Author's Note: Here I am again with the second chapter. It might have taken a while with me missing my mock examinations due to flu and still not being able to catch up. I hoped that my authors note would be apology enough for my readers, but obviously this wasn't so. To hp1fan, I feel I made myself perfectly clear in the summary that the authors note would not be a second chapter. I would also like to say that I do not disagree with you and that that was the point of the note. I cannot and will not be bullied into forcing a work of creative art. If this annoys you then I apologise.

Acknowledgements: Firstly I would like to thank all the readers who have bared with me! I can be so slow sometimes! Princess Aiko – Ginny got worked up about Hermione and Draco so confronted Draco about it. He probably insulted her and upset her. To cover everything up, Draco let recover in his bed.  NightMoth – We'll have to see about Oliver and your theory… JessicaLWriter – I'm glad you like it so much! To EVERYONE else who reviewed, thank you again. This also counts for the reviewers of 'Tomorrows Yesterday'.

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.

Inclination

Chapter Two

A person is made up of their past present and future. The question is which is the most influential of them all? Can it be that the past is constantly controlling your future? Would it be possible to change the present if you made a different decision? All these questions have thousands of answers and each one is out of reach for our complicated minds. Fate moves in mysterious ways…

Toast crumbs. They had that awful habit of getting everywhere. On your clothes, between your teeth and especially in the bed sheets. Hermione felt like the Princess with the pea. Where ever she moved there was that rough feeling of tiny toast crumbs rubbing against her skin. In some ways it was annoying, but in others it was satisfactory. She thought this was probably due to the fact that someone cared enough about her to bring her breakfast in bed. Then again, she considered, it was far from breakfast at this time. Instead she settled herself with the idea of brunch.

She looked out across the room and shivered slightly. The winter air had somehow drifted through the warmth of her bedroom and climbed into bed with her. Quickly she pulled her covers further around her sleek body and tucked it underneath her just to make sure she would remain warm. Her eyes darted to the window that was on the wall opposite to where she sat on the bed. Outside the world was humming with business as usual and Hermione was struck with a longing to be part of it all. She wanted to be part of the adult world, yet at the age of 22 she still didn't feel truly a part of it all. Of course there had been those times where her connection with Harry had meant she was seen as a very important and learned person, but it was nothing compared to her friend himself.

Ever since the day his parents were killed by Voldemort, Harry had been on a blood mission to avenge the deaths of his family and cleanse the world of evil. It might have been an unknown quest at the beginning, but now it was his life. He had fought everyday to overcome the darkness that was trying to strangle his life, but little had changed since the day he began. Evil, it seemed, had a will of its own. It corrupted the minds of good people and made them part of the war. Harry had strived to be ready at every possible point. He'd become a master at duelling, skilled with a broom and wand, but most of all he had become a leader. People looked up to him and anyone associated with him was thought to be somehow blessed and special.

It was difficult to live in a world where your name was of no relevance, but who you associated was. She found she had the same difficulty with being Oliver's girlfriend. Constantly there would be women (and men) swarming round him as if they were bees to the honey pot. In her mind that was what Oliver represented to her and the rest of the female population. A honey pot. He was sweet, loving and when he made a decision he stuck to it like glue. He was the best companion a girl could have and the added bonus of having a sex god for a boyfriend was just an added bonus. No one knew her real name but referred to her as 'Oliver Wood's girl'. She knew it wasn't his fault but she couldn't help hating him at times.

'Having a nice day dream?'

She looked up towards the door to see the man of the moment, and smiled slightly. He was leaning against the frame of the door with nothing but a towel to keep the cold off his body. That was the annoying thing about having a drop dead sexy man sharing your bed. He always looked good! Even being soaking wet and having his hair sticking out in every which way he looked like a dream. The annoying thing about it was that it didn't make Hermione feel at all attractive or sexy in any way. In fact it made her feel obese in his presence.  

