Resolving a Misunderstanding (complete)

[MMADfan]

Continued from the previous post
on the previous page!

CXXXIX: The Morning Beyond Never, continued

Wilspy reappeared with their breakfast – or “nuncheon” – and Minerva excused herself to use the loo. When she reappeared, her hair was up in a loose twist, charmed in place. Albus held her chair for her, then he couldn’t resist bending over and kissing the nape of her neck several times, softly.

“Keep doing that,” Minerva said, inhaling sharply, “and – oh, my – we won’t, we won’t, um . . . mmmm . . . .”

He kissed her shoulders, then he reached around, kissed her cheek, then moved to her ear. He kissed it softly then whispered, “We won’t what?”

“Nothing,” Minerva breathed, her eyes closed, hoping he wouldn’t stop.

He nuzzled her briefly before kissing the top of her head. “Sorry, my dear, I just couldn’t resist. I resisted too many times to resist this time.”

“You needn’t resist anything, you know, Albus,” Minerva said, her eyes shining as he took his seat beside her at the table. “As I have been trying to tell you.”

Albus was quiet for a moment, looking at her, smiling, then he poured their tea and said, “I do not want to . . . rush, my dear. I still amaze that you love me as you do. I wish us to take our leisure, take pleasure in this time.”

“So do I, Albus, so do I,” Minerva responded, reaching over and laying her hand on his. “And I am very glad that you did not say anything as you did earlier about my shying from your touch, which I hope you would see is patently absurd, given the way you make me feel when you touch me and kiss me.”

Looking serious, Albus turned his hand beneath hers and curled his fingers around her hand. “I will try to explain my feelings to you on that matter, but not now.” He smiled slightly. “But I am pleased that I needn’t resist kissing the nape of your neck any longer. You have no idea . . .” He raised Minerva’s hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, closing his eyes and relishing the feel of her skin beneath his lips, brushing her hand against them.

“I love you,” he murmured before kissing her hand again. “I suppose you will become tired of hearing me say that.”

“Only after you have tired of hearing me say that I love you, my darling Albus,” Minerva said, bringing their joined hands to her mouth and kissing his hand. “And I hope that is never.”

“Beyond never, Minerva, beyond never.”

The two ate the omelettes that Wilspy had brought them, and the potato cakes with butter, and the grilled tomatoes, onions, and peppers, all of that followed by small fruit tarts topped with crème fraîche. There was also a small plate of ginger newts, which Minerva set aside for later.

“It seems that Blampa must know I have returned,” Minerva said with a smile.

“You have done very well with her, Minerva,” Albus said. “Hwouly reported to me last week that Blampa is very happy.”

“Hwouly reported about Blampa?” Minerva asked, puzzled.

“Yes, she reports to me on the state of all of the house-elves twice a year, with more general reports monthly, or more frequently if there are any problems either with house-elves or the castle, including whether there are any unhappy house-elves – difficulties she is unable to deal with herself, or which require my awareness, if not my attention – and Blampa, she said, is one of the happiest house-elves,” Albus explained. “You are the first individual whom she has served, you see, as she is very young and has only worked in the general areas before. She was having some trouble this winter and spring, apparently, but over the last couple of months, Hwouly reports that she is doing much better.”

“Oh! I had no idea that she hadn’t served anyone before!” Minerva felt guilty about her occasionally curt manner with the house-elf. “She was unhappy, then?”

“Somewhat. It didn’t particularly concern Hwouly when she first reported it to me in February, as she noted that many young elves have some difficulties when they begin to serve an individual staff member.” Seeing Minerva’s distressed expression, Albus added, “Part of Blampa’s unhappiness stemmed from the jealousy of some of the other house-elves, apparently, which you could have done nothing about. There were some who thought they should have been chosen to serve, as they were older. And it seems that you did not make use of her very often, and the other elves took that as a sign that she served poorly.”

“I wish you had told me, Albus! Or that someone had – I had no idea. She was a little annoying, and I was also unused to having a house-elf at my beck-and-call, since I never had one with me in London, but had I known she was so young and that she hadn’t served an individual before, I would have done things differently.”

“I thought that you and Blampa would work things out. Hwouly had assured me that it wasn’t necessary to speak to you about it, and she didn’t think that any intervention was necessary. That is rarely needed,” Albus explained.

“I still wish I had known that I was the first individual she served. It would have made things easier on both of us, I think,” Minerva said, remembering the time that Blampa hadn’t cleaned her rooms or removed the dirty laundry for three days because Minerva had infelicitously told her not to return until she was called.

“All is well now, my dear. And Hwouly mentioned that Wilspy has taken her under her wing, as well.”

“That’s good. I think she seems happy, and she seems to worship Wilspy,” Minerva responded. “She brought a couple other house-elves along to help set up the Transfiguration classroom, so it looks as though she has some friends. I must say, I don’t understand house-elves very well, particularly any outside of our family.”

“They do have their own traditions and values, of course, and they seem to be born with a desire to serve. If they are happy in their service, they live long and they procreate, provided they have suitable mates. A family that treats its house-elves poorly will soon find themselves with dwindling numbers, regardless of the opportunities to serve,” Albus said. “And although bound to serve and obey, house-elves can interpret their orders and their service in ways that we might not imagine. That is how we learned of the situation with the family in the Lake District, the Troupels, the case that came before the Wizengamot a few weeks ago. The one remaining house-elf alerted his cousins, and they encouraged their family to visit the Troupels, who were their cousins, and they made the grisly discovery. It was quite obvious that there was no keeping murder and torture within the family, and so they notified the Aurors.”

Minerva shuddered, remembering the article she had read in the Daily Prophet, which she hadn’t finished, the details were so disturbing.

“Do they know why young Troupel did what he did?” Minerva asked.

Albus shook his head. “He clearly was sick, sick in his mind and in his spirit. I do not think that his reasons were any that we could understand. I so wish there had been something we could have done with him other than send him to Azkaban, but a young wizard who murders his father and his younger brother, imprisons and tortures the rest of his family, and kidnaps, rapes, and murders random Muggle women . . . there was nothing else we could do with him.” Albus sighed heavily. “We did discuss sending him to St. Mungo’s, but they haven’t the facilities to contain him, and the Healers we spoke to said they could do nothing but keep him sedated. They can treat melancholy, mania, lethargy, those sorts of ills, and certain kinds of spell-damage, but their experience with this kind of madness – they really have very little, even the oldest among them. We even consulted a Squib who practises Muggle psychiatry, and he said that there are few treatments for Muggles with such severe . . . disease, and they are not particularly effective on Muggles. He feared that the treatments would make a wizard worse, even if he could be safely contained at St. Mungo’s. So, it was Azkaban.”

“I wish I hadn’t asked,” Minerva said, feeling sick. “But it is good that the house-elf was able to alert someone on the outside. What happened to him?”

“He is fine, returned to the service of the remaining Troupels, who are suitably grateful to him, I understand,” Albus responded.

Albus stood and gave his hand to Minerva. She rose and leaned against him, his arms around her. Minerva smiled.

“Your hugs are magical, Albus,” she said. “I don’t even remember what we were talking about now.”

“An Obliviating hug?” Albus said with a chuckle.

“No . . . it simply replaces everything else with warmth and joy, so any sadness or distress just fades away,” Minerva answered.

“Perhaps that should be my new profession then, Magical Hugger. I could pop about the country, dispensing embraces as needed!” he teased.

“No, I don’t think so!” Minerva said with a grin. “If anyone needs a hug, they can come to you, but I do hope that you will reserve most of them for me.”

“It would be difficult not to, simply because one of the most wonderful things about embracing you, my dear, is that I receive one from you in return! And your hugs are without substitute,” Albus answered, kissing the side of her head. “I do hope that you don’t grow tired of my embraces and my kisses. Now that I needn’t hide my feelings from you, I find it difficult to restrain myself from bestowing kiss upon kiss.”

“Then don’t expend the effort trying to restrain yourself, Albus.” Minerva looked up at him. “Indeed, you needn’t restrain yourself at all around me anymore.”

Albus smiled down at her. “It would be rather scandalous if I were to fail to restrain myself around you in public, however. I can see the horror on the students’ faces as the Headmaster apparently went completely mad in the midst of the Sorting Ceremony and leapt upon the Head of Gryffindor, kissing her passionately.”

Minerva laughed at the thought, but then said, “How would the Headmaster kiss the Head of Gryffindor, then? I believe I need a demonstration in order to fully appreciate the necessity for restraint in public.”

“Mmm, you do, do you?”

Albus raised a hand to her face and caressed it, then his lips met hers as he cupped her cheek. His kisses were slow, gentle, languid, and very sensual, his lips repeatedly moving against Minerva’s, then pulling her lower lip between his and sucking it gently before his tongue tickled her lips then entered her mouth. With just the tip of his tongue, he teased hers, then his tongue stroked the roof of her mouth before he returned to the slow, sensual kisses. Albus eased them both to their knees as he continued to kiss her, his hands travelling over her back, then he lowered her to the floor, kissing her the entire time and coming to lie partially on top of her. His kisses grew more passionate, and he began to caress her from her hip to her breast. Minerva gasped as he broke the kiss and stopped, resting his hand on her breast and looking down at her with a smile.

Minerva opened her eyes. She moved her hand up to comb it through his hair. “And that is how the Headmaster would kiss the Head of Gryffindor during the Sorting Ceremony if he didn’t restrain himself?” she asked softly, smiling. “I do suppose it might disrupt things a bit. And I doubt I could pay attention to the Sorting, myself.” She sighed dramatically. “I guess you are right about restraining yourself in public!”

Albus chuckled, eyes twinkling, and he kissed her softly. “I am glad you see the wisdom of my position.”

“I rather like this position, actually,” Minerva said, pulling him to her and kissing him. She caressed him and tried to urge him to lie more fully on top of her.

“Mmm, my dear,” Albus said, “I think we need to . . . get up now.”

“It’s Saturday,” she reminded him.

“Yes, and it’s approaching eleven. We need to change clothes and such. Gertrude threatened yesterday that she would send Hagrid after me if I didn’t turn up for lunch.”

Minerva laughed out loud at that. “I can just envision that now. Although I think Hagrid would have trouble reaching you up here, unless you have charmed the stairs to recognise him.”

“No, but knowing Gertie as I do, she would not find it an impediment to carrying out her threat.”

Minerva kissed him. “It’s good to know that someone was concerned about your well-being.”

“Yes, well, she was not very tactful about it. She said I looked like hell, in fact,” Albus said with a short laugh.

“You didn’t look well when I arrived last night.” Minerva caressed his face. “But you look much better now. Like yourself.”

“Good. I feel quite well. Better than I can remember feeling in many, many years.”

“Mmmm, I could make you feel even better, I believe,” Minerva whispered before kissing him. One hand insinuated itself between them, and she reached for him, for the delight that she felt pressing against her thigh, but Albus rolled away from her.

“Oh, Minerva, don’t test my restraint, please,” Albus said with a groan.

“As I’ve said, you needn’t restrain yourself in private, Albus,” Minerva answered, blushing. “I don’t want to restrain myself with you.”

“But I do, my dear,” Albus said. “I do, as I explained last night.” He sounded pained.

“You didn’t explain it fully, though.” Minerva sighed, closing her eyes, then said, “But I suppose it is adequate for me to know that you don’t wish to rush and you wish to court me.” She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Adequate for now, anyway.”

“Allow me to escort you to your quarters so that you can freshen up and change robes,” Albus suggested. “And then we can meet in the staff room for lunch.”

Minerva reluctantly agreed to have him escort her back to her own rooms as it did seem practical, but she said, “I don’t think I could eat lunch yet, though, Albus. I’m still digesting our nuncheon!”

“All right, then. Why don’t I meet you in your rooms later – if that is all right with you,” Albus said.

“That would be perfect. And I can write a letter to my parents reassuring them of my well-being.” Minerva hesitated. “Albus . . . would you mind terribly, that is . . . I would like to tell Quin, too. But I’d like to see him. If it would be all right with you – ”

“Of course, my dearest. If you would like to see him today or tomorrow, that would be fine – it would be a good thing, in fact,” Albus said with a nod.

“Good, I will owl him, too, then.”

“If you could just be sure that you are available this evening?” Albus said.

Minerva smiled. “I will be entirely yours this evening, Albus.”

Grinning, Albus said, “I look forward to that, my dear! Very much.”

Minerva waved her wand to put her hair back up into a loose, Charmed bun at the back of her head. Her earlier charm hadn’t been sufficiently strong to hold it once Albus kissed her as he had.

At the door to her rooms, Albus stopped and looked at her long, caressing her cheek. “Thank you, Minerva.”

“For what?”

“For everything, for you, for your forgiveness, for your love,” he replied softly.

“No thanks necessary,” Minerva answered. “I am grateful myself, though. Grateful for you.”

He kissed her softly then said, “I will see you later, then.”

Minerva nodded. “If I’m not here when you return, or if I don’t answer the door, just let yourself in. I may be in the Owlery or dressing.”

“If the Knight will allow me entry,” Albus said with a smile.

Minerva shook her head in amusement, but she turned to the portrait. “Sir Knight, if ever the Headmaster – that is, Albus Dumbledore – requests entry, please do not deny him, and if he wishes to be announced, please do that, as well,” she said.

“I am your servant, my lady, and now I shall serve the lord and master of this castle for as long as he serves you,” the Knight said with a bow. He raised his visor and looked at Albus with surprisingly sharp eyes. “You serve the lady? She is yours?” he asked seriously.

Albus raised his eyebrows at the questioning, but answered, “Yes, I serve her. I serve her with my life, mind and body, heart and soul. But she belongs to herself and no one else.”

Minerva thought that the Knight smiled at that. “You are free, then, to come and go as you wish, my lord, and I will serve you. And I thank you . . . my geas is almost lifted. I can feel it. Soon, I, too, will be free.”

With that cryptic statement, the Knight lowered his visor and the door clicked open.

Minerva looked puzzled. “I did not give the password.”

“Forgive me my lapse, my lady. It was the excitement of the moment,” the Knight replied.

“I don’t understand, Albus,” Minerva said. “A portrait shouldn’t have that kind of lapse, whether it is harmless or not.”

Albus hesitated a moment. “I did not tell you this before, as it sounded absurd, but when he would not announce my presence to you earlier in the week, he actually drew his sword against me and said that he would die in your service.” Albus pondered a moment, looking at the painting. “We haven’t time now, my dear, but later, we will explore this phenomenon further.”

Minerva nodded. “Until later, then, Albus.”

Albus kissed her again and watched her enter her room and close the door behind her before he left to return to his suite.

Minerva took a very quick shower, did her hair, and dressed in her mossy green robes, then went into her study. It was nice to have a study, she thought as she sat at her desk and took out her quill and parchment.

The first letter she wrote was to her parents.

“Dear Mother and Dad,

“I wanted to let you know that all is well with me here, and I shall see you at Melina’s wedding on the 23rd, if not earlier. Professor Dumbledore will be escorting me.

“Love,

“Minerva
“17 August 1957
“Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry”

When she finished that one, she pondered for a moment before writing the next.

“Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
“17 August 1957

“Dear Quin,

“Could you meet me in Hogsmeade this afternoon? Perhaps for tea? I have some news for you.

“Best,

“Minerva”

Minerva assumed that he would know what her news was as soon as he received the letter, but she wanted to tell him herself. He must have somehow discovered Albus’s feelings for her when he visited him the previous evening, and that is why he told Albus to tell her the truth. Minerva felt that there was more to the story than that, but she wouldn’t press Albus about it. He had clearly suffered while she had been gone from the castle and had feared her response when she read his letter and poem. And she had had Quin, but he had had no one but Wilspy to look after him, really. And it didn’t sound as though Albus had confided in anyone at all about his feelings for her. He had suffered at least as much as she had, just differently.

Minerva left and ran up to the Owlery, hoping that Quin could meet her that afternoon. It was very short notice. She sent his letter off with the largest Eagle Owl available, and sent the one to her parents with a Scops, shrinking the letter a little first to make it easier for the bird to manage.

As she walked back to her suite, she thought about Quin, and she began to get a pit in her stomach. He had been so good to her, so loving, and she had taken advantage of him and of the feelings she suspected he had for her. True, she had believed that all was lost between her and Albus, and she certainly did care for Quin – she loved him, in a way, and he was not unattractive – but that did not excuse her behaviour. It certainly did not excuse hurting Quin as she no doubt had. And yet Quin had come to see Albus, likely not long after she had left his house for her parents’. In addition to telling him her good news, she would have to apologise to him. It might be awkward, but she owed him that much, at least.

Continued in the next post!

[MMADfan]

Continued from the previous post!
Chapter begins on the previous page!

CXXXIX: The Morning Beyond Never, continued

She settled in her sitting room, and time seemed to drag as she waited for Albus, but ten minutes after she had returned from the Owlery, the Knight entered the painting above her mantle and announced that the master of the castle was at the door. Without wasting time replying to the portrait, Minerva waved her wand and opened the door. Albus met her halfway across the room, shutting the door behind himself with a flick of a finger. He caught her up in his arms and kissed her, then held her close.

“Missed me?” Minerva asked.

“Very much . . . I do hope . . . this becomes . . . easier,” Albus whispered as he rained kisses upon her upturned face.

Minerva kissed him again, pulling him toward the sofa where they sat and kissed and caressed each other. When finally Albus lay his head on hers and they caught their breath, Minerva was sitting across his lap, reclining in his arms. She sighed happily.

