Title: Unity

Author: LadyBard83

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K. Rowling, lucky witch

Pairing: Hermione/Pansy

Summary: The students are invited back to Hogwarts to repeat their seventh. However the, now eighth years, are going to be in a special teaching program away from Hogwarts castle that was formulated to teach the student cooperation and unity. Truces will be made, friendships forged and love formed. But there's one person who will do anything to stop the unity.

Warning: Femmeslash,

Author's note:

1.)This is my first attempt at writing fan fiction, or at least posting it. Please review and let me know if I should continue or just stop while I'm ahead.

2.)Takes place the following September after the war. No changes or alterations from past books except that they are currently in the year 2011 to collaborate with some music and movies mentioned.

Chapter 1: Things are gonna be different

The whole concept was completely mad, insane and utterly doomed to fail. McGonagall must have been out of her mind when she thought up this ridiculous idea. Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts as she continued to look out of the window. She glanced at her parents riding in the front as they drove their beloved daughter to King's Cross station for the final time. She turned back to watch the little houses as they passed by on their journey.

How was she going to survive this year, especially with the possibility of living with a Slytherin. Hermione and the others had all been stunned when they had received Hogwarts letters inviting them to return to the castle to repeat their final year, seeing as the school had been some what destroyed before the final term had finished.

Hermione was elated, she would actually be able to finish her seventh year, she couldn't be happier. That was until McGonagall had made an unexpected to her home as well as everyone else to inform the students exactly how the final year was going to play out. She could remember each and every word spoken between the two of them as if it had been mere hours ago instead of a few months.

"I'm so happy that I'm going to be able to complete my final year professor. The only regret I had a year ago when I decided to join Harry in looking for the Horcruxes was the fact that we wouldn't be graduating."

" I know dear, it's part of the reason the ministry decided to allow all of the students in your year to repeat."

" I have been wondering though where we're all going to be staying though. I mean the sixth years will be seventh years now and there aren't enough rooms in the dorms with the new first years that will be entering."

"That, coincidently, is the precise reason I'm here today. The minister has decided to solve that particular problem by implementing an idea that Dumbledore and myself had, in jest, conceived a few years prior to his death."

McGonagall had gone on to explain how Hermione and the others would become the guinea pigs of a new teaching program. The students would not be learning within the walls of the magical school but rather in the 'real world' so to speak. All the students were going to learn cooperation and unity during the program and so therefore they would no longer be sharing a common room with their fellow housemates, pairs would be selected at random to share living quarters instead.

An area of hidden woodland was going to be section off and blocked away from those who were neither students or teachers. There, several buildings would house two students each. Lessons taught by a selection of teachers that would also monitor the students to make sure order was kept, but the students would be pretty much living on their own. They were to take their lessons and implement them in their daily lives. To encourage unity the students would be paired up to live with someone of a different house. Hermione's jaw dropped when she learned of the living arrangement.

The Gryffindor's golden girl turned her head away from the window once again as her mother's voice broke her train of thought.

"Hermione, darling, are you absolutely sure you want to move into that flat so soon after you graduate. I mean I know you're considered an adult in the wizarding world but you are still only eighteen. Wouldn't you rather wait another year or two love?" Hermione smiled at her mothering tone and worried frown.

"Mum I'll be fine. I've already been offered a position at the Ministry of Magic's Research and Development of Spells and incantations department. Plus Harry and Ron will be sharing a flat in the same building as me…"

Hermione loved her mother to death. She was the best anyone could ask for in a parent, her dad too. Not many parents would've taken to well to the situations that had imposed on Hermione's brief life; Finding out that their child was a witch, learning she had been in a deep coma and almost killed by a Basilisk, nearly eating for dinner by a werewolf who was also her professor, being hunted by death eaters while on the run for several months. It was a lot for the poor couple to take, but they supported and loved her still. Even when it came to more personal matters like when Hermione had finally confessed to her parents that she was more interested in girls than boys after she returned from the war. They just hugged her in turn and told her that they would always love her no matter what and as long as she was happy then they were happy.

Looking into her mother's soft brown eyes she could already see the signs of Empty Nest Syndrome taking effect.

"…and you both know you're going to take every opportunity to visit, so it'll be like I never left." The three Grangers laughed as the conversation turned to more pleasant subjects.

