Author's Notes- I am happy to all of those who reviewd and i ask that you continue. thank you all and i cant wait to hear what you have to say. enjoy!
Hermione made her way to the entrance of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry feeling a small amount of de ja vou. She felt like a nervous first year again. Once she made it to the tall doors she stopped and took a deep breath. She couldn't believe that this was happening. She never would have thought that she would end up being a teacher at the school that she once had so much respect for. So many things happened in her life beyond those doors and although she knew some were about to come and haunt her she knew this was the place that she could heal...the only place. Whether he was here or not.
She opened her eyes and knocked on the tall doors and as soon as she removed her hand the doors opened and she saw Dumbledore coming towards her. She smiled and walked up to him and captured him in a tight hug. He smiled and pulled away.
"I trust your trip here went well, miss Granger?"
"As well as it could have gone." She replied, a smile still playing over her lips.
"Excellent. I'll be taking you to your living quarters now and once you set up there you can come down to the great hall for some dinner." He said
Hermione nodded and with that she followed Dumbledore down the corridors. She couldn't help but feel a pang on excitement. Surprisingly Draco was shoved out of her mind as she saw the portraits and the shining suits of armor. For the first time in years she felt like singing. She wasn't going to however. That would be too weird. But there was a small skip in her step that even Dumbledore couldn't help but notice.
They finally reached a tall portrait of a small girl riding a horse. She was smiling at Hermione and Dumbledore and hopped off her horse before asking. "Password?"
"Chocolate Frogs." Said Dumbledore suddenly.
The little girl nodded before the portrait hole was revealed.
"This will be your living quarters for the next year, miss Granger. I do hope you enjoy your stay. I will be asking you to complete your first term lesson plans by tomorrow night and I ask you to deliver them to me in person so that we may discuss them. I'm sorry that you have such short time but you were invited on short notice. I hope that you do not mind?" he said with a small smile.
"I don't mind headmaster. I'll give them to you tomorrow night. I promise." She said.
Dumbledore nodded and turned around and left. Hermione made her way into her living quarters and marveled at its beauty. It had a handsome bedpost varnished perfectly and there was a small mirror framed in gold. There was a bathroom attached to her room with red and gold coloring on the walls.
"Once a Gryfindor always a Gryfindor. Thank you Dumbledore." She whispered to herself smiling. She ran her hands over the sink and the shower. It was beautiful. She made her way back to the bed and lay down. She closed her eyes and whispered, "It's good to be home."
Dumbledore entered the Great Hall where most of the other teachers sat and ate their dinners.
"Albus! Where have you been?" asked the Transfiguration teacher named Minerva McGonagall.
"I have just been showing our new Astronomy teacher to her living quarters." Said Dumbledore as he took his seat in the middle of the table between McGonagall and none other than Draco Malfoy.
"So you found one then?" asked the alert transfiguration teacher.
"Why yes, and I was lucky. I seemed to catch her when she wasn't doing to well for herself. Poor girl was unemployed and wasn't living up to what we would have expected." Said Dumbledore obviously trying to get her to guess whom it was.
"Enough of all of the games. Who is it Albus?" she asked rather irritated.
Dumbledore laughed and nodded to her.
"It's Miss Hermione Granger." Said Dumbledore.
All of the sudden Dumbledore heard a choking noise next to him. He turned to see Draco choking on his pumpkin juice. Dumbledore patted his back looking rather worried.
"Is everything all right, Mr. Malfoy?" he asked.
"Everything is fine, headmaster. But I think I heard you incorrectly. Did you say that Hermio...Miss Granger was a new teacher here?"
Dumbledore looked at him a bit oddly.
"I believe that you heard me correctly."
Draco nodded his nerves beginning to vibrate in his stomach.
"Wait, your telling me that Hermione Granger was unemployed?" asked Minerva.
Dumbledore nodded sadly. "Poor thing. I've been wanting to ask her but I wasn't sure if she had a job or not. I tell you when I saw her house I knew I had to offer her the job. She wasn't doing to well but she was as polite as ever when I spoke with her. She's in her living quarters right now." He said.
Draco was staring at his plate not knowing what to think. Hermione...his Hermione was poor...wasn't doing well. He didn't know why but a part of him felt guilty. He wasn't as good as a student as she was and he had everything. He shook his head. He needed to get some fresh air. He stood up and left not knowing the Dumbledore was watching him with amusement. Not knowing that Dumbledore knew everything that happened between them. Not knowing that Dumbledore had a plan and having Hermione Granger teach here was all part of it.
Draco made his way through the hallways. Looking at portraits and watching ghosts fly in and out of the walls. He didn't know exactly where he was going. He let his feet take him wherever they wanted to. It wasn't until he found himself inside the library did he realize how deep he was in on this.
