Chapter Five: December 1946

Chapter Five: December 1946

"Happy birthday to you; happy birthday to you; happy birthday, dear Marlene; happy birthday to you!" Minerva sang to her daughter, who was sitting in a high chair in their small kitchen, a little cake with a single candle carefully placed on the high chair tray. As her mother sang, Marlene clapped her hands and giggled, showing the baby teeth that were just emerging from her gums. At the end of the song, Minerva leaned over and blew out the candle for her daughter, before slicing the cake and cutting her daughter's slice into manageable pieces. Marlene smiled and began playing with her food, smearing cake in her bright auburn hair and all over her smiling face. Minerva sighed good-naturedly and cast a gentle cleaning spell on her daughter.

Marlene's eyes soon grew heavy and she began to fall asleep, so Minerva waved her wand to clean up the mess and took her daughter carefully out of her high chair, walking down a narrow hallway to another small room. Stroking her hair, Minerva sang a lullaby, rocking her daughter to sleep as she held her. Her daughter finally fell asleep, and Minerva laid her gently in her crib before heading back to the kitchen to clean up.

After Albus had made the decision to go back to his wife, Minerva ordered her house-elf to pack up her things and prepare her tiny cottage in the Hebrides Islands for their arrival. The very next day, Minerva, Marlene, and her house-elf moved to the tiny cottage. No one knew where they were, and no one knew that this cabin existed, which was exactly what Minerva wanted. She did not want anyone to find them.

For the most part, they lived as Muggles, as the small village near where her cottage was located was a Muggle one. But in the privacy of the little cottage, Minerva still used magic, because there were wards around their home preventing Ministry detection of magic. She broke off contact with everyone she knew, even her good friend Poppy Pomfrey, so that Albus would not be able to find them. She began calling herself Jean and called her daughter by her middle name as well – Marlene – so great was Minerva's desire to hide herself from the Wizarding world. She took up a new surname as well: MacLeod.

And so Minerva began to raise her daughter in a small cottage in the Hebrides. At first, it was difficult – Minerva knew very little about raising children – but she soon made friends with the older women in the village, who helped her learn the best methods to lull Marlene to sleep when she was fussy, how to prevent the pain of teething, how to transition her from milk to solid food. Without the kind women of the village it would have been impossible for them to have survived, so far isolated from all that she knew. When she was questioned about Marlene's father, Minerva said that he had died in a freak accident.

It was not a lonely existence – she had her house-elf and her daughter, to say nothing of the kind and friendly villagers – and she was able to raise her daughter without fear that anyone would find them. That was all changed when Fawkes, Albus's phoenix, appeared in a ball of fire one day in October.

"What are you doing here, Fawkes?" Minerva asked the phoenix, despite the fact that she knew he could not answer. He trilled a sorrowful note and flew over to Marlene's bedroom door, hovering outside of it.

"You want to see Marlene?" she asked him, and he cooed. Reluctantly, she opened the door. "All right. But she's sleeping – you must be quiet." Fawkes nodded and flew over to Marlene's crib, perching on the side, looking down at the sleeping girl. He very gently ran his beak through her bright hair and then flew back out into the hallway. Minerva quietly closed the door to Marlene's room and followed Fawkes into the kitchen.

"Did Albus send you?" Minerva asked, relieved when Fawkes indicated that Albus had not sent him. "Please don't tell him where we are, Fawkes." Fawkes nodded, nipping her finger lightly before flashing away in a burst of flame. Minerva sagged in her chair, relieved that Albus had not yet found them.

Despite the fact that Minerva did not want Albus to find them, a small part of her did. The fact that he obviously was not looking for them hurt her – it proved that he didn't really love her as he'd claimed. If Albus really loved her as he claimed, he would have found them by now – Fawkes obviously could find them easily. And Albus never even sent her an owl – never even tried to contact her. He didn't love her – he'd lied to her.

Minerva sighed longingly as she thought of the life that she and Albus could have had together. She stood up and walked into her bedroom, taking out her wand and tapping the top drawer of her nightstand three times. The drawer opened and she took out an album filled with newspaper clippings.

