Steeling herself, Hermione approached Professor McGonagall in her place at the center of the staff table. It still seemed strange to Hermione that Professor Dumbledore no longer sat there. It would continue to take time adjusting to all the changes that had been wrought at Hogwarts due to the war.
"Professor?" Hermione asked as she stood in front of Professor McGonagall at the table. "Might I have a word?"
Professor McGonagall appraised Hermione. "Certainly, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said. "Let's go to somewhere more private." Professor McGonagall got up and Hermione followed her around the table into the room she had seen Harry enter when his name had been called out of the Goblet of Fire all those years ago. That event felt like the distant past to her.
Hermione, however, had never been in this room. It was small, cozy, with several armchairs arranged around a small coffee table.
Professor McGonagall indicated that she should sit down. Hermione did and Professor McGonagall sat in the adjacent seat.
"Now, what would you like to tell me?" Professor McGonagall said.
"Well, professor, it's me," Hermione said, feeling nervous. "I'm back to normal. I've sent Belle back home."
"Are you now?" Professor McGonagall said, raising her eyebrows. "Back to normal, that is?"
"Well, perhaps not back to normal," Hermione admitted. "But it is me, Hermione."
"You know, I had a feeling," Professor McGonagall said thoughtfully. "Belle had a different air about her. A different way of carrying herself. It was subtle. But detectable if you paid attention."
"Is that so?" Hermione asked, genuinely interested in this tidbit. "I wouldn't have thought about that."
"Your actions made things very complicated," Professor McGonagall said sternly. "We professors have been doing a lot behind the scenes to make sure that your actions were not noticed."
"I'm sorry, Professor," Hermione said, hanging her head. "I didn't think this through. At all. I was so lost in my pain." She sighed. "And, I admit, I got caught up in the discovery of the powers of spell crafting. I'd always shied away from it, but I lost my head and went all in."
"You know there are strict regulations on spell-crafting," Professor McGonagall said curtly.
"I know," Hermione replied. "And for some reason, I stopped caring about all of that." She laughed under her breath. "Totally unlike me. Like I said, I lost my head."
"I will not ask for more details about it," Professor McGonagall said. "As I don't want to be under any more obligations than I already am to report this. I'm making a concession for you because of the trauma you went through during the war. But don't do something like this again. Or I shall have to take stronger action."
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said, relief and gratitude washing over her. "I won't, Professor. I learned my lesson. I feel horrid for all of the inconveniences, trouble, and even pain I caused."
"I believe you have learned your lesson," Professor McGonagall said, nodding to herself. "And that's another reason I will refrain from reporting you." She stood up. "Now, you better get along to class. I will inform the other professors."
"Thank you again, Professor," Hermione said. "I really appreciate everything you've done."
"Of course," Professor McGonagall said. "Provided you don't do something like this again."
"I won't," Hermione promised and exited the room, feeling relieved. She had been very nervous to speak to Professor McGonagall, who she held in very high esteem. All in all, the conversation went better than she could have possibly dreamed. Walking through the Great Hall, Hermione felt almost giddy with relief.
Hermione found Ginny waiting for her at the doors to the entry hall.
"I almost left to tell Professor Jones you were with the Headmistress," Ginny called as Hermione approached, looking at her watch. "But we should still be good on time to get to Transfiguration."
"Good," Hermione said, picking up her pace. She hated to be late and knew she had a lot to catch up on. Trying to get her head back in school mode was proving to be a challenge. There was a sense of unreality about it all. It somehow didn't seem quite real that she was here still.
"Looks like the two of you made up," a drawling voice said from behind them. Draco Malfoy leaned on the side of the archway, looking at them with an unreadable expression on his face. His eyes were focused on Hermione.
"Yes, we did," Ginny said shortly. "Not that it's any of your business, Malfoy."
"That's good," he said honestly. "I wouldn't want to cause problems between the two of you." There was no sign of a sneer in his voice.
Ginny and Hermione looked at each other in shock. This was Malfoy saying he didn't want to cause problems?
"Since you've made up," Malfoy continued. "Meet me in the library at lunch," he said to Hermione. Without waiting for a reply, he strode off towards the dungeons.
Hermione felt perplexed. "Who does he think he is?" She said aloud to Ginny as they resumed their walk to Transfiguration.
"That's what I've always said about him!" Ginny said. "He's so entitled."
"I wonder what kind of relationship he struck up with Belle to talk to me like that," Hermione said. "And what was that about not wanting to cause problems?"
"Ah, well, I overreacted to seeing Belle in the library with him yesterday," Ginny said. "I was tired from Quidditch practice and upset because she was letting him help her try to break the curse and I was hurt that she didn't trust me enough to a) tell me she was working with him and b) to let me help her instead of him."
"Naturally," Hermione said. "How strange. I'd been able to see Belle in my dreams at night. She told me once that Malfoy suspected her and was giving her trouble. But I suppose I didn't have a chance to talk to her about this new development before we switched back."
It certainly had been a big day for both of them yesterday, it seemed.
"Will you go see him?" Ginny asked.
Hermione pondered it for a moment. "Yes, I think I will," she said. "Even though I resent him for thinking he can just command me to come whenever he wants. But I'm too curious to know what he wants. It's so strange to me."
"You're telling me," Ginny muttered. "This all has been extremely strange."
A flash of guilt washed over Hermione again. "I'm really sorry," she said again.
"Stop apologizing," Ginny said. "At least to me. Like I said, what's done is done. The past is in the past. All we can do is move forward."
Hermione let Ginny's words wash over her. All she could do was move forward. And that's what she determined she was going to do.