Chapter Twenty: Winter 1979

A year later, the war with Lord Voldemort had only gotten worse. More and more people had disappeared. The air seemed to crackle with despair and nervous anticipation. It was nerve-wracking to leave one's house and not know if a safe return was in the cards. Some in the Wizarding community had taken to fleeing their homes for fear that hiding was the only way to avoid a pre-destined doom at the hands of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Of course, Minerva had never given Divination much credence.

So, she kept up her work at Hogwarts. She and Albus flitted between the school and Order business, with Albus doing much more of the heavy travelling. 1979 had proven itself to be a long, difficult year. To make matters worse, the Order was losing members—and limbs.

Alastor Moody had lost a leg. Elphias Doge had resigned and went into hiding after losing a hand. Marlene McKinnon had been murdered, along with her entire family. That loss had sent Sirius Black into an emotional tailspin. As a result, Albus no longer trusted Sirius to accompany others on missions.

Albus knew he was already taking risks with people's safety for the greater good; he refused to send anyone onto the field if they weren't emotionally sound. It was too dangerous for everyone involved.

And then, the Order was dealt another blow in October.

At an Order meeting, Arthur and Molly announced Molly was pregnant with their sixth child. They made the decision that Molly would step away completely from the Order, and that Arthur would only be involved strategically. They had too many young children now, and the war had worsened.

Minerva had immediately understood. Albus had empathized with the couple, but he wished they were making a different choice.

Even after all these years, the idea of the greater good still had Albus in its grasp, and the Order of the Phoenix's dwindling numbers were proving to be an obstacle.

It was at an Order meeting in late November that Albus changed his viewpoint.

"Albus, Minerva, could we speak with you?" Lily asked them both quietly. James trailed behind her. "It's rather important."

Minerva, who had been collecting her parchment and quills, paused. "Of course. If you can spare a few minutes for us to close up shop here, we can go into the library."

James shook his head. "Actually, if it's all right, we'd prefer not to tell you this here. We'd rather tell you about it somewhere...happier."

Albus and Minerva exchanged a quick glance. Albus responded, "Well, my boy, you're both more than welcome at the Manor. We have a little time before we have to return to Hogwarts."

"Thank you," James murmured gratefully. "We'll meet you in the foyer."

"Do you have any idea?" Albus whispered in Minerva's ear as the young couple walked away.

"Absolutely none," Minerva said. "I'm hoping it's nothing terrible—not if they want to go someplace happy."

"Mhhm," Albus replied. "We can hope."

The quartet arrived at the Manor, and Pokey, Minerva's trusted head elf, quickly set themselves to work lighting a fire in the library. Once they were all settled with a cup of tea, Minerva looked at Lily expectantly.

"Is everything all right?" she asked anxiously. "We love seeing you both, but this sounds serious."

"It is." Lily inhaled. "We want to cut back on our Order work."

Albus blinked. "Is there a reason why? I understand that Molly and Arthur stepping back may seem like a bit of a wake-up call, but we're still in a strong position to fight."

"Albus, it's exactly because of Molly and Arthur's announcement." Lily smiled and placed a hand on her stomach. "I'm expecting, too."

"Congratulations!" Minerva exclaimed. She clapped her hands together excitedly. "Oh, we're so pleased! Aren't we, Albus?"

Her husband's face was an intriguing mix of bemusement and surprise. "We're delighted for you both."

James grinned. "It was quite the first anniversary present, I'll have you know."

"I can only imagine," Minerva said, laughing. "How are you feeling, Lily?"

"Some days are better than others," Lily replied. "We're taking it day by day. I hope you understand why we no longer feel comfortable participating in Order missions—especially given what you know, Minerva."

"Of course we do," Minerva said quickly. She watched Albus nod out of the corner of her eye, but it wasn't convincing.

Albus couldn't let on that Minerva had told him about the bond between James and Lily, and he was doing his best to play the part.

James leaned forward, clearly having seen Albus' supposed reluctance. "Albus, I know you're too polite to ask, but I can tell you're wondering why I can't keep fighting while Lily steps back. Well, I'm stepping away because, unfortunately, my parents are both ill."

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that," Albus replied, surprised. He hadn't been expecting that.

"James, love—you need to tell them the whole truth," Lily urged. She looped her arm through James' until they were holding hands. "I'm here."

Minerva suppressed a smile.

"My parents have Dragon Pox," James said finally. "Obviously, that's a disease known for being fatal. Because my parents are so old, it doesn't look like they'll make it much longer. We toyed with the idea of putting them in St. Mungo's, but I couldn't do that to them. I want them to spend their final days—or weeks or months—in the place they have made their home."

