Hermione wasn't sure how she made it off the train and up to the Great Hall. Luna was at her side guiding her, she thought – there was a hand at her elbow, making sure she got onto the carriage alright. Harry split from them and met up with his Gryffindor friends at some point, she thought. It wasn't until she was being handed off from Luna to Blaise, a large, warm hand coming around her arm, that she realized she was in the castle, and she'd been disassociating for a while.

"—okay?" Blaise was asking.

"No," Luna said. "She won't be, not for a while. But she'll improve."

Luna went to her own table, and Blaise looked down at Hermione, concerned.

"Did the dementor get to you, Hermione?" he asked, his eyes worried. "Are you alright?"

Hermione didn't know quite how to describe it. She wasn't still affected by the dementor – the chocolate had helped a lot with that – but the sheer knowledge that such an evil thing existed in the world was a cold hand clenching around her heart, chilling her…

"I'll be okay," she managed finally. "I just—I really didn't like that."

Blaise helped her sit down. Tracey, on her other side, looked worried.

"I heard it went into your compartment," she said anxiously. "I know only Potter fainted, but did it get too close to you?"

"No, no," Hermione said vaguely. "I'll—I'll be fine. I just really need some soup or something to help me warm up."

Blaise and Tracey exchanged a glance, but just then the Sorting Ceremony began, and they turned around to face the front and pay attention. To Hermione's surprise, it was not Professor McGonagall overseeing the ceremony, but Professor Flitwick, who was reading from a long list instead, the scroll nearly as tall as him.

"Ancrum, Roger!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Barrows, Amanda!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Doyle, Mary!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Hermione found it very hard to pay attention, mechanically clapping with those around her when a new Slytherin was sorted into their house, and it was a struggle to keep herself from disassociating entirely again. Her mind just kept dwelling on the awful feeling she'd had around the dementor, how it felt like she'd never be happy again, that nothing in life would ever again bring her joy. It felt like it'd destroyed something within her irrevocably, and she couldn't just go back to her old way of thinking anymore.

She had never been ignorant, Hermione had thought, but somehow she felt shaken, like her innocence had been destroyed. Gone was the wonderful wizarding world with its magical enchantments and spells; instead, there was a world that allowed such Dark creatures to exist, a world that allowed pure evil to feed and grow.

The sorting seemed to go on for quite a bit, finally ending with "Yarrow, Pauline!" (Gryffindor). Before the feast began, Dumbledore stood up to speak, and the whispering around the Great Hall quieted. Hermione tore herself from her thoughts to pay attention.

"Welcome!" said Dumbledore. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get out of the way…"

He cleared his throat before continuing, "As you will be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

Hermione's jaw dropped.

"No," she breathed, but Dumbledore was continuing on.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave the school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises or even Invisibility Cloaks." He looked grim. "It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors."

Hermione glanced down the table at Jade, who was sitting up very straight, her eyes serious.

"On a happier note," Dumbledore said, his voice lightening. "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year."

"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was some scattered applause as Professor Lupin stood to acknowledge Dumbledore's words. He looked particularly shabby next to all the other teachers in their best robes.

"Look at Snape," Tracey murmured from next to Hermione.

Professor Snape, her Head of House and Potions professor, was staring at Professor Lupin, but Hermione was startled at the expression twisting his thin, sallow face. His lips were tight and thin, his eyes flashing with malice. His expression read as beyond anger already; he was looking at his new coworker with utter loathing.

"Wonder why Snape hates him so much already?" Tracey whispered.

"You don't think it's just because Snape wants the Dark Arts position, do you?" Millie hissed. "He goes for it every year."

"No, Snape must know him," Hermione murmured back. "No one hates someone that much without a reason."

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy time with his remaining limbs."

"Remaining limbs? He only had some remaining?"

Hermione turned to see Draco Malfoy, looking horrified. She stifled a snicker.

"—delighted to say that his place will be filled," Dumbledore was continuing, "by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "What?"

There was an eruption of applause at this, particularly from the Gryffindor table, while Hermione exchanged a look of horror with her classmates. She barely noticed the golden plates and goblets before her suddenly filling with food and drink.

"Hagrid?" Blaise said, stunned. "The one with the illegal dragon a couple years ago, right?"

"What is Dumbledore thinking?" Hermione wanted to know, despairing. "Hagrid wouldn't know student safety if it flew in front of him with wings."

"Explains why we had to get that stupid biting book," Pansy said darkly. "I still have scabs."

Draco in particular looked horrified by this turn of events.

"He never even graduated," he said incredulously. "What kind of credentials does he have? Just 'liking creatures'? Mark my words, this is going to bode very poorly for us all. I'm going to tell my father about this."

"Maybe Dumbledore can't afford another teacher," Tracey suggested. "With Lockhart still on the staff instead of Binns, that's another person to pay. Hagrid might have agreed to it on his regular salary."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "If the finances of Hogwarts are in such dire straits, there are much larger problems than just Hagrid as a teacher…"

She trailed off, realizing something, and groaned.

"I'm going to have to play peacekeeper, aren't I?" she despaired. "Harry and Neville are going to be so excited for Hagrid. And they're Gryffindors – they won't see the danger in this scenario at all."

