Disclaimer: I do not own anything dealing with Harry Potter, so please do not ask!
A/N: Okay, I know I should be working on my other fics, but this one was just itching to be done! Now, we've all read piles and piles of fics where Minerva and Albus are head-over-heals, truly, madly, deeply in love with each other and they just cannot confess it, or where they are married and are still in love with each other, right? Am I right, or am I right? But, I figure, for people who have been married so long, there has got to have been at least one moment when their love seemed to have hit a plateau or such. I mean, sometimes people who have been married for as long as they have must have some bouts of time when they no longer have the spark in their relationship they once had. So, I decided to capture that time with our favorite coupling of all time, and quite possibly the most obvious of pairings in the books, Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore. Hope you all like this song-fic.
Feed This Fire…
It might be you
It might be me
It might be only one degree
But I could swear it's getting colder
In this room
Minerva McGonagall stared up blankly at the ceiling, fighting back the tears which threatened to fall. She was thinking of her marriage to Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, defeater of Grindlewald, and the only man she had ever loved in her whole life.
It wasn't that she didn't love him anymore. Oh no, that was nowhere near the problem. In fact, she loved him more and more with each passing day. But what was bothering her was that the spark that was in their marriage during the first several years of marriage seemed to be dying down, slowly but gradually, over the past thirty years. They still loved each other, and neither could imagine life without the other, but there was something wrong.
We just don't care to touch
We just don't want to share that much
But darling every fire needs something
To consume
It seemed that they just didn't want to be together as much. Every morning, Minerva would wake and wonder if she would have even the smallest of chances to see her husband before they started their day. Every night, they would simply share a chaste kiss and go straight to bed. Even on those rare occasions when they did make love, there was simply something missing from it.
The reason they didn't spend a lot of time, whether it was during the day or the night, was because they were always busy or really tired. All day long, Albus would be in meetings while Minerva prepared for the next school term. Every night, they would enter their private rooms, utterly exhausted and tense. So, they would simply prepare for bed and turn on their sides, falling asleep within a matter of minutes.
This disturbed Minerva more than words alone could express. She wanted the magic that was there when they were first married. But then, she often wondered if that wasn't selfish of her. After all, there still was love between the two. Not to mention, they had been married for quite a few decades. It was only after a matter of time before this happened; though, Minerva only wished that it didn't have to happen to her and Albus.
She heard the door to their private chambers open and Albus walk in quietly, trying not to wake her up. She didn't say anything, because she didn't want him to hear the quiver in her voice, which she was sure would be there. Albus went into their bathroom and didn't reappear until he had gone through all of his usual grooming habits. She remembered a time when he wouldn't even get through half the things he needed to do because, according to him, she was "too distracting" for him to do anything. She missed those days.
We've got to feed this fire
We've got to fan this flame
If this fire burns out
We've got ourselves to blame
We've got to stoke these coals
Until they glow red hot
We've got to feed this fire
With everything we've got
Albus made his way around to his side of their bed and got in. It pained Minerva to think that he might not have noticed the drift between them, and as he rolled onto his side, she began to grow rather upset. That was the final straw. She also turned onto her side and began to think of a plan. She would just have to make Albus remember how much passion they used to have in their relationship. Though it wasn't entirely her fault, she felt that it was, at least a little bit, her fault. Perhaps she was not as attractive as she used to be. That was bound to happen after a while, but surely she wasn't repulsive. So, she would simply remind him of how much she loved him, or even how much he loved her. Closing her eyes, her mind was set, and she would begin the next day.
As for Albus, the moment he entered their bed, he thought of the woman who lay beside him. It was true, that they had not had relations with her for quite some time, but it was not because he found her any less attractive than the day he had met her. It was just that he had been under a great strain from the ministry lately and he would come home in the wee hours of the morning, too exhausted and too laden with trouble to even talk with his lovely wife, let alone do anything else. Unfortunately, he had noticed that she was becoming less and less interested in him, which was a major defect in his constant involvement with the ministry. And this caused him great distress, because he did not wish to become less appealing to her. He had always been worried that their age difference might be cause a strain on their union, but she had always assured him that it was not a factor she was bothered with.
As he closed his eyes, he decided that something had to be done; and a plan was already formulating in his mind as he fell into a sound sleep.
Have you forgotten about the snow?
How hard that winter wind could blow
Back when our cold and hungry hearts
Were on the streets
The next morning, a Saturday, Minerva woke to find that Albus was already gone. She sighed with great disappointment as she thought that he might have more meetings that day. Getting up, she decided that it was time to get ready for her day. And as she stepped into the steaming shower, she thought of when they had first been married. It was before Grindlewald had been defeated, and neither one of them had had much money. But all they had was each other, and that was good enough for them. But she was going to change the little rut they were in, if it was the last thing she did. When she got out of the shower, she quickly got changed, and was about to walk out when she noticed a note on the little the dresser drawer. Picking it up, she read it.
