Hermione looked around nervously. She didn't have Harry and Ron with her, which was what scared her the most. It was her 7th year. She had come back to learn the very few things she would need for a general job at the Ministry. She hoped she would be able to make the house-elves a better life when she was finally at the Ministry. She had urged Harry and Ron to come back with her, but they had solidly refused.
"Hermione", Ron had started, "Do we really need any more teaching after everything we've been through? Not really, considering all that crazy stuff we faced..." Harry had had a different reason for not returning to Hogwarts. "I want to catch all of those crazy run-away Death Eaters. They won't get away with it, Hermione, they won't."
Now Hermione was sitting in the Great Hall quietly waiting for all of the incoming 1st years to be sorted. She liked to think of them as little Fish, just like what high schools called incoming freshmen.
Hermione glanced up at the Staff Table. No matter how many times she looked at him, she couldn't get over the fact that he was still alive. He had a close encounter with death, but he pulled through when Hermione insisted on bringing his body back to Hogwarts. She was there when he had gotten bit, and wanted closure with it. When they had gone back for his body, they realized that he was not yet dead, but close to it. He never said what he did to keep himself alive, and he never would, Hermione figured.
Severus Snape looked younger than he ever had, was nicer, and finally had been able to remove the grease from his hair. Hermione surmised that he figured life was worth living now that he was no longer a spy and Voldemort was gone. Or he possibly had found himself mortal that night and decided not to waste any more of his life. Either way, he had come back that night as a changed man.
Shame he hadn't figured that out before he started hating Harry and deducting points from Gryffindor every chance he got, Hermione thought icily. She still admired her professor though, for his skill and intelligence. She also pitied him though. His life has been nothing but a tragic love story, she thought. His mother couldn't protect him, and his drunken, abusive father despised him for being a wizard. He also lost the love of his life to another man, one decidedly more immature than Ron.
She grimaced at the thought of Ron. Their passionate kiss right before the battle... Well, they decided that it had been something triggered due to near hysteria, possibility of impending doom, and desperateness. It was nothing, and they both decided to go their own ways. Unsurprisingly he had gone back to Lavender Brown, who was now living in a flat with him. Lavender had grown up and decided not to be so mental when she was dating someone, and Ron had finally found out that good things happen when you treat a girl right.
Harry had gone on to propose to Ginny sometime after the Final Battle. Of course they knew it would have to wait since they weren't even out of school, but nevertheless... Mrs. Weasley had been "surprised" by their engagement, and had immediately started making plans for the wedding. Her husband had to remind her that they were still school age. Ginny had decided not to come back,like Harry, much to her mothers disappointment. Oh well, whats done is done, Hermione thought.
Headmistress McGonagall read the last name off of the list who was sorted into Ravenclaw. The table cheered, and the boy looked positively overjoyed at his placement. She saw a similar looking older boy clap him on the back. Probably brothers, she assumed.
Headmistress McGonagall cleared her throat and declared, "As one of our beloved Headmasters once said: Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweak! You may now eat." She sat back down and mopped her eyes with her sleeve. Professor Snape patted her on the back. Feeling a little sentimental over whats happened in the past year, Hermione speculated. Chuckling over the strange words that had so long ago passed over Dumbledore's lips, she began to eat.
The feast was amazing. It featured shepard's pie, roast beef, roast chicken, pork and lamb chops, sausage, steak, boiled potatoes, fries, peas, carrots, ice cream, trifle, strawberries, pies, jam doughnuts, puddings of every kind, chocolate éclairs... The supply of various foods seemed to go on and on. Finally Hermione was full, and sat back to listen to the little first years exclaim in awe over Hogwarts.
Suddenly the food vanished and McGonagall stood up. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. We are pleased to have many of the older students back after what has happened. If you participated in the Final Battle, would you please stand for round of applause." Hermione stood up and so did the teachers, Pavarti, Neville, Luna, Dean, Seamus, Ernie, Terry, and a good many other people. There was deafening applause and cheers. There were some wolf-whistles and catcalls, some directed at Hermione, but she just ignored them and sat back down.
"If I may have Harry Potter stand up and be recognized for defeating You-Know-Who once and for all!" Silence. "Harry?", McGonagall said uncertain. Hermione grimaced and stood up. "Yes Ms. Granger?", McGonagall said politely.
All eyes were on Hermione; she felt herself blush. She had never been the center of attention before, and did not like it and was not used to it. "Um... Harry decided not to return this year... He feels his energy and time would be better spent if he tried to track down the last of the Death Eaters.", she babbled. Oh crap, she thought, I did it. Harry's not going to like getting a million owls in the next week.
