Misfit

CHAPTER I

18.04.1999

It has been 21 years since the Weasley twins, Fred and George, were born. Almost 3 years since Dolores Umbridge was announced to be Headmistress of Hogwarts. 1 year since Teddy was born. Almost 1 year since Teddy lost his parents, Tonks and Remus. Almost 1 year since the end of the Second Wizarding War.

The Wizarding World was almost back on its feet. Hogwarts was rebuilt and former Professor McGonagall was named Headmistress. She had the school up and running again after only 4 months. Old professors returned for their positions and new professors were recruited. Although the best School for Witchcraft and Wizardry was re-opened, the halls and houses of Hogwarts were barely filled. The shock and terror of what happened only months ago, still lingering around the Wizarding households. Parents sceptical of sending their children back to a school, where oh so many witches and wizards lost their life. Diagon Alley was a different story. Quickly rebuilt, shop owners returned to their business to go back to normality to provide some form of happiness to the Wizarding World. A few weeks after the war, the high street was more colourful then ever.

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Harry Potter. The boy who lived. How many times he survived? No one bothers to count anymore. After the shock of Freds almost-death and the loss of Tonks and Remus, the Weasley family generously invited Harry and his best friend Hermione to stay with them. There was always a tension in the house. Whichever room you were in, no one really spoke, everyone just in their own little world.

Ginny Weasley, the youngest Weasley child, was spending a lot of time helping her mum around the house, trying to distract her from thinking the worst. It had gotten better 4 weeks after the end of the war, when Fred was finally allowed back home - he himself more than happy to leave the Wizarding hospital, where he would hear cries and sobs, echoing around the walls of the hospital. Families losing their loved ones, after having hope that they'll be able to take them back home.

Molly Weasley insisted that the twins, Percy, Charlie, Bill and Fleur all move back to the Burrow, for safety reasons. She was worried about her children, especially after almost losing most of them during the battle. But all that settled down after a couple of months - Percy was the only one who decided to stay at home, since he needs to re-apply for his job at the Ministry of Magic, which is currently lead by no other than Kingsley Shaklebolt, who fought side by side with his friends.  No one had any doubt that Percy would get his job back, but Molly was more than happy to have her son back, after not seeing him for several years. After a while normality found its way back into their life, as normal your life can get after fighting dark wizards during the most important battle in history.

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While everyone was doing remotely okay, there was Hermione, brightest witch of her age, best friend of Harry Potter, one third of the Golden Trio, who had no idea what to do with her life. While she stayed at the Burrow her relationship with Ron soon ended, as the emotions during the war just weren't the same after. He was also spending a lot of time with his brothers, which Hermione completely understood, but Hermione herself was going through a lot and he just couldn't be there the way she needed him.

So Hermione turned to Harry, her brother and best friend. Together they rebuilt the Potters manor, that was destroyed so many years ago. And even though Harry tried to be there for her, he was also focused on mending his relationship with Ginny and soon Hermione was not forgotten about, but slowly left behind. Harry and Ginny moved in together - much to the protest of Molly, but she soon got used to the fact when they told her that Ginny will only be living there over summer, since she is going back to Hogwarts to finish her education. Hermione, feeling slightly awkward to live with her ex-boyfriend - even though they were still best friend - soon found her own little flat in Hogsmeade where she moved nearing the end of August. Molly was sad to see her leaving and tried to convince her to stay, but Hermione needed space.

Ever since she was eleven and became friends  with Harry and Ron everything was about defeating the Dark Lord and helping Harry as much as she possibly could. Even though during school she thought a lot about what she would like to do after she finished her N.E.W.Ts she lost focus of it during the last year when she was on the hunt for Horcruxes with Harry and Ron. She didn't know when and if the war would be over and if she would make it out alive. Everything was about surviving and now she is stuck in her own little flat and with no idea what to do with her life. She could go back to Hogwarts to finish her education and if you would've asked her 2 years ago, she would've told you that she definitely would go back, but now, after everything that had happened she didn't know if she had the strength to go back. As a war heroin she had all the options in the Wizarding World, being offered various positions at the Ministry of Magic, all training provided, but Hermione just didn't know what she enjoys anymore. Her entire world was turned upside down. Every plan she ever made gone to waste.

Her friends and probably the rest of the world expected her to be the strong girl she always has been. And she is. She stayed strong during everything that had happened. But now - there wasn't a reason for her to stay strong anymore and every worry and every awful event that had ever happened and that she had pushed away came crashing down on her and slowly but surely she broke inside, putting on a mask for her friends, who were too busy and caught up in their own life to even notice the false act she was displaying every day. She kept to herself, sitting in her flat, reading books, occasionally going over to the Burrow for the weekly family dinner on Sundays, but it hurt her, seeing her friends moving forward in life, knowing what to do and slowly finding happiness again. She couldn't stand by watching Harry and Ron excitedly talking about their training to becoming Aurors, or Fred and George happily telling their plans about opening a second joke shop in Hogsmeade and with Fleur being pregnant; It was all too much. So by the time Christmas came around, she was just a a shadow of what she used to be and no one seemed to notice how she grew more and more distanced from everyone.

It's been a year since the war. A year since Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age lost herself, living alone, with no job and no idea what to do with her life.

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Guys. First chapter. Please let me know what you think!
Hope you liked it. Enjoy! Next chapter is coming tonight Xx