Disclaimer: I own nothing that has already been created in the mind of J.K. Rowling.

A/N: If this chapter should really suck, I'm sorry. But I am not prewriting it before typing it out. Just a little FYI, in case you do not find this up to what I usually do.

Minerva had decided to keep up the charade of staying in her room, so Adam would not try and bother her, and, making absolute sure that the door was locked, transformed into her cat form. Opening the window, she jumped to the nearby tree branch that sat just below it and climbed gracefully down the trunk. She thought it was better that no one knew where she was for a while, that way nothing was to slip in Adam's presence.

She sprinted across the grounds of Hogwarts, using her cat-like reflexes to her advantage. Despite her age, she was still able to run with great speed, much like when she first became a registered animagus.

She ran to the great lake, the one place she had always found to be most peaceful. The sun shone down brightly upon the water, bouncing off and revealing everything in its surroundings. Minerva finally halted when she was at the docks edge. She looked down into the water, seeing the mirrored image of her feline form. Then, slowly but surely, she transformed into her human form, watching as her reflection did as she did.

It was a rather hot day in late June, and Minerva could feel the heat beat down upon her. She began to perspire quite a bit, so she made up her mind to take off her boots and stick her feet into the lake. She did not worry about the giant squid or any of the occupants of the lake, for they knew better than to mess with a teacher from the school. So, she gracefully unlaced her boots, her fingers nimble, and stuck her feet into the pond. The cool water certainly felt good against her hot skin. Closing her eyes and leaning back slightly, she began to think about everything that had happened in the past few hours. She thought of Adam, and his plan to continue with the wedding. She thought of the other teachers, and what they might think. Then, she thought of Albus.

She could not believe how well he was taking the whole situation. True, he was not taking it well. After all, how can he? On the other hand, he made no attempts on Adam's life, which had to count for something. Right?

The sweat continued to pour down her face. Looking around, Minerva noticed a small slope that lead to the edge of the water. So, she stood and, leaving her boots on the dock, walked down to the where the water met the grass. She then removed her hat and every pin that kept her bun in tact. Her hair fell down her back, reaching all the way down her back, stopping just above her butt.

She leant forward and dipped her hair into the water, feeling the weight of her hair increase as it soaked each molecule. But she didn't care, because it felt so good. She lowered her head until she could feel the top of her head hit the cold. And it felt good!

Albus poured over book after book in the library, tossing each one aside almost as fast as he pulled them from the shelf. This disturbed Madam Pince, the librarian, quite a bit, but she said nothing. She knew, no matter how crazy, Albus was the headmaster and probably had his reasons for acting like a complete lunatic.

Albus had gone through nearly every single pre-law and intermediate law book in the library, angry that his search would result without much information. He was about to leave when he noticed a thin, black book that rested between a thick red one and the side of the shelf. The red book was a book on infamous wizard songs throughout history. But the black book just seemed to be misplaced. He didn't know why, but something just didn't seem right in its location.

He pulled it from its spot and read the cover. This caught his attention immediately, and his heart began to race. Could this be it? The cover read, Laws of Marriages: Arranged and Self-Chosen. Albus quickly opened to the table of contents and smiled. His eyes widened when he read Broken Vows and Contracts… page 93. He opened to page 93 and felt his heart fly around in his chest. He knew how to get Minerva out of her arranged marriage. Snapping the book shut, he ran to Madam Pince, showed her the book, and, without waiting for her to punch it out, raced out of the library. He had to find Minerva and tell her the good news.

"Minerva!"

Minerva tensed when she heard Adam's voice from behind her. Quickly pulling her hair out of the water, she stared at him icily.

"What do you want, Adam?" she asked.

"I do love your hair, Minzie," he said, walking up to her and holding a strand of her hair. She quickly slapped his hand away and, muttering a drying charm, stood and walked onto the dock to retrieve her boots.

"Please leave me alone, Adam," she hissed. "I do not want to speak with you."

