A/N: Thank you for reading and for all of your messages. For reference, the last chapter took place December 1965.

For the disclaimer, please see the prologue.

Chapter Fifty-Nine: April 1966

"Miss Williams? What are you doing here?" Poppy asked upon seeing Athena enter the Hospital Wing. "Are you sick?"

Athena took a quick look around before replying, "Can't I just want to see one of my favourite aunts?"

"Yes, but you never visit me." Poppy quirked an eyebrow. "Why are you here, missy?"

"Can I talk to you privately?" Athena asked. "It's important."

Poppy felt a sense of dread. She had indeed been informed that Athena and Dalton had bonded, and she had a sneaking suspicion about the true nature of Athena's visit. "Yes, come into my office. You're lucky, Easter break is always quieter around here."

Athena followed Poppy into her office. She sat down, and when Poppy looked at her expectantly, Athena said, "I think I may be pregnant, and I need you to confirm it for me."

Poppy groaned. "Damn it, Athena, really?"

"Yes," Athena replied unflinchingly. "I'm late, and I feel terrible. All the time."

"How could you let this happen?" Poppy looked sternly at her best friend's daughter. "You're more responsible than this."

"Can you please just be my Medi-Witch for now? Then, once we've figured this out, you can play the disappointed aunt all you want."

"Fine." Poppy pursed her lips. "We can use the private examination room. I can't imagine you'd want Minerva or Albus popping in here and catching wind of this."

Athena winced. "No, I really would rather avoid that. If it is a false alarm, I don't want them knowing this ever happened."

"More secrets for me. Brilliant," Poppy muttered. "Come, let's go."

When Athena was settled on a bed, she looked nervously up at her aunt. "This won't hurt, will it?"

"It'll hurt less than what your father is going to do to Dalton if you're right." Poppy smiled gently when Athena's eyes widened. "I'm jesting, dear. Your stomach will simply feel a bit warm, all right?"

"Okay." Athena closed her eyes. "I'm ready." She felt a warmth spreading over her stomach. "Oh, this feels weird."

"I've heard it's odd," Poppy said sympathetically. "It's ending now, all right?"

Athena cracked an eye open. "What's the verdict?"

"Well," Poppy sighed, "you're definitely pregnant."

Athena exhaled slowly. "I thought so."

"And you, like your father, are usually correct. So," Poppy said, "am I allowed to be your disappointed aunt now?"

"Go ahead. Get it over with. It'll prepare me for Dad." She grimaced. "Be hard on me, please."

"I don't want to be hard on you, Athena. This is just going to make your life a lot harder—especially given the careers you and Dalton intend on pursuing. If this pregnancy had shown up on your medical records a few months back, I never would have signed off on those medical clearance forms."

"I know, I know," Athena replied heavily. "I know this doesn't bode well for the future we had planned."

"Does Dalton know?" Poppy asked, somewhat hesitantly.

Athena's eyes flew up. "Of course he knows! He and I had a very long conversation about who to tell first."

"And you decided on me?" Poppy asked drily.

"You were the most practical choice," Athena said, shrugging. "You have actual medical training, and we knew you'd give me the results of the test in an objective fashion. I wasn't going to subject myself to telling Min or Dad and then have it be a false alarm."

"Well, that's one conversation you won't be having." Poppy shook her head. "Oh, my dear. How do you feel? How does Dalton feel?"

"He seems excited. Very excited."

"And you're not?" Poppy asked sympathetically.

"It's not that I'm unexcited. It's just—well, you know us. Dalton has a way of getting ahead of things and seeing a bright ending, no matter the cost of getting there. I'm a bit more practical." Athena bit her lip. "It's why he's not here with me now, to be honest. I wanted to do this alone to see how I feel about it—without his reaction."

"Are you going to tell me how you feel, or will I be waiting until you tell Dalton?"

"I know it goes beyond all reason, but I think I want this baby," Athena whispered. "Is that strange?"

"No." Poppy flashed her a tight smile. "No, dear, it makes you human. But your life will be harder than it otherwise would have been, you understand?"

"Yes, I know." Athena reached out and took hold of Poppy's hand and squeezed it. "Thank you so much, Poppy."

"You're welcome." Poppy looked at the door. "Oh, someone needs in. You wait here until I come and get you, all right?"

Athena nodded her assent and waited for a few minutes. She grinned when she saw Poppy bring Dalton in behind her. "Hi, D."

