Sept 1.
So it had finally arrived. The first day of school. The seventh years would have been in their 4th year. A mere three years had passed since she had herself graduated. She was home, and that she was thankful for. She just didn't want to face the students. Only the first, second, and third years didn't know her as their Head Girl of two years ago and it would be hard. At least Ginny had graduated the year before last. She wouldn't have to answer any of the sweet little redhead's questions. Ginny was the best female friend she had. Another person she hadn't talked to since it happened.
Maybe she'd rectify that this evening. Depended. At least she didn't have to show the first years around like she'd had to do in the last three years of her school life. Right now students would be loading up, never expecting that their Head Girl and Head Boy of just a few years previous would be their newest teachers. She had to admit that she was looking forward to their surprise when Albus introduced them.
Severus and Draco walked into her office and she smiled up at them. They were very similar. Both in their black robes and their stern glares. She just giggled at them both. Their glares turned to the exact same looks of befuddlement. That only made her giggle harder. When she calmed down they were both sitting in the chairs in front of her new desk.
"I'm sorry Severus, Draco. But you two came in here looking exactly alike, save your hair color and it was just so funny. Then you had to both get the same look." Draco smiled and Severus shook his head, trying to hide a small grin.
"Well Hermione what do you expect from us?" Draco asked her, not loosing his smile.
"Exactly that, which made it all the more funny." He chuckled and glanced at Severus.
"She knows us all to well Sev." The professor of potions glanced at his companion, raising an eyebrow.
"It seems she does. But that is beside the point. Hermione, if you feel you aren't ready for the flood of students, most of whom know the both of you, your classes can be pushed back another semester." She gave Severus this glare that made him grin.
"Severus I do believe that you know as well as I do that running from it will not do a bleeding thing to help me. If I let you push my classes back just one semester, I will let you offer and do the same thing again, and again after that." She looked at the looks on her men's faces, and knew that they were extremely pleased with her answer. She also didn't miss her own thoughts towards them, and pushed it aside.
"Indeed. I will inform the headmaster of your choice. I dare say he will be as pleased as I." Severus stood and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Just know that if it does get to be to much, Hermione, you need not hesitate to interrupt my classes." And with that he was gone, leaving Draco and herself alone.
"I never knew what he was like Draco. Why does he not want people to know him?" She looked at her companion with a curious look on her face. Draco sighed and shook his head.
"Because of what he did in the first war, Hermione. He believes he must repent with his own unhappiness. Until recently he didn't realize that he had repented enough when he switched sides and began to teach the students the antidotes to his dark potions, when he began to spy for the side of light. He only saw that he deserved to be happy a mere three years ago. He's always been a good and loving man. He just made a wrong decision. Albeit one that got people killed."
"Does he think that being mean and scary and cruel will keep those who love him away?" She asked, true curiosity in her voice. She didn't understand why he thought the way he did. She was unaware of the affect of her mentioning love had on Draco.
"He used to. Until I grew up and made him realize it didn't work like that." She narrowed her eyes at him.
"You made him see that those who loved him would not be deterred? When did this happen, and why didn't I know about it. If you were involved with him during the time I was involved with you I would have liked to have known."
"And what would you have done had you known that I was bisexual and involved with a professor? Ran and told Albus?" She was visibly miffed at his accusation.
"No! I would have asked to join you." This surprised Draco like nothing else had in a long time. His less than articulate answer showed evidence of this fact.
"Wha?" She giggled at the inarticulate sound that escaped his mouth.
"Yes Draco. I've been in love with the big mean scary Potions Professor since about the beginning of 7th year – which I'm quite surprised to learn you were unaware of. Although I had no idea that the two of you had been or are involved." Draco snapped out of it.
"Ahh. I see now. You realized you were in love with our Potions Professor and thought he'd never go for you – a student, a know-it-all – and got rebellious. With me. Well I'll have you know that our Professor had just broken it off with me as per excuse of I'm a student and it was illegal. Seems we got together for similar reasons." The pair laughed.
"No wonder we got along so well." The pair laughed at their similar attitudes. Then Draco sobered first, followed shortly by Hermione.
*~*~*~*~*POV Shift*~*~*~*~*
Severus walked out of Hermione's office to report to the Headmaster. He had a sudden desire to ease drop on the pair, but that would have been childish. He took the short cut that was outside each teacher's office to Albus' own office. He rapped on the door and replaced his small grin with his usual sneer when Albus responded with a "Come in Severus."
