A/N: As always, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this one!

For the disclaimer, please see the prologue.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: June 1947

It was late June, and Minerva and Aidan were preparing for Ro and Poppy's housewarming party. The two had officially moved in together in May, and had finally found a weekend where both of them were free from hospital and quidditch duties, respectively.

"Do you have their gift?" Aidan called from the kitchen. "I have the food."

"I hope that means you're not eating the food," Minerva laughed, putting the gift into her purse and leaving their room. "And yes, I have their gift."

"Okay, I had a small piece of the bruschetta," Aidan admitted. "But if we can count on anything, it's that Lucy and Callum will bring lots of food!"

Lucy had determined that, what with the developing war and increasing stress on the Auror team, Callum needed some relaxation. She had signed Callum and herself up for a cooking class, leaving the girls with Aidan and Minerva once a week. At first, Callum had grumbled extensively; as of late, he enjoyed whipping up delicious, family-sized dishes.

"You're not wrong," Minerva mused, helping herself to some food. "Oh, that's good."

"All right, let's go before it's all gone." He smirked at her before covering the food again. "Ready?"

The two Apparated to Ro and Poppy's new home in Holyhead. Minerva smiled upon seeing the small cottage for the first time and waved as Ro burst out of the door, grinning.

"Finally! It took you two long enough! Come on, Callum's gang is already here."

"Are we expecting anyone else, or is it just us?" Minerva asked, handing Ro the gift. "This is for you both."

"Oooh, thanks!" Ro exclaimed. She tried to sneak a peek, but Minerva slapped her hand. "Fine, I'll wait until we're with Poppy. And for the record, no, it's just the usual group today."

"Does that mean Albus is coming?" Aidan inquired. His voice was light, but Minerva knew that he wanted to know if Albus was keeping to his word and staying away from them both.

"No, he's not." Ro frowned as she led them into the living room. "He said he had a prior commitment with Violet's family. I hope he was telling the truth and wasn't just upset with me."

"Why would he be upset with you? Did something happen?"

"No, Min, not really," Ro sighed. "He asked me if I'd consider going back to the Unspeakables. Apparently, there are some ongoing experiments concerning time travel, and he would like to have a trusted friend be there."

"He wants you to go back to the Unspeakables?" Aidan shared a look with Minerva.

"Yeah, he believes a war is on the horizon and wants to establish a network of...well, for lack of a better word, spies," Ro shrugged. "I told him to bugger off. There's no way I'm leaving a professional quidditch team to be directly involved in another war. Not after what happened last time." She looked at her friends shrewdly. "Does this mean that he didn't ask you two to join this club of his?"

"No, he didn't," Minerva said quietly.

Ro frowned. "That's odd. I thought he would have asked you, considering how involved you two are. You probably have a lot of information that would be useful to him."

"Wait, he didn't ask you two for information?" Callum entered the conversation. He hugged his sister hello and continued, "He asked me to pass on information wherever possible."

"What is he planning to do with it all?" Minerva asked.

"I think he wants to put a stop to these attacks," Callum answered. "Mind you, I don't know what he thinks he can do that the Ministry isn't already doing, but alas."

"How curious. He must be more worried than I would have thought," Aidan muttered. "Ah, well, let's leave a mysterious man to his mysteries, shall we?"

"Yes, let's see your house!" Minerva grinned. "Where are Lucy and the girls?"

"In the kitchen with Poppy and Lucy, making a mess," Callum laughed. "Thank goodness for magic. Follow me."

They followed him to the kitchen, where Iolanthe was throwing flour all over the place.

"Honestly, Iolanthe, we just moved in. Is this necessary?" Poppy asked, exasperated.

"And that reaction is why we will not have kids," Ro joked, soothing her partner's potential upset with a kiss to the temple.

"Well, if you were the one who had spent hours cleaning up the kitchen after your partner made a mess cooking, you might be feeling the same way, dear." Poppy raised her eyebrow cheekily, and everyone laughed.

"Speaking of food, here's our contribution," Aidan announced, handing Poppy the bruschetta. "Sorry, we already ate some."

"You both did?" Ro laughed. "Four months of marriage, and you're already picking up his bad habits, eh, Min?"

