Luckily for the two women, the car was an automatic and the older witch was a quick study. They descended the high valley through the forest, Minerva too focused on steering to notice many of the sights but she listened to Hermione's voice, learning the cadences of her speech and the very subtle blend of accents that were only noticeable on a few words.

"The first fortress was built here in about the sixth century, with the current castle dating back to the fifteenth but thankfully it hasn't been destroyed since, as I doubt we have the know-how or manpower to rebuild. After the first Muggle World War, we started moving from smaller Conclaves to large ones like this. Many of the European families moved here, finding safety in numbers."

"Are there still smaller groups?"

"There are. Many families still keep ancestral properties around the world, just in case. Some groups however live in small units of just a few families, they tend to only deal with us to expand their bloodlines."

"Any in Britain?"

"I believe that there are a few in Scotland, one in Ireland and one in the Lakes. At one point there were more but with Muggle technology advancing so rapidly and the… political situation being what it is, most of those families moved."

Hermione tapped her fingers on the door handle, no longer holding on for grim death but now cautiously confident in Minerva's driving abilities. She let herself get lost in thought, before being interrupted a few minutes later. "Why are you anxious, Hermione?"

The young woman glanced sideways, surprised that Minerva could read her emotions already. "Andrew set me up to meet with the Council of Elders this evening and as you have graciously agreed to be my mate, you will need to attend too. I need to address them regarding the events of yesterday and about my decision regarding you."

"Can they overrule you?"

Hermione pursed her lips, "In theory, yes, but in reality it's highly doubtful, almost unheard of in fact. I am fairly well-liked and by now news about us has spread, so while this may be somewhat unconventional - I am confident it will go our way."

"So why are you tapping your fingers and fidgeting?"

"My father is on the Council. He wants me to take his seat and is convinced that in order to do so, at my comparatively young age, I should be more traditional. He spends much of his time trying to organise arranged marriages for me." She gave a chuckle at Minerva's visible wince, "He hasn't long accepted my preference regarding the gender of a potential mate. So he is likely to be rather… dismayed that I chose my own."

"And that I'm human?"

"Truthfully, he'll be more disappointed that you don't come with political ties but yes."

Minerva laughed hollowly. "Any advice in dealing with them?"

"Same as with all of us; don't lie, prevaricate or otherwise be dishonest. Confidence is the best approach. Just be yourself, from what I have seen - you can more than hold your own."

"Such a flatterer." They exchanged a warm smile before the witch looked back at the road.

At that moment the road turned sharply left, the treeline ended and Minerva gasped audibly at the view, stopping the car abruptly. Hermione put her hand on the gearstick and popped the Land Rover into park. "Beautiful isn't it."

When Minerva had heard the words, "castle" and "fortress", she pictured something like Hogwarts, round towers, flowing battlements and extensive grounds. This stronghold was like nothing she had ever seen. The children had been right, it was built into the mouth of a gargantuan cavern, the roof partly sheltered by the bulk of the cliff. The building was roughly L shaped, constructed of smooth white stone and the entire front face of it was level with the drop off, making it appear to be carved out of the rock face itself.

The towers were square, with pyramidical roofs of varying heights, tiled in a grey slate that matched the mountainside. Numerous square windows would let plentiful light in, presumably because the rear of the fortress would be within the cave itself. It was stunning; both in its location and the unadorned complexity of its design. "There are tunnels that lead into it from the town below, which was much more recently built, and also to the mountain behind."

"Has it ever been taken by force?"

"No, it's predecessor was partially destroyed by siege magicians in the fourteenth century but only the curtain wall truly crumbled, they didn't get close to the inner sanctum. Wolves exited the tunnels and outflanked them, it was a rout. No one has made a concerted effort since and the location has been painstakingly removed from human records."

Minerva raised an eyebrow, knowing that such a thing would be a massive undertaking. "Resourceful bunch, aren't you?"

"Well we do try." Hermione grinned flirtatiously. "Now let's go. You have an appointment with our healer and then we have to find you something to wear tonight."

