1.
EIGHTH YEAR
Something is up with Draco Malfoy. This was Hermione's first thought when she woke up the day after her birthday, feeling languid and restless. She was back at Hogwarts to complete her seventh year, her schooling having been disrupted on account of the war. She opened the curtains on her four poster, squinting a bit at the splendid morning sun, and grabbed the notebook and ballpoint pen she kept on her side table. She'd developed a habit of jotting her musings down quickly after waking up and preferred not to fuss with a quill and inkpot. Muggle tools proved to be easier, allowing her to write before forgetting what was on her mind.
After the war, Hogwarts never was the same. Following the events of the Final Battle, the castle, much like the rest of the wizarding world, was devastated, and its reconstruction took all summer. Hundreds of grieving witches and wizards teamed up to put walls and ceilings back together in a place which used to be sacred. The reopening hadn't come without hiccups, but Headmistress McGonagall went through with the new school year. Inter-house unity, especially for the returning 8th year students, was paramount. That's what she asked of them during her speech after the first night feast. However, this was easier said than done, especially in regards to the Slytherins.
Three of the four school Houses - Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor - had always been happy to inter-mingle, and the sole huge conflict between each other surfaced when it came to Quidditch but at least this rivalry didn't make it far past the pitch. What Professor McGonagall requested proved harder to accomplish than she hoped, even in the microcosm of Hogwarts; as one might expect, social reconstruction would take much longer than putting brick and mortar back together. The fact that known and convicted Death Eaters, followers of Lord Voldemort, and their sons once belonged in Slytherin House was significant enough to grant an air of mistrust towards current Slytherin students.
While Hermione had Ginny and Luna with her, most students from her year, like Harry and Ron, didn't come back to graduate, and had gone on to find jobs instead. Too many of them in years below had suffered some kind of loss; parents, siblings and friends had succumbed to the terror of war and blood supremacy. Thus this year, Thestrals were visible to most students at Hogwarts.
At the beginning of the year, the mood surrounding the castle was sombre and it perfectly reflected the gloomy weather of September. McGonagall, however, was relentless. Her visible strength of character and the fresh start of the first-year students instilled a new sense of purpose in everyone else to continue honouring Albus Dumbledore's legacy, the spirit that pushed Hermione and her friends during their D.A. days. The younger kids arrived with wide eyes, eager to learn and explore, and although it seemed impossible, the rest began to fall back into the routines they'd established in previous years. While Ginny took to practising Quidditch and Luna went out to feed and talk to animals, Hermione only focused on studying for her N.E.W.T.s. That is, until Draco Malfoy came back.
For two weeks since the school year started, Slytherins remained aside. Surprisingly, their house had the fewest new additions during the sorting ceremony: a pale round-faced brown-haired boy and a dark-skinned girl with long, curly, jet-black hair. The girl looked sad to join the Slytherin table, but her new fellow Slytherin did not. He stuck his nose up high, reminding Hermione of one very blond, very conceited boy. The boy's nose didn't stay up for long, however, as two days later he was sporting a blue and purple eye. She wanted to feel bad, but she couldn't.
Over-age Slytherin students who were evacuated before the Final Battle and didn't stay to fight were required to repeat their last year in order to take their N.E.W.T.s and graduate. Some of them didn't make an appearance. After the main war trials and with ongoing investigations, some families, like Gregory Goyle's and Millicent Bulstrode's, chose to go into hiding. The rest tried to distance themselves from Voldemort supporters. Those who couldn't escape their surnames - like Theodore Nott, whose father was a convicted Death Eater - had a lot of work ahead to be accepted back into the wizarding society. Regardless of their alliances, all students in Slytherin could be seen keeping together at all times in small groups, and no one dared talk to them except to make snide comments. They were left alone for the most part and they seemed to prefer it that way.
Draco Malfoy was a different case. His family's trial lasted all throughout the summer and well into the new school year, so he hadn't been present for the first two weeks.
