*Chapter One*





Hermione Granger smiled wide as Hogwarts came into sight. The horseless carriage trundled gently past the main gates, the lack of driver and steed making her view uninhibited. For a moment, she was transported back to a time when she would be arriving as a student, her two best friends by her side. Adventure was all but guaranteed when you spent most of your free time with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley.

But, as her eyes glanced around the interior of the carriage, reality crashed down. She was returning to Hogwarts, under the guise of being the new Muggle Studies professor. Alone. Harry would be there of course. And according to the owl she received before leaving London, so would Ron. There was no doubt that adventure lay on the horizon, but it wouldn't be faced with the same solidarity that had once existed among the three. Time and circumstance had destroyed that. She hoped with all her heart that they could find it again.

She blinked back the tears that stung in her eyes as an image of them-young and smiling-rose up in her mind. Harry Potter, with wild black hair and piercing green eyes hidden behind round wire glasses. Instead of resenting his celebrity, he stood up to it, and made it mean something. He wasn't just the boy who lived. He was a hero.

Ronald Weasley-the ginger haired, freckled faced boy with a temper of fire. He forever struggled to stand apart from his five brothers, then from his famous best friend. He had become a hero in his own right. Never a prefect, never Head boy. He was so much more than that. To her, in particular. Then, there was herself. Smart, logical and dependable. It had taken her finding out that she was a witch and meeting two special boys for her to realize that life wasn't all about books. She'd broken her first rule in the old halls of Hogwarts. She'd never regretted it.

In fact, the only true regret she had in her young life had to do with that red haired boy. That was part of why she had so readily said yes when she received that first letter from Harry. She wanted a chance to fix what she felt had gone wrong. She only hoped that it wasn't too late.

She supposed that she should have been mad when she got the owl from Harry after so many years of nothing. However, there was no mistaking the way her heart pounded when she saw the familiar scratch of writing across the parchment. She didn't know how long she had stared down at the letter, remembering that last time she had seen him. Graduation. Everything was so perfect that day. She had been accepted in the Division of Magical Artifacts department, Ron was going in for Auror training and Harry had been courted by some of the biggest Quidditch teams in the world. She and Ron had finally quit dancing around their feelings during their sixth year and Harry had finally noticed that Ginny was more than just his best friends little sister. So many dreams, so many hopes. So much excitement. All dashed with the realization that Harry was gone and the news of Sirius Black's murder stole their youth in ways that Voldemort had never managed.

She'd still taken her position at the DoMA and Ron had reported for Auror training, while Ginny had gone back to Hogwarts to finish her last year. But none of their hearts were in it. They waited for news of Harry, dreading opening the paper and seeing the headline that he was dead. No owls came to tell them he was all right. Ginny was beside herself with worry. Hermione threw herself into work. Ron was angry.

Then, the unspeakable happened. News had been slowly leaking in that known Deatheaters were being found dead. There was no doubt in Hermione's mind who was doing it. When Voldemort had finally been defeated, his followers had scattered. The first time their Lord had gone into hiding, they had been allowed to turn tale and say that they had been forced into his service. They were not allowed such liberties the second time though. The most notable was Lucius Malfoy, who was still at large. Their Lord was gone, but they were still dangerous. As was proven on a crisp night in December, two years after Harry's disappearance.

The Ministry of Magic had taken precautions to help protect Ron and Hermione's parents. The couple had been instrumental in bringing down You-Know-Who (as so many people still called him) as well as being friends with Harry Potter. So, it was without fear that Ron had kissed his mother good bye for the evening and had gone to meet Hermione. Molly was alone at the time, as Arthur and Percy were still at work. The twins had moved out the year before, Ginny was at school and, of course, Bill and Charlie were off living their own lives.

Ron and Hermione had been enjoying a quiet dinner at a small Italian restaurant in Muggle London with her parents, when they had been approached by a Ministry official. The man was visibly upset and had completely forgotten to put on Muggle clothes before coming inside. Hermione remembered vaguely the whispers and stares of the people around them, but it all seemed to fade away when the man started to speak. Molly had been in bed when the Deatheaters apparated into the house, somehow managing to bypass the security that had been put in place. Arthur and Percy had come home in the middle of it, not knowing what was going on. They never had a chance.

