The Great Portkey Mix Up

[Nerweniel]

Ohhhh, simply love this one! I've been to Stratford, and its such a wonderful village *delighted sigh*... I love the AD/MM cuteness... *DEEP delighted sigh*...

Love,

Baby Sister

[QuillofMinerva]

Awwww I have a silly goofy smile on my face now!

Great Update

Clayre xx

[ginger newts]

Albus woke with the sun the next morning and smiled happily when he looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms. He woke Minerva by placing several feather light kisses across her delicate face. She sighed and stretched before suddenly sitting up with a soft groan.

“Where are you going, my dear?” Albus asked as she pulled away from him to sit up.

Minerva stretched her back and flexed her neck while answering, “My back and neck always hurt when I sleep in a strange bed.”

Albus smiled and sat up beside her. “Not anymore,” he answered, sweeping her long hair over her shoulder and beginning to massage her back.

He gently worked all the muscles of her back, applying soft pressure to the places that seemed the most tense. Minerva moaned softly as his hands moved over her, his long fingers lightly brushing her side as he used his thumbs to apply pressure to the muscles just beside her spine. Albus saved her shoulders and neck for last, discovering a large amount of tension.

“Minerva, your shoulders are like rocks,” he declared.

“I know,” she sighed. “It’s where I store all my tension.”

“Not anymore,” Albus repeated as he bent his head forward to trail kisses down her neck while continuing to massage his shoulders.

Minerva smiled and leaned into him as she relaxed. “Thank you, Albus,” she said after some time had passed. “I do believe that’s the nicest way to wake up.”

“Maybe we can arrange to wake you up this way every morning,” he said very softly and somewhat huskily.

She didn’t quite know how to answer that, but the implication sent a shiver of excitement through her that she couldn’t quite suppress. Once Albus was satisfied that Minerva was completely relaxed, they got up to dress for the day. The bathroom was occupied so they had to change in their room. Minerva wasn’t quite as shy has she had been the week before, but nearly dove back under the covers when she saw the intense way Albus was watching her. He was struck speechless by the site of Minerva in her new undergarments and began to fantasize about helping her out of them. There wasn’t time for that this morning, however, so Albus resolved to wait until after the play and set himself to the task of getting dressed as a mild distraction.

When she brushed out her hair and started to tie it back in a low ponytail, Albus protested and tried to stop her efforts.

“Albus,” she admonished, stepping away from him. “I can’t wear it down all day, it gets in my way.”

“Then why keep it so long?” he asked. “Other than the fact that it’s incredibly beautiful and could distract me for days,” he added with a grin.

Minerva dropped her eyes to the floor for a moment as if embarrassed to reveal her reasons. “When I was a child, my mother never allowed me to have long hair,” she explained. “She felt it was too difficult to deal with and insisted on keeping it short. After I started at Hogwarts I vowed to grow it as long as I could and always keep it that way. It does get in my way when I’m teaching or doing anything somewhat active, but I can never bear the thought of cutting it. I suppose it’s my one vanity, I just like to know it’s there and that it’s long and shiny.”

“Well, well,” he teased. “So the great Minerva McGonagall does sometimes concern herself with the so called girlish notions of appearance. You pretend not to notice you’re beautiful, but you can’t fool me.”

“I’m not beautiful,” she said softly. “Nor do I try to be. I think it’s time for breakfast.”

Albus caught up to her just inside the door, wrapping her arms around her waist and turning her to look at him. “I’m sorry for teasing you, my dear, but you are indeed beautiful. The fact that you don’t realize it makes you even more attractive.” He kissed her lightly, “Let’s go to breakfast then.”

Minerva smiled shyly as they left their room and headed downstairs, no one had called her beautiful since her mother.

After breakfast with the other guests and their landlady, Albus and Minerva set off for Shakespeare’s childhood home. There were a few other couples on the tour as well as a large group of school children. One absolutely adorable little boy, who couldn’t have been more than ten, seemed to take a liking to Albus and Minerva. Perhaps he sensed that they were teachers, Minerva thought as he followed them from room to room and even asked Albus a question about something in the house. However, when they left Albus had a different explanation.

“I do believe we’ll be seeing that one at Hogwarts next year,” he said quietly.

Minerva looked up at him in surprise, “Really?”

