Title: "A Brief Encounter Leads to Forever"
Author: Quill of Minerva and Hogwarts Duo
Rating: M – due to a lemon scent chapters, later on.
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, neither of us owns any of the characters, real or fictional. We're just borrowing them from JK Rowling.
Summary: Albus Dumbledore went to Hogsmeade on a simple errand but when he bumped into a certain green-eyed witch his life was forever altered. Will he let love pass him by or will he take a chance on winning his true love?

A/n: This story was written a while ago with Ang, from Hogwarts Duo. In later chapters, I will warn you again about the rating as they do contain M+ stuff. This story is here for you to enjoy. Thanks for reading.

"A Brief Encounter Leads to Forever"

Chapter one: Beyond Expectations.

In the year 1945, both the muggle world and the wizarding world faced their darkest hours together. While muggles were dealing with an evil ruler named Hitler, the wizarding world was dealing with dark forces of their own. Grindelwald has risen to power and had made it his mission to destroy every good and decent thing until he had complete control. From there, everyone was certain that only those who followed him would be allowed to live. However, at least one man had the determination and the raw nerve to stand up for his beliefs and for those too weak or too scared to voice their opinions.

The wizard was not a young man by most accounts. He had celebrated his 105th birthday and had been teaching Transfiguration at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the past five years. He had easily gained the respect of his colleagues and those in the Ministry of Magic so it was of no real surprise to anyone when he offered his assistance in whatever capacity they could use him outside of the school.

He had proven himself to be a man of honor and a man of his word so the ministry officials wasted no time in assigning him some of the most important jobs in the field. With each successful mission, he struck critical blows to the evil threatening their world and managed to serve as the head of the resistance movement. No one ever doubted for a moment that he would be able to stop those practicing dark magic but they were all concerned on the toll it might take on him and their world.

After the defeat of Grindelwald at the hands of Albus Dumbledore, the entire wizarding world had been celebrating for days. Word had spread rapidly across the land that the dark wizard had fallen and with it most of his followers had either been captured or killed during the fighting. However, a small band of renegades were still on the loose but the aurors were busy tracking them down and bringing them to justice. Sporadic outbreaks of violence were menacing those who had openly opposed Grindelwald and it was those small pockets of violence that kept the ministry officials busy.

Once he had recovered from his injuries, Albus Dumbledore had returned to his home to finish his healing and slowly he began to venture into the towns for household items or a breath of fresh air. But lately, Albus found it hard to leave his home. His face had been plastered on the cover of every wizarding magazine and newspaper in their known world. His photo had accompanied numerous articles offering the 'truth' behind the defeat or the utterly preposterous notions that it was all a cover-up and that Grindelwald still lived. He had learned long ago to ignore the printed words for the most part because all too often the writer had added something or removed something in the hopes of making their take on the story even more interesting to the readers.

In the first few outings, he had been able to walk the streets of Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade as usual but as word spread and the rumors began to circulate, the story became even more embellished. Along with the renewed interest in every aspect of his life also came those eligible and some not so eligible witches who wanted to express their thanks in person. His home had been flooded with owls at all times of the day and night. At first it was one or two owls a day but as the rumors spread, the number of owls increased by leaps and bounds. He had given up on trying to read and answer them. Most of them were gushing with praise about his looks or his fortunate defeat of the dark lord. Many of them offered proposals of marriage, a relationship or a dinner date and all of them were from women he had never even met.

His latest visit to Hogsmeade had started like all the others recently. He had managed to spend a few quiet moments in the town before a flock of women pressed in upon his personal space demanding time and attention. He knew most of the storeowners well and they offered their assistance in helping him deal with the crowds while in their shops but that did nothing to help him in the streets. He had contemplated owling the various shops for the items he needed but in the end he realized he needed to get out of the house. The walls were beginning to close in around him and the owls were a constant bother.

At first his visit into town had been just like all the others. He had managed to purchase most of the items he needed. The longer he tarried in the village, the larger the throng of witches following him became. He had just one last stop before he could return to the comfort of his home but he had no idea just how important that one stop would be to the rest of his life.

