Hounds of Winter

[Jessabelle]

OH MY GOD .. as if you just left off there .. please you must MUST update as soon as humanly possible .. ahhh please please post the next chapter I am begging you .. Oh I do hope that nothing bad happens to her and that Albus gets there soon .. please do update
- Jess

[Alesia]

I hate Snape. Hate him, hate him, hate him. He sooo set Minerva up for that one.

[JKMcGonagall]

I didn't see that coming either. That is a really evil place to leave us dangling. Update soon, very soon.

Kay

[nena]

Chapter 9

Lord Voldemort bent down and grabbed Minerva by the shoulders, holding her up against the wall.
“What’s the matter Minerva, you don’t seem too happy to see me?” he said with a chuckle.
Minerva struggled to get out of his grasp, but he was holding her too high from the ground.
“Let go of me!” she said pathetically, knowing he would do no such thing.
Voldemort laughed at her struggles, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “I’ll never let go of you.”
“But, I still have two weeks left” stuttered Minerva.
Voldemort laughed again, “Oh, I know. I’m just giving you a taste of more to come.”
He began to kiss all over her neck, and then finally making his way up to her mouth, and plunging his tongue full force into it. Minerva tried pull away, but he just pushed her head against the wall. Finally he broke away, leaving Minerva gasping for breath, and on the verge of unconsciousness. He then bent his head and bite her hard on her shoulder, drawing blood. Minerva let out a little whimper, which only made him bite harder. When he was finally satisfied that he’d left his mark on her, he let her crumple to the floor.
“Off you go now, go tell that old git upstairs.” he said teasingly.
He knelt down and whispered in her ear, “I’ll be seeing you soon enough.”
With that he changed into a snake and slithered out of the door.

*******

Albus knew something was wrong when he walked by Minerva’s classroom, and heard lots of talking. Upon further inspection he found out that Draco Malfoy had insulted Minerva, at which point she had taken him up to see him. A wave of panic raced through Albus as he realized both Minerva and Draco were missing. He sent the students away, not wanting them wandering around, and he began searching for the two missing people.
As Albus made his way upstairs he saw that one of the old classroom doors was slightly ajar. His heart raced as he pushed it open. He wasn’t prepared for what he saw; there laid Minerva, crumpled on the floor. He ran over to her and laid her head on his lap. He performed a simple scanning spell, to see if anything was wrong with her. Everything checked out, so Albus picked her up in his arms and began walking towards his office. When he finally got there, he walked into his bedroom and laid her on his bed. He conjured a chair and sat beside her. He saw the bite mark on her shoulder, which had stopped bleeding, and began to doubt that Draco Malfoy had anything to do with this. Fawks flew in and shed a few tears on the wound, and it quickly disappeared.
After a few minutes Minerva began to stir, as Albus brushed back a stray piece of hair from her face. She slowly opened her eyes, and looked at him a moment. Her eyes seemed so clear, Albus almost got lost in them.
“Minerva, I need you to tell me what happened.” he said gently.
She slowly nodded, and swallowed, “I was bringing Malfoy up to see you, when he attacked me.” she paused, regaining her composure, “he pushed me into a classroom, but when I looked up...it wasn’t him anymore.”
As Minerva let out a sob, Albus stroked her head, “Minerva who was it?”
She looked up again, “It was him; it was Tom” she said trying to control her voice, “He said that...that he was ‘giving me a taste of things to come’, and that he would ‘see me soon enough’.
She was sitting up now, “Oh, Albus! I was so scared. I tried to fight...but I...” she trailed off.
Dumbledore tipped her chin up with his finger, and looked her in the eye. “Minerva, you were caught off guard, that’s all. You are one of the strongest people I know, you have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“What are we going to do? We only have two weeks left, and there is no way that Hogwarts can last a long siege, not full of students.” she said distressed, “What if we can’t do anything? What...what if he takes me?” her voice quivering.
Albus put his either side of her neck, “I’ll always protect you Minerva, no matter what.”
Minerva stared at him a moment, then she slowly moved forwards, closer and closer, until finally their lips touched and they kissed. Minerva had never felt so happy, it was pure bliss. But when they finally parted, Minerva turned away,
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that”
Albus smiled and turned her face to look at him, “Yes you should have, Minerva, we should have done it years ago”
With that he pulled her into a second kiss, and Minerva pulled him on top of her. Albus looked at her a moment,
“Are you sure Minerva?” he asked cautiously.
“Albus, I’ve never been so sure about anything my entire life.”
Albus couldn’t help but feel younger, when he was with Minerva.

