Resolving a Misunderstanding (complete)

[MMADfan]

BTW, I liked reading where you've read RaM! I know that someone on here once said that she'd read it in Hong Kong -- or was it Singapore? -- and then at various other airports on her way back to Europe (I think it was Europe!). Anyway, I may not remember the details precisely, but the essence of the story stuck with me! It's cool that people are reading this even from other corners of the earth than the one where they normally reside.

I have also had several people tell me that they have read RaM all the way through in mammoth reading sessions after finding it and not being able to put it down. I just had someone say that on ffnet, in fact. And most of these people found the story well after the 400,000 or 500,000 word mark. It's a good thing that that anonymous reviewer isn't the ADMM-fanfic-police, or RaM wouldn't be around for anyone to enjoy!

[sevherfan]

Oh, MMADfan... Some people don't like chocolate cake either.

Can we just conclude the person suffered through it for the lemons? hehe. BRING ON THE MUSE-INSPIRED UPDATES!!! woohoooo. Whoa, Gertie! Lunch is going to be way uncomfortable as soon as Malcolm brings up that Minerva knows. We can only hope she'll be so uncomfortable / inspired she'll give Minerva exact apparition coordinates to Albus's headmaster holiday...

[MMADfan]

sevherfan said:

Oh, MMADfan... Some people don't like chocolate cake either.

Can we just conclude the person suffered through it for the lemons? hehe. BRING ON THE MUSE-INSPIRED UPDATES!!! woohoooo. Whoa, Gertie! Lunch is going to be way uncomfortable as soon as Malcolm brings up that Minerva knows. We can only hope she'll be so uncomfortable / inspired she'll give Minerva exact apparition coordinates to Albus's headmaster holiday...

Now if someone really wanted to suffer through something for the lemons, AAoL would be the story for that! LOL!

And because there are folks who are enjoying RaM and who are so generous in their reviews, I'm uploading early (way early to the board) as an appreciation of the appreciation! ;D I'll upload to the other sites later on today, too.

[MMADfan]

Note: Not DH-compliant!

Please be warned that there is some slightly strong adult language in this chapter, and some adult situations, but not quite sufficiently explicit to warrant editing and segregation in the Lemons section, though there will be a milder version posted to ffnet later on today, if you would prefer to read it there.

Posted in three parts because of length.

CXXX: Headmaster’s Holiday

Minerva found she was enjoying herself during dinner, far more than she had anticipated, certainly. Hagrid and Malcolm did get along, and Malcolm was interested in meeting Brutus, seeing the Jarvey, and visiting the Thestral paddock. Gertrude seemed quite at ease, and although Minerva could not say that the other witch was smiling, her expression was relaxed, and she seemed happy. Of course, after the activities Minerva presumed that Malcolm and Gertrude had been engaged in that afternoon, she supposed the witch would be relaxed and at least somewhat content. Still, other than the fact that Malcolm would occasionally catch Gertrude’s eye and give her a smile, Minerva wouldn’t have guessed from their demeanor with each other at dinner that they were anything more than friends, or even casual acquaintances.

Hagrid invited Malcolm out to his cabin after dinner, and Malcolm agreed, saying to no one in particular as he left that he would be back up to the castle later.

“Fancy a walk, Gertrude?” Minerva asked.

They headed, by mutual but unspoken agreement, away from the castle and down toward the gates, in the opposite direction from that taken by Malcolm and Hagrid.

“Malcolm told me that you two have been seeing quite a bit of each other,” Minerva said.

Gertie nodded. “Yes, we have.”

“It was somewhat unexpected for me to learn of your, um, friendship, and its extent,” Minerva said.

Gertie hesitated only slightly. “It was unexpected for me, as well. And, I think, for your brother. But unexpected does not mean it was unwelcome,” she added.

The two walked on in silence for a while.

“Do you mind? Does it bother you?” Gertie asked. “That it is I whom Malcolm is seeing? Or that it is Malcolm whom I am seeing?”

“Even if it were my place to mind, no, I don’t,” Minerva replied. “I have concerns, but they are not mine to deal with.”

“Concerns about?”

Minerva shook her head. “Just general ones. I probably know and understand Malcolm the least of my three brothers, but I do know that he is peripatetic and not prone to developing romantic attachments. I suppose that is one reason I don’t really know him well; he was rarely around when I was a child, and growing up, he always seemed larger-than-life, almost a mythical character, to me. I outgrew that picture of him, of course, but the one I replaced it with was incomplete. Still, that is the source of one of my concerns. He is very independent.”

“That adventurous spirit is part of what I liked in him when we first met that day. I wouldn’t try to change it,” Gertrude said.

“But if he just up and leaves?”

“Then he leaves.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Minerva asked, wondering now whether Gertrude saw her brother as a safe fling, someone with whom she could have a semi-clandestine affair but who would develop no ties to her. Perhaps she was attracted by the very fact that her brother would not stick around and become a nuisance to her well-ordered life.

“Then he stays . . . and we shall see.” Gertrude looked over at Minerva. “I do think your brother and I understand one another on that point for now, Minerva.”

Minerva nodded. Whenever one loved, there was the danger of being hurt. As long as they were both aware of that particular possibility for difficulty between them, it certainly wasn’t up to her to lecture either of them.

“You haven’t known one another long, obviously,” Minerva said. “I hope you don’t mind my being frank and, as I said, it isn’t any of my business, but you are generally reserved, from what I have seen. And so I suppose that is another reason I find it unexpected.”

“Your observation is accurate. But Malcolm, for all that you may not believe you know him well, is not very difficult to get to know. And, not to delve into particulars, I did find him attractive when I first met him. Certainly you can understand that an initial attraction can encourage someone to want to get to know someone else better.” Gertie added more softly, “And he can make me laugh. He is new and fresh, and I can forget myself with him . . . or remember who I was . . . and I like to think that I have something to offer him, as well.”

“He does like you, very much,” Minerva said, wanting to reassure the older witch, but not wanting to betray Malcolm’s confidence, either.

“I would say that he reminds me of Reginald, but that would be unfair to them both. Still, some of Malcolm’s characteristics are ones I find myself repeatedly attracted to, whether I am a fourteen-year-old girl with a crush on her brother’s best mate or a sixty-year-old witch who has seen too much of life and is suddenly taken with the rather unusual brother of a colleague.”

Sixty. So only ten years older than Malcolm. Minerva had taken Gertrude to be older than that, but it was partly because she had had grey hair for as long as she had known her. Albus had said it had been a beautiful chestnut brown and had gone grey soon after her husband’s death. Albus had spoken of Gertrude lovingly that night; he always did, really.

“And Albus?” Minerva asked.

Gertrude looked over at Minerva, a peculiar expression on her face. “What of Albus?”

“I just wondered . . . Malcolm said you weren’t keen on having many people know, either of you. I was wondering whether you had mentioned anything to Albus, or if you would. I wouldn’t want to say the wrong thing to him, not realising . . .”

“I haven’t spoken with him about it, not specifically, no. But I don’t know as it will come as a surprise. He seemed to have some notion that I . . . that Malcolm . . . that his visit yesterday was something other than casual,” Gertrude responded hesitantly. “He saw us just before he left. He didn’t say anything, but . . . I don’t think it would be a complete surprise for him to learn of it, but I didn’t tell him anything other than that a friend was visiting me, and he saw that the friend was Malcolm.”

“I won’t say anything to him, then, although if he asks me, I would feel uncomfortable lying to him.”

“I would never expect you to lie to Albus, Minerva. I also doubt it would occur to him to ask you about us,” Gertrude said.

“Malcolm is my brother,” Minerva pointed out.

“Yes, he is.” Gertrude stopped and looked over at Minerva again. “That makes you uncomfortable.”

“No. Not really. I think I am still too surprised to feel uncomfortable.”

“You find it difficult to believe that Malcolm . . . that he could find me . . . attractive?” Gertrude asked.

“No. More the other way around, to be honest, even after you explained that he has certain characteristics you appreciate,” Minerva said.

They had reached the gates some time earlier and had turned and walked along the perimeter of the grounds, just inside the wall; now, having reached the edge of the Forest, the two turned and headed slowly back toward the castle, walking in silence.

“He sang to me,” Gertrude finally said softly. “That evening on the cliffs, the ocean crashing in the distance. And I think . . . I have never heard anything more beautiful. I thought I heard his soul in his songs.” She looked over quickly at Minerva, opened her mouth, then closed it again, as if embarrassed by what she had just admitted.

Minerva nodded. “I see. You know I won’t say anything to him, Gertie. It’s all right.” Minerva smiled and said briskly, “Come, let’s go find Malcolm and Hagrid.”

Continued in the next post!

[MMADfan]

Continued from the previous post!

CXXX: Headmaster’s Holiday, continued

Albus sat at the small, rough-finished wooden table and ate his bread, apples, and cheese, washing it down with cool, fresh water. He hadn’t much appetite, and the food seemed to stick in his throat as he swallowed. He normally appreciated this time in his little cottage on its rocky island, but this year was different. Part of it, Albus acknowledged, was Robert Pretnick’s untimely fate. But a greater part of it was his internal struggle with his feelings for Minerva. It seemed that no matter what he did, how he approached it, he was failing somehow.

His visit with Robert and Thea had been good. He had spent all of Friday and most of Saturday with them, and he had been very pleased to see that Thea was growing satisfyingly round with her child, and to learn that even the local Healers now believed that she would carry the baby to term. Thea was religious about performing the magical exercises that Egeria had prescribed, and Robert himself brewed the special potions the recipes of which had likewise been provided by Egeria. He would have to remember to extend his special thanks to that fine witch, who still refused payment for her visits and her care, insisting that the Portkeys were sufficient recompense.

It was no wonder that Minerva had such a generous nature, given the parents she had. Oh, Minerva . . . what was he to do? Several times, Albus had fought and defeated the urge to pick up a quill and write her a letter. He could tell her of his visit to Robert and Thea, of course, but what he really longed to do was to tell her that he missed her, that he yearned to hear her voice and to see her face, that his heart would be heavy until he did.

She hadn’t come to see him before she left this time. Tuesday evening had been difficult, of course; there had still been staff present. She had likely thought him too busy to see her, if she thought of it at all. He knew that Minerva enjoyed his company – it would actually be easier on him if she didn’t – but it would be foolish of him to think that he entered her thoughts as persistently as she did his. Wednesday morning, he had even risen early, thinking she might come by before she left. He considered going down to the grounds to take a walk so that he would see her before she walked down to the gate. But he hadn’t. And she hadn’t come up to his Tower. He had seen her depart, however, standing in Hogwarts Heart, the grounds revealed to him through its walls. Hidden in the Heart, he watched her walk down from the castle to the gates. She seemed to pause once and look back. He imagined Minerva was looking up at him where he stood looking out at her, but she could not see him there in the stone tower, and it was vanity to believe that she was doing anything more than glancing back at the castle in general.

And so he had been glad when Gertrude had returned and he could take his holiday. If Minerva had been there, he would have found it difficult to leave, and he surely would have returned directly to the castle after his visit to the Crouches had she not also been on holiday. But as she was away . . . and then there was Gertrude herself. It seemed to him that there had been something different about Gertrude the last few times he had seen her. She seemed lighter and somehow more like the witch he had come to know so many years before. He had at first ascribed it to her recovery from the anniversary of Reginald’s death. Now, though, he thought it might have another cause.

When Gertrude returned to the castle and came up to his rooms early Friday morning, she was dressed in sea green robes with silver embroidery. Not dress robes, not on any other witch, but certainly not her usual school attire. They spoke briefly about the school and his absence, then she said that she was expecting a visitor, a friend, and he would be arriving at the gates soon. Albus told her to go meet her friend. He would pass the wards to her before he left, whether he saw her again or not. A few minutes later, he glanced out his window to see Gertie hastening down the path to the gates. He wondered who her guest was. She rarely had any, and kept her family and personal life away from the school. When he looked out his window again, he saw her walking back up the drive, a tall wizard at her side.

Albus went to the window and watched them together. She hadn’t even taken the wizard’s arm, and the two were not touching, but there was something easy in the way they walked together. As they drew nearer, Albus recognised the wizard. Young Malcolm McGonagall. That was . . . interesting. Minerva had mentioned that they had met at her tea a week or two before. Albus had been quite sure that, for all Gertrude may have found the wizard amusing, she would not be in danger of believing she had found a new friend. She formed friendships slowly and warily, after all, and from the little he knew of Malcolm, she would not have the time and opportunity to develop a friendship with him. Yet, there they were, together.

Albus recalled what Gertrude had said to him a few nights before when he had told her that she was still fetching in trousers. “So I have been told.” He had taken it as a general statement, but . . . could it be that it had been this young wizard who had told her that? He was a brash Gryffindor, and Gertrude did seem to have a fondness for Gryffindor wizards, after all. He hoped that she was not putting herself in a position to be hurt or disappointed.

