Unexpected Love
Summary: A fic that takes place after Hogwarts. Hermione left the magical world behind after a messy breakup with Krum and became a muggle teacher. Years later she discovers that one of her new students is a Malfoy. What will happen when Draco enters her life?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. The ones you don't recognize belong to me.
Chapter 13- Back to the Castle in the Country
The summer passed quickly after the letters from Dumbledore. Hermione spent little time at her apartment as both the Potter's and the Weasley's had insisted she stay at their houses during the summer months. So long, hot days were spent with her friends lounging on the shore of the lake, splashing about in the cool water, going on early morning boating trips and playing makeshift Quidditch games.
Hermione was extremely excited about teaching at Hogwarts and spent much of the time planning out her lessons. She wanted this to be a class that everyone loved, not one like Professor Binns History of Magic class that had bored the students to tears. No, she was going to make this interesting and fun for the children.
As excited as Hermione was to return to the magnificent castle, deep inside of her she dreaded having to be away from Harry, Ron, Ginny, Lavender, the kids, and everyone else she had seen so much of over the summer. When she left at the beginning of the school year she wouldn't be back until Christmas.
The daylight began growing shorter as the days of summer slowly slipped away. The day of Hermione's departure drew nearer and as it approached her excitement and nervousness grew. A week was left, then 5 days, then 3 days, then only one day.
For once she wouldn't be arriving at Hogwarts on the large scarlet steam engine that she had so often traveled on for 7 years. The teachers had all been sent a portkey from Dumbledore that would activate the last day of August, the day the teachers were to arrive. They would have one day to get settled and prepare their classrooms before the students arrived.
The day before Hermione left, August 30, the adults and children all had a joyous time. Harry and Ron had decided to hold a little going away/congratulatory party for her and had even invited the Thomas', Seamus and Padma over.
"Where's Professor Granger?" Dean roared as he burst through the front door, grinning. Right behind him, Parvati entered the room grasping his hand, giggling and holding a smiling, bouncing Angela. Hermione glanced up when they came in, grinning broadly and glimpsed Alexander, Seamus, and Padma following them in. But Hermione had to do a double take. There had been another boy with Alex, a little platinum-haired boy.
"Justin?" Hermione gasped incredulously, getting up form the couch and walking over to the guests who had just arrived. It was true, Justin Malfoy stood in the Potter's entrance hall, grinning up at her, warm grey eyes shining.
"Ms. Granger!" Justin exclaimed. "How come you never told me you're going to be teaching at Hogwarts?"
"Well, I didn't know until after the school year had ended," Hermione told him, wondering why on earth he was here.
"Gosh, I'm sure gonna miss seeing you round school, Ms. Granger," he told Hermione. She smiled gently at him before saying, "Excuse me for a moment." She turned quickly to Dean and ushered him into the kitchen.
"Dean! Why on earth is Draco's son with you?" Hermione asked straightaway. Dean just smiled at her and answered, "Well Hermione, Draco's a pal of mine as you know, was on the school board with him for eight years. He's going away to Hogwart's too, and since Pansy has only part custody of Justin, Draco asked me if I would watch over him when he's not with his mother."
"But Draco's not gone yet. That still doesn't explain why he's here with you today!" Hermione protested.
"Well that's simple," began Dean, "he wanted to come say goodbye to you so Draco asked me if I could bring him. I agreed."
Hermione felt a brief pang in her heart when she heard that. Draco was avoiding her completely. He had gotten someone else to bring his son to see her. He couldn't even see her himself. She quickly brushed away these feelings however and said to Dean, "Well, ok then, thank you," before hurrying back into the living room.
The rest of the day was spent chatting merrily and devouring a delicious dinner made by Ginny with Mrs. Weasley's scrumptious recipes. Hermione didn't realize the time until she looked down and saw Lily, Mackie, Alex, Eddie, Elisabeth, and Justin all sound asleep on the rug.
"My goodness!" she shouted, causing several of the children to jerk awake. "It's already 11:00! Where does the time go?" Hermione got up as everyone prepared to leave. She helped load a sleeping Elisabeth onto the shoulders of Ron while a drowsy Eddie muttered goodbye to her. Ron and Lavender both gave her tight hugs before saying, "Goodbye, Hermione. We'll see you in December," and filing out the door into the darkness. Dean came next, carrying a sleeping Justin. "See ya Herm, have fun with Draco," he said, winking. Parvati, carrying Angela and followed closely by a sleepy Alex playfully hit her husband and said, "Ignore him Hermione. Best of luck, I know you'll do awesome. See you at Christmas." Seamus and Padma came next giving her quick hugs before uttering, "Goodbye and good luck," and walking outside, hand in hand.
Sighing, Hermione plopped down onto the plush couch. Ginny, holding a sleeping James, and Harry sat on either side of her, careful not to disturb the still sleeping Lily and Mackie.
"What's wrong Mione?" Harry asked her gently. To his surprise, Hermione burst into tears and threw herself into his arms.
"Oh Harry! I'm going to miss everyone so much! I've spent so much time with you over the last year that I can't imagine being away from everyone again."
"I thought you wanted to go back to Hogwarts. You love it there," Ginny said. Hermione turned to her, sniffling, and said, "Oh I do love it there. But it won't be the same without all my friends." Harry pulled her close and looked into her honey brown eyes still shining with tears in them.
