The Picture of Us
Minerva had to force herself to walk calmly until she was out of Albus� sight. The feel of his kiss still lingered on her lips. It felt wonderful. �Revenge is sweet�, she mussed, a silly, wide grin spreading across her face as she walked through the corridors. It had been so much fun, watching the way he reacted. If she had known this earlier, she would have done this years ago. It definitely made up for the way he had teased her all day.
And then he had kissed her. Involuntarily Minerva touched her lips. Well, he had kissed her again, to be precise. And this second kiss had even been better than the first one. One thing was sure, the man was an amazing kisser. She could have melt right there, at that very moment.
She still didn�t know how she had been able to pull away and leave, while all she wanted to do was move back into his arms as close as possible and kiss him again.
*
Albus watched Minerva leave. When she was finally out of sight he still stood there, looking into the empty corridor. Eventually he turned back inside his rooms, still dazed. Fawkes made some kind of apologetic noise. �Never mind�, he told the Phoenix, �it�s all right now�.
He changed into his night-clothes and laid down in bed. And started to watch the ceiling. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep tonight. He had never saw this side of Minerva before. He knew her of course as strict and business- like. But he also knew her funny side, a side very few students were aware of. They shared the same sense of humour and he loved her dry comments on various situations.
He knew she had a very loving, caring side. He had got to know this part of her even better over the last past weeks. After the events of the Triwizard Tourment she had spend many evenings with him. Coaxing him to talk about what happened and listening to his worries and fears.
But he had never seen this playful, flirtatious side of her. And he must admit, he liked it. It was dangerous, yes, but he liked it. �Merlin�s beard�, he thought as the events of the evening passed through his mind, �when she�s all strict and business- like she�s already irresistible but when she becomes all flirtatious like that, she�s practically lethal. Plus, she had a wonderful touch. He would give everything for another massage from her. No scratch that, he would give everything for another kiss.
For a minute or two he tried to get some sleep, but it didn�t work. His mind kept drifting to Minerva, to her smile, her kiss�
Could it be possible that she felt more for him than just friendship? he wondered. It looked like that, but he was afraid he saw more than there really was. She had never behaved like that, never showed any indication that she wanted more. Perhaps she had just get caught up in the game�
This morning he had boldly decided not to deny his feelings anymore, to act upon them, but now he felt his doubts returning. He couldn�t lose her friendship. It was her friendship that gave him the strength for the war against Voldemort, it had helped through the past weeks.
They had spend hours and hours on his couch, just talking. She talked and talked until he�d let go of his feelings of guilt for not unmasking the impostor- Moody earlier, she comforted when he grieved over the lost of Cedric, she�d supported him when he was voted out of Wizagamot.
Occasionally she had hugged him or touched him and often he had wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her, but he never had act upon those desires. He didn�t dare to take the risk. He couldn�t lose her.
Until today. Until tonight. Until this amazing woman had suddenly emerged out of nowhere. With her long, silky hair, her incredible smile and her soft touch. Maybe that dream, he�d kept hidden for al those years was no impossible after all.
***
Minerva found she was far too excited to go to sleep. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins and her bed was a mess from the constant tossing and turning. Could it be possible? Could he have feelings for her? If his kiss was any indication.. She blushed as she remembered the way held her. If only. If only he returned her feelings.
She wanted to be there for him. Even more than she had been in the past months. She wanted to comfort him with her love, instead of her friendship. If only�
She glanced at her watch. 02.30. Since sleeping was no option, she decided to go for a cup of chocolate in the kitchens. Pulling on a dressing gown and slippers, she made her way to the kitchen.
***
He couldn�t sleep. And he might as well stop pretending. �I need hot chocolate�, he thought while he stepped out of bed. �If hot chocolate won�t help me, nothing else will�.
Clad in a dressinggown and the most ridiculous pair of slippers imaginable (Goat-shaped, Aberforth had send them for Christmas) he walked to the kitchen. The small Staff Kitchen to be precise. The room was only light by moonlight. Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. There was someone in the room. He was not alone. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and whispered �lumos�.
�Who�s there?� he called in a loud voice.
Then he heard a scream, the sound of glass breaking and a someone falling. �illuminate�, Albus said. He saw Minerva sitting on the floor, broken glass around her and chocolate milk dripping from her dressinggown. She was furious.
�What the hell are you doing�, she yelled.
He reached out a hand to help her up. �Mind the glass�, he told her. She got to her feet and pulled out her own wand. Muttering a cleaning- spell the chocolate stain disappeared from her dressinggown.
�That was not hot chocolate, was it?� he asked softly, one hand moving to her shoulder to steady her.
Minerva glared back at him. �No, luckily for you, I was just about to heat it�.
Albus rubbed his hand over her shoulder and grinned suddenly, �this woman told me I had knots instead of muscles�.
Minerva stepped back, still angry. �Do you mind, someone just scared me half to dead!�
�Well, perhaps you shouldn�t wander around in the dark�, he shoot back. �Why are you here?�
�I couldn�t sleep�, Minerva answered, �you?�
�I couldn�t sleep either�, Albus replied grimly, �some nutcase woman kissed me tonight and then simply walked away�.
�What?� Minerva exclaimed outraged. �If I remember correctly, you kissed me, Albus Dumbledore!�
�Of course I did�, Albus retorted, �You�ve been flirting with me all evening�.
�Says the man who stared holes in my skin today�, Minerva hissed.
Then her eyes fell to his feet and when she say the slippers he was wearing she snorted with laughter. �Aberforth?� she asked finally.
�Who else?� Albus nodded exasperated.
Minerva eyed the slippers suspiciously. �You don�t think they were real goats once, do you?�
�I don�t know, Albus replied thoughtfully, �I�ve always been curious to know what exactly Aberforth has done to those goats�.
They stared at the slippers for a while and then Minerva shook her head. �That�s sick�.
Albus took her hand and looked in her eyes. �What happened tonight, Minerva?� he asked.
Minerva looked away for a second, a soft smile on her lips. �I don�t know exactly. It started last night somehow, but��
Albus returned her smile. �You looked so completely caught of guard last night, when Ronald Weasley blurted out how gorgeous you were. You looked� adorable, there�s no other word for it�.
Minerva felt herself blushing all over again. �And then you made it worse�.
Albus stroked a strand of hair from her face. �I couldn�t help it, it sort of� came out�.
Unable to hold his gaze any longer, Minerva looked down. �It�s just�, she started softly, �I never expected you would say something like that. I never thought� you felt like that��
Gently he kissed her forehead while his arms slipped around her. �I�ve felt like that for a very long time�, he told her, �any man would be stupid not to notice how beautiful you are. She turned beet red. He pulled her close and kissed her lightly. �And an amazing flirtatious woman, I might add�.
She grinned evilly. �I just wanted to get back to you for staring at me all day. Did you have any idea how nervous you�ve made me? I wanted you to suffer a little too�.
�Well, you�ve succeeded at that�, he answered, stroking her hair, �I never knew you had in you�.
Minerva wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her face closer to his. �Never underestimate me�, she said softly before kissing him.
They stood there for a long time, kissing and exploring each other. Eventually Albus guided her to one of the kitchen chairs and pushed her down gently. �What are you doing?� she asked surprised. He moved behind her and started to massage her shoulders.
�I owe you a neckrub�, he told her.
fin
Home