Alright, first my notes to everyone, and then notes to the reviewers:

1) This chapter is rather short compared to the others, but I believe it gets its point across.

2) We meet a new character in this chapter, I would advise close observation to her

3) I just got my wisdom teeth out 3 days ago, and therefore…I'm on the recovery road to smartness again

4) I'm leaving in about 5 hours, so I will be thinking about this story and what you guys think about it for the next 4 days! (woo-hoo, spring break!)

5) This chapter is only a day late! Woo-hoo! Go me!

ADandMMforever: Little excited over there, aren't you? Yes, they kissed and I absolutely needed it to happen, otherwise, where on Earth would this story go? And here is your update because you were simply so insistent in your review. Happy days!

Erica Dawn: Oh, I always do love hearing from new people! I can't give away TOO much, but I will say that it could be a while before Albus sees what everyone else sees. hint, hint (refer to title of chap) And no…I wasn't planning on having Maddy be a trouble maker…just more of a um…child who likes to help with a cause. Of course you know the cause already, but who is there to point it out? ) thank you for the lovely review!

Esb- Here is your more! I do hope that you enjoy this chapter, I wrote it so quickly you see, but I am oddly fond of it anyhow…yes, very odd…anywho, hopefully it gives you a good insight into a few things. Hope to see you again!

Silver Sorceress: Thank you for the fabulous review! I do try really hard to keep things as detailed as possible…without making it too utterly boring. (if it ever reaches the boring stage, you have my permission to bring it to my attention) I really enjoy hearing from you and will keep writing just to keep your appetite full. :)

Quill of Minerva: Well yes, everyone who has reviewed believes that the mother did it but I'm afraid I am unable to speak the truth. grins evilly However it will be quite a while before we find out what has really happened with the letters and we hit um…land? In this chapter with one letter in particular. I do hope you enjoy this chapter!

DumbledoresKitten: Well I have updated! It's not nearly as long as the previous chapters, merely because I was on a very short time frame, but I'm happy with the chapter in any case. I hope you will be too! You know, I don't hear from many people who like to read long chapters. I don't mind reading them if the story is particularly good, but I'm still not a very big fan of it. I can see that you are the exception. Hope to hear from you again.

Hogwarts Duo: The mom does not give off a very good vibe, does she? I don't blame you for wanting to take out a wand, but I would wait a few more chapters so you know what has happened. And yes, AD/MM can certainly have a relationship, but it's a heck of a lot more complicated than that. We have two reasons; Minerva believes she has committed a horrible crime by not telling Albus about Maddy, and the start of term is coming up and rumors are already about! (as you shall get a whiff of in this chap) Loved the review. See you soon!

Scarysecrets: Oh wow! I don't usually start off like this with new reviewers, but I love yah:-D Your review made me smile from cheek to cheek (and that's saying something, considering I just got my wisdom teeth pulled 3 days ago) …of course you know what is going to happen between albus and min in the end, I just prefer to bring on the suspense in between. Love lots!

Chapter Six: It Shows

Minerva stared at her empty apartment along with her daughter. It looked so sad, so deserted. There was no longer a settee in the middle, photographs on the mantelpiece, or books in a bookshelf that once stood to the left hand corner. There wasn't anymore laughter in the air from her daughter; nothing but silence could be heard from anywhere. The room appeared as if it were merely a room and nothing more.

Only a week ago it had been filled with everything that either girl held dear to them. There had been toys and pictures, books and plastic brooms, a muggle record player and play necklaces; now there was a floor, a short corridor, and windows. It hardly felt like a home at all, more like some sort of prison. But perhaps that was the way it was meant to feel…it wasn't their home anymore, they could not be caged in by it a single time more.

The woman looked down at her daughter who seemed to be rather nostalgic considering the tear that was crawling along her cheek and grasped her hand. "Take one last look at it, Maddy. It's the last time you'll be here."

She stared for a few seconds and then looked up at Minerva with a nod. "Okay. Let's go, mum."

The elder of the two put a hand on the littlest where she pushed gently towards the fireplace. When they both were standing there, Minerva reached into her pocket and pulled out the floo powder. "Remember, its Hogwarts."

