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Chapter 4
Wait and see.
Wait and see?
That is all the Great Dumbledore had to offer. Meanwhile Minerva had to endure facing Hermione numerous times each day, seeing her interact with children knowing that in reality, she belonged by her side.
As soon as she had begun teaching Hermione she had realised that even in the young body she was in, she was extraordinary: spells came easy to her, incantations were spoken with a confidence that suggested they had been spoken a million times before, which Minerva knew they had.
Halloween had been her biggest trial so far. When she had caught found, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley in the Girl's Bathroom with an unconscious Mountain troll. Hermione had looked up at he and spoken the words.
"It's my fault Professor McGonagall"
Minerva had resisted the urge to call her Hermione and questioned
"Miss Granger?"
"I'd read about trolls and thought I could handle it"
Minerva knew the words to be lies but allowed it to pass and as eyes that she knew so well looked up at her, waiting for her judgement, she couldn't help the love that gushed up inside her.
She forced herself to speak the words.
"I am very disappointed in you miss Granger, I expected better judgement on your part."
The lack of distress upon Hermione's face confirmed two things, one, that it had been a lie and two, there was no fear where Minerva was concerned for Hermione, she was not scared of her as the other children were.
Minerva didn't know how distressed to be at this. She thought of telling Dumbledore but, something stopped her. A small part of her was happy that Hermione behaved differently to the other students, it made her believe that a small part of Hermione's true identity was fighting to be seen.
The memory made Minerva smile.
Then she realised what she was doing.
"No Minerva." She told herself. "You're meant to be fighting this".
But the truth was, Minerva didn't want to fight it. The strength that she had maintained over these passed seventy years was beginning to wane with every waking hour that she spent near Hermione.
The funny thing was, that sometimes, just sometimes, she would look up from her desk to see Hermione quickly glance down at her work, blushing. But the expression on Hermione's face was one of confusion, as though she couldn't quite put her finger on something.
Dumbledore told her to watch over the girl but no more, under no circumstances was she to reveal any part of their secret.
Each time Minerva considered sharing all with Hermione she felt a pang of guilt and then a slight embarrassment as she remembered that the woman she loved was trapped inside the body of an eleven year old.
Therefore, Minerva made a decision to guard the girl, helping her if she could, but she would not allow her emotions to get the better of her. Once again she would put Hermione's needs before her own.
As the months of Hermione's first year at Hogwarts went by, she proved herself truly gifted at transfiguration, something Minerva had been eager to discover, transfiguration had always been a shared passion, even at the beginning…
It brought Minerva great happiness to see Hermione learning spells for what she thought was the first time, a fire would burn behind her eyes.
In early march, Albus asked Minerva to his office one night and was mysterious even for him.
The door opened to reveal Albus sitting at one of the smaller, circular tables in front of a large, silver mechanism. The machine let out a puff of smoke which formed into the shape of what looked like a bird which seemed to split into to before fading into clear air.
"What is it Albus?" Minerva asked, once he had given her his full attention.
"I merely wish to give some advice Minerva"
"Oh, really? What advice would that be?" Replied Minerva coolly.
"Only, that I believe it would be… beneficial… for you to stop by the girls dormitory tonight… in a form that would be difficult to trace back to you. If you catch my meaning."
"I hardly ever catch your meaning Albus." Minerva replied with a slight smile and she turned towards the door only to be stopped by Albus' voice.
"You know there's only one way out of this my dear" his voice had changed to that of the serious; worrying one Minerva had only heard a number of times before.
He was about to tell her a truth she did not want to acknowledge.
"Now, that she is here. The phoenix magic will not try for a second to keep the truth from her, it does not see innocence Minerva. It only sees the love that burns between you two. You must keep her safe until it is time, and then she must know the truth. You understand?"
Minerva's heart began to hammer. It seemed like a lifetime before she whispered.
"Yes."
Then she turned and left the office. Checking the time to find that it was half past eleven, now, she assumed would be well past the hour when all the children would be in bed and asleep and she made her way to Gryffindor Tower.
The common room was empty as she stepped through the portrait hole and made her way up to the first-year Girl's Dormitory, turning into her animagus as she went.
It was silent when she first entered the room, her senses only picking up on the faint breathing of sleeping girls. Then she heard something else, a whisper, one word over and over.
"Minerva. Minerva. Minerva."
The sound was coming from the bed on the far side of the room, Hermione's bed Minerva soon realised as she followed the sound. She turned back into her human form once she was at the side of the bed.
She gasped when she saw Hermione's face.
Her eyes were open but they were… red, a fiery red. She was whispering words over and over.
"Minerva? Minerva? Is that you?"
Minerva felt tears fill her eyes. She kneeled at the side of the bed and took Hermione's hand in her own, relishing the tight grip she felt in return. Hermione's eyes though were still burning that scarlet and staring straight upwards as though blind.
"I'm here Hermione" Minerva whispered.
"Minerva? I can hear you" Hermione whispered.
"Where are you my love?" Minerva asked, her eyes swimming with tears.
"I… I don't know. But, it feels safe; I hear your voice sometimes."
"I'm so sorry Hermione" Minerva began, tears leaked from her eyes, "I thought what I did was right but… now I… I just don't know"
"No, we had to… I see that now. How long has it been?" Hermione asked, her eyes still burning fiercely.
"Seventy years" Minerva whispered.
Hermione didn't reply for a minute and Minerva feared that she had gone.
"It feels… like the ritual was yesterday."
"I promise you." Minerva said and she felt her love burn right through her as she was saying the words, "I will bring you back to me, I just… I need time. Telling you now could damage your mind when it's so young."
"How old am I there?" Hermione asked.
"Eleven" Minerva breathed.
"I hear her thoughts sometimes, she feels like she knows you-"
"Don't say it like that, please. She, is you, you are the same… just-
"Different" Hermione said.
"The phoenix magic is trying to bind us back together, you know that."
"Yes, she has dreams, it forces images into her mind of… all our lifetimes." Said Hermione.
"I'm scared that… if she finds out too soon…"
"No, you mustn't tell me yet. I'm not ready, I can feel it. Just…" tears fell from Hermione's fiery eyes, "Just take care of me"
Minerva let out a small sob and tightened her grip on Hermione's hand, "Of course I will, I love you so much, I feel empty without you. I'll find you again I promise. God I love you."
"I know my love, I love you too. I think I need to go now, it feels… like I'm falling asleep. If something happens and I-
"Don't, my love. I said goodbye to you once before, I will never do it again."
Tears fell again from Hermione's eyes before the fire within them seemed to dwindle and die and Minerva knew that she was gone again, for now. Minerva looked down at the young face before her, now with closed eyes and calm breathing, she was still beautiful but it was a different kind of love that stirred within Minerva. A need to protect and cherish.
There would be a time for everything else.
As long as Hermione was safe.
Just another little piece for you. I'm really grateful for all your advice it means so much to me! So keep it up!
MM