*******

Minerva slipped out of Albus’ arms, wrapped herself in one of his dressing gowns, and went to make a cup of tea. She was pouring in the milk, when she realized something.
“Shit!” she cursed.
She had missed all of her classes, and lunch, and now she only had 30 minutes before she had to watch Severus’ class. She carried the two cups of tea over to Albus’ bedroom; opening the door with her foot. There was a great clash as she saw the man lying on the bed.
Albus jumped when he heard the two tea cups crash to the floor. He opened his eyes to see Minerva staring wide-eyed at him.
“Dear, I understand my good looks cause women to stare, but really,” he said, his eyes twinkling, “I liked those tea cups.”
Minerva blinked a couple of times, not quite believing what she was seeing. It wasn’t possible.
“Albus, I think you should look in the mirror.” she said.
Albus gave her a strange look, was there something on his face? He walked over to the mirror, and jumped back. He was looking into the bewildered blue eyes of an auburn-bearded wizard. It was like looking at a photograph from years ago.
“How did this happen?” asked Minerva, looking slightly scared.
“I do believe the curse has chosen me to challenge Voldemort.” said Albus, slipping on a dressing gown.
“What!?” exclaimed Minerva, could curses do that?
“I’m guessing that if the victim of the curse has sexual intercourse, with another person, they are automatically chosen as challenger.” said Albus, rather nonchalantly.
“You make it sound as though it’s no big deal!” said Minerva irately, “You could get killed doing this.”
“Ah, but you forget.” said Albus with a smile, “I’m 40 again.”

[Alesia too lazy to log in]

Oh that rocks, a 40 year old Albus will KICK old Tommy Tom to the curb in a heart beat.

he he he he he Moldy Voldy goofed! ;D


BTW Nice story, I like were you are going with this.

[Jessabelle]

Thank God she is okay! And, yaaaaaa! Albus is sooooo going to win! He has to! I just hope no one gets seriously hurt at Hogwarts. Minerva will feel so guilty if they do. Anyways, great post and keep up the great writing!
- Jess

[Isabelle]

OMG! Albus is so going to beat Tom. I really getting in touch with my inner Valley girl. That's kind of scary! Anyway, I look forward to the next part!

Liz

[JKMcGonagall]

A forty year old Albus against Lord Voldemort...should be no contest at all. Albus will win hands down and of course to the victor go the spoils...in this case, the fair lady Minerva. Yea!

Update soon, please.

Kay

[QuillofMinerva]

Ohhhhhhhh Albus as a younger man :0)

Great twist to the story and I can't wait for more!

Clayre x

[tanja]

yes, me too...that´s brilliant...and so cruel...but hopefully there´ll be a happy end??

[Lady Lavendar]

This story is so good! Man a 40 year old Albus against oldy moldy voldy. I can't wait.

[nena]

Chapter 10

Voldemort sat quietly in the old Riddle house. He despised this place, but it was the only place that he could conduct his business in secret. Using the Polyjuice potion had been easier than he had thought. He had to admit, he had rather amused himself. Class with Minerva had been unforgettable; he couldn’t believe his eyes at first; she looked absolutely ravishing. And the look on her face when he asked his questions. He chuckled to himself; he had counted on Minerva taking “Draco” up to see Dumbledore. He saw his chance once he got to the second floor. She never saw it coming and the pure terror he saw in her eyes when he revealed himself, he laughed, and it was all so easy.
He leaned back, in half a week it would be Christmas, and then they would attack. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Dumbledore’s face as Hogwarts fell, and he killed him. Everything is just so perfect, not only did he get Hogwarts, he got to kill Dumbledore, and that Potter boy, and of course Minerva would be his. He looked at his clock, time to go again. Everything was going just as he planned it.

