Written for Book of Hope! I hope you like it :) But I have to apologise beforehand, I initially planned this to be fairytale-like and now it's… different.

Pairing: Minerva McGonagall / Albus Dumbledore

Prompts:

(Quote) "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you Courage." (criminal minds)

(Word) Princess

(Word) hope

Entry for Music History at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Option 1: The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky

Explanation: I researched a bit, and found the story of the ballet, taking it as inspiration – the firebird (Fawkes) helping Albus to rescue the princess.

Entry for the Rudy Francisco Quotes Competition

"I want to be the kind of story you have to tell everyone you know."

Entry for the Greek Mythology Competition

Phoenix: Alternatively, write about Fawkes.

Entry for the Chocolate Frog Card Club

(Bronze) Havelock Sweeting; Challenge: Incorporate a rare magical creature in your story.

Entry for the September Event: Back to School

(word) Confession

(emotion) Interested

Entry for the Gringotts Prompt Bank

Thanks a lot to Dina, who betaed this! :)

(3240 Words)

Of Evil Wizards And Firebirds

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

Lao Tzu

The grounds of the castle of Hogwarts were a lush green and a light breeze moved the trees of the nearby forest; together with the sun that shone brightly from the blue sky and dipped everything in a warm light, it was a beautiful summer morning. It was wonderfully peaceful; the birds were singing in the branches, and Albus Dumbledore wandered over the grounds with a content smile on his face. He wished that the sun would never stop shining, the world was so beautiful when it was summer and when the soft tingle of love was making the heart jump.

Albus Dumbledore was in love.

It had happened very suddenly, only a few days ago, when the four Founders had decided to host a ball in the castle, to celebrate midsummer. One moment, he'd been talking to his friend Godric, discussing when they would practice swordfighting again, and in the other, his gaze had fallen onto the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

She'd stood on the other side of the Great Hall, talking to Rowena Ravenclaw, wearing a green tartan gown that flowed gently around her body. Long black hair had curled down her back, a silver crown sitting on top of it and her eyes, matching the green of her clothes, had wandered over to meet his gaze for a brief second.

There'd been something in her expression that had drawn him in even more, but he hadn't been able to grasp what it had been, and for the rest of the evening, he'd continued to watch her with interest. She hadn't looked over again, but that hadn't worried him at all – it had given him the opportunity to observe her way of gesturing while she talked, and how her green eyes would gleam fiercely when someone seemed to say something that she didn't agree with.

With a dreamy expression, Albus lay down in the grass that was still damp with morning dew, staring up into the sky. He could still see her smile in front of him when he thought of her, and that was quite often. Whenever someone remarked his dreaminess, he would start to talk of the angel that had enchanted his heart and mind, annoying quite a few people with it. The morning after the ball, he'd questioned Godric about her, desperate to find out who the woman was who'd kept him from sleeping that night.

"Minerva," Albus mumbled to himself, watching how a lonely, fluffy cloud passed by above him. A princess from the coast of Scotland, Godric had told him, and that she was just as headstrong and stubborn as she was beautiful. Many young and strong men had already tried to conquer her heart, but not even the most bravest dragonslayers had been able to win her favour. She certainly wasn't an ordinary maiden, but that was what fascinated Albus so much about her.

But then, he was only a simple knight, without a big fortune or allegiance, and only in dreams and legends did the princess fall for the simple man because only love mattered. In the harsh reality, he wasn't worthy, and he would never be, but that wouldn't keep him from dreaming of Princess Minerva and her beautiful eyes. Hope always dies last, Albus told himself, chewing on a blade of grass and letting his mind wander...

OoO

The morning peace was suddenly disturbed by the sound of hooves and Albus sat up in confusion, wondering why anyone would be in such a hurry so early in the morning. He spotted the horse and its horseman by the lake, galloping up the hill towards him. From the uniform the man was wearing Albus could tell that it was a messenger, and as he stopped right in front of him, he could see that the man's face was shining with sweat. Hurrying to stand up, he patted little bits of damp earth from his trousers, giving the man a moment to climb off the back of his horse and catch his breath before he asked: "What leads you here so early in the morning, messenger?"

