Even in Death

Ok thinking of those two as dead is sadness I don't like to reach...but I'm very interested in where you take this. I likes it...please let her do whatever she has to do so he'll be ok again.

Keep writing,

Christy

I'm intrigued. It's excellent so far, and I'm very much looking forward to the next installment!

April, I'm gonna bug you till you've finished this, you know that, don't you ? Superb. SUPERB I say. You're an amazing writer, and I damn well mean it . Go you. GO YOU!

Lies

A/N: Goddess, it's been ages since I've written anything! Here's the next little bit in this story. Thanks for all the kind words.

* * * *

“Minerva, my love, it is time to wake up.”

I sat straight up on the bed, my heart beating wildly. His voice was there again; I know it was. My stomach rumbled loudly, alerting me to the fact that I’d slept through dinner. Groggily, I climbed out of my bed and as I passed my dresser on the way out, I noticed the book I had been reading in Albus’ office sitting on top. I never took it off his desk. How did it get here?

“Listen.”

I heard his voice behind me and felt a rush of air across the nape of my neck. I hastily shook my head and left my chambers for the kitchens. The trip through the darkened halls was quick and I didn’t run into anyone else. Good, I didn’t feel like socializing. I couldn’t help but feel as if I wasn’t alone, but each time I looked behind me, there was no one there.

Once inside the kitchens, the house elves were very accommodating. I sat for ten minutes with Dobby sobbing into my robes, telling me how much he’ll miss Albus. I comforted him as best I could, but I wanted to sob right along with him. He finally let me eat in peace and as I tucked into my stew, I heard the chair on my right scrape the floor. I looked up thinking one of elves had bumped it, but there wasn’t a one in sight. There was, however, a steaming mug of hot chocolate sitting on the table in front of the chair. Not just any hot chocolate, but Albus’ personal recipe. I would know that smell anywhere. My heart began to beat faster, but I forced myself to remain calm. It’s only my imagination. I went back to eating my stew, ignoring the sweet aroma of cocoa in the air. I ate faster so that I could go back to my rooms.

“Please listen to me, my love.”

The sound of his voice caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end and I dropped the sthingy. Tears formed in my eyes again. This has to be someone’s idea of a sick joke. “Stop it!” I yelled. I jumped up from the table and left the kitchen in a hurry. I practically ran through the hallways and cursed myself after I took a wrong turn.

“I need your help, Minerva.”

I am going mad. Any sanity I had left, died with Albus. I know that now. Why else would I be hearing his voice and smelling his damn hot chocolate? “Please,” I whispered into the dark, “I can’t take it anymore. Leave me alone.” I sunk down a wall, put my head on my knees and cried some more.

“I’m so sorry, my love, but I need you to help me.”

This voice wasn’t going to just go away. I knew my grip on reality was fading, so I simply gave in. “How?”

“Look behind the painting of Fawkes, in my study.”

* * *

I don’t know what possessed me to go to Albus’ private chambers. The doors opened for me of their own accord and I made my way into his study. There, behind his desk, was a large painting of Fawkes. I don’t remember who painted it, but Albus didn’t want it enchanted. He always said that you didn’t need magic to see the movement of the painting. I pulled out my wand and removed the painting from the wall, setting it gently down on the ground. There was a cabinet of some sort behind it.

I slowly pried it open and gasped at what I saw behind it. A bottle of glowing reddish orange liquid sat amidst some papers and there was yet another book. I picked it up and read the title: The Elixir of the Phoenix.
Curious, I opened it to the first page.

‘Herein lies the secret to cheating death. It may not always be wise to fool the Grim Reaper, but there are those who are more deserving of life than death.’

I looked up at the bottle and gently picked it up. It glowed as bright as a candle. It was beautiful. “What have you done, Albus?” I whispered into the air. I replaced the bottle and gathered up his notes. Situating myself on the nearest settee, I began to read through the book in an effort to understand what was going on.

Apparently I had fallen asleep because I woke up with a rather stiff neck very early the next morning. There was a blanket wrapped around me. The book, notes, and my glasses were all neatly arranged on the end table next to me. Once again the vague smell of lemons filled the air and I shivered involuntarily. The particulars of the elixir and accompanying spell were very complicated and very powerful. I sat dumbfounded at the prospect of something like this working. Albus seemed absolutely sure that it would work and reading his notes, convinced me that he knew what he was doing.

Certain preparations needed to be done in order for it to work. The first part of the ritual made my stomach churn slightly; Albus’ body needed to be exhumed. I thought perhaps that I could enlist the help of Hagrid or Severus, but as soon the thought entered my mind, I heard his voice yet again.

“Only you must do this, love. It will only work with you.”

