CXIX: Love Unceasing
Chapter 119 of 141
MMADfanMinerva receives Albus's letter and goes to see him.
ReviewedCXIX: Love Unceasing
Minerva sat up and blew her nose. "No, Mother. It is hopeless. I simply must face that."
"Oh, sweetness . . . does Albus know, that is, when you go back "
"It will be awkward. But he doesn't know precisely how I feel. The impression he has is not a positive one, but at least I was only partially humiliated, not completely." Minerva sighed deeply.
"He has been a friend for a long time, though," Egeria said softly. "Surely everything will eventually return to normal."
Minerva shook her head. "I don't think that is possible. They can only become less uncomfortable." She looked over at her mother. "Was I that obvious, though? That you guessed? Do you think he has?"
"It doesn't appear that he has . . . I think you would be less distraught." At Minerva's expression, her mother hastened to add, "I just believe that he would have handled things with some sensitivity, that you wouldn't be feeling humiliated. Let down, perhaps, if he did not share your feelings, but not as upset as you are."
"Oh, yes, the kind, gentle rejection," Minerva said bitterly. "I had thought that would be the nightmare. But this is worse, by far."
"What happened?"
"I just can't talk about it," Minerva said, wiping her eyes again. "But you didn't answer my other question. Was I so obvious? I thought no one knew."
Egeria shrugged. "I dare say it wouldn't be obvious to most, but your father and I "
"Dad knows?!" Minerva groaned. "Who else? Did you all sit about speculating about when I would come to my senses?"
"No, no, it wasn't like that at all. I doubt your brothers have the faintest idea. It's just that over the years "
"Over the years? How long . . . ?"
"We just noticed things on occasion, that's all, sweetness. When you came back from London that time, for example, after your friend was killed in the war."
"But that was, that was a long time ago!" Minerva protested.
"Yes, well," Egeria said, not wanting to delve into when she and Merwyn had begun to believe that their daughter had a crush on her Transfiguration teacher. "In any event, we did think it might be a passing phase, something of that sort. Especially when you became involved with that apothecary in Heidelberg. But then you came home, and you didn't seem to date at all. There seemed to be no wizards in your life other than Albus Dumbledore. You still mentioned him frequently in your letters home. That is one reason I was concerned about your taking the job at Hogwarts, sweetheart. I was worried that . . . that you were only there because of your feelings for Albus. And worried that you might have your heart broken. That is the reason I tried to get you out, seeing other wizards. I was hoping that you would be able to focus on something else, someone else, so that if this moment came, it wouldn't be a crushing blow, as it has been."
Minerva shook her head. "I tried, Mother. Especially early on, I tried . . . but it is incurable. Even now " Minerva's breath hitched. "Even now, I can't help the way I feel, and no one else will do. I wish I could just be angry with him, but I can't be. I never told you, but Rudolf asked me to marry him, and when he did, the very first thought in my head was of Albus, and of not seeing him. I think I will die loving him," she said softly. "And be miserable until then, because it is impossible."
"Have you considered leaving Hogwarts now? Getting away? Going back to the Ministry? Or even just doing your own work, your own research?"
Minerva shook her head. "I can't do that; I have made a commitment to Hogwarts and to Albus. I can't simply abandon it all. And Head of Gryffindor . . . that is not something lightly discarded, either."
Egeria nodded. "I thought you would say that, but you might consider it, even if not in the immediate future, then later. There are other options in life, you know, sweetness."
Minerva sighed and nodded. She opened her mouth to reply when there was a large flash, startling both witches.
"Fawkes!" Minerva cried, astounded by the bird's sudden fiery appearance.
The phoenix landed on the bed beside Minerva and held out his leg, offering her a large rolled parchment. As soon as Minerva took it, Fawkes trilled happily, then disappeared in the same manner in which he had appeared.
"A phoenix!" Egeria said, having regained the power of speech.
"Albus's phoenix, in fact," Minerva said, looking at the scroll in her hand. She was apprehensive. There was clearly more than one parchment in the letter, if that was, indeed, what Fawkes had delivered. "I hadn't known he used him as a messenger, though."
"Are you going to open it?"
Minerva nodded. She broke the seal and unrolled the letter. She scanned it, then returned to the beginning and reread it. When she turned to the second sheet, she was trembling. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she had to wipe them away in order to finish reading.
"I have to go, Mother. I have to leave." She stood.
"Minerva, wait "
"I cannot wait. I have to leave now," Minerva said urgently.
"Minerva, your nightgown may not be the best thing to be wearing if you are going to Apparate to the Hogwarts gates."
Minerva looked down at herself, confused, then she tore the thin nightgown off, pulling it over her head. She opened her wardrobe, found some knickers, then a set of dark green robes, a bit heavy for that time of year, but Minerva wasn't concerned with that. She didn't bother with stockings, but shoved her feet into her slippers, grabbed the parchments, picked up her wand, then turned to her mother.
"Good bye, Mother!" And she Apparated to the Hogwarts gates.
As Minerva walked up the drive to the castle as quickly as she was able, wishing she had a broom with her, she tried not to think, but the words of Albus's letter echoed in her head. The letter had been written with purple ink, likely the ink that she had given him weeks before.
"Hogwarts
"16 August 1957
"Dear Minerva,
"It is difficult for me to know what to say or where to begin. Please know that I never intended to hurt you, never, my dearest, rather to cut off my wand hand than to cause you pain.
"My previous apology to you was incomplete and perhaps misleading. I apologise for having offended you with word or deed. Please know that nothing you did, other than be your warm, wonderful self, elicited my reaction to you, and it was horror at my own behaviour that brought about my apology and my subsequent departure from your presence. You did nothing, my dear, nothing that could offend me or cause me any grief.
"In my previous letter, I said that a wizard's physical reactions are not always in accord with his feelings. I said this in order that you might not feel uncomfortable in my presence and fear how I might behave toward you in the future. Those words, those infelicitous words, were not the full truth. The full truth is that my actions were in accord with my feelings. They were not the mere product of propinquity. I did forget myself for a moment, but I did not forget whom I was with.
