Is That My Daughter?

[ginger newts]

Thanks to Quill of Minerva for the plot bunny, I hope this lives up to expectations.

Is That My Daughter?

Chapter 1

Professor Albus Dumbledore opened the large front doors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and smiled down at the first years. His smile faltered for a moment when his eyes fell on one young girl. Her face was so familiar, she looked just like – no, it couldn’t be. But her face, and her build, she was Minerva but with his blue eyes and auburn hair. Albus shook himself and led the new students inside for the sorting.

He worked his way down the list of names, his eyes occasionally straying to the auburn haired blue eyed girl standing so calmly in line. About half-way down the list, he encountered a name that made him falter again.

“McGonagall, Brianna,” he called and watched as the girl climbed onto the stool.

Albus put the sorting hat on her head and it took no time at all in announcing, “Gryffindor!”

He smiled at her as she walked gracefully over to the table and sat down. Well, she was in his house now, at least he would have a chance to get to know her. The McGonagalls were a big family, he reminded himself, it wasn’t likely she was Minerva’s daughter. And yet, why did she remind him so strongly of the student he had foolishly fallen in love with years ago, and why did she look so much like himself? Albus spent the feast pondering this child. He hadn’t seen Minerva since that night, how long had it been.....


Minerva McGonagall was sitting at home watching the stars in the night sky and wondering if the sorting had taken place yet. Albus was sure to put two and two together and get four; how would he react? She couldn’t believe it had been almost twelve years and that he hadn’t written to her once the entire time....

Minerva had fallen in love with her professor in her seventh year at Hogwarts, but hadn’t spoken a word about it to anyone. The fall after she left school, she had run into him at a Ministry affair. Albus had seemed truly glad to see her that night, or so she thought. But they’d had too much to drink and he obviously regretted his actions. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to burden a man like him by telling him about the baby.


Albus had foolishly grown very fond of one of his students. It was absolutely unheard of and completely against all rules of propriety at Hogwarts. But when she left he felt like a part of him had gone with her. Minerva McGonagall had taken his heart when she left Hogwarts. Three months later he had seen her at the Ministry ball. Too many drinks and too many dances later he had taken her to his flat in London where he became her first lover. Albus felt horribly guilty when he woke up the next morning, but he had hoped they could forge a relationship. And then Minerva disappeared.


Albus had tried to write to her, but nothing sounded perfect enough; he now had an entire drawer filled with unsent letters. He had purposely avoided any news of Minerva, assuming that her failure to communicate with him meant she regretted their night together. He still thought of her everyday, however.

That had been just under twelve years ago, a child conceived that night would have turned eleven in June. Albus shook himself again, that was extraordinarily unlikely. Wasn’t it? He went to bed still wondering.


The next morning, Minerva received a letter from Brianna.

Dear Mum,

I’m a Gryffindor! Just like you were, isn’t that great? My father was a Gryffindor too, wasn’t he? That’s what the sorting hat said. I know you don’t like to talk about him so I won’t ask anymore questions now.

Hogwarts is brilliant, I can’t wait to start classes. Everyone says Professor Dumbledore is the best teacher in the school. He’s our head of house and teaches Transfiguration. Do you know him? You know, it’s funny, he kind of looks like me. When I first saw him last night I thought he wasn’t real for a minute.

I have to go now, the girls in my dorm are yelling for me to hurry up. I’ll write again soon, don’t miss me too much.

I love you,
Brianna

Minerva put the letter down with shaking hands. Damn that hat, she thought. There was no way Brianna could spend seven years at Hogwarts without finding out, she was a very bright girl. Please don’t let her be hurt by this, Minerva murmured to no one.


On his break that afternoon, Albus went to the headmaster’s office.

“Hello, Albus, what brings you here?” Armando Dippett asked with a smile. “Surely you haven’t had trouble with a student already?”

“No, nothing like that,” he answered. “I was just wondering if I could borrow the file on a new student for a while.”

Whenever a student started at Hogwarts a file was magically created, containing his or her address and parents’ names; school records would be added later as well as reports of any trouble making. After the sorting, the files were automatically placed in drawers according to the students’ houses. It wouldn’t take much persuasion to get the file on one of his students.

“Of course, of course,” Armando said airily. “You know where they are, help yourself.”

“Thank you.”

Albus walked over to the filing cabinets near the door of the large circular office and easily found the drawer for the first year Gryffindors.

MCGONAGALL, BRIANNA R.

He pulled out the folder, said a quick good bye to Armando, and left the office. Back inside his own office, Albus unwrapped a sherbet lemon before opening the slim folder, not really sure if he wanted to know it’s contents. There was a small picture of Brianna pasted to the inside of the file and on the facing page was all her information.

