Mrs. McGonagall Comes For A Visit
Disclaimer: Albus and Minerva sadly do not belong to me but to JK Rowling. I am only borrowing them and intend to make no money whatsoever from this story.
Summary: Cecile McGonagall pays her daughter and new husband a visit. Sequel to Meeting Mrs. McGonagall.
A/N: many thanks to my beta Ang.
Mrs. McGonagall Comes For A Visit.
Albus watched his wife of nine months rush around their spotless home in a blind panic. He couldn't understand why Minerva continued to cast cleaning charms on every bit of furniture they owned. He had done an extensive clean only hours before and now Minerva was redoing it all. The reason for Minerva's panic was that her mother was coming to spend a few days with them before going to visit Minerva's brother in America. Minerva hadn't seen much of her mother since the wedding and she was dreading the arrival of her mother, especially after the speech she had given at the wedding. Albus smiled at the memory of Minerva blushing as her mother told the wedding party about her quest to find Minerva a husband.
Albus got to his feet and wrapped his arms around Minerva, who was dusting the top of the mantelpiece with a feather duster.
"Minerva," he asked some what confused "why are you now using muggle cleaning products?"
"Things have to be perfect," Minerva answered as she continued to dust. "You don't know what she is like when it comes to a clean home."
"This house has never seen so many cleaning spells in one month, let alone one day," continued Albus as he took the feather duster from her hand and set it down on the table to the side of them. "The place is spotless."
"But Albus..." she began.
"No buts!" he interrupted her as he turned her around to face him. "Cecile is coming to see you. She isn't coming to inspect our house."
Minerva looped her arms around his neck and stood up on her tiptoes. She kissed him lightly on the lips before trying to wiggle free from his arms and pick up the duster. Albus knew his wife far to well and with a wave of his hand, the duster disappeared.
"Albus!" she groaned "That really irritates me when you do that."
Albus gave a small chuckle and pulled her back into his arms. A soft tune floated through the room and Albus began to move to the music. Moments later, Minerva found herself being gracefully pulled around the living room in a waltz. They danced together for sometime, completely lost in the music and each other. The nine months they had been married had gone by so quickly. But most of their time had been spent at Hogwarts teaching their students. Their wedding had been beautiful. Only close friends and family had attended the ceremony.
Hagrid had given Minerva away as her father had died some years ago. He had looked so proud walking down the aisle with Minerva. Albus had noticed tears in the half giant's eyes as he placed Minerva's hand within Albus' and smiled at the couple. Their dance was cut short when a loud knock sounded through the house. Albus and Minerva stopped and looked at each other. Minerva pulled away from her husband and smoothing her robes down, she looked at him with a small smile.
"Are you going to answer it?" she asked.
"I can do that, my love," answered Albus "if you want me to."
"No I better do it," she told him as she started to head towards the front door.
"Why don't we both do it," suggested Albus as he held her hand.
They both made their way towards the farmhouse door. They opened the door and Minerva's mouth fell open. Cecile McGonagall stood on their doorstep looking completely different to what she had looked like when they last saw her. Instead of her wavy black hair, it was now a mass of bright purple straight locks. The drastic change in the appearance made her look a lot more severe than before. Albus and Minerva stood there opened mouthed for a few moments, not trusting their owns voices.
"Aren't you going to invite me in then?" asked Cecile briskly as she tapped her foot impatiently.
"Oh sorry mother," said Minerva snapping out of her trance. "Come in!"
"Albus," said Cecile as looped her arm through her daughter's arm "be a dear and bring my bags in for me."
Albus nodded and stepped outside. He couldn't help but be amazed by how many bags she had brought with her for a two day stay. There must have been five suitcases of different shapes and sizes, as well as a couple of handbags. Albus was thankful that he was a wizard otherwise he would have had to bring them in by hand. When he walked back into the living, he found Cecile on tiptoes running a white-gloved hand across the top of the bookcase.
"I did expect better," observed Cecile as she pulled her hand down and inspected the white glove that had small amount of dust on it. "This bookcase lets you down Minerva. I always believed the way to stay in your husbands heart was to keep a clean, happy home."
"Mother," sighed Minerva.
"Cecile," said Albus coming to his wife's aid "can I get you a drink?"
"Albus," replied Cecile as she walked up to him and embraced him "please call me Mother now. We are family, after all."
Albus shot Minerva an unsure look and Minerva shrugged her shoulders in turn. He could tell that his wife was already on edge and her mother had only been there a few minutes. Albus managed to detangle himself from his mother in laws arms and seek refuge in the kitchen where he prepared drinks for them all.
Cecile and Minerva were sitting down on the couch talking. Well, it looked more like Cecile firing question after question at Minerva.
"What made you decide on the change of image?" asked Albus as he sat down next to Minerva.
"Do you like it?" gushed Cecile as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I adore it. Marcus suggested it."
"Marcus?" questioned Minerva with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh you know Marcus darling," said Cecile. "Your father used to get our fish from him."
