Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Minerva shivered, wrapped in the towel Albus had conjured for her. He waved his wand and cast a Warming Charm over the air around her, dried her hair with another charm, then Summoned their clothes and the picnic basket. He drew out their picnic blanket and spread it out on the warm rock. Finally, he cast a charm on himself to dry his hair and beard, though water still beaded on his body. His erection was not fully faded, though the cold water had taken its toll.

Minerva sat on the blanket, her lips still blue and her teeth chattering. "Honestly, Dumbledore, I don't know how you could think that was fun."

She had shrieked as soon as she entered the water, a most unbecoming sound coming from her, she thought. She was not a shrieker. But Albus was in the water. It had to get better. She waded further out, but was just about to change her mind about this particular activity when Albus swam toward her and pulled her in. Once she was over the initial shock, the water did feel better, she didn't feel as cold, and she swam about with Albus, even enjoying it when, in deeper water, he had treaded water, holding her close and kissing her. But she didn't feel entirely at home, and she began to get cold. When her teeth began to chatter uncontrollably, Albus insisted that they return to the beach. Minerva told him he could stay in, but her words were barely intelligible, coming from between her chattering teeth and her blue lips.

Fortunately, they were close to the beach, and it didn't take long for them to get out of the water. The breeze on Minerva's skin initially made her feel even colder, despite the warmer air temperature and the sunshine. Embarrassed, she wondered if she'd even be able to wave her wand to dry off – or make it over to where her clothes and her wand lay, for that matter. But she needn't have worried. Albus immediately picked her up and carried her to a warm, dry, flat rock and conjured a huge towel for her, without even using his wand. After Summoning his wand, he continued to quietly take care of her before drying his own hair and sitting on the blanket beside her, his legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed, leaning back on his arms.

"Better now?" he asked, smiling slightly, but some concern in his voice.

Minerva nodded. She should have come out of the water as soon as she began to get cold again. Foolish pride.

"I don't know why you aren't shivering and blue," Minerva said, somewhat disgruntled at the unfairness of it.

Albus shrugged. "I don't like the cold, but I just . . . think warm, I suppose you could say, and tell myself I'm not cold."

Minerva reached out and touched his hands. They were cold, but when she placed her hand on his stomach, he was much warmer than she would have thought – certainly a good deal warmer than she was. "I'd ask you to hold me and warm me up," she said, "but I'm afraid I'd just make you cold." She'd begun to shiver slightly again.

Albus raised his wand and cast two more Warming Charms, one on the towel and one on the air around her. "That should help, as should this."

He moved behind her, conjured a large cushion behind himself, leaned back, and pulled Minerva toward him to rest with her back against his chest, his legs stretched out on either side of her. He kissed the back of her head. They sat like that for a while, listening to the sounds of the sea, Albus's arms around her, his hands clasped in front of her, hers clutching the towel to her as she slowly warmed up.

"I can think of something else that would warm you up," he said, slipping his hand inside her towel and cupping her breast.

Minerva leaned her head back against his shoulder and closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of Albus playing with her breast. Crossing his arms over her, he slipped his other hand around to fondle her other breast.

"Mmm, you have lovely breasts, Minerva," he said softly, his voice a rumble against her, a breath in her ear. "I love to touch them. I love to hold them, to play with them, to kiss them." His tongue went out and met her ear, entering then circling. "And I love to lick them and suck. Mmm, I cannot decide which I prefer, to kiss and lick and suck here," he said, squeezing her nipple and teasing it gently, "or if I prefer this." He moved one hand down, grazing and caressing her abdomen before reaching her crux. "I do so love to touch and suck and lick you here," he whispered, his finger touching her clit. "And the way you taste, especially when you come, mmm. Yes, I do love to touch and kiss you here." His finger pressed against her, then he pressed his palm to her and began to roll her folds against her clitoris.

He pulled her closer and moved against her back, still wrapped in the towel, pressing his erection against her. Minerva's eyes were still closed, and her lips were parted; now she was no longer pale and blue. Her lips were rosy and her skin flushed.