On the night of September 12th, a Saturday, Hermione had gone down to eat dinner early so that she could spend some time in the library before it closed. Ginny was still out, which left Hermione to sit alone with Luna at the Gryffindor table. They sat in companionable silence as Hermione filled her plate and her blonde friend read a new copy of The Quibbler. It seemed Xenophilius had just started publishing it again that week. The Great Hall was mostly silent, except for a group of excited third-years sharing their Hogsmeade haul. Hermione was drinking some of her pumpkin juice and she could hear them laughing rather loudly, their sudden cackles echoing through the room. They were fussing over a small gadget from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes when a group of three boys in Slytherin uniforms entered the Hall.
Hermione recognised Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott at the front, walking leisurely toward their table and shielding somebody behind them. Although both boys were quite tall, it was unmistakable who the third boy was. With white-blond hair parted to the side and longer in the front, his fringe falling in his eyes... it was impossible to miss Draco Malfoy. He kept his head up high, pointedly looking straight ahead, and seemed unperturbed by the sudden whispering around him as people took in his arrival. But despite his attempts to appear unfazed, his stiff shoulders and almost unnaturally straight back told a different story.
At this point, even Luna had stopped reading her magazine to gaze at the trio. They sat at the far end of the long Slytherin table, Malfoy facing the wall, Nott to his right and Zabini in front of them. They'd bypassed the group of girls in their year, the Greengrass sisters and Tracy Davies, who barely looked up from their conversation, seemingly oblivious to the boys. Pansy Parkinson sat a few seats away from the girls, always on the fringe of the group, and kept her cold gaze focused on her former friends.
"What is he doing here?" a male voice said amongst the older students in Hufflepuff.
Luna shrugged and went back to reading. Hermione noticed some looks being directed from Malfoy back to her; clearly they were anticipating a louder reaction from her than they were getting. Turning back, her gaze fell on Zabini, whose dark, slanted eyes were trained on her. She couldn't decipher his expression. She'd never really paid much attention to the boys in Slytherin, but she couldn't deny that Zabini was very good-looking, and he seemed well aware of this fact. His cheekbones were high under his dark skin, and there was an aura of mystery around him. Hermione guessed that was probably why he seemed to be popular with girls and boys alike, even outside of his own House. Behind the handsome face, he was also a living contradiction. Arrogant and vain, he used to be quiet except to express his disdain for muggles, muggle-borns and Voldemort supporters in equal parts. She could never figure him out then, during Slug Club meetings. Now, he'd just been very quiet, much like his loner - also handsome - housemate Nott, as though they'd been waiting for something.
It wasn't long before Professor McGonagall stood up from her meal and walked around the long staff table down to where the newly arrived boys were now sitting. She approached Malfoy and he stood up, his shoulders tense. She said something inaudible to him and extended her right hand. He hesitated for a second before finally taking her hand in his own. Hermione could barely make out his profile and was intrigued about this exchange. Though he had been welcomed back by the headmistress, his posture didn't relax.
"How curious," Luna said in her characteristically-sweet voice.
Hermione thought Luna might be commenting on one of the articles she was reading. But when she turned to her friend, Hermione saw Luna was looking in the same direction she had been, the magazine forgotten on the table.
"What is?" Hermione asked.
Luna turned to her with a small smile and simply said, "His ring is gone," before filling her own plate.
Hermione sat, momentarily shocked by the observation. She looked back to see Malfoy was moving to sit down again, and was able to glance at his hand for a second when he pushed his robes over. Sure enough, she saw no trace of the silver slithering snake ring he'd perpetually worn since their third year.
She frowned, wondering what that could mean, but said nothing. Luna was once again engrossed in another Quibbler article, taking bites of food in between turning pages, and Hermione felt like she should be just as disinterested in the situation. She started eating her dinner, taking slow, thoughtful bites. So what if a former Death Eater came back to finish his studies while his father was imprisoned for an indefinite amount of time in Azkaban? Every student was entitled to complete their education, she believed. Even if, in her opinion, some people had made the wrong choice about not returning.
