Her Chance Gone

A/N: A huge thank you to my beta reader, Ang! I also want to thank all the
reviewers of the last chapter and a thank you to Max, who pointed out that
it should have been ladies before gentlemen on the engagement invitation. I
have altered that on the previous chapter.

Chapter Seven: I am somebody!

Regina sat in front of the beautifully carved, ornate dressing table mirror and smiled at her reflection as she brushed the long thick red locks. Her engagement party had been a great success and was likely to be the talk ofthe wizarding world for many weeks to come, which is exactly what she wanted. She had mingled with the finest witches and wizards of the current
time. She laughed at their jokes and flashed her engagement ring at every
opportunity. She loved the attention the ring received from envious witches while she would be modest and tell them how she had told Albus not to get such a ring but because he loved her so much, he wanted her to have the best. They had swallowed her story as though it was the finest champagne andtold her that her husband-to-be had wonderful taste in rings and knew that
diamonds were a girl's best friend.

Regina had never received such attention before and she was lapping it up and she knew she would receive even more when she was officially Mrs. Albus Dumbledore. At last she felt that she was home. She would be living a fine,easy life. She wouldn't have to worry about money ever again and all she would have to do was play the doting wife in public, which wasn't hard when her husband-to-be came with such wealth and reputation.She would be adored, everyone would want to be her friend and she would let them until she was bored of them.

She couldn't be happier. Her main rival was distancing herself from Albus and Regina had settled into her new role easily. No love really existed between the two parties. Regina wanted a man to keep her in the lavish lifestyle she dreamed of and she didn't believe that Albus loved her at all. It was going to be the ideal marriage but the only downside to it was that
she would, from time to time, have to let him lavish her with affection. She often thought of something else as he kissed her or when they were in bedtogether.

"Did you enjoy your night my dearest?" questioned Albus, breaking into her thoughts.

"Oh I did Albie," she replied smiling at her own reflection in the mirror as she watched Albus move around their rooms. "It was a wonderful night."

"I am glad you enjoyed it, Regina," said Albus walking over to her andkissing her on the top of her head. "So do you think you can put up with being married to a man such as myself with all of the attention I regrettably receive?"

"How can you regret such attention," she said whirling around to look at him? "You must thrive on it!"

"If I am honest my dear," he told her "I find the limelight uncomfortable. I didn't ask for this all those years ago. I did what I thought I had to do and I didn't want to be famous for killing someone."

"Oh Albie, you don't have to pretend with me," she said stroking his face with her delicate fingers. "I know fame and money are attractive."

"Regina, I didn't do it for that," Albus said, his voice raised slightly.

He moved away from her and began to get dressed for bed. He looked at her as he undid his outer robes. This hadn't been the first time she had questioned his motives for going after Grindelwald. She never seemed to tire of the relentless questioning. He knew that his wealth and so called fame, made him more attractive to her and that had he just been ordinary, she wouldn't have given him a second glance. He was tired of being alone and anything was better than that. He would just have to deal with her questioning.

He had watched her throughout the evening, shamelessly flashing the engagement ring and listening as she told her captive audience that he had chosen the ring. Nothing could have been further from the truth. She chosen that very ring herself and gone on about it for days. She blatantly refused to wear his grandmother's ring that had been passed down to him. She wanted a new, expensive looking ring that would make witches gasp and want it. He had given in and brought her the ring and he even let her tell her tale about him buying the ring. He had put it down to the notion that she might be embarrassed about choosing her own ring.

"You know Albie," said Regina breaking into his musings "I loved this evening. I used to be like them, a "nobody" now I am a "somebody". I could see the envy in their faces and I thrived on it. Isn't that terrible of me? I do believe I am going to like my new life very much."

Albus simply nodded. He wasn't really listening to her. His thoughts had drifted to another witch, a witch that meant a great deal to him. She had looked painfully thin and withdrawn that evening. He hadn't seen much of her since that night in her rooms. He felt he was losing his best friend and he had no idea how to make things right again. She had seemed so happy to see him when he had arrived back from his extended holiday but things had changed dramatically since then. He had never fallen out with Minerva but something had changed.

"Albie!" said Regina sternly "Are listening to me?"

"What?" he asked, looking up at her with confusion?

"Honestly Albie! I was talking and you were not listening to me," she scolded. "What were you thinking of? I mean, what is so important to take your attention off your beautiful fiancée?"

"I was thinking about Minerva," he answered. " I am worried about her."

"Well don't be. She isn't your concern," came Regina's answer. "We have a wedding to plan and I can't have you thinking about another woman at such a crucial stage. She has friends who will look after her."

"I am her friend Regina," Albus pointed out.

"Yes, I do know," she said coolly. "I have been meaning to talk about that with you. I don't think it's really appropriate to carry on a friendship with her now that you are to be a married man. I do not want to be the subject to idle gossip. A single woman should not be best friends with a married man. His wife should be and I intend to be just that and so there is no real need for McGonagall to be part of you personal life."

"Minerva is one of my closest friends Regina and she has been for ages. I do not drop my friends at a drop of a wand. I can be friends with whomever I like," replied Albus, frowning slightly.

"Oh, why must you distress me like this Albus," snapped Regina as she got to her feet and walked over to the bed? "I don't ask much from you and when I do ask, you won't even consider it. You don't even think about my feelings or me! I don't want you spending hours alone with her when you could be with me. I won't be moved on this subject, Albus. I don't want you being friends with her. Now, goodnight and I think you should be on the couch tonight so you can consider my request."

"Regina, I am not giving up my friends and that is final!" replied Albus. "She is my Deputy Head as well as my friend and I am concerned about her. We are to be married, Regina, and this is to be an equal partnership with some give and take. Goodnight."

Albus left the bedroom and went into the living room, leaving Regina in bed and fuming. Once again, Minerva had caused problems between them and Regina was not going to let the matter drop. One way or another, Minerva McGonagall
would not interfere anymore!

To be continued.....