Hermione ran up toward the Gryffindor Tower, tears streaming down her face and ignoring the confused and annoyed expressions of those surrounding her. As she raced on through the halls, she muttered under her breath, "I wish I'd never met her, but I love her." "I don't care." "Why, Minerva? Why can't you love me?"

As she ran past Ron, Harry and Ginny, they caught the last statement with surprise.

"What?" Harry whispered to Ginny and Ron, "Hermione's in love with McGonagall?"

Ginny nodded, she decided that she best come clean now that the other two knew, "She's loved her since fourth year. Hermione tried to make it go away, you know, dating Krum, McClaggan and Ernie, but I guess it didn't work. She told me last year, that if by the end of this year, she still felt this way, Hermione was going to tell her. I think it's safe to say that McGonagall didn't accept."

"Why didn't she tell us? We would have kept her secret and helped her?" Ron asked.

"I think she was scared. It's not something that a person usually does, falling in love with a teacher. I'd better go and see if she's okay," Ginny said, reaching up and giving her boyfriend a kiss, but before she could leave, Harry asked.

"Where's McGonagall's quarters?"

"Why? What are you up to?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"I'm just going to have a look."

"It's behind the statue of Godric Gryffindor." Ginny reached up once more, and gave Harry a gentle kiss before leaving.

"Well, Ron. I think it's time we had a chat with Professor McGonagall."

Meanwhile, Hermione, who had reached the Gryffindor Tower, was sobbing pitifully on her bed, crying for her broken heart. She couldn't understand why McGonagall had rejected her. While she hadn't said she loved her, she hadn't denied it either. She had been secure in the knowledge that her feelings were returned and now, she didn't want to comprehend why she was feeling so broken.

"Hermione?" Ginny called up the stairs.

Hermione sniffled in an attempt to stop the tears, but was unsuccessful. All that came of it, was that she cried harder.

"Oh, Hermione," Ginny whispered, when she saw her. Hermione's face was red and blotchy from tears, and her eyes were puffy. Her hair, which had been neatly done this morning, now resembled a bird's nest. Ginny enfolded the girl, who looked the picture of misery, into a comforting embrace.

"What'd she say?" Ginny asked gently.

"She said that it was wrong," Hermione sniffled, "She said that I was too young to understand. I'm not too young, I love her," she said hysterically, "I love her, I love her, I love her," she repeated.

"Shhh. I know," Ginny whispered. After a few minutes of silence, Hermione began to calm. Though tears were still running down her face, she no longer appeared hysterical.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I had it all planned out. If she said 'yes' then I would go into Healer training and live at Hogwarts with Minerva. If she said 'no', live with you guys and still be in Healer training. I never actually thought that a broken heart would hurt this much. I don't even know if I want to go into Healer training anymore." Hermione, though her reasoning made sense, spoke emotionlessly, as it she was too drained to do much else and all the emotion seemed to have left her.

"Hey, you can always live with us. Harry, Ron and I are going to live in an apartment that's big enough for all of us. You're welcome to live there. And as for McGonagall, you'll get over it. You'll find someone your own age that will - "

But before Ginny could finish, Hermione interrupted, "Don't say that! Don't say that. Don't say that I'll find someone my own age that will love me the way I deserve to be loved. Minerva's the only one that can do that, and she doesn't love me."

Ginny, looked rather startled, but didn't continue. "Well, how about we go downstairs. You don't have to participate in anything, but you still have to be present."

Hermione nodded, and together the girls made their way down to the courtyard where the rest of the seventh year student were.

In the meantime, Harry and Ron had made their way to the portrait of Godric Gryffindor.

"Is Professor McGonagall inside?" Ron asked, though it seemed fairly obvious she was as the sound of someone crying could be heard through the portrait. A sudden smash was heard, and it seemed fairly obvious that Minerva had thrown something in either anger or heart-ache.

"Yes, but please come back another time. She is not available for visitors."

"Can you tell us what is wrong with her?" Harry asked. From his years at Hogwarts, it seemed as though the portraits knew everything and he sincerely hoped that this was one of those times.

"I don't know," the portrait began.

"Please, one of our friends was just here, and we want to know why she was so upset." Although they already knew why Hermione was upset, it seemed this would be the most logical way that they could think of to find out what was wrong with Minerva.

"Oh, you mean that girl that was in here before?" They both nodded and the portrait began to speak, "Well, she said that she loved her," the portrait confided, "But Minerva said that it wasn't possible. They had a long discussion, and the girl ran out crying. Since she's been gone, this is all she's done. She's just been crying and throwing things. I wish I knew how I could help."

"Do you think that she loves the girl?"

"Yes, every night for the past few years, I have heard what she has written in her diary. She fell in love with her years ago, but thought that it was morally wrong and that her student could never love her."

"But then, wouldn't she be happy knowing that the student loves her?" Ron asked.

"She still thinks it's wrong. And I'm sure she thinks that there is someone out there who would do a better job of loving this Hermione girl, than she ever could. That's what she's been telling herself for ages. I think the fact that this girl feels the same only makes it harder on Minerva – knowing she's breaking two hearts at once."

Harry nodded, but Ron asked, "Does she have to come out for the last part of the ceremony?"

The portrait nodded, and Harry, catching on to Ron's idea said, "Can you give her a message from us?"

The portrait nodded once more but said, "You'd better write it on parchment and put an Unbreakable charm on it. Otherwise I don't think she'd read it, just tear it up."

They both nodded, and Harry conjured a roll of parchment and two quills. "We'll be back in 15 minutes," Harry said to the portrait.

Both boys ran up to the Gryffindor Common Room, hoping that the girls' would still be there. Fortunately, they were, and the boys quickly explained their idea.

Ginny seemed to like the idea but Hermione refused.

"Look," she said, the tears and pain still evident in her voice, "If she doesn't love me, then I'll have to deal with that. I'm not going to manipulate her into a relationship if that's not what she wants. I can't do that to her and I won't," she stated resolutely.

"But she does love you back, Hermione," Ron said, exasperated, "Godric said so."

"So you're going to trust a portrait over what she said to me, to my face?"

"If you'd heard her in her chambers I don't think that you would contradict us," Harry said, "She was crying and sobbing. I don't think I've heard someone so sad before. Godric said she'd been doing that and throwing things ever since you left. He's sure that she loves you. He said that she thinks that she isn't good enough and you deserve someone younger who can love - "

"Who can love me that way I deserve to be loved."

Harry and Ron nodded.

"You can do this, but I'm not pressuring her into this. That's not fair to her." With that Hermione left, though her heart-break and pain was still evident, both in the tone of voice she spoke and the lines clearly etched upon her face.

"Okay," started Ginny, "I'll go first."

She began to write.

(Another chapter will be along soon. I haven't quite decided if this plan is going to work because it is kind of stupid. Sorry if my characters seem a little out of character, but this was intended to be a one-shot.)