3. In England
A/N: This chapter was difficult for me to write because I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with it. Many thanks to Filodea for offering advice and gently prodding me (at times not-so-gently) to finish the chapter.
"Minerva, what is--" Albus Dumbledore stopped short upon spotting the small, slender woman seated at the table with Minerva. Her curly hair was the same rich brown it had been 130 years ago. The eyes that met his hopefully were the same hazel that had haunted him for weeks. "Sandra? I thought you were dead."
The woman smiled tremulously. "No, Albus. I didn't die all those years ago."
Moving as if he were in a dream, Albus walked over to the table and sat down across from Sandra. "Then what happened to you?"
"She was transported in time," the child's voice startled Albus and, when he got a good look at her he was startled again. She looked so much like he had at that age.
"Tracey, hush," Sandra told the child sternly, having reseated herself.
Albus looked at the woman he'd thought dead for over a hundred years. "Is she right though? _Were_ you transported in time?"
"Yes, Albus," Sandra nodded. "To the year 1983 and southern California in America."
He studied her for a moment. Wearing the more form-fitting Muggle clothes of the day, she looked nice, but he was disconcerted to realize that all he felt for her was a deep and abiding affection. "It seems to have suited you quite well."
She smiled. "My husband, Ryan, is an immense help to me."
"Husband?" he asked, surprised all over again. "Perhaps you should tell me your story from beginning to end."
Sandra nodded and proceeded to do just that, going into more detail than she had with Tracey. "On Tracey's eleventh birthday, she received a letter from the Colorado branch of the American Magic Academy." Albus blinked and smiled. "It gave me the courage I needed to come here to England and find you so you could meet your daughter at last."
Albus turned to the girl, who'd sat and listened quietly all through her mother's story. "Hello, Tracey. I'm Albus Dumbledore."
Tracey looked up at him for a long moment. "Hi. May I call you Father?"
He smiled. "I would be honored if you did, Tracey."
"I'm glad to finally meet you...Father," Tracey slid down from her chair and moved around the table to hug Albus. Though he was unprepared for it, he only hesitated for a moment before returning the child's hug.
"I'm happy to meet you as well, Tracey," he murmured, holding her close. The sound of a cleared throat interrupted the moment and Albus turned to his Deputy. "Minerva, forgive me. This is Sandra. She and I were once married. Tracey is our daughter."
Minerva nodded, shaking the smaller woman's hand. "You never told me you were once married, Albus."
"What would have been the point, my dear?" he asked her, Tracey perched comfortably in his lap. "It had been many years and I had finished grieving for by the time we met."
Sandra reached across the table and tapped Albus' hand. "There's more to our visit than meeting you, Albus."
He raised an eyebrow. "There is?"
"Yes," Sandra nodded. "I'd rather Tracey learned magic here in England. Is there any way you can arrange for her to attend the same school you attended?"
"Oh, I think I can arrange something," he replied, smiling.
Minerva sighed and rolled her eyes. "Mrs. Andrews, Albus is being facetious. He is also the Headmaster of Hogwarts and I am the Deputy Headmistress. Between the two of us, we'll be able to arrange for Miss Cooper to attend Hogwarts."
"Thank you, Ms. McGonagall," Sandra replied with a smile.
A rare smile graced Minerva's face. "You're welcome, Mrs. Andrews."
* * *
Minerva was troubled. She had spent the day with Albus, Sandra, and Tracey. Most of the time, she'd remained in the background unless she'd called attention to herself. She couldn't understand why it had troubled her so much. It wasn't as if she really had a claim on him. They were only friends, after all. Best friends, yes, but only friends. She sighed and closed the book she hadn't really been reading anyway. _Let's face it, Minerva,_ she told herself, _you want more than friendship with Albus, don't you?_ However, she had yet to see any evidence that _he_ was interested in more than friendship with her. Setting her book aside, she stood and crossed to the window. She had a beautiful view of the Hogwarts grounds from here, but she wished she could share it with someone--with Albus. Sighing again, she leaned her forehead against the cool glass. She'd only been standing there for a few minutes when someone knocked on the door to her rooms. Turning from the window, she called, "Come in!" The door opened to admit the object of her thoughts. "Albus? What brings you here? I thought you would want to spend more time with your daughter."
