Making sure the boy who lives, actually does...

Chapter 2: The know-it-all who doesn\'t.

She hadn\'t even been in the Hogwarts Express compartment five minutes when the door to it was thrust open and a very excited looking Harry and Ron piled into the small room with looks of anticipation clearly written upon their ruddy faces.

\"Hey Hermione!\" They crowed in some bizarre chorus as they clamored about to get seated. \"Or should we say, Head Girl of Hogwarts?\"

Hermione looked slightly taken aback, and her eyebrows did a dramatic dip as she spoke. \"How did you two know?\"

Ron and Harry exchanged looks of good humor at their friend\'s bewildered stance. A confused Hermione Granger...Something told them to take advantage but they refrained, she was after all a good friend.

\"Who else would have gotten it Hermione?\" Ron asked settling himself across from her in the seat with a wry grin.

Hermione blushed slightly as she gave a good-natured smile with and settled back in her seat as everyone settled themselves in the compartment. Within moments the train had given a defiant whistle and they were off to Hogwarts, one more final year at the most exciting and wonderful place on Earth.

\"When did you get the letter?\" Harry asked with interest as Hermione gave a modest shrug in response. She was trying not to act too smug about the whole thing, after two weeks of non-stop talking of the responsibility that would be entailed with the position of being Head Girl, her parents had threatened to take away her Library card and their subscription to the Discovery Channel if she didn\'t stop talking about it. She had taken that as a subtle hint.

\"In the summer sometime.\" She said in a breezy tone, as she went back to her book. \"I don\'t really recall...\"

\"Hermione...\" Ron gave a warning look accompanied with a dramatic eyebrow raise that could only be described as Snape-like. Hermione gave a resigned shrug before mumbling her answer.

\"Monday August 2nd, 11:32 a.m. I was eating a late breakfast when the post arrived.\"

Harry and Ron burst out into laughter as Hermione ignored them, a bemused look on her face as she feigned reading the book on her lap, tapping her fingers absently upon the pages.

\"Have a nice summer then?\" Ron asked Hermione absently, digging through his pockets for some spare knuts as the woman with the chocolate trolley came around to their compartment.

Before he could even begin frowning at his absence in change, Harry had already sprung up from his seat, thrust several galleons into her hands and taken the cart for all of them to share. Ron turned a little pink around the ears, never really comfortable with Harry\'s constant treating.

\"You don\'t have to...\" he started mumbling as everyone else reached for some of the candy on the trolley, \"I mean...\" he trailed off looking rather pink.

\"The way I figure it Ron,\" Harry had said across from him, nibbling at a chocolate frog that didn\'t have the chance jump away from him, \"I don\'t have any brother\'s or sisters to spend my money on. You and Hermione are the closet things I have to siblings. So what if I want to treat you now and again?\"

Ron looking better soothed and nodded a bit, reluctantly grabbing some of Botts beans and carefully inspecting one as Harry continued with a bright smile upon his face.

\"Plus, you\'re not getting anything for Christmas this year.\"

With that out of the way Ron offered an easy laugh and soon the three of them were eating candy and talking about their summers delights. Well, Hermione and Ron were - Harry seemed rather preoccupied with hearing of their ventures instead of relaying his own. He was a little embarrassed to admit he\'d spent the summer at the Dursley\'s reading, (Hermione would be proud but Ron surely wouldn\'t.)

\"Charlie even let me help him some of the time.\" Ron said excitedly, \"Dragons...in Romania! I nearly got my eyebrows singed off, but it was worth it.\"

\"Makes you wish you\'d paid more attention in Hagrid\'s Care of Magical Creatures, doesn\'t it?\" Hermione said haughtily, giving a smug look at her old friends. Before Ron could protest about Hermione\'s know-it-all attitude she was continuing.

\"Just think.\" Hermione said in a forlorn voice, looking out the compartment window. \"This is our last year at Hogwarts. Can you imagine? No more Dumbledore, no more Gryffindor common room, and for you two, no more Quidditch.\"

At this Ron and Harry acquired pained looks a moment before they all lapsed into thoughtful silence. Hermione had made a good point; this would be the last of their adventure\'s at Hogwarts, but surely not forever?