“Yes,” Albus confirmed. “I definitely sensed magic in him. I think he somehow recognized that we were more like him than the others and thus gravitated toward us.”

“How interesting,” she replied.

Their next stop was the small museum that housed artifacts related to Shakespeare’s works. As the moved through the exhibits a man not far behind them leaned in to look at one of the glass encased documents, not stopping soon enough, and his head bounced off the glass. Minerva had to turn her back to the man and press her face into Albus’ chest to hide her laughter, which lasted for quite some time. At first Albus thought something had upset her as her slender body shook in his arms, but then she looked up at him and he saw the obvious mirth in her eyes. He couldn’t stop himself from chuckling as well. It was rare to see Minerva laugh so hard and she usually wasn’t one to laugh at the expense of others, but when he replayed the image in his mind Albus found himself fighting against what promised to be a loud burst of laughter. (1)

He was able to wait until they were outside and away from the museum, where his laughter prompted another round of giggles from Minerva. They managed to occupy themselves all afternoon and then returned to the bed and breakfast to prepare for the play. Albus was able to talk Minerva into wearing the blue dress, thanks to a combination of puppy dog eyes and irresistible kisses. He finally revealed to her as they walked into town again that he had purchased tickets for Much Ado About Nothing at the Royal Shakespear Theatre. It was one of Minerva’s favorite comedies and Albus was rewarded for remembering that fact with a wide smile and a discrete kiss.

He had managed to procure very good tickets and was very pleased to see how happy Minerva was as they took their seats. Albus put his arm around Minerva’s shoulders as the curtain rose and she leaned sideways into him and relaxed to enjoy the show. The director of the show had chosen to set it in the 1940's during World War II rather than the original Shakespearean description of the seventeenth century. The change was interesting and brought a new dimension to the familiar work and Albus and Minerva enjoyed the play very much.

After the play Albus lead the way to the restaurant Katherine had recommended. The lighting was low and romantic and they were seated at a table in a quiet corner with a view of the town. An elderly woman came by selling roses and Albus purchased one for Minerva, earning him a soft kiss from across the table. She brought the perfect blossom to her nose and inhaled the fragrance with a soft smile playing about her lips. A violinist strolling among the tables enhanced the perfect atmosphere of the evening and leant it a somewhat dreamy quality.

The food was excellent and Albus had selected a wonderfully aged bottle of wine, two glasses of which made Minerva feel just slightly light headed. It was nearly midnight when they returned to the bed and breakfast and Katherine locked up right behind them.

“Everyone else is in for the night already,” she explained with a smile. “Did you have a good night?”

“Oh yes, it was wonderful,” Minerva answered with a smile of her own.

“I’m so glad,” Katherine said. “I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay here.”

“Very much,” they both answered as they climbed the stairs.

Katherine bid them goodnight at the landing and continued up one more flight to her own room. When they entered their room to prepare for bed, Minerva gathered together her things for the bathroom and asked, “Would you mind terribly if I took the time for a short bath?”

“Not at all,” Albus answered. “Just let me brush my teeth, and then I’ll leave you the bathroom for as long as you want it.”

They went in together and shared the sink to brush their teeth and then Albus returned to the bedroom to dress for bed while Minerva filled the tub with steaming water. As she relaxed and washed herself Minerva’s thoughts turned to Albus and what he might be expecting tonight.

[ginger newts]

True, they had been inching closer to a romantic relationship for at least a year and she was certain after this weekend that she loved him, but she felt it was a bit too soon to take that next step of intimacy. This weekend had in truth been like an extended first date. She desired him, but somehow felt that she needed more time. It had been a very long time since she had even dated a man and she had never felt the way about anyone that she did about Albus, being his friend first had brought them so much closer together than she had ever been with a suitor. There had never been a man whom she felt comfortable enough with to share that most intimate part of herself and there was no doubt in Minerva’s mind that Albus would be the one, but not this quickly.

As he pulled on his nightshirt and combed out his hair and beard Albus was having similar thoughts. He loved Minerva more than life itself and wanted nothing more than to make her happy. He desired her greatly of course, but did not wish to push her into anything too soon. Albus thought that he could be happy for the rest of his life just holding her while she slept, spending the last two nights with her had driven away a deep loneliness that had been building in him for the last several years. Minerva had always been a close friend, he felt as though he had known her for his entire life, and loving her felt like a logical development, but he didn’t wish to make her uncomfortable. He decided to leave it in her hands to decide.

