Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or anything else to do with it, I just own this idea. Which is random anyway.
A/N: Any sort of feedback, constructive or otherwise, would be so very gratefully received for this one. I know it's a bit... improbable, but I still quite like the idea. I hope you agree.
Summary: There are some questions you really never expect to lead to something so wonderful. MMAD
Breakfast Bother
What Else But MMAD?
The sun was shining on what should have been a quiet, peaceful breakfast in the Main Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The ceiling looked like someone had painted it blue, and the sun in gold. But no heads were now turned upwards to admire the beautiful sky. Now, they were all turned towards the High Table, where the Headmaster and his Deputy were having a blazing argument. It had started out over the simplest thing. Albus had made a very off-hand comment about her hair always being straight. No matter when he had seen her, it had always been straight. He had never seen her hair curly, and had made the mistake of asking about it. Apparently, it wasn't a subject she wished to discuss.
At first, she had merely replied that her hair always was straight, she had been born with it, and she liked it, but when he had pressed the subject, by replying that most people's hair goes curly after being in the shower or some such other happenstance which involved water, she had got quite volatile about it.
"Albus Dumbledore, as I have told you time and time again, my hair, despite your extraordinary interest in it, curly or straight, is NONE of your business!" Minerva shouted, standing with eyes that seemed to cast a fire all their own and putting her hands on her hips, something that no one had ever seen her do before. Her rage seemed to shed at least ten years from her face and figure. Albus tipped his head back to look up at her, mild surprise in his face, which made some of the students pull exasperated expressions. If McGonagall had been looking at them like that, they wouldn't have remained in range of her arms or her wand!
"Minerva, I was merely making slightly inquisitive conversation, it wasn't insulting or at least wasn't meant to be!" She snarled at that, which appeared to be the trigger for the Headmaster's own usually sedate temper. "Why are you being so defensive?" He questioned furiously, pushing himself up as well and standing very straight and tall. Despite his own impressive stature, he was still only a few inches taller than Minerva and if the students had looked closely enough (the staff had no choice but to uncomfortably do so) they would have seen Minerva's lip curling in rather an accurate impression of Severus at his meagre attempt to intimidate her. Certain members of the now avid audience got the impression this fight was old ground for these two.
"Do not mask your curiosity by pretending it is caused by concern for my welfare, it is an old trick Dumbledore and one I thought you might have at last grown out of!" Minerva threw back, her face becoming a little flushed with the force she shoved behind her words. All eyes flew to the Headmaster to see how he would react, and if the eyes had been quick enough, they would have seen him flinch and take the minutest step back. That had cut him. Within a millisecond however, he had recovered his composure and was retorting back again.
"It is a wonder I can still show any kind of concern as this is how you react every time I do! It is a curious trick of your own Minerva, that at the tiniest hint of someone actually caring about you, your hackles seem to rise at such an alarming rate! I doubt you even notice, do you? But it's every time Minerva!" He cried back, his hands waving around him in a wild dance that gathered all eyes to him. Because of this, hardly anyone saw the Deputy Headmistress blanch a little and look away from her opponent with a blighted expression. But Albus did, and regretted lashing at her so hard.
"Well Headmaster, in future, since it is so hard for you to show me any concern, would it not please both of us and make circumstances a great deal more convenient if you were to refrain from doing so? It seems the wisest course of action, as this is always how such an inquiry ends!" She spat back at him, in a lower voice than before, but most observers knew that just meant the situation had acquired a more dangerous edge. Albus looked back at her, his eyes sweeping up to hers and he sighed, the fire which had so engulfed him a few moments ago dimming to pale embers.
"You know very well Minerva that I could never do that, no matter how defensive you become." There was a tender poignancy in his voice as he said that, one that would have disarmed many of the others who faced him in arguments, but not so Minerva. She was used to him using guilt and manipulating people's emotions to achieve the result he wanted and she was not about to let him do that to her. What she did not realise was, he actually meant what he said. He could no more stop showing concern for her than stop breathing. She had no inclination to search the edge of truth in his eyes as he confessed that secret, the threat of any feelings from him only making her more hostile.
"Guilt is not something I choose to indulge in Dumbledore, so if you'll excuse me, I'll refrain from allowing you to foist such an emotion on me. I do not force you to show me concern, in fact the opposite, so why can't you just do as I ask and leave my welfare well alone!" She hissed in the same, quiet voice as before as she leaned forward, still with her hands resting on her hips in the most defiant stance she could muster. Albus recoiled again, stung by her lack of feeling and unwillingness to understand or let him and his feelings actually matter.
