*~Beginning to Fall~*
Making certain that nothing would be ruined by his actions Conall discreetly moved his chair closer to Minerva's. Glancing up and down the head table he noticed that everyone was engaged in their own conversations so his moves would not look planned. Just as Albus and Minerva leaned closer to share a laugh, Conall knocked over his water goblet, spilling the liquid on the table and floor between himself and her. Suddenly very aware of the commotion beside her, Minerva directed her full attention to the flustered wizard to her right.
"My goodness, Conall. Are you alright? What happened?" He noticed that she looked genuinely concerned and a feeling of satisfaction crept inside him for his plan has worked! She was now turning her attentions to him!
"Ah, so very sorry Minerva! I wanted to get your attention but certainly not in this manner. I hope you're not wet!" Assuring him that no harm had been done, he began to lull her into a conversation of his own. "It's just that whenever I am near you, I seem to become easily distracted and nervous for some reason."
The blush in her cheeks did not go unnoticed or unappreciated as Conall spoke those words to her. He had been successful in turning her attentions from Dumbledore to himself, even if had cost him a small bit of embarrassment. After all, he really didn't care if a group of third years at the Hufflepuff table snickered at his misfortune if it allowed him to get closer to his hearts' desire. Feeling that he might be able to salvage the remainder of the evening with her, he approached her with an idea.
"Minerva, I have been trying to ask you something all evening!" Reaching over to place his hand over hers, they both cast their eyes downward to their enfolded hands. When her eyes met his again, he leaned closer to her and spoke in tones barely above a whisper. "Would you care to join me in a walk about the grounds this evening? I am still unfamiliar with the layout and someone with your knowledge of the school would be ideal to give me a tour." Hoping for a chance to steal a few moments alone with her, he waited for an answer with anticipation filling his face.
"I'm sorry Conall. I was so preoccupied with certain events today that I neglected some of my paperwork. So, I must decline your invitation this evening. But I'm sure if you are in need of a tour, one of the other staff members would be more than happy to assist you." Conall wasn't given the chance to offer a rebuttal to her statement or to even suggest a different night before she had returned to her conversation with Albus. Feeling a bit like an outsider, he quickly finished his meal and set out on his own to explore the grounds.
After a nice brisk walk in the night air and an unfortunate run-in with a ghastly beast in the lake, Conall made his way back to the castle but was shocked to see the object of his heart's desire taking a stroll with the Headmaster. He was puzzled and curious. She had told him that she needed to finish some paperwork and now here she was laughing and leisurely walking with Albus. Attempting to get to the bottom of the matter, he altered his course and headed straight for them.
"Headmaster, Professor. What bring the two of you out on such a lovely evening?" He couldn't wait to hear what sort of answer they would give, especially Minerva. She knew that he had wanted to escort her on a walk and here she was sharing her precious moments with the headmaster.
"Ah, Conall, we were enjoying a bit of fresh air after our chess game. You see, Minerva and I have grown accustomed to playing a weekly game of chess and tonight was the night. Afterwards, we like to stretch our legs before we retire to our offices to finish the last bits of work for the day."
"Oh I see. I was under the impression from you, Minerva, that you had pressing matters to attend to and that you would be working all evening. I must have misunderstood. I will just have to ask for a tour of the grounds when you are not so busy or have prior engagements. Enjoy the rest of your evening and I shall see you both at breakfast."
A week had passed since the first day of the new school term and Conall quickly realized that his attempts at getting closer to Minerva were not working as he had hoped. Then he was struck by an idea he deemed no less than brilliant! Perhaps if I showed an interest in transfiguration, she might be willing to devote some of her free time to me instead of Professor Dumbledore. Then, once we're alone, I'm sure that she will see how deeply I care for her. Yes, that's definitely the way to go. Show some interest in her passion and let my passion be fulfilled!
The following day Conall made his first real move towards capturing Minerva's attentions. "Minerva, I have heard the students speaking of your marvelous transformation in front of their classes and I have always been intrigued by the abilities of an animagi." Using a tone filled with sincerity, he noticed that she had turned her entire body towards him in her chair, which was a sure sign that he had sparked her interests.
"Why thank you Conall. I do try to nab their attention during the first few days of classes. It makes it easier to teach when they see what they might be capable of in the future. But I would think that with your advanced training in the auror program, you would have been given ample instruction on the abilities and possibilities open to animagi." Noticing that she was about to turn her attentions elsewhere, he had to think of something and quickly!
