Kindred Spirits

Piers prowled around the dig site restlessly looking for Minerva. He found her in one of the more distant excavation sites. She sat behind a makeshift desk bent over a large leather log book. All around her were placed the artifacts discovered the previous day. Minerva cataloged each item in her book.

Piers leaned on one edge of the desk. "I wonder, Minerva, were you planning to entertain him at dinner, too?"

"Hmm?" Minerva turned a page and began a new entry.

"The fascinating man you just spent two hours talking to."

"It was hardly two hours," Minerva scoffed not bothering to stop writing or even to look up at Piers.

"It was nearly that." Piers crossed his arms across his chest. "There were other people there. You did not need to monopolize the conversation."

Minerva put down her quill. She selected an artifact and began to examine it. "Perhaps, but everyone else on the team was speechless at meeting him. Not that I can blame any of them. All that history and knowledge in one man can be intimidating."

"You did not seem at all intimidated."

She said rather absentmindedly, "Didn't I? I suppose it's because Albus makes one feel so, well, at ease and comfortable."

"When did you start calling him Albus?"

"It was silly to keep calling him Deputy Headmaster or Headmaster." She compared the artifact to another one.

"I'm beginning to think you're falling for his charms."

"He's my guest, Piers." Minerva put down the artifact and began her notes. "Charm has nothing to do with it."

"Dumbledore is a powerful wizard. Power can be very attractive. Some women find -"

"What am I going to do with you?!" She finally looked at him directly. The tilt of his face and the glitter in his brown eyes were all the proof she needed to know that he was spoiling for a fight. "Every time another man gets near me you get possessive."

"That's because I possess something so very valuable that I cannot tolerate the thought of any other man having it." Piers took her logbook and placed it flat on the desk. He took her hands in his. "Set a wedding date and make an honest man out of me."

Minerva stood up and faced him. "And doing so would end these irrational bouts of jealousy?"

Piers grinned. "Perhaps."

Minerva traced his jawline with one finger. "Don't you know I prefer my men on the low side of fifty?"

"Men? How many?" Piers teased.

"In the three years we've been together I have never looked at another man."

"Ever been tempted?"

"No." Minerva wound her arms around his neck. "As flattering as all this jealousy is, I wish you would stop. I feel like you don't trust me."

"Of course, I do." Piers straightened and pulled her close. "I want to get married and I want you to be my wife. Is that so hard to understand? Until that wonderful day, you will have to tolerate my possessive regard."

Minerva fingered the edges of his dark brown hair. "You said you would give me this year with no pressure. I want to finish my research here. You know how important this is to me."

"Yes, the promise you made to your parents. I remember." Piers nuzzled her neck. "The year is almost over. I suppose I can wait a little longer."

"The time will fly by you'll see." Minerva smiled at him.

Albus opened his eyes warily. A small noise had awakened him from a sound sleep. With his left hand he felt around for his wand. He heard the noise again. Following the direction of the sound, Albus spied a small form placing several items on top of an empty chair. He looked at the desk next to the chair. There was a small pitcher filled with a colored substance with a small cup beside it. The form moved again to face him. He could see that it was a native boy perhaps about nine or ten. Small for his age. Not wanting to startle the boy, Albus cleared his throat loudly.

The boy whirled about . Slim with a curly mop of black hair, the boy smiled innocently at him. "Sir is awake. I have brought some things for you."

Albus smiled back. He couldn't help it. The boy's sunny personality was so obvious and welcoming. "Thank you, ah, and what is your name?"

"Khalil ... Khalil Hamdi, sir."

"Are you related to Mr. Hamdi?"

"Yes, sir, my father." The boy's face shone bright as he talked about his father. "I have brought some clothes and apricot juice to drink."

Albus stood up stretching cautiously. He felt revived after his nap but still his aching joints held on to the memories of his arduous journey. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the boy eyeing him curiously. "Khalil means friend doesn't it? My name is Albus Dumbledore. You may call me Albus."

