Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Nanny McPhee from which I have taken this song.
A/N: I loved this song from the first moment I heard it and it occurred to me a few nights ago whether it wouldn't be perfect for Minerva and her brood. Footnote: the word 'shoon' is sometimes used as a plural for shoe, which makes a little more sense.
Summary: In the darkness of the grounds, the muted light of the Astronomy tower is witness to a wondrous union tonight. (Tag to Chamber of Secrets)
I Wish I Could Protect Them
Minerva stood, high above everything, looking out over the grounds that made up part of her home. Hogwarts had been her home for many years, too many to count, and she had always been happier here than anywhere else. But now… she was terrified. There were awful, fear-stirring things happening inside her home. Hogwarts was no longer safe; Albus had made that clear. Her students were in danger, and there was nothing she could do. If even Albus could not find the Chamber, which had come to have such a gripping fear over all of them, then what chance did anyone else have? And she knew he had searched, she had even leant him her limited knowledge and aid on the subject a few times, but to no avail.
There had been four attacks, if you included Sir Nicolas, and now three of her students were lying in the hospital wing, petrified and paralysed. She had never felt so helpless. Though the general consensus now was that it was all over (helped along of course by that idiot Lockhart), Minerva knew better. Albus had confided in her that he was by no means satisfied that this was finished, and Minerva was sure he was right. There was more to come, and it was not going to be in the least bit pleasant. Minerva had hoped, wished, argued by turns, and had to admit that the situation had not got any better. The students were all scared, and she was scared for them. She was especially scared for Hermione, and she knew it.
While contemplating these happenings, and remembering a time long past when these things had happened before, stirring an old, deep fear she'd strived for several years following the events to bury, an old song her mother had sung to her when she was a babe in her small crib came back to her and impulsively, she began to sing softly, thinking no one was around to hear, unconsciously hoping it would do some good. The faint strain of melody fluttered from her, out over the school she loved, and the people she cared for most deeply.
"Loola-bye, oh loola-bye,
My lovely loola moon,"
Little did she knew that the one person she cared for the most was coming up the stairs behind her, drawn to her to seek the comfort only her company ever afforded to him, and her gentle voice began to wash over him. He knew she had really reached the end of her emotional tether if she was singing for protection, but he didn't know it used to be her mothers song. He just wanted to listen to this wonderful sound that he had never heard before. It was such a rare pleasure to have a few minutes just to listen, especially to her. The new sound was positively ethereal, but most definitely beautiful.
"Tiptoe by where my babies lie,
In your tiny silver shoon,"
Minerva whispered, easing forward and leaning her abdomen against the railings around the astronomy platform, her eyes peering out into the darkness, searching for any kind of light and finding starlight, unaware of Albus approaching up the spiralling steps. She was engrossed in flight of her words, imagining soaring up into the stars that bedecked the heavens around her giving off the only light she could see. Albus was engrossed in listening and not disturbing what had to be the most intricate, delicate, precious sound he had ever heard.
"Will you God, will you keep,
Will you watch over, please,"
She sung a little louder now, losing all thought and remembrance of where she was, what she was trying to hide from, just remembering her mother's soft tones and the comfort they had brought whenever she had been afraid. It seemed a life-time ago since she had last heard these words, and she hoped that if ever someone did hear them, they would bring the same kind of comfort they had brought her. She let her hands rest on the metal rail and her eyes fluttered in the breeze.
"My wee ones, my lambkins,
My sweet chick-a-chick-a-dees,"
Her voice lifted, singing out properly over her home, where they sought to comfort all those students she sought to help. Whether they actually heard the words was irrelevant, the feeling of protection and safety that was carried by the small breeze up and away around the castle was always there, imprinted upon the air in a way similar to magic leaving a remembrance of its prescence, and brought a small smile to the listeners as well as the singer. It made her feel a lot better to sing this, for some inexplicable but personally deep reason, to let those she cared about know she was there, whether consciously or not. It brought a small, silent tear to Albus' eye as he ascended and finally stood on the same level as her, watching with a sad smile from the shadows.
