CHAPTER 8

Minerva glanced at her watch and sighed. "It's nearly eight and we should probably head to the restaurant. I'd like to be there and take a quick look around before they arrive. That way if need be, I can make a quick exit and he'll be none the wiser."

Poppy shook her head in disbelief. "Never in a thousand years did I imagine we'd be doing something like this. You and Albus seemed so happy and so much in love and now…here we are skulking around and pretending to be somebody we're not and for what? Just to prove that he's not cheating on you with his former girlfriend, but, Minerva, have you really thought this through?"

"What's to think about? Either he's innocent and I've wasted all our time for nothing, or he's guilty and at least I'll have the truth of the matter. I'll deal with whatever comes my way, but if you'd rather return to Hogwarts…"

"No, that wasn't what I meant," Poppy answered softly as she walked over and took both of Minerva's hands in hers, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "Suppose we go to all this trouble and find out Albus is innocent and has been all along. Will you tell him what we've done tonight? Worse yet, what if by some cruel twist of fate, he discovers our charade and it drives a wedge between the two of you?" Poppy released Minerva's hands and turned to face the window. "I'm not sure I could live with myself if I was part of anything that broke up the happiest couple I've ever had the privilege of knowing."

Minerva thought for a moment before she answered her friend truthfully. "Look at it this way, Poppy. If Albus is innocent, and I pray to all the deities above that he is, then all will be well. I may or may not choose to tell him. It will all depend on what happens after he returns. If, by some chance he does discover me while I'm snooping about, perhaps it will spur him into honestly contemplating what's happened between us lately. Or better yet…what hasn't happened between us. He knows me better than anyone, sometimes even better than I know myself, so he'll understand that I had no choice in the matter. My marriage is most important to me, and since I feel it is in jeopardy, then I am entitled to do whatever it takes to see that our vows are not destroyed." She placed a soft hand on Poppy's shoulder. "Do you understand?"

Turning around with tears brimming in her eyes, Poppy nodded her head. "Grab your wand. We may need it before this night is over," she answered as she dried her eyes and picked up her own wand.

The two somber witches met Xiomara downstairs and were not surprised at all to see her chatting up the doorman. She had not seen them as they entered the main foyer, obviously much too interested in whatever it was the attractive young man had to say.

"Mara, it's time to leave…if you can spare us a few moments of your time," Minerva shot back as she brushed past her friend on the way to the restaurant.

"Later, Richard…definitely later," she winked as she dashed off after her friends. "Merlin, Min, when you're in a mood you can be right prickly, even if a witch is trying to help you," she shot back breathlessly as she struggled to keep up. "Will you stop a minute and let me tell you what Richard had to say? I wasn't simply flirting. I did have an actual reason for striking up a conversation with the bloody man, beyond sex that is!"

Minerva stopped and had the good graces to apologize for her remarks.

"Thank you. Now, as I was saying…Richard said that after the lecture was over, he saw Aurelia headed in one direction, but our dear Albus headed upstairs…alone! He knows this because his shift was just about to start and he nearly bumped into Albus. Said he looked deep in thought or distracted…wasn't sure which."

"I can believe that," Minerva quipped. "Albus can be several different things and still wear the same facial expression. Normally, I'm rather good at judging his moods and reading his mind, but lately…well, he's been too busy for me, hence the holiday that never was. And yet, here we are, huh, girls?" she scoffed sarcastically. Snapping out of the dark clouds in her mind, Minerva focused her attention once more on the matter at hand. "Did he say whether or not he thought Albus would go to dinner or dine in his room?"

"No clue, but I'd say it's a safe bet that if Aurelia was going off in one direction with a smile on her face that Albus is meeting her somewhere. Maybe he had to go back to freshen up after his lecture, change robes…you know…primp a little."

"XIOMARA HOOCH!" Poppy scolded. "We don't need the little side comments, if you please. Our minds are all capable of drawing their own conclusions about life sometimes."

"Easy, Prudence," she laughed. "I only meant washing his face and hands. Maybe even changing robes. I wasn't suggesting he was returning to his rooms to put on a pair of sexy boxers and a matching bow tie. Honestly, you need a stiff drink…another flaming phoenix, if I do say so myself!"