"Oh, stop," Minerva said, blushing. "I was hungry."

"Should we tour first and then eat?" Lucy asked.

"Nah, let's eat!" Ro waved her hand. "Clearly we have some hungry guests."

"Ro!" Minerva groaned.

"While I love annoying Minnie, I think it would be best to eat first," Callum laughed. "Then we can put the girls down for naps while we walk around."

"That sounds like a plan!" Poppy said. "Everyone, sit down." While her guests did as they were told, Poppy levitated the food from the kitchen counter to the table. As she went to sit down, Minerva suddenly felt dizzy and placed a hand on her head as if she could stop her head from spinning.

"You all right, Min?" Aidan asked lowly. "You look pale."

"I'm fine," she whispered. "Just a little dizzy."

He looked at her before acquiescing. "Okay. But if you need to lay down, just say so."

Minerva nodded. "I promise." She reached for a glass of water and a bit sloshed over the top of the cup as she grasped it.

The spilling water caused Poppy to take note. Frowning, Poppy asked, "Minerva, why are your hands shaking?"

"I didn't realize they were," Minerva replied. She blushed under everyone's gaze. "I'm fine, honestly."

"I'd feel better if Poppy could take a look at you," Aidan admitted. His wife shot him a betrayed glance. "What? You look terrible."

"I feel fine," Minerva repeated. She whispered to Aidan, "I wonder if Albus is sick."

His eyes widened. "Oh, for the love of Merlin. We can't tell Poppy that." Aidan raised his voice. "Poppy, I think she's fine. This has happened before."

"What did you two just whisper?" Poppy's eyes narrowed. "Min, I'd feel better if I could look at you. Honestly, what's—"

Minerva heard nothing else before she fell out of her chair and slumped into Aidan's lap.

"Min?" Poppy's worried voice rang in Minerva's ears. "Can you hear me?"

"Unfortunately. I feel like I'd rather be sleeping," Minerva grumbled. She opened her eyes. "Where did you take me?"

Poppy smirked. "You're in our bedroom. You know, if you had wanted a tour, you needn't have fainted."

"Am I medically cleared to continue with the day?"

"Once we talk about why you fainted, yes, you can rejoin the feast."

"I'm surprised Aidan isn't in here." Minerva frowned, looking at the door. "Why isn't he here?"

"Because I thought you'd want me to medically examine you and tell you what's going on with your body before I told your husband."

"Touché. So," Minerva clapped her hands together and looked expectantly at her friend, "what healing regimen shall you be recommending this time? Although I feel fine, Poppy, honestly. I'm sure this was just a dizzy spell."

"It was a dizzy spell, but there was a reason for it, Min."

Minerva's eyes widened in alarm. For a split second, she wondered if Albus was all right. "Really?"

"Yes," Poppy grinned, laughing. "Min, you're pregnant."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You're pregnant," Poppy repeated. "Oh, I love surprising you."

"Really? Already?"

"I'm going to take that to mean that you were trying," Poppy laughed.

"Well, yes. Sort of. Practicing, I suppose," Minerva said, blushing. "We didn't think it would happen quite so quickly."

"You're not unhappy, though?" The medi-witch hesitated for a moment. "Even if it's earlier than expected, this pregnancy is still wanted?"

"I certainly want it, and I'm sure Aidan will feel the same way. We wanted our children to be close in age to Cal's."

"You two certainly have thought about it." Poppy couldn't stop herself from grinning.

"At first, I thought we were too young," Minerva admitted. "But Aidan says there's some sort of post-war boom going on, and well, I must confess I find the merit in that. And because we both know what's going on in the world—"

"—with the potential war—"

"Yes, thank you." Minerva glared at her friend. "While we both know the dangers, we're not going to put our lives on hold."

"Spoken like true Gryffindors. So foolhardy," Poppy teased.

"You are a Gryffindor, dear."

"Yes, but I live with a Ravenclaw, and she has rubbed off on me." Poppy and Minerva shared a smile. "Now, I'm presuming you don't want to tell Aidan that you're pregnant at the same time as the rest of the group?"

"I feel like I should tell him first, don't you?"

"Most likely. Why don't we go back downstairs? We can tell everyone it was low blood sugar."

