Welcome back! ) I'm back now…summer has begun and I am free to write thousands upon thousands of words on my computer! yay. I already have half of chapter 11 written…if you send me really nice notes, I may post early just for you!
DumbledoresKitten: Yes, you're right, Poppy ought to be reprimanded for interrupting Albus and Minerva's conversation…but she is something of a confidante and therefore must stop bad things from happening. Haha. I'll let you ponder that. :) thanx for the fabulous note!
Litasha1987: Welcome aboard! laughs I can do much worse hangers; that was nothing. Anywho, it kept you wanting to read more, did it not? Ah yes, and Albus/Madelyn's reaction? It could be a while before you get it…but it's all part of my master plan. glad you enjoyed last chapter, I hope this next one is equally as enjoyable.
girl from Iceland: You're perfectly welcome for that last chapter…I had fun writing it, even if it did take me a while to get onto the website. Hopefully this next chapter will do just fine for you as well.
Joelpup62: I welcome you to the good ship 'Time'. grins…okay, so I've been eating a few too many cookies and watching way too many black and white films…rolls eyes I'll stop babbling. Sorry for leaving you so short last chapter, but I enjoy making people beg for more. haha. In any case, it's here now! This chapter is one of my faves thus far, and I hope it will be for you! We have suddenly entered the much needed state of intimacy. enjoy
laxgoalie210: Well, yes, I suppose we could say that Maddy has figured it out, but it's still pretty hazy to her. She knows that Albus obviously loved her mother, that her mother loved her father, and that Albus has red hair like her father. To Madelyn, yes, it does all click, but then there's that question of er…hostility? that Min has been shedding on Albus. She'll be quiet for a while until it's clear…
Portkeys Miss-Mione: You among other people have suddenly gotten a dislike for Poppy. hehe. That wasn't intended, but I can most certainly work with that. And yes, I will make up for what Poppy did in this chapter, just not in the way that you're thinking…TBC I hope you enjoy this chappie.
Kidarock: Hm…What will Maddy do? Easy question, not so easy answer…I can only tell you so much :'( We'll stick with this summarization: She will be herself. No, that's not a riddle, just the best I can explain it without killing the story for you! Sorry about that…anywho, I look forward to hearing from you again! You're awesome!
Emutet: Wow, you've been busy, girl! Hope you found what you needed to find out there! sighs. I'm seeing still quite a few chapters, no idea how many though…it depends on how I split up the data. But yes, I can most certainly promise you a happy ending! What would a story be without one of those? CU soon!
Hogwarts Duo: OH, you know just as well as I do that the chat won't be much of a chat. winks. After all, I am a firm believer in romance and er…well, that's pretty obvious in all of my stories, this one can't be any different, now can it? And Maddy? Miss Maddy will keep it hush hush for a little while…no comment other than that. Hope you like the update.
fearsomdiety: Another new person! Welcome to Time Land! ) don't ask. Here is your update and I truly hope that you like it…I put much thought and dreaming into it!
Alesia G: Haha. Of course the plot had to thicken and that means Maddy finds the letter! Bwahaha. Yup, yup, Minerva ought to tell Albus about their daughter before Madelyn, but that doesn't mean that she can or will. (previous sentence to be pondered) Anywho, hope to hear from you again, you're great!
esb: Thank you for the nice review and compliment! I'm glad that you're looking forward to this update, because I certainly was!
Chapter Ten: Only a Kiss
Butterflies; that's what they were. They were fluttering uncontrollably in her stomach, picking any insane direction possible. Some flew down, some flew left, and others flew up her arms which kept her shaking to keep control. She held her daughter's hand tightly as they entered the Great Hall to wait for the ceremony to start.
Many familiar faces looked at them as they passed also several that weren't familiar. Minerva smiled at them all, trying to give her best impression to those staff members that she had and had not met. She had found out a number of occasions the benefit of being kind to others.
Madelyn took a seat in Albus's chair, next to Minerva. The child would sit on her lap after the man sat down. Minerva did see the problem in that arrangement and was not about to lie. She and Albus could not talk while Madelyn was so close. This, in turn, meant a later meeting which would be perhaps a little bit more beneficial than simply talking in the Great Hall.
After all, they had ten years to clean up…and Poppy did have a valid point that morning. She had said that Minerva and Albus had been sitting rather close to each other; it was true. In those few seconds that they were speaking, she could almost feel his breath on her neck; his hot breath.
"Mum?"
