A/N – Written as a request and a gift for my best friend, Luthearl. Amazing author, if you haven't read her story I strongly suggest you correct that error. I confess I have never been to Australia, and I don't know how to surf, but I have always wanted to learn. Someday I will accomplish that.
-O-O-
It was the middle of November, late in the evening, when Minerva walked into a quaint little coffee shop in downtown London, not far from the Leaky Cauldron. She had been to this shop many times before when the pub was just too loud or too crowded for her to try and concentrate on whatever book she was reading at the time. The coffee shop was owned by an elderly couple that lived above the shop. There were only and few small tables with two chairs a piece and a long counter that ran the entire expanse of the store. Not many people knew that the elder witch frequented the place on her days off and during the summer, but that was just the life of the Headmistress. Private when work and the Ministry allowed.
What she hadn't expected when she walked in was to see her favorite former cub sitting in a back corner with a book in one hand and a spoon in the other. She seemed to be enjoying a small bowl of what appeared to be a frozen dessert. This would not have shocked Minerva at all if anyone had seen the young woman in the last several months. It had appeared that after the war the young woman had dropped off the face of the planet. None of her friends had heard from her and every attempt to make contact had gone ignored.
Upon further study of the younger witch Minerva noticed that her hair had lightened by several shades since the last time she saw her, and her skin had darkened just as much. She was dressed in a light blue, tight fitting tank top that ended just above her belly button and a pair of cut-off denim shorts. On her feet she wore a pair of strappy sandals. Her ears we pierced with small pearl earrings and around her neck was a shark tooth. Clearly this was not the same Hermione Granger that had left the battle fiend almost 6 months ago. Minerva made her way to the counter and ordered her coffee then sat back to simply observe her former charge.
Hermione for her part hadn't even realized that her former mentor was even in the shop. Over the last 2 weeks she spent many of her days sitting in this very chair catching up on missed articles in Transfiguration Weekly, or The Daily Prophet, or with a book that had absolutely nothing to do with the wizarding world at all. Most times she would sit there and read, and enjoy her favorite frozen dessert under the watchful eyes of her grandparents, who owned the shop.
Before her first day in the shop 2 weeks ago she had spent 5 months in Cairns, Australia with her parents, who had taken her erasing their memories a lot better than the brunette though they would. Both had looked at her oddly at first then asked her to explain. After the quick version of everything that had happened they had understood and even thanked her for saving their lives.
The first few months of that time had been spent catching up and enjoying a slight vacation. Her father had taught her how to surf. He even bought her a board and a wet suit. In the few months she had been there she had learned a lot about it and it had become her favorite past time, besides reading that is. She would never give up her books.
She felt a hand on her should and looked up into the kind eyes of her paternal grandmother Elise Granger. Hermione knew she was the spitting image of the older woman when she was younger. As a child she had found it fascinating to sit on the floor of her parents' living room and stare at old photographs of the now white haired woman.
"Here's your tea, sweetheart." Elise said as she avoided eye contact with the green eyed witch that was staring at her granddaughter.
"Thanks, Gran. Did you want me to help you close up tonight, or did you want me to open for you in the morning?" Hermione asked setting her book aside after memorizing the page number.
"Would you mind locking up for me tonight, Darling?"
"Of course not, I enjoy the walk home at night anyway. Why don't you and Papa go get some rest and I will watch the shop for the rest of the evening ok? I know the storm kept you up last night." Hermione stood and walked with her grandmother towards a hallway behind the counter that would lead to the staircase up to their flat.
"Thank you, Darling. And you might notice Lady Green-eyes over there has been staring at you since she walked in. You may want to go say hello." Elise winked at her granddaughter and started up the stairs.
Hermione whirled around. She hadn't even noticed another person come into the shop. Hurrying back towards the front she stopped and gasped when she saw her. Sitting there smiling at her was none other than Minerva McGonagall. She knew her grandmother had been keen on helping her find a partner, but she would lay money down to say that if her grandmother actually knew who this woman really was, she would never have said what she did.
