You Don't Mess With the Dumbledores

by Leia Rayn Storm

Albus, Minerva and their sixteen children are a powerful popular family greatly admired by many for their bravery and kindness. But Voldemort's obsession with Minerva and his severe hatred of Albus and the Dumbledore children threatens to ruin everything.

36. Number 16

Chapter 36-Number 16

-Well, this chapter is extremely long, because for some reason I couldn't bring myself to end it on a terrible cliff-hanger, sooo, you can thank me by giving me many fabulous reviews, please and thank you! :D -

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was in a state of shock. Children throughout the school were terrified. Many were anxious to board the Hogwarts Express and go home, but others were more afraid of returning home, the thought of never returning to Hogwarts not one that they could even begin to fathom. Others were more worried about the Dumbledores. It seemed strange, that people could care so much about a family they hardly knew, but many of the children at Hogwarts had grandparents, or even parents who had been saved by Albus and Minerva Dumbledore, and had spoken of the Dumbledores often in a very respectable way, and so the children had grown up wanting to be like the Dumbledores, wishing that they could be as intelligent and powerful as the Dumbledores. And now, Minerva Dumbledore, the one who held most of the Dumbledore family together, as well as the school itself, was gone. Taken by the monster into the Chamber of Secrets. On top of all this, Albus Dumbledore was no longer the headmaster, and was not even present when his wife and unborn child had been taken, as many believed that he could have prevented such a thing. Perhaps he could have. Perhaps if he had been at Hogwarts, Minerva would not have been walking along the corridors alone. But life was far too complicated to live on 'what if's' and self doubts. Self doubts chained the mind to an endless circle of pointless speculation and self-recrimination.

And so the Hogwarts students sat in their dormitories, crying silently or just sitting silently, no words to be spoken during such a time. The Hogwarts staff, however, were running around frantically; attempting to contact Albus, to contact the rest of the Dumbledore children, to finish the potion that would awaken the Petrified victims, which could lead to some answers that could aid in finding Minerva Dumbledore and Ginny Weasley. Their attempts, so far, were futile, but they were doing their best, and they weren't about to give up.

In the Gryffindor common room, Percy Weasley, who had sent an owl to his parents immediately, had already returned to his dormitory in an attempt to be alone. Fred and George Weasley sat in a corner with Ron, Harry, and Io Star, all five of them worried about both the Dumbledores and Ginny. Anexandra, Callisto, Andromeda, Aurora, and Perseus had all been sent to their father's office for a time, but returned an hour later, puffy-eyed and pale. Perseus went straight to Io, who had already opened her arms to him, and the two retreated to another corner where they could speak amongst themselves. Aurora was not up to talking, and she, like Fred and George, returned to her dormitory, unable to sit any longer. Anexandra, Andromeda, and Callisto waited until Harry and Ron were alone in their corner, and then stood in front of them, fierce determination in their eyes and their hands on their hips as they asked Harry and Ron what the plan to save their mother and Ginny was.

And then the children began making their way towards Gilderoy Lockhart's office, while, meanwhile, a baby stirred within its mother's stomach. Unfortunately, the woman with child was not safe, was not even on the ground floor of Hogwarts. In fact, she was below the ground floor, below the dungeons, and below the lake itself, the chamber in which she was lying kept cold, dank, and musky. She was not yet aware that her child was eager to see the world, for if she was she would have been panicking. At the moment, however, she was at peace, her eyes closed, her body limp, and her breathing even as she remained in her stunned state, against her will that is.

Beside this woman with child lay another child, but an older child, yet still young, no older than eleven to twelve years of age. The child slept peacefully as well, her mind bereft of dreams, but she was dying. Her very soul and her entire life force was being sucked from her body, and transferred to the shimmering, transparent figure that floated above the woman, whose raven locks pillowed her head against the hard, cold, stone floor. The shimmering figure gazed longingly at the woman below it, for, even in her sixties she was beautiful; her hair without grey; her hands calloused, yet soft; her body still seemingly perfect as her robes clung to her body, the sweat from the fever she had so recently acquired causing this to be so. The shimmering figure's only wish was for this goddess to open her no doubt astonishing green eyes and gaze at it with the same love, the same longing, and yet this was not to be, for the woman was married. A dazzling diamond ring on her finger that rested on her large, pregnant belly made it painfully obvious to the figure above her. But the figure did not weep, because the figure was not upset. Instead, the figure was angry. The figure had claimed this beautiful gem as its own, and it would not take no for an answer.

Tom Riddle would fight until his very last breath to keep Minerva McGonagall, who would no longer keep that wretched last name, Dumbledore, for it made Tom Riddle sick to his stomach to think of Albus Dumbledore, and what he could have that Tom Riddle could not. Because Albus Dumbledore had had everything that Tom Riddle had wanted. The fame, the power, the gold, the woman, and even the children. As much as Tom Riddle hated children, he would have loved his children, if only for the sole purpose that they would carry out his work dutifully, without question, without pause, because that is what they were made for. And that is why Tom Riddle, his name now Voldemort, absolutely despised the man Albus Dumbledore. In fact, Voldemort was not particularly fond of Minerva at the moment either. She had done what he had told her not to, she had defied him, and did not even seem to have a care in the world. She had had fifteen of Dumbledore's children, and was bearing the sixteenth one now. Voldemort longed to kill the pitiful, disgusting creature that resided within his Minerva's stomach, but alas, he was not yet capable. His power had not fully been returned to him, and so he kept his vigil from above the woman that lay on her back, waiting for the right moment in which he would be able to destroy the powerful barriers which surrounded the Dumbledore child, remaining powerful even when the mother was asleep, or rather, stunned.

However, this did not hold true for long, as the baby shifted once more in its mother's stomach, causing Minerva to awake with a start, her eyes opening suddenly to reveal the hidden emeralds which had taken the breath of many. Indeed, it seemed almost too perfect to Voldemort, to see those blazing eyes full of confusion as they skimmed over the ceiling, the eyes which were, quite possibly, almost as capable of causing death with just a look in the same way that a basilisk was capable. Yes, it was perfect, he just had to show Minerva this.

Minerva's eyes eventually filled with a sudden realization, and Voldemort watched with pleasure as her face filled with terror. If he was anything but a shimmering group of molecules, he would have smiled widely. Minerva's gaze fell onto the young Ginny Weasley, whose life force was being taken by the very shimmering figure that was still just above Minerva, but she had yet to notice. She seemed to attempt sitting up, but sitting up was not an option to her, as she placed a hand over her back, seething in pain as she shifted and splashed cold water around her. She shivered violently, but her teeth did not chatter, instead, Voldemort noticed that her lips were a tinted shade of blue, and her face was paler than even he was used to seeing. It made him shake with fury, as he recalled the reason for such a state. And how was he to help her? Once he returned to power, would he be able to save her? If not, that was of little importance, after all, he did not need Minerva. Just to be the cause of her death was enough, and yet, he could not help but feel that there was no life without his Minerva. She would be his after all, there was no question to it. And it would cause Dumbledore more pain to know that his wife had chosen Voldemort over himself.

Minerva stirred once more, finally managing to sit up just as a contraction surged through her body, causing her to cry out in an anguish that even Lord Voldemort grimaced at. It was the most terrible sound, and for a moment he believed that his not yet transparent eyes had deceived him, but alas, they had not. It seemed that even Minerva had been shocked by her own voice, and she stared at the floor in shock for a moment, her breathing ragged as she vigorously wiped tears from her cheeks, for even when Minerva believed herself to be alone, she did not allow such nonsense to overwhelm her when lives were so clearly at stake.

This made Voldemort chuckle, and it seemed he had begun to grow in power, for otherwise this feat would have been impossible. Minerva gasped in shock and spun her body around to face the shimmering figure that had turned, somewhat into a person. The face was the only thing clear enough to notice, but it was enough to cause Minerva to search her robes quickly for her wand and hold a protective hand over her stomach, all whilst attempting to slide backwards across the Chamber floor.

"Don't be shy, Minerva," Voldemort said slowly, testing his voice as he smiled once more. "And do not fret, your wand is not here."

Minerva instantly stopped searching her robes, opting instead to glare furiously into Voldemort's eyes. He laughed once more. "What do you want with me?" Minerva spat when Voldemort's cackles had died off. "With us," Minerva corrected as she glanced down at Ginny Weasley.