"So," Dalton asked nervously, "what's the story?"

Athena looked briefly at Poppy before smiling. "We were right. There's a baby."

"And how do you feel?" Dalton looked at his partner expectantly.

Poppy felt a small sense of pride blossom in her chest. She had seen this situation many a time, and few people ever kept their emotions private for the sake of their pregnant partners.

"I think I'm excited." Athena smiled shyly. "I want it."

"You're sure?" When Athena nodded, Dalton rushed over and hugged her. "We won't regret this."

"You best remind me of that when my ankles are swollen and I can't see my feet anymore." Athena inhaled deeply. "Now that we know, we have to decide how to tell our parents."

Dalton paled. "That'll suck."

Athena snorted. "Undoubtedly. But, if we want their support, we need to tell them straight away. No dawdling."

"Well said," Poppy said approvingly. "Does this mean I have to keep this a secret?"

Dalton grimaced. "For now, if that's okay?"

"Yes, Poppy, if you don't mind." Athena nodded her agreement. "Our parents can't hear this from anyone but us."

Poppy shook her head. "I suppose you'll ask me to keep it from Ro, won't you?"

"Please," Dalton begged. "Until we tell our parents. We love Ro, but she would just lord it over Ma and drive her crazy."

"You're probably right about that," Poppy said, laughing. "But for the record, sir, you are too much like your mother—you somehow get me to keep secrets for you against my better judgment."

"Thank you," Dalton breathed. "You're the best aunt ever."

"You know," Poppy grinned, "I'm excited for Min to find out. I can't wait until Ro and I can tease her about becoming a grandmother."

"Merlin, wait a while to tease her, will you?" Athena groaned. "I need her to get accustomed to the idea first before we give her more reasons to be angry."

Poppy smirked. "Fine. You'll be in enough hot water as it is. When are you planning on telling your parents, anyway?"

Athena looked at Dalton before responding. "We think we'll tell Min before Dad—for all of her Scottish rage, her anger has nothing on Dad's."

"She's very good at calming him down provided she isn't blindsided," Dalton supplied helpfully.

"Your mother has always been good at that," Poppy agreed, laughing. "So, when?"

"This weekend, before all of the students come back from Easter break," Athena said. "Today's Friday—we might as well tell her tomorrow."

"Yeah, fewer witnesses to our murders," Dalton muttered. "It's a good plan, though."

"Good." Poppy nodded decisively. "Tell her tomorrow—I will not be able to keep this a secret for long."

At lunch on Saturday, Minerva kept catching Poppy looking at her nervously out of the corner of her eye. Eventually, she sighed and looked at her friend. "Poppy, why do you keep looking at me like I'm about to implode?"

"You know, Min, I'd like to know the answer to that myself." Ro jumped in the conversation, leaning over her wife to talk to Minerva. "She was walking on eggshells all morning. Wouldn't even look at me."

Minerva raised an eyebrow. "Poppy, what's going on?"

"Nothing's going on. I'm just..." Poppy thought for a moment. "Stressed. I'm stressed."

"You're stressed? About what?" Ro frowned. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired." Poppy waved her hand. "I'm fine. Let's change the subject."

"To what?" Ro asked, somewhat bemused. "What are you hiding?"

Poppy looked around to confirm their colleagues were otherwise occupied. "Have you seen the kids lately?"

"Poppy, they're here over the Easter break. Yes, I've seen them. In fact, we have plans after dinner." Minerva narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason. I thought you might be spending some time together over the break, that's all."

Ro stared at her wife incredulously. "You know something, Pops. What the hell is going on?"

"Ro, I said nothing. I was simply asking our friend if she's seen them."

"Now that you've drawn my attention to it, Poppy, neither of them is here." Minerva's eyes searched the Gryffindor table. "And they asked if I'd be in my rooms after lunch. They said they needed the space."

Poppy stabbed at her salad nervously. "Will you be there?" She had no idea how her pseudo-niece and nephew were planning on telling Minerva, but she wouldn't put it past them to decorate Minerva's rooms with a Congratulations, Grandma! sign.

"I was going to spend some time getting to know Pomona," Minerva said, referring to the new Herbology professor, "but I'm suspicious now."

"I'm sure there's no reason to be suspicious." Poppy looked at her friend earnestly. "I was just asking, honest."

