Another Dueling update for you guys! You know, I wrote this chapter about two paragraphs at a time over the course of the last two weeks, in between working 40 hours a week, dealing with my two kids, and my husband, AND my pathetic excuse of a social life... it's a wonder I ever get any writing done. Please review! I could really use the encouragement this week. :)


Minerva didn't return back to the hotel until almost eight the next morning. She'd gone for a walk, ended up on the other side of the city on a pier overlooking Ellis Island, and sat there on a bench until the sun began to rise. She had not realized so much time had passed, but even when the bright reds began blinding her as the new sun rose above the water, she did not rush back to the hotel. Despite all of the anxiety surrounding her current situation, Minerva McGonagall felt more at peace right now than she had in decades. No matter how things with Hermione turned out, the older witch knew she would never regret what had happened between them, and always look back on this week as one of the most monumental of her life.

As Minerva reached for the door handle to she and Hermione's room, she felt a twinge of guilt; she had promised Hermione that they would talk, and then she'd gone and disappeared. Now of course, she was exhausted and wanted nothing but to crawl into bed.

She turned the handle and walked in, and upon seeing Hermione hopping on one foot trying to get her leg into a pair of jeans, she chuckled. "Having issues?" she asked.

"Minerva!" Hermione exclaimed as she toppled over into one of the beds. "That was some walk you took."

Minerva blushed. "Sorry. I know I agreed that we would talk, but I needed to think things through first. And now, I'm afraid I'm quite tired. I have not slept."

Hermione smiled. "It's alright. That gave me some time to think as well. I have to go down and watch the duel with Rose - James is competing today – and then this evening I promised to have dinner with Harry. It looks like we might have to wait to talk until tomorrow afternoon."

Minerva nodded. She could read between the lines of what Hermione was saying. She wanted to sit with Rose to get a better feel for how her daughter was handling the situation. Dinner with Harry was to talk to her best friend about what was going on. Minerva understood that. In fact, she thought, I probably ought to check in with Robert and Malcolm and update them.

Minerva watched with evident interest as Hermione finished dressing. "You are so beautiful," she murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Hermione's face lit up, and then pounced the older witch, forcing her to lay on her back. Before the older witch could react, Hermione had planted a searing kiss on her lips, grinned, and then hopped back up and was out the door without another word, leaving a stunned Minerva in her wake.


Hermione couldn't help herself. She was more or less skipping down the hall, grin plastered on her face as she ran her tongue over her lips, thinking of the kiss she'd just surprised Minerva with. She rationalized the kiss by saying to herself that it was merely to assure Minerva that Rose busting them had not changed how she felt., though in reality it had more to do with the Owl she's received first thing this morning.

Last night, she'd written Ron an Owl, asking for a divorce. He'd responded promptly and had said that he was fine with a divorce, agreeing that it really was inevitable. He even volunteered to take care of getting the paperwork sorted. Ron said he'd talk to Hugo if she'd talk to Rose, and that was fine with Hermione.

He'd closed the letter saying that he and Hugo would continue their camping trip unless Hermione felt they shouldn't, it upon reading that Hermione had realized that Ron and Hugo didn't know Rose had gotten married. She'd just sent off her response Owl, suggesting that they come to the Duel Off on Sunday the twenty first and stay for the last week, in order to get to know Rose's new husband. She knew he wouldn't throw a fit at the fact that Rose had eloped – it had in fact been very 'Weasley' of her to do so.


Minerva only slept for about four hours. She didn't want to sleep the day away and then be unable to rest well tonight. Being Headmistress, she had grown accustom to keeping odd hours. Showered and dressed, Minerva had made her way to her brothers' room, where she knew they would have returned to after the Duel had concluded. She had heard from Filius, who she bumped into in the hotel diner when searching for lunch, that James Roland had defeated Patrick O'Connell after nearly two hours of combat. She was glad for the young man, and from Fillius' vivid descriptions, found herself hoping for a chance to Duel the American for herself.

Minerva didn't both knocking on her brothers' door any more than she had bothered with her and Hermione's door. "Afternoon, boys," she said as she closed their door behind her.

"Min!" Malcolm greeted her, getting up and pulling her into a hug. "How's it going?"

"What he means to ask," Robert added, taking his turn to embrace her, "is how are things with Hermione? You seem to be sober and you still look happy, so I'm guessing there has been some resolution."

Minerva sat down in one of the armchairs. "Well, we kissed."

Malcolm grinned. "Just kissed?"

Minerva blushed. "Alright, we kissed quite a lot. We didn't have sex, and good thing too as Hermione's daughter showed up the next morning and was quite curious as to why we were lying in bed together, wrapped around each other."

Robert frowned. "So Rose found out there's something going on?"

Minerva nodded. "So far she has handled it with grace. She was, unsurprisingly, shocked about it all, but she talked to Hermione, and then later on she cornered me into a discussion as well. I think she is more concerned about her mother's welfare than she is about what this could mean for her family."

