Out of her Hands

[QuillofMinerva]

Chapter 13: Congratulations and Decisions

Albus and Minerva both jumped to their feet and swept over to where the new proud father was standing with his first child wrapped up in a blanket. Minerva reached out and touched the baby’s face with a finger. He was small and pink and Minerva was surprised how wrinkly he was. His eyes were shut tightly and his hands where balled up into fists. Minerva could just make out tiny wisps of golden blonde hair. There wasn’t much of it but she could still see it with her keen eyesight.

“Oh Alastor,” she said in whispered tones “he is amazing!”

“What have you decided to call this little fella then?” questioned Albus as he peered over Minerva’s shoulder and into the bundle of blankets.

“We can’t decide at the moment.” Alastor replied.

Albus felt the strings in his heart pull as he looked down at the small baby boy. He was truly a beautiful sight to behold. He had thought that he and Minerva might have been with child at this stage if he hadn’t been called away and then disappeared from her life. Minerva was the only woman he could see himself ever having children with and they would have been so beautiful.

“How is Poppy?” asked Minerva.

“She is tired but asking for you Min,” answered Alastor with a smile.

Minerva nodded and walked into the room where Alastor and the baby had just come from and found Poppy propped up against some pillows. Poppy was all smiles but Minerva could tell that her best friend was exhausted but contented.

“Oh Poppy,” said Minerva as she sat down beside her friend and reached for her hand. “You did so well! He is beautiful.”

“I can’t quite believe how perfect he is,” replied Poppy softly. “He is so small and delicate. I am afraid that I may break him!”

Minerva smiled and squeezed Poppy’s hand to comfort her. Poppy had been worrying about becoming a mother because she wasn’t sure if she was up to the job. Minerva had been with Poppy throughout her pregnancy and truly believed that Poppy and Alastor would both make fantastic parents and their son would not want for love and affection.

“He is very lucky to have you for his mother, Poppy,” said Minerva. “I know it all seems a bit daunting but once you settle into a routine, it will be wonderful. Alastor is already the doting father.”

The mention of Alastor brought a big smile to Poppy’s face and she sighed with contentment. Alastor had seemed a natural as soon as his son was in his arms. He had handed him to Poppy so she could feed him while he performed the other necessary charms on her. They were parents now and it still hadn’t sunk in.

“I take it that you and Albus got on okay while you were waiting?” said Poppy with a raised eyebrow.

“Poppy,” exclaimed Minerva with shock “you have just had a baby and now you are fishing for bits of gossip!”

“Well did you or did you not get on?” questioned Poppy.

Minerva smiled and nodded her head. She had been surprised that there had been no awkwardness between them as they waited. It seemed like things were back to normal, back to how they were before he disappeared and the only thing different was that she was not wearing her engagement ring anymore. Minerva had come to a decision moments before Alastor had announced that he had a son. She had nearly got the words out to Albus before something else took over the situation. She felt lighter for coming to a decision and in her heart; she knew that it was the right one. Deep down she had always known that she would go back to him and that it was just her anger that prevented it till now. He still needed to prove himself to her and she still needed reassurance that he wouldn’t leave her behind again. But that would come with letting him back in her life.

“I have come to a decision Poppy,” announced Minerva. “I can’t let hurt rule my heart and my head. I need to give it another go and see what happens!”

“So you are going to forgive him and go back?” asked Poppy, her eyes shone with curiosity and excitement.

“Well,” answered Minerva “a second chance!”

Poppy smiled and hugged her friend before encouraging to her go back out in the hallway and tell Alastor to bring back her son. When Minerva opened the door, she felt her breath catch in her throat as her eyes laid upon Albus gently rocking the new born baby in his arms and talking softly to him. Alastor looked over and smiled at Minerva. He realized that he had interrupted something when he announced that his son had been born and from the way Minerva was looking at Albus, Alastor felt that something else good was going to happen in the early hours of the morning.

“Does Poppy want us back?” asked Alastor.

“She is missing you both!” answered Minerva with a soft smile.

Reluctantly Albus handed the baby boy back to Alastor and waved goodbye as they disappeared back into the room where Poppy was waiting for them. Albus looked up and saw Minerva standing not to far away from him and he wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. He felt that they had moved into future while waiting for news on Poppy and the baby. He remembered that she was going to say something before Alastor appeared and he had been wondering what she was going to say since she had uttered the words.

