A Sense of Love or Duty
Chapter Two
Minerva couldn't quite believe her eyes as she stared at the man before her. She hadn't seen him in nearly twelve years. From what she could see, he hadn't changed much, apart from the obvious lines on his face that had come with age. Before Minerva had a chance to speak again, she found herself being pulled into a bear like embrace by Daniel.
"Oh Min," exclaimed Daniel as he held her tightly "I've missed you so much!"
"Where have you been?" asked Minerva as she pulled away from him.
"I will tell all once we are alone!" replied Daniel as he gave Albus a questioning glance.
Albus had been eyeing the man embracing his fiancée for sometime now and he couldn't help but come over all queasy. It was like seeing a ghost from the past and Albus didn't like this particular one.
"You remember Albus Dumbledore," said Minerva as she noticed the two men glaring at each other. "He is headmaster here now!"
"Yes I remember," replied Daniel "but if you don't mind I would like to talk to my fiancée alone!"
Minerva shifted uncomfortably on her feet while she tried to figure out what to say to Daniel. Surely he didn't expect the engagement to still be valid after all those years he was away. She felt someone's eyes alone and looked up to see Albus looking at her. He smiled softly and his eyes shone with understanding.
"I will go but I need to have a quiet word with my deputy headmistress!" said Albus as he indicated to the door.
"I'll be right back, Daniel!" explained Minerva as she followed Albus out of her office.
Albus reached out for her hand and pulled her into a secret passage way that only they knew about. Not even the marauders had found this one. Once concealed in the passage way, Albus wrapped his arms around her and held her. Minerva clung to him and for a few moments nothing was said till Minerva broke the silence.
"Oh Albus," she sighed into his robes "I was told that he was dead!"
"We were all told that, my love," answered Albus as he let his hands wander lovingly up and down her back "but it seems that he is very much alive. How do you feel about seeing him again?"
"It is odd," replied Minerva truthfully. "I never loved him, we were friends but our parents arranged our match. When he disappeared I was upset of course but I moved on and fell in love for the first time in my life with you. How can he think that the engagement still stands, oh Albus how do I tell him after all he has been through."
"Minerva," said Albus as he let his chin rest on the top her head "this is not about keeping your promise, it is about following your heart!"
Minerva moved her head slightly and she stood up on tip toes, she lent forward and brushed her lips against his. The kiss didn't last long but it was a kiss that they both needed before she had to go back into her office and tell Daniel Lathewell that she had moved on.
"Good luck my love!" whispered Albus into her ear. "I'll be waiting for you in our usual place."
"I'll be there as soon as I can!" she answered as she kissed the tip of his nose.
Albus watched as she disappeared from the passage way, he heard the door knob on her office door turn and a few seconds later he heard the door close shut behind her.
Daniel Lathewell was seated behind Minerva's neat and organized desk, prodding a piece of parchment with one of her emerald coloured quills.
"Well?" asked Minerva as she perched on the side of her desk.
"Well what?" replied Daniel as he looked up at her "Oh right, well remember I had to go to Diagon Alley to pick up a few things for my father!"
"I can recall you doing something like that," answered Minerva "you never came back."
"There I was minding my own business when I was suddenly stunned and blindfolded," continued Daniel "I was taken to a small dark room where I was told that I had been taken hostage by some renegade followers of Grindelwald because they had heard about my work with potions."
"We never received any demands for you life?" questioned Minerva curiously.
"No you didn't," he answered "that is because I found it in my best interests to make out that I would join them of my own free will. I was treated better, Minerva and I could conduct my studies without being interrogated. It has taken me all this time to escape from them and my thoughts of you were the only thing that kept me going."
"Why should I believe all this?" asked Minerva. "You expect me to believe these stories without questioning it."
Daniel stood up from the chair and walked around so that he was in front of her. He picked up her hands and placed a kiss on each one before she pulled them away from his grasp.
"I expect you to question me," replied Daniel "you can even give me a truth serum and you will find that all of what I say is true, my dear."
Minerva looked at him intently, she knew him well and from the look in his eyes she could tell that he was telling the truth. She got down from her desk and walked over to the fireplace, she stared into it as she tried to form the words of what she was going to say in her mind.
"You're still as beautiful as the day I left," said Daniel as he walked over and cupped her face in his hands. "I know our engagement was set up but I have always loved you Minerva!"
"Please don't!" replied Minerva as she pulled away from him.
"What?" queried Daniel as he took another step towards her.
"Don't touch me!" answered Minerva softly. "You have been gone years, Daniel. I have moved on with the years and our engagement ended."
"Don't say that," pleaded Daniel as he came to a stand still. "I am back and we can continue as we left off, Minerva. We were promised to each other by our families and we shall be married. I have made you wait for me for too long, we shall marry as soon as possible. I pledge my life for you happiness, Minerva."
"Daniel, please hear me when I say there will be no marriage between us," explained Minerva softly. "I am sorry!"
"Why are saying this Minerva?" asked Daniel.
"Daniel," said Minerva as she sat down in a near by chair and looked at him "you know that I never loved you and that I had to marry for connections. My life has changed a lot since you disappeared. I am in love and to be married in two weeks. I am sorry if I have hurt you, even more especially after all you have been through but you need to know this."
"You're to marry someone else?" exclaimed Daniel with anger evident in his voice. "I cannot allow that Minerva. You were and are still promised to me. The only marriage that will take place is ours."
Daniel made his way towards the door but before he opened it, he turned and looked at Minerva.
"I can't blame you for finding someone else," he told her "but a promise is a promise, Minerva and you know the strength of such a promise."
Minerva watched him storm out of her office, his words still ringing loudly in her ears. She knew all too well about the McGonagall's view on promises and she was torn between her sense of duty and the man she loved.