"Mione, we all love you very much and this is the magnificent chance that you've been wishing for. We're all going to be here waiting for you and it's not that long until Christmas. After you get settled you won't even notice the time flying by until it's time to come back. Now wipe those tears and head up to bed, you've got an early day tomorrow." Hermione wiped her tears and with a final sniff headed upstairs.
She sat beside her window far into the night, gazing out at the luminous moon and the millions of glittering stars scattered around it. She couldn't sleep. Her thoughts wouldn't shut up in her head. Finally, just a few hours before she was expected to arise, her eyelids began to droop. Dragging herself to the bed she collapsed upon it and fell fast asleep, not bothering to get under the covers.
Before long the sun was peeking above the horizon, painting the sky a gorgeous rose hue. Hermione lay on the soft quilt, knees tucked tightly into her chest. The rising sun streamed through the window in golden bars, falling upon her chestnut ringlets sprawled haphazardly around her body.
Suddenly, a knock sounded lightly on the door. It opened with a slight squeak and Harry peeked into the room. He smiled when he saw Hermione with the sun upon her, sleeping so peacefully. He sure would miss her while she was at Hogwarts, but at least she wouldn't be gone for another eight years.
"Hermione?" he gently whispered, walking over to her.
"Hmmm…?" she said groggily, turning to face Harry and yawning widely. Harry laughed silently and said, "It's almost time for you to leave. You've got to get up now and get some breakfast in you. You get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs." He gave her a quick smile before turning around and exiting the room.
Hermione was wide awake by this time. Her whole body was full of excitement and nervousness. There was also the small portion of dread of leaving but she quickly shoved it aside. Her friends had assured her that this was a great decision and she wouldn't be gone long and she had believed them. So she hopped out of bed and hurried about getting ready, a huge smile plastered on her face.
Hermione grabbed the outfit that she had laid out the night before and quickly threw it on. It was a simple yet sophisticated outfit that hugged all the right curves of her body. It consisted of a chic black skirt that fell to just above her knees and a simple white blouse that buttoned up to just above her chest. On top of this outfit she put on her inky black Hogwarts robes emblazoned with the Hogwarts crest. She had traveled to Diagon Alley to acquire these robes the previous week.
Swiftly, she headed for the washroom down the hall. She fixed her hair, separating each curl so that defined ringlets hung neatly to her waist. Her makeup was simple and natural, bringing out her large honey eyes and her luscious lips. She looked in the mirror one last time and, satisfied, she smiled at herself and headed down the stairs towards the kitchen, robes billowing and swirling behind her in a cloud of blackness.
"Oh there you are Hermione," Ginny said, grinning when she saw her. "I was just about to come up and see what was taking so long."
"Sorry," replied Hermione, "I just wanted to look extra nice for my first impression back at Hogwarts."
"You didn't have to do that, you look beautiful all the time," answered Ginny. Hermione smiled at her and took a seat at the breakfast table just as a sleepy looking Lily wandered down the stairs, closely followed by Mackie who looked somewhat like she was still asleep.
"Oh good, you're still here!" Lily exclaimed excitedly. "We hoped we hadn't missed you, we wanted to make sure we got to say goodbye." Her and Mackie sat down on either side of Hermione as Ginny and Harry disappeared upstairs. They emerged a few moments later, Harry carrying Hermione's trunk full of all sorts of things she had purchased at Diagon Alley, and Ginny carrying a gurgling James. Harry set the trunk next to the table and Ginny sat James in his highchair. Finally, they all sat down together for breakfast.
Everyone at the table chatted merrily over their eggs, toast and orange juice and before Hermione knew it it was 5 minutes until 9:00.
"Goodness!" Hermione exclaimed. "I seem to be losing track of time an awful lot these days. The portkey will be activating in 5 minutes!" She began gathering her dishes but Ginny quickly stopped her, telling her she would get them later.
"We want enough time to say a proper goodbye," Ginny explained to her. Hermione once again smiled at her best girlfriend and hurried towards her trunk. She opened it and pulled out the portkey, grasping it tightly in the hand also holding onto her trunk, and turned towards the Potter family.
Ginny came forwards, hugged Hermione tightly and said, "We're sure gonna miss you around here. Christmas can't come fast enough." Hermione was surprised to see tears welling in her friends eyes and swiftly hugged Ginny even tighter.
"Don't worry, I'll be back soon," Hermione whispered to the petite redhead. Ginny sniffed and stepped back, allowing Lily and Mackie to come forwards. They ran towards her, hugging her waist and both chorused, "Goodbye Mione! See you soon!" Hermione laughed and answered with her own goodbye.
After the girls had stepped away to join their mother, Hermione caught sight of Harry's grinning face, his emerald eyes sparkling. She couldn't help but smile back as he came forwards to sweep her into a bone crushing hug.
"Just think Mione, when you get back we can go ice skating again!" Hermione laughed at Harry's words; they had spent much of their time last winter on that frozen pond.
"Goodbye Harry," Hermione said and Harry answered simply, "Goodbye."
"Well, I guess that's it then," Hermione said. "All I have to do now is wait for the portkey to activa---" She was cut off by a small something colliding with her legs. She looked down to see James' shining emerald eyes, so like Harry's, staring into her own, a smile plastered from ear to ear across his face. Hermione swung him up and he giggled, reaching out to grab her hair. His dark, dark red hair, almost black, was spread messily across his head and stuck up at odd angles from sleep but he was still so adorable. Hermione plastered him with kisses before saying, "Well, I couldn't forget about you now could I?" He giggled again but before Hermione could say anything else the clock began to strike 9:00.
