A/N Thanks again Maria for making the time to beta this.

''''''''''''''

Kettleburn sighed as Filius pondered the matter aloud for the third time that week. "I'm thinking six. Six is a fine number, don't you think?"

When Kettleburn just grunted, Filius persisted, "Don't you think?"

"Six is a number, I'll give you that much, but that's all I'll give you."

Filius was getting a bit testy. "So how many do you think there will be?"

"Oh, that's a tough call. Hmm…how about…." Kettleburn pretended to be considering the question for a minute before sniping, "...one! Like I've already told you a dozen times!"

Filius's voice was getting shrill. "There cannot be just one! It's just not possible!"

Seeing an opportunity, Kettleburn took it. "Would care to make a wager on it? Say fifty galleons?"

As soon as Filius agreed, Kettleburn demanded the money. "Poppy has already told you, Minerva is only having one baby so pay up."

Filius pish poshed him. "What does she know?"

"A good deal more than you do!" Poppy snapped as she entered the Staff Room. "Now for the last time, Filius, Minerva is having one, and only one, baby. Not a dozen, not half a dozen, not even two babies, she is having just one baby!"

Kettleburn nodded. "Listen to the lady! Now where are my fifty galleons?"

Filius balked. "A kneazle producing a litter of just one – never in my lifetime! I'll pay when I see it with my own eyes!"

Eager to change the subject, Hooch changed the subject. "So Poppy, whatever happened to that plan you and Alastor were working on? The one to get Minerva to agree to marry him? If the plan was to get it done before the baby comes, I think you're running short on time."

"Oh, well…you know…" Poppy blushed. "Alastor and I were getting together quite regularly to plot and plan and…we sort of got to know each other and…" Poppy held up her hand.

The women in the room, Poppy included, all began to squeal, but Poppy quickly hushed them. "Don't say anything to Minerva. Poor dear, it's the last thing she needs to hear right now."

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Months had passed and Minerva was still here – she hadn't left Hogwarts. Albus knew that surely that meant something. Surely, if she despised him so completely that there was no hope of reconciliation, she would have left by now. True, in the beginning Poppy had helped to keep her there - never clearing her to leave - but after a few weeks, when Poppy had allowed Minerva to return to a full teaching schedule, surely then Minerva realized it was merely stalling on Poppy's part.

Albus knew he shouldn't be upsetting Minerva – it wasn't good for her or the baby – and every time he tried to approach her, she got upset. So he had stopped trying to approach her directly.

He had eventually tried sending her a letter. Within minutes, it had been returned, unopened, and accompanied by Minerva's letter of resignation. Still, she hadn't actually left.

He just didn't know anymore what it was that he was supposed to do.

He rather got the idea that Minerva was waiting for him to make some great and grand gesture. Something that would prove once and for all how devoted he was to her and their child to be and how deeply remorseful he was for the pain he had caused her. But he wasn't certain. What if that wasn't the case? What if she was only barely tolerating the current situation and further attempts by him to make amends only drove her to follow through on her threats of leaving? And anyway, he hadn't any ideas of what great and grand gesture to make.

At the moment, the most important thing was ensuring that Minerva stayed at the castle where she was protected. To that end, he had considered himself resigning. The problem with that was that given current circumstances and tempers, he could no longer reasonably presume that Minerva would be named as his successor. He could however reasonably expect his replacement to replace Minerva. Even if he could be sure that Minerva would be the one appointed, he had other entirely selfish reasons for not doing it. Minerva knew how much he loved Hogwarts. While offering to leave so that Minerva would remain could be the gesture to show her how much he cared for her and their child, what if she accepted? What if in resigning he lost his only chance for contact with Minerva and the baby?

So he did nothing. Actually, to say he did nothing was perhaps not entirely accurate. He did what little things he could.

