(a/n - so, guess what, guess what guess what? I GOT THROUGH TO THE FINAL! The two finalists are me and Codename Jellybean, so it is gonna be tough! The third position is TheUnnamedAvatar, who wrote an awesome fic. The two finalists will now write about the same song: Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Golding - I need your love. So off I go! Still staying in the comfort zone, I guess because I like this song a little less to the previous one I had, and MMAD are just so awesome. Be prepared for some serious angst, guys.)

All The Years

'Dear Albus, I need your love.'

No, that sounds too desperate. Throw that away.

"The Headmaster doesn't require the Transfiguration Professor at this moment in time. He is otherwise engaged. Please return at another time." Those few sentences uttered by one portrait guarding his chambers several years ago. Those few sentences rattled around her brain like bees who would never leave a honeypot alone, or nifflers who wouldn't leave until they'd found every last thing. Those few sentences had been the words that signalled the end of their relationship, for no apparent reason. Presumably, he had his reasons. He wouldn't end it without valid ones, but still. It hurt. To be told in such a cold manner by a portrait that he didn't need her, after she had scheduled meeting him in his chambers that evening. She cared for him madly, and nowadays they were merely colleagues, despite what had passed between them all those years ago.

'Dear Albus, I come alive when you're with me,'

No, that sounds like you're sexually frustrated. Throw that away.

She cared for him with everything she had. Whenever he smiled at her, or spoke to her, her day became infinitely better simply because he had become a small part of it. She couldn't help it, but every bone in her body ached with the hope that one day, maybe he would just let her know what had gone wrong, so that she could finally understand and they could put the past behind them. She had specifically set aside an evening to compose a letter to tell him everything she felt so that perhaps, maybe, she wouldn't feel so hurt anymore. She needed his love.

'Dear Albus, I take a deep breath everytime I pass your door,'

No, that sounds like you're scared of him. Throw that away.

Whenever she wandered the castle in a vain attempt to cure her continuous insomnia she had experienced since they had parted, she had frequently found herself outside the same portrait that had spoken those few sentences all those years ago. Everytime she saw it, she would inhale and exhale slowly, conjuring up that he would find her there, that it was all a mistake, that they had never broken apart in such a cold and ruthless way. She would pray and imagine and fancy all she liked, but still she would find herself cold, upset and alone for a night once more. She had not slept properly for every night for several years now, and she could feel herself aging beyond her years. She needed him.

'Dear Albus, I've been a stranger ever since we fell apart,'

No, that sounds like you decided to split. Throw that away.

Everyday she put on a strict persona, so unlike the one she had been used to when she was younger. Her self-esteem shattered, she had resorted to using power and authority to gain her a stance, since her image and personality had evidently never been enough to win her the love of a man as great as he was. Whenever they spoke, she shut herself off from the world and used only the basic civil terms deemed necessary, for fear of showing him and the world just how badly she needed him to function like a normal human being. Being so close to him made her heart beat and her mind race. But she couldn't show it. Never. It had to be her secret. And it was consuming her from the inside out. This letter was the way of finally gaining some closure.

'Dear Albus, I try to fight this but I know I'm not that strong,'

No, that sounds like you're battling a crush or whim. Throw that away.

Every moment she spent in the castle near him was a moment she knew that she was going crazy. Soon, she would be a mere shadow of the person she used to be at most, and all of her steely resolve and brave nature was rapidly fading into dust, she was using it that much in her day to day life now. Just to not run forward and embrace him like a dog might greet its owner who had been absent for an hour or two. Her body craved for his touch, and whenever she did catch a snatch of sleep, her dreams were filled with his face, his hands, his voice. She couldn't escape him, she was drowning in him. And then those few sentences would replay once more in her head and she would become helpless once more.

'Dear Albus, Tell me do you feel the same? Hold me in your arms again,'

No, that sounds as if you're needy. Throw that away.

Questions swirled around her mind at all the most inconvenient hours. Lunch, lessons, her life was quickly becoming uncontrollable, and she didn't like it. She enjoyed knowing exactly what was going on, and realising that because of those few sentences and their separation, she was becoming a ghost, and was losing the battle of life made her scared. She didn't know what to do. Only he could fix her problems, but then, he couldn't. Because he was the problem. Her inevitable doom was inescapable, unless she finished this letter.

'Dear Albus, You have never been to blame,'

No, that sounds like you're at fault. Throw that away.

Perhaps, she realised, he was the source of all of her problems. Before now, she had always presumed that he had valid reasons for the split. That he was unquestionably right in his way of dealing with things. Maybe, a small part of her brain whispered, he was the culprit here. He had left her alone without any thought to her feelings. For years she had become a changed woman. Easily angered, agitated and anxious. Not the carefree and loving person she once was. Her trust of others had vanished. No wonder she had few friends. He had ruined her life. Why was she still chasing after him?

'Dear Albus, I've been trying to make it change,'

No, that sounds like your harsh persona is deliberately done. Throw that away.

Really, she decided, he was awful. She should hate him. And maybe that's why she was always drawn to him. Perhaps it wasn't love filling her every muscle as she had thought, but hate. Hatred for all he had done for her with those few sentences. People may adore him and call him blameless, but he was a conniving and cunning man, rendering her helpless to herself, succumbing her to a series of awful changes. She had thought that he could make anything and everything right. Well she was wrong. He couldn't. He had ruined her. And she needed to find herself again before it was too late. He was never going to be the one to rebuild her while he regarded her with such a casual and replaceable attitude.

'Dear Albus, I need to be free.'

Yes, that sounds good. One sentence. Fairly cold and unfeeling. Detached. Similar to those which first changed you all those years ago. Attach it with your notice to leave Hogwarts. Start your life elsewhere. Finally, you're free.

He looked at the brief sentence. Cold and unfeeling. What was he going to do? Nothing, it would appear could be done. It was his fault. Now it was his turn to hope for a reunion in the future. One which could bring them together again. Because they did need each other. Albus and Minerva.

(a/n - so that's it. I hope it is good enough. It was so hard to write them apart, so I had to include the little spark of hope at the end. One of my favourite lyrics was 'I know you're there but I can't see you anymore' if you're interested. Please feel free to review and favourite. And wish me luck!)