Ack!  Bad Laura!  No updates for how long?  Oh the shame…  But I'm back now : )  And I don't have much to say.  Except does anyone watch/read The Worst Witch?  Because I just started watching and reading and now I'm in love with it.  That is all.

Chapter Three

December (5 months later)

"Uncle Albus!" said Bill as his mother set him down in Dumbledore's living room.  Albus stood up from where he'd been reading on the sofa.  He scooped up the boy, brushing some soot off Bill's small robes.

"Well hello, Mr. Weasley," Albus said as Molly tried to calm a fussy Charlie down.

Bill laughed.  "Daddy is Mr. Weasley.  I'm Bill."

Albus had to laugh at this.  "So you are, my boy."  He turned to Molly.  "A fun day of Christmas shopping ahead for you?"

Molly gave him a look of exasperation.  "Yes, lots of fun, fighting through the mobs in stores, trying to carry all your packages without getting crushed and mangled, and I'll bet I'll have walked five miles just around Diagon Alley by the end of today."

Albus winced.  "Perhaps not so much fun then.  If it makes you fells any better, I won't be having much fun today either.  I'm off to the Ministry of Magic for a council of the Wizengamot."

Bill broke in.  "Where's Aunt 'Neva?"

"She's coming," Albus replied.

"She's here," Minerva corrected, coming through the door.  "Sorry, I was grading some papers in my office and lost track of time."

Bill wriggled out of Dumbledore's arms and ran over to Minerva.  "Aunt 'Neva, can we go see the Great Hall?"

"Arthur has been going on about the Christmas decorations at Hogwarts for weeks," Molly explained.

Minerva smiled and scooped Bill up in a hug.  "Of course we can go look at the decorations.  Would you like to come too, Molly?"

Molly shook her head.  "I'd like to get going.  I'll look at them when I get back, if that's all right?"

Minerva nodded, set Bill down, and took Charlie from Molly.  "Have a lovely time," she said smirking, and Molly rolled her eyes before kissing her sons goodbye and taking the floo network to the Leaky Cauldron.

"I should go too, dear," Albus said.  He shook Bill's hand formally, causing the little boy to giggle, and kissed Minerva before exiting the same way Molly had.

Minerva turned and offered her hand to Bill.  "Well Billy-Boy, let's go see those decorations."

They exited Albus's living room into his office, and then down the spiral staircase.  Minerva was glad for the moving stairs; she had been very tired lately.  She was glad it was Christmas and she could relax.

Out in the hallway, Bill let go of Minerva's hand and started running ahead of her.  Minerva's teacher side kicked in.  "No running in the halls, please."

Bill slowed to a halt and froze mid-step so one foot was suspended in the air.  He stayed that way, struggling to balance, until Minerva caught up with him, and then he fell into stride with her.

The Great Hall was done up in all it's usual magnificence.  Several huge trees had been brought in and decorated.  Garland and mistletoe bedecked the walls and tinsel glittered everywhere.  Minerva's favorite decorations were the four house trees.  In each corner stood a tree that one of the houses had been permitted to decorate.  Apart from being bedizened with baubles of the house colors, the students had enchanted and decorated their tree as the wished.  The seventh year Ravenclaws had cast an enchantment so that a single flame spiraled down their tree and then back up to the tip of it.  The Slytherin tree was being watered with a particular potion that made its color change from green to silver and back again every fifteen minutes (Minerva suspected this was Severus Snape's doing).  Lily Evans had charmed the ornaments on the Gryffindor tree to glow and fade intermittently, and at random mealtimes the tree would give a great *BANG*, startling the students closest to it.  She didn't know who was responsible for this, but from the knowing looks that passed between Sirius Black and James Potter each time it happened, Minerva had a strong suspicion.

Bill's jaw had dropped when they had entered the hall, and now he let out a whoop pf excitement and started running between tables towards the staff table.  Minerva smiled as she watched him; no one was here, and she could see where he was, unlike when he ran in the halls, so she let him be, following him to the staff table at a much slower pace, talking in low tones to Charlie.  She sat down in her chair with Charlie sitting in her lap so he could look out at the room.