"All right, Pops. Help me up, will you?" Minerva took hold of Poppy's hand and got out of the bed, walking to the mirror. She found herself inspecting her form in the mirror. "I don't look pregnant."

"You won't for a while, I wouldn't think. You're not very far along."

"Can you give me a due date, or should I see a healer who specializes in obstetrics?"

"Merlin, you always did like to know everything." Poppy shook her head amusedly. "Late January or early February, I'd expect."

"Imagine that." Minerva placed a gentle hand on her stomach. "I can't believe it."

"I can. You two are disgustingly romantic. How are you going to tell Aidan?"

Minerva paled. "I have no idea."

A week later, Minerva still hadn't told her husband that they were expecting. She knew that he wanted to be a father—he had expressed that desire numerous times—but Aidan, like herself, probably didn't think it would happen this quickly. A baby meant change, and she suddenly found herself anxious about what that would mean.

Poppy had Flooed Minerva every day, asking if she needed help telling Aidan. At first, Minerva had rebuffed her friend. If she could defeat Grindelwald, surely she could tell her husband they were pregnant. After a week, though, Minerva found herself asking Poppy for help.

"What if you cooked a meal full of baby food? Like baby shrimp and baby corn?"

"I feel like that's a bit too on the nose," Minerva replied. She traced the rim of her teacup.

"You could just give him a note from me that says "medically speaking, you knocked your wife up!""

"Poppy!" Minerva shrieked, scandalized. "Honestly, I want this to be nice." She looked down for a moment. "Aidan is the romantic one out of the two of us. He's always doing such lovely things for me, and I'm not fantastic at reciprocating. I want to be able to make this special for him."

"Min, I wish I could help you, but I honestly have never thought about a way to tell Ro that I'm pregnant." Poppy raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure any manner you choose will be fine."

"But I don't want fine!" Minerva stood and turned to face Poppy, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I want something romantic! Haven't any of your patients given you any ideas?"

"Truthfully, no, no one has ever told me how they've broken the news unless it didn't go over very well. I take it you're uninterested in those ideas."

"Obviously!" Minerva snapped.

"At least Aidan will understand why you've been a right witch lately," Poppy said. "When he finds out you're carrying his child, he may be more inclined to forgive you for your constant mood swings."

"I'm sorry, what?" Minerva turned to find Aidan in the fireplace, his mouth comically agape.

"Oh, dear," Poppy murmured as her hand flew to her mouth.

"Min," Aidan said slowly, "what did I just hear?"

"Nothing," Minerva responded, "absolutely nothing." Poppy glared at her, so she added, "Well, you know nothing until I decide to tell you."

"Oh, you're not getting away with that." Aidan took her hands in his, grinning. "Was Poppy telling the truth just now? Are you really—"

"Pregnant? Yes." Minerva rolled her eyes.

He frowned. "Are you unhappy about it?"

"I'm unhappy that my grand plans to tell you were spoiled."

"What grand plans were these?" Aidan laughed.

"Now that's a very good question, my friend," Poppy muttered.

Minerva glared at Poppy. "I hadn't yet determined the best way to tell you, but yes, I'm pregnant. Poppy discovered it at their housewarming party."

"Min!" Aidan cried. He rushed to her and twirled her around. "We're going to be parents!"

"Yes, we are." Minerva smiled, allowing herself a moment to relish that the cat was out of the bag. "Are you happy?"

"Ecstatic," Aidan answered, and as if to prove it, he pulled Minerva in for a very enthusiastic kiss.

"Okay, I think that's my cue to leave," Poppy yelled, smirking. She threw a pillow at the couple. They broke apart, blushing. "Now, Min, I want to see you in two weeks for a check-up, all right? And please do let me know once you decide when you'll be telling everyone else. Ro knows that I'm keeping a secret from her, and I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep it without ending up locked out of my own house."

"Shouldn't we wait until the end of the first trimester?" Aidan asked. At the women's bewildered looks, he added, "I read that pregnancy book you bought. I know it's risky to tell anyone before then."

"Normally, I'd agree, but in this case, I'd bet that Ro will get it out of me sooner than that, and you should probably tell your brother before she does," Poppy laughed. "Now, I'll be off. I would hate to get in the way of your...celebrations."