The woman turned towards her daughter who was looking around curiously. "Hmm?"
"What's happening?" she asked sweetly.
A smile crept on her lips and she pointed towards the great double doors. "Well, you see those doors?"
"Yes."
"In a few minutes, students will be arriving through there. Some will have already been going here and they'll just take seats with their house table. Others will come in later and be sorted into their house. A house," she smiled as she saw the question start forming on her daughter's lips "is what group they belong to based on their skills. Mr. Albus and I were both Gryffindors."
"So you and Mr. Albus are like each other?"
Minerva thought about the question and then nodded. "By certain means, we are. We both work hard and will stand up for what's right."
"Where is he?"
She blinked. In the back of her mind, she probably wanted to see him as much as the child…she may even have wanted to see him more. "He's going to welcome the new students. He'll be here later."
"Oh." Maddy's face fell slightly. The woman took note of this; Miss Madelyn certainly had grown attached to the man already. It was amazing…a week and they were already two peas in a pod. They needed each other.
Silence came and went only for a minute or two because streams of students suddenly entered laughing, glaring, and talking with one another. Each of them went to their selected house table, not bothering to take any notice of their surroundings. What reason did they have for it? For most of them, Hogwarts was nearly the only world they knew.
Madelyn's eyes grew big at the stampede of children. She hadn't seen so many people at once, ever. Even when her mother took her to Diagon Alley it was when things were less congested. It was a new and exciting thing for her to see so many people who could possibly be her friend. A wide smile crossed the girls face; she liked people, always had and always would. That was most definitely something she received from her daddy.
It wasn't long after students had sat down before she noticed the number of teenagers who seemed to be looking at her. Many of them turned when she met their gaze; others did not. This fact didn't affect her in the least, however; she knew she was bound to be scrutinized, at least at first. After all, she was filling the shoes of a very great man. She blinked. He was quite a man.
The woman turned towards her daughter who was taking it upon herself to stare at certain groups of teenagers. She leaned down and whispered in Madelyn's ear, "What are you doing, Miss Maddy?"
"Looking. Some boys at one of the tables are transfiguring a cup," she said in that childish voice that she possessed.
Minerva blinked and searched. Indeed, there were boys transfiguring a cup. After all, they were able to do magic for the first time in quite a while, why not start at their first chance? Besides, if it was Transfiguration that they were using, Minerva was quite able to take them in her fancy. "So they are," she whispered much too late.
Not more than a minute later, the double doors to the Great Hall opened quickly. Everyone's head snapped up and looked at the incoming first years, including Minerva's and Madelyn's. Maddy's eyes grew even wider. Minerva smiled.
She wouldn't have expected anything less than what she saw. Albus was in the lead of all of the students, carrying his bold head up high. The woman stared at him closely as he walked up to the platform and got the students up to the stage. Her sources would say that he stole a glance at her as well with a debonair smile on his face.
The children lined up in a row. In no time at all, he began calling off names, just like Minerva remembered. The memory was very much still in her mind. She had spent seven of her years in the school, watching people be sorted, and being sorted herself. It was always interesting to see what the hat said; it was very good at pointing out people's good and bad sides.
Maddy watched with an open mouth as the students were placed here and there. "Gryffindor…Slytherin…Gryffindor…Hufflepuff…Ravenclaw!" the hat seemed to yell as the pile of children went lower and lower. In no time at all, the sorting was finished.
Minerva didn't take her eyes off of Albus the entire time. She couldn't stop thinking about him. He was wearing blue robes, a very good color for him; it matched his eyes. His red hair was pulled back by an equally blue ribbon. The man's enchanting voice took turns with the hat shouting out things. It felt like an eternity since she had heard his words even though it had only been that morning.
When it was all finished, he approached Minerva and Madelyn. He smiled warmly at the two of them as Maddy switched into her own seat. Once he was seated, he turned to face Minerva completely. "Are you ready for your introduction, Professor McGonagall?"
She nodded slowly. Did he really mean to introduce her to all of those students? "What about Maddy?" she whispered softly.
"If she doesn't mind, I think I ought to introduce her as well. After all, it may be strange to be seeing a nine year old on the campus."
Minerva continued to nod. "You're probably right."
Albus didn't take his eyes away from Minerva for quite a few seconds, even though the conversation was obviously over. Coincidentally, the woman had no need to take her eyes off of him. "Can we talk once this is all finished with?"
She smiled. God, that was it. He wanted to talk…he wanted to either make her the happiest person in the world, or make it all crash down again. "Of course."
