Hermione sat by the lake on the outskirts of the burrow. She had to leave the house, everyone was celebrating Ron's new girlfriend Lavender brown. She couldn't believe the way things had happened, it seemed that her whole life at Hogwarts had been building up to her being with Ronald Weasley but after they had fallen together after defeating Voldemort he tossed her to the side and went back to Lavender. She wiped away a tear that somehow managed to escape through her closed eyes as she thought about the ruthless way he had discarded her, and treated her feelings like they were non-existent. Why are you even here? She thought to herself bitterly, clearly no-one even noticed her absence if the jubilant noises coming from the burrow were anything to go by. She knew why she'd pushed her own feelings aside and come back with them her mind wondered back to the end of her seventh year and the conversation she had had with Ginny after the battle.

"I don't understand what the big deal is Hermione?" Ginny asked incredulously as Hermione had told her how she was going to find somewhere else to spend the summer after her disastrous incident with Ron. "it was just a kiss, get over yourself. It's not like you have anywhere to go anyway your parents don't even know who you are." Ginny raised an eyebrow at Hermione's sharp intake of breath as she mumbled the last part. Hermione held her tongue; she didn't want to let the redheaded spitfire know the extent of what had happened between her and Ron, namely giving him her virginity. Hermione tried to put up a fight but Ginny always had a rebuttal and was growing increasingly more irritated with Hermione's avoidance of the burrow, at the same time Hermione was becoming increasingly tired at having to repeat herself. "Fine Gin, I guess you're right. I'll come back to the burrow with you for summer".

Hermione was furious at herself she'd given in so easy. So far in the month they'd been off of school she had been continuously ignoring her own feelings trying to cling on to her friendships with Ron and Lavender, mainly due to the insistence of Harry and Ginny, who made it a point to let her know just how selfish whenever she let the hurt she was feeling encroach on her being the perfect best friend for Ron and Harry. She sighed loudly and opened her eyes watching the sunset over this hills reflecting on the lake and causing sun beams to dance over the rock she was currently perched on. Her eyes fell down to the envelope lying in her lap. Wiping a few more errant tears from her cheeks she slowly opened the crisp white envelope emblazoned with the familiar symbol of Hogwarts school for Witchcraft and Wizardry. She read the letter slowly, excited at the prospect of returning to her beloved school to complete her NEWTS, her heart leapt when she spied the shining badge that had fallen out of the envelope when she was reading the letter. She was going to be head girl, pride filled her chest as she stood stretching her arms above her head to stretch out a few kinks she managed to get in her back. She slowly made her way back to the burrow to share the news with her friends.

"Congrats ermione" Ron said struggling to quite manage her name around the large mouthful of food he was currently working on. Ginny and Harry had both thrown their arms around her when she told them the news as she sat down for the dinner, borderline, feast that Molly had prepared for them. She smiled to herself maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.