
By: Griselda La Fey
Disclaimer:
JKR owes the characters, Warner Bros had
paid for them I don’t own anything, I’m just borrowing
Summary:
Minerva returns from St. Mungo’s to discover
that Albus is falling into a depression, because of the events of the past
year. What can she do to help her dearest friend?
Many thanks to Athenia McGonagall for beta-reading
this story for me J
*****
I made my way to the Enterence hall holding
my tartan suitcase in one hand and leaning heavily on the walking stick in my
other hand. Home at last. Words could not express how grateful I was to be here
again. But of course my happiness was overshadowed by the knowledge that one of
my precious lions had died. Sirius I wondered how Harry was taking it.
Voices reached my ear.
“Ah. I see there are no longer any points
left in the Gryffindor hour-glass to take away. In that case, Potter, we will
simply have to-“
That would be Severus, bullying Harry again.
A part of me understand his deep grudge. After all, his father and his friends
had been horrible to him and I had often been ashamed of them, giving them
severe detentions. But the other part of me wished he let go. And that he
stopped blaming Harry for what happened. As dreadful as it was, it was not the
boy’s fault either.
“Simply add some more”, I suggested, walking
closer to them.
“Professor McGonagall!” Severus said,
striding forwards. “Out of St. Mungo’s, I see”.
“Yes, Professor Snape”, I answered, shrugging
of my travelling cloak. “I’m quite as good as new. You two- Crabbe- Goyle-“. I
beckoned them forwards, they came, shuffling their large feet and looking
awkward.
“Here”, I said, trusting my carpetbag into
Crabbe’s chest and my cloak into Goyle’s. “Take these up to my office for me”.
They stumbled away and I turned around. Three minutes later I had awarded two
hundred and fifty points to Gryffindor and fifty points to Ravenclaw. I told
Harry and Draco to go outside and both of them obeyed. Severus was looking
murderous at me.
“Let it go, Severus”, I told him softly,
placing my hand on his arm for a moment, while I walked passed him. “Albus is
in his Office, I presume?”
He nodded briskly and I walked to the
staircase.
I waited impatiently as the stony staircase
brought me up to his Office. I was very anxious to see him. After everything
that had happened, I wanted to see him. And I was worried about him. He always
seemed so strong, so cheerful, despite everything, but I knew how much the war
took from him. I needed to see him. It had been so long. I had not seen him
after that horrible day Cornelius and Dolores had removed him from Hogwarts.
Finally I reached the end. I knocked on the
door and waited for his reply. When he called out I opened the door and walked
in. He sat in an armchair near the fire, staring in the flames. When he saw me
however, he jumped to his feet and walked towards me.
“Minerva!” he said, clearly relieved.
“You’re back”.
We embraced each other tightly. My walking
stick lay forgotten on the floor. I was so happy to be here again. For a few
moments I absorbed the feel of his arms around me, my face buried in his
shoulder. He smelled of herbal tea and Sherbet lemon and I smiled against the
material of his robes. This was Albus Dumbledore, there was no doubt about it.
Eventually we both pulled back. “I am glad
you’re home”, he told me, smiling softly. I gazed into his face and felt my
heart sank. His eyes were not twinkling. That was a bad sign. “Are you
alright?” I asked gently.
The smile faded from his face and his
shoulders dropped. “I’ve told him, Minerva”, he said. “I’ve told Harry
everything”. I had expected this. When I was in St. Mungo’s and I heard from
Remus what happened at the Ministry I figured Albus would have to tell him
about the prophecy.
“How did he take it?” I asked.
He gestured to the armchairs near the fire
and the both of us sat down. “I told him right after Sirius had died”, Albus
began in a quiet voice. “He was furious, Minerva. I don’t think he will ever
trust me again”.
I placed my hand on his. “This is not your
fault, Albus”, I said urgently. “You are not responsible for Sirius’ death”.
