Summary: It's Christmas Eve at Hogwarts and Minerva is just settling down for the night when she receives an unexpected visitor with a very special gift.

A/N: This story is dedicated to Childminerva for the Secret Santa Gift Exchange. We hope she enjoys reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it. For those of you who have never watched Battlestar Galactica, Adama is in reference to Admiral William (Bill) Adama and Roslin is a reference to Laura Roslin, both from the show and favorites of Childminerva.

WISHES

The corridors were deserted as the two professors made their way from the staff room to a hallway near Gryffindor Tower. It was Christmas Eve and at this time of night even the portraits had settled down from their earlier celebrations. However, a few of the more persistently cheerful called out in greeting, a greeting which was readily returned by the witch and wizard who walked arm in arm.

Minerva sighed happily as she caressed the charmed bookmark in the pocket of her robe. It was part of this year's present which Albus had presented to each of the staff members earlier in the evening. The staff party had been a great success, culminating in the Headmaster's gift to each person. He always gave everyone the same item, typically a Zonko's purchase, along with their holiday bonus. This was a good year and those who were in residence to receive the hefty bag of coins in person were very pleased; however, Minerva was more enthralled with the small rectangle of paper in her pocket. Any item from Albus was a treasured one.

They arrived at Minerva's rooms all too quickly, the comfortable silence between them stretching a bit longer as they both hesitated by her door. It had been a week or more since Albus had been able to accompany her to her rooms and even as she wished that the evening would not end, she realized that standing here forever wasn't very practical. Albus must have been thinking similar thoughts for he was the first to speak. Minerva looked up at him as he spoke quietly, with what she perceived as a weary note in his otherwise cheerful tone.

"Good night, my dear. Have a wonderful Christmas morning and I will see you at our usual time."

Minerva smiled into the twinkling blue eyes which held hers in a steady gaze. "Of course Albus. And have a very happy Christmas morning as well."

His lips brushed her knuckles, as was now customary when Albus walked her to her rooms, and the rush of need assaulted her as it always did. Even being prepared for it, knowing its effects, still did not ready her for the sharp pang of longing that always followed the small show of affection. Their friendship was more important than any other relationship in her life, and so as always she stamped down her feelings for the moment so he would not see the true emotions in her eyes.

One last smile and Minerva turned and let herself into her rooms. When the door closed, she leaned back against it, alternately cursing her weakness and enjoying the tingling warmth which made her limbs heavy and her stomach tighten with need. It was the same every time and she took comfort in the familiar.

After a few minutes, she decided she had indulged herself long enough. Minerva pushed away from the door and reached up to the pull the funny paper hat off her head. She held it over the trash bin as she remembered how Albus had cajoled her into pulling on the Christmas cracker with him. He had required that she wear the resulting pink crown, ignoring her admonishments that it wasn't fitting for a woman of her age. When he had unhesitatingly told her that she still shone with the beauty of youth, she had put it on her head with only a few grumbling comments. She would, of course, have put a chocolate frog on her head at that point, but she saw no reason for him to be aware of that fact.

Smiling and suddenly very sentimental, Minerva pulled the wrinkled crown back toward her and instead placed it on her desk beside a box wrapped in gold paper. The red bow on top broke out into a rousing chorus of We Wish You a Merry Christmas as her hand brushed against it. Cursing under her breath, Minerva pulled out her wand and tapped it on top to silence it. The blasted bow had been a curse since she had purchased it.

She had seen the ribbon on her annual Christmas shopping trip to Diagon Alley. Immediately she had known that Albus would love a bow that sang music, of any kind, but especially a Christmas Carol. She had picked it up on a whim and not long later had regretted her decision. It had gone off at nearly every shop thereafter, presumably from being jostled by hectic shoppers, until at last she had been forced to put a silencing charm on it, and then when she had tied it on his wrapped gift, it had kept singing until she had finally had it secured. At that point she had been afraid to put a charm on it, thinking she might forget to remove it and all her effort, and headaches, would have gone to waste.

