Albus opened the door. He could see Minerva across the room. Her back was to him as she looked out the window. As soon as he entered the room, she turned. He was the only one Moody would have allowed in without knocking.
In his haste, to be near her, he didn't even close the door. As she met him halfway across the room, their arms found their usual places in the all too familiar embrace. Neither noticed Moody close the door for them.
Silently, they remained entwined in each others arms. Albus was the first to speak. His voice was tinged with worry and relief. "I thought you were staying home to rest tonight. I was going to wake you up and tell you about the meeting over a game of chess."
"I seem to recall my needing to rest was your idea. But I was planning to, I just changed my mind."
"Why Minerva? You know it's not safe for you to …" His voice trailed off.
Still holding her and being held by her too tightly to properly see her, he could only hear her smile. "You know I adore hearing you give ridiculously long winded speeches. How could I pass up the opportunity tonight?"
"Oh, Minerva. Sometimes you frighten me dreadfully."
She squeezed tighter. "I was home and no one else was there."
Albus nodded. "I had forgotten - even Peeves?" He interrupted himself.
Minerva nodded against him. "He is still mad at Argus, for working with Dolores to try to get rid of him."
Albus chuckled. "As if Dolores Umbridge could ever have managed that. I don't know who to be more disappointed in, Argus for trying or Peeves for actually seeing them as a threat."
The smile became more obvious in her voice. "Argus is going to visit relatives in Ireland for a few weeks. Peeves decided to accompany him. I don't think Peeves informed him." Her voice was more serious now. "So, I was all alone and I didn't feel like being home alone."
Albus smiled. "So instead, you decided to come here to a house full of people and stand in a room alone."
"Yes, well when you put it that way." The sarcastic quality had crept back into her voice. Her voice softened again. "I stopped by to check on Harry. There was an attack while I was with him. I lost my wand. I lowered my …" Here she struggled to find a word, " defenses so I could use Harry and his wand. I have not managed to get them back up yet, a fact I am sure you noticed as soon as you walked in the door. So somehow it didn't seem like a good idea to be walking around chatting with the others."
"Ah, but my dear, I always feel an incredible surge of electricity pass through me whenever we touch regardless. Though, I do believe it is a good thing Harry has two months before he is supposed to be using a wand. Hopefully by then, it will have dissipated and the first time he tries to light a fire under his cauldron, he won't set the whole potions room on fire."
"They used Crucio on Harry. I tried to get in the way, but I was not always able. He was in so much pain, Albus. I barely even felt it. It's not like I can not tell it is there, but it does not really mean anything to me. After it was … it was more what it reminded me of, that effected me. Remus was there afterwards."
His face was a mask of pain as she described the curse. "I'm glad Remus was there. I'm glad someone you could trust was with you."
Both were silent, just holding each other for a time.
"Come," said Albus, waving his wand and taking a step back. "You will never get your defenses back up this tense. You need to relax."
Minerva could not help but smile. "While I certainly find that very relaxing, do you really think this is the time?"
Looking at the bed, he had transfigured from a chair, Albus smiled. "That's not what I meant." He lead her by the hand to the bed. "Just lie down."
Minerva mock pouted as he adjusted the covers over her and smoothed the hair from her face. "You sir, are a tease. I for one think it would be very exciting, knowing all those people are in the next room."
Albus chuckled softly. "This from the woman, who petitioned the Ministry of Magic to hang a picture of Armando Dippet in it's halls just so Armando would have a place to go other than my office?"
"Not just," corrected Minerva. "Are you denying Armando deserved to have his portrait hung there?"
Albus traced a finger over the pendant on her neck. "Certainly not. I just thought you might prefer to wait for that till we were home, but as always, anything you wish."
He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. After a few soft kisses, she pulled away.
"Mr. Dumbledore, are you calling my bluff?"
Albus's eyes twinkled as one of his fingers found it's way behind her ear. "I do believe I am my dear."
"Hold me."
"As you wish." He answered, laying on top of the covers beside her. He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other across her back. As he pulled her close, she tucked her head under his chin and inhaled his scent.
After a few minutes, she spoke. Her voice was quiet, the teasing quality gone. "I did things, Albus."
He tightened his hold on her.
"Horrible things."
He could hear the unshed tears in her eyes. "I know love."
"I did not want to do them. I did not like doing them."
He tipped her head, making her look in his eyes. He stroked his thumb along her cheek before responding. "You did what you had to do. They would have hurt Harry. You know they would have."
