# New Beginning

padfoot_puppyeyes

Rating: G
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 6
Published: 02/06/2008
Last Updated: 02/06/2008
Status: Completed

Graduation was the ending of all that Hermione had known for the last seven years. It was, like the ending of the war, all that she had worked to accomplish. And now, after reliving memories from her time spent there, Hermione is finds herself unable to let go once. So Harry has to help. ONESHOT! I just graduated, so I thought I'd give my view on leaving. Let me know what you think.

## 1. A New Beginning

A New Beginning.

Summary- Graduation was the ending of all that Hermione had known for the last seven years. It was, like the ending of the war, all that she had worked to accomplish. And now, after reliving memories from her time spent there, Hermione is finds herself unable to let go once. So Harry has to help.

AN- This is a oneshot. It could've been longer, or more detailed, I suppose. But I didn't want it to be, because then it wouldn't focus on or cover what I wanted it to. I just graduated- YAY!- so yes, I know how Hermione's feeling here, and I just thought it may be fun to write about leaving school behind in a positive way.

COLLEGE, HERE I COME!

Disclaimer- I'm just a broke almost-college student. I don't even own my own car fully. There's no way I own Harry…but I wish I did ;)

For years, Hermione Granger had been picturing this moment in her head as she studied for final exams, spent hours reading in the library, and carefully measure out potions ingredients. Countless hours of time had been put into pondering how leaving Hogwarts once and for all might feel, if she'd feel older or braver, or more ready to face the real world.

And now, after saying a few words to an audience that was several people smaller than it should have been due to the war and accepting her diploma, Hermione found that she didn't feel any of those things. All she felt was scared. Scared of leaving home for good, scared of going to a new place, where she didn't know anyone or where anything was. Scared of leaving behind all the memories she had accumulated inside the old and beautiful castle she had spent the last seven years in.

“Knut for your thoughts?”

“They're hardly worth a knut.” She replied darkly, refusing to look at Harry's face as she continued to walk briskly towards a revolving staircase.

“I refuse to believe that.” Harry replied, voice light. Completely nonplussed, he kept pace with Hermione even when she sped up, without showing the faintest trace of irritation. He'd been in this state of calm ever since the war had ended a year before, especially around her, and Hermione found that the more volatile her emotions became the more his calm persona annoyed her.

The two continued to walk in silence for a time, until coming across a split in the hallways when Harry veered off to the right as Hermione continued to go straight. Curious as to where he was going, and irritated at herself for her curiosity, Hermione slowly turned and, when she saw that Harry was now far down the corridor, followed.

Amused, she watched him walk without hesitation towards a girls bathroom, and watched even more intrigued as he meandered inside. Finally drawing the line, Hermione followed him in to ask, “What are you doing? This is a GIRLS toilet, and there's still younger students finishing up here that could've caught you!”

“And so I would've been caught. What're they going to do- take away house points? I'm not in a house anymore, Hermione, we're graduated.” His words were like a punch to the stomach, and she turned away quickly to keep him from seeing their effect. All the same, his bright green eyes were too attentive for him to have missed it.

“I wonder…” He murmured, walking slowly around the bathroom and then leaning against a wall.

Recovered from her near crying-fit, Hermione asked “Wonder what?”

“I wonder what they did with it.” Harry replied, as though his thoughts were obvious, still staring at something seemingly large and invisible in front of him. A little concerned for her friend's sanity, Hermione asked,

“Did with what?”

“The troll, from first year. This is where Ron knocked it out, remember?” Hermione did remember, as clearly as if it had happened the day before. Nearly being beaten to death by a mountain troll was not an experience one tended to forget easily.

“Of course I remember. Ron knocked it out with it's own club-“

“Hey, I helped!” Harry cut in, indignant.

“Yeah, by shoving your wand as far as you could up his nose!” Hermione retorted, smiling slightly. Although the situation had not been very humorous at the time, looking back, the entire episode did seem a little surreal and quite amusing. “I suppose they probably gave it to Hagrid. He would have known what to do with something like that.” Barely suppressing tears as she thought of their friend and his death shortly after the war, when he had been attacked by rouge death eaters, Hermione's smile wavered. Mood once again bleak, she turned away to pull her frizzy brown hair into a knot on top of her head- it was too warm, in June, for such thick hair to be stuck to ones neck.

“Yeah, he did always seem to know what to do in situations like that…probably could've done more than stick something up the troll's nose, at least.” Harry muttered, trying to meet her eyes. Swallowing hard, Hermione smiled a little again. “Except he might have babied it, just because it was littler than him. Remember him and that ridiculous dragon?”

“Norbert?” Hermione asked. “How could I forget?” Both of them laughed, and most of the tension in the room faded. There was yet another silence following them outside of the bathroom, but this was a much more comfortable one, only broken as they passed the corridor that led to Moaning Murtle's bathroom, when Harry mumbled under his breath “What was it with us and girl's lavatories anyhow?”

Hermione giggled. “You and Ron did tend to end up there a lot more than many boys would have at age twelve.”

They continued their tour of the castle in much the same way, discussing old memories both shared and separate as they went. Stories of Nearly-Headless-Nick's deathday party, and memories of the yule ball, and jokes long-forgotten were all recounted, as the two best friends lost track of time while they wandered the halls of the old school recounting stories from the past eight years, including the year spent outside of the castle's walls, fighting the war. It wasn't until later, upon returning to Gryffindor tower for the last night there, that Hermione's anxiety about leaving home resurfaced. Harry, who seemed much more perceptive than usual, picked up on it right away.

“What's wrong?” He asked Hermione quietly, helping her through the portrait hole. Unable to keep it all inside anymore, Hermione tried to explain all of her worries, her fears, and her emotions to her best friend, hoping that he'd have more sense than Ron. When it came to emotions, Harry was usually ahead, but only slightly.

“And I'm just…scared.” She finished, feeling useless. “I don't know what's coming next, or what to expect, or how to prepare for it, so it's nothing like all the summer's before.” They had ended up on the couch in front of the fireplace, the last people in the common room that late at night. Although she could not see it from her position on Harry's shoulder, she could feel him nod his head. “It's all over now.” She tried to explain, giving up on her hand gestures as a bad job. “And I just feel like this could be the end of everything, because I don't know what actually comes next. What if you and Ron and I never see each other again, or if I can't find a job I like and end up doing horribly, or-“

“Or end up perfectly happy and having the time of your life, relaxing like you never did in school.” Harry finished firmly, moving her slightly further down from him so he could better see her. “Hermione, you're looking at this all wrong.” Offended, she began to pull back from him, but Harry's arms around her waist weren't allowed her very much room to move. “This isn't the end of everything. It isn't the end of our lives, or even our childhood, because I suppose that sort of ended when the war started. It can't be the end of our friendship, because we've been through the worst years and survived them. And it can't be the end of us, not if we don't let it.”

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, and found it preoccupied with Harry's lips moving on hers. Deciding that this was a much more pleasant use for her mouth than bickering, Hermione drew closer to Harry and thought over what he'd said. Smiling, she decided he was right.

This wasn't the end, it was the beginning. A new beginning, filled with nearly endless possibilities and countless good times. She could move on to make new good memories to laugh about later, just as they had when they had first arrived at Hogwarts all those years ago. And as her new boyfriend kissed her goodnight, Hermione decided it was probably one of the best beginnings she could've asked for.

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