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Chapter Text

Chapter 1

There was an expectation within the magical world that muggle borns would give up their muggle lives, in favor of magical ones. What those with magical heritage didn't realize was that most muggleborns fully returned to the muggle world after their Hogwarts graduation. Right now, after everything she had seen, Hermione felt like she would do the same.

You see, no one knew of her life outside of Hogwarts. They hardly knew her family, and knew nothing of where, or how she grew up, it was as though once they learned she was muggle born they didn't care anymore. They didn't know of her love of animals, travel, or how much she loved her horses. They didn't understand how she was so much more than the muggle born daughter of two dentists, and she was over it.

This made it easy for her to lie to her friends, and the Order about what she had done to keep her parents safe. Those in the know were under the impression she had wiped her parents' memories, and sent them to Australia. In fact her parents had never left home. They just went on an extended trip to Africa with their favorite charity organization.

What the Order didn't know wouldn't hurt them. It's not like they cared anyway. They made that clear when she asked for help protecting her parents. Dumbledore told her it wasn't a priority before 6th year started, leading Hermione to come up with her own plan, and that she did.

The war was over…

The war was over, and Hermione Granger still felt like an outsider in the magical world. She had been by Harry's side, being the brains of the operation, and saving his ass since first year. But no matter what she did, or how much she gave of herself to the magical world, she still felt like an outsider. 

Now, she wasn't looking for praise, or recognition. All she wanted was for the people she was close to, to care about her life. Not just her contributions to the magical world. She felt like a fixture in their lives, rather than a part of it. She felt like the friend that could be easily tossed aside, and forgotten about until needed. 

See, in all her time in the magical world, her friends never tried to get to know her, outside of what they saw of her at Hogwarts. She was Hermione the bossy bookworm, who preferred books to people, and was the only person who could keep Harry, and Ron in line.  

Since the war ended, she thought things would be different. She was wrong. Her time was spent between Hogwarts, helping to rebuild, and the Burrow. But still no one cared about her beyond her magical abilities, and What she could do for them. That's why she had no intention of returning to Hogwarts to redo her 7th year. She was ready to return to her muggle life.

Thinking over the war, and everyone they had lost or almost lost angered Hermione. How could the adults in the magical world let it get to the point where, A. Teenagers were responsible for bringing down the worst terrorist since WWII, and B. A major battle was fought at a school, with children present, and some even paying the ultimate price. This line of thought caused her to relive her memories of everything that happened in the immediate aftermath of The Battle at Hogwarts.

The first, and probably smartest, thing that happened that day was that Kingsley had the forethought to place an anti-apparation ward across the Hogwarts grounds the moment all underage students had been evacuated. He managed to periodically reinforce this ward during the Battle. 

He ensured people could apparate in, but no one could go out regardless of which side they fought on. This allowed for all of Voldemort's death eaters, followers, and sympathizers to be detained immediately, and for statements to be taken from all survivors before permission was granted to leave.

Madame Pomfrey and Healers from St. Mungo's began triaging people on site. Kingsley allowed Madame Pomfrey through the wards he set, to ensure those who were gravely injured could be transported to St. Mungo's for treatment. This action alone saved the lives of Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Colin Creevey and 11 others who were not well known among Order members. 

AlI of the Voldemort sympathizers were told to lay down their wands. The "light" fighters were told to stupefy anyone who refused. While they started rounding up followers, Kingsley sent a Patronus message to every trustworthy Auror, Hit Wizard, Unspeakable and Department Head asking for help with the situation at Hogwarts.

Kingsley had established a path forward that took months to establish following the end of the first war. With the help he was able to bring in, and the fact no Voldemort supporters were allowed to leave, they had more people caught red handed than they were able to bring up on trial at the end of the last wizarding war. 

The Aurors and Hit Wizards prioritized securing those who sided with Voldemort into three groups. Those with the Dark Mark who immediately surrendered, those with the dark mark who continued to fight and the unmarked who needed to be thoroughly interrogated. Once they were secured, the hit wizards started transferring the prisoners to the Ministry. The Aurors stayed behind to take statements from everyone remaining. 

Kingsley's last effort the day of the battle was to release a statement to the Quibbler and the Daily Prophet about the events at The Battle of Hogwarts including a memory photo of Harry killing Voldemort. In the days that followed, help began pouring in from all member nations of the lCW. Kingsley requested help vetting all ministry of magic employees. With the help of the ICW, who elected Kingsley as the interim British minister of magic, they were able to clear out any marked ministry workers with loyalties to Voldemort.

The ICW was pivotal in assisting with standing up the new Ministry of Magic. They were able to interview and assign new department heads who were proper for the role because of their merit, not their blood status. They also assisted with hiring throughout the ministry and maintained the same determination to hire based upon merit, rather than blood status. 

Within the days following the end of the war the Wizarding World was truly changing. There were now muggleborns and “blood traitors” in positions of authority within the Ministry of Magic and hired into multiple departments throughout the Ministry. This gave Hermione hope, but also left her wondering if the changes would last.

Hermione remembered the weeks and weeks of trials, where she, Harry, and Ron were expected to testify against many of the death eaters they had fought. The trio had been bouncing between the rebuilding efforts at Hogwarts, trials at the ministry and the Burrow. She was thankful the ministry, and ICW, set up a court of international and local representatives that would vote on the fate of each of the accused. 

The ICW had determined individuals captured on the grounds of Hogwarts would be questioned at trial using Veritaserum and a set of standard questions. This saved a lot of time, and minimized the number of people required to testif, allowing for trials, and sentencing to be expedited. 

The surprises came from the Death Eaters wives and their children. Although most were expected to be on Voldemort's side it was quickly learned there was a pattern of threats, Imperius Curses, and abuse with nearly all the wives and children. 

This led to a special session of the interim Wizenagemot where they decided the best path forward in these special circumstances. The Wizenagenot understood they couldn't punish everyone, but they were also aware of the need to help people change their way of thinking. This is what led to the headline in today's paper.

Hermione was pulled out of her memories when she heard an owl pecking on the kitchen window at The Burrow. She called out "Prophets Here!" before she looked at her own copy and noticed the headline. Apparently the Wizenagemot had finally figured out how they would be changing the young generations way of thinking. 

DAILY PROPHET 

1 AUGUST 1998

“MINISTRY OF MAGIC ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO CURRICULUM AT HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY”

Today the Daily Prophet will be publishing a letter from the Minister of Magic, in lieu of its standard material:

From the desk of the Interim Minister of Magic: Kingsley Shackelbolt 

Wizarding Britain, these last few months have been turbulent and scary for all of us. Many of us have experienced fear and loss that we should never have to bear and now we are asked to move forward with life. I am not here to ask you to move forward as though nothing happened. I am here hoping to guide us into a brighter future where the mistakes of the past cannot come back to haunt us for a third time. I have been assured by the Unspeakables that Voldemort is dead with no chance of returning. This is a question that went unasked during the first Wizarding War. 

Now we are plagued with an even harder question we must ask as a community. How do we move forward?  This is not something we can answer in a published letter, but what I can do is share with you the outline for what I think will help all move forward. First, we have started placing those captured fighting for Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts on trial. We are ensuring each trial is handled fairly, and without prejudice, thanks to the help of our friends at the ICW. This process has not only helped us take criminals off the street, but also helped us learn their motivations so we can work to ensure something like this will never happen again. 

Based on the motivations behind the heinous crimes we have seen committed in the last year, and discussions with our friends at the ICW, the Ministry of Magic will be taking a new approach to how we educate young Witches and Wizards from all backgrounds. We will be announcing the phases of our program over time, but have chosen to start by announcing the one that will affect the most individuals at this current time. 

All individuals who were enrolled, or should have been enrolled at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 1 September 1997 are hereby mandated to repeat the year of schooling they would have started on 1 September 1997. All educational credits, attained at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the aforementioned year are hereby expunged from each student's educational record. This policy is universal, and without exception as new educational requirements shall also be mandated and required for graduation.

Additional Changes: 

-History of Magic and Magical Culture is now a required course for all seven years of education. (An abridged version will be offered for all non first years.)

-Study of the Non - Magical World will replace Muggle Studies, and is now a required course for all seven years of education. 

-Divination will no longer be an elective course. All students will be screened to determine if they have the gift of foresight. Those with the gift will receive private tutoring. 

-Arithmancy Mathematics Basics is now a required course for the first and second year of education, as mathematics is necessary in all aspects of magic.

-There will be multiple Professors for each course, to allow Professors to better educate their students. 

-The Wizarding Examination Authority (WEA) is currently evaluating the curriculum for each course to ensure students are getting an education that is up to date with the field of each subject. 

Signed

Kingsley Shacklebolt 

Interim Minister of Magic

Well fuck. Hermione thought. This certainly changed her plans for the next year, and she was not happy.

Chapter Text

The Daily Prophet had been delivered to the Burrow on August 1st, the same way it had been every day for as long as the family could remember. The only changes with time had been an increase in the number of copies that arrived. Saturday editions of the prophet tended to have more fluff pieces, so it took the residents of the Burrow more time to pick up their copies once the delivery owl had dropped them off. Hermione, never one afraid to find something to read while her friends talked, was the first to pick up a copy. Everyone in the room heard an audible gasp as Hermione took in the front page heading; “MINISTRY OF MAGIC ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO CURRICULUM AT HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY”. As everyone looked at her, she started to read the article aloud: 

"From the desk of the Interim Minister of Magic: Kingsely Shackelbolt 

Wizarding Britain, these last few months have been turbulent and scary for all of us. Many of us have experienced fear and loss that we should never have to bear and now we are asked to move forward with life. I am not here to ask you to move forward as though nothing happened. I am here hoping to guide us into a brighter future where the mistakes of the past cannot come back to haunt us for a third time. I have been assured by the Unspeakables that Voldemort is dead with no chance of returning. This is a question that went unasked during the first Wizarding War. 

Now we are plagued with an even harder question we must ask as a community. How do we move forward?  This is not something we can answer in a published letter, but what I can do is share with you the outline for what I think will help all move forward. First, we have started placing those captured fighting for Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts on trial. We are ensuring each trial is handled fairly, and without prejudice, thanks to the help of our friends at the ICW. This process has not only helped us take criminals off the street, but also helped us learn their motivations so we can work to ensure something like this will never happen again. 

Based on the motivations behind the heinous crimes we have seen committed in the last year, and discussions with our friends at the ICW, the Ministry of Magic will be taking a new approach to how we educate young Witches and Wizards from all backgrounds. We will be announcing the phases of our program over time, but have chosen to start by announcing the one that will affect the most individuals at this current time. 

All individuals who were enrolled, or should have been enrolled at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 1 September 1997 are hereby mandated to repeat the year of schooling they would have started on 1 September 1997. All educational credits, attained at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the aforementioned year are hereby expunged from each student's educational record. This policy is universal, and without exception as new educational requirements shall also be mandated and required for graduation.

Additional Changes: 

-History of Magic and Magical Culture is now a required course for all seven years of education. (An abridged version will be offered for all non first years.)

-Study of the Non - Magical World will replace Muggle Studies, and is now a required course for all seven years of education. 

-Divination will no longer be an elective course. All students will be screened to determine if they have the gift of foresight. Those with the gift will receive private tutoring. 

-Arithmancy Mathematics Basics is now a required course for the first and second year of education, as mathematics is necessary in all as

-There will be multiple Professors for each course, to allow Professors to better educate their students. 

-The Wizarding Examination Authority (WEA) is currently evaluating the curriculum for each course to ensure students are getting an education that is up to date with the field of each subject. 

Signed

Kingsley Shacklebolt 

Interim Minister of Magic"

As though no one believed what she had just read, they all scrambled to pick up their own copies of the Prophet and sat in silence as they tried to digest what they just learned.  Hermione, who had been staying with the Weasley family on and off since the end of the war, was trying to take in the scene around the breakfast table and simultaneously not ball her eyes out. She was finally ready to begin her adult life, to enjoy what life could offer beyond the Wizarding World and to spend some much needed time with her family. 

Arthur, who was promoted to head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement with the Ministry Audits and rehiring, looked contemplative, it was clear from his expression he was unaware of these new changes. Molly looked overwhelmed, as though she was unsure how she would get her two children and her two bonus children ready for Hogwarts in only a month. Ginny looked annoyed, but was surveying the room like Hermione was. Ron had started turning various shades of red, and he appeared moments away from having steam come out of his ears. Lastly she looked towards Harry, who was starting to laugh maniacally.

"Mate, I know we've been through a lot in the last year and all but are you finally losing your damn marbles." Ron said, breaking the ice, as everyone in the room started to chuckle.

"Ron, my marbles have been gone for a long time. This is just fucking hilarious.  Sorry Mrs. Weasley. We worked our asses off to find and destroy the horcruxes, fought dozens of Death Eaters, were captured, Hermione was tortured, and I was struck with the killing curses AGAIN, yet that's still not enough for us to be offered our Hogwarts Diplomas no questions asked." Harry stated.

"That's a valid point Harry." Hermione agreed. All of a sudden everyone went silent and just stared at Hermione. 

"What! I'm allowed to agree with him. I'm getting too old for this shit. I turn 19 this year and should have been done with my education in June. The magical world has taken over my life since I first started at Hogwarts. Each year of schooling something insane has happened that has led to at least one of us almost nearly ending up dead. Now we do it again, but this time we save the Wizarding World and remove the threat Voldemort and the Ministry STILL wants to control our lives." Hermione ranted. "I'm just fed up and ready to move on."

Ginny wrapped Hermione up in her signature Weasley hug. " It will be okay Mia, we will be there together." Hermione gave Ginny a small smile and put her head in her hands. 

"It's just hard Ginny, it's been nearly three months since the Battle with nothing being said. I started to make plans for my life outside of the magical world. So many people just don't understand how hard it is to be ripped away from the life you know and thrust into a world that you never seemed to fit into. I thought I was going to be free to start making my own choices now and nope…" 

"I never thought I'd see the day where Hermione Granger was upset about being told to go back to school." Ron joked trying to brighten the mood. Hermione just glared at him.

Everyone sat silent at the table for a few minutes before Hermione cried "What am I going to tell my parents."

"Mione, what are you going on about? You obliviated your parents last summer and sent them to Australia." Harry said with a look of concern which was shared by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Hermione cursed under her breath, realizing she would have to explain herself. "Yes, that's what I told you, but that's not what actually happened. My parents have been far more informed than I let anyone believe throughout all of my time in the Wizarding World. I discussed all possible outcomes with my parents. We decided together, we would make everyone think they were Obliviated and had moved to Australia." 

Molly gave Hermione a huge hug. "Oh sweetheart. Where are your parents now? Are they safe and unharmed? Did they make it through the war unscathed? Can we see them?"

Hermione gave Mrs. Weasley a small smile. "They are at home now, they spent most of the past year volunteering with their favorite charity in South Africa. They are safe and they never had any issues with the Death Eaters. I'm sorry I lied to you all. I just knew it would keep my parents safer, if everyone that knew of them in the magical world thought they had been Obliviated and left the country. "

"I understand Mione." Harry said, as Ron nodded his head in agreement.

"Thanks guys!" She said, as she gave her boys a big hug. "I guess we need to fill in the other Order Members that knew about my parents, and I think it's time I wrote a strongly worded letter to the Minister." Harry and Ron glanced knowingly at one another and gulped. 

Hermione quickly drafted her letter, which would rival a Molly Weasley Howler, to Kingsley. She made sure the delivery owl would deliver it to his home, not to the Ministry. While she did that,  Molly floo called the Order numbers who had been aware of the situation regarding Hermione's parents, thankful the girl kept her circle small as she hated keeping her head in the floo.  

One by one people started to come through the floo. First to arrive, once they heard the promise of dinner, was Fred and George. Hermione smiled when she saw the twins. Both had nearly died at least once in the past year and Hermione was just thankful they were still here and still making others smile. Fred spent a week in St Mungo's after the battle but came out of everything relatively unscathed in comparison to some. 

Next to arrive was Remus, Tonks and their little baby Teddy. Most of the Order had thought Remus and Tonks had died during the first half of the Battle. They were incredibly thankful When the healers from St. Mungos told them they were alive, and needed special medical care but would make a full recovery! This was especially good news for Harry as Remus was his last living connection to his father. Remus had to spend two weeks in the hospital, whereas Tonks only needed a few days, but hospital time was worth it to be alive and with their family. 

Last to arrive was Kingsley. Hermione had told him about her parents when they were paired together on the final rescue Harry from Privet Drive mission. He knew he was in for an earful after the letter he had just read.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt! I do not like you at all right now! You're only here because you need to hear the information I have to say.  How dare you force those of us who have given up everything for the wizarding world to give up another year of our lives to your decree. Some of us have been held captive by the Wizarding World long enough and we have started making plans for our future. Now, thanks to you we are being held captive again. I had enough being a tortured prisoner at Malfoy Manor. I didn't think you'd be the next one to hold me captive!" Hermione shouted at Kingsley, who just stared back at the girl in shock. She was the last person he expected to be upset about his new plans. 

"Good Evening " Molly started, "I've called this small meeting on behalf of Hermione, so I'll let her share what she has to say. "

"Thank you! You're all here because you were given information about my parents' location and how I chose to keep them safe during the war. I just wanted you all to be aware my parents are now home and their memories are fully intact. I just didn't want to share this information by any means other than in person." Harry nodded at Hermione, agreeing with her choice to not share the full store with everyone. 

There was a chorus of "That's wonderful." and "Congratulations, Hermione " from the occupants of the room. It was also in that moment Kingsley realized why Hermione was so angry about the mandate to return to Hogwarts. He vowed to himself that he would do whatever he could to make it right. 

Now that the news had been shared, Molly invited everyone to tuck in for dinner. Everyone stayed, including the Minister. It was so nice for all involved to enjoy sharing dinner without the looming threat of war hanging over everyone's head.

After dinner Kingsley asked Hermione if she had a moment to speak in private. She nodded and the pair walked out to the garden, where Hermione cast a muffliato before saying anything. 

"What more did you have to say Minister?" Hermione's body language was clearly showing how uncomfortable she was talking to Kingsley.

"Hermione, please don't be like that." He begged. 

"Like what? Angry, pissed off, upset, disappointed? Sorry Minister, this is what you are going to get, because this is how I feel." Kingsley shook his head in shame while Hermione continued. 

"I have given the last seven years of my life to the Wizarding World. When I should have been getting my education, I was instead put in countless situations where my life was in danger. On top of that, I was away from my family, the world I grew up in and thrust into a society where many people thought I wasn't worth the dirt on their shoe. I don't think you understand how much muggleborn's have to give up to come into the Wizarding World. I was to receive a private education at a premier institution, I had a small, close group of friends, hobbies I loved and we travelled all the time. I had to give up most of that to come here Kingsley, and most people don't even care enough to ask about where or how I grew up because of how narrow-minded everyone's view of Muggles is. Now, lets fast forward 6 years, I gave up the last year of my education to help fight a war that only continued because your generation and ministry couldn't properly end it the last time!" 

Kingsley tried to interject but Hermione didn't let him. "It's been nearly three months since the war ended Kingsley and I can count on one hand the number of times you, or anyone from the ministry have asked the thoughts of those who were on the front lines, for far longer than the Final Battle. Not only that, it was three months without any communication from the ministry regarding our education. Many of us started to make plans for our future, then in the blink of an eye we have a month to undo all of those plans and prepare ourselves to go back to the place where we saw our friends die. Sure you may have made decisions based on the prisoners you were interviewing, but you forgot who you were making those decisions for." 

Hermione took a moment to collect her thoughts and in that moment Kingsley started speaking. "I am so sorry. We never wanted this return to Hogwarts to be seen as holding you all captive. What can I do to make this better for everyone, and especially for you. "

She took a moment to think about his words before responding.  "One, you, nor I fully understand what students had to go through last year with Shape and the Carrows' in charge. You need to interview the students who stayed at school last year to determine how best to support all of them. Two, we're coming off a war. Many students lost people they care about, the school needs to be staffed with mind healers, enough to properly manage the number of students. Three, No detentions where a student is left alone with a teacher and no students put in charge of other students' detentions. From what I've heard about last year, detention was often used as an excuse to Crucio students and they were sometimes forced to Crucio one another, before that Umbridge would used a blood quill in detentions and would try to use Veritaserum on students she wanted to question. As for what you can do for me. If I'm to attend Hogwarts this year, I'm going to need help making sure I can balance it with the commitments I've made outside the wizarding world. That means I need international portkeys and the ability to occasionally miss a week or weekend of school at a time, with no questions asked." 

"Can I ask what for?” Kingsley added. 

"The life I have outside of the Wizarding World." Hermione quipped.

"Consider it done." 

"I'll be in touch." Hermione stated as she canceled the muffliato and walked away.

Chapter Text

August 5th 1998

Although no one at the burrow was prepared to return to Hogwarts, someone at Hogwarts was. Letters and book lists went out to all students first thing in the morning the day after the announcement in the papers. With Harry’s litter he was offered the post of Co-Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, with Ginny as his Co-captain. The pair discussed it as Harry didn't want to steal the role from Ginny.

Ron was offered the role of Prefect, but wanted to turn it down and enjoy a year Where his only extra responsibility was Quidditch (if he made the team). Hermione was offered the role of Head Girl but immediately returned a letter declining the offer as she believed the role would be best suited for someone who was at Hogwarts the previous year. In her letter, she recommended Neville Longbottom and Susan Bones; they both kept the DA running last year and they helped keep many of the younger students safe while the Carrows were there. 

Mrs Weasley noticed the four children all had their Hogwarts letters. "Am I seeing that it's time for a trip to Diagon Alley?" 

"Yep!" Ginny responded.

"I think there's something we need to take care of first before we can do our shopping." Hermione said, nervously looking at Harry and Ron.

The three said "Gringotts" at the same time.

"What's wrong with Gringotts? " 

Harry, Ron and Hermione all looked at one another, none wanting to tell Mrs. Weasley the extent of their adventures, as she called them.

"The last time we were at Gringotts, we kind of broke in, Imperused a goblin, snuck into the Lestrange family vault, stole a horcrux, and stole their dragon…" Hermione said.

Molly looked at the trio as though she was seeing Hagrid's three headed dog for the first time. "I'm going to call Bill and Kingsley. I've really got nothing to say and I really have no clue how to help you with this one." She said as she headed to the floo.

Bill and Kingsley quickly came through looking appropriately stunned. "So you broke into Gringotts, lived to tell the story, managed to steal not only an artifact from the Lestrange Vault but a damn dragon?" Kingsley said, looking at the trio.

"That's about right…" Harry said. "We just want to make sure that we can go into Gringotts without getting killed."

Kingsley chuckled and Bill looked stunned. "Let me run over to Gringotts and see where things stand." Kingsley said before aparating away.

Bill finally came to and said, "I really don't know how the three of you survived that, let alone the last year as a whole. I'm going to floo Charlie, we need to make sure someone is on the lookout for that Dragon." Bill walked over to the floo and not even five minutes later they heard Charlie screech, "THERE WAS A DRAGON WHERE? I'm coming through."

Mrs Weasley walked back in the room as Charlie came through. " Charlie, sweetie, I didn't know you were coming."

"Lovely to see you too Mum. Excuse me but I need to figure out why I'm only hearing about this loose dragon now." Charlie said, dismissing his mother. 

Ron finally decided to join the conversation. "We weren't trying to keep you out of the loop Charlie, this all happened the day before the Battle at Hogwarts, and following the Battle everything except what was at Hogwarts just faded away. "

"I can accept that, but I need to know everything about that dragon so I can find it and bring it to safety."

"I can help you there." Hermione exclaimed. "The dragon was an adult Ukrainian Iron Belly, light gray in color. It was chained in the lowest levels of the bank to guard the high security vaults. They had trained it to cower in fear at the sound of these Clapper devices they would use. We rode the dragon away from Gringotts, but it took him a moment to remember how to fly, as though it had been stuck down there since it was little." 

Charlie looked as though he could kiss Hermione for all of the detail he had just given her. "Thank you for all of that. Hopefully we will be able to find this dragon and make sure it gets the help that it needs. I'm going to head back to the reserve and get a team assembled so we can start searching for this dragon."

Charlie said his goodbyes making sure to have some small talk with his mum before heading back through the floo. Bill, still stunned by not only the actions of the trio but the audacity as well, sat in silence as they all waited for Kingsly to return. Roughly 15 minutes after Charlie left Kingsly apparated back into the burrow.

"Well you three certainly left an impression on the Goblins…" Kingsley chuckled. "One of them wanted your heads for what you all have done. Thankfully, Ragnarok disagreed. He said the three of you had proven yourselves as heroes who are willing to stand up against wizard injustices and that is something the Goblins respect. All they ask is that you never publicly talk about what happened."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all agreed profusely. "So we won't have any issues accessing our vaults?” Harry asked.

"None at all." Kingsley responded. " Also, Ragnarok wanted me to let you all know that it's illegal for wizards to store objects like horcruxes in their vaults. So if you had just told one of your account managers what you expected to find in the Lestrange vault they would have retrieved it and destroyed it.” 

With that the trio collectively blushed and looked embarrassed. "Thank you for taking the time to get all of that settled Kingsley. We really appreciate it. The last thing we wanted to do was create another incident with the Goblin Nation." Hermione graciously thanked the minister before he left the burrow.

Molly began ushering the trio and Ginny towards the Floo so they could do their shopping. This would be the first leisurely outing for the trio since the end of the war. Any public trip before this had been at the behest of the ministry, as the three of them were the youngest Order of Merlin holders in history. Now it was time for them to brave the real world.

The group of five, led by Molly Weasley floo'd straight into the Leaky Cauldron. As the last of the golden trio came through, the patrons of the Leaky had gone silent, and were staring in their direction. Harry and Ron froze, hating the attention, but immediately broke out of it when they noticed Hermione taking the lead. The surprise leader dusted the soot off her clothes, took a deep breath, smiled and walked directly through the crowd which parted as she moved. The rest of the group followed Hermione's Iead and began to head out of the Leaky. 

Ginny, who had known Hermione for the last seven years, was happy to follow her friend through the crowd, but she had questions… The Hermione she had known, went out of her way to stay out of the spotlight. She had hated when attention was on her in any manner other than being called on in class. When the Daily Prophet linked her to Harry and Viktor Krum in 4th year, Ginny thought Hermione was going to die from embarrassment. Now, Ginny was seeing her walk through a crowd of admirers as though she had been a celebrity her entire life, and she was confused to say the least.

Hermione maintained the lead as the group made their way through Diagon Alley to Gringotts Wizard Bank to get money for their shopping. Hermione was first in line to speak with a teller when she discreetly asked to speak with the Granger family account manager. Ginny, still confused by Hermione's confidence at the Leaky, heard what she said to the teller, and was further confused as she walked away with a senior account manager.

Ginny, Harry, Ron, and the Weasley matriarch finished with their business at the Bank ahead of Hermione. Molly was confused when she noticed Hermione come out of the Account and Estate Management wing of the Bank rather than the vault access area of the bank. Molly looked at Ginny with confusion all over her face. Ginny shrugged her shoulders and the pair didn't elaborate on the subject further. 

"Where are we off to first my dears?" Molly asked.

Hermione, maintaining her place as leader, answered, "Other than the school supply list, I need to pick up a new wand. Mine doesn't feel the same after the past year. "

"Same here." Harry agreed. "I think without Voldemort in my head I may be fit for a different wand."

They all needed new robes, and for the first time Ron and Ginny didn't have to purchase theirs secondhand, so they were all off to Madame Malkins. The shop witch fitted all of them and noted their measurements were all significantly different than the last time they were fitted. Hermione felt a bit self conscious as she had lost quite a bit of weight and muscle during their time on the Horcrux hunt.

Ginny noticed more behavior that was uncharacteristic for Hermione. She usually hated shopping, but this time she was gladly going through the displays in the shop. When she did shop, she would just purchase off the rack and never venture near the luxury area of the store. This time, Hermione did the opposite, her school robes were made of luxury fabrics, and she bought everything else she needed from the luxury area of the store. The part which further confused Ginny was that Hermione was trying to keep all of her purchases private for some reason.

They made the necessary stops at the apothecary and stationary store to make sure everyone was stocked up on the appropriate goods for school. Harry, Ron, and Ginny requested a stop at Quality Quidditch Supplies. Hermione even joined them, as she didn't feel like venturing away from the group just yet. The three quidditch players walked out of the store with brand new brooms, and state of the art safety gear.

As they made their way back into the alley, it seemed to be getting busier. Hermione led the group through the thick crowd to Flourish and Blotts. Her only goal was to pick up her books, and get out before things got crazy. Ginny, Harry and Ron, who expected to spend at least an hour in their friend's favorite store, were dumbfounded when Hermione was ready to leave, with only her school books in hand, after 10 minutes.

Hermione made her way to Olivanders to get her new wand, with the rest of the group in tow.  

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley. It's lovely to see you under a significantly less life threatening situation." The old wand maker greeted them. "Now what can I do for you all today?"

"I'd like to get a new wand," Hermione started. "Mine hasn't felt right since the final battle. It reminds me of a jacket that I've grown out of, like I can wear it, but it doesn't fit right.” 

"Well that does happen Ms. Granger." The wandmaker reassured her. "Sometimes we go through things that change us, and our magic. After what you've experienced in the last year, I think it's safe to say that's exactly what is happening to you dear.” 

Hermione released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Well that is reassuring."

"Now, may I see your current wand please?" Hermione handed her wand over to Olivander and he began to analyze it.

"Ah, yes. Vine wood, 10 ¾ inches with dragon heartstring." He picked upa large magnifying glass and continued looking at her wand. "Ms. Granger, have you performed any dark magic with this wand?" 

"No sir" she replied confused.

"Have you spent a lot of time around a dark artifact with this wand in your possession?"

"Yes sir.” She answered thinking about the Horcrux they all had to share wearing for months.

"That explains it then. Your wand has microcracks running down the shaft of the vinewood that would eventually expose the dragon heartstring core." 

Hermione just stared at the wandmaker unsure how to respond, as he continued. "If anyone else with you over the last year also spent significant lime around dark artifacts, I'd recommend they also get their wands examined." Olivander said, looking at Harry and Ron.

The wandmaker disappeared for a few moments, then returned with a pill of wand boxes for her to try. The first two wands were absolute duds for Hermione. The third wand was a 12 inch vinewood wand, with a phoenix feather core. It was a beautiful wand with carvings and runes more intricate than her previous wand. The moment she picked up her new wand, she felt it immediately become one with her magic in a way that felt like home.

Harry went next, and Olivander couldn't help but laugh when Harry said "A confrontation like I had with Voldemort could probably be considered life and magic changing." Harry ended up matching with an 11 1/2 inch mahogany wand with a dragon heartstring core. Harry was glowing when Olivander shared that Harry's fathers wand was mahogany, and his mothers wand core was also Dragon heartstring. Since Ron was there he had Olivander check his wand as well but all was well.

With new wands in tow, and the trio on high alert about the increasing size of the crowd in the alley, they agreed on a final stop before heading out for the day. Harry wanted to stop by the Magical Menagerie to pick up a new owl. The loss of Hedwig hit him hard, but he knew with going back to Hogwarts it was time. He ended up picking a huge black and white Eurasian Eagle Owl with honey colored eyes. He named him Radagast after the wizard in The Lord of the Rings. Hermione appreciated the Tolkein reference. With their shopping complete the group made their way to the community apparition point, choosing to apparate home rather than deal with the crowds in the Leaky Cauldron. 

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 4

August 10th 1998

Watching the Daily Prophet closely each day seemed to be the new theme of August. Each day there seemed to be some large news front page of the paper. Whether it was trial results, new announcements from the ministry or news about the reconstruction efforts at Hogwarts, it was always something. Today was no different.

TOGETHER WITH HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC MAKES THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT

All students who have attended Hogwarts over the last three years have faced insurmountable odds in regards to properly completing their education. Following the return of Voldemort in 1995, and the unfortunate stances of the ministry at the time, policies were put in place at the ministry and at Hogwarts that were inappropriate and unconstitutional. Although those policies were ignored during the 1996-1997 school year, many were used during this previous school year to punish and restrict our students.

Today, together the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry headmistress Minerva Mcgonagall, and Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, are proud to announce the repeal of every Educational Decree issued during the 1995-1996, and 1997-1998 school years. Not only does this include all educational decrees, but also any personal punishments that were handed out as "international bans".

AIso, the Ministry of Magic would like to use this article to announce the . capture and arrest of Dolores Jane Umbridge. (The Daily Prophet will have a separate feature on this portion of the announcement on Page 2)

We hope that by righting the wrongs of the past and moving forward in a progressive manner that we can create a better magical world for all magical beings.

Hermione read through the headline and was thankful there was far less to - be surprised about with this headline than others. She continued with her morning tea and flipped to page 2, to learn more about the arrest of Umbridge.

Delores Jane Umbridge Arrested

Delores Jane Umbridge, the former Senior Under-Secretary to the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, former "High Inquisitor" and Defense Against the Dark Arts "Professor" at Hogwarts and up until May of this year, the head of the Muggle Born Registration Commission, has been arrested. Those who had to spend time in her presence, described her as an awful, racist human being, and according to one unnamed individual we interviewed, "a complete and utter cunt of a witch, who comes second to only Voldemort in the level of terror she inflicted on this young generation of witches and wizards."

At this time the Daily Prophet can exclusively report now, where, and what Umbridge was arrested for, along with some backstory on where she's been since the day Harry Potter killed Voldemort far the second time.

This reporter has learned that once Umbridge heard of the results of the battle at Hogwarts she immediately fled the ministry, and many had also speculated she had also left the country. She was in fact found, in a cave in the English countryside, on August 8th, where she had been trying to live since the Battle at Hogwarts. She was found emaciated, dirty and delusional. Screaming about her need to have order, and fighting Aurors in the process.

She is currently charged with multiple counts of treason, torture, misuse of a government office, murder and hate crimes. The ministry expects to find further wrongdoings as they continue to investigate Umbridge's career. At this time, the

charges listed only cover 1995-1998. Readers, if you have any information which could aid the Auror's investigation, it is requested you file a report with the Auror office.

Hermione started howling with laughter as she finished the article, thankful she could hear everyone making their way downstairs.

"What are you going on about Mione?" Ron asked as he descended the stairs behind Harry and Ginny.

"Just this series of articles in the Daily Prophet. Let me summarize: One, all Educational Decrees from the Umbridge Era and Carrows Ena have been completely repealed. Two, any international bans issued at Hogwarts as punishment are also repealed."

"Harry, this means you don't have to worry about that dumb Quidditch Ban from Umbitch in fifth year." Ginny exclaimed.

"Hermione, that doesn't seem like anything worth getting all that excited about." Ron said.

"Oh, I'm not done yet, there's more." Hermione said excitedly. Clearing her voice she continued. "Also, the Ministry of Magic would like to announce the capture and arrest of Delores Jane Umbridge." She quoted. "There's also a second article. I'll let you all read it when you have a moment but thought you would find this part hilarious: according to one unnamed individual we interviewed, "a complete and utter cunt of a witch, who comes second to only Voldemort in the level of terror she inflicted on this young generation of witches and wizards.""

"Seamus" Harry, Ron and Ginny said together laughing hysterically. "He always did hate her with every fiber of his being." Harry added.

"I wonder if Kingsley would be willing to share the photos of the arrest with us?" Ron quipped.

The inhabitants of the burrow took a moment to read the articles in the paper. Ron, who hated reading, was laughing with all his might when he read the part where Umbridge was going on about needing order. "Oh she will have order in prison all right." He said in jest.

"That's it, I'm owling Kingsley. We have plenty of evidence to give to the Aurors about Umbitchces actions in fifth year, plus I want to ask about those photos." Harry said, running off to find parchment and a quill.

Molly and Arthur had been observing this whole ordeal with confusion and a little mischief in their eyes. Arthur, as the new head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (DMLE) had known about the arrest long before it was in the paper. He was happy to see the children taking interest in the legal side of things without the need for his encouragement. Molly on the other hand, had stepped away from everyone's excitement over the morning paper and started on breakfast.

By the time breakfast was ready everything seemed to have settled down. All inhabitants of the Burrow had made their way to the kitchen table to enjoy a full English breakfast. Thankfully, everyone was able to enjoy their breakfast without any further distractions. It was as Ginny and Hermione were helping clean up that a large Ministry owl arrived. Arthur, expecting the letter to be early work communication, approached the owl but promptly noticed it was addressed to Harry, Hermione and Ron.

From the office of The Minister of Magic:

To:

Hermione Granger

Harry Potter

Ronald Weasley

The Burrow

Ottery St. Catchpole

Devon, England

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, this one's for you. It's from Kingsley." Arthur called.

Hermione was the first to the letter, which she opened and read aloud:

Harry, Hermione, and Ron,

I hope this letter finds you well. By now, I'm sure you have read the information about Delores Umbridge in the Daily Prophet. I would like the three of you to sit as witnesses to her crimes during her trial. Also Harry, in response to your letter, I've attached some photos for your viewing pleasure.

This letter actually has little to do with the Umbridge situation and far more to do with what the three of you did for the Wizarding World. It has already been announced that the three of you would be awarded with the Order of Merlin, first class, but we've yet to discuss what goes into that. There is also a formal ceremony that needs to be held.

In addition to the above, word has gotten out in the upper most echelons of the muggle, or not so muggle as I've recently learned, government about the actions you have taken to save the Wizarding World. There are a few very important individuals that would like to meet you. There is also some discussion about awards being given on their end as well.

Please come by my office today, promptly at noon and I'll discuss everything I've mentioned above with you. I'll also make sure you're set up with the Auror office to give statements about Umbridge.

Respectfully,

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Hermione started to internally panic before turning back to Harry and Ron. Upper echelons of the muggle government could me two things. One, The Cabinet of the UK knew of magic and who they were, or two, the high ranking members of the Royal Family knew of magic and who they were. To her both were bad options, as none of her friends in the Wizarding World knew of her life in the muggle world.

In the case of option one, her Grandfather was the leader of the House of Lords and therefore, a member of Cabinet, plus she had met many of the other MP's in cabinet many times. That would mean facing her grandfather, in addition to her friends. In the case of option two, she was of noble birth, therefore part of a social circle that crossed paths with the Royal Family consistently, and everyone knew everyone. Beyond that her mum was close friends with the Princess Royal, and Hermione very good friends with her children Peter and Zara. Hermione felt as though her two worlds were about to collide, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 5

August 10th 1998 

Hermione felt as though her two worlds were about to collide, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Now completely inside her own head, Hermione was oblivious to the actions of those around her. She had dropped the letter she had been reading on the floor and it was a further five minutes before she came to. 

“Hermione. Hermione! HERMIONE!” She heard Harry scream, finally breaking out of her own mind. 

“Uh, huh, what? I’m here. Why are you yelling?”

“Mione, you were out of it for like five minutes or so.” Harry explained. 

“We thought you were having a fit or something.” Ron not so eloquently elaborated. 

“No, no, I’m fine. Must’ve been a panic attack that caught me off guard.” Hermione fibbed. “What time is it? We have to be at the ministry at noon?” 

“8:30, Dad just left.” Ron said. 

“Okay, not bad. We have three hours until we should be at the ministry. I’m going to shower.” Then Hermione bolted before anyone else could ask her any additional questions about her reaction to Kingsleys letter. 

11:30

The trio apparated from The Burrow front garden to the Ministry of Magic atrium. Hermione was happy to see the statue of Muggles in their rightful place had been returned to the Fountain of Magical Brethren. They learned that one of the perks of being a war hero was, they didn’t have to surrender their wands at visitor check in. In fact, they were told they were free to go about any business they had at the ministry without checking in. 

They made their way into the lifts, and up to Level 1 where Kingsleys office was. When they got to their destination, they went over to speak with his assistant who was expecting them. 

“Good Morning you three. The Minister is finishing up his 11:00 meeting, then has cleared his afternoon for his discussion with you all.”  She greeted them. “Tea on the buffet cupboard is fresh, help yourselves.” She said before going back to work. 

It was not even 10 minutes before they heard Kingsleys booming voice as he walked an older Wizard out of his office, saying his goodbyes. He then greeted the trio like old friends, greeting Hermione first as he wasn’t shy that she was his favorite. 

“Hermione, you look lovely today, Ron, Harry, thank you for escorting this lovely lady. Thank You all for coming in today. Lets use my conference room. The office is far too caustic and professional a discussion among friends.”  

“Kings, you flatter me. Wasn’t I just yelling at you a week ago?” Hermione laughed. 

“There’s no one I’d rather yell at me than you my dear.” The pair laughed. Kingsley and Hermione had a close relationship, full of banter ever since they were paired together during the when the Order rescued Harry from Privet Drive before his 17th. Sometimes the boys thought she was closer to Kingsley than she was to them. 

“Well then I’ll make sure to do it more often darling.” Hermione teased. “Kingsley, you dragged me out of my pajamas and into the ministry. What is the meaning of this?” Hermione pouted adding a flair for the dramatic. Which the group laughed about. Ron and Harry rarely got to see this side of Hermione, somehow only Kingsley brought it out of her. 

“All jokes aside, we have a lot to talk about. The first thing I wrote to you about, and truthfully the least important, is the arrest of Delores Umbridge. I know you all have a lot of information about what she did during your fifth year but what she did this past year with the Muggle Born Registration Committee will likely see her with a minimum of life in prison.” 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat slack jawed as they realized they must be fully unaware of the full extent of the atrocities she committed as head of the committee. Knowing their experience with the power hungry woman, they were sure she tried to get away with as much as possible, and knowing the lack of oversight she has she got away with literal murder. 

“Next, we need to set a date for the Order of Merlin Ceremony - and yes, it must be before you return to Hogwarts.” All three started to groan. “As this is the reaction I expected, I went ahead and set the ceremony and reception date for this Sunday, the 16th at 17:00. Don’t worry about the short time available. You will have all ministry financial resources at your disposal to ensure you’re properly prepared. Also this is a formal event - yes dress robes are required.” 

They boys started to groan. Hermione rolled her eyes, and laughed, thankful she had attended society events in the past with her parents and had a closet full of appropriate dresses, and a seamstress who loved her. 

“Here’s an update I didn’t write to you about. The Malfoy Family.” Ron rolled his eyes, but Harry and Hermione, who had spoken on behalf of Draco and Narcissa listened closely. “Lucius, was found guilty of his crimes, but also found to be under duress in his younger years, and in fear of his family's lives in his older years. He will serve a 10 year sentence, and pay a 5 million galleon fine.” They all grimaced, but knew the self serving Malfoy patriarch was more interested in serving himself than Voldemort.  

“Narcissa was only guilty by association. When we checked her wand, there wasn’t a single dark spell on it. She, her husband, and her son were all willing to submit memories showing her lack of involvement in any of Voldemort's plans. The memories you shared from what happened at Malfoy Manor Hermione, and Harry what you shared about what she did in the forest, along with Snape's memories, and her testimony under veritaserum cleared her of all charges.” Harry and Hermione nodded their heads. Narcissa did lie to save Harry, she played a direct role in the outcome of the war. 

“Now Draco. There’s no lying and saying that kid wasn’t a bigoted asshole when you all were in your younger years. But it quickly became clear from memories, and veritaserum testimony that every action he took in support of Voldemort was under duress. He even corroborated what Harry said about lowering his wand to not kill Dumbledore under veritaserum. While under duress, he still did perform a lot of vile actions and the committee determined he should be held responsible for his crimes. He was tried June 1st, then sentenced the same day to 60 days in Azkaban. He was released on July 31st.” Hermione looked at Harry and Ron, curious of their reaction. 

“Happy Birthday to me.” Harry muttered under his breath. 

“Damn ferret.” Ron said. 

“He will be on probation, and have his magic monitored for the next year. He cannot perform any dark spells or any spells that would attack someone outside of what’s required for classes at Hogwarts. Yes, he will be allowed to finish his education. I’m sure his reaction was wonderful when he learned he’s required to take the new Non-Magical Studies Course.” The entire group shared a laugh. 

“So Kings, you shared about Umbridge, went off on a tangent about the Malfoy family trial and now you’re making jokes about Malfoy Jr. in Muggle Studies… Why are you ignoring the latter half of the letter you wrote?” Hermione questioned with a raised eyebrow. 

“You don’t let anyone get away with anything, do you Hermione?” 

“Nope.” She retorted with a pop. 

“How much do you know about the muggle government?” Kingsley asked the group. 

“They have a Prime Minister and a Queen.” Ron said.

“What I learned in muggle Primary School.” Harry added.

“Probably more than you.” Hermione said, being snotty to Kingsley. The three males in the room looked at her. Harry and Ron laughed, but Kingsley just looked at her and he seemed to know she wasn’t joking. 

“So, here’s a small government lesson. The Queen is head of state. Below her is the Prime Minister, The House of Commons and The House of Lords. The Prime Minister is elected, so are the people in the House of Commons. The House of Lords are family seats like the Wizenagemot. When the Prime Minister is Elected, they pick a Cabinet of advisors made of  high ranking people from the two houses I discussed previously. How did I do, Ms. I know more than you?” Kingsley finished and asked Hermione. 

She smirked and responded. “That will do for the context of this conversation I believe.” 

He chucked and continued. “The Prime Minister and Minister of Magic have always had informal audiences with one another. Generally these would happen when the Minister of Magic had information they thought pertinent to share with the PM. Apparently, the Minister of Magic was always supposed to be part of the PM’s cabinet, with the other members of Cabinet read into the Statute of Secrecy. They also have this organization called MI5 that quickly figured out who the three of you were and how you were helping the war..”

Well fuck thought Hermione. There’s option one, Grandpa knows everything. Hermione put her head in her hands and started shaking her head, but Kingsley wasn’t done. 

“They nicknamed you three the Special Dark Ops Team. They kept an eye on you from afar with the help of MI5, and they occasionally dropped supplies in towns you were near to help you find things so you didn’t have to steal from anyone. During the most recent Cabinet meeting when I briefed on the Order of Merlin ceremony, I was informed that the PM had been keeping the Queen apprised of your actions and advances during his weekly audiences with her. 

Double fuck. I did not have options one AND two on my bingo card, Hermione thought. 

“So if any of you have watched the muggle news, or read the muggle papers and heard about the Special Dark Ops Team, it means you three.”

“What.” She said flatly. 

“Also, the Queen and Prime Minister want to meet you and have a formal dinner in your honor.” 

“What, no.” She said again. “Kingsley, I have a life in the muggle world. I cannot have, member of a Special Dark Ops Team as a publicly known thing.” Hermione said, terrified. 

Harry and Ron looked confused and Kingsley looked concerned. He knew Ron was a pureblood, and Harry fully left behind life with his muggle relatives, but he truly knew nothing of Hermione’s life before Hogwarts, and now it felt like there was something that everyone was missing. 

“Harry, Ron, why don’t you head down to the Auror office to give your statements about Umbridge. If I remember correctly Hermione didn’t interact much with Umbridge outside of class and trapping her in the forest.” Everyone nodded. “So there’s no need for her to go with you. I’ll see her back to the burrow safely.” 

Kingsley saw the boys out and resealed the door before continuing. “Hermione, what is going on?”

“How much do you know about my life outside of the Wizarding World?” 

“Not much, only what you have told me.” 

“Exactly, and I’ve probably shared more with you than most Kings.” Hermione took a deep breath. “No one truly cares where those of non-magical birth come from before they end up in the Magical World Kingsley. That’s why no one knows anything about me other than the fact I’m Harry Potter’s smart friend, the brightest witch of the age, or the Golden Girl. I keep it quiet because why share if people don’t care…” 

“Fuck, this sucks. I made it seven years keeping this part of my life separate from the Wizarding World, Kings and in a two hour meeting my life was just torn apart.” She took a breath before continuing. “When I told you I was more familiar with the muggle government than you are, I meant it. I am intimately familiar with it. Let me ask you a question.”

“Okay.” Kingsley said. 

“How many Cabinet meetings have you been to?”

“All of them since the beginning of June. Why?” 

“Have you met all of the members?” She continued.

“Yes.” He answered, confused by this line of questioning.   

“Tell me, who are the 15 members of Cabinet in addition to yourself?” She asks and Kingsley begins to list off all the members. 

“Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who is also Secretary of State, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain Daniel Granger VI, The 11th Duke of Rutland, Lea…” Kingsley was going to continue but he was interrupted by Hermione. 

“Who was that last one again?” She asked, looking him straight in the eyes and raising her eyebrows. 

Kingsley maintained eye contact as he responded, “Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, Daniel Granger VI, The 11th Duke of Rutland. He’s a great chap…” Kingsley trailed off as though something had just clicked. 

He jumped up and said “Merlin's Beard, same last name. Are you family?” 

Hermione laughed, knowing Kingsley was about to shit himself when he learned this part. “Kings, I hate to break it to you. He’s my Grandfather.” 

“Oh, Shit.” 

“And my father is his only son.” Hermione said, trying not to laugh, as she understood the implications.

“Fuck” Kingsley was now turning red in the face. 

“Yeah… Also, I have no brothers.” 

“So you are the blood heir, and when your father dies your husband inherits his title?” Kingsley finished. 

“Yes, that is how our peerage works, until I have a son that comes of age.” She finished. 

“We let a teenager of Noble birth, last in line, run around the countryside, chasing horcruxes, and dark wizards without protection and the entire upper echelon of the muggle government knew about it, but we couldn't figure it out!” Kingsley shouted. 

Hermione couldn’t contain herself and started laughing. Kingsley started glaring at her. “No wonder everyone acts like they hate me in the Cabinet meetings. I take it you know them all better than I do?” 

“Probably.” Hermione laughed. 

“I’m screwed, completely screwed…” Kingsley ranted. “Who all knows about this, and is there more?” 

“In the Magical World? Only you… Kings, can you handle more today?” 

“That means there is more… Just tell me.” 

“Grandpa and the Queen have known eachother since they were kids, my mum is best friends with her daughter Anne and I’m good friends with both of Anne's kids.”

“Alright, you’re best buds with the entire Royal Family. Your family is in Government, specifically the House of Lords. We’ve completely mishandled you, and you’re the most high ranking individual of Noble birth in the magical world… Did I summarize that correctly?” 

“Sounds about right.” Hermione responded.

“This is a public relations disaster.”

“No it's not.” Hermione said, crossing her arms. “No one is going to find out. I don’t want my personal life outed. No one in the magical world has cared to ask, so why do they deserve to know?” Hermione stood her ground as she explained her reasoning.  

