A/N: I was originally not going to post this here, but then I decided that it would be a simple thing to edit it down for ffnet, so here is your "bonus epilogue." The complete version can be found at the usual sites.

Epilogue

Albus went over his mental checklist. He was fairly certain that he had not forgotten anything, although he was unsure of a few of the things he had remembered. He could always change his mind at the last minute, he thought.

Minerva was anticipating a quiet birthday dinner for two in the Headmaster's suite. He did have a quiet birthday dinner planned for her, though not in his suite – he had been planning it for two weeks, though she believed that it was a last-minute idea, that he had forgotten her birthday until the day before. He knew that at least one of his gifts was likely to be met with a less than happy response, but another of them . . . he hoped she would like it, but it might be in questionable taste. Well, it was in questionable taste. But he believed she would enjoy it. They had become freer with each other, though they didn't have nearly as much time alone together as either of them would like.

Albus looked over at the austere table service and smiled. She would certainly believe he had forgotten her birthday when she saw that, but she would be in for quite a surprise! She would likely even believe he had no gift for her, and although Minerva was far from being a materialistic witch, she would be hurt, he believed, if he didn't have at least a token gift for her, some little present that let her know that he had thought of her. His smile broadened. He wouldn't want to keep her disappointed for long, but he did want his surprise for her to have the greatest impact possible.

Minerva had agreed to attend dinner in the Great Hall that evening, but not actually eat very much and save her appetite for a late dinner with him. He had left dinner early, asking her to arrive in his suite at seven-thirty, and now, dressed in the starry robes she had given him for his birthday, he was waiting for her. He had uncorked a bottle of Syrah to allow it to breath. Now it was only a matter of her arrival. He hoped that Minerva wouldn't become distracted or waylaid on her way up. He had enlisted the assistance of both Gertrude and Malcolm, so she should be on time.

He leaned back in his chair and remembered the astonishment he had felt when, a few weeks before, he had finally learned when it was that Minerva had fallen in love with him. He had tried to hide his shock, but he knew he hadn't been entirely successful. The first thought that had sprung to his mind had been that it had been the accident itself that had caused her to believe herself to be in love with him, that she never had been, that it was some kind of an odd and unreproducible binding, and that she had only come to believe herself to be in love with him because the sudden influx of emotion had been so strong and she had been too young to understand it. His heart had clenched with the thought that her love for him might not be real.

In his shock, though, Albus had listened to Minerva as she spoke of the ways she had tried to rid herself of her crush, as she believed it to be or hoped that it was, and when she talked about going into the backroom of the Three Broomsticks to watch the old wizards playing gobstones and chess, and about all of her subsequent mental exercises, she had him laughing.

"I know that I would have fallen in love with you, Albus, even if it hadn't been for that accident," she said, "but it was so sudden. To have gone from loving you and being slightly aware of you as a man – which awareness I was always trying to ignore, being a sensible girl – to suddenly being completely smitten with you, always intensely aware of your presence, and very afraid that you would learn of my feelings for you, it was very difficult for me. I was only seventeen years old, and even if you hadn't been my teacher, I saw the gap between us as utterly unbridgeable. And at that time, it was. I had hope, though, that once I was away from school, my feelings would change, that I would outgrow them or redirect them toward someone more outwardly suitable, but that never happened. Even when I was with Rudolf, I was still in love with you. He asked me to marry him, and the very first thing to enter my mind was your face and the knowledge that I could not live married to another and never to see you.

"When I was far from you, it was as though there was a kind of shadow over me, even when I was with others, even as I enjoyed myself. It was as though there was something missing, something that I had forgotten or left behind. Like thinking one had forgotten to do something important, but unable to remember what it could have been, or believing one had left one's wand somewhere. Just that sense of vague unease and of something missing or lost."

"I am so sorry, Minerva, sorry for all of the years I kept a distance between us, and so very sorry for the pain you experienced, even if there was nothing I could have done about it."

"It was not easy, but it was the way things were. You didn't have an easy time of it, either, Albus."

"No, but it was different for me. I am older, my life was more ordered. My experience was simply different from yours."

"Yes, but then you had Valerianna," Minerva pointed out.

"True, but that was poor judgment on my part, and certainly something I could have avoided or saved myself from if I hadn't been so stubborn," Albus said. He paused, thinking. "It must have been particularly difficult for you after Carson died. You were very upset with me, and I didn't know how to fix it. I couldn't. I could only focus on what I had to do, and I had no idea of your feelings. Which probably was not a bad thing, in retrospect, as it likely would have disquieted me, had I known at the time. I never would have wanted to hurt you, but out of love for you, I probably would have tried to distance myself. So I am glad that I did not know then."

