ... that is ... well that is just ... well ... my head would be swimming if I were Minerva.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Yes, it is dizzying for Minerva, and it gives her an appreciation for some of the points her mother made, and for how and why Albus would not be completely comfortable yet.
*snip*
“Hold still, Merwyn! Your collar is all askew here,” Egeria said with slight impatience.“Don’t see why we have to get all dressed up,” Merwyn grumbled. “I thought what I was wearing this morning was perfectly acceptable.” “Those old brown robes make you look like Friar Tuck,” Egeria grumbled back.“They do not! Besides, I thought you liked my brown robes. That’s what you said the last time I wore them!” “No, it isn’t. I said I liked taking them off of you. There is a difference,” Egeria said with a smile. She patted his tummy and added, “And you are right, you don’t look like Friar Tuck. You have a much nicer figure – though heaven only knows why, when you sit behind your desk all day or in the library with your feet up.”
*snip*
Tee hee hee ... now Madam Raven, don't take my head off here, as you know I tend to picture your characters in my mind regardless of how you describe him ... but I thought you'd like to know how I picture Merwyn ... and here I see that I was wrong.
I picture Merwyn of average height, black hair that is now full of silver and white, and a very round figure ... probably from all that sitting behind his desk.
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
*snip*
Minerva laughed. “Fly without a broom? No, haven’t mastered that, wouldn’t try. It’s not possible.”It was Albus’s turn to laugh. “Not impossible, merely very rare in this part of the world. And the Ministry would like to keep it that way. Hard to regulate that sort of thing. Most witches and wizards couldn’t accomplish it, anyway.”Minerva stopped and looked back at him. “You are joking, aren’t you?” “Not at all. I rarely do it, myself, although when I was with Master Nyima, I became quite adept. I would sometimes fly with Mother Dragon. I think that is one reason she took a liking for me, actually.”Minerva looked at him a moment, digesting this information, then she shook her head and continued the climb. Well, she hadn’t believed it was possible to become as completely invisible as Albus could, either. In fact, at the time, she had actually thought that she had always believed becoming invisible was as impossible as flight without a Charmed object. Apparently, it was, though not the way that she had believed. She should never underestimate Albus Dumbledore.
*snip*
*grins* I like this.
See ... we HP fans know that Dumbledore is brilliant and amazingly powerful ... but just to say it, well its a bit of a let-down, and harder to take as fact. But showing it ... especially in a sideways manner such as this ... an off-handed type of author's compliment, well that seems to me, to be perfection. I can truly appreciate his amazing talents here ... especially considering that Minerva (who is particularly powerful and talented) is amazed.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
I'm glad you liked that. :-)I remember knowing that I would slip that in way back when I wrote the chapter where Dumbledore invisibly observes Minerva doing her tutoring session, and I always envisioned it happening at her family home -- I'd originally been going to have him actually fly, but without a good reason, it would have felt too stilted, especially since his Animagus form flies, so that would be more natural.
*shakes head* Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm ... there is such a thing as tact .... *groans* sadly .... I think I get most frustrated with Malcolm because he reminds me of myself ... er ... I should clarify, my younger self, who was obnoxiously blunt and said what ever came to my mind ... and I likely came off as gruff and uncouth as Malcolm does ... so its an annoying reminder of just how ungracious I can be. *grumbles*
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
He doesn't always employ his internal censor, and he doesn't always have the best way of putting things, but his heart's usually in the right place. And when he wants to, when he puts his mind to it, he can be tactful. But that takes work for him!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Sounds like someone I know ... *groans* Another reminder for me. I guess some of us are just ungifted with the 'gracious' gene.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
He doesn't always employ his internal censor, and he doesn't always have the best way of putting things, but his heart's usually in the right place. And when he wants to, when he puts his mind to it, he can be tactful. But that takes work for him!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Sounds like someone I know ... *groans* Another reminder for me. I guess some of us are just ungifted with the 'gracious' gene.
FINALLY! Hooray for Quin and Wilspy ... *steals Wilspy and takes her to the island where she's stashed Gertrude*
I thought about stealing Quin but ... I am on this celibacy kick ...
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Oooohhhhh noooooes! *MMADfan enlists Quin to help find and steal back Wilspy and Gertrude*
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
*Quin turns on the charm , turning
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
's celibate knees to jelly so she can't chase after MMADfan as she steal back Wilspy and Gertrude*
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
*floats like a jellyfish (uber slow) across the water while she sees Quin, Gertrude and Wilspy sail off on the boat. Is quite sure Wilspy and Gertrude are crying and waving in mourning as Quin steals them both from the enchanted island*
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Heheheh!!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Its an island enchanted to have no mosquitos, sand flies, fire ants or thorny trees/bushes but lots of beautiful fish, both shell and fin, and a huge variety of fruit trees and veggies year round, and maintains a perfect temperature and humidity level ... *sighs*
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
I wanna go there!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Me too!
This is the chapter that I want to throttle Minerva and grant Quin sainthood ... honestly ... what she does to that poor man ...
