AN: Another Hermione/Minerva story! Now I've started, I can't stop. This is just a small, fluffy oneshot which definitely won't be carried on. Hope you enjoy! Navy x
Hermione Granger was pacing her living room, nervously biting her fingernails. Her eyes darting up to the closed kitchen door. Her mother, who had divorced her father seven years ago and was now Jean Bleasdale, was behind that very door with Hermione's... This was where Hermione faltered. After ten years of being together, she could hardly call Minerva McGonagall her girlfriend. They were partners, she decided smiling. So, her mother and her partner were in the kitchen and had been for a few minutes. Hermione's mother had only recently found out about Hermione's partner and had demanded they talk, in the kitchen, with a silencing spell cast around them. Hermione gulped. Her mother hadn't looked best pleased when she turned up at her small flat unexpectedly and Hermione had answered the door in nothing but a tartan button-down shirt. Jean had assumed Hermione hadn't been awake long, had been sleeping the day away... Little did she know she had been in bed with her partner of ten years.
No one would've believed it. No one knew, they had kept it a secret for ten years. Not that they were ashamed, of course. It was their business, they were both private people and it was nice having something that was just for them.
Jean had pushed her way into the house, ignoring Hermione's 'this is not a good time'. Jean assumed that it was because Hermione hadn't tidied, she didn't expect to see a naked woman pad out of the bedroom because she had heard the door shut and assumed Hermione was alone. Hermione smiled at the memory of Minerva yelping, covering her body with her hands and diving back into the bedroom. It wasn't funny at the time, it wasn't exactly hilarious now but it had taken her mind off what was going on in the kitchen.
Her eyes darted back to the kitchen door.
Jean had gone pale after Minerva disappeared behind the bedroom door. The woman was oddly familiar and Jean wasn't sure where she knew her from. Then Minerva stepped out of the room, dressed in muggle clothes. She held her hand out to Jean and introduced herself as Minerva McGonagall.
If it was possible, Jean would've paled further. Instead, she sank to the sofa.
"The headmistress." She uttered and Hermione inwardly chastised herself. She had spoken to her mother about Minerva countless times. There was a long, long pause where no one spoke. Minerva was looking at Hermione, who was looking at her mother, who was looking at the floor with a hand on her forehead.
Jean didn't know that Hermione was a lesbian.
Jean didn't know that Hermione was in a lesbian relationship with the headmistress of her old school.
"You taught her." Jean said, her voice was so quiet that Hermione almost didn't hear her. Minerva heard her though, Minerva heard where her mind was going with that fact.
"Nothing happened when she was my student." Minerva said, her voice strong and confident, the opposite of what she was feeling. Minerva and Hermione had gotten together when Hermione was nineteen. They had run into each other in Diagon Alley and decided to catch up over a drink. It had blossomed from there into a loving, beautiful, ten year relationship. Hermione was now twenty-nine, Minerva seventy-three. Though, she didn't look it, didn't act it...
Hermione looked at the kitchen door again. The deathly silence wasn't helping calm her nerves. The fact the door was locked and no spell she knew could unlock it certainly wasn't helping.
She flopped down onto the sofa, hands over her face, wondering what was happening in the other room.
Jean sat opposite Minerva, who seemed far more comfortable in her daughters flat than she did. They sat in silence for a few minutes as Jean thought of what it was she wanted to say.
"How old are you?" Was her first question.
"Seventy three." Was Minerva's quick answer, Jean's eyes widened in surprise. "We age differently to muggles." She supplied.
"Don't you just..." Jean muttered. "When did you two..." She trailed off and Minerva had a faraway look in her eyes and a dreamy smile on her face.
"Ten years ago." Jean's jaw dropped.
"Ten years?!" She stood quickly, the chair clattering loudly on the floor as it tipped over. "Ten years?! You kept this for ten years?!" She began to pace the kitchen, both she and Minerva unaware that she was mirroring her daughter's behaviour outside of the room.
"No one else knows, Mrs Granger." Minerva spoke, remaining calm and seated.
"Oh, why? Don't want anyone to know about your dirty little affair in case you lose your job?!" Jean sneered. Minerva didn't flinch, didn't really react. She had been a teacher long enough to be able to keep her facial expressions indifferent, steely, unreadable.
"It was Hermione's choice to keep it between just us." She spoke, her voice was level and pierced Jean's anger bubble as she sank into the chair she had just picked back up.
"Why?" Jean asked, unshed tears in her eyes.
"She wanted it to be between just us. She's rather famous in the wizarding world, as am I. If this got out, it wouldn't be between just us and I think she wants something normal in her life. I think she wants something that won't be known by every witch and wizard in Diagon Alley."
