Thank you all so much! Your words are my oxygen and inspire me to keep writing.
There are just a few more chapters to this story left, but I'm not done with Minerva and Hermione just yet ;-) More stories to come for those who want them!
So, this is the morning after. When Hogwarts awakes after a very odd autumn ball.
Enjoy my darlings! And please, please, review!

Love,
Jellicos
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Chapter twelve: The morning after

She didn't know what had awoken her, and in the middle between dream and reality she really didn't care. She'd had the most amazing dream, so vivid, so enticing. She was almost sad to let it go.

But as the persistent light of dawn beckoned her insistently and reluctantly she decided to let go of her dreamy state to welcome the morning that refused to leave her alone on an early Sunday. She felt so warm, so safe.

Wait. Sunday? Minerva opened her eyes and the events of the previous night came flooding back to her as she saw the bushy brown hair that laid spread across her chest.

Oh, dear. She'd really messed things up now. She looked down to find Hermione's body spread across hers, her arms around her waist, her leg entwined with her own and her head resting on her chest. Minerva's own hands had a firm and protective grip around the young woman, holding her tight against her.

What had she done? She'd gone to bed with her student. She'd revealed the deep feelings she had for her young protégé and then she'd taken advantage of her.

And now she would leave. Hermione would leave and take the pieces of Minerva's shattered heart with her. Just like Lily, Hermione would decide this was too complicated, that it had just been lust, nothing else, and she'd leave. She'd run to the Weasly boy or Longbottom and she'd never look back.

Damn it! She'd promised herself never to do this again. And here she was, about to get her heart broken yet again. And this time Minerva was sure she would die for it.

Never had she felt so strongly for anyone in her life. Never had she known these feelings even possible. And now they would consume her, tear her apart and kill her.

She had to get out of here.

Carefully, as not to awake the beauty lying on top of her, she started squirming out of her grip.

"Good morning love. I was wondering when you'd wake up." Hermione lifted her head to look at the woman who'd held her so tightly through the night only to find her looking back at her with fear and panic in her emerald eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked and Minerva averted her gaze. In a feeble attempt, Minerva sat up and tried to rush out of the bed. But Hermione was too fast.

She should have known that Minerva would have feelings of guilt and fear as she awoke. She'd just hoped that her actions and words the night before had finally convinced her older lover that she was serious. But now it seemed that the older woman needed to be reminded again.

Hermione had grabbed Minerva's wrist and gently pulled her back into the bed.

"Look at me." Hermione pleaded. But Minerva refused to meet her eyes. Hermione wondered briefly how anyone could have hurt this amazing woman this bad, and the thought made her sick.

"Minerva, look at me." It was an order and Minerva reluctantly obeyed. She wasn't sure if she could believe her eyes. Maybe they too where playing a trick on her. The love and devotion she saw in the deep hazel eyes' looking back at her was enough to make her speechless.

Hermione saw the fear, the guilt and the searing pain reflecting in Minerva's face. The strong feelings almost clouding the deep love that arose as their gaze locked.

"Do you remember what you asked me before we fell asleep last night?" Hermione asked her, not letting go of her wrist, both women sitting up in the bed, the bed linen only covering the lover parts of their naked bodies.

Minerva couldn't speak. Her throat was thick as the tears started to burn behind her eyes. She turned away from the brunette. She couldn't bear to face her but she nodded.

"No power on this earth could keep me from your side." Hermione repeated the words she'd spoken a few hours ago. "I meant every word. I meant everything I said to you last night. I love you Minerva McGonagall, and there is nothing in this world that could ever change that. There's nothing on this earth that would make me leave you. Ever." Her voice was strong and sincere and it seemed to have the desired effect. As Minerva turned to face her, there where tears in her eyes. There was uncertainty, but the fear, the guilt and the pain was gone.

"I love you." It was no more than a whisper, but it made Hermione's heart jump none the less.

"I love you too Min." She replied with a warm smile, kissing away the single tear that had fallen down Minerva's cheek.

"What do we do now?" Minerva asked.

"I don't know about you, but I have no desire to get up this early on a Sunday." Hermione grinned and Minerva couldn't help but laugh. "We'll work out a plan later; right now I just want to enjoy the privilege of having Professor Minerva McGonagall in bed, naked."

With that, she pushed the raven-haired woman gently onto the bed and caught her lips with her own in a passionate kiss.

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He didn't remember when he'd last woken up with such a headache. Sitting up in his bed, Albus Dumbledore started rubbing his temples in a fruitless attempt to relieve the throbbing in his head. As the events of the night before came rushing into his mind he groaned. This wasn't happening.

But it was. It had. At least Minerva had been somewhat discreet about it. Severus on the other hand had caused such a scene that Albus for a second had contemplated a mass obliviation of the students' memories of the evening.

Well, he figured there was only one thing to do at this moment; breakfast. During which he could estimate the damage from the night before.

As the headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry got up and got dressed there where mutters from under his breath, involving such words as 'childish', 'lovesick' and the name of Severus was muttered a few times along with Minerva's.

On his way out he popped a sherbet lemon into his mouth. His favourite candy did lighten his mood a bit, and restored the twinkle in his eyes.

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It took him a while to realise that it was real. That he had in fact awoken in the strong arms of his potions master. He felt a smirk curl his lips as he watched the naked arms of Severus Snape holding him protectively against his own body. He wondered for a moment where his new lovers' bathroom was. There hadn't exactly been much time for a tour of the place as Severus had dragged him from the ball and into his privet quarters.

He searched the room with his gaze; Severus must have a lavatory in here somewhere. But as he started to wiggle out of his lovers grip in order to try to locate a bathroom, there was a hoarse whisper in his ear;

"Going somewhere Longbottom?" Neville shivered at the sultry, warm voice that was so close, he could feel every syllable bounce of the flesh of his neck.

"I'm just going in search of your bathroom professor." He turned to face Severus and couldn't help but smile at what he saw. The newly awake professor Snape with his raven hair on end, a satisfied smirk on his face made him look as a predator that'd just had the best meal of his life.

"Without asking permission? Now really Longbottom, is that any way for a Gryffindor to behave?" Severus was teasing him. There was nothing harsh in his tone, just possessiveness and lust.

Neville was about to say that he thought Severus had been asleep, but thought better of it.

"Oh, I think I crossed that line when I shagged the head of Slytherin house." He teased back. At this, Severus expression changed. His face became much more serious and he arched one eyebrow.

"So now you think you can just walk around my quarters as you please?" Snape surveyed the young man by his side, but Neville knew this man much too well by now to let himself be intimidated by him. Yet, he had no desire to stop playing.

"I'm sorry my love." He said, suppressing the smile that was trying to overcome his lips as he saw Severus reaction to the words; 'my love.' "Do I have permission to use your bathroom?"

Severus seemed to gather himself quite fast. The tender words spoken to him from the lips of this young man that he'd tortured for almost seven years now had stunned him. Severus knew many things, but true love had never been one of them. Yet there he was, this beautiful, golden-haired boy, lying by his side and uttering terms of endearment. He was not about to let him leave his bed.

With a hungry smirk, Severus flung himself over Neville, hovering only inches over the young man body.
"So you want to go to the bathroom Longbottom?" He whispered in a husky, raw voice, holding his lips purposely just beyond reach for Neville to catch them with his own. "Are you quite sure about that?" He knew he had the young Gryffindor right where he wanted him. "What do you want Neville?" He asked, every word coated in raw lust. But before Neville had a chance to reply, Severus had crushed his lips to his and Neville forgot everything else.

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Next; it's breakfast-time :)
So, use that little lavender button on your left and feed me my oxygen :)