Okay, so I had this idea...well more of a question that turned into an idea - "What would happen if someone was being bitten by a vampire at the moment the vampire was killed?"...and so I took that idea, put my two favorite ladies in the mix, and this is what I came up with. Well, here's a start of something, anyhow. I have a few ideas of where to take this, but as always, I'm not taking it anywhere without reviews. I've got another MM/HG story I need to go write an update for, but in the meantime...enjoy!
The Battle of Hogwarts:
Of all the bloody things to happen to her: Minerva McGonagall sighed as Poppy frantically waved her wand around, casting diagnosis spells. "So, what's the verdict? Voldemort may be destroyed but there are other injured to tend to, and I have a school to rebuild."
"Bitten by a vampire gets top of my priority list, Minerva," Poppy clucked. "It looks like you've been infected…sort of. You seem to have come out of this with the immortality, and without the urge to feed."
*"Bloody bitch," Minerva swore, "The last thing I wanted was to be immortal."
"Are you indicating that the vampire that bit you was female?" Poppy asked sharply.
"Yes, does that make any difference?" Minerva inquired.
The healer chuckled. "Not a big deal, just be aware that you will most likely experience a change in…personal preferences."
"Personal preferences…"
Poppy put her wand away. "Yes, Minerva. If a male had bitten you, you would have gone on preferring the company of men. But since a female bit you, you will now prefer the company of females. Oh, and your sex drive will increase, so don't give me the 'I'm too old for anyone's company' line."
Minerva just stared. "You can't be serious." She had not had sex with anyone since the death of her husband, seven years ago. She was sixty-three years old for Merlin's sake!
"That's what studies show, though there have only been a few documented cases in which a vampire bites someone of the same sex. She must have been a master vampire. If she had not been hit by a killing curse at the same time she was biting you, you would probably be dead. You are not really young enough for a vampire to have wanted to turn you. You were meant to be a mid battle snack."
"That makes me feel so much better, Poppy," Minerva growled. "I think it might have been better if she had just killed me."
"Don't say that!"
"I can't continue working at Hogwarts when I will, firstly, not be able to control my sex drive, and secondly, that I will inadvertently find female students attractive. I couldn't stand it if I lost control, came onto a female student, and the inquiry that would follow! What else am I to do?"
"Retire, you have surely earned that," Poppy suggested. "Just don't try to end your life. I suspect that you are not fully immortal. You will age much slower than normal, but you will die in good time. Likely you will leave a record of the longest living witch in history. If I were to guess, you've got easily a hundred and twenty years before you start to even feel age."
"I already feel age," Minerva laughed.
Poppy chuckled. "Give it a day or two. That extra stamina is not just limited to sex."
"Well at least that much is a plus," Minerva mused, thinking about the Scottish Highlands and what on earth she was going to do with her impending retirement.
Thirty-Two Years Later:
Hermione Granger had no idea why a fiftieth birthday was such a big to-do. Certainly, one only turned fifty once, but that was true of every birthday. If Hermione had it her way, her birthday this year would be celebrated with a group of close friends and a few drinks.
Alas, Hermione was not having her way, and Ginny Potter was throwing a big party at her and Harry's home in Godric's Hollow. Potter Manor had been rebuilt only a couple years ago, after the Potters' youngest child, Lily, had graduated Hogwarts. As the kids would inherit the manor, Harry thought it was a good idea for them to be a part in the rebuilding, so he'd elected to wait till they were all out of school.
School…Hermione sat quietly in her small apartment – the apartment she'd gotten when she and Ronald had divorced, shortly after their son Hugo graduated from Hogwarts. So much of Hermione's life revolved around the school – from her introduction to magic, to where she met the man who fathered her children, to where she fell in love for the first time, during her third year, with none other than Minerva McGonagall.
Hermione doubted that she'd ever stop loving the older woman, but that was between herself and her heart, as she had never told another soul how she felt about the now retired Headmistress.
