Authors Note: Thanks again to the wonderful Tigertales for her help and for kicking my butt when I need it ;)
The next chapter will be a few days / by next week - thank you all for reviewing.
Apparating to the gates of Hogwarts Minerva opened them to allow the boys access. Turning straight around she grabbed her wand and activated the wards around the walls. "Go to the hospital wing first and get those burns taken care of – then go and find the horcrux." Harry started to object and she shot him a look, "You said that he was going to be a few hours, you will not be fit to fight if you are this injured."
With that said she stalked off towards her office. She rang a bell on the edge of the desk setting off a larger one that rang throughout the school.
Hermione waddled slowly across the living room, meeting Minerva in the doorway. "Oh god are you ok?"
"I am now." Minerva's hand slid around the back of Hermione's neck pulling her into a passionate kiss. She was rejoicing into the kiss, rejoicing in the fact that they were both alive. The kiss changed; became frantic, became desperate, her hold on her young wife tightening, a second hand tangling in chestnut curls.
Hermione pulled back, holding the older womans face in her hands, "What's wrong Minerva?"
"Voldemort is on his way here, will be here within hours." Hermione paled at Minerva's words. "Harry had a vision."
In response to the bell; the students massed in the Great Hall, the teachers sat in the Headmistresses office and Filch was barring the school against intruders. Minerva leaned on her desk addressing the professors.
Despite the seriousness of the moment the other professors were smiling. Hermione was dabbing at Minerva's wounds with essence of Dittany. The older woman had tried to move more than once but Hermione had just pulled her back into a sitting position and continued her ministrations.
"I have contacted the aurors and The Order of the Phoenix, they will be here shortly. We will evacuate all of the students that we can into Hogsmead."
"We cannot hope to defeat him Minerva."
"No, we cannot. Albus left Harry Potter a mission, we need to slow down Voldemort to allow him to complete that mission. This is the time and place where we make our stand against him, I need you all to do your parts and defend this castle."
Slughorn mumbled something and Minerva whirled to face him. "It is time that Slytherin House decides where its loyalties truly lie. You and they will be free to leave but if you stay and raise arms against us, we will be duelling to kill!"
He gasped and tried to argue with her but she cut him off. "The time for divided loyalties is over Horace. This is serious." She addressed the rest of the staff now, in a gentler tone but her voice was still full of authority, "I will meet you in the Great Hall in a few minutes."
Once the staff had left them alone Minerva turned to face Hermione. Trepidation filled chocolate eyes met hers. "Please don't send me away Minerva."
"Sweetheart, you know I have to."
Hermione began to cry silently and without fanfare, tears running down her face as she stared at her wife. "I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you and the boys."
"Oh 'Mione." Minerva drew her into an embrace, running her fingers through Hermione's hair and kissing her gently.
"Please don't, I need to be here."
Minerva sat down pulling the heavily pregnant Hermione onto her lap, holding her tightly. "You need to go, to be somewhere safe."
"But..."
"But nothing, I will not be able to do what I need to do if I know that you are in danger. As I just told Horace, we cannot have divided loyalties right now. I need to know that you and the baby are safe."
The young woman was weeping openly now, sure that she was going to loose friends today. Knowing that Minerva was right and they had to think about the baby. She placed her hands on her stomach, feeling Minerva's join hers as they engaged in a silent communion with their baby – united as a family in this moment of separation.
Harry twirled Gryffindors sword idly between his palms as he watched Hermione puff with exertion as she entered the hall behind Minerva. There were rivulets of tears still falling down her cheeks as she watched the Headmistress with pain-filled brown eyes that she made no attempt to hide.
"As you may know He Who Shall Not Be Named is on his way here, even now his followers' batter at our defences. The Professors of Hogwarts and our honoured guests will stay here and fight, if you are of age you may remain and fight if you choose but there is no shame in retreating."
Pansy Parkinson stood up screaming abuse at Harry, it was at that moment that Minerva effectively banished Slytherin house from the school. Ordering them from the Great Hall and out of her presence. The under-age students followed them under her watchful eye, she tried to ensure that none of them stayed behind.
Filch had already gone to try and facilitate the evacuation and Poppy was about to follow once the final students had left the hall. "Aren't you supposed to be looking for something Mr Potter?"
Minerva and Hermione exchanged a charged look, it was filled with emotion, full of everything that they had said and everything that they had yet to say and might not get another chance at. The young woman spoke too softly for anyone to hear her except her wife.
"There's something I need you to know Minerva. Our relationship might have started off on slightly shaky ground but I don't regret a moment of it. Your love is the greatest gift that I could ever receive, the greatest thing that I have ever known – talk about magic. Know that I love you truly in return, deeply, madly, irrevocably – I give my love to you freely and without reservation. Loving you and being loved by you makes more sense than anything I have ever known. If anything happens, remember that."
Placing a hand on the small of her back Hermione began to waddle across the floor to join Poppy, who regarded her with a worried look. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, just a backache."
Another worried look.
"What?"
"How long have you been in pain?"
"Since last night." Hermione frowned curiously, not understanding what Poppy was getting at.
"For the love of...... Minerva!" Poppy raised her voice so that Minerva could hear her over the din as everyone dispersed.
The Headmistress jogged over to the two women, shooting a concerned glance at her wife. "You hollered?"
"Hermione's in labour."
"WHAT!?" The shock was evident in both of their voices as they spoke at the same time.
"She's having the baby."
"When?"
"Now."
"I can't be having the baby now, it's too early." Terrified brown eyes looked frantically from her wife to the school nurse and back again. This was not how she had envisioned giving birth, banished from Hogwarts without Minerva at her side, knowing that Minerva would be in danger.
"We need to find somewhere safe for her to have the baby."
"What do you mean? She is going to Hogsmead with everyone else."
"No Minerva I'm afraid she isn't. We cannot drag her down a passage in her condition, the risk is unacceptable."
"And what about the risk of keeping her here, during a battle?"
Hermione leant against the wall as the first proper contraction hit her, she grimaced in pain still staring at her wife.
"This is a first pregnancy Minerva and Hermione is very young."
The Headmistress sighed, "Where do you recommend?"
"The come and go room."
Minerva sighed and levitated Hermione gently with her wand, rapidly moving in the direction of the Room of Requirement. Poppy following hastily behind trying to review her training in her mind, she hadn't delivered a baby in decades and while Hermione's pregnancy was proceeding normally the circumstances were anything but normal.
Minerva and Poppy had not long placed Hermione in bed when they saw flashes of light coming from outside the small window.
"Minerva... You need to go." Hermione panted at her wife, hating the necessity of her words, desperately needing Minerva to stay with her but knowing that there was more at stake.
The older woman leaned in and kissed her wife, gently pressing lips against full youthful ones before moving to Hermione's forehead. She maintained the contact for a long moment, brushing a hand over the young woman's swollen belly. Minerva pulled back looking into Hermione's chocolate eyes, feeling the movements of the bump under her hands.
"Poppy...."
"Yes Minerva?"
"Concentrate on keeping that door invisible. Also I need you to protect Hermione, if someone gets past me and through the door – you are the only thing keeping her safe. I know you don't like to duel but..."
"I understand."
With a final look at Hermione Minerva turned and loped out of the room, towards what promised to be the final battle of this war.