A/N: I loved reading all of your comments after the last chapter. And, because I can sense the type of comments coming after this one, remember it takes place two months after the previous one. ;)
For the disclaimer, please see the prologue.
Chapter Thirty-Five: August 1946
"Minerva, could I please see you in my office for a moment before you leave?" Elphinstone asked Minerva one warm August afternoon as the workday was wrapping up.
"Of course, Elphinstone," Minerva nodded. "I will be in as soon as I finish this report."
"Take your time," he responded. "I'm ready whenever you are."
"Thank you!" Minerva called after him. She turned her head back to the report that she was filling out. There had been a series of disturbances near Manchester over the past fortnight: numerous Muggles had been found dead—all killed at random, with only one thing in common.
The cause of death was Avada Kedavra.
The Auror teams dispatched to survey the crime scenes had been unable to discover any evidence as to what was happening, or why. Slowly, the "desk Aurors"—those who had retired from active duty—were being drawn back into the field to try and help. Consequently, Minerva had been balancing administrative tasks with her research duties to support the team. It often resulted in more late nights than she liked, but she was one of the few team members that didn't have a family of her own, and she knew her colleagues appreciated her willingness to sacrifice her social life for them.
It wasn't like she had a social life anymore, anyway.
Given that Callum and Aidan were also Aurors, they were extremely busy with the investigation into the unsolved killings, as well. Ro had indeed made the Harpies quidditch team, making her practically unavailable for any sort of social gathering as their training season kicked into high gear. Minerva still went to Lucy and Callum's for their weekly dinners, and she saw her mother whenever she could, but without Albus, she no longer had anyone else that she cared to see. They had taken great care to minimize the effects of their bond, and they were largely successful. It was always in the background—almost like a sore arm that throbs every time it rains— but other than one week during which Albus had apparently been in a foul mood, it had been manageable. It often meant that Minerva had to keep control over her emotions, but if that's what it took to keep herself from running back to Albus, she would do it forever.
It was a sad thought to have at twenty, but such was life.
Quickly filing the report into the appropriate cabinet, Minerva smoothed down her skirt and knocked on Elphinstone's door. "Is it all right if I come in now?"
"Yes, yes, of course! Please, sit down." Elphinstone gestured to the chair in front of his desk and moved to shut the door behind her. "I can't thank you enough for all of the hard work you've been putting in lately. You know better than most just how stretched our resources are, and your overtime has been a real lifesaver."
"You're welcome, Elphinstone. It's my pleasure. I know that we're in somewhat of a crisis situation, and I have fewer demands on my time than most of our colleagues. Now," Minerva asked, "is that really what you called me in here to discuss?"
Her boss raised an eyebrow. "Why would you ask me that?"
"Well, it's just that you thanked me for working overtime in our meeting today," Minerva smiled. "So, what's this one-on-one really about?"
"Ah, yes, you've always been able to see right through me." Elphinstone ran his hand through his barely-there hair. "I have a question I would like to ask you, and I can only hope you don't see it as impertinent."
"Oh?" Minerva laughed, amused. "Go ahead, I'm listening."
"I was wondering if, perhaps, you would like to go out to dinner with me."
"To thank me for working overtime?" Minerva quirked a brow in jest, but her hands began to twist as she listened to his nervous tone.
"Er, no, that's not quite what I had in mind," Elphinstone apologized. "I was wondering if this could be a social outing. A romantic one, even."
Minerva felt a blush rising up her neck. She didn't know how to respond to that, so she stuck with what she knew: professional boundaries. "Elphinstone, is that even appropriate given that I report to you?"
"Well," Elphinstone blushed himself, "I received an offer to move higher up the bureaucratic food chain. You wouldn't be my direct report any longer; instead, you'd report to my replacement, who would in turn report to me. I would be responsible for overseeing all research and policy developments for the Aurors, not just research."
