Hermione walked into the Great Hall at eight a.m. sharp and searched the Gryffindor Table for familiar faces. Ginny wasn't there yet, so she decided to sit across from her former dorm mates, Fay Dunbar and Sophie Roper. They were nice girls and she occasionally hung out with them, but most of the time she didn't feel the need to be more than just dorm mates.
Greeting them, she sat down, pulling the orange juice towards her and trying not to frown at the sight of Fay's furious chewing. "Hermione! What a surprise!" Fay exclaimed in surprise after hurriedly swallowing a spoonful of cornflakes. "I didn't even know you had returned; I was so sure your bed had remained empty all night."
"I was in the Gryffindor common room yesterday evening," Hermione replied with an embarrassed grimace. "I completely forgot to come up to the dorm and tell you that Professor McGonagall has arranged for a separate common room for me and the Head Boy."
"Ah, right," Fay nodded. "So who's Head Boy? Is it a Ravenclaw? I bet it's that Cornfoot guy."
Hermione grimaced at her predictable train of thought. "No, it's Draco Malfoy."
Fay and Sophie both stared at her, their eyes wide. "What has he done to deserve being Head Boy?" Sophie asked, sounding shocked.
"Unfortunately it's more complicated than just a matter of what he deserves," Hermione sighed, adding some sugar to her porridge. "I'll just have to hope that he has somehow redeemed himself."
Fay snorted at that. "Small chance."
"Good morning," Ginny announced as she sat down next to Hermione with Jennifer Dawn, a tall girl who wore her long, dark blonde hair tied back in a braid.
"Ginny! I heard you're captain, when will the Quidditch tryouts be?" Fay exclaimed. "This is my last chance to make it on the team and I really want to join!"
"I haven't really given it much thought yet," Ginny answered, frowning at the older brunette. "I'll let you know once the date is set, though."
"All right then, thanks. See you in Charms, Hermione." The two seventh-years rose and headed for the Entrance Hall.
Ginny, who was still frowning, gazed after them as they disappeared out of view. "Does she really think she has a chance? Two years ago she didn't even make it past the third round!"
Jennifer chuckled. "A girl can dream, Ginny."
The owls arrived to deliver the mail, and to her surprise two large grey owls swooped down onto the table in front of Hermione and Ginny carrying a very large package with two envelopes attached; one addressed to Hermione, and the other addressed to Ginny. Glancing at each other, they each took the envelope that belonged to them. Hermione opened her envelope and unfolded the parchment, immediately recognizing the handwriting as Harry's.
Dear Hermione,
I just learned that you received the position of Head Girl – congratulations. It belonged to you the second you set foot in Hogwarts; you truly deserve it.
First of all, I really miss you, and I'm sorry that we haven't seen each other over the summer. I'm doing better now, though, and I plan on visiting Hogwarts sometime soon to take care of some business. Neville and I have started reforming the Auror's department under Robards' leadership. It's going very slowly, but we'll get there.
Right now I'm headed for the Burrow. I feel a bit guilty for leaving Ron hanging, but I really needed time to clear my own head first. I wouldn't have been of much support before. I hope he's doing better, or that he will get there soon. Have you seen him at all since Fred's funeral?
I hope you're okay, Hermione, and I hope Hogwarts will be great even without us. Look at it from the positive side—at least you won't have to deal with us not doing our homework on time.
Enclosed you will find some things I want you to borrow this year. I caught some rumours about certain Slytherins who might be returning, so they may come in handy.
Take care, Hermione, and I'll be seeing you soon.
Love,
Harry
Hermione's eyes scanned the large package that was still on the table and discovered a smaller package attached to it. She took it and tore off the wrapping, discovering something made of a silvery fluid-like silk inside. Remembering that Harry's mention of "things" was plural, she unfolded the cloak and discovered a folded piece of parchment. Hermione stared at it for a little while, smiling gratefully, and then refolded the cloak and re-wrapped the package. She curiously looked at Ginny, who was still staring at the letter in her slightly trembling hands, and noticed that her friend had teary eyes.
"Are you okay, Ginny?"
"He's given me his Firebolt... I—I thought he'd lost it when you... I don't understand how..."
