Pins and Needles
Chapter 16: Star Stuff
"How am I supposed to know what to wear if you're not going to tell me where we're going?" Hermione had been trying to contain her excitement for most of the day, but as the evening – and with it their date – grew closer, it became impossible to keep up her calm demeanour.
"We are witches, darling. Practicality is hardly an issue." Minerva's eyes were sparkling with amusement as she watched Hermione fuss about.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'll assume there is good reason for being this obnoxious about it."
"Of course there is. I have a reputation to uphold. Deep and mysterious."
Hermione felt her cheeks redden at being reminded of her attempt at poetry. "You're not going to let that one slide, are you?"
"Never." Minerva had approached and pulled her into a loose embrace. "That was one of the most profoundly beautiful things anyone has ever said to me. I will treasure it till the day I die." She gave her a quick peck on the lips before disentangling herself again. As she turned towards the stairs to go and get changed, she mumbled, "Or the day I become too addle-brained to remember."
Following right on her heels, Hermione had overheard the remark despite the low voice. "You just had to add that."
Minerva gave her an apologetic shrug as they reached the top of the stairs. Heading towards her room, she called out over her shoulder, "Keep it casual."
Hermione had decided to take Minerva's advice at face value and chosen to wear a knitted woollen jumper over steel grey jeans. Not that it mattered much at this moment, as the winter cold had compelled her to don a thick, long duffel coat, hiding most of the rest of her clothing.
Following Minerva on a path leading up the flank of a hill, she silently cursed the twilight for obscuring what was sure to have been a breathtaking view otherwise. Minerva was prone to wearing comfortable yet stylish trousers at home, a choice that met with Hermione's approval since they happened to highlight a certain part of Minerva's anatomy that she had found herself to be increasingly fond of and that any robe-like arrangement hid quite efficiently. The tailored pair of black trousers Minerva had chosen today were not only more elegant but also more curve-fitting. Her short wrap coat only served to enhance the effect.
Hermione muttered a curse under her breath as she almost tripped on a root crossing the path. Not paying attention was not a good idea in this terrain. She would just have to remember to get a good look later on.
Minerva had come to a stop some two dozen feet in front of her. As Hermione reached her side, she was finally able to see the river she had been hearing all along. Despite the dusk, she could make out the contours of a derelict building on the other side. Huge flat stones were sitting in the water below them, a picnic blanket set out on one of them.
Hermione let her eyes wander, taking in the whole scenery. If one were to look at it from a point a bit further downstream… "That's the mill from the photo, isn't it?"
"Do you mind?" Minerva kept her eyes on the river.
"Why? Do you take all the women you're trying to woo here?"
"Yes, actually." Minerva's voice was almost too low to be heard.
"That would be Katherine and me then?" She waited until Minerva's nod had confirmed her assumption. "I feel honoured."
"You do?" Minerva finally turned to look at Hermione and meet her eyes. "Now that we are here, it is starting to feel like a rather horrible idea."
"It could have been. Were I not as awesome as I am." Minerva's failure to react to her words made her turn completely serious. "I know how much this means to you. To allow someone into that part of your life. Have you ever been here again after she died?" A barely visible shake of the head proved that she had made another good guess. "All the more reason."
Unable to form words, Minerva settled for a small smile to convey her gratitude before setting out towards their dinner site. The path had widened, enabling Hermione to walk beside her. Figuring that Minerva needed some time to process, she slipped her hand into Minerva's, but kept silent.
They soon reached the river bank. Contrary to what Hermione had been expecting, the final steps towards their destination did not involve any acrobatics; their stepping stones were firmly lodged into the ground and as level as the big one they were heading for. Allowing Minerva to help her up the last step, she felt a short prickle pass over her as she entered a bubble of warm, dry air surrounding their dinner spot. At a flick of Minerva's wand, the soft light of about a dozen candles illuminated the blanket.
They removed their coats to make themselves comfortable, allowing Hermione to take in the rest of Minerva's outfit. A plain, white blouse somehow managed to accentuate all the right places despite its loose cut. Minerva had left the top two buttons open. While this choice served to emphasise the single piece of jewellery she was wearing – a green emerald like stone on a simple gold chain – it also provided tantalising glimpses of her cleavage whenever she moved.
"You are staring."
Slightly startled, Hermione looked up. "It's working as intended then, is it not?" The resulting twinkle in Minerva's eyes was all the answer she needed. "You look stunning." She flicked her eyes down towards her own attire. "We will need to have a conversation about the precise meaning of the word casual though."
Minerva shrugged. "Some of us look stunning without even trying. Some need a little help."
As they settled down and made themselves comfortable, Hermione eyed an old-fashioned picnic basket awaiting them. "Are you as curious about its content as I am?"
"Contrary to popular belief, I was involved in the planning. Though I will concede that Deely was responsible for the cooking. To both of our benefit, I might add."
