Chapter Text
Hermione jogged down to the boat house at a sedated pace. Taking a moment, she surveyed the calmness that was spread across the surface of the lake, before getting one of the row boats into water to finish her morning routine. After the war, she went to see a therapist- who just so happened to be a squib and already knew of the war- who recommended daily exercise to help her with her anxiety. Even though the war was over four years ago, at times it felt as if it was yesterday. Her therapist said she would get over it… eventually. Even after hearing this several times, Hermione knew that she would never fully recover from the ordeal.
It took her only a minute to fall into a comfortable rhythm. With each stroke, any stress she felt about the upcoming school year started to melt away as she became one with the calmness she initially observed. As she got closer to the center of the lake, her strokes began to slow and then stopped all together. In a few hours, the students would arrive and her peaceful days would be filled with hormonal teenagers. Her boat eventually stopped in the center of the lake and was greeted by the Giant Squid, which always brought a smile to her face. Thankfully she wouldn’t be alone this year since Harry would be starting as the new Defense Professor. In all honesty, she was looking forward to having her best friend back in the castle with her. Feeling her anxiety begin to spike, she cursed at herself for thinking of her “friends”. Harry had stayed true, just like she did for him, but Ron was another story. He was under the impression that they were meant to be together and refused to listen to her protests.
One night he showed up to her apartment completely pissed, and barged in expecting her to be alone. In a drunken rage, he attacked the two witches he found in bed together. If it wasn’t for the second witch pretending to be stunned, Hermione would have been beaten to death. Thankfully the woman stunned him and restrained him before he could finish what he started. That incident left Hermione in a coma for a week and a stay at St. Mungo’s for another two before being released to the care of Fleur Delacour and Harry Potter. It took her a few months to fully recover from the incident and she ended up moving back into Grimmauld Place with the two. She was heartbroken over leaving her apartment, but couldn’t bring herself to live alone any more. The next thing she knew, she was single and replying to Minerva McGonagall about the open Transfiguration position. That was last year’s adventure. Minerva helped her ascertain her Mastery and was there for her when she had to testify at Ronald’s trial. Unfortunately, one of her well-kept secrets was now known to the rest of the wizarding world.
Taking a deep breath, Hermione resumed her rowing, deciding to head towards the docks at Hogsmeade. She felt terrible about the house elves having to fetch the boat, but felt the need for the long run back to Hogwarts after certain memories were trudged up. After several tense moments, Hermione was finally able to find her center and slipped back into her calmness. Twenty minutes later, she easily slid the small boat beside the dock and began to tie up. Hermione took a moment to stretch before starting down the path towards the quaint magical village. During her stretch, Hermione decided to pull out all the stops and jogged through the entire village. Hermione loved this time of day. Usually it gave her a chance to not only think and just be. The first time she jogged through the village, everyone looked at her as if she was crazy. Then again, they were witches and wizards, thus anything that required no magic was pointless. Why would someone want to exert themselves when there was either a potion and/or spell to keep them in shape. Hermione passed by the Hogs Head Inn and saw that Aberforth was outside feeding his goats. He lifted his head just as she was passing by and gave her a small nod in response to her own nod and smile. Next, she slowly made her way towards The Three Brooksticks and saw Rosemerta sweeping out front. Hermione gave her a wave as the owner said, “Good Morning Hermione!” All in all, it took Hermione about an hour and a half to finally reach the front entry way of the school and headed towards her quarters to get ready for the rest of her day.
~Page Break~
Finally feeling refreshed and ready to start her day, Hermione made her way towards the Great Hall for the second to last meal before the students arrived that evening. Smiling to herself, Hermione set to work on assembling her traditional breakfast of an egg white omelet that was stuffed with spinach and mozzarella cheese and a simple berry salad that was on the side. Sitting back in her chair, she saw an ordinary barn owl flying towards her with the morning paper. Hermione quickly gave the owl her knut and heard, “I still don’t know how you can eat that crap, there isn’t enough fat in it! It’s just not healthy!”
Hermione jumped out of her chair, threw herself at the voice and said, “Harry! What are you doing here so early? I thought you and Fleur were set to arrive in a couple of hours?”
Harry easily caught her and while laughing said, “Fleur wanted to get here as soon as possible to start redecorating our quarters and I was excited to be at Hogwarts with you again. At least this time we don’t have to be worried about some mad man trying to kill us.”
Harry twirled Hermione around for another second before helping her back into her chair, causing her to chuckle, “Fleur has you trained very well.”
“I only finished what you started. Merlin knows that a certain red head did nothing to make it any easier, at least Ginny tried.” Replied the blonde veela as she strode up to the seat next to Hermione, and pushing aside a certain boyfriend who was tall, had dark hair, and handsome. Harry just shrugged his shoulders and went to speak to Hagrid.
