Out of the Clear Blue Sky
Chapter Sixteen - No Rest for the Weary
A/N: This chapter was actually written a couple months ago, so I would know where the heck I would be going with this fic. Anyway, Albus confronts his stalker, they duel, he wins, and He-With-the-Ridiculous-Name attacks Hogwarts. 'Nuff said? Good. Read. Now.
He stared at the woman in front of him in confusion. A witch? The person who'd been stalking him was a witch? "Why do you wish to defeat me?"
The violet eyes glittered with anger and hatred. "You killed my lover. When he took over the world, I was to be his queen! And you ruined it!"
It made sense now. She'd had a chance at power and he'd taken it away from her. He sighed. He should have known. "So what are you going to do to me? Kill me?"
She laughed mirthlessly. "Hardly. That would be too easy, Albus Dumbledore."
She pointed her wand at the chains binding him and they released him. He gazed at her warily, rubbing his wrists to get some feeling back into them. The moment he had entered the room, the chains had promptly ensnared his wrists. He was acutely aware of the unconscious form of his daughter nearby. "If you're not going to kill me, what are you going to do, then?"
"We're going to duel each other," she explained with a smirk, returning his wand to him. "Just as you and Grindelwald did over fifty years ago. Only, this time, you will lose."
Albus sighed, but he didn't have much of a choice. If he refused, he could lose his daughter. "Very well."
Both of them were accomplished duelists and put up a good fight. Both had something to fight for and that gave them the strength they needed when they faltered. However, Albus was far more experienced than Alexandra, having lived many more years than she had. This became obvious as the duel continued. Finally, fearing she would lose the duel, Alexandra shouted, "_Accio Tracey Cooper_!"
Albus watched, dumbfounded, as his still-unconscious daughter flew towards the witch. Alexandra wrapped an arm around the young woman, using her as a human shield. The young woman stirred, but didn't wake up. A look of malignant triumph was on Alexandra's face, distorting the beauty of it. "If you don't want your daughter dead, surrender to me."
The young woman in the witch's arms stirred slightly and the eyelids flickered. Albus lowered his wand, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I surrender, Alexandra. Just don't hurt my daughter."
"At last, victory is mine," Alexandra breathed, summoning Albus' wand to her.
A low growl attracted Albus' attention and he could only stare. Instead of holding his barely-conscious daughter hostage, Alexandra now had her arm wrapped around a fully conscious, majestic lioness. She was about a meter tall at the shoulder and a good one and a half meters in length. There was a hint of red undertones in her tawny fur as she twisted in the witch's grip, lips writhing in a rather nasty snarl. The lioness' blue eyes glanced over at Albus for barely a moment, but that was enough for Alexandra. There was a bang and the lioness gave a roar of pain, falling away from the witch.
Shaking her head as if to clear it, the lioness sprang at the witch. Alexandra tried to move away, but the tawny paws swiped at the witch, shredding the back of her robes and sending her tumbling. Before the witch could regain her feet, the lioness was on her, slowly crushing her windpipe with her jaws. "Tracey! No!"
The lioness jerked back from the now-unconscious woman with a half-growl, half-whimper. She picked up the wands that had fallen from Alexandra's hand with her teeth and returned to Albus' side. He took them and, after a moment's thought, cords flew from his wand to bind the witch. He finally breathed a sigh of relief when Alexandra was bound and gagged, sagging to his knees. He was worn out, the wounds he'd sustained in the course of the duel making their presence known. The lioness made a comforting sort of sound and nudged his arm with her nose.
He smiled and slowly stroked her soft fur. "Well done, Tracey. Well done." And he slumped to the floor, unconscious.
* * *
The two professors jumped when a roar echoed from the dungeons of the castle. "What's a lion doing in Britain?"
"No time to explain, Severus," Minerva replied, and then switched to her Animagus form.
Swearing under his breath, Severus took off after her as the sleek tabby dashed down corridor after corridor. It was all he could do to keep her in sight, until they reached the dungeons. He finally caught up to her outside one of the doors. She was back in her human form. "Minerva, _what_ was that all about?"
"Hush, Severus," she hissed, studying the heavy wooden door closely.
He peered through the barred window over her shoulder and sucked in a sharp breath. "There's a lion in there."
"Don't be ridiculous," she shot back, examining the lock on the door. "That's not a lion." He breathed a sigh of relief. "It's a lioness."
He stared as she began prodding the lock with her wand. "You're not really thinking of going in there, are you?"
She paused and glared up at him, dark green eyes fierce. "Albus is in there, too, Severus."
He looked through the window again and spotted the headmaster lying on the stone floor at the lioness' paws, blood on his robes and matted in his silver hair and beard. "Are you sure he's alive?"
She gave a sort of half-sob and turned back to the lock. "He has to be. He can't possibly be dead."
The lock finally gave and the door swung open with a creak of heavy steel hinges. Unsure of the deputy headmistress' sanity, he followed her into the cell. The lioness' ears pricked up at the sight of Minerva and lowered slightly when Severus came into view.
Minerva approached the lioness cautiously. "Miss Cooper?" The tawny head bobbed once. "Is he alive?" Another bob. "Can you change back?" This time, a shake of the head. "Have you tried?" The head bobbed again.
The whole time, Minerva had been slowly approaching the lioness and now laid her hand on the tawny head. Both pairs of eyes closed in concentration. When they opened, Tracey Cooper, looking a little worse for wear, was crouched at Minerva's feet, wearing little more than a nightgown. She spat out a mouthful of blood. "Thanks, Professor."
"You're welcome, Miss Cooper." Minerva pulled off her green over robe and handed it to Tracey before turning her attention to Albus. "What happened to him?"