"She could've told me." Jean whispered, her voice cracked.
"She was scared." Minerva searched for the right muggle words. "Coming out is one thing, coming out and being in a relationship with your ex professor who is forty-four years older than you... Well that's another thing entirely." Jean nodded dumbly.
"I'm sorry, this is just a lot to process." Minerva nodded sympathetically.
"I can imagine." There was a pause. "For what it's worth, Mrs Granger, I've wanted Hermione to tell you since we got together." There was a long pause until Jean smiled slightly.
"Call me Jean." Minerva bit back a grin. "Have you got any whiskey?" She asked, and Minerva didn't hide her grin as she summoned a bottle of firewhiskey and two glass tumblers. She poured a generous amount into each and Jean swigged a large mouthful, wincing slightly at the unexpected burn. "That's got a bite." She said, swigging another mouthful and placing the empty glass back on the table. Minerva refilled it and her own.
"Do you love her?" Jean asked suddenly.
"With everything I am." Minerva answered seriously, holding Jean's gaze. Jean nodded after some time.
"Tell me about yourself, Minerva." Minerva frowned slightly. "I need to know more about you seeing as though you could be my future daughter-in-law." Minerva guffawed at Jean's smirk. Jean was fifty-five, the thought of her daugher-in-law being eighteen years older than she... Well, that was funny.
"I uh... Don't really know what to say."
"Where are you from? Where do you live? What's your family like? What's your favourite thing to do? Those kinds of things." Minerva nodded and poured both she and Jean another glass of firewhiskey.
"I'm from Caithness, Scotland originally. My mother was a witch, my father a muggle. I have two younger brothers, Malcom and Robert. My parents are long deceased. I live at Hogwarts for nine months of the year, when I'm not at Hogwarts I'm either at my manor in Scotland or here." Jean's eyes widened.
"A manor?" Minerva nodded.
"A manor. I'll give you a tour if I survive this conversation." Minerva stated dryly and Jean smirked. This woman was funny, she'd give her that. "My brother's live in London and have both met Hermione. They love her. Malcom has two children, Isobel and Robert, named after my parents. Robert has a daughter, Una. I don't have any children."
"Do you want children?" Jean interrupted and Minerva paused before nodding.
"Yes. With Hermione." Jean smiled and there was a long pause. "I suspect Hermione is beside herself with nerves right now." Jean grinned wickedly.
"I think she imagines we're fighting each other, not getting drunk together..." Minerva smiled. "What is this, by the way?"
"Firewhiskey." Jean nodded in appreciation and lifted the bottle to look at the alcohol percentage.
"Jesus." She said, it was a higher percentage than any alcohol she had ever drank in her life... No wonder she was feeling tipsy.
"It's a rather good quality." Minerva said and Jean twisted the bottle to look at the front, spotting the name 'McGonagall' printed on the front. "My brother Robert makes whiskey, the McGonagall firewhiskey for the wizarding world and Talisker for the muggle world."
"I suspect the firewhiskey is better than the muggle one." Minerva nodded.
"Of course. It has the McGonagall name on it." Jean chuckled and Minerva refilled their glasses.
"I must admit, now I've had time to think and gotten to know you a bit... I think you're a great match for my daughter." Minerva grinned.
"Are you sure that isn't the firewhiskey talking, Jean?" Jean laughed and shook her head.
"No, I'm being serious. From what Hermione has told me about you over the years and from this conversation... I give you my blessing." There was a pause. "Which I guess is redundant as you've been together for ten years."
"It means a lot to have your blessing Jean." Minerva said, sincerity saturating her words. Jean smiled.
"Should we stop Hermione's worrying?" She asked, standing and draining the last of her glass. Minerva nodded, waved her wand and removed the silencing charm. She opened the door of the kitchen and stepped into the living room, Jean behind her. Both of them smiling and their eyes unfocused.
"Are you two... Drunk?" Hermione asked and the two women began laughing.
"A little bit." Jean answered.
"Your mother has given us her blessing." Minerva said, walking over to Hermione and taking her hand. She wanted to kiss Hermione in celebration but her mother, despite how accepting she now was, was still stood right there, watching them. Hermione looked to her mother for reassurance and Jean nodded.
"She loves you. You love her." Jean smiled. "You're happy." Hermione nodded and Jean walked over, engulfing her daughter in a tight hug, then doing the same to Minerva. "I'm going to go." Minerva shook her head.
"You can stay, Jean." Now Jean shook her head.
"I couldn't possibly."
"What if I told you I had more firewhiskey." Jean grinned and looked at Hermione.
"She's a keeper, 'Mione." Hermione grinned and pecked Minerva on the lips.
"I know." She whispered.