“I guess I’m just not her idea of a dream wizard,” Robbie said with a dramatic sigh, but a grin on his face.Minerva sighed and shook her head. “You two don’t need to have any reasons or motivations! Only Severus does. As long as what he and I walk in on looks believable and sufficient to make me a weepy mess, that is all we need.” Minerva looked at the two sternly. “And grinning and laughing like a pair of fools is not going to do that.”“We’re sorry, Minerva,” Robbie said contritely. “We’ll try harder.”“Yes, Minerva, we will. We will be proper little lovers for you,” Poppy agreed, clearly struggling not to smile. “Right on cue. We can be as debauched as you like.”*snip*“Not too debauched, just suggestive of debauchery,” Minerva said, rolling her eyes as Poppy began to giggle again. “Really, Poppy! I would think you had outgrown this sort of thing decades ago!”“Have some pity! It’s not every day that I’m asked to have an affair with a friend’s lover—by the friend herself! I think that a little giddiness is perfectly excusable,” Poppy said, trying to contain her laughter.aand *snip*“Now that I have this all out of my system, Minerva, I’m sure I will be fine tomorrow, really,” Poppy said. She looked at Robbie appraisingly. “I just have to adjust my idea of my dream wizard. That’s easily done. He does have those nice grey eyes and that cute, shy little smile, after all. What about you and Severus?”“We aren’t practising. He’s a quick study, and it’s highly unlikely that when I turn to him in my distress that he will burst into uncontrollable laughter,” Minerva replied irritably.“Well, that is a bit different from having to make out on the sofa with your best friend’s, um, lover,” Poppy said. *dies in hysterics*

*snip*“When are we to perform this . . . soap opera?” he asked.*dies laughing* I can see hear Rickman saying that.

*snip*Fifteen minutes later, Poppy had agreed to participate in Minerva’s charade, with no reservations whatsoever.“It’s much better than making all those people in McTavish Street sick or having to blow up my own apothecary. This is positively child’s play in comparison,” Poppy said. She grinned. “It might actually be fun!”*bursts out laughing* I am SO enjoying this... dearly love that lioness!

*snip*“I hope you have received your order from him already. There will be a very serious accident in his apothecary sometime soon—possibly even tomorrow morning. Demolish a good part of his shop, send him and Estelle to St. Mungo’s. I’m afraid the Egidius Apothecary will be closed for quite some time as its Potions master recovers and repairs are made. Oh, and if you happen to find yourself in McTavish Street, don’t eat anything at any of the restaurants or pubs. There’s going to be an outbreak of some food-borne illness. I’m not certain what Melina finally decided on, but I gave her the signal to go ahead with it. Nothing deadly, of course. Just unpleasant. Enough to close Aphrodite’s Apple and a few other establishments until the danger of contamination has been eliminated.”Poppy opened her mouth then closed it again.Oh I so love this.... GO MINERVA GO GO GO! That is soooo the lioness I know... *grins*

*snip*And since I haven’t said it recently, please do not take any of my stories as an infallible source for information about the real world, whether scientific, cultural, social, linguistic, literary, medical, veterinary, or otherwise! ;-)What on earth prompted that????? Dear lord, I hope not..... *shakes head* no can't be....

*snip*“A little flamboyant, for a defensive spell, but very pretty at night,” Robbie commented.*chuckles loudly* That is soooo Dumbledore.... hehe

*snip*“Muggle-borns often have some of the very best ideas,” he said brightly, “and those who have spent time in the Muggle world. When this is over, my boy, spend some time in it, open yourself up, learn from them.”Uh oh, he's slipping! Good thing Neville doesn't know him well enough to pick up on his most common endearments.... or he'd know right there who he was dueling with. *winks*

*snip*Fire. Severus puzzled over the symbols for a few minutes, then he decided that it was merely an Albus-doodle. The old wizard had often doodled during meetings or when thinking about a problem. It had been a rather irritating habit.*snicker*

I am noticing something familiar with Severus that I noticed with Albus in RaM - here is a snippit, let me see if you can guess what that similarity is...*snip*Severus simply nodded and forbore mentioning that it was unlikely that Quin would like him, although he might be grateful to him. Besides, he would be dead then.Can you guess? Oh come on.... just one little guess?