"Oh, I see." Minerva looked down. She wasn't quite sure how to handle this development. Elphinstone was undoubtedly a lovely person with whom to converse, but she didn't have any romantic feelings for him. But, given that he was her boss, Minerva didn't see a good way out of the situation.
She decided to do something very uncharacteristic, and lie.
"Elphinstone, I'm flattered, truly," Minerva began, "but you see, I already am in a relationship. I apologize if I've given you the wrong impression."
"Oh! No, you haven't, um...no, Minerva, you haven't." Her boss sighed and tapped his forehead in defeat. "I just thought it was worth a try. You're far too brilliant and wonderful a person to be alone, so even though it may not be my lucky day, I am happy that you have someone in your life to take care of you."
"Quite." Minerva swallowed hard, doing her best to keep all thoughts of Albus out of her mind. She didn't ache for him every day like she had during the initial days of their separation, but on occasions like this, the hurt hit her hard. "I am sorry, Elphinstone. I hope that this doesn't make anything awkward between us. I genuinely appreciate your friendship, and I hope I can still approach you with any work questions I may have."
"Of course. You are one of my best minds. There was a reason we wanted to snatch you up before you graduated." He smiled wryly. "Now, I think I've taken up enough of your evening, don't you? On a night when you finally get to leave on time, you should take advantage of it. Especially when it's a Friday. Enjoy your weekend."
Minerva recognized the dismissal for what it was. "Thank you. I'll see you on Monday. Have a good weekend, sir." She winced at the title that slipped off her tongue. "Do you want the door open, or...?"
"Close it, please, if you don't mind," Elphinstone answered. "Goodbye, Minerva."
She closed it behind her, wondering when she had acquired such a knack for handling uncomfortable situations.
That night, at their family dinner, Minerva told Callum and Lucy the story.
"You lied?" Lucy asked, aghast. "Min, that's so unlike you!"
"I know!" Minerva moaned, throwing her head against the back of the couch. "But what was I supposed to do? It was so awkward. What other reasonable answer could I have given him? He's my boss."
"Yeah, he is, and for that reason, I want to give him a piece of my mind," Callum growled. "In what world is that appropriate?"
"Now, dearest," Lucy placed a calming hand on her husband's forearm, "perhaps he thought that this new promotion would create enough professional separation between them."
"Yeah, but he's old, Luce! What's he doing, going after Minnie?"
"Well, not to cause any awkwardness, but I believe him to be only a few years older than Albus," Minerva responded slowly.
"Yes, but we knew Albus. I had just gotten used to having him around," Callum grumbled. Minerva winced, knowing how true that was. He and Lucy had not pushed Minerva to tell them why her relationship with Albus had suddenly screeched to a halt; instead, they accepted her explanation that she and Albus had been on diverging paths. Minerva had expressed her desire for everyone to still remain friends, and consequently, both Lucy and Callum still continued to see Albus on a semi-regular basis. "And," Callum added, "Albus didn't abuse his position of power over you. This is disgraceful."
"Do I need to invent another secret boyfriend now?" Minerva asked, rubbing her forehead. She didn't have any desire to listen to Callum disparage her boss. "At some point, Elphinstone will be expecting me to bring a date to Ministry functions, won't he?"
"Just tell him you've broken up with this beau of yours if he asks," Callum shrugged. "Seems pretty infallible to me."
"Cal, the next Ministry function is only two weeks away," Lucy pointed out. "Remember? It's the autumnal ball. I wanted to go with you, but you told me I had to stay home."
"Oh, right. I'm not changing my mind on that, by the way," Callum said firmly, and the two women exchanged glances. Lucy's pregnancy had proven to be rather difficult lately, and now that she was six months along, Callum was hovering. A lot. "Can't you just say you've broken up since you last spoke to him?"
"Please tell me you see how transparent that is." Minerva rolled her eyes.