"I find it difficult to admit to you what my feelings are, not only because of embarrassment, but because words fail me. While you were at the Gamp Estate earlier in the summer, I found the parchments on which I had written my lists do you remember the lists I made when I was trying to determine why you were angry with me? when you worried you did not have my respect? as I wrote those lists, a silly bit of doggerel entered my head, a bit of whimsy, you might call it, and I penned them on the reverse side of one of the lists. Missing you later, I found them again, and that bit of foolishness, and I was moved to add to the few lines I had written the previous week. Perhaps if you were to read those lines, both the silly ones that I first wrote on that day that I discovered my neglect of you, and those expressing my feelings as I was missing your presence in the castle, you will understand what it is that I find so difficult to express to you otherwise. It is clumsy still, but perhaps it will reveal to you a reflection of a shadow of my feelings for you, my dear Minerva."
Minerva had turned to the second sheet of parchment, her heart hammering in her chest. She noted immediately that the first lines and the subsequent ones were written in two different colours of ink, and there was another note in purple at the bottom of the page. She read the words that Albus had penned weeks before.
The first lines were in bright blue ink:
"How do I respect thee? May I count the ways?
"Sweeter than any putrid potion,
"More scintillating than Transfiguration class,
"Of greater worth than any treaty,
"Thus I respect thee."
The next lines were in deeper blue:
"I respect thee as night respects the dawn, and day, the dusk.
"Beyond twilight's dim reach and unto the noon-day sun,
"Thus do I respect thee.
"How do I esteem thee? Shall I count the ways?
"Unto heaven's vast extent,
"Far beyond the reach of phoenix' flight,
"Where no hoary mountain peak may grasp,
"Beyond summer's heat or winter's rime,
"Thus do I esteem thee.
"I regard thee humbly,
"As strength and will and hope,
"Undulled by care of time
"Or wear of woe, shine from thee.
"I shall esteem thee more as life falls long,
"As spark and breath, no longer strong,
"Companion sun's borrowed light,
"Fading unto pale moon, and then to night.
"Yet my regard for thee can but wax and grow,
"An expanding passion to onward flow
"And fill my heart, my mind, my soul,
"With thoughts of thee and only thee again,
"Turning once and always unto thee,
"To find thee only ever there.
"For thus I love thee, countless ways,
"Far beyond death's frail caul,
"Unfettered by life's scanty bonds,
"Loving thee without beginning,
"Loving thee without ending,
"With all I am and have to give.
"Thus do I love thee and thee alone,
"My life, my hope, my dearest one.
"I have loved and will love others, Minerva, but never as I love you. I cannot help myself. I know that our friendship must suffice, and so it will. But forgive me if I cannot always mask my feelings, for I am not always as strong as I wish; I find that I cannot bring myself to sacrifice what we do have simply by reason of what cannot be. Yet I will make that sacrifice, if you wish it, and I will not burden you with my grief at losing the friendship we have. Please forgive me for the hurt I caused you, but it was only an attempt to protect you from myself, and also, I admit, to protect myself from your inevitable rejection.
"Although your kindness may move you to show me compassion, please do not pity me, Minerva, or humour an old wizard. I could not bear it. Yet if, by some slim and barely conceivable chance, you should return these feelings in truth, then I will be the most fortunate of wizards, the most blessed of men, and I will hold you and love you, and treasure you and cherish you, for as long as you will permit me. Forgive me if my admissions embarrass or offend you, my dearest Minerva, but I needed to tell you, and perhaps you also needed to know, that what occurred between us, what I did, meant something to me beyond the physical, and that you are more precious to me than I can ever express.
"I am sorry I have hurt you.
"I love you.
"Yours,
"Albus"
Minerva pushed open the heavy oak door and entered the castle. She took the stairs two at a time, breathed the password to the gargoyle, then popped into her tabby form and raced up the moving spiral staircase. Reentering her ordinary form, she did not bother to knock, but opened the door to the office. It was empty, and she crossed to the brass stairs and trotted up them. She reached the door to his sitting room, and she knocked, but then opened it without pausing for a response.
Albus was standing in the centre of the room, completely still. The curtains were closed, and in the low lamplight, his robes shone and sparkled, but Minerva scarcely noticed his clothing. She held up the parchments.
"You wrote this," she said.
Albus nodded, his face ashen.
Minerva took a step toward him. "Why? Why did you not tell me? Why did you instead say what you did?"
Albus swallowed. "I had no hope that you would, or could, accept it. I did not wish to burden you," Albus said, his voice a near-whisper. "And I did not want your pity for an old fool, a wizard overreaching, entering his dotage . . ."
Minerva shook her head, confused, and tears swam in her eyes. "An old fool? The only foolishness was in not revealing the truth. And it was not yours alone."
"Not . . . not mine alone?" he asked, uncertain what he was hearing.
"Not yours alone. Although I did try, but it seemed that every effort was met with ambiguity, at best, and rejection, at worst." Tears flowed down her face. "I told you I love you. Why did you not believe me? Or what did you believe me to be saying? I tried, I did . . . I thought if you might be coming to feel the same, my own . . . my own vulnerability would allow you the occasion to tell me. At least to hint to me . . . and I would see a loving gesture, a romantic one, and would have no idea whether it meant what I thought it did or if it was the product of my own wishful thinking. And you kept turning from me . . . turning away, sometimes even acting as though you didn't care about me at all."
"You mean that you . . . you can't mean that you welcome my feelings? That you . . ." Albus asked, his voice constricted.
"Why would you think that I wouldn't?" She took another step toward him. "I don't understand."
Albus sighed. "I can see myself. I know that I am past my best years, that I have nothing to offer, that it would be unfair to attempt to sway you to feel anything for me beyond friendly affection, even if it weren't pathetic enough to think I could court you, or any witch."
Minerva felt as though her mouth was hanging open. "I must have lost your train of thought. It sounded as though you were saying you have nothing to offer and that, that you oughtn't court any witch, let alone me."
Albus nodded.
Minerva shook her head. "You are a fool, then, Albus!" she chided gently. "How could you believe such a thing? Even if I were only shallow enough to look at you as the Headmaster of Hogwarts and hero of the wizarding world, that would be sufficient to give you legitimacy as a suitor. But I know you, Albus. I know you and I love you, as I have said to you, as I have tried to show you. Why would you think that I don't understand. Why would I not welcome your attentions? . . . Is it your age?"
Albus had cringed inwardly when she had said that he was a fool, but her other words gave him heart. "Partly my age. Primarily my age, I suppose. And yours. I know that a vital young witch needs a vital wizard."
"I know no wizard more vital than you are, Albus," Minerva said, taking another step toward him. "And I love you. I am in love with you."
"You are in love with me . . . ?" Albus whispered.
