"We just received the signal sir. It is time to launch our attack."
Minerva watched as the witches and wizards around her all held tightly on to the portkeys they had been handed. The head mediwitch standing beside her shook her head sadly. They expected to have a great many wounded after this battle was over and had worked the last few weeks gathering supplies and putting up wards to protect the hospital wing. This was the first major attack they had planned against Grindelwald since the slaughter this past summer.
When Minerva had volunteered to help with the war shortly after graduation, she presumed she would end up fighting the enemy. However, she had been quickly shifted into the position of assistant mediwitch. She knew that they were attempting to keep the younger generation as far away from the bloodshed as possible and it irked her to no end. Her juvenile fantasy of fighting beside Professor Dumbledore was crushed nearly before it had started. Now a couple of years wiser, she had realized that what she did, helping people to heal and recover was just as important.
"This is it everyone. Remember to stick with your partners once you enter the fray. The portkeys will take you just outside of Grindelwald's camp. The main attack led by Albus Dumbledore should already be under way and the perimeter secure. Today is the day where the tide will be turned!"
Shouting rang out through the room and groups of fighters started to disappear. Minerva didn't consider what she was doing, not on any conscious level any way. The words Albus Dumbledore and attack were ringing in her head as she launched herself at the nearest person with a portkey and grabbed hold of it just in time to feel the tug at her navel.
Flashes of light in the darkness just before sunrise greeted Minerva as she landed unsteadily on her feet on the edge of a thick forest. The portkey she had been holding was ripped from her hands and she was shoved to the ground. Crisp autumn leaves pressed into her cheek and a heavy loamy smell assaulted her nose. She heard unintelligible grunts above her and an inhuman scream before she was wrested from her position. She tripped over a body covered in fresh blood as she was pulled behind the closest tree.
"Bloody hell Minerva! What were you thinking? You could have been killed."
The fierce gaze of Alastor Moody met her eyes and she shrunk visibly from the anger she saw there. His face had a splatter of blood across his chin. It was then that she realized he had saved her life. "I...," she trailed off. What could she say that would make any sense? Alastor had befriended her during her tenure at the division but she knew his understanding wouldn't extend to her feeble excuse.
"Take this and use it to go back." Alastor shoved the portkey into her hands and turned to join the fight.
Minerva started to stop him but realized it would be useless. She looked out over the partially cleared field. The smell of blood and the shouts and cries of people in pain caused her to feel ill. The perimeter had not been secured as it should have been and it caused a flutter of fear to curl in her belly. She watched as a wizard in a heavy cloak used a slicing hex to cut off the arm of a young man, someone who had joined their division recently. She blanched as his scream reached her ears. Her mind was shouting at her to leave, to use the portkey before she was caught. But her body refused to move, even as she met the eyes of a wizard who pointed his wand at her heart.
All of the recruits attended regular training in dueling and battle scenarios. After all, it was never certain when they could expect an attack and if their division was breached, they would need every available wand in battle. And Minerva had always excelled in her training, even though she knew she would never have use of it. It was this diligent training that saved her life. She ducked just as a stream of red light shot towards her. She grunted in pain as her hip landed sharply on a large angular branch.
Her wand was quickly put into use and she soon found herself in her first duel of the war. Luckily the man she fought was inexperienced and she had soon overtaken him and had him bound and silenced before guiding his body to rest in a thick clump of bushes. The thorns tore at his clothes but she found that she didn't care.
Adrenaline was pouring through her veins and the air, charged with magic, whipped around her as she moved toward the main battle. All thoughts of the portkey fled her mind as her instincts took over. She dodged through the duels on the perimeter of the installation. She was headed for the center of the drab settlement, knowing it was where she would find Grindelwald and therefore find Albus.
By the time she reached her destination, Minerva's hair had mostly escaped its confining bun. Her robes were torn in several places and dirt and blood smudged her face and hands. She had several oval shaped bruises forming on her neck where a nasty witch whose wand Minerva had snapped had attempted to strangle her.
Limping slightly she eased toward the door. It was eerily quiet as she let herself inside. With her wand held at the ready, she moved down the dark corridors that twisted and turned in no apparent order. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her breaths came in small sharp gasps. A flash on her right as she entered a small alcove with several hallways leading off was her only warning before she found herself on the floor, the recipient of a binding spell.
Fear unlike anything she had ever known flooded her body. Unable to move even an inch did not stop her from starting to shake uncontrollably as a shadow moved into her line of sight. A face distorted by hanging flesh and oozing blood leered down at her as the tip of his wand poked into her belly.