When a comfortable silence had taken over the thoughtful one, Hermione noticing that Ron had fallen asleep, (Surely Fred and George had done something to his breakfast before he left as he was snoring whilst blue bubbles came out of his nose) looked to Harry out of sudden curiosity.

Harry was normally somber the first few days back to Hogwarts, usually on account of the Dursley\'s. She accepted this and couldn\'t contain her glee at the fact that he was in a decidedly good mood. But she noted he looked what appeared to be a mixture of unnaturally excited and a bit tense. What was there to be tense about? It was Hogwarts after all.

Harry must have sensed her staring because he glanced over at her with a questioning look on his narrow face. His hair had parted a bit and the scar shot out from behind a few stray locks. She was sure not to look at it for too long, she knew how that bothered him.

\"You look cheery.\" she said with a small smile as she stifled a yawn. She\'d been reading her new class books into the wee hours of the morning and just now in the cozy confines of the train\'s compartment she felt the drowsiness beginning to catch up on her.

Harry nodded to her emphatically, giving her an uncharacteristically large smile, one usually reserved for won Quidditch matches. There was a sparkle to his eyes she couldn\'t place, and somehow she knew something big was going to unfurl.

\"Going to tell me why?\" she said with a small giggle as Harry continued to smile. Going a bit pink on hieekseeks he took a deep sigh, looking as if he couldn\'t contain his good news.

\"This year is going to be the best.\" he said absently tapping his feet against the floor of the moving train. His light eyes acquired a rather moony look to them and his voice dropped to barely above a whisper. \"I just know it.\"

\"How?\"

\"I-I,\" Harry shot a nervous look at the still dozing Ron and gave Hermione an imploring look. \"It actually involves you.\"

\"Me?\" Hermione felt her curiosity growing, a sudden look of inquiry upon her face as she looked over to him, lowering her book and giving her undivided attention to Harry. \"How?\"

Harry was about to speak more when he noticed Ron\'s snoring had lessened slightly. As surreptitiously as he could muster, he looked to Hermione with a severe look as he mouthed, I\'ll tell you later.

Hermione nodded with a feeling of curiosity tugging at her. She looked back to her book of Seventh Year Transfiguration and became engrossed. Harry rolled his eyes at his bookworm friend, some things never changed.

Hermione herself was a bit anxious about their return, and she went over these thoughts as she pretended to read her book. She had so many ideas about what she wanted to do with her life that it was overwhelming. Should she go to work in St. Mungo\'s? With her revolutionary ideas she\'d surely be an asset. Or perhaps she\'d major in Transfiguration, becoming a cat could prove to be useful.

The ministry wasn\'t her ideal choice, but she assumed a position there might hold her interest. Once she\'d gone through from Muggle Sciences to Herbology for career choices she stopped, knowing full well the only thing left. The one thing she would never major in if her life depended upon it. Potions.

She wouldn\'t say that she was horrible in it, but it was the one class that she had to try extra hard in. Whilst reading and writing was part in most of her studies, her essays for Snape had to be exemplary. Too often she found herself working her fingers to the bone after re-writing a Potion\'s essay in hopes for a 100 %. Sadly all hopes and dreams dashed upon the proverbial rocks as he continually handed her back 93% and on the odd occasion a 94%. She knew it was because she was Harry\'s friend, but she also knew if she ever called Snape on it she\'d live to regret it.

She wrinkled her nose at the thought of him; surely he\'d be even nastier to them since Voldemort\'s demise and no credit bestowed upon the imperial Professor Snape. She shuddered to think of the detentions he\'d be giving out this year, not that she\'d have to worry. She\'d never had one in her stay at Hogwarts and she doubted she\'d encounter one now that she was Head Girl.

Head Girl. She couldn\'t help but smile at that, thinking of the special privileges, and not to mention how impressive it would look on an application for a position in the Wizarding World.

\"You know,\" Harry said absently, \"My Mum and Dad were Head Girl and Head boy in their seventh year...\" he trailed off suddenly getting a funny look on his face. Hermione merely nodded, knowing not to say anything.

It was the last thing spoken between the two before Harry drifted off to sleep himself and it wasn\'t soon after that Hermione joined both he and Ron.

