A/N: Hello and welcome to "As You Know It". I'm Morgan, the author of this story,I do not claim in any way to own anything mildly related to Harry Potter. All reviews appreciated. Sit back and enjoy. grin

Chapter One

Summer once meant relief from all the evil in a society where her blood mattered more than her brains. This particular summer, however hot, was different. The two worlds she lived in, the normalcy she sought, no longer existed. Now the only thing that remained was fear. And hatred to some degree. Her own room, once pink and cheerful, was almost a direct representation of those feelings. Dumbledore and Harry saw to that. All her things, precious muggle knick-knacks, had been taken down, replaced by an empty frame and objects whose meanings she had yet to learn. Mail was reduced to code words, often without words at all. Her world as she knew it was turned upside down. Especially now that Dumbledore was gone, and his murderer ran free.

How often she wondered if she had just stepped in his way, Demanded he explain what was going on. Would Dumbledore have lived? Would he still be her potions professor, their spy, and the only one who could really help them? He had murdered their protector and she hated him for it, but when facing facts he was still invaluable as a spy. Now the order was in the dark. Everyone was in danger. She and her family included.

Hermione turned from the darkness to glance at her mirror as she did from time to time. Not once did it show her reflection, but then she was hardly a threat to herself. Harry on the other hand…Even if Hogwarts reopened she knew she wouldn't find him there. He was determined to kill Snape, and then Voldemort. Hermione turned to her window again to observe the falling raindrops. Snape. Professor Severus Snape. Ex-professor now, what on earth could he have been thinking? To have killed Dumbledore, the only man that ever had any faith in him. And what about Malfoy? He saved him from death, but for what? He would only be murdered by Voldemort later. And why had he let her live? He had distracted her with Flitwick, effectively taking her out of the fight. One she wouldn't necessarily have come out of alive. It was in fact the only reason that she spared her potions master a second thought.

"Hermione? Hedwig dropped off something for you downstairs. And…there's something else…from Hogwarts."

Hermione whirled around but her mother had already left the strange room she now occupied. In fact she couldn't remember the last time either of her parents opened the door to her room. They, much like McGonagall, did not believe students should return to Hogwarts. Luckily Hermione had come of age in the magical world. It was McGonagall's choice to reopen Hogwarts, but it was Hermione's prerogative to live in the world of her choosing. The unfortunate part of that decision meant leaving the other world behind. If she chose the muggle world she would be leaving behind a lifetime of magic. Her friends, her wand, she would be leaving the only world in which she might truly find happiness. Looking around, Hermione realized that the muggle world held nothing for her now. The only problem leaving this world behind was her family. If she fully stepped into the world of magic, where she was a muggle born witch, she would be dooming them to torture or worse. Voldemort would not take pity on her parents just because they were clueless.

"Hermione, Pig is here with a letter as well. Honestly you need to take all these things to your room."

Her mother's voice, harsher than the first time, broke her free from her thoughts. The letters as her mother specified were on the table, but it still came as a surprise to see so much mail at once. The Hogwarts emblem along with Headmistress McGonagall's handwriting was apart from the rest. Information regarding Hogwarts was kept quiet for the duration of the summer, so Hermione reasoned that being a little shaken was not completely unjustified. Breaking the seal gently, knowing the outcome her parents wished for finally arrived, she began reading McGonagall's fine script.

Miss Granger,

It has in fact come to our attention that, by decree of the school governors, if one student wishes to remain at Hogwarts and continue their education, the school must reopen. I have of course written to the three of you first. Potter will not return, Mr. Weasley follows him, but I had to wonder about you. I myself would not blame you for deciding to forgo the wizarding world what with the war that is coming, but I thought to ask you just the same. Will you return to Hogwarts, and in doing so force the school to open its walls to all who would seek its protection? If so…

Hermione allowed the parchment to fall to the ground. McGonagall was offering to open the school. For her. Because of her. Hermione looked at her parents expectant, relieved faces, wishing for something to lighten the hurt they would experience. Instead she picked up the letter and the others on the table and began climbing the stairs. Halfway up she stopped, her voice calm and strong.

"I'm going."