Thank you to all those who have read and reviewed!!! Here's another 5 chapters to keep you interested.

Chapter Twenty-One

They made their way to the garden. Molly was watering the garden with her wand when the girls exited the Burrow. She looked up and quickly stopped the flow of water with a flick of her wand before making her way over to meet them.

'Ready to go Hermione? Where are your bags?'

Hermione patted her back pocket. Molly gave her a confused look.

'Where?'

Ginny giggled at her mum's confused face while Hermione smiled and pulled out the bag.

'In here. It's magically expanded and undetectable. I used it last year, hence the tattered appearance.'

Molly gave the small bag a surprised look, mixed with awe.

'Oh, well that's rather convenient, isn't it?'

'Oh yes, very convenient.'

Molly tore her gaze from it as Hermione put it back. She smiled at the young witch and pulled her into a hug.

'Good luck dear. You don't need it of course, but all the same.'

'Thank you Molly.'

Molly released her.

'We'll be here when you finish. If you need anything, just owl.'

Hermione nodded. Ginny gave her a quick hug.

'See you in six days, Hermione. Go show them just what the amazing Hermione Granger is made of!'

Hermione giggled.

'Will do, Gin. See you later.'

Hermione waved goodbye to the two Weasley women before closing her eyes and picturing the gates of Hogwarts. She turned and after a second of squeezing darkness, opened her eyes and sighed happily as she looked up at the school she loved.

Hermione made her way to the gates. She frowned at seeing them closed. She realized she didn't know how she was to get in if no one was around. Luckily, as she got closer, she saw someone a little ways away, seemingly working on something on the ground.

'Excuse me?'

The person turned around at her shout and Hermione grinned.

'Neville! What are you doing here?!'

Neville smiled at her and made his way over to the gate with a plant in his hand.

'Hi Hermione! I should have known you would be here. Hold on one second.'

He put the plant on the ground and it tried to get away but was quickly stopped by a silent spell. Neville then turned his wand to the gate and mutter a couple of spells. The lock clicked and the gate squeaked open. Hermione made her way inside, impressed at Neville's spellwork. She waited for him to lock the gates again before giving him a tight hug.

'It's so good to see you! How has your summer been? Are you here for your NEWTs, too?'

She released him as he chuckled. He summoned the frozen plant and they started walking up towards the castle.

'No, I'm not taking my NEWTs. I figured Herbology would be the only subject I'd do remotely well in and it wasn't that big of deal since I already had a position I really loved.'

Hermione gaped at him.

'You've already found a job? Where? Doing what?'

Neville smiled at Hermione's surprised expression.

'Here. I'm training to be the next Herbology professor.'

Hermione stopped walking and grabbed Neville's arm in shock.

'Really?! Oh my god! Neville that's amazing! Congratulations!'

She pulled a thoroughly surprised Neville into another hug.

'Thanks Hermione.'

Hermione released him and beamed at him.

'I'm so happy for you! Are you enjoying it?'

'Every minute of it! Professor Sprout's been teaching me advanced planting techniques and obscure uses of all the plants. The plants in the greenhouses are only half of the usual plants that grow on the grounds. It's been amazing!'

Hermione couldn't help but smile as she listened to Neville talk about all that he'd learned. She was so happy that he had found a job with something that he was so passionate about. His eyes had a sparkle in them that she had rarely seen before and she attributed it to him being thoroughly happy.

'Wow, Neville, that's great! I really am so happy for you! You always did have a knack for herbology and I'm glad you found something that makes good use of it.'

Neville smiled.

'Thanks Hermione. But you always seemed to know just as much as I did.'

Hermione waved this off.

'That may have been true, but you're a natural. I only knew as much as I read. You always seemed to know what to do with a plant even before you knew exactly what it was. I was impressed really.'

Neville gaped at her and blushed.

'Really? You were impressed with…with me?'

Hermione flashed a heartfelt smile.

'Don't sound so surprised, Neville, its true. I admired your natural gift with plants, it was very impressive.'

Neville grinned.

'Thanks, that means a lot.'

They entered the Entrance Hall and saw Professor Sprout making her way over to join them. She smiled brightly.

'Why hello Miss Granger! Nice to see you! Here for the exams, I take it?'

Hermione nodded.

'Excellent! You'll do fine I'm sure. If you go into the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall will tell you what you need to know.'

