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"I didn’t know you had a cat," Bond said.M hadn’t known he was there, but she had not noticed the intrusion of the cat either. In all fairness, it was really the other way around: Bond was intruding, while the cat was a very welcome guest after a dreary day of dealing with agents. Speaking of which—"I did not know you were alive, Bond." M set her pen down carefully next to the folder and closed it. She was lying to herself if she thought any of its content hadn’t been scrutinised by the agent in front of her. "And I do not have a cat." The cat sat on her bookshelf and stared at her. She couldn’t have been there for long, M would surely have noticed even deep in her paperwork. "Congratulations on cheating death yet again. Have you reported to medical?"There was enough reproach in her quiet, calm voice that 007 dropped the bloody folder he had almost died for, yet again, without further comment and went away. The last place she would find him later was medical.When he had cleared out and she was sure he hadn’t just turned around to spy on her office, she turned to the cat. "Minerva, my dear. Always a pleasure to see you. Has anything happened?"M watched with great alacrity as the soft-looking tabby cat slowly shifted into the silhouette of a tall, slender woman wearing a hat some few decades out of fashion. M would never get tired of watching that metamorphosis happen. The woman, meanwhile, was adjusting the sit of robes and then took the seat in front of her desk that Bond had just vacated."This is purely a social call," Minerva McGonagall said primly. "Through the grapevine I heard about your trouble in Ireland. Fancy a drink? I need one myself, we’ve had our own troubles with terrorism." Her scottish brogue was almost entirely absent, which could only indicate that Minerva wasn’t emotionally compromised. And it was never a bad night to go out with someone who could keep up with her. Minerva always could.M stood up and reached for her coat, before she held out her arm for Minerva to sweep her away in that magical way of hers. "Just a drink?" she asked before they disappeared out of her office, and reappeared in an alleyway in London M was very familiar with. It was shielded from the view of the cameras, and hidden with a Notice-Me-Not. At first, it had been a disconcerting feeling but now M was used to the view sliding away as soon as she focused. The trick was not to do that."I could be persuaded for more." Minerva wasn’t prone to smiling but when she did, it lit up her entire face. M couldn’t help but press a quick kiss to her lips despite the publicity of the venue. Minerva ducked her head down, shy about her own desires even after those many years, but she was smiling again as they stepped out into the street, holding hands.