The month of January passed in an agonizingly slow fashion. After the Yule Ball, most students went home for the rest of the winter holidays, but Minerva was too worried for Albus to leave. Writing her parents some half-arsed excuse of needing to stay to study for her NEWTs, Minerva stayed on in the castle along with Tom, the professors and an assortment of about a dozen other students coming from unstable backgrounds. Minerva sat at the High Table in the seat across from where Albus would normally reside, pining for him to come home. She hadn't heard any word from him and the term was starting in three days. Instead, Minerva would make small talk with Dippet, asking as to how Dumbledore's Transfigurations lectures across America were going, pretending she hadn't any clue of his whereabouts. Minerva spent her days working on her Animagus transformations, studying away for the NEWTs, and even playing Tom in a friendly game of chess or duel. Their shaky friendship always seemed to do better when Albus was away.
But there was something else bothering her, beyond Albus's persistent absence. Minerva'd felt nauseous in the last few weeks. Extremely nauseous. As in, she thought it was just the anxiety for her lover's health, but now she was throwing up every morning and every afternoon. Then, earlier this week, Minerva realized she'd skipped her monthlies. The girl was panicking - it had only been a month since she and Albus had sex but she knew pregnancy could be a possibility. How could she be so stupid? Minerva wasn't performing regular contraceptive spells, as she hadn't anticipated being sexually active just yet, and in that moment of lust, followed by the sudden departure of Albus for war, she completely forgot to brew or acquire a potion afterwards.
Therefore, after breakfast, Minerva resigned herself to pay a visit to the Hospital Wing, just to be sure she wasn't expecting. She was honestly relieved Albus wasn't here for this. Minerva would have time to process the results and figure out what to tell him. Let alone what she would tell her friends and family. No, stop that! It'll all be fine! Minerva reminded herself. She was the type of girl to always jump to conclusions. Finally reaching Madam Blackmar's office, she went to speak to the formidable woman.
"Miss McGonagall! I'm a bit surprised to see you here. Quidditch Season is on a pause, correct?"
Minerva nervously smiled. "Haha, yes. I'm actually here about something… a bit more delicate." Minerva blushed. The healer was not the type of woman to speak openly about these matters. "You see… I had intercourse on the night of the Yule Ball. I haven't menstruated since and I am worried that I might be pregnant."
Healer Blackmar sighed. She'd heard this from many girls before. Yes, she was a bit of a prude, but she'd been lobbying the Board of Governors for a sexual education course for many moons now. Every few years or so, a sixth or seventh-year girl would come crying to here about a similar situation. Blackmar would perform a diagnostic, confirm the pregnancy, and in a few months the unlucky girl and her teenage beau would announce their engagement in the papers of the Daily Prophet. The girl would almost always leave Hogwarts to tend the home and that would be the end of her magical education. For this to happen to a brilliant witch like Minerva… there was no way. No way a child could stop her from her pursuit of Transfigurations. And who could she possibly have been sleeping with? Tom Riddle? The healer pulled a tissue out of her pocket to stop Minerva from crying.
"Miss McGonagall, you know I'm both surprised and disappointed that you wouldn't have taken the proper precautions to prevent a pregnancy. But I suppose there's nothing we can do now. I'll perform the diagnostic spell on you, can you lay back dear?"
Embarrassed at her chastisement, Minerva laid back on the bed and prayed to Merlin that this was all one big misunderstanding. It wasn't that she was opposed to children. In fact, she wanted to be a mother someday. And a mother of Albus's children? Well, she couldn't think of anyone else she'd raise babies with. But still, she didn't want to be a mother at seventeen. And she knew he wouldn't take this well. And so Minerva waited on the bed for what felt like an eternity as Madam Blackmar performed her spells.
The healer didn't even need to say anything as the look on her face said it all. Pregnant. Minerva "Head Girl, Valedictorian, straight laced, never-got-a-detention" McGonagall was a pregnant teenage witch. And her Transfigurations professor was the father.
"So what now?" she asked meekly.
"Well dear, I suggest you tell the father. We don't offer pregnancy care here so you'd best go to St. Mungos and make sure you and the baby are healthy. And you know, Minerva, and I'm only telling you this because I see that you have a bright future ahead of you, but there are other ways. You don't have to keep the baby."
