Chapter Seven: September 1953

"Hello, Fawkes," the girl said, her voice a younger version of Minerva's. She stroked his head, and Fawkes cooed, nuzzling her chin. Albus's heart ached as he watched his daughter and his familiar snuggled together. Fawkes began to sing a lullaby, and the girl drifted off to sleep easily. Minerva kissed Fawkes lightly on his head and quietly walked out of the room, entering another bedroom. She cast a one-way Silencing charm on the door and pulled out an album and a stack of newspaper clippings.

She began to place each clipping in the album, organised by date. When the final clipping was safely preserved, she burst into tears.

"Oh, Albus," she sobbed, burying her face in a pillow. "Why don't you care for me? Why don't you care for your daughter? Why?"

The door to her bedroom opened quietly, and her daughter's face appeared in the opening. When she saw her mother crying, she rushed into the room and threw herself in her mother's arms.

"Mummy, what's wrong?" she asked, smoothing back her mother's hair maternally. Her mother embraced her daughter tightly, muffling her sobs. As her daughter hugged her, Marlene caught sight of the album Minerva had been looking at before she entered the room.

"Mummy, what's this?" Marlene asked, releasing her mother from her embrace and reaching for the album. Minerva looked at her, wide-eyed, and tried to get the album out of her daughter's sight, but Marlene held on fast.

"Mummy, who is this?" Marlene asked, pointed at a man with long hair and a beard, the same colour as her own hair.

Minerva sighed, trying not to cry again. "That's Albus Dumbledore, Marlene," her mother told her.

Marlene turned to the first page of the album, to an article titled FORMER AUROR MCGONAGALL GIVES BIRTH TO DUMBLEDORE'S LOVE CHILD. The article read as followed:

According to a source, former Auror Minerva McGonagall, a key fighter against Grindelwald, gave birth to Albus Dumbledore's child on the 22nd of December 1945. Albus Dumbledore is the Deputy Headmaster, Head of Gryffindor House, and Professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts. He is on the Wizengamot and was awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, for his defeat of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald. He and his wife Colleen Longbottom are expecting their first child in April. They were married in June, after a very brief engagement.

"Who is Minerva McGonagall?" Marlene asked.

"It's me," Minerva told her reluctantly.

"But your name is Jean McLeod!" Marlene said. "Not Minerva McGonagall!"

"No, darling, my name is Minerva Jean McGonagall. And your name isn't Marlene McLeod – it's Lily Marlene McGonagall – though it should be Lily Marlene McGonagall Dumbledore."

"So Albus Dumbledore is my father?" Marlene asked.

Her mother nodded and embraced her. "I'm sorry that I never told you, my darling," Minerva apologised.

"Why did you change our names?" Marlene asked.

"We're in hiding, my darling. Hiding from your father and from the Wizarding world."

"I've always wondered why we never met any wizards. Why is that? Why are we in hiding? And why are we hiding from my father, of all people?" Marlene cried.

"You read the article, my darling. That is what the Wizarding world thinks of me. But it's not true – I did not use Dark Magic to conceive you. On the night before your father defeated Grindelwald, we made love, and you were conceived. After the battle, after Grindelwald was defeated, I was left at the battlefield to die. A Muggle man, Mr. Busse, found me and brought me back to his home, where he and his family cared for me for three months. I eventually found Alastor Moody, who had fought the final battle with me and your father, and he brought me back to London from Germany. When I arrived in London, I found out that I was pregnant with you. I went back to my family home and stayed there until you were born. I had to go to Saint Mungo's, the Wizarding hospital, because there were complications with your birth. After you were born, this article was published – the only one who knew all of the information was Alastor Moody – he betrayed me. After the article was published, your father came to see me. He told me that Alastor Moody had told him that I was dead. He had married another woman named Colleen Longbottom, and they have a son, named Albert, who is seven and a half now. He told me that although he loved me, he wanted to stay with his wife. The next day I had Prossy pack up our things and we moved here."