Looking at the gold and red package, she felt her heart swell with happiness. Tomorrow was one of the days of the year that she looked forward to the most. As all of the students opened their gifts in their common rooms and were rather late at arriving for breakfast, if they arrived at all, Minerva and Albus made it a tradition to meet and exchange gifts early in the morning in his office. She had labored this year over what to get him. He was a hard man to shop for as he seemed to already possess a vast number of trinkets, books, and even socks. However, she was sure this year's gift was perfect and couldn't wait to share it with him.

Minerva yawned as she turned toward her bedroom. It was late and it had been a busy day. She removed her shoes when she reached her wardrobe and placed them inside before selecting her favorite red nightshirt and heading toward the bath. She took the time to pull the pins out of her hair one by one, rather than use magic. She enjoyed the task but rarely took the time to do it. As she changed into her nightshirt, she thought about what the following day would bring. She hoped she would have some extra time with Albus later in the afternoon. She didn't want to take up too much of his Christmas since she was sure Aberforth would be coming by at some point, but her holidays always seemed nicer when she spent them in Albus' company.

As she brushed her hair, she allowed herself to consider her feelings for the wizard who was her mentor, employer and friend. She remembered the first time she realized she had fallen in love with him. It seemed forever ago. He had picked a flower from the edge of the forbidden forest as they walked along on their way to find Hagrid and handed it to her. She had looked into his eyes and suddenly realized what her heart had been trying to tell her for months. She had denied it to herself for over a year after, but it was still there, burning and growing, until it had consumed her so fully that she was no longer able to ignore it or push it aside. She had taken a long vacation that summer, and had come back accepting of her feelings, even relishing them, but with the realism that it could not be.

Time had passed for her, sometimes agonizingly slow when she had wished for more between them, and sometimes quickly when their time together was frequent and she forgot that they were merely friends, no more, no less. Now as she started to feel her age, she had come to a new acceptance of their friendship, and though it may never be quite enough for her heart, it seemed to soothe her soul to know that she had no one closer in whom she could confide, and that Albus felt the same about her.

Minerva sighed softly without realizing it and picked up a book she had begun the day before as she moved back toward her sitting room. A chapter might settle her enough so that she could find sleep. She settled on the sofa and curled her legs under her. As she turned to where she left off, she suddenly remembered the bookmark she had received. She put the book aside and was about to stand when a tray of tea appeared before her, large ears sticking out of either side, and a pair of legs showing beneath.

"Thank you Adama, I was just thinking a cup of tea would be nice."

The tea tray moved toward its regular spot before being set down. Minerva looked in surprise as the house-elf revealed was not Adama, but rather Roslin. The aged elf, who was looking up at her with intelligent brown eyes, was the matriarch of the oldest line of Hogwarts house-elves and as such was in charge of the Headmaster's rooms and coordinated the other house-elf activities. Her ears were drooped with age and she was heavily wrinkled, but her appearance seemed stately for an elf.

"Excuse me Professor, Roslin did not wish to intrude, but Roslin wishes to present Professor with a gift."

"A gift?" Minerva repeated in confusion.

The house-elves usually presented the professors with their favorite treats on Christmas morning, but they did not usually give out any sort of gifts. At least she had never received one. And since the elves did not make any money, or have any means to gather any amount of wealth, Minerva was rather taken aback by the announcement.

"You saved Roslin's life and Roslin is wanting to repay you."

Minerva wasn't sure what to say to this pronouncement and was unsure how to proceed. Roslin solved the issue for her by holding out her hand, the wrinkled palm facing up. Cupped inside of it was a small crystal orb.

"Thank you Roslin. You needn't have gone to the trouble of a gift. I only did what any other professor or student at this school would have done."

Roslin shook her head vehemently, her ears flapping wildly.

