Disclaimer: I do not own anything dealing with Harry Potter and I do not think that I shall anytime soon.

A/N: Well, I didn't get many reviews the last chapter, so I'm hoping this one shall be better. I would appreciate it so much if you guys would leave me a note saying what you think of this story thus far. The more reviews I get, the more inclined I am to write. If I get ten or more reviews a chapter, I'll update, I promise.

Chapter Four: Dinner…

The silence that had followed T'ari's announcement was so thick you felt you could cut it with a knife. Minerva's heart was pounding in her ears and Albus' hands were sweaty. Her brothers looked as though they didn't know what to do. Hera appeared as though she truly wanted to be happy for her daughter, but was afraid of what her husband was going to say. As it was, Aires was breathing heavily.

"Boyfriend?" he asked again. His hands were shaking, which showed clearly through the glass he was holding. Minerva cleared her throat.

"Yes, Father, boyfriend," she said. She was trying to sound calm, but Albus could tell that she was anything but calm. There was silence once again. Albus cleared his throat.

"That is, with your permission, Mr. McGonagall, I would like very much to court your daughter, Minerva Katherine McGonagall." There was silence once again. Then, Hera stood up from the couch, a giant smile upon her face.

"Well, that is just marvelous, my dear," she said. She looked around the room, Aires in particular, all the while holding a smile upon her face. She looked back at Minerva and Albus and made her way towards them. Her arms were outstretched, indicating to Minerva that at least she was happy for them. Minerva smiled as she hugged her mother. "I am so happy for you, dear."

"Thank you, mum," replied Minerva. Hera pulled back and looked at her only daughter, placing a hand upon her cheek. Then, she looked over at Albus. She went to stand in front of him and he reached out his hand to her.

"Ma'am," he said.

"What's with this 'ma'am,' business? Call me Hera." Instead of shaking his hand, she hugged him, which shocked him a great deal. He hadn't expected her to do that. Well, he wasn't quite sure what he had expected her to do, but to come up to him like that and just hug him was beyond all his imaginings. She pulled back. "Ma'am just makes me sound old. And I am most certainly not old." Albus nodded.

"Well, thank you, Hera," he said. He felt rather awkward calling her that, but he knew that the sooner he got used to calling her that, the better. "And I do not believe you are old either." Minerva could tell that her father wanted to make a comment about how Albus was older than both himself and Hera, but was immensely relieved when he didn't.

Minerva looked from Hermes to Mercury, both of whom were looking at each other. At first, she couldn't tell what they were thinking. Then, she saw Hermes break into a smile. He stood and walked over to where she was.

"That is wonderful news," he said, pulling her into a hug. She was relieved once again that someone else was happy with the arrangement.

"Thank you so much, Hermes," she breathed. They pulled apart. "I should have known that I could have your vote of confidence." She looked at Mercury, who seemed a bit confused by what was going on. "Well, Mercury?" He stood up and walked slowly to her. She couldn't read his expression, but didn't like the frown that she saw painted there. He seemed much less enthusiastic about the whole idea than Hermes and Hera, but he did not say a word as he gently hugged his sister and kissed her cheek.

"I suppose," he said slowly. "If this is what you want." He looked to her and she nodded. He let a small smile upon his face, though his eyes still seemed troubled somewhat. "It is your decision, not mine."

"Of which I'm sure Albus here is quite thankful for, right Albus?" asked Hermes as he shook Albus' hand happily and pat the older man upon the shoulder. "After all, if we had our way, Minnie would never date."

"Hermes," growled Minerva. "You know I can't stand that name."

"But you let me call you that, Aunt Miner-buh," pouted T'ari. Minerva looked down and smiled.

"You're special, and only special people are allowed to call me that." T'ari smiled as she accepted that answer. Everyone then looked to Aires, who had only moved enough to set down his drink and stare into the fireplace, his back to them. There was an even bigger silence than before, and Albus had not thought that possible.

"Did I do something wrong, Auntie?" inquired T'ari. Minerva looked down to see the tears clouding young T'ari's eyes. She had not meant to get her beloved aunt in trouble, and ever since she had made the announcement, the atmosphere had shifted considerably. Minerva attempted a brave smile, just for T'ari.

"No, angel, you did not," she assured her, patting her on the head. "It's just a big shock to everyone that is all. You have nothing to be frightened of." She then returned her gaze to her father. Gathering her famous Gryffindor courage, she walked slowly to her father and placed a hand upon his arm.

