Harry shook his head. "Let me explain something to you George." And led George to the sofa in front of the fire and sat down. "In third year, I started noticing that Hermione wasn't acting like herself. She was jumpy, especially around Ron and I. After the first Hogsmeade trip, I found Hermione sitting out under the tree near the lake, muttering to herself."
He stood up and walked over to the window, looking out over the quidditch pitch. "She was telling herself that she didn't like her. That she couldn't love her. I didn't know who she was talking about at first, but then she said that it was wrong to fall for a Professor and stood up. She stood up so quickly I nearly fell over. When she turned around, she lost all colour and stared at me, until she finally asked how much I'd heard."
Harry sighed and walked back over to the couch. "I couldn't lie to her so I said everything. She passed out right there. I had to carry her into the castle. On the way to the Common Room, Hermione woke up and told me to put her down. When I did, she came close to falling over. I caught her, but just as she was righting herself, Minerva came around the corner and surprised us. Hermione passed out straight away when she saw her and I knew who she was in love with."
Third year
"What is going on here?" McGonagall's asked, staring at the two in the middle of the corridor.
Harry and Hermione looked up at their head of house. Harry opened his mouth to reply, but before he could ménage a single sound, Hermione's eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out again. Harry reached out again and caught her before she could hit the ground again. He thanked the past two years of Quidditch for his quick reflexes.
"Miss Granger!" Minerva rushed forward and stood in front of the pair. She looked her over and noticed for the first time the dark rings under eyes and pale complexion. "We have to take her to the Hospital Wing." She said, not looking up from Hermione's pale face.
Harry looked down at his unconscious friend then up at his Professor. "Yes Professor." He crouched down and scooped her up into his arms. Standing up straight, he was shocked at how light she was compared to the first time he carried her.
McGonagall arched her eyebrow at him but didn't say anything. She walked beside Harry as he walked to the Hospital Wing. Half way there, Hermione started to wake and groaned. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at Harry.
"Was it a dream?" She asked almost silently. Harry smiled sadly down at his best friend and shook his head. "Let me go! Let me go, now! You don't have to pretend, just let me go!" She shouted as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Three Broomsticks
"So I started screaming for him to let me go and that he didn't have to pretend to be my friend anymore. He didn't listen to me of course, when does he?" Hermione drank the mouthful of her butter beer and looked down into the empty glass. "He didn't let me go, but held on tightly even though I was scratching at his arms. He had to yell over my screams so I could hear him. He was yelling that it didn't matter, that he would never leave over something like that. He then said that he'd still love me no matter what." Hermione looked up at Hooch and smiled brightly. "Harry was always standing up for me. He was always on my side when Ron and I got into a fight and he always supported me when I wanted to do something." Hermione stopped speaking as Rosmerta brought over two more glasses of butter beer.
"Thank you." Hooch said as Rosmerta walked away. Once she was out of ear shot, she turned back to Hermione, signalling for her to continue.
"Anyway, after I calmed down, I realized that we weren't alone. Min-Minerva was standing there watching me."
Third year
"Miss Granger, are you alright?" Minerva asked as she stepped directly in front of Hermione's line of sight.
Hermione stood there staring at her head of house as if she had just called her a mudblood. She watched in fear as she walked towards her. Her brain was telling her to run, and to not turn back. But her legs wouldn't move. They felt like lead. She looked around her for a way to escape, but Harry was holding her where she was standing and Minerva was blocking the only way.
"Miss Granger?"
"P-Pro-Professor?"
"We have to take you to the Hospital Wing." She said gently.
Hermione shook her head so fast, the world started to spin. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a great gulp of air. When she opened her eyes again, Minerva was reaching out to her. She flinched back violently and turned into Harry, burying her head in his shoulder. "I d-don't need to go to the hospital wing P-Professor. H-Harry's with me." She looked up at Harry with teary eyes. "Right?" She asked, almost pleading.
Harry nodded his head. "Right."
Hermione smiled for the first time and hugged Harry tightly. Harry looked over her shoulder to say that he had everything under control, and that he'd take care of her to his Professor, but her expression stopped him. She looked like she had just lost her puppy. The unmistakable hurt and sadness was shining through the icy exterior, but it was quickly covered up when McGonagall noticed Harry staring at her. She looked at him for a second, then nodded her head and walked back down the corridor to her office.
Hermione watched over Harry's shoulder as Minerva walked down the corridor without looking back. 'She could never love me.' She thought and pulled back from Harry, wiping away the last tears on her cheek. "Thank you, Harry."
Harry smiled and brushed away the loose curl. "You're welcome Hermione."
Holly's Rooms
"After Minerva left us, I walked her into an empty classroom and sat her down." Harry explained. "I asked her why she didn't tell me, and she said that she thought I would leave her. That I'd hate her for what she was. I told her that it didn't matter to me, that she was still Hermione. She was so happy when I said that. After she jumped up and hugged me, I asked her to explain to me why she felt it was wrong to fall in love with McGonagall." Harry stopped talking and looked away from George.
"Did she, explain I mean." George asked after five minutes silence.
"Oh, she explained. Sort-of. She kind of mumbled most of it, but I got the main part. She had been brought up in a Christian family. They don't like gays and she was worried about what her parents would say. But, she was also worried about how the Professor would feel about her if she found out. She didn't really care about the age difference, or that she was her Professor. Just about how she would react."
Harry looked back at George with a smile. "She never has really cared what people think of her, but when it came to Minerva, she always wanted to be perfect."
He chuckled, and shook his head. "Anyway, a few days later, I watched Minerva to see how she acted around Hermione. At first, she treated her like a normal student, but after about one week, she started too acted different. You wouldn't notice it unless you were looking for it you see. She was touching her more frequently, talking to her more and standing a lot closer than normal. Once when she was quizzing us, I finished early and looked up. She was staring off into space. I thought she was thinking, but then I followed her line of sight. She was staring at Hermione. I knew straight away that the Professor like Hermione, but I wasn't sure she loved her. Now I do. So you see. We need to help them get together."