Chapter 4
As the story dictated of her character, Minerva allowed herself to be led off by the three fairies. She had an uneasy knot in the pit of her stomach as her mind raced through the fairy tale and she realized what was to come. Her fear wasn’t so much for herself but for Albus, knowing he would have to complete his tasks in order to wake her from her slumber. But despite that, she felt a tingle of excitement course through her, causing a smile to curl about her lips. The only way he could wake her, at least according to the original story, was with a kiss upon the lips.
She had often wondered how it would feel to be kissed by Albus. She had pondered that very thought for years, watching as his lips parted and his tongue slightly peeked out to accept a lemon drop from his fingertips or to lick away a remaining bit of chocolate from them. Her heart began to beat faster in her chest at the thought of finally realizing a long- held fantasy, sharing a kiss with the man she adored. She only hoped it wouldn’t be over too soon and that she would at least wake soon enough to return his caress.
Before she could delve further into her dream world, Minerva saw the castle looming larger than life in front of her. The massive doors reminded her somewhat of the ones at Hogwarts, though on a much larger and grander scale.
“Welcome home, dearie,” one of the women accompanying her commented as she felt a small hand pushing her towards her destiny. “This is where you belong…at home with your Prince. He’s waited a long time for you Rose and we have every confidence that you’ll be happy with him.”
Minerva found herself struggling to form words as they walked slowly into the castle. “But the man in the glade…he’s the one I am interested in marrying. Not someone chosen for me by my parents at my birth.” To Minerva the very idea of having a mate chosen for her was horrifying but these were different times. Times when kings and queens were more concerned about preserving or expanding their empires than the happiness of their children. She had no worries that her fairy tale parents loved her for they had destroyed all the spinning wheels the very day the curse had been cast, but it still unnerved her that they could be so callous when it came to matters of the heart.
Before her thoughts ran away with her once more, Rose was standing before her parents, who were practically sobbing with relief and happiness at having set eyes on their long lost daughter. Soon, she was enveloped in tight hugs with kisses reigning down on her face from both parents and Minerva was caught up in the moment. Tears began to fall from her own eyes at seeing the happiness from her story book parents.
After a rather elaborate ceremony, she found herself kneeling in front of her father as the entire village looked on in awe. He placed a beautiful crown upon her head and turned her to face the crowd. “I present to you, my daughter…Aurora…Princess of our fair land.” Cheers and loud exaltations practically roared through the countryside as she took her rightful place with her parents and a large feast was to be held in her honor.
Sitting alone in the high tower, Minerva stared into the mirror. Outside the window, she could hear the men working on setting up the banquet tables and the crowds still milling about below and she was a bit disheartened. All of this fanfare was for her but she truly didn’t feel as if she deserved it. She hadn’t done anything special for this honor to be bestowed upon her, yet everyone seemed so happy to see her.
She scoffed at that comment. Never in her life had someone been that happy to see her, especially not her students back at Hogwarts. Minerva even began to doubt whether Albus had ever truly been excited to see her simply walk into a room. He always seemed to smile at her but it went no further than friendship, of that she was certain. Despite the feelings she had earlier in the glade, she was convinced that once this entire charade was over, things would return to normal once they were outside of the book.
Minerva slammed the brush she had been using back onto the table and growled in frustration. She stood quickly causing the small stool to tumble over behind her and she began pacing and mumbling under her breath. She was in the middle of a rather heated tirade involving Xiomara Hooch when suddenly the fairy like representation of her soon to be ex friend arrived.
“What did I tell you earlier about fighting the course of events?” she chastised without stopping to consider the cause of her friends’ anger. “You know that Princess Aurora never did this in the book so why is Minerva doing it now?”
“Because I’ve had it UP TO HERE WITH THIS STUPID GAME!” she yelled out furiously. “All of this…” she indicated with a waving of her arms…”it’s nothing more than a childish dream, used to lure little girls into thinking that they will all find their prince and life will be happily ever after! I used to believe in the fairy tales before I saw life for what it really is! It’s a long series of cold days and nights with no one to share them with,” she finished softly, her eyes welling with tears.
“You don’t believe that,” Hooch replied. “You and I both know that if it wasn’t for dreams, we’d have no hope and without hope there’s nothing left. You’re fighting the game because you’re afraid.” Minerva looked up at her sharply but before she could formulate her reply, Hooch interrupted. “You’re afraid to let go and let love happen to you. You’re afraid that he’ll kiss you, you’ll fall hopelessly in love with him and that he won’t return your love. Your heart will be broken, you’ll have to go back to reality and pretend as if nothing happened. The infamous Minerva McGonagall is afraid of rejection by the only man she’s ever loved.”
