A/N: You are all magical. Thank you for the love.

-0-

The rest of the holiday passed by fairly quietly.

Minerva had, true to her word, visited every other night at about eight o'clock and retreated into Hermione's room where they played chess until about midnight. That they played was perhaps a misnomer - Minerva did her best to teach Hermione how to play and Hermione did her best to learn. Most nights, they had put the chess away after an hour or so and just talked about the latest Transfiguration Today or the practical applications of magic in Muggle settings. Hermione found it glorious. It hadn't really occurred to Hermione until she was packing her trunk that that, in itself, was a little bizarre. Surely Minerva had other duties to perform, even in the holidays, but she'd never made it seem like Hermione was disturbing her workload or keeping her from anything. She'd appreciated that more than she could ever tell Minerva.

Now though, Hermione stood with Harry on Platform 93/4 watching as all the other students got on the train.

"You alright?" she asked. He'd been quiet all morning and if she'd had to guess at a cause, it would be that Sirius had disappeared into his room yesterday and had not been seen since.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "It's weird, you know. I guess I expected to see more of Sirius and less of Molly."

Hermione smiled and wrapped her arm in his while they watched Molly trying to bully Ginny into an overstretched pink cardigan.

"Tell him," she urged, drawing his attention again. "Harry, tell him these things. How is he supposed to know you want to see more of him if you don't just tell him? Listen, when we get there, write to him. Tell him how you feel and what you want from this and ask him things. You guys were just shoved together cos he's your godfather - neither of you really knows each other properly. And we all know, he's rubbish at it. And look," she smiled, squeezing his hand. "You aren't much better so figure it out together. We," she shivered. "Could have lost him last year. We thought we did. I remember your face after seeing that vision. Imagine if we had gone off half-cocked and lost him. Tell him."

Harry smiled sadly and nodded, helping her onto the train as the Station Master blew the whistle.

"Tell me about your lessons, now that we're finally able to talk properly."

"We've not done much yet," she grinned. "I'm learning to play chess though?" she shrugged. "I'm still rubbish. I get so far ahead, then I forget how far ahead I am," she laughed, making him grin. "She beat me in three moves yesterday and I didn't realise for another three." He laughed.

"You like hanging out with her?"

"I do," Hermione grinned. "We were talking about the application of chemotherapy the day before yesterday. And how it would be applied in a magical setting. Did you know cancer is not really in the Wizarding World? It's only beginning to increase with the number of muggle marriages."

"Really?" he asked, looking shocked. "That's -"

"Amazing," she said. "Interesting? Fascinating? Think of how we can move it the other way if we could isolate why Magical people don't get cancer."

"That must be," he paused and she looked at him sideways. "Pretty cool to have someone like you to talk to. I know I'm not smart or anything but -"

"Harry," she groaned. "You're my best friend. I don't need you to be as smart as me. I need you to be honest. And you are smart enough," she grinned.

He laughed as the Weasleys joined them and the train started moving after the final stragglers made it aboard. The train back to Hogwarts was always a bit of a weird one after Summer Holidays. The young ones were excited and terrified in equal measure. The returning students were resigned to another year of school. The energy was high but Hermione and Harry tucked themselves into a corner with Ginny and Ron and just talked quietly amongst themselves.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?" she smiled as Ginny nudged her foot.

"I'm sorry about Mum."

"Don't be." Hermione waved it off. "You didn't do anything, so don't apologise for it."

"But -"

"It's truly okay. I know there's a lot going on and I realise that she is just trying to protect everyone but," she shrugged. "I dunno. Just don't worry about it."

"She wasn't real nice to anyone this time though," Ron huffed. "Was she?"

"It'll get better," Hermione smiled, though she didn't look at Harry for fear that he'd see her lie.

Personally, she'd seen enough of Molly to see beyond the matronly mother figure she so often played. There was a sharpness to her that had put Hermione right off and she was no longer interested in being friendly. She'd be polite, of course. Ron and Ginny were two of her best friends. But she was not a pushover. Not anymore. She didn't have the space to be that anymore, not now she was alone.

"Well I'm definitely not going back for Christmas," Ginny snorted. "I'd rather stay in an empty dorm."

"It'll be fine, you guys. Just wait and see."

