A/N: Sooo… I am working on Professor Black… It's just proving difficult and my muse keeps giving me the wrong pairing haha. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this while writer's block is killing me!
Hermione stood frozen, wide eyes watching as Harry's lifeless body fell to the floor in the Great Hall. All was quiet until the thud finished echoing between the walls. Then a great roar went up from the death eaters as they celebrated the death of the supposed chosen one.
The other members of the order began to crumble as Hermione gazed among the crowd. Molly Weasley had collapsed to her knees, her hands limp at her sides, knowing what was to become of those who fought for the light. A pull Hermione couldn't identify urged her to search the room for someone else. Her gaze panned the room until the feeling found who it was looking for. Minerva McGonagall was standing proudly, no trace of emotion showing on her graceful features as she watched the events around her.
Hermione felt herself compelled to be at the other witch's side and began to move across the space between them, desperately trying not to bring attention to herself as she slid along the perimeter of the large space. As she moved, she noticed Fenrir Greyback making his way in the same direction. Her eyes darted between the werewolf and her mentor, realizing that he was aiming for Minerva as well.
She increased her pace, hoping to make it to the older witch before he could, but Fenrir beat her. She broke into a run just as Fenrir stepped in front of Minerva, a malicious snarl on his features as he brandished his wand.
The older witch made no move to defend herself as he raised his arm to attack. Hermione whipped her wand out and sent a slicing hex at him with as much power as she could muster. The werewolf howled in pain and collapsed as his skin split apart in long gashes across his chest and sides. Hermione skidded to a stop in front of Minerva, shielding her with her own body.
"Don't you dare touch her!" she growled. "She is MINE!" Hermione watched as he writhed in pain, blood pouring onto the flagstones beneath him. She looked around at the remaining death eaters, who were too busy celebrating their victory to notice what was happening near the back wall. Seeing that the werewolf had stopped moving, she turned to look up into Minerva's stunned face. "Are you alright? Why didn't you stop him?"
Minerva turned her eyes away from the body on the floor, gazing at Hermione with a look of confusion on her face.
"I… Yes, I'm alright." Minerva leaned towards the younger witch, reaching a hand across the space between them. Then she stopped suddenly and blinked, dropping her hand back to her side. "Miss Granger… Hermione, what was that just now?"
Hermione could see the older witch was conflicted, and a tightening in her chest was urging her to pull Minerva close and protect her fiercely. She turned to survey the chaos around them, trying to find a way for them to leave without being seen. She grabbed Minerva's wrist and started pulling her along the wall, back the way she had come initially. A warmth bloomed in her chest at the contact, but she willed it away as they picked their way back to the main doors.
"Hermione," Minerva urged. "Please, what was that all about?"
"Stop where you are, mudblood bitch." Hermione stopped and turned to face the death eater who had spoken, not letting go of Minerva's wrist. "Where do you think you're going? The Dark Lord will have your head, and I'm going to give it to him." He grinned at her, raising his wand. "Right after I make you watch your beloved professor beg for death in front of you."
Hermione felt a rage she couldn't control surge from within and pulse out of her in waves of raw magic. Protecting Minerva at all costs was the only thing she could think about as she raised her wand.
"Touch her and die! She is mine!" Hermione moved to strike as Minerva pulled her wrist from her grasp and stepped up beside her. Panic at the possibility of Minerva being hurt after making it through the battle gripped Hermione. She began calculating the possibility of being able to incapacitate him and still make it out of the Great Hall without being noticed. Slim at best. Her eyes reached skyward as her brain ran over the few options available to them.
She reached for Minerva's wrist again, hoping beyond hope that her plan might work. "Minerva," she urged the other witch. "Can you make a shield big enough for both of us while I get us out of here?"
The older witch nodded, raising her wand minutely.
With an impact of red light, Minerva put a shield up just in time to stop the curse that had been flung at them. Hermione put everything into pulling Minerva close and twisting them into nothingness.
They landed with a crack and Minerva immediately untangled herself from Hermione, gazing at her with wide eyes.
"Hermione, explain to me what the bloody hell is going on with you, this instant!" Her temper began to wane as she got a good look at Hermione. Her features were sharper and her eyes were flashing gold. The air around the brunette seemed to crackle with energy as she watched the younger witch collect herself. She then stepped away from Minerva and immediately began casting the wards needed to protect them from being followed.
"Hermione!"
The younger woman stopped what she was doing and turned to face Minerva. She sighed and put her hands in her pockets.
"On my birthday while we were away," she began, stepping closer to Minerva. "I came into an inheritance that I had no idea could have existed in my family." She paused, letting the information sink in. "The looks on the boys' faces were hilarious actually." She gave a little chuff of a laugh as she recalled the memory. "I had to do so much research to try and figure it out, but I have come to the conclusion that somewhere in my family history, I have Veela ancestry. I came into my Veela creature inheritance."
Minerva's eyes widened as she processed what she was being told. She took a step away from the young brunette and turned to walk in the other direction.
"When I got to the Great Hall, I could feel the pull, but we were so busy fighting, I wasn't really paying attention." She stepped after Minerva, hoping to ease her struggle somehow. "I have no idea how this could have happened. In all of my research, I found nothing to indicate that a muggleborn could have Veela ancestry or even the possibility of finding a mate. The lowest recorded Veela blood inheritor to find a true mate is only 25%." She placed a hand on Minerva's shoulder but the older witch jerked away from her.