The Minister of Magic had decided to host a celebration ball in honor of Albus' defeat of Grindelwald. The British Prime Minister Churchill, who also happened to be a squib, was to be in attendance and in an effort to make him feel more comfortable, the Minister had asked Albus to wear a muggle tuxedo. Fortunately for him the proprietor of Gladrags Wizardwear was an old friend and he had contacts in muggle London who would be able to assist Albus in obtaining the muggle suit.

As he quickly made his way down the street, Albus was flanked on either side by witches singing his praises and lavishing him with all sorts of compliments. He tried to smile and be polite but he did not want to encourage them or give them anything upon which to build a story for the papers. His patience was growing very thin and his personal space had dwindled to almost nothing as he neared the entrance to the store.

One rather excited witch decided that she was going to make an impression on Albus Dumbledore if it was the last thing she ever did. In a display of emotions, she bolted in front of him, threw her arms around his neck and attempted to kiss him passionately upon the lips. Even through his shocked state of mind, Albus was able to react quickly and push her away with an admonishing look and a few well-chosen words communicating his displeasure.

Now flustered he hurriedly crossed the street to Gladrags and in his haste to enter the safe haven of the shop and leave the menacing women behind him, he failed to see the young witch exiting the establishment. Without a word of warning, they collided…sending the woman off her feet and causing her boxes to crash to the floor, spilling the contents.

At first, all he saw was a bundle of emerald green robes and a pair of shiny black boots among the debris. Then the witch began to stir after having regained her breath. Quickly offering his most sincere apologies, he began to help her collect the items scattered unceremoniously on the floor as the gaggle of women outside laughed and began to disperse. "I am truly sorry, Miss, for any harm I might have caused. I was not watching my step and in my haste to free myself from those women outside, I did not look where I was headed. Please forgive me."

The woman before him was very pleasant when she accepted his apology. She had immediately recognized him as being the transfiguration professor from Hogwarts that had started in her seventh year and the savior of their world. In some small way she felt sorry for him. She had watched him from a distance and had seen the way those horrid women had treated him. Although she had every right to be harsh and upset for him knocking her to the floor, she felt embarrassed and sad for him. Because of his willingness to face evil, he now had to deal with giving up part of his private life to the public. She felt that such an infringement on his personal life was more than anyone should have to bear and she quickly decided that she was not going to be one of those giddy women that had chased him all day.

As she struggled to gather her packages into some sort of order she had to smile a bit at the sight before her. She sat and watched him with amazement as he tried to match the boxes with their appropriate items and it wasn't until he reached for a particular box that contained a special dress that she was snapped from her thoughts.

Minerva McGonagall had been an auror during the dark years and had fought valiantly for the side of goodness and justice but her path had never crossed that of the famous Dumbledore in the fight against Grindelwald. He had taught her transfiguration during her seventh year but obviously she had changed a bit since then so it was not a surprise to her when he did not immediately recognize her.

In her official capacity as an auror, she had been assigned a special duty at the ball. She was to represent the young aurors who had devoted their time and energies to the good fight and as such had helped in tracking down dozens of the dark lord's followers. It was that assignment that had caused her to venture into Gladrags for a special garment. The Minister of Magic had requested that she and a few of her colleagues dress in muggle attire for the evening. And with the help of the owner of this particular shop, she had managed to floo to London, be fitted for her dress, and it had finally arrived. Thus, she had just picked up the dress and was heading home when the accident had occurred.

As Albus Dumbledore picked up the muggle dress from the floor, he was amazed at how beautiful the gown was and how incredibly small the waist looked. He held the garment up and dusted off the small specks that had collected on the hem and before he knew what was happening he was mentally picturing the witch before him wearing this outfit.

The young woman standing before him had a creamy complexion and it appeared to be so very soft to the touch. Her cheeks were a delicate pink, obviously from the embarrassment of the fall and his attempt to apologize. Her dark brown hair cascaded down her back, just beyond her shoulders, and it hung in luxurious waves and curls as small whispers of wind blew errant strands about her face. The rosy red lips that enhanced her features looked perfect and he was certain that when she spoke only the sweetest words would fall from them. But the one feature that captivated him was her amazing eyes. Her long, dark eyelashes enhanced the overall beauty of them. The large orbs were the most amazing shade of deep green that Albus had ever seen. He couldn't quite place it but for some strange reason those eyes seemed familiar. It was almost as if he should remember peering at them or having them study him yet he had no recollection of ever seeing this beautiful woman before in his life. He felt confident that he would remember such an attractive witch.

