For "Hermione Time" the hazel eyed witch (or at least they were calling it hazel now) found an empty classroom and practiced outdated, obscure, non-curriculum magic. Nothing dark, some were just plain silly, if anyone asked her she would have said that she was practicing her magic in a safe environment, if you asked anyone else they would have said she was playing around with her magic (if any of them knew).
She took time and transfigured many things they didn't work on in class, for live transfigurations she thankfully spotted a mouse running against the wall and shot a light stunner at it. She thought for a moment about feeling bad, but then remembered how Crookshanks would sometimes bring her… presents, alerting her that there were indeed mice in the castle (or at least on grounds).
She practiced many many charms, excelling at them. She was even able to practicing conjuration, an obscure magic that most adult witches and wizards seemed to have and practiced frequently. From small things such as flowers, to large things such as furniture.
However it simply wasn't taught in class. It was too advance, too "old school". They didn't last long, they weren't meant to. The only way to keep something from conjuration was to put a stasis spell on it immediately after. It wouldn't have the same properties as its real counterparts, but they were fine for momentary things. For example, she would be able to conjure a wooden oak like chair, but it wouldn't have the same magical properties as oak.
All things on earth had special properties, from large things like the elements, life, minerals even. However they could not be conjugated with the same properties. Which is why a conjured silver knife was not as potent as a real silver knife. It didn't help that a conjured item was only as strong as the magic put into it.
Say if a 7th year, who had honed their magic properly conjured a flower with a heap of magic put into it, versus a 1st year who conjured the same flower with as much magic as they could, the 7th year's flower would last longer by days, even months, depending on how much magic they put into.
Their magic cores start as soon as they're born, some bigger than others, but as they get older their magic grows with them. Their cores stop growing once they reach the age of 17, which is why wizards and witches are considered adults at that age. Their bodies may continue to grow, even though they age differently than most muggles, but once their core has hit maturity, they are considered legal adults.
With her conjured objects she was able to practice other forms of magic. She practiced hexes, spells, shields, and best of all: wards.
Warding was extremely hard magic, very trying, very exact. Hermione loved every moment of it. Her magic seemed to hum inside of her in a very pleasant way.
The charms she played with were cheerful. Some of her conjurations were considered charms, and she was able to blend the two together. She was able to cast a patronus charm, and her little otter swam around her filling her with more happiness.
Without realizing it, Hermione was creating spells. She took her "Hermione Time" to openly laugh and enjoy herself, just being a witch. Year round she studied diligently, spells were not supposed to be cast in the halls or in the common rooms. Students got away with small spells in the Great Hall, but nothing major. All magic had to be practiced under the watchful eye of masters in case of emergencies.
However she knew for a fact that the marauders were rule breakers to the extreme. They created their own spells, their own inventions. She also knew that the Weasley twins were just as good at creating their own bits of brilliant magic! They were also known for causing explosions for failed experiments and tests, but they thrilled her knowing that such young magic inventors existed and she got to be alongside them. Even if it was through just knowing and she frowned upon their tom-foolery when they could be studying. They were just so… BRILLIANT that she couldn't understand why they didn't take their grades more seriously.
What the young witch didn't realize was that she was just as brilliant (she thought Lupin was just teasing her), creating different spells on a whim in an empty classroom, laughing freely. She didn't want to think about dark wizards trying to kill Harry, homework, tutoring, Hagrid and his penchant for obtaining marvelous and dangerous creature, or social injustices.
For the first time since she realized she was a witch, Hermione played with her magic. She was a young witch doing adult things. She was smart enough to realize this, even more so to know that first year the philosopher's stone was a test. She didn't want to believe it at first, but she saw it for what it was. Her parents were made aware, and made aware of who her friends were. They were a bit crestfallen knowing that they were also… the only friends she made at her new school. So they kept their disapproval close to their chest and away from their daughter.
