LIFETIME MATE

Chapter Twenty


The next morning she dressed carefully for her first day of classes. Anxious to start her day. She pinned back the sides of her hair, letting it cascade in auburn curls down her back, then went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. She noticed that Katrina was already seated, so she sat beside her for a few moments before the other students started to come in.

“Sleep well Kat?”

“Yes, it was weird not having you there though.”

“Well, my door is always open to you honey. I even noticed that there’s a spare bedroom in my quarters for you, when you want to stay with me. I would love to have you stay with me on weekends.”

“We’ll see. I don’t want the other kids thinking I’m a baby.”

“Have you made any friends yet?” Hermione asked.

Katrina smiled. “Yes. I met Sean and Christina on the train. Sean is Chris’s older brother by one year. Christina got sorted into Gryffindor also. They both seem very nice.”

“That’s good. I didn’t think you would have any problems making any friends.” She saw Draco enter the Great Hall. “Well, I need to sit up there, so I’ll talk to you later hon.”

“Okay mu..... I mean professor.” She smiled cheekil

Hermione chuckled to herself then went to sit at the head table, away from Draco. She sat beside Minerva and Harry and started to eat her breakfast. Albus gave her, the class schedules and was pleased to see her classes ended around mid-afternoon. She had two classes in the morning and one in the afternoon. She also noticed her last class today was with Gryffindor first years, Kat’s class.

At loud screeches throughout the rafters, they all looked up to see various species of owls fly down to deliver the mail. An owl dropped off a brown packaged parcel to Draco and another had a grip on a bouquet of flowers to Hermione.

She opened the card. ‘I miss you already, love GH.’ . She looked at the card, then the flowers in confusion.

Harry laughed and leaned over to whisper. “It was Ginny’s idea. GH stands for Ginny and Harry. To see what Draco’s reaction would be, and from what I see, he noticed and looks vexed.” Harry stated as he looked to Draco who glared back.

“You know Harry, Ginny should have been sorted into Slytherin, oh so many years ago.” she joked.

“Yes, probably.” He laughed. “Or it could have something to do with having Fred and George as brothers.” Hermione laughed in response and sipped her coffee, bringing the flowers up to her nose to inhale their fragrance.

Draco watched Hermione receive the flowers and wondered who sent them to her. He glared at Potter who glanced his way, then turned to his own package. He unwrapped the package to see it was a framed picture of himself and Hermione at the New Year’s Ball in their seventh year. The night he proposed to Hermione. He ran his thumb along the sides of the frame and smiled sadly. Then looked for a card or a return address. None. He looked to Hermione who didn’t take notice of his package and was talking to Harry. He carefully wrapped the brpapepaper around it and put it in his robes, then left the table to prepare for his first class of the day.

Katrina had watched her mother and father open their parcels separately. Her mother looked confused at the flowers, but then smiled when Harry leaned over to tell her who they were actually from. Then watched as Draco looked and wondered who they were from. He looked definitely jealous. Aunt Ginny knew what she was doing. She then watched her father open his parcel, and the look of longing and sadness in his eyes as he stroked the picture. She smiled to herself, and knew he still had feelings for her mother. He just had to be reminded of it.


Hermione walked out of the Great Hall heading toward her classroom, with Minerva walking beside her. “Hermione, anytime you need any council on your classes, or yourself, please feel free to come talk to me.” Minerva said smiling.

“Thank you Minerva. Would it be okay to sit in on some of your advanced classes sometime?”

“Of course.” Minerva beamed. “I have one later in the afternoon, you’re welcome to sit in on that one if you like.”

“Okay. I’ll see you then. Wish me luck.” Hermione said as she turned to her own classroom, the students starting to find their seats inside.

She waited until they were all seated. It was first years Ravenclaw and Slytherin first thing. She smiled. “Hello class, my name is Professor Granger. I will be passing out a seating plan to put your names on it, so I can get to know your names. I will only need this for the first few classes, then your free to sit where you’d like.” She waited until the students filled out their names and then looked out to the first years. Now Now who can tell me what transfiguration is?”

A few hands shot up in the air, and she looked to her seating plan. “Okay....Miss Parkinson?”

The girl looked nervously around, but then answered clearly. “It’s the ability to change an object into soing ing else.”