Brianna Renee McGonagall
Date of Birth: 12 June, 1942
Mother: Minerva Renee McGonagall
Father: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

He didn’t read any further, he didn’t need to. The files never lied. Why hadn’t she told him? Albus didn’t know whether to feel sorrow or anger. All this time he’d had a daughter and he hadn’t known, he felt cheated. Brianna had certainly been cheated, every child deserved a father. Albus looked up, maybe she thought she had one, maybe Minerva had married someone else. That thought was agonizing for Albus, he didn’t want to think about her with another man. He still loved her. Why had he been such a coward all those years ago? Why hadn’t she told him? He would gladly have married her, or at least helped with the child if she did not want to marry.

Albus was pulled from his thoughts by a chirp from Fawkes, his large red and gold phoenix who was perched on the golden stand near the window. It was time for his next class, he checked the schedule – the first year Gryffindors. Maybe he could talk to her.

[ginger newts]

Brianna was the kind of student teachers live for, just like her mother. She sat quietly in the first row and paid rapt attention, writing down everything Albus said. She asked clever questions and answered his easily. She was also the only one in the class to make any progress in changing her matchstick into a needle. Albus’ heart burst with pride and he smiled to himself, of course a child of his and Minerva’s would have a gift for Transfiguration. He also suspected strongly that it was a sugar quill she was using, judging by the way she sucked on it between taking notes, it appeared she had a mischievous side as well. As the rest of the class packed up to leave, Albus called her back.

“Miss McGonagall, if I could have a word?” he wondered how many times had he said that to Minerva just to have an excuse to talk to her.

“Of course, Professor,” Brianna answered, sounding confused and anxious.

“There’s no need to worry, I just wanted to congratulate you on your excellent work. Most students don’t manage it on the first day. You’ll have to write to your mother about it, I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.”

“You know my mother?” she asked in amazement.

Albus smiled, “Yes, in fact I taught her as well. She was also very skilled in Transfiguration.”

The girl nodded her auburn head, “She wrote the text book actually, but I’m not supposed to tell people that.”

Albus was impressed. He had switched to this series of books about five years ago when the first edition came out, they were far superior to any other Transfiguration texts on the market.

“And your father, will he be pleased or did he hope you would specialize in his branch of magic?”

“I don’t have a father, sir,” she told him softly. “Well, I mean, everyone has a father I suppose, but I don’t know mine. My mother isn’t married,” she bit her lip. “I’m not supposed to tell people that either, my grandmother doesn’t like them to know.”

“It’s alright,” Albus reassured her. “It will be our secret.”

“Thank you,” Brianna looked like she wanted to say more. She opened her mouth, looked thoughtful, and closed it again.

“Is there something you need to talk about?” Albus asked gently.

She nodded, but there was a long pause before she spoke again. “It’s just that – well, it’s silly really, but when I first saw you last night I thought I was imagining you. You looked like...” she paused again and took a deep breath.

“The only things I know about my father are that he’s good at Transfiguration and that I have his hair and eyes. Sometimes I think it makes my mum sad to look at me because of that. Oh, and I’m named after him somehow. I think he’s still alive because mum told me once that I might meet him someday and well, when I saw you last night — for a minute I thought — never mind. I’m sorry to go on so, Professor. I should go to dinner.”

“Right, off you go then,” Albus said. It had been very difficult for him not to tell her the truth, but it wasn’t his place and since he had only found out an hour ago he couldn’t say anything yet. He needed to talk to Minerva.

Albus could hardly eat anything at dinner, he sat and poked at the food on his plate and thought about the best way to speak to Minerva. If she hadn’t written to him in nearly twelve years she wasn’t likely to respond to an owl now that was filled with questions about their child. Child. Their child. He just kept repeated it to himself. He was a father. Minerva McGonagall, the only woman he had ever loved, had given him a child and he had no idea. He had to go see her.

Professor Kettleburn agreed to watch over the Gryffindors for the night and Albus left Fawkes in case they needed to send him a message. After double checking the address in Brianna’s file, Albus apparated to Minerva’s house. He couldn’t believe how nervous he was. What would Minerva’s reaction be to him appearing on her doorstep? He took a deep breath and knocked on the door...

[QuillofMinerva]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Oh thank you so much for taking on my plot bunny!