Hermione had spent her summer after the war with Ron, Harry, and the rest of the Weasleys, with the occasional visit from some of the surviving Order members. Getting back into a normal routine proved difficult, and her relationship with Ron suffered because of it. When he and Harry had finally told her that they planned on taking jobs offered by the Ministry, she wasn't exactly surprised. She was, however, a bit disappointed that Kingsley didn't seem to put much importance on the seventh-years finishing school. She had tried her best to convince Harry to come back to Hogwarts with her. She had spent most of her time talking to him and, in the aftermath of the war, he had really opened up to her, sharing private information about his experiences in the last year. It had filled some gaps about Sirius, his parents, Snape, and the Malfoys. While Harry had testified against Lucius, he felt conflicted about Narcissa and Draco, as both seemed to have been mere pawns in a much bigger play than they realised at the time. He told her how Narcissa had lied for him and they discussed in depth their experience with Draco and the snatchers at Malfoy Manor. Even Ron, as bitter as he was towards the Malfoys, had to admit that, to a degree, power and blood supremacy had taken a seat to love and loyalty.
This left Hermione curious. Curious about the mind of a young man who accepted the task of murdering the most powerful sorcerer in the world without a real guarantee for the safety of his family. In the end she, Harry, and Ron had done their best during the trials to speak in favour of both Narcissa and Draco. Narcissa was granted house arrest instead of prison; Draco, an obligation to come back to Hogwarts and complete his final year.
Never mind him, Hermione wasn't going to dwell on the Malfoys a minute longer, she had other issues to worry about. She tried to push the thought out of her mind as she considered new study outlines for her N.E.W.T.s.
She finished eating supper, said goodbye to Luna, and headed up to the third floor towards the library.
· - ·
Three hours later, Hermione walked back to the Gryffindor common room, where she found Ginny sitting in front of the fireplace. The room was very warm, a contrast to the rain that was still falling outside. Hogsmeade days always guaranteed that students would go to bed earlier, exhausted from the day's activities, so the two girls were alone aside from a few stragglers coming back. Hermione put down her books on a table nearby, sat next to Ginny on one of the large couches and watched as she deftly shuffled a deck of cards.
"Hey, 'Mione," the redhead said with a smile.
"Hi, Ginny. How was your date?"
"Oh, it was great!" She gushed and pointed next to the books. "Harry brought me those flowers, isn't he adorable?"
A bouquet of fresh white lilies sat on the table, almost glowing in the firelight. Hermione thought it was a strange choice considering their use in muggle funerals, but Ginny didn't need to know that. Idly, she thought of the times Ron had surprised her with a bouquet, and wondered if it had been him who'd advised Harry to gift Ginny flowers.
"It's sweet," Hermione responded conversationally. She'd always liked more practical gifts, but she could acknowledge flowers as being a nice gesture.
Ginny put her cards down. "We visited the spot where the new shop is going to be. George was supervising today and says they'll be able to open soon now that fifth-years and up are permitted to visit Hogsmeade most weekends. Angelina has been doing a great job managing the one at Diagon Alley," Ginny said with a sad smile. "Ron was also there; he was hoping to see you."
Hermione nodded. This was partly why she hadn't left the castle. "He mentioned he'd have the day off as well, yes," she said trying to sound noncommittal. She still felt like she needed to put some distance between her and Ron before everything went back to normal.
"We ran into Neville and Hannah Abbott, too," Ginny explained. "So it turned into a double lunch date kind of situation."
Hannah Abbott was a Hufflepuff student in the girls' year and a Prefect. She'd missed her sixth year of school when, early on after it started, her muggle mother had been brutally murdered by Death Eaters. As a half-blood, it was mandatory for Hannah to return to Hogwarts the following September, but she had to resit her sixth-year classes. Neville, Ginny and Luna had taken over leading Dumbledore's Army by then, and Hannah was a member. She was a sweet girl. The fact that her and Neville had made a connection made Hermione happy. Both of their families had suffered greatly at the hands of Death Eaters, but she supposed there was no light without the darkness.
