Post by osusprinks on Jan 24, 2007 2:54:23 GMT -5
A/N: I have to say, even if I don't get any reviews, I am so glad I finished this story. lol It took me longer than anything I have ever written before!!! I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Not mine, but then you knew that. I threw in quotes from 3 or so of my favorite movies. Extra points for those who can point them out! lol
“Excuse me, you incredibly handsome devil. May I inquire whether you are free this evening?”
“Why, my also incredibly handsome friend, I believe I am. No detentions to serve as of yet.”
The Gryffindor second years seated around them rolled their eyes in unison. It was a normal Monday morning. With all of last week’s detentions served, and as the twins somehow seemed to never get in trouble outside of the school day, each Monday morning began with Fred and George coming up with their next big idea.
Their friends and possibly even the twins themselves never knew from one week to the next what the big idea would be. Sometimes the ideas were quite tame, such as recommending to the house elves that they leave the sugar out of Slytherin’s lemonade, but sometimes they were awesome.
One week, the twins had convinced all of their year, Slytherins included, to speak to Trelawney in Pig Latin only. By the end of the week, she had cancelled all their classes and retreated so far into her rooms that even Dumbledore hadn’t been able to help. Rumor had it that McGonagall had finally climbed into the tower and convinced Trelawney, first, that their students had not been the victims of a dreadful curse, and second, that she had not predicted said curse. No one knew for sure, but it was believed that it was only when McGonagall threatened her job and said that Divination was a poor excuse for a subject anyway, that the Giant Bat had, unfortunately, been convinced to come out of her seclusion. It was a shame, but as no one was punished, they had all had a good laugh and hoped for better outcomes in the future.
As the twins began to secretly confer, it seemed the entire Great hall awaited their decision. Some, mainly those at the head table, dreaded it, but most couldn’t wait to see what the Weasley Twins would come up with next! It had been a while since the Trelawney/Pig-Latin incident, and they were itching for something big.
“Albus, they are doing it again,” Minerva sighed, shaking her head slightly as she watched a pair of Weasley-red heads bend together in quiet conversation.
“Yes, I know, my dear, and I will have to speak to them about it, immediately!”
“You will?” Minerva was shocked. For two long years, she had been dealing with the antics of the newest Weasleys to enter her house and for two years she had been asking the Headmaster to speak with them. Each time she had been met by comments such as, “Boys will be boys, Minerva,” and, “Let them have their fun. They aren’t hurting anyone.” Her favorite had been the time the twins had charmed her desk chair. When she sat down, the chair had begun to play “God Save the Queen,” and rose high above the ground, while parading her about the room. Albus’ only comment, once he had stopped laughing, had been, “You need picking up.”
She had yet to puzzle out the meaning of that one. But it didn’t matter at the moment as it was all in the past. Albus was finally taking a stand.
“Yes. They have gone too far this time!” Albus’ voice was raised and Minerva wondered if she had upset him too much. “After all, I am a patient man, but this has pushed me to my limits!”
“What has? What have they done?” Minerva began to wonder how many house points the Weasley twins could have lost in the hour she had been at breakfast. The possibilities were endless.
Albus’ face was flushed as he turned to her, his frustration evident in every movement. “Look at this and see for yourself.” Expecting something horrible, Minerva was shocked when Albus shoved his breakfast plate into her hands. On the plate sat two waffles which had been drenched in syrup, though perhaps drowned was a more appropriate term.
“They’ve done something to your waffles?”
“It’s more what they haven’t done. Look at this! The House Elves are skimping on chocolate chips again. This waffle only has one! Can you believe that?”
His frustration was matched instantly by hers as Minerva realized he had been speaking of waffles the whole time.
“Waffles? You are upset about waffles?” Minerva was unaware that she had caught the attention of the twins, who were surprised to see their professor so angry. She leaned closer to Albus, who by now was beginning to wonder exactly what he had done to incur her wrath. “The Weasley Twins are planning heaven knows what and you are complaining about not having enough chocolate in your waffles? How can you tell? They are covered in a full quart of syrup!”
“Now, Minerva, you know I need my chocolate and besides, boys will-“
She interrupted him in a deceptively calm voice. “Boys will be boys, yes Albus, I know. And some men will be boys as well. Good day!” With that she stood suddenly and left the hall in an exit reminiscent of Severus and his billowing robes. Albus stared after her, trying to figure out what had just happened.
“Say, Fred?”
“Yes, George?”
“Were we just the cause of a disagreement between our dear Head of House and Headmaster?”
