To Forgive (Draco/Hermione)

Chapter 3 - Day One

Chapter 3 - Day One

    The next morning at Hogwarts was chaotic. Hermione had been in the library, having woken up early that morning to go visit her favorite, newly repaired, and sorely missed place. There had been a large donation of brand new and recent books from the ministry and Hermione was determined to be the first to get to them. After an hour or two had passed, she decided to leave and see if she could catch up on breakfast, before the first bell were to ring signalling the start of classes (she also needed her timetable). Upon entering the Great Hall it took her a second to adjust to the new setting, as the night before had been hectic. The tables had been extended far more than what she was used to, and the room had seemed to be under some spell or it was literally rebuilt this large as to accommodate all the students this year.

Due to the war the past year, many first years had not been sent to Hogwarts, same with any grade level really. Thus having many children repeating their years needed last year and the new first years for this year has joined the repeats. This caused the largest first year group in Hogwarts in all of its history (Hermione knew this, as she obviously had researched it.) This also made the Common Room dorms needed to be extended, adding an extra room for the extra first years. Hermione would never admit this about school, but she wasn’t really looking forward to this really long year.

    ‘Better than being on the run and in war.’ Her mind scolded her. She frowned frustrated with the thoughts coming up when she was supposed to be looking to a bright future. Sighing heavily at the front of the Great Hall, she wandered down the long table of Gryffindor trying to find her friends among the new and old faces. ‘And missing faces.’  

    She really needed to get her thoughts under control.

“Hermione, I have your timetable.” Harry said as she finally reached them.

Sitting down she smiled. “Thanks Harry.” Retrieving her list of classes, she began to skim through the list as she filled up her plate with food.

“I still can’t believe we’re back at Hogwarts,” Hermione heard Ron say, while trying to swallow a mouth full of food. “It’s like nothing happened at all last year.”

She frowned a bit, it’s great and all, but talking about the war made the scar on her forearm tingle. ‘Nothing happened my arse.’

    “Really Ronald, after seven years of hearing me repeat myself, you still talk while chewing your food.” Hermione said cutting right in the middle of their conversation.

Ron smiled guiltily while finally swallowing his food before he spoke. “Sorry ‘Mione.”

She rolled her eyes and went back to the timetable in her hand. “It seems like I’ve made it into all of the N.E.W.T. classes. My first class is Herbology, how about you guys?”

She could see Harrys face begin to glow a dim red. “Right Hermione, we’ve been meaning to tell you-”

Hermione could feel the frown forming on her face. “We?”

Ron looked sheepish. “Yeah, we.”

Harry hastily continued. “Our test grades from sixth year had not been the best, and we kind of been demoted to remedial N.E.W.T. classes. Other than defense and charms, you won’t see us much.”

“Not only that, but Harry and I will be taking Auror lessons after lunch instead of classes, so that we can start our careers earlier than usual.” Ron finished.

She bit the inside of her cheek with annoyance. “So the only time I’ll really see you is in the Common Room, and hardly that due to my duties every night as Head Girl. You also have Quidditch practices… what about the extra study period we get twice a week after first classes?”