Epilogue

"I'll leave you three by yourselves then. Once more, my sincere congratulations!"

With these words and a large smile, Poppy Pomfrey closed the door behind her back- and they were alone.

Albus tentatively stepped a bit closer to the bed- then stopped to take in the sight in front of him. Minerva looked tired but happy as she lay there, propped up against the mahogany headboard of the bed, long, black hair loosely surrounding her pale, sweaty face- but a fiercely proud smile fixed on her lips as she looked down at the small bundle resting against her chest, in the fold of her emerald-clad elbow.

He could not but smile rather sheepishly as he felt a strange, new sort of pride well up inside of his chest. Yes, perhaps he was the great Albus Dumbledore- but this was something new to him too. Because there, right in front of him, lay his wife and his newborn daughter. His family.

As all of a sudden, the big, green eyes of his wife were, with a smile, focused on him instead, he sheepishly grinned and stepped a little closer still. He still couldn't quite believe that he really was- a father.

"Well, Albus, what is wrong? Is my big, strong hero a little shy, then?"

Her lopsided grin was positively wicked now- and with two strides, he was sitting next to her, moving entirely on instinct and pulling her into one of his, as she put it, "more breathtaking kisses".

When he finally released her- about an eternity or two later- she was, indeed, positively gasping for breath, and the paleness of her cheeks was quite replaced by two fiery blushes as she leant her forehead against his.

"Not that shy, then, are you, my knight?"

The twinkle in her eyes was obvious, and he shook his head.

"No, Milady- just a little… dumbfounded by this young lady's arrival in town…"

He lowered his eyes to the small child in her arms- then slowly raised a hand and stroked its pale cheeks with a wrinkled finger. He was rewarded by a slight trembling of the tiny eyelids- and smiled. He knew enough. He knew the sky blue of the child's irises only too well- for he saw it in the mirror, everyday. And yet the facial expression as the child wrinkled its nose and attempted something of a smile was definitely Minerva's- as was the nose, and as was the deep black of its hair.

"I guess I'll be the slave of two witches then, from now on…" the wizard teasingly added, but as his wife rested her head on his shoulder with a happy sigh, he knew how happy he was.

"You bet you are- but ah, you love your women, don't you?"

He nodded, and for a moment, they just revelled in one of those real, comfortable silences between people who really understand each other. Albus couldn't hold his tongue for much longer, though, and gently holding his wife and daughter close, he finally inquired

"And what, pray tell me, Milady, is this young Lady's name?"

Minerva looked up with a smile. She knew very well how curious he was- and, slowly tracing his facial features with a slender finger, started

"Well, I've thought about this a great deal, and well- since all of you Dumbledore people have names starting A, I thought it appropriate, to… that, and her first name means "the striving one", and if any child ever strived to make it into life, then I guess it was, indeed, our daughter. It's also the name of your grandmother. As her middle name I picked my grandmother's name- though with a slightly different spelling."

He smiled as he got hold of her wrist and stopped both her torrent of words and her movement. There was still question in his eyes, though, as he bowed over and then, lightly, pecked her on the lips.

"Amelia-?"

Minerva smiled a happy smile as she stroked her daughter's cheek and looked her husband in the eyes.

"This, my knight, is Amelia Eszter Dumbledore."

And after a short pause, she added

"And she is our daughter."

The End

Author Note: Thanks to everybody who reviewed!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!