"A horrible event, oh how I wished I was able to bring good news on such a beautiful day! I was sent out by the king to spread the news that Princess Minerva has been abducted by the horrible Grindelwald. The king asks the bravest of all knights in the country to step forward and volunteer to rescue his daughter – the man who succeeds will be rewarded with everlasting glory, with gold and with the hand of the princess," the man explained in a rather hushed tone, still being a little bit breathless.

For a short moment, Albus could only blink in shock, feeling frozen by the information. The woman that his heart belonged to, in the hands of the most evil wizard that their time had ever seen? It had to be a bad dream, but even after a few moments, the messenger was still standing there, concern written all over his face.

"So far, no one had enough courage to accept this quest," he told Albus with hanging shoulders, taking his wand from his pocket to conjure a goblet of water. Albus' fingers absent-mindedly stroked his maroon beard as he stared over the lake, pondering about what he'd just heard. Everyone in the magical society had already heard of Grindelwald, and he could understand why nobody wanted to set forth and battle him. None of those poor souls who'd tried to defeat him in the past had returned, and not even the biggest honours on earth could have convinced Albus to be foolish enough to join them.

Had there not been an important detail – Princess Minerva.

For her, he would risk it, the love he felt for her giving him the courage to believe that he would be able to succeed. And so, he declared with determination in his voice: "I will rescue her, my dear friend. No magic on earth is stronger than that of love!"

OoO

Everyone had called him crazy, and though he'd openly disapproved what Albus wanted to do, Godric had wished his friend all the best and had lent him his sword and his fastest horse. And so, Albus began his long travel to the tower in which Grindelwald had locked the princess. With Fawkes, his strong phoenix, flying by his side, Albus could feel hope blossom in his heart, and he didn't feel any fear.

With confidence inside of him, he followed the oldest brook of the country, breathing in the earthy smell of the forest and enjoying the wildlife. Seven days and seven nights did he ride, defying wind and weather until he finally reached the barren area which Grindelwald called his territory. Leading his horse carefully over boulders, he finally spotted the tower in which the evil wizard was said to keep his victims. It had been built far away from his castle, by a cliff, surrounded by thorn bushes in which pieces of clothing and hairs were hanging, all from the poor souls who'd tried before to rescue someone from this tower.

Albus left his horse behind and strode towards the tower, letting his gaze wander around his surroundings in alert, trying to detect any spells that could make Grindelwald aware of his presence. To his utter surprise, there were none, at least none he was able to recognise, and he could walk towards the tower without any disturbances.

Slashing away the thorns with Godric's sword was just as easy, and he slowly began to feel suspicious about how easy this was. Grindelwald was one of the most powerful wizards of the century, and Albus couldn't imagine that the man would leave any part of his territory unguarded. He'd expected spells, or some of the most dangerous creatures known to wizards, and he'd been prepared for them. It only caused him to be even more careful, in case he was attacked by something he didn't know about yet.

And then, Albus was standing right in front of the tower, looking up before turning to let his gaze wander once more, to make sure that he really was alone. An uncomfortable feeling ran through him while he conjured a rope ladder whose end was slung around the window high above him tightly. Fawkes left his shoulder and started to circle around the tower like a guardian, keeping watch over him.

This was way too easy, and so he never put his wand away as he started to climb up, expecting something to happen any minute. He simply couldn't believe that he would be able to leave with his lady without having to battle Grindelwald. In his life he'd learned the hard way that nothing was given to you as a gift.

