You mean short, exceedingly chunky and having a massive walruss-like moustache? yeah ... I was very much looking forward to mutton chops ... *sigh* I guess Jim didn't want all that glue on his face. So glad they didn't skimp on Albus and Hagrid's facial glory.

Yep! Very plump around the middle was always one of his essential features for me -- but JB was so good, I forgot he didn't look right! :-)

He was fantastic ... but Mutton Chops!

Oh ... and I liked the appreciation you threw in there about Slughorn, even though I know you don't particularly like him (I do) and he's easy to poke fun at ... and he takes the poking fairly well I think ... poor Sluggy, getting sick and having no clue why ... awwww.

I've grown very fond of Poppy as I write her. I'm glad you find her consistently humorous! :-)I'm not a big Slughorn fan, but he works well in certain places in fics, and I don't think he's dreadful or anything.Jim Broadbent as Slughorn was almost the only thing that I liked about the 6th movie. (I'm sure that if I managed to make it through it again, I would find a few other things, but Slughorn was great & Jim Broadbent was terrific -- and when I first heard he'd been cast, I'd thought it was an odd choice, since he doesn't strike me as anything like the HS of the books. But he was perfect.)

Yeah, she thinks she's classy and refined and all, but her behavior is pretty appalling! But boy, she was a fun character to write!

*snip*

 “You know, Gertie, I don’t think it’s only Valerianna who’s operating with too little information. I feel that she knows something I don’t – ” “It is not what she knows, Minerva. It is what she presumes she knows.” “But I still don’t understand why she feels the need to annoy me, or worse. It is clearly occupying a lot of her energy, given the conversation I overheard. Not to mention that she can’t help but stare at me during meals. What is it about me?”

*snip*

GAH! *rips out hair* For Heaven sake Gertie, just say it ... or for Heaven sake Minerva, OPEN YOUR EARS ... "its because Albus is in love with you, Minerva!"

Gertrude thinks it should be evident to Minerva by now that, at the very least, Valerianna believes Albus is in love with Minerva and that Minerva should be exploring whether that is true. She's giving the broadest indications she possibly can, but Minerva is just not seeing it yet.

*grin!* Minerva did have to be prepared to have lunch with that crowd!Glad you love Gertie so much!

Yeah but its more than that ... its that Gertie and Minerva were talking about something that bothered Minerva, and Gertie stopped Minerva's questions with this so well placed comment ... and its doubly perfect because Gertie is 1. admitting her relatives are awful, 2. admitting they are in on this (surviving the relatives) together 3. stopping Minerva from asking more questions and 4. she's being funny

Did I mention I loved Gertie?

Alas ... my daughter is adopting Trudykins the kitten, taking her to her father's house and has renamed her Nala .... *frown* I don't think I can call this cat Nala ... she is Trudykins ... and always will be Trudykins ... or Gertrude ... or Gertiekins ... but not Nala ... *grumbles*

Nala? Hmmm, yeah, I can see how it doesn't feel at all like Trudykins!Yeah, I think you're right with all those points. Now once Minerva gets over her "issues," she'll be able to appreciate all those things about Gertie, too. :-D

Yeah, it's a bit of an info-dump but without being info-dumpish, since Minerva really is learning all of this & it's not just being recited for the sake of the reader, as you say.Ah, yes, the wee beasties! ;-)

Thanks! I think you're right that that bit of conversation is quite revealing about where they each are in their lives, and that Minerva isn't yet the older, wiser witch we encounter a few decades later -- but it's part of what helps shape her and encourages her growth.Gertie certainly opened her eyes a bit here in this chapter!

It's so good to hear you say that you like the Gamp Party chapters. They are a nice interlude, I think, a change from the usual settings, and they allow Minerva to interact with many different sorts of people, as well as get to know Gertie better -- and even get to uncerstand Albus better by learning about him from others and seeing others' views of him.Heheheh! Lime green still stuck in your head, huh? Sounds like an outfit I had in the mid-70s. I thought it was the height of cool. lolJust keep stretching her until she's slightly taller than Minerva and slightly shorter than Albus & Malcolm, and you can stop -- no need to taffy-pull her into Elasto-woman!

They certainly do! See why Gertrude became frustrated with them both by the end? lol!

