"It's a girl!" Merope dropped back to her pillows, breathing heavily. She did it! Jane wiped some hair off of her forehead, smiling to her encouragingly. "You did great, My Lady."
Merope gave her maid a tired smile. "Can I hold her?" The middle aged midwife handed Merope her daughter. She looked at the little girl in awe. The fluffy tuft on top of her head was as black as her father's, and her grey eyes reflected Merope's. The door opened and Tom entered the room. Merope expected her husband to behave as coolly and stiff as he did the last few months but instead he hurried to her side taking the baby from Merope's hands.
He looked at the baby with awe in his eyes gently caressing the top of her head. "He is beautiful."

Merope smiled, sure he made a mistake. "She is beautiful."
Tom gave her a confused look. "What do..."
He was interrupted by his mother who has just entered Merope's chambers. "She means she has given birth to a girl. As usually, she failed."
Merope couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You've just gotten a grandchild."
"A useless grandchild. All I can do with a girl is to marry her off. And that includes very little profit for us, unless she magically catches a man with a good enough title." She said that with so little emotion Merope couldn't believe what she was hearing. She hasn't heard such cruel words ever since she ran away from her father's cottage, and that was saying something. She gathered up all the strength she had left and smiled at her mother in law.

"You know what, Mary? My daughter is not useless. She is not a piece of meat to be married off. When she does get married, it will be to the person she loves. And no matter if it's the butcher's boy or the Prince of England, he still won't be good enough for her. And one day, even you will be proud of her." The older woman just looked at Merope, speechless. She instructed the maids to help Merope to get decent and walked away.
"So...what do you want to name her?" Tom seemed to go back to his usual self and decided to ignore the incident that has just happened.
Merope didn't give it a thought as she gazed at her daughter. "Elladora." That was her mother's name, and though she barely remembered her, all of Merope's memories of her mother were filled with love.
"I'm not sure my parents will approve of that." He carefully advised.

Merope scowled under her breath. "I don't care if your parents would approve of it, and neither should you. You are a grown man Tom, start behaving like one."
The air in the room became very tense as all the noise stopped and Anne dropped a glass of water she was bringing to Merope.
"Leave." Tom looked the maddest that his wife's ever seen him. Once all the ladies left the room and the two of them were left alone, he got up and faced Merope.
"How dare you talk like that to me? In front of the staff? I already told you that you are lucky not to be living on the street. And what do you give to me for that? A freak name like Elladora for the daughter of the future Duke Hereford? "

She has never looked at him like she did now. "Elladora was my mother's name. Elladora will be my first daughter's name, Tom, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. As your mother said, you cannot remarry again. You can't kill me since you haven't got a male heir. You need me, and believe me that I will do anything in my power to get my way." She may have swore never to use magic again, but her husband didn't know that, and she could see the fear in his eyes grow.
"Fine, name her whatever you want. Just make her middle name Mary to please mother." He exited the room, letting Merope's maids back in. Fights between Merope and the Riddles weren't often in the past few months, but something about her daughter finally made her stand up for herself.

Anne stood in front of her bed, smiling coyly. "We just need to change your bedclothes, Lady Merope. Jane already drew you a bath." She seemed hesitant to add something.
"Is there anything else you wish to say, Anne?"
Anne smiled again and ran to her, giving her an excited hug. "I just wanted to say I admire how you stood up to the Duchess, My Lady." She seemed to regret the decision of hugging Merope, but Merope gave her a warm smile nonetheless. "Thank you, Anne. Jane, will you help me to the bath?" Jane quickly approached her side, smiling as wide as Anne was. Merope felt a sudden feeling of pride. She took charge, and she liked it.

"Go in peace."
"Thanks be to God."

Isobel stayed in her place, silently praying. Minnie was sat in her lap and was starting to get fidgety. "Daddy!"
"Daddy has to change his clothes, sweetheart. Come on, why don't I give you a few coins to put in the pretty basket?" Minnie laughed cheerfully clapping her hands. Isobel got up holding her daughter's hand. She led her to the sacristy where food and coffee were handed out. She almost turned around when she saw the company surrounding her husband, but it was too late.
Alyth Barclay and Maired Kinniard, the two most horrible gossip spreading, lazy housewives in the whole of Berridale, and if you asked Isobel, the whole of Scotland.
And they were heading right towards her. "Isobel! We were just telling Robert how wonderful today's service was." She caught her husband's relieved glance. He shrugged his shoulders and mouthed "I'm sorry".

"Do you mind?" Alyth asked, her hand already on Isobel's stomach.
"Go ahead, Alyth."
"You've got a little kicker there, haven't you? And you're carrying high, that means another girl!" Isobel just smiled and nodded. She already knew she was having a boy since they told her that when she went for her check-up at St. Mungo's. "If you say so, Alyth..."
"Oh, I've never been wrong. Guessed all of Maired's boys, haven't I, May?"
Maired nodded knowingly, as if Alyth's old wives tales were a scientific fact. "All seven of them." She pointed to the sweets table were her sons were busy eating through all the food served. Her youngest, Willie was battling Minnie for a cookie. He gave in when his pants suddenly mysteriously dropped. Isobel chuckled to herself, looking proudly at her daughter. Maired hurried to Willie, screeching how she told him a million times that he should know how to buckle his pants already.

"So, are you thinking of names yet?"
"Elizabeth for a girl, and if it does turn out to be a boy, I like Malcolm."
"So a normal name this time?"
Isobel felt her blood start boiling. It's been three years since Isobel has first given birth and people like Alyth still couldn't understand Isobel's decision to name her daughter Minerva.
"Minerva is a normal name."
"Maybe if Berridale was ancient Rome." She shrugged her head, trying to annoy Isobel.
"My grandmother was called Minerva. It was normal in Grangemouth, I don't see a problem with it being normal here."
"Well, Grangemouth is a posh town, not like Berridale."
"I'm sorry that you feel that way Alyth, but let me tell you that my Minerva is a thousand times more special and talented than Katie, or Jane, or Mary, or any of your normal named children. Now excuse me while me and my family go back to our posh home. Rob, we're going!"

Robert, who was mingling nearby and has naturally heard what just happened quickly swept Minnie to his arms and quietly apologised to Alyth.
"I didn't give you permission to talk in my name, Robert!"
"Yes, love." With that, the couple sprinted out of the church. After that incident, none of the villagers questioned Isobel about her reasons on naming Minerva the way she did. Isobel McGonagall took charge and she liked it.

A/N: Hey you guys, and Happy New Year! I just want to thank you all for reading and reviewing, it means a lot. So, it's a girl! You'll have to wait a bit more for baby Tom. So the Riddles are currently in December of 1926 and the McGonagalls in February of 1938. Again, thank you for reading, the next chapter will be up soon!