A/N: Before we begin, I'd like to set the scene for all of my wonderful readers. In this story, Dumbledore is still alive, as well as Fred and Sirius. Remus and Tonks are still dead, as much as it kills me. I've changed most of the back story to DH, so please don't be angry if I've written something that did not happen in the 7 books. It is also not epilogue compliant, and you'll note in this first chapter that I've mentioned that Teddy Lupin's werewolf status is unknown, I know he receives Tonk's ability of being a Metamorphmagus. I hope all of you enjoy and if there are any questions or confusions, please message me!- Dev.
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing, my loves.
"Hermione…Hermione…HERMIONE!"
The brunette's head shot up suddenly and she looked toward the person who just yelled for her. Her brown eyes were slightly blood shot from lack of sleep and in her attempt to blink away the sleepiness from them, she found that it only caused things to become blurrier. Finally, she met a pair of green eyes that flashed in annoyance at her current state. She rubbed her face with the palms of her hands and stretched slightly, her back screaming in discomfort as she did so.
"Harry-" She yawned, feeling almost too tired to lift her hand to cover her mouth.
"What's wrong?" She murmured finally, rubbing her eyes once more. He glared at her again slightly, before starting to close up all of her books, each snapping loudly as he closed them more forcefully than necessary. She made to stop him and he swatted her hand away impatiently. Put out, she rubbed her hand like a child who's mother had punished them for taking a cookie before supper.
"Hermione, this is the fourth night in a row that you've skipped dinner and fallen asleep in one of the classrooms. It's almost midnight!" He snapped, throwing her books into her bag. Hermione could hear someone calling her name from down the hall and jumped as Harry's voice interrupted her lazy thoughts.
"Ron, I've found her!" He called out, shooting another annoyed glance at his female friend before he finished cleaning her mess.
She looked down sheepishly, embarrassed that she had caused them a spot of trouble. Ron entered the room soon after Harry called for him, looking as annoyed with her as Harry was.
"Hermione, what is so important that you can't be bothered to take a break for even an hour?" Harry grumbled, throwing the pack to Ron who grunted in agreement. Her face turned red, and she looked down playing with the hem of blouse.
"Well, I was trying to find more information for us to become unregistered animagus. You know, since we're not sure if Teddy will become a werewolf. The laws have changed quite a bit since your dad and-" She began to yawn once more, her eyelids gowing heavy. Tiredly, she tried to continue her explaination before yawning once more. She saw through her blurry eyes, that Ron and Harry were smiling at her, unable to maintain their displeasure with her after trying to do something for Harry's godson.
"Only you…" Ron muttered. She barely heard him, but knowing the tone was affection, she gave him a sleepy grin.
"We got rid of Voldemort to live in peace. To, you know, relax for once, Hermione; not for you to research your way into a coma." Harry told her chuckling as he made his way to her. She felt her chair get pushed out from behind, and was quickly lifted by two strong arms bridal style. She grumbled incoherently about not being a child, and to put her down, which made the boys snicker in response. Unable to convince them (and herself) that she should walk, she relented and wrapped her arms around her best friends neck.
"It's a good thing you didn't eat dinner for four days, I suppose, 'cause you're quite heavy." Harry joked; in actuality, she wasn't heavy at all, and he swore throwing her book bag to Ron had been more strenuous. Ron laughed loudly; his voice echoed through the halls as he led the way, two of Hermione's bags hanging off his large arms. She pinched the back of his neck roughly, causing Ron to laugh again as Harry yelped.
She smiled at them, and before they reached the common room, she was sound asleep.
The next morning, Hermione woke up to some of the most awful snoring she'd ever heard from another woman in her life.
She pushed the hair away from her face and sat up, looking around in confusion. Where the...There are too many beds for this to be my dormitory.
Being that there were few returnee's this year after the war, she was one of three Gryffindor girls that returned to Hogwarts after the war, and there were five beds here. She winced as she heard the snores once more and leaned over the bed to see Ron on the floor. She laid back onto the bed and her face furrowed more in confusion than worry. How'd I get in here?
"He lost the galleon toss, and I got to keep my bed." A voice said in a 'matter-of-fact' kind of way.
