Disclaimer: Jimmy cracked corn, and I don't care! Cuz Jimmy don't own Harry Potter. Only way he could was if the "J" in J.K. Rowling stood for "Jimmy."

Comments

MoroTheWolfGod: I feel bad for Severus, too!

Lady Urquentha: Yeah, I liked those last two lines, too!

InsertNameHere: I'm glad you like it. I'm glad it's "just great." (Smiles at you for your kind words)

Rosaleen: Yes, Umbridge is foul! And yeah, Dobby's a frequent visitor. It's his whole experience with serving the Malfoy family that makes him qualified to serve the cranky, injured Potions Master. I don't know why that qualifies him, but we'll just go with that for now...

Aurinko: Where am I going with this story? Hmmm...at first...I had no idea. Now...I have a little bit of an idea, but if I told you, it would ruin the story...sorry 'bout that...(looks sorry)

Lou. McGonagall: Moldy Voldy...I like that! And I think Dumbledore needs to be told off for almost getting caught, even if it's just a little itty bitty scolding.

kidarock: Yeah, as headmaster, Dumbledore's got a few tricks up his sleeve. Heck, even if he wasn't the headmaster, Dumbledore would have a few tricks up his sleeve.

Rikki8879: Yeah, we can't have the toad getting slimy pond scum all over Dumbledore's shiny trinkets!

Quill of Minerva: More cute banter between Albus and Minerva coming up soon (but sorry, it's kind of minimal in this chapter)!

Thanks to all the wonderful people that reviewed! I'm so sorry for making you all wait. We just finished the third quarter, and the teachers decided that the last two weeks were crunch time! I go on spring break next week, so there will be updates in the near future. Enjoy!

saiyanwizardgurl

Chapter 16: Confessions and Discovered Love

Seven hours later, Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall were sitting in the Potions Master's office. It was nothing special, really; they were just enjoying each other's company. The headmaster had transfigured a regular chair into a sleek leather sofa, and the two professors had situated themselves on it. The Transfigurations teacher had locked the office door just as an extra precaution in case a certain toad decided that she wanted to stroll in for an evening visit.

"Did you like dinner?" asked the witch.

"Oh, yes," replied the wizard, "it was delicious. But there was a little too much food for my taste. The break must be really hard for the house-elves because they aren't cooking for the entire school."

McGonagall smiled. "So, how was Severus when you went to go check up on him?"

Dumbledore sighed. "His back's a little better, but he can't really sit up still. Also, I think he's hiding behind his barriers again. I could be reading him wrong; he might just be so anti-social because of the pain he's in, but I think he's hiding something."

"Don't worry, Albus," said the Transfigurations teacher, stroking the headmaster's cheek. "Severus is just going through some difficulties. He just needs to rest and relax. We just need to be here for him."

Dumbledore smiled at the witch sitting on his lap. "You just know how to cheer me up, don't you?" He softly brushed his lips against hers.

"WHAT?"

Dumbledore and McGonagall looked up to see the door to the Potions Master's rooms slam. Glancing at each other, they stood up and strode towards Snape's rooms.

Opening the door, they saw nothing unusual. The room was pitch black. Nothing was overturned. Snape was lying facedown on his bed with his fingers woven through his hair. There weren't any…Wait a minute, thought the headmaster. Since when does Severus sleep like that?

Oh my, thought the Transfigurations teacher. He saw us! "Severus? Are you all right?"

The Potions Master was silent for a long time. The witch and wizard glanced at each other again before sitting down on the bed.

McGonagall reached out to touch his shoulder, but not before Snape spoke. "How long?"

"I beg your pardon, Severus?"

"How long have you two been together?"

"Since the weekend."

"So…so…this wouldn't happen to be the reason why Gryffindor has won the House Cup for the past four years?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Of course not, Severus!"

"Please, Severus, you can't really think Albus would be that biased!"

"I suppose not," mumbled the Potions Master.

Unfortunately, that's not really true, thought the headmaster, sadly. "How's your back, Severus?" he asked, changing the subject. "Can you sit up?"

Snape tried to roll over and did a pretty good job, but he hissed out in pain. "Hmmm, I guess not yet," said Dumbledore, helping the Potions Master into a sitting position. The headmaster situated himself behind the younger wizard and started rubbing his shoulders. "A bit tense, aren't we?"

"Mmmm," mumbled Snape. Looking up, he saw that McGonagall was staring off into space, a troubled expression on her face. "Is everything all right?"

"What?" she asked, looking up. "Oh, yes, everything's fine. I was just…thinking."

"About what, my dear?" asked the headmaster.

"Well," she began, slowly, "I was…was wondering…why did Mr. Potter…seeing your memory…make you so sick…last Friday?"

Snape inhaled quickly. "Oh."

Dumbledore felt the Potions Master tense up under his hands. "Calm down, Severus," he whispered. "It's all right."

Fearing that she had overstepped the line, she put her hand on his. "You don't have to answer that," she said, quickly.

"No. It's…it's all right." He shuttered. "I…I really don't know why I was so ill. I know that my initial reaction to his invasion of my privacy was anger. After he left, the memories just started flowing out from everywhere. I hadn't taken most of my memories out; just the really…bad…ones. Once they started, I couldn't stop them. I remembered things from school, from meetings, from after the first war. It was just too much after that week, and I just…cracked. I guess Potter was the final straw. I was tired. I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry," he finished in defeat, his head sinking.

The headmaster sighed and wrapped his arms around the thin figure sitting in front of him. "You don't need to apologize. I know you've had a lot to deal with this year, and I'm sorry you have to go through that."

"I'm so sorry, Severus," whispered the Transfigurations teacher, stroking his cheek. "I shouldn't have brought that up again."

"It's all right, Minerva," said the younger wizard. "I…I figured you two were probably wondering anyway," he said before stifling a yawn.

The headmaster glanced at the bedside clock, which said 8:42pm. "You didn't eat dinner." It was a statement, not a question.

Snape closed his eyes and rested his head on Dumbledore's shoulder. "I'm not hungry," he whispered.

"Severus – " began the older wizard.

"Please, headmaster," the Potions Master whimpered, "I just want to go to sleep."

"Severus – "

"I promise I'll eat breakfast tomorrow."

"Severus – "

"I don't think I can keep anything down. I – "

"Severus! It's all right! I'm not going to shove food down your throat; don't worry." Well, he thought, at least not tonight.

Snape let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Just get some rest, Severus, and I'll be back tomorrow," said McGonagall, brushing a kiss on his head.

"I'll be retiring shortly," said Dumbledore, helping the Potions Master, who was moving gingerly, lie down on his stomach. He gently kissed the younger wizard on the forehead. "Sweet dreams."

"Good night," mumbled Snape. "You two behave yourselves now, you hear?"

McGonagall's jaw dropped. "Severus!" Too late. The Potions Master's gentle breathing indicated that he had already fallen asleep.

"I don't believe him," said the witch, walking out into Snape's office.

"He was only joking, love," said Dumbledore, shutting the door behind him with a snap!

"A Slytherin, joking?"

"It happens. I shall see you tomorrow morning, then?"

"Yes. I should be by around ten."

"All right. Good night, love," he said. He swooped down and kissed her tenderly.

"And good night to you, dearest," she said before returning his kiss.

They gently pulled apart, smiles playing across both of their faces. McGonagall slipped out of the room, blowing him a kiss. He had just enough time to blow his own kiss before she shut the door. "Albus Dumbledore," said the headmaster, "you are the luckiest man alive."

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