The sun creeped through the curtains as it rose over the horizon. The room was still. She still hadn't gotten use to the quiet. The calm. Were things calm now? Was this the new normal? She could hear Mrs. Weasley rumbling around in the kitchen. She was cooking bacon on the stove. The smell was working its way up to Ginny's room where Hermione was sleeping. Hermione rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Ginny was breathing softly as she slept. Hermione didn't want to wake her, so she crept slowly to the edge of the bed.

Slowly, she inched off of the bed and headed downstairs. Mrs. Weasley was standing over a pot stirring. Her bright red hair fell perfectly on her shoulders. She had on a blue apron with flowers on the front. She looked over her shoulder and smiled as Hermione sat down at the table. "Good morning, dear. Would you like some tea?" Hermione smiled, "Yes, that would be lovely."

Mrs. Weasley flicked her wand and the tea pot glided over to where Hermione was sitting. A cup appeared in front of her as the tea poured itself into the cup. Hermione looked up at Mrs. Weasley. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying again. She did that a lot, understandably so. She tried her best not to do it in front of the others, but emotions have to come out at some point.

She forced a smile as she came over to Hermione, "You're up early. Everything okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine" Hermione said. "Waking up this early is a habit at this point." Mrs. Weasley nodded. No one really slept in anymore. It felt too much like a waste. A waste of time and a waste of the precious gift that life was. When they did sleep, it was restless. Dreams were filled with reminders of that night. Seeing the lifeless bodies with the empty eyes, rubble as it was blasted all over the castle, and the cold icy voice that Voldemort spoke with when he filled their heads demanding Harry's whereabouts.

"I thought we could go to Diagon Alley today and get your things?" Mrs. Weasley asked over her shoulder.

"Sounds good. It almost feels weird to be going back. It feels like that part of me was a lifetime ago" Hermione said

Mrs. Weasley gave her a small smile. "I know, darling, but the sooner you all get back to what feels normal, the better for all of you." She gave Hermione's shoulder a little squeeze and then went back to the kitchen.

Shortly after, the kitchen was filled with life. Mr. Weasley was sitting at the head of the table reading the Daily Prophet. Next to him sat Percy with his own copy of the Wizarding newspaper. On the other side of Mr. Weasley was Ron. Ron was stuffing sausages in his mouth while trying to convince his father to speak with his mother.

"Honestly, Dad. You would think after everything we've done, a little gratitude would be shown. What in the bloody hell could possibly compare to what Harry, Hermione, and I have done over the last year?! There is absolutely no reason for us to return to Hogwarts."

Mr. Weasley turned a page of the newspaper and sighed, "Ron, we have already had this conversation. You are going to finish your wizarding education."

"Why?" Ron frowned. "There are plenty of other things we could be doing."

"Like what?!" Mrs. Weasley had entered the conversation. "You know who is gone. What is possibly more important than you getting your education?"

Ron swallowed, "I could open a business like Fred and George!"

The house went silent. No one really spoke his name. It seemed easier that way. Mrs. Weasley froze where she was standing. Her eyes filled with tears.

Ginny stepped in hoping to diffuse the tension, "So, you're going to make joke items now? Well, let's see what you've got. What's in that big brain of yours, Ron?"

Ron looked at Harry and Hermione franticly. "C'mon then. What have you got to say?"

Harry sat down his fork. "I can't join the aurors office until I finish school at Hogwarts."

"Which is absolute bull-"

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley was back. Her face look stern and her hands were on her hips as she stared at Ron.

"Mum, I'm just saying we saved the Wizarding World. The least they could do is let us slide by a year."

"Slide by? I would hope that we had raised you better. That we had instilled in you the need to want for more than to slide by." Mrs. Weasley glared at Ron

"But mum-"

"But nothing! You will return to Hogwarts and you will finish out this last year and that is final! Go upstairs and get dressed. We are leaving for Hogsmeade in an hour."


They came back down forty-five minutes later dressed and ready to go. Mrs. Weasley wrapped her shawl around her shoulders and stepped outside. The wind was blowing. The sky was overcast and it smelled like rain.