Oliver smiled slightly and made his way across the room to her. 'Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's rude to stare at half naked young men, unless you intend on joining him in his state of dress?'

'I was taught that it was rude to drip water on another person's carpet,' she retorted playfully, 'unlike some people around here!'

This was one of the things she loved about being around Oliver, which made the bad things seem insignificant. If you took away the media surrounding him, he was a great person to be around. He made her feel so happy with his pointless banter and the way he read her like a book was amazingly attractive. Whenever she was feeling under the weather for any reason, he would never have to ask what was wrong. Instead he would go out to the shops and buy cobias amounts of chocolate a coffee. Then he would carry her to the sitting room, snuggle her in a blanket and put a Muggle movie called 'Dirty Dancing' on. Every time it worked like a dream and left her feeling content.

'So Miss Granger, what are you going to be doing for the rest of your lazy Sunday?' he asked in his gorgeous Scottish accent.

'Well I was thinking about getting some more preparation done in case they offer me the job at Hogwarts.' She sighed slightly. 'It's been a week now and still I haven't heard word of whether that jobs mine! It's driving me insane.'

'Calm down pet. You and I both know you're the best of the best and not choosing you would be taking second best.'

Hermione couldn't help but smile at his faith in her. 'You'd better be right Mr Wood or there is going to be some serious making it up to be done.'

'Well if you put it like that Miss Granger I'll be going to tell Dumbledore that he can't have you because your mine and that if he'd been quicker he might have been in with a slim chance of taking you away from my grubby mitts.' Oliver said in a smooth playful tone.

With a scowl, she reached up and slapped his arm. 'That's Professor Granger to you Mr Wood.'

Laughter echoed through the cosy little room. Sometimes Hermione wondered if things with Oliver were too good to be true. When they were together everything they did seemed to coincide with what the other was doing. Even though they'd been dating for some time now he still treated her as if it was something new and exciting. She never felt unappreciated or suspected him of having an affair because he seemed entirely dedicated to her. They could talk for hours on end without getting tired of each others company. It all seemed too much like it had just been extracted from a sixties Muggle film where everything was too happy and content.

'So 'Mione, how do you like the idea of spending a day in bed with your humble slave?' Oliver mumbled as he bent down and kissed her bare shoulder.

'That's mistress to you,' she quipped before yanking him down on to the bed.

***

Owls weren't the most intelligent of creatures, but they knew when something important was happening around them. It might have been the hysterical shriek that drew this particular owls' attention first, or it could have been the way he had been manhandled. Either way he knew that the object attached to his leg must have held good information because the deformed ape like creature started dancing around. The owl wasn't complaining of course but he would have preferred it gave him some food and stopped playing silly beggars. He watched it in a bored fashion as time ticked by slowly. There was only one thing left to do. Screech or attack its head when it wasn't looking. The owl considered things over in an orderly fashion, its mind moving like clockwork.

Then before it could come to his final decision, he got a beak full of seed and was shooed off the window. His last thoughts before leaving the house were that it could have at least damn waited till he had come to a decision!

***

Hermione was officially panicking. It had been three days since she had received the owl informing her of her job at Hogwarts and now she was counting the days till she began. That day would be today as Dumbledore wanted her to take the post as soon as possible. This meant that Hermione was in a panic about if she'd packed everything, whether anyone would hate her, what Oliver would do without her and mostly what impression she would have on the new generation of people she would be teaching.

Teaching had always seemed incredible in her eyes. It was amazing how she could always remember her teachers vividly. Not all of them had been as nice and understanding as some, but all of them had made an impact on her life. By becoming a teacher she hoped to inspire the same knowledge that these people had done in hers. She wanted to be remembered in years to come as someone's favourite teacher. Maybe even get an apple on her desk. Then again the youth of today were not as they had been when she was a teenager. That though seemed miles away from the life she had now.