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
I know. Minerva was not at her best there, was she? Poor Quin!
*snip*
Finally, at midnight, he went down to his office and opened the cupboard in which he kept his Charmed parchments. He rarely used them, and he hesitated to now. It would be prying . . . it would be for his own personal gain, not for school business. But he cast the necessary spells, and the results were clear and easy to read, there were so few people in the castle. Johannes was in his bedroom in Ravenclaw Tower. Gertrude and Malcolm . . . were both together. In her rooms. In her bedroom, in fact. Well, that answered one question that he hadn’t wished to ask. Johannes’s name was steady, but Gertrude’s and Malcolm’s names seemed to pulse, becoming thicker and bolder, then returning to the normal script. He could imagine what that might mean, and he averted his eyes. But Minerva’s name was not on the list. There was Fawkes listed. For some reason, he was perched in the Astronomy Tower. But no other being or creature was named. Albus still hadn’t set the wards properly to detect the ghosts. It had been a low priority, and he had never managed to get to it.
*snip*
OOOOOOOOOooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh, so THAT's how the Mara's Map was created! Or at least, that is one way ... nice little intry there, Madam Raven!
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Yes, the magic that allows those Charmed parchments is the magic that was tapped into to create the Marauders' map. It's part of the magic that was being tested and fixed that summer when Minerva helped with the wards, changing back and forth into her Tabby self to see whether the wards detected her identity when she turned into her Animagus form -- the wards had been so damaged that they no longer detected someone who was in Animagus form.Many years later, this became important for seeing Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black on the map. Also, by the time that he enlisted Minerva's help, Dumbledore had already fixed the ward that detected the true identity of someone who was disguised using Polyjuice -- meaning that during GoF, Potter saw that B. Crouch was searching Snape's office. Of course, he thought that it was B. Crouch senior, not the crazy son who had supposedly died in Azkaban. The fake Moody (Barty Crouch) took the map from Harry so that Harry wouldn't notice that Moody never left his office (where he was stuck in the trunk), and that where Moody apparently was, Crouch actually was.
*snip*
“I thought I was being seduced, but it has been a while . . . I may have been wrong,” Gertrude answered, her breath warm upon his face.
*snip*
I just love her wit.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
She is one sharp Slytherin, and she loves answering a question at a different level than it was being asked. :-)
*snip*
“Yes, you mentioned that at the party. You are aware of how Gertrude’s husband died, though?” Minerva asked.
*snip*
What the hell does that have to do with anything?
Goodness - Minerva has a serious voyeur problem, doesn't she? Naughty!
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
She's concerned that Malcolm might bring up a sensitive subject in an inappropriate way, for one, but mostly, she's worried that Malcolm might just be in it for the fun and that Gertrude is vulnerable if he just up and leaves. Gertrude hasn't formed any other attachment since the trauma of having her husband killed in such a gruesome manner, as far as Minerva knows, so Minerva's worred that Gertrude is opening herself up in a rare manner and that her brother might just be too cavalier with her feelings. (I'd have to reread the section, but that's what I remember o fher motivation.)I'm sure Minerva wishes she had better timing! lol!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
As I continued to read, Minerva's concern was apparent, as usual, in my typical Gryffie fashion - we leap before we look ... or rather, we shoot our mouths off before we have all the facts. *sighs*
Oh hooooo! Malcolm may think he doesn't want to become too ... attached ... but his heroic defense of 'good' Slytherins sure tells me something or other about a recent acquaintance of his.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Yes, he is definitely defensive here! Seems he is becoming more than a little attached to a certain Slytherin!
I so love Gertrude. I want a Gertrude in my life! *steals Gertrude and runs away*
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
*MMADfan puts on her running shoes and jogs after
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
*
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
*snip*
“It was a long time ago, as I said, that it all began. When I was a child, really, I suppose. I would like to be able to say with some modesty that my time as a student was unremarkable, but it was not. I excelled at whatever I put my hand, mind, and magic to. I was eager to learn, even more eager than you were – indeed, the Sorting Hat very nearly put me in Ravenclaw, but it decided, in the end, that my nature and my need were Gryffindor. “I chafed at what I saw were restrictions on me and my progress. I found most of my teachers wanting, and believed them dull and unimaginative. Nonetheless, I wanted to please them, and please them I usually did. But I pushed every boundary and stretched it. If it weren’t for the guidance and firm hand of Professor Futhark, I might have become even more insufferable than I no doubt was. But despite my general attitude, I found myself with friends of all types, and, with a rather foolish and overblown sense of my own importance, I came to believe myself not only advanced academically but also better than my peers and their natural leader. And, I suppose, I was – academically advanced and a leader, not better than they,” he clarified.
*snip*
I really like this ... it sounds very Albus to me ... save for the Ravenclaw bit *grins* but sometimes you just gotta tout yer house, right?