He shook his head sadly. “I should not have
ignored him all those months. I should have talked to him, explained it all. I
should have told him about the prophecy sooner. I should have taught him
occlumency myself, I should have”
“Stop right there, Albus”, I interrupted him
in a voice that I usually only reserved for students. “Don’t do this to
yourself”, I continued in a softer tone. “You did what you thought was best.
You had good reason for the choices you have made”.
“I was wrong Minerva”, he answered. “I made
those decisions, not because I thought they were right, but because that was
the way I wanted it. I wanted to spare Harry this pain, but in the end I have
only added to his burden”.
“Albus”, I began gently, “do you really
think Harry would have taken this easier if you had told him last year, or the
year before?”
“No, but at least he had the support of his
godfather then”, he replied.
“I know”, I admitted. “And it must be
terrible for Harry to have lost him and I know how much you wanted to spare him
that, but he’s not alone. Even with Sirius gone, he’s not alone. Arthur and
Molly and Remus and Hagrid, you, me, the rest of the Weasley family, I
could go on for an hour Albus, they are all there for him”.
“I just hope he will trust me again”, Albus
still did not look convinced and I realised with a shock that it would take
some time for him to get over this.
Days past and the world around us awoke.
Finally, finally the Ministry acknowledged the fact that He Who Must Not Be
Named had returned. Albus was reinstated as Headmaster of Hogwarts, as member
of the International Confederation of Wizards and as Chief Warlock of the
Wizengamot. The atmosphere under the students was tense and I could not blame
them. They had a terrible year behind them and who knew what the future would
bring to them.
I watched Albus pull back further into
himself. I tried to talk to him on many occasions, but I just couldn’t get
through him. He blamed himself for what happened, blamed himself for Sirius
dead and the pain Harry was going through.
When I visit Grimmauld Place during the
weekend, to check on Remus I talked to Phineas and learned what Harry had said
to him. And what he had told Harry. It nearly broke my heart. I had always known
that Albus cared deeply for Harry. I suppose he saw him as the grandson he had
never had. That is why I could not blame him for the choices he had made.
Perhaps he should have told Harry earlier,
perhaps he should not have ignored Harry all year. But I knew why he had done
it. I knew how much he cared for his happiness and let’s face it, the boy had
known so little in his past. I knew how much it had hurt him to step back from
Harry. I knew that there had been so many occasions where he had wanted to tell
Harry about the prophecy, about why You-know-who was after him. But I also knew
that he had been too scared that He Who Should Not Be Named would attack him
through Harry. Not because of himself, but because of what it would do to
Harry.
And I was convinced that in time, Harry
would understand that too. When Albus had told him about the prophecy, his
godfather had just died. He was angry and he blamed himself for it. Another
thing I heard from Phineas. I suspected all that anger and sadness had come out
and Albus was just the nearest person to take it all out on.
One day before the end of year feast,
Dolores Umbridge left the school. I can say in all honesty that I have never
been so glad to see someone leave. And this includes Lockhart. Peeves borrowed
my walking stick to ‘beat her out’ as he put it. I should have said something
about it. I really should have. But I was just too relieved. This woman had
caused so many problems and agony through this year. I sincerely hoped I would
never see her again.
Albus too was pleased she was gone. Despite
his gentleman-like manner, I knew how much he disliked her. I hoped Harry would come to the Leaving
feast. Perhaps if Albus could see him, he would feel better.
Chapter
2:
I’ll
take your hand
But he did not come. Throughout the whole
evening I watched the Gryffindor table, hoping that he would come. But he
didn’t. I guess he felt too sad and distressed to attend the festivities. Next
to me, I saw Albus grew more and more quiet. He looked tired. The deep circles
under his eyes told me that he had not had much sleep in the past weeks. The
twinkle had gone from his eyes and he watched the students in front of us with
a sad, serious expression.
Finally the end of the feast came and we
watched the students return to their dormitories. Maybe it was because I was
still not completely recovered that I was so over emotional, but when I watched
them leave I felt tears come to my eyes. They were so young, so innocent. Some of
them were only eleven. What would happen to them? How would they come through
this war?
After all the students had left Albus rose.
He did not speak a word when he left, he only squeezed my shoulder softly when
he brushed passed me.
