A/N: Thank you for all of your messages. I hope you like this one!

For the disclaimer, please see the prologue.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: February 1947

Two weeks before their wedding, Minerva and Aidan were finalizing the seating plan, a task neither of them enjoyed.

"Remind me never to get my family involved in planning anything ever again," Aidan grumbled. "It's our wedding, and it's small. Why does my mother care so much?"

"Because you're her only child," Minerva said, frowning. "Although this is all a bit of a nuisance. I have no idea why she wants to see a seating chart for a group of fifteen people."

"I don't know why you agreed to do it. Normally you hate anything impractical."

Minerva raised an eyebrow. "Because she's about to be my mother-in-law, and I'd rather keep that relationship intact."

"Bloody hell. All right, well, why didn't we want Ro and Poppy with your mother? Your mother likes Poppy."

"Ma likes Poppy, but she and Ro have a rather fractured past." Aidan looked at her, and she elaborated, "Ro once borrowed my mother's favourite necklace without asking and then wore it swimming in the loch."

"Hmmph," Aidan snorted. "What if we put Ro and Poppy with Albus and my parents, then?"

Her heart stopped for a second. When she and Aidan had first discussed inviting Albus to their wedding, they agreed that there was no reason not to extend an invitation. They were all cordial with each other, and Albus was still their friend. Besides, Aidan's Pureblooded parents were very excited at the prospect of having the Albus Dumbledore attend their wedding. However, now that the day was creeping closer, Minerva found that the idea caused her body temperature to rise uncomfortably.

"Are we entirely sure that we needed to invite Albus?" Minerva asked quietly.

"Min, I thought you were over him." Aidan's eyes were stormy, and it occurred to Minerva that this was perhaps more of a sore spot for him than he had let on.

"I am," Minerva said, taking his hand in hers and thinking quickly, "but it is slightly awkward to think about him being there alone while I get married to you."

"Why would he be alone? He's still seeing Violet, isn't he? He asked if Violet was invited, and I said sure!" Aidan peered at the seating chart. "I already added Violet to the seating chart! Hadn't you noticed?"

"No, I hadn't," Minerva sighed. All of a sudden, the entire situation felt overwhelming. Sweat began to trickle down her back as she explained, "Besides, Violet is a Muggle. As far as I know, Albus still hasn't told her about the existence of our world. If that's the case, then a wizarding marriage ceremony would be horribly awkward for both of them. I don't know why he would have wanted to invite her."

Perhaps because he didn't want to be alone, she thought, not allowing herself to wonder why.

"Ah." Aidan nodded sagely. "That could be a problem. I'd prefer Violet to be there, though."

"Why's that?"

"Because I want our wedding day to be about us, and if he is hanging around all by his lonesome, I'd feel awkward. While we're on the topic," Aidan added, squeezing her hand, "I want to thank you again for telling me everything about you and Albus. I know it wasn't easy, and I know our interactions with him have been stilted lately, but I feel much better knowing that we'll be walking down the aisle secret-free."

Minerva suddenly felt very, very guilty that she had kept her bond with Albus a secret, and a storm of nerves began to swirl in her stomach. She had thought she was protecting both Aidan and Albus; now, she realized that her fiancé would be extremely upset with her if he ever were to discover the truth.

"I feel better, too," Minerva lied softly.

"I'm glad. We'll be much better off than both of our parents. Well, mine obviously because they're a match made in pureblooded hell, but we both know what secrets did to your parents' marriage."

"Yes," she whispered, "yes, we do." All this time, I thought Albus was barmy for keeping our world a secret from Violet, and somehow, I'm making his secret look like child's play.

The guilt began to assault her senses, and Minerva felt a panic attack coming on. Her hands began to shake, so she gently withdrew them from Aidan's grasp before he could notice. "Aidan? I need to go see Lucy." She stood up and headed for the door.

"Is everything all right?" Aidan turned around and popped his head over the back of the couch. "This seems sudden."

"I just realized that I had to talk to her about the girls' childcare arrangements." Minerva thought quickly. "She asked me to look over potential childminders."

"Why wouldn't she have asked Violet?" Aidan's brow creased. "Isn't she a nanny? Wouldn't she be better at that than you?"

"Well, when we have a child, I will be involved in the choice, dearest," Minerva said crossly, somewhat taken aback. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Hey, Min?" He Apparated in front of the door, blocking her way and scaring her. "I didn't mean anything by that."

