A/N: Thank you, as always. For reference, the last chapter took place December 1966.

For the disclaimer, please see the prologue.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: January 1967

Minerva awoke in the middle of the night to a crash emanating from her living room. She reached blindly for her glasses and her wand. "What on earth?"

"Min?" Albus asked tiredly. He rubbed at his eyes. "Who has the password to your quarters?"

"You, Poppy, Ro, and the children," Minerva muttered. A shout followed another clang from outside her door.

"Do you think it's one of them or an intruder?" Albus looked at her. "Do you want me to go out there?"

"No, love." Minerva kissed his nose. "I know that shout, and I highly doubt my son wants to murder me."

Albus yawned. "Good point. G'night."

Minerva chuckled, placed her wand back on her night table, and threw on a dressing gown. She quietly left the bedroom and shut the door behind her. Walking into her sitting room, she found Dalton sitting on the couch, rubbing his knee.

"What was the shout for?" Minerva asked, sitting beside him. "Do you need Poppy?"

"No," Dalton said, sighing. "I just bumped my knee against that table." He nodded in the direction of an end table. "Has that always been there?"

"No, Albus brought it over from his quarters. He wanted more of his personal effects here," Minerva said, rolling her eyes. "Don't ask me why."

Dalton smirked. "I don't need to ask you why. It seems like he moved in here without even asking you first."

Minerva ignored her son's cheek and extended her arm. "Here, let me see your leg." Dalton obeyed, and she quickly healed her son's knee. "Now, may I ask why you're barging into my quarters at," she paused, checking her watch, "three in the morning?"

"Athena and I are fighting, and I can't be at the Manor anymore." Dalton swallowed and then started to sob.

"Oh, darling." Minerva wrapped her arms around her son. "Do you want to tell me what's going on, or do you want to just sit here with me?"

"I want to tell you," Dalton whispered, "but you're going to hate me. And Athena."

"I could never hate you, Dalton," Minerva said, smiling slightly. "Or Athena."

"Fine." Dalton looked up at Minerva. "You might be angry, though."

"Well, you know as well as I do that I am not afraid to let my temper fly." Minerva patted Dalton's shoulder. "I may get angry, but you know me. I only need a few minutes to calm down."

"You'll need more than a few," Dalton muttered. He sighed when he realized his mother was simply going to sit silently and stare at him expectantly until he spoke. "You know how I told you that the Unspeakables were doing research into soul bonds?"

"Mhmm."

"Athena told our supervisor that we were soul bonded, and she said that she had my consent to tell him—but I didn't know anything about it. Next thing I know, I'm strapped to a chair in a dark room in the bowels of the Ministry undergoing tests."

Minerva felt a chill run down her spine. When she spoke, her voice was deadly quiet. "She did what?"

"She made me promise not to tell you," Dalton choked. "But I'm so angry, Ma! I know she's grieving, and that's she depressed, but I don't know what possessed her to do this! Athena put me in a terrible position—I couldn't exactly tell our boss that my wife had lied to him, could I?"

"How many of these trials have you gone through?"

"Enough," Dalton groaned. "That's why I was so sick at Christmas. I had just undergone the first round, and I felt bloody awful. I'm sorry for the way I acted, Ma."

"You're forgiven," Minerva said softly. "Why wasn't Athena sick?"

"I couldn't let her go first," Dalton answered. "I wanted to know exactly what the trials would entail—I wanted her to be as prepared as possible."

"How very Gryffindor of you," Minerva said, shaking her head. "Oh, my darling, is there no way to get yourself out of this? Could Albus get involved? I know you don't love him fixing your problems for you, but I'm sure you could see the sense in him stopping this."

"Our contract states that we can only finish these trials on the Ministry's timeline, or if we die. Unless Albus can figure out a way around that, then no, I'm afraid we're stuck."

Minerva felt a migraine form at the base of her skull. "How long do these trials last?"

"At least a year," Dalton confided. "We're doomed, Ma. Absolutely doomed. I feel terrible all the time, and Athena will only talk to me about the trials and..."

"And?" Minerva prompted.

