Hermione felt rejuvenated after her meal; her lethargy abating as she ate and listened to Minerva talk about her day. It was obvious that she wanted to ask Hermione about her first experience at the head of a classroom, but she restrained herself in deference to Hermione's chewing.
Hermione was glad to relate her observations and ask questions while sipping at her hot chocolate after completing her meal. Minerva was an excellent mentor in the field of magical pedagogy, as Hermione had found out almost as soon as she arrived.
This was a pleasant bubble they were in; discovering the romance between them, doing work they both enjoyed in a place that was both special and highly magical. Minerva was sitting with her back against the arm of the sofa, looking at Hermione as they talked and de-stressed, and that in itself was magical to Hermione.
"Shouldn't you be busier?" Hermione inquired laughingly of the lounging headmistress. "I expected you to be rushing around on the first day, putting out fires and whatnot."
Minerva assumed a haughty expression, tempered by the laughing sparkle in her green eyes.
"Scrambling around like a headless chicken is the job of my deputy, Miss Granger," stated Minerva imperiously.
"That's good to know."
"Even with my duties as head, I have much more free time now than I did when I was teaching fourteen sections of Transfiguration. Barring emergencies, here or at the ministry, or my duties as guardian of the Heart, most of my work can be completed during normal school hours."
"Minerva McGonagall, footloose and fancy free, then?"
"It feels that way, considering how busy my tenure as deputy was. Though I'm not dealing with politicking nearly as often as Albus was."
"And we both know that you have a very low tolerance for politicians," Hermione joked.
"This is very true," Minerva agreed. "I find the most rambunctious first years easier to tolerate than a vas majority of the men and women that walk the hallowed halls of the Ministry."
Finished with her chocolate, Hermione floated her cup back to the table with a negligent wave of her hand, then repositioned herself closer to Minerva.
"So what are you in the mood to do tonight, Minnie?"
Minerva's thin lips stretched just a bit in a tiny, serene smile, but she didn't point out the double entendre in Hermione's question - they weren't quite at that point yet, but soon, for both the doing and the joking.
"Do you have the energy for a stroll through the castle? I thought we might pay the Heart a visit."
Hermione changed in to her pajamas - flannel drawstring pants and along sleeved shirt - before they exited the quarters. Checking the hallway for potential looky-loos, they both shifted forms.
Minerva was twining through her ankles, purring, even as Hermione got herself settled in her animagus form. After a fond head butt to Hermione's shoulder, Minerva slunk off down the hallway, sticking close to the wall.
Are we doing this in sneaky kitty mode again? Hermione asked mind to mind.
Moving around undetected is good practice, especially for someone whose animagus is not a domestic animal.
But I'm so cute and friendly! Hermione chirped, going into a play bow and stretching her mouth into a canine grin, causing a sneeze to tickle her nose. She tried to hold it in, causing it to explode out louder than it might have been. Abashed, she looked up at Minerva.
Very stealthy, my dear, Minerva said dryly. Foxes couldn't blush in embarrassment, but they could tuck their bushy tails between their legs, so that's what Hermione did.
Another affectionate kitty head butt set her somewhat to rights, but Hermione paid close attention to her mentor's movements for the rest of their short trip, not wanting to put a paw out of place.
Minerva twitched her tail to open the massive doors in the Heart's courtyard. Hermione's jaw dropped in amazement - an unlikely expression for a fox, but the use of magic in an animagus form was unprecedented as far as Hermione knew.
How did you do that? Hermione questioned mind to mind.
Minerva sat and primly curled her tail around her front feet, every inch a secretive, smugly satisfied feline.
Hermione rolled her eyes and changed forms, stooping to scoop up Minerva. If she wanted to play smug kitty, Hermione had a few tricks up her sleeves. Cat-Minerva snuggled in to her automatically and Hermione used her free hand to scratch delicately behind the tabby's tiny ears. Minerva began to purr. Hermione expressed a chuckled and stepped out in to the courtyard, bare feet gripping the stones that formed this place of power.
Unlike the first time she had visited, the magic crackling in the air didn't unsettle her. The sheer force of it still caused the hair on her arms to prickle, and a shiver to run through her body. Even though the moon was just a sliver, its light seemed magnified, dispelling any shadows in the courtyard.
The Heart coalesced in front of them as they approached the altar stone; Minerva leapt from Hermione's arms, changing forms in midair and landing gracefully on human feet on the rough stone. Hermione thought that maybe she was still purring.
"Tabby, little Fox," the Heart said in a voice that seemed to come from everywhere. It stretched out a translucent hand as if it was going to clasp Minerva's shoulders in a collegial greeting, but then it recoiled. Hermione didn't know if the Heart was corporeal or not. She also didn't know how Minerva would react to being touched by a magical being with the mental age of a teenager.
"Hello," Hermione offered awkwardly. The Heart flickered closer to her, and seemed to peer at her, though Hermione wasn't really sure why she thought that.
"You are happier now, are you not?" It asked. Hermione's gaze immediately shot to Minerva. All she could do was nod.
"It makes me…happy, I think, that you are happy. I enjoy this feeling. I endeavor to make people happy, but I often fail."
Hermione was unsure how to respond to that, feeling like she didn't know this being well enough yet to reassure it that it would take time and experience to gain that kind of confidence in its interactions with people.
"It'll come," she said finally, as she imagined she would to a student with the same problem, and the Heart flickered in a reassured way.
Minerva stepped up and into Hermione's body, and Hermione slid an arm around her waist reflexively, leaning in and letting some of her weight rest against the other woman's strong form.
The Heart drifted closer, its outlined firming with interest. "Have you visited the forest yet?" It inquired with flickering curiosity.
"It was my intention to take a jaunt this weekend," Minerva said smoothly. "And take a visit to the herds."
"There is a new unicorn foal," the heart exclaimed with an excited flare, its luminosity increasing briefly like the appearance of a star in the night sky. "The herds needs to know the little Fox, Tabby."
"We both have other duties - but it'll all come together." The tall witch drew herself up and peered down her nose at the Heart much as she would with a naughty student. Hermione nearly giggled at her teacherly affront.
The Heart gave her its own version of a reproachful glare, oscillating steadily around the edges, its shapeless hands hovering arounds its middle section, like it wanted to put them on non-existant hips.
"Soon, Tabby," it urged, unintimidated by the usually spectacularly intimidating woman. Apparently extraordinarily powerful magical beings with no corporeal form didn't really fear being transfigured into a toad, or a rock or a speck of dust.