A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter!

For the disclaimer, please see the prologue.

Chapter Forty-Four: December 1948

"I have news," Aidan announced as he arrived home from work one afternoon.

Minerva looked curiously at him before glancing at her mother, who was playing with Dalton. They had been living at McGonagall Manor since they left Albus' cottage, both unwilling to choose a new, permanent place to live. London didn't feel quite safe anymore, and with Floo powder, their commute was seconds, no matter where they finally made their home. It suited Minerva well to be back at home in Scotland, and although she wouldn't admit it, she liked replacing her bad childhood memories with the happy ones of her young family.

It wasn't all smooth sailing, unfortunately. Aidan was unhappy at work and felt stifled under his new boss, Alastor Moody. Moody saw Aidan's year away as a year off, and therefore, Aidan didn't garner the respect he thought he was owed. Given Minerva's Urquart-sanctioned "stress leave"—only he knew she now had a baby—was rapidly coming to an end, the couple wanted to determine the direction of their respective careers before deciding where to live.

"Is this good news or bad news?" Minerva asked.

"Let's go into the study," Aidan murmured, taking her by the hand. "Isobel, are you okay watching Dalton for a moment?"

"Of course." Isobel beamed. "We're having a wonderful time over here."

Minerva smiled as she let Aidan lead her away. It had done her mother plenty of good to slowly pick her wand up again, and Isobel appreciated the chance she was given to be a better grandmother than she was mother.

It had been a wonderful opportunity for Minerva and Isobel to slowly begin to heal their relationship.

"So?" Minerva sat down and looked at her husband expectantly. "What happened?

"I've been summoned to a meeting," Aidan sighed, flicking a finger against the desk. "A meeting to discuss my future choice in missions, I believe."

Minerva could tell he was less than thrilled, so she kept her voice neutral. "Any idea what these missions are?"

"That's the thing, Min! There aren't any missions; at least, none that I know about."

"So you think they're about to send you to Coventry?" Minerva rose an eyebrow. "Surely your wartime service counts for something."

"I mentioned that," Aidan snorted. "Moody's response? "There's no one better for the field," or something equally full of bureaucratic bull."

"Would it help if you talked to Callum?" Minerva asked gently. "Perhaps he could share some advice."

Aidan shook his head. "There's news on that front, too. I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up later tonight."

"What on earth do they have against Callum?"

"Nothing, to my knowledge. It's probably best if you let him explain."

"Oh, certainly," Minerva said, standing. "I'll go ask him right now."

"Min—"

"Aidan, you're forgetting that I work in that department as well. If both my brother and husband are getting shuffled out after the year we've had, I'll hex Moody myself."

"Okay, okay." He put his hands on her shoulders. "We'll send them a note with Felina and tell them to come over."

"Good." Minerva nodded decisively. "Do that now, please. Tell him to bring Lucy and the girls for dinner. We can have a nice evening as a family."

She walked off, and Aidan groaned silently, knowing Callum would not like being summoned.

Two hours later, Callum arrived with his family in tow. "Minnie, what's this all about? Your note was cryptic."

"Aidan alluded to your impending departure from the Aurors," Minerva said, cocking her head to the side. "Would you care to elaborate? My husband didn't give me any more details."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Straight to the point tonight. All right, then: kids, come with me. It's time to visit Grandma."

"What about Daddy?" Iolanthe asked softly. Ever since Callum's return, she thought that if she couldn't see him, it meant he had disappeared again. The poor girl was terrified and couldn't be dissuaded, no matter how much her parents tried to reassure her.

"I'm going to be talking to your Aunt Minnie." Callum crouched and tweaked her nose. "Your Aunt Minnie is silly and thinks she's entitled to more information than she actually is."

"Oh, is that true?" Minerva arched an eyebrow.

"Silly Auntie Minnie!" Iolanthe giggled, running to her aunt. "You're so silly!"

"You're probably the first to ever say that, angel." Minerva groaned and lifted her niece off the ground. "Let's take you to Grandma, and you can play with her while we talk, all right?"

"I can go myself," Iolanthe pouted. Minerva laughed as she set her down, watching her run in the direction of Isobel's voice.

"I'll take you, dear," Lucy said softly to Aoife. "Let's go see your cousin."

Minerva waited until they were gone before she spoke. "What has happened to our workplace, Cal?"

"Nothing, from my perspective. Yes, Moody has made the place more...competitive and perhaps a bit more patriarchal, but the work is the same. It's still a professional environment."

Aidan frowned. "Then why did Moody tell the rest of us you were leaving?"

"Because I am leaving," Callum responded. He hesitated for a moment before elaborating, "I'm joining the Unspeakables. Ro's team, as a matter of fact."

