After The Duel
A/N: Sequel to 'Early Morning Visit' and 'Off to War', as well as a prequel to 'Tabby and Prongs, Jr.' Enjoy!
Bleary deep blue eyes fluttered open in time to see one of the combatants fall, dead. The other, breathing hard, returned his wand to his pocket and turned to her as she struggled to sit up. He smiled when he saw that she was awake and promptly fainted. She screamed. "No! Albus!"
Dragging herself to her feet, she stumbled over to the unconscious man, checking for his pulse and making sure he was still breathing. His pulse was thready and weak and she barely felt his breath on her palm when she held her hand near his mouth. Taking a few deep breaths, she cast a Diagnostic spell and paled at what it told her. "No, Albus, please. Don't die! I don't think I could carry on if you did!"
Working quickly, she began casting healing spells, doing what she could for him. Once she'd stabilized him, she conjured up a stretcher and transported him to a nearby deserted house. Once there, she tucked him into a bed and double-checked the worst of his injuries. He was mending, but it would be a slow process. Drawing up a chair, she sat down and settled in for a long, boring watch.
* * *
"Minerva?" Her eyes flew open at the sound of his voice; it was quiet and weak, but his nonetheless. He was still lying in the bed, but his bright blue eyes were open and he was gazing at her curiously.
"Albus." She rose from her seat and cast a Diagnostic spell. He laid still as it washed over him. It had been several weeks since he'd defeated Grindelwald and she'd spent most of those weeks sitting in the chair by the bed, barely taking time to eat and go to the bathroom. "You're mending very well, but you'll still need to take it easy for awhile."
He nodded and watched as she tucked her wand back into her pocket. When she would have returned to her seat, he grasped her wrist and gently tugged her to sit on the bed beside him. "Thank you, Minerva."
She fidgeted, aware of her hip pressing against his thigh. "You're welcome, Albus."
"Grindelwald is truly dead?" he asked quietly.
She nodded, a lump coming to her throat. "Yes, he is." She raised her head to give him the look that would make future students quail. "And you would have died as well if I hadn't insisted upon coming with you."
He nodded, nonplussed by her glare. "I am glad you insisted, Minerva, but please know that I objected because I was concerned for you safety."
She softened, taking his hand in both of hers. "I understand, Albus, but I would never have been able to live with myself if I let you face Grindelwald on your own."
He sighed, letting his head fall back on the pillow. He frowned as he studied the ceiling. "Where are we?"
"An abandoned house near where you fought Grindelwald," she explained, freeing a hand to brush her hair out of her face. When she lowered her hand, he was staring at her. She felt her face grow warm. "What is it, Albus?"
"Your hair is down," he answered quietly, freeing his hand to touch it. "It's been so long since I saw it loose like this."
She ducked her head, feeling tingles shoot up and down her spine at his touch. "I've spent most of my time caring for you these past few weeks."
"Weeks?" he asked, his hand dropping to the bed. "How long HAS it been since I fought Grindelwald?"
"About three weeks," she told him, looking up. "It's going to be a while before you can walk out of here."
He nodded, closing his eyes. "Thank you, Minerva, for your care."
A lump suddenly lodged itself in her throat. "No thanks are necessary, Albus." Her voice dropped to an anguished whisper. "I had to do SOMETHING."
He opened his eyes to look at her once more. "What do you mean?" She clapped her hand over her mouth, suddenly realizing she'd said the last part out loud. "Minerva?"
She lowered her hand. "I'm sorry, Albus; forget I said that."
"I can't," he answered quietly, carefully sitting up. "What did you mean by that statement, Minerva?"
Gathering her courage and composure, she replied, "I don't think I could live if you'd died, Albus."
He stared at her, amazed. "What are you saying, Minerva?"
"I'm saying," she began, meeting his gaze with her own, "that I'm in love with you, Albus Dumbledore."
"What about Sam?" he asked. "Why did you marry him if you love me?"
"Because I didn't think I'd have a chance with you," she admitted, fighting the urge to look away. "After all, there's eighty years between our ages and, not only that, you are my godfather and have been my teacher."
He raised his hand and cradled her cheek with it, his eyes tender. "Oh, Minerva. Ever since your seventh year, I've realized how attractive you are and have fought it ever since, much for the same reasons you have kept silent."
She blinked back tears that his words conjured up. "Couldn't you have said something at my wedding?"
"I had no real reason to," he informed her, his voice soft, his thumb stroking her cheekbone softly. "As far as I knew, you were happy with Sam and I was not going to stand in the way of your happiness. It was one of the hardest things I had to do."
"Why?" she asked softly, covering his hand with her own.
"Because I wished with all my heart that I was in Sam's place," he confessed.
"Oh, Albus." Unable to hold back any longer, she closed the distance between them and kissed him.