"James, I am so sorry," Minerva responded gently. "That's a difficult thing to go through at any age—let alone the fact that we're at war, and you're expecting a baby."

James snorted. "Yeah, it's great timing. Lily is really early in her pregnancy; we normally wouldn't tell anyone this soon, but with my parents..."

"We wanted them to have something to look forward to," Lily finished softly. "Or, at the very least, give them something to hope for."

"That's incredibly kind of you," Albus agreed. "I'm sure they appreciate that. And, James, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. I completely understand that you'd want to be at home."

James nodded. "I want to be able to be close by. In case...well, in case the worst happens."

"And he wants to supervise me," Lily said, chuckling. "He worries about me."

"Obviously," James muttered, blushing now. "You're a very active person. You don't relax, and from what my mother told me growing up, pregnancy is hellish."

Minerva laughed at that remark. "Very astute, James."

Albus leaned in and peered at his daughter over his spectacles. "Why are you telling us, Lily?"

Lily cocked her head. "Isn't it obvious? We wanted to give you the true reason we were taking a step back from the Order, but we also wanted you two to know. You both mean a lot to us."

"Yeah, you're like another set of grandparents," James joked.

Minerva's eyes widened, and she couldn't prevent herself from crying.

"Er, was that all right to say?" James asked worriedly. "I didn't mean that you two are old. We really appreciate you and your interest in our lives, that's all."

It was Albus' turn to laugh. "It's very all right, James. You two mean a great deal to Minerva and me. I believe Minerva is crying happy tears. I wouldn't worry."

Minerva waved her hand. "Yes, they're happy tears. I'm just so happy for you both." She sniffled. "And proud. So very, very proud of the two of you. You've grown up in front of us."

"Thanks to you," Lily scoffed. "Can you imagine where we would be without you? I'd still be a lost student thinking she didn't deserve to learn magic, and James here would be pranking everyone unlucky enough to not be in his little club."

"Hey!" James protested.

"Am I wrong?" Lily demanded.

"No," James grumbled. "But I think I deserve some credit."

"Credit for not being an arse the rest of your life?" Lily arched an eyebrow. "Sure. Take the credit for turning out to be a decent human being."

There was silence until Minerva and Albus burst out laughing.

"You're arguing like an old married couple already," Minerva said, smiling. "And to think you've only been married a year."

"It's been a difficult year," James confessed. "Losing Marlene was hard enough, but Sirius spiralled after that, and then Peter has been acting all fidgety—"

"He's scared," Lily interjected gently.

"Fine, he's scared." James rolled his eyes. "But between all of that and my parents...we haven't really had a break this year."

"And yet we're jumping into parenthood."

"Hey, I'm excited for that!" James protested.

"I know," Lily said, laughing. "We both are."

"Have you given any thought to a Medi-Witch who can help you through your pregnancy?" Minerva asked. A thought had suddenly occurred to her. "Given the world's precariousness, what would you say to a private practitioner? It might be safer to have someone who can visit you in your home—or here, if you prefer. Unfortunately, St. Mungo's is a bit overrun at the moment with all of the..."

"Wartime injuries and death?" James finished. "Yeah, we noticed when we went to check it out for my parents. Plus, there was an attack right down the road." He sighed. "That's a really nice idea, Minerva, but we don't know any Medi-Witches who own a private practice."

"I have an idea," Minerva said slowly. "We would need to check with the witch, of course, but if you're open to the notion, I can have some conversations."

"Albus, what is she talking about?" Lily asked, laughing. "Did you two plan something?"

Albus looked at Minerva before shifting his gaze to Lily. "Honestly, Lily, I don't know what her plan is."

Minerva winked. "Trust me. I can write to you within a fortnight if it's something you're truly interested in."

James nodded. "I think we'd really like that, Minerva. Thank you. It would be really reassuring to have one less thing to worry about. Another way to keep us quarantined—and safe."

"To be clear, we don't love sitting alone in our house with our only outings being Order meetings and hospital visits," Lily added. "But we know that we're targets of Voldemort, so if staying secluded keeps us safe, well, we'll do it." She placed a hand on her not-yet-swollen stomach. "It's not just a decision for two anymore."

"We understand," Albus said gently. In an uncharacteristically public, affectionate move, he wrapped one hand around Minerva's. "You need to protect your little one."