Charlie ran the length of the staff table, and then came back and climbed into the headmaster's chair.  "Who sits here?" he asked.

Minerva glanced around to be sure no one was in the proximity.  "Uncle Albus sits there."

"Do you sit there?"

"Yes, I do."

Bill nodded.  "Mommy always sits next to Daddy at our table."

Minerva glanced around again to make sure no one could have overheard him and inferred anything.  Bill laughed at her and asked why she kept twisting around.

"Just paranoid, I suppose," she said smiling and bouncing Charlie in her lap.  "It's hard to keep a secret when a three-year-old is in it.  Besides, it's not like there aren't enough rumors going on around about Albus and I anyway."

Bill hadn't understood much of this so he changed the subject.  "I'm firsty."

Minerva smiled at him.  "Are you?  Hmm…  Should we get you some water?"  Bill shook his head.  "How about… milk?  Hot chocolate?"  He shook his head again and giggled.  "Pumpkin juice?  Apple juice?"  Bill was bouncing with laughter now.  "What then?"  Bill stood up on Albus's chair and leaned over to whisper in her ear.  Minerva automatically reached out to steady him as she listened to him.

"Lemolade?  You want Lemolade?"  She feigned surprise but couldn't hold back a smile.  "I'd never have guessed."  Standing up she offered him her hand.  "Let's go get some then."

Down in the vast kitchens, the house-elves had just been getting started on lunch, but they were only too glad to get Bill some lemonade.  They also prepared a bottle for Charlie and a cup of tea for Minerva.  She was grateful for this, as she hoped it would calm her stomach, which had suddenly stared churning.

Bill and Minerva sat down at as small table with their drinks and Minerva still held Charlie, declining Bill's offer to hold him instead.

Bill was quite amused by the house-elves, and they seemed quite taken with him too.  Bill introduced Charlie to each elf that came to check on them.  The boy seemed very happy with his baby brother, giving him a kiss, which Minerva was certain would leave Charlie with a sticky, lemonade scented forehead.

Minerva finished her tea, but it hadn't helped her stomach much.  In fact, the longer she stayed in the kitchens, the worse her stomach felt.  She suspected it had something to do with the roast the elves were preparing for lunch.  Though it didn't usually make her nauseous, she'd never been overly fond of raw meat.  Fortunately, Bill finished his lemonade quickly and Minerva and the boys were free to leave the kitchens.

The three went to Minerva's office and private rooms at Bill's request, so he could see if anything had changed since his last visit—this had been over a year ago, so Minerva wondered if he remember what they looked like at all—and then returned to Albus's living room.

Bill had fun exploring this room for a while.  It, like the office below it, held several small silver contraptions, which were enough to hold Bill's interest anyway, but the room was also full of photographs of family, friends, former students, and so on, so Bill entertained himself by asking "who's this?" every half minute.  Minerva identified everyone she could, even though Bill didn't know most of the people she named.

Bill tired of the pictures.  "Can I have a lemon drop?"

Minerva chuckled.  "I though you were going to ask for some more lemonade."  She paused, not loving the idea of giving the toddler small, hard candy.  "If you sit by me and don't jump around you can have one.  Why don't we read a story?"

Bill agreed, but Charlie seemed to think a nap was a better idea than a story.  Minerva settled him in a crib she had transfigured in Albus's bedroom and he fell asleep almost immediately.  She left the door open a crack so she could hear him if he cried and then returned to the living room with a children's book and a lemon drop for Bill.  He ate his treat and listened to the story, sitting on Minerva's lap very calmly as promised.  It seemed to mellow him; when the story was over, he seemed very sleepy.  He twisted around to hug her.

"I love you Aunt 'Neva."

Minerva smiled and was surprised to find herself so touched that she had to blink back tears.  "I love you too, Billy-Boy."

"You're a good mommy.  You're just like my mommy."

Now Minerva couldn't hold back the tears.  They splashed down her face and onto Bill's head.  He looked up and saw her crying.  "Don't cry, Aunt 'Neva, I'm sorry!"

