Thank you all of you wonderful reviewers! As is my custom, I leave you all notes!
Always Hopeful: Glad you liked the first chapter, I hope to hear from you again!
Hogwarts Duo: As usual, you have the tendency to make me smile. Only because you beg do I post this second chapter. I've had it on my computer for weeks now, but I was planning on waiting an extra week before posting…anywho, I hope this story is to your satisfaction, and I hope that it keeps your attention for the remainder of the fic.
Miss Q: OH, I'm SOOOO glad you've been looking forward to this update! And trust me, I have plenty in store for them…dun dun dun! But don't worry…this is will be a happy fic in the end. )
Quill of Minerva: Hmm…let me answer your questions: 1) Is there betrayal? Answer: not in the usual sense 2) Is there a child involved? Answer: Yes, very much so. 3) Why doesn't Minerva stay with Albus? Answer: Letters. Now, Onto the happy stuff! I am so incredibly happy that you enjoyed the first chapter, and show such an interest in the story. Happy days!
Emutet: I kept going! Bwahaha. (sorry, little bit over enthusiastic) I'm quite happy that you enjoyed the first chapter, and am hoping that you continue to like the second one…and the third…and the fourth…and fith…etc. Your reviews always seem to make me smile. R&R please.
ADandMM4eva: You shall bite your nails no more! I have a lovely, emotional update below that I hope will be to your liking. Keep in touch!
Joelpup: Yeah, you're right, being separated does stink. I don't understand (in the usual sense) why people get so worked up about stupid things and then end up breaking apart. Of course, for my benefit, this story has a definite reason for why they break up, which helps to basically make up most of the plot line. Hope to hear from you again!
Silver Sorceress: You ask what will happen. I respond by giving you a chapter. :) R&R please?
Lillian Dumbledore: Oh, what a wonderful thing to say! I'm glad you like the story thus far, and I hope that you keep on liking it!
Palanfanaiel: Hey Pal! Hope you enjoy the next chapter as much as you did the first.
Lee: thank you for bringing to my attention those mistakes I made. You know how sometimes when you re-read your own writing, you don't always catch all of the mistakes? Sorry for that problem, but it's fixed now! Once I received your review, I went right back in and changed everything around to make better sense. sighs Well, I glad that besides those errors you found the first chapter at least somewhat satisfactory. )
Lady Angharad: Terribly sorry if I offended you by changing the ages of the main two characters. You weren't the only one who had a problem with it. I changed some of the plot around in order to fit your needs better. I would have contacted you directly, and told you this by email if it were on your author profile page. Sorry to have peeved you off so much.
Intelligent Witch:I am quite glad that we were able to talk directly about your review. Being able to talk straight with a person is far less stressful as it is by chapter. I hope this new chapter is to your satisfaction, as well as the story. smile
Sevy Hero: You're in a lot of trouble webs. I never got your review, but somehow…I know you'll be reading this chapter…just cuz you happen to be my best friend.
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Well, technically, here we begin our story, and I strongly advise you to pay attention to some of the emotions found in this chapter. I had a friend just skim through this, and she was completely confused.
Chapter Two: Shattered
Minerva's head throbbed uncontrollably as she made her way up the stairs to her apartment. Row after row, after row she climbed without as much as a thought. The only thing in her mind was the vision of her climbing into her bed.
It had been an exhausting day. She'd run all about the office for the better part of the morning in those awful heels she was meant to wear. Then after that, she was given a new assignment. She was told it would make the front page headline, and only her best could be printed. What it also meant was another trip for research to the assignment. Traveling, to say the most, held little appeal to her; she couldn't spend much more time away.
Minerva opened the door. Emily, the nanny sat in an armchair reading a book by firelight. Her gaze lifted, and a smile shifted on her face. "You're home late again, ma'am," her accented voice drifted quite clearly through the room.
She nodded. "Work was an absolute nightmare…" she glanced around the room quickly, then back at Emily, "is Madelyn asleep?"
An empathetic expression fell on the woman, and she shrugged. "She refused to go to bed until you came home. She's waiting in her room for you, but I made sure the lights were out."
