Chapter 7: A Perfect Match
By December Albus was almost back to his usual self, only Minerva could tell that anything was bothering the headmaster. He had shown her several articles from Muggle newspapers detailing strange deaths. Three different men had been found dead in their homes in a small town near Bristol with no apparent cause of death; there were no injuries and the autopsies showed no signs of poisoning, cardiac arrest, or stroke. The Muggle authorities were completely stymied and the villagers were starting to worry they might have a serial killer in their midst. Only Albus and Minerva seemed to recognize the effects of the Avada Kedavra curse, no one else Albus had spoken to had read the Muggle papers.
Albus was almost certain he knew who was behind the attacks, but with no definite proof he was unwilling to say the name aloud even to Minerva. He remembered a troublesome student from nearly thirty years previously whom he had followed after graduation. Tom Riddle had traveled the globe searching for masters of the dark arts, learning everything he could and generally hiding from anyone who might have known him before. However, Albus had many connections so that he had eyes practically everywhere. He also had the opportunity when Tom was still a student to overhear a second name he was using and that allowed Albus the ability to keep track of him when he ceased to be Tom Riddle. No one else in wizarding Britain knew what Albus did, but he was certain that within a year or two they all would.
Between his work for the school and the Wizengamut and his worries about the apparent uprising of evil, the only thing that made Albus truly happy was spending time with Minerva. They had always had weekly chess games and held quiet conversations over dinner, but now Albus found himself seeking Minerva out in her office during the day or even in her classroom during short breaks. She always had a smile just for him and was willing to listen to whatever was on his mind, or if he didn't feel like talking she would talk about little daily occurrences to keep his mind off the more serious issues. He had never appreciated her friendship more and started looking for little ways to show her how much she meant to him.
One afternoon while Minerva was teaching Albus took a walk around the grounds to clear his head and he ended up at the greenhouses. Professor Sprout was inside watering some wild flowers that she had been able to grow during the winter due to heating and artificial sunlight charms she had been developing. A sudden idea entered Albus' mind and he was able to talk her into giving him a small bouquet, which he hid in his rooms until later that night when he snuck down to Minerva's classroom and left them on her desk where she would find them the next morning. Minerva loved the flowers so much that she rushed to his office during morning break to thank him.
"Albus," she said happily upon entering his office, "those flowers are wonderful! Where did you get them in the middle of winter?"
"That is my little secret," he teased her with a wink. "I'm glad you like them. You've been such a good friend to me lately and I know a little thing like flowers can't repay you, but I wanted to do something nice for you for a change."
"You're always nice to me, Albus," she said with slight confusion. "You don't have to do anything special, I enjoy being there for you."
"That may be, but you have enough of your own work to do without having to entertain me twenty-four hours a day," he replied seriously. "I don't want to overtax you, Minerva. Actually, I was thinking... How would you like a morning off?"
She smiled, "We've tried that before, remember? Besides, the Christmas holidays are approaching, I'll have plenty of time to rest then."
"That's three weeks away, my dear. I want to do this for you now," he insisted. "Therefore, on Friday I will teach your first class and arrange for the house elves to send breakfast to your rooms. That way your day won't start until nine-thirty and you can have a relaxing morning. Besides, I know you. You won't rest over the Christmas holidays, you always work twice as hard preparing for the next term."
Minerva knew how to choose her battles with Albus, so she gave in gracefully, "Alright, I will take Friday morning off, but only if you take Saturday to do something relaxing. I worry about you working too much, you're going to wear yourself out if you keep up your current pace."
Albus sighed, "Alright, you win. I will take Saturday morning off."
"You won't do any work until afternoon?" she questioned suspiciously.
He raised his hand, palm open, to his shoulder. "On my honor as a wizard," he said seriously.
"Good," Minerva answered with a brisk nod. "Now I have to get back to my classroom. I'll see you at lunch?"
"See you then," he agreed.
Albus walked Minerva to the door, his hand resting gently on the small of her back. As he opened the door, he asked a sudden question. "Minerva, who will I be teaching Friday morning?"
"First year Slytherins," she said with a wicked smile before descending the stairs from his office.
After she left Albus returned to his desk to finish some paperwork, humming a merry tune and unknowingly smiling quite widely. He was always in a good mood after a talk with Minerva, no matter how short, and he was very pleased that she had liked the flowers. At some point over the past few months he had become vaguely aware of his new concern for her well being and her happiness, but chalked it up to the fact that they were growing closer as friends now that they were working more closely together as partners rather than fellow teachers. Albus rose from his desk a few minutes later and went to retrieve something from his bedroom.
