(Ummm, ok yeah… well, a certain "Isabelle" did not sign in last time. I wish she had, so I could address her question personally, but because she didn't, here's the answer to her question.

I tried to address Minerva's multiple birthing mix in ch. 2 "Are You MMAD?" but apparently, it was too subtle. Remember, Minerva is both human, and, through magic, also a cat, thus the multiple birth of her offspring. Cats, while having this ability, also have the unusual ability to have offspring from multiple fathers, resulting in varied offspring, thus implying that in a single litter, a cat usually mates more than once. However, Albus is the only father in this case, but the same rules apply. I thought that it would be more interesting to have both human and cat, since that is what Minerva is, characteristics in her offspring. It is possible for a cat to have both identical and fraternal in a litter. Ummm, I don't mind that people don't sign in, but if you have a question about something, please SIGN IN so I don't have to explain it to the world… especially with something like, oh I don't know, cat sex (?). If you're still confused, SIGN IN and I'll try to send you a personal message or something.)

Traveling through France had been fairly easy. The land was still war scarred and still trying to recover its losses. The language barrier had been no problem there. Both Albus and Minerva spoke French although Minerva prided herself in her ability to speak it fluently.

They had been able to travel though the country mostly unhindered though apparating. But getting into Germany formed a different matter altogether. The country was war ravaged itself, hated the French for the tight laws and regulations it had been free to put on the country after the war and was altogether moody and difficult. Apparating into the country was simply not an option. The country was too unpredictable. However, travel by train was almost as equally unpredictable. Many railroads had been taken out by mortar and other weapons of war and so it was difficult to predict when the train might stop and travel by foot may begin to the next train stop. Repairs were being made on many of the lines and that also was cause for a stop. But after the last stop, the trip to Munich had been going smoothly.

Minerva woke sleepily and looked out the window.

"Albus?"

"Mmm?" he said looking up from his book.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know," he said looking out the window.

She yawned.

"How far to Munich?"

"Not much longer if there aren't any more stops,"

"When was the last one?"

"Ummm," he took out his watch, "According to the position of Mercury, about three hours ago,"

She yawned again, "And when did I fall asleep?"

"My dear, I practically had to carry you back on the train,"

"Really?"

"Yes, but that was alright. It made me feel manly," he said burying himself back into his book.

"I'll bet it did," she said with a third yawn.

"What was that?"

"Nothing… nothing," she rubbed her neck. The sunlight hurt her eyes, but the wilderness around them was pretty and so she continued looking. The sky was spotted with clouds that started to mesh together in ominous masses.

"What are we going to do when we get to Munich?"

He sighed and set down his book, "Here's a letter from the wizarding council granting us entrance into the GMC, the German Magical Council to negotiate the terms of ransom."

She shuddered, "What do we have to negotiate with?"

"This," he gently kicked a chest.

She grimaced, "Couldn't we just use money?"

He laughed wryly, "Money is practically useless in Germany right now. The German mark is so overly inflated, by the time we got there, what was worth a mark would probably be worth a few million marks. I'm sorry, that's muggle money. But the wizards aren't much better off. In Zauberergeld, it's the same thing."

She shrugged and looked back out the window. It began to rain. He turned back to his book.

It was quiet again. There was nothing to do but wait.

She looked at him, "Couldn't you shave? You're looking scruffy."

"I intend to look scruffy this entire trip. It's part of our disguise,"

"Is that why you have your hat pulled down so low?"

"What? This? No, I never could figure out how to wear these bowler hats without looking ridiculous,"

"You're probably right," she said bored.

The train came to a complete stop in a matter of seconds.

"Albus?"

"Hmmm?"

"Another stop?"

"There must be another brake in the rail. Well, I guess we'd better get our things and prepare to wait again…"

They rose from their seats and Albus leaned down to pick up his overcoat that he had left.

"Albus?" she put her arm on his

"Hmmm? What is it?" he said looking at her, then where she her eyes were transfixed.

"They're not moving…" she looked toward the rest of the train in uneasy shock.

And it was true, the train had come to a complete halt, literally. The people on the train seemed frozen in time, some in mid-sentence of frozen conversations, some snoozing, but no snores issued from their mouths. Hands stopped moving in mid-air, suspended by invisible steel ropes. Silence sat like an unwanted passenger daring any sound to be made.