"I love how very responsive you are, Minerva, I love to see you lose yourself to your passion, I love to give you pleasure, and I love to make you come," he said, his voice still low, one hand rolling her nipple between his fingers, the other pressing and rubbing her below. "You are beautiful and extremely attractive. Seeing you undress arouses me more than you can know. You are so very, very beautiful, and I love you, Minerva. I love you beyond anything I ever could have imagined."

Albus bent his head and kissed her shoulder as she turned her head to give him access. He gently nipped it, then kissed the side of her neck.

"When we're making love, my dearest, no matter how or where, all of me wants you to know how much I love and adore you, how much I cherish you . . . I love to play, to play with you, to tease, but above all, I love to love you." He punctuated his final words by slipping his hand down from her clit and sliding a finger into her entrance. Minerva moaned lightly and spread her legs further. "Do you want me, Minerva?" he whispered as he slid his finger against her and entered her with it again.

"I want you," Minerva answered. "I want you now and I want you always." She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. "Even when we aren't making love, we are. You always make me feel loved, cherished, beautiful, exciting. I love you, Albus."

Albus kissed her neck again, and as he did, he bent one leg and began to move around her to one side, kissing her the entire time. Now she was sitting, his arms still around her, one of his legs bent behind her as he brought the other one over her legs. Minerva let go of her towel as Albus moved, and she reached for his erection. His hands travelled over her body, one hand cupping and fondling her breasts in turn, the other, caressing her back. His lips moved over her throat to her face, kissing her cheeks, her eyelids, her mouth. He held her between his legs and reached down to find her crux again. As he touched her warmth and her moisture, he moaned into her mouth. His fingers pleasured her as she stroked his erection, and when he began to come, the spell still holding back his final release, his hand pounded against her, three fingers thrusting in her again and again, and Minerva broke away from the kiss, gasping as she began to come. She called his name and asked him for more, and he gave her more, not stopping until she was lying limp in his arms, still resting between his legs, slumped against his chest, one hand wound through his hair, the other at his beard.

Minerva looked up at him, her eyes moist. "I love you, Albus, and I want you, I want you still," she whispered. She moved her hand back down to his still-erect cock. "This . . . this, in me . . . make us one, Albus, make us one for just a little while."

Albus kissed her and moved so that she was leaning back against the conjured cushion. He knelt in front of her, touching her only with his gaze, seeming to drink her in, her hair spread out behind her and falling across her shoulders, some sand dusting one arm, her breasts, creamy, and her nipples, peaked and darkly rosy, the late afternoon sun casting a long shadow behind her and accenting her feminine contours. His eyes met hers, then he reached out and he raised her knees, pressing them toward her, spreading her legs at the same time, bringing her feet closer to her body, opening her even further to his gaze. With her legs spread and knees bent, he could see her dusky folds and her engorged clitoris. He licked his lips and let out a breath. He reached out with one finger and grazed her glistening clitoris, then touched her opening, but did not enter.

Albus moved forward on his knees in front of her. When his knees met her buttocks, he reached out and took hold of her from both sides, lifting her gently from beneath as he slid closer to the cushion and pulled her up onto his lap.

"Lean back," Albus whispered, and Minerva leaned back so that her shoulders were resting against the cushion.

He pulled her toward him more until her crux was open against his erect cock. "Hold on to me," he said softly.

Minerva took hold of his upper arms as Albus rose up on his knees until found the right angle to enter her. Using one hand to guide him, he let Minerva slide down over him until he was sheathed within her, her legs still bent, her knees near his shoulders. Now he rocked back on his heels, bringing Minerva with him, away from the cushion. Albus put his arms around her and kissed her, his lips moving sensuously over hers, pulling, sucking, caressing, and he began to gently rise and fall, lifting her and moving within her, and she moved with him, sliding over him, lifting herself and lowering herself, placing her feet on the blanket on either side of him and pushing up, then letting herself fall to meet him, her breasts and clitoris rubbing against his chest and beard, and her crux massaging itself against his pelvis as she lowered herself over him. The two rocked together, arms around each other, kissing, caressing, joined and moving with each other. The sensations of near orgasm went on and on, until finally, Minerva's passions overwhelmed her as he continued to thrust within her, and she needed more, and faster.

