~Chapter 5~

We were strangers starting out on our journey

Never dreaming what we'd have to go through

Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing

At the beginning with you

No one told me I was going to find you

Unexpected what you did to my heart

-At the Beginning by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis (Anastasia)

(Recap of Chapter 4)

Minerva and I looked at each other for a minute before she smiled and wrapped me into her arms. In her arms I felt safe, content. And at that moment, I felt like I was home.

Third year was certainly an adventure. It seemed that every year here at Hogwarts always puts me in the Infirmary sooner or later. It was the end of third year and our fourth year was approaching quickly. There seemed to be danger at every turn in our previous years but nothing would prepare us for the inevitable happenings of fourth year. Soon Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students would be intertwined in the halls of Hogwarts with us. Soon I would find not one, but two wonderful women to love. Soon I would realize that heartbreak was the greatest pain.

[Hermione]

"Hey mom?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever had the feeling that something important was going to happen?" I asked.

"How so?" Mom asked me with a spark in her eyes.

"I feel like something important is going to happen, something that will change my life." She smiled lovingly at me and placed her hand on my head.

"That is the exact same feeling I felt before I met your mother." I just stared at her for a few minutes.

"What?" I asked in shock.

"I met your mother, my soul mate that same day." She replied in amusement.

"..."

"..."

"What?! Today! Bu-but I'm not wearing anything remotely nice. I only have my school robes. My hair is a mess. Do you think they'll care? What if they don't like me? By the Goddess I'm gonna di-"

"Whoa! Hold up there motor mouth. It's going to be fine. You're beautiful no matter how you look. They would be stupid not to love you." Mom said interrupting my verbal tirade.

"Thank you. I'm fine now though still a little nervous. I love you mom."

"Love ya too."

"Where are you guys? Come on love, Hermione is going to miss the train if we don't get there soon." I heard mother say from the living room.

"We'll be right down." Mom called before picking up my trunk and heading down the stairs. I followed closely behind. When we got down the stairs mother was waiting with Magnus in his Animagus form at her feet.

"Took you long enough." Magnus said as he trotted over to where I stood.

"We were having some important mother-daughter conversation." Mon said as she placed my trunk near my feet.

"Oh?" Mother said as she looked at mom.

"I'll tell you later." Mom said as she looked into her eyes. My parents were so connected that they could communicate with their eyes.

"Alright. Well, we better get to it." Mother said before we all held onto each other and apparated.

(Platform 9 ¾)

When we arrived the horn was blowing trying to get everyone to board the train. Mom helped me get the trunk onto the train while Magnus hopped up next to me.

"You be careful now. Every year seems to be a new adventure for you. Come home in one piece." Mom said with her arm around mother's waist.

"And Magnus, aren't you supposed to be looking after our Hermione?" Mother asked with a teasing smile.

"It's not my fault that that damn portrait won't let me out of the common room without her! I can't just say the password in either form. Sometimes the window is left open but most of the time I have to sit and rot." Magnus replied in irritation. We all laughed at him when the train jerked, signaling its departure.

"Good-bye love." Mother said as she and mom saluted me off to Hogwarts.

(Hogwarts: Great Hall)

"Well, now we're all settled in and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement. This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well. You see, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event: The Triwizard Tournament." Dumbledore said as he waved his wand. The golden casing around the cup seemed to melt.

"For those of you who do not know the Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school, a single student is selected to compete. Now let me be clear. If chosen, you stand alone. And trust me when I say these contests are not for the faint-hearted."

"It's bloody brilliant I say." Ron says next to me. I was hesitant to agree. But I knew one thing; this year wasn't going to be boring.

"The two schools that will be joining us in a few months will be: Durmstrang from Germany and Beauxbatons from France. The reason for the delay is purely to get yourselves a foothold on your grades this year. I have a feeling that you will be quite distracted once they arrive."

