The Unadorned Truth

Pairings : well that's self explanatory…. ADMM… (a little PPOC)

Summary: Minerva's mum try's to set her up again, in the hope of finding her a husband. Question is who's the hubby-to-be?

Disclaimer: If only, if only…….


A/N: right well I know that this has been a long, (looks around guiltily) okay very, very long time coming… but like all human beings I have my excuses.

First, my mouse stopped working, then my keyboard. I tried to steal my sisters, and I only managed to get hit (repeatedly) for my troubles. I eventually had to save it all… then stick the damned recovery disk in the stupid thing, so I lost everything that I didn't save before hand… lucky most of it I could salvage onto my USB or UBS (I can never get it right) thing.

Apart from that I also had my end of course uni exams… and not to mention my half yearly's for normal year 12.… shudder …. extension maths… shiver….

Right well now that's off my chest… onwards and downwards…. Your quest for the new chapter starts … right … about …. (drum roll) ….

……NOW!


Minerva was however asleep when he arrived back to his place beside her bed in the hospital wing.

For a few moments he just stared. She was so beautiful, it was almost ethereal. She was like a goddess; such beauty didn't belong in this world. Perfection was just a start.

He had to wake her however.

They had to talk about what had been going on in the past couple of days. So careful not to startle her into consciousness he placed his palm on her forehead and gently stroked her hair until she woke groggily. It was a small fantasy, a whim he had to fulfill.

"Albus?" she asked softly as green eyes met blue. He still stroked her hair absent-mindedly and she reveled in the pleasure of it.

"Yes Minerva?" he replied in tones as gentle as hers were soft. Was this it? he was thinking. Was this the moment he was to tell her that he loved her? Would it be considered taking advantage of her in her present state if he did? She may physically be almost fine but was she mentally?

Maybe he shouldn't make the first move then, he should leave it to her. But if he did then maybe it would never come out at all.

Minerva was looking at Albus expectantly, it was then he realised that she must have said something. Why did his thoughts have to override his attention like that?

Could he bluff his way through? No, that wouldn't work. If he wanted to declare his feeling to her then he would have to be straightforward.

Minerva didn't quite understand the look that Albus was giving her; it was as if he could see straight through her, it was calculating as if he was gauging something about her. She had only asked a simple question "Would you like to go to my family get together with me tomorrow?" Surely it wasn't that hard to decide? Simply a yes or no would suffice.

Maybe he was trying to decide what her intentions were by inviting him along? What were her intentions exactly though? Yes she loved him, but was it too soon to ask him to meet her family? What if he really did only want a bit of dalliance, what if she had read to much into his words. Sometimes you could over analyse things and end up at the wrong end of the stick, she had learned that knowledge from unfortunate previous experiences.

"Minerva, I love you…" Albus had figured that he had to tell her. He couldn't be more straightforward than he was within those four words. The four words that were going to make or break any change of a possible relationship, that is, the one that he wanted to have with every fiber of his being. Namely a non-platonic one.

Minerva had drawn in a quick breath. To hear those words stated so bare, so unadorned was a shock to her system. It was unexpected, especially from someone so well versed in enunciating fluently the flowery words that suited poems. She could almost physically feel the raw emotion in his voice as he said the words, and if she couldn't feel that, then she could definitely see it in his eyes. She realised in that moment that she had a power over him, a power she didn't quite know what to do with but reciprocate.

Yet she never got to say the words aloud as Albus lent over and slanted his lips across hers. Minerva was the one who deepened the kiss thinking if she couldn't say it out loud then she could tell him by her actions. And by her actions she did.

"Tell me" Albus demanded when they had broken the passionate kiss for air

His hands were framing her face, layers of resolve had shed from both of them. He knew that Minerva loved him, any doubt that he harbored had evaporated from his mind when she had responded to his kiss like that. But he had to hear it, he had to have her admit it out loud, because then she couldn't' go back. She couldn't hide behind her façade.

She knew instantly what he wanted to hear. The was no hiding it from him, he was skilled at legilimancy after all, and although he wouldn't use it consciously on her, he would still see her stronger thoughts and emotions on the outer side of her mind.

"I love you, only you Albus."

He was amazed at the warm feeling that was enveloping his body, spreading from his inside to out. He hadn't realised how much he wanted, no, needed to hear those few words. And once again he covered those few scant inches between them for a equally hungry and passionate kiss.

When he broke the kiss that was both heaven and hell. He pulled out his wand and enlarged the bed so that they could sit comfortably side by side.


"Albus, you know I asked you earlier, but for some reason kiss you seemed not to hear me. Would you like to come to my family get together. Its alright, I understand, if you don't want to. They can be a little overwhelming at times, especially my mum. She has been trying to set me up for sometime now and if she saw you coming with me she will undoubtedly start the twenty questions."

"Minerva I would love nothing better than to go with you to your family get together, after all I don't plan on letting you go anytime in this life time, or for that matter any other, but if you would rather that I didn't go right now to meet them, then that's okay".

Minerva thought about that, the idea that Albus wasn't leaving her and the hidden hint at marriage had not gone past her either. It both pleased and frightened her at the same time. She had never been one to commit her self to anything indefinitely, yet this was what she wanted and the idea of having everything she had dreamed of opened the possibility of it disappearing as well. Yet she had already reached out and grabbed what she wanted, there was no backing out now because then it would disappear sooner rather than later, or if hopes came true, not at all.