"Sandra and Tracey are asleep now," he informed her, closing the door behind him. "Their day of traveling finally caught up with them."
She nodded and crossed to the sofa. "Won't you have a seat?"
"Thank you." He sat down at the other end while she curled up in her favorite corner.
They sat in silence for a few moments. "Would you like something to eat or drink?"
"A mug of hot chocolate would not be amiss," he replied.
She shook her head, exasperated, even as she conjured up a mug of the requested drink. "Only you, Albus, would request hot chocolate in the middle of summer."
"It's never too warm for hot chocolate," he lectured her as he took the mug she offered to him. "Thank you, my dear."
"You're welcome, Albus," she replied before conjuring up a glass of iced tea for herself.
They drank in silence for a few moments before he sighed. "Minerva, I feel an apology is in order."
"An apology, Albus?" she asked, surprised.
"Yes," he replied with a nod. "For ignoring you earlier. I'm sorry; it was rude of me to do so. Please forgive me."
She scooted closer to him to pat the hand that rested on the cushion beside him. "Oh, Albus, you don't need to apologize. I completely understand why you did."
He turned his hand over under hers and squeezed it. "It does not excuse ignoring you."
She set her half-empty glass on the low table in front of the sofa and looked up at him curiously. "Why are you so insistent upon apologizing, Albus? The wife you thought was dead has suddenly reappeared and with your daughter in tow. It's only natural that you would focus on them."
"I know, my dear," he nodded, setting his mug on the low table as well, still holding her hand. "However, the aforementioned wife is now 120 years younger than I and married to another man, with two other children by him."
Minerva felt her heart clench. "She was alone in an unfamiliar time and place, Albus, she needed help to survive."
"Yes, Minerva," he agreed, "and I've come to realize that what I feel for her is no longer the love that prompted me to marry in the first place."
"You don't love her?" she asked, hope rising within her.
"Not as a husband for a wife," he replied, "but as a brother for his sister."
Minerva swallowed hard, fighting against the hope she felt. "Have you told her this? I imagine her own feelings for you have changed as well."
He nodded. "Yes, we have discussed this. I give my blessings to her marriage with Ryan Andrews. It will be enough to see Tracey attend school here at Hogwarts."
"Where will the rest of Miss Cooper's family stay while she is attending school?" Minerva asked, suddenly aware that she was still holding his hand, yet reluctant to release it.
"Sandra told me that she and Ryan had already discussed that matter," Albus replied, his stroking the back of the slender hand he still held with the tips of the long fingers on his other hand. "They are going to move to England to make it easier for Tracey to attend Hogwarts. I've agreed to help her find a flat for them."
Minerva nodded, wondering why the light touch of his fingers on the back of her hand sent shivers up and down her spine. "I see."
They sat in silence for another long moment before he stirred. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I believe it is time for me to go. Good night."
She stood when he did. "Good night, Albus."
She watched as he left her rooms and, feeling light-hearted for some reason, headed for her bedroom to begin preparing for bed herself.
* * *
"So this is London?" Ryan asked as the taxi drove through the streets to the flat Albus had helped Sandra find and buy.
Tracey was literally bouncing in her seat between Sandra and Ryan. "Yep! It's so cool! I love it!"
Ryan ruffled her thick auburn hair. "I'm glad you do, Princess. Something tells me you're going to be here for a long time."
"Thank you, Dad." Tracey curled up against him. "Father is so nice and so is Professor McGonagall."
Ryan wrapped his arm around Tracey and smiled at his wife over her head. "You're welcome, Princess."