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
I think that sometimes, it's really clear that there's one House that a witch or wizard belongs in, and other times, there are others that would suit, too. I think Albus could have fit in with Ravenclaw -- he certainly pursued knowledge, both Light and Dark -- but there were bits of his personality that drove him that were Gryffindor that shaped his intellect and his use of it. (I can't have written that part of the monologue and really substituted "Hufflepuff" -- though I think that with a few tweaks to the text, Slytherin could have been included as an option -- he is a wily wizard, after all!)I'm glad you like it. It's one of the reasons that I think this section, these chapters, work better as a first-person recounting than as I had originally written it -- in the third person as a kind of flashback. We get to see Albus's personality then and now, and his own take on his character as a teen and young man, and how it developed.
*snip*
“Not a bit of trouble, my dear man, not a bit of it! A friend of the Headmaster’s is a friend of mine, I’d like to think! And dear Gertrude, of course.” He winked at Quin. “She’s quite the witch, isn’t she? Knew each other as students of course. Had a bit of a crush on me at the time, I think.”
*snip*
I have to laugh at this ... I just do ... he's a younger and less wise Slughorn than the Sluggy I know from HBP, so it does make sense that he'd brag a bit louder and exaggerate a bit stronger ... but saying that of one's co-worker - wow! That takes some ... something ...
You know I have a soft spot for Slughorn I think it would be fun to pick his brain and study him ... especially try to determine what conditions cause him to puff out his chest the most ... call me weird.
I also love any and all descriptions of the various houses, since we only see two of them in the movies - Slytherin and Gryffindor ... never did get a chance to see Ravenclaw's or Hufflepuff's ... shame really. I'd love to see the Badger room, all decked out in black and yellow - I think I'd feel like I was snug inside a giant bee hive! Oh and I would imagine there would be plenty of honey.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Yes, Sluggy's sense of grandiosity is quite at its peak here. And it's not yet been burst by the emergence of the Slytherin "Death Eater sect" led by one of his former star pupils. So he's amiably pompous, tries a bit too hard to chum-up to Quin, and yet there is a part of him that genuinely likes other people (in my view) and simply wants them to like him in return. I really enjoyed envisioning the Slytherin dorms and some of the more decent Slytherins in "The Sorting of Susie Sefton." It was fun to look at them from a different POV than we had in the books, and yet try to make it all still recognizably Slytherin.It would be neat to experience Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. And I wonder if Hufflepuff would be all honey with no stings attached ...
*snip*
“It is worth far more than that, Horace, as you know,” Gertrude said, “and even if you offered what it might fetch on the open market, you know the Headmaster still wouldn’t part with it. Your grumbling about it every time he generously chooses to share it is most unseemly and detracts from our enjoyment.”
*snip*
HAHAHAHAHA! Stop complainin and enjoy the bloody mead, yeh buggar!
I do like this chapter, I love just the idea that being a head of house, or even just a teacher, creates some sort of bond, or weave, in the magical wards and structure of the castle. And its nice to see the faculty supporting each other.
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Oh and, I also love lore with the Sorting Hat - for some reason I find that 'character' of Rowling's to be fascinating.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
I like to imagine that each teacher in the history of Hogwarts, especially Heads of Houses and Headmasters/mistresses, leave some of themselves, some of their magic, in the wards, helping to strengthen the school long after they're gone. That would be a heritage.The Sorting Hat is fascinating, and I think it is intriguing to contemplate whether it's sentient or not, and what its existence says about sentience, at least in the HP/Hogwarts universe.
*snip*
Besides, when I first began teaching, it wasn’t long after Reginald died. It didn’t feel as though it had been long, anyway. I was not particularly concerned with what I looked like. It became a habit. And now I’m too old to be worried about such things.”
*snip*
Oh how I can relate to that!
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Yeah, I think Gertrude is quite human here. But it's interesting how when Malcolm comes into her life, she begins to take an interest in her clothes again! Or at least, they reflect a cheerier self. :-)
*snip*
Albus smiled and sliced them each a piece. The cake itself was chocolate, and it was filled with raspberries and thick whipped cream. There was more whipped cream, Minerva thought, than cake. The icing was chocolate, one layer of an almost brittle icing, then a softer chocolate butter cream over that in decorative curlicues and rosettes. Whole raspberries topped it all off.
*snip*
GAH! I want a cake like that for my birthday - ANY birthday!
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Me too!
*snip*
“All right. Are you finished, then? Would you like more wine? I have another bottle – ”Albus laughed. “Are you getting me in practice for your brothers?”Minerva smiled. “I don’t think I could drink any more, either, but I thought I would offer. We can have some cognac with our dessert.”Albus pushed back from the table. “We could try out your wireless,” he suggested.“Good!” Minerva would be agreeable to almost anything he suggested right now.
*snip*
I'll bet she would!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
*snip*
Minerva looked up at him and was struck by how very attractive he was. In that moment, she would have agreed that the sound of monkeys banging ashcans was nice. Fortunately, this was the station’s “music for the dinner hour,” and really was pleasant.
*snip*
*bursts out laughing, barking in fact*
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Minerva is in a very agreeable mood!