Mrs. Weasley guided them to the edge of the property and then turned to face them. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny looked back at her. "Since you three can apparate, I'll let you go on ahead. We've already gotten money out of your vaults" She said handing Harry and Hermione a sack of coins.

"Let's meet at the Leaky Cauldron in an hour and a half" she said checking her watch. She grabbed Ginny's hand and turned on the spot.

Ron sighed, "This just feels like we're wasting our time."

"Not entirely," Hermione said with a little smile. "There's still so much we can learn in our seventh year. Human transfigurations, we'll get to discuss the animagus registry, potions that we would never be able to do before."

"Yeah, it sounds like loads of fun." Ron said rolling his eyes. He grabbed Hermione's left hand as Harry grabbed her right hand. Without another thought they turned on the spot. When they opened their eyes they were standing in the middle of Diagon Alley.

"Where should we start?" Harry said looking around. It was almost hard to believe they were in Diagon Alley. A lot of the businesses were open again, but it felt…different. The ice cream shop where Harry spent so much time his third year was closed. It was replaced with a hat shop. The street somehow felt colder.

"Good thing mum got our money for us" Ron said looking over at Gringotts. The roof had been prepared, but they all couldn't help but smile as they looked at the building. The look on the goblins and wizards faces as they climbed on the back of that dragon and flew out of Gringotts is one they will remember forever.

"Well, I need some new robes, so I think I'm going to start there. I'll meet up with you two in a bit?" Hermione said looking at them.

They shrugged and walked off. Hermione started down the path heading for Madam Malkin's. As Hermione got closer to the shop, she couldn't help but think about the conversation Ron had with his mother. Although he could have delivered his message with a bit more tact, Hermione wondered if maybe he was right. She always tried to see the best in any situation, but was Ron right? Was there any point in them returning to Hogwarts? This year was going to be so different. Professor Dumbledore was gone. Professor Snape was gone. Would it even feel like Hogwarts?

She was shocked when they got their school letters by owl. She hadn't even decided that she was going to go back when they arrived. She opened it up and was surprised to see Professor McGonagall's scrawly handwriting. She announced that the school would be reopening and she expected to see the three of them on September 1st. She also announced that Hermione had been named Head Girl.

Hermione was so shocked at this. It had never crossed her mind that she would be named Head Girl because she wasn't sure that she would be returning. Maybe that's why Professor McGonagall chose her? Hermione had raced downstairs expecting Harry or Ron to be named Head Boy and she was surprised to see that neither of them had. If it wasn't Harry and it wasn't Ron, who was it?

"Good morning, dear. Just give me a moment and I'll be right with you." Hermione looked around the shop to see Madam Malkin's back to her as she adjusted her stitching. The shop was full of racks with robes in various colors, books with fabric samples, and moving pictures on the wall.

"There we are. How does that fit?" Madam Malkin said

"It's fine. It-It'll do."

Hermione's head snapped up at the sound of that voice. Draco Malfoy. He was standing in front of Madam Malkin as she was adjusting his sleeves. He was wearing his usual Slytherin Robes, but what was that on the front? The patch! Draco was Head Boy?! Why on Earth would Professor McGonagall name Draco Malfoy Head Boy?

Draco looked up and made eye contact with Hermione. He quickly averted his gaze and looked away. When his grey eyes met her brown eyes Hermione felt a flutter in her stomach. What is this? Was it nervousness? Maybe because they would be working together. That must be it. Why is he even coming back? I guess he has nowhere else to go.

Lucius Malfoy had been sentenced to Azkaban. Apparently, Narcissa's last act of…kindness? No, that can't be the word… Self-service had kept her out of Azkaban. Why wasn't she here with Draco? That's not like her to leave him alone.

"How is your mother doing, dear?" Madam Malkin said as she readjusted the hood on his robes.

Draco looked quickly at Hermione and looked away. "She's fine. She's on holiday."

"That's good, dear. Let me just grab one thing from the back for her and I think we'll be done."

Madam Malkin hurried behind a curtain into the back of her store. Hermione couldn't look away. Draco had grown a few inches since the last time she saw him. He had dark shadows around his eyes. It didn't appear that he had been sleeping. His blonde hair was pulled back as perfect as ever. He scratched at his chin and Hermione gasped. He was growing a beard? He looked so much like his father, but the beard made him look like a different person. Tall, slender, almost…kind? That can't be right.

