The Course of True Love

Worries

While Minerva started living in the cottage full time instead of staying at the castle, she loved how close it was to the lake and the forest while still being easy to reach in case someone needed to see her. Albus just came for visits, either for dinner or lunch. On weekends he even stayed over night, at first in the guest room, but that didn't feel right for either of them. So he stayed in the main bedroom and things started to feel normal again, just like they had before. Still, Mina wasn't sure about Albus moving in completely, it felt like a big step. There was the spare room, of course, but it felt wrong to only be housemates. She wanted to go all the way or not at all, so for now that meant the occasional sleepover. It was only a matter of time, but she needed that time. Yes, she was madly in love with him and she was having his child, but she still had issues trusting him. At night she often woke from nightmares in which he changed his mind. They left her sobbing and scared and often she couldn't fall asleep again until morning. Mina knew that she could always visit him but she didn't want to appear clingy, she was too proud to admit that there were things she feared. No, the head of Gryffindor had to be strong and fearless, no matter the situation.
Speaking of Gryffindors, after her little breakdown in Mina's office, Cecily had made good progress in transfiguration. It seemed like an invisible barrier in her head had been broken down and she learned and understood much quicker than she used to which didn't only impress Mina, but also the rest of the faculty and more importantly, Cecily's classmates. While she was still alone a lot of the time, people gradually stopped avoiding her and even volunteered to work with her. A small victory, but Mina worried about Cecily's mental health.
It all seemed to be connected to that one lesson in mid October because Cecily gradually lowered her guard around Mina. It was unpredictable, sometimes she would be fine and they'd have a normal lesson with Cecily seeming just like every other girl, talking to her about almost everything. Only when Mina asked about her home and family she shrugged and smiled awkwardly before changing the topic. On other days Cecily started crying as soon as she closed the door behind her and would break down right then and there, often her crying culminated in panic attacks which were scary to watch and it took the poor child very long to recover from them.
Mina tried to help as much as she could, but it was difficult. At the height of her fits, Cecily was screaming and kicking and wouldn't let Mina come closer, so all she could do was to speak in a soothing voice and soundproof the room with a spell, because she had promised a safe space, no matter what. Only when Cecily's panic had subsided and she couldn't cry anymore, she would come and seek shelter in Mina's arms. And Mina would hold her, rock her gently and tell her that everything was going to be alright. She still had no idea what was wrong, just that Cecily seemed very afraid and that random things could trigger these meltdowns in her. Minerva was aware that she probably couldn't fix this by herself, that she was getting too involved, but she didn't want to betray the trust Cecily was starting to put into her. She thought about many things while holding Cecily safe and secure so that if something happened, she wouldn't accidentally hurt herself. She noticed how fragile the young girl was and wondered whether she was eating enough. Yet another thing to keep an eye out for.
Sometimes, Cecily fell asleep for a while as these panic attacks took all her energy and she didn't sleep well at night. When that happened, Mina would make her a little bed on the sofa in her office and let her sleep instead of forcibly waking her and making her practice transfiguration. Albus knew, Mina told him everything, not just because they spoke about their days but also because he was her supervisor. He didn't really approve, and still thought Mina was doing too much, but he knew he couldn't stop her and more importantly, he had no idea as to how to handle the situation better than Mina currently was.

Mina kept thinking about these strange incidents with Cecily, but besides that there were also other things she needed to worry about. The Quidditch team was doing alright, but she still wanted to watch the occasional training, just to make sure everything was going smoothly. In addition to that, Halloween was coming up and she needed to come up with decorations for the Gryffindor Common Room, as well as helping to organise the annual feast. And as a special treat for the younger students, she'd organised a bunch of party games for after dinner, together with the prefects. She really did her best to make Gryffindor House feel like a big family and she was succeeding, which brought Mina a great deal of satisfaction. Albus gently admonished her from time to time to take things a little more slowly, she was pregnant after all, but Minerva really was non-stop. Tired, but non-stop.