"Professor treated Roslin with great respect and with much knowledge for house-elf ways."

Minerva almost disagreed but decided she did not want to argue with the esteemed elf and instead held out her hand and watched as Roslin put the orb gently into her palm. It weighed not much more than a feather and seemed more fragile than she would have guessed. Unsure what to do with it, she simply wrapped her fingers around it and put her hand in her lap.

"It's a beautiful orb, Roslin. I shall treasure it."

Roslin looked at her for a moment. "Professor, the orb is not just an orb, it is a wishing crystal which Roslin make especially for the Professor."

"Oh," Minerva said is surprise. "I've never heard of a wishing crystal."

The old house-elf smiled and the wrinkles on her face increased to the point where her eyes nearly disappeared. "It will bring the Professor a special gift for Christmas."

"A special gift…" Minerva repeated as she tried to figure out what Roslin meant.

"The crystal knows what the Professor wishes for most deeply for Christmas and will provide it for the Professor."

Minerva's face lit up in understanding and excitement. "How lovely! So the dress robes I've been thinking about purchasing at Madam Malkin's may appear with my other gifts at the end of my bed tomorrow?"

Roslin gave her an odd look, an expression Minerva couldn't quite grasp the meaning of, and then cackled a bit. The sound was soft, but piercing.

"If that is what the good Professor's heart desires, it shall be so. The Professor should put the crystal on her pillow tonight so the crystal will work."

"Thank you so very much Roslin. This is certainly more of a gift than my actions require."

"Roslin is honored that the Professor likes her gift."

And with that the house-elf disappeared.

Minerva looked at the crystal in her hand for several minutes after Roslin left. She wondered what gift it would become, or maybe bring, since she wasn't entirely sure how the crystal worked. She really was very fond of those dress robes at Madam Malkin's.

Her mind wandered to the reason for the gift. She hadn't realized she had saved Roslin's life. Albus had never mentioned it was so serious after she had relayed what had happened. In fact, when she asked after her health later, Albus had said she was fine and back to cleaning his rooms with a vengeance. There had been no mention of anything grave at all.

The event itself had given her quite a scare. It was before the beginning of term and Albus had been off to fetch the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Minerva had required the Hogwarts seal in order to mail some official correspondence and had gone to his office. The portraits had all been sleeping, but several were empty as well. She had gone to his desk when she heard a faint wheezing sound coming from behind the door which led to Albus' chambers.

Curious, a trait she couldn't seem to shake, and a bit worried, she had whispered the password and opened the door to find Roslin laying on the floor and grasping her chest. Immediately Minerva had raced over to the house-elf and had picked her up, ready to rush her to the infirmary. But before she threw in any floo powder, a memory assaulted her and made her pause.

Minerva had been very young, and very sick, contagious with a rather nasty bug. On her recovery, she had been rather upset that she seemed to be so ill when those around her were all healthy and happy. She had questioned their house-elf, Whimsy, on why she never seemed to be ill and thus had no reason for Healer Browning, whom she rather disliked at the moment, to force all sorts of icky potions down her throat. Whimsy had answered calmly that elves rarely got sick. And even if they did, they had their own healers to take care of them. She hadn't questioned the house-elf further, but had retained that bit of knowledge.

As she had stood in front of the fireplace, she had made an abrupt change in her plans and instead called for Adama, the house-elf assigned to her while she was in residence at Hogwarts. The elf appeared and seeing Roslin in her arms had become immediately distressed. He had disappeared before Minerva could even say a word, but had reappeared quickly with two other house-elves in tow. Minerva couldn't say if she had seen either one of them before.

"If Professor could please put Roslin down, the house-elves will take care of Roslin."

Minerva had laid her gently on the ground, the elf moaning slightly at the movement, and had stepped back. The other elves had gathered around Roslin and then they had all disappeared.