Minerva returned to the bedroom a few minutes later to find Albus waiting for her in bed. Nervously, she removed her dressing gown and hung it on the back of the chair at the vanity table, allowing him a full view of her new nightgown.

“You look amazing,” he whispered from the bed.

“Thank you,” she answered softly as she crossed to his side.

Climbing into the bed, the slit in the side of her gown gave him a full view of her slender shapely leg and Albus reached out a hand to stroke the soft skin. His hand continued up over the silky material until it reached her waist and he drew her to him. Minerva settled easily into his embrace and rested one hand against his chest. Albus stroked her face with one long finger and then brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his movements slow and gentle, before he leaned in and kissed her lovingly. Minerva ran her fingers through his beard as he broke the kiss before deepening it.

“I love you, Minerva,” he said quietly, pulling back to look into her eyes. “You make me happier than I ever thought possible.”

“I love you too, Albus,” she whispered. “You make me feel so special and I haven’t felt lonely at all this weekend.”

Her hand was resting over his heart and Albus lifted it to his lips, kissing her palm before returning her hand to his heart and holding it there for a moment. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again, more passionately this time as his hands began to wander over her body. Minerva moaned into his mouth and her hand ran lightly over his chest before she wrapped her arm around his waist and drew herself closer to him. Albus’ hand ran up her side until it was resting just below her breast, a slight movement from Minerva gave him the permission he required to move his hand up slightly and begin massaging the soft silk covered mound. Her nipple hardened against his palm and her body shifted against his as she initiated another kiss, threading her other hand through his long silvery hair.

Albus’ lips drifted from hers, down her jaw line to her neck and eventually lower. He lavished the exposed skin above the top of her nightgown with hot kisses as his hands continued their manipulations to her body. They continued to tease and taste each other until it reached a point where they either had to break off or move on to the next level. Albus pulled back and looked at Minerva closely, he stroked her hair and worded his question very carefully.

“What do you want, my dear? I’ll leave this completely up to you,” he said gently.

She reached up and cupped his cheek in her palm, “You’re such a gentleman, Albus. Sometimes I think you’re too good to me.” She bit her lip nervously, “Would you be too disappointed if I asked that we wait?”

“Of course not,” he said immediately. “I want you to be comfortable. This is only our first weekend together, really our first date. I think it’s appropriate to wait.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek, “I love you and I find you very desirable, but I could be happy for the rest of my life just to hold you while you sleep.”

“I doubt it will come to that,” she answered with a smile, “but for now I would like nothing better than to have you hold me while I sleep.”

They settled down on the bed and Albus pulled the covers snugly over them before kissing Minerva on the forehead and telling her good night.

“Good night,” she answered sleepily before drifting into a world of happy dreams.

Albus and Minerva returned to Hogwarts the next afternoon happy and wanting to spend every moment together, feeling somewhat like teenagers in love for the first time. The rest of the summer passed far too quickly and soon they were only one night away from the return of students and chaos, neither looking forward to the time when they wouldn’t be able to spend entire days together.

One the last night of August, Albus arranged a special dinner for the two of them in his sitting room. He had run a special errand that afternoon and was surprised to find that he was nervous as he waited for Minerva to join him. He placed a rose across her plate and re-checked both the food and his appearance for the fifth time in half an hour, finishing just as Minerva knocked upon the door.

Minerva was very much looking forward to this dinner with Albus as it may well be their last quiet time before the next summer. She wanted very much for tonight to be the night that they took the next step in deepening their relationship and was certain there would be no objections from the love of her life. When she stepped into Albus’ rooms a few minutes later, her heart swelled with love and devotion when she saw how much trouble he had gone to in order to make the evening perfect. Candles floated overhead and a heatless fire was burning in the hearth, the food smelled wonderful and there was a perfect red rose on her plate.

“Oh, Albus, everything is so wonderful,” she exclaimed, stepping into his arms.

“You’re wonderful,” he breathed against her ear before trailing kisses down her neck.

Minerva laughed and stepped back. “None of that if you want to get through dinner,” she teased with a twinkle in her eyes.

Albus’ eyes darkened immediately. “Suddenly, I’m not hungry,” he said. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

She shook her head and smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I would like to show you how much I love you and be closer to you than I ever have been to anyone,” she said huskily.

