It was the beginning of sixth year. The last semester before summer vacation had been very eventful for the Order, and the Dark Lord had arisen, everybody knew it now. Many Hogwarts teachers led a double life and had not much free time on their hands. They were battling dark forces at night and schooling future Aurors, Ministry workers and Magical Entrepreneurs in the day. Needless to say they were exhausted, all of them.

Sometimes Poppy Pomfresh was seen talking to herself at night, she had been doing shift over shift taking care of wounded and sick, and was getting old. Some Aurors were apparating to Hogwarts and getting medical care from her because Saint Mungo's was overloaded with victims from Death eaters.

Hooch and Hagrid were reinforcing security around the castle and going around the Forbidden Forrest when students were asleep to gain allegiance from different types of forgotten fantastical creatures and their allies.

Sprout was deep in research about a new kind of elixir derived from a mixture of roots that made spells more efficient when wands were sunk into the obtained liquid for a few days on end. She was trying to strengthen her elixir and to also shorten the duration of the immersion. She had to make sure her product would not fall into the wrong hands and would not be reproduced by anyone but her.

As for Minerva McGonnagall, she had always been a rock, on which Gryffindor house had laid ever since Harry Potter and his friends had entered the walls of Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry. Albus Dumbledore was indeed the Head of this grand institution but even in all his wisdom, his absence of mind would drive other members of the staff crazy at times and derive great amounts of trouble to the important people he dealt with. That's why somebody had to keep a cold head around him and within the management body. Of course Severus Snape was there to give a hand but his permanently disgust-tainted face made him intolerable to most people, especially Ministry officials and students' parents that came to visit.

If people had asked Hooch, Hagrid, Pomfrey or Sprout who actually lead the school, they would have whispered or pointed to McGonagall, not Dumbledore. Indeed, she was very good at authority and a raised eyebrow would usually bring immediate compliance from her students. She was a model to obtain their respect and obedience and her transfiguration classes were well loved, most succeeded with rather good grades. She was strict but fair in grading them and always available to provide time, giving a hand and suggesting more homework in case of failure for extra credit.

But like everybody in this wide world McGonnagall had a weakness, and for a witch of her standing it was a big one. The society of wizards and witches was one that was evolved on many points but on some facts it was medieval-like, so as not to say actually… hummm… completely retarded.

She was a dyke, and a rather big one. She was in fact crushing on girls and women ever since she could remember, since the crib, she even joked around when she spoke with her closest gay friends, like Albus, who had always understood and supported her in the depth of her secret.

She had been a shelter and even a "gay beard" for him when he had to act straight in front of people. He was now so obscenely old and so renowned that nobody really cared anymore but for her, it was still difficult to be herself. None of the students' parents could know, hell, even less could the students themselves. What would they think, what could they go and imagine about her? It would be horrible in the type of judgemental society their kind was still in.

And another thing was, Minerva had not had sex in what seemed like forever. She barely even touched herself anymore. She didn't feel the urge to, since all she did was work and think about the well-being of her students. She had had some girlfriends in her youngest time and a long time life partner who had died during the purge in Godric's Hollow Voldemort had done 16 years before.

Fact was, she was quite lonely, not desperate, but alone.