“You understand this could totally change how purebloods see muggle born witches and wizards?” 

“It may, but I’m not going to be a magazine piece when I have my own life. There’s no reason for people to know my family history just because.” Hermione stated as she stood her ground. “We may have won the war Kingsley, but this world hasn’t been a safe space for me these last 7 years. I’ve kept my magical, and non-magical lives private and intend to keep it that way. This is also why I want anything that happens in the muggle world to be anonymous. I’m sure Her Royal Highness and the Prime Minister would agree with me when they hear my reasoning, as having “member of MI5 Special Dark Ops Team” on my resume does not bode well for my future as the daughter of nobility.” Hermione said bluntly. 

Kingsley was in awe of the woman in front of him. He was beginning to see the difference between magical and non magical Hermione. Non-magical Hermione was the far more confident of the two, she knew her place at the top and she carried herself as such. Whereas in the magical world, she would more readily yield to those who knew more than she did. 

“Okay, you win. I’ll make sure it’s all anonymous.” Kingsley yielded. 

“Thank you. Also, I’m sure Grandpa has figured out that you know me and he’s probably just lying in wait for you to make the connection. He’s sly like that. I’m sure he will laugh hysterically when you tell him and will help make sure everyone is on board with keeping everything anonymous.” Hermione concluded. 

"Mione, did you just politely tell me that your Grandpa and the damn Cabinet of the United Kingdom are likely fucking with me?” Kingsley accused.

"Mister Minister, I am a lady. Such language is unbecoming and inappropriate. I'll just say I do get my sense of humor from my fathers side of the family." Hermione laughed and Kingsley groaned.

"Time to get you back to the burrow, before l find out anything else." Kingsley said.

"Actually, I think it's time for me to go home, home. Want to swing by for brunch Saturday at eleven? It's our family brunch day, I'm sure Grandpa would love to see you. Maybe, just maybe it will give you a one up on him this time.” Hermione laughed. 

"You know what, I'm in." Kingsley said. Kingsley apparated Hermione back to the Burrow where she said her see you laters, and apparated home.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

August 10, 1998

Following her goodbyes at the Burrow, Hermione apparated to her family home, Adlington Hall. She had sporadically popped in and out following the end of the war, but she hadn't returned to staying home full time. Now, she was ready. She missed the vast terrain of her family's Country Estate, and being constantly surrounded by animals, nature, and family. Something she missed more than anything. Sure Hogwarts had nature and animals, but it wasn’t the place she grew up. It wasn't home. This was home.

It was nearing 16:00. Her parents should be headed in for the day to wash for dinner.  She had apparated into a wooded area near the back patio. She was close enough to where her family parked their cars, and came in from the stables, that there would be no questions asked when she entered the family entrance into the mudroom. She smiled when she noticed her house shoes were exactly where she had left them. Lost in thought while removing her Dragonhide boots, she didn't even hear her mum and dad come in.

"Hermione, is that you?" Her mum, Emma asked. All Hermione could do was nod as her mum rushed in for a hug.

"How long are you back for?" Her dad added, giving her a large hug.

"For good, until the school year starts of course." She answered as they made their way into their home.

"Did you choose to go back or are they making you?"

"They're making everyone repeat the past year because of everything. It sucks, but I think I've made a good deal with the Minister to be able to do most of the things we had talked about."

"Well that's brilliant then! Dan, can you let Chef Robert know Hermione is back for good and to set an extra place for dinner!"

"Of course darling. I'll meet you upstairs to get ready for dinner." 

Dan went towards the kitchen to talk with the Chef while Hermione and her mum went upstairs to wash up. Hermione and her mum fell into easy conversation as though they had never been separated. Hermione filled her mum in on the details of the last few days and the new changes coming at Hogwarts.

"Sweetheart dinner at 19:30 in the dining room."

"Formal or informal dress?" Hermione called as she opened the door to her room.

"Informal. It is only a Monday after all." Emma laughed and headed to her room.

Opening the door to her room, again Hermione noticed. that nothing had changed. All her things were clean and exactly where she left them. She made her way into the large ensuite, which also was exactly the same. She started the shower and took what felt like the best shower of her life. Her muggle hair products actually controlled her hair and showed its state of voluminous ringlets. After spending months on the run, and nearly a year away from home, it felt amazing to have the luxuries of home. 

Once her makeup and hair were complete she made her way to her closet to pick out an appropriate outfit for dinner. Although it was informal, there was still some protocol for dinner dress. She noticed there had been some new clothes added to her closet. She found a slim line royal blue satin midi skirt that she paired with a slouchy white crepe, tie neck blouse and some strappy heels that must have been deemed appropriate by whoever added them to her closet.

She looked at the time and noticed it was 15 minutes before their scheduled dinner time. She added some perfume and headed to the dining room. Her parents were both dressed smartly and her outfit matched perfectly. 

Dinner conversation flowed easily. Hermione told the taIe of what Grandfather and Cabinet were doing to set up Kingsley. Her father thought it was hilarious and was more than happy to not tell Grandfather that Kingsley was joining the family for brunch on saturday. Her parents were happy to hear about the Order of Merlin ceremony. Hermione thought her mum was more excited for the fashion opportunity than anything, so a shopping date was planned.

August 12th, 1998

Hermione was thankful for slow and quiet Wednesday mornings. As an early riser, she was up with the sun and able to take her 14 year old, 14.2 hand, light dun colored, Connemara Pony, named Puck out for a nice long hack, before she would be spending the day dress shopping with her mom. Their property had gorgeous bridle paths and cross country jumps all throughout and she had a wonderful time out for a joy ride with her boy. She was done riding and inside at 9:00, she had just enough time to shower and dress before breakfast at 10:00. 

Hermione used this time getting ready for breakfast to make sure she was fully ready for the day. She knew her mother took shopping very seriously and likely had already set up appointments with her favorite designers. Hermione knew she was just along for the ride, and honestly she preferred it this way. She had the perfect body for designer fashion, but not the natural fashion sense. 

Now ready for the day, she was dressed in a simple all white Chanel shirt dress, paired with brown chunky heeled loafers, and a matching belt. She went down to breakfast, hopeful she would get her mum's seal of approval. 

“Darling you look wonderful, where is this style coming from all of a sudden? You are wearing something I would have picked for you.” Her mum complimented, and made their shared joke about Hermione’s general lack of style. 

“Your style had to rub off on me at some point. Also it might have to do with the fact someone rearranged my closet…” They both laughed and finished up their breakfast. 

“What’s the plan for today?” Hermione asked.

“We are going to take a quick trip to Paris.” Hermione rolled her eyes as her mum said this. Only she would think a trip to Paris would be quick. “I’ve made a few appointments at some of the fashion houses there that I know you have liked in the past when I’ve worn them.” 

“So Dior, Givenchy, Balmain, and Chanel?” 

“Yes dear, all four.”

“In one day?” Hermione said worriedly. 

“Yes. We should be going, I asked the pilot to be ready to leave at noon.” Hermione and her mum departed for the airport to begin their day of shopping. 

Three hours later they were in the car on the way to their first appointment at Balmain. Once inside they were brought into a private office. They quickly disclosed that they were preparing for a very last minute, private event this weekend, so custom and bespoke was not possible in the time allotted. The designer took one look at Hermione’s figure and practically begged to dress her for the next high society event she had to attend. After looking at their showroom, and some sketches, she and her mother agreed to be presented with sketch options when they knew their next formal event date. 

From Balmain, they made their way to Montaigne Avenue where their next stops would be. They first made their way into Chanel. They stuck to the ready to wear section as they didn’t want to commit to more designers ahead of events. Hermione didn’t find what she was looking for but did find a cute tweed wrap skirt, and her mum purchased a new skirt suit before they left the store. 

They hopped over to Givenchy next and again came up short, but didn’t leave empty handed. Hermione found a beautiful gold lock necklace with a G on it for Givenchy, for her it meant Granger. Her mum, who was a sucker for subtle unbranded handbags, ended up leaving with three and forced Hermione to pick one as well. 

As they made their way out of Givenchy, Hermione opened up to her mum a bit more about what she was looking for. “So, I think I know why I haven’t found my dress yet.” 

“Why is that?” 

“When I was little, I was looking through Grandmum’s photo albums and fell in love with this black and white photo she had of herself. She was wearing a very structured, slim cut dark dress, with an asymmetrical neckline, with a large bow and a cape. I can’t help but think it would be perfect for this event.” She said sadly. 

Emma smiled, familiar with the picture Hermione was describing. “I’ve seen that photo before. What if I told you I know where that dress was designed and we are headed there next.”

Hermione perked up, looked at her mum, and smiled. At the same time they were given the go ahead to start crossing the street, where they would make their way into one of Emma’s favorite designers, Dior. The doorman opened the door for them as they made their way to the door. Once inside, they were immediately met with her mum’s favorite sales associate Julia. 

“Emma, it’s so good to see you again. I was so glad you called last night!” Julia greeted and gave mum the customary two cheek kisses. “You must be Hermione. Lovely to meet you!” She greeted Hermione with kisses as well. 

“Randolph, can you please store these ladies bags as they shop?” Julia asked the doorman. No sooner than she had finished her question, he scooped up their bags, and took them to a private room at the back of the boutique. Hermione finally took a moment to survey her surroundings. She appreciated how few people were in the shop. Other than her and her mum, there was only one other woman who looked strangely like Narcissa Malfoy. She shook that thought off, as there was no way a Malfoy would be shopping in a muggle boutique, right? 

Hermione was brought into the showroom where she was allowed to browse this seasons ready to wear dresses. She had found quite a few beautiful options that seemed perfect for the Wizarding World, almost too perfect. Julia, who had been an amazing help, had also been lost in conversation with her mother. It was nice as she was able to prioritize Hermione but also entertain Emma. Hermione was so focused on the beauty of the garments in front of her, she had no clue what her mum and Julia were speaking about. 

The first dress Hermione tried on was a summer season runway dress. It had a high neckline, ¾ length sleeves and buttons up the front. It was a beautiful champagne white and looked as though it was a crocheted satin. It was beautiful, but too intricate for her. She did hear her mum and Julia comment on how well the dress fit her, but it didn’t do anything for her confidence or complexion. Hermione was unaware, but she had picked up a small audience. The woman she had deemed the Narcissa Malfoy look alike had taken great interest in the curly haired girl trying on dresses in the showroom. The girl seemed familiar to her, but she couldn’t place her. 

The next dress was a 4 stone behemoth of a dress that Hermione would need help getting into. It was a complete 180 degree turn from the previous dress, and was Julia’s pick. “Now can you wait until I call your name before coming out?” 

“Sure.” Hermione said, confused. 

“Now this dress is designed by my friend here,” she pointed to her left, “John Galiano, for House of Dior. He calls her Maria- Luisa, she is a special combination of 18th and 19th century techniques. It’s only ever been worn once, on the runway. I’m sorry when I saw you, and your mum mentioned you enjoyed vintage silhouettes, I had to put you in it.” 

As Hermione walked forward, the dress cascaded behind her like a waterfall. Although the dress was physically heavy, it was not uncomfortable. It comfortably hugged her curves and gave her a very feminine shape. She was surprised how much she liked it, but sad knowing how likely it was that some aloof wizard would trod upon the train while not paying attention. 

All Emma could say was “Wow.” She was mesmerized by her daughter's confidence in the huge dress. She initially thought the dress would be a nice laughing moment for all of them, but this was something else entirely, she was seeing her daughter blossom, and she wasn’t entirely ready for it. 

Hermione turned away from the mirror and acknowledged the designer. “Mr. Galiano, this dress is fantastic. It’s far more comfortable than I ever could have expected and is one of the most beautiful garments I’ve seen. I will say, "I don't think this dress will be safe at the event I’m going to though.” 

“Thank you for your kind words, and your honesty knowing this dress isn’t appropriate for your event.” The English designer for the French fashion house said. “I wish we had you to model this dress on the runway. I loved our model Sophia, but you add the right magic to this dress. We have an event at the British Museum of Art next month, would you be willing to model for us?”

“Of course.” Hermione responded, without considering she would be at Hogwarts.

“You still have one more dress to try on, correct?” He asked. Hermione nodded her head in response. “Perfect.” He said something to Julia quickly before she came into the dressing room to help her change. 

The last dress was a light blue, similar to the color of the Beauxbatons robes, made of a thick drapey satin that gave it a beautiful shape. It was paired with a tailored waist length jacket that had buttons all the way up the front, and a high neckline. It wasn’t as dramatic as Hermione was hoping for, but it would work given the last minute circumstances they were facing.  

Hermione came out of the dressing room. Her mum was still there with John, but this time he was holding a black Dior garment bag. Refusing to ask for information until it was given, Hermione continued looking over the dress she had on. 

“What are your thoughts Hermione?” Julia asked. 

“This could suffice given the limited time we have to find something. It’s more than suitable for the occasion and it fits beautifully.” 

“Hermione, it’s a dress, how does it make you feel? We don’t need a clinical assessment. Also, they all fit you beautifully. I went over your measurements with John and the basis they make everything to is literally your exact measurements.”

“Well that’s dangerous.” Hermione said under her breath, as Dior became her new go to brand. “Yeah, tell me about it.” She heard her mom murmur in response.

“It doesn’t make me feel anything special. It’s just safe.” Hermione answered the question. 

“Well then it’s not your dress.” John said with absolution. 

“It’s Wednesday. I need a dress by Sunday. One of these has to be my dress.” 

“What if this is your dress?” John started shaking the garment bag he was holding. 

“I don’t even know what’s in there.” 

Emma whispered something in John’s ear, then he turned to Hermione. “I dare you to let me blind fold you and have Julia put it on you.” He smirked, and Hermione’s jaw dropped. The betrayal. Her mother told John about her inability to refuse silly dares OVER A DRESS. 

Glaring at her mother, she replied. “I see how things are. Fine then. Blindfold me.” The smiling and laughing sales associate pulled a scarf off a nearby display and blindfolded Hermione. 

In the nearby dressing room Julia started to dress Hermione, who truly couldn’t see anything in the special dress. She could feel the fabric was a luxuriously soft yet structured satin, and the dress hugged her hips, waist, and chest perfectly. She could also tell there was something around her shoulders, and something trailing her. 

Across the way, hidden from view, the Narcissa Malfoy look alike, who wasn’t a look alike at all,  had been watching the whole exchange and was confused. Who were these people? She had been to this store what felt like hundreds of times and spent thousands upon thousands of galleons, but she had never been catered to the way these muggles had, let alone meeting, and being fawned over, by the head of the company. She wanted to be furious, but she felt like she was witnessing something rare, and special, but now she felt like an intruder. Once she caught a glimpse of the girl coming out of the dressing room, and before she could ruin the intimate moment between mother and daughter Narcissa collected her things and left. 

Julia grabbed both of Hermione's hands and led her out of the dressing room. That’s when she heard the gasp from her mum and John. “Shoes, we need shoes.” John said before rushing around. Not even thirty seconds later a pair of heels were shoved on her feet. 

“Pull her hair back, add diamond earrings, a necklace and a bracelet.” Emma said. Hermione, who still couldn't see anything, thought her mum sounded like she was tearing up.

“Need, or do you have?” John asked Emma, the two having developed some form of short hand. 

“We have, can we grab something for full try on effect though?” 

“Good idea.” He said, literally running over to the jewelry cabinet, pulling out a beautiful three piece diamond set, without a care in the world, and setting off the security alarm in the process.

“John is excited about something!” A sales associate shouted in french, as the jewelry associate shut off the alarm and everyone excitedly followed John to the Showroom as this level of excitement usually meant John had a new muse.

Hermione heard lots of footsteps and multiple gasps from people she didn't even know were around. Someone, Hermione assumed Julia, lightly clipped her curIs back. Then another person put a necklace, bracelet and earrings on her. All of a sudden the room got very quiet. 

"Hermione, just a warning. Someone got a little carried away, so there are quite a few people in the room right now." Julia warned. "Are you ready to see what has John, and everyone,  so excited." 

Hermione nodded her head and Julia removed the makeshift blindfold. She was in awe of who she saw looking back at her in the mirror. The dress was similar to her grandmums, but different enough that it was completely her own. The dress was a deep bordeaux red, it sported a folded over sweetheart neckline,  and a wrap around the waistline that accentuated her figure and hung down past her knees. The dress had a beautiful wrap that appeared more like a cape or robe. She was absolutely overwhelmed.

"Excuse my language, but Oh. My. God. I feel beautiful." She looked at her mom standing next to John and tears came to her eyes. Everyone in the room was beaming with excitement. “How did you know?” She asked John.

Julia actually responded first. "Your mum told me about the photo of your Grandmum while you were first looking at dresses." 

"Julia told me about it when she mentioned putting you in Maria-Luisa . I remembered this fantastic piece we had upstairs in our temperature controlled storage area."

"Can you tell me more about this piece?”  Hermione asked with interest. Everyone present was listening closely as well.

"You are wearing a vintage House of Dior piece from 1951, designed by Mr. Dior himself. From what I could find, this dress was a custom design based off one of Mr. Dior’s runway pieces. The intended owner never picked up the dress, and it’s been here ever since."

Hermione looked at her mum, completely in awe of what she was hearing. Her mum looked back, just as mystified, as John continued. 

“Now over the years, there have been rumors that we hold vintage dresses to share with very particular, and special clients. We are all trained to squelch those rumors, but well…” He trailed off. Hermione felt absolutely amazing in the dress. She was hopeful she would have the opportunity to wear the dress for the Order of Merlin Ceremony. 

“So Hermione, is this the one?” John asked. 

“You would actually let me take this and wear it?” She asked? 

“Absolutely, it looks like it was made for you. It doesn’t need a single alteration. This dress belongs with you.” 

Hermione looked to her mum for guidance and agreement. Her mum happily nodded her head. Hermione then looked to John and said, “If you’ll let me, then I would love this to be the dress for my event.” 

John hugged her and everyone excitedly applauded her. Julia gave her a big hug, as did her mum. Hermione was so excited that she didn’t know what else to say or do to move forward. Her mum led the process and conversation as they proceeded. 

Emma had the jeweler remove the jewelry that had been used for effect, while Julia removed the hair clip, and fluffed Hermione’s curls. Hermione looked at her mum and said, “We definitely need the shoes too.” 

Her mum and John, both smiled and agreed. Julia led her back to the dressing room to help her change out of the dress. When she came back out in her personal clothes, she heard her mum say. “They have just gone to make sure the dress is properly packaged, and I’ve already completed the purchase.” 

“Wait, they let us buy it.” Hermione was astounded. “I thought something like that would only be a borrow and return.” 

Her mum laughed and said, “Honey, I don’t think you understand how besotted everyone here is with you. John will have you on an ad campaign by the end of the year if he has his way.” 

“I doubt it.” Hermione scoffed.

“Honey, he’s already asked for your availability and my permission to ask you. Would you like anything else while we are here?” Hermione looked at her mum gobsmacked. After the few moments she needed to recover, she walked around the rest of the boutique with her mum, picking out additional purchases. In addition to her dress, and shoes, she also bought a matching clutch, a nice fall jacket, a beret she fell in love with, and some perfume. 

After some final farewells with Julia and John, Hermione had agreed to work with John on at least one Ad Campaign. Their purchases, and packages from the other boutiques had been loaded into their awaiting car and they began the return to the airport. Once they returned to their plane, and were airborne, Hermione fell asleep as the excitement of the day was a lot even for her.

Chapter Text

Chapter  7

August 15th, 1998 

Hermione was still riding the high off of their Paris shopping trip. The experience she had in Dior was unlike any other shopping experience she had previously had. She was so excited to wear her dress that she completely forgot to make sure Harry and Ron had gotten themselves properly outfitted for the occasion. She quickly checked the time, making sure the boys would be awake, before sending her patronus over to the burrow to check on things. 

It was just before 8:00, someone there would be awake. She picked up her new Vinewood and Phoenix Feather wand so she could cast. "Expecto Patronum."

"Take a message to Harry at the Burrow." Her otter patronus flitted around her head. Letting her know the other was ready to hear the message. "Good Morning, are you and Ron fully prepared with your Dress Robes for the ceremony on Sunday?" Her patronus looked at her, making sure her message was complete. Hermione nodded, said thank you, and the otter made its way towards the burrow.

Now 8:05, she still had plenty of time to get ready for brunch with Kingsley and her Grandparents at eleven. The best part of the day was that she didn't think her grandparents had any idea she was home and they absolutely had no idea about Kingsley. Given the bit of spare time sthe had this morning, she threw on her riding pants, an acceptable shirt, and made her way downstairs. She made a quick stop in the kitchen where she grabbed an apple to eat as she walked down to the stable.

She walked right into the busy stable. She had missed the hustle and bustle of a busy morning in the barn. The grooms were working closely with each of the horses, preparing them for exercise, grooming, therapy or riding. She walked around for a moment, checked on who she wanted to check on, then made her way to the tack room. She looked at the state of her gear and realized she was going to need some upgrades as she had grown taller, and changed. She also saw the state of her boots and made a note to get new ones.

Leaving the tack room, she walked around some more,the eventually made her way into the arena. Her mum had one of the older horses out on a lunge line. The 18 year old mare, she knew to be Pepper, was bucking around like she was a yearling, and her mum was laughing watching her.

"Well she's still a spitfire."  Hermione said.

"Hermione! I didn't see you there. She really is! I feel like I could still take her out and clear a 1 meter 90 cm course, and she's 18."

"Are you still competing with her?

"Rarely. I'm trying to convince your dad to take her to ameture Eventing Competitions." Emma couldn’t finish that statement without starting to laugh. Hermione echoed her mum's laughter.

"Oh my lord could you imagine." She laughed. “I could see Dad doing dressage and instead of counting strides he would be cursing under his breath." They were both laughing so hard they had stopped lunging Pepper. They hadn't even noticed Hermione's dad come in.

"Ladies, you seem to be having far too much fun. Also it's 9:10, and my parents will likely be here around 10:45." They quickly turned Pepper over to a groom who was more than happy to get her properly settled, and turned out. The family of three walked together up to the house. Once inside, they went their separate ways to get ready for brunch. 

When Hermione got into her room she noticed Harry's stag patronus, and Kingsley's lynx. Harry let her know they were all set, and that both he and Ron would be wearing all black. She sent a quick response back, thanking him for the quick response and letting him know she was wearing bordeaux red so they will photograph well together. 

She was confused why she had a message from Kingsley as she would see him in an hour and a half, so she made sure to pay attention. "Hermione, woman. You invited me to brunch, which is in less than two hours, but you didn't tell me how to get there… Some help is necessary…" 

Hermione laughed. Well that small detail must have slipped her mind. "Expecto Patronum" Her otter joined her, ready to deliver a message. "Please deliver the following to Kingsley: Wow Kings. I thought you said you were working on your legilimency. Since you were unable to figure it out, and I assume you've been to Manchester Airport, I'll pick you up at the Manchester Airport Arrivals apparition point at 10:35." Her otter immediately flew away to deliver its message. 

It was now 9:30 and she had to get moving to be ready in time. As she started the water for her shower Kingsley responded with, "Smartass. I'll see you at 10:35 exactly." She laughed and thought Kingsley really had no clue what he was getting himself into. 

She took a shower and did her hair, thankful she wasn't meeting Kingsly anywhere magical so her hair wouldn’t look awful. She put on some light makeup then it was time to find something appropriate to wear. It was only brunch, so she threw on a simple sundress and matching cardigan. By now it was 10:20 and she wanted to make sure she had time to let her parents know she had to run and pick up Kingsley. 

Making her way downstairs she found her mum and let her know she had to apparate to Kingsley and bring him to their home as apparently she had forgotten to give him directions. She also said she should only be gone for 5 minutes, as she was hoping to be back before her grandparents arrived. Her mum just laughed, and was thankful she would be home quickly.

Hermione looked down at her watch, it was now 10:30 the walked out to her normal aparation point in the quiet area of the yard and apparated to the Manchester Airport Arrivals apparition point. Looking around the area, she was thankful there was no one around this morning. The last thing she wanted to do was draw unnecessary attention when she was on a tight schedule. 

Less than two minutes later she heard the familiar crack of apparition. The large clock showed 10:32, and a short moment later she heard Kingsley greet her.

"Hermione Granger, is that you?" 

"Who the hell else would it be Kings?" She laughed.

"Seriously, I almost didn't recognize you. Mundane clothes, fully tamed hair and you're not being flanked by Harry and Ron." Kingsley joked, while Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Ha, ha, ha." She said sarcastically. "Are you all ready for a fun brunch?"

"Of course. Is this proper for brunch with nobility?" He asked. He was in slacks and a simple button up shirt.

"It looks perfectly suitable. Are you ready to go?" She asked rhetorically, checking the time, thankful they were three minutes ahead of schedule. 

"Yes ma'am. Lead the way." He said, offering his arm. Hermione took Kingsley by the arm and side apparated both of them to her normal apparition point in the woods near the house. Kingsley, taking a moment to orient himself with his surroundings was confused why he was in a forest.

"Um, Hermione. Why are we in a forest?" 

"Follow me. I couldn't exactly apparate directly into the house. Our staff is all muggle, I believe." She elaborated.

Kingsley understood Hermione was of noble birth, but in the wizarding world that didn't mean anything about financial status. Having a staff though, that meant they had money. 

"You have a staff?" He asked, confused.

"Absolutely. It would be quite impossible to run this place without one." The pair had just come through the trees near the back of the house, giving Kingsley his first look at the sheer size of the home. He was astounded by the sheer size of the building in front of him. This was larger than any of the magical manors he had raided during his time as an Auror.

"Merlin, Hermione. This place is huge." Kingsley was still in shock. She didn't have the heart to tell him that from the angle they were standing at he was only seeing the smallest wing of the manor and only one of the many over the top homes on the estate. She walked the pair of them into the garage and hopped into a Range Rover. In order to keep up appearances, she was going to enter from the front via car. This should elicit an interesting reaction from Kingsley. 

"I'm going to bring you in the standard guest way so no questions are raised." She said, and Kingsley nodded.

Not even a minute later, Kingsley was getting his first look at the place Hermione called home. 

"Welcome to our home, Adlington Hall."

"What the hell Hermione, I've never seen a home this large. You didn't say your family was wealthy."

"I thought It was implied, given the whole, my family is in politics, and my grandpa is a Duke conversation." She said, not understanding Kingsley's confusion. Kingsley just blinked at her a few times and wrinkled up his eyebrows. Deciding not to waste any more time she put the car in park and got out with Kingsley following her lead. 

She walked inside where her parents were waiting. Once she was sure her grandparents hadn't already arrived, she introduced Kingsley to her parents.

"Mum, Dad, this is Kingsley, the Minister of Magic and the man we are helping get one over on grandpa." Her mum and dad both greeted Kingsley. Her dad was laughing heartily, excited to help pull one over on his dad.

"Nice to meet you Kingsley." Her dad said offering a handshake before continuing. “We are happy to have you, I'm always excited to pull one over on my dad. He thinks he's the worlds best jokester, and I'm absolutely positive he has no idea this is coming." 

Kingsley, who was also laughing, was put at ease following his introduction to Hermione's dad. "I'm sure we will have a great time today at your fathers expense." Kingsley added. 

"My parents should be here in the next few minutes, my dad called just after Hermione left, saying they were running late, and would be here around 10:55." 

Kingsley looked at his watch, noting the time. "We have 7 minutes, how should we go about this for the ultimate joke factor?" Kingsley asked Dan.

"Hmm, maybe we have you step out while we greet my parents. Then we spring you on them when we enter the dining room." Dan said, with a mischievous glint in his eye. Emma and Hermione started leading the two men towards the dining room where Dan got Kingsley settled with a nice glass of scotch.

Kingsley settled into the dining room with his glass of scotch, surveying the space he currently found himself in. How is it that none of them know this was Hermioner life? Were they all so ignorant that they never even asked the simple questions about where she grew up? No wonder she felt like the magical world wasn't her safe space, if even those of us close to her didn't take the time to get to know her. He just let his head fall to his hands, unsure how to make any of this right.

Meanwhile, at 10:55 precisely, a car containing Hermione's grandparents arrived in front of the entrance of their home. Her dad was giddy, full of excitement, knowing what was about to come. The door opened, her grandparents entered, and Hermione, who loved their sense of humor, decided to immediately bring the sassy attitude.

"I'm finally home and now you two leave me wondering if you're even going to show up?" Hermione joked.  

"Hermione!" Her grandparents both shouted, and rushed over to give her a hug. The relief on her grandfather's face, at seeing her safe, was evident. 

"I'm so glad you're home sweetheart." Her grandfather said.

"As am I dear." Echoed her grandmum.

"I can't wait to hear about everything you've been up to." Grandpa said, giving his stern, you better not lie to me look. Hermione just laughed, and rolled her eyes.

"Dad must you always give my daughter a hard time?" 

"She started it." Grandpa retorted. They were all laughing now, well mum and grandmum were rolling their eyes.

"Giving Hermione a hard time before she has even had a chance to introduce you to her guest." Her mum threw out there.

"Hermione brought a guest?" Her grandmum questioned.

"Did Hermione finally bring a boy home from that elusive school of hers?" Her grandfather teased. Hermione and her parents looked at one another, willing each other to keep things secret for a few more minutes. 

"Something like that Grandpa. We didn't meet at school, but through some mutual friends a few years ago." Hermione said, with a glint in her eye. 

"Why don't we make our way to the dining room and you all can meet him." Her father added.

The group of 5 made their way into the dining room, where Kingsley was waiting. Kingsley could hear Hermione starting the introduction just outside the door.

"Grandmum, Grandpa, may I introduce you to my good friend," Kingsley could tell she emphasized the word friend, and wondered what he missed. "Kingsley Shacklebolt"

At that moment the door to the dining room opened and Kingsley made eye contact with Hermione's grandfather. To his surprise the senior Granger let out the fullest belly laugh Kingsley had ever heard, leading everyone else to follow in kind.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt. I'll be goddamned. Quite frankly you are the last individual I expected to see when Emma said Hermione brought a guest for brunch."  

"Yes well, seeing as you, and all of cabinet, seemed to know who I was, and that you all seemed to bask in my inability to understand who Hermione was to you…" Kingsley said with a playful glare.

The senior Daniel Granger was truly impressed with the man in front of him. “Well Kingsley, do you know how long it’s been since a member of cabinet, or prime minister has been able to have an advantage over the individual that normally sits in your spot? At least 50 years from the rumors I’ve heard. But alas, this is wonderful, and I truly have to say you guys did a great job pulling one over on me.” 

The group of six sat down to breakfast, and had a fantastic time. Hermione was happy to see that Kingsley got along with everyone easily. There was fun banter between Kingsley, her dad, and her grandpa. They seemed to enjoy giving one another a hard time, but the laughter was contagious, the food was delicious,  and the drinks were flowing. Overall, she would call this one of the best days she has had in a long time.

It was nice for her to share stories of the magical world while she had someone else around who was able to help answer any questions. She shared, highly edited, stories of her last year with her grandparents, and let them know she would have to unwillingly return to Hogwarts for one final year of schooling. Kingsley did earn a glare from her at this announcement, but came to his own defense, letting everyone know he would be helping her continue with her commitments outside of the magical world. 

For Kingsley, brunch was truly eye opening. He received an unfiltered look into a muggle born witches life outside of the magical world, and he could feel his preconceived notions slipping away. How could the magical world ask muggle borns to give up their family, and the society they had known for years before their introduction to the muggle world. It became clear to Kingsley that even for a witch as gifted as Hermione, she was far more comfortable in the muggle world than the magical one. This was something he would have to keep an eye on, as the PR disaster that would ensue if the Golden Girl left the magical world would bring everything down they had worked so hard to build.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8 

August 16th, 1998, Granger Residence

“Good Morning.” 

“Morning, dear.” Hermione's mum and dad said.

“Do we have anything going on today other than church? I have to be ready by 5:00pm, for the ceremony.” 

“Just the service today darling." Her mum stated. "The hairdresser and makeup artist are slated to be here around 1:30.” 

“Thank you mum.” She hugged her mum, sincerely thankful for the help she was giving. 

“This arrived for you earlier this morning.” Her dad handed her a letter. 

H, 

Girl, I know you're happy to be with your parents, but In the future, please take me with you. Don’t leave me with the boys. All they have done since you left is bitch about anything and everything they can. This includes having to dress up for the Order of Merlin Ceremony tonight. 

Also, YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND, HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME ALONE TO FIND A DRESS FOR THIS EVENT. Now, that is out. What the hell are you wearing? The last time we talked about fashion you said your sense of fashion was equivalent to the ghoul in our attic, so you didn’t leave me with much confidence in your ability to dress yourself…  

Mum didn’t throw a hissyfit when I found a dress that actually makes me look like a woman. It’s royal blue, and made of beautiful silk. It shows off my curves in a demure way, I think that’s why mum likes it. I can’t wait to see you, and your dress tonight. Don't worry about the boys, mum, and I have threatened them with bodily harm if they are late.

See you tonight! 

G

Ginny had a way of writing that made it feel like she was in the room with her. She was more excited to see Ginny tonight than any of the boys, as Ginny loved fashion, and would likely be very impressed with Hermione's dress. Hermione penned a quick note back, using pen and paper, because who had time for a quill and parchment when it wasn’t required.

G, 

Try being on the run with both the boys. Sometimes it was more torture than the horcrux… No surprise they are being difficult?

Gin, anytime you want to come with me, all you have to do is ask. Sometimes I worry that my parents think my friends are fake, as they’ve never spent time with you all.  

So I’ll save the details of my dress for you to see tonight, but I got it in Paris with my mum, and I’ve never been more in love with a dress than I am with this one. It’s an older dress but the deep bordeaux red that nearly looks black in some lighting, and like your dress it’s also silk. That’s all I’m saying, you’ll have to see it tonight, it’s a really special dress. 

See you tonight! 

H

She sent the letter off with the waiting owl once she finished breakfast. The family then went to church, which passed quickly much to Hermione's thanks. They were home by 1:00pm, like her mum predicted, she immediately ran upstairs to shower. Meanwhile, Emma had the drawing room set up as the dressing room. 

Hermione finished her shower, and threw on a simple button up shirt dress. She made her way into the drawing room, the normal space she and her mum would get ready for formal events. She described how she wanted to look for the event, to the hairdresser, and makeup artist. Her goal was understated 1950's glamor. She requested an elegant french twist, and makeup showcasing a red lip. 

Before she knew it, her makeup and hair were finished. Her mum helped her into her dress, and helped her pick out jewelry. For jewelry she picked a diamond tennis bracelet, teardrop diamond and pearl earrings, and a necklace matching earrings. They helped her put on her shoes, and led her to the full-length mirror to see herself all put together for the first time. 

"Thank you all so much, everything is perfect." She said. Her mum also shared her thanks, and quietly showed everyone out.

Hermione was impressed by the beauty of the woman staring back at her in the mirror. After ten months on the run, she had forgotten how it felt to feel beautiful. Honestly, she had forgotten how to be the girl she loved being. She instead had been so caught up being the magical world expected her to be. She decided from this moment on, she would be her true and genuine self, regardless of the world she was in, and if people didn't like it they could frankly piss off.

Her mum came back into the room. " Sweetheart, you look amazing. Let me snap a few photos!"

Hermione thanked her mum and gave her a huge hug. She checked the time and noticed it was already 4:55pm. She applied a few spells to her dress, and hair before leaving precisely at 5:00pm.

Earlier at the Ministry:

Kingsley apparated into the ceremony space, in full dress robes, at 4:30pm. He hoped by arriving early he could minimize the ministry being the cause of any catastrophes. That's how Kingsley found himself, and his secretary in a quiet hallway verifying everything from seating plans, to the award ceremony.

"Did someone remember to set the awards up on the stage?" He asked his secretary in a panic. He could now hear the tell tale signs of apparition and floo activation, guests were starting to arrive. 

"Kingsley, look at the stage. We've done everything we can to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. Now go enjoy yourself!" His secretary said.

Kingsley nodded his head, and started making his way back to the main event area. He looked at his watch, 4:45pm, prime arrival time for those purebloods who were showing up to boost their reputation. Taking a quick look around the room, he noticed Narcissa and Draco Malfoy already seated. With Lucius in prison, it would be interesting to see if the young Malfoy and his mother could rebuild the Malfoy family name.

He continued towards the entrance, where he was immediately distracted by the arrival of the Weasley family. He was pleased to see, the infamously late Wesley's had arrived ten minutes early! 

"Molly, Arthur! It's lovely to see you all again." He was pulled in for his usual hug by the Weasley matriarch. 

"Minister, Thank You for making sure our whole family had an invitation." 

"Absolutely! I see you also have Harry with you. Thank you for making sure he got here safely."

"Don't mention it!" Arthur added. "Harry is family at this point. Have you seen Hermione? She owled Ginny she would meet us here."

"Not yet, but I'm sure she will be here soon." Kingsley looked at his watch again, 4:53pm. He grimaced, Hermione was generally always early.

The Weasley's parted ways with the minister to make their way to their table. Kingsley recognized the arrival of many Hogwarts professors, and Order of the Phoenix members, including Remus Lupin and his wife Tonks. At 4:58pm, Kingsley still hadn't seen Hermione, and was growing concerned. He went to follow up with the Weasley's to see if they had anything else.

In a back corner of the ballroom, Draco Malfoy excused himself from the table where he sat with his mother, and other social climbing, disgraced, purebloods hoping to rewrite their position in history. Thankful for a table near the exits, he made his way out the door for some fresher air. Looking at his pocket watch he was thankful for the two minutes he had to get his head together. 

Azkaban had been difficult, but he fully understood he deserved punishment for what he did, regardless of being under duress. He didn't know how to move forward with life but he was hopeful the next year would help. He started some deep breathing exercises his mind healer had discussed with him, thankful they helped him get out of his head. 

He checked his watch again, noting it was 5pm. As he went to take his first step towards the ballroom, he heard the crack of apparition. Involuntarily he looked in the direction of the sound, and noticed the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Like a man possessed, his feet took him to the beautiful, unknown woman in the dark red dress.

"Good evening. I don't mean to be rude, but I just wanted to tell you that you are beautiful." Draco said to his mystery woman.

"Thank you. No one other than my family has told me that before." The mystery woman said. 

"I'm Draco Malfoy, may I walk you into the ballroom?" He was amazed when his mystery woman allowed him to walk her to the ballroom entrance. Once at the entrance she thanked him, then made her way toward the front of the ballroom alone. This mystery woman was completely unaware that every single eye in the room was now focused on her.

Hermione apparated into the ministry at exactly 5pm as she intended. The lobby was empty except for one man who started walking in her direction immediately. That's when the inner monologue started. Holy fuck, thats Malfoy. Why is the ferret walking towards me, smiling?

"Good evening. I don't mean to be rude, but I just wanted to tell you that you are beautiful." He said to her, leaving her inner monologue to continue. What the fuck is happening, did I hit my head? Don't be rude, say something idiot.  

"Thank you. No one other than my family has told me that before." She responded. The inner monologue wasn't done yet. You dumbass. Not like that. Why the fuck would you respond like that. You should just stop talking. So she did.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, may I walk you into the ballroom?" He asked kindly, and for some reason she accepted and let him walk her to the door of the ballroom, where they parted ways. 

As she walked to the front, where she was sitting with the Weasley's, she was very confused about the interaction she just had. The ferret acted like he had never met her before, that's when it hit her. Malfoy couldn't recognize her. As she looked around the room, she recognized the many order members, Dumbledore's Army members, and even some of her professors. The one thing that was consistent was everyone looking at her like they didn't know who she was. This might be fun.

Arriving at her table, she was thankful a seat had been saved between Ginny and George. Everyone was deep in conversation, she could hear Mr and Mrs Weasley talking to Kingsley. 

"Has Hermione arrived yet?" Kingsley asked.

"We haven't seen her yet." Mrs Weasley replied.

"Guys, I'm right here." She announced her presence and everyone looked up. The group reactions made her chuckle. Fred and George told her she looked hot. Mrs Weasley told her she looked radiant. 

"Holy shit. Hermione, you look like a whole new woman."

"Thanks Ginny." She replied blushing.

"You look really nice." Harry added.

"Hermione. Y-you're a girl." Ron threw it out there.

"Astute observation Ronald. I thought that was established prior to the Yule Ball in 4th year." She rolled her eyes, while everyone laughed at Ron.

"I saved you a seat over here." Ginny pointed between her and Fred, and started talking to Hermione. "Holy shit Mione. You look Incredible!" 

"It's amazing what a stress free week, confidence, a beautiful dress, and a little makeup can do." Hermione laughed. 

"Hermione, I'm not kidding. Look around the room, it's like no one realizes who you are." 

"If you want to keep that up Mione you can be my date for the evening." 

"What the hell Gred, maybe I wanted the mystery lady to be my date."

"Sorry Forge. I asked first. What do you say Mione?" 

Hermione laughed, and looked around the room. Ginny was right. These people, many of whom she had known for years, didn't seem to know who she was. This was going to make the evening far more interesting. 

"Where did you get your dress Mione?" Ginny asked.

"My mum, and I took a day trip to Paris. We went to a few designers, and I fell in love with this dress. Its 1950's Dior."

"Oh wow, it's beautiful. Fleur is always talking about how much better the shopping is in France. Dior if one of her favorite designers. She said they're one of the best high fashion magical designers."

"I got this from a fully muggle shopping district." 

" Fleur said many of the high fashion stores have dual entrances, that allow you to signal If you're magical." 

"Oh wow. I had no clue about that. I thought I had seen Narcissea Malfoy there. I wonder if it actually was?"

"It wouldn't surprise me at all." Ginny was looking at Hermione confused. She enjoyed fashion, and knew how expensive stores like Dior were. She wondered how was Hermione able to afford Dior? She was also curious if her friend who never liked talking about fashion knew more about it than She let on. Was there more to Hermione than meets the eye?

On the stage, Kingsley was preparing to officially start the evening. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for joining us this evening. The last few years have been difficult, for all of us. Tonight we come together to celebrate the individuals who helped lead us to victory against Lord Voldemort."The audience applauded.

"We will start with dinner and dessert, before moving to the award ceremony. With that, I won't keep you from your dinner." As Kingsley finished his statement, dinner appeared in front of everyone.

Dinner and drinks provided a fabulous start to the evening. Hermione, Harry, and the Weasley family were having an evening filled with laughter, and good conversation. The twins had doubled down on flirting with Hermione, and had kept her laughing. Before everyone was ready for it, Kingsley was back on stage, preparing to start the ceremony portion of the evening.

"It is now time for the reason we are gathered here this evening." Kingsley took a deep breath before continuing. 

"Winning the war against Voldemort was only possible thanks to the efforts of many people. We are fortunate many are still with us, but the losses of our friends and family, who helped us get to this point will always sting. Tonight, we will remember all we have lost, and celebrate everyone who got us to this point." Again the audience politely applauded. 

"In addition to giving out awards tonight, we will also be revoking an award that was received under false precedence."

Hermione looked at Harry, and Ron, confused. They both looked back at her, and shrugged their shoulders equally confused by what was happening.

"In November 1981, following the death of Lily and James Potter, an Order of Merlin, First Class, was awarded to Peter Pettigrew. He was given this award after what was believed to be a heroic confrontation with the individual responsible for the murder of James and Lily. In the years since, we at the ministry have learned the true story."  

Harry, Hermione, and Ron, were in disbelief. Harry’s eyes were watery as Kingsley turned to look directly at him.

"This is why the ministry is pleased to announce, the Order of Merlin, First Class, given to Peter Pettigrew has been revoked, and stricken from the record books. We are also pleased to announce Sirius Black's innocence. A detailed press release will be in Monday's Prophet."

Applause erupted in the Ballroom. Harry was in complete shock, as was Remus, who was seated at the next table. Hermione was staring at Kingsley in shock, but she led the standing ovation. Noone had expected this. Kingsley thanked everyone for their appreciation, and started with awarding the Third Class Awards. 

"This award is given to those who have made spectacular contributions to our store of knowledge or entertainment. These two individuals who went out of their way to keep the Wizarding World informed of news, and the war efforts over Voldemort's reign of terror. I am happy to present the Order of Merlin, Third Class, to Fred Weasley and George Weasley."

Shock was radiating at the Weasley table. They had been under the impression only Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be getting awards. After a brief moment Fred, and George walked up to the stage, and accepted their awards. Kingsley then moved on to the second class awards.

"The Order of Merlin, Second Class, is awarded to those whose achievements or endeavors are beyond the ordinary. I am proud to present this award posthumously to Severus Snape. He started spying on Voldemort in spring of 1981. Through information he shared with The Order of the Phoenix, he was able to save many from Death Eater attacks. The information he was able to share with Harry Potter, directly contributed to the demise of Voldemort." 

Applause resonated throughout the ballroom. Kingsley presented of The Order of Merlin, Second Class posthumously, to Sirius Black, and Alastor Moody for their work as Hit Wizards and going above and beyond to keep others safe in times of great peril. Neville Longbottom received his award for the work he did at Hogwarts with Dumbledore's Army, and for destroying the final horoux, or vessel as Kingsley called it. 

"Now, the First Class Award." Kingsley said. "This award is given to those who have exhibited outstanding bravery or distinction. This is the magical equivalent to a Knighthood in the Order of the British Empire." Hermione’s jaw dropped. She knew the Order of Merlin was a high award, but she hadn't realized it was that high of an award. 

"This evening, I have the pleasure of bestowing five individuals with the Order of Merlin, first class." When Kingsley said five, whispers erupted throughout the ballroom. Everyone present expected the award for the Golden Trio, but didn't know who the other two recipients were.  

"For unwavering service to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in defense of the school, and students during the 1997 Death Eater attack, and again during the Battle of Hogwarts, we are pleased to award Minerva McGonagall with the Order of Merlin, First Class."

The professor was in tears as she went up to collect her award. Everyone in the room was on their feet applauding. Professor Mc Gonnagall accepted her award, and remained on stage as directed by the ministry attendants. Kingsley continued.

"For their acts performed during the first and second wars, and their heroic actions during the Battle of Hogwarts by leading underage students to safety, and saving the lives of multiple compatriots. We are pleased to award Remus Lupin with the Order of Merlin, First Class."

Remus was in disbelief. Tonks had to push him out of his chair. Harry and the twins led the applause for the man who had been there for all of them at one point or another. He accepted his award, and remained on stage next to the professor.

"Its to my understanding, these next three award winners don't need much of an introduction these days!" Kingsley joked. "We are happy and thankful for the acts of bravery and heroism these three have exhibited. They had been fighting Voldemort together since 1991, and together they made it possible for the final demise of Voldemort. Today, we are happy to add Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter, to our list of Order of Merlin, First Class winners."

Among racious applause, the trio stood, and made their way to accept their award. Hermione was oblivious to the shock on the faces of those around the room who were only now realizing who she was. Once on stage, the trio were greeted with hugs, and handshakes by Remus, Minerva, and Kingsley. They took their obligatory photos, and all of the winners made their way back to their tables. Kingsley congratulated all of the winners again, and thanked everyone for coming to the ceremony, formally concluding the evening. 

Hermione, and the Weasley's socialized with friends, professors, and Order members for the remainder of the evening. Echoes of congratulations, and see you soons were plentiful during their discussions with classmates, and professors. Their friends were all annoyed about repeating their Hogwarts year, but everyone shared the same hope for a quiet and fun year. Hermione left with Ginny, Harry, and Ron around 10pm. They promised to be in touch more during the week before aparating to their homes.

Draco Malfoy had stayed at his table for the duration of the ceremony. He felt awkward being there. It was clear he didn't belong. He was thankful for the distraction of the mystery woman he met. Of course she had to go sit with the Weasley family. If she was friends with them, then he stood no chance, but a man can dream. 

His mind stayed with the mystery woman until he heard Kingsley present the final award of the night, and say Granger's name. He hadn't seen her tonight… He looked around the room and noticed his mystery woman was standing with Potter, and the Weasel and walking towards the stage. No way, there's absolutely no way. A stream of curse words was flowing through his mind, as he put it all together.

His mystery woman, who had been obsessing over all night, was Hermione fucking Granger.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9 

August 17th, 1998.  Granger Home - Adlington Hall

Hermione was surprised how much she enjoyed herself at the Order of Merlin ceremony. She hoped she wouldn't have to go to events like that frequently in the magical world, but at least she had a good time. With the ceremony out of the way Hermione was hopeful the last few weeks before returning to Hogwarts would be anticlimactic. That thought didn't last long. There was a large owl waiting for her just before she went downstairs to start her morning. Taking the letter from the owl, she rolled her eyes as she recognized the seal of the Minister of Magic.

Hermione,

I've also sent the following to Harry, and Ron. Two things I didn't want to bring up last night: 

• We have had numerous requests for you, Harry, and Ron, to give some interviews about your defeat of Voldemort.
• The three of you will be meeting the Queen, and Prime Minister, this Thursday. Transportation will be provided.

Please give me your thoughts on the interview. I'm sure Harry, and Ron will want to get it out of the way if the three of you agree to it. 

Kingsley

Sitting down with a reporter was the absolute last thing she wanted to do. Did Kingsley not understand that she had a life, and held no interest in playing celebrity in the magical world? This called for an in person conversation with the boys. She ran downstairs, grabbed something quick from the kitchen, and went to apparate to The Burrow.

Hermione landed at The Burrow and made her way inside. Thankfully she could hear that everyone was awake, so she knocked before entering. 

"Good morning." She heard a chorus of good mornings back.

"Are you hungry dear?" 

"No thank you Mrs. Weasley. I just needed to talk to Harry, and Ron about a letter we received from Kingsley." 

She made her way over to where Harry, and Ron were seated. They both appeared to be done with their breakfast. She sat down and started bitching about Kingsley's letter.

"Did you guys see a letter from Kingsley this morning?" 

Harry, and Ron nodded their heads. "We figured we would be hearing from you this morning." Harry added.

"Well Kingsley wants us to do a damn interview. Which I have no interest in doing, and I already told him that. I have no interest in becoming some magical world celebrity. Not after how I've seen the press treat you over the years. Sorry Harry." Hermione ranted. 

"No need to apologize. I get it. The press hasn't exactly been friendly to you either." 

"Guys, hear me out." Ron started. "Maybe we should give them one interview. Completely on our terms. That way we can control the narrative and questions." Harry, and Hermione were impressed with Ron's strategy. 

