There were certain moments in Hermione's life that she knew she would never forget. The moment she received her Hogwarts letter and learned she was a witch was one of these moments, as well as the first time she saw Hogwarts castle from the boats on the lake.
Seeing Hogwarts for the first time since the war was another of those moments, for all the wrong reasons.
Hermione had seen the destruction of the castle the morning after the battle, but her grief and emotional turmoil had apparently made it a difficult scene to process. The castle, Hogwarts, her home, was nearly unrecognizable. The many towers that had held so many surprises and memories in what seemed like another time were now mere outcroppings of stone, the remains of their walls now strewn across the ground as rubble. The Quidditch pitch was nothing more than great piles of charred wood, and the windows whose glass had been blown out seemed to outnumber those that had been left intact. It would take a miracle for the castle to be prepared in time for the students' arrival in September.
Hermione had taken George's advice to move on from the Burrow in stride and had owled McGonagall almost immediately. The reply she received was enthusiastic and hopeful. McGonagall was delighted to hear the Hermione was interested in helping in the rebuilding process and immediately made sure there was a room set up and available to house her. "Who better to help produce a miracle than the brightest witch of her age?" she had written. At the time, Hermione had been flattered; now, she wasn't quite as sure of herself. She knew her spellwork was impressive, but could she really help rebuild this castle, a castle which had originally been built and enchanted by the four greatest wizards of all time?
Either way, Hermione knew that she was no help to anyone wallowing in self-pity at the Burrow. She announced her choice to move to Hogwarts over dinner one night and was surprised by the uproar it caused; it seemed as though, despite feeling invisible during her time in the house, the Weasley family found comfort in her presence there. However, her decision had been made and she would not be swayed.
Well, she might have been swayed. The entire day before making her announcement, Hermione worried over Ron's reaction. Would he be upset? Would he think she was abandoning him? Hermione knew that had Ron stood up at that very moment and said anything along the lines of, "I want you to stay here with me" she wouldn't have had the guts to say no to the man she loved. But Ron said nothing even remotely close to such a plea. He had simply nodded, mumbled a short, "Mkay" and continued eating his potatoes.
Hermione was devastated. At least Harry had asked why she was leaving and acted generally upset that one of his best friends was no longer going to be within the same house after living together for so long. Ron seemed no more interested than if Hermione had said she was going for a walk. Nothing made the decision to leave easier than Ron's nonchalance. It was time to move on, with or without her heart.
As Hermione approached the castle from the winged boar topped gates, she noticed that considerable work had already been done on the castle. Certain sections of rock were clearly less worn than the surviving stone of the castle and she could feel the tingling of new, strong magic nearby. Whole sections of the castle that had once, she assumed, looked as haggard as the rest now looked fresh and perfect, as though they had never been touched. Hermione was suddenly struck by an overwhelming desire to make sure Hogwarts returned to its former grandeur by September; if not for her than for the first years who deserved a first glimpse at Hogwarts in all of its glory.
Finding her way to McGonagall's office was easier said than done. McGonagall's letter had detailed the best way to get to the headmaster's office through pathways and stairwells that had already been renovated. The halls were lined with the usual statues and suits of armor, though there seemed to be significantly less than before, and those that had survived the battle showed plenty of bumps and scrapes from their valiant efforts to protect the castle. Most of the paintings had been restored to their former places, though their inhabitants didn't seem to have returned yet, leaving the corridor with a strange, empty feeling. It was odd to see the once vibrant castle so quiet, although the lack of hundreds of students might have explained it.
When Hermione reached the gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office she spoke the password ("phoenix feather") and stepped onto the revolving staircase after the guard had leapt out of the way.
Oddly enough, Hermione found herself getting nervous as she got closer to the waiting door. She hadn't seen McGonagall since after the final battle, and was unsure how she was holding up under the strain of rebuilding the school almost from scratch.
When she reached the door, she gently tapped the knocker and waited as she heard footsteps approaching. What she had been expecting was an austere McGonagall, ready to get down to business and return to normalcy. What she wasn't expecting was an excited shout and hug.
"Ms. Granger!" McGonagall exclaimed. "It's so great to see you."
Hermione was stunned. Usually Professor McGonagall was so reserved, withholding such emotional outbursts. She supposed that after seeing many of her students injured and killed in the battle, McGonagall was happy to see her healthy and ready to help.
"It's good to see you too, professor," Hermione said. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here, you have no idea what this means to me."
"Of course, it's not problem at all, Ms. Granger. It was very gracious of you to volunteer. As I'm sure you can see, we need all the help we can get." McGonagall looked just as sad as Hermione had felt when she first saw the castle in shambles. It seemed she realized what a difficult task it was going to be getting Hogwarts ready in time for the new school year.
"There's a lot of work to be done, I know," Hermione said, hoping her words could help convince her former, and favorite, professor. "But I know we can get it ready in time. If I have to work day and night, I'll make sure of it."
Hermione was unsure if she had said the right thing, but all doubt flew from her mind when she saw McGonagall beaming at her with pride.
"Well, then," McGonagall said, clearly attempting to hide the emotion in her voice. "As it's getting late I'm sure you would like to see your quarters and get settled in. I set you up in the quarters attached to my former office for the time being, hopefully that will suffice."
It was Hermione's turn to beam up at McGonagall as she realized she would be sleeping right next to Gryffindor tower, her home for so many years. "That's perfect, professor. Thank you."
As she followed Professor McGonagall through the repaired portions of the castle, Hermione found a peace within herself that had felt so unattainable just a few days ago. The castle had a long way to go, and she had no idea how she was going to be able to help in the work, but at that moment none of that mattered. She was back at Hogwarts and by the next morning she would be putting her time to some actual use for what felt like the first time in ages.
Hermione was happy to finally be home.