Chapter Three – One Line Wonder
Hermione awoke early the next morning and got a jump-start on getting
ready even though her portkey would not leave for a few hours. After showering and washing her hair, she wrapped up in her unpacked towel and began fixing her makeup. When her makeup was completed, she magically dried her and did a quick Scourgify on her towel and night clothes, before packing them in her trunk with all the rest of her shrunken belongings. She dressed in a pair of grey slacks, white button up shirt, and deep red cardigan. She slipped on some black sling back heels and looked at herself in the mirror. Hermione smirked slightly at her very muggle version of a Gryffindor. Having been out of the wizarding world for so long, she no longer had any robes. She would have to visit Madam Malkin's after getting settled into her rooms at Hogwarts. She thought it might be nice to do a little shopping in Diagon Alley when she got back actually. She's kept up with most of the goings on and changes in the wizarding world through The Daily Prophet she continued to receive in Sydney at the request of Ginny. She didn't like the thought of Hermione being so disconnected from everything. Between The Daily Prophet and the constant letters from Ginny, she had not missed too much. She moved her trunk to the front door and made another sweep around the flat to make sure she had not left anything behind.
She noticed how much bigger it seemed to be with just the sparse pieces of furniture in the living room and bedroom. Since the professors rooms were equipped with the basic essentials she didn't need to bring her furniture with her. It worked out in the long run because she was able to rent it out for a better price. She had made an arranged with her parents for them to handle everything with the renters, and they would keep the funds in her account in Australia in case of emergencies, or as her mother divulged to her, possibly a wedding fund. Hermione had smiled and rolled her eyes at her mother assuring her she would get a wedding one day, although Hermione didn't believe it would happen anytime soon.
Hermione glanced at the time on the microwave and realized the portkey would be leaving soon. She lifted the small compact mirror Minerva had enclosed with the letter, truly examining it for the first time. She noticed when shifted to one side to the other the Gryffindor crest roared in the reflection. She smiled and reminded herself how much she had missed her former professor, and her Gryffindor pride. At that moment, the mirror blazed in a bright blue and Hermione smiled to herself and said, "I'm going home."
She landed right in front of the gates to Hogwarts. Even now, after growing up the gates still made her feel so small. Hermione took a step forward and the gates opened. Once inside, as the gates began to close, she noticed a tall, slender female walking in her direction. She realized at once it was Headmistress McGonagall and let her trunk down and skipped forward to embrace one of the most influential women in her life. They walked to the castle together while levitating Hermione's trunk alongside them. The women were talking animatedly with one another all the way across the grounds, into the castle, and up to the headmistress' office. After they were seated in Minerva's office, the elder woman began discussing a few changes in the school and her fellow professors. Hermione was glad to hear most of her former professors were still teaching at Hogwarts. She knew, of course, that Flitwick wouldn't leave the post of Charms unless forced and Professor Trelawney would never "see" herself doing anything but teaching Divinations. Hermione, of course, already knew Severus had taken the place of Professor Slughorn. She was very intrigued to find out the person who had taken his post as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts was none other than Draco Malfoy.
Hermione read countless articles about the Malfoy family trying to regain a positive light in the wizarding world. Lucius was still in Azkaban for the crimes he committed while under Voldemort's reign. He sentence was lessened slightly due to the fact that he had stood down at the final moment of the battle. Draco and his mother, Narcissa, grieved only a short time before she began to rebuild the Malfoy name. Narcissa opened an orphanage for the children left parentless after the war or otherwise. It was extremely successful, some children had been adopted since, and several other wizarding families were active participants at the orphanage and with activities for the children. Draco began teaching, and revolutionizing, the Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum. According to the headmistress, he was extremely dedicated to the post and the children were learning so much from him. Hermione asked her former professor why she hadn't seen any articles regarding Draco taking the position. The elder woman explained that Draco, unlike his mother, didn't need recognition from the Ministry as long as the people he had done wrong during the war knew he was trying to make amends and honestly turning a new leaf. After a long discussion regarding the other professors, and a few rules regarding the grounds of Hogwarts, Minerva showed Hermione to her rooms.
Her rooms were very close to Gryffindor Tower which she liked very much. Minerva instructed Hermione on the charm that would drop the wards and open the door. As the doors open, Hermione's eyes filled with joy. The front room was very spacious with a cream-colored sofa against one wall with red and gold throw pillows. There was a large matching ottoman placed in front of it and a match pair of deep red wingback chairs facing the sofa. On the wall adjacent to the sofa, there was an oak writing desk with matching tall ladder-back chair. The same wall contained at least a dozen inlaid shelves already stacked half-full of books. Past the front room was her bedroom, which was just as exquisite. The large bed was covered in fluffy white bedding with brilliant red accent pillow. There were perfectly sized dark oak tables on either side of the bed. The dark oak continued to the foot of the bed where a long bench sat with several throws folded neatly on top. Again, there were several shelves with a few books already placed on them to one side of the bed. She could see the door leading into the bathroom and the other that must be to her closet. Hermione turned to the Headmistress with the biggest smile on her face when Minerva spoke.
"Are the rooms to your liking?" she asked.
"They are more than I could have ever asked for or expected," Hermione practically yelled.
"Very good, now there's just one more thing, Professor Granger," Minerva said, with a glittering smile, very similar to Dumbledore's, Hermione thought. "Anything ma'am!" she said.
"I would like to ask you if you would consider being Head of Gryffindor House," Headmistress McGonagall said, to a now gaping Hermione Granger.