A/N Oh my God! Thanks for the lovely reviews and sooo many!!! ;D I’m so happy you like it!! There is no good explanation for my delay, except that I have to look after 3 girls everyday and they make me quite tired…:/ I’m very sorry, but I hope you’ll enjoy this part;)
It takes place directly after the last one… Have a nice reading, guys!! Love you all!!
And mmadness4ever thank you for telling me your story was updated I love it!!!!!!
And tabbyphoenix those -puppy dog eyes- made me update today
Minerva winced as the door closed with a loud bang when they left. Rosie was struggling to get down from her mother’s firm grip, but Minerva wasn’t paying her any attention. She just held her more tightly and increased the speed of their walking.
“Excuse me!” She said angrily and with a shaky voice. “I need to get through! Sorry!” She kept on apologizing to the people they were passing.
“Mammy?” said Brian very quietly with tears in his eyes. Minerva looked at him and stopped suddenly.
“What’s wrong, Brian?” she asked softly finally putting Rosie down.
“I’m scared!” he murmured and Minerva could barely hear him.
“Why are you scared my precious?” she bended down and dried the tears that found the way from his eyes.
“You are really angry and I don’t know what we have done wrong” he said looking her in the eyes fear evident in his eyes.
“Oh my darling!” she said softly the tears now running down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry! You haven’t done anything wrong!” she hugged him tightly “Mammy was angry with the man you saw in the bookshop.”
“Who is he?” asked Brian now more sure of himself.
“He’s someone from my past, Brian” she said quietly standing up. To her horror Rosie was no longer standing near her.
“Brian! Where is your sister??” she asked with a panic rising in her voice.
“I don’t know, mammy. I thought she was behind you.” He said innocently.
“Rosie!!” Minerva cried as loud as she could “Rosie! Where are you?!” she was looking around now very scared.
“Mammy?” asked Brian and pulled her hand “Maybe she went back to the bookshop?” Minerva considered the thought. Rosie would never disobey this way. She knew how dangerous it was here.
“Lets go and see.” She said taking Brian’s hand and leading the way. When they were near the bookshop Minerva saw him again, but this time with Rosie grabbing his hand firmly. Minerva ran to them, not paying attention to Albus, shouted at her daughter.
“Rosie! For heaven’s sake!! How could you run away like this! You know how dangerous it is here!!”
“I’m sorry mammy! I just wanted to finish the book and when I came here I realized I don’t know where you are and this man” she said with tears in her eyes and pointed at Albus “was trying to help me.” Minerva, for the first time since they ran inside, looked at Albus, worry and confusion radiating from his eyes.
“Thank you, Albus for helping my daughter.” She said coldly, grabbed Rosie’s hand and turned around ready to leave him standing there, again.
“Minerva…I…think we really need to talk, please” he seemed a bit at the loss of words as he spoke with a shaky voice.
She looked back at him and finally made her decision.
“All right, but I don’t want to talk with my children present.” She said quietly her voice shaking with emotions. After hearing this he seemed relieved, but more nervous at the same time.
“What would you like to do than?” he asked politely looking her straight in the eyes.
“I will take them home now and we can meet in this coffee shop on the corner in an hour. Is this okay with you?” she couldn’t believe she was actually setting a meeting with Albus Dumbledore, the one who she once loved the one who had broken her heart the one who was the father of their children…
“As long as you are willing to talk with me, anything is okay.”
“See you than” she said shortly and walked away with a loudly pounding heart.
When they got back home Minerva felt a little panic rising in her chest. What will she say to him? How can they talk normally after 4 years of separation? And still she couldn’t understand why has he been looking for her for the past two years?
She undressed the children and told them to go and play. She had to ask Mrs. Thomas if she could stay with them. She knocked at the next door.
“Who is it?” Minerva could hear Mrs. Thomas’ voice from the inside.
“It’s me, Millie”
“Oh, come in dear” she said opening the door.
“I can’t. I left Brian and Rosie alone. I have a favor to ask of you. Can you look after children in an hour?” she asked not looking Mille in the eyes.
“Of course I can” she responded smilingly. “Will you tell me where you are going or is it a secret?” she asked smiling, but to her horror Minerva started sobbing and put her hands on her face.
“I’m sorry” she choked
Mrs. Thomas gathered her in her arms and rubbed her back reassuringly.
“Minerva. You have nothing to be sorry for. You know you can tell me everything, but you don’t have to.”
“I’m…so…confused. And…he…I just don’t know what to do…” Minerva said with tears still dropping from her eyes.
“He?” Mille asked confused “You mean Albus?” she asked shocked. Minerva nodded.
“Oh my…You met him today?” Minerva nodded again. “And he knows about the children?”
“I’m not sure. He must have been blind and stupid not to put two and two together. And he’s neither of this so I think he knows. And he said…that he has been looking for me for the past two years…”
“Do you know why?”
“No. I ran away. But than I met him again and because he helped Rosie I had to agree to speak with him.”
“What do you mean helped Rosie?” Mrs. Thomas asked
“Oh it’s a long story, but Rosie was angry with me that I didn’t give her a chance to finish the book she was reading in the bookshop, so when I stopped paying attention to her she ran away and that’s when Albus helped her.”