"Father?" she asked. Was it just her or did her voice seem to falter? She could not tell. All she knew was that when her father looked back at her, she felt guilty. Guilty about what, she did not know. Certainly she did not feel guilty over the fact that she was dating Albus, for she loved him. Perhaps it was the fact that she had not mentioned it earlier that made her feel so guilty.

Aires continued to look at his daughter for a few more moments, and then cast a heated glare in Albus' direction. But he spoke directly to Minerva.

"You wish for my blessing?" he asked. Minerva nodded.

"Aye, da', I do. Nothing in the world would please me more than to know that I have your blessing and support." Aires looked back at his daughter and attempted a good- natured smile.

"Very well," he said. He positioned himself so that he could stare at everyone. "I will make a bargain. Since this seems to be so important to my daughter, I will give you, Albus Dumbledore," he stared directly in Albus' direction, "two days." He checked his pocket watch. It was six-ten p.m. He looked at Albus as he placed his pocket watch back into his pocket. "Forty-eight hours, Albus. On Sunday evening, at precisely six-ten, I shall pass my judgment. If you can prove to me that you are, indeed, worthy of my daughter, then I shall gladly give you my blessings, as well as my full support in the matter." There was an audible rush of air from everyone's lungs. They were all relieved. Even Mercury, who seemed to not have been exactly thrilled at the prospect of his baby sister dating someone so much older than themselves, felt relieved.

"However," continued Aires, "if I decide that you do not live up to the standards to which I think is best suited for my daughter, I will decline your request to court her and strongly urge Minerva to continue her teaching career at Beuxbaton's Academy for Girls." Minerva's breath caught in her throat, as did Albus'. The thought of Minerva being so far away pained his heart. He looked at Minerva, and he could tell she was just as distressed.

"But Da'," protested Minerva. Aires held up his hand and silence fell. Minerva had learned long ago to not argue with her father when he was in this state. The holding up of the hand was a gesture well known in their house, and it meant the conversation was closed.

"I will not negotiate on this matter any further," he said. He looked down at her. "This is my word and in this house my word is my law. Understood?" Minerva frowned and gritted her teeth. She nodded, but she hated to agree. Although she hated to admit it, she still counted on her father for several things, although she was no longer seventeen, but a young woman in her twenties, perfectly capable of looking out for herself and making her own decisions.

"Yes, Da'," she said. Aires nodded. The house elf popped in and announced that dinner was ready, saving anyone from discussing the situation any further.

"Come, Hera," said Aires. Hera took her spot next to her husband and, after casting an encouraging look at her daughter, walked out of the room on Aires' arm. Mercury followed out with T'ari, who was proclaiming that she was so hungry that she could eat a whole hippogriff. Hermes smiled as he watched T'ari walk out with Mercury and then turned back to Albus.

"Don't worry, Albus," he said. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. Da' can be a bit hard-headed at times, and even unreasonable. But we all know that Min has him wrapped around his little finger, and if he knows that he has caused her heartache, he will do anything to remedy it. He would rather cut off his right arm than to cause her trouble. He only does what he thinks is best, which is a common theme with all fathers." Albus nodded.

"I know," he said. "I'm grateful for your show of support, as well as that of your mother's. I want you to know that I do love Minerva and I would never do anything to harm her."

"I know," smiled Hermes. "I can tell." He looked at Minerva, who smiled gratefully at him. Then, he heaved a heavy sigh. "Well, let's join the rest of the family, shall we? If we don't get there soon, I fear T'ari will eat our share." With that, he bounded out of the room, humming to himself.

Ooooooooooo

Dinner was considerably less active than Minerva had remembered it being in years. This was why she had been planning to reveal the news after dinner, not before. Well, that was part of the reason. She was also petrified at what her father would say.

Aires McGonagall was generally a kind, fun, loving sort of guy who would do anything for his wife and children. In fact, it was his impeccable ability to love his family and still be able to be the laird of their clan that had earned him the respect of many of the other clans who lived around them. That was why his behavior confused Minerva so much.

She had always been told that when she met the man of her dreams, her parents would be supportive of her. True, it must be a shock to them to learn that she wanted to be with Albus, but that should not have changed the fact that their support meant the world to her. What would she do if her father did not approve of Albus at the end of the forty-eight hours? She did not know.

"So, Albus," said Hera in an attempt to keep things light-hearted. "I would like to thank you so much for getting rid of that nasty wizard, Grindlewald. I feel I owe you a great deal of gratitude."