His eyes found hers. She swallowed. "Look…Granger. I know this isn't going to be easy, for either of us, but I'm sure McGonagall had her reasons. Although I would have loved to know what the crazy old bat was thinking…"

"Reasons for what?" Hermione asked looking at him closely

Now it was Draco's turn to swallow. "I am Head Boy. You are Head Girl. We will be working together this year."

"Why are you returning to Hogwarts?" Hermione had asked it before she could talk herself out of it. If she was going to do this, she needed to know.

Draco froze. The color left his face. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously. Hermione felt the flutter again. "Mother thinks it would be good for me to finish my education."

"Does she?" Hermione scoffed. "And what do you think?"

"I could care less about my education. I don't need a job after this"

Hermione rolled her eyes. She didn't know why she thought that he would have humbled himself after all of this.

Draco caught himself, "I didn't mean…let me try again." He took a deep breath, "I know that I have been…unpleasant."

Hermione laughed, "unpleasant?! You're joking right?"

Draco started pacing nervously. "I can't apologize for what I have done. That wouldn't do anything for either of us. Things were…complicated."

"Complicated?" Hermione said lifting an eyebrow, "Draco, your aunt carved Mudblood into my arm for no reason other than she was a sick sadistic psychopath and you want to call our prior dealings complicated?"

Draco froze in his steps. He looked at her in her eyes. She couldn't describe what she was feeling, but she couldn't look away. Was it the helpless expression on his face? She had seen that before. The night they were in Malfoy manner. She could see the pleading on his face as he thought through his options and she could see the defeat as he came to the conclusion that he had no options.

"I wanted to come back to Hogwarts partly because of you." Draco said staring at her

Hermione's stomach did a back flip. She took a step back. "Me? What do you mean partly because of me?"

"I'm not making excuses for my behavior, but you and I grew up very differently."

"Yes, you have always reminded me of that" Hermione snapped

"No, I don't mean that. I mean that you had parents who l-loved you. Parents who cared about your opinions and wanted what's best for you. Brave parents who tried to give you what they thought was best. My parents tried to give me what they thought was best, but they were not brave. My mother was, but my father was a coward, and unfortunately cowards raise their children to be cowards."

Hermione inhaled as she watched him speak. She searched his eyes for the truth.

"That's what I was, a coward. I don't care about the Malfoy name or the Malfoy legacy. Now that He is gone and I have a choice in how my life progresses, I'm choosing to be brave. I'm choosing to be like you."

He took a step forward. Hermione froze in her spot. She could smell his cologne on him. He smelt like the forest. He smelled like a warm fire on a chilly autumn night.

"I know that this isn't going to be easy, but I'm hoping that we can work together and move forward." He extended his hand.

Hermione stood there staring at him for a moment. Then, she reached out her hand and placed it in his and shook. His skin was soft and warm. He gave her a small smile. Hermione's eyes traveled all over his face. Those grey eyes, the high cheekbones, his soft lips.

"Granger?" Hermione snapped back to reality.

"What?" She gasped

Draco smiled his beautiful perfect smile. "Can you let go of my hand?"

Hermione blushed and dropped her hand. "I look forward to working with you too."


"He said what?!" Ron yelled

"Lower your voice" Harry and Hermione hissed.

"You can't be serious. You believe him?" Ron hissed at Harry

"I'm not saying I do or don't, but if he's been named Head Boy then Hermione's going to have to work with him. She'll find out soon enough if he's telling the truth."

"And what then?!" Ron's ears were turning red "What if he tries to hurt her?!"

"I think that if he tries to hurt her, then she can protect herself." Hermione hissed through gritted teeth.

Ron shrunk in his seat, "I'm not saying that you can't." He said softly "I'm just worried about you." He placed his hand on top of hers.

Hermione looked at him softly. They hadn't had a chance to talk. Every time they tried they had to calm down Mrs. Weasley or help Mr. Weasley or do something else that took their attention away from each other. They hadn't discussed what they were feeling towards each other.

"I understand that you are worried, but I'll be fine." She patted his hand. "Now, what are we eating for lunch?"