A/N: Thank you for all of the messages, reviews, favourites and follows!

For the disclaimer, please see the prologue.

Chapter Forty-Five: April 1949

Minerva performed the spell that would make her wedding and engagement rings invisible, something that had become part of her daily ritual since heading back to work after Dalton's first birthday. Before stepping through the Floo, she looked back at her family.

"Say goodbye to Mummy!" Aidan laughed, waving Dalton's arm.

"Mama!" Dalton said happily.

"Bye, my loves," Minerva whispered, blowing a kiss. She sighed inwardly and entered the fireplace, shouting "Ministry of Magic!" as she did.

Ever since returning to work, her family had settled into a routine. Minerva left for the Ministry early—it felt an insult to her late-rising tendencies, but it allowed her to arrive at work before most of her patriarchal, pig-headed colleagues joined her. After she left home, Aidan dropped Dalton off at Violet's before heading to his post in Hogsmeade. Violet was proving to be a wonderful babysitter, and Athena and Dalton were getting along swimmingly. On her way home, Minerva would pick Dalton up, and then prepare dinner so it was ready by the time Aidan finished his workday.

It wasn't a perfect arrangement, but it often felt like it was the best they could do, given that they were tied to Hogsmeade for the foreseeable future.

Arriving at work, Minerva shrugged her cloak off and flipped through the files at her desk. She had confided in Aidan that she wasn't enjoying her job nearly as much as she had before her time off. Minerva was sure part of that was missing Dalton, but unfortunately, the environment of her office had changed.

Amelia Bones—formerly Amelia Spinnet, Minerva's former Quidditch teammate—was responsible for the teams in the field; she was hardly ever in the office given the rising number of murders and battles. Minerva missed her dearly: she was the only other female Auror who had shared duties in the field and in the office, and now, Minerva was left alone in a sea of testosterone.

It didn't help that Minerva was unamused by her new boss, Alastor Moody. Elphinstone's original replacement, Goyle, had lasted only a few months before being turfed for inappropriate behaviour. Moody had suffered an injury on the field, and as an accomplished Auror, he was seen as a good fit for the supervisory role while he recuperated.

Minerva didn't have a problem with his credentials; however, she hated his pompous, macho attitude and his proclivity for asking her to dinner.

"Morning, Minnie McG," Moody sang as he entered the office, causing Minerva's jaw to clench. "How are you this fine morning?"

"I'd be better if you called me by name. Minerva."

"Everyone calls you Minerva. I thought it would be fun to have a work nickname for you." They had this conversation every day, and he always managed to provide a new reason.

Minerva bit her tongue and stopped herself from saying that her brother called her "Minnie," and her husband called her "McG". "Well, seeing as we are at work and in a professional environment, I'd like to stick with my given name, please."

"You need to be less uptight, Minerva," Moody taunted. He walked into his office and called, "Let me know if you need anything!"

"I wouldn't ask you for help if the world depended on it," Minerva muttered to herself. While she knew the reasons for her secret life, she found it made her work life even more unbearable. If she were able to tell Moody that she was actually a married mother, he wouldn't joke around with her in this manner. In fact, she would feel more justified in hexing his arse a time or ten.

"You know, he'll get over you eventually," a voice called from behind her. Minerva looked up to see Bartemius Crouch throwing his coat over his chair. The look on his face was sympathetic but factual. "I know he can be a prick, but Moody was starved for attention before he discovered he was good at this job. He was a Hufflepuff, after all."

Minerva pursed her lips, suppressing a smile. While Crouch was pure Slytherin without the Pureblooded nonsense, he still believed Slytherin to be the only worthy Hogwarts House. "Any advice for the meantime?"

"If you're available, I'd say go on a date with him and be so boring he won't want anything to do with you. He'll leave you alone if he no longer thinks you're worth the chase." Minerva blushed, and Crouch flashed a sly smile in her direction. "Ah. So you're unavailable. Is it serious?"

"I would like to think so," Minerva commented drily. "It certainly is to me."

"And you won't tell Moody about him? It would certainly keep him at bay if your partner came to our office and duelled him."

"He won't be doing that." For several reasons, she added silently. Aidan still felt rather put out by Moody for shipping him to Hogsmeade, which was quickly proving to be a tedious, menial job.

"Well," Crouch smirked, "if you want him to stop, you need to play his game. He puts on this air where he appears to be machismo, but really, he's just a Hufflepuff who likes brass tacks."