Looking again at the crystal, Minerva smiled softly. It really was a very lovely gift and she was honored that Roslin had thought of her in such a way. Closing her hand around it, she stood and looked at the book still resting on the cushion. She didn't really have need of it anymore. Her thoughts of Albus and their relationship had been tempered by Roslin's appearance and gift. Her eyes landed on the tea which the house-elf had brought with her. It was a kind gesture and she poured a cup, though she didn't really need it anymore either.

The cup came back to her room with her and she took a few sips from it as she laid out her robes for the morning. It was a difficult decision since it was a holiday and she would be spending time with Albus in the morning. However, she settled on her favorite green ones and was soon snuggling into bed, the soft sheets a welcome embrace. Minerva moved her hand from under the bedspread and placed the small crystal on the pillow beside her. It's too bad the one thing I really want can't be wrapped in a bow was her last thought before she fell asleep.

In another part of the castle, Albus sat alone by the fire, watching the snow falling lazily past his window. His thoughts drifted through memories, some fresh and some older, but all of them had one thing in common. Her name was Minerva.

He'd first realized he harbored feelings for her a few years back. It had been a windy Spring day and he had been in his tower, looking out across the expansive grounds, waiting for an important owl when suddenly she caught his eye. Her customary green robes were billowing about her causing her some minor distress. He chuckled to himself, wondering why she hadn't simply cast a charm to keep them from rustling about. Perhaps she had been too concerned with the strands of hair whipping around her face, having slipped carelessly from her bun. Either way, she made a lovely vision and one he recalled often and with great tenderness for it was then that he admitted to himself that he was most assuredly attracted to the beautiful witch he called his best friend.

Now, sitting by himself on Christmas Eve, he wished they could be more. He'd often contemplated sharing his thoughts with her, exploring the idea of courting her, nurturing their love, if in fact she could find it in her heart to return his affections. But, since he had yet to confess his true feelings for her, he would simply have to resign himself to the fact that they were friends…best friends…but friends none the less. And his heart was warmed and thankful for at least that much.

"Professor," the little house elf called out for a third time, only this time with a little more force, startling Albus from his thoughts.

"Terribly sorry, Roslin. I was deep in thought and did not see or hear you. I trust nothing is wrong?" he asked, a slight hint of concern in his voice.

"No, nothing is wrong. Roslin is making sure you do not need something, anything on Christmas Eve," she said softly, her brown eyes shining back into his blue ones.

He thought for a moment then smiled, somewhat bitterly. "No, but thank you for asking. I'm afraid the one thing I want is something it is not within your power to give. It would come from another, but it is something I have not dared wish for."

Roslin took a step closer to Albus, studying his face intently for several long minutes, causing Albus to grow slightly uncomfortable beneath her piercing gaze. He felt as if she were looking for something or at something…a mark on his face or some bizarre wart that had suddenly sprung to life. She reached out long, slender fingers, touching the tips of them to his chest, directly above his heart. "Roslin knows things, Professor. Roslin has been around long enough to learn things, many important and not so important things. Tonight is the night for making wishes, for receiving dreams, and for accepting the gifts of others."

Albus felt a strange warmth invade his body as she spoke. It was as if he was being warmed from within by a fire and her soft voice has been the catalyst needed to start it. He smiled gently and nodded, accepting her advice and contemplating what could have prompted her to make such an odd speech on this night. He started to ask but before he could utter another word, Roslin had bid him pleasant dreams and disapparated from his presence.

Oh, if only it were that easy…to dream and receive the object of the dream, he mused with a sigh. Glancing at the nearby muggle clock Minerva had given him one year for his birthday, he shook his head free from the melancholy thoughts and headed to bed. He was asleep in no time at all but his first and last thoughts were of Minerva and seeing her bright and early on Christmas morning.

The Christmas snow began to fall heavier as the night wore on into morning and Minerva, even in her deep sleep, could sense a change in the air. Yet, despite the chill, she felt content and warm, down to her very soul. Unwilling to rouse fully from her dreamlike state, she snuggled deeper into the bedding, moaning softly as she imagined she could feel Albus' arms around her, holding her tightly, his beard tickling her nose.

