Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. If it was, I would actually have money. Hmmm…
A/N: Thank you for sticking with this story. I appreciate your reviews!
Right, you're not really here to listen to me, let's get on with this!!
WARNING: this gets graphic kids. Violence. You have been warned.
The wedding was to be held on the grounds of the McGonagall estate. The rehearsal was set for that evening. The Manor bustled with the arrival of a few close family members. Eir and Bragi Rynkar came with Forseti, Bragi's brother, and her maternal grandparents, Siegfried and Brunhilda. Neptune and Hestia were in attendance as well; Theseus and Sedna invited Poppy and Euripides, who were there that night as well.
Minerva was heavily pregnant, several days past her due date. Poppy took walks with her nearly every morning, encouraging her to stay active. There were several hormonally charged outbursts during the past month. But Poppy had resided with them helping with wedding preparations and had been able to stave off the worst of them. And the McGonagall family was wonderfully tolerant of her plight.
Albus, Neptune, Bragi, Eir, Minerva, and Euripides had carefully laid out stringent protections on the grounds. It was a small, private wedding. But Voldemort seemed to be gathering powerful resources. They tried to secure the grounds against all unwanted visitors.
The rehearsal should have gone very smoothly.
Everyone was in their place. Deus was the best man, and one of Sedna's friends from the Auror Department was the maid of honor. They were all there and ready to go. Even the House Elves were bouncing around the kitchen preparing the meal for afterwards.
But just before the actually rehearsal was underway, an explosion moved the chairs in the tent. Albus stood up.
"He's here." That was all he needed to say. Everyone tuned to hear his instructions. Quickly, after checking where the wards had been shredded, he handed out assignments to the occupants of the tent.
Without question, Minerva was sent up to the Mansion, with Daphne as an escort. She was furious at being brushed aside and carefully guarded like this. She reached the mansion and climbed the stairs to their bedroom. Poppy was down the hall grimly preparing a miniature hospital. For a few moments, Minerva paced the secured room. Finally she threw up her hands and yelled, "Enough!" Daphne jumped up from where she was huddled against the wall.
"What?" She demanded, worried.
"I can't stay here waiting to know if my family has been slaughtered!" Minerva growled, "I don't want my child to be born without a father!" And she marched out of the room.
"Mother! Wait!" Daphne tripped after her, "You can't go out there!! What about the …"
"The baby?" Minerva yelled vehemently as she pressed on, "I refuse to deliver this child into a world that has been overrun by evil!"
Daphne yelled "Fine! Then I'm coming to take care of you!"
Minerva was the ready out fighting the nearest Death Eater. A black stream was pouring from a gaping hole in the earth. Minerva was pressing through battle after battle, mowing down her opponents. Daphne was right behind her. The duo chased a quartet of Death Eaters towards the edge of the woods. One fell to a swift stunning spell. Daphne cast a body-bind on another. But as she did, Minerva was knocked off her feet as a massive spell rebounded off her shield. As she tried to stand up, her first contraction hit, and she curled up in pain. That was the fatal moment. At her mother's pain, Daphne became distracted and froze. One of the remaining Death Eaters spat, Sectum Sempre at the befuddled girl. Minerva regained control in time to paralyze the Death Eater. Daphne collapsed to the ground, blood squishing through the fingers clutching her stomach. Minerva was furious, she threw spell without seeing where they hit. The final Death Eater was subdued. Minerva was holding Daphne as best she could. Another contraction brought her to the earth.
Fearful of attracting other Death Eaters, Minerva stifled her pained scream by clamping down on her lip. Soon her blood mingled with that of her daughter. Minerva struggled to climb above the pain and tap into Albus' mind. But she only succeeded in finding him before a third contraction overwhelmed her and Minerva dropped from consciousness.
Just as he disabled his last opponent, Albus felt his wife's presence brush his mind. With no visible threat imminent, Albus concentrated desperate efforts on finding his love. Grabbing Eir and Neptune, he ran in the direction he had last felt Minerva.
When they arrived, Albus was horrified. He could not make his feet move. He simply stood paralyzed. Eir cradled Daphne and apparated, along with Neptune and Minerva to the mansion. Euripides ran up behind them and pulled Albus back into reality. Together they repaired the wards and helped the stragglers back to the mansion.
As soon as he broached the mansion, Albus' mind returned to his perishing daughter and wife. He dashed up the stairs and stumbled into their bedroom. Minerva had been awakened and moved onto the Master bed. As soon as Albus opened the door, his ears were ripped with her screams. Minerva was propped up against the mountain of pillows, sweat had drenched her face and was trickling down onto the cuts she had acquired during the battle. The bed was covered with blood, and Minerva looked pale in comparison. Poppy stood at Minerva's side looking very worried. Albus pulled her outside and Eir stepped in to nurse Minerva.