"And she wants another baby," Dalton whispered. "As soon as possible. But Ma, I don't want to go through this again. Athena was so miserable during her pregnancy with Aidan—and I don't think she's healthy enough to try for another baby, anyway. I'm not ready for another baby, at any rate."

"I agree with you," Minerva said simply. "Is this why you were fighting in the middle of the night?"

Dalton turned red. "Yeah, she wanted to...try."

Minerva held up her hand. "I already have a picture of what that looks like in my head, thank you very much."

Dalton laughed hoarsely. "Right. I forgot about that."

"Lucky you," Minerva commented drily. "How can I help you, darling?"

"I don't know what to do," Dalton muttered. "I can't get us out of these bloody trials, and Athena isn't doing well, and I'm exhausted from fighting all the time." He looked at his mother. "Maybe I just need a sympathetic ear."

"I'm always here for that," Minerva assured him. "Would you like to stay here for the night? I can make up the spare room."

"No, but thank you." Dalton shook his head. "I'd feel like a bad husband. Truth be told, I feel horrible for just telling you about everything."

"None of that," Minerva said firmly. She cupped his chin gently. "Even if you're married, you still have to be your own person and take care of yourself. If you needed to confide in me to feel better, then I'm happy you could do that."

Dalton smiled. "Thanks, Ma."

"Wait, before you go—I want you to have something," Minerva said suddenly as a thought occurred to her. She Summoned an item from her closet. "This is for you."

Dalton's eyes widened. "Ma, is this...?"

"An invisibility cloak?" Minerva nodded. "Yes, it is. Your aunt and uncle gave it to me a long time ago, and they won't take it back." She snorted. "If they won't take it, I see no reason why you shouldn't have it."

"Ma, I can't take this. What if you need it?"

"I highly doubt I'll need it more than you," Minerva said firmly. "If you and Athena are going to be engaging in what the Ministry laughingly calls trials, then I want you to keep this. Now that the Unspeakables know about your soul bond, there's no knowing who may feel the need to come after you." Minerva sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I'll sleep better knowing you're safe."

"I'll keep it from Athena for now. Just in case she has any plans on telling the Ministry." Dalton rolled his eyes. "But thank you, Ma. Truly."

"I just want you safe, and that cloak has sat in my closet for years. Better with you than with me." Minerva hugged him. "Go home and get a good night's rest, all right?"

Dalton nodded. "I will. Can I come by and visit next weekend? If you're not too busy?"

Minerva smiled softly. "Yes, of course." She frowned for a moment. "How did you get in here, anyway?"

"We've been popping into your sitting room for months, and that question has only just occurred to you?" Dalton asked, laughing. "Albus gave us tokens that act as miniature Portkeys—except they take us to you, not a particular place."

She felt her heart fill with love for Albus, mingled with a slight sense of exasperation. "Of course, he gave those to you. Now, off you go. Get some sleep, darling."

Minerva watched him leave and sat silently for a few minutes, thinking about how the hell she was going to tell Albus that his daughter had seemingly taken leave of all of her senses. Sighing, she stood, and headed back into what was rapidly becoming their bedroom.

"Min?" Albus murmured, rolling over as Minerva shut the door behind her. "Is everything all right?"

"No," Minerva sighed, "no, everything is most certainly not all right."

Albus suddenly felt awake. "What's wrong?"

Minerva sighed again and slipped out of her dressing gown, tossing it carelessly on the floor. Albus raised an eyebrow—whatever the reason was for Dalton's midnight appearance, it could not have been good if Minerva didn't care to hang her clothes in the wardrobe.

"Min?" Albus asked tentatively. He held out his arms and waited for her to settle back onto the bed, securely in his grasp. "What happened?"

"It would appear that Athena is not doing nearly as well as we would have liked," Minerva said, closing her eyes. "In her grief, she has made a decision that has severe repercussions, I'm afraid."

"What did she do?" Albus turned so he could look at his partner. "Min, you're scaring me."

"That's because I'm scared," she said softly. Minerva inhaled, and then proceeded to tell Albus about what her son had told her.