"Yes! That is what I have tried to tell you," Minerva said urgently. "I love you, I adore you, I desire you, I want no other wizard. Though I have tried, nothing ever works because no other wizard is Albus Dumbledore. I love you, Albus."
"Oh, Minerva," Albus sighed. He closed his eyes, then opened them. He stepped closer to her. "You are not saying this only because you don't wish to hurt me? Out of pity? Or compassion?"
"Oh, really, Albus . . . you know me! I may have compassion, and compassion to spare for you, but do you really, truly believe that I would say that I love you, that I want you and only you, simply out of some sense of pity?" Minerva asked sadly.
"I love you, Minerva," Albus breathed, and it seemed to Minerva that the colour returned to his cheeks with those words, and as though the stars on his robes shone more brightly. He smiled in his relief and joy. "I love you, Minerva."
He came to her and put his arms around her. "I love you," he whispered. "I love you forever, my dearest Minerva."
She held onto him, and it felt as though she was melting into him, as though she was whole now in a way she never had been before.
"And I love you, Albus Dumbledore. I love you, and you will find me difficult to be rid of now, so I hope you don't think you are going to start playing hard-to-get again," she said, smiling.
"I am right here," Albus said with an answering smile, "very easy to get, my dear, here for you always, for as long as you want me."
Minerva pulled back a little and looked up into his face. Although he looked better than he had when she entered the room, there were dark circles beneath his eyes.
"I see that you have not been taking very good care of yourself while I've been away." She reached up and caressed his face. "Whatever will I do with you, Albus?"
There was a slight smile on Albus's lips, and he whispered, "Perhaps kiss me?"
Eyes half-closed, Minerva reached up, pulling Albus down to her, and she kissed his lips lightly, feather touch of lip on lip, but she did not stop, kissing him softly several times, pleased when his arms held her closer as she kissed him. He returned her kisses gently until finally Minerva leaned against him and caught her breath.
"You know, Albus, I do enjoy your kisses, and you may kiss me more." She looked up at him. "I never would have taken you for a shy wizard," she said gently, caressing his cheek.
"I don't want to push you, or rush you, my dear," Albus answered, his voice low.
Minerva grinned at that. "I think I would rather enjoy it if you were to rush me. I doubt you could be fast enough, in fact."
"I want you to be sure . . ."
"I am sure, Albus, very, very sure," Minerva said before she kissed him again, this time, after kissing him gently as she had before, she took his lower lip between her own, and with a slight moan, she sucked it and ran her tongue over it. His answering moan encouraged her, and she deepened the kiss.
Albus finally broke away, gasping. He kissed her cheeks and her forehead, catching his breath between kisses.
"I love you, dearest Minerva, and I am serious when I say that I do not wish to rush you. I want to be certain that you are certain." He looked into her eyes. "Do you understand?" he asked softly.
Minerva kissed him lightly. "Not entirely, but I am content." She looked up at him, smiling. "More than content, in fact. I think I will actually sleep well tonight. And you look as though you could use some sleep, too, Albus." She caressed his face and the dark circles beneath his eyes.
"Yes, I think I will sleep tonight." He kissed her forehead. "But I don't want to let go of you yet."
"You don't need to let go, Albus."
"Then let's sit down for a while, hmm?" Albus suggested, leading her over to the sofa.
Minerva curled up next to him, relaxing into his embrace, sighing in pleasure as he kissed the top of her head.
"I thought I had lost you completely," Albus whispered after a few minutes.
"I was certain I had lost you," Minerva said softly. "I felt as though a part of me was dying."
"Are you all right?" Albus asked seriously. "Are you . . . well?"
Minerva laughed happily. "I am perfect. I don't believe I have ever been this well in my entire life." She sighed deeply. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't sent that letter. I could scarcely believe my eyes. And when I read your beautiful poem no, it is beautiful, Albus! in my haste, I almost Apparated here in my nightgown. Fortunately, my mother stopped me," she said with a laugh, "but I will have to owl her in the morning, let her know that I am all right. I did leave rather hastily after having made an equally unexpected appearance in the library this evening."
Albus kissed the side of her head. "You arrived and then left . . . yes, I am sure your parents will be wondering where you are."
"Mother knows. She knows why I was upset and she knows where I went," Minerva said.
"She knows?" Minerva could feel Albus shift uncomfortably.
Minerva nodded. "She was very understanding."
"Egeria must be upset . . ."
"She was unhappy that I was unhappy, but I'm not unhappy now." Minerva turned her head to look up at him, smiling, and she kissed his cheek. "Definitely not unhappy."
"She must be angry with me," Albus said softly.
"No . . . she doesn't know exactly how you feel, of course, but she was convinced that you wouldn't deliberately hurt me."
Albus was silent for a minute, then he said, "I didn't mean that, precisely. I meant . . . for hurting you, of course, but also . . . because of the way you feel. That I . . . they cannot be pleased with the thought of you . . . of you with me."
"What? Why? I understand your worry, I suppose, but I had the impression that Mother thought it was fine. Or would be, if you returned my feelings. They both like you. And, well, this is embarrassing, but they had some suspicions about how I felt about you. They have for some time, apparently."
Albus was quiet. Minerva said, "Something is wrong. What is it?"
"I doubt that I would be the first choice of a wizard to court their daughter," Albus said softly.
"I don't think that my parents have ever believed that they had any choice in what wizard I chose is that what you are doing? Courting me?" Minerva asked with a smile.
"If you will allow me . . ." Albus whispered.
Minerva looked up at him with a wicked grin. "Allow it? Now that I know how you feel, I insist upon it!"
Albus couldn't help but smile in response. "I suppose I have no choice then! I don't want to stir your McGonagall ire!"
Minerva laughed. "No, you don't! I think the only one of us who doesn't have it is Morgan. He takes after the Parnovons, I think. Always wanting peace and tranquillity, no strife, just . . . maintain an even keel, that's their motto. And Mother, I think, is typical of her Egidius relatives. Cold steel. You might not even know she is angry, and then suddenly, there she is, still cool as can be, but, oh, my! You wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of her tongue or her wand! The rest of us, though a hot temper, but quick to forgive, as well."
"Your father, too?" Albus asked, thinking of the scholarly wizard and trying to envision him in a rage. It was an incongruous image.
"Oh, yes." Minerva nodded. "It does take a lot to rile him, but when he is, there's no reasoning with him. He cools off quickly, though. Malcolm is the only one to . . . not to hold a grudge, precisely, but his anger doesn't burn out as quickly."
