CHAPTER ONE
A light breeze carried with it the fresh scent of recently cut grass. In the distance, the chittering of forest animals played a background melody to the overall serenity of the warm August afternoon. On the surface the young redhead appeared as tranquil as her surroundings. Yet underneath her insides were in turmoil and she unconsciously curled her hands into tight fists, appreciating the tiny pinpricks of pain as her fingernails bit into her palms.
It's strange to be back. Stranger still that it will be the first time since that last battle. How did she overcome the horrors of that night to teach that first year Hogwarts was reopened? What will she say when she sees me? What am I going to say when I see HER? I'm a bloody mess already. Why did I say yes again? Oh yeah, weeks in the hospital followed by two months at the Burrow while I recuperated from the accident, if you can call it that. All that time of living back home must have gone to my head and McGonagall still has that way of getting you to do what she wants. Sneaky witch.
Ginny Weasely grimaced against the unwelcome memories of those months. Slowly inhaling and breathing out she proceeded towards Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and her new job as Professor for the Defense Against the Dark Arts.
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"Hermione, you must relax! For goodness sakes, the children don't arrive for another two days and I know for a fact that you completed your lesson plans for the first semester months ago." Headmistress McGonagall chided her once star pupil and current Professor of Transfiguration as well as Head of Gryffindor House.
The two were enjoying a cup of tea in the late afternoon. With classes starting the following week professors had all arrived in preparation for the school term. All save one.
"Just excited about the new incoming students. The sorting has always been a favorite memory from my own student days here." Hermione smiled into her cup.
"Mine too. I dare say I'll have a few distraught first-years to comfort once again when they aren't placed in Gryffindor. I blame you, Harry, and Ronald for the overwhelming reputation Gryffindor has attained these last few years after the war! Nearly every new student has some grand picture of being some new generation of the Golden Trio!" McGonagall exclaimed.
Hermione laughed.
"Headmistress! Just this morning you blamed us for the dismal state of the owlery. Yesterday it was the leak in the dungeons from the thunderstorm. What shall tomorrow be? Perhaps an exceedingly drafty corridor?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"Considering the gray hairs you three have given me over the years I'm inclined to continue casting blame on you all for any manner of things." McGonagall shot back archly, barely containing the smile that threatened to slip out.
"As the professor with the least tenure I guess I shall accept any and all such blame with grace and dignity." Hermione replied.
"Well you can at least take comfort in the fact that you shall have tenure over one professor, that is if she ever arrives." McGonagall said.
"Of course. Hogwarts' new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor." Hermione murmured. Unwilling to discuss her new fellow staff member the brunette cast her eyes to the bay windows along one wall of the study.
"Unfortunately, that reminds me of much that still needs to be done before the weekend and the arrival of the Hogwarts Express." McGonagall said, missing the new tension on the younger woman's face.
With that being said, the Headmistress of Hogwarts and her Transfiguration Professor parted company. Walking the halls of her Alma mater Hermione Granger found herself lost in thought.
Flashback
'Ginny, this is ridiculous! I'm supposed to be preventing students from doing this.' Hermione hissed.
Ginny Weasely took a moment to grin wickedly at her frowning companion before sliding open the window and gracefully crawling out. Grumbling about devilish witches with auburn hair and green eyes, Hermione stumbled through the window frame and would have fallen if not for the quick reflexes of the chaser.
'Careful Mione, wouldn't want a Gryffindor prefect to fall off a roof of Hogwarts now would we?'
Before Hermione could garner a self-riotous retort Ginny had skillfully spun the older girl so that Hermione body was firmly caught between a tower wall and Ginny's lean frame. Then that mouth that was the culprit in coaxing the brunette onto a roof of Hogwarts in the middle of the night was teasing and nipping at the prefects lips until Hermione was moaning and pulling Ginny more firmly into her. Just as Hermione was losing herself completely to the sweet taste of Ginny Weasely, the latter had broken away and was pulling Hermione along.
'As tasty as that was, it's not entirely what I dragged you out here for.' She called softly over her shoulder.
'Then what ARE we doing out here Ginny? It's cold and we could just as easily be in any of Hogwarts other nooks or crannies.' Hermione despised the whiny tone of her voice but it WAS nearly winter and she had only managed to grab a sweatshirt before Ginny had pulled her out of the common room. Then her train-of-thought evaporated in the sight before her. Spread out were several thick blankets and a couple pillows. Surrounding the makeshift bedding were a dozen jars of heat balls that Ginny must have conjured up and trapped in glass jars to create a sort of heat barrier. In the middle of the blankets sat an over sized picnic basket.
'What? Ginny...' Hermione felt her throat starting to close up in that way that tells you crying is imminent. Hermione turned to look at the slightly taller girl next to her.
'How is it you can make me want to tear my hair out one minute and then bring me to tears, good tears, the next??' She inquired with a watery smile. Ginny smiled down at her as she wrapped her arms loosely around the older girls' waist.
'It's part of the Weasely charm. We all have it. If we didn't we would have been murdered off generations ago I'm sure by aggravated lovers.' Hermione laughed fondly as she looked up into the twinkling green eyes she loved. She had such beautiful green eyes, auburn hair...
...slender but toned body. With that confident strut that Hermione had always admired, Ginny Weasely waltzed back into Hogwarts and into Hermione's life.