After several more moments of bickering back and forth, Minerva finally intervened and called a time out to their little tirade. With little encouragement on her part, they were all soon standing on the sidewalk just outside the Sempione.

"We're going to need to duck into an alley and change our glamours once more since Aurelia got a good look at all of us earlier today. It wouldn't do for her to recognize us up front, and the longer we're able to remain undercover, the better it will be for our purposes."

Soon after changing their appearances once more, they were promptly shown a table and with a little wand work from Minerva, she rearranged the seating chart to place Albus and Aurelia's table next to theirs.

"I'll need to keep my back to them for obvious reasons. Back stage, I'm sure Albus sensed something when he caught a glimpse of me. My glamours were still in place, but he knows me and the pulse of my magic intimately," she finished with a blush. "I can't take the chance of locking eyes with him or I'll be doomed. Just remember not to call each other by your real names and try to keep a conversation going so it doesn't look suspicious."

"Sorry I'm a little late for my reservation. I stopped to get some sweets for the man I'm dining with this evening. He has an insatiable sweet tooth, and I thought I'd spoil him a bit this evening. His name is Albus Dumbledore, and the reservation was made under his name earlier…by me." Aurelia smiled triumphantly as the concierge winked at her, no doubt assuming she was his lover or wife, perhaps.

"This way, Madam. I will be sure to show Mr. Dumbledore to your table as soon as he arrives. Would you care for a drink while you wait?"

"Chilled champagne…a bottle of your best please. We have some celebrating to do this evening."

Minerva bit her bottom lip, hard enough to draw the bitter taste of blood into her mouth as she listened to the sugary sweet yet sickening voice of Aurelia. Even if it turned out that she wasn't after Albus, Minerva would make certain they were never alone in the same room together as long as she drew breath, nor would she let the opportunity pass this time to let her husband know exactly what she thought of the woman he'd once loved.

As promised, Aurelia didn't have to wait long for Albus to appear, looking drawn and somewhat beaten. It was a stark contrast to how he had looked before his speech, and Minerva felt a wave of concern pass over her heart as she took in his appearance.

"Albus, I'm glad you made it. I was beginning to worry that you'd been waylaid by some of those drooling women outside the hotel," Aurelia commented as Albus took his seat and she poured him a glass of champagne. "Some of them are right ghastly, if they're anything like some of them I had the misfortune to encounter this afternoon," she added, "but you look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. I take it your business didn't go well after I left?"

"Not exactly, no. I was hoping for…never mind. I won't go into the details, nor should I to be honest. It is something I'd rather keep to myself, if you don't mind."

"But I do mind, Albus Dumbledore. I can see that something is clearly bothering you, and if you need to talk about something, anything at all, I'm here for you." She reached out and covered his hand with hers, giving it a tender squeeze as she let her thumb rub across the back of his hand.

Poppy and Xiomara had a clear view of what was happening at the table just behind theirs and based on their expressions and the way their conversation halted, something had happened behind Minerva. Her nausea returned in full force as her hands went cold and clammy.

"Thank you, but let's not concern ourselves with my troubles. I'm sure I'm overreacting and all will be well soon. I have a feeling that I'm being a silly old man and that my worries are baseless."

"Well, silly old man…how about a toast…to memories both old and young, to silly old men and the women who adore them…to success in all endeavors and the happiness that is sure to follow."

Minerva could clearly hear their glasses clink, and she felt a hot rage building within her. But before she could act on her instincts to protect what surely belonged to her, she caught a glimpse of something from the corner of her eye. It was Fawkes, and there was no doubt in Minerva's mind that the intelligent creature would be able to see right through her glamours. The question in her mind that haunted her was whether or not he would draw attention to her.

Albus, too, noticed Fawkes flying towards the tables seated near the waters edge, and as he watched his familiar approaching, he felt a surge of familiar energy surrounding him. As hard as it was to believe, it honestly felt like Minerva's powers radiating from nearby. He sat his glass down on the table quickly and stood up, disregarding Aurelia's pleas for him to be seated and her obvious concern for his sudden behavior.

"Prudence, Mara, I think it's time to take my leave. Stay if you wish but I can't," Minerva whispered as calmly as possible. "I'm afraid Fawkes will recognize me."