Albus sighed and banished the remains of his bread and cheese. Gertrude could look after herself, he was certain. If young McGonagall did anything to hurt her, though, did anything intentionally . . . if he learned of it, he would certainly see to it that McGonagall would not be in such a position to hurt her again, at the very least. But he did think that Malcolm was honourable, if flighty. Still, it drove home to him once more that he was an old, obsolete wizard. Gertrude deserved happiness, and if she could find any with young Malcolm, even if only for a short time, then he was pleased. Yet Albus did feel a stab of jealousy toward the young wizard, which he acknowledged and dismissed. He had had his youth, and he had no claim on Gertrude, just as he had once said in anger that she had no claim on him, when she had tried to warn him against Valerianna. He had done Gertrude an injustice then, believing that despite not wanting him herself, she did want to keep him from being with any other witch. It had been a grave error on his part, and not simply because of its consequences for him and his dogged refusal to see Valerianna for the witch she was. He had hurt Gertrude . . . and yet she still had come to his aid and saved him from what could have become a public embarrassment.

Albus closed his eyes. Dear Gertrude. He did love her . . . not with the love that he held for Minerva, but still, he loved her. She had always been an important part of his life from the time he had met her. He hoped he had never completely taken her for granted, but he was certain that there were times when he hadn’t appreciated her as he should have, and times when he hadn’t given her the care and respect she deserved. He believed Gertrude knew he loved her, but he did not know if he had ever even told her that. She loved him, and he knew it from both her word and her deed.

Gertrude had been so good to him over the years, and after her husband died and then she joined him at Hogwarts, they became even closer. Albus had always found her a desirable witch, in an abstract way, even before her husband’s death. After Reginald’s death, being attracted to her seemed worse than it had, because he never would have acted on his attraction before, and was quite happy to have Gertrude and Reginald both as very close friends, but now . . . Gertrude’s grief was palpable, and it felt unseemly to him to feel such growing attraction to the widow of a wizard who had suffered such a dreadful death at the hands of Grindelwald.

Nonetheless, their friendship deepened and their understanding of one another grew as they worked together at Hogwarts, and Gertrude became his only true confidante. Then one night after a particularly difficult and tiring mission, he returned to his rooms exhausted. It was too late to call on anyone, though he would have appreciated some company, and he settled for a cup of chamomile tea with the prospect of some calming mental exercises before retiring for the night. But then there was a light tapping at his door, and he opened it to find Gertrude, a teaching robe tossed on over a nightgown. She had seen him coming up from the gates, she’d said, and she thought he might like some company.

And he did want company. They sat together and drank tea, Gertrude’s silent presence such a comfort to him. Then he rose and said something in gratitude, thanking her and bidding her good-night, and she had stood, putting one hand in his and laying a finger on his lips, quieting him in the midst of his words of thanks. Albus put his arms around her, holding her, and she embraced him in return. When she drew back slightly, he looked into her eyes, trying to see what she felt at that moment. Still unsure, he simply traced the line of her face from her temple to her chin with one finger, and she put just the slightest pressure on the back of his neck, encouraging him to lower his head, then they kissed. At first, it was tentative, but it grew more passionate, and before Albus had time to reflect on what he was doing, he had pushed Gertrude’s teaching robe from her shoulders, and his hands were exploring her body; he lowered her to the couch and was pushing her nightgown up with one hand as he continued to kiss her and unfastened the buttons at the top of the gown with the other hand. He kissed her and touched her, and finally finding her bare breasts, he kissed them, and then he lay his head down upon her and began to weep in exhaustion, grief, and present sorrow. Gertrude stroked his hair and his back, holding him, never saying a word. She had not let him apologise; he had done nothing wrong, she told him, and she held him there for a long time. When he woke hours later, she was gone, but she had covered him with a blanket before she left.

It was a few days before they had an opportunity to speak in private. Again, Albus tried to apologise, but Gertrude would hear nothing of it. They were certainly close enough, she said, that such a thing was nothing to apologise for. She had not objected to his touch, after all, though, Gertrude did admit, she had felt a peculiar sense of guilt, as though she were betraying Reginald, despite the fact that he had been dead more than six years. But, she said, that was no reason for Albus to be sorry.

Then her brother was killed, just before Christmas that year, and after the funeral, she returned to Hogwarts and came to him. She said that it was selfish of her, but she could bear her grief better, she thought, if she were not at home just then, where everyone else was so full of grief and everyone wanted to rely on her to be the strong one. She didn’t want to be the strong one that day, Gertrude said, looking up at Albus, eyes full of tears, and he told that she didn’t need to be. He held her in his arms and she wept softly at first, finally sobbing into his chest, and her tears wrenched his heart. Albus led her to the sofa, and continued to hold her as she cried herself out. Gertrude fell asleep against him, and he stroked her hair, remembering when it had been long and chestnut brown, before Grindelwald had taken Reginald from her. Albus moved slightly, and her eyes opened sleepily before closing again as she let out a long sigh. He lifted her, one arm under her knees, the other around her shoulders, and carried her to his bedroom, where a nonverbal spell moved the covers aside. He laid the drowsy witch on the bed and removed her shoes and her outer robe with a whisper, then pulled the covers up over her and bent and placed a soft kiss on her cheek before turning to leave.

“Don’t go. Please.” Her hand was outstretched to him.

He nodded and removed his own robes, leaving on the thin sleeveless tunic he wore under everything during the cold winter, and he climbed into bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her, cradling her as she fell back to sleep. In the morning, Albus left the bed as soon as he awoke and dressed quickly. He went to the sitting room and called for Wilspy, asking for breakfast for two, and when it arrived, he prepared Gertrude a tray and brought it into her, Levitating it behind him. He reached down to touch her, and she opened her eyes.

“I wondered where you had gone,” she said. “I woke and you weren’t here.”

“I am here, and so is your breakfast,” he said gently, though he felt somewhat awkward.

She shook her head. “I’ll eat out there with you, unless you would prefer to join me.”

Albus brought in his own breakfast and sat down on the other side of the bed on top of the covers. They spoke little. When they finished eating, she said that she thought she ought to return home. Her parents needed her, as did her niece, she was sure. Gertrude left that morning and when she returned after the holiday, they did not speak of it, but when, one evening late in February, he came to her rooms, closed the door behind him, and kissed her, she led him to her bedroom, and this time, without apology, he undressed her and slowly made love to her. It was warm and loving, but tinged with sadness and a need that went beyond the physical, and Albus worried that he was using her. That would be good for neither of them, and Gertrude sensed his unease as he lay beside her.

She ran a hand down his beard to his sternum, then under his beard back up his chest. She moved her hand over to his shoulder and rolled closer to him. “What is it that bothers you?” she asked simply.

“I feel I shouldn’t be here, that I am using you and losing myself,” Albus replied frankly.

She shook her head. “I would not allow myself to be used in that way, you should know that, Albus. And losing yourself . . . only you can answer that. But I hope that it means more than just a little escape for you.” She raised up on one elbow and looked into his eyes. “It may not be . . . wise or comfortable for us to be here now like this. And we may be finding solace with each other. But I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. It isn’t as though we were . . . mere acquaintances, after all. This could never be solely about escape or solace, at least not speaking for myself.”

Albus smiled slightly. “And which of us is the Gryffindor today, my forthright Slytherin?” Then he kissed her.

After that, they made love a few more times over the next several months, but then one late summer’s evening she was visiting him, and he reached for her, and she held onto his hand.

“I have been thinking that perhaps we shouldn’t do this anymore,” Gertrude said. “I find myself . . . not regretting it, never that, but feeling as though it isn’t the right time for this. That we are not developing our relationship . . . it is as it was before. And that is fine, please do not misunderstand me, Albus. But I remember what I had with Reginald, and as much as I enjoy our intimacy, it is only added onto the friendship we already had, but without being integrated with it. Part of it, of course, is being at school. Our duties, particularly yours, don’t make it easy to develop more of a relationship, even if we did not have this war on, too. But it is also because our friendship . . . that is what you value, Albus, and you do not want anything beyond that. I am not saying that I do, either. In fact, I don’t believe that I do want anything more – it may have been a while since Reginald’s death, but I don’t think I am ready yet to consider remarrying, or even simply being in a romantic relationship with anyone yet.”

“I can’t do that, Gertrude, make any promises or commitments,” Albus replied, a pained look on his face. “And I never said anything about marriage, although not out of any disrespect for you nor lack of affection. But with the war – ”

“I know. You needn’t say anything more. I know that you genuinely care about me, and I love you. It may sound paradoxical to you, but I cannot continue like this both because it isn’t more, and because, at the moment, anyway, I don’t want it to become more. And there is the possibility that it might do just that, I suppose, without either of us intending it, and one or the other of us might be hurt. But I needed to tell you and be completely honest and forthright about it.”

“You are becoming more Gryffindor with each passing day, Gertrude,” Albus teased with a smile. “Perhaps you have been spending too much time with me.”

Gertrude smiled at that. “No, not too much time. Never too much time. But the kind of physical intimacy that we have shared, I will miss it, but I think it’s best if we were to avoid it. At least until the war is over and things are more normal. But I will be here for you in every other way, just as I always have been. Don’t avoid me, please. I would miss you.”

“I am afraid I have brought nothing into your life, Gertrude, but more burdens and sadness. Even your work here is for my benefit, you came here because I asked you to. And now I have taken what was not mine to take, and never even asked what you wanted from it. I am very, very sorry.”

“Do not be! Do you have so little regard for me that you think I would simply . . . prostitute myself for you? For, as it is very clear that you did not take me against my will, that is the only other option, the way you have described our relationship.” Seeing his crestfallen face, Gertrude sighed. “I am sorry. I know that is not what you meant. But you surely could tell that I was quite a willing participant, even enthusiastic. It has been very good, Albus, and you are a marvellous lover – not that I have much basis for comparison, but I certainly think I would know if you were not. And I still do want you, but it simply isn’t a good idea for either of us right now.”

“It hasn’t been terribly frequent, though. And I have tried not to be demanding . . . although I am quite aware that I am the one coming to you.” Albus swallowed. “I can’t help but feel that I have importuned upon you, and that you have given far more than I.”

Gertrude shook her head, then leaned toward him and kissed his mouth lightly. “I would have gone to you many a night, but for the fact that I have felt torn about what it is we have and what it is I might want. And that is why it is best if we just cherish what we have now and the memories of those more intimate moments, and go forward from here.”

Albus had agreed, and if there were a few times when their embraces were more lingering or their kisses more tender than those between mere friends, they still refrained from any intimacies beyond those. Until the time he Apparated to the Gamp Estate a few years later, the summer before Grindelwald’s fall, and sought her out on the moor and found her sitting on a fallen stone by the hill fort. She was dressed in brown trousers and a pale blue blouse, he remembered, and she looked extremely attractive as she stood and greeted him. He was tired and he was uncharacteristically lonely. He had spent the past three days in the constant company of others, and their mission had been successful. On returning to the Ministry, he had been debriefed by Sprangle and his assistant. When he left the Ministry building, he knew that he did not want to be alone, nor in the company of strangers. He had actually stopped by the Department of International Magical Cooperation to see if Minerva might be free for lunch, but he was told that she was already out. And so he had Apparated to the Gamps and been informed by a fuzzy-eared house-elf that Madam Gertrude was out on the moor “for a clamber.”

Knowing that she and Reginald usually used to make the hill fort their destination when they were out for a “clamber,” Albus Apparated directly there. Gertrude was unstartled, but smiled and stood to greet him.

“I was thinking about you,” she said softly, “wondering how the mission went and if you were all right, if you were safe or . . . hurt somewhere.”

Albus kissed her cheek. “Quite safe. It went well. And I’m quite alive, as you can see,” he said with an affectionate squeeze to her arm. “I am just tired . . . and tired.” He smiled. “I wanted to see you.”

Gertrude put her arms around him and placed her head on his shoulder. “I try not to worry. It does no good. But sometimes . . . sometimes when it’s been days and I’ve heard nothing . . . I woke up last night from a nightmare. He’d done the same thing to you,” she whispered, “and no one was there to help you.” She closed her eyes and a few tears squeezed out.

Albus rubbed her back, wanting to reassure her. “I am quite safe. And I think he would have quite a time trying to do such a thing to me. I do know a few tricks, still, that he does not, and I am more aware of the potential dangers than Reginald was all those years ago. He could not take me completely unawares.”

He felt her sigh and relax against him. Albus continued to rub her back, noting that on that very warm day, it seemed she was only wearing the blouse with nothing beneath it. Her arms went around him a bit more tightly and she turned her head, resting her forehead on his shoulder, her breath a light breeze on his beard. Albus closed his eyes and relaxed, not fighting his physical reaction to her closeness. Surely she must be aware of the effect she was having on him; she was completely within his embrace. When she made no move to step away, Albus brought his hand lower. He had never held her when she was wearing trousers before, and as his hand rounded the curve of her buttocks and his fingers discovered where her leg began, he paused and his reaction grew. Gertrude pressed herself against him for a moment before turning her head and looking up at him.

“Gertrude,” he whispered.

“Shh . . .” She closed her eyes and he kissed her, his fingers exploring the trousers where the legs joined, and when she did not protest, he continued touching her there. With his other hand, he rubbed her back and began to pull her blouse out from the waistband. Gertrude’s breathing quickened, then she broke the kiss, and he stilled his movements.