Hermione remembered that Harry had indeed told her that he had lost his Firebolt the night they came to pick him up in Little Whinging. "Maybe one of the Auror's that searched for Moody's body found it and took it with him. Maybe he had only just gotten it back? There was a war going, after all," she suggested.
The red-haired witch refolded the letter and touched the broom, a look of wonder and appreciation in her eyes. Then she noticed the package in Hermione's hands. "What did he send you?" she asked.
"The invisibility cloak and the Marauders Map," Hermione answered softly, staring at the package in her hands. "That Map is going to be very useful during my Head Girl duties," she smiled, her eyes twinkling as she looked up at Ginny.
"Good morning girls, here are your timetables," interrupted a female voice. Hermione and Ginny looked up and saw the new Transfiguration teacher standing in front of them. Professor Copperfield smiled appreciatively when Jennifer welcomed her to the House of Gryffindor as she handed the two sixth-years their timetables before turning to a couple of third-years that were seated next to Hermione.
Ginny took the broomstick and stood up from the wooden bench. "I'm going to run upstairs to get my books; do you want me to take your package too? Then you'll have a reason to visit the Gryffindor common room later."
Hermione looked at her wristwatch. It was 8:45 a.m. and if she were to go to her own quarters she would have to rush to be on time. She looked up at Ginny and smiled, holding up the package to her friend. "Yes, thank you. I'll see you at lunch!" As Ginny disappeared out of view, Hermione quickly finished her orange juice and waved at Jennifer. She swung her bag over her shoulder and headed to the entrance.
"Hermione! Wait up!"
Padma Patil and Lisa Turpin made their way over from the Ravenclaw table, and the three of them walked up to the third floor together, speculating what their first class would be covering. "Sue spilled coffee all over my notes this morning," Lisa complained. "I was able to dry them off quickly, but the part on Disillusionment charms was completely soaked, it's unreadable."
"You can borrow my notes and copy them, I think I have them with me," Hermione offered, feeling generous, and Lisa smiled gratefully. She had never let Harry and Ron borrow her notes because they were too lazy to pay attention themselves, but she knew that Lisa was a dedicated student and she would gladly help her complete her notes.
They reached the classroom and waited patiently by the door. At nine o'clock a bell chime echoed through the corridors, and the door of the classroom opened. Hermione followed the Ravenclaw girls and sat down in the front row next to Padma. The Slytherins made their way to the back and Michael Corner was the last to run into the room before the door closed, taking the seat next to Hermione. She opened her bag, took out her books and a quill and searched through her notes until she found the page she was looking for. She passed it to Lisa, who smiled and whispered a thank you.
They would be practising Concealment charms today, and Hermione felt good, having already scored some points for Gryffindor in the first few minutes. She had taken out her wand and was now practising the timing of the flick, which had to be in perfect sync with the pronunciation of the incantation. Next to her, Michael was struggling to make a smooth pattern with his wand, and Hermione turned her attention to him to try to help him improve the movement.
Suddenly she was hit by something from behind and she gasped for air as the skin on her face started to sting. Padma and Lisa both screamed and Padma pulled her up from her chair and pushed Michael out of the way, pulling Hermione to the door. Once they were standing in the corridor, Padma couldn't suppress a giggle. "I'm so sorry, Hermione, but you look ridiculous."
"I'm sure but it stings so badly," Hermione answered with tears in her eyes. She caught her reflection in a suit of armour.
A girl with a long bushy brown beard stared back at her.
If the beard hadn't irritated her skin so much, Hermione would have laughed at her reflection. Padma was right: she looked ridiculous. But her feminine skin wasn't accustomed to these thick bristly hairs, and the little skin that wasn't covered in beard was red and itchy. Hermione removed her robe and hid her face behind it while Padma pulled her through the corridors and they made their way down to the hospital wing.
"We're here, Hermione, you can let your robe down now," the Ravenclaw girl told her. Hermione peeked over her robe and saw Madam Pomfrey marching up to them. "Ms Patil, what's the matter?"