“Poppy seems to very happy,” explained Minerva “a bit overwhelmed but that is expected.”

“Ah, I am glad,” answered Albus “they have a beautiful son.”

Minerva looked down at her feet. She was suddenly filled with nervousness and a loss for words. She had often got like this in the early stages of their relationship, and she would blush bright red and jumble up her words.

Albus noticed the change in Minerva’s demeanor and it made him smile. He remembered this side of Minerva from long ago. He took a few steps closer to her and faced a finger under her chin gently, making her look him in the eye.

“Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?” he asked. He knew that he was taking a chance but he felt that it needed to be taken.

“I would like that very much Albus!” she replied.

To be continued.

[tayryn]

first... i don't know how i missed the update before this last one... but i did... and i have corrected that oversight... and it ws wonderfully done!

they have a boy! yay!!

and this last update... was great. i am so glad they're on their way to working things out!!

dinner is a good start!

[LadyJolly]

Yay An update and a DATE yay!! That's great Im really glad Minerva decided to give it another go. And Poppy and Alastor have a baby boy. Great chapter. Hope read more soon

Lady Jolly

[TheGryffindorSeeker]

aaaaaaaaawwwwww!!!!!!!! ;D A baby boy aww!

more more more more!....soz just cant wait lol:D

[griseldalafey]

Awww... a boy I'm sure they'll make great parents.
And Albus and Minerva are going to get back together...lalala.... *whisles happily*

It's such a wonderful story!

[Jaya]

The reunion begins!!!!

I hope.....

Please.....

Great chapter

Jaya

[Ginger Newts]

Oh, good, they're moving forward. I liked the details of what Albus and Minerva were thinking regarding the baby and all. Update soon!

[Karlynne]

What a wonderful update. I'm partial to baby boys. I'm glad to see Minerva making a decision to at least try. Karlie

[QuillofMinerva]

Out of her Hands.

A/n: I am sooooo sorry that I haven’t updated this story for months, my muse left me for a vacation and she has only just returned. I think she has jet lag as well so she isn’t being too friendly so this isn’t a particularly long chapter. I hope you enjoy this update and I promise that the next chapter will be up in at least two weeks.


Chapter Fourteen: Nervous like a schoolgirl.

Minerva stood in front of her ornate full-length mirror that had been passed down to her by the Grandmother; she had always loved the mirror and had welcomed it into her home with open arms. Minerva was wearing smart pale blue dress robes, she was never one to wear elaborate robes and this one was no exception. It was a little too big for her but you could still make out her womanly figure beneath them. Around the cuffs and the hem, there was an elegant pattern of darker blue swirls that finished the robes off perfectly. Minerva looked regal in this simple robes, she was lucky that most things suited her apart from robes in the colour of yellow.

The thought of yellow robes made her remember a memory of her time with Albus, she smiled as she remembered. She had been in Albus’ bedroom with him when there had been an urgent knocking at his door before Albus could make it to the door and show the visitor into the living room of his rooms, the visitor had walked in. Minerva only had chance to grab Albus’ bright yellow robes and slip them on before Armando Dippet walked in. She remembered the look on the flustered Headmaster and friend’s face, he had looked at her and then back at Albus before mumbling an apology and backing out of the room but before he left, he made the point of telling Minerva that yellow was certainly not her colour. She had turned bright red when he had said that but she had agreed with him then and still did to this day.

She shook her head and peered back into the mirror, she was trying to decide how to wear her hair for that evening. She couldn’t wear it down because she knew she would daydream about Albus running his long fingers through it as he used to before he disappeared. She didn’t want to wear it in a bun because it made her look severe and unapproachable and not to mention, years older than she was. Maybe she could put it up in a french twist, a plait or half up and half down.

She pulled her wand from her robe pocket and pointed it at her long, ebony coloured hair and whispered an incantation. She watched with interest at her hair tied itself back and then plaited itself without her having to do anything. Once it was done, she looked at herself and shook her head. She looked like a schoolgirl and though inside she felt like one, she certainly didn’t want to look like one. The plait undid itself on her command and then transformed into a french twist. She smiled to herself and decided that the hairstyle went with the robes she was wearing and it also kept the bulk of her heavy hair out of her eyes.

