A/N: Wow! I can't believe I managed to update two of my fics within a day of each other. Yay me! Sorry it's taken a while, but things came up. Thanks to Nerweniel for a Latin translation and TartanPhoenix for looking over a part for me. Of course, a special thanks to everyone who's still reading this and taken the time to review! I love you guys.

Be warned there is a lemon wedge at the end of the chapter, so if you're offended by that sort of thing, don't read it. This ain't a rated R fic for nothing.

-April ;-)

Disclaimer: I still own nothing related to Harry Potter. All other characters are mine though. :-)

Chapter 8

The room remained deathly quiet and the only sounds were the sobs that escaped from Minerva. Douglas remained motionless, staring at his grandchild with a face as vacant as an empty house. Martius braced himself for the impending chaos. Logan and her father both held expressions of shock and looked back and forth between Albus and Minerva. Without warning, all the glasses that the men had been drinking out of shattered. Douglas' hand had begun to shake, ever so slightly and he spoke in a deep whisper.

"I renounce you." Minerva took a sharp intake of breath. William stepped in immediately.

"Father, please, is this really necessary?"

"Silence! I am the head of this family, not you!" He turned his attention back to Minerva, moving menacingly closer to her. "You are no longer a part of this family, do you hear me? As of this moment, I have only two grandchildren. Your inheritance and dowry are now null and void. Take all of your things and remove yourself from my sight!"

"You can't do this!" Minerva cried. Albus was discouraged by Douglas' declaration, but was not very surprised. At least, they would have each other, he thought.

"Yes, I can! You should have thought of that before you sullied yourself with his bastard! You are no better than the whores and trollops of Knockturn Alley."

The air inside the study took on an ominous atmosphere. Unseen energies swirled about the room creating a sense of fear and foreboding in all the occupants. Douglas stepped back from Minerva, his hardened face now filled with uneasiness. "I will not allow anyone to speak to Minerva like that." Albus' voice came out deep and filled with white-hot anger.

"Are you threatening me in my own house, Dumbledore?" Douglas seemed to recover enough to fight back. He was nowhere near as powerful as Albus, but he was still quite formidable.

"If you continue to insult her, then yes I am," replied Albus.

Minerva stared in horror as the two men sized each other up. "Stop it, both of you!" she cried before running out of the room in tears.

"Minerva!" cried Martius. He started moving towards the door, but Logan beat him there.

"I'll go after her," he said, pulling open the door. "You make sure those two don't kill each other." He indicated Albus and Douglas, both oblivious to the fact that Minerva had stormed out.

Logan saw her run up the stairs. He caught up with her as she flung herself on the bed in her room. "Minerva?" he said softly.

She turned to look at him, wiping at the tears running down her cheeks. "Logan, I'm sorry you had to be caught up in this mess, but I just can't marry someone I don't love, especially when I already love another."

He sat down on the bed next to her and smiled. "Don't worry about me. I understand and if I were in your position, I probably would have done the same thing. Now, you need to calm yourself. The stress isn't good for your baby."

Minerva looked at him in wonder. "How can you be so kind to me after what I've done?"

"Quite easily. Both of us were forced into this, so there was no prior attachment on either part. I would like to remain friends however, although I'm sure my father will be just as angry as your grandfather."

She touched his arm and smiled. "You're a good man, Logan. I would be glad to stay friends."

"Gentlemen, please! Calm down," shouted William.

Albus, still reeling with hostility, backed down slowly. He had lost his temper and for that, he felt ashamed. He looked around for Minerva and was concerned when he didn't find her. He turned to Martius. "Where is she?"

"She ran out. I think she went upstairs."

Albus turned without another glance at Douglas and headed out the door. William and Martius followed hastily. Douglas' voice boomed through the door as it was shut. "Go on, get out of here and take my guttersnipe of a granddaughter! She's not welcome anymore! You hear me? Not welcome!"

