The New Old Hermione

a post-war fanfic by Cerys Dewar

Prologue

Hermione woke from the dream with a smile on her face. It had been perfect, everything as she imagined it would happen once everything became settled in her world. Harry was married to Ginny, she was married to Ron, and all of their children were boarding the Hogwarts Express. It was the same dream that she had dreamt every night since she started her fifth year at Hogwarts, having realized just how attracted she was to Ron after she and Viktor decided that the distance was too far to develop a meaningful relationship. Hermione smiled and stretched, and then opened her eyes.

She immediately regretted that decision as the week's events came flooding back into her brain with her growing consciousness. The battle. Fred's death. Harry's death. Harry's strange return to life and his final defeat of Voldemort. The strange atmosphere hanging around the castle. Yes, indeed: they had won the battle, but the war was far from over. So strange that she still managed to forget that in sleep. But then she remembered that Poppy Pomfrey had administered powerful doses of Dreamless Sleep to everyone who'd fought so that they would heal more efficiently while they slept. Hermione thought it was strange that she still dreamt despite the potion, but didn't bother mentioning it to anyone. There was so much work to be done, and no time for trifling matters like a faulty potion. Besides, she would've missed her dream.

Hermione shook her joints out and made her way to the Great Hall, where the house elves were serving a plain but hearty breakfast to all gathered there. Most families had returned to their homes to tend to their wounds there, but there were still many here. The injured ranged everywhere from the badly bruised who suffered side effects of various hexes but could still work, to those clinging to the last few threads of life, who took the time to say their last goodbyes, dictate messages to be sent to loved ones and enemies alike.

Hermione suddenly felt a deep gloom descend on her. They had been hoping to win, and they had, but at moments like these, it felt like more of a loss. She thought instantly of Fred, and happened to glance over at the Weasley's "corner", where they all huddled, holding one another and speaking words of comfort to one another, or otherwise holding one another to weep for a moment. Harry was among them, and by rights Hermione belonged there too, considering what had happened between her and Ronald during the battle.

Her place was at her boyfriend's side. She knew that. But suddenly the need to be alone engulfed her, and she fled. She needed to breathe, to be somewhere away from grief and pain, if only for a moment. She ran out of the castle and towards the Black Lake. Her months on the run with Harry had conditioned her, carving a lean physique out of her girlish curves, and she didn't even pause once in her frantic escape from the castle.

She sat by the side of the Lake, first just breathing, then crying, and then thinking quietly. So many casualties. Fred, Lupin, Tonks - not to mention all of those who perished before the battle. Belatedly she remembered that Professor Snape had also died, taken down by Nagini.

Suddenly Hermione sat up with a jolt. She didn't recall anyone bringing Snape's body back to the castle to prepare it for burial, and Harry had forgotten to tell anyone else about Snape's true role in everything. What if they had thrown him in the mass grave with the other death eaters who had no family to send a body to? It would be a grave insult to one of the bravest wizards in the war, and one she immediately decided to remedy.

She approached the place where the Whomping Willow should have been, and found only Neville, crouched beside a large, blackened hole where the vicious tree once stood. She almost wanted to laugh at his woebegone expression, but kept it in out of concern that she would have hysterics. Neville saw her standing there and sighed.

"Another casualty."

Hermione allowed herself a small smile.

"Neville, that tree nearly killed Ronald and Harry. While they did deserve it, that is one wicked tree."

Neville looked at her with dead eyes, and she felt her own weariness creeping over her. She stepped forward and enveloped him in a hug.

"I'm sorry Neville. I didn't know how to act. That was stupid."

He leaned on her for a moment, just breathing, and then they stood together saying nothing until he broke the silence.

"It's alright, Hermione. We'll be alright."

Then he left her with a gentle squeeze of the hand.

She made her way through the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack carefully, and finally found Snape where they'd left him. She made her way to his side, and gazed at him, surprised at how peaceful he looked. The feeble daylight seeping through the windows fell on his face, and Hermione imagined for a moment that he was only sleeping and would wake any second, demanding what the hell had happened.

Suddenly, Snape bolted upright and grabbed his wand, quickly glancing around the room. When he spotted Hermione, he pointed his wand at her.

"What the hell has happened?"

Hermione's vision swam and she fainted dead away.