When the taxi stopped, Tracey scrambled out behind her mother and waited while her parents helped Lynda and Ryan, both of whom were dozing, from the car and led the way to the flat, with the taxi driver following with the luggage. Tracey turned at the door, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Come on, hurry up!"
"Calm down, Tracey, it's not going to get up and leave," Ryan laughed as he and Sandra made their way up the front walk, Jeffrey in his arms. Lynda stumbled along behind Sandra, one small hand firmly clasped in her mother's.
Tracey giggled. "I know, Dad, but I want you to see this place. Father helped us pick it out."
"Tracey, you've said that before," Ryan pointed out.
She shrugged as Sandra unlocked the door to let the family in. "I know, but it's true."
Sandra glanced up at her husband as she walked past him into the flat. "Yes, Tracey, but there is no need to belabor the point."
"What's that mean?" Tracey asked as the taxi driver set their luggage just inside the door.
"It means stop mentioning it," Sandra told Tracey as Ryan carried Jeffrey into one of the bedrooms, where a cot had been set up.
"Oh." Tracey tagged along after her mother as Sandra took Lynda into one of the other bedrooms, where two cots had been set up. "Why, though?"
Sandra helped Lynda out of her clothes and into her pajamas before helping the little girl climb onto one of the cots. "It's hard to explain, but please don't say much about your father until Ryan has had a chance to meet him."
Tracey sighed as she climbed onto the other cot, having changed already. "Alright, but I still don't understand why."
"Maybe when you're older," Sandra told Tracey before kissing the little girl's forehead, "you'll understand." Without another word, Sandra left the girls' room. Ryan waited for her in the hall and she gladly stepped into his arms. "I've missed you, Ryan."
He held her close, very much aware that the top of her head barely reached the middle of his chest. "I missed you, too, Sandra, but what about Albus?"
"Not here, Ryan." She pulled away and, taking him by the hand, led him into the bedroom. Once the door had closed behind them, she turned to face him. "Now, what's this about Albus?"
A/N: This chapter was difficult for me to write because I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with it. Many thanks to Filodea for offering advice and gently prodding me (at times not-so-gently) to finish the chapter.
"Minerva, what is--" Albus Dumbledore stopped short upon spotting the small, slender woman seated at the table with Minerva. Her curly hair was the same rich brown it had been 130 years ago. The eyes that met his hopefully were the same hazel that had haunted him for weeks. "Sandra? I thought you were dead."
The woman smiled tremulously. "No, Albus. I didn't die all those years ago."
Moving as if he were in a dream, Albus walked over to the table and sat down across from Sandra. "Then what happened to you?"
"She was transported in time," the child's voice startled Albus and, when he got a good look at her he was startled again. She looked so much like he had at that age.
"Tracey, hush," Sandra told the child sternly, having reseated herself.
Albus looked at the woman he'd thought dead for over a hundred years. "Is she right though? _Were_ you transported in time?"
"Yes, Albus," Sandra nodded. "To the year 1983 and southern California in America."
He studied her for a moment. Wearing the more form-fitting Muggle clothes of the day, she looked nice, but he was disconcerted to realize that all he felt for her was a deep and abiding affection. "It seems to have suited you quite well."
She smiled. "My husband, Ryan, is an immense help to me."
"Husband?" he asked, surprised all over again. "Perhaps you should tell me your story from beginning to end."
Sandra nodded and proceeded to do just that, going into more detail than she had with Tracey. "On Tracey's eleventh birthday, she received a letter from the Colorado branch of the American Magic Academy." Albus blinked and smiled. "It gave me the courage I needed to come here to England and find you so you could meet your daughter at last."
Albus turned to the girl, who'd sat and listened quietly all through her mother's story. "Hello, Tracey. I'm Albus Dumbledore."
Tracey looked up at him for a long moment. "Hi. May I call you Father?"
He smiled. "I would be honored if you did, Tracey."