"That actually sounds like a great idea. Maybe we give a live interview over the wireless, with a live audience. That way it's harder for the press to misconstrue the things we say." 

"Exactly!" Ron exclaimed. 

"I agree with you two." Harry added. "Let's write Kingsley, and tell him our terms." 

Hermione, and Ron agreed with Harry. They pulled out some parchment, and drafted a letter to Kingsley.

Minister Shacklebolt,

We have discussed your previous letter in detail. We will give an interview upon the following, non-negotiable conditions.

• Must be a live interview, broadcast over the Wizarding Wireless.
• Must be in front of a live audience, for less than one hour.
• Must happen this week, ideally this Wednesday. We want to enjoy our last weeks before going to Hogwarts.
• We get to pick the interviewer - Luna Lovegood is our choice.
• This is the only interview we will give. 

Let us know if these terms work for you.

Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Ronald Weasley

Harry threw the letter in an envelope addressed to Kingsley, and had his owl deliver the letter. The trio spent some time catching up. Hermione had gone from spending all of her time with Harry, and Ron, to only seeing them on occasion. Although it was nice to have her life back, she did miss her guys. Before long, Harrys owl returned with Kingsley's reply. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione

I will ensure all terms of your requests are met. The interview will take place on Wednesday at 6pm, with Quibbler reporter Luna Lovegood, live over the Wizarding Wireless. 

Also, here is the additional information for meeting the Queen. You will meet the Queen at Balmoral Castle on Friday the 21st. We will portkey to the nearest Airport then take a car to her residence. This is a formal occasion so please dress, and behave accordingly.

Kingsley

They read Kingsley's letter, and rolled their eyes. Hermione was unsure if the boys knew what formal muggle dress meant. She was right, as that question was the next thing out of Ron's mouth.

"What does he mean to dress, and act accordingly?"

"Meeting the queen is a formal event. Men wear muggle business suits, and  women wear dresses, have covered shoulders, and wear hats. As for acting appropriately, there is specific protocol for meeting the Queen. We will go over it all once we get this interview out of the way." 

Harry, and Ron looked at Hermione confused. She was thankful they decided to not ask any further questions. With a plan in place for the interview, Hermione said her goodbyes to the boys and headed home.

August 19th, 1998 - Ministry of Magic

Hermione was ready to get this interview over with. She loved Luna, but hated doing press. Walking through the atrium, she could already see there were far more people present than usual for 5pm on a Wednesday. They would have quite an audience this evening. She was meeting Harry, Ron, Kingsley, and Luna in a conference room off the atrium at 5:15pm. They would be going over  questions, making sure there wasn't anything off limits. 

Luna's questions were fair, and kind. They would cover most topics people would be interested in, without things getting personal. Kingsley let the group know the stage was set up in the atrium. He added that audience members with questions would step up to a microphone, allowing their questions to be broadcast.

At ten of 6:00, the group made their way towards the stage. The Ministry had set up four chairs in an arc, with Microphones set up by each chair. Kingsley explained the microphones were connected to the wireless broadcast, and there was a sonorous charm on the stage that would project their voices to the in person audience. At 6pm sharp, the recording light turned on, and Kingsley made a quick introduction.

"Good Evening. Tonight we will be airing the first interview with the Golden Trio. They will be interviewed live, in the ministry atrium, by Luna Lovegood. At the conclusion of the interview they have graciously agreed to take a few audience questions."

After some light applause Luna started the interview. "Good evening. I'm Luna Lovegood, tonight I have the pleasure of interviewing Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. I'd love to start our interview with each of you introducing yourselves, and sharing a fun fact." They each introduced themselves and stuck with their fun fact bung their favorite Hogwarts Class. After that, Luna jumped right into her questions.

"Thank You for that. Now let's start simple. How did the three of you meet?" 

Hermione, and the boys laughed. Hermione gave the first answer. "The simple answer is we all met in passing on the train to Hogwarts for the first time. Ron was trying to turn his pet rat yellow, and failed, so I fixed Harry's glasses to try some magic of my own. I was quite insufferable." She chuckled.

They had all agreed to be honest answering questions. Harry continued where Hermione stopped. "We didn't hit it off at first." 

"Not at all." Ron added, with a laugh.

"It was the troll incident on Halloween of our First Year that really brought us all together." Harry continued.

"Troll Incident?" Luna questioned.

The trio looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders in a fuck-it type manner. Ron, who was clearly out of fucks, went ahead and shared the whole story. "So in first year, our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was possessed by Voldemort. He was trying to get to something in the school, and let in a fully grown mountain troll as a distraction."  

Crickets could be heard in the atrium. Hermione continued the story. "I had overheard something rude someone said about me, so I had been hiding in the girls' lavatory crying. So I was completely unaware a troll had gotten into the school."

"When Ron, and I heard the announcement that a troll was in the building, we realized Hermione didn't know. So like the young idiots we were, we went to go find Hermione on our own. The problem was, the troll found Hermione before we did. So the three of us fought and took down a mountain troll together." 

"The three of you took down a mountain troll in your first year?" Luna asked. The three of them all expressed a yes, and laughed nervously before Luna continued. "Did you also have a confrontation with Voldemort that year. "

"I did. That was the first time I defeated Voldemort. I couldn't have done it without Hermione and Ron."

"You say the first time. How many times have you faced Voldemort, Harry?"

"Nine times, if you count surviving the killing curse as a baby, and again in May." 

"Are you willing to talk more about the times you defeated him?"

"As long as we can make it clear that I didn't do this alone. What do you want to know?" 

"Can you give us all a brief rundown of the times you've faced Voldemort?"

Harry nodded. He gave Luna, and the crowd a rundown of all the moments he faced Voldemort. Saying it out loud sounded insane, and Harry felt like a nutter. Luna now asked Ron, and Hermione questions.

"Hermione, Ron, when Harry discussed facing Voldemort, he brought you both up a lot. Would you like to discuss your role?" 

Ron jumped in first. "Luna, let's face it. Everyone knows Hermione is the brains of the operation." A laugh could be heard from the crowd. "Without her, we would've been dead our first year. l am good at planning and strategy, like in chess, but Hermione is the queen of critical thinking and problem solving." 

Hermione was blushing. Harry joined the conversation. "Ron isn't wrong. Hermione keeping me alive goes far beyond interactions with Voldemort. She has always been there for me. Second year, she ended up petrified, but figured out the monster in the chamber before any teachers. She helped me save Sirius and Buckbeak."  

Ron was nodding as Harry spoke. Hermione was embarrassed but didn't want to interrupt her friends. "She has helped Ron and I throughout school, let alone everything she did while we were on the run this past year." 

"Harry's not kidding. She was prepared for everything. We had to leave suddenly, and she had everything we needed packed away. When we were injured she knew spells we had never heard of to heal us. She is the only reason we were able to find and destroy Voldemort's vessels. Every moment of her day she filled with research to ensure we were on the winning side. When I was a coward, and left the two of them, Hermione stayed by his side." Ron said.

"Hermione was my rock through everything. I don't think the magical world understands how much this victory comes down to Hermione. I truly believe that without Hermione this war would've had a much different outcome. Hermione, I don't know if I'll ever be able to convey how thankful I am for you, but thank you for being my sister, and always being there for me." 

"Anything to add Hermione?" Luna asked.

"I just want to thank Harry, and Ron for their kind words. You guys are like family to me, and I'll always have your back. It was made clear to me during my first year at Hogwarts, that this world doesn't care much for people of my background. That got progressively more obvious each year, to the point I realized that if I didn't fight for myself, very few people would fight for me." 

Hermione took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm thankful we came out on the right side of the war. I'm hopeful that the future will make the magical world a better place for all of us." Hermione squeezed Harry, and Ron's hands in thanks.

Luna spent her remaining time asking some more questions of the trio. She asked some more questions about the war, and their time on the run. She even touched on what their plans were for the future. They all laughed, and joked that any questions about the future should be saved for after Hogwarts. They were now entering the Q&A portion of the evening. This is what had Hermione the most nervous as it was unpredictable. Luna welcomed anyone with a question to line up at the microphone. 

"Good evening. My question is for all three of you. What are you looking forward to most now that you're free of Voldemort?"

"I think I can answer this one for all three of us." Ron joked. "The thing we have always joked about was having a quiet year at Hogwarts. We are all hopeful that this might finally be our quiet year." Harry and Hermione nodded their heads in agreement.

"Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet. Can you tell us more about your post war romantic life?" 

Kingsley went to the microphone on stage. "They won't be answering personal questions Rita." She harrumphed and walked away. "We only have time for a few more questions." Some audience members asked simple questions, and others asked more in-depth ones. The final question of the night got the trio thinking.

"How are you three recovering after everything you've seen this past year?"

Hermione started. "Taking care of your mental health after an ordeal like the war, is profoundly important for all of us. For me, the best thing I've done is spend time with my family. It's nice to not have to constantly worry about my family, but there are still things that scare me. Going back to Hogwarts is one of those things that scares me." 

Harry joined the conversation. "Like Hermione, I think taking care of your mental health is important. I'm thankful for the family and friends I have, but there's a lot of loss I need to come to terms with. Recovery takes time, and that is okay. For me, seeing a mind healer has been quite helpful."

"My experience throughout all of this has been vastly different from Harry, and Hermione's. My family has been by my side throughout the entire war. So my recovery is different. The best thing for me has been remembering how to relay and have fun. I'm thankful for my family and friends who have been by my side."

This seemed like a good place to end things. The trio had fulfilled their hour, and were very forthcoming with their answers. Luna thanked everyone for their time, and questions before she stopped the broadcast, and the trio went home

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

9:00am, August 20th, 1998 - The Burrow

Hermione knew she was going to need as much time as possible to prepare the boys to meet the Queen. Hence the 9:00 am start. At least she got to have a full Weasley family breakfast before shopping. 

"Morning Gin."

"Morning Mione. The boys should be down in a few. I think they are dreading shopping."

"Color me surprised. You're coming shopping with us right? Please don't make me do this alone." Hermione begged.

"Fine, if I must." Ginny laughed.

"I'm going to need someone's help Gin. It's going to be like herding cats. Has your brother ever seen a muggle suit? 

"I doubt it. Can't be any worse than those dress robes from your fourth year." Hermione, and Ginny fell into a fit of laughter at the memory of those robes. The boys finally came downstairs when they started to smell breakfast. 

"G'mornin." Harry, and Ron yawned. 

"Morning dears." Mrs. Weasley said as she took a seat at the table. "Tuck in everyone." 

Hermione smiled, Mrs. Weasley's breakfasts were her favorite. They rarely had large breakfasts at home as they were usually busy with the horses, and the last thing you wanted before exercising horses was an overly full stomach.

Once breakfast was complete and everyone had their tea, Hermione started sharing the plan for the day with Ginny and the boys. 

"Okay, our goal today is to get the two of you muggle suits. That's step one in proper attire for meeting the Queen. We will floo into the Leaky, but instead of going to Diagon. we will go towards muggle London, and catch a cab." 

"Why do we have to dress up for this? It's not like we are going to a fancy dinner like Sunday." Ron bitched.

Mrs. Weasley happily explained the significance of the event to Ron. "Ronald, stop this right now. You're going to be meeting The Queen, show some respect and appreciation. Also, be thankful that you have Hermione around to help you understand these things, that way you won't look completely lost when you meet her."

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley." Hermione said sincerely. "Harry, Ron, let me know when you guys are ready. We've got a lot to do today."

Hermione waited in the dining room with Ginny until the boys were ready. Mrs. Weasley's statement must have lit a fire under Ron's ass, because he was ready to leave in less than ten minutes, and Harry was right behind him. 

With all her minions in tow, they each went through the floo, ready to start their adventure. They caught a taxi, which took them to Suitsupply. She knew Harry and Ron would be able to find suits that would be acceptable for meeting the queen.

"Good morning." The shopkeeper said as the group walked in. "What can I help you with this morning?"

"These two." Hermione said as she gestured towards Ron and Harry. "Need a day suit, appropriate for meeting members of parliament."

"Tailored, or off the rack?"

"Off the rack please. Something they can take home today."

The shopkeeper nodded, and turned to Harry and Ron. "Gentlemen, if you could follow me." 

Hermione and Ginny took a seat as the boys had their measurements taken. They had some time to chat before Harry and Ron started trying things on. 

"So what do we do now?"

"Gin, we just get to watch, give our opinion, and tell them what to buy." 

"Oh, this will be fun." 

Harry, and Ron tried various suits until they each found something that would work. Ginny excelled at the job of telling Ron, and Harry what did, and didn't, look good. Harry picked a gray three piece suit, with a white shirt, and a Gryffindor red tie. Ron went a different route. He chose a simple two piece, double breasted, navy suit, that he paired with a light blue shirt, and a Gryffindor yellow tie.

Once their purchases were complete, they thanked the shopkeeper, and left. Since they all know the way home they apparated back to the Burrow from an empty alleyway.

Kingsley was coming to the burrow to learn Royal Protocol around 1:30 pm. Mrs. Weasley had made a light lunch that everyone was enjoying. Like all the time Hermione spent at the Burrow, lunch was filled with laughter. Before long, it was 1:30 pm, and they heard a crack of apparition signaling Kingsley's arrival. 

"Good afternoon." Kingsley said.

"Hey Kings, are you ready for royal protocol lessons with Hermione?" Harry laughed.

"I don't know. Did you, and Ron find suits for tomorrow?" 

Both Harry, and Ron nodded. "We have picked something that meets Hermione and Ginny's standards." 

Hermione jumped into the conversation. "Alrighty, Harry, Ron, Kings, are you ready to learn enough royal protocol to survive an afternoon with the Queen?" 

The three men groaned. Hermione rolled her eyes. "I can go if you guys want to manage this one on your own…" 

"No!" They all shouted. 

"Well alright then. Lesson number one. How to address the Queen. When you are first introduced you are to bow, and say "Your Majesty." The bow is a light neck bow, not a full bow at the waist. Like this." 

Hermione demonstrated a neck bow. Kingsley picked up on it immediately, followed by Harry. Ron kept trying to fully bend at the waist. Harry, and Kingsley kept laughing at him, which made them no help, what so ever. 

“Good lord Ronald. Just bend your neck like you’re nodding.” Hermione chastised. Ron finally seemed to get it. She hoped. 

“Alright, now that you know the formal greeting, let's get to the protocol.” Harry, and Ron looked confused that there was more. “Now, you only bow the first time you meet her. Your first meeting should be, shake her hand (if offered), and bow. As you do this you will say “Your Majesty”. You will see me curtsey instead of bow.” Hermione demonstrated. 

“Does that make sense?” Kingsley, Harry, and Ron nodded. 

“After you’ve formally addressed the Queen as “Your Majesty”, any time after that you may simply call her ma’am. That’s ma’am as in jam.” She clarified.

“How do you know all this stuff Mione?” Ron asked. 

Caught off guard, Hermione took a moment to think. “My muggle primary school often had visitors from the Royal Family, so we received instruction on protocol.” 

Ron looked satisfied with her answer. Harry was clueless, so he didn’t ask any questions. Kingsley on the other hand had a knowing smirk on his face that she wanted to just smack off. Fuckin Kingsley, she knew he was going to be a thorn in her side now that he knew. She hit him with a low powered stinging hex instead of telling him to sod off like she wanted to.

“Let’s go through this again. You’re going to pretend I’m the Queen, and I want to see you greet the Queen properly.” 

Kingsley, Harry, and Ron were passable. Kingsley, and Harry more than Ron, no surprise there. All she could hope was that Ron wasn’t going to embarrass himself, but after what she witnessed that seemed like a longshot. 

“Tomorrow the portkey will leave my office at 11am. We will portkey to Aberdeen Airport, where a car has been arranged to pick us up. The drive from the airport to Balmoral is approximately an hour. We are slated to meet the Queen, and the Prime Minister for a casual lunch at 12:40. Let's meet in my office around 10:30 so we can go over everything one more time before we leave.” Kingsley instructed.

August 21st, 1998

Hermione had been up, and busy since 6:00 in the morning. This morning she was in the stable early with her mum as they had new horses coming in, and one was an early birthday present for Hermione, but she didn't know that yet. At 6:20 the transporters pulled in. She heard the sounds of Horses excited to get out of the trailer, some stomping, and calling out as the lorry opened.

"We have three in total for you." He said with a thick irish accent. "You have amazing taste, they're all beautiful, and have amazing temperaments." His comments were directed to her mum.

Hermione watched as the three horses were unloaded. They were all tall warmbloods and looked absolutely beautiful. Her mum made her way over, and started introducing her to the horses. The first was a pure black, 12 year old Fresian gelding, roughly 15.5 hands high (HH). 

"Eventing or show jumping?" Hermione asked her mum. 

"Neither. Dressage."  Dressage wasn't her mum's go to discipline, so she was curious why mum bought him. .

The next one off was a beautiful, 10 year old, chestnut colored, Selle Francais, about 16.2 (HH). Just looking at her confirmation Hermione could tell she was a jumper.

"Well she's clearly a show jumper." Her mum laughed in response and nodded her head. 

"So, Mya." Her mum said, using her nickname. "There’s only one more horse coming off the lorry. This one is an early birthday present for you from your father and I."

Hermione was surprised and tried to prepare herself. What she saw next was one of the most beautiful warmbloods she had ever seen. Coming out of the trailer was a tall, 16.8 HH, dapple gray, Holsteiner. 

"He's beautiful. Is he a stallion or gelding?"

"A stallion, coming to us from the trainer in Antwerp, Belgium. Mya, meet Mercury. He's a 6 year old holsteiner, born in Germany. He's quite green, but shows amazing promise in show jumping and eventing. Your father, and I thought the two of you would be a good match as he's coming into his competitive years, and so are you.” 

Hermione was beaming. She had a soft spot for dapple gray horses, and the one standing in front of her was absolutely beautiful. She walked up to him, and started petting his head. He was an absolute sweetheart, who clearly loved attention.

"Mum, I'm going to turn Mercury out in the indoor arena, since the other two are going to the small pasture." 

"Not for long please. He still needs breakfast."

Hermione nodded at her mum, and made her way into the arena. She turned him out, and smiled as Mercury had the zoomies. She watched how much he enjoyed having a run around, after such a long trip in the lorry. That was how her mum found her twenty minutes later. 

"Did we make a good choice?" 

"Yes mum absolutely! He's magnificent. Can you tell me more about him?" 

"Of course! He is fresh out of training and ready to compete. His sire was a show jumper, and he's out of a mare that has an impressive record in eventing. His genetic, and health testing was above reproach. If he competes as well as his parents did, you should be able to stud him out as well. I was thinking you could compete with him at lower levels this year to prove him." 

"That sounds like a great idea."  

"Let's get this guy some breakfast, then we can take Dottie and Lola out for an hour or so before you have to get ready." Her mum said.

Hermione nodded, and walked with her mum, to put Mercury into his stall. She was completely overwhelmed with her day, and she hadn't even had lunch with the Queen yet. 

Hermione was thankful for their stable grooms, they had already tacked up Dottie, and Lola for their hack. They went on a leisurely hack across the property, and were back with plenty of time for breakfast.

Following breakfast Hermione got ready to go meet Kingsley and the Boys. She chose a summer dress, with a matching jacket. At 10:20 she made her way out to her usual apparition spot, and headed to the Ministry. She apparated right into the Ministry atrium, then made her way to Kingsley's office. Where his secretary let her go right in

"Hey Kings."

"Hi there, how are you Hermione?"

"I'm well. I did a lot of work this morning, so this is a nice break."

"Oh? What did you have to do?" Kingsley was curious about what work she could possibly have to do. He had assumed their staff took care of everything for them.

"We had a shipment of horses come in at 6:00 this morning, then a few that needed to go on hacks." 

"How many horses does your family have?" After seeing where Hermione had grown up, Kingsley decided to get to know her better, as there was clearly more to this girl than meets the eye. Before Hermione could answer his question there was a knock on the office door, and the boys walked in the room.

"Harry, Ron. Thanks for getting here early." 

"No problem Kings."

"What Harry said." Ron added as he put candy from the dish in his mouth. Now with Harry, and Ron here, the question Kingsley had asked fell to the wayside. 

Kingsley got the trio's attention, grabbed the portkey and made sure they were all ready. All four of them made sure they were touching the portkey, an old stained baseball hat. At promptly 11:00 the portkey whisked them away. 

The group landed in Aberdeen Airports portkey lounge. Hermione was thankful she had learned how to portkey properly, as she landed on her feet instead of on her face like what happened the first time she traveled by portkey. Looking around the room, she was happy to see Harry, and Ron also had a better outcome with the portkey than last time. Kingsley cleared his throat, getting the tio's attention.

"They said the driver would be waiting for us at baggage claim." Kingsley said, now leading the trio through the airport. They went down the escalators toward baggage claim where a man in a suit had a sign with Kingsley's name on it. Kingsley walked over to the man, and introduced himself, and the trio. The driver led them outside to an SUV that would be taking them to Balmoral Castle.

The drive passed quickly, with Hermione reiterating the protocol for how to meet the Queen. Before they knew it, they were being driven up the driveway to the Castle. The group of four were met by one of the Queens aides, named Robert, who explained the order of events for the afternoon, and further reiterated the protocol for meeting her Majesty. 

"First we will be taking you to the drawing room where you will meet the prime minister. Again, there's no need for the royal protocol, just be respectful." Robert explained, and led the group towards the drawing room. 

One by one, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were introduced to the Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair. He thanked them for everything they did, and their service to the country by ridding the world of the evil that was Voldemort. Polite small talk was made until Robert signaled it was time for the group to move on. 

They were then led toward the throne room, where they were brought in to meet the Queen. They were arranged in a line, with the Prime Minister, and Kingsley at the front. Hermione, Harry, and Ron rounded out the line in alphabetical order. They were told the Queen would be along shortly. 

At promptly 12:40 the Queen walked in the room. The Prime Minister, and Kingsley greeted Queen Elizabeth properly, no surprise there. Then it was Hermione's turn. 

"Your Majesty." Hermione said politely as she curtsied perfectly.

"Ms. Granger, Hermione, it's lovely to see you again."  

"Lovely to see you as well ma'am." Hermione responded, hopeful Harry, and Ron didn't hear what the Queen had said. 

She watched as Harry successfully greeted the queen, hopeful that Ron would be able to pull off the same. Ron managed the Your Majesty part correctly, but delivered the most clumsy bow Hermione had ever seen. 

"Thank you all for coming today. I hope you know how thankful we are for what you have done in ridding the world of Voldemort. Now, I hope you don't think I would ask you here just to say thank you. I invited you here to present the three of you with an Order of the British Empire." 

Hermione was astounded. That was the highest award in the country. Something that was not often awarded. It was the equivalent to a Knighthood, and was generally awarded during large ceremonies. The Queen giving the order in a private ceremony was unprecedented. 

The Queen presented the three of them with the Order of the British Empire. They were given the highest order, the Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire. The boys could now use the style sir, while Hermione could use Dame. 

"Shall we head into the dining room for lunch." The Queen said. 

The group followed the Queen into the dining room. Hermione was seated near the Queen, towards the head of the table. The Prime Minister was across from her, and Kingsley to her left. She was thankful as this would make it difficult for the boys to hear her conversation.

"Hermione, again it's lovely to see you. I haven't seen you since Ascot two years ago. How have you been, outside of the whole saving the world thing?" 

Hermione laughed. "I've been well, thank you. I've been doing my best to keep busy. Spending as much of my free time in the stables as I can."

"That's lovely. Any new arrivals?" Anyone who knew the Queen, understood she was far happier talking about horses, and dogs than current events. Hermione was more than happy to talk about the horses.

"We just received a shipment of horses this morning actually." 

"Go on." 

"Mum had two new ones come in for her. A 12 year old friesian gelding, I'm told he has a wonderful dressage record. She also brought in a 10 year old selle- francais mare for show jumping." 

"Those are both lovely breeds. The francais will surely excel. was it only the two she brought in?" 

"No ma'am. She, and my father also purchased a new horse for me, as a birthday gift. A 6 year old holsteiner stallion, fresh from the trainer." 

"That's exciting. Do you have plans for a specific discipline?" 

"I'm thinking eventing like my mum, but fortunately, I have time to decide."

Conversation flowed easily over lunch. Hermione was thankful she was able to talk about a subject she loved, without having to worry about Harry and Ron. At the end of lunch, which lasted about 45 minutes, the Queen again thanked them for coming, and excused herself. They said their goodbyes to the Prime Minister, and then made their way to go back home.

Once back in the SUV, Hermione let out a deep sigh of relief. Thankful that the day went well. Now, she just wanted to go home, relax and have fun before going back to Hogwarts.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

August 22nd, 1998

Another Saturday, means brunch with her Grandparents. Hermione was thankful it was only family this week. She was exhausted, and was looking forward to having this week to relax before going back to Hogwarts.

"Good morning, mum."

"Good morning dear." Her mom said, and gave her a big hug. "I hope you don't mind, I let you sleep in today. You looked exhausted last night."

"I appreciate it, I was exhausted. This summer has been anything but relaxing. If I had known they were going to force us to go back to Hogwarts I would have handled this summer much differently."

"I understand sweetie. I know you've been. wrestling with what to do after Hogwarts for a while now."  

Hermione nodded her head. "I think I finally know what I want though. We will have to see how this year goes. Where's dad?"

"Your dad was out exercising his polo horses. Apparently there's a charity match he's been invited to play in, and he's fully invested in making sure he, and his horse are ready." Her mum rolled her eyes as she said this, and Hermione couldn't help but giggle.

"He should be in soon." 

"I would hope so, considering it's brunch day."

She ran into the kitchen to grab a cup of tea, to wake herself up before her grandparents arrived. There wasn’t much time to wait before they arrived, but Hermione was still exhausted, and needed all the help caffeine could give her. 

At some point her dad must've come in, because. he was in the entry way at promptly 10:40 to wait for his parents. Grandpa, and Grandmum arrived right on time at 10:45, and the hungry group of 5 made their way into the dining room for brunch.  

Hermione was thankful for how normal, and mundane family brunch was. It was a much needed change of pace from the chaos of the magical world. Small talk was simple, and she felt that for the first time since the war, she could just relax.

"Hermione dear, how did your meeting at Balmoral go?" Her grandfather asked. 

"It was good. Thank you for asking." 

"Any surprises?" He asked, arching a knowing eyebrow. Hermione glared in his direction. Damn meddling old coot, if she didn't say anything, he would. He purposely backed her into a corner. 

"Yes actually, I assume you're asking because you already know what happened… " She challenged him. The other adults at the table had stopped their conversation to pay attention to the verbal sparring match between Hermione, and her Grandpa.

"While I may know something, it's more your news to share than mine." 

Hermione rolled her eyes at her grandpa. "Well since gramps here seems to be forcing my hand, and thinks that I haven't already told mum, and dad about what happened during the trip to Balmoral, I'll say it again. I believe he's referring to the award I was given… "

Grandpa let out a full laugh. "Damn girl. You won't let an old man get away with anything, will you?" 

"Nope." She said popping the P at the end. Everyone laughed, thankful the tension was now diffused. The rest of brunch went seamlessly, and really helped Hermione relax and wind down.

August 23rd, 1998

Hermione had decided it was finally time to fully unpack her beaded bag, with the undetectable extension charm. She was moving on with her life, and feIt the first step was to let go of the baggage from the past. 

She walked into her office. Yes, she had her own office. She took a deep breath,  taking in the smells, and reliving memories she had made in that office. She walked up to a bookshelf in the corner of the room and tapped it with her wand. The bookshelf rotated 180 degrees, showing her collection of magical books which she normally kept hidden from view. 

She started pulling books out of her beaded bag, and placing them on the normally hidden bookshelves. 25 books later, she had removed them all from her bag. With another tap on the bookshelf, it rotated back to its original position, hiding the magical books.

Reaching back into her bag, She pulled out parchment, which was covered in notes from the horcrux hunt, old quills, and ink bottles. She shoved the notes, quills, and ink, into a hidden compartment at the bottom of her desk drawer. 

She then made her way back into her bedroom and continued to unpack. Most of her potions vials were empty, so she set them to the side to put them in the rubbish bin. There was a light knock on her bedroom door. 

"Come in"

"Hi sweetheart. I just wanted to check on you, and see if you need any help."

"I think I just need some help getting things sorted into keep, and rubbish piles. I've already finished the books." 

She reached into her bag again, and  wondered where the tent was. That's when she remembered, the tent was still in the forest where they were caught by the snatchers. Hermione was lost in her memories, and didn't hear her mum calling out for her.

 "Hermione.  Hermione! Are you okay?"

"Sorry. I, uh, got lost in a memory. I'm okay now though."

"Are you sure? You looked terrified."

"Yes mum, just navigating through some old stuff. It's slowly been getting easier to get through."

"As long as you're alright."

Hermione nodded her head, and hugged her mum. She went back to unpacking, but with her mum's help. She had been working on unpacking for more than an hour, and was completely over it. She decided to just flip her beaded bag upside down, and see what came out. She was surprised how little came out. Apparently her efforts had been worthwhile, as the only things that came out of the bag were old clothes. Mum started going through the clothes, and looked up at Hermione sad. 

"Honey, I don't think any of these are worth keeping." 

Hermione looked at the pile her mum was going through, and couldn't help but agree with her. "You're right. They really are not in good shape." 

"Is this really all you took with you?"

"Clothes wise yes. I saved as much room for essentials and research material as I could. Even then it wasn't enough. We ran out of food after two weeks, once we were ousted out of Harry's uncle's home." 

"Not to be rude dear, but we can tell. You looked sickly, and unhealthy the first time we saw you briefly at the beginning of summer. Now you look healthier, and happier."

"I feel healthier, and happier too. I just wish I wasn't being forced to go back to Hogwarts. I worked my ass off to finish my non-magical education before the end of my 6th year because I still wanted to go to University, and I'm just sick of waiting. The magical world has stolen so much from me mum, I really am not looking forward to going back." Hermione cried. 

Her mom held her while she cried. "You know I'm here for you when you're ready to talk about it sweetie."

"There's just so much hate, and unconscious bias in the magical world. My friends, who I've known for seven years at this point, don't care about who I am outside the magical world. It's like once they hear I'm muggle born they stop listening to anything I say if it's not about magic."

Hermione continued after a deep breath. "They know nothing about any of this."  Hermione gestured around her. 

"Short of them knowing you, and dad are dentists, they know nothing of my life outside Hogwarts. Summer letters I keep vague, because I know they don't care. I just feel like I'm hiding so much of myself."

"It sounds like you have been hiding a lot of yourself. Now, I can't imagine how that feels, but I will always be here for you sweetie." 

"Thanks mum. This year I'm just going to be 100% myself, I shouldn't have to hide who I am. Hopefully my friends don't take too much of an issue with it."

Hermione checked her beaded bag again to make sure it was completely empty. After two hours her bag was finally empty, and she was mentally, and emotionally exhausted. She hadn't realized how much she had been holding back. Hopefully her friends still cared about her when she finally gets to be herself.

August 24th, 1998

Hermione was woken up at her normal time of 6:00 am, to go down to the stables. She threw on her riding clothes, and ran down to the kitchen where she grabbed an apple out of the fruit basket to eat on her way to the stable.

She walked towards the stables with her mum, thankful for the nice weather. Their first stop was the tack room, where both women changed into their barn boots.  When they left the tack room they saw the grooms were also arriving. She looked at her watch, 6:45am, everyone was right on time. 

Hermione went into the feed room, and started prepping breakfast for the horses. As she finished dishing out the food, the grooms would come take it to the appropriate horse. She took Mercury, her new horse, his food as they were still building their relationship. 

She looked around the stable, and found the lead groom Patrick talking with mum, while making the exercise schedule for the day. She walked over to the pair, curious if they were including her in the exercise schedule, and was happy to see that they were.

"So, I think we should get everyone turned out in the small field. That will give us space to muck out stalls, and let the horses digest their food before we start with exercise for the day."

"Sounds like a good plan Pat. Hermione, and I are going to run up to the house, and grab some food. We will be back before we start with exercise runs at 9." 

"Sounds good. See you both in a bit."

The pair made their way back up to the house, and into the kitchen for breakfast. As they were discussing breakfast options with the chef, her dad came in.

"Good morning Dan." 

"Good morning, Emma, Hermione. Have you both already been out to the stables this morning?"

"We have. All the horses have been fed. The grooms are turning them out for a bit before we start exercise for the day." 

"Perfect. I take it you came in for breakfast before heading back out?" 

"That we did! I was just asking the chef if she could please make us some eggs, sausage, and mixed fruit. Would you like to join?"

"Of course! Breakfast with both my girls is not an opportunity to miss." Dan said. Emma laughed, while Hermione smiled, and gave her dad a hug. 

"I'm going to make some tea. Does anyone else want any?" Hermione asked. Her mum and dad both nodded their heads. 

Hermione filled up the electric kettle, to start the water for the tea. She then pulled the English Breakfast Tea leaves out of their tea cabinet, and scooped them into the tea diffuser. She brought tea over for everyone to enjoy, while they waited for breakfast. 

Twenty minutes later breakfast was ready for the family to enjoy. Hermione was thankful breakfast was filling but light, as she knew they would have a busy day with the horses. An hour later, everyone was sufficiently fed and hydrated.

"Shall we head back down to the stables?" Her mum asked.

"Sounds good to me. Are you coming Dad?"

"I'll meet you guys down there. I need to change."

Hermione and her mum put their plates into the sink, and made their way back. out to the stables. Today she and her mum, were assigned to work together. They pulled two horses from the field, the new Selle Francais mare, named Gloriana, and the new Fresian gelding named Nero. Both horses were groomed, tacked up, and walked into the indoor arena.

"Did you get a chance to look at the board for these two?" 

"I did, they need one hour of flat work today."

"Good, let's get everything set up then we can start."

She and her mum worked with the horses for an hour before their exercise time was complete. They untacked, groomed, and put the two horses back into their staIIs, before moving onto the next, before going inside around 3pm. 

This was how each day went for Hermione. Wake up, go to the stable, feed horses, grooms turn them out, we go for breakfast, and then come back to help with exercising. Some days were different as she, or her mum would have a lesson, but everything remained predictable. Hermione was thankful for the routine, but at the same time sad as she was going back to school next week, and leaving most of this behind.

August 27th, 1998

Thursday when Hermione came in from the stables, there was an owl waiting for her in her room. She gave the owl treats, and took the letter from its leg. It had the Ministry seal, what did they want now, she thought.

Ms. Granger,

By now, you're aware of the changes at Hogwarts for the upcoming year. We are reaching out to you as a muggle born witch, for your assistance with a very specific piece of the new curriculum. We are hoping that muggle borns, like yourself, would be willing to share their homes, and pieces of their lives with their classmates. 

Our goal is to show how muggle, and magical beings are not all that different in the way we live our lives. The project is called "How the Other Half Lives." We are hoping your family would be willing to host 6th, and 7th year students enrolled in the Study of the Non-Magical World, in March, orApril of 1999. Students would be accompanied by multiple Professors from school, and ministry escorts. 

All muggle born students in 6th and 7th year have been contacted with the same request. All have been amenable, and have worked with the Ministry to create an appropriate plan for the day. Plans range from sharing their homes, and favorite non-magical activities, to touring local museums.

Due to your celebrity status we waited to reach out to you until we were sure we could provide the proper channels to keep your family safe. Please take time to discuss this with your family before responding.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Griselda Marchbanks (W.E.A) and 

Elizabeth Campbell (Hogwarts Class of 1978)

What the hell. She had to re-read the letter two more times before she could form a coherent thought. Still holding the letter in her hands she realized there was a second page. A separate letter from Kingsley. Of course he was involved in this…

Hermione,

I'm assuming that I know you well enough to understand that you are pissed off by what you just read. You have every right to be. I tried to make sure they had all their ducks in a row before they reached out to your family. 

If you agree to showing your classmates what your non magical life looks like, your family will be the last field trip your classmates will go on. We set up the schedule like this so we can pull the trip to your family's home if there are security concerns.

I hope you know, I would never allow anyone from the Ministry to play with people's lives. I truly believe that immersion into the non-magical world is the only way for magicals to fully understand how there isn't much of a difference between those with, and without magic. 

I, and my ministry peers, truly believe the "How the Other Half Lives" project could truly change the next generation of magical thinking. Again, I'm sure you're pissed off. Feel free to release your rage on me. I'll be in my office until 6pm tonight.

Please don't kill me.

Kingsley

Hermione showered to wash the barn smell away. She then grabbed the letters from the ministry, and went to find her parents. 

"Mum, Dad. Where are you guys?" She yelled. She heard chatter coming from the family room, so she headed in that direction. 

"Mum, dad. you in here?"

"Yes sweetie. What do you need?" Her dad answered.

"You both need to read this." She handed the first letter to her parents.

"Well that's certainly something." 

"Truly, does this ministry know no boundaries?" Her mum said irate. "Do they truly think they can just waltz into people's homes as a field trip?"

"Seems like it to me." Hermione commented. 

"And who are these other students from non magical backgrounds that are amenable to this?" Her father asked. 

Hermione listed the names of the other muggle born students she knew at school. That's when she realized, for the first time, she was the only member of muggle high society at Hogwarts right now. 

"Oh my gosh. I'm the only muggle born of noble birth at Hogwarts right now." She said. 

"Ah, that explains it." Her dad agreed.

"They must not understand the proper etiquette."  Her mum added.

"I also don't think anyone other than Kingsley understands my background."

"That would explain it." Her mum added. "Why don't we agree to it?"

Hermione, and her dad looked at Emma like she was nuts. "Why would we want to do that?"

"Think about it. So many of your classmates have ignored anything you've shared about your non-magical life. This would be the ultimate prank. Show them everything they've missed out on by treating you as less than." 

Hermione's jaw dropped. That would be brilliant. "That's fantastic. Dad what do you think?" 

"If you're up for it, then I'll make sure we do what we can to show them what they've missed."

"Okay, so we are doing this?" 

Her mum, and dad both nodded their heads in agreement. "This feels like a mistake, but okay let's do it." Hermione agreed.

She penned a letter back to Kingsley, and the two witches who initially wrote to her. Letting them all know she was amenable to their request. She kept things curt in her letter to Kingsley, knowing that would get her point across better than yelling.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

September 1st, 1998

Hermione woke up with her mum at their usual time of 6am. They went through their normal routine of feeding the horses, then had an early breakfast at 6:45am. Once breakfast was over Hermione went up to her room to double check her Hogwarts trunk, and get ready for the day.

Satisfied with everything she had packed, she made her way into the shower. Not feeling like dealing with her hair getting frizzy, she coated Sleek Easy Hair Potion on her hair, and pulled it into a tight low bun.

She threw on a navy, and white gingham shift dress with a navy cardigan and sandals. Her outfit was planned as it would be easy to change out of on the train. Taking one last look in the mirror, she was happy with what she saw. She threw a feather light charm on her trunk, shrunk it, and threw it in her handbag. 

Looking at her watch, she made her way to meet her parents downstairs. They had a 8:30am private flight into London City Airport. The one hour flight was much better than the nearly 4 hour drive. Her parents were ready to leave when she got downstairs at 8:05am.

"Are we headed right onto the tarmac again?" She asked her dad. 

"We should be." Dad replied. "Once we're loaded up we will go straight to line up for take off. I told the pilot we needed to land at London City Airport, no later than 10am."

"Perfect, thank you for organizing everything Dad."

They arrived at the airport, and were on their plane with the door up before 8:30am. As her father said, they immediately taxied to the departure line, and were up in the air by 8:35am. Their flight was quick, they landed at 9:45, and their SUV was waiting for them on the tarmac. The black SUV took them from London City Airport to Kings Cross, where they arrived at 10:30. 

Hermione, and her parents made the quick walk through Kings Cross to platform 9 ¾. They went through the barrier without any issue, then started to say their goodbyes. 

"Alright sweetie, it's your last first day of school. Thank you for bringing us. I know you could've just apparated here." 

"I'm happy you guys are here." Hermione gave her parents a big hug. " I'll see you guys soon."

"Bye sweetie. Love you and see you soon!" After one last goodbye her parents headed back through the barrier.

10:45

Hermione looked around the platform, but didn't see any of her friends. She entered the train near the front, and walked around looking for her friends. The first carriage she walked through held most of the returning upper year Slytherins. She held her head high, and walked through like she owned the place. The Slytherins let her pass without any trouble. 

She moved on to the next carriage which seemed to be full of younger students. The younger students started whispering as she walked through.  Again, she held her head high, and continued with her mission. Now in the third carriage she immediately had better luck. In the first compartment she checked, she found Neville. 

"Neville!" 

"Hermione! It's so good to see you." He gave her a huge hug. "You look amazing." He gave her a little spin as he said it.

"So do you! Good summer?" 

"Great actually, well until they announced we all had to come back." 

"Right. I'm glad to not be the only one annoyed. I received a letter that the new Studies of the Non-Magical World class would be going on field trips to visit muggle born students' homes. They wanted to know if I would open up my home for a class trip." Hermione rolled her eyes as she finished her statement. 

As her statement finished, Ginny entered the compartment. “Good Morning.” She said. 

Hermione and Neville responded in kind. 

“Ginny, have you heard, the Studies of the Non-Magical World class will take us on field trips to muggle born homes. Meaning, we get to go to Hermione’s house.” 

“Ooh, I’ve never been into a muggle home before.”

“Me either.” Neville added. 

“I’m sure it will be an enlightening experience for you both then.” Hermione added. 

“Mione, just so you know. Ron, and Harry found Dean and Seamus and sat down with them.”

“No worries, I’m good here with you and Neville. Has anyone seen Luna?” 

“Well you should be seeing me now, as I’m right here.” Luna joined Ginny, Hermione, and Neville in the compartment.

“How are you feeling about this year?” Neville asked Luna. 

“Well, if I can make it through this year without getting crucio’d or kidnapped, then I think it will be an okay year.” The group laughed. 

“Last year really did leave all of us with really low standards.” Ginny said, and Neville agreed.

“I’m sorry we left all of you last year. I hope you know we didn’t want to abandon you.” 

“Hermione, it wouldn’t have been safe for you.” Ginny said.

“Don’t apologize. You, Harry, and Ron were on a completely different mission.” Neville added. 

“I’m just thankful we’re all here together.” Luna joined in. 

“Me too Luna, me too.” Hermione said, giving Luna a hug. 

At 11:00 am, the train pulled out of Kings Cross to start the journey to Hogwarts. The group of four settled into their compartment and filled their time with familiar conversation. Before long, it was time for Neville, who was head boy, to head to the Prefect meeting.

“Are you coming, Hermione?”   

“No, I’m not a prefect this year.” 

Neville looked at her astounded. “What?” 

“I told Professor McGonagall I wanted a quiet year without having to be responsible for others. She understood.” 

“Oh wow. Okay then. I’ll see you all after the meeting.”

10:50 The Slytherin Carriage 

“Holy shit. Who the hell was that? She’s hot!” Blaise Zabini asked his group of friends. 

“I’ve never seen her before in my life.” Theodore Nott added. 

“Who is that? Does anyone know of any transfers this year? She looks our age. I really want to know where she got her dress, and her purse.” Pansy was still in awe of the girl that just walked through. 

“Guys, she looks just like my mystery girl from the Order of Merlin Ceremony.” Draco added. 

“Did you ever figure out who she was?” Theo asked. 

Draco took a deep breath before responding. “It was Hermione Granger.”

“Haven’t you had a crush on Granger since she punched you in the face in third year?” Pansy smirked, and Draco glared in response. 

“Damn, if that’s Granger then summer sure as hell was good to her.” Blais whistled. 

“You’re not wrong Blaise.” Theo added. 

“Where the hell has that version of Granger been?” Pansy asked. “Prim, proper, and polished. I thought she was a pureblood transfer from somewhere. If she had been that put together in first year, she could’ve had everyone thinking she was a pureblood, especially with her grades.”  

At 11 o’clock, the train started pulling out of the station. Draco used the time before everyone got comfortable to have the informal Slytherin upper years meeting. 

“Oy fuckers.” Draco said, gaining everyone's attention. “The last year of school was awful for everyone regardless of house. The ministry could have thrown most of us in prison for our actions last year alone, but they didn’t. We’re being given a chance to grow, change, and be the example for the younger years.” 

“Here, here.” He heard someone shout. 

“Let’s try our best to use this year to learn and grow. Maybe we can even get rid of our own prejudices, and make new friends. Let's show the other students, who expect us to show hate, the good side of Slytherin. Who’s with me?” 

Draco was surprised to hear a resounding chorus of excitement from those in the Slytherin Carriage. He was hopeful this year would lead to a lot of growth for everyone, including himself. Azkaban had already started that transformation

 3pm - Neville, Luna, Ginny, and Hermione 

“How did the prefect meeting go, Neville?” 

“It went well. Everyone's a little nervous, and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I kinda feel bad for the Slytherins.” 

“Why’s that?

“Their prefects were terrified to be in the room. I can’t imagine how the rest of their house is feeling.”

“Oh wow. They must be in a really difficult position this year. Facing years of brainwashing by their parents, now coming into a year they know is going to be about relearning.” 

“I think you’re right Hermione. That was one thing the Slytherin prefects asked to say to the group off the bat. They wanted everyone there to know that Slytherin house upper years have already discussed a zero tolerance policy for prejudice or bigotry, and they would do their best to be open minded and try their best to grow and learn. They just asked us to share the information with our houses so people would give them a chance.” 

Hermione, Luna, and Ginny all looked at one another, impressed by the symbolic gesture. “How did the other prefects feel about that?” 

“Some were immediately on board, others were more hesitant. Honestly, I can’t blame the hesitant ones after what we all experienced last year. Susan Bones, the Head Girl, expressed that we can request for everyone to keep an open mind, but she expected their treatment to be based fully upon their actions.”

“That’s wise and very fair. I’m happy to hear Susan is Head Girl.” 

“Hermione, a few years ago I think we all would have expected you to be throwing a fit if you weren’t head girl or a prefect.” Neville chuckled. 

“Growth is important.” Hermione laughed. “I hope everyone is open minded about how much I’ve grown, and changed over the last year. I hope the Slytherins will be given the same opportunity to grow and change like I’ve been given.” 

There was a consensus among the four of them that they would lead by example with giving the Slytherins a chance. Hermione decided to walk the train, visit some of her other friends, and grab some snacks off the trolley.

She first stopped by the compartment where Harry, and Ron were sitting with Seamus and Dean. “Hey guys.” 

“Uh, who are you?” Dean asked.

Harry, and Ron Laughed and said, “Hi Hermione.”

“Hermione, it’s good to see you. Bloody hell, you look fantastic.” Seamus said. 

“Thank you. I just wanted to let everyone know that the Slytherins have already expressed interest in being given an opportunity to grow and learn this year. Susan Bones, has just asked all of us upper years to remain open minded.” Hermione said. 

Ron rolled his eyes, and scoffed. Harry nodded solemnly. Seamus and Dean just looked at one another before Dean responded. “Actions speak louder than words. They will be judged on their actions moving forward, but they can’t expect us to just forget all the shit they put us through.” 

“I agree with you.” Hermione added. “I won’t keep you from your conversation. I was just hoping we could be a united front for Gryffindor.” She finished and started walking the train. 

She stopped again when she saw the Patil Twins in a compartment by themselves looking forlorn. “Padma, Parvati. It’s good to see you.” She said softly. 

The twins looked at her for a moment, confused by who was talking to them. “Oh my god. Hermione, is that you?” Parvati asked. Hermione nodded her head.

“You look amazing, and look at you, you’re wearing makeup, and your hair is not frizzy.” 

Hermione laughed. “Shhh, don’t give away my secrets. How are you two?” 

“I’m alright.” Padma said. “I just want to get through this year and move on with life.” 

“I feel the same way. What about you Padma?”

“It’s been rough. Things were alright for a while, but when they announced the requirement to return to Hogwarts, I kind of lost it. It feels like the ministry didn’t even take into consideration that many of us lost people we care about here.” Parvati said, getting tears in her eyes. 

Parvati continued. “For those of us who fought, and were there, how could they not think about the fact that we will look around and see the places where our friends died. Lavender hasn’t even been buried for four months and we are just being shoved back into the school.”

“Can I give you a hug?” Hermione asked Parvati, who nodded in response. She gave her friend a hug, and let her know she wasn’t alone in her frustration. She gave Padma a hug as well, and let her know where she was sitting in case they needed her.

5:00 pm

Hermione kept walking the train, looking for the trolley. She kept missing the trolley, and had finally decided she would just walk into the Slytherin carriage and stop by the cafe. Before she made her way into the carriage, she came across a crying little girl, who looked like a new first year student. 

“Hi there. I’m Hermione, what’s your name?” She asked the first year. Who looked terrified.

“I’m Winnifred, Winnifred Yaxley, but my friends call me Winnie.” 

“Are you alright Winnie?” The first year was teary eyed and looked like she was unsure of what to do. 

“I’m scared.” The little girl responded. 

“Why are you scared?” 

“My whole family has been in Slytherin. What if I end up in Slytherin too?” Winnie just cried harder as she said this. 

“There’s nothing wrong with being in Slytherin Winnie.” 

“But I overheard some other kids saying that all Slytherin’s are bad and should be in Azkaban.” The little girl looked up at her with big doe eyes. 

Hermione shook her head. “Not every Slytherin is bad. Just like not every Gryffindor is good, and not every Ravenclaw is crazy smart. It's’ all about the choices that you make along the way.”  

“Do you know the name Severus Snape?” Hermione asked, and Winnie shook her head yes. “He was a Slytherin, and without him helping us fight, we never could have won the war. Do you know the Black Family?” Winnie shook her head yes again. 

“Like your family, the whole Black family was in Slytherin. Until Sirius Black came along, he ended up in Gryffindor. His brother, who was in Slytherin, also ended up helping the war effort.” 

Winnie had finally stopped crying and looked up at Hermione with admiration. “There are plenty of Slytherin’s throughout history who were not bad. So don’t be sad if you end up in Slytherin. Be proud, and stand up for what you believe a Slytherin should be, not what other people think a Slytherin is.”

“I can do that.” Winnie said confidently. 

“Now would you like to meet some Slytherins? That way you know people in case you are sorted into Slytherin.” Winnie nodded her head excitedly. Hermione offered the young girl her hand, leading her into the Slytherin Carriage. 

