Three months later, the Hogwarts Express arrived at Hogsmeade Station with its familiar whistle echoing across the Scottish highlands. But this time, instead of students peering eagerly out the windows, it was Mia Granger-Malfoy pressing her face against the glass, her breath fogging the window as she tried to take in everything at once.
"Mummy, look! The castle is even more beautiful than in the pictures!" she exclaimed, bouncing in her seat.
Hermione smoothed her new wedding ring—a simple platinum band that caught the late afternoon light—and smiled at her daughter's excitement. The wedding had been small but perfect, held in the Manor gardens with Harry as Draco's best man and Luna as her maid of honor. Even Ron had come, awkwardly but sincerely congratulating them both.
"Wait until you see the Great Hall," Draco said, lifting Mia to give her a better view. "The ceiling shows the real sky, and there are thousands of floating candles."
"Will I get to eat with the Sorting Hat?" Mia asked seriously.
"The Sorting Hat doesn't eat, sunshine," Hermione laughed. "But you'll meet Professor McGonagall, and she promised to show you some secret passages."
As the train came to a stop, Hermione felt her stomach tighten with familiar nerves. The last time she had been on this platform, she had been running from whispers and stares. Now she was returning as Professor Granger-Malfoy, but old anxieties die hard.
Draco seemed to sense her tension. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We belong here now, love. All three of us."
The platform buzzed with activity as they got off the train. Harry appeared almost immediately, grinning widely as he approached them.
"The conquering heroes return!" he announced, sweeping Mia up in a big hug. "And look who has gotten even taller since I last saw you!"
"Uncle Harry! Daddy says I can learn to fly a broom soon!" Mia chattered excitedly.
"Does he now?" Harry shot an amused look at Draco. "Well, I'll have to talk to our new Flying instructor about that."
As if on cue, Ron appeared from behind a group of first-years, looking more mature than Hermione remembered. His hair was shorter, and he carried himself with new confidence. He hesitated for just a moment before walking over.
"Hermione," he said softly. "Malfoy." He nodded respectfully to Draco, then crouched down to Mia's level. "And you must be the famous Mia I've heard so much about."
Mia studied him with the serious expression she got when meeting new people. "Are you Uncle Ron? The one who plays Quidditch really well?"
Ron's ears turned slightly pink, a habit that apparently hadn't changed. "I suppose I am. Though I'm more of a teacher now than a player."
"Mummy says you used to be friends when you were little."
"We were," Ron said, glancing up at Hermione. "Your mummy was the smartest person in our year. Still is, I'd bet."
Hermione felt a knot in her chest loosen slightly. "Ron, this is—"
"Strange but good," he finished for her. "I know." He stood up and extended his hand to Draco. "Congratulations on the wedding. Harry showed me the photos. Looked like a proper celebration."
Draco shook his hand, and Hermione noticed there was no tension in his posture. "Thank you, Weasley. I hear you've been doing good work with the advocacy groups."
"Someone has to make sure what happened to Hermione never happens to another student," Ron said simply. "Figured it was the least I could do."
Before the conversation could get too serious, McGonagall appeared, looking just as stern and formidable as ever, though Hermione could swear she saw warmth in the professor's eyes.
"Professor and Professor Granger-Malfoy," she said formally, then broke into the smallest of smiles. "Welcome home."
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said, feeling tears prick at her eyes. "It's good to be back."
"And this must be our youngest visitor," McGonagall said, turning to Mia. "I've heard you're interested in Transfiguration."
Mia nodded eagerly. "Daddy showed me how to turn a button into a beetle, but I can only make it wiggle a little bit."
"Well, we'll have to work on that, won't we?" McGonagall said with surprising gentleness. "But first, let's get you all settled in your new quarters."
The walk up to the castle felt surreal. Students whispered and pointed as they passed, but the whispers seemed curious rather than unkind. Hermione caught fragments of conversation: "That's Professor Granger-Malfoy!" "My sister said she's brilliant!" "Is that really Draco Malfoy?" "They look so happy together!"
"Mummy, why is everyone staring?" Mia asked, taking Hermione's hand.
"Because we're new," Hermione said simply. "And sometimes people are curious about others who are different from them."
"Different how?"
Draco answered before Hermione could. "Because your mummy and I come from very different families, and some people think that's unusual. But we learned that love is stronger than any differences."
"That's silly," Mia declared. "Love is the most important thing. Even I know that."
Harry, who had been listening, grinned. "Wise words from the youngest Granger-Malfoy."
As they entered the Great Hall, Mia gasped. The ceiling indeed showed the real sky, painted in soft purples and oranges of sunset, and hundreds of candles floated overhead just as Draco had promised.
"It's magic," she whispered in awe.
"The real magic," Hermione said, looking around at the hall where she'd learned about friendship, love, loss, and redemption, "is in the people. The castle is just the setting."
That evening, after Mia had been tucked into bed in their new family quarters (a comfortable apartment behind the Arithmancy classroom), Hermione and Draco stood on their balcony overlooking the grounds.
"No regrets?" Draco asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind.
"None," Hermione said firmly. "This feels right. All of it."
"Even dealing with Ron?"
"Especially dealing with Ron. Did you see how he was with Mia? He's genuinely changed, Dray. People can grow."
"Speaking of growing," Draco said, "I had an interesting conversation with Pansy today. She's engaged to Blaise, by the way. Your rumor was right."
"Really? That's wonderful!"
"She wants to visit next weekend. Says she has to see for herself that I'm 'properly domesticated.'"
Hermione laughed. "And are you? Properly domesticated?"
"Completely and utterly," Draco said, spinning her around to face him. "Though I prefer to think of it as 'finding my purpose.'"
From inside their quarters, they could hear Mia talking to herself as she played with her toys, her voice filled with the confidence of a child who had never doubted she was loved and wanted.
"Our daughter is going to change the world," Hermione said softly.
"She already has," Draco replied, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "She changed ours."
As the stars began to appear in the real sky above them, reflecting in the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall below, Hermione felt a deep sense of completion. She was home—not just at Hogwarts, but in this life she'd built with love, determination, and the belief that people could choose to be better than their past.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges: classes to teach, minds to shape, and prejudices to overcome. But tonight, she was simply Hermione Granger-Malfoy, wife, mother, and professor, ready to help write the next chapter of Hogwarts' story.