Fic : The Good Wife (HP)
Still working on trash week. Trying to get even 5 minutes alone with a computer seems to be a rare occurrence around here. Apologies for not yet replying to any comments left on the other trash posted. That is one of today's goals.
Title : The Good Wife
Fandom : HP
Author : mascaret
A/N Thank you Maria for taking the time to beta this. Any remaining mistakes are entirely my doing.
In the trash first and foremost because years ago I wrote an ending to this story that I was completely and totally in love with. Despite taking apart all of my old writing journals with an exacto knife and organizing the pages into 2 sets of file folders I can't find the ending anywhere! grr!
Chapter 2 was posted several months ago by itself. It probaly worked better as a cold opening anyway.
The Good WIfe
Chapter 1
Looking up from his desk, Albus started to smile as he saw who it was entering the room.
“Do you have your list yet? I left mine in here earlier - you did find it, didn’t you?”
At her words, his smile faded.
Continuing on, she didn't seem to notice. “We really can't put the invitations off any longer. I know you said that you've been telling everyone the date as you've seen them, but we're really cutting it close on sending out the formal invitations. I spoke to the minister in Hogsmeade. He needs to meet with us both to work out the details, but he has agreed to hold the date for us. So with the location settled there's no longer any excuse for not having the invitations out.”
“About the location …” Albus hesitated. “I’m not entirely sure that church will be large enough to hold everyone.” In fact, he was entirely certain that it would not.
Minerva frowned. “I thought we agreed that we were only going to invite our nearest and dearest?”
“Yes … we did … I did …it’s just …” Albus took a scroll out of one of the many drawers to his desk.
Momentarily reserving judgment, Minerva held out her hand. Unfurling the scroll, she asked. “Albus, who are all these people?”
Unfurling the scroll all the way, she cried. “There must be five hundred names here!”
“Six hundred and twenty-three.” Albus corrected her with an apologetic smile.
“Six hundred and twenty-three? Six hundred and twenty-three!” She was practically shrieking. “How can you even know that many people? What did you do - invite every student you ever taught?!”
Albus winced as catching the expression of guilt that crossed his face, she did shriek. “You invited every student you ever taught!”
“Not every - well actually ...” Albus acknowledged. ”... yes every.”
“Oh Merlin tell me you didn't! Who else?”
“Then there is the Wizengamot. My fellow Mugwumps -”
She didn't let him finish. “-You invited the entire Wizengamot?!”
“Past and present.” Albus admitted a bit shamefully. “I could hardly be expected to pick and chose.”
“Yes, Albus, you could. You really, really could.”
“I'm sure they won't all show up.”
She glared at him a moment before turning back to the scroll. “Albus, I've never heard you mention any of these people. Who is Winston Brimley?”
“Ah! Good old Winston! I met him years ago while researching the uses of dragon's blood. He was researching the uses of dragon's horn.”
“Albus, that was sixty years ago. Have you seen him since?”
“Ah … no.” Albus admitted.
“Haxhi Lleshi? Vlem Mehme?”
“That would be the President of Albania and their Minister of Magic.”
“The President of Albania and their Minster of Magic?”
“In talking with Millicent, I realized it might be seen as something of a slight by some of our foreign neighbors if we didn’t at least extend an invitation.”
“It couldn’t be seen as a slight if you don’t invite any of them!”
“I'm absolutely positive that they won't show, but you wouldn’t want our marriage to cause an international incident, now would you?”
“Six hundred and twenty-three?! Six hundred and twenty-three! And where exactly pray tell do you plan to fit six hundred and twenty-three people?”
Perhaps, Albus realized, he should have broken the news to Minerva in stages. “Actually my dear, the total number could rise as high as twelve hundred forty-six - once you allow for the ‘and guest’.”
“And guest?” Minerva repeated faintly as she slipped into a chair.
“After all, it would be the height of rudeness not to allow people to bring a guest. What if they don’t know anyone else there? It’s always so awkward going some place where you don’t know anyone.”
“ Albus, the Wizarding World isn’t that big. Who …” Minerva pleaded “…who wouldn’t be able to find at a minimum one other person they knew in a swarm of six hundred? Nearest and dearest, Albus! You agreed!”
“You're right. I did agree.” Albus apologized. “It’s just that as word got out everywhere I went people kept coming up to congratulate me about the wedding. They all just seemed to assume they would be invited and … I didn’t bother to correct them.”
