Post by Hogwarts Duo on Oct 30, 2006 15:41:38 GMT -5
A/N: I heard this song on the radio a few weeks ago and a plot bunny was born almost instantly. I could clearly see Albus and Minerva in this situation and after toying with the idea I thought I’d give it a shot. The song is by a group called Heartland and the song is titled I Loved Her First .
I hope you enjoy…
This day had been in the making since the day she was born but it started to become a reality over two years ago. Slowly but surely Albus had stood back and watched it all develop into something so beautiful and special that it brought tears to his eyes. From the first moment he saw her, he had fallen under her spell and no matter what happened, he would always love her. In his heart, she would always and forever be his, even as he watched her dancing with her new husband. It was in the dimly lit corner of the room that Minerva McGonagall found her husband, leaning effortlessly against the stone wall and watching their not so little girl celebrating the night away.
“I wondered where you’d gone,” she spoke softly as she snuggled into his side. His long arm wrapped around Minerva’s waist and pulled her to him, his warm lips making a light contact with her temple.
He chuckled softly but never tore his eyes away from the dancing couple on the floor. “Just standing here thinking of what I want to say to him. I never imagined it would be this hard.” There was a sadness in his voice as he spoke and Minerva wrapped her arms around him, giving him a squeeze.
“Say what’s in your heart, sweetheart. It’s not exactly easy giving away our only daughter but at least we have the comforting knowledge that he loves her and will take good care of her for the rest of her life.” A slender finger found its way beneath the white beard and forced Albus to look into Minerva’s shining green eyes. “She’s been lucky enough to find the happiness we’ve had all these years and with any luck, she’ll have many more years to fall deeper in love with him just like I do for you every day.”
Warm supple lips met wet ones salted by tears, both of happiness and of joy, before pulling away. “The dance is over so he’ll be making his way to you. Our little girl will always love her Papa and he knows that. I’ll wait for you on the balcony so come and find me when you’re done.” And with that, Albus was left once again to face the man who had stolen his little girl’s heart and made it his own.
“Alianora said you wanted to see me, Sir,” the young man announced as he approached his new father in law. Young Hayden had always respected Albus Dumbledore and it had taken him over a month to find the courage to ask the beautiful Alianora to the Harvest Ball the Ministry had thrown nearly three years ago. But from the moment she had said yes to his request, his heart had belonged solely to her and he had made it his goal to see that he kept her happy and safe.
“Yes I did but it’s nothing too serious. There are just a few things I needed to say to you today…as a father to the man who has married my only daughter.” Albus gave him a reassuring smile then began the speech which had been rambling around in snippets in his head for the better part of a week.
Hayden was struck speechless by the words spilling from the great Albus Dumbledore’s mouth. The defender of the entire magical world was speaking to him and it was evident that emotions were running deep, touching the very core of the man, not the conquering hero or esteemed wizard…but the father inside him.
“It seems like only yesterday she was my little girl, my tiny version of my own Minerva. I was the one she ran to with her scraped knee, her lost kitten, the little duckling that didn’t make it very long in this world. She came to me each night in her little gown and slippers with her bedtime book, begging me to read her all those fairy tale stories of the handsome prince and beautiful princess who found their happily ever after. But one day, she came to see me with something else on her mind…someone else…and from that moment on, it was only a matter of time before I had to let her go.”
The young man simply stood and listened intently to what Albus was saying, as if absorbing every word so he could tell it to his young bride later that night. He was certain she would want to know what they discussed and something this beautiful should not be kept from her. It was apparent that today was bittersweet for the Dumbledores, more so for Albus than Minerva in many respects. “Sir…Albus…I will cherish her with all my heart and she will never shed an unhappy tear because of me. I take the gift you are giving me today with a deep sense of responsibility but more importantly, love. She hangs the sun in the sky for me each day and replaces the moon with her smile at night. She puts the stars to shame with the twinkle in her eyes and I can only hope that she looks at me like I see Minerva looking at you.” He took a deep breath and dared to say what was really on his mind. “I dare say we are the luckiest men in the world for we have both found the love that the fairy tales were made of and like you, I plan on making the most of every day I have with her on this earth.”
Albus clapped his hand on Hayden’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sure you’ll make her a happy woman and both Minerva and I are honored to welcome you into our small family.” He smiled brightly as he caught sight of his daughter in her wedding finest nervously watching the two men huddled in the corner of the room. “Now I think it might be wise if you returned to my daughter. She has that same look in her eyes that Minerva gets when she’s tired of waiting.” Hayden stole a glance in the direction of Alianora and turned around, beaming at Albus. “And just remember…one day when you have a little girl of your own, you will know exactly what I mean when I say, I loved her first.”