“Yes, George. I do believe we were.”
“Well, we can’t let ourselves come between Hogwarts’ resident lovebirds. We must do something.”
“Lovebirds? McGonagall and Dumbledore? What are you two talking about?” The words belonged to Lee Jordon, but it was easy to see the sentiment echoed on the face of every Gryffindor within hearing distance.
“Yes. Lovebirds,” said Fred and George in unison.
“Are you sure?” asked Angelina Johnson.
“Oh yes,” said Fred.
George continued, “We make it our business to know these things. Besides, they are always together.”
“They touch constantly.”
“His eyes twinkle brighter when she’s near.”
“She always gets a far-a-way look on her face when watching him, like our mum when our dad’s been away.” Their tablemates laughed as Fred sighed, fluttering his eyelids and smiling dreamingly at George.
“And, have you seen the way he looks at her?” George asked.
In unison, the twins made a low wolf whistle.
“You know,” Angelina began, after a moment of watching their Headmaster, who was beginning to look rather forlorn. “They might be on to something.”
“Alright, I’m in,” said Lee. “What’s the plan?”
A gleeful grin, which would have sent even Godric himself running for the hills, spread across Fred and George’s faces. With a wink from Fred, George began to share the plan.
Minerva sat at her vanity, skillfully taking down her hair. Each pin was placed with precision onto a card and the card was placed in a drawer before her attention turned once again to the mirror. Sighing, she took in the deep wrinkles around her mouth and eyes before turning to the water basin to wash her face. As she patted her face dry and began applying her creams, Minerva thought back over her day, as was her habit.
She supposed that was her problem. For too many years she had done things the same, expecting different results. Same plain hairpins, same somber outfits, same strict, stern personality, and even the same nightly musings, yet she wished for a rather large difference.
She began to brush her long, dark hair as she thought about Albus. It was impossible for her to understand, try as she might, how he managed to frustrate and excite her all at once. Even this morning, when she had been so angry with him, she couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked when worked up about something, even something as silly as waffles. Even with all his fame, Albus was still a normal man with his own unique quirks.
Minerva giggled as she changed into her long, black nightgown. Perhaps “normal,” was not the appropriate word when speaking of Albus Dumbledore. Albus. He was part of her problem as well. If only he were not so handsome, so charming, so…everything, really. He had entered her life all those years ago and turned her world upside down. She had yet to recover, yet she had promised herself she would never fall in love, not again. It just did not work for her. As she moved towards her bed, ready for an early night, she heard a knock at the door, her bedroom door!
“Minerva? Are you alright, my dear?”
“Albus?” she questioned as she threw on her dressing gown, wondering why he would have let himself into her rooms.
“Yes, my dear. I did knock, but you didn’t answer. Are you decent?”
“As ever,” she said, swinging open the door. She found Albus standing only inches away, a bottle of her favorite wine in one hand and a bouquet of tulips in the other. He presented her with the gifts and kissed her cheek. Minerva willed her blush away as she busied herself, taking care of the flowers as Albus opened the wine.
He poured and handed her a glass, before sitting next to her on the couch. She curled her legs under her as she watched him drink from his own glass.
“Is that a good idea?”
“I think so.”
“Albus, be careful. You know you cannot handle your alcohol.”
He took a larger sip and watched as she rolled her head around, stretching out her neck.
“Difficult day?”
Minerva turned to him with a small smile. “It went well, though it started off rather badly.”
“Yes, about that…” Albus began.
“No, Albus. All is forgiven. There was no need for you to apologize or bring me gifts, though they were much appreciated.”
“They were deserved. You should not let me off so easily, my dear.” He took her left hand and brought it to his lips for a soft kiss.
“I tell myself that often Albus, and yet for whatever reason, I can never stay upset with you for long.” She realized that he still held her hand and was staring intently at the ring she wore upon her ring finger.
Softly, almost sensually, Albus rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, stopping when he reached her ring.
Minerva’s breath caught as he looked up, gazing into her eyes, into her soul.
“Why do you still wear it, Min? Do you still miss him?
Though few knew and even fewer remembered, Minerva McGonagall had once been married, though she had retained her maiden name. It had not been a very happy marriage, she realized now that she had never really loved Andrew, but it had been difficult on her when he was killed less than a year after their wedding. His death at the hands of Grindlewald’s followers had been part of her reason for joining in the war effort, which had lead to her meeting up with her former Transfiguration Master and current employer.