Maddy nodded her head as she was handed the powder, stepped in, said the words, and was suddenly gone. Minerva turned once she had left and took a very long glance at the room. She was leaving her last hold on safety by moving. But she had bee hidden for far too long already; it was time she stepped out and summoned up some of the courage she was meant to have. So she, too, stepped into the fireplace. Then she uttered the words "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" and was on her way to the school.

The next time she opened her eyes, she was staring at her daughter and an unorganized room. Minerva blinked and glanced around. All of her worldly possessions were in the quarters that she was standing in, everything down from her books, to pictures, to pillows, to Maddy. The woman sighed a very heavy sigh. She was standing in her new home of a very familiar origin.

Minerva looked at Maddy. "What do you think?"

"It's big." She walked around the would-be spacious room in awe, "A lot bigger than our old home." The child made her way towards a door and opened it; it led to another two doors where she went. Minerva waited outside the corridor, wanting to see what Maddy was able to find. The girl half ran to her mother with wide eyes. "My room is pink!"

She smiled, unsurprised. "Oh, so you like it then?"

"Yes!" She wrapped her arms around Minerva's waist. "Thank you!"

The woman half giggled. "You're welcome! Anything for my little girl. You need to remember to thank the house elves when they come though…they're the ones who volunteered to do it."

She nodded. "Okay, I will."

"So you two have made it here all on your own already?"

The two girls turned quickly to see an Albus Dumbledore heading their way with a bit of a grin on his own face. He walked clear over to the both of them, giving Minerva plenty of time to notice him. He did it on purpose, she knew it…the woman stared at his twinkling eyes, then his matching blue robes, and finally his red hair; Maddy's red hair. Both girls smiled at him when he was closer, both in sheer awe in one way or another.

He bent down to look at Maddy. "Hello again, Madelyn. How are you today?"

"Good," she smiled sweetly, "I like it here already."

"That's spectacular!" he grinned, "But it will only get better as you explore. Once you're all moved in, I can give you a tour of the grounds along with your mother and we can see all of the magical things here."

Minerva stared at Albus, her smile fading slightly. Why might he think that she would be willing to go and do something as…personal as taking a walk, especially with him? The woman quickly reminded herself that it was only the beginning of a very long struggle to keep her life the way she liked it; controllable. "I don't suppose we'll be moved in for quite some time though, Albus. We'll have to wait on the walk."

He glanced up at her. "Then I'll be sure to speed up the organization of your home. She should know the grounds before the term starts; we wouldn't want her to get lost."

She blinked, unable to come up with a decent argument. He was right and she could not deny that fact. Madelyn did need to know the grounds. She needed to know every corridor and every staircase so that she would be able to find her way back if she were to wander from their quarters. It was not on the agenda anywhere for one of the students to realize that Minerva had a daughter, so she would clearly be on her own a lot. Madelyn had very little time to learn the knowledge she needed, therefore she deserved to start straight away. It just was not Minerva's plan to have Albus included in the exploration of the school grounds.

The woman just didn't want the three of them to go out together…it would hurt her a little bit more than she had counted on. Seeing Albus and Maddy together was not something she was looking forward to…there would be a lot of pain in those moments. As a matter of fact, it hurt already just seeing them together, seeing their likeness; the red of their hair, smiles on their faces, similarity of ear structure. Minerva saw it already, even if neither of them had quite yet.

In the back of her mind, the thought occurred to her that perhaps it was not so much Albus that she was afraid of, but rather his realization of the circle that involved him, herself, and Maddy. That was where her fear had been born. Minerva was not afraid of Albus…she was afraid of him realizing it all. No…maybe that was not even the truth. The woman was petrified that Albus could possibly find out about Madelyn's connection to him, she was horrified that she may let herself slip back into his grasp and tell him herself.

"Speechless, Miss McGonagall?"

She blinked, "Only thinking," She folded her arms, "what brings you here, Professor?" The woman raised an eyebrow, challenging him for what he had challenged her. If he had the nerve to refer to her as Miss then she certainly had the nerve to refer to him as Professor.

