A/N: Finished another update for you all! So you should know, the scrabble scene comes DIRECTLY from my own life. I put down the word Zen. Also, I'm sorry if there was any confusion at the end of this chapter. We still have several chapters to go, and certainly aren't finished. I'll be sure to say goodbye before it's over. ;-)

"That is not a suitable word," Minerva said, her slim finger pointing at the three offensive tiles.

"What? Of course it is!"

Minerva raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow towards Hermione, "Define it," she challenged, causing Hermione to stumble.

"I can't just define it, Minerva. It's a very fluid term—a state of mind."

"Incorrect."

Hermione glared, "You're just upset because that word will earn me 33 points, meaning that I'm a total of 20 points ahead of you, Professor."

"That is not why I'm upset. I just understand the importance of following rules when playing Scrabble, and Zen is not an appropriate submission."

"Why not?"

"Well you have no idea what it means, for one."

"That isn't a rule."

"Yes it is. Besides, even if you did know what it means, it is a foreign word and therefore inapplicable."

"It hasn't been a foreign word since the seventies—or something like that. I assure you, it's been very popular in muggle conversation for quite some time."

"Colloquialism has no impact on the rules of scrabble," Minerva said sternly, her lips pursed in their customary Professor McGonagall scowl.

"It isn't just colloquialism, it's a word. It's a peaceful state of being, another level of existence. I think it's Buddhist," Hermione babbled hopefully.

Minerva actually rolled her eyes at the argumentative brunette, this was the third word they had ended up quarreling over during this game, and she was determined not to let Hermione win this time. She glared at the woman in front of her as she carefully picked up the three offensive tiles, "Z-E-N, Zen: A Japanese philosophy popular in Mahayana Buddhism which emphasizes enlightenment through meditation."

She handed the tiles to Hermione, whose mouth was dropped open slightly, "I can't believe you knew that."

Minerva smirked gleefully, "Sorry pet, but that word is not acceptable according to the rulebook."

"You put down the word 'ridikulus', that isn't proper English either. It's a Latin hybrid and a wizarding word. Not muggle English," Hermione argued petulantly, desperately clinging to her 33 points.

Minerva smiled lightly, "And we agreed to an exception for magical terminology before we started playing—if you had told me we were allowed to use foreign words, I would have pulled out my extensive Gaelic vocabulary."

Hermione glared, taking the pieces back, and studying her tiles begrudgingly. "You're a vicious scrabble player," she pouted. Her expression was clouded with a frustrated desperation as she searched her tiles, trying to catch up with Minerva. Suddenly a troublesome grin lit up her face, and she placed three more tiles, "Zep!"

Minerva frowned distastefully, "What is a Zep?"

"A large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese; different names are used in different sections of the United States," she quoted dutifully. "I was bored one day as a child and sat for several hours trying to memorize the Scrabble dictionary—I wasn't successful, but some select terms stuck with me. Including—Zep!"

"But—that—It's still a foreign word, and colloquial!" Minerva sputtered desperately.

"Oh, we aren't using those?" Hermione teased, "Then I suppose I should take back the 46 points you managed for Jambalaya on a double word?"

Minerva glared, "Fine. I'll accept it."

"Wonderful! That's worth 42 points," she laughed, "That would be 9 points more than Zen was worth!"

"You cheat."

"You're just mad that you finally found someone who can compete with you at Scrabble."

Minerva gifted her a small smile, "That's true—though Severus was a fair player. He just tended to pout for far too long when I beat him."

"Well you shouldn't have to worry about that with me—looking at the score," Hermione winked.

Minerva frowned for a moment before adopting a more devious expression, her eyes twinkling mischievously, "I'm sure that there must be something I can do to remedy that score," she purred, moving around the table gracefully and wrapping her arms around Hermione, kissing the back of her neck.

Hermione sighed lightly; turning around in her chair to pull Min closer, she kissed her for a moment before leaning up to her ear and whispering, "I shan't be bought, Minerva McGonagall."

