After a while, Mina and Albus realised that Cecily was probably still waiting for her tea. So Albus went to take the kettle off the stove and prepare everything while Mina left the kitchen to see what Cecily was doing. She had settled down in her favourite spot, flipping through the pages of a book about herbology but when Mina approached her, she looked up.
"Oh, hi. I hope you don't mind I took that book, but you were gone for a while and I was getting bored." She smiled while Mina turned a little red and quickly changed the topic.
"I'm sorry, Darling. Could you come to the kitchen please, Pop and I would like to discuss the future with you." Cecily stiffened and suddenly looked anxious. So they had been talking about her. "Nothing bad, love." Mina reassured her. "We just want to make sure you get all the help you need"
"Mhh. Kay." Cecily grudgingly got up and followed Mina to the kitchen. She couldn't help but notice that Mina's cheeks were a little flushed and her usually perfectly styled hair was disheveled. Yet, she looked incredibly beautiful, at least to Cecily. How she envied the baby who didn't even know how lucky it was to have Minerva McGonagall as its actual mother. But then she remembered all the matching outfits Mina had bought her and smiled. Mina loved her too and that felt pretty good.
They all sat down in the kitchen together. Albus explained what they thought was best for her. The plan included Cecily sleeping at home, lots of one on one time with either of them and returning to working with Dr. Bellevue as soon as the judge would allow them to. At first, Cecily wasn't happy about not staying at the dorm for the rest of the trimester at all. She hated being singled out and she'd miss Eva.
"You can bring her around as often as you like." Mina promised. "And any other friends as well, we're happy to have them." That made Cecily reconsider. Deep down she knew she'd probably be safer with them, at least for the time being, so she agreed after all.
"Then I guess I'm okay with that, as long as you make my birth family stay away from us."
"Trust me, I will." Albus smiled to hide his anger towards them from Cecily. He didn't want to frighten her. "Will you promise something to us too?"
"Anything." She said quietly. "I can clean or cook or..."
"No." Mina quickly interrupted. "Just try and go without hurting yourself. Talk to us, we can work on coping mechanisms. And for the love of Merlin, can you try and eat some more? You're all skin and bones "
"I thought you wouldn't notice" Cecily gave them a weak smile. It was really hard to hide her problems from them, so maybe in the future she would try and tell them before they found out.
"Even if we didn't, Eva would notice, and she'd hopefully have enough sense to tell us."
"Hmmm. She said I should eat but I wasn't hungry." Cecily admitted and Albus put some parchment and a quill on the table.
"Let's make a contract. You hereby agree to try and eat regularly, stay hydrated and try to cope without hurting yourself." Cecily nodded, that sounded rather sensible.
"Now for an incentive... What would help you reach that goal?" Cecily looked at them, she didn't have to think twice about it.
"I want to play Quidditch. Like Mum did." Mina beamed with pride. Albus chuckled and took Mina's hand, he knew how much it meant to her.
"Well, then we shall write Quidditch lessons and the opportunity of trying for the house team into the contract. Neither of us can just get you a place on the team, that wouldn't be fair, but we can make sure you get a fair chance at the try outs. As an athlete you must make sure you have enough energy, especially when playing Quidditch." She nodded once more and then signed the parchment. So did Mina and Albus. They had a deal. Cecily yawned, it was getting late.
"Bedtime?" Mina asked gently.
"Hmm. I'll go up."
"Do you want us to come and say good night?" Cecily nodded, she didn't feel like she was too old for that, so they all went upstairs. Cecily got changed quickly , then Mina tucked her in and they both gave her a kiss goodnight. She smiled. It was a warm, fuzzy feeling to be so loved and cherished, it was something she could definitely get used to. She soon fell asleep, it was easy now that wasn't afraid anymore. Or well, she still was, but she knew she wasn't alone anymore and that was enough for her.
Mina and Albus watched her sleep for a while. Albus held his fiancée close, like she was about to slip from his fingers and disappear. She put her hand on his. It was the one with the ring he'd given her and it glittered in the moonlight that fell through the window.
"Let's go next door." He whispered. She looked up and pretended to pout.
"Carry me, I'm pregnant and my feet are tired." She demanded. He laughed quietly and picked her up, carrying her to their bedroom where he gently put her down on the bed.
"Love?" He said quietly, the ring had reminded Albus of something very important.
"Hmmm?" Mina replied.
"Let's get married very soon." He smiled at her. Despite being engaged for a while now, things had been so turbulent that they hadn't gotten around making any arrangements for their actual wedding yet. It was about time.
