Well hello there! Yes, it's me back for more after quite a long break, really!
I sort of gave up on writing Fanfics for a while, but I have adopted a new strategy, and my plot bunnies seem to be rather Dramione centric anyway.

So, little note here:
Please follow the link to my tumblr on my author page thingy if you have any questions for me about not so related stuff/wanted to pick my brain or anything. Also, this story is not going to be a 20 chapter flyby (unless I increase chapter length aha) I really felt like (though I loved every second of TiP) my last fic was a little rushed and there just wasn't enough character development as I had originally intended there to be. I think this was because I pushed myself to update too fast, SO this fic will be updated once a week (with a few exceptions).
I know where I'm going with this, and I hope I will see an improvement aha! :)

Thankyou if you're reading this, you're wondeful.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, places or names, I just wrote more :)

Also, I'm looking for a beta reader for this, so if you'd be interested please message me!

"Blimey Hermione, you're certainly quiet this evening." Ron spluttered over a mouthful of food, which caused Harry to burst out laughing, and Hermione to groan and turn away in disgust.
"Honestly Ronald, how many times have I told you to chew with your mouth shut?!" she growled, which simply caused Harry to laugh even more.

It had been a few months since the war had ended, and the seventh year students who'd missed a year previous had returned to complete their education.
There'd been much debate about what to do with all of the students who had lost almost a year of their education under the Death Eaters brief, but tyrannical rule of Hogwarts. However after much deliberation, it had been decided that Hogwarts would always be there for those who needed or wanted it, and so the school had taken the necessary requirements to accommodate an extra year of pupils.
Hermione had actually found it rather embarrassing that she was learning a curriculum that was also being taught to students a year their junior, but after some getting used to the idea she realised it wouldn't be such a bad idea to enjoy her classes alongside her friends like Luna and Ginny, although she was relieved when it was announced that the 'Year 8's' (as they had been dubbed) would be taking many classes separate to the seventh years, in order to further their education as well as going over their seventh year.
Coming back had been odd, especially when there were obvious holes in the school life,
Professor Dumbledore being a key loss. Not to mention the snide potions Professor who was secretly missed by many, if not all of the students.

"Seriously though 'Mione, what's up?" Ron asked, concern lacing his tone as he looked to his friend curiously.
Hermione sighed and rubbed her eyes, looking down at the delicious welcome feast that for some reason wasn't doing anything to lighten her mood.
"It's nothing Ron, don't worry." She said softly, giving him a reassuring smile as he nodded and then carried on eating.
In all honesty, she was nervous. The school dynamic would be a completely different one this year, she wasn't naïve enough to believe things wouldn't have changed.
She just hoped they'd change for the better.
"Ahem, sorry, oh goodness me." There was a slight kerfuffle at the teachers table, and the hall fell silent as the students looked up to see the new Headmistress fumbling out of her seat as she made her way back to the podium.
Professor Trelawney shot a murderous glance at the young woman as she stumbled over her robes.
"Sorry Professor, just trying to get to the, yes sorry." Ron groaned whilst Harry stifled a snicker as Angelina positioned herself in front of the podium.
"Right then." She began, smiling brightly at the bemused hall of students. "Sorry about this, I actually forgot to give a notice." She chuckled nervously and Hermione could have sworn she heard McGonagall mutter something along the lines of "Oh how unprofessional."
"Ok that was a lie, I actually forgot to give several notices," Angelina smiled apologetically before clearing her throat and continuing.
"Right so, we have several new members of staff joining us this year, including myself but I already said hello in the bit after the sorting, so anyway, please give a warm Hogwarts welcome to Oliver Wood, who will be our new Quidditch coach!" She exclaimed gesturing towards the red faced young man; she paused expecting a round of applause that never came. Eventually she lowered her arms and nodded awkwardly.
"Great bloke. Ok, so next announcement, I would like all eighth year students to stay behind after the feast, thank you very much please enjoy desert." She smiled once more, before attempting to get back to her seat amongst the smatterings of applause without tripping over Professor Trelawney's robe tails.
The chatter resumed, and Hermione turned back around to her untouched dinner.
"Good gracious I knew they shouldn't have made Johnson the acting head, she practically walloped Trelawney! Did you see when she was waving around at Wood?" Ginny threw back her head and laughed, whilst Hermione felt a pang of sympathy towards the fumbling young woman they'd brought in as acting head.
"I still can't believe McGonagall wouldn't do it." Ron mused around a mouthful of mashed potato.
"You know she'd never give up teaching." Hermione pointed out, and Harry shrugged.
"I guess, but still why Angelina? Let's face it there were probably many more suitable candidates."
Hermione shot Harry a dark look.
"Don't be so cruel! Don't you remember she got the best NEWT's we'd had at the school for over ten years? She's more than qualified Harry." She snapped, which led him to raise his hands in submission.
"Alright! Fair enough, I just wish she wouldn't interrupt dinner." Hermione snickered and rolled her eyes.
"Now you're sounding like Ron."

