Hi there. I know it took me quite long to write this chapter but exams were up and I just didn't have the time. But thanks for still reading. :-)
When the five of them arrived at the McGonagall manor, the children set off to their rooms immediately. It had been a long day, and after a short stop to fetch some dinner they were all rather tired.
Albus looked at Minerva over the rim of his glasses, slightly amused. He could see that Minerva was curious where Severus was and – more importantly – with whom. Of course he was just as curious, after all Severus had never been lucky with women so far, and Albus wanted the young potions master to be happy. He couldn't imagine what his life would be like without Minerva and her love, and he knew that Severus needed yet to experience what that meant.
"You know, my dear, I think I'll go to bed too. It's already late, and there'll be an Order meeting tomorrow morning at Grimmauld Place." Albus put his hand on the shoulder of Minerva, who had sat down on the couch in front of the fireplace in the living room. She was gazing into the flames thoughtfully, but looked up when she felt Albus' hand.
"Oh, right. Well, I guess I'll stay here just a little longer. The boy might come home, and maybe he's hungry…" Minerva's voice trailed off. She knew that Severus would have taken the woman to some restaurant if he was really interested, so the chances of him being hungry were rather slim. But one could never know. Plus she didn't want to wait 'till the following morning to learn who that mysterious woman was.
"Well, goodnight then, my love. Don't be too long. You know how badly I sleep with your bed empty," Albus said with a wink. Minerva smiled gently and kissed him gently on the lips as he bent down to her.
"Sleep well, love." One last kiss and Albus was gone. Minerva looked around the room, searching for something to occupy herself with while she was waiting for Severus. She found a book Poppy had given her just before the holidays had started, but so far she hadn't found the time to read it. Snuggling up in the corner of the sofa, Minerva opened the book and started reading.
When Severus came home about an hour later, he found a sleeping Minerva rolled up on the couch with a book on her belly, the glasses at an odd angle on her nose. Smiling to himself, Severus took the book and placed it on the coffee table before gently shaking Minerva awake.
"Min! Min, wake up." Severus couldn't help but smile. A sleepy Minerva was certainly quite a sight.
"Oh, Severus, you're back. What time is it?" Minerva pushed herself up in a more comfortable position and looked at the younger man.
"Oh, just about 11pm. You didn't have to wait up for me, you know." Severus grinned slightly and offered her his hand to stand up which she accepted gratefully.
"I know but I thought…" Minerva looked at him, and she knew she couldn't fool him. "Alright, I was curious who that woman was who captured your attention so much you didn't even tell us you were leaving." Minerva went to the kitchen, with Severus following her. He knew Minerva would make some hot cocoa, just as she used to when he was younger.
"Well, her name is Kathryn Mitchell, and she's a muggle. But she's… I don't know, I can't really describe it. The moment I saw her, I knew that I had to find a way to get to know her. Apparently she felt the same, she was quite intrigued by me," Severus stated in a rather satisfied tone of voice.
"You didn't use legilimens on her, did you?" Minerva asked sternly. Judging from the suddenly guilty look on his face, he had.
"Sorry, Minerva, I just couldn't help it. But that was about the only time I did." Severus tried to defend himself but realized at the same instant that he had made another mistake.
"About the only time? What else?" Minerva demanded to know. She put down the mugs of cocoa in front of Severus and herself, sitting down at the kitchen table.
"Well… I… God, Minerva you know that I'm rather inexperienced when it comes to women. Well, at least in that department," Severus said with a blush.
"Yes, dear, I do know that. But using legilimens is like cheating." Minerva scolded gently, but she had a smile on her lips so Severus knew that she wasn't really angry with him.
"I know. But she's the most amazing woman I've ever met. She's clever and beautiful and funny…" Severus' face took on a dreamy look and he seemed to be miles away. Minerva smiled to herself. It was good to see that there finally was a woman who saw past that rather icy exterior of the young Slytherin. And perhaps it was good that this Kathryn Mitchell was a muggle. After all, Severus would have the chance to start a relationship with someone who didn't know about Voldemort and Severus' past as a Death Eater, someone who wouldn't judge him for things he had done when he was in a desperate situation.
"I'm glad then. When will you meet her again?" Minerva asked.
"Oh… uhm… I thought, maybe tomorrow? It's Sunday after all, and the children don't have lessons. I'll have to see how we proceed after that. I'll get her something nice tomorrow morning."
