Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Minerva awoke a while later, surprised that she had fallen back to sleep. She was immediately aware that Albus was no longer in bed. Lifting her head, she looked around the room and called out his name. Just then, the door opened and Albus entered with a tray.

"Tea, my dear!" he announced with a smile.

Minerva sat up, Summoned her dressing gown to drape around her, and plumped the pillows behind her. She smiled with pleasure as she accepted a cup of tea, fixed precisely as she liked it.

"Thank you, Albus!"

"You are very welcome," Albus replied, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her with his own cup of tea. "Breakfast will be ready soon. I have started it, but I thought I would take a little break and share some tea with you."

"This is lovely," Minerva said. "You have completely spoiled me the past few days."

Albus brightened at that. "I am very glad, my dear. I hoped you would feel a little pampered despite the somewhat rustic surroundings."

"I love the cottage, Albus. Other than adding a showerhead to the bath, which could be convenient if we spend any length of time here, I can't think of any changes I would make to the house itself," she said.

"Think about it when we get back to Hogwarts, as well, and we can make some of the changes before next summer. Talk to Wilspy, too. I think she had some ideas about it at one time, as well."

"Speaking of Wilspy, is she happy with her room? Perhaps she would prefer to convert the storage area above the library, or part of it, anyway," Minerva suggested.

"I asked her about that, actually, when I created the library, but she likes being on the ground floor and near the kitchen. Her room is larger than it may appear, too, and she has it decorated as she likes it. Speaking of which, think about the decorating, if you would like curtains or something of the sort. Aberforth lived here for almost forty years, and he liked a rather . . . masculine decor. And as I said, other than removing the old draperies and bringing in a few pieces of my own furniture, I really haven't done very much to it in that regard. It didn't seem particularly important, since I was here so seldom." Albus smiled at her. "But now that you will be sharing it and spending time here with me, I would like it to be comfortable for you, and appealing, as well."

Minerva leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "That means a lot to me, Albus. I will think about it. But don't do something you don't like. We have to agree."

Albus nodded. "But your idea of a showerhead is a fine one – although I think we are agreed that we both rather like the old bathtub." He glanced toward the bathroom. "We could think about a way of creating two rooms – a separate loo, as I know we both prefer, though this arrangement has never bothered me here."

"I don't know, Albus," Minerva said, looking at the wall that separated the bedroom from the bath. "We would have to put in another door, too. I think it would be an easy enough thing to put in a dividing wall, but then the bath wouldn't have a window, unless we either reversed everything in the room or added another window, which I suppose we could do, though that would involve a good deal more work. This has worked out fine for now. We can wait and see how we feel after we have spent more time here together."

"Well, you think about it, my dear," Albus said, standing then giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I am going to go down and finish making our breakfast. Come down when you are ready. Take your time to dress, then we can bring the food outside, as you suggested." He reached out and pulled her dressing gown about her more closely, pausing to feel the soft fabric between his fingers.

"Do you mind that I wear this dressing gown, Albus?" Minerva asked frankly.

"It is a bit chilly this morning; I think you would be more comfortable in robes."

Minerva laughed. "I didn't mean just now. I meant in general."

He raised his eyebrows. "Why should I mind?"

Minerva didn't want to put any notions in his head that weren't there already, but she said, "Well, it was a gift from Quin after our misunderstanding, when I was staying with him, that's all."

"As I said, the dressing gown looks very nice on you. It brings out your eyes. Quin selected well." Albus paused, looking at her and caressing her cheek briefly. "Do I wish we hadn't had the misunderstanding? Of course. But Quin took very good care of you . . . I am glad that he bought you fresh things and helped you to feel . . . feminine and pretty." He blinked rapidly. "I am certain you needed that after what I had said to you."

Minerva reached up and took his hand, kissing it then holding it to her. "I didn't mean to upset you, Albus. I am sorry. I oughtn't have brought it up." She brushed away the single tear that had overflowed, caressing his cheek.