He kissed her forehead before laying his head right next to hers on the pillow. Still his thumb caressed her cheek. His warm, understanding pools of blue looked into her unsettled gray eyes.
"Sometimes, I think of how wonderful it would be to just run away from all this." She sighed. "To just do what I used to do."
Albus nodded understandingly. "Ah, but what would you try this time? Let me guess. Something graceful like a seahorse or a gazelle? No, maybe an actual lioness? Or perhaps since some of your students seem to think you breath fire, you could try a dragon?"
Her lips twitched. "Hagrid would be most pleased. No, but unfortunately that is not really an option anymore."
"Ah and what pray tell, could ever stop you from what you desire?"
She shrugged her shoulders before reaching up to trace a finger along the bumps of his nose and then his lips. "Would be a little difficult getting all the people I care about to come with me."
"Very true." Agreed Albus. "After all, even if you could convince them all to go, what would you do with them all? Even a bee hive or an ant hill couldn't support all the people you have come to care about over the years. Do you know, I do believe this year will be your fortieth year teaching. That's an awful lot of students and former students. Add in all the colleagues, parents, Order members, and other friends you have here, not to mention family…"
She smiled sadly. "I am just so tired of being afraid all the time. Not for myself, but for you, Harry, Neville, the Weasleys, all the Order people, and even Alastor and Severus. Sometimes, I am even afraid for…" She broke off.
He waited patiently for her to continue.
"Maybe it is good. He has finally returned and it is in the open. Now we can do something and then get on with our lives without the constant weight of You-Know-Who on our -"
"Minerva," He interrupted. "I can not believe you of all people will not speak his name."
Minerva frowned. "I will not call him by that utterly ridiculous title he made up for himself. Of all the foolish, idiotic things.." There was a definitive sadness to her voice now. "And I just can not reconcile myself to that monster having ever been Tom Riddle. My Tom was caring and gentle. He took care of me and loved me. He never would have .." Here her voice failed for a minute. All the blinking in the world couldn't keep at least a few tears from escaping now.
More to prove she could continue, than for the benefit of the man beside her who already knew all this, she went on. "My Tom never would have done…those despicable things…not to me."
Before speaking, he closed the small distance between them to kiss the tears away from her cheeks, as he always did when they escaped.
"You know that when I hate you
It is because I love you
To a point of passion that unhinges my soul."*
The melancholy of her soft voice filled the room. "Sometimes, I wonder if things could have been different. If I had stayed with him, could he have become a different person than what he is now? Would it have made a difference?"
"Oh Minerva, sometimes what we see of a person, what they choose to show us, is just one side of who they are. Tom choose his path long before he met you. I need not remind you, he killed a fellow student long before you entered his life."
They held each other in contemplative silence.
Albus picked up her hand and kissed her wrist. "Alastor said your wrist was broken. All better now?"
Minerva smiled at him. "Kisses do wonders." More seriously she continued. "'Michael's mother took care of it."
He scanned her face for a moment, before he allowed his eyes to twinkle. "I suspect she has a knowledge of minor injuries equal to our own Madame Pomfrey."
Minerva had a rather thoughtful look when she spoke again. "She brushed my hair too. It was rather tangled from flying. She was very sweet to me."
"Ollivander will no doubt be quite jealous should he learn about that."
Minerva couldn't help but laugh at that. "It is not funny. That man is seriously disturbed."
He kissed her.
"Are you not supposed to be conducting a meeting right now?"
Albus raised an eyebrow. "Ah yes, well they can wait if they want to hear what I have to say."
"You should go. Give your ridiculously long speech and then listen to Fudge drone on and on about, well about whatever it is he chooses to go on about tonight."
"But it's much nicer in this room." Albus argued playfully. "For one thing, there is no Cornelius Fudge in here. More importantly, there is you here. Also - "
Albus was interrupted by Minerva's lips. As she returned her head to the pillow after the kiss, he spoke again. "Yes, well that is a clear demonstration of reason number two why it is much nicer in this room."
Putting her nose right up to his, she said, "The sooner you start, the sooner you finish, and the sooner we can go home."
"You have a valid point, my dear. Home with you there is most definitely even nicer than this room with you here."
Sitting up, he kissed her hand again before standing completely. "Are you alright to stay here?"
She took his hand and bringing it to her face, kissed it as well. "I will come out and join the meeting in a few minutes."