"And there I was thinking that you would conduct all of your meetings naked." They both laughed this time and Minerva carefully drove towards the castle, idly thinking that she shouldn't be allowed to be in control of an automobile anywhere near five-hundred-year-old stonework. All the while wondering what would await her beyond the distant gates.

Minerva was surprised to find that she wasn't ostracised by Hermione's peers upon entering the castle, she did get rather a lot of stares and several people sniffed the air to identify her but most greeted her warmly. There was, however, a lot of partial and complete nudity for her to deal with. The witch found herself blushing rather a lot as she was led through a maze of hallways.

The door to what Hermione called the medical centre was modern, Muggle and slid open to allow them entry as they approached. Minerva lifted an eyebrow at its dichotomous appearance when compared with the ancient architecture around them. This room was brightly lit with natural light and featured a row of chairs on one side. A pretty young blonde in a blue uniform looked up at them from the desk and subtly sniffed in their direction, "Here to see Luisa? I'll let her know."

Hermione nodded her thanks wordlessly and then followed Minerva over to the window, seeing the view that had transfixed the older woman. From this angle; the whole valley was clear far below them, with the small town tucked against the mountain, fields and a river stretching to the horizon. "Not a bad place to spend the rest of your life, is it?"

Minerva pursed her lips, "It is certainly pretty."

"I never tire of that view." The wolf pointed down at a large building surrounded by an iron fence, "That's the main school, the smaller building behind it is the magical school. They do share some facilities but for the most part the students are kept separate."

Hermione spoke for a few more minutes, pointing out various buildings and trying to accustom Minerva to her new surroundings. Explaining that most but not all of the people living in this settlement were quartered within the castle itself, and that the town was more for work and recreation. "There are also two more settlements within this Conclave, we can go and see them soon if you'd like." Hermione paused, "I'm happy to relocate if you decided that you prefer one of them."

Minerva looked at the younger woman curiously, "You would?"

A nod, "I'm very aware that this isn't easy for you, nor is it always going to be smooth sailing in the future. If there is anything I can do that may make it easier, I'm willing and able."

"What is it that you do?"

"I work for the Territory and Security Division of our government. It's mainly a desk job but a few times a month I take a turn on patrol, like last night, we don't have many magic users which is why a fourteen year old had to cover me while I stayed with you." Hermione chortled, "She did a fabulous job, admittedly."

The wolf continued, "Basically I come up with ways to better guard our borders and my personal project is to reduce the amount of human deaths caused by accidental trespass. Since I took over the role; I've reduced yearly totals by almost fifty percent, which is wonderful. I can do better, I just have to convince the Council that magic is reliable and long term but they're dragging their heels a little."

Minerva was taken aback by the obvious feeling behind the words and by the young woman's tone. She felt a wave of relief flood through her, the Gryffindor didn't want to be part of anything that would include the murder of innocents and was more than glad Hermione felt the same. "If there is anything I can do to help…?"

A blinding smile was her only reply and they stood gazing at each other for a minute or two. The sound of a throat being cleared startled them out of their reverie, "If you would like to go in, it's Room Two."

The door opened onto a standard but very modern doctor's office; with an examination table, cupboards full of equipment and a desk with two chairs. Luisa was an attractive woman in her fifth or sixth decade, she stood to welcome them in her native language, "Privyet."

Hermione laughed and pointedly responded to the greeting in English, then added, "Luisa, this is Minerva McGonagall. Minerva, this is our foremost healer, Luisa. She is also, interestingly enough, human."

"In addition, I delivered this little minx and have known her ever since, so if you need to know any embarrassing details to blackmail her with - just let me know."

Minerva smiled and shook hands.

"Alright Minerva, we have some medical information we need to get from you, it looks like you need a little healing and I will do your intake forms at the same time. Hermione Granger, go and make yourself scarce for an hour or so, I'm sure that you can find something to do."

The wolf widened her eyes, surprised by the words but more than willing to give her witch space. "Are you alright with that, Minerva?"