Often when it came to Hermione's ability to teach, she would look back at how it had all been when she'd been there. It was impossible to remember everything and all the things she tended to remember were bad. There was the troll way back in the first year, encounters with Voldemort and the death of Cedric along with many other fellow students. There had been so many bad experiences that she found it hard to remember the good ones. All she had left was a link to what she remembered. There was Harry and dear old Ron. Both of whom seemed exactly the same as the day she had met them. Hermione though felt far different to the little girl who held her nose up in the air at everything.

A lot had happened to change her.

Looking around the sitting room, she counted up her luggage bags. Three in total. She recounted and ticked the list in front of her. Sometimes it was difficult being so organised and Oliver wasn't making things much easier. All he wanted to do was keep her in bed, which was no way to prepare to leave the house for a couple of months. She had put down his offers gently and tried to get him out of the house while she packed. Oliver being Oliver though had offered to help. Hermione loved the man dearly but he couldn't half be a nuisance at the best of times.

Finally she had got everything together though and now it was time to leave her house. In all aspects she wouldn't be that long away from the little maisonette, but it would seem like forever. Hogwarts had a habit of sucking a person in and making them feel at home. It would never be her home though and it made her close to tears even thinking about it.

'Now, you will remember to check that I don't have squatters wouldn't you? Oh and my plants will need watering at least every couple of days! Also, when you do move you things in, can you make sure you put things neatly. I know it may seem stupid but I like my home to look respectable even when I'm not in it.' She bustled round the sitting room, collecting her boots and recounting the luggage again.

'Yes Miss.' Oliver said solemnly.

'If you shirk any, I repeat ANY, of these things I will know. And then Oliver, I will come down on you like a tonne of magical bricks. Do I make myself clear?' By this time she was standing right in front of him, waving a finger under his nose.

'As clear as day.' He smiled slightly and kissed her nose. 'Relax.'

'Relax?! I'd like to see you try and relax under all this pressure!'

'You seem to be forgetting that I'm not the only one that's going to be away from home.' He took her hands in his and kissed them gently. 'Wherever you go is home to me 'Mione and you'll be far away.'

A sigh escaped her lips. She had forgotten entirely about Oliver personally. It was her who was leaving him for a career! Even when he went to Quidditch matches overseas, he called her every night. He was constantly making sure she knew what she meant to him. Now though, he wouldn't be able to see her everyday. The sleepy Sunday mornings lying in bed wouldn't happen. All they could do was occasionally meet up in Hogsmede and send owls to each other. She bit into her lips and pushed back the thoughts.

'I love you, you know that?' Hermione said through everything she felt.

'And I love you too.' That was all it took for her to feel safe and secure. He smiled slightly and hugged her. 'I will come and see you. It's only a couple of months before you can come back and clean! Don't cry.'

 It wasn't the time to cry though. She had to be in Hogsmede by eleven and then take a coach to Hogwarts. It would be a long and tiring ride, but at the end she would have everything she had ever hoped for. A job that would give her everything a love life couldn't. She would meet new people and love every moment of it. It would be sad to have to leave Oliver but it had to be done. Now was the time to do it.

A single tear was all she shed as they said their goodbyes, with bitter sweet kisses.

***

It was amazing how much rain a single cloud could hold. Each drop seemed like a golden penny compared to the light fluffy beings that roamed the skies. What was also amazing was how Hogwarts had a tendency to make the weather seem like so much more then mere weather. It was a gift from the heavens and something to be treasured. Not everyone would be able to appreciate the skies again, or feel a rain drop run down their nose. Not everyone would wake up at the end of the night, instead fade away to nothing. Fights were fought and people died. Still though the world kept turning and the weather kept happening. They never seemed to notice the suffering of the world below. And still it rained.

Hermione looked up at the roof of the carriage she was in and wondered why it was rain always made her feel more alive. Most of her happiest and saddest memories centred on the tiny droplets of water that fell from the sky. She sighed blissfully as the pitter patter turned into applause from the heavens. It seemed so familiar but she couldn't put her finger on why.