"Don't worry. Truly. I still feel bad about it all, and probably always will to some extent, but it won't always be as fresh. And I do mean it when I say that you should wear the dressing gown. You look quite beautiful in it." Albus looked affectionately at Minerva, then he said softly, "I know that Quin loves you, and that was for the best, and it still is. He has a great heart."

"You are certain? You aren't simply saying what you think you ought?"

"I am certain, my dear. And although I don't think that I would want to know the details if, um, if you were more intimate than you have said, I would understand if you were." He looked at her more seriously and squeezed her hand. "I mean that, Minerva. And you needn't tell me if you were, but you did say you consider him a lover . . ."

"Yes, and I explained why." Minerva sighed and moved over a bit, then tugged at his hand. "Here, sit next to me for a bit. Breakfast can wait."

Albus sat, stretching his legs out in front of him, and Minerva rested her head against him and wrapped her arm around his.

"It is as I said before, Albus," Minerva said. "But I see that you have some doubts. I didn't tell you what I did simply in order to save your feelings, although I can understand why you might think that. We were in some ways more intimate than I have been with other wizards with whom I . . . with whom I had a more extensive physical relationship, not to go into any detail. We were emotionally intimate, but we did not have sex, we didn't have intercourse, and that seems to be what you are unsure about." Minerva took a deep breath. "I was very unhappy when I went to him. No, that is an understatement. I felt broken and hurt, almost hurt beyond healing. You know how fond I am of Quin, and how good he was to me even before then. I didn't want to be alone, and so he slept with me, but he was a gentleman. He provided warmth and comfort. Other than that . . . he comforted me, but no more, Albus. Really. And I do not wish to hurt you by saying this, but I probably would have accepted more than just simple comfort and affection from him at the time, I felt so needy and so . . . undesirable, but now I am extremely glad that didn't happen, and I have absolutely no desire for him at all – or for anyone else other than you, as I hope you know."

"I see," Albus said soberly.

"Do you? Do you understand? I only told you this because I didn't want you forever imagining what else might have happened between us. I know that you like Quin, and I didn't want you to look at him and always wonder whether we had been intimate in that way."

"And before that – when you spent the night in London?" Albus asked hesitantly, not wanting to question her, but still wondering.

"It is exactly as I told you at the time – or tried to. I had had too much to drink to safely Apparate and I didn't want to put him out by having him Floo to the Hog's Head with me and walk me back to Hogwarts. He didn't even kiss me good-night, as far as I remember. We had separate rooms and nothing of any note occurred at all. Except that he does make a very nice breakfast, though nothing to rival your cooking. You might ask him for his recipe for scones, though," Minerva added with a smile.

Albus grinned. "You seem blessed to have men who cook for you, my dear."

"Good thing, too!" Minerva said with a laugh. "But are you really all right with this? And with the dressing gown?"

"Yes, my dear, I really am all right," Albus reassured her. "It isn't that I didn't believe you before . . . well, not precisely. I just thought you might have wished to spare my feelings, I suppose, and so you minimised the extent of your, um, physical involvement with him. I think that . . . I would not have wished to have learned the details, as I say, but I think that even if he had made love to you, I could have understood and would have . . . would have dealt with it. It's not as though I believe you would wish to be with him now, to have him make love to you now. What bothered me most, I believe, was the thought that perhaps I had driven you to him in that way. I felt badly enough about what I said and did without thinking that I had done that, as well – and not just for my sake, but for yours and his, as well."

"Yes, I understand. I really do," Minerva said. "But you do know that I will never seek anyone for that sort of comfort again, don't you? You are my beloved, and I know that you love me. You are all I need in that way."

"Never say 'never,' my dear. Life is long," Albus said. "Things can change."

"This will not." She kissed his cheek. "Now, I will get dressed and you can finish the lovely repast you are no doubt preparing."

"I hope it meets your standards!" Albus said, giving her a kiss before standing.