"No need for thanking me, Hera," smiled Albus. "I only did what anyone else would have done. Of course, I do not relish in killing another human being. True, Grindlewald was evil and should not have tortured all the men and women he did, but I also believe that he was a tortured soul who let the dark side take over him."

"Indeed," agreed Mercury. Hermes said something, but no one could quite make it out as his mouth was full of food.

"That may be true," said Aires, "but I do feel the dementors kiss would have been a more appropriate approach to the situation."

"Da'," sighed Minerva.

"No, Minerva, he is right," said Albus. He looked at Aires. "I couldn't agree more, Aires. Like I said, I do not condone with murder. However, Grindlewald was a very clever man in every way. Every attempt made to hold him ended in a disaster. I only did what I thought I had to do in order to stop his merciless killings. If there had been any way, I assure you I would have avoided killing him at all costs." Aires nodded.

"Well, I suppose there is no arguing with that," he said, though Albus could tell Aires had plenty of ways he could argue that point. Minerva looked to her mother pleadingly, and her mother wisely picked up the hint and changed the subject.

"All this talk of dark wizards bore me," she said. "I'm sure you would like to get to know all about us. After all, we know so much about you. You are famous. But you know nothing about any of us. I, as you found out earlier today, am an actress. I've performed with all the great actors, including Sir Peter O'Toole, Sir John Gilgood, and, best of all, Sir Lawrence Olivier."

"That is, indeed, very impressive, Hera," smiled Albus. "I believe I saw you perform with Olivier. Did he not perform Othello?" Hera nodded.

"He is great, especially for a muggle. Though, it was hard to transform the pigmentation of his skin color. Being Anglo-Saxon, it was quite hard to transform to the right shade of black. If only he were a wizard, I doubt he would have had any trouble transfiguring himself." Albus chuckled.

"I daresay it was," he said.

"And why, may I ask, were you at the theater?" asked Aires.

"Oh, Aires, why bother asking him? Doesn't he have a right to go to a play now and again?" chuckled Hera. Aires smiled at her.

"I was merely curious, my dear," he insisted, though Minerva could tell it was not as simple as that.

"I don't mind answering," replied Albus. He looked Aires square in the eyes. "The truth of the matter was I had heard about how wonderful the play was, so I just had to go see for myself. I assure you I enjoyed every second of it, despite how tragic it was."

"See there? The lad has theatrical taste," smiled Hera.

"I've always preferred comical relief," said Hermes, who looked as though he were about to unbutton his pants.

"Of course you would," smirked Mercury. "After all, I always said you bared a striking resemblance to Puck, the mischievous fairy from A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"Right back at you, Robin Goodfellow," smirked Hermes, referring to Puck's second name from the play.

"At least I didn't cry like a baby and wet the bed when I thought there was a bogy monster hiding beneath our bed. You should have seen your face. Oh wait, let me show you." Mercury contorted his facial features into a look of fear for his twin brother.

"If mum and da' weren't here right now, brother, I would most likely beat your head in for that," Hermes laughed good-naturedly.

"Were you really afraid of the bogy monster, Uncle Hermes?" asked T'ari. Hermes looked at the young girl from across the table.

"No, little one," he smirked. He looked back at Mercury. "Your father just gets us confused sometimes. Being a twin, that's bound to happen, you know?" Mercury smirked at his younger brother.

"Touché, dear brother of mine," he smirked. Hermes made a slight bowing gesture with his head. Albus was enjoying this playful banter between the two men, who were just in their fifties. The clock on the wall struck eight.

"Eight o'clock," sighed Aires. He stood up. "Normally, this is the time when the men go into the study and drink some brandy while the women are left to their own devices. Would you care to join us, Albus?" Albus was not so sure. On the one hand, he wanted to take this chance to prove to Aires that he was the best match possible for Minerva. On the other hand, he did not want to do anything to look foolish. Ultimately, he decided that choosing to hide with the women with his tail between his legs was not the best way to go. He nodded.

"Sure, Aires, I would love to join you," he said. All the men stood up and Aires kissed Hera on the cheek. Albus did the same to Minerva, resulting in a death glare from her father. What else was to be expected? But Albus didn't care. He had every intention of letting Aires know that he would not back down, nor would he let Minerva go without a fight.

A/N2: Okay, there you go. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a note, since it means so much to me to hear from everyone. I love getting reviews. Please! I will beg with my extremely large anime eyes if I have to! P-aweeeeeeease! Always Hopeful