Darkness, I am surrounded by darkness. Smothering and entangling me within its hold till I can no longer think, see, or feel. I can hear whispers in the background, prodding their way to the forefront of the dark. "Give up, its over. Why do you still even try? Its hopeless."
I ignore them and silently plea for the darkness to come back to me again. Pleading for it to come surging back towards me. To cut me off from this very existence and, to inevitably, take me toward oblivion. But oblivion was not meant to be, for the darkness was being replaced by a white haze, and the prodding whispers turn into the soft chirps of birds, ready to begin their day. I open my eyes and gaze out of my window into the morning sky and see the soft pink clouds, floating across a sea of iridescent waves. I turn my head and see the pale blue walls of my bedroom. Looking back towards the window, out to the sky, I see the birds gliding and darting about, dancing with the wind.
After watching the birds do their morning dance for a few moments, I take a deep breathe and rise from my bed, which seems to have swallow me whole, with the sheets and comforter tangled around my body. Soft pops and cracks echo across my room as I get up and stretch. My body is still adjusting to actually sleeping in a bed, after months of sleeping on forest floors. Releasing all of the kinks out of my joints, I rub my eyes hoping to dislodge the sleepiness that I know is etched all across my face. Lets face it though, I don't want to be awake, nor does my body.
I work my way over to the bathroom, hoping that the unruly curls that grace the top of my head are not as bad as they feel. Over the years they have gone from bushy and untamed, to soft wavy curls that now cascade down my back to my waist. After a quick shower I release said curls from a very messy bun that lays atop my head, they gently fall down revealing themselves to be tamed and not needing to be fixed. I stare at me reflection in the mirror. For so long all I ever saw was a gangly girl with bushy brown hair and large teeth. Even now at the tender age of 18 I still sometimes see that girl staring back at me if I look long enough. As my eyes move over my towel clad body, I can easily make out the pale scars that are etched across my body. Some I don't even have to see to know they are there. The most prominent of them is carved on the inside of my forearm. Placed there by a deranged witch that i'm glad is now gone. As I read the word Mudblood over and over again, I know it will never have the same effect on me, that it once had in my younger years. Besides it's not as angry looking as it once was. Having stared at myself long enough I make my way to my closet and put on a pair of black skinny jeans, a maroon knitted sweater and some tan ankles boots. Satisfied with what i'm wearing I make my way to my bedside table and pick up my wand, I levitate some final necessities into my trunk, latching it closed once everything was packed. It's September first, the first day back at Hogwarts, and after Voldemort's downfall, the school has reopened and has invited back everyone to take a repeat of the previous school year. I'm excited to finally go back to my home of six years, but spending the past year on the run, destroying horcruxes, and helping defeat Voldemort, one can say I'm a bit out of practice when it comes to school work.
Making my way into the kitchen I pick up a biscuit that Henry, our personal chef has made, and take the tea that has been placed out for me, to the garden patio to await my parents. Mum and dad should soon be making their way out to join me, it sort of become a family tradition for us to eat outside. Bringing my knees up in the chair with me, I began to think about what school will be like now with the second wizarding war finally over. I'd imagined (but really hope) that it will be the same as how I left it. But I know this is not to be, because I am not the same girl that previously waked the stoned walls and vast grounds of a place I have called home since I was eleven. Lost in my thoughts I don't even realize that my parents have made their way down to breakfast until my father gently shakes me, jostling me from my thoughts.
"Are you alright darling?" my mother asks her ever caring tone.
"Yes mum, just thinking about school." I reply softly as I tenderly sip on my tea.
"You'll do just fine poppet, you have nothing to worry about." My father replies, giving me his signature smirk that almost reminds me of Malfoy. Quickly finishing my now cold tea, I stand up and proceed to kiss my parents goodbye. "Leaving so soon darling?" "Yes mum can't miss the train, I am head girl after all." "Alright darling, please be safe and write to us as soon as you can alright.""Of course mum."
"Poppet, have Edward drive you, that way we won't have to worry about leaving your car at the station." "Alright dad. Goodbye I love you both." I say as I kiss each of their cheeks and proceed to walk back to the main stair case and accio my trunk down and levitate it to the car. "Edward, put this in the boot please. I'll be ready to leave for Kings Cross in a few minutes." "Of course Miss Hermione." He replies with a swift tilt of his hat and proceeds to place my trunk in the boot. I leave Edward to get the car ready as I make my way back into the house to retrieve my purse and especially to get Crookshanks, my beloved cat.
"Crookes, it's time to go buddy! Hurry up or will miss the train!" I yell hearing my voice echo across the vastness of the house. Immediately I hear his soft footfalls on the marble floor, then finally see him emerge, quickly rounding the corner and descending the stair case. After opening and placing his carrying bag on the ground, he enters in it with out a fuss, and I quickly close the bag before he changes his mind about entering it. We make our way back out to the car, were Edward already has the door open, waiting patiently for me to go in. Placing Crookshanks in first, I slide him, than myself, over the leather seats, as Edward closes the door and goes around the car to let himself in as well. Once all bucked in, the engine starts and we proceed to make our way to London. As the car makes it way to the station, I quietly look out the window and pray to whatever god that is listening that this year I will finally have a normal school year.