Khalil's face grew serious. "Miss Minerva said to call you Headmaster nothing else."

"Minerva sent you to me?"

"I am to be your ... your guide she said."

"I am sure that you will be a very good one." Albus seated himself on the desk and poured a cool drink. "Do you work on the site, Khalil?"

"No, sir ... Headmaster." Khalil stood at attention and continued to look at Albus earnestly. "Miss Minerva uses me for small errands and things she has no time to do herself."

"Like what?"

Khalil looked heavenward for a time before responding. "I shine her mirror every day. I make sure all her tools are clean and prepared for use. I help my father in the meal tent prepare for meal times. And her helmet, I am the only one to take care of that."

"I see." Albus could not help but smile at the boy's sincere pride in his work. "Do you go to school, Khalil?"

"My father used to send me to the English school. My mother fell sick and I stopped." Khalil looked shyly at his feet then raised his head again. "I hope to save enough from this work to study again."

"Your English is very good. Do you read as well?"

"Better than I speak." This was spoken with honest pride not conceit.

"I have some books with me if you would like to read -"

"You do!?" Khalil exclaimed.

A kindred spirit in the heart of the desert. "I do. When you come back tomorrow I will have them ready."

"I will take very good care of them. I will only read here in your tent, sir, Headmaster."

"You may borrow them and take them home."

"No, no sir. I have four brothers and sisters at home. The book would be harmed, sir." Khalil looked pensive. "And I have accidents sometimes. Better to leave them here."

"Accidents?" Albus peered down at the affable boy. "Anyone else in your family have these accidents?"

"Sudden things happen. I do not know why. Only me." The immediate thought that he may be denied the books made his next words come out in a rush. "But I read fast and I will not be a dis ... disturbance. I promise, sir... Headmaster, sir. I will make certain no harm comes to your books."

Albus decided then and there to observe the boy more closely. If his suspicions proved correct, young Khalil was going to need guidance very soon. "Albus. We are friends and so I give you permission to call me Albus. And you may read here or in the camp all right?"

"Thank you, sir." Khalil grinned. "I mean Albus."

At dinner Minerva made a conscious effort to include the others in. Unfortunately, the other wizards were still quite awed by Albus and managed only trivial pleasantries. The bulk of the conversation was between Minerva, Piers and Albus. Mr. Hamdi came around placing the main course dishes on their table.

"Khalil took me on a tour of the site just before dinner. I was surprised at the large number of muggles you have here," Albus commented.

"We currently employ many of the men in the area thanks to Minerva," supplied Piers.

"Our labor costs are quite manageable and cost effective," Minerva pointed out. "Being unable to use our normal methods leaves much of the work to be done manually. There was hardly a choice but to use native labor."

Albus nodded approvingly. "I would think that working here, temporary though it may be, would provide these men more income than a year in their usual occupations."

"There, you see, in our own small way we are helping the local economy." Minerva poured more water into Piers' glass.

"Perhaps, but even with the twenty-five workers on site, the work is proceeding slowly." Piers picked at his food.

"Has Cairo been complaining?"

"No, Minerva. But I'd like to have things done well before December." Piers looked at her. His eyes made his meaning clear.

Minerva dropped her gaze to her plate. Outwardly she was composed but inwardly she was fuming. Unconsciously, Minerva closed her fist over her napkin. Why is he so insistent? What does he want me to do? Declare my intentions on top of the Giza pyramid!

Albus noticed the sudden vacuum of conversation. Sitting next to Piers he could not fail to notice the sudden tension in the younger man's posture. A lovers' spat? He cleared his throat. "Well, Christmas is not far off. I'm looking forward to it especially after this heat."

Minerva looked up at him. Her eyes looked over his face critically. He looks clean and rested. Did he trim his beard? "You're not suffering unduly are you, Albus?"

"Not at all." Albus fingered his robe. "Khalil gave me this galabiyya. It's much more comfortable than my normal robes."

"Going native on us, Albus?" Piers asked.