“Hello Fleur, I hope you didn’t have any problems getting here.” Hermione said with a warm smile that went from one ear to the other. “Thank the Gods he never picked up on those habits. Are you ready to begin you first year as an assistant professor?”
Fleur started helping herself to Hermione’s fruit salad when another appeared in front of her. She laughed at Hermione’s frown and replied, “A little. I am more worried about the affects my allure will have on the students.”
Harry chose that moment to reappear, and after giving her a kiss on the cheek he said, “Don’t worry sweetheart, you’ll do great. If anyone gives you a hard time, just tell them your dating Harry Potter, it always works for me.”
Hermione snorted at his antics as Fleur playfully slapped him on the arm and said, “You’re such a Prat...” She looked over to Hermione and asked, “Oui?”
Hermione smiled and replied, “Oui. Merlin this year is going to be interesting.” Ever since her accident, Fleur has become almost like a sister to her. If it weren’t for her and Harry, she didn’t know what would have happened to her. She noticed that the two slipped into their own conversation as they ate their breakfasts. Hermione couldn’t be happier for the two, they both deserved it. Harry and Ginny never got back together after the war. They were completely different people, but then again, war will do that to you. Come to find out, Ginny was a witch’s kind of witch, and was dating a reporter she met after one of her matches with the Harpies. As for Fleur, after the war she ended up back in France for about a week to catch up with her family. When she came back, Bill told her that he knew she wasn’t happy and that he was going to file for a divorce, much to Molly’s delight. They talked all night, and come to find out, he not only met someone, he was getting a promotion and with a possible transfer. Fleur was happy for Bill and wished him all the luck in the world. No matter what happened, they would always be close friends. Bill was the reason Fleur and Harry were together. If it wasn’t for him, Harry never would have had the courage to ask her on that first date.
Smiling to herself as she finished her breakfast, she unrolled the paper and went to take a sip of her coffee just as she started to read the morning headlines. Hermione managed to get her cup up when she gasped and dropped the cup which hit the table, bounced off and fell to the floor, shattering. Harry and Fleur flew out of their chairs at the sound. Hermione was pale, shaking uncontrollable, and was unable to speak. Harry tried to ask her what was wrong as he put his arms around his almost sister. No matter what he tried, she just sat there in silence and kept shaking. Harry looked up and saw Minerva coming over with what he assumed was a calming draught. Making sure Hermione drank the entire vial, he heard Fleur begin cursing in French. Harry looked over and read the headline, “MEMBER OF THE GOLDEN TRIO TO BE RELEASED FROM ST. MUNGO’S.” Harry looked back to Hermione and started to say, “I won’t let anything happen to you Mione,” but Hermione pushed Harry off her as she was pushing out of her chair and briskly walked out of the Great Hall and out of Hogwarts all together.
Harry went to run after her, but was stopped by Fleur who put a hand on his arm and said, “Let her go for now. She needs her space. You being here is hard enough for her. Let her try to organize her thoughts before you try going to her rescue.” Hermione was so absorbed with her thoughts and feelings, she never saw the blonde witch who was making her way into the school at that very moment.
~Page Break~
Hermione quickly made her way towards Black Lake. Right now, she was a whirlwind of emotions. Despite the calming draught Harry and Minerva forced upon her, she was unsure what emotion to go with. Merlin she hated those things. They always left her mind muddled and a bit out of sorts. Sitting beneath the old tree on a fallen log that was back just enough and so well hidden, the only way to find her would be to know where to look. Sitting there staring across the lake, she tried to organize her feelings by making a list of all of emotions that were running through her at that very moment. Was she upset? With whom? Should she be angry at the whole situation or just at Kingsley Shacklebolt who had promised her that he would never get out. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that ultimately it was fear she was feeling. Not just the fear from the unknown either. Would she have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life? Could it happen all over again? Would he be successful this time and actually take her life? Hearing a branch break from behind her, she jumped to her feet with her wand at the ready and saw a tall blonde witch who had black highlights.
“I’m sorry for sneaking up on you, but I saw you rush out of the school and wanted to make sure you were alright.” Seeing that the witch before her still held a wand on her she added, “Forgive my poor manners. I’m Narcissa Black.” Narcissa took a step forward and saw the wand was slowly lowering to her side, but still ready to use. It appeared that Hermione was still stranded within her own thoughts. “Why don’t we take a seat Miss Granger?”
Hermione jumped slightly when Narcissa gently took her arm, but refused to look at her for the moment. Once they were seated, Narcisa’s hand lingered for a moment and Hermione asked, “Why are you helping me?” She tried to keep her blush under control as she remembered her dream while turning to look at the elegant woman beside her.
Narcissa saw something she hadn’t seen in someone’s eyes for a very long time. “I saw a beautiful witch in distress and wanted to make sure you were alright. Unfortunately, I know a thing or two about having to confront one’s demons unexpectedly Miss Granger. I also wanted you to know that if you ever wanted to talk, then I would be willing to listen.”