"And?" she urged.
Ginny looked around conspiratorially before continuing. "Harry also got a room at the Three Broomsticks," Ginny whispered, a faint blush adorning her pretty face.
"Oh!" Hermione let out in a huff.
Ginny bumped her shoulder. "I won't go into details; I know it can be weird because Harry is like your brother. You dated my brother too, remember? I just hope one day we can gossip about...you know," she stammered, "when you find someone else."
Ginny went back to shuffling her deck and Hermione saw she was handling tarot cards. The fact that Ginny continued studying Divination when her future career was in playing Quidditch boggled Hermione. It wasn't like she outright didn't believe in it, but she thought Professor Trelawney wasn't a very good asset amongst the brilliant Hogwarts faculty.
"Let's ask what's in your romantic future, shall we?" Ginny suggested, handing her friend the deck of cards. "Here, focus your energy to flow from yourself into the cards."
"This is stupid," Hermione protested.
"It's fun! Please, indulge me for once?"
Hermione gave in and closed her eyes, sighing. She concentrated on what Ginny told her to do, putting her energy into the deck she had in her hand.
"Now concentrate on your love life," her friend said, giggling mischievously. If Hermione's eyes weren't closed, she would have given the redhead a dirty look. "Now spread the cards out and choose the three that call to you the most."
Hermione did just that. When she opened her eyes, there were three upturned cards in front of her. Ginny grabbed the first one which read "The High Priestess".
"Oh, this is you in the past," she explained. "It represents wisdom, mystery and understanding. It indicates that you've been in need of new experiences and may wander somewhere outside of your comfort zone. Also encourages you to lean more on intuition to reveal secrets hidden. That's interesting, right?"
"Yeah, I suppose."
"Next is your present, and you chose 'Justice', which represents karma and the idea of balance. Maybe you're looking for an equal relationship in which both you and your partner are on the same page..."
Ginny looked at her friend with a mixture of pity and apology. Coincidentally or not, she'd touched on the subject of the reason for her brother and Hermione's break up. When she announced she wanted to come back to Hogwarts to finish her studies, Ron had inquired about when they'd be able to see each other. Unusually clingy, he'd wanted to spend all their time together during the summer and she'd felt overwhelmed. She understood they'd been through a war during which he'd almost lost her, but she felt smothered staying with him. They each had a different impression of their relationship and independent lives. So while they'd agreed to stay as friends, he hadn't stopped letting her know how much he loved her. She didn't have the heart to reciprocate his sentiments. She did love him, but not like she used to.
Hermione had ambitions which went beyond being granted a job for having fought and survived a war, settling down with someone and going through the motions of building a family right away. She had always enjoyed the challenge of passing a difficult class with an Outstanding, solving an impossible enigma…risking her life, yes, but feeling gratified afterwards, as well. Ron accepted going into training to become an Auror, like their friends Harry and Neville and so many others in their grade. During the summer, he often talked about being unsure if he wanted to be a successful family man working for the Ministry like his father. It seemed he was headed that path either way. Having an incomplete education didn't sit well with Hermione, and neither did staying in a relationship just because it felt safe.
Finally, Ginny cleared her throat and continued her reading. "So the third card you pulled was the 'Page of Cups'."
"What does it mean?" Hermione asked, but Ginny just smirked. "Oh, come on!"
"The Cups deal with emotions and this specific card is a bearer of good news. In the future position, the Page of Cups means that you're about to face an opportunity, but you need to take it before it quickly passes by."
"Okay..."
"Do you want to ask a yes or no question to clarify?"
"I don't."
"All right, I'll ask for you."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's not how this works."
