Post by ginger newts on Jan 10, 2005 18:09:09 GMT -5
Tell Me Truly
Minerva was almost asleep when there was a brilliant flash of flame in the air directly above her head. She uttered a brief shriek of shock and then scolded herself for overreacting. In the space where the flame had been moments ago now hovered the swan sized phoenix of her employer and best friend Albus Dumbledore. The bird flapped his large crimson wings one final time and landed gracefully atop the covers beside Minerva’s hand. He reached out one of his large talons and dropped a roll of parchment on her stomach before making himself comfortable on the bedding, apparently waiting for her to read the letter and give him a response to take back.
Expecting an emergency, Minerva reached for her spectacles and unrolled the parchment, scanning its contents quickly. Her eyes narrowed as she read the brief message and she read it twice more to be sure she had seen it correctly before throwing back the covers angrily and getting out of bed. Her feet slid automatically into the slippers placed beside the bed as her hand, just as automatically, grabbed her wand off the bedside table. In her anger and her haste to reach the headmaster’s office, Minerva forgot her dressing gown entirely. She stormed up the corridors toward Albus’ office, her black hair flowing freely behind her, eyes glinting dangerously in the low light of the torches. Minerva gave the password and climbed the revolving staircase as it moved upward, speeding her journey toward the door. It was opened from within before she had a chance to reach for the griffin shaped knocker.
“I didn’t expect you to come answer me in person, Minerva,” Albus spoke without turning away from the window where he had been observing the night sky. “Is there anything else you needed?”
Minerva stepped into the large circular office and noted that Fawkes was nestled on his perch beside Albus’ desk. He must have come back to give Albus a warning. “Traitor,” she muttered to the bird has she passed him. Fawkes simply cooed as if to say, “I’m sorry, but my loyalty will always be to him, though I like you very much as well.”
“You can explain the meaning of this!” Minerva said as she reached Albus’ side and thrust the crumpled note at him.
He turned calmly to take the piece of parchment from her and stopped in his tracks, mouth slightly open, when he took in her appearance. There were several moments of heavy silence in which Minerva crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot impatiently and glaring at Albus.
“Well?” she finally demanded.
Albus swallowed and moved his eyes from her slender emerald silk clad body to her face, wincing inwardly as he met her gaze. “Your students would be quite shocked to see what you wear to bed,” he said after a moment. “I must say I never imagined this would be what was concealed by that tartan bath robe.”
Minerva glanced down at herself and blushed. How could she have been so careless? Looking back up at Albus she spoke harshly, “Do not change the subject! Would you please explain the necessity of scaring me half to death, not to mention waking me up, by sending that fireball to bring me this at one o’clock in the morning?”
At her use of the word “fireball” Fawkes trilled a sharp note and disappeared in a burst of flame, causing both Albus and Minerva to glance toward his perch. Albus shook his head and Minerva rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry, Fawkes,” she called out in case he might hear. Then she turned back to Albus with an expectant look.
“I fail to see why this upset you so, my dear,” he said calmly, noting that her eyes narrowed further at the term of endearment. He had no idea why, he had been calling her that for years.
Minerva’s tone was incredulous and impatient when she answered him, “I fail to see... Albus, please, it’s late. Straight answers to my questions would be appreciated.”
“I know it’s late!” he exclaimed. “Perhaps you could explain to me why your reaction to my note was anger. Was it the contents? Have you come here dressed this way to torment me?”
“Would you forget about what I’m wearing and focus on this note! The timing and method of delivery are the reasons I stormed up here at this hour. And to find out just what exactly you’re playing at.”
“What I’m playing at?!” Albus’ words sounded angry, but his eyes held a hurt expression. “Minerva, if your response to my note is in the negative then just say so. No games, please.”
“Games?” she answered in surprise. “I’m certainly not the one playing games, Albus Dumbledore. Now, just why did you send me this and why tonight?”
Albus sighed and raised his hands in defeat. “I sent you that note because I knew I would never sleep again without your answer. I never thought about how unsettling Fawkes’ entrance can be or that you might already be in bed. I apologize for my methods. Now, why has this upset you so?”
