Patience was very much the key to Hermione's plan of vengeance against Ginny, and as eager as she was to pay the redheaded witch back for what had happened with Harry, Hermione exercised perfect patience as she waited for the perfect time to strike. Considering her plan couldn't be put into full effect until they were sure Draco wouldn't hurt her in his wolf form, Hermione knew nothing would be happening before Easter. However, she wasn't exactly idle, and as well as accompanying Draco to the manor every full moon and spending more time with him as a werewolf, she was also focusing on school, her plans for the future and sowing the seeds for Ginny to walk into her trap.
Every couple of weeks, Hermione used the polyjuice potion and engineered a brief encounter between Ginny and 'Pansy'. She was very careful not to establish a friendship in case Ginny tried to approach the real Pansy and realised something was going on. However, she'd ensured enough interaction so that Ginny would hopefully trust 'Pansy', when she asked for her help in bringing Hermione down. Of course, the best laid plans could still go wrong, but Hermione continued to lay down the groundwork of her revenge plan with optimism.
Revenge was not the only thing on Hermione's mind, and she found herself having to buckle down to make sure she wasn't too distracted from her school work. Despite her future being mapped out, Hermione still wanted to get the best exam results she could. She'd been top of the class for six years, and there was no way she was going to fall below her own very high standards in her final year. She was going to end Hogwarts just like she started it - on top.
As well as school work and her revenge on Ginny, Hermione started to focus on the future, and what she was planning on doing after leaving Hogwarts. True to her word, she'd spoken to Severus and arranged for Neville to begin an apprenticeship under Professor Sprout. She then approached both Padma and Theo about joining the staff, in whatever subject they liked. Her friends had both been overwhelmed by the idea, and they'd agreed to think about it over Easter and let Hermione know their decision before the end of the year.
With a new wave of staffing in the pipeline, Hermione had then turned her attention to the current crop of staff. In a notebook she'd listed every single member of staff and made notes on each of them. The idea was to decide if they were going to be offered a place in the new look Hogwarts, or if their teaching career was coming to an end. The only two Professors Hermione didn't have any personal experience with was Professor Trelawney, and the muggle studies professor. However, she'd already made decisions about both professors before she'd even drawn up her notebook. Both of them were reaching the end of their lives at Hogwarts.
In Hermione's new regime, there was no place for muggle studies. Her father was in the process of pulling the wizarding world away from the muggle world, so there was no reason to teach the future generations about muggles. It wasn't as if they were going to be learning skills they needed for future life, as most of them would never meet a muggle, let alone need to survive in the muggle world.
Despite Hermione's personal distaste for Divination, she had no intention of getting rid of the subject. However, Professor Trelawney had earned her ticket out of Hogwarts via her treatment of Harry. Hermione could still remember how the Divination Professor used to taunt Harry about how he was going to die a bloody death at a young age. Her nephew may have laughed off her predictions, but Hermione had found them cruel and unnecessary. So Trelawney was going, she would find new Divination Professors who didn't delight in trying to scare the students.
Hermione had also made preliminary decisions about almost all of the other Professors, but she still carried her notebook with her in case she came across another point she wanted to add to her notes. In fact the afternoon of the last full moon of the term, Hermione was in the library, adding a few more notes to her notebook, when she was disturbed by two second years arguing over a book. Annoyed at the interruption, Hermione slammed her quill down on the desk and stalked over to the quarrelling pair.
As she was dealing with the disturbance, Madam Pince appeared with a disgruntled looking Professor McGonagall. Despite the fact that Hermione had everything under control and was on the verge of getting the two girls to apologise to each other, McGonagall dismissed her with a casual flick of her hand.
"We can handle this, Miss Granger," McGonagall instructed.
"Controlling old hag," Hermione muttered under her breath as she stalked back to where she'd been sitting.