She quickly darting away from the taller woman, score sheet in hand. Sprinting for the sitting room, she leapt onto one of the couches, and stood tall upon one of the arms. She grinned down at a shocked Minerva, "And for your terrible crime of attempting to bribe the scorekeeper," she called out dramatically, "I hereby declare myself life-long champion and Scrabble-Goddess-Divine!"

She then did a spectacular pirouette before throwing herself down on the couch. Minerva laughed as she moved towards the giggling woman, and held out a hand. Hermione looked at it questioningly for a moment before taking it, allowing Minerva to pull her up into her arms with ease.

Minerva wrapped a firm hand around her waist, while maintaining hold of her hand. She danced them in a circle, making Hermione laugh harder. "I do believe you've lost your mind, Hermione Granger."

"Says the woman who is dancing without any music?"

Minerva smiled widely, "I find that dancing is extremely conducive to finding the cure for spontaneous insanity."

"Is it now?" Hermione laughed.

"Yes," she replied firmly. "I suspect that your insanity may be caused by a serious lack of fresh Scottish air—so we must solve this immediately."

Hermione nodded pseudo-seriously, "Of course, Professor. What do you suggest?"

Minerva abruptly stopped their dance, kissing Hermione quickly and pulling her towards the door, tossing Hermione's heavier cloak towards her as they moved. "We are going to have an adventure?"

Hermione groaned jokingly, "Haven't we had enough adventures recently?"

"Certainly not! Are we Gryffindors or aren't we?" She pulled Hermione quickly towards the kitchen, and out the back door, making the smaller woman squeal in surprise. Minerva spun her delicately as they stepped into the wind, kissing her firmly on the lips. "You don't mind, do you?"

Hermione smiled widely, endlessly thrilled with Minerva's caring nature, "Not at all," she assured, following her gleefully across the field.

"This is my family's full estate. Most of my students and colleagues operate under the odd assumption that I own some marvelous mansion full of untold riches, but that couldn't be any farther from the truth. My family never had much money, my father was a Minister. So we owned this beautiful land, but not much else. Lucky for me—I never needed much else."

Hermione's eyes widened as she stared into the wide expanse of land. She had seen the estate briefly when their portkey had landed, but Minerva had needed her full attention at the time, so she hadn't really taken a moment. Since that time they hadn't really ventured outside of the house, happy to spend their time recuperating.

Flowing hills surrounded them, and a great field spread out from the house. Far in the distance Hermione could just barely see the flashing waves of the ocean, and she marveled at the natural beauty. It was obvious that at one point this land had been farmed, but it had long since gone wild, and Hermione thought it looked beautifully real. A small barn stood several yards away, and Hermione quickly realized that this was their destination and followed eagerly.

"I sometimes spend summers here, though it is rare these days. But I do know a wonderful man in town who cares for my lovely friends within the barn," Minerva explained as they approached. With some effort Minerva pulled the door open revealing a large barn, housing only two horses. "I've meant to do the research for years, as I'm not quite sure how they are still alive and looking as young as ever."

She moved first to a shining black Frisian. The horse's eyes showed wisdom beyond her apparent youth and she greeted Minerva warmly, nuzzling against her head and causing the woman to laugh, "This lovely darling is Arabesque. My mother brought her home when I was eight years old, and she has been in the family ever since. She's always been mine more than anyone else's, though she treats Malcolm like her own foal."

"She's beautiful," Hermione said dazedly. She had grown up in an extremely suburban area, and hadn't actually ever seen a horse in real life, staring into the friendly eyes of the Arabesque she found herself finally understanding the childhood obsession most girls' she had known had with horses. They really were beautiful.

Minerva moved towards the second stall, calling a much smaller horse forward, "This is Elsie—name by my brother Robert, because he thought she looked like a cow, and had determined that was 'a cow name'," she laughed fondly, "I never did quite understand that."

"She's much shyer," Hermione noted, smiling at the cautious creature.

"She really was Robert's baby, he found her abandoned when she was just a filly and nursed her to health," Minerva said quietly, "He loved her more than anyone else in the world, and the feeling was more the reciprocated. She's never quite gotten over the fact that he stopped coming home. She's very sweet, and does loosen up at times. She torments Arabesque mercilessly, but she is very shy with people she doesn't know."

