Again…it's an HGMM fic…so leave if that disturbs you.

I'm churning these out once a day if I can but if for some reason I don't update again tomorrow, don't be too disappointed. I'm rather sick and I think I write better when I'm well.

Disclaimer: Three times so far I have failed to achieve the status of J.K. Rowling. I have failed again, but I think next time I may try a bit of Polyjuice Potion…

Chapter 4

Hermione dashed out of the common room in a dead run. She was late for tea with Professor McGonagall, a tea she had been looking forward to all day. She didn't know what she would say to her or what she would do, but she knew that she wanted more than anything to be having tea with Professor McGonagall in her private quarters. Well, not more than anything, as her dream had so observed.

By the time she reached the entrance to her office, Hermione realized she didn't quite know where her Professor's private quarters were. She stood, dumbstruck, for a few moments in the doorway to the office before hearing the click of heels on the stone floor, just a few feet away inside the office.

"Professor," Hermione called uncertainly into the office.

Professor McGonagall appeared just a moment later; in robes quite different from the ones she had been wearing that day in class. They were robes of a shiny black that clung tighter to her in just the right places, and dipped just low enough to where Hermione could see the beginnings of wonderful curves on her Minerva's figure.

Hermione was transfixed, also, by the fact that her Professor had let loose part of her hair from its usual constraints. The bottom half was flowing freely down her back, twisting together and relishing in the few moments of freedom it was being allowed.

"Ah, Miss Granger," Hermione's eyes shot up from Minerva's chest as she spoke, "I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten our appointment."

Hermione was blushing. She wasn't quite able to tell if Minerva had caught her staring or not. Her face remained calm and congenial, and her eyes gave nothing away.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Hermione regained her composure, trying very hard not to glance back down where a few tendrils of raven hair were grazing Minerva's milky white skin, "I was detained."

"Ah," her Professor smiled pleasantly, "No doubt these detainees go by the names of Potter and Weasley?"

Hermione smiled, "Actually, you would be quite right."

"Well," Minerva gestured towards the inside of her office, "I'm sorry I did not inform you earlier, but the house elves have taken to cleaning my quarters at this current moment and I did not want to subject you to seeing my bedroom rather unkempt. I do not wish to be in my quarters while they are in a state of unrest, and no doubt you would be just as unnerved as me. We will be taking our tea in my office today."

Hermione followed her Professor in, where she could see Minerva had transformed her desk into a small table set with tea cups, a pot of tea, a few plates and a large supply of ginger newts. On opposite sides of the table were two white chairs.

Minerva gestured to the one on her right for Hermione to sit. She did as Minerva took the other.

"How do you like your tea?"

Hermione shrugged.

"Well, I haven't had it that often. On the few occasions that I have my mum decided for me."

"Well," Professor McGonagall fingered one of the ginger newts, "Do you like sugar?"

Hermione nodded, "I do."

"Very well, then."

She then conjured a cup of sugar out of thin air and poured some into both of their cups.

"Drink up."

As Hermione took her first sip of tea, her mouth was warmed by the steam and the liquid itself. The taste seemed especially strong, but in an immensely good way.

"Professor…this isn't normal tea, is it?"

Minerva glanced up from her cup, smiling.

"Well, I did magically embellish just a little bit. I'm a rather awful cook, and no matter how easy everyone tells me it is to make tea I just can't seem to do it without using magic."

Hermione smiled, "That's alright. Now I don't feel so terrible about being an awful cook myself."

They both laughed.

"Hermione," Professor McGonagall sat down her cup of tea and looked intently at the younger witch before her, "do you have any questions? Regarding what we discussed this morning, I mean."

Hermione sighed. Yes, she had questions, but they were more for herself than her Professor.

"Yes," she answered, "I suppose I do."

Her Professor motioned for her to continue.

"Well, I was just wondering…how do most wizards react when you tell them you're gay?"

Minerva considered this a moment before answering.