"You were also watching Min like you were afraid she'd sprout five new heads," Ro commented. "And you're not meeting my gaze. You know something."

"Whether I know something or not is not the point," Poppy admonished. "The point is that I was asking after the well-being of two people I care about very much."

Minerva and Ro exchanged glances. Minerva sighed deeply, replying, "I'll stay out of my rooms for a couple of hours, but I'm going back earlier than I said I would. I want to know what they're up to."

"Let's hope you don't walk in on them again," Ro snorted, earning a smack on the arm from Poppy.

Precisely two hours later, Minerva took a deep breath before entering her rooms. She found Athena and Dalton cuddling on the couch. "Hello, you two."

"Ma!" Dalton sat up straight. "You weren't supposed to be here until after dinner."

"That was the plan, yes. Until I realized how odd it was for you to ask for my rooms for a whole afternoon." Minerva looked at them carefully. "You both look happy enough. What required the use of my rooms? Do I want to know?"

Athena looked happily at Dalton and smiled. "I think so, Min." She stuck out her left hand, displaying a simple band on her ring finger. "Dalton proposed!"

Minerva's hand flew to her cheek. "I beg your pardon?"

Athena faltered slightly, but soldiered on. "He proposed, Min! And he wanted to do it here, where we've spent so much of our lives together! We always acted like a family, and now it's official." She leapt off the couch so she could hug Minerva. "Now, you'll really be my mum."

Minerva hesitantly returned the hug. "I'm sorry, but this is a wee bit of a shock."

"We understand." Athena smiled warmly. "I'm sure it feels like it came out of nowhere."

"Well, yes," Minerva admitted. "I must confess that doing this with two months of school left seems a bit premature."

Dalton led Minerva to the couch, making sure she was resting against the cushions in case their other piece of news caused her to fall over. "Well, Ma, it's not premature. You see, we're—"

"We're pregnant," Athena finished. She wore a nervous smile on her face. "We just found out yesterday."

"I beg your pardon?" Minerva repeated hoarsely. "You're—you're pregnant?"

"Yes," Dalton said. He wrapped a protective arm around Athena. "Poppy says we're due sometime in November."

"Poppy," Minerva said faintly. "That's why she was looking at me weirdly all throughout lunch."

"I knew she couldn't keep it a secret," Dalton murmured. "Ma, are you okay?"

"No. No, not really." Minerva gathered the strength to look at her son. "You're still in school, and you just told me that not only will you be getting married, but there's a baby on the way." A thought occurred to her. "Tell me you didn't propose because of the baby."

"We had talked about getting married after school anyways, Min," Athena said gently. "We love each other, and what with the soul-bond and our chosen career path, it just makes sense to be legally bound. The baby simply...expedited the nuptial part of the plan."

"Besides," Dalton added, "look at Uncle Cal and Aunt Lucy. They were young when they got married and young parents, too!"

Minerva looked incredulously at Dalton. "You know that that's not exactly how it happened. They finished school first. Merlin, I wish you would have waited until after graduation."

"That's not fair," Dalton retorted angrily. "You all married and got knocked up right after school!"

"Well, no, not everyone—Albus wasn't a new graduate when he and Violet got together, for Heaven's sake. And wartime is a different matter altogether." Minerva waved her hand dismissively. "Besides, your father and I waited until well after our graduation to—as you so nicely phrased it—get knocked up."

"We're also in the midst of a war, mom." Dalton rolled his eyes. "Honestly."

"Are we?" Minerva exclaimed. "What war is going on, pray tell?"

"He doesn't know why he said that," Athena murmured, nudging Dalton. "Of course we're not in the middle of a war."

Minerva narrowed her eyes, but let it rest. "Have either of you spoken to Albus about this?"

"I think you know that the only real opinion that matters to us is yours," Dalton said quietly. "We love Albus, but—as weird as this is to say now—you truly are the one that raised us both."

"Albus did his best," Minerva sighed. "He wasn't perfect, but he tried."

"Yes, he did," Dalton agreed, "but much like the running of this school, you picked up the parental slack while he was busy being Albus Dumbledore."

Minerva realized her son had a point.

"Look, Min, I love Dad," Athena began softly, "but the only reason he even had half an idea of what to do is because you were there, telling him which way was up."

"I wish you wouldn't say that about your father," Minerva uttered wearily. "He loves you—both of you—dearly."

