NOTES:
Hi all,
This is my first every fan fiction so constructive criticism appreciated :)
The smell of freshly baked bread filled Hermione's nostrils as she walked downstairs towards the Borrows dining table. Mrs Weasley was still frying eggs for breakfast, unable to keep up with Ron's appetite. Ginny and Harry where staring at opposite ends of the room pretending to ignore each other, all while secretly playing footsie under the table. As usual Fred and George were nowhere to be seen, they had moved into the flat above their shop shortly after the war ended. The house had been eerily quiet ever since.
Hermione took her place next to Ginny, giving her a knowing smile as she passed. Mr Weasley had looked up from his paper, sighing with contentment. "I am very pleased that you all decided to continue your education. You never know you might find a new passion".
"I am not doing muggle studies dad" Ron exclaimed.
"Speaking of bright futures" Ms Weasley interrupted. "Your Hogwarts letters have arrived"
Hermione held the heavy parchment gently. Not that long ago she thought that she would never again see the gates of Hogwarts again. Thankfully fate has been kind to her. She read Eagerly
Dear Miss Hermione Jean Granger,
Our records show that due to your involvement in the war, you were not able to finish your studies. I am pleased to extend a formal invitation for you to complete your final year schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Because you will be a year older than the other 7th years we have decided to create a new grade for you and your peers. Henceforth all the 8th years will arrive at Hogwarts a day earlier to attend a special orientation and choose their classes. Please see the enclosed ticket for the Hogwarts express.
Though we have been through turbulent times, there is always hope for a brighter future, please join us in rebuilding the wizarding society of Britain through education and compassion.
Yours sincerely,
Professor McGonagall
Headmistress of Hogwarts
Smiles broke out all round the table.
…
The train ride to Hogwarts was long but far from boring. The trio reminisced
about their early schooldays and watched Ron eat far more chocolate fogs than humanly possible. Even Hermione joined in on their antics between reading her old textbooks.
"Why are you studying you don't even know what classes are available?" Ron asked
"Yeah Hermione, why spend an hour reading something you might not be tested on?" Harry added.
"Unlike you Ronald I actually enjoy reading and knowledge can never be wasted. Have you boys thought at all about what Mr Weasley said? We need to be serious about our futures."
"Well harry and I aren't going to have a problem. You know we want to be aurous. And Merlin knows they need more. Did you hear about those riots in Birmingham last week?"
"I always thought that things would get better after the war" Harry almost whispered.
"They will Harry, it will just take some time. People are still hurting for the last battle and mourning their loved ones. They are angry. But it will get better,"
Quickly changing the subject Harry asked, "What are you going to do after Hogwarts Hermione?"
"Yeah you haven't mentioned what your plans are after graduation all summer. Which is not like you. Do you still want to go into policy making?"
"Actually, I am not sure anymore"
….
The trio took their seats in the great hall which looked quite empty without all the other grades. Hermione glanced over at the rest of her housemates just as McGonagall made her first address as Headmistress of Hogwarts. Though it wasn't as poetic as Professor Dumbledore's everyone's cheered just the same. Shortly after mountains of food appeared in front of them.
"Oi, look at that" Harry exclaimed.
"What" Ron mumbled.
"Snape, he looks different."
"It looks like he has fixed his hair" Hermine stated. In fact, it looked like Snape had changed a lot of things. His skin was still pale but it no longer looked translucent and sickly. His hair was long and neatly tied and in bun. The usual intimidating black robes he wore had been replaced with loser ones that were open in the front. Underneath Snape was wearing a white button down shit tucked into black trousers. Overall, he looked a lot calmer.
"He looks good" she added, only to received strange looks from her friends.
McGonagall stood and the crowd fell quite almost instantly. "Shortly you will receive a piece of parchment which will outline available classes you can take. Please list them in order of your preference with number one being your most preferred. Most of these classes have not been offered to other students, however we deemed you as 8th graders mature enough to handle their content. Hand your forms back tonight and the house elves will provide your school equipment tomorrow morning. I shall remind all of you to choose wisely. What you decide now may impact the rest of your life."
