A/N: Thank you to Anjana Bhargavan, Icelynne, I heart Star Trek, Kazumichan294, NazChick, Orli's babe, and malfoyshorcrux for the follows, as well as I heart Star Trek for the review - glad you like it so far, & yay fellow music major! (Yes I check out the profiles of my readers - you're reading my stuff, it's only fair if I return the favor.)

Here's chapter 2 - hope it keeps you interested! JKR owns all as always. Please let me know what you think, & enjoy! :-)

A week into July, Hermione received a letter, eagerly ripping it open when she saw the official Hogwarts seal.

Miss Granger, it said, I would be most appreciative if you would join me for tea this Friday at three in my office – I will connect to the Floo network for the afternoon. There are some things I think we should discuss. The short missive was signed, Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress.

Hermione sent back a reply in the affirmative and spent the rest of the afternoon puzzling over the note. Of course Professor McGonagall would have been made Headmistress – she'd been Deputy Headmistress before the war and the most senior staff member after Dumbledore – but Hermione had no idea what the elder witch wanted to discuss with her. Harry and Ron had no useful suggestions, and Ginny merely said she should go see what McGonagall wanted. Having already agreed to go, Hermione was forced to find something else to occupy her time until Friday rolled around.

Friday afternoon finally arrived, and Hermione found herself facing the large fireplace in the Weasleys' living room, a small handful of glittery powder clutched tightly in her fist. She'd fretted for nearly half an hour over what to wear to her meeting – all her robes were still at her parents' house – before Ginny had kindly but firmly pointed out that it was just Professor McGonagall, someone she'd known for seven years, and that it was too hot for robes anyway. Hermione acknowledged that her friend was right and donned a light cardigan over a simple sundress, slipping her feet into a pair of slightly dressy but comfortable leather sandals. At exactly three o'clock, she dropped the Floo powder into the flames, called out her destination, and vanished in a whirl of smoke.

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger – punctual as always, I see." Hermione flicked her wand over herself to remove any trace of ash and smiled at her host.

"It's so good to see you, Professor…but if you don't mind my asking, why are you still in this office?" The first thing Hermione had noticed upon stepping out of the fireplace was that she'd arrived not in the Headmaster's office as she'd expected, but in the Transfiguration office.

"This is still my office, Hermione. I have not yet found a suitable replacement for my old post, so I will be continuing to teach Transfiguration in addition to my new duties. Besides, the poor gargoyle guarding the Head's office is taking a well-deserved break, and I'm not sure I could bring myself to move any of Albus's things just yet."

"Won't that be a bit much, Professor?" Hermione asked after the solemn silence Dumbledore's name evoked had passed. "I mean, teaching while running the school."

"Yes, of course it will, but everyone will be taking on a little bit extra this year, perhaps for a few years after as well. Hogwarts, as you know, suffered greatly while you were gone, and the recovery won't happen overnight. I am fully prepared to do what I must to get this school up and running again."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said earnestly, gazing fondly at her former Head of House. "That means a lot, really."

"You're most welcome, dear. Now, let's have tea while we talk some things over." Professor McGongall conjured up a tray filled with the necessary accoutrements and Summoned her biscuit tin from her desk. There was silence for a few minutes as the two witches prepared their tea and selected their treats, then Professor McGonagall continued.

"I'm sure you've heard by now the two options available to students in your year?" she asked.

"Yes," Hermione answered, "I saw the article in the Prophet." The article in question, published several weeks prior, had sported some terribly cliché headline that she'd immediately forgotten – they all ran together nowadays – but the information within had filled her heart with happiness. Due to the circumstances of the previous year, many of Hermione's classmates had missed at least a part, if not the entirety of their seventh year. To make up for it, the affected class had two options: they could return to Hogwarts as "eighth years" to complete their schooling, or they could take a series of modified exams in lieu of their N.E.W.T.s at the end of the summer, which would allow them to proceed directly into the workforce. There was no doubt in Hermione's mind which was the path for her.

"What do you think you will do?"

"I fully intend to come back, of course." The elder witch's lips turned up a small smile.

"I didn't doubt that for a second, but it's still nice to hear it come directly from you."

"Hogwarts is my home, Professor. I'm not ready to leave just yet – although I must admit I'm being a bit selfish as well."

"Selfish? How so?"

"Because if I come back to Hogwarts, things will be normal again, if only for a little while."

"I understand, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall's smile seemed a little sad. She knew all about Hermione's loathing of all the publicity, as well as her added stress regarding the situation with her parents, so she knew exactly what Hermione meant by her statement.

"Since you plan to return, I have a few other questions for you. Firstly, how do you feel about the Head Girl position?" Hermione's response was immediate.