This only made Minerva cry more, though she tried her best to stem the flow of tears.  "Oh no, Bill," she said hugging him tightly  "You didn't do anything wrong."

His sadness was replaced by curiosity.  "Why are you crying?"

Minerva hesitated.  She wasn't sure why she was crying, but she did know why she was upset.  "Bill, Uncle Albus and I want to have a baby of our own, we want to be a daddy and a mommy—"

"But that's not sad!"  Bill interrupted.

"I know, love, but we haven't had a baby yet.  We've wanted one for a long time but we haven't had one."  She tried to wipe away her tears but more fell.  She'd kept this inside for far too long, she supposed.

Bill frowned at her.  "I don't want you to be sad, Aunt 'Neva."

"I know.  But do you know what makes me happy?"  Bill shook his head.  "You.  You make me happy."

"Then why are you crying?"

"I don't know, Bill, but I'm smiling, aren't I?"  Bill nodded.  "So that means you make me happy even when I'm sad."

Bill contemplated this and then grinned.  He wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging her tightly.  This of course brought on another wave of tears from Minerva.

Bill pulled back to look at her.  "Stop crying," he commanded.

Minerva laughed and wiped at her eyes again.  "I can't.  I don't know what's wrong with me.  Maybe I'm getting sick.  I'm so emotional, and I'm tired, and…" She froze, her eyes wide, "…and nauseous…"

She couldn't be pregnant, could she?  She and Albus had been trying for months, but why should they have succeeded now?  And she had been checked by Poppy not two weeks ago, and the nurse had said the spell showed no sign of pregnancy.  So she couldn't be pregnant.  Could she?

By the time she had convinced herself to stop trying to convince herself one way or the other, Bill had fallen asleep in her lap.  She carried him to Albus's bedroom and laid him in the center of the big bed.  She checked on Charlie, who was still sound asleep, and walked towards the door to the living room, but was distracted by the mirror on the back of the door.  Knowing full well that even if she was pregnant she certainly wouldn't be showing yet, but she couldn't resist standing in front of the mirror, her eyes focused on her lower abdomen.  She rested her hand there, feeling nothing unusual, of course, and made her decision.  She had to know.  She marched into the living room to the fireplace.  Tossing a handful of floo powder into the flames, she called for Poppy.

She came right away, looking somewhat concerned over her friend's urgent tone.  "What's wrong, Minerva?"

"How accurate is the spell you cast to see if I'm pregnant?"

Poppy furrowed her brow.  "Fairly accurate.  Why?  What happened?"

"Is it possible that it was wrong?"

"Well, I suppose so, though I can't say it happens very often.  In fact—"

"I think I'm pregnant," Minerva interrupted.

Poppy's face softened.  "Oh Minerva.  I know how much you want a baby.  Don't you think this is just wishful thinking?"

"Of course I think that!"  Minerva exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.  "That's why I called you!  I need you to tell me if I'm pregnant, or just crazy."

Poppy smiled, but her eyes retained the look of empathy for Minerva.  "I'll do the spell again, but please don't get your hopes up Minerva."

"I won't, I promise."  There was no truth in those words and both women knew it.

Poppy shook her head and instructed Minerva to lie on the couch.  She knelt next to her and began the incantation, her wand resting on Minerva's stomach.  Two strands of purple light slid out of the wand and criss-crossed their way across her abdomen, like the laces of a bodice.  They shone there for a moment, and then faded.

Poppy shook her head.  I'm sorry Minerva, but—"  The light strands had appeared again, this time glowing red.  Poppy's eyes grew wide and she raised her gaze to Minerva's face.  Minerva was staring at her stomach in shock.

"It didn't do that before," she said hesitantly.  "What does it mean?"

Poppy's face broke into a grin.  "What do you think it means?"

Minerva stared at her, not daring to believe.  "Poppy you said not to get my hopes up.  Why wouldn't it have worked last time?"

"I'm not sure Minerva, it may have been too early to tell, or the spell might just have been wrong, but—look!" Poppy cast the spell again, and again that purple laces faded and then glowed red.  "You're pregnant, Minerva!"