"Poppy!"

Later that night, Aidan and Minerva were discussing this most recent development.

"I hate to say this, Min," Aidan began, "but I think we need to talk to our boss. I don't think it's best if you're on missions anymore."

She raised her eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"Min, we're fighting dark wizards," he explained patiently. "I don't normally love you risking your own life on a daily basis, but while you're pregnant? Just last week you took that hex to your thigh. Can you imagine if that had been six inches higher?"

"I see your point," Minerva sighed. "All right, we can talk to Amelia on Monday. And if you're amenable, I'd prefer to ask Elphinstone if the research department will take me back. I'd rather not tell Goyle that we're expecting. I don't know why Elphinstone chose him as his replacement, but alas."

"I'd much rather Elphinstone know," Aidan agreed. "Goyle creeps the hell out of me."

She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "He keeps company with Yaxley and Riddle, if that's any indication of his character."

Aidan was about to respond when they were interrupted by their Floo. Callum's face appeared in the flames, sparking brightly. "May we come through? There's a bit of an emergency."

"An emergency?" Aidan stood up. "Are the girls all right?"

"You know you and Lucy can come through whenever," Minerva added.

"It's not me and Lucy, it's—oh, hold on." Callum's profile came into view as he whispered to his companion. "I'm here with Albus, but Albus says I need to ask your permission for him to come in. What the hell is that about?"

Aidan and Minerva looked at each other. "If he's with Callum, and Cal says it's an emergency..." Minerva trailed off.

"We should let him in," Aidan finished. He walked to the fire. "You both can come through."

Callum and Albus both came through the Floo, looking worse for wear. Albus was particularly pale.

"Please, sit down." Minerva motioned to the couch. "Do either of you want anything to drink? Albus," she hesitated for a moment, "Albus, you don't look especially well."

"That's actually why we're here, Minnie," Callum said grimly. "Sit down yourselves, and we'll tell you what's going on. Albus, you should be the one to tell them."

Once Minerva and Aidan had reseated themselves, Albus stated plainly, "I look pale because I was poisoned."

Minerva and Aidan looked at each other, stunned. "When was this?" Aidan asked.

"Oh, about a week ago," Albus replied. "Apparently, my would-be murderer is no mastery-level potions brewer because I'm still standing. It did cause enough damage to leave me hospital-bound for a week, though."

Minerva's heart was racing. "Aidan, this means that when I fainted at Poppy's..."

"Albus was sick. You just happened to have an excuse." Aidan ran his fingers through his hair. "This is a mess."

"Aidan," Minerva said, horrified, "this is dangerous. Not just for me now." She placed a hand over her stomach.

She saw the moment Aidan understood. He looked at her quickly and then turned back to their visitors. "Albus, before you were poisoned, did you happen to hear back from your Unspeakables contact?"

"What the hell are you two blabbering on about?" Callum snapped, exasperated. "What does your fainting have to do with Albus? Why are you asking about the Unspeakables?" His eyes narrowed. "And why exactly is your hand protectively resting on your stomach, Minnie?"

"I can answer, Callum," Albus said softly. He met Minerva's eyes for a brief moment before turning to Callum. "Minerva and I are soul-bonded. We didn't intend for it to happen, and we're not entirely sure why it occurred, but it did. As a result, we can feel each other's emotions, pains, et cetera. Before you get too angry with me, kindly consider that Aidan has already broken my nose regarding this matter, and I'm not at my usual strength. Anyway, Aidan asked if I would consider reaching out to the Unspeakables so we could gain access to their library and determine if this bond could be stymied.

"I believe this to be more urgent now because, if I am inferring correctly, Minerva fainted as a result of my poisoning last week. As for her hand on her stomach, well," Albus smiled wryly and turned to Minerva, "I have not been told, but I believe congratulations are in order."

"You're right, as usual," Minerva whispered softly.

"Congratulations to you both," Albus said, not unkindly.

"This is a lot to comprehend at once," Callum uttered, looking quite pale himself. "I'll start with what appears to be the easiest: congratulations, Minnie and Aidan. I'm so excited for you both. Even if I'm simply confused at the moment."

"Thank you," Aidan laughed. He wrapped his arm around Minerva. "We're happy. She actually just told me today."

