A/N: I'm back! This story is the sequel to "How the Other Half Lives", which is complete & can be found on my profile.

"Hermione, if you don't stop that, you're going to wear a hole in the floor – and considering how much these floors have been through, that's saying something." Neville Longbottom had been watching Hermione Granger pace back and forth like a caged animal for probably close to half an hour now, and while it was dreadfully amusing, he'd decided he couldn't, in good conscience, let the poor girl continue for much longer without saying something.

"But I'm nervous!" Hermione whined, turning to face her former housemate, a look of pure terror on her face. "What made me think I could do this, Neville?" She paced a couple more times, then added, "And how are you so bloody calm?" If she was in such a state, surely everyone else should feel the same…shouldn't they? Neville chuckled.

"There's nothing wrong with a bit of nerves," he said good-naturedly. "I was a mess my first day back…but everything falls into place pretty quickly, you'll see." The rational part of Hermione's brain – a fairly large part, mind you – knew Neville's words to be true, but the rest of her wouldn't calm down. She, Hermione Jean Granger, was going to teach at Hogwarts.

Upon her graduation from Hogwarts and Muggle university, Hermione had spent most of her time developing a much-needed change to Hogwarts' curriculum, revamping the outdated – and frankly useless – Muggle Studies class and replacing it with a cross-cultural course. From first year, students would study the ins and outs of both Muggle and Wizarding society, with the ultimate goal of comfortable immersion in either world upon reaching adulthood. The project had stemmed from Hermione's own experiences – aside from Professor McGonagall's introduction to the Wizarding world when she'd delivered Hermione's Hogwarts letter, Hermione had largely been left to figure things out on her own, and in many instances, her ignorance had been blatantly obvious to her peers. In some respects, those who had taunted her and told her she didn't belong were right – she could practice magic with the best of them, but she didn't understand the finer details of Wizarding life, details that her counterparts from magical households had known since birth.

On the flip side, Hermione's pureblooded classmates had been just as ignorant of the Muggle world and how it worked. Hermione thought fondly of Mr. Weasley, who worked with Muggle artifacts for a living and yet still got excited like a child at Christmas over something as simple as a battery, or her best friend Ron, who'd attempted a phone call to Harry over the summer holidays one year with disastrous results. Still others, like Draco Malfoy and his gang, had grown up being taught that Muggle-borns, never mind actual Muggles, were second-rate creatures no better than dirt, and would therefore have never even considered such interactions. Hopefully, Hermione's new class would help erase some of the prejudices as well as teaching everyone something new.

Ah, Draco Malfoy – now that was an interesting story. The blond Slytherin, once the poster child for pureblood supremacy, had actually come to Hermione of his own volition and volunteered to be the test subject for her project. If he, of all people, could successfully pass her lessons, he reasoned, then anyone could. Recent problems with pureblooded couples attempting to have children had hit a little too close to home when his close friends' daughter had died in infancy – it was just the icing on the cake after all that the war had taught him, but the proud young Malfoy had finally come to learn that his parents' teachings were utter rubbish and wanted to do something about it. They'd spent several months immersing Draco in the basics of Muggle life, everything from currency and fashion to holidays and football. He'd even briefly dated one of Hermione's university friends. What neither Draco nor Hermione had expected, however, was the ultimate turn of events – over the course of the project, the two had developed deeper feelings for one another, and though there were a few misunderstandings at first, they'd finally gotten together shortly after the Hogwarts Board of Governors had approved Hermione's proposal. Over a year later, they were still going strong.

If Hermione had thought her emotions all over the place when first sorting everything out with Draco, it was nothing compared to how she felt when Professor McGonagall offered her a teaching job.

"Me?" Hermione almost squeaked, staring at the headmistress in disbelief. "You want me to teach the class?"

"Absolutely, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall replied. "You have the vision, the personal investment, and the experience to make this class a success. I will, of course, interview for the position if you decline, but if you choose to apply, who better than you to teach the course you yourself designed?"

Hermione had stood speechless for several long moments before stammering a reply.

"Of…of course I'd love to," she said. "I'd just never really thought about it before."

"I had always intended to have you teach it," the older woman replied. "A class like this needs an instructor who intimately understands the subject matter, and you qualify better than anyone."

"And what of the Wizarding side of the curriculum?" Hermione asked with a slight frown. "I grew up in a Muggle household – while I learned plenty once I came to Hogwarts, there is plenty more I couldn't adequately explain."

"Which is why I'd like to make this a co-taught course," Professor McGonagall continued. "Ideally, I feel that a course such as this one needs two instructors, one each from a Muggle and Wizarding background, to give the students as complete a perspective as possible."

"That sounds perfect," Hermione agreed, wondering how she'd been so lucky as to have everything fall into place so beautifully. She was overcome with emotion for a moment before she looked up at her former Head of House, her eyes shining.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "Thank you for everything you've done to make this happen. It almost doesn't feel real." And indeed, the headmistress had been a huge help throughout, ensuring that Hermione was as prepared as she could be and gave the best presentation possible to the board.

"It most certainly is real, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall reassured her. She then gave Hermione a rare smile. "And if I may be permitted to say so, I'm most pleased to welcome one of Hogwarts' brightest to her staff."

Hermione blushed bright pink.

And that was how Hermione had come to be pacing the Hogwarts staffroom, her classmate-turned-colleague chuckling at her antics from an armchair near the fire. Neville wasn't a full-fledged professor yet – he was an apprentice for Professor Sprout, who wasn't quite ready to announce her retirement just yet – but he'd been on staff for a few years already, and so wasn't nearly as jumpy as Hermione at the thought of the approaching school year.

"Hermione?" Hermione paused in her pacing to look at Neville once more.

"Yes?"

"Take a deep breath and relax," Neville advised. "You'll be fantastic, I know it. You're not called 'the brightest witch of the age' for nothing."

"Oh, stop," Hermione said, but inside, she felt all warm and fuzzy. She hadn't spent nearly as much time with Neville during her school years as she'd done with Harry or Ron, but Neville was a true friend, and she was glad he was here on staff with her. Neville had a way of keeping calm during even the most tenuous situations – his leadership throughout the Carrows' reign and the Battle of Hogwarts had more than proved that – and Hermione knew that he would definitely be helping her keep her head on straight this year. His advice sounded so much like what she used to tell him before a big exam that she smiled at the bout of nostalgia.

"Ah, see? There's the Hermione we know and love," Neville said fondly. He and Hermione had initially become friendly out of necessity – nobody else wanted to be friends with the outcasts of Gryffindor House – but had quickly discovered they were actually a lot alike in some ways. Hermione had boosted Neville's self-confidence countless times in the past, and he was more than happy to return the favor. Sticking together through thick and thin was what good friends did, and they were each happy to have such a good friend in the other. It definitely made for a positive start to the upcoming year.

"Neville, you're the best," Hermione said, striding across the room to give him a hug.

"Don't let Malfoy hear you say that," Neville replied with a laugh. Hermione snorted.

"I've known you longer – he can deal with it," she said. "Now…" She paused and took a deep breath, her nerves returning. "I believe we have somewhere to be?"

"Indeed we do, Professor Granger." Neville gave a ridiculously exaggerated bow and offered the now laughing Hermione his arm. "Let's get you to your first staff meeting!"

A/N: A little Hermione-Neville friendship to start you off - I do love Neville. (Don't worry guys, there won't be any romance on that front - Dramione will remain intact this time!) Updates will be Wednesdays as usual, & I'll try to update every week like I've done in the past. Hope to see you along for the ride! :)

Sammy