He did all that he could to ensure that all of his responsibilities to the school were taken care of to prevent any extra work from falling on Minerva. When he could do it without being too flagrant, he even took on tasks that ordinarily would have fallen under her dominion. Knowing what their first order of business would be, he had repeatedly postponed or canceled all meetings of the school's Board of Governors since the news of Minerva's condition had gotten out. Of course, in addition to it being in Minerva's best interests, it made one less thing for him to contend with. Between the ordinary school business and all his Order and Ministry responsibilities, many a night he never made it to his bed. As a result, he found himself perpetually exhausted. Perhaps if that had not been the case, perhaps if he wasn't busy playing an unending game of catch up, perhaps if he actually had the time to get his faculties about him, he would have found a way out of the situation months ago.

But he hadn't.

They were at something of a standstill.

In respect of her wishes, Albus avoided subjecting her to his unwanted presence as much as was practical. For that reason, when he entered the Staff Room and found her reclined on one of the couches, he immediately began to retreat. However, realizing she was not merely resting, but asleep, he hesitated. Unable to restrain himself, he took a seat across from her.

Flitwick and Hooch had had their heads together, speaking in hushed tones, but stopped as he entered. When it became clear that Albus wasn't planning to leave, the two made a show of packing up their belongings to go. Hooch nudged the nearby Sprout, no doubt wanting her to join in their little protest, but she was too absorbed in her book to notice. The pair glared at him as they passed. Albus found their behavior mildly surprising. Relations between him and the rest of his staff had improved over the past few months – or so he had thought. Not that he really cared. His relationship with the Charms Professor or the Flight Instructor was not the one he was really concerned with repairing.

Gazing at Minerva, he wondered had it really come to this? Spying on her in her sleep? It had literally been months since he had been this close to her. The room otherwise deserted, Albus took advantage of the opportunity and stared shamelessly. She looked tired, even in her sleep. Given her new size, the couch hardly seemed the most comfortable of places to sleep. Albus didn't need Poppy to tell him that it wouldn't be much longer.

"What time is it?" Her attention buried in the book before her, Sprout didn't seem to realize that they were the only ones in the room.

"Five past the hour."

"Dear me!" Sprout hastily put a more demure gardening book jacket on her trash romance novel before stashing it in her bag. Already out the door, she stuck her head back in with an afterthought. "Wake her! She's going to be late!"

Pomona was wrong. Albus knew Minerva's schedule by heart. Her current free period ended at the half hour.

Even as that time drew closer, Albus decided against waking her. If Minerva was tired enough to be taking a nap mid-day - and in the Staff room no less - he would greatly prefer to allow her to continue sleeping until she awoke of her own volition. He might be a little rusty from years of disuse, but he thought her NEWT class could make due with him for the day.

He didn't doubt that Minerva would be angry when she awoke and discovered him in her classroom, but her being angry with him was nothing new. At least this way, she would be angry at him and a little less tired.

Before leaving, despite the warmth of the soon to be summer weather, he conjured a blanket. Arranging it over her, he couldn't resist just once stroking her cheek.

Once at Minerva's classroom, Albus was startled to see Filius already there. "What are you doing here?"

"When Minerva got the letter this morning, she asked me if I would cover this period. She didn't want to cancel class this close to the NEWTs."

What letter? Was he missing something – as usual?

He got his answer as his usually jovial Charms professor snarled at him. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me, you've gotten the Board of Governors to do your dirty work for you and now you aren't even going to attend?!"

Albus frowned. Apparently the Board of Governors had decided to circumvent him. "Where are they meeting?"

Now it was Filius's turn to look confused. "You mean you didn't know?"

"Where?" Albus insisted.

"The library."

Already out the door and halfway down the corridor, Albus heard Filius call out. "But the meeting would have already started by now!"

Reaching the library, Albus found passage into it impeded. The door was no longer there. A young man Albus had never met before was standing beside where it used to be.

Before Albus could even ask, the clerk answered. "You'll have to turn over your wand if you want to find the door to enter."

"I'll do no such thing!" The very idea of going wandless anywhere these days was ludicrous. Why, even while using the facilities, Albus kept one hand on his wand and one hand one his…other wand.

