The Wrong Way

Author: Leta McGotor

Quill of Minerva: No, it's not the last we see and hear of her although she is not the main person in the story. The main figures are Minerva and Severus in the first two chapters and Albus additionally in the third one. And yes, aren't men stupid creatures, are they?

Chapter 2 Discoveries and Heartaches

The Christmas holidays were a wonderful change in the days of Severus and Minerva. She had less to do because of the holidays and the missing essays and spent as much time as possible with her husband. They visited a Scottish Christmas Festival, argued softly about what to give Albus for Christmas and what to do in their next summer holidays. The threatening of Voldemort was never a topic they spoke about and Severus refused to tell her what he had done in the last days, when she was too tired in the evenings to do something other than sleeping.

Minerva, as always, woke up first the one day to find herself curled up against her still sleeping husband, She began to kiss him softly on his forehead and further down his face until he stirred and woke up pulling her down towards him and kissing her soundly. When they parted, a contend smile played around her lips and he, too, showed one of his rare ones.

"Care to see what you got, you bad boy?", she said kissing him again.

"I'm bad? And you, you evil woman? You are not as innocent as you play to be. I know that."

"Do you think so? Maybe you are wrong and I'm an innocent shy, little girl."

"You? Never!"

Severus got a very old and rare book about difficult poisons and antidots. Minerva's present was a medieval looking silver locket, which she had admired for months.

But the Christmas holidays didn't last for an eternity and soon, too soon in Severus' opinion, the students arrived again, happily chatting about their presents and holidays. To his great dismay Minerva returned to her work, too, and all went the same way as before. The whole situation aggravated him more than ever and it was stupid to think, that he only sat around and watched all happening. The first he tried to ignore it, but more and more he felt let down and pushed away again and he often found himself thinking about the night with Ester. Unfortunately he met her one day in London, when he was there to look for ingredients. She invited him to visit her and her brother and Severus didn't know why, but he accepted.

In the evening he met them in the little pub, where he got to know Ester. When he entered the small but noisy pub, Severus looked around. He felt nervous like a first year before the Sorting Ceremony. When Ester had asked him to meet her this evening, he was so frustrated that he had accepted and thought it was right, but now his whole body screamed, that it was wrong, so deadly wrong. Severus stepped forward and as if this was the step of no return, the door behind him flew shut. He felt as if caged in a situation he didn't want to be in.

"Severus" Ester jumped to her feet and hugged him while the whole pub was looking amused at the couple.

"Ester, please, let me go."

"Only if you come with me." She answered pulling him with her to one of the tables at the far end. There she pushed him on the the bank and sat on his lap, before she started kissing him all over. First Severus tried to push her away, slightly, but soon he answered her passionately.

This night again he followed Ester to her home. He enjoyed her to be near him, to touch him and to confess her love for him. He had missed those whispered little words, the gentleness of touches. Head over heels he flew into the adventure of the night.

The next Morning Severus arrived early at Hogwarts and crept along the corridors. He wanted so desperately nobody to see him for he knew if he would meet someone, he had got a big problem. Seemingly easy he slipt into his office and closed the door behind him, relieved nobody had noticed his early arrival. He was badly mistaken.

On top of the stairs Minerva McGonagall stood watching him curiously. She had got up early today for she wanted to prepare the day. Her plan was it to surprise her husband and she had asked Albus to give her one day off. But when she had heard a noise she head turned around and wondered now where Severus might come from.

At breakfast she told Severus of her day off and wondered why he choked. Severus didn't await such news and he would have been glad to hear them, but today they destroyed his plans for the day, because he had intended to meet Ester in the afternoon. So he told Minerva when he was able to breathe again, that he had essays to correct and some potions to brew. Minerva was clearly disappointed and a little voice in her head said that he was lying. Instead of that she told him she would go to Glasgow and not to be awaited back before dinner. Later she wished him goodbye and went out of the castle.

After lunch Severus made his way to Ester's flat, where he would meet her. She awaited him in front of the house and kissed him on the lips to welcome him. Severus wrapped his arms around her and they both made their way up the stairs. Minerva, who stood at the next corner told herself, this scene meant nothing.

In the afternoon Severus and Ester made their way to the little pub, where her brother and a few friends awaited them. Qickly they sat down at their favourite table and ordered their usuall drinks. Ester, as always, sat on Severus' lap. Minerva had followed the couple into the small pub and was now looking for them. She didn't intend to stay long or to lecture him about what she thought about this all, she only wanted to be sure. The whole afternoon she had told herself that her senses played a joke on her, that Severus would never cheat on her. She shook slightly when she entered the pub, not sure whether to go on or not. Suddenly someone from behind pushed her and she stumbled in the middle of the room. She sighed, now or never.

Slowly Minerva strode past several tables, some of the men looked curiously at her. But then Minerva stopped abruptly because she had seen her husband and that… that woman. She swallowed. It was true, she couldn't believe it, but it was true. Immobile she stared at the happy couple and his face, his happy face, printed itself in her mind.

Slowly Severus looked up and around. Somehow he had the feeling someone would watch him. Then he saw Minerva standing alone in the middle of the pub staring at him and Ester on his lap. Panic rose in him, he hadn't intended for Minerva to discover it on her own and especially not this way. Silently he formed her name with his lips, but Minerva shook her head, turned around and ran out of the pub. Severus scremed her name but she didn't hear him, she only wanted to be far away from him.

While Minerv kept running Severus pushed a confused Ester from his lap and jumped to his feet. Within seconds he was out of the pub and ran in the direction his wife might have chosen. But to his dismay he didn't find one single hint where she might have gone. So he disapparated to Hogwarts in hope to find her there. Arriving in Hogsmead he got a short glimpse of someone hurrying to the castle. Therefore he raced up the way to Hogwarts, but Minerva was faster and closed the door shortly before he arrived at it.

"Minerva, Minerva, please open that door! Let me explain, Minerva" But she didn't answer him. Inside her rooms Minerva sat on the floor crying. She knew what that meant and she also knew the consequences.

The next morning came and Severus was still sitting in front of Minerva's rooms. From time to time he tried again to reach his wife, but it was in vain, like the hours of the last night. Maybe she had gone to bed or she needed time to think about it. Severus was not sure whether he could believe one of those thoughts or had better accept the truth. His Minerva had left him and he knew for sure, that she had all right to do so.

Several hours later Severus stood up, because some of the students looked curiously at him and he was going to come late for his classes, not that this would matter to him right at the moment.

During the whole day Severus tried again and again to reach her but all was in vain. When she had lessons he had some, too, and when he waited for her in the Great Hall, she never came. She didn't open the door, when he knocked, not only for minutes but for hours. In the end of the following day Severus had nearly given up hope ever to talk with Minerva.

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