Sometimes It's Good to be Bad

Chapter 17 "Normal" Life

It was another four days until Hermione was released from St. Mungo's. Her aunt had arrived and once she got over her culture shock she informed Hermione that it was just too dangerous for her to be allowed to her own devices. Hermione scoffed at this, but her aunt held firm. So the second the release papers were signed, she apparated to Grimmauld Place, leaving everyone else to deal with her aunt.

Ginny had been sent to the psychiatric ward. She had obviously been under the Crucio, but the Healers had come to the conclusion that while it played a part in her breakdown, her problem was not physical in the slightest. The girl had just snapped after everything she had gone through, not just in the time she was missing, but everything that had happened at school as well.

"Hermione Jane Granger!"

"Shit," she mumbled under her breath as she went downstairs to where Mrs. Weasley was waiting for her.

"Hermione, your aunt is in a right state. She insists that you go back home with her right away."

"I'm sorry, but that won't be happening. I love my aunt, and in the muggle world, I may still be considered a minor, but in the wizarding world, I am legally an adult. She may not like it, but the wizarding world is where I live. Not to mention that if I went there it would only be putting not only myself, but also the rest of my family in even more danger."

"That's fine. I was just told to relay the message. I happen to agree with you and have no intention forcing you to go anywhere or do anything you don't want to." This sentiment surprised Hermione, who was expecting to have to lock herself into her room and pitch a tantrum like a five year old.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," she replied with genuine sincerity.

"I just hope you can go and tell all this to her, so she can go home. Though, I do think she just may do so on her own." At Hermone's questioning glance, Molly elaborated. "I left her with Arthur." There was a slight smile on the woman's face, and it caused Hermione to laugh.

Three hours later her aunt understood that no matter what she said, Hermione wouldn't be listening to her. She knew when she was beat and left, though not before informing her charge that should anything now happen to the girl it was on her own hands, which was readily accepted.

After going back to Grimmauld Place again, though this time with Harry and Ron in tow, Hermione spent the rest of the night resting in front of the fire. Getting over being tortured so badly was a bitch. The scars were already white lines in her skin, barely raised. She liked to run her fingers over them when she was alone, liking the way they felt, as well as the way they looked. She missed her Mark, though. Before it had been vanished she had been contemplating getting the nipple pierced to complete the look.

The next morning, Hermione had a long talk with her two friends. She had decided that they were all going to back to Hogwarts on September first. Harry especially had tried to argue against her, but she knew that it was probably the best place to be if they wanted to figure out the missing horcruxes. After all, there was the theory that Hufflpuff's cup may be located there, but more importantly, it was where the portrait of Dumbledore resided. Well, at least the only one they knew about. While she was sure that he had more than one portrait, she was just as sure that the one at the school was the most likely to retain any of his knowledge that had been recently acquired before his demise.

Later on that day, she went to Diagon Alley, accompanied by Tonks. She really had wanted to go alone, but if they weren't going to leave her unaccompanied before the wedding they definately weren't giong to start now. While Harry and Ron had wanted to go, she refused that option point blank since she was going shopping for Harry's birthday gift.

As it turned out, the woman was a good shopping partner and the two had a nice time. She ended up buying him a Lockhart book (It was to be a gag gift. She was going to present him with this and let him think it was really his gift before giving him the real one.) as well as a couple of books that she thought may be useful. While they were at Flourish and Blotts, she bought herself a couple of books on how to sense magical traces like those that had led Dumbledore to find how to get into the cave. She knew Harry wouldn't be overjoyed to recieve a bunch of books, so she also got him a few items from the twins' shop.

When they got home, she curled up in front of the fire, reading one of her new books. When she locked herself in her room that night she tried to practice some of it, but as the whole house was filled with such large amounts of magic, she was having trouble pulling out any particular trace.

The next day their Hogwarts letters arrived. As expected Hermione had recieved Head Girl, and once again Harry was to be quidditch captain. Ron was let down that he was not made Head Boy but Hermione really didn't understand how he could even think he would get it the way his grades and attitude were, despite that he had been prefect. She just wondered who the Head Boy WOULD end up being. She had always thought it would go to Malfoy, but since there was no way he could come back to school that wouldn't be the case.

Comparing their letters, they found it interesting that there was no book on the list for DADA. That either meant that as unlikely as it was, they hadn't found anyone for the post, or they weren't going to be using books at all this year.

She spent the day talking to all the members of the Order who came through the house, questioning them on what had happened at the wedding and what had been going on since. None had any apprehension in telling her the details. Aside from the fact that she was Hermione, she had also been recenty kidnapped, tortured, and had her memory wiped. They felt it was the least they could do.

At the now usual time of midnight, Hermione felt the pain of the Mark on her left breast, despite its invisibility. This time, she made sure to put on pajamas on before her robes and apparated away. Sure, it was just a skimpy piece of lingerie, but it was better than nothing.