Part Two- Elizabeth

Elizabeth Princeton—1895—age 45

There's something satisfying about the smell of sweat. When I work hard, or work others hard, there's that damp smell, sort of dark and salty, that feels like I've done what I intended to do—either for myself or for people who sought my skill.

Someone more ladylike than me might find that…indelicate, but if I ever claimed to be delicate, I don't remember it.

Filius and I were certainly sweaty now, which is why we headed straight for the hot tub in my hotel room. The match was over, finally, and we were soaked. We never had to work this hard at it before.

The truth was, we were slowing down, which was hard to admit, because we were still stars. People still clamored for our autographs when we went out, and journalists still knew we were good for a story. We even did an advert for Ollivander's Wands, which was lovely, because that old woman and her bug-eyed son paid us a lot for it. All we had to say was that we would only use Ollivander's for all our dueling needs, which was perfectly true.

We may have neglected to mention that we each have only ever had one wand—the very same ones we bought when we were eleven years old.

The work was getting harder, the competition younger and tougher. Filius and I could still win most of the time, but now it was because our years of experience stood us in good stead. And though we'd win, each victory was more costly in terms of sore muscles, bruises, and spell damage. I still bore traces of the tentacles an opponent had inflicted on me earlier in the week.

"Filius," I said casually, as I stepped into the water and waved my wand over it. The water heated and bubbled violently, and I sank into it with a groan. Filius stripped down to his shorts and slid into the huge tub, sinking straight beneath the surface and staying down there for a long time.

I probably should say here that Filius and I were best friends, closer than brother and sister, but we were never lovers. I hate to be cruel, but the man is barely four feet tall. While I love him with all my heart, I was never attracted to him.

To be fair, Filius was a dueling champion, and in fabulous physical condition—short or not, he never lacked for feminine company. I never wanted or received details, but Filius has always been creative. Maybe what he lacked in size, he made up for in skill…

And as for Filius…maybe he just knew me too well. Maybe he knew who my heart belonged to. Every man in my life played second fiddle to Albus Dumbledore.

I waited while he swam around the bottom of the hot tub. I figured he'd resurface eventually. The smell of honest sweat wafted on the steam, picked up from the robes we had wearily let drop onto the floor.

Finally, he popped back up. He was so little he could barely touch in the huge bath, but he claimed it made it easier for him to float on the bubbles.

"Were you going to say something, my dear?"

He was always so kind and courteous to me. Even though he knew, better than most people, how strong I was, he still opened doors for me and held my chair for me when we dined out. It was terribly sweet, and I loved him for it. I wonder if he'd picked that up from Albus. Of course, we hadn't seen Albus in ages, since the last time we were in Italy, so maybe it was just Filius being his wonderful self.

"Yes, I was," I said. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. The steam was sticking to my face, making me sweat even more, but the heat was working its way into my muscles. "I was going to say that I think it's time we retire."

"Can it wait until after our bath?" he murmured. He was floating now, the way he enjoyed. "We just got in."

I laughed quietly. "Not retire as in going to bed, you git," I said. "I mean retire as in quit competing. Find a new career."

Filius' jaw dropped and a wave of water splashed into his mouth. He choked, then sank beneath the surface again. Immediately he shot to the top and leaned over the side, coughing and wheezing. I was tempted to laugh.

Okay, I laughed.

"I'm sorry, my dear." He wiped his chin and turned back to me. "It's just that I never thought I'd hear you say that."

"Well, you just did," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, of course." He leaned back against the side of the tub and gave a great sigh. "To be perfectly honest, Elizabeth, I've been thinking the same thing for a while, but I didn't know how to broach the subject. And we are still winning…" He shrugged.

"Yes, I know," I said. "But for how long, Filius? Look at the competition this season alone…it was only luck and experience that got us through tonight's match, you know that."

"Yes, I do," he agreed in his squeaky voice. "Yes, I do."

I sat up and faced him, leaning across the steamy water. The material of the cotton shirt I still wore clung to my shoulders.

