Disclaimer: Characters and ideas from the Harry Potter franchise are not my own.

Rating & Trigger Warning(s): See Chapter 1 for possible trigger warnings and an explanation of the M rating.

Beyond the Fear

Ch. 17: Hard to Concentrate

"Happy Valentine's Day." Albus rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow. Sat up beside him was his wife, eating first breakfast in bed.

"Thank you, dear. And to you, as well." She brought a spoonful of yogurt, granola, and fruit to her lips.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Her symptoms had lessened, to a degree she described as mostly mild most of the time, but she still had occasional bad stretches throughout the day. Last night was one of them, and she spent the evening after second dinner stretched out on the sofa with her head in his lap and a bucket beside her, just in case.

"Much better than this time last year," Minerva said.

Albus meant for her to respond about her physical condition, but he quickly remembered their first Valentine's Day together—or rather, how they spent the early morning hours fearfully apart. "Are you thinking about what happened, Min?"

"Just a bit." She poked her spoon about the bowl, pushing her food around, as she tended to do when she was distracted by anxious or depressive thoughts. "Did you enchant our rings because of that night?"

"It inspired the idea, yes. I didn't want you to feel alone ever again. My heart broke when you told me you thought I did—or should—give up on you. I never want you to feel like that."

"It has helped with that—and much more lately." She continued to stir the berries in the yogurt without stopping to take a bite. "In the aftermath, I was really glad you believed in me. I definitely didn't feel like I deserved much faith after my hungover ascent of the Astronomy Tower. Knowing that I had all your support despite my actions helped me to rally and come back up. But even now, it's still frightening to know that I am capable of getting to that point. Although I haven't felt quite so low in a long time, I worry about getting back there. I think I'll always worry about it to some extent."

Albus pushed himself up and put his half-moon spectacles on his face. "Min, we all knew you were strong enough to get through it. Was I worried about you? Yes, of course. Then you showed us you were stronger than we ever imagined. You developed the strength to ask for and accept help." He sidled closer and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You still have that strength. I am proud of you, especially over the past several weeks. You've allowed yourself grace when struggling physically, and you've accepted the small ways we've all offered to support you. You've talked to Poppy and increased the frequency of your therapy sessions to take care of your mental health. You're doing everything you can so that you don't get back there."

"I'm certainly trying to," Minerva said, "but what if it's not enough?"

"Then we try something new. We try something different," Albus said. "We just keep trying. We. I'm with you."

Minerva took one last bite of breakfast and Vanished the bowl. "What if I'm a terrible mother? What if I just can't do it? I'm so afraid that I'll be depressed after the babies come. Will you still be with me then?"

Blue eyes shimmered with worry. "Minerva. Why would you be depressed when our babies get here? Don't you want them?"

"Of course, I want them. I want them so badly. I love them already." She sniffed. "Have you looked at any of the sections in our books about what happens after I give birth—when we take them home, when we actually begin our lives as parents?"

Albus shook his head. "No, not yet."

"Well, I have, and I'm afraid that I'll develop postnatal depression. It happens to a lot of mums."

"Come here, my little tabby." He gestured for a hug and encouraged her to hold on to him. She scooted over and leaned into his chest, and he closed his arms around her. "Although I've yet to read about postnatal depression, I will learn as much as I can. If you experience it, then I am sure that we will be able to work through it. Surely, we can talk to Poppy and Melinda about what we can do. You can continue with therapy. If we have to find a specialist, then we will, okay? We will do whatever it takes for you to be well. You are worth it."

Minerva simply nodded, her tears soaking his striped nightshirt. Albus continued to hold her, periodically giving the quiet reminder, "I'm here, and I love you."

Eventually, she calmed down, and her sobbing ceased. "Thank you," she murmured. "You're right about 'if' even though it's hard not to worry, given my history. Like you said, we can prepare ourselves with knowledge and possible sources of support, and we have some time yet."

"A little more than five months."

"Right." She finally looked up into his piercing eyes, which still glowed with concern, but she saw hope and love mixed in them, too. She reached up, weaving her fingers through his white hair to place her hand on the back of his head, and softly brushed his lips with hers. "I love you, too."

