Disclaimer: I own nothing dealing with Harry Potter or whatever it is that I am supposed to say in this disclaimer thingie! Yeah! Woot!

A/N: Well, I do not know whether or not this shall be my last chapter, but I'll let you know by the end of this chapter. Okay? I guess we'll just have to see how this one goes and then I shall decide what to do after that! Oh, and I am now on Christmas Break, so hopefully I can be a little more generous with my updates. I'm not promising anything, but I will surely try! Now THAT I promise.

Albus paced in the hall, glancing at the hospital wing door every few seconds. What was taking Poppy so long? It had been three and a half hours since he had brought Minerva in from the battle field, and Poppy hadn't said anything to him for just over two hours. What was going on in there? Whatever it was, he knew that Minerva must still be alive. She was one strong witch, and he was well aware of that.

He leaned against a nearby wall, thinking of nothing else but the woman he loved. He thought about Adam, and how he was to receive the dementors kiss for what he had done. He thought of how limp Minerva was when he carried her through the halls of Hogwarts, praying with each step he took that she would be alright. And the more he thought of her, the more he felt like hexing himself into the next millennium for letting her fight with Adam. He should have be the wizard everyone said he was and fought him for her. His thoughts were soon interrupted when he heard the infirmary door open. He looked over to see the tired face of Poppy. Almost immediately, he was right in front of her, a scared look in his eyes.

"How is she, Poppy?" he asked. He was almost afraid on what the answer might be. It could easily be the last thing he would want to hear. But his heart soared when he saw her give a slight, weary smile.

"She's just fine, Albus," she said, exhaustion evident in her voice. Then, she frowned slightly. "But she will need to rest for a few nights. She will stay in St. Mungo's for a while. Nothing permanent, of course, just for two or three days while the healers keep an eye on her and run some tests on her." Albus was so happy and relieved that Minerva would not die that he pulled Poppy into a huge hug and thanked her repeatedly for doing such a fantastic job. She smiled at him and said, "you're welcome" and that she was glad to help.

"May I go in and see her now?" asked Albus. He was anxious to see her. But Poppy simply shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Albus, but she's already been transferred to St. Mungo's. You can visit her tomorrow, when visitors will be allowed." Albus nodded solemnly, thanked her again, and walked slowly back to his room. He had much to think about and he wanted to be alone.

(A/N: See? I promised I wouldn't kill her, didn't I? And I always stick to my promises. I would never kill Minerva if I said I wouldn't! K, back to the story! Always Hopeful)

The next day, Albus went to St. Mungo's in the hopes of seeing his beloved Minerva. When he got there, he was immediately shown in by the head nurse. When he walked in, Minerva lay on the hospital bed, sleeping. Her hair lay sprawled against the pillow, softening her features. Albus' heart ached when he thought of how he had almost lost this beautiful woman. He walked quietly to the side of her bed, smiling. She was dressed in her own green robes. He smiled when he thought of the last time she had been stuck in the hospital. She had been hit with four stunners to the chest and had made a fuss that she hated the hospital gowns. Apparently, she hadn't let them take her own gowns without a fight.

He sat down next to her bed and stared at her face. He traced her jaw lines with a finger as if trying to memorize everything about her. But he knew that he didn't have to; He already new every line, every curve, and every hair on her head. He finally rested his hand on hers and squeezed it. It felt so soft, like satin.

"Albus?" Minerva opened her eyes and smiled. "I'm so glad you came. What happened?" Albus sighed.

"Darling, you won the duel with Adam," he replied. "You don't have to marry him!" They both smiled.

"That is great," breathed Minerva. Then, she frowned. "How did I get here?" Albus kissed her hand.

"Adam almost killed you. It took a lot of work, but Poppy had managed to help you. When I saw you fading, I almost killed Adam myself. I was so scared that I had lost you, and I wanted Adam to know the kind of pain I was feeling. I didn't want to lose you just when I had found you." Minerva squeezed his hand.

"I'm glad you didn't," she said. "If you did, I would've lost you to the dementors as well. And I wouldn't want to lose you, either." Albus bent over and kissed her softly on the lips. Although he wanted to kiss her with all the passion he felt inside, he did not want to harm her in any way. So, he pulled back before it could get too intense. "I'm glad you came to see me, Albus."

"So am I, Minerva," said Albus. "So am I." They spent the better part of the day there; Albus was sitting, Minerva was lying down, and they just stared at each other, every now and then making non-important comments.

It wasn't until two days later that Minerva was finally allowed to go back to the castle. Albus was thrilled to see Minerva walking down the halls of Hogwarts, good as new. A week went by, and Albus grew anxious. While she was in the hospital, he had decided that he wanted to ask her to marry him. He had it all planned out, and now he just had to carry it out. That was why he was so nervous, because he planned on telling her on her birthday, which was that night.

First, he would take her out on a moonlit walk around the lake. Then, he would surprise her with a romantic dinner under the stars. After a bit of dancing, he would ask her. What happened after that would be entirely up to her, though he was fairly confident in the answer. At seven o' clock, after much stressing over how he would phrase the proposal, he picked up the black velvet box, which held his grandmothers wedding ring, and made his way nervously toward Minerva's private bedroom.

