Chapter Four

The owl swooped through the open windows lowering itself gracefully in front of the headmaster at breakfast. It held its leg out. Albus recognized the owl, Erato, owned by the publishing house. Albus gave the owl a long strip of bacon. The message must have been brief for he paid it only a slight glance. As the owl flew out, the headmaster turned to his deputy.

"Minerva, I would like to inform you that another excerpt will be appearing in the afternoon edition of the Prophet."

"What is the topic this time? Do I need to prepare myself?"

"It concerns an area of my life that by comparison to the rest is little known." Dumbledore poured another cup of tea for both himself and Minerva. "With the publication date so close to hand, my publisher felt that it was a good time to release another excerpt."

Minerva narrowed her eyes at him. "And I am not mentioned at all?"

"I did say that you would not have anything more to worry about, did I not?" Dumbledore smiled shyly at her. "Be assured that your name does not appear within the excerpt."

"Thank you for informing me, Albus." She smiled back. "Consider your previous offense forgiven."

Albus buttered his toast. "Will you be ready to leave for the Australian conference as planned?"

"We leave at eleven do we not?"

"Yes. Our plane leaves at 12:30." Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Perhaps we can play chess to while away the hours of the trip."

Minerva looked beyond Albus to the charms professor seated to his left. "Filius, as we are leaving before noon, you are nominally the deputy headmaster as of right now. I have left a list of issues that may arise with Alicia."

Filius nodded encouragingly. "Do not worry, Minerva. Alicia and I will be fine."

"Don't forget Fawkes!"

"He will be showered with attention so Filius assures me." Albus winked at the head of Ravenclaw.

Minerva clucked under her breath. "Oh, Albus, are you sure you have settled any lingering matters with the Ministry? Owl traffic will be very delayed, if at all."

Dumbledore patted her hand. "I issued written and verbal instructions yesterday. They are aware that they disturb me at their peril."

Minerva turned her attention to her assistant seated at her right. "Alicia, do not forget that the annual inventory is in two months. It is never too early to begin preparing our plan of attack. There are a great many things to catalog from linens to portraits. I suggest that while I am away you use the time to familiarize yourself with last year's plan."

"Already done, professor."

"Familiarized yourself with last year's plan? Very good. That will save a great deal of time."

"No, professor, I meant the plan for this year," Alicia answered. "I put it on your desk before I came here. And I thought of a possible way to have the portraits help with the inventory."

Minerva gaped at the young woman. She blinked a few times. "I applaud your initiative."

Albus beamed happily. "We should not be surprised. The chancellor at Glastonbury Academy did give me a glowing recommendation for Alicia."

Alicia blushed. "Professor McGonagall is an excellent teacher and her management system is flawless."

Filius piped in. "So, Minerva, go to the conference and enjoy it. We have things well in hand here."

"It will be a nice change I suppose," Minerva said. She was still of two minds about both she and Albus being absent in the middle of term.

"We seldom have opportunities to attend professional conferences. I for one am determined to enjoy it. I am equally determined to see to it that you do the same." Albus rose out of his chair. "Filius, I have a few last minute items to discuss with you. Please follow me to my office."

The afternoon edition of any newspaper seldom has the same importance as its first or last edition. The afternoon edition of the Daily Prophet carrying the new excerpt proved an exception. From noon onward, the excerpt was the topic of many conversations in homes, offices and stores throughout Britain. The rejuvenated Wizengamot was hard pressed to continue with normal business when one of its members brought the news to their collective attention. It contained, as the publisher had predicted, the most interesting and surprising fact about Albus Dumbledore.

The staff and students at Hogwarts were not immune. The noon meal at the school was unusual in the absence of both the headmaster and the deputy headmistress. It was also unusual because students drifted from house table to house table discussing the excerpt, house rivalries temporarily forgotten.. The faculty speculated throughout the meal.

Poppy folded the paper after her third reading. "Well, we all know who it is, don't we?"

"The question is not who but what. What will Minerva's reaction be once she sees this?" Snape put in.

"We're all assuming that it's her he's referring to. What if it's not so?" Vector asked. He was immediately pelted with a variety of bread rolls from various directions.

"Don't be daft, Vector!" cried Hooch. "Our intrepid headmaster has been wooing our elegant if oblivious deputy for months now."

"I don't believe she is as oblivious as she makes herself out to be, Hooch," Poppy responded. "She is no green maid after all."

"Really?!" The flying instructor's eyes glittered. "She's been deliberately making him work for it?"

"Perhaps. I am saying nothing more than that. It is their business and we should stay out of it." Poppy replied. "Well out of it."

Alicia sniffed and dabbed her eyes. "I think it's the height of romance. It's beautiful."

Alicia began to read softly to herself. She read the excerpt with such sincerity and warmth that the hall quieted down to hear.

It is often said of me that I am fearless. I am flattered and must inform you that that is a lie. All my life, every hour, every second, I have been afraid. I have not been afraid for myself but afraid for that being whom I would one day choose to hold dearer than my own heart, more vital to me than my own breath. I speak of a life companion - a wife, a lover, a friend. I have always been afraid that if ever I met that companion that I would do irreparable harm to her. Me, not my enemies, but me, and by my own hand, with my own words.

But someone made me realize through the simple gifts of friendship, loyalty and trust that such a personal fear can be overcome through patience, humor and acceptance. She showed me that a fear shared is a fear no more. In time, fear is replaced by that most powerful essence and expression in our lives. I speak of love.