“I won’t mind missing you so much if you greet me like that each time,” she said with a smile. She snuggled closer, breathing in his scent and enjoying the sensation of his beard against her skin. She could feel his answering chuckle vibrate through her.

“As long as we will not scandalise or startle, my dear, I will be more than happy to greet you like that every time,” he answered.

Minerva thought for a moment. “Obviously we would be discreet in public, and certainly around the students, and I do believe that such an enthusiastic greeting is best kept for private, but . . . how to put this . . . I don’t want you to be a secret in my life, as though there were something illicit in our relationship.” She could feel Albus’s own hesitation before he answered.

“I never want you to feel as though this, our relationship, were something illicit or genuinely scandalous, but I do think that it might be for the best if, for now at least, the only ones who know of it are your parents and Quin, of necessity, and those few others with whom we may choose to share the information at some point in the future,” Albus said slowly and carefully.

Minerva shifted and looked up at him. “You say that almost as though there were something scandalous about it, the way that you have qualified it so. I do think it best to be discreet, of course, but I really do not want to feel as though we are hiding our relationship as though there were something to be ashamed of.”

Albus kissed her temple. “Of course not, my dear, but it is somewhat . . . unusual for a Headmaster to be in a romantic relationship with a member of his staff. And it is most certainly unusual for a wizard of my age to be courting a witch of yours. That you were once my student . . . perhaps that in itself is not such an impediment, so many years have passed since you were in school, but you were, in a way, my protege, and your appointment as Transfiguration teacher and subsequent rapid appointment as Head of Gryffindor might be questioned if it were commonly known – ”

“I am not speaking of making our relationship commonly known, Albus,” Minerva said, interrupting him. “And although I wasn’t thinking about those points at the moment, they are certainly true. In fact, I used to worry that if my parents were to learn of my feelings for you, they would think that you had done something to encourage them or had perhaps behaved inappropriately when I was a student – not that the latter would be credible, of course – but it did concern me, and it’s why I did my best to hide my feelings for you from them. My best was apparently not sufficient, however, since it seems they have suspected for years how I felt about you. But are we going to have to hide our feelings from everyone else around us? I have spent so many years doing that, and I don’t know as I can bear to do it any longer.”

“You needn’t hide your feelings from me, though,” Albus responded gently. “Surely that is the important thing.”

“Yes, of course.” But Minerva couldn’t help herself, and tears rose to her eyes. “I just wish we could at least tell the people around us so that I don’t need to feel as though I must constantly pretend to care for you only as a friend.”

“I think it is for the best at the moment, though, my dear,” Albus said. “But do not cry. Surely telling your parents and Quin, that should be enough for now.”

“If you wish, Albus.” She lay her head against his shoulder. “I suppose it might be for the best that the rest of the staff not know immediately. They might wonder about the things that you mentioned, and even if they didn’t, they might think that you would treat me differently from everyone else – you won’t, will you, Albus?” Minerva asked, lifting her head and looking at him.

“I will endeavour not to, my dear Professor. As I said at the beginning of the summer, we will try to keep Hogwarts business and personal business separate, and if there is ever any question about whether something is a Hogwarts matter or a personal matter, we will talk about it. All right?”

Minerva nodded. “I didn’t precisely tell my parents about us in the letter I wrote them. I just told them I was well and that you would be escorting me to Melina’s wedding – I thought that would tell them everything.”

“Very sensible, Minerva. And whatever else you wish to tell them is entirely up to you. I do hope that your father doesn’t come after me in a McGonagall rage, though!” Albus said half-jokingly.

“I highly doubt that. And given your differing skills, I do not believe you would have very much to worry about, even if he did,” Minerva said.

“Yes, but having to Stun your father would not be pleasant, to say the least. Besides, I have come to like Merwyn. I would dislike losing his friendship.”

“You won’t. He likes you very much,” Minerva said reassuringly. “He speaks highly of you, and given my parents’ suspicions about my feelings toward you, I doubt he would have done that if he disapproved of the idea of you reciprocating them.”

“You said that they suspected for some years. How long?” Albus asked.

Minerva swallowed, then answered truthfully, “I don’t know. My mother didn’t say specifically.”

“Hmm . . . you know, when I visited you there last time, earlier in the summer, your father showed me a letter you had written a long time ago.” Albus made a face. “I probably should not have said anything about that.”

“What? What letter?” Minerva asked, puzzled.

“I ought not have mentioned it. Please don’t hold this against your parents, my dear. I am certain that they would have said something to you eventually.” Albus took a breath. “Before you came to France to rescue me, you apparently had written a letter to be delivered in the event of your death. Somehow, the letter was inadvertently delivered some months after your return.”

“It was!? Oh, no . . . I thought the Ministry destroyed them! Although I do think I had said I would retrieve it myself, but with everything that happened and my leave of absence, I simply forgot about it. My parents must have been quite startled to have received it,” Minerva said.

“Very. Shocked, I believe was the word that your father used. He said that at first, it didn’t seem appropriate to mention it to you, and after that, there never seemed a need to. But he wanted me to read it. I was unsure why, at the time, but now . . . you had said some rather nice things about me in the letter. I suppose that he wanted me to see that you cared about me even then.”

Minerva nodded. “I can understand why they didn’t mention it when they received it, and how there would just not be an occasion to do so later,” she said, then she smiled up at him. “So you see, Albus, my father and mother want what’s best for me, and if I want you, that’s what they want, too. Just as you said about Wilspy wanting the best for you.”

Albus nodded. “Very well, my dear. And Quin?”

“I just told him I had news, although I am sure he can guess what the news is, since he saw you yesterday and I am here at Hogwarts today,” Minerva replied. “I believe he will be very pleased.”

“I was wondering, would you give him a message for me?” Albus asked.

“Of course. What would you like me to tell him?”

“I think I’ll just write him a little note. I simply wish to thank him.”

“What about Gertrude, Albus?” Minerva asked.

“What about her?”

“What will you tell her? Did she say anything at lunch?”

Albus chuckled. “It seems that I was not fast enough to get ready for lunch, and at noon, while I was still in the shower, my charm announced that the gargoyle had let someone into the stairway. Just a few minutes later, I found out who had been admitted.” He laughed again. “It seems Gertrude was quite serious about having Hagrid drag me to lunch! I opened the door from the bedroom to the sitting room – not even properly dressed, mind, just my dressing gown wrapped loosely around me, my beard and hair still wet from my shower, not having had time to dry them – and who should I see but both Gertrude and Hagrid.” He laughed again. “Poor Hagrid! He kept telling me that Gertrude insisted I go to lunch, and he was there to make sure I didn’t ‘waste away to naught bu’ skin an’ bone,’ as he put it, but he was also clearly embarrassed at having interrupted my shower.”

Minerva laughed. “Hagrid is shy about things like that, I think. And Gertrude?”

“She said she was glad to see I was taking some care for my personal hygiene, but that I was late for lunch as it was now twelve-oh-four!” Albus laughed again. “I thanked her, assured her that I had, indeed, planned to come to lunch but that I was late because I had met with you earlier – I didn’t tell her the details, of course! Then I asked her how she managed to get Hagrid up the stairs.”

“Well? How did she?” Minerva asked as Albus interrupted his story to chuckle again.

“She rolled her eyes, much as you used to when you were a girl, and she asked me if I were really that half-daft, and when I only looked at her blankly, she said, somewhat indignantly, I believe, ‘I may be an Arithmancer, but I am still a witch and I have not forgotten how to perform a Levitation Charm when need be!’”

Minerva laughed loudly at that, laughing until tears ran down her face as she imagined Gertrude, wand out, Levitating poor Hagrid up the stairs to the Headmaster’s suite, ready to drag Albus down to lunch for his own good.

“Did she really think – ” Minerva burst into laughter again, then finally, coughing, she asked, “Did she really think that the two of them could have wrangled you downstairs to lunch if you didn’t want to go?” She laughed, trying to imagine such a thing. “I can see it right now, the Headmaster, caught unawares, dripping wet, Stunned by Gertrude – only because she had the advantage of surprise, of course – then perhaps Petrified, and carried bodily down to the staff room, wrapped only in his dressing gown, by Hagrid, who would probably be weeping because of the necessity of having you Stunned and Petrified!”

Albus laughed with Minerva. “They did very kindly allow me to dry my hair and dress before I left.”

“I see that Wilspy restored your wardrobe to you – or are those the robes she left you for today?” Minerva asked. He was wearing the rose and gold robes that she liked so well on him.

“She did, indeed, restore my robes to me,” Albus answered, “and I was allowed to choose my clothes for the day myself.”

“Good choice. I have always liked these robes on you. They make your cheeks rosy and they bring out the colour of your eyes.” Minerva smiled to see Albus’s cheeks grow pinker with her compliments. “There is one set of robes, however . . . if I never see them on you again, I will be quite happy.”

“Really? Which ones?” Albus asked, surprised.

“The grey ones. Not the taupe and mauve, those are fine. But the grey ones should be turned into rags. Or burned, if I may be blunt. They do nothing for you, and although I am no slave to fashion and I think there is a great deal to be said for not discarding robes simply because they are not the latest style, those robes are awful. I hope you are not terribly fond of them and I have just insulted your favourite outfit.”

“Not at all, my dear!” Albus said, blinking, somewhat startled. “I am not particularly fond of them, myself, but I didn’t think they were so bad. They are one of my few sets of sensible robes, you see. I wear them when I don’t want to draw attention to my clothing.”

“Yes, well, they do draw attention, Albus, and not in a good way. Those ruffles – brrrr! They couldn’t have been a particularly attractive fashion even when they were stylish. It looks as though you’re wearing draperies – ugly draperies.”

Albus laughed. “Very well, I will instruct Wilspy to dispose of them in whatever way she sees fit. Unless you think that a trip to Madam Malkin’s – ”

“A trip to Madam Malkin’s would be an excellent idea, but to replace them. I believe she would be insulted if she were asked to tailor those over for you. You aren’t destitute. We can find some other nice robes for you, well-tailored but conservative, if you feel you must have some conservative robes. I must also say that the navy robes don’t do anything for you,” Minerva said with a frown. “They aren’t terrible, of course, but you usually dress so well, it is always something of a shock to see you in something unattractive.”

“But the point has been to appear less . . . eccentric,” Albus said hesitantly.

“I don’t see why you should care about that – it’s to do with me, isn’t it?” Minerva asked, suddenly drawing the connection between his drab robes, his Glamour earlier that summer, and his surprising and uncharacteristic worries about being an “old codger.”

“Not – well, yes, I suppose so. But a wizard does need the occasional conservative robes. I do recognise that, despite my preference for more colourful clothing.”

“‘Conservative’ does not have to mean ‘ugly,’ though, Albus. The other day when Quin went to the Ministry, he was wearing conservative robes – in fact, I have seen him in conservative robes on other occasions, as well – but they don’t detract from his appearance – ”

“That would be difficult, though, my dear. He is a strikingly handsome wizard,” Albus said, interrupting her.

“As are you, Albus. But even Quin couldn’t wear those grey, ruffly robes and not look awful.” Minerva giggled as an image arose in her mind of Quin wearing the ruffled robes. “No, you need to have them properly tailored, that’s all. And you can keep them the traditional style, if you like, but Quin also has some that look a good deal like a Muggle business suit. He wears starched white shirts with them.”

Albus shook his head. “I do like the more traditional wizarding look. And starched collars give me a rash after a while.”

Minerva laughed. “Very well. But let’s go to Madam Malkin’s and have her do some nice robes for you that are more conservative than your usual, but without detracting from your appearance as those grey ones do.”

Albus nodded. “But I can go on my own, Minerva.”

“I would like to – ” Minerva began.

“No need to discuss this now – and there’s an owl at your window,” he said, opening the window with a gesture.

It was the same Eagle Owl that Minerva had sent off with Quin’s letter, and it was carrying his reply. Minerva didn’t stir from Albus’s embrace, but opened it and read it as she lay in his arms and the owl left the way it came.

“17 August

“Dear Minerva,

“I would be pleased to meet you in Hogsmeade this afternoon. Shall we say three o’clock by the Quidditch shop?

“Best,

“Quin”

“He suggests three o’clock,” Minerva said. She sighed. “I really do want to see him and talk to him, but at the same time, I don’t want to leave your arms.”

Albus kissed her forehead. “Our lives do go on, although I do admit that leaving you at your door this morning was difficult, and sitting through lunch with Gertrude, Hagrid, Malcolm, and Wilhelmina, who apparently returned this morning, was even more of a trial.”

“Hagrid must be happy Wilhelmina’s back,” Minerva observed as she played with Albus’s beard.

“I suppose he is. He seemed happy enough during lunch, at any rate.” Albus paused and looked down at Minerva. “Is there some particular reason he would be happy about her return, Minerva?”

Minerva stopped twirling her fingers in his beard and hesitated, holding her breath. “I shouldn’t say anything, I mean, if you haven’t noticed, and they haven’t told you – ”

“Told me what?” Albus asked.

“Well, Hagrid and Wilhelmina are good friends. Very good friends.”

“Yes – wait, you mean – ?” Albus looked perplexed. “Surely not!”

“Yes, I do mean very good, very close friends. Very,” Minerva answered, amused by his reaction.

“But she’s – and he’s – and – I never noticed! Or I suppose I did, but . . . I just didn’t think . . . are you sure?”

“Absolutely positively certain, Albus,” Minerva said. “And do not ask me for the details about how I came to be so certain, please.”

“Hmmm. No wonder Hagrid was distressed earlier in the summer, after Wilhelmina accepted the job at the reserve. I thought perhaps he was envious of her opportunity, although it did occur to me that he would miss her. They seemed close. But not that close. And you’re certain?”

“Completely. Let’s just say that an Animagus sometimes sees things she wishes she didn’t, and leave it at that, shall we?”

“Oh, my . . .” A look of concern now crossed his face. “And do you know . . . is it fully consensual? What I mean to ask is, Rubeus is a good deal younger than she, and so eager to please – ”

“And he remains eager to please her, believe me, Albus, but I had a similar concern, and I talked to Wilhelmina about it. She assured me that it’s only been the last few years, and I believe her. It is sad for Hagrid, of course, since she will be leaving, but she never promised to stay with him forever, and he always knew it was a possibility that she would leave and he would stay. Not that that makes it easier for him, of course, but I believe she cares for him and that it has been mutually consensual and good for both of them while it has lasted.”

“I wonder what else goes on at Hogwarts that I don’t know about,” Albus said with a chuckle. “But you ought to send Quin a reply now.”

Minerva shook her head. “I don’t think that’s necessary. He’d scarcely receive the letter before he would have to leave, anyway. I imagine he expects to hear from me only if three isn’t a good time.”

“You just don’t want to get up,” Albus said teasingly.

“You are right about that, Albus.” And she demonstrated just how right he was, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him.

---

Note: I hope you all had very nice holidays and are set for a happy 2008.

My ficlets are all now available at Potter Place, a Yahoo group for adult HP fans, in pdf format. There are two sets posted, one of which has content rated “M” or higher, and the other which doesn’t. If you are unable to join Potter Place because of your age and would like a copy of the pdf that doesn't contain the lemony content, PM me and I can send it to you.

The Gertie Gamp one-shot, with its Christmas theme, was uploaded here back on the 20th in the “Somewhat Related” area of the board. I had hoped that one-shots with a RaM tie-in might find an audience here, but I think that in the future, I’ll post them to ffnet (except for the lemony ones) and TPP, and eventually make them available for download from Potter Place. If you’re interested in knowing when a new story is posted to any of the other sites, I post announcements on my LJ; on ffnet, you can obviously set an author alert, if you like.

The next RaM update will be sometime over the weekend, I hope!

[Hogwarts Duo]

Yippeee!!! Wheeeee!!! Wooooo Hooooo!!!! You’re back and we get a new chapter. Oh that was such a looooong draught but I’m glad your back. I hope your muse is well rested and you both welcomed 2008 with a bang!!

I have to say that this is one fantastic chapter. The flirtatious nature of the chapter coupled with a few more serious moments makes it a perfect blend and a great way to start RaM in 2008. Now…to discuss the bestest bits….and yes, I know “bestest” isn’t a “real” word. Haha.

The good morning kiss Albus gave Minerva was priceless. I love the “minty feeling” sweeping through her mouth. It’s one of those little things that is so magical in nature but could really be useful in real life. Tee hee. Minty Morning Kisses…can’t you just hear the jingles for that on the tv commercials??? It’s that attention to detail and insight that makes this story so fun to read. And of course, Minerva’s return kiss was something special too. I love that she’s so comfortable expressing her love and desire for him. Case in point…

“You are too good to me, my dear.”

“No, not yet – just give me some time, though, and I’ll try!” Minerva said with a grin, and she kissed him, her hand straying down his chest, making its way lower, but Albus took her hand and stopped it in its path.

Still kissing her, Albus held her hand and used it to encourage her to lie back against the arm of the couch. He kissed her mouth, her face, her throat, his body warm and heavy resting on her. He looked at her, examining her face as if memorising it.

Minerva is such a flirt and a tease in this chapter. It’s fun to watch her try so hard to get Albus to give into temptation and to fulfil her deepest desires. And his subtle ways of stopping her are just as fun and endearing, even if they are a tad on the frustrating side for Minerva. It’s this sort of slow build up that will make the lemony bits even more tangy…yummm!