"I know," she sighed wearily. "I know. And you're probably right; Lucy should have asked Violet, but alas."

"All right." Aidan pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Will you be back for dinner?"

"I hope so, but don't starve on my account if I'm not."

"Oh, you know me. I would never starve."

Minerva arrived at Lucy's, hyperventilating and numb. She couldn't remember if she had ever had a panic attack before, but it had worsened during her walk to the flat from the alley she had used to travel. It had taken her a quarter of an hour to calm herself down and work up the courage to see her family. Usually, she would knock on their door before entering; this time, Minerva used the key Callum had made for her. The door creaked as she opened it, making her sigh. There would be no changing her mind now.

"Minerva, is that you?" Callum asked, coming around the corner. He frowned as he saw her dishevelled appearance. "Is everything okay? Is Aidan all right?"

At Aidan's name, a sob escaped Minerva's lips. "Is Lucy here? I really need to speak with her."

"Can I help?"

Minerva shook her head frantically. "No, I need Lucy."

"Minnie, I'm worried." He threw his arms around her. "I've never seen you like this."

"Please, Cal. Is Lucy here?"

"Yes, of course." He took her arm and walked her into the living room. "Luce? Can you come here, please?"

Lucy popped her head out of the bathroom. "Callum, I have the girls in the bath, and they're all muddy from the park, what could possibly..." She trailed off upon seeing Minerva. "What on earth?"

"Can we talk?" Minerva whispered. "Please?"

"I'll take care of the girls," Callum said quickly. "Why don't you two go into our bedroom and talk?"

"Thanks," Minerva said quietly, numbly walking towards the bedroom. She sat softly on the bed and waited for Lucy to join her.

"All right, Min, what the hell is going on? Callum said he doesn't know anything." Lucy shut the door and warded it with a silencing spell.

"I don't think I can marry Aidan. I'm a liar and a horrible person, and he deserves much better than me," she sobbed, silently detesting her body for betraying her. "I can't even tell him now because if I do, he'll never forgive me!"

"Tell Aidan what?" Lucy asked, concerned. "Are you sick?" Minerva shook her head, so Lucy followed with, "Wait, Min, are you pregnant?"

"What?" Minerva gasped. "No, I wouldn't be miserable if that were the case. And that would thrill Aidan."

"So?"

"Lucy, if I tell you this, you cannot tell a single soul. Not even Callum. I realize that's a big ask, but I'm serious."

"Okay. Merlin, Min, what is it?"

"Albus and I were more than just romantic partners. We're—and I know how ridiculous this will sound—bonded. Soul-bonded, to be exact."

Minerva could see the wheels turning in Lucy's head. "Min, I don't know what that means."

"I don't understand much of it either, truthfully," Minerva admitted. "It's old, powerful magic. All I know is that Albus and I are bonded, which means that we can feel each other's emotions."

"Still?"

"Yes."

"Merlin, that's unfortunate." Lucy took a breath. "Can you somehow rid yourselves of it?"

"Not that we know of." Minerva shook her head sadly. "Albus is friends with Nicolas Flamel, and they're attempting to find a..."

"A what, a cure?"

Minerva rose an eyebrow. "It's not fatal, Lucy."

"No, but it's bloody inconvenient," Lucy snorted. "Can it be mitigated?"

"At times. I won't speak for Albus, but I feel like I've gotten better at ignoring certain feelings. Others, well, they're a little too intense to ignore."

"Like what?"

"Luce, please don't make me answer that." To her horror, Minerva felt herself blush.

Lucy instantly saw her reaction for what it was. "Oh, my god. You can feel him having sex?"

"Not quite like that," Minerva snapped. "Good lord, Luce."

"Well, when you blush that shade of red, what else am I supposed to think?" Lucy fell back on the bed, laughing. "Oh, Merlin, that's funny."

Minerva hit her with a pillow. "No, it's not. For what it's worth, it's more like I become an extension of his mood. So, if Albus and Violet are having a particularly intimate evening..."

"Then you feel the need to the same with Aidan," Lucy finished for her. "That's awkward."

"Indubitably."

"Wait." Lucy sat back up. "You're upset because you haven't told Aidan yet?"

"No," Minerva whispered, hugging her knees to her chest. "I haven't."

"Christ, Min, you have to do that! You're getting married in two weeks! You can't keep that hidden forever!"

"And how do you think he'll react, hmm?" Minerva challenged. "He'll either murder me or leave me, and I'm not keen on either of those options."