*******

Minerva flattened out her dress, and looked at her hair for the last time in the mirror. ‘Had she always been this vain’ she thought to herself.
“You look lovely,” said Albus as he walked behind her and kissed her cheek.
Minerva smiled at him, enjoying the feeling of being madly in love. She turned around and kissed him again, her arms going around his neck.
Albus reluctantly pulled away, “Don’t you have a class in 15 minutes?” he asked sadly.
Minerva pouted, “Unfortunately”.
She smoothed down her dress one more time, and kissed Albus on the cheek.
“See you at dinner.” she said walking out the door.
As Minerva made her way towards Snape’s classroom, she suddenly felt as though there was still hope left. She smiled and walked briskly ahead. She managed to get there a few minutes before bell rang, just enough time to look over Snape’s lesson plan. As students started sitting down in the desks she looked up and felt the blood drain out of her face. There, sitting at the back of the classroom, was Draco Malfoy.
‘It’s not him,” she told herself, ‘he wouldn’t come back’
She gathered her thoughts, and took her eyes away from the boy.
“Professor Snape had urgent business to take care of, so I will be filling in for him. Now, he said you would be reviewing today, is that correct?” she asked the students.
“I’m afraid not professor,” said Hermione Granger, “We reviewed yesterday.”
“Oh, then would anyone know what Professor Snape had planned next?” she asked.
“He said he would be telling us about dark magic curses,” Said Harry, “but that was last Friday.”
“Did he say which one he was going to start with” asked Minerva.
The students looked down, no one willing to give the professor an answer.
“He said he would start with the Levatoris curse, ma’am.” said Draco Malfoy, smiling to himself.
He had been told by Crabbe and Goyle that the Dark Lord had been successful in passing as him that morning. He smiled as he imagined McGonagall’s surprise when he turned into the Dark Lord. He looked up expectantly at McGonagall, who had gone surprisingly white.
“Did he?” said Minerva, swallowing her fear, “Well, I’m afraid I don’t have Professor Snape’s selected text on that subject, so we’ll have to do another one.”
“He didn’t tell us what other ones we were doing.” said Draco.
“Well then, you’ll just have to read the selected chapters and save any explanations for Professor Snape,” said Minerva, “I do believe its chapter 12”
The students opened their books, and began reading the chapter, all save for one.
“Do you not have a book Mr. Malfoy?” asked Minerva.
“Oh, I have a book, I just don’t feel like getting it out” said Malfoy
The other Slytherins began to chuckle, and Minerva narrowed her eyes.
“Mr. Malfoy, I suggest you get your book out, unless you plan on serving detention after Christmas break.” threatened Minerva.
“I wasn’t aware you would be with us after Christmas, Professor.” said Draco smugly.
“Oh, weren’t you? I’ve been here every year after Christmas, Mr. Malfoy,” said Minerva tartly, “I can’t imagine why I would miss this one.”
With a flick of her wand, Draco’s book flew out of his bag, landed on his desk, and flipped to chapter 12. Everyone looked at the professor in amaze.
“Start reading Mr. Malfoy.” she said as she pocketed her wand and sat behind the desk.