BONG…
Hermione hurridly passed James to Harry.
BONG… BONG… BONG…
Quickly, she grabbed her trunk in one hand and grasped the portkey tighter in the other hand.
BONG… BONG… BONG…
"Goodbye!" everyone called out to her. "See you in Decmeber!"
BONG…
"Goodbye!" Hermione replied.
BOOOONNGG……
Hermione felt the familiar tug behind her navel as the ninth and final chime faded. The Potters and their kitchen swirled away from her view as she was whisked away, back to the grand castle in the countryside.
*****
Hermione landed on the floor with a thump, staggering slightly as she fought to regain her balance. Finally steady, Hermione looked up at her surroundings. She was in the Great Hall and sun was streaming down on her from the enchanted ceiling. 'Finally,' she thought, 'I'm back.'
"Good to see you again Ms. Granger. Or should I say Hermione."
Hermione just about jumped out of her shoes at the sound of the voice; she had not heard anyone approach. She turned to see Dumbledore, his beard a little longer and his skin a little more wrinkled but yes, it was still Professor Dumbledore and his clear blue eyes still twinkled.
"Oh Professor, it's so good to be back!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly. Dumbledore just smiled and replied, "Call me Albus. After all, you're no longer a student here, you're a fellow colleague."
"That will take some getting used to Prof—-- er, I mean Albus," Hermione replied. Dumbledore just smiled knowingly at her and said, "Ah yes, I suppose it will. Now, I know you must be eager to revisit the castle. Other professors have arrived previously and you will find them throughout the school. You can leave your trunk here," he said as Hermione made to reach towards her trunk. "I'll fetch someone to take it to the teachers' dormitories for you. But I best be on my way now. Good day!" He smiled at Hermione and turned, striding towards the Entrance Hall.
Hermione quickly headed there herself, emerging to find Dumbledore gone already. Thinking where she would like to go first she decided to head to Gryffindor tower and her old dormitory.
Five minutes later she stood in front of the Fat Lady. She realized much too late that she had no idea what the password was. Disappointed, she turned to leave when she heard the portrait say, "Dear, where are you going? Did you come all the way up here just to turn around and go all the way back down?" Hermione, quite surprised, muttered, "Well, I don't know the password."
"Password?" she replied. "School hasn't started yet; there is no password. Only teachers are permitted in here during the summer, therefore all passwords are nonexistent. Come on in dear, it's good to see you again."
Hermione, surprised, stepped through the hole that had appeared as the Fat Lady swung open. She emerged into the warmth of the crimson and gold common room full of plush armchairs and squashy couches. She had spent so many hours down here with Ron and Harry, doing homework, creating one of their rule breaking plans (although she had tried to persuade them to follow them, not break them) or just lounging out and chatting, being teenagers.
Slowly, she walked up the winding staircase to the girl dormitories. She smiled as she remembered Harry and Ron trying and failing to get to the fifth year girls dormitories. The stairs had given way beneath them— boys back in the day of Hogwarts creation had been considered untrustworthy so the stairs had been enchanted to morph into a slide when a boy attempted to reach the girls dormitories, a spell that still remained to this day.
She reached a large wooden door and swung it open to reveal large, four-poster beds in a circular room. Back in the days of Hogwarts she had shared this room with Lavender and Parvati. She remembered long nights of trying to sleep while being kept awake by the two girls gossiping or comparing Divination notes and charts. Hermione hadn't really fit in with the girls but with Harry and Ron she didn't have to.
She spent a few more minutes in Gryffindor tower before deciding she better get a move on. She decided to check out the teachers dormitories where she would be staying. She politely asked the Fat Lady for directions before heading to the fourth floor. It took Hermione a little while to locate the painting but she eventually discovered it near the end of a corridor just off the Grand Staircase and found herself standing before a painting of a thin, grouchy looking old woman.
"What do you want?" the woman practically growled at Hermione. Surprised, Hermione jumped a little and replied shakily, "Oh, um… I'm the new Charms teacher, Hermione Granger."
"Charms, hmm? Well dearie, let me tell you, you'll never be a greater teacher than I was. I was the first Charms teacher this school ever had, and the best one yet."
"Oh Professor Merl, for goodness sakes, don't scare the poor girl. Just let us through please." Hermione turned around at the familiar voice and found herself facing her old Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall.
"Professor!" Hermione exclaimed, but McGonagall interrupted her. "I'll have none of this Professor nonsense, you will call me Minerva from now on. Now, don't worry about Professor Merl, she's just a little batty. Come along now, I expect you came to see the teachers dormitories. I'll show you in." She walked swiftly into the room and Hermione stared at her retreating back before shaking her head and following her. 'Same old McGonagall,' she thought.
Hermione gasped and the splendidness and extravagance of the room she had just entered. It was at least twice the size of the Gryffindor common room with multiple fireplaces around the room surrounded by huge, squashy armchairs and plush couches, much like the ones in Gryffindor tower, but there were many more. The huge windows looking in every direction let great amounts of sunlight stream into the room. The stunning window hangings were pulled to the sides to let in the maximum amount of late summer light and they formed a puddle of elegant fabric on the floor. The colours of the room included every house colour—--scarlet, blue, emerald, and yellow with touches of gold and silver throughout.