Albus is such a dear, sweet man. He’s got Minerva in his arms and yet he’s still upset about hurting her and causing her such distress. It’s that kind of love and devotion that makes him truly special and someone amazing. I’m sure Minerva will do everything in her power to reassure him that she’s perfectly fine and doing much better now that she’s in his arms.

Wow…I remember several chapters back when Albus was waxing poetic about the nape of Minerva’s neck and now here he is fulfilling his desires. I love how you plant those little seeds way back in the early chapters and we get to see them blossoming now in the later ones. I could definitely feel the tension mounting as he kissed her neck several times and she struggled to form a coherent thought. Is it just me or is it getting warmer at Hogwarts?

“Perhaps that should be my new profession then, Magical Hugger. I could pop around the country, dispensing embraces as needed!” he teased.

And where do I need to send my address so I can get one of Albus’ special hugs?? I’m sure I could use a dozen or so of them. Of course, I know I’d have to send him back to Minerva at some point but I’d only keep him for a few years or so! haha

Merlin’s beard!!! That was some kiss he laid on her by way of demonstrating how the Headmaster would kiss the Head of Gryffindor. I could practically see the steam rising from my computer and the temperature certainly rose here in the chilly South. If that’s any indication of the lemony bits that are headed our way, I say BRING ON THE HEAT WAVE!!!

Minerva thought that the Knight smiled at that. “You are free, then, to come and go as you wish, my lord, and I will serve you. And I thank you . . . my geas is almost lifted. I can feel it. Soon, I, too, will be free.”

I sense there is so much more to the Silent Knight's story than what we currently know and I’m looking forward to seeing what you have in store for him. I was ready to banish him to the dungeons when he refused Albus’ entry in the previous chapter but now he seems to be tugging at my heartstrings. I hope you have good things in store for him.

Once again, thanks for the update and for this fun and flirty chapter. I always look forward to reading what you’ve written and even more so now that our dear Albus and Minerva are a happy copule…wheeeee!!!

Update again soon!
The GLM ;D

[Hogwarts Duo]

Hey!!

I was reading back over the chapter you posted yesterday and I noticed you didn't tell us the name of the next chapter...or else I missed it! Is there a reason you didn't tell us the name of the next chapter??? Could it be that you've got GRAND AND STEAMY things planned for us and you didn't want to give away your tangy secret? The way Minerva was putting the moves on Albus, I wouldn't be surprised if the dear man caved to tempation...wheeeee. ;D

Anyway...just wondering about the new chapter title...

[minerva62]

Happy New Year to you, MMADfan, and what a joy to find you back with a new wonderful chapter!

This chapter is so fluffy and sweet!

And I agree with Hogwarts Duo, the minty morning kisses are a great invention!

I wonder when Albus will tell Minerva more about his uncertainty of becoming physically closer than that he wants to take it slowly...at least Minerva seems to sense that there is something more to that....

As always looking forward to the next chapter...

[MMADfan]

hogwartsduo said:

Hey!!

I was reading back over the chapter you posted yesterday and I noticed you didn't tell us the name of the next chapter...or else I missed it! Is there a reason you didn't tell us the name of the next chapter??? Could it be that you've got GRAND AND STEAMY things planned for us and you didn't want to give away your tangy secret? The way Minerva was putting the moves on Albus, I wouldn't be surprised if the dear man caved to tempation...wheeeee. ;D

Anyway...just wondering about the new chapter title...

Oh, no tangy secrets, just three different working titles right now -- I haven't been thinking much about RaM for the last week and a half or so, and just haven't come up with one for it as a result. It is written, though, so you have something to look forward to! LOL! I wrote up a storm the last couple days before I left for my holiday, including the Christmas one-shot, which I worked hard to finish before the holiday. I was glad to see that you and esoterica enjoyed it over here on the boards. (I thought that Albus was kinda cute in it, myself! haha! But I love Albus, anyway! ;D)

I'm glad that you and minerva62 liked the special good-morning kiss!

Thanks!

[esoterica1693]

I've read the chapter twice thrice and loved it. Minerva is sure a temptress!

Albus's tears over Minerva's injuries are very sweet--it's good that he felt some pain over that, IMHO. Though she's right--the McGonagall temper does burn out very quickly. She was most generous in the speed of her forgiveness. (It's funny--in my own long ADMM WIP I can't ever manage to have them stay mad at each other for more than a day either--they just insist on reconciling, even sooner than I as the putative author would have them ....)

They're becoming more forthright about how long each has loved the other.

And the nape of the neck scene---oooooh! And the Headmaster demonstrating what might happen at the Sorting--indeed when we finally do get some lemony bits here they are going to blow the roof off a tower, either his or hers!

The Knight is intriguing.
Good that Minerva realizes Quin deserves a full apology--she made appropriate gestures in that direction earlier, but an encore would not be amiss.

And Gertie Levitating Hagrid, and Albus's retelling of it, w/ her gestures--great! GG and MM are more alike than MM ever dreamed at the beginning of this tale.

And Albus learning of Hagrid and his Mena-bird--he must be beginning to think he's been living in a fog, utterly missing Minerva's feelings for him, Hagrid's predicament, Gertrude and Malcolm, etc. etc.

Hopefully Albus will soon enlighten Minerva as to the source of his insecurity and thus be freed from it.

I do note that one thread which has been left on the reverse of the work for a while is that of the mated wands and Minerva needing to be introduced to the wards.....

Now to bed....sans any Albus clone, alas....

[esoterica1693]

I must add that you sent me to a dictionary twice in this chapter--for "nuncheon" and "geas." (I'd noted the latter earlier but hadn't been motivated enough to look it up. I see you have Scottish Minerva guarded by a door warden who has the Scots Gaelic 'geas' rather than the Irish 'geis.' You have an amazing attention to detail. You could give JKR lessons in continuity...)

I'd assumed "nuncheon" was a Dumbledorism, a flight of poetic fancy inspired by the love chemicals overwhelming his brain <g>, but indeed it's a real, if very archaic, word....

[sevherfan]

Oh my god - "nuncheon" WASN'T a Dumbledorism, a flight of poetic fancy inspired by the love chemical overwhelming his brain?! Can MMADfan be disappointed in me for not looking up a word I don't know if I didn't think it was real?

(p.s. I owe you a real review of the chapter, but various serious things have kept me from writing a longer review that I think you deserve. But I promise to tonight!)

[sevherfan]

Hehe to straying hands, all that reaching, and “You needn’t resist anything, you know, Albus”... But I think the result is that I'm doubly as frustrated as Minerva. She needs to fess up to the decades of pining or something!, maybe that will make it clear she will never ever ever go away. In the midst of all my frustratedness I had a slightly whimsical thought that Albus's behavior was reminiscent of Valerianna's (erm, the prudish part, not the slutty part). It is so evil to even make the analogy, but isn't it sometimes fun to giggle at inappropriate stuff? hehe


I felt so bad for Minerva when Albus had to explain why he wanted the relationship kept a secret. From An Act of Love I knew it was coming, but I guess I expected it later or for Minerva to not have to be upset by it yet. I, like Minerva, still wonder what he'll tell Gertie though. I keep patiently waiting for that conversation and for when Minerva talks to her for the first time too. When I read: "'I wouldn’t be surprised if she did, actually,' Minerva said slowly. " it made me wonder if Minerva was going over her own interactions with Gertie - when she wondered if Gertie knew her own feelings for Albus and all the times before that when Minerva didn't wonder at all, but was just confused by the conversations.

God Albus is a cute wizard in love! I agree with everyone else the minty-fresh kiss was lovely! I love when Albus uses his magic for frivolous purposes. And "But she belongs to herself and no one else” was yet another wonderful tie in with An Act of Love with. Incidentally recalling that story made me wonder: does Albus have something special planned for the evening?

Minerva alerting Albus to Wilhelmina and Hagrid was hilarious. It is funny how things like that could get past him and that she knew before him. She should tell him just how many indecent things she's come upon around Hogwarts... Maybe he'll be inspired.

Also, a small detail: I loved how she pondered what he did with his hair at night. It is such an ordinary, mundane thought after the extraordinary event of finally getting Albus after decades of pining. Ah, I love good MMADfan fiction.

[MMADfan]

sevherfan said:

Oh my god - "nuncheon" WASN'T a Dumbledorism, a flight of poetic fancy inspired by the love chemical overwhelming his brain?! Can MMADfan be disappointed in me for not looking up a word I don't know if I didn't think it was real?

Well, I suppose since you recognize the error of your ways, I'll get over my disappointment quickly! ;D

sevherfan said:

Hehe to straying hands, all that reaching, and “You needn’t resist anything, you know, Albus”... But I think the result is that I'm doubly as frustrated as Minerva. She needs to fess up to the decades of pining or something!, maybe that will make it clear she will never ever ever go away. In the midst of all my frustratedness I had a slightly whimsical thought that Albus's behavior was reminiscent of Valerianna's (erm, the prudish part, not the slutty part). It is so evil to even make the analogy, but isn't it sometimes fun to giggle at inappropriate stuff? hehe

I felt so bad for Minerva when Albus had to explain why he wanted the relationship kept a secret. From An Act of Love I knew it was coming, but I guess I expected it later or for Minerva to not have to be upset by it yet. I, like Minerva, still wonder what he'll tell Gertie though. I keep patiently waiting for that conversation and for when Minerva talks to her for the first time too. When I read: "'I wouldn’t be surprised if she did, actually,' Minerva said slowly. " it made me wonder if Minerva was going over her own interactions with Gertie - when she wondered if Gertie knew her own feelings for Albus and all the times before that when Minerva didn't wonder at all, but was just confused by the conversations.

God Albus is a cute wizard in love! I agree with everyone else the minty-fresh kiss was lovely! I love when Albus uses his magic for frivolous purposes. And "But she belongs to herself and no one else” was yet another wonderful tie in with An Act of Love with. Incidentally recalling that story made me wonder: does Albus have something special planned for the evening?

Albus does, indeed, have a little something planned, but you will need to be surprised along with Minerva!

I am sure that Minerva will find ways of convincing Albus that physical intimacy is very welcome and that she won't break his heart by recoiling from his touch! *sniffle* Poor Albus, thinking she might find him revolting!

sevherfan said:

Minerva alerting Albus to Wilhelmina and Hagrid was hilarious. It is funny how things like that could get past him and that she knew before him. She should tell him just how many indecent things she's come upon around Hogwarts... Maybe he'll be inspired.

Also, a small detail: I loved how she pondered what he did with his hair at night. It is such an ordinary, mundane thought after the extraordinary event of finally getting Albus after decades of pining. Ah, I love good MMADfan fiction.

Albus is going to be much more interested in the interactions among his staff from now on! haha!

I'm glad you love it! *blush* Thanks. (You should check out the Gertie Gamp one-shot -- some of the elements of that pop up later on in RaM and it will shed light on them if you've read that one. One of them has already been sort of introduced, in fact. *EDIT* I see that you read it this morning! Cool. I'll go read your comments there! ;D **EDIT #2** You noticed the mirror! Good! Your selection of chapters you chose to read while waiting for an update had me smiling! Interesting that you find Albus/Gertie hot -- I had considered doing more of a lemon for them in those chapters, but the flow wasn't right for it. Maybe as a one-shot?)

[MMADfan]

esoterica1693 said:

I've read the chapter twice thrice and loved it. Minerva is sure a temptress!

Albus's tears over Minerva's injuries are very sweet--it's good that he felt some pain over that, IMHO. Though she's right--the McGonagall temper does burn out very quickly. She was most generous in the speed of her forgiveness. (It's funny--in my own long ADMM WIP I can't ever manage to have them stay mad at each other for more than a day either--they just insist on reconciling, even sooner than I as the putative author would have them ....)

They're becoming more forthright about how long each has loved the other.

And the nape of the neck scene---oooooh! And the Headmaster demonstrating what might happen at the Sorting--indeed when we finally do get some lemony bits here they are going to blow the roof off a tower, either his or hers!

The Knight is intriguing.
Good that Minerva realizes Quin deserves a full apology--she made appropriate gestures in that direction earlier, but an encore would not be amiss.

And Gertie Levitating Hagrid, and Albus's retelling of it, w/ her gestures--great! GG and MM are more alike than MM ever dreamed at the beginning of this tale.

And Albus learning of Hagrid and his Mena-bird--he must be beginning to think he's been living in a fog, utterly missing Minerva's feelings for him, Hagrid's predicament, Gertrude and Malcolm, etc. etc.

Hopefully Albus will soon enlighten Minerva as to the source of his insecurity and thus be freed from it.

I do note that one thread which has been left on the reverse of the work for a while is that of the mated wands and Minerva needing to be introduced to the wards.....

Now to bed....sans any Albus clone, alas....

Albus is a deeply feeling individual, which is both what sent him into his downward spiral after his mother's death and what saved him from being swallowed up by Grindelwald -- not to mention that it even saved him from his downward spiral in the end. So the thought that he had been indirectly responsible for all of Minerva's injuries and her distress disturbed him terribly.

As I've mentioned, Minerva will help Albus past that particular problem he has and enjoy doing it!

Well, I'm off to do something productive. *sigh* I wish I were independently wealthy sometimes. I could just sit and write and watch TV and visit with friends while someone else took care of all the dull things that RL puts in front of us every day. Heck, even just having a house-elf would be nice! haha! Okay, now I really need to reenter the world of RL . . .

There will likely be an update to RaM either later today or early tomorrow -- depending!

Thanks, all, for your great comments and questions.

Oh, and the title for the next chapter has been settled on, Ang-of-Hogwarts-Duo: "The MacAirt Pledge." Like it?

[dmf1984]

MMADfan, when you get your house-elf, let me know. I can hire on about 6 of those delightful guys and gals down here for indoor and outdoor chores. At least it's warm today...

Kitchen cleaning? Yep; blah, boring.
Home-office cleaning? Yep; blah, boring archeaology.
Bathroom cleaning? Yep; ugh.
Three-yr old's bedroom cleaning? Yep (priceless).

Di

[Hogwarts Duo]

Oh, and the title for the next chapter has been settled on, Ang-of-Hogwarts-Duo: "The MacAirt Pledge." Like it?

LOVE IT!!! I can't wait to read the next chapter so I'll be checking the board frequently today!!

[MMADfan]

Note: Posted in two parts because of length.

CXL: The MacAirt Pledge

Minerva reluctantly left for Hogsmeade at two-forty-five. She was cutting it a bit fine, but she thought that if she Apparated from the gates, she would still be punctual. She smiled as she walked down to the gate, thinking of the nice time that she and Albus had spent in her rooms. She had moved only to avoid completely cutting off the circulation to his legs. It was wonderful that she could so freely express her love for him, and that he not only accepted it – welcomed it, in fact – but that he seemed to be as desirous of contact with her as she was with him. It made his shyness regarding further intimacy even more puzzling to her.

She had teased Albus again about being “kidnapped” by Gertrude and Hagrid and brought to lunch, then she had asked, caressing his face, “So, my darling Albus, when do I get to see you fresh from the shower, dripping wet, with only a dressing gown wrapped loosely about you, hmm?”

To her amusement, Albus had actually blushed and stammered, but to her disappointment, neither did he provide a real response to her question. She had been teasing, but she had also been quite serious about wanting to see him like that – or, as she had emphasised, he could simply skip the dressing gown altogether. There was something bothering him beyond just shyness, reserve, or a desire to “court her properly,” as he liked to put it. But she would have to talk to him about it when neither of them had to be anywhere, and when he felt comfortable enough to discuss it. It would be difficult in the meantime, though; particularly knowing that it was not a physical problem or a lack of desire that was causing his restraint, Minerva thought she might burst with desire herself if his reserve lasted very long.

Minerva passed through the gates and immediately Apparated to a spot not far from the Quidditch shop. As she walked toward it, she saw Quin emerge from the shop with a parcel. She waved to him and he smiled at her.

“Ma grande dame de la Metamorphosis! Very good to see you – and to see you lookin’ so well, too!”

Minerva couldn’t help the grin that split her face. “Very well, Quin! Very!”

“Tea? Madam Puddifoot’s?” Quin asked.

“I don’t know – a walk? Someplace with fewer people?” she suggested, leaning toward him and speaking softly.

“I think Puddifoot’s can accommodate us adequately,” Quin said, offering her his arm.

Minerva raised an eyebrow, but, trusting him, she took his arm and they proceeded toward the tearoom.

“Quidditch supplies, Quin? Planning another friendly pick-up game?” she asked, reminding him of their game at the Gamps.

He laughed. “No such thing. Just a few little presents for Alroy. I understand that he can’t be after tryin’ out for the team for another year, but if he’s allowed his own broom, I thought he might be needin’ some supplies. I bought him a broomstick maintenance kit, a new Snitch – his old one was slowin’ down – and a pair o’ regulation Seeker gloves. I’ll wait till next year to get him a new broom, though. There might be somethin’ faster than the Cleansweep Four by then.”

“You certainly are going all out for him – are you set on him being a Seeker then? What if he doesn’t make the team? Or if he does, but he’s a Chaser or a Beater?”

“Ah, if he doesn’t make the team . . . I’ll tell him to cheer his House team louder than anyone else and then try again the next year if he wants. And if he’s not a Seeker,” Quin said with a shrug, “we’ll equip him accordingly!”

“As long as you don’t become one of those awful parents constantly trying to push their children into things they don’t want to do or aren’t good at,” Minerva said.

“I hope not. But I do want Alroy to have the best. I don’t want him to be feelin’ second-class. Hearin’ from Mrs Manning’s boy . . . I just don’t want anyone to think of him as the son of a hedge wizard. He shouldn’t suffer ’cause his old man’s a peculiar one, if you see what I’m sayin’.”