I sighed and looked over the ritual again. Herbs needed to be sprinkled over the grave and an incantation needed to be spoken. I looked at the foreign words, wondering how on earth to pronounce them. Thankfully, Albus whispered the words softly into my ear and I repeated them to get the diction just right. Again, I wondered if I had gone completely off the deep end. Here I was quite willing to dig up the body of the man I loved in an attempt to bring him back to life, all the while listening to a disembodied voice. I can hear the students now, “There goes Professor Frankenstein.”

* * *

'Moonlight on the soft brown earth
It leads me to where you lay'[/b]

I waited until after midnight before venturing out of the castle. I tightly wrapped my cloak around my shoulders. It was a cold night. Fog was beginning to set in and as I made my way to the small hill where Albus slumbered beneath the ground, the moonlight cast an eerie glow on his tombstone. Finally reaching my destination, I took the miniature shovel out of my pocket and returned it to its normal size. I sprinkled the herbs onto the ground and said the words that Albus had whispered into my ear.

“Heret syda neche uyo llash ires nagai, keil a hoxnepi form het shaes.”

I dug the shovel into the earth and charmed it to do most of the work. I watched as the mound of dirt next to me got bigger and bigger. A small voice in the back of my mind told me how wrong it was to dig up a dead man, but I quickly silenced it. I know what Albus did worked. It had too. After about fifteen minutes I heard the shovel hit the hard wood of a coffin. Peering down into the grave, I carefully levitated it out of the ground. It took a lot of concentration, but I managed to do it. Once it was safely on the surface, I reached down to open it. Taking a deep breath, I lifted the wood and looked inside.

He looked so peaceful. Even in the just the moonlight, I could tell that his color was much better than when I saw him last. Tentatively I placed a hand on his forehead and was overjoyed to find that it wasn’t cold and stiff, but slightly warm. Albus, you’re a genius, I thought. I managed to levitate him out of the coffin and onto a stretcher. Then I started the trek back to the school. It would be much easier to get to my own rooms without being seen than his, so I decided to head to Gryffindor tower.

'They took you away from me
but now I'm taking you home'[/b]

Careful so as not to bump his head, I maneuvered Albus through the air and set him on my bed. I arranged the covers around him and sat down in a chair next to the bed to read some more of his notes. I needed to sprinkle him with the herbs and pour some of the elixir down his throat. I did just that, repeating the words from earlier. Now, all I had to do was wait until first light and repeat the process. I placed a soft kiss on his forehead and whispered, “I won’t leave you, my love.”

'I will stay forever here with you, my love
The softly spoken words you gave me
Even in death our love goes on[/b]

Oh yeah, Grand-mere, I concur completely! ;D If this fic is not finished, I shall force Maman to drive me down to...where April is...and make her finish it! Exactly . Yep . I will do that...m-hmm...I will . Anyway, happy Thanksgiving...

whou!

This is sheer brilliance! It's amazing.

Herein lies the secret to cheating death. It may not always be wise to fool the Grim Reaper, but there are those who are more deserving of life than death

That is one of the most amazing lines ever!!!!

Update soon!!!!!!!

Please sir may I have another? (chapter) I like. Please don't let Albie stay dead Min just couldnt take tha after what she has done. She is so amazingly devoted.

Oh wake him up soon please!!! A dead Albus is unbearable

Delenn Dumbledore

A/N: Thanks for your nice comments and for being so patient. Here is the last part. (I finished!)

* * *

Some say I'm crazy for my love, Oh my love
But no bonds can hold me from your side, Oh my love[/b]

A loud knocking awoke me rather suddenly. I had just given Albus the second dose of the elixir and had fallen back to sleep. I looked at him and was happy to see that his color had returned even more, though he still was not breathing. It was as if he had taken the Draught of Living Death. The knock came again, louder and more urgent. I quickly left the bedroom and not even thinking about my appearance, I opened my door slightly and saw Alastor and Severus standing there, quite distressed. Alastor spoke first.

“Minerva, something terrible has happ- Great Merlin! What have you done?” I shut the door immediately and put my most powerful wards upon it. “Minerva! Open this door!”

I looked into the mirror that hung next to me and saw that there were smudges of dirt all over my face and my hair was a mess. My clothes were also smudged with dirt and mud. Alastor, whose magical eye missed nothing, put all the evidence together.

“He’s gone, Minerva!” He shouted through the door. “Let him rest in piece. We can help you through this.”

“By locking me up in St. Mungo’s?” I bitterly threw back at him. “Go away! We’re just fine!” I tuned out his voice and returned to my bedroom. After checking on Albus, I went into the bathroom to clean myself up. Even after a hot bath, my mind still felt clouded and jumbled. I was sure that Alastor had informed everyone else that I was as crazy as a loon. I still had doubts in the back of my mind that all this was a figment of my delusional imagination, but I couldn’t afford to dwell on such thoughts.

