Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any characters, plot, setting, or other things associated with it. That all belongs to J.K. Rowling, and I could never hope to compete with her work.

A/N: Important timeline note! I have shifted some dates around because of a few errors I made initially and while the story is supposed to be set during 8th year after the Battle of Hogwarts, it's currently set in the 2019-2020 academic year, also explaining why there's tech in this story.

Hermione's POV

A little over a week, and I'll be going back to Hogwarts for the last time; my eighth and last year of school. It's strange to be going back to school and carrying on with our lives, after everything we went through last year.

I'll be going back to school by myself since Ron and Harry were able to fast-track the Auror program. I still feel like going back for one more year of school would have done them good, especially since their grades weren't very strong in our sixth year.

I finally stop procrastinating and pull out my letter from Headmistress McGonagall. That's something I will never get used to saying. Glancing at the names of the head students, I can't help but wonder how I could have ended up being partnered with Malfoy. He and I will be at each other's throats all year long, and quite frankly, it's a disaster waiting to happen. Despite my misgivings, however, I wonder why he's coming back to the school.

All of a sudden, I realize just how alone I will be this year. All of the students coming back will be put into a separate class so that the Seventh Years have reasonable class ratios. Even if we weren't separated by grade, the Head Students have a separate dorm, so I'll rarely see Ginny. I'll essentially be isolated with barely anyone to talk to.

Tears prick my eyes and I let them spill over onto my cheeks. I learnt very shortly after the war that letting yourself cry is much more beneficial than holding everything inside. I try to calm down and realize this is the third time I've cried this week; it's only Wednesday. Unsurprisingly, my emotions have been a wreck ever since the war ended, but it certainly hurts my pride.

Wiping the tears from my face, I return to my letter. This year I have Arithmancy, Potions, DADA, Study of Ancient Runes, Charms, Transfiguration, Alchemy, and Ancient Studies. Though I never told Ron or Harry, I've always wanted to work in the Department of Mysteries. They would have laughed at me, but I think that any other job would leave me seriously bored after all of our adventures. The only thing standing in my way is my fear of heights.

I turn the timetable over to see the list of required school supplies. I already own most of the items but I'm out of quills and parchment since I couldn't replenish my supply last year. The books we need are all fairly standard and it shouldn't be too much of a hassle buying them. It'll just require a short trip to Diagon Alley and that can wait until Friday.

For now, I start by packing my clothes and my wizarding money. The rest of my Hogwarts supplies, like my cauldron, are already half-packed from when I left it here last year. I collect a couple of sets of casual clothes for evenings and Hogsmeade trips; two sets of pyjamas, one for winter and one for summer; and about 7 sets of uniforms. I place my leather pouch of galleons and stow it under my pyjamas, then put a special lock charm on the suitcase as an extra measure of caution.

Heading downstairs, I walk towards the kitchen to get started on making lunch. As I pull out ingredients for pasta, the doorbell rings. That's strange; no one's come by since I came back home, not even the neighbours. I run over to the door and open it to reveal Harry, Ron, and Ginny.

"Hey Hermione, mind if we come in?" says Harry with a small smile.

I'm too shocked to answer; I just step out of the way to let them in.

"What are you guys doing here?" I finally ask once we're all settled in the living room.

"Well, it's been two weeks since we last heard from you, so we decided to visit. Then we found out that you hadn't left the house since the beginning of summer!" says Ginny exasperatedly. "We also wanted to see how one of our best friends was doing, especially since you stopped replying to our letters two weeks ago!"

That's right, the letters just started piling up after I received my Hogwarts letter. I'd been reminded of too many memories and flashbacks from the war whenever I saw their letter. After a while, I couldn't bring myself to reply to them anymore.

"Hello? Hermione, are you still here?" asks Ron.

His question captures my attention again, making me realize that I spaced out.

"Oh, sorry Ron, I got lost in thought. So, how are you guys doing? What have you done in the two weeks since I last responded to your letters?" I know Ginny wants to know what I've been doing and why I stopped replying, but she also knows I won't reply until they do.

"Well, I got my Hogwarts letter. By the way, congrats on getting the Head Girl position," says Ginny with a wink. "Ron and Harry both finished Auror training. Bill and Fleur's baby shower was last Friday; the scan says it's going to be a girl! So what have you been up to for the past two weeks? What do you think about the new Head Boy?" Based on their expressions, I know she hasn't told Ron and Harry who this year's Head Boy is.

"Yeah, Hermione, who is this 'elusive' Head Boy Ginny keeps teasing us about? The suspense is killing us. Just tell us who it is and put us out of our misery."

