A/N: Thanks again to everyone who's reading this and kudos to all of you who have left reviews. You guys make my day. Please feel free to leave more! ;-) Now, the plot thickens...

Chapter 5

Albus would have to wait quite a while to see Minerva, as it turned out. She had woken up that morning with a smile plastered on her face and cradled in the warm arms of one of the most powerful wizards in the world, but for all the wonderful feelings, she couldn't dismiss the awkwardness of the situation. Minerva carefully extracted herself from his hold and watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful and rested, she thought. Knowing it was the coward's way out, she was going to avoid the inevitable discussion of their activities by leaving before he awoke. She turned the thin material she wore last night into a more practical robe and dressed quietly. She did the same to his robe and gently placed it on him. Minerva felt guilty for the pain he'd suffer when he found himself alone, but there were too many things happening in her life and it was all a jumbled mess in her head. She knew from the letter she received from her mother that things were going to get a lot more complicated.

Perhaps I'm being selfish. Minerva sighed softly. Of course she was being selfish, but then again, no one told her that at nineteen-years of age she would have to deal with the confusion of love, not to mention the fact that she had just slept with her favorite teacher! Four times, she mentally added. Minerva bent down and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She walked carefully to the door, thankful of the grass still blanketing the ballroom floor. Minerva looked one more time at Albus, before shutting the door behind her.

It was just after sunrise and there was no one in the hallways from the ballroom to her rooms. The first thing she noticed upon entering them was a vase of flowers. While they had been wilted and crumbling yesterday, they were now in full bloom. She ran to the window and gazed down onto the revitalized land, happy that the ritual was a success. After a quick shower, Minerva gathered up all her clothes and penned a note to Louis, explaining that she had left for her family's home and he could expect her report on their investigation by tomorrow. She considered leaving a letter for Albus, but couldn't think of anything to write besides an apology and she preferred to do that in person. Someday. Ten minutes later, Minerva walked out of Hogwarts with a heavy heart and tears in her eyes, not exactly looking forward to what awaited her at the McGonagall estate.

"Have you seen Miss McGonagall, Louis?"

"Actually, she left early this morning. Got a letter from her mother a couple days ago, so she went to see her family," answered Louis, inspecting one of the portraits to make sure all was back in order.

"Thank you," Albus said, trying to hide his disappointment. "Good day, my friend." The auror nodded and returned to his work. Albus wandered through the halls, deep in thought. Without realizing, he ended up outside Minerva's quarters. He went inside, hoping that she had left him some sort of message. Her scent still lingered faintly in the room and he inhaled deeply. Albus searched the room, but came up empty-handed and worried, his mind churning with unanswered questions. Why did she run? Why wouldn't she let him tell her he loved her?

Her behavior confounded him to no end. All this running away and mixed signals nonsense. There was no denying the fact that he saw love reflected in her eyes as he made love to her over and over again last night. Albus left the room in a huff, slamming the door on his way out. I will never understand women!

"Oculus," he muttered to the statue outside the headmaster's office. He knocked twice and the door opened of its own accord.

"Albus! Do come in. I never got the chance to thank you earlier. Hogwarts owes you so much," gushed Dippet.

The transfiguration teacher sat down and removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes, yes, but no one knows what I, excuse me, what we did, so Hogwarts owes me nothing. The important thing is that all seems to be back to normal."

"I'm surprised you are still awake. I would have thought you to be tired after the um..ritual."

Albus placed his half-moon spectacles back on face and looked at his old friend with sadness in his eyes. "Madame Blanchard and yourself set that up, so I'm assuming you both know who the witch was."

Dippet hesitated, unsure of how to answer. "Yes, Albus, we know her real identity. I suggested the two of you actually."

Albus' head snapped to attention. "You? What sort of cruel joke did you think you were playing on me, Armando?"

"What are you talking about?"

Albus stood, his anger getting the better of him. "Minerva! The magic created by the ritual interfered with our glamours and removed them!"

It took Dippet a few seconds for the implications to sink in. His face fell as he realized how uncomfortable it must have felt. "Albus, dear friend, I am so sorry. It was never my intention to cause any unnecessary duress."

Albus took in a few deep breaths and sat down again. He rarely showed his anger in public and it took only a few minutes to get his temper under control. Sitting down, the fire raging in his eyes was replaced by sadness once more. "I believe you, Armando, but why were we chosen?"

