Chapter 3—
A few weeks after Hermione had been rescued; she was sitting in the kitchen of 12 Grimmuald Place when a large barn owl swooped in through the open window. Glancing up at the feel of the wind coming off the creatures' wings, she noticed it looked like one of the Hogwarts school owls.
Grabbing the ring on her index finger, she twisted it once to the left, then once to the right. Just seconds after, she felt the pounding on the fifth floor stairs that meant someone was coming down in a hurry. Soon, Harry and Ginny appeared in the kitchen, and Hermione handed the letters she had taken from the owl to them. Watching them read the letters; she took the time to think over her life so far (she had read the letter while she waited for them to come down.)
Once all of the commotion about her recovery and the war ending was over, Harry had invited her to stay with him and Ginny; they were now engaged, at Grimmuald Place. The four, including Ron, had learnt sign language quickly, and Hermione was glad that she could still communicate with someone. Ron had later moved back to the Burrow, to be near his family.
Soon after Ron's departure, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny fell upon another problem. When Hermione was needed, or she needed someone, she could not hear someone calling her name, and she had not spoken since her rescue. Ron had previously taken care of this problem by keeping tabs on Hermione, and checking on her every few minutes or so. While this was annoying, it had taken care of the problem. Looking into some more books, Hermione eventually came upon the answer, the rings.
Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry wore the rings, and they connected them all to each other. (Because Ron was not normally around the house though, he kept his in his pocket, instead of on his finger.) The rings would tingle when one of the bearers turned it right, left, or completely around. Each turn of the ring was designated to a certain person. When Hermione would turn hers to the left, she would call Harry, and when it was turned to the right, it would call Ginny. Ron was 'summoned' when she turned it completely around.
Hermione was jerked out of her reverie by her ring tingling. She looked up to see Ginny smirking at her. Hermione blushed and looked down. Harry soon started the conversation:
"Have you read the letter yet" He signed to her.
"Yes! Is it not wonderful? We have been accepted at Hogwarts for our seventh year again!"
Harry smiled at her obvious joy. Then his smile slid as he signed: "How are you going to do your classes though? You will not be able to hear the teachers speak."
Hermione turned thoughtful, and then smiled again. "Well, I will just have to work extra hard then, won't I."
Harry laughed at her answer. It was just so…Hermione.
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True to her word, Hermione decided to go back to school. Of course, no one would have expected any different from her, but still, it seemed like a rash decision because of all of the people she would have to face, so soon into her recovery.
A few days before they Golden Quartet, Ginny was in it now, had to leave, Ginny, Harry, and Ron met while Hermione was in the library looking up the spell that had caused her to lose her hearing. Harry spoke first:
"We should at least tell the teachers about Hermione. Otherwise how will she be able to listen in on lessons?"
"I don't know Harry, she told us not to tell anyone else. She doesn't want to be thought of as weak or be treated different because of her disability." Ginny brought up, starting the usual argument over again.
Ron had sat silent through the whole argument, it had continued between Harry and Ginny, and had been thinking about a solution.
"What if we tell Dumbledore's portrait? He could then tell the other portraits, and then they could help Hermione, if she was lost, or someone was calling her name or something, they could alert her. They are all over the school too. Then we could know where she was if we asked, and someone would be watching her at all times."
Ginny and Harry had fallen silent when Ron started to talk, and were now staring at him unabashedly.
"What?"
Ginny and Harry shared a disbelieving glance, Ron had just come up with a solution to a problem that might actually work. Finally, Harry got over his shock.
"That's a great idea Ron! But what if one of the portraits tells a student or teacher?"
Ginny knit her eyebrows together in deep thought. "Isn't there a spell you can use that makes people and portraits not able to write or say certain things unless the spell caster says they can?"
"Yeah! That'd be perfect!" Ron exclaimed, "Let's go tell Hermione, she probably knows it."
