Chapter Three

Note: Not DH compliant. Disregards DH entirely.

Chapter Three

Minerva let Albus doze beside her, though she was wide awake. He had been running on too little sleep lately – well, habitually – and after making love to her as he had, he certainly deserved some rest, anyway. She watched his face as he slept, and smiled in wonder and happiness that she was actually looking at Albus, lying beside her in bed, and not at a little framed photograph that she had kept on her night stand for years. Now his face really could be the last thing she saw before she slept and the first she encountered on waking. Then she sighed. But the school year was beginning in a week, and their lives – and their nights – would not truly be their own.

She pushed that thought from her mind. For these three days, she would enjoy every single minute, savouring every one, and when the school year came and she saw less of Albus, she would be able to close her eyes, even if just for a moment, and transport herself back to their time on this island.

How peculiar, she still thought, that Albus hadn't understood that she would like his island, that she would appreciate his cottage and its rustic hominess. He knew her well enough . . . but then, Minerva knew how much he liked to make things "special" for her, and how well he succeeded. He was quite a romantic, and his repeated insistence to her that he wished to court her properly and not rush things had had her worried that they wouldn't make love for months. Fortunately, both their passions – and their long suppressed love for each other – were stronger than his desire to wait and to court her "properly." Within days, less than a week, after revealing their feelings to one another – and after a torturous summer filled with tension and misunderstandings – Albus had acceded to her desires, and she had expressed her passions for him on the sofa in her sitting room. Minerva grinned, remembering how she had been so aroused, neither of them had completely undressed. She had only uncovered him enough so that she could reach his erection and lower herself onto him – once she had banished her knickers. Her grin grew as she remembered how, two days later, when she had seduced him in a dark stone stairwell, Albus had likewise banished her knickers, but with so little thought that he hadn't known where he had banished them to. The silly wizard had found them that night under his pillow, no doubt where he had desired them to be.

Minerva couldn't restrain herself any longer, and she reached out and touched his cheek with a gentle fingertip, then she followed it with an equally gentle kiss. She felt him take a long breath and let it out with a sigh, and she settled her head back down on the pillow beside his. He would awaken soon enough. She would just enjoy feeling his warm solidity there next to her in the bed. When he awoke, it would likely be time for lunch. Minerva didn't know precisely what they were doing about meals or what sort of kitchen the cottage possessed, but Albus had reassured her that he would take care of all of that and she needn't expend a single thought on it. She would like to at least do breakfast for him once while they were there, though. She was no great cook, unlike her mother, who, despite their having family house-elves, enjoyed cooking and baking and had fun working with Fwisky in the large McGonagall kitchen. Still, she could manage breakfast, and a simple supper. And sandwiches. But cooking had never really interested her, and when she had lived in London, she usually took her main meal at noon at the Ministry and just had something quick and simple when she got home from work. And when she had lived with Rudolf, the Potions master had loved to cook and had barely trusted her near his kitchen without him there to supervise her. Which was probably wise, she thought with a smile.

Minerva sat up slightly and took a moment to look around the room. In addition to the larger pieces of furniture, there was a rush bench beneath one of the west-facing window, and in the far corner near the dresser, there was a small, armless rocker, with a seat of rush like the bench, which she hadn't seen when she first entered the room. A very large, old braided rug covered most of the floor between the bed and the west wall, and she had noticed that there was a smaller braided rug on either side of the bed, nice for the feet to land on before they found their slippers in the morning. Minerva did notice that there were no curtains on the windows, nor any window shades, though all of the windows that she had seen did have outside shutters. Minerva wondered whether Albus closed the shutters every night, or if he used a charm to keep out the morning light. Especially in the middle of the summer, when the sun rose very early and set very late, he must do something. She had noted that at Hogwarts he had heavy curtains over his windows, which he kept closed when he napped, so she doubted he simply allowed the morning light to wake him. He didn't seem to be a very early riser by nature, either, though he often did burn the candle at both ends of the day – and sometimes, she suspected, through the entire night, as well.