"I don't want it," she said. "In another time, I'd have been ecstatic at the thought, but now, I have to decline. I've been through too much and just want a year to be me. Purely selfish, I know, but no thank you. I had my time as a prefect; let a proper seventh year be the Head Girl."

"On the contrary, I think your reasoning is perfectly sound," the Scottish witch countered. "In that case, my first choice for Head Girl would be Laura Roberts. She is a Ravenclaw and very much like you – do you know her?"

"No, I don't," Hermione said. "What year is she?"

"She is a year below you," Professor McGonagall said. "She fled to America last summer with her family to escape Ministry persecution – her father is Muggle-born – but she kept up with her schooling as an exchange student at the Salem Witches' Institute and was highly involved in the war effort there."

"She sounds perfect for the position," Hermione said approvingly. "Who's the Head Boy?"

"Kevin Summerby, a Hufflepuff. I believe he played Seeker for their Quidditch team. He was here for most of last year and fought in the final battle." Hermione nodded.

"I think you've chosen well, Professor," she said.

"Thank you, Hermione. I shan't be giving eighth years any such positions, as you are a bit of a special circumstance, but I would still like to ask you a favor."

"Yes?"

"We both know that you would've been Head Girl had last year gone differently. While I obviously cannot give you that position, I think both Heads – and myself – would appreciate an extra hand. If you're willing, I'd like you to be a supervisor of sorts – you would have no patrols or other such duties, but you would be available to help if needed." Hermione was quiet for a moment as she contemplated the offer, then nodded.

"Yes, I think that'd be alright," she said. "Thank you, Professor."

"You're very welcome. I expect we'll be facing some challenges this year where the extra help will come in handy."

"I can only imagine the problems just involving the Slytherins. There's bound to be a lot of backlash." Hermione paused and frowned. "After all the trouble house rivalries have caused, is it really wise to even have houses this year?"

"It's a fair question, and one I've considered thoroughly," Professor McGonagall admitted. "For now, at least, the house system will have to be put on hold – the Sorting Hat was badly damaged by Voldemort's spell, and although Professor Flitwick has been hard at work on it, he doubts it'll be fully functional by the start of term. The hat is essentially a sentient being, making the necessary repairs both extremely delicate and extremely complex. The prefects will still be drawn evenly from the four houses in order to avoid issues when the Sorting can indeed take place, but Hogwarts will be house-less otherwise. We have converted a space in the castle into a temporary dormitory for the incoming first years, and although the upper years will still live in their house spaces for the sake of convenience, class schedules will be completely mixed and the Great Hall rearranged to encourage positive inter-house relationships."

"Do you think it will work?" Hermione asked slowly.

"To be honest, I don't know," Professor McGonagall said, a hint of doubt in her tone, "but we won't know unless we try. Albus was definitely right when he called us stronger united than divided, and I think Hogwarts could use some strength.

"While we're on the subject, there's one other thing I'd like to discuss." Hermione glanced up at her professor, noticing the cautious look in the older woman's eyes. "I will be sending official letters to your class regarding their options very soon, and I intend to extend the same opportunity to everyone. Do you agree with this decision? I understand that your history with certain people might lead you to disagree." By 'certain people,' Hermione knew she meant Draco Malfoy. She considered her words carefully before voicing them.

"Professor," she said, "neither of us can deny that we've seen some horrible things in the last few years. People have lied, people have tortured, people have killed. The Wizarding world is still on its knees, and most people's lives have changed forever. That said, Harry told me something recently that Professor Dumbledore once told him: 'It is our choices, far more than our abilities, that show who we truly are.' I know your hesitation primarily refers to Draco Malfoy, and I can appreciate your concerns. However, while Draco certainly had the ability to commit some truly horrible atrocities, he chose not to. We all know he didn't – couldn't – kill Professor Dumbledore, and his reluctance to betray Harry, Ron, and I to his aunt last April most likely saved our lives. Strange as it may sound, I am indebted to him for that, and I'm willing to give him a second chance. Dumbledore saw the potential for good in him, and we both know Dumbledore's instincts were almost always right. If Dumbledore could do that, then so can I."

"Miss Granger, you are wise beyond your years," Professor McGonagall replied. "I'm honored to have had the pleasure of teaching you and look forward to this year very much." Hermione blushed at the rare praise. "Albus did know what he was talking about – the whole business with Professor Snape certainly proves that. I will honor your request and include Mr. Malfoy in my correspondence."

"Thank you again, Professor, for everything," Hermione said sincerely as she stood to leave. "I can't tell you how happy I am to be back."

"Likewise, Hermione. Enjoy the rest of your holidays; I'll be in touch soon." Hermione smiled once more, and after promising to pass along well wishes to those at the Burrow, stepped into the fireplace once more. She had a lot to think about.