"Oi, mate, we could have waited to come over!"

"It's fine, Cal. It sounded important, and it clearly was," Minerva responded. "So, what is our plan going forward?"

"Not so fast, Minnie. You might be carrying my future niece or nephew, but that doesn't mean we can simply gloss over this soul-bond business. You say it hurts you?"

"It doesn't always hurt me," Minerva explained, wishing Albus hadn't mentioned it. "It only hurts me if Albus is in pain. If Albus is happy, I feel his happiness and vice versa."

"If you want to know anything else, Callum, they can tell you later," Aidan interrupted. The topic was still his underbelly; he cared more for his wife and unborn child than Minerva's bond with Albus. "I want to know if you discovered anything at the library."

"Not yet, but I do have some good news," Albus replied. "My contact informed me that she can get passes for three of us to go in and look at their books. She doesn't know if there's anything in there relating to soul-bonds—"

"But this is a start," Minerva finished, smiling gratefully. "Thank you. I presume you, Aidan, and Nicolas will go?"

Before they had arrived, Albus had wanted to suggest that Minerva accompany himself and Nicolas; given that she was pregnant, he suddenly felt queasy at the thought of doing anything remotely unethical with her. "Yes, I think that will work well. We can say that Nicolas and I are working on a secret research project, and that Aidan is our Auror detail."

"I can work with that. Thank you, Albus," Aidan added, somewhat tersely. He knew he had let his temper get the best of him that day in Albus' office, and while he didn't regret his feelings, he somewhat regretted breaking the man's nose.

"While you all are working on that, the Aurors have decided on a private detail to protect Albus. I had wanted you to be on the team, Minnie, but if you're pregnant, I don't want you near any potential fighting."

"I agree. Aidan and I thought it best if I told Elphinstone I need to be kept strictly to desk duty for the next few months," Minerva said. "I'll be out of harm's way, so long as no one attacks the Ministry offices. Will you be on the team then, Callum?"

"I'll be leading it," her brother responded proudly. "I'll be in charge of keeping our pal Albus here safe, sound, and hopefully, poison-less."

"He could be in no better hands," Minerva said earnestly. She turned to Albus. "Are you feeling all right, truly?"

"There are some remaining traces of the poison in my system, so I'm still on a bland diet. Other than that, I simply feel rather tired. Thank you for asking." Albus smiled tightly. "Callum, we shouldn't intrude on their kindness any longer. They have rather big news to celebrate."

"Please don't tell anyone else about the pregnancy," Aidan said, standing. "Only Poppy knows, and Minerva wants to think of some special way to tell the rest of the family."

Callum raised an eyebrow. "All right, but you had better tell Lucy quickly. She'll know I have a rather juicy secret that I'm keeping all to myself."

"And how will she know that, Cal?" Minerva asked drily.

"Oh, I'll tell her." Callum grinned. "See you soon, loads of love!"

A fortnight later, and Lucy and Minerva were watching the children on a Saturday night. Callum was on night-duty protecting Albus, and Aidan had been called into work a few hours earlier. Lucy had taken the opportunity to invite Minerva over to discuss all things baby. She had burst into tears upon learning she was about to be an aunt, and Lucy was more than willing to share all of her experiences with Minerva.

Too willing, in Minerva's opinion.

"Are you still feeling sick?" Lucy asked sympathetically. "I was sick every morning with Iolanthe, but it wasn't so bad with Aoife."

"I'm not feeling particularly well in the mornings, but it's manageable. I've only been sick a few times." Minerva grimaced, thinking back to one morning where she hadn't even made it out of bed. "When I get sick, it hits me hard."

"I know the feeling," Lucy snorted. "Once, I was so sick I—"

"Lucy?" Minerva interrupted. "If you tell me any more stories about being sick, I might be sick."

"Oh, sorry," Lucy said apologetically. "I didn't realize. Once you have the baby, you'll realize that nothing ever seems gross anymore. I don't often remember that not everyone else feels the same way."

"What a joy," Minerva muttered. She smiled at Iolanthe, who was playing across the room. "They are adorable."

Lucy grinned. "Yeah, my girls are the best." She raised her voice. "Iolanthe, are you excited for your new baby cousin?"