"You mean to say," Albus said dangerously at the end of it all, "that our children are engaged in some hokey pokey Ministry scheme? Where they're poked at like lab rats?"

"Al—"

"And on top of all that," Albus continued, his magic causing the air around them to crackle, "Athena is so desperate for another child that Dalton felt the need to seek refuge here?"

"That's about the long and short of it," Minerva admitted. After a few moments, she sighed and said, "Al, my love, you need to calm down. You're setting fire to my rug."

Albus quickly looked at the floor, which was indeed smoking. He took a deep breath and cast a non-verbal spell to douse the smoke. "Sorry, my dear. I just don't know what to do about any of this, and I'm not familiar with feeling useless."

"I don't know what to do, either," Minerva confessed. "We can ask to see the contracts they signed with the Ministry in case there's anything they missed."

"And perhaps we should talk to Dalton about getting Athena some professional, medical help," Albus said. He rubbed at his chin wearily, something he only did when he felt anxious. "I had hoped that talking to Poppy would suffice, but clearly, she held back."

"We can ask Poppy for some names," Minerva soothed. "We will figure this out." She frowned. "Well, we can certainly find a mind Healer for Athena. As for the contracts, I must admit I don't have high hopes."

"Could we talk to Callum?" Albus asked hopefully. "Would he know a way out that wouldn't have occurred to the kids?"

"Perhaps," Minerva said. She looked at her watch and groaned. "Merlin, I do not want to teach today. I'm not going to get any more sleep. Not now that I'm this worried, at any rate."

Albus kissed her shoulder. "Perhaps you should take a sick day."

"Albus!" Minerva turned around, aghast. "I never take sick days."

"I know," he said, chuckling. "I believe that might be a good reason to take one, no?"

"Except I'm not actually sick," Minerva protested.

"You'll feel sick at the end of the day when you have a headache from teaching on such little sleep," Albus remarked. "You could get some sleep, have a little lie-in, and then go spend the day with Athena."

"Ah, there's the reason," Minerva laughed, tapping his nose. "You want me to check on her."

"Well, we both know you have a special relationship with her," Albus said, shrugging. "If she is going to tell one of us about their…activities, it will be you."

"So I'm taking one for the team, am I?" Minerva asked, a smirk on her face. "And how exactly are you planning on making this up to me?"

"I was planning on inviting you on a date later this evening, if you would be so kind as to join me."

"A date?" Minerva grinned. "A date with the Albus Dumbledore?"

"Yes, Miss McGonagall." Albus poked her ribs. "I figured I could meet you at the Manor after the day is done, I could see how Athena is doing with my own four eyes, and then we could go for dinner."

"I would love that, Professor Four-Eyes." Minerva kissed him softly. "But before we go on a date, would you care to tell me why you never told me that our children have Portkeys that take them directly to us? I didn't think you could Apparate into Hogwarts."

"Well, my dearest of dears, the Apparition workaround is my little secret," Albus said cheekily. "Besides, I charmed the Portkeys. They're unable to Apparate into our bathrooms. Or the bedrooms."

"Oh, Albus." Minerva snorted. As Albus' lips descended on hers, she laughed. "That was forward-thinking on your part, I must say."

"Oh, I think you'll find that I'm always prepared, my dear."

Twelve hours later, Minerva found herself in a somewhat awkward situation with Athena. While initially happy to see her mother-in-law, Athena had stopped talking to her under the guise of wanting to finish her book.

So Minerva decided to force her to talk.

"Athena, is it uncomfortable for you to be here with me?" Minerva quirked an eyebrow. "I am aware the deed to this house is in my name, but you know I consider it yours. You're free to do whatever you want with it."

"Min!" Athena slammed her book shut. "You know I love spending time with you. I'm not uncomfortable around you—least of all because you own this house."

"Please explain your reasoning behind the book, then," Minerva said. "You can read any time. It's not often that I come by, and yet you're actively avoiding me."

Athena turned scarlet. "I'm not actively avoiding you."

"No? Then what would you say you're doing?" Minerva looked at Athena and decided it was time to get down to brass tacks. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"What did Dalton say to you?" Athena demanded.