"It's not me, Madam; it's Hermione we've come for," Padma answered, pulling on the robe that Hermione was still keeping in front of her face. Madam Pomfrey halted in front of her and Hermione finally brought down the robe, revealing her face to the matron. The older woman shook her head in disapproval and guided Hermione to a bed close to her office. She started examining the beard and walked into the office, coming back with a bright blue potion and her wand.
"This won't take long, Ms Granger, however, it may burn a little," she announced, moving her wand in a complicated pattern. The skin on her face started to burn in protest as the thick hairs seemed to be sucked back into her skin. It didn't burn a little; it burned a lot. Hermione whimpered softly, squeezing Padma's hand.
"There," the nurse said. "Now, you are to apply some of this potion to your skin now and continue to do so once every hour until you go to bed. I expect that your skin will be fine in the morning, however, if it continues to itch, sting or burn, please come see me again." After having received a confirming nod from Hermione, she hurried to a bed on the other side of the hospital wing to take care of a second-year student with large green pulsing boils all over his hands and arms.
"Shame she removed it, Granger. I'd say it really improved your looks, but you probably don't value my opinion very much."
Hermione and Padma turned around at the same time to glare at the sneering boy behind them. "You've got some nerve showing your face so soon," Padma spat.
"I'd like to have a word with her, Patil, so if you don't mind..."
The Ravenclaw looked at Hermione with raised eyebrows. She nodded at her and Padma walked to the entrance of the hospital wing, waiting for Hermione to be ready.
"Have you come to gloat, Malfoy?" she said angrily, looking up at the blond boy as she applied some of the potion to her face, which smelled like eucalyptus and immediately calmed her skin.
"Perhaps a little," he answered with a faint smirk. "But I wanted to tell you that it wasn't me."
"Right. So it wasn't your guilty conscience that brought you here?"
Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't pretend you're omniscient, you didn't even see anything."
"No, I didn't see," Hermione admitted. "But don't pretend that you're above hexing a classmate, it wouldn't be the first time that you hexed me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Fourth year, when you hexed my front teeth?"
"That wasn't even meant for you, I was aiming for Potter," Malfoy snapped.
Hermione let out a sarcastic laugh at that. "When have you ever commented on Harry's teeth? You haven't, whereas you and Parkinson never seemed to shut up about my front teeth. So why in the world would you hex Harry's unremarkable front teeth when with a little adjusted aim you could hit me instead?" Malfoy's face turned a little pink and Hermione snorted.
"And I don't care whether it was you or Zabini. You are the Head Boy, and if you had been responsible—like you're supposed to be—you wouldn't have allowed him to hex someone from behind, during a class, no less. I will put it in my weekly report and if you want to avoid that in the future, try to work on your inability to be responsible."
With one last glare at him, she grabbed the potion from the bed and headed to the entrance where Padma was still waiting for her.
~ X ~
Hermione and Padma had not gone back to the Charms class; instead, they had gone to the library to read up on some information on Concealment charms. Around a quarter to eleven, they packed their things and headed to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. They were the first to arrive, and the classroom door was open, so they walked inside.
"Good morning, girls," Professor Merrythought greeted them from behind her desk. She looked up at them with a smile and put down her quill. "You're quite early, please take a seat. I have to take care of some last minute things."
The girls sat down in the front row once again and enthusiastically started taking out their things. The bell rang and soon their classmates entered the classroom one by one, taking their seats, all eager to see what the new Professor had planned for them. Lisa came up to them with a couple of things they had forgotten in their rush to leave Charms before sitting down next to Morag MacDougal and Stephen Cornfoot in the third row.
"Good morning class, I shall introduce myself once more: my name is Grimilda Merrythought. You may be familiar with my surname through my grandmother, and I hope to be teaching here for as long as she has."
Professor Merrythought stood up and waved her wand at the blackboard, which now revealed what they would be studying this term. "I would like to go deeper into the theory that will be required during your N.E.W.T.s before we start using magic ourselves. I am well aware that this isn't as exciting as you may have hoped, but considering that we are recovering from a war, how much more defensive magic is there really left for you to learn?"