The older woman nodded and before she could overthink it, reached out to squeeze Hermione's hand, "I'll be fine."

The healer glanced at her watch, "We could meet you in the café at one?"

Hermione nodded and leaned over to gently kiss Minerva's cheek. "Alright, I'll nip into work and empty my inbox or something." With a final smile she left the room, leaving the witch gazing after her almost fondly.

"Well Minerva. Overwhelming few days?" Luisa picked up a clipboard and started making notes.

The witch chuckled, "Very much so."

"The report I got from the patrol team indicated that you were a captive for an extended period of time before escaping, is that accurate?"

"Yes."

"Any allergies or conditions I need to know about before we begin?"

"No."

"When did you last see a doctor?"

"About five years ago, our Healer was killed during the war and I haven't been able to get to see one since."

"So your healing, done by amateurs since then?" At Minerva's nod the healer made another note, "How it works here is that we use a mix of Muggle and wizarding techniques, we'll start with a body scan and go from there. Judging from the way you're sitting, you have some bruised or broken ribs at the very least and I want to get those sorted while we discuss your medical history."

The Professor sighed and signaled her willingness, while watching the healer work she asked, "If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up here?"

"I lived with my parents on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain after the war, they were both University lecturers and were targeted by one of the Communist pogroms. My father died so that I could escape when they came for us. For several weeks I survived in the woods, sneaking into town to scavenge from what little food waste was available."

The woman gave a fond smile, as she continued her recollection. "One night a stranger approached me, offering food. I ran but he kept coming back night after night and I spoke to him. He told me that he had fallen in love with my spirit from afar, I told him that he was full of shit."

Minerva belly laughed at that, tears falling from her eyes. "Eventually, I warmed up to him and he kissed me. His name was Jacques by the way, he told me that I could run away with him but that I could never come back. By that point I had nothing left and I agreed. We ended up here and it turned out he could turn into a wolf, a Vrykolakas from the old legends."

"What happened?"

"I screamed but was too terrified to run. He turned back and knelt before me, promised to love me and keep me safe. He was a wonderful husband and father to our children, he died defending this territory from Muggles with guns."

"They let you stay? Without a mate?"

"I had two young children, who are both like Jacques. The reason that only mated humans are allowed to live is because it's deemed that they won't betray the person they love. I love my children and grandchildren. I finished my education and trained as a doctor here. This is my home. I even love the children of others, like your Hermione, I've watched her grow from a pup into a remarkable woman who is incredibly principled - you've nothing to fear from her."

Minerva watched fascinated as the results of her scan appeared on a small glass square and she was allowed to return to her chair and the healer scrawled some more notes. "I'm starting to realise that."

"It's a lot to take in. Did she explain the bonding part of having a mate?"

"I don't think so."

The healer grabbed a few books from the edge of her desk, "I took the liberty of pulling these from our library when I heard that you were coming, these will explain in more detail. But succinctly: as your mate she will put you first, she will defend you against anything, the bond is monogamous and for life, your well-being and happiness will be beyond simply important to her. As a human you won't feel it anywhere nearly as much and it gives you an incredible power over her - you could hurt her badly with what would be a minor spat between two humans. She'll need physical contact, a lot of it, wolves are incredibly social and Hermione is no exception - a cuddle will go a long way."

Minerva frowned, "I'm not used to being close with anyone, I have always been known for being aloof and I am unsure if I can break that habit."

Luisa smiled gently, "It will probably be easier than you think. When the two of you came in, you were looking at each other the whole time and you probably didn't realise how much you were touching her and vice versa."

Minerva nodded thoughtfully, she had touched the younger woman more in the last day than she had touched anyone in at least the last year and she had laughed more than she could remember doing in a long time.

"Alright, let me get the mediwitch in to heal a few things and I have some potions to administer. Couple more forms to go and we can have lunch with your wolf."

Authors Note: Thanks to Libby again for the beta read. The castle in this chapter is based upon Predjama Castle in Slovenia.