Hermione couldn’t believe her ears. The woman of her fantasies just called her beautiful. Not really sure what to say, Hermione just stared into Narcissa’s stormy blue eyes. “Please, call me Hermione. If I may be so bold, when did you become a Black again and what are you doing here Lady Black?”
“Since we will be colleagues, please call me Narcissa. I am the new Potion Mistress. As for the first part of your question, the change is very recent. Thankfully I was able to keep the divorce out of the paper. Now that I have answered your questions, would you care to answer mine? Are you alright?” Narcissa softly asked.
Narcissa saw Hermione deflate slightly at the question. “I’m not entirely sure how I feel right now. I don’t know if you read the Prophet this morning, but Ronald Weasley is being released”
Unable to resist, Narcissa put a hand on Hermione’s arm to offer her some support. “No matter what you may think, everything will be alright. I know Mister Potter and Miss Delacour will be there for you, as well as the rest of the staff here. Please know that I am here for you as well.” Narcissa slowly stood and held her hand out and said, “Why don’t we head back inside. I am sure despite Miss Delacour’s best efforts, Mister Potter is incredible worried about you right now.”
Hermione took the offered hand and allowed Narcissa to help her up. Seeing a stray hair poking out, Narcissa gently tucked it behind Hermione’s ear. Hermione leaned into Narcissa’s touch and closed her eyes, relishing in the softness and the warmth it held. “Why are you trying to help me Narcissa?” Hermione quietly asked as she reluctantly pulled back and opened her eyes.
Narcissa looked deeply into Hermione’s chocolate eyes and calculated her next words carefully. “As I said before, I know what it is like to suddenly have to confront one’s demons and not have anyone to lean on for support. Perhaps I’ll tell you about it another time.” As they were walking back towards the castle, Narcissa decided that she was going to attempt to distract Hermione by asking, “Do you enjoy teaching?”
“It has its challenges, but yes. I find it to be very rewarding. At least once the students get past the fact that I am one of their teachers. I never knew that you had your mastery in Potions. Are you looking forward to this year?” Hermione said as she tried to steal a glance at the sophisticated beauty walking next to her.
Narcissa smiled at Hermione’s attempts to be inconspicuous and replied, “I have to agree with you, it will be a challenge. It will be nice to start researching again. Would you be interested I assisting me? It would be wonderful to pick the brain of the brightest witch of her age.”
Hermione’s face lite up as if it was Christmas morning as she replied, “I would love too. It will be nice to have an intelligent conversation with someone new.”
“Wonderful! I’ll need a couple of days to compile all of my notes, but what would you say if we discussed them over drinks?” asked Narcissa, who watched the witch in question stumble over her own feet.
Thankfully Narcissa had fast reflexes and caught Hermione to help steady her. Hermione tried to draw Narcissa closer as she replied, “I’d like that.” Inside Hermione was freaking out. She was currently in the arms of the very woman who has been occupying her dreams on multiple occasions. Both seemed enchanted with each other and made no move to part. The one thing Hermione was missing since reading that damn headline, was just found within the arms of the mysterious witch in front of her. Safety. There was no denying that they both felt a spark the moment they touched.
They heard someone give a subtitle cough to get their attention. Both witches reluctantly let go of one another and turned to see Harry and Fleur standing in front of them. “Good Morning Madam Malfoy, what are you doing here at Hogwarts?” asked Harry who was skillfully avoiding the glare Fleur was giving him.
“Good morning Mister Potter, Miss Delacour. It’s actually Lady Black now, but please call me Narcissa. I will be the new Potions Mistress. I saw Hermione rush out of the hall and went to check on her. If you’ll excuse me, I must speak with the Headmistress before setting up my quarters.” Narcissa turned back to face Hermione and said, “I will let you know about those drinks. And please remember that my door will always be open to you.” Hermione watched as Narcissa left to return to the castle.
As a matter of fact, she couldn’t take her eyes off her as she watched the way the witch’s hips swayed as she gracefully glided back to the castle. She was brought back to reality when Harry slipped his arm around her shoulders and Fleur slipped her arm around Hermione’s free arm at the elbow. “We were just coming out to check on you, but I see you were well cared for. Merlin Mione, how do you do it?” asked Harry.
Hermione gave him a questioning look and replied, “Do what Harry?” As the trio made their way back towards the doors.
“How is it that you manage to get these beautiful women on your arm? Am I missing something?” Harry said with a playful glint in his eyes.
Hermione shoved him with her hip and put her arm around Fleur’s waist as the veela put her arm around her shoulders and asked, “Jealous?”
“Don’t worry dear brother from another mother, I can teach you a thing or two if you like.” Hermione said as she wagged her brows at him. The trio’s laughter filled the air as they walked back towards the entrance hall. Despite being surround by laughter and love, Hermione couldn’t help but have a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she waited for something terrible to happen. It wasn’t an if it would happen, but a when it would happen.