Her nose twitched and she smiled in her sleep. Again, something tickled the tip of her nose causing her to move her hand up to her face, obviously to brush away an annoying strand of her hair. As soon as she moved, though, she heard a soft groan and felt an odd sensation, as if being pulled deeper into a warm, welcoming embrace.

Her eyes flew open, unsure of what to think, and she gasped softly. It was only then that she realized she was not alone in her bed nor was she dreaming. She was fully awake and staring into the face of a slumbering Albus Dumbledore. Her heart began to race wildly, struggling for some reason why he should be in her bed and how he'd managed to get there without waking her. She quickly ran through a list of ideas, though one just as unbelievable as the next. She certainly hadn't consumed alcohol the night before, nor had he.

With her thoughts jumbled, all she could do was stare but she soon began to relax slightly in his arms. Hadn't she always wished to wake in Albus' arms, in bed? Hadn't she wondered from time to time, if he slept on his back or stomach, perhaps his side? Or if he snored or talked in his sleep?

His arm was wrapped around her still and resting on her lower back. No doubt she'd been cradled in his arms, her head resting on his bare chest and her leg…Oh Merlin…she thought. She moved her leg slightly, as if making sure it truly was her leg. Her eyes widened as she felt her smooth, shapely leg brush along his bare one, feeling the hair from his leg tickling the inside of hers.

Another soft groan was drawn from his parted lips and Minerva could see and feel his hips roll slightly mere seconds before his arm dipped lower on her back to cup her bottom, giving it a tender squeeze.

Minerva froze, unsure of what to do or how to wake Albus without causing a scene. Her mind was at war with her heart and body, though every inch of her desperately hoped her heart and body would win. She brought her hand up to his face, caressing his cheek softly so as not to startle him.

"Mmm, Minerva," he mumbled, capturing her hand in his and bringing the palm to his lips for an electrifying kiss that sent shivers throughout her body. His lips were soft and warm against her skin causing her to immediately wonder what it would be like to kiss those supple lips.

"Albus," she whispered softly. "Albus, wake up. You're dreaming." She hoped he was seeing her in his dream and from the way he was reacting to her touch she had little doubts to the contrary.

He turned his head in the direction of her soothing voice and a smile curled about his lips. "Hmm, morning, love," he answered in a sleep laden voice. "Happy Christmas, my dear."

Happy Christmas, indeed, she thought, no longer wondering or caring why he was in her bed and she was in his arms.

His eyes opened slowly and the first thing he saw was Minerva's smiling face, her cheeks flushed, and her lips parted. A lovelier vision he'd never seen nor did he think he could ever hope to see. "Minerva?" he asked, obviously confused now that he was fully awake. "Where am I?" He cast a quick look around and noticed he was in her bedroom, her bed in fact, and his hand…Merlin's ghost, my hand is cupping…oh dear such a nice bottom indeed. He mentally scolded himself for having such thoughts before realizing that was the least of his worries. He had no idea how or when he'd crawled into bed with her and a thousand questions danced in his head, none of them finding a voice.

Minerva stared down into his eyes, wondering what he was thinking. "I suppose Happy Christmas is in order," she answered, with a nervous smile.

"Minerva, I am so sorry. I have no idea…" He made to move, to crawl of out her warm bed and try to make amends somehow for his transgression. It was then he realized the full gravity of the situation. A soft leg was draped across his and he could feel the silk of her nightgown pressing against his side, meaning he had no nightshirt. He paused, taking an assessment of things, and his eyes widened immediately. The same silky feeling nestled against his chest was also pressing into his hip, which he discovered was also bare.