"It was difficult for me, Albus, to feel as though you were rejecting my friendship, as though you thought of me as still a child. I knew that I could not tell you how I felt, though. I thought I never could. The best I hoped for was a true friendship to develop between us. I actually did not even want to tell you now, to let you know how long ago I fell in love with you. It seems so improbable, I'm sure. I feared you might think me mad or obsessed."

"I am simply surprised, my dear." He kissed her cheek. "And I wish that you had not suffered as you did. But I suppose it is the way it was meant to be for you, although I do wish I had realised sooner, for both our sakes. Earlier this year – or perhaps even before you came to Hogwarts, although that may have been awkward." He kissed her again. All of those other opportunities for her to fall in love, and those other fine wizards in her life, and yet she came back to him. Just as Wilspy had once said, his Professor Minerva always comes back to him. "I feel blessed that your love for me had been so steady. And I see now why you are so insistent that I believe you will never want to leave me. You can believe nothing else."

On reflection, Albus knew that it could not have been the accident that caused Minerva to love him; that had only been the catalyst of her awareness, and once aware, she was unable to return to her previous innocence. No wonder she had been so reluctant to resume her Animagus training with him – and why she had wondered about his Legilimency, as he later recalled. It saddened him to realise how difficult her feelings for him had been, and how long she had waited for him, even just for a deeper friendship with him. Yet he had maintained a certain distance from her, particularly after he had begun to fall in love with her himself. And when she came to Hogwarts to teach, he had increased that distance. He must have hurt her. He had known that he had, but now, realising that she had been waiting fifteen years for a true opportunity to become closer friends with him, only to see less of him than she had when they had lived so far apart – he could even more clearly understand why she had been so upset and angry that day in Poppy's office.

Remembering that morning and what he had overheard reminded Albus of the first time they had made love, though they had bothbeen too eager to take their time on that occasion. Their passionate needs and desires had overwhelmed them, though he had allowed Minerva to take control and do as she wished. He smiled, remembering the suggestion he had whispered in her ear. He hoped that the suggestion he had planned for that night would be met with as much enthusiasm. If not, it would be rather embarrassing for him, but not an insurmountable embarrassment. Besides, Minerva liked to have fun, to play, and she was fairly adventurous, though she kept that side of her carefully reserved for specific times and places. Otherwise, she was rather no-nonsense. The students were finding it difficult to believe that carefree and exuberant "Professor Malcolm" was really Professor McGonagall's brother, though the two bore a clear physical family resemblance.

Once Quidditch season started the next weekend and the students saw how enthusiastically she supported her Gryffindors – though with a great deal of intensity, as well – they would see another side to her. But Transfiguration could be a dangerous discipline, and he appreciated Minerva's control over her classes. Of course, Defence Against the Dark Arts was dangerous, as well, and Malcolm didn't tolerate any fooling about, as a few of the students had learned to their displeasure and disappointment. His notions of discipline were as unconventional as his teaching methods, and the few detentions he had had to assign had been carefully crafted to teach the miscreants lessons and not simply to punish. As Malcolm had said with a grin, the dull and tedious detentions he had received as a student had only taught him not to get caught the next time, and the worse punishments had convinced him of its necessity.

Albus felt the tingle from the gargoyle that indicated that Minerva was on her way up. He certainly hoped that it was Minerva. He did not want their evening interrupted. A few minutes later, however, he heard her tread on the stairs up to his suite, and he rose to open the door and greet her.

She had changed from her teaching garb into a pretty set of robes, the under-robe a mossy green with tartan insets, and the over-robe, a long tunic of darker green with rust-coloured trim. She was wearing her amber necklace and the amber earrings he had given her that summer.

"Oh, Minerva, my dear! You look lovely!" Albus said with a smile.

"Thank you. You do, as well, Albus," Minerva replied, admiring the starry robes.

He took her hands and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "Your first birthday as a member of Hogwarts faculty and your first as Head of Gryffindor! The first of many, I hope!"

"Thank you for inviting me for dinner, Albus," she said. "Since it fell on a Friday, I didn't know if I would celebrate it at all. I thought perhaps drinks with a few people over the weekend."

"That would be nice, too," Albus said, nodding in agreement. "I am afraid that our dinner is delayed, but I thought we could have some wine while we wait."

