Going Back, Going Forth –– Chapter 12
As Hermione moved to sit down beside Filius, the tiny Charms professor wriggled off of his chair and offered it to his former pupil, now colleague, with a hand gesture and a smile. "I still have to go and get my order at Scrivenshaft's. They said my new quills might be ready this weekend, so I better go and see if they are," he said. "The weather looks ominous, and I would like to be back at the castle before the downpour, hopefully with my new quills. Good day." With a small nod to both Minerva and Hermione, the tiny professor said goodbye before turning and immediately getting lost in the crowd.
Hermione followed Minerva's gaze to the window as it did. "It does look like it is really going to rain soon, but I still can't help but feel that Filius seemed to be keen on leaving when I joined you."
Minerva's emerald gaze met the other woman's hazel one as they both turned their attention away from the window and the impending weather change. "I agree," she said. "I know for a fact that he did order those new quills, though. I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with you," she added upon seeing the question in Hermione's eyes, adding a small smile that Hermione did not return, making her own disappear in seconds as well. She had noticed her talking with Harry and Ginevra and wanted to know how Hermione felt about seeing them again, but she didn't know if it was her right to do so. In any case it may not be the right place, filled with witches and wizards who Hermione undoubtedly wouldn't feel all that comfortable about, even if the yelling and shouting from the few custom drunkards and the general uproar from everyone else would make it very hard to hear anyone who wasn't sitting or standing very close. She was quite sure that Filius had noticed the look of defeat in Hermione's eyes as well and that that was the reason for his sudden departure, possibly feeling that Minerva alone would be able to talk to her and help her better than she could have had with him sitting there. It seemed that she didn't have to ask anything, though, because Hermione's behavior said everything basically, especially as she cast her gaze away from Minerva and seemed to stare into thin air, looking at the people at the bar yet not.
"They asked me to be the godmother of their first baby," Hermione whispered just loud enough for only Minerva to hear it.
"What did you tell them?"
"I accepted," Hermione replied, letting her gaze wander over the groups of laughing young witches and wizards in the pub. Many were showing off their purchases from Zonko's and Honeydukes, the two most popular shops according to Hogwarts pupils in Hogsmeade. During her school days, Hermione had visited Tomes and Scrolls a fair few times, too, even if she hadn't liked the general randomness of how the books were shelved. She wondered how long it had been since she had truly laughed with joy like those pupils at the table a little further over. It might have been half a decade. Teaching was manageable now, but here, somehow the youth she had lost and visions of the future of others her age, like Harry and Ginny having a baby, was very… confronting. It was not a nice feeling. She felt trapped like she had upon returning, when the article and the questions had come. This was too much public exposure, too soon after she had only just settled in at Hogwarts and her new position.
"Hermione?"
"I'm sorry, Minerva," Hermione said, barely managing those these three words in between gasps for air. She had stood to leave without properly realizing she had done so as a defense mechanism to get away from the confrontation she wasn't really ready for yet. "I really have to go back to the castle –– I have some homework to correct, and I would rather be back before the downpour as well. I'll see you tonight at dinner."
"Hermione, wait!" However, the other woman had turned and begun to make her way through the crowd to leave already. Minerva was not an intrusive sort of person and gave people their space when they needed it, the last she wanted forcing her presence on someone else no matter the situation. However, there had been a look in Hermione's eyes that somehow made Minerva act against her usual manners. Her instincts told her to follow, so that's what she did. Taking a breath and closing her eyes, she willed herself into her cat form.
Darting through the legs of the others in the pub with an agility she only possessed in her Animagus shape, the headmistress found her way to the exit, taking advantage of new customers just coming in to slip through the crack in the door –– it saved her the trouble of having to return to her human shape to open the door and then turn back. She was a lot faster in her cat shape, even if she was smaller that way. She cursed as a few raindrops began to fall, intensifying into the predicted downpour. She mewled as the rain hit her, unable to cast a spell that would protect her from the rain in her Animagus form.
Noticing Hermione already halfway up the lawn back to the castle, Minerva ran faster. Minerva guessed that she had Apparated from the Three Broomsticks to the Hogwarts gates, beyond which Apparating was no longer possible for anyone. Given she was the headmistress, she was, however, able to Apparate anywhere she pleased within Hogwarts, but given she didn't know for certain where Hermione was going… and she needed the time it would take to reach Hermione to consider what she was doing, too. As she ran, a myriad of thoughts were running through her head.
She finally managed to catch up with Hermione in the corridor of the Transfiguration classroom and her personal chambers. As she did, she leapt and her form grew and elongated to that of her human self. "Hermione," she breathed, causing the other woman to turn and fall back against the wall, looking straight into Minerva McGonagall's emerald eyes full of worry –– worry about her.
There was something in her gaze that took Hermione's breath away again. As her own breath stilled in her throat, she seemed to notice the same reaction in Minerva as well. She felt it more than anything else. "Minerva…" Hermione whispered back, a gasp leaving her mouth as she felt Minerva take a step closer to her so their bodies touched; then Hermione's hand was on her hip. The intensity of it all made her close her eyes, and seconds after, she felt the touch of hot wet lips upon hers, capturing them in a kiss and claiming them as hers.
It was not her first kiss, but she had never before kissed someone and felt what she felt when Minerva's lips touched hers. She opened herself willing to the overload of sensations as they washed through her. She felt as if she needed to give in, to just for a second get lost in something so beautiful, in someone so beautiful.
As air became a necessity and they parted, their eyes opening to each other and what had just happened between them, shock overtook the electrical sensation and replaced it. "Oh Merlin." With that, Hermione pulled away, looking into Minerva's eyes a second longer than necessary before slipping between Minerva's body and the wall just as the headmistress took a step back. She didn't look back as she hurried to her room to hide from the consequences of what she had let happen, which were bound to come after her sooner rather than later, leaving Minerva standing alone in the corridor.
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