"And yet you're here because you know you can't marry him without telling him. Min," Lucy said kindly, "Aidan won't take it well, at first. He'll probably get mad in that weird, quiet way of his, but he'll understand that you can't do anything about this."

"He'll understand that, but he won't understand why I didn't tell him about this before; for example, when I told him about Albus in the first place."

"You don't have a choice here, Min. I know this will be miserable, but Aidan is a good person. He'll eventually get past it."

"And if he doesn't?" Minerva asked miserably. "Then what? Am I to be alone forever until someone finally accepts it?"

"Is this why you were so reluctant to end things with Albus?" Lucy asked her own question, her voice quiet. "Because you were afraid of how it would affect your future relationships?"

"Yes, but also because it means that on some level, what I have with Albus can never be replicated with anyone else."

"Min, if you think that way, Aidan will too. Don't give those sorts of thoughts any sort of credence."

"It's true on some level, Lucy, don't deny it."

"I won't," Lucy conceded, "but what matters most isn't some weird magical bond. It's that you actively choose Aidan, every single day. You're choosing Aidan over that bond with Albus. And that means that whatever you have with Aidan must be pretty spectacular."

"I hope he sees it that way, too."

"He will," Lucy shrugged simply. "And if he doesn't, I'll yell at him until he sees clearly."

"Thank you, Lucy." Minerva wrapped her arms around her sister-in-law. She wasn't often one for outward signs of affection, but Minerva knew she'd be unlikely to receive any sort of comfort from Aidan after she told him about her bond, so she relished in the feeling while she could. "I suppose I should tell him now, shouldn't I?"

"Probably. You look a right mess, which should win you some brownie points."

Minerva rolled her eyes. "Bloody fantastic."

The women left the room and found Callum playing with Iolanthe and Aoife. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Everything all right?"

"No," Minerva answered honestly, "but with any luck, it'll be better soon."

"Do I even want to know?" Callum asked his wife as she sat down beside him.

"No, love, you do not," Lucy sighed. "Trust me."

"Well, then, bon courage, Minnie."

Minerva smiled weakly and headed home. She found Aidan sitting on their couch, clearly awaiting her arrival.

"Min, I don't know what's going on with you," Aidan began, "but if you have some sort of cold feet about the wedding, I'd rather you talk to me about it than go running off to Callum and Lucy." She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it. "I know I'm not always the shiniest knut in the till, but I'm not so daft as to have believed that excuse you gave before you ran off."

"Ah," Minerva muttered, settling down beside him.

"What on earth is going on with you? We were talking, and then all of a sudden, you fled while we were discussing the wedding." Aidan's voice became heartbreakingly soft. "If you no longer want to get married, Min, you'll have to tell me at some point. I'd prefer it if you did so before we got to the altar."

"It's not that," she whispered. "I want to marry you. With all my heart."

"What's the problem, then?"

"I can't marry you unless I tell you something, but once I say it, you won't want to marry me anymore."

"That would have to be a really big 'something', Min."

"It's a permanent something."

"Like what, a secret tattoo?" His face darkened. "A secret child?"

"No!" Minerva looked down at her lap so she could no longer see his face. "It has something to do with Albus."

"What about Albus?" Aidan's voice was hard, and it caused Minerva's eyes to water.

"We're bonded," Minerva choked out, and she did her best to explain the situation to her fiancé. Aidan sat, silently and stoically, as she relayed her story.

"How the hell am I supposed to compete with that?" Aidan yelled once she had finished, causing her to flinch. "Your soul is permanently attached to Albus', and you didn't think that was pertinent information?"

"Aidan—"

"No, Min. I think I've been more than forgiving. While I was not thrilled that you took so long to tell me that Albus was your boyfriend, I could understand how telling me could be awkward. But I asked you, Min! I asked you if there was anything else you needed to tell me, and you said no!"

"I know. I," she waved her arms aimlessly, "have no defence."

"So why are you telling me now? Did something happen that made you think it was important? Do you suddenly have a guilty conscience?"

"I do feel guilty!"

"As well you should!" Aidan threw his hands up and stood up, pacing. "Christ, Min, how intense is this? Can it control you?"

"What kind of a question is that?"

"For example, how do I know if you want to do something, or if it's your bond telling you to do something? If you want to go on a date, is it because you want to spend time with me, or because Albus feels romantic and so you feel it, too? When you're in a foul mood, did I actually upset you, or has someone upset Albus?" Aidan's voice turned cold. "Is it truly you that wants to make love to me, or are you only in the mood because Albus is?"