“Very interesting things, these trousers,” Albus said hoarsely.

Gertrude nodded, then stepped back, still holding on to him, and led him back around a wall to a spot that was smooth, dry, and level. Albus removed the grey tunic he wore over his dusty blue robes and spread it on the rock, then cast a spell that Transfigured it into a large cushion. She sat down and he joined her, kissing her, touching her, embracing her. He began to unbutton her blouse and he felt her Support Charm release her breasts. Her trousers gave him more trouble, and she laughed as he finally resorted to a spell to finish removing them.

She smiled up at him. “I was about to tell you that we should remove my boots first. It makes it much easier. Indeed, it makes it possible.”

Albus chuckled and looked at her. “I don’t know. There’s something . . . intriguing about a witch in nothing but boots and knickers.”

“I’d like to see you in nothing but your boots, then,” she answered with a laugh.

He stood and quickly removed his robe and stood naked but for his boots. He lifted an eyebrow. “Well?”

Gertrude shook her head, hiding a smile. “Off with the boots for us both, I would say.”

They made love there in the sun, then lay together afterward, covered by Albus’s robes, and she watched him as he fell asleep. It was the most fun they had ever had being intimate, and it was the last time that they were. They returned to their previous loving relationship, but never to make love again.

Continued in the next post!

[MMADfan]

Continued from the previous post!

CXXX: Headmaster’s Holiday, continued

Several years later, the war over, some peace in their lives, Albus began to think again of finding a witch, romancing her, loving her, perhaps eventually marrying her. And his thoughts naturally turned to Gertrude. He certainly cared for her, and he knew that she cared for him. They had been intimate at one time. She seemed the perfect candidate to him. He decided to woo her, to court her in a way that he hadn’t before. It wouldn’t have been appropriate then, but now . . . he wanted her to understand his intentions.

But when she did understand his intentions – and it was only when he stepped into her rooms one evening to kiss her good-night, and his lips touched hers, that she finally realised that he was attempting to court her – she had been surprised. He had been encouraged by her initial reaction to his kiss. She had obviously enjoyed it, but she pushed him away and turned from him.

“Gertrude?” he said, confused by her reaction. He reached out and touched her sleeve.

Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be trying to gain control of her breathing. “Albus . . . those days . . . those days are long past. I don’t believe we can return to them. I don’t want to return to them.”

“This is different, Gertie. It is. For me, at least. I want to court you. It wouldn’t be as it was before. I want there to be a future for us.”

Gertrude shook her head. “No. No, you don’t, Albus.”

He was stunned by her words, and he didn’t know how to respond.

“You mean that you do not,” he finally said.

Gertrude sighed and turned back to him. “If this were even just a few years ago, perhaps I would . . . or perhaps I would, even now, if I believed what you say. But what you want, what you really want, it isn’t me. I know that.” She tried to smile. “It’s all right, though. And I know that you mean well. I just know that your happiness lies elsewhere, and you should have the opportunity to find that happiness, to try, at least, and not discard it before its time and settle for me.”

“Gertie! I don’t see how you can say that – you are the most wonderful friend, a beautiful and talented witch. I certainly do not see how being with you, courting you, would be ‘settling,’ as you put it.”

Gertrude’s smile was sad, and Albus thought he detected tears in her eyes, but she said, “You do not see that now, but it is the truth. And you will realise it one day. I will always, always love you, Albus. And I will always be there for you, in whatever way you need me but that one.”

“If it’s the physical side of things . . . I know that I may have been somewhat . . . urgent before. We can refrain from that, if you wish.”

“No, that is not it, Albus. If that were the only consideration – ” Gertie took a breath. “Believe me, that is not it at all. You are still very attractive to me, and if I could turn off my brain and just allow myself to react, you would be in my bed right now, after that kiss. But, no, you have my friendship. And as your friend, as someone who loves you . . . I have to say good-night now. And thank you for your offer. To say that it is flattering would be an understatement.”

He had tried over the next few weeks to change her mind – bringing her flowers, presenting her with a cloisonne Slytherin snake brooch, finding her to walk her to breakfast in the morning, bringing her late night snacks – but as he did, he could feel her impatience with him growing. Finally, he decided to try one last romantic gesture. He remembered the day very clearly. He had just received a letter from Minerva. She had arrived in Heidelberg and was beginning her apprenticeship with old Sachs. She thanked him for his help in obtaining the more suitable placement. She was so excited about it . . . he had been happy and had shared the good news with Gertrude. She was pleased for their former student, as well, he could tell. And then he had asked her to go to dinner with him. They could both leave the castle that night, there were no duties keeping them. He would pass the wards to Dippet. Gertrude had agreed, but then, after he had Apparated them to London and she saw where he was taking her, she balked.

“Delancie’s? Albus . . . that is a bit much. It’s not as though there’s an occasion to celebrate. If it were my birthday . . . perhaps then, but let’s just go around to the Leaky Cauldron. Or you could Transfigure our clothes and we could go into Muggle London for Italian. Or a curry.”

“But, Gertrude, you deserve so much more. I want to treat you well, my dear.”

Gertrude shook her head. “I have told you, Albus, that we are friends, and that is the way it will remain. Are you truly so blind? Or are you set on making us both unhappy?”

Albus felt as though he had been punched in the stomach. “It makes you unhappy. I make you unhappy. Even the thought of being with me . . .”

He couldn’t look at her. He had been a fool to continue to try to court her when she had made it clear that she wasn’t interested. But he had thought if he showed he was sincere, that he didn’t want just a clandestine sexual affair but that he wanted to bring her out in public, on his arm, that she would agree. He had believed she simply hadn’t understood his intentions. But she had, and she did not want him.

Gertrude touched his arm. “Not the way that you are thinking, Albus. Please . . . I only want you to be happy. I cannot allow myself to keep you from that opportunity.”

“As though there were some other opportunity . . .” Albus sighed, despondent. “I appreciate that you are trying to ease this for me. But I see now, finally. I am sorry. I should not press my attentions upon you the way I have.”

“You know, Albus . . . why don’t we have dinner at Delancie’s, anyway? Hmm? We do have something to celebrate today, after all.” When Albus looked at her questioningly, she smiled and said, “Minerva’s apprenticeship. First her successful Challenge last month, and now the start of her new apprenticeship.”

Albus smiled. “All right, then. Thank you. You are very kind.”

“No, not kind. Just your friend. And a Slytherin. You sometimes forget that, Albus. Always a Slytherin.”

“Yes, and I suppose you will want to order the most expensive items on the menu and drink the best wine, my sweet Slytherin,” he teased as they walked toward the restaurant.

“Only the best wine to toast a Gryffindor!” Gertie answered with a grin.

He had ceased trying to court Gertrude and was content with her friendship. Yet there was still a part of him, a small, unreasonable, and selfish part of him, that still stung from her refusal even a few years later, when he had begun to see Valerianna. And so he had rejected Gertrude’s advice about the witch. It had been unworthy of him and of her and of their friendship. He certainly knew her better than that, to believe that she merely wanted to keep him to herself despite not really wanting him.

When he had walked into the cottage that late Friday afternoon a few years ago, anticipating a romantic weekend with Valerianna, he noticed that things were not as he had left them, then as he walked toward the back of the cottage, toward the largest of the bedrooms, his bedroom, he began to hear unmistakable sounds. Despite the roiling in the pit of his stomach, he was drawn to the open door of the bedroom, and there he had seen them, on his bed. Their clothes were strewn about the room, and Valerianna was on top of the wizard, straddling him, both of them so fully engaged in their activity that they did not notice him immediately.

Albus controlled himself and his anger as the young wizard had scrambled for his clothes, telling him quietly to leave. The worst of it was, he recognised the wizard as a boy whom he had taught. And now he was fornicating in his bedroom, and with the witch who had declared her devotion to him. Up until that day, Albus had not seen Valerianna naked. He had respected her avowed desire to move slowly. She had made it sound as though once they were betrothed, he could offer her further physical intimacies. But she would shrink from him, and when he wished to bring her pleasure just with his touch but not requesting or expecting that she return the gesture, she had seemed shy. Shy. She who had scarcely tolerated his touch of her covered breasts, or a caress of her lower abdomen, or a light touch to her knee or thigh, she was rutting with a wizard half her age in his own bedroom.

First, Valerianna had pleaded with him, but in his hurt and his anger, he was implacable. He told her to dress and leave. She begged, but her begging soon turned to taunts. And however much spite and venom was in her taunts, Albus heard the truth of them, as well. If he had ever known how to satisfy a witch, he had forgotten, and his touch turned her cold. She would have borne it, though, if he only had some ambition. She would have allowed him the pleasure of her body on occasion if he had married her; she could have taken younger lovers to satisfy her desires, and he would have satisfied her other needs, and she would have helped him to achieve great things. She had needed a young man, a wizard whose dried up touch didn’t disgust her. She was no different from any other witch, Valerianna told him, how could he expect her to want him to touch her? He was old, he was pathetic in his attempts at love-making, it was bad enough that she had to tolerate his withered lips on her face or her mouth, but the thought of them touching her elsewhere made her ill, as did his beard and his long grey hair. And if he believed that she or any other witch would ever want his ancient penis in her when they could have a young wizard, then he was completely deluded. Albus could still hear her voice railing at him.

Valerianna may have been shallow and vain, and she may have desired his courtship for all of the wrong reasons, but it was undeniable that he was old. And, despite the brief profligate period in his youth, his experience with witches was limited. At first, by choice, and then by circumstance. Had he ever been able to please a witch, his long periods of abstinence had clearly taken their toll on that ability.

He hadn’t loved Valerianna. He had had a hard time warming up to her, in fact, but she had a certain attractiveness about her, and he had tried to treat her with respect and to please her with his courtship. And he had wished to bring her some physical pleasure. He could still remember how lovely it had once been to know that he, with a loving touch, could bring a witch pleasure. And now he could no longer inspire anything more than disgust, or, at best, tolerance.

After Maria, there had been no one until Gertrude. That was a very long time. A lifetime. And Gertrude, she was his friend, but she had been lonely, too. She had put an end to the physical side of their friendship all those years ago. And he had understood her reasoning at the time, and had even agreed with it. But then later, when he had offered her courtship, she had refused him. She had said it was so that he could pursue the opportunity to be happy with the right witch, and she wasn’t that witch. Yet now he wondered whether it wasn’t more that he wasn’t the right wizard, the wizard to make her happy.

He now knew that it was just as well that Gertie had refused him; he had never loved Gertrude as he loved Minerva, despite their much longer friendship and all their shared intimacy. What he desired and what he felt when he thought of Minerva, he had never even dreamed of desiring or feeling with Gertrude or with anyone else. Of course, he had not known that when he had attempted to court Gertrude, even though his feelings toward Minerva had already begun to grow and change. He hadn’t understood the kind of longing he would come to have for Minerva. If he had, he never would have approached Gertrude, for her sake more than his. She did deserve better than what he had offered her; he simply hadn’t realised that at the time.

Would it be easier on him now if Gertrude had accepted him then, if they were together now? He would not be struggling with his feelings for Minerva. Or would it be worse? Worse because he would never betray Gertrude if he were with her, but, knowing how he felt about Minerva now, if he were with Gertrude and still felt this way about Minerva . . . it could only come between them, even if he avoided Minerva, even if he were completely faithful to Gertrude, even in his thoughts and dreams. He couldn’t imagine trying to be devoted to Gertrude while having these feelings for Minerva. No, he would have been even more conflicted than he was now. And Gertrude deserved a wizard who wasn’t completely in love with some other witch. That went without saying. But if Gertrude had allowed him to court her, then to marry her, perhaps his feelings for Minerva never would have developed as they did. He might have had some peace. He might have been able to appreciate Minerva as he should, and have been content in his relationship with Gertrude.

Somehow, though, Albus could not imagine knowing Minerva and not loving her as he did now. But it had taken time for it to develop to the stage it had reached. It didn’t suddenly spring into being. It may have begun years ago, but he could have nipped it in the bud. And he almost did. But Gertrude had refused him.

Then there had been Valerianna . . . she had been a dreadful mistake, and nothing would have worked out with her. Gertrude had tried to warn him and told him that Valerianna was just a pale imitation of the real thing, and that she was not interested in him for who he was but for what she thought she could get out of him. When he told Gertrude that who he saw socially was none of her affair, she no longer mentioned it, and he knew that he had hurt her. It had bothered him that he had hurt her, but there was some rebellious part of him that had wanted to give Valerianna a chance. If Gertie had tried to tell him that Valerianna was seeing other wizards, he would have discounted it. He certainly wouldn’t have believed that “seeing other wizards” included having sex with them. But he couldn’t deny the evidence of his own eyes, and Valerianna may have made a fool of him under his own roof, but he was not enough of a fool to be taken in by her pleas or her excuses. Nonetheless, Valerianna’s final rant remained with him for days afterward, perhaps because it hit the mark, and even now, he could hear her words.