So many emotions surged through Minerva; joy, relief, disbelief, pride, excitement.  It was all too much for her; she burst into tears again, laughing and sobbing at the same time.

Poppy couldn't help but start crying too, as she embraced her friend.  She knew how much Minerva and Albus wanted a child; she was thrilled for them.

After a while, both women calmed down enough for Poppy to give Minerva some instructions on prenatal care.  Minerva promised to stop by the hospital wing later with Albus for full instructions.

Later, when Minerva looked back at the day, she had no idea how she'd gotten through it.  The boys finished their naps and Minerva had some lunch sent up for the three of them.  Molly returned to pick up her sons that afternoon looking very harassed and tired.  Minerva went about her business as usual except that she wore an odd dream-like expression, and every so often she would stare down at her stomach in amazement.  That evening found her lying on Albus's bed trying to take a nap, but to no avail—her emotions kept playing games with her minds and wouldn't let her rest.  She heard the fireplace in the living room roar, announcing Albus's return to the castle.

Minerva's heart skipped a beat as she heard him coming toward the bedroom.  She suddenly was very shy of him.

He came into the room and smiled when he saw her.  He sat on the bed next to her and leaned down to kiss her.  Minerva tried to arrange her face so as not to give her secret away, but this only seemed to alert Albus to the fact that she knew something.

"What happened?"  he asked.

Minerva's eyes widened with surprise.  "What do you mean?"

Albus eyed her suspiciously but didn't say anything.  Instead he got up to hang his traveling cloak in the wardrobe. 

Minerva got up and followed him.  "Actually there is something I need to tell you," she said.

He turned to face her, feigning surprise.  "Oh?"

Minerva hid her smile with a pout.  "If you're going to act that way, maybe I won't tell you."

Albus caught her arm as she turned away from him and turned her back to face him, wrapping his arms around her waist.  "I'm sorry."  He kissed her softly.  "What did you want to tell me?"

Minerva smiled, shy once more.  Albus always seemed to bring out the child in her that no one else ever saw.  Her behavior was even more odd, of course, considering the nature of what she had to tell him.

"Albus, I talked to Poppy today," she started, "and… she was wrong."

Albus wrinkled his forehead.  "Wrong about what?"

"About me being pregnant.  Well, really about me not being pregnant."

His eyes widened.  "You mean… you…we…"

Minerva nodded and smiled widely.  "We're going to have a baby," she breathed, before finding herself being lifted off her feet and spun around the room.  Laughing, she managed to tell Albus that this probably wasn't good for the baby.

He laid her on the bed.  "I'm sorry love, but…"  He broke off smiling.  "A baby?"

"A baby," she whispered back, pulling his head down to hers and kissing him deeply.  When they pulled apart, she said, "I promised Poppy that we'd go to the hospital wing to talk about prenatal healthcare and whatnot."

Albus nodded.  "Should we go now?"

Minerva stared up into his eyes for a moment before shaking her head.  "No, I think she can wait a while."

Albus smiled and lowered his lips to hers again.

Tra-la-la. : )  I have to thank all my reviewers now, because you all are the reason I felt so guilty for not updating for so long.  So HUGE thanks to:

Mascaret (wow, I'm honored!),        Britany Potter,             Captain Amelia,             ducky, isabelle3,             anon,             Sky Renae Snape (hey I love your stories!),                       LinZE(*cough*Hidden Truths*cough*),             petriebird18,                Altra Palantir,             Desiree,           Jestana (I love your stories too, except that I'm a bad girl and never review),             Aeryn Alexander (Hey!  Update A Simple Assignment!! Please!),                       CEA,               minni,               ObSidian10 (*gasp* you don't like AD/MM?),                   Gem8,              and Athenia McGonagall,

Hugs and kisses to you all, I love you!!  And a humongous thanks to my friend Jamie because I have never written anything that she hasn't liked (at least she never says she doesn't like them)!!  And not only that, she lets me ramble on about Harry Potter and The Worst witch and anything I want.  Arigatou, dahling!  Ich liebe dich!  This chapter is for you! : )