"It's hard to differentiate!" Minerva stood and grabbed his arm. "For the most part, it's me. There are some times where I don't know where a mood has come from, but I can usually catch it!"

"Usually?"

"I'm not perfect at it, Aidan! I can understand you being mad that I didn't tell you about this, but please don't be mad at me for its existence. I didn't ask for it to happen."

"I know you didn't. But I didn't sign up for a three-person relationship, Min. I don't want a third person in our marriage."

"I understand," she said quietly. She slid her ring off of her finger and placed it gently on the table. "I'll leave that there, then."

Aidan stared at it, confused. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"You said—"

"Min, I still want to marry you. I just don't know how we can fix this at the moment," Aidan said, exasperated. "Don't make it so easy for me to give up on us." He shook his head as if he could make the situation disappear and sighed deeply. "All right, you've told me about this bonding magic and how it happened. You say you've done a good job of mitigating it, but what does that mean?"

"Quantifiably speaking, you mean?" Aidan nodded, and she responded, "I don't tend to keep track, but unless his feelings are extremely intense, I can normally force myself to think of other things."

"That sounds horribly irksome."

"It can be, especially when he's not in a particularly pleasant mood," Minerva agreed. "That's currently the only tool we have at our disposal, unfortunately."

"Is there any research done? Maybe we can see if there's any information in the Unspeakables library. If there's any solution to this madness, surely it will be there."

"We don't exactly have access to that, Aidan. You should know that Albus is working with his friend Nicolas Flamel to try and find an alchemical solution."

Aidan nodded. "Good, but that can take years. They'll most likely want to do all sorts of experiments, and I don't much fancy you being used as a lab rat." He paused, and Minerva thought about explaining that it wouldn't be her bond on which experiments would be performed, but she truly didn't think that the Flamels' bond was her secret to tell. Aidan continued, "Look, I'm sure Albus can figure out a way for us to get into this library. And before you get angry with me for involving him, remember that he should want this thing dissolved just as much as we do. Provided you actually want this situation resolved," he added, quirking his eyebrow.

"Of course I do," Minerva replied, not rising to the bait. "I don't particularly enjoy it now that Albus and I are no longer together. In fact, I didn't altogether like it when we were together."

"So it's settled. I'll ask Albus to get us into that library, and we'll hope there are some answers in there."

"I can ask him, Aidan. Part of the reason I didn't tell you about this before is that I didn't have his permission, and I don't want him thinking I've gone around and told the entire world."

"I'm not the entire world, Min, I'm your fiancé! I should bloody know what's going on! And you don't need his permission for anything! Merlin, I could hex his bollocks off!"

"Aidan, it's not his fault I didn't tell you earlier."

"Not exactly, but there's learned behaviour here! You took those Auror classes, same as me: people are bound to mimic behaviours exhibited by trusted adults! No matter what you say, he still abused his power position when you originally got together. And then, he made you keep all of these secrets. Remember how I told you that you seemed broken after you both ended things? You had completely lost yourself, Min."

"That's not entirely all Albus' weight to bear."

"Don't defend him! At the very least, he should have told me about this bond. Or, he should have given you permission to tell me about it. Seeing as that's how your relationship apparently worked," Aidan added bitterly.

Minerva looked at him, her gaze stony. "Don't treat me like a child."

"I'm not, I just—ugh!" Aidan threw his head in his hands. "I went from being a happy fiancé, two weeks out from getting married, to this. A distraught fiancé who feels the need to visit Hogwarts and punch his old Head of House for cocking up his relationship!" His eyes brightened. "In fact, I'll go do that."

"What, punch Albus?" Minerva asked, alarmed.

"I haven't quite made my mind up about that, but I will be paying him a visit," Aidan stated, Summoning his cloak. "I'll be back soon."

"Aidan! What are you doing?"

"I'll decide when I get to Hogwarts," he said firmly. He pressed a kiss to Minerva's cheek and bid her farewell. "Min, I need to do this. Don't betray me by coming to his rescue."

Aidan Apparated, presumably to the Hogwarts' boundaries, and Minerva could only groan and wonder if Albus could feel the apprehension building within her bones.