"Miss Granger, while your impression of a guppy is, indeed, one to be reckoned with, perhaps you would like to sit down so we can talk?" Minerva's voice was like silk, fresh out of a muggle clothes dryer. Warm and enticing, willing her to wrap herself up in it. Hermione swallowed thickly and moved to her own table to retrieve her cup of tea, her dessert, and her book, before moving to sit in the chair opposite the older witch.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, looking anywhere but at Minerva. A not so small part of the reason she hadn't resurfaced in the wizarding community was sitting right in front of her. Her feelings for the incredible witch. While she had always intended to go to Australia to give her parents their memories back, she had stayed as long as she had to try and drive back those feelings so that she could return and maybe be Minerva's friend. Nothing more could ever come of it, of that she was sure.
Minerva studied Hermione for a moment. She took in the reluctance to meet her gaze and stiff posture. She watched as the brunette began to fidget and pick at the cuticles on her fingers. "I'm not here to lecture you. Nor am I here to drag you back to our world bodily, Hermione. I only want to talk I assure you."
"Ok." Hermione's response was apprehensive. "I assume you have questions then?"
"Yes, I do. First I would like to know where you have been since the war ended." Minerva sat back a little in her chair and watched the young witch heave a great sigh.
"Before the boy and I went on the run, I erased my parents' memories. They didn't even know they had a daughter. I implanted the desire to move to Australia. That's where I was after the war ended. I went to find them and return their memories. After that was accomplished I chose to stay. I learned to surf, played chess with my dad, cooked with my mom. I was a normal daughter for a while." Her answer left Minerva reeling. She had never expected the younger witch to have made such a hard decision regarding the welfare of her parents.
"I see. Why take up surfing?" Minerva wondered.
"Dad loved the sport when we lived here in England. He always talked about all of us taking a family vacation and him and me taking surfing classes together. I figured since I was there, I might as well." Hermione picked up her tea and leaned back in her own chair, holding the cup close to her chest, trying to take warmth from the liquid and heat, her suddenly cold body.
"So why did you decide to come back now if you were enjoying your time in Australia so much?"
"Oh," this was a question Hermione could answer very easily. "I took my NEWTS last week. I was waiting until after the Ministry was back in order and the initial flood of students not wanting to go back for another year were through before I took them. It also helped me review all of my seventh year textbooks so that I didn't leave anything unread." Hermione grinned. "I'm supposed to get my results sometime tomorrow."
The clock on the wall chimed ten. Hermione's head snapped up from where she was staring into her teacup. "I need to lock up and head home. Grandma and Papa had a fit the last time I fell asleep here. I think if I were to do it again they would banish me from the shop."
"Well then I should go…" Minerva began but Hermione cut her off.
"No, no you can stay. It will only take me a few minutes and if I recall we have several months' worth of Transfiguration Weekly to discuss." Hermione smiled and for the first time that night looked up into Minerva's eyes. Those endless pools of emerald that she knew she could drown in, and she wasn't even trying to stay afloat.
Minerva gazed back into Hermione's bottomless brown eyes, losing herself in the labyrinth of shades from chocolate to whiskey, from sienna to mahogany to ochre and back, only to start the cycle over again. Minerva knew that if she was lucky, she would never find her way out.
A loud snore from somewhere above the house broke the spell that held them both and Hermione began to giggle. Her giggles quickly turned into full belly laughs. "I think Papa forgot to put in his mouth piece again."
Minerva chuckled in response and watched as Hermione got over her mirth and quickly moved about the shop with a wet towel and wiped down all of the equipment and counters before taking the trash out the back door and pulling her purse off a hook on the pantry door where the extra beans, tea bags and loose leaf tea were stored. In it she stowed her book and in a separate pocket, after she screwed the lid on the plastic container, she placed her frozen dessert.
"What is that?" Minerva asked. The brown ice cream like substance looked delicious and she was tempted to buy some for herself.
"Gelato. It's almost like ice cream, with less sugar, fat, and more air whipped in. It's my favorite." She answered as they both moved towards the door. Hermione flipped the sign to read 'Closed' to the outside and held the door for Minerva as they walked out. Pulling a set of keys from her pocket she locked the doors. "Grandma and Papa gave me the spare key to the door when I got here so I could come and go as I please."
