The June sunshine streamed through the open window, bathing Hermione
Granger in a warm light. A gentle breeze caressed her face as she opened
her eyes slowly. "Morning already?" she muttered. "It feels like I just
went to bed." She groaned as she rolled on to her side, eager to find more
sleep.
The past eight months had been a dream come true. After living as Draco Malfoy's wife for several weeks then finding out it was all a lie, Hermione needed some stability in her life. She was confused on her feelings for Draco, her once sworn enemy, and felt she had to get away. When Professor Dumbledore offered her an internship as an assistant to Professor Flitwick in Charms, she graciously accepted without hesitation.
She had had many visits from her best friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, but so far, no word from Draco had been obtained. Hermione wasn't sure how to feel about it; should she be upset that he seemed to have forgotten her? Or should she be happy that he was leaving her to sort out her life? She mulled over these thoughts as she slid her legs over the side of the bed and shoved her feet into her fluffy slippers that were waiting in front of her nightstand. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and trudged towards the washroom for a hot shower.
She let the warm water stream over her face and through her thick hair. She had cut it recently to just below her shoulder blades and was eager to see how her friends reacted to the change. She definitely looked different, in her opinion, although Professor McGonagall assured her that it was just a self-conscious thing.
After her shower, she dressed quickly, noticing that time had flown faster than she had hoped. She hurried to the Great Hall where she took her seat at the lower end of the Head Table. Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper, grinned at her from the other end of the table and Hermione waved hello silently. She watched as the entire population of students in front of her began eating and chatting, discussing dreams and making plans for their summer vacations.
Hermione sighed. That was another decision that was plaguing her. Professor Dumbledore had asked her where she wanted to go for the summer holidays and for once, she didn't have an answer.
"I wish I could let you stay here, but that is quite impossible," he told her regretfully. "I know how much you don't wish to go back and stay with your parents."
Hermione nodded fiercely. Ever since her parents had lied to her about being a pureblood and since her mother forced her into the engagement to Draco, Hermione hadn't felt much need to keep in close contact with her parents. She still sent letters to her father often, but her mother was reluctant to speak with her. She was angry that Hermione hadn't agreed to stay with Draco and really marry him. "It's for your own good," she argued, but Hermione paid no attention. To her, she had to follow her heart. And at the present time, teaching at Hogwarts was where her heart belonged.
She spent the rest of the morning planning her notes for the lecture in the afternoon Charms class. She had gotten to know many of the students very well and some of them reminded her sadly of Harry, Ron and her during their years at Hogwarts. She was interrupted when Professor Severus Snape burst through the library door, glaring her way.
"Miss Granger, I suggest that you get up to the Headmaster's office immediately," he said in his cold, unforgiving tone. Hermione shivered at the sound of it. Snape had been considerably nicer towards her since her return to the school and Hermione was almost positive that it had something to do with the fact that he, like the rest of the wizarding world, felt sorry for her to be put through so much with the false wedding. But he was still the same old professor that despised her and her friends for seven years and he showed no signs of relenting completely.
"What is it?" she asked, collecting her things in her arms and rising to meet his face. "Is it anything serious?"
"I am not a messenger!" he barked, receiving a dirty look from the librarian. "You can judge for yourself when you get there," he added in a quieter tone. He took one last quick look around the library for any rule- breakers before departing.
Hermione sighed and followed his suit, making sure to stay a significant distance behind him. Why did they always have to interrupt her just when she was on a roll with her work? She climbed the steep stairs to one of the higher floors and followed the hallway to the end where the familiar statue stood, awaiting the access word.
"Bertie Bott's," she said to the statue and it leapt aside, creating a stairwell for her to climb. She began the ascent, wondering what exactly Dumbledore had in store for her. As the staircase swirled, she felt her head spinning in the opposite direction. She always felt weak and dizzy whenever approaching the Headmaster's office. Although Dumbledore had always been a close confidante, very rarely did good things come out of visits to his office.
She knocked on the door at the end of the hallway, listening to its hollow effects. Pretty soon, a voice from inside invited her in and Hermione opened the giant door slowly, only to be greeted by two very familiar faces.
"Hermione!" Ron cried, throwing his arms around her. "It feels like it's been forever!"