Albus offered a small but optimistic smile. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am." She laid her left hand on his shoulder as he rested his forehead against hers, their noses touching. "Thank you for being up early with me this morning."

Now, Albus beamed. "Of course. It's Valentine's Day, after all—our first as husband and wife."

"And it's the first day of my second trimester. We've made it a third of the way."

"So many reasons to celebrate with you. It's a very special day indeed," Albus agreed. "You've done brilliantly so far. I'm proud of you, dear. These first three months didn't look easy."

Minerva allowed herself to laugh. "No, it wasn't. Hopefully, Poppy is right that I'll feel good again soon."

"I think you will. It seems to me that you've gotten a bit of your energy back, and your bouts of nausea like last night are becoming less frequent."

"You're right. I just hope the trend continues."

"Me, too. Feeling okay this morning?"

"'Okay' sounds about right." She pulled away. "Well, I suppose it's time for my shower. Would you like to go back to sleep, or would you like to join me this morning? It's still early—we could take a relaxing bath."

"Would I rather have a lie-in or join you in the bath? That's an easy choice." Albus tossed off the covers and hopped out of bed. "And afterward, we take our weekly photos?"

"Yes, dear," Minerva said as she gingerly stepped to the floor. "I think I'm actually starting to like my belly."

"I'm glad to hear that. You are beautiful." He reached out his hand as she rounded the foot of the bed and gently pulled her in for a kiss. "I'll run the bath while you do your weigh-in."

"Not too hot," she reminded him, letting go of his hand as she entered the bathroom before him. On weeks in between appointments, she'd weigh herself to see that she was on track to meet the recommendations Poppy set for her.

"I know, dear. We don't want your oven to get too warm," he said. He turned the taps to fill the large sunken bathtub and monitored the water temperature with his wand.

After using the toilet, Minerva stripped naked and stepped onto the scale. Poppy wanted her to gain between four and six pounds in the first trimester, and from here on out, she should strive to gain about one-and-a-half pounds per week. ("A pound-and-a-half every week?" she had asked incredulously at her last appointment.) As Poppy pointed out, some of that weight would be from the babies, who would be growing more and more each week, and now that her daily vomiting episodes seemed to be in the past, Minerva thought that perhaps it was doable after all.

"Looks like I did it, Albus. I met our goal," she said as she added an entry to her weekly weight log. She kept track in a diary, which she'd Summoned to the bathroom counter. While Albus chose to document their journey in photographs, Minerva took to writing about what she was experiencing.

"You did? That's great news," he said. He removed his nightshirt and underpants and got into the tub. "Bath is ready."

Minerva took his hands as she carefully stepped down into the water. "Yes. I was worried last week when I hadn't reached a four-pound total gain yet, after barely gaining anything since our ten-week appointment. I suppose I made up for it because I'm up five pounds and one ounce. I gained almost a pound-and-a-half in the past week!"

"Wonderful. I know you were also worried about the impact of resuming an exercise routine on your progress, but clearly, you are doing an excellent job of nourishing yourself and our babies." He wet her hair with jets of Aguamenti. "Your hair products or mine?"

"Yours. I don't know if I'm ready to try mine again yet, and I don't want to risk it when I've got a full day ahead."

"Understandable." He Summoned his lemon-scented shampoo and conditioner from the shower. He began to lather up Minerva's raven hair and massage her scalp. "Since Malcolm is visiting on Saturday, I was thinking that we should also tell Aberforth this weekend. Not at the same time, necessarily—perhaps we could see him after your therapy session, if that's okay with you."

"That's fine with me. Are you going to ask him if that's a good time?"

"I figured we'd simply drop by on your way home."

If she weren't facing away from her husband, she would've given him a stern look. "Albus, this isn't going to be a five-minute chat. You can't just make demands on his time."

"Are we going to spend a while? Aberforth isn't one for a long chin wag."

"Even if we only wind up being there for fifteen minutes, it would still be impolite not to ask him advance if he's willing to see us. Did you do this to him when you told him you were going to propose—just assume he'd be there for you when you wanted?"

"Where else would he be?"

"I don't just mean physically present, dear. Have you considered that he might want to choose whether or not he sees you? That he might want to be able to prepare himself emotionally—or even just know in advance to rearrange whatever regular responsibilities he's got?"