"And I love him," Athena said earnestly. She took Minerva's hands in hers. "But we wanted to tell you first."

"Are you sure it's not that you wanted me to be able to calm Albus down?" Minerva asked, smirking.

"Well, that's part of it," Athena confessed. "You have a way with Dad."

"Oh, do I?" Minerva laughed softly. "That's news to me."

Dalton rolled his eyes. "No, it's not."

Athena nudged Dalton. "Stop. Now, Min, we were thinking of telling Dad tomorrow. During our usual Sunday gathering."

Minerva raised an eyebrow. "You expect me to keep this from your father for another twenty-four hours?"

"Yes?" Athena answered uncertainly. "Why?"

"I don't know about the two of you, but I certainly don't relish the idea of sitting next to Albus at dinner tonight, breakfast tomorrow, and lunch tomorrow while keeping this large of a secret from him." She looked at the teenagers in front of her. "Please don't ask me to do that. I understand asking Poppy—she's a Medi-Witch, and that was a reasonable decision, but I feel very uncomfortable keeping this from Albus."

"That's a fair point," Dalton said, sighing. "What about after breakfast tomorrow?"

"What, you don't have the nerve to do it tonight?" Athena teased.

"No, I definitely do not," Dalton replied bluntly.

"Well, it shall be a sleepless night for me, but the morning is better than waiting all day," Minerva assented. "Merlin."

Athena gave Dalton a slight nudge. "I'll meet you back in the common room, okay?"

"Okay," Dalton agreed. He waited until Athena left before he looked at his mother nervously. "Ma?"

"Yes, Dalton?" Minerva asked wearily from her spot on the couch.

"Are you angry?" His voice was quiet, and for a moment, Minerva could almost believe he was five years old again.

"I'm not thrilled, darling." Minerva sighed. "This is not what I expected to hear today. Or even for a few years, to be truthful."

"Can I sit with you?"

"Of course you can."

"Ma," he said tentatively once he sat down, "I don't want you to be disappointed in me."

"I'm not disappointed in you. I'm just disappointed. A baby is a lot of work, Dalton. And this..." Minerva sighed again. "It's not going to derail your life, but a lot of what you wanted is going to have to change. Especially for Athena. Pregnancy while soul-bonded isn't something I'd wish on anyone."

"Is it riskier?" Dalton's voice was nervous.

Minerva looked at her son sternly. "Yes. You're going to have to be very careful now. Anything you feel, she feels, remember? If you take a tumble down the stairs and break your ribs, Athena will feel the pain. Depending on the severity of your injury, it will injure her, too."

"Oh, Merlin." Dalton ran his hands through his hair. "I'm going to have to stop playing Quidditch."

Minerva pursed her lips. "I'd rather you didn't until that Quidditch Cup is guaranteed in my office for another year."

"Ma! We're talking about Athena's safety! And the well-being of your grandchild!"

Minerva leaned back against the couch. "Merlin. My grandchild."

"You're going to be a grandma," Dalton said, smiling slightly. "That's kind of cool, right?"

"I suppose." Minerva chuckled. "About Quidditch though, darling—I was kidding. You're all obviously worth more to me than a Cup, but you really should talk to Athena about risks you're willing to take."

"Yeah, you're right."

"And you're sure about this?" Minerva asked softly. She placed a hand on his shoulder affectionately. "Are you ready for this?"

"Are you asking me because Athena left, and now it's just us?" Dalton wore a wry smile on his face.

"Perhaps," Minerva admitted, laughing. "I want to know how you're feeling, darling, that's all."

"I don't feel nervous about marrying her," Dalton said, almost excitedly. "I feel like that was going to happen no matter what. It's happening a little earlier than I had thought it would, but that was almost inevitable, don't you think?"

"You two were always inseparable. Perhaps we should have done a better job of socializing you with others," Minerva joked.

"You kept us hidden," Dalton reminded gently.

"That'll be a conversation that Albus will want to have, as well. And for good reason. We'll have to consider keeping this pregnancy a secret."

"We'll figure it all out."

"I'll give you one thing—your optimism is as infectious as your father's," Minerva informed him, smiling when his face lit up.

"Let's hope my optimism extends to tomorrow with Albus."

"Oh, it's not that infectious, darling."

The next morning at breakfast, Minerva watched Albus out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to catalogue his movements in case it ended up being his last meal.