"Then let's do it now, while we're still good, while we're still respected. I don't want to be a has-been, Filius."

He nodded. "Yes, you'd hate that, wouldn't you?"

"And you'd like it?"

"No." He shrugged again. "I wouldn't."

"Let's get through the European finals, then the Internationals in Paris," I said, thinking ahead to the next few weeks. "Then we'll announce it. We'll go out in glory, Filius!"

"But Elizabeth, my dear," squeaked Filius, "what will we do?"

I thought about that for several minutes while I stretched out my arms and back. "I think we could continue with our off-season work," I said. "We can keep giving training seminars to Aurors, or whoever wants them. If every new class of Auror trainees needs to learn how to duel, we'll never be out of work."

"That is a possibility," he said, a thoughtful frown creasing his forehead.

"Cool it down, will you?"

He waved his wand absently and the bubbling water turned cool. It was soothing after the heat, and I dunked my head into it, letting it wash the sweat off my face. We sat in silence for a long time, thinking about the new direction our lives were about to take.

"What's Albus doing these days, Elizabeth?" Filius asked casually.

Casually, my arse. I scowled at him.

"He's in Alexandria," I said, trying not to sigh. "Studying what he calls 'deep magic.' Or something, I don't rightly remember."

"I thought after those three books were published he was going to stay on with the Flamels," Filius said.

"Yes, well, he didn't."

I didn't bother to try to hide my irritation and hurt from Filius; it wouldn't have worked anyway. I was forty-five years old, and Albus had been stringing me along since I was fourteen. Well, not exactly stringing me along—I had my own life, I had lovers. I didn't exactly sit around staring at the Floo waiting for him to call.

"What's deep magic?"

"No idea," I said. "You'd have to ask Albus. Be careful, though; you don't have the option of shagging him just to shut him up."

Filius giggled, and I smiled reluctantly as I stepped out of the bath and slipped my dressing gown over my wet clothes. Filius could usually make me feel better, but even with him, there was a sort of empty ache in my belly all the time. I wanted Albus so badly sometimes I didn't know what to do about it. Sometimes I worked it off with another man, but that option was less and less interesting to me the older I got. I have had a few lovers, but I didn't like the idea of using someone just to ease my ache.

Anyway, the ache wasn't just about sex. It was about love, and marriage, and children. If I had been a Muggle, I would be nearly past my childbearing years. Because I was a witch, I might have twenty more years left. But even that possibility depended on Albus growing up and deciding he was ready to commit—to one job, one place, one woman.

I'd be willing to move to Alexandria, if it meant we could be together. But how long would Albus want to stay there? How long before he was off to Sweden to study Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, or off to America to study Thunderbirds, or off to Atlantis to study Merfolk?

I bid Filius good night and he returned to his hotel room. At least my body wasn't sore any more, even if my heart still was.

Filius and I won the World Cup, but it was close.

We went out into the ring with the crowds cheering wildly; they knew it was our last match. It made history in the world of dueling—Filius and I had won more consecutive World Cups in the partners' division than anyone before us, and as far as I know our record still stands.

But it had been a brutal tournament; we were in with some of the best duelists in the world, and they all wanted a piece of us. They all wanted to say they defeated Princeton and Flitwick their last time out. And some of them nearly did; Filius and I were sore and spell-damaged and, after eight rounds, more weary than we'd ever been in our lives.

It was so close—we were trailing in points for most of the final partners' match. Those Chinese kids who made it to the final round with us were just so fast, and they could do these acrobatic maneuvers that we'd never seen before. It was really spectacular; if I'd been in the crowd I'd have had a grand time.

As it was, I wasn't having a grand time. I was really afraid we were going to lose this one.

And then I saw, just as a flash in the crowd out of the corner of my eye, a glimpse of auburn hair. I didn't have time to think about it or even really react. I knew who it was, and I knew I would die before I let Albus see me lose the most important match of my life. It took everything I had, which at that point was nothing but pure stubbornness, to rally us in the last few minutes, and we pulled ahead at the very end to win by two points.

