Disclaimer: All Harry Potter people, places, and things, (all Harry Potter nouns) belong to J. K. Rowlings.

Bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh

Chapter 1: The matter at hand.

Minerva spent almost fifteen minutes perusing her closet for the perfect blouse. She finally grabbed a burgundy V-neck with three-quarter length sleeves. Normally she would have taken a total of thirty seconds to grab her uniform, but today the students were taking a trip to Hogsmeade.

As she put her lipstick on, she glanced down at tan skirt. Her raven-black hair had been set in a French roll. She sighed and asked herself, "What am I doing? Why am I so dressed up for this trip? What does it matter if I wear gray school clothes?"

But it did matter. The problem was not necessarily that she was trying to look nice for anyone, but that she wanted to present herself as a respectable lady instead of a teenager. She had signed decided to go on the trip expecting to find more books at Flourish and Blotts Bookstore. What she did not expect was finding Professor Dumbledore there.

Professor Albus Dumbledore had to be in his seventies, she figured, with white streaks in his auburn hair, a few wrinkles, brilliant blue eyes, and an engaging smile. He taught her Transfiguration class in a way that drew her into the material and made the subject fun. She always did all the reading before his class and spoke regularly.

She had also come to his office hours to ask questions and talk about Transfiguration and becoming an animagus. He seemed not to mind talking to her, so she came back again and discovered that he had remembered a comment she had made on her first visit. She found him to be very intelligent and 'cut of the same cloth.' Recently he had needed to change his hours and the change conflicted with another class of hers. She regretted not being able to talk with him as much.

Albus looked out at the students he would be chaperoning at Hogsmeade to see if she had come that day. She was his brightest student, and delightful company. When she was able to see him at his office hours, she volunteered to grade papers for him and had always done a splendid job. In that past school year before he left to fight Grindewald, he had helped her become an animagus. He sighed as he watched her walk to the bookstore with a few of her friends. She'll be in there all day, he thought to himself with a grin.

He walked down to the Leaky Cauldron with a few students to order a glass of gilly water. While he was waiting, the pain in his side began again and he sighed heavily, steadying himself on one of the tables. He was relieved that no one had noticed. It wasn't supposed to be this bad yet. I should make an appointment to see the healers again soon, he thought to himself.

Minerva was surprised when on Tuesday the Transfiguration class had a substitute. Though the class moved smoothly and the students respected the substitute, Minerva could not keep her mind off of Professor Dumbledore. He never misses class. Where could he be? Is something drastically wrong? Is he hurt? I wish I knew, she worried as she went to her next class.

She did not see him again until Thursday. Fortunately for her, the class she had after Transfiguration was Herbology and they were taking a quiz that day. Minerva realized that if she finished quickly, she could still catch him in his office hours. He looked surprised to see her as she knocked and let herself in.

Noticing the pensive expression in her emerald-green eyes, he spoke. "Is there something I can help you with, Miss McGonagall?"