Chapter Three: December 1945

Chapter Three: December 1945

Almost directly after Minerva arrived at her family manor, she was besieged by house-elves.

“Will Mistress Minerva be staying long?” Prossy, the head house-elf asked her.

“Yes, I will be living here from now until further notice,” she told the house-elf, who nodded and popped away, presumably to pass the word on to the other house-elves. A rush of green flames from the fireplace behind her signalled Alastor’s arrival.

“It’s Albus’s child, isn’t it?” he asked her bluntly.

She nodded and sunk into an armchair, burying her face in her hands.

“I thought so,” he said, pacing around the room. “Now, what are you going to do about it?” he questioned her, suddenly stopping his pacing, and looked deep into her eyes.

She sighed. “I don’t know, Alastor,” she told him truthfully. “I’ve just found out that I am pregnant – I need a bit longer than fifteen minutes to sort out my feelings on this matter!” she added acerbically.

“Well, don’t take too much time,” he said. “We need you back in the department.”

She stood up quickly. “That’s all you care about?” she asked him furiously. “You’re not asking me these questions out of concern for my well-being?”

His face was suffused with a dull flush, and his lack of a quick response was all the answer she needed.

“Get out!” she ordered him, pointing towards the fireplace. “I will not make the decision to terminate my child’s life just because the Ministry of Magic wants me back!”

Alastor did not respond; he simply took a handful of Floo powder from the bowl on the mantelpiece and threw it into the fire, calling out, “The Ministry of Magic!” He was whisked away in another rush of green flames, and she let herself fall back in her chair.

“What am I going to do?” she whispered to herself, rubbing her still-flat stomach. “What am I going to do?”

She decided to keep and raise her child. The months passed quickly, and she did not hear from the Ministry of Magic, Albus, or Alastor. Minerva sequestered herself in the McGonagall Manor, not emerging from her childhood home for anything. Her only connection to the outside world was Poppy. She stopped by several times a week to check up on Minerva and keep her informed of the events happening outside of McGonagall Manor.

“Why won’t you even go into London for a day?” Poppy asked her in late August. “It would only do you good to get out of this house.”

Minerva shook her head. “I don’t want to be around people, Poppy,” she told her friend. “I just want to be alone.”

Poppy looked at her, unconvinced by her half-truthful answer. Though Poppy was discontent with the response to her prodding, she accepted it, knowing that Minerva was stubborn and would not budge on the matter.

Minerva did not want to venture past the boundaries of McGonagall Manor because she did not want to risk seeing Albus or Alastor again. After the day she found out she was pregnant, she had not seen either of the two men again. While Alastor knew that she was pregnant, and that Albus was the father, Albus did not, and she could only hope that Alastor had not told him. She hoped that Albus did not know – it would break her heart if he were aware of the situation and did not care enough to do anything about it.

Minerva spent the months before her child’s arrival preparing for the birth – she organised a redecoration of the entire house, ordered new furniture for the nursery she had used as a child, gone through her old toys and books, knit blankets, booties, hats, and mittens, and prepared for the upcoming change in her life.

Poppy had insisted that Minerva spend her holidays at Poppy’s home in London, and after much cajoling, Minerva had given in to her request. She arrived at Poppy’s flat the evening of the 21st of December. Poppy even convinced her to accompany her on a walk about the neighbourhood. Later that evening, Minerva collapsed into bed, complaining of back pains. At three o’clock the next morning, she went into labour.

As the baby was a month premature, Minerva did not fight Poppy’s decision to take her to St. Mungo’s. She wanted this child to survive, and if going to St. Mungo’s would ensure her baby’s survival, she would go. It was lucky she did.

After sixteen hours of excruciating labour, complications arose in the delivery. Some of the best Healers at St. Mungo’s were called in – Minerva was haemorrhaging, and the baby’s vital signs were dropping rapidly. After several touch-and-go minutes, they were able to stabilise both Minerva and the child. Eighteen hours after Minerva had gone into labour, her daughter was born.

Name: Lily Marlene McGonagall

Date of Birth: 22 December 1945

Time of Birth: 2106 hours

Place of Birth: St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

Birth Weight: 2.9 kg

Birth Height: 45 cm

Mother’s Name: Minerva Jean McGonagall

Father’s Name: Unknown

Minerva and her daughter spent their Christmas and New Year’s at St. Mungo’s. On 3 January, the Healers felt that she was well enough to be released, so Minerva and Lily made their way back to McGonagall Manor.

They had to take the Knight Bus – although Minerva despised it – because it was not safe enough for Lily to Floo back to their home; she could not Apparate them back for the same reasons. One of the only other methods of magical transportation available to them was a Portkey, but Minerva did not want to have to go to the Ministry of Magic to register for one and have everyone discover the birth of her daughter. She just was not ready for that yet. Unfortunately for her, her daughter’s birth was on the front page of the Daily Prophet.

FORMER AUROR MCGONAGALL GIVES BIRTH TO DUMBLEDORE’S LOVE CHILD

Author’s Name Withheld per their Request

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.

When Prossy brought her that issue of the Daily Prophet, Minerva almost fainted. Albus was married? Why had no one thought to tell her? And it must have been Alastor who told the Daily Prophet – no one else, not even Albus himself, knew that Albus was the father. But one of the most disturbing accusations was the one accusing her of using Dark Magic to conceive her daughter. She would never use Dark Magic – especially not for that reason. She had been in love with Albus ever since her sixth year at Hogwarts.

A knock sounded at her bedroom door. “Come in!” she called wearily, cradling her daughter in her arms.

Prossy stepped into the room. “Mistress Minerva is having a visitor!” the house-elf squeaked, stepping aside to allow an auburn-haired man with sparkling blue eyes to enter the room. Prossy quietly exited the room, closing the door behind her.

Albus stepped closer to the bed. “Hello, Minerva,” he said sombrely. “Is this our child?”