She was about to apply a subtle amount of make up when a tapping on the window broke into her thoughts and disturbed what she was about to do. She made her way over to the window and opened it; an unfamiliar tawny owl flew in and made its way to her dressing table. It landed with a soft thud and the chirped at her before holding its leg out for her. Minerva saw that a note was an attached to its leg and she also recognised the familiar purple writing scrawled across it. It was from Albus and she wondered for one moment that he was going to cancel.

She reached for the letter with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, the owl nipped at her hand when she withdrew it with the letter. The owl was reminding her that he had flown a distance to deliver such a note and that he was hungry. Minerva couldn’t help but smile at the owl’s impatience, it reminded her of Albus at Christmas time. She tipped the owl with a few bits of ginger newts and then turned her attention back to the letter. She opened it with shaking hands and almost forgot to breath as she read the purple writing.

Dearest Minerva,

I do hope that you are well. I am looking forward to tonight and I thought
I would take you to René’s. You always loved that place and I thought it would offer the ideal atmosphere for us. I’ll be picking you up at 7pm.

My love, always

Albus x

Minerva looked at the letter once more and then back at her reflection the dressing table, she sunk to her knees and felt tears sting the back of her eyes. She did love Rene’s; it was her favourite place to eat in the world. It held many memories when it came to her and Albus, their first date had been there and he had even taken her there for their engagement dinner. She wasn’t sure she would be able to go there with him when it held so many happy memories, she would be surrounded by them and that may not make her think straight. She knew that she loved him still; she had never stopped loving him when he was missing presumed dead. If anything, her love for him had grown when he hadn’t been by her side. It had overwhelmed her, encouraged her not to give up hope even when there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

What had he meant by Rene’s offering the ideal atmosphere for them? Minerva had always found the place romantic, full of couples and love was always in the air. It had a fountain in the middle of the restaurant with secluded love seats spaced around it for courting couples. There was a dance floor and a woman always selling the finest red roses Minerva had ever seen by the door as you walked in. Soft music would float invisibly around the restaurant and the flickering of candle flames added to the ambience.

What was Albus expecting from tonight? She wanted to talk and try to set something’s straight and see what the future held for them. Rene’s wasn’t exactly the ideal place to talk seriously about what had happened. She couldn’t exactly go into detail about her having to cancel their wedding or about her searches for his body when romance was in the air.

Had he suggested going there because of that very reason! Was he trying to divert attention away from what had happened? Was he going to try and sweet talk her around to his way of thinking?

Minerva just had too many questions, she was questioning his motives and was unsure if she should be going out tonight with him. Despite all her reservations, she wanted to see him. She wanted to lose herself in his blue eyes; she did want to put the past behind her. She wanted him back, her heart was yearning for him and she needed him on every level.

Tonight would be make or break and Minerva certainly hoped that he would convince her to make it.

To be continued!

[LadyJolly]

I hope he does. I feel bad for her. Though I do hope you write more soon and update keep gong it's really good.

Lady Jolly

[Krystal]

I am so glad you updated. I just hope everthing works out. Krys

[ginger newts]

I had almost forgotten about this one. I'm so glad you updated! I hope the dinner goes well, kick your muse into shape and update again soon!

[JKMcGonagall]

You updated, YES! I hope things go well for A and M on their date. Update soon.

Kay

[Jessabelle]

Very good! I can't wait for the next post!

[Jaya]

Can't wait for the date!!!

Yes... I'm greedy... I admit it...

Jaya ;D

[Alesia]

Reviewed this on ff.net but just wanted to say great chapter, loved Minerva's angst at the end.

[Kamdra]

I'm glad you updated too. I had been waiting to read more. Welcome your muse back and put it to work again.

[Jessabelle]

Please do post soon!

[QuillofMinerva]

Out of her Hands

A/n: I am so sorry that this update has taken so long to happen, I was hit with a serious case of writers block and all my current stories were affected by it. I hope this chapter was worth the wait and I’ll try and update quicker. Thanks for waiting and reviews are always lovely to get hint hint lol

Oh this chapter hasn’t been beta read so I apologise for any obvious mistakes I have missed when I read through it, I always seem to miss things. I hope it doesn’t ruin your enjoyment if you do come across silly mistakes. On with the story!

