Discoveries and Confessions by Ang

A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews…now on with the story…

Minerva and Aberforth stared at each other for several long minutes. The air around them was filled with a deafening silence apart from the raging storm outside as they each tried to deal with the horrible news. They knew they had to find a way to reach Albus and when Aberforth weakly suggested they wait until the storm passed, he thought Minerva would hex him into the darkest corner of the world.

"You can stay here if you wish but there is no way I can sit and wait. That's it…I am willing to risk the floo network. Stay here if you wish but I'm going to floo to the French Ministry of Magic and make my way to the hospital from there! Why in the name of the Founders did they not take him straight to the wizarding hospital? I could've gone there directly and he would've been given the proper care!"

Aberforth stood back and watched as she began to rant, venting her anger to no one in particular. It was then that he realized that if something happened to Albus, she would never be the same loving, carefree woman he had grown to admire and she would need all the support she could get.

"I'm not letting you risk this all by yourself. I promised Albus that I would look after you and until he returns, my promise has not been fulfilled. I don't know what would be worse…telling him that you were injured or telling him why I didn't go along with you."

Minerva smiled at him sweetly and knew that he was nervous about traveling by floo in inclement weather. But he also understood, in his own way, that she would not be swayed on this matter. Casting a charm over them to ensure that they stayed dry and warm and transfiguring their robes into proper muggle attire, Minerva took one last long glance at the portrait of the Dumbledore family over the fireplace. Rubbing her hand over the image of Albus she whispered that she would see him in just a bit and boldly stepped into the fireplace and disappeared.

A moment later, Aberforth set his eyes on the same image of Albus and laughed. "Dear brother, you've certainly found yourself one spirited woman and you're lucky to have her!" Following in Minerva's footsteps, he entered the fireplace and was instantly transported to France.

"What took you so long? You're wasting valuable time," Minerva scolded as he stumbled from the stone hearth.

"For your information, I had to do one last thing before we left! You should consider us both lucky for making it in this storm. I'd hate to explain to Albus why part of you is in France and the other bit of you is somewhere in North America!"

"Never mind that now. We're here and we're both in one piece, which is all that matters. Now let's hurry to the hospital."

The short trip from the Ministry building to the muggle hospital was the longest trip of her life. Minerva's vivid imagination had started to run wild just thinking of all the terrible things that could be wrong. She tried to shake the images from her head but it was of no use. The more she tried to think on something else, the more real the scenarios became that played out in her head. When they finally reached the hospital, she practically sprinted up the stairs and into the building.

Aberforth appeared behind Minerva as she tried in vain to speak with the nurse in charge. Unfortunately, the woman was not as helpful as she could have been and Minerva could feel the air crackle around her as her temper began to rise. Aberforth felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and he knew that it was time he took control before someone else ended up in need of medical attention.

"Miss…MISS!" he had to yell. "We are trying to get some information on a patient you have here…Albus Dumbledore. We were told that he was admitted a short time ago and that it doesn't look good."

The blonde haired woman stood behind the desk and gave them both a critical stare. "I'm sorry but you'll have to come back tomorrow. Visiting hours ended half an hour ago. There's nothing I can do for you."

"Oh, I think there is something you can do! You are going to tell us which room Albus Dumbledore is in and then we are going to be given directions on the quickest route to get there. This is his brother and I'm his…well…"

"His fiancée," Aberforth chimed in. Minerva looked stunned as the word fell freely from his lips. "You see, I am his brother and this woman is to be his wife in a few weeks and we just learned of his admittance here. Now, kindly tell us where to reach him before I turn her loose on you. And believe me she has the Scottish temper to match her incredible looks!"

The young woman carefully sized up the situation and quickly came to the conclusion that the formidable woman standing before her, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor and shooting death daggers was not one to be crossed. "Let me check with the head nurse. I'll be back in just a minute." After a few moments of whispered conversation and quick glances over their shoulders, the woman returned and promptly escorted both Aberforth and Minerva to Albus' room.