“Mmm. You know, Quin, I do know that you mean well,” Minerva said, “and I think the broomstick kit and everything else you have there are just fine, but you also don’t want him to stand out and look as though he’s spoiled, either. I know that Alroy isn’t spoiled, but not everyone at Hogwarts has the same financial advantages that he has had. Now I also know that you feel he’s lumbered with a peculiar old man, and you probably want to make up for Aileen not being here, as well, but don’t weigh him down too much with things. If there’s anything he doesn’t have that he discovers he needs after he arrives at Hogwarts, he can write to you. And if you have any doubts about whether it’s a necessity or it’s him just wanting to keep up with the Blacks – which I doubt you want to encourage, Quin! – you can ask me about it. I like Alroy, and I want to see him get off on the right foot, too, but don’t over-compensate for whatever you see his disadvantages being.”

“You are the wise one, ma grande dame,” Quin said, bowing as he opened the door to the teashop for her. “I shall guard against that. And you’re quite right. I don’t want to be spoilin’ him or havin’ him developin’ airs like the Blacks and such people, but I do want him to fit in.”

“Then buy him everything on his Hogwarts list,” Minerva advised, “and buy the very best quality you think he needs at his age, even buy him an extra school robe or two, but don’t go overboard buying him things that aren’t on the list. The shops will all have myriad things on display that Alroy will probably think he absolutely must have. Ignore him. Unless the request is truly reasonable! Otherwise, don’t give in. He’ll forget about it once he gets home and starts looking at his new textbooks and equipment, then he’ll be off at school and too busy to worry about whatever trinket you may have denied him.”

Madam Puddifoot herself came around and greeted them.

Quin gave her a charming smile. “Madam Puddifoot, a very good day to you! Would you have a spot where Professor McGonagall and I may talk privately?”

“Of course, sir!”

Madam Puddifoot led them to a set of stairs that Minerva hadn’t noticed before, they were so obscured by the pink flutterby bushes. Up the stairs, she showed them to a small tearoom with a single round table, marvellously flutterby-free, though still very pink.

“Would this suit, sir? Or would you prefer the one in the back?”

Quin smiled. “I don’t believe we need quite that much privacy, Madam Puddifoot. This will do very well. We will have a pot of Darjeeling and a selection of your cakes and tarts – unless you would like something different?” he asked, turning to Minerva.

“Actually, a sandwich would not be amiss. Cheddar and cress, please,” Minerva said.

“Very good,” Quin said. “And if we could be left undisturbed after they are brought up?”

“Of course, sir. Although you will be entirely undisturbed. Unless you would prefer more personal service, I can have the food delivered directly from the kitchen,” Madam Puddifoot said. She smiled. “I have found a house-elf.”

“You ‘found’ a house-elf?” Minerva asked curiously.

Madam Puddifoot blushed. “I s’pose I oughtn’t be saying this to anyone . . . but I found one. Been freed. He was wasting away. I can’t bind him, of course, but I gave him a new purpose in life. Took some weeks to bring him around, but now he’s as happy as a lark down in the kitchens and I have a bit of house-elf magic to add to my own.”

Minerva, despite thinking that it really wasn’t any of her business, said, “Yes, he’s happy, and you have house-elf magic, but . . . isn’t it, um, in contravention of certain, um, Ministry regulations regarding house-elves?”

“If you’re asking me if I’m breaking the law, Professor, that I’m not. I pay him!” Madam Puddifoot seemed indignant. “That was the hardest part of the whole business, getting him to accept payment for his service, but when I explained that he could only serve me if he accepted a wage, well, he agreed. Don’t rightly know what he’s going to do with it, but I pay him, and the going rate, too. And he’s clean and well-fed, not the pitiful thing I found shivering in my garden one cool June night.”

Minerva smiled. “That’s wonderful, then! It’s terrible what happens to house-elves sometimes.”

“Right you are! We never had any in my family,” Madam Puddifoot said, “but some folk treat them terrible. He was freed because the youngest child was struck down sick with something. As if he could have prevented it! Fools, some folk are. But they wanted to blame a body, and they blamed little Feego. He can’t ever see his family again, neither,” the witch said with a sigh and wiping a tear from her eye.

That all settled, Quin held a chair for Minerva then took the one across from her. As soon as Madam Puddifoot left, he closed the door with a gesture of his left hand as he drew his wand with his right. Minerva watched as first he cast a spell she didn’t recognise, then one she did.

“All right, the second one was Colloportus, but what was the first one?” she asked.

He grinned. “You’re wantin’ to know all me secrets, are you? In business, it sometimes is wise to make certain there are no eavesdroppers. So although it is unlikely anyone might try listenin’ at the door, I thought you might feel more comfortable if I made certain no one could accidentally overhear us. If you like, I can hide us from view, as well,” he said, gesturing at the window.

“No, that’s not necessary. I don’t want people to think we’re up to something no good, after all,” Minerva said.

“You know, I thought I’d buy two sets o’ school books. One for me. O’ course, I wouldn’t buy the second set with Alroy right there and embarrass the boy, but even though we did use books for spells and such, I didn’t have the same kind of instruction he’ll be gettin’. I want to know what he’s learnin’, be able to talk with him about it.”

Minerva nodded. “That sounds sensible. I will send you a list of the books for all the required classes right through OWLs, too, so you can get them, too, if you like,” Minerva said. “He doesn’t start Care of Magical Creatures until next year, as you probably noticed, but I spoke with the teacher for that class, and she would be happy to have him help her with things, though she will be leaving in December and can’t promise that he will be able to continue with the new one. And we will both work with him in his ability to speak with animals.”

“Thanks very much, Minerva. I appreciate that. And you know me, I could talk about me kids for the rest o’ the afternoon, but you had news for me,” Quin said, smiling broadly. “And I would guess it is good news. You look grand.”

Minerva smiled. “Thank you. I feel grand. I am sure you know what my news is.”

His eyes sparkled. “I have me hopes, but I would love to hear it from your very self!”

Her smile grew. “He loves me, Quin,” she said, wanting to shout it, but almost whispering it instead, almost in awe, like a sacred truth. “He loves me as I love him.”

“That is wonderful news, Minerva. I am very happy for you, love, very, very happy,” he said.

“Thank you, Quin, for everything. For being such a good friend, and for being more than that. There are no words to tell you how very much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” Minerva said, tears coming to her eyes even as she smiled happily at him.

“’Tis reward enough to see you happy,” Quin replied with a smile.

“Oh, and I have something for you,” she said, reaching into her pocket, “from Albus.”

Quin raised his eyebrows. “Should I be wary?” he asked.

“Hmm? No, it is just a letter, a note he wanted me to give you.”

Quin reached over and took it from her. “Um, hmm, I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll just come out with it. I went to see him yesterday after you left. I talked to him.”

“I know. He told me. He said that was why he wrote me the letter he did.” Minerva felt as though her face would split, she was so happy. “It was a beautiful letter, Quin, and he still didn’t know how I felt, but he wrote it anyway, telling me how he feels, how much he loves me. I went to him as soon as I received it.”

Quin let out a relieved breath. “I was worried you might be angry with me for mixin’ in where I didn’t belong, but I hated seein’ you miserable.”

“No, I’m not angry at all, quite the opposite, in fact,” Minerva said. “I don’t know when – or even if – we would have discovered the truth without your help. Thank you.”

Minerva poured them both tea, then she picked up her sandwich. “You can read the note, if you like.”

“Have you read it?” he asked.

“No. But I’m sure it’s fine.” She bit into her sandwich as he slowly unfolded the letter.

Quin opened the final fold and took a breath, then read, acutely aware of Minerva watching him as she ate her cheese sandwich. His nervousness faded to nothing as he read the first words.

“Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
“17 August 1957

“Dear Quin,

“To simply say ‘thank you’ for all that you have done for Minerva and for me seems completely inadequate, yet that is all I can offer you, my very heartfelt thanks.

“It cannot have been easy for you to have come to me as you did and to say what you had to say; I appreciate it more than I express.

“Minerva tells me that you took care of her over the last few days, and I am grateful to you for that, as well. I know that if anything ever happens and Minerva needs help, you will give it to her if I am unable to.

“I have not the Sight of the MacAirts, but I venture to say that your feelings for Minerva are stronger than you let on to me that day of your tour, when you sat in my office and tried to tell me that you were not taken with her, and that Minerva had had her sights set on a wizard who had given her no indication that he returned her interest. I see now what you were trying to tell me then, but that I was blind to. I rarely lack imagination, but my disbelief in this instance was the result of a distinct dearth of that particular quality.

“Thank you, Quin, for waking up this old fool and helping him to see and to do what he had been unable to without you. A lesser man would have behaved quite differently, I am sure, but you are worthy of your name, Cormac MacAirt. I would be pleased to call you ‘friend,’ if I may.

“You are welcome at Hogwarts at any time, and if there is ever any way that I can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to ask!

“Gratefully yours,

“Albus Dumbledore”

Quin looked thoughtful as he refolded the letter. Minerva paused and put her sandwich down.

“Is everything all right, Quin?”

Quin shook his head. “Everything is fine, love. Just fine,” he said slowly. “Your wizard is rather remarkable. As I would expect of the one whom you loved so deeply, just as I told you when we were at the Gamps, even before I knew who he was. He would have to be worthy of you to hold your love.” He looked up at her. “That seems a very long time ago, Minerva. Has this been the beginning of a long friendship, or the beginning, the culmination, and the end of one?”

“The beginning, Quin! The beginning, surely, if you will forgive me,” Minerva said, reaching across the table impulsively and taking his hand. “Please forgive me, Quin. Please.”

Quin raised her hand to his lips, but he did not kiss it. He closed his eyes and breathed out a long sigh. “I was after hopin’ for your forgiveness, Minerva. If you require mine, you have it, though I don’t know why you believe you’re needin’ it.”

The room was quite still for a moment, as though time had stopped and nothing moved or stirred, and when he heard Minerva speak, Quin opened his eyes.

“I ask your forgiveness for what I asked of you,” Minerva said softly, tears swimming in her eyes, “what you were willing to give, but which you were wise enough to withhold. And for encouraging any feelings in you that . . . that I shouldn’t have.”

Quin did kiss her hand then, holding it briefly to his lips as he looked into her eyes. “No forgiveness required for that, and I should have been stronger for you, but I did want you t’ know that you are beautiful and desirable, and most certainly lovable, and I hope that it helped you to heal and did not harm you or our friendship. As for me own feelin’s . . .” Quin sighed. He looked at her with soft eyes. “They are complicated. You are truly as I said: beautiful and desirable, and I probably could have fallen in love with you had things been different. Indeed, I do love you. You are easy for me t’ love, Minerva, and the more I have come t’ know you, the greater me affection for you has become. And I hope you understand what I am about t’ say, at least a little, and are not offended by it, but I had me Aileen. If ever any wizard has a love as I had with Aileen . . . other love might be welcome if it comes along, but ’twould never be the same. Your appearance in me life was an unexpected blessing, Minerva, but you belong with your wizard, and I know that I am not he. And it’s all right. You have your Albus. Cherish every minute he is in this world with you. I would give me life to spend one more minute in a world inhabited by me Aileen, even if I were not with her durin’ that minute. Were it not for me children and their need o’ me, I would have left this world in hopes o’ findin’ her. But their need, and Gertrude’s steady presence, kept me here on this earth. And while I’m abidin’ here, I’ll do me bit. And I hope that bit includes bein’ your friend, Minerva.”

“Yes, yes, please, Quin. I would be honoured and grateful for your friendship. And Albus, too,” Minerva said, “I am sure.”

Quin nodded. “Very good, then. You shall be like me own, Minerva, and any who harm you will live to rue that day – and Dumbledore, too, on your account. Let none harm him an’ I learn of it! You have me, Minerva, an’ me son after, should I die aforetime. Alroy will grow to be a strong wizard, and I teach him his duty to family. You have the MacAirt pledge on that. You have a need, or your wizard has one, call, and we come.”

Minerva smiled. “Thank you, Quin. I appreciate that. Although it is rather an old-fashioned sentiment to offer your son’s assistance, as well, isn’t it?”

“The MacAirts don’t go by fashion, Minerva,” Quin said with a slight shrug. “We go by Right. The best we can, any road. The best any man can, wizard or Muggle. And ’tain’t only Alroy, though he is me first-born, ’tis also Aine, and any other o’ me close kin. You’re me own personal friend, Minerva, but you have more than that now in our friendship.”

Minerva looked slightly uncomfortable at those words. “Is it some kind of magic, then? Did you do a binding? I felt nothing,” she said.

“Not a bindin’ like you’re thinkin’. I bound me own heart,” Quin said. “And ’tisn’t the magic you practise here at Hogwarts; ’tis much, much older. Your wizard likely knows of it, though perhaps not of this particular MacAirt . . . tradition, I s’pose you might call it.”

“Am I supposed to do something now? Something . . . reciprocal?” Minerva asked nervously.

Quin laughed at that, a bright, light sound that eased Minerva’s mind. “Just t’ be your ain self an’ true, Minerva. That is all.” He grinned. “I do say that as though ’tis an easy thing, and ’tisn’t for many folk. But for you, especially now that you are whole of heart and have your wizard, I don’t know if you could be aught but true, Minerva.”

Minerva looked at him, shaking her head. “Sometimes, Quin, you seem so modern, so far ahead of any other wizards I know, with your telephone calls, your wizarding and Muggle businesses, your views on commerce, and your attitudes toward Muggles and Squibs, that I am astounded. Other times, it is as though you have just stepped out of the deepest past, and you are equally as astonishing to me.”

“A wizard out o’ time, no matter how you take me, eh?” He grinned. “That’s all right, Minerva. Although that is one of the things that worries me about Alroy comin’ here to your school. I have tried t’ raise him t’ be a respectable wizard, t’ teach him how things are usually done in this world, but without him losin’ his MacAirt heritage at the same time. I don’t know if it isn’t an impossibility, though. But whatever it is that Alroy chooses to do with his life, if it is honest, then he will have me blessin’, even if I woulda preferred somethin’ different for him.”

“Don’t worry about Alroy, Quin. I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’ll have problems, but so will every other student at Hogwarts. And there are older students he can talk to, as well as his Head of House, and Gertrude and I are both there, though Alroy seems fairly independent, and he will likely try to work things out on his own. Every student comes in feeling different in some way. I had no idea how to relate to other children my own age when I started at Hogwarts, I had spent so much time with adults. It was almost like being an only child, growing up with my three brothers so much older than I. My first year at Hogwarts was particularly difficult, but things got better.” Minerva smiled. “For one thing, Albus started teaching my second year and was my Head of House, and he made sure that I socialised more, and he also took an interest in me. It was what I needed, I was so used to having so much interaction with adults. He was very good to me.”

Continued in the next post!

[MMADfan]

Continued from the previous post!

CXL: The MacAirt Pledge, continued

Quin grinned. “Even when talkin’ about me boy, we come back around to Dumbledore, don’t we?”

“I’m sorry, Quin, I just meant – ”

“I know, love,” Quin said. “But your point is a good one. Every kid’ll feel different. I’ll remind Alroy o’ that, too. It’ll help him, I think, to remember that. But as to Dumbledore, ’tis hardly surprising that he had a hard time comin’ round, if he started off as your teacher when you were what, twelve? Thirteen? Even though you’re well an’ truly an adult witch, and have been for years, he also has his memories of you as a little girl. It must sometimes feel peculiar for him, disjointed, kinda, lookin’ at you now, talkin’ to you, attracted to you, lovin’ you, and then rememberin’ the little girl in pigtails. I can see how a man would be uncomfortable with that. It’d be like, twenty years from now, findin’ meself in love with one of Aine’s little friends, but worse – I don’t know them the way that Dumbledore knew you, day-in, day-out, takin’ care o’ you, teachin’ you.” Quin sighed. “I was hard on him, I was. Perhaps too hard. But I’d seen what it had done to you, his rejection, and me sympathy was with you. But then, that may be what he needed in order to tell you the truth. He doesn’t hold it against me, at least.”

“Well, aside from the fact that I haven’t worn my hair in pigtails since I was six years old, I think you have a good point.” Minerva furrowed her brow. “Perhaps that is what is still bothering him.”

“Still troubles, then?” Quin asked.

“I don’t know . . . I shouldn’t discuss this with anyone. It’s quite . . . personal,” Minerva said.

“Ah. The physical side o’ things.”

Minerva shrugged, blushing. Quin waited silently. Finally, he said, “He does touch you, doesn’t he?”

“Of course. And it is wonderful. He is very affectionate,” Minerva said.

“Affectionate is good,” Quin said.

Minerva nodded.

“But I gather that he is still uncomfortable with the more . . . passionate expression of his affections?” Quin asked.

“It’s peculiar, really, Quin. I understand part of it. He is . . . a gentleman. He doesn’t want to rush things. And I appreciate that he wants to court me, as he puts it. And I’m a little nervous about the entire, um, passionate side of things, myself, with just the ordinary worries any of us might have, I suppose. But there is something more with him than just wanting to court me or being ordinarily nervous at the start of a physical relationship. It could be what you just mentioned, about memories of me as a child conflicting with his feelings for me now. That would be awkward, certainly, to suddenly have a memory of me as a little girl as he’s, um, holding me now.”

“Could be,” Quin said, “could be. I . . . I don’t know how much Dumbledore told you about me visit to him.”

