Title: The Boggart

Author: Tartan Lioness

Classification: Romance and alittle angsty, AD/MM (well duh!)

Set: Golden Trio's sixth year

Summary: Minerva walks in on a Boggart. What is her worst fear?

Warning: If you don't like old people falling in love, read no further!

A/N: I know this is SO not original, but I'm suffering from a MAJOR writer's block, while trying to write a sequel for 'Petrified'…

Many hugs and thanks to my wonderful beta-reader, AdandMM4eva! Lily, my friend, you ROCK!

TL-TL-TL-TL-TL-TL

"Fine, Molly. We'll stay for dinner. We have to go right after that," Minerva McGonagall told the younger woman. They were standing in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, the secret HQs of the Order of the Phoenix. Minerva and Albus had arrived a while earlier for a meeting, and they had to get back before sundown. But they would manage to stay for dinner.

The summer holidays had been quiet up until now and it was soon time for the students to arrive back at Hogwarts. For Minerva, september 1st represented something very important. Future. Every year, old students would come back and new would begin, to make up for those who had left them, because they had finished their education at Hogwarts. Every year, without fail.

Ron ran down the stairs, followed closely by Harry and Ginny. Hermione was walking down the stairs after them. As Ron entered the kitchen he stopped abruptly, causing Harry to run straight into his back. "OW! Damn it, Ron! Ya can't just stop like that!" Then he looked over Ron's shoulder and saw his Transfigurations teacher sitting at the kitchen table, looking at them with a stern expression that said, 'don't run in the halls!'. Without thinking Ron blurted out, "What are you doing here, Professor?" Minerva now looked at him with a puzzled and then, no! an amused expression? She really did look like she was trying very hard not to smile. "I am merely here to attend a meeting and spend some time with my friends. Your mother, namely." Ron blushed and turned around and walked out of the kitchen again. Hermione, having seen her favorite teacher, stayed in the kitchen, to speak with her.

A while later, at dinner, Minerva seemed to have disappeared. "Albus have you seen Minerva?" Molly asked the Headmaster. "No, Molly, I haven't seen her since just after the meeting." He looked worried. He knew that Minerva could fend for herself, should it be necesarry, but that didn't keep him from worrying. "Harry, dear, would you go look for her? She's probably in her rooms, she said she'd go up there, to read I think," Molly asked. Harry rose and pulled Ron with him on his way up the stairs. In the big house, which now belonged to him, after Sirius' death, all the headmembers of the Order had been given a room. Albus and Minerva hardly ever used theirs, though.

Minerva's room: As Minerva woke up from her slumber in her chair, she knew that there was something wrong. Something had woken her. Then she heard it. A semi-loud banging from her wardrope. A Boggart, Minerva was sure. As she got up off her chair she picked up her wand, which had been on the table in front of her. Pointing it at the wardrope she said, "Abra mi a orden!" and the door sprung open, revealing two pleople. One obviously dead. The other obviously herself. As she stepped closer she recognized the other's long silver beard and hair. "Albus," she whispered. But just then the Boggart changed. Still two people, still Albus, but a different woman. In a wedding dress. As Minerva stepped even closer, her eyes tearing up, Albus and the woman turned towards her. The woman's expression was one of mockery and hate. Albus' was cold and distant. "Did you really think that I could ever love you, Miss McGonagall? Yes, MISS! You're fired! I have no wish to work with you, much less be friends with you anymore. How could you hide from me that you love me? Did you really think that I could ever love you?" he repeated. "Someone as strict and uptight as you? The formidable Professor McGonagall! HA! And look at you! You're crying!" He was right. She WAS in fact crying, silently as she collapsed on the floor of her room, sobbing. "I'll never love you, Minerva!"

"I'll never love you, Minerva!" Even to the two boys, now in Minerva's room, the words were some they never thought they'd hear. And the tone was so cold. And as they saw Minerva lying on the floor, shaking with silent sobs Harry and Ron rushed over, their wands raised. But before any of them could do anything, the Boggart turned into Minerva herself and a stranger. A man. And this time Minerva was in a wedding dress. The boys were confused at this. None of them would be scared at seeing their teacher in a wedding dress, but then Boggart-Minerva began to speak, "Well, well, well… If that isn't the great Albus Dumbledore," Harry and Ron swirled around and looked into the face of Albus Dumbledore. The extremely plae face of Albus Dumbledore. "What do you think of my dress, Albus? Isn't it nice? Yes, I'm finally marrying. You know, we've worked together for forty years and I know that you have loved be ever since I came back to Hogwarts to teach. But I don't love you, Albus! You're nothing to me, other than my former Professor! And my employer! You're not even my friend! That was just an act I put up, so that I could become Headmistress of Hogwarts! But you believed it, didn't you? Hate to break it to you, Angel, but I'm getting married today and then it's too late!" And with that, Boggart-Minerva broke into a barking laughter and began waltzing with her new husband. The real Minerva had, in the embrace of Harry and Ron, stopped crying and was looking at Albus' white face in awe. "Am I torturing you, Albus?" Boggart-Minerva asked, coldly! At his nod she laughed a bit again and said, "GOOD!"

"RIDIKKULUS!!!" Harry and Ron screamed at the same time and the Boggart disappeared.

Albus stared at the place he had seen the love of his life waltzing in a wedding dress with another man. Yes, that was his worst fear. That he would never tell her, until it was too late. Tthat she would never love him like he loved her. He just hadn't realized it until now. If he had, he could have fought it. Turning to Minerva, who was still in the protecting embrace of Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, he saw her tear-streaked face and couldn't help but leap over to her and lift her into an embrace of his own. A warm, loving embrace. The boys let go of her and went over to the door, but before they left, Harry spoke sofly; "I think that you should know, Professor Dumbledore, that she saw the same scene as you, just the other way around. You getting married and telling her that you don't love her." Then they left their professors alone.

"Minerva? Is that true?" he spoke softly into her hair. She didn't reply, merely nodded. He held her tighter and then ket her go a bit, so he could press his lips to her temple. "I'll never not love you, Minerva." She looked up, a questioning look in her eyes. "You saw my Boggart, right?" At her nod he continued, "It was right. My worst fear is you telling me that you don't love me. I love you with all thet's in my being, Minerva McGonagall!" She made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob and smiled at him through her tears. "I love you too, Albus! So much!" Upon hearing those words he felt like he could fly without a broom. He slowly began to lower his mouth to hers, when she reached up and pulled his face down in a tender yet passionate kiss. He crushed her to him, as if his life depended on her, and in a way it did.

"Great! Now they're both missing! Where are they, boys?" Molly was frustrated with Harry and Ron, because they wouldn't tell her what happened. "Maybe I should go look for them…" she mused. "NO!" Harry and Ron yelled at the same time. "Erm… I think they might want some privacy… I you know what I mean, Mum…" Molly looked puzzled, then comprehention dawned upon her. "Oh, right," she cleared her throat, "Dinner everyone!"

The End!

A/N: Review please! I'll give you one of my Lemon Drops!