"Well, I haven't ever told anyone personally that I didn't either think could handle it or that I needed to tell for a specific reason. While most are shocked, only one person has ever given me any grief about it."

"Who was that, Professor?"

"One guess," Minerva smiled, "Professor Snape."

Hermione's mouth opened in disbelief, "I know he can be a bit foul, but you're his colleague. Isn't he supposed to treat you with some respect? And as Deputy Headmistress, you're above him, too!"

Minerva shook her head, "It wouldn't matter if I was a bloody brick on the wall, as long as I'm a Gryffindor and he's a Slytherin, he'll always find a reason to irritate me about something. He just got lucky the day he found out about my sexuality. It wasn't like Gryffindor losing the House Cup, where he gloats for a few days but then goes back to his usual sullenness. No, this was something he could cling to for life. Whenever he runs out of things to say about my students, he turns to things about my personal life. At first he just focused on the fact that 'a smart girl from a perfectly good pure blood family like myself' ended up a lesbian. Then he realized that he could delve even deeper. He began joking that I couldn't even consider myself a lesbian anymore as it had been so long since I had dated any one."

"That's terrible!" Hermione was irate. "It's one thing to boast over something like Quidditch, but it's quite another to make fun of someone for who they are! And, please, just because you're a pure blood doesn't make a difference either way as to what kind of person you are! Also, just because you haven't dated anyone in a while doesn't mean you're not a lesbian. I mean, look at me, I've never dated a girl and I call myself one! I'm sure you were just busy with Hogwarts things or things for the Order. There are more important things in life than relationships!"

Minerva smiled, "Don't think I didn't get him back, though. There have been several occurrences of random things being dropped onto Severus' head by Peeves just after Severus has finished with one of his little rants on my sexuality. Of course, I don't know where he gets the idea that he should do that…"

Hermione smiled, calmed down.

"But I wonder, Hermione, why would you ask about how other wizards react to me coming out?"

Hermione looked down at her tea cup.

"Well, you see…what detained me was my coming out to Ron and Harry."

Minerva was positively beaming.

"Oh, that's wonderful, Hermione. I'm happy for you."

Upon seeing Hermione's face, however, Minerva cooled her reaction.

"Well, I do hope this is good news…how did they take it?" She asked tentatively.

"They didn't mind at all. But…I hope you're not mad at me…"

"Hermione," Minerva said, reaching across the table to place her arm on her pupil's, "Why would I be upset with you?"

Hermione looked uncertain, "I let it slip to Ron and Harry that you were a lesbian."

Minerva sighed, "Hermione, I expected nothing less than for you to tell your best friends. In fact, I've come to expect that everything we talk about goes back to them."

Hermione was nearly in tears now, "But I want you to trust me! I wanted you to think that I could keep a secret, that you could confide in me…"

Minerva stood up and walked around the small table to where Hermione was seated. She placed an arm around the younger girl and looked her in the eye.

"Hermione, I know that if I ever asked you to keep something a secret for me that you would. I do trust you and I will confide in you. I already have. But, dear," she wiped away a few of the girl's tears, "What brought this on? Why are you so worried that I won't trust you?"

She began to cry even harder, "I don't think I can say. I really don't. Just, please don't ask me to."

Minerva nodded, "It's alright. I understand."

She pulled Hermione into a deep hug, "I only hope that one day you'll be able to tell me what's wrong."

Hermione wiped away the last few of her tears before Minerva returned to her seat.

"Well, I think I've effectively ruined tea-time."

Minerva smiled, "Nonsense. You were just a bit emotional. Have a ginger newt."

After a few more minutes of chit-chat, Hermione left Minerva's office feeling rather conflicted. She knew that she would have to eventually tell Minerva of her feelings, but she didn't want to jeopardize this new relationship she had with her. Minerva was the only person who truly understood how she felt, and she didn't think she could live without that.

A/N: Thanks to all of you who reviewed. I would thank you individually here but for some reason the reviews are down and I am unable to see who reviewed currently. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter, and I will try to update as soon as possible.