Albus stirred beside her, and she looked over at him. She smiled as his eyes opened, and she saw him smile as he saw her face and remembered where they were.

He reached up and pulled her to him for a kiss, then he stretched slightly.

"You should have woken me," he said, looking toward the windows and noting the change in light.

"I was enjoying lying here next to you, and if you could sleep, you probably needed it," Minerva answered.

"It must be almost time for lunch," Albus stated as he pushed down the covers. Minerva had removed her robes before they had climbed between the sheets, and he grinned as he saw her breasts. "Of course, lunch could wait . . ." He reached for her and caressed her breast, then his blue eyes met hers, and he said, "but I don't want to be a selfish host. I promised you a walk, and we haven't had one yet, and we should eat before we go."

Albus leaned forward and kissed each rosy nipple before kissing Minerva's lips.

"We don't need to eat right away," Minerva began.

"I need to clean up, as well. And you might like to freshen up, too – not that you need it!" he added hastily. Albus had once again cast gentlemanly freshening and cleaning charms after they had made love. "Perhaps I could use the bathroom and then while I see about getting us some lunch, you could dress and unpack."

"If I could use the loo first, though, I would appreciate that," Minerva said.

"I will sort out some clothes for myself while you do that," Albus replied, swinging out of bed.

Minerva smiled to watch him pad about the room, gathering their discarded clothes together with a wave of his hand as he raised one of his carpet bags to the foot of the bed with a flick of his wand. He had become much more comfortable around her, she thought, though she wouldn't be in the least surprised to discover that he had put on a dressing gown while she was in the loo.

A few minutes later, after having used the loo then puzzled over the separate hot and cold taps, one of which didn't seem to work and Albus having to explain that he had altered the Charmed plumbing so that the water mixed, and so she only needed to use one of the faucets, Minerva began to unpack as Albus hummed to himself in the bathroom.

"Do you have a preference for drawer space?" Minerva called out to him.

"Not at all," came his reply. "However you wish, my dear!"

The wardrobe was very basic, with no drawers or shelves, she noted, so she simply hung her robes in it, placed her shoes in the bottom, and put the rest of her things away in the dresser drawers. It would be nice to have a dressing table, she thought, and a mirror in the bedroom. There was a small one over the washstand in the bathroom, but none at all in the bedroom. Without a vanity, Minerva placed her hairbrush and other items on top of the dresser, leaving half of it free for Albus. She had put the little jewellery she had brought with her in the musical box that Albus had given her the night before they left Hogwarts, and she left that and her hairpins in it, as it seemed a sensible place to keep the small items while they were there at the cottage, and she placed that at the back of the dresser.

Her books and the few toiletries she had brought with her, and her one small vial of perfume, she left in her small carpet bag, placing it beside the wardrobe for lack of a better place for it. When Albus was through in the bathroom, she could perhaps find a spot for them on one of the shelves on the wall beside the washbasin. She had noted that there was soap and shampoo of some sort there, but not much else, so there should be room for her toiletries.

Albus emerged from the bathroom, pink-cheeked and bright-eyed, his hair and beard brushed and fluffy, dressed in robes of earth tones, sandy colours mixed with dusty greens and muted blues, the same ones he had worn on the breakfast picnic he had brought her on early in the summer, before they had realised that they both felt the same way about each other. Minerva loved the robes on him, particularly the way that they emphasised his long legs and broad chest. The skirts of the robes looked narrow, but there were deep pleats on either side that allowed Albus to walk and move freely.

"You look wonderful," Minerva said with appreciation, placing her hands on his chest and running them up over his shoulders.

She hadn't dressed, merely tossed a dressing gown loosely around her, and Albus echoed her gesture by placing his palms over her breasts and rubbing them gently, then taking her by the shoulders, pulling her closer, and bending and kissing her mouth. He deepened his kiss and brought one hand to her buttocks, squeezing and pressing her against him.

"You feel that," Albus said in a low voice, "do you feel that?" He bumped against her. "That is what you do to me." He kissed her again, massaging her buttocks with one hand, his other arm around her beneath her dressing gown.