He stared at her for a few seconds. He hadn't meant anything by calling her Miss, he really hadn't. He had only referred to her in a formal manner, the way she had apparently wanted it, at least in the beginning. However, it obviously bothered her considering the way she spoke the title Professor with such disdain. It dripped out of her mouth the way venom drips from a snake's fangs.

"I was hoping that I may offer some assistance in your unpacking." He tried to speak cheerfully, as if he didn't know that he was somewhat unwelcome. After all, he was only attempting to help and perhaps get in a few good words with Minerva, the woman who had kissed him only a week ago.

Many times he had relived that kiss as the days had passed. He felt her slim waist, soft lips, and wet mouth again and again. He heard her whisper things into his ear; things he could not decide in real life whether they really happened or not. He could hear her sweet voice in his ear saying that she loved him. On the other hand, his dreams always ended when she pulled away from his grasp and disappeared into the forest.

The woman before him took a very long glance around the room and then finally met eyes with him. She spent a rather long time looking into his own eyes, searching for something or other, what he could not decide. All he knew was that he was staring into the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen.

"If you're willing to help, I see no problem. I could use someone else who can levitate furniture," she whispered with a shrug.

A smile crept on his lips. "I'll help with whatever you deem worthy."

"Alright," she grinned, "how are you at alphabetizing books?"

His mouth dropped ever so slightly. Was she joking? She wanted him to alphabetize books while there were dishes to be unpacked and (like she said) furniture to be levitated into its proper spot. "Come now, Minerva, there has to be something that I could be more helpful with."

She looked behind her at a few boxes which were still taped and had yet to be touched. "Would you like to unpack boxes? I don't know where I'll be putting everything yet."

He nodded his head. At least she gave him a little bit of dignity by awarding him a new job. The man made his way to the stack of cardboard boxes, pulled one to his chest and was amazed at how unbelievably heavy it was. He fell flat on his bum with the box in his lap.

Both girls rushed over towards him. "Are you alright, Albus?" Minerva looked at him much more gently than he had anticipated. Her eyes had somehow gotten larger than normal.

"I'm fine," he nodded his head slowly, "What do you have in this box?" He attempted to push the container off of his body, but he was completely in the wrong position to be getting it off of him. But Minerva saved him this once, because in a manner of seconds, the box was floating high above his head. Quickly Albus moved away from where the container would drop and stood up beside Minerva who still looked slightly shaken at his mishap.

Thump. The box landed right where Albus had previously been immobile. He turned to Minerva. "What is in that?"

"Muggle record player," she blinked, "you are alright, then?" Minerva stared at him, eyes slightly glossy. She looked genuinely empathetic.

He nodded. "You should warn me next time. That hurt." He poked his rib cage to find any breaks. There was no pain, but he decided that he wouldn't have noticed it even if there was because the woman turned slightly so they were face to face rather than side to side. He could feel the heat surrounding the lovely Minerva McGonagall and most certainly see the beauty that overtook her worried face.

And he was suddenly aware at how close he had stepped to her after the box had fallen. Then he noticed how little space there was between their faces. For a second, and only that, he was very tempted to kiss her, just because it was so incredibly convenient.

She stepped back from him when she, too, realized the lack of space and looked sincerely apologetic. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you."

Maybe it was a reflex, maybe not, but either way he did it without any real knowledge of it until it had actually happened. He squeezed her hand gently. She looked surprised as he ran his thumb along her slim fingers, as if she had never felt anything like it before. "It's alright," he whispered, "I don't think you've killed me today."

Minerva stared up at him, perhaps as caught up in it as he was, and then pulled away with her hands resting behind her back. He wondered what was racing through her mind, if it was the same thing as he was thinking.

Albus wondered if she was pondering the words he told her. Did she know that she had killed him every day they had been apart? That she had found a million different ways to torment him without even being there? Did Minerva know that it was not the box that was capable of hurting him, it was the fact that she simply pulled away from his touch? What he wouldn't give to stop time and to just hold her hands, lips, attention, anything for all eternity…

"I'm…sorry," he whispered. She didn't want to hold hands or be that close; she wanted friendship. He couldn't stand friendship, but he needed to make due with it. If he was given any excuse at all to be near Minerva, he would take it.