"Severus, I hate to disappoint you, but I'm afraid there's an Order meeting first thing in the morning. But hopefully it won't take long, so you can be off to find a nice gift for that charming lady." Minerva patted Severus' hand and then rose, taking the empty mugs with her to the kitchen sink.
"Oh, right, I totally forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me." Severus was still sitting at the table, gazing ahead without really looking at something.
"Well, dear, I'll call it a night now. Sleep tight and sweet dreams." Minerva kissed him gently on the forehead and noticed with an amused smile that he didn't really notice anything around him.
The next morning promised to become a glorious summer day, with sun and everything. The Order meeting was early in the morning, so Minerva and Albus had already returned when Harry, Ron and Hermione came down for breakfast. Albus had to dash off for another secret mission but Minerva was free to spend her day to her liking.
"Good morning, all of you. Did you sleep well?" Minerva poured herself some pumpkin juice and then joined the trio at the kitchen table. Albus had already left, after a quick hello to the children.
"Yeah, thanks. Any plans for the day?" Hermione asked while buttering her toast.
"No, not yet. Well, actually there's a book which I would like to read but otherwise not."
"Oh, well, we just thought we'd like to go to the lake and spend the day there. Care to join us, Minerva?" Harry asked. He knew that Minerva was likely to worry about Albus while he was away, which was perfectly normal of course but he thought that it would be nice if they were able to distract her a bit.
"Sure, why not. I can read there as well." Minerva smiled at the boy. He had grown up so much over the last weeks. Of course Minerva knew that Harry tried to take her mind off Albus and his mission, and actually she was grateful for it.
So the four of them spent a very pleasant day at the lake, the boys enjoying water fights while Hermione and Minerva talked about some new theories and some questions Hermione had had for quite some time. It turned out that the girl seemed to be very interested in becoming an animagus, and wanted to know a lot of things about how to achieve that goal.
In the late afternoon, they went back to the house; Ron had caught a slight sunburn but Minerva took care of that with a healing spell. After changing back into their usual clothes Harry announced that they would like to go to the nearby village, just to have a look around. Minerva nodded, wondering when Severus would be back from his date.
Time went by rather quickly, and soon it was late in the evening. The trio had long gone to bed, and Minerva had curled up on the couch in her animagus form and fallen asleep while waiting for Albus and Severus.
When Severus came home around midnight, he found a sleeping tabby cat on the living room sofa. He smiled and picked her up gently, carrying her up to the master bedroom so she would be more comfortable. Just as he was about to enter the bedroom, Harry's door opened and the sleepy boy emerged on his way to the bathroom. When he saw the potions master with the cat in his arms he was suddenly wide awake.
"Is this Minerva? Is she alright?" he asked in a worried voice.
"Shh, you'll wake her. Yes, she's okay, just asleep," Severus whispered back, stroking the tabby's back softly.
"Oh." Harry said. "Well, goodnight then." He turned around and shut the bathroom door behind him with a soft click.
Suddenly the cat stirred in Severus' arms and he smiled at her.
"Hi there, sleepyhead. I thought you might prefer your bed to the couch." Gently he put her down to the floor so she could change back into herself without ending up still being in his arms.
"Thanks, Severus. But you know that wasn't necessary. You could have woken me." Minerva winked. "So how was the date?" she asked, ushering him into her bedroom so they could talk without disturbing the others.
"It went really well. She's really a wonderful lady. We took a walk in Hyde Park today and had dinner afterwards." Severus smiled at the older woman who had sat down on her bed.
"That's wonderful, my dear. But may I ask you something? What did you tell her about yourself? I mean… I guess you haven't told her that you're a wizard."
"No, of course not. I told her that I'm a chemistry teacher at a school in Scotland – which isn't exactly a lie anyway. But that's about it. We've talked about so much, but not me." Severus said sheepishly. He knew that – sooner or later – that topic would come up and that he needed a cover story. And he would need another cover story should he be seen with Kathryn by some Death Eater or other member of the magical community.
"Well, that's a great idea. Not too far from the truth." Minerva smiled at Severus with one of those smiles that told him that she was truly happy for him. But then Minerva couldn't suppress a yawn.
"Sorry. I guess it's rather late. But you'll have to tell me all about that woman soon, okay?" Minerva patted his arm.
"Of course. And thanks for worrying so much." Severus hugged the petite woman tightly and then kissed her goodnight on the cheek. "Sleep well, Min."
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