True to word the two lovers didn't get out of bed until almost ten the following morning and when they did it was to shower and eat a light breakfast before sitting on the sofa to exchange gifts. The usually confident Hermione turned shyly towards her love and offered her a small gift wrapped in gold paper with a red bow.
Minerva smiled and took the gift with a kiss and placed it on her lap and undid the bow before delicately pulling at the paper. Hermione sat watching her love both amused and nervous, worried Minerva wouldn't like the gift she made her. Minerva popped open the box and gasped softly when she saw what was inside.
"How did you do this?" Minerva asked completely awed as a tiny silver fox uncurled and attempted to jump out of the box.
"You need to touch her." Hermione urged gently without explanation.
Minerva bit her lip and with a slightly shaky hand reached into the box and stroked the tiny fox with a fingertip. There was a soft green glow around the fox and Minerva's hand that quickly disappeared and the older witch scooped the tiny fox up and watched awestruck as it rolled over and wiggled in her palm.
"You can call her what ever you please, she is bound to you. She should by right want to remain with you always. I call it the pocket companion." Hermione explained watching her lover gently stroking the clearly excited fox.
"But how…" Minerva trailed off still in shock.
"Well… I'm academically minded, I like school work, but I'm really bad at pacing myself so often times I'd have a lot of free time and well… I don't exactly have any friends so about two years ago I started researching just random things. Imbibing an object with the ability to respond to conversation." Hermione began her explanation.
"But the fox can't respond." Minerva points out holding the fox curled in her palm.
"No it can't. That was the problem with my initial idea. I wanted to create a friend for myself but no matter how I looked at it I couldn't create an object intelligent enough to suit me specifically. So I looked into some different things and after a bit of research in a different area. It took quite a bit longer than I had hoped but… This is the result. The pocket companion. She's my first successful attempt." Hermione smiled and petted the little fox before reaching into the box now sitting on the coffee table and pulling out two leather backed journals.
"These are all my notes and finds on the entire process, I thought your beautiful academic mind would be interested in looking through them." Hermione handed the books to Minerva who looked at Hermione with nothing but pride in her eyes.
"Baby this is incredible. You created this. Does she eat? Sleep or age?" Hermione wouldn't be admitting any time soon just how much she loved seeing her mate proud of her.
"It was tricky but I designed them so they wouldn't require anything until they were bound so yes now your pocket fox will eat and drink as well as sleep how ever they are tied to their human companion so instead aging like they would naturally they will age with their human instead. If a pocket animal's human dies they will die shortly after." Hermione explains smiling still.
"This is… So incredible. How do you make the fox alive?" Minerva asks as she flicks through the journal.
"Well the idea is to take a living piece of wood which is then transfigured into to a wooden version of the desired animal. Then I developed a type of blood magic. I tiny amount of bloody, human or animal it doesn't matter. I hate to create a spell that took the blood into the living wood and then the blood would reshape the animal and as it did so it would create organs veins skin feather, fur or scale. It takes about a week for this process. In the last two days you can start on the binding spell which I also had to create as I couldn't find one that would suit my purpose." Hermione carried on sinking into her star student persona as she explained the process for her mate.
"This is purely astounding you've created your own blood magic and made it possible for the item to bond with someone other than the creator. That is amazing Hermione this gift is… It's amazing." Minerva didn't seem to know what to say and Hermione chuckled lightly.
"I'm glad you like it Kitten. I made her look like me." Hermione added with a grin.
Minerva chuckled and pulled her love into a tight hug taking the opportunity to press a kiss to Hermione's neck. Hermione returned the embrace eagerly shifting slightly closer to Minerva as she did so.
"This kind of makes my gift look like child's play." Minerva admits with a slight blush as she pulls back and hands Hermione a small silver paper wrapped box with a thin silver bow around it.
Hermione simply shook her head and smiled lovingly at the Headmistress before unwrapping her gift and opening the small jewellery box. She gasped and grins happily when she saw a silver chain and pendant. The pendant was a small cat and a small fox curled around each other. The cat had tiny emeralds for eyes and the fox had small topazes. The tiny silver animals blinked.
"This isn't nearly to the level of my gift but the little creatures blink and sleep and I have its pair." Minerva explains lifting a gold chain with a matching gold pendant on hers out of her robes.
"We will be able to… Sense each other's well beings. If you're stressed I'll know and if I'm upset you will know." Minerva continued and Hermione's eyes well with tears as she held the silver chain to her love.
"Put it on for me?" She asks in a slightly watery voice.
Minerva takes the chain and opens it leaning forward and gently kissing Hermione as her hands slide under the brunette hair and around behind the young witch's neck. When the necklace was clasped the older woman leaned back and smiled fondly at Hermione.
"You like it then?" Minerva questions with a sure smile.
"I love it Min, its perfect. Thank you." Hermione leans in and kisses her mate again.
The two spent a short time leisurely making out on the sofa the small fox curled up on the sofa cushions feigning sleep. The kisses stopped when Minerva pulled back and asked a question curiously.
