Albus was home. In the span of a single second, the temperature within the room had risen to be almost intolerable, the air had thinned, and Minerva loved it all. Never taking her eyes off of the man standing before her, Minerva quietly closed and locked the door, almost afraid that any noise would destroy the moment and he would again disappear.
Through it all Albus was just standing there. To her delight, he had worn the set of midnight blue robes she had gotten him for Christmas the last year and he looked as impressive in them as ever. The color brought out his eyes and made them shine an even more violent shade of blue, if that was even possible and the light silver work around the hems glittered in the soft light. The torches lining the wall cast shadows against his face, obscuring everything but those magnificent eyes. They hadn't left her since she had entered, and Minerva could feel the blush rise along her neck even after all their years together. There were many things that he could be called; flatterer, seducer, but most importantly, he was hers.
With a seductive smile and her heart pounding in anticipation, Minerva stepped away from the cold wall and reached for him. "Well Headmaster, this is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you back so soon. I take it your meeting with the Minister went well." All while she was talking, Minerva had run her fingers down the front of his robes, undoing the buttons that she encountered before sliding her hands inside taking pleasure in the heat and smooth texture of the skin beneath her fingers.
"Yes, the meeting was very..productive." He looked down into her eyes and smirked, letting a single finger trail a lazy pattern down her back before coming to rest against her behind. This caught Minerva off guard. If there was one thing Minerva had never seen him do before, it was smirk. He always said Severus did enough of it for the entire staff.
"Albus," she said quietly, slightly concerned at his odd behavior. Something was out of place, but she couldn't understand what. She let her gentle hands slide up his chest, on their way to his cheek, but they stopped when she felt something damp just on the inside of his collar. Brushing against it, her fingers came away and the momentary confusion she felt slowly gave way to disbelieving horror. Her fingers were coated in lipstick, bright red, certainly not her shade, slipstick. Her eyes snapped up to meet his, waiting with every hope in her soul for an explanation, but his smirk had simply changed into a lascivious grin. She could see it in his every expression, glee. He had been caught, and instead of being embarrassed or ashamed, he was happy.
Cold dread washed over her as the air suddenly disappeared from the room, leaving her panting and lightheaded. "As I said, most productive." He stared at her, the once loving and gentle gaze turning cold and..triumphant?
"But..what..where? Albus, I." she didn't finish, not knowing what to say. "My my," he sneered, "Minerva McGonagall at a loss for words. I must write the Prophet; this is certainly newsworthy. Really Minerva, I don't know what you expected. Really, have you looked in a mirror lately?"
"But the meeting, Cornelius." Her thoughts were disjointed. She just couldn't get her mind to wrap around what was happening. The man who, just that morning, had declared his love was now shattering the world they had created without a second thought.
"Yes, the meeting. There is just so much to be discussed with twenty five year old blond receptionists when one has the time. I never knew they could be quite so talented." He drew out the last word and let a sound that could pass as a laugh escape.
Minerva had backed away from him, her emerald eyes large behind her square spectacles and beginning to fill with tears. "How, how could you," she choked out, her voice failing her. "I loved you more than anything."
He snorted and waved away her declaration like an especially annoying insect. "Simple my dear. I found someone better." He reached into the left pocket of his robes, and it was then that she noticed he wasn't wearing his wedding band. Early in their relationship the rings had been charmed to appear whenever they managed to be alone, but, this time, his was nowhere to be seen. If she could have thought rationally, she would have realized hers hadn't appeared either.
He pulled out his watch and looked at it briefly before stowing it back in his robes. "I've invited her to the castle. She's going to be my new personal secretary. As I said, she was quite talented." He paused for a moment. "I hope that won't be a problem."
Minerva recoiled as if she had been slapped. Not only was he having an affair, now he wanted to bring the harlot into her school. Minerva began to shake as her temper began to take hold. "If you think," she said, her voice deathly quiet, "that I'm going to stand here and let some strumpet anywhere near you or the children, then you are gravely mistaken."
He simply considered her over the top of his half moon spectacles, the torch light making his hair glow. "Alright," he said calmly, "I would like your resignation on my desk by the end of the day, preferably before I get back to my office. We wouldn't want you to have to stand anywhere, now would we?"
Minerva stood stunned, her mouth hanging open. She had to leave; she had to leave Hogwarts. It was the only place she had ever truly called home, and now she was being forced out. She couldn't understand just what had happened. In the span of ten minutes, she had lost not only her husband and job, but her home. She had lost everything. It just became too much. So, she did the only thing that came to mind; she ran. She slammed the door on his maniacal laughter. She ran through the corridors, ignoring the surprised and concerned looks from students. She ran up every flight of stairs and didn't stop until she came to their chambers. Flinging herself into the sitting room, Minerva finally stopped, her chest heaving from the exertion.
She stood in the middle of the comfortable room, numbly taking in her surroundings. She stared at the pictures of the two of them. She saw a pair of his shoes beneath the chair, and his cup of hot chocolate from the evening before sat cold on the coffee table. In an instant, it was simply too much. With a renewed determination, she moved to their desk and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment. As she wrote, only a single tear made its way down her nose and landed with a splatter just next to her signature. "Winky," she called, and a grey house elf with large green eyes and a tuft of white hair sticking up from his head appeared with a faint pop. "Winky, could you please leave this on the Headmaster's desk for me?" "Yes Professor. Winky is happy to help Professor."
With another pop the elf was gone, and Minerva was alone. Waving her wand, several oversized trunks appeared, and she stood bye as all her possessions flew from every room and folded themselves neatly. It only took her five minutes to pack fifteen years worth memories.
During all of this she had forgotten about someone very important, Fawkes. It wasn't until he let out a manic screech, causing her to jump, that she even remembered the bird was there. She walked over and stroked Fawkes head softly, taking comfort in his warmth and soft plumage. "Oh Fawkes, I'm going to miss you my friend. Apparently, I'm not enough for him anymore. Take care of him Fawkes, and you will always have an extra stand in my sitting room if you decide to visit." The phoenix rubbed against her hand once more before trilling out one of the saddest songs she had ever heard. Taking only what was hers and leaving every memento behind, Minerva shrank her trunks and placed them in her pockets. With a single look back at what had meant so much to her, Minerva walked out of the castle and disappeared.