Without a second thought, Albus picked her up and headed for the bedroom. Later, as they laid in each other’s arms, contented and exhausted, he summoned the wine and two glasses from the sitting room and poured them each a glass.

“You took me by surprise tonight, my dear, and I believe we got the order of events a bit inside out,” he said. “I had wanted to talk to you about something important over dinner.”

“I’m sorry,” she said with sudden anxiety.

Albus smiled and kissed her, “It’s not a bad thing, Minerva. Not bad at all.” He summoned his robes from the floor and dug around in the pocket for a moment, producing a small velvet box. “Minerva, I love you so much. You’ve brought me such joy and happiness and I never want to spend another day without you. Will you marry me?”

He opened the box to reveal a beautiful white gold ring with a perfectly proportioned diamond and a tear found its way down Minerva’s cheek. Albus reached up to wipe it away, letting his hand linger on her face.

“Yes,” she cried happily. “Yes I will marry you.”

Albus slipped the ring onto her delicate finger and then leaned in to kiss her deeply, beginning another round of fantastic and deeply fulfilling love making. They didn’t know when they would find time for a wedding, much less a honeymoon, but were content to wait until the perfect time. In the meantime, they would simply love each other and be happy.

The end

1 I actually saw that happen to a man when I was in the museum in Stratford upon Avon. I laughed all day and decided to let Albus and Minerva enjoy the experience as well.

[Kandice]

Cool. I am so glad they waited awhile although I enjoy a good roll in the hay, I do like a little romance at times.

[Krystal]

A truly romantic story.

[Karlynne]

Wow they have so much selfcontrol. I must say I was impressed. I liked the part with the boy and future student being pulled towards them. I'm really thrilled it ended in a proposal. Karlie

[griseldalafey]

I'm a puddle.

What a wonderful sweet, romantic story, I loved it. Thanks for writing it!

[QuillofMinerva]

awwwww that was such a lovely and romantic story.......awwwww all soppy now

well done on a great story

Clayre xx

[Sensiblyquirky]

so romantic...sigh. I'm glad you didn't have them immediately become intimate, just a different ending then most of yours, though i love that kind of ending too.

I love it pal

Christy

[Hogwarts Duo]

YAY for a romance like this one! So sweet and loveable. I love a good AD/MM romance and I like how they took time to really get close before taking their next step. Wonderful!

[Kassandra]

So adorable. I read it again just to feel a bit of romance in my own life. Good job

[Miss Q]

wonderful, simply wonderful

Thank you!!

M

[angharad]

You know, I was really enjoying this story - until their nights in Stratford. This is going to sound very harsh but, in my opinion, a woman should not wear sexy nightwear to bed with a man if she does not intend to make love. To do so makes her a tease, and I think most of us would agree that Minerva McGonagall is *not* a tease. If she feels that making love on their first "date" is too soon, then why lead Albus on with her choice of nightwear? If she simply lost her nerve, then she's perfectly capable of turning the gown into something much less revealing, and apologizing to him.

It also makes no sense that a mature couple would wait an entire summer to consummate their relationship, without a very compelling reason to do so. None was given here. The older one becomes, the more one realizes that there is no such thing as the "perfect" time for anything. One can miss a lot of Life while waiting for perfection.

[Nerweniel]

Oh I simply adore this ending. I do admire them for their self-control, but I'm very happy with the proposal and other things surrounding it too. Great job!

Love,

Baby Sis

[ginger newts]

Okay, that's actually me being the tease and not her. My original intention was for them to make love on that weekend and then I sort of started thinking that I always do that on their first date or whatever and I wanted a change. Also he wanted to wait too so it's not like it was awkward.

Perhaps I didn't describe the nightgown well enough, I'm not big on descriptive writing. It wasn't intended to be a Victoria Secret/Frederick's of Hollywood honeymoon negligee. It was just a nice soft feminine nightgown, I know women who dress like that to sleep alone.

Also, you know I'm not one of those people that makes them wait needlessly. I agree that they're mature enough to know what they want. They only waited a couple of more weeks, it wasn't like I had them hanging out for years. I think even people as old as they are might not mind waiting a week or two.