So far its fantastic and I cant wait for more. I love it

June 12th is my birthday as well....thats great lol

Clayre
xxxx

[delenndumbledore]

Thats a nice and cute story ginger newts!!! I'm curious how Minerva and their little daughter react

Greetings Delenn Dumbledore

[Inappropriate Goat]

I can't believe her. How could Minerva do that?!?! I need to see the rest of this story... It is driving me crazy!!! Please update soon... I will give you a cookie!!!

MM

[Isabelle]

This is really good so far! I look forward to the rest!

Liz

[max]

Whow! That's a great start! I'm very much looking forward to your next update.

[Jestana]

Agh! No! Ebil cliffie! *mock growl* Wonderful story! I can't wait to read more! Whee!

[KayleeTonksLupin]

AAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MUST HAVE MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!PLEASE!!!PLEASE!!!PLEASE!!!PLEASE!!!PLEASE!!!PLEASE!!!

[Sensiblyquirky]

Excellent start, pal! I cannot wait for more!

CC

[Catwoman99]

Very intriguing start! I can't wait to see how their meeting goes.

- April :-)

[Lady Lavendar]

You had to stop there didn't you?? Update soon! Please!!!!! pretty please with sugar on top?? ;D ;D

LL

[angeldust]

hehe brilliant fic so far more more more!!!!!!

[Miss Q]

You wont stop here, will you? Because you have to tell us what happens!!!!

Its fantastic so far!!!

M

[Nerweniel]

SHEER GENIUS ;D! But oh, if you don't continue, young lady, if you don't continue I will jump right into my UFO and fly across the Atlantic! Fear me ;D. Anyways, really; great work and congrats!

Waiting for a next chapter!

Lies

[TabbyForever]

You do realise that if you don'tr update soon, you are so dead!!!!hehehehe
Only kidding....that would mean the story would never get finished, and its such a fabby start!!!!

Wooooooooooow, please say you've been writing today!!!heheh
Thanks for taknig this one up!

J

P.S, don't worry max, as deputy head i seem to have the power to modify messages, so i've shortened it some what!! ;D

[ginger newts]

Chapter 2

Minerva walked to the door wondering who in the world would be visiting her at this hour. When she opened it to find Albus standing there all she could do was stare, her mouth hanging slightly open.

“Al – Albus?” she finally managed to say.

“Can I come in, Minerva?” he asked softly. Seeing her again made his heart start pounding in his chest, she was just as beautiful as he remembered, if not more so.

She stood back to let him into the house and then led the way into the sitting room. “I assume you know then?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said seriously. “Why didn’t you tell me, Minerva?”

She stood up and started pacing, “Why, Albus? Why should I have told you? You never made any attempt to contact me after that night, it was more than obvious to me that you never wanted to see me again. What was I supposed to do, go chasing after you – become some pathetic eighteen year old girl who was obsessed with her former professor?

“Besides,” she added more quietly, “I didn’t want to hurt your career. You’re a well known wizard and you have a great career at Hogwarts, I thought that being the father of a child whose mother you weren’t married to who also used to be your student might cause you problems.”

Her rant finished, Minerva sank down heavily into an arm chair and looked at Albus, he looked pained. In fact, he was hurting, for himself and for her. His stupidity had caused this absolutely wonderful woman to believe that he thought of her as a one night stand and had left her at eighteen to raise a child on her own.

“Minerva,” he paused, this was going to be so difficult to get past, he hoped they would. “I wanted to see you again after that night. You have no idea how badly, but I couldn’t seem to find the right thing to say and then after a couple of months you disappeared. No one knew where you were, but I have a drawer full of letters to you back at Hogwarts.

“I don’t expect you to believe me and I know we can’t repair this easily, but I want to be a part of Brianna’s life — and yours Minerva. I do love you, I always have. Maybe it’s too little too late, but that girl deserves a father and I want to be more to her than a professor. Please, Minerva, let me in.”

Minerva had been very still and quiet while he spoke. He loved her, did he expect that to make up for twelve years of silence? And yet, wasn’t that all she had ever wanted – for Albus to love her. She studied her hands carefully and there was a ringing silence in the room for what felt like hours to Albus as she thought about his words. Finally, Minerva spoke.

“I’m sure this has been unsettling for you, Albus, but you can’t just come here and say you love me and demand to see your daughter and expect us to immediately become a family. I think we both need some time to think about all of this and then maybe we can meet again to discuss it.”

“I want Brianna to know as soon as possible, if we wait I’m afraid she will hate me when she finds out that I’ve known and only acted like her professor. Can we tell her together?” he knew he was pushing.

Minerva closed her eyes as if praying for patience, “Albus, you turned my life upside-down once already, you can’t just walk in here and do it again. I’m not a child anymore, Albus, and I’m not your student. I’ve been trying all summer to prepare myself for this, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon. Please, you’ve got to give me more time.”

