a/n: Hello all you readers out there. Wow, I found that I really needed to update this...Once I am through with this one, I will start posting another Dumbledore/McGonagall fanfic!! (and it surpasses this one by a great deal... xD)

Chapter 14--Dumbledore--

The time was drawing near...Severus would not be pleased...the year was almost over and he was still alive...

Dumbledore was pacing once more; all that McGonagall had said to him was true and he could not deny it. This time, his ponderings were a bit painful for the things that she had said were true, but harsh truths that he had rather not heard.

Instead of helping her, Dumbledore realized that McGonagall was worse off without him than with him!

"Poor Minerva! Why did I ever think of keeping us apart?" Thought Dumbledore solemnly. Time was running out and Severus must kill him soon...Minerva was too precious to Dumbledore to not love her...he was falling into the same pattern that he had promised himself to never fall in again...Harry had not known the truth for five long years when he should have been given that knowledge as soon as he set foot in the castle...Dumbledore regrettably, was withholding things from Minerva as he had done with Harry! Oh, why did he always do this?

Dumbledore suddenly realized that the only way for McGonagall to heal properly after his death was to tell her everything...everything! He must tell her quickly because his death was approaching...seconds seemed to go by faster now that he knew that there was little time remaining. If he didn't tell her soon, she would resent him forever, or at least be broken. Even if his death did soften her, he would leave her with things that should be explained, which would cause her torment from the memories that they had shared...together.

"Why must life be so difficult?" wondered Dumbledore aloud. He remembered a time before all of this worry, sorrow, and grief, before Voldemort. It was, in fact, the whole reason Dumbledore was to die was a result of one of Voldemort's horcruxes.

The ring. It was lying on his desk...Voldemort's soul had been vanquished from it, nevertheless the effect of Dumbledore's black and nearly useless hand was the cause of that cursed ring...

His mind wandered back to Minerva as he realized that as much as he didn't want to, he would have to tell McGonagall his reasons because she had the right to know.