Minerva brought both hands to his buttocks and pulled him toward her. She pressed herself against him rhythmically, and Albus gasped and gripped her harder.

"Mmm, you do feel nice," she murmured before his lips met hers again.

She rolled her hips, and Albus moaned into her mouth. He drew back with a gasp and looked down at her, trying to control his breathing.

"Are you ready again? So soon?" he asked. Albus stepped forward, forcing Minerva to back up until she was against the wall by the door. He moved his hand from her buttocks to her clit and let out a soft moan. "Oh, so wet again . . ." He put his finger into her. "So wet, inside and out."

He kissed her mouth as he fondled her, then he pulled back. "Do you want it again?" he whispered, pressing himself against her, and she could feel his erection through his robes. "Do you?"

"Yes, yes . . ." Minerva tried to find the fastenings to his robe, but they had Charmed seams, and he chuckled as she tried to find where they began.

"You are a little vixen, you know that, don't you, Professor McGonagall?"

"Yes, yes, I am," Minerva said, ready to agree with him on anything. Where were the blasted fastenings?

Albus touched the centre seam below his waist, and his robes opened. His cock, firm and erect, peeked out, and he took Minerva's hand in his.

"Is this what you want?" he asked, bringing her hand to his erection, where she grasped him. "Is this what you want, my naughty little vixen?"

"That is what I want, yes," Minerva said, looking up into his smiling eyes.

"Then you shall have it."

Albus began to kiss her again, and he brought both hands behind her buttocks and lifted. He broke his kiss for just a moment, and asked very softly, "A bit of a charm, too, my dear?"

Minerva nodded in response, and she could feel herself lifted by magic as Albus brought his hands around, placed them on her breasts, and pressed her against the wall. He kissed her lips, then her jaw, then her throat, and as he kissed and nipped at her throat and shoulders, Minerva stroked his erection. Albus reached down and took her hand away.

"No, no, no, my naughty one," he whispered, moving her hand to her side.

The charm raised her further, and Albus began to tease her breasts with his tongue, first one, then the other, as he touched her clitoris with tantalising caresses. Minerva tried to wriggle against his finger, but discovered that she was held too firmly to the wall, so she simply let go and allowed herself to enjoy his light, teasing touches.

A few moments later, and she slid back down the wall, though her feet still weren't touching the floor, and the head of Albus's cock replaced his finger as he rubbed it against her clitoris. Now her breath was coming in gasps, and as he teased her with the head of his cock, he watched her face, her parted lips, her unfocussed eyes. She began to come, and she tried to move with him, but still to no avail, but he pressed against her harder, providing all the stimulation she needed. She had barely peaked when Albus drew back then thrust hard, entering her.

As he stroked and thrust within her, his hands at play on her breasts, he murmured to her, "Minerva, come, Minerva, Minerva, my love, come, come again, come again, my love, my darling, my dearest, come, come, my sweet little vixen."

As he murmured and thrust, Minerva was carried from one orgasm into another, and she grasped his shoulders tightly, and finally, hardly knowing where she was or what she was saying, she cried out, "Fuck me, fuck me, Albus, gods, yes, yes, Albus, now, now, now!" And she came again, contracting in waves around his cock as he orgasmed and ejaculated within her.

He rested his forehead against her head as he thrust one final time, letting out a long, moaning breath as he emptied himself in her warmth.

"Gods, Minerva, I love you . . . I love you."

They slowly caught their breath, and Albus put one arm under her buttocks and the other around behind her, then he slipped out of her as he set her on her feet. He held onto her a while longer, then Minerva sighed and pulled away.

She looked up at him, smiling, "I think we just may have undone all the 'freshening' you did in the bathroom."

"A charm or two will take care of that, although it never feels quite the same as a good wash." He grinned down at her. "You really are a little vixen, though, Professor."