They stood outside the door to his room in silence, each wondering what to expect when they opened the door. "Minerva, why don't you go in first? I can tell how upset you are and I think he'd much rather hear your soothing voice than his brother's." He smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood a bit and offering her what little support he could. If she had to wait any longer, he was convinced that she would explode.

The room was dark when she entered, much darker than she expected. Fortunately, her cat eyes afforded her the luxury of being able to see well in such an environment. Crossing the room, she could tell that Albus was resting comfortably. He had a few scratches on his face, but nothing that wouldn't heal with time. His large hands looked a bit bruised but all in all she could see nothing to indicate a serious ailment. Then again, she had not cast a charm to assess his injuries just yet.

"Lumos," she whispered as she pulled her wand from her pocket. The small beam of light emitted from her wand bathed him in a perfect light. His face, now illuminated, looked so serene, as if he was having the most wonderful dream. Quietly, she spoke a few words and the lamp beside his bed emitted a soft glow, making it easier to see his distinguished face. Waving her wand over his body she muttered a diagnostic spell over him and waited for the outcome.

"So, Minerva…will I live?"

Startled, Minerva jumped at the sound of his voice but soon relaxed as she saw the smile playing about his lips and the twinkle in his eyes that she had missed for weeks. "You should be hexed for scaring me like that! I thought you were asleep."

"And it's good to see you too dear. Now, you haven't answered my question…will I live to see another sunrise," he asked teasingly?

"Not if you ever do that to me again," she softly replied. "Seriously, I only performed a simple charm but it looks like you are merely bruised and battered. With a lot of rest, you should be fine in a matter of weeks. Of course, I'm not a healer and you're not in the wizarding hospital but I suppose the muggles do know a little bit about healing. Even if it is somewhat primitive compared to our standards. But they should be hexed for telling us that you were on death's door. Honestly…silly people!"

"That is certainly good to know that I will see tomorrow! I'm feeling much better already. Thank you for coming to see me," he said somewhat shyly. "I expected Aberforth to eventually make his way here but I never dreamed I'd be lucky enough to see you. I thought you might still be angry at me for leaving you behind."

"Yes, about that Albus Dumbledore! Your brother and I had an interesting conversation regarding your motives and my apparent exclusion from the mission. Seems he was to be in charge of watching over me in your absence. Would you care to explain yourself now or wait until you're completely healed so that I can punish you properly? I wouldn't feel right adding to your injuries just yet."

Albus had known Minerva long enough to recognize the tone of voice she used. She wasn't quite angry with him but yet she wasn't entirely happy. And what was worse, she wanted answers…direct answers to her questions. But since he wasn't sure exactly how much Aberforth had told her, he was hesitant to engage in this line of conversation. In the end, he opted for the direct approach with only vague details.

"Minerva, please come and sit beside me," he asked as he extended his hand and carefully moved over in the bed. As she perched on the bed beside him, he stared into her emerald green eyes and wondered how he was ever going to get out of this without revealing his heart. "Please understand that it was not my intention to hurt your feelings. I was concerned for your safety and knew that if you accompanied us, I would not be truly focused on the task before me. I'm afraid you would've been a distraction…a pleasant one…but a distraction none the less."

"I've been called a lot of things in my life, but never a distraction. Did you honestly think I would get in the way? I have done everything within my powers to help in this fight and have risked life and limb on some of my missions. Never once have I endangered another and I knew the risks involved. But to leave me behind because I might get in your way…"

Minerva stiffened and sat straight as an arrow as she tried to finish her sentence. But suddenly she had to stop. Albus' warm hand had reached over and covered hers and his eyes no longer sparkled as they had when he first saw her face leaning over his. She had hurt him with her words but that had not been her intention. Minerva merely wanted to understand his reasoning.

