I do not proclaim to own by any stretch of the imagination Harry Potter. The Queen, JKR, is the Goddess responsible for that masterpiece.
Any errors found are my own, but please feel free to politely communicate any opportunities to improve through PM.
This story does involve a Hermione and Minerva relationship that is not cannon. If that is not your cup of tea, feel free to press your "Back" button.
The Mystery Woman in the Library
The library tended to be cold at night, but Hermione had forgotten her sweater. Again. It was any wonder the Post Doctorate student had left the house with pants on, let alone her materials for school. She noticed that the wall clock read 9:30 p.m. which gave her half an hour before she was going to be kicked out.
All she needed was one more article to complete her second to last section, but the scholarly articles dealing with the Equality Movement were on the other side of the building. She glanced around the shelf to the front desk and to her relief saw that the main librarian was taking a nap. She took her chance and began a stealthy jog to her destination.
The shelf was within her line of vision, but as she arrived to the area closest to the wall, a tall dark haired woman emerged with an ambiguous smirk gracing aristocratic features. The gorgeous woman chuckled, "Where might I ask is the fire?"
Hermione had been made both speechless as soon as she made eye contact with the woman's beautiful emerald eyes. She could feel herself get further lost in their depth and she was not sure she much cared if she found her way back to reality. Those eyes took on a distinct twinkle upon realizing she had left the young woman speechless.
"Excuse me, but are you lost, ma'am? Are you in need of assistance?" the mystery woman said all the while trying to keep a straight face. She leaned against the shelf with almost feline grace and pseudo- indifference from the arched eyebrow.
This seemed to shake Hermione from her stupor. She could feel her cheeks blushing and heart beating rapidly against her chest, but thankfully her voice hadn't completely abandoned her. "I- well-" she began to stutter out.
Shaking her head to clear it from the cob webs, Hermione gathered her courage and looked at the woman in the eye. "Well, while it is not a literal fire, for me it is an academic one. Pardon if I have broken a rule," she tried to sound laid back as she said it, but her voice wavered.
"While running is not encouraged in the library, I can appreciate your enthusiasm for your academics and shall forget I saw you whiz through here as if you were running at the Olympics," teased the tall woman in flattering grey slacks and a lovely green sweater. She continued with a tone of curiosity, "May I inquire what the subject matter is? Perhaps I can help?"
It was Hermione's turn to raise an eyebrow at this perplexing woman that she had never seen before in her visits to the school library, but she was not daft enough to decline the offer. "I greatly appreciate the offer. I don't want to keep anyone here longer than need be and I am not partial to being thrown out either. I am searching for the article by A. Rich. regarding impulsive heterosexuality," she said as she carefully took in her companions reaction.
To her surprise, the woman smiled and said, "It is actually in my office as I too am researching the topic for my class tomorrow". The tall woman turned toward the door behind her and beckoned Hermione with her finger.
Hermione gulped without knowing why and in awe she whispered, "She's a professor or…?" She hadn't been able to completely shake off her initial reaction to the woman with the spectacular smile and enthralling eyes, but she didn't want to make a fool of herself. She somewhat succeeded in moving her legs in the direction of the office and read "M. McGonagall, Head of Staff" on the sign adorning the door.
The woman sifted through the neat piles on her desk and coming upon the document in question, offered it to Hermione. "Please, remember to check it out before you leave. Otherwise I will have to hunt you down to retrieve it, you know," she said with a devious smirk.
Internally Hermione looked like a picture of tranquility, but internally she was having a breakdown. Countless questions were running through her head about this odd interaction: "Is this gorgeous woman hitting on me? I have never seen her before and I practically live here? I wonder if she was teasing or if I should be naughty and just take the damn article if it means I get to bump into her again?"
Hermione jumped as soon as she felt the delicate touch of the woman's hand on her shoulder. "Did I lose you again Ms…?" softly questioned her mystery woman.
"Hermione Granger. May I ask your name and why have I never seen you when I have spent so much time here?" offered the more calmed brown eyed woman.
"My name is Minerva McGonagall and while I have been teaching here for five years, I have always been an in the closet librarian," she said with the appearance of a lovely blush. "When the opportunity presented itself to become Head of Staff for this prestigious library, I pounced on it like a cat with a ball of yarn and the rest is history."
As she finished answering the question, Hermione noticed that Minerva's eyes graced her form and so it was Hermione's turn to blush a deep scarlet hue. Was she reading the signs correctly? Was Minerva interested in her and to what capacity? Regardless of how stunning this woman was or interesting, Hermione was not one to jump on a person she didn't know. She hoped that Minerva was a gentlewoman.
She didn't have to wait long for her answer. "Hermione, I don't want to be too forward, but considering the library will be closing soon," Minerva inched closer to Hermione while keeping a respectable distance from the young woman. "I- would you be interested in joining me for dinner? There is a quaint restaurant down the street that serve tapas*?" Minerva offered her a genuine smile as she said this.
Hermione could only nod her head. Words had failed her and her knees were about to abandon her as well. The final straw was when Minerva slowly closed the distance between them and gently took possession of Hermione's right hand. While maintaining eye contact, she placed a delicate kiss on her hand.
Minerva returned Hermione her hand and with a husky tone said, "Now, I know I am being forward, but I hope you can forgive me. You are too lovely and my inhibitions are slowly leaving me. Don't fret- I will be the perfect gentlewoman. Let me just get my coat and lock up."
Their dinner was magical. They shared numerous stories and realized just how much they had in common. If Hermione though she lived in the library before, now she was contemplating asking how much she should be paying for in rent.
Author's Notes Continued:
Tapas are small dishes served typically for example in Spanish style restaurants meant to be shared.