Yes, neither of them is in a comfortable situation there -- and Albus was a bit hurt that Minerva might think he would "eavesdrop" on her private thoughts, but he understood her worries, too. And, of course, he's concerned about her more generally, as well.Did you notice Albus's line, “... many things can happen to any of us that we might formerly believe impossible, Minerva. It is not a weakness to ask for help”? That was a lesson that a young, and formerly very confident, Albus learned very painfully himself. He worries that, although Minerva's situation is nothing like his was, she might still be afraid to ask for help when she might need it because she's "supposed to be" competent and strong.Fortunately, once Minerva learned (and trusted) that Albus wouldn't just spy on her thoughts with Legilimency, she grew more comfortable with him and it actually helped her not obsess so much about it, since she wasn't so worried he'd discover her secret.

No, he's the Groundskeeper, though. A member of staff. Staff normally all eat together. Dippet had forbidden school-aged Hagrid from eating with the rest of the staff, and although Hagrid had long since had that restriction lifted, he knew that Dippet didn't like to see him in the Great Hall for meals, so he always ate alone (this bit is RaMverse -- that Dippet had forbidden him to eat at the staff table -- in canon, all the staff eat in the Great Hall at the staff table, including Hagrid, and I made that something that only happened once Dumbledore started making him welcome at meals).

I misread that ... she hadn't seen much of him since SHE had returned to teach ... not he returned to teach ... my mistake.

Ah, I see, yes, she hadn't seen much of him since she returned to teach. :-)

Yep, Wilspy was the "foolish thing" that caused that bit of draft!

Yes: she loves him and was crushed when he became so aloof and seemed to disregard her feelings and not respect her, being so often late for appointments.I think that if Dumbledore didn't have the hang-up he has about not being appropriate for her (and the to-be-revealed-later problem resulting from the situation with V), he might have begun to cotton on here, or at least become hopeful & begin to explore their relationship more.

Yeah, and sometimes it just "happens," and for no reason discernable even to the guy! At his age, though, Albus is quadrupally self-conscious about it -- he doesn't normally have "reactions" during breakfast! lol!

Somehow, I missed a bunch of reviews you left, so I will catch up!Morons in high places are terrible. Especially officious ones with high opinions of themselves and low opinions of everyone else.

A lot of what you're seeing is a result of her not liking Dumbledore, which affects her attitudes and behaviours in the scenes in the story.Remember that at one point, Minerva is surprised to learn that Dustern doesn't like Dumbledore, since she did usually manage a professional demeanor in front of students, even if she is pretty frosty and not very likeable to Minerva even as a student -- disapproving of her relationship with Dumbledore. She had also hoped that Minerva might pursue Charms and was actually jealous that Minerva had chosen Dumbledore & Transfiguration over her & Charms. She's not a very likeable person, though, certainly.

Ahhh, it is coming back to me now. Yes ... doesn't like Dumbledore mainly due to ... yes ... now I remember. Yes, resentment, jealousy and unforgiveness generally do tend to make people unlikeable.

Was a Master of charms (or Mistress?), was an old Hufflepuff student of Dippet's when he was HoH, and she needed a job. She was a pretty competent instructor, if not a real teacher. :-)

Gotcha, I had forgotten, though I had not forgotten her disdainful attitude and all the resentment she had in her heart.

Awww!! Thanks! It was good to be able to incorporate these earlier stories and to give the setting and characters more depth and texture.

I'm on my phone, sitting out on the porch listening to the birds in the woods and fields, and drinking a beer, so I hope my phone doesn't do anything strange to my response - it's sometimes not-so-smart!

I'm glad you like all the discussion of the wards! I enjoy thinking about the magic as though it were real.

Thanks! This section of the story was quite a challenge for me, and it was different from anything I'd written before. I'm glad it works for you! :-)

Glad you enjoyed that!

*snip*

“I’ll Apparate us both, if that is agreeable to you,” Albus said.“Very.” She looked up at him. “You are extremely attractive at the moment, though, with the wind in your hair like it is. . . . You don’t suppose . . .” “What?” “Can you, well, perhaps not . . . I was just wondering how it would feel to kiss you when you Apparate.”Albus’s eyes sparkled, and he put his arms around Minerva, holding her closely. He gently kissed Minerva’s lips, then as he deepened the kiss and pulled her against him, Minerva felt a shimmer of his magic, and when Albus broke the kiss and she opened her eyes, she saw that they were in front of the house. Minerva smiled. “You are very talented, Albus.”Albus grinned and winked at her. “I do like to try something new occasionally.”

