Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own these characters or the world in which I'm writing them.

Hermione breathed in deep and inhaled the floral scent of a tree in the Hogwarts courtyard. A late summer breeze blew past her nostrils and it brought an unstoppable smile to her face. These days she appreciated things more, like that sweet smell of the flowering tree, and the gentle caress of the warm breeze. She could see a masterpiece painted in the sky for each sunrise and hear symphonies in the songs of the delivery owls. Even food tasted richer now, and when she ate she savored her bites like she'd never eaten before. All of her senses were heightened. Life was more precious since she'd worked so hard to keep it, to earn it.

She was thankful for so many reasons. One, naturally the biggest, was that Voldemort was gone for good. Harry had finished the fight on the grounds of this very castle exactly four months ago to the day. They had lost many in that battle, and the years leading up to it, but they had saved many, too. Hermione had grieved, not just for the lost ones she held dear, but even the ones she didn't know from Adam. It helped, a bit anyway, that she had played a part in saving the ones who survived. Hunting for horcruxes, living in fear of being caught, then actually being caught and tortured, that had all been worth it for victory.

So here she was at Hogwarts again, where it had all started for her, and she was about to make a new start again. A new school year, that is. She had entirely missed her seventh year from the war which (aside from the reason behind it) was highly disappointing, being the consummate student that she was. When she got her letter last month inviting her to return, she genuinely shouted in celebration. It was her second chance and it would be her last chance to finally have a normal year at Hogwarts.

Not that she could even imagine what a normal year would look like. She'd have to imagine it without her two best friends. Well, not entirely without them. While Ron had flat out refused a return to Hogwarts, choosing instead to join his brother George at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, at least Harry would still be around.

The previous night, Hermione had attended the start of term feast, full of so many emotions that she couldn't even name them. Excited might have been one of them, and maybe lonesome could have been another, the rest was a jumble of nerves buzzing around her insides. She did sit beside Ginny and clap enthusiastically for all the newly sorted first years (with a little extra vigor reserved for the Gryffindors, naturally). When the sorting was over, Headmistress McGonagall made the usual announcements. Among them were that Defense Against Dark Arts class was reinstated, after having been replaced by just the Dark Arts class the prior year. Another was that Muggle Studies would remain compulsory as the prior year started, but would no longer be the negative propaganda machine that it had been under the direction of Professor Carrow. The new focus would be not only tolerance, but acceptance.

Then came the new teacher announcements. The students applauded politely when Professor Schipplunk was introduced for Muggle Studies, but all was silent as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher entered the hall.

Professor Harry Potter.

He smiled in Hermione's direction and she was sure she was staring at him like she had seen a ghost, or on second thought, something more unlikely since Nearly Headless Nick was making a similar face. She rounded on Ginny who gave her a half-hearted shrug.

"You knew?" Hermione whispered. The redheaded girl nodded back. Hermione was a little miffed that she had been left in the dark, but then again, her bespectacled friend did tend to have a flair for the dramatic (not that he'd admit to it) and if he were to tell anyone it did make more sense that he'd tell his girlfriend.

"I can't believe he let me think he wasn't coming back. A whole month I spent trying to persuade him and Ron both to finish school and I bet he knew the whole time!" Hermione gave him dagger eyes across the hall and he at least had the decency to look scared about their next meeting. She turned her attention back to Ginny and the food that had just appeared on the table. "Well, you must be happy then, you get to see your boyfriend all year."

Ginny didn't look up from her plate. "Not really. I get to see Professor Potter all year."

Hermione read the stiffness in her posture for the rest of her meaning: she and Harry weren't allowed to be boyfriend and girlfriend while she was his student. She wondered how much say Ginny'd had in the new arrangement. Harry would get an earful whenever she got a chance to be alone with him. Of course, congratulations would also be in order, the job did seem like a good fit for him from the experience he had with the D.A. Hermione looked back at Ginny and lingered on the question of which of them had it worse- herself for being in a long distance relationship with Ron who was out of school, or Ginny who would be forced to see Harry all year but unable to fully realize the type of relationship she'd already waited so long for.

Hermione made it through the rest of the night almost on autopilot. Now it was the morning of her last first day of classes and she was enjoying a little quiet solitude before the rest of the castle woke up for the day.

Or rather, she had been enjoying quiet, until she heard several frightened yelps accompanied by low laughter in the adjoining corridor. She scooped up her bag and hurried over to assess the noises. When she rounded the corner she found two boys, who she thought she recognized as newly sorted Hufflepuffs, cowering next to a tall and muscular blond.

"Malfoy?" she called in a commanding tone. Her hand gripped her wand but kept it down at her side.

