Disclaimer: I do not own anything dealing with Harry and I do not think I shall anytime soon. Oh, but how I wish I could say that I do. That would be so awesomeness. I mean, wouldn't it?

A/N: I wish to say thank you so very much to all my reviewers who have encouraged me throughout this story, and stories much like it. I am so glad you guys like it and it makes me feel good to let me know that I am doing my job as an author. At least, I hope that I am doing my job as an author. And it also lets me know that I am on my way to doing what needs to be done. I'm glad I can offer temporary escape from the real world, even if it is only for a little while. I hope that I can continue to do as well as you guys say I've been doing. I mean, I really don't think I do much better than most others, but if you guys like me enough to want me to continue, than I shall, of course. Thank you so much. Now let's go get that rat who calls himself Jareth… I mean, ahem, Dameon. Hehehe! Read long and prosper.

Chapter Fourteen: Hell Hath No Fury…

Minerva stared at the wretched scene before her. It was impossible to tell who was more shocked: Minerva, Dameon, or the blonde floozy in his arms. There was a thick silence and Minerva was sure that her heart had stopped beating, though it was hard for her to tell. It was now broken all to pieces. Finally, she started breathing again and her heart, which she could now feel again, was beating loudly in her ears and her breathing became restricted.

"Minnie, dearest-," Dameon began as he got out of bed and headed towards her, naked. She held her hand out to keep him from coming too close to her.

"Don't you come near me, you… you… you son of a-!" Minerva could not continue as a sob clogged her throat. She couldn't speak, and she felt that she would soon suffocate if she stayed in there.

"Min, just stay calm," said Dameon, now thoroughly panicked.

"Stay calm? STAY CALM?" she yelled. "How can you tell me to just stay calm? You are the biggest snake which ever crawled on this earth and I hate you! Do you hear me? I hate you!" She hit his bare chest as she began to cry. He caught her by the wrists, held them both in one hand, and caught her chin so that she was now looking at him.

"Don't hit me, Min," he said through grit teeth. "You could regret that later. Remember that we will be married soon, and I'll be doing a lot of this. You'll just have to get used to it." Minerva immediately stopped crying when her anger overtook her.

"What!" she cried. She let out a bark of a laugh. "You still think I'm going to marry you? You are a foul, pathetic, disgusting, pitiful excuse for a human being and I regret every single day, every bloody, grueling moment I've spent with you."

"I would not say such things if I were you," he said under his breath. Minerva yanked her wrists away from his hands, but was angered even further when he grabbed her by her shoulders. She was vaguely aware of the blond moving about in the bed.

"Why? Are you afraid of the truth? Or are you really so bloody thick that you actually believe yourself to be some sort of saint that is being wronged?" There was a resounding smack as she felt the back of Dameon's right hand come across her right cheek. She now knew he was a creep, but she hadn't thought he was so violent. She felt as though her eye was going to explode, though she didn't let her fear show through as she looked back up at Dameon.

"I am not afraid of anything," he said through clenched teeth. "Not even your bloody fool of an employer, Albus Dumbledore."

"What does Albus have to do with anything?" she asked. She tried to twist out of his grasp, but she couldn't. He was too strong.

"Don't play the fool with me, Minerva," he said. "I know how you look at him. It's the same way he looks at you-with shameful want and desire. You want each other, which is sick. It's disgusting, Minerva, and it's perverted."

"The only thing around here that is perverted and disgusting is you!" She pulled her wand out of her robes, which she had been struggling to get out for the past minute or so, and called out a spell. A blue light emitted from it and Dameon flew back against the wall, his naked body falling to the ground. He hit his head hard against the wall and was knocked out. Minerva then turned on the woman, who had been attempting to get dressed. The light which came from the single lamp began to flicker dangerously and the woman, who was not yet fully dressed, stopped and looked at Minerva, frightened.

"Please," she pleaded, stepping back against the wall which the head of the bed was set. "Don't hurt me." Minerva could not believe the knickers on this woman. She slept with Dameon and didn't want to pay for it? "Please. I swear I did not know he was involved." The woman was now crying. "He told me he was single and was in Europe for only a couple of days. Please, do not hurt me." The woman continued to sob, and although Minerva could not condone with the fact that she jumped into bed with a man who would only be in town for a few days, she could not blame her if she did not know that he was involved. In fact, as far as Minerva knew, not many people knew. Slowly, she swallowed her pride and reigned in her anger.

"Very well," she said. "I will not hex you." With that, she left. She couldn't say anything else. She wouldn't. She knew that if she continued to speak, then she would say or even do something which might earn her a spot in Azkaban. She never looked at Dameon. Why would she? She no longer cared about him. He had broken her heart, and now she was left to pick up the pieces. But she would not shed a tear until she got to her room in Hogwarts. She had already lost her fiancé, her sense of self, and whatever ego she might have had in thinking that someone loved her. Did she really want to lose her pride in front of everyone in Hogsmeade as well? They didn't know what had happened. Why make a scene?

