Hermione walked along the edge of the burned out quidditch pitch early the next morning. Her mind wandered through the memories, every horrific one of them, like a muggle scary movie on fast forward. She rubbed a hand over the slightly raised scarring on her arm. The wound no longer hurt, but she would always feel it. She could still smell the scent of Bellatrix's hair as it brushed over her face. She smirked to herself at the rather foolish thought. Of all the things to remember, the smell of her hair was not the first thing that she thought she would have remembered so vividly. When she closed her eyes she could still feel the soft curls caressing her nose, and smell the sweet musk of her natural scent. She supposed that her mind had focused on the woman's hair to distract her from the searing pain in her forearm.

As distracted as she was by these thoughts she didn't hear the person approaching behind her. It was the gentle hand on her shoulder that brought her out of her musings, rather touch startled her and she leapt away from the intrusion. A throaty chuckle was her only response. She spun around and came face to face with the instructor of the only class she had ever not done well in.

Madam Hooch was standing just behind her, the look on her face reflected her amusement at seeing the younger woman levitate. She held up both hands, noticing Hermione's hand had gone for her wand, though she still laughed. The brunette witch glared at her and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm sorry," the older woman said quietly. "I didn't mean to startle you. Forgive me."

Hermione deflated some. "It's alright. I suppose everyone is a bit jumpy. Not all of the Death-eaters have been accounted for. We still have to be careful."

Hooch nodded. "Very true. So why are you out here, all by yourself, when you know it isn't safe?"

"I wanted to be alone." Hermione shrugged. "I needed some time to think."

Again Hooch nodded. She waved her hand and invited Hermione to continue her walk. "I'll leave you alone then. Just don't wander too far. I think your favorite professor might skin me alive if she thought i had let anything happen to you."

"You may join me," the younger witch whispered, "If you want to. I don't want it to sound like I am ordering you or anything."

"Thank you. I will join you." Hooch fell in step next to the younger woman. They walked in silence for a while as both were lost in their own thoughts of the war. Hermione continued to rub her arm and it caught Rolanda's attention. "What's wrong?"

Hermione met her eyes. Slowly, the brunette rolled up her sleeve to reveal the derogatory slur that had been cut into the skin, now healed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's ok. I don't mind talking about it really. It was war. A lot of people have worse scars than I do. A lot of people didn't make it. I think I'm just glad I did. Better to be grateful that it's over, and I lived through it, than to allow myself to wallow in the sorrow that comes with the end of a war. I survived, and that's what I hold on to. If I don't, I think I will crumble." Hermione smiled thinly. "Before my parents died, they used to tell me, 'If you feel like you are failing something, fake it 'til you make it, because then you will excel at it'. I kinda took it to heart. I still follow their advice everyday."

Rolanda smiled softly down at the smaller witch. "Well, you didn't do very well faking my class."

That made Hermione laugh. "Well, no, I didn't, did I?"

"If you ever want to try again, come and find me. Perhaps you would do better in a one on one setting. I can help you more than I could in the class your first year." Hooch stopped and faced the young woman.

"I would like that. Thank you. I will be returning for my last year, so I will be around. Maybe Saturdays, before lunch?" Hermione said.

"Where will you go for the summer? If your parents…" Hooch trailed off, not sure how to mention the death of the younger girl's parents.

"They're dead. It's ok. You can say it. Headmistress McGonagall has given me permission to stay here at the castle for the summer. I have my parents' house, but I am unsure whether I can actually go there."

"Perhaps if someone went with you, it would be easier."

"Maybe." Madam Hooch's stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. Hermione giggled. "But maybe we should find some food first. I'm starting to get a little hungry myself."

Hooch smiled down at the young woman and gestured towards the castle. They walked side by side, laughing at the many times Hermione had slipped off her broom or stomped off in frustration back in her first year flying lessons. Neither of them noticed green eyes narrowing on them as they walked through the doors back into the castle. They spoke rapidly to each other about Hermione's many different adventures with the boys and laughed about Ron's blatantly apparent crush on her. Those green eyes never left them as they sat at a table together, neither willing to end their happy conversation yet.

Minerva was filled with a mild jealousy. Normally Hermione would have at least acknowledged her before sitting down and eating. This time though, she was completely absorbed in her conversation with Rolanda Hooch. How was she supposed to tell her daughter who she really was if the young woman was forgetting about her so easily to spend time with the flying instructor. Her grip on her knife tightened and she refused to look at the two women, missing the concerned glance from the younger of the two.

Hermione frowned when she noticed how tense her mentor was, and the fact that she was deliberately not looking at her. Concern for the older woman flooded her and she promised herself that she would go and find her friend as soon as they were done eating. For the time being though, she turned her attention back to Madam Hooch, listening intently as the older woman described a quidditch game to her.

"So, there I was, flying as quickly as my broom would allow towards the goal post when out of nowhere, Alexis Camp, the seeker at the time, comes across right in front of me and we both end up going end over teakettle into the sand. She landed first and i landed on top of her with my face pressed right into her bum. She didn't even blink, just looked at me and said 'Normally I'd make you buy me dinner first', jumps back on her broom and we still won the game. The school had to have a new quaffle made after that. I landed on it and it looked more like a pancake when I got up than a ball. The team never let me live it down." Hermione, who had been trying to stifle her laughter, choked on a grape and the flying instructor reached over and thumped her on the back. The two of them chuckled away at each other, enjoying each other's company and neither noticed the Scottish witch walk out.