~Torn~

A beautiful cat perched high in a tree surveyed the clearing below. There was no sign of any other creatures in the immediate area and it sat down to patiently wait. A few hours later a man entered the clearing. He had dark wavy hair that fell to his shoulders and his eyes were a deep amber color. He had a tall, lean body and the cat purred in appreciation. Stretching on the tree limb, it jumped to the ground. The man looked into bright green eyes and smiled. "Hello Minerva."

Changing back to her human form, she extended her hand. "Hi. You must be Kostas."

She knew she looked impressive with her black hair swinging free and her brilliant emerald eyes. She was tall and intimidating but she was never very aware of it until faced with a man whom she found attractive. She thought she had seen surprise in his eyes but it was either her imagination or it had quickly turned to the approval she saw now.

The smile he turned upon her did not quite reach his eyes. "I believe you have some papers for me."

It was more of a statement than a question and although Minerva had a retort on the tip of her tongue, she bit it back and reached into her robes. Pulling out the sealed document, she handed it over. Kostas focused his attention on the important paperwork and seemed to dismiss her entirely.

Trying to calm her temper, Minerva busied herself with organizing the other documents she had in her care. Soon a few more members of the team arrived. She surveyed the group, especially their new leader. She had heard of him before but this was their first meeting. Kostas was known to push his teams hard to reach their goals. He was also very powerful and possessed a passion toward the downfall of Grindelwald that was unmatched. Minerva didn't mind hard work and in fact tended to enjoy it. She could never resist a challenge.

The rest of the team she had worked with before. Headquarters always tried to keep main teams together. It was easier to work with people you knew both in fighting style and personality. She noticed that Filius Flitwick was among the group and smiled. He was immensely powerful and intelligent but his comical ways and small size deceived many of the new recruits. He had attended Hogwarts so Minerva had found much to discuss with him.

The others in the team came from various backgrounds and had different specialties. There was Gustave who was an expert at potions, Carina was a defense against the dark arts teacher at Beauxbaton and Medgar who was excellent in all things related to a wand. Medgar was Minerva's headache in the group. He was constantly trying to impress her with his family who was rich and powerful. Minerva and the leader were the only animagi for this mission. She had heard rumors on Kostas' animagus form but nothing had ever been confirmed. She was brought out of her thoughts by a signal from the leader and they started to move out.

That night they arrived at the safe house where plans would be evaluated and a course of action decided upon. It had been a long day and Minerva yearned for her seat by the fire and game of chess with Albus. She realized with some surprise that she truly missed him and that her feelings for him had not been a passing fancy. It had taken a long time for her to think of him separate from being her professor and to become truly comfortable around him and now he meant so much more. She had enjoyed his company and the intelligent, energizing conversations and would greatly miss him during the next weeks.

She brought herself back to the present and told her weary body to keep moving. She had been assigned as the scout and had steered the group away from several enemy muggle troops. Anyone they met at this point they had to be wary of unless they were from the Order. All the back and forth had worn on her body which had become comfortable in its normal daily routine at her residence where her physical activities were more limited.

Minerva made her way over to the table and rolled out the map. Kostas followed and started to point out where they would be headed. "This is where the captives are being held. It is in a well-guarded spot and will take the best of each person to get us in. While we are on the road for the next few weeks, I would like each of you to keep this in the forefront of your minds. If you come up with any ideas or strategy, let me know. The best ideas come from those doing the work not the people behind desks." He had looked each person in the eye while speaking and exuded confidence with his stance and speech.

His comments surprised a few and Minerva's respect for Kostas went up a few points. Some leaders felt as he did but many more were strict about the rules and following their orders to the letter. It was one of the things that irked Minerva most about working for the Order. It reminded her a great deal of the Ministry for Magic back home.

Minerva found herself working with Kostas closely over the next week. He liked to test her abilities and push her to her limits. Minerva could not deny that she found him attractive both physically and mentally. He was fascinating to talk to-when you could get him to talk. He tended to keep to himself most of the time. She had thought he was lost in thought or daydreaming but he never missed a beat. Kostas always knew exactly what was happening around him.

Sleeping on the ground every night was taking its' toll on Minerva's body. In fact, a few days in she decided to start sleeping in her animagus form to ease the discomfort. She felt slightly guilty at first since the others did not have such a luxury but she put those feeling aside when she remembered she was scheduled for the lion's share of the scouting duty because of her animagus abilities.

During one of these nights, Minerva woke and was having trouble falling back asleep. Using her stealth cat form, she rose and decided to go for a stroll to calm her racing mind. She neared a stream and sat by the edge letting the sound of the bubbling water soothe her nerves.

"Isn't it a bit late for a walk?"

Minerva's ears perked and she turned her head. Her emerald green eyes met a pair with a deep amber color. Taking a moment to turn herself back into her human form, she answered his gruff question. "I had some trouble sleeping and thought it might help. Besides, I could say the same to you."

She realized she had probably overstepped her bounds and waited for him to either shut down or say something stern. Instead she was taking by surprise when he laughed. "Yes, I suppose you are right. I just got off guard duty and couldn't relax. Too many thoughts roaming around in my mind. Makes me wish I had brought my pensieve."

Minerva smiled at his candor. "That is my problem exactly. Hopefully it will soon pass because we definitely need the rest."

Kostas stretched out next to her, his thigh only inches from her own. Minerva found herself getting suddenly warm and was glad when he turned the conversation back to the mission. "We should be reaching a safe point where we can rest in some real beds. The team needs it and they deserve it. This is one of the most talented groups I have worked with in a long time."

His eyes seemed to take on a far away look and Minerva didn't disturb him. She allowed her own thoughts to drift and found them resting on the man next to her more often than she liked.