Albus felt a hand on his shoulder, as he was about to ascend the stairs. He turned to see the stricken face of Minerva's father. "Come with me, please. There are things we need to discuss." Once they were settled in William's library, Albus let out a deep sigh. "Please, let me speak plainly, Professor. It's obvious to me that you love my daughter, but the circumstances being as they are make me uneasy. I had hoped my daughter married before she became with child."

Albus stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I understand your concerns, but there is an explanation for our predicament and not the customary one as you might think." Albus proceeded to explain to him what Minerva and he had done in order to restore life back to the school, including the exact nature of the ritual.

William listened in surprise. "How very like Minerva to be willing to do anything to help combat evil. Thank you for sharing this with me. I admit that it sheds new light on this whole mess, but unfortunately my father will not see it any other way."

"If I may ask, William, why does your father still insist on arranged marriages and alliances?"

The other man let out a frustrated sigh. "My father is part of that group of wizards who still adhere to old practices. Family means everything to him, but not in the right sense of the word. Men like him rule like kings, making and breaking alliances without any regard to the feelings of their kin. They still think money and territory are what make a man."

"And the head of the Stevenson family feels the same?"

William nodded. "As do the Macgregors, the Malfoys, the Sheffields- the list goes on and on. I'm afraid that until my father dies, Minerva will not be welcomed at home, but at least I know that she'll be well taken care of."

Albus reached out to shake hands with him. "Of that I can promise."

Minerva gathered up all her clothes and a few mementos, but left the rest. She was standing in the foyer with Albus, her father, Martius and Logan, taking one last look at her family home. Her mother had refused to speak to her after William had informed his wife of what had taken place. Even the thought of becoming a grandmother wasn't enough to override her disappointment and anger. Minerva said her goodbyes and left hand-in-hand with Albus.

Instead of returning to Hogwarts, Albus decided to take her to his manor. It was the place where he grew up. After seeing her things to one of the bedrooms, he ordered some food and drink to be brought to the east sitting room. The house only had two elves since Albus didn't spend much time there anymore. He watched with concern and amusement as Minerva attacked the food and vented her anger at the same time.

"Banished? How dare that miserable old bastard kick me out! He just makes me so angry..."

Albus moved to sit next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "My love, I know you're angry, but please calm down. What's done is done, I'm afraid." She ate another sandwich and then started to cry.

"Why couldn't I have kept my mouth shut? I brought this on myself." She buried her face in his arm.

"There, there, love. You needn't be so hard on yourself. Douglas McGonagall is a hard man, with ancient principles and a one-sided view of the world."

Her mood changed again, partly due to pregnancy hormones, partly due to emotional distress. "I hate him! I wish he would just hurry up and die. My family would be a lot happier if he did." Albus hugged Minerva tighter. It pained him to hear her speaking such words.

"I want to apologize for losing my temper with your grandfather, but he had no right to call you such slanderous names. I couldn't just stand by while he insulted you." Albus' voice grew harsher as he remembered what was said. If his temper had continued unchecked who knows what might have happened. I'd probably be in Azkaban for murder, he thought.

Minerva looked into his eyes and smiled. "Thank you for defending me. I'm sorry I ran out, but I just could stand it anymore." She took a deep breath. "My mother will probably never want to see me again. She wouldn't even say goodbye to me."

"She'll come around in time, my love, you'll see." Albus stood and held out a hand to Minerva. "Come, let's go upstairs. It's been a long day."

While Minerva was taking a bath, Albus sat on the edge of the bed in his dressing gown staring at a small box in his hands. The second she entered the bathroom, Albus went it search of it and he found it exactly where his father had left it. He opened it and surveyed the glittering piece of jewelry within. It was the ring his father had given his mother when he asked her to marry him. Three stones adorned it: a large diamond, flanked by two smaller sapphires. The blue gems were meant represent the color of Dumbledore men's eyes, which was a hereditary trait going as far back as the Middle Ages. He hoped she'd like it.