The man smiled back, but didn't say anything. He only stood up and caught the attention of all of the students simply by being there. It was amazing, the way he could get people to follow him without even doing anything. He had a power over others that no man had ever seemed to have. He glanced down at Minerva.
"We have now officially started the school year. For those of you new to the campus, I welcome you, to everyone returning, I'm very happy to see you again. Now, before we start the banquet, I should like to remind all of you that Professor Dippit has retired and I have been made the Headmaster, retiring myself from teaching Transfiguration. So, to fill my position as head of Gryffindor as well as Transfiguration professor, Professor McGonagall has been hired. Coincidentally, with her she also brings another addition which is her daughter, Madelyn. I expect you all to treat the both of them with the same attentiveness and kindness that you show every other staff member here…" he glanced at Minerva, "just because they're young is no reason to give them any less respect. Now," he turned back to the rest of the students, "let's eat!"
Immediately food appeared on the tables. Students began eating immediately. Albus turned to Minerva with an amused grin on his face. "I hope that was satisfactory to you."
The woman blinked slowly, contemplating how she ought to respond. "Why is it, Headmaster, that you brought up my age?"
He grinned with twinkling eyes, "I thought it was relevant."
"Please head to your dormitories. Your prefects will assist you in finding them," Albus announced to the entirety of the room. A great swarming flock of students began exiting out the doors to the Great Hall. It didn't take long at all before everyone had gone and all that was left was the staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Minerva stared at the lot of them. Several of them had come and introduced themselves to her; she could have been better with names. All she could remember was their department of the school which they worked, if she was lucky. It didn't really matter at that point though; her mind was not on names of the staff.
Maddy tugged on the woman's hand. "I'm tired."
She blinked and looked at Albus who was shaking hands of many of the staff members, welcoming them back to the school.
Minerva swallowed sadly and approached him; she did not want to wait any longer than she had to. Albus looked at her with open blue eyes when she was only a short foot infront of him. "We need to get back to our room," she sighed, "Madelyn is ready to fall flat on her face."
He glanced over Minerva's shoulder at her daughter who was currently yawning. The man leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Can you meet me later?"
She stared up at him unsurely. Was it important enough for her to sneak away from her daughter? All she needed was to really look into his eyes to know the answer. It was more than a meeting; it was confession. Their talking could very well lead to a…well, she didn't know what she wanted to call it, or if she wanted to think about it. She just knew that it would lead to something; a something they once had.
The woman nodded slowly. "My room at eleven," she whispered, "and try not to be late."
Albus smiled. "Eleven o'clock and not a minute later."
Minerva kissed her daughter gently on the forehead as she was being tucked into bed. "I love you," she whispered softly to one of the two loves of her life.
Maddy smiled a sleepy grin, "I love you." She yawned then, making it quite a moment. "Good night."
The woman grinned. "Sleep well little one. Remember, the house elves will be watching you tomorrow."
The child nodded. "Okay. Have a good first day, if I don't see you."
"I will," she whispered, "now go to bed before I decided to give you a potion."
Maddy smiled. "Goodnight."
With that, Minerva blew out the candle that lit Madelyn's room and turned once before shutting the door. "Goodnight, little miss." The woman didn't receive a reply; she knew Maddy was soaring in the skies again…just floating as the world passed by.
She glanced at the clock. It was very nearly eleven already. There was no time to prepare herself at all; not that she knew how she would do it. What could she do? She couldn't have changed clothes; it would serve no purpose at all. Her hair…the woman walked quickly to the mirror and undid the bun that had previously held her hair up. Quickly, she brushed it through, making sure it was perfect. Minerva looked at herself in the mirror where the anxiety flooded through her.
Merlin…she was working herself up for something that would surely let her down, but she didn't care that time. The more she thought about their memories, the more she fell in love with him again, dash it all. Minerva still loved him; if he was willing to say that he loved her too, she would do anything for him.
Directly at eleven, there came a knock on the door. Minerva swallowed slowly before answering it. Albus smiled happily at her once the door was opened. "Eleven o'clock and not a minute too late."
She couldn't help herself; she smiled widely at him. "You were always a timely man."
"Am I?" he asked in a low voice while putting his hands around her shoulders gently. She looked up at him uncertainly and let out a sigh. He stared straight back with the biggest blue eyes she had seen in all of her life. It wasn't even so much that they were blue that they appealed to her; it was what was in the eyes that mattered to her. She could see that emotion just floating in them.