Sitting on her bed, she started at the beginning of the album with the article headlined Profile of a War Hero. Underneath the headline was a picture of Albus and his wife Colleen on their wedding day. The photograph-Albus did not even look up at her; he was looking lovingly at his wife. Colleen alternately looked up at Albus adoringly and up at Minerva spitefully.

Minerva flipped to the articles written in April 1946, when his son was born. The first article on this topic was published in the Daily Prophet on 13 April 1946. The headline read The Next Generation of Dumbledores: The Birth of Albus Dumbledore's Son. Once again, there was a picture underneath the headline, featuring Albus, Colleen, and his son, Lancelot Percival Wulfric Dumbledore.

The article was written by Willa Wilder, and it said the following: The much-anticipated arrival of the heir to the Dumbledore family has finally occurred – Albus Dumbledore's wife, Colleen, gave birth to their son Albert Percival Wulfric Dumbledore on the 12th of April, 1946. He was born at 4:57 in the afternoon...

...the happy family currently resides at Hogwarts, where Albus Dumbledore is the Deputy Headmaster, Head of Gryffindor House, and Professor of Transfiguration. Colleen Dumbledore (née Longbottom) is the professor of Astronomy. We at the Daily Prophet give the Dumbledores our most sincere congratulations and best wishes for the future.

The next article she turned to was dated 20th of December, 1946, and was the last article in her collection. The headline read "Christmas with the Dumbledores", and it was also written by Willa Wilder. The article consisted of several pages of photographs with captions. The photographs showed Albus and Colleen decorating their Christmas tree, their son perched on Albus's shoulders; Colleen helping Albert wrap presents; Fawkes perched on Albert's head, wearing a miniature Father Christmas hat; and a photograph of the Dumbledore family, including Albus, Colleen, Albert, Aberforth, Albus's parents, and Colleen's parents. Minerva sadly noted that they all looked incredibly happy and joyful – especially Albus. He looked incredibly enamoured of Colleen, and she with him. And Minerva had never seen him look happier or more content in the many years she had known him.

When she finished torturing herself by looking at the pictures of him and his family, she carefully replaced the album in her nightstand drawer and closed it before lying down on her bed and bursting into sobs.

She didn't have time to wallow in her grief, because she heard Marlene let out a wail. Minerva quickly wiped away her tears and rushed down the hallway to her daughter's room. Marlene was standing up in her crib, clutching the sides tightly, as she bawled. Minerva picked her daughter up and carried her to the rocking chair that was in the corner of the room, sitting down in it and cradling her daughter in her arms.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Minerva asked her daughter. Marlene's sobs slowed as she burrowed her face against her mother.

"Bad dream," Marlene hiccupped.

"Oh, my poor darling!" Minerva cooed, stroking Marlene's hair and rocking her back and forth. "What was the dream about?"

"A big bird on fire burned my house," Marlene said. She was a very articulate child – she began speaking at the age of nine months.

Minerva's heart froze at her description of a phoenix. Was Marlene awake the time that Fawkes had visited them? She couldn't take any chances.

"Marlene, have you ever seen a bird like that before?"

Marlene nodded. "One day in my room."

Minerva didn't know what to do. Perhaps she should tell Marlene about Fawkes... no. It was too dangerous. She might accidentally tell someone. But Minerva did not want her to have nightmares anymore.

"Sweetheart, there is a type of bird that bursts into flames like that – it is called a phoenix. They are nice birds, and they will never hurt you. There aren't that many in the world though, and most people think that they don't exist anymore. Would you like to see a picture?"

Marlene's tears had stopped and she nodded her head eagerly. Minerva Summoned her old copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and opened to the page describing the phoenix. Marlene touched the picture that showed the phoenix bursting into flames and emerging from the ashes.

"Are you all right now, Marlene?" Minerva asked her daughter, pleased when she nodded her head. "Good. There's nothing to be scared of."

"I'm hungry," Marlene announced calmly. Minerva laughed and picked her up again.

"Then let's get you something to eat."

Marlene's nightmare was forgotten as Minerva absorbed herself in preparing dinner for the two of them.