Unforgettable

Breaking the Curse

Ever since Minerva had lost her baby, her life had been split into a "before" and "after". All this time she had thought that losing Albus would be the worst thing that could happen, that this bad patch they were going through was as bad as it could get, but she had been spectacularly wrong.
Now she wasn't just mourning a future that would never be, she also murned the fact that Albus would never know. He would never know that for a short time, he had been a father, they had been parents.
Minerva felt like a failure. If she couldn't even keep her baby alive while it was inside of her, why on earth did people think it was a good idea to be in charge of children. Other people's children. Maybe she just wasn't supposed to be a mother. Maybe this was a punishment for all that she had done wrong in the past, for her conceitedness, for being brazen enough to start a relationship with Albus in the first place.
With this baby, she had lost the very last bit that had been left of the "old" Albus, the last proof of the love and intimacy they had once shared had been taken from her. Now all that was left were her memories, some paperwork and a man in the hospital who looked like Albus, spoke like Albus, but was lacking everything else.

Eleonora visited Mina in the hospital wing every day, despite Poppy's reluctance to let anyone near her friend. But these visits were Minerva's sole connection to what was happening in the castle, because everyone else was trying to keep things from her. She knew that her friends and colleagues meant well, that they wanted to protect her, but hearing about how life went on, how the world had just kept spinning outside the little hospital room was exactly what Minerva needed. She needed to know that despite everything, life would go on.
After about a week, Poppy agreed to let Minerva return to her apartment and to her job. She had done her best to clean her friend's office, so nothing would visibly remind Mina of her ordeal. Poppy had even managed to replace the cushion Minerva had been so worried about.

Stepping into the room, Minerva involuntarily clasped her stomach, but there was nothing left there to protect. The room looked like it always did, the afternoon sun put a golden hue on everything. There wasn't a single speck of blood left, but the room smelled like cleaning products and the smell wouldn't leave for many months, no matter for how long Minerva opened the windows. Her desk was empty, her colleagues had done a good job of keeping on top of all her tasks and she was grateful to them.
Mina sunk into her chair and closed her eyes. The world was terribly unfair. Then, a knock.
"Come in?"
She expected Poppy, Pomona or even Eleonora, so she was pleasantly surprised to see her old friend Sybill Trelawney walk into the room.
"Mina, dear, what a terrible, terrible fate. I'm sorry, I really am."
"Sybill..." They hugged and Minerva allowed herself to let go and cry into her friend's shoulder. And for once, Sybill said nothing, nothing about stars or constellations or any premonitions she believed she'd had, she just held her friend and allowed her to grieve.
"I know I usually don't believe in divination..."
"You know, I know, the whole wizarding community knows that Minerva McGonagall doesn't believe in prophecies of any kind, no matter if it's the next Quidditch match or a major life event."
"Yes... but at this point, I am desperate. I don't know how to move on from here or where to go. If you have just one pointer. One tiny hint, because I have never felt so lost in my entire life."
"Are you sure you want me to have a look?" Sybill asked carefully. She wanted to support her friend, she wanted to help, but she knew from experience that sometimes a prophecy  could do more harm than good.
"Yes. My father would always tell me to trust God's plan. He was a man of the church after all, so he had to. But right now I am having a hard time trusting a God who let these terrible things happen. I need to know." Sybill squeezed her friend's hand. Loss of faith, whether it was temporary or permanent, was always difficult.
"Alright, but you might not like everything I see. I cannot change the future, I can only see it."
"That's okay. I never thought I'd say this, but I have reason to believe that this is rock bottom and the only way to go from here is up." Minerva gave Sybill the biggest smile she could muster.
"Alright. Would you mind coming to my classroom with me? I need my equipment."
"Yes, just let me grab my wand."