She was quiet for so long Albus started to panic, had he been to presumptuous? He knew that it wasn't his going with her to the get together which was making her think so long. She would have never of asked if she didn't want him to go, it just wasn't the kind of person she was.

It was his hidden question that was causing her silent debate. Was she afraid of commitment? Or was it just that she hadn't really thought about the future? He could understand that because all of this had happened really fast, not to mention that she was also injured which meant she wasn't entirely herself.

Maybe he should have waited. Yet as his reasonable mind thought it he knew that he couldn't have waited, he needed to know if there was going to be a tomorrow because if there wasn't he had to know before he got to carried away dreaming.

After a pause that seemed like eons to Albus she finally answered him.

"Yes Albus, yes" and she snuggled closer to his warm body.

It was all she said but it was enough. Elation spread like a bushfire through him over her answer. They would have a future; she would still be here beside him in the years to come. He knew they would in months to come talk about marriage, but until then they would simply know that it was where they were heading. It was enough for him right now to know it was coming down the path to them. Themthey were a partnership now, more than they were ever before and he liked it.

She felt the tremor that flowed through him at her words, she couldn't think of another way to put it. Yes seemed to cover every thing that he hinted at, and she knew he would understand the meaning behind that one itty-bitty little word.

And so they sat. They missed their third meal that day, dinner, but they didn't care. They were too wrapped up in their own little world where everything worked out for the better. A place where anything was possible.


That was how Poppy found them hours later, she knew that she should have gone in and told them Minerva needed rest before tomorrow. But she could do it, so she quietly crept away to call it a night and to her dreams of Adian whom she would see tomorrow. By god she hoped Minerva was right when she said that he loved her. It would kill her to find out otherwise tomorrow when her hopes were setting up high expectations.

Yet as a wise man once said, " Tomorrow is another day, deal with it when it comes and not before". And at that she promptly fell asleep.


It was late when Albus finally noticed the time. He had been preoccupied with the charming and very attention demanding, by no fault of her own, woman beside him. As it was he had only noticed because she had started to yawn a great deal and her head would slightly fall forward before she would jerk it up right in an attempt to stay awake. He cursed his foolishness over not noticing it sooner, and she would have to be very tired over the stress that was placed on her body in the last day.

He still had one question thought that he needed her to answer for him. His damned curiosity wouldn't leave him alone over the matter. He had to know who the young man was. He knew full well that it wasn't one of her brothers, so perhaps a cousin or old school friend? Although he was sure of Minerva and the way she felt, he also had to make sure that there was no other competition over her. He would see to it that there was no mistake over who she was with.

"Minerva, I'm sorry but I have to ask… who was it that you went out to dinner with." to lighten the mood he added " I want to make sure that the droves of men following you know your very must taken."

Minerva had been expecting this question for a while now, and had already decided that she should tell Albus everything from her mother setting her up, to Adian and Poppy. She would need his support tomorrow with both of the situations. Today, she amended with a look at her watch, although it was only just.

She knew that Albus wasn't being insecure, he knew her too well for that, not to mention that he himself was far too confident by nature for insecurities. He was simply curious. Sometimes he could be worse than a cat, and he by now, must be running low on his seemingly endless stash of nine lives.

And so she proceeded to tell Albus every thing that had gone on in the last few days. It was a hell of a lot to tell considering Minerva usually lead a very normal uneventful life before now. Some how she couldn't see it being uneventful anymore with Albus, he was very spontaneous and even the way he dressed was something that was eventful every day.

Albus was definitely a man who lived in the moment. If she didn't know better she would have put it down to his continuous consumption of sherbet lemons over the years, excess sugar could addle brains. But she did know better, and knew full well that Albus had always been classified insane. You know what they said there is a fine, very fine line between a genius and insane, Albus had crossed that line a long time ago.

When she finished telling him her tale, Albus could finally add in the missing pieces of the last few days. The puzzle now made sense to his estranged mind. It often seemed to wander off periodically at times especially when he was tired. He had tried to stop it before with little or no success, so now he just let it wander around within his thoughts. At the moment however it was linking together, the looks and actions between Adian and Minerva, as well as reminding him it had been a couple of hours since his last sherbet lemon.

Calling it a night he walked Minerva to her rooms, well carried her until she threatened adorn his face with large fixations, because she didn't want to sleep again in the hospital. the sickly, blindingly bright white washed walls of the infirmary reminded her of after the war where many of her friends died within similar surroundings.


A/N okay I had some trouble writing that one, I persevered though and this is the end result. I changed it around so much, but I am still not sure if I'm entirely happy with it. …..Tell me what you think… a big, BIG thank you to Lady Urquentha, Augusta, and Sola

The holidays start in two days… because some stupid person thought that year 12 should come back for the last two days even though they haven't been at school, apart from completing exams for the past two weeks. Honestly these people call themselves our teachers?

As usual don't flame me over your petty dislike of ADMM, I'm not going to take much notice of it. (cough) Laura… (cough) I do believe that your meant to actually read a story before you flame them. Least you have something to write about rather than resort to lame, old nicknames…. Anyways… anything else… don't be afraid to drop a line… I don't bite… much…