A/N – Here goes nothing. Tell me what you think, and as always, I own nothing.

Minerva sat silently in her destroyed office. She looked around at the ruins of her bookshelves and desks. The war was finally over. Harry Potter had killed the Dark Lord at last. After almost a year on the run, he had returned to the school and ended it all. There had been casualties on both sides. Fred Weasley, Remus and Nymphadora, too many for Minerva to try and think of right now. She had too much on her mind. The 'Golden Trio' had survived. Never before had she felt such relief as when she had seen those Hermione step in with the rest of the order to stand at Harry's back. Minerva McGonagall loved all of her cubs. But none compared to the brilliant brunette.

Hermione Granger. Hermione McGonagall. Minerva thought back to the cold night when she had left her child with a kind muggle family to raise. "the safest place for her." Albus' words rang back through her mind. He had been right, up until Hermione had come to Hogwarts and made friends with The Boy Who Lived. Her life had been wracked with worry ever since then. She also knew that Ronald Weasley had his eye on her and every time she saw him she felt like ringing his neck. He was not good enough for her little girl. Not nearly. She had watched her daughter grow up from afar for the last 18 years. No longer. The only question in her mind was, how do you introduce yourself to your child after being absent for so long? How did she explain to her daughter why she gave her up?

Larger and even bigger questions began to arise within her mind as she sat in the completely destroyed office. What if Hermione hated her? Or possibly even worse, what if she understood? How should Minerva react to that? Questions and thoughts and fears swirled through her head. She didn't even realize that the object of her thoughts had walked into the room and was watching her intently as she stared at the same spot across the room that she had been staring at for the last hour or so.

When Hermione walked over a knelt in front of her beloved professor, she knew something was wrong when the older woman didn't immediately look at her. She placed and hand on her mentor's knee. "Professor?" The woman in front of her jumped and her eyes snapped to the younger brown ones. "Are you ok? You aren't hurt are you?"

"Ms. Granger. No, no I am not injured. Poppy checked me over before I left the hall. Are you alright?" Her hand rose to cup the soft cheek of her favorite pupil. She had done this often over the last 7 years and thought nothing of doing it now.

"No. I'm ok. When I didn't see you after the battle I thought I might come check and make sure you were alright."

"Of course. I apologize for not seeking you out. I should have thought that you would worry." Minerva stood and held out her hand to the younger woman. "Come. I do believe that most of my private rooms remained undamaged. Would you care for tea? And perhaps I could find my ginger newts somewhere in the mess that is my classroom. I hid them in my desk to keep a certain Gryffindor out of them." She smiled and raised a single eyebrow at the blushing brunette who chuckled softly.

The two made their way through the rubble and debris towards the older woman's rooms where, true to Minerva's prediction, it was almost completely untouched. Rubble had been shaken from the walls and several books and shattered trinkets scattered the floor, but there was no true damage. Hermione smiled up at her mentor who, with a wave of her wand, had banished the dust and stones from the couch and lit a fire in the fire place.

"Have a seat, Miss Granger. I shall see about those ginger newts." Minerva disappeared through a door and Hermione sat looking around the room that she had been in many times. She noticed a book lying on the floor in front of her and picked it up. As the pages shifted, a photograph fell from within. Curious finger lifted it from the ground and looked at it. A younger, tired looking Minerva was holding a baby, a newborn. She smiled up at the photographer, though there was a sorrow in her eyes. The child was fast asleep against her mother's chest.

So caught up in studying the picture Hermione jumped when the door to the room closed again and Minerva walked towards her. She noticed the picture in Hermione's hand and stopped.

"Professor I'm sorry it-it was in the book. It fell out when I picked it up I didn't mean-" Minerva held up her hand and Hermione silenced herself immediately.

"It's the only picture I have of her." The older woman whispered. "Albus took that photo. It was only two days later that I had to give her up for her own safety. Albus helped me find a kind family to take her in, one that we were both certain would love her unconditionally."

"I'm so sorry professor." Hermione whispered.

"It was her best chance." Minerva said. Shaking her head. "If she had stayed with me she would have been a target for Voldemort's followers her entire life." a single tear slipped down her face.

"Do you know where she is now?"

"Of course I do. I have watched her grow up from afar and I have loved her every minute of her life. I only wish I knew how to tell her the truth now that she is old enough to understand." Minerva sat down next to Hermione and watched the fire.

"I'm sure she would understand. You have very valid reasons for giving her to someone else to raise. She would have spent her entire life looking over her shoulder and doubting who to trust if you hadn't. I'm sure it was better for her that way." Hermione put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I hope you're right Hermione, because I do plan on telling her now that the war is over. Now that we are all safe." Minerva sat back against the cushions on the sofa and smiled, patting her protégé's knee. "But enough of that for now. Tell me about the last year. You sneaked into the ministry? And broke into Gringotts? Please tell me the Prophet was speculating."

"Well…."

A/N – Ok. There you have it. Chapter one. Tell me what you think!