"So there is something?" Minerva smirked as Athena looked like a student caught by her professor. "Darling, whatever it is—you can tell me."

"Are you sure about that?" Athena whispered.

"Yes, of course. What's going on?" Minerva watched as Athena seemed to crumple. "Athena?"

"Min, I did something horrible," Athena admitted.

Minerva joined Athena on the couch and placed an arm around her. "It's me, darling. Tell me what you did, and we can fix it."

"No, that's the thing. You can't," Athena sobbed. She burrowed her head into Minerva's shoulder. "I hurt Dalton, and there's no way for me to fix it."

"What did you do?" Minerva stroked Athena's hair. "Hmmm?"

"I signed us up for the Unspeakables trials—the ones that Dalton told you about," Athena answered quietly. "The soul bond research. I told Dawlish that Dalton had agreed, but he hadn't."

"I suppose my son didn't take the news too kindly," Minerva said neutrally.

"No, he was angry. He didn't know why I had told anyone about our bond, especially when we've been so careful about it."

"So why did you?" Minerva asked.

Athena bristled. "I was angry and wanted something to do, I suppose. Truthfully, I hadn't entirely made up my when I arrived at work. I wanted to hear more about the program, and then talk to Dalton."

"What changed?"

"Our boss mentioned time travel," Athena whispered. "Apparently, they're researching soul bonds, and how they are affected by time travel."

Minerva's heart hammered. "Athena, going back in time is not the answer to losing Aidan."

"Don't you think it could be?" Athena cried. "Tell me: when you lost your Aidan, wouldn't you have done anything to bring him back?"

After a few moments, Minerva said, "I certainly would have liked to, but you can't change one thing in time without changing something else—and that something else might be even worse."

"What could be worse, Min?" Athena glared at her mother-in-law. "I lost my baby. There's not much that could be worse."

"What would be worse is never having held him at all," Minerva said softly. "Darling, meddling with time can cause irreparable harm."

"How would you know?"

"Athena," Minerva reprimanded gently. "Time travel is why we lost Aidan in October. In fact, it's also how Dalton lost his father. I may not have experienced the same loss as you, but I am not unfamiliar with the concept."

"I'm sorry," Athena apologized quietly. "That was uncalled for."

Minerva nodded. "I understand you're grieving, truly. I know that it's hard for you, but you need to work through your grief. Jumping headfirst into dangerous research isn't going to help. Nothing will replace your grief. You can learn to move past it, but you have to go through it first, unfortunately. That's merely the way of the world."

Athena looked up, her eyes shining. "You said replace. Has Dalton also told you about the baby?"

Minerva's eyes widened. "The baby? No. I was aware that you wanted one. Are you saying…?"

"No, I'm not pregnant," Athena responded quickly. "I only meant that I want one."

"Athena, you need to heal first. If there were a gentle way to tell you that, I would."

"I know," Athena said hoarsely. "Trust me, I know. I don't actually want a baby right now, but…."

"But what, hmmm?"

"Dalton won't touch me," Athena whispered. She reddened. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"At this point, I think I know more than anyone would have wanted me to," Minerva said, chuckling. "Having said that, I'd rather know than find out something unsavoury later."

"Dalton's afraid to touch me," Athena repeated softly. "He'll hold my hand, or rub my back, or give me a quick kiss, but anything else…." She trailed off. "It's as though he's scared I'll break. I thought the idea of a baby would encourage him, but clearly, it had the opposite effect."

"Oh, darling," Minerva whispered. She tightened her arms around Athena. "You two have endured something absolutely horrible, and at such a young age. I know you originally weren't thrilled with the idea of a mind Healer, but I genuinely believe it would be so, so good for you." Minerva paused. "Perhaps even a Healer who could see you and Dalton together, no?"

"Do you think Dalton would be open to it?"

"I think he would be open to anything that would help you feel better," Minerva answered truthfully. "And I think that if you told him—honestly—about your true feelings behind the "I want a baby" charade, he'd understand. My son is many things, but he's not an idiot."