Minerva nodded. "Well thank you, again. I will be seeing you tomorrow at the usual time?"
"Yes ma'am, five o'clock on the nose. I'll see you then." With that, the woman got up from her chair, and gathered her things before leaving the room.
After she had left, Minerva walked to a door at the end of a very small corridor. Behind the door, there was a little room filled with little things that only a child could possess. There was a very unique collaboration of bows, children's books, and other little trinkets. In the center of the room, there was a very bland comforter atop a very old bed. Inside the bed, there stood Minerva's one joy in life.
"Mum?"
Minerva lit the light, and walked over to the bed. She sat next to her nine year old, and stroked her auburn hair softly. "What did I tell you about staying up? You get grumpy when you wait up for me."
Her childish, but sweet, voice carried only as far as her mother's face. "I wanted to tell you something."
She shifted. "Oh really? What is it, then?"
Her green eyes lit up a little, and a smile that was often seen on her face came. "Darcy got the new 'Magic Me Sally Doll'. You promised me you would let me have it if I were a good girl. And I've been really good lately."
Minerva rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smiling. "Did I really say that?"
"Yes, you promised me three or four or five days ago."
She let out a soft giggle at her daughter's word choice. "Well, then I suppose we can make a trip to Diagon Alley on Sunday…but that's only if you promise not to stay up again. Understood?"
Her daughter nodded her head repetitively while her prevailing smile never left her lips.
Minerva smiled, and brought her finger to Madelyn's nose, touching it after every word. "That, means, three, days, of, early, bed, times, little, one."
She continued to nod her sweet face. "Okay," she grinned. "I love you mommy."
Minerva leaned down, and planted a kiss on the nine year old's head. "I love you too. Now go to sleep." With that, the woman turned out the light, and made her way to her own room. As she slid under the covers, sleep completely enveloped her. She felt nothing short of contentment as her world came to a close.
Sunday
Minerva held her daughter's hand as they entered Tina's Enchanted Toy Shop. It was a small store that held only the best of toys; and stood at the less populated end of Diagon Alley. As such, there were very few people inside the store.
"Alright dear, go and find your doll," Minerva whispered. Madelyn let go and whisked herself towards the Girl's Section. Minerva stared at her with a smile. Maddy's enchanted dolls were her life when her mother was away. Truth be told, she was away most of the time. What the woman wouldn't give to have a normal job; to be able to spend time with her daughter. But alas, there was no husband to support them, and as such, Minerva needed a very decent job; working hours were rarely decent when there was a rent to be met. She took what breaks she could, and enjoyed every moment she had to see her daughter grow.
Minerva strolled around the store, over towards the glass music boxes. They looked very much like the kind that was found in muggle stores; little boxes about a hand's length which played the most gorgeous of songs. The only real difference (and this encompassed the entire trinket) was that it included no winding, and there were actual instruments playing which were enchanted, and shrunken in size. She had given Maddy one that played "When you wish upon a star" on her eighth birthday. Madelyn didn't find it nearly as intriguing as Minerva did, but she knew her daughter to play it once or twice while she was away.
She held in her hand a very pretty glass box, which played a very sweet melody that she had heard once a very long time ago. It escaped her when, but she could almost hum with the violin that played that very soft, romantic song.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice sounded from behind her.
Minerva slowly turned to see who the speaker was. She had heard that voice somewhere; it was so familiar, but so alien to her at the same time. When she spun, there stood a face that she hadn't seen in far too long. As such, her own face went very white, and the shock caused her to drop the glass box, shattering into thousands of pieces.
"Repairo," he whispered, and placed the remade music box back on the shelf.
She stared at him, and suddenly remembered where she had heard the song before; he brought everything back to her. That music had been played over and over again in the time they had been together in the dark. Quite traditionally, they had named it 'their' song. It had been such a long time since they were together, so long ago that she couldn't even remember being a 'they', or 'them', or even an 'us'.