The woman stared at him, slightly rosy cheeks and a poignant expression on her face. His heart felt as if it were splitting in two when he looked upon her. She looked more pained than he had ever seen her look before. Minerva's face made her seem as if she could burst into tears at any moment. "M-maybe now is a good time for that tour," she whispered, "you and Madelyn are welcome to go."

He glanced down at Maddy who looked utterly confused. How could she not be? There was a history that she knew nothing about. She didn't know why her mother was looking so hurt, come to think of it, Albus didn't either, but he at least had an idea.

"Mum?" Maddy approached her mother.

"Yes dear?" the woman whispered softly. Even in the low tone that she was speaking, he could hear her voice crack slightly.

"You're coming too, aren't you?"

She shook her head. "You and Mr. Albus will get along just fine. I'll stay here and finish with some boxes."

Albus stared at the girls as Maddy walked over to give her mother a hug goodbye. It was a sweet moment; sweet, but odd. As Madelyn wrapped her arms around Minerva, she was being told to go with him, the man that had, in Minerva's eyes, ruined her life. Such a strange thing to do; tell a family member to go towards the enemy turned ally. But he did not ask questions, if he could get to Maddy, he certainly could get to Minerva.

"Ready?" he asked the little one.

"Yes, I am."

"Then follow me," he whispered and they left to find some interesting sights.

Minerva watched them leave, feeling as if she were being choked to death. He didn't see what she saw while he was in that room with her and Madelyn. He saw two girls moving in. She saw a family that could never possibly be a family. He saw a red headed child; she saw their daughter. He saw a lost love; she saw the only love.

He was the only one. She had never fallen in love after Albus, never. There had been people out there, ones interested in her, but she held no interest for anyone except that one perfect man. And sadly, long ago, she had known that Albus Dumbledore was him. He was the only love that she could ever have.

And he seemed to enjoy reminding her of that fact. She did not like seeing him be hurt on account of her foolishness. It was her fault that he lifted the box in the first place, she should have told him what its contents was. Then…following that sad incident, he touched her. He grasped her hand and he said something of meaning to her, something that struck deep down. She hadn't killed him today. That in itself brought so many thoughts. Did that mean that she had killed him other days? That she had inflicted pain upon him many other times? Oh, Minerva knew the answer to her idiotic questions because she herself had been put through it. If neither of them were lying, then they both were put through the agony of being in love without a reply. Yes, she had killed him other days just like he had killed her.

The woman walked over towards the box that had previously been placed upon Albus and levitated its contents out. She drew her hand over the muggle device where a record had once been placed and closed her eyes. She could hear the words even without the music playing. She could see herself with him in the moonlight well after the time she should have been in her dormitory. Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars, let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and mars; in other words, hold my hand; in other words, darling, kiss me. Then he would have done it, just softly touched his lips to hers. Then she would have her head pressed against his chest again. Fill my heart with song and let me sing forever more. You are all I long for, all I worship and adore. In other words…please be true. In other words…I love you. Then he would have kissed her again, only because it was the end of the song. But she wouldn't have been able to stand for that, she would have kissed him back, not wanting the evening to end.

That was the curse of being in love. One is unable to stop. Ten years had passed and she had never gotten over it; she still grew weak when he touched her, happy when he smiled, and emotional when he attacked her heart. She could not escape it, not anymore.

Several thumps could be heard from the door. Minerva frowned but walked over and opened it. Before her, a young witch about her age stood, with a hopeful smile on her face. "Hello. My name is Poppy; I'm the medi-witch here at Hogwarts. The Headmaster said that you would be arriving here today, so I thought it best to come and welcome you."

She took a rather long glance at the woman before her. She couldn't have been older than twenty-six. "Hello," she lent out a hand, "my name is Minerva."

"Nice to meet you Minerva. Do you need any help?"

She glanced at the room filled with boxes and misplaced furniture then back at Poppy. "I could use some."