She jumped slightly and turned to see Harry lazily propped up on his elbow as he reached over to grab his glasses. When he turned to look at her, she noticed the michevious glint in his eye, and the realization dawned on her. She grinned at him and he feigned innocence.
"You used the trick coin that George gave you this summer." She accused, busying herself with getting comfortable in the bed once more. Harry's face grew slightly red, and his eyes flashed in amusement.
"Perhaps." He admitted, chuckling. Hermione smiled at him and rolled her eyes.
"Maybe you can tell me how I got here, hmm?" She asked, making a face as Ron's snores turned into a kind of snarl on the floor. Harry mirrored her expression and shook his head at his friend.
"You'd think we'd be used to it by now after all that time in the forest." He commented first, running a hand through his hair, only for the raven mess to stick up again. Hermione shook her head seriously, raising her eyebrows.
"There's no way I could get used to THAT." She admonished, causing Harry to laugh and nod lazily in agreement, before deciding to answer her previous question.
"You ended up sleeping here because someone- not naming names- but someone skipped dinner and needed to be carried to the Gryffindor tower because they worked themselves into exhaustion. And because that someone was a female, that someone's rescuers couldn't very well carry them to their own dormitory without hurting all parties involved." Harry looked pointedly at her, and she gave him a sheepish look in return.
"I completely forgot about-" She stopped for a second and looked at him strangely, as if remembering something. Her mouth opened the shut, and before he could say anything, she reached down to grab the pillow under Ron's head. Ron's head landed with a loud THUMP and she sat up once more, whipping the pillow at Harry. It hit him square in the face and Hermione snorted, crossing her arms and pursing her lips at him. Ron groaned, and rolled over; his snoring pausing only for a few seconds before continuing once more. Harry grunted into the pillow before removing it and gaping at her as if she'd gone mad.
"What was that f-"
"Harry James Potter, I am not fat!" She hissed at him, causing the boy to look at her in confusion before realizing the comment he made last night. He began to laugh again, and threw the pillow back at her which and she deflected, causing the pillow to fall on Ron's face. The redhead jumped up in a fright, his eyes wide.
"SPIDERS! GET OUT, THE SPIDERS!" He bellowed, throwing the pillow far away from him, his hands groping the floor for his wand. When he finally grasped his wand, random blue and red sparks began shooting out, hitting the opposite end of the room. His best friends ducked under the covers quickly as the beams of light seemed to richochet throughout the room, peeking out only when they were sure it had passed.
Brown eyes met green, and soon their laughter filled the dormitory.
Ron whipped around in alert only to see his best friends in stiches, clutching their sides in laughter. His face fell in realization of what he did, and promptly turned pink with embarrassment; the color showed at the tips of his ear. Behind sleepy eyes he glared at the two of them half-heartedly.
"It's not funny."
Trying their hardest, Hermione and Harry went quiet trying to nod their heads, failing soon after when they dared to look at each other. They started laughing once more.
"It's not funny!"
Their laughs carried throughout the boys room, and Ron clenched his jaw in hopes that he wouldn't give in and laugh along with them. He opened his mouth once more to repeat himself when the smile he was trying to withhold started twitching at the corner of his lips.
Stupid gits...and they call themselves my friends.
Eventually, he laughed with them. "I guess it's a little funny." He admitted, pouting slightly, as Hermione wiped her eyes from laughing so hard. She sat up in the bed, and ruffled his hair affectionately.
"Of all the things we've faced Ronald…spiders?" She joked, earning her a slight glare, making Harry snort in amusement. Ron narrowed his eyes and whipped the pillow back at her, which made her laugh more. She wiggled her fingers in front of his face, mocking him.
"Watch out Ron!" She teased once more. He turned to see Harry grinning ear to ear in amusement and he mocked his friend face.
"HA..HA…laugh at the sleeping bloke."
Hermione continued to giggle, and Ron grinned suddenly. Easily reaching up, he pulled her off the bed, and onto the floor next to him. Her eyes went wide and she tried to maneuver herself away before landing on her bum unceremoniously, giving out a squeak of surprise.
"I'll give you something to laugh about." Ron joked, tickling her sides mercilessly. Hermione kicked at him, tears in her eyes from laughing so hard, she looked at Harry for help, and he only egged his friend on.