And now he understood even better what it was that Gertrude had not told him when she refused his courtship, and that she had denied to him even the other evening in his office: he was old. He was old and past the point of being an eligible wizard. If he hadn’t understood that after the debacle with Valerianna, he could see it staring him in the face in the person of young Malcolm McGonagall when he had walked down and met him and Gertrude by the lake before leaving for Amsterdam. He would not dishonour Gertie by pretending that it was only Malcolm’s youth that attracted her to him – she was no Valerianna Yaxley – but certainly the wizard was not well over one hundred, nearing one hundred-twenty. Malcolm was even younger than Gertie, Albus believed. And Minerva deserved a vital, young wizard, too. But that didn’t stop him from wanting Minerva, wanting her with increasing desperation. If he believed that Minerva would welcome him to romance her, oh, how he would court her! He would love her, if she would welcome that. He would be happy if she would simply accept him as a chaste suitor if he could only be with her, hold her, cherish her, have her heart and give her his.

But Minerva deserved a young, vital wizard. She was a healthy young witch. She would not want a chaste romance. Albus grew warm at the thought of Minerva’s desire . . . but his touch would surely cause her disgust, not pleasure. Even if he were younger, it would likely not change that. She knew of his period of dissipation, what he had done, and he was sure that she knew of his attempt to court Valerianna and how the witch had made a fool of him. No, there was little chance Minerva would ever welcome his romantic attentions, and as for his physical attentions . . . he would never touch her. He would control his emotions around her, and he would certainly control his actions. He would give her no cause to fear his intentions or to be offended by his touch. Even if that required him to keep a physical distance between them and maintain the usual formalities between a headmaster and one of his teachers.

Albus slowly climbed the stairs to the single upper room that served as his cozy bedroom. He readied himself for bed, though it was still early. He would spend another day here at the cottage, then if he was still restless, he would return to Hogwarts a day early. At least he might find some distractions there, even if he still missed Minerva. Perhaps he could owl her, though, and invite her to lunch. She would be busy with her family, but she might still be able to find the time to have lunch with him. She had invited him to lunch the last time she had been away from the school, after all. He would see Minerva soon. Minerva. He smiled. The prospect of seeing Minerva lightened his mood.

Yes, he would spend Sunday at the cottage, refresh his wards, take care of some of the paths that had washed out since the last time he had been there, and finish a few other care-taking tasks, then he could return to the school on Monday. Wilspy wouldn’t be back at the castle until Tuesday, but he could tend to himself quite well, and he knew that Aberforth had had a list of things he had needed the house-elf’s help with and Albus didn’t want to ask him to have her return early just so that he could have his cup of tea in the morning. Besides, Wilspy enjoyed her little jaunts to Aberforth’s and liked to fuss over him. Aberforth always complained about her fussing, but Albus believed he secretly appreciated it.

Albus went to bed with a book, and fell asleep before he had read three pages. His sleep was undisturbed by the arrival of Fawkes, who sang softly to the slumbering wizard before falling asleep himself at the foot of the bed, head tucked beneath his wing.

---

Next: "CXXXI: Unexpected Arrivals"; "CXXII: Seeking Counsel" -- both chapters 12 August 1957. (EDIT: 04 December 07)

[muriel2532]

Oh my god! I didn't even have time to review "Seduction" and you've already uploaded a new chapter. ;D

Trudie and Malcolm - as I said before I would have loved to have seen more of them ... and my wish was granted! I also think that things might be less awkward now if Minerva ever found out about the extent of Albus' and Gertie's relationship in the past. At least she will know that she has nothing to fear now - given Minerva's talent for misunderstanding things there might still be some serious fallout from this however.

Gertie and Albus - that part was very believable and not surprising at all after having heard Albus speaking so fondly of Gertrude when she was younger. I appreciate Gertie even more now. I wonder whether even then she realized that Albus was drawn to Minerva - even though he didn't recognize it at the time. Anyway, I think she's a wise witch and firmly my favourite original character.

Minerva - she once again surprised me with her openess towards Gertie. But I appreciate the fact that she is as accepting as she is.

Albus - he seriously needs help! The whole Valerianna episode seems to have had a lasting effect on him. The things she said though - they would probably have been enough to deeply hurt any wizards ego.

I don't think it is fair to ask for an update after these two lovely long chapters but I will do it anyway - RaM is addictive and I cannot control myself

On a different note: it was me who said that I've read RaM while at various airports in the far east, Hongkong just being one of them. I also spend quite some time in various Starbucks outlets in China making good use of the free WiFi!

[Kayjay]

Oh my Lord! I just realized that I haven't reviewed in quite some time, even though I read every chapter nearly as soon as you posted. Shame on me, I'm not very good with keeping up the reviews.

I LOVE Gertie and Malcolm together. Minerva once again as the unwilling observer had me laughing actually.

I also have to agree with muriel: the backstory for Albus and Gertie was believable and brilliant. I can totally see that relationship developing in this way. I also hope Minerva will see it for what it is once she finds out. And I'm also quite sure that Gertie knew waaaaay before Albus that Minerva is the 'right witch' for him and that is why she was so adamant not to have him court her.

RE the ridiculous review on ffnet: I found this story quite late and I posted here that I had read it in one go, even though I should have been studying for my final exams. I love this fanfiction, it's one of my all-time favourites of all my fandoms and I have been reading fanfiction for over 10 years now. Every single complaint of that person was utter rubbish, especially the one about the house-elves (which I love, they're so cool). I'm glad you're disregarding that imbecile for all the right reasons!

As always I can't wait for the next update and since I now have lots of time I might reread the whole story. There's nothing better than a well-written, well-thought out novel-length fanfiction story featuring well-rounded characters. And RaM fits that description better than any other story I have ever read.

I bow to your talent and will stop waxing and ranting now.

Big Huggles,
Kayjay

[esoterica1693]

Now I want to hex Valerianna, and not just her shoes! No wonder Albus is so insecure--she was absolutely vile to him. It's going to take a lot to undo that damage and convince him Minerva might find him attractive in every sense of the word.

Albus's and Gertie's relationship is indeed very believable. I guess it was too early in his love for Minerva for Gertie to tell him outright why she was rejecting him, but that experience isn't helping his confidence, either. Even though now he sees that it wouldn't have been the best pairing, he still thinks she rejected him b/c he's too old, not b/c she really saw that his heart was elsewhere. That's exacerbated by her now being with Malcolm.

****Poor Albus!!!**** After the last chapter I wished him a miserable holiday, but perhaps I repent, at least a little--it's so hard to see him utterly convinced of his own ugliness (for want of a better term pre-morning-caffeine). And to think that now he's convinced he shouldn't even touch Minerva.... I'm happy for Malcolm and Gertie, but do you think she has any idea just what effect her new love is having on Albus, and how it's inadvertently undermining all her plotting?

[Wants to wrap Albus up in a big hug and give him hot chocolate and ginger newts...and *then* whack him about the head metaphorically with some new ways of looking at the situation...]

[Hogwarts Duo]

Another long chapter and I couldn't be happier!! Too bad the person who left you the review didn't have the Gryffindor bravery to confront you person to person/email to email/board member to board member. It would have been intriguing to hear his/her thought process on the things she "cited" you for in your story. I've found that such covert actions are not worth my time of day, as I'm sure you would agree. Still, if one wishes to criticize someone, they should be equally wiling to defend their arguments intead of hiding behind anonymity.

I love how very Gryffindor-esque Minerva is in her conversation with Gertie. I could sense a bit of familial protection for Malcolm, not wanting to see him hurt by Gertie who might think of their romance as a safe fling wtih no strings. And then it's easy to detect the same sort of protection for Gertie's feelings, though obviously not to the same degree. I found Gertie a bit brisk in her speeches to Minerva but then that's just her way I suppose. Still, it was nice to see them having a discussion on the matter so there'd be no questions about what may or may not happen.

I'm very happy that Gertie saw the light of day with Albus before he made a very grave mistake in courting her. It would have been devastating to see Gertie and Albus involved, only to have him learn that Minerva is/was his soul mate. I'm sure he would have been an honorable wizard, respecting Gertie and any vows he might have made, but the notion most assuredly would have eaten him alive....knowing his heart was truly with another.

Valerianna should have been drawn and quarterd for the way she spoke to Albus. The power hungry witch deserved the spineless Flint, though I can't say he deserves to be chained to such a viper! As hard as it was for Albus to see and hear those things from her, at least it was before they were married and the entire wizarding world learned of her affairs. Hopefully, Minerva can help him see just how wrong Valerianna was in her rant and that she finds him more than attractive and that his member is more than enough for her. But of course, we need to get them to admit their love to each other first. haha.

Looking forward to more!!!

The GLM

[MMADfan]

kayjay said:

Oh my Lord! I just realized that I haven't reviewed in quite some time, even though I read every chapter nearly as soon as you posted. Shame on me, I'm not very good with keeping up the reviews.

You just want me to REALLY appreciate it when you do review! I know! (LOL! JK!) Sometimes it is tough to muster the energy to review, I understand -- or life is hectic, or we aren't reading where we normally do, or whatever. But I do love your reviews!

kayjay said:

I LOVE Gertie and Malcolm together. Minerva once again as the unwilling observer had me laughing actually.

I also have to agree with muriel: the backstory for Albus and Gertie was believable and brilliant. I can totally see that relationship developing in this way. I also hope Minerva will see it for what it is once she finds out. And I'm also quite sure that Gertie knew waaaaay before Albus that Minerva is the 'right witch' for him and that is why she was so adamant not to have him court her.

I'm glad you like Malcolm and Gertie together. They are one of my favorite pairings, actually, and I hoped that I could do them justice.

And Gertie is a canny witch, isn't she? And she knows Albus very, very well. . . .

kayjay said:

RE the ridiculous review on ffnet: I found this story quite late and I posted here that I had read it in one go, even though I should have been studying for my final exams. I love this fanfiction, it's one of my all-time favourites of all my fandoms and I have been reading fanfiction for over 10 years now. Every single complaint of that person was utter rubbish, especially the one about the house-elves (which I love, they're so cool). I'm glad you're disregarding that imbecile for all the right reasons!

Yeah, well, I'm not entirely sure what the person expected to accomplish -- as though after investing the time and energy in the story for all these months and all these words, I would suddenly "see the light" that RaM is rubbish and throw in the towel? *snort* I don't think so! And she wasn't even on the mark with her comments. So although it was irritating to open my ffnet email thinking I'd gotten a legitimate review for "Seduction," a chapter I had spent quite a bit of time polishing and was pleased with, and instead found that bizarreness, I really can't take it seriously.

kayjay said:

As always I can't wait for the next update and since I now have lots of time I might reread the whole story. There's nothing better than a well-written, well-thought out novel-length fanfiction story featuring well-rounded characters. And RaM fits that description better than any other story I have ever read.

I bow to your talent and will stop waxing and ranting now.

Big Huggles,
Kayjay

Thanks very much! I'm blushing! I really appreciate it!

[MMADfan]

esoterica1693 said:

Now I want to hex Valerianna, and not just her shoes! No wonder Albus is so insecure--she was absolutely vile to him. It's going to take a lot to undo that damage and convince him Minerva might find him attractive in every sense of the word.

Albus's and Gertie's relationship is indeed very believable. I guess it was too early in his love for Minerva for Gertie to tell him outright why she was rejecting him, but that experience isn't helping his confidence, either. Even though now he sees that it wouldn't have been the best pairing, he still thinks she rejected him b/c he's too old, not b/c she really saw that his heart was elsewhere. That's exacerbated by her now being with Malcolm.

****Poor Albus!!!**** After the last chapter I wished him a miserable holiday, but perhaps I repent, at least a little--it's so hard to see him utterly convinced of his own ugliness (for want of a better term pre-morning-caffeine). And to think that now he's convinced he shouldn't even touch Minerva.... I'm happy for Malcolm and Gertie, but do you think she has any idea just what effect her new love is having on Albus, and how it's inadvertently undermining all her plotting?

[Wants to wrap Albus up in a big hug and give him hot chocolate and ginger newts...and *then* whack him about the head metaphorically with some new ways of looking at the situation...]

I'm glad you've relented on poor Albus! He really is having a miserable time of it . . . and you're right, Valerianna's middle name should be "Vile"!

And Gertie hasn't any idea of the actual specific effect on Albus partly because he never told her what Valerianna said to him and partly because they haven't been involved in a very long time. She is a little unsure of how to approach Albus about it, but for other reasons, not because she's worried that Albus will think that she's with Malcolm and not him because Malcolm is young and he's not. She doesn't realize that he has that particular slant to his insecurity with regard to Minerva -- she does figure that it has something to do with his age, but she has no idea that he thinks he's a withered up old wreck whose touch can only disgust any healthy young witch. *sigh*

I'm glad you liked the chapter!

[MMADfan]

hogwartsduo said:

Another long chapter and I couldn't be happier!! Too bad the person who left you the review didn't have the Gryffindor bravery to confront you person to person/email to email/board member to board member. It would have been intriguing to hear his/her thought process on the things she "cited" you for in your story. I've found that such covert actions are not worth my time of day, as I'm sure you would agree. Still, if one wishes to criticize someone, they should be equally wiling to defend their arguments intead of hiding behind anonymity.