"Well, I say it is," Ginny declared. "Grab the deck to give it your energy and spread the cards again while I ask."
Hermione humoured her and repeated the ritual, closing her eyes, concentrating on passing on her energy through the cards and spreading them out on the floor in front of them.
"Will Hermione find love this year while at Hogwarts?"
"What? Ginny, I don't like anybody from Hogwarts," she protested. "And I'm probably the oldest witch still studying."
"So what? Zabini is almost a year older too and he's a looker," Ginny said matter-of-factly with a shrug.
"He's a Slytherin and quite arrogant."
"Never took you for a prejudiced person. I don't know, that Beauxbatons girl sang his praises for a while. I always wondered..." Hermione looked at Ginny with a horrified expression and the redhead laughed. "I'm just teasing, please grab the card to answer my question."
Hermione looked at the cards and she went to choose one at random, but weirdly, at the last second, she decided on another one.
"Six of Cups," she read.
"Cups again, huh?" Ginny said and then giggled. "This is very apropos because, in a yes or no situation, it means to leave the past behind, lock the skeletons in the closet, if you will, and move forward."
"How convenient," Hermione responded before standing up and moving to grab her books.
"It also means 'yes', you know," she heard as she was about to ascend the stairs to the girl's dormitory.
"Good night, Ginny," she called back.
· - ·
It was a ridiculous tarot card reading, but the next day she still couldn't stop thinking about it. Why was it so important for everybody to find a lover or a partner? She just wanted to do the best she could in classes, get her N.E.W.T.s and succeed in finding a job she enjoyed. Right now she enjoyed studying, so she spent all of Sunday at the library.
On Monday, they had Herbology class first thing in the morning. As they were being asked to position themselves in front of a new type of plant, Ginny walked to stand next to Hannah on the opposite side of the table from Luna and Hermione. The redhead winked conspiratorially at Hermione, who returned a withering look when she realised what Ginny was getting at. A certain Slytherin trio had lingered behind, entering the greenhouse last. Zabini chose the remaining open spots next to Hermione with Nott to his other side. Malfoy comfortably stood at the head of the long table. Luckily, Professor Sprout quickly called for attention to begin the class, and Ginny's plan backfired when students didn't have to interact at all.
Unfortunately, Nott and Malfoy took notice of Ginny trying to weasel her way in as they attempted to distance themselves. When they'd lagged behind, trying to leave the greenhouse last, she'd fumbled with her things, making her friends wait for her. She had even conspicuously elbowed Hermione, making her bump into Zabini right at the door. He'd barely glanced at her this time, but she thought she'd detected a very faint snort from Nott.
The rest of the week went by similarly. Hermione tried to hide away and study while Ginny was looking to set her up. Hermione thought it annoying at first and did her best to ignore her. Thankfully she seemed to let go of her fixation with Blaise Zabini, as he seemed oblivious to the redhead's teasing during Herbology. After that, Ginny promised to choose someone nicer, whatever that meant.
It wasn't out of the ordinary for most returned Slytherins to prefer keeping to themselves and far away from everyone else, but Hermione noticed Malfoy being the most distant. He frequently missed meals, especially dinner, but he attended all his classes, which coincidentally were nearly the same as hers: Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy and Potions, except for Study of Ancient Runes. That meant he was going for at least six N.E.W.T.s. when most students aimed to achieve three to five due to their level of difficulty. She first doubted he was interested in any of the other classes and then both Ginny and Luna confirmed he wasn't in the ones Hermione wasn't taking. Hermione was an exception, and the fact that Malfoy set a higher goal than most, much like she had, intrigued her more than she was comfortable with. She hadn't forgotten he'd always been quite on par with her in classes, but after learning he'd been sentenced to a compulsory seventh year, she didn't presume he'd want to take as heavy a load as he did.