"Do—do you have an answer?" she whispered softly.
He nodded and brought his finger to her chin. She looked right at him, her face only centimeters away from his. "Yes, I still love you like you used to, Minerva." He said it gently, sincerely, lovingly. It had seemed like forever since she heard him talk to her that same way. Maybe it had been forever; she certainly was in a different life than she once had been.
She smiled gladly, knowing her eyes were very easily giving away her vulnerable disposition. Maybe that's why he did it; perhaps not. Maybe Albus could just read her mind and knew what was on her mind. He leaned what little space was between them and touched his lips to hers.
It was slow at first; he enveloped the top half of her mouth softly, melting them together as if they were candle wax. Then he pushed her to the wall for resistance. The man also pressed the entirety of his body harder to the woman. He dug deeper into her mouth so that he could explore. Farther and farther he went until the only thing the woman knew was his presence and the fluctuating pulse at her middle.
She kissed him back; if he kissed with more force, she equaled it. If Albus wanted to run his hands up and down her, her hands would wrap around his neck for easy access. If he had a whim to move his fingers beneath her clothing, there would be no qualms from her; she liked him to touch her. In truth, she ached for him to touch her…it had been ten long years since anyone had made her feel the way she was feeling at that very moment.
They had to have been like that near a minute before he finally let go of her lips and they each took a needed breath. Albus smiled at her and ran his finger gently across her rosy cheeks. The woman looked up at him as he stared pensively at her. His eyes were twinkling madly. "I knew you'd come around," he whispered softly.
A slow smile crossed the woman's face. Obviously, the man had a hard time giving up faith. "I think I knew it too," she replied gently. She tightened her grasp on his neck, pulling her body closer to his. "We can't continue this in here," she whispered. "Where can we go to talk?"
He thought for a few seconds and then a grin crossed his face. "How does your office sound?"
She blinked. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"I'm not sure of many things, Min, but this is one of them." He leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Come on; let's go to our old spot."
She swallowed and followed him as they made their way down to the transfiguration classroom. There were a lot of memories with him in that old room she realized as they walked down several flights of stairs. When the thought about it, Minerva was not sure how she would have gotten through the year unless they did indeed get together again. There had to be about a million memories where the two of them were in the room together, how could she have done her job without being taunted by them?
A smile curled on her lips as they entered the classroom. It was empty except for the moon's rays. Figuratively speaking, there were shadows everywhere, both good and bad. She saw them kissing, much like they had in her room less than half an hour before. Minerva also saw her and Albus quarreling; even the most perfect of couples have disagreements. But her thoughts were not the reason for her smile. The woman grinned because the old feelings were back and nothing had ever made her feel as free as to know that she was falling in love again.
Albus reached over and grasped her hand. She looked up at him with adulation. He smiled down at her and led her to the door of her office. The man shut the door gently behind him once the both of them were safely hidden from the world. Minerva sat herself on her desk. Albus raised an eyebrow when he saw this; obviously, the memories had not gone away from him either. He approached her slowly and put his arms around her waist.
"So tell me, Min, how have you been without me?" he said softly.
It was the first time since she had been alone with him that she didn't feel the need to lie. She felt as if she could tell him anything now that she knew what he thought of her. "Miserable," she nodded slowly, "I've missed you so much."
He kissed her gently on the forehead. "I've missed you too. You really have no idea of what has been going through my mind this past week."
"Try me," she raised an eyebrow. Whatever was racing through his mind could not compare to the horrors that had been going through hers. He didn't know her secret; he had no idea that they had a child. What was worse, he had no idea that Minerva was deathly afraid of telling him it. So when that look of panic would cross his face, he would certainly think he had done something wrong. In truth, Minerva knew she was the one who did wrong; Merlin, did she ever do it the wrong way.
"Well," he started. Minerva blinked as she stared at his glimmering eyes; they were so wonderfully entrancing. "I do hope you know that you could quite possibly be just as attractive as ever. It wasn't very easy for me to look away yesterday in the rain."
Minerva smiled. She remembered that very well. While she was soaked to the bone, he had stared at her. Something told her that she had very much chosen the wrong color to wear due to the look of interest that crossed his face. "You did look, Albus. There was no looking away involved."
He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, so you have a point…I just thought it was appropriate to plead my case."
"Which is what?" she whispered with a daring look on her face.
"That I turned yesterday…which we have proven that I didn't until you had seen me staring. But I would like you to know that it was only because you were very beautiful."
