A/N: This is the last of the planned chapters. It too was one of the original mental images that prompted this story. There is a scene that didn't work out in the timeline that was an original image, but I had to take it out, I couldn't make it fit. I may add it as an omake, and if I can ever get Robert and Major Thomas' scene in the pub right I will add that too. Otherwise, off to other stories.

Thanks for all the follows and reviews, they have been very helpful and gratifying.

As always, I do not own the rights to anything Potter, and thank Ms. Rowling for allowing us to play with her creations.

Chapter 8
Hermione and Her Girls

Hermione popped into existence before the gates of Hogwarts early on a Sunday afternoon. It was a rare sunny day in October, the air crisp but not too chilly. But it did allow her to keep her hood up and not seem too unusual. The letter in her pocket caused the locked gates to fade into smoke and allow her to pass through unhindered, returning to imposing solidity behind her. She started walking up the road to the school.

Students were out on the lawn, flying over the quidditch pitch, and sitting in the sun in the courtyard. This was the first time she had been back since the battle. It was odd to see things so…. normal. She was overwhelmed with memories, walking along the same paths, sitting on the same benches in the sun reading, standing in the same courtyard…. climbing over piles of rubble from the shattered walls, the sounds and flashes of spellfire everywhere, the smell of smoke and rock dust and blood and worse coating the inside of her nose and mouth. She felt the same despair and panic threaten to overwhelm her….

"Hermione." She started and whirled at the sound of her name. Harry gently held her by the arms, looking into her eyes. "You alright there?"

"Oh. Harry. Yes. It's just…."

"Strange, I know. You can hardly tell anything happened."

"That's it, I think. What my eyes see doesn't match what my brain tells me should be there."

"It'll go away eventually. Though don't be surprised if you get weird dreams tonight. Call me if you do."

"I'm sure I'll be fine."

"I'm sure you will be too. Call me anyway. Promise?"

"Harry—"

"Promise me."

"Alright, alright. I'll call if I'm up."

"Good. Now, off to the meeting." Harry held out his arm for her, and as she took it his wand appeared in his other hand, and he tapped her then himself on top of the head. She felt the familiar sensation of being disillusioned and faded from sight. "They took over a classroom on the third floor in the back. C'mon."

They headed through the entry hall and up the stairs, navigating their way to the third floor, avoiding the few people wandering the halls. A door was open at the end of the third floor hallway, spilling out light and the noise of many quiet voices. "Alright, keep quiet and stick with me."

The classroom was bigger than she thought it would be, and brightly lit from the sun streaming in through all the windows. Around the edges were alternating clusters of desks and chairs, sofas, or large pillows. About fifty students were talking, reading, or helping each other with their homework. Most were in comfortable non-magical styled clothes, very few were wearing robes. Harry worked their way stealthily through the groups of students to the back of the room.

"Got your wand?" he whispered.

"Yes. Why?" she whispered back.

"Okay, house rules. Protego and stupefy only. Ready?"

"What? Wait, no, Harry what—"

A red stunner flashed towards the back of a small girl standing with a few others in the middle of the room. One of her friends saw it coming and pushed her out of the way, getting hit with the spell instead and falling to the floor. Harry maneuvered Hermione to their left as pandemonium broke out. But soon Hermione noted there was far more organization to it than she expected. Shields popped up all over the room, right before stunners started pouring in to where they had just been standing. Tables were tipped over and the students took cover behind them, chairs and whatever else was available.

Harry's initial target promptly took charge. "Abbey, to the rear. Becky right. My group, left. Jenny, numbers. Team up, d&o." She enervated the girl who had pushed her and got her to put up a shield as the other girls paired up, one holding a shield, the other firing around the sides, stunners and anti-disillusionment spells spread out over the entire room.

Hermione felt the wave of a homenum revelio pass through her, and presumably Jenny called out "Two targets, back of the room." Harry kept pulling her to their left until they were up against the wall. She belatedly remembered the movement and command for protego and quietly put one up. Hermione's shield was finally hit and deflected a stunner from Becky's group. "There!" someone shouted and dozens of stunners started bouncing off it.

"Keep your fire spread out, find me the other one! Abbey, join up," commanded the petite leader. Harry rapidly began throwing more stunners around the edge of Hermione's protego, picking off anyone not completely protected, ricocheting some shots off shields to get around or behind others.

"They're both in the corner. Overlap shields." About thirty girls were left, slowly forming a quarter circle around the corner Harry and Hermione were in. Hermione put more power into her shield until it was pressed up against each wall. Harry had to bend down and fire through the small gap between the shield, the wall, and the floor, hitting several more in the feet and ankles before they covered those gaps too. Stunners pounded her shield, and soon they were firing at the edges, looking for a weak spot. Harry eventually stopped firing and leaned back up against Hermione, laughing quietly. Hermione was glad someone found this funny, her heart was pounding and she was lucky she hadn't cast anything more powerful at first out of reflex. She reached out to find his head, giving him a good whack when she did.