Chapter Fifteen: Nush.
Albus Dumbledore stood outside the door that led into Minerva’s cottage; he pulled out his golden pocket watch and glanced at it. The watch had been a gift from Minerva on their first Christmas together; she had said that when she had seen it in the shop that she instantly thought of him. The pocket watch had twelve hands and instead of numbers around the edge, it had little planets. It had been one of the best presents he had ever received and never went anywhere with out.

He waited till one of the hands rested upon the hour before raising his hand and knocked on the door. The moments between the knock and the door opening, seemed to last forever and Albus had held his breath. Albus hadn’t felt so nervous for ages; he was a quivering wreck inside and only hoped that he didn’t look so nervous when the door finally opened.

The door opened slowly and Albus took a sharp intake of breath when he saw two large blue eyes looking up at him. Nush, Minerva’s house elf stood looking up at him and made no effort to invite him in. Albus had remembered Nush fondly, she was devoted to Minerva and if you hurt Minerva, you hurt Nush. Nush had been in the family for years; she had worked in the McGonagall family mansion but when Minerva moved out into the cottage, Nush had asked to go with her.

“Hello Nush!” greeted Albus softly

Silence!

“That is a nice pillow case!” he said as he observed she was wearing an eggshell blue pillowcase.

Nush proudly smoothed the kinks out of the pillowcase with her small hands and then looked at the wizard. “Mistress, not ready yet!”

“May I come in and wait?” asked Albus

“Mistress said to ask you in,” said Nush as she opened the door some more and beckoned him in to the cottage.

The cottage was toasty warm, still as welcoming as it had always been and Albus instantly felt calmness sweep over him. It had been a while since he had been inside her cottage, the last time being when he was helping her move out of it and into the place he had built for them to live in. Minerva had been so happy when Albus had asked her to move in with him, she had thought that had meant living with Aberforth in the family home but that was soon put right when Albus showed the cottage he had made for her. Alastor had told him that Minerva had been living in their cottage until very recently but left because it was coming too much for her. Albus was living there now but it wasn’t his home anymore, his home was with Minerva and he had to try and get that back.

“Nush was very upset to see her mistress upset,” spoke Nush matter of factly “Nush does not like her mistress to be upset!”

“I didn’t handle the situation very well,” replied Albus, he had really mucked things up “I would very much like to make it up to Minerva!”

“Nush thinks you should!” said the house elf before she disappeared.

Albus was left alone in the front room of the cottage, pictures on the mantle piece caught his eye and he walked over to have a closer look. There were a couple of pictures of Minerva’s mother and father with their backs to one another; they had obviously had a disagreement about something. The next picture was of him and Minerva; they were sat together on a large swing. There seemed to be awkwardness in the picture that certainly hadn’t been present before, Albus remembered the swing very well and it hadn’t been awkward at all. The swing was in the grounds of the McGonagall family estate and Albus and Minerva were there because they had just recently announced their engagement to a select few. Her mother had demanded that they let her throw a small engagement part for them and Albus and Minerva caved in and let her. Albus and Minerva had escaped to the swing for some peace and quiet that evening and had been enjoying it until her mother had appeared with a magical camera. There were a few more pictures of them together on the mantle piece and Albus smiled as he remembered all the memories that were attached to them. His life with Minerva had been the best type of life, they loved each other and he had ruined it because he had been selfish.

He hadn’t planned on hurting Minerva; it actually hadn’t come into mind that he would be at the time. He was so wrapped up in what he was going through that others didn’t really get a second look. He was ashamed of himself and he didn’t want pity from her, from anyone so he had taken things into his own hands and done what he thought was best. He had seen the error of his ways and had returned, granted he should have sent an owl to warn Minerva of his arrival but he had wanted to see her and a owl might have made her run from him quicker than she already did.

She had agreed to dine with him this evening and things seemed to be getting back on track, he knew it wasn’t going to easy but he had made a start. He hoped that within time she could forgive and accept him back in her life, that’s all he wanted.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!” came a voice from behind him.

Albus jumped slightly, he had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he had failed to notice her entrance. His back was to her but he could smell her, she was wearing his favourite perfume and the one he brought her every birthday. It was intoxicating just as she was and always would be. He turned around slowly and came face to face with his goddess, she was wearing some beautiful pale blue robes and her hair was up in a French twist. She looked radiant and Albus felt himself fall in love all over again with her. She did look slightly tired and Albus was sure it was something to do with him but he was going to make a new start for them tonight. He would ask her if she would allow him to court her properly and to take things at her pace.