Or posting to this thread and standing up for her opinion here. It truly was peculiar, though. Either the person hasn't read RaM or they read it (masochistically) and have no reading comprehension skills.

hogwartsduo said:

I love how very Gryffindor-esque Minerva is in her conversation with Gertie. I could sense a bit of familial protection for Malcolm, not wanting to see him hurt by Gertie who might think of their romance as a safe fling wtih no strings. And then it's easy to detect the same sort of protection for Gertie's feelings, though obviously not to the same degree. I found Gertie a bit brisk in her speeches to Minerva but then that's just her way I suppose. Still, it was nice to see them having a discussion on the matter so there'd be no questions about what may or may not happen.

Gertie does tend to be a bit reserved, and she isn't particularly comfortable talking about her private life (remind you of anyone? lol), and is a little embarrassed/worried about how it might appear to Minerva, and so forth. But she did try to be open with her. She does like Minerva for herself, as well as for what she hopes she can bring to Albus's life.

hogwartsduo said:

I'm very happy that Gertie saw the light of day with Albus before he made a very grave mistake in courting her. It would have been devastating to see Gertie and Albus involved, only to have him learn that Minerva is/was his soul mate. I'm sure he would have been an honorable wizard, respecting Gertie and any vows he might have made, but the notion most assuredly would have eaten him alive....knowing his heart was truly with another.

Gertie was getting the notion over the previous few years that Albus's affection for Minerva was changing, and then after he came back from her Challenge, she was pretty sure that he was falling in love with his former student. She thought that the two would be very well-suited to one another. At that point, though, with Albus still not completely aware of the potential strength of his love for Minerva, Gertie couldn't very well say anything. Despite this being pre-Val, Gertie was pretty sure that Albus was still seeing/trying to see Minerva as his student and as much too young for him, and didn't recognize her as a potential lover/partner/wife. It would have been uncomfortable for him and (though she wasn't aware of this) would have resulted in him trying even harder to not fall in love with Minerva.

hogwartsduo said:

Valerianna should have been drawn and quarterd for the way she spoke to Albus. The power hungry witch deserved the spineless Flint, though I can't say he deserves to be chained to such a viper! As hard as it was for Albus to see and hear those things from her, at least it was before they were married and the entire wizarding world learned of her affairs. Hopefully, Minerva can help him see just how wrong Valerianna was in her rant and that she finds him more than attractive and that his member is more than enough for her. But of course, we need to get them to admit their love to each other first. haha.

Looking forward to more!!!

The GLM

I am certain that Minerva will take care of his concerns with quite a bit of vehemence and Gryffindor straightforwardness! ;D He won't have those concerns any longer once they do finally both understand how the other feels.

Thanks, as always, for the review.

More will likely be posted on Wednesday or Thursday.

[MMADfan]

muriel2532 said:

Oh my god! I didn't even have time to review "Seduction" and you've already uploaded a new chapter. ;D

Trudie and Malcolm - as I said before I would have loved to have seen more of them ... and my wish was granted! I also think that things might be less awkward now if Minerva ever found out about the extent of Albus' and Gertie's relationship in the past. At least she will know that she has nothing to fear now - given Minerva's talent for misunderstanding things there might still be some serious fallout from this however.

Gertie and Albus - that part was very believable and not surprising at all after having heard Albus speaking so fondly of Gertrude when she was younger. I appreciate Gertie even more now. I wonder whether even then she realized that Albus was drawn to Minerva - even though he didn't recognize it at the time. Anyway, I think she's a wise witch and firmly my favourite original character.

Minerva - she once again surprised me with her openess towards Gertie. But I appreciate the fact that she is as accepting as she is.

Albus - he seriously needs help! The whole Valerianna episode seems to have had a lasting effect on him. The things she said though - they would probably have been enough to deeply hurt any wizards ego.

I don't think it is fair to ask for an update after these two lovely long chapters but I will do it anyway - RaM is addictive and I cannot control myself

On a different note: it was me who said that I've read RaM while at various airports in the far east, Hongkong just being one of them. I also spend quite some time in various Starbucks outlets in China making good use of the free WiFi!

Thank you very much! I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter -- and thanks for reminding me that it was you who mentioned reading it in Hongkong!

I'm glad you appreciated the Albus-Gertie storyline and found it believable! And it wasn't easy for Gertie to refuse Albus, particularly when he was so persistent and she wasn't entirely sure whether anything would work out for him with Minerva. But she had the sense that whether it did or not, that Albus was quite capable of being truly in love with someone, and that he wasn't in love with her, not as much as he even seemed to believe he was.

[minerva62]

Oh dear, Valerianna really made a good job of it, didn't she?

I'm afraid it will have to be Minerva who makes some further approaches toward Albus to make him realize that she is not at all disgusted by his touch, body and so on...on the contrary!

Fortunately Minerva is a Gryffindor...and even Head of it! ;D

Thank you for those wonderful chapters! Although I don't begrudge your holiday to you, I'm glad that you're back...

Looking forward to the continuation as always...

[sevherfan]

This was perfect! I was going to feel especially silly asking if the Gertie one-shot could be about Gertie and Albus. I wanted the moments in detail! But it showed up here anyway! I loved the ways the two of them came together at certain points, the lines they used on each other. They do have very different personalities.

I felt so worried for Gertie when she was calculatingly questioning Minerva to see if Minerva had a problem with HER dating her brother, or if she found Gertie too unattractive for her brother, etc. I hope she was able to read between the lines (she is a classically trained Slytherin, after all), and see that Minerva was actually caring more about Gertie than her brother.

Sometime during Albus's memories with Gertie I felt sad for Minerva though. Parts of their times together happened while Minerva was falling in love with him. And thinking he had no one to come home to that would take care of him. But he did have someone, kinda. Not that she could have known... "By the way, Ms.McGonagall, I do sometimes sleep with Professor Gamp." heh. Ah well, just struck me as sad.

Are you sure Gertie wasn't Quin's direct relation instead of Aileen? Seems she is part MacAirt.

[esoterica1693]

From an earlier chapter:

Albus, however . . . his reticence is more acquired and calculated than it is natural

Why is Albus so exceptionally reticent? I can see it during the War, and even w/ acquaintances, but w/ close friends who have repeatedly demonstrated their desire to support him and love him? Gertie says it's b/c he doesn't want to be a burden to folks, but is there more to it? And where did he get the idea that his feelings would be a burden to his friends? He seems to have backslid WRT some of the things he learned years ago from Nyima and friends.

[Orion's Guard]

So I was actually not expecting their having been together while reading the whole story. I'm actually kind of disappointed, and I'm not sure why. That is, up until the chapter before this one when Gertrude was talking to Malcolm. Quite obviously, having only two previous lovers, clinched it for Albus. If she'd had more, it would be more surprising that one of them was Albus. I was a bit more surprised to learn the details so soon after the "foreshadowing" (it usually takes a good sixty chapters for the full story to come out after such a clue).

So, Minerva is going to have to find out about it eventually, and I will use her reaction to come up with my own. I can see myself being upset with Minerva if she takes it the wrong way, but I don't quite know what the right way is.

I am happy for Gertrude and Malcolm.

Anyway, I was at the computer last night when you posted the first bit of this chapter, but it didn't say you were online. Trying to sneak around? I read the first third then, and the rest today. So is Albus going to try and distance himself one again? We've all seen how well that works out for everyone.

[MMADfan]

esoterica1693 said:

From an earlier chapter:

Albus, however . . . his reticence is more acquired and calculated than it is natural

Why is Albus so exceptionally reticent? I can see it during the War, and even w/ acquaintances, but w/ close friends who have repeatedly demonstrated their desire to support him and love him? Gertie says it's b/c he doesn't want to be a burden to folks, but is there more to it? And where did he get the idea that his feelings would be a burden to his friends? He seems to have backslid WRT some of the things he learned years ago from Nyima and friends.

Some of that is Gertie's attempt to explain Albus's behaviour to Minerva with regard to her in particular. And the habits of years can be hard to break, and there were few people he could turn to during the war, but the one whom he knew he could trust, he did turn to, although he still worried that he was taking from her and not giving her anything in return. He is very guarded about reverting to the self-centered thinking of his youth, as unlikely as that seems to an objective observer. He had been perfectly willing to take, take, take and do whatever was in his own best interest if he could rationalize it for others -- not that that means that he was doing things that were in-and-of themselves bad. For example, devoting oneself to one's apprenticeship is normally a positive thing to do, but as Albus himself put it, he was married but proceeded as though he wasn't. He didn't actively set about to neglect Dervilia, and he wouldn't have liked to have thought of himself as being neglectful of her, and yet he rationalized his behavior and her situation to allow himself to do what he wanted to do. He was, in a sense, addicted to learning, and his sense of self-worth was, at the time, measured by his academic, intellectual, and magical success. He was also a people-pleaser, to an extent, wanting to please his teachers, his apprenticeship master, and older role models, and he would not necessarily see that he was looking to the wrong places for his self-ratification and was concerned about pleasing the wrong people. Not that he wasn't concerned with pleasing Dervilia or his friends, or whatever, but that was different.

He does still have some trouble with feeling overly responsible for people and events and wanting to save people, so to speak, but he is usually able to "self-correct" after the first impulses to blame himself or to try to fly to the rescue, etc. But the situation with Minerva is different, and his feelings are in a terrible muddle. It's a unique circumstance, and aside from the belief he has that time has passed him by and that only some old widow would consider him a possible suitor, he really does feel as though Minerva must want and need something other than what he might have to offer her, and he wants her to be happy. He doesn't want to be selfish with her, as he was with Dervilia, despite the fact that their circumstances, especially Minerva's, are very different from what they had been back then.

Anyway, there's a lot going on with Albus, but the simplest way to put it is that as soon as Minerva enters the picture, he becomes one confused pup. But he really does want to do what is best for Minerva, which is nice. He's just . . . confused!

[MMADfan]

bogus7 said:

So I was actually not expecting their having been together while reading the whole story. I'm actually kind of disappointed, and I'm not sure why. That is, up until the chapter before this one when Gertrude was talking to Malcolm. Quite obviously, having only two previous lovers, clinched it for Albus. If she'd had more, it would be more surprising that one of them was Albus. I was a bit more surprised to learn the details so soon after the "foreshadowing" (it usually takes a good sixty chapters for the full story to come out after such a clue).

So, Minerva is going to have to find out about it eventually, and I will use her reaction to come up with my own. I can see myself being upset with Minerva if she takes it the wrong way, but I don't quite know what the right way is.

I am happy for Gertrude and Malcolm.

Anyway, I was at the computer last night when you posted the first bit of this chapter, but it didn't say you were online. Trying to sneak around? I read the first third then, and the rest today. So is Albus going to try and distance himself one again? We've all seen how well that works out for everyone.

I was finding it annoying to be logged out of the system when I logged in for short times only when I was actually viewing the pages I wanted to view, so I wanted to log on for longer, but then I found that people would think that I was online when I wasn't really around, but the tab was open, or some such thing. So this way, I don't have to log in every time I want to look at my bookmarks or respond quickly to a post or whatever, but it doesn't look like I'm present when actually I'm off cooking my dinner or whatever! LOL!

And as for the rapidity between learning that Gertie only had one other lover and then seeing Albus's memories, let me just say that there aren't 60 chapters left to RaM! *grin* Also, I think it was fairly obvious that Albus found her a mighty fine witch, and there have been hints here and there that they may have had somethin' goin' on, but the hints haven't been very explicit. I think it was pretty clear, though, that they weren't currently involved. And Minerva has reflected on the possibility often enough . . .

[esoterica1693]

That (his concern about not slipping back into self-centredness) makes some sense, at least from his POV. I do think Albus suffered quite a bit from his father's disappearance, despite his uncle's admirable efforts at trying to fill the gap.

I bet having lost his own father so young is one reason he's always felt a kinship w/ Robert Crouch and tried to be an adult male role model and confidante for him. (Leaving aside that he truly loves Robert's mother and at times was also shagging her. ;-) I wonder if Albus will ever learn what happened to his father (or if he actually knows but won't talk about it to anyone at all). No need to answer that one, MMADfan....I'll just wait and see. <g>

[dianahawthorne]

Well, I'm glad that Gertie and Albus had a fling if it helped them to get over their respective griefs, but I'm sad that Albus hurt Gertie when he was seeing Valerieanna. She is such a - a SCARLET WOMAN! Anyway, this is an absolutely amazing chapter - and I'm glad that it was such a quick update! I can't wait until the next chapter - please update soon!

[MMADfan]

esoterica1693 said:

That (his concern about not slipping back into self-centredness) makes some sense, at least from his POV. I do think Albus suffered quite a bit from his father's disappearance, despite his uncle's admirable efforts at trying to fill the gap.

