The mortifying ordeal of falling in love with your entire secret study group

8th year: Hermione

When Professor McGonagall asked Hermione to come back to Hogwarts in August, Hermione said yes.

To help with rebuilding the parts of the castle destabilised by the offensive magic. To build a new Quidditch pitch. To assist in some rituals to create new wards and fix what could be fixed. With Professor Babbling, she spent days carving runes into wood and stone, and with Professor Flitwick and Cat!Minerva she spent nights testing the wards and exploring the staircases and secret passageways to be sure that there was no harmful magic left.

"I'd give you a double O on your NEWTs right now, if you allowed me to," Professor Flitwick said on one of those nights. "I know every staff member would do the same."

Hermione, high off of the success of fixing a torn portrait and healing its inhabitants, grinned. "No, only the Professors of my classes would. But I want to be in the Art course this year. I heard good things about Alchemy and Ghoul studies too."

Professor Flitwick nodded acceptance. "Poppy will organise an elective in healing with her colleagues from St. Mungo's. I imagine it will be a class we'll keep."

Professor McGonagall offered her to become Head Girl, but Hermione declined – not that she could put in words the reasons why. The same reasons she didn't want to date Ron? The same reasons that brought her back for one more year of school? What even were those reasons in the first place? With great responsibility came a great need to take a nap. At least once a day, she thought about the fantastic nap she'd had at Nott Manor.

So she asked Daphne for Head Girl recommendations, and she named one of the Hufflepuff prefects. Daphne would, of course, not take up her duties as either Head Girl or prefect, and it was to her satisfaction.

Her last big project was fixing the room of requirement. She'd burned the Horcrux with fiendfyre, and while the curse had been contained, dark magic left echoes. With Professors Flitwick and a returning Snape, however, they managed to fix it and also do a thorough scan to find and confiscate the Vanishing Cabinet and various other Dark or cursed objects. The room would remain, as an open secret that would slowly – maybe – one day become a better kept secret.

Hermione herself had used the room with Blaise to hide some of Malfoy's socks – passive revenge against his bullying. According to Blaise, Draco had been funny whenever he didn't find his socks, and regaled first years with talkies of a sock eating monster in the dorms. Now, Hermione collected the stolen socks and left them with the Hogwarts Elves with instructions to leave them for Malfoy to find.

On the first of September, Hermione apparated to her uncle's house and helped soothe some of Diana's nerves over breakfast. Orange juice helped, as did the promise that Hermione would 'magic' orange juice if the kitchens didn't provide it.

With Crookshanks draped over Hermione's shoulder and Diana clutching her hand (her parents handling her luggage), Hermione arrived at King's Cross station.

"Can I stay with you on the train?" Diana asked with big round eyes. She was already wearing her school uniform, her tie devoid of house colours. Hermione had done the same in her first year, and now as well; partly in solidarity with her cousin, and in part because her own luggage was already moved to the eighth year dorms. She only carried Crookshanks around because the cat wanted to be carried around.

"Of course," Hermione nodded, "we'll say hello to my friends and you can stay with us, or come to us when the other first years get boring."

At the platform, Hermione was pleased to see how she wasn't crowded by fans – the other parents instead lined up to say hello to her parents. The Muggle Parent Association seemed to have been met with approval. Her uncle and aunt seemed a little overwhelmed with it all. A teary goodbye, a promise to write often, and long hugs later, Hermione and Diana boarded the Hogwarts Express.