I feel a little apprehensive about telling them. Most likely they're going to blow up and make this a lot more dramatic than it needs to be, though it's probably best to get it over.

"I'll answer your question on one condition: you are not allowed to make a big deal about this or hex anyone. Do you both understand?" Harry raises his eyebrows but agrees, and eventually, so does Ron. Ginny merely waits expectantly, a slightly mischievous twist on her lips.

"To answer your question, the Head Boy is the one and only, Draco 'Ferret' Malfoy. Don't worry, I'll find a way to deal with him. I've spent the past few weeks reading, listening to music, crying at random times, reading my Hogwarts letter, and memorizing my timetable." I try to gauge both Harry and Ron's reactions. Harry looks gobsmacked while Ron looks ready to puke. Unfortunately, I can tell they stopped listening after I said 'Malfoy' and didn't listen to the last part.

"Wow 'Mione," starts Harry after a moment's pause, "I guess we've missed a lot of information these past two weeks. Is Malfoy really coming back for school? It just doesn't seem like him at all."

Well at least he responded pretty well to the news. Not quite what I was expecting, since he and Malfoy were the biggest enemies in the whole school. I'm just waiting for Ron's reaction now.

"Unfortunately, he is. The first thing I did when I found out was to check with McGonagall," I reply.

"I don't know what to say, you and Malfoy have to share a dorm and common room? That'll end well," says Ron sarcastically. I breathe a sigh of relief. Honestly, I was anticipating an outburst from Ron, but I guess he's matured over summer.

"Since that's cleared up," I say, trying to move the conversation to something lighter, "I was wondering if you guys would like to come with me to Diagon Alley on Friday? I need to get supplies for school and I don't want to go on my own."

"Of course, Hermione! I can buy my stuff then since I'm supposed to be doing my shop next week. You shouldn't be afraid to ask us to accompany you, you're one of our best friends and we'd love to spend time with you," says Ginny. One down and two to go.

"Ron and I would be happy to come, especially since we haven't seen you all summer," replies Harry. This is excellent, I won't have to go by myself and I'll have more time to catch up with them!

"Well, since that's settled, how about I fix you guys some lunch? Pasta alright with you guys?"

I've known how to cook since Second Year when I found out about everything that the house elves do. The skill has certainly been helpful over the years.

"That'd be great Hermione! We'd love to stay for a while," replies Ginny.

"Excellent! Feel free to make yourselves at home; there are some games on the shelf over there."

Then I head off to the kitchen to prepare my spaghetti bolognese. It was nice to see my friends; I wish I'd contacted them sooner.

Author's Note: We will see Draco's POV in the story. Feel free to send me feedback as it is always good to hear from readers. Thanks, Kathryn D.

Review Notes: I've noticed that a lot of people have a problem with my decision to make Draco a Head student for many reasons. I'd like to explain why I chose this and why I agree with this idea:

1. Though Draco did in fact attend Hogwarts for his seventh year, many of the students' education was disrupted and corrupted under Voldemort's regime. As such, it would have been a good idea to give the seventh year students an opportunity to finish their education properly without the propaganda infused curriculum. They also would not have been able to take their NEWTs properly as their education was disrupted by the Battle of Hogwarts and they would have had to a) bury the dead students and adults after, as well as b) rebuild and restore the castle and its wards. We know that Hermione returned to Hogwarts to finish her education so it's not too far fetched for others to have done so.

2. Draco did not have as much of a clear choice as we like to think. Many pureblood children were raised in unhealthy environments filled with all sorts of prejudiced ideals. This exposure was essentially brainwashing. We don't know how much love he received from his parents, but he always sought his father's approval. While Draco may have done many awful things, he was avoiding torture and death for him and his family. His father was most likely very cruel, but he was also still his father. Draco and his mother likely had a strong bond but wouldn't have been able to express it most of the time. All of this would have prevented him from disobeying orders for fear of putting his family at risk. In the books we see how this was extremely difficult for him and that he wished it could have been different (specifically when Harry found Malfoy in the second-floor girl's bathroom). The way he was trapped into doing this is akin to blackmail. Malfoy built up many different walls against people and hid behind a mask. He rarely showed his true emotions and likely had to bury himself and his values deep inside as Voldemort was very gifted in Occlumency.

3. This is fanfiction. It doesn't have to be canon-compliant, though I try my best to keep it realistic. Most of my research outside the HP fandom is included in my author notes on a chapter by chapter basis.