The next part of the ritual called for phoenix tears and my own blood to be added to the elixir. This meant, of course, that I must venture to Albus’ office to get Fawkes. The bird whistled a long, low note as I entered his office. I couldn’t go the normal was, as I’m sure my door is being watched by Alastor. I took the secret pathways that lead from my study to the headmaster’s office. The poor phoenix was nearing its burning day, so time was of the essence. I wrapped him in a cloth and carried him back to my rooms. Once the bird saw Albus, he perked up immediately. He knew how important his being there was. I set Fawkes on the bed next to Albus and the phoenix cuddled against his master. I brought the goblet of potion over. “Fawkes, I need three of you tears. Can you do that for Albus?” The bird nodded his head and proceeded to do what I asked. The elixir bubbled and fizzed as the clears drops mixed with the reddish-orange liquid. I took a small dagger and positioned the blade over my palm. I wrapped my hand around the blade and pulled it across my skin quickly. It stung, but I didn’t care. I squeezed three drops of my own blood into the potion and it took on an iridescent blue color. As I sprinkled the herbs over his head and body, I repeated the magical incantation. “Heret syda neche uyo llash ires nagai, keil a hoxnepi form het shaes.” After pouring some of the elixir into his mouth, I turned over the hourglass that sat next to the bed. In one hour, I would give him more.

Occupying myself in the meantime was the hard part. I transfigured a nest for Fawkes and placed it by the window. I had tried reading, but I kept glancing at Albus. He looked like he was sleeping, but his chest didn’t rise and fall. Why had he not told me of his feelings for me? Why had I not told him about mine? I had a hard time pinpointing the exact time in which I discovered that I loved him as more than a friend. I had always thought him attractive, ever since I was a student. It wasn’t a schoolgirl crush, just an admiration of his features, from his long auburn hair and sparkling blue eyes to his tall stature. Perhaps it was after that Ministry function so long ago that I realized my feelings. James, Sirius, and the rest of those boys were in their final year. I remember overhearing a conversation between Albus and one of the other Wizengamot judges about marriage. Albus had said that he didn’t think he would ever get married because he was too busy with Hogwarts and advising the Minister. He had played it off as not that important, but after the other man left, I saw the look of regret and loneliness on his face and heard his sad sigh. I had this overwhelming urge to comfort him and to show him that I didn’t have to be alone. The wealth of emotions I felt that night scared me and I left the party early. Yes, perhaps that was the time. I learned to eventually suppress those feelings and we remained close friends. I never dreamed that he could feel the same. I looked at the nightstand in time to see the last bits of sand run out of the hourglass and I gave Albus more of the elixir. Another hour to wait, I thought fleetingly. I was getting restless.

But, my restlessness did not last, as a loud pounding came from my door. “Minerva! Open up this door, please?” Alastor’s voice pleaded with me. “I understand your grief, but this is not the answer!”

“Go away, Alastor! I know what I’m doing.” I understood his concern, but it was grating on my nerves.

They don't know you can't leave me
They don't hear you singing to me[/b]

Suddenly the hair on the back of my neck stood up and a soft familiar voice whispered into my ear. “Don’t worry, my love, they will understand in time.”

“Professor McGonagall? It’s Hermione. Please open the door, I’d like to help you.” And I thought it couldn’t get any worse. Alastor had to enlist the help of my favorite student. The poor dear sounded quite worried, but I couldn’t let that sway me in the least.

“I’m perfectly sane, Miss Granger, no matter what Moody says.” I covered my ears as more voices joined in. Poppy, Hagrid, even Snape, had something to say. Albus’ voice came again and I calmed down. It took me a few seconds to realize that he was singing. I had never heard him sing before, but his deep tenor was smooth and beautiful. It drowned out the voices.

I will stay forever here with you, my love[/b]

Oh, what a beautiful ending. I was so frustrated for Minerva when they all kept thinking she was crazy and trying to interrupt her. Albus certainly has good timing! Great story, very original and well written.

I'm so glad you finished this, and I loved the ending. Thank goodness for Albus' good timing.

Christy

*concurs completely with Grand-mere, this is a luffely and brill story, loves it muchly!*

I can't believe it's over though! Hey! I'm sure I hear Max's hunting cry...*hears faintly* "Lemon! Lemon! Lemon!" No, really, we must please Max, mustn't we? *grin*

-Kaylee

Ahhhhh.....he is alive!!!!!! ;D

Very exciting, sweet, sad, hopeful. I can imagine that Minerva seems to be crazy for the other people . But I've done the same *gggg*.

Delenn Dumbledore