Minerva figured the safest way to follow Albus to privacy was through transfiguring into her animagus form, so the tabby nimbly sprinted after him and quickly caught up - four legs do run faster than two, after all. Albus noticed the cat at his feet and roughly scooped her up, swinging open the door to his chambers, where she sprung from his arms back into human form and brushed herself off.
"Please be gentle, Albus! I can assume what Madam Blackmar whispered to you at breakfast. I assure you, I was telling you today! I know you're upset, angry, confused - you have the right to be. But consider the fact I've been dealing with this alone since you left. I've been sick, stressed, emotional, and dealing with an unplanned pregnancy at my age really is not what I wanted either!"
Albus took a few breaths and focused on quelling his ever-fiery temper. Minerva was right. And beyond that, the witch had nothing to be sorry for. Albus was equally at fault, if not more at fault, as he was a sexually experienced wizard who could've easily brewed her a contraceptive. He'd just assumed she would take care of it. At this point, Albus'd only known about his potential fatherhood for minutes at this point and it was just starting to hit. He'd always wanted a family, loads of children and a messy, happy home, but knew it wouldn't be possible for him as long as dark forces still existed in the Wizarding World. Grindlewald would target anyone close to him. Which is why this was so incredibly painful. Minerva would make the perfect mother to his children - smart, athletic, a woman of great character - but they couldn't have a child at this moment. They couldn't bring a baby into this world at war. He didn't even care that he was a teacher and she was his student - this was about so much more than just his job or reputation at stake. Fuck what the Governors thought - he just wanted to make sure Minerva would live and not be exposed as his girlfriend. And eventual wife, he hoped. This conversation would be hard for Minerva to hear, he knew, and he took her hand, leading her to the sofa.
"Minerva, dear, you must forgive me as this is a great shock. Of all the risks of our relationship, I'd never considered a pregnancy to be among them and the weight of this is truly hitting me now. I want you to know that I love you. I love you so much. But we truly cannot bring a child into this world - it isn't that I don't want you to have my children, you'd be an excellent mother. It isn't even the fact that we'd have to come out to Headmaster Dippet, face our families, our friends. But I have enemies, as you know, and I can't put you or our child at risk." Albus didn't want to ask her to have an abortion directly - he knew she'd understand the delicate matter.
Minerva curled up against him, clutching her legs against her chest, and started to cry. She was trying too hard to be rational about this, but she'd grown attached to the idea of motherhood, to the fetus developing within her over the last few weeks. And beyond that, she'd been raised to consider the mere idea of terminating a pregnancy to be a sin. Even in the magical world it was frowned upon, not to mention it had been controversially banned by the Ministry for the past few decades. Only recently had the Wizenmagot overruled this decision and therefore very few healers were willing to practice abortion spells on witches. She was sobbing at this point and Albus was at a loss of what to do, futilely rubbing her back. It was nearly time for class and he couldn't miss this first day of the semester.
"My dear, I have to get to class. Why don't you stay here, at least for the morning? I'll explain your absence to the other staff members. We will talk about this more in the afternoon. I love you and I understand why you didn't tell me." Albus looked down at her torso and felt pangs of regret. "I am so sorry for putting you through this, Minerva. In another life, at another time, this news would make me the happiest man in the world. I hope you believe me." He stood up and left her, laying dejected on the couch. Albus gave her one pitiful look as he left the room while Minerva remained blankly staring at his fireplace in front of her.
Minerva composed herself an hour later. She felt so incredibly alone. She hadn't even told Pomona and Rolanda - there were three souls that knew about this baby. Pomona and Rolanda… wait, they didn't have class right now as it was a free period for most seventh years. She really did want to tell them about the baby - after all, these girls knew everything about her. And with Albus imploring her to end the pregnancy, she needed some support before making this decision. Minerva rose up from the couch, charmed away her tear stained cheeks, and straightened her robes as she left for Gryffindor commons.
Minerva quickly slipped into the common room and sighed in relief at the fact that Pomona and Rolanda were sitting on the couches alone.
"Min! Shouldn't you be teaching with Dumbledore now? We were worried when you left breakfast but figured you were just getting some quality time with your man!" Pomona giggled.
The girl quickly sobered up, however, once she saw the painted look on Minerva's face. "Girls, I have something to tell you. It's another secret that I've been keeping for a month - only because I figured that Albus should know first! I was so, so stupid on the night of the Yule Ball! I completely forgot to take any contraceptives and I'm pregnant. Oh, please don't look that happy Pomona! And Rolanda, please don't judge me too harshly for the unprotected sex! You see, I need to end the pregnancy. Its just not safe with Albus's role in the war. He doesn't want the child."
Pomona looked horrified. "But what do YOU want, Min? Don't you want to keep the baby? Don't you want to be a mother? Think about teaching the baby to read, to fly on a broomstick, dressing it up. Think of how cute a little mix of you and Albus would be! Ginger hair and green eyes, with little freckles on its button nose!"
Minerva was crying now. "Stop! I have thought of that, of course I have. Let's be realistic, though. We are teenage witches, our lives are just starting, and now I would be home changing diapers in a cottage. Albus would do the noble thing and marry me, but he would resent that I had the child against his wishes. And this is all assuming that we survive this war!"