"I don't know, Albus," no question needed to be asked, Poppy began right away. "She's lost so much blood. The delivery isn't going as smoothly as I had hoped. I warned you it would be dangerous!!"
"What can we do?" He face had become stone, leaving no cracks or weakness. That would come later.
"Well, I have given her a blood replenishing potion, and tried my best to ease the pain," Poppy sighed, "But this could be a very long delivery. She's strong though, Albus. And she has a lot to live for."
"I will stay with her," Albus was about to return to the room, when Poppy arrested him with a mournful hand.
"Daphne." Poppy was nearly crying now. "She was hit with a spell. I don't know what it was, I've never seen it before! She's dying. I can't save her."
Albus simply stared, terrified over Poppy's shoulder. She had said the two words he had never expected to hear of his child, "Dying?" He echoed, quietly.
Poppy merely sobbed and began to march down the hall. Albus followed, and entered into his daughter's room.
Daphne was on the bed with a large, blood-soaked bandage embracing her stomach. Her body looked like white marble, with blue streaks of veins running across her thin body. Hestia was on the opposite side of the bed. She was equally ill-looking. Hestia too had a bandage snugged against her shoulder. Her hand was connected with her niece's forehead. Both had their eyes closed. Albus and Poppy instantly understood what was going on.
"NO!" Poppy yelled, racing around the bed. But she was well past the point of reconciliation. Hestia collapsed on the floor; and Daphne began to cough and splutter, the blood receding from the bandage around her middle. Poppy scrambled for Hestia's pulse, but it was not there to be felt. Instantly, she jumped to check the young woman on the bed. Daphne was breathing heavily, and her body glistened with sweat. Poppy tenderly lifted one of the bandages. Turning very pale, she stood up stiffly. "It's gone. She's stopped bleeding. It's as if she was never hurt. Hestia gave what little life she had to save you daughter." Poppy stared solemnly at the body spread out on floor.
Albus gently carried Hestia's empty form into the bedroom across the hall, laying it reverently on the bed. Then he and Poppy dashed back to Minerva's bedside. The screams were feebler now. Minerva was still losing blood, and she was slumped against the pillows as if she had lost control over the muscles in her body.
Poppy ran a diagnostic battery of spells. "She's getting closer." Pulling Albus to the side, she murmured, "This could take all night. I'm not sure how long she will last." Albus nodded grimly.
Tenderly, desperately, He returned to his wife's side and held her hand in his own. She had stopped screaming, evidently having screamed herself hoarse. Minerva was too weak to even lift her
head, but turned it to look Albus in the eyes. She pulled her hand from his, and shakily moved her finger to trace lines on his palm.
I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U, she traced, before her hand fell back to the bed. With tears in his eyes, Albus lifted her hand up, kissing it gently.
For seven hours, they sat there together. Every ten minutes, Minerva would coil in agony, gripping her husband's hand anew. It was horrible. Poppy battled to keep Minerva's body filled with blood, but still could not find a way to stop the blood flow.
Pacing at the side of the room, Poppy confided to Eir, "I'm worried that she might be bleeding internally as well! But, I don't know how to help her without injuring the child!"
Finally, just after one in the morning, Minerva sat up and let out a terrible screech. Poppy ran to her side and began running spells. "The baby is coming!!" She yelled excitedly, "Come on, Minerva! PUSH! This is it!! You can make it through this! You've made it this far! PUSH!!"
Propped up by Albus, Minerva sobbed as she struggled to bear down. In another fifteen minutes, she had fallen back into the pillows, and mewling strains of her new son stabbed the sudden quiet anticipation of the room. Eir took the squalling bundle to wash him.
Poppy turned her attention back to Minerva, who was dangerously close to comatose. Albus hovered close to the bed as well. By now, the rest of the family had congregated outside the door. The wounds had been bandaged, the grounds secured, and the entire clan was on edge. When Eir brought the baby out, no one, not even Daphne, who had insisted on being carried up to the scene, seemed much cheered by the sight of the healthy new arrival. They were waiting for word of Minerva.
Finally, half an hour later, Poppy stumbled out to tell the crowd Minerva was stable. Everyone collectively sighed and disbursed to their beds. Deus carried Daphne back, and Theseus put his one unbroken arm around Sedna as they shuffled down the hall. Poppy returned to the room, to find Albus in the bed almost asleep with his wife. The sheets had been magically cleaned, as had Minerva and Albus. Poppy was about to leave them, when Albus sat up.
"Thank you." Albus croaked, "I almost lost her." He continued, his voice quaking. "But you brought her back to me. Thank you."
Poppy smiled and closed the door on the sleeping couple.
A/N Well, there should be one more. Please review. Thanks for continuing to read, even if you don't review.
