RESTORATION a dramione story

by extremewritersblock22

When Hermione received the letter asking to help restore Hogwarts, she welcomed the distraction. But what happens when her volunteer partner is Draco Malfoy? A summer of restoration begins with Hogwarts, but along the way, Draco and Hermione both begin a restoration of their own. As they try to bury old grudges, they learn a bond can be built, even between those who were our enemy.

1. One - The Letter

A/N: Chapters 1 & 2 are purely to build character and setting. If you're not interested in that, please proceed to chapter 3

-1-

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Order of the Phoenix, Second Order, Former Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry)

Dear Ms. Granger,

I'm writing to ask for your consideration in joining a small team of students as 'Junior Staff' volunteers to help restore the classrooms and halls of Hogwarts before the upcoming Fall Semester. We understand that this is no small feat and, though we are magical beings, the sheer amount of work can only be done with the help of many willing participants. It will be a paid volunteer position and housing/meals would all be provided until the start of term, September 1st - after which you will transfer to your respective dormitory. Please send your reply by owl no later than June 1st, as we will need arrange living quarters before your arrival.

Restoration begins on the 5th of June.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress

HERMIONE couldn't believe an entire month had passed since the war, but there was the date, clear as day, on the calendar in front of her - June 2nd, 1998. 30 days post-war. She peered out the single window of her room and watched the muggles on the street, overcome with a strange yearning to join them.

How blissfully unaware they were of what had happened in her world. How easily they could go about their day, while there was still an unsettled atmosphere throughout the wizarding world - a deep rooted mistrust that hasn't gone away, despite the truest evil having been destroyed. Almost as if no one remembers how to live a life before Voldemort, before Death Eaters, before constant fear.

She, too, wished for a moment that she could be rid of the memories. Her very own Obliviate charm. She opened the window, happy to feel fresh air in the stagnant room.

Though the events of May had flown by quickly - the criminal trials, the funerals for the departed, the temporary staff restructuring at Hogwarts - the days themselves were slow. Harry was gone on a mission for The Order and, despite their attempts at keeping in touch, the reality is that Harry had a lot to do, so the letters slowly stopped.

As for Ron, his family were still mourning the death of Fred and, after Hermione had paid her respects at the funeral, she thought it best to give them space to mourn as a family.

Hermione was actually given a mission from The Order as well, regarding the state of her parent's memories, but it had taken little time to complete and so she found herself here, in this dingy room with a single window, staring at muggles passing on the street, envying them. She eyed a couple on the street having a very animated conversation. She hadn't spoken to anyone in a week, unless you counted the old maid who comes to clean her room. The interactions usually went something like this:

Knock, Knock

"Housekeeping, dear. Right, well I'll just put your linens on the bed and change them when you're out to dinner." The stout witch slowly went to close the door.

"Thank you. Oh - wait!" Hermione smiled at the startled housekeeper. "Oh, I didn't mean to alarm you. I just wanted to thank you again for your services! The mints I find on my pillow are a lovely touch." Hermione held her smile for an absurdly long while. Wasn't this how to hold a conversation?

"Oh no worries dear, just doing my job," and the housekeeper began to back out of the room again.

"Lovely work you're doing. They should pay you more!" Still smiling.

"They pay me quite enough, love." The housekeeper's expression changed from friendly to annoyed, and she nearly got the door closed before Hermione gave her final attempt at making conversation.

"Oh, I'm glad to hear it. Well, see you tomorrow, then!"

The door shut with a definitive thud.

Hermione was dying for normal conversation.

She pried her attention away from the window and glanced around her temporary home - a nearly empty room tucked in the back of the Leaky Cauldron - and sighed deeply. There were very few personal belongings she had gathered from her visit to her childhood home; an old stuffed bear given to her by her parents on a birthday, of which year she has now forgotten, a stack of classic muggle novels she had enjoyed reading with her parents, and then on her own at Hogwarts whenever she felt homesick, and lastly, a small 5x7 wooden picture frame that held a still picture of herself in the arms of her mother and father.

Given her current living situation, she felt that it would have been a burden to bring along anything more than this, so the rest of any belongings from her home that aren't needed at Hogwarts are now resting within her vault in Gringotts Bank.

The only other thing in her room, besides her Hogwarts belongings and Crookshanks curled up on the bed, was Professor McGonogall's letter. She picked it up from the desk and scanned over the neat handwriting for what had to be the 100th time. Her eyes darted to the window, as if the owl she sent with her reply would be back any second with further instructions on her relocation back to Hogwarts.

Could Hogwarts really be restored in a summer? Hermione wasn't sure, nor was she sure that going back to the school now was a good idea, but what choice did she have? She couldn't stay holed up in the Leaky Cauldron the entire summer. And to be honest, she needed the money. From now on, she'd have to take care of herself, which meant funding her way through her final year of Hogwarts.

So with a bit of desperation and a need to be doing something other than spying on muggles in Central London, on May 31st, Hermione had sent a simple reply to McGonagall's letter, accepting the job. Junior Staff. Restoration? Even with 100 volunteers, how could they possibly rebuild Hogwarts by September?

She had no idea what this job would entail, but she didn't have long to speculate because just then, a brown owl swooped through the open window, gracefully landing on the edge of her desk. She started toward the owl to retrieve the letter attached to its leg with a twinge of hope that the writer was one of her two best friends. That hope fizzled as she read the header: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

So this was it - her next mission to help the greater good. She expected a lengthy letter with detailed instructions from McGonagall, but when she tore open the envelope, she was met with a very simple message in the same neat handwriting;

Dear Ms. Granger,

Wonderful news. A car will pick you up at 10AM June the 4th to transport you to King's Cross station. From there, you will take the train at 11AM bound for Hogsmead. Normal transportation up to the castle will follow. Dinner is to be served in the Great Hall at 7PM. I'll greet you there with further instructions.

Sincerely,

Professor McGonagall

Headmistress

Hermione continued to analyze the letter, hoping she missed a second page with a job description. Alas, there was no missing page, so she tucked the letter away with the first and shut the window behind the Hogwarts owl.

She felt her mood brighten slightly at the reality of going back to Hogwarts. The state of her school was undoubtedly poor, but if she could spend her summer anywhere, it would be there. And, who knows? Maybe some restoration is just what she needed.

A/N: This fic will be a slow burn - enemies to lovers so it will build over time. I'm prone to make mistakes so feel free to correct anything I've missed/got wrong :) Thanks for reading!