"We were only here last month," Harry reminded his over-enthusiastic friend, shoving him aside and grinning at Hermione. "It's good to see you again, though." He turned to Professor Dumbledore behind the desk. "I trust you've been taking care of her for us."
Dumbledore smiled gently. "Nothing but the best treatment for the brightest witch in her year."
Hermione blushed like mad. She both enjoyed and hated when people made reference to her intelligence during her school years; indeed, she had been smart, but it had not gone without hours of hard studying, something Ron and Harry seemed to be prone to disregarding.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked when the redness in her cheeks finally faded. She was happy to see her friends, but a little concerned to see them visiting with no previous notice.
Ron and Harry shared a look. "Remember how you said you needed a place to stay for the summer?" Ron asked, looking somewhat sheepish. "Well, we were thinking you could stay at the Burrow."
"That would be great!" Hermione cried, but the look on Harry's face stopped her.
"The only problem is," he said, picking up where Ron left off, "is that Ron and I won't be there."
"Why not?" Hermione couldn't help but feel slightly offended, although extremely touched by the generous offer. What kind of host invites a guest to their home then breaks it to them that they won't be there for the duration of the guest's stay.
There was that guilty look between the two boys again. "We're travelling to Australia," Harry supplied when Ron's words seemed to fail him. "You know, for the joke shop. Fred and George are considering starting a chain in 'foreign lands', as they call them."
"Oh." Hermione couldn't help but feel let down and had trouble hiding her disappointment. She tried to smile so that the boys would relax. "Don't worry about me," she told them, feigning contentment. "I'll find some place to stay."
"You're more than welcome to join us," Ron said quickly, finally clicking in to the jabs in the ribs from Harry. "I mean, we would be more than happy to bring you along with us."
Hermione shook her head. In her mind, if they had planned the trip without her already, she wasn't all that welcome. Ignoring the pounding frustration in her temples, she smiled again weakly. "You guys go ahead," she told them gently. "I'll find somewhere to stay." Although her words were positive, Hermione's mind was busy convincing her that she would be stuck sleeping on the streets for the summer.
Another thought occurred to Hermione just then. "You guys had me worried sick!" she chastised them gently. "Having me brought up to Professor Dumbledore's office! I thought someone was ill or something serious had happened!" On several occasions, Dumbledore had told Hermione to call him Albus, but after seven years of being under his tutorial, she found it hard to make the transition.
"Well, we never know where you are," Ron complained, throwing his hands up in the air. "So we came here instead of travelling all through the castle."
"So we're lazy," Harry chimed in, grinning from ear to ear. "Since when is that a crime?" Dumbledore gave him a knowing look and Harry looked down bashfully. "Hey! Since your next lecture isn't for another hour, why don't we all go for a walk around the grounds?"
Ron nodded enthusiastically but Hermione shook her head sadly. "I can't," she told them honestly. "I failed to get as far as I would have liked on my notes. If I go for a walk now, I won't be prepared."
"Not even a quick one?" Ron's face drooped into a pout and Hermione couldn't help but laugh.
"Not today," she said apologetically. "Why don't you guys come visit me before you leave for Australia? Then we'll go for a walk, I promise."
Another guilty look was shared between the two boys. Hermione felt a feeling of anxiety drop into her stomach. "Well, actually, that's what this visit is for," Harry said when, once again, Ron's mouth was moving but no sound was being emitted. "We're leaving the day after tomorrow."
"Oh." Once again, Hermione was at a loss for words. "Well, then why don't you come see me when school starts again? Professor Dumbledore was nice enough to grant me another year, at least, as Professor Flitwick's assistant." She grinned at the elderly man behind the desk.
"You proved yourself to be more than capable of handling the position with grace and responsibility," Dumbledore commented, making Hermione blush again. "It would have been a shame if you had refused to return next school year."
Hermione nodded slowly. "Well, I should be going," she said, hugging both Harry and Ron together. "Write me while you're away."
"Where will you be?" Ron asked, who seemed a little reluctant to let go of her.
Hermione shrugged. "Who knows? I'm sure either Hedwig or Pig will be able to find me. Have fun guys. Thanks, Professor." She left the office room with a wave of her hand, almost certain that if she had a pair of Extendable Ears handy, Harry, Ron and Dumbledore were talking about her at that very moment.