She thought of lying to Albus about her feelings, as she so often did to her mother, but she had never kept the truth from him before and now seemed a poor time to start.
“Do I miss him? No, not anymore… not ever really. I miss having a ‘him.’ Someone who knows me through and through but loves me anyway, someone to hold me close and keep me warm through the night, someone to share everything with. I miss having those things, but truthfully Andrew wasn’t those things for me. I’ve never told anyone this, but I was actually leaving him when he died. We just weren’t meant to be.”
Albus squeezed her hand lightly in understanding before gazing at her wedding ring once more. “Then why do you continue to wear his ring?”
She paused for a moment, struggling to contain her emotion. “I suppose for the same reason I wear black robes. You must understand that it is not quite mourning. No, it is more from the guilt that I never mourned as I should have.”
Albus said nothing, but watched a tear slide down her cheek. He had often wondered what had kept her from moving on after her husband’s death. He was relieved to find it was only her guilt, not her love.
Albus stood and drew Minerva up to stand beside him. Waving his hand, Albus changed her dressing gown from black to a delicate gold with red accents. He took her hand nervously and swiftly slid the offending ring off her finger. She stood before him, stunned, as he brought her palm to his lips and placed a soft kiss there. Placing the ring in her palm and closing her hand around it, he leant forward and placed the same kiss upon her lips. Slowly, he leaned back a few inches, gazing into her eyes.
“You’ve carried that guilt long enough, Minerva. Perhaps it’s time to move on?” He hesitantly kissed her once more. Minerva leaned into the kiss this time, surprising them both. She watched as he stood upright, his eyes still closed. “Goodnight, my Minerva.” He opened his eyes and smiled uncertainly.
“Goodnight, Albus.” She smiled up at him.
His smile brightened and he inclined his head closer to hers. “I really should go.”
“It is early. Would you like to stay for a game of chess? Or perhaps we could just talk?”
Thinking of cuddling with her in front of the fire and perhaps getting a few more tastes of her sweet kisses, Albus moved back into the room. “I would like nothing more.”
“If you’ll start the fire, I’ll pour.”
They smiled at each other, neither totally sure what was happening, but both sure they were happy about it.
“Is everything in place?” Fred smiled at Angelina, who had volunteered to be in charge of making sure everything was just right, as she didn’t trust the boys.
“Of course, Fred. You doubted me?”
“No, we would never do that,” said George with a smile. “Lee, you know what you have to do?”
With Lee’s nod, Fred opened the door and waved him out. “Get going, man!”
Minerva awoke to an unpleasant noise. As she slowly registered that it was someone knocking on the door to her rooms, she also registered the feel of a soft beard on her cheek, the sound of a beating heart, and the chocolaty lemon smell of Albus Dumbledore. She snuggled closer, enjoying her dream, when she heard his voice.
“Minerva… Minerva, dearest, perhaps we should answer the door.”
He leaned down to kiss her forehead, as she awoke fully and jerked her head up and away from his chest. Their heads cracked together.
“Oh,” Minerva immediately grabbed her forehead, which was now throbbing. “Albus, are you alright?”
In response he began to chuckle.
“I take that to mean yes?” She turned her head to find him holding his chin and working out his jaw.
“I was just thinking of one of Aberforth’s favorite quotes.”
She stared at him quizzically.
“There's a time in every relationship when you'll both bend over to pick something up and hit your heads together. Best to get it out of the way.”
She shook her head softly as she began to laugh along with him. “Well we’ve certainly gotten it out of the way, haven’t we?”
At that moment, the knocking on the door returned, this time more urgently. Minerva got up from the couch and looked at the time. It was just at curfew, but by the sound of the knock, a student was most likely on the other side of the door.
“Albus, could you get the door. I’ll change into something more presentable.”
He stood and looked her over from head to toe with admiration in his eyes. “You look most presentable to me, but then you always do.”
“Go,” she said, a smile evident in her voice, though she had already turned toward her bedroom door to hide her blush.
Albus took a moment to enjoy the view of her exit before opening the door to find a panting Lee Jordon.
“Dumbledore?”
“Mr. Jordon, to what do I owe this honor?”
“Huh?”
“He meant to say, what is wrong, Jordon.” Albus turned to find an impeccable dressed professor McGonagall, bun and all, at his side.
“Oh. Right. Fred and George are locked in that room on the seventh floor.”
“Which room?’ asked Minerva.
“The room directly across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy?” asked Albus.
“There is no such-“started Minerva.
“Yeah, across from that old guy and the trolls!” exclaimed Lee.
