A/N: Sorry it's been awhile. I meant to finish this chapter days ago, but RL got in the way. I hit some writer's block with this chapter, but I finally got through it. I hope you like it! Please review!

Chapter 7

Minerva awoke just after sundown and looked around the room for Albus. He was nowhere to be found, but on the pillow next to her was a long stemmed rose with a small note attached. He wrote to tell her that he was finishing up the last of the enchantments for the castle's defenses. She smiled at his closing. 'Ever yours, Albus.' She stretched her tired muscles and walked around his bedroom. It was beautifully furnished in maroon and gold, a tribute to his house affiliation. There were several portraits on the fireplace mantle and she moved in for a closer inspection. One was a picture of Albus standing next to a man that resembled him, but with browner hair and no beard. They were both laughing like they'd just heard a joke. That must be Aberforth, she thought. A well-dressed couple in turn-of- the-century clothing looked out at her from another frame. They looked very happy and the woman gave Minerva a little wave.

"Those are my parents."

Minerva gasped and turned around, clutching her chest. "Good Merlin! Don't scare me like that, Albus!"

He stood behind her and put his arms around her waist. "I am sorry, my dear."

She looked back at the portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Dumbledore. "You look just like your father." She turned her head slightly and lightly kissed his cheek. He placed both hands on her stomach and nuzzled her neck.

"Well, handsome men do tend to run in the Dumbledore family and I'm sure our son will have to beat off the women with a broomstick." Minerva spun around to face him.

"A son, you say?" she teased.

"Of course! He'll be a strapping young lad and I shall teach him how to fish, how to fence..."

"Albus Dumbledore, you are not going to give our child a sword or any other sharp object for that matter." She shook her finger at him to emphasize her argument.

He looked crestfallen. "It's not a sword, it's a foil, though a claymore for his third birthday would be quite fitting." His eyes twinkled in amusement at the shocked look on her face. "I'm only joking, my love."

She batted his arm playfully and he was just about to pull her in for a kiss when a house-elf materialized next to them. "Professor, sir, there is someone to see you. He is waiting in your office," she said.

"Thank you, Milly. Tell him I will be there shortly." The house-elf nodded and disappeared. Albus finished his earlier action and kissed her soundly, lifting her off the ground. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

Albus entered his office by way of a secret passage in his study. A young man in his mid-twenties stood with his arms crossed near the desk. Something about his dark hair and jaw line seemed familiar. It wasn't until he spoke that he knew why.

"Is my sister here?" he asked, his accent more prominent than Minerva's.

Albus moved closer. "You must be Martius. I've heard many good things about you." The younger man looked at Albus with both respect and mistrust. "What makes you think that Minerva is here?"

Martius held up a bundle of letters and Albus recognized them instantly as the ones he had been sending to her. "Min left in such a hurry that she left these on her desk. Before Father found the note she left for him, he sent me up to her room, where I didn't find my sister, but these instead."

"How dare you read her letters! Those were not meant for you or anyone else." The sudden increase of volume in Albus' voice caused Martius to flinch somewhat.

"We are only trying to protect her and given the contents of your first letter, we haven't been doing enough! My father and grandfather insist that I bring Minerva home at once."

Albus took a deep breath in an effort to get a hold of his temper. "I think Minerva has had enough of her life dictated by others. She is--"

Martius interrupted him. "Please, sir, if my sister is here then take me to her."

"Very well, follow me."

Minerva floated about the room, humming happily to herself. Being in love does strange things to you, she concluded. Just a few days ago she was miserable and now she was walking on air. She was currently setting up a small dining table for two, complete with candles. She had Milly bring up some food, knowing Albus would be hungry. Minerva was thankful for the magically refilling serving dishes, as she couldn't keep herself from sampling one or two of the courses. While she was setting out the utensils, she heard the door open behind her and the sound of Albus' boots on the stone floor.

