Disclaimer: Please see chapter 1

A/N: Many thanks to allthesame, Quill of Minerva, Masque42, ISMACO, Palanfanaiel, DamesFan, Katrine, Laughing Siren, harrypotternerd, PiER for reviewing; it is you guys who keep me writing. I am sorry this update took a while to post; my life has been hectic over the past 2 years (I know way too long) and I had a terrible case of writers block, I hope this chapter and the next one was worth the wait.

In this chapter, we have a little bit, of what happens after chapter 8.

I hope you like this chapter, but even if you don't please leave me a review to let me know your thoughts. MA

"Love such a novel concept don't you think? It can give great joy and it can cause great pain. It is nothing more than a chemical reaction and yet it controls more decisions and actions than any other emotion. It can drive people to kill others or themselves, it can make the most assertive of people a mumbling wreck, it can destroy lives or rebuild them, it can start wars and it can end them and it is said that love is what makes the world go round.

But it is also the number one cause of pain in all its forms.

I ask is love worth all we seem to risk for it?

Can love ever truly live up to the ideals we place upon it?

My answer to both will always be yes." JA 2007


The End of the Affair or How Albus and Minerva became friends

By Morgana-Alex

Chapter 9

The morning found Albus pacing his study, the last thing he wanted was his deputy headmistress to resign. But it was so much more than that; he couldn't live with himself for hurting her and putting her in the situation where she felt she had no choice but to leave. He had no right to hope, no right to feel the way he did, but he knew that if she gave him another chance he would never let her down again.

He had to do something he couldn't let her leave without making sure he had done his best to make her stay. He set off to the great hall for breakfast hoping against hope that the fact he had yet to receive Minerva's letter of resignation meant he was in with a ghost of a chance.

Minerva sat at her desk quill in hand, parchment in front of her, inkpot poised waiting for her to dip her quill in to the dark pool of green. Last night had tried the limit of her patience and she knew that she should be able to write her resignation letter with ease, he had given her little choice and her only hope of regaining control of herself was to leave and to leave now. However, his letter had stirred so much hope in her heart, even if her trust in him had diminished to almost nothing.

Her choices were to stay or to go, and if she stayed did she welcome him back in to her arms or insist that they would only be friends. In short, should she follow the voice of her heart or the voice of her head? She shook said head, they had been here before!


Albus's face fell when he entered the great hall and his eyes fell upon the empty seat to the right of the headmaster's chair. Minerva was not at breakfast and by the lack of a place setting in front of said chair, he could deduce that she had informed the house elves that she would not be partaking in the morning meal. His plan was not going well.

The usually stoic witch slammed her quill down on to the desk; she had only written 'Dear Headmaster' and those two words had been on the crisp piece of parchment for over an hour. She needed some fresh air so she decided to take a walk in the grounds to clear her head.

The headmaster had pushed his breakfast –eggs and bacon - around his plate for close to 20 minutes before accepting that he was not in any mood to eat it. With the eyes of most of the staff and a number of students on him, he rose and headed for the grounds he needed some space to think.


Hogwarts' grounds were a joy to behold at this time of year, the sun shone as the leaves of its many trees rustled in the light early summer breeze. Flowers were in full bloom adding a variety of colours to the already heady mix bombarding the senses.
Birds sang and flew, calling to their mates, butterfly's circled the flowers and bees hummed while gathering pollen from one blossom and then on to the next.

Yet none of these things registered with Minerva, she did not notice the world around her as she walked to the kitchen gardens and took a seat on a bench facing east and away from the castle.

Albus watched a butterfly as it crossed his path, its wings beating in time with his heart. His walk from the great hall had taken him around to the east side of the castle, the sun was high in the sky befitting the summer morning. He stopped and bent down to admire the kitchen gardens, wanting to inhale the invigorating scent of the herbs that grew there; as he straightened up he caught a glimpse of emerald green out of place against the bark of an apple tree; time stopped as he dared to hope that the green was that of Minerva's teaching robes.


Minerva had heard his approach, her animagus senses allowing her to hear what others could not. An almost overwhelming sense of self preservation wanted her to change into said animagus and leave with all possible speed, but that was a cowards way out and besides she wanted to hear what Albus had to say this time, now he had finally told her the truth.

Albus for his part was pacing trying to figure out just how to approach her; what should he say? What should he do?

"Albus you do realise that I can hear you!" A short and to the point statement, almost toneless in its delivery and it stopped the headmaster dead.

Albus turned to face Minerva unsure of what welcome he would find in her countenance...

End Chapter


A/N: I know after all this time it is cruel of me to leave it there; however, I have written the next chapter of this fic and will post it as soon as I have typed it. Lol MA