A/N: This was my first time writing a story about HP characters who's names aren't Lucius and Narcissa! I do enjoy Albus x Minerva; it was both a joy and a difficulty to write about them, as it's a pair I'm not quite used to. And yes, darlings, I know Dumbledore is homosexual - I ship him with a woman; deal with it.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and it's characters, etc. belong to JKR, not to me.
St. Valentines Day was always a big ordeal at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Giggling girls giving their best attempts at concocting love potions, and besotted boys trying harder to charm those ladies than to pass their O.W.L. exams were never in short supply.
That, of course, caused no end of trouble for the staff, or rather, for one Minerva McGonagall. From the ever-present snogging in the corridors to the constant note-passing in her classroom, she was rarely able to catch any sort of break in the days surrounding February the Fourteenth. Even some of her fellow staff didn't do a thing to help, instead quite preoccupied with their own romantic endeavors.
This year was particularly hellish for the Transfiguration professor. Now, she had never desired a particularly amorous Valentines Day for herself, not when she had lessons to prepare and tests to grade and all manner of other work to get done, but she couldn't help but take notice when Professors Sprout and Flitwick were sitting particularly close during staff meetings, or when she caught Severus Snape gazing a bit longer than was necessary at a certain Muggle Studies teacher.
Her troubles only intensified when the day itself finally arrived. She wasn't at all sure many of her students learned anything during her Transfiguration lesson, though she was quite certain indeed that Fred and George Weasley must have been very proud of themselves after the 'anonymous' love letters they'd managed to leave for her on her desk without her notice.
She sat behind that very same desk, finishing the correcting of several pieces of homework that she hadn't had the time for earlier, when the small clock on the office wall chimed. She'd lost track of time completely, and was mildly surprised to find that the hour to attend the Great Hall for dinner was upon her. She quickly stacked the papers and tidied up her desk, and briskly left the office.
When she reached the Great Hall, she noticed much to her displeasure that Dumbledore had decided to add festive decoration in a variety of whites, pinks and reds. Minerva heaved a sigh and entered to take her place at the staff table, the Weasley twins sharing a mischievous giggle as she passed the Gryffindor table where they were seated.
"A happy Valentine's Day to you, Minerva!" the Headmaster said with glee as she took her position to his right at the staff table.
"And to you, Albus."
"Say, Minerva…" he continued after a moment's silence, noting her particularly terse demeanor "I was hoping that after tonight's dinner you'd do me the honor of coming with me when I return to my office…?"
The professor's expression softened just a bit at his request. They would often meet during the evenings and oftentimes well into the nights to discuss the happenings of Hogwarts, both grave and light-hearted, just the two of them. The gleam she saw in Dumbledore's eyes at the invitation, she knew he meant this one to be for her benefit.
"…I would be happy to." It would only be right, after all, she thought, to be spending the so-called most romantic day of the year with someone whose company she never failed to enjoy.
It seemed like an unnaturally short period of time to Professor McGonagall until the plates were vanished away, Dumbledore's speech was given, and the students filed out of the Great Hall, followed shortly by the staff.
"Shall we..?" asked the Headmaster with a sidelong glance towards his companion.
"Certainly." She walked along side him out of the dining hall and down the corridor, until they reached the hall that would lead to the portrait to enter the kitchens. "Albus," she addressed him, "I'll meet you shortly. I've just remembered an errand I must take care of." She did not wait for a response before she took off down the hall, leaving him to return to his office quite alone.
When he arrived, he conjured before the crackling fireplace two large plush chairs, much preferable to the hard wooden ones he knew Minerva would have summoned for them, he thought. He reclined in one of the chairs as he awaited her arrival, glad to know the day of festivities was nearly at an end. He knew better than anyone that the professor would feel the exact same.
It was only moments later that the woman in question stepped into the circular room, two steaming mugs in hand.
"Hot chocolate," she explained with a small smile and an ever so slightly more relaxed air about her. She handed one of the glasses to a very joyful looking Dumbledore and took a seat next to him, as she knew he expected her to.
"Thank you kindly, Minerva, " he said sincerely. "I can only imagine how stressful the day was for you, and yet you remembered this… No matter how long I come to know you, your meticulousness never fails to impress!"
"My meticulousness, I'm afraid, is the only thing that's been getting me through these recent days… Perhaps it's just my age speaking, but I find some of these students and their conduct rather inappropriate on days such as these... " Her words began to flow easily, as if a barrier had been lifted - a barrier that only he had the power to lift.
"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. You never were one for holidays or celebration… With the exception, of course, of celebrations honoring the many accomplishments of the Gryffindor Quidditch team," he mentioned with a grin as he sipped his hot cocoa, remembering with fondness the days when McGonagall herself played Quidditch for Gryffindor.
She couldn't help but mimic the expression he wore. She knew exactly what he was recalling, and the memories were nothing but happy for her as well. "I remember clearly how very thrilled I was to see you there in the stands…"
"And how could I not attend? You were, after all, one of the best Chasers Gryffindor has ever seen, if I do say so myself!"
The two of them laughed. It had been more than forty years since then, but they both remembered as if it were yesterday.
"Thank you. Albus," she said, still smiling, "talking with you, it still never fails to take my mind off of things. " Being reminded of the far-from-secret schoolgirl crush she had had on her Transfiguration professor brought a wistful smile to her face. From her days as a Gryffindor student up until the present as a teacher herself, he was one fascination, one love that she was never quite sure she outgrew.
"Well, as I know you've long since deciphered, my goal is to make your Valentine's Day just a little enjoyable, should I find it within my power to do so."
"Not always small feat, even for a wizard of your caliber," she said with a teasing glance.
"Yet somehow, I seem to manage." Suddenly, he stood up from his chair and set his cup on the mantle of the fireplace. With his long strides he approached his colleague, much to her confusion as to why, and with that familiar twinkle in his eye, placed a swift kiss upon her cheek. Her eyes grew wide, and she could feel herself blushing profusely. Never in all her years had she expected a kiss from Albus, perceptive as he may have been, and never had she thought about how might be proper to respond to one.
"A-Albus," she said, her face rather flushed yet, attempting to regain her composure, "that was highly inappropriate, and I am appalled-"
"Minerva, my dear," he interrupted softly, "happy Valentine's Day."
A brief silence followed. "I...Thank you, Albus."