34. New Life

After overseeing the detention of two of her fourth-year students, Minerva was late for dinner. The corridors were as deserted as was to be expected while everyone was in the Great Hall and so Minerva wasn't prepared for a student to come bursting out of the girls' bathroom and barrel right into her.

Minerva wheezed as the collision forced the air out of her lungs. Quickly, she grabbed the student by the scruff of her neck. It was a stout girl from Slytherin whose name she couldn't recall at the moment.

"No running in the corridors!" she admonished her.

"Sorry, Professor," the girl gave the kind of quick, automatic response that meant she wasn't sorry in the least. "But there's a girl in there. I think she might be dying or something," she added with a sickeningly excited look on her face.

"What?" Minerva snapped and hastily pushed open the door to the bathroom with the Slytherin girl on her heels.

"She's in that last stall back there."

Those directions were unnecessary because Minerva could hear the other girl. She was whimpering and moaning in pain and then she was outright screaming.

Minerva ran towards the stall she was hiding in and tried the door, but it was locked. Impatiently, Minerva tapped it with her wand and then ripped it open.

"What's going on in here? Where are you hurt?" she asked as her eyes found a Ravenclaw girl, who was sitting on the floor next to the toilet. She was even larger than the girl from Slytherin, but she also seemed to be wearing robes at least one size too big for her.

More importantly, she was in tears, sweating profusely and completely red in the face – all of which prevented her from answering. But she spread her legs that were shaking rather uncontrollably. First, Minerva saw the blood on the wet floor, and then when she bent over to lift the hem of the girl's robes, her heart stopped for a second.

"Ew, gross! Is she having a baby?" the Slytherin girl screeched in a voice even higher and more girlish than normal.

Minerva didn't bother with an answer. "Go to the hospital wing and alert Madam Hailstone!" she ordered her.

"But that's got to be against school rules!" the girl exclaimed. "Is she going to be expelled?"

Incensed, Minerva whirled around to her. "Are you deaf? Go get Madam Hailstone! NOW!"

Finally, that toad of a girl left, though not as quickly as Minerva would have liked. But she was not her priority right now.

Minerva dropped to the floor and rolled up her sleeves, while she tried to remember the girl's name. She was a sixth-year in a class Minerva had only just started teaching this year. Now that she would get to know this girl a lot more intimately than she had ever planned to, she should definitely recall her name. Then it came to her. Ceri. Ceri Scanlan.

"Okay, Ceri, I'm here with you now. I will help you," Minerva said gently as she pushed the girl's robes up over her knees so she could see better. The top of the baby's head was still visible, though it seemed thoroughly stuck. To Minerva it looked as though the skin around it couldn't possibly stretch any further and she could already see signs of tearing and bleeding.

Admittedly, the sight made her a little woozy, but she calmed herself with a couple of steady breaths. She was not the one in labour right now.

"Ceri, your baby is crowning, which means that you need to push but not too hard. Just let your body do what it was made to do, okay?" Minerva said, making sure that she sounded a lot more confident than she felt. Her only practical experience with this came from watching a cow give birth on Dougal's farm years ago.

But her level of confidence was irrelevant since Ceri wasn't really listening anyway. She was too busy wailing and moaning. "It hurts! It hurts so much!"

Minerva felt the urge to grab the girl and drill some sense into her, but that would have been neither appropriate nor particularly helpful. "I know it hurts because you're trying to give birth to another human being. But you've already made it through most of it!" And without anyone noticing, which should have been completely impossible. "It's almost over!"

"I can't! I don't want to. It burns!"

"Listen to me, Ceri!" Minerva said and rested her hands on the top of her knees. "You let a boy put that baby in your belly, so God help me, you better be prepared to get it out of there! You hear me?"

Weakly and whimpering, the girl nodded.

"Good, now push!"