"Perhaps I should warn Gertrude about that," Albus said with a smile.
"So you know about them, then," Minerva said.
"Rather difficult to see them together and not notice something, but she did tell me that she and your brother are friends." Albus smiled. "More than friends."
"Good. It would be awkward to talk about them with you, otherwise." Minerva looked up at him curiously. "What did you think when you found out?"
"I was surprised at the rapidity with which they apparently entered the relationship, and its extent, but I think they are actually well-suited, although I hope that your brother doesn't hurt her. Or she, him, of course," Albus added.
Minerva nodded. "I had the same concern. But I am happy for them. And I never would have paired them together in my mind, but seeing them together, they seem to be natural . . . they seem a unit, somehow." She grinned. "And now that I am so happy, I want everyone else to join my happiness. Love all around, please!"
Albus smiled at her warmly. "I am very glad you are happy. And I am very glad that it is being with me that makes you so."
"Come to think of it, I may not sleep a wink tonight, after all," Minerva said, her brow knit.
"Why?" asked Albus with sudden concern.
"Fear that I will wake up and this will have been a dream, that it never happened, or that you will change your mind or your feelings, or something, and that peculiar doppelganger will appear in the morning, the one who looks like Albus, but who doesn't sound or act like him." Minerva nodded in mock seriousness. "Yes, I believe I shall have to remain awake to ensure that the Albus-doppelganger doesn't make an appearance and break my heart."
Albus kissed her forehead. "He is gone for good, Minerva. Never to return. Your kisses have driven him completely away."
"Hmmm, perhaps I ought to repeat the treatment, just to make sure," Minerva said, smiling.
Albus bent his head and kissed her. When they finally broke their kiss, Minerva took a breath, sighed happily, then said, "So, do you think that we should continue those treatments? Indefinitely? It may be a challenge, but one that I am perfectly ready to accept. As a preventive measure, perhaps?"
"I shall demand that you do if I may be so bold!"
"Please, be bold, Albus. Very bold." She pulled his head down and kissed him again, turning in his arms to embrace him, lying across his lap.
"I love you, Albus, I love you so very much," Minerva whispered as he moved to kiss her throat.
She sighed and laced her fingers through his hair. Albus moved up and kissed the side of her neck then moved to her ear. She moaned his name as he kissed her ear then whispered, "My love, my dearest love . . ."
He kissed her again, combing his fingers through her hair, then he kissed her eyelids, her cheeks, her lips. Albus held her close, his breathing ragged.
"Don't stop, please, Albus, don't stop," Minerva whispered.
Albus kissed her temple, then said softly. "I am not stopping . . . merely . . . pausing. For a while. I treasure you, Minerva. I wish to court you as you deserve. And I need to be sure that you are certain. And that . . . that the reality of it does not change your feelings."
Minerva lay back in his arms and looked up at him. "You may court me as you wish and still . . . continue."
Albus closed his eyes and kissed her forehead. "I need to give you time. I need to . . . I need to take time and know."
Minerva sat up slightly. "You don't believe me?" she asked, pain in her voice. "You don't believe . . . how, why?"
"I do believe you. I believe your feelings are as you say." Albus caressed her gently, her forehead, her cheek, her throat, her shoulder, her arm, then taking her hand and lifting it to kiss her fingers, one at a time. "And I will court you, and my love for you will never fade. But "
"But? But what?"
Albus sighed and looked away.
"Is it . . . physical?" Minerva asked hesitantly. "If it is, we can . . . talk about it. And . . . that isn't why I love you." She rubbed his back, trying to think of the right words. "If you like, we could see a Healer "
Albus chuckled unexpectedly. "No, no, it isn't that kind of physical problem, my dear." He hesitated, then said, some embarrassment in his voice, "It is not a functional difficulty. It is simply my . . . self."
Minerva looked at him again, puzzled. "I don't understand. Yourself? You haven't taken some . . . vow, or something of that sort, have you?"
"No, not precisely . . . but I will not use you."
"Albus, you could not use me not in the way you are implying." Minerva sat up beside him and touched his face. "Unless, of course, we are speaking of different things."
"I don't want you to feel . . . obligated in the future, or now, simply because you care for me."
"First, I don't simply 'care for you,' I love you, Albus. And I still don't understand." Minerva was truly confused.
"You are happy now," Albus said, avoiding her eyes, "but it may be the first flush of your happiness that brings you to . . . to accept my touch. I do not wish to overextend your good will toward me."
This time, it was Minerva who laughed, though not long. "My 'good will' toward you? That is a most peculiar way of putting it, Albus! I love you. I adore you. I desire you. Accept your touch?" Minerva raised his hand to her mouth, kissing his palm then each of his fingertips, her eyes half-closed, then, sighing, holding his hand to her cheek, she said, "I long for your touch, Albus." She looked into his eyes. She blushed, but continued, whispering, "I long for your touch . . . everywhere."
Minerva saw Albus's eyes darken as his pupils dilated. She said, "I hope you don't think . . . that there is something wrong with that, or my saying it."
Albus cleared his throat. "No." He shook his head. "No, but . . . but I look at you, and I see such beauty, such youth, such vibrancy, and . . . you have to understand, I believe what you say, but I also know that I am far from being an attractive, vital, young wizard "
Minerva interrupted him. "You are attractive and you are vital. As for being young, that you are not young is hardly news to me, Albus. I am in love with you. Who you are now and everything that you have become over the course of your life." She looked at him, tracing his features with her finger and her eye. "You are so utterly attractive, it astounds me that you could believe otherwise. I know you to be modest, but this . . . this is beyond modesty."
"I just . . . I . . . do you mind terribly if we just enjoy this time together right now? Could we talk about this later?" he asked, a pained expression on his face. He said softly, "I don't want to avoid speaking about it altogether, I don't think we could do that, but it is such a relief, I am so glad to have you here, to know that I can love you, that I can say it to you . . . I love you, Minerva . . ."
Minerva nodded and kissed him softly. "Hold me, Albus. Hold me."
Minerva rested in his arms, holding him herself, one hand rubbing his chest and shoulder, reassuring herself of his solidity, his presence, his reality. She watched as the stars twinkled in response to her passing touch.
"You are wearing the robes I gave you. Did you put them on thinking I would return tonight, hoping I would?" she asked.
"Alas, no. I wish I had. But I admit that I did not dare have any hope that you would accept my feelings, or even forgive me for my behaviour. No, I am wearing these because Wilspy insisted. She left me no robes but these this morning, and I was so . . . so very unhappy, I just put them on without protest. It actually made me feel worse, remembering that happy evening, remembering the cake, and my wish . . ."