There was some brief agitation amongst the students after the mention of the war, but once Professor Merrythought started discussing today's topic, everyone remained quiet. In the coming term they would discuss the Dark Arts and its effect on one's soul, and Hermione shuddered as she thought of the hunt for Horcruxes. After two hours of taking notes and listening to the fascinating stories of the new Professor, they were given the assignment to write an essay on today's subject.
The bell rang and the students quickly moved towards the Great Hall for lunch. Hermione lingered in the classroom and walked up to the Professor's desk once everyone had left. "Professor, I was wondering, would I be allowed to write my essay on Horcruxes?"
Professor Merrythought gave her a surprised and questioning look, but then her eyes lit up in recognition. "You're Hermione Granger, aren't you? Yes, I thought I'd recognised you. Now tell me, why would you want to write about that particular subject?"
"I've become quite the expert when it comes to Horcruxes, I'm afraid," Hermione muttered. "When it comes to soul-destroying magic, it was the first thing that came to mind. I don't think there's any magic that is more destructive than them."
The Professor leaned back in her chair and scratched her chin, narrowing her eyes as she stared across the classroom, deep in thought. When she refocused her gaze on Hermione again, she smiled. "It might be therapeutic for you to write about this, Ms Granger. You have, after all, been through a lot, and writing about it might distance you from it. You have my permission, but I want you to stay close to your own experiences. I will absolutely not accept anything that might give anyone information about how to create one, so be careful as to which sources you consult."
Hermione nodded. "Thank you, Professor."
~ X ~
Hermione had just taken a bite of her roast beef sandwich when Ginny sat down across from her, sighing dramatically. "What's wrong?" she asked after swallowing her food.
"Nothing, I just had a particularly boring morning is all," Ginny answered as she inspected a chicken curry sandwich, but ultimately picked a chicken saté sandwich instead. "How was yours?"
Hermione grimaced. "Malfoy or Zabini hexed me from behind during Charms and I had to go to the hospital wing to have Madam Pomfrey remove a rather impressive beard." She gently touched the stinging skin on her jaw.
"That's really low," Ginny said, frowning angrily. "It wouldn't have been fun to do it in your face, of course, they know you're able to handle both of them with your wand still in your inside pocket. Is your face okay, though? Remember when it happened to Alicia? The skin around her eyebrows burned for a week."
"That's a nice prospect," Hermione muttered, remembering the incident that had taken place in her fifth year, prior to the first Quidditch match of the year. Miles Bletchley had hit Alicia Spinnet with a similar hex from behind in front of fourteen witnesses, but Snape had dismissed their reports and stated that Alicia had just used a poor hair-thickening charm on herself.
They finished eating their lunch in silence and decided to spend the rest of their break outside now that the weather still allowed it. They sat down on the grass and enjoyed the faint warmth that the sun provided. Hermione applied some more potion to her face and was pleasantly surprised at how fast it took effect. Ginny talked about her first classes and complained how she was forced to sit next to Owen Anthony during History of Magic.
Owen was the sixth-year prefect for Gryffindor alongside Jada Angela. Ginny had once described him as a mix between Percy and Cormac McLaggen: way too serious and very cocky. He had expressed an interest in Ginny many times and didn't seem to take no for an answer, no matter how rudely Ginny shot him down.
Their conversation was interrupted when three fifth-year Slytherin boys loudly entered the Courtyard, taunting two second-year Hufflepuff girls who both seemed quite shy.
"Hey blondie, tell me something: what do you call a Hufflepuff with one brain cell?" the tallest Slytherin boy yelled. The girls remained quiet, both looking at the ground.
Ginny glared at the three boys. "Leave them alone, you bothersome idiot," she called out.
"Ooh, Weasley, look at you, being all brave! Bravery is by far the kindest word for stupidity, don't you think? That's why you're so appropriately a Gryffindork!" The guys started roaring with laughter.
"Is that a bogey in your nose, McGruder? Want me to get it out for you?" the red-haired witch threatened, slowly taking her wand out of her robes.
Ginny had gained quite the reputation when it came to the Bat-Bogey Hex and could cast one so powerful that Bat-Bogeys would still fly out of one's nose hours after she had hexed someone. It was said to be quite painful when they crawled out of your nostrils, and Hermione was happy she had never been on the receiving end of one. The boys' smug expressions disappeared and they quietly made their way back inside, making rude hand gestures in Ginny's direction.
