Defense Against The Dark Arts was the class Hermione was most sure she'd excel in. She helped fight in a war after all - not to mention the many battles that lead up to the war and the hunting of horcruxes. If there was one class she was sure she'd be at the top of her game, it would be this one.

Determined to make this true, the Gryffindor arrived at class precisely fifteen minutes early. Twenty minutes would be a bit of a stretch and even the basic over achievers usually arrive at the earliest ten minutes earl. So going five minutes early is enough to pick out the perfect seat and have the whole classroom to herself - aside from the professor being around - without any distractions.

However, the first thing she sees when she walks into the Defense Against The Dark Art's class room is not empty seats and clean desks ready for the years use. It's not a professor at the chalk board writing things down or at their desk going through papers and preparing the days lesson. Hermione doesn't see a professor's happy and surprised look that she usually receives after being the first student to arrive without being annoyingly early.

No, instead what she saw when she first walked into the classroom of many memories, was the back of a young man who seemed to be taking up the whole doorway - and she knew he wasn't the new teacher because the new teacher was a woman who was introduced by Headmistress McGonagall, Madame Lo Riote is her name. So who was he and why was he here?

Hermione clears her throat and the roughly six foot tall stranger turns around revealing dark haired and big eyed man. It takes her a second to gather her thoughts before clearing her throat again and saying, "I need to get through" she holds up her chin in a defiant matter as if it will help give her some edge over the stranger.

The man smiles and steps back holding his arm out and with a slight bow says, "Of course love". Hermione startles a little bit by what he called her and as if having a mind of it's own, her hand quickly rose up and grabbed the necklace she received the day before. 

However she quickly puts her hand down, clears her throat, and walks past the deep voiced voiced man to the professor who migrated to the front of the room since the Gryffindor first arrived. Shuffling her books over to the crook of her right arm, Hermione holds out her left hand and says to the woman, "Good morning Madame Lo Riote, I am Hermione Granger, I will be in your Defense Against the Dark Arts class?" She meant to say it as a statement introduction but for some reason it came out as more of a question needing confirmation.

The professor looks up from her desk smiling and Hermione sees that the professor is younger than she expected - possibly only a few years older than the student herself. The teacher throws up her arms as if gesturing for the whole room and says, "Aha! Welcome to Madame Lo's class of wonders! Where danger is a new adventure and survival will come surely to those who earn it!" Slightly stunned, Hermione freezes and the professor shakes her hand. "Pleasure to meet you"

Madame Lo drops her arms and quickly looks around Hermione to the man who had been blocking the doorway and with an inquisitive face asks, "How was that one? Too much?"

He is sitting on one of the further back desks and has his arms cross. With a smile he says, "Beautifully done! You just might want to drop that last sentence - might scare off the weak ones" he looks at Hermione with a smirk as if talking about her.

How rude, thought Hermione. Just  met him and he's already being a prick! 

Hermione spins on her heels and looks at the surprised teacher with a matter-of-fact expression and voice, says, "I think it was splendid. Surely one of the most interesting introductions we've had and believe me when I say, we've had a lot of them!", she said the last part as if exhausted from all the new teachers but then remembers what she was saying again and continues her comment. "As for scaring off the weak ones, I doubt that will happen"

"And whys that? There's always weak ones. Especially in a class where you learn to fend off monsters", says the man.

She turns slightly to look at him better (noticing of course her professors curious and what she'd assume to be an impressed glance to her as if entertained by the conversation) and she says, "Well, unless you've been living under a rock, you'd know that you have to be at least exceeding exceptions in order to even get in to this class so, I'm pretty sure everyone in this class will be fairly brave"

He smiles at her retort and says, "Ah, but passing O.W.L's does not exempt cowardliness" The man slides off the desk and begins walking towards her.

"That's true", she pauses for a second and without even thinking about it she adds, "but a war does" her response makes him stop and freeze in his tracks and even surprises her a little. 

He looks at her confused and says, "What?"

She takes a deep but shaky breath and says, "You heard me."

The professor and boy look at each other uncomfortably and she brushes past him deciding to take a seat in the back as opposed to her usual seat.

Hermione doesn't really hear as the two begin to talk about something else. Her mind is somewhere else. All the way back in time to that fateful day. She's slowly walking to a desk in the front of the room but her mind doesn't register this. 

In her eyes, she is walking down the hallway of the school watching people tending to the sick and injured and pulling the deceased ones to a place of mourning. In her ears, she's not hearing the new professor welcoming new students, but is instead hearing His voice ring in her ears telling them that Harry Potter, her best friend, is dead. In her hand, she's not feeling the parchment, quill, and ink she took out and not feeling her hand move as it begins writing notes, no, she's feeling her hand grip the basilisk fang as her and Ron retrieve it from The Chamber of Secrets to kill the last of the Horcruxes with. In her mouth she doesn't notice herself answering the questions the teacher presents or the faked smile she gives when answering correctly, instead she remembers the sound of her crying out when she sees her friends lying there without any life left in them. To everyone in the classroom, she's acting normally and paying attention to the class, but behind the curtains of her eyes, shes reliving the worst day of her life.