Written for the 'Candy floss and broken hearts' Competition, Part II: Write about the last time your OTP (MinervaAlbus) said 'I love you' to each other.

Words: 3,377


Even those who are gone are with us as we go on


Minerva hurried out of the headmaster's office as soon as she was sure that the Minister of Magic and his companions had left the Hogwarts grounds and vanished in the night.

With a loud noise, the emerald eyed witch slammed the door shut behind her and continued her way through Hogwarts' devastatingly long corridors.

Unpleasant waves of nausea had already hit her during the meeting with the Minister and by now they were threatening to get the better of her.

She had to get some fresh air as soon as possible.

Increasing her speed as much as her tired legs allowed her to, she was oblivious to the echoing sound of her footsteps on the marble floor and the way her long black robes swished and flowed behind her.

With all her long-trained will power, she tried to keep the tears that were already forming in her emerald-green eyes from flowing freely down her cheeks and without paying the slightest attention to her surroundings, she even ignored the couple of staff members that were still walking around in the corridors.

With the last bit of self-determination, the transfiguration mistress was able to somehow gather up what was left of her remaining strength to push the gigantic entrance doors open to get out on the dark green grounds.

Unable to control her feet any longer, Minerva managed to stumble out of the castle, over the steps and into the quiet night.

Her whole body was trembling, her heart was aching in a way it hadn't in years and her legs felt like they would never be able to carry her any further.

Leaning her body against the trunk of the first tree that came into sight, Minerva forcefully closed her eyes for only a moment and tried to control the amount of overwhelming emotions that were welling up inside of her and causing her to feel completely petrified.

'Breath, Minerva,' the transfiguration mistress thought to herself. 'In and out. In and out. In and out…'

Despite to the lack of sleep in the last couple of days and the fact that she had been too busy and distracted by taking care of her student's well-being, the preparation of the funeral and the many exhausting meetings with the Minister, Minerva simply didn't have the time to acknowledge the heartwrenching waves of grieve that were building up in her.

But now, they had finally caught up with her and quite literally knocked her out.

Ever since that fateful day, Minerva had tried to play the role of the strong and brave woman everyone expected her to be. The stern, sometimes coldhearted and ice-queen like Head of Gryffindor House everyone thought would handle the situation effortlessly. The witch everyone looked up and leaned on to. The woman everyone assumed to be alone, with no family or loved ones around except for her students…

Yes, Minerva had made sure that no one would see exactly how weak and broken she really was on the inside.

She wouldn't let anyone see the tears that were now rolling from her forlorn looking emerald eyes and down her cheeks; she wouldn't show anyone how much she really suffered from the loss of the blue-eyed and candy-loving Headmaster; and she simply couldn't allow her students and friends to know that her well-guarded heart that was usually beating strongly in her chest, felt like it had been shattered into a million of sharp, tiny little pieces…

The pain of losing her beloved husband felt like several sharp knives being stuck right into her chest and remembering the devastating sight of his lifeless body at the bottom of the Astronomy tower would be burned into her mind forever…

Taking one deep breath after the other, the fresh air of the quiet night that filled her lungs slowly managed to cease the unpleasant urge to throw up the contents of her stomach and it helped her to calm down the completely unsteadily beating of her heart.

The tears, however, still kept flowing silently down her face and no matter how furiously Minerva tried to wipe them away with her hand, new ones continued to form in her eyes.

She hadn't expected it, but the touch of her own hand on her cheek reminded her of the way Albus' soft hand felt on her skin whenever he had touched her.

And the memory of her now dead husband once again caused her body to shiver and a half-choked sob escaped her.

'He would never again wipe away her tears with his hands when she cried…' Minerva thought bitterly and balled her hands into fists; so hard that her own nails were piercing into her soft skin. 'Never again hold her in his strong and protecting arms when she needed comfort…

Never again look at her with his bright and twinkling blue eyes that always made her smile…

He would never again wrap his arm around her waist and dance with her like he had done on their wedding day…

Never again carry her to their bed when he found her fast asleep on the couch in front of the fireplace…

Never again leave her flowers and little notes in her classroom telling her that he would pick her up for dinner…

He would never again wear the black muggle suit he had chosen for the ministry-ball all those years ago; on the day they had finally confessed their love for each other…

Once again, a sharp pain pierced Minerva's heart upon realizing that Albus would never again sweep her of her feet and kiss her in such a lovely way that made her oblivious to everything else around her… and that he would never again whisper in her ear how much he loved her.

More and more tears streamed down her face and despite her best efforts she couldn't keep her body from trembling even more as she remembered the last time he had said the words to her…

.

"So this is it then? The final goodbye?" Minerva had asked with a thick voice as she silently closed the office door behind her. She stiffened nervously and tightened her green robe around her.

Albus, who had apparently just noticed her, turned around to look at his wife of several decades with sad blue eyes; his blackened hand tightly holding on to his wand.

"I'm meeting Harry in a couple of minutes, yes."

Minerva nodded slowly and for a moment the two of them just stared at each other. Seconds turned into minutes and the tension between them crackled in the room.

"Albus-"

"Minerva-"

The fact that they had spoken at the same time caused both of them so give a tiny little smile.

