Delayed Celebration

[beMMADfabulous]

Delayed Celebration

Chapter 1

“It appears I must attend to the Ministry tomorrow,” Albus announced with a sigh. “Will you be willing to take care of everything here while I”m away?”

“Tomorrow?” Minerva asked.

Her heart sunk. She stared down at her papers, hoping to appear intent on her work.

“Of course, Albus,” she replied, barely glancing up at him as she fumbled idly through the parchment in her hands.

He thanked her and began to drone on about the various duties that would be required of him, as well as the potential benefits of this if the Ministry would agree to his methods... Minerva, however, barely registered a word. Tomorrow, of all days! Why then? Sure, she had never put much stock in the importance of birthdays, at least when they were her own, and she had never actually enjoyed the awkward attention being placed on her, but at least Albus's presence had always managed to bring particular sweetness to an otherwise bitter and disappointing day. Still, she couldn't blame him for forgetting the significance of tomorrow's date; it wasn't as if she had made a point to remind him, after all. Perhaps it was better this way...

“I expect I'll return around midnight or later,” Albus stated, sounding as if he were finally reaching the end of his one-sided diatribe.

Minerva only nodded, keeping her head low and her eyes focused on the same blurred paragraph she had read over ten minutes ago.

“I realize, obviously, that tomorrow is your birthday,” Albus went on, “but...”

Minerva's head shot up.

“You do?”

He narrowed his eyes in confusion at her for a moment before giving a chuckle.

“Of course I do,” he exclaimed. “What kind of husband would I be if I forgot my own wife's birthday?”

She shrugged slightly. She had heard warnings all her life that men were apparently incapable of remembering important occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries, so she had assumed that this was simply something all husbands did.

“I assure you,” he urged, “if there were a way I could avoid this...”

“I understand,” she replied with what she hoped sounded like nonchalance. “Besides, birthdays are not particularly as special as people make them out to be.”

“Ah, on the contrary, my dear!” he countered. “Your birthday is possibly the most important day of the year.”

She raised an eyebrow at him but allowed him to explain.

“You see, your birthday celebrates the day you were born, and if you had never been born, Minerva... Well, I prefer not to think on such dreadful things.”

Her lips curved into a small, yet somewhat sad, smile.

“Don't worry. I may not be here for your actual birthday, but this simply means we'll get to celebrate especially lavishly upon my return,” he assured her with a wink.

When Minerva awoke early the next morning, Albus was indeed already gone; his side of the bed had by now lost its warmth. In his place was a small bouquet of assorted wildflowers resting against his pillow. She smiled to herself as she brought them close to breath in their sweet, earthy scent, knowing that, just as she preferred, Albus had picked them himself in the place of bringing her more impersonal store-bought flowers. The attached card, scrawled in Albus's own flowy handwriting, stirred the depths Minerva's heart, despite its simplicity and brevity:

Have a happy birthday, my love. I look forward to celebrating with you, both now and in our many years to come. Never forget how special you are; of course, if ever you do lose sight of this, I will always be here to remind you. – Albus

To Be Continued

A/N: Honestly, if you like this, it wouldn't take very much to persuade me to write one more chapter for this story. Let me know either way.

[beMMADfabulous]

A/N: Olivia the house elf returns for a short appearance in this chapter, if you remember her from my story “Weary of Secrets.” Just thought I'd point that out. hehe.

Chapter 2

Minerva blinked her weary eyes languidly in effort to focus her blurry vision. Hours of reading, writing, and preparing lesson plans were beginning to put a toll on her body and mind. If only she could get through just a few more pages...

“Headmistress Dumbledore?”

Her lips drew to a thin line, but she did not look up from the scattered books before her.

“Yes, Olivia?” she answered with a sigh.

Ordinarily Minerva would have tried to lecture the young house elf on more appropriate titles with which to address her in case they had been in public (Minerva shuddered to remember Olivia's past various slip-ups), but tonight she was simply too tired to put forth the effort.

“Headmaster Dumbledore wanted Olivia to bring this!”

Olivia deposited a plate with a miniature birthday cake onto Minerva's desk. The cake, decorated with the customary Gryffindor seal and red and gold swirls that spelled out “Happy Birthday, Minerva!” in small letters, exuded Albus's unique style.