"What did you wish? Oh, wait, they say it's bad luck to reveal your wish. It might not come true," she said with a teasing smile.
Albus smiled at her. "It already has. It already had. I just didn't know it." He kissed her forehead softly and whispered, "I wished that you would love me."
"Yes, that wish came true a very long time ago," Minerva said quietly.
"A long time ago?"
Minerva shrugged. "It didn't suddenly happen this summer," she said noncommittally. "But I saw you as unattainable and any wish for the future as unrealistic and impossible."
"I feel now as though I have always been in love with you, Minerva . . . as you are now, of course, not, um . . ."
"I know what you mean," Minerva said. "You needn't explain. I could never not love you, never not fall in love with you. If ever I hadn't met you, I would have spent my life looking for you, seeking you, and only you, and no one else would have ever suited me, and I would search until I found you, and if I did not, I would die knowing that I had not found you and I would seek you in the beyond, never ceasing until I found you."
Albus's eyes filled with tears and he held her close. As his tears overflowed, he whispered, "My love, my remarkable, most wonderful . . . my dearest Minerva." He swallowed, trying to stop his tears. "I love you more than I imagined it possible to love one person. And I will do all I can to keep you and protect you, to protect your feelings, your life, your well-being."
Minerva kissed him and he responded. The kiss grew in passion, and Minerva held him more tightly, her fists gripping his robes, trying to pull him closer; she caressed his face, his shoulder, his chest. She moaned and gasped. Albus kissed her cheek and held her to him, murmuring of his love and running his hand over her side and back up to her breast, where he paused.
"Albus . . . please, Albus, please . . ."
Albus gently caressed her. "My sweet darling, my dearest . . ."
Caressing her still, he placed light kisses over her face, then kissed her throat several times softly, and Minerva moaned again. Albus, his breathing ragged, pulled her against him once more, cradling her to his chest, and Minerva tried to catch her own breath.
They sat together like that for a few minutes, then Albus drew back and looked at her. "I believe you are falling asleep, my dear. Perhaps it is time for me to walk you to your rooms."
"No, please, Albus, not yet . . . I can't leave you yet," Minerva said pleadingly.
"All right, then, not yet . . . not yet."
He held her, running his fingers through her hair, watching her face as his own eyes grew heavy. When Minerva's breathing became soft and regular, Albus kissed her forehead and watched her a while longer. When finally he was unable to stay awake himself, he drew out his wand and cast a spell on the couch, enlarging it so the he could lie back fully with Minerva in his arms, his legs stretched out comfortably, then he Summoned a light blanket from the bedroom and covered them both. He rested his head on a cushion, and she rested across him, and they slept until long after dawn, dreaming of love, and of each other, which was the same thing.
Note: There is more story to come, as RaM takes us into the first week of September; however, I will be taking a little bit of a break for the next two or three weeks, so don't despair if you look for an update and there isn't one. If I have the time and opportunity, I may post another chapter between now and the New Year, but I rather doubt it.
If you are curious about whether there's another chapter in the works or what the status of RaM is in the meantime, you can check my LJ for news. There should be the promised one-shot coming soon, too (resulting from my LJ poll).
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
I wish everyone a Happy New Year!
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Latest 25 Reviews for Resolving a Misunderstanding
954 Reviews | 6.45/10 Average
Okay...I think it's time for a Gertrude and Malcolm story. If you got any ideas like the proposal or her pregnancy I'm all ears. I've read this story 100 times but just wanted to say that this story is great every single time I read it, it always feels like my first time.
I have a love hate relationship with this fic. I do not enjoy stories where people spend time angsting when they could just tell each other how they feel and be done with it, no matter how it plays out. I enjoyed this because of Quin. If you hadn't had he or Getrude, this story wouldn't have worked for me. The witty dialogue is what kept me interested to the end. Well done with your OCs.
Review in progress... :-)
Putting myself in Albus's shoes - from his vantage point of what had played out between them - I can very well imagine how awfully guilty he must have felt, how repulsed by his own behaviour, how defeated, with no option but to assume things were over. Really sad and horrible, for him.
But then Gertrude...oh, how I love that woman! Her questioning of Albus, her coclusions: brilliant! Utterly love that small scene! :-)
Forgot to rate...
Must have been very upsetting, embarrassing and worrying for Albus indeed, to have found a young woman attractive for a few moments, only to find out that she's actually his student. I can so imagine how he must have been shocked and appalled by himself.
I loved seeing these two lively, bright and, both of them, determined and decisive girls: Melina seeing the need to educate on healing spells, before even being allowed to hold a wand; and Minerva, trying to take matters in hand concerning Albus's health as well as the running of Murdoch's household. Yet, I always find Melina bordering on overpowering and you already show that here, in her as a young girl.
"And what a pity we can’t hold hands as innocently as Melina does." I love this observation, which, I'd say, actually counts for all of us.
You made me realize it's a bit sad, isn't it? Holding hands is comforting and gives a sense of closeness, but once you're above a certain age (and experience?), there's just no way the innocence will ever come back, unless it's holding hands with a small child. Which means that I, and most likely by far the most of us, hardly ever hold hands anymore. Alas.
Very nice, serious chapter and probably decisive in Albus's later 'hesitations' towards Minerva. Right???
Soap in the eyes indeed! Malcolm is such a twit ... its hard not to like him at least a little ... still ... I think Gertrude is far too big a catch for the likes of this McGonagall ... *snorts*
Forgive me Madam Raven ... I'm bound to get uppity with at least one of your characters.
Even with my aggravation, I did enjoy Malcolm and Gertie's banter.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Awww, you'd like Gertrude to be single and still all shades of mourning? Poor Malcolm! He adores her, you know! :-) ;-) He also amuses her & brings her some vitality. Glad you enjoyed their banter! :-)
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
I know I know ... and you know why, of course ... his arrogance and swagger embarrass me because .... yes ... exactly ... reminds me of a younger version of ... someone foolish ... not saying whoooooo ... *whistles innocently*
And of course we can't have Gertie in all shades of black forever! She needs her lime green suits - just like in this chapter - she redresses in three shades of ... GREEN! Gertrude Spring! Seee! That's where I got the lime green from! *grins*
That and I would want her to find joyous love ... I love Gertie too much not to. Even if it has to be Malcolm. *grins*
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
There's a place in life for people who are a bit brash. Aside from their entertainment value! haha! But don't be down on those characteristics of yourself. You've noted yourself that you've learned to tone down a bit and not just say whatever pops into your head! :-)Yep, Malcolm got her to wear green, green, and green, and look all nice and cheerful. I was pretty sure you were remembering her post-Malcolm greenness when you mentioned the lime green suit. hee!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
I will share something simple I have learned. Humility is a virtue and pride is a liability. *nods* And I has lots more liabilities than virtues, me thinks.