Tracey silently pointed across the room. A tall, handsome woman with flowing golden-brown hair lay unconscious, magically bound and gagged. What caught Severus' attention was the half-lacerated throat. He glanced back at Tracey. The young woman was looking rather pale. He turned his back on the unconscious woman and walked over to where Minerva knelt at the headmaster's side, checking for a pulse. "How is he?"
Minerva's face was worried when she looked up at him. "We need to get him to Poppy, and quickly."
He nodded. Tracey left and rummaged in the pockets of the unconscious woman's robes. She returned with a familiar necklace. "It's a portkey. We just need to say the words and we'll return to Hogwarts." Severus and Minerva stared at the young woman. She was dangerously close to fainting. She gave a sigh of exasperation. "She planned on killing Father and I, then returning to Hogwarts with our bodies. We managed to stop her, but Father's not going to last much longer. May we please get going?"
"What about her?" Severus asked, indicating the unconscious woman. "Shouldn't she be brought along?"
"I don't have my wand, Professor," Tracey replied, pushing her matted hair out of her face, "and I'm too weak to use any wandless magic. You or Professor McGonagall will have to take care of her."
Severus nodded and waved his wand at the woman. "_Mobilicorpus_." The woman's body floated off the ground and over to where the three of them were gathered around the unconscious headmaster.
Once all of them were touching either the necklace or someone who _was_, Tracey spoke. "_Domus dulcis domus._"
* * *
When Albus Dumbledore woke up, he was lying in a bed in the faculty ward of the hospital wing at Hogwarts. One of the first things he noticed was that his right hand was being held. Even without looking, he knew who was holding his hand. He'd held hers often enough over the years. Turning his head on the pillow, he smiled when he saw Minerva McGonagall sitting in a chair beside the bed, fast asleep. She was wearing her customary emerald green robes, but her hair was pulled back into a braid instead of a bun. Albus thought she looked beautiful.
Happy to see her again, he squeezed her hand. Her head snapped up and it was a moment before her dark green eyes focused on him. "Good morning, Albus."
"Good morning, Minerva." he smiled at her as she squeezed his hand. "I take it you managed to get Tracey and I out of that castle alive?"
She gave him stern look, not releasing his hand. "Yes, Miss Cooper is alive and well, as is the woman who wanted you dead."
He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Her name is Alexandra Heinsdorf. She was Grindelwald's lover and would have been his queen if he had succeeded. She wanted revenge."
Minerva nodded. "Well, aside from a lacerated throat, deep scratches on her back, and some minor damage left over from a duel, she's fine."
"Where is she?" Albus asked, absently running his thumb along the back of Minerva's hand.
"Sedated and treated in an isolated ward," Minerva told him. He didn't notice the catch in her voice.
"What about Tracey?" He had a good idea as to why she hadn't changed back from her Animagus form.
Minerva sighed. "She suffered from dehydration and sustained an injury to her rib cage, but she'll be fine." She caught the concerned look in his eyes. "I helped her change back, Albus. It was her first transformation and she wasn't strong enough to change back on her own."
He nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought as much. I didn't know she was working on the transformation, though."
A faint blush appeared in her cheeks. "She decided she ought to try it because of all that had been happening this year. One of her strengths _is_ Transfiguration, after all."
He nodded again. "Yes." He looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm assuming you've been helping her?"
Minerva smiled a little sheepishly and nodded. "Yes. She was going to try whether I helped her or not, so I figured I might as well help her."
He smiled and squeezed her hand again. "I'm glad you did, Minerva."
She held his gaze for a few moments before looking away, her blush deepening. "I'm glad you're going to recover, Albus. Hogwarts wouldn't be the same without you."
He studied his deputy for a long moment. "I could say the same about you, my dear." Her cheeks were now bright red and she withdrew her hand from his grasp to twist it with the other in her lap. "Minerva? Is there something you wish to tell me?"
She nodded, but didn't say anything for several moments. Finally, she took a deep breath and looked up at him. "Albus, when you told me about fans of the books in the universe Tracey came from writing stories pairing the two of us together last summer, it unsettled me greatly, as you had probably guessed." He nodded, not quite sure of where she was going. "Well, you deserve to know why." She paused and took several deep breaths, as if gathering her courage. "I've never been very good at expressing my feelings, but I don't want to lose you without telling you this at least." She took another deep breath. "I love you, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. I don't expect you to return it, but I wanted you to know."
She stood up to leave, but he managed to catch her hand and tugged her down to sit beside him on the bed. "My dear, I've been waiting to hear those words from you for years."
She stared at him in surprise; her cheeks were still red, but not necessarily from embarrassment. "You have?"
He nodded, raising a hand to caress her cheek. She leaned into the caress. He was almost certain he heard a trilling sound coming from her throat. "Yes, because I love you, Minerva Renee McGonagall."
When he would have pulled her to him for a kiss, she resisted, bracing herself with her hands on either side of his shoulders. "What about Sandra? You must have felt _something_ for her."
"My dear, Sandra is no longer a part of my life except through Tracey," he told her quietly, raising his other hand to caress her face. "You, on the other hand, are most definitely a part of my life." He stroked his thumbs along her cheekbones. "A very large part."
She didn't resist when he pulled her to him for a sweet and long-overdue kiss. It was every bit as wonderful and intoxicating as he thought it would be. For the duration of that kiss, they were the only two people in the universe and Albus never wanted it to end. Unfortunately, they needed to breathe and Minerva was the one to end the kiss. She raised her head only centimeters from his, and they stared into each other's eyes, seeing the love each had for the other reflected in the bright blue and deep green depths.
"It's about bloody time."
