Jolly Holiday

Chapter Three: Jolly Holiday

Albus, Minerva, and Fawkes opened their eyes.

"Minerva, you look beautiful!" Albus exclaimed.

Minerva's emerald green robes had changed into a lovely tea-length white dress with a red bodice. Her plain black boots were changed into ankle-length white calfskin boots, and she was wearing a white hat and carrying a frilly white parasol.

"Do you really think so?" she asked, spinning around so he could see the entire outfit.

Albus nodded, and Fawkes chimed in, "Cross my heart you do. Like the day I met you." Minerva smiled and blushed before turning to Albus and taking his proffered arm.

"You look fine, too, Albus," she told him, smiling up at him. His robes had changed into a pair of white trousers, a white shirt, and a red-and-white striped jacket. He was wearing white shoes as well, though a purple bowtie, purple socks, and a purple handkerchief offset the white.

They began wandering down the road, and Albus began to sing.

"Ain't it a glorious day?

Right as a morning in May

I feel like I could fly!" Albus placed his hands on a fencepost and spun around, levitating himself in the air. Minerva giggled.

"Now, Albus, none of your larking about!"

He grinned at her, then continued singing.

"Have you ever seen,

The grass so green?

Or a bluer sky?"

Fawkes chimed in, too. "Oh, it's a jolly holiday with Minnie,

Minnie makes your heart so light!"

"You haven't changed a bit, have you, Fawkes?" Minerva asked, smiling.

Albus and Fawkes continued. "When the day is gray and ordinary,

Minnie makes the sun shine bright!"

"Oh, honestly!" she interjected.

"Oh, happiness is blooming all around her,

The daffodils are smiling at the dove!

When Minnie holds your hand, you feel so grand,

Your heart starts beating like a big brass band!"

"You are light-headed!" she said in mock disapproval.

"Oh, it's a jolly holiday with Minnie,

No wonder that it's Minnie that I love!" Albus sang.

Fawkes rejoined Albus in singing as they passed under a grove of trees.

"Oh, it's a jolly holiday with Minnie,

Minnie makes your heart so light!

When the day is gray and ordinary,

Minnie makes the sun shine bright!

Oh, happiness is blooming all around her,

The daffodils are smiling at the dove!

When Minnie holds your hand, you feel so grand,

Your heart starts beating like a big brass band!"

They reached a stream and Minerva and Albus grabbed onto Fawkes's tail, and he flew them across.

"It's a jolly holiday with Minnie,

No wonder that it's Minnie that I love!" Albus finished as they reached the other side of the stream.

"Thank you," Minerva told Fawkes graciously, inclining her head.

"My pleasure, Minerva," he responded.

Looking at Albus, Minerva then broke out into song.

"Oh, it's a jolly holiday with you, Al,

Gentlemen like you are few,"

"A vanishing breed, that's me," Albus interjected.

"Though you're just a diamond in the rough, Al,

Underneath your blood is blue!"

"Common knowledge," Albus added.

"You'd never think of pressing your advantage,

Forbearance is the hallmark of your creed," Minerva sang.

"True!" agreed Albus.

"A lady needn't fear

When you are near,

Your sweet gentility is crystal clear,

Oh, it's a jolly holiday with you, Al,

A jolly, jolly holiday with you!" she finished. They had arrived at a small café, and Albus pulled out a chair for her. She sat down gracefully, and he pulled out his own chair before looking around.

"Waiter! Waiter!" he cried. A penguin rushed up to their table and handed them each a menu.

"Now then, what would be nice?" Minerva pondered.

"We'll start with some lemony ice,

And then some cakes and tea," she sang.

"Order what you will,

There'll be no bill

It's complimentary!" the waiter told her.

"You're very kind," Minerva said to the penguin. He blushed.

"Anything for you, Minerva. You are our favourite person!"

"Right you are!" chimed Fawkes, and he and the penguin sang,

"It's true that Molly and Sybill have ways that are winning

And Poppy and Pomona set your heart spinning

Serena's delightful, Rita's disarming

Alecto, Rosemerta, Bellatrix – charming

Hestia's dashing, Emmeline's sweet

Nymphadora is smashing, Bathsheba a treat

Arabella, Millicent, Alice, Marlene

Convivial company, time and again

Dorcas and Irma and Dilys are sorts

I'll agree are three jolly good sports

But cream of the crop, tip of the top

It's Minnie McGonagall, and there we stop!"

Then Albus joined in, "When Minnie holds your hand,

You feel so grand,

Your heart starts beating like a big brass band.

It's a jolly holiday with Minnie,

No wonder that it's Minnie that we love!

No wonder that it's Minnie that we love!

No wonder that it's Minnie that we love!"

As they finished the song, music began playing nearby. Minerva, Albus, and Fawkes went over to investigate.

"Our own private merry-go-round!" Albus exclaimed. They each chose a horse, and Fawkes settled down as though he would drift off to sleep.

"Very nice. Very nice, indeed, if you don't want to go anywhere," he mumbled, tucking his head under his wing.

Minerva smiled, looking as though she had something up her sleeve. "Who says we're not going anywhere? Oh, guard!" she called out, and a window leading to the centre of the merry-go-round opened.

"Right-o, Minerva," the guard winked and pulled a lever, causing the horses to detach themselves from the merry-go-round and move along the road.

"Thank you!" she called, waving back at him from over her shoulder. He smiled and pulled out a bullhorn, beginning to comment on the race.