"You are correct to assume that we are given 'instruction' in the field but transfiguration has always been a fascination with me and they were never able to truly answer most of my questions on the subject. Say, if you're not too busy tomorrow evening, how about we meet for a cup of tea and a lively discussion on the matter?"
"Oh dear! I hate to disappoint you but I have three Slytherin students coming to serve a detention with me tomorrow evening." A look of disappointment filled his eyes and he was about to think of a civil reply but Minerva beat him to it! "However, I realize that this might be short notice, but if you are truly interested, I can rearrange my schedule this evening and we can meet after dinner. But only briefly. I will have papers to grade by the end of the day."
"I will be there with bells on Professor! And I am looking forward to it." Now all he had to do was think of a few insightful questions that would make her believe he was actually interested in transfiguration. He was never more thankful that his mornings were free. It would allow him ample time in the library to do some research while the object of his affections taught her classes.
That night, Conall put on a dazzling display with his facial expressions and body language. He had become a master of mock sincerity and attentiveness during his days in the field. It wasn't that he was disinterested in Minerva's chosen field of expertise. But he was more interested in striking up a more intimate relationship with her. She had a beautiful mind but an even more beautiful outer appearance, which appealed to his most basic desires. He had dreamed of her ever since he had seen that first photo of her in the newspaper and here she was before him, in the flesh! And if showing a little interest would allow him to get his foot inside her chamber door, then so be it!
As usual, Albus made his way to escort Minerva to breakfast. Chuckling to himself, he replayed the events from the second day of the term and scoffed at how he had reacted. Silly of me really. I should have never doubted Minerva for a second. Tapping lightly on her door, Albus released a breath he had been holding as she threw open the wooden barrier between them.
There she stood before him. Her long raven hair flowing carelessly down her back, shimmering as the sunlight streamed through the windows kissing the wisps of gray just beginning to settle at her temples. Her silk tartan dressing gown, the one he had given her for a Christmas present three years ago, was tied loosely around her body but he could still appreciate her feminine figure that hid behind her school robes. And the scent of her lavender bath oils still clinging to her smooth skin practically turned him to putty in her hands.
"Albus! You haven't heard a word I've said have you?" A slight blush crept into her cheeks as she took notice of her appearance. Then a wave of confidence overtook her a she noted the glazed look in his fascinating eyes. He was appreciating her looks but surely there was nothing more than friendship in his glances. Then again, he was just a man but she dared not raise her hopes for fear of having them dashed.
"I am terribly sorry Minerva! I slipped away for a moment. I can see that you are not ready for breakfast." A pink hue warmed his cheeks. "Shall I wait for you to finish dressing or would you care to meet me there this morning?"
"I still have a few things to do so I will meet you there. And save me a seat beside you, please!" Laughing heartily, he promised to do just that, as if he would have it any other way, and made his way to breakfast. But, his mood was soon altered when he was greeted by Professor MacGregor wearing a broad smile and inquiring after Minerva.
"I notice that Minerva is not with you this morning? She's not ill, I hope?"
"No, I can assure you that she is in fine form this morning. She was just running a bit late and needed some extra time in dressing for the day." Scenes from the previous few moments flashed before his eyes as he drifted away into his recent memories. But those musings were cut short but the thick Scottish brogue of his newest colleague.
"Well I suppose that is my fault. Seems that I kept her up rather late last night. I admit I had a spot of trouble getting motivated this morning. But would not trade last evening for all the gold in Gringotts." An air of smugness descended between the two men, despite Albus' attempts to shrug off the entire ordeal.
Before breakfast had truly started, Albus was struck by a wonderful idea. It had been ages since he and Minerva had dined alone and this morning seemed like the perfect opportunity to change that! Quickly summoning a tray, Albus filled two plates with all sorts of delicious breakfast foods, conjured a pot of tea, summoned two glasses of pumpkin juice, grabbed the necessary utensils and briskly made his way to Minerva's room, leaving a puzzled Conall with his questions.
Another knock sounded and Minerva jumped. She was in a hurry. Albus had already stopped by so she had no idea who would be at her chambers this early. Flustered, Minerva threw open the door and was amazed to see Albus standing before her with a breakfast tray in his hands.
"I got tired of waiting for you so I decided to bring breakfast to Professor McGonagall. I hope that was alright with you." Standing in her doorway, Minerva couldn't quite describe all of the emotions bubbling inside her. It had been ages since the two of them had shared a quiet meal together and never a breakfast one!