“The longer you wait the harder it will become, Minerva. That’s why I never got around to sending you any of those letters. I’ll understand if you never want to see me again, but please let Brianna and I have a chance to get to know each other.”

Minerva nodded, “You both deserve that chance. Oh Albus, we’ve been so foolish, both of us. I don’t feel like I never want to see you again, I still love you in fact, but we can’t just instantly have a life together.” She paused, “How is it that you came to be so certain so quickly?”

“I took her file from Armando’s office,” he explained.

“Bloody magical files,” Minerva grumbled, causing Albus to chuckle. “It’s not funny!” she exclaimed.

Albus’ laughter was infectious, however, and it was nice to see the twinkle return to his blue eyes for the first time since he arrived. Minerva found herself laughing softly for a moment. Albus had always been one of the few who could get her to loosen up, a gift Brianna had inherited.

Minerva sighed, “Can we wait a little longer to talk to Brianna about this? I need to prepare myself a bit and I’d like to get to know you again first.”

“I’d like that as well,” Albus said earnestly. He made a move to touch her shoulder and then thought better of it and withdrew his hand. “I’m the deputy headmaster now, did you know?” he asked.

“No, I hadn’t heard. Albus, that’s wonderful, you’ll make a very good headmaster one day,” she answered warmly.

“You flatter me, my dear, but I do hope I’ll do well by it.”

“You will, trust me,” she insisted.

“I always have.”

Minerva blushed and looked down, Albus looked away from her and mentally kicked himself for saying that. There was a short awkward pause and then Minerva broke the silence.

“I heard about Grindelwald,” she said softly. “That must have been hard on you.”

“It was,” he admitted, “but I was very glad to end the war.”

They talked for a long time about all the things they had been doing for the last twelve years. Albus’ life consisted mainly of events at Hogwarts and Minerva’s of Brianna’s childhood and her textbooks. Albus admitted that he had been using her books and thought they were wonderful.

“Thank you, it was a very big project. It took me six years to write the first edition, it’s not easy to write a series of seven Transfiguration texts with a toddler under foot.”

“She’s wonderful, Minerva,” Albus said and then his eyes darkened a bit. “But I wish you had let me be part of her childhood.”

Minerva sighed, “Albus we’ve been through that already. I was young, all I knew was that you hadn’t written to me at all in the two months before I found out I was pregnant. I thought it would upset you to find out.”

“If only I had sent you even one of those bloody letters,” he mumbled.

“We’ve both made mistakes and suffered for them, Albus. There’s no point in wishing to change the past, no good will come of it.”

“You are, as always, wise beyond your years Minerva,” Albus said. Then he happened to glance at the clock, “Oh! It’s almost half one, I should really get back to Hogwarts. Promise me we’ll stay in touch?”

“Of course, we have a daughter together, it is only right that you should be part of her life and that means being part of mine. I’ll owl you soon, we should meet again.” Minerva rose and walked Albus to the door.

“It was wonderful to see you again, Minerva,” his voice was heavy with ill concealed emotion. “And I meant what I said before, I still love you and I’ve thought about you everyday.”

She swallowed and nodded, “I’ve thought about you everyday as well. Well, it has been impossible to look at Brianna and not think of you, but I still love you as well. I’m just not sure what we can do about it. I need time, Albus.”

“I know,” he said. “I’ll do my best not to push you, but I do want to tell her soon, please don’t take too long.” Albus walked to the door and then turned back, “Thank you for naming her after me.”

“You’re welcome, I felt like she would know you a little bit if she had one of your names.” She suddenly gave him a small smile, “Sorry I couldn’t feminize Albus.”

He chuckled, “Quite alright, I think she got the best of my too many names.”

“Oh, I don’t know, your name suits you. Now get out of here and let a lady get a little sleep.”

“I didn’t mean to stay so late,” he said, “I apologize.”

“It’s alright. Good night, Albus.”

“Good night, Minerva.” For a moment he looked like he wanted to kiss her and Minerva was relieved when he turned and walked a few feet away before disapparating.

[ginger newts]

She closed the door and leaned against it, savoring the sturdy feeling of the cool oak. Walking back to the sitting room, Minerva poured herself a cup of tea with shaking hands and sat down in the window seat looking out at the night. There had been times tonight when she forgot that it had been over a decade since she last saw Albus. Many times they had fallen into their old comfortable style of conversation, but it had been punctuated by awkward pauses that reminded her of their situation.