Hermione entered the carriage with her head held high, holding Winnie’s hand. Everyone in the carriage went silent as she walked through the carriage with Winnie, and walked right up to the Slytherin 7th years. 

“Draco, Pansy.” Hermione used first names as an olive branch. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. Do you have a moment?”

“Hermione.” The pair said cordially in unison. “Do you need us to come with you, or are we okay to talk here?”

“Talking here is fine. This is my friend Winnifred Yaxley. She comes from a family that has a trend of being in Slytherin. After the war, she’s afraid about ending up in Slytherin.” 

Pansy, and Draco looked at one another. This is what they were worried about. Kids with a Slytherin lineage, who were now afraid. They let Hermione continue before saying anything. 

“I reminded Winnie that there are plenty of good people who came out of Slytherin, and told her that if she did get sorted into Slytherin she should be proud, and stand up for what she believes a Slytherin should be, rather than what others think. I was hoping you all would be able to tell her more about the history of Slytherin, and introduce her to some people?”  

“Of course we can.” Pansy said. “Hi Winnie. I’m Pansy Parkinson. I’d love to expand on what Hermione has told you about Slytherin.” 

Winnie looked at Hermione, unsure if she should trust Pansy. Hermione reassured her. “It’s okay. You can trust Pansy, she’s a prefect, so you can always turn to her when you need help. Are you going to be okay?” 

“I think so.” Winnie whispered. “Hermione.” 

“Yes, Winnie.” 

“Thank you.” She said, giving Hermione a huge hug. 

“Pansy, Draco, thank you. If you need me, I’m in the third carriage back with Neville, Ginny, and Luna.” 

Hermione walked towards the cafe at the front of the carriage and finally ordered her tea, and dinner. Then she made her way back to her compartment.

6pm Slytherin Compartment

Pansy, Draco, and the rest of the Slytherins told Winnie everything they could about their house. After an hour Winnie had calmed down, and they were able to introduce her to some of the repeat 1st years in their house who helped her settle in nicely. 

“Are we going to talk about the last hour?” Theo asked. 

“We should, because what the hell just happened?” Blaise whispered. 

“One, we confirmed the person we saw earlier was definitely Hermione Granger. Two, I think she just extended a metaphorical olive branch by bringing Winnie to us. Three, when did she get so hot, confident, and well spoken?” Pansy asked. 

“I’m so confused.” Draco added, his friends laughed at him. “She walked in here, commanded the attention of the whole room. Soothed a Yaxley. Called Pansy, and I by our first names, and then walked right out. Did I get that right?”

“Sounds about right based on what I witnessed.” Theo assured him.

“I never had Granger down as the one who would make the first move to extend an olive branch, but she really wasted no time. I like this new version of Granger.” Pansy said with a laugh. “This is going to be an interesting year.

6:10 pm 

Hermione made her way back to her compartment. Where she shared her dinner with her friends, and drank her tea. She looked at her watch and noticed the time. The train should arrive around 8pm. She decided to take this time to change into her uniform. 

“Should we all get changed into our robes?” 

“It’s about that time isn’t it?” Ginny asked. 

“Let me just grab mine. I’ll go change in the loo so you three can use the compartment.” 

Once Neville left, the girls quickly changed into their robes. Hermione was thankful she splurged on the luxury material, it definitely felt nicer than her old cloak, and was far more comfortable. When she, Ginny, and Luna were all changed they opened the door, and shades letting Neville know he could come back in.  

The next few hours passed in a slow, comfortable rhythm of conversation, and games. That was until they heard the conductor make the 15 minutes until the arrival announcement. The train got eerily quiet, as though all of the passengers had just realized that this was real. They were going back to Hogwarts, as students, for the first time since the Battle of Hogwarts.    

Chapter Text

Chapter 13

September 1st, 1998 

The train was filled with silence, as students young, and old, came to terms with what was about to happen. The last 15 minutes of the trip felt like hours. Everyone was silent, scared and unsure. At 8:05 pm, the train stopped, and the conductor made an announcement. 

“Welcome to Hogsmeade Station. This is your stop for Hogwarts.” 

Robotically, prefects opened the carriage doors allowing the students to make their way onto the platform. Like every year, they were instructed to leave their luggage on the train as it would be brought up for them. Harry, and Ron found Hermione, and Ginny standing together frozen. Each willing the other to take the first step towards the carriages. That’s when they heard it. 

“First Years, this way please. All first years to me. New and Repeat First Years, this way please. We will be taking the boats across the lake.” Hagrid called. Preparing to take the first years to the castle over the lake as was tradition. 

Harry, and Ron walked with Hermione, and Ginny over to the carriages where everyone had stopped. Noone was boarding the carriages. It hit Hermione in that instant. So many people who started school in the previous year couldn’t see the thestrals. Now nearly all of them could. She heard whispers of “What are they?” and “I thought the carriages pulled themselves.” That’s when she said something to Harry. 

“Harry, they’re all seeing the thestrals for the first time.” 

“Oh shit.” He responded. 

Hermione quickly looked around for the Head Boy and Girl, but they were preoccupied helping Hagrid with the first years. So Hermione stepped up, and talked loudly so everyone could hear her. 

“How many of you are seeing what pulls the carriage for the first time.” She asked. Over 75% of the students raised their hands. 

“They’re called thestrals. They can only be seen by those who have seen death.” As she finished her statement, she heard gasps from the crowd. 

“Due to the circumstances of last year, most of you can see them now.” Hermione walked over and started petting the thestral leading the first carriage. 

“They’re incredibly gentle, and capable of pulling immensely heavy loads. None of you are going crazy. It’s just another magical creature.” Hermione finished. 

Neville, and Susan heard the end of Hermione’s speech. They took the first steps towards getting into a carriage, and extended their hands to some of the lower year students. Seeing that, all of the students started to load into the carriages, finally making their way up to the school. 

Hermione sat down in a carriage next to Ginny and took her hand. She wiped her eyes with her other hand. The two girls looked at one another, and already wanted to cry. They knew they had to be strong. 

The carriages dropped them off just outside the castle entrance. There were multiple professors waiting for them. When Headmistress McGonagall saw Hermione, she made her way over to say hello. 

“Hermione, Ginny. I hope you had a nice summer. Do you happen to know why the carriages were late?” 

“The ministry kept my summer occupied with frivolous engagements that were a waste of my time. Other than that, it was fine. To answer your question, the carriages were late because 75% of the students saw thestrals for the first time. Which led to everyone refusing to get in the carriages.” Hermione snapped.  

“Oh, no.” The Headmistress said, as she stepped away from Hermione. This was the moment it truly hit Minerva, there was no way this year could be treated anything like a normal year. If calm, cool, and collected Hermione was already snapping, how were the other students feeling?

Hermione, Ginny and the other returning Hogwarts students made their way into the Great Hall, which had largely been restored to look the same as before. Everyone took their seats at their house tables, and sat silently waiting for someone to bring in the first years. Up at the head table, the teachers sat observing the students in front of them. They expected many things, but this was not one of them. The complete silence, and withdrawal of most students hurt more than any bad behavior could. 

After what felt like an eternity, Hagrid walked all of the first years into the Great Hall. They all looked small and terrified. Hermione saw Winnie among the group, and sent her a little smile before the sorting ceremony started. 

The Headmistress stood to quickly address the students before the sorting ceremony. “Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. There are no words to adequately convey what everyone in this room has gone through over the last year. We as a staff, just hope you all will keep open minds, and hearts as we navigate through this new year together. I will introduce the new staff members following the sorting ceremony.” 

Professor Sinastra, the astronomy professor, stepped forward and placed the sorting hat on its stool. Where it started to sing its song. 

You may not think I’m pretty, 

But it doesn’t matter to me. 

Your past, present, and future

Are all that I can see. 

Right now the world is turning, 

And the young minds are churning.

While all of us are yearning, 

To know where you belong. 

 

You may belong in Ravenclaw 

Where intellect and creativity are key. 

 

Or maybe you identify with Hufflepuff 

Where justice and loyalty reign supreme. 

 

Your home could be Slytherin 

Where the clever and determined dwell. 

 

Maybe you’re a Gryffindor,

With a brave and chivalrous heart.

 

At the end of the day, 

No matter what I say. 

The sorting is just the start. 

No matter where you’re sorted, 

Always follow your heart. 

 

Stand united as Hogwarts. 

Regardless of your House,  

Because when strife among us, 

We can be toppled by a mouse. 

 

Don’t let your house define you, 

I am here to remind you, 

No matter how far you roam,

Or what house you call home, 

Hogwarts will always be here 

To welcome you back home.  

Hermione looked at Harry, and Ron. The three of them were impressed with the sorting hats song, and lightly clapped. They were soon joined by the rest of the students. The clapping quickly died down, as it was now time to start the sorting. 

“This year, we will give all of last year's first year students a chance to sit with the sorting hat again. This will allow the hat to make any necessary changes as there are some who believed the hat was bewitched last year. We will proceed through alphabetical order.” Professor Sinastra started calling names. 

Elijah Abraham was the first student called, and also the first Slytherin. Everyone was silent, and little Elijah looked scared. Hermione refused to let any child feel that way, so she immediately started clapping for the newest Slytherin, soon everyone joined. At the same time, Draco Malfoy walked up to Elijah and offered his hand. He welcomed him to Slytherin with a smile and walked him over to the table. 

Grace Adams was next. She was sorted into Hufflepuff, and everyone clapped. Susan Bones followed Malfoy’s lead, and walked over to her, welcoming her to Hufflepuff. As each student was sorted a new tradition developed. Everyone would clap regardless of house, and an upper year student of their new house would walk them to the table. 

Up at the head table, the headmistress was stunned. It had been a very long time since everyone had clapped for one another during a sorting. It was a simple show of unity, but it made her emotional. She looked at her colleagues, Pomona Sprout, and Filius Flitwick, who both looked emotional, yet extremely proud of their houses, and they made sure to join in the applause. 

The last student sorted was little Winnifred Yaxley. She confidently sat upon the stool and put the sorting hat on her head. The little peanut was nearly a hatstall, but was eventually sorted into Slytherin. She was met with lots of applause, across the hall and escorted by Pansy Parkinson back to the table. 

With the sorting now complete, it was time for the Headmistress to make all the formal introductions. 

“Congratulations everyone. Again, welcome to Hogwarts. There are some start of term notices we must announce before we tuck in to dinner. First, I would like to introduce you to our staff. Given the number of changes we have, I am going to introduce everyone, even those who have been here a while.” She took a deep breath before starting again. 

“I’ll start with the returning professors, some of which have taken on new roles. Teaching Charms, is the head of Ravenclaw house, and the new Deputy Headmaster, Professor Flitwick. Teaching Herbology, is the head of Hufflepuff, Professor Sprout. Teaching Astronomy, is the new head of Slytherin, Professor Sinastra.

“Also returning this year are Madame Hooch - Flying Instructor, Professor Vector - Arithmancy, Professor Babbling - Ancient Ruins, Professor Grubbly-Plank and her apprentice Professor Hagrid will teach Care of Magical Creatures, and Professor Trelawney will teach those with the gift for divination.” 

The students lightly applauded, thankful for the continuity in as many staff members as possible. Hermione whispered to Ginny. “They’re still missing professors for Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts, History of Magic and Magical Culture , and Study of the Non-Magical World.” Hermione looked around curiously, but didn’t see anyone new. 

“We are also pleased to have Madames Pomfrey, and Pince returning in their respective fields. Now onto the new professors. I can see many of you looking around wondering who will fill the spots for Potions, Defense, and the two new Courses. Professors, as I call your name please enter the Great Hall.

“Teaching History of Magic and Magical Culture, is Professor Andromeda Tonks.” The headmistress was cut off by applause that resonated throughout the hall. Professor Tonks was a popular choice, as she was in touch with the non magical world, but as a Black by birth, she grew up learning about Magical History and Culture. 

“Teaching Study of the Non-Magical World, is Professor Campbell. She is a 1978 graduate of Hogwarts, and has spent a lot of time outside of the magical world.” The new professor entered the room. She was roughly Ginny’s height and looked like she was no older than Sirius and Remus. 

“She was one of the people whose name was on the letter I received from the Ministry.” She told Ginny. 

“Our Potions Master is Professor Williams, who is joining us from the USA.” He entered, waved to the students and took a seat at the head table. 

“Finally, I am proud to announce we have a Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor that has been hired on a multi year contract.” That alone received a huge applause from all of the students. 

“I’m pleased to introduce you to Professor Remus Lupin, who will also be head of Gryffindor House.” Minerva smiled as she heard the cheers from the students. Remus was universally liked by all students, so everyone was glad he was back. He walked out laughing and waved to everyone. 

“Harry did you know?” Hermione asked. 

“I had no clue, this is great.” Harry laughed. 

“Now, Professor Lupin has agreed for me to tell you the following. He has lycanthropy. Due to his condition, he has chosen to be a commuter professor. Meaning he will not live on the Hogwarts grounds, and he will not stay on the grounds past 4pm.” 

“Honestly that’s a great compromise.” Hermione said to Harry, who nodded his head in return. 

“Lastly, as a staff we are pleased to announce your Head Boy will be Neville Longbottom, and Head Girl will be Susan Bones.” There was loud cheering at the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, and from all previous DA members. 

“I appreciate your patience during all of these announcements. I know there’s a lot this year. Tomorrow morning, we will have a formal breakfast, where we will talk more about the changes happening this year. There is more I need to cover, but I don’t want to keep you from dinner. I’ll have one final announcement before you head to your common rooms, but as for now, let's eat.” As Minerva said let's eat, food appeared on the tables. It was well past 9pm, and everyone was quite hungry. No one wasted a moment before diving into dinner.

45 minutes later, nearly everyone was finished eating. Minerva decided to make her final announcements as people finished their dessert. Standing at the podium, she used a sonorous charm to amplify her voice. 

“Just a few final announcements. We are trying something new this year. The first three full days of term will be what we call Syllabus Days. Each class will only be 30 minutes, you will use that time to go through the curriculum for the upcoming year. Your professors will also have your major exams, and assignments outlined in the Syllabus as well. This idea has been brought to us by Professor Campbell. It's commonly used in non-magical higher education and makes sense to use here as well.” 

Hermione listened to the chatter around her. Most people seemed interested in what syllabus day would be like, and all were open to having something new. 

“The last thing I want to bring up before we all turn in for the evening is this: We are all still healing from the events that happened here on May 2nd. Healing will look different for each and every one of you, and that’s okay. 

“For many of you, being back here will be hard, and full of unpleasant memories. Here where you were supposed to be safe, you were tortured, attacked, and watched those you care about suffer the same fate. We know this will not be easy, but we all hope to earn your trust.

“We will be having mind healers present this year. You can speak to them anonymously, as needed or make recurring appointments. We are also looking for the best way to remember those we lost. If you have suggestions, please bring them up to your head of house, or any staff member you are comfortable speaking with. 

“As a staff, we are hopeful this year will bring you healing, and closure. Our doors are open, and we are happy to help you as much as we can. I hope all of you have a restful evening. We will further discuss the changes in the morning. Prefects, please lead your classmates to your dormitories. We will see all of you in the morning.”

When Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny made it up to the common room they immediately collapsed on the couches. They were soon joined by Parvati, Dean, Seamus, and Neville. 

"This feels surreal." Parvati said to the group. "Lavender should be here."  They all nodded. 

"No one should've had to die." Harry said. 

All of a sudden Seamus ran up the stairs to the dormitory. He came back down with a bottle of fire whiskey. Hermione transfigured a set of glasses for the group. 

"To all who died." Said Seamus

"To Lavender Brown." Said Parvati

"To Sirius Black." Added Harry

"To Mad Eye Moody." Neville added.

"To Dumbledore." Ginny said.

"To Ted Tonks." Dean raised his glass.

"To Dobby." Ron added.

"To Cedric Diggory, and all those whose lives were taken from them far too soon." Hermione contributed.

"This year we will live, love, and laugh for everyone we've lost. We will have the best year we can and we will dedicate it to their memories. Cheers." seamus concluded.

"Cheers!" The group responded. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 14

September 2nd, 1998.   

Night One, complete. Hermione woke up around 6:30 before her alarm went off. It had been over a year since she had spent time in a dormitory, and she had gotten used to having privacy. At least getting up early meant she'd have the bathroom to herself for a little while. 

After a shower she pulled her hair back, put on some makeup, and made sure she was ready for the day. When she re-entered the dormitory from the bathroom she saw that her roommates had started to wake up. She changed into her uniform, and started packing her school bag. Thankfully these next few days would be light due to the new syllabus days. 

"Are you ready to go down stairs?" Hermione asked Ginny. 

"As long as we are headed to breakfast. I need caffeine."

"Me as well. If I don't have tea or coffee there is no way I'll get through the day." 

"To breakfast?" Ginny asked. 

"To breakfast." Hermione agreed. 

They went down the stairs and entered the common room. Surprisingly Harry, Ron, and some firsties were awake. "Good Morning. Are you all ready to head down to the Great Hall?" 

"Yes. I need some caffeine." Harry said. "Mione, you got me hooked on morning tea, and now I can't function without it." 

Hermione chuckled. "Hey firsties, if you'd like an escort down to the Great Hall you're more than welcome to walk with us."

The small group of first years fell in line behind Hermione. They followed her every move down to the Great Hall. As though they were memorizing the route to not get lost. They made it to the Great Hall just as breakfast appeared on the tables at 7:30. 

Hermione, Ginny, Harry, and Ron took their usual seats at the Gryffindor table. They all had the tea they were craving before they engaged in any conversation. Once Hermione finished her tea, she tried to get a read on the tone in the room. It definitely was more quiet, and forlorn than it had been in years past.

"Was it like this last year?" 

"Yes, and no." Ginny responded. "It was different. There was fear, a lot of fear. Detentions turned into torture, and with the way the Carrows were running things you could either be tortured, or forced to torture your friends." 

"Holy shit." 

"Yeah, it wasn't that great of a time. So far things just feel sad. We all know how much death there was. It's like Hogwarts is grieving with all of us." 

"You're right. That's exactly what it feels like."

Before the pair could say anything further, Headmistress McGonagall started with her morning announcements. Hermione looked at her watch, 8am on the dot.

"Good morning. I hope you all had a restful night. We have a few more announcements to make this morning. First, as you finish your breakfast, your heads of house will start passing out your schedules. Once you have had time to look over your schedule we will move forward with announcements."

As Professor McGonagall finished her statement, Professor Lupin approached handing out schedules. Chatter increased as everyone started comparing schedules. Hermione began looking over her schedule. 

Monday: (Lecture Day) 

9:00-9:45 Defense Against the Dark Arts (Prof. R.J. Lupin)

10:00-10:45 Charms (Prof. F. Flitwick) 

11:00-11:45 Transfiguration (Prof. M. McGonagall)

13:30-14:15 Potions (Prof. J. Williams)

14:30-15:15 Herbology (Prof. P. Sprout)

Tuesday:

9:00-9:45 Arithmancy (Prof. S. Vector) 

10:00-11:30 Defense Against the Dark Arts (Prof. R.J. Lupin)

13:30-15:00 Charms (Prof. F. Flitwick)

Wednesday:

9:00-10:30 Herbology (Prof. P. Sprout)

13:30-15:00 Potions (Prof. J. Williams)

15:30-16:15 Arithmancy (Prof. S. Vector)

Thursday: 

10:00-11:30 Transfiguration (Prof. M. McGonagall)

13:30-14:15 Arithmancy (Prof. S. Vector)

Friday: (Lecture Day) 

9:00-10:30 History of Magic and Magical Culture (Prof. A. Tonks)

10:45-12:15 Study of the Non-Magical World (Prof. E. Campbell)

She was thankful she had dropped Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Ruins. Her schedule was full enough that she wouldn’t be bored, but not so full that she wouldn’t be able to relax. The balance she was giving herself this year should finally give her a year without academic stress. 

Ginny and Hermione started comparing schedules. They were taking many of the same courses, just in different year groups. The only major difference was Ginny preferred Ancient Ruins over Arithmancy, while Hermione liked the numbers side of things more. 

“Now that we all have our schedules, let's discuss how the syllabus days will be managed. This week we will not follow your daily schedule. If you look at the back of the schedule you were given, you will see that you were given a separate schedule for this week.” Professor McGonagall started to explain, while everyone turned over their schedules.

Wednesday:

9:00-9:30 Defense Against the Dark Arts (Prof. R.J. Lupin)

10:00-10:30 Charms (Prof. F. Flitwick) 

11:00-11:30 Transfiguration (Prof. M. McGonagall)

Thursday: 

10:00-10:30 Potions (Prof. J. Williams)

14:30-15:00 Herbology (Prof. P. Sprout)

Friday: (Lecture Day) 

9:00-9:30 History of Magic and Magical Culture (Prof. A. Tonks)

10:45-11:15 Study of the Non-Magical World (Prof. E. Campbell)

“Each class will only be 30 minutes long, and there will be an extended passing period between classes. Upper years, please help any lost looking first years. Your professor will use class time to discuss the curriculum for the year, and go through any necessary introductions.” 

There was a light rumble through the Great Hall as everyone started comparing their syllabus day schedule with one other. The 6th and 7th year students, enrolled in NEWT Courses, were happy to see how light their first week back would be, as they knew their NEWT years would get stressful. 

“Settle down. Settle down. There are a few additional start of term notices I need to cover. In order to remove any prejudice in the awarding of House Points, we have come up with a universal points system. This will also be posted on the notice boards in your common rooms. 

• Answering a question correctly when called on - 5 points
• Performing a demonstration in front of the class (when called on) - 10 points 
• Going out of your way to assist a teacher outside of class - 10 points 
• Going out of your way to assist another student outside of class - 15 points 
• Special services to the school - 25 - 50 points, depending on the service.”

“When points are to be removed, as part of discipline, it will also be a uniform amount.

• Using derogatory slurs, or curse words - 5 points taken
• Late to class without a note - 5 points taken
• Repetitive use of derogatory slurs, or curse words (3rd+ offense) - 15 points take 
• Out of bed after hours or caught out of bounds - 15 points taken (1st offense), 25 points taken (2nd offense), 50 points take (3rd+ offense)” 

“If you believe points have been taken, or given unfairly there will be an appeal process. Professor Sprout, and Professor Vector are in charge of the house points appeal program, and will inform me of any problems.” 

Neville looked thankful for how clear the points system was. When he noticed the confusion on Hermione’s face, he whispered; “Last year, they would take points from anyone who wasn’t a Slytherin for the dumbest things. Once I lost points for breathing too loudly during a test.”

“He’s not kidding.” Ginny added. “I lost points for screaming too loudly while getting crucio’d.”

Hermione looked at her friends, and just shook her head. Sure, she saw a lot of messed up things while they were on the run, but she was still in disbelief that anyone would treat children the way her friends, and classmates were treated. One one hand she was glad she missed out on the torture, while on the other, she felt guilty for abandoning her friends. 

“One last thing before you head to your first class.” Professor McGonagall said. “All Quidditch Captains, plan to meet me in the transfiguration classroom at 5pm for a small meeting.” 

Ginny, and Harry looked at one another. Usually the Quidditch Captains only communicated with their heads of house. Not the Headmistress. They were curious what the meeting was about, but knew they’d have to wait until 5pm to find out. 

Hermione looked at her watch and noticed it was 8:45, she turned to Harry and Ron. “Are you two ready to Head to Defense Against the Dark Arts?” 

“Yep.” They echoed one another. 

“See you later Ginny. Neville, are you coming?” Hermione called. Neville looked at the time, nodded his head, and followed along.

9am - Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom 

“Good Morning Everyone, and welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts. My name is Remus Lupin, and I’m happy to be back teaching you. You will have class with me two days a week. Mondays will be discussion and lecture day. Tuesdays, your double period, will be the day for practical work. Do we have any questions to start us off?” He asked, looking around the room. 

“None? Good.” Professor Lupin started passing out the class syllabus. 

“If you look at the top of the sheet, you see that we will start with rules. Now, you’re all over the age of 17. Which means you’re adults, and that is how I will treat you. That does not mean we can ignore safety, which is the biggest rule in my classroom. On practical days, when there’s a lot of moving around, all bags and cloaks will be kept at the back of the room. This will minimize the potential for any tripping hazards. Also, do not cast any magic until the safety wards have been erected around the room. This is to keep the observers safe. Do you all understand?” 

“Yes Professor Lupin.” The class responded. 

“I have designed this course with two objectives in mind. One, for all of you to pass your NEWT Exams with flying colors. Two, with the goal of each of you passing an Auror or Hit Wizard entrance exam.”

Harry and Ron looked at one another. Even after all they had been through, both still wanted to join the Auror department. Around the room there were a lot of impressed faces, while a few did look hesitant, mostly the Slytherins. 

“Now as we move forward in this class, we will have a lot to cover. We will spend our first three  weeks doing a review of everything you should have covered up to this point in your education. Then we will have 30 weeks of learning, and two weeks of review before your NEWT exam. Any questions?” Looking around the room again, Lupin was pleased there were not any questions. 

“If you look at the syllabus in front of you will see it is currently blank. Before I tell you what you will be learning this year, I want to hear what each of you hope to take away from this class. Please, no need to raise your hands. Let’s start discussing.”

Harry was the first to say anything. “I’d like to learn about group combat techniques.” 

Hermione added, “Defense techniques outside of defensive spells.”

Now that two people had broken the ice, more students were participating in the discussion. Pansy Parkinson jumped into the discussion with, “I’d like to learn more about proactive defense versus reactive defense, and when to use both.” 

“Yes! These are all wonderful examples.” Lupin said excitedly. “What else?” 

“Protection against dark creatures.” Neville threw in. 

“How to mentally handle your thoughts, and feelings before, during, and after an attack.” Everyone in the room went silent, as most of them had forgotten that Malfoy was in the room with them. 

“You have all brought up wonderful examples.” Lupin said. He then waved his wand and the course material section of the syllabus became visible. “If you look at the syllabus in front of you, you will see that we will cover all of that and more. Please take a moment to look over the paper in front of you. Don’t hesitate to ask questions.” 

Ron was the first person to ask a question. “Professor, I don’t see anything on here about proper dueling.” 

“You would be correct Ron. The reason I didn’t include dueling is that when you’re being attacked, the last thing you will be worrying about is proper dueling protocol. If there’s interest in dueling, I’d be happy to talk with the Headmistress about starting a dueling club.” 

All around the room, many of the male students nodded. There seemed to be significantly less interest from the female students in the room. “Alright then, I’ll ask the Headmistress if we can start a dueling club this year.” As Lupin finished his statement, the bell rang, indicating their first class period was complete.

10 am - Charms Classroom

Hermione looked around the room and noticed many of the same faces from her Defense Against the Dark Arts Class. There were a few new additions, but most were the same. She also noticed that if she looked closely, she could tell where the new pieces of the castle were. She remembered this area had taken a pretty hard hit from a bombarder spell, and definitely needed repair. She kept looking around to see what was new, as those involved in the restoration tried very hard to make things seamless. 

“Good Morning.” Hermione heard Professor Flitwick say, which pulled her out of her trance. 

“Good Morning, Professor.” The class responded. 

“I am happy to see all of you here. Going into this year we have revolutionized the charms curriculum, to ensure you all have the best chance to pass your NEWT exams, and are properly set up for your future.” 

“I know repeating your 7th year at the behest of the ministry is not what many of you wanted to do. I hope that together, we can use this year to learn, grow, and move forward while honoring those that are no longer with us. Now, in front of you is your class curriculum.” Professor Flitwick said as he passed out the syllabus.

“You’ll see that we will be starting to cover more advanced magic. We will use next week to review what we covered last year. If everyone still has a firm grasp on what we learned, we will move forward with the more advanced material. Any questions?” 

Hermione raised her hand. “Do you happen to have a list of what you covered last year? Those of us who weren’t here may want to look it over to see what we missed out on.” She asked politely. 

“Yes Ms. Granger. Anyone who missed out on last year, please see me after class if you’d like that material.” The short Professor blushed, as he realized his mistake. 

Charms continued much like Defense. There was some discussion over course material, but it was mostly reading through the syllabus. Hermione was happy to learn that in addition to advanced charms work, they would also cover things like household charms, healing charms, and basic enchantment. 

When the bell went off, signaling the end of class, Hermione, Hary, Ron, Dean Thomas, and Justin Finch Fletchly all stayed behind to get a copy of last year's material from Professor Flitwick.  

“I’m sorry I didn’t have this on hand when you asked for it Ms. Granger. That was very foolish of me.” The Professor Apologized. 

“It is no problem. I just want to make sure I can keep up.” The rest of the group nodded along with Hermione’s statement. 

“If any of you need any help, please don’t hesitate to keep up. I don’t want what you had to go through last year to hold any of you back from success in this course.” Professor Flitwick said. 

“Thank you.” The group responded before leaving the room. 

In the hallway, Hermione took a deep breath and looked at Harry, and Ron. “One more class. We can do this.”

11am - Transfiguration Classroom

“Good morning class.” The Scottish professor welcomed her 7th year students. 

“Good Morning.” They responded. 

“I’m not going to waste your time this morning. The curriculum goals are on the whiteboard, and in front of you all there is a class syllabus.” 

Hermione looked at the sheet of paper in front of her. She was thankful to see that Professor McGonagall broke down the curriculum by week, and included all tests, and homework assignments on the syllabus. 

“As you can see by the paper in front of you, our requirements are outlined on a weekly basis. We are not stuck to that weekly schedule. If we choose to move faster as a group, we can use the extra time we have to learn about the things you all have interest in.”

This piqued the interest of the room. The students looked around at one another. All were trying to decipher how their peers felt about what Professor McGonagall just said. There was some definite interest in the line about moving faster to learn what you have interest in. 

“Our overall goal this year will be advanced transfiguration, on a larger scale. This may include human to animal transfiguration, and environmental manipulation. Of course we will also have to have discussions about advanced theory, but I hope we can keep those entertaining, and instructive. Do we have any questions so far?” No hands raised, the 7th years seemed like they were just ready for lunch and to end their day. 

“If we have no questions, I don’t see why I need to keep you until the bell rings. I hope you all have a nice day. I will see you on Monday.” The Professor said dismissing them. 

The transfiguration class, released early, and with most students having an empty schedule for the day made their way down to the Great Hall early. Rather than everyone dispersing to their house tables, they loitered at the back of the hall conversing amongst themselves. 

“What do you think Professor McGonagall meant by her statement of moving faster means we can use extra time to learn about what we’re interested in?” Hermione asked the group. 

The first to answer was Pansy. “I’m hoping she meant exactly what she said. Wouldn’t it be nice to learn about the things we want, rather than only the things dictated by the exam.” 

“You make a good point.” Harry added. “Maybe we could even convince her to alter the curriculum in a way that meets the objective but focuses on the practical applications that would apply to us.” 

“That would be bloody brilliant.” Ron added. 

“How should we approach her though?” Hermione asked. 

“I think the best thing to do would be to talk to her as a group, if everyone is interested.” Draco said. To his surprise everyone nodded in agreement. “I think we will have a much more valid argument if we present a united front so to speak.” 

“That makes sense.” Susan Bones added. “Maybe it’s as simple as we request that the discussions always include examples of practical application for whatever we are learning.” 

“Do we want to wait until Monday, or should we ask her now?” Theo asked. To which the group responded with a resounding “Huh?” 

Theo continued. “She is right at the front, and there’s no one else here right now.” 

“Fuck it, why don’t we just ask her now while we are thinking it.” Blaise added. 

“I agree with Blaise, fuck it.” Hermione said. She was completely oblivious to everyone staring at her like she had lost her mind because she swore.  

Hermione started walking towards the front, with the group following. Draco was standing directly next to her, ready to provide the united front they spoke of.

“Excuse me, Professor McGonagall. Do you have a moment?” Draco asked, gaining the attention of all the professors. 

“What can I do for you Mr. Malfoy.” As she responded, Professor McGonagall realized she was faced with her 7th year class, not just Mr. Malfoy. 

“We just had a discussion as a group and we were wondering if you were open to a suggestion for the discussion portion of class.”

“What did you have in mind?” 

Harry nudged Susan, as she had the initial idea. “We wanted to request that class discussions include examples of practical applications of transfiguration. It wasn’t something that was highlighted often in the past, but we think it could help us align your curriculum with the things we want to learn. So rather than feeling like we have to rush through what you have to teach us in order to learn what we want, we meld the two together.” 

“This is something you’re all interested in?” She asked the group in front of her. 

“Yes ma’am.” They said and nodded their heads. 

“Well if the whole class is on board, then let me take some time to see how I can best incorporate your idea.” 

“Thank you professor!” They all said, now making their way to their house tables for lunch. 

Minerva returned to her seat at the head table, where the other Professors who had come down to lunch early were waiting to hear what just happened. Unable to wait any longer, Remus was the first to ask.

“What was that all about Minerva?” 

“That was a united front of 7th year transfiguration students asking me to change my curriculum. 

“Did I hear you correctly? They asked YOU to change your curriculum?” 

“You did. They asked me to add discussions about the practical application of transfiguration to each topic we cover. I’m not even mad. It’s a good idea, and they were all on board with it.” 

“Wow. If that’s what they’re doing on the first day of classes, I can’t wait to see what  it’s like at the end of the year.” Lupin commented.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

Hermione woke up around the same time as the day previous. She went through her morning routine, got ready for the day, then walked down stairs to meet her friends. The group went down to Great Hall for breakfast as they had the morning before. It was weird how quickly they could fall back into their old routines, no matter how little they wanted to be repeating their year. -

Today was a short day. Hermione only had two classes, Potions at 10:00, and Herbology at 13:30. After breakfast she was planning to stick around the Great Hall to write a few letters before classes. She told her parents she would write, and she wanted to send her first letter home before the weekend. 

Breakfast passed quickly. She made sure to have her morning tea, in addition to her breakfast. Tea was now fully required for her to function everyday, or else she turned into a raging bitch. She was thankful the Great Hall was emptying so she could spread out and finally write home. She pulled some paper, and her favorite pen out of her bag, and began to write.

Mum & Dad,

I miss you guys. Things are different here. Sadder. It's like the castle is grieving, and we can feel it. Honestly, I've only been here two days and I'm over it. I'm more homesick than I've been in a while.

We haven't really done anything yet. They've only had syllabus days so far. It was fine enough, but I can't bring myself to care. I gave up so much of my life to fight for the magical world, and last year changed everything. The more I think about it, the more I just want to walk away from everything, and go to uni. 

I'm sorry for my ranting. I'm just missing you guys, and the horses. I got used to being on my own, enjoying the quiet, and not having to deal with people constantly. 

Mum, can you please send me the dates for the Dior show that John wanted me for. Could you also send me the Horse show dates. I want to get the Portkeys arranged.

I miss you both a ton. If anything more happens I'll be sure to write.

All of my love.

Hermione

She didn't know what to write to her parents. Her feelings were largely unchanged from how she felt at home. Right now, she was just upset. She was thankful there was a school out who had perched next to her in the hall. She offered the letter to the owl, who gladly allowed her to attach her letter to its leg before flying away. 

Taking time to look at her watch again she realized she would need to start heading towards her potions class soon. Looking around she realized Harry, and Ron were nowhere to be found. She packed up her bag, and started in the direction of the potions classroom.

10:00am - Potions Classroom. 

"Good morning." The new potions professor said to his class, who all responded in kind. 

“My name is John Williams. You may call me Mr. Williams, or Professor Williams. I received my Potions Mastery, and a PhD in Chemistry from New York University - Magics Department.”

Hermione looked at the new professor impressed. He held his mastery, and a PhD in Chemistry, which is far more of a muggle study than the traditional masteries their previous professors had received. She turned her attention back to the professor. 

“Before we start, I’d like to take a roll call, as this is my first time meeting you all. Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones, Terry Boot, Mandy Brocklehurst, Michael Corner, Tracey Davis, Hermione Granger, Anthony Goldstein, Daphne Greengrass, Sue Li, Ernest Macmillan, Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson, Padma Patil, Parvati Patil, Harry Potter, Zacharias Smith, Ronald Weasley”

There was silence from the students as the Proffesor called their names. Everyone answered as their names were called, but largely remained quiet. There were a few names left unsaid as some of their classmates had not survived the year prior.

“I’ve reviewed the requirements for your N.E.W.T.S exams, and developed a core curriculum that will ensure you’re prepared for exams. In addition, I’ve reviewed the notes left behind from your previous professors and have decided to further bolster your theoretical potions knowledge. This will help you determine the best path in your brewing, and aid you in making alterations to your potions that will make them better.”   

The new professor started handing out the class syllabus. “Now, rather than put the curriculum points in the syllabus, I’ve put the potion we will be working on that week. It is my expectation that you show up on lecture day having already read the recipe, and history of the potion for the week.” 

He continued. “Our lecture period will include a discussion of the potion properties, and possibilities for improvement or customization. Following each lecture, you will be assigned to write your Potions Plan, which is what you will use to brew your potion during our double periods. I know this isn’t what you’re used to, but I want to help you all learn how to move beyond blindly following a recipe in a book. Does anyone have any questions about the curriculum?”  

Draco Malfoy raised his hand.

“Yes Mr…” 

“Malfoy, sir.” 

“Ah, what is your question Mr. Malfoy?” 

“I’ve noticed we have Potions and Herbology double periods on the same day. Will there be any correlation between what we learn in Herbology and Potions?” 

“Good catch on that one, and fantastic point. 5 points to Slytherin. I think that’s how that works…” The class chuckled in response. 

“There will be some correlations. Now I can’t say every week things will correspond, but I have worked with Professor Sprout to make sure we can correlate the two subjects whenever possible. We will even have potions where you will pick your ingredients fresh during Herbology, then use them in your Potions.” 

“Thank you sir.” Draco looked impressed with the new professor's response. 

Around the classroom the other 7th years were also impressed with Professor Williams' answer. Professor Snape hated explaining things, and couldn’t stand when students asked clarifying questions. While Professor Slughorn was quaint just sitting at the front of the classroom allowing students to blindly follow the book.

“If I have the time correct, the bell should be going off momentarily. Thank you all for your time today. I look forward to working with you, and getting to know you all better.” As Professor Williams finished his statement, the bell rang dismissing the class.

11:30 - Great Hall

The owl Hermione had sent off with a letter to her parents had already returned. He was holding her parents' response on his leg. As she saw the owl in question, she rushed over to it, excited her parents had already responded. 

Mya, 

We are sorry to hear how the mood is down all across Hogwarts. That must not help with lifting anyone's spirits. Please know we love you, no matter what, and we will always be here for you. I think what the ministry is asking of you all, following the year you just had is unfair. It’s like they’re trying to take complete advantage of the situation. Your feelings, and frustration are absolutely valid. 

In regards to your questions about John & Dior, we actually received a letter from him yesterday. I've enclosed it for you to read. It was waiting for us when we got home from dropping you off at Kings Cross. Interestingly enough, it was delivered by Owl… 

The show he wants you for is the first weekend in October at the British Museum. Read his letter, it should explain more. 

As for the Horse Shows, here is what we are already signed up for: 

October - 3rd Weekend Bicton

November 20 - 24 Le Pouget France

Dec 12-13 Geneva

Jan 2-4 Opglabbeek Belgium

Feb - Last weekend Montelibretti Italy 

March - Last week WEF Myakka City FL 

At least one or two of those shows I'd like you to ride some of my horses. Also, one of them is show jumping only. I figured it wouldn't hurt, specially if I have you ride one of my jumpers. 

Let us know if these dates work for you.

XOXO 

Mum & Dad

She read the letter from her parents again. They gave her the information needed to make sure Kingsley got the Portkeys set up. She would need to write to him after responding to her parents. First She wanted to look at the letter from John. 

Emma, 

It was great to meet you a few weeks ago. I hope that Hermione's event went well. I'm just writing to give you more information about the event I told you about.

We would need Hermione at the British Museum of Art at 3pm on Saturday, September 26th, and 27th, the event goes until 11:00pm. She would be compensated for her time consistent with standard rates.

If you could share this with her, I'd appreciate it.

John G. (Dior)

She looked the letter over and was confused. Mum had said the letter was delivered by owl, which would make sense if he was a wizard. Deciding to check the letter over, she pulled out her wand to cast a quick spell. 

"Revelio." She said with her wand pointed at the letter. The letters on the page started to shift, and rearrange themselves into a completely different message.  

Hermione,

I just wanted to make you aware of a few things, 1. I'm a wizard, Hogwarts class of 1977. 2. Dior is ubiquitous among the upper echelons of Wizarding society, and we would love to share the magical side of the store with you on the next visit.

As much as I'd love to chat, and share stories I'll save that for another time. I also wanted to thank you, on behalf of all of us with muggle heritage, for what you have done fighting for our freedom. 

Like I told your mum, the show is at the British Museum of Art at 3pm on Saturday, September 26th, and 11 am on the 27th, the event goes until 11:00pm on Saturday, and 7pm on Sunday. We will make sure you're compensated properly. Do you want compensation via monetary means, or would you be interested in product compensation? Product compensation means I would handpick pieces for you.

Talk Soon! 

John

Well that was certainly unexpected, but not unwelcome. Now it makes more sense why thought she had seen Narcissa Malfoy. She penned a quick response to John, thanking him for reaching out, and letting him know she would be honored if he would handpick pieces for her. 

Hermione took a quick break from her correspondence to make sure she ate her lunch. She was happy to see the House Elves had started adding more light options to the lunch menu than they had in previous years. This year she wanted to ensure she paid attention to her health and fitness after everything she put her body through last year.

Just before 13:30 the Great Hall started to empty as students headed to their next class. Hermione didn't have Herbology until 14:30, so she had time to waste. She thought through her to-do list, which thankfully was still rather short. The last thing she needed to make sure she did was write to Kingsley, since he promised to make sure she had Portkey's to travel for events. She had time to do that now, so she decided to get it out of the way. 

Kingsley,

I have a schedule of events in my personal life that I need help arranging excuses, and portkeys for. Remember you said you would help with no questions asked. 

October 3rd, leave in the morning, 4th leave after 8pm. London, UK.

October 16-18. 

November 20-24. Le Pouget, France. 

December 11-13. Geneva, Switzerland. 

February 26-28. Montelibretti, Italy 

March 19-28. Myakka City, Florida, USA. 

Days where I leave on Fridays, it will be best to leave after classes. Also, on days I return, it would be best for me to return around dinner time. If you need to share with Professor McGonagall that's fine. I figure someone here should know where I am. 

Also, I think you should know the mood here is very somber. It feels like the castle is grieving from all the death that happened in its walls. Also, when we got off the train, and everyone walked to the carriages no one was prepared for the thestrals. So the mood here isn't great, and there are alot of people that resent the ministry for forcing everyone back so soon. 

Just thought you should know.

Hermione.

Herbology was quickly approaching. Hermione was paying close enough attention to the time. She made her way to the owlery to send her letters off, then made her way to Herbology.

14:30 - Herbology, Green House 7 

"Good afternoon 7th year. This year our curriculum is not restricted by anything other than your N.E.W.T. exam requirements. This year will be much different then the material we covered last year. That is in part to your new potions professor. He approached me about integrating some of our course material together." Professor Sprout said as she passed out the syllabus.

Professor Sprout had all of her students undivided attention. It wasn't often an established professor altered the way they taught their course, so no one wanted to miss a thing.

"This year we will focus on more then growing, and caring for magical plants, herbs, and fungi. Our goal will be to understand how different growing factors alter the magical properties of the plants, and analysis of the magical properties and potencies. In potions you will use that information to assist you in modifying your potions." 

The class was still giving Professor Sprout their full attention. Hermione's mind was spinning. How come, in their final year, were they just starting to talk about correlations between their courses. If that had been discussed from the first year, many more students would've likely excelled. She looked over at Neville who seemed to be having a similar revelation. 

"Professor, given the significant correlation between plant properties, and potions, why is this something we are just learning now?" Neville asked. "If the properties of individual ingredients correlate to the properties of a final potion and its potency, then why are we not first taught that?" 

"I've never thought about it like that before, nor have I heard it discussed among my mentors. Neville, could you please stick around after class? I'd like to further discuss that theory with you." Professor Sprout requested, the bell ringing shortly after she finished talking.

Chapter Text

Chapter 16

The day started like any other. Hermione woke up, got ready for the day, then made her way to breakfast with Harry, Ginny, and Ron. There was a buzz among the seventh years, who had the Ministry's new required courses for the first time.  

9:30 History of Magic & Culture 

10:45 Study of the Non-Magical World

No one knew what to expect. They had two new professors, and Ministry requirements.

9:30 - Magical History and Culture

At 9:30 all of the 7th years congregated in one of the ground floor classrooms that was previously unused. The room was quiet as the students waited for their professor. 

"Good morning 7th year. Before we get started, I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Andromeda Tonks, nee Black. I have a Mastery in Magical History and Culture. I was contacted by the Headmistress, and the W.E.A. to teach History of Magic & Culture." The professor introduced herself.

"The goal of this course is to create a safe space for discussions about the magical world. You will only have one year of this course, so my intention is to give you all an overview of magical history. Excluding the Goblin Wars. I'm sure you've heard enough about that."

The professor's joke earned the laughter of the whole class. Which made her smile. 

"Now, on the syllabus in front of you I have outlined the course objectives for the year. We will cover magical religions, governments around the world, sports (other than quidditch), Grindelwalds War, and the history of prejudice within the magical community. We may even have the opportunity to take field trips to magical sites. Do you have any questions?"

Milicent Bullstrode raised her hand, and was called on by the Professor.

"Why do we have to sit through a class on this when many of us have been learning some of these topics at home for years?"

"That is a great question Ms. Bulstrode. You are correct, many of you have been learning this stuff for years. This course will be fully discussion, and participation based. In this room we have 35 people, each of you was raised differently, each of you have independent thoughts, values, and opinions. 

"In order for the magical world to thrive, we need to make sure our culture, and history are appreciated. If we can start these discussions in 1st year, we can build a world that's far less divided where blood status is concerned."

That statement caused a grumble throughout the classroom, but Professor Tonks didn't let it slow her down. 

"How many of you are aware that Magical Britain has been in a birth rate crisis since the 1930's?" She asked the class. 

No one raised their hands.

"Interesting." She wrote something down on a piece of parchment.

"How many of you know that Squibs are only born into pureblood families?" 

"Again, no one? Interesting." Looking around the room, Professor Tonks again made a note on her parchment. 

She had everyone's attention, and even though their syllabus period was about to end, she had the students exactly where she wanted them.

"We will talk about the history of Squibs and Magical Birth Rates in our next class. I would like all of you to be prepared to contribute to the discussion next week. Thank you for a great first class. See you next week." Professor Tonks said, dismissing her class.

Draco Malfoy was still thinking about what their new professor had said. Looking among his group of friends, he realized how most of them didn't have siblings. in fact, there were very few slytherins who had siblings. 

The group of slytherins made their way into the Great Hall where they would wait before their next class. 

"Anyone else still thinking about what the professor said?" Pansy asked.

Theo, Blaise, Daphnee and Draco all nodded their heads.

"I am. I mean look at us. Daphnee is the only one of the five of us that has a sibling."

"Right." Pansy said. "Look at our house as a whole, 85% of our housemates don't have siblings."

"Did your parents want more kids but had trouble?" Draco asked the group.

"I think I was a fluke." Blaise said. "My mom used to tell me she didn't want kids, and can hardly keep a husband. So I wouldn't count my family."

There was a laugh from the group. 

"My mum died when I was only five, but I remember her telling me I would make a good big brother one day." Theo said.

"My parents wanted a son. To this day they tell me how disappointed they were that I was a girl." Pansy added.

"Even though I have Astoria, I remember my mum wanting to have another but never being able to get pregnant."

The group of friends were silent, thinking about the implications of a birth rate issue in the magical world. That's how they stayed until they made their way to their next class.

10:45 Non-Magical Studies

The 7th years had settled into another new ground floor classroom where they were greeted by another new professor.

"Good Morning. My name is Professor Campbell. I will be your Non-magical studies professor this year. How many of you have spent any time in the non-magical world before?" 

All of the students including the purebloods raised their hands. It was quite common for most wizards to interact with muggles regularly in some capacity.

"How many of you are muggle born?"

The 5 muggle born students raised their hands.

"Like a few of you, I am of non-magical heritage." The professor said, to the many of the students' surprise. 

"When I graduated from Hogwarts in 1978, there were only 4 other muggle borns. Three of the four of us went back to living in the muggle world upon graduation. How many of you are aware that 75% of muggle born students return to the muggle world following graduation?" 

A few of the muggle born students, including Hermione raised their hands. While the rest of the classes jaws dropped as they learned the news.

"Of those of you that are muggle born, now many of you have kept up with your non-magical education in your free time?" 

All 5 of the muggle born 7th year students raised their hands, to their classmates' surprise. 

Harry, and Ron looked at Hermione with surprise when she raised her hand. They had been unaware she kept up with her muggle education.

"Now, I've worked with the Ministry to come up with a curriculum that will not only teach you about the muggle world, it will ensure you don't stick out when you venture into the muggle world.

"The best way to do this is actually to spend some time in the muggle world. We will go on field trips to notable places in the non-magical world."

This caused a buzz among the students, as any excuse to get out of Hogwarts for a while was welcome.

"Outside of field trips, we will cover the basics of assimilating into the muggle world from money management, transportation, technology, sporting, even some muggle history, and its correlation to magical history. Does anyone have questions?"

Everyone stayed silent, many unsure about everything they were hearing.

"Now, I believe it's only fair that you all learn why the Ministry has chosen to make this a required course." 

This statement perked up the class, their curiosity getting the best of them. 

"While the ministry was interviewing the families of those who sympathized with Voldemort, they found a consistent pattern of manipulation, and imperious curses. This course is an attempt at allowing all students to form their own opinions of the muggle world."

Most of the students looked impressed with the professor's honesty. 

"Now one of the last pieces I want to share with you, is that our field trips will also include visits to the homes of your muggle born classmates."

Harry, Ron,and the rest of the Gryffindors looked at Hermione when this was said, as they knew next to nothing about Hermione's home life.

"The visits to their homes were arranged by the Ministry, and their families before the start of this school year. Now do any of you have any questions?" 

"Where will we be going for the field trips?" Blaise Zabini asked.

"We will cover the destinations as they relate to what we are covering in class. Many are locations that many muggles regularly go to on school trips."

