A/N Thanks M
Entering the staffroom, Albus discovered the school librarian and two of his professors with their heads together whispering. Feeling just a bit paranoid, he inquired. "Not conspiring against me, I hope?"
Filius waved his hand dismissively at the idea. "No, we were just talking about McGonagall and Kettleburn. Tonight's the night, you know."
Albus corrected him. "This is only their second date."
"They sat together at the Quidditch match last night."
"That doesn't count as a date! The whole school went to the Quidditch game. He didn't take her anywhere before or after. He didn't buy her anything. Hagrid sat on her other side. His sitting next to her wasn't even prearranged – he had to ask me to move to do it. It does not count as a date."
"Oh, I agree…"
Albus calmed a bit…until Filius continued.
"…but I'm pretty sure Kettleburn is counting it."
"Why do you say that?"
"He ran out of cologne so he came to my rooms looking to borrow some."
Albus was at a loss. "He borrowed your cologne? Couldn't he wear cologne to a second date? Why does wearing cologne signify a third date?"
"He spritzed it in his pants."
"That's…that's…" Dumbledore stuttered.
"Presumptuous?" Offered Sprout.
"Vile?" suggested Filius. "I'd go with vile."
Madam Pince begged to differ. "I think it's thoughtful."
"No, I'd go with vile." Filius insisted.
While he agreed wholeheartedly with Filius, Albus had no time to stay and debate the few merits or the many shortcomings of Kettleburn. He had to get to Minerva at once. He had to at least attempt to again warn her about Kettleburn.
Rushing down the corridors in his animagus form, he recalled his own third date with her. With circus tickets in hand, he had arrived promptly on time only to find the usually punctual Minerva unprepared. Or so he had believed.
She had opened the door still in her dressing gown. After inviting him into the sitting room, she had retreated to the bedroom. Albus was beginning to get put out by the wait and anxious that they might miss the opening parade when she called for his assistance in the other room. Entering with the expectation of lending aid with a clasp or a button – and wondering why her wand could not suffice, he was surprised to find her sitting on the bed, still in her dressing gown.
Before standing to allow her dressing gown to fall to the floor to reveal a rather becoming negligee, Minerva had very calmly and very logically suggested that as both of them were aware of what the third date signified, in the interests of avoiding an evening filled with awkwardness, she suggested that they start the evening off by…
Had the circus only been in town for the one night, Albus would have been faced with a dilemma. However, as the circus was staying for several more nights, the choice was easy enough to make.
It was that memory that caused him such anguish as he neared Minerva's rooms and the door, once and still charmed to open at the approach of his animagus form, opened to reveal her sitting at her dressing table still in her dressing gown.
Seeing his reflection suddenly sprout up in the mirror as she rubbed color into her cheeks caused her to turn and rise.
Was she, he wondered, awaiting Kettleburn in the same manner? Or was she still dressing?
"Albus?" She questioned his presence with just his name and a raised eyebrow.
Having to know the answer, he approached and pulled at the tie keeping her gown closed.
"Albus, now really!"
Beneath he found undergarments of the comfortable variety – not the sort one wore to 'impress'. Which wasn't to say he wasn't, as always, impressed.
"Kettleburn," he warned her, "thinks that this is your third date."
He suspected it was disdain that he detected in her tone as she replied. "Kettleburn thinks a great many things."
He wondered, if it was disdain, why she was still allowing him to call on her?
"Now unless you have a knut in your pocket, the peepshow is over."
Pulling a coin out of his pocket, Albus caught her hand as she sought to redo the tie. "And what can a galleon get me?"
Minerva laughed, but her eyes held a nervousness that was uncharacteristic. "I don't know that this is such a good idea."
"As always, my dear, you are correct." He agreed as he moved closer to kiss her.
Neither paid attention to the repeated knocks at the door shortly after.