“Very little, actually. More or less that you told him I was upset and had injured myself, and that he should tell me the truth,” Minerva said.

Quin nodded. “When I went there, I wanted him to apologise to you properly, for him to understand the hurt he had caused you, and I had some hopes that I might . . . I don’t know, persuade him to consider takin’ his affection for you and his attraction to you an’ puttin’ them together, I suppose. You were so convinced that he had been horrified by his physical reaction and that he had no intentions toward you in that way, you had me almost persuaded of it; still, I thought it was worth tryin’. But then, when I was talkin’ to him, it got kinda heated,” Quin said, somewhat embarrassed. “I thought that he wasn’t listenin’ properly, and I reached out an’ touched him. His feelin’s were so close t’ the surface, Minerva, ’twas no avoidin’ them. I couldn’t believe it at first, an’ then I stretched out me magic, an’ there it was, clear as day. His love for you, to be sure, but his desire, too, and his pain. His pain was great, Minerva. Didn’t soften me heart toward him at the moment, though, seein’ as how his pain was of his own makin’, and I had just nursed your pain over more ’n two days. Later, I regretted some o’ me tone toward him. But I know Dumbledore is in love with you, and he does desire you. Give him some time. ’Tisn’t an easy thing to suddenly jump into a relationship with a witch after years o’ bein’ alone. Could be that’s part of it, too, combined with some residual unease with the idea that you were once one of the children he taught, and he was no young wizard even then.”

“That could be,” Minerva said slowly. “This summer, he kept going on about being an old codger, something I had never heard him say about himself before. Well, perhaps a few times, but it had always been more . . . more joking before. And Albus told me last night that one reason he hadn’t told me the truth about his feelings was that he knew that a vital young witch needs a vital wizard, as though he were some ancient shell of a wizard. You’ve met him, Quin, you’ve seen him over the years, do you think it reasonable of him to think of himself that way? Is it just me, seeing him through loving eyes, that I see a vital, virile wizard? Do others see him differently?”

“I never would have described him as such, as an ancient shell, meself. He has more energy than many wizards half his age, and he certainly seems hale and hearty t’ me. There was a summer, oh, must have been . . . six, seven years ago, now, when he played in our annual pick-up Quidditch game. Don’t know how much time he spends on a broom, likely not much at all, but he played Chaser, and he was quick and agile. Unfortunately for me, he was on Robert’s team, and he kept scorin’. We caught the Snitch, but Robert’s team still won by more’n ten points. And we play, as you know, with only one Chaser. ’Twas quite a feat, even in a friendly game. Tried t’ get him on me own team the next year, but he wouldn’t play again. So, I agree with you, love. He’s certainly not worn out yet . . . unless there’s somethin’ physical wrong with him that we don’t know about. But a visit to a Healer might cure that . . .”

Minerva blushed, but she said, “He said it’s not a physical problem of that sort. He said it was just him, just himself. He suggested that I might . . . find him attractive now, but that the reality of it would put me off, as though his actual touch would disgust me in some way. I wouldn’t discuss this with you, or with anyone, except that it disturbs me that he would think like this, and I don’t understand it at all.”

Quin sat and thought, pouring them each another cup of tea. After drinking some of his tea, Quin said, “I don’t know, Minerva, I may be entirely wrong in this, and it may be . . . unlikely. But . . . how many witches do you suppose Dumbledore’s been with since his wife died when he was barely growed?”

Minerva blushed. “I am sure I don’t know,” she said, remembering the story that Albus had told her of the time in his youth when he had slept with women in return for a warm bed, to “entertain” them and to forget his own troubles. She certainly wouldn’t be sharing that with Quin. Although that might have had some odd effect on Albus, after all, especially since toward the end of that period, he didn’t seem to be at all discriminating about whom he slept with, and was entirely libertine, disgusting himself. “But,” Minerva added, “I do believe that when he returned to England after studying with his Alchemy master, he consciously chose to live a retired life and not become romantically involved with witches. That would have been around eighteen-seventy, I think. A very long time ago.”

“So, since he was a boy, or a young man, at least, he’s likely had only a handful of lovers, if that,” Quin said thoughtfully. “Do you know of any witches whom he’s seen over the past few decades? We know of one, definitely – Valerianna Yaxley-soon-to-be-Flint. And possibly Gertrude, though we can’t be sure o’ that. D’you know of any others whom he may have possibly, um, been close to?”

Minerva shook her head. “Every now and then, we would both be at the same Ministry function, but although he occasionally escorted different witches to them, they never seemed . . . together, if you know what I mean. As though it were a casual, polite thing for him to accompany them. I noticed this in particular, as you may imagine, since I had such strong feelings for him and I lived in dread that he would marry. But it was rare that we would attend the same parties, so there may have been some to whom he was closer. I just don’t know, but somehow I doubt it. Especially given that he did see Valerianna. It doesn’t seem that he would have been at all interested in her if he weren’t, well, not desperate, but if he had had any other witches to compare her to, if you see what I mean.”

“So, Anna and Gertrude,” Quin said thoughtfully, nodding. “And if he ever was with Gertrude, it was likely at some time before he became involved with Valerianna and not after. Possibly when you were a student, certainly not before then, since her husband died only a few years before she started to teach at Hogwarts. If that is so . . . I don’t doubt that he and Gertrude, if ever they were together in that way, had a good relationship, since they are still close friends, and have been ever since I first came to know Gertrude back in forty-four, forty-five. So I can’t see that they ever had any serious disruption in their friendship.”

Minerva interrupted. “They have been friends for forty years, and I agree with you. Although I must say that I am glad they aren’t involved now, I doubt that any kind of relationship between them came to a messy end. But what are you driving at, Quin?”

“Valerianna is nasty, a piece o’ work, as a Muggle friend o’ mine likes to say. I only overheard part o’ what she said to you there on the balcony, but what I remember . . . . Tell me, Minerva, what did she say?”

“I’ve tried to forget it. She suggested that Albus required sycophantic followers, and that I was one of them. And that I was repressed and cold.”

“I know it’s unpleasant, but what exactly did she say? Can you remember?”

“Well . . . she suggested that the reason that I was alone was because you are a hot-blooded Irish wizard and you were looking for a, um, willing witch, and that I’m a cold fish. I have no idea where she got that . . . and she said . . .” Minerva stopped and thought a moment, recalling the witch’s bitter tone and her nasty words. “She said that a cold fish like me was perfect for Albus. Then she said that she had asked around about me at the Ministry and learned that I was nothing special, but that she had had to endure listening to Albus talk about me. I see now that she must have been jealous of me, although at the time that they were . . . together, Albus and I rarely saw one another. She said that the reason they weren’t together any longer was that she was too much witch for him.” Minerva snorted at that. “I won’t go into detail, Quin, but the real reason wasn’t that she was too much witch as that she enjoyed sharing herself with too many wizards. Albus was the one who broke it off.”

“I thought it was somethin’ like that. But when I was comin’ out onto the balcony, she was sayin’ somethin’ about Dumbledore, too – ”

“Oh, yes . . . in our earlier conversations, she had kept emphasising his age, of course . . . and on the balcony . . . she implied something about the reason he would have me around was because I was, um, an icy, jumped-up Mudblood, or something of the sort, then she said something about him being pitiful.”

“‘Pitiful and dried-up,’ were, I believe, the words I overheard,” Quin said. “If she’d say that to you, can you imagine what she might say to him? If she was angry, a woman scorned? And if she was runnin’ around with a lot o’ young wizards . . . ’tain’t reasonable, not to us, not seein’ Dumbledore, and not knowin’ the nastiness that bears the name ‘Valerianna,’ but could be that Albus, with his years o’ scholarly near-celibacy, could be it hit home, if she said he was old and dried up, right to his face.”

Minerva blanched. “But he wouldn’t believe that, would he? Coming from her? Poppy told me – and I wasn’t going to mention this to you, and it’s not widely known – but he found Valerianna with another wizard in his own home. And that’s why he broke things off with her.”

Quin’s face was a thundercloud. “Under the man’s own roof!” He looked away, and Minerva could see his jaw working. Finally, he said, “Providence had better keep her from me reach until me anger cools – if ever it does.”

“Well, Albus found out about her and broke it off before it could get worse, anyway,” Minerva said, trying to soothe Quin’s mood. “That was surely a good thing.”

“Mmm. Sorry, love. But tryin’ to put meself in his place – unpleasant don’t describe what it musta been for him.” He let out a deep breath. “Still, he’s had little recent experience, and it seems that the last one was with a witch who not only two-timed him, but who likely told him he was old and dried-up – probably her excuse to herself, if not to him, for her own disgustin’ behaviour. Albus loves you and doesn’t want to lose you now, I’m sure. If he’s concerned about his age, he might worry that bein’ more demonstrative to you will somehow turn you away from him. ’Tisn’t reasonable, but the heart isn’t reasonable. If you want me advice, Minerva, be patient with him, and listen to everythin’ he says before reactin’ to it. ’Tis an embarrassin’ topic, anyhow, and if he feels you don’t take his feelin’s on the matter seriously, he might close up more. Not to say you should give them credence, if they’re unreasonable fears, but take his self seriously, if you see what I’m sayin’.”

Minerva nodded. “Whatever the reason is, aside from his desire to treat me properly and to court me, I will respect his feelings on it, though I will try to persuade him to abandon his fears about it.” Minerva closed her eyes and sighed, then she looked at Quin and said, “You would think that my own reactions to him would have convinced him already. But thank you, Quin. I don’t think I’ll mention to him that we talked about this – it would be even more embarrassing for him, I’m sure.”

“It will be as though we never spoke, Minerva,” Quin said with a smile. He paused, then continued, somewhat uncomfortably, “And I didn’t mention to him anythin’ about, you know . . . sleepin’ with you. And the other time we spent together. But he obviously knows you stayed with me.”

“I won’t tell him about that, either, then – not that I had considered doing that, anyway. At some point, perhaps, but I can’t see that there would be any good that could come of going into detail. If he asks, that is another thing entirely, and I wouldn’t hide anything from him, though I would be careful about how I communicated it.” Minerva patted his hand. “I will always think of you when I think of the lovers I had before Albus, Quin, even though we didn’t . . . I was more intimate with you than with wizards I have been more physically involved with. And I will always appreciate that.”

Quin quirked a smile. “Might be wise, love, not t’ be mentionin’ any other intimacies or any earlier lovers to your wizard, leastwise not until he’s settled more.”

Minerva nodded. “Unless there’s some reason for it, I wouldn’t anyway, even if the situation were less unusual than it is.”

“Have you had enough to eat, Minerva?”

“Plenty – and as my Grandmother Siofre always says, enough is as good as a feast!” she replied.

“Me own gran always says that, too. Nowadays, before I can get it out o’ me mouth, one o’ me kids says it, very disgusted-like, knowin’ they aren’t gettin’ anymore o’ whatever it is they think they want,” Quin said with a laugh.

“I would like to pay for tea today, Quin. I invited you, and after your hospitality, and your gifts, and your friendship, I would appreciate it if you would allow me,” Minerva said as they rose.

Quin hesitated. “That’s fine, Minerva, but there’s usually a charge for the room. I don’t know if she will levy it if you’re payin’ or not, but she never does with me. Just fair warnin’ that it may be a bit pricier than your usual tea.”

Minerva smiled. “Thanks, Quin.”

He laughed. “Thank you, ma grande dame de la Metamorphosis! And I appreciate your advice about Alroy. I’ll try not t’ go overboard. Don’t want him developin’ airs or gettin’ acquisitive.”

After Minerva had settled the bill – and Madam Puddifoot had not charged her for the room, though Minerva believed that it was only because she was with Quin – the two left.

“I’d like to spend more time with you, Quin, but I told Albus I would be back, and it’s beginning to get late,” Minerva said, turning to him.

“That’s fine. Me kids an’ I are Portkeyin’ home in the mornin’, and I need to get ready to leave. I hope to spend most o’ me time at home in Ireland for the next couple weeks, and just come over when I have somethin’ important scheduled – such as your niece’s weddin’ and the school shoppin’ trip with Alroy. He wanted to go with Ella last week, but I told him I wanted to go with him, make it a father-son time.”

“Enjoy your time with your family, Quin. And thank you again for all you have done for me.” Minerva took his hand, then stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “You may never find another Aileen, but I wish you happiness in your life.”

“And I wish the same to you,” Quin said, smiling.

“’Bye, Quin!”

Minerva held her wand to her and Disapparated. On arriving at the gates, she rushed up the drive. She hadn’t told Albus precisely when she would be back, but it was nearly dinner time, and he may have expected her sooner. Now, where to go – her rooms, where she had left Albus, or his office? His office. He likely returned there after she had left the castle.

She hurried up the stairs and gave the password to the gargoyle. He wasn’t in his office, but as she started up to his suite, she heard his voice call to her.

“Minerva? Is that you?”

“Yes, Albus. I’m back!”

She trotted up the stairs and into his arms as he stepped out of his sitting room door.

He held her tightly, then he kissed her. He looked at her, his eyes sparkling, and said, “I had wanted it to be a bit more of a surprise, my dear, but time was growing short and I had to change.”

Minerva noticed for the first time that Albus was wearing Muggle evening dress. “We’re going out?” she asked.

“Yes, my dear. If you could just change into some robes that might pass as a Muggle evening gown? We could be on our way.”

“Just like that? I need time – I need to do my hair, I need to take a shower, I need – ”

“You need to change your clothes, and that is all, Minerva. You are fine. Don’t worry about your hair. It is lovely as always!”

Minerva let out a breath and looked up at him with a rueful smile. “All right. But I wish I had had more warning. Where are we going?”

“That shall remain a surprise, my dear,” Albus said with a twinkle.

“But how do I know what would be appropriate?” Minerva said, frustrated. “I appreciate a surprise, but – ”

“But – ” Albus interrupted her, “do you have the gown you wore the morning you Apparated to the Gamps?”

Minerva nodded.

“That would be perfectly appropriate, I believe!” Albus said.

“You remember what I wore that day, Albus?” Minerva asked, surprised but pleased.

“Of course I do! You looked lovely. You could use the same hair things, perhaps. They were very pretty,” Albus said.

Minerva smiled happily and let him lead her through his suite, though she did wish they could dawdle in the bedroom, and down his backstairs, then escort her to her rooms, where Minerva got ready to leave as quickly as she could. She didn’t know what to do for a purse. She couldn’t find her Muggle evening bag. Finally, she gave up looking for it, aware that Albus was pacing in the other room, and simply took her other handbag and Transfigured it. This was better, anyway. It now matched her gown perfectly. She charmed an evening wrap in a shade complementary to the colour of her dress, did the same to her shoes, then joined Albus in the sitting room.

“You look marvellous, Minerva! Absolutely beautiful.” He took her arm. “Now, I don’t normally do this, but I have created a Portkey for us – quite legal for me to do, if somewhat unorthodox, as I have not registered it – and we can leave from here.” He reached into his pocket and removed a broken button. “Ready, my dear?” At her nod, he said, “Andrew’s.”

---

Note: And in the next chapter, we learn where Albus has Portkeyed Minerva off to!

I may already have mentioned this here, but my one-shots/short stories are now available for download in pdf format. They are in the files area of the Potter Place Yahoo group. There are two sets for download at the moment. The first set contains “Budding Charms,” “Falling for Pomona,” “Impressing Filius,” and “The Unsentimental Arithmancer,” and the second set consists of “Circadian Rhythm,” “Heat,” “Obliging Minerva,” and “Lemon Drabbles.” Here is a link to Potter Place. The pdfs have bookmarks for each story, so you can go straight to “Obliging Minerva,” sevherfan ;D, er, anyone who enjoys rereading that particular story! LOL! I would love to know if people are downloading them. I think I may make AAoL and RaM available that way, too, when they are completed. (That was suggested to me by a reviewer on The Petulant Poetess, so I thought I'd try it out with the short fics first.)

[dianahawthorne]

Yay! I loved this chapter. Quin's insights into Albus's feelings make perfect sense - and I hope that Minerva and Albus can work throught his insecurities! I cannot WAIT to see where Albus has Portkeyed Minerva to - somewhere Muggle, I presume, and very fancy. I do hope that you post an update VERY soon (hopefully tomorrow!) Great job, as always, and PLEASE update soon!

[Hogwarts Duo]

I’m so glad you’re back and we’re getting regular updates now. I know you deserve a long rest from RaM but it nearly killed me to have to wait for these chapters since they’re of the fluffy, lovey-dovey, lemony variety now!

I’m glad Minerva had time to dash to Hogsmeade to speak with Quin. I’m sure it did wonders for both of them. I am especially glad she gave him some sound advice on Alroy and what he may and may not need at school. Having not been formally educated in magic, I’m sure Quin only has the best intentions for his children but as Minerva says, he doesn’t want them to appear spoiled and perhaps bratty. Having her at the school to help guide the children as well as Quin will be a true asset and I do hope Alroy continues with his gift of speaking to animals. What a wonderful talent to have! Wish I could do that sometimes. It might help me understand my little doggie. Haha.

It’s nice to see Minerva opening up to Quin about Albus’ problem, no matter how delicate the situation. He’s able to give her a fresh perspective and even some insight into how the male mind works on matters and that can only be beneficial to her relationship with Albus, especially since she knows something is amiss. Valerianna truly was a nasty piece of work and once Minerva finds out exactly what the stupid cow said and did to Albus, I’m sure she’ll go to great lengths to put Albus’ fears to rest. It’s horribly sad to think of him desiring Minerva with his heart and soul yet still fearing rejection from her because of something a horrid cow said to him in years past. But, I have no doubts that Minerva will go to any means necessary to wipe Valerianna’s words from his memory and replace them with sweeter, kinder, gentler, more romantic words. Wheeee!