“Albus!” Minerva demanded. “This is our wedding. It is supposed to be a small, intimate affair. You aren’t supposed to be inviting everyone you have ever met.”
“Ah but my dear, why wouldn’t I want to invite everyone I’ve ever met? I’m marrying you.”
Sighing, Minerva weakened.
“I will take care of all the arrangements.” He assured her. “You won’t have to do a thing.”
At that, Minerva raised an eyebrow. “Albus, there are less than two weeks to go. Unless you are planning to change the date as well as the location -“
Albus shook his head adamantly. “There will be no postponement. No delays. We are getting married ten days from today!”
Her eyebrow went higher. “You are going to handle the invitations, the flowers, music, and the catering all by yourself?”
“Indeed.” Albus nodded.
“The seating chart?” Minerva sounded skeptical.
“You won’t have to raise your wand once!” Albus assured her.
“Albus, you do realize that for a wedding of the size you are talking about invitations should have gone out weeks, if not months, ago.”
“Yes, well, no time like the present.” With a wave of his wand, Albus had before him a stack of parchment suitable for invitation making and every owl from the owlry.
At that Minerva couldn’t help but laugh.
Hoping to take advantage of her good humor, Albus changed the subject to her guest list. “I went through your list. It looked fine … for the most part.”
Her good humor immediately evaporated.
“There was just one problem.” Albus continued.
“Albus, it was my list of guests to invite to the wedding. The list consisted of the Hogwarts staff and a few cousins. What possible problem could there be with it?”
He handed her back the list he had found on his desk, but with one name most emphatically crossed off.
“Albus, of all the childish things.”
“I just don’t think it appropriate that he be there as a witness to our marriage.”
“Since when have you cared about what’s appropriate?”
“It’s bad enough I have to look at him every day at the staff table.”
“Now really!” Minerva scolded him.
“I would simply prefer not to have him there. Haven’t we said that this day is for only our nearest and dearest? I would certainly hope that he is not included in your nearest or dearest and he certainly isn’t in mine.”
Despite her cross look, he pressed on. “This is our wedding day. While certainly at our ages I wouldn't expect either of us to be unknowledgeable of such things, I don't think it to be too much to ask that I be the only man in attendance at our wedding with whom you have had relations of the intimate variety.”
Albus really thought that Minerva would argue the matter. Certainly her look was disdainful, but surprisingly, she didn’t. A curt “Fine” was all she said on the matter.
Taking back up the scroll she had recently discarded in disgust, she also reached for a quill.
“What are you doing?” Albus asked watching her quill move back and forth across the parchment innumerable times.
“Crossing off the name of every man on this list with which I have had relations of the intimate variety.”
Getting up to read over her shoulder as the quill went back and forth and back again, he pointed out. “Quinn Murphy is a woman.”
Minerva responded tartly. “What makes you think I didn't know that?”
Albus did a double take before making her an offer. “Perhaps we can come to some sort of a compromise where we both eliminate people from our guest lists? If you will agree to not include one certain individual, I will cut my list down to forty people.”
Crossing her arms, Minerva inquired. “What happened to 'Why wouldn't I want to invite everyone I ever knew? After all I'm marrying you.'”
Without waiting for a response, she continued. “Albus, you don't think it would look the least bit odd to invite the entire staff except for Mayfair?”
“No. Not at all. So do we have an agreement?”
“No and stop being so childish. Are you really that insecure?”
“Maybe I wouldn't be so insecure if when Professor Mayfair and I both invited you to the Ministry Ball you hadn't turned down my invitation to accept his. Or if you had been the one to end things with him instead of the other way around. You only agreed to be courted by me after he ended things.”
“Albus, I think we can both agree it's time to let that one go. After all, I'm marrying you. Not him.”
“Only because he didn't ask.” Albus mumbled - though by her glare not quietly enough.
Dedalus Diggle’s head appearing in the fire spared Albus from any further response.
After a smile and a nod in Minerva’s direction, Diggle addressed Albus. “There you are. Did you forget about the meeting? We've been waiting for you to start.”
Minerva rolled her eyes.
“Dedalus, you’ll have to carry on without me. I have some urgent matters to attend to here.”
“We can't have our meeting of the Mugwumps without our Chief Mugwump!” Diggle protested.
Minerva waved her hand. “Just go.”
“That's the ticket!” Dedalus opined.
“No,” Albus shook his head. “I told you that I would take care of the invitations myself and I intend to keep my word.”