Albus thought for a moment. "When you put it that way, I realize that I assume he'd choose to say no, so I usually come unannounced to tell him what I want from him," he said. "I suppose that might make me seem like a self-important arsehole from his perspective."

Minerva softened her tone as he rinsed her hair. "Aberforth has been very kind to us. Can we please be kind to him?"

"Yes, dear. I'll ask my brother if it's okay for us to visit."

"Thank you. Forgive me if I'm overstepping, but I think it might be nice if we could be on better terms with our brothers before the babies arrive."

"It's okay. Clearly, we're telling them because we want our children to have a relationship with their uncles. It will be difficult to form those relationships if our own bonds are strained." He massaged her shoulders. "As they grow up, I certainly wouldn't want the twins to model their relationship with each other after what mine has been with Aberforth."

More importantly, I hope they'll never do to each other anything as horrible as what I did to my family, Albus thought. Of course, Minerva makes me a better man, which hopefully translates to being a good father.

"I do hope we can shield them from trauma, should war break out again during their childhood," Minerva said softly, as if she could read his mind. She knew her husband's youth was not without trauma, only to culminate with witnessing his sister's death as a result of his relationship with—unbeknownst to him at the time—a dark wizard who'd plunge the wizarding world into war. Her parents tried to assuage her fears whenever she got a glimpse of the news about the Muggle war in Europe, and even more so when the bombings of British cities began. "Are we being selfish by bringing them into the world when—when You-Know-Who could return?"

Albus wondered that himself sometimes. "Minerva, look at me, please."

She turned around and stretched her legs and arms out in front of her. He took her hands while she curled her toes at the edge of the seat between his legs, where she once sat.

"Even if we are selfish, we accept the responsibility as parents to protect them. We will always worry, but I know that you and I can do anything together. We can ensure that our children at happy, loved, and safe. I believe in us."

"My optimist." She squeezed his hands. "Can we do this more often? Not worry about You-Know-Who—but start our day with a bath together? You help me feel better—emotionally, of course, but I can't complain about your magic fingers."

"I don't see why not. We should probably get more use out of the 'headmaster's personal swimming pool,' as you've called it."

As if to demonstrate the accuracy of her description, Minerva did a backstroke the short distance to the center of the tub. "It is! This has got to be at least a ten-foot square and—" She allowed feet to touch the bottom. "—four feet deep."

Albus joined her. "Well, I don't know if now is the time for swimming—I believe you meant to be washing up—but I do recall that Poppy said you might like it if flying and walking around the grounds get difficult as your belly grows. And speaking of your belly—I'm so excited to take our first pictures of your second trimester!"

"Okay, okay. I'll finish washing up." She waded back out to the seating at the walls of the bath and Summoned her body soap from the shower. "Perhaps I'll even let you do this part next time."

"I confess that I've missed your breasts, dear."

"Maybe later," she said, hoping that tonight would be better than the last.

"Really?"

"We'll see how I feel. It is Valentine's Day, after all." And hopefully we can finally be truly intimate again, she thought.

"Then I hope that your tummy cooperates tonight. And that you're not too tired. Or have a headache." He returned to her side and kissed her temple. "No matter what, I just want to be with you."

Minerva smiled. She just wanted to be with him, too. "I'm so glad we're married."

Since she started to feel better, Minerva finally felt like herself as a teacher again. Although she still needed to take breaks, she usually could get through a standard class period of lecturing with only occasional pauses for a quick swig of water and snacks in between classes. The students noticed that she was back to monitoring their progress during practical lessons, and some made a point to appreciate her real-time feedback as they worked.

Tuesday mornings, she had fifth year Ravenclaws and Slytherins for a double period. After a demonstration of the transformation they would attempt today, she sat down at her desk. Absentmindedly, she rubbed her belly as she flicked her wand to write on the chalkboard. While the relevant textbook pages and instructions for the practical portion of the double period appeared, Minerva felt an odd tingling in her womb. It didn't hurt, and somehow it felt pleasant.

Tomorrow is three months exactly with the kittens, she thought contentedly as she took a sip from a tall glass of iced water and nonverbally sent a feather duster to each student's desk. Today, the class would practice Transfiguring feather dusters into ferrets. When the set of feather dusters flew toward the class, a plume of dust settled over her desk, prompting her to sneeze.

