Author's Note: As many will have read in my note two chapters ago, I started this fic seven years ago, when I was just starting my sophomore year in college. Since then, I have grown as a writer and a person (I hope) but more importantly, the HP canon has grown to include much more information about the past lives of our favorite characters than was available in 2004, before the last two books were released (for example, in Ch. 2 I had Minerva using her invisibility cloak, but now that we know how one-of-a-kind Harry's is, I changed it to a cloak that has been charmed to be invisible). Because of stuff like this I am going back and just making some minor alterations to the first few chapters in order to make them fit better with canon and where the story is now headed. I won't be changing anything major, so please don't feel obligated to go back and re-read, I just want to make the overall flow better for anyone who should be new to the story from this point on. I've replaced the first and second chapters already since yesterday. Thanks for reading, and thanks especially for the reviews! - AL
Chapter Twenty-Six:
"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."
- As You Like It
On Thursday, it was time for the two to return to Hogwarts. Minerva had not heard from her mother, though she did not really expect to. She hoped that the six weeks between their uncomfortable hotel room discussion and Christmas would ease the strain. Minerva also hoped that her mother had not mentioned her secret transgression to her older sisters.
Minerva and Albus apparated to Hogsmeade and walked the path back to school together. He held her hand until they reached the grounds of Hogwarts.
"Sorry m'dear," he said, placing a kiss on the back of her hand, "But it's is probably safest if we put a little distance between us until we're in private again. I do not fancy getting discovered twice in one week."
Minerva smiled. "That's fine, Professor."
"And, at some point, we really should discuss the possibility of you moving back into your old room."
Minerva scowled. "That's less fine, Professor."
"I know, Minerva, but you heard Armando. The staff is starting to talk. And if we are going to keep this a secret, a well-kept secret, we cannot give anyone any reason to suspect that anything is going on. Understand?"
She rolled her eyes. "Of course I understand. I just don't like it."
He sighed. "Neither do I."
"I'm looking forward to my upcoming lessons, though, Sir," she said after a few minutes of silence.
"Minerva, please don't call me sir," he requested with a grimace. "It makes me feel… old."
"Yes, Sir," she replied with a playful smile. In spite of himself, he grinned back.
"I look forward to teaching you. You have progressed so much faster in your Animagus training than I had anticipated, but no one needs to know that. You're here at Hogwarts as my protégée for a year, and we might as well use that time as wisely as we can. I plan to teach you stronger blocking spells, Occlumency, and a few key hexes and charms. I have no doubt you will be a quick learner."
"I wish I had taken Dueling class with Professor Viridian, but my schedule was so full, and as I plan to be an educator I honestly didn't think I'd need to know how to fight."
"Vindictus Viridian is a highly accomplished Dueling Master and teacher, and there is a lot that can be learned from him, though I'm afraid that particular class will be going by the wayside in the next year or two."
"Oh no!" Minerva stopped walking to face Albus, who was stroking his auburn beard with one hand. "Why?"
"Headmaster Dippet is pushing for it to stay, but the Ministry is not comfortable with students learning how to fight. Vindictus has been working on a book for quite some time, and once it is published I think he will be leaving the world of education to continue his new career as an author, and the Ministry has made it clear that they do not intend to replace him. They have suggested a well-regulated Dueling Club be put in place instead, for those students who are truly interested."
"How very unfortunate," Minerva said as they resumed walking.
"Indeed," agreed Albus. "Very."
The following evening Albus had a staff meeting, so Minerva decided to spend a little time with her friends Cicely and Poppy. She filled them in on the threatening note and her conversation with Albus.
"And that's why we have to keep it a secret," she concluded with a sorrowful sigh. Poppy nodded gravely, worried about the safety of her best friend, but Cicely was grinning.
"I love it!" the sixteen year old exclaimed as she pulled her long black and purple hair into a ponytail. "It's so romantic. A secret relationship, an evil lurking in the shadows, a promise to protect you at all costs. You could write a book about it. I'd certainly buy."
Poppy was clearly horrified. "Cicely! This isn't some work of fiction we're talking about here! This is Minerva's life! She could be in a lot of danger. What if somebody finds out about them?"
