The Course of True Love

Bargains and Revelations

After a while, Mina and Albus realised that Cecily was probably still waiting for her tea. So Albus went to take the kettle off the stove and prepare everything while Mina left the kitchen to see what Cecily was doing. She had settled down in her favourite spot, flipping through the pages of a book about herbology but when Mina approached her, she looked up.
"Oh, hi. I hope you don't mind I took that book, but you were gone for a while and I was getting bored." She smiled while Mina turned a little red and quickly changed the topic.
"I'm sorry, Darling. Could you come to the kitchen please, Pop and I would like to discuss the future with you." Cecily stiffened and suddenly looked anxious. So they had been talking about her. "Nothing bad, love." Mina reassured her. "We just want to make sure you get all the help you need"
"Mhh. Kay." Cecily grudgingly got up and followed Mina to the kitchen. She couldn't help but notice that Mina's cheeks were a little flushed and her usually perfectly styled hair was disheveled. Yet, she looked incredibly beautiful, at least to Cecily. How she envied the baby who didn't even know how lucky it was to have Minerva McGonagall as its actual mother. But then she remembered all the matching outfits Mina had bought her and smiled. Mina loved her too and that felt pretty good.
They all sat down in the kitchen together. Albus explained what they thought was best for her. The plan included Cecily sleeping at home, lots of one on one time with either of them and returning to working with Dr. Bellevue as soon as the judge would allow them to. At first, Cecily wasn't happy about not staying at the dorm for the rest of the trimester at all. She hated being singled out and she'd miss Eva.
"You can bring her around as often as you like." Mina promised. "And any other friends as well, we're happy to have them." That made Cecily reconsider. Deep down she knew she'd probably be safer with them, at least for the time being, so she agreed after all.
"Then I guess I'm okay with that, as long as you make my birth family stay away from us."
"Trust me, I will." Albus smiled to hide his anger towards them from Cecily. He didn't want to frighten her. "Will you promise something to us too?"
"Anything." She said quietly. "I can clean or cook or..."
"No." Mina quickly interrupted. "Just try and go without hurting yourself. Talk to us, we can work on coping mechanisms. And for the love of Merlin, can you try and eat some more? You're all skin and bones "
"I thought you wouldn't notice" Cecily gave them a weak smile. It was really hard to hide her problems from them, so maybe in the future she would try and tell them before they found out.
"Even if we didn't, Eva would notice, and she'd hopefully have enough sense to tell us."
"Hmmm. She said I should eat but I wasn't hungry." Cecily admitted and Albus put some parchment and a quill on the table.
"Let's make a contract. You hereby agree to try and eat regularly, stay hydrated and try to cope without hurting yourself." Cecily nodded, that sounded rather sensible.
"Now for an incentive... What would help you reach that goal?" Cecily looked at them, she didn't have to think twice about it.
"I want to play Quidditch. Like Mum did." Mina beamed with pride. Albus chuckled and took Mina's hand, he knew how much it meant to her.
"Well, then we shall write Quidditch lessons and the opportunity of trying for the house team into the contract. Neither of us can just get you a place on the team, that wouldn't be fair, but we can make sure you get a fair chance at the try outs. As an athlete you must make sure you have enough energy, especially when playing Quidditch." She nodded once more and then signed the parchment. So did Mina and Albus. They had a deal. Cecily yawned, it was getting late.
"Bedtime?" Mina asked gently.
"Hmm. I'll go up."
"Do you want us to come and say good night?" Cecily nodded, she didn't feel like she was too old for that, so they all went upstairs. Cecily got changed quickly , then Mina tucked her in and they both gave her a kiss goodnight. She smiled. It was a warm, fuzzy feeling to be so loved and cherished, it was something she could definitely get used to. She soon fell asleep, it was easy now that wasn't afraid anymore. Or well, she still was, but she knew she wasn't alone anymore and that was enough for her.
Mina and Albus watched her sleep for a while. Albus held his fiancée close, like she was about to slip from his fingers and disappear. She put her hand on his. It was the one with the ring he'd given her and it glittered in the moonlight that fell through the window.
"Let's go next door." He whispered. She looked up and pretended to pout.
"Carry me, I'm pregnant and my feet are tired." She demanded. He laughed quietly and picked her up, carrying her to their bedroom where he gently put her down on the bed.
"Love?" He said quietly, the ring had reminded Albus of something very important.
"Hmmm?" Mina replied.
"Let's get married very soon." He smiled at her. Despite being engaged for a while now, things had been so turbulent that they hadn't gotten around making any arrangements for their actual wedding yet. It was about time.
"Well, just name a time and place, I'll be there, the one in the white dress with a veil on her head." She joked. All she wanted was a low-key affair with those she loved most and as little publicity as possible. This was supposed to be a family moment, not a newspaper moment.
"After the baby is here, in your dad's church?" Albus remembered how she mentioned that this was something she'd dreamed of ever since she was a child. As he had dedicated his entire existence to making her dreams come true, this seemed absolutely perfect.
"Well, that sounds great but my parents and I... are not really on speaking terms at the moment if you remember." Mina smiled awkwardly, it was a touchy subject, she actually missed them and often wondered what kind of advice her mother would give her in regards to Cecily.
"Neither are my brother and I, how about you and I both try to make amends with them, you with your parents and I with Aberforth. Not for our sake, but for the children. I think the wedding could become a new start for all of us."
"We have a deal." Mina smiled. "I'll talk to them, but you have to promise that you really do speak to your brother as well, I don't want you to bow out at the last minute."
"I promise I won't." This time, he wanted to see things through. He knew it wouldn't be easy but better try and fail than not try at all.