She sure needed a shoulder to cry on. And she knew exactly who to turn to.

Ooooooooooo

Malya came out of the London muggle camera shop. Her face was redder than a tomato. Albus raised an eyebrow at her.

"We'll, I have the developed pictures right here," she said. "Let's just say that I am never coming to this shop to get my pictures developed again." She shoved the pack of developed pictures into Albus' hands. "The man in there gave me a look like I was a pervert. I know that look because I used to give the same look to some of the girls I went to high school with." Albus chuckled.

"I promise you will never have to do something like this again," assured Albus. He set a hand upon her shoulder. "Malya, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You didn't have to do anything, but you did. I am in your debt." Malya shrugged.

"Just promise me that you will burn those pictures when you are done, and don't tell my cousin about what I did… or anyone, for that matter." They both laughed and bid each other goodbye. Malya smiled as she silently wished him luck on his mission. She sighed with satisfaction and looked around, muttering under her breath. "And now, to try and burn these memories from my mind." She saw a bookstore and smiled. That was exactly what she needed. There was no way she was going back to her bridal shop with those nasty images imprinted in her mind.

Ooooooooooo

Albus made his way slowly to his private quarters. Minerva wasn't in her rooms and no one else was in the castle, so he thought he would wait until she returned. There was no use running around Hogsmeade like a headless chicken trying to find her. She'd be back soon. She was sort of partial to dinner.

His pace slowed considerably as he thought of what he was planning on doing. Did he really want to subject Minerva to the pictures he now held in his hand? He hadn't even seen them himself because he feared what he was going to see. Did he really want to know what the pictures held? More importantly, did he really want Minerva to know what was in those pictures? And as he stepped up onto the stone staircase which would lead him to his office, he knew what he had to do. He had to destroy these pictures and just tell Minerva the truth… and hope that she believed him. If she didn't, then there was not much he could do or say without running the risk of losing the one and only woman he truly cared about. He shook his head, sighed, and slid the pictures into the pockets of his robes.

He stepped into his office and instantly noticed that something was amiss. He noticed that there was a fire in the fireplace, though now the embers dimmed low. There was a feeling of solemnity that had not been there when he had left earlier that day. He looked around and noticed a witch's hat in the chair that Minerva usually occupied when they were playing chess.

His heart skipped a beat. Minerva was here? His heart continued to beat faster and faster.

"Minerva?" he called. No answer. He furrowed his brow and headed for his bedroom to see if she had gone in there for whatever reason. He opened his door silently and instantly felt his heart ache at the sight he saw. There was Minerva, the greatest witch of their time, sitting in the middle of his bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, her head resting upon her knees. It was obvious that she was crying, and possibly had been for quite a while. He walked over to the side of the bed and saw her tense immediately when he set his hand upon her back.

"Minerva, whatever is the matter?" he asked. She looked up at him and he saw the tears within her eyes.

"Albus…" she whispered, her voice cracking as she said his name. Without another word, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his shoulders. He heard her choke on a sob as he sat down on the bed next to her and held her close. What could have happened?

"Oh, Tabby," he breathed as he rubbed his hands over her back and then rested his right hand on the back of her head. "Whatever happened, my dear?" Minerva didn't answer. She merely held to him close to her and continued to sob into his beard. Albus was at a loss at what to do. So, he decided to just hold her and comfort her until she was done crying. It was some time before she stopped crying, and even longer before she felt she was ready to talk to him.

"Albus," she breathed.

"Tell me what is wrong, Tabby," he said. She pulled back and wiped away her tears with her hands. Albus pulled out a pocket handkerchief and gave it to her. She took it and smiled at him, using it to wipe her nose. When she spoke, she kept her gaze locked upon her hands, which were now wringing the handkerchief.

"It's Dameon," she said. Albus tensed immediately.

"What did he do?" he asked. Minerva looked at him and narrowed her eyes.

"What makes you think he did anything?" she asked defensively. She didn't know why she was so defensive. Dameon wasn't worth it. But there was something in Albus' eyes that made her wonder what he knew.

"Well, I just know that you two have been having trouble lately, so I just assumed that there was something he might have done or said to have upset you so much. I know you, Minerva. You don't let things get to you easily, and it's been years since I've seen you cry." Minerva looked back at her hands and hesitated. How much should she tell him? She did not know. Well, he would find out eventually, she had no doubt of that. And he was her best friend. And oh, she did love him so very much.

She mentally slapped herself. She was just very vulnerable right now, so of course she would feel the need to be with Albus. He was a man and a very close friend of hers. It was only natural that she felt more attracted to him now than she had before.

"He cheated on me," she said. The reply came out so suddenly and so simply that it shocked Albus. Even though he already knew what a pig Dameon was, Albus had not expected Minerva to find out. At least, not so quickly. "I walked in on them in Hogsmeade. They were in the Hog's Head… in bed."

