Dear Reader,

I hope you like this chappie. I worked hard to get it done for you before I go away for the weekend. I know I said this chapter will be about Grindlewald's takeover of the Ministry but I decided to change it up a bit. That will be the next chapter. Enjoy!

-LunarLitLover

Recap: Minerva and Albus got caught together by Riddle and Slughorn and will be expelled if they get caught together again. Albus wants to still risk it but Minerva doesn't. They fight, Minerva says she doesn't care for him and they leave each other broken and hurt.

Chapter 20: Breakdown

Minerva walked down the hall with a knot in her stomach. It was two days after her argument with Albus and she was on her way to Transfiguration class. To his class. To Albus's class.

The knot in her stomach began to roll around; Minerva felt for a second like she might be sick. She leaned against the wall for a moment, but then reluctantly continued down the hall. I have to make it to class, she thought. I can't afford another violation of school rules.

However, Minerva really, really didn't want to face Albus. Not just yet. Well, not ever, if she could help it. She didn't know if she could handle his bright blue eyes looking at her with both desire and disappointment. She didn't think she could deal with his voice above her as he complimented or criticized her work. But she also knew that just his presence would be too much for her. Being in the same room with him would make her choke on the air in her lungs.

And yet, she continued down the hallway to Albus's classroom.

She had reached the door. Minerva then took a deep breath and opened the door. As she entered, her heart was beating very fast. However, once she viewed the room, her heartbeat went back to normal and she began to breathe again. In a moment, she was fine.

Yet, there was a perfectly logical explanation for this quick change.

Albus was not there.

---

The next morning Sam found Minerva in the back corner of the library. She had fallen asleep with a tear-stained face on top of her unopened books.

Sam woke her immediately. "Minerva, hurry up! Class starts in five minutes!"

However, Minerva didn't seem to hear her. She sat up, still half-asleep, and said, "Oh, Sam, Albus wasn't in class yesterday. I think he's been put on suspension. I heard he was depressed. Oh, Sam, this is all my fault…"

Now is not the time for this, Sam reasoned. We're going to be late!

"Minerva, did you hear me!" Sam said loudly, so that it would register with Minerva. "We have five – well, now four - minutes to get to class!"

Minerva snapped out of her sleepy state and scrambled to collect her things. However, she looked terrible, as if she hadn't gotten any sleep at all.

---

Sam watched Minerva all throughout the day. Sam was extremely worried about her. This was not the Minerva she knew.

Minerva did not turn in any of her assignments. To each teacher, she confessed that she wasn't prepared. And each looked at her with surprise, before nodding their understanding. They all seemed to know of Minerva and Albus's affair. Word traveled fast. Probably via Riddle or Slughorn.

Minerva didn't volunteer for answers in class either. This was highly unusual for her. She simply sat in her seat, staring out into space. She couldn't even answer the simple questions the teachers asked her directly in their attempt to stimulate response. Each time they questioned her she had to ask them to repeat the question and then confess that she didn't know the answer. It seemed that everything had slipped from her mind. Well, everything but Albus.

Minerva wasn't eating either. She sat with her friends at lunch and stared blankly at the table, taking nothing from it. And she completely skipped dinner. The only thing Minerva ate that day was a piece of bread that Poppy practically crammed down her throat.

Rest was another thing Minerva was lacking. You would think that, while not doing much of anything else, Minerva would have time to sleep. Yet when she lay in her bed, she could not sleep, but instead tossed and turned all night. The only time she did sleep was when she fell asleep in awkward places after crying. Her friends found her asleep in the library, the common room, and even at the dinner table, for example. But even then, her sleep did not do much for her in the area of good rest.

Sam allowed this behavior to continue without much comment until the weekend. However, on Saturday morning, after finding an uninterested Minerva sitting awake outside the Fat Lady's Portrait, Sam was determined to talk some sense into Minerva.

"Minerva, please come walk with me," Sam said kindly.

"Don't you have a date with Bryan in Hogsmeade?"

"No," I responded. "It got cancelled."

"Why?" Minerva asked, surprised. Bryan and Sam rarely turned down chances to be together.

"There was a more urgent matter I needed to deal with. Will you please come?"

Minerva shook her head. "I really don't feel like it, Sam."

"Please?"

"No, Samantha!" she responded, angrily. "What about 'no' don't you understand!"

"Alright, Min," Sam replied, without anger, but just as forcefully. "I am done with ignoring this drastic change of your's and I'm not going to be nice about it! You're coming with me." Sam dragged Minerva to her feet, through the castle and over the grounds until they reached the old oak tree to sit under.

After getting situated, the irritated Minerva asked, "What do you want, Sam?"

"To talk. About you. And about Dumbl – Albus."

Minerva sighed and turned away. "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"I screwed up bloody brilliantly, didn't I?"

Sam nodded, waiting for more.

"I told him I didn't care. That wasn't true. I care about him so much. I've never felt this way about anyone before."

"Then why don't you want to be with him?" Sam asked.

"I do want to be with him, Sam. But I also want to stay in Hogwarts. It's so complicated."

"So why can't you do both, again?"

Minerva sighed. It felt like she was explaining for the millionth time. "It's too risky. If we get caught, we're both chucked out."

"Why can't you just be subtle?"

"We already tried that once. See what happened? Plus, Slughorn and Tom Riddle are out to get us."

"So you're saying that Dumbl – Albus – is not worth the risk?"

"That's exactly what he asked," Minerva commented sadly.

"And is he, Minerva? Is he worth it?"

"I…I don't know," she answered honestly.

Sam waited for her to explain further.

"I…I care about him…I want to be with him…more than anything…but if my whole life is ruined…if my dreams go down the train with one mistake…if I took him down with me…I'd never forgive myself…"

"Well, it looks like the way you're going, you're not going to forgive yourself anyway."

Minerva's face brightened a bit. "You're right," she said, as if she had just experienced a sudden revelation.

However, Sam continued, "You once said that taking chances is the only way to live life. Do you still believe that? Is it possible that if you don't take this chance with Albus you'll regret it your whole life? Don't you want to try this? Don't you care about him at least that much?"

Minerva had sprung to her feet in the midst of Sam's speech. "Yes, yes, yes and yes!" she answered enthusiastically before pulling Sam into a grand hug.

Then Minerva took off running towards the castle. Sam was left standing there under the tree, a bit confused but smiling nevertheless.

---

Minerva was flying.

She ran through the corridors and around their corners with the speed of a zooming bird. Many looks of anger, confusion or perception of mental insanity came her way during this sprint, but Minerva didn't care. She kept running.

The thought of I'm going to fix it. I'm going to make it better. Albus, I'm coming! played in her head over and over.

Minerva finally reached Albus's office. Her heart was pounding, but despite her exahuastion, she was barely breathing. Yet without hesitation, she pulled open the door.

Her heart slowed and her breathing began again.

The room was empty. Albus was gone.