A/N: Wow, it's been a long time. I started this story in 2012 under a different user name at a difficult time in my life, and I last updated it in 2013. At the end of summer 2020, I was re-reading a lot of my old favourite fics and I realized that I had a yearning desire to see this story out. I am finally ready to share what I have so far. I have about 137k words pre-written and will be uploading the first eleven chapters in quick succession here to replace the old story. Whether you're new to this story -welcome!- or returning -welcome back, and thank you for your grace and patience!- please wait to read ahead until all chapters are updated, or you're going to get WILDLY different stories. I'll note at the beginning of each chapter that it's the "2021 version" so you know. This will be a long-haul, and I'm so excited to re-engage with this community. I will say that this is a predominantly MMAD fic, à la FFN MMADness circa 2012. I hope that's your thing and if not, I hope it becomes your thing. ;) Also, just a quick note: I do not support JKR nor her views, and this story is safe for all readers of all identities.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of its recognizable characters, settings, spells, etc. Anything recognizable, HP-related or not, is the property of its respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended. I am not associated with anyone who is in charge of copyrighted material and I make no profit from it. Original characters and plot lines are the property of the authour of this story.

Prologue: July 15, 1966

"Mum? Everything okay?" Minerva McGonagall looked up from her own face in the mirror to see her son Dalton's reflection, who seemed to be anxiously fidgeting with his lapel. She took one last look in the mirror and sighed before turning around.

"Yes, darling. I'm just a mother wondering when she had the time to get old enough to have a son that's getting married," she laughed at herself. "I think it's time I start taking your Aunt Lucy's advice and take one of those potions that are supposed to keep the greys away."

Dalton rolled his eyes and walked towards his mother, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Mum, you don't have a grey hair in sight. Seriously. It's a crime for you to look this young. You look almost as young as Athena. Do you know how hard it was to sit in bed in Gryffindor tower when all my mates would talk about you being the hottest professor around?"

Minerva whipped around to face him. "Heavens, you've never told me that. And I don't think you needed to. Maybe I should start wearing my hair up..." She trailed off when she saw her son's nerves reflected in his eyes. "Now, why on earth are we talking about this when you," she poked his ribs, "are getting married today?"

Her son chuckled nervously. "Because if we talk about my wedding, Mum, I might be sick. And, well," he paused, looking down at his shoes, "I wanted to tell you something, but Merlin knows I don't have the guts."

Minerva smiled tenderly. "What is it, sweetheart? Please tell me you haven't blown anything up recently."

She got a real laugh out of her son with that. "No, not at all. Not purposefully, anyway. I just wanted to say thank you, I guess, for everything. You've raised me alone while managing your career, and even when I blurred the lines a little as a wayward student in your house, you always knew when to be Mum and when to be Professor McGonagall. And, well..." he swallowed. "You took Athena under your wing too, really, when you didn't have to. You helped open her up to love again after her parents' shenanigans, and that made her ready to love me. I don't think I've ever said thank you, but really and truly, thank you. You're the best, Mum."

"Merlin, Dalton," Minerva breathed, choking back tears. "I love you to the moon and back, you know that. You'll always be my baby boy."

Dalton hesitated before wrapping his mother up in a hug. He knew that while she outwardly liked to pretend that she wasn't a fan of emotions, Minerva McGonagall often needed a hug on days like today. He also knew that she didn't have many people that she would let see her like this, and he relished being the son of such a wonderfully loving, powerful -but ultimately private- witch.

They broke apart upon hearing someone knock on her door. "Come in!" Minerva called, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Minerva, Athena would like to see you before- well, before everything," Albus Dumbledore laughed. "She says she needs a mom, and we both know that as her father, I am infinitely less important."

Minerva smiled. "Of course, I'll go see her. She's in your chambers, yes?" She saw her boss -and now, she mused wryly, her son's father-in-law- nod and she walked to the door. "Perhaps, Albus, in my absence, you may be able to help Dalton calm down? Preferably without the use of my best whisky, if you'd be so kind as to preserve it."

"Oh my dear, it is not usually the job of the father of the bride to calm the groom down!" Albus joked, suddenly halting his laughter when he saw how pale Dalton's face went at his words. "Cheer up, my boy, you'll be fine!"

