"Albus isn't coming," Severus said matter-of-factly.

"What gave it away?" Minerva asked sarcastically.

Albus laughed to himself as he watched the two heads of houses finishing up their dessert from a dinner he had planned for them. He was looking through a piece of glass he had broken off of one of the candle holders on the table and charmed so he could see them. Behind them, the long tables of the Great Hall looked even larger with only two people in a room designed to hold hundreds. It looked ridiculous, but it was the only way he knew he could get a peak into what their relationship, or what he thought was a relationship, was.

Severus smirked, taking a sip of his tea. "Do we think Albus is purposely absent or truly forgot?"

"This looks a little too meant for two for Albus to have planned on showing up."

Severus fell silent for a few moments. He looked troubled. When he spoke again, the light-heartedness from moments before was gone from his voice. "And it doesn't embarrass you?"

"I'm sorry?" Minerva asked, putting her cup down.

"All of this...with Albus, Rolanda, Filius...all of them. They know. You know they know."

"They seem to have picked up on things, yes."

"Picked-up on is an understatement," Severus muttered. "What is this?"

"You mean between us?"

"Yes."

"It's whatever we want it to be."

Severus was silent again. Albus suddenly felt sorry for the man. He knew that Severus's experience with romance and emotion were volatile at best. The love one was supposed to receive from a parent had never been there. The only romantic love that Albus knew he had felt was one ruined by his own mistakes. It was strong and deep even years later. As strong as he was on the outside: former Death Eater, former murderer, strict professor, Albus had seen just how vulnerable he was. It was partially why he had chosen to find a way to watch them that evening. Minerva's friends were well meaning in their push to bring the two together.

But, Albus knew that sitting alone in the Great Hall sat two of the most emotional and surprisingly sensitive individuals he knew. As much as he too was entertained by their tension and romantic inclinations, he knew a relationship for either could be harmful. He didn't believe for a moment one would willingly hurt the other, but it seemed inevitable.

"What's wrong? Minerva asked, touching his arm.

Severus looked at her hand on his arm and then at her. "The whole thing seems a little ridiculous, don't you think?" His eyes narrowed.

Minerva looked partially angered and partially hurt. "You and I?"

Severus had his fists clenched. "Are you too thick to see it?"

"My time isn't spent worrying about how ridiculous something may seem."

Severus stood from the table, slowly pacing back and forth. "Minerva, this...arrangement...relationship, though I think we're too old to call it that. It's...when you come back from your time with Malcom, what are we going to do? Pick up like two young lovers and have a passionate reunion? We're not that. We're not young. We're not going to be taking each other home to meet the family. We're not working towards a marriage. We're working towards...what? A good fuck when we need it? Another war?"

Minerva was silent. Severus was standing almost out of Albus's sightline. All he could see was the back of his legs. He was facing away from Minerva who sat with her hands clenching the edges of the table. For a moment, Albus thought she was going to cry, but her face hardened almost immediately. He knew her well-enough to know her inner dialogue was probably criticizing herself for getting close to such an emotional display. Minerva rarely showed emotion. Severus's voice sounded so unlike his usual self that Albus knew she knew she had to remain calm. Their arguments at the beginning of the year had shown well-enough what destruction the two emotional heads of houses could bring.

"Answer me," he said, his voice trembling in the deafening silence.

Minerva stood as well. While Severus stood out of the picture, Minerva's face was all he could focus on. "No," she replied, her voice stern. "We're none of those things Severus. I'm never going to 'bring you home to the family,' as you put it. I don't expect nor want a ring on my finger in a few years. Love doesn't have to have a strict line of what it is and isn't. I-,"

"Love?"

Minerva put a hand over her mouth, as if she was trying to take back something she said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said love..."

"Do you love me?"

The question hung in the air which had suddenly grown thick with emotion. "Severus..." Albus was practically holding his breath. He hadn't expected the dinner to turn into such a serious conversation. He had only been hoping to know what their summer plans were, to get a feel for what the two were like when completely alone. Guilt washed over him, but he couldn't pull himself from the scene. He thanked Merlin he had learned the one-way mirror charm well and that the two wouldn't sense his presence. "Saying it would change a lot."

"It would," Severus replied, his voice hoarse. "You can see, I don't have much experience in the area. It's..."