She remembered, now, how her parents had gasped in shock and the warm feel of her tears as they fell unnoticed down her face. But most of all, she remembered looking at Ron while grief, disbelief, anger and a multitude of other emotions had crossed his ghostly pale face. She had reached out to clutch his hand, hoping to comfort him. He snatched his hand away, looked at her with those icy blue eyes filled with unshed tears and had disapparated without a word. The Ministry official had then had to memory modify all the occupants of the restaurant so they would forget what they had seen. Then he had taken Hermione's parents to place them in a safe house while she had apparated to the Burrow. What she saw would fuel her nightmares for the years to come.

The only thing left standing was the burnt out shell of the house. The garden had been reduced to cinders, as had the shed behind the house. Ministry officials were everywhere, picking through the destruction to try to find any clues. Her wide, horrified eyes stung with smoke and tears as her gaze fell upon three cloth-covered figures. Her breath froze in her throat and her heart seemed to stop. She ripped her eyes away and started to search for Ron. When she found him, he was with his brothers, who were all red eyed and sniffling. Ginny was huddled in the protection of Charlie's arms, crying against his shirt. Ron was standing a little away from them, his tall frame rigid and his fists clenched while his eyes surveyed the remnants of his home.

He didn't seem to notice her when she'd walked over to him and slipped her arms around his waist. Hermione tried to absorb the tension running through him and silently convey that he could let go, that she was there for him. Surprise momentarily blotted out her grief when he stepped away from her and walked away. She stared after him as he went up to one of the officials and started to talk to him in what was obviously a heated conversation. At one point, the man apparently said something that Ron didn't like, because the next second, the man was on the ground clutching his jaw. Bill had to restrain Ron from attacking again.

The following days were a blur to her. Ron made it impossible for her to talk to him. Ginny had needed her help, and she consoled herself with that. The turn out for the funeral was huge. Everyone at the Ministry attended as well as all the Weasley's friends. It wasn't until the day after the funeral that she had finally been able to corner Ron.

The second she apparated into his flat, she could tell he had taken out his grief on his belongings. Not a thing was left untouched she'd noticed as she'd picked her way through the rubble to his bedroom. She found him, sprawled across what was left of his bed, an empty bottle of whiskey laying next to him. She didn't know how long she had waited for him to wake up, but when he finally did, he didn't look pleased to see her. In fact, they had the biggest row of their relationship amongst the debris of his belongings. It still brought tears to her eyes when she thought of the things they had said to each other. By the end of it, she had left, her battered heart finally broken.

Hermione knew, deep down, that what happened had been brought on by anger and fear-as well as alcohol. But, at the time, she had been as hurt and scared as he was. It had taken her a long time for her to be able to accept her part in the fight. If she had just been more stubborn, more open to his pain. But she was smarting from his rejection of her, not to mention her own grief for his parents and Percy. By the time she accepted her mistakes, it was too late to rectify them. Now, she found herself alone and more scared than she ever was before.

So, when the letter had shown up, she was more than willing to forgive Harry his lack of communication, if only to recapture some sense of normalcy in her life. Without another thought, she had sent back an owl telling him that of course she would help. It hadn't taken her long to get her life in order and to take a leave of absence from her job. She ignored the part of her that was whispering happily in her ear that maybe, if Ron agreed to help to, she'd be able to right what had gone wrong between them. She still loved him, as much as ever. She could only hope that he felt the same.

The carriage rolled to a smooth stop in front of the castle, pulling her out of her revery. When the door swung open, she gracefully stepped out. Delicately shaped brows pulled together when she found no one there to meet her. She was sure that Harry's last letter said he would be there when she arrived. Then, it dawned on her where he must be and she smiled. Knowing her bags would be taken to her room, she started across the grass, taking her time to re-familiarize herself with the grounds.