"Madame Blanchard explained that for it to work, the witch and wizard needed to be powerful and have strong ties to Hogwarts. Miss McGonagall and yourself seemed the most logical candidates. Though I do admit that knowing of your mutual attraction made the decision a little easier." Dippet noticed the look of disbelief on his teacher's face. "Yes, Albus, mutual attraction. It's plain as day to me that she is just as infatuated with you as you are with her."

"She's gone, you know," Albus said barely above a whisper. "She left this morning without a word."

"Am I to understand that the revelation of your true selves was less than welcome?"

"It was both a blessing and a curse." Albus went on to explain the events that took place the prior evening, sparing him the intimate details. "I just don't understand it, Armando. I probably scared her off."

"I have been married to the same woman for more than twenty years," said Dippet, "and I still don't understand how her mind works. Give Minerva time. The last few days have been very stressful on us all, perhaps she just needed to get away to clear her head."

Albus nodded and made to leave the office. "Thank you, old friend. I hope you're right."

Minerva stood on her balcony, looking out onto the farmlands surrounding the McGonagall estate. The weather was dismal today. Dark ominous clouds hung in the sky and a bitter wind began to blow. She didn't care; it matched her mood just fine. She arrived yesterday to much fuss from her mother who complained that she looked far too thin. June McGonagall said this every time she saw her daughter, much to Minerva's chagrin. Her father was more subdued, but he did ask teasingly if she had captured any dark wizards yet. A voice broke her from her thoughts.

"Please come in, Miss Minerva, you'll catch cold!" cried one of their many house-elves.

So as not to give the poor creature a heart attack, Minerva complied and shut the balcony door behind her. "There, now you have nothing to worry about."

"The master wishes to see you in his study, Miss."

"Thank you. I'll be down momentarily." After the house-elf left, Minerva sank down onto her bed. The master was her grandfather, Douglas McGonagall, a strict disciplinarian and tradition bound man whose fierce family honor was known throughout the wizarding community. Neither she nor her sister and brother had been close to him. He was not the usual doting grandfather and had always been of the belief that children should be seen and not heard. It wasn't until she left for her final year at Hogwarts that he actually spoke more than two words to her. "Do this family proud, Minerva." She did just that, becoming head girl and scoring the highest of her class on her exams. After a deep breath and a quick glance in the mirror to make sure she was fit to be seen, Minerva left the sanctuary of her room.

Her arrival was heralded by a house-elf and upon entering the study, Minerva noticed that her father and two other gentlemen stood near her grandfather.

"Come in, child," said Douglas, his voice deep and raspy with age. "It has been too long since I have had the pleasure of looking upon your sweet face."

Pretty words, she thought, nothing more. Obediently, Minerva crossed the room gracefully and kissed him lightly on each cheek. "It is good to see you too, Grandfather." She hoped he wouldn't see through her lies.

"Minerva, you remember Mr. Stevenson, don't you?"

She nodded to her grandfather and smiled at the older wizard next to her father. "Hello, how nice to see you again."

Stevenson smiled, taking her hand in his and kissing it softly. "And you as well, Miss McGonagall."

Douglas spoke again. "I don't believe you ever met young Logan. Step forward, boy, don't be shy!" The other man stepped forward and smiled awkwardly at her. He looked to be a few years older than Minerva with sandy blonde hair and green eyes. She thought him quite handsome. "Minerva, this is Logan Stevenson. He is Mr. Stevenson's second eldest son."

"How do you do?" she said. At the insistence of his father, Logan took her hand and kissed it quickly, unable to meet her gaze.

"Why don't you show Logan around the manor, my dear, while we discuss some things. I believe the library would be an excellent place to start and it would give the two of you a chance to get to know one another."

Minerva looked at her father, who for some reason refused to look her in the face and remained silent. "Of course, Grandfather. The library is this way, sir." The young man followed her out the door, leaving their elders to speak amongst themselves. As they walked down the hall, she addressed the nervous man beside her. "I apologize for my grandfather, he can be very overbearing at times."

He seemed to relax a little. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually so reticent, but your grandfather, to be quite frank, scares me to death!" They made idle small talk the rest of the way to the library. He marveled at the amount of books, commenting on the ones he had read or heard about.