As the Headmaster continued to talk my eyes started to wander. My eyes first scanned the other house tables before going to the head table. Some teachers seemed to be excited while others were worried about distracted students for the coming year. My eyes continued to wander until they fell on one teacher in particular, Minerva McGonagall. It was always a normal thing to lay my eyes upon Minerva but in this moment, everything was different. Yes, she looked the same. She was the same wonderful woman I met on my first day but on this day, my very soul recognized her. My soul and my beast were the most content I've ever experienced. My world shifted around me. There was no other explanation; there was no past knowledge that I could draw on that could prepare me for this moment. Minerva McGonagall was my soul mate. The most powerful witch in the wizarding world was to be by my side, to be with me forever. The stars have finally aligned and I would love this woman with all my heart. Not even death would stop that.

When I came back to my senses I gave Minerva a meaningful look and stood up to exit the Great Hall. Minerva was to have experienced the same thing that I had and I'm sure we needed to talk at once.

(The Black Lake)

I made my way over to the Black Lake and stood at its edge, gazing over the surface. It shouldn't be long now. I was nervous. I knew it was Minerva, but this talk would be a new chapter in our relationship.

I heard footsteps come up to, and stop, next to me. We said nothing for a while, just watching the ripples on the lake's surface. Though we stood in silence it was a comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's presence. I was content to let the night go by like this but the silence was broken by Minerva.

"I am not worthy enough." Her soft voice floated to my ears.

"Of course you are."

"I am your Professor. And I am old." She said.

"You are not old." I told her waving my hand and canceling her glamour. "And even so, it wouldn't matter. Nothing matters."

"Of course it mat-"

"It does not matter." I cut her off by placing my hand on her cheek. I looked deeply into her eyes trying to convey my feelings. The air grew silent again. I could see the resistance and protest dissolving from her gaze.

"What should we do now?" She asked.

"What our hearts tell us to do." I said as I rubbed my thumb up and down her cheekbone.

As I continued to rub her cheek with my thumb I noticed that a soft rumbling was coming from her chest. I listened closer and when I realized what it was my chest started to emit the same noise. She was purring. My own beast rejoiced at this and released its own noise of contentment. Our beasts communicated like this for a little while before a thought popped into my head.

"Would you like to go running with me?" I asked her. I knew she knew what I meant when her eyes lit up.

"Can we?"

"Of course, I want you to see me."

Nothing else needed to be said as Minerva started to turn into her lycan form. When she finished I couldn't help but stare. She was pure black and her coat shined in the moon light. Her eyes were a beautiful soulful blue (the normal color for the lycan form). In short, she was enchanting. I smiled before I joined her. I was a pure white (the color that symbolizes the royal family) and my eyes were also blue.

Both of our beasts were happy to be finally let out to play and with one last look at each other we both darted toward the forest. We weaved through the trees as we ran. I was slightly in front of her.

"I want to show you something." She projected to me. I slowed down a little so that she was running ahead of me.

We ran for a minute or so before we burst into a clearing. The moon was lightning up the clearing like a spotlight. Minerva trotted to the middle of the clearing and sat down.

"This is where I come during the full moons. It is secluded and a good spot to stay for the night of the full moon." She told me as I went over to her.

"It's beautiful."

"That it is. Sometimes I just like to come here when I need some peace." She slid from her sitting position to lie down on the dry earth, eyes closed.

I stared at her for a little before I made a decision. I slid down next to her and placed my chin over the back of her neck. She made no move to remove me so I closed my eyes as well. We both fell into a peaceful sleep before I woke to the sound of paws hitting the ground. I lifted my head from Minerva and looked to the tree line. Something was coming. I stood up while Minerva started to stir. We didn't have to wait long before it jumped into the clearing, just a few feet away from where we now stood.

"There you are. I was looking everywhere for you. The window was left conveniently open so I could escape the blasted tower."

"Magnus? You could have been lycan food. Give me a warning next time you decided to jump at me." I told him.