"Merlin's balls," the gruff voice spat.
Minerva relaxed immediately but soon felt sick as she took in the extent of damage to Alastor Moody's face. As he once again helped her up, this time a bit more gently than the last, she gasped in horror. His nose was half gone and one eye was missing, in its place a gaping hole. She immediately pulled her wand to cast a few healing spells.
Alastor grabbed her wrist firmly. "There is no time. I don't know why you are here instead of back in the safety of the division headquarters, but since you made it this far we can use all the wands we can get so follow me."
He led her down some more twisting corridors and soon the sounds of yells mingled with moans reached her ears. Alastor reached out and tapped the top of her head with his wand. She felt a coldness ooze down her skin as he lead her toward the entrance of a room that was glowing with all the spells which were being thrown.
"Try to stay out of the way and throw curses only when you have a clear shot," he whispered. "It would be to our benefit for you to stay undetected. The spell should last unless something happens to me. If it should terminate for any reason, I would recommend using the portkey I gave you. This is the heart of the battle and Grindelwald would not hesitate to rip you open and laugh as you died."
Minerva shivered at his description and followed his lead as he quickly entered the room immediately deflecting and casting spells, one after the other. Her gaze traveled across the room as her body slid along the wall. Her heart jumped into her throat and her world narrowed as she spotted Albus on the far side, dueling three men who stood shoulder to shoulder as if protecting something, or someone. He was holding his own but she could tell that he had some injuries, even with the distance between them.
As she moved closer, trying to get to him to help, she shot off binding spells at several wizards whose backs were to her. She ignored the voice at the back of her mind which regurgitated the etiquette of dueling. Now was not the time to let ones enemies know of her presence so a fair fight would ensue. The good guys were horribly outnumbered and her main concern was getting through this alive, and making sure Albus had the help he needed.
Everything seemed to happen at once as she rounded the final corner. She saw the witch as her body was flung backwards hitting the wall in front of her with a sickening crunch but could not stop her forward momentum in time. She felt her legs buckle underneath her and cried out as she toppled over the woman's torso. The yell mixed with those around her but it seemed that her spell had been broken by the sudden jolt.
Several pairs of eyes turned to hers, including a pair that quickly widened in surprise before turning to fear and then anger. She watched as Albus spun away from her and aimed his wand into the air. A shot of blue light sped out of the tip and burst when it hit the ceiling. Shouts sounded and Minerva watched as dozens of bodies suddenly hit the ground just as a wave of light came rushing from Albus and quickly spread through the room, knocking anyone standing unconscious. Everyone except for one man.
Grindelwald, now exposed as his human barrier had been removed, stood with his wand pointed at Minerva. He was a giant of a man, tall and burly with shocking silver hair. His eyes were dark as night as they looked at her with obvious glee. Minerva had heard tales of the man. Not only of his atrocities but also of his life before madness and power had consumed his soul. He had been a great seer whose predictions often wrought great changes. All for good in his younger years but something within him had changed after a tragedy in his life that he had not seen and had been unable to stop.
"So the choice is yours Albus, love for you or freedom for all?"
Minerva glanced at Albus, confused by Grindelwald's silky words. In his eyes she saw pain and remorse but it was quickly replaced by determination. As a spell spun out of Grindelwald's wand, Minerva saw another rope of light rushing toward her. Albus launched himself at Grindelwald, knocking him down as she noticed the flash of gold in his hands. And then they were gone.
The soft blue light reached her first and blocked the curse that was aimed at her heart. She felt panic start to consume her at the thought that even now Albus was fighting for his life, alone. A hand grasped her shoulder and she jerked away before noticing that once again Alastor was by her side. She realized that some of the others in the room were still getting to their feet. It was then that she grasped the whole scene, which had seemed to last forever, had actually transpired in less than a minute.
"There is nothing you can do for him now. Come and help us bind the enemy who have fallen so that this day is worth all of our sacrifices."
Albus woke two days later in St. Mungo's with an excruciating headache and a stiffness in his limbs and every muscle in his body aching.
"'Bout time you woke. I've been sitting here watching over you since late yesterday and I was about to lose what little of my mind I have left!"
"Where am I?" Albus raised a shaking hand to his forehead, trying to piece together his memories of the recent events.
"You're in the hospital. Took quite a nasty series of spells but you did it! You actually defeated the old geezer and I don't think the wizarding world has stopped partying since we found you." Alastor summoned over a nurse to tend to Albus' headache as he continued. "Took me forever to find you though, what with you using the portkey and all. Next time, why not tell somebody you're carrying one of those nasty things before you take off to do battle with another dark lord, leaving the rest of us behind to clean up the mess?"