-0-

Each day since they arrived back at Hogwarts seemed to drag on and on. Even with her penchant for learning, Hermione was struggling after just the first week.

"They're all so dreary," Ginny groaned as she dropped onto the sofa beside them. "I'm pretty sure whatever has infected Mum has infected them too."

Hermione snorted and finished her notes before dropping them on the coffee table.

"No," she said sharply when Ron reached for them. "If you didn't take notes, it's not on me to provide them for you."

"But -"

"What were you doing?"

"I -" He blushed and looked awkward as all three of them turned to look at him. "I dunno."

"Try again," Ginny huffed. "Why don't you at least listen?"

"I tried," he complained. "I really did. But then I thought about a Blast-Ended skrewt and what that might look like if it had a baby with a Manticore."

There was a very long pause before they all fell apart laughing. Hermione shook her head while she laughed and passed over her notes.

"Do not," she said before she allowed him to have it. "Mention any of that to Hagrid."

That set them all off again and as the bell to announce dinner rang, they were barely all back together again. Dinner was, as usual, delicious and Hermione was glad to see Professor Dumbledore back. He'd missed the whole of the first week and though he made his welcome speech, albeit belatedly, there was something about his eyes that made her sad.

"Something's happened," she muttered to Harry, who nodded. For a guy with very little emotional intelligence, he could sometimes pick up the strangest things. "He looks so tired. More than he did when I last saw him," Hermione winced. "And it's weird that Slughorn was here when he wasn't."

Harry had already told her that the Headmaster had taken him to retrieve the professor before they'd met up at Grimmauld Place. Hermione hadn't put two and two together until much later. No wonder Professor Snape was grumpy at the meeting; he'd missed out on the Defence job again. Hermione zoned out for the rest of dinner while she pondered. She grabbed a few apples and a bread roll, knowing she'd get peckish later as she left the hall with the others.

"Hey, what do you reckon Malfoy's issue is?"

"Dunno," Hermione muttered, only half paying attention. "Do we care?"

"No, just wanna keep an eye on him. He's looking particularly shifty and after Lucius was caught in that stupid Ministry raid, I wanna make sure I know where Draco is at all times."

Hermione saw the sense in that. The walk back from dinner was always long and by the time they got back, good food and a hectic Monday sent the rest of them up to bed.

"I'm staying to finish this," she waved as they left. "Night."

Tomorrow was Tuesday and her first meeting with Minerva. They'd attempted meeting in the first week but it hasn't worked - especially when Dumbledore wasn't here so they'd rearranged for the second. Hermione knew she had to get her homework ahead enough that she could take off the evening. She worked to a stopping point, far enough that it wouldn't take her long to finish later but the thoughts kept swirling. She knew she wasn't quite ready to go up to bed so she sat staring at the fire, lost in thought before someone cleared their throat behind her.

"Oh," she smiled as she looked up. "Hi."

Minerva McGonagall smiled and sat down in the armchair with a thankful groan.

"Are you alright?"

"Just thinking," Hermione said quietly, not wanting to disturb the stillness and the crackling fire. "Sometimes my brain takes a while to switch off."

"I know that feeling well," Minerva chuckled. "Can I help?"

"No," Hermione said sadly. "Just one of those nights that all the memories and such are quite cacophonous

"Another thing I know well. Sometimes I talk Albus to sleep."

"Can I -" She hesitated but Minerva nodded for her to go on. "He looked really sad tonight."

Minerva sighed heavily and got up, dropping, quite un-Professsor-McGonagall-like, beside her on the sofa.

"He did, didn't he? I have found, with Albus, that while he is happy for me to talk to him about my problems, he is less than happy to talk about his. He sits there in his tower of solitude and broods until it comes to a head or he works it out himself."

"It must be lonely at the top," Hermione mused. "I suppose all three of us have experienced that, haven't we?"

"Oh, it is," Minerva sighed. "And yes, I imagine so. Though I am pleased that you have your friends around you, in this trying time."

"Do you?" Hermione asked quietly.

Minerva smiled and picked up Hermione's hand and patted the back of it.

"I have been a teacher here for many," she chuckled. "Many years. Professors have come and gone but a few of us have remained. I do not have much family left, but those people have become my family."

"We must choose our own, I suppose."