"Yeah, Yeah. I see you've found a friend." He said referring to Minerva who was a step behind where I stood.

I changed back to my human form. My clothes were charmed to appear and reappear when I change. Magnus and Minerva were the same as they followed suit. I was going to introduce them but stopped when I noticed that they were staring at each other in silence. I just stared at them, waiting for someone to do something. The air was still until Minerva darted forward. I was going to stop her but she didn't attack Magnus, she glomped him into a hug. Magnus returned her hug and it took me a minute to understand what was going on. No wonder Magnus's eyes looked so familiar when I saw them. Minerva McGonagall was the sister that he told me about.

"Why didn't you tell me Minerva McGonagall was your sister?" I asked him.

"Well my dear, I thought that it wouldn't matter. I hadn't seen her since that day and assumed she was dead. "He replied.

"But how could you not know she was alive? She's Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. You were bound to hear about her sooner or later." I asked incredulously.

"Yeah well, I was a cat. I didn't really listen to the gossip floating around." I was going to ask more when I noticed that Minerva was crying.

"Are you alright Minerva?" I asked rubbing my hand in circles on her back.

"I am. I just missed my brother." She told me while letting go of Magnus.

"Of course." I said as I wrapped her tightly into my arms.

I noticed that Magnus was looking at us with a thoughtful expression on his face. I just smiled at him over Minerva's shoulder. His eyes then lit up in recognition.

"Well, would you look at that, my sister is mated to the heir of the Meniscus family. And a very pretty one at that." He said in amusement.

Minerva seemed to growl softly at his comment. I just smiled wider and hugged her tighter to me. My chest warmed at her reaction. The moment was perfect but a thought popped into my head.

"Magnus, why did you come to look for me anyway?" I asked reluctantly letting go of Minerva to fully face him. Minerva was standing closely at my side, our arms touching.

"Oh, that's right. I came to tell you that the egg is starting to release a magical signature. It will start to hatch soon. Maybe in a few days." He said.

"What egg?" Minerva asked me with a puzzled look on her face.

"A Basilisk egg. I kind of grabbed it when I was in the Chamber of secrets in second year." I replied.

"A Basilisk egg you say? How extraordinary! It takes many years for an egg to hatch. A hatching is a rare sight. You must have gotten it when it was almost ripe." She said with excitement. It seemed that her intellectual curiosity was showing. It was quite adorable.

"How about I call you up to my room when it starts to hatch? Or I can come to you?"

"That would be great. How about you come up to my quarters? That way I don't need to remain disillusioned."

"Perfect, I'll bring Magnus along with me." I said with an excited smile.

(A few days later: outside Minerva's private quarters)

At the moment I was standing outside Minerva's door with the egg in my arms and Magnus at my feet. I disillusioned us so that no one could see us.

"síoraí" I spoke quietly to the portrait. 'síoraí' meant eternal in Gaelic. Minerva had told me her password that night at the lake.

The portrait swung open and we walked inside. The room was in neutral colors like beige and white.

"I'll be right there. Sit wherever you like." I heard her call. I sat on the black leather couch. Magnus switched to his human form and sat on the recliner opposite of me. It wasn't long before Minerva came into the room and sat next to me. I had already placed the egg on the table in front of us.

"The egg is smaller than it should be. It looks like the snake will not make it to its full length. Maybe less than half of what it should be." Minerva said with a contemplative look on her face.

"I had figured as much when I first found it. The egg was indeed smaller than normal." I said.

"It shouldn't be too long now. The magical signature is reaching its peak." Magnus said from his spot on the recliner.

(A/N: I just figured that since the basilisk was a magical creature that it would discharge some kind of magic when it hatched. I just made my own. :) )

And true to Magnus's word the egg started to wiggle. It started off as a small movement but soon the egg was moving so much it looked like it would roll off the table. The egg started to crack. At first only one small crack but before long the entire egg was riddled with cracks. The cracks were emitting an eerie glow. Suddenly the egg stopped moving all together. There was a short pause before the shell blew open, spewing pieces everywhere. As I dusted some shells from my hair I noticed that the snake was looking at me.

