My dearest, beloved readers and reviewers! What would I do without you?
Ah, this is actually kind of sad...
I know I can be really evil to our heroines, but I hope this will heal a few wounds…
And yes, this is the last chapter of this story. But fear not. New HG/MM stories are in planning and I might just give in and be nicer to them in at least one ;)
So thank you all for your amazing words! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
And a special thank-you to Sapho's Daughter for all your help inspiration. You're just Simply the Best:)

Love,
Jellicos

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Chapter Sixteen: What matters in the end?

She hadn't really been looking for Peter, but since he was there, he might as well be of some use. After all, he had escorted the seventh year Gryffindors through class all day.

"Ah, Minerva. Such a pleasure bumping into you." He smiled and gestured generously with his arms while Minerva wondered with a sigh what she had ever seen in this man.

"I need your help Peter." She said as briskly as she could manage. The last thing she needed right now was for Peter to get any suspicion about her intentions. Something told her that he would not take it lightly.

His flirtatious tone as he replied, confirmed her fears.

"Anything for you my darling." His smiling eyes left her for a moment to fix on a spot to the left of her and in an instant, his expression changed, leaving him oblivions to Minerva's shudder at his 'pet-name' "Are you alright my dear?" He asked the spot behind Minerva in a concerned voice.

At this she spun around quickly, only to find a teary eyed Hermione shaking her head at her slowly.

"Herm-" Minerva started carefully, but Hermione cut her off.

"No!" Her cry sent daggers through Minerva as the young woman turned at the spot and fled before the older witch could even raise her hand in protest.

"Oh dear." Peter looked a bit shocked at the outburst but shrugged it off as he turned to Minerva. "What was that all about?"

"I'm going to find out." Minerva said absentmindedly and mumbled some excuse. Of curse she knew what it was about… Or she thought she did. But for once, she really hoped she was wrong.

Hurrying after Hermione she realised that she would never catch the young witch at this pace. By now the hallways where deserted and as soon as she was out of Peter's sight, she vanished. A small tabby cat was in her place and it took off at an alarming speed in the direction that Hermione had disappeared in.

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How could she have been so stupid! Even Snape knew!

She buried her face in her arms, but every time she closed her eyes she could see them.

'My darling' he had called her. In that greasy, flirtatious voice.

She should have known! What was she to offer a woman like Minerva? She was a kid, with no experience or knowledge of the real world. Sure, she'd battled evil. She'd faced Death Eaters, trolls, even Voldemort himself at one point. She was known as the brightest witch of her age and she had more knowledge of the muggle world than most witches and wizards. But what was that compared to Mr-pretty-boy-ministry-hotshot? Apparently nothing.

"I can see you, you know." She whispered through her tears at the tabby cat lurking around the corner.

She didn't even look up as the cat transformed into her transfiguration professor.

"So this is where you've been hiding?" Minerva looked at her and glanced around the small hiding place that before now, no one except Neville knew Hermione frequented.

"You know, animangus transformation isn't playing fair." Hermione snorted.

"Neither is running away before letting a girl explain." Minerva said softly, sitting down beside Hermione.

"Sorry, I wasn't prepared to see your ex calling you darling." Hermione shot at her sarcastically as she stood up with her back to Minerva.

"You know about Peter." It wasn't a question, just a statement of regret.

"Snape asked me to give you a message about your ex boyfriend disrupting his class." Hermione didn't spare the sarcasm and hurt in her voice.

"Snape…" Minerva hissed quietly between clenched teeth. She should have known! But now was not the time.

"So this is why you've been avoiding me?" She asked Hermione softly. "Because of Peter?"

"Well it was convenient that you pretty much break things off with me the day before your pretty-boy arrives."

"That is not fair!" Minerva was standing, her voice trembling.

"Not fair!" Hermione turned. In facing Minerva her tears started to well up again, her fists clenched into knots. "You are breaking my heart and then you have the nerve to complain that things are not fair!" She was yelling and she didn't care. The whole world could know and she didn't care. This was too much. This excruciating pain had been kept locked in and now it had nowhere to go but out.

She didn't care who heard her, she didn't care who saw her cry. Her heart was breaking, literally breaking in half, and she couldn't take it anymore.

"Hermione, I-" Minerva tried. She reached out, but Hermione brushed her hand away as if it was toxic.

"Just go." She hissed, but Minerva didn't move. "Go!" She yelled.

"No." It was so soft, but even more determined. "No, I'm not making that mistake again." Minerva walked towards her, ever so slowly. "I have been running from this for far too long now. Running from you, from my feelings… from us." She emphasised the last word as she stood, now only inches from Hermione. The brunette was looking up at her. Her arms where still crossed over her chest, her eyes still wet from tears. But she was looking at her.

"Peter was… a mistake I made a long time ago." Minerva sighed. "We are still friends, but there will never be anything else." She locked eyes with Hermione, needing her to realise the sincerity in what she was about to say.

"I am scared Hermione." She confessed in a trembling voice. "I've never felt like this before and I fear I might break in half when you leave school." She paused to see if Hermione was really listening, if she herself had the nerve to say what she was about to admit. But the pain in the young woman's deep brown eyes was all she needed to continue.

"But I realised that not giving us this chance will hurt even more, and haunt me for the rest of my life. There may be obstacles in our way, and distances in the future. There may be pain and frustration and sacrifices to make. But I am drawn to you in a way I cannot possibly explain. Rules, right or wrong be damned! I don't want to fight this anymore. I can't fight it. Allowed or not, I love you Hermione Granger. And I will fight for you if need be." Inhaling deeply after her heated speech, Minerva looked at the woman she loved and as the sight filled her, tears moistened her eyes.

"Oh, Minerva." Hermione was at a loss for words. Everything she felt had been said by the stunning beauty in front of her and all she could think of was to show her that.

She surprised Minerva when she pulled the older woman towards her catching her lips with her own as if those lips held the key to her life. And in a way they did. Arms where wrapped around bodies. Cloaks draped over each other and two people vanished from the world outside as their bodies seemed to melt together. No one was ever to tell them something so right was not allowed.

They both knew there would be issues to deal with. Hiding their relationship until graduation, how to cope when Hermione left school for further studying, not to mention the war raging outside. But none of this mattered now. They would find a way. Day by day, week by week, they had all the time in the world. And as long as they where together, there was nothing they couldn't handle.

Besides… if Snape couldn't break them up, what chance did the rest of the world have?

And at last Hermione Granger knew what lie beyond the surface of one Professor Minerva McGonagall. And she loved it all…

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There it is… The End.