*snip*

Mmmmmmm ... oh yumms!

*snip*

Egeria came in and said, “I’ll have a whisky, too, Merwyn. Then why don’t we go into the sitting room? We do have one.” “I think we’re all comfortably settled here, dearest,” Merwyn said, giving her a bus on the cheek as he handed her her glass.“But there are more windows. We can watch the storm from there,” Egeria said, still standing near the door.“Mm, I think you have an unnatural appreciation of precipitation,” Merwyn said, but he turned and said to Albus and Minerva, “Would you care to join us in the sitting room and watch the rain? It is most entertaining. Or so I have been told.” Egeria elbowed him lightly in the ribs and he grinned.

*snip*

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'll take after Egeria ... nothing like watching a storm!

*snip*

“Mmm, until they need their nappies changing,” Merwyn said. “Then they don’t smell so sweet. But I’m glad that Melina and Brennan have decided to wait a few years before starting a family. Although Brennan doesn’t want to wait too long. He says he doesn’t want to be an old man raising his kids, ready to retire and still with children to support.” Suddenly Merwyn seemed flustered, almost taking a drink from his empty glass. “Of course, Brennan is a Muggle. Things are different for Muggles. And it’s time now for dinner. Better go in.”

*snip*

Woops! I can almost feel Egeria kick him from here. Awww ... poor Merwyn, having to watch everything he says.

Storms can be fun to watch, if they're not too destructive, anyway.Yeah, poor Merwyn! Trying to say all the right things, then getting comfortable in the conversation and stumbling into a verboten area!

Glad you enjoyed that!

*snip*

“I’ll Apparate us both, if that is agreeable to you,” Albus said.“Very.” She looked up at him. “You are extremely attractive at the moment, though, with the wind in your hair like it is. . . . You don’t suppose . . .” “What?” “Can you, well, perhaps not . . . I was just wondering how it would feel to kiss you when you Apparate.”Albus’s eyes sparkled, and he put his arms around Minerva, holding her closely. He gently kissed Minerva’s lips, then as he deepened the kiss and pulled her against him, Minerva felt a shimmer of his magic, and when Albus broke the kiss and she opened her eyes, she saw that they were in front of the house. Minerva smiled. “You are very talented, Albus.”Albus grinned and winked at her. “I do like to try something new occasionally.”

*snip*

Mmmmmmm ... oh yumms!

*snip*

Egeria came in and said, “I’ll have a whisky, too, Merwyn. Then why don’t we go into the sitting room? We do have one.” “I think we’re all comfortably settled here, dearest,” Merwyn said, giving her a bus on the cheek as he handed her her glass.“But there are more windows. We can watch the storm from there,” Egeria said, still standing near the door.“Mm, I think you have an unnatural appreciation of precipitation,” Merwyn said, but he turned and said to Albus and Minerva, “Would you care to join us in the sitting room and watch the rain? It is most entertaining. Or so I have been told.” Egeria elbowed him lightly in the ribs and he grinned.

*snip*

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'll take after Egeria ... nothing like watching a storm!

*snip*

“Mmm, until they need their nappies changing,” Merwyn said. “Then they don’t smell so sweet. But I’m glad that Melina and Brennan have decided to wait a few years before starting a family. Although Brennan doesn’t want to wait too long. He says he doesn’t want to be an old man raising his kids, ready to retire and still with children to support.” Suddenly Merwyn seemed flustered, almost taking a drink from his empty glass. “Of course, Brennan is a Muggle. Things are different for Muggles. And it’s time now for dinner. Better go in.”

*snip*

Woops! I can almost feel Egeria kick him from here. Awww ... poor Merwyn, having to watch everything he says.

Storms can be fun to watch, if they're not too destructive, anyway.Yeah, poor Merwyn! Trying to say all the right things, then getting comfortable in the conversation and stumbling into a verboten area!

Maybe milk is a comfort-drink and RaM is comfort-reading? Glad it made you laugh, even if you spit milk! hee! I enjoy writing my secondary characters just as much as I enjoy writing the major ones. I think they give depth to the story (and to the backgrounds of the major characters), and it helps make the story a bit more lively, I think. More textured or something. *shrugs*

More creamy! *grins* Dairy theme.