She awoke a few hours later to the sound of paper being shuffled through near her. If it weren\'t for Harry and Ron in the compartment she would have sworn someone was rifling through her papers, but she knew better.

She raised her head though, feeling a bit disoriented in the process and her sight was blurry a moment as she blinked back the fuzziness. She had a horrible cotton taste in her mouth as she sat up and immediately regretted it as a harsh sting went across her back.

That\'s the last time I fall asleep in that position. She internally sulked, rubbing her sore neck. Her book had fallen to the floor during her siesta and bending over to get it she saw a flash of something near her bag out of the corner of her eyes.

Sitting straight up she looked over and saw it had only been Harry absently grasping her bag in a haze of drowsy distortion. She smiled good-naturedly at the dark haired boy as he blinked a few times, pulling on his discarded glasses before looking over to Hermione.

\"You\'d better wake Ron up,\" she said standing shakily and opening a small suitcase she had with her on the seat next to her. \"We\'d better change into our school robes.\"

Harry, still a little disoriented squinted at Hermione and gave off a small yawn. \"Huh?\"

\"Harry,\" she said in that usual no-nonsense tone. \"We\'re almost at Hogwarts.\"

Stretching soundly hood ood with an incoherent mutter, walking over to Ron and nudging him in the back that faced them with his hand. Ron absently swiped at Harry\'s hand with a backward\'s slap.

\"Just gimme five more minutes Mum...\" he sighed in a dreamy haze as Harry and Hermione shot each other a smirk. Harry cleared his throat a moment and then looked down at Ron\'s sleeping form.

\"RONALD WEASLEY!\" he screeched in his best Molly Weasley impression, (one that sounded remarkably like one of Ron\'s array of Howler\'s) \"YOU GET UP THIS INSTANT!\"

Ron, in a turn of utter shock and dazed confusion rolled over in his seat and promptly fell to the ground with a loud thump as Hermione and Harry burst out in childish giggles. Groaning, Ron pulled himself into a sitting position so that he was able to give the laughing Hermione and Harry the glare they deserved.

\"Impressive Harry.\" Hermione said through her giggles, \"His face was priceless!\"

She and Harry collapsed into more laughter as Ron stood on shaky legs and went to his own carry on bag grumbling about their immaturity. Hermione and Harry after a thorough laughing fest went and put on their school robes.

\"When do you get to move into your Head Girl room?\" Harry asked as he pulled on his robe, Hermione gave a thoughtful look and then turned to face him, pulling her long hair free from the robe\'s collar. \"Actually...where is it?\"

\'s o's on the third floor.\" she stated brashly, repacking her suitcase and standing upright as if she were ready to bolt out the train in a second if need be. \"You two can come to visit anytime, I think I\'ll be moving in their tonight.\" She flashed them a wide smile as the train began to slow to a stop.

Harry nodded and replied with an emphatic yes, but Ron looking decidedly miffed at his prior humiliation said nothing and went about putting on his robes. Hermione shook her head softly at this, knowing precisely why she had never dated the temperamental red head during all their years together.

Not only did she loathe Ron\'s overactive jealousy and volatile tendencies, she just hadn\'t fancied him that way in a long time. Viktor Krum had proven to be an alright distraction, but corresponding soon moved from interesting and spirited letters back and forth to, Viktor sending sappy love poems until Hermione\'s rather abrupt decline to stay with him in Bulgaria for a summer.

\"I hope Dumbledore doesn\'t drag on the sorting speech too long,\" Ron said to no one in particular, obviously having come ou his his sulking for the moment. \"I can\'t stand the wait.\"

\"Neither can I. I can\'t wait to see my room.\" Hermione said with a light flick of her wand as she pointed it at her carry on suitcase. Within a matter of seconds it had shrunk and she placed it delicately into her pocket. \"What about you Harry?\"

Harry looked momentarily stupefied, then realizing what they had been talking about moments before hand he offered a brisk, \"Yeah me neither.\"

Hermione looked to Harry curiously, the wheels in her constantly dissecting brain were in full motion as she looked to the distracted Harry. She assumed it had to do with whatever he\'d wanted to share before.