The girl did as she was told, and Minerva was torn between concern for the young mother and the baby. Eventually, a little baby boy slipped out into Minerva's waiting hands. She wrapped him in fresh blankets she had already conjured as quickly as she could and cut the umbilical cord with her wand. Ceri was half passed out and bleeding profusely, but even if Minerva hadn't been out of her depth here, she wouldn't have known what to do. Her wand had slipped from her fingers because of all the blood and vernix on her hands, and more importantly, she had a screaming newborn baby in her arms.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she heard hurried footsteps approaching. "Over here, Anna Mae!" Minerva called out to the Hogwarts matron.

Within seconds, she appeared in the door to the bathroom stall, her hand flying to her mouth. "Merlin's Beard!"

"I think the baby's fine for now, but the mother needs help," Minerva told her.

The matron bent over the baby in Minerva's arms, checking his airways and his heartbeat, and then, apparently satisfied, she helped Minerva back to her feet, so she could gently move her out of the way and get to the bleeding student on the floor.

Cyrille had also stumbled into the bathroom, white as a sheet, and together the two women took care of Ceri Scanlan. The girl was in no condition to hold her baby yet and so Minerva walked back over to the washbasins.

Still feeling a little shaky herself, she sank back to the floor there. She leaned against one of the hot water pipes for warmth and tried to comfort the helpless infant in her arms.

To this day, Albus had thought that he had heard every crazy and outlandish rumour imaginable within the walls of Hogwarts Castle. After all, he himself supposedly was breeding dragons in the dungeons, had an army of vampires at his disposal and of course had once carried on an affair with a student. None of that came even close to the rumour that a student was just giving birth in a girls' bathroom on the fourth floor.

It was completely absurd, but also too real to have been made up. He headed towards that particular bathroom just in time to see the Hogwarts matron and Ravenclaw's Head of House accompany a girl on a stretcher towards the hospital wing. Albus didn't stop them to ask questions. The girl's well-being was more important than satisfying his curiosity.

He opened the door to the bathroom to see the aftermath for himself, and then he stopped dead because nothing could have prepared him for the sight that greeted him. There was blood on the floor and a little further down there was Minerva, also sitting on the floor, with her head leaning against one of the pipes and her eyes closed. In her arms she was holding a tiny baby that couldn't be more than a few hours old. It had the tiny fingers of its right hand wrapped around Minerva's little finger and seemed to be sleeping. Its forehead was a little wrinkled as though it couldn't believe how exhausting it had been to come into this world.

"In all my years of teaching…" Albus muttered quietly, astonished, leaving his sentence unfinished.

"Oh, then you didn't forget to tell me that this happens every five years or so?" Minerva asked, her eyes flying open. "Good, because if so, I quit."

"I'm afraid in this case I don't have any answers," Albus said slowly, his eyes still glued to the image of her and that baby. "In fact, I was going to ask you the questions. Starting with, why are you sitting on the floor?"

Minerva sighed. "I lost my wand and I had my hands full."

"I see. Well, that is easily rectified at least." Albus took out his wand and called hers to him from across the room. It was covered in a variety of substances the exact nature of which he probably didn't need to know. He cleaned it and then intended to conjure a chair or perhaps a crib or something similar, but Minerva stopped him.

"Don't bother. I don't want to move and wake him. Not until we know… what to do with him."

"Then it's a boy?"

"Yes, it's a boy. A boy without a name, born on a Hogwarts bathroom floor," Minerva said, her voice coloured with disbelief.

Albus knew exactly how she was feeling. He was fresh out of bright ideas, too, so he simply sat down on the floor next to her. "You'll have to walk me through this from the beginning. Tell me what happened."

"I don't know what happened," Minerva snapped. "I came in here and his head was already halfway out!"

"So you just… pulled out the rest?" Albus asked, his eyebrows raised.

Minerva snorted. "Should I have tried to stuff him back inside?"

"I meant, have you ever done this before?"

"Sort of." She shrugged. "With a cow."

"Well, I suppose the principle is the same," Albus hedged.

