A/N: Once again I am falling behind schedule but here is Poppy to save the damn day. I adore her, literally out here saving lives lol
Thanks for all the love. I adore each and every single one of you.
-0-
She stayed with Minerva until dawn. She slept on and off through the night but, mostly, she held Minerva tightly and kept the nightmares away. She knew that she would need to leave before the Castle woke and as the dawn started to kiss the horizon, she slipped from Minerva's bed. She watched Minerva for a moment, smiling at the little noises she made in sleep and conjured a rose. She traced the petals with her fingertips, wishing she could do the same for Minerva's face, but left it on the pillow. She whispered her love against Minerva's hair and stood. As she turned, a hand shot out to take hers.
"Leaving without a goodbye?" Minerva husked, sleep colouring her tone. Her eyes remained closed though she smiled when Hermione chuckled. "Some people would consider that phenomenally rude."
"I said goodbye to you in our dreams," Hermione smiled as she bent down to rest her head on the pillow beside Minerva's head. The woman smiled sleepily and pressed her nose against Hermione's.
"I am not awake enough to bandy wits with someone who only needs 10 minutes of sleep," she mumbled.
"Then go back to sleep so I can keep loving you until you wake." Minerva moaned as Hermione kissed her softly. "It is still early; you have time to dream." Hermione stroked her thumb over Minerva's forehead as she felt Minerva's breath even out again. "Sleep," she whispered.
She made sure Minerva's rose would not get squashed and left her love asleep.
"Good morning," Michael said jovially as she entered the living room. "Good evening?" Hermione gave him a look. "I'll keep an eye on 'er, as ever, I'm only inquiring," he chuckled.
"Do some inquiring for me, instead," she asked. "I need to know what Snape and Draco are up to. Find a few portraits that can be trusted and ask them to keep an eye on them and report back, okay?"
"I'll do my best," he promised. "You be careful, na'," he muttered. "If you've got eyes on the other professors, you'd best watch your back."
"As ever," she smiled. "Thank you, Michael."
She left quietly and was almost to the tower when she rounded the corner and bumped into someone.
"Oof, I'm so sorry."
"I'm terribly sorry, I -"
Hermione stared and tried her hardest to keep a straight face as Poppy stared at her with just a little more emotion visible than usual.
"Morning," Hermione said kindly. "You're up early?"
"A fine thing it would be, you talking to me in this deserted corridor at this hour," she huffed. "Was it your idea or hers?"
"Poppy," Hermione said gently. "It was not malicious, neither of us meant for it to get so out of hand."
Poppy sighed. It really had gotten out of hand - even Minerva had remarked on it as they had left for dinner the night before.
"It's fine," she huffed. "The rumour mill of Hogwarts is, as ever, the greatest source of imagination."
Hermione suddenly realised that Poppy looked rather sad.
"Hey," she said again. "Are you alright?"
"You can't tell?" Poppy snorted.
"I'm working on minding my own business. But I'm here if you want?"
Poppy sighed.
"Tea?"
"Yes please," Hermione smiled.
Poppy nodded and they turned back to the Hospital Wing.
"Lord knows I don't want to be seen with you in the corridors," Poppy grumbled.
"Hey," Hermione chuckled, nudging the woman playfully. "We are in a loving and committed relationship, don't you know? I believe I'm even expecting."
Poppy snorted and covered her mouth to prevent a laugh from exploding out of her.
"Get in here," she giggled, pushing Hermione through the doors and locking them behind her. "You'll be the bloody death of me."
"Never," Hermione said seriously. She stopped Poppy as she bustled into her office and held her arm and met her eyes. "Never, Poppy."
Poppy squeezed her hand where it lay on her arm and nodded to her sofa.
"It's been a long time since you were last here. You were crying over her then," Poppy muttered sadly. "Now, perhaps it is my turn."
"Poppy," Hermione said gently. "She loves you, so dearly. Go and speak to her!"
"I cannot." Poppy insisted as she leaned on her little tea table. "I cannot possibly. Because she is right. I should never have told anyone, leastways not her brother!"
"Listen, I think that if you asked her today, she would tell you that had she been in your shoes, she probably would have done the same thing. Because at that time, she didn't understand, Poppy. At the time you told him and at the time it all came out, we were still tentatively trying to find our way to the beginning of this. Now?" She shrugged. "She has a better understanding of what it means to have someone there for you at every turn."
