A Wish for Peace

Minerva stomped across the grounds for a good long while, enjoying the way she could hit her feet on the hard ground and have it dent in submission. It wasn't until she found herself on the banks of the lake did she quit stomping and actually look around. It was early in Spring, and the ground was slowly thawing, the trees awaking from their long, cold slumber. There were piles of snow still on the ground, but patches of fresh green grass could be seen valiantly trying to grow through the still frozen ground. She turned her head and looked out on the lake. It was a vast, stretching body of steely gray water that was bound to be as cold as it looked. There were still chunks of ice floating in it, which the Giant Squid amused himself with by dragging them under and watching them bounce back up again. It was beautiful. A breeze blew and Minerva shivered, thinking longingly of her shawl which she had left in the study. She pulled out her wand and cast a simple warming charm on herself; it wasn't her favorite shawl but it would do.

She continued to walk along the shore of the lake, occasionally throwing in a stone and watching the ripples. It was quite peaceful to walk around the lake without having to fish anyone out of it. It turned out that she had thought too soon. No sooner did she think those very words, that she heard spluttering and splashing sounds coming from the opposite shore of the lake. She whipped around in alarm, desperately trying to determine the source of the sound. Dimly, she could see the dark outline of someone hanging upside down, apparently by a rope and being dunked into the water... There was another person hovering above them on a broomstick. Their voices wafted over to her from the other side of the lake. One of them sounded oddly familiar. Minerva groaned.

"Xiomara, what now?"

As fast as she could, Minerva ran around the lake until she was standing below the person on the broomstick, who just happened to be Xiomara Hooch. She was sitting astride a school broomstick, holding on by only her knees and gripping two ends of a rope firmly in her hands. She cackled evilly and Minerva looked down at what she was dunking. Hanging upside down by the rope, robes and hair soaking wet, was...

"Severus? Xiomara! What have you done?" Minerva asked exasperatedly. Xiomara looked down at Severus placidly.

"I'm giving him what he deserves," she said brightly.

Severus wriggled fiercely as he came up again, panting, and spit out a mouthful of water. His hair was flopping around, sopping wet; that part, Minerva couldn't be that annoyed about. His hair could do with a good washing. The blood was rushing to Severus's pasty face, turning it a rather fetching shade of pink. Hooch just sat on her broom calmly, hovering six or seven feet above the water, dangling her colleague from an airborne broomstick, and dunking him into a frigid lake repeatedly; she hummed a little tune as she did so. Minerva could only stand on the ground below and shake her head in astonishment, her mouth hanging agape quite uncharacteristically. She snapped to her senses and back into teacher mode; as much as she enjoyed seeing a sarcastic, sneering Slytherin being hung upside down over a partially thawed body of water, she had to stop it. Duty before pleasure, and all that.

"Hooch, you get down here this minute," she growled.

Surprisingly, Xiomara agreed quite without complaint, letting go of the ropes and zooming down to the ground again. Inevitably, due to those pesky laws of gravity, Severus dropped into the lake with a satisfying splash. Xiomara dropped her broom and smiled amiably, dusting her hands off on her robes.

"Well, now that that's in order, I'll just be going," she said, turning around and preparing to make a run for it; Minerva grabbed her robes and pulled her back. Splashing sounds indicated that Severus had risen to the surface and was gasping for air like a fish out of water.

"Oh no you don't," she growled. "What did he do to you to deserve that?" Xiomara feigned thoughtfulness.

"Oh, you mean besides the fact that he exists?" Seeing the look on Minerva's face, Xiomara winced a little and stepped back.

"Okay, okay. He... made a move on me when we were in the dungeons. I had my back turned and just after he drank the potion I turned back. I was getting all his voodoo thingies back in order and he... oh Lord, he put his hand on my... backside." Minerva had known her friend for a long time, and had never quite seen her this angry or this heartily embarrassed before. Her face was turning a deep shade of magenta and her hands were clenched into fists.

"So? Maybe it was an accident. Really, 'Mara, you can't be making accusations like this all over the place." Xiomara angrily cut her off.

"Oh, sure. So when I turned around he tripped and my breasts broke his fall?" She scowled deeply. "I had to take three showers after that. Plus, he started telling me all this stuff about how great I looked -by that time I was completely revolted- and he kissed me! He's a terrible kisser, also, by the way." She crossed her arms and looked moodily off into space. "Great slimy git," she added under her breath.

Minerva could now see why Xiomara had dunked Severus in the lake; if he'd done that to her, she wouldn't have been half as kind. Minerva shrugged and looked out on the lake, where Severus was struggling to remove the bindings on his wrists and ankles. So, this meant that they didn't fancy each other; well, at least Xiomara didn't. Oh well, Minerva thought. Time to get a new hobby.

"Do you think we should help him out?" she asked uncertainly. It was, after all, getting rather cold out, and Minerva's warming charm was beginning to wear off.

"Let's leave him there," Xiomara said sharply. "I mean, Old Squiddy will 'help him' soon enough," she added.

Minerva, who was quickly tiring of being the responsible one, rolled her eyes and stalked off. Between transfigured students, drunken Divination professors, hexed Divination professors, charmed underwear, drowning Potions Masters and Xiomara Hooch's general mayhem, Minerva was run ragged. It seemed as though the school knew that she was playing headmistress for a day, and they tried to make as much chaos for her as possible. She vowed never to scoff at Albus's duties-however jokingly- ever again. She stomped across the frozen grounds, all the beauty of the landscape gone. The wind blew through her hair and through the fairly thin fabric of her robes.

"The only way I'll get any peace is if I go to live in the Forbidden Forest!" she muttered. But she stopped suddenly.