"You go first," Minerva said with a quick gesture of her hand and looked away. She knew that she wasn't able to hold her emotions back for very much longer…

The Headmaster sighed and took a couple of steps forward until he stood directly in front of her; the fabric of his light blue robe almost touching her dark green one.

He then reached out to carefully lift her delicate chin, so that she had to look into his glistening blue eyes.

Minerva had never liked it when he saw her crying, so she once again worked hard to keep the tears that were already welling up in her eyes at bay.

"It's not a goodbye, my dear," he finally said.

"Oh, really? It very much looks like it!" Minerva tried to sound strong and tough, but eventually a lonely tear made its way down her cheek.

She furiously wiped it away, but more and more followed.

She knew that her husband was going to look for yet another one of Riddle's Horcruxes tonight. She knew that the first of them had been the reason for his blackened and cursed hand and she also knew that right there and then would be the last time she saw her husband alive.

Albus then carefully reached out and put one of his strong arms around her.

"You know it has to be this way, Minerva. This curse," he slightly moved his blackened hand, "is fatal. And Severus needs to earn Voldemorts trust and the only way to do that -"

"Is by killing you," Minerva interrupted in an icy voice and tried to ignore the stabbing pain in her heart. "I know. It's for the greater good… it's – it's just," Minerva swallowed hard before she continued. "I – I don't want you to leave. I - I don't want to be alone."

Albus sighed and looked at her with the blue eyes she had fallen in love with all those years ago. This time however, tears were also glistening in them.

"Believe me, I'd give everything to change things and be with you," he whispered and carefully pressed her head against his chest.

Instinctively, Minerva leaned closer against him and savoured the feeling of her body against his; the warmth that she felt and the sound of his still beating heart managed to calm her down a little.

"And it's not a goodbye, my love. No matter what, I will be waiting for you; wherever I will go."

He then encircled her waist with his hand, waved his wand and together they moved to the soft music that started to play:

Even those who are gone are with us as we go on, your journey has only begun

Tears of pain, tears of joy, one thing nothing can destroy: Is our love deep inside, we are one.

The lack of sleep in the last couple of days in additon to hearing the lyrics of the lovely song they had first danced to all those years ago and Albus' soft, deep voice that quietly sang along and rang in her ears was Minerva's final breaking point.

Tears streamed freely down her cheeks now and the strong witch buried her face in her husband's chest and started sobbing.

Still leading his wife to the music, Albus used his one hand to pull her even closer and the other one to carefully remove the pins Minerva always used to secure her hair in the strict bun; then the wizard brushed through her by now slightly grey-streaked ebony hair so that it was cascading down her shoulders.

He had done that before, and now the cirlce was closing and Minerva felt like her world was coming to an end. For years, Albus had been her rock, the person she could lean on and now he was going to–

She couldn't even finish the thought without feeling completely alone.

"You must be strong, my dear," her husband mumbled but she could hear that his voice was cracking. "Help Severus protect the students. Fight like you always did and… tell Arina that she'll be always in my heart. As will you."

Minerva swallowed hard and tried to blink her tears away, but eventually she nodded and lifted her head ever so slightly.

"I will. I promise," she replied softly. Then she moved her hands around his neck and held on tight.

"Albus," she whispered his name for one last time; her emerald eyes were filled with eternal love and trust. "I love you."

"I love you, too, my dear," Albus whispered and his voice was thick with emotion. "So very much. Never forget that."

This said, he cupped her cheeks with his good hand and lovingly kissed her one last time with so much passion and the promise that he would always be with her.

He then removed his hands and looked into her sad eyes; teary filled emerald eyes meeting watery bright blue ones.

Minerva sighed and nodded slowly; she knew what was coming up next.

She leaned forward and gave him a last little kiss on the cheek; in a way giving him the final permission to leave her – forever.

Albus then took a deep breath to walked towards the door and Minerva watched broken hearted when her husband turned around to look at her for one last time, before he vanished into the dark and left her behind.

.

Wiping away her tears, Minerva shook her head to get rid of the memory and took yet another deep breath to fill her lungs with fresh air.

Sighing, the witch let her glance wander over the dark Hogwart's grounds.

When her husband's white marble tomb came in sight, Minerva's swallowed hard. She still wasn't used to the sight...

But taking a closer look, her green eyes widened.

There, in front of the grave, stood a hooded figure and Minerva's heart skipped a beat. She knew exactly who this person was and a tiny spark of hope reached her eyes.

Pulling herself together as good as humanly possible, she pushing her exhausted and still trembling body up from the tree and walked on shaking legs towards the grave until she stood right behind the cloaked person.

The chilly air of the cold night brushed through her hair and robes; but Minerva didn't care.

The time for her own grieving had to wait once more; for Minerva knew that the slender witch in front of her needed support and comfort possibly even more than she did herself.

"You shouldn't be out here on your own in times like these, love," Minerva whispered softly and wiped away the last remains of her tears. "Hogwarts isn't a safe place anymore."

Obviously startled, the young, ebony-haired woman turned around; her wand ready in her hand to defend herself if necessary.