"How far is it to your flat?" Minerva asked as they slowly began to make their way up the street.
"Not far. It usually takes me about 25 minutes to walk." The snow on the ground didn't faze Hermione in the least. Or at least that's how it appeared to Minerva.
"Aren't you cold?" the older witch asked.
"No, not at all. Warming charms work wonders. It's how I managed to surf, even during the cold months back in Australia. It allows me to wear what I want instead of being practical all the time. And the looks I get wandering around in the snow in shorts are actually quite comical if you watch, as well. I figure, why have magic and not use it to make myself comfortable in clothes I like?" She chuckled, thinking about some of the strange looks she had gotten over the last couple of weeks.
A comfortable silence enveloped them for most of the walk to Hermione's flat. The brunette started around a corner, not noticing the rather large patch of ice that had formed as the sun had set. Her footing gone, she flailed looking for anything stable to grab hold of. Her hands met strong arms and latched on, dragging Minerva down with her.
Minerva saw Hermione start to go down and reached to grab her. She wasn't expecting the younger witch to accidently pull her down on top of her. Minerva caught her weight on her arms, hovering above the younger Gryffindor so as not to crush her. After taking a moment to steady her senses, the green eyed woman took stock of the situation and froze. She was straddling Hermione, one leg on either side of the young woman's hips, pressed very intimately against her. She was braced on her elbows on either side of the brunette's head, her face mere inches from the one below hers.
Desire shot through her like a flaming arrow. Desire that had been pent up since the winter of Hermione's 6th year, a want she had thought long buried, resurfaced with a vengeance. Shifting her weight to one arm, Minerva traced her fingers down the elegant features of her companion. The curve of her forehead, her cheek, luscious, enticing lips called to her, the gentle arch of her neck. She stopped her hand there and wrapped gentle fingers around Hermione's throat, sliding very gently upwards to cup her chin. Minerva leaned forward, slowly, looking into those enchanting eyes, searching for any sign of reluctance or fear. Seeing none, she sealed her lips over her younger companion's.
Hermione's brains overloaded when she realized that Minerva was on top of her in the most intimate way. When the older witch's hand traced her face, heat, not from the warming charm, spread through her body like a wildfire feeding on the contact. When Minerva's fingers wrapped around her throat Hermione arched into the touch feeling like her body would combust at any second. She thanked whatever gods were listening that it was late and the streets were quiet. Minerva's mouth enveloped her and there were no more thoughts. There was only the feel of those wonderful, silken lips against hers. Just a gentle brush at first then stronger, more sure lips returned and Hermione was swept away by the overwhelming passion in the kiss.
They could have been laying there in the snow for seconds, minutes, hours, or days and the brunette would never have been able to tell the difference. So lost in this kiss was she that nothing else mattered. Her hands came up from where they had sprawled on the ground when she fell, to slide beneath the Minerva's jacket and around to her back, pulling her in for more contact desperately trying to convince the older witch that she could take her body weight. She whimpered at the loss of contact when the object of her desire pulled away.
"We cannot do this here." Minerva whispered, laying her head in the crook of Hermione's neck. "Please, Hermione we have to go somewhere else. Is it much farther to your flat?" Her voice was strained and passion roughened and drove a bolt of want through Hermione.
"No," she responded as she glanced around. She pressed a hand to Minerva's shoulder, signaling she should stand, and then stood next to her. Wrapping both arms around her soon-to-be-lover's torso she whispered, "But it doesn't matter." And with a loud CRACK they were gone.
When Minerva opened her eyes again Hermione was already pushing her towards the nearest surface, which happened to be her kitchen table. Her hips met the hard surface with a loud screech as the legs dragged across the floor. The ebony haired woman grabbed the brunette by the hips and, using strength that Hermione didn't know she possessed, flipped the younger witch around and onto the wood. Minerva listened with a smirk as Hermione whimpered and squirmed. Grabbing thin wrists she pinned them above brunette curls and held her there. Green eyes slowly took in the sight before her.