"As I say, you have completely spoiled me, Albus."

"It is a treat for me to do it. And you are always very appreciative."

"Mm, very appreciative," Minerva said, reaching out and touching him through his robes, "and I will certainly express my appreciation in every possible way."

Albus grinned. "Then this shall be a repast fit for a queen! For the Lady of Eilean Tèarmunn, only the very best will do!"

Minerva laughed and hit him with a pillow as she got out of bed. "You are a sweet, silly, and very dear wizard."

Albus kissed her once more and left to fix their breakfast. Minerva dressed then packed reluctantly, feeling particularly sad as she put the musical box in the bottom of her bag. But then she thought of the breakfast Albus was preparing and the fact that they still had the rest of the morning to enjoy their time alone, and she made up her mind not to ruin their final hours on the island by being gloomy.

She entered the kitchen where Albus was still busily cooking.

"Smells very good." Minerva peered at the griddle. "Crumpets?"

"Indeed," Albus replied as he waved his wand, simultaneously flipping all of them in their rings. "Some of the cheese from last night, sauteed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, soft-boiled eggs – I am doing those last – and bacon for me, haggis for you."

"Shall I make the tea?"Minerva asked.

"Very good, my dear," Albus said. "And if you could set up a table out by the library, I thought we could eat there."

A half hour later, Minerva felt she couldn't eat one more morsel. "That was a wonderful breakfast, Albus. Thank you."

"You are welcome! I am glad you enjoyed it – was it fit, then, for the Lady of Eilean Tèarmunn?" he asked with a smile.

"It was perfect!" Minerva laughed. "Although I do think I'm missing my tiara!"

"Ah, well, that is easily fixed!" Albus waved his wand over a silver butter knife, Transfiguring it into a circlet, delicate, leafy spirals emerging from it. "For the Lady of Eilean Tèarmunn," he said, standing and placing it on her head, a wide smile on his face.

Minerva laughed as he set it on her head, and he caressed her face.

"You are so beautiful, Minerva, so lovely," he murmured. He bent and kissed her lips lightly, then he knelt beside her chair, holding her hand in his. "Thank you, Minerva, thank you for everything. Thank you for your warm heart, for your forgiveness, for your love, and for your generosity. You give me more than I ever dreamed possible, and come what may, I will do all in my power to give you all that you deserve, to love you and to keep you safe, never ceasing in my love until I draw my last breath, and even beyond if I am able."

Minerva leaned forward and kissed him, then kissed him again. Her breath was warm on his lips as she looked into his eyes and whispered, "Forever, Albus, now forever."

She kissed him again as he rose, putting his arms around her and bringing her to her feet.

"Let's go in," he said softly. "Let's go in, my love."

Albus drew her into the library, then under the stairs to the main room. He waved his right hand, lighting the logs in the fireplace.

"'Fire likes our Albus,'" Minerva said softly, quoting a friend.

"Are you fire, Minerva? Are you fire? Will you burn for me?" he asked in a soft, low voice, his gaze intense.

"I do burn for you," she replied, running her hands over his chest. "I do . . . and I need you. I need you, Albus."

As they kissed, they began to each open the other's robes, exposing skin to skin and warmth to warmth. Kissing and caressing, they stumbled toward the sofa, but they came to their knees on the rug in front of the fire. Albus removed Minerva's gown, then lay her down and lowered himself to kiss her throat, then her chest, his lips moving softly over her skin, over her breasts, his tongue taking pleasure in circling her nipples, then moving down over her stomach as his hands found her knickers and tugged them down and off. He laid his head on her stomach as his hands caressed her legs.

"I love you, Minerva. I love you," he whispered, turning his head and kissing her softly. "I love you. You give me life. Whatever I had before, you have given me my life."

Minerva ran her fingers through his hair. "You have always had my love and my heart. My heart is yours; it beats for you, Albus. My heart beats for you."