She spoke as she turned around. "Albus, I hope you don't mind, but I--" Minerva stopped speaking when she saw that he was not alone. "Martius? What are you doing here?"

"It's nice to see you too, Min." He watched as Albus moved to stand next to her. "I've been sent to take you home."

"Sent? How did you know where to find me?" He held up the letters, just as he did with Albus. Minerva's face twisted in anger. She took three steps and snatched the letters out his hand. "You had no right to read these!"

"We were concerned," Martius said. "You left without saying a word to anyone and Father was worried."

Minerva's temper was steadily escalating. "We? Did Father read them too? Our grandfather?"

Her brother, at least, had the decency to look remorseful. "We all did and suffice it to say, Grandfather isn't very pleased with you."

"To hell with the old bastard!"

"Minerva!" cried both Martius and Albus.

She continued unaffected. "I am not going to be used any longer and I refuse to marry a man I do not love simply to appease the family. I have my own happiness to think about!"

"Min, please calm down. Think of what you are doing to your reputation by staying with your professor of all people!" he pleaded to his sister.

Minerva edged even closer to Albus to show that she was not going to give him up again. "Albus is no longer my professor. We are both adults capable of making our own decisions. Hang my reputation! I don't care. My engagement hasn't been announced so there is nothing to ruin it."

"Grandfather sent out the wedding banns first thing this morning. It'll probably make tomorrow's Daily Prophet." Martius looked at the ground suddenly and braced himself for the aftermath.

For once she didn't know what to say. Minerva stared mutely at her brother, her mind trying to comprehend the consequences. "I'll just call it off. I love Albus, Martius, and I want to marry him."

Albus decided it was time to step in. "Listen, if all your grandfather is worried about is increasing your family's holdings than I will match whatever offer this other gentleman has made."

Martius opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by his sister. "You will do no such thing, Albus! I appreciate it, but I refuse to be haggled over. I am not a piece of merchandise."

Her brother regarded the couple standing before him, seeing for the first time since he arrived just how much they truly cared about each other. He addressed Albus. "Do you love my sister?"

"Utterly and wholeheartedly." The depth of feeling behind his conviction satisfied her brother and he turned to smile at Minerva.

"My dear sister, if this is what you truly want then I will help you in any way I can." Minerva threw her arms around him and hugged him soundly.

"You will?" she asked with tears in her eyes. "There is something else you should know. I'm going to have a baby." Martius looked at his little sister for a few moments without saying anything. "Please say something. Are you terribly angry with me?"

"Oh, Minerva, this is unexpected." He eyed Albus suspiciously. "At least you plan on making an honest woman out of her, otherwise I'd be forced to challenge you to a duel."

"Even if Minerva wasn't with child, I would still want to marry her." Albus put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head lightly.

Martius sighed and looked at the pair of them seriously. "It is not I that you need to convince of that, sir."

Immediately after dinner, the trio apparated from Hogsmeade to the McGonagall estate. The siblings had to refresh the transfiguration professor's memory, as it had been many years since he set foot in their home. As they slowly walked up to the house, Albus looked around and noticed some ruins nearby. He asked Minerva about them.

"That was the castle our ancestors built when they first settled here. Our grandfather had it torn down so he could build a more modern structure, in his words. My grandmother convinced him to at least keep some of the remains on the grounds," she answered him.

They entered the manor and were met by a house-elf. "Where is the master?" asked Martius.

"The master is in his study," came its reply.

Martius led them down the hall on the left and up to a set of mahogany doors. Minerva's could feel her courage wavering and she squeezed Albus' hand for help. He brought it up to his lips and kissed it softly.

"Are you ready?" her brother asked. She couldn't find her voice, so she nodded instead. Martius knocked on the door and opened it after hearing the commanding voice of their grandfather. Minerva let go of Albus' hand and followed her brother inside.