Blaise looked like he wanted to ask more questions but bit his tongue. 

"Now the bell is about to ring. So if there are no questions, feel free to leave early." Professor Campbell said dismissing the class.

The 7th years were finished with classes for the day. Most of them made their way to the Great Hall for lunch.

During the Lunchtime mail delivery, Hermione received a letter from Kingsley, and a letter from the Headmistress. 

Hermione,

What in the world? When I agreed to help you, with no questions asked, I didn't expect you to need to travel more than I do as minister. I did have to make Minerva aware as a safety consideration. So please don't be surprised if she reaches out to you. 

I have enclosed your first portkey with this letter. It's set for the vocation and time you asked for. As you just vaguely said London, I set it for you to arrive in my office. 

The rest will be delivered prior to the date needed. 

Kingsley

In the envelope there was also a plastic hair comb with a post it, that read portkey. She left the comb in the envelope, then put the letter, and envelope into her bag. She moved on to the letter from the Headmistress.

Hermione,

I just received an interesting litter from Kingsley. Obviously, I'll support whatever is needed. 

I am curious what you have going on. Let's touch base Friday before supper in my office, does 5pm work for you? The password is Tabby Cat.

See you soon, 

Minerva

Well this would be interesting. Professor McGonagall was her Head of House for six years, and Hermione still got intimidated by the woman.

"What've you got there?" Ginny asked. 

"Hi Ginny, I didn't see you come in."

"You wouldn't have, not with your head buried in that letter."

"Yes, well it was a very interesting letter." Hermione rolled her eyes, and Ginny started laughing. 

"Apparently I've got a meeting with the Headmistress before dinner." 

"Ooooh. What did you do?" 

"Nothing to my knowledge. I guess we will see though." Hermione trailed off.

"How was your first day of the new ministry classes?" Ginny asked Hermione, Harry, and Ron. 

"I don't know how I feel about it." Harry said "I think the field trips could be fun though."

"It seems like it could be interesting. At least we no longer have to deal with Binns. I wonder how they got rid of him?" Ron added.

"I'm just impressed that the Non- Magical Studies Professor actually has significant experience in the muggle world. Also her talking points seemed interesting. Especially as a muggle born." 

Ginny, Ron, and Harry laughed at Hermione's statement.

5pm - Headmistresses Office

Hermione arrived outside Professor McGonnagals office. She said the password "Tabby Cat" and gained access to the stairway. She knocked on the door at the top of the stairs before entering

"Good evening Ms Granger." 

"Good evening Headmistress." 

"I hope you're settled in well."

"Well enough, considering how late we received notification about coming back this year." 

"Yes, I wish we could've gotten notifications out to everyone sooner. I thought you were planning on coming back this year before the Ministry mandated it."

"No ma'am. I had no intention of coming back."

Minerva looked back at Hermione in shock. "Excuse me?"

"I had no intention of coming back before the ministry mandated it. I was going to take my N.E.W.T. exams at the Ministry, then move forward with my life."

Minerva was surprised by Hermione's admission. She was her brightest student, and the last one she expected to not return. 

"Oh wow." 

"Yes, I had plans in place for myself this year. Then all of a sudden on August 1st I learned my year wouldn't be young as planned…"  Hermione trailed off. 

"Is that What Kingsley is helping you with?" 

"Yes. I kind of went off on him after the Prophet Article came out. He told me he would help me attend the events I had already committed to."

"Ah, I see then.  Any interest in sharing where you will be off to?"

"Not really, no. I'm assuming Kingsley shared locations already?" 

The Headmistress shook her head yes. 

"Then that should be sufficient for now Headmistress." Hermione said curtly. 

"Hermione. Please call me Minerva in private." 

"If you wish, Minerva." 

"Also. Hermione. If you ever need to talk about everything you've been through this past year, my door is always open." She trailed off.

Hermione thanked Minerva than led herself out of the office.  

Chapter Text

Chapter 17

Saturday morning… They made it through the first week of school. There was a collective, unspoken hope from all the returning 7th year students that the year would pass quickly. Today though, they had no homework to work on, and no plans. That was until the announcement that was made at Breakfast.

"Good morning everyone. Now that we've reached our first weekend I would like to make an announcement. This year we have more, of age students than ever before. We have decided those of you 17 or older, should have the freedom to come, and go as you please."

This led to an excited rumble from the students in question.  

"Now, this is only for outside of class time, and you must still return by curfew unless you have cleared it with me, or your head of house."

Hermione, and Ginny looked at one another excitedly. A similar exchange happened at the Slytherin table. 

"The one thing I will require if What if you are leaving the grounds to please sign out using the books at the back of the hall." The headmistress concluded.

"Well that's nice." Hermione said to the group. She was excited for any amount of freedom.

"Oh yes, so nice. Giving a group of adults, who shouldn't even be forced to be here, permission to be adults and do adult things. They should be commended." Ron said sarcastically.

"What's got your wand in a knot?" Harry asked Ron.

"I'm just over all of this shit. They've shoved all of us back here because the Ministry wants to start mandating shit." 

"Ron."

"They think that they'll be able to fix all of this shit that goes so much further than school kids with a few simple classes!" Ron continued, his face burning more and more red. 

"Ron!" Hermione yelled again trying to distract Ron. She was unsuccessful.

"How can the ministry NOT understand that nothing, NOTHING will change when some death eaters are STILL running free, to spew their evil views. What does a class change if people still go home to hateful views?" 

Ron's voice was so elevated, that students at the adjacent tables were starting to pay attention.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Hermione shouted. "Enough! Quit shouting about things you don't understand. Calm yourself down, and go for a walk before you get in trouble!" 

Hermione's shouting pulled Ron out of his rant. He glared at her, embarrassed, and stormed out of the Great Hall. The hall was silent. Everyone had heard Hermione Granger put Ron in his place.

"I'm going to go make sure he's alright." Harry said as he left the Great Hall to chase after Ron. 

"Damn, Mione. That could've given one of mum’s howlers a run for it." Ginny said.

"I'm sorry Gin but he deserved it. He needs to gain control of his temper." 

"No one disagrees with you Mione. Look around."

Looking around she noticed Ginny was right, no one looked mad. Neville looked impressed. Over at the Slytherin table, Draco, Theo, and Pansy looked like they wanted to applaud her. Luna looked like she hadn't been paying attention.

"Honestly Hermione, he really did deserve it. You haven't heard the way he's been in the common room. This was mild in comparison to some of the stuff he's been spewing." Neville elaborated.

"Well, I'm glad I was able to say something. He shouldn't talk like that. We are all frustrated being back. He doesn't have to be rude." 

Neville, and Ginny nodded. 

"It also was good for the firsties to see another student stand up to that behavior." Neville added. 

"Okay, well. Now that we have our new found freedom do you guys want to go to the Three Broomsticks?" Hermione asked. 

"I can't." Ginny said. "I've promised Harry we would go through all the quidditch changes today, and create a path forward." 

"I'm up for it." Neville said. "Can Luna, and Susan come?" 

"Of course!" Hermione then turned to Ginny. "What do you mean quidditch changes?"

"Have you not heard yet? They completely changed the quidditch format. They're trying something new. Two teams per house, 2nd - 4th year developmental team, and then the standard team which will compete for the house cup." 

"How is that working out with quidditch captains?"

"Harry said he wants to work more with the developmental team, but still play on the cup tearn."

"Will the developmental team get to play games against one another?"

"They will. Their games will be timed to only an hour, with the snitch, and bludgers charmed to not be as difficult." 

"Oh Wow. No wonder you and Harry have to go through all the changes."

 "Speaking of, I should probably head out to meet up with Harry. Have fun in Hogsmeade!" Ginny said as she left the Great Hall.

Hogsmeade

Hermione, Neville, Susan, and Luna made their way towards the Hogwarts gates. Once at the gates they apparated into Hogsmead, and made their way to the Three Broomsticks. 

The last time Hermione had apparated into Hogsmeade was before the Battle of Hogwarts. When she landed that time she was greeted with a Caterwauling Charm. Thankfully there was no such greeting this time.

Entering the Three Broomsticks, they realized there were no other Hogwarts students there yet. 

"This isn't a Hogsmeade Weekend." Madame Rosmerta said when the group walked in.

"New rules madame, 17 and up can come and go as they please as long as it is within curfew hours." 

"Well alright then. What are you having?" 

The group took a booth near the windows. Hermione, and Susan ordered Butterbeer, while Neville had a fire whiskey, and Luna some elvish wine. It wasn't long before their drinks were ready and they settled in. 

"So what do you all think of the new mandated classes?" Luna asked.

"I think there is a lot of potential there. I can see how Magical History and Culture could be beneficial for those muggle borns, and half bloods that spend the majority of their time in the muggle world." Neville said.

"I agree. My hope is that if this class can teach more appreciation of magical culture, then the purebloods who have issues with muggle borns will see that the tradition isn't being lost." Susan added.

"That's a valid point. There was so much I wanted to learn about the magical world. Binns was useless, and there's only so much you could learn from books without talking to people about their experiences.” Hermione explained. 

As the group of four was talking, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Theo Nott, and Blaise Zabini walked in. 

“Oy, what the hell do you think you’re doing here?” A random customer yelled. 

The Slytherin’s stopped in their tracks. Unsure how to take being confronted. 

“Shut up you.” Rosemerta scolded. “They’re here for a drink, and that’s fine by me.” 

Neville looked at Susan and Hermione who both gave him a small nod in silent agreement. 

“You four, just pull up a chair and come over here.” Neville said to the Slytherin’s, diffusing the tension. 

The group of Slytherin’s were confused by Neville’s generosity, but realized they had no place to argue. They made their way over to Neville’s group to join them. 

“Thank you, Longbottom.” Draco said. 

“Just Neville please, or you’ll make me feel like Snape is back to yell at me.” 

The mixed group laughed at Neville’s statement. 

“Oh my gosh, do you guys remember when Neville’s boggart turned into Professor Snape?” Hermione said. 

Laughter at the table continued, as they all re-lived the memory. 

“I think the best part was when it turned into Snape wearing your Grandmum’s clothes. Snape couldn’t understand why we kept laughing at him that week.” Theo told the group. Causing more laughter. 

“This sounds wonderful. Can someone show me the memory later?” Luna asked. To which Neville agreed.   

“We’re obviously thankful for you diffusing the tension earlier Neville, but why invite us over?” Pansy asked. 

“On the train during the prefects meeting, you asked for us to give Slytherins a chance and be open minded. We can’t expect any of the other students to do that unless we do it as well, so we  decided that we have to lead by example.” Susan said. Again, Hermione, Neville and Luna nodded along in agreement. 

“Thank you for that. We really are trying.” Pansy replied. 

“There are so many kids in Slytherin, who have at least one parent in prison. We’re seeing a lot of them, the young ones especially, start to question their parents beliefs. Throw in the 6th and 7th years that are actually excited for the field trips in Non Magical Studies, and our house looks completely different.” Draco added. 

“It’s nice to know that open mindedness is going both ways.” Luna said. “Hermione was just telling us how she’s interested in the Magical History and Culture class as there’s so many things about this world she could learn from books.” 

“Granger, saying books are not enough? What?” Blaise said dramatically. Earning a laugh from the group. 

“Merlin, have I really made everyone believe that I have absolutely no common sense?” Hermione drawled. “As I said earlier… Sure, there’s plenty you can learn about in books, but without talking to others about their experiences how can you truly learn?” 

“Damn Hermione, who are you and what have you done with the annoying swot who would just regurgitate facts from a book?” Pansy asked. 

“She’s dead. Got sick and tired of trying to get people to accept her for her smarts.” 

“Well then who are you now?” 

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see Pansy.” 

“I like this new version of Granger, she’s fun!” Blaise said. 

“Oh Blaise, you have no idea the fun and the secrets this version of me has.” Hermione added with a smirk, stunning the Slytherins into silence. 

“Damn Hermione, you’ve changed. I like it.” Susan said with a laugh. 

“Or maybe I’ve just gotten sick of hiding who I am…” Hermione said cryptically. 

Draco looked at Hermione with curiosity. There was definitely far more to this girl than meets the eye, and he was about to make it his mission to find out. After a few moments of awkward silence, conversation continued.

“So, before you all arrived we were discussing the new mandated courses. You mentioned how your classmates feel, but how do you four feel about them?” Neville asked curiously. 

Pansy was the first to respond. “Honestly, I’m kind of excited for both of them. My mum’s biggest concern with muggle borns was the loss of magical culture. So to hear Professor Tonks discuss the preservation of that, and Hermione saying how there’s so much she’s wanted to know but no one would discuss gives me hope. I’m hopeful there’s a way to preserve magical culture, and be accepting of those with different backgrounds.” 

“See that sounds like a legitimate reason to be concerned about muggle borns.” Hermione said to the surprise of the Slytherin’s. 

“Why the look of surprise? Honestly I’ve always been surprised, and upset by how little is done to teach muggle born students about the magical world. We’re kind of given a Hogwarts letter, then told to just deal with it…” 

“Wait what?” Draco interjected. 

“You heard correctly. We’re given our letters, told where Diagon Alley is, and when to show up for the train. Then we’re just left to show up on September 1st like everyone else. The only difference is someone comes to explain, but they’re only there for maybe 30 minutes.” Hermione elaborated. 

“That doesn’t seem right.” Theo said.

“That makes how well you’ve done in classes even more impressive Hermione.” Susan said. “I was getting the basics at home for years before showing up for our first year.” 

Hermione could only grimace. “It’s why I feel like the disdain for the magical world goes so much deeper than just those who would call me mudblood . There’s a built in dislike for those who are considered outsiders throughout the magical world. People just have different ways of showing it.” 

For what felt like the 7th time, Hermione had stunned the group of purebloods silent. They were being forced to look at the magical world from a different lens as Hermione spoke. 

“Wow. I can’t really say you’re wrong at all. In fact it’s clearly present for everyone to see.” Pansy said. “Hermione, any time you want to chat about Magical History, let me know. I’d be happy to have someone other than these three to talk with.” 

“Thank you Pansy. If any of you have questions about the muggle world, I’d be happy to help or chat as well.” Hermione responded in kind. 

This was exactly the new start that was needed. A way forward powered by curiosity and acceptance, rather than hatred and disgust. Neville and Susan hoped this was only the beginning of the changes they would start to see at Hogwarts. 

Chapter Text

September 18th, 2023

The first two weeks of classes after syllabus week passed by swiftly. Hermione fell into a steady routine of classes, studying, and making new friends. She found herself spending more time with Neville, Luna, and Susan. They also kept up their Saturday drinks with the Slytherins at the Three Broomsticks.

With the new freedom to come, and go as she pleased, Hermione was able to make extra trips home to ride her horses. She was happy to spend more time with her parents, but was worried about people noticing that she kept disappearing alone. 

Hermione was excited for today. It was a Friday which meant 1) She only had two classes today, Magical History & Culture, and Study of the Non-Magical World. 2) Classes were done before lunch.

Magical History and Culture

"Good Morning." Professor Tonks greeted the class.

"Good morning." The class greeted her in return. 

"Today, we are going to discuss the history of Hogwarts, and its founders."

Hermione perked up when she heard this.

"How many of you have read Hogwarts, A History?" 

She of course raised her hand, and was surprised she was joined by 75% of her classmates. Among those with their hand raised was Draco Malfoy, and Pansy Parkinson. 

"Those of you who have read the book, what is your favorite part?"

Multiple hands raised, eager to share with the class. The professor was happy to see her students were excited to share. 

"Mr. Malfoy." Professor Tonks

"I enjoyed reading the history of the founders." 

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy. This brings us to what I wanted to cover. I have a bit of a surprise for you." 

Professor Tonks rolled out an easel that had a rather large, covered painting on it. 

"During the repair of the Castle this summer, we found something that you all may find interesting." 

She pulled the cover off the painting, and it showed a still portrait of four adults. Two males, and two females.

"Professor, Why would we find a still portrait interesting?" Seamus asked. 

"I wouldn't expect you to. One moment please." 

Professor Tonks did a few complex wand movements, and the portrait started to enlarge itself. Then attached to the wall at the front of the classroom. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hafflepuff. We were previously unaware the founders had an enchanted portrait hidden in the school."  

The seventh years who, regardless of blood status, were all accustomed to seeing moving, and talking portraits, were in awe as they realized the significance of the portrait. They would soon be able to talk to the founders, to learn directly from them!

"Good morning founders." The professor said.

"Good day. We hast not spoken with anyone in a long time. I am Rowena Ravenlaw. It is a pleasure to meet you." The Ravenclaw founder said in olde english. 

"Would you please introduce yourselves?" The four founders introduced themselves. They kept it simple, just sharing their names. 

"For today's class, the founders will be telling us the history of Hogwarts and the story of how the school was founded." 

The founders spent the next hour of the class telling the students about the history of the school. They covered how Hogwarts was intended to be a safe place for those with magic, given the hysteria of the muggles at that time. They discussed how they came upon, and built the castle, and even their admissions process.

"What is the true story of your feelings about muggle borns?" Hermione asked.

"We wanted Hogwarts to be a safe place for all magical beings. So everyone with magic was always welcome. The disagreement arose when discussing how we should bring muggle born witches, and wizards into our world." The Hufflepuff founder said.

"I was concerned about how we would keep muggle born children safe." Salazar Slytherin said. He continued, "There was so much fear in the muggle world that I wanted to ensure once we introduced them to our world, they would have safety, and support even when not at school." 

"He had a valid point." Godric added. "The question then became how. Rowena, and Helga were vehemently against pulling the muggle born children from their families entirely. Which was what Salazar and I wanted to do. We figured the only way to keep muggle borns safe from muggle prejudice was to pull them into the magical world from the moment they showed magic." 

"At that time, the muggle world was burning suspected witches at the stake. It was awful and terrifying, and we wanted to protect the magical children from that. I was willing to compromise on my stance to find neutral ground with Helga, and Rowena. 

“I was not.” Salazar Said.

“So your problem was never with muggle borns? It was with the way muggles treated witches, and wizards at the time?” Pansy asked. 

“You are correct. I wanted to do everything in my power to protect the muggle borns. That’s why my Chamber with Bessie existed. To protect the school from muggles with ill intent, if they somehow managed to break through the wards.”  

Again the students were astounded. The Slytherins looked like they had just been told that their life was a lie, and they were struggling to comprehend it. The Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were looking at the Slytherins with compassion. 

“The reason Slytherin was marketed as ambitious, and cunning was because I would do anything to protect those I cared about. Including muggle borns. We were meant to be the house of protection for all magical species. Our ambition, and cunning would give many of us an upper hand in politics to write laws to protect those who would otherwise be left unprotected.” Salazar finished. 

“So you were never interested in pureblood supremacy?” Draco asked. 

“No never. I just wanted us all to be able to coexist peacefully.” Salazar said.

With a smile, Professor Tonks ended the class as the bell rang. She was hopeful these new revelations directly from the founder would lead to even more open mindedness among the Slytherins. 

Study of the Non-Magical World. 

“Good Morning Class!” Professor Campbell said jovially. 

“Good morning Professor.”

“Today we are going to discuss muggle technology, and some things we will need to know for our upcoming field trip. Do we have any questions before we start?”

Looking around the room, there were no hands raised so the professor continued. 

“Now to start, I would like to remind you that we are leaving for our first field trip after lunch. Please meet me in the Great Hall at 1pm, in appropriate muggle clothing, or as close as you have to appropriate muggle clothing. As a reminder we will be joined by the 6th year students for this trip.”

There was a murmur among the students as they were excited, and curious about what the day would hold. 

“Today the first thing we are going to learn, which will be necessary for your trip into the muggle world, is how to count muggle money. This is something you will need during our field trips, if you would like to buy anything.”

Daphne Greengrass raised her hand. “Professor, how will we get muggle money if we all just have galleons and sickles?”

“Generally you would exchange your money into the needed currency at Gringotts, but for the sake of our field trips, you can exchange your money with me.”

“Does it just look different, or is the money valued differently?” Theo asked.

“Great question. Muggle currencies are different, depending on the location. Muggles in the United Kingdom use the pound sterling, whereas on the European continent they use the euro, and in the United States they use the dollar. We are only going to talk about the pound sterling, as that’s what you’re likely to use here in the UK. 

“Now in the Wizarding World we have three coins, galleons, sickles and knuts. There are 29 knuts in a sickle, and 17 sickles in a galleon. Meaning there are 493 knuts in a galleon.”

The class was nodding their heads, familiar with the currency in question. 

“In the muggle world, they use the pound note which is paper, and the pence. The big difference is they have multiple notes, and coins, all having different values.”

Professor Campbell showed photos of the different notes, and coins as she talked about them. 

“There are 100 pence in one pound. Pence coins come in values of 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p and 50p. You can use any combination of those coins to make a pound.”
She showed photos of the coins in question, and noticed the confused faces of the students who had no experience in the muggle world. 

“The best thing is all of the coins have their values written on them. In addition to the pence coins, there are also the 1 GBP, and 2 GBP coins. Now, in contrast to the Wizarding World, they have larger notes, valued at 5, 10, 20 and 50 pounds. This means that instead of carrying around 50 pound coins, they can just carry a single 50 pound note.” 

There was a rumble among the students. The purebloods, and those who didn’t spend time in the muggle world were overwhelmed, as maths wasn’t a core subject in the magical world. 

“How are we supposed to keep track of all of that?” Ron asked. 

“We will have to work together, and help one another to learn and navigate this.” 

Draco raised his hand. “How does muggle currency compare to wizarding currency?” 

“The direct comparison is 1 knut equals 1 pence, and 1 galleon equals 4.93. That is not the rate you will get at Gringotts due to fees. If you ask me to exchange your galleons into pounds we will use the simple exchange of 1 galleon equals 5 pounds. 

“Now I have some pound notes, and coins up here for you to come put your hands on and get used to. You can use the next ten minutes to get familiar with the currency.” 

The students converged on the front table and started playing with the money. There were confused questions about how paper had value, and how they were supposed to remember it all. For the first time, there seemed to be a confused camaraderie among the students regardless of their houses. The muggle born students, familiar with the currency offered their help to those not familiar. 

After ten minutes had passed, the students returned to their seats with even more questions. The remaining question was, how expensive were things in the muggle world? Professor Campbell gave examples for how expensive things would be where they were going, giving the students an idea of how much money they would like to bring. 

“I take it we all have a basic understanding of how muggle money works?” She asked the class. 

Heads nodding yes were given in return. 

“Today we are going to a muggle theme park. You will see muggle technology in action. Rather than wait until we are in the park to explain how things work, we are going to cover some of it now. 

“Most everything you see in the muggle world that lights up, or moves uses a form of energy called electricity. Those in the non-magical world have learned how to create this energy, and move it around to power the different things around them. Any questions?” 

Noone raised their hand to ask anything. When Hermione looked around the room, she thought most of the students looked confused more than anything. When the professor realized there were no questions, she grabbed 4 ward stones off of her desk, and placed them in the corner of the room. Using her wand, she activated the ward stones, and a dome formed around the students. 

“So you’re aware, I just created a magic free zone. This will allow me to show you some muggle technology.”

The professor briefly stepped outside of the ward stone, and lit what looked like a diesel generator on the terrace of the classroom. Once it was started, the muggle electronics within the bubble started to power on. Hermione recognized a TV, VCR, computer, boom box, and a small remote controlled car. 

Gasps could be heard around the room as the devices powered on, with no assistance. As this occurred Professor Campbell returned within the ward. 

“Now what I just did was turn on what is called a diesel generator. It provides energy to these devices, by way of the cable running along the ground.” 

The professor pointed to the white extension cord running from the generator to the different devices in the room. 

“Today on our trip, you will hear lots of music playing throughout the park. Most of it will come from a device like this one, with many spread out speakers.” She pointed to the boom box. 

“Now like our wireless radio, the muggles have their own. They also have the ability to store information on compact discs called CD’s, which these machines can play back.” 

Hermione laughed when she realized the professor was playing Celine Dions, My Heart Will Go On. 

“They also have the ability to watch moving pictures, with sound on this device called a television, or TV. Our TV has a device hooked up to it called a VCR. This device lets us watch things that have been recorded, and distributed like movies.” She hit the play button on the remote, and the opening scenes of the movie Titanic started. 

Hermione couldn’t contain her laughter. 

“Professor, I take it you enjoyed the Titanic movie that recently came out?” She asked the professor with a giggle.

Professor Campbell shot Herminie a playful glare and answered. 

“You would be correct Ms Granger.” 

The movie played for a few more minutes, then much to the classes frustration, she paused the movie. 

“Now one more piece of technology you will see in use today, in some fashion, is the. This device uses cables, and energy to connect to other computers around the world. I could send a message on this computer, to a computer in Australia, and it would arrive in less than 30 seconds. 

“Computers can look very different. Some look like the one you see here, others have buttons and knobs, with very simple screens. Those are the types you will see this afternoon.” 

Professor Campbell looked at her class. It appeared that she had broken half of her students. Those who didn’t live in the muggle world looked like they had been slapped across the face with new information, while the few muggle born students looked like they were trying not to laugh at their classmates. 

“One last thing before you all leave. Meet in the Great Hall at 1pm, wearing muggle clothes. We will portkey from there. If you need to exchange money, please come early!” She yelled as the students ran from her classroom. 

This afternoon was going to be a trip to remember.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19

September 18th, 1998 - Lunch 

After class, Hermione and the Gryffindor 7th years ran to the common room to change and grab their things for the field trip. Hermione changed into jeans, a simple t-shirt and grabbed a flannel shirt for warmth. She made sure to grab her muggle handbag, and wallet. Although she didn’t have cash on her, she had her debit card so she was all set. She was thankful most of her housemates were comfortable blending into the muggle world. The now mixed group of 6th and 7th year students made their way to the Great Hall to have lunch before leaving. 

Lunch went by without incident, until raucous laughter was heard over at the Slytherin table. Hermione looked up and noticed, the Slytherin 6th and 7th years came in looking like they were straight out of the 1800’s. They were being laughed at by their younger housemates. 

“Guys, look at the Slytherins.” Hermione said. 

“Should we help them?” Neville asked. 

“No, just bloody leave them be to embarrass themselves.” Ron said gruffly. 

“I’m going to help them.” Hermione said, glaring at Ron. 

Hermione made her way over to the group of embarrassed 6th and 7th year Slytherins. 

“If you’re here to laugh then shove off Granger.” Pansy said defensively. 

“Not here to laugh. Promise.” Hermione said quickly, hoping to diffuse the tension. “I assume the only pictures you’ve seen of muggles were from very old, and very out of date books?” 

The group all nodded. 

“Do you mind if I transfigure your clothes into appropriate muggle clothes?”

“Please!” Pansy begged. 

Hermione smiled at the worried Slytherin girl. 

“Are pants okay? What’s your favorite color?” 

“That’s fine, and purple please.” 

Hermione did a little wand work, transfiguring Pansy’s 1870’s dress into acid washed jeans, a black shirt and a dark purple over shirt. 

“Thank you so much Hermione!” Pansy said, giving Hermione a hug. 

“I was hoping you would do something like you were wearing. You look great by the way.” Pansy whispered. 

“Would anyone else like some help?” Hermione asked the Slytherins.

They all responded positively.

“Neville, Susan, Luna. I think I’m going to need some reinforcements.” Hermione called across the hall. 

She was quickly joined by the three she called and Ginny. She gave the now four helpers directions on the type of clothes to change them into, then they started setting the Slytherins clothes right. 

Looking around, Hermione was pleased to see that her friends managed to style everyone appropriately. She was proud that not everyone was wearing the exact same thing. Someone had moved in front of Hermione and cleared their voice. 

“Could you help me as well. I assume this isn't a period appropriate outfit?” 

 Asking Hermione for help was Draco Malfoy. He was currently dressed in 1860’s style mens wear, complete with a top hat, and a jacket with tails. 

“It would work if we were still in the 1860’s but if you’d like to join the 1990’s I’d be happy to help you.” 

Draco cracked a smile. 

“Well then style me ma’am.” Draco laughed, and tipped his hat at Hermione. 

Hermione transformed Draco’s outfit into black jeans, a black band shirt, and a leather jacket. 

“I figured you’d like this, given you tend to enjoy your all black suits.” She chuckled. 

Draco was beaming. Hermione remembered that he liked all black suits, that means she did pay attention to him! He would be soaring for the rest of the day. 

Hermione was unaware the entire exchange helping the Slytherins has been watched in scrupulous detail by everyone in the Great Hall. She went to turn around to walk back to the Gryffindor table when she nearly ran into the Headmistress. 

“Ms. Granger, Ms. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom, Ms. Bones, and Ms. Lovegood. You have shown a great example of inter house unity in helping your classmates be properly prepared for the afternoon. I award each of you 15 points, for promoting unity among the houses.” 

There was light applause among the students, and the group of five went to sit back down. 

“Not so fast. Ms. Granger, who was the first person you approached that let you help them?”

“Pansy Parkinson Ma’am.” 

The headmistress turned to Pansy. 

“Ms. Parkinson. 15 points to Slytherin for accepting help from a classmate, and encouraging others to do the same.” 

Pansy, who was never one to receive points for her house, was smiling as she thanked the Headmistress. 

“Now I believe you all have a field trip to get ready for. Don’t forget to exchange your money!” The headmistress encouraged them. 

The Slytherin Table 

“What just happened…” Theo asked. 

“I think that was a very public peace offering.” Daphne offered. 

“It looks like Draco just fell further in love with Granger.” Blaise said. 

“Fuck off Blaise.” Draco said in response. 

“I’m so glad we don’t have to carry around those dresses all day Daph.” Pansy laughed. 

“For real. Who knew muggle clothes could be so comfortable.” Daphne agreed. 

“What I want to know is how we were so off in appropriate muggle attire?” 

“Draco, we literally copied the picture in the Muggle Studies book that was on the common room bookshelves.” 

“I know Pans, but how are we this out of touch? Did your parents also tell you muggles were out of date and stupid? I feel like everything we’ve learned today has completely blown away what my parents tried to teach me.” Draco exclaimed. 

"We're all with you mate. It's starting to become more, and more clear that the agendas our parents had, are not as entrenched into society as they tried to teach us." Theo said in agreement.

The group of 7th year Slytherins all agreed with Theo. 

"Are you guys planning on getting muggle money for the field trip?" Daphne asked.

"I am." 

"Me too."

"Same here."

"Yupp." 

The other four Slytherins answered, then the group walked over to exchange money with the professor. 

1pm - The Great Hall

Those who planned on exchanging money were finishing up with Professor Campbell. The other 6th and 7th years were talking quietly amongst themselves waiting for further instruction. 

“Good Afternoon everyone.” Professor Campbell said to the class. “We have been given special permission to portkey directly from the Great Hall to an area close to our destination. Now, we will be going from our portkey destination, to the theme park via muggle transportation. It will be similar to the Knight Bus.”

There was a slight grumble among the students about the Knight Bus. Those who had taken it, definitely didn’t have fond memories, and were hoping muggle transport wouldn’t be that similar. 

“To facilitate our trip, we have rented out the ballroom of a local hotel. This is the location we will portkey into. Let me just make sure we have everyone.”

She started a head count to verify she had all of the 6th and 7th year students. Once satisfied with her headcount, she directed everyone to the portkey. 

“Now, if you could please grab hold of the portkey.”

Professor Campbell was holding up a rope which would be used as the portkey. 

“Everyone take hold, we leave in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.” 

The Field Trip

With a flash the portkey transported the group of nearly 60 students into a hotel ballroom. There were varying reactions. Some students fell flat onto their faces, while others managed the landing like old pro’s. 

“Are we all alright?” Professor asked to check in with her students.  

Grumbles echoed throughout the room as the students regained their footing. Professor Campbell wasn’t wasting any time. She soon started ushering the students out of the ballroom, towards the entry of the hotel, where a red double decker bus was waiting to take them to Alton Towers. 

“Okay, now that we’re settled. I have your admission passes to the park.”

Professor Campbell passed out admission tickets to all of the students. 

“Meet back at the entrance at 6pm sharp! Please pair up in groups!”

After she finished speaking, the bus pulled up to the park entrance. The students were all in awe of what they were seeing, and couldn’t get off the bus fast enough. 

Once off the bus, they started to organize themselves into groups. Hermione looked for Harry, Ron, and Ginny but they were nowhere to be found. She was also unable to find Neville or Susan. 

“Hey Hermione!” 

Hermione heard her name called.

“Hermione!” 

She finally turned around to the source of the yelling. It was Pansy Parkinson who was yelling for her attention. Pansy was walking in her direction with her Slytherin friends in tow. 

“Hi Pansy.” 

“We just wanted to say thank you again for your help with the outfits!” 

“No problem whatsoever! I’m glad I could help.” 

“Who are you looking for?” Pansy asked. 

“In their excitement, my friends seem to have left me behind.” Hermione said, annoyed. “Not the damn first time either.” She added under her breath, which earned a raised eyebrow from Draco who managed to hear. 

“Why don’t you join us? That would make us an even six.” Daphne asked. 

Hermione looked around, and couldn’t see her friends anywhere. 

“You know what, I’d be happy to.” She said, much to the surprise of Theo, Blaise and Draco. 

Daphne, and Pansy linked arms with Hermione, then started pulling her towards the entrance. When they got to the entrance, they stopped. 

“What’s wrong?” Hermione asked. 

“What the hell are those things?” Pansy asked, pointing to the turnstiles. 

“Those are turnstiles, they scan your ticket, and count the number of people in the park.” Hermione answered. “Here, follow me. You’ll scan the barcode here, then push your way through.”

One by one the 5 Slytherins followed Hermione through the turnstiles. Now inside the park, the Slytherins were looking around mystified. 

“So what do we do now?” Theo asked Hermione.

“Well, we can either walk around, and look at things or start getting in line for rides.”

“What do you mean rides?” Blaise asked. 

“Follow me, I’ll show you the closest roller coaster. They’re meant to be fun speed rides.”

Draco, Theo and Blaise, looked enthused, while Pansy and Daphne looked skeptical. They walked over to the Wicker Man observation area, where they watched one of the roller coaster cars pass. 

“That looks like a death trap!” Pansy exclaimed. 

“I promise it’s fun, and that you won’t die.” Hermione reassured her. Starting to walk the group towards the line entrance. She somehow managed to convince all the Slytherin’s to give it a try.

“Have you been on one of these before?” Draco asked.

“I have, and I haven’t died. We used to come here all the time when I was younger, as we live less than an hour from here.” 

As the group of 6 got closer and closer to the loading area, they could hear the riders' screams getting louder. Pansy looked terrified, Daphne looked concerned, Theo, Blaise and Draco looked excited. 

“Granger, if I die I swear I will come back to haunt you!” Pansy said with a playful sneer. 

“You won’t die, Pansy.” Hermione replied, rolling her eyes. “Do you like flying?” 

Pansy nodded. 

“Just close your eyes and think that you’re riding on the back of Krums broom during the World Cup.” 

Pansy’s eyes got wide. Apparently that was not the visual the nervous girl wanted to have. 

“She’s not that big of a fan of flying.” Draco, who had not left Hermione’s side, whispered in her ear. 

“Shit really?” 

Draco nodded. Hermione gulped. 

“Well this should be interesting then…” 

After not too long of a wait, the group were about to board the roller coaster. Daphne sat with Pansy, Theo with Blaise, leaving Hermione to sit with Draco. They all secured their seats, and the ride started. 

Pansy and Daphne seemed fine until the first drop. That’s when the screaming started. Hermione could hear Blaise and Theo laughing. Draco, who was sitting next to her, looked scared, but also enthused. At some point he had grabbed Hermione's hand, instead of shaking him off she squeezed his hand in reassurance to let him know it was okay. 

Following a few more drops, some smoke, and darkness, the ride was pulling back into the station. The group unloaded, staying silent until they were outside of the ride. Hermione was prepared for the group of snakes to attack, but ended up pleasantly surprised. 

“THAT. WAS. AWESOME!” Pansy shouted at the group, catching everyone off guard. “At the first drop, Hermione, I thought I was going to avada you… But by the end, it was completely exhilarating! Please tell me we can do that again!” 

“We can do that again, there’s also a few more roller coasters like that in this park!” 

Pansy’s eyes lit up in excitement, also surprising was Daphne’s enthusiasm to ride more coasters. Blaise, and Theo also seemed more than happy to ride more roller coasters. Surprisingly silent, was Draco. After the ride, he stayed quite close to Hermione, but didn’t protest when the group headed to the next coaster.

“Hey Pansy, this is where we are headed next.”

Hermione pointed at a newer roller coaster that was inverted, and flipped you upside down. The group all watched with nervous excitement, but were still excited to get in line after watching. Again Draco didn’t leave Hermione’s side. He had also started escorting her forward with his hand at the small of her back. Hermione was oblivious, but it was clear to the Slytherins that Draco was making a claim. 

The group made it to the loading station. Draco, Hermione, Pansy and Daphne ended up sitting in the front row of the coaster. Once again there was plenty of screaming, laughter, and Draco reaching out for Hermione’s hand in reassurance. Again she squeezed his hand in reassurance. 

Once they came off Nemesis the group decided to do a little shopping as they made their way to the next ride. Everyone wanted to get some souvenirs to remember their first theme park. This is where the group hit their first snag. Pansy had forgotten how to count the muggle money, embarrassed she whispered to Hermione for help. 

“Psst, psst. Hermione, can you help me with this, please. I’m bad at maths, and I forgot what the coins are worth.” 

“Of course.” Hermione quietly helped Pansy figure out her money, then the group went on their way. 

The rest of the afternoon continued much like before. They went on every ride they could, Draco stayed close to Hermione, and Hermione never saw her Gryffindor friends. At quarter to six, the group started walking back towards the entrance.

“Thank you guys for inviting me to join you. I had a great time.”

“So did we.” Daphne said, speaking for the group. “Please, don’t hesitate to hang out with us again in the future.” 

The group of Slytherins all nodded. 

“I will. This is honestly the most relaxed I’ve been while hanging out with school friends in a long time.” 

The group looked at one another confused.

“What do you mean?” Pansy asked.

“When I’m with Harry, and Ron they always expect something from me. Whether that’s me being a boring bookworm, or help on their homework. They probably ditched me today because they thought I would be no fun.” Hermione hung her head down as she finished her statement. She was frustrated that she felt she could never be herself around Harry, and Ron. 

“I’m sorry that’s what you go through with them.” Draco sympathized. 

“Their loss, not mine. I’m done pretending to be someone I’m not for other people’s comfort.” 

“There we go Hermione! You show them.” Pansy said, with Daphne nodding right alongside her. 

The group kept laughing and telling jokes as they made their way to the front of the park. The group of classmates waiting for the bus was easy to find. That was the first time she saw her Gryffindor friends since they got off the bus. 

“Warning Weasel looks pissed.” Draco whispered to Hermione. 

“What the hell, Hermione.” Ron yelled, making a scene. “We haven’t seen you all day, and now, you show up with a group of snakes?”

Harry, and Ginny tried getting Ron to shut up, and back off. 

“Who I spend my time with, is no concern to you Ronald.” Hermione replied, trying to stay level headed. 

“It clearly is my concern when you ditch us out of nowhere to hang out with a bunch of death eaters, who a year ago would call you a mudblood without blinking.” 

The group of Hogwarts students were now paying attention to Ron. 

“Ronald Weasley, that’s enough from you.” Hermione yelled, surprising the group of students who had never heard her raise her voice at the boys. 

She walked up to Ron and continued right to his face, poking him in the chest with every word. “I got off the bus and waited for you all. Guess what, none of you waited for me. No one, not a single person from Gryffindor.”

Shame started to show on the faces of the Gryffindors. Ron’s face started turning red with embarrassment.

“Pansy saw me alone, and asked if I wanted to hang out with them. I accepted. I came here excited to have fun, and I wasn’t going to let anyone ruin that. So that’s exactly what I did. I had fun, and I made five new friends in the process.” 

“But you can’t be friends with Malfoy.” Ron stuttered. 

“Ronald Weasley, you hear me out right now.” Hermione started loudly, with an edge to her voice. She was going to make sure he and everyone else here got the point. 

“You do not own me. You are a friend, nothing more.” She sneered. “With some of the behavior I’ve seen out of you in the past year, I wonder if you’re even worth that some days.”

Ron was finally hearing her words, and looked like if he could curl up into a corner he would. The problem was, Hermione wasn’t done, and she had the ear of all 6th and 7th year students.

“It’s becoming more clear that you don’t know me, you only see me as the annoying, bushy haired, bookworm you bullied in first year. I am done going out of my way, trying to get you to see me for who I am, when you only want to see the girl you met in the first year.” 

Ron looked like he could cry. Harry was surprised by Hermione’s outrage, as he didn’t know that’s how Hermione felt. Ginny was smiling, and started clapping for Hermione, as she had finally chosen to stand up for herself. 

Then there was Neville… Neville looked pissed. The head boy looked at Susan, and whispered something to her. Susan then nodded in agreement. 

“Ronald Weasley, 5 points will be taken for calling a group of students Death Eaters, 15 points will be taken for using the term mudblood. A further 30 points will be taken for causing a scene during a school event, in public. That’s a total of 50 points from Gryffindor.” Neville said without batting an eyelash. 

“What!” Ron shouted, furious.

“Shut up and get on the bus, or it will be 60 points Ron.” Neville said, which shut Ron up quickly.

A deflated Ron Weasley shut his mouth and got onto the bus. 

Ginny walked up to Hermione, and gave her the biggest hug.

“I’m proud of you. I’m sorry I didn’t get them to wait for you.”

“Don’t worry about it! To be honest, I’m glad you didn’t. I had a really great day and made some new friends in the process.” 

Ginny hugged Hermione again, and whispered “I think Malfoy likes you.” before she went to join Harry, and Ron on the bus. 

Chapter Text

After the field trip, things in Hogwarts started to change. The 7th year Slytherin students were not the only ones making new friends. The next day, the 6th, and 7th year students took it upon themselves to sit with their friends, regardless of their house table. Students were still leery about sitting with the Slytherins, but some of the Slytherin's took it upon themselves to sit at other tables during lunch.

The 7th years at the Slytherin table were perfectly happy sitting on their own. The group of 5 still felt they had much to discuss after yesterday's outing.

They all kept beating around the bush, not wanting to be the first one to bring up the subject. "So are we going to talk about yesterday?" 

"What part of the day Daph? It was all rather normal and mundane. Wasn't it?" Blaise replied sarcastically.

Daphne glared, and shook her head.

"Hmm, do we want to start with how Hermione saved our house from embarrassment? Or maybe we can start with how much fun we had at a muggle establishment." Blaise started. 

"There's also the fact we spent the day with Hermione, free of her goons, and enjoyed her company. Maybe we could discuss that everything our parents told us was a lie." Theo continued.

"To finish up, we can talk about how Draco is absolutely smitten with Hermione, and she's completely fucking oblivious to that fact." Pansy quipped. 

Draco immediately started to protest

They all started laughing, and poking fun at Draco. except for Draco who was pouting.

"Come on guys." Draco drawled.

"Nope, you're not getting out of this one Malfoy," 

"Fuck you, Pansy." 

"So how long have you liked her?" 

"Are we really doing this Pansy?" 

"Yup!"

With an exasperated sigh, Draco answered Pansy's question. "Since she punched me in the face in our third year." 

"Hah! l was right when I said that on the train here!" Blaise exclaimed. 

"Why don't you ask her out?"

"Theo, the only time I saw her last year was when she was being crucio'd by my crazy aunt, in the drawing room of my house. Throw in, I'm a convicted death eater, and I have no chance with the Golden Girl."

"That is a valid point." Daphne agreed. 

"You didn't see how comfortable she looked around you." Pansy said kindly.

"Guy's I already said it's not happening. She deserves someone smart, kind, and whose family isn't tainted with hatred. Now, we are done with this conversation." Draco said with an air of formality.

His four friends recognized they were not going to get any further with this topic today. No one brought it up again, as there were plenty of other things they could discuss. 

"So… Before theme parks had been discussed in class, had any of you heard of them before?" Theo asked, changing the subject to placate Draco. 

"I hadn't. My parents are pretty neutral on the muggle thing, but they don't venture into the muggle world unless they need something." Daphne said.

"My mum thinks muggles are only worth fucking, and leaving. So, no I have never heard about anything more than my mum's one night stands." Blaise added.

"I think I can speak for Draco, Theo, and myself when I say our parents told us muggles were worth nothing, and they contributed nothing to the world."

Draco, and Theo agreed with Pansy.

"I think it's safe to say our parents were very wrong. There's a whole world out there they were wrong about." 

"That's for Sure." Pansy agreed.

"Also, can we talk about how much fun the Golden Girl was to have around." Daphne laughed. 

"She really was! Her style with the clothes she helped transfigure was amazing, and she was so confident walking around the theme park with us." Pansy remembered. 

"She's so different without Potter, and Weasley." Blaise added. 

"The way she yelled at Weasley was amazing. She humiliated the shit out of him."

"Theo, your humiliation kink is showing. Although it was impressive how level headed she remained" Draco said. 

"Hey man, I like what I like." Theo laughed, quickly joined by the rest of his friends.

When the laughter died down, their curiosity continued. Pansy, who was normally the well behaved, prim, and proper pure blood seemed to be the most intrigued by the muggle world. Or at least, the most interested in talking about it.

"If that was just one location, what else do you think the muggle world holds?"

" I have no clue, but I have a feeling we will find out this year."

Gryffindor Table

"So what did you all think of the theme park?" Hermione asked Ginny, and Neville.

"I had a lot of fun. There's really nothing that can compare to that in our world." 

"I agree with Ginny. That place had so much. Food, shopping, adventure, and the rides were a lot of fun!"

"Did you enjoy any of the big roller coasters?"

"Absolutely!" Ginny exclaimed. " It was like flying but having someone else being fully in charge." 

"You might not have seen Susan, and I, but we actually weren't that far behind you and the Slytherins at that Wicker Man one. I figured if the Slytherin's were going to give it a try then I could too." The headboy proclaimed.

The group of three couldn't help but laugh. Hermione was still impressed the Slytherins were willing to try the muggle rides. Honestly, she was impressed with how many of the purebloods, across all houses, seemed to have enjoyed themselves.

"How did you end up with a group of Slytherin's Hermione?" Her best friend asked.

"It's not that crazy of a story." She started. "I got off the bus straight behind Harry, and Ron. I turned to look at something, and when I turned back you had all disappeared." 

"Sorry I didn't wait for you, or check on you Hermione. I have gotten so used to you always being with Harry, and Ron that I didn't think they would just leave you alone." Neville was hanging his head as he finished his statement. 

"Honestly Hermione, same for me. I thought there was no way they would just leave you behind. Neither of them even asked where you were until nearly an hour later." 

"Unfortunately Gin, that doesn't surprise me."

Neville, and Ginny looked at Hermione confused, unsure of What they were about to hear next.

"It's not the first time they've done something like that. They, moreso Ron than Harry, have a habit of only keeping me around if they want or need something. In the past, once they had what they wanted, they would just leave me alone in the library. lt made me feel as though that's all I was good for. Then it turned into everyone expecting me to be the bushy haired bookworm…" Hermione said in a somber tone.

"To be honest the library became my safe place. The place where I didn't have to hear Ron's snide remarks about how insufferable I was, or others remarks about blood status." She trailed off, looking upset. 

"Excuse me for a moment you two." Hermione got up from the table, and headed out of the Great Hall.

Neville, and Ginny took a moment to think about What Hermione said. Neville felt bad for Hermione after hearing her statement. He had no clue she felt that way. Any time he had asked Ron, or Harry where Hermione was over the years, they always answered the library. Ron was usually the one to add a smartass remark like, where else would she be, or Hermione likes books more than people.

Ginny, on the other hand, was furious. The more she learned about Hermione, the more it became clear Ron was more of a bully than a friend. She had always been intimidated by how smart Hermione was, her drive to learn, and excel at new things. To learn that was a persona her friend was forced into, and not how she wanted to be seen, made Ginny's heart hurt. 

"Did you have any idea?" Nevill asked Ginny.

"That Ron was a complete asshat to her? No, or at least I didn't know it was at that level." 

"I wish She would've said something. She's such a wonderful friend, always having everyone's backs. Now I'm worried no one ever had hers."

"You're right. She helped everyone with their school work, and she helped me prepare for my apparition exam as well." 

Ginny scrunched up her face in frustration, and confusion. "This is making me wonder if we even really know Hermione at all. She made a few comments this summer once the Ministry announced we all had to come back that are starting to make a lot more sense now."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one, she was absolutely furious when she read the Ministry mandate about Hogwarts." Ginny explained to Neville who looked concerned, and confused. 

"I believe her exact words were; I started to make plans for my life outside of the magical world, and I thought I was going to be free to start making my own choices. I remember because it seemed so out of character for her, but now though, I'm not so sure."

"Holy shit. Did she ever mention what her plans were?"

"No, no one ever asks her about her life outside the magical world, So she doesn't talk about it."

"Merlin and Morganna." Neville said, shaking his head.

"She also wrote a strongly worded letter to Kingsley…" 

"She confronted the Minister?" Neville was flabbergasted.

"Oh yeah she did. I don't think she knew I was around when it happened. I overheard some of it. The gist of it was she feels like the ministry is holding you all captive. She said she had enough being held captive when she was held prisoner during the war, and that she didn't think he would be the next one to hold her captive." 

"Holy shit. I think I'm in love with her." He joked. "It truly does feel like we are being held against our will. I was ready to start an apprenticeship, but obviously had to defer. I'm still annoyed about that." 

Ginny had been watching the Great Hall entrance to see when Hermione came back in. 

"There She comes." Ginny said quickly. 

Hermione came back over to her friends, looking significantly less chuffed than when she left.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Hermione asked, oblivious to the conversation that happened earlier. 

For the rest of lunch the group made small talk about their plans, before heading their separate ways for the day.

Chapter Text

Chapter 21 

September 25, 1998 - Lunch

It had been a week since the 6th, and 7th year students had their field trip to the muggle theme park. Around the school, the professors could tell the students were starting to become more curious. They could also see tension among the Gryffindor's, particularly among the 7th years.

Word had gotten out among the Gryffindor students about the argument Ron, and Hermione had at the end of the field trip. The consensus was, most students were siding with Hermione. Apparently all the stories, and instances of Ron being a bully were now spreading throughout the school. 

