Hello! Here is my new story! As you probably read on the synopsis, it is basically following the three main Headteachers of Hogwarts (Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall) through their lives, before, during and after their headship. I am aiming to put three different mini-chapters in each chapter, each from the POV of the different characters (apart from Albus, whom I have decided would be too difficult to write for, so I am using people who know him like Elphias Doge and Aberforth for those ones.) I hope you enjoy it, and please review!

By the way, I have been writing this for quite a long time, writing different parts of the stories at random points, so if I don't upload as quickly as I normally would, it's probably because I have forgotten a character's chapter for that part :)

Disclaimer: I don't own it!

Albus

"Elphias! Wake up! Come quickly!" a voice brought Elphias Doge out of his peaceful dreams and into the Gryffindor boys' dormitory in a split second. His friend Albus was standing next to his bed, looking fairly excited, but seeming to be suppressing the urge to shout so as not to wake up the other boys.

"What, Albus?" Elphias asked groggily. Albus often made exciting discoveries at the most inconvenient of times. He had the tendency to wonder the corridors at night time, which was completely against the school rules, but because he was Albus Dumbledore- brilliantly talented in everything he tried- of course, never caught.

"Just come quickly!" Albus repeated. Elphias grinned as he sat up in bed and put on his slippers. Grabbing his wand, he followed Albus out of Gryffindor tower and along several flights of staircases and passageways until they came to a door which Elphias had never noticed before. They ducked in, and stood staring at the room.

It was completely bare, apart from a large thing that covered the wall, shining and reflecting the light sent out from their wands all around the room. When Elphias moved closer, he saw that it was a mirror, with words carved intricately around the frame.

Albus stepped in front of it, and pointed.

"You see? Can you see them?"

"See who? There's nobody there"

"They are standing right next to me- why can't you see them?"

Elphias was starting to think that Albus really had gone mad, when he was pushed in front of the mirror. At first he saw nothing but himself, looking confused and bewildered about who on earth 'they' could be, when things started to appear around him, as if out of thin air. He was taller, older, handsomer. He was different. He proudly wore a Head Boy badge, and carried a broom. He was team captain of Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"So, do you see them?" asked Albus eagerly.

"See who? Can't you see me? I think I've won the Quidditch House Cup! Look at me!"

Albus frowned. "It must be a magical mirror that only shows things to you and nobody else. I've read about these."

"What do you see, Albus?" Elphias asked, but Albus seemed to be distracted, and didn't answer for a long moment.

"We should go" he said eventually. Elphias followed Albus out of the room, and they made their way back through the dark Hogwarts back to Gryffindor Tower.

When they were finally back in bed, Elphias stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. That mirror had seemed so real. Was it some fortune telling mirror? Was it nothing, what Elphias had seen? And what had Albus seen, that had been so secret to him that he hadn't shared it with his best friend?

"Elphias?" Albus' whispered voice made him jump.

"What?"

"You asked me what I saw in the mirror."

"Yes?"

I saw my family. They were all back together. Ariana wasn't ill anymore and my Father was alive. Aberforth didn't hate me as much as he does, and my mother was happy. We were all together again.

Elphias didn't know what to say. In the two years that he had known him, Albus had never really spoken about what had happened to his sister, in fact he barely mentioned her. Of course everyone speculated and gossiped. Everyone had heard the false rumours about the intriguing Dumbledore family (except probably Albus himself, although he was good at turning a blind eye to anything like that).

"His sister is a squib, who is locked up in their house because she's an embarrassment to the family."
"His father is a mass murderer."
"His mother is going mad."
"His father escaped from Azkaban."
"His father died in Azkaban."
"His sister is uncontrollable and dangerous.
"His mother is breeding an army of garden gnomes."

The list went on and on. Of course none of them could be true Albus told himself, but surely the most obscure of rumours often had an inkling of truth in them. Maybe that was why Albus was always so reluctant to talk about his family.

"My family was together again." Albus repeated, and he sounded for the first time that Elphias could recall, on the verge of tears.

"What happened?" he asked softly, not really expecting an answer.

After a long pause, Albus spoke. "When my sister was much younger, some muggle boys saw her performing underage magic, like children do when they can't control it. I think it freaked them out or something because they attacked her, and- well, she had never been the same again. The attack scarred her for life, and she sometimes uses magic by accident because she can't control it. Of course my father was very angry, and attacked the boys who had done this to her, and he was locked up in Azkaban for it. I don't really think it was the right thing to have done, to take that into his own hands, but he never told anyone why he had attacked them. He protected Ariana. He died a few years after that. I suppose that grief for my sister killed him." Albus looked over at Elphias through the darkness, and Elphias saw him rolling over onto his side, almost embarrassed that he had shared such a private story with anyone.

Minerva

Around the large old house, everything was quiet. Minerva McGonagall sat in the living room, reading a book. Minerva liked books. They helped her get away from everything that worried her. This one she had received that day: her eleventh birthday. It was an old copy of a children's book: The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and her mother had given it to her. Although this was a children's book, Minerva loved anything to do with magic, and this was certainly no ordinary book. This one had pictures that moved, and stories about magical and exciting things like invisibility cloaks and cauldrons.

Minerva hardly ever heard about magic in her house. Her mother had told her all about Hogwarts when she was younger, but now, she seemed almost upset if anybody mentioned magic. Her father was a muggle Minerva knew, but she didn't see how this was a reason for her mother to be sad. Minerva wondered if her mother missed magic. She used to make things come out of the end of her wand, like birds and flowers. She hardly ever did that nowadays. Nowadays, she normally sat around the house, not really doing anything: almost mourning her magic. But whenever Minerva, or her brothers Malcolm or Robert did something magical, her mother seemed almost animated with excitement, as if they were taking away all of the pain which she had been bottling up inside.