Maybe milk is a comfort-drink and RaM is comfort-reading? Glad it made you laugh, even if you spit milk! hee! I enjoy writing my secondary characters just as much as I enjoy writing the major ones. I think they give depth to the story (and to the backgrounds of the major characters), and it helps make the story a bit more lively, I think. More textured or something. *shrugs*

More creamy! *grins* Dairy theme.

Yeah, it depends on the men, though -- and they're not likely to sit around in groups and talk, and it's more likely to be one-on-one. And you do notice that they both cut certain aspects of the conversation short & didn't delve too deeply into certain things that two women likely would have. Also, remember that Malcolm screwed himself up to do this for his little sister's sake. He wants her to be happy, and this is his eccentric version of the "be good to my little sister or else" speech. I've had a lot of guy friends who've talked quite personally with me, but I've had other guy friends who, for whatever reason in their upbringing or their background, seem incapable of talking about personal things with anyone, which is a pity. I always hope that when they are in a romantic relationship with a woman, they'll be able to open up more.

I spose most of the men buddies I've had have been the 'strong-silent' type - but then again I grew up around the military and the ocean - manly men - you know the sort - the ones that are invincible and don't need any help with anything? RAR! And romantically, I'd have to categorize my guys into the "denial" department - there are no issues - "I am perfect" sort.Perhaps I'll just stick to fish - they're far more humble.

Yeah, it depends on the men, though -- and they're not likely to sit around in groups and talk, and it's more likely to be one-on-one. And you do notice that they both cut certain aspects of the conversation short & didn't delve too deeply into certain things that two women likely would have. Also, remember that Malcolm screwed himself up to do this for his little sister's sake. He wants her to be happy, and this is his eccentric version of the "be good to my little sister or else" speech. I've had a lot of guy friends who've talked quite personally with me, but I've had other guy friends who, for whatever reason in their upbringing or their background, seem incapable of talking about personal things with anyone, which is a pity. I always hope that when they are in a romantic relationship with a woman, they'll be able to open up more.

I spose most of the men buddies I've had have been the 'strong-silent' type - but then again I grew up around the military and the ocean - manly men - you know the sort - the ones that are invincible and don't need any help with anything? RAR! And romantically, I'd have to categorize my guys into the "denial" department - there are no issues - "I am perfect" sort.Perhaps I'll just stick to fish - they're far more humble.

Yep, she's beginning to be able to tell him what's good for him -- and for them -- much as Gertrude said she would have to be able to do, wa-ay back in the garden at the Gamp estate a gazillion chappies back. Gertrude knew she had it in her, if she'd only break out of her habits & cast off a few of her preconceived ideas. :D

Yep, she's beginning to be able to tell him what's good for him -- and for them -- much as Gertrude said she would have to be able to do, wa-ay back in the garden at the Gamp estate a gazillion chappies back. Gertrude knew she had it in her, if she'd only break out of her habits & cast off a few of her preconceived ideas. :D

This fellow looked absurd, as would Albus, in Minerva's opinion. (You can possibly divine my own here, too!)I'm sure they have a place, but not on Albus, thank you very much!

Pssha - beardstones, braidstones, runestones - all darn sexy if you ask me - but alas, I shall have to accept your opinions ... even if I don't agree with them. I spose I should be thankful that we can both agree that Albus does indeed, look best with his thick mane and glorious beard!

This fellow looked absurd, as would Albus, in Minerva's opinion. (You can possibly divine my own here, too!)I'm sure they have a place, but not on Albus, thank you very much!

Pssha - beardstones, braidstones, runestones - all darn sexy if you ask me - but alas, I shall have to accept your opinions ... even if I don't agree with them. I spose I should be thankful that we can both agree that Albus does indeed, look best with his thick mane and glorious beard!

Wilspy did come up with a good comeback to Albus's "silliness" in getting rid of his beard and shortening his hair, didn't she? I'm glad it's still tickling your funny-bone!

Wilspy did come up with a good comeback to Albus's "silliness" in getting rid of his beard and shortening his hair, didn't she? I'm glad it's still tickling your funny-bone!

Thank you! I tried to make her still Minerva, just young Minerva, one who was still learning and developing, one who hadn't quite gotten that grip on her temper yet so that she could rein it in and unleash it when she wanted, not when her temper did -- and, of course, her just being a teenager, with the emotionality and volatility that can go along with those years, even for smart and mature teens. I'm glad that you recognise Minerva here and like the way her character was "back-developed" here. 

Thank you! Growing up can be complicated!