Face flushed a deep red and breath coming in short gasps, hair in disarray, Hermione was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. Watching the young woman move while her hands held her in place was more arousing than anything she had ever laid eyes on. It was at that moment that an idea popped into her head. Pulling Hermione up from the table she grabbed the younger woman's purse and wandered off to find the bedroom with Hermione in tow.
Hermione followed Minerva into her bedroom wondering what the older witch was planning and hoping that it included getting very naked very quickly. When the woman in question dropped her purse next to the bed and turned, she was snatched up into strong arms and kissed within an inch of her life. The brunette threw her legs around Minerva's waist and her arms around her neck. Minerva turned them both so that they toppled to the mattress.
Thin, red lips latched onto a neck biting harshly. The body underneath arched up sharply into the one above pressing tightly. Hands ran beneath shirts and pulled the cloth off each body. Bras fell to the floor shortly after, and bare breasts pressed together for the first time. Both women moaned into the other's mouth. The body on top slid a knee between shapely thighs. The lower body gasped loudly.
Minerva hovered slightly above her lover and slid her hands to the fastening of her denim shorts. She looked at Hermione as if to ask permission. It was granted. Unfastening the clasp, she slid them down beautifully toned legs, her hands caressing baby soft skin as they went taking ruined satin panties with her. The musky scent of Hermione's arousal assaulted her over sensitive nose, driving her mad. Her lips slowly followed the path of her hands, caressing gently over pert breasts and stiff nipples, biting lightly and listening to the half moan half gasp the came from her lover.
"Gods, Minerva…please. Don't, don't tease I-I need…" Hermione gasped for air as her green eyed beauty blew very gently over the bundle of nerves at her core. Her hands flew to ebony tresses trying to gain more friction where she needed it.
Grinning slightly, Minerva waved her hand, and with a bit of wandless magic, Hermione found her hands bound to the head board. The older witch sat up and straddled the younger's hips. She leaned over and captured lustful brown eyes with a serious look. "Do you trust me, Hermione?"
"Yes, yes I trust you." The brunette whispered.
"Very well." Carefully Minerva pulled her wand and conjured a blindfold. Hermione lifted her head and allowed the other woman to tie it around her eyes. She almost flinched away when she felt something enter her ear canal and begin to expand. "Shhh, my love. They are earplugs. Nothing more." She whispered into the younger witch's free ear. At her nod she inserted the other.
Minerva looked down at her handiwork. She could feel Hermione quivering in anticipation beneath her. The young witch was so ready to be taken that the older knew it would only take a few well-placed strokes of her tongue to set her off. That wasn't what she wanted. She conjured a spoon and dug the gelato out of Hermione's purse. It was half melted, but still incredibly cold. Unscrewing the lid she dipped the spoon in and began to play.
Hermione nearly screamed at the first touch of the freezing liquid on her over heated flesh. She couldn't see, and she couldn't hear. All she could do was feel, and she definitely was doing that. A path was traced from the hollow at the base of her throat, to the valley of her breasts. A spoonful was added to each nipple. The path began again down her taut stomach and into her navel where she felt a pull on the ring that was there from her time with her parents. She could feel the liquid from her breasts slowly dripping down her sides. At last Minerva used the spoon to paint the coarse hair that covered her mound.
Incoherent noises sung from Hermione's lungs as Minerva painted her with the frozen treat. Once she had covered the most sensitive spots, she leaned down and began to lick them clean. The minute her hot, cat like tongue touched Hermione's flesh, she arched up and everything smeared against the older witch, who smiled. Sea salt caramel. Minerva realized the flavor of the dessert as she lapped it from various parts of Hermione's anatomy. The mixing flavors of the gelato and the distinct flavor of her lover's skin were addicting. Stopping at the tips of pert round breasts, she drew a nipple into her mouth and sucked hard. Her partner screamed. Releasing the nub with a soft pop she ran her tongue along the line where it had run down the side of her chest. She repeated the same action on the other breast, getting the same, though louder, reaction.