"Awntie Minnie baby?" Iolanthe asked, toddling over to Minerva. She put her tiny hand on Minerva's stomach and began to pinch her aunt's robes. "Where's baby?"

"Dear, using force is not going to release your cousin for another few months," Minerva grimaced. She picked her niece up and held her in her lap. "I wonder if we'll have a boy or a girl."

"Honestly, I think Callum is hoping for a boy," Lucy laughed.

"Really? I would have—"

Minerva was interrupted by a loud pounding on the door, followed by the sound of it crashing.

"What on earth?" Lucy stood.

"Min? Min!" They could hear Aidan's frantic voice. "Are you all right?"

"Aidan?" Minerva called. Anxiety began to pool in her stomach. "Aidan, what's going on?"

"Oh, thank Merlin," Aidan breathed as he crashed into the room. He was dressed in full Auror attire, and his wand was outstretched. Putting it back in its holster, Aidan ran to Minerva and pressed her closely to his chest, crushing Iolanthe between them. "I was so worried."

"What happened?" Minerva asked. She gently put Iolanthe down on the floor and watched as the child wandered back to her sister. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Aidan looked at Lucy and sighed nervously. "Luce..."

"No. No, Aidan Scrimgeour." Lucy's tone was harsh despite her shaking voice. "If you think you're going to tell me my husband is dead, I will..."

"No, Luce. Not dead. Just," Aidan closed his eyes, hugging Minerva again, "missing."

"Missing?" Lucy shrieked, collapsing against the couch.

"Aidan..." Minerva said lowly. "What happened?"

He walked Minerva over to the couch and Summoned water for both Lucy and Minerva. "Here, drink this. Drink it, Lucy." Aidan waited until she had obeyed before he continued. "Albus was travelling from one of Nicolas Flamel's residences in Grenoble. There were to be numerous Apparition points on the way back to Hogwarts; it's why I had to work tonight. Once they arrived back on British soil, the entire team was ambushed."

"Oh, Merlin," Lucy moaned. She burrowed her head into Minerva's shoulder. "I can't hear this."

"Lucy, you need to." Aidan crouched down and placed his hands on her knees. "One of the Aurors has to brief you; I volunteered for it to be me."

"I think it best if you hear this from Aidan," Minerva said softly, stroking Lucy's hair. She nodded at her husband, urging him to continue.

"Right, well, we arrived, and there was an outright duel. No casualties, thank goodness, but quite a few members of our team were injured. Callum was the only one captured, I'm afraid."

"Did we manage to capture any of them?" Minerva inquired, feeling herself slowly channel her Auror persona. "Do we have any intel?"

"No one captured, I'm afraid." Aidan shook his head, and Minerva's stomach clenched when she realized his cheek featured a new, bleeding wound. "We tried, but I promise you—I promise both of you—that we'll get Callum out alive. We'll find him alive and bring him home. Well, perhaps not to this home, but home to us."

"What does that mean?" Lucy cried. "You're making the girls and I move at a time like this?"

"Lucy," Aidan explained patiently, "I wouldn't have bloody well broken the door down if I hadn't thought you were in danger. They have Callum, and we don't know what sort of information he may be coerced into giving up."

Lucy paled. "You think he'd give us up? Our home?"

"Not intentionally," Aidan soothed, "but we're not dealing with some pesky enemies from a rival Hogwarts house. These people—whoever they are—have been after Muggles for almost a year now, and now they're targeting Albus. We have to assume the worst. Where can we send you four?"

"Four?" Minerva's voice was sharp. "Are you insinuating that I will be going with them?"

"Minerva, you will be going with them, come hell or high water," Aidan said firmly. "In fact, if she's agreeable, I'll send Poppy, too."

"What the hell, Aidan!"

"Min, listen to me. Please. Callum has been taken. He knows where we live. He knows where Poppy lives. He knows how to get to McGonagall Manor, and unless I'm mistaken, he knows where Lucy's family house is, too."

Lucy nodded slowly. "He does."

"I need you to be safe, darling. I need you to be safe and with a doctor. I do not want to be worried about you while I'm trying to get Callum back!"

"Aidan, if you think I'm letting you hunt a group of deadly dark wizards alone, you've lost it!" Minerva snapped. "I'll transfigure you into—oh, I don't know, a tiny frog or something!"

