Miracles and Answered Prayers
The rest of the afternoon was a depressing blur for Minerva. She had not considered the possibility of becoming pregnant but when the situation presented itself, she had been overjoyed. Now she was glad that she had not told Albus earlier in the day. It would make it that much harder on her if she had to go back and tell him otherwise. Instead, she tried to focus on their quiet evening together and how much she would need his love and support. In an effort to drag herself from the despair in her heart, she came up with a plan.
In the summer before her seventh year, Minerva had learned how to knit. She had told her grandmother that she wanted to pick up a hobby but in truth she had wanted to learn so that she could knit her favorite teacher several pairs of woolen socks for Christmas. Now, those skills would come in handy as she began to knit once again. Only this time, she was knitting tiny baby booties for her friend and colleague. When Albus came into their private quarters, she quickly hid the small items in the cushion of the chair. She didn't want to risk Albus spilling the beans to Alastor before Poppy had a chance to tell him herself.
Albus couldn't help but sense the darkened mood of his wife and he tried several things to snap her from this new wave of melancholy. When he had entered the room, he noticed her hiding something but decided not to question her. He assumed it had something to do with her 'announcement' later in the evening and nothing was going to spoil the surprise for her…not even him. However, when she briefly left the room, he couldn't help himself. Sneaking a peak at her hidden work, he had to stile the laughter bubbling inside him. She was, indeed, knitting tiny baby socks, presumably for their little Dumbledore. He found it hard to contain his excitement and enthusiasm when she returned but felt he must for her.
Once again, at dinner, Albus made valiant efforts to conceal his anticipation for their special evening. He had rehearsed his response to the news of becoming a father and had even gone so far as to inform the house elves of the need for mugs of hot chocolate and cookies to be delivered upon his request. He would toast the new mother to be with a warming glass of chocolate and then whisk her off to their bedchamber for a night of passionate celebration, but only after making sure that was still allowed. In the morning, he would treat his beautiful wife to a breakfast in bed and take further steps to ensure that she had plenty of rest.
Unfortunately for him, Minerva had noticed the extra attention he was paying her today and she tried to think of the reasons why. They had not had an argument for which he needed to apologize. He was not planning to go away for an extended length of time, at least not during the school year. He had not upset her in any way, but still the question remained…why? She wasn't complaining, though. She loved him with her entire heart and soul and she would need all of his love in the next few days, as Poppy would announce her upcoming arrival. After pushing her food around on her plate for what seemed hours, Minerva nudged the dish away from her and sat quietly while the rest of the staff chatted eagerly about their day.
Minerva had always loved to take moonlit strolls around the grounds at night so it was of no surprise to Albus when she suggested that they do so this particular evening. His mind was already swirling with thoughts of her fatigue and he desperately wanted her to hurry and announce that he was to be a father. Wrapping an arm around her slender waist, he pulled her closer to his side and as she leaned her head against his shoulder, he heard her sigh.
"Minerva my dear, are you alright? You seem to have something on your mind this evening." As they stopped their walk, he turned her to face him and the sight that met his blue eyes broke his heart. She had started to cry and the more he tried to console her, the harder the tears fell. It took several minutes before Minerva was ready to speak again but when she did, Albus knew that what she had to say would not be good news as he had hoped. Leading him over to the bench on the opposite side of the lake, Minerva and Albus sat down. As his strong arm wrapped around her shoulders in a comforting move, she began to tell of her day.
"I have to confess something to you Albus. I lied to you this morning. I did not go to my office as I said in my note. I went to see Poppy because I feared I was falling ill. After several spells, we concluded that I was not sick. However, there was one test we had not done. So, I took the test and I got the results soon after lunch. But they were not as I had expected." Noticing that the twinkle in his eyes had disappeared, she knew that somehow he had already learned of her early morning visit and questioned him about it.
"My dear, do not be angry but Alastor saw you in the infirmary this morning and after a short talk with Poppy, he came to my office to congratulate us. He then told me about your test and I have tried to contain my excitement all day. But now I sense something is wrong."
"Oh Merlin Albus! This is going to be harder than I thought. You see, Poppy and I both thought that we were going to have a baby. Then when the test results came back…" Albus noticed that she was fighting back another stream of tears and pulled her to him and began to soothingly rub her back.
"I see Minerva. It would appear that we are not expecting. I'm sorry if my earlier words added to your pain. I had no way of knowing and I was so excited. Please forgive me."
Cupping his face within her small hands she offered him a weak smile. "My love you have nothing to apologize for. I should have told you earlier this morning. But there is something else. You see, Poppy also took a pregnancy test this morning and hers came back positive."
Without thinking, Albus remarked how that explained the baby booties. "I thought you were knitting them for our little one but I suppose that is what I get for assuming. But my dear, cheer up. If you want to have a child, I see no reason why we can't try to have one of our own. It might take some time, but I am sure we're both willing to make an effort." He had managed to bring back some of the sparkle to her eyes as his playful tone indicated exactly what his mind was thinking. It did his heart good to see a smile curl upon her lips, even though he knew that she was still hurting deep down inside.