She had moved her legs lower as they rocked together, and now she pressed against him, pushing him back against the blanket, and, supporting herself on her knees, she sat up and began to slide over him, faster and faster, Albus alternating his gaze between the point where their bodies joined and watching Minerva's face as her ecstasy grew. She began to come, a pulsating pleasure that began deep and expanded outward to envelope her entire body, her entire being, even seeming to enter into her magic.

"I love you, Albus! Albus, oh, I love you, I love you! Gods, Albus, my dearest, my only love, my one, my Albus, my love! Only you, always, only you, Albus, Albus!"

Albus pulled her to him and, kissing her, rolled her over onto her side. Never letting go of her, he continued to pump into her, maintaining the rhythm she had begun, carrying her through her orgasm and into his own. He released the charm and came within her, feeling as though his life was leaving him and entering her, but that he lost nothing, that greater life was entering him as he came, whispering her name, a soft, breathless chant of, "Minerva, Minerva, Minerva . . ."

They lay together like that a while, their legs entangled, and Albus slowly slipping out of her as he relaxed. Minerva felt warm and whole, and she sighed with contentment. She heard something and raised her head to see what it was. She blinked, then a smile crossed her face.

"Albus, Albus," she whispered.

Albus, who had been nearly asleep, opened his eyes groggily, but smiled at her.

"Very, very slowly," Minerva said, "turn your head and look around behind you."

Albus did as she instructed, and he breathed out a soft chuckle. Lined up watching them were four seals, each one smaller than the one to its right, and all apparently fascinated by the two peculiar animals in front of them and waiting for them to do something interesting again. Albus turned back toward Minerva with a grin.

"Well, we had an audience!"

Minerva laughed. "We must have been their afternoon entertainment. Special guest performance!"

"Mmm, well, if you ever begin to display any exhibitionist tendencies, my dear, I'll bring you down here, and we can perform for the seals!"

Minerva playfully slapped at his arm. "Albus Dumbledore! Exhibitionist tendencies! Really!"

"You're the one with the fantasy of doing it in the gardens with people walking around!" Albus said in protest.

"That is not precisely my fantasy, and you know it. Behind the greenhouses, and no one actually sees us, there's just the danger that they might. And it's only a fantasy, after all," Minerva said, pretending to be put out. "And what about you? Wanting to perform for the portraits in your office?"

"That was a mere . . . coincidence, because we happened to be in my office where they also are. And it wasn't a fantasy, it was a dream," Albus reminded her. "I didn't allow myself to fantasise about you."

"I know . . ." Minerva caressed his arm. She looked at his face, smiling. "So, do you have any now? Fantasies?"

"None at all – I have been very satisfied with reality these last few days. Not that I haven't thought about being intimate with you, but it was more remembering previous encounters and anticipating the next," Albus said, "not actually fantasising."

Minerva had been somewhat taken aback when he first began to answer her – none at all? But now she smiled. "But you might in the future?"

"I am certain of it . . . I will be missing you and sitting in some boring meeting somewhere, and my thoughts will travel to you, and what I would like to be doing with you, and be very glad that my thoughts are safe and private. Then if I couldn't see you as soon as the meeting was over, I would go to my suite and I would fantasise about you again, and I would fantasise about telling you my fantasy."

"You would fantasise in the middle of a meeting?" Minerva asked, surprised.

"I think it would make it bearable. I will just have to make sure I wear very full robes in case there are any . . . side effects to my fantasy."

"But won't people be able to tell – at least that your mind is elsewhere?"

"Half of them think likely I'm a barmpot, anyway. If I seemed less . . . present than usual, I doubt most people would notice. They would probably all think that I was dreaming up a thirteenth use for dragon's blood or something of the sort," Albus said with a laugh.

Minerva shook her head, unsure whether to be amused or disapproving. "Well, the half that don't already think you're a . . . a barmpot, will, no doubt, once your eyes glaze over and you start to go all flushed. They'll think you're half-daft or ill, at the best!"

Albus just laughed again.

