Chapter 11: Hardships, Holidays and Seeing Old Faces

As the days and weeks passed, Hermione slipped into a new routine. She still spent her lessons with Harry and Ron, quelling their curiosity with truthful news as opposed to gossip that surrounded Hogwart's newest and most bizarre couple. All her spare time however was spent studying or simply relaxing with Draco. Any of the time that they happened to spend together in public, they joined Ginny and Blaise. After a few choice insults traded in a public place, the school had left the two alone, assured that they were only there for their friends.

In times when they didn't need to study or wanted some time to themselves, Draco and Hermione took to the astronomy tower where they talked about everything and anything. Everything except the impending battle the both subconsciously knew was coming, Voldemort and, as Draco said, Harry fucking Potter. This but a natural barrier between the couple, but they ignored it and if the subjects did accidently come up, they had a number of go to subjects that they could implement as a quick change of topic in order to diffuse the tension. Of course if rain ruined their plans and they couldn't be bothered to put up the charms to keep them dry and warm, or they simply didn't want to walk to the top of the tower, they took instead to the room in the dungeons which they had adopted and furnished to be their own. Luckily, it was so deep within the maze of the dungeons that nobody had ever stumbled across it, and they prayed that fact would never change. All in all, they had been very lucky with their situation.

Blaise and Ginny, on the other hand, were having a much harder time. The Gryffindors had been outraged at Ginny's move of leaving the boy-who-lived heartbroken for a Slytherin and ostracised the girl. Naturally a majority of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had followed suit and had taken to ignoring the youngest Weasley. The only one to ignore all prejudices was Luna, who had stood by her friend and given Ginny a new respect for the quirky Ravenclaw.

Blaise was having a similar struggle with half of the Slytherins. Only the most intolerant had shunned him, but that still counted half of the year. Both Draco and Theo had stuck beside Blaise, throwing away any ideas of their prejudices against 'blood-traitors'.

It was fair to say that the couple were strained from this development. They hadn't expected to be accepted, but they certainly didn't expect such levels of hatred that pounded them at all times, leaving only four other people in the whole school that still talked and spent time with them. Invariably the six of them had become much closer and had often taken to eating meals together at the Slytherin table for moral support.

Theo and Luna were both on the outside of the new group. Theo because he disliked being part of any sort of group or being classed as a certain something. Due to this, he spent time with others outside of the group and made sure he wasn't ostracised himself. Luna was, well Luna and tended to drift splitting her time between the group and others, though no-one was quite sure whether she did this on purpose or not, her dreamy expression gave no indication whether she was aware of the new development in the social circles in Hogwarts or not.

Despite the hardships they had faced down and the ones still to come, the six new and slightly dysfunctional friends were happy with their new way of life. The only problem Hermione still had was Ron. She hadn't had the heart to break off their relationship and despite the limited amount of time they spent together, none of which they spent on their own, and their increasingly awkward and unsure conversations, the two continued to publically date. Hermione had tried more than once to hint at the decaying mess that was the rest of their relationship, but Ron refused to see anything other than the happy shiny relationship they used to have.

As Christmas approached, the snow fell and the castle was buzzing with the normal end of term and Christmas excitement. The decorations had started appearing in the corridors and the Great Hall and the students were preparing to make their way home for the holidays. Hermione was among those looking forward to climbing aboard the train to spend her Christmas with her parents, however she was more apprehensive than most. She knew that she would get limited time to spend at home in the coming summer and indeed she worried about the measures she would have to take to keep them safe.

She spent the long train journey home sat in silence, her thoughts far from the compartment she was in. Surrounding her sat Ginny, Blaise, Draco and Luna all of whom were in the middle of a heated debate on something Luna had mentioned from the Quibbler. Hermione had taken to staring out the window, pondering many a thing as she ignored the friendly quarrel. Harry and Ron had chosen to stay in the castle and she was in no doubt that at least part of that decision was taken because Ginny was going home and neither of the boys wanted to spend their Christmas at odds with the girl.

Hermione wasn't worried about Ginny, or her family's reaction to her newest boyfriend of which Hermione was positive that Ron had informed them about, knowing full well that none of the Weasley's would be prejudiced against someone they had never met. She was worried about what Draco, Blaise and Theo's Christmas may entertain. She watched silently as Theo re-entered the compartment from his trip to acquire an array of hot drinks for them all. Hermione picked up her steaming cup of hot chocolate, cupping it in her palms and smiling faintly as the warmth permeated her body. It wasn't enough to disperse her fear that the three boys would spend their Christmas's in fear trying not to get themselves killed at the point of Voldemort's wand.

Hermione sipped her drink and sighed heavily, watching as the steam from the heat of her drink blurred her vision of the passing countryside.

Stepping off the train, through the barrier and into her parents' arms was as painful as it was joyous. Her joy at seeing them again was battling with her fear for their safety, but she ignored that for now and let them take her home back to the childhood that screamed of loss of innocence that a seventeen year old was already preparing for war.

It didn't take her more than a few days before she began to revisit those places that housed her most precious childhood memories and naturally the first place she visited was the library. Although it was one of her earliest memories, she could remember stepping through those doors for the first time in her life.

To the three-and-a-half-year-old bushy haired child, the double door entrance looked like an entrance to another world, something she had seen in the pictures of storybooks. Walking through the library, the tall shelves that housed nothing but books towered over the young girl and between the shelves were passages that looked rather like a maze to the toddler. She could faintly see as she walked passed with her hand safely clutched in that of her mother's that the passages led to yet more books.

The small Hermione that clutched a small and slightly grubby toy rabbit was told to 'stay near and be patient' while her mother pulled down books that she was looking for and others that caught her eye. Alone and unwatched in the library, Hermione wondered to a bookshelf not too far from her mum, and with difficulty pulled a heavy book from the bottom shelf. Upon opening it, Hermione dropped that rabbit forgotten on the floor and stared at the realm of information that lay on the pages before her.

Hermione couldn't understand most of what was written on the page, only recognising the odd word which had come up in her storybooks that her mother had pointed out to her at bedtime, but she was as determined as a three-and-a-half-year-old can be that one day she would be able to understand every word on the page before her, and in doing so unlock the information that only waited for someone to come and understand it.

Hermione smiled fondly at the memory and walked through the doors, looking up at the tall shelves that she passed, that even now nearly fifteen years later, still stood taller than she. Caught up in her memory and a happy feeling which let her forget the worry that was permeating her system, she collided with a figure, falling backwards and landing on the floor with an 'Oof'.

Blinking rapidly, processing what had happened, Hermione looked up at the solid figure that stood above her. She accepted the hand that pulled her up and apologised when she reached standing again.

"Hermione Granger? It is you!"

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Hermione asked confused.

"You've probably forgotten but we went to primary school together. I'm Luke." He said with a smile. "Luke White."

"Luke!" Hermione gasped. "Of course I haven't forgotten, you just look so different."

The boy grinned. "You have too. I wish I could stay, but I'll be late. Look I'm going away tomorrow to spend Christmas in Australia with extended family, but I'll be here next summer so I'll come and visit."

Hermione blinked, astounded. "Of course, that would be nice."

"Gotta run." With a grin Luke dashed off and out of the door.

Hermione stood slightly shocked by the change in her friend. The Luke she remembered was quiet and shy, with large blue eyes and a permanent blush. The eyes were the same, and his blonde hair was slightly shorter and spiked, but his personality had changed in leaps. Although he still wore glasses, they no longer made him look dorky but suited his face and Hermione wasn't surprised that it had taken so long to recognise the boy.

Shaking her head, she returned to her memories and made her way further into the library.