Minerva looked between the two in surprise. She had been sure there was no room there. Sooner than she expected, the three of them were standing before the door she had not though existed. Angelina Johnson stood there waiting.
Angelina and Lee both looked to Minerva for instruction, but it was Albus who spoke. “You two can return to your common room. I dare say it is about curfew and I would hate for you to get caught by Mr. Filch.”
As the two scurried off, down the hall and around the corner, Minerva looked at Albus. “Why do I feel as though I am being set up?”
“Yes, I would agree. I say we play along; they have obviously put a lot of work into this. What about you, my dearest?” He smiled as he took her left hand in hers and softly kissed her bare ring finger. The skin was sensitive after so many years of being covered and Minerva felt a shudder go through her entire body.
“Yes, Albus,” she said breathily, no longer sure what question, if any, she was answering.
Albus opened the door with a smile. The two professors stepped inside and were surprised at what they found. The room was decorated in Gryffindor colors throughout, accented with mahogany furniture. A large fireplace, complete with roaring flames, took up nearly one whole wall. Directly in front of the fire lay a luxurious rug, onto which large pillows had been stacked. Behind the rug sat a very comfortable looking sofa.
“Albus, where exactly are we?”
“The Room of Requirement, my dear,” he explained to her the complexities of the room, leaving the story of how he had come to find the room to a later date.
As he looked around, Albus was beginning to wonder what exactly the Weasley twins had required from the room, noticing a table set with strawberries, cream, and champagne.
“Thanks Professors!”
“Yes, we couldn’t have gotten out without you!”
Before Minerva and Albus had time to react, Fred and George were out the door. The professors heard a muffled, “Ostimo Obfirmo.”
Minerva looked at Albus with one raised eyebrow. “A simple door locking charm? Surely they know we could open the door if we wished.”
Albus looked around the room once more. “But do we wish, my dear? I think this could lead to a very interesting evening.”
“I had thought you might be up to something, Albus.”
“Me? Why on earth would you think…” Albus trailed off as he watched, spellbound, as Minerva began to undo her outer teaching robe.
“When I went to change, I found that my dressing gown was not the only part of my attire you changed.”
“Well…I… I mean…” Albus found that he could not form, much less complete a statement with the perfect form of Minerva McGonagall before him.
The Gryffindor-red negligee, which revealed more than it concealed, was detailed with delicate golden lace that hugged Minerva’s curves. She smiled seductively at him. “Coming, Albus?” She turned and slowly made her way to the large bed, which had suddenly appeared in the corner.
Fred, George, Angelina, and Lee shared a celebratory butter beer which the twins had gotten from the kitchens.
“That room is something else,” Angelina said. “It can really become whatever you need?”
“It’s always worked for us!” said Fred and George in unison.
“So what exactly did you guys ask it for?”
Fred smiled. “That’s classified.”
“Please?” begged Angelina. “I was pretty impressed with what it came up with.”
Fred finally answered. “We just told it we wanted a room where Dumbledore could make up with McGonagall in whatever way he would think was best.”
Fred, Angelina, and Lee laughed at the idea of their two professors making up by drinking champagne in front of a fire.
“You know, I’ve been thinking…” said George.
“Always a scary thing,” said Lee.
“No seriously, I’ve been thinking that perhaps we should forget about this whole thing?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m sure that McGonagall wouldn’t want anyone to know about tonight, especially not her students. Being locked in a room that was set up like that, with Dumbledore? It wouldn’t look right.”
“You are on to something there, my dear twin.”
The next morning, Minerva awoke to an unpleasant noise. As she slowly registered that it was someone knocking on the door to the room, she also registered the feel of a soft beard on her cheek, the sound of a beating heart, and the chocolaty lemon smell of Albus Dumbledore. She snuggled closer, enjoying this reality.
“Minerva, my dearest, perhaps we should open the door.”
Moving far enough out of his arms only to grasp her wand from the nightstand, Minerva whispered a personalized locking charm, allowing no one but herself to unlock it. “That is what we should have done last night.”
As they snuggled back under the covers and Albus cast a silencing charm on the door, Minerva spoke again.
“One hundred points to Gryffindor.”
“What for?” he dared to ask.
“For bravery and problem solving, my love.”
“Yes, I suppose that is true… One hundred more points to Gryffindor!”
“What for?”
“For this,” he said as he kissed her and mentally thanked the Weasley twins once again for their big ideas.
Thanks for reading! Love, OSUSprinks ;D
Oh, I looked for a locking spell and couldn't find one. According to some online english to latin translation site, ostimo means door and obfirmo means lock.