"Wonderful, isn't it? I just love spending time down here," McGonagall said to Hermione, seeing her staring in awe at the room. Hermione, startled, jumped slightly and turned to McGonagall.
"Well, I guess the professors deserve this, having to put up with troublesome students all year long," Hermione said with a laugh. "Now, which one is my dormitory?"
"Right over here," McGonagall said, motioning to the furthest door to the right. Hermione walked over to it and looked at the door. On it was the Gryffindor coat of arms under a gold banner that had the words 'Professor Hermione Granger' carved into it in neat cursive writing. Hermione ran her fingers over the grooves of her name. 'This is it,' she thought. 'This is where I belong, Charms teacher of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'
Slowly Hermione pushed the door open with a little creak. She was a little disappointed with what she saw. Before her was a bare white room. It was quite large with a massive window looking out over the vast lake with the Forbidden Forest to one side and the mountainous countryside beyond. However, the walls were white, the large, dark four-poster bed was bare and without hangings. The only colour in her room was her trunk which sat at the foot of the bed.
She looked questionably to McGonagall, who was still standing in the doorway, for an explanation. McGonagall replied quickly, "Oh, don't worry about the bareness. This is basically your home for the next nine and a half months so you get to decorate it to your liking. Just take your wand, concentrate on what you want the room to look like, and say, 'Onare!'
Hermione quickly whipped out her wand. This would be the first bit of magic she did in eight years! Her wand had been tucked away in her trunk, beneath the Hogwarts robes adorned with the red and gold of the Hogwarts crest and resting atop her old and faithful copy of Hogwarts: a History.
She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and imagined a dark, crimson room. The massive bed was dark mahogany wood with intricate carvings covering the sleek dark, timber. A quilt of golden silk that had a hint of a red shimmer intertwined in the threads covered the bed and squashy gold and scarlet pillows were littered on top of the elegant comforter. The hangings surrounding the bed were made from a dark red velvet that was currently gathered back to the corners of the bed but would stream to the floor when let hung freely. The colossal window was surrounded by graceful lengths of shimmering golden fabric drawn to one side and tied with a large crimson ribbon.
"Onare!" she called out, eyes still closed. She waited a few moments before she opened her eyes hesitantly. She heaved a sigh. The room was perfect, just how she wanted it.
"Well, Hermione," said McGonagall, "it seems that your Gryffindor spirit has stayed with you.
"Once a Gryffindor, always a Gryffindor," Hermione said with a grin. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few more places I'd like to visit."
"Of course," Mcgonagall replied. "Just make sure you're not late for lunch in the Great Hall at noon."
Hermione assured her she wouldn't and walked back into the corridor. 'Where next?' she thought. 'Of course,' she suddenly realized. 'The library.' She made her way down there and walked through the large doorway into the room covered in shelves loaded with so many wondrous books filled with so much splendid information. She inhaled the smell of the leather of the books that she had come to love throughout her seven years at Hogwarts. She had countless hours in this room, pouring over books and soaking up all the information she could.
"Good to see you again my dear. The library hasn't quite been the same without you."
Hermione turned to see a smiling Madame Pince, the librarian. "I forgot just how much I loved this place," she replied. It's so good to be back here again.
"It's good to see you here again too. Now you just take your time, look around, you probably have so much to see today."
"Oh yes, I do. I was going to go down and see Hagrid today. He's still here isn't he?" she questioned Madame Pince. She replied, "Why yes of course Hermione. Still Care of Magical Creatures teacher too. Mind you, he's gotten much better at it over the years, one of the best ones we've ever hade here as a matter of fact. You can just go on down there right now, I expect he's in his hut."
"No need for that ma'am. I'm right 'ere!" came a voice from behind Hermione. She spun around and the familiarness of the voice and came face to face with a very large man, at least twice the height of Hermione and more than four times as wide.
"Hagrid!" Hermione squealed before rushing over to hug the man around the waist. "It's so good to see you!"
"You too 'ermione. When Dumbledore told me you'd be teaching here after all there years I just couldn't wait ter see you. How have ya been?"
"Better lately since all the time I've spent with Harry and Ron and their families. This past year has been the best." She replied.
"A'int nobody who wouldn't be enjoying themselves with those two fellas. Turned into right fine gentlemen they did. Now if you'll excuse me 'ermione, I've got to get back to me hut. Hope you'll come and see me soon though."
"Of course I will Hagrid. It's been so nice seeing you again," she said to Hagrid before he turned and walked out the door, ducking slightly. Suddenly she realized that it was almost lunch time and she should be getting back to the Great Hall. She made her way down there and was just about to turn into the doorway when she heard Dumbledore's voice.
"Good morning. Welcome back to Hogwarts."
Eagerly, Hermione turned into the Great Hall expecting to see one of her old professors. She froze when she saw who Dumbledore had been welcoming.
"Ah, Hermione," Dumbledore said when he saw her, "I trust you know Mister Malfoy?"
***** *** *****
AN- Omigosh, I am soooo sorry that it took so long to update! If I was a reviewer I would be so mad at myself for taking so long! I've been really busy lately though so I don't know how long it will take to get the next chapter out but I'll try not to take as long as I took on this one. But this is chapter 13, I hope you liked it and please review! Thanks a bunch! :) ~*~FieryPhoenix~*~
Summary: A fic that takes place after Hogwarts. Hermione left the magical world behind after a messy breakup with Krum and became a muggle teacher. Years later she discovers that one of her new students is a Malfoy. What will happen when Draco enters her life?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. The ones you don't recognize belong to me.