Sure enough there was a burst of applause, and people were cheering, Harry, Harry, Harry. She covered her ears as the cheering grew louder. McGonagall had to magically magnify her voice to get herself heard. It died away as quickly as it had come. "Thank you Ms. Granger for informing me about this." As you all should know by now, but for our first years, the Forbidden Forest..." Hermione tuned out McGonagall. She mindlessly thought about whether this year was going to be easy or difficult.
"... And now you may go to your dormitories where your beds and luggage are waiting for you. I wish you all the best of luck this year! Hermione Granger, please stay for a while and talk with the staff." There was a horrible sound of benches being pushed back and people chattering about the holidays and the school year. Hermione stayed where she was, and waited for most of them to be gone before she made her way up to the staff table.
When everyone was gone, McGonagall stated without preamble, "Tell us what happened when you three were gone." Hermione sighed inwardly. She knew something like this was going to happen sooner or later. She took a deep breath, and started with Bill and Fleur's wedding being interrupted by Death Eaters, and paused right after the part where they were attacked by Voldemort's snake.
McGonagall looked positively horrified. Most of the other professors stared in awe. Professor Snape, however, had neither of these expressions on his face. His face was a mixture of anger, frustration, sadness, and something that she couldn't identify. She plowed on, and stopped at the Malfoy Manor. She cringed. Telling the story was going to be hard... Since she was the one who was tortured.
She plowed ahead and told them about being tortured by Bellatrix, and the fierce interrogation. If you could call it that, she shuddered. Everyone's face had turned white. They had never been under the Cruciactus before, with the exception of Snape.
She heard a small voice that sounded like it was straining not to scream bloody murder. "Thank your lucky stars you are alive Ms. Granger. Bellatrix is far more capable than putting someone under the Cruciactus for an hour.", Snape said. His face was livid. It slowly dawned on Hermione that he was empathizing. She continued to the breaking in of Gringotts.
When she finished with that part of the story, everyone of her professors looked shocked and proud, but mostly the latter. Then she went on to the realization of the last Horcrux and them rushing to Hogwarts. She finished her tale by saying lamely, "And you guys know the rest."
Everyone was quiet for a moment or two. Then McGonagall said gently, "Hermione, you have been through a great ordeal this past year. Surely you don't want to trouble yourself by returning to Hogwarts." Everyone snorted into their pumpkin juice, even Hermione. But Professor Snape laughed out loud. His laughing compelled everyone else to laugh and soon they were all wiping tears from their eyes.
McGonagall looked highly annoyed. "I was serious! Don't you want to start a life outside of Hogwarts? You seem too old to have come back! Don't you want to be with your friends?"
Hermione said serenely, "Professor, it wouldn't have mattered anyways. I would have been away from them even if I started a life away from Hogwarts. Besides, I want to rest somewhat before I get a job." McGonagall raised her eyebrows suspiciously, but then turned and looked away. Hermione turned and marched out of the room, knowing full well that she had insulted the Headmistress by stating that she thought that 7th year was going to be easy.
She made her way to the Gryffindor common room, hoping to sit and think for a while, but instead was accosted by a particularly strong boy. A hand clapped over her mouth, and she struggled with the boy until finally he had made his way into an unused classroom, and locked the door.
It was Draco Malfoy.
There she whipped out her wand and eyed him warily. Despite the fact that Voldemort was dead, she and she no longer needed to be as vigilant, she sized him up anyways. Hermione was still trying to decide what he was. On one hand, in 6th year he had ruthlessly attacked different people in hopes of reaching Dumbledore. But upon disarming him, he found that he could not kill him. He had saved them somewhat in the Malfoy Manor, but then had been a two-faced liar during the Final Battle. Hermione didn't know what to think of him.
"Granger.", he drawled. "How come none of your filthy blood was spilled during the Final Battle? It would have made everyone's life easier." Hermione snorted. Like she hadn't heard that kind of thing before. "Malfoy.", she said shortly. "How come you haven't chummed up with your mum and dad in Azkaban?" He made some sort of feral growl in his throat. Hermione didn't like the sound of it.
"Stay where you are, Mud-blood!", he thundered. Hermione raised an eyebrow. Obviously he had been paying attention to the way his master subdued a prisoner. "Malfoy, get out of my way before I hex you into oblivion!", she said advancing towards the door. He seemed to anticipate this, so he grabbed her by the collar and pinned he against the wall. He had her trapped and they both knew it. He laughed softly in her ear. It was inhuman. "It's time you learned your place Mud-blood!"
He gazed at her lecherously. "No Scarhead or Weasel to save you now from harm. Its just you and me." His hands slid down her chest and around her waist. Oh God save me now!, she pleaded. She wished someone would help her, anyone...