"It seems to know that you were the one that took care of it. It must recognize your magical signature; you were around the egg the most." Magnus said as he leaned forward to get a better look.

"Are you my master?" It hissed.

"In theory, yes, but I prefer companion." I tell it.

"Companion?" It hissed in confusion.

"Quite." It just continued to stare so I offered my hand. It paused before slithering up my arm to rest on my shoulder.

Minerva and Magnus were looking at me incredulously. They looked at each other before they started to laugh.

"Only you Hermione, only you." Magnus said in between breaths. Minerva clasped my arm and leaned on me for support as she laughed. I just huffed and turned away from them with a smile on my face.

(The Great Hall: breakfast the next day)

I was walking down the Great Hall to get to my house table with my two familiars at my side. Magnus was trotting along near my feet while Tali was on my shoulder. She was long enough to wrap around my neck like a scarf. This morning I was certainly getting some looks because of my newfound companion. I sat myself in-between Harry and Ron at the table. Ron seemed to flinch a little but Harry was more interested than frightened.

"Who's your friend?" He asked.

"Oh, this is Tali. I found her that time we were in the Chamber of Secrets. The egg just hatched yesterday." I replied.

"Will...she...bite?" Ron asked tentatively.

"Don't worry; she listens to what I say. But she will bite if I tell her to." I added the last part for shits and giggles. Messing with Ron over the years has proven to be entertaining.

"I... wha-... ok." Ron sputtered out before returning to his food. Harry and I were laughing as silently as we could.

Our laughing was interrupted by the morning post. Many owls flew in and dropped mail off to the students. I wasn't expecting anything but a beautiful black owl landed in front of me. The owl seemed to stare at me for a second before offering me his leg. I took the piece of parchment from his leg.

"I wanted to do this properly and take you out for dinner tonight. Meet me by the Black Lake at 7o'clock so we can apparate out. We can break the rules this one time."

I smiled before passing the owl a piece of sausage from my plate. It hooted its thanks before flying off. I looked toward the head table and caught Minerva's eyes. We smiled at each other before returning to our breakfast.

(Muggle London: ~7o'clock)

Minerva had apparated us out of Hogwarts to an alley in muggle London. From there we walked for a short while to a restaurant called Racine. Minerva walked straight in with confidence. I followed a few paces behind. The décor of the place was exquisite. The atmosphere was comfortable. The place was busy but Minerva and I were led to a table in the corner.

(A/N: I've never been to Racine so this is not from experience. I am making this up as I go along. Oh, and the waitress is not based off of anyone at the restaurant. Thank you)

"I've never been here before." I told her.

"I've been here a few times in the past. They have never let me down. I'm sure you'll enjoy it." She said with a smile.

Minerva turned to the waitress that just arrived and ordered a bottle of wine. The waitress smiled politely at her before laying her gaze on me. She seemed to appraise me before her smile turned flirtatious. Great, it seemed my lycan teenage hormones were in effect.

"Can I get anything for you, sweetie?" She purred. Minerva seemed to tense at the other side of the table.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." I said in forced politeness.

"Ok then. Call me when you need me." She purred before sauntering away.

"She seemed to like you." Minerva said coolly.

"I noticed. I wander why she only reacted to my hormones. You don't have your Glamour tonight. I guess it was because I was closer to her age. Do you think she noticed my revulsion? I'm not one for open seduction from strangers." I told her, scrunching my nose.

Minerva seemed to relax after that. The rest of the night continued on smoothly. We got our food and we engaged in conversation. We talked about magical creatures and transfiguration to magical law and potions. I could tell that we were meant to be. Minerva was intelligent and we could talk to each other as equals. Everything was great until the waitress put the check in front of me.

"Please come back again." She purred huskily before walking away with a sway in her step.