But when her dangerous glance fell on the emerald eyed witch behind her, her teary bright blue eyes softened instantly and a soft sob escaped her.

It took Minerva all the strength she had not to burst into tears again upon seeing those lovely blue eyes that so much resembled her husband's.

"I – I can't believe he's gone," the young woman whispered in a hoarse voice.

Minerva swallowed and took a deep breath; then tried to summon up what was left of her inner Gryffindor courage and took the shivering young woman into her arms.

"I know it hurts, Arina, but…" she trailed off; struggling to find the right words.

How was she supposed to say comforting words when Minerva felt completely broken herself?

Sighing, she simply tightened her arms closely around the blue-eyed witch, whose head now rested against the transfiguration mistress' chest.

"Even those who are gone are with us as we go on," Minerva finally whispered in a cracking voice and repeated the words Albus had mumbled into her ear the last time she had seen him; the words of their song.

"And remember what your father always used to say… Death - "

"Death is all but the next thrilling adventure. I know... Still, easy for him to say…" the young witch mumbled half-heartedly and another sob escaped her.

Minerva tried to give a small smile and softly brushed her slim fingers through her daughter's dark curls in a soothing gesture.

The seconds passed and neither of the two witches spoke a single word; both lost in their own thoughts as they stared at the white, marble tomb in front of them, that contained the body of the wizard they both loved so much...

The transfigurations mistress just sighed when she saw Arina's attempts to hide her tears; Albus had always remarked how much the two resembled each other.

Neither of them was very keen on showing weakness or pain openly… The long, curly ebony hair, the high cheek-bones and small nose, the delicate fingers and slim figure… not to forget Minerva's famous Scottish temper and stubbornness which they both possessed…

Yes, the only real difference between mother and daughter were their eyes. Arina had inherited Albus' bright and twinkling blue ones, but apart from that and their age difference, she was a carbon copy of her mother.

Thinking about it now, after all those years, they were incredibly lucky that no one had ever found out that Minerva and Albus had been married in the first place, let alone had a child together. Both women would have both become even greater targets and probably used to black-mail Albus had they known the powerful wizard had indeed a family and people he cared for….

Minerva's eyes welled up with tears once again as she remembered Albus' face when she had first told that she was pregnant and the way his utterly stunned and surprised expression turned into the brightest smile she had ever seen… Or the way his twinkling blue eyes shone with pride and unshed tears when Minerva had placed their tiny new-born daughter into his arms and suggested to name her after his deceased sister Ariana…

It was a sight the emerald eyed witch would never forget and it was a memory she would always hold on to, but it still pained her heart greatly when she thought about the future and the life without her husband.

'Get a grip on yourself, Minerva,' she told herself. 'Conceal your emotions, for Merlin's sake! You don't want your daughter to see you cry, do you?"

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her daughter's chin so the younger witch had to look into her eyes.

"Your father wanted me to tell you that you'll always be in his heart, love. Never forget that."

Then she wiped Arina's tears away and gave her a small smile. "And as much as it hurts, it's better this way. His hand… in due time it would have only caused him more and more pain."

Arina sighed and turned slightly to look back at the castle, however without leaving her mother's arms. "Hogwarts will never be the same again, will it?"

Minerva sighed and shook her head. "No. At least not for quite some time."

The blue-eyed witch nodded slowly before she waved her wand and whispered a quick spell. A lovely bunch of white roses appeared in her hands and she showed it to her mother, who smiled the first real smile in days.

"Your father loved white roses," Minerva recalled fondly and watched as her daughter put the flowers down in front of the marble tomb.

"It look much nicer now, doesn't it?" The younger ebony-haired witch asked with the hint of a smile on her face.

The transfiguration mistress nodded only; once again she feared that her voice was failing her.

Wordlessly, she retrieved a small, golden necklace from underneath her robes; two elegant golden rings with diamonds hanging on it.

"Look," Minerva simply whispered to her daughter and placed the necklace with her wedding- and engagement ring onto the marble tomb.

Only a couple of seconds later, it glowed in a soft silvery light and small, elegant letters appeared; carefully engraved in the stone:

.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Devoted Headmaster of Hogwarts

Trustful friend

Caring brother

Beloved husband & Loving father

.

"What do you think?" Minerva carefully asked her daughter as she tucked her necklace back in its place and the letters slowly started to vanish, one after the other.

The young blue-eyed witch smiled a small smile and stepped back into her mother's embrace. "It's beautiful, Mum."

"I'm glad you like it," the transfiguration mistress said and tightened her arms around her daughter.

"We'll be alright, won't we, love?"

Arina nodded, not taking her eyes off the grave. "Given time… once the pain fades a little… yes, I think we'll be. You never know what the future might bring, but… if one only remembers to turn on a light, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, right?"

Minerva chuckled softly and placed a small kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"You sound like a seer predicting the future, my dear."

Being aware of her mother's distaste concerning everything related to divination, the blue eyed witch laughed softly and wiped away the last remains of her earlier tears. Then she also inhaled the fresh air of the quiet night.

"No, Mum," Arina finally whispered in an emotional voice and looked with her bright blue eyes into her mother's emerald green ones. "I sound like my father."