The seventh years had just finished their classes for the day. Hermione had planned on having lunch with Ginny, and Neville before she checked in with the Headmistress ahead of going home for the weekend. What she wasn't expecting was for Ron to confront her.

"What the hell Hermione, the whole school knows about our discussion on the field trip." 

"We didn't have a discussion Ronald. I was minding my own business, when you confronted me about who I spent my time with. May I remind you, this was after you had ditched me."

"This is all your fault! Why are you telling everyone about our discussion?" He shouted, once again gaining everyone's attention. 

"I have better things to do than discuss you confronting me with others. You do not get to speak to me like this, Ronald Weasley!" 

"I'll speak to you as I like, just as I have for the last seven years."

"Then like the last seven years, I'm going to stop listening." She then turned to Ginny, and Neville. "Excuse me, but I'm not going to sit here, and listen to this. Sorry. Neville, do you have a brief moment?"

Neville nodded his head. Hermione apologized to her friends again, then got up from the Gryffindor table with Neville. The pair went to the back of the hall so they could speak with privacy. 

“I just wanted you to be aware that I won’t be on the grounds this weekend. I’ve already cleared it with McGonagall, but Harry, and Ron don’t know, and I figured someone should.”

“Thank you for trusting me with that. Is everything alright?”

“Yes, yes. Just a preplanned obligation. Nothing too fancy.”

“Okay. Owl me if you need anything.”

“Thanks Nev. You’re a good friend.”

Ron had been watching Neville and Hermione’s exchange, and he was livid when Hermione didn’t leave the hall after their conversation finished. Instead of leaving the hall as Ron expected, she walked over to the Slytherin table. 

"Do you guys mind if I join you?" She asked the group of Slytherin's from the theme park.

"Not at all, feel free to join us." Pansy said.

"Did you have another unfortunate run in with the weasel?" Daphne asked. 

"How did you ever guess?" Hermione uttered sarcastically.  

"It might have been the rather loud and rude remarks the whole great hall overheard." Blaise said.

"Yeah, he has a habit of that…" Hermione muttered.  "Thank you guys for being welcoming. I just want to eat my lunch, and go home for the weekend." 

She shut her mouth abruptly, hoping the Slytherins hadn't caught what she said. Even though she was hopeful, she knew she had said too much. At this point, she was just waiting for the questions to roll in…

"Go home for the weekend? What for?" A curious Pansy asked.

"Ooh, I've never been to a muggle home! What's your home like?" Daphne questioned excitedly.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at Pansy, and Daphne's enthusiasm. 

"Yes, I'm headed home for the weekend due to a prior obligation. I'm leaving after lunch today, and I'll be back Sunday evening." 

"Anything you're willing to share?" 

"Not particularly, Draco. I'm going to relish every single moment I can keep my home life private." 

The group of Slytherin's looked at Hermione confused. Before anyone could say anything she went ahead, and explained.

"I'm one of the lucky muggle borns the Ministry wants to parade around, and be treated like they're on exhibit." She complained. 

"Not a fan of the Ministry's plan, I take it?" 

"Theo, my issue with their plan was they expected the muggle born students to bend to their will. Although it was phrased like a question, there wasn't much of an option to say no." 

"Fuck" She heard Draco say.

"Now, my family and I, who have maintained our privacy for the duration of my time in the magical world, are being asked to put our lives on display. None of my friends from here have ever been to my home, and now they want us to allow our home to be used as some muggle world display piece. I've tried inviting my friends over, many times, but I believe Ron's words were 'Why would we want to spend time in a muggle home...' ”

There was silence at the table as they all felt the frustration in Hermione’s voice. The Slytherin’s knew there was no way their parents would allow their homes to be used for ministry showboating. It was definitely unfair they expected this from muggle borns.  

"As for what my home is like Daph, it's much like your homes I'm sure,  just without the magic. "

This earned Hermione another chuckle from the group. 

“Not to change the subject, but back to that whole you’re going home for the weekend thing. How did you get McGonagall to agree to that?” Pansy asked. 

“I just told her I wouldn’t be here… I didn’t think I had to do any more than that.” 

The group of Slytherin’s started laughing. 

“Only you would go up to the Headmistress, and tell her that you’re not going to be here rather than ask permission.”

“It was far more eloquent than you’re making it out to be Pansy.”

“Let me enjoy the mental picture of you just bossing McGonagall around, okay.” 

More laughter from the group ensued as they all finished their lunch. It wasn’t much later that Hermione checked her watch, and noticed she needed to get ready to head out. 

“Thank you again for letting me join you. I really do appreciate it. I’ve got to get going, but I’ll see you all on Monday.” She said quietly, then headed out of the Great Hall, not before signing out in the sign out book.

After leaving the Great Hall, Hermione ran to the tower to grab her things for this weekend. She thankfully didn’t need to pack much as she had everything she needed at home. She made sure she grabbed the portkey Kingsley had made for her, then went on her way. 

Thankfully, she didn’t run into anyone on her way out of the castle and off the grounds. McGonagall had keyed her into the wards, so she truly could come and go as she pleased. Sometimes being a war hero had its privileges. Once outside the gates she checked the time, she had 5 minutes until the portkey whisked her away. 

Those 5 minutes passed quickly, and before she knew it the portkey grabbed her by the navel and took her to the Manchester Airport Portkey Lounge. Her portkey landings had been getting better with each time she traveled, for that she was grateful. Once she was steady on her feet, she made the familiar apparition trip home. 

Landing in her normal wooded spot, she made her way inside. As expected, she didn’t find her parents, so she changed into her riding clothes, and headed out to the stable. She quickly found her mum in the indoor, doing jump work with one of the new horses. 

“Good Afternoon Mum.” 

“Mya! Dear, we weren’t expecting you until dinner time.”

“I’m sorry for not including the time in my letter.”

“Oh that doesn’t matter, come here.” Her mum dismounted from the horse, and rushed over to give her a hug. “I missed you sweetheart. How’s school?” 

“I missed you too. It’s as expected. I’m already over it, and ready to be done. I miss the horses, and home of course.” 

“I understand sweetie, each day is another day closer to being done.” 

“I know. How’s this girl doing?” She said pointing to the horse her mum had been riding. 

“She’s phenomenal, do you want to have a go?” 

“Absolutely, let me put on my boots, and grab my helmet.” Hermione said with renewed excitement. This was exactly what she needed to forget about Hogwarts. 

Hermione returned to the arena in record time, excited to ride the new mare. 

“I never asked what her name was.”

“Her name is Ruby.”

“Well that’s rather fitting with her coloring. Anything I should know about her before I start?” 

“Nothing too much. I have never seen a horse that loves to jump the way she does.”

“Oh wow.” Hermione said. The more her mum told her about Ruby, the more excited she was to get on her. 

“Comeon hop up.” Her mum said as she led Ruby over to the mounting block. 

Hermione used the mounting block to get on Ruby, and her mom checked the stirrup length as she got situated in the saddle. 

“I’m just going to do a few laps to get used to how she feels and handles.” 

Mum nodded in response. Hermione led Ruby forward, walking around the perimeter of the arena. After a bit, she used her legs to put Ruby into trot. Impressed with the smoothness of her trot, Hermione wanted to push her further, she again used her legs, now pushing the horse into a canter. She couldn’t help but smile, Ruby handled beautifully. Feeling more confident, and wanting to see what Ruby was capable of, she asked her to change her lead leg, which she executed beautifully. 

“Hermione! Did you just do a flying change on a horse you’ve been riding for less than ten minutes?” Her mum shouted with impressed amusement. 

“Yes! Did you see how beautiful that was?” She shouted back. 

Hermione brought Ruby back to her mum, and stopped to talk. “She is fantastic!” 

“I think you ride her better than I do.” Mum said with a hint of jealousy. 

“Now that’s a compliment. Thank you.” 

“I want to see if that goes through jumps as well. Let me set up a few starter ones for you to get back in rhythm.” 

Mum changed the jump heights, lowering a few of them. Hermione knew she would bring them back up later if everything went well. 

“Mum, is she already warmed up enough?” 

“Yep. I had only been in here for 20 minutes when you arrived.”

“Perfect!” 

“Start with the cross rail, then go to the vertical, and finish with the low oxer.” 

She did exactly as her mum said, and before she knew it the jump heights were increasing. After 20 minutes she was back up to full height, and discussing the course route with her mum. Not long after their discussion, Hermione was running the course with Ruby for the first time. In her own element, she didn’t realize that a small crowd had arrived.

“Sweetie, I’m going to raise these again.” 

“Okay mum.” Hermione was paying more attention to Ruby than she was to the height her mum was moving the jumps to.  

“All set.”

Hermione scanned the new set up. Deciding it would be wise for her to walk it first before jumping it. 

“I’m going to walk it first. I think my strides may be different with the new heights.”

She dismounted and handed the reins to her mum. Walking the course she paid more attention to counting strides than the height of the jumps. When she was done she remounted, and went for the course. Hermione was surprised to hear clapping when she completed it, as she still hadn’t realized anyone was watching. 

“Those seemed kinda high.” 

“They were high. Everything was between 1.45 - 1.6 meters.”

“Oh wow! That’s neat!” 

“You just jumped what could have easily been a 4 star, Grand Prix Course, and you say that’s neat. Hermione I swear, you don’t understand how good you are at this.” Her mum laughed. “Also, after seeing that display, you will be jumping Ruby for me at a few shows.” 

“That would be awesome!” 

“I’m glad you’re happy about that, now that’s enough for today, let's get her started on rehab.”

Hermione and her mum walked Ruby out of the arena, cooled her down, and the groom started her rehab. The two women walked up to the house where they enjoyed the rest of their night. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 22

Home - September 26th, 1998

Hermione was happy to wake up in her own bed Saturday morning. Although Hogwarts was warm and comfortable, nothing really compared to waking up in her own bed. 

Rolling over she checked the time on the clock next to her bed. It was 9:15, she was thankful her parents had let her sleep in this morning. She quickly checked the time she needed to meet John, 3pm. She had plenty of time today to dawdle before making her way into London. 

Much to her surprise the day passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was time to head into London. At 2pm she went ahead and apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. She then apparated to Bedford Square Garden, which was right across the road from the park. 

Hermione was quite familiar with the museum layout, but wasn't entirely sure where she would be meeting John, and the Dior team. The moment she walked into the lobby, she heard someone call her name.

"Hermione!"

"Julie! I'm so glad to see you! Once I got in here, I had no clue where to meet you all."

"John thought he had forgotten to tell you, so he sent me!" 

"I'm thankful! So where are we headed?" As she asked, Julie grabbed Hermione's hand, and pulled her along.

"This way." Julie started leading Hermione towards the elevators, and up to a non - exhibition floor.

"We will be up here on Level 4 for hair, and make-up today, and tomorrow."

"Perfect, thank you again."

"No problem! While you're here, I've been assigned as your handler, so if you need something just tell me!" Julie then started to whisper. "Also, just so you know, I'm magical as well."

"Well it is fantastic to know I am among friends. The next time I'm in France, you'll have to show me the rest of the shop." Hermione smiled.

"That would be great. There is so much you didn't get to see!" Julie exclaimed, then led Hermione over to a hair and makeup chair. 

"This is where you'll be getting your hair and makeup done. This is your hairdresser Clara. Your makeup artist is Jack, he will be over later. John will stop by soon as well." 

"Thank you again Julie. I assume you'll be sticking around since you're my handler?"

"Of course! You can't get rid of me that easily." Julie laughed.

"I would never!" Hermione feigned hurt.

Clara, the hairdresser, started assessing Hermione's hair. 

"You have a lot of hair! It is so thick, and healthy." 

"Thank you. I do my best to take care of it."

"It's wonderful. I'm not used to seeing this with models." Clara said.

"Well I hope it doesn't cause you too much trouble." 

"No darling, it won't, I know how to handle thick hair!" Clara reassured Hermione, who smiled in return.

Julie, and Hermione chatted While Clara worked on Hermione's hair, After some convincing, Julie finally showed Hermione the inspiration for her look. Her hair would be done in a style that could only be described as classic French meets modern. It was certainly interesting, and very high fashion, so Hermione just went with it.

"Julie, could I bother you for a bottle of water, and a piece of fruit please." 

"Of course!" Julie said as she got up.

Not even five minutes after Julie got up, John walked over to say hello, and discuss the day.

"Hermione, my muse!" 

"John! Lovely to see you again!"

"Did you have any issues getting here?"

"None at all. Thank you again for having me here." 

"You are meant to be here darling." John then turned to Clara. "Clara, is Hermione in a spot where I could take her into the rehearsal space?"

"She is! Now Hermione, your hair is not done yet, please come back quickly." Clara responded.

John led Hermione through the space to an area where there was a small replica of the event space.

"Now Hermione, this event is meant to celebrate the combination of history, and fashion. Specifically when modern fashion takes influence from history. This is where you come in. You're wearing the dress everyone sees as the pinnacle of combining fashion, and history." 

Hermione nodded, following along easily.

"You will be the last one out on the runway. Then you will stop in the center of this circular area, and stay in that spot until the runway has cleared. When the runway has cleared, I will come out to join you. Then I will discuss the dress, and answer a few questions. Do you have any questions?"

"Just one. When do I leave the runway?"

"You'll leave with me." 

"I'll just wait for your signal then."

"Perfect! Now let me get you back to Clara before she yells at me."

John took Hermione back to Clara, where the hairdresser was waiting to finish her hair. Not long after Hermione sat back down Julie appeared with water, and a snack.

"Thank you so much!" Hermione said.

"No worries. I'm glad I could help." Julie replied. 

"Alright Hermione, sweetie. Your hair is all done. Does it feel alright?" 

"It feels like it will hold."

"Perfect! Jack looks to be heading over this way now. Good luck tonight!” 

A tall, well kept, attractive man started making his way over to Hermione accompanied by John. She assumed this was Jack as she hadn’t seen him yet, and he seemed to be carrying a rather large kit with him. 

“Hermione, I’d like to introduce you to Jack. He’s our lead makeup artist at Dior. He’s going to get you all made up for the show, and photoshoot ahead of time.” 

She had completely forgotten about the photoshoot that she was taking part in. There was a large possibility that people she knew could see images of her. Oh well she thought, it’s time to face the music. Hermione did make a mental note to fill Ginny, and her friends in before the images were released. 

“Nice to meet you Hermione.” Jack offered a handshake to Hermione, which she gladly accepted. “I’m going to get my kit setup then we will get started with skin prep.”

Jack worked like a well oiled machine. Once he was set up, he started right away with making sure her skin was ready for all the makeup. Hermione did ask him to explain what he was doing, as she hoped to take away any tips she could. Before long, he was saying she was all done. She was impressed with how smooth her skin looked. 

Julie then started ushering Hermione towards the changing area. That was the first time Hermione caught a glimpse of a clock. It was already 5:45pm, this day was flying by.

Like the first time Hermione had tried on the Maria Lousia dress, Julie helped her into it. She was just as astounded by the dress's beauty as she was the first time. The whole look impressed Hermione. She looked beautiful, but it was the beauty and craftsmanship of the dress that had truly shown through.  

With Julie's help, Hermione, and the massive dress navigated into the makeshift photo studio where John was waiting. Much to Hermione’s surprise, she turned out to be a natural in front of the camera. 

John, and Julie were elated with the images they were seeing. John even promised to get images to Hermione, so she could have a portfolio. 

“We’ve got the photos we need, thank you everyone.” John said.

“Hermione, you were absolutely fantastic. Are you sure you haven’t done that before?” John commended her. 

She couldn’t help a giggle before she responded. “I promise, that’s nothing I’ve ever done before.” 

“Well you just gave us our next quarter’s worth of campaign images in less than an hour, usually that takes multiple, many hour long shoots.” 

Hermione was stunned at his admission. She certainly hadn’t expected that when she was having fun in front of the camera. 

“Alright my muse, it’s time to make our way downstairs for the event. Any last questions?”

“No, I don’t think so. I go out when you tell me, make a full lap, then make my way to the center space, where you’ll come out, join me and talk about the dress. Did I get that right?”

“You did.” 

The pair made their way down to the main event space through a series of hidden hallways. Once they were set backstage it didn’t take long for the show to start. Hermione was able to watch the other models go on the monitors that they had backstage. This also helped her see exactly what she was supposed to do. 

Before Hermione knew it, it was her turn. She walked onto the stage, to a flurry of gasps from the crowd. Hermione didn’t let that distract her. She knew her mission, and she was determined to succeed. Walking with a confident authority, Hermione commanded the room’s attention. All eyes were on her as she made her way to her final point, where she stopped with a flourish. 

A short while later Hermione was joined by John, who was greeted with applause. He thanked everyone for coming, then he spoke at length about the dress she was wearing and the combination of historical fashion and current fashion.   

This was the first time Hermione had a chance to look around, and take in everything around her. All eyes were on her and John. What surprised her were the familiar sets of eyes she saw. Her parents were there! She had no idea they were coming. They looked so proud, and that made her heart swell. 

She continued to appraise the room, and noticed another familiar face. This time she was 100% sure of who she was looking at. It was Narcissa Malfoy. 

The Malfoy matriarch was looking directly at her with a questioning look on her face. Hermione was sure she would be sending a letter off to Hogwarts in the morning to gossip with her son. Oh well. Hermione's goal was to enjoy her life, even if that meant having to field questions from others. 

Truth be told, Hermione was having the time of her life. She generally hated attention being on her, but this made her feel powerful. This was going to make her reconsider her stance on complete privacy. The more Hermione thought about it, the more she knew that complete privacy wasn’t possible for her life long term given who she was, and her destiny. 

Hermione was pulled out of her thoughts by John asking her to walk around the floor one more time. She was more than happy to do so, this is when she heard John make one final announcement.

“Ladies, and Gentlemen. I would like to use our last few moments together to introduce my model, and muse, Mya.” John said, extending a hand in Hermione’s direction as she came back to John. 

Photos from the photo shoot Hermione had just completed, flashed onto the screens in the museum, as applause erupted from the crowd. John turned to Hermione and mouthed, give them a wave , when she did the crowd applauded even more. 

As the crowd applauded, John said a quick thank you. He grabbed Hermione by the hand, and led her backstage. 

“You were fantastic!” John said, giving her a hug. 

“Thank you. That was exhilarating!” 

“Alright, let's get you changed. I know John wants to talk to you after.” Julie said, and John nodded. 

Julie helped Hermione out of the huge dress, and Hermione was happy to change into her own clothes. When she was done, she made her way out of the dressing room to talk with John. 

“Are you ready to do this again tomorrow?”

“Of course, now that I’ve done it once I’m sure I can do it again.” 

“Now, I have a full curated collection for you as payment for today and tomorrow!” John showed Hermione two huge suitcases. “There’s also a lookbook for how to style everything!”

“Thank you so much!”

“No, Hermione. Thank you!”

After their discussion, Hermione headed home with her new suitcases in tow. John showed her a private space in the museum she could aparate from so she wouldn’t have to cart the suitcases around. 

Given the time, Hermione apparated straight into her bedroom, instead of her normal spot in the woods. She went downstairs to grab a snack, and drink from the kitchen. There, she ran into her parents who congratulated her, then all three went up to bed.

Sunday morning Hermione slept in again. When she woke up and noticed the time, she started getting ready. Just before 11am, she apparated to the spot John showed her the night before. From there she made her way up to hair and makeup, where the day passed much like Saturday had. 

The show went as planned, with the only difference being the lack of faces she recognized. Although that’s not anything she was upset about. The show finished early for Hermione, even though the event ran until 7pm. She managed to be home just before 6:45. 

She spent a little time catching up with her parents, then went upstairs to grab a few things she wanted to bring back to Hogwarts. She looked in the mirror quickly, pulled all the pins out of her hair, threw it up in a ponytail, and made sure her makeup wasn’t too extreme for going back to school. 

Hermione said a quick goodbye to her parents, then headed out to where the portkey was set to leave from. Right at 7:30, it whisked her away to right outside the Hogwarts Gate. When she entered the gate, she was happy to see the Headmistress was waiting for her. 

“Good evening Headmistress.” 

“How many times do I have to ask you to call me Minerva in private?” The older witch said sternly. 

“One more apparently.” Hermione joked. 

“I figured you would prefer apparating up to the castle, instead of walking.”

Hermione was relieved to hear her say that. She was absolutely exhausted, and already not looking forward to the walk. 

“Thank you, you would be correct.” 

“Take my arm please.” 

As Hermione took the Headmistress’ arm she immediately apparated them to a small room off the Great Hall. 

“We’re right off the great hall, and it’s an informal night. Go join your friends.” The headmistress dismissed her. 

Chapter Text

Sunday. September 27th, 1998. Slytherin Table.

The weekend progressed normally for Hermione's 7th year Slytherin friends. Homework, exploring, and even a few jaunts down to Hogsmeade kept the group busy on Friday evening, and Saturday. 

Sunday afternoon during lunch, the Malfoy family eagle owl made its way to the Slytherin table clutching a simple envelope. This confused Malfoy greatly, as he wasn’t expecting anything today. He and his mum kept to a very strict communication schedule, and Sunday wasn’t a standard day for letters. 

He checked the handwriting on the envelope, and the elegant script was his mothers. His friends could sense the confusion on his face. 

“What’s wrong Draco?” Theo was the first to ask. 

“It’s a letter from my mum.” 

“And? You and your mum write regularly, why are you so concerned?” Pansy asked. 

“We don’t normally talk on Sunday’s, so this is quite out of the ordinary.” Draco elaborated, while still staring at the envelope in his hand. 

“Well then, just open it. You’re never going to figure out what it says by staring at it.” Daphne added. 

She wasn’t wrong. He had two options, open the letter, and read its contents, or throw it away, and never understand what it contained. 

He pulled the paper where the Malfoy Family Seal was stamped in wax, freeing the elusive letter from the envelope. 

Sweetheart, 

Please don’t be alarmed by my Sunday letter. First, let me tell you there is nothing wrong, and everyone is safe. Now release that deep breath you’ve been holding, and loosen your grip on the parchment. 

Good boy. I had a feeling you would be stressing out. 

Now, to the reason for my letter. I need someone to gossip with, and I feel like for this scenario, you’re the best one to gossip with. 

Do you remember when I told you about the Dior event being held at The British Museum? 

Of course you do, you remember my schedule better than I do most days. First, let me say, I wish you would have been there. The Dior collection was exquisite, they even showed a few new pieces, in addition to some vault pieces. 

Enough of that. You will never guess who was there. Hermione Granger. The very same one we saw tortured in our drawing room 5 months ago. Now it would be one thing if she was attending as a guest, but no, that was not the case whatsoever. 

Miss Granger was introduced as the new face of Dior, and as John Galliano’s newest muse. Draco, darling, I hope you understand how big of a deal that is. This is going to further elevate Miss Granger’s star power. With an endorsement from Dior, a company long loved by the “pureblood elite”, many will soon start overlooking her blood status. 

This isn’t just some small thing, or something they could rope her into at the last minute. Events like this are conceived months in advance. This also means she’s been on Dior’s radar. There’s clearly far more to Miss Granger than she has let on. Dior is a luxury for wizards, and muggles alike. 

Clearly this young woman isn’t just another sub-par muggle born. You know me, I love gossip. Please let me know what you find out. 

All my love, 

Mum

If Draco thought this year couldn’t get any weirder, he was wrong. He was just told over letter that his Mum, and Hermione Granger crossed paths at an event. That alone blew his mind, even before he realized what the event was. 

Draco put the letter on the table, then put his head into his hands. What he just learned was about to give him a headache. He took time to gather his thoughts before raising his head off his hands. 

Meanwhile, Blaise had swiped the letter from Draco while he had his head in his hands, and was quickly reading the letter, with Pansy reading right over his shoulder. 

“Holy shit.” Blaise said as he finished reading. His sentiment was quickly echoed by Pansy. 

Thankfully Draco was faster than the others, and pulled the letter from Blaises’ hand before Theo could get his hands on it. 

“Draco, come on. We need to talk about that.” Pansy said, exasperated.  

“We really don’t.” Draco said through gritted teeth. 

“None of that. We really do. This is monumental.” Pansy continued. 

At this point, Blaise was still sitting there in disbelief, while Daphne and Theo were just observing the verbal sparring between Draco, and Pansy. 

“Pansy.” He said sharply. “The answer is no. Clearly she didn’t want us to know, or else she would have told us.” 

As Draco shifted, to put the letter into his pocket, a pamphlet fell out of the letter. On the cover was a photo of Hermione, dressed in an elaborate dress, and looking absolutely beautiful. Draco was pulled out of staring by seeing Daphne and Theo lunge for the new sheet of paper. Once again, he was able to snag the paper before they could, due to his seeker reflexes. 

“Come on man. This isn’t fair. Pansy and Blaise got to read the letter.” Theo whinged. 

“It’s not like I let them…” Draco said. 

“But still. I want to know what’s going on, and why I just saw a very fancy looking Granger on that sheet of paper.” Theo moaned. 

“Yeah! It’s not fair.” Daphne added. 

“Well life is not fair, so no.” 

Daphne, and Theo kept trying to get information out of Draco, Blaise, and Pansy, who were doing surprisingly well holding out. They were only able to hold out for a few more minutes, as Draco realized they could present a more united front if the five of them were truly aware of the situation. 

“We are better as a united front. Everything in this letter stays here.” Draco said, looking at Daphne and Theo. 

“Agreed.” The pair said, as Draco handed over the letter.

Daphne and Theo read the letter over, and looked at the photo Narcissa had included. Daphne's facial expressions were hilarious to watch as she read the letter. Theo on the other hand was stoic. Until he saw the photo, and his jaw dropped. 

“Holy shit.” Was all Theo could say. 

“Right!” Blaise said in rebuttal. 

Daphne looked up at Pansy, and the girl talk started.

“Pans, that’s Dior. Like my favorite brand Dior.”  

Pansy nodded her head in response to Daphne’s disbelief. 

“I know Daph. Fresh off the runway Dior.” 

“How? I have so many questions.” 

“Me as well. Is Dior well known in the muggle world too?” 

“Absolutely.” Blaise was surprisingly the one to answer that question. “The brand was started by a halfblood, who purposely marketed to muggles, and magical kind.” 

“How do you know this?” Daphne asked.

“My mother may not have been the picture perfect pureblood, but she knew how to navigate the upper echelons of magical and muggle society.” 

Daphne, and Pansy looked at one another and shrugged. It made sense to them with what they knew about Blaises’ mum. 

“It just makes me question things.” Pansy started. “Usually people who work with brands like Dior, are brushing elbows with high society. Who is she really?” 

That is the question that left the Slytherins wondering for the rest of their Sunday.

Sunday Evening

Hermione had tried to sneak into the Great Hall after she returned to the castle with the Headmistress. That was easier said than done. It would seem the castle was still buzzing following her verbal altercation with Ron. She chose to hold her head high and walk right to where she saw Ginny, and Neville seated. The pair immediately made room for her. 

“I’m glad you made it back safely.” Neville said politely. 

“Damn. Hermione, you look fancy.” Ginny added loudly, drawing the attention of those sitting nearby. 

“I literally just have makeup on, and my hair is done Gin.” Hermione said, rolling her eyes. 

“Still you look great.”

“Thank you. I made a stop at home and then apparated right back here. So I still have full makeup on.” 

“Are you planning on telling us anything about this event?” 

“If I do, will you please keep it quiet?”

“Of course!” Ginny said, aghast Hermione would think she would do anything but.

Whispering in Ginny’s ear, Hermione told Ginny everything. She mentioned the fashion shows, seeing Narcissa Malfoy, and being announced as the new muse. 

Ginny’s jaw dropped, and she couldn’t help but glance at the Slytherin table at the mention of Narcissa Malfoy. 

The Slytherin’s were paying very close attention to Hermione, now that she had returned, and had caught Ginny glancing in their direction. 

Ginny had one question when Hermione had finished. “How?” Was all she asked. 

Hermione reiterated the story of how she found her dress for the Order of Merlin ceremony at Dior, and John asking her mum if Hermione would be interested in working with Dior. She explained that is what led to doing the show this weekend. 

Ginny was flabbergasted, and looked at Hermione with awe, and confusion. 

Hermione could tell that Ginny was trying to hold in her excitement. 

“Do you have any photos?” 

Before showing Ginny, Hermione cast a wandless muffliato, and notice me not over the pair of them, ensuring they would have the utmost privacy. 

She showed Ginny a few of the photos from the shoot they did before the event on Saturday. Ginny could no longer hold in her squeal of excitement.

“YOU LOOK GORGEOUS! How were you able to keep this to yourself?” Ginny questioned.

“Honestly, I was more upset about being back here, and that took most of my attention.”

“That’s fair. Now, I’m nosey, how does this work? Are you volunteering? Do they pay you?” 

Hermione laughed. “They’re paying me. It’s a professional job, so I do get payment equivalent to what any model would get. What I love about it, is that I’m getting payment in goods, rather than in cash. So I have a completely new Dior wardrobe at home to enjoy!!” 

“I’m jealous.” Ginny said matter of factly. 

“Don’t be! They gave me far more than I could possibly ever wear, and I think we’re the same size. I’m more than willing to share my closet with you Gin! Now I don’t have any of it here, but if you want to come to my home for Christmas, I’d be happy to share!” 

All Ginny could do was give Hermione a hug. She lived in a home of all boys, so she never had anyone to be girly with. For the longest time, she had thought Hermione didn’t care about any of the girly things, so she hadn’t tried with Hermione either. Ginny was happy to see that Hermione was coming into her own, and no longer hiding behind the persona other people had seemed to create for her.  

The one trait many Slytherins had, that was not often talked about, was the ability to be silently observant. That was something Draco, Theo, Blaise, Pansy, and Daphne had gotten quite good at. The group of five discreetly observed the interaction between Hermione, and Ginny from the moment Hermione had entered the Great Hall. 

“She’s carrying herself differently.” Daphne noted.

“Yes, as though she’s had a major confidence boost.” Pansy stated, agreeing with Daphne. 

“She is also radiating happiness.” Blaise added. Pansy and Daphne looked at him, surprised by his addition to the conversation.

“What!” Blaise said defensively. “Look at her. It’s hard to miss.” 

Daphne and Pansy just shrugged. Blaise wasn’t wrong. It was obvious that something was making Hermione quite happy. 

Meanwhile, Theo and Draco hadn’t said anything. Draco was observing the reactions of the other Gryffindors, and Theo was observing Draco. 

Draco and Theo kept their observations to themselves, until they were back in their common room. Even then, Draco only said one thing before retiring for the evening. 

“I’m thinking there’s a whole different side to Hermione Granger, one that she has yet to introduce to the magical world.” 

Chapter Text

History of Magic, and Magical Culture

The weeks flew by for many of the repeating seventh year students, which is how they found themselves faced with another Friday. Friday’s were quickly becoming many of the students' favorite days of the week. Classes finished early, and the two ministry mandated classes were much more interesting than anyone could have expected. 

This week, they were doing a deep dive into lost magic. Specifically squibs, and lost family lines. Professor Tonks was excited for this class, as she would be discussing what was a taboo subject within most pureblood families. She was also bringing in a guest lecturer to speak to her class on the topic. 

Promptly at 9:00, Professor Tonks started her class. 

“Good Morning.” Professor Tonks was greeted with a mumble of good mornings in return.  

“This morning we have a guest speaker joining us, as we are covering a historical subject they are far more qualified to speak on.”

The students looked at one another, confused by what historical subject someone other than a pureblood would be best to cover. 

Noticing her students' confusion, the professor quickly chimed in. 

“Briefly on our first day of class, I brought up squibs, which seemed to gain many people's attention. As that seemed to be a topic of interest, I figured who better to discuss it with you than Unspeakable Jones, who researches squibs, and has special permission to lecture on the topic.” 

The students were surprised. It wasn’t often that Unspeakables were allowed to discuss their work, let alone give formal lectures about it. 

“Unspeakable Jones, the floor is yours.” 

A middle aged wizard stepped forward. Taking Professor Tonks' spot, in the middle of the lecture hall. 

“Good Morning. I am Unspeakable Jones, I have been the lead magical genealogist, in the Department of Mysteries, for 40 years. What that means is I study the lineage of magical families, regardless of blood status.” 

Many of the students looked surprised, and impressed at learning there were people who actually studied that.

“Now, I’m sure many of you are thinking, great another person here to tell you how great purebloods are. That is not at all why I’m here. With the study of magical lineage, comes a deeper study into Squibs, lost families, and genetics.” 

Pureblood students looked confused at the mention of genetics. Susan Bones, raised her hand, and was immediately called on.

“Yes Ms…”

“Bones.”

“Ah, I thought you looked familiar. Your aunt was Amelia Bones?”

“Yes sir.” 

“I’m sorry for your loss. What is your question?”

“Thank you. I would like you to explain what genetics is.” 

“Excellent question Ms. Bones. Genetics is the study of how genes, or traits, are passed down from one generation to the next. Does that answer your question Ms. Bones?”

Susan nodded her head. 

“As we study magical families we learn a lot about their genetics, and how they pass down their magic, as magic is a genetic trait.” 

The unspeakable pulled a whiteboard into the center of the room. 

“Can anyone tell me what a squib is?” 

Theo raised his hand to answer.

“A squib is someone born to two magical parents, but they don’t have magic.” 

“You are correct. Born to magical parents, but not having magic. How many of you have wondered how this happens?” 

Nearly the whole class raised their hands. 

“Now for the sake of learning, we are going to represent our genes as letters. The magic trait shows up on two genes, for learning we will call them W for witch or wizard, and M for magic.”

He wrote a capital W and M on the board.

“Now in genetics, there are two copies of each gene. One from each of your parents. Genes can be recessive, shown by lower case letters, or dominant, shown by upper case letters. Magic is dominant, meaning you only need one uppercase W or M to have magic.” 

One the board he wrote wwmm = squib. 

“This means, parents who are genetically diverse, have a less than 6% chance of having a child that is a squib.” 

Unspeakable Jones took a moment to look around the room, and noticed the confusion on the students' faces. Many of them seemed to understand that squibs were far more prevalent than 6% in pureblood families. 

“Now I see your confusion. If everyone only had a 6% chance of producing a squib, then why are the rates of squib pregnancies higher?”

Many of the students nodded in response. 

“So, when you introduce inbreeding, you lessen the genetic diversity, as magic only needs to be dominant once.” 

He wrote wwMm = magic, and Wwmm = magic on the board. Then he made a square with 16 boxes and showed all possibilities for the offspring of two people who both were wwMm. 

“What I’ve shown here is all of the possible genetic combinations for two people with only one dominant magic gene. You will see they have a 25% chance of having a child born as a squib with wwmm genetics.” 

Many of the pureblood students shared looks of horror across their faces.   

“Due to inbreeding, meaning people marrying those they are closely related to, the risk for genetic mutation increases. Meaning the genes change and don’t do what you expect them to even if the individual has a dominant magic gene.”

He now wrote: *=gene mutation, gene mutation = squib. WWMM*, WwMm*, or any combination with a gene mutation = squib. 

“Are you all following?” 

The reluctant class shook their heads yes. Pansy raised her hand with a question.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Are you saying that for many pureblood families, the chance of having a squib is actually greater than 25% due to the inbreeding that has become commonplace in order to keep the blood pure?” 

“That is exactly what I’m saying.” 

“Holy shit, our parents are fucked.” Pansy said, not realizing she was speaking out loud. 

Unspeakable Jones, and the rest of the class started laughing out loud. 

“Ms. Parkinson, 10 points from Slytherin, 5 for each curse word.” Professor Tonks jumped in.

“Sorry ma’am. Won’t happen again.” 

Once Unspeakable Jones regained his composure, he was ready to continue, but had to answer more questions first. 

“Yes, Ms…”

“Greengrass, sir. How can we keep the population genetically healthy? 

“To be bluntly honest ma’am, we need to abandon the pureblood ideology, and ideally increase the birth rate. 200 years ago, this school had more than 150 students per year. Now there are approximately 40 per year.”

There was shock among many of the pureblood students, as they were further finding that the ideals their parents had taught them were a crock of crap. 

Another hand popped up. This time it was Harry with a question.

“Yes Mr. Potter?” 

“What about Muggle Borns?” 

“Great question, and wonderful segue into our next topic. How do muggle borns end up with magic? There are a few options.” 

He looked around the room, unsure if the students were ready for the next dose of truth. 

“The first is a gene mutation, which causes their non dominant magic genes to mutate into dominant genes. Mutations can happen even to healthy people. The next option is that both or one of their parents are squibs, or have squib lineage. Magic can be present if the mutation heals, or isn’t passed down. This is also why most muggle borns have the healthiest genetics to pass down to the next generation.” 

Looking around the room, the unspeakable was trying not to laugh at the looks on the students faces and how they went between panic, and confusion. 

“Now I know a lot of this is confusing, and I likely just said the exact opposite of what many of your parents have taught you, but this information is paramount for the forward movement of the magical world. If we don’t move forward we could possibly drive ourselves extinct.” 

Unspeakable Jones looked at the clock, and noticed his time with the class was almost up.

“Now, I’m only able to be with you all for 45 minutes today. We only have about 15 minutes left, and there’s one more thing I wanted to get to.” 

He started passing out a sheet of paper, which was a transcript of the lecture he gave today. He figured this would help the students in case they wanted to reference the information they had learned. 

“Now, the last thing for today. We have a very simple blood test, which can tell you the genetic combination you have. For those of you who are muggle born, or don’t know the identity of your parents, we have the ability to do an inheritance test.”

The room started buzzing as the curious seventh years wanted to know their genetic makeup. 

“This first test I’ll pass out is the genetic test, place three drops of blood in the center of the paper, then let it process for 30 minutes. Who would like one?” 

All of the students, and Professor Tonks raised their hands, happy to participate in the exercise. Unspeakable Jones passed out the tests to all of the students, who promptly cut their hands and placed the required number of blood drops on the paper. 

“The next test I have is the inheritance test. Please raise your hand if you would like one of these.” 

A smaller number of students raised their hands, but it was those who Unspeakable Jones stated the test would be good for. 

“Again with the inheritance test, three drops of blood and let process for thirty minutes. If any of you have questions, you’re welcome to owl me!” 

With that, Unspeakable Jones said thank you to Professor Tonks, and made his way out of the classroom.

“Ladies, and Gentlemen. Let's take a few minutes to finish up the tests from Unspeakable Jones, before we get into the rest of today's lecture.” 

Ten minutes later, everyone's hands were healed, and the tests were processing in front of each student. 

“Now our guest lecturer covered a lot of information that was brand new to all of us. For the next 20 minutes we are going to talk more about the history of squibs in the magical world. This will leave us about 10 minutes at the end of class for everyone to review their test results.”  

Professor Tonks took one last look around the classroom before beginning a discussion about the history of Squibs in the magical world. 

“Unspeakable Jones did a brilliant job of teaching us how a squib is born. History has shown us how squibs are treated by magical society. The Ministry of Magic has long since not gotten itself involved in family dynamics, including how squib births are managed by families. The only papers the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has on squibs, is that birth of a squib is listed as a valid reason a man can divorce his wife.” 

This caused many jaws to drop in the room. Divorce was inherently rare in the magical world, after what they had just learned, it seemed inappropriate for a squib birth to be blamed on the wife. 

“I’ll warn you that what I’m about to say is not a happy fact. Many families would dispose of squibs. Either through a well orchestrated accident, obliviation and abandonment, or some would just disown them.” 

There were faces of shock and horror on the students. 

“In the 1700’s a healer invented a spell for fetal magic detection, praeseminatio magicus, allowing for the detection of magic after the 16th week of pregnancy. This led to mothers having more accidents after seeing their healer.” 

A knowing glance was shared among the students, who stayed silent so the professor could continue. 

“In the late 1800’s, a potions master invented a potion that would expel a fetus from the mother in the event of an emergency. This position was later banned as it was being used to end squib pregnancies. In the 1900’s, more specifically the 1930’s and onward, as the pureblood supremacy movement rose in popularity, so did the number of squibs.”

Students in the classroom listened to everything Professor Tonks shared, but they couldn’t hide their disgust at the complete lack of care for human life. 

“Compassionate families felt the best path of success for squibs was for them to be raised in a muggle atmosphere with no knowledge of the muggle world. This led to many squib children being abandoned at a muggle hospital shortly after birth. Some families wanted to love their children, regardless of magical ability, but unintentionally set their child up for a life of ridicule and poverty due to their lack of knowledge about the muggle world. In the worst cases the child was used like a house elf, and when their use ran out they disposed of them like trash.”

All of the students were horrified, muggleborns, and purebloods alike. Seeing the complete disgust on her students' faces actually comforted Professor Tonks. She hoped that knowing these facts would provide her students with more compassion if they ever had a child that was a squib.   

“The last thing I want all of you to think about is this; knowing what you know now, how would you choose to handle the birth of a squib into your family?”

After approximately five minutes had passed, the professor stood back up. 

“I want to thank you again for your attention today. I know this was not an easy subject to cover by any means. If my timer was correct, your genetic combination, and lineage tests should be ready for you to check.” 

With that Professor Tonks lost the attention of her students as they all turned to their blood tests. Reactions around the room varied. Some students, particularly the half bloods and muggle borns were openly discussing their results. 

Many of the purebloods were keeping their results quiet, as they were surprised to see they only had one dominant magic gene. Looking at the lecture transcript Unspeakable Jones passed out they found having only one magic gene means it was likely they could have had a squib somewhere in their family line. 

When Draco Malfoy looked at his genetic test, he was pleasantly surprised to see that he held two dominant genes. He was a WwMm. Thankfully the Malfoy family, although historically blood purists, chose to mix with purebloods across Europe rather than the same ones that were in England, who all seemed to be related. He figured that must be what kept him genetically healthy. 

Across the room, Hermione first looked at her genetic test. She was surprised to see she had four dominant genes, WWMM. She decided after reading it that she must have had one hell of a gene mutation. Time was spent comparing results before she remembered she also had done the inheritance test. 

Unfolding the paper containing the inheritance test results, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she read the results.  

Father: Daniel John Granger

3rd generation squib 

Dagworth-Granger Family 

 

Mother: Emma Jean Granger

4th generation squib

Fawley Family 

 

Hermione Jean Granger

Heir to the House of Dagworth-Granger (by birth)

Heir to the House of Fawley (by birth) 

She was the heir to not one, but two magical houses. On top of that, both of her parents were descendents of squibs. Looking through the handout from Unspeakable Jones, she determined that both of her parents' family lines were squib due to gene mutation, and that she had magic due to the way their genes combined, not the result of a mutation. 

There were so many questions going through her head. Once classes were finished, she would be writing a letter to Unspeakable Jones, and possibly taking a trip to Gringotts to confirm the results. 

This was certainly a peculiar way to end the week. 

Chapter Text

Hermione didn’t bother going to lunch when classes finished on Friday. Following Study of the Non-Magical World, she went right up to Gryffindor tower to change, and grab her bag for the weekend. 

Headmistress McGonagall had given her the password to her office where she would be able to floo to and from the school, rather than apparating at the gate. She sent a quick patronus message to the Headmistress with a reminder that she would be away for the weekend. Sneakily, Hermione put her name in the in/out book at the back of the hall as she left breakfast, so she could go directly to Minerva's office. 

When she reached the familiar gargoyle, she gave it the password, and it let her up without question. Hermione was caught off guard when she found Headmistress McGonagall in her office when she arrived. 

“Hello Minerva.” Hermione said, finally remembering to use her first name. 

“Hermione, lovely to see you. I just finished listening to your patronus message. Thank you again for keeping me up to date with the relevant information.” 

“You’re welcome. Thank you for being so open to me coming and going.” 

“Dear, I can’t blame you. You are ready to live your life. After everything you have been through, no one should fault you for that.” 

Hermione could only smile in response, and give a curt thank you. 

“Where are you off to today? Sorry, I’m a nosey old cat.” 

She couldn’t help but chuckle at Minerva’s sentiment. 

“Well I’ve had a small change of plans. I’m off to Gringotts first, then I’ll be heading home.” 

“Why the sudden change?” 

“I received some very interesting results from the inheritance test we took during History of Magic & Magical Culture.” 

“Oh. Anything you would be interested in sharing?” 

“Why not.” Hermione said as she pulled the results paper from her pocket, handing it to the headmistress. 

Minerva read the paper, and had a reaction similar to Hermione’s. 

“Wow. That is certainly some news. I assume you’re going to Gringotts for an Inheritance Test?”

“Absolutely. The results you’re looking at are from a test given by the Unspeakable, Professor Tonks had lecturing today. So, I’m sure they’re correct, but with news like that… Well I believe the sentiment is trust, but verify.” 

“You would be correct. Well darling, I won’t keep you. I’m sure you’re eager to find answers. Don’t forget you can floo directly to Gringotts.” Minerva reminded her, as she handed her back her results paper. 

“Thank you Minerva. Have a great weekend!” 

“You too Hermione!” 

Hermione grabbed a handful of floo powder, threw it into the fireplace, and said “Gringotts Bank.” 

She stepped out of the fireplace in the Gringotts Bank entry way, and made her way to the line. For a Friday afternoon, the bank was surprisingly calm. When it was her turn she politely greeted the goblin teller. 

“Well met Teller Sharp Tooth. I am Hermione Granger. Could I please speak with the Granger family Account Manager?” 

“Follow me.” The teller closed his station, and led Hermione into the area of the bank designated for account managers. The teller escorted her into a small conference room. 

“Please take a seat, Account Manager Blade Fang will be with you shortly.” With a head nod, the Goblin teller gave the formal goodbye. “May your gold flow freely, Ms. Granger.” 

“May your enemies fall at your feet, Teller Sharp Tooth.” 

Not even five minutes later there was a sharp knock on the door, before it opened, revealing her account manager. 

“Well met Miss Granger.” 

“Well met Account Manager Blade Fang.” 

With the niceties aside, the Goblin took a seat at the table across from Hermione.

“What can I do for you today Miss Granger?” 

“I would like to take an inheritance test please.” 

The Goblin looked up at Hermione abruptly, and she could see the questions in his eyes that he was far too polite to ask. 

“For the heck of it, I recently took an inheritance test from an Unspeakable. Their test revealed information I did not expect. Gringotts is the best when it comes to maintaining inheritances, I knew I had to come here to get answers.” 

With a smile that rivaled a sneer, the Account Manager said, “If it’s answers you want, then answers you shall receive.”

“Thank you Account Manager Blade Fang.” 

“The inheritance test requires a few drops of blood, onto a special piece of Gringotts parchment. The cost is 30 galleons, and includes line acceptance testing following. Would you like to proceed?” 

Nervous, Hermione could only nod her head yes. 

“This sheet I’ll have you sign is a consent to the test, and having your blood drawn via dagger.” 

She signed the paper immediately, and thanked the Goblin. 

Account Manager Blade Fang subsequently pulled a gold rimmed piece of parchment from the folder he carried. 

“This is the parchment of the inheritance test. Next I need the palm of your hand. I’ll make a cut across your palm, then you will make a fist with your pinky towards this paper. Let the blood flow until words start to form on the paper, only then may you magically heal the wound.” 

“Yes sir.” 

“Your palm Miss Granger.” 

Hermione put her hand, palm up into the Account Managers Hand. He used his dagger to make a quick slice across her palm, which turned red with blood. She followed his directions to the letter, and only removed her hand when writing showed on the paper. 

She quickly healed her palm as the writing flowed across the paper, revealing her lineage, and inheritances.

Father: Daniel John Granger

Mother: Emma Jean Granger

Hermione Jean Granger
Inheritance(s): 
Heir to the House of Dagworth-Granger (by birth)
Heir to the House of Fawley (by birth) 

"It seems, Miss Granger, we have some inheritances to check." 

With a snap of his fingers two boxes appeared in front of Hermione.

"Now, these two boxes contain the house rings for the house of Dagworth-Granger, and Fawley. If the house magic accepts you, then these rings are yours to wear. All you have to do is try to put the rings on." 

Hermione picked up the first box. When she opened it she saw an ornate crest with the name Fawley below. She plucked the ring from the box and placed it on her index finger. She felt warmth envelope her, and magic swarming throughout her insides. It felt comfortable, like an embrace from someone you hadn’t seen in a long time. Enjoying the warmth of the magic, she couldn’t help but smile.

“The first magic has accepted you Miss Granger. Your ring will remain invisible for all but who you allow to see it.”  

Now curious to see if she would be accepted by the magic of the other house, she picked up the second ring box. Like the first, the ring had an ornate family crest with D.W. woven into the design. She put the ring on her other index finger. At first the magic felt cold, making her shiver, as though it was testing her. After a short moment, the warm feeling enveloped her again. 

“It appears the magic from that house has also accepted you. As both of these families were at the end of their line, you are now the sole heir. If you’d like to come back at a later date, I can go over the accounts, and properties with you.” 

Hermione stared at her account manager. All she wanted was answers. Her mind wasn’t even considering money and property. 

“One more thing, Miss Granger. Both of these inheritances come with seats on the Wizenagemot that you will likely want to claim.” 

With that, Hermione’s jaw dropped. Unable to accept any additional new information today, she knew her Account Manager was right, and she would need to come back another day. 

“Thank you for that information Account Manager Blade Fang. I think I will definitely come back another day to go over the other information.”

“Of course Miss Granger. With that, I’ll show you out.” 

Her Account Manager showed her back to the lobby, giving her formal salutations as they parted.

“Miss Granger, may your gold flow freely.” 

“Account Manager Sharp Claw, may your enemies fall at your feet.” 

Hermione was in a daze as she walked out of Gringotts. All she wanted was information, which she got, but now there were the two Wizenagemot seats to manage. 

Much of her life was spent preparing for the non magical political landscape. Now she would also be faced with managing two seats in magical politics. This was far more than she bargained for.

Hermione apparated straight home following her Gringotts meeting. This evening was going to be busy preparing for Bicton. She wanted to get in a ride with the two horses she would be competing with tomorrow, and she still needed to make sure she had the dressage pattern memorized. 

When she walked in the house the first thing she did was check the time. 2:45pm, she needed to change, and head out to the stable where she knew her mum would be. She was changed, and heading out to the stable not even five minutes later. 

Nearly running into the barn, Hermione went straight into the tack room, oblivious to those giving her funny looks. She changed into her riding boots, now ready to ride. As she was about to leave the tack room the door opened, and her mom entered.