"Was that your decision, or Moody's?" Aidan asked.

"Both," Callum admitted. "Look, after what happened to Albus and me, I don't particularly have a desire to go into the field anymore. Lucy and I have talked it over, and we don't think the risk is worth it. In fact, my mind healer," he flashed a brief smile at his sister, "suggested it would be dangerous for me. She talked a lot about the mind processing trauma; truthfully, I didn't understand much of the psychology, but her arguments seemed sound.

"I spoke with Moody about it, and informed him of my decision. I offered to back it up with a medical note from my healer, but he said he had already had other ideas in mind for me. The Unspeakables were looking to fill a vacancy on the team, and they wanted someone with Auror experience. I asked Albus for his opinion, and he told me he was the one who planted the idea. He told Ro's supervisor to ask for me, and here we are."

"Albus did this?" Minerva asked incredulously.

"Yes," Callum said impatiently. "After you told me to work through my feelings, I decided I needed to do some of that work with Albus. He was there with me for not an insignificant amount of time, you know."

"I understand, but talking with him does not necessarily indicate that he would meddle in your career."

"Minnie." Callum's voice was tired. "Albus didn't interfere for the hell of it. I had confided in him that I was feeling unhappy and scared at the prospect of fighting again. He then said that he would like Ro to have some help doing some spy work for him with the Unspeakables, and I agreed. I want to help Albus catch whoever did this to us. This seemed like the perfect solution."

"I don't know how I feel about going back to work there." Minerva wrinkled her nose in distaste. "It sounds like the department has lost all sense."

"That would be because you're not there to tell us off," Callum said primly.

Minerva ignored her brother's cheek. "Are you truly happy about this, Callum?"

"Yes," he laughed. "And if you hadn't summoned me here like a bloody first-year caught in the Forbidden Forest, you would have heard me happily tell you all on Friday at dinner."

"Oh." Minerva blushed. "I was worried, that's all."

"Hmph," Callum snorted. He turned to Aidan. "When's your meeting?"

"The day after next," Aidan sighed. "You don't happen to know my choice of missions, do you?"

"I don't," Callum apologized. "Hopefully, they're not too bad. I rather like having you a Floo call away. Don't go moving to Australia or anywhere equally as far."

"They could send us to Australia?" Minerva shrieked uncharacteristically and turned towards her husband. "Is he serious, or is he having a laugh?"

"I wish I knew, Min," Aidan sighed, watching his wife go into shock. "At any rate, we'll find out soon enough."

Two days later, Minerva woke up prepared to send Aidan off to work in high spirits. She could tell he had been nervous all night: he was mumbling in his sleep and kept tossing and turning. In turn, she had stayed awake most of the night, and when it had reached five-thirty—the earliest she could rationally make herself leave her warm bed—she decided to put together a surprise for Aidan. Knowing she wanted to send him to work on the right foot, Minerva had made his favourite food for lunch and packed it for him, along with a steaming cup of tea charmed to stay warm. Returning to their bedroom, she chose his outfit for the day and hung it up, ensuring it suited the occasion. When her work was done, Minerva slipped back into bed and kissed Aidan softly until he woke up.

"Mmmmm," Aidan murmured, pulling back for some air. "This is a nice way to start the morning."

"I hoped you would think so," Minerva agreed. "You seemed stressed in your sleep. I thought you might want to relax before you head off to the Ministry."

"Oh?" Aidan's face wore a tiredly impish smile. "Did you have a particular exercise in mind?"

Minerva grinned and moved closer, inching her hands under his nightshirt. She raked her nails across his chest. "What if I did?"

"I'd say that you've always been brilliant." Aidan laughed and rolled them so she sat on top of him. "You have always gone above and beyond when completing any task you want to accomplish."

"Oh, shush." Minerva rolled her eyes and pressed her lips to his so he wouldn't be inclined to entertain her with his attempts at flattery.

After she had satisfyingly completed her wifely duty, Minerva dozed lazily in bed as Aidan readied himself for work.

"Are you just going to stay in bed?" Aidan smirked, coming back to sit beside her.

"Seeing as I got up early, yes, I thought I'd stay in bed until our son necessitated my presence." Minerva propped herself up with her head in her hand. "I didn't sleep much myself."

Aidan's face softened. "I am sorry about that. I didn't mean to keep you up."

"It's fine, darling. I'm sure my anxiety will hinder your sleep at some point, too."

"You definitely moved around a lot when you were pregnant," Aidan agreed, laughing. "All right, then. I should be off."

"Best of luck!" Minerva called softly, throwing her pillow back over her head after the door closed behind him.

