Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter Characters. Bless J.K. Rowling for making our lives better.
Hermione Granger tapped her fingers against the desk irritably. She knew coming back for her 8th Year at Hogwarts would be hard, but not like this. The memories that surrounded her were what played on her mind the most, her schoolwork almost seeming too easy now that she had fought a battle against one of the darkest Wizards ever to exist.
Hermione sighed in frustration as she jotted down another note for her next Defence Against the Dark Arts homework even though she already knew the answer. Over the course of the past few months, the Misistry of Magic had intergrated new topics into the curriculum for the students to learn. Hermione had been overjoyed to discover that there was something new to learn about that others had not had the opportunity to do before, but when she discovered the new topic that was being taught to 7th and 8th years, her heart sank. Horcrux's. After spending nearly a year of her life finding and destroying those made by Voldemort, Hermione was fed up with them.
She did not regret helping Harry and Ron hunt for them, but coming back to Hogwarts was meant to restore normality. Finish her education then go and find a job that suited her just fine. Now she was reliving the past whilst barely looking at the future.
Hermione glanced around the classroom, observing those around her. Ginny sat to her right, a scowl on her face which mirrored hers. Once the war had finished Harry had told Ginny what he had been doing for the past year of their lives and why he broke their now re-forming relationship off. To say Ginny wasn't pleased with the subject choice was an understatement. There was only one other person in the room who looked just as annoyed at the subject as Hermione and Ginny: Draco Malfoy.
Draco Malfoy was one of the few Slytherins of Hermione's year to come back to school, but Hermione has the feeling that he did not want to be anywhere near the castle after what had happened. Over the summer, he and the rest of the captured Death Eaters who were not killed during the Second Wizarding War - now known as the Battle of Hogwarts - were trialed to determine their fait. Even though the Golden Trio has given their statements as to how Draco had refused to tell his parents and Bellatrix that is was them who the Snatchers had captured and taken to Malfoy Manner, as well as that he had not cast one unforgivable during the whole of the Battle of Hogwarts, he was still sentenced to a year and a half of limited Magic and a compulsory year to finish his education.
Hermione almost felt sorry for Draco Malfoy in a way. No, she did not forgive him at all for all the things he said and done to them over the years, but having the freedom of magic taken away form you is something entirely different. She absentmindedly scratched at her arm, the word Mudblood still red and angry after nearly seven months. She knew it wasn't going to fade, but having it there made her resent Draco Malfoy even more. He had made her believe for years that being a 'Mudblood' was her true identity, even if she did not let her emotions show it. Now having the word scarred onto her arm sealed her identity and would most likely forever remind her of who she truly was. Not Hermione Granger, the smartest witch of her age, but Hermione Granger, the 'Mudblood'.
Chairs scraping across the floor woke her up from her thoughts. Everyone was packing up for the end of the lesson, which happened to be the last of the day. Soon, Hermione would be drowning herself in the homework she was given, staying up late into the night before getting up ridiculously early.
"You okay?" Ginny's voice broke through to her brain causing Hermione to snap her head up to face her red-headed friend. She still must have looked dazed because Ginny sighed. "You're not still thinking about Ron are you? I know he's my brother and a giant pain and a complete idiot for doing what he did, but you need to forget about him. Now come on. Let's go to dinner." Ginny not only picked up her belongings, but most of Hermione's too, leaving her no choice but to tag along to the great hall.
Ron had broken up with Hermione a week before Hogwarts had started a month and a half ago. He had claimed that she was 'too bossy' and always telling him that he was useless. Hermione had told him that, but that was when it came to chopping up vegetables for a soup she was making for Molly Weasley when she had come down with the flu in the middle of the summer - very unusual really. But a day before she went back off to Hogwarts without Ron and Harry by her side, the real reason why Ron broke up with her presented itself. Okay, herself. He showed up to the weekly Sunday brunch - which this year was combined with a leaving dinner for Hermione and Ginny - with Susan Bones on his arm. Now, before then, Hermione had very little dislike towards Susan, a Hufflepuff with great talent, but when she openly kissed Ron in front of her, she could see that this relationship had been going on for more than a week. Hermione had not spoken to Ron since. She had received a birthday card and a few letters from Ron since the beginning of term, but they were nothing worth responding to. It was all 'Susan this' and 'Susan that', which did not interest Hermione in the slightest.
"Hermione? Hello?" A hand waved in front of her face. Hermione blinked. She had walked to the bottom of the grand staircase and stopped. She had no idea how she had gotten there without paying attention, but it had happened. "What's wrong? Do you need to go and see Madam Pomfrey?" Ginny pressed a hand against Hermione's forehead, Hermione instantly batting it off.
"I'm fine Gin. Just lost in my thoughts. What were you saying?"
"I was saying that Malfoy keeps looking at you and has yet to move from the other side of the hallway ever since you stopped, but apparently whatever is happening inside your head is more important."