"There won't be a need for that." A quiet yet authoritative voice rang through the Floo. Albus was there, looking somewhat worse for wear. "May I come through?"

"Yes," Aidan sighed. When Albus had made it through, Aidan said, "Perhaps you can help Minerva see reason."

"Excuse me?" Minerva hissed.

"There won't be a need for any sort of human to animal transfiguration because you both will be going into hiding. I have asked the Minister for a favour, and it would protect you. All five of you, plus Poppy."

"What's this favour, Albus?" Aidan huffed. "I'm not going into bloody hiding."

Albus shook his head. "You won't be, not officially. I was walking through Hogsmeade with my Auror patrol, and it occurred to me that Callum has never been to my family home. It's a small, unused cottage, but with a few expansion charms and some cleaning, it could be quite comfortable for all of you.

"The reason that Lucy and the girls have to relocate is obvious: this…group may try to take one of you to use as leverage over Callum. I'm sorry to say it so bluntly, Lucy, but it's the truth. Minerva, you're a prominent Auror who is fairly well-known, and the Minister knows you're at risk as Callum's sister. When I called on him, he asked if you would like to fight, but when I mentioned that you had some ongoing health issues, the Minister readily agreed that you should also go into hiding."

Minerva's hands instinctively went to her stomach, and she saw a flash of something—was it envy?—fly across Albus' face before he regained control of his emotions.

"I don't want you to worry about your salary, either," Albus continued. "I don't know if you're aware of it, but the Ministry does have a clause whereby it commits to pay all employees in the event of "fleeing persecution from enemies of the Minister". This certainly counts."

"Aidan, I know you want to help Callum." Albus turned to Aidan and inhaled deeply. "But this isn't your fight. I'm the reason Callum was taken. He was protecting me. I need to be the one to get him back. And," his eyes flitted briefly to Minerva's, "you have a family now. I don't want to leave Minerva a widow and your child fatherless. So, I informed the Minister that you four would need a security detail. That's you, Aidan. You'll be paid to do your job; this time, for your own family."

"And Poppy?" Minerva whispered.

"You'll need a doctor. If she is willing to go, she is welcome at my house. Ro is, too; however, I don't know how willing she is to give up her quidditch season."

"She will," Lucy said quietly. "She won't let Poppy leave without her."

"Where is this house of yours, Albus?" Aidan asked. His voice was strangled, like he was looking for a flaw and couldn't find it.

Albus smiled. "Ah, I can't reveal its location. Not until we're just about to leave, anyway. It's safe, though. I promise you that."

"I'll go pack," Lucy sniffled. "Come on, girls. We're going on a trip." She gently removed Aoife from her crib and took Iolanthe's hand. "We need to pack our suitcases!"

"I should go help them," Aidan sighed. "I'm not supposed to let them out of my sight." He stood from his kneeling position, and after a slight hesitation, stuck his hand out. "Thank you, Albus. I appreciate this more than you know. I'm not sure I deserve it, but thank you."

"Promise not to break my nose again, and we'll be just fine." Albus shook Aidan's hand and nodded in the direction of the bedrooms. "Go. They're far more important than me, and I should be getting back to Hogwarts. Floo directly to me when you're ready; I'll have the connection open and waiting."

Aidan left the room, and there was an awkward pause as Minerva and Albus were left alone for the first time in six months.

"Are you sure Violet will be all right with you fighting?" Minerva asked quietly.

"I still haven't told her about our world, Minerva. I'll tell her that I need to go on a research trip, or a field trip with my school. She'll understand, and I'll do my best to come back to her in one piece."

"Thank you, Albus. Truly. After everything, I can't believe you're doing this for me and my family."

"Minerva," Albus sighed. Before he could talk himself out of it, he strode over and kissed her briefly on the cheek. A familiar, electric shock ran through them both at the contact. "After everything, if there's anything you should believe, it's that I'm doing this for you. Go home to your flat and pack for you and Aidan, then come back here and Floo into my office together. I'll see you shortly."

Albus disappeared in a puff of green smoke. Minerva stared blankly at the empty fireplace before collapsing, weeping under the weight of the day.