"Sie dort!"

The harsh words made them jump. They turned around towards the voice that had startled them.

"Sind Sie zwei Englisch?"

There stood a tall man in military outfit, crisp and clean. In his had, he held a paper. He pointed at them, then to the paper.

„Ja sind wir," Albus replied.

„Magisch?"

"What are you saying?" Minerva asked tugging his sleeve.

"Shh," he said to his wife, "Ja!" he said back to the man.

"Folgen Sie mir," said the man curtly.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, but it's best not to argue," he said lifting the trunk

"Well, what did he say?"

"He merely asked if we were English and Magical," Albus said with a shrug.

"And what did you say?"

He puffed, "Well… I said… yes… we were,"

"And then?"

He set down the trunk as they stepped out into the rain, "He said to follow him,"

"Shnell!" the voice interrupted.

The train resumed its speed it was at before the train stopped.

"Ja!" responded Albus, "He's in a hurry," Albus said quietly.

Albus talked to the man for a few minutes before he turned and began walking in a quick pace towards the forest. Albus lifted the trunk magically and followed equally as fast.

"What…? What's going on?" she said following him.

"This is a member of the German Magical Council. He says that he's been sent to fetch us,"

"What? Why wouldn't he let us go on to Munich?"

"He says that they've changed headquarters,"

"And you believe that?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Albus, you always are too trusting. How do you know this isn't some kind of fool trap?"

"I don't know. It'll be an adventure, won't it?" he said with a wink.

Her mouth opened wide in disbelief, "Albus Dumbledore…!"

"Shnell!" came the voice again from deep in the brush.

Minerva gripped Albus' arm, "We're not actually going in there, are we?"

"Why not?"

"Because it's… dark… and we can't see if anything is going to attack us or…"

He tried to smile, but a weary sigh came out, "Minerva, will you stop worrying? Please? I think it's going to be alright."

And he disappeared into the darkness. She followed cautiously.

Soon they came to a clearing and stopped. Their guide looked up towards the cloudy sky.

Minerva noticed that the man had somehow changed clothing as they went through the forest. He was wearing deep green robes with black cords and lining and a hood that he was not wearing. He clutched a dark gnarled stick and shouted a few words in

German.

The ground beneath their feet began to move and they slowly began to sink into the ground.

"Albus?" said Minerva nervously.

"Keep calm, Minerva,"

"Albus?" She clutched his arm tighter as her shoes were lost to the forest floor.

"Calm down!" he commanded.

"Albus?"

"For heaven's sake, CALM DOWN!"

The ground sank to their necks.

She shut her eyes as the pine needles poked her face.

The man smirked as they stood in an underground room. Minerva was visibly shaken. Albus couldn't help but smile.

"I don't ever want to do that again," she said furiously.

"Don't worry, you probably won't," he said still grinning slightly.

"Lumos," said the wizard.

"Well, at least the spells are the same," Minerva whispered.

"Some of them," answered Albus.

The man ran off into the dark tunnel and they followed at his heels.

They finally came to a cement bunker in the underground tunnel. It was full of muggle transmitting devices and maps and typewriters and people.

It was bustling and hardly anyone seemed to notice their entrance. He motioned them to follow and they did quietly.

He took a key and unlocked a room which followed into a chamber. He went in before them and shut the door behind them. He said another word and the floor seemed to drop beneath them, only much quicker this time. Minerva yelped and clung tightly to Albus' arm. They shortly slowed and seemed to float to the ground. It was dark outside of their circle of light that surrounded them.

It wasn't much different from the upper tunnel except that it was much warmer. The trunk, which they seemed to have lost somewhere along the way in the forest, appeared beside them.

Another man appeared out of the shadows and greeted them in German. Their original guide said a few words in German and the new man smiled warmly at them and said, "Velcome," in a very thick German accent.

(A/N: Well, I'm off to university! I'm sorry this chapter was a bit short, but it's all I had time for with all of the packing and getting ready and such. Wish me luck, I'm probably not going to have much time to write after I get there, so you all will have to review A LOT. Oh! And I'm sorry if my German isn't all the greatest… I'm trying to keep it real, I'm sorry if I'm screwing it up in the process…)