Title: Time's Lessons

Summary: Dumbledore and McGonagall talk a few days before the first day of school in Harry's 6th year. They find they've known each other for longer than the other ever would have guessed and not always on pleasant terms.

Pairings: McGonagall\Dumbledore and sort of, in a weird way,Hermione\Draco

Oh, yeah, and just a friendly reminder, it's never good to play with fire. Don't flame. Save the trees.

Dumbledore looked out over the old lake; it was only two more days until Hogwarts would open for the next year. He knew this would be the year he would die. He had known this was coming, but he always hoped that there would be more time.

"Albus?" A strictvoice that Dumbledore knew only too well asked. "Are you out there?"

"Yes, Minerva." He answered.

It had been more than eighty years since he had found himself here. Sometimes he wondered what would have happened if he hadn't come. What would have happened to his friends and his enemies? Would they grow up and change the world? Would they be shocked to know that he was the headmaster of Hogwarts?

"Albus? Albus, are you alright?" McGonagall asked, "Do you need to go see Madam Pomfrey? You keep spacing out and… your hand, it's all withered and burned. You have gotten it checked, haven't you?"

"Yes. Yes, of course." Dumbledore smiled, "Just thinking."

"Albus, I know." McGonagall said gently, "I know you don't belong in this time."

"What would give you that idea, Minerva?"

"I found you were adopted by the Dumbledores in your seventh year, which was, in fact, your first year in Hogwarts. I found an old file that said you were a 'transfer student' for the last year."

"There is nothing unusual in this. We have transfer students every ten or so years."

"Yes, but there's no record of where you transferred from. This file is practically an exact duplicate of the ones transfer students have when transferring from another time."

"How would you know? I was unaware we had any students from another time at Hogwarts for hundreds of years."

"Because… I do not belong in this time either."

Dumbledore turned to look at his fellow professor.

"You always seem to know the future, everything that's going to happen, especially in these last few years. Which student were you? Potter? One of the Weaselys? Don't bother to deny it, Albus. I know you too well than for you to deny it."

Dumbledore said nothing, as if thinking about how to respond. Then finally he answered, "I have changed in many ways since my days at Hogwarts."

"Who hasn't?" McGonagall asked, "I see myself around the grounds and I wonder how I ever could've been that way."

"Who were you, Minerva?"

"Granger, Hermione."

Dumbledore laughed, "I should have guessed. You always were one for books."

"I've told you who I was, Albus. Who were you? You still haven't answered my question."

"Draco Malfoy." Dumbledore whispered.

McGonagall just stood there, looking at Dumbledore in horror.

"Yes, I know. I was a git and a rather rude one at that." Dumbledore said gravely, "It wasn't until I came to this time when I started to give muggles a full chance and a good thing, too. Otherwise, I never would have found such a fondness for muggle candy. Would you like a lemon drop, by any chance?"

"No, Alb – Malfoy, I mean. Thank-you for the offer, though."

"I prefer the name Albus, personally. Too much of a past with that old name."

"Speaking of past, how did you come to this time? I know you were declared missing, but…"

"After the incident with the death eaters, Severus and I ran to an old muggle town where we stayed at an old muggle hotel, quite a nice place actually. I would've loved to stay longer, but Severus said it was totally impossible. Anyways, as soon as we were in our rooms, Severus told me the whole story about how old Dumbledore was really just an older version. At first, I didn't believe him. I thought I was the worst thing that had ever happened to this place and then, after I had finally gotten over that, I was very upset over the fact that he killed me. I refused to go back in time and accept that fate, until he told me that he hadn't really killed me anyhow. Personally, I thought he was bluffing to get me to use the timeturner. His strategy worked and I came back here. I accepted the name Dumbledore and gave the whole world a new chance. Seventh year was the first time I actually had fun in Hogwarts."

"Albus, I never would've thought…"

"Few of us ever would, Minerva." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling again, "Now, how did you come to this time?"

"Well, it's a rather dull story actually. It was right after the Great War. The whole world seemed to be falling apart; both muggle and wizard. Millions of wizards had died and muggles were just finding out about our kind, being a Muggleborn, I was stuck in the middle of both sides with the added stress of being Harry Potter's best friend. It was so stressful, one of the Aurors offered me a position to go back in time to make sure no death eater attempts to change history succeeded. It was a perfect opportunity and I had always wanted to teach at Hogwarts, you can imagine how shocked I was when I was came here and was give the name McGonagall. I was so amazed, but upset also, as soon as this was over, it would all happen again. I would go through… everything and I would either go back to the way I used to be or I would go through with it again without all my close friends I used to depend on."

"You won't have to try to stand on your own, I will always be here for you to depend on."

"But, Albus, you're going to die. You yourself said you don't believe in what Snape said…"

"I said I didn't believe him at the time, I have changed over the years and, now, I trust Severus with my life."

"I saw you, Albus! I saw you dead in a coffin!"

"My golem, of course, the real me will immediately apparate to the room above Severus' and I on the moment of my 'death'."

"You haven't changed at all then." McGonagall said sharply, "You would still leave Harry to die."

"No, my time in the spotlight will end. I much prefer sticking to the background."

"Albus, you will be missed. You do know that, don't you?"

"Yes, but promise me you won't give up on this school."

"I couldn't. Albus…" McGonagall paused, "I want you to know, I – I love you."

"Hermione, I've loved you since first year, no matter how much of a prat I was."

Thanks for reading. Yeah, I know it's a really weird idea, but I was lying in bed and I just couldn't get the idea out of my head. I hope you guys like it. Please review. It's always good to know that there's someone else reading this other than my little sister. Thanks.