Thank you for the reviews! :) I hope you enjoy a nice Hermione and McGonagall chapter.

4 April 1994

It was a bright and sunny Friday afternoon and Minerva had finished teaching for the day. However, with a mountain of work to get through over the weekend, she had made the decision to get a bit of a headstart and stay in her classroom until she had to leave for the Quidditch match at 4. Yet, this task was made harder by the persistent cold she had managed to develop over the last few days.

Minerva sneezed for the hundredth time that day leaving her even more disgruntled. Making a mental note to stop by the Hospital Wing for some Pepper-Up potion later on, she filed away the last of her marked essays and stood up to move to the blackboard where she was planning on writing down some notes for her Monday morning fifth-year class.

No sooner had her chalk come into the contact with the board did a gentle tentative tap come from the door. Minerva put down her chalk.

"Come in," she said, just as she felt a sneeze coming. Hermione Granger entered the room just when Minerva sneezed. "Excuse me, Granger," she said, after blowing her nose.

Hermione did not seem perturbed. "Are you ill, Professor?"

"Just a simple cold," Minerva said dismissively, indicating that Hermione should take a seat, before taking one herself. "I assume you are here to talk about the Time-Turner."

"Isn't it three o'clock?" Hermione asked, her forehead creasing with worry as she pulled out her watch. "Oh, oh no..." she sank into her chair.

"Quite a bit late," Minerva said, "but that is of no matter."

"I can't believe I'm two hours late," Hermione continued, as though she hadn't heard Minerva at all. She seemed utterly dejected for a moment until her eyebrows creased again and then shot up. "I'm meant to be in Muggle Studies!" She stood up but Minerva held up her hand.

"Sit, please," she said. "I have taken the liberty of alerting Professor Burbage that you will not be joining her class today."

"Professor—"

"I will not hear any arguments, Miss Granger," Minerva said firmly. "Please sit back down."

Hermione did so, though hesitantly.

"I was made aware this morning that you did not attend Charms."

"It was only a small lapse," Hermione said quickly. "Really Professor I can do this, really I can."

Minerva held up her hand. "It is the end of the term, Miss Granger. I understand very well how tired one can get near the end of the year," she said. "However, I am concerned the amount of work you have undertaken is catching up with you."

"It isn't," Hermione said desperately. "I—I've just been," she trailed away. "Please don't make me drop a subject."

Minerva considered the girl for a moment. "I had a conversation with Professor Trelawney this morning. She informed me that you did not seem keen on keeping up Divination. Is that correct?"

"Well," Hermione began, blushing and looking down at her knees, "possibly... I might have been a bit short."

"So I was told," Minerva said.

"Will I be punished?"

"No, Miss Granger," Minerva assured her. "It happens to the best of us."

Hermione looked up briefly and Minerva raised her eyebrows slightly causing a flicker of a smile to cross Hermione's lips. "Could I drop Divinations, please?"

"Certainly, Miss Granger," Minerva said, taking out Hermione's timetable from her desk draw and tapping three pink squares. Divinations disappeared from the sheet giving Hermione's schedule a bit more breathing space. "Any other subject? Muggle studies—"

"I like that one," Hermione said quickly. She blushed. "Sorry."

"It may lighten your load, Hermione," Minerva said gently.

"No, no I want to keep it," Hermione said distractedly. "It—it's the only subject I can really discuss with my parents..." she trailed away and looked at her knees again.

Minerva didn't say anything for a moment, remembering what it had felt like for her trying to find bits and pieces about Hogwarts she could talk to her father about. For so long Minerva had just not spoken about Hogwarts at all. Then, in her third year, she too had picked muggle studies for the exact same reason; and it had worked. Minerva cleared her throat and shuffled some papers. "Very well," she said, "if you are quite adamant that you can manage these subjects."

"I can," Hermione said earnestly.

"Then I think we should leave it at that for today," Minerva continued. "But if this happens again then we will have to reconsider your timetable."

"It won't come to that, Professor McGonagall," said Hermione, looking pleased. "Thank you."

Minerva pursed her lips. "I am not sure if you should be thanking me, Granger," she said, though she didn't linger on the topic as the bell rang. "Will you be attending the Quidditch Match?"

"Harry is playing so," she trailed away and nodded, standing up. "They seem quite confident."

"I should hope so," Minerva said, "I would quite like to have the cup in my office this year."

Hermione smiled properly and Minerva answered it very briefly.

"Are you coming?"

"I will, though I have one or two tasks to address before I can go," Minerva replied. "I will see you there, Miss Granger."

Hermione nodded and picked up her bags and her books, causing Minerva to sigh slightly — it really was too much for a girl her age to be taking on. Before Hermione reached left the room, she turned. "See you later, Professor."

Minerva nodded and Hermione slipped out of the room. In the silence, Minerva became more aware of the headache that was slowly creeping up on her. After 5 minutes she clucked her tongue and stood up rather sharply. "Blasted cold," she muttered grumpily, tidying away a few files and then marching out of the classroom - she would finish the notes of on the board later.