A/N: Alrighty, my loves. This is the ending I had planned. You all loved it enough that I'm not ruling out adding more eventually, but I have nothing else to add for now. It was just a nice little peek behind the "Life of Minerva McGonagall" curtain, so to speak. I've not made it through replying to all the reviews yet either so I'll do that now 3 Thank you all who have trusted me and read it even though it was a weird little thing with weird relationship tags ;)

-0-

Ordinarily, after a date at a fancy restaurant with a tasting menu and a bottle of wine, she'd have taken Kate home, peeled her out of her deep blue dress and worshipped her body until the sun started peeking over the horizon. As it was, however, Minerva kissed her wife, deeply but without promise, and left her in their living room to visit Gryffindor Tower. She walked the deserted halls and up to the Gryffindor Common Room slowly. Her mind whirred endlessly with possibility after possibility. Despite Kate's assurances and her own common sense, the concept of revealing her whole life to Hermione was just as terrifying as it had always been.

She wondered at herself, the so-called Defender of Hogwarts, scared of revealing a little personal detail to a student that had become closer than any other. One that already knew the secret, at that. Not for the first time, she cursed her upbringing and the life-long fall out it had caused. The judgement, the scorn, the hate-filled words. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that it didn't even occur to her that she hadn't even changed out of her dress until she started to climb the stairs and nearly tripped on it.

Hermione, as the only female Gryffindor to return for her final year (and yes, perhaps because Minerva had a soft spot for her) had been given her own room. In fact, Minerva had made sure that it was set out exactly as she knew Hermione would like it. It had a large, deep desk, a whole wall of bookshelves and a little sitting area for when Ginny or any of Hermione's other friends wanted to 'hang out'. Minerva had received a genuinely excited hug for it, which Minerva had treasured every day since.

She knocked on the door. It was not unusual for Hermione to be studying late, but Minerva received no answer. She poked her head cautiously around the frame and smiled. Hermione was fast asleep, collapsed over her books and parchment with more books surrounding her bed. Minerva chuckled at the similarities between herself and the young woman and she gathered the work into a neat pile and put it on Hermione's desk. As she stood, gathering her thoughts, she read over what Hermione had already written and made one or two notes in the margin for Hermione to find when she next looked at it. Chuckling to herself, she turned back to look at the young woman, who had wedged herself so completely in Minerva's heart.

She should have left. As the professional that she was, she should have walked right out of Hermione's room, closed the door and caught Hermione - her student - in the morning before breakfast, or after classes in the afternoon. Yet she didn't, because truthfully, she didn't want to and in her mind, Hermione had stopped being just a student years ago. She sat on the edge of Hermione's bed with a sigh and watched as Hermione slept soundly.

They'd never had children, Kate and her. The option had been there; she was a Master of Transfiguration, of course, but they'd decided fairly early on that neither really had the time nor the inclination to deal with children. Kate was a Healer at St. Mungo's and had been eager to climb the ladder to Head of Department. Minerva had felt the same about her own career, trying first at the Ministry, and then at Hogwarts when the Ministry hadn't panned out. They'd discussed it, of course, when they were first in love and everything was new and shiny, and then again in the peace between Harry's birth and his return to the Wizarding World, but between their careers and the War, they had decided against it. Neither of them had ever regretted that decision, not even now that the war was ended and the peace was assured.

However, before Minerva had ever met Kate, back when she didn't know much of the world and had all these ideas of how her life might turn out, she had imagined having children. She wasn't sure why, given that she had known about her own preferences since she was very young. She had always chalked it off as being a little girl that didn't really understand the mechanics of it, but perhaps, even fifty-something years ago, she had known that the possibilities of magic were endless. In fact, she was sure quite a number of little girls imagined having babies, even if they grew up to decide differently. It seemed to be the way of the world, especially when she was small, that little girls were taught to have babies and little boys were taught to provide. She shook her head. She was looking forward to the day when all children were taught of the endless possibilities of life, without pushing them one way or t'other based on nothing more than tradition.

She remembered thinking that, despite her love for the female form, she might like just one, perhaps two children. Minerva chuckled as she realised how often imagined a child much like Hermione. Beautiful, charming, polite, intelligent beyond her years and utterly wonderful to be around. As she examined those thoughts, she wondered if perhaps she had not imagined a child, so much as a friend for so much of that description reminded her of Kate as well. And Minerva had been such a lonely child.

Much like the day she met Kate, it occurred to Minerva that she had fallen head over heels with Hermione as soon as the little thing had opened her mouth. Minerva couldn't remember what she'd asked as her first question at the kitchen table, in the Granger's home. But she remembered sitting there much longer than she'd ever done before, answering question after question and offering suggestion after suggestion as Hermione's mind finally found someone who could keep up. The Grangers had even left them to it at one point and only interrupted them as their discussion lasted nearly three hours. Minerva remembered being shocked, as she hadn't noticed a single moment go by.

She'd felt that way ever since.

