The second ending written. Hope you will let me know which one you like the best if any of them. Thanks for reading.

Chapter Five

"For now?" She asked. "Will he be back?"

"I fear that he will, yes." Dumbledore nodded. "But for now all we can do is wait, wait and hope that I am wrong."

"But you are not." Minerva smiled wryly. "You hardly ever are."

And he had indeed been right and in the end it had led to his death. She turned her back to the window leaning against the sill. Albus was dead. Her closest friend and the only person who knew how much she had hurt and was still hurting was dead. Never in her life had she felt so alone, never had she been this uncertain about the future of the world as she knew it. They had had one last conversation before his death, and like so many times before in the last 11 years it had been about Harry.

"We should help the boy, Albus." She told him. "We cannot let him handle it all alone."

"He is not alone." Dumbledore countered.

"Yes, he does have Ronald Weasley and Hermoine Granger at his side, and they are both in their own way talented, but he could use the help of wizards and witches that are of age, that have been trained for years." She got up and started pacing. "He is just a boy for God's sake!"

"He is a boy who has faced dangers than most wizards years older than him." He looked at her more sharply than he had in years. "I have complete faith in Harry. And if I am right he, and he alone, is the one wizard who can finish this."

"And you are rarely wrong." She commented dryly. "But I still feel that it is too great a burden for him. He is barely of age."

"I didn't think you had it in you anymore, Minerva." Dumbledore looked at her with a small smile.

"What?" She demanded.

"To let anyone into your heart again," he said with no malice.

"I…" She sat back down. "Neither did I." She looked at him with an even smaller smile. "But somehow those three dug their way in. I care for them and I will do what I can to not see them hurt, there have been enough losses."

"There has," he turned serious again. "And I'm sorry to tell you that there will be even more losses, before this is over. I wish something could be done to help it, but we both know that is impossible."

"Yes," she sighed. "We both know that."

"Do you still visit her?" He asked.

"I do," she confirmed.

"I have not seen her in years." He admitted

"She looks the same, only older. She has aged with grace." She smiled. "But I always knew that she would."

He smiled and nodded.

"Will you promise to help Harry if he ever asks you?" He changed the subject.

"I always have," was her honest answer.

"Will you please promise me? If there is a time that I am not here to help him, I am sure that he will turn to you next."

"Nothing will happen to you Albus…" She started.

"Minerva, please!" He had never raised his voice to her before and it startled her.

"Yes, I promise to help Harry if he should ask for it." She promised. "I will help him even if he doesn't ask."

"Thank you, Minerva." He looked her in the eyes. "I have always known that I could trust you. I am grateful that you are my friend, even if it is much more than I deserve."

"Albus," she was brought to silence by the hand he held up.

She had not been allowed to tell him again that she did no longer blame him. But at least she had told him once and he had understood. She now that he had had much more trouble forgiving himself. Two nights after this conversation he had fallen from the tower, and she was now, once again, to fill his shoes. Yet, after allowing herself to remember everything, she was not nearly as nervous as she had thought. She had handled everything else in her life thus far and she would handle this as well to the best of her abilities. She would become the new Headmistress of Hogwarts.

She was surprised when there was yet another knock on the door.

"Enter," she called out after drying her eyes and straightening her robes.

"Professor McGonagall," Remus Lupin greeted her as he entered her chambers.

"Remus," she sat down gesturing for Lupin to do the same. "What can I do for you?" She asked.

"I don't really know," Remus sat down with a smile. "I think I just needed to talk to someone who…" He paused.

"Someone who doesn't know all about you," she said with a dry laugh.

"Well," he looked at her apologetically.

"It's been a hard day," she smiled at him. "But I have the time for you."

"Thank you," he fell silent, looking around her chambers in surprise. "I had never imagined…" He caught himself.

"Nor were you supposed to." She looked around as well. "I prefer my personal space to be personal." She smiled at him to show that she hadn't taken offence to his comment.

"Right," he noticed the picture of Victoria and Minerva and picked it up before she had a chance to stop him. "I hadn't thought about Professor Mercer for years." He said as he admired the picture. "She was a great teacher and a kind one."

"She was," Minerva nodded.

"I always thought…" He looked over at her with a smile. "Now, I guess I know."

"You didn't know before?" She asked in surprise. "I would have thought that she'd have told you."

"She?" He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Lily," she smiled remembering again.

"Lily knew?!?" He laughed. "Well, then your secret was safe."

"Yes, she…" She blushed slightly. "She walked in on us one day."

He smiled.

"You miss her." He stated.

"I love her." She looked him in the eyes. "And love makes it all worth it. The looks that people send your way, the snide remarks. It makes it all worth it. Dumbledore once told me that true love is hard to come by, and I know how right he was." She looked him in the eyes. "I lost my love, Remus, don't make that mistake. If you love her, marry her. Be happy with her."

"I…" He looked at the picture in his hands. "I thought I was talking to someone who didn't know all about me." He said looking back up at her.

"Well," she smiled. "I do have eyes." Her smile grew wider. "And I do think that Nymphadora is very determined to make you see sense."

"She certainly won't take no for an answer." He commented dryly.

"No," she looked at him sternly. "And that is something you should be very grateful for."

"You are right," He smiled. "And I am grateful."

"Good," she smiled as well.

"Thank you, Minerva." He got up and put down the picture. "I should…" He gestured towards the door.

"I think it's about time you did." She smiled, but didn't get up.

He smiled and walked to the door.

"Remus," He looked back. "Come back anytime you need." She looked over at him. "I too understand what it's like to be different. Not like you, I'm sure, but I do know." She glanced at the picture, now standing on the table again.

"Thank you, Minerva." He repeated with a smile. "Have a nice evening."

"Thank you and you too." She winked at him. "And good luck."

Epilog

The next morning

"Good morning, Professor McGonagall." The healer greeted her and looked, as always, pleased to see her.

"Good morning, Healer Raphael." McGonagall granted him a smile before entering Victoria's room.

The other witch was lying motionless in bed staring into space as always. She was still beautiful despite having aged 20 or so years.

"Hello, Dear." Minerva sat on the side of the bed and smoothed back the now white hair. "Have you missed me?" She asked tenderly. "I am sorry that I haven't been able to visit as frequently as usual, but the war is drawing closer and…" She looked in the empty eyes of her love. "We lost Albus, Tory. Albus is dead." She waited, as always in vain, for some sort of sign that she had understood. She sighed as there was no reaction. "Well, I suppose it is better that you don't understand." She smiled down at her love. "Remus stopped by my chambers last night. But now, don't you worry, he has his eyes on another woman. Nymphadora Tonks. Do you remember her? Was she at the school when you were there? No, I suppose she's too young for that." She shook her head. "Well, I'm sure that they will end up married." She smiled at the thought. "I wish we'd had the time to get married. You would have been a beautiful bride." She caressed Tory's cheek.

She had never been one for idle chat, but with the non responsive woman on the bed she had found that she just couldn't stop talking. She knew that she probably didn't hear a word, but it gave her some semblance of normalcy – even if it just was for a couple of hours a week.

"I miss you, Tory," she let the tears she's been holding back fall. She lay down next to her cuddling into her. "God, how I miss you."

The End