Minerva sat speechless. Truer words had never stung her heart or wounded her so deeply. Perhaps it was true. Perhaps she was afraid but she stood to lose so much more than just her pride if he didn’t return her love. She’d also lose the best friend she had ever had, the strongest shoulder to lean on, the one who always made her laugh until tears poured from her eyes, the man who could calm her darkest fears with a simple touch of his hand.
Fairy Hooch gave her a moment to work through the emotions playing out in Minerva’s mind. “You know what you have to do now. You know the story well enough that you could practically recite it word for word and never miss a beat. You have to finish the story, Minerva.”
“Or what? We’ll be stuck here forever?”
“Exactly. Here, let me show you something.” Xiomara waved her wand and suddenly an image appeared on the far wall in the room. Inside the hologram was Albus and he looked so sad. Upon further inspection, Minerva discovered he was in a dark dungeon, chained to a wall by his hands. His face was smudged with dirt and his shirt sleeve had been torn slightly. His appearance was a bit haggard but one thing never seemed to change…his twinkling blue eyes. Albus seemed to look up and into her face as if he could see her just as if she was standing in front of him and he smiled.
“He will stay exactly as he is unless you complete your next task, Minerva. Unless of course you’d like him to stay chained to the wall,” she added with a hint of mirth. “Minerva McGonagall, I always knew you had a kinky side to you but I never imagined this. No wonder you’re reluctant to prick your finger. Too bad you can’t actually capitalize on his predicament since you’re so far apart. I’m sure you’d love to have him tied up somewhere, though if you ask me tying him to the bedposts would be a lot more comfortable for both of you than a damp, smelly dungeon wall,” she added, making sure she was far out of Minerva’s reach.
“XIOMARA HOOCH!!!” she shouted, shocked by the fairy’s suggestion. Minerva was like any other woman and had the odd fantasy about being in complete control of a man’s pleasure in such a way but it was something she had never shared with another living soul. Those were the thoughts she kept in the deep recesses of her mind, ones she never thought she’d have the chance to share with Albus…her prince charming.
“I’m just saying, Minerva, that if you don’t proceed with the story, this…staying here in this room and him hanging on the wall…this is where you will remain. Now you know what you have to do. You have to go up those stairs outside your chamber door and into the room where you will find the last spinning wheel in the kingdom. One touch and you will fall into a deep sleep, as will everyone else, until Albus comes to rescue you. Good luck and remember…it’s never nice to keep a man waiting too long. He’s waited long enough for you, my friend.” With a pop, Fairy Hooch was gone.
Minerva swallowed hard and turned back to her reflection in the mirror. The image of Albus in such peril gripped her heart in fear. She had to do this, if for no other reason than to spare him further harm. With a resolve to see this to the very end, she changed into a beautiful emerald dress which had been hanging in the closet then made her way up the stairs towards her destiny and a long sleep.
Albus sat in the dungeons where he had been chained by Trelawney’s thugs shortly after their arrival. It was a tad uncomfortable as the shackles were very heavy but at least he had a bench to sit on rather than having to rest on the stone floor. It was obvious that the house elves in the book did not clean regularly. Everything appeared to have a coat of grime and the smell of the place was musty and foul. As if in answer to his thoughts, a rat scurried into the small enclosure casting his beady eyes up at Albus for a moment before disappearing back into the walls.
Shivering slightly Albus turned his thoughts to Minerva and what she might be doing at the moment. He smiled thinking of the look she would have on her face when she saw Trelawney appear as the evil witch. Minerva had never cared for Sibyl or her profession. As he shifted on the hard bench trying to find a more comfortable spot, a note appeared in the air before him. He tried to reach it but could not and he was pleased to see it unfurl for him.
Brave Prince, your tasks for the final scene require you to escape and make your way to the castle to free the princess who is in a deep slumber. You will be challenged by thorn and dragon but do not lose hope. After all, every fairy tale has a happy ending. Albus shook his head and sighed. He would love to escape but unfortunately he could not recall how the prince in the story had managed it. As the scroll disappeared the lock on his cell rattled and the door opened. Trelawney strolled in and in her hand was a long stick which housed a crystal ball on top.
“Now, now dear prince why so gloomy? A glorious future awaits you, the hero of a fairy tale.” Sibyll moved closer and her free hand moved over the cloudy crystal ball. The fog seemed to part and a scene was revealed of Minerva sleeping in a gold canopied bed. “Behold your princess encased within the highest tower, the same as the peasant girl you met but yesterday. She is dreaming in an ageless sleep of her prince to come rescue her. And in one hundred years, little time for your steadfast love, the gates of my castle will part and you may ride off to answer your destiny.”
Albus shot to his feet and struggled against the chains that bound him as Sibyll threw back her head and laughed. Albus felt a surge of power as a spark of anger coursed through him at her callous enjoyment of the situation.