I simply refused to go out on a loss.

The match was called, and Filius and I fell onto each other, weak and drenched with sweat. The Chinese kids came up and shook our hands, then gave us each a solemn bow, which we did our best to return without falling over. It was really touching, and I felt my throat constrict.

The crowds were cheering so loudly that Filius clapped his hands over his ears to shut it out as we were led to the dais where we'd receive our Cup. I bent my head to ask the referee if I could say something. He nodded, and I stepped forward and placed my wand to my throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I said. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?"

My voice boomed through the stadium and people gradually settled into attentiveness. I took a deep breath; now that the moment was here, I was more emotional than I thought I would be. I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued.

"Thank you for that show of support," I said. "Filius Flitwick and I have been dueling together for over thirty years, and this is our twenty-third World Cup in the Partners' Division."

I had to stop for a moment to wait for the loud wild cheers that began again. The floor vibrated with them, and I was glad for the building's magical reinforcements. But, hearing them cheer for us like that—damn, that felt good.

"Thank you so much," I smiled. "We couldn't have done it without your support of us and of dueling as a sport. But as you know, this was our last professional match. Filius and I are retiring. We want to thank you for the best career a witch and wizard could have had."

Had I said I wanted to go out in glory?

It was incredible. People were crying, cameras were snapping, cheering deafened us for quite a while. I looked down and saw Filius crying, and realized I was crying, too. A bouquet of roses was placed in my arms and I looked through the crowd of people surrounding us to see where it had come from.

It was Albus. Right in front of me, there in the middle of the stadium, a head taller than

everyone else. For once he wasn't composed or courteous; he was cheering as loudly as any of them, his hands raised in triumphant fists, his long auburn hair swinging wildly. He looked so different, and I felt different, so I obeyed the impulse that shot through me right then.

I jumped off the stage and into his arms.

He caught me and brought his mouth down on mine. There was a flash of light; someone had taken our photograph. I learned later that it was Will Weasley, who was the only decent sports reporter the Prophet has been able to claim for decades, but right now I didn't think of any of that. We had won, all these people loved us, and I was back in Albus' arms.

That photo was on the front page of almost every European wizarding paper the next day. I have several copies of it run under headlines in various languages; our faces are in perfect profile, our eyes are closed, and the roses provide the perfect background for that immortalized kiss. It's a beautifully romantic photo.

And it was a damn hot kiss.

Eventually he had to let me go so that Filius and I could leave the arena with the other competitors. I waved at him as we walked back to the locker rooms, where the other duelists shook our hands and told us what an honor it had been to be in the competition with us (I told you we were getting old—you know it's bad when people are "honored" to have you kick their arses).

It finally quieted down in there, and I had a chance to sit. I needed it; that last match had taken it out of me, and I was running on adrenaline and will power. Filius collapsed on the bench next to me, and I slid him a sideways glance.

He pretended not to notice.

He hummed as he unlaced his tiny boots, but I could see by the careful way he moved that he was sore. I was tempted to push him off the bench, just for a bit of payback, but I decided not to when I realized I'd have to help him back up again. Small as he was, I didn't think I had the strength right now.

"Oy, Filius?"

He looked up, wincing at the pain of the movement. "Yes?"

"Thanks," I muttered. "Thanks for getting him to come."

Filius smiled at me. "Well, someone had to."

I was too weary to argue. All I wanted was a long soak in the hot tub, a light dinner, and a night of wild passion with Albus. In that order. And Albus would have to do most of the work.

We finally changed back into our street robes and left the locker room. People were still milling around, and Albus was waiting there, too, chatting courteously with two witches who I recognized as being on the International Dueling Commission. He was being charming again, all twinkling blue eyes and smiles. They were practically simpering. I glowered as fans crowded around me and Filius for our autographs. I signed a few while I waited for Albus to extricate himself from his fawning admirers.