Minerva wanted to point out that he hadn't had the same thoughts after Arthur and Molly had announced their news, but she refrained.

She rather thought that Albus was quite smitten with the idea of being a grandfather again—even if he could never officially wear the title.

"We know that you two will be hidden away, but if you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to Floo us," Minerva instructed Lily and James. "We would like to help you if we can." She paused and almost imperceptibly squeezed Albus' hand. "And James, if you require any help with your parents, or would like the opinion of a different healer, please send me an Owl. I know how difficult it is to lose a parent due to illness, but I was fortunate enough to have my brother to halve the burden. Lean on us if you need."

James' wide blue eyes blinked furiously. He half-choked, half-joked, "Jeez, Minerva, way to go sentimental on me."

"James," Lily whispered, rolling her eyes. "You can do better than that."

"You're right," he muttered, and he cleared his throat and looked at Minerva earnestly. "Thank you. The offer means a great deal to me. I have some cousins, but they're in France and don't know my parents too well."

"I know," Minerva answered amusedly. "After all, your cousin's wife is my niece."

"Oh, right!" Lily exclaimed. "I can't believe I'd forgotten about that! I'd love to meet your niece, Minerva. Do they come back to visit often?"

"Not as often as they did before the war," Minerva said. Despite her best efforts, her tone was sadder than she would have liked. "Iolanthe and Charlus don't like to disrupt their daughters' education with too many trips abroad, and given the political situation here, they find it safer to stay in France."

"Do you reckon they'd mind if I wrote to them?" James asked. "I'd like to tell Charlus about my parents' condition. It would be nice to have another Potter to tell."

"I believe Charlus would love that. I can send you their address; that way, you can send an owl rather than deal with the unfortunate bureaucracy that is international wizarding post." Minerva turned to Lily. "And Lily, I think you and Iolanthe would be great penpals."

"In fact, you'd like our other niece, Aoife," Albus interjected. Minerva felt a smile creep across her lips at the word our rather than referring to Aoife as simply Minerva's relative. "Aoife and her wife Alice have three children. They'll only be a few years older than your little one."

"That would be lovely!" Lily proclaimed. "Real cousins, a few years older than our baby. That will be wonderful. Then our child is guaranteed to have friends."

Albus hesitated, but then asked, "Does that mean you're still not speaking with your sister, Lily?"

Lily sighed. "Tuney wrote to me. It turns out she is pregnant, too. I replied with our news, but I haven't heard back. Unfortunately, I doubt our children are destined to be great friends."

"Don't write anything off just yet," Minerva advised. "You both have a lot of life left to live. Something may change."

"It might," Lily replied glumly, "but I'd rather focus on the good things I know will happen."

"Like a baby," Albus said happily, causing the rest to laugh at his tone.

After Lily and James had left, and Albus and Minerva had returned to Hogwarts, Albus was excitedly following Minerva around their quarters.

"A grandchild, Min! Our own grandchild!" Albus bounced on his toes. "Can you believe it?"

"I can, and I'm nervous." Minerva put her hands on her hips and tilted her head. "Al, we endured one of Lily's pregnancies before. I'm excited for them—don't mistake me—but I am cautious after what we went through with little Aidan. I can't lose another grandchild, Albus. I just can't."

"Then we'll do everything we can to ensure that won't happen again."

"And you're fine with Lily and James taking a step back from their work with the Order?"

"Of course I am," Albus said. He looked at her, surprised. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Minerva chuckled. "Because it is a complete shift from the stance you took with Molly and Arthur, that's all."

"Oh, well, Lily and James have the trump card."

"Do they? What's their trump card, pray tell?"

"They're family."

A fortnight later, Lucy, Callum, Ro, and Poppy joined Albus and Minerva at the Manor after an Order meeting to figure out how they wanted to coordinate the holidays.

"We're not risking going to see my family," Poppy said simply. "It's too dangerous, and after the attack on Ro, we're still keeping a low profile."

"It's becoming a right pain in the arse," Ro added, "but I'd rather this than be dead."

Poppy flinched. For all her medical work during both wars, she was still very uncomfortable with the concept of death when applied to those she loved.

"It does mean that we have a lot of free time when we're not working," Poppy said finally, shaking her head at her wife. "That's a welcome change."

"I appreciate you giving up your little time off to help Lily and James," Minerva responded. She smiled. "I know Lily thinks you're a blessing."

Poppy had happily agreed to be Lily's personal Medi-Witch during the duration of the latter's pregnancy, and all seemed to be progressing well over the past month.

