Best of You

It had been a long time since Hermione Granger had last walked through the gates of Hogwarts. It had been even longer since she had been this nervous about it. When she had returned for her eighth year after the war she had been nervous, sure, but it had been a different kind of nervous. Closer to dread, really. This was more of an excited nervous. She hadn’t quite felt this way since her first year, which was fitting really, considering she was now walking through the gates as a first year again. This time, however, a first year professor.

She took a deep breath and couldn’t help but grin as she stared ahead at the restored castle. It had taken a lot of work to restore it to its former glory, but it had been well worth the effort. The wizarding world of England had come together and agreed that it couldn’t stay fallen. Dead though he was, that would have been a win for Voldemort, and no one wanted to give that to him. Things were a little different now of course. Some secret tunnels had been closed, security charms were a bit more thorough, and quite a few new ghosts roamed the halls, but all in all it was still old hoggy warty Hogwarts.

“Hermione!” A very distinct mop of unruly black hair appeared from behind the doors to the Entrance Hall and started sprinting towards her.
“Harry!” She started to return the sprint, but didn’t make it far before Harry hurtled into her and lifted her easily into a spinning hug. Hermione couldn’t help but laugh loud and freely as she spun through the air. It had been far too long since she had felt this happy.

“Well I guess that’s my first worry put to rest.” She said to him, grinning, as he set her down.
“What was that?” Harry quirked an eyebrow at her as he relieved her of her bags and started walking towards the still open doors with her.
“I was worried you would be angry with me.”
“Why would I be angry with you?!”
Hermione shrugged. “Because I left. I know we’ve kept in touch by owl and occasionally by phone but I was worried you’d feel like I abandoned you.”
Harry snorted. “I can understand why’d you’d be worried about that after everything that went down with Ron but I promise I didn’t feel like that at all.” He turned and smiled at her as they walked into the Entrance Hall. “You did what you had to do for you. That doesn’t make you a bad friend.”
Hermione smiled back, a weight lifting off her shoulders as it was confirmed that she still had her best friend. “Thanks Harry.”

“Hermione!”
She turned to the staircase as another familiar voice called out her name. “Neville!”
Neville met her at a much more controlled pace and gave her a much calmer hug, but there was no less joy in the greeting. “It’s so good to see you! We are so excited that you’re joining the teaching staff!”
“Thanks Neville! I’m honored that McGonagall trusts me enough to take over her classes.”
“Thank god she finally got someone in,” a silky voice joined their conversation from the direction of the dungeon. “The woman’s been spreading herself far too thin with classes and Headmistress duties. Granger.”
“Malfoy.” Hermione smiled at the blonde man as he joined their group. They had grown friendly over the years, but not quite at hug on greeting level friendly. “How are you feeling about being outnumbered by lions in the teachers lounge?”
Malfoy gave her a crooked smirk that looked nothing like any smile he had given during their school years. “I’m pretty used to it at this point.”
Hermione grinned back at him. The new normal. It was weird, but nice.

“Miss Granger!” The prim scottish voice cut through the group and they all turned to see Headmistress McGonagall coming down the stairs. “I’m so glad you are here! Come with me and let’s get you settled.”

______

Later that evening Hermione was all settled in her new rooms. Professors quarters were typically set off their classroom, with an entrance in their office. The offices were very obvious to find, of course, so students could access their teachers in them, but the entrances to their quarters were distinctly less so. In Hermione’s office there was a painting of a waterfall that, when a specific charm was uttered, she could walk through into the rest of her quarters. She had a small but well appointed living room with a fireplace, couch and squashy chair alongside a small table with a few chairs where she could host a lunch or tea. Her bedroom and bathroom were through the living room, and a small balcony overlooked the grounds and connected the bedroom and living space. It was nothing fancy, but private and all hers and that was something she hadn’t had in a very long time.