Cicely laughed, her dark eyes dancing in the dim light of their dorm. Thankfully the other seventh year girls were down in the common room, playing Exploding Snap with the boys, but just in case Minerva had placed a silencing charm around Poppy's four-poster's curtains. Poppy hugged her pillow to her chest and glanced at Minerva, who could see the worry written all over her best friend's face.
"Oh, don't be daft, Poppy. She's not really in danger. Dumbledore's the best wizard since Merlin! He'll protect her."
"Actually, he's going to help me protect myself." Minerva informed them. She stared down at her lap, tracing the pattern on her ornate red and gold robe, a gift from her father to her mother given before Minerva was born and inherited by her upon her Sorting into Gryffindor.
Cicely leaned forward conspiratorially. "What's he got in mind, eh? A bit of Dark Magic?"
"A bit," Minerva confirmed. "And more advanced blocking spells, and other things."
"He's a genius," said Cicely with a curious smile. "I bet he could teach you some fascinating spells and dangerous hexes."
"I told him the other night that he is the smartest man I know, and he countered that he's only smart enough to know what a fool he actually is. 'The more you know,' he told me, 'the more you realize how little you know.' How can I not love a man who says things like that?"
"It still kind of creeps me out to hear you talk of loving our professor," said Poppy with a small shudder. "I mean, I'm glad you're in love and all of that, but…"
"His vow to protect you is very romantic, but made even more so by his dedication to teaching you to do it yourself," interjected Cicely.
Minerva nodded. "I agree. It's like that old Muggle adage, 'give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime.'"
Cicely held back a grin. "So… what kinds of Dark Magic will Dumbledore be teaching you to fish with? Enlighten us."
"Sinistra!" snapped Poppy in a tone that greatly resembled that of her mother when in scolding mode. "Dark Magic isn't a game! It's not even allowed at Hogwarts! Even the Dueling class doesn't get to study it. There's a reason that all we learn is Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"And the logic behind that reasoning has always escaped me," countered Cicely. "How can we defend ourselves against something we aren't able to recognize? If we don't know what we're fighting off, how can we fight it? Oh, Minerva, maybe he'll get you some books from the Restricted Section. There are a couple I've been dying to peruse since third year, but as you both know, our darling Madam Pince kicked me out of there permanently when she discovered me practicing the Imperious Curse on a fly."
"I still can't believe you didn't get into more trouble for that," remarked Poppy, reaching up to touch the bruise on her arm that her mother's hands had left when the medi-witch tried to squeeze the truth of Minerva's whereabouts out of her young daughter.
"Can't you heal those damn finger marks already?" snapped Cicely, clearly annoyed. Poppy glared at her friend.
"Don't you think I would if I could? But I told you, mother charmed them to stick around awhile as a reminder of what happens to girls who lie."
Cicely's eyes flashed dangerously, causing a small nervous tug in the base of Minerva's stomach. "Well, I'm sorry your mum is hard on you, and I'm sorry you think I should have been expelled for simply trying out a bit of advanced magic…"
"It wasn't simply advanced magic, Cicely, it's Unforgivable!"
"It was a fly, for goodness sakes! A bloody fly! And it's not like I was making him hurt himself or anything! Just a fly, damn it! And I think I was sufficiently punished. Never allowed back in the Restricted Section, even with a Professor's permission, not allowed to attend the Halloween party that year, a month's detention with Kettleburn, outside in the cold, dark Forbidden Forest caring for magical creatures that I hate, and a letter home to my mother who promptly sent back a Howler for all the Great Hall to hear during breakfast! Seems like quite enough punishment for one small transgression. Damn it! I'm going for a walk!" Cicely turned around so fast that her ponytail actually smacked Poppy across the face. She pushed her way through the curtains around the bed and stomped off towards the common room.
"I hate it when she gets like that," whispered Poppy, forgetting that the silencing charm meant they would not be heard.
"I'm tired, Poppy," Minerva said softly. "I think I'm going to head to bed."
"It's eight-fifteen, Minerva!" Poppy replied exasperatedly.