Tracey's voice startled both of them and, within seconds, a sleek silver tabby had streaked out the door of the faculty ward. His lips still tingling from the kiss, Albus turned his head to see Tracey propped up on one elbow in the next bed over, a broad smile on her face. "Hello, Tracey. It's nice to see you awake and human."
She grinned. "Hello, Father." She got up and plopped herself down in the chair by his bed. "I would imagine you have plenty of questions."
Albus chuckled. "I seem to recall saying that to Mr. Potter before."
Tracey stared at him for a moment, thinking. Suddenly her eyes widened and she laughed. "I suppose you did." Once she was able to control herself, she spoke again, "Well, _do_ you have any questions?"
He nodded and shifted to sit up in the bed. Tracey waved her wand and a few more pillows appeared behind him. "Thank you, Tracey."
"You're welcome, Father," she smiled and tucked her wand into the pocket of her robe. "Now, questions."
"Yes, questions." Albus thought for a few moments. "First of all, how are _you_ feeling?"
"I'm feeling fine, Father." She grinned impishly. "Especially after witnessing that kiss."
He shook his head and studied her for a moment. "Seeing Minerva and I interact this past year didn't change your opinion, did it?"
"Nope," she answered cheerfully. "If anything, it enforced the opinion."
He raised an eyebrow. "Indeed?"
She grinned. "Indeed, Father. You and Professor McGongall have no idea the sparks you give off when you're around each other. I'm amazed it took you two so long to admit to it."
"I _am_ eighty years older than her, Tracey," Albus pointed out. "That's a rather sizeable barrier to overcome."
Tracey shrugged. "Love doesn't ask your name or age, Father, it just is."
Albus sighed and decided a change in subject was in order. "What happened after I fell unconscious?"
Tracey toyed with the aquamarine pendant she was wearing. "Well, I tried changing back, but I couldn't, so I decided to attract attention the only way I could as a lioness: I roared."
Albus chuckled. "I would imagine whoever came to rescue us was startled to hear a roar."
Tracey's grin returned. "Yes, Professor Snape was a little hesitant to come in when he and Professor McGonagall arrived at our cell."
Albus touched her knee. "You _can_ call them by their first names, you know."
She shook her head. "I don't feel comfortable calling them Severus and Minerva just yet, although I wouldn't mind calling Professor McGonagall 'Mother'."
Another chuckle. "Understood, Tracey. Please continue."
Her smile faded. "The first thing Professor McGonagall did was confirm that I was the lioness she saw." She shook her head and sighed, running a hand through her hair. "The look on her face when she asked if you were alive was just heart-breaking, Father. There was both fear and hope there. It was as if she wanted to hope you were alive, but didn't want to get her hopes up." Albus sighed. "After she helped me change back, we managed to return here."
"How?" Albus asked, puzzled.
Tracey held up her necklace. "Alexandra had turned this into a portkey that could be activated by speaking certain words. I knew which words she intended to use, so that's how we got here."
"Where at Hogwarts did you end up?" Albus asked, a little puzzled.
"I would imagine she intended to make a dramatic entrance," Tracey replied with a shrug. "We landed in the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall got Poppy through the fireplaces and she took you and Alexandra up to the hospital wing on a couple floating stretchers." A wry smile appeared. "About halfway here, I passed out. Between the two of them, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape got me up here. I woke up at some point last night to hear Professor McGonagall saying 'Amora Primus.'"
She paused, studying her father's face. Albus considered what she had said. Realization slowly dawned. "First Love."
She grinned, delighted. "I _knew_ you would know if the spell existed."
Albus nodded absently. "How did Minerva know of it?"
The grin turned decidedly sheepish. "Through me."
He raised an eyebrow. "And where did _you_ hear about it?"
She cleared her throat. "Um, a fan writer in the future actually wrote, uh, will write a story about that exact spell. When I got here, I did some research in the library and found it. Professor McGonagall happened by while I was doing the research and I told her about the spell."
Albus shook his head in bemusement. "You're saying she invoked 'Amora Primus' to save my life?"
Tracey nodded. "Yeah. I think it's great."
He smiled. "You would, too."
Her grin was unrepentant. "Of course! It's me!"
Albus chuckled.
* * *
Poppy was not surprised to find Minerva perched on a window ledge in the North Tower fifteen minutes later, gazing out over the grounds. "Minerva, you can't keep running away from him."
Minerva glanced over her shoulder at her friend, and then back out over the grounds. "I didn't run from Albus, Poppy. I told him of my feelings and he returns them."
"Then why are you here and not with him?" Poppy asked, raising an eyebrow.
The emerald-clad shoulders rose and fell as she sighed. "Tracey."
Poppy frowned. "What about her?"
Minerva turned to face her friend. "Do I really have the right to love him, Poppy? Would Tracey be happy with her father loving a woman who isn't her mother?"
Poppy gave an exasperated sigh. "Minerva, you're blind in more ways than one."
Minerva stared at Poppy, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"She has never given any indication that she's against you and Albus being together," Poppy informed Minerva patiently. "Quite the opposite, in fact, and I firmly believe that she sees you as her mother in this universe."
"Her mother," Minerva murmured, turning to look out the window once more. "Albus once said that Tracey loves me like a mother and I confess that she's the daughter I never had, but can I truly be the mother she needs, Poppy?"
Poppy laid a hand on Minerva's shoulder. "You already are, Min. She's already a grown woman. She just needs an older woman to lean on when she can't lean on her father."
Minerva nodded absently, her eyes focused on the grounds of Hogwarts once more. Movement caught her attention and she looked more closely. When she recognized the movement for what it was, she muttered a curse under her breath. "He doesn't give up."
"Minerva?" Poppy was concerned. The transfiguration professor rarely cursed, asserting that it only demonstrated a limited vocabulary. "What is it?"
