Albus, I've Got Something to Tell You...

Albus, I've Got Something to Tell You: by Stsgirlie (from Griselda La Fey's challenge on Infinite Incantantem)

DISCLAIMER: Everything HP belongs to JK Rowling. I got the idea from Griselda La Fey's challenge on Infinite Incantantem.

Summary: Minerva McGonagall is in love with Albus Dumbledore, but he is married, and not in love with her. Working on a project, she travels sideways through time, and falls in love with someone who actually loves her back.

Chapter One: Relationships and Regulations

Although it wasn't a commonly-known fact, all Hogwarts professors were required to conduct research projects in our chosen fields during our breaks in the school year. Most of my colleagues chose projects which required very little effort on their parts, using their apprentices, instead of themselves, to collect the data and run day-to-day experiments. As far as I know, I'm the only professor who would rather use her breaks to conduct research, instead of relaxing. However, I am the only professor without a family to relax with during break time. My parents died when I was nine as they fought against Grindelwald, and, as I was a "mistake" they had made, they took great care to ensure they'd never have any more children. Most of the time, they'd forget about me. I was raised by house-elves in the desolate McGonagall Manor in the far north of Scotland. Once I had entered Hogwarts, I never wanted to return to my old home. After all, there was nothing to live for there.

I was sorted into Gryffindor, and, as my entire family on both my mother and father's sides were sorted into Ravenclaw, it was beneficial that I was the last McGonagall left, for there was no one to reprimand me for not being like the rest of my family. However, I had found my niche in Gryffindor. Although I had the best marks in my year, and in some cases (like Transfiguration) in the history of the School (excepting, of course, Albus Dumbledore), I was also Head Girl, a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and, by the beginning of my sixth year at Hogwarts, a tabby cat animagus. Albus Dumbledore, my Transfiguration professor, helped to train me. Yes, that Albus Dumbledore. The one who discovered the twelve uses of dragon's blood, helped created the Philosopher's Stone with Nicholas Flamel, and the one who defeated Grindelwald. I was in love with him. He hated me.

By the time I became an animagus, I had realised I was in love with him. Not some little schoolgirl crush, mind you, but full-fledged love. After he took me to the Ministry of Magic so I could register my animagus form, he did not talk to me outside of class for the rest of my education at Hogwarts, even though he was my head of House. I thought that maybe he knew about my feelings for him, but I couldn't see how he could, unless he used Legilimency on me. And I had good enough Occlumency shields that I would have known if he had tried to read my mind.

Whether Albus knew of my feelings for him or not, he hired me as the Transfiguration professor after he became Headmaster following the retirement, and subsequent death of Armando Dippet. And he appointed me Head of Gryffindor House and, three years later, Deputy Headmistress. However, he did not speak to me any more than absolutely necessary. He didn't even call me by my first name, like he did with the rest of the staff. I was always "Professor McGonagall".

Although Albus was so cold to me, my love for him only grew, even after his marriage to Janet Huntleigh. Janet was the exact opposite of me- blonde, pretty, talkative, friendly, and Albus's wife. Janet was friendly with everyone, except me. I didn't have many friends at Hogwarts, neither when I was a student nor when I was a Professor. By the time Albus and Janet had a child, I was lonelier than I ever had been. That was when I began working on my latest project. Even though it wasn't solely Transfiguration, but also Arithmancy and various other subjects, this was the project I had been most interested in ever.

My project dealt with the concept of travelling through time. Not using a Time Turner to go back in time, nor a Dialry to go forward, but a device that would allow me to travel sideways through time. I had just finished my time traveller, but had yet to come up with a name, when a knock sounded at my door.

"Come in!" I called, feeling triumphant for accomplishing a project that had taken me five years.

Albus Dumbledore walked into my workroom with a stern look on his face. As I looked up, he frowned, causing my triumph to vanish immediately.

"Professor McGonagall, it has come to my attention that your latest project has violated Ministry time-travel regulations. I must insist that you halt this experiment immediately and destroy all information on your project, as it violates time-travel security regulations." Albus said, in a chilly voice.

I was stunned. Five years of my life had just been wasted, and for what? Everything to be destroyed because of a Ministry regulation! Albus rarely ever listened to the Ministry, and here he was telling me to stop my research because it broke one of their regulations?

"No, Headmaster." I replied. I will not destroy all information regarding my project. I have spent five years of my life on this, and I will not destroy it because of a Ministry regulation!!"

Albus's eyes narrowed. "You will, Professor, or else you shall find yourself charged by the Ministry."

I grabbed my completed time traveller, and flung the chain around my neck. "Sorry, Headmaster, but you see, I've just completed it. I will not destroy it until I at least test it. Destroy all my work, but don't expect to figure out what my project does." At that, I closed my eyes and turned my time traveller around twice. As the room began to spin, I opened my eyes slightly and saw Albus's shocked expression. As the speed increased, I was forced to close my eyes again and wrap my arms around myself. Suddenly, everything was still, and as I cautiously peeked out from under my closed eyelids, I saw a dark, yet very recognizable office.

"Who are you?" hissed a familiar voice. "Why are you here?"