"Hermione, you aren't -"
"What?" Poppy went a funny grey colour and sat down. She looked so small as she looked up at Hermione. "Poppy, what is it?"
"Are you sleeping with her?"
Hermione stared at her for a long while before she smiled.
"Not in the sense you mean it," Hermione chuckled. "I have slept next to her a few times, but only if she needs me to. I'm not going to lie and tell you it has not been discussed or things have not happened, some parts of that are none of your business." Poppy opened her mouth to argue but Hermione held her finger up. "None of your business. There are also things going on that I cannot tell you about, nor explain if I wanted to. Sometimes, she needs me there and sometimes she needs more."
"I don't," Poppy bit her lip. "I cannot have you responsible for her losing her job." Hermione met her pleading gaze. "No matter how much I am coming to adore you, nor how much she has come to love you. This job is her entire life, Hermione."
"I know and I will not be," Hermione assured her. "I would tear the Ministry apart before that happened."
"Herm -"
"I will ask you to do no more than I have asked her," Hermione said gently. She got up and took Poppy's hands, watching as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Trust me."
"Oh, Hermione, I wish -"
"No," Hermione said firmly as she squeezed her hands. "Look at me," she whispered. To her credit, Poppy did and Hermione smiled as their foreheads touched. "You are my love's family. So you are my family. You are her heart; her pride and joy. You and your husband and your children can trust me to protect you. And you can trust me to protect Minerva." Poppy looked up into her eyes. "With my last breath, Poppy. Nobody will ever touch any of you."
Poppy took another deep breath and nodded. Hermione stepped back but the mediwitch had different ideas.
"I'm sorry," Poppy whispered as she pulled her back into her arms. Hermione went willingly. "I'm sorry I doubted you and I'm sorry I broke your confidence."
"You're fine," Hermione whispered as they hugged. "As I said at the time, I was fully prepared for you to have told Will. I know nothing of him save what I know of Minerva, but I know you well enough to know that you would need to lean on him while you sorted it out in your head. And I am fully on board, Poppy. So just," she shrugged. "Trust me."
"I do." She rubbed her face and sighed. "Especially as we're supposed to be starting a family."
Hermione threw her head back and laughed as Poppy wiped her eyes and got started on the tea.
"Here," she said, still chuckling. "Make yourself useful," Poppy nodded towards her desk. "In the drawer to the left are my biscuits."
"Ooh," Hermione teased. "I suppose it's only fair for the woman carrying your child."
Poppy snorted again but Hermione sensed a request to drop it, so she did.
"Right," she said as she sat. "How are you? And what can I help with?"
"Oh," Poppy sighed. "It is nothing really. Nothing beyond what is going on all around us, at any rate. My son, Alec," she smiled and Hermione felt the tendrils of her love for him squeeze through her blocks. "Refuses to leave England. He says he will stay and fight for his Aunty Minerva," she groaned. "Which, I don't blame him, but -"
"It is terrifying."
"Yes," Poppy whispered.
"Will you please," Hermione put down her tea and turned to take Poppy's hands. "Will you please take my protection? It will enable me to keep an eye on you wherever you are. I can," she shrugged. "Sense it, I guess. It will ensure that if I need to stash you somewhere safe, I can. I will never use it for ill, Poppy, just as I have promised all the others that have taken it - my promise is that I will take care of you no matter the situation and you will do as I request if I ever need you to."
"I -" Poppy looked so sad that Hermione could not help but reach out to capture the tear on her cheek. "How will I explain it?"
"Honestly, if you like." Hermione shrugged. "Or let me? I'm sure Minerva would love to see all of you. You have a daughter as well, right?"
"Yes," Poppy smiled. "Bridget - Brie. She is in the States, though. I have told her not to return unless in dire need." Poppy beamed as she looked up and Hermione was overcome with her happiness. "She and her husband are expecting. I have not even told Minerva yet."
"Congratulations then!" Hermione smiled. "I doubt it would do anything untoward to the baby, but if she is happy there then we do not need to bother her. When it is time, if she wants, we can do so later."
