Darkness engulfing

Molly made it to the bent in the corridor with at least some semblance of composure. As soon as she was out of Lucius' sight she began to run.

"Molly!"

Minerva was hot on her heels, running to catch up to her friend. The climb up the stairs took out a lot of both women since they were still recovering from torture and rape. Molly, never really on the sportive side, wheezed up the last few steps and collapsed to the floor, trying to catch her breath. Minerva was in better shape but only slightly. Her breath came in short bursts and her sides were on fire. She was still regaining her breath, when she noticed Molly had slumped to the side and was throwing up her dinner. Mina crouched down to her friend. She gathered her up in her arms, stroking her hair out of her face and holding it back while Molly thoroughly emptied her stomach. Gradually her heaving subsided and her retching eased. She lay limb in Minerva's, trying to erase the memories of Lucius hands on her body, his heavy weight between her legs, his sneering face mere millimetres from hers ...

Again bile rose in her throat. She needed Arthur, needed him to chase away the intruder, rid her of her memories, make her his again with body and soul, heal her. Great sobs shook her frame violently and nothing Minerva did could stop the shaking ... Or was it her friend who trembled against her? Slowly Molly lifted her head and peered over at her friend's face. Minerva's eyes were pressed tightly shut and her whole body shook. Her eyes moved frantically to and fro behind her lids, her lips were compressed as though to hold back screaming and ...

"What are you two doing here?"

Both witches did scream at that and whirled around to face their attackers. Molly crouched low on the ground but held her wand in hand. Minerva had jumped up and pointed her wand at ...

"Albus!"

She lowered her wand briefly but then she whipped it up again, sharply and remorselessly.

"What did we name our third child?" she asked, her voice cutting through the cold air like a knife.

Albus blinked, taken by surprise, but replied without hesitation.

"Kendra Gwyneth, after our mothers. Mina, Tabby, it is really me", said Albus very quietly.

His eyes were fixed to hers and tears showed in them. For Minerva the single tear tracing down his cheek into his beard was prove that it was really him. Only her husband would cry for their lost daughter. Her wand clattered on the floor as she dropped it and stepped into the warm, comforting circle of Albus' arms.

Another man stepped into the light provided by the lantern hanging by the door to the stairs. Arthur approached his beloved wife carefully, seeing the tear stains on her cheeks and the red puffyness of her eyes. Slowly he stepped close beside her and knelt down by her side. Molly threw herself wildly into his arms, nearly choking him in the process. Her lips met his in a fierce kiss. Not soft and loving but seeking violence. Arthur was forcefully reminded of the night of her rescue. He withdrew from Molly, gently prying her arms off his neck but still holding her close.

"You went to see him?" he asked hesitantly but without accusation or reprimand.

Molly nodded, feeling both miserable and frightened. Guilt racked havoc on her composure and new tears fell down on her hands on Arthur's chest.

"I see. Is he still alive?"

This time Arthur had to gather all his courage before getting the question out. He also remembered Molly's rage the day she found she was pregnant vividly and it frightened him to no end to think she might have made good on her threats.

Molly seemed to remember the same night. Her forehead was furrowed in anger but she didn't yell at him. She couldn't quite believe Arthur thought her capable of murder ... after their conversation that is. She shook her head silently, not sure how best to answer her husband.

"Then why did you go in the first place?"

Arthur was still confused about the motives his wife might have had. He couldn't understand her. If he were in her shoes, he wouldn't want to see the man responsible for her misery ever again and leave him rotting in his cell. But no, his strong, brave Molly had to go and confront herself with her worst nightmare. How he admired his wife! How he wanted to shake her and yell at her to leave it alone and come back to him!

A sharp voice cut through Arthur's thoughts, bringing him back to the dungeons and reminding him of Albus and Minerva.

"Why would you go down here, woman? What the hell were you thinking looking for Voldemort?" yelled Albus, finally losing his control and patience with his wife. He actually grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard.

"Don't say his name!" yelled Minerva back, just as furious as her husband. Her teeth clicked together painfully but she wouldn't back down. Tom might scare her but not ... But she was wrong. Albus did scare her, a lot. Her knees went weak and wobbly and she tried to free herself from Albus' iron grasp on her.

"I say his name as often as I like. You're not angry at me but at him", yelled Albus, not letting go of her shoulders.

"Why didn't you tell me he escaped?" demanded Minerva furiously.

