Author's Note: I won't be able to post every day, but I will do my best to post once every week. I also am not quite sure how long this story will be. I'll just take it one chapter at a time.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and things I may add later on in the story.

A Hope for Renewed Love

Chapter One

Hermione Granger sat in her room staring out the window. She wasn't looking at anything in particular. She just gazed at the field behind her house, and the house across the field. She felt the tears spring to her eyes, but she refused to cry. She was done with crying. Hermione didn't turn her head when her mother came to the door.

"Are you ready to go, dear?" her mother asked. Hermione nodded her head, but didn't make a move until her mother had started down the steps leading from Hermione's room. Ever so slowly, the seventeen-year-old girl grabbed her trunk and made her way to the car.

The ride to the train station was dead silent. Hermione watched blurry images fly by her while her mother stared straight ahead and chewed her lip. Before Hermione and her mother reached the platform, Hermione stopped and gave her mother a hug.

"I can handle it from here, Mom. The platform is right there."

"Alright sweetheart. You'll write won't you?" After a nod from Hermione, Mrs. Granger added, "I'll miss you honey. Have fun. I love you."

"I love you too Mom." With that Hermione turned and ran through the barrier onto the platform. The red steam engine loomed in front of her, and she saw kids and parents scrambling and hugging. She slowly made her way to the train and loaded her trunk into the storage compartment. She was about to go onto the train when someone grabbed her arm form behind. She screamed and whipped around.

"Merlin, Mudblood," Draco Malfoy said, surprise etched in his voice. "I'm supposed to tell you that McGonagall wants us to meet in the Heads Compartment a half hour after the train takes off. She's allowing time to visit with friends first."

"Oh, alright. Thanks, Malfoy," Hermione replied. Hermione noticed that Malfoy still had a hold on her arm, and frightfully wrenched it out of his grasp.

Draco looked at her strangely and for the first time saw the fear in Hermione's eyes. Could the brave Gryffindor girl truly be afraid of him? This was turning out to be a great day.

Hermione took one last glance at Draco before getting onto the train and turning left. She walked to the last compartment where she knew she would find all of her friends.

Before Hermione even reached the compartment, she could hear the laughter and screaming. She walked in to find Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna all smiling and happy.

Next thing Hermione knew she was bombarded by hugs, first from Harry and Ron, and then by Ginny.

"Hey guys," Hermione said while breaking away from her hug with Ginny. Neville and Luna nodded their heads in hello and then went back to their conversation.

"So Harry, finish telling us your story," Ron said excitedly. The rest of the teenagers leaned in, just as anxious as Ron.

"Ok, so it was Dudley's birthday, and of course Verne and Petunia had to try to throw him the best and biggest birthday party ever. Petunia also decided that the boys would be mature enough to handle a co-ed sleepover party in some fancy hotel, with a pool and everything. They had to bring me along, which Dudley wasn't very happy about, but whatever. We all went to a club that was playing awesome music. Well there was a really pretty girl there named Kaniya, and Dudley totally fancies her. A slow song came on, and he starts heading towards her to ask her to dance, but she was already walking to someone. So then she's standing in front of me asking if I'd like to dance with her. You should have seen the look on Dudley's face. He was furious; it was so priceless!" By this time, everyone was laughing and congratulating Harry on ruining Dudley's birthday. Then Harry turned his head to Hermione and said, "Hermione, you already missed Ron's and Ginny's stories about their run-ins with the opposite sex. They were amusing as well. How about you? Did you meet anyone this summer?"

Hermione's eyes immediately misted over and she said hastily, "Sorry guys, but I just remembered I'm supposed to meet Malfoy and McGonagall in the Heads compartment! See you later!"

Everyone stared at her with wide-open eyes as she practically ran out of the compartment and down the hall.

Ginny turned to the others and asked, "Anyone else get the feeling there's something she's not telling us?" The group of boys and girls just nodded their heads.


Hermione had tears trailing down her cheeks when she finally sat down in the Heads compartment. 'Real smooth, Hermione', she thought to herself. 'So much for hiding what happened this summer. Now they're sure to bug me until I tell them.'

Hermione quietly started humming a muggle song while staring out the window. She hummed through the first verse, but when she got to chorus she softly sang the words.