"Seriously, how horrible would that look? That would make it look even more like this boyfriend doesn't exist. No, she needs to go with someone," Lucy remarked. "You don't want your boss to feel like you created a boyfriend to avoid going to dinner with him."
"Except that's exactly what I did," Minerva groaned.
"And you couldn't ask Albus?" Her brother's voice was quiet, but Albus' name echoed in Minerva's head for what seemed like hours.
"Callum!" Lucy snapped. "Don't be ridiculous."
"What? It's just a suggestion," he responded defensively.
"An asinine one." Minerva's voice was cold and detached. "Albus and I have not been alone together since we ended things. He didn't want anyone to find out that we were dating when we were actually dating; Albus would most certainly not want a senior Ministry official to think we're together when we aren't. Besides, that would require us acting like a couple, and I...I can't do that again." Her voice softened as she thought of the effects that dancing with Albus would have on their bond, and she was caught up in memories of learning to dance with him in his office.
"Minnie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so..."
"Obtuse," Lucy supplied. "Obtuse, uncaring, unfeeling, ridiculous—any of those adjectives work."
"It's all right, Cal. I get it." Minerva flashed a brief smile and shook her head, forcing the memories away. "But, for various reasons, Albus is not an option."
"What if you go with me?" Callum asked. At the inquiring looks tossed his way, he elaborated, "Well, we can always say Lucy was too pregnant to come, and you were nice enough to keep your brother company."
"That could work," Minerva commented. "That might just work."
"I knew I married you for a reason," Lucy laughed. "That might solve all of your problems!"
"It's definitely not a long-term solution, but it might work in the interim," Minerva agreed. "Besides, this whole situation has caused me to rethink some things. I think I want to re-enter the field now. The more I think about it, the more I shudder at the thought of seeing him around the office."
"Don't risk yourself to avoid Urquart!"
"Not only because of that, Cal," she chuckled. "I think a part of me was avoiding it because Albus didn't want me to take the risk—"
"And I agree with him on that!" Callum interrupted fiercely.
"I agreed too, to an extent. But now? Callum, we can both see the writing on the wall. I'll be asked to join the forces within the next few weeks, a month at most. There are clearly some dark forces wreaking havoc, and our team is not having any luck."
"Isn't that the truth?" Callum sighed. "Minnie, I have to warn you. This is worse than the war. I know that sounds callous and unbelievable, but it's true. At least with the war, we knew what and who we were fighting. There was a name and a reason behind its cause, no matter how horrible they were. Here, we have no idea what we're dealing with. We don't know the reason, we don't know if it's one person or one hundred, and that somehow makes it all hit that much harder."
"Do you think I'm incapable?"
"Not incapable, Minnie." Her brother shook his head. "I just worry you're rushing into this."
"Callum, I could be asked to go on a mission as early as Monday," Minerva pointed out. "I can handle myself."
Before Callum could become too protective, they heard a key turn in the lock on the front door. They all sat in silence until Aidan burst through the door, slumping down beside Minerva on the couch in an undignified heap.
"You all right, Aidan?" Minerva quirked an eyebrow. "I didn't think we'd be seeing you today."
"I thought you'd be at Scarlet's preparing for her birthday party." Lucy frowned as her maternal instincts took over. "Aidan, dear, are you okay?"
"She broke up with me," Aidan responded wearily. "Scarlet said she couldn't handle dating someone who was always on the field. She didn't like the constant uneasiness, never knowing if I was safe. Kind of like your mystery boyfriend, Min," he added.
Minerva grimaced. When her break-up with Albus was still new, Lucy had gently but rightly remarked that Aidan would need to be told that the relationship with the so-called mystery boyfriend had come to an end. Naturally, Aidan had asked why it had ended, and Minerva had told him that her boyfriend couldn't cope with the worry that escorted a significant other in the field.
It was one of the few truths she had been able to tell Aidan about her relationship with Albus.
"I'm sorry, Aidan," Minerva said, and she meant it. Scarlet was a nice girl, albeit slightly fiercer than Minerva had expected.