"I had better head back. Thank you for the pleasant company. Please don't stay out too long. You are the best scout we have and I wouldn't want you to collapse from exhaustion." The laughter in his tone made Minerva's heart skip a beat as she wished him a good night of her own, promising to head back to camp shortly.

Soon the team arrived at their second safe house where they would be able to practice their magic. It had been recently set up with protective charms. Each person had their own room and Minerva was immensely grateful. She picked her way to a door and opened it. She nearly danced for joy as she looked at the luxurious bed in front of her. Peeling off her dirty and torn clothes, she cast a cleaning charm on them and made her way to the bath. She filled the tub with warm water and bubbles and sunk into what surely had to be heaven. Leaning back and closing her eyes she didn't hear the door open.

"Would you like some help washing?"

Minerva's eyes flew open and the sight before her made her want to both laugh and kill someone. Deciding that killing someone was not on her list of approved activities, she burst into laughter at the sight of the man whose only cover was a towel around the waist.

"Surely, you are kidding. Medgar, I don't mean to laugh but how many times do I have to tell you I am not interested. You do not appeal to me and I have no wish to start any kind of relationship with you. Please leave before you regret coming." With the last remark her eyes hardened to ice.

Medgar's face turned red and he pointed his finger at her. "You may not speak to me in such a manner. You should be grateful for the attention that I give you for you are the one not worthy of me."

As he stormed out of the door, Minerva felt her anger rising. Realizing her bath was ruined, she washed her hair thoroughly and stepped out. After putting on a soft cotton robe, she sat down to look over the plans that would soon be put into action. Several hours later, she was still as awake as ever. She quietly let herself out the door and made her way to the kitchen. She started some water boiling for tea and took out a cup.

"Why don't you conjure some up? It would certainly be less work." Kostas stood behind Minerva looking at her with a strange expression.

"Old habits die hard I guess." She poured two cups of the boiling water and handed one to him.

"Allow me." With a wave of his hand, he flavored the water into a delicious mint tea. One of Minerva's favorites and she sipped it gratefully.

With a smile on her lips, she shared what she had been thinking. "We need to stop meeting like this."

"Yes, you would think one of us would be able to sleep, especially with the wonderful accommodations." Kostas returned her smile and led them to the dining room table to sit.

Minutes of contented silence passed before Kostas spoke again. "Would you like to talk about what is bothering you?"

"You know, your abilities of perception are amazing. It is nothing I can't handle." Minerva gave a small but tired smile to Kostas and rose. "Thank you for sharing some tea but I am afraid I will fall asleep in front of you if I do not retire for the night." After Minerva left the room, Kostas grinned. He knew a sleeping charm in the tea was just what she needed.

Everyone was much brighter than usual after a long night's rest. After a good meal and some additional planning, Kostas asked everyone to meet in the basement for some practice. Minerva arrived at the dueling room and was awed at its size. It had padded walls and many different weapons from which to choose. Soon everyone was gathered and paired off by Kostas. Minerva worked hard to not roll her eyes as she took the position opposite of Medgar. Of all the people she could have been paired with, now she had to deal with attitude and talent. Waiting for the cue, she happened to see a flick of Medgar's wrist but it was too late.

"Expelliarmus!"

Minerva went flying across the room and to everyone's surprise turned herself into a cat in mid-air and landed gracefully on her feet. She hissed and turned back into herself within moments of landing. Instantly her wand was pointed in front of her as she cast a spell that caused Medgar to start sprouting fur everywhere. The air was tense as Minerva and Medgar circled each other.

"Locomotor Mortis" Minerva jumped aside just in time to avoid the leg-locking curse that Medgar cast at her. The hexes and charms started flying and the rest of the team was busy trying to avoid getting hit by a stray spell. Almost as quickly as it started, there was complete silence except for a single chirp. The entire group ended up cheering and clapping as they took in the scene. Minerva was standing in the middle of the room breathing hard and in front of her was a very large yellow canary. With one last look at Medgar, she turned and strode out of the room.

Minerva was furious and stormed into the nearby woods. But soon her frustration was spent and she chuckled to herself. It would show him not to mess with her. She was a little disappointed in herself that she had not been able to avoid the disarming spell but the rest of the duel had gone very well. She finally headed back toward the house and found Kostas sitting outside.

"How are you feeling? You put on an amazing show in there." Kostas stood and walked toward Minerva.

"I am much better. Thank you!" Butterflies were running rampant in Minerva's stomach and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. When she looked up, Kostas was only inches from her. She looked into his eyes as his head lowered toward hers. His lips were soft but the kiss had electricity running through her body. As it deepened, she put her arms around his neck. When they finally broke apart, Kostas backed away.

"Minerva, I am so sorry. I should not have let my emotions get away from me. Please forgive me." After brushing a kiss against the back of her hand, Kostas turned and left and Minerva felt tears form behind her eyes. But she wasn't sure if it was from joy or sorrow.

That night Minerva was still miserable and she allowed her thoughts to turn to Albus Dumbledore. She felt a yearning to see him and talk to him once more. And if she allowed herself to look deep within her heart, she knew she also wished to feel his arms around her as Kostas' had been earlier that day. She felt as if she had betrayed Albus and at the same time her tentative feelings for Kostas were becoming more and more clear.

Between Kostas avoiding her during the day and the confusing feelings she had for Albus, Minerva was unable to sleep. She tossed and turned at night until sheer exhaustion forced her eyelids to close. Finally it was time to pack for the rest of the trip and Minerva's weary body protested. She cursed herself for the lack of sleep she had endured for the past few days. The team was entering the most dangerous part of the mission and she could not afford to slip up.

To Be Continued…