Hey, just in case, this starts a few months after the war. Everyone's gone back to school except the dead and Harry and Ron and those on the run, etc. We'll see how this goes, yeah? All of the events in DH happened except the 'nineteen years later'. Probably.
Chapter 1
"Welcome, welcome," Professor McGonagall said, her voice slightly more distant than usual, but a smile on her face anyway as she spoke to us all. "It is so good to see you all back in the halls of Hogwarts. For those of us who are new here, welcome, and those of us who are returning, welcome back."
She looked around at the hall, far emptier than I'd ever seen it, before continuing. "This year, we were not sure if Hogwarts would be reopened. Too much pain and despair has taken place far too recently. But the professors and I all agreed that we would keep the school open, if for nothing more, to try and give you a bit more organization in your lives. We decided that if but one pupil wanted to practice the art of magic, we would make sure that that pupil would learn."
Next to me, Ginny shifted. The entire hall was silent, and mildly uneasy at the dark topic we were discussing. My mind flashed to Harry and Ron, who'd decided that they could do without their last year of schooling. They'd jumped right into the Auror Academy, and were probably being tested much harder than NEWTs would be.
"I have a couple announcements," McGonagall continued after a few more seconds of silence, "But they can wait until after you have eaten." She gave us a warm smile that was obviously meant to lift the rest of the dreary atmosphere that had settled over Hogwarts like an aura, and the tables were magically filled with food of every sort, the sadness fading slightly as people began their conversations and their eating.
"Hey, Hermione," Ginny said, grabbing a slice of bread and holding it flat on her palm, unwilling to put it on her plate lest it touch any of her neatly organized food groups, "Will you pass me the butter?"
I nodded, and, with a pointed eye-roll at her unwillingness to let any of her foods touch any others, gave her the butter tray, chewing my chicken all the while.
"You know, Gin," I began after I'd swallowed, "The food gets all mixed up in your stomach anyway."
She poked her tongue out at me, laughing, but not saying anything more as she took a large bite of her buttered bread, careful to not let any of the butter get on her face. "Yes, 'Mione," She said, laughing slightly, "I know."
We continued like that, light banter that varied from my classes –all whatever I'd wanted since all of my needed classes were already done ("Why would you come back if you already finished your classes?"), to my outfits ("Honestly, they're so drab. You should change it up a bit this year."), to Ron ("I'm actually kind of glad you're not dating my brother anymore."). We caught up with the few Gryffindors in sixth and seventh years who'd returned, Neville, Seamus, and Dean were some of them. Lavender and Parvati were nearby, but they didn't really pay us much mind as we joked about. Luna came by after a few minutes of her eating at the Ravenclaw table, teaching the new first years all about Wrackspurts and Nargles.
"Ugh," Ginny groaned some twenty minutes later, finally sitting back and putting her hands on her stomach. "I think I have a food baby."
I snorted, having finished long before, in efforts to avoid the stomachache that came with eating six helpings of treacle tart. "Maybe you should have stopped at your fifth." I offered, trying my best to keep my laughter at my best friend to a minimum.
"Or your third," Seamus offered lightly, "Since you also had three brownies and a slice of pie."
"I like food, okay?" Ginny said, her defensive tone half amused, half annoyed. "I may not eat like my brothers, but I eat as much as them. Sometimes."
"Ginny," I said patronizingly, "Just admit you overate."
"Fine," She muttered bitterly, "I overate. A lot."
"It must be the Gillytweets," Luna said dreamily, "They cause you to feel far hungrier than you are.
Ginny and I nodded seriously.
"Of course, Luna." she said, "How could I not have thought of that?"
The boys looked at each other, bewildered that we were agreeing with her. They didn't understand. Sometimes, it was just easier to agree with Luna, to let her continue to live in her own little oblivious world, too well protected by her dreams and imaginary creatures to ever get hurt.
There didn't need to be any more pain.
It wasn't much later until McGonagall had stood up once more, looking mildly pleased at how quickly everyone had quieted down. She smiled slightly and began slowly. "This year, the rules stay similar to those of before. Curfew is 10:30 at night Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 at night on Fridays and Saturdays. All Weasley Wizarding Wheezes products have officially been re-banned by Mr Filch, so if you possess any, I advise you to not get caught. The Forbidden Forest is –yes –still forbidden, to visit it will earn you severe punishment. Do not approach the Whomping Willow. Quidditch isbeing continued, the captains are as follows: Ginny Weasley from Gryffindor, Grant Holburry from Hufflepuff, Aster McLaggen from Ravenclaw, and Draco Malfoy of Slytherin." There was a polite applause. Ginny looked smug.
