3Disclaimer: Harry Potter, and all related concepts, are the property of JK Rowling, not myself. I'm grateful for the opportunity to mess around in her sandbox.
Albus Dumbledore's cheeks puckered, engaged in extracting as much comfort as possible from the lemon drop contained within. How disappointing. How terribly, terribly disappointing.
Their submissions had been wonderful; better than he'd hoped. It never ceased to amaze him, the ingenuity that people were capable of when given creative freedom.
He learned back in his chair, wondering where it had gone wrong…
His pleasantly worded request had met only confused silence for several long moments.
"Potentially deadly, but also potentially evadable by a first year student?" queried Minerva McGonagall skeptically.
"Exactly, Minerva!" Albus replied, eyes twinkling.
Alas, twinkling does have its disadvantages, and, in this case, caused him to completely miss the roll of the eyes exchanged between Profs. Sprout and Flitwick.
"But why Albus?" said Minerva.
"That…" he paused, holding up a finger "is a surprise!"
"Oh, Merlin, this is a waste of my time," snapped Severus Snape, "our time," he added a moment later, and a touch insincerely.
"Now Severus, I'm going to ask you to trust me on this. Everything I do has a purpose, as you well know," said Albus, smiling. "It shouldn't take more than a single day for you to come up with something suitable, and it's for a good purpose. Do I have your agreement?" he asked, looking around the table, and receiving (either bemused or grudging) nods in return. "Excellent! In that case, we can proceed with examining the list of incoming students…"
Albus Dumbledore sighed wistfully, and then barely caught himself as his overly tilted chair nearly toppled.
It was so beautiful, the way the pieces fit together. From Fluffy, to the potions puzzle, it was an excellent test of ability, both magical and mental. He smiled thinking of it, still. The first year professors, however, had been… less than impressed by his idea once revealed.
The looks on their faces had not matched the awed ones he had expected.
"WHAT?" shrieked Minerva, a rare occurrence indeed. "You cannot be serious, Albus!" Similar shouts of disbelief echoed from the others.
"Albus, you cannot possibly mean to go through with this?" queried Filius, "These are eleven and twelve year old students you're talking about, and this is a school, not the Triwizard Tournament."
"Yes, well, I thought that.." began Albus.
"Thought! I'm not sure you thought at all, you great fool!" fumed Pomona, uncharacteristically angry. "When agreeing to come up with this trap, I wondered what you intended them for, but I never thought you'd be nutter enough to actually intend them to be for first year students!"
"I am unopposed to the idea," said Severus, raising Albus' hopes, "provided that the Gryffindors are given the… honor of going first," only to dash them again.
"No, no, no! Albus, this is not happening," said Minerva. "I am putting my foot down, and so help me I'll get the Board of Governors involved if I must, but you are most certainly not going to subject the first year students to a deadly end of the year obstacle course to prove their mettle!"
Albus Dumbledore reached for another lemon drop.
What to do now? His Deputy was serious in her threat, he believed, and he didn't think that the Board would understand his vision if he tried to explain. He pouted. Woe, to be so misunderstood. Ah well, nothing to be done.
Regardless, the traps were clever, and it would be a shame for that inventiveness to go to waste. No matter; he was certain he could come up with something to do with them.
A/N: Well, there it is. The first piece of fiction I've written since high school. I'm not yet decided on whether I'll write more fanfic; this was sort of a test piece since the idea came to me and it was short and sweet.
I'd appreciate feedback very much, especially on the character voices, which comprised more or less the entirety of this little romp. And, also, on whether the transitions were clear enough.