I so love this chapter. The dragon riding is just so incredible ... and then the duel is ABSOLUTELY awesome! I love the giant field of sunflowers and the fireball - aka - fire don't hurt phoenixes - snap you're stunned, Buddy bit.
Give me a Madam!
Give me a Raven!
Ravenclaw's Madam Raven!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Holy COW! Bloo knows English!
Dragons Dragons Dragons!
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
It was a stunner to get any review from Bloo that didn't consist of "Cheers for posting." It became so tiresome to keep opening TPP review alerts, go to the review page, and discover yet another of the exact same three words. I didn't want to turn off alerts altogether because I was still getting a lot of real reviews for fics that were still WIPs at the time.I'm glad you enjoyed the dragon riding and the "whoops, you're Stunned!" at the end. :-)Thanks!
Madam Raven, remind me which house Siofre was sorted into?
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
She's Ravenclaw. And Lydia is Slytherin. Siofre's first husband - Merwyn's father - was Gryffindor, and her second husband Herbert was Hufflepuff.
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
I thought she was Ravenclaw. Still no idea who Lydia is ... I know her daughter is Maisy, or Maise or something like that.
Forgive me, I get all the McGonagalls and their affiliates, across yours, mine and Squibby's universes confused.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Lydia's her sister-in-law, remember? Murdoch Tyree's wife. She's a major CSG character. (I thought you were reading that at one point, but I must have misremembered.)
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
No I was reading it (you are correct), but in the last six months I've lost about 40 IQ points and have forgotten nearly everything I used to know ... so I am behind on RaM-verse extensions. Bad me ...
*sighs* Albus ... Albus ... Albus ... most romantic man to ever grace .... fiction. If only men could be so romantic anymore. That poem is beautiful ... I am guessing, since there are no foot-notes, that it is one of your originals?
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Yep, Albus and I wrote that way early in the story. I'm not much of a poet, but I thought it felt and sounded like a poem that Albus would write.
*snip*
“Ah, well, it’s best not to rush things. Enjoy it, Minerva, savour it. He’s likely nervous, as well. The age difference is probably causing him far more concern than it is you. His perspective is different from yours, and as I said when you were here on Friday, he is from a different time and place. He also has had experiences in his life that you and I, fortunately, have been spared, and that I can only dimly imagine.”
*snip*
I really like that. That shows uncommon wisdom.
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
*snip*
“No, simply . . . odd, disorienting, I suppose,” Albus replied, though Minerva thought that he did look tired and drawn. “It was so long ago, it is almost like remembering a dream. Collum was actually almost five years younger than I, in Aberforth’s year, but he was in my House, and I was also good friends with Perseus. Perseus and Crispinian were cousins of some sort, and Crispy was great friends with Collum, who was only a couple years younger than he. Anyway, for some reason – I don’t remember why, now – we were all here for a few days that summer after my NEWTs. I had just married, and I remember that Dervilia persuaded me that we should accept the invitation because I would be beginning my apprenticeship soon and would have much less time for my friends. I hadn’t been inclined to, wanting to spend the time with her, and feeling that they were all still children while I was a married man – at all of eighteen! But we actually had a good time. I remember that the girls – Siofre and Gwyn – visited once for the day and gave Dervilia some relief from our masculine company.” Now Minerva was beginning to feel peculiar. Gwynllian and Siofre, the “girls,” were her grandmothers. Perseus was Gwynllian’s brother, and Crispinian was her other grandfather. For a dizzying moment, Minerva felt as though she had stepped back in time, to a point when her Great-uncle Perseus was just a boy, friends with Crispinian, not knowing that Crispinian would marry his sister, Gwyn, nor that Collum would marry Siofre and die in an accident when his son, Merwyn, was just a baby. And Albus and Dervilia . . . that their happiness would be very short-lived.
*snip*
Woah ... yeah that would make me uncomfortable as well ... that is ... well that is just ... well ... my head would be swimming if I were Minerva.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Yes, it is dizzying for Minerva, and it gives her an appreciation for some of the points her mother made, and for how and why Albus would not be completely comfortable yet.
*snip*
“Hold still, Merwyn! Your collar is all askew here,” Egeria said with slight impatience.“Don’t see why we have to get all dressed up,” Merwyn grumbled. “I thought what I was wearing this morning was perfectly acceptable.” “Those old brown robes make you look like Friar Tuck,” Egeria grumbled back.“They do not! Besides, I thought you liked my brown robes. That’s what you said the last time I wore them!” “No, it isn’t. I said I liked taking them off of you. There is a difference,” Egeria said with a smile. She patted his tummy and added, “And you are right, you don’t look like Friar Tuck. You have a much nicer figure – though heaven only knows why, when you sit behind your desk all day or in the library with your feet up.”
*snip*
Tee hee hee ... now Madam Raven, don't take my head off here, as you know I tend to picture your characters in my mind regardless of how you describe him ... but I thought you'd like to know how I picture Merwyn ... and here I see that I was wrong.
I picture Merwyn of average height, black hair that is now full of silver and white, and a very round figure ... probably from all that sitting behind his desk.
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
*snip*
Minerva laughed. “Fly without a broom? No, haven’t mastered that, wouldn’t try. It’s not possible.”It was Albus’s turn to laugh. “Not impossible, merely very rare in this part of the world. And the Ministry would like to keep it that way. Hard to regulate that sort of thing. Most witches and wizards couldn’t accomplish it, anyway.”Minerva stopped and looked back at him. “You are joking, aren’t you?” “Not at all. I rarely do it, myself, although when I was with Master Nyima, I became quite adept. I would sometimes fly with Mother Dragon. I think that is one reason she took a liking for me, actually.”Minerva looked at him a moment, digesting this information, then she shook her head and continued the climb. Well, she hadn’t believed it was possible to become as completely invisible as Albus could, either. In fact, at the time, she had actually thought that she had always believed becoming invisible was as impossible as flight without a Charmed object. Apparently, it was, though not the way that she had believed. She should never underestimate Albus Dumbledore.