"Because, much as you may want to disbelieve me, I do actually care about you, Minerva McGonagall, though you have done your best to make sure I do not! Why is it so difficult for you to accept honest concern and care when it is offered?" He countered.
"Honest concern and care? Is that what you call it? I would call it interfering and being overly curious about issues that do not concern you! You have no right to make me accept that which is not welcome." She hissed back.
"The question is why it is not welcome. Having people care about you makes you human, is that what you're afraid of? Being human?"
"I AM NOT AFRAID!" A tremendous silence ripped through the Hall after that rebuttal. The woman who had finally unleashed her full vocal power was panting slightly and her face was definitely flushed more than anyone had ever seen it before. Her body was taught and coiled, ready to spring forward or away at a moment's notice and her hands, which were trying to rest on her hips were curling into tight fists, so tight in fact that her knuckles were blazing white and one would not have been surprised if her nails were drawing blood.
Albus had taken a full step back upon being confronted with the complete extent of her full and terrible power. Her temper was an incredible thing to behold and it seemed to be manifesting itself in a physical, if minor, way in an effort to alleviate the tension in her tight body. Minerva's cloak was billowing in much the same way a certain Potions master's did, even though there was no breeze and there was a faint crackling on the air that Albus suspected was also due to Minerva and her magic.
"I have never been afraid in my entire life." She murmured, breathing deeply, swallowing a little in the hopes her voice would cease the tiny shivers that passed through it. "You do not understand. You can never understand. So please cease your attempts to do so." Her voice was once again very quiet, a treacherous hiss that zinged across the Hall towards the Headmaster. He regarded her closely for a moment or two, considering, then spoke very quietly, and soothingly,
"I want to understand Minerva, but you have to choose to let me." He at last began to advance towards her, his hands extended in her direction with imploring marked in every feature. She dropped her gaze from him however, and turned away, heading for the staff exit that was just behind the High Table. Her expression was still icy, and he should have known better than to do what he next did but many were under the impression Dumbledore had taken leave of his senses a while ago anyway.
He reached out to her, and placed a firm hand on her arm, stopping her from moving anywhere. Every single being in the Hall knew in the instant it was a huge mistake. She froze, her gaze swivelling to rest on his hand. There was a millisecond when Albus breathed, then Minerva ripped her arm away from him, anger and something akin to discomfort flashing in her eyes as she turned back and advanced towards him, her right index finger pointed directly at his chest in a very threatening manner. Most knew she did not need a wand to inflict serious harm, and she looked as if she intended to do serious harm.
"Do not ever do that again if you wish your arm to remain attached to your body." She whispered, looking over her glasses in a way that would have sent most men and women running swiftly in the opposite direction but Albus seemed captivated by them and he remained directly in front of her, his eyes carefully meeting hers, with many unnamed emotions passing behind both pairs. "This argument was your fault. You cannot leave anything alone. Not even when I ask. You do not respect any boundaries, no matter whose they are. There are only so many times such an invasion can be tolerated, Dumbledore." She threw her head defiantly upwards and looked over his head as she proclaimed her next words, as if to the rafters. "I resign. I shall pack this afternoon and be gone by nightfall. I refuse to be made the villain of this. You are controlling, manipulative, and you dislike anyone who recognises you for what you are. Do not lecture me, Dumbledore, about being human, for what kind of experience do you have in that area?"
She paused after her speech to give him one last glare, her finger waving threateningly under his crooked nose before she whipped it away and swung around, marching away from the silent and still figure of Albus Dumbledore whose face had seemingly drained of blood in a matter of seconds. He swayed a little as she turned her face from him, and his mouth had fallen open when the word "resign" had fallen from her mouth. Clearly, he had never imagined it would come to this. Standing stock-still, he watched his Deputy stride over towards the door at the side of the Hall, but before she could exit with what was left of his and her dignity, the students began to stand and shout,
"Professor stop!"
"You can't leave!"
"Please don't go!"
Above all of those voices, however, one finally rose and it was this voice that ultimately brought her to a halt.
