Chapter 2

Hermione tried to keep her face from showing her anxiety as the lock mechanism disengaged and the door swung open to reveal Rabastan. At once he turned his head, eyes sweeping past her, obviously looking for where Minerva was; and then at not finding her, his gaze snapped back to Hermione. "Where is she?"

"The loo." Hermione stated in a matter of fact tone as she pulled her gaze from his to the small closed door.

A frown momentarily pulled at his lips, but then a more gleeful façade began to ebb on his face as he turned back to Hermione, eyes sweeping over her figure. And Hermione knew what he was looking at, and despite not wanting to confirm what had happened between she and Minerva; the light blush now gracing her cheeks told him all he needed to know. "So," his posture moderately relaxed as a smile pulled along his features, "you did have sex with her." He shook his head as he crossed his arms, "I didn't think she'd cave." His eyes narrowed slightly, "She must care for you more than I realized." He nodded to the closed door, "But was she any good?"

Hermione didn't have to formulate a response as she saw a tendril of Rose's hair bounce behind Rabastan, and felt relief flood through her veins as Minerva's crisp speech rang outward, "Petrificus Totalus." And Rabastan fell forward onto his face.

"You found her." Hermione said as she rushed past the fallen man and scooped up her daughter who was charging towards her mother.

"Mama, Mama…"

Minerva made two more quick movements and at once Rabastan's wand sailed through the air and into her left hand. "Here." Minerva handed the wand to Hermione, "Take this and move along the corridor to the north where you'll find a floo network and…"

"You must come with us." Hermione stated as she interrupted, moderately shocked that Minerva would intend not to come with her.

"I shall follow shortly, Hermione," her gaze flickered to Rabastan, "but I'd like to ensure that Yaxley returns to Azkaban too."

Hermione reached out placing her hand along Minerva's forearm. "He will, and I shall help you; but after Rose is safe."

Minerva opened her mouth to rebuke Hermione's commentary but found her resolve crumbling as she stared into Hermione's heartfelt gaze. "I don't wish either of us to ever have need to worry…"

And Hermione did something she never in a million years thought she'd willingly do before last evening, lean forward and kiss Minerva; effectively silencing the woman before her. Unlike the frantic and heated kisses they had shared less than three hours prior, this one was imbued with affection and something much deeper than either woman cared to admit to at the moment.

"Let's go," Hermione breathed as she pulled away from supple lips, "we'll come back for Yaxley when Rose is safe."

Minerva held Hermione's warm gaze for several heartbeats as her heart and brain warred with the other until for once in her life, emotion outweighed logic and she felt herself nod. "Very well," she stepped around Hermione and with a few flicks morphed Rabastan's body into a lemur which she scooped up effortlessly, "but," she turned back to Hermione, "we have need to talk before we alert the world that we are safe."

"My home and Hogwarts are out of the question," Hermione stated as they began moving out of the room and down the corridor, "what of your familial estate?"

"It will suite our temporary needs." Minerva stepped around the corner and with a wave motioned for Hermione and Rose to follow. "The den is just ahead." Minerva whispered as she continued walking down the long hallway until coming to the closed door. She waited until Hermione stopped and stepped to the side, her wand out, and as she went to open the door; she felt Hermione take in a subtle breath of air causing her to pause and cast a gentle, reassuring smile to Hermione. "It'll be fine."

Hermione nodded, "Just be careful."

Minerva turned back and without pause, she swung open the door and swept into the room; Hermione following immediately behind with Rabastan's wand held out in her right hand and Rose nestled against her left side – the room having erupted in chaos. Spells were rapidly being cast between Yaxley, another wizard and Minerva. "GO!" Minerva yelled as she deflected a spell intended for Hermione causing it to crash into the wall overhead whilst flinging a hex at Yaxley.

Hermione went to move forward but at Rose's movement, she felt trapped between what she wanted and needed to do. "Minerva…fall back to the left." She said as she flung a jinx towards Yaxley, but Minerva didn't move as she had directed, instead pushing forward and causing both wizards to engage her and open the way to the floo.

"GO, Hermione!" Minerva called back as she parried spell after spell, wand moving in a whirlwind.

Hermione paused a moment more but at Minerva's heartfelt words, "I beseech you, my dear, GO!" she forced her legs to move. It felt like a life age passed as she took the seven steps to the fireplace, having already summoned the floo powder and activated the network as the cacophony of the duel waged around her and Rose grasped her, if at all possible, tighter.

"Ministry of Magic!" Hermione called out, needing to assemble reinforcements immediately to ensure Minerva's safety.

Xoxo

Less than ten minutes, Hermione thought as she gazed about what remained of the room. I returned in less than ten minutes. She blinked the world back into focus as Kingsley stepped into her personal space, "Did you find anything?"

"Merely a petrified lemur and a lot of blood, Hermione."

Hermione's gaze turned to the lemur, "That's Rabastan."

Dark features frowned as he followed her gaze, "Are you sure?"

"Minerva transfigured him before we escaped."

Kingsley blinked at Hermione in disbelief, but with a quick wave of his wand; the lemur immediately transfigured back into Rabastan's form. "I can't believe she transfigured a person into an animal." He murmured loud enough for Hermione to hear.

Hermione turned back to the scorch marks, blood, splinters of furniture, "I can," she whispered hoping that the blood wasn't Minerva's. "How long until you question Rabastan?"

"Hermione, I…"

Her chestnut hair whipped around, "How long?"

Black eyes met brown, "I' must procure some Veritasium beforehand, so within the next hour." He reached out, "Now go," his voice rumbling onward, "to St. Mungos and get checked out; see your daughter and Ron…"

At Ron's name, Hermione felt her eyelids involuntarily close at what she had managed to somehow momentarily forget for a short interlude; her husband.

Ronald.

And she felt tears immediately press against the backs of her eyes.

"Hermione?" She felt his hand touch the side of her arm and heard the worry in his cadence; but she couldn't acknowledge him for another minute as she grappled with the very real truth of what had happened earlier this afternoon.

And the consequences of those actions.

Actions that Minerva had so eloquently stated, 'it was something that couldn't be undone.'

"Hermione?"

She shook her head as her jaw tightened, and she forced her eyes open and willed the tears to remain at bay as she met worried eyes, "Let me know as soon as you have something, Kingsley."

"I shall." He confirmed and began to move away, and Hermione let her gaze trail once more along the wreckage of the room before her feet idly moved down the hall. She vaguely noticed the other witches and wizards as she passed them in the hall until she found herself before an all too familiar doorway.

Without thought, she pushed open the mahogany door and stepped forward, into an empty room filled with unusually thread-barren furniture and a world of memories.

Warm lips ghosting over hers in a tentative first kiss...

Shaking, unsure fingers disrobing one another as they tried to console themselves in the other's lips.

Admissions by both women that they had never been with another woman.

The way Minerva moaned as she had kissed her way up Minerva's jaw, neck and ear.

The first time she touched Minerva's breast.

The first time Minerva suckled her own.

"Where are you?" Hermione rasped out into the emptiness, the tears finally falling as she fell to her knees, "We were supposed to make it out together."

xoxox

a/n: tbc...