"Ron- you – stop- now." She said, her hand swatting his nose suddenly and effectively. He groaned and pushed her off of him, causing her to land once more on the floor unprepared.
As the three of them settled themselves, Ron stayed on the floor, leaning against his bed frame. Harry slid off his bed, sitting on the floor opposite of Ron, with Hermione's legs on top of theirs, in the middle, leaning against the wall. They sat in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company. Hermione looked over at the two men sitting there, and felt her heart swell at the sight of them.
She looked to her left at Harry, and studied him as he looked out the window above her head. Everything about Harry was lighter nowadays. The way he walked, the way he talked, even when he sat in silence...it was just lighter. The burden of a life filled with expectation would never be gone, but he was finally at peace. She had never seen him so content.
Then to her right, was Ron. He'd changed so much from the day they'd first met. He was still a hot headed, stubborn git on most days, but he stopped being the one to run away. He stood by his friends and family through thick and thin, and vowed that he would never hurt them by abandoning them again. They tried their hand at being a couple right after the war, and mutually agreed that it would never work out. They even laughed about it together, agreeing that nothing would ever beat that first kiss after retrieving the basilisk fangs from the Chamber of Secrets.
They all joked about how boring their lives were now. They joked that they'd rather face Voldemort again than go through Hermione's rigorous study schedule. For the first time since they knew Voldemort was going to return, they could make a joke about the future without the dark afterthought that they might not survive to see it.
Basking in her thoughts, Hermione's stomach suddenly grumbled loudly, and her eyes widened at the sound. Both boys turned to look at her, amused.
"I think I might be hungry." She laughed, realizing she was quite famished. She wanted to go into the kitchens, rather than the Great Hall, but hadn't stepped foot in there since Dobby's passing.
"You think? I think you're stomach is hungry enough for all of us." Ron commented.
"Hungry enough for all of us? Including you? You're mad." Harry told him, astonished. Ron leaned over to push his shoulder lazily, and Hermione grinned in agreement with Harry. His green eyes danced a little as they shared the same thought, and then suddenly, as if he remembered something, he looked at her quizzically.
"Before we eat, what's all this research about becoming an animagus all of the sudden?" He asked her, and eyebrow raised.
"Harry, she'll go on for days, and we'll never eat." Ron whined, stopping soon after Hermione reached up and smacked the side of his head.
"Well, I just don't know why we've never done it before. I mean, becoming an animagus is so useful, probably one of the more complex things that we'll ever learn to do. For one, if Teddy does turn into a werewolf when he grows older, or Victoire for that matter, we'd be able to ease them into their transformation by being there with them."
"Like my dad and Sirius."
"Precisely, and well, in the event that…" Hermione trailed off, and she could practically feel the tone of the room grow serious. She chewed on the bottom of her lip, and it was almost as if she were afraid to say the words aloud. Harry nodded for her to continue, reaching over for her hand and squeezing it slightly.
"If anything were to happen again, be it Voldemort or someone else, I want us to be prepared. If you two are going into Auror training next summer, I want to know that you have that ability. It's certainly saved Sirius more than we could ever imagine. Even if I am being too skeptic, and we end up just-" She waved her hand around, as if trying to find the words before continuing.
"Even if we just end up galavanting through the forest like three paranoid cads, I just want us to be safe." She finished her rant, and played with the end of her shirt again.
"Constant viligance, and all that, yeah?" Ron said, trying to make light of the situation although he too felt the small doubt about whether this peace would last. She gave him a light smile and nodded.
"And all that." She agreed quietly.
"And you want us to be unregistered?" Harry asked, his eyebrow raising slightly.
"Well, even with the restructuring of the Ministry, I just think that we shouldn't-" She was cut off quickly by a booming chuckle coming from Ron, causing Harry and Hermione to both look at him in question.
"What's with y-" Harry started, looking at his friend as if he'd grown another head.
"Hermione wants us to break the law."
The dam had broken and the dark tone of the conversation blew away as if it were never there, and all that could be heard were protests from Hermione, and lots of laughter in return.