After him, I too left. I went to the
Gryffindor Common Room, making sure that everyone was in. On my way back I met
Hermione, she had just done her prefect duties. “Where’s Harry?” I asked her.
“Ron said he had already gone to bed”, she
answered. “He didn’t want to come to the end of year feast”.
I
nodded. “Understandable”.
“Professor” she said hesitantly, “he
he will alright, really. He just needs time”.
I smiled. “I know Hermione, I know”.
“Have a nice summer, Professor”, she said,
walking passed me.
When I continued through the hall, I thought
of her words. ‘He just needs time’. But how much time was there, before another
dreadful thing happened?
I shook my head angrily. Albus’ bad mood was
beginning to rub off on me.
I decided to check on him. When I entered
his office he was sitting in a large armchair near the fire. He seemed to be
spending an awful lot of time in that armchair lately, another bad sign. When I
came closer I noticed the traces of moisture on his cheeks and I realised he
had been crying.
I rushed over to him immediately and dropped
on my knees, next to his chair. “Albus, what’s the matter?”
He looked at me as if he was pulling his
gaze away from a far distance. “I’ve just talked to Sir Nicolas”, he began
after a moment. His voice was hoarse and full of sorrow. “Harry has talked to
him tonight he wanted to know he wanted to know if Sirius could
come back as a ghost”.
“Oh”, I whispered softly. I could have seen
that one coming. I was glad Sirius had not returned as a ghost. Ghosts lead a
half life, a haunted life. I wanted to spare Sirius and Harry that. But I could
understand his disappointment.
“I could have prevented this, Minerva”,
Albus said angrily and I realised this anger was directed to himself. “If I had
made different choices” Another tear rolled down over his cheek.
I got up and sat down on the armrest of his
chair. “Shh”, I whispered softly, “it’s not your fault’. I wrapped my
arms around him and he buried his face in the curve of my neck, his own arms
slipping around my waist.
“It was not your fault Albus”, I carried on
whispering, “Sirius made his own choices, you are not to blame for this”. In
response he only wrapped his arms tighter around me. To see him so heartbroken
broke my own heart. I loved this man so much. For many years we were close,
working together side by side, dealing with whatever life threw at us. But I
had never seen him this upset or this grieved.
My own tears began to fall as well. I
stroked his hair gently as we both cried, holding on to each other.
A long time later, he pulled away. “Thank
you”, he said softly.
“You’re welcome”, I replied, brushing a few
remaining tears from his face.
He mirrored my actions and I tried not to
shiver as his thumb moved over my cheek. “Now I’ve got you started too”, he
whispered.
“That’s alright”. I caught his hand in mine.
“Albus, he just needs time. Harry has trusted and respected you since the first
time he heard of you. He will not give that up easily”.
He nodded slowly. “I hope so. I hope he can
understand. Why he has to return to the Dursley family for example”.
“Petunia Evans will keep him safe”, I said
convincingly.
“With healthy disinclination, she will”,
Albus retorted.
A thought entered my mind. “You know what
you should do? You should ask some members of the Order to talk to them
tomorrow, before they take Harry with them. I’m sure Mad- Eye can scare them
into being civil to him during the holidays”.
His face lightened slightly. “That’s an
idea”, he said thoughtful. ‘And I’m sure Remus and Nymphodora will be most
willingly to assist”.
I slide of the armrest and looked around for
my walking stick. I hated needing that thing.
“Here it is”, Albus said, pulling it from
under his chair. He grasped my hand and squeezed it gently. “Thank you,
Minerva”, he said smiling softly. A sincere smile this time.
“You’re welcome”, I answered again.
When I had left the office I hoped that he
could finally put his depressed feelings aside.
****
I was wrong.
One week later he was as depressed as
before. The circumstances did not help for that matter. We received owls from
the parents of students, claiming that Professor Umbridge had used violence
against students. Although I couldn’t say I was surprised, I was shocked
nevertheless.