She wouldn't put it past him to try to lock their children away forever and get hurt in the process.

"Albus," Minerva said softly, "would you be able to come to my quarters after we finish here?"

"Yes, of course, my dear. Is everything all right?" Albus asked.

She smiled tightly. "We just need to have a conversation, that's all."

"I know that smile," Albus murmured lowly, leaning in. "What's truly going on?"

Minerva sighed, hating her inability to lie to him. "We all just need to have a conversation, Albus."

"All?" Albus raised an eyebrow. "Well, that can only mean trouble."

She patted his hand. "You're not wrong, dear."

Albus threw his fork down with a clatter. "All right, then, let's just go now."

"Really?"

"My appetite has disappeared," Albus said, sighing. He met Athena's gaze across the Great Hall and nodded slightly. "There. They'll meet us in your quarters, I presume?"

"Yes." Minerva rose from the table and looked at Poppy, who smiled sympathetically.

They walked in silence to Minerva's quarters. Albus had an inkling that he wanted to live in ignorance for as long as he could, and Minerva was not going to give him a hint.

She loved her son, but she wasn't going to take that bullet for him. Minerva opened the door to her quarters and led Albus inside.

"Well?" Albus asked their children. "Why am I here, all doom and gloom on Easter Sunday?"

"Maybe you should sit down, Dad," Athena said gently.

"I don't need to sit down." Albus rolled his eyes. "What are the theatrics about?"

"Albus, you really should sit." Minerva looked at him. "Please. I don't need you fainting."

He widened his eyes. "Oh, all right then."

Dalton looked at his mother. "Ma, perhaps you should sit beside him."

Minerva rolled her eyes, but obliged.

"What is going on?" Albus asked, truly nervous now. "Athena, are you all right?"

"Yes, Dad. I'm more than all right." Athena looked at Dalton, and when he nodded, she stuck her left hand out. "We're engaged!"

Albus opened his mouth and closed it, repeating the action several times. He looked between the three of them as he did so, clearly not comprehending.

"Dad?" Athena eventually asked, concerned.

"I...I..." Albus looked at Minerva. "I feel faint."

"Breathe. Deep breaths." Minerva nodded encouragingly.

Albus inhaled deeply. "How come I didn't know about this?"

"Sorry?" Dalton looked confused.

"Shouldn't you have asked me first?"

"Dad, that's a bit patriarchal." Athena rolled her eyes. "Honestly."

Albus looked at Minerva for help, but she simply shrugged. "Your daughter is right, Al. That's a bit much to ask, especially in this day and age."

"When did this happen?" Albus inquired.

"Yesterday," Dalton confirmed. "I asked her here, in Ma's rooms. I thought it was fitting, seeing as we spend so much time as a family here."

"I see." Albus turned to Minerva. "And do you think this is a good idea?"

Minerva looked at Albus, flustered. "I don't think it's inherently a bad idea. I'll admit I wish they would have waited until they graduated, but it's happening whether I think it's a good idea or not."

"You're just going to accept this?" Albus asked, aghast.

"If you don't accept this, you're in for a wee shock when you hear the other bit of news." Minerva stared expectantly at Athena and Dalton.

"There's more? What could possibly top this?" Albus's face creased as his mind sorted through the possibilities. "No, Min. No."

Minerva simply shook her head. "Don't say that to me. None of this was my doing."

"Athena?" Albus asked, his voice a whisper.

His daughter bit her lip. "Dad, I'm pregnant. I'm due in November, and I know this is a lot to take in, but we've given this a lot of thought—"

This time, Albus really did faint.

"Oh, Merlin." Minerva stared at Albus. "I'm glad we sat him down. Dalton, be a darling and go and get Poppy, please. Use the Floo. Then, I want you two to return to the common room."

"But Min!" Athena protested.

Minerva shook her head. "I will tell you if this is anything serious, but I believe your father is merely in shock. I will deal with him. He just needs some processing time. Now, Dalton, go."

Dalton popped into the Floo and returned with Poppy a moment later.

"He didn't take the news well, did he?" Poppy frowned. "Well, that was to be expected, I suppose."

"Dalton, Athena—out." Minerva nodded at the door and waited for them to leave before sighing heavily. "What do we do with him?"

"I need him to rest," Poppy said. "Can you Transfigure the couch into a bed for me? That is your area of expertise, after all."

