It was August 30th when Hermione received news that she was finally allowed into the castle. She had, in the meantime, been staying at the Hog’s Head. It hadn’t been easy to convince Aberforth to give her room, board, and employment, and Hermione would be ashamed to admit that it had taken some subtle blackmail. Aberforth, with that incentive, would have been willing to put her up for free, but Hermione and her guilty conscience insisted on working for it. They’d come to an agreement: Hermione would work as both maid and bartender, and in exchange would stay in a room upstairs and receive two meals a day. Quite against Aberforth’s will, within a day or so the Hog’s Head came close to sanitary, and that alone increased traffic and reduced complaints.