Something I Needed
By: MinLover
Minerva McGonagall heard quiet sobbing noise from the 2nd floor girl's bathroom. Any other person wouldn't have heard it, but with sensitive hearing as a feline, Minerva had picked it up fairly quickly. She looked up at the clock on the wall. It was 10:30. The students were supposed to be in their common rooms half an hour ago. She walked quickly to Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom and walked in.
The noise had gotten louder the further she walked into the bathroom. Minerva stopped short when she saw one stall door closed and shoes underneath. "Hello?" she called, only to get a soft gasp and silence returned. The student's feet she had seen had now disappeared, probably onto the toilet seat. She tried a different approach. "It's past curfew." This time she heard shuffling behind the door. Minerva was sure someone was in the stall, they just weren't revealing themselves. "If you don't come out of the stall, I'm going to have to give you detention." She said in her best teacher voice. Finally the student opened the door and stepped out. Minerva gasped in surprise.
Her prized pupil, Hermione Granger, was standing in front of her, with red puffy eyes, tear tracks down her face, and bags under her eyes. All results of not sleeping, crying, and too much stress. She was clutching a piece of parchment in one hand and a pile of used tissues in the other. Minerva knew it wasn't any of her business, but she had to ask. "Hermione, what's the matter?" If the girl had been surprised of Minerva's usage of her first name, she hid it well and said nothing. Hermione held out the note that was crumpled in her right hand, but said nothing. Minerva took the note and read it out loud.
"Dear, Hermione Jean Granger, I am sorry to inform you, but your parents, John and Jean Granger have been officially divorced, and neither wishes to have custody over you." Minerva stole a glance to a tear struck Hermione; she had never seen her favorite student breakdown like this. The professor kept reading. "If nobody is able to claim you in 30 days, you will be sent to a magical orphanage until you are of age. Sincerely, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. Oh, Hermione!"
The transfiguration teacher could see her pupil on the verge of falling over crying so she pulled her into a warm embrace. The professor could feel the girl lean into her chest and arms wrap around her waist.
Hermione started calming down after a couple minutes while Minerva whispered soothing words to her and smoothed her hair. But even though she had calmed down, she was still shaking into her professor's chest. The older woman pulled Hermione closer and waited until she said something.
Her patience was finally rewarded.
Hermione looked up at her professor with red puffy eyes and asked, "When do I have detention?"
Minerva looked her student straight in the eye. "After what you've gone through, I don't believe you should serve detention." Hermione's face slightly lit up and she rested her head back on her professor's chest with a smile on her face and eyes closed.
After a moment she was in a deep sleep, right there in her mentor's arms, right there in the 2nd floor bathroom. Minerva smiled to herself and gathered Hermione in her arms, noting how light the girl really was. Hermione's head fell onto Minerva's shoulder and she could see the smile plainly on her student's face.
Minerva started her walk, not to the Gryffindor common room, but to her personal rooms. Hermione need some real sleep, so she kept a strong hold on the young girl until she was face to face with the portrait of a silver tabby that was the entrance to her rooms. "Gryffindor Courage." She said firmly, but not too loud to wake the sleeping girl.
Once in her rooms she went straight down the hallway to her own bedroom. She pulled back the covers and transfigured Hermione's school clothes into cozy blue pajamas. She then pulled the covers back over the peaceful girl and crept back out to her living room.
Summoning a tray of tea Minerva sat in front of the blazing fire that automatically burned when she had walked through the portrait. "How could this have happened to Hermione?" the concerned professor mused. "That girl is nothing but truth and peace, yet such horrid happenings come over her."
She hadn't noticed she was thinking for so long until she heard a scream from her bedroom.
Minerva glanced at the clock as she put her cup down rather quickly.
It was midnight.
When the frantic professor opened the door she made her way to the bed where she saw a thrashing Hermione obviously having a nightmare.
When she settled down for a second, Minerva took the chance to wake up the child and sat on the bed.
"Hermione, Hermione! Wake up; it's just a dream…" She kept trying until the girl sat bolt straight up and started crying into her hands. When she opened her eyes and saw Minerva sitting right next to her, she cried even harder and rested her head on Minerva's shoulder.
Shocked by her pupil's action, but only for a second, Minerva put a comforting arm around Hermione and pulled her into a strong embrace. She started saying soothing words again to calm down the girl again, and it worked greatly.
When Hermione stopped crying she realized she was in an unfamiliar bed, in unfamiliar clothes, clutching a very familiar person. This situation reminded her of her nightmare and she felt a warm tear escape her now-watering eyes.
Minerva saw this and lifted Hermione's head until it met hers. She could tell something was seriously bothering the poor girl, other than disownment.
"Hermione, dear," she started with a rare sense of sweetness.
To most students this scene would have surprised them, but Hermione kind of liked it.
"Yeah?" That was all she could say without bursting into tears again.
"Will you tell me what's bothering you, so?" Minerva asked sweetly, her eyes sparkling with concern.
She could tell the young girl was battling inside whether or not she would tell Minerva, but she eventually looked up at her face.
"I was dreaming about you." She whispered, surprising the older woman for a second.
"If you were dreaming about me, why were you tossing and turning in bed, not to mention scream?"
Hermione lowered her head. Minerva then felt a warm tear fall onto her hand; Hermione was crying again.
"It started out when Umbridge stunned you that one night." She sobbed. "The 5th years were all on the Astronomy tower you know, and we saw the whole thing. I screamed, I really did." She sniffled. "Anyway, when I heard you were being taken to St. Mungo's, I was scared, but what made me scream was that the Healers had tried, but, but-" Hermione started sobbing again and clinged onto Minerva.
To say that Minerva was shocked was an understatement. Not needing any more information, she tightened her grip and opened her mouth to say something, to reassure the girl she was really there, but Hermione beat her to the punch.
"I know it sounds stupid, but I don't know what my life would be like if you weren't here. To help me when I need it." She let out a long sob, and laid her head once again on Minerva's chest.
The older of the women held the younger and let her cry herself out. When Hermione had calmed down she found herself being asked the question she knew the young girl was eventually going to ask. "Professor?" she asked in barely a whisper.
"Yes, Hermione?" Minerva asked, equally quiet as her student.
"Where am I, exactly?"
"Well, when you asked me if you had detention, you fell asleep in my arms." Hermione blushed and lowered her head and Minerva continued. "So I carried you to my rooms and let you sleep in my bed."
"But why not take me to the common room? I hate to be a burden."
The deputy headmistress looked at her student in surprise. "Be a burden? Hermione, you will never be a burden to me. Never forget that. Please." She added at the end.
Hermione nodded her head. "Thank you." Was all she could say, and she repositioned herself so her head was on her mentor's lap.
"You're very welcome." Minerva replied and leaned down to place a kiss on the young girl's forehead.
And for the second time that night, Hermione fell asleep in her professor's arms, only, she didn't see Minerva as a professor, she saw her as the caring mother she never had. The loving parent that would always be there for her in her time of need.
Minerva had also fallen asleep with her student in her arms, but before she fell asleep, she had a thought, the thought that put a smile on her face before she fell into dreamland. She realized she saw Hermione as the daughter she could never have. The sweet, innocent child she always dreamed of having when she herself was younger.
That night, Minerva and Hermione slept better than they ever had before.
And that was something they both needed…