"I'll just levitate him onto my bed," Minerva replied, shrugging. She cast a weightless charm on Albus and sent him gently into her bedroom.

"Right, I forgot that he wouldn't find it strange to wake up in your bed," Poppy smirked, laughing.

Minerva glared at her friend. "That hasn't happened in quite some time, thank you very much. Now, can you do your job and check him over, please?"

Poppy sighed. "Obviously. Give me a minute." She waved her hand around for a few minutes. "Yes, he's fine. He's in shock and needs to sleep it off."

"Ah." Minerva nodded decisively. "I will sit here and wait for him to wake up."

Poppy had a bemused smile on her face. "Min, you don't need to babysit him."

"He is my friend and my future grandchild's grandfather, as odd as that is to say," Minerva said, frowning slightly. "I want to make sure he's all right."

"Okay, Min." Poppy gave her friend a hug. Poppy knew that Minerva cared about Albus for more reasons than she was letting on, but she let it rest. Minerva had had a rough twenty-four hours, and Poppy needed to give her space to process it all. "I'll be in the Hospital Wing if you need me. If I'm not there, just try our quarters."

"Thank you," Minerva said softly, her eyes never leaving Albus' face.

Poppy left the room quietly, and Minerva sat stoically until Albus woke up three-quarters of an hour later.

"Hi, Al." She smiled gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was run over by the Knight Bus," Albus groaned. "What happened?"

"You went into shock, and then you fainted. Do you remember—"

"Do I remember that not only my daughter is getting married, but she's pregnant?" Albus raised an eyebrow. "Unfortunately."

"Al—"

"Minerva, tell me you think this is ridiculous."

"I don't love it," Minerva confessed. "This isn't what I had imagined for them."

"We don't even know what their chosen careers are—nor how this will impact that. Knowing our children, I doubt they wanted a simple office job." Albus looked at her. "Do you know what their intended profession is?"

"No, of course, I don't."

"Well, they could have told you first. They seem to do that with everything." Albus sounded hurt.

"Oh, Albus," Minerva said, sighing. "They just think that I am able to calm you down, that's all. Not that that strategy worked today, hmm?"

Albus smiled sheepishly. "Are they still here?"

"No, I sent them back to the common room."

"They're just kids, Min. This is...ridiculous. When are they planning on getting married, anyway?"

"I'm not entirely certain. Last night, Dalton told me that they were thinking of a summer wedding. They want to finish school first, but they want to make their marriage official before the baby. I don't dislike the idea," Minerva replied.

"Sounds just like Callum and Lucy," Albus said.

"Indeed."

They sat in silence for a while until Albus admitted softly, "I wish they weren't doing this."

"I wish they were waiting, too, Albus," Minerva agreed. "It's not like I wanted to be a grandmother at forty-one. I had hoped they would grow up a bit first."

"No, Min, not like that." Albus turned to look at her. "I mean, yes, I agree with that. But I'm worried. I had hoped that we would have caught Tom and Katrina by the time either of us had grandchildren." He paused. "I've also heard rumblings from a contact in Europe—there may be a new dark lord on the rise."

"A new dark lord?" Minerva gasped.

"Well, that descriptor might be a tad ambitious," Albus replied, sighing. "I don't know if this wizard has the capacity to wreak as much havoc as Gellert. The rumours are just serious enough to worry me, that's all."

"I know where you're coming from, Al," Minerva said slowly. "Truly, I do. I don't love the idea of anyone hurting our family—I've already lived that, and I know you have, too. But we can't ask them to not do this simply out of fear. There are a hundred other reasons, mind you—but fear is a poor excuse. You know that."

"I do," Albus uttered. "That doesn't mean I like it, though."

"All we can do is protect our children—and their children—as best as we can. If that means we need to up the ante on our Tom research, we will do that. We can get through this, Al." Minerva pushed a few strands of hair away from his face. "I have faith in us, and I have faith in our kids."

"We can't really call them kids if they're having kids, can we?" Albus chuckled. "Can we really do this?"

"What, be grandparents?" Minerva laughed and rested her head on his shoulder. "It can't be worse than being a parent, can it?"

"It feels like it's a lot more worry, even if it's less work," Albus said. "We better not be roped into taking care of this baby all the time."

"You say that, but you're such a softie," Minerva teased. "You won't even let anyone else hold the wee thing."

Albus grinned. "You're probably right."

"When it comes to you, dear, I usually am."