1A/N: Written for Hogwarts assignment 2 - Arithmancy: task 1 - Write about a leader.
Word count: 433
Minerva glanced into the Great Hall from the doorway behind the high table. Students had begun filtering in from the train. They chatted amongst themselves, each excited for the new school year. Minerva was thankful about how many had come back after the disastrous year they'd had previously. It was incredible that the first year class was as large as the ones before it. She'd been sure more parents would decide to homeschool.
The fact that they were instead trusting her with their children only served to worsen her nerves. She wiped her palms against her robes. Her students may have thought of her as a pillar of strength, but that was far from the truth. It had taken ten years of teaching before she was able to reliably mask her uncertainty.
"You'll do great, Minerva."
She jumped and pressed a hand over her heart as she turned to face Irma. "You startled me!"
The Hogwarts librarian smiled. They had decades of familiarity after all. She had known Minerva when she was a new teacher, struggling with how to best fill the role.
"You're worrying, aren't you?" Irma asked, levelling her with a glare. "You needn't do that. You know most of the children out there. They respect you already."
Minerva peeked through the crack in the door again. "It's not their respect I'm worried about. It's letting them down. They've been through so much, and Hogwarts still isn't as strong as it once was. These students know that no matter how strong the wards are, Hogwarts can be breached. The war's not over yet. Not completely. The trials are ongoing. Many of those kids are mourning. I know we made it through the first war, but I wasn't headmistress then. I've never led the whole school. Who's to say I can do it? Especially at a time like this."
"I say you can do it," Irma said forcefully. She took Minerva by the shoulders. "There isn't a person better for this job than you. We both know that you'll do everything in your power to do right by those kids. You'll do just fine."
Minerva took a deep breath. The worry wasn't completely gone, but she did feel a bit better.
"Thank you, Irma. Sometimes your stern librarian words are the only ones that can get through to me."
Irma laughed. "Look who's talking."
Minerva cracked a smile.
She turned to face the door and straightened her shoulders. Whatever came, she would do what she could to remake Hogwarts into a place where her students felt safe. Irma was right about that.