Chapter 13- Back to the Castle in the Country
The summer passed quickly after the letters from Dumbledore. Hermione spent little time at her apartment as both the Potter's and the Weasley's had insisted she stay at their houses during the summer months. So long, hot days were spent with her friends lounging on the shore of the lake, splashing about in the cool water, going on early morning boating trips and playing makeshift Quidditch games.
Hermione was extremely excited about teaching at Hogwarts and spent much of the time planning out her lessons. She wanted this to be a class that everyone loved, not one like Professor Binns History of Magic class that had bored the students to tears. No, she was going to make this interesting and fun for the children.
As excited as Hermione was to return to the magnificent castle, deep inside of her she dreaded having to be away from Harry, Ron, Ginny, Lavender, the kids, and everyone else she had seen so much of over the summer. When she left at the beginning of the school year she wouldn't be back until Christmas.
The daylight began growing shorter as the days of summer slowly slipped away. The day of Hermione's departure drew nearer and as it approached her excitement and nervousness grew. A week was left, then 5 days, then 3 days, then only one day.
For once she wouldn't be arriving at Hogwarts on the large scarlet steam engine that she had so often traveled on for 7 years. The teachers had all been sent a portkey from Dumbledore that would activate the last day of August, the day the teachers were to arrive. They would have one day to get settled and prepare their classrooms before the students arrived.
The day before Hermione left, August 30, the adults and children all had a joyous time. Harry and Ron had decided to hold a little going away/congratulatory party for her and had even invited the Thomas', Seamus and Padma over.
"Where's Professor Granger?" Dean roared as he burst through the front door, grinning. Right behind him, Parvati entered the room grasping his hand, giggling and holding a smiling, bouncing Angela. Hermione glanced up when they came in, grinning broadly and glimpsed Alexander, Seamus, and Padma following them in. But Hermione had to do a double take. There had been another boy with Alex, a little platinum-haired boy.
"Justin?" Hermione gasped incredulously, getting up form the couch and walking over to the guests who had just arrived. It was true, Justin Malfoy stood in the Potter's entrance hall, grinning up at her, warm grey eyes shining.
"Ms. Granger!" Justin exclaimed. "How come you never told me you're going to be teaching at Hogwarts?"
"Well, I didn't know until after the school year had ended," Hermione told him, wondering why on earth he was here.
"Gosh, I'm sure gonna miss seeing you round school, Ms. Granger," he told Hermione. She smiled gently at him before saying, "Excuse me for a moment." She turned quickly to Dean and ushered him into the kitchen.
"Dean! Why on earth is Draco's son with you?" Hermione asked straightaway. Dean just smiled at her and answered, "Well Hermione, Draco's a pal of mine as you know, was on the school board with him for eight years. He's going away to Hogwart's too, and since Pansy has only part custody of Justin, Draco asked me if I would watch over him when he's not with his mother."
"But Draco's not gone yet. That still doesn't explain why he's here with you today!" Hermione protested.
"Well that's simple," began Dean, "he wanted to come say goodbye to you so Draco asked me if I could bring him. I agreed."
Hermione felt a brief pang in her heart when she heard that. Draco was avoiding her completely. He had gotten someone else to bring his son to see her. He couldn't even see her himself. She quickly brushed away these feelings however and said to Dean, "Well, ok then, thank you," before hurrying back into the living room.
The rest of the day was spent chatting merrily and devouring a delicious dinner made by Ginny with Mrs. Weasley's scrumptious recipes. Hermione didn't realize the time until she looked down and saw Lily, Mackie, Alex, Eddie, Elisabeth, and Justin all sound asleep on the rug.
"My goodness!" she shouted, causing several of the children to jerk awake. "It's already 11:00! Where does the time go?" Hermione got up as everyone prepared to leave. She helped load a sleeping Elisabeth onto the shoulders of Ron while a drowsy Eddie muttered goodbye to her. Ron and Lavender both gave her tight hugs before saying, "Goodbye, Hermione. We'll see you in December," and filing out the door into the darkness. Dean came next, carrying a sleeping Justin. "See ya Herm, have fun with Draco," he said, winking. Parvati, carrying Angela and followed closely by a sleepy Alex playfully hit her husband and said, "Ignore him Hermione. Best of luck, I know you'll do awesome. See you at Christmas." Seamus and Padma came next giving her quick hugs before uttering, "Goodbye and good luck," and walking outside, hand in hand.
Sighing, Hermione plopped down onto the plush couch. Ginny, holding a sleeping James, and Harry sat on either side of her, careful not to disturb the still sleeping Lily and Mackie.
"What's wrong Mione?" Harry asked her gently. To his surprise, Hermione burst into tears and threw herself into his arms.
"Oh Harry! I'm going to miss everyone so much! I've spent so much time with you over the last year that I can't imagine being away from everyone again."
"I thought you wanted to go back to Hogwarts. You love it there," Ginny said. Hermione turned to her, sniffling, and said, "Oh I do love it there. But it won't be the same without all my friends." Harry pulled her close and looked into her honey brown eyes still shining with tears in them.