"Albus is up now, too, and he's seen Fawkes. Better make this quick," Xiomara encouraged as Poppy nodded her head vehemently in agreement.

Before Minerva could make it to the doorway, Fawkes swooped down and hovered directly in front of her. He looked at her curiously, as if trying to discern her strange behavior, not to mention her appearance and holding in his beak a bit of parchment.

Assuming the letter to be one of the utmost importance for Albus, Minerva moved to dart around Fawkes, but he flapped his wings enthusiastically and squawked loudly as a sigh of obvious displeasure.

"Fawkes, Fawkes," Albus yelled from behind Minerva, causing her to jump both at the booming sound of his voice, the flapping of wings around her and her own fear at being discovered. As she turned to run away, her boot caught on the hem of her robes and she took a tumble, landing face down in front of everyone in the restaurant.

Fawkes gingerly landed beside Minerva and sang a soft note of apology as he dropped the letter for her into her upturned palm before stepping back a bit.

A pair of strong arms, familiar hands and a wonderfully intoxicating scent of lemons surrounded her as she burst into tears. Looking up at her rescuer, she saw concerned blue eyes boring directly into hers.

"Minerva?"

Between her tears and the uproar going on around her in the restaurant, Minerva couldn't seem to figure out what to say. Obviously Albus recognized her, glamour or no, but she had no wish to reveal herself to everyone who had started to crowd around.

"I can't believe I'm actually seeing a phoenix!"

"THE Albus Dumbledore is eating here."

"I wonder what that poor chit is so upset about."

"As much as we are paying for this restaurant, there ought to be rules about letting animals in here."

However, with all the voices muttering out their opinions and exclamations, Minerva had no problem detecting one woman's voice as it rained above all the others.

"Albus, darling, what is going on?" Aurelia said curiously as she looked down upon Minerva who was still sitting on the floor in a heap.

"I have to go," Minerva whispered, though more to herself than her husband, who seemed to still be in shock. It was all happening too quickly and not at all how it should. She felt suffocated and had to be away from the despicable witch, who had now turned her attention to Albus. She shot up, causing Albus to fall over as she bumped his shoulder. "I'm so sorry for the interruption," she said to everyone, though no one seemed to pay her any attention.

As she moved out the door, she heard a flash behind her signaling Fawkes immediate departure. She was stumbling as tears continued to stream down her cheeks. She didn't immediately hear her name being called frantically, but soon the concerned shouts made it through the emotional turmoil in her mind.

"Minerva, please wait up," Xiomara called out from several steps behind her.

"Oh, Merlin," Minerva gasped when she had turned to face her friends. "It was awful. He recognized me."

A new set of tears burst forth as her friends enveloped her in a hug. She ate up the warmth that surrounded her as if she were chilled to the bone. She could sense their love for her, which made her cry all the more. She had such wonderful friends. She had such a wonderful life. How could she ruin it all by spying on the man she loved?

"Minerva?" a voice questioned quietly.

Minerva raised her head to look into the very confused and concerned eyes of her husband. Her breath hitched as she pushed away from her friends and swiped at her tears. She pulled out her wand and cast a Finite Incantatem on herself.

"What…how…why?" Albus stumbled for words at the shock of seeing Minerva, his Minerva, here when she should be at Hogwarts. He noticed the two unfamiliar witches each grasping one of her hands. It only took him a moment but he suddenly knew. "Poppy? Xiomara?" He couldn't seem to come up with anything to say that wasn't a question.

"I'll meet you two at the hotel later. Albus and I need to talk," Minerva said quietly, so quietly that Albus almost couldn't hear her.

With a final squeeze of her hand from each of her friends, Minerva was left alone with Albus. "We should go somewhere to talk," she suggested.

Albus nodded in agreement, and though his eyes never left her, he started to lead them toward a nearby garden where they could have some privacy. Minerva followed without hesitation as her mind whirled with what she could possibly say. She should tell the truth, but going over it in her head it sound so much worse than she ever thought it could be. Any way you looked at it, she knew it appeared that she did not trust her husband, and in her own head, and only to herself, could she admit that perhaps she had lost some of her trust in him over the whole of this debacle?