She took a deep breath of the fragrant air that was sweet with summer flowers. A light breeze tugged gently at the hem of her skirt and the sun was warm against her bare shoulders.

When her gaze landed on Hagrid's cabin, sadness once again threatened to overtake her. The near irresistible urge to go there and curl up in his old chair and weep pulling her to it. She had to remind herself that he was no longer there. Hadn't been since their fifth year. Just one of the many casualties of the war with Voldemort and the first dent in her heart. When the door to the cabin opened, however, she found herself willing to believe the impossible. Until of course, the tall, rather skinny, grey-haired man stepped outside, followed closely by a dog that WASN'T Fang.

Mr. Blodgett, I presume, she thought to herself. Harry told her the name of the new groundskeeper, but it hadn't seemed real until that second. She turned quickly so he wouldn't see her and she felt compelled to introduce herself. Walking a bit quicker now, she rounded the side of the castle and passed the green houses, her eyes trained on the Quidditch field in the distance.

The closer she got, the better she could see the small figure zooming around the sky. She watched as he made an incredible dive, pulling up just before crashing to the ground and reaching out for something too small to be seen from her vantage point. He braked to a stop and opened his hand. He then waited a beat before shooting off again. Hermione smiled when the sun glinted off the object just as his hand curled around it again. She came to a stop at the edge of the field to watch him, crossing her arms over her chest.

He released and caught the tiny golden snitch three more times before he noticed her. When he shot past her to catch the snitch a final time, she laughed out loud. She pulled the hair that had blown into her face from the force of wind that followed him out of her eyes. She was still smiling when he pulled around and came to a stop beside her.

"Well, it looks like the youngest seeker in a century still has what it takes." She said as he slipped off his broom. He shrugged, embarrassed and a light blush stained his cheeks.

"Not so hard to find it when you don't have other players and bludgers getting in the way." Harry replied casually.

"I suppose so." She agreed with a small laugh. She found herself feeling a little nervous when he pinned her with his brilliant green eyes. She managed not to fidget under his perusal, but just barely.

Harry studied her intently, thinking once more how he had missed so much. Hermione-while never by any means ugly-had never cared much for preening. In fact, the only time he could ever remember seeing her dressed up was for the Yule Ball their fourth year. Books and studying had been her focus in school. But, somewhere along the way, she must have emerged from behind her History of Hogwarts. Gone was the bushy hair and buck teeth (those had been fixed their fourth year). Her hair now glinted a rich, golden brown in the sun, sweeping her shoulders in a mass of sleek curls. They framed a face that was touched by the barest of make-up, her complexion as smooth as cream. Eyes the color of burnt cinnamon stared back at him, the laughter in their depths barely covering the sadness in them.

He was also glad to note that there was no way anyone would ever mistake her for anything other than female. A light blue sundress clung happily to curves that Harry was sure weren't there the last time he had seen her. A pair of legs that would have any man stuttering peeked out from underneath her knee length hem. Yes, Hermione had grown up very well indeed.

"Are you done leering at me, or should I strip down to my knickers to complete the show?" She teased. She blushed lightly at the flare of male appreciation she saw in his eyes.

"Well, if you're willing, I certainly wouldn't object." He teased back, grinning. Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed, but couldn't help returning the smile.

"Honestly!" Was all she could come up with to say in return. Harry chuckled at her.

"It's good to see you Herm." He said, turning serious. Her heart broke a little bit at the look in his eyes. Instinctively, she stepped forward and embraced him, her tight hold telling him it was all right, she wasn't angry. It was so different from Ron's reaction to see him again that he practically melted into her. His arms banded around her waist, crushing her against him. He hadn't realized, until that moment, how much he had missed her. How much he had missed both of them. His life had been a lonely one for so long, that he'd forgotten how much he had relied on them. When this was all over, he wasn't sure he'd be able to go back to that solitary existence.

"Isn't this nice?" The sarcastic voice that reached them had Hermione tensing in Harry's arms. He held her for a brief second longer, giving her a squeeze to bolster her. Then, he turned to face Ron.