During his first week back at Hogwarts, it caught Hermione's attention that Malfoy was much more subdued, but not distracted like he'd been during their sixth year. He attended all his classes and paid close attention during them, delivered his homework on time and participated in practical workshops. But during social gatherings he retreated into himself, letting his friends lead. Some kids tried to provoke him in the corridors, called him names and even pointed their wands at him. His face betrayed how much he wanted to retaliate, but he never acted on it. Hermione was sure Professor McGonagall probably had to field more than a few letters from angry parents. She could see the rage in Malfoy's eyes, but he very much knew if he ever moved a finger in a way that could be interpreted as menacing, he'd be in trouble. So, as the first few days went by, she saw him blend in and almost disappear. Despite this, the novelty of Draco Malfoy, Death Eater extraordinaire, back at Hogwarts wouldn't yet fizzle out, even as students focused on their classes.
Nearly a week after Malfoy's return, it was Hermione's birthday. She woke up early and went down to the Great Hall to eat breakfast with Ginny and Luna. Hermione had just started to butter her toast when two owls from both Harry and Ron came flying down. Harry's delivered a small parcel containing a short letter wishing her a happy birthday, and one of his most prised possessions: The Marauder's Map.
"Hoping you won't need it like I did during my stay, but it'll be useful regardless, I bet," Ginny read over Hermione's shoulder, laughing. "He could have lent you the cloak! What a dingus."
"Yes, but he's your dingus," Hermione said, also giggling.
Ron's parcel was more elaborate. His letter was three pages long, which surprised the three women a great deal, telling her all about Auror training with the boys. He also included Hermione's beaded bag with its undetectable extension charm; she had forgotten it at the Burrow after her stay during the summer and meant to retrieve it during Christmas, but she appreciated Ron's thoughtfulness. He also sent regards from the rest of the Weasleys. She felt a rush of warmth in her chest at the thought of them still considering her a part of their family.
Luna gave her a pair of Spectrespecs, some funky-looking glasses to detect invisible wrackspurts, whatever those were. Ginny had gotten her a gift card to a high-end stationery store in Hogsmeade, which was exactly the kind of gift Hermione liked the most. The three of them spent the day happily at Hogsmeade.
When they came back, Filch was at the entrance to the Great Hall and Mrs Norris was sitting obediently by his side.
"Miss Granger," he called. "Headmistress McGonagall wants to see you in her office."
Filch still spoke to students with contempt and took great pleasure in finding them breaking rules, giddy for their punishment. He looked at Hermione with an evil sneer and it set her anxiety off. What had she done that McGonagall wanted to speak with her? She urged her friends to go ahead and eat supper without her, and she went up the stairs toward McGonagall's office. As she got to the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance, she realised she didn't know the password and McGonagall wasn't in sight. Thankfully, a few seconds later the statue moved to reveal the familiar small stairs. She didn't think twice before stepping ahead when she ran smack into none other than Draco Malfoy, who grabbed her arms to stabilise her so she wouldn't fall backwards. They were both startled to find each other in such proximity, and he held her for a moment too long, ice-grey eyes connecting with deep chocolate ones. She was the first to look away and down to her shoes.
"Um," Malfoy said before Hermione took a step aside and let him out through the doorway. "Sorry."
Her head shot up, surprised. She couldn't remember the last time he'd directed any words at her, it had been that long. Before the war, he'd always gone out of his way to offend or bully her in some fashion. This was a weird contrast. She watched his eyes drink her in and realised she was dressed in muggle clothes. They were much more comfortable than her school uniform and robes, so she dressed in them whenever possible. This time, however, she was regretting her choice of a corduroy skirt and wool jersey, paired with a coat and her favourite beanie. She felt exposed under his gaze and it didn't help her anxiety at the moment. As for him, she'd always seen him wearing either his school uniform and robes or a black suit when he was outside of Hogwarts. Today wasn't any different.
"It's Cornish Pasty," he said after a brief moment with no response.
"What?" she asked, all the more confused.
He smirked. "The password. McGonagall said to tell you."
"Oh, thank you."