Do I look that stupid when I'm around him? God, I hope not.

He glanced up and saw me, and even in the dim gas light I could see that his blue eyes blazed. He returned his attention to the witches, kissed their hands, and strode over to me. I loved to watch him walk; he had grown into those long legs that had made him so gangly as a teenager. Now he just seemed tall and lean and purposeful in all his movements.

Authority, strength, and charm—it was a delicious combination; I think my mouth actually watered as I watched him.

At forty-nine, Albus was just now coming into the full glory of manhood. It's that place that Muggle men hit in their thirties, where all traces of childhood have been left behind in a man's face and body. And Albus, for all his charm and sophistication, was a masculine man. His beard was now full and red, though neatly trimmed, his hair was still that flaming auburn that it would remain for as long as I knew him. His hands were long-fingered and strong, his arms muscular.

And those eyes. God, those blue eyes…they could darken in passion, or spark in anger, or glow with intensity. If he looked at me just right, he could get me to do just about anything at all.

I was counting on it.

Albus smiled at me, making my heart skip a beat, then walked straight up to Filius.

"Congratulations on a brilliant career, my friend!" he said graciously.

"Oh, thank you, thank you," Filius said, shaking Albus' hand enthusiastically. "It was lovely, wasn't it?" Then he turned and looked up at me. "I'm sorry I won't be able to join you for a celebratory dinner, my dear," he said with a mischievous grin, "but I'm afraid I made plans for the evening."

At that moment a high giggle floated toward us, and a young witch who couldn't have been more than twenty came running up. "Oh, Filly, there you are! Are you ready to go?"

Filius winked at us and let the girl lead him off and out of our sight. I turned toward Albus.

"I'd love to stroll through Paris with you," I said wryly, "but I'm exhausted. My legs can hardly hold me…"

He raised his eyebrows. "Are you saying that Filius has more stamina than you have?"

I laughed. "How long do you think Filius is going to be standing up?"

He laughed, too, and grabbed my hand. "If not a stroll through Paris, then what shall we do?"

I glanced at him apologetically. "I have to soak in the hot tub for a few minutes or my muscles will seize up. Then we can figure out what to do."

"Hot tub?" He looked at me quizzically. "What is a hot tub? It sounds fascinating…"

I rolled my eyes. He had that light of studious inquiry in his eyes; pretty soon he was going to want to know every single incantation Filius used to conjure it.

"It's nothing," I said impatiently, "it's just something that Filius came up with for when—"

I broke off, overwhelmed for a moment by the possibilities that had just opened up in my imagination. Albus, me, and a hot tub…

"Er…on the other hand, it is fascinating…why don't I show you?"

Anticipation gave me new energy as I led him by the hand around the corner to the luxury hotel where we were staying. It was a Muggle hotel, but I had magically expanded the room so that there would be enough space for the hot tub. I slammed the door behind Albus, who immediately began examining the large basin in the middle of my floor.

"Here," I said, "watch." I waved my wand and the water started to bubble and steam again.

Albus' eyes glowed. "Wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Simply wonderful!"

He turned back and put his face so close to the water that drops of it were splashing up into his beard. He withdrew his wand and poked it into the water, then glanced back at me.

"Er…may I ask, my dear…what is the point?"

"Well," I said, smiling at his delight despite myself, "Filius and I sit in it after matches. It helps with sore muscles."

Albus' eyes flashed again, but this time it wasn't in delight. He took a deep breath and drew himself up to his full, and considerable, height.

"You and Filius bathe together, Elizabeth?" he said sharply. There was an edge of real anger in his voice. As was so often the case with Albus, it both aroused and annoyed me.

"Sure," I said, feigning nonchalance.

I admit it, I was trying to provoke him. The man is entirely too sure of me. While Albus glowered, I began to remove my robes, slowly, undoing button after button, thoroughly enjoying the mix of jealous fury and lust emanating from him in waves.

"I was given to understand," he said, his jaws clenched tightly, "that you and Filius were dear friends and nothing more. That you were like brother and sister."