"Well, just name a time and place, I'll be there, the one in the white dress with a veil on her head." She joked. All she wanted was a low-key affair with those she loved most and as little publicity as possible. This was supposed to be a family moment, not a newspaper moment.
"After the baby is here, in your dad's church?" Albus remembered how she mentioned that this was something she'd dreamed of ever since she was a child. As he had dedicated his entire existence to making her dreams come true, this seemed absolutely perfect.
"Well, that sounds great but my parents and I... are not really on speaking terms at the moment if you remember." Mina smiled awkwardly, it was a touchy subject, she actually missed them and often wondered what kind of advice her mother would give her in regards to Cecily.
"Neither are my brother and I, how about you and I both try to make amends with them, you with your parents and I with Aberforth. Not for our sake, but for the children. I think the wedding could become a new start for all of us."
"We have a deal." Mina smiled. "I'll talk to them, but you have to promise that you really do speak to your brother as well, I don't want you to bow out at the last minute."
"I promise I won't." This time, he wanted to see things through. He knew it wouldn't be easy but better try and fail than not try at all.
The next day was a Monday and they tried their best to get used to what was their new normal. During lunch time, Albus went to see Minerva at her office, he actually had some important business to discuss but they soon got distracted and he decided to take care of it himself. It kind of concerned Cecily as well and as Mina was pregnant and a little under the weather, he didn't want her to worry too much.
When Mina came home that evening, a beautiful bouquet was already waiting for her. She shook her head, why would Albus send her flowers like that? He was a little silly. Albus wasn't home yet to explain and wouldn't be for a while, so she waited for Cecily to spend some time with her. Cecily arrived soon afterwards and gave her a hug, something Mina had been looking forward to, even though her growing bump was a bit in the way.
"Hi Darling, how was school?" Cecily shrugged. She had been in trouble that morning but Albus had promised to sort it. Did she know? Had he told on her? But Mina seemed to have no idea. Cecily decided to confess anyway, so she could tell her version of what had happened in potions class that morning.
"It was alright I guess. Slughorn was being mean to Eva today. He always is but today was really, really bad. So I got detention." She grinned sheepishly, hoping Mina would be able to see the funny side.
"So you were the Gryffindors in trouble Dad wanted to tell me about when he came to see me over lunch? Interesting..." Mina raised an eyebrow, this was not what she'd expected.
"Possible. But it wasn't just Eva and me, the other girls, they started standing up for her too and some of the boys as well. It was really cool actually, he's a bit of a bully and Eva is always there for me so I thought I'd return the favour and give him a taste of his own medicine..." the girl rambled and Mina had to bite her lip so she wouldn't smile. Her daughter was a Gryffindor through and through.
"Darling, that's very noble of you but, it makes me a little concerned. What exactly did you do?" Cecily shrugged and looked almost a little too relaxed about the whole thing.
"Might have told him he's a frustrated bully who will never find love. Might have pushed a glass of bile off the table and over his books, might have started a riot where people started chanting against him and stood on the tables, dunno, it's all a bit of a blur really." She smiled and quickly changed the topic before Minerva could ask any more questions. "Nice flowers." It didn't work.
"Cecily, this is no way to behave towards a teacher. We'll talk about that when your dad is home." Mina was a little shocked that Cecily could be so unruly, but then she'd been provoked... Anyway, she had to discipline her at least a little, that was what responsible parents did after all.
"Oh he knows, I saw him earlier, he gave me a high five" Now Cecily couldn't help but giggle, Mina just sighed.
"Of course he did." So much for consistency. She was definitely the stricter parent.
"Is that why he sent you flowers?" Another desperate attempt to talk about literally anything else but that morning. This time however, Mina blushed.
"Maybe, there was no card."
"Do men usually send flowers when they do something their wives wouldn't approve of?" Cecily now asked. The flowers were pretty, no question, but it still seemed like a silly social convention.
"Some do, I guess. Why?" Mina looked at her, she sometimes asked the most random questions.
"Man, I must have kept some florists afloat in my days." For Cecily it was an almost innocent remark, hinting at her past that she still couldn't really talk about. Making jokes about what had happened was her way of coping, although it often shocked those around her, as it did Mina right now.
"Cecily..." Mina took her hand and Cecily gave her a crooked smile. She hoped Mina understood.
"Pop... Dad... He wouldn't do such a thing, would he?" She whispered, she needed her mum to confirm that.