Minerva looked slightly uncomfortable at those words. “Is it some kind of magic, then? Did you do a binding? I felt nothing,” she said.

“Not a bindin’ like you’re thinkin’. I bound me own heart,” Quin said. “And ’tisn’t the magic you practise here at Hogwarts; ’tis much, much older. Your wizard likely knows of it, though perhaps not of this particular MacAirt . . . tradition, I s’pose you might call it.”

I am very curious about what just happened here and I do hope you plan on explaining it further at some point. I find myself wondering if the ancient magic Quin references here and which he believes Albus to have knowledge of could be of the same type of magic or geas that also binds the Silent Knight. Care to shed some light on that subject or shall I just sit back and wait for all to be revealed in your own sweet time??? LOL

Awww, Albus remembered what she wore and even the pins in her hair. What a truly wonderful man and I’m so glad they’re together now. The air crackles with the love around them and it’s wonderful to sit back and watch even the smallest of gestures such as him greeting her with open arms. It’s great because we know there are no hidden meanings and that things won’t be misinterpreted to the degree they were earlier in the story. Yay!! I can’t wait to see where he’s taking Minerva for their special night out on the town. I’m sure it’s some place romantic and lovely.

Thanks again for the quick update. Hope to see another one soon!!!

[esoterica1693]

Another wonderful chapter, as always.

Minerva's wisdom re Quin and Alroy makes one think she's taught longer than 1 term. Behind that quiet reserved exterior is a keen observer of human nature.

Albus can certainly write a perfectly-thought-out letter in very short order when he wants to! Both his letter to Minerva and this one to Quin give the appearance of being quickly dashed off but were anything but.

Minerva's talk w/ Quin was perfect--they each got to say what they needed to say to the other and clear up any potential misunderstandings in *their* relationship <g>, and Quin gave her very sound insight into Albus's mind/heart/body issues. I do hope Valerianna pays some price for her evil words--a price exacted by both Quin and Minerva! (What a team they'd be in any sort of fight, verbal or magical!)

But the best part of the chapter was Quin's binding his heart to Minerva and also thus to Albus. That was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes.

I'm glad Albus is taking Minerva out someplace fancy and public, *on his arm.* It should help ease the hurt of his wanting to be more private about their relationship than she does for the present. She tried not to focus on that and to understand, but it clearly did/does hurt a bit--especially on top of his physical hesitation.

I hope this evening is glorious for them, in every way. ;-) And of course can't wait for an update...

[Merriam]

I'm finally back, expecting one update and getting two instead! What a deal!

These two chapters were The Best Ever. I love how you approach writing their "togetherness;" a lesser author may have had Albus suddenly liberated from his insecurities as soon as Minerva confessed her love for him, but not you. Both Albus and Minerva remain perfectly in character even as their relationship evolves. I can't wait to see how Minerva deals with Albus' little "problem!"

Dear, dear Quin. I'm very glad Minerva apologized for her behavior--even though she did not intend it, I sense Quin was more hurt than he let on. It cannot be easy for him to watch Minerva with Albus: even though she is no Aileen, I think, deep down, he really does love her more than even he realizes. (But I could be wrong here, too).

Thank you, thank you, thank you for these two wonderful updates! After that dry spell, I was getting a bit desperate! I will (try) to be patient, although I must admit to being overwhelmed by curiosity as to what Albus has planned for the evening!

[minerva62]

Thank you so much for the quick update and another wonderful chapter!

When I read about Quin wanting to leave this world to look for his Aileen I nearly cried! He is so sweet and loving and thoughtful...Thank Merlin a lot of people need him on earth, like his kids and Minerva...

And Quin is so wise concerning Albus' (or should I say 'male') feelings...He immediately thought about Valerianna.....Well, he had good advise for Minerva and I have no doubts that finally Albus and Minerva will work this thing out well...

Like everyone I can't wait to learn what Albus has planned for Minerva, but doubtlessly it is something sweet and very romantic...I already envy her...

Please update soon!

[kahpfan]

Yep I'm doing my usual jump around the websites trick! Loved this update - can't wait to read more.
Quinn certainly has a wisedom of his own, very astute at reading people even with out his family trait! Can;t wait to see what romantic surprise Albus has cooked up for Minerva!
KAHPfan :-)

[MMADfan]

Dianahawthorne --

Yay! I loved this chapter. Quin's insights into Albus's feelings make perfect sense - and I hope that Minerva and Albus can work throught his insecurities! I cannot WAIT to see where Albus has Portkeyed Minerva to - somewhere Muggle, I presume, and very fancy. I do hope that you post an update VERY soon (hopefully tomorrow!) Great job, as always, and PLEASE update soon!

I'll update very soon! and, yes, somewhere Muggle! and nice. (Of course, this is 1957, so it's quite a bit more formal than it is these days . . . ) I hope you will enjoy their first "real" date!

Hogwarts Duo --

I do hope Alroy continues with his gift of speaking to animals. What a wonderful talent to have! Wish I could do that sometimes. It might help me understand my little doggie. Haha.

Hee! I'm sure that my kitties would be relieved -- especially my old one, who thinks I have potential, but sometimes I'm just not very bright. He tries very hard to get me to understand exactly what it is he wants! haha! Of course, sometimes I know EXACTLY what he wants, but one cannot live on treats and catnip alone!

Valerianna truly was a nasty piece of work and once Minerva finds out exactly what the stupid cow said and did to Albus, I’m sure she’ll go to great lengths to put Albus’ fears to rest. It’s horribly sad to think of him desiring Minerva with his heart and soul yet still fearing rejection from her because of something a horrid cow said to him in years past. But, I have no doubts that Minerva will go to any means necessary to wipe Valerianna’s words from his memory and replace them with sweeter, kinder, gentler, more romantic words.

Yes, she will work on it, and a bit more patiently and understandingly than she might if she didn't have some clearer notion of what it is that is bothering him. She'll be quite sensitive, I'm sure! And she will enjoy helping him over it all! ;D

Awww, Albus remembered what she wore and even the pins in her hair. What a truly wonderful man and I’m so glad they’re together now. The air crackles with the love around them and it’s wonderful to sit back and watch even the smallest of gestures such as him greeting her with open arms. It’s great because we know there are no hidden meanings and that things won’t be misinterpreted to the degree they were earlier in the story. Yay!! I can’t wait to see where he’s taking Minerva for their special night out on the town. I’m sure it’s some place romantic and lovely.

Albus is a special one, that's for sure! (Isn't it great when your guy remembers things like that? *happy sigh*) It is enjoyable to be able to write them really together now. Some of the fluffy and romantic moments earlier were fun to write, too, of course, but it is nice to have them communicating more openly!

Thanks again for the quick update. Hope to see another one soon!!!

You're welcome! There will be another update soon this week! I hope to have two more updates between now and the end of the weekend!

esoterica1693 --

Minerva's wisdom re Quin and Alroy makes one think she's taught longer than 1 term. Behind that quiet reserved exterior is a keen observer of human nature.

Minerva also remembers her own student days and her fellow students and their various circumstances, as well, so that is a definite help for her. Sometimes it's a good thing not to have been out of school for more than half a century! haha!

But the best part of the chapter was Quin's binding his heart to Minerva and also thus to Albus. That was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes.

I'm glad you liked that part. It did seem to touch a number of people, and that makes me happy.

Merriam --

These two chapters were The Best Ever. I love how you approach writing their "togetherness;" a lesser author may have had Albus suddenly liberated from his insecurities as soon as Minerva confessed her love for him, but not you. Both Albus and Minerva remain perfectly in character even as their relationship evolves. I can't wait to see how Minerva deals with Albus' little "problem!"

Thank you! It certainly wouldn't have felt natural to have written it in any other way, and it is fun to have them exploring things and to have Minerva help Albus clear up his problem.

Dear, dear Quin. I'm very glad Minerva apologized for her behavior--even though she did not intend it, I sense Quin was more hurt than he let on. It cannot be easy for him to watch Minerva with Albus: even though she is no Aileen, I think, deep down, he really does love her more than even he realizes. (But I could be wrong here, too).

The potential was certainly there for him, certainly. But he does care very much for Minerva and her happiness.

Minerva62 --

Like everyone I can't wait to learn what Albus has planned for Minerva, but doubtlessly it is something sweet and very romantic...I already envy her...

The next chapter will be all about their date, and I think that Minerva will find it quite romantic! I hope you will enjoy it!

kahpfan --

Yep I'm doing my usual jump around the websites trick! Loved this update - can't wait to read more.

You've got my head swimming with all this jumping around! LOL! JK! BTW, I haven't mentioned this, but I like your little Linux fellow. He's very cute and makes a sweet avatar. I want to rub his tummy! LOL!

Thanks, everyone, for the comments! I will update sometime within the next 36 hours or so, so you haven't too much longer to wait for the mysterious date!

[MMADfan]

Note: Posted in two parts because of length.

CXLI: Another Date for Minerva

A moment after their Portkey activated, Minerva stood, blinking and holding tightly to Albus’s arm, looking around her, not recognising where they were. Was Andrew a friend of his? She asked him that.

“No, no, not precisely,” Albus replied, taking her hand and leading her around a corner before turning her and gesturing at the large building they now faced. “St. Andrew’s.”

“St. Andrew’s? Glasgow?” she asked.

“Yes, indeed. We have a little time, now, but I would like to get our tickets. A friend of mine – I don’t know if you know him, Paul Armstrong – acquired them for me this afternoon,” Albus explained as they walked. “It was actually rather handy to have you leave so that I could make arrangements, although I did begin to worry that I should have been more specific about when I would have liked you to return. But I wasn’t entirely certain whether Paul could find us tickets for this concert, and if he couldn’t, I thought I would just bring you out to dinner somewhere nice,” he said as they walked across to the building, entered it, then went up to the counter where they could collect their tickets.

“I would have been happy to return earlier,” Minerva said. “Quin and I talked a lot, and about a variety of things, but I could have returned sooner.”

“Everything has worked out quite well, though,” Albus said as he put the tickets in the pocket of his jacket. “We have at least forty-five minutes before we need to be in our seats. The concert begins at seven-thirty. We could have a glass of wine somewhere, if you like. I thought we could have a light supper after the concert. I hope that is all right and you aren’t hungry now.”

“I’m fine, Albus. I had a sandwich and a tart with my tea, so I’m not at all hungry yet.”

“All right, then, let’s just step around this corner. Hold on, Minerva,” he said softly, pulling her into a shadow and holding her against him.

Minerva didn’t have much time to realise that they were about to Apparate, but it was smooth and silent, and when Minerva looked around and realised that they were now in McTavish Street in Edinburgh, she laughed.

“Being able to Apparate silently certainly has its advantages,” Minerva said. “I never would have dared try to Disapparate from there. Muggles would have been running about, looking for the explosion! At least I’m not as loud as Melina. She is deafening. I have never known anyone who Apparates so loudly – coming and going!”

Albus chuckled. “I thought perhaps we might go to the same café we went to after the other concert, if that suits.”

“That would be lovely, Albus,” Minerva replied. She took his arm and put her other hand on it, as well, but then she dropped one hand and moved slightly away from him, maintaining only a light hold on his elbow. “I’m sorry, Albus. I almost forgot,” she whispered.

“Forgot?”

“My brother’s shop is here, my friends and family are often here, and everyone in the world knows you,” Minerva said, “and we can be easily observed. I remember that you wish to be discreet.”

Albus smiled. “Yes, that is right. But you needn’t pretend you don’t know me, either.”

“I will try not to cling to you, though,” Minerva said softly as he held the door for her, “and a good thing, too, as here comes my niece now. I don’t know if she’s seen us, though.”

Minerva and Albus sat down at the same table they had had before, and Albus explained to the waitress they didn’t have very much time. She smiled and told them she would bring their wine immediately, and the bill with it. As the waitress left, Minerva pointed discreetly. Melina had come in and was looking around the room. She spotted them and waved as she approached.

“I thought I saw you! I didn’t know you were coming to Edinburgh today, Min! How are you, Professor Dumbledore? I wish I had known you would be in town. I would have had Brennan meet me here rather than at his shop.”

“We’re only having a quick glass of wine,” Minerva explained just as the waitress returned, “then we are leaving.”

“You look terrific, Min – Minerva,” Melina said enthusiastically. “You do, too, Professor! Nice evening dress. So you’re doing something Muggle tonight?” she asked as she pulled over a chair and sat down.

Albus chuckled. “Yes, we are. I am escorting your aunt to a concert in Glasgow this evening.”

“Oh, the one at St. Andrew’s? I saw that announced. Strange programme, though, I thought. But I think Swarowsky is going to work out well. What do you think, Professor?”

Minerva gritted her teeth and drank her wine as her niece chattered away about the conductor, and how she wished they had found a Scot to lead the Scottish National Orchestra for once, but for all that, Swarowsky was a good choice. Minerva had no idea who the man was, though it was clear from his name that he was fairly far from being a Scot, so she did agree with Melina on principle about that. She gathered from the conversation, though, that it was considered quite a coup for the orchestra to have attracted him.

Finally, Melina stood and said, “Well, I suppose you ought to be leaving now! It was good to see you, Min!” She gave Minerva a kiss on the cheek then bustled out of the café.

Minerva and Albus left with a little less speed, but Albus said, “I do believe that if we do not Apparate directly to the hall, we will be late. I am going to try a little trick, if you don’t mind, Minerva. I am not entirely sure how well it will work, but . . .”

“All right, whatever you like,” Minerva agreed.

Albus chuckled. “You do not even know what it is! I might have a hare-brained idea that will Splinch us both.”

Minerva smiled up at him, “I very much doubt that.”

They quickly stepped into the shadows next to the building, and Albus whispered, “Close to me, my dear, as is always so lovely. Good. Now, I have done this on my own before, but never when bringing someone with me, so if you could very specifically concentrate on our destination as we go, I believe that will help.” Unlike the other times they had Apparated together, Albus drew his wand, then slipped it up his sleeve, holding the end in the palm of his hand. “First, I am going to make us vanish, and then I will Apparate us, all right, Minerva?”

Minerva nodded against him, enjoying the vibration of his magic around her and the sound of his heart beating in his chest. A moment later, she felt a peculiar tickling, which was immediately replaced with the sensation of being wrapped in a soft, fuzzy cotton blanket infused with Albus’s magic. Remembering that she was supposed to be concentrating on their destination, Minerva tried to ignore the unusual sensations and to visualise the corner from which they had Disapparated.

“Now, my dearest,” Albus whispered, and Minerva could feel the sensation of Apparition.

When they arrived, Minerva felt only slightly disoriented, but fortunately not ill. She waited until Albus nodded and let her go before she stepped away from him.

“We are in luck,” he said softly. “There is no one nearby. Come, let’s find our seats.”

They sat and listened to the orchestra warming up, something that Minerva had always enjoyed, though she couldn’t say why. Looking at the programme, Minerva could understand what Melina had thought was odd about it.

“Tchaikovky’s Nutcracker Suite in August?” she asked, puzzled.

Albus shrugged. “Perhaps it is one of the pieces that was easy for both the new conductor and the orchestra to get together for this concert. I do not know. But I do like it, so I don’t mind that it might be slightly unseasonable. I particularly enjoy the Arabian Dance.”

Minerva perused the rest of the programme. The overture to Tannhäuser. Minerva wasn’t overly fond of Wagner, but it was only one piece, and that overture wasn’t objectionable, from what she remembered of it. The remainder of the music appealed to her more, a Mozart piano concerto and then, after the interval, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major. Yes, other than opening with Wagner, and the fact that the Tchaikovsky seemed a slightly odd choice in the middle of August, which Minerva could overlook, it seemed like a nice programme.

Minerva looked over at Albus. “Thank you, Albus,” she whispered as the lights dimmed. “I was in such a hurry earlier, and then so surprised, I didn’t say thank you properly.”

Albus smiled at her and whispered, “You are very welcome, my dearest Minerva.”

In the dark Muggle hall, Minerva reached over and took Albus’s hand. He made a slight movement, as if startled, but then he closed a warm hand around hers. Minerva had never properly appreciated the Tannhäuser overture before, she decided as she sat there, holding Albus’s hand and feeling his magic flow with the music.

During the interval, Albus asked her if she would like anything to drink.

Minerva shook her head. “Do you mind terribly if we just stay here in our seats and talk?”

“Not at all. In fact,” he said, looking around them, “I can give us a bit of privacy so we can speak more freely.” He let his wand fall out of his sleeve and into his hand again. “Would you wave your programme about, my dear, as though there were a fly nearby?”

Minerva did as Albus asked, and he waved his hand in an arc over them.

“There we are!” he said, his eyes sparkling. “The fly is gone.”

“So . . . people will think we are talking about vegetables?” Minerva asked with a laugh as she settled back into her seat, placing her programme in her lap.

“This time, the peculiarities of weather and sunspots and such things,” Albus said with a chuckle.

Minerva smiled. “You never cease to amaze me, Albus.”

“I thought that the weather might be a more appropriate topic of conversation for a concert hall,” Albus said with a shrug, but he smiled, and Minerva thought she detected a slight blush of pleasure come to his cheeks.

“I enjoyed the first part of the programme,” Minerva said. “How did you think of doing this?”