Now when she was faced with him, she realized how foolish it had been to come here. She should have trusted him as she always had, should have known he would never break their vows. But she had seen and read so much that her curious nature had turned suspicious. Even now she had no explanation for the switched dress robes and cologne and the hotel room with the rumbled sheets and clothes. Her stomach was horribly upset, and she couldn't seem to catch her breath as they reached a bench.

Albus looked at her curiously when they were finally seated and facing each other. Only their years of marriage allowed her to detect the hint of sadness that lurked within them. Minerva was very aware that they had yet to touch one another. There was none of the usual hand holding or gentle caresses that normally would have occurred during a walk on a beautiful night. She looked down at her hands, unable to hold his gaze any longer.

"Please tell me," Albus said brokenly.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she looked back up into his face. "I should never have come. It was silly, really, and things got out of hand."

"But why?" Albus asked again, though he had a terrible suspicion he knew the answer.

"Because I was jealous and afraid, because things have been so distant between us lately, because I don't trust that witch, because I allowed myself to…" Minerva stopped, afraid of what might spill out of her mouth.

"You thought I would break our vows?" Albus asked, his surprise evident in his voice but not in his eyes. Since he first realized it was her in the restaurant, he could only think of one explanation at to why she would follow him here. "I love you, more than anything or anyone, even myself."

"I know," Minerva said miserably as the tears she had been holding back were released and began to track down her cheeks. "I know, and I've told myself a thousand times."

"But you don't believe me."

Minerva felt ashamed and her cheeks heated under his intense gaze. "Of course I believe you. I let my jealousy and insecurities take hold of my heart. I wasn't thinking clearly, only conscious of you being here…with her…while I was at home with a broken heart. Our vacation was so important to me. It was what kept me going on rough days when teaching, my duties as your deputy, and your responsibilities were overwhelming me. When you had to cancel, I simply lost myself. I know your work is important, but with each cancelled date, postponed dinner, late arrival, I felt as if I was losing my place in your heart. It's silly to even think…"

"No," Albus said vehemently. "It's not silly at all."

His fingers reached out and brushed some tears away while his palm cupped her cheek. Her heart skipped a beat at the familiar touch and she ached for more. Her eyes, which had been looking everywhere but at him, moved to his face. His smile was sad and heartbroken.

"I am so sorry Minerva," he said quietly.

Minerva felt her stomach drop and she thought she would be sick. She had done something unforgivable and now she would pay the consequences. She couldn't blame him if he needed space from her, she would take her punishment for her transgression, even as her heart broke into a million pieces.

"I fear I have broken our vows though not in the way you may have suspected." His gentle sigh took the surge of anger she felt and kept it at bay while she waited for him to finish. "I have not cherished you above all others. I took advantage of your love for me and allowed everything else to come before us."

"No, Albus, you shouldn't…" Minerva started to say. She was horrified that he would apologize when she was the one who thought he was cheating on her.

"Yes, I should," he stated clearly and firmly. "You are my everything. But I never showed you nearly enough. In fact, my actions showed you the opposite. I never really realized it until now. And I am ashamed to admit that it took you coming here after me to make me face my faults. Please forgive me?"

Minerva felt her heart warm and her stomach settle as she contemplated his words. He was right. A relationship took lots of care and love, support and strength and, most of all, work. For much too long they had both, in their own ways, not given all they could. Minerva had, perhaps, tried harder, but her actions of late hardly made her an innocent, not to mention how she had let her resentment build until it had exploded into this outing. She should have talked with him long ago about how she felt. She decided to see this as a learning experience. They had both been careless, and luckily it was something they could fix.

"All is forgiven. And I hope you can forgive me as well."

Albus' smile was all the answer she needed, and she threw herself into his arms. Her hands tangled in his hair. She had missed the smooth, softness, and let it run through her fingers as his hands stroked along her back. His lips met hers in a soft caress that had her sighing with contentment. It was short, but oh so sweet.

"Perhaps we should go back to the hotel," he suggested as he leaned back.

Minerva opened her eyes slowly and smiled. "I think that is an excellent idea."

A/N: Let the reconciliation begin for our dear couple! But don't worry! We haven't seen the last of Aurelia and Albus and Minerva still have a few things to sort out between them. Remember the switched rooms??? Thanks for reading and reviewing!