"Fingers crossed we're paired with the Ravenclaws, then," Tracey said cynically. "They'll be just as worried as we are."

The feast was full of snark about Hagrid as a new teacher, as well as comments on their new Defense teacher as well.

"He looks like he couldn't even afford new robes," Daphne commented, sniffing. "Either he was so broke as to take on a cursed position, or he's not as good at Defense as he should be."

"Did you see how Snape stared at him?" Tracey said. "He was glaring daggers during Dumbledore's whole introduction."

Draco looked thoughtful.

"I don't know anything about Lupin," he said. "But he's kind of young, right? Maybe they were in school together. Or maybe Snape's heard of him before."

The concern around the teachers managed to get Hermione out of her funk about the Dementors, as they all snarked and ranted about other things instead. The food was good, and it was good to see all her classmates again, and Hermione gradually, very gradually, managed to loosen up and relax.

It was good to be back at Hogwarts. As much fun as she'd had over the summer, she had missed this, too.

Before the end of the feast, Snape approached the third years.

"Miss Granger," he said silkily. "A word before you retire, if you please."

Hermione blinked. "Of course, sir."

Snape pulled her off from the rest of the Slytherins as they all filed down into the dungeons. She followed Snape around a turn to his office, sitting down after he let her in.

"I have here," Snape said, "your timetable." He handed her a piece of parchment, his eyes sharp. "Please tell me if you see any problems with it."

Hermione took the paper, looking down at her schedule.

Her schedule looked fairly normal. She was mildly dismayed to see double Potions with the Gryffindors on Thursday afternoons, but the rest looked fairly normal. She looked at her new elective courses – Care of Magical Creatures was once a week on Wednesday mornings, Arithmancy on Monday and Thursday afternoons, and Divination and Ancient Runes were…

"Oh," said Hermione.

Snape's eyes glittered. "Oh, indeed."

Divination and Ancient Runes were both scheduled at the same time, on Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons. Hermione's eyes flickered up to Snape's.

"Am I the only person who wanted to take both?" she asked.

"You are one of three," Snape informed her. "The other two students switched one of the courses to Arithmancy when approached about it."

Hermione looked at her timetable, swallowing hard.

"As such, I would recommend you choose Divination to drop," Snape said. "Ancient Runes is a more scholastic field, and you would—"

"I can take both, sir," Hermione said suddenly.

Snape stopped. "—I beg your pardon?"

"I can take both," Hermione said, her mind racing. "I can. I have permission from the Minister – I can use it 'to attend all my classes as well as Wizengamot sessions'. This would count as for 'all of my classes'—"

"Miss Granger," Snape said, his tone annoyed. "You will pause and explain what, exactly, you are talking about, now."

Hermione's eyes flitted up to Snape's.

"I got elected British Youth Representative over the summer," she told him.

Snape sneered. "How lovely."

"Thanks," Hermione said, ignoring his sarcasm. "But – because the Wizengamot meets during the day most of the time, the Ministry authorized me to have and use a Time-Turner, so I can go to all my classes as well as the Wizengamot sessions." Her eyes lit up. "And the Minister said all my classes. So I could use it for this, too – I can turn back on Monday mornings and do it over again, to take both courses, and I—"

"A Time-Turner?" Snape's voice was a hiss. "You were given a Time-Turner?"

Hermione paused, looking at her Head of House.

"Umm," she said. "Yes?"

Snape's expression was twisted into one of loathing and disgust. There was barely restrained fury behind his eyes, though not at her – at some injustice, she thought, that she should even have such a thing.

"And the Hufflepuffs before you have just had these, I suppose?" he spat. "To allow them this same privilege?"

"Err—I wouldn't know, sir," Hermione said. She bit her lip. "I mean, if the Youth Representatives are usually from Hufflepuff, I imagine so?"

Snape was scowling. He gave Hermione a hard look, before giving her a grudging look and turning to glare at the wall instead.

"…sir?"

"If the Ministry is willing to authorize Time-Turners to teenagers, for any reason," he said, his voice dark, "I suspect they may have been willing to loan them to Hogwarts for students to double-stack classes before – for students deemed trustworthy."

Hermione blinked. "Really?"

"It would make sense," Snape said grudgingly. "For Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, I believe – I seem to recall a few students with very full schedules over the years. But this… I did not know this was an option." He scowled. "Never before was a Slytherin given an option like this."

Hermione didn't know what to say. If Dumbledore was somehow helping his favorites get Time-Turners to double up on classes, it wasn't like she could particularly do anything about it. Abruptly, Snape's eyes flared, and his lips settled into a sinister smile.

"I know about it now, though," he said, with dark satisfaction. "If I ask directly, perhaps the Headmaster will not be able to deny…" He looked back to Hermione, evaluating her for a moment, before nodding slowly.

"Your schedule will stand as is," he told her. He raised an eyebrow. "I trust you know to be careful with your device?"

"I had to read and sign off on the Ministry safety pamphlet, sir," Hermione told him, and Snape snorted.

"Somehow, I find myself not exactly reassured," he said dryly. "Ministry safety pamphlet…" He rolled his eyes, before looking to her again. "You are dismissed, Miss Granger. Take care that your classmates do not see your timetable."

Hermione stood, nodding rapidly.

"Thank you, sir. Thanks."