"Did you use your blood on the pocket fox?" Minerva lifted the fox again and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"You stop kissing me so you can ask a question they would be answered when you read my notes?" Hermione asked exasperatedly.
"Well yes… See I would like to make you one in return, a cat obviously like me but I was curious on what blood you used." Minerva blushes lightly.
"Yes, for my initial several attempts I used animal blood which worked fine when I had it worked out. Those attempts they were not… Disfigured I didn't put the final spells on and they died of natural causes. They have surprisingly short lifespans without the dormancy spells put on them." Hermione explained seriously.
"This truly is remarkable." Minerva mumbles stroking the tiny fox again.
"I'm glad you like it. Twiggy!" Hermione called and a moment later the little female elf popped into the room in front of them. Minerva was shocked to see the elf wearing a small pink dress.
"Twiggy you have clothes on?" Minerva asked frowning not quite understanding.
"Oh, yes Mistress, Miss Hermione told Twiggy that Twiggy needed to wear it, she said since she presented it to Twiggy instead of who Twiggy is bound to that it wouldn't free Twiggy." The elf explained nervously.
"She didn't wish to be free but in order to test the range on the bonding spell I needed her to have a pocket." Hermione explains and Minerva gives her a curious look.
"Twiggy have you named him?" Hermione asks the elf curiously and Minerva watches as a tiny yellow finch flutters out of the pocket on Twiggy's dress.
"Yes Miss, Twiggy named him Hermes since he flies." Twiggy answered and the finch landed on the tip of the elf's large ear.
"The bonding works for any sentient creature I would assume." Hermione explains to her beaming love.
"Definitely the smartest witch of your age. Come on let's get dressed, it's almost lunch time and I have a strong need to brag about you to Albus." Minerva claims standing tall and marching off towards the bedroom eagerly the small fox running after her.
Almost an hour later found the two sitting in a darkened corner of The Three Broomsticks as they waited on Albus. Rosmerta had just brought them both a mug each of hot apple cider. They sat at a respectable distance even though they shared the same bench and chatted lightly about advanced transfiguration.
It was only after the conversation began to wane that Albus finally made an appearance at the table and he sat down slumping into his seat. Hermione immediately noticed that the man before her seemed younger, not in appearance but in demeanour. The man heaved a sigh before beaming at his companions.
"Merry Christmas ladies!" He said jovially and they both chuckled.
"Merry Christmas, Professor." Hermione replied before Minerva could make any snide comments about his being late.
"Ahh, call me Albus, Hermione. I dare say we are practically family at this point." Albus grinned at the couple and gave a conspiratorial wink.
"Hm yes. Where is my gift old man?" Minerva asked bluntly and Hermione smirked at the affronted look on the ex-headmaster.
"How very rude of you headmistress." Albus huffed even as he pulled out two small ring boxes from him robes and sat them both in front of the witches before him.
"A gift from me to you both." Albus claims smiling fondly.
The two witches picked up the boxes and popped them open, Hermione's eyes bugged slightly and Minerva frowned and then grinned when she worked it out.
"How did you find these? I didn't know there was any left that weren't goblin controlled." Minerva questioned seriously.
"That's very true how ever I happen to be quite good friends with Ragnar and he cut a deal with me on these." Albus explains gesturing at them trying to urge them to put on the rings.
"What exactly are they? They look like wedding bands." Hermione points out gently stroking the silver band in her ring box.
"They are, in a sense. These are a linked set of mate bands. Very similar to wedding bands except when a mated couple wears these they will be recognised as mates by the ministry." Albus explains and Hermione raises an eyebrow but Minerva speaks before she has a chance.
"That's great Albus but as my mate is my Student we can't wear these." Minerva points out seriously.
"Well no, but if she wanted to take her NEWTS now the Minister has agreed to allow it." Albus smiles as both women's jaws drop.
"Albus… What?" Minerva mumbles but Hermione makes an exalted sound.
"That's fantastic! I'm so ready!" Hermione informs eagerly making both adults chuckle.
"As soon as you are ready just have Minerva owl the Minister and Scrimgeour will have it set up for you." Albus explains grinning.
"Can we do that today?" Hermione asks seriously looking at her mate.
"I'm a little bit offended but mostly amused that the only reason you are so eager is because you want to take your NEWTS as soon as possible not have people recognise our mating." Minerva huffs and rolls her eyes.
"It's mostly the reason not the entire reason." Hermione argues.
The rest of the afternoon was spent with Albus and upon returning to Hogwarts both women set to writing letters. Minerva wrote the Minister to request Hermione be allowed to take her NEWTS the week after New Years and Hermione wrote her three Aunts;
The Lady of the house,
You do not know me but I request your presence at Hogwarts two weeks from New Years as information has come to my attention that I wish to share with you, not only for me but because I believe you are entitled to this knowledge.
I hope you are agreeable to meet with me. Please send your responses to Headmistress McGonagall who will be present during the meeting.
Respectfully,
Hermione
The young woman purposefully left off her adoptive parents name and when she was done she magically copied the letter twice more before placing the letters in envelopes and writing the respective names on each envelope. When she was done the couple decided to take a stroll up to the owlery together before dinner.