*snip*“The usual—unlimited power, the universe cowering at his feet, immortality. And,” he said, putting his cup down and looking at Minerva, “for me to kill you.”I was wondering when that was coming... surprised it hadn't already.

*snip*Rolanda nodded stiffly. She had had a bit of a crush on Albus Dumbledore when she was young. He was a hero, he had gorgeous blue eyes and broad shoulders, and he was the most powerful wizard in the world—at least that’s what she’d believed, and still did. What wasn’t to like? When she joined the Hogwarts staff many years later, it became obvious that he and Minerva were in a relationship. She believed that they were wholly compatible, and she came to envy them both that compatibility as she grew older and never found that kind of relationship with a wizard herself. She had always believed that Minerva was completely devoted to Albus. She and Minerva had never been close friends themselves, but with Poppy as a mutual friend, she had come to know, like, and respect the older witch. Every time she saw Minerva’s reaction to this Crouch, she felt like shaking her, hitting her, and then throwing her over her broomstick and hauling her off to the Janus Thickey ward to find out what on earth could be wrong with her brain. I'm right there with ya Hooch - of course, I think I know why Minerva is.... acting as she is... but if I didn't know, I'm be smacking Minerva quite a bit.

*snip*“Shh, shh, just lie there,” Poppy said softly, pressing him back down. “You are strung so tensely, you feel as though you might snap at any moment, Severus. Your muscles are bunches of knots. It is my professional opinion that you need this, so you will allow it unless you wish me to call Minerva and wake her and have her tell you to submit.”Severus gave in—more easily than he wished, but it felt good, and there was some comfort in her touch that went beyond the loosening of muscles and the unknotting of tension. Unfortunately, as she slowly, methodically kneaded the muscles in his shoulders and upper back, he could feel his tears rising again, and he seemed powerless to stop them. He only hoped she wouldn’t notice as they overflowed his lids and began to trickle down his cheeks.Poppy began to massage his left arm, beginning near his shoulder and working her way down, and as she did, she began to hum lightly. It was a sweet, soft humming of an old-fashioned tune that seemed familiar to Severus, though he did not recognise it. As she hummed, he felt his tears flow faster, and he knew that Poppy could not be unaware of them, but she said nothing, merely continuing with her slow, relaxing massage, humming her haunting melody filled with grace notes that seemed to add a melancholic edge to the otherwise bright tune. Severus let out a shuddering breath, and Poppy continued her massage, reaching his left forearm and paying no attention to the hideous brand there. To his shame, as her fingers moved gently over the Dark Mark and then to his wrist, he sobbed, choking it back but unable to completely suppress it. Poppy gave no sign that she noticed, merely moving on to massage the palm of his hand and each finger.When Poppy moved over to his right arm, Severus could no longer fight his body, and his tears and his wrenched sobs continued unabated. He tried to bury his face in the pillow, and Poppy gave the first indication that she noticed his tears. As her right hand continued to knead his upper arm, she brushed aside his hair with her other hand and, with gentle pressure to his jaw, urged him to turn his head to the side. She wiped at his tears with the back of her hand, the strong, fiery potion still on her fingers and palm. Her humming paused for a moment, and Severus feared she was going to say something, but she did not. As she began to rub his forearm with both hands again, she resumed her humming, this time a more cheerful melody, one that Severus did not recognise at all.I'm not sure why, but that almost made me cry.... maybe its just that I so desperately need a massage, I was living vicariously through Severus? I don't know, but it was pretty intense for me.

*snip*“I have known you since you were eleven, Severus. I may not be a Legilimens, but I do know you.” She closed her eyes briefly, her mouth a tight line. “Sit.” She looked at him as he remained standing. “I do not care to repeat myself.”That's MY Minerva!