"Can you believe they picked Johnson for head? Good lord the way she fumbled about on stage had me almost feeling sorry for her." Draco remarked snidely, which was met by a chorus of agreement from his fellow Slytherins.
Blaise rolled his eyes, "Give her a chance Malfoy, you've learnt many a time not to judge people by their house."
Draco shot Blaise a surprised and slightly betrayed glance.
"Give me credit Zabini, I wasn't referring to the fact that she happened to be a Gryffindor, I'm simply stating that she pottered about like a headless owl up there!"
Blaise chuckled and conceded to Draco's comment with a slight inclination of the head, before slicing his pork into thin, equal slithers.
Draco often despaired at his best friend's impeccable table manners, he was practically effeminate.
"What do you think she wants us for after dinner anyway?" He asked, glancing towards Theo Nott for inspiration.
The other boy shrugged.
"No idea. Has anyone seen Pansy by the way?" He said quickly, glancing about to check no one was listening.
Draco shook his head and took another bite of his potato hastily, desert would be served soon.
Blaise looked up from his plate and sighed, glaring at Theo Nott.
"Nott you insufferable gossip, as if she hasn't been through enough as it is." He snapped, and Nott blushed awkwardly.
"Sorry." He mumbled, looking back down at his plate, abashed.
Blaise waved a hand dismissively.
"No, no you may as well tell him now, he won't let up until he knows." Draco rolled his eyes but didn't deny the accusation; instead he leant in towards Theo and raised an eyebrow.
"Well?"
Theo grinned and spilled the beans.
"Turns out she was actually neutral, y'know along with a couple of us." A few Slytherins, including Zabini, around them nodded in understanding. Many of the young ones forced to partake in the war had actually decided to stay on the fence, a few even fighting against their parents and other Death Eaters in the end.
Draco felt a pang of guilt. Of all of them he'd probably been the most far gone. Until the last minute he'd actually been completely on the side of the Dark Lord. At least Blaise could say he'd never supported the Death Eaters.
"And her parents found out." A couple of the people around them drew in breath sharply.
"What happened?" Draco asked apprehensively. His mother had known at the start of the battle that she would most likely lose her son to the other side by the end, he'd always been unsure of his position with the Death Eaters.
But he was sure that if his father had known of his uncertainty he would have sold him out to Voldemort.
"They grassed." Theo said simply, and several students winced. "You should see her face, she got off lightly if you ask me, but I don't think that's any consolation."
Draco shook his head in astonishment, he had been wondering where their usual female companion was.
"Well now you all know." Blaise drawled boredly as he pushed his plate forward and his food disappeared.
"Maybe we can leave the poor girl alone? It's no wonder she wouldn't come down to dinner when she knew all you lot would be gossiping."
Draco flushed slightly, but said nothing. As usual, Blaise was right.
Out of habit, he glanced over surreptitiously to the usual spot on the Gryffindor table, a smile begging to pull on his lips as he watched her slap the Weasel on the arm, and then proceed to flick Potter's forehead.
Her long chocolate tresses were in their usual un-tamed state, a state which the Slytherin happened to find sickeningly endearing.
"What on earth are you grinning at?" Blaise teased, shoving Draco jokingly as he tried to follow the blonde's line of vision. Immediately the Malfoy heir snapped out of his mindless trance, cursing himself for being so blindingly obvious.
He usually managed to keep it under control, the strange obsession he cultivated with the bushy haired girl, but for some reason that evening his attention was slipping slightly, and he wasn't as guarded as usual.
"Nothing." Draco replied hastily, quickly averting his gaze back down to his plate as dinner was cleared from it. Blaise looked at him suspiciously for a moment before shrugging and turning back to his conversation with Nott, leaving Malfoy to his thoughts, and profiteroles.
He was really quite partial to profiteroles.

