Author's Note: Thanks for sticking with me so far! As always, any favorites, follows, and reviews are much appreciated!
Much had changed for Hermione since the war. After the final battle she stayed with the Weasleys since she had no home to go back to. She'd tried locating her parents in Australia for weeks and even hired a personal investigator but didn't have any luck. While the papers made a large fuss over Harry and Ron, she'd opted to stay out of the limelight. The spotlight only lasted a few weeks though before Harry became annoyed by it and Ron's temper started flaring out of control and he hit a photographer.
Ron….
She thought everything would be fine after their shared kiss during the final battle. After all, she had wanted to be with him practically her entire life. Then they found out Fred died. Fred's death broke something, not only in Ron, but all the Weasleys. They all mourned together and fell into a dark depression. The house became quiet and cold. Dinners that used to be full of laughter and joy were now silent and quick. Molly threw herself into housework, cooking, cleaning, and re-cleaning things that didn't need to be. Arthur stayed away from everyone as much as possible, working late nights whenever he could. George ran the joke shop by himself and visited so rarely that seeing him at dinner was a shock. Ginny hid in her room all summer and wouldn't let anyone get close to her, even Harry. Billy and Percy went on with their lives, writing occasionally, but avoided the family entirely.
She and Ron never talked about Fred's death even though she tried to get him to open up about it. Whenever she brought it up he would become moody and unreasonable. Despite this, she thought that together they could work through it. That wasn't the case.
Ron's depression over Fred's death manifested itself into a nasty drinking habit and he would often come home raging drunk and developed anger problems. The rest of the Weasleys were too much in their own depression to address it, and either ignored it or pretended that Ron was fine.
Harry bought his own flat near the ministry and accepted the offer to begin early auror training. He even offered to let Hermione live with him but she declined, believing that she could help Ron, and eventually the family, with his grief if she was there.
It all came to an end one night when he tried to force himself on her in his drunken state.
"Stop it, Ron!" Hermione hissed at him, pushing his arms off her shoulders. He had cornered her against his bedroom wall and reeked of fire whiskey.
"Come on, Hermione," he slurred. "You never let me touch you. It will be fun," he said reaching for the buttons on her shirt.
"I don't want to, Ron. Especially not when you're like this!" She shoved against his chest but he wouldn't budge. He looked up at her enraged.
"What's that supposed to mean? Like what?" He demanded, lowering his face inches from hers.
"You're not yourself, Ron. You haven't been for months. You're drunk all the time and you're angry at every little thing that reminds you of Fred. I'm sick of it! Now get off of me."
"Don't you DARE talk about my brother. In fact, don't talk at all. If you won't give me what I want I'll just take it!" He shoved his mouth onto hers and ripped her shirt open.
Before he could do anything else, Hermione kneed him hard in the groin and punched him in the face. That seemed to sober him up for a moment as he looked at her, coming out of his daze and releasing her.
"Mione, I-" he began with wide eyes, but she apparated to Harry's flat before he could continue.
Harry took one look at her, pulled her into his arms and showed her to his spare bedroom. He told her the next morning that he had punched Ron after gathering her things, and he now had two black eyes.
Hermione stayed with Harry for a few weeks before she received her Hogwarts letter from McGonagall and accepted it without hesitation.
Honestly, Hermione felt hollower inside than ever before in her life. Not only did she not have her parents anymore, she also had lost a close childhood friend in Ron, and Harry was far too busy with auror training and beginning a new chapter in his life to worry about anything else. She hoped that returning to Hogwarts and coming back to finish her education would at least spark some excitement in her.
Now, seeing Blaise Zabini as head boy, all the horrible memories of the final battle and what came after were flooding back.
She cautiously sat down on the bench across from him in the head's compartment. She noticed he was wearing a silver pendant around his neck. It was of a small rose wrapped around a shield with intricate patterns and details.
"I like your pendant," she said quietly.
"It was my mothers'," he said looking down at it.
"I heard about your mother. I'm sorry," she said earnestly. He looked out the window.
"Thank you."
The door slid open again and Headmistresses McGonagall came in carrying two dark blue folders.
"Miss Granger, Mr. Zabini," she greeted handed them each one. They smiled in response. "Thank you for returning for your 8th year. I know everything has changed after the war, but I assure you that I'm doing my best to get all of Hogwarts back on track. Now, as head boy and head girl you will be responsible for directing the prefects, assigning and taking away house points, patrolling past curfew, and assist me in planning school events. Any questions?"
"School events?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. This year I have decided to host a winter ball as well as have a celebration of sorts in the spring. Since the Yule Ball went so well a few years ago I thought it might make Hogwarts more festive and alive again. All of the details are in these folders which outline your duties. Now, I must be going. The rest of the returning teachers must be briefed." With a warm smile and a nod, McGonagall left.
Hermione put the folder in her bag and looked out the window at the castle as it came into view in wonder. The workers had done a magnificent job over the summer restoring it to its former state. It looked as if the battle had never happened.
"They've fixed it rather well don't you think?" She asked Blaise.
"Quite," was his short reply. He didn't seem to be in much of talking mood, so she didn't talk to him the rest of the way.
When the train stopped McGonagall came back and took them to their dorm. A portrait of a young girl on a swing under a tree greeted them.
"The password is 'unity,' a theme which I hope that you will both work hard to promote this year. The welcome feast is tonight at six, and you should give the prefects their assignments afterwards."