She pointed at the gates of the school. "What do you see, Poppy?"
The mediwitch looked and cursed herself. "What should we do?"
"Albus is hardly strong enough to do anything at this point," Minerva murmured, thinking out loud. "Do you think our pact will do any good?"
"Only as a stopgap measure, Minerva," Poppy warned. "Until we can come up with something better."
Minerva nodded. "Go get Sylvia and 'Mara. I'll meet you in the entrance hall."
They left the North Tower together, but split up at the bottom of the stairs. Poppy headed for Xiomara's rooms and Minerva headed for the hospital wing.
* * *
"Minerva, I'll be needed," Albus objected when she had explained her plan to him and Tracey.
"No, Albus." She shook her head firmly. "You're still weak from your battle with Alexandra. We can handle this."
"Please, Father?" Tracey added, standing at Minerva's shoulder. "Trust us?"
He looked from one to the other. He loved both of them so very much. Tracey because she was his daughter and Minerva because she was, well, Minerva. He sighed. "Very well. Just try not to get yourselves killed."
Minerva smiled and brushed his hair back from his forehead. "I have no intention of getting myself killed, Albus."
Tracey politely looked away as the two shared one last kiss, neither holding back. When Minerva finally pulled away, a burst of flames lit up the room for a moment. "Fawkes, hello." The phoenix trilled an arpeggio of notes that encouraged all three of them. "My friend, we need reinforcements."
The phoenix trilled again and disappeared in another burst of flames. "Come, Tracey."
"Yes, Professor." The two witches left the hospital wing. Sighing, Albus settled back against his pillows.
* * *
Minerva explained her plan to the assembled staff members, studiously undisturbed by the lioness sitting at her side. Upon first sight of the lioness, several staff members had panicked, but Minerva's calm prevented the panic from spreading. She finished outlining her plan and met each staff member's eyes. "Are we all clear?" There was a murmur of assent. "Very well, let's go."
They trooped outside to the front steps of the castle. While Minerva, Poppy, Xiomara, and Sylvia remained on the top step, directly in front of the oak front doors, the others spread out in a semi-circle in front of the four women. Severus had objected to Poppy and Xiomara's part in the protection of the castle, pointing out that it would make more sense for the Heads of the four Houses to do it, but Minerva had explained that the spell they were going to use could only be invoked by the four witches. Severus had grudgingly conceded her point and vowed to protect the casters of the spell to the best of his ability.
As he took up his position on the stone steps, he snuck a glance back at the four women. Xiomara glanced around at him and, for a brief moment, yellow eyes met black and held. Minerva tapped the shorter witch's shoulder and Xiomara reluctantly broke the eye contact. Sighing, Severus withdrew his wand from inside his robes and turned his back to the front doors, looking down the winding drive at the gates. He could see the mass of black that signaled the approach of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. He had felt the Dark Mark burn, but had refused to heed the call. He would pay for it later, he knew. The lioness sat at the center of the semi-circle, growling softly as narrowed blue eyes watched the approach of their enemies. Professors Sinistra and Vector, who stood on either side of her, shifted uneasily at the sound.
In front of the oak doors, Minerva held up a gold and ruby pendant and touched the tip of her wand to it, crying out, "From my corner, I bring to the circle the gifts of Godric Gryffindor: leadership and bravery. I am the Lion: call on me in times of peril and I will bring aid, for I command the animals and they follow. I, Minerva Renee McGonagall, pledge my body, my soul, my heart, and my talents to you." The lioness at the center of the semicircle yowled as a tawny glow enveloped her.
Beside Minerva, Poppy raised a bronze and sapphire pendant into the air and touched the tip of her wand to it, calling, "From my corner, I bring to the circle the gifts of Rowena Ravenclaw: knowledge and learning. I am the Eagle: find shelter under my wings in times of danger for I shall not let any harm come to those in my care. I, Poppy Imogene Pomfrey, pledge my body, my soul, my heart, and my talents to you." The screech of an eagle announced the appearance of a great bronze-colored eagle as it landed on the grass beside the lioness, who was now almost twice her previous size.
Sylvia was the next to shout, an obsidian and topaz pendant clasped in the plump fist she raised into the air, touching her wand tip to it, "From my corner, I bring to the circle the gifts of Helga Hufflepuff: perseverance and loyalty. I am the Badger: find light within my bower in times of darkness, for I am a beacon to the lost and weary. I, Sylvia Pomona Sprout, pledge my body, my soul, my heart, and my talents to you." A loud 'nikinikiniki' preceded the appearance of a large black badger beside the eagle, who occasionally fluttered her wings, as if longing to take flight.
Xiomara was the last to hold her hand up to the sky, a silver and emerald pendant in her hand as she touched her wand tip to it and almost screamed, "From my corner, I bring to the circle the gifts of Salazar Slytherin: cunning and ambition. I am the Serpent: find protection behind me in times of trouble, for I will strike down your enemies for you. I, Xiomara Rolanda Hooch, pledge my body, my soul, my heart, and my talents to you." A loud hiss broadcast the appearance of a huge dark green serpent beside the badger, who was growling deep in her throat as Voldemort and the Death Eaters drew closer.
Together, the four women shouted, "In this time of peril, we call upon our pact to protect Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy! _Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus!_"
With a roar, screech, bark, and hiss, the lioness, eagle, badger, and serpent charged forward and a shimmering purple barrier followed as they raced forward to confront Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
A/N2: At this point in time Tracey and Albus are the only ones who know that Tracey actually comes from the future. 'Domus dulcis domus' is Latin for 'Home sweet home.' Oh, the AD/MM fluff is dedicated to all the shippers out there who have waded through fifteen chapters to read it.