The train had stopped as usual in Hogsmeade but instead of leaving by an invisibly drawn carriage towards the castle the troupe of 'eighth years', as they had come to call themselves, were going to taken into the village itself.

The Gryffindors emerged from their compartments and collided with the eighth year Slytherins. Malfoy sneered in their directions as he pushed past the boy who lived.

"Watch it Potter!" He was followed by Blaise and Millicent who carried similar looks of disgust. Ron, Dean and Seamus looked ready to go after and pummel them.

Harry motioned for his friends to let it go. "It was an accident Malfoy, no need to be an arse." He growled to the back of the blonde's retreating back. "Come on guys, let's go." One by one the group followed Harry to disembark the train.

Hermione stopped suddenly and gently slapped a hand to her forehead. "I forgot my book back in the compartment. You guys go on I'll be right along shortly." Ginny touched a hand to her shoulder. "Want me to come with you Hermione?" The older girl smiled at her best friend's sister and shook her head. "That's okay Gin, I'll be fine. Go on." With that she turned around and headed back to the compartment.

She briefly looked back to see her friends exiting the train. Before she could fully turn back around she suddenly felt like she had walked into a wall and fell back onto her bum. Sitting there in a daze she shook the stars from her eyes and began to apologize. "I'm so sorry! I should have been looking where I was going…" She looked up, her ramble dying on her lips. She was staring directly into the emerald eyes of her arch enemy, her own personal version of Draco Malfoy, the one and only Pansy Parkinson. The Slytherin queen stood there it seemed in a daze of her own.

Pansy looked down at the fallen heroine; her eyes wide, cheeks flushed and mouth gaping. Hermione looked down at her position splayed out on the floor of the corridor. Somehow the top two buttons of her school shirt had either popped open or had been accidentally pulled off during her fall revealing her well developed cleavage. It had also pulled up showing off her the clearly defined muscles of her abs as well as the curve and dip of her left hip bone. Her school skirt had ridden up well past her toned and tanned thighs to expose her light pink lacey knickers.

Pansy stood there gawking at her. "Um…I…I mean I'm sorry Granger. I closed my eyes for just a second when I bumped into you." She hesitantly offered her hand down to the fallen girl, trying her best not to stare at the Gryffindors undergarments or the beautiful slopes of her breasts. Hermione looked at the hand suspiciously, then slowly extended her own to allow the other girl to pull her up. When she did the end resulted in the two standing only inches apart from each other. They looked into each others eyes, Hermione was confused at the lack of hatred or revulsion that she usually saw in those green eyes.

"Um…thank you. Why are you being nice to me?" Hermione decided there was no point in beating around the bush. Pansy just shrugged, "War's over, the dark side lost. House feuds seem kinda silly and childish after everything we've all been through, especially the three of you." The corner of Hermione's mouth curled up into a smirk. "True, though the rest of your house doesn't seem to share your point of view."

The two smiled shyly at each other. Hermione found the other girl to be very pretty when she smiled and was surprised to find she sudden found a swarm of butterflies fluttering around in her belly.

Pansy seemed to suddenly remember something. "Oh! You…um…left this in your compartment. I was going to find you to return it, you just made it easier for me to do so." the Slytherin smiled again and blushed. Hermione took the book and placed it in her bag.

"Thank you Parkinson." She smiled back at the girl.

"Pansy"

Hermione's eyes widen and she looked back up at the dark haired student. "Excuse me?"

"Please…call me Pansy. I'm really…" The girl breathed out heavily then continued. "I'm so so sorry for everything I've put you through. I didn't really mean any of it…I just wanted you to know. I was awful and cruel, my only excuse was that it was what was expected of me considering my house."

If Hermione didn't know better she would have thought that Hell had just frozen over.

"I can understand that. I accept your apology Pansy and maybe we can start over. I wouldn't mind being friends if you want to." Hermione held out her hand which Pansy accepted while suppressing the chills that the touch sent through her body. "I'd like that…Hermione."

The two smiled once more at each other. "Well I better go catch up to the others, maybe we would talk some more later yeah?" She turned around with one last look over her shoulder "Bye Pansy."

"Bye" Pansy looked down at her hand once Hermione was no longer in view. Her smile grew wider as she thought to herself, 'This year is going to be so much better than the last seven'