"My dear, I never meant my actions to cause you pain. I was only trying to protect you. I'm not sure how much Aberforth told you…"

"He told me everything Albus." Minerva knew that what she was saying was not exactly the entire truth but this was the only way she felt she could get any straight answers. Part of her wanted to be angry with him and yet an even bigger part wanted to shower kisses all over his face for just being alive.

"I see," he whispered. He removed his hand from hers and then tore his eyes away from her enchanting green orbs. He half expected her to storm out of the room and never speak to him again if what she said was true. But she hadn't moved. In fact, she had looked a bit disappointed when his hand left hers. So he felt the need to explain further and hope for some forgiveness for his deception.

"I never intended for Aberforth to tell you of my feelings for you. I only wanted him to watch over you while I was away. I knew that if he did that, I would not be so preoccupied with my thoughts of you and I could defeat Grindelwald and return that much sooner. I'm sorry that you had to learn of my feelings from my brother. That was certainly not how I would've wished to tell you…"

"Then why don't you tell me what you told him and then we can forget about what happened with Aberforth." A lump formed in Minerva's throat as she spoke. She had grown to love Albus as more than a friend over the past few years and never in her dreams did she dare hope that her feelings might be returned. She thought back to those visits to Dumbledore Estate and the portrait of the younger Albus and the last time she had seen it. She had feared that he might not live and he would never know of the love she held in her heart for him and him alone.

"When I asked him to look out for you, I tried to make it seem as if it had everything to do with your recent accident but he saw right through me. He could tell that my concerns ran much deeper than even I dared to admit and with a little nudging on his part, I finally admitted to him that I am in love with you…as you already know. He urged me to tell you myself but I could not face your rejection."

"What made you think I could ever deny you anything? Have you never really looked into my eyes and seen the way I feel about you?" She reached over and lifted his chin so that he had to face her. "Look into my eyes and tell me what you see."

For once, Albus peered into her eyes and allowed himself the indulgence of believing that she might actually care for him. But as he really studied her lovely emerald colored orbs and her caring face bathed in the soft lighting, he saw something more for the first time. A solitary tear trickled down her face when she realized that he finally saw the secret chamber of her heart and all the love stored within.

Sitting up carefully on the bed, he pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her long hair. "Oh Minerva, I have loved you from a distance for so long. Can it be true that you, such an amazingly wonderful young witch could love an old, war worn wizard like me and be happy?"

Instead of answering him with her words, which she knew would be inadequate she closed the distance and softly brushed her lips against his tentatively. After her initial shock at the softness of his lips pressing against hers began to fade, she felt his arms wrap around her waist and ease her even closer until she was almost lying with him, side by side. Several sweet moments passed before he felt confident enough to deepen their first kiss.

As his tongue slowly ran across her lips, he heard her slightly moan and felt her smile against his mouth. And as she welcomed his advances, she became lost in his arms, snuggling closer to his side as he tasted every inch of her warm and inviting mouth. When the kiss ended, both were breathless and a bit teary eyed at the realization of their love.

"I have loved you for so long that it seems to be all I can remember, Albus. I don't care about age difference or scars. As long as I know you want me in your life, nothing else matters. When I heard you were injured, all I could think of was holding you and telling you all these things. I was afraid of losing you before I could share these thoughts with you."

"Minerva, I have felt the same way. I feared rejection from you and that kept me from really showing you how I feel. I didn't want to push you from my life with my advances and I let our age differences stand in the way. But no more of that. Time is too precious to waste."

Recapturing her lips again with his, he poured years of love and desire into the embrace. In return, she pressed against him and wrapped her arms around his neck and lightly caressed him with her fingertips. Neither of them noticed Aberforth standing in the doorway smiling in at them. All that mattered was their love and expressing it as best they could, given the limitations of their surroundings and his slightly bruised body. But they could wait until a more perfect moment arose. For now, just holding each other was enough. For now at least…

Only one more chapter to go…hope you enjoyed this one!