Disclaimer: Not mine, but then you knew that. I threw in quotes from 3 or so of my favorite movies. Extra points for those who can point them out! lol
The Big Idea
“Excuse me, you incredibly handsome devil. May I inquire whether you are free this evening?”
“Why, my also incredibly handsome friend, I believe I am. No detentions to serve as of yet.”
The Gryffindor second years seated around them rolled their eyes in unison. It was a normal Monday morning. With all of last week’s detentions served, and as the twins somehow seemed to never get in trouble outside of the school day, each Monday morning began with Fred and George coming up with their next big idea.
Their friends and possibly even the twins themselves never knew from one week to the next what the big idea would be. Sometimes the ideas were quite tame, such as recommending to the house elves that they leave the sugar out of Slytherin’s lemonade, but sometimes they were awesome.
One week, the twins had convinced all of their year, Slytherins included, to speak to Trelawney in Pig Latin only. By the end of the week, she had cancelled all their classes and retreated so far into her rooms that even Dumbledore hadn’t been able to help. Rumor had it that McGonagall had finally climbed into the tower and convinced Trelawney, first, that their students had not been the victims of a dreadful curse, and second, that she had not predicted said curse. No one knew for sure, but it was believed that it was only when McGonagall threatened her job and said that Divination was a poor excuse for a subject anyway, that the Giant Bat had, unfortunately, been convinced to come out of her seclusion. It was a shame, but as no one was punished, they had all had a good laugh and hoped for better outcomes in the future.
As the twins began to secretly confer, it seemed the entire Great hall awaited their decision. Some, mainly those at the head table, dreaded it, but most couldn’t wait to see what the Weasley Twins would come up with next! It had been a while since the Trelawney/Pig-Latin incident, and they were itching for something big.
“Albus, they are doing it again,” Minerva sighed, shaking her head slightly as she watched a pair of Weasley-red heads bend together in quiet conversation.
“Yes, I know, my dear, and I will have to speak to them about it, immediately!”
“You will?” Minerva was shocked. For two long years, she had been dealing with the antics of the newest Weasleys to enter her house and for two years she had been asking the Headmaster to speak with them. Each time she had been met by comments such as, “Boys will be boys, Minerva,” and, “Let them have their fun. They aren’t hurting anyone.” Her favorite had been the time the twins had charmed her desk chair. When she sat down, the chair had begun to play “God Save the Queen,” and rose high above the ground, while parading her about the room. Albus’ only comment, once he had stopped laughing, had been, “You need picking up.”
She had yet to puzzle out the meaning of that one. But it didn’t matter at the moment as it was all in the past. Albus was finally taking a stand.
“Yes. They have gone too far this time!” Albus’ voice was raised and Minerva wondered if she had upset him too much. “After all, I am a patient man, but this has pushed me to my limits!”
“What has? What have they done?” Minerva began to wonder how many house points the Weasley twins could have lost in the hour she had been at breakfast. The possibilities were endless.
Albus’ face was flushed as he turned to her, his frustration evident in every movement. “Look at this and see for yourself.” Expecting something horrible, Minerva was shocked when Albus shoved his breakfast plate into her hands. On the plate sat two waffles which had been drenched in syrup, though perhaps drowned was a more appropriate term.
“They’ve done something to your waffles?”
“It’s more what they haven’t done. Look at this! The House Elves are skimping on chocolate chips again. This waffle only has one! Can you believe that?”
His frustration was matched instantly by hers as Minerva realized he had been speaking of waffles the whole time.
“Waffles? You are upset about waffles?” Minerva was unaware that she had caught the attention of the twins, who were surprised to see their professor so angry. She leaned closer to Albus, who by now was beginning to wonder exactly what he had done to incur her wrath. “The Weasley Twins are planning heaven knows what and you are complaining about not having enough chocolate in your waffles? How can you tell? They are covered in a full quart of syrup!”
“Now, Minerva, you know I need my chocolate and besides, boys will-“
She interrupted him in a deceptively calm voice. “Boys will be boys, yes Albus, I know. And some men will be boys as well. Good day!” With that she stood suddenly and left the hall in an exit reminiscent of Severus and his billowing robes. Albus stared after her, trying to figure out what had just happened.
“Say, Fred?”
“Yes, George?”
“Were we just the cause of a disagreement between our dear Head of House and Headmaster?”
“Yes, George. I do believe we were.”