She smiled as she bit into another piece of toast, her stomach finally ceasing to make it's loud noises. She ignored the amused grins Ron and Harry were sending her way, and looked around the Great Hall idly. The Slythern table held so little students, it actually made her sad to see it. So many of the previous Slythern had been supporters of Voldemort or had been actual death eaters that their parents had pulled them out of school. Some pureblood families fled from Europe completely; Hermione suspected that the shame that was placed on their name was more than their aristocratic hearts could handle. Most of the Slythern in the school were young (years one through four).
However, only one Slythern had returned for their eighth year, and it shocked most of the school.
Most, but not all. Hermione thought pensively; she was in full support of him returning to finish school. She had been there to defend his innocence immediately after he'd been arrested.
Draco Malfoy.
She watched him as he quietly ate at the end of the table, away from his Slythern brethren. His hair no longer slicked back with gel, and his face not snarling with a sneer made him look younger. Much like Harry, he looked lighter in Hermione's opinion. Much like the Gryfindor King, the fallen Slythern prince seemed to have the dark shadow lifted from him. He was no where near friendly, but he was certainly not menacing anymore.
A lot of people hadn't forgiven him, that much was for sure.
The three of them had fought hard for the release of Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. They stormed the ministry immediately after their arrests were announced at the end of the war.
Draco had helped them escape his childhood home after their capture from the Snatchers. Harry told Ron while they had been locked in the dungeons that Draco had leaned down to "further identify" them up close when he whispered that he was going to get them out. She remembered watching him tell his aunt that they were exactly who they claimed to be, he said with absolute conviction, that they were definitely not Harry Potter and friends. He knocked out his aunt and locked her in a dungeon while she tortured Hermione, and in horror they watched as the chandelier above crashed down and his blood soaked Hermione's robes. They tried to apparate him to Shell Cottage but all he did was push the dying House Elf into Harry's arms.
She remembered the breaking in his voice as he told her he couldn't leave his mother here.
They didn't see him until they returned to Hogwarts on that fated night. He helped them get the diadem, and vanished soon after.
Later that night, Narcissa Malfoy called out that Harry was dead although she knew otherwise.
The ministry, in shambles at that point, had near to no pull against the three most decorated war heroes of the century. The two Malfoy's were released and all charges against them were erased from ministry records. Lucius on the other hand, was not spared, and was currently residing in Azkaban waiting out his sentence of death.
Lost in her thoughts, Hermione didn't notice that Draco was now staring back at her, an eyebrow raised in question. She finally came out of the clouds when she felt Ginny's hand on her shoulder. She looked at her friend sheepishly, muttering a sorry before chancing a second look at Draco. It took all of her self control not to duck under the table in embarrassment as he was still watching her, and had caught her staring at him a second time.
"You alright there, Hermione?" Ginny asked, squeezing Hermione's shoulder once more, taking note of the older girls blush.
Hermione smiled at her, and nodded, immersing herself into the conversation as if nothing happened.
When she looked up towards the end of the Slythern table once more, he was gone.
Hermione squinted at the spines of the books, trying to make out the titles through their tattered old bindings.
Half of these books are practically impossible to decipher, unless you open each one to the cover page, she grumbled inwardly. She knew that the process for becoming an animagus was outlined in one of these old books as her research had pointed her here. As much as she loved the library, she absolutely hated this part of the restricted section. Most of the books were outdated, or incorrectly placed, and she swore that once she had tried to grab a book that continuously disappeared once her hand was an inch away.
She cursed silently as she knew she'd need to step onto the ladder in order to further detect the book. Warily, she looked up at what seemed an endless wooden death and timidly placed her hands on either side of the ladder.
"I hate heights." She grumbled to herself, being thankful that as an eighth year teachers assistant she had access to the restricted section, and didn't have to do this in the dark with the invisibility cloak on. She welcome the sun streaming in through the stained glass, and in actuality, she found it to be quite the sight now that she could freely peruse the restricted section during the day.
She found herself on the fifth step of the ladder, and forced herself to breathe through her nose, and out through her mouth.
Find the book, and get down. She told herself in a mantra; she nervously pulled herself across the bookshelf.