*******
(A few days later)

By the time Albus got to the Great Hall, it was already half-way full of students, and the noise level was pretty high. The Christmas tree Hagrid had brought in from the forest, was aglow with the numerous decorations, and various Christmas banners hung from the wall. He strolled down the isle and sat down in his chair; the students had gotten over the initial shock of his apparent transformation, and now were only interested in what was happening in a few days. Albus turned towards Minerva, who had gotten there a few minutes earlier than him.
“How are you, my dear?” he asked.
Minerva smiled; he always had a way of making everything seem normal. It was two days before Christmas, and their plan as of now was to do their best to keep Hogwarts in their hands, and keep Minerva away from Voldemort.
“Good, considering I haven’t slept in days.” said Minerva.
“That would have nothing to do with the fact you spent the last two nights in my room,” said Albus, teasingly, “Does it?”
Minerva blushed, even with the oncoming siege; the last two days had been absolutely wonderful.
At this point Albus turned to the now full hall and Minerva tapped her glass. The hall fell silent, and Dumbledore clapped his hands. The clinking of knifes and forks began, and Minerva started to chat to Albus about something she had read.
Halfway through the meal, there was a loud clash of thunder outside. Minerva and mostly everyone else jumped at the sound of it. Soon enough there was a full fledged storm outside. They continued eating, but at the first strike of lightning, the Great Hall was plunged into darkness.
Many of the students let out screams of surprise, and soon a great commotion filled the Hall.
Minerva tried to get some light using her wand, but as soon as the spell started, it was as though someone extinguished it. She heard the mutterings of her fellow teachers, and realized that there must be some kind of charm or spell that stopped them from using magic to get light.
“SILENCE!” boomed a great voice.
The noise and movement stopped and the students turned their eyes towards their headmaster.
“Now I realize that this is an awkward position, but I must ask that everyone remain calm, and try to make their way back to their seats, if they are indeed out of them.” said Dumbledore, calmly, but with a slight edge in his voice.
The students blindly moved to get back to their seats, stepping and bumping in to many of their fellow students and tables. Many of them just ended up sitting on the floor, most likely miles away from their original seat.
As the slight rumble of the thunder seemed to get closer, many of the students began to speak in hushed whispers.
Minerva sat, with her head turned towards Albus, waiting for him to say something, but before he could, strong hands grabbed her from behind and pulled her backwards, knocking over her chair in the process. The noise was loud enough to get Albus’ attention in seconds, and the students became equally more anxious when they heard voices coming in around them.
Minerva was pulled tightly against her captor’s chest, and he put his arm across her chest; so his forearm pushed down painfully on her breasts. She didn’t know where his other hand was but she suspected it was holding a wand. She raised her arms and grabbed his, trying to pull away. He chuckled, and only pushed down harder, causing Minerva to wince at the pain. She could feel his breath on the side of her neck, as he lowered his head and whispered into her ear.
“I thought I would drop by just a little early,” said Lord Voldemort’s silky voice, “Knowing you, you would have this place surrounded by aurors Christmas day, so I decided to surprise you.”
Minerva tried to wiggle out of his hold, but only succeeded in getting the wind knocked out of her.
“I wouldn’t try that again if I were you.” said Voldemort.
As Minerva regained her breath she began to protest, “But, the curse will only take affect on Christmas day,” she said, weakly.
“Ah, but we still have those two other steps to take care of, don’t we?” said Voldemort, “You didn’t think I would leave it till the actual day, did you?” he taunted.
Minerva felt her stomach lurch, ‘How could she have been so stupid?’
With that Voldemort spoke a few muffled words, and the Great Hall was filled with a dim light, hardly enough to see by. But Voldemort wasn’t met with the bewildered, and scared look of students, instead he came face to face with the piercing blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore; who was pointing his wand right in Voldemort’s face.
When the students eyes adjusted, and they saw the scene before them, they gasped and screamed in horror. Things got even worse as they realized they were surrounded by Deatheaters. Harry already had his wand out, and surprisingly found himself pointing it at Professor Snape. Harry realized he had been right all along, as his wand nearly met with the tip of Snape’s.
Up at the staff table, no one was moving. Many of the teachers couldn’t believe their eyes, not only was Voldemort holding Minerva hostage, Snape, their colleague, was now pointing his wand at Harry Potter.
“Let her go Tom,” said Dumbledore, icily.
Voldemort smiled, “It’s going to take more than that old man,” he said tightening his grip on Minerva, causing her to wince again, “You are surrounded, and if you make a single move, my deatheaters will attack your students.”
Albus didn’t need to turn around to see that he wasn’t bluffing; he could see the look in Minerva’s eyes, telling him there was no hope. He slowly lowered his wand, silently cursing himself for not being able to protect Minerva.
Voldemort smiled, “That wasn’t so hard, was it old man,” he said, eyes glinting evilly, “Besides, I can’t have all my fun now; otherwise there’ll be nothing left to do in a week, on Christmas.”
There was a great flash, and Voldemort disappeared, along with all his deatheaters, and Minerva. A couple students screamed, but most were too dazed from what had just happened right in front of them. The rumors that had been spreading had finally been proven true; He Who Must Not Be Named did have a score to settle with Professor McGonagall, and apparently, Professor Dumbledore couldn’t stop it.