"It feels like you've lost control?"

"Yes."

"And you don't want to lose control. Not of your emotions, nor of your life. Not when you already have," Minerva said, her voice both speaking to what Albus knew was her own experience with Dougal and the little she knew of Severus's love of Lily.

"There is not much of my life I have control of anymore," Severus admitted. Albus noted his simple word choice, never revealing his true meaning. He was, Albus had to admit, the perfect spy. He had proved to be nothing less. "To love...again...it would mean losing what little is left."

Minerva nodded. "I understand. And with no definitions...no boundaries...no explanations for what's going on between us...it's...there's no way of controlling the future. We don't have a goal."

"We can't have one."

"No," she agreed. "We can't."

Silence fell between them. Albus so desperately wished he could see Severus's face. Suddenly, a small voice came from out of the picture. "Do professors want anything else?"

Minerva McGonagall rarely looked as if she had lost her composure, but the surprised expression on her face at the house elf's voice was almost comical. "Oh, Sippy. No, thank you. You've done a wonderful job. Thank you for dinner. We're sorry Professor Dumbledore didn't come. I know you had extra food. Do retire for the night and enjoy the left-overs."

"Professor Snape? Anything Sippy can get for you?"

"No." His voice was harsh.

"Good night, professors!"

Minerva turned back to Severus, and, when Albus assumed Sippy was gone, spoke. "I'm sorry I...I lost my head for a moment."

Severus stepped back into the picture, placing a hand on her hip. "You never answered my question."

Minerva's eyes were wide, green as they ever had been. "Which is?"

"Do you love me?"

The witch let her head fall to his shoulder. Albus smiled. "Merlin, I feel ridiculous."

"So now you agree with my earlier statement?"

"I didn't spend weeks musing over it," she replied, a more playful tone in her voice. "Though, I'll admit. There is something quite ridiculous about this." She pulled away from him, his hands still visibly gripping her waist. "It doesn't have to be a bad thing. I know that your...past...your experiences with romance are none too happy. Admittedly, neither of mine and I'm a great deal older than you. And we don't make sense. Do we?"

"A former Death Eater and his lover who practically bleeds red and gold?" He snorted. "Nothing makes sense."

"But...I'm rather happy," she said, her tone serious. "With...whatever this thing is."

"I don't know if I know what happiness feels like. But, I'd imagine it's close to this." He leaned in and kissed her. The kiss was short, as if both were still unsure.

"Are you willing to give up a little bit more of the control you have left? And just...see what happens?"

He pulled her closer, closing his eyes as their foreheads touched. "Yes," he said quietly.

Minerva smiled, cupping his cheek with her hand. "I'm going to miss you, you know?"

"Is that so?"

"I'm now wishing we were at that young, 'bring you home to the family, age. It's going to be an emotional trip. I haven't seen the children since Robert died."

He laughed, sitting back down at the table, pulling her hand to help her sit back down beside him. "We can open that bottle of firewhisky when you return."

Minerva finished the pie left on her plate. Albus suddenly noticed the yellow custard on her plate, cursing himself for not grabbing a slice of lemon pie before their dinner. It was his favorite. "I would really like that." She swirled the fork around her plate, Severus's eyes glued to her. "I should really pack."

"I should let you go then."

"If you give me an hour, join me tonight?"

He pulled a few pins out of her hair. "I could help you pack," he murmured as her hair came tumbling across her shoulders. Albus blushed. He forgot how much less intimidating Minerva looked with her hair down.

"I don't think that would be productive."

He nodded. "You're right. 10 o'clock?"

"Sounds good." Minerva stood from the table. "I'll see you in an hour." She kissed him.

She was now out of view, walking towards the entrance to the Great Hall. "Minerva," he called, standing in his place.

"Yes?"

"You still haven't answered my question."

The room fell quiet. Severus's face was a mix of worry and curiosity. His eyes had never turned a deeper shade of brown when the words, "I love you," came from the voice of the Deputy.

Severus said nothing in return, sinking back down to sit at the table, his head in his hands as the sound of heels faded to nothing. A tear slipped from Severus's eyes as he lifted his wand and extinguished the candles in the hall.

The reflection was now dark and Albus leaned back in his chair, letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He rubbed his temples. Such an emotional display was the last thing he had expected.