*snip*That part of his Vow he had been happy to fulfill, even if he hadn’t known that was what he was doing when he delivered the boy into Minerva’s hands. He had trusted Minerva completely, despite her coolness toward him. Even now when he disagreed with her, he would obey, whatever it was. It was a steadying point in his life, this obedience, something he could hold onto, not to expiate his own responsibility for his actions, but to keep from sinking or from losing his way. He trusted her. He had trusted Albus, except at the end, with the contention between them about the Vow. He knew that neither was perfect or infallible in their judgments, but they were the arrow upon which he flew, and he knew that the arrow would hit its target. He had to believe that.I love this... this is - in my opinion - Severus learning what "unconditional love" is.... perhaps for the first time - we shall see, he does seem to care for his students as well, but I don't think he loves them - this here, this shows faith and love - something we don't usually see in Severus - and he lost faith in Dumbledore before the end... so I'm glad he can find some somewhere.

*snip*He only hoped that he could survive long enough to be killed before he crumbled.Not sure I understand this sentence... sounds more like he hoped he wouldn't survive long enough to crumble... ?

Death... death... death..... *sighs*Painful to read... even if I'm right in my guess work, still painful...

While I don't like this particular interpretation of Moody, I do like how you described Minerva's reaction to it, and how she handled it - the torturous behavior and general lack of respect for those in the Order, I mean.Your description of Moody - his hatred of Severus - Death Eaters - is realistic - not my preference, but quite realistic - and I further hope to see more of Moody in your work. As you know, I'm fairly fond of him.Enjoying the story quite a bit! Carry on!

Oh the portkey placement was brilliant.

I know I've been bad these last two chapters - not reviewing - but I am enjoying myself - very much - as you know - I am appreciating Robbie more and more and its further solidifying an idea in my mind about him - loving this new role for Minerva - and I like how you're showing how strangled she's becoming with the additional responsibilities of running both the Order and Hogwarts. That would be very realistic, and not something many folks understand about leadership - the leader loses so many freedoms and becomes a perpetual servant to those he/she leads - and you've got that depicted well.

*snip*“I wish I could do more,” Severus said. “If you think of any other things I can do, or if there is any other way that I can help him or anyone else who has . . . who has suffered the effects of the Dark Lord. I want to. What I have been doing, helping you and the Order, it doesn’t feel enough anymore. That was . . . that was for Lily,” he said softly. “For my regrets. But now, I don’t know why, but I need to do more. I may not have an opportunity later.”I like that - repentance is a good thing - allowing forgiveness in one's self - even for a former murderer and God knows what else, is good.

*snip*Minerva stood as he came over to her. As he put an arm around her, his right arm, and bent to kiss her, Minerva said, “Don’t even think about trying to remove anything from that drawer, Albus. I can feel you are getting ready to cast a spell, and I don’t think it’s just your minty-kiss charm.”Albus pulled back slightly, his eyebrows raised. “Remove something from your drawer, my dear? I would not—”“Just kiss me, you silly wizard. You will know everything in good time—sooner, if you cooperate.”Minerva relaxed as he kissed her, the sensation of his lips on hers still bringing both emotional warmth and pleasurable physical thrills, even after so many years together. She leaned against him and rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart with her eyes closed, its familiar beat still strong and steady. “Thank you, Albus.”She felt him shrug, then he kissed the top of her head.“Go call for our breakfast while I finish here,” she said, pulling reluctantly out of his arms.“So that you can re-ward that drawer and then ward the door to the study,” Albus said quietly.“Yes. And I would ward them even if you knew all the contents of the drawer, and if you did know its contents, you would agree that it is wise to do so. Go get us our breakfast, Albus,” she directed gently.*snicker* When is he going to learn? She's a Scot! She's Minerva McGonagall... for Pete sake, just stop wasting her time and listen to her the first time - she WILL HAVE YOUR COOPERATION! Freaking awesome! *bows*

Okay - who is Gareth? Is that Gertrude's grandson?