Halloween turned out to be a great success. The Great Hall was decorated wonderfully, just the right mix between fun and a little bit scary. The food was scrumptious, for the starter there was pumpkin soup and little pasties shaped like pumpkins and bats, for the main course there was an abundance of different cuts of meat, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, rice, vegetables, pies, anything you could imagine really. The most impressive part of the meal however was the dessert. There were cakes, puddings, French pastries, fruit salads and Mina's personal favourite: tons and tons of ginger newts. Thankfully her aversion against them from the very beginning of her pregnancy had disappeared and so she could wholeheartedly enjoy them, together with the rest of the meal. Maybe the baby liked them too, who knew? She only passed on the wine, obviously, but everyone was so caught up in enjoying the atmosphere and having a good time that nobody noticed. Except for Albus of course, who squeezed her hand under the table.
"Have some more," he said quietly, "you are eating for two after all." Mina laughed softly and helped herself to another biscuit. The last one, or so she told herself.
After dinner, Minerva joined her students for games and dancing in the common room which was great fun, even though she was so tired, she could barely anymore. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and it was a loud, messy party, so Minerva didn't even notice how Cecily excused herself after a while and quietly left for her dorm. She was exhausted from all the events, nobody had been mean or anything but she didn't really feel like she belonged with all those merry people. Shadows danced on the wall on her way upstairs and she started running when these shadows seemed to shift and shape into the things that haunted her.
"Breathe, Cecily." She told herself. She couldn't have another one of her episodes, not now. It would ruin the party for everyone and once again she'd be singled out. She knew it was okay in Professor McGonagall's office, simply because nobody else would know. Cecily was so desperate to be normal and fit in that she hated asking for help and admitting that maybe she couldn't deal with everything on her own. She sometimes questioned why she'd been placed in Gryffindor, she was so scared of everything around her, but the hat had insisted. Her begging and pleading had been in vain and she'd been placed with the brave and bold. Up in her dorm, Cecily managed to calm down a little and felt just how tired she was, not just physically but also mentally. She quickly got ready for bed and lay down, closing her eyes. The sounds of the party downstairs weren't disturbing her, she felt reassured knowing that there were people around and not just threatening shadows. With these thoughts on her mind, she finally fell asleep.
The party ended around midnight and Minerva made sure everyone made it up to their dorms. They would clean up the mess the next day, she insisted that the students did that themselves instead of just leaving these unloved tasks for the house elves. Mina was happy and walked home, through the now quiet castle and through the night. To her surprise there was light in her cottage. That could only mean one thing. She rushed to the door and opened it.
"Albus? Are you here?" He emerged from the kitchen, bringing her a cup of tea.
"Mina, dearest. I was wondering whether you'd come home at all." He greeted her with a kiss and she gratefully accepted the cup of tea, drinking it all at once.
"It was a wonderful party but Merlin, I am so exhausted. I need to sit down." Albus grinned and picked her up which made her screech but she let him carry her to the living room where he gently put her down on the couch.
"You looked absolutely stunning today. I don't think anyone else noticed, but did I spy just a hint of a bump today?"
Mina blushed and looked down. "Yes, I'm starting to show, at least a little. I'll have to get some wider dresses especially for after Christmas."
"It suits you very well, dearest, dare I say that you're glowing?" He smiled warmly and sat town next to her.
"You're just trying to charm me." She laughed and he leaned in, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Is it working, dearest?" Instead of an answer she just kissed him, her lips still tasted a little like pumpkin juice and ginger which was absolutely irresistible to him and he wondered if she was ready for more. To test the waters he started loosening her hair which was still in a tight bun. Mina didn't pull back but welcomed his advances, she missed being this close to him. She was about to open the first button of his shirt when they suddenly heard a loud noise, as if something fell against the door. It sounded too heavy to be a bird or any other small creature.
"Maybe a deer or something from the forest." Mina stood up, smiling at Albus. "You stay right where you are, I'm not done with you."