Aidan stood on the edge of Hogwarts' property, his cloak swirling around him. He shivered; his cloak was adequate for a London February, but not quite for winter in the north of Scotland. Taking a calming breath, Aidan proceeded onto the grounds. For the first time, he was grateful for his Auror badge that gave him automatic entry to the school. It might be a security risk to look into on Monday, but it serves its purpose today, Aidan thought to himself.

He was met by a few students talking to Hagrid in the garden. While he was admittedly timid around Hagrid due to the petrification disaster during his sixth year at Hogwarts, Aidan was not one to be intimidated. Especially not while on a mission.

"Hello, Hagrid." Aidan nodded in greeting. "Have any of you happened to see Professor Dumbledore by chance?"

Hagrid responded, "Yes, Auror Scrimgeour. He was talking to Perf'ssrs Johnson an' Grubbly-Plank near the Great Hall."

"Thank you," Aidan said curtly, and he walked in that direction.

"Er, Auror?"

"You can call me Aidan, Hagrid," Aidan answered, not breaking his stride.

"Does Perf'ssr Dumbledore know ye're coming?" Hagrid asked as tentatively as a half-giant could.

"No, but something's come up," Aidan grumbled. He had to give it to Hagrid; he was more astute than Aidan had initially given thought.

"Aidan, I can go let the Perf'ssr know ye're here if—"

"I need to see the Deputy Headmaster. Now," Aidan's voice thundered. "I'm sorry, Hagrid, but this is a matter of the utmost importance."

"Er—right," Hagrid stammered. "If ye go to his office, I can tell 'im ye're here."

"Thank you, Hagrid. I shall do that."

Aidan made his way to Albus' office, and along the way, he gave some thought to what he wanted to say. His thoughts were twirling around in his head, and if Minerva could magically feel what he was feeling, she would tell him to sort it all out before having a go at Albus.

Fortunately for Aidan, Minerva had no idea what he was thinking.

So when Albus entered his office and said, "Aidan, dear boy, to what do I owe this pleasure?", Aidan promptly extended a fist, catching Albus square in the nose.

"Ow, Aidan, bloody hell! What's this about?" Albus snapped, holding a hand to his bleeding nose. When no answer was forthcoming, he asked again, "What the fuck was that for?"

"Minerva," Aidan said coldly. "Sit down."

"You've forgotten whose office we're in, Mr. Scrimgeour," Albus replied, indeed sitting in his chair behind his desk.

"And you would do well to remember that I haven't been Mr. Scrimgeour to you for a few years." Aidan sat across from Albus and leaned back in his chair. "I'm here to ask you for a favour."

"You sure have a funny way of asking for it," Albus grumbled. "Is Minerva all right?"

"You're the one who can feel her. You tell me."

Albus' blood ran cold. "She told you."

"Yeah, she did. Took her bloody well long enough to do so, but that's between the two of us."

"If Minerva told you about our bonding, then surely she also informed you that we didn't choose to bond. It merely happened upon us."

"She mentioned that," Aidan said icily, "but she also said that she didn't tell me because of you."

"I didn't ask her to keep it a secret."

"No, you just taught her that anything pertaining to you or to your romance should be hidden away from the world." Aidan looked pointedly at Albus. "Now, I don't blame either of you for the bond. I'm upset that neither of you told me, but I'm more concerned with how we're going to move forward."

"How we're going to move forward?"

"Yes. In case you've forgotten, I'm marrying Minerva in a fortnight. Nothing—not even a whack-ass magical bonding—could change that. I'm asking you to do your level best to end it."

Albus stared at Aidan. "Surely Minerva told you that I'm working on a solution with my friend Nicolas."

"Yes, and I would have no trouble leaving you to that if I believed that you truly wanted your bond to stop," Aidan countered firmly. "I know I'm a fair bit younger than you, but I'm a damn good Auror because I know how to notice things. Don't think I didn't notice how upset you were when you found out Minerva and I were dating."

"That's why you followed me into Callum's hallway: you didn't actually want to apologize to me. You wanted to suss out my reasons for coming." Albus suddenly had a begrudging respect for the man in front of him. "Yet you didn't say anything about your suspicions to me—or to Minerva, for that matter."

"I wasn't sure, and I wasn't about to cock up my whole relationship based on one supposition. When she confirmed it, it all became clear to me. I don't think you wanted that relationship to end." When Albus didn't answer, Aidan added, "You owe me this much, Albus."

"She was the one who ended it. I protested against it, yes," Albus sighed, shifting uncomfortably. "If you're asking if I was hurt, Aidan, the answer is yes."