"I heard you had made your way in here." Mum said with a laugh.

"Oh no. I hope I didn't make a scene. I was rushing to get down here."

"No scene, just some grooms laughing about your obliviousness."

She chuckled at her mum's response.

"Well I was on a mission to get down here to ride." 

"As you always are darling. Now do you have any questions about this weekend?" 

"Yes, who is registered for what?" 

"So we have you registered with two horses this weekend. I registered you, with Ruby, and Mercury."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up when she heard Mercury was registered. 

"I thought he was still too green?" 

"We've been working with him like you asked, and he's absolutely amazing. When the grooms, and I, saw you rush in, I asked them to get him locked up for you."

"Thank you! I guess I'll be riding him first then?" 

Her mum nodded in response, and the pair began walking to the indoor.

Hermione wasted no time. She loved on Mercury, then mounted up immediately warming him up through walk, trot, canter, and ground work before moving to jumps. The pair progressed through jumps of many heights before taking a short break.

"Okay, he is a dream. I see what you mean… What class is he registered for?" 

"Nothing too crazy. I figured the BE100 would be the best place to start. He is more than capable of the 100 cm heights, but needs to meet the minimum eligibility requirements before moving up to international." 

"Makes sense. Is it the same for Ruby?" 

"Yes, both of them need one last BE 100 event, before advancing to international level."

"Fair. This should be a fun weekend then. Thank you for all the work you have done with him." 

"Of course sweetheart! Now let's finish his workout before we move onto Ruby." 

Agreeing with her mum, she got back on Mercury and did a final full run through of a show jumping course at the appropriate height. 

"Beautiful job you two!" Her mum said. "You two will do brilliantly tomorrow."

"Thank you mum!" She said, as she hopped off Mercury and handed the reins to his groom. 

As Mercury walked out, another groom walked Ruby in. 

"She is ready to go, already stretched, and everything." 

"Thank you Liz." Hermione said, as she took the reins from the groom Liz.

Much like she had with Mercury, she exercised Ruby, who was as much of a dream as she remembered. The pair seamlessly worked through jumping, and the dressage pattern Hermione would need to know.

"How did everything look mum?"

"Fantastic! I think this will be a really good weekend for you and these two horses."

Hermione couldn't help but smile, hopeful for the same. She dismounted Ruby, and with her mum they walked Ruby back out to her groom Liz. Once Ruby was with her groom, her mum started discussing additional preparations. 

"The Lorry is packed with all the necessary Food, and equipment. What I need you to do is make sure your gear, and clothes are packed." 

"Let me list it out to make sure I'm not forgetting anything. Show coat, boots, and breeches. Helmets, body protector, hat silk, cross country shirt and number bib. Am I forgetting anything?"

"No, just don't forget regular clothes." Her mum laughed.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and started to gather her show clothes, which were kept in a special locker in the tack room. Before going back up to the house for dinner she loaded her things onto the Lorry, now feeling prepared for the weekend ahead. 

She and her mum made their way back up to the house for a quick dinner. Following dinner they were off to bed early, as they had to be on the road by 3:00 in the morning. The worst part about this weekend was the nearly 4 hour drive to Bicton. Before going to bed, Hermione made sure to pack a personal bag of normal clothes, makeup, and everything she needed to do her hair.

Meanwhile, Friday evening at Hogwarts.

To many Hogwarts students, Friday was just another day. Only the seventh years had the half day of classes, and you had to be over 17 to come and go as you pleased. So, it was no surprise that some of the older students disappeared after lunch. 

What did happen to catch Ginny Weasley off guard, was that her best friend wasn’t back for dinner. This behavior was unlike Hermione, as she always told someone where she was going. 
Ginny knew Hermione wasn’t in the dorms, or common room, as she had just left there. Deciding to check Hermione’s normal places before panicking, Ginny made her way to the Library, where again she couldn’t find her in any of her normal places. 

She even asked Madam Pince if she had seen Hermione. To which she received a curt “No.” 

Unsure of where else to check, Ginny made her way down to the Great Hall. When she entered she kept her eyes peeled, knowing Hermione liked to sit with her friends in different houses.  

Again nothing.

Ginny took her normal seat at the Gryffindor table, and immediately started asking those around her if they had seen her. 

“Harry. Harry!” Ginny had to say his name twice to get his attention. 

“What?” He responded. 

“Have you seen Hermione since breakfast?”

Harry looked like he was thinking really hard before he answered. 

“The last I saw her was leaving class at 12:15. She looked like she was in a rush. I don’t recall seeing her after that. What about you Ron?” 

“Huh?” Said Ron, with a mouthful of food. 

“I haven’t seen her either.” He said, mouth still full of whatever he had found to eat. 

Ginny’s face scrunched up, even more confused than when earlier. She looked around the Gryffindor table, and noticed Neville was seated by himself a few people up from where she sat down. She moved to join him. 

“Good Evening Ginny.” He said politely. 

“Good Evening Neville.” She responded in kind. “Have you happened to see Hermione since your last class?” 

“I haven’t actually. Why? Do we need to be concerned?” Neville responded. 

“I don’t think so. It’s just incredibly unlike Hermione to just disappear without telling anyone anything.” 

“Very true. She’s always been big on making sure someone knows where everyone is. Let me see if she signed out in the book.” 

Neville got up, and walked to the back of the Great Hall where the sign out book was. He reviewed the names, then sat back down near Ginny. 

“Anything?” Ginny asked impatiently. 

“She’s signed out, but there is no return time.” 

“Damn it. What do we do now?” She asked Neville. 

“Let’s wait, and see if she turns up during dinner. If she doesn’t, we can talk to the Headmistress.” 

“Okay.” Ginny agreed. 

Ginny stayed on high alert, all through dinner. Hermione still hadn’t shown up, and Ginny was growing more concerned. 

Dinner came to an end, and Ginny looked to Neville, knowing it was time to go talk to the Headmistress. 

“Ready Nev?” 

“Yepp. Let's go.”      

Neville, and Ginny walked up to the front of the Great Hall where the professors sat. They politely approached the Headmistress before jumping into their concern. 

“Excuse me, Headmistress McGonagall. Do you have a moment to speak.” 

“Of course, Neville, Ginny. What’s wrong?” The Headmistress asked, taken aback by the looks of concern the duo shared. 

“No one has seen Hermione since her last class.” Ginny started. 

“She signed out in the book, but there’s no return time.” Neville added. 

“I see.” Headmistress McGonagall added, with a knowing glint in her eye. “Ms. Granger is away for personal reasons, she will be gone all weekend. You will see her again at breakfast on Monday morning.” 

“Thank you Headmistress.” Neville said, pulling Ginny away from the head table.

 The pair walked out of the hall, and headed back towards the common room. Neville could tell Ginny was silently reeling. 

“Why the hell wouldn’t she tell us she was going somewhere?” Ginny asked. 

“I have no clue Gin. Hermione does seem to be more secretive this year.” 

“Yeah.” Ginny scoffed. “I’m not sure I like it too much. It feels like she’s hiding something, and that's a sure fire way to ignite my temper.” 

“I understand that. I wish she understood that she could trust us.” 

“I agree. I feel like something happened while she was on the road with Harry, and Ron that made her trust even less.” Ginny said. 

“You haven’t heard?” Neville asked. 

“Heard what?” 

“While they were traveling last year, Ron left, Harry, and Hermione.”

“He what?” Ginny said seething. 

“There was apparently some sort of argument, where Ron thought Hermione was sleeping with Harry. She wasn’t for the record. Without waiting for an explanation, he apparated away abandoning the pair.” 

“Wow. Someone who she thought of as a best friend, just abandoned her. No wonder she feels like she cannot trust anyone this year.” Ginny said sadly.   

Chapter Text

Saturday, October 3rd, 1998

Before long Hermione's early morning alarm was going off, followed by her mum knocking on the door to make sure she was awake.

"Good morning. We will be heading down to the stables to leave in 15 Minutes."

"Okay. I'll be ready."

Hermione pulled her hair back into a quick bun, knowing she would have to fix it later. She was thankful they had an established dress code at shows, black breeches, and their polos which had the stable name, and logo on the back, with her name on the front. 

She had the same polo in a multitude of colors. Today she had chosen to wear her hunter green polo, which she knew would pair well with her warm puffer vest. Her vest also had the stable name, and her name on it, but they were both on the front. 

Now ready for the day, Hermione grabbed her bag, phone, and heavier jacket before she went to meet her parents downstairs. 

"Good morning." Hermione said to her parents as she walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning." They both said in return. 

Her mum was wearing nearly an identicaI outfit, but had opted for a purple polo instead. Her dad, who was joining as the lorry driver, and lead cheerleader, wore khaki pants, and a matching black polo. 

"Here Hermione." Her mum said as she passed Hermione a scone.

"Thank you!"

"Of course sweetie. We will grab actual breakfast on the road."

"Sounds good to me. What is the plan for today? Who is going in which vehicle?" 

"Well dad is driving the lorry of course. Liz, Becky, and Robert are following in the truck. I figured you and I would go with dad."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement, then the family of three made their way down to the stable. 

As they walked up they saw the grooms, Liz, Becky, and Robert. Liz, and Becky were walking off the Iorry, and Robert was closing up the back. The three grooms were dressed similarly to Hermione and her mum. The only difference was all three were wearing black polos, like her dad.

"Good morning." 

"Good morning Emma."

"Sorry we are a little behind. Any issues loading up?"

"None at all." Liz, who was the lead groom, responded. "Mercury, and Ruby loaded like a dream!"

"That's wonderful. So I figured we would get right on the road then stop for a quick breakfast in an hour or so. Any objections?" 

As expected, no one objected. 

"So the plan for today is Liz, Becky and Robert will follow behind the Lorry in the truck. Dan is going to drive the lorry. When we get to Bicton, Hermione, and I will take the horses paperwork, and get checked in. Once we are checked in, and given stall assignments we will get Mercury, and Ruby settled." 

Everyone nodded in agreement. Dan traded keys with Liz, as he had the keys she needed, and vice versa. Hermione threw her bag into the back of the lorry, then the group of six hit the road.

Saturday, 7:30 am, arriving at Bicton. 

Hermione was excited as the group pulled into the Bicton show grounds. They made their way to the area where the lorries parked, then her mum reiterated the plan to everyone. 

“Alright, Hermione and I are going to take the paperwork to check in. In the meantime, can the four of you get Mercury, and Ruby out for a little grazing, and stretching?” 

“Of course.” Liz, the lead groom said. 

“Hermione, do you have the paperwork?” 

“Yes mum.” She said as she showed her mum the folder of paperwork she was holding. 

Hermione and her mum headed over to the check in tent, where they received their stable assignments. This was also where the vetting for the horses would be validated, as the organization always wanted to be sure the horses were safe to be around other horses, and medically cleared to compete. 

At check in, Hermione also received all of her start times. That’s what was different about eventing. Eventing is a style of equestrian competition that didn’t have a singular discipline as the focus. Each horse, and rider pair, had to compete in dressage, show jumping, and cross country to get a finishing place in the standings. 

Since she was competing with two horses, it was important her team knew the times so they could make sure the horses were ready at the appropriate times. 

Today she had dressage on Ruby at 10:30 am, and Mercury at 1pm. Then she had show jumping on Ruby at 3:45pm. Tomorrow, show jumping on Mercury was at 9:45 am, and cross country was in the afternoon for both horses. Ruby ran at 1:15, then Mercury at 2:45 pm. If Hermione managed to pIace, the awards ceremony was at 3:30 pm.

By the time she, and her mum returned to the lorry, Mercury, and Ruby were out stretching their legs, and grazing. 

"Any issues?" Dan asked.

"None. All of the times, and stable assignments were as we had hoped."

"Awesome." Liz said. "Can I get the time from you so we can have them ready." 

"Of course." Mum said, as she shared the times, and stable assignments with Liz.

Hermione went with Liz, and Becky to get the horses settled into the stables, while Robert, her mum, and dad stayed to get camp set up. 

She was leading Mercury, and Becky had Ruby as they walked to the stables. Mercury was doing amazing, and ignoring all the distractions. It wasn't long before they were both settled in their stables. 

Hermione checked the time, and started to panic slightly when she realized it was already 8:30 am.

“I see the look on your face, Hermione. Don’t you worry. I’ll have Ruby ready and back by the lorry at 9:15. Now you need to go and get ready.” 

“Thank you Liz!” Hermione said as she ran from the stables back up to the lorry. 

As she returned, her parents could see that she was in a panic. 

“Are you alright dear?” Her mum asked. 

“Yes mum, I’m fine. I just realized the time, and rushed back to get ready.” 

Her mum looked at the time confused. “Sweetheart, you have nearly 2 hours until dressage. You’re perfectly fine!” 

“Mum, I need to change, finish tacking up Ruby, then warm her up before then!” She said panicking. 

“Hermione, deep breath. You’re not alone here. You have a team. You’re not going to be late.” Her mum coached her through her panic attack. 

As she started to calm down, she let out a quiet “thanks mum,” before heading into the lorry to change. 

She went into autopilot, as she often did before shows. Her show gear was all together in one bag. Getting dressed in her show outfit, it felt like she was putting on her Hogwarts uniform, and slipping into the character required to fit the uniform. Now that she had on her gear, gone was the nervous, worry wart. She was now the confident equestrian woman she looked the part of. 

Show jumping, and dressage had the same uniform, and Hermione was even allowed to wear color if she chose. Today, she was wearing a navy blue show coat, with gold buttons on the front, and near the wrists. Her jacket had their stable logo embroidered on the left chest. The jacket was paired with tan breeches, a competition standard white shirt with the required neck tie. Her hair was fixed into a bun at the nape of her neck, and held into place with a hair net that matched her hair color. 

Putting her show boots on, and grabbing her helmet completed the outfit. She now felt ready to compete. Stepping out of the lorry, Hermione was greeting with Ruby getting tacked up. 

“See Hermione, nothing to worry about. We are early.” Liz joked. 

Hermione checked the time, and laughed when she realized it was only 9:05. 

“Okay Liz, you were right.” She laughed, walking over to where Liz, and the team were working with Ruby. 

Robert was tacking Ruby up, getting the saddle pad, and the saddle set on her back. He was making sure it was set in the proper place on her back before tightening the girth, that would hold the saddle in place. Before they put the bridle on, Hermione checked the bit to make sure they were using the appropriate one. This was a habit of her mum’s that Hermione had always followed. 

At 9:20, Hermione mounted Ruby, and the group headed towards the warm up area. Becky and Robert went to the stable so they could check on Mercury. 

The warm up was simple. She went through the dressage test multiple times with Ruby just to make sure she remembered it. As this was Hermione’s first competition on Ruby, she wanted to be certain there was nothing in the area that would spook Ruby during the test. 

As always, Ruby was a rock. Nothing bothered her. This helped Hermione settle, and release some of her nervous energy. 

At 10:20, the group moved closer to the dressage ring where she was competing. At 10:30 on the dot, Hermione received the sign the judges were ready for her. She trotted up the outside of the ring, entered the ring at A, then went through her entire test. 

In the blink of an eye, the dressage test was over, and Hermione was saluting the judges. After she saluted, she gave Ruby the biggest pats ever, and made her way out of the ring. 

“I swear I blacked out during that.” Hermione said to the group. 

“We couldn’t tell.” Her mum said in return. 

“Hermione, that looked great.” Liz said, reassuring her. 

“Good Job kiddo.” Her dad said. 

The group started to head back towards the lorry. They needed to untack Ruby, and put her back in the stable. 

Time passed quickly, and before Hermione knew it she was back in the warm up ring with Mercury, ready to do the same thing again. At promptly 1:00 pm, she trotted into the dressage ring with Mercury. Much like her early test, she completely blacked out until her final salute. 

“How did it look?” Hermione asked her mum. 

“That looked great as well, I didn’t see any major mistakes.” Her mum answered honestly. 

Again the group headed back to the lorry with plenty of time to spare. At 1:30 pm, they were back, and working on untacking Mercury who was quickly returned to his stable. They had 1 hour and 45 minutes before it was time to warm Ruby up for show jumping. With the little time they had everyone made themselves sandwiches at the campsite they had set up around the lorry. 

Before they knew it, they were preparing Ruby for show jumping, then making their way to the warm up ring. Ruby again, warmed up like a dream.  

At 3:45, they were announced into the show jumping ring. Now feeling back in her element, Hermione led Ruby around the show jumping ring. The pair cleared every jump with ease, and were easily inside the required time. She gave Ruby all of the love, and praise following their successful jumping round. 

“That felt amazing.” She said to the group. 

“It looked good as well.” Her mum commended her. 

“She rides so nicely, and loves to jump. I can’t wait to have her out for cross country tomorrow.” 

“Did you hear them say your dressage score when they announced you into the arena?” 

“No, not at all. How did I do?” 

“You two are currently sitting in 1st place, with a score of 26.5” 

“Oh wow! I didn’t expect that.” Hermione said with surprise. 

Dressage scoring for eventing was a little backwards. The closer your score was to zero, the higher you were ranked. A 26.5 was quite a good score at the level she was competing. 

“Let's get this horse turned in for the night then we can run by the main arena, and check the standings fully.” 

“Sounds good.” Hermione agreed.

Sunday, 6:30 am. 

Hermione was up early Sunday morning. She went down to the stables with Liz, Becky, and Robert to check on the horses, muck stalls, and give them breakfast. She threw Mercury on a lead and led him out to graze while Robert mucked out the stall. Fifteen minutes later she put him back in the stall, with fresh food and water. 

When they made their way back up to camp, around 7:30, Dan already had breakfast ready for everyone. Feeling nervous for cross country day, Hermione opted for fruit, and a small scone. 

Mercury had show jumping at 9:45 this morning, so it would only be a few hours before they were starting their events for the day. Hermione and her mum checked standings at the main tent before they turned in the night previous. After dressage Ruby was sitting in 1st with a 26.5, and Mercury was sitting in 2nd with a 26.8. This put Hermione into a good mood going into day two. 

By 8:30 Mercury was at the lorry getting tacked up before show jumping. After some stretching, and a solid warm up, the pair were ready to compete. Like Hermione had with Ruby, she jumped clear, inside the time to maintain second place going into cross country. 

There was a discussion between Hermione and the three grooms about what would happen as she finished cross country on Ruby. There was only a little over an hour between finishing cross country on Ruby and starting on Mercury. 

They decided that Robert would be in charge of Mercury, who he would have tacked up, and properly stretched to go into the warm up. Hermione would help Liz, and Becky cool off Ruby before running off to warm up Mercury. 

This was the best possible plan they could come up with, which would make sure both horses get the care they deserved at the appropriate times. 

At noon, Hermione changed into her cross country attire before warming up Ruby. Hermione was wearing black breeches, a burgundy long sleeve shirt, her riding boots, a body protector, black gloves, and helmet. 

Ruby warmed up fantastically for the third time. When they walked up to the cross country starting box, she was raring to go. When she was given the okay to start from Hermione, she took off like a bat out of hell. The pair sailed through the jumps with ease, and made it to the finish line clear, inside the time, and without a single fault.  

As much as she wanted to celebrate, now was not the time. They needed to cool the horse down before getting her put back up in the stable. 

Hermione quickly pulled the saddle and pad off Ruby, while Liz and Becky started dousing her in water. She put the saddle in the cart they brought, pulled the bridle off, put her halter on, then made sure she had a bucket of fresh water to drink. 

“You need to go to Mercury, now Hermione.” Her mum said. 

“We’ve got this. You did a great job. Now go do the same on Mercury.” Liz said, reassuring Hermione. 

“Got it. Thank you.” Hermione said, rushing off to Mercury with her mum, and dad following. 

She found Robert quickly, and immediately started checking the tack. She tightened the girth before she got on, then started warming him up. 

Just before their 2:45 pm start time they made their way towards the start box. Mercury was keen to run, and didn’t want to stand still while waiting for the go ahead. 

Once given the okay to start Mercury took off, running through the course like he knew it already. He was much more careful in his movements in comparison to Ruby, but still finished clear, inside the time, and without faults. 

When she finished, she showered Mercury with praise, but like Ruby the celebration was short lived, as priority number one was cooling off her horse. As the tack came off the grooms doused him with water to cool him off. By the time they had finished cooling him off, the last two riders had finished the course, and standings were being announced. 

Hermione had managed to finish in first place with Ruby, and second place with Mercury. This meant they had to stay, and have the horses prepared for the awards ceremony at 3:30. Now in a rush, the group worked together to make sure the horses, and Hermione were properly prepared for the awards ceremony. 

Hermione had to change back into her show jumping clothes for the awards, and Liz had to get dressed up to lead Mercury, as Hermione couldn’t be riding both horses at once. 

The awards ceremony went as expected. The top five finishers received rosettes, and recognition. It was also announced that the top three finishers for this event qualified for Badminton in May of next year.  

At 4:30 pm, all of the pomp and circumstance was finally over, and the group of 6 could finally take the horses home. 

The lorry was packed, both horses were prepared for travel, loaded and the group was ready to go. They made sure everyone had snacks for the road, and just after 5pm the group started the nearly 4 hour drive home.

4 hours later they arrived at home. 

Ruby, and Mercury were immediately pulled off the trailer, and put into their stalls. Everything that could be unloaded from the lorry was including all of the tack. 

Hermione and her parents didn’t make it back to the house until 10:30 pm. By that time she was ready to crash, and was thankful she cleared returning in the morning with the Headmistress. 

The last thing she was determined to do before she went to sleep was shower. Car rides always made her feel grubby, and she didn’t want to get into bed feeling that way. 

Following her shower, she got into bed and set her alarms. She had planned to meet the Headmistress at 7:45 in her office, as her portkey was cleared to take her through the Hogwarts wards. From the moment her head hit the pillow she was out. 

Chapter Text

Hermione's alarms went off early in the morning on Monday. She wanted to say goodbye to her parents before her portkey left to take her back to Hogwarts. 

She dressed for the day, then went downstairs hoping her parents were still in the dining room. When she entered the room and saw both of them at the table she couldn’t help but smile. 

“Sweetheart, I wasn’t sure if we were going to see you this morning.” 

“Good morning, mum. I wanted to come, and say goodbye before I left.” 

Both of her parents stood, and gave her hugs before she left. She went back upstairs to her bedroom, and left via portkey from there. At precisely 7:30, she felt the familiar grip at her navel, and she was quickly transported to the Headmistress’ office at Hogwarts. 

“Good morning Hermione.” 

“Good morning Minerva. Good weekend?” 

“Yes, it was nice and quiet. Yours?” 

“It was fantastic.” 

“Do you mind if I ask what you were up to?” 

“Sure. I compete in equestrian events with British Equestrian, and the International Equestrian Federation, or FEI for short. This past weekend I competed in a discipline called eventing, where competitors have to compete in dressage, show jumping, and cross country for an overall score.” 

“Oh wow. How long have you been doing that?” 

“I’ve competed since before I came here. Once I was at Hogwarts, I competed on holiday breaks, and in the summer.” 

The Headmistress looked at Hermione surprised. 

“I was completely unaware that you kept yourself so busy, Hermione.”   

“It’s absolutely necessary. If I’m not busy, then I’m bored and that never ends well.” Hermione laughed. 

“I can only imagine the things you’ve gotten yourself into.” Minerva laughed. “Do you need anything before heading down to breakfast?” 

“Could you possibly have a house elf bring me my cloak, and my school bag?” 

“Of course. Miffy.” 

A child sized house elf appeared with a snap. 

“Yes headmistress.” Miffy said. 

“Could you please pick up Miss Granger’s cloak, and school bag from Gryffindor tower?” 

“Yes headmistress.” 

The house elf snapped away, and returned with Hermione's cloak, and school bag in less than 30 seconds. 

“Here is Missy Granger’s cloak, and school bag.” 

“Thank you Miffy.” Hermione said as she grabbed her things from the little elf. 

Once she had her school things, the little elf snapped away. 

“Hermione, I think you should be aware that Miss Weasley, and Mr Longbottom were looking for you Friday evening. You may have questions from your friends when you get down to breakfast.” 

“Shit.” Hermione said under her breath. “Sorry for my language.” 

“We’re in private, I won’t count it against you.” Minerva laughed. 

“Thank you!” 

“Also Hermione, you may want to tell your friends what you’re up to. It seems to me there is a lot more to your life than what people have been led to believe, and if you don’t want to irreparably damage your friendships it may be time to share.”  

She looked at the Headmistress, unsure what to say in response, but deep down she knew Minerva was correct. She was lying to her friends, nearly living a double life, and she couldn’t expect her friends to just ignore that. 

“I think you’re right.” Hermione said with her head down. 

“Now, shall we head down to breakfast?” The headmistress asked. 

Hermione nodded her head, and followed the professor down to the Great Hall. 

When they entered the hall, Hermione went right to her normal seat at the Gryffindor table. She was surprised that none of her friends were there yet. Oh well, she thought. She was hungry, and needed her tea, so she went ahead and started eating.
 
A few minutes later Hermione heard footsteps, and a loud female voice call out. 

“What the heck Hermione!” 

She knew that was the voice of an angry Ginny Weasley. 

“Good morning, Ginny.” 

“Really. Really! You think you can just leave for a weekend, not tell anyone where you went, and just come back with a Good Morning, Ginny?” The angry redhead shouted. 

“To be fair, someone did know where I was.” 

Ginny, and Neville who was standing next to her, rolled their eyes at Hermione’s response. 

“Don’t get smart with me Hermione Granger! Yes the Headmistress may have known where you were, but not any of your peers. Neville and I were ready to report you missing to the Aurors’.” 

“Ginny, I’m sorry, and I know I screwed up. Nothing was wrong. I had a previously scheduled obligation that I cleared with Professor McGonagall.” 

“You know you can trust us with that information too, it's beginning to feel like you’re sneaking around.” Ginny said, quietly pointing to herself and Neville. 

“Hermione, you can tell me anything. I’ll happily keep it private. You shouldn’t have to hold everything so close.” Neville added reassuringly. 

“Look, I’m sorry guys. I didn’t know how to explain where I was headed, so I just didn’t. Next time, and there will be a next time, I’ll do better to let you know that I’ll be gone so you don’t have to be concerned.” 

“That’s all we ask.” Ginny said. 

“I’ll try to do better.” Hermione concluded. 

“Thank You.” Neville and Ginny said together. 

“Do you want to tell us where you were?” Ginny asked. 

“Sure why not.” Hermione said to Ginny, and Neville's surprise. She cast a muffliato around the trio, and shared a little about her weekend. 

“So I’ve competed in equestrian sports since way before I came to Hogwarts. I was meant to compete at a higher level once I was done here, and a few of those competitions were already scheduled. That’s where I was this weekend.”  Hermione shared. 

Ginny’s eyes got big when she heard equestrian. Even in the magical world that was understood to be an expensive sport. Also, Ginny secretly loved horses, she had the opportunity to ride occasionally at her Aunt’s house but never was able to have one of her own. 

“How did the competition go?” Ginny asked. 

“Um, I competed on two horses. We placed first, and second.” 

“Congratulations.” Neville said. 

“Wow, out of how many people?” Ginny asked. 

“I think it was out of 100 or so competitors.” 

“Holy shit Hermione. So you’re really good?” 

Hermione chuckled in response to Ginny’s statement. 

“I was this weekend, but you never know how things will go.” Hermione said, making fun of herself. 

“What discipline do you compete in? Some older pureblood families compete in equestrian sports Hermione. Have you run into anyone?” Neville added. 

“I prefer eventing, and show jumping. This weekend was eventing. Also Nev, I’ve not run into anyone that I’m aware of.” She said now curious. “Also, can the two of you please keep this to yourselves?”

Ginny and Neville nodded in response to her request. 

When she saw that Harry and Ron were walking into the hall, Hermione went ahead, and wandlessly canceled the muffliato. 

“Hey Hermione.” Harry said politely, to which she responded in kind. 

“Oh finally decided to show up. Did you?” Ron sneered at Hermione. 

“Clearly you don’t care, so what is it to you Ronald?” 

“Did you think that maybe some of us needed your help this weekend with homework?” He asked rudely.

“The last time I checked, I was allowed to come, and go at my personal leisure. Not yours.” 

“What happened to you, Hermione? When did you become this selfish?” 

“Let me get this straight Ronald.” Hermione took a deep breath before continuing.

“You expected me to give up my free time this weekend, to help you with your homework, and I’m the selfish one?” She asked rhetorically. 

“Did you ask me for homework help at all leading up to this weekend?” She asked. Receiving no response from him, she continued. 

“No, you did not. So you just assumed I would be available, at your whim to help you with your work?”
 
“You’re Hermione. What else do you have to do other than read books.” Ron responded rudely. 

Ginny, and Neville looked at one another, waiting for Hermione to blow up. 

“Contrary to what you may believe, Ronald, I do have a life, and family obligations outside of my books.” 

“Okay sure Hermione.” Ron scoffed, and rolled his eyes. 

“Just because you never cared to ask, or listen to me when I discussed my life outside of Hogwarts, doesn’t mean I don’t have one, Ronald.”  

Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione’s statement, which further pissed her off. 

“I turned to books, and studying because I never had to worry about the way they treated me, and the library was always an easy place to hide. You may not realize it Ronald, but whenever any of us brought up the muggle world, you always made snide remarks about how you thought the muggle world was awful, or how the magical world was better.” At the mention of any of us, Hermione gestured to her classmates who also spent time in the muggle world. 
Harry, Dean, and Seamus all nodded their heads agreeing with Hermione. 

“She’s right mate.” Seamus added. “Whenever I wanted to talk about football, you would scoff, and start talking about how quidditch was better. You even made fun of my football poster because it didn’t move like magical ones.” 

Again Harry and Dean were nodding in agreement. 

“Ron, I tried to invite you over at the end of the school year one year, and your exact words to me were “No thanks mate. Why would I want to spend time in the muggle world?” You made a lot of us feel like our lives outside of Hogwarts were worthless if we didn’t live in a magical household.” Dean said. 

“The only magical thing I had to talk about was books, and school. So I threw myself into those, hoping it would be a way to make friends, and have conversations. By doing that I was labeled as a bookworm, and know it all? Absolutely.” Hermione laughed before continuing. 

“To be honest, I was a complete swot, and a terrible communicator. But I decided our first year to just keep my magical, and non-magical lives private based on what I observed around me. Now was that the right decision? No, but it was the easy one.” 

“Oh so the golden girl is a liar, and has been living a double life?” Ron said snidely, trying to get a rise out of her. 

“Honestly a double life is the best word for it. Let me ask you this Ronald, or anyone, when have I lied about my muggle life?”

Unbeknownst to the Gryffindor’s, much of the Great Hall was paying attention to their rather loud conversation. 

Ron stayed silent. 

“I don’t recall hearing you talk much about your life outside of school. I know your parents are dentists, and that you always went on vacations in the summer, but other than that you didn’t talk about it much.” Harry said quietly. 

The group around them came to a consensus that Harry had summarized what most of them knew about Hermione’s life. 

“Thank you Harry.” Hermione said politely. 

“I never went out of my way to talk about my life at home. When things were brought up, sure, I was vague. If you want to call it lying by omission then okay, I lied. I have to live with that, but tell me this Ronald, what does that have to do with you?” 

“Well you shouldn’t have to lie to your boyfriend!” 

“Ronald, when were you ever my boyfriend? We kissed once, and at no point in the last seven years did I ever agree to be your girlfriend.” She responded matter of factly. 

“Yes, well you should’ve known you were mine after our fourth year. I thought you were just being stupid, you belong to me.” He yelled. 

Hermione, Ginny, and Harry’s  jaws dropped, along with most of the student population that was now listening to their conversation over breakfast.

“Ronald Weasley, I belong to no one. I am my own person. I have never in the past been your girlfriend, and for the sake of clarity, that will never happen in the future either.”

“You’re a crazy bitch Hermione. If that is even your real name.” Ron declared.    

Everyone in the room gasped. 

Hermione smiled her evil, vindictive smile. 

“Uh oh.” Ginny said, noticing the look on Hermione’s face. 

“Okay Ronald. If that’s how it’s going to be… I, Hermione Jean Granger, hereby swear on my magic, that I have never knowingly dated Ronald Bilius Weasley.”

The room shuddered with the finality of her magical oath. 

“Lumos.” Her wand tip illuminated, showing she still had her magic. 

“Nox.” She said, extinguishing her wand tip. 

Ron’s face was quite red with embarrassment, as Hermione finished, and basically proved him as a liar in front of the entire school. 

“Also Ronald, let me just say it here first. You’re on your own this year. I’m not going to help you with your homework, proofread your essays, or let you mooch off my work. If you can’t respect me, then you don’t deserve my help.” Hermione said, maintaining eye contact with Ron as she enunciated each word. 

Ron got pale as he heard Hermione’s declaration. 

Hermione picked up her things, and walked out of the now silent Great Hall flanked by Neville, and Ginny. As she was walking out, there was a sudden yell from the Slytherin table. 
“Fuck yeah Hermione! You tell him!” Pansy shouted, breaking the silence. 

The silence continued momentarily after Pansy’s statement, but soon there were multiple other female students shouting their support for Hermione, as she walked out of the Great Hall.  

Chapter Text

October 23rd, 1998 
Magical History and Culture

It was another welcomed Friday at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The seventh year students were back in their Magical History and Culture Class. Today they would be discussing Grindelwalds war.  

“Good morning.” Professor Tonks said as she greeted the class.

”Today we will be discussing GrindeIwald's war. From his rise to power, to his defeat in 1945.”

The class was silent, as they listened to the lecture. 

“An important piece of this story happened in 1899, when Gellert Grindlewald met Albus Dumbledore, While visiting his Aunt in Godric's Hollow. The pair instantly got along, and became quite close. 

“Grindelwald greatly disliked the International Statue of Secrecy; claiming it was only a means of the international magical authorities imposing corrupt and unethical methods to make witches and wizards abide by laws that were pathetic and unnecessary. He strongly had the idealism that magic was something that was granted by not only nature, but by a higher power as a gift for only rare individuals. (1)

“It was said that the bond between the pair was strengthened by their shared beliefs, and the interest they shared in peaceful revolution. Their bond was strong enough the pair formed a blood pact, which seals the two creators' in a strong bond of unity and also forbids them from causing any harm or death to each other under any circumstances. Following a duel Grindlewald had with Albus, and Aberforth Dumbledore, which resulted in the death of Ariana Dumbledore, Grindelwald was forced to leave Godric's Hollow. (1) 

“After fleeing Godric's Hollow, and Great Britain, Grindelwald settled in Austria. During his time in Austria he further developed his magic, becoming the dark, and powerful wizard that people remember. He started his revolution, believing everything he was doing was for the greater good.” 

When Harry, and Hermione heard that statement they just looked at one another. Both went pale, immediately remembering how often Dumbledore would use for the greater good as his justification for everything.

Professor Tonks continued with her lecture. 

“Grindelwald slowly began his reign of terror on continental Europe, between 1910 and 1926. His attacks and risks of exposure he caused spread fear worldwide among wizards, and he and his fanatics became widely feared, even in places where they weren't active. (1) 

“As his attacks became more intense, the fear of the exposure of our world increased. This led to an international manhunt for Grindelwald.” 

Professor Tonks paused, and assessed her students' reactions. They were all listening intently as she lectured. 

“In 1926, he made his way to New York City, where he infiltrated MACUSA by using polyjuice potion. He posed as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, until he was captured after finding, and trying to harness the power of an obscurial. Who has heard of an obscurial before?” 

Hermione, and only Draco Malfoy raised their hands. 

“Can one of you explain What an obscurial is?” 

Hermione was unable to remember the full definition, so she put her hand down.  

“Mr. Malfoy?”

“An Obscurial was a young wizard or witch who had developed a dark parasitical magical force, known as an Obscurus, as a result of their magic being suppressed through abuse. (2) Obscurial children don't often live past their 10th birthday.”

“Thank you Mr. Malfoy. Take 5 points for Slytherin. Grindelwald wanted to harness the power of the obscurial for his own gain. He was unable to do so. There was a battle in the New York City subway system, where Grindelwald was defeated, then captured by Newt Scamander, and a contingent of MACUSA Aurors. He remained in MACUSA custody for six months before he escaped, using a polyjuice potioned body double.

“He escaped to France, which had already been infected with his terror. From 1927-1930, Grindelwald stayed close to his base at Nurmengard Castle, where he continued to build his army. In 1932, he chose to run for the office of Supreme Mugwump. He tried to cheat the Quilin ceremony, by using one he had killed previously, and reanimated with necromancy. 

“Grindelwald was exposed as a cheat by one of his followers, which was confirmed when the reanimated Quilin died a second time. He declared this day as the  official start of his war. 

“A second Quilin was delivered, which bowed to Albus Dumbledore. When he refused the seat, Vicencia Santos was selected as the Supreme Mugwump. Soon after  Grindelwald tried to kill his follower that spoke up, causing Albus, and Aberforth Dumbledore to intervene. Actions taken broke the Blood Pact between Albus, and Grindelwald.” 

The students were captivated by how their Professor was lecturing about GrindeIwald's War. All students were paying attention, and no one had fallen asleep. This was a far cry from when the ghost Binns taught.

“In the years that followed, Grindelwald continued to rise to power across Europe. Open war between the Wizarding public, and Grindelwalds followers started in 1939, at nearly the same time as non-magical World War Two. He used this time to strike terror throughout Europe.

“By 1941 there was international outcry, demanding Albus Dumbledore intervene, and stop Grindelwald. Dumbledore delayed confronting the man who was once his best friend, until the summer of 1945. A duel broke out between the former friends, where Albus was the victor. After his defeat, his remaining followers were easily subdued.

“Following the duel Grindelwald was imprisoned in the uppermost cell of his beloved Nurmengard, where he was to live out the remainder of his days in solitude. The last face Grindelwald ever saw was that of Lord Voldemort, who infiltrated Nurmengard, interrogated him, then murdered him in early 1998.”

The students were still in awe of what they had just learned. Professor Tonks could see their faces were littered with shock, confusion, and even disgust. 

“Do any of you have questions?”

Hands shot up around the room. Professor Tonks pointed to Justin Finch Fletchley. 

“How was he able to go on so long unchecked?” 

“So that is rather a long answer. First, it was in part that he operated through his followers. He would share his beliefs, and motivate his followers to do his bidding, without giving them direct actions. This meant it was very difficult to actually pin anything directly on Grindelwald in the beginning. Second, he was absurdly powerful. The only person who could truly keep him in check was Albus Dumbledore, but given the two of them had a blood pack for the majority of their lives, Dunbledore wasn’t able to do much.” 

“Excuse me Professor, but based on the timeline you discussed the Blood Pact was dissolved following the Supreme Mugwump ceremony in 1932. Why did Dumbledore wait so long to do anything?” Susan Bones asked. 

“To be honest, I don’t know. I believe the only person who can truthfully answer that question is Albus Dumbledore, and he never answered it during his lifetime.” 

The remainder of class continued with discussion about Grindelwad’s life, and his war. The students could feel the weight of the discussion as they left the classroom.

Study of the Non-Magical World 

“Good morning!” Professor Campbell said to her students. 

“Good morning.” They replied.

“Earlier this morning you covered GrindeIwald's War, we will be continuing that discussion, but from the muggle perspective. The muggle war was called World War Two. 

“World war two, started in 1939, and concluded in 1945. The war was the largest, and deadliest fought in human history. Over 50 countries were involved in the fighting, by land, sea, and air. They were largely delineated as the Axis, and Allies. The Axis nations were led by Germany, Italy, and Japan. The allies were led by Great Britain, USSR, and the United States. This conflict led to the death of 60 to 80 million people. For comparison, there are only 3,000 people in the British magical population." 

Jaws dropped around the classroom, as the seventh years took in the scale of the muggle conflict. 

“Unlike Grindelwald's War, the non-magical war was fought, and supported by entire countries, rather than a single madman with followers. Although there were a few madmen on the side of the enemy. 

“The most prolific was the German leader, Adolf Hitler. Like Grindelwald, Hitler had a specific set of views about a subset of the population. Instead of believing muggles were inferior, Hitler believed those who were Jewish were inferior. Jewish people were like any other muggles, but followed the Jewish religion. He believed that those who were Jewish were not worth a place in society. 

“His reign of terror first started by segregating the Jewish population into specific areas, called ghetto’s, making them carry papers which stated their religion, and he branded them by forcing them to wear the Star of David on their clothing. The general population sit back and watched as this occurred. Soon, the segregation was not enough and the Jewish population was moved into camps. 

“These camps were either work camps, or death camps. Anyone who was considered not useful was put to death, via the gas chambers. Those deemed suitable to work, were forced to work in deplorable conditions at these work camps. 

“The German Government, led by Hitler, killed between 6 and 8 million Jewish Europeans during WWII.” 

Shock resonated among the students who were raised in the magical world. 

“How was he able to get away with that?” Padma Patil asked.

“At first it was because the general population in Germany was ignoring what didn’t affect them. After that it was because Germany started invading, and going to war with other European countries, keeping the international focus on war, rather than on the Human Rights violations. At the height of Germany’s power they occupied territory from the shores of western France, to eastern Ukraine, including Norway, and Finland.

“In the Pacific, Japan was on a quest to take over as much land as possible. They were occupying many Pacific Islands, including the Philippines, Korea, and parts of China, among other smaller nations. They had been invading countries, and taking over land from the start of the 1930’s, but the conflict escalated on December 7th, 1941, when Japan attacked the United States, at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

“The United States, until that point, had not entered the fighting. They had chosen to remain neutral, although they did supply European countries supplies for fighting Germany. Following the attack by Japan in 1941, the United States fully entered the war in Europe, and the Pacific. 

“Fighting continued in Europe, and the Pacific by Land, Sea, and Air, until 1945 when the Allies were victorious, and the Japanese officially surrendered. Now, this is an abridged version of WWII. If we were to discuss the events of the second world war in detail, it would need its own class.   

“I understand that’s a lot to take in, but what I need you to take away from this discussion is that prejudice is not just inherent to the muggle world. In the last 50 years, the magical world has seen two individuals try and use prejudice to further their own agendas. In the cases of Grindelwald, and Voldemort both were nearly successful as the magical world was unable to recognize their behaviors early. 

“Understanding the history of the non-magical world allows us to learn from the mistakes of those around us, and how to blend in. The non-magical population is significantly greater than the magical population. Why not learn about the mistakes they’ve made, so we don’t make the same ones. Let's take a five minute break, then we will come back to learn about the muggle government in Great Britain.”

Although the seventh years were given a break, the majority of the classroom remained silent. There was a sense of reflection, and contemplation among the class. 

Draco Malfoy, was sitting in the classroom oblivious to those around him. He was raised with strict views on blood purity, and the belief the muggle world had nothing to offer wizards, but was having an internal struggle. 

The last thing he wanted was to perpetuate beliefs that hurt people like Voldemort, and Grindelwald did. He wanted to give more to society than he has already taken, and he wanted to ensure young children wouldn’t be entrapped into the belief system of their parents. 

Even he, after two lectures about history, could see how learning about these things from a young age could change the way people think. Also, he was confused how the magical world could exist for so long without learning from the muggles that outnumbered them. 

Without thinking, as he was still oblivious to the world, Draco shoved his hand up in the air. 

Professor Campbell was caught off guard with his formality while on a break, but could easily see her student needed to talk. 

“Mr. Malfoy, we’re still on break. You don’t need to raise your hand.” 

“Thank you ma’am. Do you mind if I ask a question?” 

The rest of the class was now staring at him, surprised he, Draco Malfoy, was initiating a discussion in a class that was basically Muggle Studies. 

“Not at all, let's hear it?”

“The magical world has been around since the time of Merlin, and in that time the population of Witches, and Wizards has never exceeded the muggle population, correct?”

“That is correct. The population of Witches and Wizards in Great Britain, has always remained between 3,000 and 10,000 regardless.” The Professor responded. 

“Thank you. Given that we are significantly outnumbered by muggles, how have we not already started to leverage the things they know, outside of their history? During our time with you, we’ve seen muggle technology that far supersedes magical technology.” 

Around the room, many students were nodding in agreement with Malfoy’s statement. 

“How is it, that for hundreds of years we’ve been walking this continent side by side with muggles, and we haven’t used any of their technology or advancements as a jumping off point for our own?” He paused for a moment before continuing.  

“I don’t understand. Everyone here knows I was raised with extreme prejudice. I was told that muggles were useless, stupid, and not worth the mud on my shoe, but the things I’ve learned in this room have made it seem like we are the ones that are useless. The things muggles have created, and accomplished without magic seem impossible, but they’ve done it, and we are nowhere close. If I can realize it in a handful of lessons here, how were the prejudiced views of Grindelwald and Voldemort able to fester for so long that they ruined multiple generations?” 

Reactions to Draco’s statement were mixed. Harry and Neville were both slack jawed, and unable to believe that Malfoy just called out the muggle world being better, and how the beliefs he was raised with were abhorrent. 

The Slytherins around Draco were in agreement with him. To be frank, they were all pissed off that there was so much of the world their parents kept from them due to irrational beliefs about muggles. 

Professor Campbell was standing at the front of the classroom with a big smile on her face. The revelation Draco Malfoy just has, was exactly what she was hoping all of her students would eventually have. She didn’t want to tell them their beliefs were problematic, she wanted them to realize it on their own, and that is exactly what Malfoy just did. 

“Unfortunately, I cannot tell you with certainty what allowed such prejudiced beliefs to fester. Humans, with or without magic, all have the inherent need to feel as though they have a place within society. Some individuals, like Grindelwald, and Voldemort feel the need to be superior to those around them, rather than coexist. This is often referred to as a superiority complex. Couple that with the charisma they had to compel those around them to do their bidding, and you have a recipe for a cult leader.”    

Malfoy, and the class took the remaining break time to think about the Professors answer.

The remainder of their class time was used to introduce the structure of the muggle government to the class, ahead of their field trip tomorrow. 

They learned that the British government was broken down into multiple branches, known as the executive, judicial, and legislative. They also discussed the Queen, as their field trip tomorrow would be visiting Buckingham Palace.

Chapter Text

Chapter 29

In lieu of a Hogsmeade weekend this Saturday, the 6th and 7th year students were taking a field trip to London, where they would be visiting Buckingham Palace, and Parliament. Shortly after 10am the group was gathered in the Great Hall preparing to leave. 

“Good Morning 6th, and 7th years. This morning we will be traveling similar to your last field trip. Portkeys will take us from Hogwarts, to Kings Cross, where our muggle transportation will be meeting us.” Professor Campbell explained. 

“Please take hold of your portkey, and we will be off in, 3, 2, 1.” 

Before she could finish saying three, the groups were all whisked away by the magic of the portkey. They came to land, some more gracefully than others, within Platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station. 

Some of the students who were still not acclimated to portkey travel, were groaning, retching, and struggling to regain their footing. Professor Campbell gave everyone a few moments to settle before ushering the group out of the platform entrance. 

The group would be taken from Kings Cross Station, to Buckingham Palace on a classic, red, double decker bus. 

Hermione chose to continue her separation from Ron, and Harry by sitting with Neville, and Susan. The group was soon joined by the Slytherin contingent who had decided Hermione was their unofficial muggle world ambassador. 

“Hermione, so what are these places we are going to?” Pansy asked. 

“Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen. Parliament is the location where the governing bodies meet.” Hermione answered. 

“So we are going on a glorified house tour?” 

Hermione couldn’t help but bring her hand to her forehead, and shake her head.

“Technically yes. Pansy have you never been outside of Diagon Alley, or the Ministry when in London?” Hermione questioned, although she had a good idea of what the dark haired girl's answer would be. 

“No. I haven’t. I don’t think any of us have had the opportunity to explore outside of Diagon, and the Ministry.” 

Daphne, Theo, Draco, and surprisingly Neville nodded their heads in agreement with Pansy. 

“So you have no idea the true scale of the muggle world, and infrastructure?”

Again, the group, Neville included, nodded their heads to confirm her suspicion. 

"Buckingham palace is significantly bigger than any magical home I've ever seen, including your place Malfoy."

This was the first time Hermione had brought up what happened at Malfoy Manor. Neville, who knew what happened, and the group of Slytherin's, excluding Theo, immediately stilled. 

"When have you been to Malfoy Manor?" Theo, who clearly could not read the room, asked. Hermione started laughing at the pure innocence of Theo's question.

"Merlin Theo. Fucking think…" Pansy said. 

Theo, the most socially awkward of the group, looked at Pansy confused.  Then Theo looked back and forth between Hermione, and Draco, before looking at Pansy, who rolled her eyes. After a few more moments of thinking Theo ended up having a realization.

"Oh… OHHH… Shit, fuck. I'm going to go Avada myself now." Theo said

 His face turned red, as he buried it in his hands. 

Hermione's laugh was even stronger now with Theo's embarrassment. Soon the entire group was laughing at Theo, which ended up being a great ice breaker for what could've turned into a tense situation. 

"Is it really that big of a building?" Pansy asked. 

"You tell me. We are about to pass the front now." 

Following Hermione's statement, their bus passed the Queen Victoria Memorial, giving the students their first glimpse of Buckingham Palace. The purebloods she was surrounded by were speechless, as the bus passed making its way to the side entrance. 

"Merlin. How were the muggles able to create something like this?" Daphne asked. 

"Technology." Hermione answered simply.

"I never thought I'd see a home bigger than the Malfoy’s.” Pansy said, in awe of the spectacle that is Buckingham Palace. 

"How is it, all of you grew up in the UK, a country dominated by the non-magical population, but you've never seen any of the muggle world, or even wondered about it?" Hermione asked the group of purebloods.

The purebloods around Hermione just looked at her. Neville was the first to say anything.

"For Gran and I, we primarily kept to our estate. Anytime we went out it was to other magical places, or family. Anytime we went out of the country, or on vacation, it was always to go see family." 

The other pure bloods in the group nodded, agreeing with Neville. 

Their conversation came to a stop as the bus slowed. The students were ushered off the bus and into the tour reception room. Once again Hermione was with her Slytherin's. She was flanked by Daphne, and Pansy as though they were the group of popular girls in the movie Clueless. Not far behind, Draco, Blaise, and Theo trailed along keeping a close eye on the girls.

When all the students were inside they were introduced to their tour guide. 

"Good Morning. My name is Charlotte, I'll be your tour director today. Before we get started, I would like to remind you that this is not only a historical building, it's also a workplace for hundreds, and the Queen's home. Please stay with the group at all times. As some of you may have noticed, the Royal Standard is not flying over the palace today, meaning the Queen is not in Residence."

