Chapter Eight: September to October 1953
Chapter 9 of 17
diana_hawthorneChapter Eight: September to October 1953
"Albus?" Minerva asked, her hand flying to her heart in surprise. She dropped back onto the bed and her daughter crawled into her lap, pressing her face against her mother's neck. Fawkes flew over to the women on the bed and perched on Minerva's shoulder. Albus looked into Minerva's eyes, not breaking eye contact even though her gaze was filled with sadness, reproach, and anger.
"Minerva," Albus said, approaching the bed. As he neared her, she scooted away from him, moving her daughter with her. Albus stopped in his tracks, hurt that she would back away from him.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
"I want to be with you and our daughter," he said.
"What about your wife," Minerva spat out the word as though it was poison, "and your son? Aren't they the most important people in your life?"
During Minerva's tirade, Marlene had stolen glances at her father. Both he and her mother were too wrapped up in their discussion to notice her staring at him.
Marlene had always wondered about her father her mother had refused to talk about him, refusing even to mention him. Minerva had only ever told her daughter two things about Marlene's father: that she had his hair and that he died in a freak accident. Now, Marlene was finding out that her father was not dead, but was alive, and it seemed that he was married to someone else.
"Why did you leave us?" Marlene asked, peering out at her father from her mother's embrace, interrupting their uncomfortable silence. Both of her parents looked at her, her father with a guilty expression and her mother with a sad one.
Her father cleared his throat. "I'm not entirely sure," he admitted awkwardly.
"Bullshit, Albus," her mother said, and Marlene looked up at her in surprise. Her mother never cursed. "You left us because you wanted to be with your wife. The question you should be answering is why you are here now, after so many years."
Albus looked at Minerva and Marlene, eyes full of sorrow. "Last night I had a dream it was quite powerful I'm not sure that it actually was a dream, but more of a vision..."
A woman was sitting on a small bed in an unfamiliar room, a young girl, around eight, sitting next to her. They were reading a book together it was an achingly beautiful scene. Suddenly, a ball of flame burst into the room, and Fawkes appeared. The woman looked up, and Albus realised that the woman was Minerva and that the girl must be their daughter.
"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'd 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.
According to our source, Miss McGonagall disappeared for two months after the last battle. While originally believed dead, we now know that was not the case. In light of these facts, we at the Daily Prophet have some questions: Where did she go? What was she doing? As she was not in contact with any member of the Ministry of Magic or any other member of the magical world during those two months, we must look at her integrity with a healthy dose of scepticism. Was this child a product of a loving relationship, a passionate tryst, or some form of Dark Magic? We at the Daily Prophet think the latter.
"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."
"Oh, Mummy," Marlene wailed, burying her face in her mother's lap. Now it was her mother's turn to be the comforter, and she stroked her daughter's hair, letting her own tears drop onto her daughter's bright auburn hair the hair she had inherited from her father.
During the recounting of his dream, Minerva's breathing had grown ragged and she was pressing a hand to her chest, trying to calm the spasmodic beats of her heart. Marlene, as well, was obviously distressed.
"It was a vision, then, wasn't it?" Albus asked Minerva quietly. She nodded, her hand still clutching her chest as Albus began to shed silent tears.
"How could I have done this to you, Minerva?" Albus asked her quietly. "I can't even remember when I abandoned you with any clarity... It feels as though I have been in a fog, and I am only now stepping out into the light..."
Minerva's face hardened. "Don't you dare try to excuse your actions, Albus you and I both know that you made them out of your own free will."
"I'm not sure that I did, Minerva!" Albus exclaimed, indignant that she wouldn't believe him, though he should have expected it. "It feels like I have been under a spell for the past ten years..." He trailed off as a flash of understanding dawned on his features. "My God... could it be? Could I really have been under a spell for all these years?"
"Albus?" Minerva asked tentatively as shock replaced the understanding that had so recently bloomed across his face. He didn't respond she wasn't sure if he had heard her. "Albus?" she asked again.
"That bastard..." Albus muttered, swiftly standing up from the bed and beginning to pace. "It was him my best friend... Alastor did this, Minerva!" he exclaimed, turning to her suddenly. "He must have he was the only one who knew about us... but why?" He continued to pace furiously, Minerva's worried eyes following his every step. Marlene had buried her head in her mother's lap, frightened by the sight of a furious Albus Dumbledore.
He turned toward her again and took hold of her shoulders, gripping them tightly. "I swear I will find out why he did this, Minerva. I swear he ruined our lives!"
"Albus, you're hurting me!" she cried out as his fingers dug into her flesh. He released his grip instantly, looking chagrined.
"I'm sorry, Minerva," he said, his entire demeanour changed. "I never meant to hurt you emotionally or physically. But believe me when I say that I will find out why Alastor has done this to us. I will I swear it." With that, he grabbed Fawkes's tail and Apparated away in a flash of flame, leaving Minerva and Marlene behind once again.