Albus rose up on his knees and pushed off his own robes and toed off his slippers. He looked down at Minerva, reaching out and brushing his fingertips over her skin, from her throat to her crux. He put his hands on either side of her and slowly lowered himself, closing his eyes and his mouth finding her left breast. As he suckled, Minerva whispered endearments and caressed his back and shoulders. His lips found her other breast, closing around her nipple, his tongue teasing it gently.

Minerva urged Albus to roll over, and he did, his arms coming around her and his mouth still at her breast. She looked down, watching him take pleasure as he sucked and licked. He brought one hand to her other breast, caressing and kneading, his fingertips brushing her peaked nipple. Minerva gently pulled away from his mouth and hand as she moved to kiss him, first his forehead, then his eyes, then his mouth. Her hand sought and found his erection, and she moaned into his mouth as she stroked it. Her lips drew on his, then she looked down at him again as he opened his eyes.

"Albus . . . my dear, sweet Albus," she whispered. "Oh, my darling Albus!"

She lowered herself to come to lie upon him, his erection firm beneath her belly as she kissed and nipped his shoulder. She brushed his beard aside and her mouth travelled gently over his pectorals until her lips found his nipple. Her tongue pressed against it, then stroked it before moving on down over his torso.

"So wonderful," she murmured. "So strong, so solid, so warm."

Minerva urged Albus to bend his legs, and she lay between them, taking his cock in her mouth, pleasuring him with her lips and tongue, one hand still caressing his stomach, the other at his balls, until he gasped and pulled her up off of him.

Minerva looked down at his flushed face, smiling slightly as she moved up again, this time straddling him.

"Now, my love?" she asked softly.

His lips moved, as if he were searching for a word, but he nodded, and she took his erection in one hand and guided him into her, her eyes closing and her mouth open at the sensation.

"Oh, gods, Albus . . ."

She began to ride him, slowly at first, and then faster, her heart pounding and her breath coming in gasps as her orgasm began, waves of pleasure pulsing through her body, exhausting her. Albus gripped her hips and urged her onto her back, his thrusts carrying her through her orgasm and bringing him to his own, warm rushes of intense pleasure flowing through him, euphoria encompassing him, and even his magic reaching out to find Minerva's as his orgasm burst through him, bringing his ecstatic joy with it in a tidal wave of pleasure and love.

Minerva cried out, the stars in her vision becoming rainbows of light as his magic entered hers and raced through it in great streams of power. Overwhelmed, she could not even breathe, only clutch Albus harder as he collapsed upon her, and then his magic receded, only tendrils of it still tickling hers, entwining and curling about it as she gasped.

"Oh, Albus, my dearest love, my one, my only one." Minerva began to weep from the joy she felt, holding Albus to her and kissing his shoulder, her legs still wrapped around him. "Never leave me, never leave me . . ."

Albus raised his hand and, with some effort, Summoned his robes to cover them both. After a few minutes, he finally lifted his head and looked down at Minerva, who wore an expression of utter peace. He kissed her gently.

"That was wonderful," he whispered, "but I am sorry. Are you all right?"

"Sorry? All right?" Minerva asked, opening her eyes. "I am better than I ever have been – I don't know why you would apologise for that."

"I just . . . that is, I had no idea. That has never happened to me before, and I didn't intend it, honestly," he said.

Minerva's puzzlement increased. "Your orgasm? I just don't understand, Albus."

"My magic . . . I didn't intend to reach into yours that way. It just . . . happened, believe me. I normally have very good control, but I honestly didn't intend it."

"It was absolutely marvellous, Albus. I have felt your magic while we've made love before, and this was even better than usual, so you have no reason to apologise."

Albus kissed her again. "I am glad, but I will be more careful in the future."

"But why?"