Hermione had spent her life sharing space. Starting at Hogwarts with the dormitories here, then to the Burrow always sharing a room with Ginny, then sharing the tent on the run with the boys, back to the Burrow with Ginny, then back to dormitories at Hogwarts, then off to more dormitories in France. It felt good to be able to decorate a space to her taste and really stretch out for once. Crookshanks had of course come along for the ride, and was also enjoying not having to share his space. He was already fully stretched out in front of the fire.

Of course the castle had chosen to largely decorate the space in a very similar style to the Gryffindor common room, and Hermione couldn’t be too mad at that. It still felt like home. She was determined to make this space a bit more personal though and was excited to slowly personalize it as she lived in it.

She had spent most of the day with Headmistress McGonagall (She didn’t think she’d ever be able to call her Minerva like the severe woman kept insisting) going over lesson plans from the previous year and where she expected each class of students to be. Hermione had quite the month of work ahead of her getting set up to teach these classes before the students arrived and she was eternally grateful to have the guidance of such an experienced professor to get her on the right foot. She was currently set up at her small kitchen table leafing through some of the lesson plans and scribbling notes into a notebook. She had definitely found after her year on the run that carrying around bundles of parchment wasn’t the most efficient way of transporting her notes, and had quickly shifted back to the Muggle traditions of notebooks and pens.

As she chewed on her pen a chime sounded out in the living room, alerting Hermione that someone had entered her office. She stepped through the waterfall to find Harry grinning at her in her office and holding up a bottle of wine. “Have some time to catch up?”
She grinned back and led him into her living room. “Of course!”

Harry walked over to the couch and settled himself in while Hermione went to the kitchen to grab glasses. She supposed she should be less surprised to find that the professors' kitchens came stocked with wine glasses. She had honestly never really thought about her professors' personal lives while she had been in school. Glasses in hand, she settled onto the couch next to Harry and held them up for him to fill.

“So how have you been?” She asked, “The last letter I got was at the end of the school year I think.”
“Not too bad,” Harry set the bottle on the coffee table and took a glass from Hermione, taking a quick sip. “It was odd getting used to things last year but I think it’s been really good. My students seemed to enjoy their classes and got good marks on their O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.S so I’m feeling more confident going into year two as a professor.”
Hermione smiled fondly at her friend. “You always were a good teacher Harry.”
He snorted.
“You were!” She smacked his arm lightly. “We all learned so much from you in the D.A. And I remember hearing about how much you taught the other rookies in Auror training.”
Harry’s jaw tensed slightly at the mention of Auror training. He really hadn’t enjoyed being an Auror at all and Hermione was eternally glad that her friend had sorted it out and found a better career for himself.
“Yeah,” He said gruffly, taking another swig of wine, “Well, I work well under pressure.”
It was Hermione’s time to snort at the understatement of the century. She caught Harry’s eye and raised her eyebrow and he couldn’t hold back a grin at her. He still really struggled to talk about the past, but the longer he had away from the Auror department the easier it was becoming.
“Well, how’s Ginny?”
This brought another grin from the savior of the wizarding world. “Mental.” He laughed. “The woman’s lucky she is so talented at Quidditch. I don’t think her temper would work for anything else.”
Hermione chuckled along with him. “I’m glad you two are still friends.”
“Me too.” Harry agreed, smiling ruefully. “If only because I don’t think I’d survive being her enemy!”

Harry and Ginny had dated for a while after the end of the war. For a little while things were great but it didn't stay that way for long. Away from the pressure of war and as the rose colored glasses of youth faded the two had become awkward and tense with each other. No anger or hatefulness, everything had just been off between them. Harry had started counseling while he was in Auror training which had helped him a lot, and the two had decided that maybe couples counseling would help. Shortly before Hermione had left after her eighth year, they had sorted out why things were so tense. Ginny was very much not Harry's type it turned out. The two had worked through it so well and had managed to become even better friends than they were lovers. Ginny had understood that it had nothing to do with her as a person, and had done nothing but support him as he came out. She had realized herself that most of her infatuation with Harry had been a childhood crush built up under immense pressure of war and tragedy. It had all been very mature.