"Isn't it obvious, dear?" Voldemort breathed, his transparent hand reaching out to brush lightly against Minerva's cheek, like a soft, soothing breeze. However, it made Minerva sick to her stomach and she grimaced, turning her head away from the not yet whole hand that had touched her cheek. Voldemort frowned, a sigh escaping his lips as he slid onto his barely visible knees, moving his face closer to Minerva's as he whispered, "Must you be so difficult?"

The fury that blazed in Minerva's eyes made a smile spread across the handsome Tom Riddle's face, as his eyes shined with longing once more. It wiped the hatred from Minerva's face in an instant, to be replaced with a deep look of revulsion and fear. The fear, Voldemort could use to his advantage, but the revulsion just would not do.

Without thinking, Voldemort reached out to wrap his hand around Minerva's throat, but his transparent hand merely brushed across her pale skin. She slid even further from his shimmering form, glaring as she moved across the slippery Chamber floor and began examining Ginny's still body, searching for a sign of life.

"She won't wake," Voldemort said in a bored tone, rising to his coloring feet and smirking down at Ginny.

Minerva held one of Ginny's hands in hers as she looked up at Voldemort accusingly. "What have you done to her?" Minerva demanded.

Voldemort's lips curled up in a smile. "Now that is an interesting question and, quite a long story. I would love to tell it to you, but not now, I'm sure we can be expecting visitors soon. But the real reason Ginny Weasley is like this, is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger. How else could I, as the young Tom Riddle be standing before you? Do you not remember my face as it is now, Minerva? Have you forgotten that night, fifty years ago, when I made it clear that you were mine? Now I have returned to find that you have not listened to me."

"You don't own me, Tom," Minerva spat, the fire in her eyes returning. "You do not control my life."

Voldemort's smile only flickered slightly as he replied, "For now."

Minerva looked as if she were about to say something else, but that frightening cry of agony escaped her lips once more and she leaned forward, clutching her stomach with one hand, her other hand slamming onto the floor, into a puddle of water, dampening the end of her sleeve.

Voldemort frowned, shaking his head and, as Minerva's voice faded, he said, "See what Dumbledore has done to you? If you had been with me, you would not have had to endure such pain."

"He didn't do this to me," Minerva said through gritted teeth, forcing herself into a sitting position once more so that she could glare into Voldemort's eyes, his face almost fully opaque, and his robes becoming more clearly visible. "You did this to me. The only question, is how?"

Voldemort swept his hand in a gesture towards Ginny's unconscious form. "I am not to blame, it was Ginny Weasley who poisoned you."

Minerva rolled her eyes. "You expect me to believe that a child is responsible for my near death experience? A child whose birth I was present for?"

"She does not deserve all the credit, no," Voldemort admitted. "But it was this child's foolishness that caused you to be poisoned, and improperly at that. I gave her perfect instructions on how to make such a potion, I was in control of her very mind, and yet she was still incapable. And then, when I had asked her what Dumbledore drank at breakfast, she told me, 'The headmaster has an entire jug of pumpkin juice to himself.' And yet, she informed me that day that the headmaster was not poisoned that morning, but you were. A foolish, naïve child, completely worthless."

"You were controlling her mind?" said Minerva furiously. "But – but how? How are you here? How were you able to speak with Ginny?"

Voldemort's gaze flickered to a black book that was lying on the floor above Ginny's head. "A memory. Preserved in a diary for fifty years. My diary, that Little Ginny's been writing in for months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes. How her brothers tease her, how she had come to school with secondhand robes and books, while the Dumbledore children strutted about the castle in the finest clothes, with the most beautiful features." Voldemort's eyes glinted. "And how she didn't think famous, good, great Pleisthenes Dumbledore would ever like her."

Voldemort sighed heavily. "It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," he went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic. I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom…I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in…It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket. Oh, and then her thoughts on Harry Potter were simply rich. She adored him, but do not worry yourself, Minerva, her heart remains with your dashing son, little Pleis-"

"DON'T!" Minerva shouted, her eyes narrowed and hatred radiating off of her in waves. "Don't you talk about my son, you sick, manipulative-"

Minerva's rant was interrupted by Voldemort's high, cold laughter that sent a shiver down her spine. "Do not worry your pretty little head, Minerva, my dear," Voldemort said, falling to his knees once more and leaning close to Minerva, causing her to grimace and move her head back. "Pleis will not marry Ginny Weasley," he whispered to her as if he were telling a secret. "He won't survive the night."

Slap!

The sound rang throughout the Chamber as Minerva's hand connected with Voldemort's cheek. He stared at her in bewilderment and shock, surprised that her hand had connected when he was yet only partially there. But it had not been nearly as painful as he assumed it would have been, had he been whole. The look in her eyes alone was painful.

"You know, Minerva," Voldemort smirked. "If I say it myself, I've always been able to charm the people I needed, except you." He frowned. "It's a predicament really, but that is why I needed Ginny. She poured her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted. I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her. And then I could control her. Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets, strangled the school roosters, daubed threatening messages on the walls, poisoned you when she was supposed to poison Albus Dumbledore, and set the Serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, the Squib's cat, and little Pleisthenes Dumbledore."

Minerva furrowed her brow, her mouth opening in shock, but she said nothing, for a contraction seemed to have surged through her once more, and she whimpered and closed her eyes, grinding her teeth loudly.

Voldemort merely continued his tale, obviously enjoying telling Minerva all about his ingenious plan. "Young Ginny was supposed to be my way of getting to you," he went on. "If she had succeeded in killing Albus Dumbledore at the beginning of the school year, I would have taken my next step in the plan, but, seeing as that did not happen, I was forced to change tactics. Ginny was mine to control, though, of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries, far more interesting they became…Dear Tom, I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there. Dear Tom, I can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front. Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me…There was another attack today and I don't know where I was, Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad…I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!"

Voldemort chuckled at Minerva's venomous look of hatred. "It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary," he said. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where your children and Harry Potter come in, Minerva. Those three quadruplets, who Ginny wants to be just like. Andromeda, I believe, is the smart-mouthed one, but Callisto is the critical thinking one, and Anexandra is like the leader, or just temperamental, correct?"

Minerva said nothing, and Voldemort shrugged, noticing that his entire body was visible, and he was merely shimmering around the edges. "The three of them, along with Potter and Ginny's brother found the diary. I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up, one of them being one of the people I was most anxious to meet. You see, Ginny told me all about the Dumbledore family, about how famous, rich, and powerful they were, how Lord Voldemort forced Ororo Dumbledore into being a deatheater, and how he killed the precious Aurora Dumbledore. But Ginny also told me about Harry Potter's fascinating history. About how his parents, and even one of your children, Aurora, died to protect him. And to top it all off, he was the best of friends with five of the Dumbledores I wanted so badly to kill, for the simple fact that they were children I had not allowed to be born. He could bring them to me more easily than Ginny Weasley. It would have been all too easy."

Minerva was shaking with fury, but she could say nothing. Her mind was too full of confusing thoughts. To think, that Ginny Weasley had been manipulated by Voldemort, by way of a diary. And now, Voldemort was planning to kill Minerva's entire family, while she was stuck here, in this Chamber, in agonizing pain. She knew that the baby wanted to be born, but she was not in a safe location to give birth. She was alone, with a dying girl at her feet and Voldemort looming over her. She had no wand, she must have lost it when she had been stunned and drug into the Chamber. There was also the fact that, an hour after she had went into labor, she was supposed to have already given birth, and Merlin only knew how long she had been in labor. She wouldn't survive if she stayed here. She was already shivering uncontrollably, and she knew she had a fever. The contractions she was having every few minutes were the most unbearable pain she had experienced in her lifetime, and she had given birth to quadruplets. Unfortunately, this baby was causing her twice the amount of pain of all of her children combined, and she was assuming she could account that to the poison and antidote that was battling within her, not to mention the magical barrier that was weakening. Minerva herself was weakening as well as she fought to stay conscious. She had the sinking feeling that she was going to die in this Chamber.

"I showed Harry Potter the memory of my famous capture of the great oaf, Hagrid," Voldemort went on. "To gain his trust. Unfortunately, the next time the diary was opened, it was Ginny who was writing to me once again. She saw your daughters and Harry Potter with the diary, you see, and she panicked. What if they had found out how to work it and I repeated all her secrets to them? What if, even worse, I told them who'd poisoned you? So the foolish brat waited until their dormitory was deserted and stole it back. But I knew what I must do.