"There wasn't time, Alastor." Flashes of images dashed through his head. Seeing Grindelwald about to kill Minerva. Hearing his icy voice as he asked Albus to make a choice for love or freedom. Seeing the look of panic in her emerald eyes seconds before he activated the portkey, not knowing if he would ever see those eyes again. "Minerva…where is she? Is she alright?" Albus tried to sit up in bed, eager to hear news of Minerva.
Alastor pushed him back among the bedding and shook his head. "She's just fine, Albus. I took your threats to heart and tried my best to watch out for her, though I had no idea she'd be joining us on the battlefield," he chuckled. "I thought you meant for me to look after her in case something happened to you during the battle." It was obvious from the look in Albus' eyes that he had not expected to find her there either. "I cast a spell on her that would make her somewhat invisible but it seems I didn't cast it strong enough. Once I got hit, well it broke the connection and she was discovered. That's when you up and vanished on us." Alastor stood up and began limping across the room. "I can tell you right now, if she had any way of getting to you, she would have surely tried. I've never seen a more determined woman…a credit to her gender, that lass is."
Albus noticed that his friend was limping, no doubt having suffered minor injuries in battle himself. "Thank you for protecting her. She's very special and yet brave to a fault. She is indeed a credit to her gender and to her Gryffindor roots." Albus paused, once again hearing the phrase 'love for you or freedom for all' as it resonated in his head, causing his mind to swirl. Desperately wanting to save those thoughts until he was alone, he asked Alastor about the limp and his injuries.
"Seems I got a bit careless or else they were just bloody lucky. The mediwitches fitted me with this magical eye but my leg wasn't so lucky. I got hit with a nasty spell, same one that broke the enchantment with Minerva. Bloody git didn't even know what he was saying so it came out as some garbled words, though they served their purpose alright. Knocked me on my arse, uncovered Minerva and weakened my leg muscles to the point that I now have a limp. Mediwictches say I may have to have it amputated and be fitted with a fake leg, but for now it's holding its' own." Alastor went quiet for a moment then seemed to snap back to his old gruff self. "Now, you need to get well and in a hurry too. The Ministry is planning a bit of a big to do in your honor and if you ask me, they're pulling out all the stops. Biggest thing to happen since the coronation of the new King of England!"
Minerva had tried her best to get to the hospital to see her mentor, her hero, the object of all her affection. But each time she was told that unless she was immediate family or had the proper credentials from the Ministry, no one could enter. Alastor Moody was the only exception to the rule and even he couldn't get her access to Albus. So, she had to wait and hope that she would get a chance to speak to him at the festivities the following week.
Just as Alastor had predicted, the Ministry had spared no expense in throwing the celebration party in Albus' honor. Everyone who had participated in the battle was invited along with dignitaries from several neighboring communities and even a few from abroad. The food and drink were plenteous and the ostentatious decorations were certainly a direct contrast to the man they were meant to honor. Banners, glittering tables, ice sculptures, crystal and fine china, even the confetti falling from the ceiling and disappearing just inches from ones head screamed flamboyant.
Running her hands through her long tresses one last time, Minerva stepped to the entranceway into the ballroom. The loud roar of hundreds of voices assaulted her ears and in some ways reminded her of the battle scene. A quick glance around the room caused her spirits to dampen. There was no way she would be able to find Albus in this crowd and if she did, no doubt he would be too preoccupied with more important people to spare her more than a brief moment.
Minerva stepped confidently into the room as several male eyes turned to survey her striking figure. Her deep crimson robes clung perfectly to her hourglass figure, something which made her self conscious but excited all the same. The off the shoulder neckline made her apprehensive, having not been one for such revealing attire. However, her invitation had said formal attire and the sales witch at Madame Malkin's had gone breathless when Minerva emerged from the dressing room.
So many witches and wizards stopped Minerva throughout the night to thank her for healing them or for holding their hand until they could be seen by an experienced mediwitch. Until tonight, Minerva had never truly contemplated just how important her job was to the overall fight against Grindelwald. Battles were not only won on the battlefield but in the hearts and minds of those fighting for the greater good and it humbled her to know that her skills were to be credited with saving so many young lives.