"Bless you," a student murmured automatically, which Minerva only vaguely heard through her sudden mortification at a warmth in her knickers.

Oh, shit, is this happening already? I thought this was third-trimester bollocks! I didn't even think I needed to go that badly, she thought frantically. Albus wasn't due to appear for another fifteen minutes, but she couldn't leave this unchecked. She swiveled in her chair to turn away from the class, fished in her collar to run her fingers along her necklace, and found her engagement ring. They'd devised a "need the loo now" signal earlier in the term, and it certainly seemed time to use it.

Strangely enough, the warm feeling disappeared as suddenly as it appeared, and she wasn't wet. Nor was her desk chair. She couldn't help but furrow her brow in confusion. Had she just called Albus early unnecessarily? Then the comforting tingling resumed, followed by the disconcerting warmth.

Okay, what is this? She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Albus. When she felt a separate tickle and an increased temperature between her legs, she instinctually placed both hands on her belly. She recalled that Albus learned from one of their pregnancy books that accidental magic in the womb could start as early as twelve weeks. She was at thirteen. Is this—kittens?

As soon as she saw Albus approach the classroom door, she bustled out to the corridor, silently brushing past him, and made her way to the nearest girls' lavatory. In a cubicle, she manually hiked up her robes, wandlessly yanked down her knickers and new maternity tights, and sat down. She did need to pee, as usual, but what was unusual was the light show in toilet.

Kittens, are you dueling? Minerva thought as the two sources of tingling continued in bursts, only to be followed by a flash of colored light. Blue, red, blue, red. She rubbed her belly, and it was like they synchronized. She felt both tickles simultaneously, and a brighter purple light glowed between her legs. She brought a hand to her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes. If only I didn't have to return to class—I just want to stay here and feel the babies and watch their little sparks until they're done.

She looked at her watch. How long could she reasonably take before she really ought to return? Albus would worry eventually, and of course, she wanted to tell him. Emotionally, she wanted to send him their emergency signal so that he would race into the lavatory—likely under Disillusionment—but rationally, she knew that would be highly inappropriate. Oh, I hope this happens again at home so he can experience this, too.

Reluctantly, Minerva exited the stall and washed her hands, where she saw her giddy grin reflected in the mirror. She cared little that she encountered another student on her way out, who likely registered her atypically ecstatic expression. As she neared her classroom, she caught her husband's eye and waved at him to come out. She stopped at the doorway where she could still keep an eye on her students, and Albus joined her.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

Minerva wore a wobbly smile on her face. "So, I, erm, I had you rush here because I thought I had a wee bit of—er—stress incontinence when I sneezed."

"Already?"

"I know, I know—but it wasn't that. Albus—" She wanted to grab his face and kiss him. "The kittens made tiny sparks of light."

"Really?" His eyes widened excitedly. He instinctively put his hands on her arms, needing to touch her, but just as quickly released her. The students could see them.

Minerva nodded. "They still are, but they're—they're winding down, I think. I wish you could see."

"Oh, Min. This sounds wonderful. It's going to be so hard to wait until this evening to talk more about this."

"How about this—if it happens during lunch, let's leave early. Hopefully, they'll still be at it by the time we get home."

"I like that idea." He stroked his beard. "Sweet Merlin, it's going to be hard to concentrate on work today."

"I know."

"Do you still need me to be here for the usual time, or will you be okay for the rest of class?"

"I think I'll be fine. Thank you."

"See you at lunch." Again, he wanted to hold her, to kiss her, but he shoved his hands in his pockets and returned to his office. "Fawkes! I am more excited than I've ever been."

The fiery red bird spread his wings as if to offer a hug.

Albus approached the perch and, with his head behind a large wing, whispered, "It's only the first day of Min's second trimester, and the jellybeans did something magical. They've grown enough to produce sparkles of light spontaneously! I—I think I feel like a proud dad right now."

Fawkes chirped delightedly.