He nodded. "I shall see you soon I expect, my dear Professor McGonagall.
* J. de Lespinaisse
In his haste, to be near her, he didn't even close the door. As she met him halfway across the room, their arms found their usual places in the all too familiar embrace. Neither noticed Moody close the door for them.
Silently, they remained entwined in each others arms. Albus was the first to speak. His voice was tinged with worry and relief. "I thought you were staying home to rest tonight. I was going to wake you up and tell you about the meeting over a game of chess."
"I seem to recall my needing to rest was your idea. But I was planning to, I just changed my mind."
"Why Minerva? You know it's not safe for you to …" His voice trailed off.
Still holding her and being held by her too tightly to properly see her, he could only hear her smile. "You know I adore hearing you give ridiculously long winded speeches. How could I pass up the opportunity tonight?"
"Oh, Minerva. Sometimes you frighten me dreadfully."
She squeezed tighter. "I was home and no one else was there."
Albus nodded. "I had forgotten - even Peeves?" He interrupted himself.
Minerva nodded against him. "He is still mad at Argus, for working with Dolores to try to get rid of him."
Albus chuckled. "As if Dolores Umbridge could ever have managed that. I don't know who to be more disappointed in, Argus for trying or Peeves for actually seeing them as a threat."
The smile became more obvious in her voice. "Argus is going to visit relatives in Ireland for a few weeks. Peeves decided to accompany him. I don't think Peeves informed him." Her voice was more serious now. "So, I was all alone and I didn't feel like being home alone."
Albus smiled. "So instead, you decided to come here to a house full of people and stand in a room alone."
"Yes, well when you put it that way." The sarcastic quality had crept back into her voice. Her voice softened again. "I stopped by to check on Harry. There was an attack while I was with him. I lost my wand. I lowered my …" Here she struggled to find a word, " defenses so I could use Harry and his wand. I have not managed to get them back up yet, a fact I am sure you noticed as soon as you walked in the door. So somehow it didn't seem like a good idea to be walking around chatting with the others."
"Ah, but my dear, I always feel an incredible surge of electricity pass through me whenever we touch regardless. Though, I do believe it is a good thing Harry has two months before he is supposed to be using a wand. Hopefully by then, it will have dissipated and the first time he tries to light a fire under his cauldron, he won't set the whole potions room on fire."
"They used Crucio on Harry. I tried to get in the way, but I was not always able. He was in so much pain, Albus. I barely even felt it. It's not like I can not tell it is there, but it does not really mean anything to me. After it was … it was more what it reminded me of, that effected me. Remus was there afterwards."
His face was a mask of pain as she described the curse. "I'm glad Remus was there. I'm glad someone you could trust was with you."
Both were silent, just holding each other for a time.
"Come," said Albus, waving his wand and taking a step back. "You will never get your defenses back up this tense. You need to relax."
Minerva could not help but smile. "While I certainly find that very relaxing, do you really think this is the time?"
Looking at the bed, he had transfigured from a chair, Albus smiled. "That's not what I meant." He lead her by the hand to the bed. "Just lie down."
Minerva mock pouted as he adjusted the covers over her and smoothed the hair from her face. "You sir, are a tease. I for one think it would be very exciting, knowing all those people are in the next room."
Albus chuckled softly. "This from the woman, who petitioned the Ministry of Magic to hang a picture of Armando Dippet in it's halls just so Armando would have a place to go other than my office?"
"Not just," corrected Minerva. "Are you denying Armando deserved to have his portrait hung there?"
Albus traced a finger over the pendant on her neck. "Certainly not. I just thought you might prefer to wait for that till we were home, but as always, anything you wish."
He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. After a few soft kisses, she pulled away.
"Mr. Dumbledore, are you calling my bluff?"
Albus's eyes twinkled as one of his fingers found it's way behind her ear. "I do believe I am my dear."
"Hold me."
"As you wish." He answered, laying on top of the covers beside her. He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other across her back. As he pulled her close, she tucked her head under his chin and inhaled his scent.
After a few minutes, she spoke. Her voice was quiet, the teasing quality gone. "I did things, Albus."
He tightened his hold on her.
"Horrible things."
He could hear the unshed tears in her eyes. "I know love."
"I did not want to do them. I did not like doing them."
He tipped her head, making her look in his eyes. He stroked his thumb along her cheek before responding. "You did what you had to do. They would have hurt Harry. You know they would have."