Minerva stood alone on the balcony, looking out at the wide expanse of stars shining down on the lush gardens and lake. Before he ever spoke a word or made a sound, she sensed his presence and waited for him to speak first, to let her know his thoughts and feelings.
“I did it. We had our little chat and if I do say so myself, I think it went rather well.” His arms snaked around her and drew her against him as he took comfort in the closeness he shared with her. He raised her chin so that he could easily capture her lips in a heated but tender kiss before resting his forehead against hers and swaying slightly to the music filtering to them from the ballroom.
“And are you going to tell me what you said?” she asked after a few moments of silent dancing. Curiosity was getting the better of her and she knew that somewhere inside that ballroom her daughter was having a similar conversation with her new husband. Sometimes her daughter was too much like her for her own good and Albus never tired of pointing out that fact.
Albus led her over to a small bench and sat down, drawing her into his arms and holding her. “I basically told him the same thing your father told me on our wedding day…something about you belonging to him first yet he knew he couldn’t keep you forever. But there would always be a special bond between the two of you that even I couldn’t touch.”
Minerva shifted and looked into his face with tears brimming in her eyes. “You’ll always hold a special place in her heart, Albus, just as there will always be a part of your heart reserved for her. We were both lucky little girls who found our princes and some day our granddaughter will be blessed on a day just like this one.”
“Papa,” a soft voice called from the doorway, puncturing the moment between mother and father. Immediately Albus was on his feet with his arms open wide to his little girl and in no time at all, he found those same arms full of a beautiful woman instead of the little girl who giggled and told him he was her favorite person.
Quietly, Minerva slipped back into the ballroom, leaving the two most important people in the world to her alone for a moment together.
“Hayden told me what you said,” she whispered as her eyes began to fill with tears. “And you’re right…I will always be your little girl. You and Mum showed me how wonderful love can be when shared with the right person and I’ve finally found him…my prince.” She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek then rubbed her nose against his, as was their little game, before throwing her arms around his neck and holding him tightly to her. “But while princes come and go, there will never be a man special enough to me to call Papa.”
“My wee one…is it your mission today to see this old man crying like a little baby?” he chuckled as he pulled out a garish purple handkerchief and wiped first her tears then his. “I meant what I said to him…you stole my heart the moment your Aunt Poppy placed you in my arms and there hasn’t been a day since then that I haven’t thanked the stars above for giving me first your mother and then you. He’ll make you happy and that’s all any father can ask of the man who marries his daughter.”
“I love you, Papa…and Mum too. I only hope my marriage to Hayden will be as happy as the one you two share. And who knows…maybe in a few years I can present you with another little girl to take your heart…or a little boy to awaken that inner child in you,” she winked. “Now, though, I think it’s time we went back in there for the traditional father-daughter dance. I know they’re all waiting on us but I needed one more moment with you…just to be daddy’s little girl.”
Albus pulled her into a fierce hug then kissed her eyelids and cheeks before bumping noses again. “You are getting as soppy as your Mum, do you know that? She’s standing at the doorway over there weeping like a willow tree,” he whispered into her ear.
Alianora turned and spied her mother watching them intently from the shadows. Without a word being spoken, a spot was made within the tight embrace for Minerva and the family shared one last group hug and I love you’s before rejoining their guests.
It would be two years, five months and six days before the full impact of Albus’ words fell onto Hayden’s shoulders as Alianora’s Aunt Poppy handed him a fair skinned, red haired little girl. “I knew the love of a father runs deep…but never did I know how much it would mean until I had a little girl of my own.”
Albus and Minerva smiled down at the little bundle being held securely in Hayden’s arms. It was clear to see that she had many of the Dumbledore traits and as Albus took his granddaughter in his arms for the first time, he lost yet another piece of his heart to another very special little girl.
The End.
I hope you enjoy…
From Her First Breath
This day had been in the making since the day she was born but it started to become a reality over two years ago. Slowly but surely Albus had stood back and watched it all develop into something so beautiful and special that it brought tears to his eyes. From the first moment he saw her, he had fallen under her spell and no matter what happened, he would always love her. In his heart, she would always and forever be his, even as he watched her dancing with her new husband. It was in the dimly lit corner of the room that Minerva McGonagall found her husband, leaning effortlessly against the stone wall and watching their not so little girl celebrating the night away.