"No, no he wouldn't. He loves us. He's not like the people who hurt you." She promised. Not that Albus hadn't made his fair share of mistakes, but she knew he'd never hurt them on purpose.
"I will never get married or go out with anyone. I'll stay with you forever. And when you are old I'll look after you and your grandchildren. But I can't trust anyone except for you two."
"That's fine, my sweet." It was sad to hear but understandable. It was a miracle Cecily had managed to build a bond with Albus. "But darling, we will still have to discuss today's events."
"Hmmm. Are you mad?" Cecily hoped she wasn't, she would hate to upset Mina.
"I don't know yet, I need to hear the other side. But I'm also proud that you are standing up for Eva and making more friends." Mina ruffled Cecily's hair. "And even if I'm a little annoyed, that doesn't stop me from loving you."
"Speaking of Eva..." Cecily started.
"Yes?"
"Her parents have officially invited me to their summer house in France over the holidays. Her dad is a friend of Pop's. May I go? Pleeeeaaaase?"
"Do you want to go? Would you be gone all summer? We wanted to take you on your first holiday..." Honestly, Mina wasn't too thrilled about the idea, but she'd never stop her from going if that was what Cecily wanted.
"Well they always go towards the end of the holidays, so I'd be with you before. You could spend some time with just the baby... And I'd love to go. I have never been to France." Mina smiled indulgently, Cecily was so thoughtful and a little babymoon with just the baby, Albus and her sounded tempting.
"Then I suppose you can go." She agreed. "But you have to send us a postcard and promise you'll miss us a little."
"Thanks mum. I will." Cecily hugged her. "You know I like you lots and I am glad I'm a Gryffindor and you are my head of house." Mina kissed her forehead.
"And I love that you are my daughter." Cecily smiled awkwardly and looked away.
"I love the outfits you got me. They really make me feel like I am."
"That was my intention." Cecily wanted to reply but felt a weird nudge from Mina's bump.
"Wait, was that..." She was confused.
"That's the baby saying hi to you. She likes you, you know? She is always very active when you are around."
"Oh..." Cecily was impressed. The baby knew her. Wow. Feeling it move made things so real. "Hi baby." She whispered. "It's me, Cecily. I can't wait to meet you." Mina had to blink away some tears she blamed on hormones, not on this being a beautiful moment. She was a fierce Gryffindor, not a crybaby.
Mother and daughter went to have tea together and finally they heard the door open. Albus was home and walked straight to the kitchen, where he heard his family laugh. He watched them from the door for a little until Minerva turned around to greet him.
"I heard our eldest got into trouble today? Was that you wanted to talk about?" She teased.
"Yes. But I took care of it and I also got you flowers because I had a feeling you wouldn't approve of the way I did." He grinned and sat down in his usual spot, helping himself to a sandwich.
"Dad, do I have to go detention?" Cecily asked and tilted her head. He looked at her and tried to make a stern face, knowing full well that she'd wrapped him around her little finger.
"Yes honey, you all have detention, but there will be no other disciplinary measures. You got off lightly, young lady." She smiled. To her surprise, the soul of the girl was there too and for once she didn't seem upset, but actually amused by the whole situation. Yet, she disappeared as she usually did when she felt Cecily looking at her but this time it felt as if she'd lingered a fraction of a moment longer.
"Can I get a high five?" Cecily asked before anyone noticed her staring at the spot next to Albus. He chuckled and offered his hand. He was very, very proud of her, he just couldn't say it. He would have done the same. Mina went to prepare dinner while Cecily and Albus disappeared to the living room for a chat.
Mina had a lot to think about. She realised she probably had to tell her parents that they would soon have a baby granddaughter, about Cecily and everything else that had happened before she could get married in the church her father worked at. It would be tricky, they sometimes had no filter and she was worried they would say something wrong. But they had to know before the wedding. It was time to make up and she would hold up her end of the bargain with Albus, even though she secretly didn't believe he'd actually make up with his brother.
After dinner and tucking Cecily into bed, Mina sat down by the fire place and took up her knitting.
"So what happened with Professor Slughorn?" She asked and Albus sighed.
"He and my friend Alexander, who happens to be Eva's father, have a bit of a backstory. You know how back in the day when Grindelwald was on the loose, there were little specialist groups of Aurors deployed to all parts of the country." Mina nodded. "He led one of these groups, Horace was their potion master but he was a bit of a coward back then, so he regularly failed to show up when it was needed. Alex got him into trouble for letting them down and now he's taking it out on Eva."