“I knew there was going to be a concert here tonight, though I didn’t know what it was. Fawkes, being very long-suffering,” Albus explained with a chuckle, “consented to bring a letter to my friend Paul. He did answer with a more conventional Tawny Owl, though, since Fawkes apparently decided that he was done playing messenger bird for a while and didn’t wait for a response. Paul said that if I didn’t hear from him to the contrary, the tickets would be waiting for me. And here we are!”

“That was good of him to do so quickly,” Minerva commented. “I don’t know any Armstrongs. Wizarding Armstrongs, that is . . .”

“He’s a Muggle-born, married to a Squib – most unusual situation there – and he moves within the Muggle world very easily as a result,” Albus explained, “although he has quite a conventional wizarding job with Gringotts in their Glasgow branch, handling Muggle currency exchange.”

“It was a wonderful idea, Albus, thank you! I’m sorry about Melina, though,” Minerva said.

“Not at all, Minerva, she is a lovely young witch – and your niece. I enjoyed seeing her. I must say, though, does she ever slow down?” Albus asked with a chuckle.

Minerva laughed. “We don’t think she knows how! Brennan is good for her that way. He’s much more relaxed, steadier, and less impulsive. He’s a good man.”

“And Friday is the wedding,” Albus observed.

“Yes . . . you know, I had thought this even before, well, before yesterday, would you like to do something in the afternoon afterward, or do you need to be back at the school?”

“I would love to spend the afternoon with you, my dear, either at the school or elsewhere, and I do have the entire day free.” Albus blushed and smiled. “I must admit to hoping, even when I suggested I might escort you to the wedding, that we might spend the entire day together, so I cleared my schedule. The Wizengamot will have to do without me.”

Minerva smiled happily. “Wonderful. We can think about what we might do – unless you had an idea already?”

“I do . . . and I am fairly certain you would enjoy it. Do you mind another surprise, my dear?”

Minerva laughed. “I do love your surprises, Albus, especially when they are like this evening. What else did you do this afternoon while I was gone?”

“I did do some work, and Gertrude stopped by. Apparently Malcolm had to go help a friend with something, so she was at loose ends.” Albus smiled. “She really is in love with your brother, you know.”

“I thought she seemed to be. I hope everything works out – first I fear for her, then I fear for him – it just seems as though there are too many things that could go wrong between them. And especially as Malcolm is not known for his ability to make and keep long-term commitments, I worry about Gertrude.” Minerva smiled slightly. “I never thought I would worry about Gertrude, of all people!”

Albus raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Because she is imperturbable and unassailable, or because you didn’t like her?”

Minerva flushed. “Both, I suppose, although, obviously, she is not imperturbable and unassailable, though she certainly seems confident and self-possessed most of the time.”

“Do you . . . like her a little now?” Albus asked hesitantly.

“Yes, actually, I do, and more than a little – and a good thing, too, if she is going to be hanging about with my brother. But, seriously, Albus, I do appreciate her better than I did, and I find myself enjoying her company.”

Albus smiled. “I hoped that you would like her when you gave her a chance, Minerva. And I knew you would give her that chance.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’s one of the things I love about you, my dear, your open heart. I was confident you would give yourselves a chance to know each other better.”

Minerva nodded. “And it was good of her, too. She didn’t need to extend her hospitality, or a hand of friendship, particularly as I was . . . not particularly inclined to reach out my hand to her.”

“She was once . . . not more sociable, precisely, but more friendly, I suppose, more openly warm and obviously generous, with a sense of humour,” Albus said. “But after Reginald died, Gertrude just closed up. She had always been somewhat reserved and a bit shy, but she became positively taciturn and unapproachable for a long while after that. Over the years, as she has got on with her life and adjusted to her loss, she has mellowed, but I thought the witch whom I had come to know as a sweet young newlywed had disappeared never to return, though I still caught occasional glimpses of that person beneath the carapace into which she had withdrawn. Now, however, with your brother – it’s not as though she has returned to being the sweet young thing she once was, but she has a spark of life that had faded, and she seems more relaxed, more spontaneous. I hope it lasts.”

The musicians began to return to the stage and Minerva leaned toward Albus as he dismissed the privacy charm, and whispered, “I should have trusted you, Albus, and known that if you cared for Gertrude, and she for you, for all these years, she was all right. So if you love her, she must be a fine witch.”

Albus turned his head to respond, looking slightly surprised, but the lights came down and the conductor stepped up in front of the orchestra again. This time, Minerva wound her arm around Albus’s then took his hand. She felt him sigh and relax as he wrapped her hand in his.

Minerva had forgotten which symphony the seventh was, and it was beautiful. At one point during the second movement, as a theme was repeated and she felt Albus’s magic seem to reach out and envelope her, Minerva closed her eyes, oblivious to all else, and relished the sensation of Albus’s magic and the music surrounding her.

When the concert was over and the lights came up, Minerva and Albus filed out with the rest of the audience, and Albus fetched her wrap for her, then they walked down the street, arm in arm.

“It’s a lovely evening, isn’t it?” Minerva said. “But it feels as though it might rain tonight.”

“Any evening spent with you is lovely, rain, shine, dark, light, warm, or cold, my dear! We have reservations for dinner in . . . about twenty minutes,” Albus said, looking into her eyes as though he could tell the time from them, or learn the secrets of the universe. “Would you like to find a spot and leave now or stroll a bit?”

Minerva smiled up at him. “Is it a place requiring your current manner of dress?”

“No, although this will be acceptable. I will no doubt appear even more eccentric than usual, though,” he said with a twinkle.

“Then let’s walk a bit here, where no one knows us,” Minerva suggested.

Albus assented with a nod, and they began to walk down toward the Green in the direction of the river. A voice called out, and they turned toward it. Minerva smiled.

“It’s the Gypsy! Isn’t it he, Albus? The same one?”

Albus smiled broadly. “It is, indeed!”

The short, dark-haired man was pulling a small cart behind him. He waved cheerily. “My friends! You enjoy the evening?”

“Yes, very much,” Albus said. “Have you any flowers left?”

“A few, yes, a few nice ones. My brother – ” Then he began to say something that Minerva couldn’t understand at all.

“I am sure that what you have will be fine, don’t you think, Minerva?” Albus responded, then turning to Minerva.

Minerva nodded. She had no idea what he had said, but she was happy to agree with Albus.

“I am sorry, my dear. He was just saying that his brother will be coming to meet him with their caravan shortly, and he has more flowers,” Albus explained. As Albus explained this to Minerva, the swarthy vendor had turned to his buckets and had apparently selected what he thought was the best flower.

“Red rose again, yes?” he said, offering the flower for Albus’s inspection.

“Most definitely!” Albus replied with a smile, paying him, again giving the man a one-pound coin and refusing change.

“I would like to thank you,” Minerva said, “for the nazar you gave me last time.”

“You see clearly now, eh?” the Roma said with a grin. “Good! Very good.”

The two walked for a few more minutes, quietly discussing the concert they had just attended, Minerva twirling the rose lightly between the fingers of one hand. Of the second half of the concert, Minerva had most enjoyed the symphony’s final movement, with its lively, dance-like feel, whereas Albus said that he had most enjoyed the second movement, with its unusual poetic repetitions of the theme. Minerva had also appreciated that movement, finding it sombre and evocative, but she still preferred the lighter parts of the piece. Finally, Albus said that it was time to leave for dinner, and he pulled her into the shadows, out of the view of any Muggle eyes.

“Where are we going, Albus?” Minerva asked.

“You shall see very soon,” he said in a whisper, putting his arms around her. Instead of preparing to Disapparate, however, he kissed her forehead, then her cheek, then her lips, repeatedly. Finally, he sighed and held her close to him, cradling her head to his shoulder. “I love you, Minerva McGonagall,” he whispered.

They stood there for a moment, hearing the Muggle traffic in the distance, until Albus said with a slight sigh, “We must go now, my dear, or we shall be late. Are you ready?”

Continued in the next post!

[MMADfan]

Continued from the previous post!

CXLI: Another Date for Minerva, continued

She nodded, and just a moment later, they were in an alley off of Diagon Alley. He offered her his arm, and they set off. It was warmer there than it had been in Glasgow, and Minerva let her wrap fall from around her shoulders.

“Is Delancie’s all right, Minerva?”

Minerva laughed. “Of course it is! You know, the entire time I was there with Filius, as much as I enjoyed his company, I wished that you were there, too.”

Albus smiled happily. “Very good, then! I asked Delancie to have some nice little things for a late supper. He promised me he would have something special to offer us.”

Minerva looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. “Aren’t you afraid someone will see us there, sharing an intimate late night meal, and wonder?”

“If anyone asks, we are celebrating your being made the new Head of Gryffindor. But I doubt anyone will notice us. I did ask for a secluded table, as well – but in the main dining room,” he added hastily, sensing a change in Minerva’s mood. “We won’t hide . . . but I thought a little quiet would be welcome.”

“It is lovely and romantic, Albus,” Minerva said. “Thank you.” She wouldn’t let the fact that they were being “discreet” ruin the romance of the setting, and she wouldn’t let Albus think that she was in any way disappointed.

They were seated immediately at a small round table set off to one side, a half-wall with cascading plants providing some privacy, though they could still see part of the dining room. Since many of the tables were similarly situated, however, only a handful of diners were observable from their vantage point; Minerva wasted no time looking to see who else might be there, turning her attention only toward Albus.

Mr Delancie himself came out, carrying a bottle of champagne for Albus’s approval, then he poured them each a glass.

“I have taken the liberty of having my chef prepare several plates sampling some of our most popular dishes, if that would meet your satisfaction,” Delancie said.

“That sounds wonderful to me. What do you think, my dear?” Albus asked, turning to Minerva.

“I would enjoy that very much, I believe. Thank you,” she said, smiling at the genial restaurateur.

He gestured, and a waiter came from somewhere, presenting them with their first plate of tidbits. The waiter uncovered it with a flourish, revealing four escargot with garlic butter; four broiled mushroom caps stuffed with chopped walnuts, mushrooms, and herbs; and four tiny but perfect triangles of puffy pastry filled with Gorgonzola and pine nuts. Minerva wasn’t fond of escargot, but she ate both of hers, anyway, and was pleasantly surprised that they weren’t as slimy as she remembered.

Minerva laughed when butter ran down Albus’s beard as he tried to put a snail in his mouth that was absolutely drenched in garlic butter. She took her own Charmed napkin and dabbed at it, but then shook her head, still chuckling.

“You still have parsley stuck in your beard, I’m afraid,” she said, and Albus waved his hand to clean it off.

They agreed that all of the tidbits were wonderful, but if they had to pick a favourite, they both liked the mushrooms the best, though the Gorgonzola pastries were a close second. Scarcely had they finished the final morsel when the waiter reappeared, this time with a selection of bright-coloured vegetables. There were long, thin, crisp green beans that had been steamed then chilled in a marinade of a fruity vinegar and mild herbs, radishes cut into delicate florets, and warm, cooked cauliflower with a simple garnish of parsley, butter, and fine bread crumbs. These bright vegetables cleansed their palates for the next platter of food, which consisted of a variety of smoked, cured, and fresh-poached fishes. Minerva smiled with delight when she saw that plate uncovered.

Albus grinned. “I thought that perhaps the way to this witch’s heart might be via the sea! I asked that Delancie not neglect a fish course.”

“Growing up with my father, you either came to love fish or hate it, I suppose,” Minerva said, trying very hard to take only half of each type of fish. She tasted a forkful of something the waiter had described as poached halibut with “Delancie sauce.” “Oh, my, Albus! Try the halibut! It’s perfect! And the sauce . . . oh, I would die for this recipe. Not that I could make it, but Fwisky could, and Blampa would probably be happy to be of service!”

Albus agreed that the halibut was excellent, as were all of the other fish dishes. As he poured them both more champagne, Minerva put her hand on his knee.

“This is wonderful, Albus. Thank you very much. I was right about your surprises being fun. It’s both fabulously ordinary, being able to sit here and share a meal with you, and very special, too. It’s perfect,” she said, giving his leg a little squeeze.

A smile lit Albus’s face. “I am very glad. I think any meal taken in your company is special, particularly when yours is the only company, but I always have wanted to have a romantic meal at Delancie’s with you.”

“Always, Albus?” Minerva asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

“Perhaps not always,” he responded, blushing, “but for a while, anyway.”

Minerva didn’t press him on the issue – after all, she wasn’t prepared to tell him she had fallen in love with him while she was still his student. She doubted very much that his own feelings for her had developed that long ago, and it sounded from what had he said that it had been a slow process over years. It did make her wonder about Valerianna, and perhaps answered the question of why he had ever bothered seeing the witch in the first place. Albus had said that he had tried to divert himself from his feelings for her. Valerianna was no doubt a part of that attempt, and somehow she must have sensed it. Minerva couldn’t bring herself to pity the witch, however, remembering that everyone who had told her anything about the relationship made it sound as though Valerianna had actually made the first overtures, thinking that Albus was a promising prospect for Minister for Magic. Minerva was glad that she had never stooped as low as to date a wizard-equivalent of that cow. The worst she had done was date Jean-Paul, the French envoy, immediately after the war, and the worst that could be said of him was that he was boring.

The waiter brought out a Merlot to accompany the next course, which consisted of a variety of meats and fowl and didn’t appeal to Minerva as much, though the bit of duck in gooseberry sauce was nice, as was the steak, which the waiter had said was from Hereford beef, and had been marinated and rubbed with coarsely ground black pepper, then grilled and thinly sliced.

“I will have to tell Mother about the duck,” she said. “She has a few grozet bushes, and she and Fwisky usually just put them up in preserves. They make a nice sauce for duck, though! I always associate duck with orange sauce.”

Albus nodded. “Delancie tries to use native ingredients in his cooking, as far as he can. He brings British cooking to new heights,” he said between bites of pork, which had been roasted with turnips and rosemary. Minerva liked the turnips and rosemary, but didn’t touch the morsels of pork.

“He’s a Muggle-born,” Albus continued, “and his family were in the restaurant business. He saw the need for a high-quality restaurant in Diagon Alley, and the wizarding world is the richer for it. There were two others here, before your time, of course, but Fortescue converted his to an ice cream parlour, which he does extremely well, and the other one – what was it called? – Turleigh’s, I think. That one closed up a few years after Delancie’s opened, and Delancie has set the standard ever since. I would say that even the quality of the food in the Leaky Cauldron has improved by necessity, despite the obvious differences between the two establishments. But wizards – and witches, of course – have learned that a meal eaten out in Diagon Alley doesn’t have to be bland, overcooked, or fried to death.”

“Too bad that Johannes hasn’t eaten here,” Minerva said. “He thinks English cooking is terrible. He did enjoy our tea, though – Mother saw it as a point of Scottish pride, I think, that he liked it.”

Albus laughed. “It would probably just go further to convince him that ordinary English cooking isn’t very good, if he were to eat here.”

“I had not remembered Hogwarts food being bad – and it isn’t precisely – but it is rather monotonous during the year, and fairly heavy. Mother says it’s likely aimed at the appetites of the students and not the tastes of the teachers.”

Minerva had thought she couldn’t eat another bite when the next course was brought out, but the creamed spinach with sorrel, tomato aspic, and thin-sliced pickled potatoes were all lovely and light, and she had some of each. The dessert course was likewise light, a fruit soup of mixed berries served with heavy cream over it, and thin, crispy biscuits, and two cups of coffee. Albus loaded his coffee with sugar and cream, and Minerva just added a dollop of cream to hers, knowing she wouldn’t drink much of it anyway.

As they sat enjoying an after-dinner cognac, Minerva sighed in contentment and reached under the table to take Albus’s hand and give it a quick squeeze.

“This has been absolutely lovely, Albus. It’s funny, everything we were served was fairly simple, but each thing was done with care. Not one wrong note. It’s a pity that the rest of life can’t be more like that,” she said.

Albus, gazing at her warmly, agreed, and said regretfully, “If only we hadn’t hit so many wrong notes this summer, most of them – perhaps all of them, in fact – by me.”

“That’s not true, Albus. Perhaps my wrong notes were not as loud as yours,” she said with a smile, “but I am sure there were things I could have said or done differently, for the better. But you know, Albus, I think that I would like to take a different perspective on it all. I have always enjoyed the sound of an orchestra warming up. It’s discordant, and no one’s in tune yet, and everyone’s playing something a bit different, but without it, the orchestra could not come together to play the beautiful music they do.” Minerva smiled and took his hand again. “Why don’t we look at that time this summer as our warm-up, Albus? And now, we’re in tune, hmm?”

Albus’s smile was happy, and he leaned toward her and said softly, “That is a beautiful way to think of it, Minerva, and one more example of all that I love in you.” His eyes twinkled as he added, “And I am looking forward to playing with you for a long time to come, my dear.”

Minerva shivered pleasurably as his low voice in her ear raised goose bumps over her entire body, and his mention of playing with her brought to mind specific ways in which she would like to play with him, and she grew warm. She turned her head and looked into his eyes.

“Let’s go home now, Albus, please,” she said huskily.

Albus nodded, but then he hesitated slightly. “I had something I had wanted to tell you this evening, but there never seemed an appropriate moment.” He swallowed, and Minerva thought he looked a bit nervous.

Her heart began to pound in her chest. What bad news was he going to break to her now? It didn’t seem there could be any, but she nodded and said as calmly as she could, “You would like to tell me now, then?”