Another of our dear board members whom I'm just speaking to informs me that she didn't feel it was a matter of teasing, but that Minerva wanted Albus to know she was comfortable both with her body and him. I think we all know older couples, even people who have been married and divorced, who do not jump directly into bed with someone else no matter how well they know them.

I think it was a valid choice, even if it came to me during the writing process, and other feedback suggests most readers appreciated it. Not that honest criticism isn't appreciated, I just thought I would explain. I was very pleased with the outcome of this story.

[Kandice]

I don't think its unrealistic for 'mature' people to wait before hopping into bed. The years of sex on the first date and having oats to sow are over and they don't feel the need to have to prove themselves or to score for the sake of scoring.

I believe its in character for Albus to take his time if he is actually courting a person with intentions towards a longer relationship. He knows there will be plenty of time for the physical side. Of course I wouldn't mind a story where Minerva is a tease. A lemon perhaps? That is a hint by the way. Kandie

[KayleeTonksLupin]

This was a great story! I'm glad Lies pointed it out to me, and I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner! I loved the whole thing from start to finish.

-Kaylee

[Kalex]

Speaking as a male who has had to wait an agonizingly long time for a female to accept my offer to take her into ecstacy I don't think a couple of months is a long time for a couple that openly discussed their intentions. Minerva had already expressed her desire for it to happen in the near future so she was direct. If she had pulled him along six months or a year I would wonder but there is nothing more satisfying than a woman aware of what she wants and when she wants it. I didn't like waiting for something to happen but I'm not exactly known for having unlimited patience so I couldn't control the pace of the story. Perhaps gingernewts would be willing to discuss this with me in the future. ;D

[angharad]

As I have said before and will say again, we all have the right to our creative choices, whether others agree with those choices or not. At the same time, we also have the right to actually *express* disagreement without being perceived as questioning the validity of someone's choices. One of the things that has driven Max away from AD/MM and this board is the unwillingness of many of its more vocal denizens to even consider a point of view other than their own. I'm beginning to understand why she's made herself so scarce.

It takes me forever to write anything, even a response such as this, because I choose my words carefully, and really think about what I'm trying to say. If I take the time to write a review that's more than a "good job" sort of one-liner, it's because I think the writer is worth the trouble.

What I obviously failed to convey adequately in my review is that it's just fine if you want to have Albus & Minerva wait before taking the intimacy plunge - but you need to make it believable. I'm sorry, but there is a world of difference between wearing a sexy nightgown to bed alone, and wearing the same sexy nightgown to bed with a man. Biologically speaking, men in general respond to visual stimulation far more easily and strongly than women. It's just not fair to give a guy a show like that in the bedroom, then not follow through. Minerva is intelligent enough to understand this, and thus wouldn't put herself and Albus in such an awkard situation in the first place.

Again, I have no problem with them waiting. Contrary to what seems to be the prevailing opinion around here, I'm not all for them hopping into bed right away all the time. However, speaking from my own experience (I'm 40), if a mature couple decides to wait, there needs to be a solid reason. This is especially true in Albus & Minerva's case, because they've already been close friends for such a long time that the "getting to know you" phase of a courtship isn't a factor. Yes, neither of them needs to "prove" themselves or "score" - and I highly doubt such stellar individuals ever needed to do such petty things - but neither do they need to exhibit such feats of mighty self-control for no real reason. In other words, write what you want, but try to make it believable. If your experience of an element in a story is lacking in real life, ask someone. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of romances about older couples in the bookstores and libraries in the United States, where I live, a fact that I hope to change someday. You might give some of Rosamund Pilcher's stuff a try, and Barbara Pym is definitely worth a look. As for the rest of the media, they're doing their best to convince us that we're all useless and ugly once we're over 30, so there's no need to look there. But I digress...

If you have to explain yourself, your writing wasn't clear enough. That goes for all of us.

[Sensiblyquirky]

I normally do not join in on these lovely battles of the will in our reviews, because to be honest I find many of them rather childish. Disagreement is perfectly fine, and criticism is accepted and wanted; but in ginger newts’ reply she was simply pointing out her reasoning for delaying the love making. I read it as an attempt to fully inform you as to her decision to have them wait, now of course it is your right to properly disagree with her reasoning but I see her response as simply explaining to you why she chose that option just as you explained to her why you did not agree with the decision she made.