“Well, we can’t let ourselves come between Hogwarts’ resident lovebirds. We must do something.”
“Lovebirds? McGonagall and Dumbledore? What are you two talking about?” The words belonged to Lee Jordon, but it was easy to see the sentiment echoed on the face of every Gryffindor within hearing distance.
“Yes. Lovebirds,” said Fred and George in unison.
“Are you sure?” asked Angelina Johnson.
“Oh yes,” said Fred.
George continued, “We make it our business to know these things. Besides, they are always together.”
“They touch constantly.”
“His eyes twinkle brighter when she’s near.”
“She always gets a far-a-way look on her face when watching him, like our mum when our dad’s been away.” Their tablemates laughed as Fred sighed, fluttering his eyelids and smiling dreamingly at George.
“And, have you seen the way he looks at her?” George asked.
In unison, the twins made a low wolf whistle.
“You know,” Angelina began, after a moment of watching their Headmaster, who was beginning to look rather forlorn. “They might be on to something.”
“Alright, I’m in,” said Lee. “What’s the plan?”
A gleeful grin, which would have sent even Godric himself running for the hills, spread across Fred and George’s faces. With a wink from Fred, George began to share the plan.
Minerva sat at her vanity, skillfully taking down her hair. Each pin was placed with precision onto a card and the card was placed in a drawer before her attention turned once again to the mirror. Sighing, she took in the deep wrinkles around her mouth and eyes before turning to the water basin to wash her face. As she patted her face dry and began applying her creams, Minerva thought back over her day, as was her habit.
She supposed that was her problem. For too many years she had done things the same, expecting different results. Same plain hairpins, same somber outfits, same strict, stern personality, and even the same nightly musings, yet she wished for a rather large difference.
She began to brush her long, dark hair as she thought about Albus. It was impossible for her to understand, try as she might, how he managed to frustrate and excite her all at once. Even this morning, when she had been so angry with him, she couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked when worked up about something, even something as silly as waffles. Even with all his fame, Albus was still a normal man with his own unique quirks.
Minerva giggled as she changed into her long, black nightgown. Perhaps “normal,” was not the appropriate word when speaking of Albus Dumbledore. Albus. He was part of her problem as well. If only he were not so handsome, so charming, so…everything, really. He had entered her life all those years ago and turned her world upside down. She had yet to recover, yet she had promised herself she would never fall in love, not again. It just did not work for her. As she moved towards her bed, ready for an early night, she heard a knock at the door, her bedroom door!
“Minerva? Are you alright, my dear?”
“Albus?” she questioned as she threw on her dressing gown, wondering why he would have let himself into her rooms.
“Yes, my dear. I did knock, but you didn’t answer. Are you decent?”
“As ever,” she said, swinging open the door. She found Albus standing only inches away, a bottle of her favorite wine in one hand and a bouquet of tulips in the other. He presented her with the gifts and kissed her cheek. Minerva willed her blush away as she busied herself, taking care of the flowers as Albus opened the wine.
He poured and handed her a glass, before sitting next to her on the couch. She curled her legs under her as she watched him drink from his own glass.
“Is that a good idea?”
“I think so.”
“Albus, be careful. You know you cannot handle your alcohol.”
He took a larger sip and watched as she rolled her head around, stretching out her neck.
“Difficult day?”
Minerva turned to him with a small smile. “It went well, though it started off rather badly.”
“Yes, about that…” Albus began.
“No, Albus. All is forgiven. There was no need for you to apologize or bring me gifts, though they were much appreciated.”
“They were deserved. You should not let me off so easily, my dear.” He took her left hand and brought it to his lips for a soft kiss.
“I tell myself that often Albus, and yet for whatever reason, I can never stay upset with you for long.” She realized that he still held her hand and was staring intently at the ring she wore upon her ring finger.
Softly, almost sensually, Albus rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, stopping when he reached her ring.
Minerva’s breath caught as he looked up, gazing into her eyes, into her soul.
“Why do you still wear it, Min? Do you still miss him?
Though few knew and even fewer remembered, Minerva McGonagall had once been married, though she had retained her maiden name. It had not been a very happy marriage, she realized now that she had never really loved Andrew, but it had been difficult on her when he was killed less than a year after their wedding. His death at the hands of Grindlewald’s followers had been part of her reason for joining in the war effort, which had lead to her meeting up with her former Transfiguration Master and current employer.
She thought of lying to Albus about her feelings, as she so often did to her mother, but she had never kept the truth from him before and now seemed a poor time to start.