Many of the young men invited Minerva to dance and she accepted one or two, none of them as skilled on the dance floor as Albus Dumbledore. And while she had enjoyed the attention she was receiving from so many different wizards, her heart longed for just a glimpse of her Albus. And then the music stopped. Everyone stilled and all chatter ceased as the Minister of Magic appeared on the platform along with the man of the hour. Minerva's heart caught in her throat at the sight of him, whole, healthy and with a smile on his face.
"Tonight, we are all gathered here to pay tribute to the man credited with the defeat of the evil Grindelwald. His valiant efforts and sacrifices have assured us many more years of peace and prosperity and we commend him for giving so much of himself to the fight. Thank you, Albus, on behalf of all assembled here and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that they did not die in vain. A moment of silence will be observed to remember the fallen."
Minerva started to bow her head for the moment of silence but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Albus. If she wasn't able to speak to him, at least she could memorize the way he looked, even at this great a distance. Just then, Albus looked up, as if scanning the room for someone in particular and when his gaze landed on her, he stopped and smiled. Their eyes locked and suddenly the room was empty except for the two of them. At least that's how it felt to Minerva. She wanted to run straight to him, despite the imposed moment of silence but that was not acceptable, no matter how much her heart pleaded with her.
"Thank you. Now, the food and drink will continue to flow liberally so tuck in and the party will continue as long as there are people who wish to remain. Enjoy the remainder of your evening." The Minister of Magic motioned for the band to begin playing as couples regrouped and started moving in time with the music.
A frustrated growl nearly escaped Minerva's lips as she tried her best to weave a pattern through the maze of bodies standing between her and the platform. A determined gleam in her eyes and her long strides had her standing at the foot of the dais in no time, only to find that it was empty. Albus had gone and her heart sank. Taking comfort in the fact that she had at least seen him, she started to turn around and begin her search once more. But just as she spun around, she slammed into someone solid, warm, and incredibly welcoming.
"I was hoping a young lady with pretty green eyes would honor me with a dance." He spoke so softly she almost missed his words, though in her heart she knew exactly what he had said. "I've looked for you all evening and until a few moments ago, I had given up hope." He flashed her a radiant smile, one that wiped away all of her frustrations, worries, and fears. One that somehow made everything that had happened recently feel like a distant memory. "And might I say that you have excellent taste in formal wear, my dear. I'm sure you're the envy of every witch present and no doubt the object of many wizards intentions."
Minerva's eyes lit up and her heart began to skip beats as he commented on her appearance. One compliment like that from him made the purchase worth every single galleon and so many more. For the first time in her life, she felt as if he saw her as a young woman and not the young lass he met years and years ago. Taking his hand, she led him out onto the dance floor, trembling inside from sheer anticipation at feeling his arms around her, the closeness of his body to hers, and the familiarity that comes from knowing and loving someone for so long.
"Thank you for sparing me a few minutes, Professor. I tried to visit you in the hospital but they wouldn't let me anywhere near your rooms."
"Please, call me Albus. You're no longer my student and I think we've known each other long enough to look beyond the formalities, my dear." He winked at her and then twirled her around, bringing her back into his arms and flush against his body.
A dainty laugh slipped out of Minerva's throat, her happiness at being in his arms and having him no longer thinking of her as a child bubbling from her very core. She noted that several people had stopped to watch as the great Albus Dumbledore danced with the lady in red. No doubt the witches were envious of her position and there would be rumors flying tomorrow but for this one dance, he belonged to her and she to him.
The music ended and immediately they were surrounded by onlookers all congratulating them on their graceful moves and how easily they seemed to dance together. "We've had a lot of practice," Albus answered for them, sending Minerva a sly wink and squeezing her hand. "Now if you will excuse us, I do believe I promised Minerva a slow dance."
Her ears had failed her. Had he just said he wanted to dance with her again? And a slow dance at that? Minerva heard the rumblings of several jealous witches, no doubt many of whom had their eyes set on Albus Dumbledore. Being led to the center of the dance floor, Albus leaned in and whispered into her ear.
"Our habit is to only share one dance per ball but tonight is different. You were of great help to me in that horrible battle, maybe more than even you realize. And they told me how adamant you were about seeing me." He chuckled. "They even told me how you had tried to sneak in to see me but to no avail. "Thank you…for everything." He leaned close and brushed his lips innocently against her cheek, just as dozens of flash bulbs went off around them. No doubt they would be on the front page of the Daily Prophet but none of that mattered for Minerva was falling deeper and deeper in love with each dance.
TBC…
A/N: Thank you so much for your overwhelming response to this story. We have a few more chapters to go so be on the lookout for future updates.