Hermione snapped her eyes away from Ginny and glanced pointedly around the hallway, finally landing on Malfoy. He was leaning against the stone wall that lead to the dungeons, one eyebrow raised in concern. Brown eyes met grey, neither looking away. Malfoy cocked his head to one side, Hermione mimicking his actions without realising. A smirk appeared on Draco's face, before he nodded down to the dungeon passageway before stepping away from the wall and turning to make his way down to the dungeons. His hands were tucked deep into his pockets, his shoulders hunched as though it would stop him from being recognised. Hermione opened her mouth to call after him but was interrupted.
"What in the name of Godric Gryffindor happened there Hermione Jean Granger?"
"I actually don't know Ginny. But I had better go and see what he wants. If I'm not in the Great Hall in half an hour send an alert out." With a flash of a smile towards her friend she fled after the blond haired Slytherin.
The deeper she got underground the colder it became. She bundled her robes around her even more, trying to absorb the warmth they had once contained. Rounding a corner she finally spotted Malfoy leaning against the wall next to a door.
"About time Granger." He drawled, the toes of his shoes drawing unseeable patterns on the floor.
"What do you want Malfoy? I'm busy." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, one of her hands closing around her wand that was hidden inside a secret pocket inside of her robes.
"It didn't look like it. Standing at the bottom of the stairs is the new busy is it Granger?" His sarcasm was not appreciated, the glare she had on her face evident of this thought.
"Again, what do you want Malfoy?" Malfoy sighed, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key. Hermione's glare turned into a look of confusion as he turned to the door and unlocked it. He stepped inside the room and waited.
"You coming in or not?" Hermione took a heaitant step forward. Her brain was screaming at her to turn around and run back to the main hall, back to safety. But her heart was beating a different tune. Her feet carried her through the door and into a surprisingly familiar room. The walls held shelves upon shelves of bottled objects, some housing pickled body parts, others newts eyes, some plants and vegetables. Potions ingredients.
"Why are we in Snapes' office Malfoy? I thought it was destroyed." Draco winced at Snapes' name. He obviously had not heard it in a while, but recovered quickly.
"This room is warded against many things Granger, and one of those wards is not being able to enter without the key. Severus gave it to me before I left for Easter last year. He does not want the items in this office to go to the Ministry. But enough about that. I want to show you something." Hermione raised her eyebrows. The last time Draco had said that to someone they ended up dead. She knew it was an unintentional death, but it still made her body chill in fear.
"I'm not going to kill you Hermione." The words made Hermione freeze. One hand halfway to her face to stroke a strand of hair back behind her ear. "Your facial expression says it all. I know you read my case file when I was being trialed."
Hermione opened her mouth to respond but snapped it shut seconds later. After a pause, she tried again but the words she wanted to say were lodged in the back of her throat. "What?" She finally managed to squeak minutes later, causing Malfoy to smirk.
"I'm not going to kill you Granger. I want to show you some of my memories." Hermione had unfrozen herself and went to cut in with a remark, but Malfoy carried on before she could say anything. "I know, it's a weird thing to say, but there are some things you need to understand. I'm limited to how much magic I can use at the moment, and I also have to prove I am reforming as a person. I am not going to change Granger, but persuading you that I am sorry is going to be one way of me showing the Ministry that they can trust me and my family again. I don't care for Elf rights, or believe that everybody should be treated equally, but I can learn to accept that times are changing. So please, just watch my memories and help me."
"I don't know what to say Malfoy." Hermione whispered. "You have essentially just told me that I should not be treated as an equal witch to those who are Pure Bloods, but you want me to help show you are changing as a person?" Draco nodded.
"If you watch my memories you will see how I am changing as a person. Please Hermione. This is the only thing I will ever ask of you then we can go back to ignoring each other like we have so far this year. Please."
Hermione moves her eyes away from the wall she had been staring at throughout the confrontation to look into Draco's grey eyes. Scared, honesty and loneliness screamed at her from the pools of grey before she diverted her gaze. She caved.
"Fine. But know this Malfoy, after this, we do not talk again, understood?" Again, Draco nodded then pointed at the Pensive that was laying on the old Headmaster's desk in his oldest office. Hermione wondered how Malfoy had gotten hold of it as Harry had told her that it had been up in the Head's office for as long as he knew, but decided not to question it. She walked slowly over to the awaiting Pensive then glanced at Draco. If you did not know him, you would think that he was not nervous about what was going to happen next, but Hermione noticed. He was tapping his little finger against his leg. She had seen him do it so many times over the years that she knew it was his indication for being nervous. "Are you coming with me or are you staying here?"
"Do you want me to come with you?" Hermione grumbled under her breath. Why did he have to answer a question with a question. It made things more complicated.
"I'll go first. If you come after me, I'll know your answer." She lent over the Pensive, sucked in a deep breath and pushed her head into the surface of the memory. Seconds later her feet left the ground and she was falling into Malfoy's memories.
