Chapter Four: Fancy Bumping Into You Here!

They didn't know it but they both apparated to the restaurant at the same time. While Albus strode in with calm, Minerva felt her nerves start to fail her. She began to question the purpose of coming here again as she stood outside tapping her foot. She hadn't seen Albus Dumbledore walk into the restaurant and sit down near to where she was standing. She was about to turn and make her way back to Hogwarts when the door opened and one of the waiters beckoned her in. She shook her head but he was insistent and in the end she relented and stepped inside the warm and welcoming place. The waiter showed her over to a table that was in the far corner from Albus' table and neither were aware that the other one was present.

Minerva kept her heavy cloak on and tried to act normal but she was uncomfortable and that showed in her composure. She ordered a small gillywater and slipped it slowly as her dark green eyes scanned the tables in front and around her for signs of a set up.

Albus was peering around the crowded restaurant over the top of his menu, he hadn't yet seen any of his students but then he was ten minutes early. The waiter joined him at the table and smiled as he took out his quill and parchment ready to take Albus' order.

"I will just have a butterbeer at present!" Albus told the waiter. "Still deciding what I would like to eat."

The waiter nodded and stalked away only to appear moments later with a butterbeer which he placed down on the table beside Albus. Albus took a quick gulp and savoured the taste briefly before his thoughts turned to his deputy headmistress. He was worried that she hadn't come to him to talk about the unforeseen circumstances that had caused her to cancel their chess game. She usually always told him what was going on in her life and he wondered what she couldn't tell him. He grimaced to himself when a thought popped into his mind and he tried to push it from his mind but was unsuccessful. What if she had a date with a man! If that was true then Albus would have lost his chance to tell her how he felt about her. He would try to be happy for her but inside his heart would be breaking. If that was the case, then it would be his own fault. He was a lion for Merlin's sake, surely he must have courage otherwise he would have been put into another house. If Minerva had found someone to share her life with then surely she would have told her best friend, concluded Albus as he took a another long gulp of his butterbeer. He drummed his long fingers on the table top as he kept an eye out for his practical jokers. Oh, they wouldn't know what had hit them when he got hold of them. He chuckled to himself as he thought about the joke he would play on them. There was still no sight of them and it was ten minutes after the meeting time.

Minerva sighed to herself as her fingers played with her empty glass, she had always hated waiting for things to happen. When she had been an Auror, Alastor Moody was always telling her to be patient and not to play with her hands while they waited for something to happen. Her dark emerald eyes were locked firmly on the only door in the restaurant. She wanted to catch the meddlesome students or teachers who thought they could mess around with Minerva McGonagall. She admitted to herself that it would be lovely if she did have an admirer, but she only wanted one man to want her and that wasn't very likely. She had been single for such a long time. At first she hadn't minded because she liked her own company and she was free with her time but as her closest friends started to get married and settle down, she had found herself craving what they had. She had thrown herself into her teaching in hopes of forgetting how lonely she was and it worked during the day but when night fell and she climbed into a lonely bed, that's when she felt it the most. She wondered if Albus was lonely, but then she expected that he had someone to keep his bed warm and lavish him with affection. After all, he had told her about the woman of his dreams once. Minerva had felt a surge of hate towards that woman when she had heard the words tumble from his mouth as they played chess. She knew that she never wanted to meet the woman and she tried to distance herself from Albus, but it hadn't worked. She just loved him more.

The large grandfather clock that stood in one of the corners struck the hour. The chime of the clock told both Albus and Minerva that they had been waiting an hour. Minerva pulled her cloak around her as she stood up. She had had quite enough now and was going to head back to the school. She still might have time to squeeze in a game of chess with Albus. She paid for her drink and popped along to the bathroom quickly before heading back to Hogwarts.

Albus had also had enough of waiting. He had called their bluff and they had chickened out. He rooted around in his pockets for some money to pay for his drinks and left a small tip on the table. When he returned to Hogwarts, he would seek Minerva out and see if she would tell him what was the matter. He pushed his chair back and stood up only to walk straight into someone who slipped over and landed on the floor with a light thud and a curse.

"Don't you watch what you're doing?" scolded the cloaked person as they got to their feet and brushed off their robes.

"I'm terribly sorry," said Albus. "I had my mind on other things!"

"That may be so," replied the voice, "but that is no excuse."

There was something familiar about the voice and Albus shook his head as he thought it couldn't possibly be who it sounded like. He offered his hand out as a way of apologizing but this gesture was ignored as the person's back was to him.

"May I buy you a drink, as way of an apology?" asked Albus as he watched the person whirl around to look at him.

"Albus!" stumbled the person.

"Ah you know me, my dear, but you have me at a disadvantage. I cannot see your face," said Albus with a soft smile for he knew only one person who would say his name like that.

The person reached up and pushed back the hood of her heavy travelling cloak. She looked up at him with a faint blush on her cheeks as she tried to find her voice again.

"Minerva!" exclaimed Albus with surprise even though he had known it was her, ever since his name had rolled off her delicate tongue.