"Why of course it is fine with me, Albus. How very thoughtful of you. I must say, though, that I'm still not dressed, as you can see. Give me a few more minutes and I'll be presentable." As he walked through to her sitting room Albus couldn't help but chuckle at the situation. To some people this might look like an intimate setting for two instead of a friendly meal between the two of them.
"Minerva, please sit and eat first. We don't want breakfast to get any colder than it already is and I have always heard that it is the most important meal of the day. Besides, you look lovely in that attire. I seem to remember giving it to you several Christmases ago and it suits you perfectly." Flattered by his words and knowing the sincerity behind them, she giggled and settled herself down for a quiet meal with Albus.
All too quickly, they were finished and he left so that she may finish dressing for the day. But her thoughts were a jumbled mess at the moment. She couldn't help but notice the way his eyes shined when she was around and the way he had looked at her as she opened the door earlier. Then again, she had never seen any indications from him that they were anything more than friends. Add to that all of the attention from Conall and she was truly dazed. But, she would just take one situation at a time and worry about everything else later. Right now, if she didn't hurry, she would be late for her first class.
After lunch, Minerva always enjoyed her break with a hot cup of tea and some quiet time to herself. This was the time she reserved for tidying her office and answering any pressing correspondence so it did not surprise her when an owl flew to the window. But the item it was carrying left her speechless. In its' strong talons, the beautiful brown owl held a bouquet of freshly cut flowers in varying colors and sizes. After rewarding the owl with a treat, she searched until she found a note.
Dear Minerva~ I missed you at breakfast this morning but these flowers reminded me of you, full of life and beautiful. Thank you for taking time for me last night to discuss transfiguration. I cannot remember when I have had a more pleasant evening with such an intelligent witch. Hope to see you at dinner! ~Conall
Inhaling deeply the scent of the lovely bunch of flowers, Minerva never noticed that someone had entered her office unannounced. But she was not entirely surprised when he spoke. "Ah, I see that my flowers arrived. I hope you like them."
"They're beautiful! Thank you. But you really didn't have to send them. I enjoy talking about my studies and you seemed genuinely interested last night so I had a rather nice evening myself." Casting her eyes back to the flowers in her hands, she failed to see the look of accomplishment flash in his eyes.
"The flowers are my way of saying 'thank you'. But I came here to ask if you would care to accompany me to Hogsmeade this weekend. I would very much like to buy you lunch and maybe, if we have time, we can stop by the bookstore. There are a few books on transfiguration that I would like to purchase to help me better understand your chosen field of expertise."
"Really Conall that won't be necessary. I'm sure that I have the books already here in my study and I'll lend them to you. But I will take you up on your offer of lunch. I had asked Albus to accompany me but he had to decline. He has a meeting with the Minister of Magic and that could take all day. Now, which books were you interested in?"
After commenting that he could not rationalize how Albus would turn down such an offer of spending an afternoon with Minerva, he began rattling off the names of several books that had been recommended by the Hogwarts librarian. Left speechless by his comments regarding Albus, Minerva set about to quickly locate the books in question. She really didn't know why she did it, but instead of using a summoning charm, she had stepped into a chair near the bookcase to retrieve one from the top shelf. As luck would have it, she lost her footing and soon found herself cradled in the arms of the charming man from Scotland.
An awkward silence descended in the room as Conall took immense pleasure in holding her close to him. When he entered the room, he had not dared to dream that he might actually be given the chance to touch her, let alone feel her body pressed against his.
Minerva was grateful that he had broken her fall but was suddenly made very aware of how his strong arms felt around her waist and legs. As their eyes locked, neither dared to speak or move a muscle. So, there they were in her office. She was being held snugly in his arms while new feelings began to stir within her. She could feel his breath as it blew across her face and neck and a shiver ran over her. She saw him leaning closer to her face with a new expression flashing in his eyes and a fluttering sensation beginning to rise within her own body. Just then, a knock sounded on her door and broke the spell. A bit thankful, she quickly beckoned the student to enter and Conall found himself being sent away while she helped one of her Gryffindors with their homework.
A/N: Thanks for all of your lovely reviews and feedback! They mean a great deal and we hope you'll stick around for chapter 3. Someone asked us about the timeframe of this story. We've set it between the first and second rising of Voldemort but before Harry and friends arrive at Hogwarts.