She blinked. The woman had never forgotten his ability to flatter her if he saw fit. He had always been full of compliments. Perhaps that's what came with the territory of being Albus Dumbledore's love. After all, the most powerful man in the entire wizarding world had to have better qualities than simply magic; his leading feature was sweetness.
Minerva placed her arms loosely around his neck and batted her eyes a few times. "Why didn't you kiss me yesterday, if you were so interested?"
"I wanted to," he whispered and ran his hand up her waist then into the bundle of hair behind her neck. She closed her eyes while he did this; his touch felt so wonderful. "But," she felt his hot breath on her neck, "you wouldn't have let me. You would have slapped me away." Minerva leaned her head to the opposite side of him.
"No I wouldn't," she whispered gently. "I would have kissed you back. And then I would have ignored you today."
"Liar."
She was just about to retort when she felt a very long, cold, hard shiver run down her spine. Immediately her hand came up to block the light air that was being blown into her ear and she looked at Albus with wide eyes. He, however, seemed very satisfied with himself. He smiled at her. "I win," the man whispered.
Minerva glared at him angrily. "If that worked when I was a teenager, I can hardly see why that wouldn't work now."
Albus shrugged. "I was curious, Min."
She continued to glare at him. He enjoyed taking advantage of her weaknesses only because he knew them. She had not changed entirely from the time she was a teenager. Minerva was sure that it wouldn't be long at all before he started experimenting to see what had come and gone in their relationship.
The man stared at the slightly angry woman and then mysteriously made it all go away by another prolonged kiss. It didn't last as long as the first, but it was enough to get his point across. His hands glided up and down her back…then somehow managed to remove the outer part of her robes, leaving a long green dress-like garment to cover her.
Minerva brought her hands up to his face and traced along his lines while he touched the skin on her nearly bare shoulder with want. She could see it in his eyes, the fire that had begun burning. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. He needed the build-up of the past ten years to be erased just as badly as she did. Albus yearned for release, closure, and a beginning all at once as did Minerva.
But something was holding her back. If they made love, where would they be? They would have started a relationship, but it wouldn't be like it had been. After all, the two of them didn't make love until they were together for the very last time. What sort of precedent would it set for them to become involved before they had even spent a day as any bit of a couple? Minerva wasn't going to be with him if was going to be that way. In any case, her only sexual encounter with him had screwed her over for life.
The woman leaned forward and pecked him on the lips, making sure to pull back before he had any chance at all of making her change her mind. "We can't." She shook her head slowly. "It isn't right."
Albus blinked with confusion. "What do you mean?"
She shrugged. "We can't just pick up where we left off." Minerva sighed. "It's been ten years; ten…long…years. You and I are both a little bit different than what we were. It's wrong of us to just go off and make love."
It looked hard for him to act like he agreed with her. He stared at her for a long time to consider but finally nodded with a sad look in his eyes. He ran a hand along her cheek. "As always, you're right. I don't suppose it would be smart in any sense, seeing as how tomorrow is going to be your first day teaching."
Min bobbed her head slowly. "I do love you, Albus."
He smiled and kissed her on the forehead again. "I love you too." Minerva embraced him tightly, happy to have someone so dear to her.
"Albus?" she whispered while still clutching him tightly.
"Yes?" he asked slowly.
"I need…to tell you something." She knew what she needed to say; it would avoid complications if he found out then instead of later, as Poppy had mentioned. The moment of truth was drawing closer and closer. Minerva had to tell him about their daughter.
She had every intention of doing it too, until she really looked at him.
He would hate her for it; possibly take back everything he had said if she said it. Albus would loathe her for holding such a precious secret from him. Nine years had gone by where he had a family that he knew nothing about. Minerva had quite possibly erased some of the happiest years of his life.
She went blank when he let go to look at her for the thing that she so desperately needed to tell him. That was the exact moment that she realized the truth; she hadn't told him yet because she couldn't. The fear inside of her had made her mind drown every single time the thought came about. She could never make her mouth speak the words, even though they were screaming inside of her head. There was just something that stopped her that would continue to be a blockade between her mind and mouth.
Minerva swallowed. She didn't have anything to tell him; everything was as perfect as perfect could be.
"Well?" he asked quietly.
"Nothing," she shook her head, "I'm just happy, that's all."
He nodded with a smile and touched his lips to hers for a second. "I should be returning you back to your room, I think. You've got a big day tomorrow."
Minerva nodded. "I suppose that's best."