Minerva had retired at the end of the war, becoming quite the recluse. This had surprised Hermione a bit, not the retirement, but the change in disposition. Minerva had always been a private person, but not to the point of hermitage. Hermione was one of the few people who knew for a fact the older woman was even still alive. She'd be 95 years old in about a month.
Over the years, Hermione and Minerva had kept in touch via Owl, and though Hermione frequently suggested it, the old woman would not consent to physical company. The one time, about fifteen years ago now, that Hermione had tried to just 'drop in' on Minerva, she'd been hexed all the way back out to the front gate. Minerva hadn't spoken to her for months after that, and when they finally did return to their regular correspondence, Hermione had told Minerva point blank that if solitude was that damn important to her, she would not intrude again. And to that, she had stuck.
There was however, something that nagged at Hermione. That day, fifteen years ago, in the brief moment that Hermione caught Minerva's gaze, she had noticed two things.
One, Minerva had not aged a day in the course of more almost two decades. Not a single grey hair, not the slightest bit of stiffness in her movements.
Two, when their eyes locked, there was a moment Hermione thought she saw lust in her former professor's eyes. Now that she was divorced, Hermione found herself reflecting on that moment more and more, wondering if maybe there was a chance that her long ago buried feelings might be returned.
Minerva McGonagall sat at her grand piano and played. Fur Elise, this piece was called. It was one of her favorite things to play, especially when she was trying to muddle through her thoughts regarding one Hermione Granger. In the last thirty odd years, Hermione had been one of the few to keep in touch with her. Poppy had kept in touch until her death ten years ago now, and many other friends and former colleagues had now passed on. Hermione had been so young when they'd become friends, that while she was certainly aging, reaching fifty was nothing compared to reaching one hundred, as many of her Minerva's old friends had done.
No, these days Hermione was her one and only regular correspondent. Minerva had enjoyed watching the younger witch grow up, mature, get married, have two wonderful children, raise them, and divorce their father, Ronald. Hermione divorcing Ron Weasley five years prior should not have made a grand bit of difference in Minerva's life, but it had.
Because of these blasted feelings.
Minerva's romantic interest in Hermione had not started after the younger woman's divorce. They had started a mere year after she'd been bitten: before Hermione had even married Ronald. It had remained a controllable feeling for quite some time, though there were flairs of mad jealousy when Hermione would speak of Ronald, at least until Hermione showed up at her manor, fifteen years ago.
Seeing the woman Hermione, no longer a girl, for the first time had unhinged Minerva beyond anything she'd ever experienced. She had aged gracefully, and become a stunning woman. That day, Minerva almost asked her in, asked her to stay. But, she had realized, if Hermione came in, she might not leave the same. Poppy had concluded some years ago that enough of the vampire's power had transferred to her to allow her to infect one other person, like a mating ritual of sorts. If Hermione had stayed, Minerva may have bitten her. To save her, the former Professor had driven all of her desire into anger and hexed Hermione out the front gate.
For months, she did not hear from the younger witch. Minerva wasn't sure who should be saying sorry – she felt bad for hexing Hermione, but it would never have happened if the younger woman hadn't disregarded her desire for solitude. So, she waited. After all, she had the bloody time.
Eventually Hermione did contact her, did apologize, and after a few weeks things were back to normal. In an odd way, that had made Minerva's feelings greater than even seeing Hermione, months prior, had. The fact that they'd had their 'first fight', and managed to work it out, meant a lot to Minerva.
Now that Hermione was divorced, Minerva found herself thinking more and more about the woman. Sans Ronald, Minerva found it difficult to come up with reasons as to why she should not pursue Hermione. Years ago Minerva would have declared too great an age difference as a solid excuse, but now, even that seemed a flimsy reason.
The only real reason she had left was a fear of rejection. That in mind, Minerva flicked her wand changed her clothing into something more suitable for the dojo. Martial Arts was one of the many hobbies Minerva had picked up in the last thirty years. After all, something had to be done with this…energy…that Hermione Granger seemed to bring out in her.
* I know than generally speaking, its OOC for Minerva to swear like that. However, since she had just been bitten by a vampire, and I think that anyone would have swore in this scenario, I'm letting it slide.
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