As the door closed behind him, one of the many portraits adorning the office walls was heard to say, "I wish he would just throw her on the desk and ravish her already." To which there was a general murmur of consent from the other portraits.
Minerva woke with the sun on Friday morning as always, but thoroughly enjoyed eating breakfast in her dressing gown before taking a long hot bath and beginning her day. Albus had greatly enjoyed teaching again. Though it had been only a few months since he was last inside a classroom, it felt like much longer to the new headmaster. He was in a very good mood when Minerva arrived in her classroom during morning break.
"How did it go?" she asked in greeting.
"I enjoyed it very much and the students were well behaved," he answered happily. "I think the presence of the headmaster kept them in order. How was your morning off?"
"It was very nice, thank you Albus."
Albus kissed Minerva softly on the cheek and left her to finish out her day of teaching. As she watched him walk away, Minerva's thoughts returned to pondering something that had occurred to her in the bath earlier. She had been thinking about the recent change in Albus' behavior toward her. He was much more solicitous of her well being lately and seemed insistent that she stay well rested. She also couldn't remember a time in the past when he had brought her dinner from her favorite restaurant or left flowers in her office.
She was beginning to wonder if he was attempting to court her or if he was unaware of his somewhat romantic overtures. Minerva decided to keep watching him and if he was attempting to court her, he would have to work for it a bit. Minerva wasn't opposed to the idea, in fact ever since the summer she had been feeling much closer to Albus than she had in the past and was beginning to think differently about his friendship, but he would have to make the first move toward truly winning her affections. She had to be sure that was his intention.
On Saturday Albus took his morning off as ordered by Minerva, but by ten o'clock he was bored. The book he was trying to read wouldn't hold his interest and Fawkes really didn't make a very good chess partner, to top it off the portraits in his office were being very vocal and giving him a headache. He decided to walk down to the Transfiguration corridor and pay Minerva a visit in her office. No doubt she would be working very hard as she always seemed to be, but she always made time for him so Albus wasn't very worried about interrupting. As he turned the last corner to her office he saw three young boys just leaving, two of them were the very same students she had suspected as pranksters a few months earlier and Albus wondered if they were in trouble.
He knocked on the slightly open door and stuck his head in, "Good morning, Professor, would you have time for a friend?"
"For a friend like you, Albus," she smiled, "always. Do come in."
"Thank you," he replied, entering the small square study and taking a seat across from her desk. "Minerva, why do you have to keep the most uncomfortable chairs in the world in your office?" he asked with a frown.
"I like them," she replied a bit defensively.
Albus shook his head and stood up, transfiguring one of the straight backed wooden chairs into a squashy chintz armchair in vivid purple. "There," he said with satisfaction. "Much better."
Minerva attempted to look exasperated, but failed. "Alright, Albus, that can be your chair from now on. Merlin knows you visit often enough, I suppose you should be comfortable."
"My very own chair in the Transfiguration teacher's office, I feel very honored indeed," he teased. "I believe I just saw Mr. Potter and Mr. Black leaving your office, and was that Mr. Pettigrew with them? Not in trouble are they?" he asked.
Minerva sniffed, "Not yet at any rate. They've been in to ask me about Mr. Lupin's monthly absences. Last night was a full moon, you know. I don't believe they're satisfied with the sick relative story and I think it's safe to assume they will have figured out his secret within a year or two. I'm very glad he's found such dedicated friends, but I hope they won't embarrass him when the truth comes out that he's a werewolf."
"They may be pranksters, but they've never done anything to harm another student or staff member. I believe they're good boys deep down," Albus said seriously.
"I know, they have been a credit to Gryffindor. Especially Black and Potter, but I do wish they'd show a bit more regard for the rules. I don't think I've ever taken so many points off one first year as I have off Mr. Black," she answered. "Albus, what are you doing out and about? This is supposed to be your day off."
She fixed him with a piercing look and Albus felt like a naughty school boy himself for a moment. "I got bored, Minerva," he complained. "There's nothing to do in my rooms when I'm not working."
"Surely there's a book somewhere on all those overstuffed shelves of yours that could hold your attention for a few hours," she teased.
"Not this morning," he answered glumly. "I couldn't seem to concentrate. Besides, I'd much rather spend the morning with you."
He gave her a charming smile and Minerva felt her cheeks heating up. She tried to think of someway to subtly question his motivation for seeking her out so often, resulting in several moments of silence.
"Minerva? Minerva?" Albus called. "Where have you been, my dear?" he asked when she re-focused her attention on him.