"It was clear to me that your children were on the trail of Slytherin's heir. From everything Ginny told me about them. I knew they would go to any lengths to solve the mystery, particularly if one of one of their best friends, and even their mother was attacked. Of course, I also needed to capture you before your fowl husband came back and followed you everywhere. And so I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall, and then pretend that she need to ask you a question, and then attack you and bring you down here, where she was to wait for further instructions. She struggled and cried and became very boring while you slept. But there isn't much life left in her. She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last, and finish what I had started fifty years ago. And now, now we will wait for Harry Potter and your children to arrive. It should be any moment now. And then I shall rip the very flesh from their bones, their father following in their wake, as well as the rest of their siblings, and then you, Minerva, shall be mine."

"You won't lay a hand on my children!" Minerva shouted, finally finding her voice. "Besides, there is a flaw to your plan, Tom."

Voldemort looked bewildered. "Oh? And what is this flaw?"

"I won't be yours," Minerva said simply. "I can never be yours. Even if you claimed me as your own and controlled me with the most powerful mind control, it would not matter, because I will never love you, and I won't even live to hate you, Tom. If you keep me in this Chamber for another hour, I can assure you that I will die."

Voldemort shook his head. "I can save you. My power-"

"Will mean nothing when this poison tears me apart from the inside out. Face it, Tom, you attempted to kill my husband, and your plan backfired. You've killed me."

Voldemort shook his head again, this time more vigorously. "No, I can save you."

"No, you can't."

Voldemort stared at Minerva, his expression changing from anger, to confusion, to fear, to deep thought, and back to anger. He said nothing, and Minerva felt another wave of pain that caused a scream to escape her lips once more. Normally, she might have tried a bit harder, to not show weakness. But now, in the shadow of death, it seemed pointless to hide behind a façade that no one would see. Voldemort was in front of her, but perhaps that was part of the reason she wasn't trying to hide her pain. Perhaps she knew that deep, deep, deep down, it was causing him inner turmoil. That somewhere in that black heart devoid of emotion, there was a part of Voldemort that cared about Minerva, that was suffering to see her in pain. And maybe, just maybe Minerva felt somewhat better about her pain, knowing that it was making Voldemort suffer. After all, he deserved it.

With this last thought, Minerva could no longer stay upright, and she fell onto her back on the Chamber floor, water splashing around her as tears sprung to her eyes, her agonized screams echoing around the Chamber. It seemed, once she started, she couldn't stop. The thought of her unborn child dying because of her own stupidity causing almost as much pain as the contractions the child was causing. Thinking about never seeing the face of her baby, never holding it in her arms, never knowing whether or not it was a boy or a girl, and to never see Albus again, their last words in person being him whispering to her, 'It isn't goodbye, love.' It seemed, in the end, that it really had been goodbye, and a pitiful one at that; Minerva, sitting on the bathroom floor, her stomach twisting with nausea. And then, the rest of her children, who would be in danger with their mother gone, their father no doubt falling into a depression. And what if Voldemort was right? What if the three quadruplets and Harry Potter found the entrance to the Chamber and descended to the bottom, where Minerva lied, in an attempt to save she and Ginny? What if Voldemort really was capable of killing them? Those thoughts were what caused Minerva's anguish.

---

Dusk had fallen, and most occupants of Hogwarts were retreating to their dormitories for the night. However, there were those who were still awake. In the Headmaster's office, a family wept. In the staff room, many of the Hogwarts staff were racking their brains for a way to find the Chamber of Secrets. In another part of the castle, the Herbology professor, the school nurse, and the Potion's master were slaving over a potion that would awaken the Petrified victims currently lying in the Hospital Wing. And in the Transfigurations classroom, a husband paced the spot where his wife's wand lied on the floor, his mind full of haunting thoughts that he wanted to forget. Elsewhere in the castle, a pregnant woman was screaming horrifically in a Chamber under the school, a dying girl lying beside her. Five children and a conceited Professor were attempting to find said Chamber, and they were quite close, as they stepped into the very bathroom in which the entrance to the Chamber resided.

And there, sitting, or rather, hovering over the tank end of a toilet, was Moaning Myrtle, the one who could answer the children's questions. The one who could lead them to the woman and the girl within the Chamber.

"Oh, it's you," Myrtle said when she saw the children step into the bathroom behind Gilderoy Lockhart. "What do you want this time?"

"To ask you how you died," Anexandra said quickly, becoming impatient in her hindrances to find her mother.

Myrtle's demeanor changed at once, and she looked as if she had never been asked such a flattering question. "Ohh, it was dreadful," she said brightly. "It happened right here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then…I died." A smile spread across Myrtle's face.

"How?" Harry asked.

"No idea," Myrtle replied in a hushed tone. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away…" Myrtle looked at the children dreamily. "And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she'd ever laughed at my glasses."

Despite the tense mood, Andromeda began laughing uproariously, and everyone turned to stare at her. She eventually sighed and wiped tears from her eyes as she chuckled, "Oh, Myrtle, I underestimated you."

Callisto rolled her eyes and said, "Anyway, where did you see the eyes, Myrtle?"

"Somewhere there," Myrtle said, pointing vaguely towards the sink in front of her toilet.

The children hurried over to it, while Lockhart stood back, looking terrified. The sink looked ordinary enough. The children examined every inch of it, including the pipes below. And then Andromeda spotted a tiny snake scratched on the side of one of the copper taps.

She attempted to turn it on, and Myrtle said cheerily, "That tap's never worked."

"Harry," Callisto said quickly, turning to face him. "Say something in Parseltounge."

"But –" Harry began, but he stopped when he saw the looks of desperation on his friends' faces. He stared at the tiny engraving, attempting to imagine that it was real, and said, "Open up."

Harry looked up to the others, who looked a bit disappointed as they shook their heads.

Harry looked back at the snake engraving, and this time, when he said, "Open up," instead of English this time, it was hissing that escaped his throat. And in the next second, the sink began to move, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

Ron gasped, and the three quadruplets exchanged high-five's as Harry turned to them and said, "I'm going down there."

"Well of course," Andromeda said, looking bewildered that Harry had even spoken his thoughts. "We all are."

Harry looked to Ron, who nodded.

"Well, you hardly seem to need me," Lockhart suddenly said, a small smile playing on his lips. "I'll just-"

"Ohh, no you don't," Andromeda growled, reaching out and roughly pulling Lockhart back towards the entrance to the Chamber, just as his hand gripped the doorknob.

"You aren't getting out of it that easily," Callisto said, glaring at him stonily.

"You can go first," Anexandra snarled, grabbing Lockhart's arm tightly and pushing him forward. He let out a girlish scream as he tumbled down the pipe.

Anexandra saluted to the others before jumping feet first into the pipe. Callisto was next, and she jumped into the air, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs before she too disappeared. Then Andromeda attempted to jump down the pipe, but she stepped on the hem of her robes, tripped, and screamed as she tumbled down the pipe with loud thuds. Harry and Ron waited until her screams had died down before they too slid down the pipe, one after the other.

A few moments later, all five of the children and Lockhart were standing at the bottom of the pipe in a large, dark, stone tunnel.

"We must be miles under the school," Harry noted, his voice echoing throughout the tunnel.

"We're under the lake, I believe," Callisto observed, wiping a layer of slime off the wall and squinting her eyes to examine it in the dim light.

"Damn Chamber of Secrets," Andromeda muttered, attempting to clean the slime from her face and readjust her robes.

Anexandra said nothing as she lit her wand, and the others, save Ron and Lockhart, followed suit. Then the six of them began making their way through the tunnel, their footsteps slapping loudly on the wet floor. The tunnel was dark, and so they could see nothing other than a small distance in front of them, even with four wands lighting the way.

"Remember," Callisto whispered as they continued to walk cautiously. "If there's any sign of movement, close your eyes right away."

But there were no other sounds in the tunnel besides the children's quick breathing and Lockhart's occasional whimpering, which the three quadruplets put an end to by turning to glare at him. At one point, Ron stepped on a rat's skull, and the children aimed their wands at the floor to see that it was littered with small animal bones. Grimacing, they made their way forward and around a dark bend in the tunnel.

"There's something up there –" Ron said suddenly, gripping Callisto's shoulder tightly.

