"You know, Artimus is acting strangely." Albus commented. It waslater that evening andAlbus finally freed himself from his father.

Minerva paused; she did not want to tell Albus what had happened. "How so?" she softly said.

"I don't know, agitated, not here, not there, lost in some other world. Did something happen earlier today?"

He looked her in the eye and she felt loyal to him and knew he should know. "You have to promise not to get angry or over react."

He gave her a funny look. "Why?"

"Just promise."

"Alright I promise. Now what happened?"

"It's actually rather small and I'm not sure how long he wanted to."

"He wanted to do what?"

"Albus he kissed me."

Albus seemed to stop. Everything his thoughts and he even dropped his book. "W-What?"

"He kissed me."

"Why?" She could see the anger rising in him.

"I don't know."

She saw him pick up the book with force and seemed like he was going to throw it. Instead his face calmed and he put the book down. "Did you enjoy it?"

The question hit her hard and felt like a bee sting. She felt him staring into her as she looked to the floor. Out of all the shock she had not thought of how she felt. And as she stood there she knew she did like it.

"Min, I want the truth."

She looked up into his eyes. "Yes, but he was not you."

"What the hell does that mean?" He said keeping his temper down, though she heard his voice shake.

Then out of her own fear she gained bravery. "It means no matter how much like you it felt it was not you! And I would never think for one second about having an affair behind your back!" This seemed to calm him down but then she gained her anger. "And how dare you accuse me of such things! So what if I enjoyed it? I am not yours, we are not married! I am free to see who ever I like."

He was silent and remorseful, but she continued. "Just because we had one night together you feel you can kiss me and have me? What if I decide you are not who I want to be with?" The words had slipped from her mouth andshe had not meant it.

"Then you should be with him." He said in a very hurt voice. She saw him hold back the pain as he moved to the door. She couldn't let it end like this, so she stepped in front of him. "Please," he whispered. "Don't do this to me. My heart can't take it."

"I am not finished." He looked as though he was going to burst into tears. "Albus, I do not know your brother, nor will I try. You are who I want to be with. I liked that kiss because I felt so alone these past weeks that I would have accepted anyone's touch.

He swallowed and she grabbed him and kissed him, until she felt him start to cry. His wet tears hit her cheeks as she pulled away. "I love you too." He whispered.

"Then don't leave me again." She whispered back.

He put his arms around her and took her to bed. He laid there with her in his arms and peace was between them again. Hours later she fell asleep. But unlike the night before it was not a peaceful sleep.

She was back in the dark dungeon and she was lying in the bed where Poppy was. She was frightened but couldn't move. Minerva looked for help, but only saw herself hanging in the chains. A cold shadow came on her. He forced his way into her and kissed her with distant poison. She tried to fight but was held still with a knife and a hard hand. The shadow had red eyes and they bored into her with fire. Finally she screamed, waking from her nightmare.

She looked around in the semi-lit room for Albus, he was gone. She found a note in his handwriting on the table. It contained the simple explanation that he could not ignore his job any longer and needed to return to Hogwarts. He will be back for her at the end of the week.

Sadly she put the note in her pocket and dressed herself for the day. Nothing extremely important happened during the week. She did her best to be helpful, but was always turned down. She was able to talk to everyone and enjoy her stay, but there were two people she never saw. Artimus and the Merlin. As luck would have it on Friday morning she found Artimus on his cliff.

"Artimus?"

He turned to her. "Hello."

"So you are going to pretend like nothing happened and ignore me?"

"I haven't been ignoring you, my father just needed my help this week and nothing did happen."

"So, that kiss was nothing?" he smiled and then burst out laughing. "That's not funny! Albus almost had your head!"

"I'm sure he did."

"Care to explain, then?"

"Explain what?" he said in a playful tone.

"Why you kissed me!"

"I had to be sure there was no more dragons poison."

She raised an eyebrow. "You can not be serious?"

"Oh, but I am…" His face then dropped. "I also had to see something else."

"And what was that?"

"Nothing."

That was the last straw for Minerva. "If it concerns me I should know!"

He looked directly in her eyes. "Yes you should, but Autumn doesn't think you should know right now." Minerva looked away in disappointment and rolled her eyes. "But, I disagree." She smiled.

He paused a moment collecting his thoughts as she knelt beside him. "First I must explain the kiss, I know this is going to sound weird, but if I kiss someone I know exactly what's going on in their body, health wise."

"That is weird."

"Yes, well I haven't quite developed that power so it has to be a kiss, or I could have licked your ear."

"Well, I'm glad you chose the kiss."

"Yeah me too, earwax tastes gross." Minerva laughed. "My father can touch someone and he knows."

"Wow."

He nodded. "Anyway, Autumn thought that the dragons poison might affect you and, or your children. So I found out that the cure Albus gave you saved all three of you there, but…"

"But, what?"

"Albus didn't realize that dragon's blood with outsome dragons milk has side affects, until later when you were captured. He brought you to Autumn who came to one conclusion."

"What's that?"

"You children might have problems." She felt her heart stop and the blood drained from her face. "Nothing that will affect their health I don't think, but power wise they might be squibs."

"Do you know for a fact?"

"No, which means we will find out when they are born, but there is an opposite affect."

Minerva looked at him. "Which is?"

"They might not be able to control their power. It might be so great that they will have no control what so ever." Minerva looked down again. "Or you know they could be unaffected, that's a possibility too. Then there isthat curse."

"Curse?"

"Voldemort felt it his pleasure to curse you." Minerva remebered him etching something in her back."Fortunate for us it wasn't a strong one, but it could turn things for the worse."

"Great, this has been all I wanted to hear."

"You asked."

"I know and I thank you for telling me... Does Albus know?"

"Yes, I told him this morning and he agreed that you should know."

"I understand now why you were so moody after. I thought…"

"You thought I was angry because I was in love with you and couldn't have you. Well, if you don't mind that thought had crossed my mind at one point back in…"

She looked away again. Rememberingback when they were both alone and prisoners. "Did you ever have a love?" she asked

He smiled softly. Yes, she was a Christian muggle, but that was long ago."

"If you please what happened?"

He sobered and looked across the lake. "She found out I was a druid priest and a wizard. I was going to ask her to marry me, if she accepted my way. She did not and she cursed me, calling me a heathen pagan."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too, for it turned out she was pregnant. I stayed in the mists and watched my son grow up not knowing me." Minerva was even sorrier for asking.

"I'm so sorry, I should not have asked."

"Of course you should have. We are family and you should know." She smiled.

Suddenly she wanted to know how old he was or even if she had ever met his son. "How old are you?"

He smiled mischievously. "Eighty-five"

"I kissed an eighty-year-old. That's like kissing my grandfather!"

"I suppose, but Albus is almost fifty one, isn't that like kissing your father?"

"Ewe! Don't say things like that." He laughed and then she laughed too.

"So your son did he have any power?"

"Oh yes, but he didn't get to go to Hogwarts, his mother wouldn't allow it. So, He thought himself a demon for having such power."

"So what happened to him?"

"Well as far as I know when he was sixteen a priest told him that his power came from their God, not their Devil. So he went in search for others like him, and I haven't seen him since. Not even when I gaze through water."

"Do you think he found other wizards?"

"Perhaps, but he definitely knew how to hide himself, didn't he?"

She nodded and then looked at her watch. "OhGoddess, its noon, would you like to eat lunch with me?"

"It would be a pleasure."