Minerva woke up a few hours later alone, dressed in her knickers and a knee-length cotton nightgown she knew she didn't have on when she fell asleep. A frown marred her face at Harry's absence but the bunch of wildflowers laying on his pillow caused her to smile. She stretched, used the bathroom and went searching for her love.
"Harry," she called as she saw him sitting cross-legged on the floor in the hallway. He was staring at a closed door as if it was a puzzle of some sort. "What are you doing here?"
He held a hand out to her and tugged her down beside of him. He kissed her reassuringly before picking up a parchment and handing it to her. "Hermione just dropped that off. I haven't seen that until now nor did I know of its existence. We have a soulbond," he whispered. "Malcolm discovered it when he brought us back. Hermione argued with the Unspeakables when they wanted to break the union because of the forced time travel. She convinced them to change the year instead of breaking the marriage bond because we are both technically in the same time and it was due to one of their own that caused the forced time travel in the first place."
Minerva teared up when she saw the marriage certificate. "We were married when we consummated our bond," she whispered in shock. She had been married to the love of her life the entire time. Horror struck her as she realized she had been unfaithful to him. "How did my marriage to Elphinstone become legal? I have a marriage certificate from the Ministry. I betrayed our bond," she sobbed emotionally. She had never been one to stray from a committed relationship. It hurt to think she had done so to Harry regardless if she was aware of it or not.
Harry hoisted her into his lap and held her tightly to him. "You didn't know," he soothed her. "According to the Unspeakables, the marriage wasn't valid until I became of age. You did no wrong MinaLove."
Minerva smiled sadly at him before she kissed him sweetly. "I love you Harry Potter," she whispered tenderly as she tried to calm herself down. "I'm proud to be your wife."
Harry shuddered slightly as he looked at her happily and kissed her breathlessly. He tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear before he spoke. "Hermione also threatened to go public with the information of the rogue Unspeakable if she wasn't allowed to go back on one more time mission. Hermione and Malcolm went back and completed a mission but refused to speak to me about it. I have no clue of the nature of the mission but was informed to have you place your hand on that symbol when you woke up after you took this vial." He held up a pearly white substance in an old fashioned vial.
Minerva raised her eyebrow in suprise before she grasped the vial, uncorked it and gulped it down. Harry would never knowingly harm her and he trusted Hermione with his life so she had no qualms about taking a potion she didn't know exactly what it did. It would benefit her some way she was certain. Minerva felt her chest tighten and overall weakness overcome her. Shakingly she got to her feet and stood. She walked to said door. Minerva placed her hand on the symbol and hissed in pain as she felt blood wards cut her palm and fill the symbol. The symbol glowed red then flashed to a white color before the door unlocked. She held her other hand to Harry and tugged him along as she entered the room.
A tiny wail sounded as soon as she crossed the threshold. Startled, she looked at Harry who looked just as bewildered as she felt. Straightening her back, she walked towards the basket on the desk. A gasp escaped her as she saw newborn twins nestled together covered by a tartan blanket. One was flailing its arms and whimpering for attention and the other was attempting to put its fist in its mouth. "Where did you come from wee ones," she asked curiously as she moved the blanket away so she could pick them up. Her hand stilled immediately. "I know these outfits," she whispered brokenly. "My babies," she uttered amazed. "Our babies," she admitted as she met Harry's gaze.
He stared at her, unable to settle on an emotion. His mind filtering through various emotions. "Ours," he repeated finally.
Minerva nodded her head. "I didn't know I was pregnant until that December," she explained. "I came back here to tell you but you had disappeared by then. I hid my pregnancy and arranged for an older couple to adopt them since I was not married. You remember how society was then especially regarding unmarried mothers. Unfortunately things didn't work out like I intended it to."
"Malcolm and I went back to May 2, 1955 and saved them from the hospital fire," Hermione said from the door. She walked closer to the couple. "Did you take the potion," she asked. Harry just held his hand up showing the empty vial. "Malcolm created it to help you."
Minerva smiled gratefully at Hermione for doing what she had. How could she not after the witch had broken a dozen laws in order to save her children. The potion started to cause her some increased pain and tightness in her chest. "What is the purpose of the potion?" she asked Hermione.
"To fool everyone to think you have given birth on May 2 of this year," Hermione asked matter-of-factly. "The Unspeakables demanded this concession and I agreed to it on your behalf. Any physician will believe you have just given birth and the tightness in your chest is your breasts producing milk."
"I can breastfeed them," Minerva asked hopefully as she gently touched her babies' face reverently. She glanced up at Hermione with her eyebrow rose up in question.
"You can," confirmed Hermione with a wide smile. "The birth certificates are in the desk drawer. I had to modify the names to this day and age. I would apologize for it but what kind of aunt would I be if I allowed you to name your son Magnus in these times?"
Harry snorted in amusement while Minerva looked conflicted. "Its a very traditional name," she retorted with a smile of her own.
"And belongs in the past," Hermione snapped back good-naturedly before grinning at the small family. "I'm heading out now. I plan to bring Poppy by this evening to examine the babies and you."
Minerva nodded her head. "No words nor deeds will ever be enough to show my gratitude but I thank you just the same," she said. Minerva's Scottish brogue was thick from her emotions.
Harry watched Hermione leave before moving towards the desk. He opened it and found the birth certificates. "James Malcolm Potter and Jasmine Isobel Potter," he read then looked at his wife. "I like their names."
Minerva nodded her head in agreement. "Will you bring the basket to the bedroom so I can breastfeed?" she asked. She was desperate to hold her babies but unsure she could do so standing up. She felt faint and sore from the potion but nothing would stop her from holding her children. Or feeding them as she looked down and saw the wet spots on her gown at her breasts. Apparently her milk supply had been established and she was ready to breastfeed her children for the first time.
Minerva sat propped up in bed against the headboard. She was bare at top as she held her children and fed them. She smiled serenely as she watched them suckle from her breasts and listened to the sounds they were making. She would be ever thankful for this experience. Hermione and Malcolm had given her, them, so much. She never dreamed anyone would ever discover her pregnancy from her youth nor defy laws to go back in time, save them from horrific deaths and bring them back to the here and now. It was mind-blowing to her!
"What are you feeling," she asked Harry quietly. He was sitting opposite her on the bed watching her silently. His green eyes studied her, the twins, just taking in everything.
Harry managed to break his gaze from the babies and met hers. She was suprised by the unshed tears watering the green of his eyes. "I'm ecstatic," he responded slowly. "I would have been fine with adopting kids down the line but to see you breastfeeding our flesh and blood is an amazing feat. I never want to forget this moment, this feeling, as long as I live."
Minerva smiled radiantly at him. "I know the feeling," she confided. "I nearly died from grief when I heard the twins died in that hospital fire. I was catatonic for a bit but Poppy's mother nursed me through that. I will be ever grateful to Hermione for fighting for them, for us, for this chance to be a family."
"Guess we know who to list as Godmother," Harry quipped with a mischievous smile.
Minerva nodded her head in agreement and offered James to Harry. The boy had fallen asleep while suckling. Harry eased him on his shoulder and gently burped him before laying him next to him. Minerva gave him Jasmine and he repeated the action before laying her next to her slumbering brother. Minerva covered herself then leaned over and kissed Harry. "All of the time I spent alone and devastated was worth this moment," she said honestly. "I am married to the love of my life and we have healthy newborn twins."
"And no Dark Lords attempting to murder us," quipped Harry with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Minerva snorted in amusement and nodded her head. "There's that too," she responded with her own grin.
