Chapter One

"Hermione Jane Granger! When are you ever going to get away from those dratted books of yours? I mean, surly you are not going to spend your life wedded to a mound of those dusty old things, now are you? And besides! It is summer! Surly you are going to do something interesting this time around, even if you did not do anything in the last couple of years. Really, Hermione! You need excitement! And another thing… when are you ever going to settle down? I mean, really have you ever even gone out on a single date with any boy in your whole entire life? I mean, Mione, come on!"

I looked up from my papers. Surly I had not been at it all that long. If you could call three extremely lengthy, difficult, tiring, and heart-breaking years a long time that is.

"Ginny, I am just not cut out for that type of life. I know that for you, it is a totally different matter, right? I mean, didn't Harry propose the day after you left Hogwarts, and then you two got married, what was it? A month later? And then there was Ron." I stopped suddenly.

During my sixth year, I had thought that I was madly in love with him. But, much to my dismay, he had declared his undying affection to none other than Ginny's longtime friend Luna Lovegood. I had gotten over that, eventually, for after all, Ronald Weasley was one of my all-time best friends, and friends of course stick together through thick and thin.

Even through failed romances. And then, much to my dismal, I had had another, fatal attraction. What had come over me? For seventeen years, I had never fallen hard for anyone. And then, within the space of two years, I had had my first and second budding romances crushed, if they could ever have been called a romance in the light of things. Though I soon realized that the second one was apparently, the most doomed from the start… saying that he had always hated the very sight of me.

"You see, Ginny, I am just not interested in that sort of thing. I think that I will stick to my books, if you don't mind me saying so." They would, at least, keep my mind off my broken heart. For nothing else really could do that in these hectic days of mine.

"But tell me, Mione," Ginny persisted. Surly there has been a special someone for you? Beside my prat of a brother who never saw the jewel that was deep within you?" When I hesitated, she gave a loud exclamation.

"Ah ha! I knew it!" She paused suddenly. "I wonder." She mused to herself. "Would this unknown someone have anything to do with all your bumbling and mistakes in a certain class during your seventh year?" I jumped and let out a squeak of protest. Ginny, realizing that she had struck upon a goldmine of information, hidden just beneath the surface of my resolve, smiled down in a motherly fashion upon where I was sitting. "If I must say so myself, you were rather obvious about the whole matter. Pity he never noticed it himself."

"Yes, I know." I sighed. "But please don't you tell a soul about it, ok? He never noticed it because he hated the very sight of me for seven long years. Why was he going to change that then? And, to make things worse… I began messing up my potions whenever he came near me. I soon found a way to stop all my blundering, but not before the damage was done. It was well into January when I came into my senses, and came up with a way to block my feelings from affecting my performances in his class, but by then, what little respect that I had earned from being the smartest potions student since he himself had taken his exams, it had all disappeared. You do know who I am talking about, don't you Ginny?"

"Yes, Mione, dear." Ginny replied soberly. "I have always known." I gasped. "It was quite easy to figure it out, to tell you the truth. All I had to do was look into your very eyes, when he was in the room, and I could tell why you held you heart in your arms. Eyes are the doorways to the soul you know. Though why he never noticed that dramatic change in you is past me. You are truly, a most beautiful woman Hermione Granger. And I hope that he realizes it before its too late."

"That will never happen, Ginny." I answered painfully quiet. "You know that even though Voldemort is gone, many still believe in the tradition of keeping the blood of wizardry pure. And, all that I am is another impurity in the lot to him. He will not want to mingle with me, not after that." I paused. "Even though I had loved him so." I mumbled out, so Ginny could barely understand me.

"Oh you poor dear. I had not known that you had had it so bad! Just like I had it for Harry for years upon years… Are you totally clear in your mind that it would never work out for the both of you?" She stammered to a halt. And then continued. ""Because we do think that if you two could give it a chance… and yes I do know that it would have to be started by him himself… well if that did happen, Harry and I think that you two might make a cute couple."

