Another week had come around since Hermione's revelation to Ginny, with a week to go until the big party at Harry's new, rather capacious, residence.
After the initial sense of euphoria following Ginny's simple acceptance, Hermione had to admit that a little niggling anxiety had begun to creep up on her once again; an anxiety stemming from a source which was only too easy to identify.
Hermione was dreading the party, or rather what she knew had to be done at the party. She had absolutely no desire to string Ron along and knew, anyway, that it would come back to bite her in the arse if she did. His reaction, however, was not a certain thing.
While she knew he was a decent man, he had a wicked streak of jealousy and had been known to stage and sustain major sulks about relatively insignificant things.
He also hadn't taken it all that well when he had found out about his elder brother Charlie's sexuality, though admittedly the situation in which he had become aware of it was hardly ideal.
Hermione had to smile as she realised with relief that she, at least, did not have a partner for him to chase out of the house and no garden tools with which he could do it.
Nevertheless, she could not deny that she was growing more nervous by the day. It was this twisting sensation in her stomach that had prompted her to skip breakfast that morning and walk down to the lake.
As she rounded the corner and stepped onto the black stony beach, Hermione caught sight of a figure perched on a rock at the other end of the beach. A few steps confirmed her suspicion that this figure was Minerva.
The older woman did not appear to notice her, but continued to gaze out across the water.
Hermione was unsure as to whether her presence would be welcome, but reasoned that it would be ridiculous to try and go back without being seen. With this in mind, she decided to give some sort of warning that she was there.
'Hello.' she called, trying not to sound too curious.
'Hermione!' replied Minerva, jolting out of the daydream in which she had been caught to look at the other woman.
'Do you come here often?' joked Hermione.
'More often than sometimes.' quipped the Headmistress, though her heart did not seem to be in it.
'How are you?' tried Hermione, wary not to set off the older woman's easily-triggered defences.
Minerva exhaled heavily, but gave Hermione a tired smile.
'Honestly, not wonderful, but I'll be okay. I just...' she trailed off, clearly debating whether to unpack her troubles in front of her younger friend.
'Minerva?'
'I just got back from the post-office. I had to break it off with someone I've been seeing. It wasn't only this.' she said, gesturing to her young body, 'It wasn't going to work out long-term anyway. I just wish I didn't have to be such a...twat about it.' she finished.
Biting back her amusement at hearing that particular word cross her former-mentor's lips, Hermione pressed her gently,
'What do you mean?' she said.
'Sorry-' said Minerva, shaking her head as if punishing herself for missing a key detail, 'She's a muggle and I hadn't broached the 'witch' subject. It would have been foolish to offer information like that at this stage, so I had finish it from a distance. Well, I could hardly turn up like this to explain myself, could I?' she laughed glumly.
Hermione, who had been staring blankly for a few sentences, forced her head right, then left and back again it what she hoped was a natural gesture.
'Hermione?' said Minerva, worried by her companion's strange behaviour.
Then it dawned on her.
In her state of stress she had forgotten to omit a certain pronoun.
She had unwittingly come out to her former student.
'You...' Said Hermione with some difficulty, as if struggling to grasp at the word.
Making a split-second decision, Minerva responded confidently.
'Yes, Hermione. I am.' she said.
Ordinarily she would have been mortified to have let the details of her personal life slip to a student, whether or not she taught them personally. But this was not an ordinary situation.
Hermione had proved her maturity time and time again and had more than earned the right to call the older woman a friend.
Minerva was also aware of Hermione's own struggle with this particular issue.
Although the younger woman had never mentioned it, her own intuition gave the game away. She had spent the last sixty years carefully assessing the body language of the women around her, whether it was to find a lover or to look out for a friend.
After all this time, she was hardly ever wrong.
That said, there was always an element of risk and she was sickeningly aware of the potential for disaster if she was wrong now.
So she saved her words and waited.
Hermione was stunned. She didn't know what to say. She knew, however, that if fate had ever given her a chance, she had been given one now.
'Minerva?' she said, looking at a particularly round pebble to the left of her feet.
'Yes.' answered the older woman calmly.
'I am too.' she rushed out, continuing to stare at the pebble and wondering why her eyes were suddenly flooding with tears.
'Hermione?'
Hermione didn't dare respond, embarrassed by her unexpected rush of emotion.
'Hermione, please look at me.' asked Minerva softly.
Reluctantly, Hermione raised her eyes to look the professor in the face. She was painfully aware of the tears that had begun to run down her face and tried, frantically, to wipe at them with her sleeve.
Slowly, Minerva took hold of her arms and guided them around her own neck, pulling the girl into a tight hug.
'You have nothing to be ashamed of.' she whispered. 'I know how scary that is and I am so proud of you.'
They stayed like this for a minute or so and through her tears, Hermione smiled, breathing deeply to capture the comfort of the embrace.
'Also, I should probably tell you that I've been waiting for you to tell me for some months now.' smirked Minerva.
'What?' said Hermione, releasing Minerva and looking up indignantly.
Minerva laughed openly now.
'Oh come on, Hermione. I've been gay for a very long time.'
'Fair enough.' conceded the younger woman.
'And it is bloody obvious.' said Minerva, flashing an unexpectedly dazzling smile.
Hermione laughed in spite of herself, though she also took the opportunity to shove the other woman in mock irritation. This knocked them both off balance, landing Hermione in Minerva's arms once again.
This time it was Hermione who confirmed the embrace, laying her head against the headmistress's chest as she did so. Minerva responded by wrapping her arms around Hermione, receiving as much comfort as she gave.
Though neither of them sought to acknowledge it, both women were aware of a subtle shift in the dynamic between them; a sudden closeness that had been inaccessible to them while they related to one another as 'straight' women.