"Hmph," Minerva snorted. "I need to leave early tomorrow, so perhaps I'll play while I talk to him about that."

"Go now." Crouch nodded in the direction of Moody's office. "He's always easier to deal with in the morning after his first cup of coffee."

"You're not wrong. Thank you." Minerva smiled at him, thankful at least one of her colleagues was capable of a decent conversation. She headed to Moody's office and knocked on the door. "May I come in?"

"You're always welcome, dear Minerva! Come on in, sit down, make yourself comfortable. Feel free to shut the door." Moody sat behind his desk and gestured for her to join him.

"I'll be keeping it open," Minerva said firmly. She sat down across from him, and to her shock, he looked hurt.

"You do realize I would never hurt you, don't you?" Moody asked. His voice was quieter than she had ever heard it. "Jesus, Minerva. I'm not that kind of person."

"Then do us both a favour and stop with the bravado," Minerva snapped. "Honestly, this is a horrible place to work as the only female in this office. I've been back for almost three months, and I have been asked on a date every single day."

Moody looked taken aback. "I haven't asked you out every day."

"No, but Moody, you're the supervisor. You set the tone, and many of your employees also ask me out on dates. If Callum were around, would you be acting in this manner?"

She felt like the Prefect that had found a first-year sneaking around after curfew when he blushed redder than Gryffindor scarlet. "Minerva, I didn't know..."

"Would you?"

"No. No, I wouldn't," Moody said finally. He sighed deeply. "Merlin, Minerva, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you're my boss, Moody," Minerva explained, somewhat exasperated. She shook her head, hating office politics. "Let me put it this way: the Auror division is very much a man's workplace. There have been very few female Aurors, and right now, I'm the only one in the office on a daily basis. I know I've been away for a while, but I have earned the right to be here, and I deserve a safe workplace just as much as the rest of you."

"I'm sorry," Moody responded, somewhat shortly. He was too strong a character to give more credence to the apology than was necessary. "I'll do my best to be better. Is that what you want to hear?"

"Yes, please. I'd appreciate that. Thank you," Minerva added. She was sure to keep a note of respect in her voice.

"So, why did you come in here, anyway?" Moody's tone was gruff. "Was it just to criticize my leadership style?"

"It was to tell you that I'll be leaving early tomorrow for a personal matter."

Moody's eyebrows creased. "You always leave early."

She barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "I leave early because I start early—partially to work in peace, if you must know." Minerva looked at him pointedly. "But tomorrow, I'll be leaving earlier than normal. I'll still complete all of my work, but I have an appointment that is immovable."

"As long as you get your work done and no one has to make up any slack, I don't care," Moody responded. "Just tell me as you're leaving tomorrow, and we'll be fine."

"Thank you. I think I'll get back to work now." Minerva rose and made to leave, but a cough behind her caused her to stop. "Yes?"

"Thank you for being honest, Minerva. I'll work on it," Moody said quietly. "I can't change everyone, but I'll do better."

Minerva smiled tightly and left. She knew that, if not a friendship, a tentative bridge had been formed between herself and her boss.

The next day, Minerva anxiously Flooed home after work. She didn't know how to feel about her upcoming appointment, and she found herself anxiously fiddling with her wedding ring as she waited for Aidan to arrive.

"I'm here!" Aidan called, coming through the fireplace. "I checked on Dalton—Violet is fine to keep him late if this goes longer than we expect."

"Perfect. Thank you for making that pit stop, and thank you for taking the afternoon off," Minerva murmured gratefully. She wrapped her arms tightly around him. "I appreciate it."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Min. This is too important to us." Aidan leaned back so he could stroke her cheek. "We'll be okay, even if this doesn't work."

"I know, but..." Minerva trailed off. "I want it to work."

"That's half the battle. Are you ready to go?" At her nod, Aidan pulled the Portkey out from within his robes and offered it to her. "Don't let go."

"I wouldn't dare," Minerva said softly. She closed her eyes and held onto Aidan, only opening her eyes when she knew they had arrived and were on solid ground.

"Bienvenue!" Nicolas Flamel waved at the couple with a jovial smile on his face. "Aidan, it's lovely to see you. And Minerva, ma chérie, it's so wonderful to have you back. It's been a few years since your last visit."

"It has been far too long," Minerva agreed. She accepted a hug from the Frenchman, who, to her amusement, looked no older than he had the last time she had seen him. "Is Perenelle here?"