"Hermione -"
"I promise," Hermione said gently. "That everything is going to be okay. I do happen to know that no matter what you think Minerva feels right now if she knew you were with us in this, she would find so much peace in that notion."
Poppy closed her eyes and Hermione wrapped her arm around her. They sat quietly for a long while before Poppy sighed.
"I would have to speak to Will. And Alec, I suppose."
"Why don't we find somewhere to have dinner together?"
"Hermione," Poppy snorted. "It is not safe enough for that. For any of us."
"I will find somewhere, okay?"
"I -"
"Hey," Hermione whispered. "It will be okay. I don't know everything, not at all, but I do know that no matter what? I will make sure that even if you all decide to not do this, you are as protected as I can manage."
Poppy let her head drop against Hermione's shoulder and sighed.
"Drink your tea," Hermione said gently. "And later, I'm setting you up to have lunch with Min, okay?"
Poppy nodded and sniffed as she gulped some down and sat back with a sigh.
"How is it all going?"
"How much do you want to know?" Hermione asked softly.
"Enough to be able to protect my family."
"That's my job now," Hermione teased. "It's," she sighed. "Convoluted," she settled on finally. "There are a lot of moving pieces that are doing things that I cannot keep track of. But we are working on it and as soon as I know something that will help, you'll be the second person to know." Poppy snorted. "What does Alec do?"
"Right now, he's a student."
"In London?"
"Yes," Poppy smiled proudly. "He's at Oxford, doing medicine." Hermione looked sideways at her. "Yes, Muggle," she chuckled. "He has already done his Wizarding degree."
"Golly!"
Poppy chuckled and settled her cup down.
"He is an overachiever like his Aunt." She paused and looked at her carefully. She made a face and then laughed quietly. "Both of them, I suppose."
Hermione laughed herself and settled in beside her.
"I dunno what I'm doing anymore," Hermione sighed. "I'm not really going to class. I have all this -" She looked down at her hands. "Power that I don't know what to do with and I'm in love with a woman that I need to not be in love with until I graduate. Albus is -" She held her tongue. "And I'm mostly just lost." She remembered Lucia's words as she sat back. Poppy pushed her hair off her face and smiled supportively. "I'm reacting, instead of planning and I hate it."
"But you are extraordinarily good at it."
Hermione chuckled but didn't reply. Instead, they sat back against the couch and fell silent for a while.
"Do you always wake early, or is it worry that makes you wander?"
"I am usually up when Will goes in at four," she sighed. "I am usually here not long after to make sure I am ready for the day."
"I assume at some point you worked at St Mungo's as well?" Hermione asked, genuinely interested.
"Oh no," Poppy chuckled. "Not a chance. I worked at the Ministry."
Hermione looked sideways at her.
"At the -"
Poppy's lips twitched.
"At the Department of Mysteries."
"Stop it," Hermione blinked. "Did you really?"
"For four very, very, long years," Poppy sighed. "I saw things that even you would be surprised at," she muttered.
"I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
"I am long used to it now, sweetheart," Poppy chuckled. "They are as fresh as they were ever, even after forty-odd years."
Hermione let it sit and offered her hand.
"Just this once," Poppy nodded as she took it. She rolled her neck and Hermione heard a few pops as she relaxed.
"I should go before someone sees me coming out of here again," Hermione chuckled after a little while. "I'd hate for them to get the wrong idea."
"Hermione."
Hermione laughed and squeezed Poppy's hand.
"Maybe I'll make myself cry and go running out of here and we can be in Splitsville," she teased.
"A fine thing that would be as well. They already don't like me, Merlin knows what they'll think then."
"They don't much like me either," Hermione whispered. "Maybe it's fate."
"Get out of here," Poppy laughed as they stood. "And Hermione?" she called as Hermione turned to go.
"Yes?"
"I," she bit her lip. "Will arrange with Minerva? About dinner?"
Hermione smiled.
"Yes," she nodded happily. "I'll tell her."
"Be careful, sweetheart," Poppy whispered just as Hermione left. She paused before she opened the door and turned back to look. Poppy blushed and Hermione smiled understandingly.
"I will, you too, okay? If you need anything, find me. Get the portraits to; they'll do it without question."
Poppy made a face but did not reply and Hermione slipped from the Hospital Wing without another word and went to the Tower to start her day properly.
