"Albus Dumbledore, I love you." declared Minerva for what probably was the 100th time, two hours later. The man who was sitting on the grass next to her smiled and sweetly kissed the top of her nose.

"I really start to believe it, my love. Am I now supposed to say again that I love you too, or is that another cliché?"

Minerva chuckled as she snuggled her head closer to his chest.

"I think I quite like clichés…" was her somewhat muffled answer.

Albus sighed happily as he laid his arms once more around her. This was happiness in its purest form, he was sure of that… They were sitting- lying- half-sitting… whatever… on a quickly conjured blanket on the grass. Behind a rose bush… Another cliché? Oh, to hell with clichés, the Headmaster thought as he stroked his Deputy's hairs. He felt like a school boy who had finally dared to ask the girl of his dreams out for a date. And if that girl-of-his-dreams now appeared to be Minerva McGonagall, formidable and respected Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts… did it matter? No. No, it did not at all.

For she was wonderful. He could not describe her- what he felt went beyond plain words- but perhaps that was the closest he could get.

Wonderful.

And suddenly, the idea came…

With a last peck on her lips, he stood up and smiled.

"Wait here, my dear. I think there is something I need to do…"

Without any further explanations, he left her, but the twinkles in his eyes assured Minerva that it would really not take long. With a contented sigh, Minerva leant back and folded her arms behind her head. She supposed it was cold outside, but she did not feel it. She felt warmth- that was what she felt!- and the velvety blue sky high above suddenly seemed so close… Heaven. Just bloody plain heaven…

Yet, she did wonder what Albus wanted to do so urgently… But after all, why? He, as Headmaster, had probably responsibilities of which even his Deputy knew nothing… but hey… She suddenly sat up straight. And what about her responsibilities? She- and Albus!- had been away from the ball for two bloody hours! For two bloody hours! And people must have noticed it- well of course they must have noticed it! She didn't feel sorry, because her absence from the ball had lead to a few of the most wonderful moments of her entire life, but…

But just as she decided to stand up and return to the feast, the Headmaster suddenly reappeared and, with another kiss on her cheek, took her hand.

"Let us go back inside, my love. People may have missed us."

And Minerva wanted to tell him things, she wanted to ask him how to behave, she wanted to tell him that she absolutely couldn't act as if nothing had happened, she wanted to ask him…

But she just smiled, nodded and followed him.

~*~

They did make quite an entrance, the Headmaster and his Deputy. For some reason -some reason probably called Rolanda Hooch- everybody "accidentally" looked into the right direction. And everybody "accidentally" noticed their loose, yet so obvious holding hands.

A strange silence fell over the Great Hall as Albus lead his love towards the stage. Minerva didn't ask anything. She had always questioned everything in her life- perhaps now the time to just follow had come. As they ascended the stage on which the singing had immediately stopped as they had entered, Albus turned towards the audience and began to speak.

"Hello, everybody," he simply said.

"I know you all wonder why I stand here now, and why I've stopped our wonderful musicians here from playing. Well, I'll tell you…"

He and Minerva were now standing in the middle of the stage- Minerva's cheeks were bright red. Why the hell was she standing here? But Albus' soft squeeze in her hand assured her that everything was alright.

And it was.

Though Minerva thought she was going to faint when… when the Headmaster suddenly knelt before her, still holding her hand.

She could literally hear the jaws of the audience drop, as Albus spoke, in a way more tender tone than any they'd ever heard him use before

"Minerva McGonagall, I love you, I love with all my heart. I will forever love you… and I know this is another cliché…"

A faint smile appeared on Minerva's heavily trembling lips.

"…but it is true, my dear, and I can only repeat Shakespeare's words "I grant I never saw a goddess go…my mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.". But this time, I have to disagree. Because you tread on the ground, Minerva, but you are a goddess as well. You are both- and even the great William Shakespeare did not foresee that."

Minerva trembled, shivered, sighed… Had anyone ever spoken so sweetly of her? No… no… no… Albus Dumbledore had, though… Right here and now.

"So," Albus then simply continued. "I love you, Minerva. Will you marry me?"

Now, Minerva thought she really was going to faint. Really really going to faint. But she did not.

Instead, she muttered, softly, but clearly audible

"Yes. Yes of course Albus- oh…"

With this, she staggered and Albus quickly put his arms around her. Then, with a smile, he took her hand and carefully put a ring with a big, dark red ruby set in gold upon her ring finger. Minerva could hardly breathe anymore.

"Oh Albus," she managed to utter, her green eyes bigger than ever.

"It is the most beautiful… thank you…"

"A ring worthy of a Gryffindor. A ring worthy of my lovely lioness…"

Minerva smiled as she stroked his beard… and then startled. The audience- their colleagues, their students!- had suddenly burst out into on applause that literally made the ancient walls of Hogwarts shake. Applause- and somewhere, a person started to chant "Kiss! Kiss!", and soon, every single person in the Hall was yelling. Minerva blushed once more as her eyes locked with those of a person in a corner of the Hall. Rolanda, clinging to the Potion Master's arm –yes, perhaps even she would once find love again, though she did not yet realize it…- had of course started it. And Minerva felt thankful. Actually thankful. Extremely thankful.

A strange feeling…

But a true one, she knew as she linked eyes again with her lover.

"Come on, Min, let's give them something to talk about…" the man murmured. But Minerva did not need any encouragement. With a passion she didn't even know she possessed, she put her arms around her… her fiancé… and kissed his lips, his nose, his cheeks, his beard.

And as the audience started to cheer and applaud even louder, Minerva McGonagall knew that this, this, exactly this, was happiness.

And as they finally pulled apart, she buried her head in his beard and muttered, silently, but clearly audible for the person who was supposed to hear it

"Forever's gonna start tonight."

*The End*

Author Note:

Yes, and this is now really the end :).

Thanks with all my heart to all my reviewers… THANK YOU, EVERYBODY!!!!!

And by the way, Jestana has made a wonderful drawing-thing of Minerva's dress… it's at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AlbusandMinerva/ in the FanArt section! THANK YOU JESTANA!