“You always intend to keep your word, Albus. Now be gone with you before I change my mind.”
“Well … if you insist.”
tbc
Title : The Good Wife
Fandom : HP
Author : mascaret
A/N Thank you Maria for taking the time to beta this. Any remaining mistakes are entirely my doing.
In the trash first and foremost because years ago I wrote an ending to this story that I was completely and totally in love with. Despite taking apart all of my old writing journals with an exacto knife and organizing the pages into 2 sets of file folders I can't find the ending anywhere! grr!
Chapter 2 was posted several months ago by itself. It probaly worked better as a cold opening anyway.
The Good WIfe
Chapter 1
Looking up from his desk, Albus started to smile as he saw who it was entering the room.
“Do you have your list yet? I left mine in here earlier - you did find it, didn’t you?”
At her words, his smile faded.
Continuing on, she didn't seem to notice. “We really can't put the invitations off any longer. I know you said that you've been telling everyone the date as you've seen them, but we're really cutting it close on sending out the formal invitations. I spoke to the minister in Hogsmeade. He needs to meet with us both to work out the details, but he has agreed to hold the date for us. So with the location settled there's no longer any excuse for not having the invitations out.”
“About the location …” Albus hesitated. “I’m not entirely sure that church will be large enough to hold everyone.” In fact, he was entirely certain that it would not.
Minerva frowned. “I thought we agreed that we were only going to invite our nearest and dearest?”
“Yes … we did … I did …it’s just …” Albus took a scroll out of one of the many drawers to his desk.
Momentarily reserving judgment, Minerva held out her hand. Unfurling the scroll, she asked. “Albus, who are all these people?”
Unfurling the scroll all the way, she cried. “There must be five hundred names here!”
“Six hundred and twenty-three.” Albus corrected her with an apologetic smile.
“Six hundred and twenty-three? Six hundred and twenty-three!” She was practically shrieking. “How can you even know that many people? What did you do - invite every student you ever taught?!”
Albus winced as catching the expression of guilt that crossed his face, she did shriek. “You invited every student you ever taught!”
“Not every - well actually ...” Albus acknowledged. ”... yes every.”
“Oh Merlin tell me you didn't! Who else?”
“Then there is the Wizengamot. My fellow Mugwumps -”
She didn't let him finish. “-You invited the entire Wizengamot?!”
“Past and present.” Albus admitted a bit shamefully. “I could hardly be expected to pick and chose.”
“Yes, Albus, you could. You really, really could.”
“I'm sure they won't all show up.”
She glared at him a moment before turning back to the scroll. “Albus, I've never heard you mention any of these people. Who is Winston Brimley?”
“Ah! Good old Winston! I met him years ago while researching the uses of dragon's blood. He was researching the uses of dragon's horn.”
“Albus, that was sixty years ago. Have you seen him since?”
“Ah … no.” Albus admitted.
“Haxhi Lleshi? Vlem Mehme?”
“That would be the President of Albania and their Minister of Magic.”
“The President of Albania and their Minster of Magic?”
“In talking with Millicent, I realized it might be seen as something of a slight by some of our foreign neighbors if we didn’t at least extend an invitation.”
“It couldn’t be seen as a slight if you don’t invite any of them!”
“I'm absolutely positive that they won't show, but you wouldn’t want our marriage to cause an international incident, now would you?”
“Six hundred and twenty-three?! Six hundred and twenty-three! And where exactly pray tell do you plan to fit six hundred and twenty-three people?”
Perhaps, Albus realized, he should have broken the news to Minerva in stages. “Actually my dear, the total number could rise as high as twelve hundred forty-six - once you allow for the ‘and guest’.”
“And guest?” Minerva repeated faintly as she slipped into a chair.
“After all, it would be the height of rudeness not to allow people to bring a guest. What if they don’t know anyone else there? It’s always so awkward going some place where you don’t know anyone.”
“ Albus, the Wizarding World isn’t that big. Who …” Minerva pleaded “…who wouldn’t be able to find at a minimum one other person they knew in a swarm of six hundred? Nearest and dearest, Albus! You agreed!”
“You're right. I did agree.” Albus apologized. “It’s just that as word got out everywhere I went people kept coming up to congratulate me about the wedding. They all just seemed to assume they would be invited and … I didn’t bother to correct them.”
“Albus!” Minerva demanded. “This is our wedding. It is supposed to be a small, intimate affair. You aren’t supposed to be inviting everyone you have ever met.”