The blond turned to face her and it was indeed the sharp angled chin and menacing gray eyes she expected. "Problem, Granger?" he drawled in return.

"What are you doing to those boys?"

"Doing to them?" Malfoy feigned an innocent air but his tone remained dangerous. "Nothing. These little firsties told me they were interested in seeing some real magic and I was happy to oblige."

"And what magic would that be exactly?" Hermione glowered at him and when he didn't respond she turned to the younger boys. "What was he planning to do? You know I can dock points from him, as Head Girl..."

"Co- Head Girl." Malfoy interrupted.

He was right. The title had been split this year. As Hermione would have gotten the title last year if she had attended, the school decided she still deserved it this year, but that it wouldn't be fair to steal it from a true seventh year due to the odd circumstances. This year, she and Ginny shared the badge, each getting to be Co-Head.

"Co-Head doesn't make me any less capable of punishing you," she retorted and she faced Malfoy again. "And you've lost the Prefect badge, so I don't really see what you can do about it." It was about this time that the two young Hufflepuffs sidestepped and made their escape. Malfoy scoffed at their retreating figures and started to leave himself, shouldering Hermione on his way past.

"So first years are the only ones you can control now?"

She'd hit a nerve. Malfoy froze.

"I'm sure I could try my hand at you," he growled and extracted his wand from his robes. "Want to know what I was going to show them?"

Hermione raised her wand. "Malfoy, I'm warning you."

"Scared, Granger?" The blond rolled his eyes and sneered. "Maybe I'll try something different on you. I did find a curious spell in one of my father's old books. From the Dark section of the Malfoy Library. Not sure what it does exactly, but it said it's for disobedient women so it should do just fine."

He lunged forward. Hermione shouted.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Zatvo renul jubavi!"

Their magic collided at the midpoint between them and sparked red and white. Malfoy's wand flung to the side but nothing else happened aside from an involuntary shiver that ran the length of Hermione's spine. She could swear she saw Malfoy shudder at the same time. He grunted and grabbed for his dropped wand.

"Maybe you should have picked a shorter spell, you could've gotten the drop on me that way." Hermione lowered her wand but kept a tight hold.

"And I see you're still licking Potter's boots, using his signature spell."

"Ten points from Slytherin," she responded and spun on her heel to leave.

"Whatever, mudblood," he spat to her back.

Hermione stopped. "You know," she seethed, "I'd have thought you would be more careful in using unknown magic, seeing as you were on the receiving end of a Sectumsempra in sixth year." She watched his expression change as he remembered the incident when Harry had accidentally attacked him and left him bleeding on a bathroom floor. Whether or not it was accidental was debatable, as the only thing Harry new about the spell was that it was for enemies.

"I think he knew full well what he was doing, Granger." Malfoy argued, but his face went paler.

Hermione tilted her head to the side and regarded the blond reproachfully. "Why are you even back at school, Malfoy? If you hate it and everyone here so much, why have you returned?" He ignored her question, only set his face in a heavier scowl.

She went on. "I've changed my mind, I'm not going to take house points for this. Your fellow Slytherins don't need to suffer for your refusal to reform yourself. I have something better in mind for you. Just because nothing happened here doesn't mean there aren't consequences for trying that spell." She stalked away and made it to the end of passageway, pausing at the threshold. She gave him one backwards look to make sure she still had his attention.

"Meet me in the seventh floor left corridor tonight after dinner. At the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy, I'm sure you recall. You're going to have detention. With me."

She left Malfoy with his mouth agape. He was so shocked that the obscenities didn't start flying until she was almost to the Great Hall for breakfast.

A/N

Hello and thank you for reading my brand new story! This is my second fic on this account. Sorry if there are any edits I missed. I don't use a beta and I tend to post first and go back to fix later.

For those new to my work: welcome, I'm glad to have you. If you're a diehard Dramione fan and are interested to find other stories, please check out my profile to find my other fic Fading Scars. It's another post-war slow burn (mostly canon as best I can except EWE) but not set at school. FYI- this fic should eventually get on a normal updating schedule, but that will not happen until my other story is complete.

For my returning readers: I'm glad you're joining me for another journey. DON'T WORRY, I will not be abandoning Scars for this. I just had this idea starting to assert itself in my brain and I needed to get it out. And I really wanted to try my hand at writing an unreformed Draco. Also, I'll admit, I'm getting pretty sad that we're nearing the end of Scars and I thought it would be easier to let go if I already had something else started.

Anyway, thanks again and hope to hear what you have to say! Bonus points to anyone who knows where he's having his detention :)