I bet having lost his own father so young is one reason he's always felt a kinship w/ Robert Crouch and tried to be an adult male role model and confidante for him. (Leaving aside that he truly loves Robert's mother and at times was also shagging her. ;-) I wonder if Albus will ever learn what happened to his father (or if he actually knows but won't talk about it to anyone at all). No need to answer that one, MMADfan....I'll just wait and see. <g>

And why he became Hagrid's unofficial guardian after Hagrid's father died when Hagrid was a student. He would have been more sympathetic with TR, but he saw the desire for knowledge and power combined with an inability to empathize with others, and it made him very wary of him. He also had the sense that TR was the source of most of his imagined slights and so forth. TR taught himself to be charming, but he was really an unpleasant boy if you got on his wrong side.

Anyway, I'm glad you're willing to wait for answers, if there are any! ;D

[Sensiblyquirky]

I know I haven't reviewed in ages, but I am still reading!! I love Trudie! Outside of Minerva and Albus she is my favorite character. I hope she gets whatever she wants out of her relationship with Malcolm, she deserves it after losing Reginald and giving up Albus. It is sad though that she seems to want to be close to Minerva and yet Minerva still keeps her at a distance, not that I can't understand Minerva's point of view.

It was very wise of Gertrude to realize she and Albus weren't meant for each other, and I'm very glad Albus sees that clearly now. If only he could see Minerva thinks they should be together, but one thing at a time I imagine.

I keep hoping one of them will slip up on such a massive scale they can't ignore it or that Quin/Gertrude will hit them over the head.

Poppy and Murdoch is nice too, though I do wish Quin could end up with someone but I'm not sure he's ready to move on yet. I guess I shall have to wait and see what you have in store for us.

Can't wait for more!

Sensiblyquirky

[MMADfan]

Note: Not DH-compliant!

Posted in two parts because of length.

CXXXI: Unexpected Arrivals

Minerva woke early Monday morning and stretched in bed. She really didn’t want to get up yet, but she had agreed to meet Gertrude and Malcolm in Gertrude’s rooms for breakfast. She had never been in the older witch’s rooms, and wondered what they were like. She had been at the school a long time. Presumably, she was well-settled in and had well-appointed rooms.

When they had walked back to the castle Saturday evening, they had found Hagrid out in front of the castle, looking up into the sky. The two witches looked up reflexively and saw a Thestral, high above them, Malcolm just visible on its back.

“Never been able to get tha’ one t’ accept a rider afore,” Hagrid said. “Can’t use ’im t’ draw carriages, neither. Wilhelmina could do aught t’ convince ’im. Tha’ brother o’ yours, though, M’nerva, inside o’ two minutes, ’e was on ’is back, leadin’ ’im through ’is paces. They been up there fer a while, though, an’ I’m awonderin’ if Thestral’s gone and changed ’is mind abou’ bein’ friendly.”

Gertrude seemed to blanch at Hagrid’s words, and she drew her wand. Minerva hoped that Hagrid was wrong. A fall from that height, even a wizard wouldn’t survive it. Hagrid couldn’t do anything to stop it, either. Minerva drew her wand, as well, ready to cast arresting and cushioning charms, if need be. But the Thestral began to fly lower, circling, until he glided to the earth a few yards from where they stood. Malcolm patted the ugly creature’s neck and dismounted, his cheeks pink from the wind and the cool air at the high altitude.

He grinned. “Good deal of fun, that. Ta, Hagrid. He’ll be good for you now. Just give him an extra treat or two after, so he feels special.” He turned back to the Thestral and made clicking sound, then patted its rump. The Thestral trotted off in the direction of the Forest.

Hagrid invited the three out to his cabin for a drink, but they all declined. Malcolm shook his hand, and Hagrid went back to his little home as the other three went into the castle.

“Whatever were you thinking, Malcolm? Do you have a death wish?” Minerva asked.

Malcolm laughed good-naturedly. “No such thing, little sister. Once we’d reached an understanding, he was quite cooperative. Easier than mounting a dragon, for certain.”

“You’ve ridden a dragon?” Gertrude asked.

“A few times. Not the same one. They don’t like it much, usually. The first time, though, was of necessity. I’d made a few people rather angry, and I needed to make a quick departure. Unfortunately, my wand was broken and I was rather, um, under the weather, so the dragon seemed the safest and fastest way to leave,” Malcolm replied.

Minerva caught the look that passed over Gertrude’s face. Whereas Minerva felt somewhat annoyed and even a bit disbelieving of her brother’s tale, Gertrude was plainly impressed.

“You’ll have to tell me more about that,” Gertrude said.

Malcolm quirked a grin. “My pleasure. Although perhaps . . . it’s getting late. I suppose I should be getting home.”

When Gertrude hesitated, Minerva said, “You needn’t. There’s no one around. Why don’t you stay? There are several guest rooms available. I am sure that as Deputy, Gertrude would be able to find one for you.”

Malcolm looked over at Gertrude. “I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“We can talk about it. No need for you to decide this moment,” Gertrude said. “But you would be welcome to stay, if you like.”

Minerva excused herself, and when she reached the first landing and looked back down, the two were still standing there in the front hall, simply looking at each other, their gazes unwavering. She hastened up the stairs, back to her rooms.

It still struck her as odd that Gertrude and Malcolm seemed to have dived headlong into their relationship. It didn’t appear in character for either of them. Murdoch and Poppy had probably spent more time together, and were generally much more open and expressive than either of the other two, and yet they still hadn’t gone beyond a little kissing in Murdoch’s backroom. Once she had thought about it, it hadn’t surprised her that Murdoch and Poppy would get along. They seemed in some ways a natural pair. But Gertrude and Malcolm . . . Minerva actually didn’t see either of them as naturally paired with anyone. And Gertrude seemed to have thrown her normal reserve overboard, and Malcolm, by his own admission, was not normally prone to developing romantic attachments. Now, he believed he was falling in love.

As Minerva readied herself for bed that night, she wondered whether she was the only person destined for unrequited love. It wouldn’t be so bad, she thought, to see these other couples around her, if she herself weren’t completely in love with a wizard whose affection for her was platonic and unlikely to change. She might be lonely, of course, but the contrast with her own situation might not have provoked such envy in her.

She sat on the edge of her bed and looked at the little photo of Albus. She remembered with clarity the evening when he had bought the rose from Gypsy and put it in her hair. Such a lovely gesture. And the nazar and the twinned stones, they were also from that same evening. It had been so like a date that she had wanted to pretend it was one, and that hadn’t been difficult. But then . . . they hadn’t had another day like that one. It had been wonderful from start to finish. Minerva picked up the evil eye. A “naturally occurring nazar,” Albus had called it, and he had seemed superstitious about her keeping it on for the evening.

She rubbed her finger across the smooth, warm surface of stone, and then she wiped its small mirrored setting with the edge of her dressing gown. It no longer had the same disconcerting effect on her that it had had when she had first seen it, but there was something vaguely mesmerising about it. She had worn it when she had gone to bed after Albus had told her of his youth and his defeat of Grindelwald. Worn it, held it, and fantasised of young Albus making love to Maria. Minerva flushed, thinking of her fantasy, and how she had pretended that she had been that young woman, giving Albus comfort and love and pleasure after his ordeals. Odd, how she had moved from envy of the woman, jealousy, even, to taking her own pleasure in the thought of Albus with her.

Minerva wondered again whether Albus and Gertrude had ever been lovers. Strangely, the thought seemed purely abstract at that moment, as though she was wondering whether he had taken a NEWT in Charms, or something equally mundane. Minerva remembered the expression that had crossed Gertrude’s face when she had asked her whether she had told Albus about the relationship with Malcolm. Without knowing precisely what had been going through the witch’s mind, Minerva surmised that Gertrude did not want to hide it from the Headmaster, but was still reluctant, for some reason, to come right out and tell him. Perhaps for as simple a reason as embarrassment about having an affair with a man she’d only just met, or because she didn’t know how long the relationship would last, but Minerva thought there was more to it than that. But it was none of her business. Just as it was none of her business whether Malcolm had stayed the night, and if so, where. During term time, it would be different, of course. It wouldn’t do to have the students seeing a wizard spending the night with the Deputy Headmistress. It simply wasn’t done. By then, though, perhaps Malcolm would have grown bored, or Gertrude disenchanted, and the question would be moot. If not . . . Minerva hoped that they could find some way of being together that wouldn’t involve too much sneaking about, as Malcolm had put it. As she thought about the two, Minerva’s envy had melted away and been replaced by the hope that the two would still be happy together when school began, and beyond.

The next morning, Minerva had gone out for her walk and had come across the two, also out for a morning stroll, but they had apparently become distracted. By each other. They weren’t in the sort of embrace that Minerva had seen them in before, thankfully, but this one seemed almost as intimate. They were standing beside the lake, the mist rising up behind them, Malcolm in his kilt, Gertrude in a set of pale blue and silver robes; Malcolm was holding her pressed closely to him, and her hands rested on his upper arms as she leaned back and looked into his face. Minerva didn’t believe they were speaking, just looking at one another. They hadn’t noticed her, and Malcolm leaned forward and kissed Gertrude lightly on the forehead, and Gertrude relaxed against him. Then Malcolm turned his head slightly, caught sight of his sister, and said something. The two broke their embrace, Gertrude stepping back away from him, Malcolm lifting a hand as if to reach for her before dropping it and turning to greet his sister with a smile.

Malcolm spent most of the day at Hogwarts, but wasn’t present that evening when Minerva left for dinner at her parents’, though Gertrude said that he was returning later, and they would like it if she joined them for breakfast in the morning. And so now she was getting ready to have breakfast with the two. She presumed that Malcolm had spent the night in Gertrude’s rooms, though she wouldn’t dream of asking such a thing.

Before leaving, Minerva went into her study and fetched the sheaf of parchments that she had prepared for Albus. He had asked that she have them on the twelfth, and it was the twelfth. Gertrude had mentioned the day before that she was expecting Albus back either late Tuesday or early Wednesday, but simply because the Headmaster wasn’t here didn’t excuse her from having them done, she thought.

She trotted down the five flights of stairs to the second floor, annoyed when she had to wait for one of the staircases to swing around to her at the fifth floor landing, then headed for the gargoyle. Again, she knocked when she reached the top of the spiral stairs, and again, there was no response. The portraits all appeared to be sleeping, and Minerva crossed the room and deposited her work on the Headmaster’s desk without any awkward conversations with them. When she left, she slipped into her tabby form to trot down the moving stairs, then returned to her ordinary form when she reached the bottom. Now to Gertrude’s room.

When she arrived, the portrait at Gertrude’s door greeted her and said that she would let the Deputy Headmistress know that she was there. A moment after the portrait had disappeared, the door opened and Gertrude greeted her with a smile.

“Good morning, Minerva! Please, come in.”

Minerva stepped in. She hadn’t known precisely what she had expected from the Arithmancer’s sitting room, but it hadn’t been this. It wasn’t cluttered, precisely, and it seemed neat and well-organized, but it was very full. Every shelf was filled with books, and the shelves lined the walls, covering every available space. Various curios and framed photographs sat on many of the shelves in front of the rows of books. The sofa was over-stuffed and comfortable-looking, though the upholstery was somewhat worn and shiny in places. There were two armchairs in fabric that complemented the sofa, and a plain square table near the window had been set for three for breakfast. The floor was covered by oriental carpets of various sizes and styles, contributing to the warmth of the room. At the moment, daylight streamed in through the large leaded-glass windows, but a modest chandelier hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room, and there were two floor lamps on either side of the couch. Other than two sconces on either side of the fireplace, there were no wall lamps or candles – there was little place for them – and rather than a portrait above the fireplace, there was a large mirror in an arched, dark wooden frame. Minerva wondered for a moment where the portrait had gone when she had announced her, but as she crossed the room and Gertrude closed the door behind her, she saw that there was a painting on the reverse side of the door. There was something else that struck Minerva about the room, but she couldn’t quite place her finger on it.

“Thank you for inviting me for breakfast, Gertie,” Minerva said, wondering where her brother was.

“I should have done so long ago, Minerva. Please, have a seat. Malcolm had an early morning errand, but he will be along soon. Would you care for some tea or coffee while we wait?”

“Yes, tea, please,” Minerva responded as she sat in one of the two armchairs.

“Spoonie!” Gertrude called.

A very tiny bluish elf popped into the sitting room.

“Good morning, Spoonie. Our guest would like tea, and if you would also bring my coffee, I would appreciate it.”

“Yes, Professor Gamp.” The house-elf turned to Minerva. “Would the professor prefer English breakfast tea or a pure Assam?” she asked politely.

“Breakfast tea, please,” Minerva said.

The house-elf performed what appeared to be a curtsey then Disapparated.

“She’s the smallest house-elf I’ve ever seen,” Minerva observed.

“Yes . . . she was something of a rescue case. We prevailed upon her previous family to release her to Hogwarts,” Gertrude said. “She’s been with me for almost ten years, and she has blossomed. You wouldn’t have recognised her from the wreck she had become when she first joined the Hogwarts house-elves.”

“Prevailed upon the family to release her to Hogwarts?” Minerva asked, puzzled.

“Transferred her bondage to Hogwarts,” Gertrude explained.