Albus seemed to gather himself together, then he said, “I know that we agreed that we would be discreet, and it was my own suggestion that we not inform anyone but Quin and your parents about the new state of things – ”

“The ‘new state of things’?” Minerva asked.

“That you and I are, um, that I am paying you court,” Albus said awkwardly. “But I do have to confess to you that that small circle has already grown beyond those original three.”

Minerva, relieved that it was only that and nothing more serious, asked, “So you discussed this with Gertrude?”

“Yes, how did you know?” Albus asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Well, aside from your friend Paul and Mr Delancie, who would scarcely care, the only person you mentioned speaking to this afternoon was Gertrude. And she obviously does care. I may be completely overjoyed that we have surmounted our misunderstanding, so to speak, but even in my haze of bliss, I am still capable of making that rather elementary deduction,” Minerva said with a grin. “So . . . already expanding the list of people who will be told, hmm? What did you say to her?”

Albus blushed darkly. “I hardly had two words out of my mouth, not even intending to tell her anything other than that you had returned to the castle and we had spent some time together, when she said, ‘Finally! I was beginning to despair of you both!’ She evidently had been aware of our feelings and had been trying to get us to do something about it, but being ‘bloody stubborn Gryffindors,’ as she put it, we seemed to be determined to ignore or misinterpret every one of her hints. And I do admit, looking back on it now, that Gertie had tried to get me to talk to her about you, at the very least, and I did turn away every opportunity she presented me, and she had also encouraged me talk to you directly, to spend time with you and such, but again, I did not heed her, not in the way that she had hoped, anyway.”

“So she knew all the time?” Minerva asked, unsure whether she was surprised by that or not.

Albus shrugged. “We have known each other for forty years, and Gertie has come to know me and my moods very well in that time. Apparently, she began to suspect some years ago that I was, um, becoming enamoured of you,” he said, lowering his voice, “and she didn’t know whether anything would ever come of it or not, but she believed we would be well-suited to one another, if you returned my feelings. Then, three or four years ago, Gertie did some Arithmantic calculations, which she says she has never before done on friends without their knowledge and consent, but she made an exception this time. She said that she didn’t possess enough of the variables to be able to say with very great certainty, but that each calculation she performed pointed to our being ideally matched. One reason she didn’t tell me about this – and I agree with her now, although I wish it weren’t true – is that she believed that if she had, I would have worked even harder at ignoring and diverting my feelings. Gertie had apparently even done a set of calculations in which she intervened and encouraged me, but regardless of how she performed the calculation or what interventions she proposed, the results were always unsatisfactory. Until you came to work at Hogwarts. Then she had hope that we would simply . . . find each other. That I would wake up and tell you. As for you, she was unsure of the nature of your feelings toward me, though she became persuaded that they mirrored mine. That is one of the reasons she invited you to the Gamp party. She wanted to see if she could determine the direction and strength of your feelings. Apparently a confrontation you had with Valerianna Yaxley decided it for her – probably the one in which you shrunk her shoes – and that was when Gertie decided that she could try encouraging me more. Not that I was very receptive. But she did try.”

“I see.” Minerva sat and thought about these revelations for a moment. Then she smiled at Albus. “Another reason for me to get to know her better and develop more of an appreciation of her. Shall we go?”

It never would have occurred to Minerva to use Arithmancy to analyse her relationship to Albus and the possibilities for their future. She certainly was aware of variables that Gertrude likely wouldn’t be. But her own skill in Arithmancy was adequate to her purposes in developing new Transfiguration spells – and barely adequate for that – and Minerva doubted she would have been able to do such a thing even if it had occurred to her. And now, she didn’t want to know anything that Arithmancy might have to say about their relationship. It was enough to know that Gertrude’s calculations had seen that they were well-suited to one another.

Albus passed his wand over the bill that the waiter presented, then Mr Delancie was at the door, bidding them good-night. It was well after midnight, but as it was a Saturday, the Three Broomsticks was still open for a while, and the two agreed that it might be best to Floo rather than to Apparate after the champagne, wine, and cognac they had imbibed.

“I would have loved another Side-Along with you, Albus,” Minerva said, “but I think that as we are both tired, using the Floo from the Leaky Cauldron would be wise.”

“You enjoy those?” Albus asked with a smile.

“That is an understatement. They are wonderful. Though in a different way from when you take the wards from me using your wand.” Minerva blushed, hearing a double-entendre where she hadn’t meant one.

“Really? We will have to experiment more with those, I believe,” Albus said, his eyes twinkling. “And you still need to be introduced to Hogwarts, of course.”

The two Flooed back to Hogsmeade, Albus’s unconventional dress drawing many stares that it hadn’t in London, where it was more common to see a wizard wearing trousers or Muggle evening dress.

“Would you like to stay for a drink?” Albus asked.

He didn’t seem very enthusiastic about the idea, and neither was Minerva, who wanted to have Albus to herself, and certainly away from the eyes of everyone in the Three Broomsticks. They walked toward the edge of town, and Albus turned to her and said, “You know, my dear, I do believe I could manage a short Apparition to the gates, if you would like a little Side-Along?”

“That would be very nice, Professor Dumbledore. Thank you,” Minerva replied, restraining an inappropriate laugh, given that there were people in the vicinity.

“Not at all. My pleasure entirely,” Albus said. “Let us just step over here . . .”

Albus led her into the darkly shadowed doorway of a closed shop, unilluminated by the street lamps. Without saying another word, he enfolded Minerva in his arms and nuzzled her hair as she rested her head against him. Minerva was scarcely aware of arriving at the gates, and Albus did not release her from his embrace immediately. She relaxed against him, relying on him to hold her.

“Mmmm, I could stand here forever with you in my arms, my dearest Minerva.” Albus kissed her head. “And I love to smell your hair,” he said in a low voice, “and to kiss you so freely.”

Minerva raised her face to look up at him. He wore a look of utter contentment. She lifted her left hand to caress his cheek. “I love you so very, very much, Albus. This was a wonderful evening. Thank you.”

She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him, feeling as though she would simply melt away as his lips moved against hers, soft and supple, and his arms held her so securely. He moved his lips to her forehead, where he brushed them over her skin, seeming simultaneously to kiss her and to breathe her in. Finally with a sigh, he laid his cheek against her forehead.

Albus whispered, “We should go up to the castle now, my dear.”

Minerva nodded but did not loosen her embrace until he did. Albus opened the gates for them and they slowly walked up the long drive to the front doors.

“I shall escort you to your door, Minerva,” Albus said quietly.

Minerva opened her mouth, unsure of what she wanted to say, but knowing that she didn’t yet want the night to end.

“Would you prefer to Floo from your office or to walk, my dear?” Albus asked.

“Take the stairs . . .” Minerva wanted to stay with him as she had last night, but she wanted more. She wanted him to undress her and make love to her. But she knew that Albus did not want to rush, and that whatever his reasons, this was not the time to press him. Still, she would put off their parting for as long as possible.

They took the stairs slowly, Minerva, her hand lightly on his arm. Sometime, she would have to ask Albus why she was so aware of his magic, how she came to be so sensitive to it, but for now, she simply enjoyed feeling it coursing through him, glad that such slight contact could bring her to feel so close to him. It seemed that they reached her door in no time at all, despite their pace.

“Good night, my dear. Thank you very much for the pleasure of your company this evening,” Albus said softly.

“Could you come in? Just for a minute?” Minerva asked.

Albus shook his head slightly. “It is late.” He reached up and cupped her cheek warmly. “But I hope we will see each other tomorrow.”

Minerva nodded. “Breakfast? May I invite you for breakfast?”

Albus smiled. “I would love that. Thank you. What time?”

“Er, eight? Or is that too early? It is, as you say, late now.”

“Eight-thirty, perhaps? I would like to see you as soon as possible, but we both do need our rest.”

Minerva couldn’t help herself, and she said impulsively, “You could stay, and then you would see me when you wake up.”

Albus closed his eyes, still smiling, but he shook his head again. “That image is a lovely one, but I think not.”

“Last night – ”

“Was different,” finished Albus for her. “Quite different.” He paused, then said very quietly, “Please do not make this difficult for me, my dear.”

Minerva smiled ruefully. “I had to at least try, you know. Thank you, Albus. This was wonderful, everything was. I enjoyed my surprises very much.”

“I am glad. Good night, Minerva.” He bent his head and kissed her very softly and sweetly on the lips, but then stepped back and said again, “Good night.”

Minerva wanted to reach for him, pull him to her, and kiss him with vigour, but she simply nodded, feeling that doing that would be making it difficult for Albus, and it wasn’t yet time to press him. She gave the password, and the door clicked open to her.

“Good night, Albus. I will see you in the morning.”

As soon as the door had closed behind her, Minerva called Blampa and asked her to bring breakfast for two in the morning, telling her to decide what to serve, and that if she were uncertain, to ask Wilspy.

Minerva was exhausted, and she washed and got ready for bed as quickly as possible. She was sure that if Albus were there, she would find him too much of a distraction to sleep, though, particularly if he slept nude. Minerva blushed. Given his current feelings about “rushing,” she was certain that even if he were to have relented and stayed with her, he would have Transfigured something into a nightshirt for himself. Sleeping in one’s clothes, though handy when getting up in the morning, she thought with a smile, was really not particularly comfortable.

As she slipped into bed, though, Minerva couldn’t help but imagine what it might be like to have Albus lying in bed beside her, sleeping, and without the benefit of a nightshirt. She closed her eyes and imagined what it might feel like to snuggle up against his bare skin. Best if she, too, were not wearing anything at all, she thought. Soon, perhaps, she would know. With that thought, she drifted off to sleep.

---

Note: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. There will be another up in a few days!

[Hogwarts Duo]

Minerva’s niece can be such the little intruder. I so wanted to strangle her when she joined them at the table and then chatted away as if she had nothing better to do. I could really feel Minerva’s irritation here and I know I would have felt the same way, especially since it was their first official date.

“She was once . . . not more sociable, precisely, but more friendly, I suppose, more openly warm and obviously generous, with a sense of humour,” Albus said.

I couldn’t help but think back to the Unsentimental Arithmancer when I read this bit. It’s amazing how all your stories (well the ones in the RaM universe anyway) work so well together. It’s like seeing glimpses of other times and places while still enjoying the present. I may have to go back and read the Gertie one-shot again and keep this section in mind while reading it.

I love that Albus and Minerva run across the same gypsy and once again he offers Albus the red rose for Minerva. What’s even better is that now they all understand the meaning behind the red rose and can appreciate it as one of passionate love, just as it was intended. Albus was very sweet to so vehemently agree that it was indeed a red rose for Minerva….awwww. And also, Minerva’s comments to the gypsy about the nazar were telling as well. It’s as if he knew what her troubles were before and now that he see Albus and Minerva together again, he can also detect the change in their relationship, knowing also that his nazar helped to bring that about. A wonderful little side note there MMADfan!!

“It is lovely and romantic, Albus,” Minerva said. “Thank you.” She wouldn’t let the fact that they were being “discreet” ruin the romance of the setting, and she wouldn’t let Albus think that she was in any way disappointed.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for Minerva here. She’s so happy to be with Albus but at the same time she’s torn in a new way. I can understand his rationale that they keep a low profile for a while but it seems that even in the midst of utter bliss there’s a slight problem. It would have been lovely if they could have truly enjoyed the evening together without having to be so darn discreet and cautious about who might see them. Hopefully, they’ll get to have an outing where they can just be themselves without having to worry about prying eyes.

Albus’s smile was happy, and he leaned toward her and said softly, “That is a beautiful way to think of it, Minerva, and one more example of all that I love in you.” His eyes twinkled as he added, “And I am looking forward to playing with you for a long time to come, my dear.”

Minerva shivered pleasurably as his low voice in her ear raised goose bumps over her entire body, and his mention of playing with her brought to mind specific ways in which she would like to play with him, and she grew warm. She turned her head and looked into his eyes.

Hear that??? Listen closely!! It’s the sound of SEXUAL TENSION invading the evening. I don’t have to tell you where my mind went to when Albus suggested playing with Minerva for a long time to come. And judging by the way Minerva shivered pleasurably, I’m betting her mind went to the same place as mine! I am so looking forward to the citrus bits of this story. These two have danced around each other for so long that they’re bound to have one explosive ride when it comes time to advance their physical relationship.

Albus leaving Minerva at her door was very sweet and very in keeping with his character. As much as I yearn for the lemony bits, I think it would have been very out of character for him to take her up on the offer of spending the night or delaying their parting. Regardless of his other reasons and worries, he’s a gentleman first and it shows in everything he does.

Another brilliant chapter and I’ll greedily looking forward to MORE!!

TTFN,
GLM ;D

[dianahawthorne]

Thank GOODNESS for an update!!! This was incredibly fabulous - I loved how Minerva listened to the orchestra and felt Albus's magic - that was so well-done! I could have died when Melina came in - I'm sure that Albus, as well, was annoyed, although he didn't show it. And Gertie doing Arithmancy compatability charts for Albus and Minerva was an adorable and original idea. I am so glad that Albus finally took Minerva to Delancie's - and also, running into the gypsy was great! He gave them the nazars so they'd realise their reciprocated feelings! I loved his motive! Too bad Albus didn't stay over in Minerva's rooms - although I doubt that they would've gotten any sleep! I was incredibly glad that you didn't decide to wait until tomorrow to post this chapter - I was SO anxiously awaiting it! I hope you post the next chapter soon - great job, as always!

[MMADfan]

Just with regard to the nazars, since their existence popped up again in this chapter, this may be the most informative section on them, and is from the chapter "His Lady's Servant":

Opening the drawer that contained his photographs of Minerva, Albus remembered what he had dropped into it, somewhat negligently, a few weeks ago. After removing the three pictures, he rummaged around until he found the small object, which had slipped down to rest at the bottom of the drawer. He pulled it out and held it up by its dark cord. He wasn’t superstitious, and certainly not about Muggle artifacts, but this . . . Gregor, Maria’s oldest brother, had a naturally-occurring nazar, also set in a bit of mirrored glass, just as this one was. He had explained to Albus that the power of the artificial nazar was in the mind of the beholder and the heart of the one who wore it, but that those were mere shadows of the real nazar, the naturally-occurring nazar stones, inspired by them, but never having their power. Set within a mirror, Gregor had explained, the nazar had the power to avert the envy of others and the evil that can befall one who is envied, but more than that, the natural nazar stone could eliminate the evil of envy and jealousy in its bearer and, set in its mirror, could allow the person clear sight, a vision of others unclouded or tainted by the twisting power of the twins, envy and jealousy. It could keep at bay all manner of evil, Gregor said, but chiefly those two.

Albus held the nazar tightly in his hand, the setting biting slightly into his curled fingers. He did not believe in the nazar, natural or otherwise, and yet . . . He shook his head, clearing it, and looked at his photographs of Minerva, first of the one when she was a student, then of the one taken shortly after his defeat of Grindelwald, and then the one, in colour, taken after her Challenge. Seeing her turn toward him again, and how her smile had brightened when she saw him there, a lump rose in his throat. So much like the smile she had given him that morning in the hallway outside her rooms. And he had driven that smile away with his words. Albus swallowed past the lump and gazed a while longer at the photograph before returning it to its drawer. The nazar, he dropped into his pocket. He would carry it for the day, remind himself of his folly, and then he would find a better place for it than the bottom of a drawer. It may have no intrinsic power, he thought, but it was unusual, and a rare gift, especially from a stranger on the street.

You'll also remember that Minerva has held the nazar on various occasions, as well, such as just after Albus had told her the story of his youth. In fact, it appears more frequently in conjunction with Minerva than with Albus, but this seemed like the best part to quote since it explains it a bit.

[esoterica1693]

I love all the thought you (and Albus :-) gave to both keeping them below the Muggle radar *and* keeping their relationship discreet w/o being cold. THe waving away a fly trick was great--ALbus has obviously spent lots of time sneaking magic in amongst Muggles!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way he pulled her into a dark corner and snogged her for several minutes between the concert and dinner....age 117 and making out in the shadows! I don't think he gives any signs of being an old codger or a husk of a wizard !!!

The Gertie "you love" bit was wonderful too. Maybe someday Albus will be able to tell Minerva the full history of his and Gertrude's relationship--I think Minerva could hear it now w/ no problem. In fact, if she heard Gertie's side of it, or if Albus has finally put 2 + 2 as far as why GG refused him after the war, or if she's come right out and told him that afternoon, it would probably do both of them good to talk about it.

Reading about the dinner made me hungry!

Glad Albus is now in on the side-along pleasure. And has been reminded of the wards phenomenon.

I do hope they resolve Albus's misunderstanding about himself, and soon. Min is being so good, but it's so difficult. I loved the "ruefully, 'Well, I had to try.' "

[minerva62]

Oh, that was sooo lovely!

I admire the many details of this chapter - the pieces of music at the concert, the dishes at Delancie's which brought up my appetite - everything so thoughtfully described.

It reminds me of the chapter "If This Were a Date" - and this really was a date....I love the recurrence of the gipsy......

I had to smile about Trudy's reaction to Albus....."Finally!" - well, we had an assumption that she knew about Albus' and Minerva's feelings, but that she had performed Arithmantic calculations about the two.... ;D....wonderful....

And I agree with Hogwarts Duo, Albus is quite in character and the perfect gentleman leaving Minerva at her door.....I did not expect anything else for their first date, but nonetheless I felt (with Minerva) a little pang in my stomach.......*longing sigh*

Do I have to mention that I'm looking forward for an update?