*Please don't kill me!

[tanja]

more, more, more i can´t stand it much longer as a few hours !!!!!
that´s sooooooooo fantastic, but sad, of course...
again: MORE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jessabelle]

That was good .. and interesting, but I personally like to think that Dumbledore would have been able to do something more or at leasst stall voldemort and have others take care of the Deatheaters. Please post again soon.

[nena]

You'll find out later why he wasn't able to do more....

Thanks for commenting!

[tanja]

but not so much later, I hope ;-)

[nena]

I don't know about this chapter, I might change it later.... but tell me what you think.


Chapter 11

Minerva felt sick as her feet touched the ground. She had no idea how they just got out of Hogwarts, but she hoped she never had to do it ever again. They had appeared in a darkly clad room, which looked as though it had come out of the dark ages; the furniture was all antique and everything was dark and gloomy. Tom quickly took hold of her arm, and harshly pulled her towards another door, which he opened with a wave of his hand. As he pulled her into the room, she wondered were all the deatheaters had gone. She still hadn’t gotten over the image of Snape pointing a wand at Harry. Once her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, she realized that it was a bedroom, and a nice one.
“This is my bedroom,” said Tom, taking her by the hand, “Now it’s our bedroom.”
“Your crazy to think that I’ll even sleep in the same room as you!” spat Minerva, regaining her usual fiery persona.
Voldemort glared at her, “You’d be crazy not to” he snapped.
He pushed her down, onto the bed, and ran his hands over her body. Minerva tried to push his away, but he caught her hands and pulled out his wand, muttering a spell that bound her hands with cloth. He then held her head, and passionately kissed her, to the point were Minerva could hardly breathe. When he broke away, he looked at her, and it was almost as if she saw a glimpse of the gripping green eyes that he used to have. His hands began to roam her body again, and she was pulled back from her daze.
“Get off of me!” she said as she squirmed and wiggled.
Voldemort moved his body so that Minerva’s legs were controlled and then grabbed her waist and held it in his iron grasp.
“I think it’s about time you cooperated,” he said, annoyed, “don’t you?”
Minerva opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced as Voldemort’s mouth covered hers, and he began to un-clasp her dress. Her eyes widened as she knew her luck was running out. She desperately tried to fight back, but he just roughly pushed her back. He slipped her dress off her shoulders, and pulled it down to her waist. Minerva closed her eyes, not believing that it was happening. She let out a whimper as his rough hands ran over her exposed body and then pulled her dress down even lower.

*******

The next morning, Minerva woke up feeling sore all over. She gently lifted herself out of bed, and looked around. Tom had apparently left already, leaving a note on the side table beside her.

Minerva-
I have business to attend to this morning, and will not return until before dinner. I have taken the liberty of buying you some clothes, which I think will suit you nicely.
You are free to roam around the Manor, as nobody but the servants are home. You will be interested to know that it once belonged to Salazar Slytherine, which has been passed down from generation to generation.
Talk to the servants if you require anything.
Yours eternally,
Lord Voldemort