Minerva shook her head and closed the door. Albus had a talent for many things, but he was often off-pitch when it came to judging emotional situations. She walked down the hall before climbing the stairs up to Albus' rooms. Knocking softly, she called out, "Athena? It's me, love."

"Oh, Min!" The next thing Minerva knew, her arms were filled with a mix of long red hair and white robes. "Thank you for coming up here. Dad was completely useless at calming me down, as usual. He just kept trying to offer me some of that bloody candy of his!"

Minerva extracted herself carefully from her grip and led the young woman to the couch. "I will admit, your dad has quite the obsession with those lemon candies. There's a bowl in the staff room that is always suspiciously empty." She brushed Athena's hair out of her eyes. "Look at you. You're so grown up."

Athena blushed, her blue eyes meeting Minerva's. "It's all thanks to you, you know. Dad means well, but he doesn't know much, does he?"

"He did the very best he could, under the circumstances," Minerva admonished gently, knowing just what Albus had gone through over the past seventeen years. "I will say I'm happy he needed the help, though. It meant I got you to myself, more often than not."

"And now we get to make it legal and official!" Athena said happily. "I'll legally be your daughter!"

"Athena, the way you talk, one less informed would think that you're marrying my son for that reason alone," Minerva commented drily. "Now, let's get this tiara on your head properly, and then I'll get your father back here to take you to the officiant. If we wait any longer, my son will be hyped up on far too many lemon drops."

When she had finished with Athena's hair, she sent her Patronus off to Albus to let him know that his daughter was ready. "You look beautiful, love. I'll see you up there, mhm?" Minerva hugged the bride, headed to the door and began the walk back to her chambers.

"Min? Is she doing okay?" Albus caught her in their dash to change places. "I worry about her, and with everything going on-"

Minerva soothed, "She is the perfect bridal mixture of anxiety and happiness. Don't fret, Albus." She patted his arm and went to keep walking, but he held his hand on her arm. "Yes?"

"I wish we could give them more than," he waved his other arm around, "this. They deserve more than the Hogwarts lounge. They deserve guests, not just their parents and aunts and uncles."

Minerva pinched her nose in irritation. She didn't need to deal with Albus' self-pity, not today. "Albus, you and I both know that the world does not know that we are their parents. We both know why the world doesn't know. We have long argued about this, and I'm not about to continue today. We made the decisions that we made, for better or worse," she frowned a bit at her ironic choice of words. "Today, my son and your daughter are very, very happy and very much in love. They know what they're doing."

Albus stared at her, startled. "Minerva, I didn't mean to bring you any sort of pain, I just meant-"

"I know what you meant, Albus," Minerva allowed the irritation to drop from her tone. "Of course I wish we could give them those things. But the world is what it is, and we are who we are. And for what it's worth, I think it bothers you – us- more than it bothers them."

She gave him one last smile, and he knowingly let go of her arm, sensing the conversation was over. Minerva turned on her heel, catching it on the carpet. Feeling Albus catch her rather than seeing him, she groaned at his arms' impact on her ribs.

"Are you okay, Tabby?" He smoothed his free hand over her hair, worry in his eyes. "You fell rather quickly."

"You haven't called me Tabby in nearly ten years," Minerva murmured under her breath. She frowned when she could the happiness in his eyes, signalling he had heard her. "I'm fine, Albus. Thank you for catching me."

"I haven't had cause to catch you in many years, Minerva," Albus said softly. "I used to save you quite a lot, you'll remember. I called you "Tabby" a lot, too."

Minerva forced the next words out of her mouth through clenched teeth. "Yes, Albus, I remember. I was there. Now, we must really be going before our children go into catatonic shock."

She tried to shake loose from his arms, but he wouldn't budge. Instead, he leaned in closer and whispered, "Oh, Tabby. I beg you to also remember that had things gone my way, this would have been our wedding." Albus pressed a soft kiss to the crown of her head, gently releasing her back down to the ground. He gave her a kind smile before wandering off down the hall, clearly intent on collecting his daughter.

"Oh, the nerve of that man," Minerva muttered. She smoothed her hands down her robes to calm herself but failed miserably when she realized that her heart was beating faster than it had in ten years. As much as she didn't want to admit it, her body loved the feel of having him near her. Pushing the thought out of her brain that her heart still beat only for him, Minerva shook her head. She was Minerva McGonagall, and her son was about to get married. With that thought now firmly on her mind, Minerva walked on in search of Dalton, her own feelings be damned.