"Loola-bye, oh loola-bye,
In your tiny silver shoon."
She breathed out the last line, ending her little tribute to her wee ones safety. That was much better. She sighed, and gathered her arms around herself, suddenly a little cold. The moon shone down on her, and her ebony skin shone back, unknown to her but well known to the watcher from the corner. Minerva was still unaware of his presence, and he continued to smile softly. She was so wonderful, so good, so beautiful and she didn't know it. His heart ached to go to her and sweep her up in his arms and kiss her with everything he was and could be. But he didn't know how she felt and he couldn't help the little tip up of his lips at the thought of what Min would say if he were to pick her up. The threat alone that would make itself known from her sharp tongue would be worth the experiment.
Minerva pulled her cloak around her, her eyes dropping and closed to hold back tears, though some moisture did escape and run treacherously down her cheeks, catching the little shards of light from the heavens, but she did not attempt to hide them, still convinced of her isolation. Albus saw those telling streaks of shining silver and finally decided to approach, coming from the shadows which were so often Severus' haunt slowly, pulling on a smile of greeting. She heard his footsteps and turned, her eyes flying open and her hand reaching for her wand before she could think. She started when she saw Albus emerge from the shadows and knew he must have heard her. Breathing sharply out of her nose, she withdrew her hand from her robes, and unclenched her muscles as she quickly wiped away the wet lines on her cheeks.
Albus came closer, and observed even in the muted light she was tired, the dark circles under her eyes that no amount of surrounding darkness could hide, and a light in her eyes showed him how desperate she was. He stretched out his hands to her and she placed hers inside his, hesitatingly and unsurely, but she did. They were cold inside his large, long hands and he drew them to him, putting them against his chest with their backs resting against him. Unthinkingly, perhaps, as this meant she was also drawn closer to him. As she looked up into his eyes, they stared back down at her with a light from the moon reflected in them, and she drew in a long breath to calm her rattled emotions. He could see her gathering herself and smiled. It was comforting that even in the midst of such worry, his Minerva would never really change.
"Minerva my dear, I never knew you could sing so beautifully. I never knew you could sing at all, as a matter of fact." Albus commented lightly, staring down at her with his eyes twinkling in the moonlight. She gave him a small look that said "There is a reason for that." but he was not perturbed, on the contrary, it gave rise to more curiosity on his part. Why would she hide it? Albus was determined to find out. He leant closer, which perhaps again, was a little unthinking, and asked quietly,
"Why would a lovely songbird such as yourself hide your talent? You have a beautiful voice among other things, yet you deprive the world of your gentle tones. Why?" He repeated, tilting his head slightly to one side inquiringly, a small smile touching his lips as well as hers. She shook her head gently, and looked away from his gently questioning eyes. He frowned slightly, and titled his head the other way to try and catch her eye. She saw him out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help the small, almost undetectable smile that graced her lips. She dropped her eyes to look at the cold stone she was standing on.
"I have been told on many occasions by my brother that I broke windows or brought on rain when I sung. So I don't, while in company. Then I don't embarrass myself. I apologise that you had to listen to that Albus. I didn't realise anyone was in fact listening." Minerva murmured, not looking at him and keep her gaze studiously on the granite beneath her feet. His lips parted in surprise, partly from the fact that she had answered so honestly and partly that her brother could lie to her. Perhaps he had not meant it so harshly. Minerva would have taken him completely seriously even if he had meant it as a joke. Albus shook his head too, and let go of one of her hands to lift his own to her chin, turning her face to him. Still she would not meet his eyes.
"Minerva, perhaps your brother was merely teasing you. I say again, you have a beautiful voice, and I would have been glad to hear of it a long time ago. Surely you believe me don't you?" Albus finished softly, questioning her eyelids as still her eyes remained fixed on the ground. Ah but no! They flickered briefly up to his chest region, as if to rise to his face, but she prevented it before they could actually reach it. She drew in another long breath and addressed his shoes. For a moment, he wished most dearly to be those shoes.