It had been difficult and yet wonderful to be with Albus again. Seeing him standing there framed by her doorway had brought all the old feelings rushing back. She did still love him and sometimes when he was talking she found herself remembering his kisses and the feel of his hands on her body. She had ached for his touch for twelve years and having him so close made Minerva feel like a school girl again, like she didn’t know what to do with herself.

Albus was still just as handsome as ever. His long auburn hair was starting to grey and his beard was longer than she remembered, but it just made him look more distinguished. His long nose that had been crooked already looked as though it had been broken again, if possible that made his looks even more endearing. And he was still the same gentle calm man she had fallen in love with at seventeen, even his voice made her stomach flutter. Minerva sighed, Albus Dumbledore was back in her life full force and while she desperately wanted him in her bed again it was going to take a long time to get over twelve years of silence and a shattered heart. Her last thought before falling asleep curled up in the window was how they were going to tell Brianna and whether the girl would be angry with her.



Albus apparated back to Hogwarts and walked slowly over to the lake, where he sat down and looked up at the stars. It had been heavenly to see Minerva again and yet so awkward. He could sense her distance from him, but after a while she had opened up again and it was almost like old times. Minerva was even more beautiful now that she had grown up a little more. Her dark hair had been pulled back into a braid, but Albus could tell that if she wore it down it would cover most of her back. He’d felt an insane desire to remove the tartan ribbon and run his hands through her hair, but thankfully had resisted the impulse. Her dark green eyes were as captivating as ever, but there was a sort of worldliness in them now and they were much more closed off than he remembered.

Albus felt a pang of guilt knowing that he was the cause of her new reserved attitude, but then he thought that if she had only bothered to tell him she wouldn’t be this way; she had been correct, they were both to blame. She was still slender and had developed a more womanly figure over the years, he found himself thinking about the feel of her soft pale skin under his hands. He was aching to be with her again, but knew that first they had to move past everything that had happened. With a heavy sigh he rose and walked back to the castle, wondering how he could possibly act normally around Brianna now that he knew she was his daughter. What had she said that afternoon, she thought for a moment she had found her father. Albus had a feeling the child knew on some level, he only hoped she wouldn’t be angry with them when they told her.

to be continued....

[Sensiblyquirky]

Oh great second chapter! But I'm dying for more...i mean the heart is fluttering...(see what being home does to me??)

Keep it up!!

Christy

Happy Turkey Day!!!

[Nerweniel]

Oh oh oh... okay, I was a bit sad because they did not kiss, but I do see (and it was very realistic of you!) that they were not exactly up to it yet. Still I do hope for the next chapter ... hehe. Congrats & continue soon!

Love,

Lies

[TabbyForever]

Awwww this is gonna be one of those stories that just keeps getting better and better, i just know it!!!!

Well done mate, thankyou soooooooooooo much for updating so quickly!!!
J

[delenndumbledore]

*big sigh* Oh...that needs some time if they are a lucky family!! I'm looking forward to the talk with little Brianna.

Very lyrically...I like this story

Delenn Dumbledore

[QuillofMinerva]

;D ;D ;D ;D

Really enjoyed the second chapter of this story and loved how you have made it realistic but I must confess that I can't wait for the kissing to happen lol

Keep up the great work and I can't wait for the next update

Clayre xxx

[Jestana]

Aw, I'm glad they talked. I know it's going to take time to work past everything, but at least they're communicating now. *grin* Bravo!

[griseldalafey]

First of all wonderwall story. It's very orginal.

I also like the fact that she didn't fall into his arms right away, it makes the story very realistic.

Can't wait until the next part

[Mellypoo622]

Great story! I love it! Update soon!

[Lady Lavendar]

I loved chapter 2!! Hope to see the next chapter up soon!

LL ;D ;D

;D

;D ;D
;D ;D
;D ;D
;D ;D

[ginger newts]

Chapter 3

For the next month, Albus and Minerva exchanged owls about once a week. Albus wrote to Minerva about all of Brianna’s accomplishments at school and how many friends she was making. Minerva was very pleased that her little girl was settling in so well, Brianna was making friends more easily than she ever had but was still on her way to being at the top of every class. She seemed to have a very well balanced mix of Albus’ sense of fun and Minerva’s quiet studious nature. Minerva’s letters were mostly filled with details about Brianna’s childhood, how she had learned to read by age four and was already an expert at chess, some of the trouble she had got into as a little girl including the pranks she had pulled in primary school. Minerva had sent her to school in the nearby Muggle village to learn the basics before she started at Hogwarts.