The rest of the day passed frantically and slowly at the same time. Dalton had been fussy all day and refused to nap, prompting Isobel to mention that she thought he may be coming down with a cold. Minerva had then sent for Poppy, who had in turn left her with copious amounts of medicine and detailed instructions.

When the fireplace finally lit up after the work day's end, Isobel knew her cue and gently took Dalton up to his bedroom to rest. Aidan walked through the fireplace, muttering to himself while dusting off the Floo dust. Minerva found herself cringing, sensing that, despite her best efforts, Aidan did not have a good day at work.

"I take it that the conversation with Moody didn't go well?" Minerva asked sympathetically.

"No, not at all." Aidan rubbed his forehead and plopped himself down on the couch. "I was essentially given an ultimatum: take either of the missions offered, or I can find myself thanked for my service and out the door."

Minerva brought her husband a bottle of Firewhisky. "What are the two missions? Are they really that bad?"

"Well, I could agree to be sent abroad to work with the Foreign Magical Assistance delegation. It wouldn't be Australia, like Callum joked, but it would be Russia. I would like the work, but I would be gone for at least six months, initially..." Aidan trailed off, exchanging a look with Minerva. Both of them knew that Aidan couldn't leave the country, not with Dalton so young.

"What's our other option?" Minerva asked softly.

"We'd still have to move," Aidan snorted, "but not out of the country."

Minerva rose an eyebrow. "Really? Where?"

"Hogsmeade."

"That's more surprising than Russia." Minerva fiddled with her wedding ring. "At least we know the area, but why? What's so dangerous about Hogsmeade?"

"They want more protection in the village. I guess Dippet asked for more supervision around the school. He doesn't feel like it is a well-protected area, and given that there are students and staff in the village all the time, he wants it to be secure."

"Is this because of what happened with Albus?"

"I honestly don't even know that Dippet knows all of the specifics of that," Aidan admitted. "All I know is that they want experienced duellists around the school in case of any disturbance."

"Do the Aurors really think that the school is in danger?"

"No, I doubt it. I think they're just humouring Dippet," Aidan snorted. "If they do think there is danger, I'm no longer considered senior enough to know, and they have lost all consideration for my safety. If they don't think there's danger, this is their way of getting rid of me, with the offered pay raise tucked neatly into our luggage."

"I see. What do you think?"

Aidan looked at her, dumbfounded. "I think I have to take it. It's better than literally being sent to Siberia."

"I know that, dear. It's not like I want you to move to Siberia, either. But what about my career?" Minerva bit her lip. "I am also based out of London. I know I'm on leave at the moment with Dalton, but I had intended to go back to work after his first birthday. It would have been an adjustment for us both to go back to work, but I don't like the idea of being so far away from him. Not when he's this young, at the very least."

"We can't use him as an excuse, Min," Aidan pointed out. "Dalton is a secret, remember? In fact, even our marriage is a secret to most—our team definitely doesn't know."

"What makes you say that?"

"You're not going to like the answer," Aidan warned. "A lot of the men—including Moody—seem to think you're rather attractive, and have ongoing wagers about which one of them will be able to take you on a date when you get back."

"Where in Merlin's name do they all think I am? They do this in front of Callum?"

"The entire department was told that you went into hiding because of Callum and have remained off-duty due to stress, remember? And no, they don't say things in front of Callum. He's your brother."

"And you're my husband!"

"Min, they don't know that."

"Damn Albus and his meddling," Minerva cursed, looking skyward. At Aidan's curious glance, she elaborated, "I understand why we're keeping Dalton a secret, and I don't disagree, but it will cause innumerable complications throughout our lives. It will force us to keep our marriage a secret for the rest of our lives, especially since he has your last name. This situation won't be the worst of it, will it?"

"Most likely not," Aidan admitted, pulling her close to his chest. "But after what happened to Callum and Albus, I'd really rather we play it safe. When we venture out in public, I can become...well, whoever you want me to be. Your Transfiguration is good enough to make even your wildest dreams come true."

"Oh, stop." Minerva smiled despite herself and gently bumped his shoulder against her own. "We'll take the time to come up with special personas when the time comes." She frowned. "Which may be sooner rather than later, if we'll be wandering around Hogsmeade on a regular basis."

"Min, we'll make it work. I know it's not ideal, but we have magic on our side." Minerva snorted, and he smiled against her hair. "You've said it yourself: we can get anywhere in an instant, whether it be by Floo powder or Apparition. Your mother will be relatively close, geographically speaking, and Hogsmeade is a lovely place to live. Besides, Albus and Violet will be in the area. There's already another baby for Dalton to play with, and perhaps Violet can take Dalton for you if you need a break, or when you want to go back to work. I'm sure Albus could help find you a job in the village or even at Hogwarts, if you don't want to venture too far from Hogsmeade."

