A New Start... Kinda
She had always loved reading.
Loved learning and exploring as the words morphed into images in her mind like puzzle pieces clicking into place. Hermione’s entire existence was based on the verses and paragraphs that she consumed at an abnormally quick rate. Her above average reading level earned her praise from her teachers and parents but made her somewhat of an outcast in grade school as the kids her age didn’t understand her. She preferred the library while they favored braiding hair or playing games outside.
She didn’t consider her childhood to be lonely, even though her parents were quite busy running their dental practice and were scarcely home, she had never minded as she found comfort and companionship with the characters and authors between the spines and pages that her eyes danced across.
Her love for books and knowledge increased exponentially when she received her letter from Hogwarts. Hermione decided that she would do her absolute best to fit in to her new world. Which of course in her mind meant that she needed to read everything she could get her hands on about magic so that she wouldn’t seem silly or lost. Not only was she curious and excited to embrace something wholly unknown to her, but she also felt a deep need to compensate for being muggle-born, a term that had slowly started to itch at her skin the more she saw it in her research.
It took some time but eventually she had made some friends. Two boys who relied on her love for books, intelligence and analytical skills. Most days she wasn’t sure how Harry and Ron had managed to make it to the end of the week alive... their proclivity for stumbling upon and getting into trouble and their complete disregard for their grades was truly astonishing.
While Harry was strong, courageous and bold, he had the tendency to be denser than the cake served in her parent’s favorite muggle cafe. And Ron was, well, he was Ron. He tended to be the more emotionally reactive one of their trio. She didn’t blame or fault either of them for who they were just as they accepted her for her more reserved studious nature.
Over the years she learned to brush off the dirty blood slurs fired her way from her peers, more specifically, a boy with the silkiest blonde hair she had ever seen. She accepted the sneers of other students when they called her ‘the golden girl’ or ‘the brightest witch of their age’ with a mild smile on her face as if she hadn’t just been verbally slapped for basically being called an ‘insufferable know it all’. It wasn’t what she set out to be but nonetheless it became required and expected of her.
Completing an eighth year at Hogwarts was not common, and by not common, she had read that it was practically unheard of.
She had missed so much learning while on the hunt for Horcruxes with Harry and Ron. Missed so much time being ordinary teenage witch and doing what every other student had done their senior years. She didn’t regret her friendship with the boys at all! But something was missing. Almost as if a chapter had been ripped out of the book that was her life.
So, for the first time, Hermione elected to take the unstudied and unexpected route. She was going to return to Hogwarts instead of accepting a position at the ministry like her friends and almost every other witch or wizard who had survived the previous year. If she really was to become ‘the brightest witch of their age’ she believed she needed to finish her education and maybe while she was there she would learn how to be her own person separate from Harry and Ron again.
Having the details already worked out with McGonagall, she made the announcement of her plan to attend an eighth year during a post-war interview with the Prophet in the middle of the summer. She was standing in her small room at Grimmauld place reading the published statement with a small smile on her face when a group of owls flocking to her window startled her enough to drop the paper.
Hermione couldn’t believe the words scrawled on the notes she had received from the birds. One after another stating that she wouldn’t be alone in her eighth year. She sat gingerly on the corner of her bed and read through them all again.
Luna and Neville had decided to join her upon reading her interview claiming they both wanted a do-over and their time at Hogwarts didn’t feel complete. Ginny of course would be returning as it was her seventh year and she couldn’t be happier to hear that they would get more time together away from the boys and their mischief. A few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws that she had studied regularly with in the library also jumped on the wagon to return upon hearing that there would be others.
The summer seemed to fly by after that in a mass of dreadfully hot days and random lunch dates with the boys.
She was just stepping on to the platform for the Hogwarts Express and began moving in the direction of her usual car when she saw them. Ginny ran into her from behind due to her quick stop after crossing through the passageway causing her to stumble forward a bit awkwardly.
“Hermione, what in the bloody he-” Ginny hissed.
It took one glance in the direction that held Hermione captive and then Ginny was quickly whispering the news her father had brought home from the ministry the night before in her ear.
They were to return as some sort of slap on the wrist punishment for their involvement with the Dark Lord and his cause... the Ministry had deemed Azkaban too harsh a punishment for their age. She nodded mutely and started slow careful steps towards the humming train. She agreed that Azkaban was too much, but she was now doubting her choice of taking an eighth year.
She had secluded herself in Harry’s unused Grimmauld place all summer, as he was busy rebuilding the house in Godric’s Hollow, trying to get back to normal… trying so desperately to figure out what she wanted instead of what was expected of her that she had completely forgot about the people who had chosen to fight for the other side. The people she hadn’t seen since they had all been standing in the rubble of their school surrounded by bodies of people they once knew.
They walked in pairs, floating across the platform as if they owned it, as if nothing had changed. A shaky breath escaped her as she felt Ginny’s fingers lace with hers. Hermione watched them through her lashes, readying herself for any one of the sharp comments that she’d grown used to over the years but they all passed by her silently. No one uttered a word or offered her anything other than a blank facial expression.
Pansy Parkinson led their group next to Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott marched beside Marcus Flint, Daphne Greengrass was shouldering Gregory Goyle, and they were all followed by the boy who had vexed her entire existence since the moment she set eyes on him before the sorting ceremony. Draco Malfoy.
She remembered feeling the slight blush creep into her cheeks when she saw him first, it was like one of her book characters had come to life, making her feel euphoric. And then he happened to open his mouth.
Draco affected her more than she cared to admit over their shared years at Hogwarts. From making her cry when he called her foul names to inspiring her to punch him straight in the nose one day. It felt good at the time, but it was something her brain had played on repeat when she was unable to sleep lying in bed late at night. But unfortunately, no matter how much he angered her there was always that small unexplainable budding warmth deep within her veins whenever she saw him.
“Come on, let’s go find Neville and Luna.” Ginny urged with a gentle tug on her hand.
Hermione looked back watching the crowd of students and parents quickly step out of the way of the Slytherins. She nodded as she swiveled her head back towards Ginny and offered her a small smile.
She took one more peek over her shoulder catching a glimpse of the tall blonde ducking into a car towards the front. He turned his head at the last second and their eyes connected. Her blood warmed and she shivered before she forced herself to look away.
“Let’s.” She agreed and started moving rather quickly toward their usual car.