The young man shrugged. "Suit yourself, but you won't be getting in the room as long as you have it."

Albus countered, "This is my school!"

The young man didn't seem impressed. "Then you probably already know that you're late. The meeting started twenty minutes ago."

"I'm not late! I wasn't notified!" Albus knew perfectly well why he hadn't been informed, but that did nothing to quell his growing outrage. "Now stand aside or you will get my wand!"

Albus saw fright in the young man's eyes, but apparently not enough. "I was given very explicit instructions. I am not to let you pass with a wand."

This was ridiculous. This was his school. Visible or not, he could find the door. He was feeling along the wall where the door should have been when he saw Minerva coming down the corridor looking disheveled, to say the least. Albus winced, realizing his first stop should have been to the Staff Room to make certain Minerva was awake. She was trying with her hands to smooth out the wrinkles in her robes, but she didn't seem to be aware of the state of her hair. The bun she customarily wore was lopsided. More noticeable was the side of her face - it still retained the imprint of the upholstery she had been sleeping on.

She apparently had no difficulties finding the door. She went through without any hesitation.

Albus wasn't sure; Minerva's deliberate ignoring of him as she passed him, was that from all that had happened before or did she, like Filius, think he had something to do with this?

Albus pointed out the obvious. "You didn't take her wand."

The clerk shrugged. "The Board of Governors isn't concerned that she will attack them if she doesn't like what they have to say."

A miscalculation if ever there was one. If they thought that he had a temper, wait until they were the object of hers!

After trying and failing to pass through the very spot that Minerva had just gone through, he gave up arguing. As he released his wand, the door appeared.

Inside at last, Albus saw that one of the Governors, Stansworthy, had wasted no time before starting right in on Minerva. "How nice of you to finally join us, Professor McGonagall. If your schedule is so full that you can't manage to be on time for such an important meeting, I'm sure we can arrange to lessen considerably the school's burden on your time."

The library's usual furnishings had been temporarily banished, replaced by a long table. There were only enough seats to accommodate the Board - leaving Albus and Minerva to stand. The omission seemed deliberate.

While the sight of Minerva's very obvious condition produced hard glares from the rest of the Board members, one, Figg, rose and offered Minerva his seat. "Please sit."

Minerva coolly declined. "I prefer to stand."

Stansworthy seemed greatly put off by Figg's attempts at chivalry. Avoiding eye contact, but pointing straight at Minerva, or rather her protruding abdomen, he went on. "It's high time we discussed this problem. To begin with, has anyone here not seen today's Prophet?"

Minerva stepped forward to take the copy Stansworthy was waving around. "I haven't. The owl that delivers my copy appears to have gone astray…again."

Albus cringed. It wasn't by chance that Minerva hadn't seen the day's edition. When Albus had received his copy that morning, he had immediately turned – as he always did - to see the latest escapades of Marvin the Mad Muggle. The comic he had seen running along side it had caused him to immediately summon and destroy all copies of the Prophet in the vicinity of the school.

The cartoon depicted two men having a discussion. The first man commented, "I hear that McGonagall shags like a minx."

The second man corrected the first. "You misheard – she shagged a minx."

After handing over his copy and allowing her a moment to absorb the comic, Stansworthy began prodding her. "What have you to say for yourself?"

Minerva still answered with that same composed tone – as if she wasn't aware her continued employment was up for discussion. "I can assure you; I have never 'shagged' a minx and as for what I 'shag' like, live in wonder for you will never know."

A few titters of laughter could be heard, but Stansworthy looked far from amused. He addressed his next words directly to the other Governors. "What kind of message are we sending to our daughters by having her around? I call for an immediate vote on her dismissal."

It only took one to open the floodgates. Other board members began to agree. "The children don't need to be exposed to this sort of thing."

"Here, here! It's absolutely shameful!"