-0-
Minerva walked into her rooms in time to go down to the Hall for lunch to a visitor sitting on her sofa.
"Poppy!"
"Min," the woman said hesitantly.
A voice cleared above them and he winced as she looked up at him.
"What is it, Michael?"
"I," he sighed, as much as a portrait could. "Forgive me, Hermione bade me deliver a message that you should visit your sister for lunch. And then, I was waylaid."
"Waylaid?" Minerva blinked.
"I," he said hesitantly, glancing at Poppy. "Was otherwise engaged."
A frisson of annoyance coloured Minerva's even mood and she stared at him for a while.
"Fine, we will speak of it later."
"Mistress," he said as he bowed and left.
She sighed and dropped her gaze to the floor and stood for a moment before she turned back to look at Poppy.
"I -" Poppy stood taller. "I am sorry."
"Are you?"
"Yes," Poppy whispered. "I should not have said anything at all. And while I know Hermione has her own opinions about it, she is not you and she does not know us as I do. I should have held my tongue." Minerva stared at her and sighed. "I'm just sorry, Min."
"I daresay you are," Minerva sighed. She could almost hear Hermione's voice in her ear, telling her to acknowledge it and let it go. She loved Poppy, they were a family. And William was only Minerva's brother; of course, Poppy was going to tell him. "And," she acknowledged. "I daresay I overreacted," she shrugged. "As apparently I am wont to do, lately."
Poppy seemed to flag and Minerva went to her and wrapped her up in her arms.
"I should not have burdened you so heavily," Minerva whispered.
"No," Poppy protested, looking properly hurt. "Please, Min, I won't ever- "
"Wait," Minerva said, stopping her. "I did not mean that quite as it sounded." She sighed as she took Poppy's hand and rested her head against the other woman's. "I mean, I should have been honest with myself, with Hermione?" Minerva kissed Poppy's cheek. "You held all that for me, and you held me. I should not have expected you to do so alone."
Poppy hugged her fiercely and Minerva, for once, with Poppy especially, felt like she was helping.
"Have lunch with me?"
"I'd love to," Poppy chuckled as she wiped her tears away.
"Good, sit," she smiled. "What do you want?"
"I don't even care. Whatever you are having is fine."
"Anchovy sandwiches then?"
Poppy roared with laughter and a little bit of Minerva's heart, that she didn't even know was bruised, healed. They ate a fine spread that was not dissimilar to what they would get in the Hall but they chatted as if they had never fallen apart.
"I had a visitor this morning," Poppy said quietly as they slowed down their eating to pick at their favourite parts.
"Oh?" Minerva asked, interested in whatever Poppy wanted to reveal.
"Your lovely woman."
Minerva swallowed.
"Oh," she said more quietly.
"You don't like it when I call her that?"
Minerva took a deep breath and wondered why she had reacted like that. She considered their weekend together and her evening prior and the way Hermione had been there at every moment, reminding her that she was totally comfortable with whatever Minerva needed or wanted.
"I -" Minerva hesitated. "Have made great strides," she chuckled. "Though perhaps not as great as they seem when it is simply Hermione and I."
"You are smiling, Minerva," Poppy whispered.
"Am I?" she asked, trying to stop herself from doing so, but failing miserably.
"You are," Poppy grinned. "Beaming, I believe that little thing is called."
Minerva blushed and put her face in her hands.
"I didn't know," Minerva whispered. "I didn't -"
"She is different. In herself, but from everyone else as well."
"Oh," Minerva groaned. "If only I could tell you."
She felt a frown form on her face as she worried for Poppy's future.
"Hey," Poppy said as she got up and joined Minerva in front of the fire. She hadn't even realised she'd moved. "She told me. She told me as much as she could and asked me, again, if she could help. If she could protect us."
Minerva blinked and looked up at her.
"Alec is refusing to leave," Poppy explained. "Wants to make sure he's there for his Aunt Minerva."
A tear rolled down Minerva's cheek as she stared at Poppy. The tension was so thick, she could taste it.
"I have agreed to Hermione's terms on principle."
Minerva hugged her fiercely and burst into tears. She was not emotionally stable for all of this nonsense but she clung to her like she was losing her right then.
