DISCLAIMER: If you recognize anything from this fic, it's not mine!

Albus paced back and forth around his office, replaying the day's miraculous events in his mind. He was so relieved that he and Minerva had finally shown each other their true feelings and that their feelings were indeed mutual. Albus had been madly in love with her, despite the astounding age difference between them, for forty years, always hoping, but never daring to believe, that the feeling was mutual. From the moment they had met during her sixth year as a student at Hogwarts and on his first day of teaching Transfiguration, he had know that she was exceptionally bright, talented, and witty. They had taken a special liking to each other and from that day forward had become the best of friends.

When Minerva returned to Hogwarts as a teacher, she filled the position of Transfiguration professor that Albus had vacated to become Headmaster. In the years that followed, she earned the respect (and in some cases, fear) of all of her students and colleagues, prompting Albus to appoint her as Head of Gryffindor House and Deputy Headmistress. As the two of them began spending more and more time together and their friendship grew deeper and deeper, Albus found himself wishing that they were more than friends. Every time Albus caught himself thinking about Minerva in a non-professional context, he would reproach himself and try to banish the thoughts from his mind. But it was no use. No matter how he looked at it, Albus Dumbledore had fallen totally, completely, one hundred percent head-over-heels in love with Minerva McGonagall.

For years, Albus kept his admiration a secret, never daring to show his true feelings, for fear of rejection, humiliation, or worse: the loss of a beautiful and valuable friendship. He had admired his love from afar for almost half a century and had been on the point of giving up on any chance of winning Minerva's affection, when the opportunity to profess his love presented itself so suddenly that he did so without even realizing what he was doing until it was too late.

At breakfast that morning, Filius Flitwick announced to the staff that he would be throwing a party that evening to celebrate a certain dwarf's one hundredth birthday and that all were welcome to attend.

"And please," he said wearily (as though he had been asked this question several times already and was not pleased about having to answer it again) when Albus asked what he would like for a present, "no gifts. I've got a hundred years worth of birthday and Christmas presents from God knows who and I've got quite enough to be getting on with. It's not as though I need a memento, or token, or what have you, to remember the occasion by. I mean," he added with a small chuckle as he elbowed Albus jokingly in the ribs (which was quite a reach for him as he was very short, and the headmaster very tall), "it's not every day one turns a hundred years old, is it?"

"No, it certainly is not," Albus agreed with a hearty laugh. He was quite used to, and was often the maker, of jokes about his age. "A toast, then!" The other teachers all looked up from their plates or paused in their conversations to raise their glasses. "To our dear friend and colleague, Filius Flitwick. May your next hundred years hold no, er, shortcomings for you."

All the teachers laughed at this little joke. Filius was by no means offended, as he poked more fun at his short stature than did anyone else. Albus thought he saw the merest shadow of playful reproach playing across Minerva's face as she looked at him. Their eyes met, and for a second, just one glorious second, Albus stared in to her beautiful brown eyes, desperately hoping that they were looking at him in the same light. Minerva blushed and quickly turned away, bringing Albus sharply back to reality.

When breakfast was over and the Great Hall began to clear out, Dumbledore stayed behind as always so that no stragglers would feel completely alone. He watched Minerva as she made her way out of the Great Hall. She was having what looked like a very serious conversation with Poppy Pomfrey. Albus was a bit shocked. It looked as though Minerva was telling her best friend off for something, but instead of cowering under Minerva's glowering stare and fierce rebuke like any normal human would do, Poppy was giggling like a schoolgirl. Finally, Minerva abandoned whatever cause she had been so vehemently arguing and joined in Poppy's giggling. Dumbledore smiled and shook his head. When he noticed a group of first-year Gryffindor girls staring in shock at their uncharacteristically giddy Transfiguration professor, Albus let escape a small chuckle. If only the students knew the real Minerva McGonagall, he thought with a sigh, still not taking his bright blue eyes off of her, no doubt they would all like her so much better.

Albus was just thinking about how beautiful Minerva was when she laughed, and wishing she would do it more often, when a squeaky voice from behind him almost made him spill tea down his front. It turned out that he wasn't quite as alone as he had thought.

"Okay, Albus," Filius said teasingly, "what's going on between you and Minerva?"

"I'm sorry, Filius, but I assure you I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Albus retorted, perhaps a bit too quickly.

"Oh, come off it! I saw the way you two were looking at each other earlier and how you were looking at her just now, and any idiot with half a brain could tell that she and Poppy weren't discussing her lesson plans for the day."

Albus looked sheepishly at the little man in front of him, measuring him up as though trying to gauge how much to tell him. "Oh, alright," he admitted with a defeated sigh. He decided that he might as well come clean. "I'll tell you everything," he promised, "but could we talk in private somewhere? I don't want this getting out all over the school." He inclined his head in the direction of the group of first-years that was still at the Gryffindor table. They were now craning their necks to try and get a better look into the Entrance Hall. Albus could tell by the excited looks on their faces that they had either thought that the sight of one of two of the most stone-faced staff members in the school laughing themselves to pieces was highly amusing or they had heard what the two had been laughing about. It was only then that something occurred to Albus. While he was sometimes a great fool, Albus wouldn't go as far as to call himself an idiot, and he was sure that he had quite a bit more than half a brain, he did not know about what Minerva and Poppy had been giggling so fervently.

"Filius, what exactly is it that Minerva and Poppy were going on about? I'm afraid I wasn't as quick on the uptake as you think I should have been."

"My dear man," Filius replied with the tiniest hint of shock. He did not want to let on his surprise at Dumbledore's naïveté. "They were talking about you!"

This surprised Albus, but at the same time, he felt an enormous wave of relief. Maybe there was still hope for him and Minerva after all. . .

"Come now, Filius," Albus said, snapping himself out of the very lovely daydream that would have completely engulfed him, leaving him entirely oblivious to the world around him, had he not detached himself so quickly, "I'm sure you have a very keen interest in my, um, affairs. No pun intended, I assure you," he added because of the sly look that was creeping onto Filius' face, "But this is neither the time nor the place in which to discuss them. Perhaps you could seek me out in a more private capacity at a time when neither of us is so otherwise occupied as we both ought to be right now."

"I don't know about you, Albus," the dwarf squeaked happily, "but I have nothing better to be doing than to listen to my dear friend share his deepest, darkest secrets." He finished with a malevolent grin and looked sideways at the Headmaster.

"In that case," Albus replied in a very matter-of-fact manner that reminded him of Minerva, "I've got quite a lot to be going about, what with taking you off the payroll and finding a new Charms teacher."

"Oh yes!" Filius exclaimed, "I'd quite forgotten! My NEWT class awaits!" He started up from the table in such a hurry that he knocked over the jug of milk. "Oh dear-"

"Not to worry, Filius. I'll take care of it. You just get to your class." As Filius hurried from the room, Albus cleaned up the mess with a wave of his wand.

After the giggling first-years had finally taken their leave, Albus stood up to leave. This is going to be a very interesting day, he thought as he walked out into the vast and very empty Entrance Hall.

When he reached the top of the revolving staircase that led to his office and crossed the threshold, Albus beheld a welcome, though unexpected, surprise. He did the best he could to hide his surprise.

"Albus," said the woman who was perched delicately in one of the armchairs opposite his desk and had started nervously when he entered, "I was wondering if we might have a word."

A/N: I'll have Chapter 2 up as quickly as I can!