Since it was nearly time for her to be heading back to the head dorms to get ready to accompany Draco to the manor, Hermione packed up her belongings. However, Hermione was so distracted by her annoyance of McGonagall dismissing her as though she was useless that she failed to notice when her notebook containing her notes on the staff tumbled out of her bag when she picked it up. Giving McGonagall's back one final stare, Hermione turned and stalked off to the head dorms, unknowingly leaving her notebook behind for someone to find.
When Hermione reached the head dorms, she found Draco already preparing for the night ahead. As he always was on the day of the full moon, Draco was bursting with energy and he couldn't sit still for more than ten minutes. After spending so much time with him in his wolf form, Hermione could see the inner wolf in her fiancé, just waiting until it could burst forth and have its fun.
"Tonight's the big night, isn't it?" Hermione checked, throwing her bag onto the sofa.
"It is," Draco confirmed with a nod of his head. "Are you ready for it?"
"Of course," Hermione replied.
Tonight was the first time Hermione was going to be in Draco's presence while he hunted. Before they could even think of acting on her plan, they needed to be sure that Draco still had control when his bloodlust was high. Although, so far his control had been perfect and he hadn't so much as growled at Hermione. In fact, just the previous full moon Greyback had wandered nearer to where Hermione had been with Draco, and Draco had been very protective of her. He hadn't hurt Greyback, but he'd certainly marked his territory, just like Greyback had predicted he would do.
"It won't be pretty," Draco cautioned his fiancée. "I was so horrified by the hunting when I first turned that I used to block it out."
"I know, but it was different for you," Hermione said. "You were the one doing the hunting. I'll just be around. It's not like I'll likely even see anything. I can't exactly keep up with you in your wolf form."
"I know, but you'll be closer to me then anyone's been before while I'm hunting," Draco pointed out. "I don't want to lose myself in the hunt and end up hurting you."
"You won't hurt me," Hermione replied confidently, walking over to Draco and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Greyback has said more than once that you've got amazing control when it comes to me. Your love for me will outweigh your bloodlust."
"We hope," Draco whispered.
"I know," Hermione reassured him, giving him a quick pack. "Besides, we'll not be alone. Father and Lucius will be there. They'll not let anything happen to me."
"I know," Draco said with a nod, pulling Hermione even closer to him. "This is just a big step."
"No, it's just the next step," Hermione corrected. "Being a wolf is part of who you are, just like loving me is part of who you are. The two can co-exist, and I know whether you're a wolf or a man that you'll always protect me and put me first. It's one of the reasons why I love you."
"And what are the other reasons?" Draco asked with a slight smirk.
"You know, I can't quite remember right now," Hermione said with a chuckle. "Maybe you could jog my memory."
"Do we have time?" Draco asked. "Father will be here to escort us to the manor in just over an hour."
"Then we best make it quick then," Hermione replied, pulling Draco over to the sofa.
Quick didn't mean any less pleasure for the couple, and they made full use of the hour before they went to the manor. By the time Lucius arrived, the couple were re-dressed and waiting patiently for him, but they were both wearing mile wide smiles. Lucius didn't need to ask what they'd been up to before he arrived, as he had a very good idea, so he merely opened the floo connection and escorted them to the manor.
Voldemort and Greyback arrived shortly after the trio, and by now they had a routine in place. Draco and Greyback were outside as the moon rose, and Hermione gave them just enough time for them to adjust before leaving the manor. Voldemort and Lucius accompanied Hermione out into the gardens, and like always they remained vigilant beside the door, while Hermione got up close and personal with Draco the wolf.
By now, Hermione was entirely comfortable in Draco's presence, and she merely give him a stroke as she wandered past him and settled herself on a garden bench. For a couple of hours, Draco padded around the garden next to Hermione, before he caught the scent of an animal. Normally if Hermione was with him, he would ignore his hunting instincts, but this time he didn't give her a second thought as he took off into some nearby bushes in search of whatever had caught his attention.