“I wondered where you’d gone,” she spoke softly as she snuggled into his side. His long arm wrapped around Minerva’s waist and pulled her to him, his warm lips making a light contact with her temple.
He chuckled softly but never tore his eyes away from the dancing couple on the floor. “Just standing here thinking of what I want to say to him. I never imagined it would be this hard.” There was a sadness in his voice as he spoke and Minerva wrapped her arms around him, giving him a squeeze.
“Say what’s in your heart, sweetheart. It’s not exactly easy giving away our only daughter but at least we have the comforting knowledge that he loves her and will take good care of her for the rest of her life.” A slender finger found its way beneath the white beard and forced Albus to look into Minerva’s shining green eyes. “She’s been lucky enough to find the happiness we’ve had all these years and with any luck, she’ll have many more years to fall deeper in love with him just like I do for you every day.”
Warm supple lips met wet ones salted by tears, both of happiness and of joy, before pulling away. “The dance is over so he’ll be making his way to you. Our little girl will always love her Papa and he knows that. I’ll wait for you on the balcony so come and find me when you’re done.” And with that, Albus was left once again to face the man who had stolen his little girl’s heart and made it his own.
“Alianora said you wanted to see me, Sir,” the young man announced as he approached his new father in law. Young Hayden had always respected Albus Dumbledore and it had taken him over a month to find the courage to ask the beautiful Alianora to the Harvest Ball the Ministry had thrown nearly three years ago. But from the moment she had said yes to his request, his heart had belonged solely to her and he had made it his goal to see that he kept her happy and safe.
“Yes I did but it’s nothing too serious. There are just a few things I needed to say to you today…as a father to the man who has married my only daughter.” Albus gave him a reassuring smile then began the speech which had been rambling around in snippets in his head for the better part of a week.
Look at the two of you dancing that way
Lost in the moment and each others face
So much in love you’re alone in this place
Like there's nobody else in the world
I was enough for her not long ago
I was her number one
She told me so
And she still means the world to me
Just so you know
So be careful when you hold my girl
Time changes everything
Life must go on
And I'm not gonna stand in your way
But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But it still hard to give her away
I loved her first
Lost in the moment and each others face
So much in love you’re alone in this place
Like there's nobody else in the world
I was enough for her not long ago
I was her number one
She told me so
And she still means the world to me
Just so you know
So be careful when you hold my girl
Time changes everything
Life must go on
And I'm not gonna stand in your way
But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But it still hard to give her away
I loved her first
Hayden was struck speechless by the words spilling from the great Albus Dumbledore’s mouth. The defender of the entire magical world was speaking to him and it was evident that emotions were running deep, touching the very core of the man, not the conquering hero or esteemed wizard…but the father inside him.
“It seems like only yesterday she was my little girl, my tiny version of my own Minerva. I was the one she ran to with her scraped knee, her lost kitten, the little duckling that didn’t make it very long in this world. She came to me each night in her little gown and slippers with her bedtime book, begging me to read her all those fairy tale stories of the handsome prince and beautiful princess who found their happily ever after. But one day, she came to see me with something else on her mind…someone else…and from that moment on, it was only a matter of time before I had to let her go.”
How could that beautiful women with you
Be the same freckle face kid that I knew
The one that I read all those fairy tales to
And tucked into bed all those nights
And I knew the first time I saw you with her
It was only a matter of time
But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But its still hard to give her away
I loved her first
Be the same freckle face kid that I knew
The one that I read all those fairy tales to
And tucked into bed all those nights
And I knew the first time I saw you with her
It was only a matter of time
But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But its still hard to give her away
I loved her first
The young man simply stood and listened intently to what Albus was saying, as if absorbing every word so he could tell it to his young bride later that night. He was certain she would want to know what they discussed and something this beautiful should not be kept from her. It was apparent that today was bittersweet for the Dumbledores, more so for Albus than Minerva in many respects. “Sir…Albus…I will cherish her with all my heart and she will never shed an unhappy tear because of me. I take the gift you are giving me today with a deep sense of responsibility but more importantly, love. She hangs the sun in the sky for me each day and replaces the moon with her smile at night. She puts the stars to shame with the twinkle in her eyes and I can only hope that she looks at me like I see Minerva looking at you.” He took a deep breath and dared to say what was really on his mind. “I dare say we are the luckiest men in the world for we have both found the love that the fairy tales were made of and like you, I plan on making the most of every day I have with her on this earth.”