Dolores Umbridge had used a Paincil on
students, a quill that made them write lines in their own blood. I was repulsed
beyond words. Paincils were banned from Hogwarts a century ago. They were even
forbidden when I was at Hogwarts. And at that time corporal punishment was very
common. Or so I’ve been told.
It didn’t long to find out that Harry too
had suffered from it. From all the students he had received the most detentions
during the past year. I wondered why he had not come to see me. Or why Hermione
had not told me for that matter.
Albus was furious. He cares about all his
students and he cannot bear to see one of them getting hurt. I remember that
time in his office, when Marietta Edgecombe had sold Dumbledore’s Army out. He
had been composed the entire time, until Dolores started to shake Marietta.
After we had reassured all the parents that
their children would not suffer from the effect of the Paincil and that Dolores
Umbridge would have to answer for her actions, Albus was as down as before.
I tried everything. I explained to him that
he could not have known that, that the students would have come to us if it had
got too much out of hand. I tried telling him that the fact that Harry was the
gang leader of Dumbledore’s Army meant that he still trusted him, I talked to
him for what it seemed hours but I didn’t get though him.
He spend hours in front of the fire, staring
and worrying. Maybe it was the fact that Harry wasn’t around, maybe because he
could not completely ensure his safety when he was at Little Surrey, as the
events of the previous year had proved, but his feelings of guilt returned,
depressing him more then ever.
Four weeks passed and the whole situation
was beginning to take it’s toll from me. I couldn’t bear to see Albus like
that. Following his example, I too spend nights tossing and turning, worrying
about both Albus and Harry. Eventually I talked to Poppy.
I went to see her, because I still needed
medical check-ups, much to my dismay. Although this session went very well. I
was finally allowed to stop using the wretched thing.
“You are worried about Albus, aren’t you?”
she asked while putting her instruments away.
I nodded. “He is taking it so hard”, I told
her, “and no matter what I say, he still cannot believe that he is not to blame
for what happened”.
Poppy felt silent for a moment. Eventually
she said, “since Harry is the one that made him believe it was his fault, the
only person who can make him think differently is Harry”.
I thought about that for the rest of the
afternoon. And by the end of the day, I had made my decision.
(Paincil is the word I invented for that
quill Umbridge used. I’ve also used it in ‘Harry Potter and the Tales of the
Rememirror’. )
Chapter
3:
And
lead you away from darkness
It was far more easy to carry out my plan as
I had expected. The next morning, Albus told me that Harry could leave the
Dursley’s.
“The wards are strong enough. I’ve promised
Harry to take him away form there as soon as possible”.
“Where will he stay for the rest of the
summer?” I asked.
“Arthur and Molly are more then willing to
take him in”, Albus replied.
I smiled. The Weasleys, I could have known.
But then again, it was the perfect solution. They could provide Harry with the
one thing he missed from his life, a warm and loving family.
“Can I go to Little Surrey and collect
Harry?” I asked, hoping that he would agree.
He looked at me surprised for a few seconds.
“Of course. But why?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I could do with a
change of scenery. I’ve been indoors for a month now. Besides, I haven’t been
to the Muggleworld for quite some time now”.
He nodded. “Alright then. You know were he
lives, just be careful”.
“I will”, I reassured him, “don’t worry.
When can I go?”
“Tomorrow”, he replied, “I will send Harry
an owl today that you will come to take him away around one o’clock”.
*****
The next day I changed into a Muggle blouse
and skirt and a long coat. I detest Muggle clothes. They are so uncomfortable.
I took my purse and put my wand into it. Why do Muggle woman use purses? A
nice, big pocket inside your cloak is so much more convenient.
I couldn’t apparate to Little Surrey. We
must draw as little magical attention to that place as possible. So first a
took the carriage to Hogwarts’ station. I thought about my plan. It could work.
It could work well, but only if Harry agreed. I planned on talking to Harry,
before I took him to the Weasley family and I hoped I could convince him to
come with me first to talk to Albus. Poppy was right. Only Harry could change
Albus’ mood.