"Hello Gorgeous," Hermione said quietly, holding a hand out to the trepidatious creature. Elsie slowly approached her, eyes unsure. But eventually she allowed Hermione to scratch her lightly behind the ears.

Minerva gave a melancholy smile, "She rarely warms up to people so easily—you had better come back and visit her now."

Hermione smiled as she glanced into Minerva's eyes, "Well I certainly didn't plan on staying away," she promised.

Minerva transfigured her shoes into riding boots with a flick of her wand, and moved into Arabesque's stall. "Unfortunately, there isn't any way that Elsie would let you ride her yet—so we'll just be taking Ara out."

"Ri-ride?" Hermione blanched, "I don't—I mean, I can't."

Minerva laughed slightly, "What, did you think I brought you out here to paint a picture? I told you, we're going to have an adventure!"

Hermione shook her head fiercely, hair flying around her in a stressed mass, "I can't ride a horse, I've only just met a horse. And they move—and have their own minds. I'll break something!"

Minerva laughed loudly this time, forgetting just how unaccustomed Hermione was to this life, "It's no worse than a broom," she promised.

Hermione looked at her skeptically, "Is that your way of convincing me?"

"No," Minerva said mischievously as she mounted the horse easily. She held out a simple hand to Hermione, "This is how I convince you… Grab my hand."

Hermione blinked at her owlishly, petrified beyond belief but knowing that there was only one right answer to that request. She knew that Minerva was purposely using the exact same line she did months ago when she convinced Hermione to fly—and she knew that Hermione treasured that memory far too much to ever say no. She sighed lightly and took Minerva's soft hand, placing a foot in the stirrup. Just as she had months ago Minerva pulled her up without difficultly, showing her unexpected strength. "That was a dirty trick you know," Hermione whispered.

"I'm glad you took my hand," she smiled, turning to kiss Hermione lightly.

"I'll always take your hand," Hermione said seriously. "Always."

Minerva gently led them from the barn, squeezing Hermione's hand lightly as she quivered, "Trust me darling, I won't let you fall."

Hermione nodded lightly, trying to control the shaking in her teeth. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, focusing on how steady she felt; she wasn't going to fall, and Minerva wouldn't let her. Besides—she wasn't that far up, and they weren't moving all that quickly. This wasn't like a broom.

Opening her eyes again she was surprised to see they had entered the field, "Can I let her run a bit?" Minerva asked carefully and Hermione agreed. As their speed picked up Hermione found herself sucking in a fast breath. She was still terrified, but she couldn't deny this felt amazing. She found that the beating hoofs against the solid ground reminded her of just how grounded she really was, and held her fears at bay, while the wind in her hair and the speed made her feel like she was flying.

She tightened her hold on Minerva, not out of fear, but out of a desire to be closer to the wondrous woman in front of her. "This is amazing," she whispered, causing the Minerva to blush.

"Just you wait," she replied, before redirecting Arabesque towards a trail leading up one of the hills. Arabesque sped happily along, clearly thrilled to get a chance to really explore again, as it has obviously been some time since she ventured beyond the enclosed field.

As they moved up the trail Minerva pointed out various memorable points. The peak where she had first attempted one of her suicidal broom dives, and subsequently broken her leg. The tree which Malcolm used to climb into when he wanted to hide from his responsibilities and simply read a good book. The small pond where her mother had taken her swimming as a child. Hermione leaned her face gently against Minerva's shoulder—kissing it softly and enjoying every small memory—every lilting laugh.

After twenty minutes of riding they reached another wide expanse of field, surrounded by a thick wooden fence. Minerva slowed Arabesque, before stopping entirely. She dismounted gracefully and Hermione stumbled after her, causing her entire face to heat up and Minerva to laugh, "I don't mind your occasional clumsiness," she smiled, "It just gives me the opportunity to hold you all the closer."

Hermione's eyes twinkled delightfully as she whispered, "You seem full of lines today—one would think you were trying to woo me."