Hmm, it wasn't such a terrible idea. She could get the students to think that she had to take a short leave of absence, and meanwhile take a nice long break somewhere where no one could bother her... it was foolproof. Normally, leaving her students and her school was something she was not likely to do, but she was undoubtedly in dire need of a break; she deserved it. Besides, Severus was always going on about how much he wanted to be Headmaster, and how well he would do; he could take over her job for a while. That is, if he'd managed to get out of the lake yet.

She began to run towards the castle, an idea forming in her head. She rushed through the newly repaired front doors and up the marble staircase. She suddenly stopped, catching a glimpse of herself in a suit of armor. The bottom hem of her robes was wet, and her shoes muddy from the mucky Spring ground outside. Her hair, which she just realized was still down, was windblown, her glasses were falling askew, and her cheeks were rosy from the chilly wind. She realized that much of the student body would be quite shocked to receive information from their Deputy Head when she was looking like this. She looked quite like a student herself, just getting in from a long hard Quidditch practice.

She drew out her wand and made a few adjustments. Finally, with her shoes clean, her robes dry, and every hair in place, she settled her glasses on her nose and made her way to the Great Hall, where dinner was being served yet again, due to many interruptions.

She walked through the door purposefully, determined to do what she had hatched in her mind. Perhaps she had cracked, or maybe she was perfectly in her mind and just wanted some peace, but whatever the reason, she found herself at the front of the Great Hall, looking sternly out at her less than interested students; quite frankly, nothing would surprise them anymore.

"Attention please! Excuse the interruption, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I will be taking a short leave of absence. During this time, Professor Severus Snape will be taking over my duties as acting Headmistress," Minerva paused, turning to nod curtly at the still slightly damp and scowling Professor Snape. "That is all. Please continue with your meal."

She nodded to the members of the staff as she passed them, who met her gaze quizzically. All, that is, except for Xiomara Hooch, who was busy glaring down the table at Snape. Minerva kept walking and passed the Gryffindor table on her way out, hearing many whispered conversations regarding her sudden departure.

"I bet she's going to visit Dumbledore, wherever he is," said an eager looking second year.

"Those two are practically joined at the hip!"

"Naw, she's probably just going to visit family." As she continued walking, she stopped behind her three favorite students, who were huddled together, speaking in urgent whispers.

"D'you think she's going to Grimmuald place?" Weasley asked anxiously.

"I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the Order," Harry replied, shrugging.

"Harry! Ron!" Hermione Granger cut in sternly. "It doesn't matter where she's going, but you know you shouldn't talk about the Order where anyone can hear you! Honestly." Minerva smiled slightly. Ms Granger reminded her forcibly of herself at her age.

"There's one thing I do know, though," Ron continued in a whisper. Minerva found herself leaning forward interestedly. Could they know something about Albus? "This school will be going to the dogs with Snape as Headmaster." The three shared a solemn nod and Minerva decided that she didn't want to hear anymore; it made her feel too guilty.

Instead, she picked up her feet and trudged -with a slightly heavy heart- back up to hers and Albus' room to pack. She still hadn't decided upon her destination, but thought that it should be somewhere close to Hogwarts -maybe Hogsmeade- just incase. With the comfort of knowing she'd at least be close at hand, should problems arise, (while getting a much deserved break) she picked up her pace a little and continued. But, at Hogwarts, one cannot walk at that pace, with their head held high and not slam into someone, which, inevitably, she did. The person she had run into, however, did not look upset to have run into her.

"Ah, fair lady. We meet again! How lovely bumping into you." A hand reached out to pull Minerva to her feet. She looked up warily, dreading to believe it, and met face to face with a wide, bright smile and wavy golden hair. Oh no.

"G-Gilderoy! It's... er... nice to see you again too, but I'm quite busy at the moment, so if you don't mind..." Minerva got to her feet herself and tried to leave the hallway, but found Lockheart blocking her way.

"Ah, here we are again, you trying to escape!" Minerva angrily stepped to the other side. He followed and blocked her way once again.

"No, really, Gilderoy, I'm quite busy, if you please..."

"No, no, Minerva. I want to speak with you again, so just listen to me. Thank you." Minerva crossed her arms and glared at the stubborn man in front of her.

"Alright, alright. Get on with it then. I haven't much time."

"As you wish." He flashed her a charming smile and bowed jauntily. Minerva rolled her eyes.

"My dear, the reason you will not court me is not, in fact, because you are 'married,'" He said this as if it were a ridiculous concept. "But because you, my darling Minerva, are afraid of me. You're afraid of my wit, charm, and grace, because I'm too overwhelming! I know what you're thinking!" he said quickly, as Minerva leaned back a little in surprise and raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"'It's easy for him to say! He's internationally famous! He doesn't know how inferior I feel!' But my darling, I will always have time for the little people." Minerva took in a deep breath and seemed to swell with an inexpressible anger. Suddenly, her face a deep magenta, she burst out shouting, losing her temper completely.

"Gilderoy Lockheart! You arrogant, selfish, vain, conceited jerk! I am deeply in love with my husband and not with you! I hate you! So take your overly inflated ego and go charm someone else, you-you... womanizer!" With that, Minerva forcefully pushed past him and rushed into the corridor ahead. Lockheart looked dumbfounded, but recovered quickly.

"Don't worry Minerva! You're just insecure! You'll come back to me, once you realize what a catch I am!" Minerva stopped her tracks, one eye twitched, and her lips pressed together to form one severe, white line.

"Don't you ever call me insecure, Lockheart! And by the way," she added smirking, "your pants are too tight."

That said, she stomped down the hall angrily, so caught up in her anger at Gilderoy, that she was surprised to find herself standing in front of the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Albus' office. She said the password absently and marched up the moving staircase and entered the office, ready to go and pack. However, she found someone already sitting there.