"I'm glad to finally meet you...Father," Tracey slid down from her chair and moved around the table to hug Albus. Though he was unprepared for it, he only hesitated for a moment before returning the child's hug.
"I'm happy to meet you as well, Tracey," he murmured, holding her close. The sound of a cleared throat interrupted the moment and Albus turned to his Deputy. "Minerva, forgive me. This is Sandra. She and I were once married. Tracey is our daughter."
Minerva nodded, shaking the smaller woman's hand. "You never told me you were once married, Albus."
"What would have been the point, my dear?" he asked her, Tracey perched comfortably in his lap. "It had been many years and I had finished grieving for by the time we met."
Sandra reached across the table and tapped Albus' hand. "There's more to our visit than meeting you, Albus."
He raised an eyebrow. "There is?"
"Yes," Sandra nodded. "I'd rather Tracey learned magic here in England. Is there any way you can arrange for her to attend the same school you attended?"
"Oh, I think I can arrange something," he replied, smiling.
Minerva sighed and rolled her eyes. "Mrs. Andrews, Albus is being facetious. He is also the Headmaster of Hogwarts and I am the Deputy Headmistress. Between the two of us, we'll be able to arrange for Miss Cooper to attend Hogwarts."
"Thank you, Ms. McGonagall," Sandra replied with a smile.
A rare smile graced Minerva's face. "You're welcome, Mrs. Andrews."
* * *
Minerva was troubled. She had spent the day with Albus, Sandra, and Tracey. Most of the time, she'd remained in the background unless she'd called attention to herself. She couldn't understand why it had troubled her so much. It wasn't as if she really had a claim on him. They were only friends, after all. Best friends, yes, but only friends. She sighed and closed the book she hadn't really been reading anyway. _Let's face it, Minerva,_ she told herself, _you want more than friendship with Albus, don't you?_ However, she had yet to see any evidence that _he_ was interested in more than friendship with her. Setting her book aside, she stood and crossed to the window. She had a beautiful view of the Hogwarts grounds from here, but she wished she could share it with someone--with Albus. Sighing again, she leaned her forehead against the cool glass. She'd only been standing there for a few minutes when someone knocked on the door to her rooms. Turning from the window, she called, "Come in!" The door opened to admit the object of her thoughts. "Albus? What brings you here? I thought you would want to spend more time with your daughter."
"Sandra and Tracey are asleep now," he informed her, closing the door behind him. "Their day of traveling finally caught up with them."
She nodded and crossed to the sofa. "Won't you have a seat?"
"Thank you." He sat down at the other end while she curled up in her favorite corner.
They sat in silence for a few moments. "Would you like something to eat or drink?"
"A mug of hot chocolate would not be amiss," he replied.
She shook her head, exasperated, even as she conjured up a mug of the requested drink. "Only you, Albus, would request hot chocolate in the middle of summer."
"It's never too warm for hot chocolate," he lectured her as he took the mug she offered to him. "Thank you, my dear."
"You're welcome, Albus," she replied before conjuring up a glass of iced tea for herself.
They drank in silence for a few moments before he sighed. "Minerva, I feel an apology is in order."
"An apology, Albus?" she asked, surprised.
"Yes," he replied with a nod. "For ignoring you earlier. I'm sorry; it was rude of me to do so. Please forgive me."
She scooted closer to him to pat the hand that rested on the cushion beside him. "Oh, Albus, you don't need to apologize. I completely understand why you did."
He turned his hand over under hers and squeezed it. "It does not excuse ignoring you."
She set her half-empty glass on the low table in front of the sofa and looked up at him curiously. "Why are you so insistent upon apologizing, Albus? The wife you thought was dead has suddenly reappeared and with your daughter in tow. It's only natural that you would focus on them."
"I know, my dear," he nodded, setting his mug on the low table as well, still holding her hand. "However, the aforementioned wife is now 120 years younger than I and married to another man, with two other children by him."