His heart was beating fast in excitement as he reached the top and used the stone windowsill to pull himself into the tower. Panting, he wiped the fine sweat that was shining on his forehead away, and looked around. The furniture was sparse; in the corner, he could see a bed with simple cotton cushions and blankets, a battered dresser standing next to it. Closer to the window was a table with one chair that looked like it had been fixed by magic countless times, and a curtain separated the living area from what he assumed was the washing area. A bookcase with countless old-looking leather bound books was right next to the curtain, and if he hadn't been here to rescue the princess, he would have had a look over the titles.

"Excuse me?" Albus whipped around to the other side as he heard the female voice behind him, and there, sitting on a chaise longue, was the angel from his dreams. She was holding a book in her hand, and even in this surrounding that certainly didn't do a princess justice, she still looked beautiful. For a moment, he was at a loss of words, struck by her, and he needed to blink a few times before he could return to the reality.

"Your highness," he softly said, bowing deeply and feeling a pleasant tingle run down his spine as his gaze met hers. "I'm Albus, knight to the brave Lord of Gryffindor, at your service."

"Nice meeting you. Door's on the wall," Minerva said with a rather reserved expression, briefly gesturing towards the window and concentrating on her book again.

"But… but I'm here to rescue you, milady!" Albus exclaimed, looking at her in confusion, asking himself if he'd hallucinated for a short moment. Fawkes, who'd landed on his shoulder in the meantime, released an equally confused noise.

"Rescue me? What would qualify you for that? I ask you to go, immediately!"

Albus looked at her with wide eyes, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he was able to talk. "I got the armour, a sword, a horse, even the bloody animal companion that is a lot more intelligent than I am, which means that I'm the sidekick, and-"

"And you just ruined my escape plan, you idiot," she interrupted him, glaring at him in a way that made it obvious that she fuming inwardly. But before he could ask her what she meant with it, a loud roar filled the air, dark smoke started to appear in front of the window, and seconds later, a man emerged from the smoke, stepping onto the stone floor. He was about Albus' age, with blond hair and penetrating blue eyes; a wand was twirling between his fingers nearly casually as he slowly took a few steps forwards, examining them. "Now what do we have here, huh? Minerva, beauty, are you betraying me with this fellow?"

His voice sounded cold and distanced, as if he wasn't really paying them much attention.

"Oh, he was just dropping by. I asked him to leave, you know, but I'm a damsel in distress, and he's a knight, there's some codex or something," Minerva answered with a shrug, giving him a fake innocent look.

"I never should have abducted you. Three days, and all you've done is strain my nerves to the breaking point!" Grindelwald grumbled, and Albus blinked, asking himself if he had been hit by some funny curse and was now hallucinating. Grindelwald was pinching his nose with his eyes closed.

"I already told you that you could let me go." Minerva sounded nearly bored and annoyed as she stood up from the chaise longue, throwing the book carelessly onto the furniture.

"And I already told you that this not the way it works, princess!" Grindelwald hissed back, Albus looking between the two in confusion. "I would beg you to take her with you, my friend, but I have a reputation to lose, so I hope you'll understand that I cannot do that."

"Uh… sure…," Albus mumbled, asking himself if he'd fallen from the ladder earlier and was now in some sort of delirium, on the brink of death.

"However, I offer you to battle me. If you succeed, and I will make sure that you will, you can take the princess with you. Does that sound like a deal?"

Albus looked at Grindelwald in disbelief, but he couldn't find a single trace of hidden intentions in the man's expression. All he could spot was exhaustion and annoyance, and that was all the truth he needed.

"Good, okay," he ultimately answered, his fingers closing tightly around his wand as he took a few steps backwards and lifted it.

"Oh, you want to do this now? Don't you want to rest beforehand? You must have been travelling for days, my friend."

"I slept on the horse," Albus informed him, feeling how Fawkes nervously rustled his feathers and squeezed his shoulder a little bit tighter than necessary. He obviously wanted to tell him something, but Albus didn't know what, and it was as if he could sense Fawkes' frustration about him not understanding what his companion meant. What did he wanted to tell him? In this moment Albus wished, and not for the first time in his life, that he could be able to speak with animals. Fawkes was more intelligent than him, and maybe the majestic bird had some very important information.