"It's just...we've been together a while, you know? I thought...never mind." Aidan hung his head low, and when he faced his friends again, his eyes were shiny with tears. "I guess I thought that she might be the one. And she's not."
"You're still young, mate. I know it hurts, but you'll find someone else," Callum chimed in.
"Easy for you to say," Aidan snorted. "You married your Hogwarts sweetheart right out of school!"
"Give or take a few years," Lucy murmured. "It wasn't right out of school."
Aidan fixed her with a glare. "You know what I mean."
"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" Minerva asked softly. Other than Charlotte's death, she had never seen Aidan genuinely distraught.
"Of course it is," Aidan huffed, hurt. "I do have feelings, Min. Is it that much of a surprise that, at some point, I might want to settle down? I want to get married and have kids, you know."
"I didn't know," Callum replied honestly. "I'm sorry, Aidan. We'll find you someone."
"Before the ball?" Aidan laughed humourlessly. "I had a bet with Fergus Fawley that I would get Scarlet to dance with me more often than his girlfriend Mildred would with him."
"That's an odd bet," Minerva commented mildly.
"Yeah, well, it was going to be the first ball where we both had dates," Aidan responded. His misery was evident. "Now I'm going to be the laughingstock of the department."
"Perhaps, perhaps not." Lucy had a mischievous grin on her face. "Min here needs a date."
"Lucy," Minerva warned. "What are you playing at?"
"I'm not playing at anything. You need a date to keep your boss off your back, and Aidan does not wish to be reminded of his solitude all evening. If you go together, you'll kill two birds with one stone."
"Am I missing something?" Aidan asked, his brow creased. "Why do we need to keep Elphinstone off your back?"
"Because he asked Minnie here out on a date," Callum answered.
"I'll kill him," Aidan said. "That's an abuse of power, that is."
"See?" Callum smirked, smug. "My reaction doesn't seem that out of line now, does it?"
"Anyway," Minerva intoned harshly, "I told him that I was in a relationship so that I would have a plausible reason for saying no—"
"And now you need a date for the dance!" Aidan finished. "Min, this is perfect! Of course we can go together!"
Minerva glared at him. "Have you forgotten the part where I can't dance?"
"I seem to remember that you couldn't dance with Michael. You danced perfectly well with me," Aidan shrugged. "Come on, please? Be my date."
She rose her eyebrow. "You do realize that I need to act like my date is my actual boyfriend? Elphinstone thinks I am in a legitimate relationship."
He had the audacity to roll his eyes at her. "And you understand that I have spent my entire life acting innocent when I wasn't in front of our professors, right? I'm sure we could put on a good show."
"Aidan...I don't know." Minerva glared at Lucy for speaking the idea into existence. "This seems like a terrible idea. We work together, we're friends...I don't want people getting the wrong idea."
"Remember when you asked me to go to the Slug Club Christmas party with you to help keep Riddle away from you? This is the same thing."
"It's hardly the same thing, Aidan. We were young, and that was a Hogwarts event. This is work, and we're old enough now that people would read into us dancing together all night."
Aidan looked at her oddly, considering. "What if it was a date?"
Minerva's heart stopped. "I beg your pardon?"
He shrugged. "What if it was? Might be worth trying."
"Aidan, I..." Minerva trailed off, waving her hand around aimlessly. To her horror, tears started streaming down her face. She whispered, "Please excuse me," and flew off the couch, down the hall, and out the door.
"Blimey," Aidan said wondrously. "I didn't think that would happen."
"Go after her, Aidan," Lucy warned. "Go, now."
He nodded and took off, running down the building's stairs and out to the main road. Minerva's silhouette was visible at a park bench across the street. Sighing, Aidan crossed the street and walked until he stood in front of her. "May I join you?"
"Yes, of course," Minerva sniffled. "I'm sorry, Aidan. I don't know what came over me."
