Her sin – 10 – One more remember
"You had to look after her!" Albus exclaimed.
"What do you think I was doing?" Aberforth replied.
"She left alone…"
"She had to go to the toilet… Did you want me to follow her in there?"
"No, of course not, but… she fainted!"
"She didn't feel good… is it my fault, too?!"
"You had to look after her!"
"You'd already said that…" Aberforth said giggling.
"Ok, guys, it's enough…" Poppy Pomfrey said coming into the living room of her flat in London "Min is fine, but the last thing she needs right now is listening you both arguing…"
"Sorry…" the both men said at the same time like two children after do something wrong.
"But if she's fine…" Albus began.
"…why did she faint?" Aberforth finished.
"Well… she's pregnant, her defenses are weak, anything could have made her blood-sugar fall down…"
"What do you exactly mean for 'anything'?" Albus wondered.
"I don't know… a smell, a big effort, a fright…"
"She looked white when she came out from the bathroom…" Aberforth told "…like if something had scared her…"
"Oh crap!" Albus suddenly blamed standing up and walking to Poppy's bedroom, were Minerva was resting. She was laying on the bed… her clothes were on a chair. Albus sat down next to her and caressed the well-drawn curve of her body under the soft sheets. She turned round, and looked at him with a weak smile on her face.
"He was there…" she whispered.
"I know… I shouldn't have let you leave…" he said.
"There was something wrote on the wall… You both are mine… He knows I'm pregnant, Albus, and he knows it's his…"
Then a knock on the door interrupted them… it was Poppy standing at the frame.
"Yes, Poppy?"
"The dinner is served… you both can come to the dining room… Eating something will help Min to feel better…" told the nurse.
"You cook delicious!" Aberforth exclaimed taking some more pudding.
"Thanks" Poppy said blushing.
"Pops' always been a wonderful housewife… the only problem is she hasn't any husband to show it…" Minerva told winking her friend.
"I don't need any wizard around here trying to tell me how to do things better… I can manage on my own better than married!"
"I agree with you!" Aberforth yelled raising his glass.
"What's the matter, honey?" Minerva asked looking at Dumbledore.
"It's getting dark… we should leave…"
"No way!" Poppy said "You'll spend the night here… Mina and I can sleep on my bed and you both can share the guests' room…"
"Poppy's right… we can come back to the castle on the morning, can't we, dear?"
"Alright…" he agreed and kissed her forehead standing up from the table.
"You mean I'll have to sleep with him…" Aberforth said pointing his borther "Can't I share the bed with this lovely witch?" he asked holding Poppy's hand and nearly kissing it before Albus grabbed his arm and pulled him up too.
"Not today, Abe… say goodnight to the ladies…" Albus advised.
"Goodnight ladies" and he took off an invisible hat from his head while Albus pulled him out the living room and the two women laughed.
"He's cute, isn't him?" Minerva asked taking the dishes to the kitchen.
"He is" said Poppy getting a more serious tone "Min" she wondered grabbing her friend's shoulder "… the man Albus was talking about… Why didn't you tell me Tom had come back to you?"
"'Cause I knew you would look at me like you're doing now…"
"You lied me! Albus isn't your baby's father!" Her friend yelled.
"I'm really sorry, Pops, but… I couldn't involve you into this… not again…"
"Min I've seen what he's able to do! He nearly killed you when…!" suddenly Minerva gagged her friend's mouth.
"Not so loud" she whispered "Albus knows nothing about that…"
London, 1955… .. .
The tabby cat jumped through the window to the street and crossed the road like if somebody was following it... Nobody was going behind him, but it did was running away from someone… It climbed up a tree and jumped from it onto a roof, after a few minutes it had reached the other side of the city and was standing in front of the little window of a flat.
Through the crystal it looked at a woman going into the room, and it knock the window like if it was a door. The woman inside walked towards the animal and let it come in.
"Don't you know to come like a normal person? My neighbors are muggles!"
"That's why I waited until being inside to transfigure myself back…" Minerva told.
"What's the matter?" her friend asked.
"What matter?"she repeated.
"You came here into your animagus form… there must be some kind of problem 'cause you hate crossing London like a cat…"
"…people always look at me…"
"They wouldn't if you acted like a normal cat…"
"I hate licking myself… I don't taste really good when I'm a cat…" she told giggling.
"Alright… so… What's the matter?"
"Can't I come to visit my friend?"
"It's him, isn't it? Tom has come back…"
"He knocked the door, this time… I thought it was you, Pops, so… I let him come in…"
"Haven't you learnt to ask who's standing outside?"
"I asked him to leave, but he didn't… he wants me back, he says he's tired to wait me to change my mind… I jumped through the kitchen's window…"
"Ok… don't worry… you can stay here all the time it's needed…" Poppy Pomfrey told taking her cloak.
"Are you leaving?"
"There's nothing for lunch, I was going to do the shopping before I saw you standing on the window… stay here, I'll be back in a while…"
She left and a few minutes after someone knocked the door.
"That was a very short while, Pops…" Minerva said opening it "Oh…"
"Hello sweetie…" said the man who was pointing Poppy Pomfrey with his wand.
"Leave her go, Tom…" Minerva begged.
"Not until we've talked…" he said walking in.
"Min, I still not believing you survived to his attacks that day… in San Mungo's everybody said it was a miracle!" Poppy said while they went into the bed of her room.
"It wasn't a miracle… He didn't want me dead… He knew I would get better and then he would come and try to convince me again…"
"I don't understand… he could have just taken you with him…"
"He doesn't want to force me to be with him, Pops… he wants to believe I'll stay with him on my will… that's why he always tortures me… He wants me to get tired, to stop fighting…" Minerva stopped a while, covered herself with the sheets and closed her eyes "He nearly got it that day, when he attack you I was going to say it but then, I lost my strength…"
"…you fainted and he left…" Poppy continued "Why don't you want Albus to know about that day?"
"'Cause then he would know the real aim of Tom's game… Until now there was nothing else to lose than my own life, Pops… but now is different… Tom knows about Albus, and about the baby… and if I ever have to sacrifice myself, then… Albus wouldn't let me… You have to promise me you'll never tell him, Pops… if Albus ever fights Tom…" some tears felt from her eyes at that point "It can't never happen, alright?"
"I promise" Poppy told, closing her eyes too.
TO BE CONTINUED…