He kissed her forehead before laying his head right next to hers on the pillow. Still his thumb caressed her cheek. His warm, understanding pools of blue looked into her unsettled gray eyes.
"Sometimes, I think of how wonderful it would be to just run away from all this." She sighed. "To just do what I used to do."
Albus nodded understandingly. "Ah, but what would you try this time? Let me guess. Something graceful like a seahorse or a gazelle? No, maybe an actual lioness? Or perhaps since some of your students seem to think you breath fire, you could try a dragon?"
Her lips twitched. "Hagrid would be most pleased. No, but unfortunately that is not really an option anymore."
"Ah and what pray tell, could ever stop you from what you desire?"
She shrugged her shoulders before reaching up to trace a finger along the bumps of his nose and then his lips. "Would be a little difficult getting all the people I care about to come with me."
"Very true." Agreed Albus. "After all, even if you could convince them all to go, what would you do with them all? Even a bee hive or an ant hill couldn't support all the people you have come to care about over the years. Do you know, I do believe this year will be your fortieth year teaching. That's an awful lot of students and former students. Add in all the colleagues, parents, Order members, and other friends you have here, not to mention family…"
She smiled sadly. "I am just so tired of being afraid all the time. Not for myself, but for you, Harry, Neville, the Weasleys, all the Order people, and even Alastor and Severus. Sometimes, I am even afraid for…" She broke off.
He waited patiently for her to continue.
"Maybe it is good. He has finally returned and it is in the open. Now we can do something and then get on with our lives without the constant weight of You-Know-Who on our -"
"Minerva," He interrupted. "I can not believe you of all people will not speak his name."
Minerva frowned. "I will not call him by that utterly ridiculous title he made up for himself. Of all the foolish, idiotic things.." There was a definitive sadness to her voice now. "And I just can not reconcile myself to that monster having ever been Tom Riddle. My Tom was caring and gentle. He took care of me and loved me. He never would have .." Here her voice failed for a minute. All the blinking in the world couldn't keep at least a few tears from escaping now.
More to prove she could continue, than for the benefit of the man beside her who already knew all this, she went on. "My Tom never would have done…those despicable things…not to me."
Before speaking, he closed the small distance between them to kiss the tears away from her cheeks, as he always did when they escaped.
"You know that when I hate you
It is because I love you
To a point of passion that unhinges my soul."*
The melancholy of her soft voice filled the room. "Sometimes, I wonder if things could have been different. If I had stayed with him, could he have become a different person than what he is now? Would it have made a difference?"
"Oh Minerva, sometimes what we see of a person, what they choose to show us, is just one side of who they are. Tom choose his path long before he met you. I need not remind you, he killed a fellow student long before you entered his life."
They held each other in contemplative silence.
Albus picked up her hand and kissed her wrist. "Alastor said your wrist was broken. All better now?"
Minerva smiled at him. "Kisses do wonders." More seriously she continued. "'Michael's mother took care of it."
He scanned her face for a moment, before he allowed his eyes to twinkle. "I suspect she has a knowledge of minor injuries equal to our own Madame Pomfrey."
Minerva had a rather thoughtful look when she spoke again. "She brushed my hair too. It was rather tangled from flying. She was very sweet to me."
"Ollivander will no doubt be quite jealous should he learn about that."
Minerva couldn't help but laugh at that. "It is not funny. That man is seriously disturbed."
He kissed her.
"Are you not supposed to be conducting a meeting right now?"
Albus raised an eyebrow. "Ah yes, well they can wait if they want to hear what I have to say."
"You should go. Give your ridiculously long speech and then listen to Fudge drone on and on about, well about whatever it is he chooses to go on about tonight."
"But it's much nicer in this room." Albus argued playfully. "For one thing, there is no Cornelius Fudge in here. More importantly, there is you here. Also - "
Albus was interrupted by Minerva's lips. As she returned her head to the pillow after the kiss, he spoke again. "Yes, well that is a clear demonstration of reason number two why it is much nicer in this room."
Putting her nose right up to his, she said, "The sooner you start, the sooner you finish, and the sooner we can go home."
"You have a valid point, my dear. Home with you there is most definitely even nicer than this room with you here."
Sitting up, he kissed her hand again before standing completely. "Are you alright to stay here?"
She took his hand and bringing it to her face, kissed it as well. "I will come out and join the meeting in a few minutes."
He nodded. "I shall see you soon I expect, my dear Professor McGonagall.
* J. de Lespinaisse