"Good to hear you say that, Ma." The women looked up to see Albus and Dalton standing in the doorway to the library. "Albus swung by the Ministry before I could leave. He said you were taking a day off."

"I did take a day off, and you know what? I actually enjoyed a day where I could relax," Minerva admitted. "It's been nice to sit here with Athena. We had a nice chat."

"Yeah?" Dalton asked nervously.

Athena nodded. "I think we have a lot to talk about, D."

"We should leave you to it," Albus said, smiling. "I promised Minerva a date, and a date is what she shall get."

"Ooh, how romantic," Athena teased. She hugged Minerva before releasing her. "Go, Min. And thank you."

"I love you, darling." Minerva stood and walked to her son. "And you too, hmm?"

"I should hope you would love me," Dalton joked. He hugged his mother and whispered, "Thank you."

"Not a problem," Minerva said, winking. "Shall we leave, Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore?" Albus raised an eyebrow. "Sure, McGonagall."

"Is this how old people flirt?" Athena wrinkled her nose.

"No, you silly girl," Albus laughed. He strode over to give his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "I'm here if you need me, my angel."

"Come on, Al," Minerva said. She smiled. "I must admit I'm hungry."

Albus allowed Minerva to take him by the hand and lead him outside of the Manor. Once they were outside, she turned to him, excited. "Where are we going?"

"First," Albus said, stroking her cheek, "we must look the part." He snapped his fingers, and Minerva felt her hair unpin itself and fall down her back in waves. Albus beamed. "You look beautiful, my dear."

Minerva swatted at his hand as he leaned in for a kiss. "Albus, our children are inside the house."

Albus rolled his eyes. "You mean the house that's a mansion? I'm sure they can't see us, and even if they can, they can go into one of the other seven hundred rooms." He pressed his fingers to her lips before she could respond. "Hush, now. I'm taking you on a date."

Minerva closed her eyes and let him whisk her away. He rubbed her back as they landed. As she got her bearings back, she opened her eyes, and her mouth opened in amazement.

"Oh, Al," Minerva whispered. "What did you do?"

"I asked Poppy if there was somewhere you'd always wanted to go," Albus said. He hugged her from behind. "She said you always wanted to spend a night in the Isle of Skye."

"We're having dinner here?" Minerva asked, awestruck.

"More than that." Albus kissed her neck. "We're spending a night in one of their magical tents."

"A whole night?" Minerva shrieked. She turned around. "What about Hogwarts?"

"I know you loathe getting up early, but if we leave early enough, we can still make it to the Great Hall for breakfast. I had hoped that it would be worth it if we could spend this time together."

"Of course, it's worth it, you big buffoon!" Minerva slapped his chest gently and kissed him soundly. "We get to spend an entire evening together in a place I have always wanted to visit. Merlin, I love you."

"Do you mean that?" Albus joked, but she could sense an undercurrent of uncertainty through their bond.

"Yes," Minerva said emphatically. "With all of my heart, and for more than just this. You know I don't need grand gestures, but this is a good reminder to express my love nonetheless."

"And I shouldn't need a reminder to say it, either, but watching you with Athena is one of the greatest joys of my life. I love you," Albus whispered. After a quiet moment, he asked, "Will they be okay?"

"I hope so," Minerva said, sighing. "I have hopes that they'll see a mind Healer who can help them with their relationship issues, at the very least."

Albus raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know what these issues are?"

"No," Minerva laughed. "No, my love, you absolutely do not."

Albus winced. "It's about sex, isn't it?"

"Al," Minerva said, unwilling to confirm it for him. "Forget about our children, and think about us, hmm? That's why you brought me all the way up here, isn't it? For some alone time? For an uninterrupted night, with no chance of students, children, or colleagues finding us up here?"

"Ten points to Gryffindor," Albus replied affirmatively. He swept her into his arms. "I'm very much looking forward to this."

"Show me to our room, Dumbledore," Minerva said decisively. "Oh, and do me a favour and don't drop me, all right?"

"That's what magic is for." Albus winked and began to walk to their tent, intent on showing his beloved just how much he loved her.