"You will be pleased to know that our audacious Know-it-all has refused the offer of delaying her face-off with the world, and many students that know her." The ever present twinkle in Albus' eyes increased as he nodded sagely.
"That is good to know. Even though, tell me Severus do you think that she will be able to handle it? I'll admit that I deliberately arranged it so that tomorrow's classes were first, second and third years. Just to give her that one more day before she ran into any of the students that she knew here as a student herself." He sighed with relief, grateful that the headmaster had given his Hermione that extra day. He truly didn't know if she'd ever be ready to face a large population of people on her own if they didn't force the issue.
"Of Course she is ready Albus. She is ready because she chooses to be. She is coming to trust Draco again, which is good." He sincerely hoped that Albus didn't notice the glimmer of jealously he felt. The glimmer disappeared from Albus' eyes and a concerned look came over his face, and the next words that came out of his mouth shocked Severus more than any he had said before.
"Are you ready to let her go Severus? How will you handle it, should Draco and Hermione choose each other and not you?" Severus stiffened – almost involuntarily – and felt the coldness fall over his features. It was an automatic reaction, even though he doubted seriously that the gesture fooled the man that was closer to being his father than his biological one had ever been.
"And why should it concern me who the two of them choose?" Severus rose stiffly and left the room, ignoring the sad look on Albus' face. He wished he had never heard Albus' departing comment.
"I hope, for your sake my boy, that this ménage-a-trios works out and the three of you aren't too stubborn."
*~*~*~*~*POV Shift*~*~*~*~*
She sat between Severus and Draco at the staff table in the Great Hall, waiting for the first years to be led in by Minerva. Her hands were hid under the table, so no one could see how she twisted and fidgeted with them. She could already see the older students mumbling about the two very familiar faces at the high table.
Then something curious happened. Just as the doors opened and Minerva stepped in, both her Slytherin boys grabbed one hand. They did it simultaneously, and she didn't think that they realized that the other one had done the same. However it happened, she was instantly at ease. She didn't really recognize any names, she just knew that Gryffindor house gained 7 students, Slytherin gained 9, Hufflepuff gained 11 and Ravenclaw gained 5. Once the last of those students had taken their seats, Albus stood and the hall silenced.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts, and to you First years, just welcome! As you may have noticed we have two, not exactly new, faces up with your professors. Please welcome Draco Malfoy, your new DADA professor, and Hermione Granger, Professor of Muggle Studies." A roar of applause came from the students. From the elder students because they were still Hermione and Draco – the devilish duo – and from the younger students because there were two of the four heroes that saved the wizarding world.
Both she and Draco simply nodded. And if any students noticed her nervous manner or the lack of scowl on Severus' face (one that would usually be there in regards to a new DADA professor) not one reacted outwardly to it. Perhaps there just weren't any more observant students – which she found hard to believe because Slytherin simply wouldn't be unobservant. Although she might have to admit, with the ending of the war and so many of their parents in Azkaban, that skill might be turned inward.
She got through feast and back to her rooms without encountering any students. Well, it wasn't that hard, as she used the teacher's corridors. She'd even avoided Severus and Draco's company. She wanted to write to Ginny, and she didn't want to be talked out of it. She knew that both her boys would be opposed to bringing the red-headed – and bull-headed – witch around. Virginia Weasley was nothing short of a force of nature, something she got from her mother.
She snickered and shook her head as she sat down at her desk and dipped her quill in a shimmering iridescent ink.
Dear Ginny,
I've no doubt that you've heard from Ron on this matter, and no doubt that he'd like to have convinced you that I've been brainwashed. I also have no doubt that if he had you'd have been here not long after, to save me. At which point I must thank you for ignoring the rant of your gorilla of a brother and waiting for me to contact you.
You know? In the months since that night I've never actually spoken – or written – the fact aloud? Perhaps doing so here will help. Here goes…
I was raped. By three Muggle men, and I didn't even lift my wand until I was away from them. I think that that is what still scares me the most. That I couldn't protect myself. But it is over now, and Severus has helped me deal with a good majority of the entire thing.
I know that you are helping Colin with his research, but I wish to ask you to come here. I'd like to talk to you face to face, if it is at all possible. You see, the only ones I've really talked to have been Severus and Draco and I find myself in need of my only true female friend.
Immediately after I send this, I will inform Albus of my request. Write me back if you are able to come, and I'll make sure there are some rooms prepared for you for however long you wish to stay.