"I do not want to overwhelm your magic; I do not want to bind us. I fear inadvertently binding us together, binding you to me," Albus explained softly. "Even if we use no binding ritual, it could still happen. You are so very receptive to me, and our magic is so resonant. I love you very much, Minerva – and that is putting it mildly. We are so close, and our magic already so entwined, it would be a much simpler thing for us to be bound than it would be for most, even without a ritual. I fear that, although until now, it did not occur to me that it might happen spontaneously, even though I have read of such instances."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Minerva asked.

"Some bindings are very unequal, as you know. Most of the older ritual bindings are. I do not know what a spontaneous binding between us would produce, but I do know that it would limit your freedom, even if it were completely balanced. And my magic is . . . stronger, so much so that I fear what such a binding would bring about." He caressed her face. "I do not own you. You are your own. I do not want that to change."

Minerva nodded. "I do not fear it, though, Albus. But if it bothers you . . ." She shrugged. "I believe we are bound, anyway, and a magical binding would not change that. And I cannot fear what you might do, because I know that any spontaneous binding would arise out of our love for each other. You would never bind me to you in any way that would harm me. I am completely confident of that. And I cannot tell you how wonderful your magic feels when it flows through mine. I hope you do not completely keep that from happening altogether."

Albus smiled slightly and caressed her face gently. "I will try to reach a balance, my sweet Minerva. Although when it happens it is not entirely under my control, either. It truly was spontaneous."

"That is probably the very best kind of pleasure. I could feel the love and joy in you." Minerva's eyes welled with tears again. "It was utterly beautiful," she whispered. "Your magic is always so beautiful; you are beautiful, Albus. I see it and feel it."

"You see and feel a reflection of your own beauty, my love. You bring forth all the best in me, always," Albus said as he cupped her cheek. "The struggle, the fight within me before we came together, it was because I was pulling away from you and away from the best of me, as a result. You are all the beauty in my life. You are my heart."

They lay there quietly for a while, gently caressing each other, until Albus finally said, "This is not the most comfortable location for us to be reclining, my dear. How would you like me to fix us more tea and we could bring it outdoors and enjoy the fresh sea air?"

"A very good idea, Albus, but let me make the tea. Perhaps we could go up on the rise above the house? It is pleasant there, with the burn and the trees. If the sun became too warm, we could move to the shade, or if it's too cool in the shade, we could sit in the sun."

"All right, but we will prepare the tea together. I think we'll leave all the cleaning up today to Wilspy. She will come and freshen the cottage and then seal it all up after we leave, anyway."

"I will have to thank her," Minerva said.

As they got dressed, Minerva thought of a question that had been in her mind for some time.

"Albus, what might be an appropriate gift for a house-elf? I am thinking of Blampa specifically. She has come a long way since she first began serving me, and I want her to know that I appreciate it. Also," she said, turning so that Albus could do up her Charmed hooks in back, "there is apparently a snooty house-elf who is always putting her down. I thought that if I gave her a gift, it might improve her status with the other house-elves, but I don't want to give her something inappropriate."

"Something to do with your House, Gryffindor House, would be both appropriate and indicate her status," Albus replied. "Serving a Head of House is considered something of a privilege, anyway, and if she had something with the Gryffindor crest on it, that would make her very happy, I am sure. But anything that would identify her with you would be a fine gift, Minerva." He put his arms around her, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "That is very thoughtful of you, my dear. And it would help Blampa without directly involving you in the internal house-elf politics. Who is the snooty house-elf, do you remember?"

Minerva furrowed her brow, thinking back on the conversation she had with Blampa. "Scruffy? No, that's not right. Spruffy?"

"Spruffle?" Albus asked.

"Yes, that's it! He's always calling poor Blampa a 'piddly little thing,'" Minerva said, a touch of outrage in her voice.

Albus chuckled. "I am unsurprised. Do you know who Spruffle serves?"

Minerva shook her head.

"One of your admirers – although you have so many, I am sure, that I should narrow that field," Albus said with a smile. "One of your fellow Heads of House."