"Thank you for listening, my friend." He hummed happily as he sat down behind his large desk. He pulled open his sweets drawer and selected a Chocolate Frog. When he unwrapped it and found himself on the collector's card—which at one point he would have described as his proudest achievement—he hoped that someday it would be safe to update his biography to conclude with the new most important aspects of his life: Professor Dumbledore and his wife, Professor Minerva McGonagall, welcomed their two children in the summer of 1989, twin...

…Boys? Girls? A boy and a girl? Albus wondered as he took a bite of chocolate. Will it ever be safe enough for us to be open about our relationship? He suddenly found himself longing for the babies to have his surname, too. Of course, they'd have Minerva's name now, but they could add his name later. As a man with three middle names, he had no qualms about them someday having a dual last name, no matter how much of a mouthful something like McGonagall-Dumbledore would be.

Meanwhile, Minerva began her habitual walkthrough of the classroom, water glass in hand. As she silently refilled it via an Aguamenti spell, she overheard a conversation among three boys a few rows in front of her.

"Whoa, McGonagall looks happy. What is going on?" a Ravenclaw student noted to their neighbor. "Have we ever seen her smile like this?"

"She's always running off to the loo now, isn't she? Bet she dropped a load—how else would she lose that constipated expression on her face?"

"Must have finally shat out the stick in her arse," a nearby Slytherin student quipped.

Snide comments are one way to find a new one, Minerva thought. "Honestly, are you fifth years or five-year-olds? Ten points from Ravenclaw. Twenty points from Slytherin—added penalty for foul language." She put on her 'constipated expression' and glared at them.

Immature jokes couldn't sour her mood for too long. As she slowly made her way around the classroom to observe the students' progress and give targeted feedback here and there, a small smile returned to her lips. She felt her babies for the first time. Seeing them on their monthly scans was one thing, but physically feeling their presence inside her was another experience altogether. Their existence now seemed real.

Even though the babies' light show had ended, Minerva was distracted through the remainder of the morning class block. She wanted to understand better what happened inside her, and she hoped that she would get to see it again to share with Albus. She rushed through lunch just so she could try to read about magic in the womb, and he soon followed to find her on the sofa with one of their pregnancy books.

"Sorry if I got your hopes up—it's not happening right now. I just wanted to learn more about what I experienced this morning."

"Can we read together?"

"If you let me lean back against you." She scooted over so that he would have space to stretch out his legs.

"Of course," he said and carefully guided her to nestle between his legs. He loosely wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his hands on her stomach. "I think I enjoy this cuddling arrangement even more now that you have a baby belly for me to hold."

"Cherish it, dear. They won't be in here forever."

"I know. It will be yet another pleasure to have them out here with us." He kissed her behind the ear. "I'm so excited that you could feel them today. What was it like? I want to hear all about it."

Minerva smiled. "There was a gentle warmth on my skin whenever they sent a spark or flash of light out. It was similar to the way the glow felt when Poppy drew out their magic, just not as intense. At least, I was warm all over when we were surrounded by light. Were you?"

Albus nodded. "Yes. I remember you said you could feel the light generated inside of your womb. Could you feel it today?"

"It tickled. Again, it wasn't as strong as when Poppy did the spell, but… I really want to feel it again," she said. "The reason I was so eager to get up here was because I wanted to see if I could stimulate a response from them—and if it's okay to do so. I wondered if they could tell somehow when I rubbed my belly because I think they both sent out a flash of light at the same time when I did that."

"Oh, Min. It sounds like our children are already playing together," Albus said, choking up a bit. "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel emotional that they're together, like they keep each other company. It makes me really glad we're having twins."

Minerva sniffed. "Seeing each of their bursts of light—red and blue, like they each had their own color, Albus—brought tears to my eyes. I'm a wee bit teary just thinking about it."

"That sounds beautiful, my dear." Then he noticed a passage of interest to them on the page Minerva had turned to. He lifted a hand to point out a line. "Oh! There, Min."

She looked to where he'd indicated and read aloud: "'Starting at twelve weeks, the fetus is capable of spontaneously using its magic to produce light in the infrared and visible ranges. Typically, this can be felt in the womb and is often described as a tingling sensation. When the innate magic of the fetus is sufficiently strong, the light may be emitted vaginally. Visible light can be seen by eye, and infrared light can be felt as warmth.'" She paused to comment. "That is definitely what I felt and saw."