"Mais non. She sends her love, but she had a social engagement that, unfortunately, could not be avoided," Nicolas apologized. "If you'll come into the lab, Albus is already here."

They followed him, Aidan making sure he had a tight grip on Minerva's hand. He knew she was nervous about what they were about to do, and if he were asked, he would be forced to admit to the bundle of nerves settling in his stomach. To his surprise, seeing Albus in the lab was a relief, if only because he was a familiar sight.

"Albus, our guests are here!" Nicolas called by way of introduction.

"Ah. Good afternoon to you both." Albus inclined his head in greeting, but the customary twinkle in his eye was gone. "Shall we get started?"

"Before we do, I want to go over this process to ensure we're all on the same page," Nicolas began. "After all, Albus, we have been studying the alchemical formula for months. Our dear friends haven't had that luxury. Will you indulge me?"

"Of course." Albus waved his hand. "It is a good idea to have everyone fully aware and comfortable."

"I must say, I am slightly concerned for Minerva's safety," Aidan interjected. His eyes darted nervously between his two elders. "I've never heard of this sort of...ritual before, and I'm not sure what to expect."

"We're not entirely sure what to expect either, dear boy," Nicolas admitted. "It's an alchemical formula intended to mitigate the effects of the soul bond between Albus and Minerva. Albus and I have taken the formula and done our best to replicate the matching potion and runic knots. Our hope is that they will ingest the formula, and—I apologize, this part will most likely be painful—feel the bond weakening. There is no reason to believe this will completely dissolve the bond; however, it could, if we brewed it strongly enough."

"If?" Minerva arched an eyebrow. "The instructions don't say how strong it should be?"

"Admittedly, the instructions were rather vague other than the list of ingredients. We used our not inconsiderable knowledge in the subject to create the right measurements."

"Oh, Merlin," Minerva muttered. "I didn't realize there was so much guesswork involved." She pulled Aidan even closer, hoping his presence would provide comfort.

"Has this ever worked before?" Aidan asked, skeptical. "I mean, you obviously discovered this formula in your research. Did the research happen to include the results?"

"No." Nicolas released a slow breath. "All we can do is hope. There is another option. I know Albus talked to you both regarding our discovery of the importance of intent while bonding. We can perhaps undo the bond through reversing your intent."

"Yes, but you claimed that dissolution via intent would be infinitely riskier than mitigation through potion." Minerva frowned. "That's why we agreed to try the potion first. After all, it seems safer—plus you discovered it before you delved into the intent research."

"Quite right, Minerva." Albus flashed a rare smile. "While both are options, this is less risky than attempting full dissolution. Hopefully, this works, and we don't have to pursue that option."

"Exactly. Are you both ready, mes amis?" Nicolas looked between Albus and Minerva, who both nodded. The alchemist whispered to Aidan, "I feel it's better to just get on with it, n'est-ce pas?"

"You're the expert," Aidan murmured in reply. He kissed Minerva lovingly on the forehead before stepping back. "I'll be right here if you need me, all right?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "What do we do first, Nicolas?"

"Stand here." Nicolas positioned Albus and Minerva accordingly. "Perfect. Now, Minerva, loop your hand through this knot here. Yes, just like that. Albus, do the same, please. Now, clasp your hands together." He checked their positioning. "Parfait. I'm going to get the potion." Nicolas paused as he carefully withdrew the potion from its spot in the refrigerator. He poured it into two goblets and placed them gently in the pair's open hands.

Minerva took a sniff. "Merlin, that's putrid."

"It was worse when we were brewing it, to be truthful," Albus muttered. "Are we ready to drink, my friend?"

Nicolas nodded. "I'll begin the chanting, and when I stop, that's your signal to drink. No matter what happens when you drink it—no matter how poorly it makes you feel—do not release each other's hands, all right? And remember: do your best to keep the bond closed throughout the process."

The pair murmured their consent as Aidan watched, nervously picking at his fingernails.

"Then we shall begin." Nicolas clapped his hands together. "Bon courage." He began to chant an ancient, runic rhyme that sent chills down Aidan's spine. Aidan watched as Minerva and Albus were instantly engulfed by a bright turquoise light. He squinted as it settled around the pair's shoulders, and frowned when it almost seemed to hiss. The entire process, what with Nicolas' melodic voice, was hypnotic.

Finally, Nicolas finished his chanting and gestured at the pair to drink. Minerva glanced at Albus nervously, who merely winked at her. She raised the goblet to her lips and chugged the potion, immediately wishing she hadn't.