"Oh, well," I shrugged, turning my back on him and bending over to remove my shoes so that he'd get a good look at my arse. I swear I heard him growl. "More like cousins, then…distant cousins…"

I stood upright and took the pins out of my hair and let it fall down my back. With a flick of my wand I Vanished my chemise and bloomers and stood naked in front of him. Forties or not, I was a world champion athlete and still extremely fit, and I saw Albus lick his lips. I smirked; he's usually so damned calm. I took a great deal of satisfaction in ruffling him.

"Elizabeth…" His deep voice held a warning. "Please explain."

"What's to explain?"

I shrugged and sat on the edge of the tub. Trying to hide a grimace of pain, I swung my legs over and eased them into the water. I couldn't help the moan of relief I felt as the heat began to seep into my muscles. Albus drew in a breath and I turned my face back toward him.

"Why don't you join me?"

I slid all the way into the water, and the rest of my body began to give thanks for the easing of the pain. Albus was still staring at me, an intense frown on his face.

"Am I nothing more to you than one more man in your hot tub?"

His voice was full of rage and hurt; I could feel it, and I wanted to soothe him, to reassure him. But I also knew that tonight, I couldn't make it too easy on him. And I had enough resentment toward him inside me that I could pull that off.

"At the moment, there are no men at all in my hot tub," I said lightly, resting my head back against the edge and closing my eyes.

"If you've made a commitment to Filius, I cannot trespass on that."

Oh, Albus, I sighed inwardly. I opened my eyes to look at him. So honorable and decent.

And then I thought, fuck that.

"Excuse me," I said with as much acid in my voice as I could put there. It wasn't hard. "If I had made a commitment to Filius, you wouldn't be here, and he certainly wouldn't be out shagging some teenager. You're not the only honorable person in the world, Albus. I haven't made a commitment to any man, because I have yet to meet a man who cares enough about me to ask for one."

Albus looked thunderstruck. As though what I had just said was a complete shock. His mouth dropped open and those blue eyes widened. I let out a breath of disgust. For all that he was the smartest man in the world, he was so stupid, and suddenly I was so very tired. I bent my head and splashed water on my face. I was done with all this, this waiting on something that wasn't going to happen. Albus was too much work.

"I care about you, Elizabeth," he said, and now the rage was gone. But the hurt was still there. I could hear it in the way his voice seemed to strain against his throat.

I slipped under the water and stayed there for as long as I could hold my breath. I had counted over a hundred, but finally I had to come back up. I broke the surface and saw that he was still there, frowning into the water. I felt a wave of despair wash through me, and I was glad my cheeks were already wet, because a few tears managed to squeeze out of my eyes before I could stop them.

"No, please, Elizabeth," he said, looking alarmed. He knelt down beside the hot tub and took my hand. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I said those things. I know you're honorable. I was jealous and I didn't think properly. Please don't cry. Tell me what's wrong, tell me how to fix it."

I shook my head. Men just can't seem to understand that sometimes, if you have to ask for something, it's not worth having. I wasn't going to ask him to stay, to marry me, to make a home with me, to father my children. I wasn't going to beg him to please let us be together for real, for ever. I had loved him my entire life, and I couldn't go on with him if I didn't know he wanted to be with me as badly as I wanted to be with him.

"Go away, Albus," I said, getting my voice under control. "Go back to Alexandria or wherever it is now. I can't do this any more."

He looked into my eyes, those blue eyes as intense as ever. He backed away from me until he was resting back on the heels of his boots, but his eyes never left mine.

"Are you serious?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes," I said. Did I sound like I was joking?

A flash of something that might have been panic flickered in his eyes. "I would prefer to stay," he said quietly.

"No!" I yelled. "Don't you understand? I am moving on, Albus. I'm starting a new life. I'm not going to be a dueling champion and I'm not going to be your convenient shag anymore!"