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I try my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty

Because of you
I am afraid

"Not a bad voice, Granger. That still doesn't change the fact that you're a good for nothing Gryffindor know-it-all," said the voice of Draco. Hermione silently wiped the remaining tears off her cheeks and turned her head to look at Draco. That's when Draco noticed that Hermione had been crying. He sat down on the bench across from her.

"So Head Girl, tell me, which wimpy little twit broke your heart this time. I'm personally putting my money on Potter. Weasley doesn't seem to have courage for anything, let alone asking you out. Well come on Mudblood, which one was it?"

Hermione just looked him dead in the eyes and glared. Draco was a master at reading people through their eyes, and right now all he saw was pain and anger. So he decided to shut up until McGonagall arrived.

After fifteen minutes of dead silence, the professor showed up with agitation written all over her face. She handed a stack of papers to Hermione and the other to Draco. She explained that the papers listed all major duties for the year. Before either student could say a word, she turned around and left.

"What a bitch," Draco muttered under his breath. Hermione just glared at him again before reading over the first page, which listed the duties.

1.Assigning the Prefects with Patrol Partners

2.Giving Prefects Patrol Areas

3.Making Passwords for the Four houses-TO BE DONE BEFORE THE FEAST!

4.Planning a Spring Dance for the Students

5.Picking a Date for Monthly Meetings with the Headmaster and All Professors

6.Picking a Date for Monthly meetings with the Prefects

7.Plans for the School this Year

"Ugh, have you read this?" Draco said with disgust. "Plan a spring dance? I don't want to do that, especially not with you. It'll take forever. I have better things to do, you know. Who has dances in the spring anyway? Why don't they just have one at Christmas like they did in our fourth year?"

Hermione rolled her eyes before replying, "I didn't ask to work with you. As for the dance being in the spring, maybe it's like prom." Upon seeing Draco's confused face, Hermione muttered "Never mind. It's a Muggle thing."

The rest of the train ride was silent. When the train finally reached the general area of Hogwarts, Hermione and Draco stepped off the train and started walking towards the horseless carriage marked 'Head Boy and Head Girl'. Hermione saw Harry and Ron try to catch her eye, but she walked faster towards the carriage. Draco observed this and thought it quite odd, but didn't say anything.

When both students were in the carriage, Hermione suggested working on the House Passwords. She got a quill and piece of parchment out of the small pocket on the inside of her robe. Draco started saying all kinds of passwords and Hermione, not in the mood to fight, patiently wrote them down.

Hecate

Lamia

Medicamentum

Arcturus

Sophia

Aquilus

Anguis

It was then that Hermione realized Draco was speaking all Latin words.

"You speak Latin?" Hermione asked, surprised. Draco just smirked and shrugged his shoulders. After getting over her shock, Hermione and Draco worked out the passwords: for Slytherin, Anguis (snake); for Ravenclaw, Sophia (wisdom); for Hufflepuff, Arcturus (star); and for Gryffindor, Hecate (Goddess of Magic and Enchantment).

Upon reaching Hogwarts, Hermione and Draco gave the passwords to McGonagall and headed into the Great Hall where they went to there separate tables. Hermione paid little attention to the Sorting Ceremony or Dumbledore's speech. She ate quickly, and waited for the feast to end.

After the feast was done and the students starting to leave, Hermione and Draco were called up to the Head Table. It was there that Dumbledore informed them that each had their own room in their house and full use of the Restricted Section in the Library.

However, it was the headmaster's next news that was surprising to both Hermione and Draco. He informed them that the Head Girl and Head Boy also have another option for living requirements. There was a special set of dorms for the Heads to use. Each would have their own bedroom and grand bathroom, but they would share a common room. He said that it was not required for the Heads to use these dorms, but most Heads in the past had come to be quite fond of the dorms. The Headmaster informed Hermione and Draco of where the rooms were and the password to the common room.

Hermione was so tired and now light-headed that she just nodded her head and started walking out of the Great Hall, Draco following. They got outside the large wooden doors. Before Hermione could take another step, she collapsed and fell back into Draco, who caught Hermione's body in his arms.

'Shit. What the hell am I going to do now?' Draco thought to himself. 'I guess to the Head dorms we go.' Draco carried Hermione all the way up to common room, up the stairs, and into her room, where he slowly and carefully laid her down on her bed. He then walked over to his own room and fell asleep with his robes still on.

Please Read and Review! I'd love to know what you think!

The lyrics in this chapter are from Kelly Clarkson's song 'Because of You'.