Hermione smiled. “Very good. Five points to Slytherin.” She watched as Miss Parkinson, Ally, smiled back. Hermione wondered if she was any relation to a certain Pansy Parkinson from years past.

“Okay, today I would like you to read the first three chapters to your ‘Beginners Transfigurations’ text.” Hermione requested. She sat behind her desk, thinking back to breakfast, and what Draco received in the post. She didn’t get a good look at it, but she was curious as she saw the look of sadness to his face.

She was brought out of her thoughts when a hand shot up in the air again. “Yes.....” She looked to the chart. “Mr. Hennesy?”

“Professor, is it true that you are an animagus?” The young Ravenclaw asked nervously.

Hermione smiled. “Yes, it’s true. My animagi form is an African Tiger.”

“Is it true that you, as the tiger, rid the wizarding world of you-know-who’s sister?”

She looked around the classroom, the young faces looking intently back at her. “Yes, it’s true. It was something that had to be done.” She said simply.

“Can we see you change?” A Slytherin girl asked.

“Not today. I would like another professor present when I do. How about your next class?” The students nodded eagerly. Hermione was hesitant in turning into her counterpart since the incident last Halloween, last time she did, she had killed someone.

“Who else is an animagus at Hogwart’s?” A Ravenclaw asked.

“Well, there’s Professor McGonagall who can turn ia caa cat. Professor Potter can turn into a grey wolf, and Professor Malfoy who can turn into a white tiger. To my knowledge, that is all here. But I would ask that you do not pester them about this.” she smiled. “Now read your chapters, no homework today, but there will be the next class.”

They all groaned but bent their heads to read their chapters.


Meanwhile in the dungeons, Draco was looking around his class. First year Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. He smiled at the nervous students around him. “Now class, who has read any of the potion text so far?”

About half of the class shot their hands in the air. He grinned pleased. “Okay, who can tell me what the ingredient ‘Gillyweed’ is?”

He looked around the room. About three hands went up into the air. His eyes rested on the blonde Gryffindor. “Miss Granger?”

Katrina smiled nervously, wanting him to be proud of her. “Gillyweed allows a person to grow gills, and webbed fingers and toes so that they could swim and breathe underwater. It can be found in the Mediterranean Sea.”

Draco inwardly beamed with pleasure. “Yes, correct. Ten points to Gryffindor.” Then turned away to ask another student a question.

The rest of the class, he went over the basic ingredients that they would be using in most potions and the proper way to brew them. After the class, he sat back with having a bit of time between classes. Overall he thought the class went well. His thoughts drifted to Miss Granger, or Katrina. He had no doubt that she was his daughter. The age was right and the blonde hair and the blue eyes were a dead give away. He couldn’t wait until his classes were over for the day, so he could talk to Hermione.


At the end of her three classes, Hermione went to Minerva’s class. She took off her robe and sat at the back of the class, some of the students glancing her way. Minerva saw her enter and smiled. “Seventh years. I would like to introduce a former student and head girl, and our new professor for Beginner Transfiguration, Professor Granger. Come up her Professor, sit by the front.” She motioned to a chair sat beside a small table.

Hermione walked up the front, smiling to the older Slytherin and Gryffindor students. Quite a few of the students watched her approach the front, especially the hormonal boys, wang hng her curves in her slim fitting black dress slacks and her grey blouse that had the top two buttons undone. “Thank you Professor.” Hermione smiled as she sat down and crossed her legs, her foot swaying back and forth.

Hermione watched Minerva weave her knowledge amongst her students. She waved her hand over the small table where a parchment and quill appeared for her to take a few perl nol notes for herself. A few students noticed she used no wand and looked to her with respect. A lot of the student body knew of Professor Granger’s conquest of Lizette Riddle and looked to her in awe.

At the end of the class, after the students had left, Hermione approached her old professor. “Sorry if I may have disrupted your class Minerva. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to sit in on your class.”

“Nonsense. These students need people to look up to. I think you are a very good role model Hermione.” Minerva said as they walked into the hallway.

“Thank you Minerva. I’m going to go for a walk before dinner. If Kat comes looking for me, tell her not to worry, okay.”

“Sure Hermione, I’ll see you at dinner.”

Hermione left and continued to walk out the front doors of the castle, and headed towards the lake. She sat down on the grass and leaned her head against the tree as she gazed out at the lake.