Enchanted

chapter 1: Aftermath

it has been nearly a year since the second wizarding world war ended. things haven't turned quite the way one would think. after the war, Harry and i decided to go stay with the Weasleys at the burrow. Most people would think it was because we had no place to go, that was not the case. Harry and i both could have gone to our parents houses but we decided to go to the burrow so we wouldn't be alone and we wanted to spend time with Ginny and Ron.

Things had not gone the way we planned. i thought after the war was over Harry and Ginny would get married and Ron and i would get our happily ever after ending as well. that's not how it worked out. At first i thought that we could help Ginny and Ron get past the death of their brother Fred. But with each passing day Ginny distanced her self more and more from Harry. This is not something i ever expected from the girl who once told me that Harry was the man she was going to marry one day, before they ever even kissed. Although she wasn't the only one acting this way. Ron was pushing me further and further away every time i tried to talk to him. i understood that losing Fred was really hard on the whole family. it didn't make sense to me that they thought just because Fred died, they weren't allowed to be happy. that is not what Fred would want. i tried to talk to Ginny about this but she wouldn't listen.

a few months after i arrived at the burrow, i received an owl from Professor McGonagall. the letter read:

Ms. Hermione Granger,

As i am now Head mistress of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, it is my job to repair the school. As you well know it was severely damaged in the final battle of the war. I would greatly appreciate it if you could come to the school next week to aid in the repair of Hogwarts. Please send me your answer as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Headmistress Minerva McGonagall

I was honored that the Headmistress had chosen me for the job. without speaking to anyone, i wrote back telling her that i would arrive first thing Monday.

When i told the Weasleys and Harry that night, everyone was sad that i would be leaving but still happy for me. Afterwards Ron pulled me off to side. He told me that i should go and that when i do i should move on from him. After all we had never been an official couple and he was in no state to be in a romantic relationship at the time. i understood but that doesn't mean that it didn't hurt me deeply.

A few days later i left for Hogwarts. where i would spend the next few months repairing where possible and rebuilding where it was needed along side Headmistress McGonagall, Neville Longbottom, and to my surprise a very somber Draco Malfoy. I confronted McGonagall as soon as i found out he was there.

"What is Draco Malfoy doing here? If it wasn't for him we wouldn't need to repair this school in the first place!" i asked McGonagall. "Follow me Miss Granger." She said calmly as she lead me inside the school and into the great hall. Then she turned to me. " I understand your anger Hermione. But it was Draco's idea to rebuild the school in the first place." That was surprising, i have to admit i was not expecting that. "He knows he has made mistakes by following the Dark Lord and his teachings. He wants to repay his debt to society. He is paying all of the expense to repair and rebuild of this school, all he asks in return is a chance to be a different man than he was raised to be. He has his reasons for what he did. While they are not mine to share, i will say this they are understandable." She told me. I was speechless for a moment before i said. "So your just going to trust him, just like that?" The headmistress smiled at me as she said. "No, but i have been keeping a watchful eye on the boy and will continue to do so. I have seen changes in him, Hermione. Changes for the better. All i ask is that you keep your mind open when it comes to Draco, if not you risk being just as prejudice as he once was. If you do that Miss Granger, you may just be surprised at what you see." I nodded my head "Yes, Mam, I will try." I told her. "Thank you, Dear. Now come along, there is much work to be done." She said and i followed her out of the room.

She was right, there was a lot of work. It took the four of us six months to finish the school. During that time i observed the changes in Draco Malfoy. McGonagall was right he was a different man than the one i had known. He was no longer arrogant and self righteous. He wasn't rude or condescending. He was always kind to Neville and did more than his fair share of the work. but what really surprised me was he had not called me Mud-Blood, not even once. I wouldn't call Draco my favorite person in the world but i also wouldn't call him my enemy either.