“Ah but my dear, why wouldn’t I want to invite everyone I’ve ever met? I’m marrying you.”
Sighing, Minerva weakened.
“I will take care of all the arrangements.” He assured her. “You won’t have to do a thing.”
At that, Minerva raised an eyebrow. “Albus, there are less than two weeks to go. Unless you are planning to change the date as well as the location -“
Albus shook his head adamantly. “There will be no postponement. No delays. We are getting married ten days from today!”
Her eyebrow went higher. “You are going to handle the invitations, the flowers, music, and the catering all by yourself?”
“Indeed.” Albus nodded.
“The seating chart?” Minerva sounded skeptical.
“You won’t have to raise your wand once!” Albus assured her.
“Albus, you do realize that for a wedding of the size you are talking about invitations should have gone out weeks, if not months, ago.”
“Yes, well, no time like the present.” With a wave of his wand, Albus had before him a stack of parchment suitable for invitation making and every owl from the owlry.
At that Minerva couldn’t help but laugh.
Hoping to take advantage of her good humor, Albus changed the subject to her guest list. “I went through your list. It looked fine … for the most part.”
Her good humor immediately evaporated.
“There was just one problem.” Albus continued.
“Albus, it was my list of guests to invite to the wedding. The list consisted of the Hogwarts staff and a few cousins. What possible problem could there be with it?”
He handed her back the list he had found on his desk, but with one name most emphatically crossed off.
“Albus, of all the childish things.”
“I just don’t think it appropriate that he be there as a witness to our marriage.”
“Since when have you cared about what’s appropriate?”
“It’s bad enough I have to look at him every day at the staff table.”
“Now really!” Minerva scolded him.
“I would simply prefer not to have him there. Haven’t we said that this day is for only our nearest and dearest? I would certainly hope that he is not included in your nearest or dearest and he certainly isn’t in mine.”
Despite her cross look, he pressed on. “This is our wedding day. While certainly at our ages I wouldn't expect either of us to be unknowledgeable of such things, I don't think it to be too much to ask that I be the only man in attendance at our wedding with whom you have had relations of the intimate variety.”
Albus really thought that Minerva would argue the matter. Certainly her look was disdainful, but surprisingly, she didn’t. A curt “Fine” was all she said on the matter.
Taking back up the scroll she had recently discarded in disgust, she also reached for a quill.
“What are you doing?” Albus asked watching her quill move back and forth across the parchment innumerable times.
“Crossing off the name of every man on this list with which I have had relations of the intimate variety.”
Getting up to read over her shoulder as the quill went back and forth and back again, he pointed out. “Quinn Murphy is a woman.”
Minerva responded tartly. “What makes you think I didn't know that?”
Albus did a double take before making her an offer. “Perhaps we can come to some sort of a compromise where we both eliminate people from our guest lists? If you will agree to not include one certain individual, I will cut my list down to forty people.”
Crossing her arms, Minerva inquired. “What happened to 'Why wouldn't I want to invite everyone I ever knew? After all I'm marrying you.'”
Without waiting for a response, she continued. “Albus, you don't think it would look the least bit odd to invite the entire staff except for Mayfair?”
“No. Not at all. So do we have an agreement?”
“No and stop being so childish. Are you really that insecure?”
“Maybe I wouldn't be so insecure if when Professor Mayfair and I both invited you to the Ministry Ball you hadn't turned down my invitation to accept his. Or if you had been the one to end things with him instead of the other way around. You only agreed to be courted by me after he ended things.”
“Albus, I think we can both agree it's time to let that one go. After all, I'm marrying you. Not him.”
“Only because he didn't ask.” Albus mumbled - though by her glare not quietly enough.
Dedalus Diggle’s head appearing in the fire spared Albus from any further response.
After a smile and a nod in Minerva’s direction, Diggle addressed Albus. “There you are. Did you forget about the meeting? We've been waiting for you to start.”
Minerva rolled her eyes.
“Dedalus, you’ll have to carry on without me. I have some urgent matters to attend to here.”
“We can't have our meeting of the Mugwumps without our Chief Mugwump!” Diggle protested.
Minerva waved her hand. “Just go.”
“That's the ticket!” Dedalus opined.
“No,” Albus shook his head. “I told you that I would take care of the invitations myself and I intend to keep my word.”
“You always intend to keep your word, Albus. Now be gone with you before I change my mind.”
“Well … if you insist.”
tbc