Suddenly she was free, standing there still shaking and glowering at Albus who looked back in complete bewilderment.

"What did you say?" he asked, sure that he must have misunderstood.

"You heard me! Don't act dumber than you are!" hissed Minerva aggressively, fists clenched so hard her nails dug into the flesh of her palm.

Albus still starred at her as if she had grown a third head.

"He is chained up in the secret room in my tower. Only very few people know about it and I'm there to guard him. He can't harm you, Tabby ..."

"Don't call me that!" she screeched in return, surprising not only Albus but herself, too. "And don't lie to me. Malfoy said you couldn't catch him and ..."

"And you believe HIM more than ME!" asked Albus incredulously. "Now you go too far, Ta ... Minerva. Malfoy only wanted to get under your skin."

Molly wanted to get up and calm her angry friend, fearing for Albus' welfare. Minerva was positively dangerous tonight, frightened Molly and upsetting Albus. Molly was just beginning to push herself up when Arthur tightened his grasp around her waist. She looked at him questioningly. His only answer was to place his hands possessively on her hips and push her down again. Arthur lowered his face until his mouth was level with Molly's ear.

"Leave them alone. They can't fix things with you in between", he whispered softly in her ear.

Molly knew he was right but it bugged her nonetheless to be ordered to be quiet. She narrowed her eyes and glared fiercely at her husband who had nothing better to do but mock-fainting against her and kiss her neck. Molly couldn't help but smile at his playfulness. Minerva was not faring well, though.

"He never lied", she protested irrationally.

"No, he just raped, tortured and murdered but you can't call him a liar. Drop all charges, the man is a saint!"

"Uh-oh, big mistake", muttered Arthur sympathetically. "Wanna bet on who gets hexed first?"

"Not Funny, Arthur", hissed Molly.

"Well, kinda", protested Arthur weakly but was drowned out by Minerva's voice.

"I hate you!"

Minerva then turned and ran away from her husband. Albus called after her but Minerva didn't react to him. Frantically she hastened from corridor to corridor, not exactly knowing or even caring where she went. As so often in the past her feet led her automatically to the one place in the castle that provided peace and comfort, her refuge, Gryffindor Tower. Within mere minutes she halted in front of the Fat Lady, breathless and with heavy heart.

"Professor McGonagall, how nice to finally see you on your feet again", greeted the Fat Lady disgustingly cheerful. "How can I help you tonight?"

Minerva couldn't reply at first for she was still catching her breath but as her heart beat slowed again to its normal rate and her lungs sucked in the needed oxygen, she looked up.

"I want in and change the password", she said, still a little short of breath.

"Of course", the Fat Lady said, eyeing Minerva shrewdly. "Another fight with your husband, Professor?" Her right eyebrow was raised and she observed Minerva in sympathy.

"The new password is Calico. Now let me in", huffed Minerva, ignoring the Lady's earlier question.

The Fat Lady, used to this kind of treatment from the Deputy Headmistress, swung open, revealing the entrance to Minerva's sanctuary.

Minerva had assumed that every student was already in bed, sleeping soundly and peacefully, travelling the fantastic lands of dreams. But as she stepped through the hole, she saw three all too familiar faces around the fire place. For a moment she stood quiet still, watching the so-called Golden Trio, Hermione had as always a book propped up on her knees. This time, though, Ron sat next to her and peered intently over her shoulder, reading as fast as he could. Hermione was patiently, as unusual as Ron reading, waiting for Ron to finish the page. Harry sat on the floor with his back leaning against the couch on Hermione's other side. A snitch was clutched in his fist and Crookshank was curled up on his lap.

It was a very homely scene. So homely it brought tears to his eyes. Minerva wanted to turn around silently and leave the three to their school work. Harry, with his seeker instincts, caught her movements and jumped up, sending a hissing Crookshank flying.

"Professor!" he exclaimed, his guard down and happiness shining in his eyes. Harry came over to her and hugged her, rather shyly and not as wildly as before. "How are you?"

"Not so fine tonight, Harry", she answered, hugging Harry back. Right now he was probably the only male whose nearness she could stand. "But let us talk about something else. What are you three reading? Perhaps I could help with your school ..."

"It's not for school, Professor", said Ron, "it's for Mum. Here read it."

He handed her the book and Minerva bent over it to read.

