more crossover hijinks
What it says on the tin.
Minerva preferred to take her tea in the evening, after the day’s excitement had worn down. She had found, over the years, that it proved a relaxing end to her day, and even if a student required some manner of late-night assistance, the routine held a certain amount of calming influence.
She had just put aside the night’s batch of essays and begun to prepare her tea when a knock sounded on her office door. “Who is it?”
“Professor? Something weird happened and I don’t think it’s a good thing and Mama said I could come to you with anything and I know it’s late but I really don’t think this can wait until tomorrow.”
Minerva allowed herself an inward sigh, and set out a second cup; if Grace were this distraught, she could likely use the bit of comfort herself. “Come in, Miss Black. What seems to be troubling you?”
Grace opened the door and sat down in front of Minerva’s desk, holding a book. “This was in with my school books after we left Flourish and Blott’s,” she said. “And I thought it was kinda weird that it’s an empty diary but it’s got someone’s name on it, but I brought it here anyway, and I wrote something in it but what I wrote disappeared and it wrote something back and it’s not my handwriting and books aren’t supposed to do that. I know Mama and Daddy could take care of it if I sent it home, but I don’t want to do that ‘cause you never know if stuff like this will actually go where you send it if you put it in the post, and Mama said I could come to you with problems so I did.”
“I... see. Would you mind terribly if I had a look at that diary?”
“Not at all. I brought it so you could see it.” Grace handed over the book, and Minerva thought she might know what had given the girl such a scare as soon as she saw the name on the cover; all things considered, it would be a hard one for her to forget.
She examined it for a moment before opening it and writing something on the first page - only a trite observation about the current weather, the better to see what would happen. True to Grace’s word, the statement seemed to melt into the page, and was replaced shortly thereafter with a short statement in another script entirely.
Well, fancy meeting you here, Minerva.
“Goodness,” she said. “You did well to bring it up here, Miss Black. May I ask if you know how this came to be mixed up in your school books?”
“I’m not sure. But Daddy had an argument with Draco’s dad when we were getting books, and Draco’s dad had a book in his hands when they started but not when we left, so I think it might’ve been him but I’m not sure. Daddy would’ve gotten rid of it if it’d been in the house when he got it from his parents.”
“Oh, I know that. Your mother wouldn’t stand for keeping something like this around the house. I’ll see to this, and since you’re here in time for tea, you can have a cup with me before you go back to bed.”
Grace smiled a little. “Thank you, Professor. I’m sorry I came up here so late, but that thing scared me and I didn’t want to put it away and forget about it until later.”
Minerva changed the topic while they took tea, the better to help Grace find her way to a sound night’s sleep once she returned to her dormitory. Grace seemed content to let the subject drop and regale Minerva with tales of her other adventures in Hogwarts. Much as Minerva found herself wondering if the girl’s boundless energy ever faded, she thought it would serve the girl well in times to come, especially if she kept her head so well in a situation like this one.
Finally, after they had finished their tea, Grace got up to leave and said, “Professor?”
“Yes?”
“Why is that book so creepy?”
Minerva sighed. “That, I think, is for your parents to explain. I would be glad to, in most circumstances, but Headmaster Dumbledore would have words with me about possibly starting a panic.”
“I wouldn’t tell anybody but Mama and Daddy.”
“I know, Miss Black. But this is a very delicate situation, all told, so I think it’s best not to take the risk.”
Grace nodded. “Daddy’s mentioned delicate situations before. They usually have to do with his family.”
“Having had the often dubious pleasure, I’d believe that. Oh, and twenty points to Hufflepuff. You acted exactly as you should have tonight.”
Grace smiled, every bit as bright as was her usual. “Thank you, Professor. Goodnight.”
After Grace had left, Minerva stoked the coals in her fireplace a bit and set Tom’s diary atop them. Better to do that, she reasoned, than wait to see what Albus would want done with the thing; he’d likely stall so long that something dreadful would happen, considering Tom’s past and present disposition.
It didn’t surprise her in the least that Grace had thought to come to an adult after such a scare as that. Anne wouldn’t settle for her children not knowing who to turn to, and Regulus had recovered quite nicely from his family’s less savory tendencies; between the two of them, it was little wonder that Grace had gone to someone her parents trusted to take the appropriate action.
The situation had made for a more eventful evening than she preferred, but at least one part of the past would no longer be causing trouble for the world at large.