Watching Minerva fold her arms before the extreme protrusion of her belly as if trying to shield the child within from the cruel looks and comments, it was all Albus could do to stop himself from proclaiming the truth to the Governors. He did try to speak up to defend her and her position, but he was quickly drowned out by the others.

Lacking his wand, he resorted to a muggle means to get their attention.

While the shrill sound of his whistling got the others to lapse into silence, Stansworthy was not impressed. "Dumbledore, if the Board had any interest in hearing from you, you would have been informed of this meeting."

Trying not to take the remark to heart, Albus continued. "It may concern the Governors to know that if Professor McGonagall is dismissed, I too will be leaving."

Stansworthy did not look at all put off by the prospect of getting rid of them both. "While I am sure in your mind, Albus, that may seem an impressive threat, others present are aware that for the past few years you have hardly been what I would call 'here' anyway. Your other 'endeavors' have been keeping you too occupied to properly care for your responsibilities to Hogwarts. Maybe if your focus had been here, where it should have been, we wouldn't be finding ourselves in the situation we are now."

Truer words, Albus reflected, he had never heard spoken by Stansworthy.

"There are those amongst us that believe that in addition to Professor McGonagall's removal, a change of stewardship would go far towards repairing the damage this scandal has caused to the school's reputation."

Albus couldn't hide his surprise at this reaction and it didn't go unnoticed. Another Governor, one who had always been a supporter of Albus's, chided him. "Really Albus! After all these years, did you really think that just by copying it over into your own hand writing we wouldn't notice it wasn't your own work you were turning in to us?"

Feeling like a chastised first year, Albus suddenly realized it wasn't only Minerva's position in jeopardy. Perhaps it shouldn't have been, but the turn of events was unexpected. Albus didn't know what to say. He shrugged. "Be that as it may, I stand by my words and I stand by my professor. Dismiss Professor McGonagall and I too -"

Minerva spoke over him. "That won't be necessary."

When Minerva turned to address the Board, Albus thought that he and the Governors were about to see the infamous McGonagall temper in action, but he was wrong. The past few months had really taken a toll on her. "The Board can have my resignation. Shall I stay on until the Board locates a replacement or leave immediately?"

Her lack of fight caught both Albus and Stansworthy by surprise. Neither said anything for a moment. It was Figg who chimed in with his opinion. "Come now people, I hardly think any of this is necessary. Really, Stansworthy, what are you hoping to accomplish by any of this? If you wanted to avoid exposing the students to this, I must say it's a little late for that now. You really should have removed her from her post months ago before -" Figg interrupted himself to apologize to Minerva "– excuse the bluntness, madam – before she got to roughly the size of a hippogriff."

Albus knew his stalling to be the cause of Stansworthy's look of fury at Figg's words. "I wanted her removed as soon we learned about her condition – from the newspapers I might add. No one had the decency to inform us directly. We had to read about it in the papers like everyone else! And she would have been gone long ago, but every time I tried to hold a meeting to discuss the matter, he canceled it!" Stansworthy was in such a rage, he couldn't even bring himself to say Dumbledore's name.

Figg dismissed him. "Yet here we are so you seem to have found a way around Dumbledore."

Becoming serious again, Figg continued. "Everyone already knows the details of what happened, so if you were to remove her from her post now, exactly what message would you be sending to our daughters? And it's not as if the situation is permanent. I dare say within the month the 'problem' - as you so eloquently put it - will have corrected itself."

"By supporting –" Stansworthy wasn't giving up. He didn't bother looking, but merely gestured in Minerva's direction. "It gives the impression that we encourage this sort of behavior. For young ladies to go out and … and -"

Figg interrupted. "-Go out and what? Be the victim of a crime? Yes, I agree, we don't want to encourage that."

Albus was grateful for the support – however unexpected the source. The inability of Stansworthy and Figg to ever agree on a topic had made many a meeting of the school's Board of Governors run interminable, but it seemed that for once it might work to someone's favor. Minerva had often in private referred to the pair as a 'blowhard' and a 'blowharder.' Albus wondered what she made of Figg's defense of her. He glanced her way, but her expression was unfathomable.