"We've produced strong little witches or wizards," Albus said, swelling with pride.

Minerva continued: "'At twelve weeks, the fetus can also detect and may respond to nearby magical fields. Spontaneous emission of light results from the interaction with the mother's magical field, which the fetus feels at all times in utero. Others may interact with the fetus via skin-to-skin contact with the mother's abdomen near the uterus. Such contact may stimulate the use of magic by the fetus. Because the magical field is unique to each individual, a newborn may recognize a person who engaged in regular interactions. The mother is immediately recognizable by a newborn because of the constant interaction of their magical fields.'"

Albus lit up. "This means I can bond with the twins now, too!"

"Dear, I do believe we have a bit of time before I need to head down for afternoon classes. Perhaps you can prompt the kittens to play again, if you want."

"If I want? Of course, I want to!" Albus exclaimed.

"I thought so. Let me use the loo first, and then you can rub my belly." She wandlessly sent the book to the coffee table and, with some assistance, she got up from her recline against her husband. A few minutes later, she called out, "Albus, they're doing it again!"

He scurried toward the sound of her voice and found her sat at the edge of the bed facing the full-length mirror, with her tights and knickers around her ankles, her robes and dress folded up and pinned beneath her underarms, and her green eyes staring in awe between her legs. She had placed a white towel under herself so that the contrast would make it easy to see the red and blue lights as they intermittently appeared.

"I'm so glad they started today. Soon, my belly will be too big for me to be able to see what's happening down there," she said, holding her bump with both hands. "Come here, love. You can get a better view than I can."

Albus Conjured a small stool so that he could sit in front of her. He gasped, never more excited in his life to see a simple spark-producing spell. "This is amazing, my love. Thank you for sharing this with me."

"Give me your hand," Minerva said and guided his hand over her bellybutton. "Do you want to try rubbing gently?"

Albus nodded and made small circles on her abdomen. "Hello, little ones," he said. "I'm your dad. I am so excited that you're able to detect my presence now. I love you and want you to know that."

When the tingling dwindled, Minerva had a suggestion. "Perhaps try two hands? Or—maybe even better—hold my belly and give them kisses?"

"I haven't yet today," Albus noted. He laid his hands on the sides of her bump and his lips near her navel. Almost immediately, Minerva let out a rare giggle.

"That tickles! Not you—the kittens!"

"Can you feel them both?"

"Yes! Can you—can you see anything?"

Albus pulled back just enough to bow his head, leaving his hands in place. He gasped gleefully. "Are the flashes more frequent? The blue and red seem to be blinking out rapidly—oh! That one was purple!"

"I wish we didn't have to go back to work this afternoon," Minerva rued.

"I know, dear. I know." He sat up again and leaned in to kiss her lips. "At least, now we know how to interact with them. We can continue to bond with our babies this evening."

"You're right. I'm just a bit disappointed to stop right now… but I am so glad that I could share this special moment with you. It's certainly a highlight of my pregnancy so far."

"I feel the same. This is a better Valentine's Day surprise than I could have ever imagined," Albus said, "and I am happy that you feel well enough to enjoy it."

Later that evening, Albus and Minerva returned to the Headmaster Suite after supper in the Great Hall.

"I know we couldn't have a private dinner tonight, but perhaps we could have a private second dinner? Would you like that?"

"Are you going to make my kale salad romantic somehow?"

"Is that what's on the menu tonight? Kale?"

"Albus, I can finally eat leafy greens without gagging. Salads are exciting for me now."

"I know, and I'm glad, even though I can't understand how one could miss things like spinach and kale," Albus said. "And I know you're not eating a literal pile of plain leaves."

"If dressing up 'leaves' with fruit, nuts, and cheese doesn't sound appealing to you, then you could always get something else from the kitchens. This is simply what I've planned for me today."

"…I'll see later. For now, however, I think I need to finish up a few things I didn't quite get to this afternoon. I don't think it'll take long, but I don't want to leave it until morning. I'll come back in time to eat with you; hopefully, I won't need to continue working afterward."

"Finish up quickly. This year, I planned a surprise for you." She kissed him. "So you'd best be free after second dinner."

Albus lit up. "Another surprise? Well, I really ought to make haste, then." He scurried out to his office, eager to complete the few remaining tasks from the day so that he could learn what was in store for him.