Hermione just stood there, still wondering why she was feeling so flustered, as Malfoy started walking down the corridor. Just before he was out of sight, he stopped and turned around.
"Hey, Granger," he called. "Happy birthday."
He didn't sound emotionless, but she couldn't quite decipher his tone. It was extremely bizarre, especially coming from him. Hermione was left to her own thoughts as she stood just inside the entrance of the Headmistress' Office. The door began to close, but her gaze was focused on Draco Malfoy as he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.
She walked up the small spiral staircase to the circular room. The first thing she looked around for was the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, and she smiled at him in greeting, to which he nodded kindly.
"I won't keep you long, Miss Granger." Hermione focused her attention on McGonagall, who was sitting at her desk. "It is late and you must want to relax. I hope you had a good birthday."
"Thank you, Professor. I did."
"I've asked you here for a reason," McGonagall began. "You must have run into Mr Malfoy on the way up."
"I did," Hermione answered. "He told me the password."
"Ah, excellent. I trust you will both keep it to yourselves."
Hermione nodded, but silently questioned the Headmistress' decision in regards to Malfoy. She briefly raised her eyes to Dumbledore, but he didn't say anything, though he was watching their conversation with interest.
"Let's get to it then," McGonagall declared. "You may have noticed that while I have chosen the same number of Prefects as in previous years that no Head Girl or Boy have yet been appointed."
"Professor, I don't th—"
McGonagall rose from her seat and walked in front of the desk. "Now I know, Miss Granger, that you have a considerable amount of work on your hands. I'm also aware that your Prefect days are behind you, but there is something that I must ask you to consider. I need two responsible students to work together and run the Head Girl and Boy duties for me."
Hermione thought about it for a few moments. Would she have wanted the responsibilities several years ago? Most likely. Should she take it on now? Preparing for seven N.E.W.T.s wasn't an easy task. And if she put her mind to something, she didn't just want to be good at it, she wanted to excel at it. Her patience had been greatly tested while searching for Horcruxes, her anxiety had spiked to a thousand. And working with somebody else…
"With all due respect, Professor, I don't think I'm the right choice for the task," she conceded, "least of all with Malfoy."
"How do you figure I asked him about this and we didn't discuss something else?"
Hermione sighed lightly. Should she feel intellectually insulted?
"Did he accept?" She finally asked. She was so curious.
McGonagall offered her a sad smile. She should have known the young girl could read between the lines better than most. "Unfortunately, no."
Hermione let out a breath. She didn't know why she felt McGonagall's disappointment, but she did. Maybe she was ready to take on the job had he accepted, just to get closer to the mystery, try to figure it out—figure him out. But alas…
"He has just as many exams to study for, on top of—well, his family," McGonagall said, cutting herself off.
Just as many? Hermione thought. "I'm sorry, Professor," she said, shaking her head negatively.
McGonagall sighed deeply and sat back down at her desk, removing her small glasses and rubbing her eyes.
"You could hold a vote," the young girl suggested with a shrug. "Democracy at Hogwarts sounds like a great headline for The Prophet."
· - ·
After her conversation with McGonagall, Hermione felt exhausted. She wasn't even hungry anymore, which was probably a good thing because it was too late to eat anyway. She decided to run back to the dormitories so that she could grab some clean clothes and her toiletry bag. Silently, she began to make her way toward the Prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor. As a former Prefect, she knew the password and even though she wasn't supposed to be there she didn't feel guilty about using it after the long day that she had endured.
Before going any farther, she thought it was time to put the Marauder's Map to good use. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," she whispered pointing her wand at the discoloured parchment. A blueprint of Hogwarts revealed itself on the pages and she couldn't help but smile at all of the fond memories that came flooding back to her.
Tiny footprints moved along the page next to name badges. Hermione checked and nearly all of the students were still mingling in the Great Hall after dinner, but some were in their common rooms, and others were wandering corridors. Thankfully, no one was where she wanted to go.
