A/N: I just want to tell you all that it's been a weird week and that I adore each and every one of you who read this little fic and have left a review and starting today the updates will be slightly quicker. I've finished writing and we're just prettying it all up now.
On that note, thank you to Lib McGranger, who never knew there could be so many instances where Em forgot commas or put capitals in where there shouldn't be lol
-0-
By the time they arrived at her parent's house, Hermione was wide awake. The method of waking, however, had proved to be something that still sent shivers through Hermione's body, even now. She hoped to Merlin that she hadn't embarrassed herself. Minerva had come into Hermione's room, just after six and sat beside her, running her hand through Hermione's hair. In that delicious state between waking and sleeping, it was heavenly and had she been braver, she might very well have grabbed Minerva and -
Well.
Things would have been different.
As it was, she had stirred and Minerva had stopped, and to her everlasting shame, Hermione had moaned. Moaned! Which had, in turn, made Minerva chuckle, which had woken her properly.
Now though, she was walking carefully along the low stone wall down the road from her house, with Minerva close behind her. She paused as the wall came to an end and made a quiet noise as a body crashed into her back. Her breath caught as two strong arms went around her middle and they let out a collective breath.
"Sorry," Minerva whispered. "That was my fault."
"It's fine," Hermione muttered, nodding in the direction they needed to go. "It's down that road. Number 28."
"I could do a little reconnaissance?"
"Do you think they're close? Would they be watching them? Surely," Hermione swallowed. "They wouldn't bother."
"An excellent point. I believe you are correct," Minerva nodded. "Alright, my suggestion would be to walk normally but be on our guard."
"Are you sure?" Hermione bit her thumbnail. "I don't wanna -"
"I do not know how easy the information is to find," Minerva apologised. "I wish I had -"
"Please don't," Hermione leaned against her just a little bit. Being careful was exhausting. "It's fine."
"If you had not made me aware, Hermione, I may not have remembered."
"And I would have dealt with it."
"How," Minerva muttered, glancing down the road.
"I had in mind a memory charm."
"Her -" Minerva turned to face her with a look on her face. "That is -"
"Not perfect, but it would have protected them."
"You are not to do that," Minerva said, holding Hermione's chin. "Do not. There is no coming back from that. I'd sooner put them up at my place before that is even a consideration."
"It's why I'm glad you're here," Hermione smiled sadly.
Minerva sighed and kissed Hermione's forehead abruptly.
"Me too," she whispered. "Let's go."
They emerged from the garden where they were hiding like they'd been there the whole time. At the current hour, there was nobody around and no curtains twitching. It gave Hermione hope that nobody had found her parents or made the connection. She let them in the gate and Minerva remarked on how lovely the house was before Hermione knocked on the door. There was a long pause before her father opened the door slowly and peered around it.
"HERMIONE!"
"DAD!"
Unable to stop herself she leapt into her arms and let him swing her around, as he had done every day they'd seen each other since she started Hogwarts. He laughed and called upstairs before turning to see Minerva on the doorstep.
"Oh, apologies. I know you."
"Dad, this is Minerva. Um, my -" she frowned. "My friend."
"Minerva McGonagall, Dr Granger."
"Oh tosh," he grinned. "It's Sam. Come in."
"Thank you," she winked at Hermione as she went past.
"Jen will be down in just a minute," he said happily, turning back to Hermione. "It's so good to see you, peanut."
"Dad," Hermione blushed.
"Sorry," he grinned unabashedly. "Peanut."
Minerva laughed musically and Hermione realised they were still in the entrance hall.
"Geez Dad," Hermione groaned. "Come in, Min."
"Oh, yes. Do," he smiled. "Straight through. I'll put the kettle on, I think. Tea or coffee, Minerva?"
"Tea please," Minerva called as Hermione showed her into the sitting room. "Don't worry so much," she said quietly as Hermione tugged on her sleeves. "It's fine."
"It's fine now," Hermione groaned.
"Hush," Minerva soothed her. "He's funny."
"Hermione!"
"MUM!"
She left Minerva's side and threw herself into her mother's embrace, sighing against her neck. As she did so, she realised how different it was to be embraced by her mother, as opposed to Minerva. That thought gave her pause but made her hold on just a little longer.
"I've missed you," Jenny said quietly. "Re-introduce me to your teacher?"
"Mum, this is Minerva McGonagall. My transfiguration Professor and," she smiled at Minerva. "Friend. Min, this is my mum. Jenny."
"Thank you so much for bringing her here, Ms McGonagall."
"Oh, Minerva's fine," she waved it off. "And it seemed only fair."
"Why are you here, darling?" her dad asked as he came in the room carrying a tray of tea. "Not that we aren't very appreciative."
"Minerva had a nasty," Hermione frowned, trying to work out how to explain. "Fall, a few days ago. I have been looking after her."
"You've made me sound a hundred years old," Minerva mused. "I took a head-knock during a game of Quidditch," Minerva explained to blank faces. Hermione hid behind her mug and let Minerva do the talking. "It's rather a rough game if you aren't careful and well," she chuckled. "I was not as careful as I could have been."
"Is that," her dad frowned, peering at Minerva's cheek. "Are you sure you didn't crack any teeth?"
"Dad," Hermione groaned. "Yes. I'm sure."
"But how can you be -"
"Your daughter," Minerva said, squeezing Hermione's hand. "Is quite adept at healing. She has been caring for me while my regular healer has been enjoying some well-earned family time."
