Disclaimer: I do not own anything dealing with Harry Potter, and I hope you know that by now! Oh, and the song is from the soundtrack to "Beaches". Okay? Go!

A/N: Okay, so I was sitting here, wondering which story I should update, and then I thought, "Why should I rush the choice? If something comes to me, then it'll come to me, and I should not have to force inspiration!" Right? I mean, if you put your mind under complete stress like that, then you are likely to never get any good ideas. And besides, I had already started a chapter to "Phantom of Hogwarts", and "Who Am I?", and yet I simply could not think of what to do to finish the chapters. I mean, I know where I want to go with them, but I just don't know to get there. So anyway, I was sitting there, trying to find something on T.V. to watch, and then, all of a sudden, it hits me… BOOM! Like a bolt of lightning, this idea came to me, without warning, like most of my ideas usually do! The result, you ask? Well, just read and find out!

I Know You By Heart…

Minerva McGonagall sat back, tired from several hours of grading papers. True, she did give out the most homework out of any of the other teachers, but what the students failed to realized was that the more she gave them, the more she gave herself. But this was the only way she knew how to do it, and the only way in which she did it. And this was the way she had done it for years, so there was no hope of her changing her habits now. It was a saying that "old habits die hard", and Minerva knew first hand just how true that statement was.

This was particularly true when it came to secrets. Anyone who knew Minerva knew that she despised secrets, and that she always made it a point to say just what was on her mind; especially when she was speaking with her family and friends. But anyone who knew her really well knew that there was one secret in which she had never dared say in public. She had only said it once, in front her best friend Poppy Pomfrey, and it was a secret concerning her best male friend, and employer, Albus Dumbledore. It was one she had never been brave to admit to him. It had been hard enough for her to admit to herself, so she could not fathom telling him.

Everybody wants to find a love,
Somebody, somebody who will always care.
But we get locked up in our own worlds,
With feelings and secrets we're afraid to share

Yes, Albus Dumbledore was the man whom she had cared for since she could remember. In fact, she didn't even remember a time when she did not harbor her deep love for him. But did she tell him? Of course not, why would she? Why would she tell him? Just to be rejected by her best friend? And he was, in fact, eighty years older than she was. Their friendship was now at that comfortable state where they knew each other so well, that they could even finish each others sentences. All they would have to do is look at each other, and they knew what the other was thinking… It seemed that the only thing he could not tell she was thinking, despite being the best legillimus of their world, was that she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone else. Was he really that blind? She shook her head and smiled as she played with that thought. He really needs new glasses, she thought as she stood and made her way to her rooms. It was nearing midnight and she needed to sleep. But first, a stop by the kitchens was in order.

Ooooooooooo

But all I have to do is see you smile,
Or maybe, just maybe if I brush your hand;
Something happens I cannot explain,
And somehow, oh somehow I can understand.

Albus Dumbledore, himself, was thinking the very thing as he, too, made his way to the kitchens. How could Minerva McGonagall, one of the most intelligent women he knew, possibly not see how much he was meant for her, and she for him? It was a very sad thought and he rubbed his head. He had thought, many times, that there was something in her eyes. Sometimes, she would look at him with something extra in her eyes, but which always soon left. It was something he never could guess as to the meaning. He had thought, on a number of occasions, that he could just use his legillimens (A/N: Sorry, don't know how to spell it.) to see what she was thinking during those times when she had that look in her eyes, but he knew that that would be an invasion of privacy and would be totally out of the question.

He smiled at the thoughts of all the little ways he tried to show her how he felt, but each time he would simply lose his nerve and keep going, thus allowing her to think that it was just a simple friendly gesture. He had made it a habit of walking her to breakfast and then back to her rooms after dinner. He would guide her through doors by placing her hand on the small of her back and gently helping her through. Things like this, which would pass as helpful gestures, were really something more, if she would only look into them a little more.