A lifetime of memories flashed in front of her eyes as she reached forward and traced Hermione's cheek. She sighed at her muddled thoughts and wished she were braver. She wished her parents had been more accepting. She wished society had been more accepting. She wished she'd grown up in a time when it was almost nothing to reveal that part of yourself. She despaired at the pain Hermione might one day feel through no fault of her own. She didn't notice the flutter of eyelids, but as she got lost in her memories, she felt a smile under her fingers.

"Oh hi," Hermione muttered, mewling as she yawned. Minerva couldn't help but smile at the tiny squeak. "You ok?" She blinked and looked at her properly. "Wow, you look beautiful."

"Thank you," Minerva whispered, but didn't say anything more. They stared at each other for a little while before Minerva curled her finger at her and motioned for Hermione to sit up.

"Are you okay?" Hermione repeated.

Minerva didn't reply but as soon as Hermione was in a better position, Minerva pulled her close and held her tightly.

"I love you so much," she whispered into her hair, hoping Hermione would understand.

"I love you too," she muttered back easily, her arms wrapping around Minerva's body.

They sat like that for a long time before Minerva pulled away. She smiled down at Hermione, who reached up and wiped Minerva's cheeks.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because you make me very happy. And because you mean so much to me." Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "And mostly, because I'm so very relieved that you know my deepest secret and you have removed that whole burden from my mind in the most beautiful, softest of ways. Please believe me when I say that I have been trying to find the words to tell you for so long."

"I wasn't going to tell you I knew, until after I graduated. I figured -"

"I had that in mind too," Minerva snorted. "Though I was not happy about it. I wanted to tell you, so many times. I didn't know how."

"It's okay that you didn't," Hermione said gently, more gently than Minerva felt she deserved. "I realised last night that you grew up -" She giggled and it charmed Minerva. "Much earlier than I did. Times were different, right?"

"They were," Minerva conceded, once again shocked - but also not - that Hermione had just crashed through all of her worries with a smile and a whisper. "But that doesn't make it right. I should have -"

"It really is none of my business," Hermione interrupted. "No matter how much I," she smiled. "Care for you."

"Oh Hermione," Minerva muttered as she pulled her back into her arms.

"I'm sorry that I was in -"

"Don't," Minerva muttered. "I am sorry. We shouldn't have been -"

"Yeah but I was -"

They both paused and looked at each other before Hermione giggled.

"I am sorry."

"As am I," Minerva whispered, cupping Hermione's cheek.

"She's really beautiful," Hermione muttered, looking away.

"Aye," Minerva grinned, making Hermione giggle a little. "She is that."

Hermione seemed to suddenly realise what she was wearing.

"Wait, you," she shuffled back a little. "Did you go out? Tonight?"

"We did," Minerva nodded. "And we had a wonderful time. Matthew was most gracious."

"Did he -"

"He didn't come right out and say it, but it wasn't hard from what he did say to guess it was you. Excellent use of both a Disillusionment spell and what I imagine was a sneaky, silent, Alohomora?"

"Yeah," Hermione blushed. "If it's any consolation, once I realised what was happening I tried really hard not to watch."

"Yes," Minerva deadpanned. "That is of great consolation." Hermione laughed while Minerva rolled her eyes and brushed some of the hair back on Hermione's head.

"Would you like to come and meet her? Properly?"

"What, now?"

"Why not?" Minerva smiled, feeling like all the weight she'd carried around on her shoulders had just evaporated away.

"Because you're wearing that and I'm wearing -"

"Oh, she'll be in her jammies too, I shouldn't wonder."

"Don't you want to -" she blushed deeply and Minerva chuckled.

"Not that it's any of your business, but once we found out it was you, we would prefer to clear the air, as it were."

"Really?"

"Sweetheart," Minerva said deliberately. Hermione beamed. "When you've been married as long as we have, very few things can get in the way of the important things."

"But I'm not -"

"Oh, darling, I rather think you are the most important." Hermione burst into tears and Minerva held her, pressing kisses to her hair until she learnt back and wiped her eyes. "It's okay," Minerva whispered as she held her. "It's alright."

Hermione stopped and sighed, wiping her eyes and rubbing Minerva's shoulder where she'd left her tears.

"That doesn't matter," Minerva soothed. "Would you like to come and meet her?"

Hermione nodded.

"So much," she breathed.

Minerva stood and offered her hand, waving the other in the direction of the fire. They arrived on the rug of Minerva's sitting room in a flash of green fire. Kate was lounging on the sofa, reading a book and dressed in flannel pyjamas with unicorns on; a present from Albus Dumbledore for her birthday the year before he died.

"Hermione," Kate said eagerly, getting up. "It is so good to finally meet you."

"It's so good to meet you too -" Hermione glanced at Minerva.

"Allow me to introduce my wife," Minerva whispered. "Katherine Maxwell-McGonagall, Head of what is essentially Paediatrics at St. Mungo's."

"Kate," her wife corrected, softly, stepping up to Hermione. "For you, sweet child, just Kate."

Minerva's stomach was doing somersaults as Kate opened her arms and Hermione fell into them unabashed. Minerva felt the tears gathering in her eyes as Hermione held her wife tightly and Minerva finally met Kate's eyes over Hermione curls.

"Come here, Mama," Kate chuckled. "I think it's time we had our first family hug."