"Of course I would believe you, but I find it hard after so many years of being told the opposite. After all, you are my friend; you would say it was nice even if it wasn't." She muttered, flustered by her thoughts and embarrassed by her own honesty in her previous answer and by their current close proximity which had until now been a boundary he had not crossed. But then again, she had not trusted anyone to be that close. Did she even trust him now? Why shouldn't she? He was her best friend was he not? Surely being so close was normal for people as intimately knowledgeable of one another as they were. But was the look she could feel him giving her common place, even among good friends? It felt somehow deeper and important than that.
Albus could not believe Minerva honestly thought she sang awfully. Someone with her overpowering common sense surely could tell? Perhaps not, especially if she had been hearing this from a young age. Some lies told us when young, however well intentioned, stay with us all our lives. He resolved to change that. She must know how much pleasure she could give anyone who heard that voice. It had already given comfort to so many tonight, including him. He knew that song was for her cubs, he knew how precious they were to her, no matter how many times in a day she proclaimed a new vexation they had caused her, or how many detentions she gave out for being "thoroughly disappointed", she still loved them, and always would. Just as he loved her.
"That is exactly my point Minerva. I would have said it was 'nice' if it was not, not beautiful. I only use that word when I mean it. And I mean it. You don't know how much comfort that song has given, just to me, let alone the rest of school, whether they know from whom the comfort is given or not. You don't know the comfort you have given to this old heart." Albus smiled, letting his hand that had previously been resting on her chin (and sending little thrills all over her skin) drift down to settle over his heart, which he could feel pumping his blood rather hastily. She finally looked up a little and focussed on his hand, her own hand rising to rest on top of his. She couldn't quite believe what she had done. Her mind was screaming at her to run, to get away but surely she was safe with her best friend? She was not about to be hurt with him.
"Your heart can hardly be considered as old Albus. While your body may age, your heart certainly stays as young as the boy you once were, as does your mind at times." She finished, chiding him lightly, but with a note of teasing she hoped would distract him from the discussion they had been having about her. She did not like discussing herself, and jibing at Albus' mindset of a child when it came to certain things usually served as enough to hint she was uncomfortable. Albus gently smoothed his hand around so he could lift the hand he was still holding up to his lips and kiss it, the one action he would allow himself to show his feelings.
"Minerva my dear, I do believe you are trying to change the subject." Apparently, he was not in a mindset for taking subtle prods. "I will let the tease pass, this time, though do not think for a moment I will forget it. You have failed to answer my statement properly. It is the first time I have known you to do so. Please, answer me this. When you have given me such comfort, and so many others, why are you shy about receiving credit for it?" He asked, so softly his breath barely left his mouth, but she heard. The little touch his mouth had made with her skin had made her head spin and now he was asking her something to which she could not answer. Well, she could but she did not have the real answer.
"Well, I am under the impression that my singing voice is not something I would wish anyone to hear about. Whatever its quality." She added, as he opened his mouth to protest against her seemingly damning statement of her own capabilities. She smiled slightly, and finally looked up into his sea blue eyes. They swum with so many emotions, half of which she didn't recognise and she found herself lost in their depths. Albus stared down finally into her green pools, and felt he was looking into a blizzard of summer leaves. There were so many thoughts and feelings hidden in those orbs. Eventually, he managed to gather enough of his own coherent thought to formulate a reply.
"I am here to tell you the opposite. I wish I had known before so I could have told you so before." It wasn't his usual grasp of vocabulary but it would do. He couldn't help and didn't even realise that he had leant forward even more and was only a half an inch from her face. Her eyes seemed to bore into him, as if reading all that he wanted to say, yet she didn't make any kind of remark or reply. She simply gazed up at him, then, shakily and as hesitantly as when she had first placed her hands in his, she lifted her own hand from where it had lain on his chest to his cheek and traced a line down its side with her index fingertip. Her touch was soft, and he tried in vain to stop his eyelids from half closing.