"Easy," Poppy whispered. "Easy, love."
Minerva groaned and pulled away, wiping away her tears. She could feel the ghosts of Hermione's fingers helping and she laughed even as she continued to cry.
"I have been so worried," Minerva whispered. "I didn't know how to make you. I wanted to -"
"It's alright. If Alec is insisting, then, I will do whatever I need to do to make sure he is safe."
"We will keep him safe, Poppy, on my life, I swear it."
"I know," Poppy smiled. "I need to tell you as well -"
"What about Brie?"
"She called and wrote last week." She passed over an envelope and Minerva opened it and read it under her breath.
"Bridget and Michael are pleased to announce - oh, Poppy!"
"Congratulations, Aunty Minerva."
"Congratulations," Minerva laughed, damning the tears now. "Grandma."
"Merlin," Poppy laughed. "I hadn't thought of that."
"She isn't returning, is she?"
"Not until closer to, providing we can end this infernal thing."
"I will make sure of it," Minerva promised. "And if not, we will find her the safest place in all of the Isles to hide her away. I swear it Poppy, I swear -"
"I know," Poppy squeezed her hand. "Now."
They both spent a moment wiping their tears before Poppy nodded to the sofa and they both collapsed onto it.
"I don't know how much more of this mushy stuff I can cope with," Minerva joked. "And," she suddenly remembered what she had done to pay Poppy back. "I must apologise, myself before we go any further. I did not mean for this whole," she growled a little. "Hermione thing to go as far as it seems to have gone."
"Oh," Poppy chuckled. "She apologised as well. I'm sure we're very happy together somewhere."
Minerva growled again and Poppy poked her and grinned.
"You're looking a little green there, you know?"
"She asked me when I first suggested it."
"I knew it was your idea - she kept your secret," Poppy teased.
"She asked me if I would be okay with that ripping around the whole school. At the time I said I was." She glanced at Poppy with a blush warming her cheeks. "I am less so, now."
"Pretty sure that's how you know it's real," Poppy pretended to whisper.
Minerva hummed and leaned back.
"I am changing, Poppy."
"I know, love," she said as she turned and leaned on her hand as she watched Minerva stare at nothing.
In truth, Minerva had only really realised this morning when she awoke to a rose that smelled, somehow, of Hermione's hair and felt like a kiss. Coupled with her behaviour the night before and what they had done, there was only one conclusion.
"I mean -"
"I can see it, love," Poppy said gently. "I do not think it is bad," she soothed. Minerva wanted it to be true but at the same time, could not help but worry.
"I," she swallowed. "Overreacted last night. About something that I would have been upset about, ordinarily, but I was downright volatile. It took Hermione to speak sense to me and calm me down."
"Dragon tendencies," Poppy mused. "I do recall telling you that at the beginning."
Minerva took a deep breath and held it. She let it out slowly as Poppy's hand held hers.
"It would be alright, you know," Poppy promised. "If you do change. If you change further. If you become what she is, even. It is okay."
"You have not seen what she is," Minerva whispered. "It is breathtaking and all at the same time, terrifying."
"You are not scared of her, surely."
"No," Minerva said definitely. "Not at all. But she is something, something we have never seen and that," she let go of another tremulous breath. "Is scary in of itself. For so many reasons."
"Just as she promises to protect us," Poppy smiled. "We will protect her."
"Yes," Minerva growled. She promised her love in her head and out loud as well. "We will."
"Right then," Poppy said seriously. "So, Hermione has put you and me in charge of dinner somewhere then perhaps somewhere we can all go to do whatever it is we need to do and then," she shrugged. "I know nothing about what I'm saying, do you understand that?"
Minerva laughed.
"I do." Minerva nodded. "This castle is precious to us, but we," she winced, remembering the reasons. "Had already decided we might need somewhere outside of it. We only decided that on Sunday, so perhaps I can spend this week looking and let you know before the end of the week?"
"Perfect," Poppy nodded as the bells rang to signal the end of the lunch break. "Let me know as soon as you do so we can get Alec up here."
"I will," Minerva smiled.
They hugged tightly and Poppy left via the Floo. Despite it all, Minerva was as light as a feather. She stood on her living room rug with a soft smile on her face and hope in her heart.