A/N Thanks again Maria

I'm very please to see that so many of the readers from when I first started are still with me )

As always, reviews greatly appreciated.

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Going round the corner, Albus caught sight of Filch smoothing out the creases on one of the numerous fliers posted around the school announcing the ban on pet kneazles. Immediately, Albus turned to head in the other direction, but he was already too late – Argus had spotted him. Albus turned down corridor after corridor at random hoping to debride himself of the castle's caretaker, but Argus, Mrs. Norris cradled in his arms, kept pace.

"More has got to be done!"

Just how many times, Albus wondered, would he be forced to have this conversation with Argus? "Everything that can be done has already been done, Argus. All of the students' pet kneazles have been sent home."

"But that isn't enough! Minerva saw all of them before they went. The kneazle that attacked her wasn't among them."

Albus shrugged. "You could always put up more posters."

Argus wouldn't let it go. "That kneazle could still be here. We have to do something!"

Albus sighed. He really had enough on his plate all ready, thank you very much. After over a month, the Ministry had finally given up on trying to find the kneazle responsible, but the same could not be said of Alastor Moody. Stansworthy and several other of the school's governors had been pressuring for a meeting since the scandal went public. Knowing that the meeting would be about dismissing Minerva, Albus kept putting off the scheduling of it, but he wasn't sure how much longer that would hold them off.

After Minerva's little display that day, all - save one - of the staff had turned against him. Even the elves, who should have known better, had turned on him. He tried as much as possible not to even think about what the Daily Prophet had been running about the story. Yet as horrible as the allegations they were making were, no one was yet suggesting the obvious – that Minerva had fabricated the entire thing.

He had thought about just telling the Governors and everyone else the truth – forcing Minerva's hand, but that didn't seem wise. What if she still refused to go into hiding? Better to let her story fall apart of its own volition. He suspected then she would be more amenable to the idea and she wouldn't have cause to be angry with him - which wasn't to say that he didn't have cause to be angry with her.

He had never before in his life felt so betrayed by someone – no doubt because he had never before in his life trusted someone so absolutely.

When Minerva had again approached him to discuss the situation a few days after her revelation, he had sent her back along her way. He had told her that they would talk when, and only when, she agreed to live up to her part of their bargain. Since then the majority of their communications, entirely school related, had been conducted via the extremely childish and entirely inefficient method of owl post. As pigheaded as Minerva could be, this was one time that Albus knew he would not be the one to give in.

And of course Voldemort was offering no concessions in his behavior just because Albus was having difficulties in his personal life.

So in short, he could really do without a hysterical Filch.

"Argus, it wasn't a kneazle – it was me. I am the father of Professor McGonagall's baby. As I feel absolutely no attraction towards your cat, you and Mrs. Norris can rest easy."

"Is that supposed to be funny?"

Albus sighed. There was nothing at all funny about the current situation. "All right Argus, what do you suggest we-"

Any thoughts of what Argus would have him do were lost as they passed the Staffroom. Albus could hear moaning within. It was a moan with which he was quite familiar. Intimately familiar one could even say, Albus having on several occasions through great exertion caused that very moan to be heard, though never in the Staffroom – well at least not while school was in session.

Wondering what exactly was going on, he pushed open the door.

Minerva was reclined on one of the sofas with only her head and shoulders visible over the edge. Kneeling on the floor before her, visible only by virtue of his sheer enormity, was Hagrid.

Her eyes closed and a blissful expression on her face, Minerva purred. "You have the most amazing hands, Hagrid."

Minerva and Hagrid were far from the only ones in the room. If any of the others found their activity out of place, they didn't show it.

Stepping closer to see over the back of the couch, Albus was able to determine that Hagrid's 'most amazing hands' were only at work on Minerva's feet.

"Have yeh any names in mind?"

Minerva answered with a smile and without any hesitation. "Juliet."

"That's a right nice name. And fer if it's a boy?"

"Oh, it's a girl."

This was wrong – it was all wrong. He should have been there with Minerva in Poppy's office when the school's nurse did the necessary spells to find out. He shouldn't have to be overhearing a conversation in the Staffroom to find out that they were going to have a little girl.

They were going to have a little girl - it really was going to be a girl! Minerva was finally going to get the daughter she had always dreamed of having. He knew he was being terribly outdated, but knowing their child was going to be a girl only strengthened Albus's resolve. A little girl needed a father that she could claim as her own.

It was only a foot rub and it was only Hagrid, but still Albus did not care to think that another man was causing Minerva to make his particular moan. Not to mention that his plans of getting Minerva to agree to leave the school would probably be progressing much better if the rest of the staff wasn't being so accommodating towards her.

"So good to see that you have time for a foot rub, Professor McGonagall. May I take that to mean that the monthly expense summary is finally on my desk?"

By the look on her face it was clear that it was not.

"If your duties are getting to be too much trouble, perhaps you should consider resigning them. I'm sure Filius would be up to the task."

"Filius certainly would not be!" came the rather hot reply from Filius.

Minerva's reply was considerably colder. "I'll have them on your desk by the end of the afternoon."

With a nod, Albus turned and left. With that detour he had managed to rid himself of Argus, but in his place he had acquired a much larger traveling companion.

"Just how long are yeh plannin' to stay mad at her?"

Albus tried walking faster, but given Hagrid's height advantage, Albus knew he had no hope of outdistancing the other man if he didn't want him to. "I don't know what you mean."

"I know why yeh're upset."

When Albus kept walking, not saying anything in return, Hagrid raised his voice. "We both know this rogue kneazle story is codswallop."

That got Albus to halt. He turned quickly to see if anyone else had been around to hear. Heading into the first empty room he came across, Albus asked, "Hagrid you haven't told anyone else – have you?"

"O' course not. Wouldn't be my place."

Albus put a hand to his face in despair. Hagrid knew. Albus had thought that he had been thorough in obliviating Hagrid last summer. Had he, in his haste, left some clue behind? Hagrid's secret keeping skills were...if Hagrid knew, soon everyone would know.

"Professor, I'm sure she didn't mean no disrespect to yeh or the school. It's just that accidents happen."

"This was no accident!"

Hagrid nodded sympathetically. "I was beginnin' to suspect as much."

"In all the years I've known her, I never could have imagined her capable of something like this!"

"Well love can make a person do many a thing yeh wouldn't expect them tah do."

In a way, Albus was glad Hagrid knew. Finally he had someone to confide in about his feelings. "How could she have deceived me like this?"

"Oh yeh mustn't think of it like that!"

"I wanted to give her a child. I would have willingly given her a child. I told her I would give her anything she wanted if only she would marry me. She wouldn't."

"Oh. Oh! Bugger and Blast!" Suddenly, Hagrid seemed a lot less comfortable with their conversation. "Well yeh know you can't help who yeh fall in love with. Yeh have to understand, I don't get the idea that this was just a passin' thing. I've seen that kneazle hangin' round the castle for years. I can't tell you how many times I've caught sight of 'im leavin' Professor McGonagall's rooms in the wee hours o' the morning."

"What kneazle?" Albus frowned slightly confused. Exactly what was Hagrid trying to get at?

"So she picked a kneazle over yeh. Yeh loved and yeh lost. What more can yeh do?"

Albus just stared at Hagrid dumbstruck.

Before leaving, Hagrid whacked him on the back in what Albus surmised was supposed to be a comforting gesture. "Do try to be a bit easier on her."