Chapter 5 – Mentor, mine.

McGonagall smiled as Hermione Granger entered her office. Hermione was perhaps the most exceptional student she'd ever taught. Not because of her academic ability, but because of her tenacity and loyalty. Hermione was capable of greatness, but McGonagall worried that Hermione still saw herself as a shy eleven year old with no friends. She was even more concerned that Hermione's fear of failure and unpopularity was holding her back. She'd set up weekly meetings with Hermione, as well as with Potter, Weasley, Lovegood, Malfoy and Longbottom, but it was Hermione who needed the most support.

"Sit down, Ms Granger" McGonagall said kindly. "How is your week going?"

Initially Hermione had refused to disclose much when she'd asked that question, but slowly Hermione had opened up. Granger had always been guarded, but the war had made her taciturn.

Hermione smiled "well Gryffindor won its match against Ravenclaw. Ron has really come into the role of captain and I think it's good for him to be out of Harry's shadow. Harry misses quidditch, though. He seems tireder every time I see him, which isn't that often really."

"Are you taking on too much?" McGongall asked, concerned "you should make time for your friends, Hermione.

"Hermione glared at McGonagall "I'm not taking on too much, there's no such thing."

McGonagall frowned but didn't push the point. Hermione's lips were chapped and there were bags under her eyes. She had also been making mistakes in classes according to her teachers. Not big ones, but her work had the odd spelling mistake and occasionally her maths was wrong. She would write to Kingsley and ask him to use Hermione less. Not so much that she became worried that people were talking about her, but the girl had been through a war and was taking on too much responsibility.

"And have you made plans to find your parents?"

McGonagall regretted asking so personal a question as soon as it escaped from her lips. Hermione glared at her for a long time before saying:

"I have meetings with . and about a hundred letters two and from, I have to keep my grades up, work on my Head Girl duties, study for next year's auror training and because the magical community still hasn't figured out a way for people to live without sleep, I have to find time to get a bit of shuteye. I don't have time to find my parents, and I'm not entirely sure why you care anyway!" She stood up, ran out and slammed the door, failing to conceal her tears. McGonagall put her head in her hands. She started writing a letter to Molly Weasely. Hermione needed a lot of sleep over the holidays.

XXX

"You look tired" Malfoy commented when Hermione sat down across from him at the café.

Hermione was too tired to snap back at him. She just smiled weakly. She was so embarrassed about how she had treated McGonagall who, over the past two months had become more than just a teacher. She'd become her mentor. "How has your week been?"

"Fine. Looking forward to Christmas."

"What's happening for you?"

"I'm going home, to Malfoy Manor I mean. Crap, sorry Hermione, you probably don't want to be reminded of that place."

"Draco, it's fine. You need to stop blaming yourself for stuff that isn't your fault."

Draco smiled at his newest friend. "I could give you the same advice."

"Seriously Draco, Harry blamed himself for Sirius's death and it nearly destroyed him. And Dobby's. Living in the past doesn't fix anything. Anyway, are you going to see Teddy?"

Draco smiled "yes, he's already crawling and Aunt Andromeda is convinced he's talking, even though it's just gurgles."

"Harry says the same."

"Harry Potter?"

"Yes, he's Teddy's godfather. Lupin" Hermione bit back tears "Lupin asked Harry to be his godfather. Maybe you and Harry could visit him together sometime."

Draco laughed.

"Seriously, Harry doesn't hate you."

"Yes, Hermione, he does."

"Has he taunted you, or made your life difficult? No. You know he was the one who protected you from the Wizengamot."

"That's because he's so noble."

"One nobility isn't a bad thing, as you very well know, and two, he did it partly because he doesn't want to be enemies with someone he is probably going to have to deal with in the future. It's not sentimental, just good sense. Why bother hating someone when you don't have to? You are a Slytherin, you know this. It costs money, time and energy being at odds with someone, you should only do it if there are irreconcilable differences."

"And here I was thinking you and Potter were just a couple of idealistic do-gooders."

Hermione laughed quietly. "I'm not sure it's possible to live through a war without being at least slightly practical. Would you mind if I invited Harry to our next coffee date?"

Draco, a year ago would have never agreed to such an outlandish plan, but his inner Slytherin told him it was stupid to turn down making amends with someone who would be very powerful in the future, and a newer part of him he was unfamiliar with actually wanted to make new friends for the enjoyment of it.

"I suppose that I should say yes, otherwise you'll keep nagging me incessantly."

"You suppose correctly, or maybe I'll just throw a tantrum and run out. I really need to apologise to McGonagall."

"Hermione?"

"Mmmm?"

"Does, um does Ron know about us?"

"What do you mean? There is no 'us'."

Draco flinched "that's not what I meant. Does Ron know we're having coffee?"

Hermione looked into her coffee for a few seconds before answering "no, Draco and I would prefer you didn't tell him."

Draco nodded "it's not like we're on speaking terms anyway."

Hermione smiled gratefully, trying to hide how guilty she was feeling about keeping this from Ron, but he wouldn't understand. His and Malfoy's family had so much history and Ron sometimes struggled to see the bigger picture. If Draco could be trusted and really wanted to turn his life around, he would be so helpful in ensuring that purebloods were invested in the magical society. But Ron was more concerned about his family's opinion. She noticed where her line of thought was going and stopped it. Any thought of her parents hurt too much. She moved the conversation on to small talk.