When she finally found what she was looking for, it was on shelf above and smashed between two rather large volumes of Transfiguration texts. Biting her lip, she shakily climbed a step higher, and reached out her hand to grab the book. She tugged at the leather binding, and it didn't budge.
Well, stubborn little thing aren't you …
She pulled at the book again, her right hand gripping onto the ladder so hard that her knuckles were turning white and she swore she'd have markings on her palm. Finally, she tugged on the book so hard that the two large volumes keeping it captive gave way, and the sardine packed books fell off the shelf. She yelled in surprise as the pile of books toppled onto her arm, and some hit the knee she was putting all her weight on. She lost her balance as one of the heavy transfiguration texts, hit her knee and her foot, and she slipped. With all of her weight on the right side of ladder, she felt it start to slide along the bookshelf and she cried out as the movement of the ladder caused her the inability of getting her footing back.
"Oh god, oh god, oh god." She cried, finding herself at the mercy of the moving ladder. Her shoe fell off as she slid across the book shelf, and she called out for help.
"Granger!"
She heard the pounding sound of running footsteps, but she couldn't bring herself to look down. She felt the ladder slow to a stop, and she felt a surge of relief hit her until her realized that she was still hanging off the side of it in the air.
"Granger, you need to move your arm across the ladder so you can get down. Reach out for the other side and pull yourself up." He told her calmly. Hermione hugged her body to the side of the ladder, both legs wrapped around it as well. She shook her head fervently at the very idea of letting go.
"I'll can't. I'll fall." She cried. She felt as if she were a child all over again, stuck in the tree in her backyard.
"Granger, stop fooling around before you really do fall. Just grab the other side of the ladder and climb down." He told her, his voice calm but the impatience noted.
With her eyes still forced shut, she shakily let go for a second, and blindly grabbed at the other side of the ladder. Her attempt quickly failed and she resorted to the ladder hugging pose that she had taken on previously.
"I can't. I just can't." She cried.
She heard him curse under his breath, and something that sounded like a bag dropping onto the floor echoed up to her.
What is he doing? Oh god, someone get me down from here!
Hermione was quite aware of how ridiculous she appeared, and although she had faced many things in her life. Being afraid of heights was a fear that was better left unconquered in her book. Her arms trembled, and she was suddenly aware that the ladder was shaking slightly, as if someone were climbing it. Her eyes shot open and she looked down to see the blond coming up the ladder. Quickly regretting her choice to look down, she shut her eyes again.
"Malfoy, what are you doing?!" Her voice etched with panic. He was quickly at her level on the ladder, and although she could feel his stare she refused to look up at him.
"Granger, enough of this foolishness, open your eyes." He ordered, easily steadying himself on the other side of her. He nearly fell off of the ladder when she finally opened her eyes to look at him. Her eyes bore into his, and he saw the same mix of fear and gratitude that he saw when she was held captive at the manor. She squealed as the ladder creaked slightly, and closed her eyes once more.
"Alright, give me your hand." He spoke to her as if he were trying to coax an animal into obeying an order, his voice calm and inviting. Her hand shook as she slowly and blindly let go, feeling only the sensation of his warm hand wrapping around hers firmly.
Gently, he pulled her arm across the ladder, and with one hand steadying himself, he wrapped the other around her small waist. Hermione busied herself with her small baby steps, trying not to think of being this close to him. He lifted her body from the side of the ladder to the middle once more, and waited until she comfortably put both feet onto the step. She blushed as she felt his chest flush against her back, she'd never been this close to another man except for Harry and Ron.
He stared at the back of her head and without meaning to, inhaled the sweet scent of her hair as it swept over her shoulder.
"Okay Granger, I'm going to go down first, then you." He instructed, sliding down slowly. His body pressed against hers as he moved away, and she was suddenly glad that she opted to wear muggle jeans rather than a skirt. She blushed suddenly at the thought of him looking at her improperly, and then chastised herself mentally for being perverse. She would blame Ron for her new odd sense of humor later.
"Alright, your turn." She did as she was told, and slowly made her way down the ladder. As she got closer to the ground, she felt two hands grasp her waist and she hesitated for a second before continuing down. When her bare foot reached solid ground, she smiled, and let out a long breath of relief. The two hands were still on her waist, and she turned around to face her rescurer.