Glancing out the window she noticed the towers of Hogwarts looming into view and she felt a flutter in her stomach. Even after all this time she couldn't help the nervous excitement that hit her on that first glimpse. Mixed with the atmosphere the rain was causing, she felt both happy and sad at the same time. Irony had played her another hand and she was returning to the place that holds the most memories for her.

'Rain…' she murmured as her mind began to whirl with the thoughts of the last memorable time she had stood out in the rain. She had been seventeen and the world had seemed far too unimportant when compared to her own life. The night had been heavy with magic floating through the air and the castle had been filled with the music of drumming. She had lain in bed for what seemed like hours, just listening. Something though had felt out of place. Her skin had itched for her to go out into the storm that was building and release the ache that was building up in her. Eventually she had given in.

Without even changing into suitable clothes, Hermione had done something that was beyond her usual character. She had been reckless and instead of doing the sensible thing, she had followed her heart. It wanted to feel the same way it had done that night she had first met Draco. The boy with more layers then an onion and too many complications to count. It wanted to feel his fingers run through her hair. The sweet whisperings of his breath on her neck. The delicate kiss upon her cold lips. She ached so badly for him that it was killing her softly. Hermione felt dead to the world and betrayed by everything her body was feeling. This though hadn't held her back as she had run into the rain in her pyjamas.

The carriage juddered to a halt, pulling her away from the memories that where eating through her. It wasn't good to dwell, she thought as she looked up at the castle. It wasn't as if it was going to change anything. The past could never be changed and she wasn't even sure she would try if she could. Now was a good place, she reassured herself.

Soon she was out of the warmth of the small confinement and in the rain. It seeped into her robes in heavy drops, making her pause and close her eyes. This though was also ripped away from her as she was bustled by a house elf carrying her bags into the house. Her eyes followed the small creature and registered that she should thank him later. Then suddenly, as if remembering what she was doing, she shook herself and walked into the castle. Its doors wide open and welcoming.

'Ah! Professor Granger!'

Hermione smiled brightly and walked over to the source of the voice. This man represented everything she held dear and was her Idol. For these things she loved him dearly. 'Hello Albus.'  

Dumbledore smiled slightly and she felt the familiar tug of her heart strings. When she had first started at Hogwarts, she had been in awe of this great man she had read so much about. He was feared, respected and loved by the world and had a Santa Clause charm to him. Hermione had known instantly that this was going to be a safe place for her to be. None of the evil would reach her as long as Dumbledore was in charge.

'It's delightful to see you again Miss Granger,' He said gently. 'Your arrival has been expected and anticipated with much pleasure.'

'Thank you. I have to say it's been the same for me.'

'Of course, of course!' A smile graced his lips. 'Now all we have to do is wait for the second carriage and then I can show you to your new room and study. Oh, you don't mind waiting do you?'

'A second carriage?' she frowned as the words left her lips. 'Is there a new member of staff arriving too? I just got the impression there was only one job available when I enquired.'

'Oh yes, well you see, this job was intended to be available.' He smiled sadly and Hermione remembered that there was a war going on. Hogwarts was a major target for Voldemort and his armies. 'Severus was…called away on an act of national importance. We had to replace him quickly with his…trainee. I think that's the right way to put it.'

'Oh…I didn't know Professor Snape had a trainee. Who is it?' She asked politely, the inquisitive side of her getting the better.

'That would be me.'

The hairs stood up on the back of her neck as the new voice reached her ears. The moment she turned to confirm her fears, the world stop turning and she was caught in a moment. Tempestuous grey eyes gazed back into hers.

…sometimes its all for the better and sometimes its all for the worse. Yet constantly it's working to make your life better. At the time you might not be able to see through the haze of pain and misery. In fact it might take years just to regain that moment of happiness that makes you whole and complete again. It may look bleak but nothing is never as it seems as the memories are forced to the surface.