"Mione, we all love you very much and this is the magnificent chance that you've been wishing for. We're all going to be here waiting for you and it's not that long until Christmas. After you get settled you won't even notice the time flying by until it's time to come back. Now wipe those tears and head up to bed, you've got an early day tomorrow." Hermione wiped her tears and with a final sniff headed upstairs.
She sat beside her window far into the night, gazing out at the luminous moon and the millions of glittering stars scattered around it. She couldn't sleep. Her thoughts wouldn't shut up in her head. Finally, just a few hours before she was expected to arise, her eyelids began to droop. Dragging herself to the bed she collapsed upon it and fell fast asleep, not bothering to get under the covers.
Before long the sun was peeking above the horizon, painting the sky a gorgeous rose hue. Hermione lay on the soft quilt, knees tucked tightly into her chest. The rising sun streamed through the window in golden bars, falling upon her chestnut ringlets sprawled haphazardly around her body.
Suddenly, a knock sounded lightly on the door. It opened with a slight squeak and Harry peeked into the room. He smiled when he saw Hermione with the sun upon her, sleeping so peacefully. He sure would miss her while she was at Hogwarts, but at least she wouldn't be gone for another eight years.
"Hermione?" he gently whispered, walking over to her.
"Hmmm…?" she said groggily, turning to face Harry and yawning widely. Harry laughed silently and said, "It's almost time for you to leave. You've got to get up now and get some breakfast in you. You get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs." He gave her a quick smile before turning around and exiting the room.
Hermione was wide awake by this time. Her whole body was full of excitement and nervousness. There was also the small portion of dread of leaving but she quickly shoved it aside. Her friends had assured her that this was a great decision and she wouldn't be gone long and she had believed them. So she hopped out of bed and hurried about getting ready, a huge smile plastered on her face.
Hermione grabbed the outfit that she had laid out the night before and quickly threw it on. It was a simple yet sophisticated outfit that hugged all the right curves of her body. It consisted of a chic black skirt that fell to just above her knees and a simple white blouse that buttoned up to just above her chest. On top of this outfit she put on her inky black Hogwarts robes emblazoned with the Hogwarts crest. She had traveled to Diagon Alley to acquire these robes the previous week.
Swiftly, she headed for the washroom down the hall. She fixed her hair, separating each curl so that defined ringlets hung neatly to her waist. Her makeup was simple and natural, bringing out her large honey eyes and her luscious lips. She looked in the mirror one last time and, satisfied, she smiled at herself and headed down the stairs towards the kitchen, robes billowing and swirling behind her in a cloud of blackness.
"Oh there you are Hermione," Ginny said, grinning when she saw her. "I was just about to come up and see what was taking so long."
"Sorry," replied Hermione, "I just wanted to look extra nice for my first impression back at Hogwarts."
"You didn't have to do that, you look beautiful all the time," answered Ginny. Hermione smiled at her and took a seat at the breakfast table just as a sleepy looking Lily wandered down the stairs, closely followed by Mackie who looked somewhat like she was still asleep.
"Oh good, you're still here!" Lily exclaimed excitedly. "We hoped we hadn't missed you, we wanted to make sure we got to say goodbye." Her and Mackie sat down on either side of Hermione as Ginny and Harry disappeared upstairs. They emerged a few moments later, Harry carrying Hermione's trunk full of all sorts of things she had purchased at Diagon Alley, and Ginny carrying a gurgling James. Harry set the trunk next to the table and Ginny sat James in his highchair. Finally, they all sat down together for breakfast.
Everyone at the table chatted merrily over their eggs, toast and orange juice and before Hermione knew it it was 5 minutes until 9:00.
"Goodness!" Hermione exclaimed. "I seem to be losing track of time an awful lot these days. The portkey will be activating in 5 minutes!" She began gathering her dishes but Ginny quickly stopped her, telling her she would get them later.
"We want enough time to say a proper goodbye," Ginny explained to her. Hermione once again smiled at her best girlfriend and hurried towards her trunk. She opened it and pulled out the portkey, grasping it tightly in the hand also holding onto her trunk, and turned towards the Potter family.
Ginny came forwards, hugged Hermione tightly and said, "We're sure gonna miss you around here. Christmas can't come fast enough." Hermione was surprised to see tears welling in her friends eyes and swiftly hugged Ginny even tighter.
"Don't worry, I'll be back soon," Hermione whispered to the petite redhead. Ginny sniffed and stepped back, allowing Lily and Mackie to come forwards. They ran towards her, hugging her waist and both chorused, "Goodbye Mione! See you soon!" Hermione laughed and answered with her own goodbye.
After the girls had stepped away to join their mother, Hermione caught sight of Harry's grinning face, his emerald eyes sparkling. She couldn't help but smile back as he came forwards to sweep her into a bone crushing hug.
"Just think Mione, when you get back we can go ice skating again!" Hermione laughed at Harry's words; they had spent much of their time last winter on that frozen pond.
"Goodbye Harry," Hermione said and Harry answered simply, "Goodbye."
"Well, I guess that's it then," Hermione said. "All I have to do now is wait for the portkey to activa---" She was cut off by a small something colliding with her legs. She looked down to see James' shining emerald eyes, so like Harry's, staring into her own, a smile plastered from ear to ear across his face. Hermione swung him up and he giggled, reaching out to grab her hair. His dark, dark red hair, almost black, was spread messily across his head and stuck up at odd angles from sleep but he was still so adorable. Hermione plastered him with kisses before saying, "Well, I couldn't forget about you now could I?" He giggled again but before Hermione could say anything else the clock began to strike 9:00.