"Oh Merlin. Horace really knows how to hold a grudge, doesn't he?" Albus nodded.
"That's why they only got detention, I told him taking conflicts like that out on students is not okay."
"So the detention is definitely happening?"
"I'm afraid so, I had to give in a little." He shrugged.
"Poor baby, she will hate that." Albus laughed. "What?" Mina asked indignantly.
"Aren't you the teacher who once said detention is very important for discipline and it's supposed to be hated?" He teased.
"It's different when it's your own child."
"You changed, dear." Albus grinned. She was just as soft as he was.
"I know you gave her a high five after Horace came tattling." Mina gave him one of her strict looks. He had no right to tease her at all.
"That's true I guess. I just have a very soft spot for our girl." Albus admitted freely.
"She deserves it. And I hope you have a bit of a soft spot for me too." Albus looked up and Minerva felt like she had to explain. "We just need to find our way back to how we were before I got pregnant and everything that happened after." "I was terrible. And I am still so, so sorry." Albus looked away. He was ashamed. She was definitely a saint for giving him and the relationship another chance and even marrying him.
"It's in the past now, we're fixing this." She said softly. "We're getting married after all. Speaking of which. I need to invite my parents over."
"Do you?" He groaned. "I said make up so we can get married at the church, not have them over for tea. They are going to hate me."
"Oh stop it." She admonished him, this was difficult enough without Albus whining about it. "They probably won't hate you. They are just...odd. I have to tell them about my pregnancy and Cecily anyway. And introduce them to her before the wedding."
"You haven't told them yet?" Albus was a little shocked.
"As I said. They are odd and we weren't on speaking terms. I'll write to them tomorrow morning. I was just worried that they might upset Cecily. Besides, how are things going with your brother."
"Hmm." Albus decided to not comment on the last bit. "It will be fine, remember, I didn't like how close you two were in the beginning. But she just has that personality that makes people like her. They will adore her and I guess we can all be civil."
"Thank you, dear."
The next morning, Mina sent a letter to her parents, explaining the whole situation with Cecily, Albus, being pregnant and invited them for the weekend. She wasn't sure whether they would even reply. They were tricky. She felt particularly bad about not telling them about Cecily, but it still wasn't one hundred percent sure that she could stay. The thought of having to let her go was too devastating for her to be thinking about it, the whole situation started to take a toll on them all. For now, Cecily could stay. In a few months, there would be a review and they would fight so they could be Cecily's forever family.
Minerva saw Cecily at school that day and they quickly talked after class. She kept a close eye on the situation with Slughorn and it would be a lie to say she didn't enjoy chatting with her girl. Cecily did too, she thrived on the attention. She gave Mina a kiss on the cheek and then skipped to her next lesson, while Mina went to her office, where she found a letter on her desk. She immediately recognised the handwriting as her mother's. That was quick. She ripped it open.
"My dear Minerva,
Your father and I are impressed and very proud of you. What a wonderful and charitable thing to do. We would love to meet our future son in law and our new granddaughter and therefore accept your invitation.
Love,
Mum and Dad
P.S.: We have been thinking about things a lot lately and would love to chat to you about some issues we had in the past, to clear the air. We miss you."
Mina suddenly had a lump in her throat. That sounded wonderful. She used to have a really good relationship with them when she was younger and the awkwardness and bad blood between them had made her very sad. But they would come and they would see what she'd accomplished and hopefully give their blessing to everything. Her parents hadn't approved of her post graduation plans and now that Mina had her own family, she understood, at least kind of. They had wanted what in their opinion was best for her. They would make up and everything would be fine and maybe Albus would get used to their quirkiness. At least she prayed he would. And she hoped they would be okay with Cecily. But all in all, good news.
That night, after they had eaten dinner and Cecily had gone upstairs to get ready for bed, she told Albus about the letter.
"I suppose that's great." he smiled awkwardly. He was pretty sure her father would think that Mina could do better. He wasn't wrong, especially looking at the secrecy in the beginning and how he'd behaved. He wouldn't want that for Cecily or the baby. But this all sounded like a new start and he would try his best to show he was right for Mina and their children. They went upstairs to say goodnight and Mina sat down with Cecily.
"Darling, we're going to have visitors on Saturday" Mina explained but Cecily just shrugged.
"Okay?" She didn't really understand why that was apparently such a big deal.
"My parents are coming. They want to meet you." Silence, at least for a little while.
"Me? Oh... I think they are coming for you but I guess I'll be there too." Mina kissed her forehead.