As she kindly took the dress from his possession, she proceeded to fold it neatly away and thanked him for helping her with the boxes. Before he could even think to ask her name, she had exited the establishment and was gone. No longer in the mood for a fitting, Albus apparated back to his home and tried to remember every detail about the striking woman that had literally crashed into his world.

Days passed and the auburn haired wizard had not had a good night's sleep in days. Oh he had slept all night but the woman from the shop had plagued his dreams. He had finally gone in for his fitting and inquired about her identity but because several other witches had been required to dress in muggle attire, the owner of the shop could not be certain of her name. Albus had contemplated asking for a list of the witches who would appear at the ball and who were required to wear muggle clothing but he knew that it was those kinds of stories that the papers loved to print. He could just see the headlines about him head over heels in love for a mystery woman or the woman that got away. No, he would just have to wait patiently for the ball and hope beyond all hope that he would be given the opportunity to speak to her again.

But the dreams did not stop. Each night he drifted off to sleep and each night she appeared. He always replayed the scene from the store and each time he found himself lost in her eyes. He could hear her silky voice and it caused him to smile in his dreams. She had spoken to him with confidence but without the insincerity he had grown accustomed to hearing from almost every unmarried woman in the area. She had not gushed over him or his accomplishments. Instead, she had treated him as any other wizard who had caused an accident and for that he had been grateful.

Maybe that was what had intrigued him more than anything. He had never been the type of man that would do things for the fame and glory yet his deeds and those two words seemed to go hand in hand. Those closest to him knew that he would be famous for the rest of his life and they tried to keep him as humble as possible. Yet, this one woman had managed to do what all the others could not. She had captured his attention merely by being herself and treating him as an equal. No more, no less. Now he could only dream of her and hope that she would attend the wizarding ball. If he could only speak to her once again, he might be able to see a decent night's sleep.

In another part of the wizarding world, Minerva McGonagall was facing a similar battle with her mind. She, too, had replayed the scene from Gladrags Wizardwear over and over in her head. She had noticed the extremely attractive Albus Dumbledore as he strolled about the streets. She had seen the group of fawning women as they had literally and figuratively thrown themselves at him. Minerva had felt embarrassed for all womankind as she watched their displays in broad daylight.

Oh, it wasn't that she was not deeply attracted to Albus Dumbledore. In fact, she had developed a crush on him during the only year he had taught her but those days were over. Instead, she had replaced those girlish feelings with ones of deep admiration for his accomplishments and a sincere appreciation for his strong character and bravery. She liked to think that she was slightly above feelings of love at first sight but when she bumped into him and they had locked eyes, she knew that something had passed between them. She had been drawn into his eyes and she frequently caught herself daydreaming about the handsome man that had knocked her off her feet.

When she closed her eyes she could picture him as plain as the sunshine. His auburn hair and beard had been blown about in the wind and was slightly ruffled. He had a crooked nose. She had read that he had suffered minor injuries during his battle with Grindelwald and she assumed it had been broken then. His large frame was solid, of that she could be certain. His arms were strong yet his hands were so tender when he had helped her to her feet. But the thing she remembered most were his eyes. Those piercing blue eyes that seemed to radiate warmth and create happiness wherever he looked. With that image in mind, she slipped off to sleep and dreamed of her old professor in a brand new way.

As the night of the ball drew closer, both Albus and Minerva thought more and more of each other and their chance meeting in Hogsmeade. To Albus, Minerva was the mystery woman with whom he hoped to speak again. He needed to see her just once more to be certain that it hadn't all been a wonderful dream. He was thankful that he knew the type of dress that she would be wearing. It would help him easily identify her from a distance, before he approached her, only to lose himself in her green pools of life. To Minerva, Albus was the dashing gentleman that all the women wanted, herself included, but that was not taken in by their false attitudes and actions. He had become the man of her dreams for the past week and even though she knew a great deal about him, there was still so much that she did not know. She found herself wishing that he might find her attractive and willing to spend some of his precious time with her instead of the other women. But only time would tell if their dreams would become a reality and the day of the ball was fast approaching.