"And you're not over her."

"I'm in a relationship with Violet."

"Not what I asked, Albus."

"I don't think my feelings are any of your business, Aidan."

"Actually, I think they are, seeing as my fiancée has constant access to them."

"Are you frightened she would come back to me if she thought that I still had lingering feelings?" Albus couldn't help but taunt the young man before him.

"No, I'm not. Minerva is marrying me. She has made her choice, and I'd simply prefer it if you didn't send any feelings her way that would make her feel guilty," Aidan said firmly. "Now, the favour I'm asking for is this: gain access to the Unspeakables library for us."

"Even if I could do that—which truthfully, I don't think I can—why would I? Especially since you've asked so nicely."

"I believe—and Minerva doesn't disagree—that there may be answers within the library that could help further our search to end your bond. Or at the very least, numb it. As you mentioned, I know you're doing research with your friend to this end. The library may contain valuable resources."

Albus thought about it for a moment. If he were entirely truthful, he wasn't keen on the notion that their bond would end. Mitigation was satisfactory; Albus would be far more comfortable without Minerva's monthly menstrual cramps, or knowing when she was as angry as a Hippogriff. But ending it also meant putting a stop to his special relationship with her, and Albus found that in this instance, he liked being special. Still, a twinge of guilt gnawed at his conscience, and he knew that if this was what Minerva wanted, he should try to help.

"I can see what I can do, Aidan. I can't promise that I'll be able to gain access, nor that any relevant resources will be there."

"I know, but I think it's our best bet if we actually want to find an answer. It will give you and Mr. Flamel more to work with. I'll be owling him to let him know of our plan."

Albus suddenly felt annoyed. "I can easily tell Nicolas. You don't even know him. Do you not trust me to tell him?"

"No," Aidan said simply. "And if he knows, you're less likely to spin some story about how you tried for months to gain access to this library. If this guy is half the scholar the press makes him out to be, then he'll care more about his research, and less about your feelings."

"How dare you!" Albus yelled, finally at his wit's end. "Aidan, I don't know why you think you can come into my office, punch me in the face, and then demand favours from me, but when you attempt to use my friends against me, you've crossed the line!"

"Albus—"

"No, I've had enough. Listen—"

"No, Albus, you listen to me!" Aidan interrupted, jumping out of his seat. "If there's any shred of love in your twisted, secretive heart left for Minerva, you'll do your best to end this. And if there's one thing I know about your best, it's that it's pretty damn good. Now, I don't want you near my wedding—hell, I don't want you near Minerva—until I am sure you have taken actual steps to end this wretched bond."

"You can't keep me from seeing Callum or Lucy," Albus tried.

Aidan laughed loudly. "Albus, if you think my reaction to this bond was bad, I sincerely hope Callum never finds out. Callum would break much more than your nose. Speaking of which," Aidan withdrew his wand, "Episkey."

Albus felt his nose crack back into place. "Thank you."

"No need. The pleasure was mine," Aidan smirked. "Now, Minerva and I will be across the Atlantic for our honeymoon, but upon our return, I'll reach out to Mr. Flamel."

"The Atlantic?" Albus asked quietly. "That's a bit far."

"Yes, well, it's our honeymoon, and we wanted to go somewhere no one would recognize us. Besides, as I'm sure you're aware, the potential war brewing here is growing more and more unstable every day. If we can escape for a few weeks, we will."

"Ah. Well, I wish you a happy wedding day, Aidan. You and Minerva. I know you might not believe me, but I do want you both to be happy." Just not at my expense, Albus added, silently and bitterly.

"Thank you, Albus. I'll leave you to it. Enjoy the rest of your weekend." Aidan went to leave the room but paused before opening the door. "I want to consider you a friend, Albus. I think we've been through too much to be anything else. Please, make it easy to be your friend." He left before Albus could respond, leaving the professor alone.

Minerva anxiously awaited Aidan's return home. She had done her best to tamper down any swelling feelings coming out of her bond—of which there were many—but all she wanted was to ensure that Aidan made it home to her, safe and sound. When she heard a pop by the fireplace, Minerva ran out of their bedroom to see Aidan cradling his right hand in his left.

"Aidan! I can't believe you actually punched him!" Minerva cried, Summoning some healing ointments.

"Yeah, me either, truthfully. It felt all right until I left his office. I must have been full of adrenaline," Aidan winced.