*snip*The next morning, Minerva rose early, taking care not to wake Albus. She entered her study and took a large sheaf of parchments from a well-warded drawer. She sighed. She had never warded anything against Albus before, never seriously. Only birthday gifts and such—although one time, in a fit of pique, she had set booby-traps on his sweets drawer. But that had been very different. And they had been amusing booby-traps, even Albus had agreed on that.Minerva flipped through the first parchments, which all contained copies of Robert and Murdoch’s Potions notes. She was going to leave the Potions end of things completely in their hands, only directing the two in terms of what was needed and when. She knew that they planned on returning to Murdoch’s laboratory that morning to continue their practical work and experimentation. That would leave her and Melina to try to persuade Albus to cooperate.Minerva closed her eyes for a moment, focussing her mind. She could not afford the time to worry about Albus’s cooperation at that moment and she could not afford the energy to be upset with him. She redirected her attention to the parchments in front of her and began to scan the time-lines she had mapped out. There were several versions, each slightly different from the previous one. Some of them varied because she was not entirely sure of the best course of action at certain points, and so she had variations based on different choices; others varied based on alternative anticipated results. One couldn’t predict with absolute accuracy precisely what would happen at any particular point, and Minerva wanted to account for the different possible outcomes. It was quite obvious once she had begun her branching time-lines why Albus hadn’t simply intervened and stopped Draco early on. The consequences of that seemed among the worst of them—and not just for Severus, but for the Order and, by extension, for the wizarding world. It also was clearly unacceptable to allow Severus to die, however one approached it. Nonetheless, despite her well-ordered mind and her systematic creation of the time-lines, it was harder for her to keep track of the variables, their impacts, and the resulting options.That is bloody brilliant - I love how simple and analytical she's taking all this, like a series of algebraic equations, incorporating all her many resources and focusing her mind on her goal, not even allowing the possibility of failure becuase it won't be failure if she does everything she can - and she can have that pure focus because she found out SOON enough - we hope anyway - that Albus had a flawed plan and she knows that this is the ONLY way she can save him - so her resolve is pure - this is brilliant - and it shows Minerva doing what Albus has done for ever, and Rowling never showed Minerva doing... when we always know she did - because she was one of Albus' main advisors in canon... I just love this, did I mention that?

*snip*“You know about that, too, Albus—someone being the centre of your plans, and that person being wholly unaware of it. Or only dimly aware. And I am only being secretive; I am telling you no lies,” she said, naming what had angered and hurt her most. “You will know when it is time for you to know. I will tell you the truth. And you will do as I say.” Minerva stepped back out of his embrace, looking up at him seriously. “You will, Albus Dumbledore. It may be hard on you, but I assure you that it will be harder on me—and I am not simply speaking of what I will be asking of you, but what I will be demanding of myself. At the moment, I am asking very little of you. I will ask more, but I will proceed with or without your cooperation, and then . . . and then you will have to cooperate because you will have no other choice. I would rather you choose to cooperate now and do as I ask. I don’t want to force you, but I will.”Albus shook his head. “I don’t know what you are thinking of forcing me to do, Minerva. If Severus will not kill me, there are only two options left. Whichever one I choose, I will need to make plans for what will happen afterward. I have cooperated with you to this point because I know that I hurt you and you were—you are—upset, both with me and with the circumstances. But it is futile to fight the inevitable and it will only cause more pain for us both in the end,” Albus said, trying not to allow his irritation to enter his voice. “I love you, Minerva, I do. And if there were anything I could do to spare you pain, I would do it. I tried to do just that. It was, perhaps, poorly calculated, but that was my intent.”“Then you will cooperate with me,” Minerva said with a nod. “Good.”*cheers on Minerva* GO GO GOOOOOO GRYFFINDOR!

*snip*“You may be Headmaster and the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, but in this, Albus, my beloved, you will do as I say. My requests of you shall become your will and your deed. And then in the end, regardless of how any other part of my plan might work out, though I have confidence in it, in the end . . .” Minerva winced slightly and took a breath. “In the end, Albus, the prophecy will be realised.” She caressed his face gently, her eyes soft, and nodded. “The prophecy will be realised.” Kick his ARSE MINERVA! *cheers loudly* Shove that big bottle of self pity down his throat and make him see the bloody truth... thank God for Minerva!