Hermione tensed slightly on the bench, and her fingers automatically closed around the wood of her wand in her pocket. However, she didn't remove the wand and she didn't draw it when Draco raced back out of the bushes, hot on the heels of a rabbit. Hermione watched as Draco chased the rabbit down the length of the garden and towards the far end of the manor grounds. By the time her fiancé caught the rabbit, Hermione couldn't see him, but when he returned to her, he grey fur was matted with blood around his mouth.
"Messy thing," Hermione laughed, reaching over and gently wiping a smear of blood off Draco's pale fur. "I guess this means we're ready," She continued as she stroked his head. "After Easter it's time for you to meet the acquaintance of a little Weasel. You can hunt her, instead of a rabbit next time."
C.O.T.D.
While Hermione was with Draco, Professor McGonagall was sitting in her office, reading every word Hermione had written in her notebook on the staff of Hogwarts. McGonagall had spotted the notebook in the library after dealing with the second years, and Madam Pince had confirmed it as a book she'd seen Hermione scribbling in several times over the last few weeks. Instead of leaving the book in the library, so that Madam Pince could give it back to Hermione next time she saw her, McGonagall had taken it, insisting that she would return it to the Head Girl herself.
To be fair, McGonagall had gone to the head dorms to return the book, but she'd received no answer when she'd knocked on the door. Despite being head of Gryffindor and Deputy Headmistress she hadn't known the password and the portrait guarding the head dorms refused to let her past. Frustrated by yet another snub, McGonagall had returned to her study where she'd been unable to resist sneaking a peek at what Hermione had been writing.
McGonagall had been totally stunned when she'd found detailed notes on every member of staff. Their strengths and weaknesses were listed, as well as Hermione's personal opinions of whether or not they were up to the job of teaching. Finally, every member of staff had either been marked down to continue teaching, or be sacked.
Unsurprisingly there were glowing reports for Lucius and Narcissa, and Hermione's final notation on both of them was to keep them on staff. Poor Professor Trelawney had no notes on her teaching abilities at all. All that was on her page was a note that she was to be sacked as soon as possible. A lot of the other staff also received plenty of positive feedback and almost all of them received Hermione's seal of approval to keep teaching.
It was with trepidation that McGonagall found her own name and read what Hermione had to say about her. She was rather surprised to find the first half of the page filled with complimentary things. Hermione noted that she was a good Professor with an excellent grasp of the subject she taught. Hermione also admitted that her teaching style made things easy to pick up, especially in earlier years when students were just beginning their education.
However, just as McGonagall was relaxing and thinking that maybe Hermione still liked her after all, came a slew of negative comments. Among the comments, Hermione noted that McGonagall was vindictive towards students she didn't like, in particular Slytherins, and had a terrible attitude towards them. She also noted that she no longer offered her unwavering support to the headmaster and tried to undermine him on several occasions. Hermione finished her notes by saying that while McGonagall was a competent professor, she was also a troublemaker and couldn't be trusted. Finally came the dreaded words at the bottom of the page - to be replaced.
McGonagall slammed the book shut as she read Hermione's final judgment on her. Although, why Hermione was making judgements about the staff was beyond McGonagall. It was Severus who was the headmaster, and she very much doubted that he needed his little sister's opinion on which professors he should keep and which he should get rid of. The notebook was proof that something else was afoot and McGonagall wanted to know what.
She'd been at Hogwarts for decades, and she wasn't going to let some jumped up teenager kick her out. She wasn't going to be pushed aside like old rubbish. If it was a fight Hermione wanted than McGonagall was more than happy than give it to her. She may have been older, but she wasn't incapable. She would show Hermione Granger that she wasn't a witch to be taken lightly. Hermione may have been the daughter of The Dark Lord, but that didn't frighten McGonagall. She knew from Dumbledore that you needed to stand up to darkness, and that was exactly what she was going to do. She was going to stand up to the darkness, and with any luck she might even be able to cause some damage of her own.