BONG…
Hermione hurridly passed James to Harry.
BONG… BONG… BONG…
Quickly, she grabbed her trunk in one hand and grasped the portkey tighter in the other hand.
BONG… BONG… BONG…
"Goodbye!" everyone called out to her. "See you in Decmeber!"
BONG…
"Goodbye!" Hermione replied.
BOOOONNGG……
Hermione felt the familiar tug behind her navel as the ninth and final chime faded. The Potters and their kitchen swirled away from her view as she was whisked away, back to the grand castle in the countryside.
*****
Hermione landed on the floor with a thump, staggering slightly as she fought to regain her balance. Finally steady, Hermione looked up at her surroundings. She was in the Great Hall and sun was streaming down on her from the enchanted ceiling. 'Finally,' she thought, 'I'm back.'
"Good to see you again Ms. Granger. Or should I say Hermione."
Hermione just about jumped out of her shoes at the sound of the voice; she had not heard anyone approach. She turned to see Dumbledore, his beard a little longer and his skin a little more wrinkled but yes, it was still Professor Dumbledore and his clear blue eyes still twinkled.
"Oh Professor, it's so good to be back!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly. Dumbledore just smiled and replied, "Call me Albus. After all, you're no longer a student here, you're a fellow colleague."
"That will take some getting used to Prof—-- er, I mean Albus," Hermione replied. Dumbledore just smiled knowingly at her and said, "Ah yes, I suppose it will. Now, I know you must be eager to revisit the castle. Other professors have arrived previously and you will find them throughout the school. You can leave your trunk here," he said as Hermione made to reach towards her trunk. "I'll fetch someone to take it to the teachers' dormitories for you. But I best be on my way now. Good day!" He smiled at Hermione and turned, striding towards the Entrance Hall.
Hermione quickly headed there herself, emerging to find Dumbledore gone already. Thinking where she would like to go first she decided to head to Gryffindor tower and her old dormitory.
Five minutes later she stood in front of the Fat Lady. She realized much too late that she had no idea what the password was. Disappointed, she turned to leave when she heard the portrait say, "Dear, where are you going? Did you come all the way up here just to turn around and go all the way back down?" Hermione, quite surprised, muttered, "Well, I don't know the password."
"Password?" she replied. "School hasn't started yet; there is no password. Only teachers are permitted in here during the summer, therefore all passwords are nonexistent. Come on in dear, it's good to see you again."
Hermione, surprised, stepped through the hole that had appeared as the Fat Lady swung open. She emerged into the warmth of the crimson and gold common room full of plush armchairs and squashy couches. She had spent so many hours down here with Ron and Harry, doing homework, creating one of their rule breaking plans (although she had tried to persuade them to follow them, not break them) or just lounging out and chatting, being teenagers.
Slowly, she walked up the winding staircase to the girl dormitories. She smiled as she remembered Harry and Ron trying and failing to get to the fifth year girls dormitories. The stairs had given way beneath them— boys back in the day of Hogwarts creation had been considered untrustworthy so the stairs had been enchanted to morph into a slide when a boy attempted to reach the girls dormitories, a spell that still remained to this day.
She reached a large wooden door and swung it open to reveal large, four-poster beds in a circular room. Back in the days of Hogwarts she had shared this room with Lavender and Parvati. She remembered long nights of trying to sleep while being kept awake by the two girls gossiping or comparing Divination notes and charts. Hermione hadn't really fit in with the girls but with Harry and Ron she didn't have to.
She spent a few more minutes in Gryffindor tower before deciding she better get a move on. She decided to check out the teachers dormitories where she would be staying. She politely asked the Fat Lady for directions before heading to the fourth floor. It took Hermione a little while to locate the painting but she eventually discovered it near the end of a corridor just off the Grand Staircase and found herself standing before a painting of a thin, grouchy looking old woman.
"What do you want?" the woman practically growled at Hermione. Surprised, Hermione jumped a little and replied shakily, "Oh, um… I'm the new Charms teacher, Hermione Granger."
"Charms, hmm? Well dearie, let me tell you, you'll never be a greater teacher than I was. I was the first Charms teacher this school ever had, and the best one yet."
"Oh Professor Merl, for goodness sakes, don't scare the poor girl. Just let us through please." Hermione turned around at the familiar voice and found herself facing her old Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall.
"Professor!" Hermione exclaimed, but McGonagall interrupted her. "I'll have none of this Professor nonsense, you will call me Minerva from now on. Now, don't worry about Professor Merl, she's just a little batty. Come along now, I expect you came to see the teachers dormitories. I'll show you in." She walked swiftly into the room and Hermione stared at her retreating back before shaking her head and following her. 'Same old McGonagall,' she thought.
Hermione gasped and the splendidness and extravagance of the room she had just entered. It was at least twice the size of the Gryffindor common room with multiple fireplaces around the room surrounded by huge, squashy armchairs and plush couches, much like the ones in Gryffindor tower, but there were many more. The huge windows looking in every direction let great amounts of sunlight stream into the room. The stunning window hangings were pulled to the sides to let in the maximum amount of late summer light and they formed a puddle of elegant fabric on the floor. The colours of the room included every house colour—--scarlet, blue, emerald, and yellow with touches of gold and silver throughout.