Your friend,
Hermione
She folded the parchment and graced the back of it with her seal, a scroll crossed with a wand, imposed over and H. On the front she placed Ginny's address. She took her time in getting up to the owlery, because she knew that students would be unpacking and reacquainting themselves with their school friends. She smiled up at the school owls and a big black hawk owl flew down to her.
"So you're going to take this to Ginny for me?" The owl hooted and nipped at her nose. She tied the parchment to his leg and whispered the address to him. She opened the window and let the owl loose. "Hurry please!"
*~*~*~*~*POV Shift*~*~*~*~*
In a small London flat…
Ginny sat at her kitchen table and stared across it to where her husband should be. Would be if he weren't out on the streets of Muggle London, gallivanting with the prostitutes there. Always under the guise of working late. It was their one year anniversary, an even now he was out with some random slut, spending what little money he got from the Ministry and keeping them in this ratty little flat. No one knew the state her marriage was in, hell, had been in since the week after it started. And at first, she had believed him. Knew that Colin was dedicated to his work and she hadn't minded. Until one day one of his prostitutes came to her house to inform Colin that she was pregnant. Ginny had been so angry that she had aborted the child and obligated to woman's memory. Now, once the anger had settled to a low burning sorrow, she regretted taking that choice away from the woman. But, no woman would have a child with her husband while he still was her husband.
She had totally not expected the owl to tap on her window, and it brought her out of her thoughts. She stood sluggishly and went to the window.
"Hello friend. You're a Hogwarts bird aren't you?" The owl hooted and landed on the stand they kept by the window for the post owls. She fed it a dried apricot as she took the letter from it. She didn't even really look at it until she sat down at the table. Then she jumped with a start when she saw the seal and recognized it as Hermione's.
She read the first part of the letter and thought that, no, Ron hadn't told her anything. Harry had been the one to inform her that Hermione was missing. And he hadn't told her that she had been found at Hogwarts.
She moved on to the second part of the letter and gasped in horror. Raped! But Severus had been there, and Draco. Boy, that must have been a pain in the arse for Hermi. Both the men she was in love with. Yes, Ginny knew. Hermione was her best friend, and Ginny knew her well. Better than she knew herself, you could say, since Ginny wasn't fooled by the "fuck-buddy" label Hermione gave to Draco. She finished the letter and headed determinedly towards her and Colin's room to pack herself a trunk.
Then, packed and ready to go, she flooed the Headmaster and his head appeared in the fireplace.
"Ahh, Mrs. Creevey!" Ginny winced at that name. Albus took note and decided against the congratulations he was about to impart. "I see that Hermione has informed you. Very well, when will you be here?"
"Now, Headmaster." The twinkle returned to the Headmaster's eyes and he nodded.
"Very well. Floo into here and we'll get you some rooms. I'm afraid you just missed Hermione. Oh, and please call me Albus. After all you are graduated." Ginny didn't reply. She just waited for him to move so she could Floo in. Her trunk went first and she landed, sitting on the trunk. She dusted herself off and grinned at Albus.
"Alright Albus, but only if you call me Ginny." The Headmaster nodded and grinned.
"As you wish. Welcome back to Hogwarts." Ginny smiled and followed the summoned house-elf to her rooms.
Before the little elf could leave, Ginny asked, "Could you lead me to Professor Granger's quarters please?" The little elf nodded emphatically.
"Of course Pfixy can. Right this way Miz Ginny. Follows me!" Ginny chuckled and followed the happy little elf. She was just very thankful that Hermi had given up on SPEW after fifth year.
Ginny peacefully followed the spry little thing down to the dungeons. 'Figures she'd choose to be so near her Slytherins.' Ginny thought.
"Here we is, Miz Ginny!" and with a pop the elf was gone and she was left standing outside of a portrait of a dark haired woman with an aristocratic face. The woman looked down her nose at her.
"And who would you be? And why are you here?" Ginny grinned.
"I am Ginny and I am a friend of Hermione's." The woman's glance warmed slightly. "May I ask who you are?" Ginny asked as she knocked on the wall next to the portrait.
"Elizabeth Snape." Ginny gasped, and thought, 'Snape's mother?' Just before Hermione opened the door and smiled.
"Ginny! I didn't expect you this soon!" Hermione and Ginny embraced and Hermione nodded to the portrait. "Thank you Elizabeth." The portrait gave her a warm smile.
"I came this soon, Hermi, because I'm leaving Colin."