"Oh, Minerva," he said. "I am so sorry." He placed a hand upon her shoulder. Minerva shrugged.

"It gets worse," she said. She pulled out a diamond and held it in her hand. "I came home after I found them in bed and… and… I entered my rooms and…" She choked back a sob. "Albus, I'm so sorry, but-those beautiful robes you bought me were-destroyed." This time, she could not hold back the sob. "Torn to pieces." She fell against him and cried again.

Albus felt like he could kill Dameon. No, he wouldn't kill him. An immediate death was too good for that man. He should be placed in a cage with Fluffy as a chew toy and then placed under the torture curse.

"That bastard," he growled through gritted teeth. Minerva pulled back and wiped her tears with his handkerchief again.

"I suppose it should not surprise me so much. After all, it all makes sense now. He was gone a lot; he would postpone dinner dates, lunches, and picnics; he was often out of town on 'business,' or so he said. And…" She paused, as though she was not quite sure how she was going to phrase this next phrase.

"And what, Minerva?" asked Albus. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"And I'm not beautiful," Minerva finished. Albus' mouth fell open. He couldn't figure out how she could come to that conclusion. He gently placed his hand under her chin and forced her to look at him. There were new tears within her eyes and his heart quaked.

"First and foremost, Minerva, understand this." He spoke gently but firmly. "You are beautiful. You are more beautiful than any woman I've ever known in my entire life, and I've lived a long time. You are beautiful in every way: physically, spiritually, and mentally. To know you is to know beauty. Any man would be lucky to receive a second glance from you. He was foolish to disregard your love so quickly." Minerva smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you, Albus," she whispered. "You always know what to say." She pulled back.

"You're welcome, Minerva," he replied. He sighed. He would tell her now what he knew. He had to.

"Minerva, there is something I must tell you." Minerva looked at him, a brow quirked.

"Yes, Albus?" she asked. He took a deep breath and pulled something out of his pocket. It wasn't the pack of pictures. Minerva had suffered enough, and she shouldn't have to see Dameon's infidelity. Not again.

"Do you remember Malya Matthews from the bridal shop?" Minerva thought a minute.

"Yes, I do," she said. "Hermione's cousin, right?" Albus nodded.

"Well, she found this in the store. It's a year old, but I have no doubt, especially now, that it is true." He held out an old magazine. Minerva noticed that there was a page marked, so she went to that page. Her bottom lip trembled. "I'm sorry, Minerva. I wanted to tell you right away, but I-,"

"How long have you known about this, Albus?" she asked in a dangerously low voice. Albus' brows knit as he looked at Minerva.

"What was that?" he asked. She showed him the picture of Dameon, but refused to look at him, instead choosing a spot on the bed in front of her.

"I said how long have you known about this?" she asked again. Her hands were shaking slightly as she looked at him, green eyes staring into clear blue one. Albus looked at her, not sure what to say.

"I've known since this morning, Min," he said. "When I went into Hogsmeade. I went into a café and Malya came running up to me. She showed me this magazine and I nearly ripped it up to shreds. I wanted to tell-." He was cut off when Minerva stood and glared at him, the magazine still in her hand.

"You mean to tell me that you've known since this morning and you didn't come to tell me right away?" she shouted. Albus stood, too, leaving the bed between them.

"I wanted more proof," he said. He was growing more distressed with each passing second.

"I don't care, Albus! You should have come to me right away! We could have gotten to the bottom of this together!" She was waving her hands wildly, the pages of the magazine flopping all over the place.

"Would you really have listened to me?" asked Albus helplessly. He walked around the bed, as did she, and they met at the foot of the bed.

"Of course I would have!" she shouted at him. "But instead of doing what you should have done, you acted like a buffoon and waited. What if I had married him tomorrow? I would not have known and would have spent the rest of my life with that jerk!" She was now hitting him against the chest and crying. Albus didn't say anything. He only allowed her to vent out her fury. He hugged her tightly, not wanting to let her go.

"Shh, it's okay Minerva," he whispered.

"Let me GO!" she shouted, twisting out of his arms. Just as she did, something fell out of Albus' pocket. She looked down and Albus felt his heart crumble. He tried to pick them up before she did, but she beat him to it. She looked at them and gasped. As quick as she had looked at them she dropped them to the floor. They fell at her feet and she felt like she was going to lose her stomach. She looked at Albus.

"You disgust me!" she hissed. She threw the magazine into his hands. "Well, it looks like you've given me all the proof I need!" Without another word, she turned on her heel and ran out of his room, tears flying, leaving a shaken Albus Dumbledore in her wake!

A/N2: Okay, there you go. I'm so glad you guys made it this far. Please continue and leave me a little review. It would mean so much to me. Always Hopeful