Minerva looked at the sky. "It will be sunset soon. We should dress and Apparate to the mountain to watch it."

"Don't you want to go in to dinner, my dear? I was planning something rather nice for our evening meal today."

Minerva hesitated. "But it would take a while to prepare, and I don't want to miss a sunset. And tomorrow, it may be rainy or overcast."

"But aren't you hungry?" Albus asked.

"A bit. But there are biscuits left from lunch, and some lemonade. We could have that while we watch. And then we can have a late supper."

"We never even had our tea today," Albus said, protesting mildly. He was rather fond of his afternoon tea.

Minerva looked at the sky again. "Well, if we really hurried, you could probably get back to the cottage and make some tea and we could drink it with our biscuits now."

"That wasn't my point . . . but you want to go to the mountain to see the sunset." He smiled at her. "Then we will go to the mountain and see the sunset." He leaned toward her and kissed her nose. "I did promise to bring you today, after all. And biscuits will hold us for a while."

"Good!" Minerva stood, brushing off the bit of sand that somehow ended up on one side of her. "Let's dress and Apparate up there straight away. It could be that it's not quite at sunset that Ablach appears, but sometime before that."

Albus laughed and pushed himself to his feet. "I thought you were the sceptic?"

"Well, I am, but if all of these people say they have seen it, and your brother, too . . ." Minerva hesitated, thinking of some of the peculiar things she had heard about Aberforth Dumbledore. She shrugged. "If there's something there to be seen, I want to know it! And it could be exciting, if it really does exist and we really do see it one day."

"It's unlikely that that day will be today, as I am glad you recognise," Albus said. He began to get dressed, having a faster time of it than Minerva, as she had more articles of clothing to put on. He had a lightweight, buttoned under-robe and a slightly heavier, shorter over-robe that closed with a few hooks at the waist, and that was it.

Albus picked up his boots and socks, then folded the blanket with a wave of his hand. "I recommend carrying your shoes, Minerva, and putting them on when we get there. We can get rid of any sand up there without having more of it work its way in as we're putting them on."

"Good idea," Minerva said with a nod. "Do me up in back?" she asked. She could do it herself quite easily, as the hooks were all charmed, but it was nice to have him help her.

After he had done that and Minerva was pulling on her loose over-robe, Albus looked around, a puzzled look on his face.

"Lost something, Albus?"

"My hat. When I Summoned it, I didn't think to put a charm on it to hold it down. It must have blown off somewhere." Albus reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand. "Accio hat!"

A second later, there was a grunting from some seals down at the water's edge, and the hat was pulled away from them and soared toward Albus.

Albus held the hat in his hands and looked down at it sadly. Minerva tried not to giggle.

"This was my favourite summer walking hat," he said, a slump to his shoulders. "There's too much missing to use a Reparo." Albus sighed. "I might as well leave it for them to play with."

He tossed it back toward the seals, using a bit of magic to carry it all the way to the group that had been playing with it. As he saw two of them begin to play a kind of tug-of-war with it, Albus grinned.

"You got over that loss quickly!" Minerva remarked.

"That's a nice way for a hat to end its life, I think! And I can get another," Albus said. "Ready to go? Good. I'll get the basket, you take our shoes, if you don't mind, Minerva, and I'll meet you there!"

An hour and a half later, they returned to the cottage, Minerva undaunted by the fact that nothing had appeared to them but white-tailed sea eagles and some other handsome birds. They had also seen several small red deer – the smallest Minerva had ever seen – popping out of one stand of trees, staring at them, then bounding away across some bracken, heading down toward a larger wood. She was in quite a cheerful mood when they landed in the main room, and Albus was warmed to see her so happy.

Minerva put her arms around him. "Thank you for an absolutely perfect day, Albus!" She reached up and kissed his cheek before leaning against him with a contented sigh.

"I am very glad you found it so," Albus replied, running his fingers through her hair, which was still down from their swim.

Looking up at him, Minerva asked, "Didn't you enjoy it, Albus?"

"I did. Very, very much. It was certainly a most wonderful day, indeed!" He kissed her upturned face. "But it could have been storming gales outside and we alone in here, and it would have been equally perfect, if you were here with me. Still, it was very satisfying all around. You didn't mind not seeing the hidden island, then?"