Minerva placed a bowl of salad and some bread in the centre, then filled two bowls with some kind of steaming thick soup. She placed one of them in front of Hermione. "I will admit that it defies the rules of what is considered a suitable picnic meal – or a date meal, for that matter – but it goes really well with cold winter nights."
Hermione bowed down a little and was rewarded with a savoury, slightly smokey smell that instantly made her mouth water. "What is it?"
"Cullen Skink. It may have a questionable name, but I happen to know you like all the basic ingredients, so I took a chance."
Hermione found the taste to surpass the deliciousness promised by the smell. Some form of smoked fish – haddock, she guessed – provided the dominating aroma, complemented by onions and generous amounts of coarsely mashed potatoes. After just a few spoonfuls, a cosy warmth started spreading from inside her stomach into the rest of her body. She licked her lips. "To hell with the conventions if breaking them feels this good."
Minerva returned her grin. "I had a hunch that was going to be your stance."
When they had finished eating, Minerva banished most of the leftovers with a few deft movements of her wand before transforming the remaining plates and cutlery into comfortable cushions that swiftly proceeded to arrange themselves in a way that allowed the two women to lean back against them, almost as if they were sitting on some kind of sofa.
Motioning for Hermione to make herself comfortable, Minerva reached into the basket again, put some pieces of something that Hermione guessed to be confectionery on a plate and handed it over.
She eyed the sweets for a moment. "Fudge?"
"Tablet, actually. But it is quite similar. Would you like some whisky to go with that? We also have tea. If you intend on mixing them, I would prefer it if you did so while I am not looking."
"I know I'm not Scottish, but give me some credit. I wouldn't dream of insulting what is sure to be very fine whisky like that."
Deciding on a modest amount of the whisky, Hermione made herself comfortable. As she swirled a sip inside her mouth, enjoying the contrast to the sweet tablet the tangy liquid created, she felt Minerva move again, magically dousing the candles. Night had chased off the last remnants of daylight during dinner. The moon had yet to rise, allowing the stars to display their brilliance without any competition.
After a few minutes of quietly marvelling at the view, Hermione said, "This is wonderful. Just perfect. Thank you." She took another sip. "But why couldn't we have come here earlier?"
She felt Minerva chuckle against her. "Who says we are done? Good things come to those who wait."
"Let me guess – you're not going to tell me what we're waiting for?"
"Of course not. But while we do…" Minerva had finished her whisky and set the glass aside before fully relaxing into the cushions. "Did anyone ever tell you about any of the ancient wizarding myths?"
"Like the Elder Wand?"
"Long before that." Minerva paused for a moment as Hermione popped the last piece of tablet in her mouth, put down the plate and snuggled up against her. "Back in the times when witchcraft was based on instinct only, before we understood any of it, the stars were considered to be the source of magic. And every shooting star meant that, somewhere, a magical child was born to muggle parents. Which makes you," she smiled broadly as she tapped Hermione's chest to accentuate her words, "a child of the stars."
Returning the smile, Hermione let herself be pulled in for a deep and passionate kiss. Over the last two weeks they had kissed often enough that she was no longer feeling any nervousness, but her ongoing astonishment at the fact that she actually got to do this still caused regular bouts of giddiness, not to mention an ever-increasing urge to expand their activities. Nevertheless, her mind kept returning to Minerva's words and soon compelled her to break the kiss for a chance to add its two sickles. "It's not actually all that far from the truth, you know?"
Minerva blinked in confusion. "What is?"
"The star stuff. I take it that astrophysics isn't one of your areas of expertise?"
Minerva sighed, shaking her head in mild disbelief. "There goes my attempt at romance." Taking in Hermione's chagrined expression, her voice softened. "It is alright. In fact, you are doing a wonderful job in filling the wise-ass spot in my life that has been disconcertingly empty since Albus died. To answer your question though – no, astrophysics is not something I excel in."
"I think that's the first time since your trashing of divination that I've heard you confessing to not knowing something."
"I did not trash it. That would have been highly unprofessional. I merely expressed some well founded criticism." She answered Hermione's amused expression with a smile of her own. "In all seriousness though, I have a lot of blind spots, especially when it comes to the Muggle sciences. Unlike my disdain for divination, it is not something I am proud of."
"Well, I'm hardly an expert either, but I do know this – every atom beyond the most simple ones was once part of a star. Everything. We are all children of the stars."
Hermione stooped down again, intent on continuing where they had left off, but this time it was Minerva's turn to interrupt.
"Speaking of which …," she said as her eyes trailed towards the sky behind Hermione.
When she turned to follow Minerva's line of sight, Hermione forgot all about kissing. Or anything else, for that matter.
