A/N: I'm uploading about 3 times a week at this point. I'm open to suggestions and criticisms! Let me know if you're liking it :)

-Jane

-3-

HERMIONE's final days in the Leaky Couldron were uneventful. She spent some time strolling through Diagon Alley, buying any supplies she thought she'd need for the summer and when that was finished, she returned to her room to pack them all away.

The anticipation of returning to Hogwarts had hit Hermione fully now, and before she knew it, she was boarding the Hogwarts Express, bound for Hogsmead. She practically skipped along the train corridor before she settled on an empty compartment where she stowed her trunk and allowed Crookshanks to escape from his crate. He sauntered out, happily stretching before he curled up next to the window.

The ride, though long in distance, flew by quickly. Mostly thanks to her book, "New Theory of Numerology", gifted by Harry a few Christmases back. She didn't get to enjoy Arithmancy much in the past year, so she had a lot of reading to catch up on.

Many chapters and a ham and cheese sandwich later, they were nearing the end of the journey. Soon, a conductor was calling through the train, "10 minutes to Hogsmead station!"

Hermione was unsure of the proper dress code of a Junior Staff member. Other witches and wizards in her car donned robes, so decided to follow suit and change into hers.

Once she finished, she paused to assess her appearance in the mirror of the small toilet. She sighed audibly. Her hair seemed as unmanageable as ever lately. She attempted the pat down her curls before deciding to pull it back into a low bun, allowing a few curls to escape and frame her face.

She was never one to wear much makeup, so her face remained bare aside from a single coat of mascara and a pink lip gloss that was uncannily similar in color to the natural blush of her cheeks. Satisfied enough with her looks, she grabbed her muggle clothes and headed back to her compartment.

When she stepped onto the platform, she was greeted by a familiar voice.

"All Junior Staff Volunteers and Reintegration Assistants this way!" This voice instantly transported Hermione back 6 years to her first time exiting this exact train on this very platform. Finding the source of this voice wasn't hard.

"Hagrid!" Hermione abandoned her trunk and her cat and bound towards the mountainous man. Despite the warm weather, he wore his usual beige overcoat and stood holding a clipboard in his hands. She was so glad to see a familiar, friendly face.

Hagrid saw her before she got to him and a smile erupted on his face, admittedly hidden by his long, curly beard. When she reached him, Hermione was engulfed in the kind of hug only Hagrid could give.

"Good to see yah, Hermione. How are yah?" Hagrid asked as he hugged her. He pulled back to look at her, as if to make his own assumption about her wellbeing before she could answer.

"I'm good, Hagrid. Better now that I'm here," Hermione said, and she realized she meant that fully. Her mood at the Leaky Cauldron had felt sullen and melancholy. Just riding the Hogwarts Express had been the best thing she'd done in weeks.

"When Professor McGonagall told me you'd be comin' back for the summer, I was thrilled. You should've been allowed to come straight back to Hogwarts after you left yer parents if you ask me but," he paused, "well, no one ever does ask me."

Hermione laughed, though the mention of her parents struck her heart momentarily. However much she attempted to distance herself from the thought of them, her memories of them would live with her forever. She'd have to work on softening the blow whenever someone mention them. What is that muggle saying?

Time heals all wounds.

"What's the clipboard for?" she asked, eyeing the paper on which held a long list of what looked like first and last names.

"These're all the folks who are arriving to Hogwarts today to help with the Restoration. That's the big name McGonagall gave to this project. Restoration." Hagrid paused to help a small group of lost looking witches and once again called out for the two groups, Junior Staff and Reintegration Assistants.

After promising to meet soon for tea, Hermione waved Hagrid goodbye and followed the crowd until she found herself standing in a queue waiting for carriages to escort them up to the castle. She was shuffled along through the line quickly, noticing a mixture of former Hogwarts students and standard witches and wizards amongst her.

Finally, her turn came to enter her own carriage. While attempting to step up onto the foothold and hoist herself into the seat, she slightly overstepped and with a loud, "OOOF," she fell into the lap of someone already sat in her spot.

A short time after she realized her head was buried in the lap of a complete stranger, she sat up quickly, smoothing her robes. Her face felt hot.

"I am SO sorry," Hermione stammered. When she met the eyes of the person she just very nearly assaulted, her heart stopped. Her voice caught up in her throat. She was suddenly brought back to the cold floor of the Malfoy Manor and she involuntarily grabbed her forearm where she wore a scar baring the word, "Mudblood".

"Granger?" Her ears were ringing. She wasn't sure whether her face was still hot from embarrassment or from anger.

"Granger?" He said again, but his voice sounded off. It wasn't the usual spitting drawl that she had grown accustomed to for the past 6 years. Today it was timid and unsure. He was eyeing her forearm, which she was still grasping tightly.