One Saturday afternoon late in October Minerva invited Albus back to her house for tea. She pulled out the photo albums and told him the stories behind most of the pictures; he ended up staying until past midnight again. It had been a very enjoyable day for both of them and yet they were both frustrated as well. Albus had been dropping not so subtle hints for weeks that he wanted Brianna to know the truth sooner rather than later and Minerva had been studiously ignoring them. She knew he was right, but she was scared. It was like being eighteen, alone and pregnant all over again for her. Albus was beginning to get frustrated by her lack of response to his prodding and he was afraid he would get angry and say something he would regret.

After Albus left Minerva sat awake for most of the night. She knew she needed to tell Brianna the truth and that the longer they waited the more her daughter would hate them. That was what she was most afraid of, losing her daughter forever at the age of eleven. Albus had said he thought she knew on some subconscious level because of the way she talked to him and Minerva admitted that she got the same feeling from the girl’s letters. She decided that she would tell her over the Christmas holidays, it was best to do it when Brianna was home and they would have two or three weeks to work through any negative feelings before she returned to school. She would write Albus in the morning and tell him she was ready.

Albus had been getting to know Brianna slowly, it helped that she was in his house. She seemed to trust him and enjoy talking to him because often she would stop by his office to ask about homework and always ended up staying for a chat. He enjoyed watching her settle in and make friends and he had to chuckle when she turned up at Gryffindor’s first Quidditch match wearing a huge red rosette and carrying a large Gryffindor flag. She cheered her heart out when they won the game, yes this was definitely Minerva’s daughter.

When he received the letter from Minerva stating that she was ready to tell Brianna Albus was ecstatic. His mood fell slightly when he realized that she wanted to wait another month and a half until the Christmas holidays, but he supposed it made sense. Maybe he could get the time off and join them for Christmas day. Two weeks later, however, something happened that would change everything.

One Monday in November, Albus was concerned when he didn’t see Brianna at breakfast. When she didn’t appear at lunch or in class later he asked her roommates where she was.

“She wouldn’t wake up this morning,” one of them told him. “We thought she was just tired because she had been kind of pale and slow all weekend, but now that she hasn’t shown up all day we’re a little worried.”

“Thank you,” Albus dismissed the girls, panic rising in him, “I’ll go and check on her.”

He called Madam Jacobson, the school nurse, and asked her to meet him in the first year Gryffindor girls dormitory. When they got there they found Brianna fast asleep and drenched in sweat. Her face was deathly pale and she was shaking all over even in her sleep. The nurse cast a few diagnostic spells but couldn’t determine the cause of her condition. It seemed almost like the flu, but clearly was not. They conjured a stretcher and levitated her to the hospital wing where Madam Jacobson administered a couple of potions and cast a cooling spell to try to lower the fever. If they could lower the fever and wake her up chances of her recovery were much higher, but if she continued to sleep she might give up hope and not pull through. The next forty-eight hours would be critical.

“We’ll have to write to her parents,” the nurse said worriedly.

“I’ll do it,” Albus said. “If I know her mother like I think I do, you can expect her to be here until Brianna recovers.”

“That is most unusual,” the nurse said, “perhaps you could tell her –“

“No, I cannot,” Albus interrupted firmly. “If the child is in as much danger as you say then it is her mother’s right to be here. Could I please have some ink and parchment?” He summoned Fawkes and conjured a chair at Brianna’s bedside.

“Professor, there’s no need for you to stay.”

“She is my daughter!” Albus exclaimed. “I will stay.”

Madam Jacobson was taken aback. “I had no idea...” she said. “I — but her name is McGonagall?”

“Your point?” Albus knew he was being rude, but his daughter was suffering from an unknown illness and in critical condition, he didn’t have time to think about manners.

He sent Fawkes with a letter to Minerva informing her of Brianna’s condition and as he had predicted she arrived in the hospital wing within the hour.

“How is she, do you know what she has yet, should she be moved to St. Mungo’s?” Minerva asked all of this in one breath and didn’t even wait for an answer as she leaned over her child and brushed a strand of auburn hair off her forehead before kissing the heated skin.

“My god, she’s so warm!” She hugged Brianna, “Please get better baby. Mummy’s here now, I won’t leave you even for a minute. We’ll get you better, I promise.” Minerva looked up at Albus with tears in her eyes. “Why hasn’t she been taken to St. Mungo’s if it’s this serious?”

“Madam Jacobson thought it might be dangerous to move her right now,” he answered, his voice strained from worry. “She’s doing research now on what it could be, I’m sure she’ll find the cure she’s an excellent nurse. Here, let me get you a chair.”