"Oh..." Her voice was hitched with surprise.
Her small body was currently sandwhiched between him and the ladder, and she felt her heartbeat flutter as she was chest to chest with him. He was staring down at her, hands still at her waist, his gray eyes watching her face intently. She blushed under his gaze, slowly put her hands on chest to gently push him away. If he was surprised by her move, he didn't show it, and obliging with the almost non-existent pressure she place on him, he stepped back.
Get yourself together Hermione! Honestly.
"You okay?" He asked quietly. She smiled up at him genuinely, before nodding.
"Other than a few splinters, and a missing shoe, I'm tip top." She babbled, instantly wishing she could put a sock in her mouth to stop her from sounding so silly. His eyebrow twitched slightly and he nodded with obvious amusement.
"You know, Granger, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were afraid of heights."
Hermione glared at him playfully, and shrugged. "I have no idea what would make you come to that conclusion."
Are we flirting?
"Maybe we should get Cinderella her shoe?"
No, he's flirting.
"That would be nice, how else will I get to the ball."
That's definitely flirting.
Hermione followed him and in no time, she grasped the leather bound book that caused the mess, and Draco found her shoe. He bent down and offered her the shoe in silence, and Hermione shivered as his slender fingers grasped her ankle, and he slid the shoe onto her foot.
"So, Granger, what was so important that you wounded you Gryfindor pride in the process?" He asked, tapping on the book she was currently holding on to. He tossed his head back slightly, and Hermione watched as the flecks of sunlight from the glass shined on him, making him look almost unreal. He took in her appearance as well, and withheld a grin at her doe eyes and tossled appearance from earlier. He watched as she bit her lip slightly, and he felt the unnatural need to run his thumb over her lips to smooth them out.
"Well, it's…" She was about to lie when he easily and gently twisted the book into view and his eyebrows shot up.
"Falco Aesalon's Practices." He clicked his tongue and let go of the book. "Planning on doing some shape shifting?"
"Well…I…"
"I've heard it's very hard. My father couldn't do it." He told her quietly, running a hand through his hair.
"I've done some complicated magic before." She stated blandly, not sure if he was saying she couldn't do it or if he was just stating the fact. He shrugged in a non-commital manner and lazily waved his wand causing all the fallen books to float back onto the bookshelf.
"I'm quite sure you have, Granger. Who knows what goes on in that little head of yours." He said slyly. She smirked at him, taking his dry tone as an attempt at being funny. He liked that she smirked at him, it made her look like a cocky bint, but at the same time it was attractive on her.
"Well…I better get going, I suppose." She said, lifting her messenger bag and disillusioning the restricted book so that she could leave the library undetected. Draco was beginning to like this devious Granger, who smirked at him and stole library books. He nodded and she waved slightly as a sign of goodbye. She instantly wanted to slap her forehead at how stupid she looked waving at him when he was right in front of her.
He's so…different. Perhaps if I wasn't acting like such a ditz...
Quickly ducking out of the library and apologizing to Madame Pince about the ruckus she caused, she made her way back up to the empty classroom that Harry had found her in the night before. Just as she was about to turn the corner, lost in her thoughts, she heard someone call out to her.
"Granger!"
She turned to see the Slythern briskly making his way towards her.
"Yes, Malfoy?" She asked him, the fluttering feeling coming back.
He stopped upon reaching her and she looked up at him expectantly.
"If I can get you more detailed works on how to become an animagus, will you help me to become one as well?"
The passing thought on whether or not her eyebrows could go up any further, occurred to her in that instant.
A/N: Please review, and tell me if you like this story. Unfortunately, I think I'll be deleting Hot Headed Stubborness from so that I can re-write it, and I've thought about discontinuing Shut Up and Grow Up.
For all of those who like, I'll Cover You and/or Please, Let Death Part Us, I will be taking time to fix the beginning chapters, and unfortunately will have to re-write the tenth and eleventh chapter for PLDPU, due to a little girl dropping my external hard drive in water. I'll Cover You will hopefully be ready to post as of this weekend. Thankfully, the tsunami warning is over, and everyone is safe, so I'll be able to work on everything tonight/tomorrow.
Once again, please enjoy and review. – Dev.