*snip*
*grins* I like this.
See ... we HP fans know that Dumbledore is brilliant and amazingly powerful ... but just to say it, well its a bit of a let-down, and harder to take as fact. But showing it ... especially in a sideways manner such as this ... an off-handed type of author's compliment, well that seems to me, to be perfection. I can truly appreciate his amazing talents here ... especially considering that Minerva (who is particularly powerful and talented) is amazed.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
I'm glad you liked that. :-)I remember knowing that I would slip that in way back when I wrote the chapter where Dumbledore invisibly observes Minerva doing her tutoring session, and I always envisioned it happening at her family home -- I'd originally been going to have him actually fly, but without a good reason, it would have felt too stilted, especially since his Animagus form flies, so that would be more natural.
*shakes head* Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm ... there is such a thing as tact .... *groans* sadly .... I think I get most frustrated with Malcolm because he reminds me of myself ... er ... I should clarify, my younger self, who was obnoxiously blunt and said what ever came to my mind ... and I likely came off as gruff and uncouth as Malcolm does ... so its an annoying reminder of just how ungracious I can be. *grumbles*
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
He doesn't always employ his internal censor, and he doesn't always have the best way of putting things, but his heart's usually in the right place. And when he wants to, when he puts his mind to it, he can be tactful. But that takes work for him!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Sounds like someone I know ... *groans* Another reminder for me. I guess some of us are just ungifted with the 'gracious' gene.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
He doesn't always employ his internal censor, and he doesn't always have the best way of putting things, but his heart's usually in the right place. And when he wants to, when he puts his mind to it, he can be tactful. But that takes work for him!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Sounds like someone I know ... *groans* Another reminder for me. I guess some of us are just ungifted with the 'gracious' gene.
FINALLY! Hooray for Quin and Wilspy ... *steals Wilspy and takes her to the island where she's stashed Gertrude*
I thought about stealing Quin but ... I am on this celibacy kick ...
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Oooohhhhh noooooes! *MMADfan enlists Quin to help find and steal back Wilspy and Gertrude*
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
*Quin turns on the charm , turning
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
's celibate knees to jelly so she can't chase after MMADfan as she steal back Wilspy and Gertrude*
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
*floats like a jellyfish (uber slow) across the water while she sees Quin, Gertrude and Wilspy sail off on the boat. Is quite sure Wilspy and Gertrude are crying and waving in mourning as Quin steals them both from the enchanted island*
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Heheheh!!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Its an island enchanted to have no mosquitos, sand flies, fire ants or thorny trees/bushes but lots of beautiful fish, both shell and fin, and a huge variety of fruit trees and veggies year round, and maintains a perfect temperature and humidity level ... *sighs*
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
I wanna go there!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Me too!
This is the chapter that I want to throttle Minerva and grant Quin sainthood ... honestly ... what she does to that poor man ...
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
I know. Minerva was not at her best there, was she? Poor Quin!
*snip*
Finally, at midnight, he went down to his office and opened the cupboard in which he kept his Charmed parchments. He rarely used them, and he hesitated to now. It would be prying . . . it would be for his own personal gain, not for school business. But he cast the necessary spells, and the results were clear and easy to read, there were so few people in the castle. Johannes was in his bedroom in Ravenclaw Tower. Gertrude and Malcolm . . . were both together. In her rooms. In her bedroom, in fact. Well, that answered one question that he hadn’t wished to ask. Johannes’s name was steady, but Gertrude’s and Malcolm’s names seemed to pulse, becoming thicker and bolder, then returning to the normal script. He could imagine what that might mean, and he averted his eyes. But Minerva’s name was not on the list. There was Fawkes listed. For some reason, he was perched in the Astronomy Tower. But no other being or creature was named. Albus still hadn’t set the wards properly to detect the ghosts. It had been a low priority, and he had never managed to get to it.
*snip*
OOOOOOOOOooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh, so THAT's how the Mara's Map was created! Or at least, that is one way ... nice little intry there, Madam Raven!
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Yes, the magic that allows those Charmed parchments is the magic that was tapped into to create the Marauders' map. It's part of the magic that was being tested and fixed that summer when Minerva helped with the wards, changing back and forth into her Tabby self to see whether the wards detected her identity when she turned into her Animagus form -- the wards had been so damaged that they no longer detected someone who was in Animagus form.Many years later, this became important for seeing Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black on the map. Also, by the time that he enlisted Minerva's help, Dumbledore had already fixed the ward that detected the true identity of someone who was disguised using Polyjuice -- meaning that during GoF, Potter saw that B. Crouch was searching Snape's office. Of course, he thought that it was B. Crouch senior, not the crazy son who had supposedly died in Azkaban. The fake Moody (Barty Crouch) took the map from Harry so that Harry wouldn't notice that Moody never left his office (where he was stuck in the trunk), and that where Moody apparently was, Crouch actually was.
*snip*
“I thought I was being seduced, but it has been a while . . . I may have been wrong,” Gertrude answered, her breath warm upon his face.
*snip*
I just love her wit.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
She is one sharp Slytherin, and she loves answering a question at a different level than it was being asked. :-)
*snip*
“Yes, you mentioned that at the party. You are aware of how Gertrude’s husband died, though?” Minerva asked.
*snip*
What the hell does that have to do with anything?
Goodness - Minerva has a serious voyeur problem, doesn't she? Naughty!
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
She's concerned that Malcolm might bring up a sensitive subject in an inappropriate way, for one, but mostly, she's worried that Malcolm might just be in it for the fun and that Gertrude is vulnerable if he just up and leaves. Gertrude hasn't formed any other attachment since the trauma of having her husband killed in such a gruesome manner, as far as Minerva knows, so Minerva's worred that Gertrude is opening herself up in a rare manner and that her brother might just be too cavalier with her feelings. (I'd have to reread the section, but that's what I remember o fher motivation.)I'm sure Minerva wishes she had better timing! lol!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
As I continued to read, Minerva's concern was apparent, as usual, in my typical Gryffie fashion - we leap before we look ... or rather, we shoot our mouths off before we have all the facts. *sighs*
Oh hooooo! Malcolm may think he doesn't want to become too ... attached ... but his heroic defense of 'good' Slytherins sure tells me something or other about a recent acquaintance of his.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Yes, he is definitely defensive here! Seems he is becoming more than a little attached to a certain Slytherin!