The door to the bathroom opened and Minerva stepped out looking radiant in a simple white cotton nightgown. He quickly hid the box in his pocket. She sat next to him on the bed and he squeezed her hand. Albus moved to kneel on the floor in front of her and put his arms around her so that his head was lightly resting on her stomach.

"Hello, son," he said to her tummy. "I want you to know that I will always be there to take care of your mother because I love her so much."

Minerva smiled and lifted Albus' chin to stare into his eyes. "Still think it's a boy, eh? I love you too, Albus."

He sat up on his knees and took both of her hands in his. "Minerva," he said in a serious tone, "I love you more than anything and I want to see you happy." He took out the box from his dressing gown. She gasped and brought a hand up to cover her mouth. "If you'll let me, my dear, I will try my hardest to make sure you are always happy. Just say the word and I will give to you freely my mind, body, and soul." He opened the box and Minerva looked at the ring in awe. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I know this is all moving very fast, but there isn't any other woman I'd rather spend the rest of my life with."

Minerva could feel tears welling up in her eyes and her hands were shaking. How quickly her life was changing! This was not at all what she envisioned for herself, but there was nothing she could do now. Albus was looking at her expectantly. She loved him dearly and she knew he meant every word. Even if her family deserted her, she would still have him. "Oh, Albus! Yes, I'll marry you!"

Albus grinned so hard his cheeks hurt. He placed the ring on her finger, which adapted to her size, and threw his arms around her, claiming her lips in a searing kiss. "You've made me the happiest of men!" cried Albus. "Look on the band, there's an inscription."

Minerva took the ring off and looked. "Amor constans est. Love is constant?"

Albus nodded. "Like a circle." He watched her place the ring back on her finger. She cupped his cheek and kissed him softly. They sank down onto the bed together as Albus wove his free hand through her still damp hair. Minerva rolled him onto his back and began kissing his neck. She winced slightly when he brought a hand up to cup one of her breasts. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Just be careful. They're a bit sore." She moved off of him, so she could remove her nightgown. Minerva pulled the whole thing over her head to reveal that she wore nothing underneath. Albus admired her body. Her breasts were slightly larger due to the pregnancy and her stomach was thickening just a touch. He was mesmerized.

"You truly are a goddess," he whispered, before covering her face and neck with kisses. Minerva pulled at his dressing gown. Albus helped her along, removing his under shorts as well. They tangled themselves in each other, love and passion boiling to the surface. All the problems in their lives were forgotten as they kissed, touched, and caressed their way to ecstasy. Minerva closed her eyes, relishing in the moment. Already, Albus knew her body well. He knew where and how she liked to be touched.

Her moans were exciting him beyond reason, but he forced himself to slow down and not rush this like their last encounter. Albus covered a breast with his mouth and eventually trailed kisses down to her stomach. Minerva squirmed beneath him and as he moved lower past her naval he thought, ever the gentleman, ladies first.

She cried out as he reached the object of his conquest, digging her hands into the soft blanket. There, again, was the familiar build up of pressure. The last coherent thought she had before screaming his name in pleasure was that he was definitely the greatest wizard of the age.

Albus moved to lay beside her, looking quite pleased with himself. Once Minerva could breathe again, she turned her attention to the man next to her. She nibbled on his ear, giggling seductively at the noises he was making. She moved down towards the edge of the bed, repositioning herself with every intention of returning the favor.

Two hours later, they lay curled together in bed both quite sated from their earlier activities. Minerva was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. As she drifted off to sleep, she heard Albus say, "My dear, you will never cease to amaze me."

Did you like it? Please review! Only two or three chapters left to go.

A/N: mugglemin - In response to your review of the last chapter, I decided to kind of interweave an explanation of Douglas' actions into the story. The fic takes place in 1943, but I hope what William tells Albus makes the story a little more feasible in terms of arranged marriages and stuff. Thanks for reading!