"I do," he laughed. "You've had quite the day. Your boss hit on you, and then your best friend asked you out on a date."
"There is that," Minerva agreed, and she allowed a small smile to settle on her lips. "It was just...very unexpected, Aidan. I haven't thought about dating again; that wound seems too open still. And you quite literally just ended your relationship with Scarlet."
"That's true," Aidan said. "May I counter?"
"Of course."
"Yes, my relationship with Scarlet ended today. But can you honestly tell me you thought that would be it? My one relationship that would last until the end of time?"
"No," Minerva answered after a pause. "No, I can't."
"Me either." Aidan shook his head emphatically. "I honestly think I'm saddest about what that relationship represented. I know that I'm the crazy, prankster best friend, but I do eventually want to settle down, Min. I felt like I was getting close, and now I'm back at square one."
"I understand that, Aidan, truly, but I'm not sure that I am ready to try dating again."
"You're too special to be alone forever. I don't know what your ex did to make you feel like you have to walk on eggshells all the time, but you don't. Besides, if you're worried about getting back out there, I genuinely think that going on a date with me—in a no-pressure situation—might be the best way to ease into it."
Minerva looked down at her hands and thought about it. She wanted to be able to date again, free of Albus' ghosts. In all honesty, Elphinstone was not the first man from work to ask her on a date since she had split from Albus, and while initially the wound had been too fresh, the principal reason she continued to say no was her fear of how their bond would react.
"You may have a point," she admitted. "I can't insulate myself from the world forever." I have to feel something at some point, Minerva thought.
"So, what's one date? One date, and if it goes to hell, we can laugh about it for the rest of our lives. I truly don't think our friendship is at risk either way, Min, or I wouldn't have asked."
"And…why me?" Her voice was soft, but Aidan could hear the self-conscious undertone.
"Why not you, Min?" He shot her a look that was half-exasperated, half-loving. "We get along great, and you've known me for ages, and yet you still decide to hang around me. I love your family, and we spend all of our time together anyway...and even if you don't want me to say it, anyone would be lucky to have you. Perhaps it's time I try my luck."
"All right," Minerva answered slowly. "All right. I'll say yes. We'll give it one shot, but if it goes sideways, Aidan, we're never mentioning it again."
"Noted!" Aidan beamed. "Now, if we're going to do this properly, you are going to experience the full Aidan Scrimgeour dating experience."
"That sounds terrifying."
"I don't make a habit of terrifying women," Aidan said, pressing a hand to his chest dramatically. "First: you're going to pick out your dress, and then you'll tell Lucy, and she'll tell me so I can pick out a matching tie. Second: I will pick you up before we go so we can arrive together. Third: we'll have a smashing time."
"You take this quite seriously, don't you?" Minerva laughed. "All right, I think I can go along with all of that."
"Perfect! Now, shall we go back so your brother doesn't think you killed me?"
Aidan stood and offered his arm, which she accepted. "Wouldn't Callum be more likely to think that you killed me, Aidan?"
"Min, have you met yourself? You have a scary temper." Aidan grinned and pressed a quick peck to the top of her head, making her blush. "Come on, then. We can't have Iolanthe thinking her godparents are nutters."
"Lucy, I don't know what I was thinking, agreeing to this!" Minerva cried. "This was a terrible idea."
"No, it wasn't, and you know it," Lucy sighed. "Come over here so I can zip you in properly." Minerva relented and did so, allowing Lucy to finish getting her ready. "Now Min, I know you're stressed, but really, what's the worst that can happen? I think this is great."
"I'm attempting to fool my boss with a fake relationship with my best friend, and I don't even know that I feel comfortable going on a date," Minerva continued. "There are so many reasons not to do this."
"And there are a lot of reasons to do this," Lucy countered. "Remember at Hogwarts when I told you that you and Aidan could very well end up together? You two have good chemistry, Min. It's like your souls fit together perfectly, and it has always been like that."