Minerva agreed and went to sit on the sofa. Albus poured their wine, just half filling each glass, and called her over to the table. She raised her eyebrow, but rose and joined him beside the set table. There were no flowers on it, she noticed, and not a hint of decoration anywhere. Still, it had been a last-minute invitation, and it had been a busy week for Albus, no doubt.

He handed her her glass of wine, then he raised his and toasted her. "Slàinte."

Minerva smiled and nodded, raising the glass to her lips.

"Are you not going to return my toast, my dear?" Albus asked, extending his glass toward her.

Minerva touched her glass to his and said, "Slàinte Mhath." At that moment, Albus raised his other hand and grasped her wrist. Minerva felt a disturbing jolt in the pit of her stomach. A moment later, following the uncomfortable sensation of Portkeying, Albus slipped his hand from her wrist to put his arm around her waist, supporting her.

"Happy Birthday, my darling Minerva. And I apologise for the abrupt departure!"

Minerva blinked and looked around her. They were in their island cottage, all of the candles and lamps were lit, the table was beautifully laid, crystal and silver sparkling, and there were flowers in every corner of the room.

"Oh, Albus! It's lovely! I thought you had forgotten!"

"How could I forget your birthday?" Albus asked with a grin. "I have planned it for a while now, but I wanted it to be a surprise. I enlisted Blampa's assistance, and she gave Wilspy a packed bag for you. We will be here until Sunday morning, unless we are recalled by some emergency before then."

"But my House, I have no arrangements – "

"You do not believe I would leave that detail unattended, do you? Malcolm will be staying in your rooms tonight and tomorrow night – I do hope you don't mind, my dear, but that seemed most sensible – and Gertrude will be available in my stead. Everything at Hogwarts should run quite smoothly without us for a day," Albus told her.

"But Gryffindor has the Quidditch pitch reserved for practise tomorrow. I thought I would be there – "

"If you truly wish to return for that, of course you may," Albus said.

"No, no . . . they will do fine without my presence, I'm sure," Minerva said quickly. Whatever possessed her to even mention that, she didn't know. Just the surprise to realise that all of her plans for the weekend were suddenly changed.

Minerva's wine had spilled during their journey, despite the glass being only half-filled, but Albus waved his wand, and the red wine stain on the front of her robes disappeared. As he had been aware of the pending Portkey, his own wine hadn't spilled, but he opened another bottle for them both and refilled Minerva's glass.

"Happy Birthday, Minerva!" he said, raising his glass. "I was hoping to be able to surprise you at least half as well as you surprised me this summer."

"I was very surprised," Minerva replied smiling happily. "And this is a wonderful present. The best you could give me. All of this time to ourselves!"

Albus put his glass down and took Minerva's from her and set it down next to his. "It's not just the time to ourselves, you know, Minerva . . . although I must start our celebration properly."

He caressed her cheek as he put one arm around her waist and drew her closer to him. He looked down into her eyes and said, "Happy birthday, and thank you, my dear, for sharing your life with me. I am very, very lucky."

Albus bent his head and kissed her softly, Minerva's arms tightening around him. Albus broke the kiss, then placed his lips lightly on her forehead before saying, "As much as I would like to prolong this moment, our main course is fish, and although Wilspy's charms are holding it nicely, I would like your birthday dinner to be served at its best."

He held her chair for her, then went into the kitchen and brought out their entrees.

"It looks lovely, Albus."

"I am sorry that I did not prepare it myself, but I hope you will enjoy it. It is haddock broiled with lime, olive oil, garlic, and crushed fennel seed, truffle risotto, and Swiss chard sauteed with malt vinegar and toasted walnuts, with," he said, producing a block of blue-veined cheese, "Stilton to crumble over the top of the greens."

"It all smells wonderful!" Minerva said.

Albus opened a bottle of Chardonnay and poured it into new glasses, banishing their used ones to the kitchen, then sat across from her and raised his glass.

"To you, Minerva! Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns!"

"Thank you, Albus," Minerva said, "and I look forward to spending many more birthdays with you."

After their meal, Albus brought out a cake; it was a moist chocolate cake filled with a rich vanilla custard and drizzled with both dark chocolate and white icing, a circle of lit red and gold candles around the perimeter. Albus smiled, then sang "Happy Birthday" to her, recalling the surprise birthday dinner that Minerva had prepared for him and the way that she had sung to him.

"And now, blow out your candles, my dear!"

Minerva took in a breath, then paused. She looked up at Albus. "I don't know what to wish for! I have all I could possibly want."

"And may it always continue so, my love," Albus said softly, his eyes shining in the candlelight.

Minerva laughed and blew out all the candles in one go. "How many are there? Not thirty-three."