I so love Gertrude. I want a Gertrude in my life! *steals Gertrude and runs away*
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
*MMADfan puts on her running shoes and jogs after
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
*
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
*snip*
“It was a long time ago, as I said, that it all began. When I was a child, really, I suppose. I would like to be able to say with some modesty that my time as a student was unremarkable, but it was not. I excelled at whatever I put my hand, mind, and magic to. I was eager to learn, even more eager than you were – indeed, the Sorting Hat very nearly put me in Ravenclaw, but it decided, in the end, that my nature and my need were Gryffindor. “I chafed at what I saw were restrictions on me and my progress. I found most of my teachers wanting, and believed them dull and unimaginative. Nonetheless, I wanted to please them, and please them I usually did. But I pushed every boundary and stretched it. If it weren’t for the guidance and firm hand of Professor Futhark, I might have become even more insufferable than I no doubt was. But despite my general attitude, I found myself with friends of all types, and, with a rather foolish and overblown sense of my own importance, I came to believe myself not only advanced academically but also better than my peers and their natural leader. And, I suppose, I was – academically advanced and a leader, not better than they,” he clarified.
*snip*
I really like this ... it sounds very Albus to me ... save for the Ravenclaw bit *grins* but sometimes you just gotta tout yer house, right?
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
I think that sometimes, it's really clear that there's one House that a witch or wizard belongs in, and other times, there are others that would suit, too. I think Albus could have fit in with Ravenclaw -- he certainly pursued knowledge, both Light and Dark -- but there were bits of his personality that drove him that were Gryffindor that shaped his intellect and his use of it. (I can't have written that part of the monologue and really substituted "Hufflepuff" -- though I think that with a few tweaks to the text, Slytherin could have been included as an option -- he is a wily wizard, after all!)I'm glad you like it. It's one of the reasons that I think this section, these chapters, work better as a first-person recounting than as I had originally written it -- in the third person as a kind of flashback. We get to see Albus's personality then and now, and his own take on his character as a teen and young man, and how it developed.
*snip*
“Not a bit of trouble, my dear man, not a bit of it! A friend of the Headmaster’s is a friend of mine, I’d like to think! And dear Gertrude, of course.” He winked at Quin. “She’s quite the witch, isn’t she? Knew each other as students of course. Had a bit of a crush on me at the time, I think.”
*snip*
I have to laugh at this ... I just do ... he's a younger and less wise Slughorn than the Sluggy I know from HBP, so it does make sense that he'd brag a bit louder and exaggerate a bit stronger ... but saying that of one's co-worker - wow! That takes some ... something ...
You know I have a soft spot for Slughorn I think it would be fun to pick his brain and study him ... especially try to determine what conditions cause him to puff out his chest the most ... call me weird.
I also love any and all descriptions of the various houses, since we only see two of them in the movies - Slytherin and Gryffindor ... never did get a chance to see Ravenclaw's or Hufflepuff's ... shame really. I'd love to see the Badger room, all decked out in black and yellow - I think I'd feel like I was snug inside a giant bee hive! Oh and I would imagine there would be plenty of honey.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Yes, Sluggy's sense of grandiosity is quite at its peak here. And it's not yet been burst by the emergence of the Slytherin "Death Eater sect" led by one of his former star pupils. So he's amiably pompous, tries a bit too hard to chum-up to Quin, and yet there is a part of him that genuinely likes other people (in my view) and simply wants them to like him in return. I really enjoyed envisioning the Slytherin dorms and some of the more decent Slytherins in "The Sorting of Susie Sefton." It was fun to look at them from a different POV than we had in the books, and yet try to make it all still recognizably Slytherin.It would be neat to experience Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. And I wonder if Hufflepuff would be all honey with no stings attached ...
*snip*
“It is worth far more than that, Horace, as you know,” Gertrude said, “and even if you offered what it might fetch on the open market, you know the Headmaster still wouldn’t part with it. Your grumbling about it every time he generously chooses to share it is most unseemly and detracts from our enjoyment.”
*snip*
HAHAHAHAHA! Stop complainin and enjoy the bloody mead, yeh buggar!
I do like this chapter, I love just the idea that being a head of house, or even just a teacher, creates some sort of bond, or weave, in the magical wards and structure of the castle. And its nice to see the faculty supporting each other.
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
Oh and, I also love lore with the Sorting Hat - for some reason I find that 'character' of Rowling's to be fascinating.
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
I like to imagine that each teacher in the history of Hogwarts, especially Heads of Houses and Headmasters/mistresses, leave some of themselves, some of their magic, in the wards, helping to strengthen the school long after they're gone. That would be a heritage.The Sorting Hat is fascinating, and I think it is intriguing to contemplate whether it's sentient or not, and what its existence says about sentience, at least in the HP/Hogwarts universe.
*snip*
Besides, when I first began teaching, it wasn’t long after Reginald died. It didn’t feel as though it had been long, anyway. I was not particularly concerned with what I looked like. It became a habit. And now I’m too old to be worried about such things.”
*snip*
Oh how I can relate to that!
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Yeah, I think Gertrude is quite human here. But it's interesting how when Malcolm comes into her life, she begins to take an interest in her clothes again! Or at least, they reflect a cheerier self. :-)
*snip*
Albus smiled and sliced them each a piece. The cake itself was chocolate, and it was filled with raspberries and thick whipped cream. There was more whipped cream, Minerva thought, than cake. The icing was chocolate, one layer of an almost brittle icing, then a softer chocolate butter cream over that in decorative curlicues and rosettes. Whole raspberries topped it all off.
*snip*
GAH! I want a cake like that for my birthday - ANY birthday!
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Me too!
*snip*
“All right. Are you finished, then? Would you like more wine? I have another bottle – ”Albus laughed. “Are you getting me in practice for your brothers?”Minerva smiled. “I don’t think I could drink any more, either, but I thought I would offer. We can have some cognac with our dessert.”Albus pushed back from the table. “We could try out your wireless,” he suggested.“Good!” Minerva would be agreeable to almost anything he suggested right now.
*snip*
I'll bet she would!
Response from Fishy (Reviewer)
*snip*
Minerva looked up at him and was struck by how very attractive he was. In that moment, she would have agreed that the sound of monkeys banging ashcans was nice. Fortunately, this was the station’s “music for the dinner hour,” and really was pleasant.
*snip*
*bursts out laughing, barking in fact*
Response from MMADfan (Author of Resolving a Misunderstanding)
Minerva is in a very agreeable mood!