"Always," Minerva said seriously, taking hold of Hermione's hand and pulling her towards the edge of the field. Hermione gasped as they drew closer, finally dragging her eyes away from Minerva. They were atop one of the smaller hills which surrounded Minerva's family home and could easily see for miles in every direction.

"Wow," Hermione breathed, leaning against the fencepost. "Where are we?"

Minerva thought for a moment, and then pointed to the north, "Hogwarts is that way."

Hermione laughed happily, "Well that is extremely helpful."

"I thought so."

As Hermione stared, overwhelmed at the landscape surrounding her, she felt Minerva gently wrapping her arms around her from behind—pulling her close and placing a gentle kiss below her ear. "Still my favorite spot," she whispered tenderly, causing Hermione to blush. "And a guaranteed blush zone. I like knowing that."

Hermione turned around, careful not to break contact with the taller woman. Glancing up and into her eyes she asked quietly, "Is this area well populated? You never told me."

"There's a small village about twenty minutes from here—but no one ever comes to this area."

Hermione allowed her hands to travel from around Minerva's neck down her back, gently pushing the heavy cloak from her shoulders and appreciating the abnormally warm weather. "So we're completely alone," she whispered, running a finger across the slim band of skin which appeared between her sweater and her jeans.

Minerva shivered, "Completely," she responded, pulling Hermione into a slow kiss.

Hermione smiled against her lips, and discarded her own cloak to the ground near them before pulling Minerva flush against her, her knee strategically placed against Minerva's pulsating center. Hermione groaned, realizing that she could feel her through their clothes, and that perhaps Minerva had planned this all along.

She found that she didn't mind that idea at all and consequently pulled Minerva's shirt off in a quick movement. Beneath the modest scarlet sweater was a bra of deep sapphire, and Hermione found herself stepping back to admire the witch before her. Her long auburn hair was tied back in a soft braid, tousled from the fierce wind and riding. Seeing her black riding boots paired with the jeans she had been wearing all day and the recently discovered undergarments, Hermione found herself helpless to the sultry glance Minerva sent her way.

She moved quickly, backing Minerva up against the fencepost and kissing her fiercely, her hands swiftly freeing the braid as she ran her hands through the impressive mane. Minerva pushed herself onto the fence, pulling Hermione between her legs as she disposed of the hoodie she had been sporting throughout the day. Groaning in frustration as she discovered Hermione's logical layers, she finally pulled out her wand, banishing the clothing to a pile with their cloaks.

Hermione grinned as she looked down at her now naked body, "Well that doesn't seem fair," she laughed.

"I thought we had already confirmed the fact that I'm a terrible rotten cheater," Minerva smirked, pulling Hermione back towards her and marveling at the feel of Hermione's smooth skin against her own.

Minerva had to bend to kiss Hermione from her place on the fence, but suddenly found herself not minding that so much as the petite woman's breasts brushed against her jeans. Hermione moaned upon making contact with the rough fabric, her lips and tongue painting a delicate picture over Minerva's covered chest.

Hermione bit gently from over the silk fabric, causing Minerva to cry out. "Where did you learn that?" she gasped, and Hermione chuckled, sending vibrations scattering across her.

"I find I learn very quickly," she smirked, flicking a tongue over her lovers covered nipple, "from experimentation."

Minerva groaned, "Tortuous woman."

Hermione finally removed the troublesome article of clothing, allowing her tongue to toy with each exposed nipple, her hands holding Minerva's hips firmly in place and stopping her from falling.

Hermione grinned mischievously at the flushed woman who was coming undone for her, without warning moved a hand down and ran it across the seam of the writhing woman's jeans. "Fuck!" Minerva gasped uncharacteristically.

"Swearing—so inappropriate, Professor," she chuckled.

"Not my fault," Minerva gasped, "Misbehaving, teasing, student."

Hermione laughed, "Well I don't want to lose points…" she said flirtatiously banishing the rest of Minerva's clothing without warning.

Minerva had the fleeting thought that she was going to end up with splinters before Hermione's fingers found themselves suddenly buried inside of her and all thought ceased to exist.