“Patience, dear boy, patience,” she said in her whispery voice, the one she used in her classes, before backing out of the door.
The key turned in the lock and Albus was once again trapped. He had also come to his senses and realized two things. One, he had started to take things just a bit seriously. And two, he had just felt his magic return to him in force. Excited by the prospect of being able to free himself he attempted to reach his wand with little luck. However, he needn’t have bothered because within minutes of Trelawney’s departure, three small fairies had entered his room. They looked very familiar but were moving so quickly he couldn’t see them clearly. Soon he was free and was given a sword. He rushed out the now open dungeon and found his horse. The fairies freed his steed as well and they were soon riding toward the castle, the elves and goblins left behind as the bridge across the river of molten lava collapsed.
Albus searched for his wand as soon as they were riding in the safety of the forest but couldn’t find it on his person.
“No cheating now Albus,” a voice said to his right.
He looked over to find fairy Hooch flying beside him. “How did you,” he began to question.
“I felt your magic return and removed your wand. I think there was a slight miscalculation as to your abilities,” the little fairy continued. “The book simply blocks your use of magic and it appears you have overcome that charm. Do try to stay within the guidelines though.”
Albus smiled and shook his head. “I will do my best but with the dangers ahead perhaps my wand might be useful.”
Xiomara smiled but then simply disappeared without answering his question. Albus frowned since his plea had obviously fallen on deaf ears. The thorns would not be an issue since he had a sword but fighting a dragon, he did not relish doing that with only a blade. He had quite a bit of practice stunning dragons but even with his power it usually took at least one additional person casting their spell at the same time.
He was not paying much attention to his surroundings, letting the horse guide him as he had through every event thus far, when a surge of darkness was cast over the landscape. Albus looked toward the clouds in time to see a black spell shoot through the sky and into the ground between him and the castle. Thorn bushes began to sprout at an amazing pace and Albus urged his stead onwards as quickly as he could go.
The fairies, one looking quite a bit like Poppy, moved forward and began blasting the thorns clearing him a path. Still Albus hit the growing shrub hard and had to use the sword to help create a path. He felt the sharp thorns cut into his skin but did not take the time to look. His only thought was for his horse who would be suffering the same fate. He could feel the evil surrounding him and his heart began to beat more wildly than before. It no longer felt like a story to him and he wondered just what would happen to him and Minerva should he fail in his mission.
He was through the thorns before his mind could wrap around all of the implications of his thoughts and reined his horse in to look for the tower which held his beloved, his Minerva. It was at that moment that he realized just how strong his love was for her and how this simple story book would change their lives forever. There was no going back now, not for him anyway. He could no longer live in a world where he hid his feelings from the woman he loved. He now knew he would risk everything just for the chance of holding her in his arms for all time.
A cackling just behind him on the ridge brought his attention from the tower and the woman inside to the likeness of Trelawney, the one person standing in his way. The pounding in his ears was so great he could not make out what she was saying but he could feel her intent as if she were whispering in his ear. A darkness unlike anything he had felt before seemed to charge the air around her. He could sense it sliding and melting into all it surrounded. She moved forward a step before her form began to change, growing larger as wings and a tail formed. Her teeth glinted white as she revealed her true form as that of a horntail.
Albus did not hesitate nor stop to think of the consequences as he turned and galloped toward his adversary. He did not see her tail as it came around but the impact was a crushing weight on his side as he was flung from his horse. He rolled along the ground and finally came to a stop on the edge of the ridge. He felt the next attack coming and rolled toward safety just as her tail struck the spot where he lay a moment ago. He sprung to his feet, his mind blocking any pain his body may have been feeling.
He pulled out the sword as the dragon raised itself up. The steel felt heavy and awkward and Albus felt a momentary arch of fear. He had never been good with a sword, his talent lay in the realms of magic. His decision made, he dropped the sword and concentrated with his entire being, calling all of his power and shot a spell toward the ground at the dragon’s feet. The deep purple light sprang out of his hands and exploded on impact. The earth started to give way and the black creature faltered and fell backward colliding with the rocks far below. Albus fell to his knees and moved forward to the edge. He looked over just in time to see the dragon disappear.
“Congratulations,” a voice said behind him. Albus stood and turned to face Xiomara. She handed him his wand as her wings rippled slightly in the wind. “Your princess awaits.”
Wiping his sleeve across his brow, he looked down to find blood on the torn material. He grinned, then smiled, then laughed. They had won and Albus had only to find Minerva before they could leave. He had so much to tell her but first he had to wake her….with a kiss. His eyes seemed to shimmer with a light from within his soul as he made his way into the castle and up the stairs.
TBC...one more chapter to go 