Minerva stiffened. Aidan didn't know that Albus had offered her a job at one of the Hogsmeade shops, and the thought brought back unpleasant memories. She also didn't know what to think about being that close to Albus. It was one thing to pay him the occasional visit, and another thing entirely to live in close proximity while raising their children.

"All right. I suppose if this is our only option, it's settled. When do we have to be there?"

"Next week," Aidan said grimly. "I know it's soon, but—"

"It's better than Siberia." Minerva finished for him. "At least it gives us some time to settle in before I think about going back to work. Let's go tell Ma and Dalton. Then, I suppose, all that's left to do is pack."

Two weeks later, the family had arrived and was settling comfortably into their new home. Minerva had to admit that the Ministry had given them a spacious house, and she was enjoying unpacking, feeling like they could finally settle for the first time since she found out she was pregnant.

It was during the special, slow period between Christmas and New Year's Eve that Minerva received an owl from Albus.

"Albus says that he's sending this ahead as a warning." Minerva read the letter slowly. "Oh, my. Violet wanted to come up with Albus and Athena and surprise us. They should be here any moment."

"Oh, hell. Make sure to shut all of the magic off!" Aidan called behind him, no doubt running to disable the wards.

"I don't think we can just shut the magic off, can we, Dalton?" Minerva muttered to her son. "Sometimes your father doesn't have a clue." Still, she picked Dalton up and carried him from room to room, ensuring the broomsticks were hidden and that the pots had stopped washing themselves in the kitchen.

"They're here!" Aidan yelled, and Minerva could hear voices coming from the hall. To her surprise, Violet pulled her in for a hug.

"It's wonderful to see you!" Violet gushed. "We see Callum quite often, but it's been a terribly long time since we've seen you both. And we both have new additions!"

"Yes, this is Dalton." Minerva smiled as Dalton waved of his own accord. "I can't believe he's almost one."

"He looks just like you," Albus said quietly. Somehow, seeing the boy made him more melancholy for Minerva than he had been in a long time.

"How unfortunate for him," Minerva quipped, earning some laughter. "And this must be Athena. It's wonderful to finally meet her," Minerva said gently as she smiled at the baby. "I don't believe you've ever told me her full name, Albus." She looked up expectantly.

Albus still looked like a cat had his tongue, so Violet interjected proudly, "Athena Marigold Dumbledore-Williams. Albus said it's a family tradition to keep an A name, and I chose the middle name after my grandmother. We decided to hyphenate the last name—Albus said it would be unfortunate for her to eventually go to his school and be known as the Deputy Headmaster's daughter."

"That would make it difficult for a number of reasons," Minerva agreed. She bit back a smile, knowing just how much would be expected of Athena if the world knew who her father was.

Albus nodded. "Nothing insurmountable, but not something I wish to burden my child with."

"I'll say," Aidan muttered. Clearing his throat, he said loudly, "Why don't you come into the living room? I'm afraid we're not fully settled in just yet, but we certainly have enough seating for everyone."

"Perfect," Violet declared, letting him lead the way. Neither noticed that Albus and Minerva hadn't moved.

"Will this be awkward, Albus?" Minerva asked quietly, smoothing her hand over Dalton's hair. "Or can we get past it?"

"This is not what I had envisioned when I thought about us raising our children together, I must admit," Albus replied lowly. He tipped his head, indicating that they should follow their significant others. "I do believe it will be good for Athena to have a friend in the area. Violet is rather protective, and so Athena doesn't see anyone but Callum's girls."

"Which is wonderful, but they're farther away, and since she doesn't know about magic..." Minerva trailed off, frowning. "Wait, does Violet think they take the train in from London every week?"

"No. I may have told her that Callum had access to a secret government airport in the area," Albus confessed. "It was the only rational explanation I could think of."

"Oh, dear." Minerva shook her head. She was about to enter the living room when Albus' hand on her wrist gave her pause, shooting familiar sparks up her arm. "What is it, Albus?"

"Nicolas and I have made an important discovery in our research. There appears to be some literature on the intent of spells, and we believe it may have implications for our bond."

"We didn't intend to bond, Albus."

"No, but it is a lead. A more promising lead than we've ever had." Albus looked at her, a mix of sadness and determination in his eyes. "I know how important this is to you. When you're more settled, we should talk about it with Aidan and Nicolas."

"Thank you, Albus." Minerva smiled genuinely before carefully moving out of his reach. She was intrigued by the concept of magical intent from an academic perspective, but she was surprised by the course of excitement running through her. For the first time, she felt that there was an end in sight. An ending that could set her free from Albus' padlocked love, and one that could open her mind to the possibility of another child.

For the first time in a long while, Minerva felt a glimmer of hope.