Hermione had finished setting up her room and was on her way to the Great Hall when she stopped in her tracks. She realized that she didn't feel too hungry and she just wanted to reacquaint herself with the school that she had been away from for so long. She made her way higher and higher through the castles until she reached Gryfindor Tower. She stood in front of the fat lady with a small smile and a twinge of sadness in her eyes. She wished that she could just walk in and see Harry And Ron in front of the Fireplace smiling and playing chess or discussing Quiddich. She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes.
She turned and headed back down the castle till she reached a window in one of the corridors. It had a perfect view of the Quiddich stadium. She could almost see the players from her year playing the remarkable game chasing the quaffle and trying to win praise for their houses. She could almost see Harry landing on the ground with his fist raised high in the air after a spectacular dive while catching the snitch. She didn't realize how much she had missed.
She left and headed to the one place that held the most memories for her at Hogwarts. She found herself entering the Library heading to her favorite place in the back. Tears were falling down her cheeks knowing she could never get back everything she missed. She sat down in the chair that faced the window that she fell out of that one fateful day that Draco had saved her. All of her friends had what they wanted. Harry was married and he worked as an aurer. Ron wasn't married but he was a player for the chuddly cannons. She hadn't been in contact with either of them because their jobs forced them to move around a lot and they were always busy.
Hermione sighed not wanting to realize how bad her life had truly gotten. But the realization came and so did more tears.
"Why can't things go back top the way they were?" she asked herself out loud.
"I sometimes wonder the same thing." Came a deep voice from behind her.
Hermione turned around to see a tall man with silvery blond hair walking towards her. She was about to stand up but he put a hand on her should forcing her back down.
He sat next to her at the table and looked at her through silvery gray eyes. His hair hung loosely at the sides of his face and his muscles seemed to be more toned.
Hermione could only stare at him in wonder.
"So you are the new Astronomy teacher I see." Draco said after a long silence.
Hermione just looked at her hands and nodded. Draco could see her tear stained face and somewhere in him wanted to kiss away her pain.
"Why are you crying?" he asked her putting a hand under her chin and lifting her head to face him.
Hermione looked at him for a second savoring the warm feeling of his touch.
"I'm suffering." She said in a whisper.
"Suffering? From what?" he asked.
"A broken heart." She said even softer.
Draco stared at her through the hair that fell into his eyes. He moved his thumb to her cheek and rubbed away the tears.
"A broken heart." Repeated Draco.
Hermione nodded and closed her eyes. She suddenly felt tired. She knew that she shouldn't be letting him touch her. She shouldn't let him in but it was so hard.
She opened her eyes and saw Draco still looking at her intently.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Thinking." He said simply not removing his hand or his gaze.
"About what?" she asked.
"Everything. School days, professors, ...love...and you." He said softly.
Hermione's eyes widened. She knew she shouldn't let him do this to her. She wanted so badly to feel him with her again but he lost her. He told her no. He can't do it to her again.
"No." she whispered.
"No?" he asked.
She shook her head and pulled her face away from his touch.
"Why?" he asked.
Hermione stood up and looked at him.
"You made your decision about me a long time ago. Whether to save me or not." She said turning around and getting ready to leave. She only went a few steps before she felt his hand go around her arm and turning her around to face him.
"I had to. You would have died!" he said.
"And the way to treated me afterwards! You wouldn't even look at me! I would have rather died then had to suffer, Draco!" she said pulling away from his grasp.
"I was scared! The one person I actually cared about would have died if I didn't do anything! I was doing what I thought was right! You're not the only one who was hurt, Hermione!" he said walking closer to her.
"You could have at least looked at me! I would cry myself to sleep every night because of you!" she said backing up.
Draco just stood there in shock. He couldn't believe that he caused her so much pain.
"I still do!" she went on.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I still bloody love you!" she yelled not realizing what she said till after she said it. Her hand flew to her mouth in surprise. Her eyes were wide in horror. She had finally said the one thing she had been trying to get out of her mind.
"You what?" asked Draco calming down.
"Nothing." Hermione said quickly.
"You still love me?" he asked walking closer to her.
"I didn't say that." She said quickly.
"Yes you did." He said as he got so close his forehead was touching hers.
"I didn't mean it" she lied.
"You were never very good at lying." He said into her ear.
"No " she whispered as his lips gently grazed hers. She closed her eyes and backed away.
"It doesn't change anything. You still hurt me." She said before turning around and leaving alone in the library.
To his surprise he smiled.
"On the contrary. It changes everything." He said to himself a plan forming in his mind.