All six of them froze, narrowing their eyes and attempting to see what Ron was referring to. And indeed, the rest of them could see the outline of something huge and curved, lying across the tunnel floor, but it wasn't moving.

"Maybe it's asleep," Harry whispered, turning back to see Lockhart pressing his fists against his eyes and Ron looking pale in the dim light

Andromeda began to repeatedly whimper, "I don't like snakes. I don't like snakes. I don't like snakes."

Harry turned back around to see Anexandra and Callisto edging forward, their wands held in front of them, until their lights slid over a gigantic, poisonous green snake skin. It had to have been twenty feet long at least, and Callisto let out a low whistle as she murmured, "Blimey."

"I don't like snakes," Anexandra winced, obviously agreeing with Andromeda's mantra.

Anexandra stared at the snake skin, a nauseated look on her face, until there was a sudden movement behind her, and she whirled around to see that Lockhart had fallen to his knees.

"Get up," Ron said sharply, pointing his wand at Lockhart.

Lockhart complied, but as soon as he had stood, he jumped at Ron, knocking him to the ground. Harry and Andromeda jumped at Lockhart, but they missed and fell to the floor. Anexandra and Callisto raised their wands, but Lockhart had already jumped to his feet and was pointing Ron's wand at them.

"The adventure ends here boys and girls!" he panted. "I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl and Minerva Dumbledore, and that you five tragically lost your minds at the sight of their mangled bodies. Say goodbye to your memories!"

Anexandra and Callisto exchanged looks of disbelief and rolled their eyes as Lockhart yelled, "Obliviate!"

Ron's wand exploded then, and Callisto and Anexandra put their arms over their heads and quickly stumbled out of the way of the chunks of ceiling that were hammering onto the floor. They turned back to see Andromeda and Harry scramble to their feet and follow Anexandra and Callisto, Andromeda screaming loudly as she narrowly avoided being crushed by a large boulder. And then the four of them were staring at a solid wall of broken rock.

"Ron!" Callisto shouted. "Are you okay? Ron!"

"Callisto!" Anexandra hissed. "Be quiet!"

"I'm here!" Ron's muffled voice shouted back from behind the rock wall. "I'm okay! This git's not though, got blasted by the wand."

There was a dull thud and a loud "Ow!" It sounded like Ron had just kicked Lockhart in the shins.

"What now?" Ron's voice called out, sounding desperate.

"We'll have to move on," Anexandra said, loudly enough so that Ron could hear her. "Start trying to shift some of this rock. If we're not back in an hour, you'll have to find a way out of here with Lockhart."

There was a tense pause, and then Ron called back, "Right, I'll see you in a bit."

"See you in a bit," Callisto said confidently, though her eyes said otherwise.

And then the four of them set off down the tunnel, the distant sound of Ron straining to shift rocks reaching their ears. The tunnel continued on, and on, and on, for quite some time, or at least it seemed that way to the children, who were more frightened of what state they would find Minerva and Ginny in. Then, finally, they crept around another bend in the tunnel and saw a solid wall ahead, two entwined serpents carved into it, their eyes set with great glinting emeralds.

The three girls looked to Harry, who stepped forward hesitantly, and hissed, "Open."

The serpents parted as the wall cracked open and the halves slid smoothly out of sight. Exchanging a glance, the four children walked into the dimly lit chamber. Almost instantly, a distant, shrill, heart-wrenching scream reached the children's ears, and they all jumped in fright. Without hesitating, the three girls sprinted off down the chamber, past the many serpent pillars, until they ran out into a large, open room in which a giant, ancient statue of an old wizard, no doubt Salazar Slytherin stood against the far wall. They had found their mother and Ginny Weasley.

And the source of the sound was made clear when, once more, a scream emanated from the very woman the girls were most adamant to find. Unfortunately, it broke their hearts and weakened their knees to see their mother in such a state, lying on the Chamber floor, her raven hair pooling around her sweaty forehead, her face contorted in pain, and tears streaming down her face. Harry had only just reached them when they took off once more, running to their mother and falling to their knees at her side.

Minerva's eyes were closed, but when she heard the splashing water about her and felt the hands on her shoulders, she opened them to see three of her children staring at down at her worriedly. She didn't look at all surprised to see them, but she was instantly terrified. "Girls," she said quickly, her voice hoarse. "You have to leave – now."

All three of them shook their heads and Anexandra said determinedly, "We aren't leaving without you, Mum."

Minerva shook her head as well, seeing Harry kneeling over Ginny out of the corner of her eye as she said, "No, you don't understand-"

"Now, Minerva," a soft voice said then, and the children and Minerva looked up to see a tall, black-haired boy leaning against the nearest pillar, watching them. He was blurred around the edges, but Harry noticed him instantly.

"Tom – Tom Riddle?" Harry said, and Anexandra was instantly on her feet, her wand raised as she glared angrily at Tom Riddle.

A smile spread across Riddle's face as he looked Anexandra up and down, murmuring, "So much like your mother-"

"Don't talk to her," Minerva said angrily, attempting to sit up. Callisto urged her mother to lie back down, but Minerva did not listen, and so Andromeda helped her sit up. "Let them go," Minerva demanded. "They've done nothing to you."

Voldemort looked at Minerva in bewilderment. "They've done nothing to me?" he asked disbelievingly. "I beg to differ. Why, they have done everything that has made me what I am right now. Harry Potter –" Voldemort looked at Harry almost hungrily – "destroyed me when he was nothing but a mere child. And these three girls, they are the children of Albus Dumbledore, and therefore mine to kill."

"You won't lay a hand on them whilst I am here," Minerva said, her voice gaining strength as the anger in her built.

Voldemort let out a high, cold laugh, and said, "And what will you do, Minerva? You are wandless, not to mention carrying a lot more weight." Voldemort's gaze flickered to Minerva's stomach angrily for a moment before he looked into Minerva's blazing eyes once more.

"Hang on," Andromeda said suddenly, and everyone turned to stare at her in amazement. "You cannot be Voldemort."

Tom Riddle's eyebrow rose, and he stared at Andromeda with an amused look on his handsome features.

"Andromeda-" Minerva started, possibly knowing what her daughter was about to say.

"He's too dreamy," Andromeda continued, her eyes twinkling. "I mean, look at him-"

"Andromeda!" Anexandra, Callisto, and Minerva hissed, attempting to quiet her.

"I'm just stating facts," Andromeda insisted.

"If only your mother had been as simple-minded as you, child of Dumbledore," Voldemort said, staring at Andromeda with a look similar to pity.

Andromeda was not happy. "I am not simple-minded."

Voldemort shook his head, smirking at Andromeda as he turned his gaze to Callisto and said, "You must see how unintelligent your sister is, do you not?"

"HEY!" Andromeda shrieked, though not nearly as bad as Minerva and the girls knew it could be. "Don't you be rude to me, Tom!"

Voldemort narrowed his eyes, but before anything could be said or done, Callisto heard music coming from somewhere, and she knew what, or rather, who it was coming from. Voldemort whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber as the music grew louder. A small smile spread across Callisto's lips, and then, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar, and there sat Fawkes, something ragged gripped in his talons. Fawkes flew straight at the children and Minerva, dropping the object at their feet, and then landing on Minerva's shoulder, rubbing his beak against her cheek. The singing stopped.

"That's a phoenix," Voldemort said, eyeing it shrewdly.

"No, really?" Andromeda said sarcastically, which earned her a punch in each shoulder from Callisto and Anexandra.

"And that," Voldemort went on, as if Andromeda had not disrespected him, though he was glaring at her from the corner of his eye as he turned his gaze to the ragged object on the floor. "That's the old school Sorting Hat."

Sure enough, patched and frayed, the Sorting Hat was lying at the children's feet, and, while Minerva was smirking and rubbing the top of Fawkes's head, Voldemort let out a high-pitched cackle, the laughter echoing around the chamber. "This is what Dumbledore sends his children and his wife! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter and the Dumbledores? Do you feel safe now?"

No one said anything, but Minerva fell back onto the floor once more, holding back her cries of pain while Fawkes hummed soothingly in her ear.

"To business, Harry Potter," Voldemort said when he could stop laughing, though he was still smiling broadly. "Twice, in your past, in my future, we have met. And twice I have failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you and your friends stay alive."