"Professor McGonagall, you will stop this instant!" It was Dumbledore, the shock had worn off and now a mixture of terror and anger fuelled his determination to have this out once and for all. She stopped, but didn't turn around and many saw the slight shake of her shoulders, which gave away the fact she had shed a few tears. "Minerva, before you go out that door, please listen to me. I am not perfect, you constantly make me aware of that, and I am always grateful when you do. It reminds me of the values we fight for. I am overly curious, and have very little respect for boundaries others set. I know and I do try to stop myself. Surely you know I'm trying…" From what he could see, she had not reacted and most saw the resolve grip the Headmasters face as he forced out the next words. He knew they had to be said, if she was to have the chance of understanding his motives in delving into her life.
"But of my many weaknesses, you are the most dangerous." She stiffened and turned slightly to look over her shoulder at that, disbelief and suspicion coating her features. "Yes, Minerva, you. I – I have been in love with you for so many years I cannot count them all now, and if you walk out of that door, I know my heart shall break. I never meant to hurt you. I love you! But love is a complex thing, and sometimes makes one act in a different way than perhaps one should. This is why I question you and poke so unfeelingly at your protections. I want to help you. Not a good excuse I know, but the only one I have. I beg of you, do not leave me Minerva; I need you. I love you."
Every eye in the Hall, with no exception, swivelled around to rest on what they could see of McGonagall's back. No one had predicted that reaction and outburst from their revered Head teacher, and everyone in the Hall knew it to be true, but it was whether Minerva would accept the offer of his heart, or if she would be as stubborn as she usually was that caused many stomachs to twist painfully, not least of all, Albus'. Most hoped that there was some small part of the woman's heart that could feel and was returning his sentiments, Dumbledore deserved at least that, and there was. It was more a question of whether she would let her heart or her mind decide. She shivered and, her breath coming unevenly, in little rapid gasps, she turned back to him, her eyes blinking rapidly as they usually did when she cried. Her hands were shaking and her face was far too pale.
"Albus…" She whispered, swallowing. He took a step toward her again, his own face worried, but she flinched and he stopped. All he could do was wait. "I never dreamt that this was how you felt. Or that this was your motivation for investigating my life." She murmured, looking away from him, towards the floor. His eyebrows creased when he heard that, it wasn't exactly the reaction he had hoped for, but then, what was there to hope for? "We're best friends, a rare and wonderful thing. Are you sure you would want to risk that?" She uttered shakily, dragging her gaze back up to him, her voice very quiet and unsure. Her answer gave him hope, the like of which he had scarcely allowed himself to entertain before.
"Minerva, if you will say one day you might love me, then I would be willing to do anything." He assured her, raising his hands and for the first time, an adoring look was allowed to pass onto his face and light his eyes. She appeared for a brief moment, uncomfortable as he said it, and once again looked to the floor, her hands twisting together in front of her. No doubt the show of emotions she was unused to still made her uneasy. He stepped forward again, persistent to the last and this time, she did not react. Every eye in the Hall watched as he edged towards the woman he loved and, as he finally reached her side, he lifted his arms to rest on her shoulders. Still she did not react. There were a few moment of tense silence before she finally lifted her head and looked into his eyes, a sad light shining there.
"Albus, I cannot say I might one day love you." He closed his eyes and stepped back, assuming the worst. "Because…I already do." The admittance leaked out of her, as if drawn from the very depths of her soul where it had been hidden for countless years. As the words spilled from her, the whole Hall took in a huge breath of relief and Albus' eyes snapped open in uncontained joy. She smiled weakly at him, her feelings overcoming her and her hands lifted in front of her in a pleading question that he answered by immediately stepping back to her, sliding his hands around her while hers slid over his shoulders. At first, all they could do was hold each other tightly, happiness emanating from them in such a way as to make the whole audience smile, laugh and giggle with them. Then, when Albus finally drew back, he looked her straight in the eyes and grinned, while her hands slid down to rest on his chest.
"Minerva." She smiled and tipped her slightly to the side and they both leant forward to catch the others lips briefly, in a kiss that everyone took pleasure in watching. Although it only lasted a few seconds, all of the people present knew it meant everything in the cosmos to the people sharing it. Their first kiss. A few staff members cheered and others clapped, knowing just how long both had waited for this moment. When they had finished, and they once again drew back from one another, Albus spoke. "If you ever scare me like that again, I'll…drop a bucket of water over you."
"Not if I drop one on you first."