"Alright then," she walked in through the open door and looked around. "My, you do have some nice things. The headmaster said that you were a journalist?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"What an exciting life that must be! I don't blame you for coming here though, all of that traveling must get awfully tiring."

Poppy walked around the room and continued surveying what little was unpacked. She came across a photograph of Minerva and Maddy and showed it to Minerva. "Who is that you're with? A niece?"

Minerva shook her head. "That's my daughter, Madelyn."

The woman looked at the picture for a few seconds and then at Minerva. "Where is she and your husband?"

She swallowed. "Albus is giving her a tour of the grounds…and I'm not married."

Poppy didn't blink twice. "Now that I think about it, he did say something about you having a child. How old is she?"

"Nine years."

The woman opposite of her glanced up. "How old were you when you had your daughter?"

"Eighteen." She looked around the room for something, anything that could change the subject. Minerva didn't enjoy talking about her life the way that they were; it raised too many questions, inferences as well. "How-how long have you been working here at the school?"

"I came mid-term of last year. The poor dear who was the medi-witch before me finally went off the deep end; went barking mad apparently."

A surprised expression came across her face. "And that doesn't bother you?"

Poppy shrugged. "Not at all. Anyhow, are we going to start unpacking or just chat all day? I would like to be helpful, considering I offered, but if you want to just do the whole learning bit, that's just dandy with me."

Minerva stared, wanting to laugh. Did this woman's mouth just run on forever? "There are some boxes that need to be unpacked in the corner. We can start there."

Both of them made there way over to where Albus had once been flattened. Minerva opened one box while Poppy opened another. They looked in silence for a while and then naturally, Poppy's mouth went off again, only this time she showed something quite unfamiliar to Minerva. "Is this you and the Headmaster?" She held out decade-old photograph of the two lovers laughing in the courtyard.

The woman brought it to her face, knowing quite well the size her eyes had to have gotten. She had seen that picture before, but it wasn't hers. She burned all of the photographs she once owned that contained her and/or Albus. "Where was this?" she asked slowly.

"On the floor. It must have fallen out from one of the boxes."

Minerva looked to the spot on the floor where Poppy was pointing. It was where Albus had been weighted down some minutes ago. She blinked. The photograph must have fallen out of his robe; that was the only logical explanation.

A long swallow followed her understanding, but that was all the reaction anyone would get because she gave the picture back to Poppy. "Yes, that is him and I when I was still a student here."

"What a darling photograph this is," she smiled.

Minerva was somewhat less than amused at the reaction. She frowned and turned towards another box. Again, silence set in on them, this time it lasted a decent ten minutes of just the mindless unwrapping and placing of things.

"Can I ask you a question?"

The woman looked at the nurse. "What sort of question is it that you wish to ask?"

"It's…personal. You see there have been some rumors flying around this place and I am…curious."

She rolled her eyes. "Curiosity killed the cat you know."

Silence. Minerva waited for the question, but none came. She looked at Poppy who had begun unpacking another box. The woman just put aside what would have happened. Whatever it was that the nurse had wanted to ask, it was obviously better if it were not to be spoken out in the open.

Then the tick-tock, tick-tock of the clock began to penetrate the woman's mind. She glanced over at Poppy who had not spoken for a short while. The medi-witch was looking at something that looked vaguely like a letter. Minerva crawled across the floor to take a peek at the parchment. Poppy looked over her shoulder at the woman. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be reading your letters…I was only curious because of the heading."

"Heading?" Minerva reached out and looked at the front of a letter…the letter.

To: Miss Minerva McGonagall

From: Me

Minerva's eyes grew wide as she looked all over the ancient piece of parchment. The seal had been opened before; Poppy had not ruined anything by starting to take out the contents of the envelope. The woman looked at the medi-witch and then back down in awe. What she held in her hands was not just parchment, it was what Albus had referred to…his proof that he did indeed write her so many years ago…

The woman shook her head. She would not believe it. It was the past and only that. No matter what he had written back then, it would not change her decision in the present. Even if he poured out his heart and soul in the letter, she knew that it was imperative for them to continue to be friends and nothing more. So the woman took the letter in her grasp and placed it in a drawer that she knew she would never open.