But for once, Hermione Granger, know-it-all had no idea what it could be.

* * *

When the three of them arrived in the foyer of Hogwarts instead of doing their trademark dash up the stairs to the common room, most of the seventh years were walking slower than most, basking in the fact that they were top of the heap this year.

\"Hello \'Arry, Ron, \'Ermione!\"

The golden three turned to see Hagrid waving in a bunch of first years from outside. They all bunched together looking nervous and excited.

I wonder if we looked like that. Hermione wondered bemused as she viewed one of the girl\'s pointing to Harry shyly and starting to giggle with her friend. Honestly.

\"Hey Hagrid!\" The all chimed in, giving the giant a large hug before Hagrid\'s stance became more professional as the children behind him watched in curiosity.

\'I\'ll see you later\' he said quietly with a wink to them before bellowing over his shoulder; \"Come on now first years, to the Great Hall!\"

The three friends watched Hagrid\'s large figure make its way down the hall with the new students, and something in the familiar tradition struck a solemn chord with each of them.

\"I\'ll never forget this place.\" Hermione heard Harry sigh wistfully. Ron having come out of his slump of loathing walked beside them nodding, looking to the staircase.

\"Me neither.\"

There was a sudden sort of feeling that passed through the three of them, realizing full well that this was almost the end. No, Hermione thought with a frown. Perhaps it was a beginning.

She looked to the hazy looks on the boy\'s faces and registered they felt the same way as she did. This was the last time they would ever see their beloved (to some) Hogwarts.

The \'to some\' was added as Hogwart\'s most despised Slytherin (No, not him...the blonde one.) Draco Malfoy came sauntering down the hall on his lean legs, Pansy on one arm as they murmured back and forth about something looking angrily at everyone who passed.

\"Draco\'s Head Boy.\" Hermione murmured to Harry beside her, looking decidedly nervous. \"It said so in my letter. I know he\'s going to be horrible to me.\"

\"Just ignore him.\" Harry said softly back, \"He\'s pathetic.\"

Harry let his gaze drift on Draco a moment before looking around the vast foyer once more, trying to remember every detail as time spent in this castle had proven to be the best of his life.

\"Potter.\" Draco spat as they all managed to meet up in the middle of the hall, despite their efforts to move from the pinched face of Draco Malfoy.

He was looking even tougher than ever, and let his steely eyes rest on the three in front of him. Jealousy cursed through him. \"I see your with your Mudblood girlfriend, couldn\'t bear to be apart too long I assume?\"

Pansy gave a girlish giggle at his arm as he smiled seedily.

\"Shut up Malfoy.\"

Hearing Ron\'s sudden outburst, with a smile on his face Draco added with a laugh, \"Oh sorry, my mistake, it must\'ve been you\'re jealous boyfriend, the Weasel.\"

\"Draco\'s Head Boy this year.\" Pansy said smarmily out of nowhere, hooking onto Draco\'s arm even more as the pale boy looked disconcerted. Hermione, putting on a brave front nodded at the blonde snob in front of her.

\"Congratulations Draco.\" She said tersely, trying to be genuine. Draco gave a repugnant look in her direction before answering in his usual haughty way.

\"I don\'t consort with Mudbloods.\" Draco snarled as he pushed past them, his gray eyes flicking over Hermione a moment. \"My father never did and neither will I. I don\'t know how they picked you for the position in the first place. Dumbledore must\'ve had pity on you.\"

Hermione\'s cheek turned red but she ignored the comment, she knew it was just Draco being his usual sinister and rude way. Although it hurt her tremendously she wouldn\'t allow him to affect her. She also knew the cause of Draco\'s defense, his father Lucius had died in the final battle. On Voldemort\'s side.

Hermione assumed that as well as Draco\'s superb marks (she was always bettering him.) Dumbledore might have felt a slight case of empathy for the fatherless boy. Narsissa had never been known for her mothering skills and Hermione assumed Draco had no one in the world. For this she took the higher road and said nothing.

Sadly, Ron didn\'t really have the same attitude about the whole thing.

\"What\'d you say ferret face?\" The redhead shot out, moving forward towards the pale boy. Draco shot a look of boredom at Ron before giving off a peevish glare.