“I understand that . . . but I’ve never heard of a pureblood family ever simply releasing a house-elf to another family – or in this instance, to Hogwarts – for no reason. It’s usually to discharge a debt or as a dowry gift or something of that sort. If a house-elf is unsatisfactory, they normally simply free them and the house-elves disappear.”

“Mmm. Perhaps I should have said that we exerted some pressure upon them,” Gertrude said with a smirk.

“Who is ‘we’?” Minerva assumed that she was speaking of her and the Headmaster.

“My mother and I. The Gamps need no more house-elves, and we certainly didn’t want the ties that might be assumed if we were to have her bondage transferred to the Gamp family. Having the poor child become a Hogwarts house-elf seemed the ideal solution. Albus dealt with it on this end, got Dippet to go along with it.”

Minerva thought of the Gamp house-elves. While some of them seemed to be overly obsequious compared with the house-elves she had grown up with, they had all seemed well-fed, well-covered, and, from what she could tell, happy. And Gluffy was certainly a fat and happy house-elf if ever she had seen one – and he had said that he had been admonished, not punished, for having sent her letter without being asked.

A minute later, a pot of tea and one of coffee arrived on the small, low table in front of them, and they fixed their cups.

Minerva was at a loss for what to say, finally resorting to, “Nice room.”

“Thank you. I find it comfortable.”

Minerva looked around the room again, and then realised that she had subconsciously expected them to be decorated in Slytherin shades, and this room appeared Gryffindor, if anything, though the reds were deep burgundies and not the brighter scarlet normally associated with that House.

The two sipped their tea and coffee, and Minerva tried to find something else to say.

“So, Malcolm will be returning soon?”

“Yes. He left about an hour ago. He didn’t believe it would take long. He had made arrangements yesterday,” Gertrude said cryptically.

“I see,” Minerva responded, although she didn’t. “Do you have plans for the day?”

“Malcolm is going to stay and keep me company, since I cannot leave until Albus returns.”

“I could take the wards for you, if you would like to leave during the day. I am going to be out of the castle for dinner again this evening, but I won’t need to leave until after five o’clock,” Minerva offered.

“Thank you, but I think we’ll just stay here. I will keep that in mind, though!” Gertrude smiled.

Minerva wanted to ask about the older witch’s relationship with Malcolm, but couldn’t think of anything to ask that didn’t sound either rude or impertinent. Finally, she gave up, and simply said, “You and Malcolm are still getting along well, then. What I mean is, you are enjoying each other’s company – I mean – ”

Gertrude chuckled. “We are getting along quite well, yes. We haven’t yet woken up and wondered what on earth we were doing with each other. Or if he has, he hasn’t said. And to the extent that I do wonder, I wonder more about it generally. It does occur to me that he might decide that today is the day he will leave, and he will say good-bye and I won’t see him again. But . . . I am willing to take that risk and I think it is worth it.”

“For what it’s worth, I doubt he’ll be leaving any time soon,” Minerva said. “I think you happened to catch him at a good time, before he’d yet decided he had to leave, and now you have given him reason to stay.”

“I hope so,” Gertrude said softly. “I will never try to hold on to him if he wishes to leave, but . . . I find that I do not look forward to that day, let alone envision ever wishing him to leave, myself.”

Minerva felt awkward, but she said, “It will be difficult when school begins, I would think. And that might pose a problem.”

Gertrude nodded. “I know . . . and he might grow impatient with the demands on my time and the more limited access he would have to the school.”

Before Minerva could respond – thankfully, since she didn’t know how she could reassure Gertrude about those worries – the door opened and Malcolm stepped in, looking bright-eyed and energetic, and holding . . . a puppy?

Yes, in Malcolm’s arms was a squirming little brindle-coloured puppy. He put him down on the floor and crossed over to Gertrude.

“Good morning, Minerva! And good morning to you, again, Tru,” he said, reaching out and brushing her cheek briefly.

The puppy was scampering about, sniffing everything, seeming to fall over his own legs every now and then.

“A puppy, Malcolm?” Minerva asked.

“Mmhm . . . for Hagrid. A present. I know a chap who breeds Great Danes, and by some luck, he had a litter he was just preparing to sell. This little fellow isn’t quite up to snuff for breeders to want, according to him, but I think he is fine, and very ‘lively,’ as Hagrid would say. I thought the puppy might bring Brutus a little companionship, and when Brutus does finally pass on to chew his bones in the farther realms, it might be a bit easier on Hagrid if he has this little nipper to keep him company. And better to get him now, not only for Brutus, but because when Brutus is gone, Hagrid will likely not want to consider getting another dog for a while, but if this fellow is already there, well, he’ll be glad to have him.”

Minerva smiled and reached down to scratch the dog’s head as he sniffed her shoes. “That was very thoughtful, Malcolm. And an excellent idea.” She looked over at Gertrude, and if she had had any doubt before that Gertrude was smitten with her oldest brother, the look the witch was giving him at that moment would have erased it.

After breakfast, Minerva went down to Hagrid’s with Gertrude, Malcolm, and “the little nipper,” as Malcolm called the puppy. Hagrid was immediately taken with the puppy, naming him “Caesar.” Brutus took an interest, too, and Minerva asked jokingly whether it was unlucky to name the puppy “Caesar” when his other dog’s name was “Brutus,” but Hagrid just laughed and said he’d be sure to watch them on the ides of March. Minerva stayed and watched the puppy trying to play with old Brutus, nipping his ears and charging at him, then coming to a skidding halt and falling over. Brutus took it all in good humour, though, and Minerva thought that the puppy might have given the old dog a bit more life to his final days.

Suddenly, Gertrude raised her head as though listening to something.

“Hmm . . . the Headmaster has returned,” she said.

Minerva tried to appear uninterested, but her heart leapt in her chest. “He’s back early?”

“It appears so,” the Arithmancy teacher said. “Perhaps you might go see him, let him know we’re all out here. It might appear that the place is deserted otherwise.”

That sounded unlikely, but Minerva agreed and walked quickly around the castle, seeing Albus just entering its front doors. She picked up her pace and followed him in. She was somewhat winded when she entered, but Albus had just begun to climb the stairs as the door closed behind her.

Continued in the next post!

[MMADfan]

Continued from the previous post!

CXXXI: Unexpected Arrivals, continued

“Albus!” she called as he turned to see who had come in behind him.

“Minerva! My dear! I hadn’t expected to see you today.” A delighted smile lit his face. “Is everything well?”

“Quite well, thank you, Albus. But I did have Hogwarts business to attend to . . . I could have owled the applications to you, but I thought perhaps you might want to discuss them. And, um, I had other preparations to make. The first of September will be here before we know it,” Minerva said, hoping that her excuses for her early return sounded plausible.

“The applications, of course . . . yes, you could have owled them. But it was diligent of you to return to the school. I hope that you are enjoying your holiday, though,” Albus answered as Minerva stepped up the stairs to join him.

“Quite. Thank you. And you? Professor Gamp had said that you would be returning late tomorrow or early the following day.”

“It was nice, thank you,” he said, continuing up the stairs, Minerva at his side. “I spent most of Friday and Saturday with Robert and Thea. She is looking quite well, and your mother has done wonders with her. The local Healers, even the most sceptical, now believe she will have a healthy baby.”

Minerva smiled happily. “That is wonderful news, Albus. And I am sure that Gertrude will be happy to hear that, though she may have already. I don’t know, she hasn’t mentioned it. And yesterday?”

“Hmm?” Albus raised his eyebrows.

“You said you spent Friday and Saturday with the Crouches. What about yesterday? Did you have a good day?”

Albus nodded. “Very satisfactory, my dear. And how has your holiday been? When did you return?”

“I came back on Saturday morning,” Minerva said as they approached the gargoyle. “But it wasn’t bad. Very interesting, in some ways. I spent some time with Melina, and other members of my family, of course.” Minerva couldn’t keep a smile from her face, thinking of Malcolm and his new attachment to a particular Slytherin. “I’ve seen more of Malcolm. In fact, I’ve just come from him. He brought a new puppy for Hagrid, and he and Gertrude are down with him now.”

“Did he? Well, that was very thoughtful of him. Was it Gertrude’s idea? Had she asked him to procure it?” Albus asked.

“I don’t know whose idea it was. It seemed it was his own. He and Hagrid have hit it off quite well. And you know Hagrid, he loves anyone who appreciates his creatures,” Minerva said, trying to avoid mentioning Gertrude. She was afraid that if she said something, she was bound to give something away, and it was Gertrude’s place to discuss her relationship with Malcolm. But Albus’s interest seemed satisfied.

“Why don’t you bring the applications by a little later today, and we can discuss them,” he suggested. “Perhaps after lunch.”

Minerva tried to hide her disappointment that he hadn’t suggested meeting immediately, but he had just returned and likely had things he needed to take care of.

“I left them on your desk this morning,” she said. “But we can discuss them – now, if you like.”

Albus hesitated. “Not at the moment, my dear. I think perhaps I will read them over and look at your recommendations. If I have any questions, I will let you know when I see you at lunch.”

“Oh. All right, then . . . well, I’ll let you go. Professor Gamp simply thought you might like to know where we were, since we’re the only ones in the castle and we were all out at Hagrid’s.”

Albus smiled and thanked her again for her work on the applications, then the gargoyle opened the stairs to him, and he disappeared. Minerva turned and went back down the corridor, but rather than taking the stairs back down and rejoining the others at Hagrid’s cabin, she climbed up the five flights to her rooms. The Silent Knight bowed to her and opened the door as she uttered the password. He was becoming very efficient, Minerva thought distractedly.

Albus had initially seemed so pleased to see her. She would have said that he looked positively delighted, but then he had reverted to a reserved manner and scarcely told her anything of his holiday, nor of why he had returned early. Of course, her own excuse had been hardly any different from his, but still . . .

She sighed. If she were completely honest with herself, her disappointment stemmed entirely from the fact that he hadn’t leapt at the opportunity to discuss the applications with her. And that was entirely unreasonable. There really wasn’t very much to discuss, after all. Kettleburn and Hornby were clearly the best candidates for the position, and he would see that easily. And how utterly pathetic of her to be so desirous of his company that she would be that disappointed not to meet him to discuss some rather dull Hogwarts business. Perhaps she should have been more straightforward and simply suggested that they meet socially, simply to spend time together. But she wished that he had suggested it, himself.

She found a book and curled up on the couch, trying to read, but unable to focus very well even on the light novel she had selected. Minerva finally put the book down, her glasses with it, and Summoned her afghan from her bedroom. Lunch would be in about an hour . . . a nap until then seemed a good idea. She cast a cooling charm on the room, then put her afghan around her and said “Warm me.”

She closed her eyes as the gentle warmth of Albus’s charms surrounded her, and she drifted off to sleep.

Minerva woke abruptly to a barking coming from the landscape over her fireplace. She sighed. The cooling charm had dissipated as she’d slept, and she was too warm now. Pushing aside the afghan, she told Fidelio to rejoin his master, then, yawning, she sat up and opened the door.

“Malcolm.” She blinked at him and he grinned at her as he entered the room.

“Ah, you needn’t pretend you aren’t thrilled to see me, little sister!” He closed the door behind him and made himself at home, settling into one of her armchairs.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were spending the day with Gertrude.”

“I am, but Johannes has returned, unlooked for, to the castle, and Gertrude wanted to discuss something with him. She said she’d see me at lunch.”

Minerva woke up at that. “Did she say what she was meeting with him about?”

Malcolm shook his head. “Assume it’s something about the school.” He looked at her closely. “Why? Is there something – are they involved? I mean, were they? I thought . . . that is . . . I hadn’t considered him.”

Minerva shrugged. “I don’t think they were ever involved. And if it weren’t for your current situation, I would never say anything to you or to anyone else. And if you repeat this to anyone, even to Gertrude, I will be quite displeased.”

“I’d rather not have you telling me things about her or her colleagues that I cannot share with her,” Malcolm said, more seriously than Minerva was used to seeing him treat such things.

“Well, you decide what you want to say or not say, then,” Minerva said with a sigh. “But I understand that Johannes has carried a bit of a torch for Gertrude for some time. I think he’s given up, more or less, but it could be she wants to forewarn him that you and she are, um, friends, at least. I don’t even know if Gertrude has ever even acknowledged Johannes’s feelings for her, and they remain good friends. Somehow, he has dealt with it. What did you mean that you hadn’t considered him?” Minerva asked curiously.

“Just that . . . in the years since her husband died, I doubt she has not had an opportunity for romance, that’s all. Not that I know. It’s not exactly pillow talk. At least, I don’t think it is, not at this point. I’ve never had a relationship like this before, though, so I’m not sure. But she hasn’t asked me about my past, although I have been honest with her that she is very far from being the first woman I have been with, though she is the first one who has mattered. So I haven’t asked about her past. And I think it would be far more personal for her to tell me about it than vice versa.”