Minerva preferred to take her tea in the evening, after the day’s excitement had worn down. She had found, over the years, that it proved a relaxing end to her day, and even if a student required some manner of late-night assistance, the routine held a certain amount of calming influence.
She had just put aside the night’s batch of essays and begun to prepare her tea when a knock sounded on her office door. “Who is it?”
“Professor? Something weird happened and I don’t think it’s a good thing and Mama said I could come to you with anything and I know it’s late but I really don’t think this can wait until tomorrow.”
Minerva allowed herself an inward sigh, and set out a second cup; if Grace were this distraught, she could likely use the bit of comfort herself. “Come in, Miss Black. What seems to be troubling you?”
Grace opened the door and sat down in front of Minerva’s desk, holding a book. “This was in with my school books after we left Flourish and Blott’s,” she said. “And I thought it was kinda weird that it’s an empty diary but it’s got someone’s name on it, but I brought it here anyway, and I wrote something in it but what I wrote disappeared and it wrote something back and it’s not my handwriting and books aren’t supposed to do that. I know Mama and Daddy could take care of it if I sent it home, but I don’t want to do that ‘cause you never know if stuff like this will actually go where you send it if you put it in the post, and Mama said I could come to you with problems so I did.”
“I... see. Would you mind terribly if I had a look at that diary?”
“Not at all. I brought it so you could see it.” Grace handed over the book, and Minerva thought she might know what had given the girl such a scare as soon as she saw the name on the cover; all things considered, it would be a hard one for her to forget.
She examined it for a moment before opening it and writing something on the first page - only a trite observation about the current weather, the better to see what would happen. True to Grace’s word, the statement seemed to melt into the page, and was replaced shortly thereafter with a short statement in another script entirely.
Well, fancy meeting you here, Minerva.
“Goodness,” she said. “You did well to bring it up here, Miss Black. May I ask if you know how this came to be mixed up in your school books?”
“I’m not sure. But Daddy had an argument with Draco’s dad when we were getting books, and Draco’s dad had a book in his hands when they started but not when we left, so I think it might’ve been him but I’m not sure. Daddy would’ve gotten rid of it if it’d been in the house when he got it from his parents.”
“Oh, I know that. Your mother wouldn’t stand for keeping something like this around the house. I’ll see to this, and since you’re here in time for tea, you can have a cup with me before you go back to bed.”
Grace smiled a little. “Thank you, Professor. I’m sorry I came up here so late, but that thing scared me and I didn’t want to put it away and forget about it until later.”
Minerva changed the topic while they took tea, the better to help Grace find her way to a sound night’s sleep once she returned to her dormitory. Grace seemed content to let the subject drop and regale Minerva with tales of her other adventures in Hogwarts. Much as Minerva found herself wondering if the girl’s boundless energy ever faded, she thought it would serve the girl well in times to come, especially if she kept her head so well in a situation like this one.
Finally, after they had finished their tea, Grace got up to leave and said, “Professor?”
“Yes?”
“Why is that book so creepy?”
Minerva sighed. “That, I think, is for your parents to explain. I would be glad to, in most circumstances, but Headmaster Dumbledore would have words with me about possibly starting a panic.”
“I wouldn’t tell anybody but Mama and Daddy.”
“I know, Miss Black. But this is a very delicate situation, all told, so I think it’s best not to take the risk.”
Grace nodded. “Daddy’s mentioned delicate situations before. They usually have to do with his family.”
“Having had the often dubious pleasure, I’d believe that. Oh, and twenty points to Hufflepuff. You acted exactly as you should have tonight.”
Grace smiled, every bit as bright as was her usual. “Thank you, Professor. Goodnight.”
After Grace had left, Minerva stoked the coals in her fireplace a bit and set Tom’s diary atop them. Better to do that, she reasoned, than wait to see what Albus would want done with the thing; he’d likely stall so long that something dreadful would happen, considering Tom’s past and present disposition.
It didn’t surprise her in the least that Grace had thought to come to an adult after such a scare as that. Anne wouldn’t settle for her children not knowing who to turn to, and Regulus had recovered quite nicely from his family’s less savory tendencies; between the two of them, it was little wonder that Grace had gone to someone her parents trusted to take the appropriate action.
The situation had made for a more eventful evening than she preferred, but at least one part of the past would no longer be causing trouble for the world at large.