Albus chuckled. "When in Rome, or in this case Egypt, one must adapt."

"With darker hair and a deep tan, you could pass for a native," Minerva remarked.

"No, he's too tall," Piers said brusquely.

Albus lifted a shish kabob on to his plate. "I feel like one. The food certainly agrees with me."

The sudden arrival of a post owl put a halt to all conversation. Piers removed a small piece of paper from its leg. He read it quickly. "It seems that my presence in Cairo is required. I'll be leaving first thing in the morning."

"What is it, Piers?" asked Minerva.

"The Head of Magical Antiquities would like to meet with me. He probably wants a report."

"In person? Surely a report by owl would be sufficient."

"That's not the way these things are done, Minerva. It's only for a few days." Piers took a long drink before standing up. "If you two don't mind, I'll finish my dinner in my tent and get started on this report."

Piers left with his dinner leaving Minerva and Albus essentially alone at the table. Minerva broke the awkward moment. "What shall we talk about?"

"Khalil," Albus replied. "Thank you for appointing him as my guide."

Minerva felt the tension of the day evaporate from her mind and body. "You're welcome. Such a splendid boy and eager to please. He has so little to do I thought you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all. We had a splendid tour of the camp." Albus looked around him first before continuing. There were no others close enough to overhear them. "You do know that he's a wizard."

"What?!" Minerva's fork clattered on to her plate. "He's muggle born."

"That may be but he has magic inside of him. Very strong magic."

"How can you be sure?"

"While on our tour he had one of his accidents. I do not believe he was even aware of what he did. A worker was bent over examining some kind of relief on a wall. Above him was another worker high up on a ladder. A large mallet dropped off the top rung of the ladder. Had it fallen it would have injured the man below most grievously."

Minerva had her elbows on the table, her hands clasped together and her chin rested on her hands. "How was injury prevented?"

"That mallet dropped then hung suspended in the air for a few seconds. Had I not been watching I would have missed it. In those precious seconds, Khalil was able to shout a warning to the worker below who quickly moved away." Albus poured more tea for both of them. "I know I did not do it perforce it was Khalil. Children that young can do magic by force of need alone. Usually they are completely unaware of their actions. Khalil revealed that he has unexplained accidents."

"I never would have guessed." Minerva's delight at this new discovery made eyes glow with an inner light. "He is very intelligent and curious. He's finished most of the books I've lent him even some that I had no intention of lending."

Albus laughed out loud. "You, too?"

"Khalil can be so charming when he's after something. I must have the shiniest mirror in all of Egypt." Minerva smiled at him over her cup.

Looking at her relaxed and at ease in his company, he realized something. She's far more beautiful on the inside than the outside. Utterly beautiful. "You deserve only the best, Minerva."

The look in his eyes made Minerva pause. She recognized it for what it was - admiration and interest. The kind of interest that a man gives to a woman. She encountered that look many times but strangely enough, she had never felt it with such intensity. Why is the room so hot? I need a drink. Her hand went to her throat. Her voice came out a little more high pitched than normal. "I don't know what to say."

Albus did not look away. "It was an honest observation. I meant it."

"You are not one for games are you?"

"Not for this sort of thing."

"To be clear just what sort of thing is this exactly?"

Albus gazed at her steadily. He took one of Minerva's hands into his own. "I am attracted to you, Minerva McGonagall."

Air. Where is the air? "I'm ... I'm flattered but I should tell you that ... that -"

"I have learned over the years that something worth saying should be expressed."

Minerva flushed. "Your directness surprises me."

"I find being so simplifies things." Albus opened his palm to release her hand. "I would have you be at ease, always. Please know that I expect nothing to come of this. It is enough that I have told you."

Minerva squeezed his hand before pulling her hand away. "I am honored to be so regarded by you, Albus. Truly."

Albus smiled and stood up. "It is late. May I have the honor of escorting you back to your tent?"

"I'd like that." Minerva returned his smile and stood. "Will you tell me of your tour while we walk?"

They left the tent arm in arm.