“I haven’t been waiting long!” he finally answered, “Nush showed me in!”

“She wasn’t too standoffish with you,” asked Minerva “was she?”

“She was how I expected her to be Minerva,” he replied with a smile “fiercely devoted to you! I see she has a new pillowcase!”

“I had to pretend I was throwing it away,” explained Minerva “she left it in the bin for three days before getting it out and putting it on. I would have gladly given it to her but she worries that I can not cope without her.”

Albus smiled and nodded his head; Nush had always been under the assumption that Minerva could not cope without her even though Minerva was one of the most together people he knew. Nush had come with Minerva when they had moved into their cottage and was always picking up after him, it drove him mad at times when Nush had moved something from the spot where he had left it because it made the place look untidy.

“Your radiant Minerva!” stated Albus as he looked directly into her emerald green eyes.

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks and she looked down at the ground, Albus loved it when she went all coy on him and he was glad to see that hadn’t changed.

“Thank you Albus,” she replied softly.

“I brought you these!” he said as he conjured some roses out of thin air and handed them to her

Minerva took the roses and brought them to her nose, she took in the scent and closed her eyes. She could imagine herself in a field full of these flowers, walking hand in hand with the man across from her. They had done that many a time, walked through fields filled with wild flowers hand in hand, they had even made love several times amongst nature.

“They are beautiful.” She answered with flushed cheeks

“Nush be taking them flowers Mistress!” came a voice from the doorway; the house elf dashed forward and took the flowers from Minerva before disappearing again with a faint pop.

“Shall we make our way to Rene’s my dear?” he said as he offered her his arm.

She simply nodded and threaded her arm through his and rested her hand on his arm, he placed his own hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze before activating the portkey that had been in his pocket.

To be continued!

[Miss Q]

Oh, I've looked forward to this! And it was certainly worth the wait! It's a lovely chapter and I look forward to see Albus work his way toward winning Minerva back.

I'm very glad that you're writers-block is gone and I hope it stays gone!

M

[Sensiblyquirky]

Yay, an update! Hopefully your writer's block is completely gone, and we can see many updates from you. I liked this chapter, and I hope Albus can work things out with Minerva.

Christy

[Hogwarts Duo]

YAY! I'm happy she's at least giving him a chance to make things right again. Hope the muse cooperates and will allow you to get us the next bit quickly. ^_^

[ginger newts]

Oh goody, an update. I hope the dinner goes well and they get back on track quickly. Update again soon!

[Jaya]

I'm glad that Albus can finally see that he was in the wrong... and I'm glad he is so intent on wooing Minerva... let her give in... but not too easily... please?

Jaya

[QuillofMinerva]

Out of her Hands

A/N: Many thanks to those of you who took the time to review the last chapter. I am so glad to see that you still remember this story and haven't forgotten about it. One more chapter (I think) after this one and then it’s all done and dusted. A huge thank you to Ang who agreed to beta read this chapter for me.

Chapter Sixteen: Rene’s
Minerva felt a hand rest upon her hip as they reached their destination. The hand prevented her from stumbling and landing on the floor in a very unladylike manner. It seemed that Albus still remembered how unsteady she was when it came to using a portkey. He would always grip her tightly when they chose this type of transportation. Minerva always felt rather seasick after using a portkey. Her vision would be a bit blurry at first and she often needed to sit down and collect herself before setting off again. She avoided taking a portkey as much as she could but sometimes she couldn’t get out of it and she used to suspect that Albus would suggest taking one so he could be her knight in shinning armour.

“How do you feel my dear?” he asked softly.

“Like I have had one too many gillyweeds!” she retorted.

Albus smiled and led her over to a park bench that was set back from the path. He helped her sit down and sat beside her. He held her dainty hand between his two larger ones, his thumb grazing against the palm of her hand.

“Maybe we should have simply apparated!” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

Minerva looked up at him and couldn’t help but smile at the mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes. She shook her head and looked down at their hands. It was lovely to experience his touch again. It had been such a long time since she had felt it but at the same time, it felt like she had never been without it. She felt Albus begin to pull his hands away and she had to act quickly otherwise she might lose her nerve. She gripped on to his hand tightly.