"Oh, sit down," Minerva sighed, leading him over to the couch. She began to gently rub the cream onto his hand. "Merlin, Aidan, was the physical violence necessary?"

"Yes," he replied firmly. "It absolutely was."

She barely kept herself from rolling her eyes. "And was your objective achieved?"

"He'll see what he can do regarding the library," Aidan said. "He wasn't too happy about it, though. He won't be coming to the wedding."

"Was that your doing, or his?"

"Mine," Aidan admitted. "Min, you're not going to like this, but he's not over you. He's still mad for you, and it's clear as Gillywater. I forcefully suggested that he stay away from our wedding."

"Oh, my." Minerva looked down at her hands. "Well, then."

"I can understand if you're angry," Aidan said slowly, "but I hope you understand where I'm coming from with this."

"I do understand it. I don't like this situation at all, but I empathize with your motives."

"Now, Minerva," he used her full name so she would understand the severity of his question, "I need the full truth this time. This will be the last time I'm asking you this. Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Pertaining to Albus?" Minerva thought about it and decided that if she were in for a penny, she might as well be in for a pound. "He's not the one who defeated Grindelwald."

"What?"

"That was me," Minerva said meekly. "Well, technically I used our bond to draw on his magic, so I suppose you could say we did it together; however, I'm the one who cast the last spell."

"Woah." Aidan leaned back, impressed. "I can't believe I'm going to marry the saviour of the wizarding world."

"That's a bit much, dearest."

"Hey, if the world can give Albus that title when he apparently did jack shit, I can certainly call you that in the privacy of our own home."

Minerva smiled softly and intertwined her hands in his. "Aidan, will we be okay?"

"I'm not happy, to be truthful. But," he swung his arm around her, "we'll get through it."

"I'm so sorry. For everything."

"You know, I enjoyed our lives a lot more when I was the one who had to apologize for everything. Ruining your shampoo, pranking the Slytherins, forgetting your books at my house..."

"We'll get there eventually. We have forever," Minerva laughed, "and forever is a very long time."

"We have forever to do loads of things," he agreed. "Speaking of which, I was thinking."

"That's dangerous."

Aidan tugged a strand of her hair. "I was thinking that you and I should take our honeymoon to have some serious conversations.

Minerva pulled back, smirking. "You want to have some serious conversations on our honeymoon? That's not the trip I signed up for."

"Ha, very funny. I simply mean that we should discuss the future in more detail. We won't be allowed to work together forever, not now that we'll be legally married. We should talk about our next career plans, where we want to live, how we're going to fit in children, all that jazz."

"Merlin," Minerva moaned, "can we get through the wedding first?"

On the 22nd of February, an intimate group of Minerva and Aidan's closest friends and family gathered at Selkirk County Parish in Kensington. Minerva had a calmness about her that shocked her brother.

"This isn't the Minnie I know," Callum laughed. "I would have thought you'd be nervous, checking on everything one last time."

"The beauty of a small wedding is that there is not that much to worry about," Lucy chided him gently. "We know that better than most."

"Aye, we do! I can't believe my little sister is getting married." Callum shook his head. "And with a potential war on the horizon, no less."

Minerva turned away from the mirror to glare at her brother. "Thank you for that cheerful remark. Besides, you and Lucy were married and had Iolanthe during a world war, so you can't claim moral superiority."

"Hmmph," Callum frowned. "All right, then. You ready to go? I'm sure Aidan will be nervous if we keep him waiting. One of you has to be, or I need to change my best man speech."

"Okay, Cal." Minerva turned to Lucy. "Do I make a passable bride?"

Lucy smiled and ran her hand down Minerva's dress, smoothing down the silk. It was a long-sleeved, ivory dress with silk-covered buttons down the back. "You make a perfect bride. We couldn't have found a dress that was better suited for you."

"I know," Minerva admitted. She twirled, relishing in the bridal feeling. "I can't believe this is happening."

She honestly couldn't. After everything that she and Aidan had needed to discuss over the past fortnight, she was shocked they had even made it to the church.

"My lady?" Callum extended his arm for Minerva to take. "We'll see you and the girls out there, Luce."

The two exited the powder room, and when Callum walked her up the aisle, all Minerva could do was smile. All eyes were on the featured couple as they cried their way through their vows, as Aidan nervously fumbled the ring, and as they finally kissed to signify their union.

And if no one noticed a phoenix sitting atop one of the rafters, a tear falling down its cheek, it was for the best.