The library, she needed the library. A bit more research should confirm her own conclusions and hopefully lead her straight to the solution of the problem. Why didn't she think of this before, here she was; at home with her parents and not a magical library in sight. It was only the start of the holidays; she wouldn't be back at Hogwarts for another 2 months.

Between the so-called Final Battle and the departure on the Hogwarts Express there had been no opportunity to do research while she was still there; not that she wanted to do research at the time, the celebration feasts and parties were too good even for Hermione to miss!

When Voldemort was defeated two weeks before the end of term, her own predicament had been forgotten. The first few days there had been the wounded and the mourners to look after. Then the celebrations started and before she realised it, she was back home pondering her situation.

Pondering alone would solve nothing, so without further thought she got her quill and some parchment and started to write a note to Professor Dumbledore. Not wanting to give away too much, she decided to keep it brief and to the point, the request for summer use of the library was quickly written and sent off with her new owl. It had taken some time to find an owl that Crookshanks would tolerate, and he needed a promise that her bedroom was still only his, before the cat stopped eyeing the owl viciously.

Later that evening, she was pleasantly surprised to see that Dumbledore had sent his reply as soon as he had received her request, he was a busy man after all. She opened the letter that was sealed with the Hogwarts crest and was slightly disappointed when the answer wasn't a full out 'yes', instead it was an invitation to meet him the next morning at 11.00 to discuss her request, providing the floo password to the headmasters office for ease of travel.

She sighed briefly and then realised she should have expected nothing more; it was an unusual request after all. An unusual request for an unusual situation, and her situation was indeed unusual. She spent the rest of the night contemplating how much she would have tell the Headmaster before he would give his consent.

She knew she would get little resistance from Madam Pince, the lady loved Hermione's enthusiasm for books and would be pleased to have her around during the summer-clean of the library. With those thoughts in her head she went to sleep and when she woke up the next morning it was the first thing in her mind again.

Down in the kitchen, her parents were already having breakfast, during summer break they had taken to opening their dental surgery a little later in the mornings so they could have some family time together. Deciding that her parents would need to now of her intentions, at least, she seized the moment 'Mum, I'll be going to Hogwarts this morning. I need to speak to the Headmaster about the use of the library this summer.' Her mother looked a bit worried 'But darling you've only just arrived back, I know next years exams will be important, but surely you don't need to start studying already?'

For a moment Hermoine wondered if she would explain all of it, but perhaps it would stir up more emotions than it was worth. It was still a sore subject with her parents after all. 'I know Mum, I won't be studying for the NEWTS just yet. According to my schedule I will have plenty of preparation time if I start in the middle of September.' continuing in the same breath, she added 'I want to do research into the long term effects of Muggle medication on magical abilities. Remember I told you last year about the strange feeling of magical imbalance that I'm experiencing? With the war over and done with, I want to see if there is a way to manage myself without the medication and see if I can get the balance right again'.

By then her dad had looked up from his newspaper with a worried look on his face, his wife showed the same look and they exchanged one of those meaningful glances that means nothing to anyone else.

Hermione's mind had been made up though 'You can't stop me you know. I am of legal age and any decisions regarding my health are my own.' Her mum nodded slightly 'Of course, of course, you are right darling. We just want to make sure you don't do anything rash. Do you want me to make an appointment with Doctor Middleton for you? Surely you should speak with a professional, if you can't discuss it with us?'

Hermoine knew then that her parents had already discussed this possibility together and had prepared their response for this discussion long before they knew it would happen. 'Mum, come on, what could Doctor Middleton do for me at this stage? He thinks I have been seeing the school Doctor and would refer me back to him, a him who you know doesn't exist. And even if he didn't, what do you propose I tell him? This can't be discussed without mentioning the magic part. I promise I won't do anything without having done the research first. You know I'm reliable in my research don't you?'

After another shared look between her parents it was her dad who spoke 'Just promise us that you will tell someone if you make any changes, will you promise that?' Giving her parents a quick hug she accepted their terms and quickly finished breakfast.

At 10:55, she checked over her appearance again, her hair was marginally in control, and her muggle skirt and shirt made her look as grown up as possible. During this conversation she wanted to be sure to look the least child-like as possible. After removing the safety-guard from the fireplace and taking a pinch of Floo powder she stepped into the fire and called out 'Maltesers rock'.

The first thing she saw after getting off her knees from a very ungraceful entrance was a smiling Albus Dumbledore 'Good morning Miss Granger, what a wonderful surprise to see you again so soon! Lemon drop?'