Alright, lovely readers, as requested, I have decided to continue this little one shot. I'll be keeping the chapters fairly short, just for consistency, but hopefully that means I'll be able to update it more regularly.
As usual, all mistakes are mine, all right belong to JKR. Enjoy!
-Imp
Minerva woke the next morning with a steady pounding behind her eyes. Sitting up and finding her glasses, she attempted to get herself out of bed. She groaned as the world spun around her, coming to a halt as she steadied herself with a hand on her side table.
Her pinky finger brushed a small bottle and she turned to eye it, thinking that it shouldn't be there since she couldn't remember putting it there. The tiny vial of hangover potion stared back at her, mocking her with its label as if it knew what she had done the previous night. She glared at it, refusing to acknowledge that she needed it. Attempting to stand, Minerva heaved herself to her feet, immediately sitting back down as a wave of nausea flooded her system.
She eyed the small bottle again before sighing. She snatched it and popped the cork, tossing the putrid liquid down her throat in one go. She grimaced before sighing again, this time in contentment as the pounding of her head subsided and the nausea faded away. Thank goodness for potion masters.
As she put the vial back down, she noticed a small envelope that had been sitting underneath it. She reached out to take it and paused, seeing her name across the front in decidedly familiar handwriting. A rush of scattered, broken memories assaulted her at the thought of who the familiar handwriting belonged to. Minerva groaned as she remembered what had happened, dropping her head into her hands and pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes.
She reached out, sliding the paper off the side table and staring at her name, her first name, sitting brazenly in front of her. Other than the previous night, Minerva could not recall Hermione ever using her given name. She turned the parchment over, breaking the unadorned wax seal with shaking hands.
Minerva, it read.
I hope the hangover potion helps. I didn't want to assume, but I also wanted to make sure you were alright after last night. Nothing could help her embarrassment after last night, she thought. I was hoping to speak to you about what happened, but I'm sure you probably want to put it behind you. Just know that whenever you're ready, I want to hear from you about what's really going on.
Yours,
Hermione
Not bloody likely. Minerva in no way planned to owl the younger woman to arrange a meeting, discussion out of the question regarding the reason for her trip into Muggle London or her subsequent running into of a certain bushy-haired muggleborn. Putting the letter back on her nightstand, Minerva stood and proceeded to get ready for her day, shuffling herself into her bathroom, a shower being her first order of business.
Twenty minutes later, wrapped in a tartan robe with her wet hair braided over one shoulder, Minerva emerged and walked into her sitting area to make a pot of tea. Images of the previous night floated through her mind as she waited for the water to boil. The feeling of Hermione's cheek under her hand causing her cheeks to heat and her fingertips to tingle. Shaking her head, she poured the now hot water into her teapot and carried it to the table.
As she settled down, steaming mug in hand, a sharp rap at her door brought her out of her thoughts. Sighing, she pulled herself out of her chair and walked to the door, pulling it open with a jerk, meeting the concerned eyes of Filius Flitwick, her diminutive deputy.
"Good morning, Minerva," the half-goblin stated, brushing past her and summoning a cup of his own before settling himself at her table.
"Make yourself at home, then," she grumbled, shutting her door and moving to follow him back to her table. She sat, grasping her mug and taking a careful sip of the scalding liquid. Filius levitated the pot and poured himself a measure before regarding Minerva over the rim of his own, now steaming mug.
"So," he said, giving her a knowing look. "Want to talk about it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Minerva muttered, taking another sip.
"Oh no?" He asked, his eyebrows rising a fraction as he looked at her. "Nothing to say about being apparated back here last night by a certain ex-student?"
Minerva kept her features in a careful mask of indifference as she shrugged. "She helped me get back to the castle safely after I ran into her in Muggle London," she sniffed. "What of it?"
Filius took a careful sip of his own tea before staring her down. "Come now, Minerva," he said, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled at her. "We both know you're perfectly capable of apparating yourself anywhere you wish. What happened?"
Minerva stared into her tea, watching the tendrils of steam dance upwards. After all, Filius was her most trusted friend, and a particularly gifted Ravenclaw, he probably already knew exactly what she was going to say. No harm done, then.
"I went out for a pint," she stated, not looking away from her mug. "One pint turned into several, and then to my great astonishment, Miss Granger walked into the very pub I had been getting sloshed in." Her face crumbled into a combination of pain and embarrassment as she spoke, still refusing to look at him. "I told her to bugger off, drank another pint and several shots of whiskey, before she decided I had had enough and very firmly told me that she would apparate me back to Hogwarts to ensure I wouldn't splinch myself."
Filius hummed a noncommittal response, choosing to take another sip of his tea before pinning her with another of his knowing looks. "So, you didn't tell her that you're madly in love with her and have been since her apprenticeship?"
Minerva sighed, of course he knew. "Bloody Ravenclaws," she huffed, finally turning to regard him. "How long have you known?"
"For as long as you've been trying to hide it my dear." He smiled at her then, making her feel completely transparent. "Have you thought about what might happen if you did tell her?"
"Absolutely not," she spat, brows furrowing. "She's in a relationship, Filius. For Godric's sake, they just got engaged, I've no right to barge into her life again and make things complicated."
"She has the right to know why you've stopped owling her as well, though," Filius shared. "She's always looked up to you Minerva, you can't just ignore her. She deserves the truth." He drained the last of his tea before sending it floating across the room to her sideboard. "At least send her an owl letting her know that you're well and that you'll be out of touch for a while." He hopped down off his chair and made his way to her door. "You owe her that much at least. See you at dinner."
Minerva watched him disappear behind the large wooden door and heard the latch click into place. Perhaps he was right, it couldn't hurt to let the younger woman know that she was alright. Reaching for her wand, she summoned parchment, quill, and ink, brainstorming how best to let her know not to expect another owl for some time.
-End
Part two complete! Let me know what you think!
-Imp