Stansworthy tried again. "We need to be seen as discouraging the kind of conduct that leads to situations like these."

Figg shrugged. "Well, kneazles are already banned from the area. Shall we put a ban on animagus training as well?"

Stansworthy was growing quite furious. "You know perfectly well that that isn't what this is about!"

Figg held up his hands in a gesture of submission. "If you would like to put the matter to a vote that is well within your rights. But I warn you, you are wasting your time. The Governors' decision to dismiss her must be unanimous."

Figg's defense of Minerva providing a clear indication of which way his vote would go, there was nothing left to say. Stansworthy stormed out.

As the other Governors filed out more slowly, Figg stayed behind.

Albus hung back. After the stunt Alastor had tried to pull, Albus had an uneasy feeling about anyone of the male persuasion who was unexpectedly or exceptionally kind to Minerva.

Figg again tried to get her to be seated. Minerva too seemed somewhat suspicious of the man she had so often referred to as the 'blowharder'. While she did finally defer to his request to be seated, she offered no words of gratitude for his championing of her. Of course, that might also have been because at this point in her pregnancy sitting down had become as much of a production as getting back up.

"I'm sorry you had to endure that. It would be such a shame to allow such a brief period of unpleasantness to end an otherwise exceptional career. You have educated and helped to shape the character of a generation of students that have passed through these halls. I hope to see you remain with us for a few more generations. Thankfully, this will all be over with soon and you can go on with your life just as if it never happened."

After a pause not nearly long enough to disguise the true purpose of this little tete a tete, Figg tried to casually change the topic. "You know my late brother and his wife, they never had children because of my sister-in-law's … disability. She loves cats though. Has a house full of them. Tell me, have you already found a home to place …" He inclined his head towards Minerva's bulge. "It would be quite happy, I'm sure, surrounded by its own kind."

Minerva had remained stoic through all of the earlier discussion, but this kindly phrased request was too much. Her lip began to quiver. "I'm keeping the baby."

Figg wore an expression of pity. "Come now, why would you want to do that? What an awful reminder to have around. Why torture yourself like that?"

She now seemed as if she might begin to cry, but Minerva refused to relent. "I'm not giving away my baby."

Figg looked as though that idea had never occurred to him. "Surely you don't intend to keep it here at Hogwarts?"

When Minerva didn't say anything more, Figg took her silence as an affirmation.

"Oh. Oh!" Figg's expression began to change. "Well that changes things considerably. If that's the case, you will need to go."

Albus stepped in to try to put an end to the matter. "If the Governors dismiss Professor McGonagall, I won't be the only one resigning in protest. The whole staff will be. If you would care to see them, I already have signed letters of resignation from all of them in my office."

Albus repeated the words Filch had once said to him. "And good luck trying to replace the entire staff."

Figg pursed his lips as he considered the matter. Unable to come to a satisfactory resolution, he left - but not before admonishing Albus. "Dumbledore, you need to fix this. Talk some sense into her. She can't really mean to keep it – and certainly not here at Hogwarts!"

Alone again with her, Albus discovered that try as she might, Minerva hadn't been able to contain all of her tears.

Hadn't he warned her, if her deception worked, what people's reaction would be? How very cruel they could be? But now was probably not the time to be bringing that up. Instead, he apologized. "Minerva, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about Figg and Stansworthy … and about everything. Minerva, tell me what to do. Tell me what you want. Don't even think about the Board or -"

Brushing aside her tears, Minerva stood. "It doesn't matter. I want to leave. I want to go back to my cottage."

Besides not being what he wanted, that just wasn't possible. "Minerva…" The way that Severus told it, Minerva hadn't had much of an opportunity to observe her surroundings that night. "Minerva, you can't go back there. There is nothing left."