Minerva didn't want to burst her sister-in-law's bubble by saying that her soul had already found its perfect match, so she kept quiet.
"And," Lucy continued, "I think you need to put yourself out there after Albus. If you don't want to date anyone, that's fine, but I think there's more to the story. I think you're scared of trying again. Am I wrong?"
"No, not particularly," Minerva whispered. "This just feels...weird. I mean, it's Aidan."
"It is," Lucy agreed. "So you should know that, at the very least, you'll have a night full of laughter."
"That is one of his redeeming qualities," Minerva laughed. "All right, do you think I'm ready?"
"I do." Lucy looked her over and nodded her approval. "I think you'll shock the hell out of him. If you're ready, I should probably head out of here before he arrives. You know, just in case he decides to snog your socks off once he sees you."
"Lucy!" Minerva yelped, scandalized. "Oh, be off with you!"
"I'm going," Lucy chuckled as she walked slowly over to the fireplace. "I can only walk so quickly, you know." She pinched some Floo powder between her fingers and tossed a look back at Minerva. "Callum and I expect a full report tomorrow."
"Good night, Lucy," Minerva responded, a smile teasing at her lips. "Give Iolanthe a kiss for me."
"Of course." Lucy winked and left, leaving a slight mist of Floo powder in her wake.
Minerva paced in Lucy's absence, not quite knowing what to do. Aidan had come over hundreds of times, but this time, for obvious reasons, was different. All too soon, she heard a knock on the door. Sighing, she opened it, and to her surprise, saw Aidan.
"It's a bit more romantic to knock on your door than to pop through the Floo for a first date, don't you think?" Aidan wiggled his eyebrows, and Minerva released a nervous laugh. "Here, these flowers are for you."
"Will they turn into birds on me?" Minerva asked, remembering a prank they had pulled on Valentine's Day in their fourth year.
"No. I promise," Aidan laughed, holding them out to her. "Here, take them. I know you don't normally like flowers, but I thought you might like these."
She raised an eyebrow at him and took the flowers. They were beautiful, a mix of red and gold flowers—the kind one could enchant to smell like whatever they chose. "These smell like a mix of ginger and cinnamon."
"That's what I picked out for you." Aidan blushed and bit his lip. "I know you like those ginger newts that Lucy and Callum send you every year, so I thought you might like the smell."
Minerva beamed. "That's very thoughtful of you, Aidan. Thank you."
"Of course. Um, Min?"
"Yes?"
"You look beautiful tonight."
"Thank you, Aidan." Minerva tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She suddenly felt nervous butterflies and did her best to quell them lest Albus was to feel them, too. "Shall we go?"
"Would you prefer to apparate or Floo?"
"Apparating makes me queasy lately." Minerva swallowed, not wanting to dwell any longer on Albus nor their bond. "Could we Floo?"
Aidan held out his arm, and she took it, laughing as he squeezed them both into the fireplace. They arrived and she instantly rid their clothes of the dust. They walked together to the ball and surveyed the scene.
"I know this is an official first date, but I also know that we have to convince Elphinstone that this has been going on for a while," Aidan murmured into her ear. "What exactly are you comfortable with?"
Minerva thought about it. "Dancing and hand holding are fine. Hugs are okay, but I'm limiting kisses to the cheek. Does that sound all right with you?"
"Min, whatever you're comfortable with is fine with me." Aidan took her hand. "Do you want to mingle, or do you want drinks first?"
"Let's mingle. I want to get the awkward part of the evening over first." He raised an eyebrow and she explained, "While we're not in the same unit, we do both work for the Aurors. This is bound to turn more than a few heads."
Aidan nodded, and she allowed him to lead her over to a group of colleagues. Minerva caught sight of Elphinstone and smiled tightly in his direction. She felt a trickle of sweat run down her spine in anticipation.
"Hello, Elphinstone," Minerva said as they reached her boss. "How is your evening so far?"