"No, it was the number that fit comfortably around the cake and looked the prettiest," Albus said. "I hope that is all right with you! I still remember that each of the candles on my cake had a specific meaning – these all signify simply that I love you."

"That is all I need," Minerva replied with a smile.

"Now, my dear," Albus said as they finished the cake, "I have a few little presents for you. I have a sense you may not like the first one, but it was important to me."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheaf of parchments tied in a red ribbon and handed them to Minerva. "This is for you to look at tonight, then I will return it to safe-keeping."

Puzzled, Minerva untied the ribbon and unfolded the parchments. One look at the first words on the first page, and she set them down on the table and looked up at him, a slight frown on her face. "Why must you bring up such a subject tonight?"

"I have no intention of expiring any time soon, but one never knows what accident may befall any of us. It was important to me to do this for you," Albus replied.

"Do I have to read it tonight?"

"No, there is no need for you to read it at all. Simply know that if I should die, other than a few specific bequests, all of my property passes to you. Wilspy will return to my brother, unless he agrees to allow me to have her pass with my estate. I have not approached him about that, and it is something that can be added later by codicil," Albus said.

"Everything?" Minerva said.

"It is not as much as it may seem, put like that, but I did specify all real property, both within and outside of Britain, so that although this island is not recorded anywhere, if there is ever any dispute as to your right to it – though there should be none, and your control over the blood wards should ensure that – this will confirm my wishes."

"But what of Aberforth?"

"He had half of my mother's estate and a sizable bequest from my Uncle Christopher and another when our Aunt Beatrice died, and the cottage in the Dales is without any mortgage. I have left him a few very specific family items. There is also a specific bequest to Gertrude, and a few other small items to some other old friends, as well as a small gift to St. Mungo's. I am sure that as time goes on, I will change some of the specific bequests, but the bulk and residue of my estate, modest though it may be, shall pass to you as primary beneficiary."

Minerva was silent for a moment. "Thank you, Albus. I am not certain whether this is precisely a birthday present, but I do appreciate the thought."

"Good! Now that that is taken care of, I wish to give you your next gift, a happier one, I hope," he said, reaching into his pocket again, this time pulling out a small box wrapped in gold paper tied with a green tartan ribbon.

Minerva unwrapped the present, carefully releasing the Sticking Charms and placing the paper and ribbon on the table beside her plate. She opened the small hinged box and took in a sharp breath.

"It's beautiful, Albus," she said softly, removing the opal brooch from its box and looking at it in the candlelight, admiring the play of colour within its depths.

"I thought as it's your birthstone . . . and I thought that one was particularly pretty," Albus replied.

"It is. It's one of the nicest opals I've seen – and quite large, too," she said, smiling as she touched the oval stone's smooth surface. The brooch was a single large black opal in a gold setting, a narrow band of gold surrounded by a narrow band of mother-of-pearl, and then another band of gold. "I like the setting. I've never seen anything quite like it."

"I thought it might be something you could wear with your teaching robes, if you like."

"I will, most certainly." Minerva rose and bent to kiss his cheek. "It is wonderful. Truly beautiful. Thank you, Albus. And I do appreciate the first present, as well, you know. I just was surprised, particularly by the timing. It was nothing I would have expected or even thought of."

"There is one more present, but that is for later, upstairs," Albus said, smiling, but blushing as well.

Minerva thought it quite cute that he might still blush at the thought of making love with her, and she bent and kissed his lips tenderly. "I hope it is not too much later. It has been a long week, after all. Perhaps . . . early to bed?"

"That would be very nice, although I have some Madeira I thought we might share, and I brought the music box – or Wilspy brought it on ahead, I should say. I thought a drink, a dance, a snuggle by the fire . . . we could even keep the next part of your present for tomorrow." He grinned up at her. "I want you well-rested for it!"

"But it's been days since we've made love – " Minerva began, ready to say she wasn't at all too tired for that.

"Oh, I most certainly think that our snuggle might lead to more than a snuggle. It's just that your next gift . . . it's a bit different," Albus explained. "Can I keep you in suspense a while longer, my dear?"

"Well, as you have done very well with your surprises so far, if you think we should wait for the next one, I will try not to be too terribly impatient! And I do think that the rest of your plan for the evening sounds lovely," Minerva replied.

"We shall see how the evening proceeds, then," Albus said, "and whether I can wait, too!"

Albus stood, kissed Minerva, then walked over to the fireplace. After lighting a fire in the grate with just a flick of his finger, he raised the lid of the musical box, which Wilspy had set on the chimneypiece. Minerva smiled to hear "In the Mood" emitting from the Charmed box.