Minerva,
Never fear, my fair goddess, I shall not be gone for too long. I just went into town to get a few things. I shall be back soon.
Always, Albus
Minerva smiled. At least he was not stuck in meetings, she thought as she closed their bedroom door behind her. That would have been particularly horrible, considering today was their thirty-fifth anniversary, and she was going to devote it entirely for him.
Let us swear then, you and I
To never let this fire die
Until these hearts have turned to ashes
In the heat
Albus had been shopping for the better part of the morning, trying to find the perfect gift for Minerva. He wasn't quite sure what he should get her, but he knew it had to be absolutely wonderful. Then, he saw the perfect gift. It was a diamond bracelet, embedded with gold. She would love it, and he knew it. So, he bought it and went quickly into the store and paid for it, proud with himself that he had found the perfect gift for the perfect wife.
Ooooooooooo
Minerva had everything set for when Albus came home. She had even received the gift she had special ordered for him weeks before, for their anniversary. It was a very special cocoa mug with his name around the rim. Of course, it was only his first and last name, because his entire name would not have fit. It was a white mug, on the inside at the bottom of the cup, there was a picture of them on their wedding day. It was the perfect thing for him. Today, they were going to have an anniversary to remember.
We've got to feed this fire
We've got to fan this flame
If this fire burns out
We've got ourselves to blame
We've got to stoke these coals
Until they glow red hot
We've got to feed this fire
With everything we've got
We've got to feed this fire
When Albus entered the castle, it was about one o' clock in the afternoon. He hadn't even made it past the Great Hall when Minerva walked up to him and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Albus smiled against her lips and deepened the kiss. It was the first sign of real passion either of them had shown in a while. When they parted, slightly short of breath and with swollen lips, he chuckled.
"And a happy anniversary to you too," he smiled. "I'm glad that I was able to see you. You were exactly the person I wanted to see."
"You too," she said. She held up the picnic basket she had in her hand. "We are going on a picnic." The shock on his face was good enough for her, and the twinkle was back in his eyes, full force. "There's that famous twinkle that I love so much."
"You are always cause enough for my eyes to twinkle," he replied. With that, they turned and walked out of the castle, arm in arm.
Ooooooooooo
The picnic went really well for them, especially since all the other teachers were also away from Hogwarts for the summer holidays. They were left alone to enjoy their time together, and even went swimming in the lake on the grounds. It was a magical afternoon, and they both enjoyed themselves. They even stayed out at night and counted the stars as they came out.
We've got to fan this flame
If this fire burns out
We've got ourselves to blame
We've got to stoke these coals
Until they glow red hot
We've got to feed this fire
With everything we've got
We've got to feed this fire
With everything we've got
"This was a wonderful day," smiled Albus as they made their way to their private quarters. "Thank you very much, my love, and I am glad that you have thought of it."
"You're welcome, Albus," she smiled as she rested her head against his shoulder. She looked up into his eyes. She whispered into his ear, "And there is more." Albus knew what she meant, and he could hardly contain himself. But he knew that he had to, because she had yet to experience his surprise.
They entered their private quarters and Minerva was instantly aware of soft music playing, and the scent of fresh vanilla as candles floated around the room. This was, indeed, a great surprise to her because she had not planned this. She smiled as his two arms wrapped around her from behind.
"Surprised, my love?" he asked. She leaned into him and smiled, sighing contentedly.
"Yes, very surprised," she admitted. She turned and looked at him. "You planned all this just for me?"
"Just like you planned that picnic for me," he replied. "Care to dance?" She nodded and they began to dance slowly to the music. After a few more dances, they sat down at the small table Albus had conjured.
"And now, for dessert," he said. He clapped his hand and there, in the middle of the table, was a piece of strawberry cheesecake. He took the fork, gathered a bit of cheesecake at the end of it, and fed it to her. "Good?" She nodded. She did the same for him, and they continued to take turns until the cheesecake was completely gone.
"What else does the great Albus Dumbledore have planned?" she asked, standing up and walking to his side and sitting in his lap.
"I believe that you and I had the same type of idea to end this evening," he responded, his eyes beginning to darken. She smiled.
"Good," she replied, bending her head forward and kissing him on the lips.
A/N2: This is the point in which we must leave our happy couple for their happy anniversary night. I hope you liked that story and I will try and work on my other stories, I promise. Always Hopeful