Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Phantom of the Opera. Please don't tell me that any of you actually believed for an instant that I could possibly ever own any of it.

A/N: Okay, well, what can I say? Thank you very much for your interest in this story. I hope you continue to read it. It would mean an awful lot if I received more reviews. The more I get, the more I am inclined to write for you. I warn you now, though, that this is not my best chapter to date, even though it is my favorite part of the movie. You have now been warned. Hugs and kisses.

Chapter Seven: All I Ask of You…

Minerva led Albus out of the hectic castle and into the fresh night air. She was still clutching the rose Tom had given her as she quickly assessed her scenery. The air smelled sweet, like fresh cut grass. There was dew upon the ground as they quickly ran across the wet grass, the blades folding easily underneath their weight. They were almost to the lake when they noticed several other people were already there. Minerva looked around, hoping to find some place of solitude for her and Albus. Then, a thought struck her.

"This way," she breathed, taking his hand in hers and leading him towards the Quidditch pitch. She would lead him there, away from prying eyes. She wanted absolute privacy with him.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Albus, though he had a hunch he knew.

"The Quidditch pitch," she replied, not bothering to look back at him.

"Why are we going there?" he asked.

"Because we can't go back there." Her voice was rushed, her steps quick. Albus was growing more and more worried as his concern and fear overshadowing all other emotions, threatening to overtake him completely.

"Why not?" he asked. His thoughts were a mess and he tried desperately to sort out all that had happened and what Minerva was now trying to tell him.

"He'll kill me for sure," Minerva replied. She was not wholly sure that that was what Tom would do, but she wasn't willing to wait around and find out. She knew that if Tom found her talking to Albus and telling him all she knew about him, the outcome would not be good for her.

"But Minerva, we must return," said Albus. Then, her words penetrated his brain. "What do you mean he'll kill you? Minerva, be still now!" He tried to stop her, but she pulled her hand out of his and continued to walk into the Quidditch pitch. They entered and were now on the sidelines. Minerva looked all around to ensure that they were alone.

"I don't want to go back now," she whispered. "His eyes will find me there."

"Whose eyes?" asked Albus. He was tired of not having any direct answers.

"His eyes, Albus," she whispered. She was now circling the entirety of the Quidditch pitch. She wanted to make sure there was no one hiding in the shadows. It was, after all, getting rather dark and she wasn't sure if they were alone. "He's a very dangerous man. At least, I think he's a man."

"What do you mean you think he's a man?" asked Albus.

"Oh, I don't know what I mean," she breathed, growing panicked. "All I know is that the Phantom of Hogwarts will kill and kill again. He will never stop." Albus caught her by the arm and forced her to look at him.

"Then we'll leave this place," he said. "Forget all about Hogwarts. We'll go somewhere else, far from here."

"It won't matter where we are, Albus," she whispered. "His eyes will find me, no matter where we are. Those haunting eyes will follow me to the ends of the earth." Her expression was pained and Albus could see that. He slowly loosened his grip on her arm, but did not let her go.

"How do you know?" he asked. "How do you know unless you try?" Minerva looked at him with saddened eyes. "Minerva, there is no Phantom of Hogwarts."

"Albus, I've been there," she said. "I've been to his world of unending night. It is a place where the daylight dissolves into darkness. And, Albus, I've seen him. I will never forget that sight. I can never escape from that face, so distorted and deformed it was hardly a face in the darkness." Albus let her go as he listened to what she said. Minerva's eyes became misty and clouded, as though she was in a trance. When it seemed as though she had forgotten he was there, she turned and began to walk to the center of the pitch.

"But his voice filled my head with a strange, sweet sound. In the night, there was music in my mind. Through magic my soul began to soar. And I heard as I've never heard before."

"What you heard was a dream and nothing more," Albus interjected. He walked up behind her, but she was still in her trance. It was as though she hadn't heard him at all.

"Yet hi eyes hold all the sadness of the world. Those pleading eyes both comfort and adore." Albus grabbed her hand in an attempt to comfort her.

"Minerva…" he whispered. She looked at him, coming out of her trance. She smiled at him. She was about to say something when they heard a soft voice speak.