“Oh my, it really was a long day for you, dear” She said kissing her forehead. “When are you meeting him?”
“In about 40 minutes. I’m so nervous and…I don’t know if I want to go there.”
“Of course you want to go there. And I want you to go there so you can listen to what he has to say.” Mrs. Thomas said directing her to her home.” Now go home. Spruce yourself up and go, okay?”
“All right Millie and thank you for everything.” She said squeezing older woman’s hand.
Minerva walked back home and went to see what the children were doing. When she saw they were playing peacefully she went upstairs to get ready. She took a shower to wash off the trail of her crying, put a new dress and decided not to put any make-up. She was a bundle of nerves and she couldn’t concentrate on anything except the time. She was sitting in her room looking as the hands of the watch were moving slowly. When the time came she went downstairs to say goodbye to Brian and Rosie.
“Brian” she called looking in the play room “Rosie?”
“Yes mammy?” Brian answered
“I’m going out and Mrs. Thomas is staying with you. Please be good to her, okay?” Brian ran to his mother fallowed by his sister.
“I love you, mammy” Rosie said with her head hidden in Minerva’s dress.
“I love you, too Rosie and Brian, very much!” She said kissing their heads.
“How long will you be gone, mammy?” Brian asked.
“I’m not sure sweetie, but I promise I will be back to put you to bed, okay?”
Rosie and Brian nodded and let go of their mother. Mrs. Thomas walked in the room.
“Come on darlings lets play something.” She said to the children. “Take care, Minerva”
Minerva closed the door behind her and walked as far as she could to apparate. Few seconds later she was in Diagon Alley, again. She spotted the coffee house and to add to her nervousness Albus was already inside. She walked in and when the door closed with a bang Albus turned into her direction. He stood up.
“Hello Minerva. Thank you for coming.” He said pushing away a chair for her.
She nodded shortly and sat down.
“Would you like to drink something?”
“Coffee, please” she said still not looking at him. She could feel her heart beating fast and loud.
When he ordered drinks he looked at her. He was very nervous himself, but he needed to tell her the truth.
“Minerva…” he said quietly “I want you to know that the last thing I wanted to do was hurting you”
She laughed nervously and said “So why did you do this last thing?”
“I did it to protect you.”
“Protect me?” she asked disbelievingly “You’ve ruined my life! I had to leave my home, my friends, you! I was all alone…and pregnant!” her voice was rising.
“Minerva…” he murmured “If only I knew you were pregnant…I had no idea…”
“That’s right, Albus. You had no idea! Did you even care for me? Have you ever loved me?” she was angry, all the unanswered questions coming out of her in one breathe.
“Minerva! You were always the most important person in my life! I love…loved you with all my heart!”
“If you call love the thing you did 4 years ago, than I think I don’t know what the love is” she said sadly looking at her hands.
“This day, 4 years ago was the worst and the hardest day of my life” he could feel tears forming in his eyes the pain of that day evident in his heart. “Sandra Blacknail ruined our lives…” at this Minerva looked up. She hoped she would never have to hear this name again. She hasn’t spoken anything just looked at Albus, expectation drawn in her eyes. “You didn’t know this, but Sandra’s father was working for the Ministry. He was quite important person and he had a big influence on the Minister and the governors. She…” his voice cracked a bit. Minerva suddenly felt a need to squeeze his hand, but she just clasped her hands more tightly instead. “She was obsessed with me. Sending me love letters all the time. I didn’t want to tell you this, because I didn’t want to worry you, but now I see I should have spoken with you. Finally she has frightened me to ruin my career, but I didn’t care so she said she will do everything what’s in her power to ruin your life and your dream of becoming a teacher. She said she will leave you alone only on condition that you leave me and the castle. So I wrote this terrible letter you had to read that night and when I came back you were gone. My heart was broken and I couldn’t stand Sandra around. She thought that as soon as you were gone I would marry her, but that was the last thing I wanted to do. I tried to convince myself you were safer and better out of Sandra’s reach. She had been trying to force me into marriage for 2 years and when her father died I spoke with the Headmaster and told him the whole situation. Sandra was fired the next day and I immediately started looking for you, but no one had heard about you or seen you in this 2 years. I hoped you have found a happy, peaceful life, but still I wished I could find you.” He looked at her. She was sitting with her head in her hands tears dropping through her fingers. When he stopped speaking she dried her eyes delicately and looked at him.
“I’ve been hating the wrong person for the past 4 years.” She said quietly. Albus smiled despite the hard situation they were in. “I…am sorry Albus. I have to think about this and… I don’t know what to say…It’s all so confusing…”
“Minerva take as much time as you need. Just promise me you’ll write a letter about our children. I would love to meet them someday.” He said hopefully.
“Someday, Albus. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go home and…think about this.”
“Thank you for listening, Minerva” he said as she was standing.
“I didn’t want to come here today, but now I’m glad I heard this.” Her voice low and full of emotions. “Take care, Albus.”
“You know where to find me, Minerva” She nodded shortly and left the coffee house. Albus was still standing looking through the window as she was walking away from his life…again.
I hope some of you will like it...
Hope I'm not too mean... ;D