“Thank you, Olivia,” she replied with a warm smile.

Seeing her mistress pleased, the house elf's ears perked as she grinned widely and clapped her hands together.

“Happy birthday, Headmistress Dumbledore!” she exclaimed before disappearing with a loud pop.

Minerva could not help but to laugh softly at Olivia's childlike excitement. She resigned herself, however, to the knowledge that although it was almost unheard of for her to come short of her personal goals, she could not continue to force herself to do any more work for the night. Instead, she cut herself a sliver of birthday cake and because it was apparently of Albus's design, was curious yet somewhat cautious to determine its flavor. She was hesitant to take the first bite but was rewarded with a tantalizing experience once she did. The bread of the cake was moist and tasted of a wonderful combination of chocolate and hazelnut; it was rich but deliciously satisfying. In perfect contrast, the frosting was creamy and airy. Again a smile tugged at Minerva's lips as she marveled in the extraordinary being that was her husband.

Minerva was asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow. She slept deep and sound for several hours before moving at all, though she generally tended to toss and turn for awhile until she was comfortable enough to sleep, a trait which Albus was always quite considerate of, especially since he was the one to discover that simply holding her in his arms until she fell into a more peaceful slumber was an effective alternative to her restless movements when her body fought sleep the hardest.

A distant sound stirred Minerva in her sleep. She had almost no concept of the time or how long she had been sleeping. Perhaps she had only dreamed she had heard the noise...

Her eyes fluttered open softly as the ghost of a touch brushed across her arm. She knew that touch, both in her dreams and in reality, and this was no dream.

“Albus?” she called, peering unseeingly into the darkness.

“I'm right here,” he answered, his body drawing closer to hers in the bed.

She felt every nerve seem to awaken as he gently brushed the loose strands of hair from her face and pressed his warm lips against her forehead. She melted into his touch as he enveloped her into his arms.

“How was your birthday, my love?” he asked, leaning up to look into her face.

As her keen eyes began adjusting to the night, she could see the bright smile on Albus's handsome face.

“Tolerable,” she replied dully.

He kissed her throat, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from her.

“I wish I could have been here,” he said, his low voice vibrating against her skin and sending a chill down her body.

She merely moaned softly in response as his mouth made a trail of kisses down her chest and across to her shoulders.

“I thought we might celebrate tomorrow by having a picnic somewhere peaceful and secluded,” he spoke, intertwining his fingers with hers. “We'll have a nice lunch with champagne and balloons...”

His words drifted away as he returned his attention to her sweet-smelling neck. She bit down on her lower lip as he alternated kissing and gently nipping at the sensitive flesh.

“Balloons, Albus?” she questioned breathlessly.

“Yes. I quite like balloons...”

Minerva moaned once more as he began working the delicate buttons at the back of her nightgown.

“Can't we discuss this later?” she suggested, pulling him fully against her.

He chuckled quietly as he slid the straps of her gown from her shoulders.

“Let the celebrations begin...”

To Be Continued

A/N: Again, I can be persuaded to continue this (though that was not my initial plan at all) if you're interested, but don't expect (or request) a lemon, because I'm afraid I couldn't do one justice. Sorry.

[minnie313]

Yes, please, continue it!! I actually love it, I needed something light to read and your fic just was it!! ^^

[beMMADfabulous]

Chapter 3

Despite being fully sated and particularly well-rested (or perhaps, rather, because of it), Minerva had found it quite difficult to pry herself out of bed that morning when her well-meaning husband had insisted on them rising for the day at the crack of dawn so that they could prepare for their picnic to celebrate her belated birthday. By the time Minerva managed to get out of bed, Albus was already fully dressed and ready to go. Though he was noticeably eager, he was patient with her as he waited. His heart stirred as he watched her brush her long, silky hair and put it up in its customary bun. He longed to request that she leave her hair down for the day, but knowing that she would adamantly refuse, he refrained from mentioning it and instead took delight in the fact that at least the bun was indeed softer today than usual. Perhaps he could persuade her to leave it down for his birthday, he mused with a grin.

“I'm ready,” she said, wondering at the playful smile blossoming on his face but deciding not to question it.

