"'Bye Mione," Ron hugged her. She looked tearfully at them, wishing that she could erase the year that they had just endured. Letting her eyes linger on Harry's for one last second, she turned to face her parents.

"Hello dear," her father said, cheerfully, "have a good term?" He took her trunk from her and began wheeling it out of the station.

"Um," Hermione started, something was wrong, she could sense it, "fine."

"That's nice dear," her mother smiled at her. The whole scene struck Hermione as strange. Her parents were always pleasant, polite people, but this was ridiculous. They seemed so unlike themselves. Forced smiles that didn't quite reach their eyes. She couldn't put her finger on what was going on, and she knew it would drive her insane.

"Honey," her mom called her from downstairs, "are you finished getting changed? This engagement is very important, we can't be late."

"Coming Mum." She looked at herself in the mirror one more time. It was the most peculiar thing. When her mother handed her the gown she was to wear that night, Hermione was positive it would be at least a size too big, but when she zippered it, miraculously it seemed, the dress clung to her like a second skin.

'I wonder what is so important,' Hermione thought to herself, 'that they feel they have to drag me with them the night I got home.' She was growing weary of her parents already, and she'd only spent about 2 hours with them. Usually she enjoyed spending time with her parents, but things seemed different, somehow. They were distant, cold even. She'd never known her parents to be anything but themselves but since she'd been home, she hadn't seen a genuine expression or heard a meaningful word out of their mouths.

As she walked down the steps, her mother smiled at her, "Hermione, dear you look stunning". She did look good. The dress she was wearing was a shocking pink, quite unlike anything Hermione would usually wear. It was almost surprising that a mother would buy this for her child. It was fairly low cut, and the hem of the skirt stopped about midway down her thigh. Her eyes sparkled with silver eye shadow, and her cheeks shone with pink shimmer powder. She smiled with pink glossed lips, and tried once again to ask where they were going, but her parents simply exchanged a look and pretended she'd never asked. Hermione sighed, defeated, 'I guess I'll just have to wait 'til we get there.'

When the car stopped, it arrived at a large manor. There was a large golden sign at the gates, which opened as soon as the car arrived. Hermione squinted with all of her might, but she couldn't make out the words engraved. She was starting to grow impatient with her too calm parents, who had made little to no attempts at real conversation since they'd left the house nearly an hour before. Sure, they'd asked her about Harry, and Ron, school, and they'd made a fuss about her grades. But the only thing they had seemed to take any interest in was when she'd mentioned Draco Malfoy. It seemed very strange to her that they'd take to such a subject, considering how all they'd heard of him in the past was his habit of turning up at the worst of times, or his talent for making their daughter cry.

When they finally stopped the car and had made it to the doors, her parents finally seemed to awaken from their trance. Her mother, she noticed, did not look well. She had aged quite a bit over the year. In the light she could see the dark circles under her mother's eyes, and the deep wrinkles of worry on her forehead. Suddenly Hermione had this rush of sadness sweep over her, although she couldn't explain why. Her mother touched her hair gently, her fingers lingering on her semi tamed curls longer than usual.

"Honey," her father said, quietly, "this night will be very strange for you". He cleared his throat and looked to his wife.

"We couldn't tell you this at any other time," her mother looked at her, sadly, "Or else we would have. Believe me we didn't mean for it to happen like this, so quickly…" her voice trailed off.

"Right then, I guess we'd better just tell her and get on with it." Her father looked at her, "Hermione, you are not our daughter."

"Wha-"

The two of them simply kissed her head, took each other's hands, and walked off. In a blink of an eye they'd disappeared. Hermione looked around, confused. 'this has to be a dream,' she thought, wondering where they'd gone. She didn't have time to process what they'd said, as the large wooden door behind her opened up, and a man with a mass of frizzy brown hair and chestnut eyes stepped out, with open arms.

"Hermione, darling!" he smiled, "Give your dad a hug!!!!"

And Hermione did just what any girl would do in that situation. She stepped forward to appease the man's wishes, but instead of embracing him…

She fainted.