A/N: Happy 20th Chapter day my darlings! There is so much to do and so little time. Spin has asked me to pass on her thanks for all your lovely messages :D She is a gem and I treasure her and it makes me happy to know that you all do too!
In another moment of "What would we do without Spin" at one point in a coming chapter, everyone was just standing around watching people breathing. Which is creepy, without context but it was no less creepy when there was context, let me tell you.
To Spin, my glorious beta and best friend forever, I adore you. Don't ever leave me! Mwah.
For disclaimer, please see Ch2.
Title Translation: Atomic Transfiguration
-0-
Hermione awoke the next morning to a soft tickle down her nose, and she scrunched it up to prevent any more.
"Sorry, sweetheart," Minerva whispered, a smile in her voice.
Hermione blinked, looking around and remembering the day prior. She sighed.
"Surely it isn't that bad to wake up to my face?" Minerva quipped though Hermione could tell she didn't mean it seriously.
"You know it isn't," Hermione muttered, squeaking as she stretched. "I just realised that my suspension means I'm alone, when you're busy I mean. There's no noise. Common rooms are so noisy."
"I'm -"
"Don't," Hermione shook her head, her curls falling over her face. "It won't be too bad, and it's my own fault. And I get to be here with you, when you're not busy," she grinned.
"Enough of that," Minerva said gently, pushing Hermione's hair away. "It is early, but I wondered if you wanted to have a little breakfast with me, before I have to go to the Hall."
"Is Professor Dumbledore not here?" Hermione asked before she realised what she'd said. "Sorry, that's -"
"He had a cup of tea with me and is now in his office and will join the rest of us in the Hall," Minerva leaned closer and kissed her forehead. "What he does not know will not hurt him."
Hermione chuckled and nodded, rolling off the bed and wrapping her arms around Minerva. She found the previous day that she had enjoyed being held by Minerva and made a deal with herself to try and make sure it happened as often as possible.
"Be on wit' ya," Minerva grumbled, pulling her back and kissing her hair anyway. "Shower, get dressed and I'll meet you in the living room."
"'Kay."
The shower was needed. She hadn't realised how dirty she'd felt until she emerged freshly clean in new robes. She did the best she could with her hair, but decided that without her wand, she would only be able to do so much. Throwing it up in a messy bun, she made a mental note to find something to practice on, lest she magic away half her hair.
"There you are," Minerva said, pointing to the seat opposite her. "Tea?"
"Yes please," Hermione smiled. If this was what suspension was like, she'd have done something to put herself here sooner.
Not that she'd say that out loud.
"Now," Minerva said, looking over the rim of her teacup. "I have two things to tell you. One," she fixed Hermione with a stare. "Do not think that this is me going easy on you. If you step one foot out of line, I will come down on you like a ton of bricks, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Professor," Hermione answered, clearly noting the tone of voice.
"Two: after class and before your dinner, you will do your homework and work on that essay for me."
"The one on the counter curse?"
"Precisely."
"Okay," Hermione nodded. "I can do that."
"You will need instructions," Minerva said, her eyes bright with something Hermione couldn't quite catch. "So listen carefully." She nodded. "I want you to consider this a research project. I want you to explain how to create a curse and how to bind the words together. I want an explanation on that curse and why it works and how. And then, this will be the hard part, I want you to create a counter curse using what you've learned."
Hermione nodded, her brain already whizzing ahead.
"How will I -"
"Leave your tea," Minerva smiled, offering her hand. "We'll only be a moment."
Hermione let Minerva take her hand and walk her to the corner of the living room. She adored the shelves full of books that lined this wall of the room. When she had visited before, she had run her fingers over the spines when Minerva wasn't paying attention. If anything, it made her feel closer to the woman in question. Bookshelves were a deeply personal thing, as far as she was concerned.
"Come 'ere."
Minerva pulled Hermione in front of her and wrapped her arms around her middle, pointing to a small painting of what looked like a Scottish hillside. Minerva spoke a word that was not English and the painting glimmered a moment before disappearing. The wall seemed to open like a chasm before her and Hermione's mouth fell open.
"Holy shit!"
"Hermione," Minerva tutted, but chuckled just the same.
"There's gotta be more books here than in the library!"
"A few less," Minerva smiled. "Though many of these would be in the Restricted Section."
"And I can just read," she looked at Minerva over her shoulder. "Any of them?"
"You can," Minerva said carefully. "Though I'm trusting you to do the right thing. There are books in here, Hermione, that will not do anyone any good. Dangerous book, full of evil things. I," she sighed. "Don't make me regret trusting you."
"I promise," Hermione nodded, squeezing the hands around her middle. "Thank you."
"Alright," Minerva said, touching the painting that was now on the wall beside the entryway. "Breakfast."
"What! No! But -"
"Merlin, you sound just like I did at seventeen. Breakfast now," Minerva chuckled, nodding to the table. "Books later."
"Fine," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Wait, what was the password?"
Minerva smiled indulgently.
"Prìseil. Roughly pri-shell. It means 'precious' in Gàidhlig, my native tongue."
Hermione nodded and practised a few times before Minerva agreed that she had it as close as she could. Hermione ate in comfortable silence, watching as Minerva read a few parchments and that morning's edition of The Daily Prophet. She glanced up now and then, smiling at Hermione, who couldn't take her eyes off her.