If only he knew that Harry still trusted and
respected him. But that was the question, wasn’t it? Did Harry still trusted
him? And if he didn’t, could I convince him to start trusting him again?
From Hogwarts’ station I took the Hogwarts’
Express to Kings Cross. From that moment on I had to be careful not to show
that I was a witch. I love walking through the Muggle world. Don’t get me
wrong, I’m glad that I’m not a Muggle, but I like looking at them. And the way
they have learned to deal without magic.
I took a train to the station of Little
Surrey. No there’s a village I don’t like. It’s all so neat and tidy. I know
I’m strict and organised, but this is too much, even for me.
While walking towards Privet Drive I
remembered the last time I was here, fifteen years ago. Fifteen years
Harry had turned sixteen a week ago. It was amazing how quick time passed. That
night Albus and I had walked here, relieved beyond words because You Know Who
had finally disappeared, even if it was only for a while. But also sad, because
we had lost James and Lily.
And now Sirius. I could understand Harry so
well. Losing them hurt so much. It felt like a knife, stabbed in my body and
everytime another one of my lions got hurt or died, the knife twisted again.
Finally I reached number four. I rang the
doorbell, straightening my clothes uncomfortably and waited. A bony woman with
a surly face opened. Petunia Evans, or Dursley. For many times I have wondered
how she could ever be Lily’s sister. Happy, cheerful, kind Lily. How did she
ever get a sister like her.
“Yes”, she snapped, regarding me
suspiciously.
“Good afternoon”, I said with as much
kindness as I could muster. “My name is Minerva McGonagall and I’m here to
collect Harry Potter”.
“You’re you’re one of them?” Petunia
asked apprehensively.
“Yes, I am a witch”, I replied calmly. “Can
you call Harry for me now?”
She stepped back, not inviting me in. Over
her shoulder she yelled. “Harry_”
There was a noise on the stairs and a second
later Harry came rushing downstairs. He looked at me for a moment and blinked.
“Hello Professor”
“Good afternoon Harry”, I replied, “I’m here
to collect you and take you to the Weasley family”.
His face broke into an ear to ear grin and
he reminded me of James. “Right. I’m glad to see you Professor”.
I couldn’t hold back a smile. “Go get your trunk Harry. We will
leave immediately”.
He rushed upstairs again and I returned my
attention to Petunia. “Will he have to come back next year?” she asked with a
resentful tone in her voice.
I almost couldn’t believe my ears. This was
her sister son, the only thing she had left from her and she treated him like a
piece of dirt.
“I’m afraid so”, I replied coldly.
‘Unfortunately this is the only place were he is safe”.
At that moment Harry returned. He looked at
us both and I stepped back. “Let’s go, Harry”. Then a thought entered my mind.
“Oh, before we leave, has your family been treating you well?”
Harry hesitated for a moment. Then he said,
“yeah, they were alright”.
I pulled out my wand and grinned inwardly as
Petunia staggered backwards. I pointed at Harry’s trunk and muttered a spell.
The trunk shrank to the size of a match-box. Harry stared at me in wonder. Then
he said. “To quote Ron, that was bloody brilliant”.
“Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Potter”,
I replied dryly. “Put the trunk in your pocket”. He did so and we walked away
from the house. Petunia did not greet him and I saw no trace of her husband or
her son. Harry didn’t even look back. I felt glad I could take him away from
here.
“Listen Harry”, I said as we had left Privet
Drive behind us. “How about we go to Diagon Alley for a sundae from Florean
Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour? I could do with one and more importantly, there
is something I want to talk to you about”.
If my request surprised Harry, he did not
show it. “Alright. Let’s go to Diagon Alley”.
Chapter
4:
Into
the light of love
We took the train to London and entered
Diagon Alley through The Leaky Cauldron. It was a beautiful, sunny day and we
sat on a small table outside Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour in the
shadow of a large sunshade. I watched Harry closely. He looked fine. A bit pale
and tired, but fine.
“How are you feeling, Harry?” I asked as
Florean brought us our sundae’s. He shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m alright, really. I still miss Sirius of
course, but I’m alright”. But his expression was sad.