Chapter Sixteen - No Rest for the Weary
A/N: This chapter was actually written a couple months ago, so I would know where the heck I would be going with this fic. Anyway, Albus confronts his stalker, they duel, he wins, and He-With-the-Ridiculous-Name attacks Hogwarts. 'Nuff said? Good. Read. Now.
He stared at the woman in front of him in confusion. A witch? The person who'd been stalking him was a witch? "Why do you wish to defeat me?"
The violet eyes glittered with anger and hatred. "You killed my lover. When he took over the world, I was to be his queen! And you ruined it!"
It made sense now. She'd had a chance at power and he'd taken it away from her. He sighed. He should have known. "So what are you going to do to me? Kill me?"
She laughed mirthlessly. "Hardly. That would be too easy, Albus Dumbledore."
She pointed her wand at the chains binding him and they released him. He gazed at her warily, rubbing his wrists to get some feeling back into them. The moment he had entered the room, the chains had promptly ensnared his wrists. He was acutely aware of the unconscious form of his daughter nearby. "If you're not going to kill me, what are you going to do, then?"
"We're going to duel each other," she explained with a smirk, returning his wand to him. "Just as you and Grindelwald did over fifty years ago. Only, this time, you will lose."
Albus sighed, but he didn't have much of a choice. If he refused, he could lose his daughter. "Very well."
Both of them were accomplished duelists and put up a good fight. Both had something to fight for and that gave them the strength they needed when they faltered. However, Albus was far more experienced than Alexandra, having lived many more years than she had. This became obvious as the duel continued. Finally, fearing she would lose the duel, Alexandra shouted, "_Accio Tracey Cooper_!"
Albus watched, dumbfounded, as his still-unconscious daughter flew towards the witch. Alexandra wrapped an arm around the young woman, using her as a human shield. The young woman stirred, but didn't wake up. A look of malignant triumph was on Alexandra's face, distorting the beauty of it. "If you don't want your daughter dead, surrender to me."
The young woman in the witch's arms stirred slightly and the eyelids flickered. Albus lowered his wand, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I surrender, Alexandra. Just don't hurt my daughter."
"At last, victory is mine," Alexandra breathed, summoning Albus' wand to her.
A low growl attracted Albus' attention and he could only stare. Instead of holding his barely-conscious daughter hostage, Alexandra now had her arm wrapped around a fully conscious, majestic lioness. She was about a meter tall at the shoulder and a good one and a half meters in length. There was a hint of red undertones in her tawny fur as she twisted in the witch's grip, lips writhing in a rather nasty snarl. The lioness' blue eyes glanced over at Albus for barely a moment, but that was enough for Alexandra. There was a bang and the lioness gave a roar of pain, falling away from the witch.
Shaking her head as if to clear it, the lioness sprang at the witch. Alexandra tried to move away, but the tawny paws swiped at the witch, shredding the back of her robes and sending her tumbling. Before the witch could regain her feet, the lioness was on her, slowly crushing her windpipe with her jaws. "Tracey! No!"
The lioness jerked back from the now-unconscious woman with a half-growl, half-whimper. She picked up the wands that had fallen from Alexandra's hand with her teeth and returned to Albus' side. He took them and, after a moment's thought, cords flew from his wand to bind the witch. He finally breathed a sigh of relief when Alexandra was bound and gagged, sagging to his knees. He was worn out, the wounds he'd sustained in the course of the duel making their presence known. The lioness made a comforting sort of sound and nudged his arm with her nose.
He smiled and slowly stroked her soft fur. "Well done, Tracey. Well done." And he slumped to the floor, unconscious.
* * *
The two professors jumped when a roar echoed from the dungeons of the castle. "What's a lion doing in Britain?"
"No time to explain, Severus," Minerva replied, and then switched to her Animagus form.
Swearing under his breath, Severus took off after her as the sleek tabby dashed down corridor after corridor. It was all he could do to keep her in sight, until they reached the dungeons. He finally caught up to her outside one of the doors. She was back in her human form. "Minerva, _what_ was that all about?"
"Hush, Severus," she hissed, studying the heavy wooden door closely.
He peered through the barred window over her shoulder and sucked in a sharp breath. "There's a lion in there."
"Don't be ridiculous," she shot back, examining the lock on the door. "That's not a lion." He breathed a sigh of relief. "It's a lioness."
He stared as she began prodding the lock with her wand. "You're not really thinking of going in there, are you?"
She paused and glared up at him, dark green eyes fierce. "Albus is in there, too, Severus."
He looked through the window again and spotted the headmaster lying on the stone floor at the lioness' paws, blood on his robes and matted in his silver hair and beard. "Are you sure he's alive?"
She gave a sort of half-sob and turned back to the lock. "He has to be. He can't possibly be dead."
The lock finally gave and the door swung open with a creak of heavy steel hinges. Unsure of the deputy headmistress' sanity, he followed her into the cell. The lioness' ears pricked up at the sight of Minerva and lowered slightly when Severus came into view.
Minerva approached the lioness cautiously. "Miss Cooper?" The tawny head bobbed once. "Is he alive?" Another bob. "Can you change back?" This time, a shake of the head. "Have you tried?" The head bobbed again.
The whole time, Minerva had been slowly approaching the lioness and now laid her hand on the tawny head. Both pairs of eyes closed in concentration. When they opened, Tracey Cooper, looking a little worse for wear, was crouched at Minerva's feet, wearing little more than a nightgown. She spat out a mouthful of blood. "Thanks, Professor."
"You're welcome, Miss Cooper." Minerva pulled off her green over robe and handed it to Tracey before turning her attention to Albus. "What happened to him?"