Blaise gave the portrait the password and the door swung open to reveal a comfortable common room. There was a large fireplace in the middle against the wall surrounded by two large couches and a dark wood coffee table. In the corner there was a study area with a desk and a cabinet full of school supplies. Next to it, a door led out to a wide balcony which overlooked the east section of the castle and the quidditch pitch in the distance.
There were two doors on either side of the common room. Their house crests were on the top of each and they immediately went into their rooms.
Hermione couldn't contain the smile when she walked into her new room. There was a large bed covered in beautiful sheets in Gryffindor colors and a large window. She also had her own small bathroom. There was a simple desk next to her bed and a sizeable closet with a standing mirror in a thick gold frame next to it.
After she finished unpacking she headed down to the great hall. Many heads turned to look at her as she walked in, and she noticed people immediately start whispering. Doing her best to ignore them, she looked around for any familiar faces. At the Gryffindor table she saw Ginny, Luna, Neville, Dean, Seamus, and the Patel twins. Ginny and Dean sat close, murmuring to each other. The Patils sat with Dean and Seamus, and Luna and Neville were chatting amicably. Last year she would have sat with Ginny, but Ginny had become distant over the summer. Depressed by Fred's death, she shut herself away from everyone, even Harry. Just before Hermione and Ron's incident, she had overheard Ginny and Harry fighting. Apparently Ginny had been writing to Dean and kept it a secret.
"Hello, Hermione," Luna greeted and waved her over. "Did you have a nice summer?"
She inwardly winced. "It was alright I suppose. How about you two?" Neville scooted over and she sat next to him.
"Luna and I volunteered to help rebuild Hogwarts. It was a lot of hard work but it really paid off," Neville said, obviously beaming with pride.
"That's wonderful! You all did such an amazing job." Hermione talked pleasantly with them until the feast started, trying to ignore the painful memories that Luna unknowingly brought up.
Blaise looked around his room. Although it was smaller than his room at the manor, it was still equally as elegant with its dark green and silver color scheme. As he unpacked his things he couldn't help but think about Granger.
He hadn't thought she would be returning to Hogwarts given everything she had been through. Especially since Potter and Weasley apparently weren't returning either. He laughed at himself for his ridiculous assumption. Hermione Granger didn't get her reputation for being obsessive over school for nothing. Then again, Granger seemed different now. She looked as if she was lost in her own world and didn't have the same air of bossiness around her like she did in earlier years. Instead she seemed aloof, and unsure of herself sometimes.
Something about her though made Blaise feel bad. She was a reminder of all the things he hadn't done during the war, a reminder of the final battle which he had tried very hard to forget.
He couldn't avoid her since they were the heads, but that didn't mean he had to talk to her when it wasn't necessary.
He stayed in his room until it was time to go to the great feast. He sighed a breath of relief when he realized she had gone down ahead of him.
The Slytherin table was relatively quiet, but most of them gave him cold glares as he approached. Many of them had heard about him breaking his neutral oath and fighting a death eater. He supposed they now viewed him as a traitor even though the war was over. Draco sat at the end of the table alone and didn't look up. Blaise decided that Malfoy was still his best bet and sat across from him.
Draco finally looked up at him and Blaise was shocked at the emptiness he could see in his eyes. The war may have broken Blaise, but it had destroyed what was left of Draco.
"Head boy," he noted dully, eyeing Blaise's badge.
"Yeah…it was very unexpected."
Draco nodded, not offering anything else. They sat in a comfortable silence until the feast began. He looked over at the Gryffindor table which was quieter than usual but still chatting away. Granger sat with Longbottom and Lovegood, though she seemed uncomfortable. He briefly wondered why she wasn't sitting with the younger Weasley girl, but his thoughts were interrupted by McGonagall.
"Good evening everyone. I want to begin by saying that the events of the last seven years, and the last year in particular, will not be forgotten. The brave students who stood up against the death eaters threatening our core values are to be commended. I am relieved that all of us here are safe. Let us mourn for those that lost their lives, but remember that they would want us to keep on living, loving, and learning. This year is going to be very different from others. Your valued professors are going to be ensuring that we promote house unity, as a difference in beliefs is what drove the magical community apart the first time. We encourage all of you to sit with people from other houses, and get to know people on a wider scale. House pride is to be honored, but not at the risk of becoming prejudiced. In order to do so, we are hosting a winter ball and a spring celebration, a time for all houses to come together and socialize." Excited whispers filled the hall and McGonagall tapped on her class with her knife to quiet them. "Now, onto a pressing issue. For the next seven years, Hogwarts will be offering an optional 8th year for any student who wishes to fill the gap in their education that occurred last year due to…most unfortunate circumstances. The 8th years will have the option of re-taking any classes they missed and also be granted more traveling privileges than other students since they will be of age. However, the same rules and codes of conduct that govern all of us apply to them as well. I am pleased to announce that two of our 8th years this year have been selected as head boy and head girl. From Gryffindor, Miss Hermione Granger," there was a loud round of applause. "And from Slytherin, Mr. Blaise Zabini." There was a brief silence as people looked at him in confusion, but then slowly started clapping.
He offered them a small smile as thanks, but then quickly lowered his gaze to his lap in embarrassment.
"Good luck to all of you this year in your studies. Let the feast begin!" McGonagall waved her wand and the great hall was further illuminated by larger candles floating above the tables and endless amounts of food appeared on the table with a pop.
Blaise shook his head and attempted to rid himself of any further thoughts of Granger.
