Post by EloquentPhoenix on Dec 13, 2005 10:41:32 GMT -5
Cooking
Summary: Albus teaches Minerva to cook the muggle way, and being so close to your secret love can lead to things not being so secret after all...
Albus Dumbledore hummed to himself as he wandered around Hogwarts. The students would be back tomorrow evening and he was looking forward to the castle being full of life again. Although he enjoyed the peace and quiet that the summer holidays offered, he was relaxed enough after a week and always found the castle rather needed some life injecting into it. He gazed out of a nearby window at the sun that was setting over Hogwarts grounds. Feeling tired he decided to walk along to the kitchens for a mug of hot chocolate before retiring for the night.
Meanwhile, in the very kitchen that Albus Dumbledore was headed to, stood Minerva McGonagall. She sighed in annoyance as she stared around the empty kitchen. She’d forgotten that the evening before the students returned was the only time of year that all the house elves had some time off. And, not unlike every previous year, the elves had reluctantly taken the evening off to rest at the insistence of one Albus Dumbledore. Because even they would not disobey a direct order. She was about to conjure up something to eat; cooking had never been her forte, with or without the assistance of magic, when the portrait swung open and Albus Dumbledore wandered into the room.
“Good Evening, Minerva,” he said, ever the gentleman.
She smiled softly at him, noticing the slight increase of heart rate she suffered from as he walked towards her. Silently scolding herself she decided she’d just better be thankful she could keep her body and emotions under control in his presence more than when she first fell in love.
Still smiling she replied, “What are you doing out so late, Albus. Hot chocolate again?”
“I fear you know my greatest weakness my dear, and yourself, shouldn’t one so beautiful as you be tucked up in bed now?”
She blushed slightly at his words, wishing they were more than harmless flirting, wishing that he cared for her. Little did she know that he thought much the same.
“Honestly, Albus, shameless flatterer. But seeing as you asked so nicely, I was feeling a little hungry and wanted something to eat,” she informed him.
“Conjured food Minerva? Surely you know it doesn’t taste half as good??” he asked.
She blushed again, this time from embarrassment and not flattery.
“Well, you see, Albus, I’ve never been much good at cooking… Mother never approved of anyone but house elves doing work,” she replied, further embarrassed at her family’s attitude.
“Why didn’t you say? I shall just have to teach you how to cook the muggle way.”
She stared at him. He wasn’t serious. She was awful at anything like that. He just smiled at her, before taking both his wand and her own and placing them upon the Gryffindor table. He steered her towards the counter and started to get out their equipment.
“How about a sandwich, my dear?”
She merely gave him a bemused smile and nodded. She could make a sandwich the muggle way if she really needed to, though not very well. Might as well let him continue to think he knew best. He would pay when she beat him at chess tomorrow.
He started to butter some slices of bread before instructing her to get out some lettuce from the fridge (A/N: I’ve decided that there is a fridge). After doing so Minerva returned, taking the knife to cut some, she stopped dead when Albus gave a cry of alarm.
“No! You mustn’t use such a blunt knife, my dear, you need to sharpen it first,” he exclaimed.
“Really, Albus, I’m only cutting lettuce, besides, I don’t even know how to sharpen a knife.”
“Well, maybe I should show you,” he said, “And it does matter.”
Taking the knife from Minerva and the file from the rack he proceeded to show her how to scrape the knife along the file to regain the edge. He handed it back to her Minerva tried the technique herself. She was indeed hopeless.
Sighing melodramatically he said, “I’ll just have to teach you my hopeless deputy.”
Pretending to be affronted by his words she mock frowned at him and said, “Charmed Headmaster, must you be so harsh?”
He laughed and stood behind her. Taking her hands in his he stepped close to her and helped her to sharpen the knife. Her heart started racing immediately, he was so close. And he was finding it difficult standing with his arms wrapped around his deputy headmistress when all he wanted to do was never let go. The tension in the room was so thick that the blunt knife that was the cause of said tension could have cut right through it. Minerva was having trouble breathing normally, his warm breath caressed her face and neck and he was so gentle.
Without thinking she turned her head towards him, opening her mouth to speak, but was struck dumb. His face was mere inches from hers, his eyes were so much easier to drown in when you were closer. Stopping his movements he slowly lowered his face to hers, stopping only when the shared a breath, his nose touching hers. She closed the remaining distance between them, pressing her lips hesitantly to his. He quickly returned her kiss, turning her around in his arms, holding her close. Years of pain and longing were washed away in an instant as they both indulged in the kiss they had long dreamed of.
Breaking apart some moments later they shared a gentle smile. Still refusing to let go of her Albus kissed her again.
“I love you,” he told her, “More than anything.”
She smiled again, kissing him softly, “I love you too.”
He kissed her this time, slowly and filled with passion. Vowing never to let her go, he’d loved her for too long.
“And who would have thought learning to cook would be this much fun?” she laughed.
He laughed along with her, leading her out of the kitchens, never letting go of her for a second.
Finite
