A/N Hey everyone! This is the first story I'm sharing with the world so Be nice ;) This is a Hermione/Minerva story so don't like don't read! I would like to thank Cherrii Marina... Without her you would not be reading this story. She is not only a wonderful beta but the best of friends. (So If you see any mistakes... it was her fault! :P )

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling I just like to play with her characters. I own nothing.

The battle was lost.

Harry Potter had died a mere hour ago, and although his allies continued to fight, hope had died with him. The few Teachers and Order members who were still alive were evacuating everyone they could out though the secret passage in the Room of Requirement. It was slow going mostly because the older students refused to leave the adults behind. Molly Weasley and Filius Flitwick were currently holding the shields secure as Death Eaters pounded mercilessly at the door with both spells and brute force. Molly was fighting for the only child she had left, and despite her pleading, George refused to leave her side.

Hermione had lost almost everyone she had ever cared about in one day. She let the tears flow freely as she rested. She had just been relieved from holding the shields; it was draining to keep a continuous shield up. She looked up when a shadow fell over her.

"Hermione, you need to go. Please," Minerva McGonagall pleaded.

Hermione stood and looked deep into the emerald eyes of her lover. "I am not leaving you, Minerva." Her tone was firm. As far as Hermione was concerned, they were in this together, no matter the outcome.

"You canna stay! You must save yourself!" Minerva cried. She pulled Hermione into her arms and wept. She had been strong all day and now, in the shadow of not only her death but Hermione's as well, she crumbled.

Hermione held her as she wept. Comforting the stoic Professor McGonagall was a privilege she had been awarded at the tender age of sixteen. That was when what had once been a close friendship had turned into love and they had grabbed it with both hands and never looked back. The last several months apart had been a living hell. They had stolen a few precious moments in the last few hours, both knowing time was short and there was no guarantee they would both make it.

Hermione was going to steal one more moment; it was over anyway. Minerva would stay so the last few could escape and there was no way in hell Hermione was going to let her face those last moments alone. Silently, Hermione begged one last thing of the Come and Go Room, and it granted her wish; Soft music started playing all around them.

"Dance with me, Tabby?" Hermione murmured.

Minerva nodded softly, not trusting her voice. As they gently swayed back and forth it all faded away. There were no spells pounding at the door, no people crying, no sounds at all of the war which surrounded them. Nothing existed but them. Hermione sang softly and pulled Minerva closer.

"Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go." Minerva's arms tightened around her waist, and she continued, "You have made my life complete, and I love you so."

"Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfilled. For my darlin' I love you, and I always will," Minerva softly joined in. "Love me tender, love me long, take me to your heart. For it's there that I belong, and we'll never part."

"Minerva! We can't hold it much longer!" Molly yelled, her voice penetrating the bubble which had surrounded the dancing couple. Both she and Filius were sweating from the strain of holding the spell.

Minerva squeezed Hermione tightly as reality came crashing into their dream.

"Come on, Tabby... we have lives to save."

"What about your life?"

Hermione pulled back and captured Minerva's tearful gaze. "You are my life, Minerva; you cannot ask me to leave and brave this world without you."

Minerva could drown in those tearful chocolate eyes, and as much as she wanted Hermione to save herself, if their roles had been reversed she would never leave either. She cradled Hermione's face in her hands, gently wiping away tears with her thumbs.

"You are the best thing this life has ever given me. I love you." She leaned down and just before their lips met, she heard Hermione softly murmur, "I love you too." Lips touched and tongues caressed, each woman trying to share a lifetime of love that would never happen in a single kiss. As much as they wished for more time, the moment was over. Their time was up. The final grains of sand fell from the hourglass.

They stood between Molly and Filius, and raised their wands, both casting several protective shields.

"You two need to go," Minerva stated. "Lead the children to safety. Try to get as many as you can back to their parents. Good luck to you both."

Molly wiped tears from her eyes with the dirty, ragged edge of her sleeve.