"I had some magic in my family," Minerva sighed, her fingers playing with Hermione's nails now. "Not a lot, there is history there I do not care to think about, but it was not as big a shock to me as it would have been to you. I feel I need to apologise for that."

Hermione shrugged and tucked that information away in a corner of her brain while she tried not to cry at the thought of her parents who were now living elsewhere with no memory of her.

"It's okay," she managed. "We cope. I think," she said carefully. "Maybe once this is all over? It might be worth trying a bit harder to find some way to integrate the Muggle parents or ease the families into the idea of magic."

"I think you are right," Minerva mused. "Perhaps you can help me?"

"I'd love to," Hermione smiled. "If I start thinking about it now, you will only have to put your name to it by the time we're ready."

"Hermione!" Minerva squeaked.

"I'm kidding," Hermione laughed. "We'll get there. I dunno how, but we will."

Minerva tutted and went back to fiddling with Hermione's nails while they slipped into silence. Hermione watched the woman out of the corner of her eye and smiled at how relaxed she looked. It was a nice change within these walls from the usually formidable Professor McGonagall.

"You are staring," Minerva muttered.

"Just taking note of what a relaxed Minerva McGonagall looks like," Hermione shrugged, deciding honesty was the best policy. "It's one thing to spend the odd evening with you at -" She paused, not wanting to say but also not wanting to say Sirius' name. "Snuffles' place -"

"Oh, you don't call him that?" Minerva snorted. "To his face?"

"Only when he's not got any hands."

"That is -" Minerva McGonagall giggled like a schoolgirl for a long time before she breathed and relaxed further into the cushions. "Thank you for that," she grinned. "You've just given me so much ammunition for the next time he annoys me."

"Does he still?"

"I think it's more nostalgic, these days," she chuckled. "Between him and James, I never got a moment's peace."

"May I ask you to do something for me, Minerva?"

"Of course," she said, looking at Hermione seriously. "If it is within my power to do, I shall."

"One day, at your discretion, tell Harry about his Dad. The good parts, the ugly parts, what he was like. Tell him James was a good guy if he was, but tell him he was also just a normal guy that had flaws too?"

Minerva swallowed and looked at Hermione for a long time.

"I am ashamed to say I have never thought to offer. I assumed that -"

"For reasons I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will be able to explain at some point, I can't tell you why he goes back to his Aunt and Uncle's house every summer, but I can tell you he hates it there. They don't treat him kindly, they don't view him as anything more than a nuisance and until he got here, he thought James and Lily died in a car crash." Minerva gasped. "The thing is," Hermione continued. "All he's ever heard of James is from Sn-" she winced. "Professor Snape and Sirius and a few kind but all-too-short words from Remus. I think it would do him good to hear about James from someone who knew him, watched him grow and isn't biased one way or the other."

"I had no idea! And don't think I won't ask Albus, that is ridiculous."

"There's no point, it's immovable," Hermione shrugged. "I worked it out last year. Quite by accident. I told Harry, only so he could understand why Dumbledore kept sending him back there. It would have been better coming from the Headmaster, but we do what we must."

"Hermione, I know we talk a lot about your intelligence and you know how much I value it, but on occasion, it is truly magnificent just to watch you work. And it is even more precious that you use it to look after your friends so beautifully."

Hermione grinned.

"That means the world, thank you."

"Good," Minerva smiled. "And I will talk to Harry at some point. Perhaps after this blasted you-know-what."

"Thanks," Hermione smiled. She was about to say something else but she suddenly squeaked and covered up a jaw-cracking yawn with her hand. "Oh, sorry Minerva, that snuck up on me."

"Not to worry, it is high time you were in bed anyway." She stood and offered Hermione her hand and pulled her up from the sofa. "Goodnight, my dear."

"Night Min," Hermione said quietly. She realised, suddenly, what she said and looked up at her Transfiguration professor. "Sorry, is that alright?"

"Most of my friends do," Minerva shrugged.

"Then," Hermione asked hesitantly. "Should I?"

Minerva smiled again, the action changing her whole countenance as she pulled Hermione in and held her for a moment.

"You should," Minerva whispered. "Thank you for the chat. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night," Hermione smiled as Minerva left the Portrait Hole. She stood for a few more minutes until another yawn overtook her. She shuffled up to bed and was out before her head even hit the pillow.