\"Why don\'t you sod off Weasel?\" he snarled angrily, \"If you touch one thread on my cloak it\'ll cost your family the mortgage they paid on their pitiful house.\"

Ron\'s arms came out of nowhere, shoving the pale boy back with might. Draco stumbled a bit as Pansy moved back, not wanting to be caught in the middle of the fight.

\"Don\'t call Hermione a Mudblood anymore.\" Ron growled lowly, his eyes beadily set on Malfoy\'s own glittering orbs. \"Because if you do, you\'ll live to regret it.\"

Malfoy\'s lip turned into a sinister sneer as he pushed Ron back. \"Such strong words from a pathetic side kick.\"

Knowing he had struck a chord with Ron, Malfoy began to walk away thinking he had won the battle of wits for the moment. When Ron spoke though he turned in surprise.

\"Oh get over yourself Malfoy!\" Ron said loudly, \"You\'re nothing. You\'re a pathetic little ferret who people used to be afraid of but now just pity.\"

\"Excuse me?\" Draco\'s teeth were starting to become bared and his fists were slowly curling into tight fists at his sides. Pansy had enough common sense to move out of the way.

\"You heard me. You have no real friends, only followers who are too stupid to think for themselves.\" (At this Crabbe and Goyle who\'d been standing a few awa away surveying the scene gave each other dazed looks as they scratched their heads in confusion.)

\"I\'d rather be poor with friends than rich and a bully. Just come to terms with it you ugly little foppet, no one can even stand you! If Dumbledore took pity on anyone this it was you!\"

Hermione was about to pull Ron back from Draco and tell him that he was crossing the line but it was too late. The infamous boy, the constant attention grabber was living up to his e ofe of Draco Pissy Little Brat Malfoy.

\"How dare you speak to me like that!?\" He hissed, several students watched in curiosity before moving on. The hallway was jammed with students and several seemed keen to know what was conspiring.

\"I\'ll do what I damn well please.\" Ron said in a huffy voice, \"You don\'t get to go around calling people names and ordering them about. Just shove off and leave us alone for the rest of the year.\"

\"Wh- why you little!\" Draco was growing agitated and sputtering, looking at Ron with pure fury. \"Why, If my father was here I\'d-\"

Harry who had been silent the whole time looked up to Draco with something dark in his light eyes. Something about that sentence had struck a nerve for some reason although it hadn\'t been spoken to him. Perhaps it was the fact that he was always so rude to everyone for no reason and now was using his father\'s death as a way for sympathy. It could have been the way Draco had always been the constant thorn in his side. Either way what he said next was the culmination of sudden hatred and peevish annoyance.

\"Well your father\'s not around, is he?\"

There was a sickening silence in which even Draco looked taken aback at Harry\'s comment. His eyelids blinked slowly a moment as he fell short of breath. Harry himself looked out of sorts, his one eyes widening as he realized what he\'d just spoken.

Harry fully expected Draco to come at him with fists swinging and was genuinely surprised when the brat merely sneered at all of them and brushed past them roughly without speaking.

Hermione felt her stomach drop as she viewed the blonde Slytherin stalking off to his chambers, ane coe couldn\'t help but feel the slightest of empathy for him. She saw Harry\'s emerald eyes trailing curiously after the blonde boy a moment and she spoke suddenly as the thought occurred to her.

\"Oh Harry.\" she said softly, her voice quaking a bit. \"That was harsh.\"

Before Harry could answer Ron had busted in between them giving off a small laugh. \"Forget it \'Mione. The boy\'s a prat. We\'re best off without him. To think perhaps a whole year without Malfoy\'s harping! Aren\'t we Harry?\"

Harry looked to them both with a blurry expression on his face before his face broke out into a smile and he nodded emphatically. \"Yeah. You\'re right I suppose.\"

Soon the tension was gone (although in truth Hermione was still a bit peeved at Harry\'s immaturity.) and the three headed to the Great Hall in hopes of a Great Dinner.

\"And just to think Hermione,\" Ron said playfully as they made their way up to the large doors. \"After this year, no more Potions. Our favorite. How will we live without ol\' Snapey?\"

\"As easily as I\'ll live without you bothersome three around.\" came the silky reply from behind them.