The past eight months had been a dream come true. After living as Draco Malfoy's wife for several weeks then finding out it was all a lie, Hermione needed some stability in her life. She was confused on her feelings for Draco, her once sworn enemy, and felt she had to get away. When Professor Dumbledore offered her an internship as an assistant to Professor Flitwick in Charms, she graciously accepted without hesitation.
She had had many visits from her best friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, but so far, no word from Draco had been obtained. Hermione wasn't sure how to feel about it; should she be upset that he seemed to have forgotten her? Or should she be happy that he was leaving her to sort out her life? She mulled over these thoughts as she slid her legs over the side of the bed and shoved her feet into her fluffy slippers that were waiting in front of her nightstand. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and trudged towards the washroom for a hot shower.
She let the warm water stream over her face and through her thick hair. She had cut it recently to just below her shoulder blades and was eager to see how her friends reacted to the change. She definitely looked different, in her opinion, although Professor McGonagall assured her that it was just a self-conscious thing.
After her shower, she dressed quickly, noticing that time had flown faster than she had hoped. She hurried to the Great Hall where she took her seat at the lower end of the Head Table. Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper, grinned at her from the other end of the table and Hermione waved hello silently. She watched as the entire population of students in front of her began eating and chatting, discussing dreams and making plans for their summer vacations.
Hermione sighed. That was another decision that was plaguing her. Professor Dumbledore had asked her where she wanted to go for the summer holidays and for once, she didn't have an answer.
"I wish I could let you stay here, but that is quite impossible," he told her regretfully. "I know how much you don't wish to go back and stay with your parents."
Hermione nodded fiercely. Ever since her parents had lied to her about being a pureblood and since her mother forced her into the engagement to Draco, Hermione hadn't felt much need to keep in close contact with her parents. She still sent letters to her father often, but her mother was reluctant to speak with her. She was angry that Hermione hadn't agreed to stay with Draco and really marry him. "It's for your own good," she argued, but Hermione paid no attention. To her, she had to follow her heart. And at the present time, teaching at Hogwarts was where her heart belonged.
She spent the rest of the morning planning her notes for the lecture in the afternoon Charms class. She had gotten to know many of the students very well and some of them reminded her sadly of Harry, Ron and her during their years at Hogwarts. She was interrupted when Professor Severus Snape burst through the library door, glaring her way.
"Miss Granger, I suggest that you get up to the Headmaster's office immediately," he said in his cold, unforgiving tone. Hermione shivered at the sound of it. Snape had been considerably nicer towards her since her return to the school and Hermione was almost positive that it had something to do with the fact that he, like the rest of the wizarding world, felt sorry for her to be put through so much with the false wedding. But he was still the same old professor that despised her and her friends for seven years and he showed no signs of relenting completely.
"What is it?" she asked, collecting her things in her arms and rising to meet his face. "Is it anything serious?"
"I am not a messenger!" he barked, receiving a dirty look from the librarian. "You can judge for yourself when you get there," he added in a quieter tone. He took one last quick look around the library for any rule- breakers before departing.
Hermione sighed and followed his suit, making sure to stay a significant distance behind him. Why did they always have to interrupt her just when she was on a roll with her work? She climbed the steep stairs to one of the higher floors and followed the hallway to the end where the familiar statue stood, awaiting the access word.
"Bertie Bott's," she said to the statue and it leapt aside, creating a stairwell for her to climb. She began the ascent, wondering what exactly Dumbledore had in store for her. As the staircase swirled, she felt her head spinning in the opposite direction. She always felt weak and dizzy whenever approaching the Headmaster's office. Although Dumbledore had always been a close confidante, very rarely did good things come out of visits to his office.
She knocked on the door at the end of the hallway, listening to its hollow effects. Pretty soon, a voice from inside invited her in and Hermione opened the giant door slowly, only to be greeted by two very familiar faces.
"Hermione!" Ron cried, throwing his arms around her. "It feels like it's been forever!"