Minerva gave him a scathing look. "Oh, yes, please do share your vast knowledge of the female reproductive system, Albus."

She was understandably upset, so he tried to choose his words more carefully. "I'm sorry. What happened here must have been difficult for you, but I'm sure you did wonderfully under the circumstances. This baby looks healthy to me and I trust that Anna Mae will take care of the mother."

To his relief, the glare in Minerva's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, too. I just… how could this happen, Albus? How did we not know that she was pregnant?"

"Who exactly is the mother?" he asked.

"Ceri Scanlan, Ravenclaw sixth-year."

Albus nodded slowly as he recalled the name and a face to go with that name. "She's not in any of my classes this year."

"I just got her and I thought she was just a little bigger than the other girls and felt more comfortable wearing loose-fitting robes," Minerva said.

"If I remember correctly, that assumption wasn't entirely wrong."

"Even so, someone should have noticed a difference!" Minerva insisted. "At the very least, the girls in her dormitory must have known!"

"Sometimes students get very creative when it comes to hiding secrets. Or perhaps she asked them not to tell," Albus mused.

Minerva wasn't happy with that explanation. "Even if we find an excuse for the 'not noticing the pregnancy' part, how about the 'how did she actually get pregnant' part?"

"We can't be certain that it happened at school," Albus said.

"Does that make it any better?" Minerva asked wearily.

"Marginally."

"I don't think it does. She's sixteen, Albus. She's still a child. She should go to school and finish her education."

He considered that. "Perhaps she can, if there's someone in her family who could look after the baby."

"And then she'll see him for two weeks over Easter? That won't work. She needs to be with him. He needs her to be with him, and she needs to grow the bloody hell up, and fast," Minerva said, probably unaware of the protectiveness in her voice.

Albus looked at her thoughtfully. "There are definitely questions that need to be answered. Perhaps not today, though."

"No, not today," Minerva agreed, heaving a sigh. "I didn't even do anything and I feel like I could sleep for hours." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"For what it's worth, it's a good look on you," Albus observed after a moment of letting her rest.

Minerva lifted her head to meet his gaze. "Having blood and other bodily fluids on my hands and robes?" she asked sarcastically.

"Holding a baby in your arms," Albus clarified, though it seemed unnecessary.

She lowered her eyes to the sleeping infant. "I don't think so," she said quietly. Albus had never asked since the answer could only cause her pain, but it was likely that the man she had loved and had once intended to marry had children of his own by now. Children that could have been hers in a different life. It was probably why she had not allowed herself to think about the possibility.

"There's still time," he said gently because it was true. Even several years into her teaching career, she was still a young woman. Young and completely focused on her job as a Hogwarts professor. Sometimes Albus wondered if Hogwarts had got the better end of that deal.

"I guess," she replied without any conviction in her voice. "What about you then?"

Now it was Albus who could only shake his head with a sad smile. It had never been a part of his path, not before and certainly not after.

To his surprise, Minerva gave a little laugh. "When I was younger, I had this crazy idea that you might have seven children, who obviously couldn't go to Hogwarts, so I imagined that they went to other wizarding schools and would eventually come back to save the world."

"Oh my," Albus muttered, not completely sure how to respond to that. "I'm afraid I was never granted such a magnificent legacy."

"There's still time," she repeated his own words.

Albus' lips twitched. "To have seven children who will save the world?"

"Well, you should probably get started soon," Minerva quipped.

If only dreams were all it took, Albus thought. "I don't think everyone is cut out to be a parent," he said out loud.

"No, certainly not," Minerva agreed. "But I hope you're not talking about yourself, because it seems to me that the most important qualification one needs is love."

"I see you're trying to beat me with my own weapons," Albus noted with a chuckle. "But sometimes it's a little more complicated than that."

"Is it?" Minerva looked at the baby again. "I didn't think I knew how to help someone to bring new life into this world, but I just did."