Albus had done his best these past few months to shield her from the threat of Voldemort and the outside world. Perhaps too much. She thought him exaggerating when he said Voldemort was waiting for her to take just one step out of the castle. She didn't seem to realize the gravity of the situation.

He hadn't told her then, and he didn't dare tell her now, about the now childless and inconsolable young witch currently in ward 49 at St. Mungo's for lack of a better place.

When they had arrived by stork, Minerva had sent back, untouched, all of the baby items that she had purchased on her trip with Filius. Albus had attempted to retrieve the various items, but with a two day delay, he hadn't been entirely successful. One of the blankets had been resold. It had been put into use before he had managed to track down the purchaser. The baby blanket had been enchanted to suffocate the infant it was placed around.

Minerva's first choice not an option, Albus offered up what he wanted. "Minerva, I want to put an end to this charade. Never mind Voldemort. We can find a way to deal with him. I want to marry you and tell people the truth."

Minerva shook her head. "It's too late for that. You already made your choice. Now you get to live with it."

He understood; she was still hurt by his earlier words and actions. He had so much to make amends for. "Minerva, I don't know what I could possibly have been thinking when I left like that. Please, allow me a chance to make it up to you. I want to be there for you and our baby."

Her teeth were practically clenched. "We don't need you!"

"But I need you."

Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned forward and softly kissed her mouth. He had hope, if only briefly. Not only did she allow him to do it, she returned and even deepened the kiss. But then, no doubt remembering her anger, she pulled back. His lips tried to follow, to convince her with more kisses, but the extreme bulge of her belly, combined with her uncooperativeness, prevented him from getting close enough to again reach her lips.

"Pity for you! What you want or need is no longer of concern to me."

He knew that was just her wounded pride talking. She didn't really mean it. Did she? "Minerva, please!"

But she was absolutely adamant. "I wouldn't marry you now - not if you asked me a hundred times!"

He could do nothing but watch as she turned to exit the room.

Not knowing what else to do, Albus headed for his own office to do what he always seemed to be doing of late – bury himself in work. Merlin knew there was always plenty of it. He was there in his office offering Fawkes a treat when the tiny flash of light that signaled an alarm reached him. Minerva had left the range of the permanent tracing charm he had put on her after her shopping expedition with Filius so many months ago – she had left the castle grounds.

As Albus turned and went back out the door, the poor treatless phoenix that was left behind gave a trill of indignation.

Running through the castle, racing to the point past which he could apparate, Albus had only one idea of where she would have gone. Refusing to tempt the fates by cursing her even under his breath, he tried not to think of what he would do if the cottage in Aberdeen wasn't the place she had gone to, or worse, if someone else got there before him.

Even once he got to the cottage and found her inside, still safe, he couldn't bring himself to curse her for her foolishness. She was seated on the only piece of furniture not destroyed, crying with her face buried in her arms.

Albus noticed right away that something wasn't right in the cottage. While he had been able to apparate in without any problems, when he made a tentative attempt to test the ability to depart the same way, he could feel something blocking the way.

Going to her, he pleaded with her. "Minerva, please, we have to leave now. The cottage may be being watched."

Lifting her head, Minerva lamented. "It's all gone. Everything I've spent my life working and waiting for – it's all gone!"

Albus knew it wasn't the material things around her that she was referring to, but rather her reputation, her position at the school, and the relationship that they had once had.

Forcing her to look in his direction, for the first time, Albus placed his hand on the swell of her abdomen. "No. This is what we have spent our whole lives working and waiting for. This!"

She kept his gaze for a minute before allowing him to pull her into his arms. She continued to cry – loud, hitching sobs - as she buried her face in his neck, but at last he had her in his arms again.

It had been so long since he had held her, he remained entwined with her, allowing himself to savor the experience for a moment – a moment too long.

The distinctive pops that began sounding around them could only indicate one thing. With Minerva still pressed against him, sobbing, Albus looked up to see the Death Eaters begin apparating in around them, wands drawn. It was only then, seeing their wands, that Albus realized that he had never retrieved his.