Logan seemed like a nice young man. She learned that he was twenty-three, an apprentice medi-wizard, and an amateur painter. Participating in meaningless chatter took her mind off of the situation with Albus, if only for a little while. The manner in which her grandfather forced them to spend time in each other's company made her suspicious and she decided to ask Logan about it.

"Do you know what business brings your father to our estate?"

He paused from reading a passage in a book on the medicinal properties of flowers to look at her, a perplexed expression on his face. "I thought you knew."

"What am I supposed to know?" her voice changed slightly as her temper flared.

Logan looked nervous again. "I'm not quite sure how to put this." He suddenly found something intriguing on the carpeting of the library. "Umm...you and I are to be married."

Minerva moved her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. Only when he heard the thump of her body hitting the floor, did Logan look in her direction.

Dearest Minerva. Albus shook his head and tapped the parchment with his wand, vanishing the heading. Dear Miss McGonagall. Better to be more formal, he thought. The last letter he penned to her began with the first endearment and he had received no response. Now, more than four weeks since Beltane, Albus decided to try again. He kept this letter fairly short, sticking to inquiries after her health and job, not mentioning anything about that fateful night. Several minutes later, he attached it to one of the school's owls and released it out the window.

His mood had not improved in the last few weeks. During the week, his classes served as a welcome distraction from the heartache he was experiencing, but even his students noticed the change in his demeanor. Albus had been trying to appear his old, eccentric self, but he was never a brilliant actor. He had spoken to Louis a few nights ago and was informed that Minerva had not reported back to work since she went home. He said he received a short note from her explaining that she wasn't feeling well and wasn't sure when she'd be back. Now on top of his sorrow, Albus felt anxious about her well-being.

Peter Flutterby appeared in the doorway and knocked lightly on the open door to alert the other professor to his presence. "Would you like to come with us to the Hog's Head? I don't know what's been bothering you, but you sure look like you could use a drink."

"I think you're right, Peter, and since you mentioned it, you have the honor of buying my first glass!"

"That's the spirit, man!"

Minerva had given up arguing two weeks after Logan's revelation. No one would listen to her objections. Her mother rambled on and on about the wedding plans, consulting her older sister, Meditrina, as to the flowers and other such nonsense. Her brother, Martius, felt sympathetic, but in the end did nothing to help convince her parents and grandfather that this was a colossal mistake. Minerva's father expressed his regret that she was part of an arranged marriage that was mainly used to seal a contract between their clan and the Stevenson's.

"I refuse to be used as collateral, Papa! I'm not even finished with my training. Am I supposed to give up my dreams of becoming a full-fledged auror simply because Grandfather wishes to increase our family's wealth and connections? Does what I want mean nothing?"

He placed his arms around his daughter and held her as she cried. "I am sorry, my love, but there is nothing I can do."

Minerva had never hated anyone enough to wish them dead besides Grindelwald, but she was currently harboring a great longing to see the old head of the McGonagall family sleeping peacefully six feet below the ground. She had locked herself in her room for the last two nights, only leaving to sneak food from the kitchens after everyone else had gone to bed. She would have gladly starved in protest, but it seemed she was constantly hungry and nothing would satiate her for long.

She walked to her writing desk and opened one of the drawers, pulling up on the bottom panel to reveal a secret compartment. Minerva pulled out the letters that Albus had been sending her. There were four of them now, each one relatively the same. She hadn't seen him in nearly six weeks, nor had she written him back. She had no idea how to explain things to him, but she needed to and he would hear it from her own lips, not written on a piece of parchment. The term had just ended at Hogwarts, so many of the teacher's would be gone for the summer. She knew that Albus was planning on staying at the school in order to help reinforce the protective wards on the castle. Tomorrow she would return to Hogwarts and try to salvage what she could of their friendship, even though her feelings were well beyond platonic.

A/N: Now for a bit of useless trivia. The other McGonagall siblings names are also from Roman mythology. Meditrina is the goddess of wine and health, while Martius is derived from Mars, the god of war.

Oh, to Angeldust aka Evilwoman: No my previous chapter's A/N wasn't directed at you, but it did get me thinking that some people might be turned off by too much pagan imagery. Thanks for your review though. :-)