Pregnancy over 40 and Related Risks

There is a sharp decline in a woman's ability to achieve pregnancy over age forty. The fertility rate per month is only about 5% and even with in Vitro Fertilization (IVF), the most successful infertility treatment available, the pregnancy rate is only about 10% per try. This is due to the greatly reduced number of normal eggs remaining in the ovaries of a woman over forty. Therefore, women who desire a pregnancy over 40 should seek help after only 3 months of trying to become pregnant. Estimates from embryo biopsy reveal that at least 90% of a woman's eggs are genetically abnormal when a woman is over 40. This is explains the increased pregnancy risk over 40. The miscarriage rate is 33% at age 40. Genetically abnormal pregnancies are more common as well with an incidence of 1/38 at age 40. For this reason, there are many women over 40 who choose to use an egg donor to become pregnant. Eggs from a woman in their early twenties are used along with their husbands' sperm to create embryos that are much more likely to lead to successful pregnancy. Pregnancy rates of about 80% are common in most egg donation programs. This is the best way to increase the likelihood of pregnancy over 40. An additional benefit is that the pregnancies that result from these younger eggs also have the miscarriage and genetic abnormality rate of women in their twenties. Therefore, the risk of pregnancy over 40 is limited to those potential problems that could occur that have nothing to do with genetics. As women get older the risks of medical conditions complicating pregnancy increase. Complications of pregnancy that increase with age include elevated blood pressure, gestational diabetes, premature labour and bleeding disorders such as placental abruption.

Pregnancy over 45 and Related Risks

Pregnancy over 45 is a very difficult proposition. Women over 45 have less than a 1% chance of getting pregnant using their own eggs. This is because virtually all of their remaining eggs are genetically abnormal. Successful pregnancy over 45 is therefore nearly always the result of egg donation. Many high profile women who have become pregnant in their forties, especially after the age of 45 did so with the help of donor eggs. The pregnancy risk over 45 is also increased. In the unlikely event that a woman over 45 becomes pregnant with her own eggs, the pregnancy risk over 45 results in a miscarriage rate of at least 50% and the incidence of a genetically abnormal pregnancy of 1 in 12. There is also a significantly higher risk of maternal and foetal mortality with pregnancy over 45 compared to younger women. It is especially important to make sure that a woman's body is able to tolerate the stresses that pregnancy places on it prior to becoming pregnant. This means that a woman should be checked for problems like high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes before trying to become pregnant.

It may seem that there are higher rates of multiple pregnancy in older women. This is due to the fact that older women are more likely to seek treatment for infertility and these treatments have high incidences of multiple pregnancy than natural conception, especially when donor eggs are used. The fact is that it is much harder to get pregnant with one baby as a woman ages. The chances of a multiple pregnancy are even less. Nearly every woman over the age of forty who delivers more than one baby did so with the help of an egg donor.

"Oh", she whispered faintly.

"Anything to add to that?" asked Ron, not sure what to do with her response.

Hermione watched her teacher's profile carefully. Minerva was unnerved by all the risks of a late pregnancy. It seemed to be the first time she really thought about what this would mean to Molly. Dread filled her and it showed in her eyes. Never before had Hermione seen her mentor's face this expressive.

"There isn't much to add to my first statement, Ronald", said Minerva quietly, smiling at Ron tentatively.

"Then what about you?" asked Hermione very quietly.

"I don't want to talk about it!"

There the old stern, forbidding Transfiguration Professor was back. But panic showed in the depths of Minerva's eyes. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other, coming to a silent decision.

"Well, you need to talk to someone", said Hermione wisely. "We might not be the best choice since we're still kids but ... have you ever ..."

Here Hermione paused, unsure if she should continue or not. Minerva watched her shrewdly with eyes that could still scrutinize a person's deepest secrets in the last corner of the soul.

"Have I ever what, Miss Granger?" asked Minerva, using Hermione's family name to intimidate her. No such luck, though, because Harry and Ron closed in to Hermione in support.

"Have you ever considered seeing a psychologist?" asked Hermione almost inaudibly, ducking her head low and speaking to the floor rather than to Minerva's stunned face.

"I'M NO LUNATIC!" yelled Minerva at the top of her lung, causing all three children to jump a foot high in surprise. "What is it with everybody assuming I'm mentally unstable?"

A./N.: So what do you think of that idea? Please review and tell me your opinions and ideas. Thanks in advance.