"Just a minute!" Albus took the last few seconds he had to quickly smooth out any wrinkles in his robes, which were a nice dark purple with silver moons and stars on the sleeves and collar. He had hardly run his fingers through his beard two or three times before the door opened. His eyes grew big and there was a sharp intake of breath. There, in front of him, was Minerva, looking more radiant and more magical than he could remember seeing her in a long time. She wore a set of bright blue robes which hugged all the right spots and flared at the end of the sleeves and at the bottom.

"Minerva, my dear, you look absolutely stunning," he said. She spun around and Albus smiled at the sight of her hair, which she had left down, fly around with her.

"I was hoping you'd like it," she said. Albus held out his arm and she took it.

"So, are you ever going to tell me where we are going tonight?" she inquired as they exited the great doors.

"Not far," Albus replied. "In fact, we're staying right here on the grounds. I figured, since the other teachers all had pre-arranged plans, we'd just stay here at Hogwarts for the night." Minerva looked at him curiously.

"Well then I should've stayed in my usual robes," she teased. "After all, I thought you wanted to show me off." Albus chuckled.

"We'll have plenty of time for that later," he said. "How about we start off with a simple walk around the lake?"

"Sounds good," smiled Minerva. For about half an hour, they just walked around the lake, talking about anything and everything that came to mind. They even talked about Adam and how glad they were that he was no longer apart of their lives. Then, they talked about the stars, and how this was the perfect night for a walk.

"This has definitely been a wonderful first date, Albus," Minerva smiled as they completed what felt like their hundredth lap around the reflecting water.

"But wait, my dear, there is more," smiled Albus. He nodded his head to the dock and smiled at the expression on Minerva's face. Her mouth dropped when she saw a small table set for two, with a white table cloth and two candles in the center.

"Oh, Albus, that looks absolutely divine," she said. "I can't believe you went to all this trouble," she said. He placed his arm around her shoulders.

"Don't think about it," he said. They sat down and began to eat. The meal consisted of all of Minerva's favorite seafood, which really pleased her. They talked and laughed about various things that they just didn't seem to get to on their walk. At the end, Minerva dabbed at the corner of her mouth with her napkin before placing it on her plate.

"Ah, Albus, you have definitely outdone yourself."

"And this night is not over yet," smiled Albus. With the wave of his hand, music drifted into the air. It was not a song Minerva recognized, but it was definitely the most beautiful she had heard in a while. Albus stood and offered his hand to her, which she readily took.

Night-time sharpens,
Heightens each sensation . . .
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination.
Silently the senses abandon their defenses
Helpless to resist the notes I write
For I composed the music of the night!

Minerva and Albus danced around gracefully, as if floating. In fact, it was a while before Minerva even looked down and noticed that they were floating. She tightened her grip around his neck. Albus smiled and pulled her in closer, happy for the chance to hold her close to him. She looked up into his eyes, smiled warmly, and laid her head on his shoulder.

Slowly, gently
Night unfurls its splendor.
Grasp it, sense it tremulous and tender.
Hearing is believing, music is deceiving,
Hard as lightning, soft as candle light,

Dare you trust the music of the night...

"Minerva?"

"Hmm?" Minerva asked, head still on his chest and eyes closed.

"Are you happy here, with me?" Albus asked. Minerva looked up at him, confusion on her face.

"Of coarse I am, Albus," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I am very happy that I am with you. I love you very much, and am so glad that I can share all this time with you." Albus smiled and kissed her on her forehead.

"Good. I love you too." This is it, Albus old boy, he thought to himself. It's now or never! He took a deep breath and, after bringing them back down to the dock, pulled back and got down on one knee. "Minerva?"

Close your eyes,
For your eyes will only tell the truth,

And the truth isn't what you want to see.
In the dark it is easy to pretend
That the truth is what it ought to be...
Softly,

Deafening,

Music shall caress you.

Hear it,

Feel it,

Secretly posses you

Minerva's mind began swimming. Was he doing what she thought he was doing?

"Yes, Albus?" she asked. Her heart began beating faster when she saw him pull out a small black box from the inside of his robes.

"I know this is rather fast, yet it's almost too late at the same time. And now, I want to ask you before anything else happens that could possibly ruin my ability to ask you this. Minerva, will you marry me?"

Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind,
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight,
The darkness of the music of the night...

Close your eyes start a journey through a strange new world
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before!
Close your eyes and let music set you free!

Only then can you belong to me...

Floating (floating), falling (falling)
Sweet intoxication!
Touch me (touch me), trust me (trust me)
Savour each sensation!

Let the dream begin,
Let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write,
The power of the music of the night!


Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah...
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah...
Ah-ah-ah...
Aaaaaaaaaah...oooh...

You alone can make my song take flight,
Help me make the music of the night...


Help me make the music of the night...

Minerva gasped when she heard this question. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. Albus Dumbledore, the man she had secretly loved for so many decades, was now asking her to marry him. She couldn't stop the tears from falling. She was just too happy.

"Of course, I will Albus," she smiled. "I will marry you." Albus quickly pulled out the ring, one with two diamonds and two sapphires alternating, placed it on her finger, and kissed her passionately. This was definitely a night to remember.

A/N2: There it is. I hope you liked it. I was thinking about adding another chapter, perhaps their wedding, but I do not know. Let me know what you think. So, please review and let me know if it was good and if you want another chapter or not! Love you guys. Yes, I am talking to you, my reviewers! Keep it up. Always Hopeful