"No. And as you were saying earlier today, the pleasure isn't necessarily in attaining the goal!" Minerva said, turning his own words back on him as she so often did.

Albus chuckled. "Ah, yes, I can be so very wise at times! Yet so very forgetful of the fact!" he said self-deprecatingly.

"I think I'll go clean up – join me?"

"No, my dear, as enticing as that sounds. I think that I will put away our picnic – I don't mind at all! – and get us a quick supper. How does that sound?" Albus asked.

"Fine, I'm not particularly hungry at the moment, after the biscuits, but I'm sure I will be! Between the walk and our swim – and our time on the beach – we should both be ravenous."

"I admit to being more than slightly peckish, myself," Albus said. "You go up and take your time, though."

Minerva undressed and washed, running the water in the old claw-footed bathtub, then climbing in, sitting down, and making a makeshift shower by directing the stream of water up and over her in an arc so she could wash the sand and seawater out of her hair. She dried her hair and brushed it out, then went into the bedroom and opened the musical box, smiling when Liebestraum began playing.

She found her Charmed amber earrings that Albus had given her the week before, and the amber necklace that she had bought for herself several years ago in Heidelberg. She pulled out her tortoiseshell hair combs from the box, as well, then went back into the bathroom and finished putting her hair up. Even though there wasn't time for Albus to cook them the meal that he had planned, she wanted to look especially nice for him, particularly as he had been so flexible about changing his plans to suit her whims. She had brought one rather nice set of robes – no evening gown, to be sure, but still, prettier and more feminine than her walking robes– and she put them on. The heathery greens of the robes complemented the amber necklace well, she thought. Despite being somewhat nicely dressed, Minerva decided against stockings, merely casting a charm on her light slippers to have them match her skirts, and she went down to see if she could help Albus finish getting dinner.

"Ah, there you are, my dear! And you look lovely!" Albus smiled as he looked at her from over the heavy pan he has just recovered. "Everything is almost ready. Just bubble-and-squeak tonight, and a few sausages. I hope that suits?"

"It sounds good and smells even better!" Minerva's appetite had returned as she had dressed.

"I am afraid the meal is not what I had hoped, nor is it as fine as your attire," Albus said.

"I'm not precisely dressed up, but I did want to try to look nice for you." She went over to him and embraced him. "You have been very flexible, changing your plans at my whim. I appreciate that, Albus, thank you."

Albus kissed her forehead. "I had very few specific plans, and all of yours sounded very good. And we are on holiday. One of the nicest things about being on holiday is not having to stick to plans and schedules."

"But you stuck to mine today," Minerva said, remembering how he would have preferred to have waited and had a more leisurely lunch before continuing their walk.

He grinned. "It did get us to our swim sooner, so that was fine with me!"

"Oh, so you had planned that all along!" Minerva exclaimed. So that was what he'd been thinking about when she'd been wearing only her dressing gown the previous day. "That's why we started our walk where we did, and not at some point closer to the cottage. You tricky wizard!"

Albus chuckled. "I had simply hoped that we might be able to end our walk with a swim, that's all."

"A swim in the nude," Minerva pointed out.

"That is the only way I ever swim here. Of course, I am usually alone." He couldn't help the broad grin on his face. "Not to say that getting you undressed again wasn't a highly motivating factor! Especially outdoors."

"Now I would say that you certainly are a naughty wizard, Professor Dumbledore!"

"Mmhm, and you love it," he said, running his hands down her back to her buttocks and squeezing.

"You are right. I do." Minerva said, mimicking his gesture.

Albus kissed her lips lightly, then said, "I don't want to burn our dinner, my dear. The pan isn't charmed to keep it from burning."

"All right, then. I'll set the table while you finish up," Minerva said, letting him go.

When they sat down to their simple supper a few minutes later, Minerva thanked him for cooking again. "I am afraid that my interest in the culinary arts was never ignited," she admitted. "Although I could do a simple meal such as this." She looked at the food on her plate. "I must say, though, that even my bubble-and-squeak doesn't look anything like yours."