"Mmm, well, if that's so, you have a bit of a naughty streak, yourself, Dumbledore! You didn't have to do that, you know – though I must admit that I am glad you did!" Minerva was pleased that Albus was becoming so free to express himself sexually with her. After all of their misunderstandings, and after the difficulties he had in overcoming his reservations about the differences in their ages, and then the other insecurities that had been brought on by a particularly nasty witch, it was very good to see him shed his doubts and discomforts and let himself go with her. "And," she added, "I rather liked that charm, but it was somewhat frustrating not to be able to move very much."

Albus quirked a mischievous grin. "A little dose of frustration can be a good thing when it is relieved – and I do believe that I . . . relieved you of that frustration, didn't I?"

"You certainly did, but I do think I may have to explore this naughty Dumbledore," Minerva replied as she ran her hands over his chest, "and see what else he can get up to."

"I think I would enjoy that," Albus said, his breath warm in her ear as he pulled her close for one more embrace.

Albus tucked himself away, closed up his robes, cast a few charms, then pecked Minerva on the forehead.

"I'll just see about getting us some lunch, my dear. Something fast and simple, I think, since we do want to take a walk this afternoon," he said. "You just take your time."

"All right, Albus. I'll make myself beautiful for you then join you in a bit," Minerva replied.

"You couldn't do that: you are already the most beautiful creature in the world." He looked at her appreciatively. "I suppose you might be more comfortable in something more than your dressing gown, though, especially when we take our walk."

Minerva laughed at that. "Yes, I do believe some clothes and shoes might be in order. For at least part of the walk, anyway."

A sudden smile lit Albus's face, and Minerva knew that some idea, likely to do with her shedding her clothes, had entered his head. She had undressed for him when they were on a picnic a couple days before that, and he had enjoyed watching her very much. Perhaps he had some similar notion in mind.

Fifteen minutes later, Minerva, freshly washed and wearing her walking robes of Wedgewood blue, came downstairs to find Albus in the kitchen. It wasn't large, but there was room for a slate-topped work table, and there were a few cupboards and an old cooker that looked like an old-fashioned Muggle coal stove, though she was fairly certain it had never seen life as such a thing. Albus was stirring something in a pot, then he raised the spoon to his lips and tasted.

He held out the spoon to her. "I think it needs a little salt, what do you think?"

Minerva took a taste. "I think it's fine, actually, but a little more salt would be all right."

"Please, have a seat. It will all be ready in just a minute!" Albus said. "You can wait in the other room if you prefer, though I would enjoy your company."

Minerva sat on a square stool, one of three in the kitchen. "Can I do anything to help?"

"When everything's ready, you can help me Levitate it into the other room, if you like. There's also lemonade in the cool cupboard – that's the one with the blue handle, my dear – and you could pour us each a glass, if you like."

Albus had set out two plates, two sets of cutlery, and two tall glasses. Minerva opened the small cool cupboard, the walls of which glowed so that she could easily find the jug of lemonade, and was surprised to see how well-stocked it was. She hadn't been aware that Albus had brought so many provisions.

"Did you bring this all today?" she asked as she poured their glasses.

"No, only a few things. Most of it I had Wilspy bring yesterday afternoon so that we would be well-prepared and I wouldn't have to think about it today," Albus replied.

He waved his hand to open one of the doors in the cooker; with another gesture, a pan emerged from the oven and settled on the cook top.

"I hope this will be satisfactory, my dear," he said, as he arranged the food on the plates and poured Hollandaise sauce over them. He had made some kind of open-faced sandwich, and melted cheese bubbled on top of them. Albus looked at them critically. "They could use a garnish, but I didn't think of that." He shrugged and turned to Minerva with a smile. "If you could get the lemonade, I'll bring the rest."

Albus Levitated their lunch into the main room and settled it onto the table, placing their silverware properly on either side, and including a napkin by each plate. Minerva brought the entire jug of lemonade with her and set a glass of it by each place.

"I will do something nicer for you for dinner, I promise," Albus said.

"This is perfect, Albus. And it looks very good," Minerva said, her appetite whetted. "We want to enjoy the rest of the afternoon, too."