"No, they want to meet you." Cecily smiled and felt all warm and fuzzy. Someone wanted to meet her? Thankfully she didn't pick up on Mina's anxiety.
"I want to meet them too. How were they when you were little?" Her curiosity surprised Mina, but she was glad Cecily seemed excited.
"Lean back, close your eyes and I'll tell you..."
On Friday, Cecily came home in a very good mood. Her first quidditch lesson had been a success and she had seen the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team lurk behind the bleachers, watching her. She knew that her chances of being invited to the next tryouts were good. On top of that, she would meet Mina's parents that weekend and she was very excited for that. She also had something she needed to talk about with her parents, she and Eva had rehearsed all afternoon. After dinner, the time seemed right.
"You know, I really, really like coming home every evening and I appreciate that you are making this possible for me. But would it be alright if I returned to the dorm for the next trimester? I would still come home over the weekend if that is okay, but I kinda miss late night chats with Eva and the others." Mina smiled warmly.
"I suppose we could try it, Darling, if you feel ready, you are free to stay wherever you like." Cecily gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"I love you, Mum."
"And I love you, daughter." Albus cleared his throat.
"Speaking of daughters... I have something very special for you." Cecily looked at him, he looked nervous. The soul standing next to him was back but this time instead of disappearing, she waved at Cecily. Weird.
"Huh?" He took a box from the counter.
"This is for you, To show that you are truly part of the family." She opened the box. It contained a locket, it looked very old and was heavy in Cecily's hands. "It's the Dumbledore family locket. It's always passed on to the eldest daughter and... well."
"Wow. It's beautiful, I don't know what to say." She whispered. Albus helped her put it on while Mina left the room to give them some privacy. Cecily hugged him. "Thank you. I feel very special." She said quietly.
"That's wonderful, darling." He smiled warmly.
"Do you really think I'm your daughter?" She asked. Stupid question, he'd given her the locket, but she couldn't hear it often enough.
"To me, you are. I never wanted children or a wife or a family, you know." He shook his head. "Then Mina was pregnant and you were there and she got me to spend time with you and that's actually how I changed my mind on families. You were so funny and insightful. And you made her so so happy. I guess you really are responsible for making me a dad."
"Oh no, I think you always were." Cecily replied and they hugged. Him being so grateful for something she hadn't even done on purpose was a little awkward. "Well, Dad...Will you protect me?"
"Until the day I die." Albus vowed.
"I love you, Dad." She whispered. He would be her dad from now on.
"I love you too, kid." He smiled warmly. He'd never even dared to hope for a connection like they had. When Ariana had died, he'd vowed to never have some vulnerable in his care, however, he realised that this was his chance to make everything right.
"Dad, who is the girl in the light blue dress? She's blonde. Very pretty." Cecily just couldn't keep it in anymore. She had to tell him about the soul.
"Who is what?" Albus was confused.
"I keep seeing her soul, long story. She's usually upset and disappears quickly. Give me a paper and a pen and I'll draw her for you." Cecily started sketching, she was very talented. Albus watched her and soon recognised the sketch, even though he couldn't quite believe it.
"That's my sister Ariana. May... may I have this?" His hands were shaking, this couldn't be... or could it?
"Sure. She's here a lot. Mostly with you but I also saw her on her own. "Albus had to wipe away a tear. "Don't cry, she doesn't like it when you are sad." Cecily noticed that the soul seemed to sense his upset.
"Sweetie, I will explain another day, but trust me, I'm feeling a lot of things right now."
"Should I get mum?" She couldn't quite deal with her dad suddenly looking so vulnerable.
"Please." When Cecily had left the room, he broke down crying. Ariana was there. Her soul hadn't left. But... Why couldn't he see her? Then he remembered. He remembered countless situations where he'd felt a kind of warmth or seen a light that couldn't be explained in any other way. Of course she was showing herself, just in a different way. This was a massive revelation. He had to reconcile with Aberforth and not just because of that stupid bargain. Ariana would want them to.
Mina rushed into the room just when he had gotten up to go see his brother. "Don't worry about me, kitten." He said, he was a little nervous. "Look, I have to go and talk to my brother." He gave her a kiss, his beard was soaked in tears. "I love you. We were supposed to be together. I know it. I know so many things now and that's why I must talk to my brother. I'll explain later." He rushed out of the house, clutching the image Cecily had drawn. Mina looked after him in confusion. But there was once again this warm presence she sometimes felt when in doubt. Everything would be alright.