Hermione inhaled the unforgettable musk of the corridors as she made her way to the headmaster's office. How long it had been since she'd been back. Almost eight years, she thought with a mild sense of bewilderment. Well, she was just glad that it would always be here for her, even in times as sorry as this.
As she continued on her path she wasn't surprised she didn't see anyone. Usually there was no one here during summer, and Hermione was actually quite surprised she'd been able to come during the off season. She had reached her destination and muttered the password that revealed the spiraling stairwell. As she ascended the stairs she thought she'd probably be giddy as a schoolgirl to be back here if only the circumstances were different. Under the current situation she was actually quite embarrassed and hoped to avoid any further questioning on the topic. McGonagall had already given her a thorough interrogation upon Hermione's initial phone call. It was quite a shock for the poor women, after all it's not everyday a previous star-pupil and war-hero calls in tears, unsure of what to do. Of course, in true Minerva fashion, she recovered quickly and assessed the best course of action. She had offered Hermione her old Head's room back and ensured her they had plenty of work for her to help with. McGonagall knew the stubborn girl would never stay with them unless she could give them some kind of compensation, and both women valued hard work far more than money. So one agonizing phone call later Hermione was packed and headed out to her second home.
As she landed on the top step she was ecstatic to see the woman standing in front of the desk. "Hello Professor," Hermione politely stated as she was feeling quite awkward, "thank you so much for letting me come back. I'm eager to get started on whatever you've got for me!" She assumed she'd be helping make lesson plans or organizing classrooms for the upcoming school year.
"Oh please Hermione, call me Minerva. And yes about the job. We're so excited to have another pair of hands on deck! I'm sure you'll be great with the children and I'm sure they'll be delighted to meet you. Come now, I trust you know the way to your room. You can tidy up and I'll introduce you during dinner." Minerva moved away from the desk and closer to Hermione as she spoke, slowly guiding them towards the staircase.
Hermione however, had other plans. "What children?" She whipped around to face the other women. "Isn't it summer break? Why are there kids here?" She felt slightly overwhelmed at the idea of being surrounded by children. Not that she didn't love them, which she did, she just found it a little harder to be around them now. Especially babies, they were the hardest.
Minerva looked slightly surprised, "I was under the impression you knew Hermione, I'm sorry. Well, I simply don't have time to explain everything to you, but in short we've opened a summer camp. You've been paired with a veteran counselor who will guide you and mentor you in these first few weeks. I'll send them over to pick you up for dinner." And with that the older woman was off, skirting past Hermione and disappearing down the hallway.
Hermione had dealt with shock a lot in her life. The war had taught her that. However, with recent events she was more vulnerable than usual and as a result couldn't handle it as well as she might have. She couldn't help but stand in shock for a moment. The school had a summer camp? She'd have a mentor? Who was it?
"Oh well, no use puttering around Granger. Best get moving and try to settle in before dinner." Hermione spoke to herself as she went down the stairs. Her feet automatically headed in the direction of the Heads room. She remembered her last year here fondly. When she returned, her and Blaise Zabini were made Heads and given their own room. She loved it and had spent far more time than she'd like to admit curled up by the fire. And Blaise had been a manageable companion, even friendly at times. It was only bad if he brought home a drunken conquest, or worse, if his bff decided to drop by. Even after a war Malfoy still hadn't given up on teasing her. She did notice he'd stopped using Mudblood and had let up a little all over, it was only a minor improvement though.
As she came to a stop in front of the familiar door, Hermione realised she'd forgotten to ask for the password. She figured she'd try her old one and sure enough it worked. Thank goodness because she was in desperate need of a shower.
Stepping into the flat was like stepping back into her last year here. It was the same living space, on the right were the bookshelves and the fireplace. On the left, a lovely little kitchen embedded in the wall with an island for a table. Hermione headed into the room and saw the staircase that lead to her room on the right and on the left was… she supposed no one's right now. And the bathroom was located between them.
Finally in her room she realized it wasn't exactly like her last year here. Instead of Gryffindor red and gold smearing every surface possible there was only hints here and there. It was all in all much more neutral and to be perfectly honest, Hermione preferred it.
Unpacked and dressed in some clean jeans and a simple t-shirt Hermione was looking around the kitchen to see if someone had stocked it when she heard a knock. "Perfect timing." she thought. The mere idea of dinner was enough to get her excited.
Pulling open the door Hermione wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but what she found was certainly not it. There was simply no way in hell Minerva was that old or crazy to have paired her with him. Even the thought that he was here was too much for her brain to grasp.
"Granger?" The silver haired ferret asked, "You alright?" When that didn't warrant a response he prodded further, "Oh, come on Granger, I'm not that good looking. You're gonna make me blush." And sure enough that snapped her out of it.
"Malfoy?! What the hell are you doing here?" Her confusion, outrage, shock, and disbelief swirled inside her. How could this be possible?
"Careful Granger, can't have that kind of language around the kids, now can we?" He quipped with his signature smirk.
Hermione was in total shock still. She had about a million questions that would only lead to more questions. She was tempted to reach out and pinch him to make sure he was really there and this wasn't just some kind of joke. But no. Draco Malfoy had just come to pick her up for dinner.