They ate fairly quickly, although Minerva emphasised to Albus how much she enjoyed it. His Hollandaise was particularly nice, she thought.

"Just a pinch of nutmeg," Albus said, pleased that Minerva had enjoyed his simple meal. Cooking a nice sauce was a bit like brewing a potion, he had always found, and the right sauce with the right dish could work magic on an otherwise plain meal.

The two left the cottage, and Albus led her toward the southern tip of the island, in the opposite direction of the small mountain they had arrived on earlier that day.

"I thought you might like to watch the seals and porpoises for a while, and then walk along the beach," Albus explained. "The beach where the seals like to gather to sun themselves is in a nice little cove, and the sand is soft and fine there. The other beaches, such as they are, are quite rocky. There's another one to the north, just northeast of where we arrived, that has some lovely smooth, flat rocks, though, and there are some nice quiet pools of water, as well."

Albus took her hand as they walked, and he pointed out various plants and animals to her, though often they didn't see the animal, only the trace it had left behind it, which Albus's sharp eyes caught. When they reached the sand where a few seals lay, warming themselves in the afternoon sun and ignoring their visitors, Albus let go of Minerva's hand then bent and pulled off the light shoes he had put on in anticipation of their gentle afternoon stroll.

As he took off his socks, he looked up at Minerva and said, "You should take off your shoes and socks, Minerva. The sand really is very nice, and if you don't, you'll just get sand in your shoes, which can be uncomfortable."

Minerva shrugged, then, holding onto him with one hand, she removed first one shoe and stocking then the other. She saw Albus watch as she rolled down her stockings to remove them, and she smirked.

"Want to help, Albus?"

"No, no, my dear! Just enjoying the view! I don't want to become too distracted," he said with a laugh. "And you don't want to tire me out too much, or I may simply fall asleep as soon as we go to bed tonight."

Minerva grinned. "Don't forget our bath! You did promise you would help me test the bathtub and see how well it accommodates two!"

"Of course, my dear, of course! I do try to keep my promises," Albus replied.

They spent the rest of the afternoon strolling along the beach, sitting on rocks and watching the porpoises and seals out in the water, and then, after putting their shoes back on, walking through some fields of mixed grasses and heather. They spoke of everything and nothing, and when Albus said that he was feeling like it was time for tea and they returned to the cottage, Minerva insisted on making it. After all, as long as she had the tea, the pot, and the water, her wand did the rest and she didn't need to know how his cooker functioned. She believed that Albus would wait on her hand and foot if she wanted him to – or let him – but she wanted to be able to do things for him, as well.

She emerged from the kitchen, the tray levitated in front of her, to find Albus sitting on the sofa, his feet up on a small stool, his eyes closed. They snapped open as she approached, however, and he smiled.

"I see you found the biscuits, too," he said as she lowered the tray to the table in front of him.

"Yes, and you included ginger newts. That was very thoughtful."

"If I had forgotten them, I am sure that Wilspy would have remembered," Albus replied.

The two sat and drank their tea and munched on their biscuits, and when Minerva arose to find her shawl, Albus asked if she were cold.

"Just a bit chilly. After all the exercise in the sun, it feels a little cool now," she said.

Albus nodded, and when she returned from fetching her tartan shawl of blues, greens, and greys, she found that Albus was standing and he had started a fire, which was already blazing beautifully, thanks no doubt to his magic and to his skill with fire, and the room was much warmer. The flames reflected orange and red against his face as he turned to her with a smile.

"I supplemented the fire with a Warming Charm on the room. I don't know if you will still need the shawl – though it is a very pretty one," Albus said.

"Thank you, I don't believe I do need it," Minerva replied, placing her shawl on the back of the sofa. She walked over to him and put her arms around him, looking up into his face. "You are quite wonderful, Albus."

"You bring out the best in me, my dear, that is all," Albus said softly, but he bent his head and kissed her, returning her embrace. "You are my love," he whispered, "my love and my life."