Chapter Four - "Sorry Man"
"Hermione, why are you even questioning yourself? You're still the brightest witch of our age, even if you were out of the country for several years. McGonagall knows it too, otherwise why would she have even asked you. What are you so afraid of?" Harry said boldly.
As the waiter brought their drinks she thought about this for a minute. Hermione knew she was extremely intelligent and certainly had the proper mentality to be Head of Gryffindor House. So why was she so unsure she could do it? She wasn't sure she was completely deserving of this remarkable title when she had been out of London for so long. Surely there was someone else more qualified.
Deep down she knew she was just scared. Scared of disappointing everyone. Scared of becoming so stressed that history would repeat itself. Almost as if Harry had been reading her mind he spoke the words she didn't want to think.
"You're still having nightmares aren't you?" He asked.
"Only when I get really stressed last time was nearly six months ago. I was working on that potion,"
"The Dreamless Sleep one?" Harry interrupted.
"Yes. I can't seem to get the ingredients right. I knew I was getting stressed out, which only made me want to work harder. That, of course, just frustrated me even worse when it still wasn't working. That night I had one. Always about the war. Always with everyone dying in front of my eyes. Ending with me waking up drenched in sweat screaming at the top of my lungs. I'm surprised my neighbors never heard me, or perhaps they chose to ignore it." Hermione said. She looked at Harry who had his normal look of concern on his face.
"It's fine Harry, I promise. The potion is getting better."
"Well, at least now you're back at Hogwarts with the best Potions Master in the world." He reminded her.
"I know." Hermione said. Truth-be-told she started thinking about that the first time she read her letter from Minerva. She craved his help and opinion regarding her potion. Hermione was sure that he would never be interested in helping her, but perhaps with the chance to create a new potion, she could persuade him.
"Listen, just follow your instincts. They really haven't let you down so far." her best friend said.
"My instincts sure didn't let me in on the fact that our best friend, my boyfriend, was cheating on me with a little blond twit." She said with a slight agitation. "I'm sorry Harry. I don't mean to lash out at you. I know it's been several years now but it still hurts."
"I know Hermione. What he did was inexcusable. Molly is the only one that treats him remotely the same as she used to. Most of us still barely make much conversation with him. He is my brother-in-law now but that doesn't mean he gets a free ride on being a dunderhead." Harry said.
Hermione smiled at him. She was so grateful for her true friends. Meeting Harry in Diagon Alley was a great idea. He had assured her of what she already knew. That she would make a great Gryffindor Head of House.
"Where is your beautiful wife today? I had been hoping she would join us." she asked.
"She really wanted to be here too. Being pregnant has really taken it out of her. She still has about two months to go but the doctor has told her not to apparate and we didn't have enough time to arrange a portkey. Of course she sends her best and she told me that I wasn't allowed to come home until I made sure you were going to 'Quit this foolishness, and take the position'." Harry joked while making a quotation motion with his fingers to illustrate Ginny's point.
"You know, Ginny is beginning to sound more and more like Molly all the time." Hermione laughed. "Okay, well go home to your wife and tell her to rest assured that you did your job accordingly."
The pair stood from their chairs and embraced. After a few more words and cheerful goodbyes, Harry turned on his spot and apparated home to Ginny.
Hermione had a lot of time to spare before she needed to be back at Hogwarts for the staff meeting that evening. She looked around at the familiar shops and decided this would be the perfect time to go to Madame Malkin's to get new robes. Hermione wondered if she would be allowed to wear her muggle clothing as well. She was teaching Muggle Studies after all. She made a mental note to ask Minerva tonight at the staff meeting. She stopped dead in her tracks. There's a staff meeting tonight... with the whole staff. Every professor will be in the same room. Severus will be there, Hermione thought. She quickly shook herself out of her thoughts and hurriedly entered the robe shop in search of something perfect.
Her search was delayed of course do to the fact that the elder store owner had to get in her hellos, hugs, and congratulations. When she was told by Hermione that she needed several sets of robes the real shopping began at once. Hermione let her know money was not an object and wanted the good robes, not the ones that made her look frumpy.
The two women began scouring the entire store for suitable robes. For the staff meeting she picked out a set of deep red robes with intricate gold buttons going half-way down the front. The trim on the sleeves as well as the bottom were a beautiful gold silk fabric. She admired herself in the mirror and thought "How very Gryffindor". The robes actually did quite well for Hermione's figure. She had maintained a good physique over the years. Hermione's mother made much simpler and healthier meals when compared to the three feasts Molly Weasley served up everyday. A small tug of sadness pulled her at the thought of The Burrow and the fun they once had. Shaking herself from the memories she gathered up a large selection of robes and made her purchase.