Slowly chatter started to break out as the students opened their envelopes.
"Sweet there's a 'Quidditch 101' course, Harry your down for that right?"
"Sure am."
"Typical" Hermine muttered.
"Hermine what about "Potions and the Dark Arts Intertwined (PDAI)", that sounds like something you would like." Harry said.
Ron looked up from his mash potatoes, "Blimey they are teaching the dark arts, right after the war. Has the world gone mad?"
"If you had read 'A Hogwarts; A History' Ronald, you would know why. Dark arts aren't necessarily evil they are just often used in a bad way. After the war with Grindelwald everyone turned away from the dark arts and the ministry stopped teaching it in schools. Only a select few learnt about the subject and so few knew how to defeat the magic. I suppose they are trying not to make the same mistake twice."
Hermine listed "Potions and the Dark Arts Intertwined" as her first preference that night. Although the description of the subject made her nervous:
"This is not a class for the faint hearted. You will delve into the very depts. of your souls and re-live moments you would rather forget. Secrets you will have no more."
…
Hermione awoke the next morning, eager to go through her new school supplies. The smell of fresh parchment filled the air. Curiously all she was given for PDAI was a notebook and quill.
Classes had begun and the week went on much as expected. Both harry and Ron tried out for the Quidditch team and surprised no one when they got in. Though all of Griffith was united in their distain of Malfoy's appointment as Slytherin's Quidditch captain.
Hermine worked diligently at her studies trying to impress her teachers and forget the trials of last year, until PDAI finally arrived. Her nerves about the class had still not settled and the fact that Snape was teaching did not help. She took her seat next to Hannah Abbot and Nievel. Looking around the room and saw a few familiar faces, Malfoy being one of them. However, the class was small, no more than nine in total were there, Snape must have scared them of she thought.
"Quite now" Snape bellowed in his deep voice. "Just like my other class I expect your full attention. For those of you to lazy to read the description of this subject I suggest you leave now. The dark arts are a misunderstood subject. Any spell or potion can be used to peruse evil or good. Take the jelly legs jinx for example. If you were using this to bully or harass another person it would be considered evil. However, if you used the jinx to stop a thief the spell would be deemed good. The darks arts are the same. However, unlike your simple school ground jinxes, the dark arts require real emotion as its foundation. In this course, you will learn how to control and use your emotions to power spells which will manipulate potions."
Many of the emotions you will experience will unsettle you and embarrass you. I suggest you accept that now as I will not tolerate cry-babies. This course will be divided in to four parts, potions that require the darks arts of lust, hate, sadness and remorse. We are starting with lust as it is deemed the easiest of the four emptions for your hormone addled bodies to understand.
The dark arts and potions have a long-standing history together. Spells can manipulate ingredients from mundane to life transforming. We will start with the potion "Luxuriosus" it is Latin for exuberant. The draught was a crude version of today's "Peper-up" potion. The ingredients and method are listed on the board. You will copy and memories it by the end of this lesson."
Hermione remained quiet until the end of the lesson. She wondered what this class could possibly bring, Snape would not want them to explain their hidden fantasies would he?
That night Hermione laid in her bed thinking over the day. She kept being brought back to Snape's lesson. He said we would have to share secrets, how embarrassing she pondered. The thought of recounting one of her more recent fantasies gave her shivers. Being naked on her knees and sucking the enlarged member of man she didn't know, was surely not what other girls her age was thinking about. Whenever Ginny or Luna talked about sex they always mentioned soft caresses and kissing. Her cheeks burned and so did her quim.
She brought her hand down to run over her pert nipples, tracing around each one as she went. Slowly her hand came under her nickers and she wove her fingers through the small about of soft hair she had down there. Hermione almost giggled at the thought of explaining to her classmates how she like to be "petted". Her fingers ghosted further down and parted her damp lips. As she slowly circled her clit her other hand came up to her breast, needing and fondling until she came.
…