Albus smiled down at the baby as well. There was an argument to be made that his boy should have never been born at all, at least not until his parents would have been older. But it was a nice thought that the Quill of Acceptance might be putting his (yet to be chosen) name down for Hogwarts in this very moment.

"Then perhaps for now it's enough if we find a good home for this little one." He stood and offered to help Minerva back up as well without jostling the baby too much.

Once they were both back on their feet, they paused for a few seconds, but the baby didn't wake. Helping out with her younger brothers as a little girl seemed to have prepared Minerva well for this day. They made their way to the hospital wing slowly, which gave Albus time to make sure that they didn't run into any nosy students. There were enough rumours going around in the castle already.

As soon as they entered the hospital wing, the matron hurried over to them. "There you are! I was getting worried. I still have to give the baby a proper check-up and then we'll need to get him fed," Anna Mae said, reaching out for the infant.

For a fleeting moment Minerva looked reluctant to hand him over, but it passed quickly.

"How is Miss Scanlan?" Albus asked. The curtains were drawn around one of the beds, which blocked her from view.

"She's recovering and fully conscious now. She's asking for the baby," Anna Mae replied while she checked and cleaned the newborn. "He seems to be in good health, thank Merlin! I don't even want to think what might have happened if you hadn't found her, Minerva."

"I didn't really do all that much," she said.

"You were there. Can you imagine giving birth on your own in a bathroom – at sixteen?" Anna Mae shook her head. "I never heard of such a thing!"

That they could probably all agree on. The Hogwarts matron lifted the baby back up into her arms and carried him over to the bed. Minerva and Albus followed and the latter pulled the curtains aside. Ceri Scanlan was half sitting up and Cyrille, her Head of House, was standing next to her bed.

"Are you ready to meet your son?" Anna Mae said and gently transferred the baby from her arms to the waiting arms of his mother.

"Be sure to mind his head," Minerva warned when the young mother looked uncertain how to handle him.

"He's so small," she whispered, her eyes wide with wonder. It couldn't have been more obvious that she had no idea what to expect. Then again, how could she? How could anyone?

"Yes, you'll have to take better care of him from now on," Cyrille told her. She had regained some colour, but her brow was still furrowed.

Ceri looked scared, but all that meant was that she had some sense after all. "I know I should have told someone, but I was afraid that I would get kicked out of school."

No one said anything, which was an answer in itself.

"You are kicking me out, aren't you?"

"Well, be sensible, Ceri. Hogwarts is no place for a baby," Cyrille said.

Anna Mae acknowledged that with a quick bob of her head. "And I am no midwife."

"Perhaps you can come back when he's older," Minerva suggested kindly, which made both Albus and Ceri smile.

"Would that be okay? Even though I'll be too old by then?" the girl asked.

Albus had stayed quiet so far because this felt like a situation where a woman's touch was needed, but now he leaned a little closer. "One can never be too old to learn," he assured his former student.

She smiled broadly now, but only until the headmaster arrived in the hospital wing. Armando was definitely not smiling, but he didn't try to talk to Ceri. He headed straight for the matron's office and indicated to his teachers that they should follow him inside.

Albus brought up the rear and closed the door behind them.

"I talked to the girl's parents," Armando informed them. "They are on their way to take her home and to take care of her and the baby and hopefully to see her married soon."

"She's only sixteen!" Minerva protested.

"Yes, and clearly that was old enough to have a baby. So it's definitely old enough to get married," Armando replied angrily.

Minerva looked as though she had a similarly heated response ready, so Albus quickly cut her off. "I don't think that's for us to decide."

"No. We just need to decide how this happened and what I'm supposed to tell the governors to assure them that it won't ever happen again," Armando said sharply.

Cyrille cleared her throat. "She says the father graduated in June, though she wouldn't give me his name. I have my suspicions, but I'm not sure it matters much, not to us anyway, since he's no longer a student at this school."

"How convenient."