Hermione's tongue began its ministrations again, swirling delicately around one of her nipples as she sucked gently and ran a hand through Minerva's hair. She continued to thrust passionately into Minerva as she overwhelmed her completely, causing the witch to cry out her appreciation. Hermione found herself once again appreciating her talent for multitasking as she felt Minerva tighten around her fingers and her breaths became shallow.

With three small circles from her thumb, Minerva shouted her release. She gasped desperately for air as she came down from the powerful orgasm, her eyes shut and her skin tingling pleasantly.

"You," she breathed, "are incredibly good at that."

Hermione grinned, "I have had a brilliant teacher, and private tutoring all week," she whispered, kissing Minerva's shoulder gently as she returned her hands to Minerva's hips.

Minerva grinned, "She deserves some sort of award."

Hermione pretended to ponder for a moment, "I don't know, she's still a horrible nasty scrabble cheater."

Minerva pouted, opening her eyes and appreciating the young witch as she carefully gathered her wand and clothing. Minerva moved to do the same, before discovering that she was entirely incapable of moving from her place on the fence. She coughed lightly, drawing Hermione's attention. Waving towards the fence post she asked, "Forget something dear?"

Hermione laughed, "Sorry Min, I cast a quick charm to keep you from falling, and a cushioning charm. I just forgot to remove them." She studied the naked woman carefully, eyes appreciating her every curve, "Though there are certain advantages to leaving you there…"

"Hermione," Minerva said warningly, a semi-glare forming on her face. Hermione rolled her eyes lightly and flicked her wand, releasing the incantations.

"Fine, ruin my fun," she laughed, bending to pick up her underwear and watching as it quickly darted from her grasp. Raising an eyebrow she turned around slowly, eying Minerva as she stood proudly twirling the light fabric around her.

"Perhaps I can make it up to you," she said, a predatory gleam in her eye as she stalked her prey.

Hermione suddenly felt herself blushing at Minerva's gaze, "Oh?" she squeaked, unsure of where her sudden bashfulness had come from.

Minerva pounced quickly, wrapping a firm arm tightly around Hermione's waist and pulling her close, "I think I can definitely do something to make amends," she whispered as she pulled the trembling brunette into a searing kiss.

The following morning Minerva woke to the persistent tapping of an owl at her window. She sighed, regretfully untangling herself from the lovely woman who enveloped her, and approaching the window. Hermione muttered unintelligibly from the bed, and Minerva smiled at her morning antics, loving the woman all the more for it.

She opened the window and gently stroked the bird who was waiting for her. "I'm sorry, dearest. I don't have any treats for you. Next time?"

The owl gave a small hoot of understanding before holding out its leg, she carefully untied the scroll and thanked the owl as it fluttered back out the window.

Unfurling the letter she quirked an eyebrow at the outrageous orange script, but smiled upon reading the greeting.

Dearest M&M!

Here's hoping this letter finds you in the greatest of health and entirely healed from the lack of hospitality at the Ministry. We're confident that Nurse Granger will have you in wonderful health by this point. (What we wouldn't pay to pop into a pensive of that memory!)

All joking aside, we are hoping that you may be able to meet with us before you return to take the train on Sunday. We have something to discuss with you of a sensitive nature. If you are amenable, please join us at our shop in Diagon Alley at ten o'clock sharp. If you are not amenable, please join us at our shop in Diagon Alley at ten o'clock sharp anyways.

It would probably be best if you came without our favorite bushy-headed brain. We love her, but this meeting is best as a threesome.

All our Love!
Gred & Forge

Thanks so much for reading! If you're curious about the images which have been puttering around my head, I'm going to be posting pictures of the horses on my Twitter, and yesterday I posted a picture which almost exactly depicts what I've been imagining as Minerva's land. ( LadyChristineM)

Also, that horse scene is dedicated to CherriiMarina, who seemed excited at the idea of "Equine Adventures". I don't actually know anything about horses, or riding, or farms, or anything that isn't in the middle of a city. So blame google if I got it all wrong. :-)