"No," Anexandra said before anyone else could reply. "We're done talking –" and she raised her wand so fast that Callisto hardly saw it happening.

Anexandra didn't get a chance to send a spell at Voldemort though, for at that moment, Fawkes let out a loud, objective screech, that had every conscious human in the Chamber pressing their hands to their ears.

When Fawkes had stopped shrieking, Voldemort dropped his hands to his sides, fury in his eyes as he glared furiously at Anexandra. "You believe that you are greater than I, young Dumbledore? Well, we shall see. Let us match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against a few famous Dumbledores and the best weapons your sleazy father can give you."

The rage that had built inside the three girls was radiating off of them in waves as they glared stonily at Voldemort, who cast an amused glance over Fawkes and the Sorting Hat before walking between the highest pillars within the Chamber, looking up into the stone face of Slytherin. Voldemort opened his mouth wide and hissed.

The girls had no idea what he said, and so they quietly asked Harry to translate. "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four," Voldemort hissed, and Harry whispered to the girls.

Slytherin's gigantic stone face moved, opening wider and wider. Something stirred within the mouth, and began slithering up from its depths. "Run!" Minerva whispered urgently to the children. "Go now!"

But Harry was only able to shut his eyes tight and back against the Chamber wall, while the three girls were adamant on staying with their mother. Surprisingly, Fawkes took off into the air, and Callisto frowned for a moment, wondering what he was up to. But she didn't have time to wonder about such a thing, as her mother suddenly pulled her down to the floor, holding one hand painfully tight over her eyes, so that all she could see was darkness. Something large thudded onto the Chamber floor, and Voldemort hissed something again. Callisto wasn't sure what he said, but she knew it was probably something like 'kill them.'

And then Minerva's voice spoke in her ear, "I'll be fine, you have to go, run."

Callisto had no intentions of running, but Anexandra suddenly grabbed her by the arm and drug her to her feet, pulling she and Andromeda away to where Harry was feeling his way across the wall.

"We can't leave her!" Callisto protested as she heard the basilisk's heavy body slithering across the slick floor. She saw Harry trip and fall, and then something collided with she and her sisters' backs, and the three of them went flying forward to slam into Harry, then the wall, and then they bounced off onto the floor.

The sound of mad hissing and thrashing reached Callisto's ears as she groaned in pain and attempted to roll onto her back. Against her better judgment, she lifted her eyes open enough so that she could see what was going on. Just a few feet from her, the enormous serpent, bright, vivid green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high into the air and its head was weaving between pillars. And there, soaring around the basilisk's head, was Fawkes, who dove at the beast and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. At first, Callisto feared that it was Fawkes's blood, but she was proven wrong when the basilisk whipped its head around, where Callisto could see that its large yellow eyes had been punctured by the phoenix. Blood was spreading onto the floor and the snake was spitting in agony. Callisto would have felt sorry for the creature, but its tail was thrashing awfully close to her mother.

"NO!" Voldemort began screaming. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE CHILDREN ARE BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN STILL SMELL THEM. KILL THEM!"

The blinded serpent swayed, confused, but still as deadly as ever, its fangs larger than Callisto's leg. Fawkes was still flying about the basilisk's head, singing his eerie song and jabbing at the snake often.

"Help me, help me," Harry began muttering wildly, and Andromeda slapped him across the face. He stared at her in bewilderment and, forgetting for a moment that there was a large monster waiting to kill them, said, "What was that for?"

"You have to get a grip on yourself, Potter!" Andromeda exclaimed, slapping him once more. She seemed to be enjoying hitting him.

"Andromeda!" Anexandra shouted, grabbing her sister's arm as she brought her hand up to strike once more. "This is not the time!"

And she was right, for at that moment the serpent swung its mighty tail, coming close to hitting the children full on in the face, and it no doubt would have either killed them, or done some serious damage. Fortunately, Callisto had kept her eye on the beast, and she pushed her sisters' and Harry to the floor just in time. Something soft hit her in the arm though, and she turned to see the Sorting Hat lying at her feet once more.

As Harry began murmuring, "Someone help me," again, Callisto saw something shimmering inside the hat, and she pointed this out to her sisters as Voldemort screamed, "KILL THE CHILDREN! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE CHILDREN ARE BEHIND YOU. SNIFF, SMELL THEM!"

Anexandra dove towards the Sorting Hat, gripping the shimmering object inside and pulling it out, discovering it to be a glimmering silver sword. She had seen this sword before. It had been in her father's office for as long as she could remember, and she had attempted to steal it and play with it quite a few times in her younger days. It was the sword of Godric Gryffindor.

As Anexandra turned to smile triumphantly at her sisters, she saw Andromeda rising angrily to her feet. "NO!" Callisto cried as Andromeda stomped right up to the basilisk, brought her foot back, and kicked the snake's body. The snake did not seem to have felt anything, but Andromeda sure did, as her face contorted in pain and her mouth opened wide. Before anyone could cover their ears – not that it would do any good – Andromeda let out a loud, shrill, overly-dramatic, and hair-raising scream.

The serpent hissed, baring its fangs, and Anexandra looked to Harry and Callisto as she said, "Callisto, Harry, I'll need your help. We've only got one shot at this."

Callisto immediately knew what her sister was talking about, and she stepped forward and wrapped her hands around the bottom of the sword handle, while Anexandra's hands stayed in the middle. Harry then stepped forward as well and put his hands on the top part of the handle, and he instantly felt a spark of magic from the amount of power that was radiating off of the two Dumbledores holding the sword.

The basilisk opened its mouth wide and lunged blindly, missing the children by hardly two feet. But then, as it brought its enormous head down again, the children raised the sword in all six of their hands, throwing their whole weight behind the sword and driving it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth. Blood drenched the children's arms and down the front of their robes and, for a moment, Callisto and Anexandra began to smile triumphantly. Until the basilisk fell sideways and began twitching on the floor, at which time they could see that one long, poisonous fang had sunk into Harry's arm.

Harry wrenched the fang from his arm and slid to the floor, looking up at Callisto and Anexandra, almost desperately, and was surprised to see Anexandra give him a small smile as she said, "It's not over yet, Harry."

But this seemed highly unlikely to Harry, whose vision had gone foggy, the Chamber swirling before him, Andromeda's screams were a dull roar in his ear. Fawkes landed beside him and laid his head on the place where the fang had pierced him. Then there was the sound of mixing, echoing footsteps as Anexandra ran to her mother, Callisto to Andromeda, and Voldemort stepped in front of Harry.

"You're dead, Harry Potter," he said from above Harry. "Dead. Even the Dumbledores know it. They've left you here, and look, their bird, it's crying."

Harry blinked as Fawkes's head slid in and out of focus, thick, pearly tears trickling down his glossy feathers.

"I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Then I shall kill your friends, and every living Dumbledore. So ends the famous Harry Potter. Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by his friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must…"

Harry noticed that the pain seemed to be leaving him and Callisto was standing behind Voldemort, the diary in one hand and the fang Harry had dropped in the other. Looking down at his wound, Harry came to find that there was no longer one there, and Fawkes was picking up his head.

"Get away, bird," Voldemort said suddenly. "Get away from him! I said get away!"

"Don't you talk to my phoenix like that," Callisto said angrily, raising the fang in her clenched fist.

Voldemort whirled around, raising his wand, but he stopped as he took in the smirk on Callisto's face, and the objects in her hands. Before anything could be said or done, Callisto plunged the fang into the heart of the diary, causing it to let out a dreadful, piercing scream not un-similar to Andromeda's, ink pouring out of the diary and gushing onto Callisto's hands, dripping onto the floor. Voldemort was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing. But then, in the next moment, he was gone. The wand he had held, Ginny's wand, clattered to the floor, and Callisto shoved the fang and the diary into the pockets of her robes, wiping her hands quickly and then stepping forward, a smile on her face as she held out her hand to Harry. He took it and stood, grinning at her as he realized what had just happened.

But their smiles soon faded as Minerva's cries reached their ears, and they hurried over to her. Andromeda was now unconscious on the floor next to Minerva, but Ginny was stirring slightly.

"We had to knock Andromeda out," Callisto explained to Harry as she stared down at her mother worriedly. "She was making too much noise. She'll be fine though, she only managed to shatter almost every bone in her foot and part of her leg, but she'll be fine."

"We've got to get Mum out of here," Anexandra said then, wiping the perspiration from her mother's forehead with a cloth she had conjured. "How long do you think she's been in labor, Callisto?"