Hermione studied the man who had witnessed her worst day of life– far from the arrogant 11 year old she had met in her first year, he was now grown, his tall frame towering over her in the small space of the carriage. Still arrogant. But over the years, his eyes had grown colder, almost emotionless. Stoic. As if he didn't want to show anyone what was really going through his mind.

So when she noticed something flash across his face – some unreadable emotion, out of character for Malfoy – Hermione was surprised by the sudden change. But as quickly as it had come, it passed, and he had moved over to the far end of the car to allow Hermione to get in.

"Malfoy," was the only word she could manage to say.

And those were the only words uttered on their ride up to the castle. She sat next to him and tried to focus on controlling her breathing. It was a short ride that felt like hours.

As soon as the carriage rolled to a stop, she wanted so badly to escape the tension that she rushed to the footstep to climb down. As fate would have it, she was meant to make a fool of herself this day. While she was able to find the footstep just fine, this dismount was a bit shaky and she stumbled a bit on the landing.

Embarrassed at her own gracelessness and angry about her current audience, she steadied herself and marched off toward the castle. She could hear a small chuckle from somewhere behind her but she didn't dare turn around, for fear of being expelled from her job before even starting. Expelled from Hogwarts is one thing, but expelled from her job? The horror.

She joined a small group of people at the entrance of Hogwarts castle. She began to play with the bit of fabric hanging off the sleeves of her robes. A nervous habit. But she wasn't left waiting long before the doors of the castle opened and out stepped the newly appointed Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall.

"Welcome, all, to Hogwarts. Most of you are returning for the first time since May. Please understand that, no matter your reason for being here, we're glad you've come."

She gazed around the room and smiled at the group before she continued, "Each of you have been assigned a different task around the castle. Some tasks can be done magically while others will require more labored efforts. These tasks will change weekly depending on your ability to complete them.

"There will be three meals served at the same time every day and eaten together in the Great Hall, similar to how it is done during a normal semester at Hogwarts. The rooming situation, however, is where things become difficult. Due to the current state of the castle, two of the house dormitories are out of order. As of this moment, only Slytherin and Hufflepuff dorms are functional."

"We'll now start sorting you all into your dormitories. Once you've heard your assignment, you can go find and settle into your room. Your weekly task, task partner and work hours are posted in the common room of your respective dorms. Your belongings should be in your rooms when you arrive."

And similar to the sorting of first years into their house during the welcome feast at Hogwarts, McGonagall began to rattle off names followed by the dorm they'd be staying in. There were no more than 50 witches and wizards in their group, so this didn't take long.

"Hermione Granger – Slytherin." Oh, the irony. Of course she'd be staying in the cold, dreary Slytherin dorms this summer. Some improvement from the Leaky Cauldron this was. With a sigh of submission, she passed McGonagall to make her way to the dungeons where her dorm would be. She glanced briefly at the new Headmistress and saw a look of – could it be pity? Was she sorry she had assigned her to the dungeons for the summer?

Hermione nodded politely, conveying she understood the need for McGonagall's decision, and entered the castle.

The route to the dungeons would've been hard for anyone not in the Slytherin house, or for anyone who hadn't read Hogwarts, A History enough times to recite it from memory. Being in the latter group, she knew the way easily.

However, when Hermione finally reached to stone wall that concealed the common room, she froze. The wall was...just a wall. Surely there was no password, right? Did she leave too early that she couldn't hear what the password was?

"Desideratum," came a deep voice from behind her. She turned on the spot and found herself being approached by –

"Oh, come on," she said before she could filter the words through her brain.

"Believe me, I'm not happy to be here either," Malfoy said. He wore a scowl that affirmed his confession, but something about his expression told Hermione it wasn't entirely the truth.

She processed his words. Wasn't he here voluntarily like she was?

Instead of waiting for her to say anything else, Malfoy swept past her and through the now opened passage in the wall.

With a huff, Hermione followed.

Once she entered, she found the common room was empty of people, except for Malfoy, who was staring at the bulletin board on the side of the room. He glanced at her, his hand running through his white blonde hair so tightly, she thought he would pull it out.

He must not like his assignment, she thought. Good.

She went over to discover her own fate for her first week on the job.

She scrolled down until she found:

Granger, Hermione

Room: # 3 – Girls Dorm

Task: Library Reorganization

Work Hours: 9AM – 3PM

Assistant: Malfoy, Draco

It was there that Hermione stopped reading. The ringing was beginning again in her ears. No way this was happening. Was she being punished for something? Surely McGonagall wouldn't have actually paired them together knowing their history...

"Absolutely not," said Hermione. She turned around to gauge Malfoy's reaction.

"Fuck," was all Malfoy said.