A/N: Welcome to my first Harry Potter fanfic! I hope that you enjoy this short but sweet preliminary chapter...if you would like me to continue this story, please review! I'll continue according to the feedback I receive from all of you :) Happy Reading!

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Entering the Gryffindor common room from her dormitory for the last time, Hermione Granger felt a sadness overwhelm her. Although she was extremely pleased to be told by Dumbledore that he wanted her to be Head Girl only two days after moving in, she did not want to leave her home of six years. She walked over to her favorite chair that sat close to the fireplace right next to the large, open window and took a deep breath.

It'll be fine. I can visit back here whenever I want, she thought to herself. The breeze of September flew through the window and danced on her rosy cheeks, lightly blowing the strands of hair that hung around her face. Her mind raced through all the memories she had had in the past years of living in Gryffindor tower. She gazed absently at the fire and remembered when dear Sirius would visit her, Harry, and Ron. Her eyes drifted towards the coffee table, where the chessboard was set up. She smiled as she imagined her two best friends battling it out to see who could reach check-mate first; Ron, being an exceptional chess player, would always win.

Taking one last look out the common room window, Hermione stood up and began walking towards the portrait door.

"Hermione, wait up," shouted a voice from behind her. Hermione turned to face her best friend, the boy who was destined to defeat the darkest wizard there ever was, You-Know-Who.

"Harry," she started with a false smile, not wanting to show her sadness. "What are you doing awake? It's only 7:30."

The Boy-Who-Lived chuckled and looked down. He was holding something in his hand. "I just wanted to give you this." Hermione gave Harry an inquisitive look and put her hand forward. He placed what appeared to be a silver time-turner on a silver, linked chain in her open hand.

"Oh, Harry…it's lovely!" Hermione exclaimed and gave Harry a hard hug. "But, what is it for? My birthday isn't for another three weeks," she said with a raised eyebrow.

Harry shrugged. "Well, I want you to put it somewhere in the Head Tower, to remind you that I'm always there, I suppose," his face flushed somewhat as he looked up into Hermione's eyes. "I also wanted to thank you, for always being there for me, and for Ron…and I know you always will. Do try to visit; I know you will be very busy this year, as will I…" Hermione thought she saw a hint of darkness in his eyes, but before she could decide on it, his face was back to normal. "…but don't forget to stop in once in a while. It would be nice to see you outside of class, and be able to talk without having Snape swatting us in the back of our heads for it," he said with a laugh.

Hermione smiled. She knew what Harry was thinking. She was a busy girl, but it wasn't like she wouldn't make time for her friends. The idea of not spending time with Harry and Ron was unbearable; however, she knew that as Head Girl, she would have a multitude of tasks to perform, duties to fulfill, as well as a ton of homework to complete. The NEWTS exams would be taken at the end of this year, and she would have to be over-prepared to get Outstanding's on every test.

"Don't worry, Harry. I'll be around as much as I can, okay?" She reached down and grabbed her suitcase. "Try to stay out of trouble now that I'm not there, alright?" Hermione reached out and gave Harry one last hug, before turning on her heels and walking, somewhat reluctantly, out of Gryffindor Tower.

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Hermione turned the corner and walked to a dead-end hallway, where she came upon a large portrait of a breathtaking woman. She must be part veela, thought Hermione as the woman opened her dazzling eyes and looked down at her.

Hermione felt a sting of anger as she remembered all too well how Ron drooled over most of the women who had visited Hogwarts from Beauxbatons during their fourth year. She looked up and couldn't help feeling a little nervous. "I haven't been told the password yet…I was hoping that Dumbledore would be here to…

"You silly girl, there are no passwords for the Head Tower," the veela interrupted with her sing-song, throaty voice. "You simply touch my necklace with your finger. Then, the door will open. Keep in mind that only your finger and the Head Boy's finger can open this door, so if you invite any of your little friends in, you must be present in order for them to enter." She sang in a somewhat bored tone.

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Ok, thank you," she said as she put her index finger onto the necklace of the veela. The veela's eyes closed as the necklace burned, forcing Hermione to move her finger away. "Ouch!" she exclaimed as she brought her finger to her mouth. No sooner had Hermione removed her finger that the door swung open majestically. Hermione's finger hung in her mouth as she stared through the portrait door, unmoving. The room was enormous, with a beautiful white leather couch facing the door and overlooking a glass coffee table. On the couch were several over-sized light blue pillows, which appeared extremely cozy. Underneath the couch was a large, blue fuzzy rug, which was spread across a light, hardwood floor. On either side of the couch were two mahogany side tables, which were each occupied by matching candlesticks. Opposite the couch closest to the door were two matching chairs, which faced away from the door. Behind the couch, wonderful sheer curtains covered two huge windows which gave a view of the lake, which was sparkling in the fall sunshine. Off to either side of the room were two doors; and carved into each of the doors in gold were the words "Head Boy" and "Head Girl".

Hermione finally got her legs working as she walked through the portrait door and headed towards the left, where "Head Girl" was engraved on the door. She gently put her hand on the golden door knob and opened it. The room was so beautiful that a small gasp escaped her lips. The room was, although not as enormous as the common room, very large. Immediately to the right there was an armoire, which faced towards the opposite end of the room. To the left, a desk which had several drawers, as well as several school supplies sitting on top, including her books, extra parchment, and quills. Her four-post full sized bed was three steps up, which included a night table with a candlestick which matched the ones in the common room. The theme of the room seemed to be a light sea-green, with a beautiful silk comforter and several white and green pillows to match. The walls were painted a light green, and occupying them were several portraits of the castle. Another door caught Hermione's eye, which was next to the bed. She opened the door and found herself in the Head Girl's bathroom. She squinted slightly as the brightness of white filled her eyes. A white, tiled floor, a white sink, and a white bathtub occupied the small bathroom, with bright green towels hanging from the hooks and from the towel rack.

Being Head Girl certainly does have its advantages, thought Hermione as she walked back through her bedroom, into the common room, and grabbed a fluffy pillow as she plopped down on the couch.

It was really unbelievable to Hermione that she was really going to spend the year here. She never imagined herself being Head Girl, honestly. Of course, she does receive top grades in her year, but considering the friends she has, and the trouble she's been in, she thought that she would have only remained a prefect. Now that she was Head Girl, she would be sure to fulfill all her responsibilities, and keep the other students in line. With Voldemort still at large, being Head Girl would be very challenging.

The creak of the portrait door snapped Hermione out of her thoughts and back into the Head common room. She realized it must be the Head Boy. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know who the Head Boy was. Then, a thought struck her. Harry! Harry was always one for surprises. Perhaps he put on that speech this morning, only to shock her later on when he walked through the door unannounced.

Hermione stood up, excited at the fact of living with her best friend. When the door slammed shut, Hermione's smile quickly disappeared. She stood up and gaped at the man who walked through the door. Her stomach turned as she started first at his blonde hair falling into his ice blue eyes. There's no way…

"Malfoy!"

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A/N: Well, thats the preliminary chapter! I hope you are curious to find out more about my story, and please, PLEASE review :) Thanks for reading!