"Slughorn," Minerva said immediately. "Well, I'll have to find something suitable to give her, but I also don't want to start a war of one-upmanship with Slughorn, either."

"Just as long as you remember not to insult her by giving her an article of clothing, I am sure that Blampa would be happy with whatever you gave her, my dear."

Minerva couldn't free a Hogwarts house-elf by giving her a piece of clothing, since as they were Hogwarts elves, only the Headmaster could free one, but it was still insulting to give one clothing, and it was considered ill-mannered, at the very least, to try to hand them any clothing directly. Laundry went into a Charmed basket, and the house-elves took care of it with a minimum of handling.

"What about a badge of some sort, or a patch or other emblem?" Minerva asked.

"Those aren't clothing, so they would be fine. As would jewellery, although I would advise against that," Albus said as they went into the kitchen together. "Some house-elves become minor kleptomaniacs for some reason, and someone might misinterpret her possession of anything of that sort as a symptom of that."

Minerva raised her eyebrows. "Kleptomaniacs?" That was a new one.

Albus began taking fresh teacups and saucers from the cupboard as Minerva filled the teapot and brought the water up to a bare boil, then added the tea leaves.

"Yes. It's usually a harmless foible, and we rarely have a problem with it at Hogwarts. Personally, I think it's a sign of an unhappy home," Albus said. "They aren't receiving the validation they need that assures them that they are good house-elves to the family, so they begin to take things belonging to the family members in order to feel more validated, more a part of the family, and to reinforce their own perception of their position within the household."

"Oh. Well, no wonder I have never heard of such a thing before," Minerva said as she poured the milk into a small pitcher. "Our house-elves are most certainly happy, and I'm sure they feel valued and a part of the family. Mother positively dotes on them. Peculiar, I suppose some might find it. But they have always taken very good care of us, and when I was growing up, I never doubted that Fwisky loved me, so I loved her." She smiled as she set everything on the tray. "I still do, though I can't say I really understand her or any of our house-elves, really. Not the way I do the other members of my family, anyway."

Albus and Minerva left the cottage through the kitchen door and walked up the rise, finding a nice flat spot between some trees and the stream. With a wave of his wand, Albus conjured a low table and two well-cushioned chaises longues on either side. Minerva lowered the tray onto the table.

They sat in the sun, drank their tea, and talked about the island and their plans for returning for short visits during the school year.

"These trees behind us, Albus, they look like apple trees," Minerva said.

"They are; it's a small orchard. In fact, the apples will soon be ready to pick. I think some are beginning to fall from the trees. If I remember, I'll have Wilspy gather some when she comes to close up the cottage. Aberforth, of course, living here year-round as he did, had a good-sized garden, as well, and a large shed for the goats. It was not a particularly picturesque building, and as I had no use for it, I removed it. It was, however, of the same stone as the cottage, so I reused the stone when I added on the library."

"You did a very nice job with it, too." Minerva looked down at the cottage. "Was it thatched before?"

"Yes, but as I spend so little time here – and even with magical construction, a thatched roof requires a good deal of regular upkeep – I thought the slate would be more practical. I have done very little work on the cottage since I made those changes, though."

"It is a beautiful island," Minerva said. "I really love it. How did Aberforth come to own it?"

"Ah, well, he had another cottage at one time, in Wales, actually, but . . . there was an incident. Quite some years ago, but he never felt as comfortable there again. You must be aware how gossip can spread and continue for years regardless of its veracity. When a friend told him about this island and that its previous owner needed to be divested of, but was being fussy about to whom he sold it, Aberforth immediately approached the man and his family," Albus explained. "The gentleman who lived here was getting on in years and was moving to Inverness to live with his daughter. She and her family were well settled there and had no desire to move to the island, so they wanted to sell it. It had been in their family for several generations, so the old fellow wasn't very happy about it, but when Aberforth reassured him that it would remain unplottable and that he would even add to the wards, he sold it to him."

"What was it that made Aberforth want to move away from Wales? He must have spent most of his life there," Minerva said.