Minerva left the note on the side table, and walked over to the closet. She opened it up and picked out a silvery-blue dress, which had the highest neckline out off all of them. She slipped it on and went to the mirror to have a look. She gave her reflection a distressed look; the bodice had thin, spaghetti like straps, and pushed her breasts up. A shimery see-through material went across her chest, resting on her upper-arms, and going on to form sleeves. The skirt was long, and made of a darker material, but still light. The entire outfit seemed to sparkle slightly every time she moved. Even she had to admit that she looked amazing in it.
She had kept most of her hair down, pulling just a little from the top and pinning it back; then letting her curls fall gracefully down her back.
As she walked towards the door, she felt her stomach rumble, and realized that she hadn’t eaten breakfast. She wandered out into the living room, and wandered were the kitchen was. She walked out into the hallway, and picked the door directly opposite to her.
As she walked in, she knew instantly it wasn’t the kitchen. The entire room was made out of marble, with colors ranging from the darkest blacks to the lightest grays. As she walked around the room, all she could hear was her heels making a gentle ‘clop’ every time she moved, and the faint rustle of her dress. There were no windows, save for a glass pyramid, which came down from the ceiling, sending rays of light through the room. Her stomach rumbled again, reminding her of her original mission.
She walked out, and continued to walk down the hallway, until she found another door, which left no doubt to what was behind it. The welcoming aroma of coffee floated out, as Minerva opened the door. The whispered chatter that had been coming from the door immediately stopped, and an old couple and a man stared at Minerva.

*******

The old woman felt her cup slip from her fingers, and crash to the floor. She jumped as she heard the noise, but couldn’t take her eyes off of the young woman in front of her. Thelma Hillocks was 80 this year, and she could remember every person she had ever met. When that woman walked in the door, she thought she was seeing things.
‘Don’t be silly!’ she told herself, ‘She’d be at least 70 by now.’
But there was something about her face, there was only one like it.
“Minerva?” she asked, doubting herself.
The woman’s eyes looked at her, inquisitively, how did this old woman know her name? She studied the ladies face, and then it hit her.
“Thelma?” she asked, not believing who was standing before her, “What are you doing here?”
Thelma couldn’t believe her eyes, Minerva couldn’t possibly still look like that. Then she remembered, 50 years ago, when she had been the cook for the Riddle household.
“I work here,” said Thelma, “The real question is what you are doing here?”
“I...it’s a long story,” said Minerva.
Thelma hadn’t seen Minerva in years, and the last time she had, would stay with her forever. It was Christmas day, and she was in the middle of cooking the turkey. Mrs. Riddle had said that she wanted to help, so she had left her some stuffing ingredients on the side. She was about to peel some vegetables, when she heard shouting in the hallway. She sighed, there was always shouting in the house lately, and it was a wonder they still slept in the same bed. She carried on peeling the potatoes when she heard a loud thump, and a loud, deep voice, which she knew at once to be Mr. Riddle’s. She shuddered at the thought of him; his piercing green eyes, there was just something about him that she knew was evil.
She dropped the potatoes as she heard Mrs. Riddle’s voice, cut off by another loud thump against the wall. She ran out the door, only to seep Mr. Riddle holding Minerva up against the wall, wand pointed at her chest. Luckily his back was to Thelma; otherwise she very well could have found that wand pointing at her.
She crept back into the kitchen and not a moment to soon, Mr. Riddle let out a roar of rage, and almost punched a hole through her kitchen wall. After that he just got worse and worse, Thelma never saw Minerva again, but knew that she had left him. They moved to a different house, a huge manor, which Thelma soon learned was the ancestral manor of Salzaar Slytherin. They’d been there ever since. Her and her husband, Horris, were the only other people in the house, until their son, Janus was born. Mr. Riddle, who now went by the name Lord Voldemort, rarely spoke to them, except when he wanted something specific done in the house. He never had anyone over, save for his followers, and never gave the Hillocks the choice to leave.
Now, as she stared at the face from long ago, she feared that Minerva, too, would never be given a choice to leave.

[tanja]

really interesting chapter.Poor Minerva...but brilliantly written !!!
Hope to get more soon

[Jessabelle]

Poor Minerva indeed. It was a good chapter and I am glad that you decided to introduce characters into the story that are at least familiar faces for Minerva. Please update again soon!
- Jess

[Jessabelle]

Please update.

[nena]

I am very very sorry about the long wait for this chapter, but I had to re write it agian, and I'm still not completely happy with it. But since you asked I shall post it and then you can tell me what you think I should keep or change.