"That was pretty clever of you," smiled Adam, following her. "Leaving your door locked and climbing out the window, I mean. And if I hadn't been sitting behind the bush when you did so, I never would have seen you. Too bad, Minzie, but perhaps next time."

"Good, you've proven to have eyes and a mouth, but I sense you don't have ears, for you have not heard a word I just said. Stay away from me until such a time when I am forced to see you."

"You know, Minerva, you really should learn to respect men more. Now I can see why you have not been married, for no man could hope to be respected when around you." Minerva began to grow even angrier than before.

"How dare you talk about my lack of a love life when you don't even know what it's like to love another?" she hissed. "In fact, I have loved Albus for years, and so has he, and-,"

"And he never made a move because of your stupid opinions and lack of respect for a man. You forget where your place is as a woman." He was now right next to her, watching her finish the knot on her boots and standing up.

"And where might that be?" she growled.

"In the kitchen," he replied. Minerva slapped him straight across the face, emitting a loud sound as her hand met with his cheek. She turned to walk away when Adam, in a rage, grabbed her from behind and picked her up, kicking and screaming.

"Let me go, Adam, let me go!" she shouted, smacking him as best she could. She pulled out her wand to attack, but he immediately slapped it out of her hand with one hand before placing it back around her waist.

"Not until you learn respect for those superior to you!" he growled.

"Well, of all the male-chauvinistic things-," began Minerva. But she was interrupted when Adam suddenly dropped her. She turned around and saw Albus standing behind Adam, his right hand facing the wizard, causing him enough pain to fall to his knees.

"Minerva does not give respect unless she receives it first," he growled angrily. "Do not treat her with such indignity." Then, he released his hold of Adam and walked over to Minerva worriedly. "Are you alright, my dear?" Minerva nodded and looked down at her waist.

"Nothing permanent, just a small pain," she said.

"Minerva, I need to talk with you in private," Albus smiled. He turned to Adam, who was standing up again. "Unless, of course, Mr. White here disapproves?" Adam, not wanting to give Albus the chance to show off his power again, shook his head solemnly.

"Go ahead, Albus," he said. "You won't get many of these meetings with Minerva again. At least, not while she is single." He smiled rather devishly before turning and looking upon the water. Albus took Minerva by the arm and quickly lead her back to the castle. He wanted to share with her his findings.

Once inside her bedroom, Minerva locked the door once again and turned to Albus.

"So, what is it that you wanted to discuss with me, Albus?" she asked.

"Minerva, I've found the way to get you out of this marriage," he said excitedly. "Actually, I've found two."

"Albus, that is wonderful," squealed Minerva, hugging him tightly. "I am forever in your debt. Now, what are they?" She pulled back and looked at him.

"Well, the first one, I don't really think is likely to happen anytime soon," he said, pulling out the book. "The first one says that someone has to die." Minerva frowned.

"Well, I wouldn't mind if he died," she smiled. Albus looked at her over his half moon spectacles.

"Now, Minerva," he smiled. "You have a way of taking the words right out of my mouth." They both chuckled slightly. Then, he looked back down at the book and sighed heavily. "The second one is a bit more…interesting. If it can be found that one of the intended has engaged in an infidelity, the contract shall therefore be null and void, releasing both parties from their duties." He looked at Minerva, waiting for his words to sink in.

"So, you're telling me, in order to get out of this marriage, I need to be unfaithful?" she asked, eyebrows raised to almost her hairline. Albus shrugged.

"Or, you could always kill Adam," he suggested. They both smiled.

"Well, as tempting as that option sounds," said Minerva, stepping closer to Albus, "I think I like option number two better." Albus chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I was hoping you'd say that…"

A/N2: Okay, there you go. I have come up with two possible ways for Minerva to get out of this situation. But that doesn't mean Adam is going to give up so easily, now, does it? What will he do? DUN DUN DUN. I guess you will just have to wait for the next chapter to find out.