"A while," Minerva moaned in response, and Anexandra and Callisto exchanged worried looks.

"Why?" Harry asked, not understanding what was going on. Anexandra and Callisto, as well as Andromeda, had overheard what would happen to their mother if she did not give birth to the baby quickly enough. They had not, however, felt the need to inform Ron, Harry, or Hermione. "What's wrong?"

"She's dying," Callisto said, pulling off her outer robe quickly and waving her wand over it, the blood, ink, and water being washed away. Then she laid the robe out on the floor and turned to Harry. "Can I have your robe?"

Harry took it off without hesitation, and watched as Callisto cleaned and fixed the tear in his robe before laying it on the floor next to hers. Anexandra cleaned hers at the same time, and then laid hers on the other side of Callisto's. Then Callisto waved her wand over the robes and Harry watched in amazement as they meshed together and became one large blanket. Anexandra then levitated Minerva onto the robes and brought the ends up above Minerva's large pregnant belly, tying the ends together and then turning to Fawkes, who had landed on her shoulder.

"Fawkes," Anexandra said quickly. "Take Mum back up to the bathroom, and then come back for the rest of us, alright?"

Fawkes rubbed his beak against Anexandra's cheek before gripping the tied ends of the blanket made out of robes in his talons. Anexandra and Callisto kissed either of their mother's cheeks, told her they'd be right with her, and then watched Fawkes take off into the air, Minerva resting securely in the blanket her daughters had made for her.

"Harry?" a voice suddenly said. "Anexandra? Callisto?" The three named turned to see Ginny sitting up and rubbing her forehead, tears streaming down her face.

"No time for water works now, Ginny," Anexandra said as Ginny opened her mouth to say something. "We've got to get out of here, and now."

Callisto hauled Ginny up onto her feet and began dragging her to the end of the Chamber, while Anexandra ran on ahead levitating Andromeda behind her, Harry jogging along between the four girls. Ginny eventually caught on, and the four sprinted down the dark tunnel they had come from, reaching the wall of rock in no time at all.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, rushing ahead of the girls. "Ginny's okay! We've got her!"

The sound of Ron's strangled cheer could be heard, and then he was poking his head through a sizable gap in the rock fall. "Ginny!" he exclaimed. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? Hang on – where's Professor McGonagall?"

"Fawkes took her up," Callisto explained while Anexandra waved her wand, the rocks parting so that the children could quickly get to the other side. "We've got to go back to the pipe and get out of here."

"How are we going to do that?" Ron asked, hurrying to keep up as Callisto and Anexandra hurried forward, Andromeda floating along behind them.

"Fawkes," Anexandra answered simply without turning around.

"Who's Fawkes?" Ron asked.

"It's their phoenix," Harry explained quickly when he saw the exasperated looks on Anexandra's and Callisto's faces.

Ron looked as if he was going to ask something again, but then Callisto said, "Where's Lockhart?"

"Up here," Ron replied, pointing down the tunnel, and the Dumbledore girls quickened their pace. "He's in a bad way," Ron called to them as he hurried to catch up with them.

When the children reached Lockhart, they could see, quite clearly, what Ron had meant. Lockhart was sitting on the slimy tunnel floor, humming contentedly to himself, looking around the tunnel amusedly.

"His memory's gone," said Ron. "The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself."

Lockhart looked up at the children and cheerfully said, "Hello. Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"

"No," Ron said, he, Anexandra, and Callisto raising their eyebrows.

There was a burst of flames in front of Anexandra and Callisto then, and Fawkes appeared in front of them, his back turned, waving his golden tail feathers.

"Come along," Anexandra said, grabbing hold of Fawkes's tail feathers and motioning the others towards her.

Callisto wrapped an arm around Andromeda's unconscious form, and then gripped the back of Anexandra's robes. With a quick explanation, the others caught on, and they too held hands or gripped the back of robes. Then Fawkes took off, up the pipe the children had gone down, and back into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, where Minerva was lying on the floor, her face set in a grimace, the blanket still wrapped around her.

As soon as the children's and Lockhart's feet had touched the bathroom floor, Anexandra ran straight to her mother, falling to her knees at her side. Callisto laid Andromeda on the floor before she too went to her mother's side.

"Harry, Ron" Anexandra said suddenly, turning to the two boys. "We're going to need your help."

"Of course," Harry and Ron said simultaneously.

"What do you need us to do?" Harry asked.

"Alright, Ron, you take Lockhart and Ginny to the Hospital Wing," Anexandra began quickly. "Once you've done that, run to the Headmaster's office and get my siblings, the password is, 'Number Sixteen.' Harry, you run ahead and inform Madame Pomfrey that we're on our way, and then go to Gryffindor tower and get Perseus and Aurora. Fawkes, go find dad, get him here immediately, however you can."

Harry nodded and sprinted out the door, Fawkes disappearing in a burst of flames, while Ron attempted to push Lockhart out the door, Ginny tentatively following.

Anexandra and Callisto turned back to Minerva then, and Callisto said, "It'll be alright, Mum, you're gonna be okay."

Minerva forced a small smile onto her face as she shook her head and said, in a strained, quiet voice, "It's okay. I know what has to happen-"

"It doesn't have to be that way," Callisto protested, tears filling her eyes.

Anexandra slammed her fist on the floor and seethed, "We weren't fast enough!"

Minerva reached up and wiped a tear from Anexandra's cheek and murmured, "You did wonderful, you both did."

"But what good did it do?" Callisto whispered, staring at the floor.

"It did all the good in the world, my child," Minerva said. "You saved the life of your baby brother or sister, as well as Ginny Weasley. You discovered the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, destroyed the monster within, and stopped Tom Riddle from-" Minerva stopped talking as she winced and cried out in pain once more.

That was the moment that Albus burst into the room, looking around frantically, his face pale. When he spotted Minerva on the floor he rushed over to her, falling to his knees at her side. He kissed Anexandra and Callisto's forehead, and then Minerva's, a look of relief on his face, but then he spotted Andromeda. Callisto quickly explained what had happened to Andromeda, and then Albus turned back to Minerva, gripping her hand and wiping hair back from her face.

"Oh, Minerva," he sighed, his voice thick with emotion, tears in his own eyes. "I thought I had lost you."

"She went into labor a long time ago," Anexandra said bluntly, bitterly, too distraught to care how much it was going to hurt Albus to hear that.

Albus stared at Anexandra in shock for a moment before saying in a weak voice, "How long?"

Anexandra shrugged, staring down at the floor. Callisto sobbed.

Albus shook his head and turned back to Minerva, pulling her into her arms as he murmured, "It's okay, it'll be okay, she'll be alright, it'll be fine." Albus stood then, bringing Minerva with him. And then he hurried out the door, Callisto and Anexandra following, Andromeda's still unconscious form floating along behind them.

The trip to the Hospital Wing seemed to take decades. None of them said anything, and the only thing to be heard was their hurried footsteps and quick breathing, and the occasional whimpering from Minerva. Albus's heart was clenched painfully in his chest as he sprinted down the never-ending corridors, his wife's dying body in his arms. If only he hadn't left. If only he had just given up his hopes of saving Hogwarts long enough to make sure that Minerva and his children would be alright throughout the rest of the school year. He should have known not to leave.

His regrets were momentarily set aside when he finally reached the Hospital Wing, where Poppy, Severus, the rest of the Hogwarts staff, and all of the Dumbledores stood outside the door. Questions rang out immediately, but none were answered as Poppy barked at everyone to stay outside and ushered Minerva and Albus through the doors to the Hospital Wing. Albus lay Minerva down on a bed, and Poppy started muttering things under her breath, running around the Hospital Wing and waving her wand over Minerva countless times, before admitting that she would need help. She shouted for Rolanda, and the woman came sprinting into the room, the twenty-some people outside attempting to see what was going on, but the doors slammed and locked.

"What do you need?" Rolanda asked Poppy breathlessly.

"Hold these," Poppy answered, thrusting vials of different colored potions into Rolanda's arms. "When I tell you which color, I need you to get Minerva to drink it, no matter what, understand?"

Rolanda swallowed hard, her face pale and sweaty, but she nodded nonetheless.

"Albus," Poppy said then, turning to face the panicky man before her. "I need you to keep calm, support your wife, and do what I tell you, is that clear?"

