Hello! This is my first Harry Potter fanfic, and I hope you enjoy it! I'm a HUGE fan of Hermione/Draco in the books (but NOT in the movies!), so I was excited to write this.
Please don't become upset if everything isn't accurate. I haven't read the books in a few years, and I don't have the best memory. I'm trying to use Google to find name spellings and such, but I'm not too worried. I wanted to explore their characters, not the details of magic. Some people are dead, some aren't. It should make sense as you read, but if you're confused, feel free to ask in comments!
And, of course, I do not know anything you recognize.
Chapter One
Hermione Granger sat at her kitchen table with her parents, tapping her foot incessantly. She was waiting for the mail to come. The mailman had already been by, but she was waiting for owl post: her Hogwarts letter would arrive that day.
"Hermione, honey, please relax," her mother said, looking up from her newspaper and setting her mug of coffee down. "I'm sure you made Head Girl. You had no competition." Her husband nodded encouragingly next to her.
Hermione sighed. "I know Mum, I just can't help but worry. After the war last year… well, there are a lot of very capable witches in Hogwarts. And Professor McGonagall may feel that after six years of crazy adventures, I need a year to rest."
Her father laughed. "I don't think anyone could force you to rest! How many classes are you taking this year? Twenty?"
"Only a couple," she mumbled, looking over her shoulder at the open window, willing an owl to fly through it.
Her parents smiled at each other, both returning to their newspapers while their daughter continued to chew on her lip, desperate for the news.
"It's here!" she squealed, jumping up and running over to the window, where a great tawny owl had just flown in. She quickly untied the letter from its leg and broke the typical Hogwarts seal, her hands shaking as the owl flew away. Her parents smiled at her from the table, putting their papers down to hear the inevitable news.
Hermione's eyes scanned over the page, widening increasingly as she read over the words. She looked up at her parents, a grin on her face. "I made it!" she said, hopping from foot to foot. Her parents laughed at her excitement as she let the badge fall onto her open palm. "It's here… I'm Head Girl!"
"Congratulations, sweet heart," her mother said, smiling warmly at her daughter. Hermione grinned back.
"Thanks! I need to go write Harry and Ron!" She rushed up to her room, going straight to her desk to pull out a piece of parchment.
Dear Harry and Ron,
I made Head Girl! I was so worried that Professor McGonagall would have chosen another after all that happened last year, but she picked me! I can't believe it! Did either of you make Head Boy? I hope so, though I suppose Professor McGonagall would want the Head Boy and Girl to be from different houses…
My parents are bringing me to Diagon Alley next week. Do you want to meet up there to buy our supplies?
Love,
Hermione
Hermione held up the parchment to reread it before tying it up, satisfied. She stood up to send it off, then faltered. She had forgotten that she had no way to send it; during the school year she had the school owls, and during the summer she simply would respond to the boys when Hedwig or Pig came.
She sighed, tucking the paper into her pocket. She knew Harry and Ron would write her soon about meeting in Diagon Alley, so she decided to just wait until then. She sat down on her bed and began to read through the rest of the papers in the envelope, her excitement rising as she read through her list of books for the year.
She fell back, her curly hair framing her face and her hands clasping her Hogwarts letter against her stomach. She was Head Girl, and in only a few short days she would be back at Hogwarts. After so many years immersed in the world of magic, she felt out of place amongst Muggles, even her own parents. She had lived through so much that she just couldn't discuss with anyone who wasn't magic. But more than that, she was beginning to fall behind in everything else Muggle related. She often forgot simple things, like that the post didn't come on Sundays or that owls were wild. And she was out of date with the new technology, being completely baffled by computers, which even her parents had mastered. Things that used to come easy to her now challenged her more than they should.
But still, she was happy for the change. She had done so much at Hogwarts that she couldn't have even imagined doing in her old school, and her Head Girl badge proved that. She gently rubbed the metal, lost in thought. The new school year would be different; for one, there wasn't the threat of Voldemort, but there also wasn't the safety of Professor Dumbledore. She sighed, remembering the kind man's death. Harry had attempted to explain the night's events to her, but even he didn't completely understand. It had been a mass of secret agents, traitors, and switching sides at the last moment.
She closed her eyes at the memory. The scene had calmed down after a while, many of the Death Eaters having retreated or died, and Harry had walked through the wreckage silently, looking down at all the bodies surrounding him. His friends, teachers, enemies; all laid on the ground, injured or dead. He had stopped by Ginny, kneeling down to hold her close to him. Hermione had watched as he whispered something in her ear, then stand up and face Voldemort, who was standing quietly to the side examining his work. There was a duel, and just like that Voldemort was gone, finally joining the destruction that he had caused. Harry fell to his knees and cried, and the whole school was silent.
Hermione shook her head, bringing herself to present day. The war was over now. The scars remained, but they were slowly healing. And she would have a chance to aid in the healing, to encourage the inter-House unity that Professor Dumbledore had so wanted. The war was over, and now all that was left was picking up the pieces.
She smiled, holding her badge close to her. She was ready for her job, and was excited to meet the Head Boy and get started.
