It was happening again. His world was coming crashing down.

"Tell me it was you!" Alastor repeated.

Why Alastor would need to ask – why his expression was not answer enough, was beyond Albus. Even to his own ears, Albus's voice sounded hollow. "How long ago?"

"I went to look in on her when I came on watch. Hagrid set me out on my arse, but I caught enough of a glimpse of her to know she was there. One of the healers just sounded the alarm. Between the two…couldn't have been even an hour."

"Hagrid?"

Alastor shook his head. "No sign of him. We've sealed all the exits and started searching."

No, but Albus knew that Hagrid would have to be dead for anyone to have gotten to her. Albus cursed his own folly; the meeting with Sirius had been nothing more than a ruse to get him out of the way. "I think I know where to start looking. I'll be there when I can."

Alastor's head disappeared from the fire.

It had been less than an hour. If Voldemort and his followers had gone through the trouble of taking her from the hospital, than there was still hope of finding her alive. If Voldemort had just wanted her dead, why bother to remove her from the hospital? Why expose himself or his followers to the increased chance of capture when they could have just killed her in the room?

No, they wanted something from her. Which wasn't to say that they would need to keep her alive long to get whatever information they wanted. She was hardly in a state to offer resistance.

He tried not to dwell on another possibility - the idea that Voldemort may have gone through the added effort of removing her from the hospital because allowing her a quick death was not what he had in mind.

But whatever little time it gave him to find her, it was still time.

He had to track down Sirius before he got too far. Albus was to the door before his mind registered a new sound in the room. Phoenix song in a calming, restorative melody was coming from the door to his private chambers. Turned with his hand on the knob, in the same position that Minerva had been in just a few days before, another possibility occurred to him.

Fervently hoping, he hesitantly climbed the staircase.

Fawkes was perched atop the headboard serenading a slumbering figure.

Albus approached the bed tentatively, almost as if he feared she would disappear. He took a seat beside her on the bed. Needing to be sure that she was really there, he reached a hand to lightly touch her face.

"You can't keep frightening me like this. I'm an old man. I'm not sure how much more of it I can take."

Her hand made its way to be with his before she managed to open her eyes.

"Minerva, you shouldn't be here."

She didn't look good, but she looked much better than she had that first day. Her voice, however, was still quite hoarse. "Where else would you have me go? My house?"

"Minerva!" His exclamation got her to soften her tone.

"Besides, I needed to come get something from you."

He would gladly give her anything that he had or that was in his power to get – save one thing. "And what might that be?"

"A kiss."

As much as he desired to fall into old habits…"You know I can't do that, Minerva."

"It's really quite easy. Come a little closer and I'll show you."

He momentarily sidestepped the request with a question. "How did you get here?"

"Hagrid." Her response was punctuated with a yawn.

Incredulous, he asked. "You told Hagrid about us?"

"No," She started to shake her head, but stopped with a cringe. "I told him to bring me to Hogwarts."

Hagrid had Albus's full faith in so many ways, but in being able to keep a secret wasn't one of them. Still, Albus was just relieved to know she was safe. "And you don't think he found it at all odd to be told to deposit you in my bed?"

"I warned him that I would have to obliviate him afterwards. He said he didn't mind." She added as an afterthought, "But I can't remember if I did or not though – you might want to check on that."

She did seem to be fading in and out.

"Minerva, you cannotstay here."

"You can't fool me, Albus. I know what this is really about. I've grown too old for you." Her preposterous claims were interrupted by yet another yawn. The fierce battle she was waging to keep her eyes open didn't look to be one she could win for long. "You want to move on to someone younger like that hooch, Hooch!"

Refusing to take the bait, Albus insisted. "You need medical care that I can't give you."

"All the healers have been doing is giving me potions, but I suppose you are right." The bite in her tone wasn't quite up to its customary magnificence, but it was getting there. "Pity neither of us is a world renowned alchemist."

"I've already made arrangements. You are going to stay with Poppy until you are well again."

"Yes, I'm sure that wouldn't be the first place anyone would look."

The thought had actually already occurred to him; everyone would be expecting him to send her to Poppy. Hogwarts was the most secure location to be had…and with the added protection of the gargoyles, not to mention Fawkes, his bedroom probably was the safest place in the castle…

A hazy Minerva interrupted his thoughts. "I'm still waiting."

"Waiting?"

"Weren't you supposed to be kissing me already?"

As much as he wanted to be doing just that, he spoke firmly. "Minerva, you cannot stay here."

"Fine. Be a dear and call the Knight Bus. I'll just ride around town until school starts again."

Albus sighed. "Whatever am I going to do with you?"

Had the events of the past few days really changed anything? Their continued involvement would in no way put her in any less danger?

Minerva seemed to have missed the exasperation in his question. "Well, you could kiss me."

Alternatively, he supposed at the moment there really wasn't a way to put Minerva in more danger than she already was. Severus was right; for the time being curing himself of the embarrassment of her being alive would be Voldemort's highest priority.

Capitulating entirely, Albus leaned down to kiss her. "As you wish."

Her lips immediately parted for him. When his tongue slipped inside her mouth, she tried to keep up with his. Sluggish wasn't a word he would customarily think to describe a kiss-particularly not hers, but her current responses weren't slow in a sensual way. From the looks of it, if he could get her to keep her eyes closed for but a minute, she would be asleep. Towards that aim, he moved slightly upward and enticed her to close her eyes by placing a gentle kiss on first one lid and then the other. By the time he finished, she was asleep.

Brushing aside a stray strand of her hair, he knew he should go. There were so many things he needed to attend to if she were to stay here. There were potions or at least potion ingredients that he needed to procure. While she couldn't be told precisely why, Poppy would have to be informed that her services would no longer be required and it would be best to call off Alastor before the auror tore apart half of London in a fruitless search. Not to mention regardless of whether Minerva stayed or went, Hagrid was in need of obliviating.

But still afraid she would again disappear – not an entirely irrational fear given the last few days, he couldn't abide to take his eyes off of her. Moody and the others be damned; he would stay just a little longer.