The three almost sprinted up the four sets of stairs to the library, and by the time they arrived, all three were out of breath. Spinning their rings around, they watched as Hermione jumped from the combined shock. Turning around she glared at them. Noticing their unusually happy faces, she put her book down and signed her curiosity.
Ginny quickly filled her in on their conversation, and laughed at the flabbergasted expression Hermione had when Ginny told her Ron's suggestion. This also prompted a: 'I'm not that stupid! Am I?' from Ron. The three, not Hermione who only smiled, shared a laugh at Ron's expense. After they all stopped laughing, Hermione readily agreed to the idea, and pulled Ginny aside to help her pack her bags.
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Finally, September 1st came around. The Golden Quartet had just arrived at the station when they were swarmed with reporters trying to get pictures, quotes, and stories from the war heroes. Immediately, Hermione felt overwhelmed. Seeing this, Harry and Ron took protective stances in front of her, almost like bodyguards, and shoved people politely out of the way while Ginny guided Hermione through the crowd.
Once they were clear of the large crowds, Hermione turned and embraced them, signing her thanks, which they all shrugged off. They quickly found an empty compartment, and were soon joined by Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom. Hermione sat next to Ginny, who was silently giving her signs to alert Hermione what was going on throughout the conversation, as Ginny talked to Neville.
Luna had fallen silent after exchanging greetings with them all; and was now watching Hermione closely, to the point where Hermione felt like she was under observation through a microscope. Eventually, the heads and prefects were called to the front of the train.
Hermione had received her head badge a week to the day before they were supposed to leave for Hogwarts. The Head Boy was still undetermined, and Hermione hoped that it was not young Mr. Malfoy (she still thought of them as such). After Ginny had signed to her that it was time for her to go to the Head Lounge, she stood up, motioning for Ginny to come with her. Stepping out of the carriage, Luna stood up and slipped out of the door as well.
Grabbing Hermione's arm, Luna gently spun her around to face her. Pulling her arm down, she signed Hello Hermione.
Hermione could have started sobbing. Instead, she settled for throwing herself at Luna, engulfing the younger girl in a large hug. After signing to Ginny for a few minutes, Hermione turned to Luna and motioned for her to follow her to the Head Lounge. Ginny stood there watching them go, and then entered the compartment again to talk to her friends.
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Draco Malfoy had been at school the whole time Hermione had been part of the Malfoy household, and, coincidentally, had no idea that Hermione was the servant his father had boasted about to him through his letters. He thought back to that first letter about, he expected the servant was female, her.
Draco,
It is to my greatest joy that I am able to write this. The Dark Lord has awarded us a spoil of war. She is now working as a servant, even lower than the house elves. I am unable to reveal her name because of war precautions, but I expect that you will be overjoyed when you arrive home for Christmas break.
Your Father,
Lucius
The letter was cold and detached, just like his father in person. Draco had not gone home for Christmas that year, one of the only times he did not during his stay at Hogwarts. When his mother owled him later and asked why he did not he made up some reason; but he really just did not want to know what poor girl was suffering at his father's hand now. He had felt its strength and brutality many times before. In fact, now that his father was in Azkaban, and was sentenced for life, his life had improved.
He was no longer hounded to be a Death Eater; he had never taken the mark in the first place as it seemed wrong. To attack mudbloods and half bloods alike, even though their leader was a half-blood and his mother was a squib. Most of his hatred for mudbloods was forced and false, he had always been a good actor.
He expected he would just find out later. For now, he would take one obstacle at a time; and the first one was getting back to Hogwarts.
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On September 1st, Draco could be seen sitting in the Head Lounge with his best friend, Blaise Zambini. They sat in silence, hiding from the rest of the student body who would hate Draco on sight, and ignore Blaise. (Blaise and his family had hid out in Italy until the war was over.)
The other students filed in too soon for Draco, who had been content to stay in solitude. Most of the other students gave him harsh looks filled with loathing. He sent them right back. Finally, the Head Girl came in; flanked by Luna Lovegood.
Draco internally groaned; it was going to be a long year.