He removed himself from her grasp so that the woman could hop down from the desk. Once she was down and completely dressed, he reached out to take her hand in his own. Minerva looked up at him with a smile. He did certainly still love her.
They talked as they strolled back up towards Minerva's and Madelyn's quarters. It really seemed as if nothing had changed; they were very much in the habit of walking and talking when she was a teenager.
"Do you remember our first kiss?" he asked quietly.
A smile grazed the woman's face. She remembered it very well. She was helping him grade some papers…it just sort of happened while they were alone together. It had been wonderful; her first taste of love. "I do, as a matter of fact. It was nice."
"Nice?" he raised an eyebrow, "Explain nice for me."
"Well," she rolled her eyes thoughtfully, "it was my first kiss ever; I think I've told you that before. You made it what I always thought it would be, I suppose. What else would you like me to say?" she looked at him. His eyes were twinkling madly. Something was bubbling inside that cauldron-brain of his.
"What about when we made love?"
Minerva looked at him square in the eye. He couldn't have known what that evening resulted in, may it be good or bad. He knew what it meant to her. "It was the perfect first time. It's all I thought about for the longest time." That bit was true. She had thought about their night together all summer when she was pregnant. The woman had asked herself over and over again how she could have been as careless as to jump into bed with a man who (at the time) obviously didn't care about her.
"If it is any consolation, I've thought about it a lot too. I'm really quite angry with myself for never going to see you. I at least could have ended whatever drama was in my system if I had seen you and found out what happened."
The woman nodded slowly. She didn't agree at all with what he said. If he looked to see what became of her, he'd have found a pregnant woman who was very distraught. He would have felt obligated to help her. Nothing could have ended. But then again, there may have been a better chance for a happy ending. The truth could be known; Madelyn was his daughter. As it stood, a happily ever after was millions of miles away.
"What do you believe you would have found?" she asked quietly, simply curious. His imaginative idea of what became of her held some interest to Minerva. He had everything mixed up.
"Well," he paused, "you would have had Madelyn and be living alone with her. I could have forgiven you for falling in love with someone else, I think, if you acted like you are now with me."
"You're too easy on me, Albus," she whispered, playing along with the story that he had created, "You would have hated me for loving someone else. You'd have been heartbroken."
"Yes, you're right," he nodded, "but I had to forgive you; especially if you had never gotten the letters. As far as I am concerned, neither of us did anything wrong if we simply continued living."
Minerva sighed. "I wish I had as good of a grasp of the situation as you seem to. I nearly died inside that day that we saw each other in the toy shop. Did I tell you that? I went home, tucked Maddy into bed, and I cried myself to sleep by the fire."
She could see Albus swallow. Apparently the woman had not told him this. He obviously felt guilty for inflicting that sort of pain on her. He wasn't yet aware of all the internal conflicts that he had created.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "for everything. I never meant to hurt you."
A sad stare fell on Minerva's face. He was sorry but not as sorry as she was. Despite that, they both needed apologies and to forgive in order for there to be any sort of relationship in the future. The woman's confession could wait, but the apologies could not. They both needed to make known how badly they needed the others forgiveness.
"I'm sorry too," she said gently, "I hurt you too and I shouldn't have. And I don't just mean what happened with the letters, I'm talking about this week too…I haven't been very accepting. I…I was trying to tell myself that you didn't mean anything to me."
Albus nodded. "I'm glad you came around. I don't think I could have withstood having you sit by me every evening and you being as cold as you were."
She smiled. "I won't be cold anymore, I can promise you that."
"Good," he said gently, "and this is a fine note to end the night on." Ahead of them, Minerva's door seemed to grow larger and larger as they walked down the corridor. The remaining steps between their adventure and the room entrance were spent in silence.
She stopped once they were outside her room and stared at Albus expectantly. Minerva put her arms around his neck. The man pulled her close to him for one last kiss.
"I love you," she whispered again before she reached for the knob of the door.
"I love you too," he replied.
The woman smiled at him as she shut the door behind her and leaned on it once she was behind the wood with closed eyes. Minerva brought her finger up to her lips gently, thankful that they had been in human contact again. She let out a sigh. In love…that's what she was, like a foolish school girl.
grins. I hope that satisfied everyone! My editor (who did NOT review last chapter) said that it was funny how Minerva had changed her mind so quickly about "needing" Albus. Haha. After I reread it, I thought the irony was pretty funny. :)
reviews are always welcome, they brighten up my day.