Hey Lady

A/N: I'm very new at this, so my characterization could use a bit of work. I apologize for any grammar mistakes ahead of time! Well, now that that's said, I hope you enjoy! :) Rate and comment please (again, not sure how often I'll be able to update)


Chapter 1:

She checks her pulse, gotta know if her heart's still beating


“Brown, Lavender.” McGonagall’s voice rang out in the Great Hall. Hermione blinked her eyes. Had she missed the entire speech? The brown-eyed witch looked around her at her fellow graduates, both witches and wizards her age and a year or two younger than herself.

The war was over and Hermione Granger had gone back to school among a few of her fellow peers, but she could not help the frequent blackouts. Part of her wished her least favored teacher were still alive so she could ask for help.

The students were almost all at attention to what was going on, save for Millicent Bulstrode who simply blew on her gum and picked her nose. The war was not kind to her, Hermione grimaced. She had several craters in her skin from what the bushy-haired witch guessed to be stress acne. Hermione looked forward and saw Seamus winking back at her.

“You all right?” He mouthed to her. The witch nodded back with a smile. She continued to scan the crowd for other familiar faces. Ginny was somewhere in the back, but Hermione could only see the top of her red-head. Hermione sighed and bowed her head.

Names continued to be called as she wondered how she had gotten to wear she was to this day. “Blood, sweat and tears.” A voice inside her chimed with sarcasm. It was true though. She had nearly died trying to make it to her graduation day, and goodness knows that she worked hard and even cried when things looked as though they were never going to end.

But through everything Hermione pulled through and she was standing in the middle of the Great Hall, waiting for her certificate of achievement from the only school that she would ever come to love as much as she did. Hogwarts was, and would always be her home. It was the one place that she didn’t have to worry about looking like a freak or not. She didn’t have to fret about whether or not someone would see her doing something out of the ordinary.

Oh, but how she missed so many who died during the war. No matter how much she, herself, or others convinced her, things would never be the same. What would she do when she needed a bat-like potions master to help her with a difficult potion? Who was going to give her advice about life that at first doesn’t make sense, but in the end gets pieced together and makes perfect sense all along?

“Granger, Hermione.” Hermione was shaken from thought by the surprisingly booming voice of Headmistress McGonagall. Hermione walked to the end of her row and down the aisle of her fellow graduates, making her way to the front. She took a deep breath before walking onto the stage. Hermione closed her eyes, exhaled, and proceeded onto the platform.

“Congratulations, Miss Granger.” The older witch said, her eyes gleaming with tears, as she held out her hand to be shaken. Hermione stared at her mentor’s hand and pushed forward, embracing the proud professor.

“Thank you so much, Professor.” Hermione said, her own eyes shining. She smiled. “This school has given me so much. I’ll miss it terribly.”

The headmistress patted the younger witch on the shoulders and looked around, remembering her place. “There, there, Miss Granger. Take your certificate. Other students deserve to graduate too.” Hermione laughed and took the document from McGonagall’s hand. She bowed her head and continued forward before making her way back to her seat.

Looking down at the piece of parchment in her hands, Hermione sighed. This was what determined her future. This is what determined everything!

“Hermione!” She looked up from her certificate to find that the ceremony was over and a bouncing Ginny was making her way forward. The witch smiled at her friend and hugged her tightly. When they let go, Ginny spoke excitedly, “Who would’ve guessed that we would be here together. I mean, I knew you would come to my graduation if you weren’t tied up, but that was before the war started and all that. Then, I wasn’t even sure I was going to go back to school, but then the war ended and here we are!”

Ginny spoke so fast, it was hard for Hermione to keep up, which was saying a lot, since Hermione had her own record of speedy-talking.

“What’s up, Ginny?” Hermione asked, with a bit of a smile, knowing her friend was hiding something. “I know graduation is a big deal, but come on, I’m the only one who should be this excited about it.”

“Can’t a girl just be glad she’s moving on and out of this bloody place?” Hermione’s eyes grew wide and hurt. “Hermione, I didn’t mean that this place was horrible. It’s just… we’ve been going to the same place for seven bloody years, it’s about time we’ve grown up.”

“Hermione grew up a long time ago.” Hermione spun around to see a familiar face.

“Harry!” The witch threw her arms around her best friend and grinned. “I’m so glad you could make it.” Hermione let go of her friend and watched as he moved to Ginny, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Ginny was bubbling over with joy, and Harry smiled sheepishly, looking down.

“Do you want to tell her, Harry?” Ginny asked the man who Hermione remembered as a boy not very long ago. He whispered something in Ginny’s ear, making her giggle. “All right, I’ll tell her.”

“Tell me what?” Hermione asked, confused.

“Harry’s asked me to marry him.” Hermione’s confused smile weakened a bit. Her best friends were getting married. She knew that Ginny was still in love with Harry, but that didn’t stop her from seeing other wizards, while Harry was being trained for a spot as an Auror in the Ministry.

“How is she?” Harry asked sipping on a mug of butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks. Hermione looked up at her friend and gave him a weak smile. “Dean, again, is it?”

This was one of the rare visits from Harry that Hermione got during school. He was off training, because he refused to go back to school. And he had a right to. It was hard enough for Hermione to deal with being in a place that held such sadness and death. It helped that Harry had a waiver from the Ministry. Hermione sighed.

“No, actually, from what I’ve heard, it’s a different boy each month. But, Harry, I know she’s still-” Hermione tried to tell him how Ginny felt about him.