He smiled warmly at her, an odd way to greet after so long, Minerva thought. She couldn't help but notice how much he had changed, but was so much alike since the years that had passed. His blue eyes that had been burned into her brain looked seriously at her, losing the twinkle she so fondly remembered. He had quite a few more lines on his face than she remembered, but that didn't take away the unavoidable appeal he gave her. And his hair; he had let it grow long. She'd always liked it longer; she had made a point to tell him that over a decade ago. Last but not least, he was just as tall as ever.
Minerva swallowed. She didn't know what to say. When it came down to it, she didn't even know what to call him. The name Albus would have rolled off her tongue so strangely, like it was foreign to her. And the title Professor seemed irrelevant now that she was well past graduating. Calling him Mister didn't seem right either, they were once very much involved. She just stood and stared at him like a helpless child, awaiting him to make the first move.
"Hello Minerva." He nodded graciously.
She was struck dumb for a fair few seconds before speaking to him. "H-hello," she stammered.
"I am here with a friend, who is buying a birthday gift for his niece. Why might you be here?" He folded his arms, not losing that unreasonably kind look in his facial features. His eyes even seemed to grow slightly softer.
Minerva glanced around the room, remembering Maddy. She was still by the dolls, probably picking out an outfit or other for the "real" baby that Minerva had promised. "I'm buying my daughter a doll."
A genuine look of surprise crossed his face, and he glanced over to where Minerva was looking. "Daughter? I wasn't aware that you had married."
She glanced down at the floor, and met his eyes; his deep, penetrating eyes. "I haven't. She's never even met her father. We're quite alone."
Madelyn tugged on her mother's robes. Obviously she had walked in record time just to get to her mother so that she could meet the so called stranger. "Mum, Mum? Who are you talking to?"
Minerva glanced up at Albus who seemed to be quite fixated on her, and then back down. "This is Albus Dumbledore. He taught me when I went to Hogwarts." Again, she dared to meet his eyes. He had a smile on his face now, only because he was in the presence of a child no doubt. Otherwise, she would have thought him mocking her.
He spoke softly, and crouched down to her height. "Hello. And what might your name be?"
Maddy stared down at her tiny hands which were in some sort of battle over which was stronger. Rather shyly, she said only loud enough for the two of them to hear, "I'm Madelyn."
The man reached out, and shook little Maddy's hand. An unmistakable blush was on her face. Madelyn was fascinated by the kindly nature of the man, and Minerva couldn't quite deny that he was still looking quite well. The woman couldn't help but think how much alike she and her daughter was; she could almost feel her own cheeks grow colored at the unplanned meeting.
She stared at the two of them for a few seconds, and then came back to her senses. "Have you found your doll?"
Maddy looked from Albus to her mother. "Yes. I picked out a pink dress, because pink is the color of the day," she spoke rather happily.
The woman smiled. "Okay, go and stand in line while I finish talking with…Albus. I won't be but a minute."
Rather gaily, she skipped over towards the line of but two people carrying a box half her size which held a very much living doll. In her other hand, there was a pink outfit which proclaimed 'Shrinks to doll's size' on the plastic lining.
Minerva turned back towards Albus who had a cross between an amused smile, and confusion on his face. He finally decided to smile at her. "You seem to be doing quite well."
She nodded. "I am."
"I read your article on the compatibility of dragons several weeks ago. I was rather impressed."
Minerva took a fair few seconds to process what he had just said, and tried her absolute best not to blush. "Thank you," she gave him a smile out of compassion. "Are things still going well at the school? I would assume you are still working there?"
"Yes, I could never stop teaching; you should remember that." Albus frowned for a second, but it was only that. A look of happiness somewhat overtook his face. "Actually, I am being made Headmaster. Headmaster Dippit has decided to throw in the towel, as they say."
"That's wonderful," Minerva smiled, "well, not that he's retiring but that—"
"—Mom, it's time to pay!"
Minerva turned towards her daughter, and then back to Albus. "I suppose we need to cut this short. It was nice seeing you again. Good luck with the school," she nodded.
Albus repeated the gesture. "I enjoyed seeing you also."