“You look beautiful,” he told her, taking her hands into his own.

Albus did not miss the tiny flicker of doubt that sparked for just a moment in her eyes. He had always found that there was something so heartbreaking about a person who could not see her own beauty; the case was particularly true for Minerva.

“You are beautiful,” he assured her.

She pursed her lips together lightly, but Albus's heart warmed to see that it was with a smile. She linked her arm with his so they could begin their journey.

Minerva found it difficult not to complain when Albus insisted that they only Apparate so far and then walk the rest of the distance to their destination. In an effort to remain cooperative and grateful, she resolved herself to keep quiet about her frustrations over the steep climb and unkept weeds that made it increasingly arduous to see the prudence in Albus's plan, but when her foot tangled in a wild vine, causing her to trip and almost fall to the ground, her already frayed patience finally gave way.

“Why didn't we just Apparate the entire way?” Minerva seethed. “We are capable of magic, for Merlin's sake! There is no reason we should be hiking through this wilderness when we could have been there over ten minutes ago!”

Albus stopped in his tracks and sighed somewhat sadly.

“I had hoped you would enjoy the scenery,” he said, gesturing around them.

“Sure, what lovely weeds, Albus! When I plunge to my death because of them, I hope you can still pause to enjoy the 'scenery'!”

“You're missing the beauty of it,” he replied calmly, hoping to keep from feeding the fire of her fury even more. “Look around you. Pay attention...”

She opened her mouth to complain but instead decided to heed his suggestion. She took a deep, cleansing breath as a gentle breeze tugged at her outer robes. She conceded, though only to herself, that she had possibly been overly quick to dismiss the beauty in the lush greens of the grass and trees, the eloquent melodies of various songbirds nesting overhead, and the pure, bright blue of the morning sky, unmatched in color except by Albus's own sapphire orbs...

Minerva merely nodded, reluctant to admit her mistake after making such a scene, but Albus knew she understood.

After they had walked for only a minute or two more, he stepped before her and happily declared “We're here.” His smile was small but bright as he took her hand and led her to the open space where he had already prepared their picnic. She could not help but laugh softly at the large array of colorful balloons hovering around their picnic blanket.

They sat down together, and for a moment, a slight fear rose in Minerva as she was reminded of all the work-related duties she should probably be doing instead, but when Albus placed his hand back in hers and kissed it tenderly, her fears were chased away just as quickly as they had arrived.

“It's lovely here,” she said, keeping her voice quiet as if careful not to disturb the moment.

“I wandered here once on accident,” he explained, adopting the same hushed tone, “and I knew that the only thing that could make it more perfect would be having you here with me... I was right, you know.”

Minerva dropped her head to hide the blush that nipped at her cheeks. He smoothed his thumb over her heated flesh, delighting in the way her features seemed to soften.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, reaching for the picnic basket he had prepared.

She nodded and helped him to spread the food containers out before them.

They conversed easily as they ate and, of course, sipped champagne. A drowsy lull fell upon them like a warm, heavy blanket. Minerva sighed happily as she sank onto her back and stared up at the vast blue sky. She couldn't remember the last time she had lain carefree on the ground, but here in this moment, with Albus right beside her, not even her birthday, which usually served as a reminder of how old she was becoming, could erase the youthful spirit that filled her. She closed her eyes and allowed her thoughts to be swept away by the soft breeze cooled from the rushing river nearby.

Darkness cast overhead, and Minerva opened her eyes to Albus blocking the sun as he leaned over her.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Please.”

He crushed his lips against hers before rolling over to rest at his side.

“Promise me we'll come back again soon.”

“We're not leaving yet,” he reminded her, smoothing her hair lovingly.

“You know what I mean,” she replied with a grin.

He nodded. Indeed, it was if they were missing the peaceful surroundings already, as if the magic there was already beginning to slip through their fingers.

“We'll just have to have a reason to celebrate here again soon,” he suggested, winking at her.

“I'm sure we'll think of something,” she said, laughing as he nuzzled into the curve of her neck.

“Oh, I'm certain we will...” he replied before placing a kiss on her jaw. “Happy birthday, my love.”

The End

[Mandy McGonagall-Dumbledore]

Awww!! that was really great!!