He looked at her, at Aidan, and then at their conjoined hands. "It is progressing fine, thank you. There are more people than I expected, but that's perhaps because last year most employees still didn't feel up to celebrating." Elphinstone paused briefly before extending his hand in Aidan's direction. "Mr. Scrimgeour. I see you're the lucky man accompanying Minerva tonight."
Aidan shook the other man's hand. "She has been nice enough to accompany me to various things for most of our lives," Aidan laughed. "We decided to make it official a while ago." He looked down at her and smiled.
"I'm happy for you both," Elphinstone replied sincerely. "There's nothing quite like being with your best friend, and I know you two have been friends for a long time."
"Since before our very first Hogwarts feast." Minerva locked eyes with Aidan and they shared a smile as their various pranks, talks, and laughs ran through her mind. "He is responsible for most of the humour in my life."
"And most of the grey hairs, surely," Aidan joked, earning a light smack from Minerva. "We should go get ourselves drinks so she doesn't have a free hand to use to do that again. Have a good night, sir." They walked towards the bar, and Aidan whispered lowly, "How was that?"
"Perfect. And trust me, you are definitely responsible for the grey hairs I will eventually sport."
"I must do something to earn my keep around here," Aidan chuckled. "Now, can we have some fun?"
"I thought we were getting a drink?"
"We can, but I just wanted a quick getaway from what could have rapidly dissolved into an awkward situation."
Minerva rolled her eyes, but before she could utter a word, Aidan had swept her onto the dance floor. "Aidan! What are you doing?"
"Dancing, Min. Come on, I know you can do better than that."
She quirked her eyebrow at the challenge and began to dance with him. To her surprise, the night passed quickly, full of laughter and dancing. For the first time in a long while, Minerva felt comfortable with herself again. It was as though she was stepping outside of her shadow, and she loved every second of it. Before she knew it, it was well past midnight, and Aidan had Flooed them back to her flat.
"So, McG," Aidan began once they were settled, "everything felt normal tonight?"
"So far, so good, Aidan," Minerva laughed. "This was a wonderful evening, and quite the first date. I was never bored."
"I should bloody well hope not," Aidan scoffed. "I've known you since we were eleven. If I didn't know how to entertain you by now, I'd have no business being here."
"Well, I suppose that's true." She shuffled awkwardly, not knowing quite what to do. "How does this night end?"
"If it were Minerva and Aidan, the friendly duo, then we would hug, you'd slap my arm, and we'd go our separate ways. If we were to keep up the charade that this is a date, then I would kiss you."
"Would you?" She half-hoped that he would and half-hoped that he wouldn't.
"I make a habit of kissing women on the first date. I like them to know what they'll be missing if they don't owl me back." His smile was so wide that she had to laugh. "What? What are you scared of? If you turn out to be a terrible kisser, we go back to being best friends. No harm done."
"Aidan," Minerva laughed again, indeed slapping his arm. "It's merely that we are both recently getting out of long-term relationships—you especially. I don't want to risk our friendship because of an ill-timed kiss."
"Would you stop being so McGonagall about this?"
"What on earth does that mean?"
"You're thinking too much, that's what." Before she could retort, Aidan wrapped her in his arms and kissed her. Slowly, Minerva allowed the tension in her body to relax. Her thoughts were running a marathon, wondering if Albus could feel the nervous butterflies, her happiness, or the slow bloom of arousal that enveloped her as Aidan's hands pressed his hands to her cheeks, gently drawing back.
"Bloody hell, Min. I was half expecting this to feel like kissing my sister, but that...that was something," Aidan whispered. His face fell as he absorbed her contemplative expression. "Oh...did you not—"
"Wait," Minerva murmured. She inhaled, and for the first time in two months, allowed herself to fully feel what she wanted to feel. "Do that again, will you?"
Aidan's face broke into the biggest grin she had ever seen as he did exactly what she asked.