“Do I miss him? No, not anymore… not ever really. I miss having a ‘him.’ Someone who knows me through and through but loves me anyway, someone to hold me close and keep me warm through the night, someone to share everything with. I miss having those things, but truthfully Andrew wasn’t those things for me. I’ve never told anyone this, but I was actually leaving him when he died. We just weren’t meant to be.”
Albus squeezed her hand lightly in understanding before gazing at her wedding ring once more. “Then why do you continue to wear his ring?”
She paused for a moment, struggling to contain her emotion. “I suppose for the same reason I wear black robes. You must understand that it is not quite mourning. No, it is more from the guilt that I never mourned as I should have.”
Albus said nothing, but watched a tear slide down her cheek. He had often wondered what had kept her from moving on after her husband’s death. He was relieved to find it was only her guilt, not her love.
Albus stood and drew Minerva up to stand beside him. Waving his hand, Albus changed her dressing gown from black to a delicate gold with red accents. He took her hand nervously and swiftly slid the offending ring off her finger. She stood before him, stunned, as he brought her palm to his lips and placed a soft kiss there. Placing the ring in her palm and closing her hand around it, he leant forward and placed the same kiss upon her lips. Slowly, he leaned back a few inches, gazing into her eyes.
“You’ve carried that guilt long enough, Minerva. Perhaps it’s time to move on?” He hesitantly kissed her once more. Minerva leaned into the kiss this time, surprising them both. She watched as he stood upright, his eyes still closed. “Goodnight, my Minerva.” He opened his eyes and smiled uncertainly.
“Goodnight, Albus.” She smiled up at him.
His smile brightened and he inclined his head closer to hers. “I really should go.”
“It is early. Would you like to stay for a game of chess? Or perhaps we could just talk?”
Thinking of cuddling with her in front of the fire and perhaps getting a few more tastes of her sweet kisses, Albus moved back into the room. “I would like nothing more.”
“If you’ll start the fire, I’ll pour.”
They smiled at each other, neither totally sure what was happening, but both sure they were happy about it.
“Is everything in place?” Fred smiled at Angelina, who had volunteered to be in charge of making sure everything was just right, as she didn’t trust the boys.
“Of course, Fred. You doubted me?”
“No, we would never do that,” said George with a smile. “Lee, you know what you have to do?”
With Lee’s nod, Fred opened the door and waved him out. “Get going, man!”
Minerva awoke to an unpleasant noise. As she slowly registered that it was someone knocking on the door to her rooms, she also registered the feel of a soft beard on her cheek, the sound of a beating heart, and the chocolaty lemon smell of Albus Dumbledore. She snuggled closer, enjoying her dream, when she heard his voice.
“Minerva… Minerva, dearest, perhaps we should answer the door.”
He leaned down to kiss her forehead, as she awoke fully and jerked her head up and away from his chest. Their heads cracked together.
“Oh,” Minerva immediately grabbed her forehead, which was now throbbing. “Albus, are you alright?”
In response he began to chuckle.
“I take that to mean yes?” She turned her head to find him holding his chin and working out his jaw.
“I was just thinking of one of Aberforth’s favorite quotes.”
She stared at him quizzically.
“There's a time in every relationship when you'll both bend over to pick something up and hit your heads together. Best to get it out of the way.”
She shook her head softly as she began to laugh along with him. “Well we’ve certainly gotten it out of the way, haven’t we?”
At that moment, the knocking on the door returned, this time more urgently. Minerva got up from the couch and looked at the time. It was just at curfew, but by the sound of the knock, a student was most likely on the other side of the door.
“Albus, could you get the door. I’ll change into something more presentable.”
He stood and looked her over from head to toe with admiration in his eyes. “You look most presentable to me, but then you always do.”
“Go,” she said, a smile evident in her voice, though she had already turned toward her bedroom door to hide her blush.
Albus took a moment to enjoy the view of her exit before opening the door to find a panting Lee Jordon.
“Dumbledore?”
“Mr. Jordon, to what do I owe this honor?”
“Huh?”
“He meant to say, what is wrong, Jordon.” Albus turned to find an impeccable dressed professor McGonagall, bun and all, at his side.
“Oh. Right. Fred and George are locked in that room on the seventh floor.”
“Which room?’ asked Minerva.
“The room directly across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy?” asked Albus.
“There is no such-“started Minerva.
“Yeah, across from that old guy and the trolls!” exclaimed Lee.
Minerva looked between the two in surprise. She had been sure there was no room there. Sooner than she expected, the three of them were standing before the door she had not though existed. Angelina Johnson stood there waiting.