Minerva wasn't sure what force drew her to touch his face, wasn't sure when exactly these whirlwind emotions had sprung up but they were hitting her hard and fast. She couldn't remember the last time she had given leave to her emotions and simply felt so much. It was like getting caught in a blizzard inside her own heart, and she had the small inclination that he was feeling the same. She noted how his eyelids dropped a little as she touched him, and could feel her face flushing in response. As her fingertip dropped to level with his chin, the hand that had lain over his heart rose quickly to catch hers and held it to his face. She searched his eyes for a reason, her eyebrows dipping in curiosity and a faint edge of concern. He smiled and leant forward that extra half an inch.
He caught her lips with his and pressed against them, gently at first but when she responded, tipping her head up to his and pushing back, her eyes closing, he let passion take them. She slid her head sideward, as his hands dropped to her waist and slid around her, pulling her gently closer and his eyes closing too. Her hands were then free to slide around his neck and curl into his silver hair. As his cloak swirled around them in the breeze that had carried her song, his senses over-powered, and the elation they felt was unmistakeable. Minerva smiled under his lips and she felt him do the same.
Just as they were beginning to think about moving this somewhere more private, as remote as their location might be, it didn't eliminate the risk of being found entirely, a 'pop' announced the arrival of a house elf who spluttered a little as he beheld the sight before him. The noise broke Albus and Minerva apart and she turned away, blushing all the way up to the roots of her hair, as was Albus, though his beard was, as ever, very useful in covering up that fact. The elf, whose name was Pippy, studiously examined the ground until Albus cleared his throat and nodded. Pippy looked up, and said in the squeaky voice that was custom to his species,
"Begging your pardons Professors, but there is a message from the Minister." Albus sighed, and adjusted his glasses before nodding again, signalling for the elf to continue. "He says he would like to see you. He is on his way to your office now." Pippy finished, looking up at Dumbledore with his large eyes and asking to leave. Albus nodded again, and waved the elf off, who promptly bowed and disappeared. Minerva turned to him, and he could see she had recovered from her embarrassment. She looked at him wearily before saying, as patiently as she could,
"You should go. Cornelius will not wait for long before he comes looking for you." Albus cringed, then approached her, sliding his arms around her, making her clench a little. He looked into her eyes again, and smiled teasingly.
"Let him try." Then he leant in and captured her lips again, sliding one hand up to curl around her neck. She lost herself in this intense, overpowering feeling she seemed to have found when he kissed her like this for a few minutes, exchanging breath for breath, pressure for pleasure, before drawing very regretfully away. He frowned, and watched her for a few seconds as she seemed to consider something, before she looked up, smiling encouragingly, a hand fumbling for her robes' pocket. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was thinking. Then she pulled out her wand and promptly cast an illusion charm on them, a smug smirk over-taking her mouth before being chased away by his, so they could share another long, heart-tugging kiss that would not be interrupted for some minutes.
After they had both shared the most passionate, beautiful kiss of their lives, Albus drew back for breath and sighed again. Minerva knew what he was about to say and put a gentle finger over his mouth, shaking her head.
"I'll be here when you get back." She whispered, stepping back and removing the charm. Nodding, Albus stepped back too and, taking one last look at his love standing in the moonlight, resplendent and radiant, he hitched his cloak a little higher and left the tower, his cloak billowing out behind him in the night air. All that was left to tell her this wasn't a dream was the hint of sherbet lemons on the breeze. Minerva smiled and traced a finger over her lips, a tingling sensation spreading over them. She had shared a kiss in the moonlight with Albus Dumbledore. Her best friend. Her lover, she realised, a little belatedly. She did love him, she realised. Neither had said anything about love, had not even mentioned it, but they both knew that was the foundation they would build the rest of their lives on. All this because she had chosen to indulge in a somewhat foolish, fantastical whim. Minerva laughed very slightly, and turned to look out over the dark grounds again.
Suddenly, the future didn't seem so dark anymore.