She blushed again, "I'm sorry, Albus, I was just thinking about something, but it's not important. Wasn't there anyone else you felt like visiting this morning? You're going to get tired of my company I fear."
"Never!" he exclaimed more heartily than he meant to. He dropped his voice back to its normal level and cleared his throat, "I could never get tired of spending time with you, Minerva, and can honestly say there is no one else I would rather visit. You wouldn't be trying to get rid of me would you?"
"Not at all, Albus," she said softly. "I suppose it's down to me to entertain you then, is it. How about a game of chess and some tea?"
"That sounds like an excellent diversion for a Saturday morning," he agreed.
Minerva retrieved a kettle and her favorite blend of tea, which she had created herself, as well as service for two from a small cabinet behind her desk. With a few waves of her wand the water was heated and the tea poured, she opened a tin of ginger newts which were promptly refused by Albus. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a bag of assorted sweets from Honeyduke's.
"You're going to get fat if you keep eating like that you know," she chided him.
"I've been eating like this for as long as I can remember," he said around a mouth full of jelly slugs. "My mother always said I was blessed with a fast metabolism."
Minerva just shook her head and took a small lady-like bite off one of her biscuits. "White moves first," she reminded Albus, gesturing toward the chess board.
"So it does," he agreed with a twinkle in his eyes.
Albus made the first move and they began a long battle, which Minerva eventually won.
"Checkmate," she declared with a triumphant smile.
Albus chuckled and stared at her with a peculiar look in his eyes. "What?" she asked suspiciously.
"I'm sorry, my dear," he said. "I didn't mean to unnerve you, I was just thinking how lovely you look when you're gloating over a victory. You've beaten me so often I'm amazed you still find it a challenge."
"You're a perfect match for me, Albus," she said. When the double meaning hit her a moment later, Minerva's eyes opened wide and she coughed. "For playing chess, I mean," she added quietly.
Albus smiled, thinking to himself that she was a perfect match for him in other areas than just a game of chess. He chose not to comment, however, and instead remarked on the time. "Well, it's time for lunch. I believe that means my morning off is officially over and thus your need to entertain this old man. Thank you for the game, my dear. May I walk you to the Great Hall?"
"Of course," she answered with a smile, cleaning up their tea things with a wave of her wand and leaving the chess board where it lay.
Over lunch, Albus' attention was stolen by Professor Flitwick who was seated on his left, forcing Minerva to converse with the Divination professor on her other side. She remembered how the previous Divination teacher had refused to take meals in the Great Hall, preferring to avoid the crowds, and wished that Professor Connoly would do the same. Actually, Minerva was hoping to convince Albus to discontinue teaching Divination at all if Professor Connoly ever decided to leave the school, or maybe even if he didn't.
The man insisted on trying to read her palm throughout the meal, saying that her love line intersected with her life line at a point that meant she was soon to find true love. Minerva rolled her eyes and was sorry that he'd chosen her love life to hammer on about since she was beginning to think she might be quickly headed toward a romance. How she hated to prove any "Seer" right. When he went on to describe her aura, it was all Minerva could do to keep from snorting in a most unladylike manner. According to Professor Connoly, her aura had two layers. One of blue, meaning she was still searching for something to complete her life, and the other pink, again indicating love. The pink, he said, was a bit unclear indicating that perhaps love was the thing she was searching for and it was just around the corner.
Minerva had never been so desperate for a conversation with Albus in her life and continued to shoot pleading looks at the back of his head as he discussed today's news with Filius. Albus became aware that Minerva was in distress about something. He could practically feel her radiating annoyance and spared a glance over his shoulder at her, noting the stiffness of her back and the set of her jaw. When he saw James talking to her in a very animated manner he knew at once the cause of her mood. He reached over discretely and patted her hand in reassurance and attempted to end his conversation with the small Charms professor in order to rescue her.
"Never abandon me like that again, Albus," she scolded him as they left the Great Hall a few minutes later.
He chuckled, "Come now, my dear, it couldn't have been that bad."
Minerva made and angry noise, "If you'd heard the sort of rubbish he was piling on me. Honestly, trying to read my palm and then my aura, as if I'd base my life on something so imprecise. If I wanted to know these things I would ask him!"
Albus patted her on the shoulder. "Well, the meal is over now and hopefully it will be some time before you have to sit with James again," he said in a calming voice. They had arrived at the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to his rooms and he gave the password before Minerva responded.
"You had just better not turn your back on me if I ever do."
"Yes, dear," were Albus' parting words as he stepped onto the revolving staircase that would take him to his office.