Albus quirked a smile. "You have likely heard some of the stories, Minerva. You needn't pretend you haven't."

"The, um, 'inappropriate charms' stories?" Minerva asked hesitantly.

"Yes, and if I tell you the truth, you must never tell anyone else – and not let Aberforth know that you know," Albus said. At her nod of understanding, he continued. "He was supposedly practising inappropriate charms on goats in order to, um, have carnal relations," he said with a slight blush. "The truth of the matter was that he was involved with a young witch. Her father didn't approve. They were in the midst of relations when they heard people coming. Aberforth cast a quick spell to Transfigure her into a goat, but in his haste, it was not completely effective, so he had to cast it again, and the witnesses briefly saw, um, a goat with the nether regions of a woman. His second spell was effective, and she ran away, leaving Aberforth alone in a state of, um, in a state. The Transfiguration eventually wore off and the witch went home. He refused to defend himself or explain things, and the woman never came forward. My influence was not particularly great at the time – this was in the early eighties – but I did what I could for him, and he was only fined and placed on a kind of magical supervision for a decade."

"A decade?" Minerva asked, appalled.

"Yes. It wasn't continuous or constant, but the MLE could pop in with no notice just to inspect him and his goats. They would go through the herd checking to see if any had had any spells cast on them recently – which they often did, just in terms of basic care and maintenance. So Aberforth had to keep a log of all magic he performed on his goats and be prepared to explain and justify it. At the time that he purchased this island, he hadn't been under supervision for more than fifteen years, but the stigma still stung and he felt he never wanted to be in the position to be subject to the Ministry in that way again. This island was perfect for him at the time, since the Ministry has no claim of jurisdiction over it."

"But he took your cottage in the Dales," Minerva said, puzzled.

"Yes, but much more time has passed. He began working in Hogsmeade almost twenty years ago, shortly after I began at Hogwarts, so he had also developed new friends, and the cottage in the Dales is quite isolated. He feels more secure than he did. The jokes about goats haven't gone away, but he has become used to them. He even makes them himself, occasionally." Albus grinned. "So do I, actually."

"Poor Aberforth," Minerva said sympathetically.

"Yes, well, he could have averted it all if he hadn't been such a gentleman – which I understood and approved of, in principle. What I found deplorable was the witch's behaviour afterward. She wouldn't even see him again, and he apparently had been entertaining the idea of marriage. I don't believe he's seen another witch on that sort of basis since. I don't know as he was heart-broken, but I think he decided women weren't worth the trouble, as he once put it to me."

"The Dumbledore boys didn't have very lucky love lives," Minerva remarked.

"No, but this Dumbledore boy just had to be patient, and I am now the most fortunate of all wizards," he said, blowing her a kiss. It landed warmly on Minerva's cheek, and she smiled.

"It is a beautiful island, though, and I'm very glad he gave it to you. Yorkshire is beautiful, of course, but this . . . this is extraordinary." Minerva stood and looked out to the sea, where she could just make out a pod of porpoises apparently playing. "You know, Albus, I have just been struck by something. I have seen porpoises and seals, but no dolphins. There are often dolphins near the McGonagall Cliffs. I used to watch them when I was a girl. Odd that there are no dolphins here."

"Not odd. There are anti-dolphin wards that extend quite a ways out from the island," Albus said with a yawn.

"Anti-dolphin wards?! Why on earth?"

"Aberforth," Albus said, stifling another yawn.

"Aberforth put them up?"

"No, I did it for him. He came to me one day in tears. I hadn't seen him cry since our mother's funeral. He was dreadfully upset. Apparently he witnessed some dolphins ganging up on a porpoise. They killed it, according to him." Albus shrugged. "I have never seen such a thing, but Aberforth wanted to create a safe area for the porpoises – one where he wouldn't have to witness the nastiness of nature, anyway." Albus shook his head at the memory. "I never want to have to do such a thing again, Minerva, so I truly hope you don't develop an aversion to some sea creature."