The three of them went rigid, shooting identical looks of horror at one another, Ron looked near fainting. Snape stood behind them, staring down at the trio as a malicious sneer crossed his features.

\"I assume we\'ll have no adventures to worry about this year, will we Potter?\" he said with a meaningful look at Harry who held in a sigh as he stared into the beetle black eyes of Professor Snape.

It figured, Ron could be the one who originally insulted him, but Harry would receive the brunt of the anger. It was times like this; he truly hated his seemingly overnight popularity.

\"No sir.\" Hermione answered for Harry, hoping to smooth things over. She felt Snape\'s eyes slide over to her own and she felt the words die on her lips.

\"I was speaking to Potter, Miss Granger.\" Snape sneered angrily, \"Keep to your own affairs.\"

Hermione gulped softly, not wanting to show her fear she held the formidable Professor\'s gaze. He cocked an eyebrow at her tenacity, glowering even furthe put put her into fearful submission.

Soon her gaze slid from him, her cheeks burning as she looked to the floor. She was furious. She hated the intimidation card he always seemed to pull when challenged. She loathed his constantly snarky behavior, unneeded rudeness and bias to his own house. She hated the way his hair fell in greasy locks around his sallow face, his long aquiline nose that he always stared down from and the lips that continually seemed to be in a sneer.

She also hated that she was jealous of him.

Strange yes. She didn\'t want to look like him or anything of that. She was jealous of the knowledge he possessed, jealous of the way he had done more for Hogwarts than any of them ever could have. Jealous of the fact that he seemed to know everything academic, not limited to Potions. She was jealous of the articulate way he made every potion perfect and never cared to share any details or ideas with her...or the class for that matter. What was the point of such vast knowledge if not to share it?

She tried to seem taller by straightening her back and looking to him evenly, showing her composure in the situation. It was fruitless really, he was a good head taller than her, her head only reached his shoulders and meeting his eyes like this was not the best course of action as she was suddenly overcome with a shaking in the knees. She decided she must be hungry and in hopes of early dismissal from his gaze lowered her gaze.

Snape gave her a brief once over in confusion before setting his trademark sneer upon his face and giving looks of undiluted distaste over all of them. Babysitting, that\'s what he did.

\"I\'ll only say this once. Stay out of trouble, all of you.\" Snape said tersely, his glare sliding over each of their faces. \"I\'ll tolerate no mischief this year. No rudeness, no stealing from my storage,\" (at this he gave a severe glare at Hermione) \"And most of all, no idiotic adventures.\"

Before any of the three could answer he looked down on them over his long nose before giving a dramatic swish of his robes and disappearing into the mass of people in the Great Hall.

\"That man,\" Ron muttered darkly, \"Is an overgrown bat.\"

\"A vampire more like.\" Harry answered in agreement as they walked on, Hermione however was looking decidedly opposed to their latest comment.

\"A vampire Harry? Honestly. Not only do they sleep in coffinsich ich Snape doesn\'t, they also hate garlic. I\'ve never seen Snape turn down garlgarlic bread when we have spaghetti.\"

\"You\'ve noted this?\"

\"I had to research my subject,\" she said in a huffy voice before continuing with a wave of her hands. \"Plus, he\'s been out in daylight before Harry! I\'ve seen a total absense in fangs a-\"

\"Okay Okay.\" Harry said in a rush, \"Don\'t get worked up over it. I\'ll be sure never to be sarcastic again in front of you.\"

Hermione was about to respond when Neville and Ginny rushed over to them laughing gaily about whatever had happened to them over the summer and they all sat when Dumbledore rose to his feet and tapped the glass at his right with a his fork.

Hermione looked up absently and saw Snape\'s sneering face a few seats down from the Headmaster, looking decidedly unpleasant. She assumed he hadn\'t gotten the D.A.D.A. job and frowned. Splendid. He\'d be even worse in classes now.

As if feeling her eyes on his face Snape\'s black orbs darted over to the Gryffindor table where Hermione quickly drew her attention to the Headmaster, hoping Snape hadn\'t noticed her staring.