"Ron. Glad to see you made it." Harry kept his arm looped lightly around her waist. He could feel the tension singing through her.

"I said I would, didn't I?" Ron challenged, crossing his arms over his broad chest and glaring at the arm Harry had around Hermione.

"Hello, Ron." Hermione said once she found her voice. Her fingers were bunched desperately in the back of Harry's shirt. That and his arm were the only thing keeping her upright. It surprised her that the mere sight of him could set her to trembling and turn her knees to jelly. But, then again, that had always been her reaction to him. Why should it be any different now?

"Hello, Hermione." They all noticed how his voice had softened when he addressed her and the smile that hinted around his mouth before he covered it up. She shivered noticeably when his eyes raked over her, picking out the changes just as Harry had. But the heat in his eyes brought about a very different reaction in her. She suddenly became very warm and felt as if she were laid bare before him. "You're looking well." He said when their eyes met again.

Her hand tightened in Harry's shirt and she managed a small smile.

"Thank you. So are you." The rakish grin he flashed her had her heart flipping in her chest.

"What? I don't get a hug? Surely as one of your best friends I deserve at least that." Harry watched the interaction between them with something close to amusement. They'd seemed to have forgotten that he was there, they were staring so intently at each other. The air between the two was as charged as it had ever been. He wondered how long it would take them to figure it out.

"Don't be silly." Hermione snapped after gathering her courage. She bit back that if he hadn't thrown their relationship out the window five years before that he wouldn't have to ask for a hug. "Of course." Her legs wobbled a bit as she stepped away from Harry and crossed to him. He towered over her by at least a foot, making her push up on her toes to circle her arms around his neck. Despite herself, her eyes drifted closed as his familiar scent wrapped around her as tightly as his arms. When the tips of his fingers brushed the bare skin of her back, she realized that she was in serious danger of embarrassing herself. She gave him a quick squeeze and stepped away. She fought the temptation of slapping the smirk of his face.

"One would think, that with age comes a certain respect for responsibility. I can see, not surprisingly, that it seemed to have completely bypassed the three of you." At the sound of Snape's sneering voice, they all had the brief feeling of being students once more. Then, a nasty smile spread across Ron's face before he turned to the Potions professor. Harry and Hermione shot each other a look before stepping up beside him, unconsciously putting up the front that as always, they stood up for each other.

"Severus Snape. As ugly as ever, I see. I'd say it was nice to see you, but I think we'd both know that I'd be lying." Snape's eyes narrowed and despite Ron's height over him, still managed to look down his crooked nose at him.

"Ron!"Hermione hissed. She didn't think it wise for him to insult the man that was going to be a co-worker.

"What?" Ron asked, trying to look innocent. If Harry hadn't been so busy trying not to laugh, he might have told the red head it wasn't working.

"Mr. Weasley. It would do you to remember that while you are no longer students at this school, I still have seniority over you." Ron looked unimpressed and was about to tell Snape that when Harry cut him off.

"Was there something you wanted?" As soon as Snape's eyes landed on him, Harry knew that the hate that had always been present between them was as thick as ever.

"In case you have forgotten, the three of you are supposed to be in the Headmaster's office. Professor Dumbledore is expecting you." Shame flashed briefly over their faces when they remembered where they were supposed to be. "And here stand the heroes that are supposed to find the culprits behind the goings on here. I know I shall sleep better at night." Snape said with a sneer before turning and stalking away, his black robes flowing behind him.

As they watched him go, it seemed to dawn on them that they were standing together, ready to protect the others from danger. It had been done out of habit, one that apparently hadn't died after years apart. Hermione felt a surge of hope that things would work out, while Harry was happily surprised. Ron, however, scowled and started off toward the castle without a look back.

"Bloody hell." They heard him mutter before he got too far away. Harry smiled at Hermione, hoping to wipe the crest fallen expression off her face. The corner's of her mouth barely lifted in response.

"Come on." He said, offering her his hand. She took it gratefully and the pair set out after Ron and Snape toward the castle.



~*TBC*~