But Albus supposed that he was being too subtle. He just wasn't ready to make his feelings for her more clear than he was ready to at the moment. He wanted to tell her so much, but every time he tried, the words just seemed to get in the way. Then, there were times when the world outside the haven of their school would get to him, making his shoulders slump a little more than he cared for. But her advice, her caring touch, her warmth always got him through. All he had to do was see her smile, and he was happy, too. When their hands would brush up against each others, either by accident or otherwise, he could feel her warmth flow from her hand to his, sending warm, tingling sensations throughout his entire body, letting him know that everything was going to be okay… no matter what was going on!

Ooooooooooo

I, I think you're gonna find . . .
I'm gonna find you.
I'm gonna find you . . .

I know you by heart.
You're so much a part of me.
I know you by heart.

Can't you see?

Minerva sat in the kitchen, a steaming cup of mint tea in her hands. As she took a soothing sip of the tea, the warmth of the liquid running smoothly down her throat in a comforting manner, she closed her eyes and reveled in the unusual quietness of the castle. With all the students there, it was a rare moment when all was quiet.

"Let me guess," came a voice from behind her. "Mint tea with a tin of ginger newts, possibly two or three missing, and one with a small bite already in it?" Minerva smiled as she felt Albus come to her side. She opened her eyes and watched him as he looked at her tea, and then into the tin of ginger newts which were in front of her.

"I fear you know me too well, Albus Dumbledore," she said as he picked up the partially eaten one and offered a boyish, lopsided grin.

"Almost as well as you know me, my dear," he said. A house elf appeared in front of him and asked what he would be requiring.

"Well, I don't want anything too heavy, but-," he began. Minerva cut in.

"But he wants something soothing, so he'll have a mug of his usual hot chocolate, extra chocolate, and just a handful of lemon drops." Minerva smiled at Albus, who offered her a smile in return, and in an instant, the house elf placed the sweets and mug in front of the headmaster.

"If you needn't be needin' anything else, Mitzy will just be off to bed, sir, and madam." And with a pop, she was gone.

"Minerva, now I fear that it is my turn to be impressed," he smiled.

"Oh, Albus, anyone who knows you knows what a sweet tooth you have," she replied, blushing slightly at his compliment.

"Yes, but it is not everyone who can finish my thought," Albus added pointedly. "I am afraid, my dear, that you know me by heart, just like I know you by heart."

It's no wonder I can love you
The way that I do.
I can finish any sentence you start.
Woah, I know you, I know you by heart.

Minerva was not quite sure what to make of that last statement, so she just offered him one last smile and stood up.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, Albus, I shall be off to bed. It is far past the bedtime for this woman, and my feline senses are starting to tell me that it is time to sleep. I honestly don't know how I get any work done. My senses are always telling me I need to sleep, even when I'm not tired." She stretched in a most cat-like manner and Albus smiled.

"Yes, well, it is very late, so I suppose I'll retire as well," said Albus, standing and taking his mug and sweets with him.

Ooooooooooo

I know every time you wanna call,
I pick up the phone before it can ring.
And when you need some lovin', I'll be there
Beside you, anticipating everything.

The next morning was a Saturday, and for once, Minerva had no work to do. She had managed to do all her marking the night before, and there were no meetings she had to attend. This was the first morning she could remember in which she did not have to get up at six thirty.

However, Minerva was not one to lie around all day, despite having an animagus form of a cat. She liked to keep herself occupied, so she got up at her usual time and, after several stretching exercises she was in the habit of doing each morning, she took a shower, got dressed, and made her way for the door. But then, she got a strange feeling that she should stay back for a minute, just in case. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she had a feeling that she was supposed to stay there and wait for something. What was that something? She did not know. But she knew she should wait. Then, two minutes later, the head of Albus appeared in her fireplace and she smiled.

"I had a feeling someone might be contacting me," she smiled as she sat on her knees in front of the fireplace. "I should have known that it would be you. If it were anyone else, I probably would not have stayed and they would have missed me." Albus smiled.