I decided to leave my own two cents, assuming of course they are worth that much, this time because I felt the need to voice an opinion and an idea on what as begun to become a problem on the board. Any and everyone has the right to disagree, and the author has the right to clarify if they so choose. Perhaps the author should respond over PM if there are still disagreements or wonderful discussions to be had over the logic behind stories…could lead to some exciting debates. I suggest the PM only because the more people that comment on the reviews about a review, and yes I realize I am doing that now, only increases the degree of the disagreement and produces sides…almost like allies in world wars if you will. (A mere suggestion to all, not just one person.)

Christy

[Kassandra]

I have to agree that its hard to express a dissenting opinion without feeling crucified sometimes and I have seen some writers act as though only their opinion matters but I am having a little trouble with the use of your word 'believeable'. Unlikely might be a better word but that's my opinion.

I'm not forty yet but having been friends with someone for many years, I can believe the need to wait a couple of months. Intimacy changes a relationship regardless of how well you know each other prior to having sex. Once you move forward there is no backtracking and I know of several mature individuals that have waited.

I don't find it plausible that a couple would share a bed for a weekend without going further but that is my opinion and someone else may feel differently.

I don't find your review objectionable or unreasonable as it gives a person something to think about as well as a different point of view. If you have problems with a credibility issue then you should express it. It's not just the author that benefits from reviews.

[ginger newts]

Okay, as the author of this fic, I want to put an end to all this. Hopefully.

I appreciate all the people who supported my choices and I appreciate the honest feedback. We can't all walk around all the time expecting everyone to love every word we write.

As I said before, the decision to have them wait came at the very last minute and reading back over the fic I can see the inconcistencies. At the time when I wrote that part I didn't feel like putting in the intimacy there and I ran it by a few people first who thought that would be an alright way to go. People I respect as writers.

It's my fault for building up to something and then not following through with it and I realize that. However, some parts of this "debate" have felt rather personal for whatever reason. All I can hope is that people who spend time debating about my writing find it good enough to be worth the effort and aren't just latching onto some previous annoyance in order to point it out by means of my fic.

The whole point of continuing to write and getting reviews is to learn what works and what doesn't. I often use this site as a sounding board for my stuff when I'm not sure how to feel about it.

To be perfectly frank, I never intended this to be more than a one shot where they got stranded but later felt it was incomplete and decided to be nice and write the rest. Perhaps I should have stuck with my original intentions.

I have more I'd like to say, but it's of a more personal and argumentative nature so in an attempt to be mature I shall not say it. Anyone who wants to continue this discussion is perfectly welcome to PM me, I don't consider myself unreasonable and I'll discuss it with you.

[angharad]

Sensiblyquirky, my response was not only to gingernewts' explanation, but to the other responses that referred to my review, with the exception of Kalex, who probably pressed the "post" button at the same time I did.

Kassandra, I also can believe the need to wait. I just don't think gingernewts expressed that need adequately in her story, so that portion didn't quite ring true. "Plausible" is a much better word, you're right about that.

Thank you for supporting my right to dissent. I don't do it very often, preferring to stay silent if I don't like something. But lately it has seemed that the only thing we're allowed to do here is praise unequivocally, and that's just as unhealthy as the Godawful Fanfiction board, where all they do is snark sanctimoniously.

[max]

My names was already mentioned and so I feel I should add my two cents to that too ...

Ginger Newts, you know I like your writing a lot and I think highly of your talent. But as far as this story is concerned, I'm entirely with Angharad.

I certainly don't think one should hop in bed at the first opportunity. I knew my partner for almost four years before we came close to each other - but then, as we expressed our feelings for each other, the way in bed was very short. We're both adults, we knew each other, we trust each other entirely - and so I wouldn't have known why we should have waited. And the "perfect moment" as it is so often mentioned in fics here - dear me, the moment becomes "perfect" when the couple in question wants it to be perfect!

And the thing about the teasing - here I'm with Angharad too and perhaps even stronger minded as her. I'm an European out of a very lucky generation: We were the children of the sexual revolution, we got the pill (and as I was 17, no one thougt about health risks of taking it) and AIDS wasn't a subject. As a preacher's daughter I certainly wasn't one for meaningless affairs and one night stands, but I was probably more "free" in thinking of sex as fun and something to enjoy and - very important - something <b>I</b> decide on my own about.