Chapter 12

Xiomora Hooch looked at him as she walked towards the staff table for breakfast; he looked terrible. His eyes were empty, far from their usual brilliant selves, and even though he now looked young; he seemed to have aged overnight. The bags under his eyes were worryingly big, and she knew he wasn’t well. The loss of Minerva had shocked them all, but Albus had taken it the hardest. He hadn’t spoken to anyone, save for the occasional “Hello”, “Good Morning” and so on. She had tried several times to talk to him, but he always found a way to avoid her.
Now, as she sat down next to Minerva’s empty seat, she felt determined to corner him, and make him explain everything.

*******

Albus’ heart panged as his eyes settled on the empty chair sat silently next to him. He could almost see her before him now, her captivating dark eyes sparkling as she told him about something or another. Her delicate, but harsh Scottish accent falling upon his ears like the sweet melody of the nightingale’s song, causing strange, tingling warmth to spread over his entire body, as if he was covered by a huge blanket. The gentle blush across her cheeks and slight smile as he complimented her dress or her hair, her electrifying touch as she comforted him; all were things that he seemed to have taken for granted, and now longed for.
It was not only at the staff table that he saw her, but in the hallways, his study, the classrooms, and more recently, his bedroom. The ghost of her memory haunted him wherever he went. It was not that he minded seeing her soft face everywhere he looked, but the thoughts that came with that face plagued him like demons. The look of hopelessness in her eyes as she disappeared, leaving him devastated. He found it impossible to do any work, what so ever. He barely read the piles of letters that were slowly accumulating on his desk. He devoted all his energy to researching the elusive Levatoris curse, seeking out any kind of answers that he could find. His days were spent almost entirely in the school library or searching ministry records for any mention of the curse, and for the most part he found nothing.
He had had a hard time facing Scrimgeor though, and explaining why he suddenly looked 50 years younger, and why Lord Voldemort had developed a sudden interest in his deputy. Only Albus knew, however, that Voldemort hadn’t just developed this interest in Minerva. Oh no, Lord Voldemort had been obsessed with her since their days at Hogwarts together, and eventually it would be his undoing.

*******

Xiomora Hooch ran after Dumbledore as he walked towards his office, “Headmaster! Wait!”
He turned around and looked at her, the huge bags under his eyes gave him a look of death, and for a few minutes she wondered if he was on the brink of dying.
“Headmaster,” she said catching her breath, “I need to talk to you about Minerva”
His face went grey, and his eyes glazed over.
“I’m sorry, Madame Hooch but I have pressing business to attend to, however, I’m sure we can find time to discuss this matter at a more appropriate time.” he said, turning away from her.
Xiomora couldn’t believe her ears, ‘A more appropriate time’?
“Listen here!” she said angrily, “You’re doing her no good moping around this castle like a child! You should be out there looking for her!”
The headmaster had whirled around at her change of tone, and now his eyes held a kind of anger that she had never seen before.
“And where,” he said in a dangerously low voice, “do you suggest I look?”
When she failed to answer, he turned around and promptly made his way up the stairs, leaving the Flying Instructor in a deafening silence.

[Jessabelle]

Good update! I feel bad for both Hooch and Dumbledore, but I do kind of agree with her. He shold at least be trying to come up with a plan to get her back and although he is researching the curse that doesn't seem to be doing much for him. Post again soon!
- Jess

[nena]

Oh, your too kind!

Glad you like it!

[Alesia]

I liked the chapter. I enjoyed the touch about how Albus had had to explain his change in appearance to the Minister. It might be interesting to put a few more hooks in as to why Voldemort's obsession with Minerva would be his undoing.

Alesia

[TartanPhoenix]

The last chapter was great! Your quick change in Albus' demeanor when he was talking to Hooch showed perfectly just how much strain he's under.

[gingerkitten]

Good Job!

[tanja]

The clever Madam Hooch...you just have to love her

[nena]

I'm sorry this next chapter is taking so long, but I have had a lot to do these past weeks and a lot of things have gone wrong. So, I'm just asking for you guys to forgive me!! The next chapter is almost finished, I promise!

[QuillofMinerva]

We forgive you but we also hope to see a update soon but we all know that real life gets in the way

[Trulyamused]

More please as soon as you can. This is wonderful.

T