Chapter 1
The castle felt smaller, but also somehow impossibly bigger. She knew everything there was to know about this castle, from its history to its hidden passages. She had spent six years here; making friends, learning magic and falling in (and out) of love. But she had also witnessed more pain than one would think possible, such unimaginable destruction… and death. She had told herself over and over that she could do this, she could come back here and put everything behind her and try to live a normal, happy life. One that she most definitely deserved after everything she had been through.
But as she cleared the castle gates and looked over at the sloping grounds, all she could picture was smoke and screams. She forced herself onwards, up, up the hill towards the castle entrance. It was a few paces from the towering doors that she spotted a change in the stone pathway. A different kind of rock was inlaid between all of the normal ones.. a marker. For Lavender. She faltered in her steps and squeezed her eyes closed to shut out the image of her lifeless eyes staring up at her from that exact spot. Why, who, thought it was a good idea to mark these spots for all of eternity? As if the people who had been there needed a reminder of where their family and friends had fallen, as if the younger generations needed to know.
“Hermione?”
She snapped out of her morbid memory to look up at her best friend Harry, staring at her with concern in his eyes. She hated the concern, the pity. He was there too, he had it even worse than her! How was he so calm? How did he not want to scream at the top of his lungs that this was SO FUCKED UP that they wanted them to come back here and act like nothing had happened?! But she bit down on all of those emotions and plastered a sad smile to her face before jogging to catch up to him and Ginny.
“I’m alright guys, I just didn’t realize there were memorials being placed around. It’s just hard to see y’know?” She said as she slowed down to match their pace.
“Of course ‘Mione, it’s going to be tough to see, especially at first”, Ginny said as she looped her free arm through Hermiones. Together, the three of them stepped through the doors and into the entrance hall. She was glad that they were arriving ahead of the other students, having opted to Apparate to the edge of the schools wards and get a head start on trying to settle in. She didn’t think she could stand to hear the cheerful revelry of the welcoming feast right now. She purposely kept her head down to avoid having to see more memorial stones that would surely suck her into another downward spiral. When she finally looked up, she was face to face with Professor McGonagall.
“Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley. I’ve been expecting you.” She said, smiling down kindly at the three of them. “Welcome back to Hogwarts, we’ve missed you.”
“Thank you professor”, Harry spoke on their behalf. “We’ve missed it.. and you as well”
“As you know, students returning for their delayed 7th year have been given the option to stay in their house common room or in a small flat within the castle with a roommate. You and miss Granger have opted to take a flat, so I’ll show you where it is and how to access it before leaving you to get settled. Miss Weasley, I trust you know how to find your way to Gryffindor tower on your own?” She said with a sly smile.
“Yes professor, I’ll see you two in a little bit yeah?” Ginny said before taking off in the direction of the Gryffindor common room. Hermione knew she had the marauders map with her so she could easily find her way to their flat after she dropped her trunk off in her dorm. As a true 7th year and head girl, she was unable to stay with them, but Hermione had a feeling her bed would be empty most nights anyways. Professor McGonagall led them up the winding staircases until they came to a deserted corridor on the 5th floor. From there she showed them a painting of two maidens giggling and waving their handkerchiefs at them and gave them the password (Lemon Meringue) before turning to leave. “The flat has been set up based on the preferences you both selected last month, but do let me know if there’s anything you’d like to adjust. And as a reminder, this whole hallway is for students who have elected to come back and finish their education if they were unable to last year so you may run into other familiar faces.” With that, she left them to enter and explore their new home for the year.
Hermione gasped when she clambered through the portrait hole and immediately into what looked like her own private library. Harry snorted when he saw her awed reaction and immediately turned towards the kitchen where the snacks the Hogwarts house elves had left out as welcome treat awaited. “At least some things don’t change eh Hermione?” He said around a mouth full of biscuits. “You’re still book obsessed, and the elves still know how to cook!” Hermione was too distracted going through all of the books to even respond to him but after a few minutes she managed to pull herself away to take her trunk in to her room and see the rest of the flat. Most of the flat was furnished in soft reds and golds, much like the Gryffindor common room, but she had requested her room be decorated in more muted tones. Her bed spread was a matte black, so dark it looked depthless. The rest of the room was in neutrals, with splashes of black and the occasional gold accent. As she slowly took in her surroundings, she heard Ginny enter the flat and exclaim how nice their place was. She wandered back out to greet her and show her around, but after a quick tour she noticed the way her and Harry kept staring hungrily at each other so she hastily made an excuse about going to the library and rushed out of the portrait hole.
As she pulled herself upright and turned towards the staircase that would lead her to the library, she smacked into something impossibly hard. Dazed, she looked up right into the quick silver eyes of none other than Draco Malfoy.