Albus conjured a second chair for Minerva and when he looked up again she was touching Brianna’s cheek and crying. As worried as he was it broke his heart to see her crying. Minerva was a strong woman, but it was obvious that Brianna was her biggest weakness. Albus knew he would have to be strong for both of them.

He crossed to her side and cautiously pulled Minerva into his arms. “She’ll be okay,” he said, “she must have at least some of your strength.”

When he first embraced her Minerva stiffened, but after a moment she relaxed and let him hold her while she cried. “She looks so weak,” she murmured into his chest.

Albus rubbed her back soothingly, “I know, but we’ll stay with her. We’ll help her get better.”

Minerva pulled back and wiped her face with the handkerchief Albus offered her. “Don’t you have classes to teach?” she asked quietly.

He had completely forgotten about his classes. “I’m sure the headmaster can find someone to cover them.”
Just then, Fawkes burst in with a message for Albus.

Albus,
Madam Jacobson informed me of the situation and I checked Miss McGonagall’s file. I had no idea you were her father. I trust her mother has arrived by now and I will give you both time to be with your daughter before I come down to the hospital wing.

If you wish I will find someone to cover your classes for a while so that you may concentrate on your family. My thoughts are will all three of you.

Armando

Albus turned the parchment over and wrote Thank you, Armando, and then rolled the note back up and gave it to Fawkes to deliver. He took Minerva by the hand and led her over to the chairs. She sat down, but never let go of his hand, clinging to it as if it were a lifeline. They sat in silence for a long time watching their daughter. Albus performed a cooling spell every half hour per the nurse’s instructions, but her temperature remained high. It was well over one-hundred degrees.

Minerva fell asleep some time after midnight and when she woke again it was to see Albus gently holding one of Brianna’s small hands in both of his own. He was crying and Minerva suddenly feared the worst. She shot out of her chair, drawing Albus’ attention.

“Is she any better?” she whispered.

Albus shook his head and wiped his face with the back of one hand.

“Why are you crying, is she worse?”

“No,” he whispered, “nothing like that. I was just thinking that this is the first time I’ve been able to touch her and she had to get sick for it to happen.” He let go of her hand and stood, walking toward Minerva. “You’ve had eleven years with her, Minerva, and I’ve only had a few months. What if she dies and she never knew I was her father?”

Minerva could tell from his voice and his eyes that he was worried but also angry. If Brianna died without knowing him, Minerva knew he would never forgive her. She tentatively reached out and touched his arm.

“I’m so sorry, Albus,” she whispered. “I was young and scared and my heart was broken, but I should have told you. Will you ever be able to forgive me?”

[ginger newts]

She swallowed hard and held her breath waiting for his answer, trying to read the emotions in his eyes.

“I don’t know right now, Minerva,” he answered honestly. “The first thing we need to do is focus on helping Brianna get better. The second is telling her the truth, then we can talk about us.”

She nodded slowly and then turned back to Brianna. She couldn’t face Albus now, she was afraid that the fragile relationship they had begun to build was about to be shattered. She reached out and touched Brianna’s forehead, it was still so warm.

“Isn’t there anything else we can do to help her? An ice bath maybe?”

“Madam Jacobson came back while you were sleeping,” Albus told her. “She still isn’t sure what she has, but she found a book that might be helpful. She said that her vital signs are stable and the fact that the fever hasn’t increased is a good sign. We kept an ice cold rag on her forehead for about half an hour, but too much cold for too long could be dangerous as well. It seems that all we can do is wait.”

A strained silence fell between them as they watched their daughter sleep. Near sunrise she stirred, but did not wake. When the nurse came to check on Brianna she said movement was a good sign that she might wake up soon. Later that afternoon, she did wake up for a few minutess. Her eyes fluttered open and it took a while for them to focus.

“Mum?” she asked weakly when she saw Minerva. “What happened, where am I?”

“Shh, sweetheart, don’t try to talk,” Minerva said softly, stroking her daughter’s pale cheek. “You’re in the hospital wing at school. We’ve been very worried about you, but we’re going to help you get better.”

Brianna turned to Albus, “Professor?”

He smiled softly at her, “Shh, rest now. We’ll talk later.”

She stayed awake for another minute or two and then fell asleep again. Albus and Minerva shared a relieved look for a moment and then went back to watching their child. They stayed by her bed for three days, Brianna woke up for a few minutes several times and she was starting to get some of her color back although her fever was still alarmingly high. Albus spent a large part of the third day trying to convince Minerva to eat and take some time out to rest. She was starting to look pale and drawn and he was worried about her.

“You have to take care of yourself so you can help Brianna,” he said gently.