“How about the other Weasley’s?” Hermione asked a little shakily, taking a sip of wine in the hopes it would hide her nervousness from Harry.
It didn’t work. He gave her a sympathetic smile instead. Hermione and Ron had broken up around the same time as Harry and Ginny, but it had been a lot less mature.

After the war Harry, Hermione, and Ron had become very famous in the wizarding world. Harry and Ron had been offered entry into the Auror department without finishing their N.E.W.T.S and Hermione had been offered any position she wanted at the ministry (including the Auror department). The boys had jumped at the chance to become Aurors but Hermione had decided to go back to Hogwarts to complete her N.E.W.T.S. This alone had created a small amount of tension between her and Ron, but largely due to the distance they suddenly found themselves operating at, after seven years practically glued to each other. They agreed that growing pains were normal as their relationship became an adult one. However, where Harry had found Auror training to be triggering to his trauma and difficult to enjoy, Ron had thrived. He was, after all, a master tactician and he fit in very well with the other Aurors. He soaked up the fame and recognition he had sought for most of his childhood and flourished.

After completing her N.E.W.T.S Hermione had decided she needed to get away for a bit. Like Harry, she wasn’t fond of the fame and she also wasn’t sure what she wanted her next step to be. Despite winning the war she still didn’t have much trust in the Ministry and struggled to feel like she would be comfortable there. She had found a wizarding university in France and applied without telling Ron. When her acceptance came in, it had turned into one of the biggest fights they ever had. Ron didn’t understand why she was “running away” as he put it and felt like she was abandoning him and their country. She hadn’t been planning for it to be an end to their relationship but the fight had really highlighted all of their issues for Hermione and she had a moment of clarity that long-term the pair were doomed, no matter what the geographical situation was. So she ended it. Ron was furious at first and threw quite the tantrum about it. Ginny had been able to talk some sense into him and he managed to accept the decision and admit that Hermione was probably right about them long-term. However, he was still upset that she was leaving and their relationship hadn’t transitioned back to friendship as smoothly as Harry and Ginny’s had.

They still exchanged birthday and holiday cards and gifts and the odd short letter, but it was all very terse and civil. Not quite friendly.
“Molly and Arthur are doing well,” Harry was telling her, “Retirement suits Arthur and they’re loving having a couple of grandkids around.”
“Grandkids?” Hermione emphasized the plural in surprise. When she had left Fleur was pregnant, but she hadn’t heard about anyone else having kids, or even getting married.
Harry nodded, “There’s Victorie and Dominique, Bill and Fleurs girls, and Angelina just had her baby, Fred. And honestly they count Teddy as one of their grandkids too.”
“Fred?” Something in Hermione’s chest tightened in a weird way. “Did Angelina and Fred get married?”
“Angelina and George.” Harry corrected her. “About a year ago now.”
The thing in her chest loosened again. “And George named his son after his twin brother?”
Harry chuckled. “Mmhmm. Fred’s started naming everything he owns George in retaliation.”
Hermione laughed loud at that. She hadn’t really spoken with any of the Weasley’s since leaving, other than Ginny and occasionally Ron. It had been a small action of self-preservation.
“You know,” Harry’s gaze turned serious on her, “Molly and Arthur would love to see you.”
“Would they?” Hermione was skeptical. “I broke their baby son’s heart and ran away, then cut them out for four years… I don’t know that they’d be happy for that.”
“That’s not how they see it at all. We all knew what you were going through with your parents… It was understandable. They ask about you often and I know they’d love to see you.”
Hermione shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She would love to see them too.
“I have dinner there every Sunday.” Harry continued, reaching out to squeeze her knee in comfort. “The whole family comes. I know they’d be so happy to have you join this week.”

They sat in silence for a few moments as Hermione stared into the fire and debated with herself. Harry knew her well enough not to interrupt her train of thought or try harder to convince her. Hermione shifted her gaze to him contemplatively before answering. God she had missed him.

“Okay.” She finally said. “So, tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.” Harry grinned and tipped his glass to her.