“I am not going to leave you!” he said without realising what he had said until it was too late.

“That is what you said last time!” she answered sadly, still not letting go of his hand.

Tears were stinging the back of her eyes. She was trying to hold them back because she didn’t want to cry this evening. She had done enough of that over the last eight months and she was tired. Tonight, she had hoped would be the ending of the last few months and that they could look forward and not behind. But it still hurt her to know that he hadn’t wanted to see her when he was at his lowest.

“Did you think I would stop loving you?” she asked.

“I thought you would stay because you thought it would the right thing to do,” he answered. They had gone through this many times now and he understood why but he wished they could move on.

“Albus,” she said looking up at him “you know there is only one person who can decide for me, don’t you?”

“Yes I do,” he answered.

“And who is it?” she asked.

“You, he replied. It seemed she was most annoyed with him because he took her independence from her, her chance to choose from her.

Minerva had always been fiercely protective of herself and the decisions she could make. They were hers and Albus remembered clearly how hard it was for her to let him share her life because she had to make mutual decisions with someone rather than going off and doing what she felt was right for her.

“You always told me that we needed to make decisions as a couple,” she said softly “but you went back on your own words, Albus. What makes it right for one person but wrong for the other one?”

“Minerva,” he said seriously “I admit that I was wrong. I am only human after all and at the time I did what was best for me because I didn’t want you to leave me or be with me for the wrong reasons. I made the decision. The fault lies with me and I understand the hurt and confusion you are feeling because I would feel the same. But I am back now. I came back. That must mean something!”

Minerva reached forward and cupped his face in her hands, looking into blue eyes and seeing the emotions that were there made her forgive him instantly. For the first time since the situation had happened, she was seeing it from his point of view and she was sure that she would have probably made the same decision. Her delicate finger brushed away a tear that had fallen from his eye and she leaned forward, touching her lips against his softly in a gentle kiss before pulling away and smiling.

“Minerva?” he whispered, he wasn’t sure what the kiss had meant.

Minerva was finally aware of her feelings. They had always been there but just hidden by her anger. She knew that she couldn’t live or function right without the man beside her in his life. The past few months had shown her that. She had never relied on a person as she had on Albus. He was the glue that kept her together and she couldn’t let him walk out of her life. She understood his reasoning and part of her loved him even more for it. She realized how hard it must have been to come back like he did and he had come to her first. He was sitting beside her, looking like a confused muggle child who had just been told that Father Christmas did not exist. She could tell he was waiting for her to speak and tell him what was going on between them.

“It means,” she said softly “that it is time to forget the past and move on, hopefully like we had planned!”

“Really?” he asked, his heart was beating so fast and so loud that he was sure that she could hear it pounding against his chest.

“Yes,” she repeated, “can we move on together Albus?”

“Oh yes my darling,” he said as he pulled her into his arms and held her to him. “Thank you!”

Minerva snuggled into his chest and took in the smell of his aftershave. She savoured the feel of his arms locked around her and she felt at home at last. The past few months flew out of her mind and she felt herself ready to forgive and forget. She couldn’t believe that it had taken her so long to see what she was missing by being angry with the one man who was her everything. His hands rubbed soothing circles in her back and she began to purr contently as she snuggled deeper into his chest. Her arms wrapped around his waist. She sighed as she felt his lips trail along her jaw line until they found her lips. The kiss was soft and gentle. Months of loneliness, want, and need flowed through their locked lips.

“Oh the gods, how I have missed you!” he whispered against her lips.

She smiled against his lips and kissed them softly again, covering his face with small butterfly kisses till she broke out into a very girlie giggle that surprised her as well as Albus. She rested her forehead against his and sighed. They remained there silently for a few moments until they heard Albus’ stomach grumble.

“Sorry about that,” he mumbled with a grin. “Seems because of my nerves today, I forgot to eat breakfast, lunch and my sherbet lemons.”

“Come on then,” she said as she got to her feet and offered him her hand “let’s go and get something to eat before you waste away in front of me.”