Minerva began to pace back and forth in front of the window as she answered, “Well, Fawkes’ arrival did startle me greatly. Then, I thought that for you to be sending him to me at this hour there must have been some emergency. So you effectively scared me twice with a single gesture. As I read your note I wasn’t sure what to think. I couldn’t fathom why you would have sent it to me in such a manner, or at all for that matter. There was also the question of whether it was the type of cruel trick I have always considered to be beneath you.”
She stopped pacing and turned to face him, her weariness and confusion etched across her face. Albus crossed to her side in two long strides and laid one large hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture as the other softly stroked her cheek, which was flushed from her earlier anger.
“Oh, Minerva,” he said softly, hurt mixed with hope in his eyes. “I know you’ve been hurt before, but could you really doubt me so? I sent you that note because, well, I had to know. You haven’t responded to any of my more subtle attempts to find out.”
She opened her mouth to ask what attempts he spoke of, but was silenced when Albus’ lips descended and covered her own. For a moment, Minerva stiffened, and then Albus’ hand on her cheek moved under her hair to cradle the back of her head as the other found its way to her back and drew her closer. Minerva hesitated and then responded to the kiss, winding her arms around his neck and sighing as she pressed her body closer to his. Albus took advantage of her sigh to deepen the kiss, moaning as he felt the length of her body press against him.
As Minerva began to run her fingers through his long silky hair, her hands opened and both her wand and Albus’ note fell to the floor behind him. Albus broke the kiss and pulled back to look deep into her eyes, questioning her as she smiled.
“Yes, Albus. The answer is yes,” she said happily.
He matched her smile with one of his own and bent to pick her up. “Perhaps it is lucky you are wearing so little,” he breathed into her ear as he carried her to the bedroom.
Minerva blushed and hit him, but with an impish smile replied, “Indeed.”
As the bedroom door closed behind them, Fawkes reappeared in the deserted office and looked down at the partially crumpled bit of parchment on the floor. With a shake of his head, the phoenix settled down on his perch to sleep. Meanwhile, as Albus and Minerva forgot about their silly fight they both knew they would never forget the contents of the note that started it and thus began their relationship.
Tell me truly, my dear: Can you ever return my love?
The End
Minerva was almost asleep when there was a brilliant flash of flame in the air directly above her head. She uttered a brief shriek of shock and then scolded herself for overreacting. In the space where the flame had been moments ago now hovered the swan sized phoenix of her employer and best friend Albus Dumbledore. The bird flapped his large crimson wings one final time and landed gracefully atop the covers beside Minerva’s hand. He reached out one of his large talons and dropped a roll of parchment on her stomach before making himself comfortable on the bedding, apparently waiting for her to read the letter and give him a response to take back.
Expecting an emergency, Minerva reached for her spectacles and unrolled the parchment, scanning its contents quickly. Her eyes narrowed as she read the brief message and she read it twice more to be sure she had seen it correctly before throwing back the covers angrily and getting out of bed. Her feet slid automatically into the slippers placed beside the bed as her hand, just as automatically, grabbed her wand off the bedside table. In her anger and her haste to reach the headmaster’s office, Minerva forgot her dressing gown entirely. She stormed up the corridors toward Albus’ office, her black hair flowing freely behind her, eyes glinting dangerously in the low light of the torches. Minerva gave the password and climbed the revolving staircase as it moved upward, speeding her journey toward the door. It was opened from within before she had a chance to reach for the griffin shaped knocker.
“I didn’t expect you to come answer me in person, Minerva,” Albus spoke without turning away from the window where he had been observing the night sky. “Is there anything else you needed?”
Minerva stepped into the large circular office and noted that Fawkes was nestled on his perch beside Albus’ desk. He must have come back to give Albus a warning. “Traitor,” she muttered to the bird has she passed him. Fawkes simply cooed as if to say, “I’m sorry, but my loyalty will always be to him, though I like you very much as well.”
“You can explain the meaning of this!” Minerva said as she reached Albus’ side and thrust the crumpled note at him.
He turned calmly to take the piece of parchment from her and stopped in his tracks, mouth slightly open, when he took in her appearance. There were several moments of heavy silence in which Minerva crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot impatiently and glaring at Albus.
“Well?” she finally demanded.