'Thank you, Professor Sprout. See you later Neville.

'Goodbye Hermione and good luck!'

Hermione waved goodbye and made her way to the Great Hall. The butterflies that she had not felt since the Burrow were once again fluttering inside her stomach as she pushed open the wooden door. There were only two people sitting at the high table and they both looked up at the new entrant. Hermione smiled nervously.

'Hello Professor McGonagall. Hello Andromeda. Professor Sprout told me to come see you.'

Professor McGonagall's usually stern face broke into a small smile and Hermione relaxed slightly.

'Please come in Hermione. It's good to see you again.'

Hermione made her way to the front of the hall.

'It's nice to see you too Professor. And you, Andromeda. How's Teddy?'

Andromeda smiled and looked down behind her. As Hermione approached she saw that Teddy was asleep in a small cradle behind the table.

'He's lovely. He was rather fond of the Weasley's red hair; he kept it for nearly a week. I've been spending as much time as I can with him before I take him to Molly.'

Andromeda sighed sadly. McGonagall laid a sympathetic hand on her arm.

'He'll be fine, Andromeda. Molly's a good mother and your fireplace will be connected with the Burrow so you can check on him at any time.'

Andromeda smiled and nodded.

'I know. I'll just miss him.'

McGonagall gave her arm one more pat before turning to Hermione.

'Now, Miss Granger, let's see here.'

McGonagall began looking through a stack of parchment to the side as Hermione once again felt her nerves increase. Finally, McGonagall found what she was looking for.

'Ah, here we are. You will be staying in the first floor girl's dormitory. Both Miss Patil and Miss Brown will also be here, but we decided to give you each a separate space for the exams.'

Hermione gaped at McGonagall. If there was one person she thought would go without taking their NEWTs, it would have been Lavendar. She never thought that she cared enough about her studies to take the NEWTs seriously, but apparently she was wrong.

'Is there a problem?'

Hermione rearranged her gaping expression and blushed slightly.

'No! Sorry, just surprised.'

McGonagall gave her a measuring look before continuing.

'Right. We will meet here at 5 o'clock tonight to go over the expectations and procedures for the next week.'

She handed Hermione a sheet from the pile.

'Here is a more detailed schedule of your exams. I doubt I have to tell you that if you are late, you will not be allowed in.'

Hermione nodded once and McGonagall nodded as well.

'Good. Any questions?'

'Can I go to my room for now?'

'Yes. The password for the common room is "Future". The library is open if you wish to study. Anything else?'

Hermione shook her head.

'Good. I will see you at 5.'

'Thank you, Professor.'

Hermione waved goodbye to Andromeda and made her way to the common room. Even though she had stayed there for a couple of weeks at the beginning of the summer, it felt like it was the first time she had been there in nearly a year. She took in the familiar sights on her way, noticing some still present scars from the battle, scars that would probably be there forever. She noticed interspersed among the old suits of armor were empty spaces and some shiny replacements. There were some empty spaces on the walls from missing paintings, too damaged to fix. Hermione sighed. She knew Hogwarts would never be quite the same, but she knew it would always be a large piece of her heart. It was where she learned who she was, where she made friends and lost friends, where she fell in love and now it was where her future would start.

Hermione arrived at the Fat Lady quicker than she realized. She pulled herself from her thoughts and smiled at the old painting, who was smiling warmly back.

'Hello again. Here for the exams then? Excellent. You always were rather smart.'

Hermione blushed.

'Thank you. I hope to do well.'

'I'm sure you will. Now, do you know the password?'

'Yes. Future.'

'Correct! Good luck dear.'

Hermione smiled and entered. The common room was empty but the sight of the familiar room took Hermione's breath away. So many memories were running though her head that it almost made her dizzy. She looked around at the familiar scarlet and gold furniture, the large study tables, and the comforting fireplace. She hadn't realized how much she missed it until then. Hermione was finally pulled from her memories by the clock striking 4 o'clock. Deciding to unpack her things, Hermione made her way to the first floor girl's dormitory.

It didn't take Hermione that long to unpack her beaded bag and put stuff away. Last, she took out the box of letters from Ginny and sat down on her bed. She ran her hand over the top and with a small smile, opened the box. Inside were six medium-sized envelopes, each with a different evening written in Ginny's neat script. She took the first one out and set the box carefully on her bedside table. Hermione ran her thumb across the front. She'd always liked Ginny's handwriting; it was neat and light with seemingly spontaneous swirls and loops. It was like Ginny herself, solid and kind with a spontaneously mischievous side. She set the envelope on her pillow, deciding to read it later. She instead pulled out her review notes and spent some time reading through them.