Chapter Two
Minerva couldn't quite believe her eyes as she stared at the man before her. She hadn't seen him in nearly twelve years. From what she could see, he hadn't changed much, apart from the obvious lines on his face that had come with age. Before Minerva had a chance to speak again, she found herself being pulled into a bear like embrace by Daniel.
"Oh Min," exclaimed Daniel as he held her tightly "I've missed you so much!"
"Where have you been?" asked Minerva as she pulled away from him.
"I will tell all once we are alone!" replied Daniel as he gave Albus a questioning glance.
Albus had been eyeing the man embracing his fiancée for sometime now and he couldn't help but come over all queasy. It was like seeing a ghost from the past and Albus didn't like this particular one.
"You remember Albus Dumbledore," said Minerva as she noticed the two men glaring at each other. "He is headmaster here now!"
"Yes I remember," replied Daniel "but if you don't mind I would like to talk to my fiancée alone!"
Minerva shifted uncomfortably on her feet while she tried to figure out what to say to Daniel. Surely he didn't expect the engagement to still be valid after all those years he was away. She felt someone's eyes alone and looked up to see Albus looking at her. He smiled softly and his eyes shone with understanding.
"I will go but I need to have a quiet word with my deputy headmistress!" said Albus as he indicated to the door.
"I'll be right back, Daniel!" explained Minerva as she followed Albus out of her office.
Albus reached out for her hand and pulled her into a secret passage way that only they knew about. Not even the marauders had found this one. Once concealed in the passage way, Albus wrapped his arms around her and held her. Minerva clung to him and for a few moments nothing was said till Minerva broke the silence.
"Oh Albus," she sighed into his robes "I was told that he was dead!"
"We were all told that, my love," answered Albus as he let his hands wander lovingly up and down her back "but it seems that he is very much alive. How do you feel about seeing him again?"
"It is odd," replied Minerva truthfully. "I never loved him, we were friends but our parents arranged our match. When he disappeared I was upset of course but I moved on and fell in love for the first time in my life with you. How can he think that the engagement still stands, oh Albus how do I tell him after all he has been through."
"Minerva," said Albus as he let his chin rest on the top her head "this is not about keeping your promise, it is about following your heart!"
Minerva moved her head slightly and she stood up on tip toes, she lent forward and brushed her lips against his. The kiss didn't last long but it was a kiss that they both needed before she had to go back into her office and tell Daniel Lathewell that she had moved on.
"Good luck my love!" whispered Albus into her ear. "I'll be waiting for you in our usual place."
"I'll be there as soon as I can!" she answered as she kissed the tip of his nose.
Albus watched as she disappeared from the passage way, he heard the door knob on her office door turn and a few seconds later he heard the door close shut behind her.
Daniel Lathewell was seated behind Minerva's neat and organized desk, prodding a piece of parchment with one of her emerald coloured quills.
"Well?" asked Minerva as she perched on the side of her desk.
"Well what?" replied Daniel as he looked up at her "Oh right, well remember I had to go to Diagon Alley to pick up a few things for my father!"
"I can recall you doing something like that," answered Minerva "you never came back."
"There I was minding my own business when I was suddenly stunned and blindfolded," continued Daniel "I was taken to a small dark room where I was told that I had been taken hostage by some renegade followers of Grindelwald because they had heard about my work with potions."
"We never received any demands for you life?" questioned Minerva curiously.
"No you didn't," he answered "that is because I found it in my best interests to make out that I would join them of my own free will. I was treated better, Minerva and I could conduct my studies without being interrogated. It has taken me all this time to escape from them and my thoughts of you were the only thing that kept me going."
"Why should I believe all this?" asked Minerva. "You expect me to believe these stories without questioning it."
Daniel stood up from the chair and walked around so that he was in front of her. He picked up her hands and placed a kiss on each one before she pulled them away from his grasp.
"I expect you to question me," replied Daniel "you can even give me a truth serum and you will find that all of what I say is true, my dear."
Minerva looked at him intently, she knew him well and from the look in his eyes she could tell that he was telling the truth. She got down from her desk and walked over to the fireplace, she stared into it as she tried to form the words of what she was going to say in her mind.
"You're still as beautiful as the day I left," said Daniel as he walked over and cupped her face in his hands. "I know our engagement was set up but I have always loved you Minerva!"
"Please don't!" replied Minerva as she pulled away from him.
"What?" queried Daniel as he took another step towards her.
"Don't touch me!" answered Minerva softly. "You have been gone years, Daniel. I have moved on with the years and our engagement ended."
"Don't say that," pleaded Daniel as he came to a stand still. "I am back and we can continue as we left off, Minerva. We were promised to each other by our families and we shall be married. I have made you wait for me for too long, we shall marry as soon as possible. I pledge my life for you happiness, Minerva."
"Daniel, please hear me when I say there will be no marriage between us," explained Minerva softly. "I am sorry!"
"Why are saying this Minerva?" asked Daniel.
"Daniel," said Minerva as she sat down in a near by chair and looked at him "you know that I never loved you and that I had to marry for connections. My life has changed a lot since you disappeared. I am in love and to be married in two weeks. I am sorry if I have hurt you, even more especially after all you have been through but you need to know this."
"You're to marry someone else?" exclaimed Daniel with anger evident in his voice. "I cannot allow that Minerva. You were and are still promised to me. The only marriage that will take place is ours."
Daniel made his way towards the door but before he opened it, he turned and looked at Minerva.
"I can't blame you for finding someone else," he told her "but a promise is a promise, Minerva and you know the strength of such a promise."
Minerva watched him storm out of her office, his words still ringing loudly in her ears. She knew all too well about the McGonagall's view on promises and she was torn between her sense of duty and the man she loved.