“Albus, I don’t care about food right now and I couldn’t possibly sleep. What if she wakes up again or what if — what if she gets worse?” She started to cry again and Albus reached over and pulled her into his arms.

He held her for a long time until she fell asleep and then he picked Minerva up and put her in the bed next to Brianna’s. Albus kissed her forehead softly before going back to his chair by Brianna’s bed. Minerva awoke a few hours later, just in time to place a cool rag to her daughter’s forehead as the fever broke. Brianna woke up drenched in sweat again, her forehead now remarkably cool, and sat up.

“Hi, baby,” Minerva said softly. “How do you feel?”

“Better,” she said. “A little hungry.”

“That’s a good sign,” the nurse spoke up. “I’ll see if I can get some tea and toast.”

She left and Albus and Minerva both turned back to Brianna, not sure what to say. She took the matter into her own hands, however, “You both look really tired. Have you been sitting here with me the whole time? And how long have I been sleeping?”

“It’s been about four days, sweetheart, and yes we’ve both been here the whole time. We’re so glad you’re feeling better.”

Albus spoke up, “We all have a lot to talk about, but we’ll let you eat something first. You need to get your strength back.”

The nurse returned a moment later with a cup of weak tea and two pieces of plain toast. Brianna ate most of it and then laid back down, she didn’t have much energy yet. She didn’t want to sleep again, however, and she looked up at her parents as if to ask what they wanted to talk about.

Albus gave Minerva a look that said it was time and she looked panicky. She hadn’t expected to tell Brianna like this. Quickly looking around to make sure the nurse had gone back into her office and they were alone, she perched cautiously on the edge of Brianna’s bed and took one of her hands into both of her own.

“There’s no easy way to say this, baby, so I’m just going to tell you. It has to do with why Professor Dumbledore sat here with you for four days.” She took a deep breath and spat it out, “He’s your father. He didn’t know until you came to Hogwarts, we haven’t talked since before you were born.”

Albus interrupted, stepping closer to the two women, “We’ll answer any questions you might have as well as we can. We know it will take a while for you to get used to this, but I very much want to be part of your life if you’ll let me.”

Brianna looked back and forth between her parents, they both looked tired and anxious. “I think I need some time to think about this,” she said after a moment. “Could you leave me alone for a while?”

The both looked a little surprised at that request, but agreed to it. Albus summoned Fawkes, introduced him to Brianna and said that if she needed them Fawkes would find them. Then he led Minerva to his office.

“Are you hungry?” he asked after they had taken seats across the desk from each other.

“Maybe a little.”

He got a house elf to bring them tea and sandwiches and they ate in silence for a while.

“How do you think she will react?” Minerva asked. “Maybe it was too much of a shock so soon after being sick.”

“Her reaction so far was very mature. I think if we give her some time to sort out her thoughts we’ll all be able to talk about it calmly.” Albus paused, “Minerva, we need to talk about how we’re going to handle this.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I mean I want to see her outside of school if she’ll let me. We need to decide how to arrange things like Christmas and summer holidays.”

“Oh,” Minerva paused for a moment to think. “Well, maybe you could come spend Christmas with us and then we can talk about summer. Provided, of course, that Brianna is still speaking to us.”

“She will speak to us and I’d love to come for Christmas.” Albus took the picture of Brianna that Minerva had given him out of his desk and conjured a frame so he could place it on the desk.

“I’m glad she knows now,” he said.

“I know, thank you for waiting.”

There was silence for a few moments, but it wasn’t awkward as it had been in the past. Without realizing it, Albus and Minerva had grown comfortable with each other during their time in the hospital wing. They each spoke the other’s name at the same time and then laughed.

“You go first,” Minerva said.

“No, I insist,” Albus countered.

“Well,” she looked down at her hands for a moment, “I just wanted to say thank you for everything you did for me in the hospital wing. I don’t know if I would have kept my sanity if you hadn’t been there.”

“I was glad to do it.” He cleared his throat, “Actually, it was nice to hold you again, even if it was a terrible situation.”

Minerva nodded, “I’ve felt very comfortable with you the last few days. Do you think we have a chance to start a relationship again, Albus?”

“I’d like that very much, Minerva,” he said, getting to his feet and walking closer to her.

She stood, unsure of why she had done so, and took a step closer to Albus. Before either of them knew they were going to do it or had time to think about it, they had closed the distance between them and their lips met in a gentle kiss. When the kiss broke, they both looked nervously at everything in the room except each other.

to be continued....

[Christy]

too lazy to sign in and my computer might freeze again so...Excellent update!! I feel sorry for each character, but it will be interesting to see how the child reacts.

I love this story, really I do!

CC