Now with Ron being back at Hogwarts, Harry being himself again on top of being a loving dad to his baby, and Hermione regaining her composure, calmness, inner strength and even sanity, things were going back to as they were, and Hermione was more than happy that she could write in her diary that what she wanted their friendship to look like: it was happening and would get even better further on in their future. At the very least, she wanted to believe so.
Harry and Ginny obviously were back at Hogwarts to complete their year, and for that period, Molly and Arthur decided to take care of the baby. They had named him Fred, as they wanted it to be a tribute to Ginny and Ron's brother. Molly and Arthur saw Fred in him, and now that there was a baby in the house, they were ever so keen to raise the infant as the most loving and amazing grandparents. They even had the vision of him growing up to work with George and Ron in the joke shop because it was what Fred would have done. Of course, that was just a vision, not that they were going to impose anything on such a little ball of cuteness.
Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione set aside their past issues. Ron still had feelings for her but didn't want to let her know. He was too afraid to lose her after staying apart for such a long time. The days had been hard for him. If anything, he just wanted the Golden Trio to never fall apart, and him confessing might do exactly that.
Hermione knew by now that she didn't have feelings for Ron or Harry. She wasn't sure what she felt about Draco either. She still needed to do what Blaise had asked of her: get him out of his shell and show the world his true self. She didn't know why Blaise would assign such a task to someone like her, who used to be someone Draco wanted dead, not many months ago. Yet, why was she so keen to help him? Was she intimidated by Blaise? Not really. She couldn't be intimidated by Voldemort. Who was Blaise in front of him then anyway? Then why? She had no idea. She had agreed to just help and by now she had decided to not question things as trivial and stupid as this and just go with what life wanted her to do: they were already having a second chance at it anyway.

"Etherial Elixir"
The new Potions master, Professor Casimir Nightfall wrote on the board. As it was obvious, no one except Hermione knew what it was even supposed to be. She raised her hand high up as usual, and on getting the permission, began her narration: "This is an advanced concept in the field of potion-brewing. It allows the drinker to temporarily gain the ability to pass through the solid objects they encounter, thus saving them trouble to open doors or climb through windows to get through stuff. The potency of the potion and the skill of the brewer determines how long the effects of it will last. And yes, it is advisable that only advanced witches and wizards brew and use this potion because it can have serious and peculiar side effects."
The class, and even Mr Nightfall stared at her in astonishment.
"No wonder she is the brightest witch of our age," someone whispered.
"Great explanation, Ms-?"
"Granger, sir"
"Ms Granger. I'm actually very fascinated with your depth of understanding of such a complex and rarely talked about potion. By any chance, are you interested in becoming an Alchemist or a Researcher?"
"I'm just keen on learning more than what is being taught sir, that's all."
"Alright then. Truly remarkable. You may sit down."
As the professor went on to explain more in depth what Etherial Elixir was, Ron drew closer to Harry and asked him: "What say? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Brew it tonight?"
"I'm on!"
"We are not doing it," whispered Hermione. "But why? You know it so well, you will be a great help. We should practically try what we have learn in class, no? And won't it be helpful when we take our NEWTs?" Ron tried to pester her. "It will be helpful but they won't ask us to brew it in class anyway," Hermione answered firmly, but Ron wasn't going to stop at that. "And how do you know? Did you set the NEWTs? Why is it being taught here then?" he was getting infuriated now. "Of course, Ronald. I did not set it. But I know what the pattern is. This is just theory. They won't ask you to perform it, you can stop worrying about it," Hermione answered sarcastically, knowing he meant mischief, not actual learning.
Harry decided to step away from their banter and tried to focus on what was being taught. What he actually saw was quite unusual though.
Draco was staring right at Hermione with pained eyes.