"Hey!"

"Prat. You could have warned me."

"Sorry, I thought I did."

"Hey, Harry?"

"What?"

"Duck," she said as she whacked him on the back of the head again.

"Okay, okay, point taken."

"I will admit they are good, though, aren't they?"

"Told you."

"You're still a prat."

Finally the leader put up her hand. The spellfire stopped, but everyone kept behind the shields with wands up. She looked into the corner. "Draw?"

"Stay hidden for a bit," Harry said quietly, and faded into view, a big smile on his face. He slid his wand into his forearm sheath and Hermione silently let down her shield. "Draw."

Pandemonium erupted again, this time with cheering and jumping teenagers. Harry let this go on for a moment then cleared his throat, flicking his wand into his hand again. Silence spread rapidly through the room, a couple shields even popping up. Harry smiled at that, prompting some nervous laughter. "Alright, that's enough. Time for debrief."

His eyes searched the room. "Everyone awake yet?" Multiple enervates were cast at the remaining downed girls. "Sarah. Front and center." The first girl stunned stepped up nervously. "My first shot hit you because you pushed Casey out of the way. Why?"

Sarah fidgeted a moment before quietly saying "She's my friend."

Harry snorted. "I don't care if she's your long lost twin sister. Did you see the shot coming and think, 'that might hit Casey and because she's my friend I'm going to push her out of the way and take one for the team?'"

"No, sir."

"Enough with the 'sir'. So why'd you do it?"

"Instinct I guess. I just did it."

"Excellent. Instinct. Good to know about it, hard to change it." He addressed the room at large. "Isn't it nice to know, ladies, that Sarah's admirably demonstrated first instinct is to put herself in harm's way for her friends? Says a lot about her, doesn't it?" Sarah blushed at the smiles and quiet praise sent her way.

"So." Sarah's eyes snapped back to Harry. "Does that make it a good idea?"

Sarah looked confused. "It was the right thing to do."

Harry smiled. "I happen to agree with you. But that's not what I asked. Abbey, front and center." Abbey worked her way to the front. "So was it a good idea?"

Abbey nodded, "This time, yes."

"Why 'this time'?"

"Casey's the leader. No offense, but if Sarah goes down, we're out one fighter. Casey goes down, we're without a leader and in the time it would take to have someone else take charge we're taking casualties."

"Excellent. If the situation was reversed, I'm sure Casey's instincts would make her do the same thing. What should she do instead?"

"Hide behind Sarah, levitate her body as a shield if needed until she could find better cover."

"Excellent." Harry looked around the room and saw angry or uncomfortable looks on faces. "Who here hates that idea?" Most of the room raised their hand, Harry included. "Excellent. Me too. Who here can rationally disagree with that idea, tactically?" Hands went down. "Excellent. Which is one of the many reasons why fighting really, really sucks. You may have to do things you hate to make sure you can win."

"Becky, front and center." Becky took two steps forward. "Why were you able to get a draw today?"

"Fifty to one, or two, odds?" Most in the room laughed.

"True, but you were down to twenty or so at the end, and you've had those odds before and never come to a draw. What else?"

Becky thought, replaying the fight in her head. "Mobility. Normally you're all over the place and we can't pin you down. This room is smaller than the normal training room and was crowded. And whoever is still behind you there must not be as mobile."

"Excellent. Bonus points for the suppositions on my shielder. Casey, front and center."

The leader of the group stepped forward. She wore her own version of the school uniform, with Doc Martin boots, a black multi-layered gauzy skirt with an uneven hem that flowed and shifted around her legs, a white shirt tied at the waist and with sleeves rolled up, without a house tie. Skull earrings with crossed bones hanging down on a few links of chain were in each earlobe. She had strait black hair in a short pixie cut. To Hermione she looked like she was only a third year and tiny enough that a stiff breeze would carry her off. Then Hermione looked at her eyes and knew her first impression was dead wrong.

"Kudos for today. You took charge quickly, organized your teams, and changed tactics based on developing information. You maintained control of your group, and eventually formed a plan that had me cornered." Applause and cheers broke out around the room. Casey, however, stayed quiet and focused on Harry. He addressed the room at large. "So, two points. First, who can tell me the one and only reason why it worked and Becky's analysis is right, and this wasn't the stupidest thing I have ever seen?" Shocked silence replaced the cheers, and confusion and anger were on faces in equal amounts. "Anyone?"