"Good, Martius, you have returned with our dear Minerva," Douglas said, "and the rival as well." Logan and their father, William, flanked him. Minerva had hoped that her fiancé would be absent; this was hard enough for her without him present. She actually quite liked him and thought he was a good man, so she hoped he wouldn't be too upset. Her grandfather eyed her coolly, while her father found something interesting in the fireplace. The long silence was grating on her nerves, but she knew better than to speak first. This was Douglas' domain and you only spoke when spoken to. "I had thought you a clever girl, Minerva, but I see now that you can be manipulated by love just as well as the stupid ones. What, in Merlin's name, possessed you to involve yourself with this man? Did you not think of your duties to this family? You were born into privilege and with that comes certain obligations. That is what you were taught from the very beginning." He paused to finish off his brandy. "You will marry young Mr. Stevenson, am I clear? I already sent out the wedding announcements."

"I refuse," she said softly, her voice suddenly dry and hoarse. "I refuse."

Douglas looked at his granddaughter as if she had grown another head. "You have no say in the matter."

Minerva couldn't hold back any longer and feelings that had been building up for nineteen years were finally coming to the surface. "Yes, I do have a say in the matter! I am not some cow that you can sell off to the highest bidder. I am my own woman and will not allow you to make my decisions for me anymore. I am in love with Albus Dumbledore and he with me. With or without your consent, I plan on marrying him!" That seemed to get her father's attention and he spoke out.

"Minerva, think about what you're saying."

"I'm sorry, Father, but I know exactly what I'm saying," she replied.

Douglas slammed his glass down onto the mantle. "Foolish girl! Do you not realize that your refusal effects not only your family, but the Stevenson's as well?"

Albus chose this moment to step forward, but instead of addressing her grandfather, he spoke to Logan. "Mr. Stevenson, I am quite willing to compensate your family for what they will lose by dissolving the contract." He knew it was quite rude of him to do so, but he found that he rather wanted to slight Douglas McGonagall.

"I thank you, sir, I will pass that on to my father," the young man answered. Minerva shot Albus a stern look and opened her mouth, but he held up his hand to silence her. He knew she didn't want him putting up any money for her, but he would rather have to only deal with the wrath of one family as opposed to two. By this point, the old patriarch was livid.

"You will do no such thing! This marriage will go through as planned."

"Grandfather," Martius said, "perhaps an alliance with the Dumbledores would be just as advantageous. They are a very prestigious family."

"I can't believe what I am hearing. You are defending your sister's choice? As I said before, you will wed Logan. William, make you daughter see reason."

William McGonagall looked into his daughter eyes. She was pleading with him to help her. He glanced at Albus, slightly taken aback that his little girl would fall in love with a man older than her grandfather even if he didn't look his age. He had met him a few times during Minerva's school career at Hogwarts, he even invited him to dine here once, and found him to be an excellent fellow. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I think Martius is right. We should not dismiss an alliance with the noble Dumbledore family. They have various estates in England and Scotland. Am I correct?" Albus nodded, shocked that her father appeared to be on their side. Minerva wanted to hug him, but remained where she stood.

"Has everyone in this room gone mad? You have always had a soft spot for her, William. You spoiled her and now look how she's turned out. My word is final. Minerva go upstairs to your room and as for you," Douglas turned to stare at Albus, "get out of my house and if you come near my granddaughter again you'll wish you'd never heard the name McGonagall."

Minerva knew he wouldn't budge, so she decided to divulge the one bit of information she wasn't prepared to give. "No! I am carrying his child!" All eyes in the room snapped to her face. She saw disappointment in her father's eyes and anger in Douglas'. She hoped that her grandfather would have to allow Albus to marry her in order to salvage her reputation. How wrong she had been.

A/N: This is starting to have a sort of Regency feel to it. That's my fault since Jane Austen happens to be one of my favorite authors and Lady Catherine from Pride and Prejudice has been an inspiration for Douglas. Hope nobody minds. The wizarding world always seemed a bit old fashioned to me, so I think it works. Thanks for reading, as always! :-)