He laughed. "Shouldn't I go and check in case it's dangerous?" But Mina shook her head, this was her house after all and something told her that this was important. She would think about this feeling a lot over the coming months, maybe it was intuition. When she opened the door, Cecily Sunderland stood there, staring at her. She was wearing only her nightgown, no shoes, no scarf, not even a hat to keep her warm. Her eyes were wide open but had a weird glaze as if they weren't seeing at all. She stood still and didn't say a word.
"Miss Sunderland? Cecily? Oh dear, how did you even get here, no shoes and after curfew?" No response, she didn't even turn her head or blink. "Can you hear me? Do you know where you are?" Again, no reaction and it dawned on Mina that Cecily was sleepwalking. She kept talking to her and nothing happened until Cecily started to move. Her movements were eerily light and despite obviously not being conscious, she walked into the house without falling. Albus had come out of the living room and seemed just fascinated by what he saw as Mina was. Yes, it was fascinating, but in a way that worried Mina and felt eerie, like watching a ghost. Cecily walked up to the mirror that stood in Mina's hallway. There, she suddenly started speaking but in a voice that didn't sound much like her normal voice at all.
"Mum." She declared. "Mother isn't mum." Nothing else and she kept walking. Mina was confused and so was Albus, this had to be the oddest Halloween night of their lives. Albus was also a little disgruntled because he'd been looking forward to some quality time with Mina which was now obviously off the table. His irritation didn't last very long because when he saw the little girl's face, pale and with dark circles under her eyes, he knew that Mina had been right all along. There was more to it.
Cecily finally seemed to be done with her nightly walk and decided to lay down on one of the rugs in front of the fireplace. There, she drifted off to proper sleep again. It looked pitiful.
"Oh dear..." Mina said quietly and knelt down next to her. "I wish I knew what hurt you. I wish you could tell me so I could help you." She kissed her forehead, a spur of the moment decision.
Albus looked at her and raised his eyebrow. "Of course I'm keeping boundaries." he teased in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood a little.
"Well, I am trying. Mostly. But look at her and she's only little." Mina defended herself. This was not a normal case and she thought he would have noticed that by now. He sighed.
"I know that you can't help caring about your children, especially in a case like hers. And I must admit that maybe your way of addressing her issues is right in this case. But she can't sleep here, that's inappropriate." He had to insist on this as a ground rule.
"I know, I know. I think waking up and not being in her dorm will just confuse her further. Will you take her back for me, pretty please?" She tilted her head a little which made Albus smile.
"You know I can't say no to you, Minerva. And she's a good kid, it's not like she's out there, getting herself into situations like this on purpose." He carefully picked Cecily up and Mina covered her with one of the blankets from the couch as the nights in Scotland were already very cold. Albus smiled and brought Cecily back to her dorm where he carefully tucked her in. He didn't know what it was but he suddenly saw his sister in her. So many similarities. His heart ached for a second before he reminded himself that this was just a student and not Ariana.
Meanwhile, Mina thought about what Cecily said. "Mother isn't Mum." What did that mean? It could be utter nonsense of course, but she knew that the brain was constantly working, even when people were sleeping. She was still musing about it when Albus came back.
"Is she still asleep?" He smiled and gave her a kiss.
"Don't worry about your little favourite. She's safe and sound in bed and on the way back I caught some students out of bed, so all in all I was very successful." She laughed, he wasn't one to actually pay attention to curfews.
"You mean you ran into them on your way to the kitchen." Albus grinned and pulled a box of ginger newts from his cloak.
"You know me too well, dearest." They sat down and he started feeding her biscuits which made them both laugh. After a while however, Mina's face turned serious again.
"Look, after everything that happened, I just have to look out for Cecily. I believe there is something very, very wrong and we need to do something. You've seen her." Albus shrugged, he still wasn't sure how far they could and should go but he acknowledged that the girl needed help.
"You're going to be a great mum, darling." Was all he could say but Mina understood what he meant and she knew that sooner or later he would come around.