No one spoke up. Harry glared at Casey, arms crossed across his chest. "As leader, you'd better have the answer."

Casey failed to wilt under his glare and smiled. "House rules."

Harry flung his hands up over his head. "Yes! Excellent! 100 points to the GGs. Now explain to the group before they all hex me."

"House rules. Shields and stunners only. Any other situation, any opponent other than Sir Potter, any other spells and coming out from cover with only protego shields as protection in a concentrated group would be suicidal. We'd all be dead."

"Excellent. House rules make for a very artificial and controlled environment. Out in the real world, totally different set of rules, including several that say somebody dies. Anyone not understand that?" Heads shook around the room.

"Second point. Why was it only twenty to one, or two, odds at the end?"

Casey blanched, then hung her head. "I-"

"Anyone other than Casey?" Harry asked, interrupting.

Abbey and Becky obviously knew, and faces turned red or white around the room as others caught on.

"Well?"

Becky answered for the group. "We forgot the medic detail."

"Obviously, but why?"

No one answered.

"Casey?"

"It was my job, and I forgot," she said quietly.

"Yes, but again, why?"

"I was, I got so caught up in the fight, in winning, that I lost track of everything I was supposed to do."

"Excellent. Some would call it 'battle fever,' or 'tunnel vision,' or just the effects of adrenaline. For a large group encounter like this, you have to step back even further, have two people shield for you, keep your wand in its holster, delegate the fighting, assign people tasks, even have someone stand back with you to help keep track and tell you if you're about to do something stupid. That's the difference between tactics and strategy. Today was an example of excellent tactics, but poor overall strategy."

"My two little points aside, excellent work today. You followed orders and supported each other. Even if you were stunned, you helped. And given the constraints of the exercise, you got a draw. Consider DADA revising done for today. Homework, one page single spaced on what you learned today. Tactics, strategy, instincts, something about yourself, whatever. Send it through the usual channels. I should be back a month from now." Students spread out through the room, righting desks and cleaning up.

Harry walked up to Casey and asked quietly, "When did you understand?"

"The first spell was a stunner. We only use stunners unless you say different. The spells stayed stunner. I figured they'd keep on that way, since I knew you were coming today."

"A guess."

"A well informed guess."

"A gamble."

"A calculated risk," Casey said, stubbornly.

Harry relented. "I bow before your tactical genius," he said, bowing deeply with a theatric sweep of his arm.

"Git. Sir," she added before his frown could develop fully. He grinned instead. "But not strategic."

"Could've been the right strategy. Sometimes you have to accept losses to win."

"But it wasn't a strategy. It was just how it turned out."

"Another fifty points for the GGs. Lesson learned?"

"Lesson learned. Thanks for the draw. It's good for morale."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure no one here could have broken through the shield protecting you, and I'm also pretty sure you could have broken through any of our shields any time you wanted."

"Well, this is a study group, not the Academy. Not everyone wants to be an Auror, you know. And it's hard to learn if you're always unconscious five seconds in."

Casey smiled. "True. So, you gonna introduce your guest or what?"

"Ah yes. My other surprise." He beckoned the still disillusioned Hermione forward. "Ladies, may I have your attention please." Those that hadn't been waiting around Casey and Harry a polite distance away gathered in. "I promised you a special guest and today is the day. May I present to you my good friend... Dame Hermione Granger."

Gasps followed by cheers and applause spread around the room as she appeared before them. Casey's voice rose above the noise. "Ladies, as we planned!" Instantly it was silent. Everyone stood strait then dipped in a deep curtsy, regardless of attire. "Dame Granger," said Casey formally, "we are honoured by your visit." They stood as one and remained quiet.

"Hermione, may I introduce Kirstin Cooper, seventh year Ravenclaw, founder of the Granger Study Group. KC for short." Hermione shifted the spelling in her mind. "And these are the Granger Girls. Best students in Hogwarts."

Hermione blushed from all the attention. She cleared her throat. "Oh my. Well. I don't know what to say. It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Harry has told me a little about your group, and I must say that I am pleased with your work."

She focused on KC and held out her hand. "KC, I'm honoured to meet you. Please, call me Hermione."

KC bobbed another curtsy before taking her hand. "Oh, no, Dame Granger. You earned that, and earned it the hard way. We take great stock in things that are earned." Heads nodded around the room.

Hermione smiled. "Well then, you and your friends battled Harry and I to a standstill. I think in this room at least you have earned the right to call me Hermione."