It burned its way down her esophagus. Minerva groaned, doubling over and bringing Albus with her. She could hear him grunting; clearly, Albus was not enjoying the potion, either.

Aidan sucked in a breath as he watched Minerva drop the goblet. He hated when she was in pain, and even more so when he was powerless to stop it.

"Is this working?" Aidan hissed in Nicolas' ear. "They look like it might kill them!"

"Shh, mon fils. It will be over soon." Nicolas patted Aidan's forearm and gripped it tightly. "They're already coming out of it, see?"

Aidan looked over in time to see the glowing light slowly fade away. When Nicolas finally pronounced, "You may release each other!", Aidan ran to his wife's side.

"Are you all right?" he asked, checking her over and helping her stand. "Do you need anything?"

"I may need a moment to catch my breath," Minerva admitted. She held onto his hands tightly. "Merlin, that was unpleasant."

"Certainly not an experience I would wish to repeat," Albus agreed. He straightened his back and winced. "I fear my stomach may be upset for a while."

"When will we know if it worked?" Aidan looked between Albus and Nicolas. "Is it possible to know now?"

"There is no reason to believe there would be a delay in its effects," Nicolas shrugged. "Why don't you try to be receptive to your bond?"

Minerva and Albus focused on each other and instantly fell to the ground.

"Min!" Aidan cried. "What's happening?"

"I feel his pain, along with mine." Minerva gritted her teeth. "Fuck, that's painful."

"Does that mean it didn't work?" Aidan looked harshly at Nicolas. "What went wrong?" He looked at Minerva and shook his head, as though changing his priorities. "Do you have anything to help them right now?"

"The potion will wear off in its own time," Nicolas apologized. "I'm gathering that it didn't work, hmm?"

"As usual, your wonderfully intelligent brain has come to the correct conclusion." Albus groaned as he stood up. "I presume that the pain would not have doubled had the potion worked."

"This is most unfortunate," Nicholas murmured to himself. He looked between Minerva and Albus, then said, "Would either of you want to attempt pure dissolution?"

Aidan looked at him bewilderedly. "Are you mad?" he asked, his tone aghast. "They're clearly both in pain."

"I didn't mean now, Aidan," Nicolas responded. "They will need time to recover, and Albus and I will need time to prepare."

"Can we not discuss this right now?" Minerva interjected. She was not in the mood to hear Aidan bicker with Nicolas, and she was disappointed that the ritual had not worked. "If you don't need us for anything else, I would like to recuperate at home."

"Of course." Nicolas nodded swiftly. "I can help Aidan walk you back to the Portkey and make sure you're situated. If it isn't too much of an inconvenience, I would like to visit you in a few hours. I care about your well-being, of course, but I also would like to assess how your body is faring."

"From a research perspective?" Minerva rose an eyebrow. "That should be fine."

"Thank you." Nicolas bowed his head in appreciation. "I must admit that the results will be interesting from a scholarship perspective; however, I do want our findings to inform our approach to dissolution."

"I appreciate that you still want to try," Minerva said softly, "but please, don't get my hopes up until you're sure it will work. As sure as you can be, of course."

Albus watched his friend nod and maneuver himself under Minerva's free arm. As the trio made to leave the room, Albus called, "Minerva! I am sorry it didn't work."

She turned back to flash a brief smile at him. "It's not your fault, Albus. I'm sure you didn't sabotage the process."

As he watched them go, Albus and Minerva shared a disturbing thought.

Had he?

It was now the weekend, and Albus was stewing over their failure to mitigate his bond. From a scholarship point of view, he wanted to know his own failings, and the correct alchemical solution. From a personal perspective, he couldn't determine how he felt. The disappointed look on Minerva's face had sent tiny needles into his heart, but Albus couldn't help but wonder if he had done something—subconsciously, of course—to ensure the process would fail.

Unfortunately, Albus had other work to do. On top of his regular Hogwarts duties, Callum was on his way to the school for their weekly sessions. They were proving to be fruitful: the men were gradually healing, and they were gaining more information about their captors. Given their strides forward, Ro would be joining them this week, hopefully with more intelligence.

Albus rose when he heard a knock on his office door. "Enter!"

Ro and Callum shuffled into the room. "Hi, Albus."

"Hello, Callum." Albus nodded in his direction before turning his attention amusedly towards Ro, who was looking around the office with an open mouth. "What has your attention, Ro?"

