Afterwards, lying in bed with her in his arms, he was filled with regret. Whether it was for what he had just done, or for what he was about to say – he wasn't sure.
"Minerva, I - this doesn't change things."
"I know." She said nothing more, but he could tell that she was hurt.
"I'm sorry. I just-"
Covering his mouth with her hand, she interrupted. "Albus, I said I know. You don't have to keep explaining. I know what this was and what it wasn't. Let's just enjoy today and start over again tomorrow."
He couldn't stop himself from replying as soon as her hand had moved. "Did you forget you have plans with Kettleburn tonight? He mentioned it when I ran into him in the Staff room."
He felt her cringe, but she didn't say anything in response.
"Where are you two going?"
Minerva shrugged. "I didn't ask."
"He isn't planning to take you into Hogsmeade, is he?"
He could tell she was getting a bit testy. "Albus, which part of 'I didn't ask' did you not understand? Was it the 'didn't' or the 'ask'?"
"You shouldn't let him take you off the castle grounds. It's not safe."
"Albus, can we really not have this conversation right now?"
He did manage to contain himself, but only for a minute. "I know I encouraged Kettleburn, but now I'm having regrets."
Surprise clear in her expression, Minerva finally turned to look at him. Perhaps given the circumstances, he should have chosen his words more carefully. He spoke again to clear up any confusion. "I don't really think Kettleburn is the right one for you. I think Alastor would be a much better match."
It was, perhaps, that small misunderstanding that put so much fire in her voice. "Oh yes, he'd be a much better match – for you! I can see it now - Alastor and I getting married with you standing there as best man, dinner together every Sunday - just the three of us – that is, until the children start coming along. Boy or girl, you can bet Alastor will insist on naming the first one after you - you, after all, being the one who brought us together. And Alastor would never be the wiser, because, of course, even though you and I wouldn't be involved anymore, it still wouldn't be safe to tell anyone, least of all Alastor.
"So I get children and a cuckolded husband and you get to keep on playing the part of the selfless martyr. Oh yes, I can certainly see where you would think him the better match!"
It wasn't that her points lacked validity, or that he was trying to be deliberately obtuse, it really wasn't.
"Kettleburn, when I ran into him in the Staff room, he said some rather despicable things about you."
That seemed to startle her out of her diatribe – or at least pique her curiosity. "And what pray tell did Kettleburn say?"
"He said…he said-" Albus debated on exactly how much of what was said in the Staff room was necessary to repeat.
It was well known amongst the staff that Minerva, in an attempt to avoid the awkwardness that could be expected should things not work out, had a rule about waiting until the third date to do anything that might make a professional relationship difficult to maintain. It was a rule that she had decided on when she first came to Hogwarts to teach and she had held fast to it in the intervening years. Even Albus had had to make it to the third date before…
In the Staff room, Kettleburn had suggested that given Minerva's recent near death experience she wouldn't be so… inhibited.
He blurted it out rather ineloquently. "He said he doesn't think you will make him wait three dates. He thinks he can get you to put out on the first -"
He broke off as she rose and began putting back on the garments he had so recently removed for her. Unintentionally or not, he appeared to have again succeeded in driving her out of his bed.
"You know I miss you…my offer still stands."
"Maybe he won't have to wait." Without bothering about the rest of her clothes, she transfigured into her animagus form and departed.
Albus sighed and tried to tell himself that it wasn't the news of her plans with Kettleburn that was causing him to be such a horse's ass.
He had seen her go on dates many times over the past fifteen years. People would have noticed if she had turned down every invitation, so on occasion she had accepted. The three date standard had served them well. She would go on one or two dates with a gentleman, but nothing would ever come of it. Afterwards, if he wasn't in her rooms, she would always come to seek him out. Lying in bed, to amuse him, she would recount all the awkward moments and the not-so-subtle attempts at seduction.
So yes, he had seen her go on dates before, but there was no mistaking that this time was different.