Hermione even let her magic do some of what it wanted to do, what she subconsciously wanted to do. The desks were floating up and around her in a circle, she had a teacher's chair under her as they danced around her reminding her of the scene where Merlin opened his bag and his items came about on their own and set themselves up from the movie, "The Sword and the Stone".
Her laughter tinkled with every bit of magic she did. The wards she played with, did many things. Everything she did was silly, one of the wards she made, had it so everything in its field non-living turned orange. Another she made had her and everything around her in the room, floating a foot off the ground. She was afraid of heights, not flying, or rather floating in this case.
What she didn't notice though was that a certain Potion Master found out that she had a time turner and was made aware that it was to be given up the next day. He was done with classes for the year and stalked the halls, easily peering into each of her classes without being obvious to see for himself that she was indeed attending. He knew she was an insufferable know-it-all, and sneered at the fact that she was allowed to take as many courses as she had. Yet he wasn't prepared to hear laughter from an empty classroom during class time. He was about to sneak in and scare the daylights out of the student and deduct house points while giving them a detention before the leaving feast.
What he didn't know was that it was Miss Granger, the same student who was indeed in all of her classes. He disillusioned himself to further surprise the unwitting dunderhead. Instead he found was the insufferable bushy haired know-it-all. It was her that was laughing (something he noticed she didn't really do) and wanted to see exactly what it was that made the muggleborn so damn happy that wasn't a book. Needless to say he was quite shocked and watched silently as she practiced spell after spell. Charm after charm. He watched her create some of the charms. He watched a 3rd year put up and dismantle wards. They didn't even teach wards at Hogwarts, they would have to apprentice under a master to learn such magic or learn from a family member.
They had a few books in the library that spoke of wards and some that spoke of what they do and what they are, but none on how they're made or how to make them.
He frowned and swished his wand at her to find out how old she was now, a handy spell they used at bars to weed out the under-aged, with the knowledge of when her birthday was. 16 years old, it didn't take him long to realize what she was doing, and knew that it was indeed the smart thing instead of misuse of her time turner.
'I have grievously misjudged Miss Granger. She will have to be… watched. I wonder if Albus knows. Knowing him probably not with her being a muggleborn…'
Severus Snape was a cautious man. A man who was also fully aware that the Dark Lord would be coming back, as he had already tried to kill Harry his first year, and was pleased with himself for staying in shape even with the 10 year peace. He was a spy and to be a spy he must know, one tiny detail could be the end all. Just like in a potion, one pinch of sage could calm a volatile potion at the precise second, or it could make another caldron explode.
Watching the young witch Severus's heart ached for a moment remembering his friend laugh at magic. She was nothing like his lovey, Lily. But at the same time… he was afraid to say that she was better. Lily was praised for being intuitive and brilliant, for being wicked smart. However she was also friends with him and he let her take the credit for some of his creations. He let her be the one to try his spells in public. She was gifted in charms, of that there was no question. However she never made her own spells. She could cleverly transition them, but she was not an innovator.
He never watched Miss Granger or looked at her other than the brains of the annoying Golden Trio. She was never more than a walking talking book, an insufferable know-it-all incapable of original thought or creativity. But watching her now, he could eat his words. He would watch her more next year as Miss Granger rather than one of Potter's sidekicks. He felt both privileged and sad watching the young witch as she experimented with her magic without fear of judgement.
She was a muggleborn who wanted to fit in, one who would never fit in because she was too brilliant for them. Making a successful NEWT level potion last year, in a bathroom no less, wasn't a fluke it would seem. She hadn't lied when she said she made it instead of being tricked into drinking an unknown substance.
She would have to be watched just as closely as Potter it seemed. If only to see how valuable to Potter she would be. Thus far though, it was immensely, rather Dumbledore chose to admit that or not. Like most purebloods he didn't put much stock into the brilliance of muggleborns, but rather fancied the innovations that they brought over from the muggle world. The Potter boy seemed to keep a few things close to his vest as well it seemed, taking credit for other's work… just like his mother.