"They're so tough when they're in packs, get one alone and they're shaking with fear," she spat. "Life at Hogwarts would be so much more comfortable if they just got rid of that entire House."
Hermione chuckled at that. "They're not all that bad."
"True, it's just the alpha males. Thomas McGruder is the fifth-year Draco Malfoy, and Kevin Bletchley was exactly like his brother. I'm glad he didn't come back this year, the remaining sixth-year Slytherin's are so much more tolerable now." Ginny shook her head. "That was really childish... I didn't know people still made Hufflepuff jokes."
"What do you call a Hufflepuff with one brain cell, though?" Hermione wondered out loud, and Ginny snorted.
"Gifted."
The bell rang and Ginny headed over to Ancient Studies, which was taught on the sixth floor. Hermione made her way to the library to use her free period to get started on her Defence Against the Dark Arts essay. She seated herself in a quiet corner and started to work out the outlines of her essay. Just as she finished listing her subjects a bag was loudly dropped on the chair across from her, startling her. She looked up and found herself staring in the face of yet another unpleasant Slytherin.
"What do you want, Malfoy? I'm busy."
"I can see that," the sullen-looking boy said in a sarcastic tone as he settled down on one of the chairs.
"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, eyeing him suspiciously as Malfoy stared at her from across the table, his facial expression quite neutral, though he was unable to completely hide his obvious annoyance.
"Look, I need this position, okay?" he started in a business-like tone. "I didn't do anything to you, nor was it my idea. All I did wrong was not stopping Zabini, and I don't think I should be punished for that."
She sighed. "If you think I'm going to keep this out of my report—"
"What's the use of reporting it?" Malfoy hissed as leaned across the table. "McGonagall already knows since Flitwick has already reported it and I have to serve detention with Zabini later this week."
Hermione picked up her quill again. "Good," she said coolly, looking down at her essay again, hoping he would leave soon so she could continue. He didn't, and it remained quiet for a little while.
"You're not going to leave it out, are you." It wasn't a question, it was a conclusion.
"No, Malfoy, I'm not. Why would I?" Hermione looked up again, frowning in annoyance. "As the Head Boy you should be an example for the student body, and when you allow people to hex each other we're going to have to deal with a whole lot of chaos. Quite frankly, I've had enough chaos for the rest of my life."
"I see." Malfoy's voice sounded bitter and angry and he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "So there is nothing that would convince you otherwise?"
"No. But you could avoid it in the future by being more responsible. And stop looking at me like I'm ruining your life; one negative report could hardly ruin your entire school year."
"Are you trying to get back at me?"
Hermione stared at him in confusion as she tried to suppress the shiver that went down her spine. Her thoughts immediately went back to the skirmish at Malfoy Manor. He couldn't possibly be talking about that. "For what?" she asked carefully.
"For the past seven years."
He was talking about his behaviour at school, Hermione realised, feeling relieved. "No, Malfoy, I am not getting back at you. Unless you find it offensive if I would start referring to you solely as pureblood, then I might consider it," she replied with a snort.
"You don't seem very upset about all that anymore," came his suspicious-sounding reply, and he sounded genuinely confused. She glanced up at him again, trying to discover his intentions, but his face gave nothing away.
"Well, you taunting me was never about me, was it? It was always about Harry. The fact that Ron's so easy to anger was probably just the icing on the cake. To be honest, Malfoy, I really couldn't care less about how often you throw the word 'Mudblood' at me. It won't hurt me. I know my worth."
Hermione briefly looked down at her wristwatch and started to gather her things. She decided that she would put some books away in her dorm since she only had one more class left before supper, and her shoulder was sore from her heavy bag. She stood up and shot a last glance at Malfoy, who was staring at her with a strange expression in his eyes that she couldn't quite read.
"Tomorrow I would like to get started on the patrol schedule," she said. "I don't know if you're still on the Quidditch team, but if you could take care of asking the captains when they intend to start with their tryouts and trainings so we can take that into account when we schedule people that are on the teams, that would be nice."
Without waiting for his answer, Hermione turned around and left the library.