KC grinned. "Nicely played. It's a deal. So, Hermione, may I introduce you to our group?" She waved some people over. "These are the cofounders, Abbey Taylor, seventh year and Gryffindor leader, and Becky Williams, also seventh year and Hufflepuff leader. They each bobbed a curtsey. "Oi! Where's Riley? And this is Riley Brown, third year and Slytherin leader."

Hermione's eyebrows went up at this. "That's unexpected."

"Ma'am?"

"Well, either you're a firstborn in Slytherin House, or not a firstborn hanging out with the riffraff as it were."

"First born, ma'am. Just one that wants to be the best."

"Well. Quite a change from when I was here. I'd be worried about what your housemates might get up to while you were sleeping."

Riley laughed. "Oh, they tried. A couple times, in the beginning."

"And?"

"They failed miserably and lost points for 'acting like typical Gryffindor buffoons,' and we went on strike from earning points for Slytherin. Becky and the Hufflepuffs have an in with the elves so suddenly there was a shortage of bog rolls, hot water, soap and the like. For some, anyway. And the boys kept getting in trouble for stealing all of certain girls' knickers, I mean how else would they end up in the boy's dorms leaving them nothing to wear?" Her innocent look would have fooled anyone. "And that's before they got out into the halls amongst the rest of the GGs."

By now Hermione was grinning. "How long did it take?"

"Less than a week. Been quiet since, especially since each of us are back to earning more than twice the house average in points. Now we're 'valuable assets.'"

"Amazing how sometimes 'cunning' is just acquiescing to overwhelming evidence, isn't it?"

Riley laughed. "Yes, ma'am. More often than you'd think."

"Hermione?" KC broke in.

"Yes?"

"I hope you don't mind we're using your name for our group. We would've asked, but...,"

"Well, let's see. You study hard, get good grades, have members from all houses, watch out for each other, don't put up with crap from bigots, and have done more to advance first- and second-born status in the last six years than all the rest of magicals in the last two hundred. That about right?"

"Uh, yes, ma'am, I suppose so."

"You have a charter?"

"Yes, ma'am. It's not much, but school rules require one for all organized groups. Hey, Frankie! Bring the charter over. This is Francine Wilson, sixth year Ravenclaw, and she wrote the charter for us so we could become 'official.' She wants to go into law, so was hoping to talk with you later."

"I'd love to talk for a while, Francine." Hermione read through the charter. "Very nice. Concise, thorough, organized, easy to read."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"But you left out something."

"I did? But no one's mentioned anything..."

"You have no provision for honorary members."

KC's eyes went wide while Francine looked confused. "Honorary members? Why do we need honorary members?" She looked at KC, who just tipped her head at Hermione.

"Just the one for now, I think."

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry ma'am, I should have thought of that sooner. Who's got a pen?"

Francine hastily penned in a new paragraph, Hermione looking over her shoulder. "You might want to say 'former student' for now, not 'graduate'. I never did graduate."

"Really, ma'am?"

"Really. Maybe in a couple years I'll have time to work on my NEWTS. Think you guys could tutor me?"

"Of course, ma'am. Is it alright if I make it a unanimous instead of majority vote? Makes things easier for today, harder for anyone else."

"It's your charter."

Francine wrote a couple more sentences, and handed the parchment to KC. KC scanned the new paragraph, then addressed the room. "Alright listen up. We need a brief formal meeting for some official business. Abbey, I assume we have a quorum?"

Abbey pulled out a roll of parchment and tapped it with her wand. "Everyone's here. We knew Sir Potter was coming today."

"Becky, take notes." A dicta quill was already hovering over another large scroll.

"I call this special session to order. One piece of new business. We have a proposed change to our charter." She read the new paragraph to the group. "Any discussion? No? Motion to approve? Thank you. Second? Thank you. All in favor? Any opposing? As it's unanimous, a second reading and vote is not necessary. Motion carries. Well, that was easy. Thank you." She smiled innocently. "Might anyone perhaps have some other new business before we adjourn?"

Francine raised her hand. "I would like to nominate our special guest, Dame Granger, as an honorary member of the Granger Study Group."

"We have a motion before the group. Second? Thank you. Any discussion? Alright then, all in favor? Opposed? As we have a unanimous vote for acceptance, the motion carries." She turned to Hermione. "Dame Granger, the Granger Study Group has voted to offer you an honorary membership. Do you accept?"

"Miss Cooper, I would be honoured." Cheers and applause broke out around the room. "Well then, I suppose if I were to sign your charter as an honorary member, there would be no question of whether I approved of the name or not, would there?"

"No, ma'am, thank you ma'am!"

Hermione signed the bottom of the charter with a flourish amidst more applause. Harry sat unobtrusively on a desk along the wall, watching her chat animatedly with the GGs. She seemed happy, and he was happy for her.

Hermione Granger was back.