“Did the Dursleys really treat you
alright?”
He nodded. “They ignored me most of the
time. But I didn’t mind. I was glad they left me ad peace”. He paused for a
second, looking around him and then back to the table. “How’s Professor
Dumbledore?” He glanced at me briefly before returning his gaze to the table.
I was glad he brought the subject up
himself. “He’s worried about you, Harry”, I told him quietly, “he” I
paused, not sure of how I should frame this, “he told me about your
conversation”.
“I said some pretty awful things”, Harry
admitted. “But I was just so so angry. My godfather had just died and
he stood there, so calm and collected like it didn’t matter to him. And
it was my fault If I had studied occlumency If I had”
Despite myself I smiled. “Harry, I’ve had
this exact same conversation with Albus repeatedly over the past weeks and I am
going to tell you exactly what I’ve told him, you are not to blame”.
“But if I had not gone to the Ministry,
Sirius wouldn’t have died”, Harry said desperately, “It is my fault. Professor
Dumbledore said it was his fault, but”
“Listen to me”, I said sternly, “Sirius
death was not your fault and it was not Albus fault. Sirius made his own
decisions. If he had not go to the Ministry, he would not have died either”
“So you’re saying that it’s all Sirius
fault?” His eyes were blazing with anger.
I shook my head. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. Sirius death was
no-one’s fault, but. Voldemorts. We all make decisions. Albus decided
to wait about telling you about the prophecy about you were fifteen. You
decided to go after Sirius when he thought he was in danger. Sirius decided to
go after you Those decisions lead to certain consequences, but that
does not mean that you, or Albus or Sirius himself, is guilty of his death.
“But if Professor Dumbledore had told me
earlier about the prophecy I would have known it was a trap I wouldn’t
have gone to the Ministry”.
“Do you blame Professor Dumbledore?” I
asked.
“No_ No, I don’t blame him. I just wished he
had told me earlier about the prophecy. I don’t understand why he has waited so
long”.
“When should he have told you about the
prophecy?”
“I don’t know, last year perhaps”
“Do you really think you could have taken it
then?” I asked gently. “You had witnessed the return of Voldemort, you had
fought against him, you had seen the Death Eaters you had seen how
Cedric was murdered Do you really think you could have taken the truth
about the prophecy?”
When he didn’t answer I continued.
“There is something you must understand
Harry. He didn’t wait because he didn’t trust you, or because he thought you
couldn’t take the truth. He waited because he cared for you and he wanted to
spare you from the truth. Not because of the prophecy, or the war, or your
scar, but because of you. After ten years of being treated miserably by the
Dursleys, he wanted to give you some time to be carefree.
Or as much as”, I added wearily and
he grinned.
“If he had not done that you would not have
been able to find friends, to be just yourself you would have collapsed
under the burden of that knowledge”.
Harry took a few deep breaths and I saw he
was struggling with his emotions. Eventually he spoke. “I’ve said horrible
things to him. I didn’t mean it but I was so angry and I didn’t
understand”
I nodded. “I know Harry. And I think you
should speak to Albus again. Now the both of you have had time to think about
it. How about we finish our sundae’s and go to Hogwarts?”
He hesitated for a moment and then he
nodded. “Yes, let’s go to Hogwarts.
***
We used the Floo network to return to
Hogwarts and arrived in my office. Together we walked to stony gargoyle. “It’s
so quiet here”, Harry said, looking around him.
“The place is deprived of three thousand
students. Of course it’s quiet”, I answered. We reached Albus office and the
two of us got up. I could tell Harry was very nervous and I had to admit, so
was I. I just hoped everything would work out alright. I knocked on the door
and opened when I heard him call out.
He looked at me with surprise on his face,
failing to notice Harry.
“Minerva, you’re back early. Did everything
go as planned?”
“Not exactly as planned”, I answered. When
his face turned into a worried expression, I added, “It went alright, but there
was a slight change of plans”. I shoved Harry into the office. “Mr. Potter is
here to talk to you”.
