Her Chance Gone

A/N: Many thanks to Ang, who is my beta reader and a good friend. There is one final chapter after this one. This might seemed rushed but the last chapter will be the cream on top…I promise.

Chapter Fourteen: Knock, Knock

Albus was beginning to give up hope of ever finding his Deputy Headmistress. He had been searching for hours and had come no closer to finding her. He was becoming tired and even more frustrated than before and was about to head back up to Hogwarts when a familiar looking owl swooped down and dropped a letter at his feet. The owl didn't even wait to be tipped before flying back in the direction from which it came. Albus bent down and immediately recognized the bright orange scribble belonging the quidditch mistress. His heartbeat sped up as he opened and read the letter.

With renewed vigor, he appararted to the home of Madame Pomfrey. He saw the lights on and knew that Minerva was inside. He suddenly felt a like a nervous schoolboy as he walked up the gravel path that led to the farmhouse door. He wondered what she would do when she saw him standing on the doorstep and as he knocked solidly on the door, he wondered what he was going to say to her.

The door opened several minutes later. Minerva looked up and gasped when she saw who had knocked. She had presumed it to be Alastor, as Poppy had told her that she was sending him over in the morning to keep her company. Instead of the ex-auror, there stood the man she least wanted to see. It was four o'clock in the morning and neither of them had gotten any sleep. Their eyes were both dark and heavy and the silence was unbearable.

"Why are you here?" she asked, finally breaking the silence.

"To see you," he answered. "Can I come in?"

Minerva was torn. He seemed genuinely concerned about her but then she wondered what he wanted to say to her. She already knew what he was going to say but she didn't want him to speak the words to her. It would make them both uncomfortable.

"Why?" she questioned.

"We need to talk, Minerva," he told her.

Minerva reluctantly let him into the warm inviting house. She closed the door behind them and walked in silence into living room. She sat down with her back towards him and waited for him to start. She didn't trust her voice to start speaking.

Albus moved around the room, looking at the family pictures that hung as prized possessions all over the highly decorated living room. If someone had told him that this belonged to Madam Pomfrey he wouldn't have believed them but she had told him herself that his was her home.

"Are these Poppy's sisters?" he asked as he looked at one picture of three similar looking girls, aged around nine to twelve years old.

"No," she answered, "they are her cousins."

"They all look very much alike," he mused as he continued to walk around the living room, examining everything with a critical eye. He continued to do this for sometime until he decided that he would have to broach the subject of the evening's events with Minerva. He still hadn't found the right words and even if he had, he would doubt that they were the best ones.

"Minerva," he said sitting down beside her and reaching timidly for her delicate hand, "you must agree with me that we have to talk. We can't leave it as it is now. Otherwise, how are we to work with one another?"

"We don't have to worry about that," she told him. "My resignation is on you desk waiting for you."

"You know I won't accept it," he answered. "But let's not talk about that when we have something else to discuss."

"Honestly Albus," exclaimed Minerva jumping to her feet and walking away from him. "Are you trying to make this harder for me? Are you trying to rub salt in the wound?"

Albus watched her stalk up and down the fireside rug. She looked like a caged lioness with her frustrated composure and fierce looking eyes. He knew that she had not finished what she was saying so he did not venture forward with his words yet.

"I know what you are going to say and I don't want to hear it Albus," she continued. "I just want to be left alone to deal with this in my own way. I will not tolerate any interference from you or anyone else!"

Albus got to his feet and moved over to her. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and stopped her from pacing. He looked into her emerald green eyes and was overwhelmed by what he saw contained within them…pain, frustration and love. No one had ever looked at him like that before and he was blown away. He mentally scolded himself for not looking closer at her eyes before he brought Regina home with him. He could have prevented all of this of only he had possessed enough courage to do so.

"How are you so sure you know what I am going to say?" he asked seriously.

"Your silence and the look on your face only a few hours ago told me all I needed to know," she answered as she adverted his gaze.