Hermione tried not to meet her mother's eye, but she was caught when she reached to put her mug on the tray and found her mother watching her carefully.
"I always knew she'd be a doctor," Sam chuckled.
"She is well on her way," Minerva agreed.
Hermione was so overcome by the praise she just sat in silence while they spoke around her. She knew she had not spoken much about school and life beyond it, simply because she'd come to realise that she had no idea what it would look like. And now, she was sitting in her living room with Minerva, of all people, chatting to her parents like they were part of the Wizarding World themselves.
It was all so very overwhelming.
"Darling?" her mother asked during a lull in Minerva and Sam's conversation.
"Yes, Mum?" Hermione frowned, looking up.
"I don't mean for this to sound unfeeling. I am so glad to see you, especially at Christmas. But," she glanced at Minerva. "Why are you here?"
Hermione sighed. She had hoped perhaps for some time to ease into it, but it was just like her mother to want to rip the bandage off. They were alike in that respect.
"I -" Hermione sighed and sat forward. "I need to tell you about some things that I," she winced. "Haven't been keeping from you, per se, but there are some things I haven't told you about. Things that I am in the middle of. And that I have no way - or want - of getting out of. I," she caught her mother's eye. "Wait until the end to comment?"
Jenny squinted at her for a long moment before she nodded. Hermione looked at her hands for a while before she felt a warm hand on her back. She looked over at Minerva, who nodded supportively.
"When I first joined the Wizarding World, I met a boy called Harry Potter."
-0-
The story was told in two parts. Hermione spent a good portion of the morning telling her parents things she had withheld, while Minerva sat beside her for emotional support. At one point, Minerva had leaned over and whispered to her that she would make more tea and Hermione just nodded and kept talking.
She came to a natural pause as Minerva brought in more tea and watched as Min respectfully requested to make a late breakfast for them all. Her dad blustered for a moment but Hermione soothed his ideas of improper guest etiquette by resuming the story.
"It's fine, Min. Thank you," Hermione said, taking charge.
"I'll be in the kitchen," Minerva muttered, squeezing Hermione's shoulder before retreating.
"Hermione -"
"At the end," Hermione said sadly, already feeling the waves of disappointment rolling off them.
"Fine," her mother muttered. "But you had better be prepared to answer every question I have."
"Yes Mum," Hermione nodded.
She outlined her part in Harry's life and how she had, naturally, become his friend and then his ally. How she was now an invaluable part of the effort. She avoided using words like battle and war to try and sugar coat parts of it, but she could already see that she'd lost.
As she outlined their last year's conclusion, her mother's face turned dark.
"You mean to tell me that this school allowed you to galavant off to London with no supervision, where you engaged in a fight with people who were intent on killing you and you were hurt enough that you needed hospitalisation and you felt the need to lie to us? To tell us you were at an extracurricular camp?"
Somehow, even though she was in the next room, Hermione felt Minerva pause.
"I-" Hermione ran her hands over her face. "Didn't know how to tell you. Any of it."
"Well, why bother now?" Jenny hissed. "Why not lie to us for the rest of our lives?"
"Because you are in danger," Hermione muttered. "And I need to protect you."
Hermione's dad, who was the much calmer of the two, took her mum's hand and held on as he sat forward as well, matching Hermione's posture.
"Peanut, let me see if I have this straight. There is a 'bad guy', who is hell-bent on killing your friend, the young lad we met, Harry. And because you are Harry's friend, he's going to come after you too."
"That is a very simplified version, yes," Hermione nodded. "I've been working on figuring out how to protect you for ages. Since," she sighed. "Since last year."
Jenny stood and stared at Hermione for a while before she left without saying another word. Hermione stood and went to go after her, but her father's strong arms stopped her.
"Let her be for a while, peanut. She's scared and angry and upset. Give her some time."
"I know," Hermione whispered, turning and wrapping her arms around him. "I didn't mean for it to get so big, Dad, I just wanted to protect you from worrying about me."
"And yet," he said kindly, but sadly. "You could have died and we would have had no idea."
Her heart crumpled into a million pieces as her father kissed her hair and followed her mum upstairs. As she was about to lose the strength to keep herself upright, two strong arms wrapped around her and she turned in Minerva's arms and sobbed against her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Minerva whispered. "I'm so so sorry.
They stood like that for a long while until Hermione's rumbling stomach made her snort.
"Sorry," she mumbled, stepping away.
"Don't be," Minerva sighed. "This entire experience has made me realise how neglected our Muggle parents are. I should have taken that into consideration long before now. That is on me."
"Not really," Hermione groaned. "The fact I withheld all this has made it worse."
"They'll come around," Minerva muttered, running her thumbs under Hermione's eyes and catching her tears. "Come. Eat. The rest will save for later."
Hermione followed Minerva into the kitchen and chuckled at the spread.
"I know for a fact that my parents did not have half the ingredients they currently have," Hermione pondered.
"Well, yes," Minerva said, blushing a little. "But you and I are used to Hogwarts breakfasts. And perhaps a bit of grub will help them later when they feel up to it."
Hermione chuckled and sat down next to Minerva and took her hand before they started.
"Thank you, Min," she whispered.
"You're most welcome," she smiled back, passing the plate of bacon and loading her own plate with scrambled eggs.