A few moments of silence engulfed the room, Minerva growing worried and nervous with each passing second. "I don't know how or when you came to my room, nor do I care," she said boldly. "I'm happy that you're here, though it would have been nice to have given you a proper welcome." She gazed into his eyes, hoping to discern his thoughts.

"I am sorry to put you into such an awkward position, my dear. I…I remember crawling into my own bed last night after Roslin and I had a little chat. I was thinking of spending my Christmas morning with you, opening presents and enjoying our leisurely breakfast."

"Wait. Roslin came to you as well? She visited me last night and gave me a gift. It was a…she called it a wishing crystal. She said it would…"

Albus shifted slightly, though not enough to move out of her embrace or to cause her to move from his. "Would what, my dear? I've never heard of a wishing crystal and it's very rare that a house elf would give a witch or wizard a gift."

She swallowed hard and the flush on her cheeks grew. "She said it would bring me whatever my heart desired." Minerva stopped and dared not look into Albus' face for fear of what she might see lingering there.

"I see," he spoke softly, taking her hand in his. "And did it? I mean, did you get what your heart desired this Christmas?" He paused and when she did not answer, he continued. "What was it you wished for, Minerva, for it may very well have been the same thing I, too, wished for on Christmas Eve, though I had no wishing crystal to fulfill my heart's desire?"

Her green eyes darted to his blue ones, which were dancing as if they were tiny stars. "I wished for…for my present to be, oh Albus it's silly."

"It's Christmas, my dear, and I have just found myself in your bed in an unusual state of… undress, shall we say? I'd say silly is a relative term." He could see a smile curling about her lips so he wiggled his eyebrows, hoping to put her at even greater ease.

Her laughter filled the room and she took a deep breath before answering. "Before I fell asleep, I remember thinking how nice it would be if my gift were wrapped in a bow. See, I told you it was silly...and I don't seem to see a bow." His eyes widened as he released her hand and slipped his beneath the sheet. Minerva could see his hand skimming over his chest, past his hips, and finally stopping. She blushed as erotic images filled her mind quickly, images from daydreams she'd had, fantasies in which she'd indulged.

His eyes once more returned to hers and held her motionless with his darkened gaze. His arm once more returned to her back, then lower, pressing her more firmly against him as he shifted his upper body closer to hers. His voice was soft but husky, something she'd never heard before. "And did you have a specific placement for the bow or is it merely divine providence that has placed me here, in your bed on Christmas, naked as the day I was born? Well, except for a bit of silk ribbon very strategically placed,' he winked.

Her eyes widened in surprise and the realization that perhaps the wishing crystal had read her deepest desire and granted her one true wish. Who needed new robes when the wizard she'd loved for so long was in her bed and scantily clad? Before she could answer him, he leaned up and slowly closed the distance between them until their lips touched, ever so softly at first then with increasing pressure until all coherent thought fled the room.

Minerva wasted no time in giving herself over to the kiss, running her hand over his broad chest, across his shoulder and into his hair. When the kiss ended, both were breathless. She rested her forehead against his, laughing softly at her new found happiness. "Is this an invitation to unwrap my Christmas present?" she asked boldly, quite unsure from where she gained her brass. Her nails scratched lightly down his chest, pausing at his hip.

Albus rolled onto his side, drawing her flush against him and running his hand over her back, pressing light kisses about her face and neck. "I think, if you'd like, we could…take turns unwrapping our gifts." She looked at him curiously so he continued. "It seems I was transported to my gift and she's wearing a lovely red nightshirt."

Minerva laughed before leaning down to capture his lips with hers. "Let's see just how big that bow had to be," she murmured against his lips before slipping her hand between them and swallowing the moan that escaped his lips.

Every year since, at some point during the holiday season, Minerva was surprised with a bow-clad Albus, who in turn was met with Minerva, dressed in a new red nightie. The wishing crystal, which had been a special Christmas gift from Roslin, rested on the mantle, serving as a constant reminder to the happy couple of their first special Christmas together.

The End.