"Mischief managed."
Hermione left Gryffindor tower on the seventh floor and walked to the stairs when, ahead of her, she noticed a familiar blond head, seemingly materialising out of thin air. She hadn't seen his name around before on the Map. Where did he come from?
She made to follow him but, before getting too far, Ginny came up to her. He was quickly out of sight. Hermione told her friend where she was going and promised to be back before curfew. In fact, she couldn't stay long in the bath, as relaxing as it was, because she was still thinking about him. It was disturbing. She wanted to trust that he was trying to be better, leave behind the blood purity shite he'd been indoctrinated with his whole life. Most of all, she wanted to be sure she hadn't helped to keep a true Death Eater from Azkaban, where they belonged.
By the time Hermione had realized how distracted her thoughts had become, fifteen minutes had passed. In those short minutes, Hermione had almost convinced herself that if McGonagall put her trust in him then maybe she could as well. Not a second after closing the door to the bathroom, she heard a series of ear-piercing screams from a long way away down the corridor. Hermione ran like she hadn't in a long time. The last time she'd ran this fast was when she was being followed by snatchers in a forest, and the feeling of dread was very similar in this situation. Halfway through her run, she thought she heard a male's dry laugh.
When she got to the origin of the screams, the scene that greeted her wasn't worse than she had feared, but it didn't lessen her worries. In a corner next to the Muggle Studies classroom door, Hannah Abbott was crouching in terror, almost lying on the floor but not quite, in a very awkward position. Practically on top of her was Draco Malfoy, casting a shadow over the girl and talking to her in hushed tones. Hermione couldn't hear what he was saying, but he sounded rushed.
"What in Merlin's beard are you doing?" she asked, suddenly angry, and pulled out her wand.
Malfoy turned, clearly surprised to have been caught. He stood up and looked down at Hannah. Hermione ran and put herself in between them, shielding the Hufflepuff girl. She pointed her wand at him and he recoiled a few steps, raising his hands.
"Don't," Malfoy said.
At that moment, a young boy came running behind him, possibly a first-year.
"Bring Madam Pomfrey, quick!" Hermione barked at the boy. She knew Hannah was in shock and needed medical attention.
When the boy ran, Malfoy turned to leave, so Hermione let go of the girl and stood up. "Malfoy!" she called, but he didn't stop walking until she yelled. "Don't you bloody dare touch a girl like this ever again, you hear me?"
He didn't turn around, but his shoulders tensed noticeably. "You better not be implying what I think you're implying, Granger."
She could barely hear him over the sound of her pounding heart in her ears. He finally turned and his fury was unmistakable. This confused Hermione greatly.
"Don't you fucking dare talk to me like you know me or any sodding thing about me," he said in between his teeth.
She swallowed, trying to keep her tears of rage at bay and took a few steps closer to him. This was so different from what had transpired before, but the air was thick with the same intensity.
"You don't scare me," she said daringly.
He held her gaze, much like he had earlier, but this time she wouldn't be the first to back down. He responded with, "Good for you," and turned back around, walking away.
When he disappeared down the corridor, she finally blinked and let her tears run down her cheeks. She approached Hannah, who had her hands over her head, and coaxed her to sit upright before Madam Pomfrey came running down with the boy who had come before.
"Is she okay?" he asked Hermione, clearly concerned. "I heard her screams."
She shook her head. "No, but she will be."
When she took notice of the boy while Hannah was being led to the hospital wing, it dawned on Hermione that it was the same boy who'd been proudly sorted into Slytherin this year, the one who'd been beaten black and blue for showing that pride.
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A/N. Big thanks to AurorEowyn for her stellar beta work in this whole story.
Much love to my beautiful and patient friend Girl of Chaos, who did all beta-reading and helped out with editing.
Thanks Maddiexo15 and adxinfinitum for the initial beta help.
This story blends elements from both the books and the films. Hope you enjoy!