"They're off! It's Minerva McGonagall leading by two lengths. Fawkes is second by a length, Albus third."

Albus urged his horse onwards, soon outstripping Fawkes and gaining on Minerva. As he passed her, she grabbed hold of his reins and scolded him. "Really, Albus. You're as bad as a child!"

"Sorry. Just a bit of high spirits, Minerva," he replied sheepishly.

"Well, please control yourself. We are not on a racecourse," she replied sternly as they rode into a hunting party. Minerva's horse gingerly picked its way between the hunters. "Good morning," she said to them.

"Oh, yes, quite," an absent-minded hunter said before realising that she wasn't on the hunting expedition. "What – I say. Have you ever?" he asked his horse.

"Neeeh-ver!" it neighed in response. The hunter suddenly sat up straight and pulled out his field glasses.

"View halloo!" he called. The horse squinted in the direction of the fox.

"Oh, yes, definitely. A view halloo," the horse nodded sagely.

The fox, sitting on the hill, perked its ears up at the hunter's cry. "View halloo?" it asked, confused. The sound of the hunter's horn informed the fox of the meaning of "view halloo."

"Faith and begorra! 'Tis them redcoats again!" it cried before running as fast as it could away from the hunting party. The hounds were on its tail, braying "view halloo!" As Albus, Minerva, and Fawkes passed him, Albus scooped him up.

"Poor little bloke, let's give him a hand," he said to Minerva. She nodded encouragingly.

"Saints preserve us! Yikes!" the fox cried as Albus Summoned it. When the fox settled himself in Albus's lap, he looked around.

"Would you look at that now? 'Tis an elegant merry-go-round horse. Come on and fight, you dirty omadhauns!" the fox cried, shaking his paw at the braying hounds. "I can lick the lot of you." The fox turned back towards the horse and patted it encouragingly on the neck. "Faster, me beauty! Faster!"

They had leapt a fence and entered a racetrack, leaving the hounds behind them. A race was in progress, but Minerva paid them no mind. As her merry-go-round horse approached the two horses in the lead, she called out to them.

"Oh, riders, would you be so kind as to let me pass?"

They tipped their hats and responded, "Certainly, ma'am."

"Thank you!" she called as she passed them.

"Not at all, ma'am," the riders responded.

As Minerva crossed the finish line, a spectator pressed down on his stopwatch.

"Excellent time, gentlemen," he told his companions.

"Oh, yes, quite – perfect day for it, of course," one of his companions responded.

At the finish line, Minerva was given a large bouquet of flowers, and her merry-go-round horse was draped in a blanket of blossoms.

"Oh. Oh, how nice," she said gratefully. The crowd cheered as she waved to them.

A gaggle of reporters and photographers approached her.

"Hold still now," the photographer told her. "Watch for the dickie bird."

A large flash and a popping sound signalled the successful shot.

"Uh, how does it feel, Minerva, winning the race?" a reporter asked her.

"Oh, well I –" she was cut off by another reporter.

"...gaining fame and fortune."

"Uh, yes," Minerva responded.

A third reporter jumped in. "Having your picture taken for the newspaper."

"Uh, oh, actually, I'm delighted," she replied.

"Besides having your extreme good looks, if I may say so," a fourth reporter added.

"Oh, well," Minerva began modestly, "I wouldn't go –"

The third reporter interrupted her again. "There probably aren't words to describe your emotions," he said.

She held up a hand to cut them off. "Now, now, now, now, gentlemen, please. On the contrary, there's a very good word. Am I right, Fawkes?" she asked the phoenix.

"Tell 'em what it is!" Fawkes exclaimed, ruffling his feathers in excitement.

"Right! It's...

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious

If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious,

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"

A musical group that had been lurking in the back of the crowd joined in.

"Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay,"

Fawkes took up the song.

"Because he was afraid to speak when he was just a lad,

His father gave his nose a tweak and told him he was bad

But then today he learned a word to save his crooked nose,"

Minerva joined Fawkes in singing.

"The biggest word you ever heard, and this is how it goes,

Oh, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious

If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious,

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay,"

The musical group took up the chorus.

"Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay,"

And then Minerva took over.

"He's travelled all around the world and everywhere he went,

He should've used this word and all would've said, 'there goes a clever gent,'"

Fawkes jumped in.

"When dukes and maharajahs passed the time of day with thee,

You should've said this word and then they'd ask you out to tea!"

Minerva and Fawkes sang the chorus.

"Ooh, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious

If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious,

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay."

Minerva said thoughtfully over the music, "You know, you can say it backwards, which is Dociousaliexpiisticfragilcalirupus, but that's going a bit too far, don't you think?"

"Indubitably," Fawkes replied.

Minerva picked up the tune again.

"So, when this tabby's got your tongue, there's no need to dismay,

Just summon up this word and then you've got a lot to say.

But better use it carefully, or it could change your life..."

The drummer of the musical group interrupted.

"For example..."

"Yes?" Minerva replied.

"One night I said it to me girl, and now me girl's me wife." His wife hit him on the head with her tambourine. "Ow! And a lovely thing she is too," he said, and his wife batted her eyes at him.

She's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious

If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious,

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"

Suddenly an owl flew into the picture with a letter for Albus tied on its leg.

"All right, time to go, I suppose," Albus said sadly.

"Unfortunately, yes," Minerva replied. "Stay close now..." They popped back out of the picture, and Albus went off to respond to the owl.