Slowly Hermione woke in the Head-girl quarters up. After the war, she and all the other students from her year had to go back to school and attend the exams. Many found it unfair and didn't want to do it, like Ron, but everyone had to do so. Hermione was very glad, as she wanted to repeat the 7th year already, but not without her best friends Harry and Ron. And if they do it by choice or by force, didn't matter for her. They were there and that was what it counted. So they came all after the summer to the school, along with the other Gryffindors and Houses.
The first week was just for fun. There were games and parties and of course Quidditch. In this week a lot happened and something like a friendly bond took place between the Houses, especially between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Of course they are a little mean to each other, but it was a friendly mean. Hermione was very glad that this happened. Now that the war was over, she didn't want to deal with prejudice again and oddly enough, Draco and his Slytherin friends are nice. Like really nice. ‚The Golden Trio', a nickname from the people, were now friends with the Slytherins. Harry and Ron got along with Theo, Blaise and Draco and Hermione found new friends in Pansy and Daphne. Of course she got along with Theo, Draco and Blaise too, now that they were all a ‚gang'. At the beginning the whole school was like „What at Merlins pants is happening?!". But with time passing, everyone got used to it and nobody cared. The teachers have also seen the changes and were all relieved, that now, after so much grief and lost and hate, the students were all together and most importantly grieved and healed together. Former Deatheaters, like Draco, and also the kids from Deatheaters, like the whole Slytherin house, were accepted and most of them regretted the way that they were in the past time. Hermione got a lot of apologies from Slytherins who thought that she was less than them and therefore called her names and sometimes tried to hex her. She accepted all the apologies, but one in particular the most. The one from Draco Malfoy, who bullied her for years without any signs of guilt or regret at these times.
But then, it was the last day of the first week, he came one night to her, they were all at a party, and asked her, if they could talk. She was first a little suspicious, because old habits die hard, but she agreed and found her a few moments later alone with him. Although they were something like friends at this point, it was still strange to be with him alone and not called names. „What do you want to talk about?", she asked, just to break the awkward silence, which fell above them, the moment they were alone.And then she saw Draco Malfoy crying and regretting everything bad he had done.To say Hermione was shocked, was hardly that what you could call it. She never saw anyone so devastated in her life before. After Draco cried and apologized and explained, Hermione forgave him and sent him a small smile. Draco smiled back, relieved that he could tell her how he really felt. Hermione was relieved too. Although Harry and Ron befriended with Draco and his friends and she saw that Draco could be nice and funny, it was still a little weird to be with him, after all what happened between them. But now, that she truly knows that he is sorry, she could finally finish the past and live in the present.