Disclaimer – I think we're all pleased that these characters belong to JKR and not anyone else as she is The Harry Potter Goddess!

A/N – I just got my account a few days ago and so thought I'd celebrate with a short piece of nonsense. This is my first ever fic. I've read a few but that's as far as I've taken it… until now. I hope you enjoy it!

(Takes place during OotP at St. Mungo's after Minerva is stunned.)

Sock Puppets

"Socks!" Albus Dumbledore cried as he sat at Minerva McGonagall's bedside.

Minerva looked up, shocked at this sudden strange outburst. She had been lying in the St. Mungo's hospital bed for longer than she cared to imagine, but she had been feeling much better and Albus had finally found the time and the chance to visit her.

"I beg your pardon?" she said.

Albus did not reply. He began fumbling in the deep pockets of his purple robes. Minerva watched him suspiciously. She had an idea of what he was doing, and after seeing his hand make its way to search inside his forth pocket she came very close to rolling her eyes, but managed to refrain – she was glad he was by her side once again, and the dreary hospital atmosphere was lighter for it.

"Albus," she said dryly. "You're going to give me a pair of socks, aren't you?"

"Whatever gave you that idea, Minerva?" he said in feigned bewilderment as he continued to search in his robes.

"I wouldn't know," Minerva answered with equal irony.

Albus was now doing nothing to hide his smile, but Minerva was doing her utmost to try and contain hers. She sat with her arms folded and waited. Only Albus would dare to make her wait like this. She was sure he was doing it on purpose. Finally he seemed to have finished his rummaging.

"Now, Minerva," Albus said looking up at her, "This present is very special. It is one of a kind in fact, and so I request that you take very good care of it."

Albus pulled his hand out from one of his numerous pockets and lifted up a pair of bright pink, woolly socks with the outline of a cat knitted on the outside side of each. Minerva stared at him blankly, but behind her eyes her mind was doing somersaults – he wouldn't dare… would he?

"While I often receive books for presents, I have always felt that socks never go unappreciated. These are delightful socks, Minerva. Angora," he added. "My brother swears by them."

He would dare!

Albus stood up without giving Minerva her socks and walked to the end of her bed. He put the socks on top of her blanket and, to Minerva's surprise, began lifting the blanket up at the foot of the bed, letting the cold air in and making her already cold toes even colder.

"Albus, what are you doing?" Minerva asked shocked. He did not respond. She tried again: "Albus." Her voice held a warning in it that could just be heard over her surprise.

"I find," he said, ignoring Minerva's note of warning, "that when one has been lying in the same place for so long, one's feet start to become rather chillier than usual."

He said all this whilst smiling fondly down upon the socks. He picked one up and began to crumple it over his thumbs. When his thumbs reached the toe he looked up at Minerva, whose expression was one of great astonishment.

Albus spoke in the silence that followed. "You are speechless, Minerva. That must be a first for you," he said, and his eyes twinkled humorously.

Minerva's nostrils flared at his teasing and she chose to firmly ignore his last comment. "Albus, are you about to put a pair of bright pink socks on my feet?" she declared.

"What else?" he asked. "Unless you would prefer them to go on your ears?"

Minerva glared at him. No she would not!

"Or would you rather I performed some kind of sock-puppet performance for you instead?" he added sarcastically and smiled in jest, his eyes twinkling at her from the end of her bed.

She smiled at this imagining Dumbledore dancing around at the end of her bed with pink socks on his hands. She said, "I think that would be much better than seeing them on the end of my legs… or," she added sternly, "on my ears."

----------------Fin----------------