Could It Be?-A Dramione fan fiction

Chapter One

"Hermione, there's a letter for you!" Mum calls. I leap off of my bed, where I've been reading.

After the War, I went to Australia and lifted the memory charm off of my parents, and I'm so happy to be a family again that I seldom ignore them.

"Coming, Mum!" I call, rushing to the living room. When I see Mum standing there, holding a letter, I feel a happy ache like I always do whenever I see my parents. Things are almost normal...except they aren't.

Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Lavender, Collin Creevy...they're all gone. The scars on my arm, the ones that say Mudblood, are no longer red, but they will be there for the rest of my life, a cruel reminder of the War.

I shake my head, realizing that Mum us still holding the letter. "Sorry - thanks, Mum." I say, taking the envelope and shooting her a smile.

When I see the emerald green lettering, feel the thick parchment...I sink onto the sofa, hands shaking, as I open the envelope and pull out a sheet of parchment that reads:

Dear Miss Granger,
In lue of recent events, all students are invited to repeat their
previous year at Hogwarts. Enclosed is a list of supplies
needed for your seventh year, as well as a letter informing you that
you have been made Head Girl, as well as your Head Girl badge.
Congratulations, and we hope to see you on September 1.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Headmistress

I jump up from the sofa and race to the kitchen, where my parents are fixing dinner.

"Mum! Dad!" I exclaim. "Yes, Hermione?" Dad asks, looking slightly alarmed. "I've been invited back to Hogwarts, to repeat my seventh year - and I've been made Head Girl!" I add.

I can't stop smiling as I think about sleeping in the dormitory, studying for exams, going to class, seeing Ron every day, spending hours in the library...

My parent's faces light up. "Oh, Mione, that's wonderful!" Dad exclaims. Mum hugs me. "This is wonderful news!" I nod slightly, a little overwhelmed.

"May I go write to my friends?" I ask. "Of course." Dad says. I hug them both and dash up to my room.

The first person I'll write is Ron: my boyfriend. We haven't seen each other much; he's been busy grieving, and I've been catching up with Mum and Dad.

I sit at my (tidy) desk and pull out a sheet of parchment, ink, and a quill. Then I write,

Dear Ron-
I just got my invitation to go back to Hogwarts-and I've been made Head Girl!
I'm going to return, obviously. I want to take my N.E.W.T.s.
Please write me back soon, Ron-I miss you!
I love you!
Love,
Mione

I give it to Eddie, the owl I bought a few weeks ago, and sit down again to write to Harry, Ginny, and Luna. I'll give those letters to Eddie tonight.

When I'm done, I decide to look at my school supply list:

All seventh year students will require:
The standard book of spells (grade 7) by Miranda Goshawk
An Accelerated guide to Transfiguration, by Idabelt Switch
Jobs and paths in the Wizarding world, vol. 1, by Wisel Neggle

I puzzle over that last one. "A career book?" I wonder. I guess it makes sense. We are taking our N.E.W.T.s, after all. I think.

During dinner, I ask Mum and Dad if I can go to Diagon Alley the next day to buy my things. "Yes, of course you can." Mum says, and Dad agrees. "Thanks." I say, smiling. I will never be able to look at my parents enough. Not anymore.
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The next morning, I apparate to the Leaky Cauldron. I'm wearing a Hermione-ish outfit: brown corduroy trousers, sneakers, a T-shirt, and a short sleeved jacket, and I feel nervous. It's the first time I've worn a T-shirt since Malfoy Manor, and I try to hide my arm as much as I can.