Albus swallowed and moved his eyes from her slender emerald silk clad body to her face, wincing inwardly as he met her gaze. “Your students would be quite shocked to see what you wear to bed,” he said after a moment. “I must say I never imagined this would be what was concealed by that tartan bath robe.”
Minerva glanced down at herself and blushed. How could she have been so careless? Looking back up at Albus she spoke harshly, “Do not change the subject! Would you please explain the necessity of scaring me half to death, not to mention waking me up, by sending that fireball to bring me this at one o’clock in the morning?”
At her use of the word “fireball” Fawkes trilled a sharp note and disappeared in a burst of flame, causing both Albus and Minerva to glance toward his perch. Albus shook his head and Minerva rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry, Fawkes,” she called out in case he might hear. Then she turned back to Albus with an expectant look.
“I fail to see why this upset you so, my dear,” he said calmly, noting that her eyes narrowed further at the term of endearment. He had no idea why, he had been calling her that for years.
Minerva’s tone was incredulous and impatient when she answered him, “I fail to see... Albus, please, it’s late. Straight answers to my questions would be appreciated.”
“I know it’s late!” he exclaimed. “Perhaps you could explain to me why your reaction to my note was anger. Was it the contents? Have you come here dressed this way to torment me?”
“Would you forget about what I’m wearing and focus on this note! The timing and method of delivery are the reasons I stormed up here at this hour. And to find out just what exactly you’re playing at.”
“What I’m playing at?!” Albus’ words sounded angry, but his eyes held a hurt expression. “Minerva, if your response to my note is in the negative then just say so. No games, please.”
“Games?” she answered in surprise. “I’m certainly not the one playing games, Albus Dumbledore. Now, just why did you send me this and why tonight?”
Albus sighed and raised his hands in defeat. “I sent you that note because I knew I would never sleep again without your answer. I never thought about how unsettling Fawkes’ entrance can be or that you might already be in bed. I apologize for my methods. Now, why has this upset you so?”
Minerva began to pace back and forth in front of the window as she answered, “Well, Fawkes’ arrival did startle me greatly. Then, I thought that for you to be sending him to me at this hour there must have been some emergency. So you effectively scared me twice with a single gesture. As I read your note I wasn’t sure what to think. I couldn’t fathom why you would have sent it to me in such a manner, or at all for that matter. There was also the question of whether it was the type of cruel trick I have always considered to be beneath you.”
She stopped pacing and turned to face him, her weariness and confusion etched across her face. Albus crossed to her side in two long strides and laid one large hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture as the other softly stroked her cheek, which was flushed from her earlier anger.
“Oh, Minerva,” he said softly, hurt mixed with hope in his eyes. “I know you’ve been hurt before, but could you really doubt me so? I sent you that note because, well, I had to know. You haven’t responded to any of my more subtle attempts to find out.”
She opened her mouth to ask what attempts he spoke of, but was silenced when Albus’ lips descended and covered her own. For a moment, Minerva stiffened, and then Albus’ hand on her cheek moved under her hair to cradle the back of her head as the other found its way to her back and drew her closer. Minerva hesitated and then responded to the kiss, winding her arms around his neck and sighing as she pressed her body closer to his. Albus took advantage of her sigh to deepen the kiss, moaning as he felt the length of her body press against him.
As Minerva began to run her fingers through his long silky hair, her hands opened and both her wand and Albus’ note fell to the floor behind him. Albus broke the kiss and pulled back to look deep into her eyes, questioning her as she smiled.
“Yes, Albus. The answer is yes,” she said happily.
He matched her smile with one of his own and bent to pick her up. “Perhaps it is lucky you are wearing so little,” he breathed into her ear as he carried her to the bedroom.
Minerva blushed and hit him, but with an impish smile replied, “Indeed.”
As the bedroom door closed behind them, Fawkes reappeared in the deserted office and looked down at the partially crumpled bit of parchment on the floor. With a shake of his head, the phoenix settled down on his perch to sleep. Meanwhile, as Albus and Minerva forgot about their silly fight they both knew they would never forget the contents of the note that started it and thus began their relationship.
Tell me truly, my dear: Can you ever return my love?
The End