"What would he know about hair then?" asked Minerva with a smile. She couldn't quite believe her mother was taking hair advice from a wizard who spent most of his days fishing.
"He knows plenty Minerva," replied Cecile. "Don't you just love it?"
"Yes lovely!" answered Minerva and Albus in unison with fake smiles on theirs faces.
Cecile finished playing with her hair and looked at her daughter intently. She seemed to be searching for something.
"Albus," asked Cecile "where did you put my bags?"
"I put them in your room," answered Albus.
"Oh be my darling and go and fetch the little red bag for me," asked Cecile sweetly.
Albus did as he was asked and went to fetch the bag Cecile wanted. It was heavy and overflowing with all sorts of things. Albus wondered if she actually needed any of the stuff she had brought with her. The only thing missing was the kitchen sink. Albus could hear a conversation going on between mother and daughter and by the sound of Minerva's voice Cecile was asking Minerva personal questions. Minerva's eyes lit up when she saw Albus enter the room carrying her mother's bag.
"Thank you ever so much," said Cecile gratefully. "I have some gifts for you both."
"Mother," replied Minerva "you shouldn't have."
"I know," answered Cecile "but I did anyway."
Cecile hunted around in her bag. She had pulled out catnip, pieces of faded parchment and the remainder of a biscuit before she found what she was looking for.
"Here you are Minerva," said Cecile as she handed Minerva a crumpled parcel.
"Thank you mother," replied Minerva as she brushed the crumbs off the parcel.
Minerva opened it and sighed loudly as she pulled out a pink knitted baby jumper. Albus had opened the other rumpled parcel and he had pulled out a blue knitted jumper.
"I have also knitted these little booties for your baby," said Cecile handing them the little booties. "Aren't they just adorable?"
"Mother," Minerva sad with a twinge of sadness "we are not expecting!"
"I did notice that your tummy wasn't swelling yet," replied Cecile as she pulled out a tartan hankie and dabbed her eyes. "I must tell you that it causes me much distress that you are not with child yet. You have been married nine months. There should be one on the way by now."
Minerva placed the baby jumpers back into the parcels and looked at them sadly.
"There won't be any children," Minerva told her mother. "I am hardy young now and my chance came and went years ago."
"Nonsense girl," scolded Cecile. "I was much older when I fell pregnant with you and I know many other witches who have given birth late in life. You are a middle age witch Minerva, still capable of having children."
"Mother," said Minerva with a sigh "why must you bring things up like this?"
"Someone has to darling," replied Cecile. "If I didn't interfere then you and Albus wouldn't be married in the first place!"
Minerva leaned back against Albus and he wrapped his arms around her slim waist. They were both exhausted by her mother's visit but it had also made them think about a few things. Things they hadn't even considered before. Cecile observed her daughter and son in law for a few moments. She smiled to herself as she began to repack her bag.
"Oh I've just remembered I have to go and see a man about some hair dye!" Cecile announced rather dramatically. "I think I will go and get it and then go straight on to see Theseus in America."
"Aren't you going to stay with us for a few days?" asked Albus.
"I think you have responsibilities Albus!" she replied looking at him with a knowing smile, which caused both him and Minerva to blush brightly.
Cecile got to her feet and pulled out her wand. She summoned her bags down from the guest bedroom and floated them into the fireplace. Minerva and Albus had risen to their feet as well. They both embraced Cecile who patted Minerva's tummy gently.
"Next time I see you darling," she told Minerva "I want to see a swelling." With that Cecile stepped into the fireplace and disappeared along the floo network.
Albus and Minerva both collapsed back into the couch. Albus pulled Minerva on to his lap and looked at her tenderly, his hands rubbing up and down her sides. "It feels like she was here for two weeks not two hours." sighed Albus as he closed his eyes.
"I know," replied Minerva as she relaxed against him. "Once again Albus I apologize for her. I really hope I don't turn into her."
"Especially with that color hair!" chuckled Albus.
"Oh," replied Minerva "wasn't it dreadful?"
The married couple dissolved into a heap of giggles as they remembered the terrible color of her hair. Their laughter died down and they looked at each other. They both had things on their mind and they hoped the other one was thinking the same.
"Albus!"
"Minerva!"
They had spoken at the same time and now they didn't know who should speak first. Albus decided to continue first.
"Your mother raised an important issue," he began as his eyes wandered to the knitted booties that were on the table. "What do you think?"
"Would you like to be a father?" she asked as her fingers threaded through his long white beard.
"Yes!" he answered surprising both himself and Minerva.
"I would like to be a mummy," replied Minerva "but I didn't really think that it would be possible. But now I think about it…it is possible."
"Then Mrs. Dumbledore," said Albus as he managed to get to his feet while still cradling Minerva in his arms, "I think we should go and try right now. We need to practice and practice over and over again till we get it the desired result."
"I hope we will still keep trying even when we have the result we want," replied Minerva with a smile.
Albus laughed before kissing her deeply on the lips as he carried her up the stairs and into their bedroom
the end