"Looks like you're the only girl captain, Gin," Dean said, sniggering at the relieved looks that crossed the faces of the three other captains as they glanced at her.
McGonagall cleared her throat and all noise ceased once more. "Please see the captain of yourhouse if you would like to try out for the team. All sixth and seventh years, there is a mandatory…meeting, so to speak, directly after breakfast tomorrow morning in here. There are no Heads or Prefects this year; too few students. I believe that is all."
There was a quiet murmur at that information.
While being selected as Head Girl would have been nice, it cut into my study time far too much.
"Thank MerlinI'm not a Prefect," Ginny muttered, and I laughed.
"I bid you all goodnight," McGonagall continued after a moment. "No lollygagging in the corridors. You are dismissed."
Ginny and I did not move with the rest of the students, unwilling to be trampled in their haste to get to their beds. Luna disappeared, muttering something about showing the new Ravenclaw first years where the tower was –no one else would do it. The boys had already left, Neville awkwardly attempting to get the new Gryffindor first years to follow him to our tower.
"It's weird being here without Harry and Ron," Ginny mused absentmindedly and I snorted.
"You?" I asked her, "What about me? You're an ickle sixth year. I have to go through classes without them now."
Ginny merely rolled her eyes, too proud to admit me right.
We finally got up off of our bench, noticing that the last of the students were filing out of the doors a little ways away.
"I wonder what the mandatory meeting will be about," She said as we began our trek through the now-deserted school. I nodded in agreement, thinking about it
"It's a surprise," I said slowly," And it has something to do with unity."
"How do you figure that?" Ginny asked and I shrugged.
"It's what? Four months since the war ended?" She nodded in confirmation. "The professors need us to know that, not only do we forgive the Slytherins, but remind us that school unity was really all that kept us alive during the final battle.
Ginny stared at me and I shrugged again.
"That's my take on it, at least," I told her and her eyes twinkled with amusement.
"Well whatever it is," she said after a few seconds of considering my words, "I doubt we'll like it."
"What makes you say that?" I asked curiously.
"I've got a haunch," was all she said.
"Professor?" I asked McGonagall as she passed the Gryffindor table early in the morning, giving the younger kids their schedules. "What's the meeting going to be about?"
She looked at me, mildly amused. "I would love to tell you Miss Granger, but that would be too obvious a show favoritism."
I pouted slightly.
"But it does have something to do with your classes, and school unity." She offered.
"I already gathered that," I muttered, "We have yet to get schedules, and unity is going to be emphasized forever now."
She gave another half smile before continuing along the table to the nearest group of fifth years. The boys and Ginny looked at me.
"You're officially the only one who can prod that much without getting snapped at," Seamus informed me and I shrugged good-naturedly.
"I expected more information."
"Well the meeting is in ten minutes," Neville reported, checking his watch. "We'll find out then."
"Ahh, Neville," Ginny said, smiling slightly as she ruffled his hair playfully, "But we want to know now."
He rolled his eyes at us and I laughed, taking another bite of my toast.
"It's going to be something bad," Ginny muttered, "Something really bad."
"It will probably concern that woman," Luna said, sliding in next to me and pointing rather obviously at an unfamiliar woman sitting at the staff table, talking quietly with Professor McGonagall. "Who is she?"
We all looked at each other before shrugging, none of us knowing the answer.
"I feel like something really horrible is going to happen," Ginny said again, looking around before her eyes landed on me. "Something really bad."
I patted her back a couple of times. "It can't be that bad, Gin, we already killed Voldemort."
"Not like that," She murmured, closing her eyes. "But bad."
Neville was the only one who looked mildly freaked. Dean and Seamus just continued forking pancakes into their mouths.
The hall was rapidly emptying as students got up to go to their classes, until it was just the sixth and seventh years that were sitting down at the tables.
When the hall was devoid of the younger kids, McGonagall looked around at us all.
"Now the Ministry does not wish for me to share with you the fact that they are behind this, but I believe you have the right to know that the other professors and I did not come up with this…situation. We did, however, find the person best suited for this job in hopes that it will make the experience more enjoyable." She sighed. "For this year only –it is an experiment –Muggle Studies is cancelled for sixth and seventh years. In its place, however, is a Ministry-made-mandatory class."
There was a murmur of annoyed confusion from all for houses. I inwardly smirked at the irony of us being united to fight against something designed to unite us.
"Silence," McGonagall's patient voice rang through the Hall, and she did not look much happier about this than we were. "The ministry believes that if we unite the school and teach our students about trust and love and healthy relationships with your partner and any potential children, we will greatly reduce Death Eater children, or even a new Voldemort in the future."