Minerva smiled as she watched his retreating back. Once he was out of their shared chambers, she opened her wardrobe and picked up the bag from the maternity clothing shop. There was one outfit that she'd yet to unpack, which she surprised even herself for choosing to purchase, especially in front of her friends—particularly the winking Rolanda.

She pulled out a short lacy nightgown and a set of matching knickers. The little red number had a loose open front below the bust to accommodate (and show off!) her baby bump, and the cups had sewn-in support and stretch Charms and could be easily unclipped and pulled down for nursing. Minerva was not an impractical person, so she probably wouldn't have sprung for it had there not been functional features that would make it worth wearing beyond the next few months. Had her husband not managed to make her feel so desirable—more so than ever before, somehow, despite being an 'older' witch—she might not have considered such an outfit at all. (Yes, yes, she was 'young' to him. It didn't stop the rest of the world from considering her past her prime, and now even her pregnancy books and the medical literature described her as at an 'advanced' maternal age.)

For now, she stowed the lace nightgown properly in her lingerie drawer, alongside her bras and the few other negligees she owned. (Indeed, her sexy lingerie collection did not exist before the previous Valentine's Day, and it otherwise only expanded for the night of their wedding and her birthday.) She was certain that Albus would be pleasantly surprised.

In the meantime, she decided that she should try to do some work, too. She quickly popped down to her office to shove a stack of assignments into her satchel and bring them home for marking. Upon returning to the bedroom, she wandlessly sent her bag to the sitting room and took off her teaching robe to get more comfortable. She kept on her dress but swapped her tights for a pair of tartan socks and slippers. Donning her matching tartan dressing gown, she made her way to the sofa to read over student essays.

As eight o' clock neared, Minerva had completed one half of the fifth years' essays. The others would have to wait. She stretched and rose to her feet, and just as she decided to check to see if Albus was ready to eat, he walked back into their quarters.

"Hello, my love." He swooped in for a kiss. "Shall we dine?"

"It is about that time."

"Lovely. Allow me to set the mood." He drew his wand, dimmed the lights, and Transfigured the armchairs and coffee table like he had done last year. A dining set for two appeared in their places, and with an extra flick, enchanted candles appeared in midair. He pulled her chair out for her. "Please have a seat."

"Thank you, dear."

"You're welcome." He took his spot across from her. The usual evening menu appeared, but this time it was written in loopy script on fancy parchment with hearts at the borders. "It's not a five-course meal, but I do believe you wanted something in particular anyway."

"I don't think I could handle a five-course meal, even if the plates are small. I may be eating for three, but two of us are tiny."

"Ah, but not so tiny anymore. I do believe our Muggle book described them as pear-sized now. A pair of pears!" He beamed. "And our pair of pears made their presence known to you today. It was beautiful."

"It really was," Minerva said, twirling her wand in her fingers. "So, should I celebrate and get pears in my salad?"

"Oh, I like that idea. Of course, now I don't know what to request from the kitchens. I usually eat what is put in front of me, but it appears that this menu you and Poppy put together is more like a large list of ingredients, rather than a selection of dishes."

"We had a few dishes to start, but then I wanted more variety. Now, I just select what I want and indicate if it all should be combined into a salad, a sandwich, a soup, or a smoothie," she explained. "I'm going to put together my salad. Do you need help?"

"I feel silly, but I think so, yes. All I know is that I don't want a salad, but I am not sure that pears go in sandwiches or soups. I also only learned what a 'smoothie' was last month; they are not served in the Great Hall."

Minerva laughed. "Yes, when I told you I could only drink my vegetables, well hidden among fruit," she said, poking at her kale salad with a fork. "You don't need to hide veg in a smoothie, dear; you can make them with just fruit. Perhaps that's what you want. You liked that blueberry smoothie I had for breakfast the other day—I'm sure pear would go fine in that."

"The purple one? I was tricked into drinking something healthy by its bright color!" Albus said playfully and tapped his wand to the parchment. A glass with a thick purple drink appeared. "I may or may not have requested excessive honey."

"Too sweet for you?"

"Never. It's just right," he said, taking a long sip and coating his white mustache in the process. "I'm sure Poppy would disapprove."