Minerva could think of some options the healer was referring to and shuddered a bit. She had to tell Albus before she even considered anything. But what if Albus doesn't return? At that thought Minerva started to sob uncontrollably, shaking and heaving against the healer. Everything hit at once. She was so scared, scared of losing Albus, scared of pregnancy, scared of his reaction to a baby. She was also filled with a slight wonder at the fact her body was carrying what would eventually form into a child, a mixture of her and Albus. She thought of the power that child could have. The wonder took over from the fear and Minerva calmed down.
"Thank you so much, Madam Blackmar. I do think I have some planning to do."
Minerva trudged back to the common room and plotted how she would tell Albus, who was still innocently unaware of how his life would become even more complicated than it already was
Minerva meant to tell him the day he came back, she really did. But when Albus stumbled into his rooms on the eve of the semester's start and Fawkes alerted her to his presence, Minerva rushed to tend to Albus's wounds and couldn't let him know he was to be a father in his state of exhaustion. She rubbed healing slave over his burns and scars, cooked him some soup, and nestled him into his armchair before hiding in the closet as the Headmaster came to visit.
"Ahh Armando, it's good to be back."
"Merlin's beard, Albus, you look like hell. How was it?"
"We won, but it was a near Pyrrhic victory. I was some of our best fighters cut down. And concurrently battling that Hitler bastard made it no easier, naturally. But Armando, I have a feeling the war is nearing its end. Both wars, actually. I'm anticipating one last battle in the Spring, hopefully after the school year ends. After all, when I go to kill Grindelwald, if I die, I don't want to leave the students without a teacher."
"Oh Albus, don't talk like that. Always the martyr. We need you alive, man! You deserve happiness - you're the greatest wizard of our time!"
"Armando, you wouldn't be saying that if you knew the things I'd done. That I am doing."
Armando ignored Albus's allusion, but accidentally brought up the one witch he was referring to. "You know, Miss McGonagall has been worried sick about you. That poor girl asked me if I'd heard from you every day. Why she'd be so pressed about a mere trip to America is besides me, but you really should thank that girl somehow. She planned all your lessons for this semester!"
A twinkle in his eye, Albus replied, "I am one lucky man. Anyways, Armando, I'm also one old, sore, exhausted man. If you wouldn't mind leaving me to my own. I probably won't be at breakfast, but I'll be ready to teach tomorrow."
When Armando left the rooms, Albus called out for Minerva and chuckled as she tumbled out of his closet, covered in mothballs. "Oh my dear, how I've missed you!" he motioned for her to sit on his lap in the chair.
"I missed you more. There's only so many games of chess with Tom, conversations on the weather with Dippet, and runs around the lake that I can handle. I needed my conversations with you back. And, of course, this isn't so bad either," she teased as she leaned in to kiss him.
"What do you say we go to bed, dear? Make up for lost time?" Minerva was surprised by his suggestive tone, after a month of battle, but she figured the man needed comfort in some form. Hell, it's not like she could get pregnant again! Pregnant. Oh god. Minerva swore she'd tell him tomorrow.
Minerva woke both herself and Albus at the crack of dawn, rushing to the bathroom to puke her guts out. Albus heard her retching and was concerned enough to rush in after her, patting circles on her back. "My dear, what's the matter?"
She giggled. "Just a hairball! I've been keeping up on Animagus trainings without you!"
Since the two were both awake, they bathed and decided to go to breakfast after all. Minerva was excited to be reunited with the other Gryffindors and there was no doubt the professors were eager to see their young colleague.
Albus took his familiar place at the High Table, sandwiched between Headmaster Dippet and Healer Blackmar. She noticed Albus gazing at Minerva, who was picking at her food whilst talking with her best friends. Blackmar cast a silencing spell so that she could speak with Albus in private.
"Professor Dumbledore, a quick word about one of your charges. I wouldn't normally gossip or spread patient statuses but I do think the poor girl could use some support from her Head of House. You see, Miss McGonagall came to visit me the other day. She's with child."
Albus choked on his orange juice. He dropped his chalice loud enough so that it broke the spell and reverberated on the floor. Everyone's eyes were on the transfiguration's professor, and his were locked with Minerva's. She noticed a mixture of pain, betrayal, and anger flicker in his normally twinkling orbs.
Albus shoved his chair back. "Yes… yes Madam Blackmar… thank you for informing me… I'll need to speak with her of course," he murmured before rushing out of the room. Albus was in a panic, his head was spinning. Fatherood was not something he could comprehend at the moment. He rushed to his chambers and Minerva got up to follow him soon after, slipping out of the hall unnoticed by everyone but her friends and Dippet.