Tracey silently pointed across the room. A tall, handsome woman with flowing golden-brown hair lay unconscious, magically bound and gagged. What caught Severus' attention was the half-lacerated throat. He glanced back at Tracey. The young woman was looking rather pale. He turned his back on the unconscious woman and walked over to where Minerva knelt at the headmaster's side, checking for a pulse. "How is he?"
Minerva's face was worried when she looked up at him. "We need to get him to Poppy, and quickly."
He nodded. Tracey left and rummaged in the pockets of the unconscious woman's robes. She returned with a familiar necklace. "It's a portkey. We just need to say the words and we'll return to Hogwarts." Severus and Minerva stared at the young woman. She was dangerously close to fainting. She gave a sigh of exasperation. "She planned on killing Father and I, then returning to Hogwarts with our bodies. We managed to stop her, but Father's not going to last much longer. May we please get going?"
"What about her?" Severus asked, indicating the unconscious woman. "Shouldn't she be brought along?"
"I don't have my wand, Professor," Tracey replied, pushing her matted hair out of her face, "and I'm too weak to use any wandless magic. You or Professor McGonagall will have to take care of her."
Severus nodded and waved his wand at the woman. "_Mobilicorpus_." The woman's body floated off the ground and over to where the three of them were gathered around the unconscious headmaster.
Once all of them were touching either the necklace or someone who _was_, Tracey spoke. "_Domus dulcis domus._"
* * *
When Albus Dumbledore woke up, he was lying in a bed in the faculty ward of the hospital wing at Hogwarts. One of the first things he noticed was that his right hand was being held. Even without looking, he knew who was holding his hand. He'd held hers often enough over the years. Turning his head on the pillow, he smiled when he saw Minerva McGonagall sitting in a chair beside the bed, fast asleep. She was wearing her customary emerald green robes, but her hair was pulled back into a braid instead of a bun. Albus thought she looked beautiful.
Happy to see her again, he squeezed her hand. Her head snapped up and it was a moment before her dark green eyes focused on him. "Good morning, Albus."
"Good morning, Minerva." he smiled at her as she squeezed his hand. "I take it you managed to get Tracey and I out of that castle alive?"
She gave him stern look, not releasing his hand. "Yes, Miss Cooper is alive and well, as is the woman who wanted you dead."
He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Her name is Alexandra Heinsdorf. She was Grindelwald's lover and would have been his queen if he had succeeded. She wanted revenge."
Minerva nodded. "Well, aside from a lacerated throat, deep scratches on her back, and some minor damage left over from a duel, she's fine."
"Where is she?" Albus asked, absently running his thumb along the back of Minerva's hand.
"Sedated and treated in an isolated ward," Minerva told him. He didn't notice the catch in her voice.
"What about Tracey?" He had a good idea as to why she hadn't changed back from her Animagus form.
Minerva sighed. "She suffered from dehydration and sustained an injury to her rib cage, but she'll be fine." She caught the concerned look in his eyes. "I helped her change back, Albus. It was her first transformation and she wasn't strong enough to change back on her own."
He nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought as much. I didn't know she was working on the transformation, though."
A faint blush appeared in her cheeks. "She decided she ought to try it because of all that had been happening this year. One of her strengths _is_ Transfiguration, after all."
He nodded again. "Yes." He looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm assuming you've been helping her?"
Minerva smiled a little sheepishly and nodded. "Yes. She was going to try whether I helped her or not, so I figured I might as well help her."
He smiled and squeezed her hand again. "I'm glad you did, Minerva."
She held his gaze for a few moments before looking away, her blush deepening. "I'm glad you're going to recover, Albus. Hogwarts wouldn't be the same without you."
He studied his deputy for a long moment. "I could say the same about you, my dear." Her cheeks were now bright red and she withdrew her hand from his grasp to twist it with the other in her lap. "Minerva? Is there something you wish to tell me?"
She nodded, but didn't say anything for several moments. Finally, she took a deep breath and looked up at him. "Albus, when you told me about fans of the books in the universe Tracey came from writing stories pairing the two of us together last summer, it unsettled me greatly, as you had probably guessed." He nodded, not quite sure of where she was going. "Well, you deserve to know why." She paused and took several deep breaths, as if gathering her courage. "I've never been very good at expressing my feelings, but I don't want to lose you without telling you this at least." She took another deep breath. "I love you, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. I don't expect you to return it, but I wanted you to know."
She stood up to leave, but he managed to catch her hand and tugged her down to sit beside him on the bed. "My dear, I've been waiting to hear those words from you for years."
She stared at him in surprise; her cheeks were still red, but not necessarily from embarrassment. "You have?"
He nodded, raising a hand to caress her cheek. She leaned into the caress. He was almost certain he heard a trilling sound coming from her throat. "Yes, because I love you, Minerva Renee McGonagall."
When he would have pulled her to him for a kiss, she resisted, bracing herself with her hands on either side of his shoulders. "What about Sandra? You must have felt _something_ for her."
"My dear, Sandra is no longer a part of my life except through Tracey," he told her quietly, raising his other hand to caress her face. "You, on the other hand, are most definitely a part of my life." He stroked his thumbs along her cheekbones. "A very large part."
She didn't resist when he pulled her to him for a sweet and long-overdue kiss. It was every bit as wonderful and intoxicating as he thought it would be. For the duration of that kiss, they were the only two people in the universe and Albus never wanted it to end. Unfortunately, they needed to breathe and Minerva was the one to end the kiss. She raised her head only centimeters from his, and they stared into each other's eyes, seeing the love each had for the other reflected in the bright blue and deep green depths.
"It's about bloody time."