"Don't cry, Molly; we wouldn't want this any other way," Hermione said with a small smile. George took Molly's hand and led her to the passage, the last survivors to escape. It was all just a waiting game now. Minerva and Hermione would hold the shields as long as they could to give the fleeing survivors as much time as they could, but eventually Voldemort's forces would break through.

Hours they held them, or perhaps it only seemed like hours. The spells sapped their energy and weakened their muscles. Their shields began to falter. They looked at each other, both knowing the end was nigh.

"I love you," they said in unison, causing them to smile wearily, hands reaching out to clasp, seeking the warmth and security of each other. Before they could touch, the wall exploded, dropping a wall of rubble on top of them. Minerva clawed her way out from underneath the chunks of stone, a gash on her head oozing blood into her left eye.

"Hermione!" She called out, wincing at a sharp pain in her side. "Hermione where are y-.." She spotted chestnut curls peeking out from under some rubble. "No!" She gasped, crawling over stone and timber towards the girl. "No, no, no, no, no!" She chanted, her vision clouded with tears and blood as she pulled rocks off of Hermione's body. Hermione coughed as Minerva lifted a large stone from her chest.

"Minerva?" She questioned softly.
"Aye, 'tis me, my darlin'," Minerva reassured her. She gently cradled Hermione's head and brushed tears from her face.

"No, leave me, Tabby!" She said, coughing. "Go! I'm dying, but you can still get out!"

"You canna ask me to leave and brave this world without you." Minerva's voice was soft and low as she repeated the words Hermione had said to her earlier.

"That's not fair, Minerva." She winced as she coughed, blood bubbling from her mouth. "Using my own words against me." She tried to keep it light for Minerva's sake, but Hermione knew these were her final moments. Her ribs were crushed, her lungs slowly filling with blood, making breathing a hardship. She didn't have much longer.

"All is fair in love and war," Minerva said tearfully, "and I love you 'Mione... so very much."

"I know, Tabby. I love you, too." Hermione was gasping for breath. She raised her hand and cupped Minerva's cheek. "I'll wait for you, my love... I'll wait…" Her lungs begged for air and yet she had no strength to draw it. Tear-filled emerald eyes were the last thing she saw as her eyes closed and her hand fell away, her spirit passing through the veil.

"No! Please! Please come back to me!" Minerva cried, kissing Hermione's quickly-cooling face. "Please, please dinna leave me!" She cradled Hermione's lifeless body in her arms, slowly rocking back and forth as her heart and mind shattered with the loss of her soul's mate. Broken, she didn't even look up when the Death Eaters entered the room. They tried taunting her, but she just sat there clinging to Hermione's lifeless body. Realizing she was not going to give them any sport they killed her. As the flash of green engulfed her, Minerva welcomed the end, the pain fading as she closed her eyes and followed Hermione through the veil.

Hours later, George Weasley slipped back down the passage. They had finally gotten all the survivors home safe, but not everyone had survived; not everyone was home, so he had snuck back into Hogwarts to be with his family. He stepped out of the hidden passage and gazed down upon the destroyed room. The sun rose over the lake and bathed the room in its golden light. A huddled figure caught his eye. Wand drawn, he approached carefully. There, leaned up against a large chunk of wall, was the body of Minerva and in her arms was her beloved Hermione. George had known they would be here but he had never imagined the sight would be as peaceful as this. George silently told them goodbye and left them there to go find the rest of his family as the Room softly played Love me Tender with the last of its magic.

Minerva felt warmth on her skin. "Tabby... wake up. Come on, my love, open your eyes." She slowly blinked awake. "About time you showed up," Hermione said, grinning. Minerva pulled her into a passionate kiss. "Where were they," she wondered for a moment, but firmly decided that she didn't care. Anywhere was heaven as long as she was with Hermione.

The End

A/N Please review! I am dying to know what you think! :D