Upon returning to Hogwarts for her final year, Hermione was tasked with a few things. First, her new Head Girl status. She’d always expected to be granted the title, but after the war, she had been unsure to accept it. In the end, she had done so knowing she would regret it if she hadn’t. And then there was the fact of helping the troubled kids after the war, namely: Death Eater kids. Hermione was not so thrilled with that task, but she accepted it all the same. Headmistress McGonagall was sure to be disappointed in her if she did not.
So now they were back at school and they’d been there for a week. Hermione was quietly keeping and eye on those specific students, all the while taking control of her studies and classes. There was one fellow student in particular that she had her eye on. Draco Malfoy. He’d become quieter in all the years she’d known him and he kept his head down. She supposed she could not blame him after his participation in the war. He had take the Dark Mark, after all. It was a miracle enough he had been allowed in the school, but she knew he was not allowed to actually perform any magic. It must be tough, she thought as she was to join him in Transfiguration. They were being paired off and she’d been placed with Draco. Hermione had to wonder if McGonagall had done that on purpose. She had spoken with her many times and knew that one of the Headmistress’s goals was to unite the houses. Hermione knew she better start doing that.
“Hello,” Hermione said quietly as she was the one who had to join Draco. He hadn’t made an effort to join her. She should hate him, deep down she knew that she couldn’t. He had been vile to her, called her all sorts of awful things and yet she could not bring herself to be nasty to him in return, not anymore at least. They transfiguration they were expected to do today was turn an object into an animal, tough magic even for her. Draco would not be able to perform the spell, but he would watch and study. Maybe one day he would be able to perform magic again if he proved himself to society. “Are you ready for us to begin? I was thinking of transfiguring that chair there into a hedgehog. What do you think?”