"Still." Minerva hugged her friend in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "I'm very tired."
"Fine then," Poppy conceded. "You'd best be getting to bed. Good night, Minerva."
"Good night, Poppers. Oh, and I'm sorry about that bruise."
"Don't be sorry, McGonagall. What are friends for?"
An hour and a half later, Albus returned from the staff meeting to find Minerva sitting on the couch in his office, reading a book. He smiled when he noticed that her hair was down, as he loved running his fingers through her long, dark locks - and he especially loved the contented sighs that typically followed such an action.
"Any good?" he asked jovially, not bothering to say hello.
"I find it informative thus far," she answered with a small smile. "I borrowed it from your shelves. Hope you don't mind."
He slid in next to her on the couch, and she moved so that her back was leaning against his right side. His thin fingers reached out to turn the book so that he could read the cover.
"Ahh, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection by Quentin Trimble. Interesting choice."
"Well, as long as you are planning to teach me more than the standard curriculum, I figured I'd get started with a little light reading."
"If I may be so bold," he said, his voice low, "I believe I have already taught you several things that are not considered standard curriculum."
She turned her face to look at him. "Oh?" she asked, feigning innocence. "Such as?"
"If you have to ask, my dear Minerva, then perhaps I am not teaching you well enough at all."
"Educate me?" she asked, closing the book and letting it drop to the floor.
"With pleasure." He moved her body so that she was on his lap, straddling him. She leaned forward to kiss him, but before he could deepen the embrace she pulled away.
"You're not the only one who's taught me anything, Professor Dumbledore," she said in what she hoped was a seductive sounding voice. "I've also been reading a Muggle romance novel, and I think I've picked up a thing or two from it."
"Oh?" he inquired as moved her mouth to suck on his neck, just above where it met his shoulder blade.
"I haven't had the opportunity yet, though, to make an attempt at practical experience." She opened his robes and moved her lips down his bare chest.
"Indeed?" He shifted his weight as he could feel his excitement growing.
"Indeed," she whispered, moving her lips to the waistband of his pants. "Muggle trousers again today?" she asked. "Interesting choice."
"Sometimes I find them comfortable," he answered as he felt her undoing the button on his pants. He could feel himself straining against the cloth as he let out a low groan.
"Everything alright?" she asked him as she unzipped his fly.
"Everything… yes…" he answered huskily.
"Excellent," she replied just before taking him into her mouth. He moaned as she began to pleasure him in a way that he had not experienced in several years, and, quite frankly, had nearly forgotten how much he enjoyed. He slid his hand to the back of her head and ran his fingers through her long hair. She was clearly inexperienced in regards to the performance of fellatio, but he did not care in the least. He moaned again as she moved.
"Oh, Min…" he sighed, lost in the sensation. A few moments later, however, he realized that he ought to halt her actions if he wanted to last long enough to complete their coupling. "Come… come up here, Minerva. Look at me," he requested. She slid back up to his waist, again straddling him.
"Yes?" she asked, hoping that he was pleased with her efforts. He did not verbally answer her, but instead he vanished her red and gold robe and slid her skirt up above her waist. She began to unbutton her blouse and he gripped her thighs tightly. He slid his arms around her and gently guided her onto him, and himself inside her. She gasped barely audibly as they became one, and together they moved rhythmically for several minutes, alternating passionate kisses with wandering lips. He took one of her breasts into his mouth and she practically mewed with pleasure. Moments later she captured his mouth with hers as he exploded inside her. Their movements stilled, though he kept his arms wrapped firmly around her waist.
"I love you, Minerva," he whispered in her ear.
"I love you too, Albus," she whispered back.
"I'll never let anybody hurt you," he promised, intertwining their fingers and bringing the back of her hand up to his lips.
She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled. "I know, Albus. I trust you."
A/N - Vindictus Viridian is listed on the HP-Lexicon website as the author of Curses and Counter-curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying, and Much, Much More).The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection by Quentin Trimble also comes from the Lexicon. I try to use Canon-Friendly names and books whenever possible. Insert Smiley-Face Emoticon here. Thanks for reading! - AL