A/N: Sequel to 'Early Morning Visit' and 'Off to War', as well as a prequel to 'Tabby and Prongs, Jr.' Enjoy!
Bleary deep blue eyes fluttered open in time to see one of the combatants fall, dead. The other, breathing hard, returned his wand to his pocket and turned to her as she struggled to sit up. He smiled when he saw that she was awake and promptly fainted. She screamed. "No! Albus!"
Dragging herself to her feet, she stumbled over to the unconscious man, checking for his pulse and making sure he was still breathing. His pulse was thready and weak and she barely felt his breath on her palm when she held her hand near his mouth. Taking a few deep breaths, she cast a Diagnostic spell and paled at what it told her. "No, Albus, please. Don't die! I don't think I could carry on if you did!"
Working quickly, she began casting healing spells, doing what she could for him. Once she'd stabilized him, she conjured up a stretcher and transported him to a nearby deserted house. Once there, she tucked him into a bed and double-checked the worst of his injuries. He was mending, but it would be a slow process. Drawing up a chair, she sat down and settled in for a long, boring watch.
* * *
"Minerva?" Her eyes flew open at the sound of his voice; it was quiet and weak, but his nonetheless. He was still lying in the bed, but his bright blue eyes were open and he was gazing at her curiously.
"Albus." She rose from her seat and cast a Diagnostic spell. He laid still as it washed over him. It had been several weeks since he'd defeated Grindelwald and she'd spent most of those weeks sitting in the chair by the bed, barely taking time to eat and go to the bathroom. "You're mending very well, but you'll still need to take it easy for awhile."
He nodded and watched as she tucked her wand back into her pocket. When she would have returned to her seat, he grasped her wrist and gently tugged her to sit on the bed beside him. "Thank you, Minerva."
She fidgeted, aware of her hip pressing against his thigh. "You're welcome, Albus."
"Grindelwald is truly dead?" he asked quietly.
She nodded, a lump coming to her throat. "Yes, he is." She raised her head to give him the look that would make future students quail. "And you would have died as well if I hadn't insisted upon coming with you."
He nodded, nonplussed by her glare. "I am glad you insisted, Minerva, but please know that I objected because I was concerned for you safety."
She softened, taking his hand in both of hers. "I understand, Albus, but I would never have been able to live with myself if I let you face Grindelwald on your own."
He sighed, letting his head fall back on the pillow. He frowned as he studied the ceiling. "Where are we?"
"An abandoned house near where you fought Grindelwald," she explained, freeing a hand to brush her hair out of her face. When she lowered her hand, he was staring at her. She felt her face grow warm. "What is it, Albus?"
"Your hair is down," he answered quietly, freeing his hand to touch it. "It's been so long since I saw it loose like this."
She ducked her head, feeling tingles shoot up and down her spine at his touch. "I've spent most of my time caring for you these past few weeks."
"Weeks?" he asked, his hand dropping to the bed. "How long HAS it been since I fought Grindelwald?"
"About three weeks," she told him, looking up. "It's going to be a while before you can walk out of here."
He nodded, closing his eyes. "Thank you, Minerva, for your care."
A lump suddenly lodged itself in her throat. "No thanks are necessary, Albus." Her voice dropped to an anguished whisper. "I had to do SOMETHING."
He opened his eyes to look at her once more. "What do you mean?" She clapped her hand over her mouth, suddenly realizing she'd said the last part out loud. "Minerva?"
She lowered her hand. "I'm sorry, Albus; forget I said that."
"I can't," he answered quietly, carefully sitting up. "What did you mean by that statement, Minerva?"
Gathering her courage and composure, she replied, "I don't think I could live if you'd died, Albus."
He stared at her, amazed. "What are you saying, Minerva?"
"I'm saying," she began, meeting his gaze with her own, "that I'm in love with you, Albus Dumbledore."
"What about Sam?" he asked. "Why did you marry him if you love me?"
"Because I didn't think I'd have a chance with you," she admitted, fighting the urge to look away. "After all, there's eighty years between our ages and, not only that, you are my godfather and have been my teacher."
He raised his hand and cradled her cheek with it, his eyes tender. "Oh, Minerva. Ever since your seventh year, I've realized how attractive you are and have fought it ever since, much for the same reasons you have kept silent."
She blinked back tears that his words conjured up. "Couldn't you have said something at my wedding?"
"I had no real reason to," he informed her, his voice soft, his thumb stroking her cheekbone softly. "As far as I knew, you were happy with Sam and I was not going to stand in the way of your happiness. It was one of the hardest things I had to do."
"Why?" she asked softly, covering his hand with her own.
"Because I wished with all my heart that I was in Sam's place," he confessed.
"Oh, Albus." Unable to hold back any longer, she closed the distance between them and kissed him.