Rolanda chimed in, "Pomona, please don't take the moral high ground. Minerva, we are here for you no matter what. Abortions are legal now, the child is just a cluster of cells at the moment, you shouldn't feel bad. You need to do what is best for you. I'll hex Dumbledores' balls off if he's forcing you to do this but if it's what you want… I understand. In fact, I would do the same."
The girls held Minerva's hands as she sunk onto the couch next to them, quickly checking to make sure no one was around or had entered the room. Tears crept up again. "Oh gods, is this what I want?" she whispered to no one in particular. Minerva then sat up straight. "Yes, of course it is. This is the rational choice. I'm going to London today as I have a spot in mind. Albus doesn't know and expects me in class this afternoon. Will you two tell our teachers I've come down ill suddenly?"
Pomona quickly questioned, "Are you sure you don't want us to come with you? Oh, Minerva, I don't want you to go alone!"
"I think it will be easiest this way. I'll be back before dinner." Minerva left the girls and headed to the dormitory to grab a winter coat and her purse, determined to be strong.
The girl knew what she had to do and it was better to end the pregnancy now than wait and become more attached to the idea of motherhood. She would floo to Knockturn Alley where a disgraced former pediatric mediwizard at St. Mungos now preformed abortive spells. When Minerva was just a wee third year, barely knowing anything about sex, she'd overheard older seventh year girls in the common room gossipping about a Ravenclaw who'd went to the doctor right before the school year started. That seventh year went on to play quidditch and graduate near the top of the class, so Minerva hoped that she could trust this doctor, knowing that she'd be at some physical risk no matter what clinic she chose. She thought about telling Albus, but knew it would be less painful for both him and herself to go alone.
Minerva entered the fireplace and arrived in the streets of Wizarding London. She needed to stop at Gringotts first and empty her account of her meager savings to pay the abortionist. Waiting in line at the bank, Minerva started to shake with fear as she thought about the severity of her actions. She certainly worried about the future of her relationship with Albus after this. Minerva knew she was going to feel a crushing amount of guilt about ending her pregnancy and wasn't sure the love she felt for Albus could even overcome that. She worried that she would grow to resent him for asking her to give up her child. At the same time, Minerva knew she wasn't ready to be a mother now, and it was patently absurd that this would even happen to her. She'd had sex with him for the first time and became pregant? It was truly just her luck. And Minerva knew that a pregnancy would almost inevitably lead to their relationship coming out, Albus being driven away from the school. Then there was the risk involved with his high profile role in the war.
But still, deep down, Minerva wanted this child. She always tried to come off as a serious academic, and she was, but she also dreamed of motherhood since she was a young girl. Her mother raised her to play with dolls, to perform the traditional femininity of the 1930s. And even after growing up interested in books and sports and all sorts of more masculine interests, Minerva wanted to experience the roles of wife and mother as well. She was young but she was confident she would make an excellent partner to Albus and she'd be a fantastic mother. After all, she handled teaching those first years so well and they loved her now! And beyond these selfish reasons, Minerva felt a connection to the child growing inside her. She knew it was all in her mind - this child was a small clump of cells that barely started to develop, and certainly had no magical powers yet. But still, the baby was hers, and any baby with her and Albus's genes would grow on to be a remarkable witch or wizard, she just knew it. So with this massive weight on her shoulders, Minerva stood alone at Gringotts, not realizing Albus was also facing a moral dilemma.
Albus couldn't concentrate all morning. The first years snickered and chuckled behind his back when Albus failed to transfigure a piece of parchment into a swan, but his third years in the next class showed some genuine concern for their professor as he mumbled and stuttered over his words in lecture. The man looked like an utter wreck. He was absolutely wracked with guilt as he kept thinking about his poor girlfriend, alone and pregnant for a month waiting for his return. What if she was excited about the baby? For him to just shoot down the idea of raising a child with her so soon after finding out … he'd wished he had more time to react. The more he thought about the pregnancy, he let excitement creep into his mind and he knew he couldn't afford this. He thought about a glowing Minerva barefoot in a sundress, eight months pregnant at his summer cottage by the sea in Cornwall. He thought about proposing to her with his mother's ring. He thought about taking their child to quidditch games, to muggle museums, to places all around the world as they raised and educated it together. And not just one child but a whole slew of them. And why should they not get to experience this joy? Obviously, the timing was poor for an infinite number of reasons. But when would it ever be right? How long would the war drag on? And selfishly, he knew, if he was at constant risk of dying anyways, what difference would bringing a spouse and child into this really make? Albus decided that he must tell Minerva immediately. They would keep the baby. They would get married. They had eight more months to figure out how to make this work, but all he knew was that he wanted a family with her.
Albus rushed to his quarters the second the lunch hour began, expecting to find his love on the couch. Minerva, however, was nowhere to be found, and his tartan blanket was neatly folded as if she'd never been there. Absolutely puzzled, Albus heard a knock at his office door and left his chambers to answer. To his surprise, it was Rolanda.
"Ms. Hooch - this is unexpected - what can I do for you today?"
Rolanda, with urgency in his eyes, gave him a knowing look. "Professor Dumbledore, it's Minerva. She's gone off to London and I think she's going to do something she'll regret. And it's because of you."