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Latest 25 Reviews for Lily Marlene
136 Reviews | 4.25/10 Average
Oh, this is such a tragic ending. I am still shocked that Lily was killed by the boy who everyone thought was Albus' son! But then I suppose the bitterness of the boy's mother, her anger and hatred simmered and grew into posion, and warped her son.
I've enjoyed this story, and I found it intriguing and heartwarming at times. Even ruffled my feathers more than once - a sign that I even got into it. Well done.
This was such a sad story but I saw it through to the end. Thanks so much!
Response from diana_hawthorne (Author of Lily Marlene)
Thank you so much for seeing it through! Sorry the ending was so sad.
Oh my what a predicament! Albus wants to protect his family and well hurt them at the same time. What a Catch-22 he is in. And we already know what happens to Marlene. Poor Minerva, she is in for a world of hurt.
Poor Albus. It's amazing how much wisdom you accumulate over the years and clearly had to learn from the bad as well as the good.
Well, he couldn't have asked for anything easier, could he? She just handed him what he wanted. At least he and Minerva are now free to be together.
Glad to see he got to the bottom of it. Though I do worry about his statement about not leaving her again. He has quite the mess in his family waiting for him. Nothing like a meddling mother.
Good job, Albus. You are halfway there. Now he just has to be on guard while confronting Alastor. And when he learns it was his mother's idea... That's going to be a hard one.
Good job, Fawkes. Now to see if he can get to the bottom of the enchantment.
Oh, Alastor you bad man. I can't believe he would do that. And Kendra, you bad woman. I curse you. At least there is Fawkes who will hopefully wake Albus from his stupor.
Interesting that Fawkes would seek them out on his own. Then again,
Response from diana_hawthorne (Author of Lily Marlene)
es are quite intelligent and probably know more than their masters sometimes. I hope that Minerva doesn't stay in seclusion too long.
Oh, poor both of them. And Moody, well, still not happy with him. Better be a darn good explanation for that. And for him talking Albus into getting married so quickly. Poor Minerva left all alone during this time. *sniff*
Oh what a horrible blow to a new mother. She really should have paid more attention to the wizarding world, though Poppy really should be flogged for not filling her in on Albus's marriage. And if it was Alastor letting the cat out of the bag like that... Well, I have a few things to say about that, too. LOL
Oh, Minerva. What will happen when Albus finds out? It really is a compelling story and nice to see something featuring the older professors and such when they were younger.
Oh, poor Minerva. One moment of happiness and then being lost like that. I hope that someone will come looking for her.
Oh, what a horrible start, but it seems to ring so true that Minerva would have once had a family and that something horrible had to have happened to them. I look forward to journeying back to the past and happier days.
very interesting. what a charming woman Colleen is. and Kendra is even more delightful. (Almost as nice as Sirius's mom, as Harry would say.)Well that was a surprise. thanks for the update!
OH, what a nasty piece of work she turned out to be!
Don't know how I missed this one before, but it explains a lot!
Considering that she's remarried, why is Albus paying alimony, anyway? Child support - yes, but not alimony.
Response from diana_hawthorne (Author of Lily Marlene)
Albus hadn't known that she had remarried, so that's why he was still paying alimony.Thanks for the review!
Response from diana_hawthorne (Author of Lily Marlene)
Albus hadn't known that she had remarried, so that's why he was still paying alimony.Thanks for the review!
Wow here if you remarry you don't get alimony anymore. Wizarding ways sure are different. I want to live there. lol Though I'm not sure I like Colleen even more now. She is becoming more of a b...h. I hope Albert doesn't become like her. I really enjoy reading your story.
Response from diana_hawthorne (Author of Lily Marlene)
You don't get alimony if you remarry here either - but Albus didn't know that she had remarried - therein lies the problem.
Response from Arabella Bloodgood (Reviewer)
Ah, I see. Colleen is pretty smart, then.
Response from diana_hawthorne (Author of Lily Marlene)
You don't get alimony if you remarry here either - but Albus didn't know that she had remarried - therein lies the problem.
Response from Arabella Bloodgood (Reviewer)
Ah, I see. Colleen is pretty smart, then.
Does Albert belong to Albus or Travers? Great story, I like this non all knowing Dumbledore.
Response from diana_hawthorne (Author of Lily Marlene)
Glad you like it, dear! Thanks for your review!
Response from diana_hawthorne (Author of Lily Marlene)
Glad you like it, dear! Thanks for your review!
Haha! How surprising. lol
Well, that is resolved, kind of.
They may be awake, but they are definitely dreaming. Albus has a wife. And another child. His life is seriously screwed up.
I wish he'd have done something... more to Moody. LOLNow I wonder what he's going to do about his wife and child. :( Tough subject.
Response from diana_hawthorne (Author of Lily Marlene)
The next chapter reveals what happens between Albus, Colleen, and their son. And believe me, it's not what you'd expect.Thanks for the review!
Response from diana_hawthorne (Author of Lily Marlene)
The next chapter reveals what happens between Albus, Colleen, and their son. And believe me, it's not what you'd expect.Thanks for the review!