"I hope that it is satisfactory," Albus replied, a slight worried frown flitting across his face.

"I am sure it will be," Minerva said, picking up her fork. "But I never put carrots in mine."

"I almost always shred a carrot or two into it. It adds some colour and flavour."

Minerva tasted it. "It's very good, Albus! What did you put in it? This isn't just cabbages and potatoes, not at all."

"Just this and that. Some diced turnips. Some turnip greens. Onion. The carrot. A few herbs. Butter. The potato was left over from yesterday. A drop of cream. The cabbage, of course." He shrugged. "It's nothing special."

"It is the best bubble-and-squeak I've ever had," Minerva declared truthfully.

He smiled, pleased. "It is never the same twice, but I used to make it often in the winter when I cooked for myself. It's not terribly seasonal, but I thought it would be filling after our long day, and you did get quite chilled earlier."

"I've never put anything much in it but the potatoes and cabbage or kale or something of that sort. And some onion, if I remember to." Minerva thought it was a very good thing she wasn't cooking. "The sausages are very nice, too. You are spoiling me, Albus."

"Nonsense. Although I am glad you are happy with it."

"You know, Albus," Minerva said after she had almost cleaned her plate, "I feel as though I've been dictating what we're to do while we're here. What would you like to do tomorrow?"

Albus shook his head. "No, you haven't. Your ideas have all been good ones. And I'm the one who suggested watching the sunset. And the swim."

"Still, what would you like to do tomorrow?"

"If the weather is good, I thought we might go look at the standing stones, and I could show you the tumulus, as well."

"A tumulus? Standing stones? You never mentioned this before!" Minerva almost knocked over her glass of cider in her excitement.

"Didn't I? I meant to. Of course, you can't see them from where we arrived, so that's probably why I forgot. They are in the valley between the two smaller hills, or mountains, as I suppose they are."

"Yes, I would like to see those. Can we walk there easily from here?"

"It is easiest if we were to avoid going over the small mountain, of course, but that also affords the nicest view, I think." Albus replied. "We could Apparate part of the way and walk the rest, if you like."

The two finished making plans for the next day, Minerva trying not to think about the fact that it was their last full day on the island before they had to return to Hogwarts. They hadn't discussed precisely when they would be returning to the school, but the staff meeting was at two, so they would have to be back before that. Since Albus had already moved the meeting from Monday to Wednesday to accommodate her desire to go away with him for a few days, Minerva wasn't going to complain about how short their time alone was.

After supper, Minerva insisted that she clean up, and Albus went upstairs. When he came back down, he was in his nightshirt, dressing gown, and slippers.

"I was going to change, but it seemed rather silly at this hour," Albus said as he came into the kitchen where Minerva was putting the last of the dishes away. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," she said, turning and putting her hands on his shoulders.

Albus bent his head and kissed her. "This has been a wonderful day, Minerva. I am very glad we came."

"So am I. Thank you for introducing me to your little haven, Albus."

"Yours, too." Albus kissed her again. "Let's go into the other room, my dear."

Albus lit a fire in the fireplace. The wind was picking up outside, and they could hear the rain hitting the windowpanes, but the little stone house was solid and warm. He had brought her musical box downstairs with him and left it on the table. When Albus lifted the lid, music filled the room as Liebestraum started to play, but he took his wand and selected a different piece from the Charmed box. As a Viennese waltz began, he turned to Minerva and asked, "May I have this dance, my dear Professor?"

Minerva smiled broadly. "Thank you, I would enjoy that."

They danced, and when the waltz ended and Clair de Lune began to play, Albus embraced her, kissing her, and he brought her over to the sofa.

"I love you, my darling Minerva. You are so very precious to me," he whispered, holding her close.

"And I love you. Forever," Minerva said softly. "Forever."

Note: I hope you're enjoying this little story. There's more to come, though their holiday, as all holidays are wont to do, is going quickly.

In a few days, I'll be posting the prologue of the sequel to An Act of Love, which is now complete, with epilogue. If you are interested in learning a bit about the sequel, take a look at this entry of my LiveJournal.