Angelina and Lee both looked to Minerva for instruction, but it was Albus who spoke. “You two can return to your common room. I dare say it is about curfew and I would hate for you to get caught by Mr. Filch.”
As the two scurried off, down the hall and around the corner, Minerva looked at Albus. “Why do I feel as though I am being set up?”
“Yes, I would agree. I say we play along; they have obviously put a lot of work into this. What about you, my dearest?” He smiled as he took her left hand in hers and softly kissed her bare ring finger. The skin was sensitive after so many years of being covered and Minerva felt a shudder go through her entire body.
“Yes, Albus,” she said breathily, no longer sure what question, if any, she was answering.
Albus opened the door with a smile. The two professors stepped inside and were surprised at what they found. The room was decorated in Gryffindor colors throughout, accented with mahogany furniture. A large fireplace, complete with roaring flames, took up nearly one whole wall. Directly in front of the fire lay a luxurious rug, onto which large pillows had been stacked. Behind the rug sat a very comfortable looking sofa.
“Albus, where exactly are we?”
“The Room of Requirement, my dear,” he explained to her the complexities of the room, leaving the story of how he had come to find the room to a later date.
As he looked around, Albus was beginning to wonder what exactly the Weasley twins had required from the room, noticing a table set with strawberries, cream, and champagne.
“Thanks Professors!”
“Yes, we couldn’t have gotten out without you!”
Before Minerva and Albus had time to react, Fred and George were out the door. The professors heard a muffled, “Ostimo Obfirmo.”
Minerva looked at Albus with one raised eyebrow. “A simple door locking charm? Surely they know we could open the door if we wished.”
Albus looked around the room once more. “But do we wish, my dear? I think this could lead to a very interesting evening.”
“I had thought you might be up to something, Albus.”
“Me? Why on earth would you think…” Albus trailed off as he watched, spellbound, as Minerva began to undo her outer teaching robe.
“When I went to change, I found that my dressing gown was not the only part of my attire you changed.”
“Well…I… I mean…” Albus found that he could not form, much less complete a statement with the perfect form of Minerva McGonagall before him.
The Gryffindor-red negligee, which revealed more than it concealed, was detailed with delicate golden lace that hugged Minerva’s curves. She smiled seductively at him. “Coming, Albus?” She turned and slowly made her way to the large bed, which had suddenly appeared in the corner.
Fred, George, Angelina, and Lee shared a celebratory butter beer which the twins had gotten from the kitchens.
“That room is something else,” Angelina said. “It can really become whatever you need?”
“It’s always worked for us!” said Fred and George in unison.
“So what exactly did you guys ask it for?”
Fred smiled. “That’s classified.”
“Please?” begged Angelina. “I was pretty impressed with what it came up with.”
Fred finally answered. “We just told it we wanted a room where Dumbledore could make up with McGonagall in whatever way he would think was best.”
Fred, Angelina, and Lee laughed at the idea of their two professors making up by drinking champagne in front of a fire.
“You know, I’ve been thinking…” said George.
“Always a scary thing,” said Lee.
“No seriously, I’ve been thinking that perhaps we should forget about this whole thing?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m sure that McGonagall wouldn’t want anyone to know about tonight, especially not her students. Being locked in a room that was set up like that, with Dumbledore? It wouldn’t look right.”
“You are on to something there, my dear twin.”
The next morning, Minerva awoke to an unpleasant noise. As she slowly registered that it was someone knocking on the door to the room, she also registered the feel of a soft beard on her cheek, the sound of a beating heart, and the chocolaty lemon smell of Albus Dumbledore. She snuggled closer, enjoying this reality.
“Minerva, my dearest, perhaps we should open the door.”
Moving far enough out of his arms only to grasp her wand from the nightstand, Minerva whispered a personalized locking charm, allowing no one but herself to unlock it. “That is what we should have done last night.”
As they snuggled back under the covers and Albus cast a silencing charm on the door, Minerva spoke again.
“One hundred points to Gryffindor.”
“What for?” he dared to ask.
“For bravery and problem solving, my love.”
“Yes, I suppose that is true… One hundred more points to Gryffindor!”
“What for?”
“For this,” he said as he kissed her and mentally thanked the Weasley twins once again for their big ideas.
Thanks for reading! Love, OSUSprinks ;D
Oh, I looked for a locking spell and couldn't find one. According to some online english to latin translation site, ostimo means door and obfirmo means lock.