"We were only here last month," Harry reminded his over-enthusiastic friend, shoving him aside and grinning at Hermione. "It's good to see you again, though." He turned to Professor Dumbledore behind the desk. "I trust you've been taking care of her for us."
Dumbledore smiled gently. "Nothing but the best treatment for the brightest witch in her year."
Hermione blushed like mad. She both enjoyed and hated when people made reference to her intelligence during her school years; indeed, she had been smart, but it had not gone without hours of hard studying, something Ron and Harry seemed to be prone to disregarding.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked when the redness in her cheeks finally faded. She was happy to see her friends, but a little concerned to see them visiting with no previous notice.
Ron and Harry shared a look. "Remember how you said you needed a place to stay for the summer?" Ron asked, looking somewhat sheepish. "Well, we were thinking you could stay at the Burrow."
"That would be great!" Hermione cried, but the look on Harry's face stopped her.
"The only problem is," he said, picking up where Ron left off, "is that Ron and I won't be there."
"Why not?" Hermione couldn't help but feel slightly offended, although extremely touched by the generous offer. What kind of host invites a guest to their home then breaks it to them that they won't be there for the duration of the guest's stay.
There was that guilty look between the two boys again. "We're travelling to Australia," Harry supplied when Ron's words seemed to fail him. "You know, for the joke shop. Fred and George are considering starting a chain in 'foreign lands', as they call them."
"Oh." Hermione couldn't help but feel let down and had trouble hiding her disappointment. She tried to smile so that the boys would relax. "Don't worry about me," she told them, feigning contentment. "I'll find some place to stay."
"You're more than welcome to join us," Ron said quickly, finally clicking in to the jabs in the ribs from Harry. "I mean, we would be more than happy to bring you along with us."
Hermione shook her head. In her mind, if they had planned the trip without her already, she wasn't all that welcome. Ignoring the pounding frustration in her temples, she smiled again weakly. "You guys go ahead," she told them gently. "I'll find somewhere to stay." Although her words were positive, Hermione's mind was busy convincing her that she would be stuck sleeping on the streets for the summer.
Another thought occurred to Hermione just then. "You guys had me worried sick!" she chastised them gently. "Having me brought up to Professor Dumbledore's office! I thought someone was ill or something serious had happened!" On several occasions, Dumbledore had told Hermione to call him Albus, but after seven years of being under his tutorial, she found it hard to make the transition.
"Well, we never know where you are," Ron complained, throwing his hands up in the air. "So we came here instead of travelling all through the castle."
"So we're lazy," Harry chimed in, grinning from ear to ear. "Since when is that a crime?" Dumbledore gave him a knowing look and Harry looked down bashfully. "Hey! Since your next lecture isn't for another hour, why don't we all go for a walk around the grounds?"
Ron nodded enthusiastically but Hermione shook her head sadly. "I can't," she told them honestly. "I failed to get as far as I would have liked on my notes. If I go for a walk now, I won't be prepared."
"Not even a quick one?" Ron's face drooped into a pout and Hermione couldn't help but laugh.
"Not today," she said apologetically. "Why don't you guys come visit me before you leave for Australia? Then we'll go for a walk, I promise."
Another guilty look was shared between the two boys. Hermione felt a feeling of anxiety drop into her stomach. "Well, actually, that's what this visit is for," Harry said when, once again, Ron's mouth was moving but no sound was being emitted. "We're leaving the day after tomorrow."
"Oh." Once again, Hermione was at a loss for words. "Well, then why don't you come see me when school starts again? Professor Dumbledore was nice enough to grant me another year, at least, as Professor Flitwick's assistant." She grinned at the elderly man behind the desk.
"You proved yourself to be more than capable of handling the position with grace and responsibility," Dumbledore commented, making Hermione blush again. "It would have been a shame if you had refused to return next school year."
Hermione nodded slowly. "Well, I should be going," she said, hugging both Harry and Ron together. "Write me while you're away."
"Where will you be?" Ron asked, who seemed a little reluctant to let go of her.
Hermione shrugged. "Who knows? I'm sure either Hedwig or Pig will be able to find me. Have fun guys. Thanks, Professor." She left the office room with a wave of her hand, almost certain that if she had a pair of Extendable Ears handy, Harry, Ron and Dumbledore were talking about her at that very moment.