"Is that what you─" For once, Albus seemed lost for words. "I assure you, Elizabeth, you have never been merely—"

"Shut up!" I screamed, standing up in the water. My hair streamed over my shoulders and dripped down my body as I stood there with my fists clenched at my sides, seething, hurt and rejection fueling my anger at him. "Shut up, Albus, just shut up and get out of my life!"

He stood shakily. He brought his hands up and pressed his fingertips against his lips.

"When you say to get out of your life," he said, swallowing hard, "do you perhaps mean until you are feeling calmer?"

"NO!" I shouted. He didn't understand anything. "I mean forever!"

He inhaled sharply and took a step backwards. The bed hit the backs of his knees and he sat down sharply. He gripped his knees with those big hands, took a deep breath, and looked up at me.

"Then I'm afraid I cannot do as you ask."

"Since there isn't anything you can't do," I said scathingly, "I assume you mean you will not do as I ask."

"As you like," he said, inclining his head stiffly. "I will not go."

He looked down at his hands, and my glance followed his. His hands were shaking and he clasped them together.

I looked around for something to throw at him, but as I was standing naked up to my thighs in water, nothing was close at hand.

"God!" I burst out. "You are so stubborn! Everything has to be your way. You have to study, you have try on careers like hand-me-down robes, you want to keep company with other women, you decide not to leave when I ask you to go. Who died and made you king of the world, Albus?"

He looked up at me. Gaped, more like.

"My way?" he breathed, and there was no mistaking the shock and incredulity in his voice. His eyes blazed so brightly it almost hurt to look at them. "Do you think it was my way to wait thirty years for you, Elizabeth? Do you think I would have chosen to wander the world when all I ever wanted was to be with you?"

He stood and began pacing the room, his voice rising with every step he took.

"Do you think it was my way to read in the papers about your latest lover or your plans for yet one more season in which you would make time for Filius, make time for reporters, make time for everyone in the world but me?"

By the end of that speech he was shouting. I swear, Albus was shouting. I was so angry I was quivering with it, and the air was vibrating with the force of our emotions.

"Make time for you?" I said. "When did you ever come around that I didn't drop everything else and make time for you? When did you ever show up, after months or years gone, that I didn't devote every waking minute to you? It's not my fault you stayed away for so long! You were the one who was always moving to the next thing, not me. Well, I want you to do it again, now. Move on and leave me alone."

He spun to face me. "I have already told you that I will not go!"

The glass in the window shattered and the cool Parisian night blew in, sweeping his long hair around his head.

Albus didn't notice. "I have waited for this night for too long! You are retiring, you are done with competition, so you should have room in your busy life for me now."

"What?" I was shouting, too. "So what if I do, Albus? So what if I have all the time in the world for you? What do you expect me to do, sit and wait until you have a free moment between books and discoveries and inventions and training programs, where you can fit me in for a shag every couple of years? I've spent the last thirty years like that, Albus, and I am done with it!"

"But you are not done with me, Elizabeth!" he said fiercely, and in two long strides he was at the edge of the hot tub. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward, so that my wet body was pressed against him, and kissed me hard.

It was a desperate kiss, and somewhere beneath the flood of sensation that was storming through me, I began to understand that he was afraid. He released my wrist and bent his legs slightly. With what seemed like no effort on his part, he lifted me out of the hot tub and stood holding my naked, dripping body and kissing me.

I kissed him back just as fiercely, with a mix of pain and fear and anger and the dark excitement I've always felt from knowing he's stronger than me. I wanted to soothe his fear, too, while at the same time I wanted to punish him for making me suffer. He spun on his heel and tossed me onto the bed, as though I weighed nothing, and before I could recover he came down on top of me.

"Albus—" I said breathlessly.

"Be quiet," he snapped.

With one big hand he gathered both of mine and slammed them over my head onto the bed, holding me by my wrists. Lightning shot through my belly and down between my legs. He looked down at me, his breath coming fast, his eyes burning. But his voice, when he spoke, was much more gentle than it had been.