Albus clapped his hand on Hayden’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sure you’ll make her a happy woman and both Minerva and I are honored to welcome you into our small family.” He smiled brightly as he caught sight of his daughter in her wedding finest nervously watching the two men huddled in the corner of the room. “Now I think it might be wise if you returned to my daughter. She has that same look in her eyes that Minerva gets when she’s tired of waiting.” Hayden stole a glance in the direction of Alianora and turned around, beaming at Albus. “And just remember…one day when you have a little girl of your own, you will know exactly what I mean when I say, I loved her first.”
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
Someday you might know what I'm going through
When a miracle smiles up at you
I loved her first
[/center]When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
Someday you might know what I'm going through
When a miracle smiles up at you
I loved her first
Minerva stood alone on the balcony, looking out at the wide expanse of stars shining down on the lush gardens and lake. Before he ever spoke a word or made a sound, she sensed his presence and waited for him to speak first, to let her know his thoughts and feelings.
“I did it. We had our little chat and if I do say so myself, I think it went rather well.” His arms snaked around her and drew her against him as he took comfort in the closeness he shared with her. He raised her chin so that he could easily capture her lips in a heated but tender kiss before resting his forehead against hers and swaying slightly to the music filtering to them from the ballroom.
“And are you going to tell me what you said?” she asked after a few moments of silent dancing. Curiosity was getting the better of her and she knew that somewhere inside that ballroom her daughter was having a similar conversation with her new husband. Sometimes her daughter was too much like her for her own good and Albus never tired of pointing out that fact.
Albus led her over to a small bench and sat down, drawing her into his arms and holding her. “I basically told him the same thing your father told me on our wedding day…something about you belonging to him first yet he knew he couldn’t keep you forever. But there would always be a special bond between the two of you that even I couldn’t touch.”
Minerva shifted and looked into his face with tears brimming in her eyes. “You’ll always hold a special place in her heart, Albus, just as there will always be a part of your heart reserved for her. We were both lucky little girls who found our princes and some day our granddaughter will be blessed on a day just like this one.”
“Papa,” a soft voice called from the doorway, puncturing the moment between mother and father. Immediately Albus was on his feet with his arms open wide to his little girl and in no time at all, he found those same arms full of a beautiful woman instead of the little girl who giggled and told him he was her favorite person.
Quietly, Minerva slipped back into the ballroom, leaving the two most important people in the world to her alone for a moment together.
“Hayden told me what you said,” she whispered as her eyes began to fill with tears. “And you’re right…I will always be your little girl. You and Mum showed me how wonderful love can be when shared with the right person and I’ve finally found him…my prince.” She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek then rubbed her nose against his, as was their little game, before throwing her arms around his neck and holding him tightly to her. “But while princes come and go, there will never be a man special enough to me to call Papa.”
“My wee one…is it your mission today to see this old man crying like a little baby?” he chuckled as he pulled out a garish purple handkerchief and wiped first her tears then his. “I meant what I said to him…you stole my heart the moment your Aunt Poppy placed you in my arms and there hasn’t been a day since then that I haven’t thanked the stars above for giving me first your mother and then you. He’ll make you happy and that’s all any father can ask of the man who marries his daughter.”
“I love you, Papa…and Mum too. I only hope my marriage to Hayden will be as happy as the one you two share. And who knows…maybe in a few years I can present you with another little girl to take your heart…or a little boy to awaken that inner child in you,” she winked. “Now, though, I think it’s time we went back in there for the traditional father-daughter dance. I know they’re all waiting on us but I needed one more moment with you…just to be daddy’s little girl.”
Albus pulled her into a fierce hug then kissed her eyelids and cheeks before bumping noses again. “You are getting as soppy as your Mum, do you know that? She’s standing at the doorway over there weeping like a willow tree,” he whispered into her ear.
Alianora turned and spied her mother watching them intently from the shadows. Without a word being spoken, a spot was made within the tight embrace for Minerva and the family shared one last group hug and I love you’s before rejoining their guests.
It would be two years, five months and six days before the full impact of Albus’ words fell onto Hayden’s shoulders as Alianora’s Aunt Poppy handed him a fair skinned, red haired little girl. “I knew the love of a father runs deep…but never did I know how much it would mean until I had a little girl of my own.”
Albus and Minerva smiled down at the little bundle being held securely in Hayden’s arms. It was clear to see that she had many of the Dumbledore traits and as Albus took his granddaughter in his arms for the first time, he lost yet another piece of his heart to another very special little girl.
The End.
xXx 
totally love it!!~~