"Ah, yes, Minerva, I was worried I wouldn't find you either," he said. "Anyway, I figured, since I don't have any meetings today, and since you told me last night as I escorted you to your rooms that you had finished all your grading, that we might spend some time together?"

"Oh Albus, that sounds absolutely wonderful," agreed Minerva. "I'll be right over." A minute later, she stepped out of his fireplace and wiping off the soot from her robes.

Ooooooooooo

Minerva and Albus spent the day, much to their relief, without anyone bothering them. They walked through the crowded streets of Hogsmede, and reveled in the fact that no one seemed to care that they were there.

Minerva looked at him several times throughout the day and smiled when she thought of how close she was to him, sometimes being forced, though not unwelcome, to brush up against him to get past the small, crowded streets. And it pained her when she had to move away from him.

Albus, himself, enjoyed such moments when they were close together, and he, too, hated it when they had to part. But at least they were together.

Oh, it's like I always said . . .
You're the one I want.
And all I want is you.

. . . I'm inside your head.

I know you by heart.
You're so much a part of me.
I know you by heart.
Can't you see?

It's no wonder I can love you

The way that I do.
I can finish any sentence you start.
Hey, woah, I know you by heart.
I know you by heart.

Ooooooooooo

They ended their day with a nice dinner, and finally reached the castle just before the sun set.

"Thank you, Albus, for a wonderful day," she said as they reached her bedroom door. "I certainly had a lot of fun."

"As did I, Minerva," he said. He turned and faced her. "And now, I shall bid you a good night, as I am sure you should like to take a shower. I know I do, even though I already took one this morning." Minerva nodded.

"Same here." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Just as she was about to retreat, Albus found that he could not help himself. Placing a hand on her cheek, he captured her lips with his in a warm and tender kiss.

So much a part of me.
It's no wonder I love you
The way that I do.
I can finish any sentence you start.
I know you, I know you by heart.

Minerva couldn't believe that this was happening to her. She had dreamed for so long that this would happen to her, but never had she suspected that it might actually happen! And she was most certainly enjoying every minute of it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

I know you by heart.
So much a part of me.
I know you by heart.
So much a part of me.

Albus had half expected her to pull back and slap him for being so bold. But when she placed her arms around his shoulders and deepened the kiss, his heart soared, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, thankful that she had not been disgusted by his actions.

When they pulled away from lack of oxygen, they smiled at each other and sighed with content. They rested their foreheads together as she played with his beard.

"You know, you claim to know me so well, and yet you could not see the obvious fact that… I love you," she said. Albus was beside himself with joy. He pulled her close to him.

"I wouldn't be talking, little Tabby," he whispered in her ear. "If you knew me so well, then there is no excuse for your blindness." He smiled as he pretended to reprimand her. She laughed softly. The sound of her laughter brought great joy to him. "Do you have any idea how much just those three words fill me with joy?" She pulled back slightly sot that she could look at him.

"How much?" she asked. Instead of answering, he just leaned down and kissed her again. When they parted, she smiled.

"You know me so well," she teased. "You just took the words right out of my mouth." With that, she kissed him again...

I know you by heart.
So much a part of me.
I know you by heart.
Yeah, I know you by heart.
You're so much a part of me.
So much a part of me.
I know you by heart.
You're so much a part of me . . .

A/N2: I know, I know. Kinda korny, stuff that has been done before, but what can I say? I'm in a rut. And I mean a REAL rut! Any suggestions on which story I should update next? Honestly. Please tell me. Should I update "Changing the Past", "Who Am I?", "Retrieving What Was Lost", "Disappearing", or "Phantom of Hogwarts"? I'm open to suggestions. And I suppose I should update whichever one people want most, so please do not hesitate to ask for an update or make a suggestion. Please, I would like to know which one? Always Hopeful