"I have been a fool in so many ways Minerva," he told her softly as his hand found its' way to her chin and gently turned her to face him. "I have hurt the person who means more than the world to me and I have been untrue to myself. I made myself believe that love did not exist where I wanted it to so I searched for something else. It was not love I found but an arrangement that I believed suited both parties. I did not think how this would affect my friends and family. I did not want to be alone for the rest of my days and though no love exists between myself and Regina, I believed I would grow old with her."

Minerva looked into his blue eyes. No sparkle was present and, if she was honest, she hadn't seen a sparkle for many weeks now. She could hear the words he was speaking but they refused to go inside her mind and become the accepted truth. It was as though she was watching the scene unravel before her. It didn't feel real and for a moment or two, she wondered if she was dreaming.

"I was so preoccupied with other things that I could not see what was in front of me all this time," he continued. He needed to get everything out in the open. "I got swept along in the excitement of the whole thing and it seemed to me that I merely existed. I have seen a different side to Regina recently and I believe you saw that side before me, Minerva. She is only marrying me to be somebody and she doesn't realize that she will still be the same witch underneath it all."

"You are saying all this to me Albus," said Minerva looking into his eyes "but your words seem empty to me now."

"Empty?" he asked with surprise. He was putting his heart and soul into his explanation.

"Yes," she replied softly. She felt he was justifying his decision to marry and blaming his loneliness on his ill judgment.

"I can assure you, Minerva, that they are not empty," he told her. "The words are coming from my heart and my inner core. I have only loved one woman in my long life and I was sure that she would never love me. I hoped for years for a sign from her but one never came. By the time I realized that it was a lost cause, nearly forty years had passed and I was old and alone."

"Albus, this isn't getting us anywhere," said Minerva, trying to pull away from him. "You speak of love and that only cuts me deeper. You are being cruel and there is no need for it."

"Please," he begged "it has only been a matter of hours since you revealed something that I have wanted to here for so many years. I was taken by surprise and had forgotten how to work my vocal cords. You turned and ran from me before my mind engaged with my mouth, Minerva. But I came after you. I have been searching for hours to tell you that I love you! I have done so for years but I didn't know you felt the same. So, I settled for second best. Even when I am with her, I am really with you Minerva! And I am so sorry for causing you distress, but please hear me, when I say I love you and no one else."

Minerva's mouth fell open slightly as she heard the magical words slip from his mouth. Did he really just speak them? She was tongue tied like he had been hours ago. All she could do was simply stare at him.

"Ah," he chuckled "cat got your tongue?"

Minerva nodded at him. Her mind was working overtime as she tried to take in the declaration of love from the man she loved. He still gripped her by the shoulders but his grip had lessened. Now he knew she would not run. His hands moved down her arms and he rubbed them up and down affectionately as he waited for her to find her words.

"You love me?" she finally asked. "Like I love you?"

"Yes," came his simple answer, his eyes gleaming again as he looked at her.

"Oh Albus!" she gasped as she clutched on to her chest as tears overtook her.

Albus clutched her and guided her over to the couch, where they sunk down on to it together. Albus held her in his arms and allowed her to cry as much as she felt she needed to. He knew there was plenty of time to talk once they had both had time to reflect.

Minerva's crying lasted for about twenty minutes or so and once she had calmed down, she looked at Albus and searched his eyes for what he was feeling.

"Albus!" she said softly "How can I be sure you mean what you say."

He looked into her eyes, his fingers stroking her cheek bones affectionally. He leaned forward and brushed his lips againsts her softly, he pulled her to him as he deepened the kiss slightly. The kiss was soft and tender, everything a first kiss should be and it took her breath away.

"I love you Minerva!" he told her as he pulled away after several blissful moments "I mean everything that I say darling."

Minerva accepted his words because she loved him and she could read the clear emotion conveyed in his crystal blue eyes. They curled up in each other's arms and talked about a number of things and shared small kisses and had their hands interlocked through it all. They soon fell asleep together on the couch and slept peacefully knowing that love had been found and accepted.

Minerva awoke several hours later and stretched out against Albus. As she moved, her eyes fell upon the huge grandfather clock that dominated one of the corners of her friend's living room.

"Albus!" she exclaimed loudly. "The wedding!"

To be continued…