His jaw dropped. Almost literally. “Harry_”
he managed to get out finally. “How”
“The two of you need to talk”, I interrupted
him. I stepped back, outside the office. “So talk_” And I closed the door behind me.
Slowly I walked back to my own rooms. I was
very eager to get out of those Muggle clothes. I went into the bathroom and
decided to take a very long, luxurious bath. I felt still a bit worried. Would
they understand each other this time? Would they be able to sort it out?
I hoped I had made the right decision. If
things got worse, the damage would be almost beyond repair. After almost an
hour I got out of the bath and dried myself. I used a drying spell for my hair
and turned into a light cotton dress, I wear under my robes. I walked into the
study to get my shoes when I heard a knock on the door. “Come in_” I called
out.
The door burst open and Albus marched in. He
walked straight up to me and placed his hands on my waist. He lifted me up and
swirled me around until I was dizzy.
“Put me down, you fool_” I shrieked, gripping
his shoulders for support. He laughed out loud and placed me back on the
ground. But the next moment he had wrapped me up in a fierce hug. I wrapped my
arms around his shoulders, returning his embrace and rested my head on his
shoulder. Albus Dumbledore was back.
“You are amazing, Minerva”, he whispered,
his arms tightening around me even more.
I chuckled and drew back a little to look in
his eyes. Then I smiled. “What?” he asked confused.
“There back”, I said relieved. This only
increased his confusion. “What is back?”
“The twinkles in your eyes. They were gone
these past month and I’ve missed them”.
His eyes grew wide with surprise. I reached
out to touch his face, but halfway I hesitated. I couldn’t what would
he think? Instead I placed my hand on his shoulder and looked down.
“So”I started, cringing when I heard
that my voice was shaking. “How did the conversation go?”
His hand moved from my waist and cradled my
face, forcing me to look at him again. “He understands now”, he answered
softly. He didn’t before, but he does now”.
“And he still trusts and respects you?” I
asked with a teasing undertone in my voice.
“I believe he does’, he answered. “Thank
you, Minerva, for bringing him here. I needed to talk to him. More then I
realised myself”.
“You’re welcome”, I whispered back, a little
hoarse.
His fingertips brushed against my temple and
I bit back a sigh. “Why?” he asked softly, “why did you do it?”
“You were hurt”, I answered truthfully. “I
couldn’t bear to see it. I love you too much for that”.
The moment I had said it I wished I could
disappear into thin air. I bit my lip and stared down, hoping the ground would
open. How could I’ve been so stupid? How could I have blurted that out?
His hand was still on my face and I knew my
cheeks were flaming red. Gently he lifted my head. His blue eyes were piercing
into mine, reading my soul. “Minerva..” he began, but I cut him off.
“Can we forget I’ve said that, please? Just
just forget it”.
He brought his face only inches away from
mine and I could feel his breath on my face. “Just answer me this”, he replied,
then he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine.
I froze. I stood there, completely
immobilised. Albus Dumbledore was kissing me and I couldn’t move if my life
depended on it. His hand moved into my hair to support the back of my head and
his other arm slipped around me, pulling me close against his body.
Slowly I began to relax and I responded
tentatively to his kiss. His kiss grew more and more intense and when he
deepened the kiss I gave in. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him
with all the love I had in me.
I can honestly say that I’ve never been
happier then that moment, there in his arms. After all those years of
pretending not to love him, of burying my feelings all my dreams were coming
true. And it felt even better than I could’ve ever thought.
Eventually we broke the kiss. He rested his
forehead against mine and stroked my hair. “I guess that answers it then”, he
mumbled.
“What was the question again?” I asked a
happy smile spreading across my face.
“How long have you loved me?” he asked
frowning.
My face was going to split in two if I
wasn’t careful. “For decades”, I answered, stroking his face and burying my
hands in his hair like I had always wanted to.
“That long?” he asked shocked. “Oh Minerva,
I should have told you years ago”.
“Tell me what?” I whispered as his face came
closer again.
“That I love you”, he answered, before
capturing my mouth again.
Fin