"Mate?!" she demanded, "how could I possibly be your mate? You're almost 30 years my junior, I was your teacher, for Godric's sake!" She turned to stalk along the perimeter of their wards, pacing like a caged animal. "This can't be true Hermione, it absolutely can't. It's immoral beyond anything I could possibly think of."
Hermione turned to regard her mentor and favourite teacher. Sadness gripped her as she watched the other witch pace.
"It's not my fault," she muttered, eyes falling to the forest floor. "I didn't ask for this. I can't control it."
Minerva stopped mid-stride and turned to look at Hermione. Realizing what she had said, she walked back towards the young brunette.
"Of course it isn't, I'm sorry. It's just that this is all rather sudden." She stopped in front of Hermione and reached for her hands. "I'm sorry Hermione, I don't blame you."
Hermione looked up at the older witch, eyes softening as they made eye contact.
"It's alright, I shouldn't have sprung this on you." She squeezed Minerva's hands before letting go. "I should also mention that the pull can be resisted. Nothing has to happen, especially if you don't feel it too. If your magic doesn't recognize me in return, it doesn't matter." She turned away to survey their surroundings. "Now, we need to find shelter and figure out how we're going to fix this mess. Our old tent should be around here somewhere."
The tent had been near enough and they checked thoroughly for traps or snatchers before making their way towards it and setting the wards back up for security.
"We don't have much for food I'm afraid, but I can make us some tea before we call it a day. I'm sure you're as exhausted as I am." Hermione moved across the living space to set the kettle boiling for tea.
Minerva hovered in the doorway, surveying the interior of the tent. She waved her wand in several complicated patterns and the contents of the main room began to tidy itself.
"Sorry it's such a mess, the snatchers weren't exactly careful when they rampaged through here." Hermione pulled tea cups down from a shelf and placed them on the table.
"It's quite alright dear, I'm not judging, merely helping." Minerva moved to sit across from Hermione at the table, shifting awkwardly under the younger woman's gaze.
"I'm truly sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier," Hermione muttered. "I should have kept it to myself about the mate thing, I should have known when it happened that your magic would never respond to me in return. Let's just focus on destroying the final horcrux and defeating that madman. There isn't much time." She turned back around to remove the kettle from the stove and pour the water into the teapot between them.
Minerva shifted even more. Clearing her throat before muttering something Hermione couldn't hear.
"I'm sorry?" she asked, setting the kettle back on the stove.
"I said, 'it did.'" Minerva's cheeks were glowing and she kept her gaze glued to the table top.
"Oh." Now it was Hermione's turn to blush as she plopped down into her seat. "Err, great, I mean, that is…" She stopped herself, picking at some lint on the tablecloth, unsure of what to say.
They both sat in silence, not looking at the other. Hermione finally took a deep breath and looked up at Minerva.
"Does it bother you?" she asked.
Minerva looked up at her as well, eyes giving away storming emotions below serene features.
"I'll admit to being very surprised," she replied. "At my age, one doesn't expect to find a partner, let alone become the destined mate of a Veela, or part Veela in this case." She reached out to pour the tea into their cups. "How much have you looked into the pull of our bond? Is there anything we should be worried about while we're trying to save the world?"
Hermione also reached out and took her cup, taking a careful sip before answering.
"The more time we spend together, the stronger the pull will get. But it won't affect our magic, or our ability to think or reason." She sipped her tea again before whispering, "it will get stronger and stronger until we complete the bond, then our magic will be joined and it will become very minimal." She had gone red to the roots of her hair as she said the last part, and Minerva was sure by the heat in her own face that she looked much the same.
"Ah."
"I'm sorry," Hermione uttered. "I think I'll just go to bed. The two bunks over there," she indicated the ones on the right side of the tent, "belonged to the boys, but there's also a smaller room in the back of the tent that has a single bed, I'm sure you'll be most comfortable there." She stood, leaving her tea on the table and starting to move in the direction of her bunk on the far left side of the tent.
Minerva stood and reached out to take Hermione's hand.
"Hermione, wait." Minerva turned the young woman around so that they were face to face.
"We may not have chosen this, but we can't very well ignore it." She rubbed her thumb in small circles over the back of Hermione's hand. "You didn't mention the part about what happens to you if we try to ignore the pull of the bond."
Hermione sighed at the contact of their skin. The tension headache she hadn't noticed building immediately ebbed away.
"I'll slowly get sicker and weaker," she muttered, not looking Minerva in the eye. "Eventually, I'll die." Her eyes began to fill with tears as she lifted them to meet Minerva's. "But it isn't fair to you, to force you into something like this without your consent just because of how it will affect me." She pulled her hand away as the tears began to fall in earnest. "I'm so sorry."
She tried to move away again, but this time she was stopped by both of Minerva's hands on her shoulders. The older witch turned her around and pulled her into a fierce hug. Hermione collapsed against her and let her tears fall freely as she wrapped her arms around the Scottish witch's waist.
"Shh, it's alright," Minerva soothed her, rubbing soft circles into Hermione's back. "We'll figure this out. We have time to get to know each other while we're also trying to stop a madman. Let's just take this one day at a time. Merlin knows I feel like it's also not fair to you that you had to be mated with a crotchety old woman like me."
She attempted a chuckle while pulling away from Hermione and wiping her tears away. "Sleep will do us both good, but you won't make it through the night without a splitting headache if we're apart, right? It's been a while since I studied Veelas myself, but I don't want to make this any harder on you than it probably already is. Let's go to bed."
A/N: Well, there it is! Please drop me a line and let me know what you think. This idea came to me but I was unsure of how people would take it.
Thanks for reading!
Imp