I had to be the only one who didn't glance at the Slytherin table at the mention of Death Eater children. I was too pre-occupied with staring at our new professor who looked but my age –nineteen.
I refuse to be taught by someone is my age. There is no sense of authority.
"Quiet down," McGonagall snapped once more, "You might not like this idea, but I assure you, there is nothing, I, we, or you can do about it, so act your age and take it in stride."
With that, she turned and walked through one of the doors behind the staff table, leaving us all alone in the hall, half wondering where the new professor had gone.
"How old do you reckon she is?" Dean asked us.
"Nineteen," I said bluntly, "She looks no older than me."
Ginny and Seamus nodded in agreement.
"I'd say twenty," Neville mused, "They wouldn't hire a professor our age –Hermione may be the only nineteen year old now, but this year, all of the seventh years are meant to turn nineteen as well."
"Twenty three years, four months, and two days old," Luna said, her voice just as distant as usual, though her answer was oddly precise.
We stared at her for a moment and she smiled serenely at us all, twirling her wand absentmindedly.
"I don't think this is the worst part," Ginny muttered to me after a moment, "Feels like it's gonna get worse."
"So optimistic," I murmured back, hiding my worry well. Ginny had been right once already. Who's to say she won't be right again?
"Professor," I began leadingly in Transfiguration as she passed by mine and Neville's desk to praise me on my canary-turned-bucket and shake her head at Neville's feathered bucket with a small smile on her face.
She raised her eyebrows to have me continue.
"This ministry approved class. . ." I continued and her smile widened as she shook her head at me.
"Miss Granger, I will not be disclosing any more information to you."
"But Professor!" I said, my voice slightly pouty sounding.
"No, Miss Granger, that wouldn't be fair to the others."
"How oldis the new professor? She looks my age."
Urgh, I sound so disdainful.
"She's twenty three years old, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall told me, "We would not think of hiring a professor who was the same age as our eldest student."
Neville hid a smile at the fact that Luna'd been right, and poked his feathery bucket, jumping when it squawked indignantly.
"Well that seems to be the only good thing about this situation," I muttered and she just shook her head, the smile never leaving.
I watched with a scowl on my face as she walked away, moving towards the next group of students who'd had their spells go horribly wrong.
"Hermione," Neville said, shaking his head, "Our class is third hour. We'll know then."
"I want to know now, Neville," I snapped and he blinked before chuckling.
"What?" I hissed at him.
"You sound like someone we don't like too much. . ."He said quietly, poking his bucket again before rolling his eyes as it protested once more.
I rolled my eyes dismissively. "Who do I sound like then?"
"A certain Slytherin. . ."
"Neville, spit it out, dammit!" I exclaimed, thumping my fist on the desk and he laughed at me.
"Boy, 'Mione, you're kind of. . .irritabletoday," He said, trying to change the subject.
"Do not change the subject, Neville Longbottom, I was up all night because someoneneeded a huge favor that took up all of my sleep."
"Who's this someone?" Neville asked me curiously and I glared at him.
"Okay, fine," He said quickly, "The certain Slytherin whose spirit seems to be inhabiting your body today is Malfoy."
Yes, I did fall out of my chair as well.
"Neville Frank Longbottom, don't you dare ever say that to me again," I hissed as I pulled myself back onto the dumb stool while he snickered at me. "I am sonot in a good mood as it is and here you are insulting me!"
"It wasn't an insult, 'Mione," He said good-naturedly, ignoring the fact that I'd used the Full Name.
"How was telling me that I'm acting like Malfoynot going to be taken as an insult?" I asked him as I flicked my wand and let my bucket return to its canary form and watched with mild amusement as the canary fluttered around innocently.
"Well. . ." Neville said, making a face at that. "They're supposed to have changed, right?"
I snorted, but said nothing more on the matter. Oh yes, they're supposed to have changed, alright.
Hey! So I'm new here, and I felt like posting this now instead of waiting three months to get settled in like my other writing sites that I'm on. Thanks so much if you're still reading up to here, and if you actually like it, never fear, there is plenty more coming. If someone would be a doll and tell me what sort of lengths my chapters would be preferred to be, and if you would all be dolls and tell me where I need to improve, we could start a beautiful author-reader relationship so I keep you happy and my writing gets better.
Oh, also, fair warning-I don't really plan out my stories before I plunge into the joy of writing them, so I have no guarantees as to what will happen. After a while, my characters sort of have minds of their own, and even if I want them to do something, they just don't listen. Selfish characters.
Huggles! xx :)