XXX

Luna looked at her defence against the dark arts notes. Professor Griffin was giving them a rare theory only class, on occlumency. Luna understood why, occulumency was one of the hardest magics to learn: mentally, emotionally, and physically. No one knew, but she was quite competent at occulmency already, and her father had always told her she would learn legilimency well, too, because her mother had. Luna had written her notes down already, well before the other students had. She surrepticiously tapped her wand onto her book and the page behind the writing turned into a picture of a golden sand beach with a magnificent sunset. She tapped the paper again and the words became stick figured people, some dancing with each other on the beach, others musicians providing the melody and beat to sustain the others, she frowned, her cello wasn't quite right, it needed to be a bit bigger. Just as she reached out her wand to tap the page a third time, she heard a gentle voice say "Luna?"

Luna looked up to see Professor Griffin staring at her page which didn't resemble anything like her notes on occlumency.

Luna blushed "I'm sorry, Professor. I wrote my notes, I promise. I just got distracted. It won't happen again."

Professor Griffin smiled at Luna "I know Luna, you finished first out of anyone. I also know you'll remember the lesson because you've got a photographic memory. I just wanted to compliment you on your drawings. You're a very talented woman, Luna."

Luna blushed and smiled. "Thank you professor. At the risk of sounding impertinent, so are you."

Professor Griffin gave a half smile and continued with the lesson.

Luna was walking on air after the lesson. She ran into Harry, Neville and Ron who were walking back to the common room from lunch.

"Hey, Luna how's it going?

"Wonderful, Professor Griffin is the best, isn't she?"

Ron smiled at his eccentric blonde friend. "Yes, we are so lucky to have her."

Harry, Ron and Neville kept walking, dodging Peeves who was carrying a very large bucket of something that looked like water but knowing Peeves, was very unlikely to be.

"Professor Griffin was so helpful with my remote shield charm" Ron mused "I think she's the best DADA professor we've had apart from Remus."

"She's been good to me, too" Harry mused. "What do you think of her, Neville?"

Neville glared at his friends "why? What's it go to do with you?" He glared at the Fat Lady and said the password before storming up the stairs to the dormitory.

"Neville, Neville come back" Ron called after him. He and Harry followed Neville up the stairs, concerned. They had never seen him like this.

"Why, why should I come back?"

"Neville, because it's not your dormitory anymore, remember?" Harry said softly.

Neville gave a short, sharp laugh. "Right, of course. Stupid of me, sorry for the outburst, I'm going back to my rooms." He marched back down the stairs and out through the picture hole, leaving a bunch of first years playing exploding snap half awestruck and half annoyed that the head boy had disrupted their game.

"You guys should be playing chess anyway" Ron told them offhandedly as he followed Neville.

"Sorry guys" Harry muttered, "go back to your game" he waved his wand so that the cards returned to the players' hands.

"Do you think he wants us following him? Harry asked.

"I dunno mate, but he's been acting weird around Professor Griffin and to be honest I'm kind of intrigued."

Harry rolled his eyes "well we should satisfy your curiosity then anyway, even if we disturb Neville" he said teasingly.

Ron laughed "mate, you're just as curious as me, I know you are. But you can blame me if he gets upset that we followed."

"Deal" Harry laughed. He missed how Ron's sense of humour. They entered Neville and Hermione's rooms to see Neville sitting on a couch throwing a stress ball repeatedly against a wall.

"Nev, mate" Ron said quietly.

"Oh hi guys, sorry about being stupid before. Do you want a cup of tea?"

"I'll make us some" Harry said softly

Neville smiled weakly. "Thanks Harry."

Harry came back carrying the tea, wishing that there was a TV in the room. It would have been good to mindlessly watch something. He handed the tea out and his friends smiled thank yous.

"I'm sorry for behaving the way I did" Neville said quietly. "I won't behave like that again."

"Neville, you didn't behave badly, you're allowed to have feelings. We are just worried about you" Harry replied.

"And we want to know what the deal is with Professor Griffin. Like, why do you go all weird whenever she's mentioned. It's like you've seen a ghost or something" Ron added.

Neville looked at his two friends. He'd been raised to, and then bullied into hiding his feelings.

"You don't need to say, Neville" Harry said, giving Ron a stern look. Ron rolled his eyes at his best friend.

Neville sighed, "you'll think I'm stupid."

Harry rolled his eyes. He wanted to shake his friend. "We've been through enough together Neville, no judgment from either of us. You're basically family."

Neville smiled at Harry, the person whose life most closely resembled his own, the person who's life was not his by a mere whim of Voldemort. Harry was perhaps the only person who could sympathise with what was going on in his head at the moment. The only person who wouldn't doubt his sanity, except perhaps Luna. But Harry would understand why, so badly he wanted this weird feeling to be true.

Neville looked at his hands. "Please don't tell anyone guys."

Ron put his hand on Neville's shoulder "promise, mate."

Neville didn't look up, he said very quietly "for some weird reason I think she's my mother, or at least related to me."

Harry didn't want to tell Neville to snap out of it. He remembered the mirror of erised and the crushing feeling when he realised that it wasn't real. Neville's situation was worse than his because he saw the shells of his parents but not who they were before they lost their minds. But he didn't want to inject harsh reality into his friend either.

"Neville, I think you need to talk to McGonagall. She'll help you get to the bottom of this."

XXX

Minerva hadn't shown up to the staff meeting in the morning and while she'd been at her lessons (he'd never known Minerva to miss a lesson in several decades) she hadn't been in the staff room all day. He didn't want to bother her but he really needed to touch base with her about a few things. He said the password to her office and entered.

Minerva was sitting at her desk as white as a sheet, clutching the arms of her chair, she was trying to contain gasps. She looked up to see her colleague.

"Oh hello Filius, I'm glad you dropped in. I think I'm having a heart attack."

A/N This chapter did not want to get written! Sorry it's so boring, things will pick up soon. Promise. Thanks to all who read and reviewed.