Without so much as a proper goodbye, Minerva walked over towards her daughter to pay. She didn't dare turn around to see if he were still there after it was done. The woman just whisked her daughter out of the store.
Albus tossed and turned in his bed. It had been years since he was unable to sleep because of her. Oh, she had often drifted across his mind now and then, but it was almost ten years since she haunted his dreams; kept him wondering. Tonight, he was consumed with wonder and regret.
It was the first time in a decade that he had laid eyes on her lovely face. Never in a million years would he have expected her to look at him the way she did. She stared at him so sadly, so unattached. He could see the pity in her eyes, the sorrow.
When he had seen her unmistakable face from across the room, heard that old song that he had danced with her, and smelled her sweet perfume, he was unable to stay away. Perhaps entrancement was his motive. He had needed to hear her voice again, see her smile; he was a bewitched man. He was under a spell by Minerva McGonagall.
Merlin, it had been so incredibly long to be in love, and get no response. His heart actually ached; it throbbed and died all in the same second when he thought of her. When he had seen her, it leapt for joy, and when he saw her distant eyes, it stopped pumping the blood which gave him life. She had the ability to make him live, and kill him all in the same moment as only a witch like her could.
He tried to talk himself into believing that it wasn't really an eternity that he had felt so strongly about her; a decade was as far away from an eternity as you could possibly get. They say that the heart knows no time, in his case, that was perfectly true. His heart knew nothing of years, months, or even seconds; he only knew he loved her, no matter how she felt about him.
She had quite clearly indicated her opinion, however, earlier in the day. Minerva talked to him in the exact opposite way that she would have in the years passed. Years ago, she would have spoken so sweetly, and lovingly; in their brief meeting, she had come off as subdued and unfriendly.
Their encounter would not have baffled him so much, had the relationship ever ended with an abrupt stop. He had written letters; hundreds of them. None of them got any response whatsoever. He wrote for months upon months, and there came nothing, even though she was quite adamant about keeping in contact. Obviously, he reasoned, she was not in love with him. The child that he saw, Madelyn, she was the result of whomever she fell in love with after their short lived relationship. The girl looked near eight; Minerva could have certainly made love to many people in that time. The woman had fallen in love, and forgotten all about him; that was definitely the truth.
His face grew slightly angry. Why should she fall in love with anyone else but him? He was the one who loved her, no one else could possibly feel the way he did about Minerva McGonagall. He was the one who had lost hundreds of hours from sleep due to her memory; he was the one who still thought about her; he was the one she had given herself to. She would have had no one else but him a decade ago, why had it changed so quickly? Did she get swept off her feet by some knight in shining armor?
He threw the covers off of his body, and punched a pillow forcefully. He stared at the imprint his hand had made, and hit the spot again and again and again until sweat dripped down his face, and he was breathing heavily. He fell backwards on the bed, and stared at the dark ceiling.
She was so cold. It hit like a dagger through his heart. She spoke as if they were merely but friends, or even as low as acquaintances. By God, they were so much more than friends, many years ago. She was the woman that taught him the meaning of love.
He took in a deep breath and blinked. Perhaps he was blowing things out of proportion. Maybe Minerva just wanted to keep it casual, after all, her daughter was there. Perhaps she was just trying to keep it light, and short. Yes, of course, that was it. Minerva just wanted things to stay short and simple to avoid complications.
He had studied body language before, once or twice in his lifetime anyway. The way she kept trying to avoid eye contact told him that she was avoiding something. Perhaps she was only avoiding a nasty confrontation? He shook his head; why on Earth would Minerva think he would be nasty in any way to her? Maybe she just wasn't sure how to react…or maybe…he lifted his body from the bed, and a smile came across his face as a shred of hope came to his mind. Maybe she was afraid. Minerva was afraid of talking to him…but why needed to be discovered.
He shut his eyes, and let himself think. He would hope that his resolution was the answer. He had been called a brilliant man once or twice in his lifetime, but he had never studied such a complicated thing as a woman. Perhaps his earlier memories had prepared him for the moment in which he took her as his own.
Without so much as another thought, he walked over to his desk and began writing a letter.