\"Students...\" Dumbledore\'s raspy voice emitted, as he smiled to the students. \"Welcome to Hogwarts...\"

* * *

\"Here it is.\" Hermione said throwing open her door and looking at the Head Girl chambers with a look of utter rapture and admiration. This is what she had been working for, for so long.

\"It\'s nice.\" Harry said looking around the room before placing a purring Crookshanks down on the bedspread that had been left out for Hermione. She giggled excitedly, placing all her things down and looking at her surroundings.

\"Too bad Ron\'s still stuffing his face with pie.\" Hermione said with a lopsided smile as she settled into a chair near the fireplace. \"He\'ll hate to miss all this.\"

She looked at the small room, knowing full well that within days the bookshelves would be packed, the room\'s colors would be red and gold. She would make it her own.

She had been most enchanted when Dumbledore called she and Draco to his office after his speech during the feast, after a small speech on the rules and regulations of Head Girl and Head Boy they were given special keys and the trust of Dumbledore. The latter to Hermione was the most important of all, and she\'d be sure not to misuse it.
Draco hadn’t spoken a word to her in our outside of the office, merely ignored her and whilst she thought this would have pleased her, it only made her wary.

\"Yeah well,\" Harry said absently, looking a bit nervous as he spoke, pacing around her rather bare room loudly, blinking rapidly behind his glasses, and resembling a rather twitchy owl. \"You can show him later.\"

\"I suppose you\'re right...are you alright Harry? You look a little peaky. This may be serious. Do-\"

Harry suddenly whirled around, coming to Hermione in a sudden rush of non-contained anticipation. \"Hermione, before Ron comes up here I have to ask a favor...it\'s been weighing on my mind the whole summer.\"

\"Oh sure Harry.\" Hermione said sitting on her chair placidly, this is what Harry must have been so eager about on the train. Was he planning a surprise for Ron? He looked beside himself and so putting on her most professional look she nodded at him to start.

\"Hermione, you know I\'ve been pretty depressed lately.\" Harry said in a somber voice, \"Right?\"

\"Well,\" Hermione said mulling the situation over a moment before answering. She was surprised at the topic and liked to give clear, well-thought answers to her friends instead of being rash. \"You seemed better now. When you got on the train you seemed different. Happier.\"

She saw as Harry nodded with a grin, his eyes acquiring a twinkling look that would have rivalled Dumbledore\'s own. This look alone made her uneasy.

\"That\'s because I have a plan.\"

Hermione\'s eyes widened in fear at those words. Those were the words of expulsion if she ever heard it. She quickly covered her ears, shaking her head emphatically as Harry looked to her in shock.

\"I REFUSE!\" She shouted as she squeezed her eyes shut, \"I will NOT risk my life for some little escapade you have planned for us Harry, I simply won\'t! You may be one of my best friend\'s but I\'ve worked too hard for my Head Girl title an-\"

She felt Harry\'s hand on her elbow and saw the tears that had begun welling up in his eyes. Slowly her hands were lowered and placed on her lap and her attention was on the sober boy in front of her.

\"Hermione,\" Harry said slowly, his eyes falling to the ground in shame at his emotion. \"I want to meet my parents.\"

Hermione was silent a moment, only the distant sounds from the Great Hall entering into the room and his echoing words in her head. She frowned deeply, feeling her heart thumping painfully against her ribs. What was he saying?

This wasn\'t natural. He wasn\'t making any sense. What had the Dursley\'s done to poor Harry over the summer?

\"Harry...I don\'t-\"

\"Hermione please, I want to meet my parents.\" Harry repeated as he interrupted in a sudden gust of enthusiasm. Hermione held back another protest and raised an eyebrow in confusion as Harry continued.

\"And you\'re going to help me.\"
_______________________________________

author\'s notes: Thank you all for your supportive comments, they\'re really encouraging. I like this idea I must say, but the bunny still hasn\'t left. He\'s simply lounging about on my couch eating carrot sticks and laughing at the TV whilst I pound away at the keyboard...but what he doesn\'t realize is I shall soon have my revenge...ha ha..hahaha...muahahahahaahahahahaha....cheers. holden.