All of this was why Minerva had been so surprised to have received a non-muggle present from her parents for her birthday. It was probably because today was special. Today, hopefully an owl would arrive at the window, and Hogwarts would be waiting for her.

A soft scratching at the window made her jump, and laughing, she realised that it was in fact the very owl she had been thinking about a second ago. It was grey and white, and very official looking, carrying a letter with a wax seal, and her name and address on the front. This is it she told herself, as she ripped open the seal. The letter enclosed read:

Dear Miss McGonagall,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore
Deputy Headmaster

Underneath was a long list of all the books and equipment that Minerva would need to attend.

Laughing slightly hysterically at the arrival of the letter she had dreamed of ever since she knew she was a witch, she ran out of the living room to find her family and tell them the news.

She burst in on mother in the kitchen, chopping vegetables.

"What is it?" she asked, seeing the excited look on Minerva's face.

Minerva waved the letter in the air. "I got in!" she half shouted. "I'm going to Hogwarts"

Her mother dropped the knife she was holding and burst into tears.

"What is it? Are you alright?" asked Minerva, completely shocked.

"Of-of course I'm alright" she replied. "I'm just happy for you. I'm glad you can go." She embraced Minerva. Surely there was something else though. Minerva had sensed it for months now. Then it hit her. Of course, her mother was jealous of her! She wanted to go back to Hogwarts and be free to use magic again, like she had done before she was married. Still shocked at her realisation, Minerva hugged her mother back, trying to console her.

Severus

Third year Severus walked down a corridor in the general direction of the Great Hall. It was lunchtime, and he had just come out of potions, but he didn't want to go to the hall just yet. He needed to think. He jumped in shock as a hand seemingly coming from nowhere clamped over his mouth and pulled him into a nearby broom cupboard.

"Hey, Snivellus!" the voice Severus had come to loathe sounded menacingly beside him. He groaned inwardly. It wasn't the first time Potter and his followers had ambushed him at lunchtime and the other times had not ended nicely for Severus.

"Lemme go!" he said when the hand clamping his mouth shut had been released. He reached for his wand.

"You know, Snivellus? The reason that nobody likes you is that they don't want to be seen dead with someone who hasn't washed his hair in two years!" Great. Well done, Black: very original. At least Lupin had the decency to look slightly ashamed of his friends, although he never did anything to stop them. The fat kid who followed them around was snickering shamelessly, as were the Hufflepuff girls who had also been following them, were now staring into the cupboard, and clearly fancied (like most girls of their age) the good looking Potter, Black and even Lupin.

"Stupif-"A spell sent Severus off his feet before he was able to finish the spell.

"How d'you like this, Snivellus?" taunted Black, charming Severus' own school bag to attack him; his heavy potions book hitting him hard in the stomach: forcing him into a protective foetal position, as sharp quills, thick books and rolls of parchment attacked his head. Potter was about to join in with the spells, when a familiar voice: a voice Severus had loved from the minute he had first heard it rang out in alarm and anger.

"What are you doing to Sev?" shouted Lily Evans, her green eyes flashing angrily as she pushed the Hufflepuffs out of the way. Potter grinned lazily at her: messing up his already windswept hair in the hope of impressing her.

"Hey babe" he said smiling. "Will you go out with me yet?" Severus looked on in triumph as Lily gave Potter a look of disgust and loathing.

"I would rather go out with a mountain troll than you, Potter!" she spat. "How could you be so mean to Sev? What has he ever done to you?"

"Well, he was born for a start" said Black, grinning nastily.

A well aimed bat bogey hex from Lily sent Black sprawling to the floor; hitting his head on a shelf on the way down, as big black bats came flapping out of his nose. Potter shrieked with laughter at his friend, and Lily turned his wand on him.

"Whoa, careful Lilyflower! You don't want me to hex you, do you?" This had an immediate effect on Lily, and glowering at his arrogance, shot yellow birds out of the end of her wand, which she pointed at James, and said "Oppugno!"

Instantly, the birds flew at him, pecking at anywhere they could find. Severus smirked in satisfaction as the other Marauders followed James out of the cupboard; worried they would be the next to be at the receiving end of Lily's spells.

"YOU LEAVE SEVERUS ALONE!"Lily shouted after them. "And what are you staring at?" she demanded, pointing at the Hufflepuff girls, who were laughing a little less now. They scuttled away at Lily's glare, knowing there would be bad consequences if they didn't.

"Thanks, Lily" said Severus, climbing to his feet.

"You mustn't let them do this to you!" she said frowning. "Potter and Black are complete prats, but you need to stand up to them, or they will carry on doing it! You should at least tell someone!"

She was right of course. She was always right.

He watched her as she walked away to join her Gryffindor friends, Marlene McKinnon and Mary MacDonald.

He hated Potter. He hated that everyone liked him; that all the girls fancied him, and all the boys wanted to be friends with him. He hated that Potter had the courage to tell the girl he fancied his feelings every day, despite her constant threats, when he himself was too scared of ruining their friendship. Lily was his, not Potter's. She had always been his. He closed his eyes and once again drew the picture in his head. Severus and Lily married, with three children. The thing was, James often barged in and pulled her screaming away every time. He shook his head, as if to send the image away. He wouldn't let it happen. He couldn't.

So, that's the first chapter! Please review and tell me what you think :)