"Good for Rose," Malcolm said approvingly. "So is Hermione going to leave her husband?"

Minerva sighed. "She has not said as of yet, but in fairness, we have not had any time to speak. I believe she may be leaning in that direction, by the way she's been acting around me, but I dare not get my hopes up too high."

"And if she does leave," Robert said, "then what are you going to do?"

"Never let her out of my sight again!" Minerva exclaimed, as if it was obvious.

Robert rolled his eyes. "I meant about Hogwarts."

"Oh," she said. "I'm not sure. I would have to discuss it with Hermione, if it came to that."

"You aught to discuss it with Fillius," Malcolm suggested. "As he would become Head of Hogwarts if you should retire."

"Term starts in just over six weeks," Robert pointed out. "Unless you want to remain Headmistress for the first year of your dalliance with Hermione, you need to start the process of retiring soon. Perhaps you could tell Fillius that you are considering not returning next term, but not tell him why until you know what direction things are going with Hermione."

Minerva nodded. She knew that a lot had to be put in order for her to retire, but she knew that she would only leave Hogwarts if that was what it took to be with Hermione. If they didn't get together, she would stay at the school for the rest of her days. If they did, there still remained the option of Hermione moving to Hogwarts with her, and she could continue on as Headmistress with the younger witch at her side. Hell, Hermione may be interested in taking up a teaching post. "I will speak with Fillius as soon as I've had a chance to talk to Hermione. We spoke briefly this morning and agreed to set time aside to do so tomorrow after the morning's duel…"

"Rose Weasley at Victor Krum," Malcolm interrupted. "I am looking forward to watching that pair go at it! A Tri-Wizard contestant versus someone personally trained by the Tri-Wizard Champion."

Minerva rolled her eyes. "It's Rose Roland now – she and James Roland eloped last weekend – and I'm fairly sure she's wipe Krum off the mat with ease. Harry taught her well, and she is Hermione's daughter after all."

Robert chuckled. "Biased much?"

Minerva crossed her arms and smirked. "Absolutely."


Hermione slid into the booth across from Harry at the small diner that they had chosen. They might have eaten at the hotel, but Hermione didn't want to be interrupted. Before her daughter, before Minerva, she had to tell Harry that she and Ron would be getting divorced.

"So out with it, 'Mione," Harry said as soon as their drinks had been served. "Something's up, I can see it in your eyes."

"Something's happened in the last week and a half," Hermione started.

"Obviously," Harry chuckled. "You look happy. Happier than you have in years."

"There's more than just happy feelings involved," Hermione continued. "It's been a bit of a whirlwind. I suppose the best place to start is with the thing that will impact you the most. You see, Ron and I are getting divorced."

Harry took a sharp intake of breath. "I knew things weren't good between you guys, but I didn't think they were so bad that you'd be giddy at the prospect of ending it. Not to mention, even if you were ecstatic about a split, you wouldn't let it show. It's not proper, and it's unlike you to not be proper, which leads me to believe that there's a bigger picture."

Hermione nodded, waiting for her friend to come to the obvious conclusion. Thank Merlin, some of her legendary deductive skills had worn off on Harry sometime in the last thirty-five years.

"There's someone new?" Harry said weakly after a minute.

"Yes," she confirmed. "And for the record, my integrity is mostly in tact – we have kissed but nothing more."

"Someone in the competition?" Harry asked, looking rather puzzled.

Hermione nodded again. "It's only been going on a week. I feel like I've been hit upside the head with as dizzying as this whole thing has been."

Harry said nothing, and Hermione could tell he was thinking. His face always got a certain look when he was trying to puzzle something out, a look that she thought was a cross between eating a lemon and being hit with a confundous charm.

After a minute, Harry suddenly looked up sharply, and wide eyed he whispered, "Minerva?"

"Well done, Watson," Hermione sighed, glad he had been able to work it out on his own.

"Bloody hell!" Harry gasped, flopping back and leaning on the backrest of his side of the booth. "Are you serious?"

Hermione frowned and looked at the table, unsure of what was going through her friends mind at the moment. "Are you mad?"

"Honestly I'm a bit conflicted," Harry admitted. "I'm thrilled for Minerva. It's been a good ten years since she's been with anyone, and it's about bloody time she find someone special. I'm happy to see you this happy. I'm sad that you and Ron are splitting. I hope it will be amicable…"

"It will be," Hermione assured him.

"…I am a bit disappointed in both you and Minerva that this developed at all, while you and Ron were still married. And to top it all off, I'm bloody confused about how this all happened."

Hermione understood Harry's disappointment. Hell, she was disappointed in herself on that mark. This was not the kind of example she wanted to set for her children, and she was not naïve enough to think that Rose wouldn't tell her brother what she had walked in on. However, that was how it was. She made her bed, and she would lay in it. She just prayed that the price of her finally being happy would not be too high.


Next time on Dueling... "I asked Ron for a divorce," Hermione said, breaking the ice on the conversation they were about to have, "And he's agreed."