Tracey's voice startled both of them and, within seconds, a sleek silver tabby had streaked out the door of the faculty ward. His lips still tingling from the kiss, Albus turned his head to see Tracey propped up on one elbow in the next bed over, a broad smile on her face. "Hello, Tracey. It's nice to see you awake and human."
She grinned. "Hello, Father." She got up and plopped herself down in the chair by his bed. "I would imagine you have plenty of questions."
Albus chuckled. "I seem to recall saying that to Mr. Potter before."
Tracey stared at him for a moment, thinking. Suddenly her eyes widened and she laughed. "I suppose you did." Once she was able to control herself, she spoke again, "Well, _do_ you have any questions?"
He nodded and shifted to sit up in the bed. Tracey waved her wand and a few more pillows appeared behind him. "Thank you, Tracey."
"You're welcome, Father," she smiled and tucked her wand into the pocket of her robe. "Now, questions."
"Yes, questions." Albus thought for a few moments. "First of all, how are _you_ feeling?"
"I'm feeling fine, Father." She grinned impishly. "Especially after witnessing that kiss."
He shook his head and studied her for a moment. "Seeing Minerva and I interact this past year didn't change your opinion, did it?"
"Nope," she answered cheerfully. "If anything, it enforced the opinion."
He raised an eyebrow. "Indeed?"
She grinned. "Indeed, Father. You and Professor McGongall have no idea the sparks you give off when you're around each other. I'm amazed it took you two so long to admit to it."
"I _am_ eighty years older than her, Tracey," Albus pointed out. "That's a rather sizeable barrier to overcome."
Tracey shrugged. "Love doesn't ask your name or age, Father, it just is."
Albus sighed and decided a change in subject was in order. "What happened after I fell unconscious?"
Tracey toyed with the aquamarine pendant she was wearing. "Well, I tried changing back, but I couldn't, so I decided to attract attention the only way I could as a lioness: I roared."
Albus chuckled. "I would imagine whoever came to rescue us was startled to hear a roar."
Tracey's grin returned. "Yes, Professor Snape was a little hesitant to come in when he and Professor McGonagall arrived at our cell."
Albus touched her knee. "You _can_ call them by their first names, you know."
She shook her head. "I don't feel comfortable calling them Severus and Minerva just yet, although I wouldn't mind calling Professor McGonagall 'Mother'."
Another chuckle. "Understood, Tracey. Please continue."
Her smile faded. "The first thing Professor McGonagall did was confirm that I was the lioness she saw." She shook her head and sighed, running a hand through her hair. "The look on her face when she asked if you were alive was just heart-breaking, Father. There was both fear and hope there. It was as if she wanted to hope you were alive, but didn't want to get her hopes up." Albus sighed. "After she helped me change back, we managed to return here."
"How?" Albus asked, puzzled.
Tracey held up her necklace. "Alexandra had turned this into a portkey that could be activated by speaking certain words. I knew which words she intended to use, so that's how we got here."
"Where at Hogwarts did you end up?" Albus asked, a little puzzled.
"I would imagine she intended to make a dramatic entrance," Tracey replied with a shrug. "We landed in the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall got Poppy through the fireplaces and she took you and Alexandra up to the hospital wing on a couple floating stretchers." A wry smile appeared. "About halfway here, I passed out. Between the two of them, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape got me up here. I woke up at some point last night to hear Professor McGonagall saying 'Amora Primus.'"
She paused, studying her father's face. Albus considered what she had said. Realization slowly dawned. "First Love."
She grinned, delighted. "I _knew_ you would know if the spell existed."
Albus nodded absently. "How did Minerva know of it?"
The grin turned decidedly sheepish. "Through me."
He raised an eyebrow. "And where did _you_ hear about it?"
She cleared her throat. "Um, a fan writer in the future actually wrote, uh, will write a story about that exact spell. When I got here, I did some research in the library and found it. Professor McGonagall happened by while I was doing the research and I told her about the spell."
Albus shook his head in bemusement. "You're saying she invoked 'Amora Primus' to save my life?"
Tracey nodded. "Yeah. I think it's great."
He smiled. "You would, too."
Her grin was unrepentant. "Of course! It's me!"
Albus chuckled.
* * *
Poppy was not surprised to find Minerva perched on a window ledge in the North Tower fifteen minutes later, gazing out over the grounds. "Minerva, you can't keep running away from him."
Minerva glanced over her shoulder at her friend, and then back out over the grounds. "I didn't run from Albus, Poppy. I told him of my feelings and he returns them."
"Then why are you here and not with him?" Poppy asked, raising an eyebrow.
The emerald-clad shoulders rose and fell as she sighed. "Tracey."
Poppy frowned. "What about her?"
Minerva turned to face her friend. "Do I really have the right to love him, Poppy? Would Tracey be happy with her father loving a woman who isn't her mother?"
Poppy gave an exasperated sigh. "Minerva, you're blind in more ways than one."
Minerva stared at Poppy, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"She has never given any indication that she's against you and Albus being together," Poppy informed Minerva patiently. "Quite the opposite, in fact, and I firmly believe that she sees you as her mother in this universe."
"Her mother," Minerva murmured, turning to look out the window once more. "Albus once said that Tracey loves me like a mother and I confess that she's the daughter I never had, but can I truly be the mother she needs, Poppy?"
Poppy laid a hand on Minerva's shoulder. "You already are, Min. She's already a grown woman. She just needs an older woman to lean on when she can't lean on her father."
Minerva nodded absently, her eyes focused on the grounds of Hogwarts once more. Movement caught her attention and she looked more closely. When she recognized the movement for what it was, she muttered a curse under her breath. "He doesn't give up."
"Minerva?" Poppy was concerned. The transfiguration professor rarely cursed, asserting that it only demonstrated a limited vocabulary. "What is it?"