"I don't think I've been in your office before," Ro said, still assessing. "You have a lot of shiny toys."

Callum laughed. "Wait until you see his quarters."

Ro's eyebrows kissed her hairline. "We're going into Albus' quarters?"

"While I am sure this may be awkward for you, it is more conducive to our purpose." Albus led them through to his personal suite. "We are much less likely to be interrupted by students in here."

"Hmph," Ro snorted. She lazily plunked herself into the first armchair she saw. "All right, why have I been dragged away from my girlfriend on my day off?"

Albus and Callum looked nervously at each other. Callum eventually said, "Albus and I have been going through our memories in captivity, little by little. We're trying to see what information we can glean and piece it together with what you and I find on the Unspeakables floor."

"That is interesting." Ro leaned forward and clasped her hands together. "What do you know so far?"

Albus Summoned a large board. "We've been placing all of our information here," he explained. "We now believe Callum to be correct: someone from the future is coming to the past to try to hurt us."

"So it's not Grindelwald, like we originally thought."

Callum shook his head. "No. These people talk about things we've never heard of, and we heard them mention who the next Minister for Magic will be. We're not going to tell you, but needless to say, that person has never been Minister before."

"At least, not in our current timeline," Albus added, sighing. "We also know that Tom Riddle has significant involvement in this...organization."

"Riddle is a bloody puppet master," Callum said spitefully, taking over. "Riddle isn't the leader—he also refers to a Leader Q—but everyone else obeyed him. He earned their deference, and they only tortured us on his orders."

"Do you think that's why they took you both?" Ro asked, as gently as she could. "It's no secret Riddle doesn't like either of you."

Both men stared at her.

"Oh, seriously?" Ro groaned, exasperated. "I hear a lot when I'm surrounded by the Slytherin Unspeakables, but come on, you two. His hatred is easy enough for any observer to see, especially two people as intelligent as yourselves."

"Ro," Callum said warningly, "why don't you tell us what you know?"

"Riddle has always hated you, Albus," Ro answered bluntly. "You'd know the reasons why better than I would, but you were the one professor who didn't coddle him, and he never could earn your respect. It was plain as day when we were students. And now? Now, he tells all of his friends in our department that Dippet needs to live forever so that Hogwarts doesn't fall into your eager but incapable hands."

Albus' lips pursed. "Yes, I can think of a few reasons why he doesn't send me a holiday card. I can't say I ever thought he would meddle in time in order to kill me."

"Well, I'll leave you to think about that, and you can feel free to disclose anything if you wish. Callum, your problem is that you're Minerva's brother, and Riddle has had a fascination with her for a long time. He probably thought she would come after you—a good guess, I wager, because she would have been on the field in a second had she not been pregnant."

Callum paled. "He's obsessed with Minnie? I thought he had just asked her to Slughorn's ball!"

"Yes," Ro said patiently, "but that was just the start. He gave her a creepy birthday gift at some point—"

"The journal?" Albus interrupted.

"Yes," Ro answered, not thrilled with the interruption. "Min told me about that a couple of years ago when she graduated from her mastery. I asked what she wanted for a gift, and she said, "Anything but a diary." I managed to get the story out of her, but I got the feeling there was more to the story.

"If that wasn't enough, I overheard a conversation between Riddle and some of his cronies on our team. Someone made a joke about..." Ro trailed off, blushing uncharacteristically. She inhaled deeply and started again. "Someone made a joke about doing unsavoury things to Minerva. Everyone laughed, but Riddle shut it down instantly. He essentially made it known that he would deal with her, and she was off-limits to the rest of the scum."

"Well, fuck," Callum said plainly. "What do we do about that?"

"Depends," Ro shrugged. "I don't think she's in any immediate danger, not while she's with the Aurors, at any rate. How much more information can your memories yield?"

"Hopefully, quite a lot more." Albus looked up. It angered him that Riddle thought of Minerva as his, and it angered him even more that he might be part of the reason why. "We're still having some difficulties hearing certain conversations. Apparently, our hearing was rather addled due to some of the torture we endured. We need to do some research and see what charm may be able to help us hear more clearly."

"I hope you find it," Ro commented. "I've never before seen a spell that would only alter the audio of a memory."

"We'll find one or invent one ourselves," Callum declared firmly. "I never liked Riddle, but if he's obsessed with Minnie, I have even more of a desire to end this."

So do I, Albus thought, his mind already churning. So do I.