"What is it?" she asked gently, startling Hermione into realising that Minerva had known she was staring the whole time.
"Um, nothing," Hermione blushed. "Just nice to spend time with you," Hermione shrugged. "I like watching you work."
"I am enjoying it too," she soothed, winking as she scrawled her name on the parchment in front of her and glancing at another. "Here, you'll like this."
Hermione baulked as she passed over a letter. She glanced at Minerva, before reading it.
"A Transfiguration conference?"
"Aye," Minerva smiled. "They hold one every year in the summer. The latest and greatest theories. New techniques," she made a face. "An unending line of people who wish to shake my hand."
Hermione chuckled and glanced down at it.
"You wouldn't go though?"
"No, not this year," Minerva shook her head. "I would have to go to America and be away for a week." A wave of sadness washed over her face. "I cannot make those sorts of plans this far out."
Hermione didn't reply, but folded it and put it in her pocket.
"Oh, it's like that, is it?"
"Maybe I'll ask them to send me the notes. Even better, maybe you and I can go next year." Hermione smiled, making Minerva laugh.
"Never change, little one. And I would love to take you."
Hermione beamed and went back to her breakfast, chewing thoughtfully on her toast as thoughts of transfiguring matter once again popped into her head.
"Can I ask you something?" Hermione asked, before she could control her tongue.
Minerva looked at her in confusion.
"Sorry, I spoke before I was ready," Hermione rushed in apology. "I just meant, about Transfiguration."
"Of course. Anything," Minerva said, throwing down the quill and sitting back with her legs crossed, tea perched on her knee.
She was moving so much better; Hermione patted herself on the back.
"You cannot create something from nothing, correct? Like we said, about your muscles. Gamp's Law?"
Minerva nodded, waiting for the actual question before answering it. Hermione liked that about her best. She let Hermione talk it through before interrupting.
"But," she stalled. "Well, do you know about the universe?"
Minerva quite rightly quirked her eyebrow and Hermione huffed at herself.
"Sorry, I meant - everything is made up of atoms, right? Protons, electrons etc?"
"Correct," Minerva nodded, looking thoughtfully at her. "Skip to the good part. One must know about atoms to get one's First Level Transfiguration Mastery."
Hermione blushed.
"Sorry," she muttered.
"I'm not, "Minerva smiled gently. "How were you to know? I'm pleased you know about them though. Keep going."
"Well, if Transfiguration is about," she chewed thoughtfully. "Altering atoms," she tasted that explanation, turning her nose up. "Amending the final construction of atoms," she said, making Minerva smile. "Why is it that we can't use the atoms that are all around us to create things, elements, I mean. Like gold, or," she shrugged. "I dunno, aluminium? Calcium? Your muscles! If we knew the right formula, I mean? Even something not so elemental. Why can we not just magic up food? A cake, for example?"
Minerva took a deep breath, watching Hermione carefully, even as Hermione watched her.
"You," Minerva said, putting down her tea. "Have stumbled upon a topic of great," she paused. "Argument between Transfiguration Masters."
"It doesn't make any sense."
"I am in agreement with you, though many are not," Minerva smiled, leaning forward and resting her head on her hand. "You are quite brilliant, Hermione."
"Ron reckons it's scary," Hermione rolled her eyes. "I feel like a freak sometimes."
"No," Minerva said, stopping her. "Not scary, and you're not a freak. I mean it. I studied as you have, for seven years within these walls, then three outside." She looked up, like she was calculating something. "Admittedly some of that was during wartime, but mostly, totalled up, it was roughly three. More if you consider how many years I worked for the Ministry. Ten years of official education Hermione, and countless hours of research and Mastery before I came to that conclusion. You have done so in less than six."
"Yeah, but I started in Muggle school and," Hermione blushed, making Minerva chuckle. "I have you as a teacher."
"Would you like to know a secret?" Minerva asked gently. Hermione nodded. "I started in Muggle school too," Hermione smiled. "And I'm not that good, little one."
Hermione went to argue, but saw Minerva was teasing her. She glanced at the clock on the mantle and saw that Minerva would have to go soon.
"I know," Minerva smiled, without turning to see what she was looking at. "But, look at it this way," she waved her hand and summoned a book from one of her shelves. "While I'm gone, you'll have plenty of time to read."
She passed it over and Hermione took it gently. She stared wide-eyed at Minerva.
"I can read this?"
"You may," Minerva smiled gently. "You are not to practice it," she said sternly. "But you may read it."
Hermione stared down at the 'Mastery Textbook: Volume One' and beamed.
"That's better," Minerva said, getting up with a small groan. "Before I go, would you like me to help you with your hair?"
"I," Hermione put her hand on top of her head. "I was using my wand to help control it."
"Well, allow me then," Minerva said, pulling out the hair-tie and running her fingers through it. After a shorter amount of time than Hermione was used to, Minerva kissed the top of her head and told her to be good. Leaving with a smile and a wink, she grabbed her hat from the cloak stand.
Hermione ran her hands over her hair, finding it in a beautifully perfect plait. She walked to the bathroom and examined it, grinning when she realised it was exactly the same as Minerva wore after hours. Biting her lip at herself, she walked to the bed - her bed now - and lay on it, opening the Transfiguration textbook with a smile. Suspension was, so far, turning out to be awesome.