Minerva waited until Madelyn was asleep before going to her fireplace and lighting the wood to make flames. She pulled her knees to her body, and leaned back on the only comfy chair in the entire apartment. The second she did, her eyes welled up, and her throat became compressed. She cried silently at first, but it grew to a soft wail as the minutes ticked by.
Never in a million years had she ever imagined she would see him again. Looking into his deep blue eyes, seeing his red hair, and hearing his soft voice that once brought back so many incredibly wonderful memories that she had worked hard to make disappear. For years she'd attempted to make him nothing more than what was in her head, to make him fictional. She was very close to succeeding…but then he insisted on reappearing.
When she looked upon his face, she couldn't help but think how much she had wanted to kiss it at one point in time. When she was young, she couldn't stop staring at him; he was everything she had wanted. He had been her first real kiss; her first lover; the first, and only, person she had ever loved. They had danced together, up close, in his office one night; that was where she had heard the song. All of those things had been reduced to memories, and some of them almost didn't even happen.
Then he came to her earlier in the day. He came as if there were nothing wrong, as if he hadn't ever done anything wrong, as if he had never broken her heart. He had acted as if they were old friends. Damn it all, they were never just friends. Once, long ago, they had so much passion in themselves that it was more of the entire world combined. Calling them friends was laughable, simple as that.
Minerva began rocking back and forth, trying her best to stifle the loud cries she was making.
She had given her heart to him, given everything that she held dear; herself, her mind, her love. What was it that he had done for her in return? He left her pregnant and alone. He never wrote the letters he promised. For months, she waited for something, any assurance that he still loved her, but nothing came. As the years passed, she almost hoped he would look in on her, just for old time's sake; to say the least, he never did come. There wasn't a word from him at any time. Then she saw him in the toy shop…he made it so casual.
It was so hurtful. Not a word for years, an entire decade, and he wanted to talk routines with her. He wanted to pretend as if nothing had ever happened. Well she couldn't stand to speak with him for one very simple reason: every time she so dared to look at his peculiarities, her heart became a wreck. Seeing him again crushed her it in two. Hearing his voice made it break again. Watching him with her daughter…his daughter…made her heart shatter entirely.
He loved her once. He really, truly loved her, she knew it. But then something happened, something utterly horrible. He stopped loving her. He didn't write her, he didn't do anything. Merlin, he didn't even know she had a child. She would have thought that he would know by now…Madelyn was after all nine. But then, perhaps that was her own fault; she never did take it upon herself to tell him. Her heart was broken enough.
She buried her tear streaked face in her hands, and attempted to catch her breath. She would gain control again. He wasn't worth crying over; it was a long time ago that he let her down, she wasn't about to shed tears over him again.
The woman sat there, and took in slow deep breaths. When all air was caught, she let herself stare at the flames of the fire. Minerva tried not to think of him, she tried with everything inside of her. But as she stared at the flames, she saw him and his red hair. She saw him shaking the hand of their daughter.
She hurt. Minerva could have fallen to the floor and writhed in the pain that she was feeling. It was unbelievable, what he could do to her after so long. He still caused her to ache and grieve. But that was really only going to be when she was alone, or in her sleep. She had built herself up for so long, that she knew she was quite able to keep control of her emotions. As it would stay, she would only cry out and struggle for life in her dreams.
Minerva nodded her head slowly. Yes, she would only die in her dreams because only in her dreams did she have him, and lose him. In her daily life, he didn't exist; he was a non-existent person.
Okay, several little memos:
1) Madelyn's personality is under the influence of my eight year old sister.
2) Not all of these chapters will be as sad as this one.
3) I know not many people see Albus as the type to be violent, but even the most restrained people have their moments.
4) My next update should be in 2 weeks.
Please review if you've taken the time to read this chapter. If you have a direct problem with something that I have written, I would appreciate it if you would contact me directly via email so that we can work the problem out one on one. )
Once again, spelling or grammar errors are welcomed if you find them. Also, happy reviews are also welcomed. I don't ever get tired of reading funny reviews, because they put a smile on my face, and one can never get tired of smiling.