"It is insofar that I believe that it was consensual at least."

Armando groaned. "I'm sure the governors will be very pleased to hear that they enjoyed themselves."

"They should be, or we'd be having a very different conversation," Cyrille said wearily. "But if that's not enough, then you should give me the sack. I'm her Head of House. I should have noticed something. It seems I'm losing my touch."

"You're being too hard on yourself," Minerva jumped in before Armando could respond. "You're not the only one who saw Ceri regularly."

"Minerva is right. No one's dismissing you, Cyrille," Albus agreed.

The headmaster cleared his throat. "I believe that's still my decision."

"Of course." Albus inclined his head. "But unless you wish to dismiss all of us…?"

"Not all of you. You didn't teach her this year, did you?" Armando pointed out. "Once again, Albus Dumbledore keeps a perfect record."

Not for the first time Albus noticed that Armando tended to become rather unpleasant when he was under a lot of stress. It was understandable but a little tiresome all the same. "I don't see how looking to place the blame on someone will help the students in any way," he replied calmly.

Armando also took a deep breath. "You're right. But I have to put you on probation, Cyrille. It just looks better that way. I hope you understand. We'll also push curfew to eight thirty for the time being and I want more patrols in the corridors after hours. And we'll have to talk to the students about abstinence, I suppose…"

He made a face as if someone had just forced him to swallow a whole cauldron of Polyjuice Potion. Then his eyes landed on Minerva. "You're a preacher's daughter, aren't you? Albus mentioned that once."

"I… my father is a minister," Minerva corrected him coolly.

"Excellent! You can take care of that then," Armando decided. "I have to see if the parents are here yet," he added and stormed back out of the office.

Cyrille followed him quietly.

Minerva hadn't moved. "Albus," she said, her voice trembling with fury. "I'll be needing my wand back now."

"Actually, I think I better hold on to it a little longer," Albus replied, escaping the office and her blazing eyes as well.

He didn't get very far because Ceri waved him and Minerva over to the side of her bed once more. "Professor Sowerby and the headmaster just left. They're getting my parents, aren't they?"

"Yes."

When Ceri lowered her gaze, biting her lip, Minerva asked, "You didn't tell them either, did you?"

"No," Ceri confessed. "They'll be so mad. What if they're mad at him, too? What if they give him away?" she worried, readjusting her hold on her baby.

"Your parents may be upset, and they have a right to be. What you did was irresponsible, at the very least. But they do not have the right to hurt you or your child. No one will take him away from you, Ceri," Minerva promised her. It was a risky promise to make, since the girl was still underage, but Albus agreed with it wholeheartedly.

It seemed to calm her down a little, which was well worth it. "I've been thinking about a name. I think I will call him Owen," she told them, looking back up with a smile. "Because owls were the spirit animals of the ancient goddess Minerva, weren't they? And you were like his fairy godmother today."

Etymologically speaking, the name Owen had nothing to do with owls, but Albus saw no reason to mention that. "That is a very nice name," was all he said, because Minerva didn't seem able to find the right words.

Her anger had quickly dissipated, so while Ceri was busy getting acquainted with her son, Albus slipped Minerva's wand back into her hand. "Perhaps you ought to reconsider," he said quietly and only for her ears. "I'm sure the children you once planned to have and who are now never meant to be would forgive you if you were to have others."

"I think I have a whole school of them now," Minerva replied, her fingers curling around her wand and brushing his. "And just so we're clear, I will teach the first-years eleven years from now."

Albus smiled. "Of course you will."

A/N: First of all, over 100 reviews! Thank you so much! I know the idea of a pregnancy is a little 'out there' and not something that's ever discussed in the books. But I think it's bound to happen every now and then in a boarding school – a giant castle no less – where 16- and 17-year-olds are only separated by one set of stairs. Plus, once I had that image in my head of Albus and Minerva sitting on the bathroom floor with that baby, I couldn't stop myself.