Albus hesitated a moment before nodding as well.

"Alright, good," Poppy said. "Then get behind Minerva and hold her hand, try to lend some of your magic to her like you have recently. Rolanda, she needs the yellow one first."

And so, just one hour later, as the clock struck midnight, after many screams from Minerva, and arguing between Poppy, Rolanda, and Albus, a baby's cries filled the air. Minerva instantly fell back against Albus, her breathing shallow and her eyes fluttering, while Poppy announced, "It's a girl."

A small smile played on Minerva's lips, but she was not able to hold her baby, for her arms were too weak. Poppy quickly cleaned and checked the baby girl, finding that she was perfectly healthy, before handing the baby to Rolanda. And then Poppy forced the last grey potion down Minerva's throat, only to find that it was doing nothing for her. Her body was not able to handle all that she had been through in the last three hours, and Albus could feel her life force dwindling, as if it were happening to himself. His body was weak and his head was spinning, but he knew, in that moment, that he could not allow Minerva to die. He knew what he had to do, and he rose to his shaky feet, lying Minerva back against the pillows as he waved his wand at the doors to the Hospital Wing. The doors swung open with a bang, slamming against the walls, and everyone standing outside hurried into the Hospital Wing, questions being asked as everyone took in the sight of Minerva's pale form.

Albus quickly quieted the large group, and then he spoke, his voice barely a whisper, "Minerva is dying. I wish I could say otherwise, but it is true. The poison within her cannot be vanquished quickly enough, and she needs us. I have not tried this before, nor have I ever heard of it working, but the only way to save her is by combining our magic and destroying the poison within her. There may be dangers to this, and so you must first take that into consideration, but I am going to use every last ounce of magic I can muster, and I do not know if that is enough-"

Before Albus could go on, everyone standing before him stepped forward. Poppy stepped back with the baby in her arms while everyone else crowded around Minerva's almost lifeless body. Albus placed a hand on Minerva's shoulder, and then everyone took hands and made a large circle around Minerva's bed. The Dumbledores, Althea, Apollo, Godric, Mercury, Mariska, Ororo, Isadora, Poseidon, Anexandra, Callisto, Perseus, and Aurora. A few of the Hogwarts staff, Severus, Rolanda, Fillius, and Pomona. Daniel and Io Star, who had come to see what was going on when Perseus had been hurried out of the Gryffindor common room. The Weasleys, Fred, George, Percy, Molly, Arthur, Ron, and Ginny. And Harry Potter. Andromeda was still unconscious, after having been forced a dreamless sleep potion and another potion which would mend the broken bones in her leg and foot. No one had even bothered to tell Eliana after she had not even cared enough to show up to her father's office hours before. And Poppy was holding the newest addition to the Dumbledore family, who had already fallen asleep. And so, the twenty-seven people who were capable all closed their eyes, a quiet hum echoing around the room from the extreme amount of magic that was circling the room.

Albus wasn't sure how he was capable of doing what he was at the current moment, but he was sure that his connection with Minerva was helping. With his hand on her shoulder, he could feel every ounce of pain she had felt within the last nine months, and it took all his strength to keep himself on his feet. He could feel her life force ebbing away as the poison spread throughout her body eagerly in an attempt to carry out what it had been made for. He could feel her magic, as bountiful and powerful as ever, but useless, as she was too weak to use it. However, Albus found that he could use Minerva's magic. He could release it from its dormant state and use it to help her. And as he blended his own magic with hers, he felt everyone else's magic flowing through him as well. It felt, to everyone other than Poppy and the baby, that an eternity had passed, but in fact it had only been a few seconds, and as Albus carefully combined the magic and used it to attack the poison within Minerva's system, a bright light filled the room. And as the light disappeared, all twenty-seven of the people that were using their magic to save Minerva collapsed onto the floor, unconscious, but alive, Minerva's fate left unknown to them.

---

Albus opened his eyes and sat up with a start. A blinding light filled his eyes and he quickly held a hand in front of his eyes. When his eyes had adjusted, he realized that it had been the sun shining in through his…bedroom window? Indeed, as Albus lowered his hand he discovered that he was sitting, in his bed, at his home that he and his family had lived in for many years now. For a moment, he thought that perhaps the recent events had all been a terrible, terrible dream, but, as he looked around the room, his stomach plummeted, for the nightmare he had experienced could not have been a dream. In fact, it looked as if the nightmare had continued.

Clothes, baby toys, food, diapers, and various other objects littered the floor, something Minerva would have never, in a million years, allowed to happen to she and Albus's bedroom. On the nightstand there were ten small pictures, all of a girl with raven hair and astonishing green eyes. For a moment, Albus thought that it was Althea, or Anexandra, but this was not so, for it did not look like either of them. In fact, it looked like Minerva had when she was a child. But it wasn't Minerva, because the ten pictures of the girl were all of the girl's birthdays in the last ten years, and Albus was in every single one, looking happy, but his eyes devoid of his normal twinkle. Albus had a terrible feeling that he knew what was going on, and his thoughts were confirmed when he looked to Minerva's side of the bed, to see that it was empty, that side of the blankets looking as if they hadn't been touched in a decade.

The door creaked open noisily, and Albus looked to the door to see the girl from the pictures peering into the room. She looked nervous and a little frightened as she stared up at Albus from the crack in the door. "Daddy?" the girl said.

Before Albus could find his voice, the door swung open completely, and Callisto stepped in with Andromeda, their arms looped through one another's, but they were much older now, young women. Callisto's blue and green eyes were as intense as ever, but that look of loss that the Albus in the pictures had had was in her eyes as well. Andromeda's eyes were just dark blue and empty now, and it looked as if she didn't see anything she looked at. "Good morning, Dad," Callisto said brightly as she ushered the small girl into the room, one arm still looped through Andromeda's arms and leading her towards the bed.

"Good morning," Albus managed to say as he stared at Callisto confusedly.

"Not forgetting what today is are you?" Callisto asked, smiling down at Albus.

"Er, sorry," Albus murmured. "But just what is today?"

Callisto frowned, and the small girl piped up, "It's my birthday today, Daddy."

"Oh," was Albus could say at first. "I am terribly sorry, I just…I think I've lost some of my memory." He wasn't sure if this was really happening, but he had no way of finding out unless he admitted that he had no idea what was going on.

The small girl looked up at Callisto, who sighed, "I should have known this would happen." Albus looked at Callisto questioningly and she gave him a small smile before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Well, you see, ever since Mum died, every few years you regress back to that time, and you have no idea what has happened in the last ten years."

Albus stared at Callisto in shock, his heart beating fast and his mouth dry. So he had been right. Minerva had died.

"The only way for you to remember is for me to explain what has happened," Callisto went on. She paused, and Albus nodded for her to continue, though he wasn't sure he wanted to hear what she was about to say. "Well, to begin with, after Mum died, everyone sort of…lost it. You didn't talk, didn't eat, and didn't sleep, except when someone forced you to. So basically, it was as if we had lost both of our parents. Althea and Apollo, being the older siblings that they were, attempted to look out for us younger kids, including the baby-" Callisto smiled at the small girl that was now sitting on her lap. "-Godric wasn't dealing well at first, but he was eventually able to cope, and he stepped in for you, taking over as Headmaster of Hogwarts. Mercury dealt with it all surprisingly well, but he never cracked a joke again, nor did Mariska, who took the whole thing about as bad as the youngest of us. Ororo blamed herself, and Severus was the only one who could stop her from doing something stupid. Isadora didn't take it any better, and she only kept her head for Aurora. Poseidon only snapped out of his depression when he found out Rayn was pregnant, and then he took over as Transfiguration professor. Eliana…well, she wasn't really part of the family anymore, and she joined the deatheaters when Voldemort returned two years later. Andromeda just…screamed…a lot…more than usual, about everything and anything, which lead her to lose her voice."

Albus looked to Andromeda, who was still standing their silently, staring off into space.

"Anexandra…left," Callisto continued. "She left Hogwarts the day after it happened. She tried to get me to come along, claiming that she was going to find and destroy Voldemort, but I was young, scared, upset, and so I shouted at her for being stupid and didn't tell anyone that she was planning to leave. When Althea found out, she went out looking for Anexandra, but she was unsuccessful, and so she told you. You looked too, but again, no one could find her. It was as if she had fallen off the face of the Earth. Perseus…well, he was lucky to have Io Star. After Pleis was awoken from being Petrified, being told such shocking and terrible news was too much for him, and he's been in St. Mungo's for the last ten years.

