Albus awoke when the sun came pouring in through the window. He was incredibly sore, but he ignored the shooting pain in his back and turned to see how Minerva was. She was still breathing. "Minerva," he said softly. He ran his thumb along her cheek.

Minerva slowly opened her eyes, and Albus almost fell over. Her eyes were even more shockingly green than they had been. It was the purest, deepest, most beautiful green he had ever seen. "Minerva?"

She sat up with a wince. "Professor Dumbledore? What happened?"

Albus sighed. "I killed your father. He is gone."

Minerva shook her head. "He was not my father. He never was. He did not know what it meant to be a father." She looked around glumly. "Could we leave? I don't think I can stand this place much longer."

He gave a dry smile. "I do not think I can either. But it is a bit of a walk. You must know that we cannot disapparate from within the grounds here. Do you think you can make it?"

"I hate to correct you, but…we can disapparate from here. Or at least I can. I can bring you with me."

Not for the first time since he met Minerva, he was floored. "You can? How?"

Minerva smiled slightly. "Never mind that." She stood up, feeling dizzy, and Albus followed suit. "Where are we trying to go?"

"My house."

"Take my hand." Albus did without a word. Instantly he felt the familiar feeling of apparation, and suddenly he was standing inside his kitchen. He turned to Minerva in amazement. "How…?" He stopped. Minerva was swaying as she stood. He reached out and caught her just in time. She was unconscious. He picked her up carefully and climbed the stairs to his room. He lay her on his bed and sat down beside her.

Albus was incredibly worried about her. She did not seem to be in very good shape. Not that he could expect more from someone who had survived the Killing Curse….Albus felt extremely confused. Minerva did not seem like she could really exist. She seemed to defy all laws of nature. Since Albus did not really know what was ailing her, he did not know how to help her. All he could do was wait.

Albus slept beside her in his bed that night. From what he had seen of her, she did not seem like she would mind, and waking up and seeing her there was immensely comforting to him. One time when he woke up, a smile passed over his face. He had just realized that he was in love with Minerva McGonagall.

The next morning, Albus opened his eyes to see that Minerva was sitting up. "Minerva! How are you?"

Albus could not be certain, but she looked as though she was smiling. "All things considered…I'm fine. Thank you. And you?"

Albus shrugged. "I'm fine. I have been very worried about you. I have so many questions for you."

Minerva nodded. "You can ask me anything."

"Let's go down to my office."

The two sat across from each other, separated by Albus's large desk. Minerva clasped her hands in front of her. Albus could not help smiling. She looked so calm and collected, even though she had just been through so much. It appeared not to bother her at all, but Albus thought he knew better. It was a mask.

"My first question will probably come as no surprise to you. How on earth are you alive?"

Minerva actually laughed, and it occurred to Albus that he had never heard her laugh before. Nor had he seen her truly smile. The sound was wonderful. "You are one to get right into things, aren't you?" She paused, looking thoughtful. "Perhaps it would be easier if I started from the beginning. I'm sure all of your questions will be related to each other."

Albus nodded mutely. Minerva looked him straight in the eyes. "I am not a normal witch, Professor. I'm not sure how much you know about the Dark Arts, but even if you were the most learned person in the subject, you would still probably not have heard of what I am going to tell you. There is a spell, and incredibly obscure spell, that when performed, can make someone have no limit to the power they can obtain. It requires the one who casts the spell to sacrifice herself when she is pregnant." Minerva looked uncomfortable for the first time in her explanation. "My mother completed the spell."

Albus stopped breathing. He had never heard of such a spell. It was inconceivable. "So you are…there is no limit to your power?"

Minerva tilted her head. "There is. At this moment. But it is always possible for me to gain more. As ridiculous as it sounds, it was my father's plan to harness my power to enslave the human race."

He stared at her. "You are powerful enough to enslave the human race?"

Minerva turned red. "Theoretically." She sighed. "My father used my mother to get me. He had to keep me downtrodden all of my life, but I did not know anyone else. I did not know that he did not actually love me until I was eleven. He would always make me practice magic when he went out to do 'business', and he taught me spells. I don't need a wand to do magic. To keep me under his control, he would punish me if I disobeyed him. He used the Cruciatus Curse on me since I can remember, always telling me that I had to let it work. Spells cannot work on me unless I let them."

Albus leaned forward. "Do you mean that I could get out my wand right now, do any spell, and you could completely throw off its effects?"

"I do. Try it, if you want."

Albus pointed his wand at her. "Impedimenta." Nothing happened. "Stupefy!" He stopped. "That's amazing."

"I guess I don't throw it off so much as absorb it. I feel stronger even after you did only two spells."

"When did you find out that your father was not who you thought he was?"

Minerva looked down. "When I was eleven, I went downstairs when some men came by. I saw him kill them. He used the Cruciatus Curse on them and then killed them. He had always said that when he used that curse, it was because he loved me. I knew that wasn't true. I realized that I have no idea what love is."

Albus could tell by her voice that she was very saddened by this. It would be terrible to not know what love was. "If spells do not affect you, what happened the other night? The Killing Curse hurt you."

"But it only hurt me. There was so much power behind it that I could not absorb it well enough. Apart from that, my father had been…beating me…so much that I did not have the strength to deal with spells like that. His Cruciatus Curse worked. I honestly expected his spell to kill me. I'm nearly as surprised as you are. It just felt like a million Cruciatus Curses at once."

Albus's mouth went dry. She would die for him. In an effort to break the silence that had fallen, Albus spoke up. "What happens if you do magic with a wand?"

Minerva looked like she was going to smile. "I don't know for sure, but I have a suspicion that whatever I was directing my spell at would blow up. Care to try it?"

He laughed. "No. I will take your word for it." He paused. "Minerva…thank you. You saved my life, and in doing so, you saved everyone. How can I ever repay you?"

Minerva looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Don't leave me," she whispered.