"It was difficult?"

"I could do a good deal of it from a broom, but in order to get a magical reading from a sample dolphin and then to cast the wards deeply enough to make a difference, we had to go out in a boat." Albus grimaced. "I do not like boats. I never am prone to nausea, you know that, Minerva, but boats . . . little rickety things, always bouncing up and down, or whatever it is that boats do, even this one he'd borrowed from a friend – and then controlling them!" He shook his head again. "It took three days to do the warding, with several hours of the first and last day spent in that boat. I'd rather try to ride a dragon, to be honest, than ever go out in a boat again."

Minerva laughed. "I've never been in a boat, myself, but I thought they looked amusing. However, I will take your word for it that they are not."

"I appreciate many Muggle forms of transportation, but as . . . useful as boats are, and they certainly are that, I don't fancy them as a method to get from one place to another unless they are charmed. I took a Charmed boat once in the Indian Ocean. That wasn't too bad. Still somewhat disconcerting to be out in the middle of the water like that, unable to see land, but at least it didn't make one ill."

"But witches and wizards used to use Muggle boats all of the time. They weren't always only for Muggles. Until the development of the Portkey, they were the only way to get to the Continent and back, unless one Apparated – and one could only do that if one had already been wherever one was Apparating to. And most people can't Apparate that far, anyway, and even those who can are superstitious about Apparating over water. They have no trouble Apparating from Leeds to London, but ask them to hop over the Channel, and they suddenly develop a fear of Splinching."

Minerva smiled over at Albus. As she'd been talking, his eyes had closed, and now he looked relaxed and on the verge of sleep.

"Sleepy, Albus?"

"Mmmm . . . it's nice here in the sun." He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "We could get rid of the table and combine our chairs. Have a nice little snuggle together."

Minerva agreed with that proposition, and so she stood, banished the table, and with a flick of her wand, created one large chaise longue from their two. They snuggled up together, just as Albus had suggested. Soon, Albus was breathing gently, and Minerva, thinking of how little sleep Albus managed when at Hogwarts, was very happy to cuddle up to him for a while, feeling his comfortable solidity next to her. She wasn't sleepy, though, and after several minutes, she got up and walked about. An idea occurred to her, and she went back and bent over Albus.

"Albus – Albus?" she whispered. "Albus, I'm going to walk about a bit in my Animagus form. I won't go far, I promise. Albus?"

"Mmmm."

Minerva shrugged. Well, she wouldn't be going far, and any eagle or hawk that tried to catch her would be in for quite a surprise. With a pop, she Transfigured into her Tabby-form and padded down to the stream and walked along it. Yes, fish. Nice fish. She had never tried to catch anything in her Animagus form before, but she could try. Not just yet, though. The trees tempted her more at that moment, and she trotted toward the apple trees. Minerva reached the small orchard and began to race through it, around trees, up a few feet, then leaping back down again. There were some windfall apples on the ground, so it would be good to ask Wilspy to pick the ripe ones so they didn't go to waste, though she supposed the animals enjoyed them.

She scratched the bark of one of the old, gnarled trees, stopping to sniff. There was a strange yet oddly familiar scent nearby, but she couldn't place it. Minerva dismissed the slight feline concern that arose in her, sharpened her claws a bit more, then climbed up the trunk to the first of the lower branches. She stood for a moment, enjoying the breeze, then she leapt to grasp the trunk again, climbing up to find another likely branch to stretch out on. After a bit of a kip, she could see about that fish, she thought. Might be nice for lunch, a fresh fish. If she could catch one. If she couldn't, it would still be fun to try, she thought as she stretched long out on a branch, letting one of her front paws dangle. She couldn't see Albus from where she was, but she wouldn't be gone long. She would be back before he woke up, she was sure. Minerva gradually drifted into a light sleep, lulled by the scent of the sea and the apple trees.