“Don’t, Hermione.” Harry warned her. He looked down at his mug dejectedly. “I’m glad she’s happy.” He stated in a voice that said the opposite.

“Hermione, did you hear me?” Ginny’s voice called Hermione out of her daze. “I said, I told him yes.” The witch stared at her ginger-haired friend blankly. “We’re engaged.”

It took a moment for Hermione to take in what her friends were telling her. They were getting married. But was it the right thing to do? Hermione wasn’t sure Ginny was ready to be in a mature relationship as it was, despite being in love with Harry.

Hermione decided to bite her tongue and force a smile. “Congratulations, you two. Send me the invitation?” Ginny laughed, while Harry frowned.

“Of course, Hermione. You’re going to be my maid of honor!” Ginny hugged the stunned witch and bounced off, no doubt to tell others of the great news.

“Hermione…” Harry’s voice called out to her, but it seemed so far away. Hermione fell in her seat once more before Harry’s face came into view. “Come on, Hermione. Let’s take a walk.” She felt rather heavy. She wasn’t sure she wanted to get up again.

Harry grabbed a hold of her hands and lifted her off her seat. “All, right.” She said, defeated.

The two friends walked along the shore of the lake in silence. Hermione was lost in thought and didn’t even notice Harry staring at her curiously.

“Ok, really, Hermione, what’s with you?” Harry spoke, finally breaking the silence. Hermione looked up at her friend who had stopped walking and stood in front of her.

“I’m not entirely certain.” The witch replied, honestly. When Harry’s eyes penetrated hers for something more, she sighed. “I’m just having trouble focusing on anything. I’m surprised I made it this far.”

“Made it this far?” Harry shook his head, confused. “Are you sick, Hermione?” The witch snorted indifferently.

“I wish it were that simple.” Hermione looked across the water’s surface, barely flinching when she saw the Giant Squid shoot it’s tentacles out of the water. “I’m just a bit lost.”

They were silent once more. Harry wasn’t sure how to reply to that. He didn’t know how he could help his friend. If she couldn’t help herself, then who could? She was the brightest witch in the world, after all.

“What are you going to do, Hermione?” Harry asked her, shuffling his feet awkwardly. Hermione smirked at the water.

“Work. I’ve sent in an application to St. Mungo’s as a Healer. I want to become a Medi-Witch, Harry.” She turned to her friend, her eyes sad. “I want to help people in pain.

“We had to see terrible things that we will never get over-” Hermione’s voice wavered and her eyes grew damp. “I can’t help it. I need to help people, Harry. People like us.” Her brown eyes streamed with tears as she looked desperately into Harry’s emeralds.

“You can do it, Hermione.” Harry said, hugging the witch. “You’re the brightest witch of our age, and if that’s what you want to do, then do it. Goodness know, St. Mungo’s can use a bit of your attitude.”

A week later, Hermione was reading the same line out of Hogwarts, A History over and over again in her parents sitting room when an owl flew through their fireplace. The screech terrified Mrs. Granger into dropping the dishes she was washing.

“Oh!” The older woman exclaimed, clutching at her chest. “You and those damned birds.” Mrs. Granger sighed, looking over at her daughter. She didn’t even blink when the owl hooted next to her ear, sticking its leg out for her to remove the letter.

“Hermione!” Mrs. Granger said, her voice raised higher than normal. The witch snapped her head in her mother’s direction.

“Yes, Mum?”

“You’ve a letter.” Hermione looked around and saw the owl to her left. She set her book in her lap and untied the letter from the owl. As soon as she held the letter in her hands, the owl took off through the fireplace once more.

“Oh, my!” Hermione gasped. The letter had a St. Mungo’s seal on it. This was what she had been waiting for, for so long. It was either yay or nay.

“What is it, darling? Is something wrong?” Mrs. Granger’s voice sounded panicked. Hermione stared at the envelope anxiously.

“It’s fine… It’s a reply from St. Mungo’s, the place that I applied at.” Mrs. Granger opened her mouth and closed it, a smile forming on her lips. “Mum, you look like a lunatic, please stop smiling.” Hermione’s brow was beaded with sweat.

With one deep breath, Hermione closed her eyes and turned the envelope, not opening her eyes again until the letter was in her hand. She peered with one eye squinting open.

All she read was: “Dear, Miss Hermione Granger, we are pleased to inform you-” before she jumped on the couch with joy, screaming.

“I’m in! I was so scared, Mum! I’m going to be a Healer!” Mrs. Granger burst with joy and climbed on the couch with her daughter, jumping and shouting. Her mother knew how much working in the wizarding medical field meant to her and although it wasn’t the same as dentistry, Mrs. Granger was just proud of the fact that her daughter wanted to help people.

“What’s all the noise about?” Mr. Granger walked in, holding his glasses in one hand and a book on Dentistry Throughout History in the other.

“I got the job, Daddy!” Hermione screeched with joy. Mr. Granger opened his mouth and walked forward holding out his arms. Hermione jumped into her father’s arms and squeezed him tight.

“I’m very proud of you, my dear.” Hermione looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “Now, help your mother put the cushions back.” He turned away and walked back into his study, calling out, “And no using magic.”

Hermione groaned slightly, pocketing her wand. Her father refused to let her do magic in the household unless it was an emergency, fearing that she would become lazy once she was the head of her own household. That didn’t put too much of a damper on her spirits though. She smiled, excited for what her future held.