Hermione nodded her head subconsciously. 

Pansy turned and started whispering to Hermione. 

"Why does a damn flag denote anything significant?" 

"It's the Royal Standard, it's flown over any location where the Queen is spending a significant amount of time. It lets commoners, and those not of her inner circle know where she is." Hermione whispered, answering Pansy's question. 

"Well that's dumb. It would also alert her enemies to her location..." 

She looked at the black haired Slytherin, blinking, trying to take in what Pansy just said. Hermione started sputtering, unsure how to respond.

"I think that's the most Slytherin thing I have ever heard." She whispered in response. 

"Really!" Pansy exclaimed giddily, in a tone far louder than was acceptable in their current location. "Thank you so much for the compliment Hermione!" 

"Only you Parkinson." Malfoy chided with a smile. 

This was the first time Hermione noticed Malfoys smile, his genuine smile, not the contemptuous smile he generally gave. She found she rather liked his smile, and wanted to see more of it. 

Hermione was pulled out of her internal musings over Malfoy's nice smile, by a chuckle from the group. The shared laughter also seemed to squash any nerves the purebloods had about being in the large, unfamiliar, muggle place.

The Hogwarts students fell into a rhythm, following their tour director around the palace. There was a sense of awe shared by all of the students, regardless of blood status, as touring Buckingham Palace was a rare opportunity unless you went with your family. 

What really captured the attention of the pure blood students was how much history they were seeing throughout their tour.  Sure, many wizarding families kept detailed logs of their family history, but that was not comparable to the history they were seeing, and learning. They were walking the same halls walked by Kings, and Queens which lived hundreds of years before them, and that was a lot to grasp. 

As they entered the ballroom, their tour director explained the significance of the space, and its many uses over the years. She told them of the many famous people who had walked through the room during formal court in the 1700's and 1800's, and those who had attended state banquets over the years. 

To Hermione's surprise, Pansy was enamored by the history she was learning. Her eyes held so much curiosity that Hermione was sure the pureblood witch was bursting with questions. Malfoy on the other hand appeared astonished by the vast expanse of muggle history now laid out before him. Daphne, Theo, and Blaise remined curious, but pensive pensive as they absorbed all of the new information. Hermione was happy to see her new pureblood friends enjoying the marvel that was English History. 

As the group was leaving the ballroom to continue their tour, Hermione heard someone trying to gain her attention. 

"Psst, pssst. Hermione!" Pansy whisper yelled. 

"Yes." She responded politely. 

"The tour director lady keeps saying palaces plural! As though there are multiple. How many more places like this are there?" Pansy asked in astonishment.

"A great number actually, and not all belong to the Royal Family these days. Many are privately owned by wealthy British citizens." Hermione said, thinking of her grandparents' home. 

Pansy's jaw dropped, and she just stared at Hermione. It was as though her brain had stopped working. After a moment, she seemed to collect herself enough to respond. 

"You're joking. You have to be."

"Not at all. Come on Pans, we should catch back up to the rest of the group." Hermione said, as she pulled a stunned Pansy Parkinson by the wrist to meet up with the remainder of their class. 

"Where the hell have you two been?" Draco hissed. 

"Pansy had questions. I was trying to answer them without distracting the group." 

"Well I have questions too, Hermione. Me next please." 

Draco's excitement caught Hermione off guard, and she caught another glimpse of that genuine smile she was starting to enjoy seeing.

With butterflies in her stomach she responded with a simple "Okay". Her face betrayed her as she blushed from Draco's attention. That blush did not go unnoticed by Pansy or Daphne. 

Hermione's internal monologue was spouting off. Wondering what the hell was going on, and when the hell they started blushing at attention from Malfoy. 

Before she could stop herself, all of the etiquette lessons she had taken over the years took over. 

"Mister Malfoy, please let me know any questions you may have. I would be happy to answer what I can."

On autopilot, Draco responded in an equally polite manner. "Of course. Shall we start now?" 

The unusual pair hung back in the drawing room, as the rest of their class advanced. The awkwardness only lasted a brief moment, as the pair, whom many expected to be mortal enemies, were in each other's presence privately for the first time. Then Draco took Hermione by surprise again.

"In the interest of formality, given our location of course, my lady." Draco said as he offered Hermione his arm. 

Whenever a lady was offered a gentleman's arm she must always happily oblige, as long as there is not an impropriety of course. So once again, the aristocratic autopilot took over. This is how Hermione found herself on Draco Malfoy's arm.

Now Draco was the one caught off guard by the automatic response he received. He recognized how Hermione's response was reminiscent of how any well brought up pureblood lady would respond, as if it was second nature. That type of response only came with time, and repetition. He was starting to realize that each time he interacted with Hermione, he was left with more questions than before. Setting his thoughts aside, he began to lead Hermione around the drawing room. 

"I was unaware of how well the muggles tracked their histories." He began. "I truly think they have a better account of history than magical historians do." 

"There certainly is an extensive history. When you dive into the history books, you find that things have been recorded in some manner for thousands of years." 

"That is astounding. The furthest I've seen recorded in my family's magical history is the 1500's in France." Draco said. 

"Ah, so it's also a magical custom to keep a written family history, and to not just rely on society?" 

Draco was trying to ignore his shock at the similar custom, and focus solely on answering the question. "Yes, many magical families record their history in a grimoire."

"Many old English families do as well. I was introduced to my family grimoire at 15."  

"How far back does yours go?" He asked, allowing his curiosity to get the best of him. 

Hermione chuckled at his forwardness. "The earliest we've found is from the seventh century, during Anglo-Saxon rule. There may have been more, but we assume they have been lost to time." 

Draco was impressed. Hermione had a more established family history than he did. 

"That's impressive." He expressed.

"We are lucky that our family was able to preserve our history." She trailed off, stopping in front of a familiar painting. 

Noticing Hermione had stopped, Draco looked for what had her attention, and noticed the painting she was looking at. 

"I feel like she's going to walk out of that frame." He said, hoping he was acknowledging the painting that captured Hermione's attention. 

"Agatha Bas, by Rembrandt. He certainly has a way of making his work stand out. Also, the way he captures her expression is different from so many other painters in his time. It is captivating." 

"You like art?" Draco asked, surprised. 

"I do very much. Whenever my family travels we always try to find new museums to tour." 

Again Draco found himself staring at Hermione, wondering who she truly was. Outside of Hogwarts she seemed so much different than the bushy haired bookworm he had come to know over the last seven years. 

"What is your favorite museum?" 

"Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The way the Dutch masters play with natural light in their work is captivating. Are you a fan of art?" She asked, looking up at Draco. 

"I am. I haven't been able to see much outside of magical spaces given my parents' views on all things muggle. So seeing all of this artwork in one place is a treat." He said as he looked around the room, admiring their surroundings. He continued, "I heard there is a museum in France called the Louvre that has some amazing pieces. I would love to go there one day." 

"I've been!" Hermione said excitedly. "It is absolutely beautiful. There are a lot of tourists though..." She trailed off for a moment. "You've surprised me today Draco Malfoy. There seems to be far more to you than the scaly, snake like exterior you have projected over the last seven years. I look forward to getting to know this version of you better, but for now we should rejoin the tour."

It was official, Draco Malfoy had been left speechless from what Hermione had just said. Unable to do anything else, he blindly followed Hermione, who still had hold of his arm, back to their classmates. 

The unlikely duo walked arm in arm back to their classmates. They were now surprisingly comfortable in one another's presence, which didn't go unnoticed by their friends. They arrived back to their friends, still arm in arm, and continued walking around in that fashion until they heard a loud, unnatural cough from Theo which caused Draco to look up. 

Theo was trying to make Draco realize that he still had Hermione's arm, and people, mainly Neville and Ginny, were beginning to notice. In that moment, Draco dropped Hermione's arm as though he had been holding a hot coal. 

Hermione, who had forgotten she had Draco's arm, was acutely aware of the moment he pulled away. She was surprised to find she missed the feeling of his warm, muscled forearm under her hand. 

The remainder of the tour passed quickly. Hermione continued answering questions for the Slytherin's whenever she could. Before long, they were all being ushered back onto the bus, where Hermione found herself seated next to Draco. She was oblivious to Draco's crush on her, and the fact her Slytherin friends knew, and had orchestrated the seating on the bus. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 30

Following another fun filled Field Trip into the muggle world, the upper year students arrived back at Hogwarts, just in time for dinner. Hermione made her way to sit at the Gryffindor table with Ginny and Neville after spending the day with her Slytherin friends. The moment she sat down Ginny threw up a privacy charm. 

"Muffliato." Ginny said. 

"Uh oh. What did I do now?" Hermione asked, which was met with a chuckle from Neville. 

"Guilty conscience there Hermione?" Neville chided. Hermione rolled her eyes in response. 

"So you and Malfoy seemed to be getting cozy." Ginny stated, wasting no time at all. 

"Excuse me?" Hermione was caught off guard. 

"You. And. Malfoy." Ginny said, enunciating each word. "The two of you disappeared, came back arm in arm, then sat together on the bus. Are you going to explain, or do I have to drag it out of you?" 

"Oh that..." Hermione trailed off. 

"Oh that..." Ginny mocked. "Yes that! Get on with it! I'm not afraid to beat it out of you. Don't forget I have six brothers!" 

"So dramatic." Hermione couldn't miss her moment to pick on Ginny, who stuck out her tongue in response. 

"I had stayed behind with Pansy in the ballroom to answer a few of her questions. When we returned to the group, Draco asked where we were. When we told him, he said he was next. He had completely caught me off guard, so I stayed behind in the drawing room to answer his questions." 

"And..." Ginny said, completely unsatisfied with Hermione's answer. 

Hermione rolled her eyes, but continued. 

"We talked about how well recorded English history is, and how families, both magical and muggle, maintained their family histories in a grimoire. After saying how long his family had been recording their history, he asked if my family recorded ours, and for how long." 

"Well? Are you going to tell us? I'm nosey!" 

"Me too!" Neville added. "How long?"

"His family had been recording their history since the 1500's. My family has a grimoire dating back to the seventh century." 

Neville's jaw dropped, and Ginny went doe eyed, as they were hit with the understanding of just how old, and established Hermione's family must be. 

"Wow. Okay. What else happened?" 

"We ended up talking about one of the art pieces in the drawing room. Then he asked if I liked art, and if I had a favorite museum. I will say, I was pleasantly surprised when he expressed an interest in muggle art, and mentioned wanting to visit the Louvre." 

"Draco Malfoy, an interest in muggle things. That's... unexpected..." Neville said, confused. 

"Sure, sure, but none of that explains how you ended up arm in arm with him." Ginny countered, still seemingly unsatisfied with the lack of steamy details. 

"He offered me his arm in the interest of formality given our location, were his exact words I think. My etiquette lessons took over before I had a chance to think about what I was doing." Hermione explained nonchalantly. 

Neville's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of etiquette lessons. If hers were anything like his, she would never turn down a politely offered arm from an escort, or friend. He also started to wonder more about Hermione, as the only people he ever knew to take etiquette lessons were high born purebloods. Was Hermione high born in the muggle world? 

"Ew. Etiquette. Thank merlin I never had to waste my time with that nonsense." Ginny scoffed. 

Neville kept his thoughts to himself, and decided not to push as Ginny had let the etiquette comment go. 

"Hermione, that still does not explain why you and Malfoy looked so comfortable with one another." 

"I know Gin. I do not fully understand it myself. It just felt right, and comfortable." 

"Oh Merlin. Do you like Malfoy?" Ginny nearly shouted. 

Even with the privacy charm people noticed there was something going on, as Ginny had also stood up as she nearly yelled. Hermione had never been more thankful for the muffliato. 

"Like him, like him? Merlin, Ginny. I hardly know the guy, outside of him calling me a mudblood for the first few years of our time here, and punching him in the face of course. He is nice to look at though, and he's a great conversationalist." Hermione rambled. "We did have a great conversation today, and I really did enjoy his company." 

The conversation sputtered out for a moment, as Hermione seemed to come to terms with something. 

"Oh my god." Hermione said, dazed. 

"What?" Ginny asked laughing, having an idea of what was coming next. 

"Holy Fuck! I like Draco Malfoy!" This time Hermione was the one shouting. 

Ginny was riddled with laughter, as she tried to choke out  "I knew it!" 

Meanwhile her two friends laughed, as Hermione sat there frozen. She was still coming to terms with her newest realization.

Across the Great Hall, five Slytherins were enjoying their dinner, while having a similar conversation as their Gryffindor counterparts. 

"So Longbottom seems to be a decent bloke." Blaise said. 

"He seems as clueless about the muggle world as we are." Theo added. 

"It was nice to see someone who is not a Slytherin, just as clueless about muggles." Draco said. 

"Longbottom is also quite nice to look at." Daphne chuckled, and Pansy nodded her head in agreement. 

The three boys rolled their eyes at their friends, who now were quietly conspiring about something. Suddenly, the two had whipped out their wands, and before the boys could defend themselves Daphne, and Pansy had used sticking charms to stick them to their seats. 

"What the fuck." 

"Seriously." 

"What the hell!" 

Draco, Theo, and Blaise all said at the same time. 

"We've decided its time to talk about Draco, and Hermione." Pansy said with a grin, acting as the spokeswoman for her and Daphne's plot. 

No sooner than the words came out of her mouth, Theo chuckled, happy to see where this was going to go, and he cast his own privacy charm over the group of five. Daphne, and Pansy smiled in response, and let the fun begin. 

"Ladies, you didn't have to stick me to my seat. I would have GLADLY stayed around for this show." Blaise said with his standard, unmatched dramatics. Theo nodded along with interest. 

"So, Mr. Me Next." Blaise continued, as Draco rolled his eyes at the new nickname. "What exactly did happen between the two of you?"

"We all know you have had a crush on her since she punched you in the face third year, you masochistic twat." Theo teased. 

"Come on Draco, just tell us. The two of you looked rather cozy when you finally rejoined the group." Daphne said. 

"All we did was talk. It was far less scandalous than you're all making it out to be." 

"Obviously you just talked, you idiot. What about." Pansy said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"We talked about history, grimoires, art, and museums." Draco mumbled, hoping that was the end of the conversation. He would not be so lucky. 

"Grimoires? What does Granger know of them?" Theo asked. 

"A lot, considering her family has grimoires dating back to the seventh century, and she's had access to them since she was 15." 

The group of Slytherins collectively dropped their jaws, fully understanding what that meant. 

"She is from an old, old family." Daphne said in awe. 

"That's putting it mildly." Blaise said. 

Pansy, who was also a lover of fine art, was distracted by the fact Draco had mentioned art and museums. "Does Hermione like art, and museums?" Pansy asked, hopeful she, and her new friend had another thing in common. 

"She does." Draco clarified. "She was quite taken with the Rembrandt that was in the drawing room." 

"What!" Pansy screeched. "There was a Rembrandt in the drawing room, and I missed it?" She finished dramatically, crossing her arms, and sulking. 

"Calm Pans." Daphne said. "None of this explains how the two of you came to be arm in arm." The blond said looking pointedly at Draco. 

"I offered her my arm in the interest of formality. She accepted. It was odd though. She accepted as if she knew it would be rude to refuse, like they teach the pureblood girls. Right Daph?" He asked, seeking clarification. 

"That's exactly what we are taught." She confirmed, with Pansy nodding her head in agreement. 

"She also seemed to know a lot of the Royal Family history. Did anyone else realize that?" 

The other four Slytherins nodded in agreement with Pansy. 

"Is there any chance Granger is of high birth?" Blaise asked. 

"Is that a thing in the muggle world?" Theo said confused. 

"I don't see why it wouldn't be. I mean they have a Royal Family..." Pansy added.

"That would make sense." Daphne said, lost in thought. "Think about it. Her manners, etiquette, the summer transformation now that she's over 18, and how often she disappears on family matters." 

The group of Slytherins agreed, but were still confused. 

"How would we prove it?" Theo threw out. 

"Can we even prove it?" Blaise added. 

"I think it is possible, but for now we should just watch. She is one of the muggleborns sharing her home life with the class, so we will get an intimate look into her life, and probably some answers soon." Pansy concluded. 

"So we keep a close eye on her. If we can trick her into using her formal manners, and etiquette more, we may be able to trick her into revealing more to those who know what to look for." Blaise suggested. 

"Good idea! Okay, operation High Born Hermione, has officially begun!" Pansy concluded.

"Wait!" Daphne shouted. "We can't forget operation set up Hermione and Draco!" 

Draco was now blushing, and shaking his head in his hands. "You two can never leave well enough alone? Can you?" 

"Nope!" Pansy and Daphne said together, as they got up and ran away from the table, leaving the boys stuck to their seats. 

"Seriously!" Blaise yelled. 

"They can't hear you dumbass. Privacy charm remember." Theo said pointing around the three.

Daphne and Pansy continued their retreat from the Great Hall, and made their way back to their dormitory. The upper year Slytherin students, didn't have one communal dorm, they had smaller bedrooms they shared with just a singular roommate. Pansy, and Daphne were thankful they were roommates as they could talk privately without fear of eavesdropping. 

"So we are in agreement that we are going to plot getting Hermione, and Draco together?"

"Absolutely Pans. We need to plot out everything that we know." 

"Good idea Daph! We can write what we know on some spare bits of parchment, then spell it onto the wall with a sticking charm!"

The pair started by writing down everything they had come to know about Hermione. One parchment said muggle born, another said top of the year, and a third said impeccable manners. 

"Okay, we know more than this! We have to!" Pansy exclaimed. 

"Art! Draco said they talked about art, and family history. He also said her family is really old." 

"Yes! Thank you Daph! We have to write that down." 

They were on a roll now, writing things down, and sticking them up on the wall. 

"Has she ever mentioned any hobbies?" 

"Let me think on that one Pans. Oh, we need to add well dressed. She has been wearing a lot of designer clothes." 

Pansy nodded, and wrote Well dressed with a taste for high fashion, on a spare bit of parchment.

The pair took some more time to gather their thoughts, and wrote down some additional bits they knew. They stepped back to admire their handy work. The wall was littered with bits of parchment that held their observations of how Hermione had changed this year. 

"What should we do with this information now?" Pansy asked.

"I think we should start to organize it into categories."

"What do you have in mind?"

"What about major changes, personality, and home life?" Daphne was far more organized than Pansy, so she was more than happy to follow Daphne's lead. 

After thirty minutes they had organized the wall to their satisfaction. They even added a fourth category for the items that didn't fit into one specific category. 

Major changes contained points like, she got hot, well dressed, doesn't let Weasley walk all over her, and expanded circle of friends. 

The category about Hermione's personality contained; confident, eloquent, impeccable manners, smart, and kind. Overall this category contained general personality traits that anyone could recognize if they chose to. 

Home life and hobbies was the most sparse category, not counting the To Be Determined one. This category only contained; ancient family, loves art and museums, and travels frequently. 

"That looks better." The pair agreed as they admired their handy work. 

"What conclusions can we draw?" Pansy wondered aloud. 

"None yet. We need to gather more data." Daphne said. 

"I agree. Maybe we should make more of an effort to hand out with Hermione outside of meals, and field trips." 

"That would definitely help!" 

That was exactly what Daphne and Pansy proceeded to do. For the next week, the pair worked on solidifying their friendship with one Hermione Granger. They started an Arithmancy study group, and were even occasionally joined by Ginny Weasley. The pair were quickly learning that some Gryffindor's were quite tolerable and even helpful! Now the duo of Slytherin's even welcomed Ginny's company. 

During that week, the duo kept up with that they had dubbed the Hermione Board. They added patient, and good teacher to the personality category. They had even come to learn that Hermione was still pursuing her muggle education in addition to Hogwarts - which they immediately added to their board. 

At the end of the school week, Daphne, and Pansy discussed their Hermione Board, as they walked to the Great Hall for Friday dinner.

"I feel like this week has been a waste. We haven't learned much about her." Pansy said sadly. 

"True, but we did get that bit of information about her muggle education." Daphne responded, hoping to lift her friends spirits.

"Yes, but that doesn't answer the questions we have. We are trying to figure out more about her life outside of Hogwarts, and she barely mentions it. Also, we need to figure out if she and Draco would have a shot together." 

Pansy, usually cool, calm, and collected appeared nearly distraught. She was not used to having to work this hard to get information out of someone. 

"Should we just say fuck it, and come right out and ask her?" Pansy asked. 

"Maybe in a subtle way, like asking what she gets up to on the weekends she's away." 

"That could work! We should ask when Ginny is around. I bet if anyone knows something she does!" 

Having agreed on a path forward, the two young women were now more determined than ever to learn everything they could about Hermione Granger. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 31

Daphne and Pansy had modified their previously agreed upon plan. Rather than go straight to Hermione with all of their questions, they were going to go to Ginny. Being Hermione’s closest girlfriend, it was safe to assume that if anyone knew anything it would be Ginny Weasley. They thought with the right line of questioning they may be able to get Ginny on their side. The two approached Ginny one November weekend, while she was studying by herself in the library. 

“Hey Ginny.” Daphne said kindly. “May we sit with you?” 

Ginny looked up as she noticed the duo. “Yeah, sure. Hermione’s not here though.” She said, finally used to spending time around the duo of Slytherin’s. 

The trio spent the next hour studying before Pansy and Daphne launched their inquisition. Pansy and Daphne looked at one another, and with a nod started their line of questioning.

“Hey Red.” Pansy whisper yelled, using the nickname she had affectionately given Ginny

“What?” Ginny responded, slightly annoyed by the interruption. 

“Have you noticed anything different about Hermione this year?” 

Before Ginny could mask her face, and put up her occulmency shields, Pansy and Daphne noticed a flash of fear across her face. 

“Of course she’s different… There was a war that she was on the front line of…” Ginny trailed off. 

Pansy scoffed. “Merlin Red. We are not dumb. Of course we know she was on the front lines of the war.” 

“What my crass friend here means is, have you noticed anything that seems out of character for her?” Daphne clarified, while rolling her eyes at Pansy. 

“Like leaving on the weekends, not spending all of her time in the library, making friends with Slytherin’s, finally telling off your idiot brother. Stuff like that.” Pansy added with as much snark as she could muster. 

Ginny was doing her best to manage her emotions with occlumency, but she had to say something. 

“I think everyone has noticed the things you just pointed out Pansy.” She retorted, matching the snark level, 

“Exactly!” Pansy shouted. She was quickly cut off by Daphne, who was the more polished of the pair. 

“While many have noticed that Hermione has changed significantly, few are close enough to the situation to understand why there has been such change. I sincerely doubt the war is the cause of all of this.” 

Unable to keep her mouth shut, Pansy jumped into the conversation. 

“We think there’s more to her than meets the eye. We believe she may be high born, an aristocratic muggle born. Think about it, Red. It would explain so many things. Her actions, mannerisms, and etiquette mimic that of a sacred 28 pureblood daughter. Also, if you think back on it, she has always had impeccable manners. Remember her flawless waltz with Krum at the Yule Ball in fourth year? How could she pull that off without having learned it before? Lets face it, even then she looked like she belonged up there more than Potter…” 

Ginny would never admit it, without first talking to Hermione, but she had just as many questions. Hermione had been different this year. She was taking no shit from anyone, and was being even more secretive than she had in the past. Ginny had to pry information out of her, and even then she was only getting bits and pieces. As much as Ginny wanted to take part in their questioning and curiosity, she still wouldn’t give them anything without first talking to Hermione. She continued to mask her emotions, but again knew she had to respond. 

“So you two.” Ginny pointed at Pansy, and Daphne, before continuing her statement in disbelief. “Think Hermione is high born just because she has nice manners, and could dance? Do you hear yourselves right now? You sound nuts.” 

“Yes, but think about it. We are not trying to accuse, or cause problems, we just want to get to know her more, but we don’t want to pepper her with questions and make everything weird.” Daphne said, trying to comfort Ginny with the fact they meant no harm. 

“She doesn’t talk about her home life with us, and we don’t know how to approach the topic with her. So we came to you.” Pansy added kindly. 

Ginny’s mask started to drop. She could see that Pansy and Daphne truly cared. She took a deep breath, and responded. 

“Yes, well, Hermione doesn’t talk much about her life outside of Hogwarts even with us. She never has. She’s a very private person, that hasn’t changed.” 

“So you don’t know anything about her life outside of Hogwarts? You’ve never been to her home, or met her parents?” Daphne asked, astounded. 

“Correct. I’ve never been to her home, and I’ve only met her parents in passing. I believe the last time I saw them was in Diagon Alley, third year. They don’t even come onto the platform at Kings Cross. They always met her outside.” 

Pansy, and Daphne looked at one another, realizing they were approaching a sore subject. They didn’t want to pry too much, as they wanted to stay on Ginny’s good side. 

“It seems like she’s just as elusive to you as she is to us.” Pansy said.

“That’s for sure.” Ginny said under her breath. 

“Thanks for entertaining our questions Ginny. We will leave you to your studies.” Daphne said as she and Pansy got up to leave the library.

Ginny left not long after the two Slytherin’s. She couldn’t stop thinking about their questions. Was Hermione high born? Why was she so private? Did she have secrets?

On one hand, Hermione being a high born aristocrat would answer so many questions, like her expensive wardrobe, horses, and even etiquette. Surely Hermione wouldn’t hide something like this. Then again, maybe she started hiding everything the first year because of the way she was treated by Ron and Harry. On top of that she probably didn’t want to throw her status in anyone’s face. 

Ginny didn’t know what to believe. All she knew was it was time for answers, whether Hermione liked it or not. 

Daphne and Pansy made good use of the time it took them to walk back to the Slytherin common room. 

“Red definitely knows something.” Pansy said. 

“Yes, and no.” Daphne added. “I don’t think she knows everything. She looked a bit confused, but was absolutely telling the truth about Hermione being super private.” 

“She definitely seemed on edge with certain things.” 

“I agree with you, Pans. All we can do now is wait, and hope Ginny comes back to us with information.” Daphne said. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 32

November was going to be an exciting, and busy month according to Hermione's plans. She had a week-long horse show in France, which was already cleared with Kingsley, and Minerva. What she needed to do now was tell Neville and Ginny she was going to be away, in order to squash another Spanish inquisition when she returned. 

Not wanting to deal with a multitude of questions from Ginny on a Sunday morning, she decided she would just tell Neville, and he could tell Ginny. While she knew it was cowardly, Ginny had been asking more and more invasive questions lately, and it was really starting to get on Hermione's nerves. As she walked into the Great Hall, she was happy to see Neville, sitting by himself at the Gryffindor table.

"Good Morning Neville." Hermione said politely as she took the seat across from him.

"Morning Hermione." Neville said, his voice still raspy with sleep.

"I know it's still early, but do you mind if we talk privately?"

"Not at all." 

"Thank You!" She responded, casting a wandless muffliato. 

"Wandless? That's impressive Hermione." 

"Thank you, I've been practicing!"

So why the need to talk privately?" Neville asked, pulling the conversation back on track. 

"I'm going to be out of the castle this entire week."

Neville looked as though he had a multitude of questions, but was trying to contain himself. The only question he asked was, "Do the appropriate people know?" 

Before Hermione could answer, Ginny sat down next to her. 

Fuck, Hermione thought. It looked like she would be telling Ginny how as well. She went ahead and wandlessly canceled the privacy charm, then recast it, including Ginny. 

"Good Morning." Ginny said, in a chipper voice. "You two couldn't wait for me, before getting to all the privacy charm worthy gossip? Rude!" 

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ginny and laughed.

"Unfortunately, no gossip here Gin. You, and Neville asked me to tell you both when I was leaving for a period of time, that's just what I was doing."

Ginny looked Hermione up and down, feeling offended that Hermione hadn’t waited for her to get there before starting. 

“Still though, I’m offended you didn’t wait for me, Hermione. Anyway, where are you off to now?”

“I’ll be out of the castle for the week. All of the appropriate parties are aware.” Hermione said curtly.

“The whole week? What about classes, and homework?” Ginny asked. 

“I’ve already submitted everything ahead of time. It’s the only way any of this would work.” 

“That makes sense.” Neville added.  

Ginny was looking at Hermione with suspicion. Ever since Ginny had talked with Pansy, and Daphne she was growing more suspicious of Hermione. Now, Ginny was starting to notice more of the things the two Slytherins had pointed out, and she wanted answers. 

“So where are you off to this time?” 

“France, for another competition.” 

“Are you going to win this one too?” Neville asked.

“I sincerely doubt it.” Hermione laughed. “We are moving up a level so my only goal is to get through the courses without any major issues!” 

“You’ll have to let us know how everything went when you get back.” Ginny said, with what seemed like fake enthusiasm.  

Hermione looked at Ginny, confused with her tone. 

“Did I do something?” Hermione asked Ginny. 

“You’re just different this year, and it feels like you’re hiding things.” Ginny responded.

“I’m not trying to be different. I really am just frustrated with this year as a whole.” Hermione said, trying to get her friend to understand. 

“Hermione, you have to understand. You spent years being an incredibly private person, not speaking about your life at all outside of school, and now we’re seeing a completely different side of you.” 

Hermione, flustered by the direction of the conversation, looked at her watch and realized she needed to make her way outside the gates of the school. “I’m sorry Gin, I really need to leave or else I’ll miss my portkey.” 

Ginny rolled her eyes, feeling like she was being dismissed by her friend. “Hermione, I love you, you’re my best friend, but I’m not going to keep letting this go. I want answers.” 

“I understand Gin. We will talk when I get back.” Hermione said as she got up from the table

Hermione made her way to the back of the Great Hall and signed herself out for the week. Once outside of the hall, she Accio’d her travel bag and made her way outside the gates of the school. 

The portkey took her to an area in rural France, close to a train station where she would be meeting her parents. After a short walk, she was outside of the station where she watched her mum pull up in the car she rented for the week. 

“Hello sweetheart!” Her mum said jovially. “Why are you looking so sad?” 

“Hi mum. Things have been a bit frustrating at school lately. Ginny has been acting funny, and I realized that I like Draco Malfoy."

Her Mum's eyes went wide. "Let's first talk about Ginny, but we will be coming back to the part about you liking a boy. What's going on with Ginny?"

Hermione huffed, frustrated, and unsure how to start. "I don't know how to explain it mum. She keeps giving me weird looks, it feels like she's trying to look through me, or figure something out.”

"Would that be so bad if she was trying to figure you out? Honey you've kept so much about yourself private for so long. It's not healthy. Have you told Ginny anything about your life outside of the magical world?”

"I told her about the horses, and competing after my last show weekend.”

"She probably wants to know more. Why not just tell her about life outside of school? Would it really be that bad if your friends knew about your home life?"

"No, not at all mum. It has just been so long I’m worried my friends would be mad at me. Ginny is my best friend mum, I really don't want to jeopardize our friendship.” 

"So are you just going to keep everything a secret forever? What about sharing your life with your classmates, like that letter said.” 

Hermione stared at her mum blankly, unsure how to respond. She had completely forgotten about having all of her classmates over. All she could do was groan.

"Hermione Jean Granger! Your father and I raised you better than this. Here is what you're going to do, come clean to Ginny by inviting her to spend Christmas with us at home.” 

She stared blankly at her mum. She knew better than to try and argue, but could it really be that simple?

"Oh sweetie, that blank stare is unbecoming. You've been friends with Ginny for years, I think she will appreciate a look into your life.” Her mum stated reassuringly. 

"Okay.” She responded nervously. 

"Good! I'm glad we are on the same page. Now, did you also say something about liking a boy?” 

"Mum! Do we have to?”

"Of course we do! Now tell me about him. You said his name was Draco? wasn't that the name of the boy who used to torment you?”

"Mum! Yes, but it is a long story.” 

"That's fine, once we get to the park, we have a ten minute walk to where the horses are stabled.” 

Hermione launched into the history between the two of them, and the events which made her realize she liked him. By the time she finished the story and fully talked through the situation with her mum they were at the venue and making their way to the stable. 

"Well sweetie it won't hurt to get to know him. If he's changed as much as you say then what will it hurt?”

"You always make everything seem so simple and straightforward, when it feels anything but…” Hermione trailed off. "Now mum, what do we have Planned for this week of showing?” 

With the subject officially changed, Hermione and her mum were fully focused on discussing the plans for showing this week. 

It was going to be a busy week. This was a large show, and Hermione was showing two horses. She was thankful her mum had the logistics organized, and all she had to do was manage riding. Feeling lighter than she had in a long time, thanks to the conversation with her mum, Hermione was ready to face anything this competition could throw at her.

Competition prep days went by quickly. She had to spend time reconnecting with the horses, learning the dressage pattern, show jumping course and walking the cross country course. The two days of prep flew by, and before Hermione knew it, it was Wednesday, dressage day.

Dressage day itself wasn't a bad day. The issue was all of the preparation that went into it. On top of learning the course, she needed to double check her tack to ensure it was clean, and allowed by the organization hosting the event. On top of that, both horses need to be clean, shiny, and have their manes, and tails braided. Hermione was extraordinarily thankful for their grooms as they took on the bulk of the work, allowing her to focus on being the best rider she could be. 

Mercury, and Ruby did amazing during their dressage. Somehow both horses were inside the top ten at the end of dressage day. Now Hermione needed to ensure she was ready for show jumping the next day.

The show jumping day went much like the dressage day. Ruby jumped the course clean, but Mercury managed to clip one pole as he went over the last fence. After show jumping both horses managed to still stay within the top 10. Ruby was in 5th and Mercury in 10th. 

Friday was their last day of competition, and Hermione's favorite day - cross country. She needed to be precise, fast, confident, and steady. She needed to push the horses when they needed it, and hold them back at appropriate times. Most importantly she needed to finish the course inside the time window, or she risked dropping in the standings.

Like the other two days of competition, cross country day flew by. She finished the day without any time faults, and managed to stay within the top 10. She managed to finish the competition with Ruby in 4th and Mercury in 8th. 

The last thing Hermione had to do was stay for the awards ceremony on Saturday, then she would be returning to Hogwarts. Everything went according to plan Saturday morning as she, her parents, and her two grooms prepared for the Awards Ceremony. 

Hermione watched as 1st through 3rd place were called, and presented their awards. Then it was her turn. She and Ruby were called as the 4th place winner. Hermione approached, and received her award from the man announcing. She then moved to shake hands with the event sponsors, everything was normal until she went to shake hand with the last woman in line. She extended her hand, and looked up. She was shaking hands with Narcissa Malfoy.

Chapter Text

Saturday Evening, The Great Hall, Hogwarts: 

Draco and the Slytherins hadn't seen Hermione all week. They had become accustomed to her presence at mealtimes, and it was odd without her. Daphne and Pansy had even sought out Ginny to ask where Hermione was, but Red wasn't giving them any information. They were told she was fine and that's all. 

The Slytherins sulked about not being in the know about their friends location. If there was one thing Daphne and Pansy both hated, it was being out of the loop with their friends. All of that quickly changed at dinner when Draco's large eagle owl delivered a letter with the Malfoy family crest. 

Draco didn't often receive evening mail, but he quickly opened the letter to satisfy his own curiosity. Impressed by the content of the letter, he let out a low, smooth chuckle, which caught the attention of his friends. 

“What is it?” Daphne asked politely. 

“Gimme! I wanna see.” Pansy said, foregoing all manners and etiquette to snatch the letter out of Draco's hand. 

“What's your mum doing sending a letter this late. It's very unlike her, so it must be good.” Pansy exclaimed. 

Before she started reading the letter, she threw up a quick silencing charm. She glanced over the letter quickly before she started reading aloud. Pansy's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped as she took in the letter. The pure blood princess seemed to hesitate before reading the letter aloud to her friends. 

“Come-on Pans, you can't react like that without cluing the rest of us into what's going on!” Daphne challenged. 

“Okay, okay, I'll read it.” Pansy began.

Draco,

I hope this letter finds you well sweetheart. I know this isn’t my normal time to write, but I needed to share with you what happened today. Do you remember I told you I would be headed to France this week for an event? 

This year, for the first time I chose to join in handing out awards at a horse show in Le Pouget, France. One of our companies has always sponsored this show, we've just never participated.

You will never guess who I saw, and handed an award to… Hermione Granger. Yes you read that correctly. By the way Pansy wrote to me and mentioned you have a crush on her. I fully approve! She was competing on two horses, and both placed in the top 10. I was able to watch her ride a bit throughout the week. she is an incredibly talented equestrian. After the award ceremony I was able to speak with her briefly, and she mentioned she has been riding as long as she could remember. She was amazing, and she was the youngest rider in the field of 100. 

On top of that, her parents and a full team of grooms were with her the entire week to assist with everything. Did you know any of this about her? She certainly seems to be an intriguing young witch. 

Talk to you soon, 

Mum

The Slytherins were too stunned to speak. Pansy and Daphne were both flabbergasted, and the boys were not too far behind.

"She's a horse girl!” Daphne shouted, excited because she loved the horses she had at home. 

"Daph, we need to add this to the wall of Hermione!” Pansy screeched. The two excited girls started to get up from the table, but were brought back to earth by a curious Draco.

"Wall of Hermione?” He questioned.

Daphne and Pansy looked at one another before Pansy launched into an explanation. "We have a wall of all the things that make us think Hermione is high born. This new piece of info may have been the final piece of confirmation. She competes in high level equestrian events at an international level. Even in the magical world that is expensive.”

Theo and Blaise were nodding their heads in agreement. Draco just rolled his eyes. 

"If Hermione wanted us to know the intimate details about her life she would have told us. We can't force her. Also, isn't she one of the students who will be sharing her home life with our entire class? We will get to know a lot more then.” 

"I forgot about that! Good call Draco!” Daphne said.

“Either way, horses are expensive in the muggle and magical world. Her family must have some kind of money.” Pansy said, as Daphne nodded her head in agreement. 

"By the way Pansy, it is quite rude to rip a letter out of someone's hand. Especially when it is not addressed to you.” Draco said with his trademark smirk.

Pansy rolled her eyes, and proceeded to leave the table with Daphne. 

Chapter Text

Sunday

This was the first time Hermione was nervous to return to Hogwarts. Not only had she promised her mum she would talk to Ginny, but she was now concerned with what Narcissa may have said to Draco. She was going to have to muster up her Gryffindor courage and face Ginny, and Draco. 

Her return portkey would take her directly into the headmistresses office, just as it did last time. Thankfully it was still the weekend, and she didn't have to go straight to class. After how busy this week was, She just wanted to relax and unwind before the start of next week. At precisely 9:00 in the morning Hermione's portkey whisked her away.

"Good morning Hermione. On time as always I see.”

"Good Morning Headmistress.” A disoriented Hermione replied. It always took her a moment to reorient herself after portkey travel.

"How was your week?” The curious Headmistress asked her favorite pupil.

"It was a good week, everything went far better than I could have hoped for.” Hermione said with a smile. 

"That's wonderful. Do you think any of us will ever get the chance to see you ride?” 

"I'm sure we will be showcasing the Horses when the class comes to my home.“ She responded politely. 

"I may just have to tag along for that one.” The Headmistress smiled. "Now let's head down to breakfast. I'm sure you have some friends who are wondering how your week was.” 

Hermione and the Headmistress made their way down to the Great Hall to enjoy their breakfast. Once through the main doors Hermione made her way straight to her normal spot at the Gryffindor table across from Ginny and Neville.

"Hey, you made it back!” Neville greeted her kindly, before turning his attention back to his other friends.

"I just got back. My portkey took me straight to Headmistress McGonnagalls office.” 

"Well, how did everything go?” Ginny asked. 

"Pretty well actually. Much better than expected.” Hermione explained. 

"That's good.” Ginny said curtly.

"Gin, do you think you and I could talk later? I'd like to discuss something with you in private, if you don't mind.” Hermione asked, remembering her conversation with her mum. 

"Sure thing Mione.” She responded with genuine excitement. "Should we finish up breakfast, then we can find somewhere to chat, without listening ears.”  

Hermione chuckled in response, and gave a quick "That's great!” 

The duo finished their breakfast, then made their way out of the hall so they could chat. 

"Room of Requirement or out by the lake?” Ginny asked when they made their way out of the Great Hall. 

"Room of Requirement will give us more privacy.” 

The pair made their way towards the seventh floor, not saying much on the lengthy walk to the room of requirement. 

After what felt like an eternity the pair arrived at the room of requirement.

"Do you want to pick the space or should I?” Ginny asked.

“Do you mind if I pick? I want to show you something.” Hermione responded. 

Ginny gave a go ahead gesture to Hermione, and stepped back while Hermione paced in front of the room of requirement door. After a few moments the door appeared. 

Hermione grabbed the door knob and opened the door revealing a grand, cozy living space which was an exact replica of her living room at home. Seeing a piece of home made her smile, and relax ahead of the conversation to come.

Ginny entered the room behind Hermione. The redhead looked around the room and her jaw dropped.

"This is beautiful. What is this place?” She asked.

"Thank you.” Hermione smiled. “This is a replica of my living room at home.”

Ginny's jaw dropped. "This is your living room?” She questioned.

"I figured this was as good a place as any, for us to talk.” She paused. “I’m sick of hiding who I am, and I wanted you to be the first one I shared this piece of myself with.”

Ginny nodded, curious about what she was about to learn. The pair settled onto one of the cozy, overstuffed couches so they could have what could certainly be an uncomfortable conversation.

"I'll tell you whatever you'd like to know, but I do think the easiest way to show you everything would just be for you to come home with me for the holidays. Would you be interested in spending a week with my family over Yule?” 

"Of course I would!” Ginny responded with a smile that made Hermione relaxed.

"Okay, so I have no clue how to go about this. I want to tell you everything, but I have no clue where to start. What questions do you have?”

Ginny took a deep breath. She had been waiting for this. There was so much she wanted to know. So many questions she had thought of since September 1st, so she just started with the one at the front of her mind.

"Where have you actually been going when you leave the castle?” 

"So it's either horse shows like this past week, or I'm working, and modeling with Dior.” 

"Tell me more about these horse shows.” 

"I've been competing since I was little. Once I started at Hogwarts, I only got to compete in the summers. I was hoping post war to do more competing, so I registered for numerous competitions this year. Then they made it so everyone had to come back to Hogwarts.” Hermione rolled her eyes, still annoyed. 

“I was very frustrated so I had a conversation with Kingsley and the Headmistress. Believe me, it wasn't my finest day.” 

"How does that work? How long have you been around horses?” Ginny asked.

"I've been around horses since I was born. We've always had them on our property. I don't think my mum would survive without them.” 

"What do you mean?”

"My mum is the one that got me into horses. She has competed for years. She even went to the Olympics.” 

"Oh wow. Even in the magical world the Olympics are a big deal.”

"Oh, I didn't know that.”

Ginny nodded. "Olympics aside, there are quite a few magical families that are involved in the horse world. Have you run into anyone you recognize?” 

Hermione chuckled before responding. "Funny you should ask. Before this last show, I hadn't run into anyone from the magical world before.” 

"Oh?" Ginny said, intrigued. The redhead was now shifting her posture to lean in towards Hermione, clearly ready for the gossip.

"So, I had a really great week competing. Both of my horses placed top 10 in our division, so we decided to stick around for the awards ceremony.” 

"And…” 

"Narcissa Malfoy was the person who handed me my award.” 

"Of all people.” Ginny started laughing. "Of course it's the mom of the guy you're crushing on.” The redhead continued laughing as Hermione blushed. 

"Yeah. I'm still coming to terms with the fact I have a crush on him.” She muttered under her breath. 

"I still have more questions. You never talked about home before. Why now?” 

"It was time. For so long I've felt like my magical and non magical lives had to remain separate. As a muggle born, there aren't many role models for how to live this dual existence. I also did not know how to talk about life outside of Hogwarts. I honestly felt stuck between two worlds.” 

Ginny nodded her head. “I can see how that would be difficult. Still I can't help but feel upset that you hid such a significant part of your life from me.” 

"I'm sorry about that. I never wanted you to feel that way.” Hermione took a deep breath before she resumed speaking. 

“First year, I struggled to fit in. Most of the year I spent in the library studying, I was so excited to be here and learn that I was absolutely bollox at making friends. Second year I had found friends in Harry, and Ron, but you know them. They don't care much about the fluffy aspects of friendship. I helped them with their homework, and they helped me feel Included around the castle, so I didn't talk about myself much.” 

Ginny was listening intensely as Hermione continued.

“I was fascinated hearing about the lives of my magically raised classmates. The stories from you, Ron, and Neville about being in a magical home were fascinating. If your lives were that interesting why would any of you be interested in hearing about my boring muggle life?” She shrugged, reliving her old memories and feelings. 

"Honestly I spent so long being enthralled by the magical world and the lives of others that I never really tried to talk about my home life. Over time compartmentalizing my magical, and non magical lives got easier. It felt easier to fit in, and honestly it helped me not be as homesick. I never wanted to make anyone feel like I was lying to them.” Hermione finished.

Ginny took a moment to absorb what her friend had explained. 

"I can understand that Mione. We can move forward from here. Thank you for helping me understand.” She smiled, reassuring her friend.

"Now that's out of the way, have you realized that Daphne and Pansy have been trying to figure out your muggle life. They believe you are high born and they are trying to prove it.” 

Hermione put her head in her hands. “Merlin, this is going to be one heck of a year.” She said under her breath. 

"Wait!” Ginny shouted. "Are you actually high born?"

"Yes. My father is the only son of the Duke of Rutland. Formally, my father is the  Marquess of Adlington.” 

The redhead started laughing. "Merlin's pants. You can't make this shit up. Hermione, if there's one thing the old pure blood families respect, whether muggle or magical, it's nobility. You literally outrank every single member of the Sacred 28.” 

Hermione was now looking at Ginny confused. "Excuse me?”

"The titles given to families like the Malfoys were purely courtesy. They all just use the titles Lord and Lady these days to try and command respect. I believe the true titles were considered abandoned long ago.”

"Oh wow.” Hermione responded quietly. “To think, all of my issues being called mudblood could've been put to rest early if my family's titles were known.” 

"Wait, does that mean your full name is Lady Hermione Jean Granger?” 

"Yes, technically. Although I try not to use it.” 

"Did Narcissa Malfoy hear your name announced like that at the show you were at?”

"She may have. I'm not sure. The show was in France. They don't always use titles.” 

Ginny nodded along. “Wait! I just realized! Daphne and Pansy are going to completely shit their pants when they figure it out!”

The two friends started laughing, and in that moment Hermione knew everything would be okay.

Chapter Text

Following Hermione and Ginny's conversation the two were completely back to normal. Ginny immediately wrote home about spending Christmas at Hermione's. She had not heard back yet, but she expected to soon. 

In prior years, December marked a time of great strife, and anxiety for Hermione. Her days were usually predicated with studying for her end of 1st term exams, meaning she rarely left the library. This year, things were different. She had adopted a far more laissez - faire attitude and was truly enjoying her time. Sure she studied, but she didn't let it rule her life as she had years prior.     

These days, when she did spend time in the library, one could often find the former bushy haired know it all at a quiet table in the transfiguration section. Finally Hermione was at a point in her Hogwarts education, where the only people who would bother her in the library were Madam Pince, or Ginny, which is why she was so caught off guard  When she heard someone approaching. 

She heard the sound of someone clearing their throat to politely announce their presence. The next thing she heard was the smooth voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Miss Granger, do you mind if I join you?” He asked with a hint of worry in his voice. 

"Of course Mr. Malfoy.” She politely responded. 

The blond made his way to the seat directly across from Hermione.    As he settled in Hermione took the opportunity to relax the formality.

"You are allowed to call me Hermione you know.” She said with a warm smile.

"I didn't want to assume. In that case please call me Draco.”  He said, returning her smile. 

"What are you working on?” He asked.

"I'm trying to go over this last piece of Transfiguration before our exam on thursday.” 

As it was Wednesday, and Transfiguration was their last exam before the holidays Draco was going to be doing the same. So he pulled his textbook from his fancy leather briefcase and settled in.

After an hour or so the pair began to grow bored of their studying.

"Okay. I feel like I'm losing my mind!” Hermione whispered.

"Me as well. I feel like if I read over the principles of animagus transformations one more time I'm going to lose my will to live.”

"Well that's a bit dramatic.”

“We both know dramatic is my specialty.”

Hermione laughed, far louder than she should have in the library, as she remembered a dramatic 13 year old Draco.

“Your drama almost got an innocent Hippogriff killed!” 

“Almost? For the record, I am sorry about that. I was a jealous child who wanted nothing more than to make sure people knew I was my fathers son.” The embarassed and confused Draco said.

“We're not going to talk about that. Also, I forgive you. It's clear you're not the same person you were in third year.” She said quickly. 

“Thank you. That truly means a lot.” Draco said quietly, maintaining soft eye contact with Hermione. She reached over and softly squeezed his hand as a gesture of understanding. He held her hand in his, refusing to let go, and the pair sat there enjoying the comfortable silence that neither wanted to break. 

Without letting go of her hand Draco moved to the chair next to her. He adjusted his grip on her hand by lacing their fingers together. He was thankful he faced no protest from Hermione. With his best smirk he looked up at the woman sitting next to him.

“So.” He started, breaking the silence. “We absolutely have to talk about how the hippogriff we both saw an ax come down on only almost died.” Draco said with a challenging  smirk.

“We don't have to talk about anything. I don't think you're remembering things correctly.” Hermione said slyly. “ Did you happen to take a blow to the head that day?”

A low chuckle, almost like a growl, resonated from the chest of the ever composed Draco Malfoy. 

“I do happen to remember the fist of a beautiful 14 year old know-it-all meeting my face that day.” His voice was nearly a growl as he recalled the punch that started his crush on Hermione Granger. 

“See, head trauma. You're clearly not remembering things clearly.” A blushing Hermione whispered.

“Well then. Since head trauma appears to be clouding my memories, maybe we should start over. Make sure my memories are correct.” 

It was at this moment Draco dropped Hermione's hand. She immediately looked down at her empty hand as she felt the loss. Her hand wasn't left empty long, as a moment later she heard:

“Hi there. I'm Draco Malfoy.” He said offering a handshake. “I just wanted to introduce myself and say that I find you absolutely beautiful. Could I take you out to dinner?”

“Thank you for the compliment. I'm Hermione Granger.” She said, accepting the handshake. "You are quite handsome yourself. I would love to go to dinner with you.”