As the prefects guided the younger students out of the great hall at a painfully slow pace, the remaining 8th years descended into chatter as they waited for the long drawn out announcement Professor Johnson was to make.
Eventually, the great oaken doors swung closed, and Angelina Johnson took her place back at the podium, this time without much hassle.
She cleared her throat and eventually the students fell silent.
"Well, I'm sure you're all wondering what exactly is going on." She began, smiling slightly in anticipation of what she was about to announce.
"Well, it is with a great deal of excitement that I announce the first annual Hogwarts Relationship and Team Management Building Exercise." She grinned.
The students looked up at her in bewilderment, and Hermione groaned in embarrassment for the poor woman as tumbleweed virtually bounced across the teacher's bench.
McGonagall sighed in exasperation, placing her head in her hands as Hagrid offered a hand.
"Or, as we originally brainstormed, The Great Switch-Aroo."
You could practically hear McGonagall's disapproval echo around the great hall.
Angelina smiled at Hagrid thankfully, and turned back to the students.
"Yes, I had originally thought that was catch-ier." It took a minute for the poor Headmistress to realise that the reason her new idea wasn't met with torrents of applause, was probably due to the fact that she hadn't actually explained what it was.
"Oh, right." She grinned, before continuing. "As we all know, the events of the past year were horrendous for all to say the very least. And it is in my best interests as acting Headmistress, and in the Wizarding World's interests overall, to prevent it from ever happening again. One small step towards absolute peace is this new plan, a brilliant adventure for Hogwarts students to partake in. As Hagrid dubbed it, 'The Great Switch-Aroo.'
To put it simply, twenty four students, or six from each house will be selected to spend their entire 8th year in a different house. This will help us put aside cultural and ethical beliefs that have separated us in the past,"
There was an awkward silence as everyone stared at the Slytherin's and Professor Johnson pretended she didn't notice.
"It will help us become more of a united front, as obviously the people of that house would be expected to help their new housemates to settle in, and to welcome them warmly.
You would be expected to eat with your house, take lessons with your new house, and you will of course be given robes to further integrate you as part of that house.
Not only this, but a series of exciting challenges and tasks throughout the year will determine the winner of the challenge, and the winning house will be awarded five hundred house points.
The students shall be selected at random; three boys and three girls from each house, and you will then be placed into your new house at random also. Any questions?"
Hermione looked up at their headmistress in absolute shock.
She certainly had questions, but most of them revolved around the "are you blooming serious?!" genre.
When no one raised their hand, Professor Johnson beamed in delight and waved her hand delicately.
"You are dismissed, the candidates will be selected at random and announced tomorrow evening, after dinner."
Ron turned to his two friends, a look of clear astonishment on his face.
"She's bloody having us on!" He declared as Harry groaned and Hermione felt the familiar pang of sympathy.
"Well I think it could be a brilliant idea! It's obvious she's worked very hard on it and I see no reason why we shouldn't" The dark haired boy sighed and interrupted;
"Hermione, we all know you feel sorry for her, you don't have to defend her every blooming chance you get." Harry teased, wrapping his arm around her waist as he squeezed her into a hug.
Ron's hands clenched into fists as he quickly stepped towards Hermione as well.
"Well anyway," The Weasley said loudly, quickly placing himself on the girl's other side and shooting Harry a dangerous look. "Me and Seamus got talking while Angelina was battering on, instead of the New Year party we'd normally have tonight, we're going to have a going away party tomorrow before six poor souls have to leave us for the year, what do you think 'Mione, you up for it?" He grinned, placing an arm round her shoulder and almost shoving Harry out of the way.
Hermione grimaced as she glanced up at the two boys who were basically crushing her.
With a quick skip she dodged out from both their embraces and marched a few feet ahead, turning back to smile at Ron in reply.
"Well I should think so Ronald, though I do hope I won't be one of the ones going, it would be purely dreadful to not spend our last year together, don't you think?"
Both boys grinned and nodded, hurrying to catch her up.
"I doubt any of us will be chosen Hermione, the odds are pretty good I guess." Harry grinned encouragingly and Hermione nodded.
"I hope you're right."

"Salazar save us, I bloody hope I won't be moved to Hufflepuff." Blaise groaned as he and Draco trudged into the dungeons and the extended bedrooms that would be the year eight boys.
Draco made a face. In all honesty he hadn't even considered being picked, he'd just assumed the chances were so low he'd be able to go about his last year relatively undisturbed, maybe enjoy a few parties the Slytherin house was famous for throwing.
"I just hope we don't get anyone truly pitiful having to share our room. Apparently you, Nott and I are still in the same room that leaves space for one. We can only hope we get a Ravenclaw or something." He grumbled, and Blaise nodded in agreement.
They made their way through the strangely quiet common room; most houses seemed to have had a similar idea of saving their usual new school year parties for the next day, when six students would be forced out of their comfort zones.
They walked past the doors to the 7th year rooms they would have occupied last year had they spent much time in school, and instead made their way to the newly added temporary 8th years dorms.
They swung open the door to find Theo already unpacked and waiting for them, practically bouncing up and down on his bed as he waited.
"Dracoooo!" He cheered, jumping up and wrapping his friend in what the Malfoy heir could only describe as a ferocious hug. "I didn't get to say hi properly at dinner, and I didn't see you at the station, got the feeling you were avoiding me?!" He asked, shooting Blaise a hurt puppy look as the Italian rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, wonder why…" He muttered, before uttering an "oomph!" as Theo Nott threw himself at his other friend, hugging him fiercely as well.
Draco shot Blaise a smirk as the olive skinned boy struggled to extract himself from Nott's grasp.
"Well then Nott, now that we're done with… that." Draco began awkwardly, falling back onto his familiar four poster bed with a sigh of delight. "What do you know about the switched student we'll be forced to share with?" Nott shrugged and his bright blue eyes became clouded with confusion.
"We'll have to share? How on earth did you figure that out Draco?" Malfoy shot the other boy an incredulous look.
"Theo there's an empty bed, we just had an entire meeting about students coming to other houses and none of the other boys are in a room of three."
Nott grinned and nodded whilst Blaise chuckled at the entire situation.
"Oh, wow that makes sense I guess. You're really smart Draco!" Malfoy simply sighed and thumped his head back on the pillow, trying to ignore Zabini's chuckles at their 'adorable' (as he was dubbed by the Slytherin girls, the boys preferred to call him a dolt) roommate.
It was going to be a long year.

Well, please tell me what you think, ask me any questions and post any thoughts through reviews - it would be incredibly helpful :)

Thankyou ever so much for reading, I shall see you next Saturday!