"So that is why you borrowed it last week – you sly old phoenix!" Minerva exclaimed. Albus had claimed that he was having trouble sleeping without her on those nights he spent in the Headmaster's suite, and he thought that listening to restful music might help him. He obviously had borrowed it in order to have more music added to its charms – music he knew she enjoyed dancing to.

"I didn't lie to you, my dear! I was having trouble sleeping without you, and listening to soothing music might have been helpful. I never said I was actually going to take advantage or it," he replied with a grin.

"You should be a Slytherin, Albus!"

Albus laughed. "I will take that as a compliment – though I think that Gertrude would say that I lack the subtlety of a true Slytherin." He held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Minerva took his hand. "You may. In fact, I believe my dance card may have a few openings on it this evening."

He smiled. "I believe I should like to reserve every one of them, my dear."

After dancing to several Big Band numbers and then snuggling on the couch, each with a glass of Madeira to sip, Albus's kisses and caresses became more ardent, and finally, as he began to bare her breasts to his touch, he whispered, "Let's go up to bed now, shall we?"

Minerva agreed quite happily, and laughed as he picked her up in his arms. She kissed his cheek, then said with a smile, "You needn't carry me, Albus! I am not that tired, nor have I had very much to drink."

"Indulge me, my dearest," Albus said as he carried her around the sofa.

"But if you hurt your back, we may find our little holiday somewhat less enjoyable – you, in particular," Minerva replied.

"Oh, I believe I can manage." He grinned puckishly. "Provided, of course, that you do watch your diet!"

"Albus Dumbledore! Are you suggesting that I am anything less than fit?"

"No more so than you are implying that about me, my dear!" he replied with a chuckle. "You do know I find you to be perfection itself."

"Mmm . . . yes, I do, and I know that you were teasing, but your back – "

"Is fine," Albus said as he started up the stairs. "And if it weren't, that would simply mean that I could put myself in your hands for some tender loving care, and I am sure that your care would be very loving, indeed! There are certain activities that are very nice when I am lying flat on my back, after all."

"Yes, there are. Perhaps we should practise them," Minerva said, her eyes sparkling.

"An excellent suggestion," Albus replied, carrying her into the bedroom.

A/N: If you want to know what happens after they enter the bedroom, pop over to the full version.

Missing the story already? There are several stories set in the Resolving a Misunderstanding universe, including Resolving a Misunderstanding. You can read them all on the Petulant Poetess, and a few are also available here on ffnet. The others include:

"The Unsentimental Arithmancer" (a Gertrude Gamp fic with Albus Dumbledore - also here on ffnet)
"An Unexpected Shower" (a Gertrude Gamp & Malcolm McGonagall fic, set immediately after Malcolm's duel with Albus in RaM)
A Holiday with the Headmaster (T-rated version on ffnet: A Little Holiday; AD and MM's holiday set after chapter 156 in RaM)
"Obliging Minerva" (set in October 1957, some time after this epilogue)
"Now is Perfect" (a Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout fic; also features Poppy Pomfrey; Gertrude and Malcolm make an appearance - also here on ffnet)
An Act of Love (A Severus Snape fic; AU; set in September of HP Year 6; ADMM with a strong Severus-Minerva friendship)
Death's Dominion (Snape-centric fic; AU HP Years 6 & 7 - also here on ffnet)
A Long Vernal Season (Snape-centric post war fic; AU; with Minerva, Albus, Poppy, Gertrude, Melina, and others)
Charming the Scottish Garden (A Johannes Birnbaum - Siofre Tyree fic)
"The Cornish Pixie Prank" (Poppy Pomfrey flashfic)
"The Sunshine of Kindness" (A Sirius Black & Remus Lupin flashfic set in Grimmauld Place)

"The Unsentimental Arithmancer," A Little Holiday, and "Now is Perfect," and Death's Dominion are all available here on ffnet. The others are available via links on my LJ and my WordPress blog. (See my ffnet profile for links.) For some more Minerva, you can also check out the short one-shot, "Minerva in Hogsmeade," which is not set in the RaM-universe. There will be more RaMverse fics to come!

Since completing Resolving a Misunderstanding, I've also written two other Minerva-centric ADMM fics, short ones that are not set in the RaM universe, "A Momentary Madness" (five short chapters) and "A Light at Dusk" (a one-shot). To read my more recent fics that aren't posted to ffnet, check out my blog or LJ. Links to both are on my author's profile page.

Thanks very much for reading!