This is a oneshot. I mean it. I wont say that I don't have a mind to write a chapter fic with this pairing, but this particular story is just a one shot. I think it ends well. What do you think? Please Read and Review!

-MNA-

Hermione Granger's delayed seventh year at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was almost complete. There were two weeks until term was over, and Hermione had no idea what she was going to do after. As to what she was doing now – oh, she was going to kill Harry and Ron.

For Christmas, she'd gotten them each a copy of a book called "Purpose Driven Spells". It was a volume teaching all about spells that would compel those cursed to do certain things. The book also explained why the spells worked the way they did, as well as their counter curses. She's thought it was a good book for the boys because they both intended on becoming Aurors, and she wanted them to get a head start on getting good at recognizing spells that caused people to act against their will. Like the Imperious, for example.

However, about a month ago it had come to the attention of the boys that Hermione was in love with someone, and she refused to say who. She only told them that the person in question was someone they knew, but that someone would never be interested in her. Which was true.

Back to what she was doing –

It was exactly 106 steps from the Gryffindor Common room to the Headmistress's Office. Harry and Ron had cast a spell on her (which she recognized because she read the book before she gave it to them) which compelled the person cursed, her in this case, to seek out the person they loved. In Hermione's case, that person happened to be Professor McGonagall.

Harry and Ron, of course, were not aware (because they, of course, didn't read the fine print) that with this spell, if the love was previously undeclared, this spell compelled the person cursed to do so. Harry and Ron thought she was just going to lead them to whomever had her attention, which would shock them plenty, but she was quite certain they'd wet their arrogant selves when they saw Hermione say 'Minerva, I'm in love with you', or something of the sort.

And go figure, the boys were not stupid enough to actually follow her (and therefore they would not be there to save her from herself in another 56 steps), but rather they were snickering to themselves, safe in the common room, looking at the Marauder's Map. Oh, she was going to kill them when this was over. With any luck a staircase would move and make her fall to her death before she reached Minerva's office…

...in 43 steps…

It all started during her sixth year, the romantic part of it anyway. Hermione had always had a bit of a teacher crush on the older woman, but it wasn't until one particular day, the day Hermione got detention for sending a flock of birds pelting after Ron, that things changed.

Minerva had told Hermione that she almost felt bad for giving her the detention, because Ron had got was he had coming, and that she, Hermione, deserved someone better. And for some reason, Hermione wondered if that better person could be Minerva.

Turning a corner. 36 steps.

Just before she and the boys left to go Horcrux hunting, Minerva had pulled Hermione aside, and asked if there was something going on between her and Harry; she'd noticed that they had gotten closer. Hermione had then told the older woman that no, there was nothing between her and Harry. In fact, she'd told her Professor that she was a lesbian, only interested in woman. Minerva had not acted surprised in the slightest. She's pulled Hermione into a tight hug, and wished her a good summer.

By that point, Hermione had indeed come to the conclusion she preferred women. And no, at that point she had not come to terms with loving Minerva. She suspected, but had seen other girls in a hopes that the impossible love would not grow. But none of the three girls she'd been with over the course of that year had been able to push her growing feelings for Minerva aside.

Almost at the staircase. 25 steps.

The defining moment had been the Battle for Hogwarts. Or rather, the end of it. After Voldemort had been killed, Hermione had begun to search the bodies lying on the ground and there was only one person she was praying would not be among the honored dead: Minerva.

That was the day Hermione had realized she was totally, uncontrollably, in love. One year later, almost to the week, she was 10 short steps away from Minerva's door. She knew what she was about to do, and she knew nothing could be done to stop it. If she had any control over herself left, she would at least profess her love the way she'd always imagined. She almost wished Harry and Ron were here to see it.

One step. The door. Hermione knocked.

"Enter!" Minerva called from the other side.

Hermione took a deep breath and opened the door. "Hello," she said quietly.

Minerva smiled. "Hello Miss Granger. What do you need? I was about to head off to bed."

Hermione walked forward, eyes locked with Minerva's. Without another word, she gently put her hands around Minerva's face and pulled their lips together. It was not a long kiss, but Hermione was surprised and somewhat encouraged when Minerva did not pull away. "I need to tell you that I'm in love with you, Minerva."

Silence followed, and a tingle down her spine told Hermione that the spell had been broken, and she was now perfectly free to turn tail and run away. But she stood her ground, waiting for the response to follow.

Minerva did not look as surprised as Hermione had expected. However, before she had time to ponder why this might be, Hermione found her lips once again connected with the older woman, this time at Minerva's own initiative. "Took you long enough, Hermione," Minerva whispered.

Ten minutes later, after the two agreed to wait to see each other for another two weeks, when Hermione graduated, the graduate-to-be returned to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry and Ron were still there, looks of fury on their faces.

"How'd you break the spell?" Harry demanded, waving Hermione's snagged wand in the air.

"And why'd you have to rat us out to bloody McGonagall?" Ron wanted to know. "We were just having a bit of fun!"

Hermione smiled, still tasting the recent kisses on her lips. She said nothing as she gently took her wand from Harry. She got to the door of the girls dorm before she spoke. "I didn't break the spell," she said quietly. "And I didn't rat you out. I did exactly what the spell forced me to do."

Hermione glanced once at the look of shock and terror on the boys' faces before shutting the door behind her, thinking that instead of killing them, she'd have to thank them after graduation.