She Knew: Just as She Dreamt
Disclaimer: I don't own HP
Minerva had noticed the way Albus looked at her. She saw an emotion in his sparkling blue eyes that she had never seen in any other man's. She knew he loved her. But, she didn't tell him so. Minerva wanted Albus to tell her when he was ready, and not push him. After all, she was patient enough to wait for the man she loved in return.
She noticed the instances when it seemed he was on the verge of telling her, but had lost his courage at the last moment. Minerva knew that at these times, he was not ready. As she thought about these instances, though, she wondered if she should have given him a little push forward – just a tiny one. Maybe a hint or suggestion would have been appropriate, just to let him know that he had a chance. She finally decided that when the next moment came, she would give him a push forward.
Minerva paid very close attention. Her moment came one evening at the end of a chess game between the two. Albus had moved over to the window, just staring out at the stars before turning around to look at her. She was leaning against a wall with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.
"Minerva?" he asked.
"Yes?" She walked over to stand beside him. He turned to look back out the window, and so did she.
"I feel so lonely sometimes," he sighed.
"Why is that?" Minerva asked.
Albus hesitated, and this was when Minerva realized that this was her chance. She waited for him to speak, "I'm in love with a woman."
"You are, are you?" she asked casually. "How could that make you feel lonely?"
Albus sighed in frustration, "She doesn't know how I feel!" Albus longed to tell Minerva he was thinking about her.
Minerva stared out the window, smiling at how wrong he was. She tried to keep her voice even as she spoke, "Then why don't you tell her?" She mentally cursed herself for the hint of amusement she detected in her voice.
Albus caught the tone and turned his head to look at her. He observed how the night air played with some loose strands of her hair that was in its bun. Then he noticed the smile on her face. It was a knowing smile, "Minerva, what aren't you telling me?"
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, "The better question is; what aren't you telling me?" He turned his whole body to look at her now. She turned too and reached her hand up to caress his cheek. She murmured, that knowing smile still quirking her lips, "Where's your Gryffindor courage?"
He blinked in surprise, suppressing the urge to gape; she was making it sound as if she already knew what he had been trying to tell her for years. He closed his mouth and opened it again to speak, "I – I love you."
She smiled wider, "I love you too."
Albus filled with happiness. His heart was doing somersaults as she looked into his eyes. Minerva stared into his eyes, urging him with her own to kiss her like she'd always dreamt. He got the message and swooped down, capturing her lips in his own. It was just as she dreamed it would be.