Green lights were flickering across the night sky, dancing to some unheard tune of the stars. Soon purple streaks appeared, joining their green brethren's effort to make the sky a living canvas. Snuggled up against each other, they continued to enjoy the celestial spectacle in silence.
There had been several occurrences of northern lights during her time at Hogwarts, but Hermione had only ever learned about them after the fact. At the time, she had felt that whatever she had been doing – be it studying or ill-advised adventures – had been worth the trade, but right now she questioned her priorities.
As the lights started to grow fainter, Hermione turned towards Minerva again. "You knew that this was going to happen tonight."
"I knew there was a decent chance. Or rather, some Muggle scientists knew and were happy to share their knowledge with the local tourist office."
"They were reconnaissance trips then." The mental image of Minerva marching up to some bulletin board in a Muggle town made Hermione chuckle.
"Indeed."
"It certainly was worth the wait, ocean lady."
"Glad to hear it, star child."
When the last remnants of the solar dancers had faded away, Minerva sat up and lit the candles again. "We should probably be heading back."
"Why?"
Minerva raised an eyebrow. "Because it is getting rather late?"
"You're making a halfway decent case for getting some sleep." Hermione's eyes sparkled, reflecting the candlelight. "I'm not sold on the heading back part."
"You want to sleep here?" Minerva's tone indicated a mixture of incredulity and amusement.
"Eventually." Hermione reached out to draw an unresisting Minerva back into the cushions. "The wards will easily last through the night, right?" She waited for Minerva's nod before continuing, "Then I ask again, why should we head back?"
Hermione had timed her words and actions so that Minerva came to lie half on top of her as she finished speaking. Shifting her hand, she gently pulled her head towards hers. "I love you," she whispered just before their lips met.
Forgetting everything around them, she lost herself in kissing Minerva. The softness of her lips. The taste of whisky and tablet on her tongue as it met her own. The teasing caresses. Her warmth.
She broke the kiss and nudged Minerva to lie back into the cushions, effectively switching their positions before trailing her lips along Minerva's cheek until she had reached her ear. Nuzzling the spot behind it for a moment, she took in Minerva's unique smell that she had discovered to be most intense there. Moving again, she started kissing Minerva's neck as she let her hand draw a path from her hip, brushing the side of her breast before she ran her thumb over its centre, thoroughly enjoying the sharp intake of breath her actions provoked.
Through the thin fabric of Minerva's blouse, she could feel her nipple harden, causing her own body's equally enthusiastic response. Thus emboldened, she let her hand retrace its path back towards Minerva's hip before nudging her way below the hem of her blouse. Minerva's stomach fluttered under her probing fingers. Just as she was about to fully lose herself in these newly discovered endeavours, Minerva put one of her hands on top of Hermione's, stopping her movements.
Hermione looked up to meet her eyes. "If you'd rather go home after all … ?"
Minerva shook her head. "I am …" She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I feel that we are moving too fast. And I appreciate that it is not, objectively, all that fast. But I–"
Hermione had removed her hand from its resting place while she was still speaking and put her index finger over Minerva's lips, effectively stopping her words. "You don't need to explain."
"Good. Because I do not think I can."
"I feel we've already had this conversation, haven't we?" Hermione waited for a moment, but continued when Minerva did not show any signs of catching on, "I'm not going anywhere."
"I am happy to know the sentiment does not apply to sluggish dating only."
"It applies to everything." Hermione put emphasis on that last, all important word before adding a kiss for good measure. Meeting Minerva's eyes again, she took a moment to consider her next words. "If you didn't want to go there at all, you'd tell me, right? Because I mean it. Everything."
Minerva traced a finger along her jaw, slightly shaking her head in what appeared to be amazement. "If it were at all possible, I would love you even more for even asking this. But I really am just slow. I fully intend to arrive. Eventually."
Hermione beamed at her. "I'm not going to pretend I'm not happy to hear that." Quickly moving her head, she caught Minerva's finger between her lips and sucked it playfully for a moment before releasing it again. "If you want me to sleep, you better kiss me goodnight."
All too happy to oblige, Minerva did as she had been told. When the moon rose a little while later, it found them both sound asleep.
Notes:
The part about everyone being star stuff is a concept that can be traced to several origins including people like Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson.
I first encountered it on Babylon 5, my favorite show of all times that I'm absolutely not crazy about at all. For the sake of completeness, here's the full quote: "Then I will tell you a great secret, captain. Perhaps the greatest of all time. The molecules of your body are the same molecules that make up this station and the nebula outside, that burn inside the stars themselves. We are star stuff. We are the universe made manifest, trying to figure itself out."
Hope you enjoyed. Feedback (including constructive criticism) is always treasured :)
Also, we've caught up to AO3 with this chapter, so any further uploads will only happen once I actually got the chance to do some writing. Which, right now, isn't going too well. Just know that waiting times don't mean the story has been discontinued.