"Wonderful, isn't it? I just love spending time down here," McGonagall said to Hermione, seeing her staring in awe at the room. Hermione, startled, jumped slightly and turned to McGonagall.
"Well, I guess the professors deserve this, having to put up with troublesome students all year long," Hermione said with a laugh. "Now, which one is my dormitory?"
"Right over here," McGonagall said, motioning to the furthest door to the right. Hermione walked over to it and looked at the door. On it was the Gryffindor coat of arms under a gold banner that had the words 'Professor Hermione Granger' carved into it in neat cursive writing. Hermione ran her fingers over the grooves of her name. 'This is it,' she thought. 'This is where I belong, Charms teacher of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'
Slowly Hermione pushed the door open with a little creak. She was a little disappointed with what she saw. Before her was a bare white room. It was quite large with a massive window looking out over the vast lake with the Forbidden Forest to one side and the mountainous countryside beyond. However, the walls were white, the large, dark four-poster bed was bare and without hangings. The only colour in her room was her trunk which sat at the foot of the bed.
She looked questionably to McGonagall, who was still standing in the doorway, for an explanation. McGonagall replied quickly, "Oh, don't worry about the bareness. This is basically your home for the next nine and a half months so you get to decorate it to your liking. Just take your wand, concentrate on what you want the room to look like, and say, 'Onare!'
Hermione quickly whipped out her wand. This would be the first bit of magic she did in eight years! Her wand had been tucked away in her trunk, beneath the Hogwarts robes adorned with the red and gold of the Hogwarts crest and resting atop her old and faithful copy of Hogwarts: a History.
She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and imagined a dark, crimson room. The massive bed was dark mahogany wood with intricate carvings covering the sleek dark, timber. A quilt of golden silk that had a hint of a red shimmer intertwined in the threads covered the bed and squashy gold and scarlet pillows were littered on top of the elegant comforter. The hangings surrounding the bed were made from a dark red velvet that was currently gathered back to the corners of the bed but would stream to the floor when let hung freely. The colossal window was surrounded by graceful lengths of shimmering golden fabric drawn to one side and tied with a large crimson ribbon.
"Onare!" she called out, eyes still closed. She waited a few moments before she opened her eyes hesitantly. She heaved a sigh. The room was perfect, just how she wanted it.
"Well, Hermione," said McGonagall, "it seems that your Gryffindor spirit has stayed with you.
"Once a Gryffindor, always a Gryffindor," Hermione said with a grin. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few more places I'd like to visit."
"Of course," Mcgonagall replied. "Just make sure you're not late for lunch in the Great Hall at noon."
Hermione assured her she wouldn't and walked back into the corridor. 'Where next?' she thought. 'Of course,' she suddenly realized. 'The library.' She made her way down there and walked through the large doorway into the room covered in shelves loaded with so many wondrous books filled with so much splendid information. She inhaled the smell of the leather of the books that she had come to love throughout her seven years at Hogwarts. She had countless hours in this room, pouring over books and soaking up all the information she could.
"Good to see you again my dear. The library hasn't quite been the same without you."
Hermione turned to see a smiling Madame Pince, the librarian. "I forgot just how much I loved this place," she replied. It's so good to be back here again.
"It's good to see you here again too. Now you just take your time, look around, you probably have so much to see today."
"Oh yes, I do. I was going to go down and see Hagrid today. He's still here isn't he?" she questioned Madame Pince. She replied, "Why yes of course Hermione. Still Care of Magical Creatures teacher too. Mind you, he's gotten much better at it over the years, one of the best ones we've ever hade here as a matter of fact. You can just go on down there right now, I expect he's in his hut."
"No need for that ma'am. I'm right 'ere!" came a voice from behind Hermione. She spun around and the familiarness of the voice and came face to face with a very large man, at least twice the height of Hermione and more than four times as wide.
"Hagrid!" Hermione squealed before rushing over to hug the man around the waist. "It's so good to see you!"
"You too 'ermione. When Dumbledore told me you'd be teaching here after all there years I just couldn't wait ter see you. How have ya been?"
"Better lately since all the time I've spent with Harry and Ron and their families. This past year has been the best." She replied.
"A'int nobody who wouldn't be enjoying themselves with those two fellas. Turned into right fine gentlemen they did. Now if you'll excuse me 'ermione, I've got to get back to me hut. Hope you'll come and see me soon though."
"Of course I will Hagrid. It's been so nice seeing you again," she said to Hagrid before he turned and walked out the door, ducking slightly. Suddenly she realized that it was almost lunch time and she should be getting back to the Great Hall. She made her way down there and was just about to turn into the doorway when she heard Dumbledore's voice.
"Good morning. Welcome back to Hogwarts."
Eagerly, Hermione turned into the Great Hall expecting to see one of her old professors. She froze when she saw who Dumbledore had been welcoming.
"Ah, Hermione," Dumbledore said when he saw her, "I trust you know Mister Malfoy?"
***** *** *****
AN- Omigosh, I am soooo sorry that it took so long to update! If I was a reviewer I would be so mad at myself for taking so long! I've been really busy lately though so I don't know how long it will take to get the next chapter out but I'll try not to take as long as I took on this one. But this is chapter 13, I hope you liked it and please review! Thanks a bunch! :) ~*~FieryPhoenix~*~