"She may be a blessing, but she's running herself ragged," Ro muttered.

"Hey!" Poppy protested. She nudged Ro's shoulder with her own. "I'm doing it for family. I want to help them. Besides, at least with a pregnancy, there's a fixed timeline. It's not like someone signing up to fight in a war."

She looked pointedly at Ro, who groaned. "Fair point, babe."

"I'm so happy at the idea of you two having a grandchild, even if you can't tell anyone else," Callum said. "Including the parents."

"Cal," Lucy admonished. "Be compassionate."

"I am! I'm happy for Minnie and Albus!" Callum grinned. "Grandma Minnie."

"I can't believe I'm still dealing with that nickname," Minerva murmured. "But, thank you, Cal. We appreciate the sentiment."

"Can I ask you a potentially impertinent question?" Callum inquired gently.

Minerva narrowed her eyes. "You have to ask it now, or I'll be living in suspense forever."

"Do you feel safe about their pregnancy? Are you both taking care of yourselves?" Callum looked between Albus and Minerva before reaching out to take one of his sister's hands. "I worry about how you're handling this. Last time around, the unfortunate ending was more than traumatic."

Minerva blinked back tears. "I'm frightened, but I'm hopeful. Fear is not a useful lantern with which to light one's path, is it?"

"No," Callum answered softly, "but it burns bright."

Minerva squeezed his hand.

"We believe we are better equipped than last time around," Albus said after a moment. "Or, at least, I do. I won't speak for Minerva. I personally feel that while this war is more dangerous, it's being played out in the open, not in the shadows. We know that Tom and his friends are targeting Lily and James. We are protecting them as best as we can."

"Min?"

Minerva looked at her brother. "Honestly, Cal? I'm terrified the same thing will happen. Albus is able to look past the fear; however, I am simply petrified. I don't want news of their pregnancy going any further."

"You know we'd all take the Unbreakable Vow for you," Lucy supplied, to which Poppy muttered, "We'll have no more of that in our lives, thank you."

"Who took the Unbreakable Vow, and why?" Callum asked, surprised.

"It doesn't matter," Albus said firmly. "We appreciate the offer, Lucy, but it's all right. We trust you all with our lives."

"So, Poppy," Minerva asked, changing the subject, "did James tell you how the Potters are doing?" She picked up her glass of wine. "I haven't received an update lately."

"What's wrong with the Potters?" Lucy asked, frowning. "Charlus and Iolanthe haven't said anything to us."

"The Potters have Dragon Pox," Minerva answered sadly. "They're not long for this world, unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?" Ro scoffed, wearing her signature grin. "Come on, Min. You're loving the fact that you'll be the only grandparents around."

Albus simply said, "Ro, was that really necessary?" as Minerva threw a strawberry at her friend.

Over a year after the event in question, Tom found that his encounter with Dumbledore and McGonagall at the Mudblood Evans' house left him feeling off-kilter. Tom was not disturbed by the murders of the Muggles—they were nothing to him, after all. He wasn't even perturbed by the loss of the Evans girl to his Death Eaters. She was clearly skillful, but Tom would wager that Severus Snape was enough of a potions master to render Lily Evans' talents unnecessary.

Rather Lily Potter now.

The idea of her marriage to the Potter boy made Tom sneer. Yet another Pureblood line desecrated by dirty Mudblood genetics. Tainted by something as trivial as love. Tom was no expert on the subject—partly by design—but he knew that if love did exist, it meant protecting one's family and heritage.

Tom had no experience of that.

But even the disrespectful marriage wasn't the reason for his uneasiness.

No, Tom wanted to know why Dumbledore and McGonagall would suddenly present themselves at the home of one of their former students. He knew that they took an interest in the lives of their pupils; the members of his Death Eaters had told him that often enough. The two of them—especially McGonagall—prided themselves on connecting with students and making them feel like they had a home at Hogwarts.

But Tom didn't believe that usually extended to protecting students at their homes.

To showing up at the drop of a hat to defend their families.

No, there was something strange about the connection between Lily and James Potter and Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore.

Tom had an inkling, but he didn't believe it was quite possible.

And if it was possible, then the Potters were of more import to Tom than anyone else ever had been.

Tom needed an answer to this question; it would decide his next course of action.

So, Tom would do what he did best.

He would plan and bide his time until he could strike.

Whatever it was that made the Potters so special to Minerva McGonagall, Tom wanted to know.

And what Tom wanted to know, he usually uncovered, no matter the cost.

After all, it was never usually his to bear.