With a chuckle he took her hand and then led her up to Rene’s. Their table was still available and Rene personally showed them to their table but not before saying how glad he was to see them both here again and that they had been sorely missed. Rene’s was an old fashioned restaurant with blue and white checked blinds hanging at the windows, tables big enough for two people with flowers and breadsticks as a focal point of the table. Low romantic lighting and soft instrumental music hung in the air all added to the restaurants charm. It had become Albus and Minerva’s favourite place to spend romantic meals together without having to worry about being interrupted.

The menus appeared in front of them though they were not needed because they always had the same when they came here, a large two-person bowl of spaghetti bolognese with garlic and cheese bread. Minerva wasn’t sure if they were going to order there usual. She wasn’t sure how easily were they going to slip into being a couple again and did not want to mess things up.

“Will you be having your usual?” asked Rene, his dark brown eyes gleaming the soft lighting of the restaurant.

“What do you say to our usual my dear?” asked Albus, looking at her over the top of his half moon spectacles.

“If you would like it then I wont disagree,” she said, picking her words carefully and putting the decision at his feet.

“Then our usual it is Rene and a bottle of your finest,” said Albus.

“Of course Mr. Dumbledore,” agreed Rene before disappearing off into the kitchen.

While they waited for their meal to arrive, they spoke about what had happened in the last few days concerning Poppy and Alastor and how the arrangements had to be changed for the wedding, which Poppy wasn’t overly happy about. But there was nothing that could be done. Their meal arrived along with the bread and the wine. Albus poured the wine while Minerva set about breaking up the bread into manageable pieces and it was second nature to them. Rene smiled over at the couple as he darkened the lights slightly and gave them total privacy.

“Albus,” Minerva declared with a giggle, several minutes later “I don’t know how you always managed to get it down your shirt!”

“It’s too dark,” he said in his defence “cant see where my mouth is!”

“You use that excuse every time we come here,” she said with amusement “I believed it the first time and the second but when it gets into double figures, I tend to not believe you!”

“You wound me deeply my love!” he said dramatically, placing his hand over his heart.

Minerva chuckled and reached over to clean the spot of bolognaise sauce off his robes with her napkin. He kissed her hand in thanks as she pulled away which caused her to blush slightly. The evening continued with them feeding each other and laughing. Albus got more drips of sauce down his robes and blamed Minerva for every single one of them. They skipped dessert since the pasta dish had filled them both up and they both wanted to go for a walk along the nearby lake.

The air was crisp outside and the wind whipped around them as they walked together along the bank with hands clasped tightly. They walked in silence, enjoying and savouring their time together. It felt as though they had never been parted from one another. They still knew each other’s movements and would mimic them as they walked.

“I have really enjoyed tonight Albus,” said Minerva coming to a stop and tugging him to her. “It’s been like you never went away!”

“I know my darling,” he said as he cupped her face and looked into her eyes. “Words cannot express how happy I am to be allowed back into your life!”

“We don’t always need words to express our feelings,” she replied.

“No we don’t!” he said before capturing her lips for the second time that evening. This kiss wasn’t as soft as the one they had shared before going to Rene’s. This kiss was raw and passionate, still full of love but primal as well.

They broke the kiss a few minutes later so each of them could regain their breath. Minerva touched her swollen lips and giggled. She was so happy to be like this again with Albus. She knew that things would quickly get back to normal and she was about to take the bold step and make things got back to normal sooner rather than later.

“Shall we go home?” she asked.

“Home?” questioned Albus. “The cottage?”

“Our cottage,” she replied. “Home!”

“Are you sure?” he questioned, not wanting her to make any brash decisions.

“Albus,” she said impatiently “take me home!”

To be continued!

[Miss Q]

Oh, YES! They have both finally seen the light! Thank you for this wonderfully sweet and romantic chapter!!!
And how could one forget about this wonderful story??? I know I can not, I simply HAVE to know how it goes!

M

[TartanPhoenix]

Thank you!!! They have finally come to their senses. The part about dribbling on his robes was adorable.

[Jaya]

I thought I couldn't wait for the date... but the wait was worth it! I'm so glad that things are getting back to normal for our couple...

So... do we get a bit of lemon flavouring in the next chapter???

;D

[Lady Lavendar]

What a great chapter! It was so sweet!

LL

[Jessabelle]

Yaaaa! Oh, very good .. I had figured that you had abandoned the Fic. but I am thrilled to see that you didn't. Post again soon.