Minerva felt her heart clench. "She was alone in an unfamiliar time and place, Albus, she needed help to survive."
"Yes, Minerva," he agreed, "and I've come to realize that what I feel for her is no longer the love that prompted me to marry in the first place."
"You don't love her?" she asked, hope rising within her.
"Not as a husband for a wife," he replied, "but as a brother for his sister."
Minerva swallowed hard, fighting against the hope she felt. "Have you told her this? I imagine her own feelings for you have changed as well."
He nodded. "Yes, we have discussed this. I give my blessings to her marriage with Ryan Andrews. It will be enough to see Tracey attend school here at Hogwarts."
"Where will the rest of Miss Cooper's family stay while she is attending school?" Minerva asked, suddenly aware that she was still holding his hand, yet reluctant to release it.
"Sandra told me that she and Ryan had already discussed that matter," Albus replied, his stroking the back of the slender hand he still held with the tips of the long fingers on his other hand. "They are going to move to England to make it easier for Tracey to attend Hogwarts. I've agreed to help her find a flat for them."
Minerva nodded, wondering why the light touch of his fingers on the back of her hand sent shivers up and down her spine. "I see."
They sat in silence for another long moment before he stirred. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I believe it is time for me to go. Good night."
She stood when he did. "Good night, Albus."
She watched as he left her rooms and, feeling light-hearted for some reason, headed for her bedroom to begin preparing for bed herself.
* * *
"So this is London?" Ryan asked as the taxi drove through the streets to the flat Albus had helped Sandra find and buy.
Tracey was literally bouncing in her seat between Sandra and Ryan. "Yep! It's so cool! I love it!"
Ryan ruffled her thick auburn hair. "I'm glad you do, Princess. Something tells me you're going to be here for a long time."
"Thank you, Dad." Tracey curled up against him. "Father is so nice and so is Professor McGonagall."
Ryan wrapped his arm around Tracey and smiled at his wife over her head. "You're welcome, Princess."
When the taxi stopped, Tracey scrambled out behind her mother and waited while her parents helped Lynda and Ryan, both of whom were dozing, from the car and led the way to the flat, with the taxi driver following with the luggage. Tracey turned at the door, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Come on, hurry up!"
"Calm down, Tracey, it's not going to get up and leave," Ryan laughed as he and Sandra made their way up the front walk, Jeffrey in his arms. Lynda stumbled along behind Sandra, one small hand firmly clasped in her mother's.
Tracey giggled. "I know, Dad, but I want you to see this place. Father helped us pick it out."
"Tracey, you've said that before," Ryan pointed out.
She shrugged as Sandra unlocked the door to let the family in. "I know, but it's true."
Sandra glanced up at her husband as she walked past him into the flat. "Yes, Tracey, but there is no need to belabor the point."
"What's that mean?" Tracey asked as the taxi driver set their luggage just inside the door.
"It means stop mentioning it," Sandra told Tracey as Ryan carried Jeffrey into one of the bedrooms, where a cot had been set up.
"Oh." Tracey tagged along after her mother as Sandra took Lynda into one of the other bedrooms, where two cots had been set up. "Why, though?"
Sandra helped Lynda out of her clothes and into her pajamas before helping the little girl climb onto one of the cots. "It's hard to explain, but please don't say much about your father until Ryan has had a chance to meet him."
Tracey sighed as she climbed onto the other cot, having changed already. "Alright, but I still don't understand why."
"Maybe when you're older," Sandra told Tracey before kissing the little girl's forehead, "you'll understand." Without another word, Sandra left the girls' room. Ryan waited for her in the hall and she gladly stepped into his arms. "I've missed you, Ryan."
He held her close, very much aware that the top of her head barely reached the middle of his chest. "I missed you, too, Sandra, but what about Albus?"
"Not here, Ryan." She pulled away and, taking him by the hand, led him into the bedroom. Once the door had closed behind them, she turned to face him. "Now, what's this about Albus?"