I stared at her. So she and Harry thought that my 'mysterious lover' and I might make a cute couple if we ever got together, did they. I had thought that she did not know who he was, not my mysterious lover, as I never had had one, but the man that I had been head over heels in love with for several years. Well, there was not anything that I could do about that… but the fact that two of my friends had been discussing my love life, or what did not exist within it, had totally shocked me senseless. I had not known that they could be so caring about me. I realized that all they wanted was my happiness. But, if things continued in the same direction that was happening, that would take a long time in forthcoming. Now that I thought about it more closely, I was dead certain that the one thing that would make me truly happy, that one thing, would never come to be.

"Ginny, I know that as much as you would truly like to see me happy, I probably will never be truly so. I had my chance to find out, and I did. He never could love a muggle born witch, even if she were the smartest witch of her age, which everyone still seems to be calling me, no matter how untrue it really seems to me. So, I will simply stick to my books, as they are all that I truly have now."

"Hermione, when will you ever learn. Don't you wait for happiness to come your way, all you have to do is to go out and seek it yourself. And, if that does not work, then I do not know what will do the trick for you."

"Well, enough of that! Tell me, Ginny dear, I do not believe that this was the only reason that has brought you to my office in this time of year? Surly something important must have happened to draw you away from your sweet auror husband."

I knew that I had hit upon it, because she beamed. "Yes. Actually, there was something else. Something immense. Hermione… please brace yourself for a huge piece news. Harry and I are going to have a baby!"

"Yes!" I squealed. I had not been this happy in a long time. " Good for you! It is about time you know." I paused, having just noticed that she still continued to beam down upon me, in a fashion that told me that that was not all of her news. "Is that all?"

"No! It gets even better! The healer that I saw even said that I am probably going to be having twins! And Harry and I want you and Ron to be their Godparents! Is that possible? Do you think that you two might be able to pull that off for Harry and me? Because you know that you two are his best friends and everything. Oh you should have heard Harry's exclamation and seen the shocked look on his face when I told him. It was priceless."

"Of course I will. You do know that I have no hard feelings against your brother or anything. Though I had always assumed that he had the emotional range of a teaspoon, I suppose that he only had to find the right person, and that part of him would all go away. You know what I mean, don't you Ginny?"

"Yes, I suppose so. Though I really would have enjoyed having you as a sister you know. Too bad that part of it did not work out."

"Ginny, you will always be like a sister to be. You will always be the sister that I never had, deep within my heart. That is what matters more than anything else you know… what is in the heart."

"I know." Ginny spoke out venomously. " And the contents of your heart are the purest of them all. I really hope that he comes to his senses soon!" I sat, staring up at her in speechless shock. When she finally spoke up again, her voice was back to normal once more. "Hermione? I really need to go right now. I have to meet Harry at the Leaky Cauldron in about fifteen minutes, and I really do not want to be late."

Without another word, Ginny Weasley Potter walked out of the door of my office, leaving me inside, totally stunned by what she had just revealed to me.

"Maybe I do need some changes in my life." I mused to myself, after Ginny had passed through the door, and once no one could hear what I was saying. "Maybe I will take up Professor McGonagall's most recent offer to me after all."

As Professor McGonagall had told me earlier, apparently, at the beginning of first term, Professor Dumbledore had announced to the rest of the staff and the four houses that that year would be his last year as Headmaster of Hogwarts. He went on to tell everyone that in his stead, he would be passing his position on to none other than Professor McGonagall.

This, she had then told me, was going to open up a teaching position. And she had wanted me to take her place as Transfiguration Professor. I had not been too sure at the time, as I had also told her. I had almost forgotten about her offer, until she herself had come back into my office just the previous week with the same request.

Now that I thought back to that offer, I felt almost flattered. It pleased me greatly to know that she held me in such regard. Yes, if her offer was still open, I decided, I was going to go back to Hogwarts.