Hermione was in heaven. A pleasure induced bliss that kept her guessing. She couldn't think. As Minerva's tongue ran in circles around her belly button and navel ring, which was pulled on by her teeth. Moans and whimpers and quiet screams were all she could manage. Words were too complex for her brain to form. When Minerva's tongue reached center, licking all of the delicious substance from the hair where she had placed it, she was lucky the older witch had ahold of her hips or they would have left the bed.
Minerva curled her tongue around Hermione's clit and used one arm to hold her to the bed. The other gently inserted two fingers into her tight gripping channel. The animagus pulled out all her tricks for this final moment, employing hands lips teeth and tongue to bring her lover to an earthshattering release, and if Hermione's hoarse scream of pleasure and the rhythmic tightening around Minerva's fingers was any to go by, it was indeed earthshattering. Just watching the gorgeous brunette fall off that cliff was enough to have Minerva grinding against the young woman's leg to bring her own spectacular orgasm.
Waving a hand she released her lover, who had yet to come down from her high. She curled herself around Hermione protectively, holding her close in this moment of vulnerability. Her fingers ran through sweat soaked brown curls, praying to whatever god would listen that Hermione wouldn't turn her away, hoping that this wasn't a onetime thing. She didn't think she could survive that.
Hermione stirred in her Minerva's arms. She opened her eyes and squinted against the dim lighting in the room. She nuzzled her head into her neck and kissed the skin she found there. Her limbs were lethargic and her body well sated. Though she knew she and Minerva had to talk, she also knew that now wasn't the best time. Pulling away she looked down at the older woman.
Minerva felt a lump rise in her throat when the woman she loved pulled away from her. Fearing the worst she moved to stand. Her lover did too. What she wasn't expecting was Hermione to hold her hand out with a soft smile. Accepting she was lead into the bathroom to the shower. Her lover adjusted the water temperature and pulled her inside.
The two took their time washing the sticky dessert off each other and simply enjoying exploring each other's bodies. Hermione discovered she was completely in love with the mole on the right side of Minerva's ribcage. Minerva discovered she adored the birthmark on Hermione's lower back. Gentle passes with washcloths cleaned the gelato from their bodies. They took turns carefully washing each-other's hair. Stepping out they dried off and made their way back to the bedroom where Hermione picked up her wand and with a wave had flipped the mattress and changed the sheets. As they nestled back down beneath the blankets, neither bothering with clothes, Minerva broached the subject that they were both avoiding.
"Hermione, please. We need to talk about this." She whispered into the dark.
"Well then let me put your mind at ease, Minerva." Hermione answered. "I love you. I am in love with you. I never want to leave your side. I have loved you since my 5th year. But let me put it plainly. I want it all. I want the late nights and the dinner dates in public. I want the quiet evenings at Hogwarts sitting in front of the fire reading. I want the ups and downs, the good and the bad. I want total commitment out of this. If that's not what you are looking for then I suggest you leave now so I can start packing again."
"Packing?" this shocked the older woman.
"Yes. I came back to take my NEWTS, but deep down I think there was that hope that I would get to see you, that you would love me to. So in a way I came back for you. If I can't have you then there is no reason for me to stay here."
"You have me Hermione. You have me totally. You grasp my fragile heart in your hands and I am not brave enough to ask for it back, not that I want to. I love you too. When you disappeared off the battle field that day I nearly went out of my mind with worry. Never leave me, my love, for I fear if you do, I will be a shell of who I am with you." Minerva said, her voice roughened by unshed tears.
"I won't. I will not leave you until you send me away." Hermione whispered back.
Minerva yanked Hermione closer and kissed the top of her head, finally at ease enough to start thinking about sleep. "Not bloody likely." Was the last thing she said as she dropped off to dream about curly black haired, brown eyed children running through the halls of Hogwarts.
-O-O-
A/N – So! What did you guys think? Good? Bad? Too much? Drop me a review and let me know. I do so love getting those. As stated before this is a request and gift for Luthearl, without whom this story would not exist.