But just as she was about to tell him exactly what she thought of his new master plan, an owl circled overhead and presented Minerva with a simple note from Poppy.
Minerva, come and see me immediately. I do not care what you are doing at the moment. This is extremely important and requires your immediate attention! Poppy
"Albus, we will have to continue this discussion later this evening. Something has happened and I need to see Poppy immediately. I'll meet you back in our rooms later."
After placing a quick kiss on his lips, she wiped away the traces of tears and turned to rush towards the castle. But Albus caught her wrist before she could take her first step.
"Minerva if something has happened, don't you think I should be there with you? I mean it's not like Poppy to summon someone to her office after hours. If she has learned something this evening would you not like for me to be there for both of you? After all, we're all friends and this affects me too." Not sure what to make of his comments, she assured him that it was probably nothing and that she would explain everything in detail when she returned. Giving him a reassuring look as she cupped his cheek softly in her hand, she smiled and disappeared into the night.
Back in his chambers, all Albus Dumbledore could do was pace the floor and wring his hands. He couldn't remember a time when he had been more nervous. He had thought of every possible scenario involving Poppy and Minerva and none of them were to his liking. It wasn't like the medi-witch to summon his wife to the infirmary without a good reason. And now that she had confessed to having such a horrid day, he grew even more concerned that something had gone terribly wrong with Poppy, or worse, Minerva. No longer able to control his emotions, he was headed for the door when Minerva strolled in, looking so different than before.
Within three large strides, Albus had crossed the room and scooped his wife into his arms in an enormous embrace. Returning the gesture, she suddenly began to cry once more. Pulling back to look at her face, he noticed that these tears were different than the ones earlier in the evening. This time they were streaming down a face blanketed with a smile, whereas before there had been no laughter in her eyes.
"Albus, Dearest, we need to talk." Leading him over to her favorite chair, she motioned for him to sit. When he had done as she indicated, she crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms lovingly around his neck. As she proceeded to smother him with kisses, some short and sweet, others long and passionate he struggled within himself. He wanted to know what had happened but his senses were having a difficult time focusing on anything but the woman in his arms. Finally, Minerva ended her seductive kisses and looked into his loving eyes.
He had always enjoyed the sound of her laughter but today it was even more special. With all of her energy, she leaned forward and kissed him through another round of tears. "Albus you dear loveable man. Your earlier actions explain so much from today. After our little talk, I know why you were so attentive and concerned about my eating habits. And why you carried my books and insisted on me taking a nap. It all makes sense! But there's more to the story."
Confused, Albus listened intently as the woman on his lap explained that both she and Poppy had taken a pregnancy test this morning. And that in an attempt to hide the possibility of being pregnant from her own husband until she was sure, she had thrust both vials into the same drawer when he arrived. After he left, she retrieved what she assumed to be Minerva's test and it turned out negative, whereas the other was positive.
"Later this afternoon, it would seem that Poppy's body gave her a different answer to the question of whether or not she was expecting. And this one would be hard to ignore, if you catch my meaning. That is when she began to question her earlier actions. That's why she sent me the owl this evening. She wanted me to come in and do another test to confirm what we both already knew." She went on to explain that both Poppy and Alastor had already embraced the idea of parenthood but they were a little relieved when they learned she was not expecting. They wanted more time to themselves and felt that if they waited another year or so, they would both be ready for the joyous event to happen to them. So it had really been the best possible outcome in their opinions.
Raising his eyebrows in a questioning gaze, he waited with bated breath to hear the news he had taken for granted all day long. "Congratulations my love! In a few months time, you will be a father!" No amount of planning could have prepared him for the way he felt at that moment. He had never heard any sweeter words falling from someone's lips as those two sentences that had just reached his ears. Now his own face was wet with his own tears of happiness as he pulled Minerva closer to him than even he thought possible.
Clapping his hands together, two mugs of chocolate appeared and he offered a toast to the most beautiful witch he had ever seen, not to mention the most remarkable future mother he could imagine. As planned, he scooped her into his arms and gently carried her to their bed where he laid her down tenderly and then snuggled close beside her. "Minerva, this may sound like an odd question but forgive an old man for asking. Would it be alright if I…if we..well...if we made…" Wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, Minerva pulled her husband to her and answered his question with her actions rather than words.
Later that evening, Albus fell asleep cradling Minerva in his arms, while one hand rested softly on her bare stomach. In the morning, she would awake to a breakfast fit for a queen, his queen, and then they would announce to their closest friends and family the wonderful news….they were going to be parents! Both slept soundly that night with the most amazingly vivid dreams of their future together and blissful expressions covering their faces. It had been a day to remember for so many reasons but Albus and Minerva would always look back on this day as one of the best days of their lives.
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