She pointed at the gates of the school. "What do you see, Poppy?"
The mediwitch looked and cursed herself. "What should we do?"
"Albus is hardly strong enough to do anything at this point," Minerva murmured, thinking out loud. "Do you think our pact will do any good?"
"Only as a stopgap measure, Minerva," Poppy warned. "Until we can come up with something better."
Minerva nodded. "Go get Sylvia and 'Mara. I'll meet you in the entrance hall."
They left the North Tower together, but split up at the bottom of the stairs. Poppy headed for Xiomara's rooms and Minerva headed for the hospital wing.
* * *
"Minerva, I'll be needed," Albus objected when she had explained her plan to him and Tracey.
"No, Albus." She shook her head firmly. "You're still weak from your battle with Alexandra. We can handle this."
"Please, Father?" Tracey added, standing at Minerva's shoulder. "Trust us?"
He looked from one to the other. He loved both of them so very much. Tracey because she was his daughter and Minerva because she was, well, Minerva. He sighed. "Very well. Just try not to get yourselves killed."
Minerva smiled and brushed his hair back from his forehead. "I have no intention of getting myself killed, Albus."
Tracey politely looked away as the two shared one last kiss, neither holding back. When Minerva finally pulled away, a burst of flames lit up the room for a moment. "Fawkes, hello." The phoenix trilled an arpeggio of notes that encouraged all three of them. "My friend, we need reinforcements."
The phoenix trilled again and disappeared in another burst of flames. "Come, Tracey."
"Yes, Professor." The two witches left the hospital wing. Sighing, Albus settled back against his pillows.
* * *
Minerva explained her plan to the assembled staff members, studiously undisturbed by the lioness sitting at her side. Upon first sight of the lioness, several staff members had panicked, but Minerva's calm prevented the panic from spreading. She finished outlining her plan and met each staff member's eyes. "Are we all clear?" There was a murmur of assent. "Very well, let's go."
They trooped outside to the front steps of the castle. While Minerva, Poppy, Xiomara, and Sylvia remained on the top step, directly in front of the oak front doors, the others spread out in a semi-circle in front of the four women. Severus had objected to Poppy and Xiomara's part in the protection of the castle, pointing out that it would make more sense for the Heads of the four Houses to do it, but Minerva had explained that the spell they were going to use could only be invoked by the four witches. Severus had grudgingly conceded her point and vowed to protect the casters of the spell to the best of his ability.
As he took up his position on the stone steps, he snuck a glance back at the four women. Xiomara glanced around at him and, for a brief moment, yellow eyes met black and held. Minerva tapped the shorter witch's shoulder and Xiomara reluctantly broke the eye contact. Sighing, Severus withdrew his wand from inside his robes and turned his back to the front doors, looking down the winding drive at the gates. He could see the mass of black that signaled the approach of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. He had felt the Dark Mark burn, but had refused to heed the call. He would pay for it later, he knew. The lioness sat at the center of the semi-circle, growling softly as narrowed blue eyes watched the approach of their enemies. Professors Sinistra and Vector, who stood on either side of her, shifted uneasily at the sound.
In front of the oak doors, Minerva held up a gold and ruby pendant and touched the tip of her wand to it, crying out, "From my corner, I bring to the circle the gifts of Godric Gryffindor: leadership and bravery. I am the Lion: call on me in times of peril and I will bring aid, for I command the animals and they follow. I, Minerva Renee McGonagall, pledge my body, my soul, my heart, and my talents to you." The lioness at the center of the semicircle yowled as a tawny glow enveloped her.
Beside Minerva, Poppy raised a bronze and sapphire pendant into the air and touched the tip of her wand to it, calling, "From my corner, I bring to the circle the gifts of Rowena Ravenclaw: knowledge and learning. I am the Eagle: find shelter under my wings in times of danger for I shall not let any harm come to those in my care. I, Poppy Imogene Pomfrey, pledge my body, my soul, my heart, and my talents to you." The screech of an eagle announced the appearance of a great bronze-colored eagle as it landed on the grass beside the lioness, who was now almost twice her previous size.
Sylvia was the next to shout, an obsidian and topaz pendant clasped in the plump fist she raised into the air, touching her wand tip to it, "From my corner, I bring to the circle the gifts of Helga Hufflepuff: perseverance and loyalty. I am the Badger: find light within my bower in times of darkness, for I am a beacon to the lost and weary. I, Sylvia Pomona Sprout, pledge my body, my soul, my heart, and my talents to you." A loud 'nikinikiniki' preceded the appearance of a large black badger beside the eagle, who occasionally fluttered her wings, as if longing to take flight.
Xiomara was the last to hold her hand up to the sky, a silver and emerald pendant in her hand as she touched her wand tip to it and almost screamed, "From my corner, I bring to the circle the gifts of Salazar Slytherin: cunning and ambition. I am the Serpent: find protection behind me in times of trouble, for I will strike down your enemies for you. I, Xiomara Rolanda Hooch, pledge my body, my soul, my heart, and my talents to you." A loud hiss broadcast the appearance of a huge dark green serpent beside the badger, who was growling deep in her throat as Voldemort and the Death Eaters drew closer.
Together, the four women shouted, "In this time of peril, we call upon our pact to protect Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy! _Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus!_"
With a roar, screech, bark, and hiss, the lioness, eagle, badger, and serpent charged forward and a shimmering purple barrier followed as they raced forward to confront Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
A/N2: At this point in time Tracey and Albus are the only ones who know that Tracey actually comes from the future. 'Domus dulcis domus' is Latin for 'Home sweet home.' Oh, the AD/MM fluff is dedicated to all the shippers out there who have waded through fifteen chapters to read it.