"I cannot leave you, Elizabeth," he said solemnly. "I love you too much. Perhaps I am disturbed or unbalanced or weak, but there you have it. If I could not see you again, I would die."

"What do you want from me, Albus?" I said. I was angry and confused and incredibly aroused, and, if that weren't enough, starting to feel some forbidden hope that perhaps he did love me as much as I wanted him to.

His hand slid down my body until he was able to reach his wand. I shivered. He kept me pinned there as he Vanished his clothes so that he lay atop me as naked as I was. He pushed my legs apart, then without warning pushed himself inside me. I gasped, then opened my legs wider for him.

"I belong here," he whispered fiercely. "I don't want to be apart anymore."

He withdrew almost all the way, then thrust back in. I moaned, I couldn't help it, but I didn't take my eyes off his.

"You could have had that any time you wanted," I said breathlessly. "I never wanted to be apart."

He thrust into me again. "You had a life without me." Withdraw, thrust. "You didn't need me interfering." Withdraw, thrust. "I did not want to impede your success."

I struggled, angry and aroused, against the hand that was still pinning me down. I wasn't sure if I wanted to cling to him or punch him.

"You are such an idiot…" My thoughts were scattered every time he filled me. I writhed beneath him and met every one of those slow, deliberate thrusts, tried to wrap my legs around his waist and hold him inside me. "I only made a life without you because you—oh, God, please—"

"Because I what?" he demanded, his free hand sliding up to cup my breast. He pinched the nipple and thrust into me again.

"Because," I panted, "you were too busy making a life without me."

His hand was working its own magic on my nipple, and I pushed against him again and again, demanding more from him. Finally he let my hands go, and they went immediately to his shoulders, those broad, hard shoulders. I pulled at him, clawed at him, trying to get him closer, trying to get him to stop the teasing and fuck me properly, but he was immovable. He thrust again, and this time I cried out.

He bent his head low so that his voice was a dark vibration in my ear. He thrust into me again and said, "Are you saying you would have given up dueling for me?"

"No," I gasped, grasping at his arms. "Don't be stupid." He pushed into me again, and I saw a sheen of sweat coating his forehead. Good, I thought. At least it isn't easy for him. "But I wanted both."

Now his eyes blazed with anger, and there was an edge of violence to it the next time he thrust into me. I was so aroused I think my eyes rolled back into my head.

"And what would my place be, Elizabeth? A hanger-on? A devotee? A convenient shag?"

My eyes focused again. Albus never used words like that, and it sent off alarm bells in my head.

"No," I said fiercely. "Dueling was my job, Albus."

He put his hands under my hips and lifted me, then rammed into me again. I was nearly crying with frustration and lust; how could he expect me to conduct a conversation?

"You would have been my lover—" I broke off on a gasp as he thrust again. "God, please, Albus…"

"Only your lover?" he growled. "Is that all?"

He withdrew nearly all the way, until I could feel him pressed against my opening. "No—no—I wanted—"

"What did you want?"

"My husband," I gasped, grabbing his arse and trying to pull him back in. Pride no longer mattered in this sea of love and lust. "I wanted you to be my husband. I've always loved you, Albus, please…"

Finally he thrust into me again, his mouth coming down on mine at the same time. He kissed me and rammed himself into me over and over, no longer teasing. I was so ready, I came almost as soon as he was back inside me. He kept going, even while I was recovering, but it stoked the embers of the orgasm and it built again, until I was wrapped around him, sobbing his name.

He was gasping mine, too, as he came. He murmured incoherent words of love and I held him while he pumped his seed into me endlessly. He collapsed on top of me, but his weight was welcome. His breath was coming fast, so I stroked the hair back from his head while we both came down, shuddering from occasional aftershocks.

It was such a precious moment, holding him like that. He was still inside me and I was wrapped around him, my hand caressing his back through his long auburn hair. I wished for a time turner, so we could stay like that forever. He was completely mine, and I was completely his, and it was all I'd ever wanted.