But what was it?

Did he want to warn him to rest, that Grindelwald was plotting something that he was able to conceal from him? Or that some bigger illusion was going on here?

"If you may excuse me for a short moment, I have to consult my feathery friend for a short moment," he said politely and then walked over to the opposite corner of the tower, speaking with a low, hushed voice. "What is it, Fawkes? If you haven't noticed, I got work to do!"

Fawkes rustled his feathers in disapprovement about Albus' tone and cocked his head to the side with an expression that seemed to show his mourning about him not being able to understand what the phoenix wanted.

"Let me guess, you're trying to tell me that I'm about to do something dumb?"

The phoenix nearly looked as if he was glaring and shaking his head, which left Albus even more puzzled.

"I have no treats with me! You can't be serious about being hungr-"

He immediately was interrupted by an angry shriek and shrugged his shoulders, mumbling: "I don't get it."

"Oi, how long is this teatime with your bird going to take? I thought we wanted to have an epic battle here!" Grindelwald exclaimed on the other side of the tower, and Albus sighed while nodding, but before he could do anything, Fawkes had opened his wings and taken flight. With wide eyes and a gaping mouth, Albus watched how his phoenix soared down and grabbed Grindelwald with his claws. The dark wizard's wand fell from his hand and then he was dragged out of the window; his loud screams echoed in the air and caused a cold rush to run down Albus' back. Then, there was one long howl that seemed to last forever, and a loud thud, as if something heavy had hit the ground. Silence suddenly hung in the air, and Albus didn't dare to breathe too loud.

Barely a minute later, Fawkes flew through the window and landed on Albus' shoulder, looking as content as a bird possibly could. Clearing his throat, Albus turned to Princess Minerva and nervously suggested: "Well, uh… shall we go, then?"

"Do I look like I planned to stay here?" Minerva asked bluntly, though her tone wasn't too harsh. Her gaze was wandering over his face and they looked each other into the eyes for a very long moment, her green eyes holding a softer expression before Albus cleared his throat.

"I'll go first. Don't worry, I will catch if you should fall."

"Oh, don't you dare. I won't let you glimpse under my skirts! I will go first!" She pushed her way past him and climbed onto the windowsill, ignoring the helping hand he was offering her.

"As… as you wish? Just be careful!"

Minerva looked at him with a quirked eyebrow, her head barely looking over the windowsill by now. "I may be a lady, but I'm not made of sugar, Sir. I can handle this!"

OoO

Minutes later, they were riding into the sunset together, Minerva sitting in front of Albus, who nearly fell off the horse because he was trying to keep a proper distance between them. If he had to describe his feelings, he was caught somewhere between exuberant happiness and slight fear. Being so close to Minerva made him feel like he was on fire, and his heart was racing… but also because she was not the delicate, sweet princess he'd thought she would be. She could put him into his place with one single glare, and it frightened him a little bit, but it was also exciting. Minerva was different, and he slowly started to like that.

He felt like he was flying by the thought that he'd really done it. He'd rescued the princess, the woman he loved… maybe it was time to open his heart to her? After all, he hadn't seeked to free her because he was out for glory and gold, but because he'd fallen for her.

Albus gathered all his courage, deciding that it was time for a confession.

"Milady, I have to admit that I'm unbelievably happy that I was able to rescue you. You captured my heart, and I would be honoured to marry you."

"Beautiful words," Minerva answered softly, her gaze wandering over the landscape that was dipped into golden light from the setting sun. "But you do realise that your phoenix did all the work, Sir?"

Albus gulped hard and his eyes widened in shock, then, a soft chuckle reached his ears and Minerva turned her face to him completely, her green eyes twinkling in amusement. Relief flooded him as he heard this heavenly sound and they laughed together as they continued riding into the sunset.