At about a quarter to five, Hermione decided to head back down to the Great Hall. She hadn't heard Parvati or Lavendar arrive and she was curious as to where they could be. She shut her door and headed for the common room.

'Hermione!'

As soon as Hermione stepped off the last stair, she was assaulted with shouts of greeting. Not only were Parvati and Lavendar waving at her but also Dean. Hermione couldn't help but grin ridiculously back. Parvati jumped up and gave her a quick hug.

'Where have you been? Hiding in your room? Come on, we should get going.'

They headed out of the portrait.

'I wasn't hiding, just settling. How have you three been? Had a good summer?'

The four Gryffindors talked about their summer on the way. It seemed all had had a similar summer: studying and being with family; after the war, being able to do that was perfectly fine. They entered the Great Hall and saw a handful of classmates already seated. Hermione waved to Ernie MacMillon and Susan Bones. Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein sat beside Padma, who all smiled and waved.

They sat down and Hermione noticed one more person at the table. She sat slightly away from the group and Hermione recognized her from class as Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin. It wasn't the fact that a Slytherin had returned that surprised Hermione the most. What surprised her was the look she was giving the group of talking and laughing group of friends. It wasn't the usual look of disgust or disdain that most Slytherins bestowed on their non-house classmates; it was one of sadness and, what Hermione could only guess to be, longing. Daphne's grey-blue eyes caught Hermione's and her breath caught at the despair and sadness there. The door opened behind the top table and Daphne looked away as the professors entered.

Professor McGonagall led Professors Flitwick, Sprout, Trelawny, Vector, and Babbling. They were followed by Andromeda and a cheery-faced man with graying brown hair and beard. The last person to enter had long red hair pulled back in a ponytail and a friendly smile across his scarred face. It was Bill. He caught Hermione's surprised gaze and winked. Hermione was pulled from her daze by Professor McGonagall.

'Welcome. As you all know, you are here to take exams to determine if you would be ready for an accelerated NEWTs study program. The exams you will take will allow us to see if 1. You would be prepared enough to successfully take your NEWTs and 2. Which areas we should target to further prepare you. This program is completely voluntary, but it should not be taken lightly; if you have changed your mind, please tell us now.'

Professor McGonagall cast a serious gaze across the group. No one made any indication of quitting. She gave a small nod.

'Excellent. To start, I'd like to introduce you to the new additions to our staff for this year.'

The three new professors stepped forward.

'This is Professor Andromeda Tonks, the new Potions Master.'

Andromeda gave them a small nod and smile.

'Hello.'

'This is Professor Marvin Coulter and he will be teaching Muggle Studies.'

Professor Coulter gave them a cheery wave and smile.

'Hello to you all!'

'And finally, our newest addition, Professor Bill Weasley, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.'

Bill flashed a brilliant smile and nodded.

'Nice to meet you.'

Hermione had to stifle a giggle at the idea that it was 'nice to meet' the person whose room she had been staying in for the whole summer.

'You will find they each have many years of experience in their selected fields. They have worked hard with the rest of the staff in designing this program. Before we discuss it, let us eat.'

The professors sat down at the high table as food plates, goblets, and silverware appeared on the table in front of them. Hermione frowned, thinking of the house elves. She made a mental note to try talking with them again if she returned. The small group of classmates enjoyed a filling meal while swapping stories of their summers. Hermione mostly listened, answering questions when asked. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Daphne staring at her plate with a glazed look. She seemed to be moving her food around more than eating. But before Hermione could do or say anything, the table was cleared and Professor McGonagall started talking.

'You have all been given your exam schedules. All exams will take place here in the Great Hall where the usual anti-cheating spells will be set up. You will find that subjects with written-only exams have been scheduled together to best use the available space, but you need not worry about missing one exam while taking another. On the twenty-fifth, you will each meet with your Head of House to go over your results. Any questions?'

McGonagall waited for a moment before continuing when no one responded.

'For the rest of the evening, we, the professors, will remain here to answer any of your topic-related questions. Curfew is midnight and the library will remain open until then as well. Breakfast will be served before the first exam. Good luck with your studies.'