This chapter is dedicated to "whitedragon1988"...who pointed something out which caused me to smack my forehead with my palm and say "DOH!", as to be perfectly honest, something that I cannot believe slipped my mind. So here's to you, WD88. Enjoy. :)


Minerva sat on a comfy armchair, sipping tea along with Hermione and Draco. "I hate to bring up a sore spot, Draco, but did your mother know about what your father was doing to you?"

Draco stiffened, but soon relaxed and replied. "She knew. She found out about six months after it began, and when she threatened to turn him in, my mother became his next victim. She never even questioned him after that. I sometimes wonder, if that had never happened, if she would have stood up to my father when the Dark Lord returned. If she had convinced him to stand against Voldemort, perhaps this war might have been over sooner. Fewer people would have died."

Hermione and Minerva both nodded mutely, neither surprised that Lucius had raped his own wife, too. The Black family were always keen on surviving, no matter the cost, and Narcissa was no different after her marriage to the Malfoy heir.

"So," Draco said afer a heavy sigh, "You have yet to tell us how things went with Potter and Weasal - "

"Harry and Ron, Draco," Hermione said firmly.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Fine. Do tell us how things went with Harry and Ron. What mad crazy conclusions did they jump to?"

"Well, Harry wanted to know if you and I were a couple..." Hermione began.

"You and me?" both Draco and Minerva yelped at the same time.

"Draco and I," Hermione clarified, smiling at Minerva.

Minerva saw Draco's jaw slackening out of the corner of her eye, and realized that like it or not, she had just given their secret away. Minerva had more or less let it slip that there was a romance developing between the two women.

"Go on," Draco said, clearing his throat to mask his surprise.

"Ron actually guessed correctly that there was something between Minerva and I, after I denied anything between you and I, Draco." Hermione smiled.

"Hermione!" Minerva gasped. Yes, she was aware that her blunder had alerted the young Malfoy of the existence of more than friendship between the two, but she didn't want to talk about it. Not with him.

"Oh, give it up, Min," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Draco already figured it out."

"Is it serious?" Draco wanted to know.

"Is what serious?" Minerva snapped, looking cross.

"Your relationship with the mother of my little sister!" Draco exclaimed. "This is of great importance to me."

"Any relationship that Hermione and I may have," Minerva said evenly, "is between the two of us."

"Oh, you're not getting off that easy, Headmistress!" Draco argued.

"Can we change the subject?" Minerva inquired crisply.

Hermione took Minerva's cue. "It went fairly well," she continued with her story. "After Ron recovered from the shock - he actually fainted - I explained to them that you and I, Draco and I, rather, were going into hiding together until after the baby is born and we have brought charges up on Lucius. Harry was worried, because even the Fidelus Charm didn't protect his parents, but when I told them that Minerva was making the arrangements, they both seemed more at ease."

"Harry knows Albus arranged for them to go into hiding," Minerva said thoughtfully. "It's a wonder he'd trust anyone to protect you. If Albus couldn't protect James and Lily, how could Harry possibly be certain I could protect you?"

"Harry's parents may have gone into hiding with Dumbeldore's help, but it was them putting their faith in the wrong person that led to their deaths. Trusting Peter Pettigrew was what cost them their lives," Hermione mused. "Besides, the most powerful thing in the world is protecting me. And Lucius may be a bastard, but he's not Voldemort."

"Most powerful thing in the world?" Minerva asked, wondering where she'd heard that cryptic reply before.

Hermione leaned over and whispered into Minerva's ear so Draco could not hear. "Love, Minerva. Your love."

Minerva didn't know what to say to that, nor did she had time to think of anything, as Hermione's soft lips were pressing up against hers a second later.

"Bloody hell," she heard Draco groan.

She paid him no mind. Gaurded as she was, or had been, about her personal life, having Hermione Granger wrapped up in her arms, baby bump pressing gently against her side and the taste of the younger woman's breath still lingering after the kiss, Minerva found that she didn't give a damn if Draco Malfoy, or anyone else for that matter, saw it.

And in that moment, Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, decided that as soon as this whole mess with Lucius was over, she was going to ask Hermione to marry her.


*puppy dogs eyes* Guys, I am only 8 reviews away from hitting 100 on this story. Of all my stories, a couple have come close to hitting triple digests, but this is the first to really get there. I can't begin to express my thanks. It really does make my day when I open my email and three quarters of my inbox is from , saying I have new reviews, or that someone else has added this story to alerts.

On another note, I AM starting to plot out a LE/HG story, though I'm not sure when I'll start it. Nano starts in a few days and to be honest, I'm not sure if I want to just slam out a 30 chapter fanfic, or if I want to do an origional. The LE/HG could be pushed to 30 chaps, or I could come up with a new MM/HG that spans 30 chapters...what do you guys think?