She couldn't leave Diagon Alley without stopping by Flourish and Blotts. She walked into the bookshop and was immediately enthralled with the scent of books. This was happiness, she thought. There was a little ding signaling her entrance to the shop. The sound brought the shopkeeper out of the back room and Hermione's eyes went wide.
"Good after... HERMIONE?!" the small blonde witch exclaimed.
"Luna! It's so wonderful to see..."
"How long have you been..."
"When did you start working..."
The two witches began giggling at their own over-talking of one another. They quickly embraced once Luna came around the counter. Hermione noticed the quirky blonde hadn't changed too much in the year except her stomach seemed to have gotten slightly... oh my.
"Are you..." Hermione said glancing down at Luna's stomach.
"Yes! I'm due in December. I can't believe Ginny didn't tell you already. Well pregnancy brain does that. I forget the most simple things." Luna said with a giggle.
They fell right into catching up with what had been going on in each other's lives since the war. She knew Luna had married Neville not long after Harry and Ginny had tied the knot. Luna explained she bought the bookshop a year ago when it was all but closed down and revived it. Hermione was grateful of that, How could a bookshop go out of business. Nonsense, she thought. Hermione informed her of her new position at Hogwarts and that she was just about to meet with McGonagall to accept the offer of being Gryffindor's Head of House. The conversation went on for another thirty minutes before Hermione decided she really did need to look around if she wanted to meet with Minerva before the meeting tonight. Hermione wander off down the aisles after promising to have dinner with Luna and Neville after she was settled in.
She whispered a small spell with her hand on her wand so it would vibrate in 35 minutes to let her know she needed to be going. Hermione found several books she took interest in immediately. She scoured all the shelves with great detail, knowing 35 minutes wouldn't be near enough time but all she could afford for the day. She placed the eighth book on top of her pile and began levitating them to the front counter. Just as she turned the corner she bumped right into another patron causing her books to fall to the floor.
"Oh my, I'm so very sorry." She said kneeling to ground to retrieve her books.
"No, please, let me.." the man said dropping low to help when he noticed with whom he had ran into.
"Gran..Hermione?" Draco said.
"Draco, how... nice" She said hesitantly. "I'm sorry for bumping into you like that. I was paying too much attention to my levitating books."
"Imagine, Hermione Granger paying too much attention to a stack of books." He said with a smirk. "I wasn't paying much attention either, trying to hurrying before heading back to the castle. It's as much my fault."
Her jaw slacked a little, Draco Malfoy having light-hearted conversation with her. She knew he had changed, but seeing it with her own two eyes brought it into perspective. Hermione studied him for a quick moment. He looked about the same. Platinum blonde hair, sharp jaw line she was sure you could cut your finger on if you were to touch it, but the eyes.. still grey and cool, but something about them was different. His eyes didn't hold the same hate, disgust, and sadness they once had. His eyes looked almost flooded with... happiness. She smiled at the young Malfoy before rising up with her books.
"Thank you, so much." she said. "I suppose you've probably heard that I've taken the position as Professor of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts."
"I did, Minerva told us all a few days ago." Draco informed. "Hermione, I'm glad we've had this opportunity to run into one another. I'm sure you're aware of my changed ideals and beliefs, given you know my position at Hogwarts. But I need you to know how sorry I am about things that happened in school. After Lucius died, my mother and I grew very attached and had a lot of time to consider everything that had happened and what led us to that point. We both realized how insane the Pureblood loyalties were. The idea had cause so much death and destruction. I feel as though I must have been until a spell to have believed what we were doing was right. I'm sorry, I don't mean to bombard you with all of this, I just needed to say my peace. If we're going to be working together I think it's only right."
Hermione wasn't sure where to start. The confession almost brought a tear to her eye. She was so happy for Draco and his mother. Finally seeing the light, and trying to make a difference.
"Thank you Draco. I'm very happy to hear that. I have to say I had been looking forward to seeing this changed man I had read about while I was in Australia. I have not been disappointed."
she smiled.
Draco grabbed the book he was looking for and they continued their conversation while each made their purchases and decided to go back to Hogwarts together.