Smiled.
Smiled.
Cruel hexes and vicious curses were buzzing across the battlefield.
The two women were fighting back to back.
Protecting each other.
Trying to survive.
Knock.
“Come in”
“Hello, Poppy”
“Minerva, it’s good to see you! Tea?”
“Yes, please. I hope I am not bothering you”
“Not at all. You are always most welcome”
One blocked, the other attacked. A perfect team.
Their powerful shields were constantly renewed and reinforced.
“You should smile more often. It makes you years younger”
“Are you implying that I look old?”
“You are old, my dear.”
“You are barely more than a year younger than me”
“Yes, I was just about not old enough to be in your class”
“We would have hated each other, Ravenclaw!”
“I know, my dear lioness”
A curse broke through the shield and hit the older witch, causing a long and heavily bleeding cut in her arm.
Within seconds the other one had spun around and healed the wound with one whip of her wand before returning to her duel with two cloaked wizards.
“What are these?”
“It’s Valentine’s Day”
“So what?”
“I wanted you to get a present”
“I already got sherbet lemon drops from Albus”
“He gives them to every member of the staff, even to Severus. These are only for you”
“Chocolates?”
“Yes”
“Pink chocolates?”
“Obviously”
“Where did you buy them?”
“I made them myself. You know, as a nurse I have to be good at brewing”
“Is there anything in them?”
“Yes. Liquid chocolate. And a little rum”
“No potions?”
“What do you think of me?”
“I doubt you want to hear the answer”
Men and women in colourful robes were struggling to survive, being overrun by hordes of wizards and witches wearing black cloaks and silver masks.
“Do you like cats?”
“What?”
“You basically are a cat”
“I am an Animagus”
“Where’s the difference?”
“I am – to use your words – basically human”
“You are small and furry and purring. That’s not human”
“My mind is still a human’s”
“What about the instincts?”
Nasty look
“I can suppress them”
“But they are still there”
“Your point being?”
“What happens when you meet a tomcat?”
Furious look
“Okay, I’m going to beat retreat now. See you”
A green course was flying towards the slightly smaller witch.
The taller, older woman turned a stone into a dog that protected the other one and fell to the bloodstained ground, having been alive for only seconds.
“Who is he?”
“Huh?”
“Who is the guy?”
“Which guy?”
“The one who makes you stare at the wall instead of trying to put sugar in my tea, like you usually do”
“Oh, I almost forgot… I got a new sort of magical sugar, imported from Chile. You have to try it”
“I don’t eat sugar”
“Put it in your tea”
Frown
“Will you ever stop trying to make me sweeten my tea?”
“No”
“You know that I prefer it black”
“You know that I prefer it with milk and sugar”
“You drink sugar with milk and tea”
“It’s the only way one can drink this brewage“
“This is fine, expensive Darjeeling!”
“Exactly my words”
Grumble
“Good distraction“
“What?”
“I still want to know who he is”
“I still don’t know whom you are talking about”
“You were completely lost in thoughts”
“Yes, that happens sometimes. I still remember that Christmas dinner thirty years ago, when you were so busy calculating some arithmantic formulas for that transfiguration theory that you spilled your-”
“YES, sometimes. But it recently happened quite often”
“Well, there obviously is something occupying my thoughts”
“Or someone”
“Maybe”
“Who is it?”
“Ask”
Hiss
Dodging. Blocking. Attacking.
“I can’t think of anyone else”
“Well, obviously you didn’t consider everyone”
“I doubt that he is younger than fifty. Or mayb-”
Silence
“Maybe what?”
“Maybe it is someone who would not be appreciated by the society?”
“Maybe”
“Does he know?”
“I doubt that she would be happy to find out”
Sad smile
“She?”
“Apparently”
“Stop speaking in riddles”
“Stop asking so many questions”
Sigh
“Do I know her?”
“Probably”
“Could you stop giving so vague answers?”
“Hardly”
“Argh!”
“Calm down, think about your blood pressure”
“You drive me crazy!”
“That’s what I’m good at”
Silence
“Will you tell me?”
“Probably not”
“I am your best friend”
Piercing look
“I told you I doubt she wouldn’t want to find out”
Scraping chair legs
“Don’t leave”
Closing eyes
“Why should I stay?”
“I wanted to find out”
Surprise
“You did?”
“I am supposed to be the Gryffindor, and yet you are so much more courageous than me”
“What do you mean?”
“I would never have dared to tell you”
“Are you saying that…”
“… my thoughts were occupied with you, too? Yes”
Drawing breath
“What are we going to do?”
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know… be with you.”
“Like a friend? Or more?”
“Spend time with you. One way or the other. Whatever you prefer”
“Sounds great”
Smile
They saw a tiny wizard being hit by a purple curse that cut his head off.
They watched two identical redheads die of a cutting curse that went through both of their hearts.
They noticed that the tall, white haired headmaster was nowhere to be seen.
“Why are you locking the door?”
“I want to talk to you in private”
“This is my office. It is private”
“Albus or Severus might come by and be eavesdropping”
“You show serious signs of paranoia… Want me to check you through?”
“No, thanks!”
“Well… What is it that you want to talk about?”
“The war”
“We talk about the war all the time”
“The last battle. It will be soon”
“Why did you lock the door and cast privacy spells?”
“I wanted to ask you something”
“What?”
Silence
“What are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you going to fight?”
“Of course I am”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
“You are not a fighter”
“But you are”
“So what?”
“I am not going to let you run onto that battlefield alone”
“You might die”
“So might you”
Silence
“We would be together”
Smiles
They were surrounded by the enemy.
Poppy smiled.
Minerva smiled.
Then two flashes of green.