Poppy stared at her. "That was a love note, wasn't it?"

Minerva blinked. "In one way or another; it's more of a goodbye note to me, really."

She nodded. "Oh."

It was a good hour later before Madelyn and Albus came barging in with laughter on both of their faces. Apparently there had been a 'tickle war' on the way to the room and neither one had yet won or lost.

Minerva stared a sad happiness coming into her system, of all the contradictions. It was wonderful to be seeing them together, getting along so famously. She felt ecstatic for them and how close they were more than likely going to get. Minerva couldn't have lived with herself if she never let them be by each other…on the other hand she would have been spared a lot pain. Though she felt happiness for the connection that they were having, there was hurt to be felt on her part. Again she was reminded that they were a family that could never truly be united and be called a 'family'.

She had denied Albus the right to know, he had denied her the right to be happy, and Madelyn denied both of them the right to be together. It was a giant circle that was irreparable. Of all the things that could be mended, they were a circle, not a triangle nor a square. Their giant relationship had arcs that needed to be perfect in order for things to work; not lines that could be pushed together to form a figure.

"And this is Madelyn?" Poppy's high voice beat out the laughter.

Minerva blinked. "Maddy, this is Poppy. She works in the hospital wing."

Madelyn nodded with a smile.

"Don't you have the prettiest red hair," the nurse commented slowly. "I'll bet your father had it, didn't he?"

Maddy looked at Minerva with a questioning glance. The woman nodded slowly. "He had hair just like you do, Maddy. You know that, I've told you before."

The child shrugged. "Mum, can we eat dinner with Albus? He said that he's going to teach me a new card game that has food in it and I want to try. It's supposed to be fun."

Minerva glanced up at Albus. "What sort of game, Albus?"

"It's a surprise." Twinkle, twinkle his eyes started going off.

Just because she knew that look, knew what that illustrious glimmer in his pupils meant, she shook her head. He'd given her reason to believe that those eyes meant trouble in one way or another. There had been one too many times that either of them could have been caught doing something wrong on the basis of his eyes. "We need to finish unpacking."

Madelyn whimpered softly. "But I want to eat with him."

"No," she whispered. "It's starting to get late. But Albus," she caught his eye, "I believe you did happen to drop something when you fell earlier."

"Did I?" he questioned.

Minerva nodded. "You shouldn't be carrying around photographs like that." She handed him the hand-length picture of the two of them. He put out his hand excruciatingly slow to grasp it. "You don't want such a precious thing being stepped on or ripped. Things that old get ruined easily." She didn't mean to be so sentimental about it, it just sort of came out that way. As much as she wanted to deny it, she did care for the memories, even if it hurt to think about them; the photograph was no exception. She could still remember that day…and the others before…and the ones after…

Albus bobbed his head slowly, perhaps comprehending what was rushing through Minerva's nostalgic mind. "Please, will you and Madelyn come to dinner with me? We've really had a good time today."

"No," she whispered. It was too dangerous for the three of them to be out together; not because of onlookers, but because of her. If she spent much more time than she needed to with the two of them together, she just might break. "I'm afraid that Maddy and I have things to do in order to get settled in."

He nodded. "I would really like you to read the letter."

The woman blinked slowly, not knowing what she ought to say next. It wasn't her intention to read the letter; that is why she put it in an unused drawer in the first place. She knew the second she read the first line she'd be sucked back to a time where no pain had ever come.

But as she stared at Albus, her one and only lover, something of the same time escaping effect came over her. Suddenly he was back to asking her a simple favor in the name of love. She could never say no to love; never. So she nodded her head slowly. "I will, someday."

Okay, hopefully this was a lighter chapter than the previous ones; I found it a little bit humorous neway…maybe that was just the meds though too. :) And we are slowly sneaking from the "I hate you" stage into the "it happened too long ago" stage. In any case, the romance is on its way!

Please review if you've gotten this far, it would make me so incredibly happy! If you didn't like this chapter, tell me what I could improve on. If you did like it, then I wouldn't mind some encouragement. Have a nice day. Week. Month. Etc.