"Then it's a good thing you're not the pregnant one."

"I'd probably give in to every craving. It seems like you haven't had any wild cravings yet—or are you simply much more self-disciplined than I would be?"

Minerva shrugged. "I can get nearly anything I want from the kitchens if I want something specific. I suppose I haven't wanted anything peculiar so far—but I've still got time to demand gherkins and ice cream for breakfast and get away with it." She scrunched her face up at the idea. "Please don't point out if I eat anything bizarre. I don't think I'll want to think about it."

"My dear, I promise I am doing my best not to point out any odd but harmless behaviors of yours. I don't want you to be self-conscious."

"You are doing your best? What odd things have I done already that you're ignoring?"

"I do believe this is a trap, Min. You just asked me not to point it out. Besides, just because I don't bring something to your attention doesn't mean I ignore it," Albus said, failing to erase the frown from his wife's face. "I wouldn't say you've done anything universally odd, just odd for you. Like I said, it's all harmless—just 'pregnancy brain' things, I'm sure—and you need not worry about it."

"…Like how I keep losing track of my favorite red ink?"

"Yes, dear. If I notice a misplaced item, it is no trouble for me to put it back where it belongs. I do not see the upside in telling you when I find your satchel in my wardrobe or a quill among the teas, for example. My aim is to be helpful, not stressful."

"…Okay," Minerva acquiesced. "You are helpful. I am so grateful for how caring and supportive you've been, which is why I wanted to surprise you tonight."

"Is it almost time?" Albus asked eagerly.

"When we finish up here, then it'll be time."

"You've already given me a wonderful surprise today with the twins' magic. I am simply chuffed that I get another surprise this evening."

"Well, that one wasn't planned; it was a welcome surprise for me, too." She Vanished her empty plate. "Now, give me a minute, and I'll tell you when I'm ready."

"I'm excited."

"Good," Minerva said and swept into the bedroom. After using the loo and brushing her teeth, she opened her lingerie drawer. It was time to debut the slinky nightie that she had chosen for herself. As soon as the lacy red garment was on her body, she looked at herself in the full-length mirror. For the first time throughout her pregnancy, she felt attractive—perhaps even sexy. She took down her bun and shook her long black hair out. When she was ready, she climbed into bed, called for her husband, and lay seductively in wait. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Minerva," Albus breathed. His lips parted slightly as he took in the sight before him. This was even better than seeing her in the dress robe set he'd had made for her last year and not just because she was more scantily clad. "You are a glowing, gorgeous goddess."

"Then come here, my Adonis," Minerva said, uncaring that her name and Adonis were Ancient Roman and Greek deities, respectively, rather than from the same culture. "And do take off your robes, please."

Albus obeyed. He wandlessly removed his velvet robes and sent them to the laundry hamper before he climbed into bed beside his wife and kissed her lips. "I didn't know maternity lingerie existed."

"You like?"

What isn't there to like? Albus thought. He marveled at her fuller breasts, cradled by soft, silky cups covered in lace—not only because he was excited to touch them again, but because he was fascinated that they'd begun to change in preparation for their role of nourishing the little ones growing in her belly. He loved that the sheer fabric that hung below her bust showcased her burgeoning bump. Perhaps others were complimentary to their partners just to be reassuring, but he truly was mesmerized by her pregnant body.

"I think you know the answer. Do you like it?"

Minerva smiled and nodded. "And tonight, I'm feeling much better than I have been." She traced her hand down his chest toward the waistband of his heart-printed briefs. "I've missed you."

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"Yes." She pulled his face closer and kissed him more deeply. "But we may have to experiment with positions." She moved her hand to her rounded stomach.

Albus was happy to oblige but nervous about accommodating her growing bump and any sensitive areas she might have. He laid a hand on top of hers. "Let's take things slowly. I want to be sure that you feel good."

They explored each other's bodies as they hadn't in a long time, and Albus was much gentler than usual as he studied her new curves. They tenderly made love, feeling more connected than ever, and then contentedly spooned in the quiet comfort of togetherness. With his hand on her belly, Minerva once again felt the now familiar tingle in her womb and welcomed the sensation.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I appreciate your reviews, follows, and/or favorites!