DISCLAIMER: I'm not J.K., not all of these characters, places, etc., belong to me, and this isn't my song.

A/N: Sorry this took so long to update! I've been extra busy with school and crap like that, so I just haven't had time. Y'all are gonna have to bear with me on this chapter. I haven't done any fan fic for about 50 years, so I might have lost my touch! Please let me know from the readers' perspective! Also, I've completely forgotten my original plan for this story, so I'm pretty much just winging it here. If there are any inconsistencies between this and the previous chapter, PLEASE let me know

Minerva didn't know what to say. She had not intended to let slip that she had heard from her sister. She knew that Albus only had her best interests at heart, but his gentle questions about her past still made her feel uncomfortable. Knowing that the truth was always the best (although oftentimes undesirable) option in dealing with Dumbledore's questions, Minerva decided to tell Dumbledore her sister's news.

"Artemis wrote to tell me that our father passed away last night." Minerva's complicated relationship with her father made all her feelings and emotions regarding his death very confused. On one hand, she was devastated at the loss of her second parent, but on the other hand, she felt a bit of relief that the man who had ruined her childhood and haunted her for the elapsed duration of her adult life would not be able to hurt her anymore. Minerva had expected this to happen. She loved her father, but she had still never quite forgiven him for what he had done to her mother all those years ago.

Feeling hurt, lost, confused, and guilty, Minerva knew that it would be only a matter of seconds before she began to cry.

"Oh, Minerva. I am so sorry," Albus offered kindly as he pulled Minerva into his strong embrace.

"Albus, I just don't know what to feel or think at all right now. I'm so confus-" When Minerva broke off, Albus pulled back from her and looked worriedly at her. But she didn't notice. She had suddenly felt a new emotion wash over her. It wasn't sorrow, fear, or elation, but something so completely unexpected, but so simply obvious, that it came to Minerva as a simultaneous revelation and slap in the face. This new feeling, this wonderful feeling, was that of resolution – resolution and forgiveness.

Minerva knew then and there that she could never bring herself to fully forgive her father for what he had done, but she subconsciously decided right then that she would, from that moment forward, be able to live her life without anger or resentment towards Charles McGonagall.

The Transfiguration professor must have had a faraway expression on her face after her realization because Albus, still staring intently and worriedly at his friend, asked cautiously, "Minerva? Minerva, my dear, are you alright?"

Minerva looked up slowly into those sparkling blue eyes and held their gaze for a moment before answering. After a moment, she barely audibly whispered, "Yes, Albus. Yes, I think I am alright."

"Are you quite sure? Is there anything I can do?" Albus was sure he knew what was going on in Minerva's head. He himself had faced a similar ordeal in his youth and had already experienced the resolution that had come to him with the death of his abusive father. He knew that Minerva would share her feelings with him when she was ready to do so and she knew that his offer to help included lending an ear or shoulder to cry on.

"Just keep being you," Minerva said with a small smile. With a bow, Albus offered his arm to her. She took it and they set off down the corridor together.

Nothing comes from nothing

Nothing ever could

So somewhere in my youth or childhood

I must have done something good.

The friends continued in the same companionable silence they had enjoyed before Minerva's episode. She felt so much better now that she had vented and come to terms with her feelings about her father. She knew that Albus must be dying to know what had caused her sudden mood swing, but she also knew that he had enough patience and respect to wait until she was ready to offer the information.

Just then, Minerva thought of something. Over the past forty years, she had been so preoccupied with trying to keep her past hidden from Dumbledore that she had never inquired as to his own life prior to their acquaintance. She had always wondered about the "Many Mysteries of Albus", as she had grown to call them in her head, and desired now more than ever to know about them. For it was occurring only now to Minerva just how little she knew about her best friend.

"Albus," she began to ask. Albus, however, had been anticipating this question. He had known it was coming for a long time and the night's events had just given it the final shove. He was therefore ready with a response, much in the same way that Minerva had been on that night twenty years before when Albus had wanted to ask about her family.

"I never knew my mother," he offered matter-of-factly before Minerva had a chance to finish her question, "and my father was very abusive of the three of us. The hair on the back of Minerva's neck stood on end. As far as she knew, Albus only had one sibling, his brother Abeforth, who was the bartender and innkeeper at the Hog's Head Pub in Hogsmeade. She had never heard anyone speak of a third Dumbledore child. She was almost dreading the story that she was about to hear, for she knew that it could not be good.

Minerva also felt a pang of guilt. All Albus had ever done was help her and be there for her, and now she was prying into his past life as though she had some divine, God-given right to know everything about him.

"You looked shocked, my dear." Albus said in a teasing, yet concerned, voice.

"I am." Minerva admitted.

"I know that it may come as a bit of a surprise to you, but yes, I did have another sibling. My sister, Agatha, was two years older than I. She was murdered by a dark wizard called Galderoff, who was comparable in power to Voldemort, when I was nine years old."

"Oh my. Albus, I am truly sorry for your loss. It must have been hard, especially at such a young age."

"Minerva, my dear, thank you so much for your sympathy. I came to terms with and accepted Aggie's death many, many years ago, but it still means a lot to hear that you care." Albus knew that Minerva cared about him as a friend and he had always valued their friendship. He was especially grateful for it now, however, and was very glad that he could tell her about his past. She was the only person with whom he had ever shared any of the secrets from his childhood and he knew that the same was true in reverse. Therefore, sharing his true feelings for his colleague and risking that beautiful friendship would be quite foolish and altogether impossible to do.

Minerva still could not believe what she had heard. She knew that Albus must have had some sort of traumatizing event in his past, but this was more than she had expected. How could he have turned out as lovely as he had with such a horrible event haunting him every second of his life? Minerva had thought that her childhood had been bad, but after hearing even this one memory of Albus' made her feel like she had been a spoiled rotten child. The Transfiguration professor decided to write to her sister first thing the next morning. She realized that her past had made her bitter, but she really had no reason to take out her frustrations on the people in her life.

She decided then and there to stop taking things, people, and life in general, for granted. She was going to start living life to the fullest and without any regrets. She was going to live like there was no tomorrow. What if Voldemort was waiting in her office that very moment to kill her the second she walked in the door? What if he was waiting for Albus and the headmaster died before Minerva ever had a chance to tell him how she felt?

"Minerva, dear, are you alright?"

Minerva realized that she must have had an odd expression on her face. "Yes, I'm quite alright." She responded, blinking and bringing her mind back to the present.

"Good," Albus said with a dazzling smile. "Now Minerva, I know that look on your face all too well. You feel bad for complaining about something you think now to be insignificant," He took her hands in his and they both stopped walking. She gazed up into his beautiful blue eyes." Let me assure you of the contrary. We both suffered greatly as children; neither more so than the other. Our misfortunes were of different natures, and their calibers are not comparable."

"Oh, Albus," she said, barely stifling a sob. And once again, Albus was holding and soothing Minerva as she let go her pent-up emotions in the form of heavy tears.

After a few moments, Minerva pulled away, wiped the tears from her face and looked once more into Albus' eyes. "Albus, I need to tell you something."

A/N: I am so sorry this took me so long to update! I've been working on this chapter on and off for almost three weeks, so if there are any inconsistencies, please let me know! I hope y'all like this one. I hated leaving that cliffie there, but if I'd kept going, this chap would have a) taken another week or two to get up, because of school, and b) been twice as long. So, leave me review and let me know how horrible it was! I love y'all! Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long…..