Hi Readers!
This is a little different of a post-war story. A lot of people who had died in the original story are alive. This is meant to be a fluffier, slow burn with eventual sexiness and fun. Enjoy!
Draco Malfoy…what's his problem?
You'd think that after six years of bullying and torture that he'd be sick of calling me mudblood.
You'd think that after an immeasurable amount of classes that he would have tired of mocking my every mannerism and the way I speak.
...You'd think...
Harry and I were going about our usual day. We were finally in our seventh year, two weeks into our first term. I was gifted the position of Head Girl and topped off my schedule full of classes - several doubles included. So as I was saying, Harry and I were in the library after a full day of classes, attempting to start a few essays that were already assigned - potions, charms, and arithmancy - when I was struck from behind by a spell, causing my body to lunge forward on the desk and hit my head. When I pulled back up, Harry's hand on my shoulder, I rubbed my forehead and then became painfully aware of something crawling out of my nose.
"Hermione, Are you okay?" Harry asked, concern in his voice.
I was unable to answer because with one hand on the bruise forming on my forehead and the other shaking, feeling around for what was imposing from my nostrils, a bat suddenly erupted from my nose and flew away. I gave a shriek…a bat-bogey hex, I affirmed. Jumping to my feet, I tried desperately to stifle the absolute fountain of snot falling from my nose as I felt another bat's little feet feel around for an exit from my face.
"Malfoy" Harry sneered, helping me to my feet. I suddenly became aware of the laughing behind our backs. I attempted to hide the panic on my face as I turned to glare at Malfoy with the top half of my face that I wasn't hiding behind my robes.
"McGonagall will be hearing about this" I heard Harry shout as I pinned my eyelids together, bracing for another bat to make its way out of my nose to join its friend who was circling high above the library ceiling.
With Harry's arm wound firmly around mine, he led me to the infirmary to be healed by Madam Pomfrey. As we went, Harry attempted to reassure me. "This happens to everyone at some point" he would say between bats and "You should be lucky Ginny didn't hit you with one of hers!"
By the time we arrived at the hospital wing, My entire face and hair were covered in the horrible goo that accompanied the bats. Harry hastily explained to Madam Pomfrey what had happened and without skipping a beat, she waved her wand in a complex pattern and my nose stopped birthing tiny bats. "Thank you Madam Pomfrey" I said, exhaling and feeling my nose.
"Don't mention it!" she replied in a shrill voice, racing off to tend to another Gryffindor student that looked quite bedridden, puking into a bucket. I grimaced and looked away, using a cleaning charm on my robes and hair.
"I wonder what happened to him…" Harry whispered as we made our way down to supper, after going back to collect our books.
When we arrived in the Great Hall, mostly everyone was there already. Students were mostly familiar with each other already, but Gryffindor's table still maintained the same sing-songy friendliness as usual, like it was still the first day and we were all still getting acquainted. Meanwhile, the Slytherin table barely emitted any sound at all, quiet, people exchanging glances or rolling eyes every so often. But I guess that was normal for Slytherins. After all, the entire house was built on a disdain for an entire group of witches and wizards. Crude - boring.
I snapped out of my thoughts and back to my dinner plate. After a few announcements from McGonagall, Harry had notified the table about the earlier incident with Malfoy and it erupted with anger. "Unbelievable that is! Still walking around like he owns the school even though Harry defeated you-know-who last year. Voldemort, sorry," Seamus Finnegan declared, raising his voice and correcting himself sheepishly after his brief outburst.
"He's trying to hold onto what little he has left. After all, the Malfoy family has thrived off of 'the return of the dark lord' for centuries" Ginny added, mocking the air of power Voldemort's followers would use to describe the hopeful victory of their leader.
Then Ron started, "I'll take him out!" he yelled, jumping up from his seat and searching his robe pockets for his wand.
"Oh stop it, Ron!" I shouted back, as Harry and I attempted to wrestle him back into his seat, one of us on either side of him. "You'll only make it worse. And besides, he's been on thin ice at this school. Telling authority will only make us safer in this case" I insisted, a hand still on Ron's shoulder. I returned to my food after relieving myself of restraining Ron, but he still had more to say.
"Oh yeah?" he pressed on, directing his anger somewhat at me, "or will he tell his father and then all of it will be blown under the carpet?"
"His father doesn't have any power at this school now" I remind him. "Malfoy was actually lucky he was allowed back," I replied calmly. After all, it was Dumbledore's wish to have the Slytherins back at school to finish their classes, those that wanted to anyway…those that weren't killed in the war or whose parents weren't killed in the war…I felt a pain in my stomach remembering the state of things last year and how many suffered for a cause.
"If they don't back off," George said, everyone's heads turning to follow.
"Then you'll just have to leave it to us." Fred said, completing his twin brother's sentence. Fred and George both turned to look at each other smiling and nodding their heads, a look of scheming chaos brewing simultaneously in their minds. Fred's ghost chose to inhabit the castle.
"You know, I kind of like you better as a ghost," George commented, waving his hand through Fred's apparition. "You're a king at scaring students now!" They both let out a cackle, but I could see the shadow of a tear on George's face. If the ghost of Fred is all we'd get, so we'd have to live with that.
"McGonagall also let us come back despite her better judgment," George commented, skewering a piece of broccoli.
"Well that's because Profe-Headmistress McGonagall values education" I remarked, "And well, you didn't get to have a seventh year... Or a sixth year for that matter."
Harry grimaced, "Yeah…don't remind me why" we all shuddered, remembering Umbridge.
"We just couldn't pass up the opportunity to cause a little more mayhem at Hogwarts" Fred said with a cheeky smile, people moving behind his ghostly head.
Hermione knew that wasn't why George was back at school. Ron had told her that George was horribly depressed at home. Molly Weasley had asked McGonagall if she would take George back under the premise of "finishing his education," knowing full well that Fred's ghost resided here at Hogwarts. Knowing full well that seeing all we had left of Fred Weasley might be the only thing to cheer up her grieving son. Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes was also going downhill. George wasn't able to keep the business up to par by himself, and he refused to accept anyone's help who wasn't Fred. Maybe being back at school would help Fred and George come up with some new ideas, and spark their business into animation. After all, it was school that was their original inspiration!
"I know that we're used to having to take things into our own hands" I continued, back to the subject at hand, "but this year, lets try what the Headmistress instructed us to, and if the bullying continues, then we'll make the proper moves necessary" I concluded, taking a swig of my pumpkin juice.
McGonagall had told them to go straight to her if there was so much as a whiff of bullying happening. I looked up from my dinner, past Fred and George, happily conniving together about ideas on some parchment, and met eyes with Draco Malfoy. He looked away dramatically with a scowl. Tsk, tsk. I shook my head and we continued our feast as it turned into dessert. Then, after a long day with all of its chaos concluded, I finally made my way to the Head dormitory and slept peacefully.