"Althea took care of us young kids for a few years, until Voldemort returned and some deatheaters attacked her family. She was so distraught that she went after Voldemort herself, and, well…we never heard from her again. Apollo took over, but then his wife, Aphrodite, was killed by deatheaters soon after Althea and her family's death, and so he went into hiding with Elizabeth and Iracabeth. We only just spoke to them about a year ago. They're living somewhere in America. So, Godric attempted to take over, but he was too busy as a Headmaster and a father to his own daughter, so we were mostly on our own. I took care of the baby most of the time, while Andromeda went off and did whatever she wanted. We didn't hear from Anexandra until about three years after Voldemort's return. She wrote to me, saying that she was close to finishing Voldemort, and that she would be home soon. Unfortunately, we didn't know at the time that Eliana was a deatheater, and so she was able to find out where Anexandra was. Eliana told Voldemort, and he took every single one of his deatheaters, including Eliana, to find Anexandra. We heard what happened from Severus, he told us that he tried to protect Anexandra, but Eliana snuck up from behind her and stabbed her in the back. Ironic isn't it?"

Albus said nothing. He was too mortified. To think, that two more of his children had died, one had been driven to insanity, another fled the continent, and he had done nothing.

"Anyway," Callisto went on. "When Andromeda found out she was furious. She went after Eliana and they battled for almost an entire day, in which time Andromeda went blind and Eliana was killed. Mercury died about five years ago in the last battle against Voldemort, as did many, many others, who I won't name right now. I'm sure you've heard enough as it is."

And indeed, Albus had heard more than enough to see that Minerva's death had caused chaos. Complete and utter chaos. But was it just chaos for their family? Or had the wizarding world been affected as well.

Callisto seemed to read her father's mind, and she nodded. "The entire wizarding world was in distress. The minister was in a state of shock, and he was eventually assassinated when he did nothing to help anything or anyone. Dementors ran wild, and many deatheaters and other convicts escaped Azkaban. Fudge's successor had about half the brain that Fudge did, and that's saying something, so he was obviously unable to help. A lot of people moved across the country or even across the ocean like Apollo did. No one felt safe anymore, especially once Voldemort returned. There were hardly any students in Hogwarts anymore, and most of the shops in Diagon Alley closed. A lot of people seemed to have fallen off the face of the Earth as well, seeing as they were too afraid to tell even their friends and family where they were going. The scattered population and weak Ministry only made it easier for Voldemort to take control and annihilate anyone he came across. It's surprising really, that one person's death could cause such mayhem."

Albus continued to stare at Callisto. It seemed her mind wasn't fully there either. She kept smiling for no reason, and she seemed to get angry when she saw a loose string or a piece of lint on her robes. Not to mention the constant, strange, dreamy look on her face.

"So," Callisto said cheerfully. "Have you realized that this is all a dream yet?"

Albus furrowed his brow in confusion, but before he could think of a response, the small girl, Callisto, and Andromeda had disappeared. Albus looked wildly about the room, sitting up straighter. Then he noticed something shimmering at the edge of the bed, and the shimmering light got brighter, until it was practically blinding him, and then, the light vanished, and Minerva stood at the foot of the bed. Albus was momentarily in awe as he stared at the beautiful woman before him. He had always thought of Minerva as a goddess, but now it seemed she was one. As she stepped around the foot of the bed and began walking to Albus's side, he could see the long, flowing white gown that swept the floor as she walked, her feet bare, and a shimmering light enshrouded her entire body. Her glowing, long, black hair was longer than ever, so that it practically reached the floor, and a magnificent golden tiara sat atop her head.

"Albus," Minerva breathed, and it was like a cool breeze had swept about the room. Minerva reached Albus's side and brushed a hand across his cheek, love in her eyes as she leaned forward and whispered, "Come back to me."

Just as her lips brushed against his, Albus awoke, and this time, he was in the Hospital Wing, laying in a crisp clean bed, Minerva lying beside him, her eyes searching the room, an almost fearful look in her eyes.

"Minerva," Albus breathed, his lips curving up into a smile as he sat up.

Minerva turned to Albus with a questioning look, and he put a hand on either side of her face, leaning down to press his lips against hers. A few seconds later, he sat up and just smiled down at Minerva, whose eyes were brighter, but she still looked dreadfully confused.

"Albus," she said quietly. "What is going on?"

Albus looked around the room to see everyone that had been present to save Minerva lying about the Hospital Wing. All of them were sharing a bed with a family member or friend, and they all looked peaceful, comfortable, though he wasn't sure where he and Minerva's baby was. He assumed the baby was with Poppy, wherever she was. Albus looked back down at Minerva. "You're alive, my dear," he said simply.

"But, how?" Minerva asked, attempting to sit up.

"Well, look around you," Albus answered, helping her to sit and then wrapping his arm around her waist, her head falling onto his shoulder. "All of us joined our magic to destroy the poison within you. I must say, I am surprised that it worked, but I am most grateful."

Minerva looked up at Albus. "You mean, it's gone?"

"I'm assuming so," Albus said. "Can you feel it in your system anymore?"

Minerva shook her head. "No, I can't." She sat up suddenly. "But – the baby-"

"Is healthy and ready to meet her parents," a voice from across the room said, and Albus and Minerva turned to see Poppy walking towards them, a baby wrapped in a blanket in her arms.

Minerva sighed in relief and smiled as Poppy gently passed the baby to her.

"She's beautiful by the way," Poppy said, smiling at the three of them.

Minerva nodded in agreement, a smile on her face and tears in her eyes as she stared down at the baby in her arms.

"But I don't ever want you to put me through that hell again, Minerva Dumbledore," Poppy said sternly.

Minerva grinned and looked up at her friend. "Don't worry, Poppy, it won't happen again."

Poppy nodded. "Good, now, enjoy your time with this little one, because I fear that when the others wake up you won't get another minute with her for the rest of the day. Oh, and if you can't think of a name, Poppy isn't a bad one." Poppy winked, and then she hurried through the door to her office.

Minerva turned to Albus, who rested his chin on her shoulder as he gazed down at the baby in his wife's arms. "So, about the name," Minerva said. "What do you suggest?"

Albus said nothing at first, instead watching as the baby shifted, its eyes opening for a moment to reveal the same green eyes that Minerva possessed. It looked as if the baby was going to have the same black hair as well, and Albus knew what he wanted to name this baby.

"Minaveara," he said, turning his gaze to Minerva.

Minerva raised an eyebrow. "You know everyone is going to harass us for giving her such a long name."

"Perhaps, but they can always call her Min, or Mina, or Minny. But forget about everyone else for a moment," Albus said softly. "Think about it. How do you feel about the name Minaveara?"

Minerva looked down at the baby in her arms, a soft smile on her lips once more. "Well, it would fit, and it is a beautiful name, but do you really want to name another one of our daughters after me?"

"I would have named every single one of our daughters after you if I could have," Albus said. "And, as beautiful a name Poppy Dumbledore would be, I think it would make things a bit confusing, don't you?"

Albus chuckled and Minerva smirked. "Yes, I suppose Poppy could be a middle name, but then we'd have to have Rolanda as a middle name as well, otherwise she'd think I liked her less."

"Well perhaps we'll have twin girls next time," Albus said, grinning at Minerva, who slapped him playfully across the chest.

"Look at you," she said, shaking her head. "Already talking about more children after having just had this one!"

"Well, my dear, you were the one who said that you would have six more children just to spite your mother."

Minerva frowned. "My mother is going to have a fit when she finds out I didn't name this one after her either."

Albus nodded. "Yes, most likely."

"I really don't want to show her the baby," Minerva muttered, holding her baby closer.

Albus sighed. "I'm afraid we must. Now, back to names."

Minerva looked back up to Albus. "I want her middle name to be Ariana."

Albus's smile faded slightly as he thought this over. Minerva knew about his sister's tragic death, and she had attempted to convince him on more than one occasion that it had not been his fault. She had also attempted to name one of their daughter's after Ariana a few times as well, but she hadn't wanted to push the subject, so, after a while, she gave up. She expected him to change the subject or say no like he always did, but instead, she was surprised to see him nod.

"Minaveara Ariana Dumbledore it is."