Perhaps the result from this is that I (and with me a lot of other European women in my generation) have developed a set of "rules". And one of them is: If you don't want to sleep with a man, then don't do anything what could get him the idea you'd want him.

In concrete: I'd never kiss a man open mouthed if I wouldn't want to sleep with him. I would never let a man touch my body if I wouldn't want to sleep with him. And I certainly wouldn't show myself in a "female nighty" to him. As an experienced woman I know that men react strongly to things like that and although I expect a man to behave himself, but I don't have to make it difficult for him in provoking.

As a teacher who deals with lots of male teenagers Minerva certainly knows about the reactions of a male body. And I'm absolutely sure: She wouldn't want to make Albus feeling embarassed. So if she would want to "wait" for making love, she certainly would carefully avoid to provoke him in any way.

And there's something else what bothers me. You wrote:

ginger said:

Okay, as the author of this fic, I want to put an end to all this. Hopefully.

As an author who just got a big deal of bashing and very unfair "critic" I certainly know how it feels to have a fic discussed. Yet reading this thread, I wonder about your statement. You weren't approached personally, you didn't get any unfair critic, but something I found rather "constructive" and which was said very politely.

Hoping to "put an end to all this" - does this mean critic isn't wished here? Even if it's expressed very politely? This I'd find personally rather sad. As a professional writer I know one thing: I haven't learn from getting praised. My skills developed with having people tell me where my writing lacks - and I can assure you: As a professional one doesn't get it told always as nice as Angharad did here. I once got a manuscript of an article back with a big, red line over the first three paragraphs and a only word attached to it. The word was "Sh.." - and as furious I was about: By reading the paragraphs again I had to admit, that they were really "sh..".

Yours
Max

[Nerweniel]

Right. I honestly don’t know what to post here, because I don’t want to offend anyone and I don’t know if that’s possible, but I do agree with Christy here. I think Meredith merely wanted to explain herself in her review, and since it is her story I believe that her choices remain just what they are: her choices.

As one of the headmistresses of this board- because that I still am- I would like to point out that nor I, nor many other board members want to discourage honest criticism. Of course flattery and praise alone won’t make us better writers, of course we want and can handle an honest analysis of what we wrote, but in Dutch we have a proverb- and this is going to make people dislike me- and that is “making an elephant out of a mosquito”. I’m not going to ask anyone to end this discussion here, because I’m no fan of abruptly ending discussions, but I’d like to get all of you to think about this.

Personally, I would like to try to get some novel or book really published, but most of us are just on here for fun’s sake. I like long and well-thought over reviews, as well for my fics as for other people’s, but an endless discussion is just that, an endless discussion. And our words are our words. We don’t think everything we say over and over (at least I don’t, sincere apologies to those who do) and nor do we mean everything we state as much as the next thing.

Just my two cents, sorry if I offended anyone, it was not meant that way.

Love,

Lies

[Rikki]

Okay, ginger newts, as you might have noticed I really like this story. I won't say anything about having or not having sex during their first weekend. I think everything's said about that choice of yours, and as for the writing skills, I'm certainly not in the position of judging anyone. I'm NOT a professional writer, I write just for fun which is enough for me.

Yeah, well, great story. Though a lemon wouldn't really hurt, would it? *hint hint*

Hugs, Rikki

[mugglemin]

Well, I was just about to review this story positively, but got caught up reading bits of the "debate". I'll keep my opinions about the nightdress to myself, but I'd like to say: "GINGERNEWTS, I ENJOYED THIS STORY!".

And that should be the end of it...but you deserve a gold star for mentioning "M&S"!!! Quality establishment, quality name-dropping!

[Taylor]

I know exactly they style of nightdress you were refering to, and the muggle manufacture would be Vanity Fair. They are satin and lace, but - well, older style that you can be comfortable in, yet still have a bit of feel good because moment.

Someone said that you can't wear sexie when you share a bed with a guy with out those- thougts.
nonsense! I spent a whole week with a young man sharing the room. Nothing happened, and were stil great friends. Not all men think the same way. That is what Makes Albus the greatest Wizard of all times...
Taylor Grey

Ps, Lovely story dear!

[minerva62]

I just found this one and I must say that I like it very much, whether it is unrealistic or not...
It's just fiction...
A lot of the stories on this board are not always realistic (is it realistic to be able to do magic?)

This just brightened my day...It's so sweet and fluffy...*dreamy sigh*