Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I own nothing.

Summary: It's the night before the students return for one more year, in which Lord Voldemort will undoubtedly strike. Minerva and Albus look to the past, pray for the future, and wish that their relationship was as it once was. AD/MM One shot

Pairing: Albus/Minerva

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The Night Before Tomorrow

Deep greys intermingled with inky black as stars blinked down from the heavens. The moon, a pale crescent amidst the mass of darkness was the solitary source of silver light, illuminating the Great Hall.

"Mars is bright tonight." The quiet comment from the Headmaster was seemingly directed into the darkness, but a patch of golden light penetrating the dim hall confirmed his thoughts.

"Well, I never did think much of Divination," Minerva replied, but made no move to enter.

Dumbledore lowered his eyes from the enchanted ceiling and sought out the lithe figure of his Deputy. She looked away under his gaze.

"I wondered when you would come."

"The bed was getting cold," she replied, a bite of irritation invading her voice.

"Come," he said quietly, and watched her hesitate for a moment before closing the door and mounting the teachers' platform. She slowly made her way along the chairs, and after a pause, seated herself in the chair at Dumbledore's right hand.

She stared ahead, determinedly lost in thought, and Albus studied her with a sidelong look. Lips pursed, head bowed ever so slightly, and eyes unfocused, thoughtful, belying the blank expression on her pale face. He caved in to his desire and captured her long ebony braid and entwined the end around his fingers. She didn't jerk away, but merely tilted her head away as a sign of objection, and Albus let the hair fall from his fingers and sat back in his chair.

"I don't want to lose you, Minerva," he whispered. Nothing, for a moment, until she turned away.

"I don't want to be lost."

His brow furrowed at the statement, and he placed a hand over hers and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Then stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere, Albus," she replied, turning back to face him with a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"It feels as if you are."

"Albus!" she exclaimed, resulting in a muffled echo throughout the hall, and withdrew her hand from under his. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You just seem… distant," he said gently.

She opened her mouth to retaliate, but instead threw her hands up and shook her head.

"What do you want me to say? To do?"

"I want to know that I'm not losing you."

"Albus, what makes you think that you are? Do you really think that?"

"I don't know what to think. All summer you've been withdrawing yourself more and more…" Her lips thinned and her gaze hardened, and he leant forward. "Why, Minerva?"

"Never doubt my love for you, Albus. Never."

"I would never doubt that, just your willingness to share it."

Despite his gentle tones, she snapped her head round to look him in the eye and hissed, "Is that how you really feel?" She pushed back her chair and stood, but before she could leave, Albus grabbed her hand.

"I love you, Minerva."

"Let go of me," she said, and he could hear the tears in her voice.

"No."

"Don't play these silly games. Let me go."

"But I don't want you to go anywhere. I want us to stay together, happy. Why isn't it like that?"

She laughed gently, a sound that sent shivers up the Headmaster's spine.

"Did you expect it to be all fun and games?"

"Not all the time, no." He tugged her arm so she faced him, and pulled her closer so she sat again. His blue eyes gleamed in the torchlight as he studied her.

"Don't do this to me, Albus," she whispered, barely audible.

"Do what? I don't understand."

"I love you … I know that. I just don't want to hurt you."

"Why would you hurt me?"

"I don't know. I don't want to let you down."

He took both of her hands in his and said, "You have never and will never let me down. I don't know where you got this foolish notion from, but I wish you would let it go."

"I'm just…"

"Scared? We all are."

"The students are returning tomorrow, and Harry's now in his last year. All my children are growing up, Albus, and I can't protect them for much longer. What am I supposed to do? I need to be strict, old, reliable McGonagall, ready to give a mountain of homework, deduct points from my own House and stick them in detention with Snape. But… all I want to do is hug them and tell them it's going to be alright…" She shook her head fiercely. "But I know that's a lie. I know what will come will come, but can't it wait a little longer? Why can't they all have their childhoods?"

"Minerva, none of this is your fault, so stop blaming yourself. All we can do now is show Harry our support, and support the other children too."

"That's just it. None of them are children anymore. Not in their minds, anyway."

"They're growing up in a war. What can we expect? We are entering desperate times."

She surveyed the empty hall, the four House tables just visible in the torchlight.

"I just can't help but wonder how many students will still be sitting here at the end of the year."

"Don't think like that-"

"I can't help it. Tell me you don't think that too, then."

"Occasionally, but then I remember that any number still here is an achievement. That we have done well to keep them safe."

"You… You don't know that we can win this, do you?" Her voice was quiet, with traces of incredulous surprise, but also accusation.

"There are no winners in a war."

"You didn't answer my question."

It was his turn to be unable to meet her eyes. "No, I didn't."

"Then why are we doing this? We need to wait until we can be sure-"

"We'll never be sure. All our hopes rest on one boy, and that's never going to change. Besides, it's not up to just us when it happens. Voldemort will gather his forces and strike." He raised an eyebrow at Minerva's frown. "Why do you insist on not calling him by his name?"

"Because Lord Voldemort is not his name. His name is Tom Riddle, not that ridiculous creation."

"He's changed. He isn't that boy anymore; he isn't a even a man."

"No, but he was once." Memories of the past assaulted her and she turned away from Albus. He hadn't known Tom as she had, and the terrible truth was still hard to bare.

"He is a monster, Minerva, not that boy you once knew."

"Maybe I didn't know him at all. Maybe I just imagined that I did. He was clever, charming and funny, Albus. Now he's… Maybe I could have stopped him. Maybe-"

"You have to stop blaming yourself, Minerva."

"I walked away. I left him. I allowed him to delve deeper in to Black Magic. I could have stopped him. I-"

"Minerva! You did not have a hand to play in the atrocities he has unleashed on us. Do you hear me? None of this is your fault. I wish you would see that."

Silence passed as delicate traces of gold slowly began to penetrate the edge of the darkness outside. They sat still, increasingly uncomfortable.

"Why are you in a deserted hall, sat in the dark, at the dead of night?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Albus replied.

"I came here to find you," she said.

"And I merely felt like a walk. The castle is beautiful at this time of night… which I'm sure some students would agree."

Albus stood and pushed his chair back under the High Table. He walked along the length of the platform and to the door, where he opened it and stopped.

"Come back to bed, Minerva." He paused, then added, "It's cold without you."

As the door clicked shut, Minerva closed her eyes, but a silent tear carved a cool path down her cheek.

The cold, at least, was uncomplicated.

- Fin