“Mmm.” Minerva now wondered again whether Gertrude and Albus had ever been involved. And again, the thought caused her not a single pang of envy. She couldn’t understand why, unless it had to do with the fact that Gertrude was very obviously not involved with Albus now. Albus must have decided she wasn’t the right witch for him . . . perhaps that’s when he became involved with Valerianna, and why he wouldn’t listen to Gertrude. He believed that Gertrude wanted him back. That was not very charitable of him, after all the loyalty that Gertrude had shown him over the years, Minerva thought, particularly given the fact that Valerianna was so clearly inferior to Gertrude.

“So, up for a quick game of chess?” Malcolm offered, changing the subject.

“No, there’s not enough time before lunch – even the way you play,” Minerva said.

“We missed you when you didn’t come back. We thought perhaps you were still with Dumbledore. I took a chance that you were here, though, rather than going back to Gertrude’s rooms. It didn’t seem quite . . . polite to hang about her rooms when she’s not there.”

“She seems very comfortable with you. She gave you her password, obviously. I doubt she would mind if you spent time there, as long as you didn’t go through her wardrobe or her drawers or whatever,” Minerva said with a smirk, imagining her brother up to his elbows in Gertrude’s knickers.

Malcolm chuckled himself. “So, why did old Dumbledore come back to the school early? Some emergency he couldn’t trust to anyone else?”

“No, I don’t think so. I don’t know why he returned early. It was none of my affair, and he didn’t mention it,” Minerva said stiffly.

“None of your affair?” Malcolm asked. “Peculiar way to put it. You’ve been friends for years. I’d think you’d just ask. I doubt it was anything nefarious he couldn’t share with you,” he said with a laugh. “And if it was, he could just make something up!”

“Really, Malcolm! His holiday was at an end. For all I know, he’ll be leaving again soon. He left the wards with Gertrude. If he intends to resume his holiday, he’ll tell her his plans, and you can ask her about them, if you are so curious.”

“Not particularly.” He shifted in his chair, then stretched. “So why are you back early? You never did say. I’d had the impression you were spending at least till some time next week at home.”

“I just became restless. It was nice to see Mother and Dad, but I thought that I could still pop back and forth and see them without having to stay there. I want to get ready for the new school year. I have new responsibilities. I want to be prepared.”

Malcolm nodded. “You seem to enjoy teaching.”

“I do.” Minerva smiled. “I really do. It’s an odd pleasure to see a student suddenly grasp a new concept or have their first success with a spell, and I enjoy that.”

“But being tied to the school . . . doesn’t that become wearing? I would think that over the summer, you would want to spend most of your time away while you are able.”

“I have only been teaching one term, so it hasn’t become wearing yet, as you put it. And I am taking advantage of the break to do other things. I’m going into London to have dinner with a friend, in fact. Quin, actually.”

Malcolm laughed at the mention of Quin’s name. “Well, you can reassure him that it was not he whom I was interested in.”

“I will. But I won’t mention Gertrude.”

Malcolm shrugged. “I imagine that he would deduce my interest in her fairly easily now that he knows I wasn’t interested in him.” He smiled again, amused at the thought of Quin’s discomfort. “He is a good sort. Remained polite the whole time he was afraid I was going to make a move on him.”

“As I said, I think that if you weren’t my brother, he wouldn’t have suffered your presence. He may have been polite to you, but he can be . . . not dangerous, but protective, I suppose.”

“That is dangerous, little sister, or have you never seen a mother protecting her young? And I always saw him as a wizard I wouldn’t want to cross. Not that I do think he would stand a chance against me, not unless we were reduced to fisticuffs, but nonetheless, it might be unpleasant.”

“Well, don’t cross him, Malcolm. He’s a good friend, and I don’t happen to want to worry about which of you might be in worse straits if you did.”

Malcolm replied quite seriously, “If there is one thing I try to do in my life, it is to avoid causing suffering in others, man or beast. There is enough suffering in the world without my adding to it if I can help it. But that said, I will not hesitate to hit back if I have to, or even to kill. I am very unhappy if I am driven to that point, but . . . the life I have chosen also presents me with those consequences at times, and those choices. I doubt very much, however, that I will ever have any serious disagreement with your friend Quin. Unless, of course, he does something to you or to another of my own. I would not tolerate that well. From anyone.”

“You have nothing to worry about, then,” Minerva said lightly, not completely comfortable with the fierce look that had briefly entered her brother’s eyes. “Come, we have seven flights to go down to lunch. We don’t want to be late.”

Lunch was a peculiar affair, Minerva thought, but she wondered whether she was the only one who found it so. Johannes chatted with everyone and seemed to be trying to be especially entertaining. She was pleased, though, to be sitting beside Albus. Malcolm and Gertrude were sitting at different ends of the table, and it seemed to Minerva that they were trying too hard to avoid looking at each other, and so every glance they did exchange seemed filled with tension. Albus was fairly quiet, as was usual at mealtime, but Malcolm managed to engage him in conversation about familial curses and whether they actually existed or were more like self-fulfilling prophecies than actual curses. Minerva was interested when Albus said that he had received a few applications for the Defence Against the Dark Arts job, but so far there had been no satisfactory applicants.

“What about the candidates from the previous search, Professor?” Minerva asked. “Professor Pretnick was only in the position for a year, after all. Perhaps one of them might still be interested. Have you considered contacting any of them?”

Albus’s brow furrowed as he recollected the previous applicants. “A few of the current applicants had actually applied for the position the last time and were unsuitable for one reason or another. Of the others . . . no,” Albus shook his head. “I believe there are none whom I would care to contact.”

“What of Professor Hardwick, or even Professor Merrythought? I saw him in Diagon Alley a few weeks ago, and he looked quite hale and hearty,” suggested Johannes. “Perhaps one of them would consider returning for the year, or even just for as long as it takes to find someone else.”

“Professor Hardwick is ailing, so I do not believe he would be available, or well enough to teach, for that matter. And as for Merrythought . . . I suppose I could approach him with the idea. But he hasn’t taught for over a decade. I believe he is enjoying his retirement.”

Johannes grinned. “I would say so. He had a pretty young witch on his arm when I saw him. And it was not his granddaughter!” he said with a chuckle. “Yes, you might find him difficult to persuade, at that.”

Gertrude said, “He did? Well, good for him. I used to try to encourage him to socialise some, but he was in such a cocoon here at the school, he’d become too comfortable to realise that there was any other life or any greater joy to be had other than instilling knowledge in young minds.”

Malcolm laughed at that. “He was a fine teacher. One of my favourites, actually. He was a bit set in his ways with his teaching methods, but he was scrupulously dedicated. And not afraid to let us get banged up a bit – not badly, of course,” Malcolm hastened to add. “But that is what Defence is about – learning not to get banged up. Still, it never would have occurred to me to picture him with a witch, young, old, or otherwise. He seemed a bit . . . ascetic, I suppose. Genial enough, of course, but not capable of any strong emotions. But good for him, as you say, Gertrude!”

Minerva carefully controlled her expression, but she was very interested in that bit of news. Merrythought had to be close to Albus’s age, possibly older. He had seemed old when he had taught her. He wasn’t as robust-looking as Albus, nor as generally attractive – in fact, the thought of him being involved with a young witch seemed somewhat incongruous. Nonetheless, he was with a witch young enough to be mistaken for his granddaughter, although apparently Johannes could recognise the nature of their relationship immediately. Of course, in that case, “young” could simply mean that she was half his age and twice Minerva’s. Minerva sighed deeply and played with her custard.

Albus turned to her. “Are you all right, my dear?” he asked quietly.

Minerva turned to look at him, trying to smile, but when her eyes met his, she dropped her spoon and her breath caught. The warmth in his eyes literally took her breath away. Her brother Accio’d the spoon and cleaned it for her, but she scarcely noticed that.

Minerva swallowed. “I am fine.”

“Would you like something other than custard?” he asked. “I am sure that the house-elves could be prevailed upon to bring you a plate of ginger newts.” Albus smiled at her, eyes twinkling.

“No,” Minerva answered, returning his infectious smile. “I’m fine. Just not in the mood for dessert, I suppose.”

Albus widened his eyes in mock horror. “Not in the mood for dessert? How dreadful! I can’t remember ever being so afflicted,” he teased.

Minerva chuckled. “You would have dessert at every meal, I am sure, if you could.”

“I do try to avoid over-indulging, however. I have recently been told that my consumption of fruits and vegetables is insufficient, and I have been trying to rectify that fault,” he said, a little teasing grin playing on his face.

Minerva laughed again. “I cannot imagine who the brave soul was who would dare suggest such a thing!”

“Someone rather special to me, actually, or I would have paid the advice no heed, I am sure.”

Minerva grinned. “I know! It must have been Poppy! I will have to inform her that you are following her advice.”

Albus smiled and shook his head slightly. “Did she advise me of that? I scarcely remember.”

Johannes spoke up at that moment. “Were you coming, Albus?”

Albus looked up. “Hmm?”

“You said you would like to see Hagrid’s new boarhound pup. We’re going down now. Gertrude and Malcolm are coming, as well.”

“Oh, yes, yes, of course,” Albus answered. As he stood, he turned back to Minerva, “I will see you later today, perhaps?”

Minerva nodded. She considered inviting herself along to see the puppy again, but she really didn’t want to see Albus amidst all those people. She wanted him to herself. Besides, she was not particularly keen on seeing whether the interactions amongst Gertrude, Malcolm, and Johannes became more or less awkward once they had left the more structured setting of the dining table.

“I will be in my room this afternoon, although I do have some research I want to do in the library. I will be in one or the other place,” Minerva answered.

Gertrude, who was standing in the doorway, waiting for Johannes and Albus, said, “You should get outside on such a beautiful day, Minerva. Come with us down to Hagrid’s.”

Minerva smiled at the older witch. “Thank you, Gertrude, but I had my walk this morning, and I thought I would do some work this afternoon. I may take a book outdoors later, though – but I won’t be far, Albus.”

“Do not plan your afternoon around me, my dear! I am sure that I will be able to find you should I need you.”

Minerva went back up to her rooms feeling much better than she had. The conversation with Albus, as silly and inconsequential as it had been, had lifted her spirits. And every now and then, the way he would look at her or something he would say would go straight to her heart, and she would have hope again that he might be developing a greater affection for her.

---

Next: "Seeking Counsel" 12 August 1957.

P.S. There's a new "game" up on my LJ -- some of the answers, both wrong and right, are somewhat amusing, I thought! ;D

---

[Hogwarts Duo]

Gertie and Minerva’s conversations are really intense at times. I think it’s great that Minerva is speaking frankly, to a certain degree, about Gertie’s relationship with Malcolm. It’s like she’s trying to protect her brother, which is really sweet. However, having said that, I don’t believe Malcolm would hurt Gertie, not after hearing him describe some of their moments to Minerva in the previous chapter.

Poor Johannes. I’m glad that Gertie is going to tell him about her relationship with Malcolm. I really like him and would hate to see him hurt, even if he already knows in his heart that Gertie doesn’t return his feelings.

Sheesh, I never expected to be writing so much about Gertie in a review…haha. Guess you’re shocked too. Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming… ;D

Albus deserves a swift kick in the rear for being so cold towards Minerva when he first returned. I can somewhat understand his notion of keeping her at a distance to help him deal with his emotions better but that’s no excuse for behaving almost callously towards her. At the very least, he’s not being the good friend he promised to be when they had their initial misunderstanding. It seems that Minerva is always running after him and he gives very little in return some days. BAD ALBUS!!

And then at the end of the chapter, we get our loveable Albus back…the playful, kind hearted, wizard with the twinkle in his blue eyes. His banter with Minerva is so easy here and it’s almost as if he’d forgotten that they were at a table with others. He’s getting really good at blowing hot and cold on Minerva and it’s not fair to her in the least. She’s giving him everything she has and yet it’s not working. Not a good sign…sigh.

Thanks for the update and as always, I’m greedily waiting for MORE!

[dianahawthorne]

Good gracious, Albus was not very nice to Minerva when he first arrived back! It was obvious by her lack of breath that she had wanted to see him because she ran to catch up with him! And Malcolm was so cute when he visited Minerva in her rooms! I'm glad that Min still isn't jealous of Gertie having an affair with Albus, although she doesn't know that for sure. I hope that the news about Professor Merrythought will spur Albus on to admitting his feelings about Minerva to her - and vice-versa.

This was an amazing chapter, as always, and I really hope that you post the next one soon!

[Merriam]

I almost missed this chapter! But I'm glad I didn't--it was amazing. I loved Minerva and Albus' banter during lunch--he seemed to be opening up a bit. Maybe things will continue that way for the rest of the day . . . I think we could all use some extra warmth right now (it is SO cold here)!

Anyway, lovely update. But like always, this has whetted my appetite for more. I will be waiting patiently. ;D

[Orion's Guard]

I've had the page up for like a day and a half trying to remember to read it.

Hagrid isn't the first person I'd imagine to identify the Ides of March from Minerva's comment.

Albus is obviously trying to distcance himself from her, but we'll see how long that lasts (oh wait, he's already getting all batty eyed toward her).

And in response to your response about Albus and Gertrude, what's the good of denial if don't ignore what's blatantly in front of you 8 million times over.