"Minerva… Minerva…" Minerva and Albus looked around.

"What was that?" asked Minerva.

"I don't know," admitted Albus. Had either of them bothered to look upwards, into the teacher's box, they would have seen Tom, sitting up there, watching them. Instead, they looked at each other and stared. Albus placed a hand upon her cheek.

"I say, no more talk of this phantom business. Alright? No more talk of darkness. Forget these wide-eyed fears. I'm here, no one can harm you. Not even the 'Phantom of Hogwarts'." He didn't know what kind of comfort his words would offer her, but he knew he had to try. Minerva slowly nodded as she slowly, and without thinking about it, dropped the rose she had been carrying in her hand. This was a devastating blow to Tom, who was still watching from his perch above. How could she forget him already?

"I'll try, Albus," she whispered, but she knew it was an empty promise. She knew she could not promise him what he was asking of her, but she knew she had to try. She sighed as she looked around. "All I want is freedom: a world with no more night. And you, always beside me, to guard me and to guide me." Albus smiled as he listened to her words, relief flooding over him. She loved him as well, and now he knew it.

"That's all I ask of you," he whispered. Leaning in, he kissed her gently on the lips. The kiss was light and soft, but spoke volumes. He wrapped his arms around her waist while she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, deepening the kiss.

Tom watched from his hidden spot in the teacher's box. Every second of that kiss tore through him, causing his heart to ache. How could she do this to him? He had given her everything she could ever want, and yet…

The kiss finally ended with both Albus and Minerva feeling lighter than they could ever remember feeling. It had been a long time since their hearts felt this light, and they wanted it to last.

"Anywhere you go let me go too," whispered Albus, resting his forehead against hers. She nodded.

"I promise," she said. "Love me, that's all I ask of you."

"What else is there?" Albus asked jokingly. They both laughed. They both whispered words and phrases to each other.

"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime."

"Say the word and I will follow you."

"Share each day with me…"

"…each night…"

"…each morning."

It was only then that they heard the chatter of people running past the Quidditch field that they even bothered to look up. Minerva sighed as she pulled away from Albus.

"I must go," she whispered. "They'll wonder where I am. Wait for me, Albus."

"Where?" he asked.

"By my rooms," she whispered, looking back at him. He nodded.

"Minerva, I love you," he said. Her smile spread to her eyes this time.

"I love you too," she replied. She reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him to her side as she walked out of the Quidditch pitch. "Prepare a portkey. Meet me at the door. We'll go away for a little while, even if it is just for the weekend."

"Alright," replied Albus. They left the Quidditch pitch, not once seeing Tom from his spot in the teacher's box. Once he knew they were gone, he made his way to the center of the Quidditch pitch where Minerva had dropped the rose he had given her. He picked it up and looked at it. The black ribbon was resting perfectly around the middle of it. Tears pricked the back of his eyes as he looked down at it. He loved Minerva, too. And now she was following Albus. He was not worthy, in Tom's opinion. The sight of them entered his mind and he began to lament.

"I gave you my magic, made your skills take wing, and now… how you've repaid me. Denied me and betrayed me. He was bound to love you when he saw you teach. Minerva… Minerva…" He began to cry as he pressed the rose to his nose. The images of Minerva and Albus together flooded his memory, and as their words penetrated his brain, he felt his heart tear. He remembered every word they had said.

"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime."

"Say the word and I will follow you."

"Share each day with me…"

"…each night…"

"…each morning."

Just remembering their words enraged Tom. How could she do this? He did not know. He fell to his knees, looked up into the air, and shouted out as loud as he possibly could.

"You will curse the day you did not do all that the Phantom asked of you! GO!" With a wave of his hand, the chandelier in the Room of Requirement fell, narrowly missing Cornelius and Rufus' feet. They looked at each other, speechless. The entire stage began to burn. Luckily, there were plenty of guards and ministry officials there to put it out before it got out of hand.

Things were really heating up now.

A/N2: Okay, I know, perhaps I could have done better, but I'm tired right now and I have a headache. If you didn't like it, I'm sorry. If you did, I'm sorry. I mean, I'm glad. Hehe. Thanks for reading. Always Hopeful